Moonstone: A Contemporary Reverse Harem Romance Novella (Jewels Cafe Book 11) Read online

  “Well, you’ve certainly got a lot of inspiration around here.” She paused, then turned to him, wrinkling her nose. “Actually, that was a stupid thing to say. I’m assuming you paint and draw landscapes. For all I know, you could do portraits.”

  He stared at her then, not saying a word, his gaze intense.

  Shit. She quickly returned her attention to the task at hand, steadfastly ignoring the quiver in her hands, the relentless skipping of her heart, and the burning ache in her erogenous zones that only seemed to strengthen the closer she was to Landon.

  Fuck. At this rate, I’ll soon be imagining what our babies would look like, too.

  “Coffee?” she almost squeaked. “Tea? Hot chocolate?”

  An indecipherable expression that made him look more mischievous than ever flitted momentarily across Landon’s face. The dimples reappeared, and he ran a hand through his hair. He had large hands, with long, delicate-looking fingers that could…

  Ginny gulped, stopping the thought dead before it continued down the delicious, dirty track, and clutching a teaspoon so tightly that the metal edges dug into her palm. The pain brought her back to the task at hand, but only just.

  “Coffee for me, please. Strong, black, no sugar.” He paused. “The same for Trent, and… er… hot chocolate for Kai.”

  She tilted her head to one side and gave him a quizzical look, making him laugh. “Don’t worry, either would be fine. He’s not that fussy.”

  “Coming right up.” She looked away then, grateful to focus her attention on something else, anything else. He was extremely distracting, and the effect he was having on her libido was insane, like he was some kind of Viagra for women, personified.

  He hadn’t continued the conversation about his work, but she didn’t prompt him. Talking to him would mean looking at him, listening to his deep voice. No, it was much safer to boil water, fire up the coffeemaker, open the hot chocolate, spoon out sugar, and retrieve milk.

  Compared to spending any longer in close proximity to Landon Jacobs, walking a tightrope in stilettos would be safer.

  Chapter Eight

  An hour later, Ginny held open the front door of her parents’ place as everyone trudged in, dejected and shivering. Once the last person was safely inside, she closed and locked the door, glad to be shutting out the snowstorm, which had now blown up to whiteout proportions.

  “I’m so sorry we didn’t manage to get you on the move again, lads,” Charlie said, then started removing his outerwear and hanging it up, “but at least we got the truck off the road and onto our driveway, out of harm’s way.”

  “Yeah,” Trent grunted, peering at Ginny’s father from the corner of his eye, seemingly unwilling to face anyone properly, “thanks, Mr. Miles. We really appreciate the help.” He hadn’t made any kind of move to take off his coat or boots. “But I wonder, could we impose on your kindness a little more? Do you have a couple of flashlights we could borrow, please? I have one in the truck, but if we’re going to walk home, we could really do with one each. It’ll be full dark soon and we’ll need all the help we can get.”

  Landon and Kai snapped their heads to look at their friend, horror written all over their faces. Kai opened his mouth, but Deborah beat him to it.

  “Walk home? Are you having a bloody laugh? You’ll do no such thing, young man! I wouldn’t let you start traipsing about in this filthy weather if you lived next door, never mind two towns over. I won’t hear of it.”

  Trent had straightened considerably and was looking Deborah directly in the face. His mouth had formed a perfect ‘o’ shape as she’d told him off, and now he gave a weak smile. “B-but, pardon me, ma’am, what else can we do? My truck is out of action, the snow is already settling, and you guys don’t have a car suitable for driving in this. Not that I would let you turn out in it even if you did. And,” he let out a heavy sigh and wrung his gloved hands together, “the snow’s falling so thick and so fast now that it’s already hazardous. By the time anyone we know could get out here to collect us, the roads could be impassable. Or they could get here and not be able to get back. Ugh, what a mess!”

