by Leah Brooke
Dillon glanced at the other table, smiling wistfully. “They still do. Worse than ever. Jesse looks more beautiful every day, doesn’t she? Clay and Rio can’t stand to be away from her.” Shrugging, he reached for his beer. “There’s a lot of us who want what they have. It’s breathing new life into this town.”
Alison reached for her glass to ease her dry throat, unsurprised to find that her hands shook. “I can’t believe people actually live this way.”
Ryder sneered. “Don’t knock what you haven’t tried, darlin’.”
Plunking her glass back down on the table, Alison glared at him. “I’m not talking to you.”
Ryder raised a brow and grinned, leaned closer. “You take on one of us, you take on both of us, baby.”
Ignoring the look of surprise and satisfaction on Dillon’s face, Alison shot to her feet, scared to death of the riot of emotions racing through her and her own uncontrollable lust for two men who were obviously way out of her league. “I’m not taking on either one of you.”
Dillon came to his feet just as fast. “Sit down, Alison.”
When she hesitated, he moved to stand behind her, his breath warm on her neck as he bent to whisper in her ear.
“I’m not worried about making a scene, and Ryder lives for them. You’re going to sit back down in that chair one way or another.”
Swallowing heavily, she glanced around to see several of the diners staring at them, including the three men she’d noticed earlier, the two tallest ones seeming inordinately amused.
Ryder shook his head and jerked a thumb in their direction. “That’s what we get for laughing at all the trouble they had with Jesse.”
Alison wanted nothing more than to escape. Taking a steadying breath, she crossed her arms over her chest to cover her beaded nipples, which Ryder appeared to find fascinating, and looked up at Dillon over her shoulder.
“Look, I appreciate that you came to get my truck, and I appreciate that you came to check on me, but I really have some things to do.”
Dillon’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Eating is one of them. The sooner you sit down, the sooner that waiter over there can take our order. I cancelled the other when I saw you leave your room.”
“How did you see me? I didn’t see you.”
“It’s not important. Sit down.”
If she tried to leave, Dillon would just grab her again, and she was a little tired of being entertainment for the other diners. “Fine. But after dinner, I really have to go.”
Dillon waited until she seated herself before calling the waiter over. “You need more than just a salad. How do you like your steak?”
Despite her objections, he ordered her a steak, salad, and baked potato.
She hated arrogant men, but had to admit she was hungry.
As soon as the waiter left, Dillon turned to her and continued in a conversational tone as though they’d been discussing the weather. “There are a lot of reasons that men want to share a woman. As for getting married, it’s true that a woman can’t legally marry two men, but in Desire she marries the oldest and is considered married to all involved.”
“All involved? You mean there can be more than two?”
Dillon’s lips twitched. “You’re new here. You would have to be here awhile to understand.”
Alison shook her head. “I’m leaving soon, so I guess you’ll have to give me a crash course. What happens if one of the men who marry this poor woman without really marrying her decides later on that he doesn’t want to share with anyone anymore and wants to marry a woman of his own? What if one of the men gets mad because he doesn’t know if his wife is pregnant with his child or someone else’s and leaves them?”
Both men looked at her like she’d lost her mind.
Ryder’s lips thinned. “That doesn’t happen. In Desire, we take our relationships seriously, and we don’t hurt our women. Marriage is marriage, no matter how many people are involved.”
Leaning over, he reached out an arm, his short-sleeved shirt riding up his bicep and giving her a tantalizing view of part of his tattoo.
Distracted, she didn’t have a chance to avoid him as he grabbed the arm of her chair and yanked her toward him.
“And our woman would be so satisfied she wouldn’t go looking anywhere else, and smart enough to know that if I ever caught her even thinking about fucking another man, her ass would be so red she wouldn’t sit down for a month!”
Alison couldn’t help it. She laughed. “Please. When I was getting information on the women’s club, information for the men’s club came up. It looks like a lot of slave-and-master crap. I understand a lot of the men in this town are members, right? Are you members?”
