Point of Contention (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (7 page)

to use his car, ever again.”

“Which hurt more, losing car privileges or his silent act?”

“Definitely the silence. I’d wait for him to come home to tell him

about something good in my day or show him a test. He’d nod and

open his newspaper.” Kay hesitated but finally added, “I learned a lot

that month about human nature and disappointment.”

“Did your parents ever spank you?” he asked, liking the instant

visual the idea provoked in his mind. And somehow, since he’d

known her, he’d been close to wanting to take her over his knee.

Never before had a woman pushed his buttons without really trying.

Maybe that was her charm, but he wanted a physical release when it

came to Kay. A kiss would be a start, one he knew would lead them

into dangerous territory.

“No, I was never punished with physical means. My dad knew

letting me know how disappointed he was in me was far worse. Let’s

just say I often wondered if the momentary pain of a spanking

wouldn’t have been better, at least when I was a kid. Even then, his

quiet disdain was harder to bear.”

“What finally broke the standoff?”

“My mother’s birthday. She told us the only gift she wanted was

her husband and daughter laughing together again. He finally

brokered a truce…conversation, as if nothing had happened…but I

never even considered asking to borrow his car again. Instead, I got a

part-time job and saved up until I had enough to cover the repair

cost.”

“Did he take your money?” Stuart asked.

“Yes. After that, I kept the job and started saving for an old

clunker to drive. When I found one, he upgraded me into a better car,

but just by the amount of the repair bill.” She was laughing, and

Stuart wanted to drop his arm around her shoulder and pull her closer

to him. He wanted to feel her against him. “Sometimes I still wish I’d

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never sold that old tin can.”

“What about the other car you hit?”

“There wasn’t any. I crushed the fender on a telephone pole that

was at the exact corner of our driveway. I’ll never know who decided

the pole had to go exactly there, but it was a bitch of a turn if you

didn’t swing just right.” Stuart laughed openly and watched her face

as he did. She acted as if he never laughed. “Why, Stuart Drake, that’s

the first time I’ve ever seen you smile, let alone laugh out loud. You

are human at times!”

Throwing back her head, she laughed with abandon. He still

wasn’t sure how this had all turned back onto him. Of course he

smiled and laughed, sometimes. It was then he realized lately he

hadn’t. Changing the focus of their conversation back to her, he said,

“He sounds like a good man.”

“Within reason I’d say he was in most ways. I’m sure my mother

would answer you differently, but her relationship with him was

spousal, so her perspective is different. What about you, did your

parents let you keep pets?”

Stuart’s posture tightened for a few moments before relaxing.

“My mother didn’t care as long as she wasn’t responsible for it.

My father died when I was very young. He was in the service, an

accident on the training field.”

“I’m sorry. It must have been difficult for you both.”

The memory of him losing his father at a young age made him

incredibly sad, especially after Kay shared the fender episode with

him. The hardened tone of his response made him pause.

“I learned early on about being responsible for myself and for

others, Kadence. I know firsthand that well-meaning intentions are

just that, and until carried to term, just lip service most of the time.”

She stopped walking and it took him several paces to realize he

was alone. When he stopped and turned, she was staring at him, her

mouth just short of hanging open. Unfortunately, the position left her

lips in a soft oval, and Stuart didn’t fight back the urge. All this time
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he’d wanted to touch her, and now he finally let himself have his

moment.

In a few long strides he was back beside her, his hands on her

shoulders. Staring at him, she didn’t move when he dropped his head

toward her, letting his lips brush against hers. His fingers tightened on her arms, and he deepened the kiss, letting the tip of his tongue taste

the corners of her mouth before slipping between hers to find her heat.

Kay wanted the kiss, he decided, as she slid against his body. He

needed to know if there was something to the pull he felt for her or if

it was just circumstance.

Her hand moved to his chest but didn’t push him away. Instead,

she stroked his chest until she felt the rhythm of his heart under her palm. He knew it speeded up at her touch and wondered if she could

tell the difference. She shifted and opened her lips for him. The groan

he let out worked its way up his chest long before he pulled back, his

eyes searching hers.

“You were hoping it was just that I was forbidden to you, that one

kiss and you’d be able to dismiss me. Only we both know that’s not

true, especially now.”

“It doesn’t mean I have to act on it. You’re…”

“I’m my own person, and I make my own decisions. And I’m not

romantically or sexually involved with Travis. We’ve been there,

done that, and I accept that his attention span is too short for my liking. We’ve worked it out between us. Case closed. You have to

decide where this goes.”

* * * *

Kay took a deep breath and slowly moved away. The sun had set

fully, and the mosquitoes were out in full force. Heading to her

apartment, she spent the rest of her evening remembering and reliving

his lips to hers. Standing before the bureau mirror brushing her hair,

she remembered his body close to her and how she heated inside like

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never before. Her hand dropped to her crotch and lightly stroked

against it. Her body shuddered, and she paused to enjoy the feeling.

“Damn him,” she said to the reflection in the mirror. “It wasn’t

supposed to be like this. It’s my turn to find a life, my time to explore for myself. Stuart Drake, I don’t need the hassle!” The woman staring

back at her started to laugh at the idea that she could control love or

lust where Stuart was concerned. Being honest with herself, she

finally admitted that she had taken the job to a certain extent because

it would put her closer to him. That one lousy photograph had

changed the track of her new life. Whether it was good or bad still

remained to be seen.

