Chase was ready to kill his siblings. Ben. Georgia. It didn’t matter. Ben had brought Georgia along, and Georgia was killing his soul by walking in when he was perfectly comfortable with his own nakedness.
“Go away, Georgie.”
He heard a long sigh. “Fine, but you’re all weird. And you should wear clothes. Why is the Kitten chick naked? She was like all dressed when we went to the hick-cop place. Fine, I’ll go, but there’s another chick waiting out in the living area and she’s all kinds of freaked out.”
Damn it. He should have put on pants. He’d just kind of hoped that Nat would end up falling on his erection and then he would have a hold on her. It still rankled that Ben had slept with her and he hadn’t. And dear god, the last thing he needed was another freaked-out chick.
“Ben? Could you handle the freaked-out chick, please? I need to put on pants. Kitten, clothes. Now.”
Kitten sighed and started putting her clothes back on. “It’s a lifestyle resort. I don’t understand what’s with all the restrictions.”
Nat started picking up Kitten’s clothes. “So that was your sister. Wow. She’s so not in the lifestyle. Are you and Ben the black sheep of the family?”
Ben had jeans on and tugged a T-shirt out of his suitcase. “Nope. We have three other brothers. Who do you think took us to our first club? I’ll be back. And I’ll take a look at this while I’m at it.”
Ben walked out, carrying the police report.
And he needed to move this little investigation along so he could settle Georgia down somewhere and perhaps take a nice long vacation right here. Stanley. The victim. He’d come on to her almost immediately and he’d backed down. “How long ago did Stanley first become a client?”
There was a long pause and then an almost incredulous answer. “Over a year. I don’t know. I would have to look at my records.”
An asshole like Stanley should have sought out more intriguing prey. Surely not everyone on staff was so unwilling to make some extra cash. “What did he offer you? For the happy ending.”
It was a first. It was the absolute first time he’d ever questioned a witness, much less a prime suspect, while trying to hide his junk from his sister.
“He said he tipped generously. I said I would generously take off his balls along with his dick if he touched me in a sexual way.”
So he was willing to pony up some cash. “But he still came to you?”
The door slammed. Georgia, he hoped. She tended to run whenever the conversation wasn’t about lip gloss or handbags or shit.
“You can come out, now. The big dude shoved your sister out and took Kitten with him.” Nat sat on the bed, her expression bleak. He wanted to go back to that moment when she first decided to try the damn Danish. She’d been so scared, and then her face had softened.
That was what he could give her. Freedom.
He couldn’t afford freedom right now. Georgia could be back any minute. He rolled to his knees and started looking for his jeans. “So, he came back to you even though you wouldn’t love him a long time?”
She snorted. “Not at first. But six weeks later, he gave me a shot. I think he went through all of us. There are five therapists. At the time he started there were only three, but we grew fast and not as a spa. We offer therapeutic massage. And some physical therapy, though only me and Helen are certified. He came back to me when he slipped a couple of discs and needed therapy. I took pity on him and by the time we were done with the therapy, we’d settled into a nice business relationship. He never asked for extras again. Well, nothing sexual.”
That perked his ears right up. “What did he ask for?”
She sighed. “This is so stupid. I could probably get fired for it, but it seemed innocuous at the time. About six months ago he asked if I wouldn’t mind locking him in and letting him sleep after the first sixty-minute massage. He claimed it was the only time he got to really rest. He booked and paid for a two-hour session, but I didn’t actually work on him the last hour. Gaby knows about it now, but technically it’s against regulations.”
“Don’t worry about your job. If Gaby fires you, I’ll get you a new one.” Actually that might be the best thing that could happen to him. If she needed a job, she needed him. He could move her right into The Club and begin herding her into the relationship he wanted. Yes. He would like that. Julian had a personal massage therapist, but there was always room for more. He’d pay her salary himself if he had to. Not that he would tell her that.
She sighed. “I like this job. I like this place. I don’t really want to move. I have some great clients. I’ve finally made a little home for myself, and I fuck it up.”
He was losing her. “Natalie. Focus. This isn’t your fault.” He reached out and tilted her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “You look at me right now and tell me if you killed this man. I don’t give a shit if you did. If you did, he probably deserved it, and I’ll help you out. If you didn’t, I’ll help you out. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”
A little light came into her formerly hollow eyes. “You’re going to help me out?”
At least she had one thing right. And it was way past time to start staking a claim. His brother already knew what it felt like to slide inside her, and Chase hadn’t even gotten a kiss. He’d been the one to break through her walls, but did he get her sugar? No. He had to take it. Story of his life.
He crowded her, bumping against her body, his skin starting to hum because something about this woman just flat did it for him. His cock, previously wilted from being in Georgia’s line of sight, perked right back up.
Nat took a step back. “I don’t know that this is a good idea.”
A little spark of anger sizzled through him. “So you’ve had Ben and decided you don’t want me?”
Those gorgeous eyes rolled and her body lost the tension, slacking in a way he could only describe as sarcastic. “Yes, I had a little Ben and now no other man will do. No, Chase. I don’t really know either one of you. It occurs to me that maybe I should take some time to figure out what I want.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. If he gave her too much time, she might decide she could do better than him. “I think you at least owe me the courtesy of a kiss.”
Her eyebrows rose, arching in question. “Owe?”
“Well, sweetness, you were looking for me last night. That pussy of yours should have been mine. Little brother got it. Don’t you think I should get a little something?”
She crossed her arms over those breasts that she couldn’t quite hide in the voluminous T-shirt. “Just a kiss. Because I learned my lesson last night. You don’t have a triplet, do you?”
God, she would be so much fun to spank, but she wasn’t wearing his collar. “No, Cotton Candy. I don’t have another clone. Just a couple of distant brothers and one sister who is way too close. Now are you going to give me my kiss or not?”
She sighed. “It’s a bad idea.”
“Most things are.” And he couldn’t think of a single worse idea than letting her walk out the door without putting something of a brand on her. He had so little time here. He needed to make sure he got to spend some of it with her. And he didn’t intend to spend every second he had interrogating her. He wanted to get her in bed. When he had her there, he would prove she could trust him.
He waited, his eyes steady on hers, unwilling to allow her a single moment to herself. If he wanted her, and he fucking did, he needed to start getting her used to just how intense he could be.
Her eyes were clear and wide as she looked up at him. “You aren’t going to stay around here.”
Him? Stay in a small town? “No, I won’t.”
She sighed. “Well, I guess that was honest.”