Chasing Felicity [Passion Peak, Colorado 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Tara Rose

  “Miss you, sweetheart. May I drive you to work tomorrow?”

  “I know we’re spending Thursday together, but is there any chance we can do something tomorrow evening after you’re off work?”

  Clearly, he had wanted to spend this day with her. She listened to the voice mail message, which was a repeat of the text messages, plus the promise of a funny story related to his moving adventure the next time he spoke with her. Maverick was everything the men in Felicity’s life had never been. Charming, romantic, funny, and attentive. His skill in bed was a bonus, but not the only reason she enjoyed spending so much time with him. Was this really over before she’d ever had a chance to try and learn how to be his sub, or had a chance at any kind of a relationship with him?

  And where did that leave Kane? He was all those things as well. He wasn’t just a stranger who had come into town to save them all from Trace Coleman, at least not to Felicity. He’d left behind a family and business interests. He was after Trace because the scumbag had taken advantage of a beloved relative. He lived a lonely, isolated life, and last night he had shown her a gentle, caring, and vulnerable side that she doubted anyone else in this town had yet seen. He was a tender and considerate lover as well. And to say he was good in bed was an understatement. He was just as magnificent as Maverick.

  “Oh my God…” She dried her eyes again and shook her head slowly, not wanting to admit what was so obvious that anyone she told this story to would see it. She was falling in love with both men. As impossible as that was, she couldn’t deny it any longer.

  That only left one question. What the hell was she doing to do about it?

  Chapter Twenty

  Maverick hadn’t been in a physical fight since eighth grade, when Timmy Sorensen spread it around school that Maverick hadn’t completed the deed with Scarlett Horner, who’d been the biggest slut in ninth grade. Maverick had gone to a party at one of the ninth grader’s homes when his parents were out town, where Scarlett had offered freebies to any male virgin there.

  Maverick got as far as touching her naked boobs before he came in his pants, and he’d been so humiliated that he’d run from the house and gone home to sulk the rest of the weekend. Apparently, Scarlett had told all her friends, one of whom was Timmy’s sister, because Monday morning at school, Maverick had found himself the talk of the entire eighth grade.

  When he found out who had first spread the story in their grade that morning, he’d kicked Timmy’s ass so effectively that afternoon, off school property of course, that he’d been grounded for six months. But it had been worth it. After that, everyone was afraid of him, and no one ever tried to name and shame him again.

  But this wasn’t eighth grade, and the man standing in front of him on Felicity’s front lawn wasn’t Timmy Sorensen. Several of her neighbors were now watching the pair, including Rowena Whitney, who had come off her front porch and was now walking toward them.

  “Everything okay, Maverick?” she asked, eyeing Kane. Maverick didn’t miss the fact that Rowena had her cell phone with her. She probably had Tommy Farley on speed dial by now.

  “It is, Rowena. Thanks. Have you met Kane Easton?”

  “No, but Van’s mentioned him.” She stuck out her hand. Kane had little choice but to shake it, but Maverick could see the struggle on his face as he did so. “You came here to Passion Peak to give us information about Trace Coleman, right? Want me to have Tommy come over right now? I’m sure he’d like to hear it.”

  If Rowena wasn’t married to Van, who would surely kick his ass twice just for fun, Maverick would have kissed her right then and there.

  “Not right now. Maverick and I have things to discuss.”

  She nodded toward Felicity’s front porch. “Then you should probably do it inside. People on this street tend to be a bit nosier than in other parts of town. I’m sure Felicity wouldn’t appreciate finding out the cops had to break up a brawl on her front lawn.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Maverick raised his eyebrows at Kane, who finally walked toward the porch.

  Rowena caught Maverick’s arm as he turned to follow Kane inside. “Want me to call Tommy anyway?” she asked quietly.

  He shook his head. “It’s not that lethal, but thanks. I can handle it.”

  “I’m three doors down if you need anything.”

