by Tara Rose
Stephen fussed with her hair, putting stray locks back in place or something. Valerie wasn’t sure what he was doing. She only knew that this couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be this easy, could it? Then again, no one had actually stopped her from having this before. She’d been the one who’d been too shy or nervous to speak up.
“There,” he said. “That’s better.” He handed Valerie her coat, gloves, and snowshoes, and she put them on as if in a dream. Emme, Drake, and Mancie hadn’t been upset at finding both men all over her. Stephen and Micah had kissed her and touched her. They’d stuck their tongues into her mouth, and their hands had been all over her body. The words rattled inside her brain like a ricochet, but she still couldn’t seem to process what had just happened.
Once they were outside, Mancie took the key from Micah, said good-bye to them all, and headed back toward the village. The rest of them started toward the town. No one spoke. Valerie couldn’t stand the silence, and about halfway down, she screwed up her courage and let the question tumble out. “Are you going to tell Abby about this?”
“What?” All four asked the question at the same time, and then they stopped walking and turned to face her.
“We aren’t upset,” said Drake. “Why would we be? You’re of age, and so are our sons.”
“Told you,” said Micah, winking at her. “Come on. Stop worrying about it. As soon as we get back, Stephen and I will talk to her.”
Emme gave Valerie a warm smile. “Everything will be all right.”
Stephen took her gloved hand as they started walking again. “Come on. I’m hungry again.”
She laughed. “We’ve been eating all morning.”
“So?”
“He eats like a pig,” said Micah, shaking his head. “You have no idea.”
“How do you stay so thin?” He wasn’t bony, but his frame wasn’t what Valerie would call heavy, either. In fact, he was pretty damn perfect as far as she was concerned. They both were.
“We work out,” said Stephen. “Want us to help you start lifting weights? I noticed you admiring our workout room the last time you were at the house.”
“Sure. Okay.” Valerie couldn’t believe how casual they all were about this. It was surreal. She didn’t know how to process any of it. How could she have lived two streets over from these two for the past three months and never known how simple this would actually be? What the hell was wrong with her?
“Or, we could find another way to give her a good workout.” Micah said it under his breath, but she heard it. Stephen chuckled and glanced toward his parents, who were talking about something entirely unrelated, walking a few steps ahead of the three. If they had heard him, they didn’t give any indication of it.
“Well,” said Stephen, “I was hoping for that, too, of course. I meant that in addition to lifting weights.”
“You two amaze me.”
They stopped again, and Stephen gave her hand a quick squeeze. “We amaze you? Um…you are one heck of a great kisser. Are you sure you’ve never done that before?”
He was teasing her. She could see that much in his gaze, but her face burned with heat just the same. She shook her head. “Not even once.”
He leaned close, his breath warm against her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “In that case, I can’t wait to find out how good you at other things you’ve never done.”
“Come on, you three.” Drake’s voice snapped her back to the present. “It’s getting dark already. We don’t want Abby to worry.”
Once they were back inside the hotel and in their suite, Valerie locked herself in the bathroom with the excuse that she was going to take a quick shower and change her clothes for dinner. They were going to The Cranberry Roost, a popular, expensive restaurant in town. She ran the water, but took the shortest shower possible. Her main reason for being alone was to get a handle on her emotions. Abby was sure to notice the change in her, and she couldn’t deal with her questions right now.
Then again, if Stephen and Micah did what they said they would, she’d have to face Abby eventually. This shouldn’t be such a big deal. She wasn’t a child, and Abby really had no authority to tell her to do or not do anything. She’d given her a home, and for that reason Valerie felt a sense of obligation to her. She respected her. But did that mean she was supposed to live like a hermit? Stephen and Micah weren’t going to hurt her or use her. Of that she was certain. Shouldn’t she be allowed to have some fun and learn about life?
A knock on the door interrupted her reverie. “Are you almost ready, Valerie? Drake said our reservations are for six.”
Valerie came out of the bathroom and got dressed, making sure to wear earrings that she thought Stephen and Micah might notice. Everyone was already waiting for her in the main room when she finished. Stephen and Micah both wolf whistled when they saw her, and Valerie couldn’t help but laugh. They’d paid attention to her before, but not this much. And, they’d always been more reserved in front of Abby. Had they said anything to her yet?
They piled into Drake’s SUV, and this time Valerie sat next to Abby, since there was no excuse for her squeezing in between Stephen and Micah. The ride to the restaurant was short, and Stephen and Micah leaned across the back of her seat the entire time, pointing out buildings and landmarks in the town, so she might as well have been sitting with them.
“It’s so pretty with the snow,” she said. “I wish we could see more of it in the daylight.”
“We can,” said Micah. “We’ll take you downtown tomorrow and show you the sights.”
She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. “Okay. That sounds like fun.”
“We were planning on taking Abby into town anyway,” said Emme, glancing back toward the others. “So that’s perfect. We’ll leave Valerie in your capable hands for the day.”
“It’s settled then,” said Stephen, giving Valerie’s shoulder a quick squeeze.
