Merry & Seduced Read online

  “Me too,” Gweneth said.

  “We’re going to hire a van, so we can all fit,” Camryn said.

  “I’ll com you later to say good night,” Gweneth said.

  Amme shot a quick glance toward Marcus who was chatting with Nanu and Jannike. “My com will be on vibrate. Leave a message if I don’t answer straightaway.”

  Amme’s friends were friendly and boisterous and occasionally, they lapsed into a strange series of clicks and grunts that resembled none of the foreign languages he’d heard. He was pretty sure it wasn’t the national language of Romania.

  “When did you fly in?” he asked.

  “Late morning.” Jannike, the tall, blonde Amazon-like woman answered. She sported a plaster on her forehead, and one of her eyes appeared slightly bruised.

  “Ry and I are going back to the farm,” Camryn said. “Thanks again for letting us use your cottage.”

  “Amme is the one doing me a big favor. It’s no problem.”

  Camryn waved and Ry took her arm, steering her from the cottage. “See you tomorrow.”

  Marcus glanced around for Amme. “Where’s Amme?”

  “She has gone back to the house,” Kaya said.

  Marcus tried not to stare, but her hair was a weird color between bright blue and black. Women did the strangest things with their appearance. “Are you all set? Do you need anything?”

  Jannike spoke but it was in those weird and rapid clicks and grunts.

  “English,” Nanu said, his tone sharp and his elbow equally treacherous because Jannike let out a manly oomph.

  “Sorry. We are fine.” Jannike rubbed her ribs and glared at her friend. “Thank you.”

  “Good night,” Marcus said.

  He found Amme in the kitchen. “Are your friends from Romania too?”

  Her quick look held sharpness before it smoothed to a sexy smile. “No, we’re not from the same place. Autumn is still asleep.”

  “Should we wake her for dinner?”

  “No. She should recharge…I mean sleep.”

  “I’ll go and heat the barbecue for the steaks. Would you start the salad? My personal shopper made sure the fridge was stocked.”

  Amme nodded and moved to the fridge. As he left to turn on the barbecue, he thought he heard her muttering under her breath. Damn, he didn’t want to upset her.

  “I can make the salad,” he said.

  “No! I make,” Amme said, her back still to him.

  When he returned, she’d opened a bag of salad leaves and tipped them into a bowl. Tomatoes, olives, cheese, and red onion sat beside a chopping board. She was muttering under her breath.

  “You talk to yourself,” he said.

  She let out a soft eep and whirled around a vegetable knife aimed toward his gut. Immediately, she relaxed and set the knife on the counter. “You creep. Make noise next time.”

  Marcus barked out a laugh. “I can get bells to wear. I came back for the steaks. I think there’s some garlic bread. We’ll have some of that too.” He went to the fridge and found the garlic bread. He pulled out a green cucumber. “I like cucumber in my salad.”

  He’d heat the foil-wrapped garlic bread on the barbecue too. Might as well use the thing. He didn’t think he’d used it more than a handful of times since he purchased it.

  With the steaks on the grill and the bread heating under the hood, he wandered back to the kitchen, whistling this time. Amme was staring at the cucumber as if she’d never seen one before. “I’ll peel it,” he said.

  “I have not had this before,” she said.

  “I think there are some croutons in the pantry. Grab the canister, will you? Might as well use the things since the personal shopper bought them.”

  “You don’t like to shop?”

  “I don’t have time,” Marcus said. “Would you like another glass of wine?”

  “Yes, please.” Amme walked toward the pantry and he heard low muttering again. She sure talked to herself a lot. She disappeared into the pantry and reappeared after a long moment holding the croutons.

  “Did you get lost in there?”

  “No. I was checking your supplies for breakfast cereals and eggs. You don’t have any. Autumn needs a nu-nutritious breakfast.” She stumbled over some of her words, and he had difficulty holding a grin at bay. She was dang cute, and still, she hadn’t tried to flirt with him.

  “Make me a list and I’ll do an online grocery order after we eat. They’ll deliver tomorrow.”

  She nodded. “I check on Autumn.”

