Bed, Breakfast, and Bondage (Emerald Valley) Read online

  “Raining.”

  His reply was short. He didn’t bother to spare me a glance, and if that didn’t cool my ardor, nothing would.

  “It’s Oregon. It does that here. That’s what umbrellas were made for.”

  “Breakfast.”

  Now I was starting to get irritated. It’d been two years since we’d last seen each other, and he was acting like this? One-word answers? What the hell?

  “Breakfast. Is that some kind of explanation I’m supposed to understand? Hello and good morning, by the way. I see someone let you in.”

  “Got Leah’s key. And breakfast”—he poured a cup of coffee and doctored it just the way I liked it, with a dash of milk and a touch of sugar—“means my hands were full with ingredients, so I couldn’t juggle an umbrella on top of all the bags I was carrying. That’s why I laid my shirt out to dry.”

  Devlin finally turned to look at me, and damn if the man didn’t look even tastier from the front. I kept my eyes firmly on his face, but that didn’t help my libido any. He’d gone for a military brush cut again, the only way he seemed to be able to tame his wild black curls. The cut only served to highlight his strong, square features and those bright, whiskey-colored eyes. He wasn’t classically handsome like his twin, but under normal circumstances, you’d never know it. Devlin’s charming personality—which he’d apparently misplaced—softened the otherwise harsh lines of his face, providing an irresistible contrast to a body that was practically the pictorial definition of a man in his prime.

  He held out the coffee mug to me, and I gratefully moved forward to take it. Our hands touched, and for a moment, Devlin’s eyes seemed to warm as he actually focused on me. A small smile played at the corner of his lips, but then he caught sight of the binder in my hands and snapped back into all-business mode.

  “That today’s schedule?”

  “Yeah. Look, I appreciate you coming in and doing all this more than I can say. Lei and I had contingency plans for the B and B, but not for this early in her pregnancy.”

  He waved off my thanks. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ve started breakfast for the guests. There aren’t any food allergies listed on the notepad, and the only special dietary comments were two lacto-ovo vegetarians who’ll be here for dinner. You have chafing dishes?”

  “I’m not sure where Lei stores them, but yes.”

  “I’ll find ’em. Pastries and desserts aren’t my specialty, but I can do them up well enough for breakfast and tonight’s dessert. This morning it’ll be eggs for breakfast, along with spiced pumpkin muffins and cranberry scones. I’d do better, but people tend to eat light Thanksgiving morning, and I’ve got a lot to get done. Grocery store’s open today, right?”

  “Limited hours, but they’ll be open this morning.”

  “Good. I’ve got most of what I need right here, but I want to make some substitutions, and not as much prep work was done yesterday as I’d hoped. Twenty-two adults for dinner, right? Anything else I need to know before I get started?”

  “Um, no. Nothing else. And yes, twenty-two for Thanksgiving.”

  “I’ll get to it, then. You might want to check on the fruit, bottled water, and nutrition bars”—he made a face at the last bit—“you put out for the guests who get up at Oh-God-o’clock. I saw a pair of runners head out already right before you came down. The early-morning fuel supply basket was dwindling.”

  I nodded, but he’d already turned toward the fridge and was pulling out ingredients for heaven knew what.

  “I’ll check on that. Do you need any help?”

  To his credit, Devlin didn’t cringe, but then, I wasn’t sure he was listening to me. He seemed to be absorbed in his work.

  Sighing, I took his damp shirt and my coffee, cell phone, and binder to my office, making a short detour on the way to check on the snack supplies and toss Devlin’s shirt in the dryer. Leah and I had closed off the living room to guests the night before in order to store the rented tables, extra linens and dishware, and the centerpieces for Thanksgiving. I had to rethink my plan of attack for the day. All Levis save Devlin were out of commission at the moment, and I didn’t have any friends in Emerald Valley who weren’t going to be tied up with Thanksgiving plans of their own. It was all on Devlin’s and my shoulders, and my ex was definitely not acting like his usual self.

