Darlings and Disorder for the Dom [Loving in Silver 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Lynn Stark

  Though Colt felt better with his decision, he knew it wouldn’t be simple to untangle them from the two men. He didn’t want to hurt them. But it was better to do it now, when they weren’t committed emotionally. He had to be certain. Gilly and Avery had to be given time to think about what they truly wanted, not choose something because they believed they were expected to do so.

  As they dried themselves off, Clarissa asked rather timidly, “You do realize what we just did, don’t you?”

  Colt chuckled and bent to kiss her softly on the mouth. “Yes, my father explained it all to me a long time ago.” He kissed her again and finished drying.

  Neither woman was taking the pill. They had stopped taking it almost three years before as they entered their thirties. They had been taking the contraceptive so long that they were afraid of side effects as they got older. But they had only stopped taking them after speaking to their doctor. Ever since then they had employed other forms of birth control. Until the evening before he had always used a condom. Still, he had withdrawn at the last moment, though it wasn’t a very good form of birth control.

  “We need to talk,” Colt said finally, heavily. When he saw their expressions go from happy to wary, he quickly reassured them. “I haven’t changed my mind about getting married and having babies.” He took Bliss’s robe off its hook and held it out so she could slip into it. He repeated the process for Clarissa, and then reached for his own. “It’s about Gilly and Avery.”

  “What about them? Is it because they’re always bickering?”

  Colt shook his head. The corner of his mouth quirked wryly. “No. I think it’s just part of the way their personalities play off each other. There’s no real heat, no malice in it. They’re testing each other, nothing more.”

  “But…”

  “Colt, no…” Clarissa began, her eyes filled with heartache.

  “I was thinking that we should just keep this between the three of us. I’ve been selfish and the two of you have been extremely generous. Gilly came to Silver looking for a man and woman to love. Are we cheating him of something very special with people he chose himself? I hate to even consider it. And Avery, well I believe Avery’s just looking for a safe place where he’ll be accepted for who he is.”

  There was no way he would tell either woman that making love to Avery had been an incredible experience. They would simply use that against him, because he could see they were prepared to argue with him. The connection he felt to Gilly was equally strong. They had known exactly what to look for when they had sought out the man. He was perfect. Avery had just been an added bonus.

  For a man who enjoyed control and order, the past few months had been dealing him blow after blow of disorder.

  Colt thought he had done the right thing. But one look at the expressions on his lovers’ faces and he just couldn’t tell if he was right or wrong.

  Was this how the next forty or fifty years with them was going to go? If so, he was in trouble.

  Chapter Six

  As he ran the stiff brush over Sin’s silky flanks, Avery thought about everything that had happened since his arrival at Colt’s ranch. Much of it had come as a shock. Not the least of which was becoming the lover to four other people. It should feel strange, but it didn’t. Colt had a very strong personality which he found comfort in. It was tempered by a good heart and an ability to treat those around him with respect.

  His cock hardened in his jeans as he thought about how the man had made love to him the first night. It had been so right. He would never have any regrets about it. Even if his staying with them didn’t work out, he would have something wonderful to remember them by.

  Though he hadn’t made love to Bliss and Clarissa yet, he wanted to. His cock jumped in agreement. Smiling, he continued to brush Sin from head to his muscular rump. A couple of cowboys walked by, teasing him, asking him if he wanted them to get him a step stool. He wasn’t really that short, but Sin was very tall. Since all the guys had been great since meeting them, he knew the teasing was good-natured.

  Avery combed out Sin’s fetlocks before tossing the comb into the tray he kept his grooming tools in. Then he was reaching for the stallion’s blanket and unfolding it.

  “The reason we’re so easily found is because none of us can give up being around horses,” a very familiar voice said behind him. Avery spun around to see Tristan standing there, a smirk on his face. “What’s up? You knew I was on my way here.”

