Three to Dance Read online

  “The boys!” she exclaimed. “I totally forgot them! Snatching up her wet clothes and pressing them to her chest, she hopped over boxes, making her way to the bedroom.

  “The boys?” he echoed, puzzled.

  “Scott,” she scolded. “I told you about the boys. Meet my kids.” When she opened the door, the twin cats bound out, ears pinned back, faces turned on to full frown, two sets of coppery eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  He stared down on the two hissing felines, and then burst out laughing. “What happened to their faces? Have they been chasing parked cars?”

  Kate bristled. “They’re Persians. They’re supposed to be like that.”

  “They look like mops.” Then, seeing he had hurt her feelings, he continued, “But they’re very, uh, cute.”

  She lifted her chin. “You don’t own a cat until you’ve owned a Persian. The boys are of the highest pedigree.”

  “Cats?” Scott snickered, hunkering down to cat level. “I thought they were gremlins.” He knelt down, crooking his index finger. “Here kitty, kitty. Nice kitties.”

  Larry hissed and immediately dropped down on all fours, ready to pounce. Monty, the braver, headed toward the new human invader. He sniffed Scott’s proffered hand, and then consented to let Scott scratch his ears. Finding the new human acceptable, Monty rolled over onto his back and splayed out his legs, obviously begging for a belly rub. Scott laughed and obliged the cat, giving him a good tummy rub. Seeing his pal getting the better deal, Larry hurried over for his share of the petting.

  “Hey, kitty,” Scott said, giving Larry equal attention.

  Kate had to smile. The twins usually didn’t take to strange people any better than she did, but animals knew when people liked them and the twins were obviously won over by Scott.

  “Don’t call them kitty,” she laughed. “Their names are Montgomery and Laurence.”

  He scrunched up his face at the pretentious monikers. “Don’t tell me. Let me guess. They’re named for Montgomery Clift and Laurence Olivier?”

  “Yeah, they are.”

  “I remember how you like the old movies. Remember when we had to watch that dreadful King Lear with Olivier for senior English? God, mind numbing.”

  “I thought it was a fine production,” Kate said, impressed that he even recalled seeing it. As she remembered it, he’d snoozed through almost the entire two hours.

  “Yeah, finely boring,” he cracked.

  She rolled her eyes to the ceiling in mock exasperation. “Some things never change.”

  Realizing that she had better get dressed before Josh came back and found them, she hurried into her bedroom. Digging into a box labeled sweaters, she put on the first one she pulled out. Sitting down on the bed, she took off her wet boots. God, it felt good to get those off her feet. She’d been wearing them since this morning and the pinch on her little toe had been driving her crazy. She rubbed the little tootsie.

  “Hey, should I order the Pizza?” Scott called out.

  “Yeah, Scott. Get what you like and spare no expense!” Her stomach growled again, reminding her that she had not eaten in quite awhile. This morning’s wheat toast and tea was just a memory. Her chest felt tight, her muscles heavy. The day was beginning to catch up with her.

  Spurred back into action, she unbuttoned her jeans, wriggled out of them, and found a dry pair. Stepping into the fresh pair, she zipped them up. She made a quick visit to the bathroom, pawing through the boxes until she found a butterfly clip. Pinning up her wet hair, she cast a glance to the full-length mirror. Lips parted, skin flushed, a hungry wanton expression colored her features. She came across like a woman ready to be fucked. No, a woman who needed to be fucked. Now!

  A weak laugh escaped her throat. What does he see? she wondered.

  Turning to the side, she sucked in her tummy, not that she really needed to. Her stomach was flat, having only a slight curve above her Venus mound. Her breasts were small, but perky. They wouldn’t sag when she was ninety. More than a mouthful’s a waste anyway.

  She gave another turn, examining her rear end. She ran her hands over her butt cheeks. Thankfully still tight despite all those hours of sitting behind her computer. It was the bicycling that kept her firm. Her legs were her best feature. Long and slender, they went all the way from the floor to her ass.

  Her hair was shoulder length, thick, and a naturally dark blonde shade. At least, that’s what she called it. Most would call it dirty dishwater blonde, a term she despised. Her face was pinched, a little pallid, but nothing that a good night of sleep wouldn’t solve. Her skin was clear, needing only light powder to cover her flaws, naturally rosy (from all that damned blushing). Her hazel eyes were evenly spaced. A pert nose and, much to her horror, a generous mouth finished her heart shaped face.

