by Vanessa Vale
“Or you could find a place of your own,” Sally said. “If you’re ever in the market, give me a call.”
Before I knew it, she’d shoved a business card into my hand. I glanced down at it, saw she was a realtor. “Oh, well, um…”
“Now, now, leave the poor girl alone,” Violet said.
I shot the woman a look of gratitude but before I could say anything, she kept talking. “You can tell her all about the houses for sale later. There are some men here I want her to meet.”
My jaw fell open, but Dash spoke first. “I don’t think so, Violet. Avery’s already spoken for tonight.”
I looked up at him in shock. I honestly didn’t know whether I should feel annoyed by his presumption or relieved that they were looking out for me. After all, it wasn’t like I wanted to be introduced to any more men. I had my hands full with these two as it was.
Mrs. Wray laughed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, Dash, she’s not trying to set Avery up—it’s clear as day you and Jackson have her in your sights.”
“No, we’re just friends,” I protested again. But no one was paying attention.
“Of course not,” Violet clarified. “I just wanted her to meet Rory and Cooper. They’re looking for someone to help promote their helicopter business for adventure tourists and I thought Avery might have some good ideas being in travel journalism and all.”
“I, uh…”
They didn’t wait for me to respond. Violet grabbed me by the wrist and started pulling. I looked over my shoulder at Jackson and Dash for help, but all I got was a wink and a smile. “They’re good guys,” Jackson said reassuringly as I was tugged away from my safe haven by the brownies.
“You’ll like them,” Dash added.
Clearly, they both knew Rory and Cooper and didn’t think either would steal me away. They were right. They were good guys and I did like them. Veterans back from the Middle East, they were grounded and beyond polite as they explained their business and how they wanted to expand.
Though I was no marketing expert, I did know more than most about the travel industry and before I knew it I was advising two avid, interested business owners on how they could pitch their services to leading travel magazines and websites.
After listening to my parents’ criticism for the past two days, it felt good to have people take my work seriously. No, they took me seriously. So seriously they offered me a paid gig if I’d write the kind of feature piece I was talking about.
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t know if I’ll be sticking around long enough for that. I’m sorry.” And I was. I’d gotten myself excited at the angle I could spin on their personal story and their business—but I’d already committed myself to an assignment in Brazil shortly after Jackie’s wedding.
My time in Bridgewater was limited, which was how I’d planned it. I’d learned years ago that it paid to have an escape plan when visiting.
Still, I found myself watching Jackson and Dash, who’d been hovering nearby while I talked, giving me some space to converse with the local pilots, but always close enough in case I needed them. I’d never had people looking out for me before. Smothering me, yes. Nagging, for sure. But I’d never had this—the kind, generous, thoughtful consideration of two men just wanting to make sure I was safe and happy.
I surprised myself with a weighty sigh and for the second time that night I found myself feeling sorry to leave. I’d been prepared to flee, to run. Escape. But the party was fun and I wanted to spend more time with Dash and Jackson. I didn’t want to go.
Me? Sad to say goodbye? This had to be an aberration. Maybe I was getting sick or I’d been blinded by Sally’s sweater lights. Or maybe it had been too long since I’d had great sex if one night of multiple orgasms had me feeling sappy about small town life.
“Keep it in mind then,” Rory said. “Will you excuse us? Our wife and daughter are getting ready to open presents.” He pointed toward a pretty blond woman who looked vaguely familiar.
“Is that Ivy?”
I saw the men swell with pride as they looked at the woman I’d known in high school. While these two had been in the same class with us, I didn’t remember them. Maybe I’d been too hung up on Dash and Jackson to see anyone else. “Yes, and our daughter, Lily.”
The little girl looked just like her mother. By the way the men looked at the duo, it was obvious they were in love.
“Go ahead and join them. Have fun,” I said, watching as they made their way over and both took a moment to kiss Ivy. I would have gone to say hi, but I didn’t want to interrupt.