Dillon nodded, his jaw clenched tight. “Yes, we—”
She laughed humorlessly, thinking about Danny and his big talk. “I know. Your cocks are made of gold, and you’re the best. You make women scream in ecstasy. If you’re so good that you can keep your women in line with sex, why would you feel the need to threaten a spanking?”
“Women are just things to you, aren’t they? They’re not people. You like to hurt them because you can. Men are bigger and stronger as it is, but that’s not enough for you, is it? No, you have to attack them two or three at a time. You’re brutes, all of you!”
Furious that the last sentence came out as a sob, Alison jumped up from the table, ignoring their almost identical looks of shock, and ran from the restaurant. She started toward her room but figured they’d find her there faster, so she made a quick left and headed out the front door.
She’d stick with her original plan and find another man she could enjoy for the weekend.
Someone safe.
Men did it all the time, after all. How hard could it be?
* * * *
Dillon jumped out of his seat and started after her, but Ryder was faster and shot out a hand to stop him.
“Let her go. She needs to cool down a bit. We’ll follow her to make sure she’s all right.”
Furious, Dillon whirled to glare at him, shaking off his hand, his own hands fisted. Catching the sight of Clay and Rio Erickson coming to their feet and starting toward them, he sighed and waved them off. He wouldn’t start a fight here in the restaurant, especially with all the women present, but Ryder was pissing him off.
He shoved his best friend, some of his anger easing when he managed to knock Ryder back into the chair.
“She needs to cool down, or you do?”
Ryder sighed and inclined his head. “A little of both.”
Dillon watched Alison’s ass twitch as she hurried out of the restaurant, noticing that she moved easier now than she had earlier.
“I wanted her to eat, damn it, and I wanted to find out what the hell happened to her. You acted like an ass.”
A muscle worked in Ryder’s jaw, his eyes dark with what appeared to be concern. “I’ll apologize to her once we both cool down.”
“You? Apologize?” After tossing some bills on the table, Dillon started after her with Ryder right beside him.
Brandon came through the kitchen door just about the time they passed it. He moved quickly to stand in front of them, looking madder than hell.
“What happened? Is she crying? Is she hurt? What the hell did you do to her?”
Shaking his head, Dillon stepped around Brandon. “She’s not hurt. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of her. Can you cancel dinner for us?” He hurried toward the door, not wanting to lose Alison in the dark parking lot.
Once outside, he caught sight of her as she ran under one of the large streetlights and quickened his steps, impatient to get to her. He knew that the look on her face, and the sob that broke free at the end of her tirade would haunt him for quite some time.
Ryder caught his arm again. “Slow down. You’re going to spook her, and she won’t talk to either one of us after that. Look, she stopped. She’s digging through her purse. Is that her phone?”
Dillon slowed his steps, making sure to
stay out of the light. “She looks pissed. She’s yelling, but I can’t make out what she’s saying. Can you?”
Ryder stared in her direction, his eyes raking over her. “No. She hung up. Is she still crying?”
Dillon hurried his steps. “Did you see her face? What the hell happened in there? What’s your fucking problem? Nobody asked you to stick around. If you don’t like her, fine. Just leave us the hell alone.” Even in this poor light, he could see Ryder’s jaw clench, his face lined with guilt.
“So it’s like that, is it?”
Dillon shot him a look, not about to let Alison get away. “It is. You just had to keep it up, didn’t you? I was trying to get her to talk and find out what’s wrong with her. Those bottles of pills were half empty, and there are still refills on it. They’re strong, Ryder. I wanted her to eat something, damn it, and talk to us.”
Ryder swore inventively, his steps quickening.
