by Lynn Stark
Bliss nodded in agreement. “No, we wouldn’t want that. It should be someone who could become a solid part of our family.”
“And you believe Gilly is the one?” Colt shook his head, smiling wryly. He began walking toward the bathroom and she knew the conversation would end. Still, she knew he would return to it and they were getting a fine show of his sculpted torso and ass, as well as long, muscular legs. Yum. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see that happening. I believe he has no interest in me whatsoever. In fact, I believe he hates my guts.”
“Oh! You have to be mistaken. We talked with him at length. He’s looking for a permanent relationship. That’s why he came to Silver. A good friend told him about the different relationships here. He wants a wife and husband.”
That made Colt pause. They hopped off the bed and ran across the room to him. “Please just give him a chance,” Clarissa begged softly. “It was a rather awkward first meeting.”
A rich, warm laugh escaped Colt. “Do you think?” He bent to kiss each of them. “Let’s freshen up, get dressed, then we’ll go downstairs. Perhaps we can convince Gilly to join us for the meal. I also want to go out to look your gift over, so dress casually.”
Clarissa was relieved. Colt was going to give Gilly a chance.
* * * *
Excitement was building as they dressed to go downstairs to supper. Bliss could barely contain hers as she pulled on a pair of jeans and snapped them. There was a little trepidation about how Colt and Gilly would interact once they were together again. She prayed there was a chance they could repair any damage caused by Gilly’s reaction to Colt fucking Clarissa on the dining room table. It was a regular occurrence, sex on the table, so he really needed to get over it now rather than later.
She bit her lip to keep from giggling. It was really kinda funny and she wished she had been there to see it. Gilly coming to the rescue, defending a lady’s honor with an irreplaceable antique silver tray, would have been worth seeing. Thank goodness he hadn’t damaged more than the tray and that Colt seemed to have sense of humor about it.
When she and Clarissa had spoken with Gilly, getting to know some of his background even as they asked what he would be preparing for their supper, she had a very good feeling about him. It was a risk to bring someone new into their relationship, but they knew they just couldn’t ask Colt to give up a part of himself for the rest of his life. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair.
They had considered the men Colt had brought to their bed over the years, but discarded the idea since he had never shown an interest in them once their time with them was over. And, to be honest, she hadn’t liked all of them. One or two had been very nice, and very good in bed, but none had been someone they wanted to spend the rest of their life with.
With Gilly they saw something more in him. He was a man searching for love, searching for a man and woman to create a future with. That he would have a man and two women shouldn’t be a hardship for him. At least that’s the way Bliss saw it. He would just have more people to love and to love him back.
He was also very sexy. Bliss had squirmed in her seat when they had been speaking with him. She really did hope everything worked out because she wanted to get the man naked in the worst possible way. His chocolate, bedroom eyes were incredible and his silky brown curls just begged for to her to run her fingers through them.
Once Bliss was dressed she waited impatiently for Colt and Clarissa to finish. She was fidgeting until one dark eyebrow lifted. Sighing, she sat down in the chair by the door and waited. Patience was not one of her virtues. Especially when she had plans to get a certain handsome chef naked before the night was over.
* * * *
Gilly’s hands shook as he held the bowl and stirred the contents. Well, actually, his entire body was shaking. He was filled with dread as he began making supper for Clarissa, Bliss, and their lover Colt Redford. He had made a less than stellar first impression and he winced as he thought of the antique silver tray he had swung at the man. It’s a wonder he hadn’t been fired on the spot and wondered if it wouldn’t happen after he had finished preparing their meal.
As he looked around the kitchen he sighed with pleasure. Though the house was probably well over a hundred years old, at least parts of it, the kitchen was a chef’s wet dream, all of the latest appliances in gleaming stainless steel. He could be happy if he never had to leave the room again. Well, he could be if Clarissa and Bliss were in it with him. The moment he had met the two women he had been completely lost. His heart had thundered and his cock had hardened.
There wasn’t a chance in hell that he’d ever be with either of them, let alone both. They belonged to the tall, handsome Colt Redford, the man he’d attacked with the silver tray. Why he’d done it was a mystery to him. The only explanation he could think of was that Clarissa’s scream had triggered something deep inside him. There was a need to protect her, to protect both women. He felt it deep in his soul and he didn’t know what he was going to do about these feelings.
Gilly was well aware of what the two women wanted of him. They wanted him to be a part of their family, their fourth, in a relationship which would likely satisfy his every fantasy. But he doubted he could ever be the kind of man to make them and Colt happy. Yes, he was bi. That made life somewhat tricky. He’d never felt he could commit himself to only one person because it was like there were two people inside him. Part of him loved women. The other part loved men. Only once had he been able to satisfy those two needs at once. But ménage relationships were not a thing openly lived where he was from. Hell, as far as he had known, there weren’t any places where he could be himself.
At thirty years old Gilly had been certain he would never find a place where he would fit in. When he’d happened to meet a friend in a coffee house one day, and learned that friend had spent the summer working on a dude ranch, his head was filled with stories of the town of Silver.
