by Tara Rose
Maverick drained his beer, and then gave Kane a glance that was almost friendly. “Felicity and I are supposed to spend tomorrow hiking and then have dinner. Why don’t you join us?”
“No shit?”
Maverick grinned. “No shit.”
“Okay. I’d love to. But what do we do about tonight, cowboy?”
“Didn’t you make plans with her?”
Kane shook his head, knowing if he lied he’d be found out, and then they’d both hate him for it. “We never got around to that. She was evasive when I suggested us doing something tonight. I think she was waiting to hear from you.”
Maverick looked surprised but pleased at the same time. “This is fucking crazy, man. She cares about both of us. You know that, right?”
Kane nodded. It was actually a relief to finally be able to say it out loud. “I know.” He didn’t think about it. He simply told Maverick that the subject of Felicity having sex with two men at once had come up last night.
Maverick laughed, but it wasn’t a derisive laugh. “Okay. You need to hear this, and I don’t think under the circumstances she’ll be upset that I told you. I wrangled a confession out of her mere days ago that was pretty much the same thing. It’s a fantasy of hers.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah. I’ve never done that, okay? But I wouldn’t mind giving it a shot. As long as she’s okay with it.”
“Hell, I’ll go for that. But seriously, cowboy, only if she’s on board with it.” Maverick studied his face for so long that Kane had to look away. “Dude, yes or no. Just say it, man.”
“Yes. Let’s present the idea to her, but it has to be her decision.”
“Agreed.” Kane took out his phone. It was time to do this. “You have Tommy Farley’s phone number, right?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Felicity was so flustered at work that two hours into her shift, she accidentally dropped an entire batch of sweet bread dough on the floor. As the crew in the kitchen clapped, she swore like a drunken sailor. Perhaps sensing that she wasn’t in the least bit amused, Sarah and Josh, two of the other chefs that day, helped her clean it up.
The rest of the shift didn’t go much better, and by the time five o’clock rolled around, she was taking her first break of the day. John told her to go home early and he’d pay her for the extra hour. She was so grateful that she didn’t know what to say, so she went outside before she started to cry, and checked her phone for messages.
There were no calls, but several texts from both Kane and Maverick. Her pulse raced as she read them.
“Felicity, I invited Kane to join us tomorrow for hiking and dinner. Long story, but all is okay. I hope you don’t mind if he tags along.
“Hey baby girl. The cowboy and I talked. Your house is still standing and there’s no blood anywhere. Oh, and I had a very long talk with Detective Farley. Expect big headlines about Trace Coleman soon. By the way, in case Maverick didn’t tell you yet, I’m going hiking and having dinner with you two tomorrow.”
“Felicity, the FBI from Denver just came into town. They’re looking for Trace Coleman. Did you know that no one knows where he’s staying? Blaine Peterson saw him last month driving a black Mustang, but no one has seen him since. Odd…”
Felicity punched out and texted Kane and Maverick in the same message to let them know she was coming home now because John had let her off shift an hour early and asked if they could come over. By the time she got there, both men were waiting on her front porch. She couldn’t stop grinning as she bounded up the stairs. “I guess I should have given one of you my spare key. What the hell did I miss today?”
“A lot,” said Maverick.
“Okay. Well, give me a minute to shower and change clothes, and then you two can tell me all about it.”
Maverick groaned. “Honestly, Felicity. If you’d expected us to wait downstairs while you showered, you should have come home first and then texted us.”
She stared from one man to the other with her mouth open. That must have been some talk they’d had. They both looked like they wanted to devour her, and instead of glaring at each other, it almost looked like they were in this together. “I’m at a loss for words right now.”
Maverick cut his gaze toward Kane for a second before speaking. “I have an idea. Why don’t we show superhuman strength and wait for you, on the porch, and then I can show you both my new home at Pacos Farms.”
“That’s a wonderful idea.” She glanced at Kane. “You’re both okay with that?”
