The Trouble with Holly [Merricks, Montana 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by McKinlay Thomson

  “Let’s get you home, baby,” he told her. Sounded good to her. “Grab her things, Jarrod, and we’ll drive her home.”

  Chase swung her up into his arms and started to carry her out of the room. He was so big and strong. Holly was surprised he had managed to lift her weight.

  “Put me down…too…um…heavy. Gonna…break something.” She struggled to get down and wiggled in his arms.

  “Hold still,” he snapped. “Don’t push me, Holly. I’m already of a mind to spank you for this little escapade. Don’t make it worse for yourself.” That had her attention. It wasn’t the first time they had threatened to spank her, but it was the first time he had said it with such force. Despite the drunken haze, Holly couldn’t help but be a little turned on by Chase’s dominant attitude.

  “What?” she asked. “I haven’t done anything worthy of a spanking.” Holly crossed her arms and tried to look like she was being treated unfairly, which was difficult to do while still being carried by Chase.

  “Which bag is yours, sweetheart?” Jarrod asked her, turning her attention away from Chase and his spanking comment.

  “The green one over by the coffee table.”

  Holly pointed to where she had stashed her purse and then laid her head on Chase’s shoulder. She was too drunk to argue and just needed to sleep. She could inform Chase how wrong he was to think he could spank her tomorrow. Or maybe the next day. If she ever made it out of bed.

  * * * *

  Chase carried Holly out to Jarrod’s truck and carefully laid her down along the backseat. She was going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow that was for sure. Chase couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face. Holly was cute when she was drunk. She scrunched her little button nose up in concentration and still slurred her words when she spoke.

  When she told him that she wanted him to take her to bed, his cock had gone rock hard in a second and the persistent bugger was still sitting painfully behind the fly of his Wranglers.

  He arranged her body so that he could put her seat belt on and then ran around to the other side and got in. When he lifted her head and placed it on his shoulder, she let out an indelicate huff, but didn’t wake up.

  Jarrod had been right when he said that they needed to check on their woman. She was well and truly past the point of being able to care for herself. Not that he didn’t think Grayson and his brothers wouldn’t have put her to bed at their house.

  “Ready?” Jarrod asked as he jumped into the driver’s seat and started the truck.

  “Where are we going to take her? Our place?” Chase liked the idea of her being in one of their beds. But taking a drunken Holly home to their mother wasn’t the best course of action. Holly would want to be at her best the first time she met their parents and this wasn’t it.

  “Nah, well take her to Emily’s,” his brother replied, reading his thoughts. “She is going to feel shitty tomorrow and will likely be offering sacrifice to Ralph, the porcelain god.”

  “Too true,” Chase replied. He looked down at Holly’s sleeping face and wondered what had set her off. Was it just because she was at a girls’ night and had a too much or did it go deeper than that? It certainly wasn’t like her. In all the time he had known her, he had never seen her drink more than a glass at the most. She didn’t even stay for the usual knock off drink with the other waitresses at Stephie’s. So why had she had so much tonight?

  Jarrod pulled out onto the road that led them back toward town, and Chase saw him looking at them in the rearview mirror. He knew his brother would want to punish Holly for her antics, but Chase thought that tomorrow was going to be punishment enough.

  Chase was more laid back than Jarrod. Especially when it came to the lifestyle. Jarrod wanted a sub and a woman who would follow his lead in most things. He didn’t want to live the lifestyle twenty-four-seven, but he was the boss in all things. All major things would be talked about and discussed, but the ultimate decision would be Jarrod’s and his word was law.

  Jarrod reminded Chase of one of their fathers. Mark was the oldest of the three brothers and he was considered the head of the family. He had the final decision in most things. Though, if you asked his mother, she would tell you that the man may be the head, but the woman was the one who turned it.

  His other two dads happily went along with their older brothers’ decisions. Yes, there had been a few arguments over the years, but it was a dynamic that worked for their family.

