Creation of Desire: Reassuring Rachel [More Desire, Oklahoma 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  More Desire, Oklahoma 3

  Creation of Desire: Reassuring Rachel

  Running a business and caring for a sick baby didn’t leave Rachel Jackson much time or energy for her beloved husbands, a fact that hit her hard when she learned that her husbands’ ex-lover had been calling them for days, and neither Boone nor Chase had told her.

  She believed them when they told her that they’d kept it from her to protect her, but their deception hurt her and shook her confidence.

  How could she hope to compete with such a beautiful and sophisticated woman—a woman who’d had the ability to hurt them deeply?

  Mona’s appearance brought back the insecurities Rachel had spent months struggling to hide—the fear that Boone and Chase had only married her because she carried their child.

  While trying to reassure Rachel that Mona meant nothing to them, they dismissed their ex-girlfriend’s persistence as a nuisance, underestimating her determination to get them back.

  It was a mistake they regretted, one that almost cost Rachel her life.

  Genre: Contemporary, Menage a Trois/Quatre

  Length: 35,807 words

  CREATION OF DESIRE: REASSURING RACHEL

  More Desire, Oklahoma 3

  Leah Brooke

  MENAGE EVERLASTING

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

  REASSURING RACHEL

  Copyright © 2015 by Leah Brooke

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-727-5

  First E-book Publication: January 2015

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Creation of Desire: Reassuring Rachel by Leah Brooke from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

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  This is Leah Brooke’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Leah Brooke’s right to earn a living from her work.

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  About the Author

  CREATION OF DESIRE: REASSURING RACHEL

  More Desire, Oklahoma 3

  LEAH BROOKE

  Copyright © 2015

  Chapter One

  Rachel Jackson patted her daughter’s back and glanced bleary-eyed at the clock, knowing that she’d never get ready for work on time. “I know, baby. Momma knows.”

  Her daughter had been teething for the last several days, and on top of that, had somehow caught a cold and started running a fever. The combination had meant several sleepless nights in a row, and worn Rachel to a frazzle.

  Beyond tired, she dropped into one of the kitchen chairs, rubbing Theresa Rose’s back as she rocked her. “Yes, baby. I know.”

  The baby let out another cry, shoving her hand into her mouth and kicking her feet, making it harder for Rachel’s tired arms to hold onto her.

  “Easy, sweetheart. I know those teeth hurt. Poor baby. That medicine should be working soon, baby.”

  “Hey!” Her husband, Chase, came into the room, his hair still damp from his shower. He looked and smelled delicious, while she looked and smelled terrible. With a frown, he reached for his daughter, who stopped crying instantly and raised her arms. “What’s all this?” Holding her against his shoulder, he turned to smile at Rachel. “Hey, did I see a tooth?”

  Once again enthralled by the sight of Theresa, who looked even tinier and more fragile in her daddy’s arms, Rachel smiled tiredly and nodded. “Yes. It finally came through last night, but I think we’re still waiting for another one.”

  Theresa let out another small whimper, gripping a tiny fistful of her daddy’s T-shirt and laying her head trustingly on his wide shoulder. With a yawn, she closed her eyes and was asleep almost immediately.

  Dressed in pink pajamas with white bunnies on the front, and with her soft curls mussed, she looked adorable as she slept trustingly against her daddy’s chest.

  Chase bent forward, his overlong hair brushing against Theresa’s as he bent to touch his lips to her soft hair. He eyed Rachel, his eyes narrowing with concern. “And you’ve been up with her for hours, haven’t you?”

  Rachel shrugged, her eyes burning with the effort to keep them open. “I’m fine.”

  “Uh-huh.” Dressed in a plain white T-shirt and jeans that hugged his narrow hips and tight ass, he moved easily around the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee as he rocked their daughter. “Do you think she should see the doctor again, or will she be all right now?”

  Rising to her feet, Rachel bit back a moan as she went to get another cup of coffee, waving away Chase’s attempt to pour it for her. “Her fever finally broke about five thirty this morning. She should be feeling better now.” Leaning back against the counter, she sipped at the fresh brew, hoping it would help her wake up. “She’ll probably sleep all day.”

  Rachel wished she could do the same. Just the thought of facing the day made her wan
t to cry.

  She was just so damned tired.

