by Marla Monroe
It took a little while for Selena to relax enough to write. All she could think about was where she’d put what in that house she was sure she couldn’t have. It was ideal for her though. The office was on one side of the house with its own little bathroom. How much more perfect could it get?
But it wasn’t for rent.
Still, maybe they’d agree to rent it to her for a short time. She could hope.
Selena finally sat down and began tapping out her next cozy mystery. She had another project for another author to start but wanted to concentrate on something for herself instead. She’d work on that one tomorrow. Today she’d woken up with two goals—spend the day doing what she enjoyed, and find a new temporary home.
Chapter Two
Austin narrowed his eyes as they drove down the road that led up to their mountain. Someone was moving in at the old Marshall place. The owners must have sold the house. He frowned. He and Caleb had been waiting for the house to come down some before they put in an offer to buy it. It wasn’t as if the place was actually on their mountain, but it was close enough that they’d worried about who might move in. Now it looked as if they’d missed their chance.
“I wonder who it is?” Caleb asked.
“Don’t know, but we screwed up. Should have put in an offer anyway.”
“Maybe. They haven’t taken the For Sale sign down yet. Maybe they’re only renting it,” Caleb said.
“Maybe.”
“Fuck.”
Austin drove slowly past the house in hopes of catching a glance of someone as they carried boxes out, but no one appeared. Once they’d passed the place, he looked over at Caleb to see his friend frowning, as well.
“We’ll find out in town who it is. Nothing like small-town gossip,” he said.
“Maybe they’ve already been at the diner or the lumber company for supplies,” Caleb said.
They pulled into the lumber company and climbed down from the truck. They needed to check to see if the granite countertop had come in yet.
“Hey there, guys. That counter you ordered is here,” Quincy, one of the owners of the lumber company, said in greeting.
Once they had the delivery of the countertop worked out, they drove to the diner for an early lunch.
“Hey, guys. What can I get for you?” asked Tracy, one of the waitresses.
“Iced tea and whatever you have on special will be fine,” Caleb said.
“Same for me,” Austin added.
After she brought their tea, they settled back in their chairs and listened to the talk around them. The sound of the bell over the door drew Austin’s gaze toward the door. Walking in was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She had long black hair that curled at the ends into spiral ringlets, and her curvy body defied reason. When she walked toward them, he could see her bright blue eyes.
He looked over at Caleb to catch his attention, but his friend had already noticed the new customer. His eyes were fastened tightly to the woman’s ass. He couldn’t help but grin. Caleb was always fascinated with women’s asses. Austin was a breast man. Well, breasts and necks. There was just something about licking a woman’s neck that got to him.
“Do you see her?” Caleb asked once the woman had walked past them to settle at a table near the back.
“Yeah. Hard to miss someone as hot as she is. Wonder who she is and if she lives here. Never seen her before,” Austin said.
“Me either. Maybe she’s the one moving into the Marshall place,” Caleb said.
“Maybe. It’s a big place for one person though. Did you see a wedding band on her hand?”
“Nope. No jewelry at all that I could see. Not even earrings.”
“Odd. Women usually dress up to go out, no matter where they’re going.”
Caleb shrugged. “If she’s moving in, she might not wear it while she’s working.”
Austin agreed, but still couldn’t figure out why she would be moving into such a large house by herself. Then again, there weren’t a lot of choices in Cozy. Why was she even in Cozy? There wasn’t anything there to draw most people. No industry other than the few shops in town. Most people either ran a ranch or worked in one of the towns on either side of them.
“Here you go, guys. Need anything else?” Tracy asked.
“Who’s the woman over there who just walked in?” Caleb asked.
Austin grinned. Caleb was forever the extrovert of the two of them. Leave it to him to get to the point.
“Her name’s Selena Riley. She’s new in town. Got the old Marshall place, but I think she’s renting it. Not sure that she’s buying,” Tracy said.
“What does she do?” Austin asked.
“Don’t know. Works from home according to Barb.”
They ate in silence, occasionally casting a glance in the direction of the mystery woman. Austin was sure she was the prettiest woman he’d ever seen. She had full lips and a heart-shaped face, along with curves he would love to trace with his tongue. Hell, he’d trace every inch of her with his tongue if given half the chance.
“You’re staring,” Caleb said with a grin.
“Can’t help it. She’s perfect.”
“I know. She’s got the juiciest-looking ass I’ve ever seen.”
“Yeah, well, her breasts are perfect, as well. How are we going to meet her?” Austin asked.
“Go up to her and introduce ourselves. We know she’s moving into the house—we can offer our help if she needs any carpentry work,” Caleb said.
“I guess. Seems kind of stalkerish to just walk up and start talking to her.”
“Any more so than watching her from the mountain with binoculars? ’Cause you know that’s what you’re going to do first chance you get,” Caleb pointed out.
“Asshole.”
“Fucker. I’ll do the talking. You can just stand there and look pretty,” Caleb told him.
Austin flashed him the finger, then finished off his iced tea.
“Ready?”