Valerie dared to sneak a glance at Abby, but she didn’t seem to be paying attention to any of them. She was staring out the window, as if deep in thought. It wasn’t like her to be so distracted, and especially when they were discussing Valerie spending time with the Jargonians. Did that mean they’d already spoken to her, or was something else going on?
Once they were inside the restaurant, Valerie couldn’t stop glancing around. She’d never been in a restaurant with intimate lighting, leather menus, or soft jazz music in the background. She spoke in a whisper because it seemed like the right thing to do, until both Micah and Stephen told her that it was all right to use her normal speaking voice. She was glad she’d brought along such a nice dress to wear, because almost everyone was dressed up, including the hostess. The servers all wore dark pants, and their maroon shirts featured the restaurant’s logo. It was the classiest place Valerie had ever seen.
When Abby made a comment about the prices, and how she wished she’d saved up more money over the years, Emme leaned close to speak to her, but Valerie heard enough to know that Emme told Abby not to worry. She and Drake were paying for the hotel suite, and dinner was on them as well.
The way Abby cast her gaze toward the table, and the slight stiffening of her shoulders sent an odd sensation to Valerie’s gut. She hadn’t thought about how much money this trip must be costing. Most people in her village worked right there in town, and goods and services were exchanged through a barter system. A few people had jobs in nearby towns, but Abby didn’t.
Valerie knew the Jargonians were one of the wealthiest families in town, but it had never occurred to her that Abby wasn’t paying their way this weekend. Fresh guilt washed over her as she pretended to scan the menu. Here she was worried about how to get alone with Stephen and Micah, and wondering if Abby’s state of distraction had been about her, when all along she’d been concerned over how to pay for dinner.
“May I make a suggestion?” asked Micah.
Valerie closed the menu and forced herself to smile at him. “Please. I have no idea what to order.�
�� There was no harm in letting him believe her silence was due to being overwhelmed by all the choices on the menu.
“The sea bass is always wonderful, or the filet, if you’re in the mood for a nice cut of meat.”
If given the choice, she’d always choose meat, as would any shifter she knew, but Valerie had never eaten sea bass, so she chose that entrée. Once they’d all ordered and the wine arrived, Drake waited until they each had a glass, and then he raised his. “A toast to good friends.”
Valerie had thought his toast would make Abby smile, but all she did was nod, clink her glass against everyone else’s in turn, and take a large sip. It wasn’t like her to be so quiet, and Valerie began to wonder if something besides money was bothering her. Her gaze darted around the restaurant, but they weren’t curious or admiring looks she gave everyone. Abby looked nervous. More nervous than Valerie had ever seen her.
When the sweet bread arrived, Micah broke off a piece and handed it to her, pulling her attention from Abby for the moment. “You have to try this. Landon told us that the pastry chef here, Felicity Featherstone, makes this every day that she works.”
“I like her name. It’s lyrical. Is she a friend of Landon’s?”
“Not exactly, but everyone in town knows who she is, especially now that Kane Easton is one of her Doms. He moved here permanently last month, and is an amateur paranormal investigator who found the Ruiz village. Landon watched him do so.”
“What did you just say?” Abby looked alarmed, and everyone stared at her. The hair on the back of Valerie’s neck prickled, though she couldn’t say why.
Emme patted her arm. “It’s all right. We heard the whole story from Nevada. Kane didn’t tell anyone about the village. He was here in town to expose a fake ghost hunter who had robbed his grandmother back East, and he got curious about Mason, Mancie, and Nevada, so he followed them. But Landon was watching him that day and all he did was take pictures, which he later deleted from his camera. Nothing will come of his discovery.”
Abby glanced around, and Valerie became even more alarmed. It wasn’t only nervousness that shone from her eyes. She looked afraid, as well. But surely she wouldn’t be fearful that they were out having dinner, would she? No one knew what they were, and it would hardly matter if they did. What was going on with her tonight? “How was he able to find it so easily?”
“It’s not easy to find at all,” said Drake. “But apparently Kane has tracking skills.”
“Well I don’t like it.”
Drake frowned, took a sip of wine, and then watched Abby carefully for a few seconds before speaking again. “Like Emme said, nothing will come of it. He found it almost two months ago, and now Kane is happily settled in town with Felicity and a man named Maverick Orantes.”
Abby nodded, but the way her body stiffened and her hands shook as she picked up her wine glass again didn’t convince Valerie that Drake’s answer had satisfied her. Valerie remarked on how delicious the bread was, only to try and steer the focus away from Abby and her sudden paranoia. Something else was going on, but this wasn’t the place or time to ask her about it.
Their entrées arrived, and there was no further talk of Kane Easton or paranormal investigators, but Abby still looked like she was ready to jump out of her skin. Drake hadn’t stopped giving her guarded looks, even by the time they ordered dessert.
The food was delicious and Valerie ate more than she normally did, but that was because she didn’t want to waste any of it. She was also a bit tipsy from the two glasses of wine she’d drunk, but she knew as soon as she was out in the cold air again, her head would clear. She wasn’t so sure about Abby’s head, however. She’d had at least four glasses, and when she stood to leave, she nearly fell.
