Slow Burn (The Blake Boys Book 7) (3 page)

“Why don’t you want to go out with him? Hell, sleep with him at least once and give me all the details. He looks like he knows his way around a bed post.” Nina’s cell phone rang. She reached into her pocket to see Morgan’s face displayed. “Damn it, it’s Morgan. I think she can sense we’re having impure thoughts.”

“You distract her. Try to sound natural. Her trouble radar has really sharpened since she had the twins. I’m going out to see what Derek wants.”

“You know what he wants. Are you gonna give it to him?” Nina smiled and pushed Michelle through the double doors. “Hey, Morgan. No, nothing’s wrong…I just dropped by the bookstore to get something for Gabby.”

* * *

Nina was right, Derek did look delectable today. There were a few times when she imagined spreading whipped cream all over that broad chest of his. It didn’t help quell her fantasies when he smiled at her like he was doing now. It was enigmatic with a hint of devious, like he had a bad joke on the tip of his tongue.

“Derek, nice to see you again.”

He smiled. “I thought I’d check to see if the book had come in, and see you, of course.”

The sound of that deep voice coupled with that gorgeous smile always got her. She was impressed that he didn’t have any false teeth, a common occupational hazard for hockey players.

“I did some digging and found a few more books that weren’t on your list. I was able to get them shipped to the store. How did you get so interested in the Alamo?”

“I fell in love with Texas after visiting Seth at his ranch. He took me on a tour of the Alamo and I felt a strange connection to it. I think it was a fascinating period of time in American history. Did you do something with your hair?” Derek pushed a lock of hair away from her eye.

She smiled. “I got some highlights last week. Thanks for noticing.”

“How about that coffee? I have time before I go to the stadium.” He motioned to the café area.

“I’m sorry, I have an orientation with the seasonal helpers in an hour and I must get ready.” He wasn’t making it easy. Why was she trying to dissuade him again? Yeah. The non-committal cowboy she slept with months ago.

“Perhaps we can have dinner at the Slap Shot.”

“I don’t—” Michelle stopped herself before she could refuse. Tyler had just kissed a woman on national television, living up to his playboy reputation. Why should she keep chasing a man who clearly wasn’t going to change? Why shouldn’t she get on with her life? She gave him her biggest smile. “I don’t have any plans for the weekend. Dinner would be nice.”

“Great.”

She watched him walk out the door, thinking about what Nina said about Derek and Tyler wrestling around half naked, vying for her affections. Michelle picked up a flyer from the counter and waved it back and forth in front of her face. It may have been December, but it was suddenly hotter than a July heat wave in the bookstore.

Michelle walked back to the office after Nina signaled her twice to get back there.

“Well, well. He’s persistent.”

“How did you know what he said?”

“I hit the intercom button.” Nina pointed to the phone system.

“If only that jerk Tyler would put half as much effort into seeing me.” Michelle noticed Nina had snuck the envelope in between the pile of invoices on her desk.

Nina shrugged. “Some men are not comfortable with expressing their feelings.”

“He can express lust just fine.”

“Well, I say do what feels right, and then do it all the time.” Nina smiled. “So back to the audition. How about it? I think it would be a great opportunity for you.”

“You think?”

“There’s five thousand dollars in that envelope. What do you think?”

Michelle smiled. Maybe it was time to try new things.

* * *

Tyler dumped the bags of ice over the beers in the cooler. Winning a major race that catapulted his racing career into the limelight didn’t mean squat when he was back at home and relegated to the role of little brother. Tonight his brothers were playing poker in J.J.’s new home, which he shared with his girlfriend Sam. It was an architectural masterpiece that boasted big spacious rooms to accommodate a large family. Sam loved the holidays and it showed. There were Christmas decorations in every room and a huge tree that seemed to take up half the living room, a vast contrast to J.J.’s ex-wife Eden’s refusal to celebrate anything.

Tyler pulled out his phone and scrolled his contacts in search of Michelle’s picture. Seeing that bright, infectious smile always made his heart skip a beat. He pressed call. The phone rang a few times, then went to voicemail. His ears perked up at the new greeting.

