“The house is pretty much condemned as a full-time living space,” Eric said as he opened the door. He got out and then held out his hand for her to take. “But, it’s one of the older buildings standing and there are some old pictures inside we thought you might like to see. You did say at the café that you often find more information in old photos than documents, right?”
* * * *
“That’s very true.” Jocelyn was amazed that Eric remembered that comment she’d made. She’d figured that she’d talked too much, and they tuned her out for most of the meal. She slipped her hand into Eric’s, and he helped her down from the seat.
He didn’t let go of her hand right away, but as soon as he shut the truck door he did. It was like they were both touching her deliberately longer then was socially acceptable. It was the most disconcerting part of the day so far. She wasn’t used to being touched, but that wasn’t the part that made her uneasy. What was confusing her was the feeling of longing that was growing in her chest. As nervous as it made her, she wanted to feel their hands on her.
Especially here. She looked up at the house. Two stories high, windows covered in weathered boards, and peeling paint on the siding. It looked like it came straight from the imagination of Stephen King. Any blood dripping down the walls or whispered “get out” and she was going to run for her life.
“Which one of you is planning on moving out here?”
“Both of us,” Matt answered. “Eric and I have been inseparable since we were kids and don’t see any point in stopping now.”
Jocelyn looked around at the yard and surrounding area. It was a beautiful place to live, quiet and peaceful. She could almost imagine a house here with large gardens to plant flowers and herbs and a giant vegetable garden. That would be so amazing. “What if one of you wants to get married? Will you fix this place up?”
“Eventually we’ll have it torn down when we decide to start building our own house. When we get married we’ll still live together.”
“You have certainly chosen a tricky path. It’s going to take a couple special women willing to share a house.”
“There will only be one woman, Jocelyn.” Matt winked at her. “We have every intention of sharing.”
“Oh.” She attempted to sound nonchalant, but even to her ears she sounded dazed. A sharp stab of jealousy hit her, all over a mystery woman they hadn’t met yet, who’d share their bed in the future. Matt fished a set of keys out of his pocket and headed toward the house.
“You said there were pictures in here? If it’s going to be torn down, shouldn’t the house be empty?” It was an obvious change of subject, but she didn’t want to hear anything else about the plans they’d made for their future wife.
“It hasn’t been completely cleaned out yet. There’s still some old furniture and boxes being stored here in there. It’s in relatively good shape for a house its age, but all the wiring, pipes, and insulation need to be upgraded. After we gathered up all the quotes for the work that needs to be done, we decided it would be cheaper and safer to flatten it and start over.”
Eric put his hand at her lower back as he guided her up the porch steps after Matt. He might as well have slid his hand under her shirt and caressed her skin because she jumped slightly at the contact. Despite the layers separating her, she was sure she could feel the warmth of his hand at her back. There was something so reassuring about him guiding her like this. As if he cared about her safety. Hello, brain, we are not a romantic, remember?
She did her best not to stare at Matt’s ass as he preceded her but it was damn near impossible. The man had a great butt and it was right there in front of her. His comment about the two of them sharing a woman was still echoing in her thoughts. She couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to be naked between the two of them. Her brain almost short-circuited with the mental images that flickered across her thoughts, causing her to miss the top step and stumble.
The burst of pain she expected when her knees connected with the wood stair never happened. Two strong arms wrapped around her torso and stopped her descent. Her body automatically stiffened in retaliation.
“Careful!” Eric steadied her until she got her feet under her again. He must have been standing on a lower step because she could feel his chest against her back and his head next to hers. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had his arms around her. “Sorry, I’m a bit of a klutz sometimes.” She patted his arm as an indication that he could let her go but he held on.
“I’ll have to keep you close to me then.” Her limbs trembled as her panties got wet, and her heart fluttered at the low rumble of his voice right next to her ear.
Matt had opened the door and was standing there leaning against the doorframe watching them. Jocelyn straightened and stepped away from Eric, forcing him to let go of her and let her escape. She couldn’t read the expression in his hazel eyes, but she thought he looked amused. The corner of his mouth kicked up as she moved toward him, confirming his mood. She wasn’t entirely certain what he found funny, her trip or reaction to Eric.
“You feel free to trip near me next time, Jocelyn.”
He thinks I was faking? “I assure you I have no intention of giving you further displays of my lack of coordination.”
“That’s a shame because I was looking forward to catching you.” He waved her into the house before she could come up with a solid retort. Not that she would because her thoughts weren’t formulating anything other than the most primal of responses.
“Where did you say these pictures are?” The hallway was narrow with a narrow staircase going up to the second level. A cold shiver of uneasiness ran down her spine. There was a window in the staircase wall that allowed lots of light into the hallway, but this place continued to feel creepy to her. “Is there an attic in this house?”
“Yes, but it was cleaned out years ago. The upper levels are pretty much empty, and everything is down here.” Eric pressed a hand against her lower back, and she took a couple quick steps to move forward and away from his touch, much to the disappointment of her senses.
