Freedom to Love [Freedom, Colorado 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Melody Snow Monroe

  Conner tugged on her hair. “You feel so fucking good.”

  Harper hadn’t moved. Only now had her body grown accustomed to his size. To show him she wanted the friction, she shifted forward an inch then pushed back.

  His hands tightened on her waist. “Be careful.”

  She appreciated the warning, but that extra movement had set her climax in motion, and she didn’t think she could hold off much longer. Harper withdrew and drove back in. Her body caught on fire.

  He grunted and groaned as he pummeled into her, taking her higher with each thrust. Wanting to give Conner the same joy, she tightened her grip and increased the suction. When she put him fully into her mouth, he gasped.

  “Baby, baby. That’s it. Suck harder.”

  All of their groans and moans seemed to recede in the distance as the blood pounded in her ears. Conner reached under her and rolled her nipples with both hands. The harder he pressed the faster she sucked and the deeper Harper would go. The connection was so strong that they became one. When Harper lowered a hand and began to stroke her clit, she overflowed and let out a major groan of her own.

  Conner cupped her breasts and yelled, shooting his hot jism into her throat, forcing her to lift her head and swallow. He was still pumping when Harper pistoned into her faster and faster. The rubbing of her clit pushed her into oblivion. She gurgled their names and let the waves of her orgasm consume her.

  Harper punched in once more then held her tight as he, too, pounded his cum into the condom. His expanding cock took her breath away.

  Conner stroked her cheek. “Be right back.”

  Harper wrapped his arms around her and rolled them to the side as if he didn’t want to let her go. She’d never been more satisfied in her life. For once, she didn’t dwell on whether she was too skinny or too tall or too geeky. She was happy right where she was.

  “Harp.” The snap of a towel on Harper’s ass had him pulling out and rolling her onto her back.

  Conner leaned over and wiped her clean. “Next time, I get the position of honor.”

  She smiled. “I like it.” Uh-oh. Would Harper be offended? She faced him. “I didn’t mean that I didn’t—”

  Harper placed a finger on her lips. “It’s all good.”

  Her stomach grumbled, and Conner slipped out of the room and walked down the hall. A door squeaked open and he returned with her dry clothes. “Why don’t you get dressed and come have something to eat.”

  For the first time in a long time, Holly was content with her life.

  * * * *

  Harper knelt in front of Wendy’s tombstone, barely noticing that the ground was damp or that the wind had snaked down his shirt. He’d come to atone.

  He ran his fingers over the carved letters of her name then over the year of her birth and then of her death. It is so fucking unfair. At thirty-three, she was too young to be gone, and his throat clogged at the senseless nature of her death, just like it always did when he visited her. But today, he’d come not to see if he could reach out to her, but to say he was sorry. Harper bowed his head.

  It was almost funny. On the drive to the cemetery, he’d practiced what he wanted to tell her, but now that he was here, the words wouldn’t come. He couldn’t admit that he’d made love with another woman and that, for that hour, he hadn’t thought of his wife once.

  She’ll forgive you.

  Wendy was generous like that. She probably was smiling down at him, urging him to move on, but what if he was wrong? What if she hated that there were times when he wasn’t as focused on her as much as he once had been? Or was she still upset that he’d been swept away by greed and let Jack Marr talk him into buying a casino. The ironic thing was that he’d done it for Wendy. She was the one who liked the nice house, the nice car, and the fancy dinners.

  Harper sniffled. If he hadn’t gotten involved with that asshole, Wendy might be with him today. He swiped the moisture from under his eye. “Forgive me, Wendy.”

  He listened for a response, but only the wind howled and swirled about him. She didn’t answer, but then she never did.

