So Many Men.... Dorie Graham

did you get back into town?” Tess asked the latest arrival.

      “Just this morning. I was passing by and saw you through the window. I was going to stop by the nursery, but looks like you won’t be there.”

      “I’ve hired another full-time person. It’s great. I can get away a little more often now. I’d love to hear about your trip some time, but we’re in the middle of a meeting.” She made introductions, then explained briefly about the fund-raiser.

      “Hey, I can hook you up with an orchestra if you’d like,” Hugh offered.

      After Tess assured him she’d let him know, he gave her a quick kiss, then left, much to Mason’s relief. Mason hated to admit it even to himself, but he might have to protest if one more man dropped by with a friendly hug or kiss for her. He shook his head, irritated with himself. He’d only just met the woman.

      Why should he care?

      He squelched the memory of the heated moments they’d shared in the park and over coffee. It wasn’t as though anything had actually happened between them. He would not fall under whatever seductive spell she seemed to weave over the male population. That was the last thing he needed.

      Though Tess’s cell phone rang a few times, apparently with calls from more of her friends, they managed to make it through the rest of the meeting. From time to time Tess tossed in more names as resources for various aspects of the project. Whatever the need, be it advertising to catering, her connections seemed endless and all of them male.

      “I’ll go ahead and put these names and numbers in my database.” Cassie scribbled a few more notes. “We’ll see who can work us the best deals between our usual people and your…ah…friends, Tess.”

      Tess nodded, her mouth set in a firm line. “So, we have our to-do lists. We’ve assigned tasks and set our priorities. Cassie, you’re going to check on ballrooms and get back to us, so we can pinpoint locations and maybe a date.” She paused, but no one added anything. “Should we set our next meeting time?”

      They agreed to meet the following week. Josh offered to help Cassie carry out a file case she’d brought that held information from previous fund-raising events she’d helped coordinate for the DCWC. She and Josh moved off ahead of Tess and Mason, absorbed in conversation as Tess scooped up her large to-go container.

      Mason glanced at her as they headed toward the door. His arm brushed hers and the heat she seemed to invoke in him rose. He cleared his throat and forced his gaze from the curve of her breasts. “Thanks for coming and rounding up the troops. This thing is sure to be a hit with the DCWC backing it. I don’t see how we can miss with their expertise and your connections.”

      “It’ll be great. You’ll have your youth center.”

      “Tess!” Someone called to her from a table near the door.

      Pink tinged her cheeks as she turned to greet what appeared to be yet another male admirer. Mason hung back as the man granted her the customary kiss and embrace. Something about the interaction spoke of an intimacy he refused to contemplate.

      Exactly what sort of woman was he getting involved with? Not that they were involved, really. If he were looking for another relationship, it would be with a woman of a more…innocent nature.

      “Another friend,” she explained when she returned to his side.

      “Tess, I hope you don’t mind, but I just have to ask…” He held the restaurant door for her and Miami’s heat blew over them.

      She stepped past him into the bright sunlight, turning to him as they cleared the threshold. The breeze brushed over her, conforming the thin fabric of her dress to her curves. “Sure, ask me anything.”

      He focused on her eyes. “How do you know all those men?”

      “You mean, are they really all just friends?”

      “Yes.”

      “The answer is yes. They really are all just friends…now.”

      “Now?”

      Her gaze locked with his. The same breeze stirred her curls. One shining wisp clung to her lip. “At one time—each in his own time—they were all my lovers.”

      “Oh.” A buzzing sounded in his ears. His blood warmed and his body swayed toward her.

      “Each in his own time.”

      “Yes, I got that.” He swallowed. What was he supposed to say? He was having a hard enough time just breathing. The thought of her with all those men was at once both disturbing and oddly exciting.

      The essence of her femininity flowed over him, drawing him a step closer to her. Confidence radiated from her in the tilt of her chin, the arch of her eyebrows, the heated look in her eyes. She set her belongings on the hood of a nearby car.

      Slowly, she moved to stand so close to him that the heat of her body touched him and her full lips beckoned, a breath from his. “And now it’s that time again.”

      He gave in to the urge to lean in and inhale the sweet scent of her. “Time for what?”

      The corner of her mouth tilted in a slight smile. “Time for me to take a new lover, of course.”

      4

      A GULL SWOOPED LOW overhead, a reminder of their proximity to the beach. A salt-tinged breeze stirred the humid air.

      Tess’s heart pounded. If ever a man needed healing, Mason Davies did. He seemed so calm and collected on the outside, but inside…inside he was a mass of repressed emotions. If her aunt Sophie was right and most illness originated in what she called the emotional body, then his condition would likely deteriorate if he continued to deny himself.

      Right now, the man’s emotions bubbled in turmoil. He wanted Tess, but he fought it. If she was going to help him, she had to work fast. As she faced him, her healing alarm clanged a red alert.

      She held her breath as Mason’s brown eyes rounded. Desire flowed off him and she smiled to herself, confidence filling her. She could help this man. What a lovely new companion he’d make.

      He brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. “Are you always this bold?”

      “I don’t like games. I believe in laying all my cards on the table.” She cocked her head. “I want you. You want me. Sounds pretty straightforward.”

      “Nothing’s that straightforward these days.”

      “Sure it is. With me, what you see is what you get.”

      “Do you always get what you want?”

      “Not always, but a lot of the time.”

      “And you want me?”

      She snuggled in closer and dropped her arms around his neck. “Oh, yes.”

      “You think I want you?”

      “I don’t think, I know.”

      “You’re awfully confident.”

      “Let’s just say that I have a knack for sensing these things.”

      He nodded toward the restaurant. “And all of those men in there and the ones calling on your cell phone…they want you, too?”

      “Oh, no. Maybe once, but not so much anymore.”

      “Not so much?”

      “No.”

      He shook his head in obvious disbelief. “Right, that’s why they’re all calling and hanging around.”

      “A lot of that was coincidence.”

      “For that much coincidence you have to have a lot of men hanging around.”

      “I have my fair share…maybe a little more. But