Everyone started to gather around and exchange small gifts so I hung back. Jackson and Dash looked like they were stuck in a conversation with Sally and someone else I didn’t recognize but their gazes kept flickering over to me as if I had some sort of magnetic pull.
Jackson’s dark eyes met mine and his slow smile made my knees weak. Shit, they were seriously dangerous to my mental health but there was no denying the physical attraction. The chemistry. But since I did have an escape plan and I’d made it clear that this was nothing serious, I was in the amazing position of being able to have my cake and eat it, too.
And that metaphorical cake looked yummy. They looked good in their button-down shirts and jeans. But they looked even better without clothes. Rippled muscles, broad shoulders, powerful backs, big—
Maybe if I was very lucky—or very naughty—I’d get another chance to experience that blissful sight. They had said I’d get a reward. Hopefully two.
My aunt’s voice behind me startled me out of my dreamy thoughts. “Are you going to stand around mooning over your sexy cowboys all night or are you going to enjoy the party?”
I let out a laugh at her words, turning to give her a rueful grin. She was right. I had been ogling the guys. “I didn’t bring a present,” I said, nodding toward the gift exchange. “If you hadn’t noticed, I wasn’t exactly prepared to come to a party.”
I looked down pointedly at my too-casual outfit but my aunt waved away my concerns, taking me by the hand and pulling me toward the laughing crowd. “Don’t be silly. Beverly always throws in extra gifts in case we have surprise guests like you. Besides, they’re mostly gag gifts anyways and all in good fun.”
A young, cute brunette knelt by the tree and seemed to be in charge of doling out the gifts. She smiled up at me when Aunt Louise dragged me near. “Hannah, I’ve told you about my niece, Avery, haven’t I? She’s in town for her sister’s wedding.”
“Of course,” the woman said, much to my surprise. She smiled. “The travel writer, right?”
I nodded and stuck out my hand.
“This is Hannah, the town’s new doctor,” Aunt Louise offered as introduction. And then, as if it was totally normal and appropriate, she turned to face the good doctor with a wicked grin. “My niece has been in town for one day and has managed to ensnare the two most sinfully sexy vets in the state.”
I knew for a fact that my cheeks had turned bright red. “Aunt Louise!”
Hannah laughed as she nudged me. “Way to go, Avery.”
I let out a snort of laughter at her over-the-top wink. “Oh my God, I can’t believe this town.”
Hannah laughed harder. “Tell me about it. At least you were raised here. Coming from California, moving to Bridgewater was like discovering a new world.” Her attention seemed to be caught by two men on the other side of the room and her expression softened sweetly. “Sometimes I still feel like it’s too good to be true.”
Obviously, those guys were hers. Big and brawny, one of them winked at Hannah. They were good looking, but nothing like Dash and Jackson.
Aunt Louise bent down and picked up a small present and handed it to me.
“Open it,” she urged.
By the time I got it open, Jackson and Dash were by my side and Louise’s friends surrounded us once again.
This meant they were all there to see what I’d unwrapped.
“Is that…?” Violet starte
d.
“Are those real?” Sally asked.
I stared down at the handcuffs dangling from my finger, too surprised to respond. Hannah’s laughter cut through the silence. “That has got to be Declan’s contribution to the present exchange,” she said, joining us. “One of my husbands is a cop and he obviously likes to give themed gifts.”
I returned her smile, swinging them back and forth with a laugh. “What am I supposed to do with these?”
“Honey, if you don’t know, I can’t help you,” Aunt Louise said in a stage whisper that had everyone laughing, including me.
Mrs. Wray moved between me and her son. Wrapping an arm around me, she turned to face Jackson. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.” Before I could ask what she meant by that, the older woman grabbed my hand. She moved so quickly I didn’t have time to react.
I heard the click around my wrist, felt the cool metal and blinked. What the…?
