by Becca Van
For now.
Chapter Three
Evana looked at the table again and cringed over her reaction to a simple question. The three Badon brothers must think she was a little crazy.
“Are you okay, sugar?” Gray asked.
Normally Eva would be perturbed over an endearment from a virtual stranger, but Gray had called the waitress “sugar,” too, so she put it down to his friendly personality. In fact, all three of the men seemed to like using endearments when speaking to her. Quin kept calling her “honey” and Pierson had called her “darlin’” a couple of times. It made her feel warm inside and she secretly liked it even though they probably called all women such things.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
The men began to eat, and she decided that if they could ignore her outburst, then so could she. She listened as the men spoke about their mechanic shop and how they had so much work booked in they didn’t have time for any paperwork.
“What we need is someone to take over doing the books, schedule work, and order parts.” Pierson sighed and picked up his glass.
“Yeah, you’re right, but where the hell are we going to find someone with that sort of experience without having to pay a ransom for wages?” Quin pushed his empty plate away. “Even though we are running in the black and don’t owe anything, we haven’t been established long enough to hire an accountant with experience doing purchasing orders and reception duties. That is three different jobs, and we want one person to do that for minimum wage.”
“I could do it,” Eva blurted and then felt her cheeks heat.
She hadn’t even known she was going to say that until she heard those four words coming from her mouth. Three pairs of eyes turned to her and pinned her with stares. Then Quin gave her a slow, wide smile. He opened his mouth, she was sure to accept her offer, but Pierson beat him.
“You’re on vacation. You’re supposed to be having free time. Why would you want to work?”
“I’m unemployed, not on vacation. Believe me, doing your office work would be like a walk in the park after what I’ve been dealing with.” Eva knew deep down it was true. Now that she thought about it, she really wanted to help them out. They had helped her in her time of need, and she wanted to return the favor. She could still go sightseeing after hours and on the weekends, and if they accepted her offer she would have more time to stay in Slick Rock, away from Tim, and also to explore the area as much as she wanted while earning money.
Eva realized that she was thinking about staying in Slick Rock longer than two weeks. Sudden as the decision was, it felt right. She had a good feeling about this town and about these men in particular.
“You don’t even know how much we’re offering for the job,” Gray said and leaned back in his seat.
Eva gave a nonchalant shrug. “I’m not worried about the amount. As long as I have a regular income and can find a place to stay, I’ll be happy.”
“That sounds like you want to stay here longer,” Gray said.
Eva hesitated and then answered, “Maybe I do.”
“Are you sure you want to do this, honey?” Quin reached for the hand she had placed on the table and took it in his.
“Yes.” Eva felt warmth tingling up her arm and wanted to withdraw her hand, but she held still. She didn’t want to let him know how much he and his brothers affected her just by touching her skin.
“We have a spare room,” Gray piped up, drawing her gaze. She could have sworn she saw heat in his eyes, but it was gone within a heartbeat. Evana knew then that she must have imagined it. She looked back to Quin.
“Yeah, we do. That’s a great idea.” His thumb caressed the back of her hand, and goose bumps erupted on her flesh. A shiver of awareness coursed up her spine. Though she tried to contain her shuddering reaction, she wasn’t quite sure she succeeded.
“Why don’t Gray and I head on home and make sure everything is ready,” Pierson said. “You can help Eva pack up and show her the way.”
“Okay,” Quin said.
“Thanks for dinner, sugar,” Gray said, rising to his feet. Pierson was already standing beside their table. “We’ll see you soon.”
Eva watched the two men leave. All the Badon brothers looked like poetry in motion when they walked. She watched their asses until they were no longer in sight and then turned back to find Quin looking at her with an odd expression on his face.
“What did I just agree to?” She licked her lips and shifted in her seat.
“You are going to take our spare room,” Quin stated, taking a firmer grip on her hand. “We can’t offer you much of a wage, but we can offer you a place to stay. You are worth far more than minimum wage, honey. If you are going to be doing all our office work, the least we can do is have you living with us.”
“That’s not necessary. I can find my own place,” Eva said.
“We know that, but we wouldn’t feel right having you work for us and earning so little,” Quin replied. “You would be doing us a huge favor, Eva. Please let us show you how much we appreciate what you are going to be doing for us by giving you a place to live.”
Eva scraped her top teeth over her lower lip. She really liked Slick Rock and had felt the relaxed ambience of the rural town as soon as she had arrived. It would be so nice to not have to worry about looking for another job, and she had always wanted to live in a small town. Not that Sheridan was a city, but the small Colorado town just seemed to call to her. She would be safe here.
Only one worry made her hesitate. They’re being way too nice to me. The only reason Eva could think of for their kindness was that they felt sorry for her. She wanted them to like her, not pity her.
But looking at Quin’s face and seeing how eagerly he waited for her reply, she reconsidered. He looked at her as if her answer really mattered to him. As if she really mattered.
“On one condition.” She looked up at Quin.
“Name it.”
“You let me pitch in with all the chores.”
