Yours For The Taking Part 22

"Yeah, Gina doesn't see the upside yet, but I'm hoping that'll change after a good breakfast."

"So you have everything you need?"

"Who do you think you're talking to? Of course I have everything... well, except a real leash. We're making do with a rope."

"That might come in handy with more than just the dog. I'm sorry I'll miss it."

"Very funny. There will be no unholy triangle with Gina. No way."

"Aw come on, Ben. I was looking forward to it, as long as you follow the rules."

"G.o.d, we were drunk. You still remember the rules?"

"What rules?"

Ben turned to find Gina standing right behind him. "Look, Trap. I gotta go. I'll talk to you later." Ben disconnected the call and cursed. He picked the worst time imaginable to forget how small the cabin was.

Gina's eyes shone with interest. "Were you just talking about what I think you were talking about?"

Ben groaned and gathered the rest of the ingredients. "No, well, okay, yes, but Trap was just joking. Besides, I'm not into sharing. I want to keep you all to myself." Forever, but he didn't think she was ready to hear that yet. He really hoped that would change, even more than he hoped the subject would change.

"Have you ever-"

Ben shook his head. "No, we got drunk one night and ended up going after the same girl. A mistake she quickly corrected by leaving our sorry a.s.ses at Humpin' Hannah's."

"But not before you discussed rules."

"Actually, she left before we discussed rules, but then we were drunk."

She jumped up to sit on the counter next to where he was working. "So, what are the rules?"

"It's not going to happen, so what's it matter?"

"I'm just curious, and it's not as if we have anything better to talk about. I've always wondered what would possess two guys who were straight to go for one girl."

"Probably the same thing that possesses two straight girls to go for one guy."

She wrinkled her nose, which just made him want to kiss her. He had it bad.

"I never got that either."

"I think the answer is ma.s.s quant.i.ties of alcohol."

"Back to the rules. Spill. Inquiring minds want to know."

Ben laughed. He so didn't want to give her any ideas. "It's never gonna happen."

"Come on, Ben." She rubbed her hands together. "Look at you, you're turning red."

"I am not."

"There you go, lying again." Gina grabbed his phone. "Either you tell me, or I'll call Trapper. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to share."

She was right, d.a.m.n it. Trapper would just love that.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh wouldn't I? Let me see, he's the last person you called, right?"

He tried to grab the phone but she held it away from him. "Okay, you win. I'll tell you about it after breakfast."

Gina swung her feet. "You're just hoping to get the phone away from me. No, either you tell me now or I hit redial."

Ben measured the flour, part buckwheat and part white as Gina's finger hovered over the redial b.u.t.ton. He was so screwed. "Let me see. There were six. I can't believe you're making me do this." He counted them off on his fingers.

"No belittling.

No sword fighting.

No eye contact.

No friendly fire.

No small talk."

Gina laughed through the entire list. If she hadn't been leaning against him, she'd have fallen over.

"And rock paper scissors to see who gets first pick of..."

"What?"

"Use your imagination."

"Oh, I am. I could just picture you and Trapper-"

"Oh, no you don't." He picked her little b.u.t.t off the counter and carried her toward their bedroom. "The only man I want you picturing making love to you is me." And he was going to make sure that image was forever burned into her memory if it was the last thing he did.

She giggled and nipped his ear. "What about breakfast?"

"It'll wait."

The snow fell for the rest of the day. After making love and then breakfast, Gina and Ben laid on the couch reading with their legs entwined. He had a pretty good library for a guy. She picked up Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice. She'd heard so much about it but hadn't read it because she'd never before had the time to read anything that wasn't required for school or business. When she cracked the cover, she saw Ben's mother's name written in a bold hand. It had been hers. Gina moved to return it, feeling as if she were stepping on someone's grave, but Ben stopped her.

"You don't want to read it?"

"It was your mother's, I wouldn't feel right."

"No, go ahead. It was her favorite book; she'd want you to read it. "

She started to say no, but the way he looked at her made her stop. "Okay, if you're sure."

"Gina, I love you, and my mom would have loved you too."

She tried to laugh it off, but he looked so serious, she couldn't. d.a.m.n him. She opened up the book and did her best to ignore him and all his talk of love. Still, the way he said it made it almost impossible. Thank G.o.d the book was so good, she was swept into a world she'd never experienced before. Kind of like this one, only different.

A few hours into Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice, water began spurting out of every open faucet in the house. Ben jumped off the couch and almost fell on his face since his legs were still entwined with Gina's. "We have working plumbing."

"Oh, thank G.o.d. I have to use the bathroom. Check and see if the toilet is working."

Ben ran from the kitchen sink to the bathroom and Gina heard the most lovely sound she could imagine-the toilet flushing. Ben came out with a triumphant smile. "Works like a charm."

Gina ran to the bathroom and slammed the door in his face. The seat was still a little cold, but nothing like the wood one she'd sat on earlier. She took her time and then ran hot water in the tub, rinsing it before putting the stopper in.

"There's room in there for two."

Gina looked over her shoulder. "Don't you knock?"

"Why should I? With all the splashing you were doing, I figured you weren't playing in the toilet."

Ben and Jasmine both looked at her expectantly. "Come on, I've been wanting to get you wet and naked since we left the country club yesterday."

"That long, huh?"

She reached past him to get her toiletries. He took them and held them behind his back. "Let's see if we can get through a bath together without you getting into a snit."

