Montana Blues [Sins of Silver Creek 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)
Page 7
The third youth, skinny and sickly-looking, wearing baggy jeans and a baseball cap that sat backward on a mop of frizzy dark hair, backed into a corner, looking scared stiff. Nick didn’t blame him. Then, with a round of applause, Jez handcuffed the two youths together and shoved them out of the door.
Nick stared after her, amazed and so proud. The angel had definitely kicked ass, which made him think. Perhaps he should tell Jez about Steve, otherwise she may well kick his ass, particularly if she felt hurt that he hadn’t told her and kept her in the dark about their idea of a ménage relationship. He definitely didn’t want that. But then again, and like he’d told Anderson, he was waiting until Steve was by his side before he divulged his—their—feelings to her. He grimaced when he realized he was being indecisive.
“Go,” Anderson said, gaining Nick’s attention. “I know you want to.”
“Will you be okay?”
Nick grinned at the “you’re kidding me” look that Anderson sent him. He guzzled his soda and stifled a belch. Before leaving Rustlers to join Jez at the station, he obtained the third youth’s details in case Jez needed them.
Chapter 9
Brothers! Jez couldn’t believe the two youths she’d just arrested were related. More than that the third youth left behind in Rustlers was their brother, as well. They must have three different fathers, Jez decided as she wandered back into the main office after showing Drew and Ian Houseman the comfortable accommodation that were the station’s cells for the night.
Sitting down to make her report and complete some paperwork, Nick breezed through the door. She watched as he stamped his feet and dusted snow from his hair and jacket, wishing it was her fingers doing the brushing. He sent her a grin that could melt snow. Damn, Nick was so hot she could have an orgasm just watching him unbuttoning his jacket and hanging it on the hook by the door.
Tonight, his solid, muscular body was dressed in faded denim jeans and a thick V-neck sweater, which showed the thermal T-shirt beneath. She’d bet his naked skin was smoking and smooth and kissable and touchable and...she sighed and tried to concentrate on what she was writing. Damn near impossible when he took the seat opposite and just let his bewitching midnight gaze drift over her.
She was surprised he wasn’t snacking on a candy bar. She knew the bottom drawer of the desk he shared with George was full of them. Hers, too! He sure hadn’t been kidding when he’d said he liked it. She shook her head, a small smile playing her lips. Jeez, she’d never known a man to eat as much chocolate as Nick.
As well as full of chocolate, the time Nick had spent on duty with her had been magical. He was a very good detective and she could learn a lot from him. That is, if she could keep things professional between them. However, that hadn’t been the case, particularly on his part. Though he was serious and tense at work, Nick, at seemingly every opportunity had touched her, causing her to come to the conclusion that he liked her.
She definitely liked him. Actually, she more than liked him. She cared deeply for him, perhaps on the verge of falling madly in love. She had to be careful though. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was holding something back from her. He hadn’t contacted her once when she’d been on her rest days, which maybe had been a good thing. She’d been in danger of diving in at the deep end and fucking the man stupid before she had his trust that he wouldn’t run off when he found himself next to a hairy monkey the morning after.
Nick was still staring at her. Jez felt a blush redden her cheeks when his gorgeous midnight blue eyes settled on her breasts. His gaze smoldered with so much intensity, she felt sure her uniform shirt and the pink girly bra underneath would develop scorch holes from her nipples that had beaded with hunger for his mouth and tongue. He licked his lips and she fought the urge to jump across the desk and land in his lap.
“Do you like my tits?” she dared to ask.
A grin stretched his mouth as he playfully waggled his brows. “Definitely. But on a more serious note, I have the details of that third kid.” He fished a piece of paper from his pocket. “Wayne Houseman. And if you can believe it, his brothers are the ones you arrested. They’re relatively new to the town, moved into their aunt’s house about a month ago. They’re looking after the house while she’s sunning herself in the Maldives. Are they finding the accommodation to their liking?”
Jeez, that change of subject felt like her body had been pelted with snowballs. Shame. She’d bet Nick’s teasing side was every bit as hot as that smoldering gaze. “They’re not happy, put it that way.”
