Love Under Three Valentinos [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Cara Covington

  “So her mother saw to it she had tutors for all the usual topics of education of the day, and some that were unusual—like how to use that knife and how to defend herself. And then, because Amanda wanted to be self-sufficient, she embarked upon a career. She became a private investigator.”

  “A career which she gave up once she got married, of course.” Kat had just enough presence of mind to smooth the edge off her voice. She truly wished she’d caught those words before they’d escaped, but they came out of her mouth before she even knew she was going to speak them.

  “Certainly not! She and her husband Warren, being a lawyer, formed Jessop-Kendall Investigations.”

  “Adam didn’t approve?”

  “Of course he did, dear. But he was a captain in the Texas Rangers and in charge of the Waco office at the time.” The woman’s eyes danced with merriment. “I imagine having an ‘in’ with the local authorities served those particular P.I.s very well.”

  “Oh.” Kat had been certain she’d known what she was talking about, and now, well, she didn’t feel stupid, but she did feel pleasantly surprised.

  “Kat, this is the curator of the Lusty Historical Society Museum—and our mother, Anna Jessop. Mom, this is Katrina Lawson. She’s—” Paul didn’t get to say another word.

  “Oh, you’re the bounty hunter who took down that horrible little twerp, Ricky Wilde. I was so disappointed that I didn’t get to attend that meeting this morning. Well done, Ms. Lawson!”

  “Um...” Kat laughed. She was completely enchanted by Anna Jessop. “Thank you, Mrs. Jessop. I...”

  “Oh, please, call me Anna.” She grinned and then nodded toward the rest of the displays. “I’m so pleased you decided to stop in here. I’m very proud of this museum and of the story it tells about the brave souls who dared to be different.” She tilted her head to one side. “I know you couldn’t miss the photograph at the entrance. But did you know that being two husbands to one woman wasn’t the only daring thing Adam Kendall and Warren Jessop did. They were lovers before they ever met their Amanda—and at a time when being so could have gotten them executed.”

  Kat hadn’t let that sink in because she’d thought that Paul had tossed that tidbit out about his ancestors just to shock her. Now she thought he may have had another point.

  “This town and these families set convention on its ear. It’s just one of the things I love about Lusty. The other, of course, is the sense of family I found here.” She blinked as if she just realized she’d been very chummy with a relative stranger, which, in fact, she had.

  I’ll bet Anna Jessop only treats those she doesn’t care for as strangers. Yes, and Kat didn’t think there’d be many, at that.

  “I’m sorry for going on so. I’m so glad I got to meet you. I’ll let you finish up your tour.”

  “It was nice to meet you, Mrs....Anna.”

  “It was very nice to meet you, too, Ms. Lawson.”

  “Just Kat.”

  “My dear, I believe you’re many things, but never ‘just Kat.’” Anna looked at her sons. “Supper’s at six. Your father Craig is cooking, so don’t be late.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Paul grinned and kissed his mother’s cheek. Each of his brothers did the same, with Lucas adding a hug. Then Anna Jessop went back inside her office and quietly closed the door.

  Kat looked at Paul. “Your father Craig? Was that so I’d know his name?”

  Paul grinned. It was that quick little full-of-fun grin he had that did something funny to her stomach. It felt as if he’d unleashed a dozen butterflies inside her when she’d been sure she had none of those in her at all.

  “No, that was to let us know we’re having a real home-cooked meal. That dad likes to cook, and he especially likes to make Italian, so I’m hoping for either cannelloni or lasagna.”

  “If she’d said our father Jackson,” Wes said, “then we’d have known we were having take-out—either fried chicken or Tex-Mex or even Chinese.”

  “Jackson doesn’t cook, but Mom and Craig do.” Lucas’s smile was a lot slower, and deeper, than Paul’s and made her want to taste the edges of it.

  One look at Wesley and she wanted to sneak away and have fun.

