Rhythm of Three (Rule of Three) (9 page)

“That too. Goddammit.”

Her smile deepened. Yeah, it was hard to keep her hands off him too around her parents. More than once she’d had to stop herself from touching him, even kissing him, as they’d moved around in the kitchen, helping her mom get some snacks together since her mom was still not fully mobile. When the three of them had jumped into the pool, they’d managed to disguise some sexy petting as horsing around, with much laughter and a few screams as Chris and Dag dunked her and tickled her.

She let her fingertips slide over and brush against his thigh on the lounger beside her. He sucked in a breath. “Kass.”

She sighed and pulled her hand back.

“You’re being quite the risk taker today,” he said. “Usually it’s me getting in trouble.”

“I know you like taking risks,” she said. “But I think you’ve learned when and where to do that. I don’t think you could have developed a business and sold it for millions of dollars if you took stupid risks.”

“True. And…” He paused.

She lifted her head to look at him. “What?”

“It’s easy being reckless when you have nothing to lose.”

Their eyes met and emotion climbed up her throat as she got what he meant. She gave him a shaky smile.

Chris hauled himself out of the pool after doing a few laps. “That felt good,” he said, panting a little. Kassidy cracked an eye open to watch him grab a towel and start drying off his torso. The water running down his tanned skin, over all those muscles, was delicious.

“This is nice,” Kassidy agreed. The warmth of the sun seeped right into her bones, relaxing her. She breathed in the faint scent of chlorine mingled with coconut sunscreen and then let it out on a lengthy exhalation that eased more tension out of her muscles. “So nice to have a pool.”

“I always wanted a pool when I was a kid,” Dag said. “It seemed like the ultimate luxury. But that was so out of the question…stupid kid’s dream.”

Kassidy sucked her bottom lip briefly, sympathy washing through her at the crappy childhood he’d had. “Maybe we could…” Then she stopped herself. Her parents were sitting in the shade and probably couldn’t hear, but still…she probably shouldn’t suggest they buy a new house together, one with a pool.

This was the hard part. Watching what they said. Watching what they did.

But they were doing a good job.

“I need another drink,” she murmured.

Both guys jumped up. “I’ll get it,” Dag said.

“No, I’m going in,” Chris said. “What do you want, sweetheart? Another hard lemonade?”

“You’re too wet to go in,” Dag said. “I’ll go. Hard lemonade, got it. Chris? Want something?”

Chris grinned. “Another beer. Thanks, dude.”

When Dag had gone, Chris appropriated his lounge chair and stretched out beside Kassidy. Unlike Dag, he didn’t have to stop himself from touching her, and he reached out and stroked a hand over her arm and shoulder. “Need more sunscreen?”

“Um, yeah. I want to turn over. Can you do my back?”

“You bet.”

She lowered the back of the chair so it was flat and stretched out on her stomach, chin on her hands. Chris squeezed cold lotion onto her hot skin and she squealed. But then his hands massaged it into her and she sighed. And remembered the day she and Chris and Dag had gone to the beach and they’d both rubbed sunscreen on her. And they hadn’t given a shit who saw them or what they thought.

That had felt naughty and, yeah, she’d been going for the naughty, but the freedom to be themselves and do what they felt like doing without worrying what anyone thought seemed so enviably easy now.

She sighed.

“Here you go, babe.” Dag handed her the hard lemonade.

Babe.

She froze and glanced at her parents, striving to stay casual. Yes, they could hear. “Thanks,” she said lightly, sitting up and taking the cold glass.

Dag looked at Chris. “You’re in my chair,” he said with a chin lift.

“Where’s my beer?”

“You’re in my chair.”

She bugged her eyes out at them to get them to stop.

“Sit over there,” Chris said. “Now give me my beer.”

Dag shook his head and handed the beer over, then with a huge hard-done-by sigh he sat in the other chair, which was not next to Kassidy.

Luckily, Mom and Dad were just amused by this.