  It’s for the best. You need him to work his magic in the kitchen, not sit around flirting with you.

  My inner voice was right, but damn if it wasn’t unusual for Devlin to ignore me. Then again, my day had started out with cock-blocking Stormtroopers, so perhaps I should have expected this to be a very weird Thanksgiving.

  “And a disastrous one if you don’t get to work,” I muttered to myself.

  I shot texts off to Jon and his parents, asking for an update on Leah, and then settled down to figure out how to get everything in order for today.

  * * * *

  There were many things I loved about running a B and B. Handling housekeeping all by myself when we were at full capacity was not one of them. Still, I had a system I could and did adjust, and it was no small relief when Devlin handled breakfast service cleanup for me.

  Leah called while I was in the midst of cursing her for thinking putting towels shaped into animals in the guests’ baths was a “brilliant” idea. She’d seen the towel animals on her last cruise and had fallen in love with them. After seeing how simple it looked to make them, I’d agreed that it was a great addition to the bathrooms to make the Emerald memorable.

  Now I called myself an idiot for agreeing to her plan. I did not have the extra time to spare on these today.

  “Tell me you’re okay,” I said by way of greeting.

  “Hey to you too. Yep, we’re okay. I’m at home: safe, sound, and still pregnant.”

  “Good. Now I can say that I hate you for leaving me to deal with the turkeys.”

  A pause. “Devlin let you in the kitchen?”

  I could hear the actual panic in her voice, and I was worried enough about her still not to take offense. “No, he’s been a godsend, though it pains me to say so. Towel turkeys, Lei. I’m putting together those stupid friggin’ towel animals you made me learn how to fold.”

  Leah’s laugh caused some of the tension built up from the hectic day to leave me. I tucked my cell phone between my shoulder and ear and went back to work on the blasted towel animals.

  “The guests love them,” she reminded me.

  “Yeah, yeah. So what did the doc say?”

  “He put me on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy.”

  I was pretty sure I could hear her scowling over the line.

  “Maybe I could—”

  “No. Whatever you’re thinking—no. The doctor put you on bed rest, and that’s where your pregnant ass will be staying, even if your husband has to tie you to the bed.”

  She snorted. “Like he’d get kinky with me now. He’s hovering, Naya. Hovering.”

  “You did give us all a scare.”

  “The baby did it.”

  “Why do I think that’s going to be your excuse for everything now?” I teased her.

  “Because it just might be. Now, about the Emerald…”

  “Nope. You’re off duty until further notice. I’m pulling rank.”

  “We’re equal partners!”

  “Don’t make me call your parents. They’ll fly up from Arizona just to sit on you if you don’t do as ordered.”

  “Low blow, Naya. Low blow.”

  “Look, we can figure everything out tomorrow. I need to get through the rush of today, and then things will calm down. There’s a lag on the books after this weekend, and business won’t pick up too much until the week before Christmas. By then, Jessie will be on winter break, and we’d planned for her to sub in for you anyway.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, pal o’mine. You. Bed rest. Me. Thanksgiving. The rest’ll be sorted later.”

  “Fiiiiiiine.”

  I knew
I was getting off light. Leah could argue for hours if she felt like it.

  “So, how’re things going with Devlin?”

  I should’ve let her stay on the topic of the Emerald.

  “Fine. He’s doing his thing, I’m doing mine.” And I was glad. I was.

  “You’re not telling me something. Spill. I’ve got all the time in the world now.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t.”

  “Pfft. Thirty-second rundown.”

  She wasn’t going to let up. “He’s acting weird, okay? Distant. Devlin’s never distant. He’s always…” Hell. There was something I hadn’t thought of. “Does he have a girlfriend?”

  “Nope.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Duh, of course. You think I didn’t make Jon ask?”

  “Then maybe he’s—”

  “Working.” Leah cut me off. “You’ve never seen Devlin in his ‘zone,’ have you? It’s like trying to talk to a brick wall. Ask Shannon; she’ll totally back me up.”

