by Marla Monroe
“Have a good week, babe. We’ll call you and check in to see how you’re doing,” Caleb said.
“You guys be careful.” Selena smiled as they reluctantly opened the door and stepped outside.
“Lock up,” Austin reminded her as she stood there watching them. “Not leaving until you do.”
She nodded and closed the door and secured the locks. Seconds later she heard the doors close on the big truck, then the motor roar to life. She sighed and knew she was grinning like a loon. She couldn’t help being happy. She was beginning a new part of her life and so far, it was wonderful.
* * * *
The rest of the day was spent in her office typing away on the book she was working on for a client. She had to stop and refresh her memory on the last book every once in a while so that everything lined up, but she made a good bit of progress for the three hours before she called it quits.
Maggie had finally forgiven her and was curled up asleep on her bed on the desk next to her. Her soft snores had Selena smiling as she read through what she’d written to correct any errors she found.
Suddenly the cat’s head jerked up, followed by her body as she arched her back and hissed.
Selena frowned. “What is it, Maggie?”
She hit Save, then stood to look out the window. At first she didn’t see anything, but when she turned to look closer, she noticed a dark-colored sedan sitting out by the road in front of her house. She didn’t see anyone walking up her drive. Had Maggie actually sensed that car somehow, and why was it just sitting there?
She decided to go outside and check it out. Maybe they were lost and too uncomfortable driving up her drive to ask directions. Selena couldn’t help them much more than point them toward town or the highway. She soothed Maggie, whose hair was standing up on end.
“Easy, girl. It’s nothing to be worried about.”
Selena unlocked the front door and stepped outside. She hesitated for an instant, but then decided nothing was going to happen in broad daylight. So, she walked down the two steps leading from her porch and started walking toward the car. When she’d gotten halfway down the drive, the car pulled away from the side of the road and screeched down the road as if something were chasing it.
Her brows furrowed at the realization that something wasn’t quite right about the entire situation. Why had they been just sitting there, but when she walked out to see what they wanted, they’d left in a big hurry? Selena sighed and turned around to return to the house. She hadn’t been close enough to see the car tag, but did it even matter? It wasn’t as if she could call the sheriff about someone sitting on the road in front of her house.
I’d look like an idiot reporting them because it made me uneasy. It’s not against the law to pull over to the edge of the road for a few minutes. They were probably just looking at their phone since it’s illegal to text and drive at the same time.
She convinced herself that was all it was and strode into the house to find Maggie sitting at the window, looking outside.
“Were you watching out for me, girl?” Selena asked the cat before giving her a good head scrub.
Meow.
“There wasn’t any reason to worry. They’ve gone now,” Selena told the cat.
Somehow Selena wasn’t too sure about that though. Why had Maggie sensed them, and why had they roared away when she’d started down the drive toward them? It all made her think they had been up to no good. But what were they up to?
She put it behind her and focused on making a salad for dinner before calling it a night and sinking into her bed for some much-needed sleep. She couldn’t help but think about the guys as she settled into bed. Quick visions of their lovemaking flashed in her mind, making her pussy clench and her breasts tingle.
She shifted in bed in order to get comfortable, but remembering their hands and mouths on her had her aching between her legs. Part of her worried about getting involved with the two men, and another part of her relished the next time they’d be together. No matter which part would eventually win, Selena had a feeling she was in for a wild ride.
Chapter Seventeen
Wednesday night, Selena had just straightened up the office and walked into the kitchen when her cell rang. She checked the caller and smiled. It was Caleb.
“Hello?”
“Hey there, babe. How are you doing?”
“I’m good. How are you doing? Get a lot of writing done today?” Caleb asked.
“Yeah, actually, I did. How goes the building and refurbishing?”
“Coming along nicely. Hit a snag so we knocked off a bit early to head into town for some supplies. Going to grab dinner at the diner. Want to join us?” he asked.
“Sure. I’ll meet you there,” she said.
“No need, we’ll be pulling up in your drive in a few seconds. Driving down the mountain right now,” he said.
“I’ll be waiting,” she said and hit End before rushing around looking for her purse, then checking her hair in the mirror by the front door.
“Darn. Wish I had time to change my top.”
She was wearing an old T-shirt that said If you don’t talk to your cat about catnip, who will? Well, they were probably in their work clothes, too. It couldn’t be helped.
Just as she locked the door behind her, their truck pulled up. She waved and hurried over to the passenger side and greeted Austin, who jumped out to meet her.
“Hey, beautiful.” He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips, then helped her climb into the truck before scooting in next to her. “Glad you could go with us.”
“I was just contemplating heating up a TV dinner when you called. I’m not passing up a hot meal,” she said with a chuckle. She turned to Caleb. “Hey, handsome. How are you doing?”
He grinned and bent over to snatch a kiss, as well. “Good now that you’re with us.”
She smiled as Austin snapped her seat belt into place before tending to his own. She liked that about them. They were always concerned for her safety as well as wanting to make her happy. It was sweet and satisfying to have someone looking out for her.
