Lucy's Liberation [Elk Creek 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Gigi Moore

grinned as he turned the corner to see her standing on the fifth step of a ladder, jotting down information in a journal.
    He walked over to her, determined to knock down this wall of formality she insisted on erecting around him. He could barely get her to call him Hezekiah, much less Ki, and he knew that she insisted on addressing him as Mr. Benjamin to keep her emotional distance.
    She was a clever girl, but he was cleverer.
    “I beg to differ, Mrs. Peyton.”
    “Don’t call me that.”
    “I won’t call you Mrs. Peyton if you stop calling me Mr. Benjamin.”
    She sighed and shook her head as she began to descend the ladder.
    Ki saw her blunder a second before her foot missed the next-to-the-last rung and flew out from under her. She pitched backward and he shot out his arms to catch her before the back of her head would have cracked against the hardwood floor.
    “Good Lord!” She gasped.
    “A simple thank you will suffice.”
    She burst out laughing and he knew it was against her will when she instantly tried to squelch her amusement. “Thank you for saving my life or at least keeping my noggin from a good knocking.”
    “You’re more than welcome, but I do have a favor to ask.”
    “And since you just rescued me from a fate worse than me having a right bell-ringing I will be obligated to grant it, no doubt.”
    “No doubt.” Ki grinned. “I’d appreciate it if you would stop calling me Mr. Benjamin.”
    Her lashes fluttered as she ducked her head and her creamy-peach cheeks flushed red. “You can put me down now,” she whispered.
    “I’d actually rather not.”
    She jerked up her head to look at him and his breath caught in his chest at the sight of her luminous, greenish-gray eyes staring at him.
    “Ki, I’m at work. Please put me down.”
    “Well, since you used my name, I suppose I can do no less than comply.”
    Grudgingly he loosened his hold on her, letting her slide down the front of his body until her feet finally made contact with the floor. He instantly missed the feel of her full, soft breasts pressed against his chest and knew that his cock was making an impression against the front of his trousers. He could feel the buttons digging into his hard, sensitive flesh.
    This young woman was going to be the death of him!
    Just as he thought this, Lucy bent to retrieve her journal and pencil. He looked at her inviting round ass and thought of all sorts of things he wanted to do to it. Spanking and mounting it were the most popular choices crowding his already-overactive imagination.
    “So, what brings you to the shop today?”
    Ki cleared his throat before responding. “Can’t I just want to spend time with you?”
    “Ki, our relationship isn’t like—”
    “Maia and Thayne’s?” He would have added Cade, but didn’t feel comfortable enough with her to admit that he knew what the rest of the town knew about that threesome. Secretly, he admired the two men and their woman for flouting convention to follow their hearts.
    “You know what I mean. Our relationship isn’t real.”
    “Of course it’s real. It’s as real as we make it.”
    She sighed and shook her head.
    He detested when she did that, exhibited that defeatist attitude that told him she’d been browbeaten too often to believe she could have what she wanted, what she deserved.
    Ki noticed the longing in her face whenever she watched Maia and Thayne together. The look wasn’t the look of a money-hungry fortune hunter as his mother believed her to be. It was the look of a woman hungry for affection and tenderness but afraid to go after them, even if they were right in front of her. “I won’t hurt you like my uncle did, Lucy.”
    “No, but you’re a smart man. I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to hurt me differently.”
    Ki frowned at the telling statement. Not for the first time, his heart ached for this woman-child he’d asked to be his wife. “It’s stuffy in here. Let me take you out to lunch.”
    “I have to