  All three men turned her on and turned her inside out until she couldn’t think straight. Part of the reason she’d been such a bitch to them back in LA was because she thought they were playing games with her—having some sort of a contest between them to see which one of them would “get the girl.”

  But after that meeting this morning and, now, touring this museum, she was beginning to get an entirely different idea.

  An idea that was cemented when she worked her way around to a wall of very recent photographs.

  “Oh! I’ve been to a showing at the Carstairs gallery in LA of Cody Harper’s work. I didn’t think he did family portraits.”

  “He only does his family’s portraits,” Paul said. “Cody is married to our cousins Greg Benedict and Rebecca Jessop.”

  “I’ve heard of her, too. She’s an artist as well. Oils, isn’t it?”

  “Oils and pastels. I forget which she did first, but lately she’s been going back and forth between the two mediums, which is unusual,” Wesley said. “But that’s a Jessop for you.”

  “The three of them are also are co-administrators of Maria’s Quest.”

  That was a surprise. “Wow. How did they get chosen to do that?” One couldn’t follow the news about major disasters around the world without being aware of the privately run charity that seemed to always be where it was needed most.

  “Because our Grandma Kate founded the charity,” Paul said. “And when she decided to ease back a little on her busy schedule—which she did last year just after her ninety-third birthday—she asked them to take over for her.”

  Clearly, there was more to these three screenwriters than she’d been willing to see. As she looked at the wall of happy, smiling families—most with three adults, and a few with four—she had to admit that she hadn’t let herself really get to know them—or let them get to know her.

  Which begged the questions, was she going to let things go on that way, or was she, for once, going to take a chance and dare to open herself to a personal relationship?

  “I’m ready to have that coffee, now.”

  Paul reached a single finger out and caressed her cheek. “With a side order of conversation?”

  “Yes. Yes, I want to have that conversation, too.”

  Chapter 2

  “I’ll be honest.” Kat kept her voice quiet because she didn’t particularly want their conversation floating through the restaurant for everyone else to hear. “At first, the way all three of you were flirting with me, I thought you were taking sibling rivalry to new heights.”

  Her gaze flitted around the dining room. It wasn’t yet four thirty, but there were some early diners tucking into their meals. More tables held triads than couples. After that tour of the museum, she realized that they weren’t just groups of friends. They were threesomes in an adult committed relationship.

  Paul’s voice came out just as quiet. “And we thought you were flirting with us so that you’d have an entrée to the other movers and shakers in the film industry—a theory we believed had been proven when we saw you the next day with Larry Borden at Puck’s.”

  “I guess we all jumped to conclusions,” Lucas said.

  Kat looked at the three men and understood they were keeping their voices down for her benefit. They could have taken the attitude that this was their town and they’d be as loud as they’d like.

  Oh, come on, Kat. You haven’t known them long, but already you know they’re not like that. They’re not pushy or bossy or the kind to treat you like a door mat, to marry you and expect you to stay home keeping house and raising kids while they go out and live the exiting life, the way your parents did things.

  “Where did you just go, Kitty-Kat?” Paul asked.

  The nickname, one she’d never liked, somehow sounded good com
ing from Paul Jessop’s lips.

  “Sorry. I tend to overthink things sometimes.”

  “Don’t apologize for being the person you are,” Lucas said. “We all have our individual personality quirks.”

  Kat thought that was a very sensitive thing to say. She liked that about Lucas Jessop—his sensitivity and his ability to see into the heart of a matter.

  Or into the heart of a person.

  “The question is, where do we go from here?” Wesley leaned forward. He sat directly across from her at the four-person table. Like his brothers, it seemed that he was being careful not to crowd her. He’d leaned in but didn’t really invade her personal space. “You should know by now that we’re not vying for your attention—although we do most definitely want you between us.”

  “We, all three of us, are very attracted to you.” Lucas reached out and ran his finger over the back of her hand.

  Such a simple touch, and yet Kat had to suppress the shudder that wanted to travel to every nerve ending in her body.

