Part 1: No Regrets(Divine Creek Ranch 2)(52)

“He’s trying, anyway. She’s planted herself in your chair. I’ll give it a few more minutes for you to help her understand, and then I’ll try and



120

Heather Rainier

distract her if I can,” Ethan added, patting her shoulder. Grace kissed his cheek and left him to his work and followed Jack to a table.

Rachel walked into the entryway of the club and was greeted by a loud wolf whistle from Mike, of all people.

“Get a load of the supermodel! Rachel, you are hot stuff tonight,” he said as she approached. As she hugged Mike, he quietly said, “Dinah is in rare form. Go easy on him. He’s done his best.”

She nodded and smiled at Rogelio, who grinned and gave her a

favorable once-over. Then she walked over to a very distracted Eli. He hadn’t even turned at Mike’s loud whistle.

He hadn’t seen her entrance because he was too busy keeping an eye on Dinah’s hands. Rachel knew he had to move faster than she did, or her hands would be on his thighs, in his hair, or worse, his front pocket. She had not been in the club the night before and would need to be educated firsthand like all the ladies last night.

Rachel smoothed her hand down Eli’s shoulder and biceps. He jumped and cringed without looking over at her. Wow, this had been a rough night for him when his reactions were that reflexive and abrupt. She wondered what exactly Dinah had been up to tonight and stepped around Eli’s massive form, slipping her hand gently into his. He glanced down at her and had an instantaneous reaction to her appearance.

“Hot, holy hell, angel, you look amazing!” He looked both relieved to see her and surprised at her fresh look. He reached an arm out and wrapped it around her and pressed his lips to her forehead, still very distracted.

“Honey, you look beautiful. I could eat you up.” She felt her cheeks heat up.

From the chair which had been placed there for Rachel, a sultry, deep woman’s voice said, “Why don’t you start with me and let’s see how far we get. Who needs an appetizer, anyway.”

Eli rolled his eyes and jerked reflexively again, and Rachel watched as long red fingernails curled around his other biceps and slid up into his snug shirtsleeve.





Her Gentle Giant, Part 1: No Regrets

121





Chapter Thirteen


“Your hand is on my boyfriend,” Rachel said firmly, making direct and unmistakable eye contact with Dinah Cooper. She was dressed in a red spandex dress that barely covered her ass and her boobs. Her red hooker heels had to be at least six inches high.

“In that getup, Dinah, I’d say you have an excellent chance of finding someone who is interested in you, but Eli is off the market.” Each word from Rachel’s mouth only seemed to spur Dinah on, and she grinned at Rachel in challenge.

“It didn’t seem that way before you got here, Rachel, when he let me sit down in your chair. Maybe you need to get here earlier in the evening if you want to stake a claim. Early bird gets the worm, so to speak.” Yet again, Eli jumped and reached for her hand that had slid behind him.

Eli’s eyebrows drew together in irritation. “Dammit, Dinah, I asked you not to do that, and I did not invite you to sit in my girlfriend’s seat. You helped yourself.”

“Baby, you were so much friendlier before she showed up,” Dinah said through pouty red lips. “What? Are you afraid of her?”

Rachel tried one more time. “Dinah, I’d appreciate it if you would get the hell up out of my seat and get your damn hands off of my boyfriend.”

“No. When I see something I want, I don’t give up,” Dinah said

proudly as she lifted her mixed drink to her lips.

If her demeanor were different, she could probably pull off the getup she was wearing quite well. Dinah had an abrasive, hardened personality and was rather intimidating to a lot of the men in the club. She was tall, thin, and muscular for a woman, probably two inches taller than Rachel in her bare feet. In tonight’s outfit, she was almost eye level with Eli. Rather than play down the more androgynous and unfeminine aspects of her image, she seemed to capitalize on them with her choice of revealing clothing. Why she



122

Heather Rainier

came into a country and western nightclub instead of one of the more urban clubs in Morehead where she would fit in better was lost on Rachel.

“Dinah, why is it that you are so determined to get with Eli? Why are you so fascinated with him?”

“In strength and build, he’s my equal, Rachel,” Dinah said, using her name condescendingly. “We’d be incredible in the sack. The question in my mind is why he has this passing fancy for a chubby thing like you?”

Foolishly, she didn’t lower her voice when she said it.