Finding Sanctuary [Sanctuary, Montana 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Alicia White

  “Sophie, are you okay?” Mason turned so that they were face-to-face.

  Throwing her arms around Mason’s neck, she pulled him down. Mason seemed a bit shocked, and she took advantage of the moment, sealing their lips together. He froze for only a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. Her body pressed against his hard frame and Sophie moaned deep in her throat. It felt so good to finally be in his arms. Opening her mouth, she slipped her tongue tentatively into his.

  Mason took control of the kiss then, mating his tongue with hers as he explored every inch of her. She became wild then, rubbing against him, silently begging for more. He tasted good, better than she could have ever imagined. Slowly, he eased the kiss into something gentler and Sophie knew it would end. Please don’t stop. I need more. I’m desperate for more, she begged in her mind just as Mason pulled away.

  They stared at each other, and Sophie felt a surge of satisfaction when she realized that he was breathing just as hard as she was. It took her a moment to get her bearings. Once she did, Sophie looked over Mason’s shoulder and saw Alex leaning against the doorway of the kitchen watching them. Rubbing her moist lips together, she took a deep breath before smiling. She should probably feel embarrassed, but she wasn’t. In fact, knowing that he’d watched made her shiver in a good way.

  “Sophie.” Mason moved behind her, giving her a full view of Alex. “Go kiss Alex good-bye, he’s going to miss you and be thinking of you all weekend.”

  Swallowing hard, Sophie bit her lip. It was as if both men had read her mind. She had been dreaming about kissing and touching them. Over the last two weeks, her mind had been muddled with thoughts of them. Each night she went back to the boarding house, she could smell them in her clothes.

  Mason leaned his body against her back, his warm breath against her ear. “I want to watch you kiss Alex.”

  His voice was enticing, and Sophie found herself standing in front of Alex. He didn’t make a move. Why isn’t he reaching for me? Does he want to kiss me? She started feeling a tad uncertain and self-conscious. Sophie almost stepped away then, but the fire in his eyes stopped her. Deciding to just grab what she wanted, Sophie stepped closer into his body. When she did, Alex immediately cupped her face, holding her gently.

  “I’ve been dreaming about this,” Alex admitted. His confession surprised her. He’s been dreaming about me?

  “Me, too.” She smiled before leaning into him farther.

  Her breasts touched his hard chest for only a second before his lips brushed her mouth. He was incredibly gentle, more so than she would’ve expected. She didn’t want to go slow and began to kiss him, harder, faster, her tongue sweeping into his mouth. She rolled her tongue against his, playing with him, and Alex didn’t disappoint. He gave as good as he got. It didn’t take long for him to take possession of the kiss. She held onto him tighter, digging her nails into his shoulders. Strong hands moved from her face, caressing her shoulder, and then finally gripping her hips.

  Mason brushed a kiss against her neck, and Sophie almost fell into a puddle on the floor. Luckily, she was in between both men and they kept her upright. A short blast from a car horn jerked her back to reality, and Sophie stopped the kiss.

  “I think that’s my cue to leave. Alice is pretty excited about having pizza tonight. I hope you both have a good weekend.” Sophie grinned before giving Alex one more quick kiss.

  Mason stepped beside her and held out his arm. This had become their normal evening routine. One of the men would walk her out to her car. They were both so considerate and made her feel safe. It was the first time that anyone had made her feel that way.

  “Good night, Soph. If you need anything, please call.” Alex kissed her forehead before stepping aside.

  Together, Mason and Sophie walked out of the house and toward her car. Alice was sitting in the passenger’s seat looking rather impatient, and although Sophie’s first reaction was to apologize for making her wait, she didn’t. She couldn’t be sorry for the kiss she’d shared with Mason and Alex. It had been so amazing, overshadowing her fantasy.

  Opening her car door, Mason helped her inside with a wink. “Have a good evening, ladies.”

  “Good night.” Sophie started the engine.