  “I’m attracted to you, too. To all three of you.” She exhaled and shook her head. “I don’t understand it. I really don’t.” She sat back. Would she be thought too presumptuous to say what was on her mind? No. They showed me through their museum, took me to that wall showing “married” ménages. So in essence they’d brought up the dreaded “M” word first. “I’m not looking for marriage. That white picket fence and the house with the kids and the dog, where the little woman stays home and bakes cookies and takes care of everyone? That’s not me.”

  “Thank God,” Paul said. “I don’t think any of us are looking for a woman to be our servant.”

  “If we wanted a housekeeper, we’d hire one,” Wes said.

  “We’re not nine-to-fivers ourselves.” Lucas met her gaze. “We tend to think outside the conventional mold. It’s really how we were raised.”

  “Okay, that’s good, then.” Kat heaved a giant mental sigh of relief. And since the elephant in the room had been sent back to the circus, maybe she could entertain...well, entertaining them.

  “Is there any reason why we can’t spend time together when we get back to LA?” Paul slid his arm around the back of her chair. Since that made it easier for him to turn to face her, she didn’t think of complaining about it. Admit it. It feels nice being so totally surrounded by these three studly men.

  “We’ve promised our mother that we’d be home for at least another couple of weeks,” Paul said. “So we won’t be back on the Coast till mid-February—which is when the filming of Finesse is set to resume.”

  Kat liked that it didn’t appear any of these three would consider not keeping their word to their mother. “No, no reason that I can think of. Unless you’re in a relationship—or should I say relationships?”

  “We’re not.” Lucas frowned. “I hope you haven’t given much credence to the headlines in the gossip magazines about us. The truth is a lot more boring than the fiction those rags produce.”

  “Oh please. I’ve lived in southern California all my life. Plus, being in the business I’m in, I get a good look at the underpinnings of life in Tinsel Town and the film industry. I know there’s a lot of crap printed about people in the business, most of which is complete bullshit.” It suddenly occurred to her she was being awfully damn stingy on her side of the conversation. It was past time to give them something. “I knew within minutes of meeting you that you weren’t players.”

  “Thank you for that.” Paul met her gaze and then looked down at her hand. He reached out then stopped. “May I?”

  In that moment, Kat found she couldn’t speak. So she nodded. Paul picked up her left hand and clasped it gently. Reverently. A zing of electricity shot straight to her nerve endings. Her gaze met his, and she knew she likely looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He nodded, as if he’d felt it, too. Since she didn’t really want to think about that and what it meant, she thought about his request.

  When was the last time someone had asked for permission to touch her hand? And why was the feel of his hand holding hers so damn sexy?

  Paul released her, and then Lucas took hold of her hand, just for a moment as he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. The same mind-numbing excitement coursed through her. When he let go, she understood Wesley was going to—oh my God all three of them are electrifying.

  They were screenwriters and had just used that wise chestnut of writing that showing is better than telling. They didn’t need to say that she really was turned on by all three of them. They’d just proven it to her. They’d proven it to them all.

  “We don’t know that much about each other.” Paul spoke as if something monumental had not just happened.

  “Just what’s on the surface, and what little we shared at the party in Malibu where we met.” Lucas sat back, but his presence still surrounded her. He was a big man, bigger than his brothers, and yet, of the three, she would say his was the gentlest soul.

  “We know basic bio facts but not much else. That’s our first goal, don’t you think? We need to get to know each other,” Wesley said.

  “Yes, I guess it is.” Their message was clear. The end game might be mattress aerobics, and they’d already agreed with her not-looking-for-marriage statement. But these men clearly wanted more than just a physical relationship. “You won’t be back until the middle of February?” That would give her a few weeks to get used to the idea of letting these men in—into her thoughts, into her life, and into her body.

  And into your heart?

  Sometimes she wished her inner voice would just shut the fuck up.

  “No, not till then. So, in the interim, we’d like to exchange cell phone numbers with you. We can text each other about our day. Maybe we’ll call and chat on Sundays?” Paul’s voice remained reasonable. And really, that was what his request was—reasonable.

