The Triple Threat (Love In Dayton Valley Book 1)

by Nikki Ashton

  When I’d taken over the ‘Hunks of Dayton Valley’ calendar shoot the year before, I’d been real disappointed with the state of the backdrops we had to use. They were old and faded and had more holes in them than a piece of Swiss cheese. I’d mentioned them to Jacob when he’d brought his little boy in to get a cast on his broken arm changed and he’d told me that he’d sort it.

  “I never thought for one minute that you’d get me anything this good.” I sighed as I pulled Jacob into a hug. “Thank you.”

  “Like I said, no problem. Now I’d best go before I get dragged into the damn photoshoot.”

  I wiggled my eyebrows and gave him a big grin. He was at least seven years older than me, but I’d heard he’d been a bit of a heartthrob at high school. He’d have been a good addition, but before I could even try and twist his arm, he was gone.

  “You seen these?” I asked Bronte as she moved up beside me.

  “Wow, that looks so real,” she exclaimed pointing at the beach scene. “I can just see Jefferson in his board shorts in front of that blue sea.”

  I groaned. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were sleeping all day seeing as it’s Sunday.” As if I’d really needed to ask why my best friend had decided to help.

  Her eyes twinkled and she clapped her hands together. “Jefferson of course. Have you decided what month he’s going to be? Please say a summer month.”

  I looked down at the sheet of paper in my hand. “May. He’s going in front of that.” I pointed to the Spring backdrop with its carpet of Bluebonnets and green hills in the background.

  “May? Shit Ellie, give him July so I can see him with no shirt on.”

  “Sorry but that’s…” I feigned looking down my list, knowing full well who it was. “Hunter.” I kept my eyes down so she didn’t see the excitement in them. I’d given Hunter March and July, that way I’d get to see him topless and maybe a nice sweater and jeans that cupped that huge dick of his. Shit, why the hell did that thing keep popping into my head?

  Bronte snatched the list from me and studied it. “Well swap Bobby Jenkins out from August.”

  “No, I’m not. They’ve all been given instruction on what clothes or props to bring with them, so it’s not happening. Bobby isn’t being swapped to spring when he’ll no doubt bring his surfboard with him.”

  Bronte huffed and shoved the paper against my chest. “Like he knows how to surf. Like anyone in this county, this damn state, knows how to surf.”

  “He’s goes out to Hawaii every year, you know that. Now, stop sulking and go home if you’re not here to help. If you are, sort those out into seasons for me.”

  With a roll of her eyes she picked up the box of props that I’d brought along and moved over to a long table on the far side of the community hall. Hopefully it would keep her occupied for a little while until all the guys arrived, because I was sure once they did her attention would be fully on them.

  The shoot had been going well, everyone had turned up, except for Billy Daniels QB1 at the high school. He’d caught the stomach flu so was confined to bed. Proving once again that December was a damn curse. Billy was my stand in for Cooper with the tiny balls that were well and truly owned by his fiancée. That was also why Hunter and Dylan, Delphine’s nephew, were fighting over it.

  “Honestly, I don’t mind,” Dylan said and flashed a perfect smile. “It’d be my pleasure to help out.”

  I felt Bronte nudge me in the back, urging me to say yes. I was surprised because her focus had been on Jefferson the whole time since he’d arrived, but then Delphine’s picture of Dylan hadn’t really done him justice. Bright blue eyes the color of cornflowers shone from underneath golden blond hair that flopped sexily across his lashes and skimmed his shoulders.

  “I think the locals would maybes like someone, well local, for the holidays,” Hunter cut in. “It’s a special time of the year. I think I should do it.”

  “Honestly, it would be my pleasure.” Dylan flung an arm around Hunter’s shoulder and I saw him stiffen immediately. Since Dylan had walked through the door, Hunter had made beady eyes at him and pretty much shadowed his every move.

  “That’s real good of you, buddy,” he ground out, ducking away from Dylan. “But we got this.”

  I sighed and sagged a little. “I don’t care who does it, as long as someone does. Now if you don’t mind, I need to get Jefferson set up.”

  Bronte giggled as I turned on my heels and strode away.