“Hi, it’s Michelle the Novel Foodie. I’m busy right now conjuring up delicious new recipes. Please leave a message if your name isn’t Tyler Blake and I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”

He ran a hand over his face and disconnected the call. Maybe he’d have better luck at poker tonight.

“Tyler, you gonna be all day with those beers?” J.J. yelled from the living room.

“I’m comin’!” He picked up the cooler and headed in. “I don’t know why you’re in a hurry for me to take your money.”

His brother Tate took the cooler from him and set it by the card table. “No risk of that. You stink and you have a million different tells.”

“Quiet before I call Isabelle over. She’ll distract you and it will make taking your money all that much easier.”

“No way,” his brother Channing said. “This is a woman-free zone tonight. Thank God.”

“Woman trouble?” J.J. grabbed two icy beers from the cooler and passed him one.

Channing took it and popped the cap. “Just when I think I’m making progress with Emma, she goes in a totally different direction.”

“Welcome to the club,” Seth said and began shuffling the cards. “Now sit down and ante up.”

The doorbell rang. J.J. went to answer it and came back with Bo Jr. “Look who decided to join us.”

“Bo!” They all yelled.

Bo wore a navy blue sweater over a striped dress shirt without a tie tonight. It was pretty daring casual dress for him on a Friday evening.

“Bo, so glad you could make it.” Tyler smiled.

“I come bearing gifts.” Bo put two bottles of single malt scotch on the table.

“Now we’re talkin’,” Seth said, and headed to the kitchen for glasses.

“Nice,” Tate said. “I’m almost going to feel bad about taking your money, Jamison.”

Bo laughed. “And I won’t feel bad at all about supplementing my retirement fund by swindling money from you losers.”

“Big talk from a man who once had a pig chase him at the county fair.”

“That pig had it in for me.” Bo rubbed his hand over his face. “Congrats on your win, Tyler.”

“Thanks, man.” Tyler nodded. “When was the last time you came to a poker game?”

Bo pulled up a chair. “That would have to be the night Seth played Texas hold ’em with your dad for the ranch.”

“That was an epic night,” Tyler said. “Daddy let Seth win.”

“Did not!” Seth yelled from the kitchen.

Channing tapped the chair next to him. “This is the section for the lovelorn.”

“You too?” Bo asked. He and his girlfriend Felicia had recently broken up.

“Yeah. But the good news is that Tyler may be off the market soon.” Channing waggled his eyebrows.

“Oh, that pretty woman you were slow dancing with at the wedding until Seth’s little boy cut in?” Bo laughed.

“Her name is Michelle. And don’t remind me about Jake using his cute bit. He’s getting pretty good at it,” Tyler huffed.

“That’s what you get for using my son when he was a baby to hit on women. The student becomes the master.” Seth returned from the kitchen with glasses and bowls of chips and salsa.

“So what are we doing for the holidays this year? I have to put my order in soon for the ten turkeys I’ll need to cook,” Tate said.

“We’ll all be at Momma and Daddy’s house this year,” Channing said.

“I can’t wait until the boys see what I go them for Christmas.” Tyler grinned.

“Ten turkeys?” Bo mused.

Tate laughed. “I remember that big appetite you have, Bubba. I do believe after that pig stopped chasing you, you put him on a spit and barbecued him.”

“What about that pie eating contest he’d enter every year?” Channing asked. “Why you never gained any weight was beyond me.”

“I have a naturally high metabolism and I work out.” Bo held up his shirt to reveal sculptured abs.

“Let’s play. I’d like to see my woman by midnight.” J.J. tried to suppress a grin and dealt the cards.

“It’s good to see you happy J.J.” Channing grinned. “It’s a bit disgusting seeing you two make out all the time, but I’m still happy for you.”

“So Bo, are you coming home for Christmas?” Tyler asked.

Bo nodded. “There’s no place else I’d rather be.”

Tyler loved poker nights. He loved each and every one of their rowdy asses. It was the love of this family that spurred a feeling that it was time for love in his life. Maybe it was time to stop running from the one woman he couldn’t get out of his mind. Too bad she wasn’t returning his calls.

