Meghan had very early caught on to calling the older women “ma’am” and the older men “sir.” Deference was also paid to older folks back home. She thought there were a fair number of similarities between how things were done in the south and how things were done where she’d grown up.
Mr. Stevenson tipped his hat to her as he left the store. Bea met her gaze, and then she slid a look to Ryan and Jeremy, who’d placed themselves on either side of her.
“I am so glad to see you’re not alone.” Bea looked at the men again. “I’m going to pour us some tea.” She nodded and came out from behind the counter. She locked the front door and turned the sign. Meghan knew that wasn’t something any of the shopkeepers in big cities like Indianapolis would do. But here in Paisley, no one minded if Miss Bea wanted to take a small break in the middle of the day.
Bea turned back and faced Meghan. “We have to talk.” Meghan wondered if she was imagining that the woman seemed as if she needed to make a confession.
They followed her to the back of the store, through a door that actually let to a cozy kitchen. Bridget Farris lived above the store, and had since she’d married Thomas and moved in as a young bride. Her husband had passed a few years before. Since they’d never had children of their own, the Farris’s had always taken keen interest in the children of Paisley. Meghan had witnessed this firsthand when Kay had brought her around to meet Mrs. Farris shortly after the two of them had met.
Meghan knew she wasn’t alone in sensing Bea’s nerves. So they sat when invited and let the woman get out her pitcher of sweet tea and a plate of cookies.
Finally she sat with them and looked just a little bit lost.
“I don’t know where to begin.”
Jeremy reached forward and covered one of Bea’s hands with his own. “There’s nothing to worry about, ma’am. Everything is going to be all right.”
Ryan covered her other hand. “Why don’t you start by telling us about your dream?”
They see the ember now within Bea. Meghan thought they might, now that their own power had awakened. But their tenderness toward the woman warmed her through and through. Meghan felt a tiny shift within and knew she’d just fallen all the way in love with the two men.
* * * *
Ryan understood what Meghan had meant the moment they stepped into the store. Bridget Farris was like them; she had that tiny ember of power within her. He hadn’t seen it the first time he met the woman, but he sure saw it this time.
Mindful of what Meghan had said about thought trespassing, he nonetheless opened himself, just a little, and the memory that came to him was rich, and vibrant, and not his own.
Maybe he owed the woman an apology, but the smile on her face after he’d asked about that dream told him that, maybe, he didn’t.
“I’ve never been able to tell a soul about it—or about me. My mawmaw—by daddy’s mother—she had the sight. And Lord, her life was miserable because of the abuse so many heaped on her because of it. I was luckier because I only had a few visions—and I never told a soul.
“But mawmaw, she knew. She never told anyone about me, either. We only ever spoke of it once—she said that one day I would have a dream about a pretty girl and two strong, handsome men, and that they were special.” Miss Bea nodded. “I’d nearly forgotten about that, but about six years ago, I finally had that dream. And then a year later, I recognized you, Meghan, as the girl I’d seen, but I didn’t connect you two to her, even watching you on my television every week—not until a few days ago, when you came into my store.”
“What about the men who came by today, Miss Bea?” Jeremy asked.
“They seemed very nice at first. But I knew...I knew. There was just something about them. They said that they wanted to find you, Meghan, but I told them I had no customers named Meghan. One of them—only one, not both—he was trying to get into my head. I felt his power compelling me to only tell the truth.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like a very large opal.
Ryan recognized it because it reminded him of the colors of Meghan’s power.
“I clutched this good luck charm you gave me, and I was able to respond to him the way he expected without giving anything away.”
Meghan nodded. “That’s because you don’t think of me as one of your customers.”
“You’re my friend—and a supplier.” Bea smiled. “But I don’t mind telling you, I’m scared. They’re going to come back, and I don’t know what to do.”
Meghan looked at him and then at Jeremy. Because he saw a question in her eyes, he opened himself to her, and wasn’t it interesting that doing so was easier each time? Immediately, he had the sense that the three of them were standing together in that shrouded place—mind space—and Meghan’s thoughts were as clear to him as if she was speaking out loud.
We can’t leave Bea vulnerable to these men. We have to protect her—and the best way for us to do that is to let her open her own power. You can see the ember in her. I can see past that to the color of her soul—and it’s pure. But she has to agree. It has to be her choice.
Ryan gave his thoughts over to them. I’m all for that. I also think we should let her tell those two where to find us. Ryan knew Jeremy agreed to his suggestion. Neither one of them thought much of men who frightened women. Ryan would much rather they came to them, faced them straight on.
“Miss Bea? There is a way we can protect you. They won’t be able to do a thing to hurt you. But to do that, we have to help you open your gift. You know you have it. We can do that. But only with your permission.”
“My mawmaw was mistreated all her life because of the seeds of greatness she was born with. But this is a different time, and I’m not a woman at the mercy of kin. I’m my own woman.” She nodded. “So, yes, please. I’ve often wondered just what was there.”
Ryan and Jeremy each still had hold of one of Miss Bea’s hands. Megan reached out and covered those hands with hers so that Miss Bea was connected to all three of them.