“Let’s do this.”
Austin followed his best friend to the woman’s table and listened as Caleb introduced them to her.
Once he was done, Austin added, “We live up on the mountain and do carpentry work. We hear you’re living in the Marshall place and wanted to let you know we’d be glad to help out with anything you need.”
“It’s nice to meet you guys. I’m Selena. I’m leasing the place right now. Not sure if I’m going to buy it yet or not. I might need some shelves built later, but right now, still moving in and figuring out where things go.”
“Do you have help moving the heavier stuff? We’d be glad to stop by on our way back home and help,” Caleb said.
“I appreciate it, but I can manage.”
She smiled up at them, and Austin thought he’d died and gone to heaven. Her smile was like a ray of sunshine after a particularly nasty storm. He could get used to waking up to that smile and seeing it every time he opened his eyes. She brightened the diner just by being there.
“If you need our help with anything, here’s our card.” Caleb handed her a business card from his wallet and nodded. “Great to meet you, Selena.”
Austin nodded and smiled down at her before following his friend to the counter to pay for their meal.
“Chatting up the new woman?” Jason Parker asked.
Austin grinned at the old man seated next to the cash register. He was married to Alice, the main cook at the diner.
“Just introducing ourselves and offering our services if she needs them,” Caleb said.
“Yeah, yeah. I hear you.” The old man winked at them as they settled up with Tracy. “She’s easy on the eyes, that’s for sure,” Jason said.
“We kind of noticed that,” Caleb said.
“What about you?” Jason asked, nodding at Austin. “You gonna put your hat in the ring on this one?”
“Already have,” he admitted. “She’s too pretty to pass up.”
“Hate to see best friends split up over a woma
n,” the old man said.
Austin just smiled. Jason had no idea they planned to share her. No woman would ever break them up. They planned to make her so happy she couldn’t imagine being without both of them for the rest of her life.
They walked outside and looked around to try and pick out her vehicle. The only one they’d seen at the house had been the U-Haul. A dark-red SUV was parked next to their truck, so it was probably the one she drove. The other three cars were familiar to them. He checked out the car tag on back and grinned.
“What’s so funny?” Caleb asked.
“Her car tag. It says ‘Meow.’”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope, and it’s a Colorado tag.”
“So she used to live in Colorado. Interesting. Wonder why she moved and why here?” Caleb mused.
“Who knows. She might like the quiet lifestyle like we do, or she could be tired of the rat race in a bigger city.”
“As long as she’s available, I don’t much care,” Caleb said.
“Agreed.”
* * * *
Selena couldn’t help but smile at the backs of the two men as they walked away. They were hot-looking hunks she’d be interested in if she weren’t too busy with writing right now. She’d bitten off a little more than she could chew and needed to get settled and back to work as soon as possible. Still, it didn’t hurt to look. She glanced at the business card the one named Caleb had given her. J & H Carpentry. The business card was professionally printed with two cell phone numbers listed. One for Caleb and one for Austin.
She’d liked the looks of both men. While Austin hadn’t said much, she could tell he was the more serious of the two men, while Caleb was outgoing and sported a mischievous light in his eyes. Austin’s short black hair needed a trim to even it out, but the dark-blue eyes that were deep and serious looking made him look mysterious. The neat black goatee complemented his strong jaw. At a little over six feet with wide shoulders and a narrow waist Selena couldn’t help but sigh. He had strong, callused hands with numerous scars on them. They were working hands.
Caleb’s shaggy brown hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck. His hazel eyes seemed to flash more green than brown and reminded her of a warm summer’s day. He was about six feet with muscular shoulders, a broad chest, and strong thighs. His hands looked much like his friend’s, with calluses and thin little scars across them.
I’d never have believed I would be attracted to someone who worked with their hands, but damn, they both look good enough to eat.
Both men were eye candy for someone like her. She’d be able to think about them while she wove her stories on the screen. She liked the fact that they worked with their hands and were so strong looking. Still, she wasn’t there to gawk and daydream about the hot guys. She was there to settle down for a time and write until she caught up with her obligations. So far, she felt like the house was perfect for that.
Once she’d finished eating, Selena returned to her new home and continued moving her stuff in. She didn’t have a lot, only filling up a small van-type U-Haul, but it took her all day to unload it and drag in the furniture she couldn’t carry. She was thankful for the sliders they’d invented that allowed her to push most of it down the ramp and directly into the house.
Finally, everything was off the truck and she could breathe a sigh of relief. Selena closed up the van and sat on the love seat she’d positioned in front of the gas fireplace. She sipped at a Diet Coke while she watched the flames flicker before her. It had been a good day. A productive day even though she had no word count to go by. She would deliver the moving van to the gas station in town and get a ride back to the house, where she’d spend four hours unpacking and the rest of the time writing.
The great part of living alone was that she didn’t have to answer to anyone as to when she got finished unpacking or where she put stuff. The downside was that she often got lonely. She combated that by going out to eat every few days and shopping in town for an hour or two even if she didn’t need anything. It wasn’t healthy to stay cooped up all alone.