“That vial I saw the first kid—”
“Drew Houseman,” she supplied, interjecting. “His brother, Ian, is the one who tried bashing me with his Coke bottle. He wants to make a complaint of assault against me for his bruised balls and squashed nose. I told him he could whistle, what with the amount of witnesses, including you, who saw what really happened.” She picked up and showed Nick a clear plastic evidence bag containing the vial in question. “As for the vial—already bagged and tagged and ready to be sent to forensics. From just looking at it though, I would say this was one of the vials stolen from the vets.”
He leaned across the desk and briefly studied the bag. He nodded. “Agreed. I suggest we personally take that to Butte. I caught Sanders reading the forensic report even though it was personally addressed to me. I don’t trust him.”
She frowned. “George was probably only trying to help, Nick. I know he can be difficult at times, but the vets’ case is a bit out of the norm for us, especially at this time of year.”
“I know. I thought the same earlier, but there’s something about him...” He blew out a breath when he paused and pinched his nose. “I don’t know. I still don’t trust him. And ‘difficult’ is putting it mildly, Jez. Sanders is a grade-A prick. I don’t like him and I certainly wouldn’t trust him as my backup.”
She failed at stifling a laugh. She didn’t need Nick telling her he didn’t like Sanders or that George didn’t like Nick. Sanders had had more than enough snide remarks about Nick every time he relieved her at the end of her shift. She was surprised to hear that Sanders had read the forensic report though. The envelope she had personally placed in Nick’s tray had clearly been addressed to Nick and was marked private and confidential. She knew it was from forensics because she saw the stamp and knew that Nick had asked for such, but she wouldn’t dream of opening anything addressed to another person.
“Can I read the report?”
“Sure. It’s your case as well as mine. I just left it at home.”
Nick went on to explain what was in the report and his and Anderson’s deductions. Jez felt her eyes widen in surprise. “Police boots? Next you’ll be saying that George is a suspect. Nooo!” She laughed when Nick’s expression went completely deadpan. “Oh my God, you’re serious.”
“I’ll ask him tomorrow where he was on the night in question.”
“He was on duty.”
“Exactly.” His gaze flicked to the closed door leading to the cells. “I wonder what our guests will say when interviewed.”
“Are you staying with me tonight, keeping me company?”
His eyes returned to her. Impossibly, their color had darkened. “Sure. What do you suggest we do together?”
She made a passable attempt at ignoring the erotic roughness to his voice. She could think of a lot of things they could do together. Not one of them clean. “Can we do the interviews tomorrow morning before I leave? Let them cool off and stew overnight.”
“Good idea. Besides there’s something else I’d rather do tonight.”
She swallowed hard and tried for teasing. “Like what? Munch on chocolate?”
“No. Not chocolate. Something far sweeter.”
Nick rose to his feet and came round to her side of the desk. He took hold of her hands and gently pulled her to her feet. Not that she needed much pulling. She found their bodies within almost touching distance, maybe only mere inches apart. He let go of her hands and she
“Angel hair,” he muttered, lightly curling the strands through and around his fingers. “Soft, so damned soft.”
Jez puffed at a lock that fell on her nose and then stopped breathing altogether when he angled his head and hovered the delicious and passionate line of his mouth above hers. She felt her pussy clench in excitement. Oh, yes, he was going to kiss her!
But wait a minute. Nick was hovering longer than she would have liked. What was he waiting for? Was he going to kiss her or not? She’d just about decided not when the opening of the station door caught her attention. Accompanied by a swirl of snow and trying not to shiver, was, honest to God, the second hunk this side of the South Pole.
Her mouth, moistened by the thought of Nick kissing her, instantly dried at the sight of the blond, six-foot man on the threshold. He was lean but still muscular enough to make the crotch of her panties flood with pussy juice. He stepped further into the room and she could see his eyes were an orgasmic hazel, a green ring of fire around a playful disc of mellow brown.
“Steve,” Nick whispered.
