Cheating at Our Overbooked BnB - 2

On the way back to the event, the driver makes a stop at the grocery store so I can grab some of Ellen's favorite items--brie cheese and some water crackers, a package of chocolate-covered shortbread cookies, and a bottle of Chardonnay.

When I arrive back at the farm, the author meet-and-greet is in full swing. Everyone is seated at the round tables outside, and the staff's been busy arranging flowers and hanging decorative lighting to set the mood for the book signing tomorrow. They've even tied pastel satin bows along the fence around the pasture where the Holsteins are grazing.

The irony of hosting a cowboy romance event at a dairy farm isn't lost on me, but I'm not about to say anything.

I spot Ellen seated with a few of the other authors at a round dinner table near the pasture. Her all-time favorite romance author, Jane Bryant, is directly across from her, and by the tension in my wife's shoulders, I know she's feeling a little intimidated. But she's giving it her all, smiling and participating in the conversation.

She catches my eye, then waves me over.

"Hold on. That was you. You and Maddy Graves co-wrote All That I Was. Isn't that right?" Jane appears sincerely incredulous.

"Yes," Ellen nods. "We'd always talked about collaborating on a book someday, and last year the stars aligned."

"My God. The character development. The way you revealed the depth of his wounds. It was heart-wrenching."

"Thank you. We were really happy with how it came together."

"You should be."

Ellen beams with pride as she catches my eye, and I feel a stab of shame.

I was craving another woman while my wife was here, doing her best to put herself out there. Trusting in me completely--never once suspecting that I would get up to something illicit while I was away.

Ellen gestures for me to join the group, so I pull up a chair a little apart from the group.

"Who's this handsome guy?" Jane cracks.

"This is my husband, Liam." Ellen rests her palm on my thigh as I sit beside her. "So how's the place, hun?"

"Oh... Well--" I know better than to throw her off with some unexpected news when she's already stressed about the present company. "It seems fine."

"Just fine?" Her brow furrows. "I thought you said it looked incredible in the photos."

"Oh! Yeah. I mean, it is. It looks great. Better than expected, even."

She laughs. "Ok, so way better than fine?"

"Right. Sure." I nod a little too eagerly. "Yes."

She's studying my face, and I already sense she's picking up on something. Ellen's always been too intuitive for her own good.

"Are you all right?" she asks, leaning in closer and dropping her volume.

"Yes. Why?"

"I don't know." She tilts her head. "You seem a little... off, that's all. Sure you're feeling all right?"

Actually, I'm feeling like a shit heel. Sweating all over.

I need some air.

"I'm good. Just gonna step to the bar and grab a beer. Anyone need anything?"

The ladies indicate they're fine on drinks, and Ellen touches a finger to her half-full glass of wine--her eyes still intense on me. "I'm set."

But as I shove my chair back, I bump into someone passing behind me.

"Oh no!" a woman at our table yelps.

I jump from my seat to find a shapely young woman sprawled across the ground over a tangled coil of string lights.

"I'm so sorry." But as I reach to help her up, I spy the zippers crisscrossing the back pockets of those short shorts.

Holy shit.

Chloe tilts her face up, and her eyes widen in surprise. "Liam? What are you doing here?"

"Oh." I spin toward Ellen, suddenly at a loss for words. "I... uh--"

"Hold on." Ellen's jaw drops open. "You know her?"

"Well--" I stammer, glancing back to Chloe. "Actually, it's a funny thing. So... uh..." But then I realize Chloe's still on the ground on all fours.

"Sorry." I extend my arm to help her up.

Her fingers are delicate in my hand. As I help her to her feet, I try to ignore the sizzle of heat I feel passing between us. Even with Ellen sitting right beside me, I have to force myself to let go.

"Thanks." Chloe untangles her legs from the loops of string lights.

"Liam, what's going on?" Ellen's staring me down.

"Right. Like I was saying. Um, Chloe, this is my wife, Ellen." I rest my hand possessively on Ellen's arm.

"Nice to meet you," Chloe says with a grin. "Your husband and I got acquainted earlier."

"You what?" Daggers shoot from my wife's eyes.

"Well-- What she means is..." I clear my throat, desperately searching for the right words.

But Ellen's eyes are already steeped in white-hot jealousy. "What is this about?"

A cold sweat trickles down my spine. "Right. So I was gonna tell you later tonight, babe. After the, uh--" I gesture to the authors around the table.

Chloe cuts in, "Oh, shit!" She covers her mouth with both hands. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize he hadn't told you yet."

Ellen scowls. "Told me what, exactly?" Her cheeks blanch, the way they always do when she's jealous.

"I'll be staying with you guys. Sharing the BnB this weekend."

"You invited her to stay with us?"

