by Jane Jamison
The memory of the day he’d knocked on Damon Darrington’s front door was imbedded in his mind. Ready to lay down his life to repay Damon for the horror he’d done to him, Riker had been surprised and more than grateful when Damon had refused to take his life in retribution. Instead, over time and with his continued efforts to befriend them, the brothers had accepted him as a business partner and, more importantly, as a friend.
From New York City, the threesome traveled the country, never staying for more than a year in any given town. It was better to not have roots than to have someone discover their secrets. Then, a couple of years ago, they happened on the small, eclectic town of Passion, Colorado, and decided to test fate by settling down. So far, their secrets had remained hidden. Even their taste in sharing women had stayed buried.
Now that the tension had dissipated between them, Riker couldn’t help but get back to the topic of the beautiful woman. “So? Who is she, and why haven’t you told me about her before now? Are you keeping a woman all to yourself?”
The three of them had discovered long ago that they liked sharing women, especially one woman at a time. It was a lifestyle not many women would tolerate, but that didn’t matter. None of the women had appealed to them enough to keep them around for more than just a one-night stand. In fact, none of them had found anyone in a long time that had made them eager to spill their seed. Instead, they’d begun to talk about the one special woman that, if they were lucky, would come into their lives and change them forever.
“She’s a freelance writer who wants to do an article about me.” Damon kept his back to Riker, which sent up all kinds of warning flares.
“What kind of article? About your photographs or about your sexual prowess?”
Damon crooked his neck around to shoot him a glare. “Good old Riker. A joke a minute. I still think you should take your act on the road.”
Riker chuckled but gave his friend time. He’d tell him what he wanted to know as long as he didn’t push too hard. “Really? Hmm, I wonder if I have enough material. But in the meantime, would you like me to find out where she lives? Where she sleeps and, more to the point, whom she sleeps with?”
Not that he needed Damon’s permission. He’d find out sooner or later.
“Don’t bother. I’ll contact her on my own. I have her card.” Damon held the card between two fingers and yanked it out of reach before Riker could grab it.
“Come on, man. Share the wealth and all that brotherly crap.”
“We are not brothers.”
Riker slammed a hand over his chest. “Ouch. Now that hurt. Besides, we’re as close as brothers.”
“You’re right. We are. But that’s not getting you her information. I’m not going to let you make the first move.”
“Hey, can I help it if I’m just quicker on the draw than you?”
Damon shoved the card back into his rear pocket. “So you say. But she’s not the type who can be played with then thrown away.”
A vision of the blue-eyed woman struck Riker in the gut. Something about her made him think of long, romantic nights and dinners by candlelight. “I think you’re right.”
* * * *
“Damn, Kelly, slow down. You’re acting like he’s a monster instead of a hot guy.”
Kelly tugged Lilly along with her, making her way through the afternoon crowd that had suddenly swollen in numbers. The first year of the festival was turning out to be a great hit among the town’s residents. She’d bet it would even draw people in from Denver and its satellite towns.
“No, I’m not. I just needed to get out of there and let the man work. I’ll get his information and give him a call later when he’s not tied up.”
Tied up? A flash of Damon tying her to her bed and then sliding his tongue over her in long, torturous strokes weakened her knees and almost sent her sprawling to the ground.
“What’s got into you?”
She couldn’t tell Lilly the whole truth. Not when she didn’t really understand it herself.
Damon Darrington had done something to her. He’d had an aura about him, an animallike presence that had sent her toes tingling and her pussy clenching with need. She’d never had such a visceral reaction to any other man. The man was pure sex in worn-out boots and faded jeans.
His dark eyes had latched onto her and had held her in a grip she never wanted to break. Just as in the picture of him on the Internet, he had a strong chin, the kind of chin that all Hollywood heroes had. But the draw from him was more than just his amazing appearance. He’d taken her breath away and made her want to drop to her knees and suck his cock. The man was like catnip to her. He oozed sex appeal.
