But it was more than his hair that caught Eve’s attention. He was handsome as sin with a strong chin, a straight nose and a mouth that made her pussy tingle. For a heartbeat she thought the Norse gods had sent him to earth to play with mere mortals.
Wow, she wouldn’t mind playing with him. He had charisma in spades. Everyone in the lobby stopped what they were doing to stare at him. It didn’t matter if they were men or women, they all looked and Eve couldn’t do anything more than stare back.
It was Avery’s frantic waving that broke the strange force-field that seemed to take hold of Eve and Remy. Blinking rapidly, Eve tried to speak but Remy shook his head, for a moment acting as if he’d seen a ghost, which was really ironic considering his profession.
“Jax, come meet my friends,” Avery urged excitedly.
Something told Eve that if Jaxon Wynter didn’t want to rush something, he wouldn’t. He was making a statement. His walk was as engaging as the look he sent Eve and Remy.
Remy felt it too. She knew it by the tug of his hand on hers, the intake of his breath that was utterly male and utterly taken by the other man.
“Jax is one of the original investors in Dare,” Avery confided. “He’s also top of the line in the town council. If you want to do a ghost hunt here, you’ll need to win him over.”
Rushing forward, Avery grabbed his elbow with a familiarity Eve envied. Jaxon turned his eyes to Avery, grinned at her and patted her hand. A stab of jealousy pierced Eve’s heart, painfully, irrevocably. Whoa, she had no right to be jealous.
Jaxon let go of Avery, stopping short of plowing over Eve and Remy, seeming to purposefully breach their personal space.
“Jaxon Wynter,” he said, reaching out for Eve’s hand first.
Eve trembled. She wasn’t afraid of Jaxon. She was wickedly turned-on by his presence. She hoped he couldn’t smell her arousal. How embarrassing would that be? Worse, what kind of person did that make her if she loved one man and lusted after another within seconds of meeting him?
Thankfully, Remy refused to let go of her. She needed him to stand beside her right then because for reasons she didn’t quite understand, it was very difficult for her to maintain eye contact with Jaxon. A sudden bout of shyness causing her to flush hotly.
“You okay, Eve?” Remy whispered in her ear, completely in tune with her. “Don’t be afraid. He can’t hurt you. I won’t let him.”
“I’m fine, Remy. It’s just, I don’t know how to interact with him,” she admitted softly, feeling as if she were caught in quicksand and if someone didn’t save her, she’d be lost.
Jaxon stepped forward fractionally, his hand still offered. “As I said on the phone, my name’s Jaxon. It’s safe to take my hand, Remington is right. I can’t hurt you, ever.”
It was Remy who ultimately lifted her hand for Jaxon to take hold of, but then the most amazing thing happened. Jaxon captured both of their hands in his, tightening his fingers in such a way that seemed to say mine.
And in that moment, as Jaxon held their hands, everything else in the lobby faded away. It was only the three of them, the world suddenly revolving again, a sense of rightness saving Eve from the quicksand.
“Welcome to Dare, Remington and Evelyn,” Jaxon greeted, his violet eyes, the same color as her dress, holding her gaze.
“Remy and I can’t wait to find out all Dare has to offer,” she said, eyeing their hands even as he lifted them up and placed a kiss on the back of her knuckles and then, wow, Remy’s.
A zap of intense awareness, purely sexual, electric, sizzled deep in her core. Remy jolted, as if it affected him too.
“I only hope Dare lives up to its reputation, but do be careful,” Jaxon said in a voice as rich as molasses. “As our motto says, if you take a chance on Dare, you might decide to stay.”
“It feels as if it’s taken forever to get here,” Remy commented. Eve looked back at her boyfriend, noticing he was as taken with Jaxon as she was. “I hope it’s okay if Eve and I stay a little while.”
“You’re here now,” Jaxon said to Remy. “That’s all that matters from now on.”
“Maybe we should go eat lunch?” Eve suggested. A brief struggle over who’d let go of her hand first ensued, leaving her stunned.
“You want to let go of my woman, my man?” Remy challenged. The deepness of his voice something she’d never heard before. It was different, dark, evoking all sorts of erotic possibilities.