  Marcus grinned, a full out, unconcealed grin as she scuttled from the room. This woman is your nanny. You do not need to mess with her. Yet, he couldn’t help watching the sway of her hips and her long legs and curvy butt, outlined by tight denim. The woman was gorgeous and full of sex appeal. Any one of his friends would have hit on her by now. Damn, he wanted to in the worst way.

  “Still asleep,” Amme said. “I made a list.” She tapped her forehead.

  “Paper and pen in the drawer. Back in a sec.” He went out to check the steaks. Perfect. He put them on plates, grabbed the garlic bread and toted them back inside. “Knives, forks in that drawer,” he said. “Can you bring the salad?”

  “I do not need to write list,” she said. “I have superior memory.”

  “Okay.” His lips quirked. “You can help me with the order after dinner.”

  Amme placed the cutlery and the salad on the table. Marcus topped up their wineglasses.

  “I usually eat by myself or grab take away.”

  She frowned as if she didn’t understand.

  “Chinese or Indian food. They’re my favorites. Sometimes I get pizza.”

  She nodded.

  “Some salad?”

  She frowned again. “Yes, please.” She stared at him, her gaze skimming his hair and other features to land on his lips.

  The air whooshed from Marcus’s lungs and every single bit of blood roared south, leaving him lightheaded and breathless. She blinked, a slow bat of eyelashes, and glanced at the salad. Oh yeah. Salad. He sucked in a quick breath and used a pair of tongs to place salad on her plate.

  “Bread?”

  “It smells funny.”

  “That’s the garlic,” he said pleased to have something else to concentrate on instead fighting the urge to stare at her like an uncouth youth. “Have you not tried garlic bread before?”

  “No.”

  “Try a piece. You don’t have to finish it if the bread isn’t to your taste.” He opened the foil while he spoke and tore off a piece. He handed it to her and grabbed two slices for himself. He added salad to his plate and willed himself to behave. “What’s the verdict on the bread?”

  She chewed and swallowed, which would have been fine, but the shiny smear of butter at the corner of her mouth almost did him in. Hell, he usually controlled himself better. What was it about this woman that drove him crazy? His cock was almost full mast and his trouser fabric fought the expansion. He shifted on his seat, but it didn’t make a blind bit of difference.

  “It’s very tasty,” she said and took another bite.

  The smear of butter remained, and he couldn’t help himself.

  “You have some butter…” He reached over and used his thumb to stroke away the smear. “That’s better.”

  She studied him, seemingly frozen by the physical contact and he silently cursed himself. Damn, he’d frightened her. He shot her another look and caught her gaze. Her whiskey eyes glowed with a weird inner light. He blinked, and when he checked again, they appeared normal.

  “I want to kiss you,” she blurted.

  Marcus gaped, because she hadn’t shown a single indication of being aware of him as a man. “Yes,” he said, and his voice emerged in an unmanly croak.

  Her forehead wrinkled. “You want this?”

  “Yes, but I don’t want to mess things up between us. I need your help with Autumn.”

  “Autumn is a sweetie. I will not leave you until my holiday ends. This I promise. It is not in my nature to break my vows.”

  Marcus stared again, nonplussed by her words and by the certainty and determination inherent in them. This woman was odd but in a good way. It was clear she held strong values. No. No, he couldn’t mess this up. “I don’t think kissing is appropriate.”

  Her brows rose. “I repulse you?”

  “No, not at all. It’s more important for me to focus on Autumn.” Marcus meant it. This wasn’t a line, spun to get a woman in bed. He cut a piece of steak and popped it into his mouth.

  She nodded. “Camryn explained this to me. We will get to know each other first, then you can kiss me and we will have sex.”

  Marcus almost choked. He managed to swallow and reached for his wine, taking a big gulp while he gawked at Amme.

  “Did I say something wrong? Do you not want to kiss me or have sex with me? I have been told I am very good at sex.”

  Marcus’s mouth worked but his brain didn’t. The words he wanted to say didn’t transmit. Somehow, he’d lost control of the situation.