“You’re on.” Quin slid from the booth and held out his hand toward her. Since Eva had already left money on the table for the bill and tip, she took his hand, stood, and followed him as he led her out of the diner.
They walked toward the motel. She felt comfortable in Quin’s presence even though he was still holding her hand. Evana had only ever had one real boyfriend, and now that she thought back to her time with Shane, she realized he would never have been right for her. Shane had been a quiet, introverted person, and although she had liked him, she hadn’t really loved him. She had been too young to realize that what she felt was forced on her part. Eva had been in love with the idea of being in love. Though she’d known the Badons a matter of hours, this felt completely different.
“How long have you been in Slick Rock?” she asked Quin.
“Eighteen months.”
“Wow, and your business is already taking off. You must be very good mechanics.” Eva turned and glanced up at Quin. “What did you do before coming here?”
“We served our country. Marines,” he added.
That explains it, Eva thought. No wonder the three Badons had such confident, commanding personalities and buff bodies. They had spent most of their adult lives training and protecting their country.
“Why did you retire?”
“We served for over ten years, honey. We aren’t getting any younger and we got sick of the traveling as well as the fighting. It was time for us to put down some roots and think about starting a family.”
Does that mean they have girlfriends? Jealousy streaked through Eva, but she pushed it away. She had no right to be jealous of them. She’d only just met them.
“Um—I don’t think I should live in your spare room.”
“Why not?” Quin stopped walking and turned to look at her, a frown marring his face.
“You won’t want me in the way if you entertain,” she said diplomatically.
“We don’t entertain, honey,” he replied and then a grin s
pread over his face, wiping the frown away. “Oh, don’t worry about us, Eva. None of us have any women in our lives. Besides, we like to share.”
They had only just started walking again, but Eva stumbled over Quin’s last statement. A muscular arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against Quin’s warm body until she was steady. When they began walking again, he didn’t remove his arm. She inhaled his clean, masculine scent and then came back to what he had just said. When she looked up, she found Quin staring down at her intently.
“What?”
“I know you have only just arrived, but I figured I had better tell you from the start. There are a few unconventional marriages in town, and since we want the same kind of relationship, me and my brothers decided to move here.”
Evana stopped in front of her motel door and stared at Quin. Wait. Am I misunderstanding something? What did he mean when he said he and his brothers like to share?
“What do you mean by ‘unconventional’?”
“Ménage relationships are becoming more prevalent throughout the world or so I hear. Slick Rock has seven such unions living here. We are a very close-knit community and all look out for each other, especially the women. Females are the core to any relationship and since they are weaker than males, we all make sure they are protected.
“Gray, Pierson, and I decided we wanted such a relationship when were younger, and when we found out about the ménages in this town through some of our friends and realized we could actually live the way we wanted to, we decided this was the place for us.”
“You want to share a woman, one woman between the three of you?” Eva’s heart was racing with excitement, but she quickly tamped it down. She had only just met the Badons, but she liked them, a lot. Eva was drawn to them. The attraction was physical, yes, but there was more to it than that. It was way too early for her to even figure out why she felt the way she did.
She told herself to slow down. Just because they have offered you a room in their house doesn’t mean they want you, Eva. Look at you. Why would any man want a woman with deformities when he could have a healthy female?
“That’s the plan. We just haven’t met the right woman yet.”
Eva felt a slight pain in her chest. See? You aren’t even in the running, you stupid girl. You should know by now that men aren’t interested in you.
Eva pulled her room key from her pocket and turned away to open her door.
“Isn’t that illegal?” she asked. “Having more than one husband, I mean.”
Quin’s voice was close behind and then the door closed with a slight click. “She can’t marry all her men, if that’s what you mean. Around here, the oldest brother marries their woman on paper. That doesn’t mean she loves the others any less. As far as the lady and her men are concerned, she is married to all of her spouses in her heart, and vice versa. I have never seen happier people. The men dote on their wives, and the women love all their husbands equally.”
“Don’t the men get jealous of each other?” Eva went to lift her bag from the bed, where she had left it earlier, but Quin came up behind her and took it for her.
“Is this everything, honey?”
“Yes. Oh, wait. I have some groceries.” Eva packed up the few things she’d bought at the market earlier in the day. “Okay, I’m done. I haven’t unpacked anything else.” She gazed into his eyes, wondering if he was going to answer her question.
He was so close that she could feel heat emanating from his body. She inhaled his scent again, this time picking up a trace of oil underlying his natural fragrance and light cologne. She liked it. It made her think of how masculine he was working with his hands, and the fresh aroma of pine and light tang of sweat drew her without overpowering his natural fragrance like some colognes could.
“The answer is no.” Quin cupped her cheek. “I know a few of the men involved in such relationships and have talked to them a lot. They never get jealous of each other. In fact they are more than happy to know their women are safer. At least one of the men is always available to their wife to help her out with the kids if needed or just for a hug.