“Then reach down, Bridget Louise Farris, and claim the gift that was given to you.”
Chapter 9
Meghan didn’t know what to expect when she went with the guys to get their things from Heather Scott’s house. But her friend’s mother just took everything in stride. She told the men that they should come back to the kitchen for pecan pie, once they’d loaded their things into the car.
Meghan had been serious when she’d told Kay her mother made the best pie she’d ever eaten. Apparently the guys thought so, too.
Heather sent them off with a box of cookies and instructions to come back and visit soon. Then she chuckled. “Kay spent the weekend in the city, going shopping mad. She’s going to be disappointed she missed you. She’s a huge fan of your show.”
“We’ll be in the area for the next while,” Jeremy said. “We’ll be sure to come by and meet her.”
Meghan wondered what that meant. Were they planning on just staying for a while? Were they already thinking of heading back to their own lives?
She didn’t say anything but worried her bottom lip as Ryan drove them back to her cottage. The truth was they’d all agreed to take things one day at a time. She guessed she’d better get with the program.
“Do you want us to leave our things in the suitcases, or can we unpack?”
“I think you’ll need to do a bit of re-arranging, first.” Meghan grinned. “I don’t have a large closet or an extra dresser. Maybe you can fix that.”
Both Ryan and Jeremy took their task seriously. They discussed the size of the room, and how everything was already arranged. They walked outside, to the back of the house, to see if there was anything behind it that might be interfered with if they increased the size of the bedroom.
“If we make the room a bit bigger, how can we be sure it won’t mess up the whole structure and make the house collapse?” Jeremy asked.
Meghan shrugged. “Tell it not to.” Two blank stares were their response to her answer.
That was when they sent her into the kitchen to make coffee while they “got to work.” When they called her back in nearly an hour later, she knew the room was larger, but it wasn’t by much. They’d made the closet bigger, conjured a dresser for the two of them to share, and had also “renovated” her bathroom with a larger shower—and they’d added a bathtub.
“Well done.” She’d felt every time they’d used their magic.
“It took us a couple of tries,” Ryan confessed. “We’ve discovered you have to be very specific in the thoughts you use to shape things.”
“Yes. That’s the learning curve right there.” She’d known, as well, that fact was something they’d needed to discover on their own.
“But we were able to do it together, so that helped.” Jeremy wore a look of satisfaction as he looked around the room.
They headed back toward the living room. But Jeremy’s words made her think of something. “Do you recall how Miss Bea said that only one of the men impressed his will on her?”
“Yes. I thought that was an odd distinction at the time,” Ryan said.
“As if a part of her—the part that held her power—needed for us to know that, specifically.” Jeremy looked from her to Ryan. “Is that important?”
“I think it is. It reminded me of something Cheri said. That Vincente and Emilio Fortuna didn’t work together. They worked in tandem, but not together.”
“As in, they didn’t combine their powers?”
“Exactly. We can do that, the three of us, or, as you’ve just discovered, the two of you can work together.”
“That was our very first lesson, Meghan,” Ryan said. “We thought it at the time, but now we know for a fact that it had to have been both of us working together that day to save dad’s life.”
“We didn’t even think,” Jeremy said. “We just combined our power on this.”
“I think I want to see if we can trace that license plate number that Miss Bea gave us,” Ryan said. “That might tell us if it is the Fortunas we’re dealing with.”
“Wait a minute.” Jeremy looked confused. “Meghan, you took us in the blink of an eye to Colorado. Couldn’t they do the same? Make their way here from Chicago just that easily?”
“I don’t know. Their power has been diluted down through the ages, likely the same as yours had been. I think they probably have enough to be dangerous, but I don’t know if they’re as strong as me. I do know they’re not as strong as the three of us together—because Cheri, Max, and Tony were able to best the two that attacked them.”
“Let’s find out what we’re dealing with. I’ll trace that plate,” Ryan said.
“I’ll look into the family, see what I can find out.” Jeremy reached for his laptop that was on the coffee table. He sat in the recliner, set the computer on his lap, and opened it. “I’ll bet there’re rumors about them. I can trace back the family tree and see what mumblings I find.”
She felt the electricity and smiled when Jeremy held his computer at the height he wanted it and a table appeared under it.
“Was it this easy for Max and Tony?” he wondered.
“I don’t know. I think the fact that you knew you had something and used it that one memorable time likely has put you a few jumps ahead of them.”
Meghan conjured a pot of coffee for them. “I’m going out to my workshop. You can come and find me when you’re done.”
They both nodded in a way that told her they were already into their research. She’d bet this was how they spent a lot of their time—working together, and yet separately, on their projects. There was a simpatico between them, even without the added element of magic. They’d not been born brothers but had made themselves so by choice. She knew how that worked because she had two very good friends who were her sisters.
Meghan went into her glass house, thinking to make something, though she had no idea what. Before she could even start the fire, the door behind her opened. She spun on her heel, surprised to see Ryan and Jeremy standing there.
“What’s wrong?”
“Aside from the fact that we’re idiots? Nothing.”
