Maizy the Bear Charmer(Diving Creek Ranch 16)(26)

Chapter Eight




As Maizy looked up at Cody, she was sure that if it didn’t work out between them, she would feel the pain of loss a lot longer than she had for Chaz. A lot longer.

Gong to their house to talk was tempting but she knew if she did, it was very likely she’d stay the night…and not just to talk. As individuals they were captivating, but the three of them combined—with their differing but complementary temperaments—would be impossible to resist.

The song ended and she glanced up and saw Cody scanning the crowd as he escorted her over to the table they’d reserved for her group. Once there, Cody kissed her gently, dazzling her with that smile that was a disarming combination of sexy and shy. She could feel the girl’s eyes on her as Cody kissed her one more time and then he murmured, “We’ll be keeping an eye on you but you come to the front if you need me.”

His eyes communicated that he’d gladly take care of any need she had and her pussy tingled and grew even wetter than it already was. The smooth leather of his pants had slid against her legs and between them occasionally during the dance, turning her into a throbbing aroused mess by the time the song had ended. His hand lingered on her shoulder before he sauntered back to the front. She blushed when she turned to her friends and found them gaping at her.

“What?” She giggled as she lifted the sangria they’d ordered for her to her lips.

Grace had a gleam in her eyes as she sat back in her chair and lifted her margarita to her lips. “I know that look. They’ve already won you over, haven’t they? If I doubted it before I don’t now. And you’re probably worried that it’s moving too fast, right? What did he say to put that blush on your face?”

“I am worried it’s moving too fast but…I don’t want to slow down either. He wants me to come home with them tonight.” She held her hand up when Lucy opened her mouth to speak. “Just to talk. That’s it. Just to talk.”

“Right,” Jayne murmured then sighed happily. “This margarita is really good.” Another giggle-snort escaped her. “Good thing y’all are driving.”

“She’s ‘y’alling,’ Lucy,” Grace said with a giggle of her own, “We’d better make sure the bartender knows to mix her margaritas a little more on the virginal side.”

“Yeah, uh-huh, because that pesky Señor Patrón kicks my darned butt,” Jayne said and snorted again.

The girls shared a look and then laughed but Maizy saw Lucy note the time on her watch and guessed that Lucy was watching out for Jayne. Even Maizy knew Jayne was a notorious lightweight where tequila was concerned.

Jayne said, “Is it time to dance yet? I feel like dancin’.”

Grace chuckled and said, “In a few more minutes. You just enjoy your buzz.” She turned serious eyes on Maizy and said, “So they’d like to sit down and talk with you tonight?”

“Yeah, what do you think? I mean, you remember what it was like with Jack, Ethan, and Adam, right?” Grace had already shared a few details about her relationship with the three men who adored her and she obviously adored in return.

Grace settled her elbows on the table and the others also leaned forward. “I remember being afraid it was moving too fast. In retrospect, I realized that my relationship with Jack, Ethan, and Adam felt that way to me because I was used to waiting and waiting…hoping for good things. And when something really good fell into my lap, I didn’t trust it at first because I was in a perpetual state of waiting.”

Maizy nodded. What Grace was saying was ringing true for her, too.

Grace sat for a second and smiled, obviously remembering. “They weren’t pushy with me at all. I noticed that they each brought something special to all the encounters I had with them, like they contributed to the whole and the whole felt so right, so wonderful. I came to think of us as a foursome from practically the beginning. I had a crush on Jack forever, it seemed, but once the four of us spent time together, that was what I wanted. Is that how it is with Cody, Heath, and Spencer?”

Maizy nodded. “They’re so different, and together, so wonderful. Cody is…” She let out a slow sigh, still feeling his touch and the taste of his kiss on her tongue. “Imposing, but so gentle. When he talks to me, there isn’t a lot of subtext. He’s straightforward.”

Grace smiled and nodded knowingly, and Jayne emitted a happy, contented sigh and said, “Yeah,” then giggled, evidently realizing she’d spoken out loud. “Sounds like Seth. Doesn’t talk a lot but I know where he stands and what he thinks.” The cat-that-ate-the-canary look on her face, combined with the blush in her cheeks, spoke volumes.