  “They should both just get their dicks out and piss on your leg,” she said as she caught up to me. “And I just want to say if you do not go on a date with that hot piece of ass, you’ll regret it.”

  “Who, Dylan?” I asked sounding snappier than I’d intended.

  Her eyebrows arched. “Who else would I mean? Unless of course you think Hunter is a hot piece of ass?”

  “God no,” I squawked and then looked around the room, realizing I’d gone a little high pitched.

  Bronte didn’t say anything, but grinned and walked off to greet Carter who’d just arrived.

  “Please don’t upset him,” I called out to her. “It was hard enough getting him to agree to this.”

  She didn’t answer but waved me away. Within seconds I heard my brother shout, ‘You’re so fucking annoying’.

  “Okay, Jefferson,” I said as I reached him. “You’re up.”

  “Whatcha got for me, sweetheart?” he asked with a huge smile and a glint in his eye.

  “The ladies are going to die for this one,” I replied. Turning, I whistled for my brother.

  Carter looked up from whatever argument he was having with Bronte and gave me a chin lift. Holding up a finger he mouthed he’d be one second.

  “Are they arguing again?” Jefferson asked with a laugh.

  “Yeah, as always.”

  I watched as Bronte wagged a finger at my brother and wondered why I even thought it was a good idea to get them together. Then, when Bronte spotted Jefferson unbuttoning his bright blue, short-sleeve shirt to reveal a definite four-pack and toned pecs, I knew why. She actually feigned a swoon and fanned herself with Carter’s hand. Giving her a look that would wither most people, except Bronte, to dust, Carter snatched his hand away and came over to me with a grey pet carrier.

  “Hey, Jefferson.”

  “Carter, how you doing, son?”

  Jefferson fist-bumped my brother and I couldn’t help but laugh. If Dad had done that to him, Carter would have gone crazy and told him to act his age. Jefferson was evidently far cooler than our dad.

  “Here’s what you asked for.” Carter put the carrier on the floor and opened it up, pulling out a cute grey rabbit with white ears. “Be careful with him, little Amy Thornton has no idea we have him. As far as she knows, he’s relaxing in the surgery before having his balls chopped off in the morning.”

  Jefferson winced. “Shit.” He reached for the rabbit. “What’s his name?”

  Carter colored up. “Carter,” he murmured as he passed the rabbit to Jefferson.

  We both burst out laughing but Bronte, who had now joined us clucked her tongue in disgust.

  “Because you fuck like a rabbit I’m guessing,” she muttered.

  Carter’s nostrils flared. “No because she likes me. She has a crush on me. Okay?”

  Now it was Bronte’s turn to laugh. “Little six-year-old Amy Thornton? Well I guess that’s about your level.”

  By the way my brother looked at my best friend, I figured it would probably be better to try and part them, but then that wouldn’t get them together.

  “Bronte, can you take Carter to where his stuff is laid out for him, while I set Jefferson up?”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but then grinned and nodded. “Sure can. Come on dickweed, follow me.”

  “Jeez,” Jefferson said as his big hand slowly stroked down Carter the rabbit. “I hate to say this but those two just hate each other don’t they. In fact, I can’t remember a time when they didn’t. Even whe
n you were all little kids, they wound each other up. The times your dad and Jim had to separate them.” He shook his head and looked over to where Bronte was thrusting a bag of stuff at Carter. “Great times.”

  As his eyes glassed over and his thoughts evidently went to his late wife, I felt a huge lump form in my throat. I couldn’t imagine what he had gone through, was still going through, at having lost Sondra.

  “You okay?” he asked me and rubbed a hand down my back.

  “Yeah, sure. You ready?”

  He nodded and holding bunny Carter tenderly in his arms, he took his place and let Annie the photographer snap away while Whitney Houston’s ‘How will I know’ played through her Bluetooth speaker.

  “Wow,” Bronte sighed beside me. “He looks so sexy holding little Carter.”

  We looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  “You show big Carter what he’s wearing?” I asked unable to keep the smirk from my face.

  “I gave him the bag. And three… two… one.”

  “Ellie!” my brother shouted from across the room. “Just because I’m October, if you think I’m fucking dressing up like a Halloween Pumpkin you’re damn well mistaken.”