“No, not really, same goes for you, Remington,” Jaxon stated. “Just don’t call me your man unless you mean it, understood?”
Turning a little toward Remy, she looked way up the length of his body. He was staring as boldly at Jaxon, squaring his shoulders, making a statement. Whatever was going on between the two, it was incredibly exciting, intoxicating to the point that a buzz had taken hold of her.
She hadn’t had any alcohol since dinner with Remy the night before and that had been a glass of wine. Even the wine hadn’t had this kind effect on her equilibrium. It was a hum of awareness, a sense that now that she and Remy were in Dare, they belonged here.
“Eve’s hungry,” Remy said to Jaxon. “We should remedy that.”
Eve grumbled, standing up for herself. “Hey, guys, I don’t know what’s going on here, but can you let go? We’re supposed to go to lunch, remember?”
“Sorry, sugar,” Remy apologized, freeing her hand only to tuck his it at the small of her back, his fingers splayed.
“My apologies, Evelyn,” Jaxon offered, letting go of her. “It is good that you’re both here. Avery’s getting suspicious of why Trevor’s taking so long with the band and I was running out of ways to distract her.”
“Where’d Avery go, by the way?” Remy asked, seeming aware that somewhere along the line they’d lost track of her.
“Something drew her attention to the revolving doors,” Jaxon answered, his eyes on Remy, scanning him head to toe, bold as he pleased. Those violet eyes were wicked, gorgeous and locked onto Remy. “She’ll be back in a minute.”
Eve’s heart sped up. Watching their interaction was fascinating. They were gorgeous as they took each other in and as much as she loved Remy Sinclair, she felt a powerful attraction to Jaxon Wynter.
“Anyone ever tell you that you come on strong, Jaxon Wynter?” Remy asked, breaking off the eye contact with Jaxon and shaking his head, as if he too was stunned by what happened in the last couple of minutes.
“Yeah, many times but beating around the bush is a huge waste of time,” Jaxon admitted.
“Then I hope you understand when I ask you to back off and give us some breathing room,” Remy stated.
“How about we get to know one another over lunch?” Jaxon asked then boldly leaned into Eve and Remy. “If I play my cards right, maybe the three of us will have a lot to talk about later…in bed.”
Eve felt her mouth drop open in shock. Remy’s arm stayed around her, his fingers trembling. For a second she could’ve sworn she heard his telltale intake of breath indicating he was either turned-on or as shocked by the last few minutes as she was.
“Eve’s not ready for what you have in mind,” Remy murmured.
Jaxon studied the way Remy had his arm around Eve, and his smile that followed was positively lethal.
“Maybe you should let Evelyn decide what she wants,” Jaxon suggested, but before Eve or Remy could object, a squeal of excitement interrupted them.
“Gabriel, oh my god, I didn’t know you were coming to Dare,” Avery Grant shouted.
Turning around to see what was going on, Eve gasped. A man the same height as Remy, with a mocha complexion, long, slightly coarse dark-brown hair bound back in ponytail stood in the lobby. Avery rushed over to give him a hug.
“This conversation isn’t over,” Jaxon warned loud enough for Eve and Remy to hear before he greeted the other man. “Gabriel, good to see you, my friend. When did you get into town?”
“A few minutes ago, Taylor picked me up from the airport,” Gabriel said.
“Hi, I’m Remy Sinclair,” Remy introduced. “This is my girlfriend, Eve. Did you say that there’s an airport here?”
Gabriel stuck his hand out, the two man shook, let go. Nothing resembling the lightning storm that happened when Jaxon took possession of her and Remy’s hands occurred. At least not that Eve could tell.
“Nice to meet you, Remy, my name’s Gabriel. Hi, Eve, it’s a pleasure,” Gabriel said, extending his hand to her and politely squeezing her fingers. Wow, he had gorgeous blue eyes.
“Yes, it is,” she said as he let go, awed. This man had charisma and star power in spades. “You’re Gabriel Krystiyan, the illusionist. Avery told me all about you. Did I pronounce your last name correctly?”
“Yes, it’s pronounced Christian.”
As Eve stared way up at Gabriel because he was a big, tall man, the scent of something exotic with hints of chocolate, vanilla, lemon, jasmine and something she couldn’t identify came closer. It was intoxicating, tempting.