“It’s perfect,” said Kane.
“I’ll be down in fifteen minutes. Um…make that half an hour if we’re going out for dinner.”
Maverick grinned slightly and gave her a look full of molten lust. “I think we’ll stay in for dinner tonight, if that’s all right with you.”
She glanced from one man to the other again, afraid to ask. It couldn’t be…. “Okay. Fifteen minutes then.”
Felicity forced her thoughts away from the one idea that wouldn’t stop clanging around in her brain. But what else could have happened? They had to have told each other that the subject of her wanting to have sex with two men at the same time had come up. There was no other explanation for the way they were suddenly behaving. How the hell had they done it? They’d been ready to beat the shit out of each other less than eight hours earlier.
She dressed in jeans, a sexy sweater, and her cutest cowboy boots. But underneath she wore black lace. After all, why not? It was just in case, at any rate. It’s not like she actually believed these two had somehow come together in the space of one short day and managed to put their differences aside long enough to agree to have sex with her at the same time. But what if they had?
As she was choosing earrings, the enormity of their text messages finally hit her. Kane had told Tommy what he knew. And if the FBI was already here in Passion Peak, searching for Trace, not only had he told them everything, but he’d done it earlier today. It was over. He’d done what he came here to do, but he was still in town. And on her front porch, with Maverick, waiting for her.
Felicity had to struggle to put in her earrings because her fingers were trembling so much. He hadn’t left town. And he’d somehow made up with Maverick. Everything he’d said to her was true. He did care about her, and he wasn’t going to hurt her. And Maverick had meant his words as well. He’d invited Kane to go along with them tomorrow. Surely that showed just how much he cared about her? And it further proved just how seriously the two men must have talked. They must have told each other how they felt about her, because any trace of their earlier animosity had disappeared.
“This is really going to happen,” she whispered. Felicity tried not to panic, but her heart was racing, and she was so excited she could barely think. She put everything into her bag, taking extra care to make sure that she had her birth control pills, her phone, and anything she’d need to spend the night at Maverick’s place, just in case.
She skipped down the stairs and out the front door like a kid on Christmas morning.
“You’re late,” said Maverick, grinning in a way that made her panties flood. “That was twenty-two minutes. We might have to punish you for that.”
Felicity almost accidentally stepped off her porch because the image that rose in her mind of both men spanking her sent her mind racing toward dark, decadent thoughts. Both of them reached out to catch her, and she laughed. “All right. I probably deserve it for what I’m thinking right now.”
“What are you thinking?” asked Kane, his voice as smoky and sexy as his eyes.
“Um…do you really want to know?”
“Yes,” said Maverick, giving her an exasperated look.
What the heck? Why not? “I had an image of being bent over the spanking bench that Maverick has, and both of you…taking turns.”
Kane glanced at him. “You have a spanking bench?”
“Among other things.”
Kane took her arm, his blue eyes blazing with lust.
“Well, what the hell are we waiting for, then?”
“What on earth did you two talk about today?”
“Everything,” said Maverick. “And we reached one clear conclusion, sweetheart.”
“What was that?” She could barely speak right now.
He put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze “That we both care too much about you to make you choose, and neither one of us is going to walk away voluntarily.”
“Just like that?” She heard his words, but her brain wouldn’t accept it as reality.
“No, not just like that. But we’re going to try, Felicity. Is that enough for now? That we at least give it a shot? This is a new experience for all of us.”
She swallowed hard as she shifted her gaze from one man to the other, not daring to believe what she saw in their eyes. They were dead serious. They were really willing to give this relationship a go. It was too much to hope for, and yet it was exactly what she’d been praying would happen. Why was she questioning how they’d been able to reach this point? Why wasn’t she simply going for it? “It’s more than enough. Thank you. Both of you. Let’s go see that new place of yours, Maverick.”