Six months later he had secured a job at the Silver Star Hotel. It was a temporary position. He would be filling in for another chef who was out on maternity leave. That suited him just fine. If he liked the town enough he would start his own business. His specialty was chocolate and once he arrived in Silver he’d been pleased to discover there was no store offering specialty chocolates, though there was a factory outside of town which made a very good product. His, however, were delicacies. They were art. And he wished to be able to give full rein to his creative side. He smiled as he thought of lavender, truffles, buttercream, and chili powder. Oh, he loved the heat in chocolate. He would be able to satisfy himself, do as he pleased, and make candy for those who loved something different, something special. He would put money on Colt Redford enjoying a spicy chocolate.
“Mr. Southerland.”
Gilly jumped at the sound of his name being spoken in the deep, rich voice. The bowl hit the floor at his feet and skittered to the side, spinning on the stone floor, overbeaten batter splashing everywhere. He jerked around, his face flaming, as he tried to mentally recover. The man walking into the kitchen was not someone he wished to appear as a fool before, but it seemed unavoidable. First the silver tray, his bumbling attempt to save a woman screaming her pleasure, and now batter was running down the front of a cabinet. Damn.
“Mr. Redford?” he asked stiffly, trying not to break down. He didn’t know why he was so on edge. He was quite used to the pressure to be found in a kitchen. Chefs were notoriously moody and often took their tempers and frustration out on those around them. He normally just shrugged it off. He had developed quite the thick skin. But this man was a kind he wasn’t used to dealing with. Colt Redford was in a class all of his own. “Can I do something for you?”
They were earlier than expected. Gilly frowned. Were they expecting him to prepare drinks for them?
“Yes, you can. We would like you to join us for supper. If you need help with anything, let us know. Otherwise, we’ll stay out of your way.”
Gilly’s frown deepened. “I don’t think
that would be proper, sir.”
“Drop the sir…for now. And I wasn’t asking. You will join us for supper.”
When the kitchen door swung shut after the tall, handsome man Gilly had to take a deep breath. The command had his cock standing and saluting. Crap, that had never happened before. What did it mean? Bliss and Clarissa had explained that Colt was their Dom. Gilly knew something of the lifestyle but had never really had any curiosity about it. He had tied a girlfriend up a few times, spanked her bottom when she asked, and he had enjoyed it. Maybe a little too much, he had thought then. Now he was suddenly fantasizing about the bigger man doing the same to him.
Shocked to the core, Gilly cleaned up the mess and resumed making supper in something of a daze. Bliss had requested steak, green beans, baked potato, and crème brûlée for dessert. It was a very simple meal, so he dressed up the steaks, wrapping them in bacon and adding a pepper crust. He opened a bottle of excellent burgundy before going to the washroom off the kitchen. Taking a deep breath he removed his white coat, hanging it up behind the door, then washed up and combed his wavy hair into some semblance of order. He grimaced, thinking he should go to the barber soon.
“Gilly?” Gilly groaned as his cock twitched just hearing Bliss call his name. He took a deep breath, silently ordered his cock to behave, and then left the washroom. When she saw him a bright smile lit up her beautiful face. “There you are. I thought you might have run away.”
Shaking his head he went to the broiler and checked the steaks. They were finished and he began plating the food. “No, I wouldn’t run out on you. I’m here to do a job.”
“And to get to know us.”
“And to get to know you,” Gilly agreed, looking up to smile. It was forced. He was more than a little nervous about the whole situation. “I just hope you don’t have your hopes too high.”
“Colt thinks you might hate him,” she confided, shocking him.
“I don’t hate him. How can I? I don’t know him.”
“Well, because of what he was doing to Clarissa. He can be quite the beast, but we love him that way. You have to remember Colt would never do anything to hurt us.” When his eyebrows went up and he stared at her, Bliss giggled and scrunched up her face in the most adorable manner. “Not in a bad way, anyway.”
When she moved closer, her body swaying seductively, Gilly scrambled backward and dashed around the large prep table where he’d placed the food on trays. He snatched one up. “I better get this out while it’s still hot,” he exclaimed, hurrying to the dining room.
Color rushed into his face as he encountered Clarissa and Colt. She had just finished lighting the tapers in the center of the table. Colt was close by and held the chair as she sat down. She smiled brightly at Gilly and he swallowed hard even as he began serving. He dashed out of the dining room as Bliss came in. He wasn’t going to be trapped with her. Being invited to supper was stressful enough. After taking a few moments to take calming breaths he grabbed the wine and carried it in. He poured then remembered he’d forgotten the pitcher of ice water.
Feeling as though he was in a full meltdown, Gilly went for it then returned. Everyone was waiting for him and he flushed again.
“Calm down, Gilly,” Colt advised with a friendly smile. “You’re fussing too much. We’re very casual here.”
Casual? Gilly’s gaze moved over the other man. His idea of casual was a good T-shirt and jeans. Colt’s casual was a crisp button-down shirt in deep, cobalt blue and black slacks. Without looking under the table he suspected there were polished black shoes on the man’s feet. Even with the reassuring words from Colt and the gentle smiles from the two women, he felt out of place. He had a feeling it would be a very long meal.