Chapter Two

Michelle stared at the computer screen hoping the answer to her recipe problem would magically manifest. She and Morgan were working on her new apple pie recipe, hoping to put a new spin on an old classic. It had been two weeks since she started her cold-turkey program to rid herself of Tyler Blake. Morgan tried to bring it up, but Michelle politely declined to talk about seeing Tyler’s television smooch. With all that behind her, she was doing remarkably well, and she funneled her energy into cooking for the holidays. The only problem was her apartment—it was beginning to look like a bakery. Each time she thought about precious wasted moments she’d spent on that cowboy, she’d bake something. There were cakes, pies, cookies and tarts everywhere. Which was why she was using Morgan’s kitchen, instead.

She’d been playing with the new apple pie recipe for a few weeks now. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon, and she always enjoyed spending the day with Morgan, Seth and the boys. They were going to decorate the tree tonight and make a gingerbread house. She loved this time of year and loved Morgan’s enthusiasm for the holidays. Seth had a giant scale model freight train installed that transported the boys through the house. Morgan had a hard time getting them out of it when it was time for their baths.

“I think we need to add another teaspoon of cinnamon,” Michelle said.

“OK.” Morgan added another scoop to the bowl. “It smells so good in here. I’m going to take a bite of that pie the minute it comes out of the oven.”

“Well, there’s a cooling period. I’d hate for a burned tongue to stop you from fooling around with Seth. But you deserve first slice for letting me use your kitchen.” Michelle chuckled.

“Any time.” Morgan hugged her. “I’m sorry we have to get together at my house all the time. I promise we can mix it up a bit. Maybe have dinner at the Slap Shot or have a girl’s night at your place sometime.”

Michelle looked away at the mention of Derek’s bar. She’d never told Morgan about Derek’s visits to the store or his dinner invitation. “Let’s see, my dinky apartment covered with rapidly moldering baked goods, or a penthouse with a spacious kitchen, state of the art appliances and two double ovens. I think it’s a no brainer.”

“Your apartment is not dinky. It’s just not conducive to your new hobby. So cook away.”

“Did I ever tell you how happy I am that we’re friends?”

“Well I would think you don’t bake tasty apple pies for just anybody.”

“Nope. I relegate my specialties to my favorite couple.” Michelle poured the pie filling into the dough covered glass pie dish. “By the way, Harold died.”

“Harold? The owner of the flower shop next door to the bookstore?”

Michelle leaned against the counter. “This explains why we haven’t seen him in a month.”

“I just assumed he was in the Hamptons or something. He was loaded. We need to find out where to send flowers.”

“I already did. It felt pretty ironic to send flowers to a florist’s family. But this means his building will be up for sale! We could buy it and expand the bookstore.”

“Our business neighbor just died. Now is not the time to pillage his land.”

“I may not know all the complexities of life, but I do know a dead man doesn’t need a building. Maybe that bigwig commercial real estate guy Shane Bracht can investigate for you.”

“I’m going to miss Harold. He would bring us those expensive Swiss chocolates that cost about a million dollars a pound and the occasional floral arrangement for the front of the store. If nothing else, your taste buds should be in mourning.”

“Damn, I forgot about that. Harold did always call us the daughters he would have wanted if he’d been foolish enough to conceive children. But this could be a good opportunity for Reed Books. Promise me you’ll think about it. We could expand the bookstore without having to open another store in the city,” Michelle said.

“I’ll think about it. So…” Morgan coughed. “Have you heard from Tyler?”

“Since he locked lips on national television with that hussy? I refuse to answer his calls.” Michelle put on oven mitts and slid the pie into the oven.

“Wow.” Morgan stilled. “We never really talked about what happened between you and Tyler the night before my wedding.”

“I didn’t think you wanted to hear that for the umpteenth time, I was an idiot and fell for his charms.” Michelle pretended to read over the next recipe, a fruit tart.

“You’ve been different since that night.”

“We did”—Michelle waggled her eyebrows—”you know. The horizontal hokey pokey.”

“I figured as much. But I was talking about something else.”

“There comes a time in life when you have to stop deluding yourself about fruitless situations and I am at that point.”

“It wasn’t his fault. I’m pretty sure that skank initiated the kiss. Tyler was gracious about it but he wasn’t happy that night.”

Michelle glared at Morgan. “Since when do you stick up for Tyler?”

“I was just pointing out that the kiss was not his idea. He was ambushed on national TV by some woman who’d been following him around for weeks.”