  Her lips were still on fire, the memory of the kiss burned into them. She looked into the rearview mirror, wondering if it was obvious. She stared at her reflection and couldn’t believe it was her. She didn’t look tired. The old woman she usually saw was replaced by someone else. Her eyes sparkled. They weren’t the dull brown she normally saw when looking in the mirror. She was happy. Happy. This is what it feels like.

  Leaving the McLean property, Sophie hummed to herself as she headed back toward town and the boarding house.

  * * * *

  Saturday

  Sophie held Alice’s arm as they walked inside the Tempting Tea shop. It was only a couple blocks’ walk from the boarding house, and although it was chilly outside, the walk invigorated her. When the door closed shut behind them, her senses were assaulted by various intoxicating smells. Taking a deep breath, she looked around, hoping to spot Mason. He wasn’t sitting at any of the tables, but she did spot a nice-looking couple with a boy that looked to be around Alice’s age.

  They matched perfectly, both the man and woman, as if they were made for each other. It made Sophie think of having a family. She had always wanted to get married, have kids, and live happily ever after. Shouldn’t love be that way? If people love each other, treat each other with respect, and think of their spouse before themselves, then it should be easy. Sophie pushed those thoughts aside. She’d never had a normal relationship, whatever the hell normal was.

  “Does that boy go to your school?” Sophie asked as she got in line. She needed to get her mind on something else. Looking at the fantastic menu, her stomach grumbled. A hot cup of tea and a scone sounded amazing.

  “I don’t know.” Alice shrugged. “I haven’t seen him there.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Not really. Do they have hot chocolate?”

  “Yes, I’ll order you one. Why don’t you go grab a table? Mason should be joining us soon.” Alice nodded.

  Sophie watched Alice run off and quickly realized that she wasn’t the only one. The boy that appeared to be around Alice’s age was watching her also. He had sad eyes. Those eyes reminded her of Alice, or rather the way Alice used to look. Since arriving in Sanctuary, they had both changed quite a bit. This was the town they had been searching for. Maybe she would find her happily ever after.

  * * * *

  Sunday

  Sunday morning came quickly and Sophie was feeling a bit lazy. Mason had spent the whole day with them yesterday and even snuck a few kisses when Alice wasn’t looking. She felt as if she were a teenager once more, dating and flirting. The three of them had gone to the movies, and in the dark theater Mason had held her hand. Just thinking about him made her smile. She couldn’t stop the excitement from running wild through her system.

  “Let’s go sit by the fireplace downstairs. I want to look out that huge window and enjoy my coffee.” Sophie liked their room, but it felt like more of a hotel than a home.

  “Sure. Let me grab my book.” Alice fished out her favorite book. She’d read it at least a dozen times.

  “Why don’t we go find a bookstore and buy you a new book?”

  “Really? That would be great. I want to get the next book in this series.” The look of pure delight written on Alice’s face was the only thank-you Sophie needed. In fact, maybe she would splurge and buy her a few books. Alice was such a good kid and deserved the world.

  Smiling, Sophie stood and grabbed her coffee cup. They walked out of their room and down the steps. The huge fireplace beckoned, and she strode over, making herself comfortable in one of the overstuffed chairs. Alice threw herself in the chair next to Sophie and quickly opened her book. It didn’t take long for Alice to get into the story. Sophie watched her fac
ial expressions the whole time. It was more fascinating than looking out the window.

  The front door to the boarding house opened, and Sophie took a sip of her coffee as the cool morning air blew in. A man and woman entered. The woman kind of looked familiar, but Sophie couldn’t place her. Shrugging, Sophie decided it didn’t really matter. Perhaps they were guests at the boarding house. The couple came closer.

  The woman stuck out her hand. “Hi. I’m Hailey Hunter. I’m staying in room four. You must be the other resident in room three.”

  “I’m Sophie Miller, and this is my daughter, Alice.” Sophie shook her hand, nodding to Alice when she introduced her.

  “Hi, Alice.” Hailey smiled widely.

  “Hi.”

  Hailey looked over her shoulder toward the man. “Oh. Where are my manners? This is Jackson Baldwin. I’m doing some vet work for him for a few weeks.”

