Freedom to Love [Freedom, Colorado 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Page 1
Freedom, Colorado 3
Freedom to Love
Military man Harper Anderson should be able to control himself. Hell, his life depended on it many times. But Holly Morganton is so damn caring and sexy that she makes him lose all sense of what’s right and wrong. She’s a siren who’s tempting him to forget his love for his murdered wife—and he hates that.
Conner Gillespie, Harper’s cousin and casino co-owner, knows Holly is the perfect woman for them. While she’s shy about her lack of curves, she’s a listener, and he’s certain she’s the one to show Harper that life’s worth living again.
Holly, a computer geek, is blown away by the fact that two hunky casino owners find her attractive, so why then does Harper keep pushing her away when she tries to help him move on? When they take her passion to new heights, she vows to do whatever it takes to earn their love.
Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among cousins.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 53,814 words
FREEDOM TO LOVE
Freedom, Colorado 3
Melody Snow Monroe
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
FREEDOM TO LOVE
Copyright © 2013 by Melody Snow Monroe
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-440-2
First E-book Publication: September 2013
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
About the Author
FREEDOM TO LOVE
Freedom, Colorado 3
MELODY SNOW MONROE
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Conner Gillespie stood in front of his friends and raised his beer bottle. “All I can say is that it’s about time my two good friends Garth and Zane came to their senses.” He nodded to their new fiancée, Nikki Wilder, and the room cheered and clapped once more.
A small ache pierced him. He wasn’t the jealous type, but damn it, he was thirty-six and wanted what Garth and Zane had—a woman to love and share with his cousin, and hopefully have a couple of kids someday.
Garth and Zane had hosted the party, and it was being held in his and his cousin Harper Anderson’s honor. Had it not been for Nikki and her company, Freedom Securities Services, he and Harper might be the ones sitting in jail right now instead of that scum Jack Marr. With the help from the FBI and Freedom Securities, they’d prevented Jack from destroying their Mountain High Casino.
Conner surveyed the room and was amazed by how many of his managers from the casino had shown up, but in truth, if Jack Marr had succeeded in taking them down, no telling if any of them would have a job right now. Yup. Today was a good day thanks to her, Danisa, and Holly.
When the chatter resumed, he looked down at his cousin, who was ripping the label off the bottle. Oh, fuck. Harper seemed to have gone inward again. Conner dropped back onto the sofa next to him. “What’s going on?” He’d been cheerful a minute ago.
Harper looked up at him then nodded toward Holly, the woman Conner had been eying all evening.
“Don’t you see it?” The anguish that cut across Harper’s face churned his gut. After Harper’s wife had been killed two years ago, the fun-loving guy hadn’t been the same.
“See what?”
“Holly.”
He leaned back and smiled, pretending Harper was talking about dating seriously again. “Oh, yeah. You interested?”
Ever since Wendy’s death, they’d shared their women, though their luck had sucked. Too often the women didn’t appreciate Harper’s protective nature and had only wanted Conner. But he and his cousin had a bond. They told the women that it was two for one, and that they didn’t get to choose one over the other.
“It’s not that.” His brows creased and his gaze grabbed the floor as if Harper didn’t want him to see the lie. “You don’t think Holly looks a lot like Wendy?”
Jesus Christ. Not that he hadn’t adored Harper’s wife, but Conner wanted his cousin to start living again. “No, she doesn’t.” He only half meant it. “For one, Holly is six feet tall.” Just thinking about kissing a woman without having to bend down made him hard. “Wendy was what? Five eight at best.”
“Yes, but lo
ok at Holly’s hair and the sensual way she moves. Wendy was like that.”
“That’s because they were both so thin.” Conner wasn’t in the mood to get into a discussion about how wonderful Wendy had been. Jack Marr had probably orchestrated the hit and run that killed his cousin’s wife, but hashing out that old topic wouldn’t help anyone heal. “I’ll grant you that both have the same long, auburn hair, but Holly is pret—never mind.” He shook his head. If the man wasn’t interested, then he wasn’t interested.
