Daniel held her hand as they walked to the side of the pool table. “Don’t mind them. Jaxi likes to keep Blake off balance.”

Beth grinned back. “I think her methodology is excellent.” His fingers were warm around hers, and she glanced to see if anyone was watching before sneaking in to kiss him, a fleeting touch on the lips. He tasted good. Daniel pressed a big hand to the middle of her back, holding her against his chest until she’d given him a proper kiss. When she pulled away, he stared back, his gaze tracing her mouth, her eyes. His pupils were dark and growing wider.

“I’m looking forward to taking you home tonight, just so you know.”

Beth licked her lips, and he groaned before turning away to grab her a pool cue. Oh damn, the things this man did to her, body and mind and soul.


An hour later Beth dropped the final ball into the pocket, again, and held in her laughter as Matt swore.

“Daniel never warned us you were a shark.” He slapped a bill on the edge of the table, and Beth waved it off.

“We’re playing for fun. You can keep your money.”

Travis grabbed the twenty and stepped closer. “This is part of what makes it fun. People don’t beat Matt very often, and it’s about damn time. Go ahead, take the cash.” He reached around her to slip the money in her back pocket and icy fingers slid up her spine.

She was in his arms, his hands resting lightly on the waistline of her jeans. He grinned saucily, and understanding rolled over her. The ass was testing to see her reaction.

“You lose something, Travis? Or you waiting for me to make sure your next girlfriend likes men who sing soprano?”

Matt snorted and poked Travis in the arm. “Leave her alone, jerk, Daniel doesn’t share.”

Travis ran his gaze down her body and sighed as he stepped back to a polite distance. “True. Pity, that.”

“You boys are something else.” Beth crossed her arms in front of her. “How you’ve not all ended up on Wanted posters all over the country is beyond me.”

Travis winked. “Who says we haven’t?”

“Where the hell did Daniel get to?” Matt glanced around the bar.

“Fuck.” Travis tugged Beth’s arm and pulled her toward the pool table, refusing to let her follow the direction of their stares. He turned his bright smile on her and motioned to the table. “How about one final game? Double or nothing?”

“Travis, what’s your problem? Let go.” She pulled free and found herself blocked by Matt’s muscular frame.

He spoke calmly, as if he were dealing with a skittish animal. “Now don’t go getting the wrong idea.”

She frowned. What was happening?

“What kind of wrong idea could I get?” Travis glanced at Matt and the two of them fidgeted, like her boys did when they got caught doing something wrong. “Stop it, both of you, I’m not twelve years old.” She shrugged off his hand and poked her head around Travis’s big shoulder. “Oh.”

Daniel was at the other end of the room, close to the bar counter, clutching their drink refills in either hand. A dark-haired woman stood far too close, pinning him in place. As Beth watched, the woman flung her hands around his neck and locked her lips on his as if she were giving emergency resuscitation. A funny sensation tickled Beth’s belly, and she stepped back, considering carefully.

Before tonight they’d made no formal announcement in public that they were a couple, not really. They’d mentioned they were dating to the kids, but no one else. She had no right to be upset, but from a logical, analytical point of view—some hussy was crawling over her man. Time for a decision, that’s for sure. In fact it was past time.

“Beth, you okay?”

She turned and lifted a brow at Matt. He and Travis watched her with concern written all over their faces.

“Just fine.” She took the couple of steps back to drop into the seat next to Jaxi. This was one of those moments she wanted a female touch. “Who’s the woman with a death-wish sucking face with my guy?”

Jaxi snorted behind her hand. “Daniel’s ex, Sierra. She dumped him last spring. You want me to come help deal with her?”

Beth stopped to consider. This wasn’t Daniel doing something deliberately to hurt her. In fact, when she evaluated what she knew of his character, he would expect her to speak if she wasn’t happy.

Standing up for herself was slowly getting easier.

She took a deep breath. “He doesn’t want her anymore, does he?”

“Hell, no. I’m surprised to even see her here. We’ve all made it pretty clear she’s not welcome in our circle. She turned out to be a self-centered bitch, if you’ll excuse me for saying it.”

Beth sighed. “Thanks. Okay, I think I can handle one hormonally challenged, poorly groomed woman.”