  That made me feel slightly better. I hadn’t actually ever been around Devlin when he was working. After a little grease fire I’d accidentally caused back in high school, and the pan I still swore melted itself to the stove a few years ago, those who knew me tended to not want me around in the kitchen when there were any hot or flammable items or foodstuffs about.

  “It doesn’t matter anyway. Nothing’s changed between Devlin and me.” Before Leah could protest, I added, “And your thirty seconds are up. Seriously, it’s crazy today, Lei.”

  “I’ll let you get back to it. Jon and his parents are still here. I could try convincing them I’m not going to spontaneously combust and get them to come help you out.”

  “They’ll worry. You gave us a scare.”

  “I gave myself a scare. Trying not to think on it, really.”

  “Don’t. Just take care of yourself and my niece. The Emerald will be fine. I’m on the last room, so half the battle of the day is won. Devlin and I will make this a success, I promise.”

  “I believe you. Go, do your thing. Give me the rundown tomorrow.”

  “I will. Take care of yourself,” I repeated.

  “I will. Love ya.”

  “Back at you.”

  With my biggest concern now alleviated, I hung up and finished up the last guest room. After storing my cleaning supplies, I rolled my shoulders and prepared to tackle the setup for Thanksgiving dinner.

  Chapter Three

  This Thanksgiving, I was thankful for the fact that people liked to eat earlier than normal dinner hours. It was late afternoon, heading into early evening, and only Devlin constantly keeping the coffee brewing had kept me going through setup and serving.

  The living room had been converted into a second dining room, and for the second year in a row, the Emerald offered what Leah and I had deemed our spin on smoking/nonsmoking sections: football and nonfootball seating. The football watchers were now happily ensconced at tables in the living room, while the chattier crowd was seated at tables in the Emerald’s dining room. Devlin had even made a few adjustments to help traffic flow to and from the buffet.

  I took drink orders, checked chafing dishes, bused tables, and chatted with guests, all the while cursing the heels and blouse/skirt outfit I was wearing in order to present myself as a professional. My arms and legs were killing me from all the racing about and lifting I’d done today, but it was worth it. The guests seemed to be having a great time, and they were in rapture over Devlin’s cooking.

  My stomach grumbled as I walked back toward the kitchen, bringing some more plates for washing. Expertly, I slid my toe in the slight crack I’d left between the door and the jamb and slid the door back before hooking my heel to shut it again. Normally I liked to leave the door open, welcoming guests to get anything they needed from the kitchen, but with the inevitable chaos of cooking for and cleaning up after over twenty people, I didn’t want to present a messy picture to any guest walking by.

  “You’re a hit,” I said as I set the plates down by the sink. “I hope we have leftovers.”

  Devlin was bent over the last of the desserts, which I needed to take out to the buffet. He grunted in response, and I rolled my eyes. I followed the direction he jerked his thumb. There were two domed serving platters on the kitchen table, ones we generally broke out for special occasion room service. I lifted the lid on one and saw he’d arranged a plate of food. A quick glance under the other lid showed the same thing. I shook my head, smiled at his back, then took the desserts he had ready out for serving.

  After another hour of being hostess, waitress, and busboy all in one, the Thanksgiving meal was done, and almost all the guests were either settling into their chairs and lingering over dessert and coffee or watching the game, or both. In a little bit, I’d have to clear the last of the plates and move tables out of the way in the living room so people could relax on the couch or recliners. At the moment, though, the adrenaline rush I’d gotten while serving had passed, and I needed ten minutes to get off my feet and down a shot of caffeine.

  When I walked back into the kitchen, Devlin was at the sink, doing dishes.

  “You didn’t have to do that. You’ve done more than enough, cooking and helping today. Guests are raving about the food; you saved the day.”

  He turned off the water and faced me, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “Does this make me your hero?”

  A flash of that charmer’s grin signaled the Devlin I knew was surfacing. Apparently Leah hadn’t been exaggerating about Devlin’s work-mode attitude.

  I slid the door shut and sagged against it. “Yeah. You’re my hero.”