Gina pulled the shirt she wore, one of Ben's flannels, over her head. "Oh, yeah, like that's going to help your chances."

Ben unb.u.t.toned the fly of his jeans. "And for the record, I've never made love in this bathtub."

"If you keep traveling the road you're on, you never will." She lay back against Ben once he settled in the tub behind her. Jasmine jumped up, her paws clawing the side of the tub.

Ben pushed her down. "Oh no you don't, Jasmine."

When Jasmine barked, Gina shushed her. "Don't worry, you can have your bath later."

Jasmine lay beside the tub, crossed her front paws, and let out a whine that sounded like a pout as Gina soaped up a washcloth "What else is there to do around here besides enjoy water sports, freeze our a.s.ses off, and read?"

He took the washcloth from her and dragged it under her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "There's lots to do. We can go for a hike."

"In the snow?" Ben surrounded her with his big body, which usually bothered her. She tended to feel claustrophobic, but not with him. He made her feel safe, which was something she really didn't want to think about.

"The snow will melt by tomorrow. We can go fishing."

"Fishing for what?"

"There are rainbow trout in the river. Ba.s.s in the lake. I'll take you out to see the fort my dad and I built. We can take a picnic to the meadow and watch Jasmine run around the wildflowers."

"The flowers are covered with snow."

"They're mountain wildflowers. They're hardy, a little snow won't hurt them. My mom always used to take me to play in the meadow. She'd sit there on a blanket and read while I ran around."

"I'll be wearing the blanket."

"Just wait, you'll see. It's gonna warm up."

Gina took the washcloth out of Ben's hand and started washing her legs. This was probably a mistake because Ben began nibbling on her neck.

"Ben, did you come in here to get clean or to make love?"

"Can't we do both?

After a few days at the cabin, Gina understood why he loved the place so much. He was as at home there as he was on the streets of New York. She, on the other hand, was not so comfortable, though things had vastly improved now that the indoor plumbing worked.

At first the utter quiet made her nervous. After a few days she got used to it, now she almost enjoyed it. They'd spend their nights reading by the fire, eating, and making love. Mornings were lazy and afternoons were experimental.

Before the snow melted, they built a snowman along with a snow dog for Jasmine. The snow was gone by the next day. They took a short hike in her new hiking boots. Heck, if she was going to ruin a pair of boots in the snow, it wasn't going to be a pair she actually liked. Ben took her to the fort he and his dad had built when he was a kid. On the way back, Jasmine went nuts and Gina experienced her first wildlife sighting. At first she thought they were horses, until she saw the spikes coming out of their heads. Ben informed her they were elk, and it wasn't spikes but antlers. Who knew antlers shed in the winter and then grew back? Okay, other than Ben? A small herd of elk watched them from a distance. Gina couldn't get over how huge they were. The way they stared with those dark eyes of theirs gave Gina the w.i.l.l.i.e.s. She walked a little closer to Ben until they were well away from where the wild things roamed.

Every day Ben had her try something new and ma.s.saged her aching calves every evening. One day she tried fly-fishing and caught a few, though even with Ben's teasing, she refused to touch the fish. Ben did all the manly things like holding the flopping fish, removing the hook, cleaning, and cooking it. Gina had to admit she'd never had better fish in her life.

They spent time at the country club, had picnics in the meadow, and made love just about everywhere. Gina was disappointed when Ben told her he had to get back to town for a meeting.

They cleaned the cabin and Gina took Jasmine out while Ben packed the Land Rover. He shut the tailgate and lifted the puppy in before offering to help her. "Hold on, I just want to go through the cabin one last time in case I forgot something."

The sun was shining in his hair and off the beard he'd been growing during their time there. He smiled and Gina was amazed at how, even after a week of almost non-stop s.e.x, one look from him could elicit a physical reaction. He gave her a quick kiss, something he seemed to do often without thought, and climbed in the car. "I'll wait out here."

Gina knew she hadn't left anything, but for some reason, she felt the need to take one last look. She took a mental picture to carry with her because she knew that once she left Boise, no matter how Ben thought he felt right now, or how she might feel about him, the real world would interfere and they'd live up to their commitment to divorce, and go their separate ways. She took one last look around and, for the first time in her life, left someplace wanting never to forget the time she'd spent there. As she closed and locked the door, she reminded herself she was good at leaving. This time it just seemed harder.

Chapter 14.

Ben waited for Gina to come back out of the cabin. He'd expected her to spend extra time in front of the mirror this morning putting on her makeup but she hadn't. He'd wondered how long it would take her to remember she hadn't worn any since the day they arrived, not that she needed it. The lack of makeup made her look softer, and she was, or at least she seemed to be with him.

He waited for her to transform herself to the street-smart woman he married, but when she returned sans makeup, she just looked melancholy. She silently climbed into the Land Rover, buckled up, and held Jasmine in her lap, watching the cabin disappear through the back window.

"We can come back any time you want."

She nodded, but by the set of her jaw and the way her lips were drawn tight, Ben knew that for some reason she didn't believe him.

The farther from the cabin they drove, the more distant Gina became. He tried talking but she didn't add much. Finally, she fell asleep, a minor miracle considering how nervous she'd been on their drive up. A lot had changed in the week or so they'd been gone. The only thing he didn't get is what had changed since they'd left the cabin that morning.