  He glanced helplessly around at everyone, giving Ginny her first proper view of his face. He had striking blue eyes which currently flashed with what she suspected was a mixture of irritation and defeat. They’d had a really good go at trying to start the SUV with and without the jump leads—fueled by tea, coffee, and hot chocolate—before reluctantly admitting it wasn’t going to happen and pushing the vehicle onto the driveway where it wouldn’t be a danger to any other road users. They hadn’t even dared to try to use Charlie and Deborah’s car to tow it, since the snow had already been sticking and, without winter tires, all they’d probably have done was get their vehicle stranded, too. Ginny had made a mental note to talk to her parents about that. They might not drive very far, particularly in the winter, but it was better to be safe than sorry, as the saying went.

  Charlie, who was always able to maintain calm in a crisis, padded over in his socked feet and put a hand on Trent’s arm. “What you can do is…” He shot a questioning look at his wife, who inclined her head. “Stop stressing and get your wet clothes and boots off. You’re staying here the night—all of you. There’s plenty of room at the inn.” He smiled, obviously pleased with himself for making a topical joke as he looked over at Landon, then Kai. “Get your gear off, then call whoever you need to call and let them know you’re safe and that you’ll be home tomorrow.”

  Trent met Charlie’s eyes. “But, sir, it’s Christmas Eve. It’s already an imposition, but on Christmas Eve?”

  “Look,” Deborah said firmly, making Trent snap his attention back to her. “The way I see it, you really have no choice. It’s not safe for anyone to be out on the roads right now, either in a vehicle or on foot. Flashlights or not, visibility is crap. We have a warm place for you to stay tonight, and plenty of room. There’s also a ton of food. So, do as my husband says and make your calls, then we’ll get you settled in. All we can do is ride this blizzard out and see how things stand in the morning.”

  This time, Kai jumped in before his hotheaded friend could say anything else. “Yes, please, Mr. and Mrs. Miles. Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity.” He’d already pulled off his gloves and stepped forward now to shake each of their hands, before turning to Trent with a glare. “Look, buddy, Mrs. Miles is right. We don’t have a choice. You can do whatever the hell—pardon me—you like, but I’m sure not going out walking in that weather. It’s stupid, and irresponsible, and I don’t want to be the one who has to call your pop and let him know his only son is lost in a blizzard, probably frozen to death, all right? Just stop being so darn stubborn for once, would you?”

  Landon caught Ginny’s eye, then grinned and rolled his eyes—silently lamenting his friend’s behavior. Then he set about removing his outdoor gear. “I second what Kai said, Mr. and Mrs. Miles. I’d like to accept your offer of a roof over my head for the night. Thank you.” He tucked his boots beside Charlie’s and hung his other items up.

  “You’re so welcome,” Deborah said, then stepped over to him, draped an arm around his shoulders and led him towards the kitchen. “Come on, let’s get some more warm drinks on the go, shall we, then go and sit by the fire, thaw out? Boys, are you coming?” she added, throwing the words over her shoulder as she disappeared out of sight.

  Ginny watched, incredulous, as Kai stowed his gear away and hurried after them, followed swiftly by her father. She blinked stupidly for a moment, wondering what on earth had just happened. Then she shook her head to toss away the confusion, only then truly realizing that this had left her alone with Trent. AKA grumpy bugger.

  She slid her gaze over to him, only to find him staring straight back at her, his eyes glinting. God, they were mesmerizing. He was mesmerizing, in spite of his quick temper and stubbornness. And her body clearly agreed with her brain on that count—the heaviness in her breasts and crotch had ramped up considerably.

  Acutely aware of his bulk filling the hallway, making her feel tiny, she gave him a tight grin and began dragging off her gloves, hat, coat, scarf and boots. Once everything was put away, she retrieved her phone from one coat pocket, then suddenly remembered the empty paper cup from Jewels Café. She grabbed it from the other pocket, then hurried off after the others, more than happy to leave him to his glowering. He might be hot, but she wasn’t at all keen on his moodiness.

  She all but dove into the kitchen and, after stowing her phone in her jeans pocket, then dropping her empty cup into the recycling container and letting Deborah know her plans, busied herself with digging out snack food from the cupboards. Anything to keep her distracted. Because the last thing she needed right now was the opportunity to dwell on her situation: being stuck in the house overnight with three smoking hot guys, all of whom she was attracted to, with the raging horn, and her parents right there.

