“Welcome,” BJ stated as he opened the door, preceding her as she walked inside.
It took her breath away.
“My God, this place is huge and so different. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.” It didn’t matter that her mouth hung open in awe of the high-class custom home. She absorbed the cathedral ceilings, the open beams of log that decorated the entire thing, and of course the large, wide windows looking out across the open land. There were two sets of stairs, and one led to the right in a spiral design toward a loft that overlooked the living room and grand stone fireplace.
She twirled right into Monte, who wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek.
“You like it?” he asked as she held his forearms.
“Like it? What’s not to like, Monte? It’s stunning. Did you have someone design it for you?” she asked, and he released her, took her hand, and walked her through the main entrance and living room to an industrial kitchen.
“You’re looking at the designers, honey. Monte and I worked on it together.”
“That’s impressive. You both have great taste, too.” She walked toward the industrial stove and eyed the stainless steel appliances along with the custom granite countertops. Then she stood on her tiptoes to look out the window at the side of their property. She jumped as BJ placed his hands on her shoulders. He massaged her as he whispered next to her ear.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” he asked.
She lowered to her feet, the heels not giving her much height against BJ’s six feet plus, and slowly turned in his arms.
His hands were against her cheeks, cupping them as she stared into his eyes.
“Sure. Sounds good.”
He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips, just a sweet, lingering kiss that made her toes curl and her hands grip his waist. He was solid and strong. She felt it underneath her fingertips as she gripped his belt loop.
BJ released her lips, and there stood Monte holding two glasses of red wine.
“Thank you.” BJ passed a glass to Susanna. Monte took his from the counter and they stood in front of her.
“To new beginnings.” BJ offered a toast, and she took a deep breath as she gently tapped her glass to each of theirs before taking a sip.
They worked in sync with one another, and she was never at a loss of their touch or their attention. They moved around the kitchen and allowed her to help in preparation of the meal. Monte was apparently the gourmet cook where BJ was traditional. They sat together at the large island in the kitchen and spoke about Dixie Chix, Monte’s security company, and BJ’s job keeping the peace in Delite.
The further they got into conversation the more uneasy she began to get. She knew that it was inevitable, and eventually two investigative law minds like these two would interrogate her and make her come clean. She feared the worse. But unexpectedly it wasn’t the guilt about her life and what she had survived. It was not knowing what these two men she was growing very fond of would think when they learned of her past. She also didn’t think she could handle the intimacy.
“This was so good, Monte, you two work well together.” She rose from her seat to clear her plate. They began to do the same, and when she started to wash the dishes, Monte stopped her.
“We have a dishwasher, honey. You don’t need to do that.”
“I just wanted to help. It really was nice of you to cook me dinner.”
He leaned closer and kissed her softly on the lips. “A thank you is just fine, sweetie.” Monte put the other dishes in the dishwasher.
After cleaning up, BJ led her into the living room to a large couch that sat facing the huge fireplace. There were big, fluffy cushions and a thick throw blanket hanging nicely over the top of it. She imagined snuggling up in that blanket during a cold winter and watching the big fire burn. She gave her mind a mental shake. That kind of fairy-tale dreaming nearly got her killed.
“Well, again, I enjoyed the dinner. I guess I should call it a night. I have plans tomorrow with the ladies,” she began to say until BJ pulled her onto his lap on the couch.
He dipped her down so that her back lay flat against his arm in a cradle hold on the couch, and her ass and legs were over his thighs.
“Your friends told us you didn’t have plans until noontime,” Monte stated, and she was shocked. Her own friends had double-crossed her.
“Well, they don’t know what they’re talking about.”
BJ caressed her ankles then her calves as he made his way to her thighs. He used his forearm behind her back to move her closer to his lips.
“This is our time, baby, so relax.” He kissed her softly, and she felt the couch dip behind her head. Monte began to play with her hair.
* * * *