  Chase set his cup aside, frowning as he wrapped an arm around her. Pulling her close, he bent to touch his lips to her forehead. “And be wide awake again tonight while you’re trying to sleep.” He stared down at her, his eyes narrowed as they searched hers. “I think it’s time for you to realize that you can’t do this alone. I know I’m sick and tired of seeing you do this to yourself. You’re exhausted. I’ll take over tonight. I’ll sleep in the sofa with her, and you can sleep with Boone.”

  Shaking her head, Rachel moved away. “No. You and Boone work with a lot of power tools and I don’t want either one of you sleep deprived. Give her to me. You’ve already showered and I’m still covered with apple juice, the medicine that she spit back at me, and spit-up.” Running a hand through her hair, she grimaced at the tangles she encountered, knowing she must look a mess.

  She also smelled awful.

  “No. I don’t know what your problem is with accepting our help with our daughter, but it’s over.” Chase shook his head, his features hardening. “You’ve got to stop thinking you can do it all yourself. We let you have your way because we know you’ve been worried about her, but enough is enough. I’ve got her. She’s half-asleep. Why don’t you go ahead and take your shower while Theresa and I have a little chat?”

  Despite her exhaustion, Rachel smiled at the rush of heat his devilish smile sent through her. They hadn’t made love in days, and she missed it, but she was so tired that every time she closed her eyes, she fell asleep. She didn’t have the energy to make love anymore and it scared her. “Thank you. I won’t be long. I want to finish my coffee first, though. I need all the caffeine I can get today.”

  “I know. You’re going to drink it all day and make yourself sick.” Rubbing Theresa’s back, he rocked back and forth, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Something tells me our chat is going to be a little one-sided, but I’ll get her dressed and change her diaper again while we have a nice long conversation.”

  Watching him go, Rachel sighed and finished her coffee, listening to the sound of Chase’s low voice as he disappeared down the hall. She could still hear the shower running, and hurried to join her other husband, Boone, before he got out. Hoping the shower would help her wake up a little more, she smiled at the thought of running her hands over Boone while he was naked and wet. He’d gone without sex for more than a week, and it had to be frustrating for him.

  She started out of the room, pausing at the sound of a cell phone ringing.

  With a curse, she followed the sound to Boone’s cell phone on the counter. The knowledge that he and Chase used their cell phones for their construction business had her grabbing the pen and paper they kept on the counter before answering.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello.”

  Rachel stiffened at the husky feminine voice, alarm bells going off in her head. It wasn’t unusual for women to hire them, but something about this one set her teeth on edge. “Yes, can I help you?”

  After a brief pause, the woman blew out a breath. “Put Boone on.” The demand in the sultry voice had a surge of adrenaline rushing through Rachel’s veins.

  “He’s busy.” Gritting her teeth, she forced a cool politeness into her tone. “May I take a message?” When she caught herself trying to smooth her hair and straightening her stained nightgown, she inwardly cursed at her own insecurity.

  “Oh. He’s probably still in the shower. I thought he’d be showered and dressed by now.” The other woman laughed softly. “He’s magnificent in the shower, isn’t he? They both are. If Boone’s busy, let me talk to Chase. God, he’s so playful and inventive in bed, isn’t he?”

  Finding it suddenly difficult to breathe, Rachel pressed a hand to her stomach, struggling to keep her coffee down. “Who is this?”

  Dizzy, she clung to the counter.

  It had happened to her mother, and Rachel had sworn to herself that she’d never let it happen to her.

  “I’m Mona. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.” Her voice dropped, the challenge in it unmistakable. “Boone’s and Chase’s lover.”

  Rachel’s hand tightened on the phone, bile rising in her throat as she recognized the name from their past. “I believe you mean ex-lover.”

  Even though she told herself that this woman had to be lying about being their lover, her knees shook, the fear of losing Boone and Chase so intense, it actually made her stomach hurt.

  Mona’s twinkling laugh grated on her nerves and made the pain spread. “I can see they haven’t told you that we’ve…renewed our acquaintance. Hmm, interesting. Well, I’m sure they’ll tell you when they’re ready. When I talked to Boone last night, he told me that it was a bad time to talk and to call him this morning. I’m sure he’ll call me as soon as he can.”