Jackson stared at me over his mother’s head. He looked just as shocked as I felt.
She’d handcuffed me and Jackson together and then, with a loud laugh, grabbed her friends in their hideous sweater glory and walked away.
“Those women are crazy,” Dash muttered, staring at our joined hands with barely concealed laughter.
“Have fun,” Hannah said with a huge grin, patting me on the arm and leaving us, too.
“Dash McPherson, this is not funny,” I said between gritted teeth. I tugged at the handcuff, which only moved Jackson’s arm toward me. These were not play ones. These were the real deal.
I turned to Jackson and saw that he, too, was struggling not to laugh. I found the humor contagious and joined them. “There have to be keys around here somewhere, right?”
When the guys shook their heads, I stopped laughing. No keys? I was handcuffed to Jackson Wray. So much for my escape plan.
7
JACKSON
* * *
There were keys. Of course, there were. My mother had slipped them into my shirt pocket with a little pat after she’d deftly handcuffed me to the love of my life.
Subtlety had never been my mom’s strong suit.
But now, as she looked at me from across the room and winked, I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I had the literal and figurative key to setting Avery free burning a hole in my pocket. Dash must have known—he’d been watching my mom’s mischief and hadn’t done a thing to intervene.
Something told me he’d stayed quiet for the same reason I wasn’t offering up the key right now. Despite her crazy methods, my mother had given us a gift. More time with Avery with no chance for her to run away.
I’d watched her tonight and seen the way she’d warmed up to the nice, if slightly quirky, townspeople. She’d looked like she’d been having fun. But I’d also heard her explanation when she’d told Rory and Cooper that she was leaving town.
More than that, I’d seen the flicker of relief in her eyes, but also the hint of sadness.
She was obviously conflicted, and that was a start. Maybe we’d managed to give her a bit of temptation to stay—or at least come back more often than once or twice a year—but we still had our work cut out for us. Being handcuffed to the woman was certainly a help.
I looked down at our joined hands. This was the perfect opportunity to keep her close for a little while longer. So instead of admitting the truth, I gave her a shrug and tugged on her joined hand so she was snug against my side. “I’m sure there’s a key around here somewhere. In the meantime, is it really so bad being stuck with me?”
Her lips pulled to the side in a funny little smile. “I guess it’s not all that bad.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Dash stepped closer, tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. Stroked his knuckles down her tanned cheek. “I bet we’ve got some sort of tool we could use back at our house.” His grin was mischievous as his gaze roved over our girl. “What do you think, Jackson?”
I pretended to mull it over, scratched my beard. “I think you’re right.” Turning to face her, I leaned in close. “What do you think, sweetheart? Want to head back to our place and see if we can get you off?”
Her eyes widened with shocked amusement.
I grinned. “Get the cuffs off, I mean.” I only added that after she knew we were more serious about getting her off than getting us separated.
Her head fell back as she laughed, showing us the long, perfect line of her throat. The sound had me aching to pull her in my arms and kiss the hell out of her, despite the fact that we were in my family home and in full view of half the town. I compromised by pressing my lips to her forehead, which was even more intimate than I expected.
When she finally answered, I saw the sexy glint in her eyes and I nearly groaned aloud.
“Yeah, this could be good,” she said in that husky, come-hither voice of hers. “Let’s go.”
The ride back to our place seemed never ending even though it wasn’t more than ten minutes. Sitting between us, our girl turned feisty and handsy the moment we were all alone in the truck. Her cuffed hand slid up and down my thigh, getting closer and closer to my dick. I wasn’t going to stop her. If she wanted to touch me, she sure as shit could. I was painfully hard and if she so much as brushed it with her fingers, I worried I might blow. She had me that turned on.
Our coats were thrown over our shoulders since our arms were joined. Even though the heater hadn’t started pumping out the hot air, I was practically sweating.