Something, some invisible force, had erupted inside her compelling her to stay with him, to do anything with him, to know everything about him. Even now her insides were burning with an internal sexual flame.
“Kell, stop.” Lilly yanked her arm free and slammed to a stop. “I can’t go as fast as you. Besides, what’s the hurry?”
Kelly shoved her notepad and pen back into her purse, flung it over her shoulders, and put her hands on her hips. She dragged in huge gulps of air and wondered if her heart would ever be the same. “No hurry. I just felt like walking fast. Is there a law against that?”
“A law? You’re asking me about the law? Earth to Kelly? What happened between you and Mr. Gorgeous Photographer?”
She couldn’t look Lilly in the face. If she did, her friend would know as surely as if she’d come right out and told her. Instead, she pointed at one of the food booths. “Hey, let’s get a funnel cake. I’ve been dying for one of those all day.”
But Lilly wasn’t buying her diversionary tactic. “I dropped one because you hauled me away from Damon’s booth like a mad woman on crack. Wait a sec. Okay, now I know you’re trying to hide something. You hate funnel cakes. What happened in his tent?”
Kelly didn’t answer. Instead, she averted her gaze and tried to act like Lilly was off base. “Pfft. I told you. Nothing. Now can we forget about him and have some fun? I don’t want to waste the entire day on work.” Like I could ever forget him. I’ll remember him until the day I die.
But Lilly was like a bulldog with a new chew toy. She wasn’t about to give up. Lilly narrowed her eyes and put her face close to Kelly’s. “Oh, my God, you sucked face, didn’t you?”
“No, of course not. I’d never do such a thing, especially while I’m on the job.” She dropped her gaze to the ground.
“Kelly Sims, I know when you’re lying, and you’re lying up a storm right now. You sucked face with Damon Darrington.”
“Urgh. I wish you wouldn’t call it that.” She took in a deep breath. “But yeah, I did.”
Lilly’s mouth dropped open. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“You’re the one who guessed.” Do I tell her the whole truth about how I let Damon go a lot farther than a kiss?
She still couldn’t believe what she’d done in public, but another side of her was floating on air. She’d loved the way he’d made her feel, the unparalleled longing he’d given her. The thrill, the possibility of getting caught had only added to the exhilaration. She didn’t regret what she’d done with him one bit. And if someone hadn’t interrupted them, who knew how far she’d have let him go?
“You and Damon Darrington kissed?”
“What’s so incredible about that? Do you think he’s too good for me? Too hot?”
Lilly scoffed. “Of course not. But you don’t do that kind of thing, especially with a man you just met. When did you turn into a slut like me?”
“Shit, Lilly, keep your voice down.” She waited a moment, giving the people who had looked their way time to get interested in the festival again. “You’re not a slut, and neither am I. I kissed him. That’s all.”
Lilly was practically dancing with excitement. “Bullshit. I can see it in your eyes. If he’d wanted, you would’ve lain down on the ground and spread your legs for him right then. This is major. Kelly Sims, t
he biggest goody-good girl around, is eager to fuck a man she just met.”
“I never said I was a goody-good girl. Just because I’m discriminating doesn’t mean I don’t have my share of fun.”
“Oh, sure. So tell me again, how long has it been since you last gave it up?”
Kelly pulled Lilly out of the flow of the traffic. “You know how long it’s been, so don’t go there. I’m too busy with my career to get involved.”
“Uh-huh. I bet you’d get involved for the right man. Maybe the right man’s even Damon Darrington.”
“Kelly!”
Kelly’s stomach dropped to her feet. Please tell me it’s not him again.
She saw the awful truth in Lilly’s eyes then closed her own and took a deep breath. The stench of his alcohol-laden breath stung her nostrils, but she turned around anyway and gave him a cordial, if not happy, smile. “Clyde Spear, what are you doing here?”
The ex-reporter for The Passion Pen lumbered toward her. His splotchy face was stretched into a huge grin that only served to draw more attention to his bulbous nose and balding head.