Tremors that she could only conclude were of elation passed from Nick’s body to hers and made her knees quiver. She clenched her thighs together, shocked at how wet she actually was. The man Steve grinned at her. Heat flooded her body, yet no amount of pussy juice would extinguish that fire. Her mouth opened. For what, though, she couldn’t say as her brain had become incapable of forming questions, let alone coherent speech.
Nick then kissed her and her brain left the building altogether.
Chapter 10
Steve’s cock was harder than a rod of solid ice at the sight of Nick kissing the woman he knew was Jez. She was just as Nick described. Long golden hair like that of an angel, sexy-as-sin, catlike aquamarine eyes, and a perfect feminine body encased in a crease-free brown uniform. Like Nick, he’d never seen a uniform devoid of creases, well, apart from the ones down the middle of her pant legs. A smile curled his lips when he remembered Nick telling him even the hike that Jez took him on didn’t crumple her clothes. Nick, on the other hand, told him he’d looked like he’d been dragged through a hedge backward.
Steve centered his attention on Nick. He could tell that Nick had been surprised to see him before locking lips with Jez. He couldn’t blame him. How his plane managed to land at Bert Mooney Airport in a blizzard had been nothing short of a miracle. Thank God, he hadn’t been booked on the next flight because when he landed, he’d discovered it had been cancelled.
Jess Anderson met him as arranged. She also possessed the sense to drive a monster truck fitted with snow chains on its tires, because the drive to the Anderson home where Nick was staying had been hampered seemingly by the same blizzard following them and getting worse with every mile. Steve had never seen so much snow. It seemed to him that every last flake was being dumped on Montana, and in particular Butte and the Silver Creek area.
During the drive, he and Jess talked as if they’d known each other for years. He wisely chose not to mention the name Sam Carrick on Frank Walsh’s advice just before leaving LA. There was much more to the story that Walsh told him, but he didn’t want to pry and run the risk of igniting Jess’s infamous volcanic temper. He only knew that Carrick, Jess’s partner in love and work, decided to join the living some thirty years after faking his death, something that didn’t amuse Jess, particularly when Carrick informed her he was still in love with her and how she’d broken his heart when she married another man. Steve thought that was a bit rich considering it was Carrick who, in fact, had left Jess thinking he was dead. In Steve’s opinion, Carrick was a prick, and Ross Anderson, whom Jess had married, was worth a million of him.
Steve had only seen Anderson for five minutes in Rustlers Bar, where Jess had stopped outside, but they, too, talked like they’d known each other for years. They knew about him and Nick, and Steve liked them more not just for their friendly and warm welcoming manner but for their unbiased opinions. He just knew he had made friends for life.
He’d stopped in Rustlers long enough for a single shot of whisky, which Anderson bought him. He wished he’d drunk more because even the short walk across the street to the police station had him shivering and shaking like an addict going cold turkey. Cold being the word there, it was fucking freezing, though there was something comforting about the biting, clean air. He hadn’t been in Silver Creek long, but Steve couldn’t help but wonder if the town had already weaved its charm around him, just like Walsh said it would. From the times he’d spoken to Nick over the telephone, he already knew it had happened to Nick.
A deep, guttural groan from Nick caused Steve to stare at Jez. Jeez, the woman was eating Nick up. Not that he could blame her. Nick possessed fantastic lips made for kissing. Then there was an equally delightful though exasperated moan from Jez when Nick broke lip-lock and dropped his head into the crook of her neck. The top four buttons of her shirt were undone, showing soft, sun-kissed skin, but Steve was more interested in the woman’s mouth. He felt his cock thicken further. Jez’s lips were…were…so fucking hot and wet from Nick’s mouth that it was impossible not to feel left out.
Steve stepped toward them. “Mind if I cut in?”
* * * *
Nick’s full-bodied and masculine taste still on her lips, in her mouth, it was oddly exciting to watch two men kiss like nothing on earth mattered. In fact, Jez was more turned on than what she’d been moments before when Nick’s lips had been melded to hers. Yet at the same time, something wrenched inside her chest. Nick was kissing this Steve with the same intense passion that he’d done with her.