“Holy shit, sweetheart,” I groaned as she stroked me through my jeans. I stiffened and hissed out a breath. A quick glance showed me she was subjecting Dash to the same sweet torture. When the truck sped up, I knew he was just as desperate as I to sink into her.
“How long till we get to your place?” she asked.
“Wet for us, baby doll?” Dash asked, his voice a deep growl.
“I’m so turned on I can’t stand it,” she said, wiggling a little in her seat.
“So you like a little bondage?” he added.
“Mmm hmm.”
Fuck, that was hot.
Dash reached over and slipped his hand between her thighs, cupping her. She parted her legs to give him better access. I watched in frustration as Dash stroked her pussy through the thin material of her pants. Fuck, I couldn’t wait for my turn. But my hand was still joined with hers and there was no way I was going to remove her palm from my cock. Her little strokes were torture, but I couldn’t give it up.
She arched her back and her jacket fell back off her shoulders. Her tits strained against her shirt. “Are we almost there? I can’t wait much longer.”
Dash looked over at me with a grin. I could safely say neither of us had ever met a woman who so thoroughly embraced her sexuality like our Avery. And it seemed a pair of handcuffs only made our girl go wild.
I saw his hand clamp down harder on her pussy. “Are you feeling naughty, baby doll?”
Her answer was a whimper. Her lips parted and her eyes fell closed as she rolled her hips up to press into his palm. Her own hands moved over us both, making sure we were primed and ready—not that we needed any more help with that.
By the time we reached our house near town, all three of us were breathing heavily and ready to go. I helped Avery down, took her hand in mine and practically ran to porch. Dash led the way, opening doors and clearing the path. A second later, we tumbled into my bed.
I kissed her as I rolled her beneath me, careful of our joined wrists. She was pliant and soft, eager. My knee slid between hers, moved up so I was half on top of her. With all her eagerness and the wild night we’d had in Minneapolis, I had to remember she was so much smaller than both of us. While I knew she wouldn’t break, I held back.
But smart as she was, she must have sensed it. Turning her head to break the kiss, she asked, “What’s wrong? I mean…you’re tentative or something.”
Each breath she took lifted her breasts into my chest and I felt their plush softness, even through our clothes.
“I am tentative,” I admitted.
“Why?” A little V formed in her brow.
“Because I like that you’re cuffed to me. At my mercy. What I want to do to you.” I pushed her hair back again, stared down at her. Fuck, she was gorgeous. Her lips were red and glossy, her cheeks flushed.
“What’s that?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper. Her free hand came up, stroked over my beard and I tilted my head into her touch.
“Instead of having you handcuffed to me—” I leaned onto my hip, reached into my shirt pocket and pulled out the key. While I liked her stuck with me, I wanted full honesty. Sure, we’d coerced her into bed, but I wasn’t going to keep her under duress. I didn’t want to be with her with a lie over our heads—or around our wrists. She needed to be in bed with us one hundred percent. Knowing she was all in made all the difference. “—I just want you cuffed.”
She stared at it with an open mouth. “You’ve had that all along?”
“Since his mother slipped it in his pocket,” Dash added, sitting down on the side of the bed.
“But—”
“We want you, baby doll.”
“Were you in on it?” she asked, jiggling her wrist.
I gripped my own wrist, put the key in the hole and turned. The cuff clicked open easily. “In on my mother’s matchmaking? Hell, no. She came up with this on her own.”
“Or with Aunt Louise. I’m sure she just happened to pick Declan’s present at random.”
Dash laughed. “You’re probably right. Looks like there’s a whole bunch of people who want us in bed together.”
Avery glanced away. It was slightly embarrassing, thinking of my mother and her friends trying to help Dash and I with our love life. But, Avery was in my bed, so it had worked. It was now up to us to keep her there. And to do that, we had to give her the choice to go.
“What we do is up to you.” When her gaze met mine, I continued. “You want us to take you home? We will. You want to watch a movie on the couch? We will. You call the shots.”