  “Are the guests all taken care of?”

  “I think I’ve got about ten, fifteen minutes before I need to clear off the last of the dishes, pack up the food, set the rooms to rights… Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it.”

  “So my part’s done for the night?”

  “Yeah. Yes, absolutely.” I ran a hand through my hair, then cursed when I snagged my fingers in the bobby pins I’d used to tame my wild mane into a French twist. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. You’re on vacation, and I put you to work. You must be as tired as I am, so if—”

  I didn’t get to finish the thought before Devlin had me off my feet and pressed up against the door, one strong arm supporting my lower back. Automatically, I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. Our lips met. His tongue teased at the seam of my lips, and I opened, letting him in.

  How long had it been since we’d last kissed? At the moment, I couldn’t remember. Devlin’s lips were firm, warm, his taste achingly familiar.

  He pulled back long enough to murmur, “I’ve missed you,” before his mouth took possession of mine once more.

  There were a hundred reasons I shouldn’t be doing this, but none of them could make me let go of him. And when I felt his hand slide up my leg and under my skirt, common sense flew out the window.

  “Hold on to me, Naya. Let me know this is okay.”

  His fingers were centimeters from where I wanted them, and he wanted to know if it was okay? I gripped his hair, forced him to meet my gaze. “Touch me,” I ordered.

  There was that grin again. “So bossy.”

  But he did, rubbing his fingers over my pussy through the soft cotton of my underwear. I bit down on the inside of my lip as the fabric abraded my clit. While Devlin’s mouth moved down my neck, kissing me, he pushed aside my panties and circled the entrance of my core, tormenting me by allowing only the tip of one finger in before withdrawing to tease me some more. I gripped his short hair harder, and he bit down on the side of my neck in retaliation.

  “Bite me again, and I’ll bite you back,” I muttered.

  Devlin’s responding laughter distracted me enough that I wasn’t prepared for the sudden penetration of his fingers. He closed his mouth over mine just in time to mask my scream of pure pleasure.

  Some rhythms were never forgotten. Devlin knew exactly when to
push, when to pull back, where to tilt his fingers and hit my G-spot dead-on. I was unprepared for how well my body still responded to his. When he thrust his fingers deep and pressed his thumb down on my clit, I came in a rush, flooding his fingers. All through my orgasm, he’d kept his lips fused to mine.

  That first taste of pleasure should have satisfied me, but I was still wound tighter than a bowstring when I tore my mouth away from his. I struggled for breath as he pulled his fingers out and gripped my waist, holding me more securely. He buried his face in my nape and pressed in closer, making it difficult to concentrate on anything other than his denim-covered erection rubbing against my core. I wanted to reach down between us and set his cock free. I nearly did.

  Then a sharp burst of laughter came from the other side of the kitchen door, dousing me with an ice-cold splash of reality. Guests. I had B and B guests and Thanksgiving customers. Only feet away from where I was wrapped around Devlin like a living vine.

  Not good. Not good at all.

  Gently, I pushed on his shoulder, and Devlin lifted his head, his gaze meeting mine. I almost gave in to the lust I saw there, but it would only make things worse. In the past fourteen years, we’d been down this road too many times to count, and it never ended well. I was grateful Devlin let me untangle myself from him without comment, but as I slid out from between him and the door, he opened his mouth to speak.

  Holding up a hand, I cut him off. I couldn’t talk to him right now. Couldn’t deal with what was between us. Not now, when I was running on empty, physically and emotionally. I had a business to run.

  I walked over to the sink and splashed cold water on my face. Devlin came up behind me, and it galled me that I had to drum up the courage to face him.

  “You wanted me.”

  He leaned back against the table. I wiped my face with a towel that was lying on the counter and turned around. I could see the erection still straining against his jeans, and my mouth watered at the sight.

  Yes, I wanted him, and I wouldn’t insult either of us by pretending otherwise. Nor would I deny I was giving mixed signals.

  “Wanting each other was never our problem. Please don’t ask me to have this conversation right now. Not with everyone around.”