  “Marcus? Do you not want this?”

  He wanted to laugh. His cock was so hard he suspected it would bear zipper marks. What he wanted was to haul Amme off to bed. “I w-would—” She’d reduced him to stutters. Him. One of the most powerful businessmen in the southern hemisphere. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I want this, but we will go at my pace.” His words emerged in a stern growl.

  “Yes, Marcus.” Amme picked up her knife and fork and began to cut her steak. She ate with ladylike manners. “Autumn will require more clothes. Camryn says we will go to the beach. She will need a swimsuit.”

  Marcus blinked but decided to go with the subject change. Maybe a discussion of clothes and his daughter would reduce
the swelling of his cock.

  “I’ll give you a credit card to make purchases for Autumn.”

  “Can I buy a Christmas tree?”

  “I can arrange that,” Marcus said.

  “Can we buy one for the cottage too?”

  “Yes. You’ll need to purchase decorations. Camryn will know the best place to get those.”

  “I like this garlic bread.”

  “How is the steak?”

  “Okay. I enjoy the salad better.”

  Marcus paused. “Are you a vegetarian?”

  “My system likes vegetables better.”

  Her system? That was an odd way of putting it. “We’ll order extra vegetables then.”

  Once they’d finished dinner Amme went to check on Autumn, her diligence and concern for his daughter impressing the hell out of him. Of course, it was early days, but he thought he’d lucked out. It was a shame she’d leave, but depending on how things went, maybe he could persuade Amme to stay when her friends left.

  Amme returned and helped him clean up the kitchen.

  “You don’t have to help,” he said. “Go and relax in the lounge.”

  “No, I like to feel useful,” she said.

  “I’m just rinsing the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.”

  “Show me,” Amme said. “I want to learn.”

  “All right,” Marcus said. Maybe they didn’t have dishwashers where she came from. “You stand the plates up in this section. Knives and forks here. Glasses and cups here. Pots here. Where did you and your friends fly in from?”

  “I’ve decided to buy a bikini. That will allow more skin to show. Camryn said it is not proper to go naked in public here.”

  The dish Marcus had picked up slid from between his fingers. It hit the counter and bounced on the floor before smashing.

  “Oh, it’s broken,” Amme said.

  “Don’t move. I’ll get a broom,” Marcus said and scurried away to the utility room.

  This woman was going to drive him into Crazy town. Now that she’d mentioned naked, he couldn’t get the vision his imagination conjured out of his mind.

  Naked.

  Yes, please.

  His hand bore a noticeable tremor when he reached for the broom. With the dustpan in hand, he strode back to the kitchen to find Amme carefully picking up the larger pieces.

  “If you cut yourself, I’m going to put you over my knee and spank you,” Marcus snapped. “I told you not to move.”

  “Oh, I enjoy spanking,” Amme said. “It fires my receptors and makes the sex really good.”

  The broom slipped through his fingers and hit the floor. He glared at Amme. “Stop talking.” Hell’s bells. The erection that had finally subsided took on new life, and Marcus sighed inwardly. No doubt about it. Amme was going to give his willpower a real workout.

  Chapter Four

  Amme glanced at Autumn. She seemed happy enough in her car seat. She was sitting beside Gweneth and the two were conversing. Perfect because Gweneth was too young to hear what she wanted to discuss with Camryn and the others.

  “He threatened to spank me,” Amme blurted, no longer able to hold in the information.

  “What?” Jannike asked.

  “No,” Kaya said and clapped her hands together.

  “How did the subject come up?” Camryn demanded. “Damn thing. Get in gear.”

  A horrid crunch came from the engine.

  “Let me do it before you break our transport,” Amme said. “You’re the person who was born on this planet. I thought you could work their machines. Which position do you want?”

  “One,” Camryn said. “My foot is on the clutch now. I used to drive automatic vehicles.”

  Amme reached over and slid the gear into the correct position. She was good at retaining information. Once she heard instructions, she never forgot.

  “I told him I wanted to kiss him,” Amme said.

  The van hopped once before Camryn managed to get it working. “Was that before or after I told you how to make a salad?”