  Sin danced as far away as the cross tie would allow as Avery ran and threw himself against his brother, hugging him tightly. “Geez, I didn’t think you were ever going to get here! Colt told me that those men had picked you up just as planned, that there hadn’t been any problems. How are you?”

  Slender shoulders lifted. “Good, I guess. I’m still not sure this was the right thing to do. I had a pretty good job.”

  Avery understood his brother’s fears. After all, he’d been living them himself for years now. He was damned sick of it, too. This was the first time he’d seen Tristan in over a year. It was almost two years since he’d seen Alex. He couldn’t take it any longer. He wanted a life without fear and he wanted to share it with his brothers. If he could give it to them, with Colt’s help, then he would.

  “You can get another job here. There are horse and cattle ranches all over the place around here. And you can go into town, too, anytime you want.”

  “This guy Colt, who said he’s your lover. You sure hooked up awful fast. Is that wise?”

  Avery felt the sweet emotions again that he’d felt when Colt had claimed him. The feeling of security was unmistakable. The man would never deliberately do anything to hurt him.

  He nodded as he looked Tristan in the eye. “I’ve never felt anything like I do for Colt and the others. They’re all special. I feel like I’ve come home. I want you to have that, too.”

  “I’m not looking for love. Maybe some hot sex, but not love. Not until I feel like I can stay in one place and build a life for myself.”

  Avery could understand that. He didn’t argue. Instead he hugged his brother again, feeling his heart swell with love as he was hugged back until the breath left his lungs.

  “Geez, couldn’t you guys wait for me?”

  Feeling like he was living in a dream, Avery let Tristan go. He turned to see Alex walking down the aisle with a young man following slightly behind him. He guessed it was the guy Alex had wanted to bring with him and wondered what his story was. Were they lovers?

  “What took you so long to get here?”

  “My friend Angel didn’t want to get on the plane.” Alex slung a friendly arm over the smaller man’s shoulders. Avery and his brothers ranged in height from five foot four inches to five foot six inches. Angel was smaller than that. And slender. He thought a stiff wind would blow the guy away. “But it’s all good now. Damn it’s cold around here, isn’t it? I’m glad I checked the weather here before we left. I went and got coats for us.”

  “And books,” Angel whispered. “Alex bought me five books.”

  “Hey, that’s great,” Tristan said. “We all love to read. What kind of books did you get?”

  Angel blushed, a deep red burning his high cheekbones. Avery thought he could use a good feeding. “Romances. They have werewolves and vampires and stuff in them.”

  Avery knew what kind of books he was talking about. He had a couple of his own. “Hey, that’s cool. I read the same stuff. Let me put Sin away. Then we can go to the house.”

  His brothers and Angel admired the horses in the stalls as he covered Sin with his blanket and led him back to his own. He dropped an apple in the stallion’s feed bin before giving him a firm pat to his muscular neck.

  Colt was planning to ride Sin later that afternoon and he couldn’t wait. The stallion had settled in nicely and seemed to be suffering no lingering effects from traveling. Avery wanted to watch his lover ride the gorgeous horse. The man had several Frisians as well as several other breeds. He loved beautif
ul horses and collected them.

  Bliss and Clarissa had certainly known the perfect gift for the man.

  Avery had a dream of having a couple of his own horses one day, but he would prefer to get rescue animals, because they needed homes, too. Not that he would knock how Colt did things. Though he had a lot of horses he didn’t have any bred very often. None of his studs were used to service outside mares.

  “Are we allowed to be in here?” Angel whispered, all but wrapped around Alex for comfort as they entered the house through the mudroom attached to the kitchen. As far as mudrooms went, it was very large and looked like it was never used. He could understand why the little guy was impressed. “I bet this has been in a magazine.”

  It was nice enough for a magazine, but Avery doubted it ever had. Colt was a private person. He couldn’t see him letting people into his home to take photographs. Once they had removed their outer gear and their boots, he opened the door to the kitchen. Heavenly scents wafted into his nostrils, causing his stomach to growl loudly. It was echoed down the line of men behind him.