Stephen snickered until his father shot him a warning look. Emme took Abby’s arm. “Just hang on to me. I think you could use a good night’s rest.”
“Yes, yes. That’s it. I’m just tired. Valerie had a bad dream again and I was up late last night with her.”
Valerie ignored the questioning looks Stephen and Micah gave her. The last thing she wanted to think about right now was the fact that her father might be waiting for her back home. Why had Abby said anything about her damn dream? Earlier, this evening had been full of promise and possibilities, but now, she’d probably end up having to make up a story to appease Stephen and Micah’s questions about her nightmares.
Disappointment washed over her like a shroud, and she had to fight back tears once again. She could still taste their lips on hers and feel Stephen’s body, pressed against the full length of hers. Was that the extent of it? Would there be no further sexual exploration with either of these men, all because Abby had mentioned her damn dream? Valerie began to wish she’d stayed behind. At least the question of whether or not her father had found her would have been settled by now.
Chapter Six
When they returned to the hotel suite, Drake and Emme suggested a game of cards, and to Stephen’s astonishment, Abby agreed even after he and Micah declined, saying instead they wanted to show Valerie the Native American art and craft exhibit on the second floor. The hotel boasted a permanent display of local artistic talent that was also for sale, and it included several items that Nevada and Mancie had made.
Stephen was still trying to figure out why Abby hadn’t protested, and why she still looked so distracted, when the elevator doors closed and Micah pulled her close for a hot kiss. She moaned loudly and pressed her body against his brother’s. Stephen wished the three were alone in the room he was sharing with Micah right now, naked. Behind her, Stephen grasped both ass cheeks and squeezed, just hard enough to force more moans from her. When the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, both men pulled away and Stephen struggled to force a neutral expression to his face as the doors opened and several of their neighbors and friends crowded into the car.
He barely heard the small talk, and was glad none of them asked him a direct question, because he wouldn’t have been able to answer it coherently. When the elevator reached the second floor, he and Micah led Valerie out of the car and waited until the doors had closed again before Stephen embraced her this time. “I don’t know how we’re going to survive the entire weekend without finishing what we started at the cabin.”
Micah stroked her hair. “Maybe Abby will drink some more wine while she plays cards, and then she’ll pass out?”
Stephen wanted to enjoy the way it felt to hold her in his arms, but he couldn’t seem to shake Abby’s odd behavior tonight. It nagged at the back of his consciousness, like the remnants of a dream. “And then you can tell us about those dreams that she mentioned.” It bothered him that Valerie was having bad dreams. Did they have something to do with what had happened to her in her village?
“I don’t want to talk about them.”
Stephen released the embrace and cupped her face in his hands. “Why not? We’re both very good listeners.”
Fear rose up in her beautiful eyes as she gazed into his face. “I know you are. But I just can’t talk about them.”
What was going on with her? He cut his gaze toward Micah, but all he did was shake his head almost imperceptibly. “All right.” Stephen released her face and took her hand. “Then let’s go and see this exhibit.”
The exhibit seemed to captivate her attention, and that helped push back thoughts of her dreams for a while. It took them almost an hour to see everything. When they all stopped a second time to admire several necklaces featuring feathers and beads, similar to her earrings that he and Micah had admired on their drive here, Micah pointed toward one that featured black and deep red colors. “That would look stunning on you.”
“I love it. It’s exactly the kind of thing I’d choose for myself.” She leaned closer to the case. “Does it say that Nevada made that?”
“Looks that way,” said Stephen. “I can see you wearing that as your collar, Valerie.” He held his breath. Had he gone too far?
He watched her shoulders rise
and fall, as if she were taking a deep breath, but she didn’t turn around. “You two need to stop teasing me about that.”
Stephen turned her to face him, trying to control his emotions. “We aren’t teasing. We would never do that to you, or to anyone.”
“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”
She looked sincere, and he didn’t want to make her feel bad. But why couldn’t she see how badly they wanted to teach her everything she wanted to learn? Why couldn’t she see that they wanted to be part of her life, in more ways than simply friends? “It’s okay, but I can’t help but wonder why you don’t think we’re serious about this.”
“I don’t know.”
Stephen sighed in frustration. What could they say to get through to her?
* * * *
“You can do better than that,” said Micah. Something in his tone and the look in his eyes struck at the core of Valerie’s insecurities. Just like that, he’d nailed her. But not in a vindictive way. Rather, he was forcing her to admit the truth to herself. No one had ever challenged her like that, or given any indication that they cared how she really felt.
Valerie suddenly understood everything she’d heard him and Stephen say about being a Dom in a way she hadn’t before. It wasn’t only about trying someone up and spanking them, or collaring them, or even all the subtle signs of protocol she’d observed Emme practice whenever Drake was around. Micah and Stephen would protect her, and make sure her needs were met. And not only her physical needs, but her emotional ones as well. At its core, that was what a Dom/sub relationship was about. “You’re right. I can do better than that. I want this. With both of you.”
“We know you do.” Micah’s expression grew soft, and his tone was gentle. “But we need to know that you understand we aren’t playing you. We’re very serious about this.”
