Forrest, Dawn - Sweet Water Wedding: Sharing Shannon (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (15 page)

It was just after 11:00 a.m. by the time the girls had showered, dressed, French braided Shannon’s hair, and eaten a light breakfast. They decided to head on over to the Sweet Water ranch.

“Remember, no letting on that you know that he knows okay?”

“Right, act naturally.” She clapped her hands together and sliced them through the air to emphasize her focus. “No problemo.”

“Oh, and in case you haven’t already figured it out, they are both smart guys so don’t underestimate them. James has an IQ of one hundred and fifty.”

“Fuck.” Her confidence dipped.

When Rachael’s Jeep pulled into the yard both Joshua and James came to greet them. Joshua had been in the office and James in the stable. Both men exuded confidence and self-assurance. They were clearly comfortable in their home environment. Shannon couldn’t help but compare the two men.

Joshua had dark hair and was a very masculine, strong, solid-looking man. He had a stern, intimidating expression that made him appear hard, until he smiled, and then a genuine kindness and honesty shone through. His eyes were the most incredible ice blue, enhancing his penetrative stare, but when he looked at Rachael his whole face softened with an expression of tender love. Shannon had ascertained that sometimes “tender” had nothing to do with it, and she blushed at the thought. His soft expression was fleeting, being replaced by a hard and demanding stare. He almost wrenched the door off the car and hauled Rachael out, put her over his shoulder, and strolled into the house. She heard Rachael’s laughter amidst halfhearted protests and pleas to be put down.

She turned her attention to James. He was physical perfection, similar to his brother but fairer, with less prominent, slightly more symmetrical facial features. He had a more relaxed, easygoing air about him and a smile was never far from his lips, nor a twinkle from his eyes. He was a few inches shorter than Joshua and not quite as broad, but still a big man with solid, well defined muscles. He had long, strong-looking legs, and his jeans gave a hint of the muscles on his thighs, not to mention his—oh, now that looked bigger than any bratwurst she’d ever seen. She inwardly cursed Rachael. James was smiling at her with a quizzical expression, then, without any sign of embarrassment, he briskly adjusted his crotch. Damn, she’d been caught ogling.

Shannon now suddenly felt flustered. Act natural? Natural at this point was a gibbering wreck on the floor. She gave herself some moral support.
Come on, pull it together. I’m participating in this little charade, but on my terms.

“Here goes,” she muttered to no one just as James opened her door.

“Good mornin’,” James drawled. “Did you sleep well, Shannon, in another strange bed?”

You sneaky bugger.
“Yes, thanks.” She smiled sweetly. “I had the deep, dreamless sleep of someone with a clear conscience. You look a bit tired though.” He didn’t, but it wouldn’t help to put a little dent in his confidence and tweak his sense of integrity a bit.

He narrowed his eyes for a brief moment. “Thoughts of a certain redhead kept me up
and awake.”

Though his words were innocent enough Shannon was left in no doubt which part of his anatomy was up.
Smooth devil.
But she couldn’t keep from smiling at his cheeky charm. As she stepped out of Rachael’s Jeep he moved closer and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. She thought that he subtly yet deliberately inhaled her scent, just loud enough for her to be aware of it and gave a very low, barely audible rumble of appreciation.
I’m doomed,
was her first thought, followed quickly by a mental kick on the ass.
Focus, you ninny.

“Coming down with a cold?” she asked politely.

He raked his gaze over her body, “No, I think I’m coming down with something else.” Then before she could feel uncomfortable he abruptly brightened up as if he hadn’t been flirting outrageously and grabbed her sports bag. “Did you bring some swimming stuff? The pool sure is nice and cool for an afternoon dip.”

“Yes, and I can carry that,” she muttered.

“I know.” He grinned pleasantly but continued to hold the bag. “I’ll just put this in the house first. I’m heading into Ridge Water because we’re low on beers. Heaven forbid that we’ll be compelled to live on only food and water for the next twelve hours if I don’t go.” Shannon couldn’t help a chuckle but stopped when he added, “I was hoping that you’d come with me, you’ll get to see a bit of the town.” Before she could say anything he leaned closer again and added in a conspiratorial tone, “It’ll give the nearlyweds an hour to themselves.” He grinned and gave her a wink.

Shannon had to hand it to him, he was good. Playing the “let your friend have her fun” card to get her alone was a sneaky tactic worthy of appreciation. She decided to play along as planned.

“All right, I’ll just tell Rachael.”

“Don’t bother, Josh knows. I wouldn’t disturb them if I were you. They’ll be busy already.” Amusement twinkled in his eyes.

When Rachael came to the front door, James looked surprised but Shannon wasn’t. She knew that her friend was concerned about her and wouldn’t be happy to leave her with James without checking first.

“Are you okay going into town with James?”

“Sure.” She winked at her when James wasn’t looking, but it was more to assure Rachael because she didn’t feel that confident.

“Okay, see you la—oh!” Rachael squeaked as a big arm wrapped around her waist and tugged her back. The last thing that Shannon saw was Rachael’s feet in midair, disappearing into the house.

“Okay, I was out by a minute,” James drawled.

“Close enough,” Shannon muttered, now glad that she was going out with James while still apprehensively wondering just what he had planned.

James put Shannon’s bag just inside the front door, then jumped down the steps and walked over to a large, new-looking SUV that sat high off the ground on huge wheels. It was a cool-looking vehicle, but she suspected that it must be a real gas-guzzler.

