Point of Contention (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (16 page)

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me, but the location would have to be right. Maybe just a bakery, it’s

too soon to tell. In the meantime, I get lots of hands-on experience

and training here.”

They fell quiet, and she wondered if she’d gone too far. But better

he know her true personality from the start, as an employee or as a

prospective love interest. Of course, she was jumping in all directions.

He’d have a say in that, too, and from what she was learning about

him, he was still jealous of her relationship with Travis, even though

it had been casual. Kay decided any relationship beyond employee

with Stuart would be intense. She remembered how gentle his hands

had felt on her shoulders last night in the office. How intense he’d

become when he thought she was hurt. She could only imagine how

he might be as a lover. She got an instant twinge of heat in her pussy,

and her nipples hardened at the idea he might one day suck them. If

she was very lucky, one day she might feel his cock inside her.

She shook herself from the memory as she walked closer toward

the stall where the puppies currently resided.

A noise at the far end of the barn got her attention as well as

Harley’s, and the dog let out a low, warning growl. Stuart moved into

view with a large stainless steel water bowl in his hand and laughed

aloud at his dog.

“Harley, you old fool, don’t you recognize me? It’s only been one

day.” The dog sat beside Kay, his tail thumping on the floor. “Come,

boy,” he said, and the dog bolted toward him. Thankfully the bowl

was empty, or the water intended for it would have been showered

down on both of them when paws hit Stuart’s shoulders. “All right,

down, boy, down.” Harley gave his face one more sloppy lick before

dropping to the floor. Slowly, Stuart moved away and took up his

place next to Kay.

“How’s your hand?”

“Fine,” she started, and then laughed. “Sore as hell, but well worth

it.”

She moved toward Chole’s stall and leaned on the door. Seeing

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that mother and puppies were all snuggled together, she let out a sigh.

Stuart came to stand next to her, his arm dropping over her shoulders.

“I wasn’t sure you’d visit her tonight,” he started.

“I stopped at the office first, but when you weren’t there I decided

I wouldn’t let Timms chase me away.”

“Good, just don’t get too lax for the next few weeks. I’m working

on getting a replacement for him,”

“Stuart, don’t fire him because of me. I can handle myself.”

He turned away from her, obviously uncomfortable. “Actually, I

found out this afternoon that he’s been crowding some of the other

women. Apparently the waitress was just another in his quest.”

“What a sleazy…”

“Yeah, well, keep your fingers crossed. Hopefully he won’t be an

issue for long.”

They stayed watching Chloe and her family for a long time

without speaking. Finally Stuart spoke, but it wasn’t what Kay

thought she’d ever hear. “If you’re free on Monday, would you spend

the day with me, Kay?”

“Doing what?” she asked, her bluntness not lost on him, his small

laugh told her.

“I have to make a final decision on the kitchen. I hoped you’d

look over my shoulder and make sure I don’t make any glaring

mistakes.”

“Why not let Travis check for you?” Still she hadn’t turned to

look at him.

“Because I’d rather spend my day off looking at you than him,” he

told her, just before his arm pulled her to him and he let his lips drop down onto hers. Kay accepted his kiss and pushed for one that she

wanted, turning their moment into a deeper experience than Stuart

seemed prepared for. Pulling back from her, he smiled.

“You don’t make it easy for me, Kay.”

“Is that what you really want? A malleable female with no

opinions or depth?”

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“God, no. But maybe you could just cut me some slack

occasionally.”

“That you have to earn,” she said with a devious smile.

“Kay, tell me no, and I’ll leave you alone.”

“I don’t want you to leave me alone. God help me, Stuart, I…”

Kay couldn’t believe what she’d almost said aloud, thankful she was

able to control the impulse to tell him she wanted him inside her.

“You…?”

“I’d love to help you with the kitchen plans.”

He laughed aloud at her diversionary tactic and was careful when

he took her hand. “Got time for a ride? You should see the site so you

can visualize it all better.”

“Okay,” she said, not surprised when Harley followed them out to

Stuart’s pickup truck. The drive was relatively short, but she liked

how he’d left forest land in between the lodge and his home site,

sequestering it into a private enclave. When he pulled in at the end of

the dirt road, they automatically got out and wandered the cleared lot.

He gave her a brief description of what he was going to have built,

and Kay asked questions galore before he moved to the truck, coming

back with a pad and pen, jotting down their thoughts as they talked

through potential problems with style and design. Finally, overloaded

with questions, he threw up his hands in defeat.

“I give up, Kay, no more for tonight.”

“All right, I’ll go lightly on you, but Monday…” She didn’t finish

her thought when he moved behind her and pulled her back to his

chest. He kept his hands wrapped around her waist and leaned close to

her ear.

“Thanks for your help tonight,” he said, his breath teasing her ear.

“You’re welcome,” she answered, locking her hands over his.

“Stuart?”

“I don’t have a clue, Kay. If you want me to back off, I will,

but…”

“No.” They stayed that way for a long time that night, Stuart

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leaning on the hood of his pickup with Kay bracketed in his arms in

front of him. The river lay beyond, and Harley slept in the back of the

pickup. Kay wondered how long they might have stayed that way if

they hadn’t been interrupted by his cell phone. Begrudgingly, he

answered it, and she knew something was wrong. With a few terse

words, he told the caller to phone the sheriff and he’d be right there.

“Get in,” he told her as they scrambled into the truck.

“What’s wrong?”

“Timms!” He glanced at her only briefly then turned the truck

around and sped down the dirt road toward the marina.

“Stuart?”