  Chase was more laid back like his father Daniel. He was the youngest of the three brothers. Chase liked to go with the flow, and if Jarrod wanted the burden of being the decision maker, then Chase was happy to let him have it. Unless of course it was something he felt really strongly about. Then, too, just like his father Daniel, he would get his back up and they would duke it out.

  When it came to BDSM, Chase was more than happy to leave it in the bedroom or the dungeon or even at the club. He wanted to let his woman have free rein of her life and share it with him as partners. Except when it came to her safety. That was nonnegotiable.

  Jarrod pulled up behind the bakery, snapping Chase out of his thoughts and back to the present. The light was on at the top of the stairs. Emily must have left it on for Holly.

  Jarrod turned the engine off. It woke Holly and she moaned as she opened her eyes, but didn’t lift her head from Chase’s shoulder. Chase undid his belt and then reached over to undo Holly’s. This bought their mouths really close, and Chase stared down into her big sleepy hazel eyes. They were more green than brown at the moment. Chase had noticed that they changed color with her moods before. They turned greener when she was angry and upset, and went browner when she was relaxed and happy. Apparently they went greener when she was drunk and sleepy, too.

  “Chase…I knew you would come. I really need—” Holly didn’t finish what she was saying when she leant up and mashed their mouths together. It was clumsy with her drunkenness, and when she thrust her tongue into his mouth, Chase could taste the alcohol on her tongue. There was also a hint of chocolate.

  Just the thought of kissing Holly had his cock hard again, but he knew she would regret her actions in the morning, so he reluctantly pushed her away.

  “Wow, baby girl,” he said. “I think we need to take you inside and get you to bed.”

  Chase regretted the rejected look that came over Holly’s face. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he wasn’t about to do anything sexual, even kissing whilst she was drunk either. She was too special to them and he wanted their first kiss to be memorable for both of them.

  “Don’t you…want me?” Holly’s voice was low and filled with sadness. Jarrod came around the truck and opened Holly’s door to help her out.

  “No, baby girl, no. Of course I want you. More than anything, just not like this.” Chase looked at Holly’s confused face. Her little nose scrunched up and she lifted one of her eyebrows. Chase almost burst out laughing at the expression on her face.

  “Then why won’t you kiss me? Chase, I really, really, really, really want you to pash me and then take all my clothes off. But I don’t want you to see me naked, so you’ll have to not look, and then I want to run my hands all over your hot body, whilst Jarrod—”

  “All right, Holly.” Jarrod cut her off. “You are going to be full of regret tomorrow. If you remember any of this.” Jarrod helped her from the car and then pulled her into his arms and carried her toward the stairs that led to Emily’s apartment.

  “Oh, Jarrod. When did you get here?” Holly asked. Chase watched as she lifted her hand up and started running her fingers through Jarrod’s hair.

  “I love your hair. It’s so smooth and silky. I want to grab it and pull on it as you make sweet passionate love—”

  Chase smiled at her words. She was well and truly awake now and telling them all her little secrets. She was going to be embarrassed when she sobered up.

  He followed the pair up the stairs and riffled through Holly’s bag until he found her keys. Letting
them into the apartment, Jarrod carried a giggling Holly over to the stretcher that she was using for a bed. She was still playing with Jarrod’s hair and whispering all the dirty things she wanted them to do to her body.

  “No more, sweetheart,” Jarrod told her, shaking his head with exasperation. He gently laid her down on the stretcher and removed her shoes.

  When she started singing, “I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love with a wonderful guy,” from South Pacific, Chase couldn’t help the bellowing laugh that erupted from his body. Jarrod looked so put out by her silliness that he was about to burst a blood vessel. Chase just thought she made an adorable drunk.

  “What’s going on?” Emily said as she emerged from her bedroom wearing a pair of flannel pj’s.

  “Holly had a little too much to drink tonight at Kate’s,” Jarrod said. He stood up, pulling her dress over her head, and turned to grab her nightgown.

