here for a minute?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “I need to check on something while we’re here, if you don’t mind.”
He took her hand and pulled her toward the front door. “I’ll even leave you sitting at our new bar.” He grinned. “You can say that you were the first to see it. It’s kind of a secret.”
“Really?” She peered around him. “Is that why there’s paper covering the windows?”
“Yeah. We want it to be a surprise. We’ve used all construction crews from out of town to keep it a secret.” He inserted a key in the lock and opened the door.
Nadya gasped at what she saw. It was almost like stepping back in time. A gleaming wood bar sat against the back wall, a set of tall, shining taps behind it. Brass bar stools sat tucked beneath the jutting edge of the bar. A pickle barrel sat at one end.
Bolts of cloth stood on end in the back corner surrounded by racks of clothes on one side. The other side held everything from flour, sugar and canned goods, to nails and other hardware.
“This looks like something out of an old western.” Nadya couldn’t help but smile at the way things looked. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He smiled down at her. “Now, if you don’t mind, I really need to go check something out.”
He left her sitting on one of the cushioned stools. Nadya couldn’t help but stare at the man’s dream. What must it be like to see one’s dreams forming in reality? Just looking at the inside of what she knew to be his dream, Nadya felt she knew a little more about Luc and Gabriel.
It was obvious they were old souls. Just looking at the old style of the store told her that much. They were gentlemen. Neither of the two men had been anything but gentlemen since they’d met, damn it.
She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. What could she do to convince him that she was attracted, that she wanted him to make love with her, even if it was just for one night?
One thing was certain, it wouldn’t be forever. Nadya was grown up enough to realize that men just didn’t fall in love at first sight and hot guys like Luc and Gabe didn’t fall in love with frumpy forty-something women at the drop of a hat. Still, she wondered what he would do if he came back into this room and found her on the bar just waiting for him?
Chapter Twelve
Luc searched the store but found nothing. He’d been certain he had smelled something when he was outside. Now, all he could think about was the fact that Nadya liked the store. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she’d been impressed with the way they’d put it together.
That alone was a turn-on. Now, just thinking about her sitting next to the long bar, its gleaming wood beckoning him to throw her on the top and make her his in every possible way. He knew that Gabe wouldn’t mind if he was the first to make love with their mate. They had spoken about this very thing a multitude of times over the years. All that mattered to either of them was that they were able to make her theirs.
His cock hardened behind his zipper just thinking about what he wanted to do. He wouldn’t, of course. It was too soon. He needed to give her time to get to know them before he jumped her like some hormone-driven adolescent. Still, the thought was a tempting one.
He’d just stepped out from the stairwell that led to their second floor living quarters when a noise caught his attention and he looked up to see Nadya laying on top of the bar—naked.
His mouth went dry. His cock jumped behind his zipper as though trying to force its way out through the thick denim covering it. His gut clenched at the sight of his beautiful mate spread out on the bar, looking like a succulent buffet.
Time slowed as he approached her. It was as though he, and everything around him, moved in slow motion as he watched her push her long hair back, exposing the full curve of her breast with its berry red nipple