Their Colorado Nights [Spirit, Colorado 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Alicia White

  “Sit down and relax for a few minutes. I made you a plate.” Ruth pulled a plate out of the oven, and she licked her lips, ready to dive in. The plate barely touched the table before she grabbed the scone and took a huge bite. The flavors exploded in her mouth—a perfect mixture of sausage, maple syrup, and biscuit. She closed her eyes and groaned. She had been waiting all morning for this moment.

  “Slow down. I don’t want you to choke,” Ruth said, and Selena put the scone down and took a long, slow drink of fresh-squeezed orange juice.

  “Have I told you how much I love you and can’t live without you?” Food always seemed to have that effect on her. The way to her heart was definitely through her stomach.

  “Yes.” She laughed. “Every morning.”

  “I really couldn’t imagine running this place without you, Ruth.”

  “I know sweetie, I love you, too.” She smiled. Ruth turned and went back to work, cleaning the kitchen. She was usually only at the bed-and-breakfast for five hours a day. She came in every morning like clockwork and prepped, cooked, and then cleaned up the kitchen before heading home to take care of her men.

  “Good morning, ladies,” Beverley sang as she walked into the kitchen. “Hey, Selena, did you order the cleaning supplies I needed?”

  “Yes. They’re in my office. I didn’t get a chance to put them in the cleaning closet last night.”

  “No problem. I’m gonna get my fanny to work. I’ve got a date tonight, and I want plenty of time to get ready,” she announced before heading out of the kitchen.

  “I’m going to head home in a few minutes,” Ruth said. “Don’t forget to make the reservation for next week. They can share a room. They like to share, if you catch my drift.” She winked, and Selena started laughing. She couldn’t help herself. The drift was quite obvious.

  “Oh, hush, don’t laugh,” she scolded.

  “Do your boys know you’re trying to set them up?” Selena asked, genuinely curious.

  “They aren’t boys. They’re men. Andrew is the baby, he’s thirty-four, and Sam’s the oldest, he’s thirty-six. I really think that you would love them. You all have a lot in common, hardworking, outdoor lovers, fun, honest, sweet, and loyal to a fault. Please, give them a chance for me?” she asked, and Selena knew she wouldn’t be able to say no.

  “Fine, but”—she held up her finger, stopping Ruth’s happy dance—“there are no guarantees that we’re even going to like each other, and you have to promise not to give any guilt trips. You know how much I hate those,” she pleaded.

  “I have no doubts whatsoever. They’ll be here next week.” Her face glowed as she smiled, and Selena could only smile back. “I’m going to head out now. See you bright and early tomorrow morning.”

  “Yes, ma’am, see you tomorrow,” Selena said, and Ruth grabbed her purse and walked out the back door, with a little more spring in her step than usual.

  Selena watched her go, and when her car sputtered out of the long driveway, she picked up her plate and went to the dishwasher to start the load. She really loved that they all stuck to a regular schedule. She liked having her days flow the same. It made her life less stressful. She went about her routine, washing the linens and placemats, vacuum the dining room, and putting a new reservation into the book. She spent the next few hours working.

  Selena grabbed a glass of iced tea and went to the reception desk to take care of bills and reservations. Just her luck. She had one room available with two queen beds. It looked like she’d be meeting Andrew and Sam after all. She sat back in the chair and relaxed for a few minutes, staring out the window. The bookstore was just across the street, and she loved to check out Mr. Mitchell. He was a gorgeous, fit older man. She had tried to flirt a couple times, but he didn’t seem interested, so she just peeked at his body when she got the chance.

  Selena leaned her head back and thought of her best friend, Lana. Lana Dupree was a prosecutor in town, and ever since they met, they had been inseparable. They had met when Selena had come into town. It seemed like forever since she had seen her, and she wondered what Lana was up to. They were both so similar, hardworking, type A personalities. That meant that they were always working and had little time to hang out or even date. She still remembered a conversation they had years ago when Lana admitted she was in love with Jake and Cal Martin. All these years later, and Selena was still trying to hook them up or at least put the thought into Lana’s mind.

