by Marla Monroe
“Ooh, I heard that was supposed to be really good.” Selena settled on the couch between the two men and toed off her shoes so she could cross her legs.
Caleb pressed the play button, and the movie started with the previews. She liked that he hadn’t skipped ahead to the main feature. She liked to see what was coming out soon. While she didn’t go to movies on her own, she did rent them occasionally.
They paused the movie about halfway for bathroom breaks and so they could pop some popcorn and grab beer and her another glass of wine. She’d never eaten popcorn with wine before. It was interesting, but she didn’t want to waste the wine. It was much too good for that.
By the time the credits were rolling, both men had a hand on her. Caleb’s was on her thigh and Austin had one arm around her shoulders. She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she was wedged between them and comfortable. She really didn’t want to move, and it was obvious the men didn’t want her to either.
Caleb turned off the movie and flipped the TV over to a documentary on the Discovery Channel about bats. She laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Austin asked, squeezing her shoulder.
“That was a great movie. I really enjoyed it. Now I’m having fun learning about bats. This has been a great evening,” she said.
“But?” Caleb asked.
“It’s late and I need to get home,” she said.
“It is late,” Austin said. “Caleb. Why don’t you take her home while I clean up the kitchen?”
“No problem.” Caleb stood and held out one hand to help her to her feet. “I’m going to run to the bathroom. Be right back.”
“I had a great time, Austin. Thank you for inviting me. I love your house.” Selena smiled up at the man, meaning every word she said.
“We loved having you. How about going to the bar next weekend and eating messy hamburgers and dancing some more?” he asked.
“That sounds great. I’d love to.”
Austin leaned down and pulled her into his arms just before his lips met hers. She closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle press of his lips against hers. He deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth when she opened to him. He was a great kisser. She loved the taste of him and how he could make her moan. When he pulled back, he didn’t let her go, only held her tightly in his arms.
When Caleb returned, he smiled and held out one hand. “Ready?”
Austin kissed her forehead. “Good night, Selena. See you next weekend, honey.”
“Good night, Austin,” she said with a soft smile.
Caleb led her out the front door to his truck. He helped her into the cab, then climbed up next to her in the driver’s seat. Before he backed out of the drive, he leaned over and kissed her. Unlike Austin’s kiss, his was more demanding. He cupped her cheek in his hand as he swept his tongue inside to tease hers. Then he pulled back and smiled.
“Been wanting to do that all evening,” he said.
She just smiled. She didn’t know what to say to that, so she didn’t say anything.
The trip down the mountain didn’t take long. She was a little disappointed when he parked in her drive and climbed out of the truck. She held on to his shoulders as he helped her down. The feel of his hard body against her much softer one had her pussy dripping with need. She’d never reacted to a man the way she did Austin and Caleb. Getting wet just by touching them and talking to them was new to her. She wouldn’t have believed it possible.
“Did Austin ask you about going to the bar and grill next weekend?” Caleb asked.
“Yeah, he did.”
“That work for you?”
“I’d love to eat greasy hamburgers and try their fried green tomatoes with you guys,” she said.
“Good, because we really want to share that with you,” Caleb said.
“I had a great time tonight, Caleb. Be sure Austin knows that, too. This was nice,” she said.
“I will, but I think he already knows it.”
She unlocked her door and turned to smile up at him. “Good night, Caleb.”
“Not so fast, pretty lady. I want my good-night kiss.”
“I thought that was what that was earlier in the truck,” she teased.
“That was a just-because kiss. This is a good-night kiss,” he said as he lowered his head to capture her lips with his.
Once again, he dove in between her lips and trailed his tongue all along hers, then around her mouth. Caleb wasn’t doing anything halfway. He explored every inch of her mouth and wrapped one hand around the back of her neck as he devastated her with his kiss. By the time he let her come up for air, she was panting and flushed all over.
“That’s a good-night kiss,” he said with a grin.
“Your good-night kisses are dangerous,” she said in a near whisper.
“Wait until you try my good-morning kiss.”
“Oh, my.”
“Night, Selena. Lock up, baby.”
She stepped into her house and turned to close the door. The last thing she saw was Caleb’s swollen lips and devilish smile.
Chapter Eleven
Selena sat back and stared at the last page of her book. She’d enjoyed writing those two words at the finish. The End. It was always exciting to finish one of her manuscripts. She still had edits to go through for the next few days, but she would have this one to her editor within the next two weeks. Since she edited as she went, she didn’t have to do a lot of deep edits when she finished like some authors did.
She decided to celebrate with a bowl of ice cream out on the deck. She looked over at Maggie, who was sound asleep on her bed on the desk.
“You could show a little support, Mags, and meow your congratulations.” The cat didn’t budge or make a sound.
She saved the book in two places, then closed down the computer. She walked into the kitchen, and no sooner had she opened the freezer than the fat cat was weaving in and out around her ankles.
“I thought you were asleep,” Selena said as she pulled out the container of chocolate chip ice cream.
Meeeooow.