Despite not being used to being touched, she liked the feel of his hand at her back just as much as she liked Matt holding her hand. Both men had the ability to send tingles through her body from the simplest of touches. As disconcerting as it was, she wanted more but was afraid. There was no future for her here.
They led her down a hall and into a large room, which might have been a dining room at one time. Numerous floor-to-ceiling windows let in the sunlight from outside. There were dusty sheets over the furniture, but it was the pictures on the wall that caught her attention.
“How long ago was this house lived in?”
“Full-time maybe in the thirties or forties, once the town started to develop many of the families moved closer for convenience,” Matt explained. He pulled a sheet off one piece of furniture, exposing a dingy upholstered loveseat. He sat down and spread his arm along the back of it, almost as if he was inviting her to sit with him. “I think one of my great-aunts lived here for a little while when she was younger, but she said it was too damn hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.”
Jocelyn nodded and turned her attention to the pictures on the wall. Many were mass market prints of landscapes or floral arrangements. There were a few old black-and-white pictures. One was very similar to the one she’d seen in Minnie’s hallway, but there was something different about it, and she couldn’t put her finger on what. She should have packed her magnifying glass and gotten a better look.
“There are some more old pictures and newspaper clippings around here somewhere.” Eric flipped up another sheet that exposed a dresser. The wafting dust made her sneeze against her arm.
“Sorry about that,” he said as he opened and shut all the drawers. “I would have sworn there were some old photo albums in here. Maybe one of our parents came in here and cleared them out.”
“That’s all right
. Achoo!”
“Bless you,” both men said at the same moment as Jocelyn rubbed her nose. She sneezed again…and then again. The tickle in her nose wouldn’t subside and she could feel her eyes watering.
“Come on, Jocelyn. Let’s get you outside into the fresh air.” Matt got up and slid the sheet back over the sofa.
“I’ll be out in a second,” Eric said as he headed across the room to what looked like an old wooden roller desk. “I want to check a couple more places for her.”
“You don’t have to go to all this trouble. Achoo!”
“It’s no trouble, Jocelyn. We said we could find some more information for your research, and I want to make certain that we didn’t completely waste your morning.” He winked at her much the same way Matt had and then grinned. “I’ll meet you two outside.”
She nodded, grateful for their help but feeling no little guilt for her omission of information. Would they be this helpful if they knew why I was really here?
Matt wrapped his fingers around her hand. “Let’s get you out of here before I have to break out an EpiPen.”
“I’m not that allergic to dust.” She rubbed her nose. It felt like an army of ants was marching all through her sinuses. As much as she loved to search out information, it was much nicer to do it in a library with proper filtering and air control. The air outside wasn’t much colder than inside, but at least it was fresh and dust-free.
She took a deep breath and looked up at the sunshine with her eyes closed, enjoying the warmth on her face. The itching in her nose subsided to the point where she didn’t feel like she was going to sneeze every other second.
“You are a very sensual creature.” A shadow passed over her face, and she opened her eyes and looked up, directly at Matt’s face. He stood in front of her, and she realized the true height difference between them. At five five, she wasn’t overly short, but Matt and Eric had to be almost a foot taller than her. He rested his arms against the post over her head and leaned into her.
“That is not a word I would ever use or has ever been used to describe me.” With Matt this close her heart started hammering wildly in her chest. Part of her knew she needed to step away, keep this professional, but the desires she kept buried deep and hidden inside her fought to be released.
Nervous, she licked her lower lip and his gaze dropped, tracking the movement before meeting her gaze again. “You don’t see what I see then.”
“What do you see?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. You need reassurance and validation from a complete stranger? But not any stranger. He and Eric were different. She just didn’t know why.
“You took a deep breath the moment you got out of the truck. The air out here is much different from the city you’re used to. Did you realize you touched the wallpaper, the frames around the pictures, and the sheets covering the furniture?” He lifted his hand and brushed some hair off her cheek. “Now, when we come back outside, you turn your face to the sun to feel its rays on your skin.” His fingers trailed down the side of her face, featherlight, an almost tickling caress that sent a shiver along her limbs. Her nipples pebbled tightly, and she was afraid if she looked down, she’d see them against the front of her jacket.
“I see a woman craving something she is afraid to ask for.” His eyes never left hers, and his hand drifted down her neck, his palm resting against her collarbone. All she could think about was how it would feel for him to lower his hand a bit further and cup her breast and roll her nipple between his fingers.
“Tell me, Jocelyn.” He lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers as lightly as his fingers had against her cheek. “What do you crave?”
“More.” Was that my voice?
The corner of his mouth kicked up into a grin. “More of what, beautiful?” Matt slid his hand slightly lower on her chest, and she took a deep breath, lifting her breast up, needing to feel his hand cup her. He wanted the words, she could see it in his expression but she couldn’t get them past her vocal cords.