  “You’re a vet?” Alice asked, her voice quite perky. She had always wanted a pet, but it just didn’t seem possible.

  “Yes. Do you like animals?” Hailey asked Alice, and Alice turned toward Sophie, a sad look on her face.

  “Alice has always wanted a puppy, but we’ve moved around too much. I didn’t think it would be fair to the poor animal.” Sophie felt as though she needed to give a response for Alice’s sad face. She didn’t want the woman to think that she’d forbidden Alice from having a pet.

  “We’re staying here, Mom, for a long time. Right? Maybe we could get a puppy now?” Alice pleaded. She hoped that they could stay in Sanctuary. Forever.

  “Maybe.” Sophie chuckled. She really didn’t want to have this particular conversation right now. Hailey seemed like a very friendly woman, but Sophie still didn’t want to reveal all their secrets to a virtual stranger.

  “We’ll chat later. I’ve got to get to work,” Hailey said.

  “Nice meeting you.” Sophie smiled.

  “You, too,” Hailey yelled over her shoulder as she headed up the stairs toward her room.

  Sophie leaned back and sipped her coffee. Alice turned in her seat, putting her feet up and opening her book. Why did that woman look familiar? Have I seen her around town? It took a few minutes, but Sophie finally figured it out. Hailey was the blonde from the tea shop. She had been sitting with another gentleman and the boy that was around Alice’s age. Sophie’s eyes flew to the man, Jackson Baldwin. He was standing by the front door, waiting.

  Was Hailey with both men? No, she’d said that she was only in town for a short job, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t involved intimately with them. Interesting. Did all the men in this town like to share their women?

  Chapter 9

  Monday

  “How was your day at school?” Sophie asked as Alice stepped into the car.

  “Good.” She shrugged but didn’t look overly excited. “Mr. Hendrix, my science teacher, assigned projects today.”

  “What kind of project?” Sophie asked as she pulled out of the school parking lot and toward the McLean ranch.

  “Building a robot.” Alice’s facial expression said it all. She wasn’t excited at all.

  “It could be a lot of fun. Why don’t you ask Mason and Alex to help you? I’m sure they would.”

  “I’ve got a partner, and we have to work together. His name is Cody. He just moved here from Denver.”

  “Is he excited about the project?”

  “Oh, yeah. Thank goodness he’s good at science. He said he knows exactly what to do.”

  “It sounds like this Cody kid has it under control,” Sophie said, glad that Alice had a partner and hopefully a friend.

  Alice started laughing, the tinkling sound echoing through the car. It was so cute. “Yup. He’s got it all under control.”

  Sophie wanted to ask more questions, but she didn’t. The way Alice had giggled when talking about Cody made her wonder if her daughter had a crush. Alice was more of a loner than a social butterfly. She preferred her computer, books, and imagination over other kids her own age. This might be a nice change. Sophie couldn’t help but smile as she pulled onto the McLean property. It made her heart lighter, knowing that Alice wasn’t alone at school. She had a friend.

  When she reached the main house where Alex and Mason’s parents lived, she stopped. The barn, stables, and corral were close by, but her vision was blocked by a lot of different vehicles. They hadn’t been there when she’d left to pick up Alice. At least, she didn’t think so. She wasn’t sure if she should investigate or just head toward the house. Curiosity got the better of her, and Sophie slowly drove toward where the other vehicles were parked.

  Loud shouts and laughter flooded through the car when she opened the door and stepped out. “Lock the doors and wait here. I’ll be right back,” Sophie told Alice, and she closed the car door.

  Holding the phone that Alex had given her, she walked toward the voices. She was positive that if the people weren’t invited on the property that the McLean family would take immediate action. That thought calmed her nerves a bit. When she walked around the back of the barn, she stopped dead in her tracks.

  In the middle was a man being bucked around on the back of a bull. The observers cheered loudly, yelled to him to correct his posture, and did a quick countdown to eight. She’d never seen such a sight and moved closer for a better look. When she reached the fence, the man went sailing through the air and landed hard on his back with a loud thud. The place went silent for only a moment before a couple of big cowboys jumped over the fence and tried to intercept the bull from doing any damage.