  Gritting her teeth again, Rachel glanced toward the doorway. She would have liked to believe that neither Boone nor Chase would ever cheat on her, but they’d had a relationship with this woman in the past—something Rachel knew she would be stupid to ignore. “I’ll be sure to tell him you called.”

  She definitely would.

  Later—when she wasn’t so damned tired, and when she figured out just what to say.

  Mona sighed. “I really do feel sorry for you, you know. Boone, Chase and I are so good together.” Mona’s voice lowered and took on an edge that sent another chill through Rachel. “Don’t try to get in the way. You played it real good—getting pregnant and forcing them to marry you—but you had to know it wouldn’t be enough to keep them.”

  Rachel gripped the counter tighter. “Good-bye, Mona.” Disconnecting, she cursed and started to toss the phone onto the counter, pausing at the last second. Lifting the phone again, she quietly went to the doorway and listened to see what Chase and Boone were doing.

  Mona had gotten to her, and she was already spying on her husbands.

  Chase still spoke to Theresa from the nursery. “Yes. You’re Daddy’s little girl and when you’re older, and those boys come sniffing around you, Daddy’s going to scare them all off. Yes, he is. You think that’s funny, do you?”

  Smiling at his sing-song tone, she blinked back tears, hoping that he would still be around when Theresa was old enough to date.

  Tuning him out, she listened for Boone, jolting when she realized that she could no longer hear the shower running. Her heart raced at the sound of drawers opening and closing in the master bedroom, and she knew she didn’t have much time.

  Calling herself all kinds of a fool, and cursing Mona’s small victory, she searched through Boone’s phone for incoming calls, her heart lurching when she saw that Mona had called several times over the last several days.

  Neither Boone nor Chase had said a word about it.

  Uneasy that they had kept it from her, she set the phone aside, straightening when she heard Chase coming back toward the kitchen.

  The knots in her stomach tightened as he approached, the inner struggle with the decision of whether to ask them about the calls or not making her sick to her stomach.

  Chase appeared in the doorway with their daughter sound asleep on his shoulder. “She’s worn out.” His smile fell as he reached out to grip her chin, his eyes narrowing on her features. “So’s her momma. You look beat, baby.”

  Self-conscious, she ran her hand over her hair, grimacing as she straightened and retied her stained robe. “I know. I’m going to go take a shower.”

  Pulling from his grip, she sidestepped him and made her way down the hall just as Boone emerged from the bedroom.

  His gaze lifted to hers and sharpened. “Good morning, honey. How’s Theresa?” Gathering her against him, he rocked her, rubbing her back. “You look like hell, baby. Didn’t you get any sleep at all?”

  “A little. Her fever broke this morning, and she has a tooth.” She hugged him just a little bit closer, burrowing against his chest. “Thanks for getting up with me.”

  A surge of love brought tears to her eyes, the sen
se of failure sharp and depressing, sucking the last of her energy from her.

  Cupping the back of her head, he held her even closer as if knowing she needed it. “A lot of good it did either one of you. I was watching you rock her and when she started to drift off, so did I.”

  “You were tired.” Lifting her head, she stepped away from the security and warmth of his arms, the doubts clawing at her and chilling her from the inside. She wanted to confront him about the call, knowing it would drive her crazy until she did, but she was so tired that she couldn’t even think straight.

  She couldn’t bear the thought of them finding in another woman’s arms what they couldn’t find in hers.

  Anger and the feeling of incompetence swelled inside her.

  Mona’s phone call had changed everything, and filled her with a sense of failure that she couldn’t ignore.

  She had to shake it off before she could confront them, or she feared she’d make a mistake that could cost her everything. “I’m going to take a quick shower. Chase has Theresa in the kitchen. I’ll be out in a little while.”

  * * * *

  Frowning, Boone followed his wife into the bedroom and reached for her.

  Her long brown curls that he loved to play with so much didn’t shine the way they usually did, and had become a tangled mess around her face.

  Her brilliant blue eyes seemed lackluster and so dark with fatigue that they made her pale features appear even paler.

  Still, she was the most beautiful women he’d ever seen.

  He loved her so much, it scared him sometimes, and he didn’t know what he’d ever do without her in his life. His only complaint about her was that she tried to do too much and ended up wearing herself out.