  “I know, Rowena. Thanks.”

  She watched him go inside the house, and when Maverick peered through the curtains in the front window, she was still watching. Finally, she turned and walked back toward her own house. Felicity was lucky to have a friend and neighbor like Rowena, and Van was lucky to have a wife like her.

  Maverick wondered if he’d ever have that kind of a relationship with a woman, sub or not. He’d thought it was heading that way with Felicity, who reminded him of Rowena in many ways, including their hair color. But after last night, when he’d stayed awake until four, hoping she’d call or at least text, he began to wonder if he hadn’t lost her before he’d even had a chance with her. What if she chose Kane? She had ties here, but that didn’t mean anything. People moved away from their hometowns all the time, and they survived just fine in a new city. That’s what he’d done, after all.

  Maverick shook his head slightly as he realized that was all he’d been doing in Passion Peak for four years—surviving. His life had been routine, boring, and empty before meeting Felicity. And now, he’d probably lost her.

  Kane was pacing the living room. Maverick leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and watched him. Where was he from? What city did he call home? Why was he really here? And what had he hoped to accomplish by having sex with Felicity? There was no doubt in Maverick’s mind that he had done so last night. It had been written all over her face this morning.

  But he wasn’t going to waste his entire morning standing here, watching Kane pace the floor like a caged animal. Time to get this all out in the open, and whatever happened, he’d have to man up and deal with it. “What are we going to do here, Kane? I’m assuming neither of us is going to simply walk away from Felicity.”

  Whether it was the words or the tone in Maverick’s voice, he couldn’t tell, but it had the desired effect. Kane stopped pacing and faced him from across the room. “I don’t know, and that’s the truth. You care about her, don’t you?”

  Well, he sure got right to the point when he wasn’t standing outside, putting on a show for the neighbors. “Yes, I care about her. A lot. I want to have a relationship with her.” His feelings for Felicity went deeper than that, but he wasn’t sure if Kane was in the lifestyle, and he wasn’t quite ready to have that conversation yet, regardless. “What about you? Is this just a fling while you’re here in town? I’m sure you don’t plan on putting down roots here.”

  A flicker of what Maverick swore was humor passed through Kane’s eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe I will.”

  He was baiting him. Maverick knew it. Why the hell had he come over here this morning? He should have waited for Felicity call or text him before making an assumption like this. “Okay. Let’s assume for the sake of argument that you do stick around for a while. What do you suggest we do?”

  He shrugged, and if it hadn’t been for the briefest flicker of pain that suddenly came over Kane’s face, Maverick would have sworn he was brushing aside Felicity’s feelings. But something else was going on, and Maverick didn’t know what it was, but she might. What if Kane had told her about his past? What if he’d opened his heart and soul to her? She had that effect on people. Maverick had wanted to tell her everything about his life the first time he’d talked to her at Pacos Farms, during the Labor Day party.

  “We could make her choose.”

  There was something almost desperate in Kane’s tone, but that wasn’t entirely it. Maverick knew Kane didn’t want her to be forced to make a choice, and as he watched Kane’s face carefully, he suddenly realized why. The man cared about her. He couldn’t stand here and say it, but it was so plain now. Even his body language practically
screamed it. He’d fallen for the gorgeous redhead, just like Maverick had done.

  Did she know? Had he told her as much? Maverick wanted to ask, but he didn’t want Kane to know he realized he was at a disadvantage here. “I don’t think I can ask her to do that, Kane.”

  “I know. Neither can I.”

  Wow. That shocked the shit out of him. “You surprise me.”

  “Why? Because I’m standing here admitting to you that I want more from her than just a fuck buddy? I told you this morning that you don’t know shit about my life. Would you like to? I’ll tell you the same thing I told her last night. And then, if you still want to judge me, I won’t stop you. But at least you’ll understand that I am not here to hurt Felicity. I care about her, too.”