  * * * *

  Holly walked into the High View Bar and Grill for her weekly girls’ night out. She had so much to share with her friends and she couldn’t wait to tell them. Dani couldn’t make it because Brady needed to take a potential deputy out to dinner as part of the interview process. Ever since Derek Thornton, his previous deputy, had succumbed to graft to help pay off his gambling debts, there had been a vacancy in the department. According to Dani, not many people wanted to move to Freedom, Colorado. To her way of thinking, it was their loss.

  She spotted her friends Ashley Milosino, Nikki’s future sister-in-law, Nikki, and to her surprise Summer Ashford, the Child Services representative who helped Nikki become a foster parent. Holly slipped into one of two vacant seats. Perhaps they didn’t know Dani wasn’t coming.

  Ashley raised a brow. “Haven’t seen you at the gym lately.”

  She blew out a breath. “I know. I’ve been busy.”

  Nikki waved for the server to come over. “I’ll say. Between Black Hawk and her men, we haven’t seen much of her either.”

  “I’ve been at the office. It’s you and Dani who’ve been out on another case.”

  The waitress stopped by for their drink orders. Though Holly hadn’t spent her money gambling last Saturday, she needed to watch her funds. “I’ll have a glass of house white.” It didn’t matter that her birthday was in two days—a holiday that was highly overrated. She’d been basically alone for the last few years, so she’d learned to ignore the ache.

  The others ordered.

  Ashley leaned forward. “So? Tell me about your men. Dani here was just telling me about your hiking adventure. How’s the ankle?”

  So many questions bombarded her at once. “Ankle is good unless I step wrong. As for the men, they’ve been real busy at work. A few of their slot machines died unexpectedly, and they need to get them repaired.”

  “It always sucks when equipment fails.” Nikki knocked on the table. “So far my audio equipment hasn’t given out on me at a critical time. That could be disastrous.”

  “I thought you had a backup,” Holly said.

  “I do, but I often forget to bring it.”

  Yeesh. Holly was the backup queen. Not only did she use an online service to back up the company files every night, she backed up her files on two different portable hard drives.

  “Holy crap.” Ashley sat up straighter and stared at the door.

  Holly turned around, and her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. She shoved back her chair so hard it nearly toppled. “Tatum!”

  He grinned and raced toward her. When he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, she felt like all was right in the universe. He set her down.

  “You look good, geekoid.”

  She wished he wouldn’t call her that, but it had been his pet name for her for years. She grabbed his hand. “Come meet my friends and tell me why you’re here.”

  Holly bubbled over with so much joy that she didn’t give him a chance to tell her. “Everyone. This is my twin, Tatum.”

  Ashley looked up adoringly at him. Summer stared and smiled. Nikki held out her hand. “I’m Nikki. Your sister and I, along with Dani Milan, own Freedom Security Services together.”

  “Nikki, yes. I’ve heard all about you.”

  Holly pulled out the empty chair next to her. “Come sit and tell me why you’re here.”

  Tatum laughed and the rich sound healed a lot of old wounds. She loved her brother. Correction. She loved her twin. He was definitely more than just a brother.

  “Did you forget what the day after tomorrow is?”

  He wouldn’t. “No.”

  Ashley cleared her throat. “Don’t hold back on us, Holly.”

  From the way Ashley kept batting her eyes at Tatum, she was taken by him. “It’s our birthday.”

  Nikki’s mouth opened. “Why didn’t you remind me?” Then
she burst out laughing.

  Her friend never could keep a secret. “What’s so funny? Tell me. You know how much I hate being left out of things.”

  “Tatum called me last week and asked if he thought it would be cool to come visit.”

  “You never let on.”

  Nikki leaned back in her seat. “He asked me not to say anything.”

  “Me, too,” chimed in Dani.

  “Fine.” Holly crossed her arms. “Conspire against me.” But he’d never visited around their birthday before. It then occurred to her that maybe he was delivering bad news. “Is Mom okay? And Bethany?”

  He rubbed her arm. “They’re fine. Okay, the truth is, I’m here to apply for the deputy job.”