An hour later, after a conversation of trivialities and food which tasted like sawdust , Gilly was cleaning the kitchen. It was spotless by the time he was finished. He had been invited to join the others for coffee but he had firmly declined. Bliss and Clarissa had looked disappointed but Colt had given him an understanding look. It helped to know the other man seemed to be attuned to what he was feeling.
He didn’t want to be a prick or unsociable, but it was not in him to share a meal with people he was supposedly working for and be comfortable with it. He certainly wasn’t going to drag out his discomfort by sipping coffee.
Packing all of his equipment and empty containers, Gilly took them out to his car. The icy cold air whipped around him, causing him to shudder. The snow was coming down quite hard and he knew he would have a slow, crappy trip back to town. He was glad he had grown up in a place where snow was an everyday occurrence, and heavy snow at that. A little patience, a little care, and he’d be back to Silver in no time.
“I believe you should spend the night.” The deep voice reached him through the snow and he looked around until he saw Colt walking toward him. “If you have no reason to be back in town tonight, it would be wiser to stay. The plows will be out and keeping cars off the road so they can do their job is always appreciated.”
It was a word to the wise. And Gilly was nothing if not sensible, about most things anyway. He always took the advice of others and considered it. And being new to the area he would really have to consider Colt’s.
“It’s that bad already?” he asked, closing the door to his car to stop the snow from swirling into it. Staying the night in a house with two beautiful women and this beautiful man was like half a fantasy. He looked around. “There are only a couple of inches of snow here.”
“I called a friend. He lives about hallway between here and Silver. He says it’s a whiteout. If you don’t have any pressing commitments, you should stay.”
Stay. Go. Gilly was torn. His personal safety was a huge deal to him, as it was to most folks with common sense. Then there was the war going on within him which told him he would be lost if he stayed. He was definitely attracted to all three of the residents of the huge house. It wouldn’t take much more than a crooked finger in his direction and he’d be stripping off his clothes and doing all sorts of wild, crazy things with them.
With his cock twitching a warning and his asshole clenching, Gilly stood there collecting snow on the shoulders of his coat. He stared at Colt, who didn’t seem to have a problem standing in the frigid air and snow, in nothing more than what he had worn to supper.
Maybe he could be strong. Maybe they wouldn’t put the moves on him. Maybe he could fool himself a little while longer.
“Okay. I’m not familiar with all the roads yet. I wouldn’t want to get lost.”
Oh, he was so fucking lost already and he knew it. The moment the women had begun asking personal questions had been a warning of things to come. They had made no secret about their attraction to him and what their plans were for the future. Had agreeing to prepare their meal been the equivalent of accepting what they were plotting?
“That would be wise.”
Wise. Gilly believed any wisdom he’d possessed had dashed off into the snow storm.
The door at the end of the garage opened behind Colt and Bliss and Clarissa came out. They were holding his coat, which he took from them and shrugged on.
“Would you like to come to the barn with us? We’re going to look at the new horse we bought for Colt,” Bliss said, her effervescent giggle making him smile.
Gilly nodded and fell in with them as they made their way along a heavy rope tied between the garage and the first long barn.
“Always hold the rope, if it’s snowing heavily,” Colt advised in a solemn voice. “You can get disoriented and lost just a few feet from it. People have died within feet of a house or other shelter, never knowing it was there before the cold took them.”
It didn’t take long to get to the barn. Once inside Gilly decided it was technically a stable, as every stall seemed to have horses in it. It was also a very nice stable. Rich wood gleamed. The floor was covered by what appeared to be bricks but he got the sense they were made out of something softer and less slippery if they were wet.
Some kind of compressed rubber, he guessed.
“Do you ride?”
“I do, though it’s been a while.”
“Good. We go riding a lot.”
They were including him in plans for the future. Was he that transparent? Was he that desperate? When two of the most desirable women wanted you, did you throw it away? The moment he had seen them they had stolen his breath. And, he suspected, his heart. He had come to Silver to find a relationship which would satisfy everything which made him who he was. Not only did he find women desirable, but men as well. He couldn’t separate one from the other. They were equal in his mind and he felt it in his soul.
They wanted him. They had made no secret of it. Gilly looked at them as they admired the tall black stallion a cowboy led out of its stall. Then his gaze slid to Colt. What would it be like to have a man like that control him, fuck him, making him beg for all sorts of wickedly delightful things to be done to his body?
When the two women went with the cowboy to look at the mares and foals, he was left alone with Colt. He started in surprise when the man reached for his gloved hand and held it as they walked down the aisle together.
They were nearing the end of the building when a man walked out of a room carrying a horse’s blanket. Dressed in worn denim jeans, a grungy shearling jacket, cowboy hat and boots, the man was almost petite in appearance. As he walked toward them a pleasant smile broke out over his angelic face, which was surrounded by blond curls.
“Hi, I’m Avery.”
“Oh, we are so fucked,” Gilly muttered, groaning as his cock reared up and pressed against his zipper.
Colt’s fingers tightened, holding his firmly.
“You’ve got that right.”
Chapter Three