It's In His Arms (A Red River Valley Novel Book 4) Read online

  As if he could read her thoughts, he swung his gaze on her, and his expression turned brooding. She squeezed her thighs together and looked away.

  Their waitress delivered their food and plopped a fresh bottle in front of Lorenda. Angelique’s black Italian eyes stared longingly at it. “It’s three against one. I think we can take her,” she said to Ella and Miranda.

  Lorenda snorted and took another exaggerated pull from the bottle. “We can take it outside after I’m done with my beer.”

  “Honey, with our raging hormones pooled together and all the healthy food we consume, your skinny blonde ass wouldn’t stand a chance,” Angelique said, all alpha female. Her smile broadened like a somewhat friendly variety of barracuda.

  Ella twirled a long red lock of hair around one finger with an absent gaze resting on Lorenda’s beer. “We can totally take her, but first I want to know about her offer.”

  “So what’s up, Lor?” Angelique asked, stabbing at her salad.

  Lorenda glanced at Mitchell and drew in a breath. Held it when he lifted a frosty mug to his lips and that thorny tattoo flexed.

  Meow.

  Lorenda jumped when Miranda snapped fingers in front of her face.

  “Oh. Um, right.” She swallowed. “I need help organizing a concert.”

  “We’re in,” Ella said.

  Lorenda blinked. “I haven’t finished.”

  “We’re still in, you know that,” Miranda said.

  “Well, at least hear me out.” Lorenda waved a hand in the air. “I need to wow a potential donor. He’s in charge of a big symphony and wants to see the program in action, among other things. I have four weeks to get the kids ready. Miranda, could you take care of hors d’oeuvres for a large crowd?”

  “Consider it done.” Miranda picked at her salad like it was gruel.

  “Angelique, can you help me come up with a mission statement for the program, and a potential budget, goals, and participation guidelines geared for a kids program like this? I have no idea where to start.”

  “Sure thing.” Angelique stabbed a piece of asparagus like she wanted it to suffer.

  “And, Ella, your husband is on the city council now, right?”

  “Kicking and screaming about it, but, yeah, Coop is a councilmember,” said Ella.

  “Could you ask him about a permit so we can do it in the park? Maybe around the gazebo with chairs set up for an audience?”

  “I’ll do one better.” Ella bared her teeth at the glass of plain ice water she lifted to her lips. “I’ll make sure it’s decorated up with lights and flowers and whatever else we can find to make it festive and pretty.”

  Lorenda’s eyes misted. “You guys are the best. He wants to be impressed.” Possibly in more ways than one.

  She held down the button on her phone until Minx purred to life with her sex-kitten voice. “How can I make your day?”

  Lorenda held the speakerphone to her lips. “Minx, can you give me a list of shops in my area that sell a wide variety of party favors for kids?” Rewarding the kids for their effort couldn’t hurt.

  “Here is a list of shops in your area that sell large panty sizes,” Minx purred.

  Everyone at the table next to them turned to stare.

  Lorenda clamped a hand over the speaker. As if that would help.

  All three members of the mommy mafia raised a brow.

  Lorenda switched her phone off and stuffed it in her purse. “I’ll Google it at the office.”

  “Let’s make sure Felix Daniels from the newspaper covers it too,” said Miranda. “He did wonders with the publicity for the new gazebo and the Hot Rides and Cool Nights Festival when I was chairperson.”

  Lorenda didn’t have to look to know Mitchell’s eyes were on her. Her body responded to him on some sort of crazy mystical level. When he walked into a room, she felt his presence before she saw him, and his gaze heated her from the inside out.

  She tried not to look.

  She did.

  But his stare drew hers like it had some freaky magnetic pull.

  Their eyes locked. His darkened, and she hoped her face wasn’t as red as it was hot, because it was heated enough to fry an egg. The desire in his look was unmistakable. And darn near irresistible.

  One of the mommy mafia cleared her throat, but Lorenda had no idea which. Slowly she turned her attention back to her BFFs and tried to bring them into focus. Not easy with a pinup-worthy SEAL looking at her like he wanted to have her for dessert instead of Joe’s famous peach cobbler à la mode.