  “Oh my,” Emily replied. “Maybe I shouldn’t have skipped the dinner then. It was just that it was so late when I finished and I was too tired to drive all the way over to Kate’s, so I just came straight upstairs.”

  “I doubt you could have helped any. They were all well and truly drunk by the time we got there,” Jarrod told her. Holly slumped down onto the stretcher and Jarrod tucked her in. Chase watched as she closed her eyes and went back to sleep, the alcohol taking over once more.

  “All of them?” Emily asked.

  “Yep, Kate, Sarah, and Samantha will all be feeling the pain tomorrow. Holly certainly will,” Chase said. Emily looked a little perplexed before she huffed and put her hands on her hips.

  “Sounds like I missed out on a great night. Sometimes my bakery is more trouble than it’s worth.”

  Chase raised an eyebrow at her and Jarrod scowled.

  “I think your brothers would have something to say about that,” Jarrod said.

  “Not to mention Wolf,” Chase added.

  “I don’t see what either of them have to do with my social life. You can leave now. I’ll look after Holly.”

  Chase smiled at Emily. She was easily riled when it came to her independence.

  “Didn’t mean to offend you, Emily. You know how the men of this town are, and your brothers are no exception,” Jarrod said. Chase was surprised, as that was as close to an apology Jarrod had ever gotten.

  “We should be going, anyway,” Chase added, “Call if you need us.” Chase leant down and placed a kiss on Holly’s brow.

  “We will be just fine,” Emily replied.

  “Lock the door behind us,” Jarrod put in.

  Emily didn’t reply as she shut the door hard behind them. They stayed long enough to hear the locks click over and then made their way downstairs to the truck.

  Chase wanted to stay and watch over their woman, but she wouldn’t want them there. They knew Emily would take care of her or they never would have left her.

  Tonight had certainly changed things in their budding relationship with Holly. They weren’t even sure if she was attracted to them, but if tonight was anything to go by, she certainly was. That was one positive. The negative, however, was, after all her drunken rambling would she want to see them again?

  She had said some pretty risqué things. As shy as she had been when they had met her, it might be enough to send her running from them. Well they just wouldn’t let that happen. She was theirs, more now than ever.

  Chapter Four

  Holly opened her eyes and felt the room spin. She slammed them shut again, praying that the nausea went away. No such luck, she rolled from the stretcher and dashed toward the bathroom.

  Emily sat up in bed as she flew past her and slammed the bathroom door. She had just made it to the toilet as her inside came up and out.

  “Are you all right in there?” Emily’s voice came through the door, but Holly was too busy dying to answer. She hadn’t felt this bad after drinking since, well, ever. She didn’t usually get drunk. It wasn’t like her at all. Working at a bar she had seen what the effect of alcohol could do to a person and therefore tended to avoid it.

  Last night, however, she was feeling sorry for herself and then she was having too much fun to worry about the amount she was drinking.

  Holly needed to find a boyfriend. Not one like her loser ex Steve that had nicked off with her life savings, but someone like Chase and Jarrod.

  Only not Chase and Jarrod. Had she really said all those things last night or had she dreamt that? Oh my god. How could she ever face them again? She had flung herself at them and started singing how in love with them she was.

  “Holly, answer me or I’m coming in,” Emily called through the door.

  “I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute,” she replied, after sucking in huge gulps of air.

  Holly slowly lifted her head off the toilet and went to the sink to wash out her mouth.

  She was so embarrassed. She was going to have to quit her job and move countries. She had always wanted to visit Alaska. Hmm, too cold. Or maybe the West Indies. No, too hot.

  Jeez, she needed to get a grip of herself. She wasn’t about to move countries. Besides she had no money. Steve had taken care of that.

  Holly would just have to pretend the whole thing didn’t happen, and when Chase and Jarrod spoke to her, she would just act all nonchalant and cool, like no biggie. Who was she kidding? She had well and truly stuffed any possible chance that the brothers would want a relationship with her. She had probably ruined their friendship while she was at it.