  * * * *

  As Kane watched Maverick help himself to a beer from Felicity’s fridge, he wondered exactly how many times Maverick had been here already that he was so comfortable doing such a thing. He handed Kane one. “She won’t mind. And I’ll replace it for her anyway.”

  “Money talks, bullshit walks.”

  Maverick lowered his gaze for a second. “Are you saying that as a joke, or for some other reason? Because really, it would be good if we could try and talk this out, for Felicity’s sake.”

  “Sorry. It was a knee-jerk reaction.”

  “She has some patio furniture outside, in the back yard. Do you want to talk out there? I think all her neighbors went back inside by now, and I could use the fresh air.”

  “Good idea.” Getting outside was the perfect idea. If they came to blows, at least nothing in Felicity’s house would be destroyed. Once they were seated, Kane took a long sip of beer and found that it helped calm him down a bit.

  “How long will you be in town? I’m assuming she knows you plan to leave at some point.”

  “She knows. And I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”

  “You said you wanted to tell me about your life. Does that include why you’re here? I mean why you’re really here?”

  Kane told Maverick what he’d told Felicity last night. He told him about his family, how they owned most of the town he lived in, and he told him how he’d grown up. When he told him about his grandmother and what Trace Coleman had done to her, Kane watched a subtle change come over Maverick’s face. “What a coincidence,” he said softly.

  Kane took another sip of beer. “Yep. It sure sounds like Trace was behind everything that happened Monday night at the Stonecraft estate. Classic Trace Coleman behavior. Even if the two idiots who got caught won’t name him.”

  Maverick glanced at him from underneath the brim of his cowboy hat. “You know, if Tommy knew everything you just told me, he’d be able to nail Trace’s ass to the wall. He has a lot of information from around the country, and…well…if you knew Tommy like we did, let’s just say he has ways of persuading people to talk.”

  Kane grinned. “Police brutality?”

  Maverick frowned slightly, finally meeting Kane’s gaze, and then seemed to weigh his next words. “Tommy is in a certain lifestyle where he is used to exerting control over those who consensually submit to it. But that same assertiveness and confidence also make him quite a force to be reckoned with when he’s doing his detective thing.”

  Kane nodded. “You mean he’s a Dom.”

  Maverick looked slightly surprised. “You know about our little club?”

  “I know it exists, and I know who owns it. But I’ve never been in one, and I will admit that I don’t know shit about the BDSM lifestyle.”

  “I’m a Dom, too. And Felicity is a sub although she’s never had an actual Dom/sub relationship.”

  “Then you’re her Dom?” Kane hadn’t realized their relationship had become that intense already.

  “We’ve discussed it, but not seriously yet, so I don’t want to say anything else about that until we have a chance to do so. But like I was saying earlier, Tommy would be able to use the information you have to pin the brains behind that incident on Nash’s property squarely where it belongs. On Trace Coleman. And he has contacts all over the country. Surely someone is looking to put this piece of shit behind bars.”

  “I thought Felicity said your uncle had as much to do with that as anyone?”

  Maverick took off his hat and placed it in his lap, then ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know who is ultimately responsible for what happened Monday night. But I do know that Tommy would be able to use what you just told me to get Trace Coleman and his merry band of idiots the fuck out of our town. Isn’t the FBI in Connecticut looking for him?”

  “They might be, by now. I know our local cops were.”

  “So why haven’t you told Tommy what you know?”

  Kane sighed. He was going to have to come out and say it, but he had trouble admitting it to himself. Still, at least they were talking. Felicity would be happy about that. If she ever spoke to either of them again, that is. “Two reasons. If I tell him, my family name, and especially my grandmother’s name, will have a nice, juicy scandal attached to it. But honestly, I’m not as concerned about that reason. Not because I want my grandmother hurt. Not at all.”