“Do you all want to stay for dinner?” Mom called over. “And don’t worry, I’m not cooking. We can order pizza or something.”

Kassidy glanced at Chris then Dag to gauge their responses. “Guys?”

“Ah…sure,” Chris said.

“Pizza sounds good,” Dag added. “I don’t suppose you’d let me buy.”

Mom laughed. “No.”

“It’d be my thanks for letting me hang out with your family and enjoy your pool,” he said with a wicked, charming grin.

“Oh heavens,” Mom said. “You’re a friend of Chris’s. Besides, I think we owe you for the times you came and stayed with me when I was bedridden.”

Dag had helped out, with Dad and Chris and Kassidy working and not able to take a lot of time off. Kassidy looked at Mom, who was gazing at Dag with a warm softness on her face. She’d fallen a little in love with Dag.

This was good. They wanted her parents to love Dag, to accept him as one of the family. She just wished it could be now.

She sucked back her lemonade.

Dad went inside to order pizza.

Then Chris opened his birthday present, which was a cool little ball speaker that he could plug into his phone or laptop or tablet, and a really nice Rag and Bone T-shirt. They told her parents about the new office furniture and Chris and Dag’s epic building adventure that had eventually resulted in success. Dag asked Dad about the work involved in having a pool. Chris told Mom and Dad that his parents were coming next weekend. They’d never met his parents, and Mom was thrilled, only wishing she wasn’t still dealing with her pelvic fracture, although she was much, much better.

“We’ll have them over for dinner,” she said. “You pick the night and we’ll make it work.”

Chris nodded, his mouth in a glum line.

A while later when Kassidy was helping Mom put the pizza away, just the two of them in the kitchen, Mom said, “Kassie, does Chris not get along with his family?”

Kassidy blinked at her. “Um…why do you ask that?”

“He didn’t look very happy that they’re coming. Are there problems? You’ve met them, right?”

“Yes, I’ve met them. A couple of times. Um…I think Chris and his dad are kind of…not that close. His dad’s very conservative. He was really strict with Chris. I mean, they don’t hate each other. Just…”

“I understand.” She nodded. “So, your condo will be pretty full, with Dag
and
Chris’s parents there.”

“Oh, Dag’s going to go stay in a hotel again while they’re here.”

Mom tipped her head. “Oh no. Really? Why?”

“Uh…” Crap. Crap crap crap. Her mind scrambled. “We just built all that office furniture in Chris’s office, so there’s no bed in there.”

“Oh, right.” Mom grabbed a cloth and wiped the counter. “Dag could stay here if he wants. Cheaper than a hotel.”

Kassidy laughed. “He has millions of dollars, Mom. But thank you. That’s nice of you to offer.”

“Well, maybe he’d rather stay here than in a hotel. More homey. I’m doing more cooking now…”

Jeez, Mom
did
love him. Kassidy shook her head, smiling. “You can ask him.”

“He’s such a nice boy.”

Kassidy gaped at her mom. She’d never heard Dag described that way. Bad boy, yes. Nice boy, hell no.

But, like many bad boys, his surface cockiness and sarcasm hid the real man on the inside—the smart, hard-working, caring guy who’d do anything for people he loved. Kassidy’s chest went all hot and soft. “Yeah,” she finally said, “he is.”

Mom glanced at her. “He really likes you.”

That hot softness vanished, replaced with ice. “Um…good. I mean, I hope so. He’s Chris’s friend, so I want him to like me.”

Mom tilted her head and pursed her lips. “I kind of meant…he really
likes
you.”

Kassidy stared at Mom, her stomach quivering. “Oh. No no, I don’t think so.”

Mom shrugged and resumed wiping the counter. “Okay. I just…wouldn’t want there to be any problems between you and Chris.”

Kassidy sucked in a sharp breath. “Of course not! I love Chris.”

“I know you do.” She smiled. “And that makes me happy. You know we love Chris too.”