  Now she understood why Tatum and Nikki had been communicating. They both were in law enforcement, and since Dani was about to marry the sheriff, it made sense he’d speak with her.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I wanted to surprise you.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be out to dinner with Brady right now?”

  Tatum stood. “Yup, but I wanted to touch base with you first.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. Seconds later he was gone.

  The waitress brought their drinks. Ashley waved for the check. “I’m getting Holly’s. It’s almost her birthday.”

  “Aw, thanks.” She might have argued except that it was happy hour and she and Ashley often split the two white wines.

  Her friend leaned forward. “Why have you been hiding him?”

  “Hiding Tatum? He lives in Oregon and my sister is in Alabama. It wasn’t like I had them chained in my basement.”

  The group laughed. Ashley glanced at Summer and fanned herself. “Well, I hope he gets the deputy job because Freedom could use more hunks.”

  In the past, Holly would have agreed, but now that she was with Conner and Harper, she had no desire to look around.

  * * * *

  “Fuck.” Harper slammed the phone down and charged into Conner’s office.

  His cousin looked up. “Problem?”

  “You know the repair service we hired to fix the five machines that broke?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, they said they were so busy that they can’t make it out before the end of the month.”

  Conner leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs, but didn’t look concerned. “Did they recommend anyone else?”

  “Yes, but I had to pry the information out of them.” Ever since he’d made love with Holly, things had gone downhill.

  “Then call them. What is your problem? It’s not like this is the first set of machines to go down.”

  Maybe he was overreacting, but the casino was barely breaking even. “True. You see the website Holly made?” He thought it was brilliant and creative, but he worried that she’d become so integral to his life that all thoughts of Wendy would fade.

  “I put it up already.”

  “Good.” He headed back to work on the books in the hopes of finding something they could to better compete with the other casinos. They’d never have a spa or a hotel. Hell, maybe it was time to put the place up for sale and hope for a buyer with a fat wallet. Too bad Conner would never go for it.

  “Have you spoken with Holly since our hiking session?” Conner asked.

  He waved his hand, and keeping his back to Conner, he entered his office. He wasn’t ready to address his feelings. Holly had been amazing and phenomenal, and when he’d been with her, she’d captivated his soul. When she allowed him to tie her to the bed and lick her pussy, he’d been transported to his happiest days. He pulled out his chair and loaded Google to find another repair place.

  “What is your problem?” Conner leaned against the doorframe.

  “Nothing. Go away.”

  “Nothing? Then you don’t mind if I take Holly out alone this weekend. It’s her birthday the day after tomorrow, and I want to show her Colorado Springs.”

  Her birthday? Fuck. He remembered the time his parents had forgotten his tenth birthday. Had it not been for his grandparents, he wouldn’t have even had a cake or a present. Conner’s mom felt so bad that she threw a party for him the following weekend. She claimed she’d been planning it for weeks, but to this day, he didn’t believe her. For that one lie, he’d consider her a saint.

  Harper typed something on his computer. “She’ll really like it.” Holly had lived in Denver so maybe she’d been before, but if she hadn’t, she’d be ecstatic when she saw the rock formations, especially the Garden of the Gods.

  “You want to take her instead?”

  That comment came out of nowhere. “No.”

  “Chicken?”

  What did that mean? He finally made eye contact. “You think I can’t be with her and control my baser needs?”

  Conner lifted one shoulder and crossed his arms over his chest. “Can you?”

  The urge to say yes brimmed on his lips. Face it. It would be a true test of your control if you could spend time with her and not get hooked by her sweet submission.

  After he’d lost himself in Holly the last time, he’d figured out what he needed to do to keep his distance. Harper inhaled, lifting his chest. “Hell yeah.”

  Conner’s smile came out too broad, convincing him he’d just been had.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Well?” Holly clutched the phone, praying that Tatum might move to Freedom.

  “I got the job.”