When she stripped for her shower, she spent a few minutes

pinching her nipples to hardness, watching them bud in the mirror.

What she really wanted to feel was Stuart’s lips to her breast, to feel

how his short beard would tease her skin. She stood naked in her

bathroom, imagining it was Stuart’s hand cupping her breast while

pinching her nipple. Using her other hand, she fingered her pussy to

get the required response from her body. She had a small orgasm but

nothing earth-shattering. Using a soft cloth against her clit under the flow of the hot water, she fantasized he was dropped to his knees

before her, licking her clit until she came.

Lying in bed that night, she used both her toys to fuck her body,

imagining it was Stuart’s hands and cock filling her pussy and ass.

Kay knew she had to get past the fantasy. The job meant a lot to her,

and being lovesick over a man who obviously disliked her wasn’t

productive. But a girl could dream, as long as she remembered it was

just a fantasy.

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Chapter Six

It had been days since she’d seen him in person. Stuart had been a

no-show in the kitchen since their kiss. She’d heard his voice in the

main lodge several times, but he’d opted out of meals with the staff.

This morning, Martha had mentioned it to her in passing.

“Don’t know what bug got under his skin the last few days, but I

hope it goes away soon. I’ve never known him to be so ornery.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Kay had automatically answered, and

then wished she hadn’t. Martha held her gaze for a second longer than

necessary but didn’t comment. Instead, they talked about the planned

meals for the next few days as if her words hadn’t been spoken.

Later that night she was in the main kitchen ladling strawberry

preserves into clean glass jars when Stuart stopped by. His words

were terse as well as his attitude.

* * * *

Stuart stayed in the hallway, half listening to her telephone call,

half trying to pull himself away. He’d answered the call on the

Lodge’s main line and immediately didn’t like the man’s tone. His

attitude annoyed him. While the caller never stepped over to rude,

Stuart felt he was being handled.

“Put me through to Katie Farrell. This is her husband calling long

distance, and I’m in no mood to hold.”

The statement left Stuart cold. He’d remained professional but

curt. He was more surprised when he called over to Martha and found

out Kay was working in the kitchen tonight. He just assumed the

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place would be empty and shut down for the night. He was instantly

glad he hadn’t known she was there, for he knew he’d have made an

excuse to visit her. He could have transferred the call but chose to

walk across the lodge and catch a glimpse of her.

“There’s a call for you, line three.” He’d all but barked out the

words at her, startling her, probably because she thought she was

alone.

Even though he was the owner, he knew it was tacky to be hiding

in the hallway listening to her half of the conversation. Yet here he

was, afraid of being caught but not afraid enough to move on. He

dismissed leaving and leaned on the hallway wall, openly listening to

both sides of their conversation. Stuart immediately blessed speaker

phones.

* * * *

Kay was instantly on alert. Anyone who called her this late in the

evening would use her cell. She grabbed a dish towel and wiped her

hands on the way to the wall-mounted unit beside her work area,

pausing to hit the speaker button before talking.

“Kadence Farrell.” The adrenaline was pumping through her

veins, and she hoped this wasn’t going to be a disaster.

“Hello, Katie, my dear. Miss me?”

Kay didn’t hold back the groan that her throat emitted. The

adrenaline stopped dead in her system, and now she only felt tired.

She took a quick glance around her work space. The job she was

enjoying was suddenly turned to drudgery, but she knew she had to

keep going. “Hello, Eric. What do you want?”

“Not a good attitude, Katie, especially when I’ve been left in

limbo for so long. I was just about to hang up, and you know how it

annoys me to have to call back.”

“Don’t call me Katie, and why are you calling?”

Eric wasn’t prepared for her attitude.

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“I’m just checking on you, my sweet. Is your little baking job as

satisfying as you thought, or are you just sticking it out because you

don’t want to come crawling back?”

“Considering we’ve been divorced for over two years and

separated another before that, what makes you think I’d come

crawling back to you? And just for the record, my little baking job is

going fine. I like the lodge, its surroundings, and especially its

people.”

“Oh, yes, your motorcycle fling, Taylor or Tyler, isn’t it?”

“Eric, you know very well his name is Travis, and we’ve had no

fling. He’s just a friend, and you still haven’t answered my question.

What do you want?”

“I was serious. I want to know if you’re ready to come home.”

Laughing outright at him probably wasn’t Eric’s first desired

response, Kay decided, knowing how surprised he would be by her

tone. But she remembered each reason for being so cold.

“Eric, we don’t have a home for me to return to. All of that was

dissolved years ago. I’m no longer your wife, your responsibility, or

even your friend.” She paused to push back the annoyance she was

feeling, not wanting to give Eric the satisfaction of knowing he riled

her. “What would Diana have to say about that? And how is Dee Dee

doing? She must be walking and talking up a storm by now.” Kay was

wandering around the kitchen making a fresh pot of coffee while they

talked. The long silence that ensued didn’t bode well for anybody.

“Eric, I asked how Dee is doing. Is she okay?”

“I assume so. I haven’t seen her this week. Diana has moved out.”

“Oh.” While it wasn’t the best reply, it was all she could think of

at the moment with so much going through her mind.

Her marriage had finally dissolved when she learned of Diana’s

existence in Eric’s life. The final blow was when she found out his

mistress was carrying his child, something he’d all but forbidden her

to do until they were better established in their careers and lives. But she tried to be fair and knew that she’d gone along with the decision