Blake choked again and Jaxi patted his back. “Don’t worry, dear, it’s a girl thing. Like you’ll have to deal with our daughters down the road.”

By the time she rose and made her way to where Daniel stood attempting to untangle himself from the woman’s clutches, Beth was still undecided what tack to take. It was obvious Daniel wasn’t the instigator, but he needed to learn there was a time to stop being such a gentleman.

She reached his side shortly after Sierra finally let loose the vacuum seal on a second kiss and Daniel tried to get a word in edgewise. The creature covered his mouth with her hand and pouted prettily.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she said in a husky voice.

Beth fought to keep from retching. The dramatic effect the woman was attempting was so pathetic.

“There you are, sweetheart, can I get that for you?” Beth carefully took one of the glasses from Daniel’s fingers and smiled at him. Finally able to move, Daniel stepped clear of the clutches of his ex. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand and grimaced.

“Beth, you want to meet Sierra before she leaves?”

Beth raised a brow and looked the woman up and down slowly. Okay, the ex-girlfriend was good looking, but damn it, Daniel was hers now. Sierra had missed her chance.

“Not really. Not unless she wants to explain why she was clinging to my lover like a piece of Saran Wrap?”

“Lover?” Sierra sputtered. She glared at Daniel. “But you… But we…”

“Split up. A long time ago now, and that’s the end of it.”

“But, I thought maybe we could try again.”

Beth sighed. Sierra was obviously not one of the brighter bulbs in the room. There was no need to be unpleasant about it. As long as the woman didn’t even think of making another move.

Daniel wrapped an arm around Beth’s waist as he shook his head. “You thought wrong. Beth and I are seeing each other, and if you don’t mind, we’ll be returning to our friends.”

The woman stared in silence as they walked away. Halfway back to the table, Beth glanced up to discover everyone was watching, their eyes glued to the drama. Travis and Blake wore matching smirks, Matt looked impressed. Jaxi pumped a fist in the air in victory. Yeah, there was a place for her in their midst, and she felt surprisingly comfortable with that. But the fact she hadn’t even known Daniel had an ex in town bothered her. A lot. Heck, she’d never imagined he was a monk before he met her. Suddenly she wanted to know it all. Who he had dated, what he had loved to do while growing up. What his dreams were for the future.

Holy cow, somewhere in the past two minutes she’d realized she really cared about the big cowboy. She almost felt she should run after Sierra and shake her hand enthusiastically for pushing the right buttons.

Beth was falling in love, and the thought didn’t make her sick to her stomach.

She tugged his hand and led him to the side of the room, staring up at him seriously for a minute.

Daniel touched her cheek gently. “I’m sorry about that. I had no idea she was going to be here, and then I couldn’t figure out how to get away without—”

She pressed her fingers over his lips. Yeah, he should have cut the woman off a lot faster, but his tender heart was part of what she appreciated about him. Time to jump in with two feet and stop holding back.

“You know, we’ve spent an awful lot of time together in the past months, and it appears we haven’t talked about anything more important than the weather and where our next sexual tryst is going to be.”

He frowned. “We’ve mentioned a few things but…you’re right. I was thinking that the other day as well.”

“It’s not easy, not with the kids around. And I know I haven’t been the best at opening up. I’m going to work on changing that, okay?”

There was a flash of delight in his eyes. “You’re not mad at me for that little display with Sierra?”

She shook her head. “Not your fault. Only, if a woman does an octopus imitation on you again, you are allowed to accidentally pour the drinks in your hands on her. That would make her let go quick enough.”

He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am, I’ll remember that.”

She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. The scent of Sierra’s perfume hit her, and she wrinkled her nose.

“Ugh. You smell like that woman.” Daniel laughed as he leaned over to kiss her. She pressed her hands against him and turned her face away. “No sir. You’re sterilizing those lips before I kiss you again.”

He tucked her fingers into the crook of his arm to lead her back to their table. Somehow in the next while they would find the time and ways to start sharing with each other.

Beth took her seat at Daniel’s side, surrounded by the Coleman clan. Maybe making a few more friends along the way would be a good idea was well.

Chapter Thirteen