Still transfixed, it was obvious the two men possessed deep feelings for each other and that being the case, what was she? Some sort of a fucking stand-in? Rejection cut deep. Didn’t Nick like her anymore? Was he gay? Bi? If he was, why hadn’t Nick said anything to her about this Steve? Didn’t he trust her? Did he think she wouldn’t be hurt? She needed answers now. She coughed loudly, breaking the lovers apart. They both expressed a sense of shame that they’d forgotten her. Fucking good-oh.
Nick spoke first. “You’re hurt.”
She didn’t bother to mask her sarcasm. “No, you think so? What the fuck’s going on?”
“I have some explaining to do.”
“Understatement of the century, Nick.”
Nick waved a hand as to invite her to sit down. She shook her head and planted her hands on her hips. She ignored the little darts of excitement that shot straight to her pussy at the way both Nick and Steve’s eyes burned hot. Their message was clear. We want to fuck you. “I’ll stand if that’s okay with you.”
Steve’s chuckle was silenced by a hard look from Nick. “Jez, I’m not gay. Nor am I bi, but I do love Steve. He’ll always be here”—he tapped his chest—“in my heart. However, there’s a part of my heart that Steve will never have. You have that, Jez. And I’m hoping you’ll think about a relationship, not just with me, but with Steve as well. A ménage relationship. Have you heard of them?”
Jez nodded. Oh, God. It was bad enough having to tell her secret to one boyfriend, but two?
“Most ménage relationships are male-female-male. But ours will be male-male-female. Does that repulse you, seeing two men loving each other?”
Jez definitely didn’t need to think about that, not when her pussy juices were flowing. “No.”
Nick exhaled slowly. A sigh of relief, she concluded. He continued. “It won’t mean we’ll give you any less love. On the contrary, you’ll always have our love, our touch, our kisses and caresses, but I want to do those things to Steve, too.”
“And vice versa.” Steve smiled. “I know it’s a lot to take in, Jez. But please think about it. Think about us, together. You can have all the time you want. We won’t rush you.”
Jez shook her head. This was happening too quickly. “Well, that’s good to know, but I don’t know you and you don’t know me.”
“Nick’s been very vocal about you, Jez.”
She snorted. “Yeah, well I know zip about you. Nick never mentioned you. Where’ve you been?”
“In a coma for a month. I only woke up last week. Doctors released me today. I wanted out earlier but they refused.”
“Oh.” Well, that was a good reason. Still… Jez turned to Nick, her eyes narrowed. “Why didn’t you say anything to me? Especially if you love this Steve like you say you do.”
Nick looked contrite. “I wanted to tell you about Steve and about us, but I wanted to wait until he was by my side. Then we could tell you together.” He held out his hands, not quite pleading but still serious. “Believe me, Jez, Steve and I want to share our lives with you. To love you and make love with you.”
Jez thought about it for a moment. For three years, her life had been barren of men, now two handsome-as-hell guys wanted her. Jeez, it was mid-November, so what was this? Thanksgiving and Christmas wrapped up in fancy gold paper and topped with a sparkly silver bow? She inwardly snorted, mildly amused by the current turn of events.
Still, while she let her gaze wander between Nick and Steve, excitement bubbled in the pit of her stomach at the thought of a ménage relationship with them. She didn’t have a problem with ménage relationships. She wasn’t a racist, homophobic, or anything like that. Prejudice had no place in her line of work. She was already on the verge of falling for Nick, so why not add Steve into the equation? Indeed, her heart tripped a beat when her eyes finally settled on Steve.
Steve was a complete contrast to Nick, like light against dark, easy against serious, and yet deep down, she guessed they were both alike. Maybe, just maybe these were men who were honorable in their intentions and wouldn’t be scared off or mocking to be with a woman who shaved in the mornings. She had to dream, otherwise what was the point? Shame it would only be for six months... But wait a minute. What had Nick just said? “Believe me, Jez, Steve and I want to share our lives with you. To love you and make love with you.” Share their lives with her? Did that mean that Nick was intending to stay permanently? And if so, would Steve also stay?
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