  Bronte and I silently high-fived each other. My good mood was quickly broken though when I heard a ruckus behind me and turned to see Dylan and Hunter playing tug-o-war with the damn Santa suit.

  “You see,” Bronte said as she pointed at Jefferson posing like a professional. ‘That is why I want him. He actually acts like an adult.”

  And at that moment I kinda had to agree with her.

  Hunter

  If you asked anyone to describe me, I’m pretty sure they’d say easy going. I rarely lost my cool, okay so Dominic Taylor was an exception, but he’d hurt Ellie. Dylan ‘Fucking Thor’ Whatever his name was, was quite possibly another exception. If he didn’t give up the damn Santa suit soon, I’d have to punch him.

  “Seriously man,” I huffed. “I think it’s best for me to do it.”

  “But you’re already doing two, I’m only doing November so I can easily slip this on with the same backdrop.”

  My nostrils flared as I gripped the suit a little tighter. I wanted December, because I had brought something a little special with me. There was no way he was benefitting from it.

  “I offered to do two because Ellie was a guy short. She’s now another one short since Billy can’t make it, so it’s only right I help out again.” I gave him a smile that could probably be called a snarl and tried to pull the Santa suit toward me.

  “It’s fine,” Dylan replied through gritted teeth, holding the red jacket and trousers tight. “Like I said, I’m November so will be one of the last to go. It stands to reason I should do it.”

  “Ellie,” I shouted over my shoulder without taking my eyes from Thor. “You wanna swap me and Dylan over? I’ll do November and he can do July.”

  I heard her sigh heavily and then the clicking of her heels on the wooden floor.

  “I don’t care who does which month, just decide because March is coming up and I need you for that.”

  Distracted by watching Ellie’s tits heave up and down, Dylan managed to wrangle the suit from my hands. Not only the suit but the bag I was holding.

  “Is this the rest of it?” he asked, opening it up and looking inside. “Ooh what’s this?”

  “No!” I made a grab for the bag, but it was too late.

  “Woah, cute little Mrs. Claus outfit. Is this for you, Ellie?”

  Ellie’s eyes went wide as she took a step back. “I don’t know where that came from.”

  “Well, it would be a shame to waste it,” the smug little bastard said. “Why don’t you do December with me?”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Ellie replied a little blush coming to her cheeks.

  “I don’t think that’s El’s sort of thing,” I offered desperate for Dylan to drop the subject.

  Ellie’s head almost swiveled off her neck as she flashed narrow eyes in my direction.

  “It’s not?” she asked, as she tapped her foot. “What makes you think that?”

  I wanted to smash myself in the balls. Ellie Maples was never told what to do. If you wanted her to do something you told her not to. Carter and I had learned that a long time ago when we were about thirteen. We didn’t want her hanging around with us when we went swimming at the creek, seeing as we were meeting Tiffany Anders and Louisa Carmichael and Carter had a plan to get them to go skinny dipping. I can’t remember what the plan was, but it’d have been a shit one if Carter had been behind it. We’d told Ellie she couldn’t come but of course she turned up anyway. So, the next time we were meeting girls, I chanced it by begging her to come with and guess who told me she’d rather suck a cayote’s hairy ball sack – yeah, she’d always been a delicate little thing.

  So, with my head back in the game, I gave her one of my sweetest smiles. “No, it probably would be good if you did it. Would add something different.”

  Ellie studied me with her head cocked to one side. “You think do you?”

  “Oh, yeah.” I nodded my head enthusiastically. “I really do.”

  Her eyebrows arched real high and I was pretty sure she was going to ream me out and then storm off. I gave myself a mental pat on the back; I’d averted having to watch her cozy up to Dylan while she wore a short little red dress.

  “That’s good then.” She turned to Dylan and smiled sweetly at him. “Let me have the dress, Dylan and I’ll be ready when it’s your turn. Hunter hurry up and change, we’re ready for you.”

  With that she snatched the bag, turned around and walked away from us, adding a little more swing to her hips and ass if I wasn’t mistaken.

  “Wow,” Dylan said behind me. “That’s one sexy woman.”

  I turned to finally plant a punch on him but when I did, he was walking away too, and I was pretty sure he was laughing.