Kassidy swallowed. “I know. Thanks, Mom.”

The kitchen now spotless, she escaped back outside where the men sat around the outdoor table talking about politics and, amazingly, not arguing. “We should get going,” she said brightly. “Chris and I have to work tomorrow.”

“Hey,” Dag said. “What do you think I do? Lie around and watch soap operas and eat candy all day?”

She had to laugh. “No. You’ve been busy.” He
had
been working hard at his new business.

They gathered up all their stuff—towels, wet swimsuits, sunscreen—and as they walked through the kitchen to leave, Mom called, “Dag…Kassie told me you’re moving back to a hotel when Chris’s parents are here.”

She could have burst out laughing at the look on Chris and Dag’s face. They clearly were thinking she’d told her mom why that was.

“You can stay here if you want,” she went on. “We have tons of room and this time you won’t have to babysit me.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “I can make you home-cooked meals, and you can do laundry and spread out. It’ll be better than a hotel.”

“Uh…yeah. I’ll…think about that. Definitely. Thank you.”

Kassidy sucked on her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

“We have Wi-Fi,” Mom added.

Dag grinned. “The magic words.”

There were hugs all around, thanks for the pizza and pool time, and then Dag, Chris and Kassidy were in Chris’s vehicle heading for home.

“Whoa,” she said. “I did not tell my mom anything, but she is
very
perceptive. Like, scary perceptive.” She shared her conversation with her mom.

“Shit,” Dag said. “I thought I was putting on a pretty good act.”

“I thought so too.”

They all considered the implications of Mom having rightly read Dag’s feelings for Kassidy.
Yikes
.

Kassidy’s cell phone rang in her purse and she pulled it out. “Danielle,” she said to the guys after looking at the display. She answered the phone. “Hey, girl.”

“Hey! Where are you?”

“On our way home from my parents’ place.”

“Oh, nice. How’s your mom doing?”

“Good. Much better. She’s pretty amazing.”

“That’s great. So listen…do you have Dag’s cell phone number?”

Her chin lowered abruptly and her body tightened. “Uh…yeah. Why?”

“I want to call him next week. What do you think? Invite him out for a drink or something to, you know, get to know each other a bit. He’s so freakin’ hot, Kass!”

Her body tightened even more and her teeth ground together. She did not know what to say to her friend. At lightning speed, she considered her options. Give her Dag’s number and let him deal with it. Refuse to give her his number for some made-up reason. Tell her the truth.

She closed her eyes. She knew which it had to be, but she certainly wasn’t going to tell her something that monumental over the phone.

“Dani, there’s something you need to know…”

“About Dag?”

“Yes.”

“Oh Christ. Is he gay?”

She took a deep breath. “Let’s have lunch tomorrow. I’ll tell you all about it.”

She sighed. “Shit. This doesn’t sound good. Okay, sure. Where should we go?”

They arranged to meet at a little café not far from Kassidy’s office.

“What was that?” Chris asked as soon as she ended the call.

She shifted in her seat to look at Dag in the back. “Danielle has a little crush on you. She wanted me to give her your number so she could call and ask you out.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“I’m not kidding.”

“You didn’t give it to her,” he stated unnecessarily.

“No. I didn’t. You guys…I have to tell her the truth. She’s my best friend. I don’t want to make shit up and lie to her to keep her away from Dag.”

“I’ll deal with her,” he said.

“Oh God, Dag.” She stared at him, emotion filling her chest. Mom was right. He
was
a nice guy under that bad-boy exterior. He was totally willing to take responsibility and be the bad guy in the scenario, somehow brushing Danielle off. That he would do that for her…for them…God. Her throat got a little thick. Finally she continued, “No. I’ll tell her. She loves me. It’ll be fine.”

“Uh, sweetheart,” Chris said, “Danielle likes to gossip.”

This was not wrong. She wrinkled her nose. “I know. But I’ll make her swear not to tell anyone. You’re okay with this, right, guys?”