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Maria hesitated. She hadn’t realized how ambivalent she felt about going to the club. It didn’t exactly pierce the happy morning-after glow she was enjoying, but it did make her stop and think. “Um... I don’t know.” She could see Rick was surprised and she tried to pinpoint the source of her anxiety about going back. “It kinda seems like every time we go there, something bad happens.”
“It was bad last time?” Rick’s eyebrows came together in consternation and alarm, and Maria had to roll her eyes at his surprising insecurity.
“No, the scene wasn’t bad... but the next morning pretty much sucked for me, and I know that after the scene wasn’t so great for you.”
“Oh...” He seemed to think it over. Maria was glad he wasn’t just brushing off her concern, considering it wasn’t exactly a logical one. But she couldn’t help feeling that things did go better for them outside of Stronghold. Both times they’d gone there some sort of problem had cropped up. Everything they’d done outside of there, had been great. Last night, for example. They had incredible sex, showered, and then fallen asleep in each other’s arms. Maria hadn’t even missed her own bed, she liked being in Rick’s too much. He grinned at her. “Well you know what they say, third time’s the charm. And we don’t have to do anything there, sometimes I go just to hang out with my friends—although that isn’t the only place we go to hang out.”
She giggled. “I hope so... just, do you think we could wait a little bit longer?”
She wasn’t sure what he would make of the request. This definitely wasn’t a time she was trying to top from the bottom, she really just wanted to get more comfortable with the two of them and all this new sex stuff between them before going back to Stronghold. It wasn’t like she had bad memories there really, it was just that the thought of going back made her feel anxious and not in the sexy way.
To her relief, Rick just smiled and reached across the table to hold her hand, his thumb caressing her skin. “Of course, sweetheart.”
21
Two weeks later, Rick found himself facing an interrogation of the like he’d never experienced before. He’d met dads, brothers, mothers, but nothing compared to having to meet three sisters all at once. Three younger sisters who had benefited from their older sister’s mothering their entire lives and were absolutely determined to do just as good a job now that it was their turn to watch out for her.
Off to the side, Maria was watching as she chatted with her mom and one of their neighbors, her eyes twinkling at Rick over her sister Ava’s head. Seeing her amusement almost made the interrogation worth it.
He wasn’t quite sure when he would say they’d started dating, since they’d started to really get to know each other at the pool before he’d taken her to Stronghold, but he often found himself adding up all their time together in his head as being their relationship. So far they hadn’t been back to Stronghold yet, but that was okay. They’d hung out with his friends and would be hanging out with them again tonight in fact. Adam was throwing a little party at his place to celebrate Hilary and Liam’s engagement. Adam had always enjoyed having people over, and now that he was with Angel, the parties tended to be even more well organized than they had been before. Today Maria had taken the full day off of work so she could bring him to her parents’ for an afternoon barbecue before the party.
“So what have you been doing over the summer since you don’t start at your new school until the fall?” Ava asked. Out of all of Maria’s sisters, she was definitely the least resistant to being charmed by him. Jackie had obviously liked him right away, Lara had warmed up to him throughout the interrogation when he’d been willing to answer all of their questions with both patience and charm, all of which seemed to make Ava even more determined to ensure someone was still giving him the third degree.
Not that he minded. He could tell Maria’s sisters all loved her and were just looking out for her, so he had no problem taking the time to set them all at ease. Although he did find it kind of amusing that their Dad hadn’t seemed to feel the need to join in. They’d talked for a bit when Maria had first introduced them, and then the sisters had descended. Mr. Arias listened to Rick’s answers for the first couple questions and then had given Rick a sympathetic look and strolled away. Rick had decided to take that as a good sign.
“I’ve been making extra money where I can, since I’m used to teaching summer school. A couple of my friends have needed help over the summer with their businesses, not enough to hire someone full time, but perfect for someone like me.”
“What do your friends do?” Jackie asked, obviously curious. She’d said a couple of things that made Rick think Maria had spoken with at least one of her sisters fairly frankly about some of the things they did in the bedroom. Girls talked, he didn’t mind that. Especially since she’d mostly hinted around the spanking thing, which had turned Maria a nice beet red, and that had been kind of fun to watch.
“My friend Adam owns a company which does head-hunting and temporary employment; he’s the one I spend most of my time helping out around the office. I also help with paperwork at a friend’s dojo and another friend’s club. Sometimes I do manual labor for my friend Andrew, who has his own carpentry business.” When he said manual labor, he grinned as all three sisters immediately looked at his biceps. Jackie and Lara were frankly admiring, Ava a little more grudgingly so.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Maria drifting over to them and he immediately felt himself straightening in anticipation. The three sisters all turned their heads to see what he was looking at.
“Isn’t that Jeremy over there?” Ava asked as she turned back. Rick glanced over and saw a dark-haired guy, probably about his age, had joined the conversation with Maria’s mom and neighbor. Fairly attractive, but with kind of a sleazy look to him. Or maybe it was just the name was ringing a bell.
Lara giggled. “No wonder she’s coming over here then, she can’t stand him.”
“You don’t think it’s just to save me?” Rick stage-whispered to her, making her giggle again.
“Well she might just feel uncomfortable with Jeremy,” Ava said smugly. “He’s got a thing for her.” Her eyes glinted as she watched Rick’s reaction, probably to see if she was finally getting a rise out of him.
Nope. While he might feel a bit more possessive than he had a second ago, Maria had mentioned Jeremy’s name before, but only as the obnoxious best man in her sister’s wedding party. Definitely not someone he was going to feel threatened by. After all, even if Ava was right and Jeremy did have a thing for Maria, Maria had a thing for Rick.
“Hey sweetheart,” he said loudly, reaching out his arm to Maria and ignoring Ava. Maria grinned at him as she slid underneath his arm, wrapping her own around his waist. “Are you here to save me from your sisters?”
“Are you admitting you need saving?” she asked, teasing.
“Only from Ava,” he whispered into her ear, loudly enough that all three of her sisters would be able to hear. “I think I have the other two fooled.”
Giggling, Maria elbowed him in the ribs and he grunted. Giving her a look, he slid his hand down to her waist and patted her bottom warningly. Unperturbed, she just smiled up at him.
Turning his attention back to her sisters, he noticed Jackie was staring at his hand where it was on Maria’s hip, fascinated. Neither Lara nor Ava seemed to have noticed though.
“He’ll do,” Ava said, giving him an amused look. Now that Maria was here she seemed to have dropped the animosity and was actually looking at them with approval. Guess he’d passed her test, although he had no idea exactly what had done it.
Maria’s arrival seemed to indicate it was time to break up the interrogation and the sisters drifted away one by one, allowing him and Maria to wander and find their way into another conversation group. This one close to the food, which was good because Rick was starving.
Okay, so she was showing off Rick a little bit. Maria couldn’t help it. She felt incredibly smug about proving to Jeremy that her boyfriend wasn’t in the least bit imaginary. Plus, Meg, an obnoxious and superficial brat who used to live across the street from Maria and was now home visiting her parents (and therefore unfortunately invited to the barbecue) was practically drooling over Rick. But he had eyes for no one but Maria. The slender redhead looked like she was drowning in jealousy and Maria felt incredibly vindicated after having endured years of Meg’s taunts about how she was fat.