“I know that, damn it! Do you think I meant to do that? She’s got me so twisted around. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. Fuck. She’s signed up for a seminar on how to please a man, but seems to both hate and fear men. She comes on to you within minutes of meeting you after she did her best to keep her distance from both of us. Even when she’s propositioning you like a damned hooker, her face is bright red. She’s got a temper, but won’t let loose, and she’s got the saddest fucking eyes I ever saw. What the fuck, Dillon? One minute I want to turn her over my knee and paddle her ass and the next I want to throw her over my shoulder and take her somewhere I can fuck her brains out. Then one look from those brown eyes and I want to just grab her and put her in my pocket and tell her everything’ll be all right. What the fuck’s going on with her?”
Dillon glared at him. “That’s part of what I wanted to find out before you scared her off. Hell, she stopped in front of the bar. Looks like she’s going in, damn it. She can’t drink on top of that pain medicine.”
Ryder rubbed his hands together, his eyes lit with anticipation. “Then I guess we’re just gonna have to stop her.”
Dillon had already started after her, when to his surprise, Ryder stopped him again.
“What?”
The bleak look on Ryder’s face knotted Dillon’s stomach.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he nodded toward the front of the bar Alison had just entered.
“She just rubbed me wrong, but I was rough on her and I’ll apologize, but then I’m leaving. You two seemed to have hit it off, and that’s fine. Just don’t expect me to sit around and watch.”
Following Ryder, Dillon hurried across the street to the bar, shaking his head in frustration.
“Damned women. I can only imagine what it’ll be like when we find the one that’ll turn us into lunatics like the others.”
Ryder cursed. “If it’s anything like dealing with Ally, forget it. I’ll stick to the club. It’s much easier.”
“It sure as hell is.”
Ryder grinned and shook his head. “Then what the hell are we doing chasing after her? You know, I don’t think I’m going to leave, after all.”
“That’s what I figured.”
Chapter Four
Alison stared up at the blue neon sign and smiled. They’d actually named the place The Bar.
No pretense at all.
Pausing, she took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, gathering her courage before she walked through the front door. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she stopped, a huge knot forming in her stomach when every eye in the place turned in her direction.
“Well, hello, darlin’. You must be new in town.”
Alison turned her head to the left, in search of the owner of the sexy drawl, getting her first look at the outrageously gorgeous bartender.
Holy hell, he was beautiful!
She couldn’t tear her gaze away from him as he moved away from the far corner of the bar where he’d obviously been watching a sporting event on the huge television with the others and toward her, bracing himself at the end of the bar closest to her. His black hair shone beneath the bar lights, his blue eyes dancing with mischief and interest as they raked over her.
Her pulse raced with both nerves and excitement, and moving closer to the bar, she searched for the courage to start a conversation with him. She’d done it so many times before she met Danny, but didn’t remember it ever being so hard.
His brilliant blue stare left her momentarily tongue tied, and it took an embarrassing amount of time before she found her voice.
“Hello. Um. Yes, I’m only here until next week.”
Keeping her gaze on his and ignoring the looks of interest from the other men, she smiled and stepped up to the bar, gripping the edge of it with both hands. Keeping her smile in place, she curled her toes inside her boots, wishing she could have worn her high heels.
Keeping his voice at a seductive whisper, he leaned closer. “Well, we’re going to have to make sure you have a good time while you’re here. What would you like to drink?”
Wondering why his seductive tone didn’t do to her what Dillon’s or Ryder’s did, she vowed to herself to give him her undivided attention.
His flirtatious grin and playfulness didn’t have the hard edge to it that Ryder’s did. His body had the same hard, leanness as Ryder’s, but he wasn’t quite as tall.
He appeared to be about the same height as Dillon, but didn’t have the same muscular physique. His eyes, although so blue they sparkled, didn’t have the same tenderness gleaming from them that Dillon’s did.
Frustrated with herself, she forcefully pushed aside thoughts of Dillon and Ryder and focused on the almost outrageously gorgeous creature in front of her. Trying to imagine him naked and eager for her to practice on him, she smiled again and tried to smooth her hair, mussed and probably tangled from the wind. Sliding onto the barstool, she glanced at the others and smiled politely, hoping they would turn back to their game and give her a little privacy so she could talk to the handsome bartender.