  I am just not a beautiful woman. I’m too tall, too thin, too small busted and I’ve got a big mouth with a goddamned space right between my front teeth. Nope. The word beautiful was never used to describe her. Cute. Perky. Those were the words men used with her. But not beautiful. She could easily give Mary Tyler Moore a run for her money. Put her hair in a pony tail and she appeared to be all of twelve years old.

  Oh, God. Perky at thirty. How awful. Men don’t want perky. They want mature, striking, beautiful.

  Brushing powder over her nose to kill the oily shine, she headed back out to the living room. Scott was just hanging up the phone when Josh walked in. Dressed more causally now that he was off work, he carried a sack. Setting it down on the counter, he opened it and pulled out a six-pack of sodas.

  “Hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of bringing a couple of drinks.” He popped the top and handed one to Kate.

  “No, it’s great. Thanks.” She took a long drink.

  Josh’s eyes skimmed over Scott. “You gonna wear those wet clothes all night, asshole? You’ll catch your death.”

  Scott shook his head. “Just on my way out to change. Pizza will be here in thirty minutes. Guess I have time.” Throwing Kate a wink and quick smile, he sauntered out the door, whistling.

  Chapter Four

  Seeing that there was a new man to be checked out, one of the twins jumped up on the counter. It was Monty. Kate could tell the cats apart only by the little white blotches on their noses. Larry’s was on the left, Monty’s was on the right.

  Josh reached over and gave Monty’s head a pet, scratching the huge Persian behind his ear. Happy that there were new hands around to offer unlimited petting, Monty caught Josh’s hand with his paw, barely using his claws to get a grip, and gave his fingers a light nip. It was a hearty sign of approval.

  “Monty,” Kate scolded, halfheartedly, “You know the counters are a no-no.”

  Monty ignored her and gave his attention to his new friend. Josh scratched the big cat from head to tail, then set him down on the floor. Monty sauntered over to his food dish. Satisfaction gained, he was ready to chow down.

  “He’s giving you the eye,” Kate said. “I guess that means that you’ve passed Monty’s approval.”

  “I like cats.” Josh grinned. “He’s not the only one sending the eye around.” He took on a mock scolding tone. “Scott’s giving you the winks, Missy, or haven’t you noticed?”

  Kate pretended innocence. “Oh? I hadn’t really given it any thought. I mean, well, we’re best friends. We couldn’t get serious.” That sounded so lame. She took another gulp of soda. Where she’d been freezing before, now she was burning up.

  Josh nodded. “Oh, I know Scott. When he sees a girl he wants, he’s all over her.” His eyebrows rose, as if he knew what she and Scott had been up to.

  “Oh, Scott’s just horsing around,” she finished weakly. “That’s all.”

  “Is it?” He shot her his own sly glance. Kate could almost see the wheels in his mind turning.

  “Yeah. We go back years.”

  “What about you?” Josh asked, fingering his soda can. “You looking?”

  “I’m keeping options open,�
�� she said. “I like the single life.” That sounded like the right answer.

  “Well, since you’re into options,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe I should let you know Scott isn’t the only guy around.”

  She drew herself up, feeling that certain pull of attraction in her loins. Yes, every time Josh gazed at her with those puppy brown eyes, she felt the pull of a serious attraction. She felt like a lustful woman, a woman wanting nothing more than to have a man admire, and desire her.

  “Meaning?”

  He hesitated, then said, “Meaning I might be looking, too.”

  A bit taken back, Kate weighed his words. What a day! Two men interested in her. And she was definitely interested in reciprocating.

  So, which to choose?

  Should she take a chance with her free wheeling buddy Scott, or should she give her attention to the most quiet, more reserved Josh? Definitely a conundrum, but a very desirable one. If no one got too serious, this could be fun to play with.

  Oh, but there was the problem? What if someone does get serious?

  In a love triangle, someone was going to eventually be left out in the cold. Would it be better to let Josh know that she liked Scott and cut him loose before it went any further? After all, Scott already had the advantage of seeing her half-naked.

