.jpg)
Shaking my head, I study his strong profile. The windows are down and his dark-blond hair is getting ruffled by the wind. He’s put on aviators but is still frowning into the sunshine. In his tight green tee, he looks like he should be in the marines. “You need to keep your horny to yourself, Ford.”
He grins, and his dimples come out in full force. “Don’t worry, lady. My dick is tucked safely away, at least until you beg me for it. Then I’ll happily give it to you good.”
My traitorous body is aroused immediately. What is it about a confident man and some dirty talk that sets me melting between my legs?
“That’s not going to happen, Ford. I’ve already made enough of a mess of things that I’m thinking I’m going to need to get my own place. Adding more drama to pie is definitely not a good idea.”
“My dick has never been referred to as ‘drama’ before,” he laughs. “Huge, maybe. Massive, sometimes. One of my ex-girlfriends used to call him Monster, but in an affectionate way.”
“Bragging, much?” I laugh, but my eyes find their way to his crotch area and I can see what he’s talking about. Damn.
I need to get my mind out of the gutter so I do a one-eighty and start asking Ford about where we’re going. Ford describes the cabin he bought as an escape from the family mansion. It sounds idyllic, buried in the woods with only the basic comforts. I’m hoping they include a hot shower and a soft, warm bed or me and Ford will definitely not be friends by the end of the weekend.
“There’s a lake nearby. You like fishing?” he asks me.
“Never been,” I say. “Only child with a flaky father.”
Ford raises his eyebrows. “It’s a father’s duty to teach his kids survival skills. People these days struggle to boil an egg without a YouTube tutorial.”
“You going to teach me to fish?”
“Only if you call me Daddy,” Ford grins.
I punch him on the shoulder. “Oh my god, Ford. Don’t you ever stop?”
He takes his eyes off the road and grins at me, flashing a perfect set of pearly white teeth. “I can go on and on and on, baby,” he says.
I bet he can, too.
“What else is there to do at the cabin?” I ask.
“Well, there’s a hot tub,” he says.
“A hot tub.” I’m starting to think that this cabin is less about time away from it all in the outdoors and more a place for Ford to seduce a stream of women. “Since when is a hot tub a basic comfort?”
Ford chuckles. “Okay, maybe basic was a bit of an overstatement.”
“How many women have you gotten in that hot tub, Ford?” I ask. To be honest I’m not really sure if I want to know.
“Unlike my brother, I’m pretty good at keeping things to myself,” he says but I don’t miss the smug grin on his face.
“I didn’t bring a suit,” I say.
“I never wear one,” he says. “It’s better that way.”
I shake my head. “Well, when you’re planning on going skinny dipping, just let me know so that I can give you some privacy.”
“Not going to happen, baby girl,” he laughs. “I’m used to being free up here, and that means not worrying about clothes very much.”
“Ford, I think you need to take me home.”
“Worried you won’t be able to keep your hands off me,” he laughs.
“I’m more worried I might end up tripping over Monster,” I say and jump half out of my seat when Ford roars with laughter.
“You know something, Laura,” he says. “When Roders suggested this shared-woman thing, I was very dubious. I mean, it’s pretty damn hard to find a decent woman out there and what kind of woman would ever buy into settling down with ten men. But I’m kinda hoping that you’re going to give it some very serious thought, because I think you might just be the perfect girl for me.”
I blush so hard at this rough compliment because I know it’s from the heart. I don’t think that Ford has it in him to construct sweet talk for seduction. Everything he says seems to be exactly what he’s thinking with no sugar-coating and I really like him for that. “You hardly know me,” I say.
“But I know me pretty damn well,” he says. “You know what’s on my list of requirements?”
I shake my head. “You have a list of requirements?”
“Pretty smile,” he grins. “Check. Nice tits,” he glances at my chest. “Double check.”
“Ford,” I say in a warning tone.
“Let me finish. Sassy mouth. Definite check. And a sense of humor.”
