Love's Tender Bond [Bonding Camp 6] (Siren Publishing Menage and More) (8 page)

Missy set about pulling a sheet from the shelf and shaking it out. She would use it to drape over Lauren as she worked on her. “No need to thank me. I was on the receiving end of a lot of the pleasure so maybe I should be thanking you and Justice.” She took another sheet from the shelf, shook it out, and walked toward the changing room.

Lauren removed her lounge pants and, leaving her lace panties on, stepped out of the room. She smiled widely. “I’m so glad we came up for a few days of rest and relaxation. I sure needed it.” She held her arms up while Missy wrapped the sheet around her.

Tucking the end of the sheet into the front of it at Lauren’s cleavage so it wouldn’t drop directly to the floor, Missy touched the other woman’s shoulder, guiding her to the table. “I don’t know how you do your job. It has to be so stressful.”

Lauren nodded. “It can be but there’s nothing like the feeling you get when you win a case when you thought you didn’t have a leg to stand on.” She slid onto the table and rolled to lie on her stomach.

Missy set about choosing a soothing oil to use. “It must be exciting.”

“Mm, it is but there are times I wish Justice and I could just retreat up here permanently.” She turned her head to look at Missy. “Do you like it here? I mean, you don’t get bored or anything, do you?”

Missy laughed, moving to the side of the table. “Bored? No. I love it here. I really do.” And it was true. The longer she stayed here, the more she never wanted to leave. Especially with recent events cementing her roots in this place.

She poured some oil into her palm and rubbed her hands together to warm it before smoothing it onto Lauren’s shoulders.

Lauren crossed her hands beneath her cheek and glanced over her shoulder at Missy. “What is that look on your face just now?”

Missy applied the oil to her shoulder and began to work it into her tight muscles. “What look? What do you mean?”

“You had a faraway look in your eyes.” Lauren narrowed her eyes at her. “Is there something going on that I don’t know? Something you’d like to talk about?”

Missy laughed again. “I assure you I do not know what you mean. Now, relax. I can’t work the stiffness out of these muscles unless you relax them.”

Lauren pressed her lips together and moved her arms down to her sides before resting her cheek on the table. “I did notice something the other night.”

“What?” Missy’s fingers moved over Lauren’s shoulder, testing the tightness.

“There was an aura of intimacy between you and Rodgers that I hadn’t seen before. You two seemed to be…closer somehow.”

“Really? Hmm.” Missy bit the inside of her lip. Her feelings for Sam were growing deeper by the hour. She wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about them just yet but the urge to blurt out how she felt was almost uncontrollable. After all, this was two women talking together. What would be wrong with telling just a little bit of her feelings?

“Yes, and the way you looked when you came into the playroom…you had that glow about you that women usually get when they’ve just realized they’ve fallen in love with someone.”

Missy’s fingers stopped in mid-massage. Love? Was she in love?

Lauren shrugged her shoulder. “Hey, girlie, you’re pinching too tightly.”

“Oh,” Missy said, releasing her hold on Lauren’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” She began working the muscles of the other shoulder, more lightly this time.

“Did I say something that struck a chord?” Lauren asked, one eyebrow raised.

“No, no, it’s just that…” Missy’s fingers worked quickly, her heart thudding. Lauren had struck a chord in her. One that thrummed through her whole body and shook her soul. It was true—she was in love with Sam Rodgers.

* * * *

Sam was washing the pickup truck in the driveway of the four-car garage. The truck was owned by the firm but he considered it his, basically. This was the vehicle he always drove when he went into town for supplies, and it suited him. The truck was a little dented and maybe had a bit of rust, but it ran perfectly. Sort of like him.

Smiling, Sam dunked the huge sponge into the bucket of soapy water and slapped it against the front fender on the driver’s side. He had been smiling a lot lately and he knew why. Missy Blue was the reason. She made him feel young and not only that, she made him feel grounded like no one else had. There was something growing between them and he wasn’t sure what, but he liked it.

“Rodgers, hey,” Justice called, coming down the path from the main house. “I wanted to talk to you. Got a minute?”

Sam dropped the sponge into the bucket and dried his soapy hands on the legs of his jeans. “Sure. What’s up?”

Justice stopped a few feet from him. He eyed the truck, hands on his hips. “Perhaps we should be thinking about replacing that old rust bucket.”

“Oh no,” Sam said, patting the dripping fender. “She and I get along just fine. She’s got a few more years in her. I’d hate to put her out to pasture before her time.”

Justice laughed. “If you say so. I trust your judgment.”

Sam crossed his arms. “What did you want to talk to me about, Justice?”

His boss rubbed his chin and let his gaze travel over the old truck again. “About the other night…”

Sam’s stomach tightened. Had he done something wrong? Maybe Justice hadn’t wanted him to bring Missy along when he’d called to have a bonding session. Well, he’d have to get used to it because Sam wasn’t going to leave Missy out of anything from this point forward. He blinked. Had he really just thought that?

“…I wanted to ask you something,” Justice continued. “I hope you don’t think I’m being nosey and I know this isn’t what guys usually talk about, but I’m curious and so is Lauren.” He gave Sam a lopsided grin.

Sam shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He was feeling a little uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going and that was unusual when it came to talking to Justice. They were not only associates when it came to a work situation but Sam considered him a friend, a close friend. “Ask away. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

Justice’s face grew a bit flushed, embarrassment beginning to show. “I didn’t mean to suggest you had anything to hide.”

It was Sam’s turn to laugh. “You’re acting like a nervous girl. Ask, already.”

“Okay, but know that Lauren put me up to this otherwise I would never—”

“Ask!” Sam threw his hands in the air.

