Tri Me (Primrose, Minnesota, Book 4) (15 page)

He moved to the end of the basin and began another similar massage. Her soft skin slid easily under his touch, making him drunk with pleasure at touching her. His cock twitched in aggravation.

“Jackson,” she said softly, “It’s Thursday night.”

“So?”

“It’s DRAMA night.”

“Alex, it’s late.”

“So?” Another long, content, soft moan teased his libido. “We
always
meet on Thursday.”

“It’s that important to you?”

“Yes.”

He released a long sigh and returned her leg to the warm water. “Fine, I’ll see what I can do.”

***

Thirty minutes later, Alex glanced around the living room at all four of her friends and giggled at all of them dressed in pajamas, sans make-up.

“You guys look great.”

“Yeah well, I only had approximately five seconds to prepare,” Dara scoffed. “Mace wrapped me in a blanket and tossed me in the van.”

“At least you had a blanket,” Bri groused. “I picked the wrong night to sleep naked.”

Marnie snorted. “I know – I was right down the hall. I hope you were dressed when Ryker got there. The big bully threatened me with a blindfold and handcuffs if more than two minutes passed.”

Alex giggled at the picture Marnie’s complaint painted in her mind’s eye. No doubt, Ryker’s threat was issued under duress. Her friend had a distinct knack at antagonizing even the tallest mountain.

“Surely you didn’t encourage him,” she drawled.

“Heavens no! He just stood there, tapping his watch with his tree-trunk biceps bulging and a cocky smile on his face. Every time I even tried to reason with him, he tapped the watch again.”

Dara laid her arm across Marnie’s shoulder and squeezed. “At least you’re here with us. It wouldn’t be DRAMA without you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Marnie mumbled. “I wish Annie and Reagan could’ve come.”

Alex sighed. “Me too, but I totally understand. Annie’s under pressure with an IRS audit and Reagan’s promotion to charge nurse changed her shift hours.”

“Liberty’s still under surveillance.” Bri grinned. “But at least Shane’s making it worthwhile. She’s had more massages in the last month than I’ve ever had.”

“Lucky girl,” Dara moaned. “I can’t remember the last massage I indulged in.”

Bri cocked her head to one side. “Me either. We should have scheduled a masseuse for tonight.”

“Except that it’s almost midnight.” Dara raised an eyebrow and glanced at Alex. “Why are we meeting at this time of night?”

Alex smirked. “Because it’s Thursday and I refused to let cavemen interfere with DRAMA. If I have to be sequestered, I want my friends along.”

“And we want to be with you.” Bri laid a hand on her forearm. “Have you heard anything else?”

“Jackson says they’re making progress.” She summarized everything she knew. “Sebastian gave them loads of information.”

“Hmm.” She could almost see the gears in Bri’s mind grinding. “Do you think it’s somehow connected to him?”

“I don’t see how. Unless Katie is upset by my presence.”

“Does she seem to be the vengeful type?”

“I’ve handled legal matters for Sebastian for the last several years, during which she was employed. She’s known who I am and what I do for at least that long so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’d represent him.”

“Do you know her personally?”

“Not really. I bought my last two cars there and she prepared the title work. She’s always been extremely polite and friendly. Besides, none of the phones were registered to her.”

Dara’s eyes widened. “Do you suppose she had someone make the calls for her?”

“I guess it’s always a possibility.” Alex lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes people do things you’d never expect.”

“I agree.” Bri nodded. “Except that this woman, whoever she is, will probably act alone simply because she appears very confident in herself. From what she’s done thus far, she seems to think she’s above any sort of reprimand for her actions.”

“Really,” Dara agreed, “setting a house on fire is risky.”

“And breaking a window to enter my apartment seems almost insane,’ Marnie added.

“I’m certain there are some mental issues at work.” Bri tapped her chin with one finger. “Is Lucas Sebastian married?”

Alex nodded. “Wife number three.”

“Have you ever met her?”

“No. Why?”

“Do you suppose she’s jealous of the time you spend with her husband?”

“That’s absurd.” Alex frowned. “I only spend time with Lucas on the phone and when I do see him in person, he simply comes by the office to sign papers.” She glanced at her friends and for some odd reason, decided to set the record straight. “Besides, I spend most of my free time with Jackson.”

“I knew it!” Dara jumped up from the sofa and did a wiggle dance. “Pay me, ladies, pay me!”

Alex rolled her eyes, not bothered at all by Dara’s victory dance. “It’s not like you didn’t know.”

“We did.” Marnie smirked. “We just decided to wait you out.”

Bri gave her arm a comforting squeeze. “Admitting it is half the battle. I’m just glad that both you and Marnie are safe here.”

Alex agreed. Prison never looked so good. “I’m really impressed. The place is absolutely beautiful.”

“And according to Mace, locked as tightly as Ft. Knox,” Dara added.

Marnie twisted her lips. “Thus the secretive black van that brought us here. I felt like I was in witness protection.”

“So we’re here for the night.” Bri gave a sly grin. “Where are the men?”

Alex narrowed her eyes. “They’re playing pool downstairs in Ryker’s mancave. Why?”

“Marnie’s pretty good at pool. I say we crash the party.”

“I’m in.” Marnie stood and rolled up the sleeves of her sweatshirt. “Payback’s a mother.”

Alex bit her lip as she followed her friends down the stairs and into Ryker’s private sanctuary, complete with beer keg and neon advertisements above the bar. All five men turned as the sound of eight dainty feet.

“Gentlemen.” She sat on an unoccupied bar stool.

“Ladies,” Ryker said in return. “What brings you down here?”

“Your company, of course.”

“Uh huh.” Jackson raised an eyebrow. “What
really
brought you down?”

“A simple wager.”

“Explain.”