  March’s picture was going to be pretty tame. At least it was meant to be. Ellie had suggested that I wore a flannel and jeans and maybe a cowboy hat – which I didn’t even own, but as soon as I’d realized I wasn’t getting my way with Santa, I pulled out my other outfit. The outfit I’d taken along just in case. Just in case of what I had no idea, but I was glad I had, because when I appeared from the men’s room in it, Ellie’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

  “Really?’ she said with an eye roll. “You had to wear your ‘I’m easy, come get me’ outfit?”

  As Kid Rock’s Cowboy began to play, I shrugged and walked over to my spot in front of the backdrop that had a roaring log fire on it. My grey sweats were low on my hips, my white, sleeveless tee stretched tight against my muscles, I’d pulled my ball cap down low. I knew I looked hot and I also knew Ellie’s eyes were firmly on my dick which was swinging free and easy after removing my boxer briefs.

  “How do you want me, Annie?” I asked the photographer.

  “I think some skin would be nice,” she replied from behind her camera. “Just lift your shirt a little and show me your stomach.”

  With one hand I lifted my tee and with the other touched the peak of my cap, giving what I hoped was a sultry look with hooded eyes and my bottom lip between my teeth. When I heard Ellie let out a long exhale and mutter, ‘Fuck,’ I knew I’d succeeded.

  “Okay,” Annie said still snapping away. “Let’s get rid of the shirt.”

  That was more than fine by me, particularly as Ellie hadn’t moved an inch since I’d stepped in front of the camera.

  I pulled off my cap and grabbed a hold of the hem of my shirt and slowly lifted it. With the words ‘I wanna be a cowboy baby’ booming out, I dragged the white cotton up my skin.

  “Hold it there,” Annie said as I heard her shutter going. “Okay carry on.”

  When I finally had the shirt off and hanging from my fingertips, I gave the camera a sideways glance with my head tilted downward.

  “You… erm… you got enough?” Ellie asked a little breathily.

&n
bsp; “A couple more. Hunter, put the ball cap back on.”

  Doing as Annie asked, I did, but with the peak at the back, like I usually wore it on the ranch. I then looked over at Ellie and noticed her fingers twitching at her sides. She was breathing heavy and her legs were most definitely squeezing together. Shit she looked beautiful and I felt a bit of a twinge in my chest.

  “Okay,” Annie said as Kid Rock sang his last note. “That’s great, Hunter, thanks.”

  Snagging up my tee, I gave Annie a nod and walked over in the direction of Ellie.

  “That okay for you?”

  She was staring at me wide-eyed, her mouth gaping, a little like a fish, but with lips I’d love around my dick.

  “Ellie, did you hear me? Was that okay?”

  “W-wha… yep, yep all good. All good.”

  Yep all fucking good alright. Let’s see what you’ve got Dylan, you cheap Thor lookalike.

  Ellie

  “Great job, honey,” Jefferson said as he passed me a bottle of beer. “I think this year’s calendar is going to be the best ever.”

  “Aww thanks.” I grinned at him and tapped my beer against his. “Thanks for doing it.”

  “Not sure why you asked me, but I enjoyed it.” He pulled me in for a hug and kissed the top of my head. “Did me good.”

  Watching Jefferson as he took a swig of his beer, I noticed how sad his eyes looked. For all the women he had, it was obvious he was still absolutely crazy about Sondra. Just thinking about how lonely and grief stricken he must have been when she died, gave me little painful flutters in my chest.

  “Where’d my boy get to anyway?” he asked, looking around Stars & Stripes at all the people who’d helped with the photo shoot.

  I shrugged and turned to look over to the door. “No idea. I saw him just before Dylan and I did the December shoot, then he disappeared.”

  My eyes focused back on Jefferson while my heart remained focused on the door, hoping that Hunter would wander through it. Self-hatred was pretty high on my feelings at that moment. I’d vowed after Dominic I’d never feel like that again. I’d sworn to myself I wouldn’t feel like my day was less than stellar if I didn’t see the guy. I’d told myself I’d never, ever feel like a kid at Christmas while I waited to see them. I even vowed I’d die a spinster and spend my life just having sex for fun, but like an idiot I’d started to renege on all those promises I’d made myself.