  “And the ass-kicking part?” Miranda asked.

  “Those condoms you gave me for my birthday caused me a lot of trouble.” She left out the part about how they’d almost come in very handy too.

  “Hopefully the kind of trouble that’s long and satisfying.” Ella laughed.

  “Nothing like that, I assure you.” But almost. She glanced over at Mitchell’s table again. He, Langston, and Talmadge clinked frosty mugs in a toast, and something tingled in Lorenda’s chest. Seeing Mitchell here in Red River, reconnecting with the people who had been close to him since childhood unlocked a warmth deep inside her soul. “Which is why I should kick your asses. I thought I was pulling the garage apartment key from the bottom of my purse”—she leveled a stare at each one of them—“with my new tenant standing there watching and waiting.”

  Miranda’s eyes widened, and she stopped cutting her chicken. “No.”

  Lorenda lifted a brow. “Imagine my surprise when I pulled out a shiny purple square instead of a key.”

  Angelique’s mouth fell open, and her fork clattered against the glass plate. “The grape-flavored one?”

  Ella snorted, then clamped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry.” She glanced over her shoulder at Mitchell’s table. “He’s really nice looking.”

  He wasn’t just nice looking. He was hot as hell. And all wrong for Lorenda and the kids.

  Angelique picked up her fork and started to move veggies around her plate. “From the few glimpses I’ve gotten of him around town, he’s got a really great body.”

  Yep. Lorenda could vouch for that after this morning. Her nipples hardened at the memory of his tight butt and sculpted back when he’d turned to get his towel.

  “Judging from his way with girls back in high school, I’m sure he would know exactly how to make the most of those condoms,” Miranda said around a mouthful of grade-A beef.

  “Which brings me to the other reason I need your help,” Lorenda said, and snagged a fry from her plate to pop into her mouth. “I can’t get involved with Mitchell. I had one alpha man with the last name Lawson. I don’t need another one.” Even if she did want him. Needing and wanting were two different things, and a responsible mother had to make sacrifices for the sake of her kids. “You three can hold me accountable. Or slap me around if I start to cave.”

  “Lorenda’s husband and Mitchell were identical twins,” Miranda informed the two BFFs who hadn’t grown up in Red River. “Looked just alike.”

  Lorenda picked at a cuticle. “They didn’t look anything alike,” she mumbled.

  Ella and Angelique slid a look at each other that said they knew there was more to that story than Lorenda cared to explain.

  Miranda smiled. “No one could ever tell them apart but you.” She turned to the others. “Mitchell and Cameron used to play tricks on the teachers at school by pretending to be each other.”

  They certainly didn’t act anything alike either. Mitchell just didn’t let most people see his soft side. The deep well of compassion he’d hidden under layers of teenage rebellion and then buried deeper because of the horrors of war.

  “The boys are already head over heels about him. I’ve gotten a call from Trevor’s teacher every week since school started because he’s acting out. I suspect it’s because he knows Mitchell will leave eventually, and the kids are already so attached to him.” She twisted her beer bottle in a full circle, already feeling the sting of that loss in her chest as wel
l. “They’ve been trying to throw us together. Two nights ago they put a garter snake in my bed. It wasn’t pretty.”

  “Did it work?” Ella teased.

  “I screamed so loud, Mitchell nearly beat down the door trying to get into my room.”

  “Smart kids. You’ve got a regular Parent Trap going on at your house.” Angelique laughed.

  “My point is it’s going to be hard enough on the kids when Mitchell leaves town without me mooning over him too.”

  “What can we do, since you’re already living under the same roof?” Miranda asked.

  Ella gave her head a decisive shake. “Can’t do anything. Coop and I lived under the same roof as mortal enemies, and I still ended up like this.” She pointed to her baby bump.

  “Just make sure he keeps his shirt on,” Angelique warned, pointing her steak knife at Miranda. “We warned Miranda about letting a gorgeous man take off his shirt in front of her. Talmadge did, and look what happened to her.”

  “I feel so sorry for all three of you,” Lorenda deadpanned. “You’re all madly in love with husbands who adore you.”