Every one of the authors raises their eyebrows, conspicuously sipping their drinks as Ellen stares straight at me--her eyes seething with anger.

My pulse hammers in my ears. "No, babe. It was just a mix-up. The rental was double-booked, so..." I'm shaking my head. "At first I thought, well, we should find a new place to stay, you know--since Chloe was already there. But then--"

"But then, what?" Her tone tightens as red blotches spread across her chest and her neck.

"Well--" I stammer. We both know I'm full of shit right now, but I can't stop myself. "Anyway, I thought we would find a new place, but then Chloe offered to sleep on the couch. So you and I will take the bedroom, and..."

"Seriously. It's no big deal," Chloe adds. "I told him, you know, that you guys would basically have the place yourselves 'cause I'd be here helping my sister with everything--"

"I'm sorry. Who's your sister?" Ellen cuts in.

"Michelle. Michelle Lynn. She's the one running this event."

"Oh." Ellen's expression softens a little.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised you couldn't tell, because we couldn't be more different. Michelle's so put together--organized, business-minded. Cool as a cucumber under pressure. But me?" Chloe throws out her best jazz hands. "I'm a hot mess."

But she pops her chest out a little as she says it, and my eyes slide straight down her cleavage to that silly little zipper.

I catch myself, looking away. But it's too late.

Ellen's cheeks grow another shade paler.

"Anyway," Chloe rattles on, "I told your husband not to worry. That I'd make sure we all had a good time."

I close my eyes for a moment, afraid to even look at Ellen's expression after that comment. But when I finally do, I'm shocked to see something other than jealousy and anger flaring there. There's heat underneath her gaze. A deep red flush blooms over her cheeks.

"Is that so?" she asks me, her voice a touch softer now.

"Yup." I flash her a sheepish grin. "That pretty much... sums it up."

Small peaks form beneath her bra as her nipples tighten. "I see."

"Anyway, I should get these lights up before it's dark." Chloe gives us a little wave as she walks backward a few steps. "See you guys at the house later?"

Ellen's eyes never leave mine. "It looks that way."

I manage to keep my eyes off of Chloe's incredible ass as she retreats toward the barn. But I need some air. Fast. "You know what? I'm gonna go grab that beer."

"All right. Let's go." Ellen stands, hooking her arm in mine.

"I'm so sorry about how that went down," I say quietly as we step into line at the bar.

She's shaking her head. "Tell me the truth. Right now." Her tone is hushed. "Did you agree to let her stay because..." She sucks a sharp breath and holds it for a moment. "Because you want to fuck her?"

"What?" I manage an awkward chuckle. "Of course not."

"Oh my God." She rolls her eyes, but a slight smile tugs at the corner of her mouth--disarming me. "You're so obvious. It's written all over your face."

I wink. "Is it?"

"Yes."

"All right. I wouldn't kick her out of bed, if that's what you're asking."

She snorts a laugh, but her cheeks flush a little deeper--her eyelids lowering slightly. I know she's imagining Chloe and me in bed together.

I slide my palm over her ass, squeezing gently. "You're getting wet just thinking about it."

"Am not." She turns away, but a smile spreads across her face as I squeeze her ass once more.

But out of the corner of my eye, I spot Chloe gingerly climbing a ladder at the side of the barn. She struggles to align the hammer over a small nail, and I shamelessly watch her round ass jiggle as she pounds it into the wall.

Ellen glances over her shoulder to see where I'm looking, then back to me. "Oh, my God. Stop!"

I laugh. "All right. All right."

"You're a married man." She chides, but her tone is rich now. Sultry.

"That's right, I am," I whisper in her ear. "Admit that it's getting you hot."

"No." She answers too quickly.

"Mm-hmm." I move in close, kissing her neck. "You sure about that?"

When I drag my thumb discreetly over the peak of her nipple, her breath catches.

"All right. Maybe a little."

"That's right." I trail my thumb under the curves of her small breasts.

We shuffle forward a spot in line.

"But just so we're clear, I don't like this arrangement," she whispers.

"Is that so?" My lips graze the shell of her ear, and her breath quickens.

"Yes, that's so."

"Never know. Might be fun."

She squints up at me. "For you, maybe." But her tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip.

I cup her jaw in my palm, kissing her gently. "Seems like maybe for both of us."

"You're mean," she whispers.

"Nah. I just know what my woman likes." I shoot her a naughty grin.

She shakes her head as we step up to the bar.

"What can I get you, sir?" The bartender's question snaps me out of the haze.

"Bottle of your IPA, please."

I make the purchase, but when I turn back to Ellen, her eyes are on Chloe. Her cheeks are red-hot--her body steeped in that potent mix of jealousy and arousal.

Whatever happens tonight, I'm in for a good time.