“Straight pool. Marnie versus Ryker.”

“I’ve got twenty on Ryker.” Mace slapped his money on the edge of the pool table.

“Kiss that money goodbye.” Bri turned to Jake and batted her eyelashes. “Since you dragged me from the house without proper clothing, put a twenty on Marnie for me.”

Jackson chuckled. “Here’s mine on Ryker.”

“Mine too,” Jake added.

Dara snorted. “You guys are just betting on Ryker because he’s a guy.” She raised an eyebrow at Mace. “I, too, do not have pockets. Add mine for Marnie.”

Storm chuckled and added his money to the growing pile. “Count me in too.”

Alex picked up the money, straightened it, and then smirked at Jackson. “My purse is upstairs so you’ll have to float me.” She turned to her friend. “Marnie, show him how it’s done, sister.”

Marnie took a deep breath and then exhaled. “I’ll try girls, but I’m not very good at this.”

“Don’t worry.” Ryker grinned. “We’ll cut you some slack.”

“Great! So, now show me how to hold this stick.”

Mace cleared his throat. “You don’t know how to hold the cue?”

“The what?”

“The stick.” Ryker stepped toward her and spun her away from him. “Bend over,” he told her before he grasped her waist and literally bent her body until she stood with her palms pressed to the felt.

“Excuse me?” she squeaked.

“Are you right or left handed?”

“Right.”

He poked a pool cue in the space between her right side hips and chest until it rested on the skin between her left thumb and forefinger. “Arch your index finger over the tip.”

Alex bit down hard on her tongue to quell the laughter that threatened to escape. She didn’t know what she found more amusing, Marnie’s attempt at ignorance or Ryker’s apparent satisfaction in positioning her.

“Now,” Ryker continued, “hold the cue in your right hand and slide it until it connects with the cue ball.”

“The what?”

“The white one.”

“Oh.” Marnie pulled back and then released, tapping the cue ball. The balls wiggled but didn’t move. “Darn.”

“Try again.” Ryker glanced at his friends then back at Marnie. “Shoot a few more times before we play.”

“Explain the game while I practice.”

Alex shifted on the stool while Ryker spouted rules and Marnie continued to attempt to move balls around the table. Not familiar with the game herself, she had absolutely no idea if he spoke the truth. Marnie listened without interruption and finally shot a couple balls into a side pocket.

“Are you ready to play?” Ryker finally asked.

Marnie shrugged. “Why not?”

Alex cringed as she watched the game begin with Marnie missing most of her shots. Even though she knew the outcome would be quite different, she still crossed her fingers and toes that their idea of challenging the men was a good one.

Halfway through the game, Alex caught Marnie’s discreet wink as she picked up her pool stick for another shot. She walked around the table, put her hand on the felt, lined up the cue ball, and slid the stick back and forth a couple of times between her thumb and forefinger. As soon as her cue connected, the colorful balls scattered in all directions. Two balls rolled into the corner pocket while a third bounced off the wall and then slid into the side pocket in front of her.

Marnie lined up her next shot. “Six ball in the corner pocket.”

Ryker looked at Jackson. Then Storm. Then Mace. “She’s calling her shots now?”

Mace raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, don’t ask me, man. I’m as surprised as you.”

“Why?” Marnie frowned. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”

“Yeah,” Bri chimed in. “That’s how they do it on TV.”

“That’s in a professional tournament,” Jackson said. “It’s not mandatory.”

“I was just trying to do it correctly.” Marnie took her next shot. The ball obediently entered the intended pocket before she smirked at Ryker. “Is it still my turn?”

Ryker simply stared and for a minute, Alex wasn’t too sure he would answer. No one in the room offered an answer and he stood stoic, not one hint of emotion on his face. And then a grin separated his lips and she realized the gig was up.

“Don’t give me that innocent look, Miss Carpenter. You’re hustling us.”

Marnie stuck one hand on a hip. “Why do you think that?”

Every woman in the room released a string of giggles.

“They were all in on it.” Storm shook his head.

“In on what?” Dara shrugged. “I simply placed a bet. Mace started it.”

“We were just making a friendly wager,” Jackson insisted.

Alex frowned. “Sure. All of you thought you’d make easy money. Serves you right for being so cocky.”

Ryker balanced his pool cue against the table. “I’m not the one pretending that I don’t know how to play.”

“I didn’t say I couldn’t play,” Marnie pointed out. “You assumed I couldn’t. I just went along.”

“And let me explain the game. And show you how to hold the pool stick …”

“I just thought I’d give your ego a boost.” Marnie clucked her tongue. “Shame on you for making assumptions.”

“Don’t be a sore loser.” Alex eased herself from her stool to stand and handed the pile of money to Marnie. “If you ask nicely, I’m sure she’ll give you a chance to win back your money.”

Her friend smirked. “Or you can take me shopping.”

“Forget the money.” Ryker folded his arms across his chest. “She’s a master of deception.”

Alex swallowed hard. Marnie wasn’t the only one practicing deception. Obviously, Jackson hadn’t told his crew anything about their relationship.

“Deception, huh?” Jackson closed the distance between them. “Maybe it’s time for all of us to come clean.”

Before she could respond, he pulled her flush against him and crushed her lips with his, swallowing any minute chance of argument, if she chose to start one. His hands left her hips to grasp the sides of her head and pull her closer as if it were possible to deepen the soul-caressing contact. Her eyes fell closed as she fought to breathe him in, hungry for the drunken high his touch provided. Love. Sheer, unadulterated love.

Several quick intakes of breath behind them caused him to groan and lift his lips. Her body screamed in pain at the loss of contact. Her libido threatened to start a riot. Her heart pounded. Her brain reminded her of consequences.

Slowly, she opened her eyes to find his already opened and full of question marks.