“Don’t get me wrong, they have their ups and downs just like any marriage, but I have never seen women glow with love and happiness like the women of this town do. Men in polyamorous relationships get to spend time alone with their wife as well as all together. It seems to work out just fine.”
Quin lowered his hand from her cheek and looked around the room. “Do you have everything, honey?”
“Yes.” Eva sighed wistfully, wondering what it would be like to have the love and attention of more than one man. Stop it, girl. You won’t get the chance to have one man, let alone three. The polyandrous marriages in town didn’t shock her much, now that she’d had a moment to think about them. Although it was unusual, Eva didn’t care how other people lived their lives. Her motto was as long as no one got hurt, live and let live.
Pushing her thoughts away, she wiped all expression from her face and headed toward the door after picking up her purse. “I need to go to reception and pay for the night and sign out.”
“This is your car, isn’t it?” He gestured toward the late-model sedan outside the room. “If you give me your keys, I’ll stow your bag.” Quin closed the door behind him.
Eva handed the keys to her car to Quin and headed for the reception office. Once done, she headed back out to her car. The revving of an engine drew her gaze and then a dark sedan peeled away from the curb with a squeal of tires. She’d only caught a glimpse of the driver, but he had looked a little like Tim.
She stood staring after the car until the taillights were no longer in view. You’re imagining things, Eva. That wasn’t Tim’s car. It was a rental. Tim would never drive a rental. He loves his truck way too much to drive anything else. There is no way he could have followed me. I didn’t tell anyone besides my mom where I was going.
He may have been a little obsessed, but there was no way he would have followed her. Tim had a cash transport business to run and he was a workaholic. There was no way he would have taken time off to follow her. Would he?
Chapter Four
Gray was nervous but excited about Eva coming to stay and work with them. She seemed to have such contrasting personalities and he wanted to get to know her better. One minute she was shy and uncertain, and the next she was sassy and vibrant. He and Pierson had raced through the house making sure everything was tidy. They weren’t messy men, but every now and then they left things out just like anybody else. After making the bed up in the spare room, he checked the bathroom. There were a couple of towels lying on the vanity and another on the floor. After scooping them up, he raced to the laundry and then went back to the bathroom to put out fresh towels. He and Pierson shared the main bathroom, whereas Quin had one off the master bedroom he occupied.
“Everything set?” Pierson asked when Gray entered the kitchen.
“Yeah.” He leaned against the counter, folding his arms to stop himself from fidgeting. Pierson, he noticed, looked a little anxious, too. He turned toward the coffeepot and checked it. With his back still to Grayson, Pierson said, “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
Gray stood up a little straighter. Was it possible that his brother was thinking what he was? “You think so, too?”
Pierson turned. Gray thought that he saw relief in his brother’s eyes. “She’s beautiful,” Pierson said. “You think she’s the one?”
The one. The reason they were in Slick Rock. And she’d come right to their doorstep.
It seemed almost too good to be true. Gray felt cautious. What if they all fell for a woman who wasn’t even sure if she’d stay in Slick Rock for good?
“We’d better go slow,” he warned. “Eva’s probably never even thought about being with more than one man before.”
“Sure, sure.” Always impatient, Pierson waved away Gray’s caution. “But you think she could be the one?”
“How the hell should I know? It’s way too soon to tel
l.” Hearing his words come out sharper than he’d intended, Gray sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Pierson eyed him and then smiled to relieve some of the tension. “I’m feeling just as het up as you are.”
“Any idea if Quin’s on board?”
“No. But you know how he is,” Pierson said. “If he’s interested, he’ll tell her we want to share a woman.”
“We both know how he’ll go after something he wants. He never was one to be diplomatic.”
“Let’s just hope he hasn’t scared her off with his honesty.” Pierson looked uncharacteristically dour. Glancing beyond Gray, he added, “That’s them.”
Headlights passed through the kitchen window as a car pulled into the drive. Gray looked out the window and started to feel excited again. “I think he’ll be more careful about what he says to Eva. He wants her just as much as we do.”
“You think so?” Pierson sounded hopeful once more.
“Only one way to find out.”
Pierson placed his mug on the counter and headed for the back door. Gray decided he wanted to see Evana as she got out of the car. If she looked shell-shocked, then he knew Quin had broken the news about the ménage relationships in town.
Quin got out and was headed around the front of Eva’s car to help her out, but before he could she made her way toward the house. Gray searched her face and saw she didn’t look nervous, anxious, or in shock. What surprised him was that her face was expressionless. He had learned that Eva had a very expressive face but her eyes were the window to her emotions. When he looked at Quin, his brother gave him a slight nod and shrug of his shoulders.
Gray wanted to ask Quin what he had said to Eva but was going to have to wait for them to have some time away from her before he began questioning his brother. He smiled at Eva when she turned toward him. She was small. The top of her head only reached to just below his shoulders, and he wasn’t even as tall as Quin. He hoped their size didn’t intimidate her. Stopping a few steps away, he lifted his hand, lightly clasping hers when she mirrored his gesture.