  Kate took a sip of soda to give another moment to think of a good reply, to get away from the desire in his compelling eyes. Oh, God, is it wrong to want both men? She wasn’t the kind of woman that played games, but it was interesting to think about what it would be like to have two men courting her. Or, even better, two men making love to her—at the same time.

  Oh, nasty girl! She admonished herself. Only hussies and whores thought like that. Certainly a good girl would never think of having sex with two men. Or would she? In the back of her mind, though, that fantasy had always been her favorite one. But she’d never taken it beyond the imaginary stage.

  If the opportunity presented itself, she wondered, would I indulge?

  Confused and uncertain, she was so mixed up that she didn’t know what to do next. She had overcome tremendous setbacks to get back on her feet financially. As a graphic artist, she had a solid profession and was able to provide for herself. The next step would be to plan for her future, think about how the next stage in her life should go. Would she marry again? What about children? Her biological clock wasn’t ticking right now. What if it sprang into action in a year or so? She’d want a solid man in her life, a man who worked hard and planned for the future. Scott was the freewheeling type, out to grab his fun where he could. Hell, he still drove a battered old pickup and lived paycheck to paycheck, always on the verge of losing his ass if he missed a day’s work.

  And what about other women? She had to ask herself. Scott usually had revolving door relationships. He’d write her about one woman, then give her a call before the letter arrived to tell her about another. While his body had changed, Scott still had a bit of a teenage mentality. Life was one big party to him and he was determined to have a blast.

  Josh, on the other hand, seemed more stable, more the stay at home family man type. Maybe he’d be the better choice. But how was she going to find out, unless she shopped around and sampled the wares? The thought came insidiously that she’d like to see what it felt like for Josh to kiss her.

  Good grief, is this my mid-life crises? I’m not even thirty yet.

  “A handsome guy like you can’t be single, Josh,” she teased back, trying to hide her frustrations. “There must be lots of girls beating down your door. Any competition I should know about? Other girls who’ll be over here tomorrow to pull my hair and scratch out my eyes in a fit of jealously?” She tried to make her own voice light, bantering. No reason to get too serious too quickly. She would have plenty of time to explore all the options.

  His face took on a haunted appearance. “I’m not into psycho women. Those jealous types just aren’t for me. Really, there’s not much going on in my life since Cindy divorced me. I’m getting tired of TV dinners and CNN every night. ”

  Kate felt her heart lurch, but quickly recovered. He was divorced? Truly single? How was it this attractive hunk was left to roam around unattended? Were the women of Oregon blind, deaf, and dumb? Was Josh a secret creep who kicked dogs and took candy away from babies?

  “How long ago?” she blurted without thought.

  “Three months.”

  Uh, oh. Rebound boy. Never a good thing. Best to tread slow here.

  She reached out and patted his arm. “Hey, I know how you feel. Me, it’s been almost four years. Took me quite awhile to get back on track. Sometimes I think I’m not quite there.”

  For a moment Josh’s eyes traced every inch of her. That cute half-lopsided smile tugged at his lips, and his brown eyes stared into hers with an unexpected intensity. His brown hair was thick, with just a hint of curl now that the rain had washed it into a looser style.

  “I think you’re all here.” His voice came soft and low, like a lover’s caress in the midnight hour. He reached out and stroked the soft pulse at the base of her neck.

  She drew in a deep breath. “Why Josh, are you hitting on me?” she teased.

  “I wouldn’t want you to think I hit on every girl who comes along,” he said. “But I gotta take a chance and do something before Scott steals you for himself.”

  She gulped. “What?”

  “This.”

  Without another word, Josh leaned in and closed the distance between them, covering her lips with his.

  Kate welcomed the instant pleasure. She liked the way his lips were moving over hers, hot and oh so in control. His tongue traced her lips, licking them, then slipped deeply back into her mouth. He gave her lower lip a light nip; then sucked away the brief pain. In her tummy, a million butterflies took flight, sending a warm shivery feeling all the way through her body. She could feel her nipples raking against the scratchy material of her sweater. When his hand cupped her breast, she moaned softly, pushing her body against his. Her heat built as conscious awareness faded. Josh teased her nipple through the material, teasing and tugging at the hard tip and causing the most arousing sensations to flood through her.

  “Wow,” she said when their kiss had broken. “That was… wow.”