  Her heart pounded rapidly, and she looked toward the man. He started to stand up, and that’s when she realized that it was Alex. Her mind went blank and she felt dizzy. What the hell was he doing? Was he trying to give her a heart attack? Without thinking, Sophie started to climb through the corral. She wanted to run to him and give him a piece of her mind. When she was almost inside, strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her back with a sudden jolt that made her whimper in fear.

  “Sophie, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Mason’s voice was fierce as he swung her around to face him. Grabbing her shoulders, he balanced her from falling flat on her face. The moment of fear she’d felt earlier disappeared.

  “Alex.” That was all she could say.

  She couldn’t even verbalize what she was thinking or feeling. Knowing that it had been Alex that had flown through the air and hit the ground was almost too much to bear. She’d heard it, the loud thump, and her heart had almost stopped beating. God, he could’ve been killed.

  “I’m glad I saw you.” Mason took a breath, his face calm before he yelled, “You could’ve been killed.”

  “Me? What about Alex? What the hell was he doing?” She turned her head and spotted Alex swaggering toward them with a huge grin on his face. What the hell is that man smiling about?

  “Damn it, that bull…I don’t even want to imagine what would have happened to you if you’d gotten inside there.” She looked back at Mason. The scowl on his face assured her of his concern.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you, Mason.” She felt bad that she had caused him any grief. She hadn’t been thinking, but now, she realized her error.

  “Hey, good lookin’. Did you see me on the bull?” Alex’s voice was full of pride and laughter.

  Sophie turned on him then. She was just too upset to keep her mouth shut. “What the hell were you thinking? You could’ve been killed! My God, I came over here to see what the ruckus was, and this is what I find? You…on a bull. Are you trying to kill me? My freakin’ heart nearly exploded.” Tears clouded her vision and dripped down her cheeks. She was yelling, panting, unable to control her feelings. “I could’ve lost you.”

  Alex grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. “You’re never going to lose me. I’m sorry you were scared. I’ve been riding bulls since I was a kid, sweetheart.” He rubbed her back in big, soothing circles and kissed the top of her head. “I was just getting some prac
tice in before the rodeo next month.”

  “What rodeo?” she asked, her voice muffled against his shirt.

  “The town puts on a rodeo every year for charity. This year, it’s being hosted by the Baldwin family and the money will benefit the cancer center.” Mason leaned against her back and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She was feeling a little bit better now that she was in between them. Safe.

  She stepped back and looked at Alex. “Are you going to be riding a bull at the rodeo?”

  “Don’t look so scared, sweetheart. I wouldn’t even attempt riding a bull without the safety equipment and years of training.” Alex stared at her, his blue eyes burning into hers, and although she was afraid for his safety, she nodded.

  “I…” Sophie shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll be able to watch you doing that. If anything happened to you…” She couldn’t even finish that sentence.

  Her heart was in her throat. She hadn’t known these men that long, but spending almost every single day with them was definitely having an effect on her.

  “Sophie.” She looked up at him. “I promise that nothing will happen to me. You trust me, don’t you?” At her nod, he continued. “I want you to sit in the stands and cheer for your man.”

  “My man?” she asked. Is he saying what I think he’s saying?

  “Yeah, I’m all yours,” Alex confirmed and Sophie threw herself into his arms.

  Their lips met in a frantic kiss, and she poured all of her feelings into it. Alex dipped down, cupped her ass, and pulled her up into his arms. Nothing existed but the two of them. Without even thinking, Sophie wrapped her legs around his hips and held on to him for dear life.

  He started walking, and although she had no idea where they were going, it didn’t matter. His lips were on hers, touching, exploring, loving. Her back hit something hard, and Alex moved in close, rubbing his body against hers. She was on fire, her blood pumping through her system making her dizzy, and she could feel how wet her pussy was. In that moment, he owned her.