Meow.
“Okay. I’m not completely alone. Am I, Maggie?” she asked the tortie cat that stared up at her from the floor in front of the fire. “Of course, the fact that I’m talking to you just proves I need some human companionship at times.”
Meow.
“I’m glad you agree. So, is that where you want your bed?” Selena stood and rummaged around amid the boxes until she unearthed her cat’s bed. She set it next to where the feline was sitting, and Maggie promptly jumped in, circled twice, and settled down to bathe before her nap.
Selena grinned at the fat cat. She was pretty, though she had a huge chunk out of one of her ears. She’d come to Selena that way as a kitten. The vet had said she’d probably gotten it caught in a car engine or had it bitten off by a dog. Whatever had happened, Selena vowed the little thing wouldn’t have to worry about that happening to her other ear.
“You take a nap while I put away some dishes so I have something to eat off of tomorrow.” The cat ignored her and proceeded to bathe her butt as if Selena hadn’t said a thing.
All the while Selena unpacked her kitchen things, she kept finding her thoughts returning to the two good-looking men she’d met at the diner. There was something about them that kept pushing them back into her thoughts. Yeah, they were really good looking, but she’d met good-looking men before who hadn’t turned her head. These two men were different. She could see herself spending time with both of them, and that confused her, as well.
Why would she want to date two men at one time? That was a recipe for disaster if she’d ever seen one. It was one thing to date around some and another to date friends at the same time. That only happened in her books. Real life meant one man, one woman. Ménages were fictitious daydreams for women to ooh and ahhh over. In real life they’d get jealous and fight and end their friendship. That wasn’t something she wanted to be a part of, so they were off limits.
Even declaring them as not available didn’t keep them out of her head. She sighed as she placed the last dish in the cabinet. Her back ached as did her shoulders, and she still needed to unpack her bedroom. Thinking about her bedroom brought Caleb and Austin into her thoughts once more. Good Lord. She needed a man like she needed another hole in her head.
When she’d finished everything she’d set out to do that day, Selena climbed into bed with the intentions of falling asleep almost immediately. Instead, her body was edgy and too hyped to relax. She couldn’t stop thinking about Caleb and Austin. They were driving her crazy. Why had her body latched on to those two men?
She couldn’t deny that they turned her on since her pussy was wet and aching. Her breasts tingled, and her mouth watered at the thought of exploring their bodies with her tongue. She sighed and slid one hand between her legs to toy with her pussy. She pictured them naked in front of her, teasing her by stroking their big cocks at the foot of the bed as she lay there waiting for them.
Them? Am I really thinking about both of them at the same time? What is wrong with me?
Evidently, she’d read and written too many ménage books since both men were in her little erotic daydream. She could handle that. While one man licked between her legs, sending her closer and closer to orgasm, the other could play with her breasts.
She shoved two fingers deep inside her pussy while she pictured Austin kneeling between her legs and nipping his way down her inner thighs before licking her slit from bottom to top and back down again.
Caleb would be toying with her nipples, pinching then licking them until she swore she was going to come just from his attentions. The two men combined, Selena didn’t have a chance. They would drive her insane with need if both men got the chance to touch her. Just in her little fantasy, they were pushing her closer and closer to the edge with their touches.
She thrust her fingers in and out of her wet pussy as she pulled and pinched her nipples with her other hand. Imagining
it was the two handsome men only ramped up her arousal to the point she was wild, thrashing in the bed and so close to coming she thought she would explode when it finally happened.
Dear God. I’ve never been this wild while I masturbated before. I swear it’s just because there are two of them, but maybe I’m fooling myself. Maybe it’s because it’s the two of them.
Selena didn’t know what the reason behind it was. She was too close to climaxing to think straight. When she finally came, she felt as if every cell in her body imploded, driving her even higher as she gasped for breath. Even once her breathing slowed, her heart pounded.
Long minutes later, her heart still running a ragged race, Selena got out of bed and cleaned up before falling into a deep sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow once more.
Chapter Three
Caleb cursed as his thumb got caught between the new cabinet top and the granite counter they were installing at Phillip and Jasper’s house. He wasn’t paying attention, thinking too much about the luscious Selena who’d been forefront of his thoughts ever since they’d met her at the diner. He needed to get his head back on work before he made a major mistake or got hurt.
“Selena on your mind?” Austin asked as he used the rubber mallet to tap the countertop into position.
“And she’s not on yours?” Caleb bit out.
“Oh, she’s there all right. Can’t think of much else, but we’ve got to concentrate on work for now. I’m struggling though.”
“Same here.”
“Dream about her last night?”
“Hell yeah.”
“Me too.”
“What are we going to do about it? Haven’t heard from her all week,” Caleb said.
“Maybe call her up and see if she needs anything,” Austin suggested.
“And you got her number hidden in your phone somewhere?” Caleb asked.
“No, but I bet Barb has her number. She would’ve had to have it to get in touch with her about looking at houses,” Austin pointed out.