She’d finished her second freelance job at the paper when the then-editor Sal Savato called Clyde into his office and slammed the door behind him. After a lot of shouting, Clyde had rushed out of the office, hurling curses at Sal as he stumbled toward the exit. Word had it that he’d gotten canned for drinking on the job.
Taking pity on Clyde, she’d offered to give him a ride home. The huge mistake ended when she’d had to fight off Clyde’s clumsy advances and push him out of her car. Since then, he still hadn’t learned to take no as an answer and was constantly trying to get her to date him.
“The real question’s what’re you doin’ here?” His words slurred together, and he scanned his bloodshot eyes up and down her body, lingering a little too long on her breasts. “I bet you’re doin’ my job agin’, aren’t you?”
She sighed then hated herself for taking another big breath when another wave of putrid air burned her nostrils. “Clyde, we’ve been over this. I didn’t take your job. You lost it all on your own by drinking while you were working. I hadn’t even met you then.”
He waved his hand in the air as though swatting invisible flies and lifted the plastic soft-drink cup in a toast. “Well, congratu-ationssss, Kelly. You’re doin’ a fine-assss job.”
Kelly heard Lilly groan as she grabbed Clyde’s arm. She knew Lilly hated it whenever she got involved, but she couldn’t help it. She hated seeing anyone in pain, even Clyde. She got an even bigger whiff of alcohol as some of his drink splashed out of the cup. “What did you add to the soft drink, Clyde? It’s against the festival rules to drink booze on the premises.”
Clyde shifted his weight toward her, making it even harder to keep him on his feet. “Just a little somethin’-somethin’ to make it taste good. Here, try it.”
She pushed away the cup he stuck under her nose. “No, thanks. Why don’t we see if we can find a cab to get you home?”
“Fuck that!”
His shout brought unwanted attention their way. “Clyde, keep it down. I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
“Fuck trouble.” He leaned even closer. “Actwaally, what I really, really want to fuck is you.”
Kelly suddenly found herself no longer supporting Clyde. Instead, she pushed against his chest as he dropped his drink and ensnared her in a bear hug. His foul breath washed over her as she tried to hold her breath. “Let go of me.”
She attempted to push him away but failed. Instead, Clyde grabbed her breast, and she let out a yelp. Lilly’s curses followed her cry as her friend tried to tug the drunk off her.
“You heard the lady.”
Clyde’s eyes grew wide, and a dumbfounded expression covered his face a moment before he let go of Kelly. The man holding Clyde by his shirt collar had no trouble subduing the drunk. Although Clyde tried to strike out, tried to pry the man’s hand off, he couldn’t. He was locked in a trap with no way to escape.
The man holding Clyde was as handsome as Damon but with a darker edge to him. He was tanned and wore a five-o’clock stubble on a jaw that could have cut glass. A simple copper medallion hung from a black cord around his neck. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, but it was almost as though Kelly could feel the heat coming out of them. Muscles flexed in his forearms and led to the outline of more muscles under his shirt. He was dressed in a simple white shirt with the long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Black jeans and black boots covered his long legs.
“Let me go!”
The man’s mouth drew into a slight smile. “I might be inclined to do that once you’ve apologized to the lady.” He shook Clyde once, eliciting a small shriek from the drunkard.
“She knows I didn’t mean nothing by it. Kelly and I go way back. We’re friends. Right, Kelly?”
Kelly hated to agree with anything Clyde said, especially when it wasn’t true, but she didn’t want to give the stranger any more reason to hurt Clyde. “Sort of. But Clyde has a difficult time understanding that no means no.”
The man’s smile grew wider. “Is that right, Clyde? Do you not understand what no means?”
“’Course I do.”
“Then we’ll expect you to honor the lady’s wishes and leave.” He shook him again, lifting the heavy-set Clyde off his feet.
“Holy shit.”
Kelly nodded, agreeing with Lilly’s assessment of the man’s strength. Most men couldn’t have lifted Clyde with two hands, let alone one.