  On top of all that, she was going to chuck again.

  * * * *

  Later that morning, Holly lay on her stretcher again, desperately trying not to think about last night. Or her pounding head and queasy stomach. Golly, she hated hangovers. She was never drinking again.

  When she had finally emerged from the bathroom, Emily shook her head at her and made her go straight back to bed. After a while she had tried to coax her to eat some dry toast, but Holly couldn’t stomach anything. She had taken some painkillers and gone back to sleep.

  Now she was awake again and still feeling every bit as bad. Holly needed to get up and shower, but she didn’t have the energy. She would just lie here a little longer and hope to feel less like something that had crawled from the bin.

  A knock at the door had Holly groaning and burying her head back under the covers. She desperately hoped it wasn’t Chase and Jarrod, but her heart skipped a beat at the chance that it was them.

  Holly heard Emily open the door, saying hello to the caller and Emily’s brother’s deep voice answering. She sighed in relief, but remained under the covers. She didn’t want to see any of Emily’s sexy brothers in her condition either.

  Emily had three older, good-looking, strapping rancher brothers. They were way overprotective of Emily, and Holly by extension. Austin was the oldest. He had a good ten years on Emily. Tyler was the middle brother. He was two years younger than Austin. Ryan was the youngest of the three, by another two years. Emily came along four years behind that.

  All three brothers thought it was their responsibility to watch out for their baby sister. Not only the youngest, but also a girl. It annoyed Emily to no end.

  “Hi, Holly,” Austin said. “Heard you had quite a night last night.” What? Bloody small towns.

  “Way I heard it,” Tyler added. “You got rip-roaring drunk and the Walkers had to carry you home.” Holly didn’t remove the covers from her face.

  “Who told you that?” she asked.

  “Old Mrs. Hailbury was walking her dog, and you know she is the biggest gossip in town,” Ryan said. “Not that it’s safe for an old lady to be walking the streets by herself at night.”

  “No woman should be walking at night by herself. Should they, Emily?” Austin added.

  “Shut up, Austin,” Emily snapped.

  “Watch your mouth, Emily,” Austin snapped back. Holly poked her head out of the blankets to intervene, but the movement had her stilling. />
  “Why does everyone call her old Mrs. Hailbury?” she mumbled past the wave of nausea and pulled the blanket back over her face.

  “Cause she’s so old,” Ryan said. “The woman is like a hundred and still going strong.”

  “Michael from Stephie’s told me once that she was old as the hills when they moved to Merricks in the seventies,” Emily added cheerfully. Good, Holly thought to herself. Argument diverted.

  “She’s nowhere near a hundred,” Tyler said. Maybe not.

  Holly zoned out as the three brothers and Emily started a heated debate about the real age of Old Mrs. Hailbury. She really wished they leave now and she could go back to sleep.

  She liked Emily’s brothers, she really did, just not when she was laid out in the middle of Emily’s living room. She needed a place of her own. But that needed money, which brought her thoughts back to her evil ex and what a waste of two years of her life that was. And that brought her thoughts back to how she needed to find herself a good man, which made her think about Chase and Jarrod again.

  It was hopeless. They consumed every part of her thoughts all day, every day. She really did love the hot bastards. Why couldn’t they see her for more than a clumsy, overweight waitress with no place to call home?

  “So,” Austin said, tapping her leg through the blankets. “How are you feeling?” Holly didn’t want to answer that question. She just knew that Emily’s brothers were going to give her a hard time. Turns out she didn’t have to, when Emily answered for her.

  “She has a huge hangover and has already had an emergency stomach evacuation.” Holly rolled her eyes under the blanket. She knew what was coming and braced herself.

  “Oh,” Ryan said. “Been conducting a surprise toilet inspection, have we?”

  “Enjoying dinner in reverse,” Tyler added.

  “Tossing your cookies,” Austin put in.

  And so it began.

  “Having an involuntary personal protein spill,” Emily said.