  The phone rang, pulling Selena from her thoughts, and she jerked up, grabbing the phone. She silently hoped that it would be Lana. She really wanted some girl talk. “Good afternoon, Aunt Hattie’s Bed-and-Breakfast,” she said cheerfully.

  “Afternoon,” a gruff voice answered, and Selena bit her lip. His voice physically affected her body, and she wanted to beg him to keep talking. “I’m looking for a room for next week with two queen beds.” Selena groaned internally. She had just set up both Andrew and Sam in the last room. She wanted to bang her head against the desk and scream.

  “I’m so sorry, sir. The last room was just filled a few moments ago.” She sighed, wishing that she had more rooms.

  “That’s all right. It’s my own fault. I should’ve called earlier. Can you recommend another place in town?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir. The High Country Inn is a good place and is actually right next to Trapper Bill’s Outfitters. That’s where the gun show is going to be held.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate your time. What’s your name?” he asked, and Selena swallowed hard, hoping that maybe she would get to talk to him again.

  “I’m Selena Easton,” she said.

  “Selena.” He said her name like a prayer, and she bit her lip to prevent herself from moaning. “That’s a very pretty name. Thank you again for your time. I’m hoping to meet you.” Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, and she was hoping to meet the man attached to the voice as well. She was curious to see if her imagination was right. She kept picturing the tall, dark, and handsome type.

  “We serve a delicious breakfast every morning. Please come on by. I’d love to meet you as well.” Love, darn she hadn’t meant to say that word with such excitement in her voice.

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Selena. I hope you have a wonderful day.” He chuckled.

  “You’re welcome. Bye.” She hung up the phone, hoping that he would stop by next week and kicking herself for not asking his name. Duh, that’s the first thing I should’ve done.

  Chapter 2

  The afternoon crawled by, turning into evening. Selena decided to step out for a bit and go check out Miss Melanie’s Spirit Emporium, also known as the best sex shop around. They always had new and enticing things to try, and she needed a few items after that earlier conversation with her mystery man. She couldn’t get his voice out of her mind, and she wondered what he looked like. Selena opened the door and stepped out onto the patio that surrounded the house. The weather was cold as she zipped up her jacket and pulled on her gloves. Luckily, she didn’t have to walk far.

  Selena headed down High Country Boulevard toward the sex shop. Even though it was chilly outside, it didn’t stop any of the townsfolk from being outside. She walked across Second Avenue and passed a few shops. She smiled and waved to everyone she passed. That’s one thing she loved about Spirit, Colorado. The people were always so friendly. She ran across the street, straight to the sex shop and walked in. The bells tinkled as she walked in, and Selena smiled.

  The store smelled like rose petals with a hint of lemon. The store had an old fireplace with the same old worn, winged-backed chairs. The lingerie racks were on the left, and the shelves holding dildos, lube, flavored goodies, and other various toys were in lines along the back wall. The place was clean, and this was the only adult store she could walk into without feeling like a bad girl. She grinned and walked over to the toys. She already knew what she needed.

  Lorna walked over to her, “Hello there, Selena. How are you today?”

  “I
’m good. Just stopped by to pick up a couple items.”

  “How’s Lana doing? I heard she took a tumble today while skiing.”

  “What?” she shrieked, “Oh, my God! When? Where? How?” She threw the questions out quickly, her heart in her throat.

  “A woman came into the shop a few minutes ago. She said that she had been skiing today and that there had been some sort of accident on the mountain. She heard a few people in the crowd mention Lana’s name. I wasn’t sure if she had heard right, that’s why I’m asking you.” Selena turned and started running out the door, her shopping day over. She couldn’t think clearly. Her thoughts were consumed with horrid pictures of her best friend on the ground, bleeding and alone.