  “Okay. Repeat after us,” Miranda said. “No. Bare. Chests.” She fisted her fork and tapped the end of it against the grainy wood table. “No. Bare. Chests.”

  Angelique and Ella joined in the quiet chant. “No. Bare. Chests. No. Bare. Chests.”

  Well, hell. A little too late for that. She pulled a lip between her teeth and chewed.

  The mommy mafia went quiet, and Angelique let out a long whistle. “Too late, isn’t it?”

  Lorenda chewed harder until she was sure she tasted blood. The mommy mafia stared and waited, until finally, Lorenda collapsed back against the seat. “I sort of saw him naked this morning.”

  All three of her BFFs turned to gawk at Mitchell. He must’ve sensed the attention, because he stopped talking to Langston midsentence. His expression blanked when he saw the mommy mafia staring.

  Angelique was the first to turn back around with a hopeless look. “If he looks as good undressed as he does with clothes on, you’re screwed. Literally.”

  Lorenda might as well wave a white flag. “He looked even better when he dropped the towel he was wearing right after a shower.”

  All three BFFs leaned in like she better give up all the details or they really would use a piece of flatware as a weapon.

  “The hot water heater gave out, and I was going to have to hose off outside.”

  Three sets of brows scrunched.

  “So I ran to the garage apartment because I had to meet a client, and Mitchell’s truck was gone, so I was going to use his shower, but he was in the bathroom all wet and steamy, and I slipped and let go of my towel, and he caught me before I broke my neck, so he let go of his towel too, and then I kissed him.” Lorenda waved a hand in the air, not sure what else to say. Because, really, didn’t her rant kind of explain how foxtroted she already was? “And I kind of licked him too.”

  Ella’s mouth fell open. “Nice. I remember kind of licking Coop. I think it led to this.” She pointed to her stomach.

  Miranda gave Lorenda’s hand a pity squeeze.

  Angelique fell back against the booth with a thud. “You’re toast.”

  They had no idea.

  “You don’t have a choice,” Ella said.

  It was almost like Miranda read Ella’s mind because she finished the sentence with, “Sex is going to happen. You might as well sleep with him and see where it leads. It’s your only option.”

  If only she could. But not only could Lorenda not take her relationship with Mitchell to the next level because she had to protect her boys, she couldn’t because she also had to protect herself.

  “Not gonna happen.” It was Lorenda’s turn to stab at her plate. “Dinner’s on me, ladies.” At least they had her back when it came to the music program. But why did she even try to enlist their help when it came to men with muscled arms, strong thighs, and a killer smile? Every one of the mommy mafia had taken a hit, and ended up happily married and pregnant.

  Mitchell Lawson had a lot to offer. Just nothing to offer Lorenda except maybe great sex, loneliness, and a broken heart.

  She’d had enough of the last two. The first, not nearly enough.

  Mitchell turned his frosty mug in a circle and tried to follow whatever Langston and Talmadge were talking about. He’d asked his old high school buddies to join him for a beer so they could catch up, and to glean any clues to Lorenda’s mystery mugger. Instead, he’d spent the evening daydreaming about her sitting naked on his bathroom counter.

  The waitstaff hustled to tend to the bustling crowd. Chatter grew to a low roar as a three-man band set up next to the long bar.

  “What do you guys make of Lorenda getting mugged in Red River?” Mitchell refused to look in Lorenda’s direction again. Refused.

  Fuckin’ A.

  He looked. Took in the silky blonde hair that framed her smooth cheeks and cascaded over slender shoulders to brush against nice, full breasts. The very ones that had been pressed against him, begging to be kissed not more than seven . . . he glanced at his G-Shock underwater watch . . . make that eight hours ago. His mouth turned to gravel, and he tried to wash it away with a drink of beer.

  Langston shrugged. “Probably a freak isolated incident. I can’t imagine it being anything else here in Red River.”

  Mitchell wished it were as simple as that. Unfortunately, his gut told him otherwise.

  “I’d still like to break the guy’s arms, though.” Langston looked across the room at his sister, and the brotherly love and protectiveness in his expression was something Mitchell knew well. Too well, really.