They parked outside the lumber yard ten minutes later. Caleb climbed out of the cab, then grabbed something from the back seat. “I’ll go grab what we need. I’ll be right back. Austin will keep you company.”
“Everything going okay with the house?” she asked.
“Yeah. Some of the hardware for the kitchen cabinets was faulty, so we had to return them and get new ones.”
“That was inconvenient,” she said.
“Yep, but it happens. What really sucks is when something major happens like when we’re working on a remodel and find rotten wood or termites or something like that,” he said.
“Does that happen often?”
“More often than we like. Once we even found a honeybee comb inside the walls of a house we were redoing and had to get a beekeeper out to remove the comb and the bees. That took an entire day off our schedule,” he told her.
Caleb returned and tossed his package into the back before climbing inside the cab. “Ready, guys?”
“I can’t wait. I’m starved,” Austin said. “Lunch was a long time ago.”
“You’re always hungry,” Caleb and Selena said at the same time.
They were all three laughing when Caleb parked the car in the lot of the diner. It looked busy, but they managed to find a booth. Caleb sat next to her and Austin sat across from her.
“Love that shirt, hon,” he said.
Selena laughed. “I wanted to change but you guys didn’t give me much notice,” she confessed.
“Nothing wrong with what you’ve got on. Look at us. We’re dirty, dusty, and probably smelly,” Austin said.
They had to wait a good ten minutes before a waitress made it over to take their order. They gave her their drink orders and went ahead and placed their meal choices, as well.
“Okay, gotcha. Burgers all around, dressings on the side, fries, and three iced teas.” She scra
tched on her notepad, then hurried away to place their food order and fill their drinks.
Once the waitress had delivered the glasses of tea, Caleb spoke up. “Book coming along okay?”
“Yeah, it is. I’m going to finish this one by Friday. Then I’ll spend next week editing before I send it off,” she told them.
“What will you start on next?” Austin asked.
“I have some time to work on my mystery book, so I’ll write on that one. I might even get it finished before I start on the next client book,” she said.
“I never realized that sometimes the books out there aren’t really written by the author whose name is on the cover. Sort of makes me disappointed,” Austin said.
“Do you read much?” she asked.
“Actually, we both do. Most of what we read is Tom Clancy, James Patterson, and Jonathan Kellerman. We like murder mysteries and books like that,” Caleb said.
“I’ve read all of those authors and enjoy their books. Tom Clancy is a little harder for me to get into except for a couple of his books. Do you read John Grisham?” she asked.
“We’ve read a couple of his, but lawyer shi—stuff isn’t really up our alley,” Caleb said, looking around as he changed the wording he’d started to use. There were quite a few families in the diner at that time of the night.
“Well hello there, guys.” A well-dressed woman stood next to their booth, looking down at them. “Haven’t seen much of you lately.”
“Business keeps us busy, Martha. How are you doing? How’s Todd?” Austin asked.
“He’s paying the bill. He’s fine. What I want to know is if the rumors are true or not,” she said.
“What rumors?” Caleb asked, his voice chilly.
“That you three are all seeing each other. Like a ménage à trois. You do know that people here won’t stand for that kind of trash, don’t you?” Martha lifted her brows at them.
“What we do in our own homes is none of yours or anyone else’s business,” Caleb snapped.
“All I’m saying is that people will talk, and when they talk, they get worked up. Don’t be surprised if they refuse to use you for your services if you continue on this road,” she said.
“I would think our private life should be just that—private. You have some nerve coming over here and spouting all that horseshit,” Caleb said.
“Watch your language. There are children here,” Martha sneered. “We should never have sold you that land in the first place.”
“Well, you did and we’re not going anywhere. There’s plenty of work to keep us busy. You don’t have to worry about that. Besides, I think there are a lot of people who don’t give a rat’s a—butt about how we live our lives. Good-bye, Martha.” Caleb dismissed her and turned away.
“Martha. Are you ready?” Todd’s voice said that the man had no idea what his wife had been up to.
Selena watched as she sneered down at them before plastering a smile on her face and turning to walk toward the other man. They exited the building without another word. Selena drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was what she’d been worried about. People talked, and once it started, it snowballed into more. She didn’t really care what people thought, but an entire town could make it hard to live there.
“Don’t let her bother you, Selena. She’s one woman. Not everyone is going to think the same way she does,” Caleb said.
She sighed. “She looks like she has a lot of clout by the way she dresses. She can stir up trouble,” Selena said.
“She can’t do half of what she thinks she can,” Austin said.
“It won’t really hurt me—I work from home and rarely go anywhere—but you guys work with the public. Aren’t you worried it will affect your business?”
“Right now, we’ve got about another year’s worth of work up on the mountain. By then everything will have died down. Even if it doesn’t, there are plenty of towns surrounding us that we can work in. We’re not worried, Selena, and you shouldn’t be either,” Austin told her.
“I guess I can’t help but be a little upset about it.”