“One spoonful to help me celebrate. That’s all. You’re already too big. I shouldn’t give you any. It’s not like you helped.”
The cat just stared up at her as she spooned out her own ice cream before putting a small spoonful on a saucer for the overweight feline. She watched as the cat went to town on the dollop of deliciousness.
Selena carried her bowl outside to her small deck and sat in her rocking chair to look up at the mountain as she ate. It was slightly cool outside with the afternoon sun slipping behind the mountain. She didn’t mind. It felt nice to just sit out there and enjoy nature.
Her mind drifted for a few moments, and then she thought about the guys and wondered what they were doing right then. No doubt they were working on their friend’s kitchen right now. Had they thought about her any the last few days? She had sure thought about them. In fact, she’d had a difficult time not thinking about them so she could concentrate on her writing. She couldn’t help but wonder about them and how they felt about her throughout the day.
I’m getting entirely too serious about them too fast. We’ve only been out on two—well, maybe three—dates. That’s not long enough to be so infatuated with them.
And there was still the ever-present argument of there being two of them. Selena still couldn’t find it in herself to worry overly much about it. Six months from now no one would know about her dating two men because she’d be living somewhere else. Right?
But she liked it there. She really didn’t want to move anytime soon, and that was a first for her. Still, it had only been a little over a month. She would get antsy in the next few months like always. She was sure of it.
Her mind drifted as she finished off her treat. What would it be like to live with two men? Would they all sleep in the same bed? How did threesomes live day to day? Did they each take a turn with her, or did they make love all together?
And why was she even
thinking about it? She had no intentions of allowing the situation to get that far. Dating them was one thing. Shacking up with them was entirely different. She had this place and loved it. She didn’t need two men to interfere in her work time. One man would cause enough trouble. Add a second one and she’d never get anything accomplished.
No. She’d already decided after her divorce that she didn’t need a man in her life. She was perfectly happy with her life the way it was. This was a distraction. Something to enjoy on occasion. Like every weekend.
Maybe. Maybe not.
Who was she kidding? She looked forward to Saturday a lot more than she wanted to admit. Selena enjoyed spending time with them. They were fun and easy to get along with. So far, they hadn’t fought over her or seemed to get their feelings hurt if she spent more time with one of them than she did the other one. Of course, it had only been a few dates. Time would tell.
She took one last look at the mountain and stood. She stretched with the empty bowl in her hand, then walked back inside to rinse out her dish and get ready for bed. She’d spend an hour reading to wind down. She’d downloaded a ménage romance book earlier and planned to read it tonight.
She’d just sat down when her cell phone rang. She jumped up and grabbed it off the bedside table and answered it without looking to see who it was.
“Hello?”
“Hey, beautiful. How was your day?” Austin said.
“Hi, Austin. Productive. What about yours?” she asked.
“We finally finished the kitchen rebuild and are ready to start on their bathrooms. Wish us luck that they don’t make changes in the middle of the renovation like they did in the kitchen.”
“I hope not. Are you gutting it and starting from scratch or just updating the fixtures and such?”
“Total gut job on both of them. They’re taking out a closet from one of the bedrooms to enlarge the master bath,” he told her.
“Wow. That’s going to be a big job. Are you starting on it tomorrow?” she asked.
“Nope. Holding off until Monday. We need some rest after the kitchen. Just wanted to call and say hi and tell you I was thinking about you,” Austin said in a soft voice.
“I was thinking about you, too. I’m looking forward to Saturday,” she admitted.
“Me too, hon. Me too. Here’s Caleb. He wants to say hi. Bye, hon.”
“Good night, Austin.”
“Hey there, sweet thing. Couldn’t hear what you were saying on the phone, so was your day good?” Caleb asked.
“Yeah. I finished a book, so I’m happy. Celebrated with a bowl of my favorite ice cream.”
“Chocolate chip?”
“Absolutely. Then I sat out on the deck and looked up at the mountain, thinking about you guys and that gorgeous view you have,” she said.
“You’re welcome up here any time you want to come. Don’t wait on an invitation from us. You’re always invited,” Caleb said.
“Thanks. I may take you up on that sometime.”
“Do that. Miss you, babe.”
“I miss you, too. Hope you have a good day off.”
“See you tomorrow night, babe.”
“Night, Caleb.”
She heard the click of the phone and hit End on hers, as well. She smiled. That had been nice. She could get used to getting phone calls from them. It was nice to have someone to share how her day went for a change. Even when she’d been married he hadn’t cared one way or another about her writing. He always saw it as her little hobby and never understood that it was a career to her.
She sighed and brushed thoughts of those days away. She opened her e-reader and started on the ménage book with a grin. Maybe she’d learn a few pointers on how to handle two men at one time, because she was definitely going to do this.
* * * *
Austin stopped the truck in Selena’s drive and jumped out of the cab to walk up the sidewalk to her front door. Caleb stood by the truck with the passenger door open waiting on her. Austin knocked twice and waited. It wasn’t long before Selena opened the door wearing jeans, a frilly green blouse, and cowboy boots.