Justice laughed long and hard. “We are acting like a couple of girls. Okay, here it is…are you and Missy having an affair? I know it’s none of my business, you can do whatever you like on your own time, but Lauren is driving me nuts about the thing.” He held both hands out, palm up in a pleading gesture.

“Having an affair?” Sam didn’t quite understand his meaning. “Neither of us are married, so I don’t think we’re having an affair.”

Justice shook his head. “I know, maybe it’s not ‘affair’ that I mean. Are you having a relationship, for lack of a better word?”

Sam parked his hands on his hips. Were they having a relationship? These last few days had cemented their connection to each other, that was sure. They seemed to have ties to each other, bonding them together. It felt good. Better than good, actually. “Would that be a problem if we were?” he asked, wondering exactly what Justice was getting at. Was there some other motive for his boss to be asking him about his love life? Or was it only because Lauren wanted to know? That was the sort of thing women liked to know about, wasn’t it?

“No, it wouldn’t be a problem. The only problem I would have with it is if you two decided to leave my employ. I’d hate to lose you, Sam.”

Sam?
Did he just call me “Sam”?
A warm feeling came over him. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it felt nice. “You’re not going to lose me, Justice. I like it here, very much.”

“Well, Lauren and I have noticed that you and Missy seem to have become very close, and though we’re happy you two have decided to get together, we’d hate for you to leave.”

“Why would we leave?” He really didn’t understand what Justice was getting at.

Justice frowned. “People who love each other normally get married and go their own way. If you two leave, we’d hate to try to replace you. Actually, you and Missy are irreplaceable.”

Married?
Sam swallowed. He hadn’t given marriage a thought. Until now. His feelings for Missy were stronger than anything he’d ever experienced for anyone. Marriage, now that the subject had been brought up, wasn’t totally out of the question. He’d have to give this more thought. “Even if Missy and I did formalize our relationship, leaving here would never cross my mind,” he replied carefully.

Justice let out a relieved sigh. “That’s good to know.”

Sam raked his fingers through his hair, a bit flustered. “Tell me, if we
should
happen to get married, would that be all right with the firm?” He wasn’t sure about anything at this point but if Justice had thought to bring the subject up, maybe he’d better get his take on it.

“Are you kidding?” Justice slapped him on the shoulder. “We wouldn’t be happier if two of our favorite people decided to make their relationship more formal. I’d say ask her.” He winked. “If she is the woman you’ve been waiting for, don’t waste any more time. You don’t want to regret it later if you don’t bite the bullet and ask her before someone else steals her away.” He slapped Sam on the shoulder again and turned to walk back to the main house.

Sam watched him go, frozen in place. He looked up through the trees, the sun streaming down in bright shafts of light. A settled, comfortable feeling moved through him, a sort of sense of family that he’d never had before.

Maybe he should ask Missy to marry him. After all, when he thought about it, he loved her.

He fished the sponge out of the soapy bucket of water and began washing the truck again. There was one thing he would have to get straight with Missy first, before he asked her to share her life with him.

Would she continue to participate in bonding sessions if they were married?

Chapter Ten

All afternoon, Missy had felt flustered.

Her talk with Lauren during the massage had affected her deeply. She was in love with Sam and had been for some time. She just never had admitted it to herself. Missy had always considered her feelings for Sam as a sort of crush. It was more than that, much more.

“So what are you going to do about it?” she asked herself out loud as she walked out the door of the spa, shutting it behind her. Striding down the path toward the main house, she pursed her lips. What she should do is act like an adult and tell Sam she loved him. That’s what she should do. The thought of it made her tummy tremble with nervousness. Her head down, she bit her fingernail, watching the path as she walked.

She didn’t see Justice until it was too late.

“Omph!” The air was knocked out of Missy when she slammed into Justice’s chest.

“Hey!” He stumbled backward a step, wrapping his arms around Missy. “Where are you going so lost in your thoughts, young lady?”

Missy sucked in a breath and looked up. Justice was smiling down at her, his arms locked around her shoulders, pressing her to his chest. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“That’s pretty obvious.” He chuckled, loosening his hold on her but keeping his arms around her. “Is there something wrong? I don’t usually see you looking so zoned out.”

Missy laid her hands on Justice’s chest, patting him lightly. “It’s nothing, really. Just some personal issues weighing on my mind.”

Justice frowned. “Nothing bad, I hope.”

Missy shook her head. “Oh no, just something I’m not sure how to approach.”

“Want to talk about it?”

She considered his offer. Maybe he could be a sounding board for her. She’d always been able to talk to Justice. Something as important as her falling in love should have the opinion of a man, she thought. “Yes, I would. Have you time?”

“Of course.” He turned, keeping one arm around her shoulder, and led her toward the house.

Justice led her to his suite of rooms and closed the door. “Have a seat on the couch. I’ll get us something to drink.”

Missy moved to the couch and sat. She loved this suite. It was done up in rich velvets and soft leathers, both begging to have someone stroke their hands over them. “Are you sure Lauren won’t mind me stealing you away for a bit?”

Justice stood at a small table along the wall that served as a bar. He poured a dark liquid into a short glass. “Lauren has gone into town for a bit of antiquing. She loves coming out here to look for old things.” He crossed the room and handed her one of the glasses he was holding, then sat down beside her. “Have a sip then tell me what is engulfing your thoughts.”

Missy took a drink of the liquid, the warmth of the bourbon sliding down her throat like silk. When it hit her tummy, the warmth spread comfortably. “Well,” she said, encircling the glass with the fingers of both hands. “I’m in love with Sam and I don’t know how to tell him.” There. It was out. And it really hadn’t been hard to say at all. She looked at Justice, trying to gauge his reaction.