  “I can understand that. I’m a Metcalf, after all. My Uncle Leland has just made that name synonymous with ‘shithead’ in this town, and I have no doubt that unless one of our family members steps in and does major damage control, this will eventually trickle down into our business interests.”

  “Yeah. Nothing has quite the power to keep a person silent as the bottom line.”

  Maverick nodded, and Kane was relieved that they’d somehow found common ground in all this mess. “You mentioned two reasons. What’s the second one?”

  “Because once I tell him, my work here is done.”

  “What about the Ruiz family? I thought you were trying to figure out if they’re shifters? Isn’t that what you do? Investigate paranormal activity?”

  Kane drained his beer and stood. “You want another one?”

  “Sure.”

  Kane didn’t really need another Coors this early in the day, but he did need to get away from Maverick’s piercing gaze for a few moments. The cowboy had hit the proverbial nail on the head. Once he handed over the information he had on Trace Coleman, the only reason he could give anyone for staying in town was his fascination with the Ruiz family, but he didn’t want the entire town to know about that. People liked them, and Kane hadn’t exactly made himself welcome in this town. If he went after their secret, he was likely to be escorted down the road and kicked in the ass as he crossed the county line.

  That only left one reason to stay, and if he admitted that to Maverick, he’d have to admit to himself as well. He’d have to admit how far under his skin Felicity Featherstone had already crawled. He’d have to admit that he’d fallen like a stone for her. And he’d have to admit that once he’d made love to her for the first time last night, there had been no turning back for him. Just the thought of driving away from this picturesque little town and never seeing her warm brown eyes again made him stomach queasy. He was in deep shit here.

  When he returned to the patio, he handed Maverick his second beer and took his seat again. “So, what do we do now, cowboy?”

  Maverick almost smiled. “Cowboy? I’m not much of a cowboy.”

  “You live on a ranch now, right?”

  “It’s not exactly a ranch. It’s an alpaca farm, but I won’t be shearing their wool. I’ve never roped a steer or branded cattle, and I can barely ride a horse. I’m doing IT work for the company now.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “I like it. It’s what I know how to do.”

  “So then, what do you know how to do with a girl like Felicity? Ever been in a situation like this before? ‘Cause I sure as shit haven’t.”

  This time, Maverick did smile. He also chuckled a bit. “Hell no. I’ve barely dated one woman at a time.”

  “You and me both.”

  Maverick gave him a thoughtful look. “You bullshitt
ing me? Because I would have thought with those all-American good looks and your fucking fortune, women would be throwing themselves at you.”

  Kane snorted and took a sip of beer. “That’s the problem. The money, I mean. They come around for the wrong reasons.”

  “So what are the right reasons?”

  Kane listened to a bird singing in a nearby tree, and wondered if they listened to human talk and tried to figure out what the odd noises meant. How awesome would it be to have nothing to do all day but sing? “Oh, I don’t know. How about enjoying my company? Or, liking the color of my eyes, even. Anything but how many businesses I own and how big my fucking house is.”

  Maverick’s gaze followed the flight of the lark as it took off from the tree where it had just been singing, and then he fixed his dark eyes on Kane. “It sounds like you’ve had about as much luck with women as I have.”

  Kane studied his face for a second or two, looking for signs of bullshit, but there weren’t any. He raised his beer bottle, and Maverick hesitated for a moment, but then he finally clinked his against the side of it.

  “What are we drinking to, Kane?”

  “To Felicity. To making her not hate us for the way we behaved earlier, and to making her happy. Because underneath it all, Maverick, as much as I know you might not want to believe this, I don’t want to hurt her. I swear to high heaven I don’t.”

  “I believe you. I honestly do. But what do we do now?”

  Kane shrugged. “Damned if I know.”

  “Are you going to tell Tommy what you know?”

  Kane nodded. It was the right thing to do. He had a team of PR people that could do damage control to his family’s precious name.

  “And are you still going to try and find out if the Ruiz family are shapeshifters?”

  “I don’t know.”