“You’re pretty easy to please if you only have four things.”
“On the contrary. Smiles and tits are easy to come by but sass and humor don’t seem to have been on the top of God’s ingredients list when it comes to most women.”
“And that didn’t sound one bit chauvinistic,” I scowl.
“On the contrary, darling. I’m pretty damn certain that women are the finer sex.”
“It doesn’t always have to be a competition. Sometimes it’d be nice to find a man who was just happy to be an equal.”
Ford nods and he’s quiet for a while. I gaze out of the window, watching civilization disappear and nature take its place.
It’s been such a long time since I had a few days away from it all. My injury and then college have been swamping me and even though it’s taken a weird set of circumstances to get me here, I’m really grateful for this chance to decompress. I close my eyes for a while, concentrating on my breathing and the dulcet tones of the country singers on the radio. I’m not intending to fall asleep but I’m dog tired after my night with Grant and I slip into an easy slumber. The next thing I know; I’m woken by Ford’s huge hand on my arm.
“Time to wake up, sleeping beauty,” he says. “Your castle awaits.”
11
It’s definitely not a castle. If we were going to talk fairytales, I’d say it was more like the woodcutter’s cottage from Little Red Riding Hood. I can see Ford as a woodcutter, too. He has the biceps for it and the strong shoulders and back required to swing an axe.
For all my protestations about keeping this trip neutral, I think I’d like to see that!
The cabin is really nestled into the woods. It looks as though it grew with the trees. Thick timbers that still appear connected to the trees they were sawn from make up the walls and steps leading up to the gorgeous covered porch. Ford has parked his truck on a paved track and is looking at me expectantly.
“It’s so pretty,” I say.
“Pretty?” He scoffs. “It’s not pretty. It’s a manly, rustic cabin.”
I put my hand over my mouth to stifle my giggle. “Am I damaging your macho image, Ford?”
“That’d take a lot to do,” he says. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”
He jumps out of the truck and opens the trunk, grabbing our bags while I make my way around to meet him. The damp smell of the forest is so strong and I inhale deeply, relishing the freshness of the natural scent. There is a coolness too that comes with the shade of the branches. I’m eager to see the lake that Ford has talked about. I imagine rolling up my jeans and trailing my feet in the water.
The cabin steps are rough and uneven in a perfect way. I love the fact that it’s all so unmanicured.
Ford unlocks the front door and throws it open, ushering me to go in first. When I do, I’m gob smacked.
Inside it is stunning. Like, Hello Magazine, ‘I’ve had my ranch designed by a top designer’ style. The whole place is paneled in gorgeous, lacquered wood. A large stone fireplace dominates the room. There are huge comfortable looking sofas in soft cord-style material that I just want to flop onto. As he gives me the tour, Ford shows me the kitchen which completely fits with the rustic theme. Copper pans hang from the ceiling and I wonder if anyone actually uses them. I can imagine Ford grilling meat outside, not rustling up gourmet food in designer cook wear.
The whole place smells amazing, of something woodsy and alpine.
“This is st
unning, Ford.”
“I know,” he grins. “When I saw it, I knew I had to have it. If I could live up here I would for sure.”
“I can see that. The locals would call you Mountain Man or something equally mysterious.”
“I like that,” he says. “So, shall I show you to your room?”
“Okay.”
I follow Ford through to the back of the cabin. We pass a large closed door and Ford drops his bag outside. I’m assuming that’s where he’ll be sleeping. Then he leads me to a door a little further down.
Inside is a ridiculously large wooden bed complete with plaid-style comforter and way too many pillows for any one person’s needs. There’s a carved wooden wardrobe in the corner and a matching chest, too. The window is wide and the view out into the forest is so stunning it almost takes my breath away.
“Wow, Ford.”
“Sure you’re not going to get lonely in this big bed?” he asks with a suggestive wink.
I roll my eyes and he chuckles. “I think I’ll be fine.”
“You sure? There are bears in these here woods. They’d love a little goldilocks like you.”
