Stay With Me (The Montgomery Brothers) by Samantha Chase Read Free Book Online Page A

to think about her father ’s illness because it was still too raw and devastating.  Sitting and sharing this simple meal with Mackenzie Montgomery was exactly what she needed.
    A thought entered her mind and she wasn’t sure if she was being clever or stupid.  Gina knew that she was going to be in North Carolina for at least a couple of weeks and that it would be nice to have a distraction for when things with her father threatened to overwhelm her.  Why couldn’t Mac be that distraction?  Granted
,
they hadn’t gotten off on the best footing last night but by the way he had looked at her when she came out in her bikini and the way he had just looked at her when he held her hand told her that he wasn’t completely unaffected by her.
    She smiled to herself.  It wasn’t as if she thought that Mac was going to fall in love with her and if she was completely honest with herself, the timing was just plain wrong.  But for once in her life Gina wanted to be reckless.  Her mother controlled every aspect of her life and right now Gina wanted to experience having the control.  Convincing iron-will Mac to have a short fling might not be easy but Gina had no doubt in her mind that it was exactly what she wanted.
    Reclining back in her chair, she finished her second slice of pizza in silence and then looked over and smiled at Mac.  “This was way better than my plan.”
    “What was your plan?”
    “I was going to swim a bunch of laps until I was exhausted and then sort of close my eyes and reach into the refrigerator and just eat whatever I grabbed.”  They both laughed.  “So I thank you for saving me from myself.”  She smiled at him and was relieved to see that he had visibly relaxed.  “Of course now I just feel ridiculous sitting here in a bathing suit with a pool five feet away and not swimming.”
    She didn’t miss the fact that his gaze skimmed over her bikini-clad body.  Gina stood and stretched.  “I’m certainly too full to swim but I don’t think a relaxing soak in the hot tub would be a bad idea.”  The words were said lightly and she turned and looked at Mac.  “Care to join me?”
    In that moment , Mac realized that he must have been a horrible person in a previous life to be tempted like this.  Gina was staring at him expectantly and he knew he’d have to come up with a viable excuse.  “I’m not particularly dressed for the hot tub,” he said and then wanted to smack himself in the head.  What the hell was that?  Lame, he cursed himself.  Very, very lame.
    Gina chuckled and shook her head.  “Correct me if I’m wrong but this is your parents’ house; you grew up here.  I’m sure that you keep some extra clothes here.”
    “Well sure, but…”
    “Go get changed.  It’s still early and it’s a beautiful night out.  We can sit and relax and you can tell me what you’ve been up to for the last ten years or so.”  Without waiting for an answer, she picked up the pizza box and headed toward the guest house.  “I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes,” she said over her shoulder as she kept walking.
    Mac watched her go.  He couldn’t take his eyes off of her; the sway of her hips was mesmerizing.  The smart thing to do was run; get in his car and just go home.  He was an intelligent man and knew that staying and climbing into the Jacuzzi with Gina was going to test his endurance in ways that he really had no interest in testing.
    Like a convicted man walking to his own execution, Mac turned and headed toward the main house in search of a pair of swimming trunks.
    It was going to be a long night.
    ****
    Gina hid in the shadows until she saw Mac exiting his parents’ house.  Then, as if she didn’t have a care in the world, walked over to the Jacuzzi.  Daintily, she stepped up the stone stairs leading to the heated tub and dropped her sarong to the ground.  Next, she gathered her long hair up and clipped it in a way that left random tendrils framing her