“Love the boots, hon. Perfect for going to the bar,” Austin said.
“Thanks. I wanted to look the part. Let me grab my purse and keys.” She disappeared inside, then re-emerged less than a second later with both in her hands. She locked the door and dropped the keys into her purse before grabbing hold of Austin’s arm.
“You look excited,” he said.
“I am. Can’t wait for a good hamburger and some dancing.”
He bent over and kissed her lightly on the lips before walking with her toward where Caleb stood waiting on them.
“Hey, Caleb.”
“Hey there, baby girl. How are you doing?” Caleb kissed her on the nose.
“Good. What about you?” she asked.
“Great since we’ve got you with us now.” He helped her into the cab as Austin walked around to climb into the driver’s side.
“Need anything before we head to the bar and grill?” Austin asked.
“Nope. I’m good,” Selena said.
“No,” Caleb said.
“You’re great,” Austin finished for him.
“You guys are good for my ego. Did you know that?” She laughed.
“Just stating facts, ma’am,” Austin told her with a smile.
They chatted about Maggie’s antics, their work, and her edits. He loved hearing about her writing. She lit up when she talked about it. It really made her happy to write. He liked knowing that about her. Liked knowing how much she loved her cat and that she was content with life as she was living it. But he wanted her to want more. He wanted her to want him and Caleb, too.
Once at the bar and grill, they walked inside and found a table. The place wasn’t packed yet, but once it got closer to nine, business would pick up. They ordered three cheeseburgers, fries, and an order of fried green tomatoes. Austin couldn’t wait to see her face as she ate them. If she loved them half as much as she said she did, these were going to bring a sexy little moan from her lips.
Sure enough, when they arrived and she bit into one, her eyes closed, and she moaned in delight.
“These are so good,” she crooned.
“Knew you’d like them. Next time we’ll get their onion rings,” Caleb told her. “They’re just as amazing.”
“Next time I’m getting a platter of these and a platter of onion rings for my meal,” she said.
Austin chuckled. She was so much fun, and he loved seeing her smile. Hell, he loved seeing her do just about anything, and he lived for touching her. It didn’t matter if it was her shoulder, the small of her back, or her hand. He treasured each time they made contact.
Once they’d finished eating, the waitress cleared their table and brought them each a beer. Austin leaned back in his chair and watched Selena as she looked around at the quickly growing crowd.
“Are they always this busy?” she asked.
“Weeknights aren’t as busy, but weekends are always packed. Plus, it depends on the band they have playing. This weekend is Gravy Train. They’re a popular classic rock band. You’ll like them,” Austin told her.
“I can’t wait to get on the dance floor. Hope you guys wore comfortable shoes,” she said.
“Nothing better than our cowboy boots, babe,” Caleb teased.
She grinned and tapped her boots on the floor. “I have to agree. I haven’t worn these in months, though, so I may feel differently in the morning.”
“Where did you live before here?” Austin asked.
“Boulder, Colorado. Really enjoyed it there, but after a while I got bored and moved here. I prefer a smaller community like the one here,” she said.
“You said you moved around a lot. Why not pick a spot and settle down for good?” Caleb asked.
She sighed and cocked her head to one side. “I’m not sure. Mostly because I haven’t found anywhere to hold my attention very long. I don’t normally make friends
where I move. I just write. It’s what I enjoy doing and I can do it anywhere.”
“Looks like you broke tradition and made friends here,” Austin pointed out.
She smiled. “Yeah, I did.”
“Think you could settle down here?” Austin asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe. I’ll just have to wait and see if I get antsy in a few months. That’s how I know it’s time to move on,” she explained.
“I for one don’t want you to leave,” Austin said.
“Make that two of us. We really like you, Selena,” Caleb said.
She smiled. “I like you guys, too. I’ve never been around men who treated me so special.”
“You’ve obviously been around the wrong men then. You deserve to be treated like a princess all the time,” Caleb said.
“You’re special to us. Nothing would make us happier than for you to put down roots here,” Austin added.
“I can’t make any promises right now, guys. I think wandering is in my blood. I’ve been doing it for years now,” she said.
“Have you always been this way?” Caleb asked.
“Not really. I was married once. Lived in the same house for nearly five years. He was more interested in his career than what I wanted and needed, and he eventually moved on with another woman. Someone who could help him in his career. After that I started moving around since I could write anywhere I went. I’ve loved seeing the different parts of the United States.” Selena lifted the Corona to her lips and took a drink.
“Maybe you’ll find whatever you’re looking for here,” Austin said.
“Who says I’m looking for something?” she asked, narrowing her brows.
“Why else would you move every five or six months unless you’re searching for something?” Caleb asked.
Austin watched her as she considered his friend’s suggestion. She shrugged and finished off her beer.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I really haven’t been looking for anything that I know of. I mostly keep to myself. Until going out with you guys, I haven’t been out with anyone since my divorce nearly four years ago,” she said.
“That’s a long time not to date,” Austin said, shaking his head. “Don’t you get lonely?”