At first she thought it was Gabriel’s cologne, but when she turned toward the scent, she ended up bumping right into Jaxon’s shoulder. He stood close to her on her left, even as Remy stayed on her right.
Jaxon lowered his gaze and winked at her. Instantly, Eve’s tummy quivered, her clit pulsing as an immediate rush of relief sexual tension crashed through her.
She had to shift to make sure she hadn’t just come. No, no, she’d not had a mini-orgasm, impossible. Not from a wink or Jaxon’s sexy scent.
“Is something wrong, Mr. Wynter?” she asked, surprised that he’d gotten so close.
“Not yet, my name’s Jax or Jaxon. Feel free to use it.”
“I’m more interested in the name of your cologne, Mr. Wynter,” she said, refusing to let him know his comment caused her knees to go weak. It took an effort not to let everyone in the lobby know her legs were shaking.
“Interesting, it’s HM,” he answered. “Hanae Mori, do you like it?”
“Makes me crave chocolate,” she replied.
“Then I’ll continue wearing it for you.”
“You couldn’t have worn it for me.”
“It was a gift from Trevor for my birthday. I happen to know you like chocolate, especially with toasted marshmallows and graham crackers.”
“How do you know that?” she demanded, her mouth falling open.
“My dreams are usually dead-on accurate,” Jaxon answered. “I know your lover fed you s’mores. That and lemons with peppermint sticks.”
“When was your birthday?” Remy asked, leaning in to speak directly to Jaxon. “No honing in on my girlfriend’s time without my say, Wynter.”
“Evelyn’s enjoying the scent of my cologne,” Jaxon replied, keeping his voice low enough to include only the three of them. “My birthday was a month ago.”
“Happy birthday,” Remy said. “Eve turns thirty-one in June.”
“I hope you’ll be here to celebrate the occasion. Or maybe I’ll come to New England. I hear there’s a club I should join there.” Jaxon kept his focus on Remy now. “A club you’ve joined recently. Evelyn shouldn’t join until she’s trained.”
“It’s no business of yours what club he joins, much less if I want to,” Eve chimed in, her tummy growling right on time. Thank heavens for small miracles.
“Join us for lunch, Gabriel?” Avery asked. “You can invite Taylor too.”
Gabriel frowned. “She went to work, insisted she had two oil changes and a carburetor to deal with. As to Remy’s question, the airport’s located out by the Double D, Sawyer’s place.”
“You’re a pilot?” Eve asked the magician.
“Among my many talents, yes, beautiful, I am.”
“Ah, that does it, you’re officially welcome in Dare if Gabriel calls you beautiful,” Avery bestowed.
“Gabriel, flirt with Evelyn at your own peril,” Jaxon stated, warning his friend away with a look that promised retribution.
“Hmm, interesting,” Gabriel replied, looking back and forth at her and Remy. “It looks as if the lady’s spoken for, Jax.”
“Leave it, bro,” Jaxon warned, for the first time losing some of his cool.
“Yeah, okay, I’ll cut you some slack if you leave mine alone. Taylor’s not ready. I’m giving her time.”
“Is Taylor the mechanic you told me about?” Eve asked Avery.
“Yes, she’s great and sometimes works as Gabriel’s driver.”
“And she’s mine,” Gabriel pointed out.
“Think she has something to say about that,” Jaxon objected.
Gabriel grumbled something under his breath. Eve would’ve enjoyed learning more about Taylor but Jaxon insisted they leave the hotel for the BBQ place next door.
Chapter Seven
Remy hoped to hell no one knew he was hard as a tent pole. With no chance of relief in sight, he was close to hitting something.
And he knew what he wanted to hit, Jaxon Wynter’s ass. Not to cause physical harm, although the idea of wreaking havoc on the sexiest man he’d come across in a decade came to mind.
The question was who’d come out on top first? The ache in his gonads warned him that he might be taller and broader than Jaxon, but chances were he’d want to be the one with his ass up first.
Fuck, he didn’t know what to do next. He loved Eve. Even now her hand was tucked into his, enabling him to walk slightly behind her to use her body as a shield from anyone who might care to look at the state of his cock.