“I’m not sure, something about a guest and Timms. Lisa was short

with details.” They arrived several minutes later to find an upset

middle-aged woman sitting in the passenger seat of Lisa’s car at the

dock. Her wet hair was plastered to her face and neck, her clothes still damp. She had a blanket thrown over her shoulders and was staring

out at nothing, not acknowledging the people around her. Timms was

down at the end of the pier with Hoyt and Travis. It was eerily quiet

when they got out.

“Timms offered her a sunset cruise while her husband played

cards with the other guests.” Lisa paused, nodded her head to the side,

and only continued when they all took a few steps from the female

guest. “It was supposed to be an hour’s cruise, and she apparently

thought there were going to be other people with them. Timms had

made a move, and in a gallant attempt to get away from his advances,

she jumped overboard and swam back. Thankfully the woman

realized her error in judgment near the dock.”

Just as they were getting this information, a sheriff’s deputy

pulled up. Kay watched from the side as he and Stuart shook hands

and spoke in hushed tones for several minutes. Finally, Stuart asked

Lisa and Kay to take Mrs. Ott back to the lodge to clean up, saying

they’d be there shortly.

Kay brewed coffee while Lisa helped the woman to her room. She

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returned dry and composed, with her obviously angry husband at her

side. The deputy asked her if she wanted medical attention, and she’d

said no. She wasn’t hurt, just pissed at Timms. Kay and Lisa both

knew how she felt. It was while they were setting up a tray to take to

the study that Lisa told Kay Timms had cornered her once, too. She’d

been able to get away by telling him she’d fire him, but not before

he’d grabbed at her, too. Kay’s sense of well-being on the land was

shrinking fast. While she wanted to question Lisa further,

circumstances didn’t allow it. Kay realized just Lisa admitting it was

a big step.

“The man’s a menace and should be sent away from anywhere

there are decent women.” Mrs. Ott’s voice filled the space and they

all looked at each other. While Kay didn’t offer any explanation of

her encounter, it was an odd moment for them all.

Ultimately, hours later, Mr. and Mrs. Ott decided not to press

charges. However, Stuart still fired Timms on the spot. With backup

from the deputy, they’d explained clearly to him that he was never to

set foot on Agrarian Lodge land again, under any circumstance. They

waited while he packed his gear and then saw him off the property.

The deputy came back inside to assure everyone he’d make sure

Jimmy Timms’s reputation was known around the area. It was the

only way to keep someone else from hiring him and having the same

problem. He also told them if Timms did step back on Stuart’s land,

he could press charges that would send him to jail for a spell, adding

it might be the catalyst to keeping him away permanently.

Later that night, Stuart, Travis, Lisa, and Kay sat in Stuart’s

private office, sharing a brandy when the fuss had died down. Timms

was gone and hopefully never to be heard from again. Mrs. Ott

seemed unaffected by the incident, rather viewing it as a story to take

back home. How she’d been singled out by a younger man and how

she’d swum from his boat to save her honor. Mr. Ott was remaining

very quiet about the whole thing, and Stuart made a note to call his

lawyer in the morning just in case that changed.

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For the first time since she’d been working at Agrarian Lodge,

Kay watched Travis sit next to Lisa and drop his arm around her

shoulder. With a halting breath, he questioned her.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before? I’d have…”

“Yes, you probably would have. You’d have found him and

beaten him up. Well, Travis, I don’t need you to protect me. I handled

him and the situation.”

“I know, but still…” Travis stopped when he realized the tone and

level of his voice.

Lisa watched him intently before bursting out laughing. “Why,

Travis Polson, you old dog,” she said and leaned over to kiss his

cheek. “You really do care, don’t you?” His face and neck turned a

bright pink and he didn’t have to verbally answer. “Come on, walk

me home and we’ll talk about it,” she teased.

For Kay, it was the first time she’d seen the woman really smile. It

was a pretty smile, filled with sweetness and a hint of the devil. Kay

hadn’t appreciated her before, but the new Lisa emerging before her

had spunk. They left not holding hands but giving each other

meaningful glances. Once they were gone, Kay dropped onto the

couch and started to laugh.

“Stuart, what would happen if I asked you to see me home?” She

laughed harder at the look he gave her but stopped short when he

simply walked past her and shut, then locked his office door. Moving

back into the room, he asked her if she wanted another brandy. Her

head indicated no, but she got a wave of heat through her as if she’d

drank it. He dropped beside her but didn’t touch her. Instead, he laid

his head back and closed his eyes.

“Kay?”

“Yes, Stuart?”

“I don’t have anything remotely honorable on my mind right now.

I think you’d better leave.” His fingers rubbed his temples, and he sat

forward.

“Poor Stu, you’ve had a hard couple of days, haven’t you?” she

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teased.

“I’m serious, Kay, unless you’re prepared to be taken on this

couch, you’d better go. I don’t know how much plainer I can say it.”

She studied him and realized he was on a thin rope. “All right,

Stuart, but only because when we finally make love, I’d prefer it to be

in a soft, warm bed, not your office floor.”

He glanced up at her, and his eyes flashed. “Or over the desk?”

“Next time the desk.” Kay reached down and let her fingers trail

along his cheek, her fingers stroking his chin. “Stuart, I like your

beard,” she said, adding, “Someday I want to feel it against me.” Her

gaze met his for just a moment longer before she straightened up.

“Good night, Stuart, I’ll see you Monday for our shopping excursion.”

* * * *

He sat there for a long time, knowing it was right to send her away

and hating himself for doing just that. But with all the problems with

Timms, he didn’t want anything clouding their minds when he finally