  “After. We had this stuff called garlic bread. He wiped some food off my mouth. He looked as if he wanted to kiss me, so I gave him permission.”

  “Not quite the same thing,” Kaya said and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Your ear is showing,” Jannike said. “It still looks pointy to me.”

  Kaya wrinkled her pert nose and rearranged her hair. “Tell us what happened.”

  “Nothing,” Amme said, still disappointed. “Autumn woke during the night and screamed. I was in with her, trying to calm her down. She said there were monsters hiding in the wardrobe. I was checking for monsters and doing a go-monster spell when Marcus walked into the bedroom. He took one look at me and got this weird expression, as if he were in severe pain.”

  “What were you wearing?” Camryn asked.

  “No, more to the point, what was he wearing?” Jannike asked.

  “I had on a T-shirt and my jeans,” Amme said.

  “Bad move,” Kaya said. “We need to get her some of that Earth lingerie stuff today. First stop.”

  “And a swimsuit. I told him I was going to get a bikini, but usually I didn’t wear anything when I was swimming.”

  Camryn barked out a laugh at the same time as she changed gear, ready to turn onto the main road. The van jumped forward in a series of jerky hops.

  “That does it,” Amme said. “Describe the road rules and the van controls, so I can drive us back home. We have a child in this vehicle. I favor the idea of lingerie.”

  “I hope you have plenty of currency,” Jannike said to Camryn. “I want some of this lingerie stuff too.”

  Amme had never had such a fun day, and they arrived back at Marcus’s house with lots of parcels. Even Autumn was laughing and happily chattering with the other women.

  “When are we going to the beach?” Autumn asked.

  “We’ve run out of time today, but we can have a swim in the pool,” Amme said.

  “I can’t swim,” the child said. “I can float and started to learn to paddle like a dog.”

  “I’ll teach you,” Camryn said.

  Amme pulled up in front of the house. “Let’s unload everything here and sort out our packages inside. I’ll make coffee.”

  “Ooh, listen to Amme,” Kaya said to Jannike. “The lady hostess.”

  “No biscuits for you,” Amme said. “We have some. We ordered chocolate chip cookies on the internet last night.” She climbed out and opened the rear door to let Autumn out of her car seat.

  “I want to try some more of that chocolate stuff,” Kaya said.

  “Me too,” Jannike said.

  “God,” Camryn muttered. “I thought the shop owner was going to have a coronary when you two started eating all her samples.”

  “She offered them to us,” Kaya said.

  Camryn chuckled. “True, but next time just take one, not a handful.”

  The other women clambered out of the van and divvied up the parcels.

  Amme led Autumn into the kitchen and sat her at the kitchen counter. “You wait there while I help the others with the packages.”

  Autumn nodded. “I want a swim.”

  “As soon as we get organized,” Amme promised. “And we have to blow up the wings to help you float.”

  “I didn’t realize we’d purchased so many things,” Camryn said.

  “Will it be all right?” Jannike asked. “You have enough currency?”

  “My first husband had a lot of money,” Camryn said. “Gabriel had it invested and the interest has mounted up while I’ve been away. Plus there is the sale proceeds from our apartment that I sold. Luckily, I wasn’t stupid enough to spend all my money when I was drunk.”

  “Lucky for us,” Amme said and gave Camryn a one-armed hug. “Thank you for sharing your currency with us.”

  Camryn shrugged. “You’re my family. Besides, it’s not as if I’m going to get back to Earth very often.”

  And it was true. They were a family. They might bicker and tease each other, but if any one of them required help it wasn’t necessary to ask. “Until Gweneth and I joined the Indy, I’d never had a family,” Amme said. “It makes my heart-pump swell.”

  “Your heart,” Camryn said with a smile. “It makes your heart full.”

  “Enough with the mushy stuff,” Jannike said in her usual tough manner. “I need to eat then I want to see what happens to my new swimsuit when it gets wet.” She held up a tiny suit and doubt furrowed her brow as she scowled at the bright orange-and-black fabric. “I was surprised it fit me.”