Damn his bisexuality, he didn’t want to just fuck Jaxon, he wanted Eve right smack in the middle of them. It was too soon to think that way but there it was. What kind of man wanted to be fucked by another man while fucking his woman?
All Remy had to do to find the answer was look into a mirror. His face would stare back.
“Remington, do you mind eating at a roadhouse or would you prefer we find something else for you?” Jaxon asked as they walked down the street.
Gabriel and Jaxon walked slightly ahead of Remy and Eve, but Avery hung back to chitchat with her friend. Strange as it was to admit, the magician was gorgeous with a fuckable-looking ass, but he didn’t stir the same physical reaction within Remy that Jaxon did.
Come to think of it, Jaxon walked with purpose, grace and dignity while letting everyone within sighting distance know he was in charge. He’d taken over their first meeting in the lobby, choosing when to let go of Eve’s hand, even as Remy lost the stare-down they’d engaged in at the time.
The switch in him wanted play, to test a Dom’s mettle, yet Eve’s inexperience meant he had to be very careful not to frighten her. She was Remy’s woman and unless he changed his mind, he didn’t have to share her.
And why he thought about sharing her so soon was beyond Remy’s understanding. Maybe he’d gone a little stir crazy after spending two weeks driving across the country.
“Remington, would you prefer something else to eat?” Jaxon asked again, causing Remy to break eye contact and look down, discovering Jaxon had moved to Eve’s other side to take hold of her elbow.
They looked good together, Jaxon and Eve. Hell they looked right, same as he felt whenever he held her hand.
“No need to change restaurants,” Remy answered, finding his voice.
“I thought you were a vegetarian,” Jax said.
“More out of health concerns than anything else. I happen to enjoy fish, barbeque and steaks on occasion.”
“What sort of health concerns?” Jax paused, looking over to catch Remy’s eye.
“Remington, answer me,” Jax insisted.
“There’s a history of heart disease in my family. Ever since my grandfather and uncles had heart attacks, I thought it wise to follow a heart healthy diet.”
“You show no signs of problems now?” Well what do you know? Jax sounded concerned. That was nice.
“Healthy as a horse, thankfully,” he answered.
“Good, wouldn’t want Evelyn to be left alone.”
“Believe me
, Mr. Wynter, Remy’s very healthy,” Eve said, shifting her body closer to his. It didn’t help the state of his cock when she deliberately brushed her ass against it. “He eats sensibly, runs, trains in mixed martial arts and swims to keep in shape.”
“You’ll visit my mountain house while you’re in Dare, I hope,” Jaxon said. “I’ve a swim spa you can use anytime, Remy.”
“Swim spa?” Eve asked.
“Hmm, it’s larger than a standard Jacuzzi with enough room for a swimmer to stretch out and do laps. It takes some getting used to, but it’s effective.”
“My parents invested in one for my little sister,” Avery said, glancing back at them. “She’s a swimmer with hopes of going to the Olympics someday. It’s a great way for her to practice her strokes when she can’t get to the pool.”
“Does your sister have a specialty?” Gabriel inquired.
“Freestyle and butterfly are her favorites, but she’s excellent at the backstroke too,” Avery answered.
Simple as the conversation was, Remy enjoyed it because it distracted him from sneaking a peak at Jaxon Wynter’s ass. He was not a letch and he wasn’t going to lust over a man he barely knew. If he repeated that enough times, he’d believe it.
Not wanting to think about it, Remy saw that they reached the entrance to the restaurant and a hostess inside opened the door. Entering after Avery and Gabriel, Remy stayed with Eve and Jaxon, but the smell of the barbeque got Remy’s mouthwatering.
He was hungry, for a lot of things, although a pulled pork sandwich drizzled in sauce had its appeal. So did the log cabin-like décor of the restaurant. The walls looked to be made of white pine and exposed beams hung from the ceiling.
There was a brief delay as Avery gave their names to the hostess but Jaxon broke away from Remy and Eve to ask for privacy and the largest table available on the chance that others showed up for lunch. The hostess gave them a signal to wait one minute and hustled off.
Apparently Jaxon Wynter liked having elbow room, same as Remy. Hell, maybe he should back out of lunch, take Eve to their hotel room and make love to her until midnight. If Jaxon bowed out and came with them, the more the better.
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