  Selena ran back to the bed-and-breakfast. She needed to drive over to Lana’s first to see if she was home before she went to the hospital. Why hadn’t Lana called? Was she okay? Selena ran up the stairs, grabbed her keys off the reception desk and ran back outside to her car. She started the engine and raced to Lana’s house. She knew she wasn’t driving slowly enough for the road conditions, but she didn’t slow down.

  She pulled up in front of her house and ran up the stairs. Pounding on the door, she waited, wondering if she should just let herself in. The door opened, and Jake Martin was standing there with a smile on his face.

  “Jake?” she asked, wondering why he was answering Lana’s door.

  “Hey, Lana? You’ve got company. I’ll let you two girls chat,” Jake said.

  “Thanks for the dinner and the game,” Lana said.

  “Anytime.” Those words held a lot of meaning, and Selena bit her lip, waiting for him to leave so she could talk to Lana. As soon as the door closed behind him, Selena rushed toward Lana and sat in the chair opposite her. She didn’t want to cause her any pain by sitting closer.

  “Holy mackerel, are you all right? Why didn’t you call me and let me know you fell! I just heard about the accident and came right over.” She scrunched up her nose and tried to calm her breathing. It was obvious that Lana was okay. “I think my timing wasn’t the best, was it?”

  “You’re good. Some kid ran into me on the slope and I tweaked my knee. I’ll be good in a few days.” Selena was finally able to exhale, she was glad that nothing was broken. Lana should be able to heal from a twisted knee in a matter of weeks.

  Selena motioned her thumb toward the front door. “What was Mr. Hottie doing here, then?” She wanted details. It seemed odd that Jake would be with Lana at her home. She knew that there was a connection there, but Lana hated talking about him. Why did she keep denying that she had feelings for him?

  “He was on ski patrol when I fell and helped me down. Jake stopped by to make sure I was okay.”

  She arched her brow. “Ooh, and he brought you dinner?” She nodded to the empty carton. “I see you played some dominos, too.”

  “Darn. He left his game.”

  “All the better. You can return the set to him, say, on a Saturday night?”

  “Selena Easton,” Lana scolded.

  “What? You are going to see Jake again, right?” She leaned closer. “Tell me everything. Did he really save you?”

  “I went skiing today, and on my way down the mountain, I saw a bunch of kids. They shouldn’t have been up there.” She shook her head before she continued. “Some kid plowed right into me, and I fell off my skis and slid headfirst into a tree. Long story short, Jake showed up. He bandaged me up, recused my skis, and got me to the ambulance waiting at the bottom of the mountain. I spent hours getting checked out by a few doctors and was finally sent home. Jake arrived, we ate pizza, played dominos, and then you arrived. That’s all.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Selena felt so bad. That accident was probably a lot scarier than Lana had described.

  “Don’t be. It’s not like you interrupted us in bed or anything.” Selena watched Lana’s eyes widen as if she hadn’t meant for those exact words to slip out. “I’m about to go to trial and don’t have time for anyone in my life.”

  “I heard what you said, but I can tell your body is responding to him.” She actually hadn’t meant that she was sorry for interrupting, but she thought it was funny that Lana’s mind went there. It was obvious that she was really thinking about Jake and wanting to see him more.

  “Don’t start with me about how my life is all work and no play when all you do is work, work, work,” she accused.

  Selena lifted her chin. “I haven’t found the right man, but that’s probably because I haven’t really been looking. I’m way too busy for that.” She was busy, but she was willing to make an effort for the right man or men.

  “Same here.”

  They’d spent the next hour talking about men and the pros and cons of Jake and a few other eligible bachelors in town. She missed their talks. They were both always so busy, and it seemed lately that they were so wrapped up in work that they barely saw each other. She had thought about mentioning what Mrs. Johnson had said about her sons but changed her mind when she saw Lana squirm a little on the couch.

  “I need to take some more pain pills,” she finally said.

  Selena jumped up. “I’ll refill your water.” She felt a little guilty for keeping her friend up when she needed to rest and relax her body. Selena ran into the kitchen and returned a moment later. “Here you go.” She watched Lana take her pain pill. She wanted to stay longer, but she knew that she should probably get back to the B and B.