  “It smells like a restaurant in here.” Again it was Angel. It was odd how impressed the guy was by basic things. Since he didn’t know anything about him, he could only make wild guesses about his past. “Can we get something to eat?”

  “You can eat as much as you want.” Avery saw Gilly chopping vegetables at the center island. He frowned. “What are you doing home? I thought you had to work.”

  Gilly didn’t look at him. “I quit.”

  “Oookay. Can we get something to eat? Angel here is starving.”

  “I’m not starving. I’m just really, really hungry.”

  They all laughed before he introduced everyone. He hadn’t spent any time with his brothers in years, but it was feeling as if they had never been apart. His heart ached with love.

  Angel was in front now, having released his hold on Alex. He was standing and watching as Gilly chopped vegetables at lightning speed with a huge, gleaming knife. He wondered how many times the guy had gotten his fingers before getting his rhythm down.

  “Wow, that’s cool. Can I have a piece of celery?”

  Gilly didn’t look up. “Sure, kid. Open your mouth.”

  It was a good thing Angel was on his game because a piece of celery went flying in his direction the moment Gilly said the words. He caught it and grinned before chewing. Avery sucked in his breath. The little guy was absolutely gorgeous and so innocent in appearance. Like a little angel. He was aptly named.

  “Carrot.” A slice flew and he caught it. They laughed. “Pepper.”

  The next five minutes were carefree and filled with laughter, something he figured none of them had enjoyed for a very long time. It was probably a good thing. If he got to thinking about how happy he was to be with his brothers again, he would probably start bawling like a baby.

  Once his brothers and Angel were seated at a huge, round table, Avery went to speak with Gilly. “What did you quit for?”

  Broad shoulders lifted. “A disagreement. The chef I was filling in for decided to come back much earlier than expected. She had a hissy fit about my being there, so I made it easy for Gerard. I apologized to him for quitting without notice, but it’s just as well. I have to look around for a place I can set up my chocolate shop.”

  “I like chocolate. Can I work for you?” Angel was there again, hope in his brown eyes.

  “Are you a hard worker? I won’t hire a slacker.” Gilly didn’t miss a beat.

  “I’d be the hardest worker you ever saw…ever!”

  Gilly studied Angel for several long, tense moments. Avery thought Angel was about to snap in half, he was so stiff and still, his hands clutched to his chest. He didn’t even think the guy was breathing.

  “Okay. You’re hired. I’ll need you to help set up the store. Can you do…?”

  The man’s question was chopped off as Angel squealed and ran around the stainless island. Gilly dropped his knife on the cutting board before he was hugged until he started turning blue.

  “Thank you!” He let him go before he raced back to the table to sit down. “I have a job,” he said proudly, grinning at the other men.

  He tapped knuckles with Alex and Tristan as they congratulated him.

  Avery turned back to Gilly. “That was nice of you.”

  Again he shrugged. “I have a lot of things he can do. I suspect he has a lot of energy to burn. Besides, I like his attitude.”

  “It is very positive. Do you have something we can eat?”

  “Sure. I’ve made a pot of stew. I’ll just get the biscuits in the oven. It won’t be long. Could you make a pot of coffee?”

  The biscuits didn’t take long. Butter and honey were placed on the table, as were steaming bowls of beef stew. While they ate two bowls each, Angel ate a third, along with six biscuits dripping with butter and honey. He washed it all down with two tall glasses of milk before leaning back in the chair and patting his flat stomach. Avery didn’t think the guy could eat anything more but Gilly served up plates of peach cobbler. Angel ate two pieces swimming in heavy cream.

  Once their amazement wore off they opened the newspaper Gilly had brought home with him. He sat at the table with them, seeming okay with just sitting there relaxing as the others looked through the want ads first.

  “Did you look through it yet?”