Because they were grinning, she smiled back at them. “What do you mean you’re idiots?”
“It’s important that we find out what we can about those two who bothered Miss Bea, as well as the Fortuna family as a whole. But there’s something a lot more important we should be doing right now.”
Because they came toward her with mischief in their eyes and erections in their pants, Meghan had a pretty good idea what it was they meant to do.
They reached for her, each of them taking hold of one of her hands. And then they were by a creek, the water babbling happily and the grass lushly green. The leaves of the tall trees stretched high on either side of the water serenaded them with their own particular music as the late afternoon air played them.
They’d surprised her, bringing her someplace with them, and the location they’d chosen enchanted her. “Where are we?”
“This is a place that was special to us, growing up. It’s a creek at the back of Jeremy’s folks’ place that ran all the way through to ours. But this spot, this was where we would come, to fish and to just...be boys.”
“We wanted to share it with you,” Jeremy said. He cupped her face and kissed her. “We wanted to make love to you here.”
Make love, not have sex. Meghan felt a fluttering inside her and recognized it as hope. Maybe there was a chance they’d choose to become her mates.
“Yes, please.”
“Sweetheart, why is that relief we see on your face?” Ryan came over and stood behind her, his front bracing her back.
“Because I was afraid you really didn’t want me.”
Jeremy said something under his breath that sounded like “fuck.”
“We just keep making mistakes with you.” He kissed her lightly. “We want you.” He shook his head. “You don’t have an ounce of guile, do you?”
“I can’t...not with the two of you.” Meghan knew there was something she hadn’t told them. Now was the time to correct that.
“You asked about rules, and I told you the truth about there being so few when it comes to using the gift inside you. But there are two rules for me that I didn’t share—sacred rules that I really can’t break. The first is that I’m not allowed to use my magic to influence your decision, one way or the other. I can’t plant the desire in you to become my mates, nor can I stop you from choosing to be so.”
“And what’s the second?” Jeremy stroked her cheek with his thumb, and she nearly lost her train of thought.
“I can’t lie to you. If you ask me a question, then I have to tell you the truth.” Then, because she saw a flicker in his gaze, she licked her lips and added one more thing. “I wouldn’t lie to you anyway, either of you. It’s not something I do easily. All my life I’ve been considered not just naïve, but ‘blissfully naïve.’” She felt her face heat at the admission.
“There’s something about you that has us both in thrall,” Jeremy said. “But we knew it wasn’t anything of your doing. I guess it’s that ‘destiny’ thing. Men like to believe they’re captains of their ships and masters of their fate. Knowing that destiny has a hand here? That’s what’s messing with us, little tiger. Not you. Never you.”
“Destiny always has a hand. It always has, and it always will. It brings us so far then takes a step back and lets us—each of us—choose.”
“We’re working on it.” Ryan kissed the shell of her ear.
Meghan couldn’t help the shiver that ran through her nor the smile that emerged.
“You’re so damn responsive to us,” Jeremy said.
“Before you two stepped into my life, I honestly thought I was asexual.”
Ryan chuckled. “Oh, baby, not even close.”
They could have used magic, as they had the first time. Instead, the men undressed her by hand. They worked together baring her, kissing each part of her as they uncovered it. She surrendered to
their need to do this, to make the first move, to entice her so sweetly.
But she couldn’t stay passive. A need filled her, a need to try something she’d only ever heard about. With a thought, both men’s clothes became neat piles beside the very nice futon she conjured. And then, because she was still facing him, she sank to her knees and nuzzled Jeremy’s erect cock.
“Meghan.”
She’d taken him by surprise, and then she took him in hand. She knew what this piece of him felt like inside her pussy, and she very much liked the way he felt in her hand. Hot and hard, and yet almost unbelievably soft, she marveled at the feel of him, how stroking him not only clearly aroused him it aroused her as well.
She looked up, met his gaze, and then stuck her tongue out to gather the tiny drop of moisture that had emerged from his cock. His pre-cum tasted salty, and it tasted like more.
“I’ve never done this before, so you might have to tell me how so I get it right.”
“Little tiger, you can’t do it wrong.” His voice sounded strained, and the look in his eyes spoke louder than words how horny he was and just how much he wanted more, too.
Meghan licked him from the base of his cock to the head, and then she opened her lips and took him inside.
The taste of him, both of his pre-cum and his flesh, appealed to her in a way she couldn’t explain. She’d never sampled anything that urged her to gorge herself until these men had come into her life.
The heat from his body permeated her, and the desire to feast and to give nearly overwhelmed her. So she moved her head on his cock, up and down, taking him deep and then nearly pulling off. And as she did, she let her tongue stroke his shaft, even as her mouth suckled him.
Shivers coursed through her when he gripped her head with his hands. The trembling of his body, and the way his skin heated, giving her more of his luscious scent to inhale, combined with his taste to shoot her own arousal so very high, very fast. She cupped his scrotum and gently squeezed. His balls were hot, and as she worked him, she felt them grow firm.
The Gifted 2: Passions Aflame (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 9