  He grinned. “Wanna do it again, pretty lady?”

  She grinned back, basking in his compliment. “Yeah.”

  His mouth captured hers with more intensity. She closed her eyes, giving herself to the lovely moment. He was a great kisser. Even better than Scott. She liked the way he sucked on the tip of her tongue before drawing her in for a deeper kiss.

  Suddenly, Josh drew away. His hands cinched her waist and he lifted her onto the counter, maneuvering his body between her spread legs. His very erect cock rubbed against the split in her thighs, straining to break free of the cruel material keeping their bodies apart.

  Reaching out blindly, she slid her arms around his neck. Holding on, she pulled him closer, opening her mouth to let his exploring tongue back in, letting him lead the dance. Before she knew what was happening, his hands had slipped under her sweater, gently kneading her breasts.

  Dimly, Kate heard herself moan. She remembered how attractive she had found him from the second she first laid eyes on him. She couldn’t believe how hot he was making her. If he wanted to kiss all night, well, she was ready, willing, and able. She tugged on his shirt, wanting to feel his skin against hers, wanting to please him as much as he was pleasing her. The faint, but intriguing scent of musk scented cologne teased her nose. How she longed for a man who’d take control of her, capturing her arms, his muscular body pinning down her smaller slender one, his legs parting hers…

  The doorbell interrupted.

  Josh uttered a short oath, immediately moving aside to let Kate down off the counter.

  “You guys were the ones who wanted pizza,” she said with an embarrassed giggle. She wiped her swollen mouth and tried to arrange herself into some sort of composure, fannin
g herself with her hand. Ohhhhh, hot! She definitely wanted to keep exploring his hard body.

  “That pizza guy needs a sock on the nose,” Josh cursed, reaching for his wallet and heading toward the door.

  “Hey!” Kate called. “Pizza’s on me.”

  Josh gave her a lascivious grin. “Oh, you’re going to pay me back, Missy.”

  “With what?” she teased.

  “I’m sure you’ll think of something,” he said slyly. Opening the door, he was met with a surprise. Scott stood outside, a six-pack of beer in one hand, pizza in the other.

  “I paid the guy already.” He sauntered inside, completely oblivious to the daggers shooting from Josh’s narrowed eyes. “Who’s hungry?”

  Kate had to laugh.

  Oh, goodness, she thought. What I’ve got myself here is double trouble.

  And it felt damned good.

  Chapter Five

  With both boys sent home for the night, Kate decided that a hot bath would be just the thing to take the twinge out of her toe, the numbness out of her butt and the tension out of her shoulders. She needed warmth, heat, and a total all over body soak. Digging through her cosmetics bag, she took out her toothbrush and other necessary items.

  The adjoining bathroom to her bedroom was large and luxurious, with every modern convenience. Bending over, she put the stopper in, turning the taps and adjusting the water to the perfect temperature. She poured a capful of bubble bath into the steaming water, feeling outrageously decadent. The scent of lavender wafted up as she began to strip off her clothing. In a moment, pants and panties followed her sweater. Naked, she slid into the tub, sighing heavily.

  The steaming hot water felt wonderful on her tired bones. She sank down until her chin touched the bubbles.

  Her feelings about being in Oregon without any close family had been seesawing from anxiety to anticipation these last few weeks. Here she was, moving off, yet again, to a strange new state all by herself. The idea had upset her mother greatly. She wondered why. Almost ten years ago Kate had moved away from the small dustbowl that was a blip on the face of the Texas landscape and hadn’t looked back. Deep down inside, she knew it hurt her mother, but she’d long ago ceased feeling guilty about not living to please her mom. As for daddy, she hadn’t spoke to him in almost a decade, and doubted he would know who Kate was if she were to pick up the phone and call. Long ago, her father had succumbed to the siren’s call of the bottle, gradually trading whiskey for a beer can. From morning to night, the man was a brain-dead drunk who lived with his mother and lived off a small social security check every month. He’d ceased to matter. He might as well be dead. Her mother was another matter, entirely. She had become clingy and needy, wanting her children to live around her as she grew older. When informed that Kate was moving for the fifth time in as many years, her mother replied as she always did, “Why haven’t you married again? Found a steady man? Had a few kids? Moved back home?”