  Had she not been in the bar, she would have whooped and hollered. “Fantastic. I’m so happy for you. What happens now?” She didn’t know if Brady needed him right away, though with Derek in jail, she suspected he might.

  “I’m flying back to Oregon tomorrow to pack.” She pumped her fist. “I need to pack and it’ll take a few days to drive out there.”

  His voice had trailed off as if it held some regret. “What’s wrong?” They always could sense each other’s moods.

  “Nothing. I’ll miss my roommate, that’s all.”

  “What will Drex do without you?” While she’d never him, she’d seen pictures, and she had to admit, the guy was built.

  Tatum exhaled. “I’m going to see if he’ll move to Freedom with me.”

  From the wistful way he said it she worried about him. She pushed back her chair. It was too noisy in the bar to talk anyway, and Tatum seemed to need an ear. Maybe he wanted to come out to her, though she found it hard to believe her brother was gay.

  She walked into the ladies room where it was thankfully quiet. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

  Tatum laughed. “Oh, shit. You think I’m gay?”

  “I don’t know what to think, and if you are, I’m fine with it.”

  “I appreciate that, but you truly are a geekoid if you don’t know me better. In fact, it was Brady who mentioned he and Lucas were in a ménage relationship with Dani. Are you okay with that?”

  This whole conversation was weird. “Are you trying to tell me that you approve of me being in one or are you asking if I’m okay with the fact Dani loves two men?” Maybe the one glass of wine had messed with her head. If he’d spoken with Dani and Nikki, he knew of her men. Then it dawned on her. “Oh, shit. You and Drex share women?”

  “Bingo. Give the girl a stuffed toy. Yes, we do.”

  Wow. She never would have guessed, but then again, ménage relationships weren’t on her radar until moving here. “How about we talk about this later? Do you want to crash at my place tonight?”

  “Would love to, but I have an early flight, so I booked a room at a Denver airport hotel.”

  She hated that she only got to see him for a few minutes, but knowing he was moving to Freedom made up for it. “Have you told Mom?”

  “About the job or the fact that Drex and I like to share women?”

  She slumped against the bathroom sink. “About the job.” She was a little pissed that he hadn’t mentioned that he and Drex shared, though to be honest, she might have had a problem w
ith it before she moved to Freedom where sharing seemed to be the norm.

  He hesitated. “Not yet.”

  She understood. They hadn’t been on speaking terms for a while. Not that she and Mom talked often, but when she spoke with her sister, her mother always seemed to find a way to get on the phone.

  “Call me in two days so I can wish you a happy birthday.”

  “Will do. And, geekoid?” She would have to break him of that habit.

  “Yes, big brother?”

  “Love you.”

  She smiled. “Back at you.”

  Once he disconnected, she missed him even more. Two women came into the bathroom, and Holly eased back to the table.

  Summer stood. “It’s been a pleasure ladies, but I just got a call.” When her lips firmed, Holly guessed another child was in need.

  “I better go, too.” Holly hugged Ashley good-bye.

  Her friend smiled. “When Tatum moves back, be sure to invite me over.”

  Holly laughed. She wasn’t even sure if they’d be compatible, though Ashley did like to please. It was one of the reasons they hit it off so well together. Having two Doms for brothers probably taught her a lot.

  * * * *

  Not hearing from Harper after their interlude had put a damper on her week, but Tatum’s arrival had put the pep back in her step. Most likely when Tatum came to town, he’d need a place to stay, at least for a few days. Not only would he need shelter, he’d need food—and lots of it. Tomorrow, she’d shop. While her culinary skills weren’t the best, she could stock up on meats and vegetables and let Tatum do his thing in the kitchen.

  When her cell rang, she fumbled through her purse. Maybe it was Tatum at his airport hotel wanting to talk. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was Harper. Not letting him hear any disappointment in her tone had to be her primary concern.

  “Hey, stranger. What’s up?” Damn, but she sounded fake.

  “How are you doing?”