He dipped his head again, this time flicking his tongue out along her lower lip. “Tell me, beautiful.”
Jocelyn felt as though an earthquake rumbled in her core, sending tremors along her limbs. “I…”
“Sorry, Jocelyn. I was sure there was something in there that would help you. Someone must have moved…”
Eric’s low voice broke the trance Matt had her trapped in, adding another layer of arousal to what she was already feeling. Shocked at the soft needy moan that escaped her, she ducked under the arm Matt had braced next to her head and practically ran down the porch steps.
Oh, god, what am I getting myself into? Shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat, she walked blindly away from the house, hoping to get her heart rate under control. The breeze felt cold against her burning cheeks, and she didn’t think she’d ever been this wet in her life.
“Jocelyn, where are you going?”
“To look at this tree.” She’d answered Matt without turning around. Would he be angry at her bolting away from him or embarrassed because Eric had caught them like that? “I think there might be initials carved in it.”
“Really? I don’t remember seeing anything like that.”
He sounded amused and she wanted to die of embarrassment. She’d never felt this strong of a reaction to any man before. It wasn’t that she hadn’t had lovers…well, lover. One. A man her parents had approved of, which should have sent red lights and sirens off in her head. They’d dated for six months. It had taken him a month before he tried to kiss her and another three before he’d suggested they see if they were compatible in bed. What a humiliating experience that turned out to be. She wanted romance and passion but got a history lesson in condom use, instead. He came after three strokes, thanked her for a lovely experience, got out of her bed, and had a shower. She lay there and made excuses for him, hoping it would be better the next time. It hadn’t been.
Eight weeks and four more sexual encounters together, each one more disappointing than the last, and he emailed her to tell her it wasn’t going to work out. According to him, she wasn’t what he’d hoped for and they’d obviously lacked compatibility. At the time she’d tried to rationalize his behavior and be thankful he’d been strong enough to speak up instead of dragging it out. She’d never been so relieved it was over.
She glanced back where Eric and Matt stood next to each other. Eric’s arm rested against the post as Matt leaned back against it, his arms crossed over his large chest. Matt’s mouth was curled up in a half smile, while Eric looked as if he was trying to figure out what she was doing. Her mother would immediately consider them ruffians before ever speaking to them. Her father couldn’t care less what she did as long as she finished paying them back what they felt she owed them. She wanted both men but didn’t know how she could choose between them. They’d said that they liked to share, and she was terrified to put herself in that kind of position. What if this is a game to them and once I cave they get bored of me too? They were the type of men who would steal her heart and leave her a tattered mess when they tired of her.
“My mistake. There isn’t anything there.” She took a deep breath and pulled herself back together. Keep it professional. “Sometimes initials carved into trees or on the sides of a house can give clues about relationships in the past.”
Eric cocked his eyebrow at her, but she chose to ignore the questioning look. Matt didn’t lunge at her or try to kiss her again. Regret twinged deep inside her, but she ignored it as she walked to the truck. “Are there any other buildings you think might be a source of information?”
“There are one or two more old houses and an older cabin we used to play hide and seek in when we were kids, but they are in worse shape than this house I would imagine.” He opened the truck door for her as Matt walked back to the driver’s side and slipped in behind the wheel. “I’ll ask my parents if they know what happened to everything in this house or if it’s all been moved into storage so
mewhere.”
“That would be kind, and if your parents know anything about any other old family lines in the area that would be a help, too.” She eyed the bench seat and steeled herself for the ride back.
“The only other old family around these parts are the McLeans, but whatever information you get from a Baldwin about a McLean should be taken with a grain of salt and vice versa.”
Jocelyn settled herself between the two of them, clasping her hands in her lap so that she wouldn’t accidently touch either of them. Eric had been very open about his and Matt’s plans to share a woman, and she wanted so very badly to be between them. Aubrey had confessed to being in a relationship with two men and how she’d never been as happy in her life. But given the circumstances surrounding why Jocelyn was here, there was no way she could in good conscience do that, no matter how badly she wanted to.
She would find out the information she was hired for and then head back to Bozeman and maybe, just maybe, they might meet again someday under different circumstances.
Chapter Four
Matt could sense that Jocelyn had pulled back behind her prickly exterior, and her cool professional mask was back in place. He was so tempted to smack the bad timing right out of his cousin and then kiss that mask right off her. He’d liked the honest expressions on her face as he crowded into her personal space on the porch.
“More.” One simple word that almost destroyed the finite grip he had on his good intentions and would have led to a lot more than one kiss. He hadn’t intended to get that close to her, but as she ran her hand over everything she passed in the house, he’d longed to feel her small hand on his skin. When she opened her eyes after basking in the sunlight he saw past her facade. A brief glimpse at the passionate longing in her eyes, watching the tip of her tongue nervously wetting her lips, was enough to send most of the blood in his body straight to his groin.
Trust in Sanctuary [Sanctuary, Montana 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 5