I shake my head. “What’s with all the fairytale references? You a closet Hans Christian Anderson fan?”
His face falls a little but he nods. “I had a book when I was a kid.”
“Me too,” I say, wondering why he suddenly looks so sad but not feeling as though I can ask. Funny how almost strangers can sex talk but not deal with emotions and sadness. Humans are just way too complicated for me to understand sometimes.
“Wanna freshen up for a bit and we can head out?”
I nod. “Sure.”
He leaves me for a while and I look around the room, quickly unpacking my bag. There’s no bathroom attached to the room so I peek my head out of the door and look left and right. There’s another door a little further down so I wander in that direction. I’m in the right place but again, am blown away at how gorgeous it is. Walk in shower with rainfall head and a bath that is definitely big enough for two. Thick clean towels rest in the shelving units, begging to be used. Does Ford have housekeeping up here, too? I lock the door and use the facilities, taking time to splash my cheeks with water and brush my fingers through my hair.
When I’m done, I head back towards the living area of the house and find Ford chilling at the counter.
“I’m ready to experience the great outdoors,” I tell him and he grins.
“I’m gonna give you your own rod, Laura. I expect all my guests to catch their own supper!”
“Are you serious? I don’t think I can deal with killing something to eat it.” Ford rolls his eyes. “I know that might sound stupid to you, Mr. Outdoors, but I’ve never done it before.”
“Don’t fuss, girl,” he laughs. “I’m not expecting you to beat it over the head. And I’ll do the gutting and filleting.”
I scowl bit reluctantly agree. “As long as I don’t have to get any blood on my hands.”
We head out the back door to a small outhouse where Ford gathers the rods and other items we need. This may be a rustic retreat but I get the impression that everything in this shed is top quality. We even have folding chairs for extra comfort. Ford carries everything, leaving me hands free.
The walk to the lake is short and pretty. I stop to snap a few photos, noticing that my phone has no service up here. For a second I get a flash of panic. I’m not good at being cut off from the rest of the world. What if there’s an emergency back home? Then I find myself feeling relieved. This really will be some time away from it all. No worried phone calls from Mom. No interruptions from the rest of the McGregor brothers. No inquiring messages from my friends. They must be desperate to hear how my first day has gone at Mansion-McGregor, but what the hell can I tell them at this point?
The woods are so tranquil; only the sound of bird and the rustle of the leaves underfoot disturb the silence. Ford seems to have entered his ‘wildman’ zone and isn’t interrupting with his usual flirty banter. Maybe he’s run out of innuendo. I follow behind him, watching the ripple of the muscles in his back like a stalker. I can practically feel the solid muscle on my fingers tips just from imagining.
I need to stop imagining.
We settle down at a spot where Ford has had the most success in the past. He starts bragging about the size of his biggest catch and I roll my eyes. I find myself doing that a lot with Ford but not in a horrible way. There’s already a feeling of affection between us and we’ve only been hanging out a few hours.
“It’s not all about size, you know,” I tell him.
“Errr…yes it is. Fish and dicks. It’s all about size.”
“Dicks again, Ford.”
He shrugs. “God must have known that to preserve the future of the human race, man would need to be obsessed with sex.”
“What about woman?”
“Well, it’s definitely a bonus to find a woman who’s obsessed with sex, but it’s a lot less frequent.”
“Even with Monster?” I laugh.
“To be honest, Monster can be a bit of a mixed blessing. Some girls love it. Some girls look terrified.”
I snigger, taking a seat on my chair while Ford fiddles around with the rods and bait. “You’re not exactly selling it to me, you know.”
He shrugs again. “I figure that it’s always better to be prepared in whatever you’re going to do in life.”
“I told you that I’m not doing anything with you, Ford. I just slept with your brother. Wouldn’t that be weird.”
Ford roars with laughter. “You think that we’re all considering embarking on a polyamorous relationship without having shared girls in the past. I’ve fucked more girls with Grant than I have with any of my other brothers.”
