Page 70 of The More the Merrier

“And where were you last night?” She glared at him, removing his arm from her shoulders.

Blaze eyed her, his look far from being that of a man scolded and appearing more like a man getting ready to rebuke her. But before he could say another word, another man stepped up beside Blaze.

Claire felt his energy. It was familiar, although she couldn’t put her finger on how. She knew she had never met him before because there was no way in hell she would have forgotten him.

The man was drop-dead gorgeous, his eyes steel blue, and though they looked serious, they also held a hint of curiosity. He was large, equal to Blaze who towered over every other man who worked for the company back home.

Her eyes continued to roam over Blaze’s companion, noting his suit was casual but fit perfectly, stretching across his massive, masculine thighs. His shirt barely contained the rippling muscles it housed and yet she could tell that everything he wore was custom and he would not burst through any of it. Everything about the man screamed sexy GQ on steroids.

“Claire, this is your new boss, Gregor James.”

Gregor James? He wasthe boss.Holy crab snacks!

“Claire, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Gregor held out his hand.

She knew her jaw had dropped at the sound of his voice. She knew she looked like a guppy as she struggled to formulate her response. But how could she take his hand and speak knowing she spent the entire night with this man, getting spanked and screwed in every position imaginable?

“I’m sorry, there must be some mistake.” Claire did not reciprocate by taking Gregor’s hand, instead offering Blaze an incredulous look before turning and running out of the room, sobbing. But not before seeing the look on Gregor’s face change from surprise to admission. Despite the masks, she knew he recognized her as well. The question was now that he knew who she was, what would he think of her?

Claire raced away from the room, forgetting she was in business attire, forgetting she was in a snowy ski town and as her platform heels hit the snow, Claire went sliding. Hands caught her just in time to keep her from colliding with a wooden pole.

“Whoa there, beautiful. What’s the rush?”

Claire gazed up into the most incredible green eyes she’d ever seen. Attached to a face almost too beautiful to belong to a human being and more reminiscent of a God from the Greek mythology she read about in school.

“I’m sorry.” she straightened. “I’m ah, I’m…” She couldn’t finish her sentence as fresh tears welled in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, I need to go.”

Behind her, Blaze called her name. She looked desperately at her rescuer. “Please, can you help me? I need to calm down before I can face him.”

The stranger glanced up when her name was called a second time. A series of undefinable expressions skittered over his too handsome face at an alarming rate before settling on mischievous. Claire let out a squeak of surprise when he scooped her up in his arms and took off in the opposite direction at a pace that would rival an Olympic runner.

Claire wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on for dear life until they came to a stop at a fabulous little coffee shop that was conveniently almost empty. He deposited her in a corner away from the window.

“Stay put, Marian, I’ll be right back with a cup of perfection.”

Claire stayed put mostly because she couldn’t leave, even if she wanted to. And partly because she was curious about the handsome stranger. Her rescuer returned a few minutes later with two steaming mugs of chocolate topped four inches high with whip cream and covered with chocolate sprinkles. In his other hand was a plate of chocolate goodies. Claire tried not to salivate. The wonderful aromas reminded her she hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday. Claire smiled at the bounty, then at her rescuer.

“This is perfect. How did you know?”

“When a lady is having a meltdown, chocolate helps.” He winked at her with that mischievous glint in his eye again.

Claire smiled, lowering her guard for the first time since she’d arrived. “Why did you call me Marian?”

“Because I am Robin Hood, of course, coming to the aid of the fair Maid Marian.”

Claire blushed. He called her fair. That was a lot better than pale. A comment she’d heard frequently in the past.

“Thank you, Sir Robin, for bestowing on me these lovely gifts to satisfy my emotional needs.” Claire giggled as Robin pretended to remove a hat and bow.

“At your service, m’lady.”

Claire had no idea who Robin really was and didn’t really care. Right now, she was content to have her chocolate and allow him to take care of her needs.

“Dare I ask, fair maiden, what had you running out of the Aegir in heels, almost breaking your neck?”

Claire had been around Blaze long enough to recognize that protective instinct in a male Dom. Which she appreciated… okay,mostlyappreciated, but sometimes it was too much, Blaze was too much, but Robin didn’t ask his question with a disapproving note lacing his tone as Blaze did. A tone that had the effect of her wanting to hide her head.

“Seriously, I don’t think you’d want to know. Not only is it stupid, but it’s also embarrassing.”

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