  “No. I stopped in to see Colt. There are a couple of buildings that would work for me. One is right on the square, another is on a side street. I actually like it better. It’s smaller. The other is already set up with booths and tables, which I don’t need.”

  “What if people want to have a hot chocolate?”

  “I’m not serving hot chocolate,” Gilly told Angel patiently.

  “But it’s a chocolate shop. And in the winter people might like a nice cup of hot chocolate made from scratch. And cookies.”

  “I’m not making cookies.”

  Angel bit his lip and appeared as if he was trying to think of something. Avery and his brothers watched the pair with interest. The man’s big brown eyes lit up. “Brownies! You can make brownies! They’re made of chocolate, too!” He crossed his arms over his chest, a smug expression on his face. “And chocolate cookies.”

  “No cookies.”

  “But brownies?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Angel whooped and pumped his fist in the air. Avery leaned toward Gilly to kiss him softly on the mouth. “What a nice guy you are.”

  “What are you kissing him for?” Tristan asked, frowning. “I thought Colt was your lover.”

  “Colt is my lover. So is Gilly, as are Bliss and Clarissa. You’ll meet them later.”

  “You have four lovers?” Angel blinked as he asked the question it was obvious his brothers wanted to ask. “That’s a lot. I don’t have a lover. I don’t want one.” He scowled fiercely and scooted his chair closer to Alex’s. “Men always hurt me. And I don’t like women. But I’m getting really tired of my hand.”

  “TMI, Angel,” Alex joked, cuffing him playfully. Angel blushed and ducked his head.

  “I’ve met four wonderful people. I don’t think the number is really important. We’re making a family.”

  “Doesn’t hurt that Colt Redford’s loaded.”

  Avery shrugged. “I really don’t know how wealthy he is.”

  “Bro, the guy has two private jets. There’s a clue for you.” Alex grinned. “You’ll probably have to sign a pre-nup.”

  “You guys are sticking your noses into places they don’t belong. I hope this works out with Colt, Gilly, Bliss, and Clarissa, but not because of what I can or can’t get from them. The moment I met them I was lost.”

  Beside him Gilly nodded. “It was a bit more awkward for me, but I’m also hoping this will work out between us.” Gilly had told him about attacking Colt with a silver tray. How he wished he’d been there for that! “I’ve never met four more special people. It might not be exactly what I came looking for in
Silver, but I can work with it.”

  “Me, too. Now, did you guys see any jobs in the paper?”

  Heads nodded. Tristan answered first. “There are a few. I’m hoping to keep working with horses, of course.”

  “I’m not going to get picky right away. I’ll be happy with something to pay the rent on an apartment.” Alex glanced at Gilly. “Maybe I can help make chocolate cookies for a while.”

  Gilly growled. “No cookies.”

  “Chocolate cookies with big chunks of macadamia nuts! Or chocolate cookies with candies pushed in them. I love those.” He smacked his lips and looked at Gilly expectantly.

  “No cookies.”

  “We have to have cookies. Everybody loves cookies with their hot chocolate. Are you going to make fancy candy?” Gilly nodded. Angel grinned slyly. “Then you can offer wine to go with it. I saw it on TV. People like that kind of stuff.”

  Avery saw the moment something clicked in Gilly’s head. He smiled slowly as a thoughtful expression settled on his face. After a moment he looked at Angel. “Okay, you’ve got your cookies because that is one fantastic idea!”

  Angel glowed under the praise. However, it only lasted five seconds as the kitchen door swung open and Colt walked in. Then the small guy was jumping out of his chair to put himself between Alex and Tristan.

  “Angel, you don’t have to be afraid. This is Colt, the man who brought you here. He would never do anything to hurt you.”

  “He’s big.”

  Yes, Colt was very tall. At around six foot three or four he towered over all of his lovers and quite a few other people, Avery guessed. He was also more than a little dangerous-looking with his exotic, dark handsomeness. Colt stopped a few feet away from the table, not crowding. There was a smile on his face which reached his dark eyes.