“Well, don’t be.” Austin was interrupted by the waitress bringing their meal over.
They ate in silence for the most part. The entire ordeal had put a damper on the mood. She hated that—she’d been really enjoying talking with the guys. She finished her burger and about half her fries. To her amusement, Austin and Caleb ate the rest off her plate one by one.
“Can’t let them go to waste,” Caleb said, wagging his eyebrows at her.
She just shook her head and finished her iced tea. “That was delicious. Much better than a warmed-up TV dinner.”
“I’ll get the tab,” Austin said.
They stood and walked to the front of the restaurant, with Austin stopping at the register to pay the bill while Caleb escorted her out to the truck.
“I hope you aren’t going to let this color your decision to spend time with us, Selena.”
“No. But I can’t help but worry about how it will turn out. People can be petty and cruel. I don’t really care much what people think, but they can make it difficult to live here if they want to, you know.”
“I know, but I honestly don’t think they will. Besides, we only have to come off the mountain to get supplies and groceries. We don’t have to associate with them on a daily basis. Neither do you,” Caleb said.
“We’ll see how things go. No one else seemed bothered by us being there together,” Selena said.
“That’s all we’re asking. Just give it a chance. Give us a chance.”
Austin opened the truck door and climbed in, then fastened his seat belt after checking to be sure hers was. He smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“You look cute sitting there with your legs hanging off the seat. You’re tiny compared to this big truck,” he said.
“Yeah. I almost need a stepladder to get inside it,” she groused.
“Yep, tie a rope around it and haul it in after you climb up,” Caleb teased.
“You guys are terrible.” Selena rolled her eyes.
Caleb drove toward the mountain and pulled down her driveway in no time. She smiled as both men got out of the truck, Austin helping her down this time.
They walked her to the door, then stopped as she got her keys from her purse. She unlocked the door, then turned toward the guys.
“I had a great dinner. Thanks for asking me,” she said.
“Even though it was last minute?” Caleb teased.
“Yeah, even last minute.”
“Looking forward to Saturday and the flea market,” Austin said.
“Me too.”
Caleb pulled her into his arms, threading his fingers through her hair and palming the back of her head as he kissed her senseless. When he pulled back, she was almost dizzy from it. Austin kissed her forehead, then gave her a chaste kiss that barely touched her lips. Instead, he held her, squeezing her tightly before slowly letting her go.
“Lock up, hon. We’ll talk to you again soon,” he said.
She smiled and opened the door to walk inside. She turned around and waved to them before closing it and twisting the deadbolt. What was it about their kisses that made her feel giddy?
Meooow.
“I know. I know. Your food bowl is empty.” Selena shook her head at the cat as it raced off to beat her into the kitchen.
The fat cat never ran like that unless it was toward food. Maybe she needed to invest in a good feather wand and try playing with her more so she’d get more exercise. The excess weight couldn’t be good for her.
After giving Maggie a half bowl of food, she turned on the shower and pulled off her clothes. She made quick work of cleaning up, then curled up in her chair in the bedroom and settled in to read off her e-reader. The raunchy romance she was presently reading was a ménage book and she was enjoying the story.
In this book the threesome were facing an
angry town just like she imagined they were here. She hoped to find some words of wisdom in the book to help her own situation. She really didn’t want to have to endure angry stares every time she went into town.
At some point in the story, Selena fell asleep and woke up stiff and cold late into the night. She yawned and put away the reader before climbing into bed to curl up in hopes she’d warm up quickly. A thump on the bed told her that Maggie had joined her. The cat curled up next to her feet and before long, her toes were thawing followed by the rest of her body. That was another thing the cat was good for. She made a great foot warmer.
When sleep took her, she dreamed of Austin and Caleb as the three of them writhed on the big bed at their house. They were kissing and loving on her all over. Their hands smoothed over her skin as their mouths licked and nipped her chin, her nipples, her belly. Where one moved up the other moved down, and soon she felt Caleb’s mouth at her sex, lapping at her pussy like Maggie enjoyed her milk.
Selena moaned as he thrust a finger deep inside of her while never slowing up on licking around her clit. When he added a second finger, Selena thought she’d come apart, but her orgasm held off.
Austin had settled on her breasts, his mouth and fingers teasing and taunting her as he bit and licked and sucked until her breasts tingled and her nipples throbbed. He squeezed the mounded globes, then stuffed as much of one breast as he could into his mouth. She dug her fingers into his hair, scratching at his scalp as he sucked hard.
Caleb continued to fuck her with his fingers as he used his tongue to torment her clit. He licked up and down her slit around his thrusting fingers, then licked just the tip of her clit so that she lifted her hips in an effort to force his mouth harder against her where she needed it. He laughed and pulled back.
“Naughty, naughty. We’ll make sure you come, babe, but you have to wait for it,” Caleb said.
“Please, Caleb. I need to come.”
He only chuckled and returned to licking at her slit. Then he curled his fingers and rubbed over that spongy sweet spot deep in her cunt as he sucked hard on her clit, and everything exploded.
