Too Hot to Handle (21 page)

“Watch,” he growled, tightening his fist just as Merry’s own body tightened.

“Oh, God,” she groaned, her voice breaking into a cry as she came. Her hips jerked against her own hand. Her cry crashed through the tiny space as she screamed.

“Oh, fuck,” Shane whispered. “Merry. That was…” His mouth closed over hers and he took her hand and closed it over his shaft. “Touch me. Please.”

Her fingers tightened around him as the last spasms rolled through her. He kept his grip over hers, getting himself off with her hand. Urging her faster. Faster. Merry couldn’t catch her breath. She was too caught up in watching him use her. Watching until—

“Ah, fuck yes,” he groaned, “Yes.” His hips flexed, pushing toward her, and then he was coming, his body a line of taut muscle as his cock pulsed in her hand. Come dripped hot down her hip.

She was shaking. From the shock. The pleasure. The weakness in her thighs. Merry closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall.

She could feel everything. Water snaked down her side and over her thighs. Steam tickled the hair at her nape. And then Shane’s mouth touched her shoulder, pressing heat deep into her skin. Her grasp loosened. She set him free with a sigh that was half relief and half sorrow.

“I can’t believe we just did that,” she breathed.

“Hey, it was your fantasy.” His deep voice vibrated through her.

“I didn’t… God, I’d never have actually
done
it.”

“Well, then…” He kissed her mouth one last time. “I guess you should be glad I was around to help.”

Merry collapsed in laughter, finally giving in to her weakness and letting Shane support her weight. “You’re awful.”

“Am I?”

“Yes!”

“Naw. I’m pretty sure I deserve an award for lasting longer than you, Miss Kade. That was a goddamn miracle. I expect a plaque or something. Maybe a nice big commemorative belt buckle.”

She laughed harder, loving the way the water slid down his shoulder and over her lips, connecting the two of them. “Sexual rodeo?” she asked.

“Yeah. I held out longer than eight seconds.”

“Oh, God. You’re killing me.”

“No. Not even close. You’re killing me, Merry.”

Her heart swelled up so quickly, so sharply, that she had to swallow a gasp. That was alarming. She didn’t want to feel so much for Shane. He was just a lover. Just a man who lived across the hall and stopped by occasionally to bring her pleasure. That was it. She couldn’t feel this terrible density in her chest. Not for him.

“I think I have to clean up again,” he whispered.

“Ha. I never got clean in the first place.”

He handed her the body wash, and she couldn’t stop her laughter. There was nothing to laugh about, really. Nothing truly funny. But their chuckles filled the room as they washed. And she didn’t stop smiling once.

Until some small sound made her peek around the curtain.

And there was Grace, framed in the doorway, her face a blank of shock and surprise, her hand clutching the shirt Merry had dropped on the living room floor.

“Oh, no,” Merry breathed.

Grace closed the door.

“Grace is here,” Merry whispered to Shane, whose responding grimace of terror was probably only half feigned.

Merry didn’t exactly fear facing Grace. That wasn’t the feeling that sank over her. Mostly it was regret that she’d lost this secret. That it was known now, and therefore something much more complicated. It wasn’t just pure sex and honest desire anymore.

Shit.

Shane turned off the water, and Merry realized she had nothing to put on but a pair of jeans and her shoes. Grace had taken the shirt with her.

The jig was very, very up indeed.

* * *

M
ERRY
WAS
THANKFUL
for one thing, at least. Shane had all of his clothes. Hell, he was even wearing his boots when he stepped out of the bathroom. Aside from his wet hair, there was no hint that they’d showered together. If Grace hadn’t opened the door, Merry could’ve claimed he was just helping with some plumbing emergency she’d encountered midshower. Awkward, but these things happened.

He’d offered his shirt to Merry, but she hadn’t wanted him walking out bare-chested, so she wrapped a towel around her chest and followed him out.

Grace stood at the kitchen counter, beer in hand and eyebrow raised in cold judgment.

“Grace,” Shane said evenly. “Good evening.” She just took a swig from her beer and said nothing as he grabbed his hat from the couch. “Merry, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Merry half expected the beer bottle to crash against the door as Shane closed it, but Grace remained calm.

Too calm.

“So,” Merry said.