You don’t believe that.
“Her eyes are the same deep, emerald green.” Harper’s voice faded as if he’d sighed.
His cousin continued to stare, which gave Conner an idea. “How about we talk to her?” He’d spoken briefly with her earlier and Holly’s voice was soft, low, and sensual whereas Wendy’s had a higher, sharper intonation. “I’m pretty sure the similarity will stop at her hair and body type.”
Harper worked his thumb down the bottle and managed to destroy every shred of paper. “You go.”
He blew out a breath. “Sometimes I wonder why I bother with you, buddy.” Conner straightened his shoulders. “I thought Marines were tough.” He tucked in his chin in an exaggerated manner.
“Retired Marine.”
“Let’s move, Gunnery Sergeant Anderson.”
Harper looked up and finally gave him a grin. “I haven’t heard that title in a long time.” He unfolded his full six-foot-four frame and stood. “Fine, if it’ll get you to stop riding my ass, I’ll speak with her.” His dark mood turned lighter. “You know me. I’ll be happy to take the pretty filly for a ride, but I get the feeling you want more than a one-night stand with this one.” The bravado didn’t fool him.
Of late, Harper had turned into a man who got in fast and left even quicker. Hell, if Holly had used her computer wizardry to learn what Harper was like in the bedroom, she’d leave the party right now. His cousin loved nothing more than to tie up a woman and spank her ass. Conner had yet to convince him that the only way to win a woman’s heart was to take his time to develop trust. But trust involved the heart, something Harper might never give again.
Conner wagged a finger. “Be good. Her curiosity, intelligence, and downright beauty appeal to me. She’s not superficial like so many we meet in the casino.”
“That’s because the kind of women who come to a casino town are only there to blow off steam and have a good time.”
“Which is why I don’t want you to ruin this.”
Harper’s mouth opened, but Conner spun on his heels and hustled into the kitchen to grab another beer from Zane’s fridge.
Now came the good part of the evening. He’d get to learn more about the brilliant and intriguing Holly Morganton.
* * * *
Dani nudged Holly. “Don’t look now, but your two loves are approaching. All I can say is it’s about time. They’ve been glancing your way for an hour.”
Thrills danced along her spine. Don’t get your hopes up. She turned her back to the men in case they could read lips and leaned close to her good friend. “They aren’t my two loves. I just happened to find them fascinating.” So what if she’d spent endless hours investigating their background on the web? The sad tale of Harper losing his wife still made her heart ache. “If memory serves me, you and Dani asked me to find all the dirt on them.” What she found, however, endeared them to her instead. Conner had grown up in a working-class family where his dad had struggled to keep food on the table, just like her mom.
“I agree you were just doing your job, but I was impressed you were attracted to who they were as men even before you found their pictures and saw what hunks they were.”
Her cheeks heated. “I liked that they did what it took to be a success.” From the beginning, her gut told her these men had been innocent of human trafficking. Good thing she’d been able to convince her partners of that fact, thus prompting Dani and Nikki to go after the real criminal, Jack Marr.
Holly only had a brief conversation with Conner when he and Harper first arrived at the party. Harper had taken one look at her and headed in the opposite direction. She wasn’t hurt exactly, as the reaction was rather common from men, especially ones who were this gorgeous, but she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been disappointed. One of her strengths was that she’d always been realistic. She knew she was too tall, too thin, had no boobs and no ass. Basically she was a stick with a big head and lots of hair, or so the kids in school used to say. The large, black-framed glasses probably didn’t help, but without them she got eyestrain from the computer.
Oh, shit. She was still wearing them. Immediately, she dragged them off her face. “Can you put these somewhere? I completely forgot I was wearing them.”
“Sure.” Dani grinned and took the eyewear from her. “I’ll put them in the bedroom in your purse.” She nodded to the men. “I’ll leave you now so I can visit with my men.”
Conner and Harper weren’t her men. Hell, she’d barely spoken with them. “Don’t go.” That was selfish, but being around them unnerved her.