  “All right.” She took her cell phone out and put it on the table.

  All three men did the same, and the next few minutes passed in silence as Kat put her number on all three phones—and each of the Jessops put theirs on hers.

  “It’s going to be sundown soon,” Lucas said. “You need to get going so you’re not driving on unfamiliar roads in the dark.”

  It was a sweet sentiment, and Kat decided not to tell him that was something she did with ease all the time. “You’re right. I should get moving. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you.”

  “May we walk you to your car?” Wesley asked.

  “If you want to. I left it parked in front of the sheriff’s office.” A sudden thought occurred to her. “I hope I didn’t get a ticket.”

  “You didn’t,” Paul said. “We don’t do that here.”

  It didn’t take long to walk the two blocks back to where she’d left her rental car. Kat noted that the “closed” sign was showing on the door to the museum.

  “Are you heading back to Dallas?” Lucas asked.

  “Yes. I can return my rental car there and fly out since it’s a major hub.”

  “Will you text us to let us know you’ve arrived safely at your hotel tonight?” Wesley’s voice shimmered down her spine.

  It occurred to her then that not one of them had tried to talk her into staying in town or delaying her return. She wasn’t altogether certain what to think about that.

  “Yes, I’ll text you when I get to my room.” She’d even tell them where she was, right down to the room number.

  “Now for the really big question of the day, Kitty-Kat.”

  They’d walked her to the driver’s door of the Lincoln Navigator. Paul did no more than touch her arm as he spoke, and she turned to face him. In that moment, his dark brown eyes took on a depth she’d never noticed on another human being, man or woman. His short brown hair topped a masculine face balanced between beautiful and rugged. She’d never seen him without his shirt but she knew his was a solid physique. He met her gaze, and when he said nothing more, she raised one eyebrow.

  “Will you let us k
iss you good-bye?”

  Oh hell yes! Of course, she didn’t say that. Neither did she say “yes, please.” In fact, she didn’t say anything at all because she couldn’t trust herself to keep it cool. So she simply nodded.

  “Paul’s the oldest,” Lucas said. “He’s the first.”

  The first what? She almost asked, but then Paul placed both his hands on her shoulders and drew her inexorably closer to his studly self.

  She licked her lips. She hadn’t meant to do that. It just happened.

  Paul Jessop flashed her that quick, sexy grin that she loved, and then he lowered his head and covered her mouth with his.

  Freefall. Kat could have sworn the earth fell away from beneath her feet as Paul’s tongue dueled with hers, as his lips caressed hers, as he drank her down in big, all-consuming gulps. His flavor seduced her, and the moist heat of his mouth enthralled her.

  No man had ever kissed her like this—as if she was everything.

  She very nearly whimpered when Paul raised his head, ending the mind-blowing kiss. His smile wasn’t the same quick, sexy grin. Instead it looked...satisfied and hungry at the same time. Before she could think about that, he very slowly, and very gently, handed her over to Lucas.

  A gentle giant. Kat had read that expression in a few books before, but never understood it until she’d met this man. He towered over not only her, but his brothers. He was the most buff of the three and with his slightly curly black hair and deep blue eyes could easily pass for a male model, or a Mr. Universe contestant. Then Lucas lowered his head. Her name, “Katrina,” whispered across her moist lips, and then he sealed that whisper against them. Slow and sultry, wet and wonderful, Lucas’s kiss took her deep. She felt herself being consumed by an eddy of passion, a passion that promised to reveal to her secrets she hadn’t even known existed.

  Lucas lifted his head and met her gaze. “Perfect.” His smile warmed her heart.

  “My turn.” Wesley’s words were followed by his hands on her, turning her, and bringing her closer to his chest. Lighter brown close-cropped hair, a face that made her think of chiseled stone, and blue-gray eyes that seemed to see right through her combined to make one hell of a powerful impression.