“So.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that.”

Grace took another drink of beer then shrugged. “I’m just glad the curtain is opaque.”

Merry casually strolled over to the couch and grabbed her shirt. “Excuse me,” she said as she turned her back and pulled it over her head.

“Rayleen got a little too into the card game and sucked down three more beers, so I had to drive her home.” She pushed Grace’s keys across the counter. “Sorry if I surprised you.”

“Well, obviously, I wouldn’t have…” Merry felt a sudden crash of thankfulness that she and Shane hadn’t been on the pull-out couch.

“Look, Merry, I don’t like him. And I don’t want you to get hurt. But you have every right to have sex with anyone you want, and I just hope it’s good for you. Okay?”

Merry watched her closely, waiting for a crack in her calm facade, but it didn’t come. “Okay,” she said, a grin escaping her control and spreading across her face.

“Well, you’re smiling. That’s something.” Grace reached into the fridge and handed Merry a beer.

“Oh, I’m smiling.” She sighed.

“So Shane Harcourt is all right in bed, huh? I guess I can live with that.”

“He’s great in bed. And truly spectacular in the shower.”

“Fine.” Grace laughed. “But you’re in charge of scrubbing the tub tomorrow, okay?”

“Ah, right. It probably needs it. Sorry.”

“Oh, my
God!
” Grace pretended to cover her ears. “I’m not sure I can hear this.”

“It’s okay.” Merry meant to sit on the sofa, but her thighs were still shaky and she half collapsed. “I don’t kiss and tell. Actually maybe I do and I just never had anything to tell before. He’s just… He treats me like I’m sexy, Grace.”

“You are sexy.”

“I’m not. I’m just me. You don’t know what that’s like, because men look at you and they see danger and sex.”

“Thanks,” Grace said dryly.

“Oh, please. That’s exactly what you want them to see. What they don’t see is how sweet you are. How much you feel. No one saw that until Cole, and that’s why you love him.”

Grace shot her a look. “Don’t tell me you love Shane.”

“No. I don’t know him well enough. And it’s not like that between us. But he sees something in me that I’ve wanted someone to see. So as much as you don’t trust him, can you try to cut him a break for my sake? And for the sake of my poor, neglected erogenous zones?”

Grace had been maintaining neutrality, and doing an admirable job, but some of the worry finally cleared from her face and she sighed. “All right. But only for your erogenous zones.”

“Thank you.” Merry gave her a kiss on the cheek and clinked their bottles together. “From the bottom of my, um…yeah.”

“God,” Grace moaned.

“And look, I know he can be a little cool and hard to read, but when we’re alone, he’s funny. And sweet. And really, really hot.”

“Considering how happy you look right now, I suppose I can learn to like him. You always just looked confused when you got home from a date with old what’s-his-name.”

“Kenneth? Yeah. He was kind of into dirty talking in a really weird way. I thought I wasn’t experienced enough to deal with it.”

Grace’s nose crinkled. “What kind of weird way? Baby talk?”

“God, no! Even I would’ve known that wasn’t sexy. He would just mutter things all the time. Like, ‘Yeah. That’s it, baby. Do it just like that. You’re so good. You make me so hot.’ Except I wouldn’t even be doing anything. I’d just be lying there and his eyes would be closed, and I always suspected he was imagining an entirely different scene, with a different girl. I felt like a blow-up doll.”

“Ew.”

“But I kept telling myself to loosen up. Other women like dirty talk.”

“Not like that! That’s not dirty talk. That’s more like a running monologue.”

“Maybe I’m not as frigid as I thought.”

“You’re not frigid! Good dirty talk isn’t about fulfilling the talker’s fantasy. Jeez. It’s about making both of you feel, well, dirty. In a really hot way.”

“Yeah, I…” Merry’s face went hot as fire. “I kind of get that now.”

Grace slapped her arm and laughed in horror. “God, I’d be happy for you if I didn’t feel like I was talking to my little girl.”

“I think my mom would be cooler about this, actually.”

“Damn hippies,” Grace muttered.

Merry grabbed her in a hug, noticing that Grace barely stiffened at all these days. “I love you. Thanks for not being pissed.”

“I wasn’t going to be pissed, hon. I just worry about you. You’re not hard like me.”