My eyebrows practically hit my hairline. I hadn’t even considered that they might be used to sharing already, or that Grant might have experience of ménage type sexual relationships. He just didn’t seem the type. “Isn’t that weird?” I ask. “He’s your brother.”
“Hey, watching other people fucking is sexy as hell and if you wanna do that kind of thing, you have to be able to trust the other guy. I’m not up for any surprises if you know what I mean.”
I do know what he means. I’ve read a few romance novels where threesomes with two guys and a girl have involved the men having sex too, but I get how it might not be right for every guy.
“So what you’re saying is that you’re used to going where your brothers have already been. That sure makes me feel good.”
“Why should it not? It’s just sex, Laura. You don’t need to have so many hang-ups about it. Nobody’s thinking anything bad about it and nobody would.”
“Maybe not in your family, but in the outside world things might be perceived to be a little different.”
He casts out my rod, the whip of the line, hook and bait cutting through the tranquility, and hands it to me. I hold it gingerly because I have no idea what I need to do but he seems content that I’m okay as he begins to sort out his equipment.
“I don’t think you need to worry yourself about what other people think, pretty girl. Other people don’t walk in your shoes. Other people won’t know your pleasure or your pain.”
“I didn’t take you for such a philosopher,” I say.
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you to never judge a book by its cover.”
I smile and am just about to quip back when I feel a tug on my line. “I’ve. . .I’ve got something,” I shout.
“Shhh,” Ford says. “You don’t want to scare it away.”
“I don’t think my voice is the thing that fish needs to be worried about,” I say. “The metal hook embedded in its mouth is its biggest problem.”
“Just turn reel him in slowly,” he says. “That’s it. Gently.”
I do as he says, feeling the resistance of the fish struggling but still managing to keep it coming towards me. Then Ford is up with his bucket. When the fish first comes into sight I’m shocked a
t the size of it. I’m certainly not going to be able to eat it without some help. Ford handles it expertly, taking it off the hook and getting it into the bucket with confident efficiency. It doesn’t matter what this man does, he always seems to be able to handle it without a fuss.
“Well, it looks as though we can go home,” he laughs. “You sure you haven’t done this before.”
I grin feeling very pleased with myself, forgetting in the moment my worries about fishing. “Beginners luck!”
“Well, I think I need to bring you out with me every time I come,” he says, slumping back into his seat, legs spread wide.
“Hopefully I won’t need to escape much after this weekend. I should get myself sorted pretty quickly.”
“We all need to escape reality now and then.” There’s a wistfulness about Ford’s tone which catches me by surprise. He’s such a quandary of overconfident cockiness and thoughtfulness. “Nothing wrong with needing to get away. We’d probably all be a whole lot healthier if this was our day to day reality anyway.”
I agree with him in a way but I can’t imagine such a basic life. “Wouldn’t you get bored?” I ask him. As much as I’m having fun, I’m not sure I’d be cut out for a life of rural solitude.
“Nah,” he says. “Not with all of this on my doorstep.”
I’ve never been into outdoorsy guys particularly, but I like Ford’s laidback character and his no nonsense approach to life. I try and cast the line back out and get everything all tangled up. Ford laughs but helps me get it all sorted out and then we settle in for a quiet afternoon of fishing.
Conversation is flirty and fun and I find myself smiling a whole lot more than I’ve done in a long time. By the time we’re ready to pack things up, we’ve caught ten fish of varying different sizes and Ford is looking very pleased with us.
“Plenty for the freezer,” he says.
The walk back to the cabin seems to take longer. The fresh air and relaxation has made me really sleepy. Ford carries everything and sorts it all out while I take a seat on the comfy couch. I snuggle in and close my eyes, intending to just rest a little but I must fall asleep because when I open my eyes, the room is filled with the low light of dusk mixed with a few candles dotted on the coffee table and hearth, and Ford is sitting at the end of the couch with my feet in his lap.