“You’ll do fine.” Dani winked and rushed down the hallway, presumably to keep Holly’s eyeglasses safe. She glanced down and tugged on her top. Nikki had insisted she try a push-up bra to give her some cleavage, but she knew no amount of padding would give her A-cup tits a lift.
Oh crap, they’re here. She dragged her palms down her jeans, hoping to wipe off the nervousness. She held out her hand to Harper. “I’m Holly Morganton. I work with Dani and Nikki doing—”
The right side of his mouth lifted into an adorable half smile. “I am very aware of your contribution to saving our asses, and I thank you.”
When he clasped her hand, all sorts of emotions raced through her. Part was lust, part sympathy, and a lot was just plain yearning.
She glanced to the side. “I was just doing my job.” She slipped her fingers from his. Being near someone so big jumbled her brain, but she couldn’t help it. These imposing men threw her off kilter.
Harper’s light-brown hair was cut military short. Research indicated he’d been out of the service for years, but maybe old habits died hard. Hell, she still wore the same hairstyle since high school.
Not only did she love that he was a good four inches taller, but she bet he could pick her up and sling her over his shoulder with little effort. That wasn’t to say she wanted to be in that position or anything, but touching his body would be—
“—plans?”
Conner’s question brought her back to reality. “Excuse me?”
What was wrong with her? Conner, too, was a good-looking man, though he wasn’t classically pretty. His strong nose was perhaps a bit too large for his face, and some might even say his lips were too full, but she liked the proportion between his eyes, forehead, and chin. His high cheekbones were a little sunken, but she wasn’t one to talk—far from it. When she was growing up, she’d trained herself only to eat twice a day, and the bad habit was hard to break. If she’d eaten as much as she’d desired, her twin brother and younger sister wouldn’t have had enough food.
Don’t go there.
Conner’s long, black queue was tied neatly with a leather sleeve, and every time it swayed, it twisted her insides in a good way. The man looked dangerous but spoke tenderly.
He didn’t hide his smile. “I was asking about your plans?”
Her pulse raced. Was he asking her for a date? “Plans?”
“As in what your next case might be now that you’ve vanquished our villain.”
She laughed, but it came out sounding nervous instead of excited because he’d given her some credit. “We’re waiting on Mr. Sussman to give us another case.” She nodded to the white-haired man speaking with Dani’s fiancé, Brady Braxson, Freedom’s sheriff and all-around hero.
Harper turned to go, but Conner stayed him with a hand. “Harper and I were wondering if you might like to visit the casino, say tomorrow, so we can show you around?”
It is a date! “Y
es. I’d love to.” Her cheeks hurt from grinning. “I haven’t been to a casino in forever.”
“Great.” Conner nodded to the empty glass in her hand. “What are you drinking, baby?”
Ooh, she loved the endearment. “A club soda.” If she had her usual wine or mojito, she might say something stupid.
He looked at Harper, who sent Conner a glare she couldn’t decipher. Harper slipped the glass from her fingers. She was probably imagining things but it seemed as if he held his palm over hers for a longer time than needed. He cleared his throat and headed over to where Zane and Garth had set up the bar.
Before she could decipher his action, Conner stepped close and ran a hand down her arm. “I wanted you to be aware that Harper can be a little sullen at times, so don’t take it personally. Just ignore him. He’ll come around.”
Come around? What did that mean? Besides, she wouldn’t have called him sullen—wistful or sad maybe but not sullen. “I get it. Losing his wife had to be horrific for him. No one gets over that, especially since her death was so senseless.” She held up her palm. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll tread lightly.”
“You are a special woman.” His mouth opened, most likely to say something else, when Harper returned with her club soda.
“I put a twist of lime in it. I hope that was okay.”
His thoughtfulness thrilled her. Their gazes locked, and she placed her fingers in the shape of an imaginary glass. He slid the drink in her hand and then closed her fingers as if he feared she wouldn’t hold on. Once more his touch sent a delicious shiver up her body. These men were totally out of her league, and she needed to stop fantasizing about being with them.