“I’m pretty tough.”

“I know.” Grace kissed Merry’s cheek and then shoved her away. “I’ll try to be cool with him, okay? But when you’re ready for me to shiv his ass, you just give the word. I’ve usually got a blade in my boot.”

“Deal. But it won’t be necessary. We’re just…friends with benefits.”

Grace gave her a doubtful look, but Merry ignored it. If other people could do it, so could she. She’d keep her heart out of it and have a good time.

No problem.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“
F
IRST
OF
ALL
,”
Jeanine Bishop intoned in her most self-important voice, “I want to assure all of you that the police are fully caught up on all the frightening events we’ve suffered in the past week.”

Merry squirmed.

“All evidence has been turned over, and, Ms. Kade, I believe you said you sent in the photos this morning?”

“Yes, ma’am. The detective called and I emailed them right to him.” Much to Merry’s relief he’d sounded bored out of his mind and hadn’t even replied to her email.

“Whoever has done this, the police now have a file and I’m sure they will diligently pursue all leads.”

“Great,” she said.

Kristen leaned forward. “I’m almost sure I heard a noise last night. Someone sneaking around the barn.”

Oh, no. Merry had given this poor woman a complex. She was about to reassure her and was reaching out to pat her hand when Levi snorted.

“Good Lord, woman, there were thirty-mile-per-hour winds when that storm blew through at midnight. Not to mention you’ve got ten horses in that barn and a groom living in an apartment above the stables. What exactly did you hear that sounded like sneaking around?”

“I know the sounds of my own house, Levi!” she snapped.

Jeanine scowled the way she always did when reminded it was no longer her house.

“So!” Merry interrupted, just as Jeanine was drawing that distinctive deep breath that indicated she was about to get self-righteous. “That’s great news about the police. I’m glad they’re taking this seriously. But moving on to something more uplifting, I’ve put together a press kit. If you’d all open up your folders…” She passed folders around the table. They weren’t customized with images of Providence, but the clean white gloss looked nice.

“Press kits,” exclaimed Harry. “That sounds serious.”

“Oh, I am dead serious,” Merry said. “The first thing you’ll notice is the brochure. Now please keep in mind that the font and layout of ‘Providence Ghost Town’ is just an idea. I think it’s perfect, but the graphic designer is more than willing to make changes.”

“Graphic designer?” gasped Kristen. “I’m sure we didn’t authorize that expense.”

“The initial cost was only seventy-five dollars. If we want a logo, it’ll be about $150 more. It’s really not a big expense.”

Kristen stared her down.

“I…” Merry sat straighter. “I understand that the board hasn’t approved a budget for me, and this isn’t a cost of normal operation. I’m willing to cover the seventy-five dollars myself.”

Levi waved her off.

Merry nodded. “The brochure is just a mock-up, but I had a short run printed so you could get a better idea of—”

“Another unapproved expense?”

Merry met Kristen’s eyes and nodded. “Yes. But if we’re going to have a press kit, we need something to show. And if we’re going to move forward with this project, we need a press kit.”

“The brochure is damn pretty,” Harry said, cutting a little of the tension in the room.

“Thank you. I think it gives you a good idea of my plans for Providence. I envision weather-resistant placards in front of each building printed with information about the place. What it was used for or who lived there. We can include earlier photos of the building, if we have them, or photos of the building before it was restored, if that’s applicable. And pictures of the families and founders, of course. In the main building—”

“Ms. Kade,” Jeanine snapped. “This meeting was called to address the threats we’ve received. Not to come up with a plan for steps we haven’t even decided to take.”

Crap. She’d noticed that, had she?

“Okay. That’s fair enough. But we do all agree we should move forward with a story in the local paper?”

Jeanine and Kristen didn’t look pleased, exactly, but who could object to a favorable news story? Levi and Harry were still looking eagerly through the brochure. Marvin might have been sleeping, but Merry would take that as agreement.

“There’s also a nice bio sheet in the folder about Gideon Bishop and his statements about why he wanted to open Providence to the public.” Both women immediately tore the sheet from their folders and began to scan it. “That’s open to correction, of course.”

“Yes,” Jeanine said tightly. “There are a few mistakes here.”

Kristen tossed her a glare and went back to reading.