They both rode with Maverick in his truck and Kane left his car in her garage. She sat between them, so excited that she could barely think. “So, do you want me to cook dinner when we get there?”
“No,” said Maverick. “I’m going to take advantage of Wes’s staff and have it sent up, if that’s all right. It’s good food.”
“As good as her sweet bread?” asked Kane, his voice filled with doubt.
“Not a chance. Nothing is that good.” Maverick gave her a quick wink, and her clit began to throb. “But we’ll just have to rough it tonight.”
“I’ll make you guys sweet bread all the time if you want.”
“I can live with that,” said Kane.
“Me, too.”
Felicity giggled, still unable to believe this was real. As they pulled onto the property at Pacos Farms, Maverick pointed out the alpacas who were standing around their three-sided enclosures, as well as one of the three-story barns that housed them at night or during inclement weather.
“What an impressive spread,” said Kane. “How many animals do they have?”
“I’m not even sure. Hundreds.”
“Do they bite?”
Felicity laughed. “No, not at all. They’re really gentle, like sheep.”
“I didn’t even have a dog growing up.”
“That’s so sad.”
He shrugged. “Maybe I can make friends with the furry camels some time.”
“They’re loosely related to camels,” said Maverick. “But they’re closer to llamas.”
“Whatever, cowboy.” Kane was grinning, and Felicity’s heart skipped a beat. This was too good to be true. They were teasing each other as well. If anyone had told her how this day would turn out compared to how it had started, she never would have believed them.
Maverick drove around to the back of the house and Kane whistled. “It’s beautiful. Not what I pictured at all.”
“What did you picture?” asked Maverick.
“I don’t know. Something…rustic. This looks like it belongs in Hollywood, high up on a hill somewhere and belonging to a movie star.”
Felicity had to agree with him. They had the rolling hills here as well, but the stucco home with wrought iron railings on the balconies, flower boxes under the windows, and windows topped by rounded, striped awnings didn’t look like a home you’d expect to find on a farm or a ranch. It was magnificent.
“It’s even prettier inside,” said Maverick. He pulled around to a long garage and clicked a remote on his visor overhead. After he’d parked in one of the cinder block compartments, they got out and he led them to a door, unlocking it. “My own private entrance.”
“Sweet,” said Kane. “Do you have the run of the main house as well?”
Maverick nodded. “Most of it. I have access to the common areas of the house, the main kitchen, and the basement. The company offices are on the first floor as well. Wes’s parents and other family members have private suites on the second and third floors. Wes has one on the second floor, near mine. He, Dalton, and Summer all live there now.”
“Together?” asked Kane.
“Wes and Dalton are Summer’s Doms,” said Felicity.
“This town gets more interesting all the time.”
He led them up a staircase. “Here we are.” Maverick unlocked a set of double doors and ushered them inside. “I might have the walls painted darker, and I’m not quite moved in yet, but at least everything is here now.”
They walked through a great room that was the size of Felicity’s entire first floor. “I wouldn’t touch the walls,” she said. “They’re the perfect color.” The same hue as coffee with heavy cream, they set off the light oak mantle and exposed ceiling beams perfectly. The throw rugs were just a shade lighter, and perfectly complemented the beige, sky-blue and maroon-striped sofa and love seat.
Throw pillows on the sofa and loveseat set off the darker, wood, rustic coffee table, and that color was again picked up by the exposed hardwood floor along the perimeter of the room. But it was the bare wall of windows that caught her eye. The view of both Passion Peak and Sleepy Cat Peak was magnificent. “Wow.” It was all she could seem to say.
“Cowboy, if I had a view like this, I’d never leave the room.”
Maverick chuckled, and then he showed them the kitchen. Off that room was a wall of walk-in closets for storage, and then another hallway which led to a half bath, a laundry room, and an office. “My work space is here. And look at his.” He opened a French door and stepped out onto the balcony.