“I’d hate to have to change a flat tire with these monsters.”

“It doesn’t happen often because they’re big.”

He opened her door and stepped aside. As she moved forward he was suddenly close behind her with his hands resting on her hips and around her waist. He waited a few seconds longer than necessary, moving a little closer, before assisting her up into the passenger seat. “They weigh heavier than you, that’s for sure.”

He was
very
good; in fact she had to admit that his powers of improvised seduction were exceptional. He lightly swept his hands across her body when he reached across her to click the seat belt into place. If she hadn’t known better she’d be panting and whimpering by now. Hell, her breathing already seemed ragged to her own ears but forewarned is forearmed, and as he leaned over she “accidentally” sighed in his ear and huskily breathed her thanks. He stopped all movement for a second, before slowly straightening up and looking into her eyes, one arm still across her lap. What she saw stole her breath away—desire, raw desire, tempered with fading control. Abruptly he stepped back and shut the door, leaving her frightened and thrilled in equal measure and of more concern, wanting.

* * * *

James had to reach far into his rapidly dwindling reserve of discipline to move away from Shannon. The woman did peculiar things to him, and he no longer felt fully in control of his own actions. Apart from an almighty physical attraction to her he also felt nervous, excited, pensive, and elated, all at the same time. He recognized that he hadn’t felt this way since he was nineteen and in love with Maddie Cooper. In love? Well, he’d thought so at the time. It was both a wonderful and horrible experience. Did Shannon know what she did to him?

He had to get her quickly to Luke’s place and end the charade. Luke had arrived back from Houston earlier that morning and they’d discussed bringing Shannon to the house to meet him again. They hoped that she would be happy to see him and not angry or, heaven forbid, upset; he didn’t think that he could cope well with that. He flung himself into the driver’s seat and they headed out at a fast pace.

They hadn’t gone very far when Shannon took a deep breath and turned to him

“Do you have a girlfriend, James?” she inquired, rushing the words.

He glanced at her cautiously. He hadn’t expected her to initiate a conversation along those lines, but was happy that she had. He divided his attention between her and the track and lightly answered, “No, why are you thinking of applying for the position?”

Shannon laughed, “I hear there’s a queue.”

James bristled because she was right and for the first time he was regretting his reputation. Normally he’d laugh it off with a flirtatious remark, something like “you could jump it any time,” or “I’ll give you a special pass,” but such remarks now seemed tacky and cheap. He stared at the road ahead, choosing his words carefully.

“I’ve had an active social life, its true and I’m not going to apologize for it. I’ve never cheated, intentionally hurt, led on, or disrespected a woman, and I never will.” He slowed down for the cattle grid at the end of the dirt road. They passed under a metal arch with “Sweet Water Ranch” emblazoned across it. “I’m not trying to make out I’m a saint. The truth is it was easy not to do those things because I’ve never committed to a serious relationship.”

He caught her skeptical expression as she said, “Mmm. You don’t think that any of those ‘non serious’ girls ever secretly hoped for more? That just by being intimate you were sending out signals?”

He knew that he had to be careful because he wanted to be honest but not seem like an uncaring player either.

“It’s a possibility I guess, but I’ve always tried to be up front and clear about it and most of the girls I’ve fu—been with haven’t complained. I’m not even sure if intimate is the right word to use for what I’ve done, physically yes, but emotionally...not really.” He realized how cold and rather pathetic that sounded. “Until recently we weren’t really looking to settle down. There have been a few times in the past when either my friend or I thought something might get more serious but it didn’t work out. There were no hard feelings though.”

“I’m no expert on relationships that’s for sure. Six months ago I caught my boyfriend shagging someone else.”

Shocked, he sucked in a sharp intake of breath. “That must have hurt.”

She shrugged it off with a tight chuckle. “At the time it did, but don’t feel sorry for me, I got the last laugh, I’ll tell you about it sometime. Anyway even my cat has left me because I’m never home due to work. But I think that I’m safe in saying that getting to know someone before diving into bed just might be a more successful strategy for a lasting relationship.” She settled back into her seat. “Call me wacky, but I’m putting that idea out there for you.”

He checked the rearview mirror and saw that the road was clear behind and it was safe to slow down a little.

“Sex is an important part of a ménage relationship. If that doesn’t work, then part of the foundation on which the lifestyle is based is flawed.”

“Really, are you so sure that you have to have sex straight away to know that? What about attraction that comes with finding someone appealing for many reasons on different levels? Things like character, humor, looks,
trust,
and all of that stuff that lasts beyond infatuation, you know, for enduring ‘true love?’” She made little quotation marks in the air with her fingers. “If you are planning to spend your life with someone, then there has to be more doesn’t there?”

James kept his eyes on the road as he considered her words. She was right of course, but still, he’d rather not wait. “Why not do the fact finding after having great sex?”
After all, that’s what she’d be doing with Luke.

“That’s a good point, although great sex has a way of clouding the mind. Then again Rachael and Joshua obviously didn’t take much time.” She frowned. “I’m just suggesting another possible approach, but what the heck do I know? Perhaps it’s a mix of both? If the attraction deepens doesn’t the sex also develop into something better, something more meaningful? I’m going to be candid here, James. For most women I’d say that there would have to be a lot of lust
and
trust before they’d think about the type of relationship that you want.”