  “Anything weird happen lately? Even something small?” Mitchell kept digging.

  “Why?” Talmadge polished off his beer and started on the fresh one already sitting in front of him. “What are you thinking?”

  Mitchell shrugged. “Just asking questions.”

  “Do you know something we don’t?” Langston asked.

  “Nope.” Mitchell shook his head. “But my dad said he doesn’t have the manpower to watch the guy now that he’s out, so I figure the next best thing is to keep an eye on your sister twenty-four seven.” Mitchell had been unable to do anything else every time she was in view.

  The band struck up a fast C&W song, and the dance floor filled.

  “Langston, when you’re not pulling a shift on the helo, maybe you can check on your sister and nephews? Her house is fairly isolated. I won’t be staying in her garage apartment forever.”

  If his ex-commander had anything to say about it, Mitchell would’ve already been on his way to the Middle East. The friendly telephone cuss-out session his CO had given him for “wussing out” on the best job he’d ever find had nearly busted Mitchell’s eardrum. Just before he’d said “love you, man” and then told him to wise the hell up and get on a plane to DC so he could be prepped for deployment.

  Langston gave Mitchell a smart-ass grin. “You know you’re an asshole, right?”

  Mitchell did know that. Hard to say which reason Langston referred to, though. There were so many. Seeing as how Langston was Lorenda’s brother, he was probably referring to the fact that Mitchell had been undressing Lorenda with his eyes all night.

  Mitchell nodded. “So I’ve been told. By just about everyone in this town.”

  “You don’t come home for years, and you’re already planning your exit strategy after two weeks,” Langston said.

  “That’s Mr. Asshole to you, and why should I stick around when not many people but you two want me here?” Mitchell waggled a finger between Langston and Talmadge. “I’m surprised Joe hasn’t thrown me out yet. He’s been shooting suspicious looks at me since I walked in.”

  Talmadge spoke up. “I warned Uncle Joe we were coming. He said he was fine with it as long as there weren’t any problems.”

  “I don’t plan on causing problems. In fact, I’m trying to rebuild some of the relationships I ruined during my h
ell-raising days. Turn over a new leaf and all that BS. I made a list of names.”

  Langston snorted. “I bet it’s as long as a football field.”

  Mitchell rubbed the crease of his nose with his middle finger, and it was just like the three of them were back in high school.

  He had to admit, being here with friends and family felt pretty good. He glanced at Lorenda. The need to bolt that usually set in about an hour after he stepped into Red River’s city limits still hadn’t fully formed like it always had.

  “I’ve been cleaning windows at the hardware store once a week.” Mitchell rubbed his jaw. “I swear to God, Mr. McCall is throwing dirt on those windows before I get there just to make me work harder.”

  His buddies laughed.

  “I’ve stocked the shelves at the market once a week too. I don’t mind stacking soup cans and produce, but Mr. Garrett is just being a mean prick. The women’s aisle has been completely empty both times. No way are there enough females in Red River to use that many feminine products.”

  “No way.” Langston’s expression turned to fear.

  In the middle of a sip, Mitchell pulled the mug away from his lips to nod and swallow. “I kid you not. After the first week, I got suspicious. So this week, I stopped in late the night before I was scheduled to work for him again. The aisle was full. Next morning when I arrived”—Mitchell sliced his hand through the air to make a point—“totally empty. Try having Ms. Francine ask you to go find lubricant in the back storeroom.” He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “And what the hell is a douche bag? I thought that was teenager slang for asshole.”

  Talmadge and Langston laughed so hard Mitchell wanted to flip them the bird for real.

  Mitchell cleared his throat. “Joe is on my Suck-Up List too.” Mitchell had been avoiding him like a chickenshit teenager. “What can I do to break the ice with him?”

  Talmadge shook his head. “Uncle Joe’s a good guy. He’ll come around eventually. Just stay out of trouble.”

  Trouble was Mitchell’s middle name. Didn’t matter if he was looking for it or not, because it always came looking for him. Which drew his attention to Lorenda again, who was laughing it up with her friends until she caught him staring at her. She blushed a deep pink and gave him a shy smile before looking away.