“They’re mauve,” Ford said, then shrugged. “It’s different than pink.”
“Whatever.” Kipling studied his partners. “You’re serious about this?”
“It’s a big deal,” Gideon told him. “We should have discussed this with Jo before we opened. Without her support, we’re screwed.”
“How do you figure?” Kipling asked. “There’s enough business for both of us.”
“Technically,” Josh said. “But it’s not that simple. We’re all married, and if our wives want us supporting Jo’s Bar instead of The Man Cave, that’s what we’ll do.”
“But you all own this business. You discussed that with your wives, didn’t you? They agreed?”
The men exchanged looks.
“In theory,” Ford told him. “But now that it’s here, Jo’s not happy. Her place is a big part of their lives. She’s a friend. She’s always there when they talk about stuff.”
Kipling felt as if he’d stepped into an alternate universe. “I don’t get it. Each of you complained there was no place for a guy to go out with his friends in this town. We brainstormed ideas and came up with The Man Cave. We’re equal partners. We put in money. And now you’re telling me you’re scared because Jo isn’t happy?”
Sam nodded. “That about sums it up.”
“How is that possible? You used to play football.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
* * *
BY THE NEXT MORNING, Kipling was still pissed at his partners. They’d had a problem, and he’d fixed it. Now they were whining like little girls. Seriously, they were proving the need for a place men could go and be men. Talk about a bunch of wimps.
He grumbled the whole way up Mother Bear Road to the site where he, Cassidy and Destiny would have their first practice search.
Lucky for him, he was by himself in his truck. Cassidy had gone ahead to “get lost” in the woods. The plan was for her to head about a half mile in and wait. He and Destiny would calibrate their equipment and look for her. If they hadn’t found her by eleven-thirty, she would head back in.
He pulled into the small parking lot by the meadow and saw that Destiny was already there. When he spotted her standing by her car, studying a map, he felt the tension inside him ease.
Destiny turned as he approached and parked, and when he stepped out of his truck, she smiled at him. That started a whole new kind of tension heating, but he ignored it. At least for the moment.
“Hi,” she said as he approached. “Ready for our first test run?”
She looked good, he thought. More relaxed than she had been the last time he’d seen her.
“As ready as I can be. How are you?”
“Better. Starr and I are still figuring out our relationship, but it’s going well.” She tilted her head. “Thank you for helping me. I’m not sure how I would have gotten through it all without you.”
“Glad I could help.”
They stared at each other for a second.
There weren’t any cars on the nearby road. The only sounds came from birds and the gentle breeze rustling the trees. He knew he was up in the mountains, but being here today didn’t bug him. There wasn’t any snow. Plus, having Destiny around seemed to make him feel better about everything.
His gaze settled on her mouth. It was full and free of makeup or gloss. He could count the pale freckles on her nose. When he inhaled, he caught the scent of soap and maybe a hint of her, without any other distractions.
He didn’t have a plan beyond finding Cassidy, so he wasn’t expecting to step forward and put his arms around Destiny. Yet when he did, he liked how she felt as she moved against him. He liked the heat of her body and the feel of her back and hips against his hands. She was strong, but soft in that way women had about them.
He went slow, wanting to give her time to adjust, to pull back if she needed. Because Destiny wasn’t as experienced as he’d thought, and he was determined to make things good for her. But he also had a burning need to kiss her.
* * *
DESTINY LET THE feeling of safeness surround her. There was something about being close to Kipling that set everything to rights. Maybe it was his determination to fix things. A characteristic that could have been annoying, but oddly wasn’t. She liked how he took charge. As if he knew what to do next. Because half the time, she was faking it.
His gaze was intense, almost predatory. But he didn’t move closer to try to touch her beyond holding her. Funny how just being held by him had her stomach churning. Strangled little tingles zipped through her body and made it difficult for her to catch her breath.
She had her hands on his upper arms. Slowly, she moved them to his broad shoulders. She could feel the muscles shifting under his skin.
Everything about the moment felt nice. Right. And when he finally lowered his head to press his mouth against hers, she leaned in that last little bit to help things along.
His lips were warm and firm but still tender. She liked the way they fit together. The way he moved back and forth but didn’t deepen the kiss. She liked her thighs nestling against his, her breasts lightly touching his chest. She felt treasured. A ridiculous word, but there it was.
She moved her fingers against the cool, silky strands of his hair. He stroked the length of her back, stopping just at her hips. And still he kept their kiss chaste.
The soft pressure teased as he moved from her mouth to her jaw, then down to her neck. Once there, he nibbled gently. Goose bumps erupted as she shivered slightly. Her breasts began to ache, and she remembered how much she’d enjoyed him touching them before. That night.