“Juss le’ me go.” Although Clyde’s words sounded like a demand, the plea in his voice was unmistakable.
The man dropped Clyde to his feet, caught him by the arm to keep him from falling, then turned him so that his back was to Kelly. “Good. Now go home and sleep it off.” He gave Clyde a slight shove and pushed him away from her.
But Clyde wasn’t ready to leave. “You can’t tell me what to do. I have every right to stay.”
The man’s smile died, and the air thickened around them. Kelly glanced at Lilly but couldn’t tell if her friend had felt the change, too.
“Friend, listen to me.” The man took off his sunglasses and placed a hand on Clyde’s shoulder. Clyde’s mouth dropped open, and his eyes glazed over. “You have to leave right now.”
Clyde nodded, his gaze fixed on the man’s face. “I have to leave right now.”
“That’s right. You have to leave right now because you have an appointment to keep.”
Clyde nodded again. “An appointment.”
“Right. You have to meet with the Queen of England to decide on which flowers to put next to her bed at night.”
Although what he’d said was laughable, Kelly couldn’t help but think Clyde was taking it to heart. She tilted her head to the side but couldn’t see the man’s eyes.
“Go on, then. You don’t want to be late for the queen.”
Clyde shuffled away then pivoted back toward her, stumbling as he did. “You and me, Kelly. One of these nights it’s gonna just be you and me. But first I have an appointment.”
The man took a menacing step toward Clyde. The drunk gasped and spun around, fell to the ground, then scrambled onto his feet again. He hurried away, glancing back at them as he headed for the exit.
The man chuckled and hooked his sunglasses to hang from the vee in his shirt then turned to face her. Dark eyes that reminded her of Damon Darrington’s sent tingles into her pussy. In fact, everything about him from his hair color to his strong jaw reminded her of Damon. Had she seen him somewhere else? Or was it simply that her encounter with Damon made every handsome man remind her of him?
“Are you all right?”
Even the deep tone and inflection of his voice reminded her of Damon. “Sure. I could’ve handled it. But how did you do that?”
Lilly gave her a little punch in the back. “What she means to say is thank you.”
Kelly blushed. Had she sounded rude? “Right. Thank you. I’m glad you were here. Still, I don’t und
erstand how you made Clyde think he had an appointment with the queen.”
“It’s really not all that difficult. Men under the influence of alcohol are highly suggestible. Almost as suggestible as men under the influence of a beautiful woman.”
His intense perusal made her squirm. But it was a good kind of squirm. The kind a woman makes when a man looks at her in that way. Her pussy clenched with recognition for that kind of look.
Damn. What is with me today? First Damon, and now this guy.
“I’m Jude Darrington.”
She almost didn’t take the hand he offered. Would she be uncontrollably attracted to him as she’d been with Damon? Still, she couldn’t resist placing her hand in his and felt the coarse skin against her smooth palm. Her desire for him spiraled higher as a tingle, similar to the one she’d gotten from Damon, flowed into her. At once, the same sense of connection she’d shared with Damon surged to life again.
“Jude Darrington?” She gaped at him and forgot about taking her hand away. “You’re Damon’s brother, aren’t you? I remember you.”
His dark eyes sparkled with amusement. “Do you?” He narrowed his eyes then shook his head. “No, I’m sure we haven’t met. If we had, I would have remembered. And your name is…”
“Kelly Sims, and this is my friend Lilly Beanston.” She eased her hand from his and wondered if the disappointment she saw flash over his face was due to her imagination. “You’re right. We haven’t met. But I did meet your brother Damon a little while ago. Plus, I saw a picture of both of you online. You know, one promoting the festival?”
“Now I understand. Did my brother sell you a photograph?”
“No. I’m going to write an article about him for the local paper.” She had to force herself not to run her fingers over the front of his shirt. He had to have a toned abdomen. The way he carried himself spoke of a confidence that came from physical strength and the ability to use that strength however he wished.
“Oh. But you said you’re going to. Does that mean you haven’t interviewed him yet?”