Felicity gasped at the view. Gentle, rolling hills, pine trees as far as the eye could see, and the same view of both Passion Peak and Sleepy Cat Peak. “It’s breathtaking.”
“You won’t be able to get any work done,” said Kane.
“I know, dude. I’ll have to put blinds on this door or something so I stop looking outside every five minutes. Either that or turn my desk toward the wall.” He led them back into the great room, and then he picked up a wall phone and ordered dinner. After he was done, he took them down a hallway on the opposite side of the room. “My bedroom is this way.”
The same bed and bondage furniture that Felicity remembered from his house on the Metcalf estate graced this room. She tried not to stare at the spanking bench as he showed them the bathroom. When they went back into the bedroom, he took them out onto the balcony, which overlooked the lake on the property.
“This is amazing,” said Kane.
“It sure is,” said Felicity. She glanced at Maverick. “Are you happy you made the move?”
He nodded. “Yes. Very.”
His gaze was so intense that she had to look away. She was suddenly self-conscious, being in Maverick’s room with both men, which was silly. She’d made love to both of them, but that had been individually.
“Dinner will be up in about half an hour. Do you two want to watch TV until then? I have a fully stocked bar, too.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Kane, “but I’ll pass on drinking right now. I want to keep a clear head this evening.” He was looking directly at Felicity, and she couldn’t mistake the lust in his eyes.
“You’re right,” said Maverick. “We did say we owed her a punishment. Alcohol and play don’t mix well.” He cut his gaze toward Kane. “Especially for first-timers.”
Felicity swallowed hard at the grin that spread over Kane’s face. “You going to show me how to throw a flogger, cowboy?”
“For starters. She likes to be paddled, too.”
“Damn. This is going to be an interesting night.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Felicity could barely force down the food, as fabulous as it was. All she wanted to do was peel off her clothes. Neither man looked to be in much of a hurry, and she concluded that either they were deliberately teasing
her, or they weren’t human.
“Let’s sit outside and watch the stars until this digests,” said Maverick, just before he called down to have someone come and take away their empty plates.
“For real?” she said, instantly putting a hand to her mouth.
Kane laughed. “I like that. She’s eager for us.”
“She’s going to have to wait a bit,” said Maverick, winking at her.
She followed him into his room and out onto the balcony. “All right. I’ll gaze at the damn stars with you two.”
Kane put an arm around her shoulder. “Oh come on, Felicity. It’s so pretty out here.”
She took a seat on the long rocker between Kane and Maverick. “They don’t have stars in Connecticut?”
He chuckled. “Yes, but we don’t have mountains.”
“How can you stand it?” asked Maverick. “I can’t imagine not seeing this view every day.”
Kane shrugged. “We have the ocean. That’s beautiful, too.”
“No it’s not,” said Felicity. “I was in Maine once, a long time ago, with my parents. My mom has a college friend who lives up there now, and she dragged me and Brittani to New England with her to visit this friend when I was about nine. The Atlantic Ocean freaked me out. It’s huge, and gray, and cold-looking.” Felicity crossed her arms as a shiver ran through her at the memory. She recalled seeing that gray mass of water simply disappear into the horizon, and thinking she’d be lost forever if she went into it.
“You didn’t see it from the right perspective,” he said. “You need to come to Shady Beach Park, on the east side of Norwalk Harbor, across from Long Island. The water is calmer there, and because you can see land across it, it doesn’t appear as vast and endless.”
“It sounds pretty the way you describe it.”
“It is pretty. New England is beautiful.”
She gave him a thoughtful look. “Do you miss your home, Kane?”
“Most days.”
They stared at each other for a long time. Felicity realized, that for all the talking he and Maverick may have done this morning after she’d left for work, the fact still remained that this wasn’t home for Kane. It never would be. She leaned into his embrace and looked out over the lake. A loon called from far away, and she swallowed hard. She’d always thought of their calls as mournful, and tonight that illusion was amplified.