  She had a feeling it was going to be the longest Christmas Eve of her entire life. A glance at the clock confirmed it, and she bit back a groan. God, how many hours did they have to fill before she could reasonably sneak off to bed and pull the duvet over her head? Ooh, maybe I can use jetlag as an excuse?

  As Trent finally joined them in the increasingly chaotic room, adding another layer to her simmering arousal, she closed her eyes for a second and sent up an extra-special, extra-heartfelt Christmas wish to move the clock forward a handful of hours so she could spare herself any further agony.

  No such luck. The clock remained resolutely on the hour it had been on when she’d closed her eyes. Damn it. This is a bloody nightmare! What the hell am I going to do? Maybe a glass of wine or two? Or three?

  No. That was a catastrophically bad idea. Lowering her inhibitions and loosening her tongue was the last thing she should be doing. That was a recipe for disaster. She sighed, and resigned herself to the fact she was simply going to have to grin and bear this horror show, stone-cold sober.

  So much for a nice, family Christmas.

  Hopefully the blizzard would burn itself out overnight. Then, as soon as the snow ploughs had been through, the three men could get on the road—either by her father driving them home, or them having someone come and collect them. Perhaps they knew someone with a vehicle that had enough torque to tow Trent’s back with them.

  After loading all the snacks she’d unearthed onto a tray, she carried it into the living room and set it down on the coffee table. Then she drew the curtains—giving the wildly-swirling snowflakes outside the window a dirty look as she did so—switched on the Christmas tree lights, then all the other decorative lights, and lit some candles. After giving the fire a poke to liven it up a bit, she grabbed a handful of her mother’s homemade biscuits from the tray and flung herself into the armchair in the corner of the room. It was a single seater, and she curled her legs up to the side, tucked her feet beneath her bottom, and hoped nobody noticed she was there. With a spot of luck, one of her parents would put on a sappy Christmas movie and they could all sit in complete silence and almost-darkness for a couple of hours.

  Just then, everyone began piling in from the kitchen, carrying yet more food and steaming mugs. “Right then, everyone!” her mother trilled, “find yourself a seat and get comfy, then dig in to whatever you want. There’s plenty.”

  At that, the three men shuffled around awkwardly, probably not wanting to sit in the ‘wrong’ chair. Kai spotted her holed up in the corner and gave a little frown before settling himself at one end of the largest sofa.

  Ginny was just wondering where her father had got to when he burst into the room, Santa hat back on his head and a string of tinsel draped around his neck. But that wasn’t even what worried Ginny the most, what made her heart begin racing and her palms prickle with sweat. That honor went to the box clutched in his hands.

  He held it aloft, almost like that scene out of The Lion King, and said, “All right, everyone, who’s for Scrabble?”

  Chapter Nine

  Ginny woke the next morning to the sound of her father’s loud whistling from the hallway. In other words, he’d decided it was time she was up. Normally he was happy to let her have a lie in, but today was different.

  Today was Christmas Day.

  A frisson of excitement ran through her as she thought about the day ahead—the exchange of presents, the delicious food… but then something else slammed into her head with the force of an anvil dropped from a great height.

  The house is full of strangers. Sexy strangers.

  She didn’t know how she could have forgotten—even for a second. Maybe her brain had blocked it out as some kind of protective mechanism. The previous evening was something that should be blocked out—preferably permanently.

  Normally, her father whipping out Scrabble would have been fine. The three of them spending Christmas Eve playing board games was nothing out of the ordinary, and just one part of the Miles family tradition she loved so much. But all she’d wanted was to hide away from the three men sending her hormones into overdrive, then disappear off to bed as soon as she could get away with it.

  Instead, she’d been dragged into a situation which had brought her right up close to Landon, Trent, and Kai, making her physical discomfort worse still. Trent had remained quiet throughout, but had thrown her the occasional brief glance, each one adding to her burden of arousal. Landon, on the other hand, had been chatty, fun, and charming, full of big, dimply smiles, twinkling eyes, and belly laughs. Kai had fallen somewhere in between. He was incredibly polite, fiercely quick-witted and, as was perhaps to be expected from an English teacher—which they’d learned along the way—excellent at Scrabble. He and Landon had done much more than give her brief glances, though. On multiple occasions she’d had to resist the temptation to squirm in her seat as their heat-filled gazes had bored into her. It had been all she could do to not lock herself in the bathroom and rub herself to climax, just to relieve some of the intense pressure.