She hugged her jacket more tightly around herself, her still-damp hair and nerves making her chilled. Reminding herself that she wanted to entice him, she inwardly cursed and let it fall loose, hiding a smile when his eyes went to her cleavage.
Instead of his look exciting her, it made her uneasy, so much so that she wanted to cover herself again. Annoyed with herself, she pasted on a smile.
“This is a nice town. I’ve never been here before.”
His smile turned into a grin when he glanced over her shoulder. “We’ll have to see what we can do about trying to keep you in town a little longer. What’s your name?”
“Alison. What’s yours?”
His grin widened, and he looked like he was having a hard time holding back a laugh, straightening and lifting his hands as though in surrender. “I’m Michael. It’s nice to meet you. Well, Alison, what can I get you?” He poured a fresh bowl of peanuts and set them in front of her.
She didn’t see what the hell he found so amusing, and tried to think of a drink other than her usual beer in an effort to look sophisticated. “A screwdriver, please.”
“Make that a virgin one.”
At the sound of Dillon’s steely tone, she whirled on the barstool, her arm hitting the bowl and sending the peanuts flying.
Ryder chuckled and dropped onto the barstool to her left, crowding her. “Hello, honey. Miss us?”
Dillon came up behind her on her right, effectively surrounding her and trapping her there on the stool.
Turning away from them, she hurried to clean up the mess, her hands clumsy. “I’m so sorry, Michael. I’ll clean it up.”
Over her apologies, Michael grinned, but his eyes sharpened and searched hers. “No sense crying over spilt peanuts.” He wiped them up from the bar and poured a fresh bowl. “It’s not the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. One glass of orange juice coming up.”
Ryder scooped out a handful of peanuts, shooting her a wry grin, and waving a hand at the men who
tore their attention away from the game to call out greetings. “I missed my dinner. Michael, I’ll take a beer.”
Dillon leaned over her and grabbed one of the plastic menus that had been propped against a napkin holder. “I’ll have one, too, and we’re gonna order a couple of sandwiches.” He opened the menu and plopped it down on the bar in front of her. “You’re going to eat something, or I’m going to shove it down your throat.”
Michael grinned. “I take it the three of you are together.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Dillon and Ryder spoke over her, crowding her even more from both sides as they looked over the menu they’d placed in front of her.
Alison squirmed in her seat, overwhelmed by their closeness and hard bodies brushing against hers. When Ryder shifted on the stool next to her to remove his black leather jacket, she leaned as far to the right as she could to avoid him, shaking so badly she inadvertently fell into Dillon.
Jolting at the contact, she teetered on her seat and grabbed for the bar, grimacing as Michael whipped the bowl of peanuts out of the way just in time to keep her from knocking them over, too.
Dillon caught her easily and settled her back on the stool. “Easy, honey. Are you feeling all right?”
Yanking her arm from his grasp, she looked back up at the incredibly handsome bartender and leaned toward him, doing her best to turn her back to both Dillon and Ryder. “I’ll just have a beer, too, please. A light beer.”
“No alcohol.” Dillon’s flat, arrogant tone infuriated her, reminding her too much of Danny.
She glared at him over her shoulder, hardly able to believe that the man who glared back was the same man who’d been so sweet and kind to her only her only hours earlier. She didn’t appreciate the arrogant attitude now any more than she had with Danny.
Turning her back to him, she smiled broadly at the gorgeous bartender, ignoring the glares burning her from both sides. “I can order my own drinks, thank you. May I have a light beer, please?”
Wrapping his arms around her from behind, Dillon rested his chin on her shoulder and poked his finger at the menu, his warm breath on her ear sending a shiver of delight through her. “Pick something to eat and then we’ll go get a booth.”