  “Sweetie, I need to get back, but if you need anything at all, call me, all right?” She knew that Lana probably wouldn’t call. Lana was a tough woman, but Selena promised herself she would check in with her later.

  “Promise,” Lana said, smiling tiredly at her.

  Selena leaned down and gently hugged her good-bye and pranced out of the house. It was completely black out. She walked to her car, started the engine, and drove back home. She was tired, but she was so glad that she was able to spend some time with Lana. Maybe this injury was a good thing? Jake obviously cared about her well-being. Maybe he planned to check on her as well.

  Selena pulled up to the B and B. She was tired. She couldn’t remember the last time she had actually been on a date. As far as sex, she couldn’t even remember what it felt like to be with an actual man. Lana was right. They really did focus solely on work. How healthy could that be? She needed a man to touch her, to kiss her. She didn’t feel like a woman. Every day was the same, and normally she liked that, but lately, it just didn’t seem like enough anymore.

  She got out of her car and walked slowly up each stair leading to the house. The lights were still on, and Selena opened the front door, unzipping her jacket as she walked inside. The house still smelled good, and she inhaled, feeling the lavender calm her and prepare her for bed. She moved through each room, shutting most of the lights off. She usually kept a few lit, just in case she woke up when it was still dark.

  The house was quiet, and she knew that most of the guests were probably asleep or in their rooms for the night. She shuffled her feet, going to her bedroom. She closed the door on a soft click and started stripping off her clothes, getting ready for bed. Her body was tired and she wished she had enough energy to take care of her needs or at least had a man that could come over and get her off. She knew that sounded crude, but she needed a man or at least a booty call for when she needed a release.

  Selena went to her dresser, grabbed her jammies, and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She couldn’t go to sleep without washing her face. Regardless of how tired she was, she wouldn’t be able to get comfortable in her bed thinking of all the germs on her face.

  She flicked the light switch and walked straight to her bed, collapsing on the soft mattress. “Oh that feels so good,” she moaned loudly. Selena moved around on the bed, loving the cool sheets against her warm skin. She yawned and stretched, pulling the blankets up over her head and closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.

  Chapter 3

/>   Selena woke up and stretched. She felt her back crack, and she groaned. She opened her eyes and sat up, staring at the clock next to the bed. It was only four forty-five, and she wished just once that the alarm clock would be able to do its job. She always woke up before the horrid buzz sound.

  She walked into the bathroom, turned on the hot water, and waited until she saw some steam. She shoved a clean washcloth under the spout and then quickly wrung it out, burning her fingers in the process. She shook it and then put it on her face, inhaling the warmth into her body. She let all her pores open and then gave herself a facial. As the green goop sat on her skin, she started the bathwater and lit a few candles.

  Selena stripped off her jammies and stepped into the bathtub. She leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and hummed quietly to herself. She had always enjoyed her early morning solitude but just once she wished she could share it with someone. She would love to lie against a strong, muscular chest instead of the hard porcelain tub.

  She changed her thought process, refusing to think about men. It seemed that lately, her hormones were going crazy and her body was on edge. At thirty-two years old, she shouldn’t be having these issues. Although, she was in her sexual prime, so maybe it was normal. Selene shrugged her shoulders. She took slow, deep breaths, doing her normal meditations.

  When it felt as though her face was turning into a hard shell, she sat up, grabbed the washcloth, and wiped it off. As she shaved her legs, she thought about the gun show. Next week, people from all over the country would be coming into Spirit, Colorado, to sell, buy, and trade their goods. She was really looking forward to purchasing a new hunting rifle. It had been ages since she had gone hunting, and she needed more solo activities. She had already arranged for Mrs. Johnson to run the front desk for a couple hours each evening.

  Selena climbed out of the tub, dried off, and went to her closet. She grabbed her favorite pair of jeans, a long sleeve T-shirt, and a pair of black slip-on shoes. She got dressed before pulling a brush through her hair. She stared at herself in the mirror wondering what other people saw when they looked at her.