  And it wasn’t only physical pressure, either. She was confused as hell. As the hours had crawled by, it had becoming increasingly obvious that all three men were attracted to her. She knew she wasn’t bad-looking, but what were the chances of three men—best friends, no less—all fancying her? On the flip side, what were the chances of her fancying all three of them? They were all gorgeous, to be fair, but there was more to attraction than just looks. And while Landon and Kai had plenty of other positive personality traits, Trent was a moody, closed book. A book with an incredibly appealing cover, but a closed one nonetheless. Where she felt she’d got to know the other two—mainly thanks to her parents’ conversational skills, since Ginny herself had still been hoping to melt into the background—she knew nothing more about Trent than he ran a horse ranch with his father, he had a black truck, and was prone to irritability and moodiness. He’d played the game, said just enough to remain polite, but that was it.

  And now she had to drag herself from the warm, soft embrace of her bed and back into… whatever the hell you called it when your long-awaited, highly-anticipated family Christmas was inadvertently gatecrashed by three sexy men who made you so horny you wanted to scream.

  More whistling.

  “All right, all right,” she muttered, flinging off the thick duvet, then swinging her legs around and putting her feet on the floor. “I’m bloody well up.”

  She shook her head, aware she was being just as grumpy as Trent, if not more so. After all, his truck had broken down and left him and his friends stranded on Christmas Eve. He had to be pissed off and disappointed that he hadn’t been able to get back home and spend Christmas morning with his family—as well as probably feeling a certain amount of guilt that he’d prevented his friends from doing the same. Her only problem was some unexpected visitors and the bizarre effect they were having on her. She needed to buck up—the sooner everyone was up and about, the sooner they could assess the situation and hopefully get the threesome safely on their way.

  Feeling better for having some decisive action, she headed for the en suite. That had been an expected bonus on her arrival—because the place was a retreat as well as a home, all the rooms had their own private bathrooms. Obviously it wouldn’t have been a problem to share a bathroom with her parents, but bumping into one of the three men in her current state wasn’t exactly preferable.

  Half an hour later, having showered, brushed her teeth, and dressed, she left her room and headed for the kitchen in search of her mother. As expected, she found her in front of a crowded work surface, apron tied on, Santa hat on her head, and a big smile on her face.

  “Morning, Mum. Merry Christmas!”

  Deborah spun around, obviously having been so engrossed in her task that she hadn’t heard her daughter’s arrival, making her plaits whizz round after her. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart!” She hurried over and enveloped her daughter in a hug. “Good morning.” She pulled away, wrinkling her nose. “Your hair is still wet. You can’t walk around like that.”

  Ginny smiled. “I know, Mum. That’s why I came to find you. Can I borrow your hairdryer again?”

  “Of course! You know where it is.”

  “Great, thanks. Where’s Dad gone, anyway? He was whistling like mad in the hallway outside my room not so long ago, now he’s nowhere to be seen.”

  Her face serious, Deborah replied, “He’s gone down the driveway with the boys to see what the situation is. It’s stopped snowing for now, but there’s another blizzard due later. The snow ploughs won’t come through today, so if they don’t think the roads are passable, I’m afraid our visitors will be sticking around for a little longer.”

  Ginny’s heart flip-flopped. “Oh, really? That’s…” She didn’t want to be rude, because she knew her mother wouldn’t approve, so she settled for, “Unfortunate. I’m sure they’re eager to get home.”

  With a shrug, Deborah replied, “I’m sure they are, sweetheart. But if the road isn’t passable, there’s nothing anyone can do about it. And I don’t want to make them feel like they’re not welcome, in case Trent gets any more ideas in his head about marching off into the snow.” She shook her head. “It might be daylight now, but there’s been an entire night’s worth of snow dumped. I really don’t want those boys to attempt trekking in it, if nobody can get over here to collect them. I’m sure their mothers wouldn’t want them to, either.”