Divine Charity by Heather Rainier Read Free Book Online Page A

him to calm the fuck down? That was priceless, coming from my demure little cousin, the librarian. But Lucy handled the situation well, too. She’s got a lot of fire in her.”
    “You relate to that, don’t you?”
    Charity shrugged. “I guess. Beck and Patrick are important to Lucy, but she didn’t have to give up a part of herself in order to be with them.”
    He pondered her words for a minute and wondered what was on her mind before he said, “I think those groups work because the right woman in the middle of it all makes it worth it…makes it possible. Did you ever picture a situation like that for your sister, before she met the guys?”
    Charity shook her head negatively and looked up at him. “Do you remember her last boyfriend? Owen?”
    “I met him once, I think. The little prick, right?”
    Charity snorted with laughter. “You hit that nail on the head. That’s the one. I was worried that he’d completely subjugated her until the day she surprised me and told me she’d thrown him out. If you’d told me my meek, self-conscious sister would one day be happily married and involved with three strong, loving men, with a toddler and another baby on the way, I’d have told you it’d never happen.”
    “But things can change dramatically in a person’s life…if they’re open to possibilities. Right?”
    “Yeah,” she murmured with her cheek against his chest again. “I suppose anything is possible.” As she spoke, she loosely wrapped her fingers in his hair, tugging ever so slightly, making it hard to concentrate.
    He was formulating his next words when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He wanted to growl at the intruder until he realized it was Val.
    His cousin gave him a lopsided grin. “My turn.”
    Charity blew a little kiss at Ransome as he allowed her to move toward Val. He reined in the territorial urges that reared up inside him. If he was sincere about sharing with the guys then he’d need to release her to them easily. He’d seen it time and again with the other groups. The men didn’t go Neanderthal when their woman moved from one man to another, giving attention to each in turn.
    Jack had told him that was paramount to any successful ménage. Charity’s happiness translated into their happiness, and if she knew they were jealous of each other, it would stop her from showing affection and that sure as fuck wasn’t what he wanted. Time to back up his desires with action.
    He winked at her before nodding to Val and leaving the dance floor. Taking his seat at the bar, he nodded when the bartender asked if he wanted another refill. This time he didn’t use the mirror to watch them dancing. He angled his chair so he could see.
    She spoke briefly to Val, her cheeks rosy, before laying her head on his chest as the opening bars of Chris Young’s “Who I Am With You” played. He looked around for Ethan Grant, wondering if he was the one orchestrating those slow songs but didn’t see him. That was the kind of thing that guy would do, anticipating and noticing all kinds of things other people didn’t see. Ethan had known right off the bat that Charity was on Ransome’s mind when he’d asked him and Jack and Adam about ménages, surprising him with how insightful Ethan was.
    Val whispered in her ear before turning her as they settled into the steps of the dance. Val sank a hand into her golden hair and Ransome saw the contented smile spread across Val’s face.
    Touching her hair wasn’t the kind of thing he could do, without being obvious. His cousin took full advantage of the dance, flexing his fingers in the silky golden mass and bringing his other around her back to cup her waist.
    She was wearing a skirt and heels with a sexy top that showed off her curvaceous form without being too revealing. Her legs were killer in those high heels and Ransome groaned as memories of last year’s ROT Rally surfaced.
    He could recall the way those strong legs looked draped over Justin’s shoulders,