Just a Taste [Merricks, Montana 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by McKinlay Thomson

  Slipping his arms further around her body and taking her ass in his hands, he pressed their bodies together and ran the length of his jean-covered cock into her lower belly, showing her just how much she turned him on.

  Hawk moved his mouth from her lips and ran them along her jaw and kissed his way down her smooth neck. He needed to get her naked in the worst way, but he couldn’t do that in an alley.

  “Let’s take this upstairs,” Hawk said. “I want you.”

  “I can’t leave the shop,” she replied, and Hawk could see the disappointment on her sweet little face.

  “Caroline can handle it,” he told her. “I’m sure she won’t mind.”

  Hawk took her hand and pulled her toward the stairs. He didn’t want to give her too much time to think about it. Still drunk from their kisses, desire moving through her body, Hawk was going to take advantage of her lowered guard.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “What happens if she comes looking for me?”

  “She won’t,” he told her. “Don’t you want to get naked and dirty with us?”

  Hawk didn’t wait for her answer. He bent at the waist and grabbed Emily around the back of her knees, hoisting her over his shoulder and straightening again. She let out a little squeak as he settled her on his shoulder, her head and arms hanging down his back. He started up the stairs to her apartment, Wolf following closely behind.

  “Let me down,” she told him. “You are going to hurt yourself. I’m too heavy.”

  Hawk slapped her on her round bottom for her remark and kept walking. He had lugged heavier things around in the marines than her, but she didn’t know that. He would remember to inform her later.

  Reaching the top of the stairs, Hawk opened the door and entered her small apartment. He had never been up here before and he quickly scanned the room with his eyes.

  They had entered straight into the living room, which was neatly decorated with modern furniture in neutral colors. A beige sofa sat along one wall, scattered with bright-colored cushions, an entertainment unit sitting across from it, and a dark-stained coffee table in between. The back wall was lined with book shelves filled to the brim and the hardwood floors were covered with a thick rug.

  The kitchen and laundry were located at the back of the house and her one bedroom was off to the left of the living room. He assumed the bathroom ran off that, as was with most little one-bedroom apartments.

  “Don’t you lock your doors when you aren’t here?” Wolf asked as he followed them inside and shut the door behind him.

  “No,” she answered still hanging over his shoulder. “Who is going to want to come in?”

  “Men,” Wolf and Hawk replied at the same time.

  “We will discuss your lack of security in depth later,” Wolf added.

  Hawk moved into the bedroom and came to a standstill at the sight before him. He wasn’t really sure what he was looking at. Something strange and white sat in a large pile in her bed.

  “Err,” he said, and slowly lowered Emily to the floor. Wolf walked in behind them and moved straight toward the bed.

  “What is it?” Wolf asked her, pointing to the pile of white granules.

  “I’d say sugar,” Emily replied with her hands on her hips and an angry look on her face.

  “Why is there sugar on your bed?” Hawk asked. Seemed like a logical question to ask.

  “Not really sure I can explain,” she answered. “But at least I know where it is.”

  Hawk heard Wolf exhale from the other side of the room and looked over at his thunderous expression.

  “Try, kitten,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “I don’t know why you’re so angry,” Emily said. “It’s my sugar and my bed that it’s all over.”

  “Unless you did this yourself, it means that someone has been in your apartment and defiled your bed,” Wolf told her. “Don’t you think that would make me angry?”

  “When you say it like that,” she said. “It does sound bad.”

  Hawk didn’t like the thought of anyone entering Emily’s apartment uninvited either. What would happen if they were still here? Hawk quickly searched the bedroom, looking under the bed and then through the rest of her apartment before coming back into the bedroom.

  “All clear,” he said. “There is no other sign that anyone was here.”

  “There wouldn’t be,” Wolf told him. “Not when she leaves the door open for anyone to stroll inside.”

  “Look,” Emily said. “No one has come in before. This is a safe town. Everyone leaves their doors unlocked.”

  Hawk wouldn’t go so far as to say that. Three of Emily’s friends had gotten into their fair share of trouble in the past, and the body count was rising because of it. Though to be fair, the last man didn’t die and was only wounded before being carted off to jail. Sarah, the sheriff’s woman, had been involved each time and Hawk couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man.

  “Didn’t your brothers teach you anything?” Wolf asked, snapping. “I’m going to have to have words with them.”

  “Don’t you dare,” Emily replied. “This has nothing to do with them. I have everything under control.”

  “I’d have to disagree,” Wolf said. Emily opened her mouth to reply, and Hawk knew that if he didn’t put a stop to this heated discussion, a fight would be imminent. He didn’t want Wolf to push her away with harsh words, not now that they had finally made a move to pursue her.

  “Let’s just get this cleaned up,” Hawk said. “Then we can sit down and Emily can fill us in on what’s going on.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Emily said. “I can clean it myself.”

  “We will help, kitten,” Wolf said. “And then I want an explanation.”

  “I don’t have to explain myself to you,” Emily snapped angrily. “I can sort out my own problems.”

  Hawk sighed and moved closer to Emily, taking her hand and leading her in the living room. He really wished Emily would settle down and let them help. If they were ever going to get Wolf to give her a chance—and he was talking about a real chance not just a heated kiss stolen in a back alley—then Emily was going to have to bend and let Wolf have a little of the control he was pushing for.

  “Please,” Hawk said. “We only want to help. Wolf is worried, and when he gets worried he gets all bossy and demanding.”

  “When isn’t he bossy and demanding?” Emily asked.

  “I’m worried, too, babe,” Hawk told her. “Someone was in your apartment, and while it wasn’t really bad what they did, it still begs the question as to why.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine,” Emily said. “It was probably just the Fisher brothers pulling a prank. Like the time they stole the tractor and moved the Walker’s hay from one end of their property to the other.”

  “I hope that was all it was,” Hawk told her.

  “It’s fine,” Emily said. “I’ll call the sheriff and report it. I promise.”

  Hawk looked up as Wolf walked from the bedroom, a dark scowl on his face, and he knew instantly that something in Wolf had changed. He had hardened his heart back up and was going to push Emily away. The kiss they had shared had been all for nothing.

  Hawk sighed and moved to the kitchen to find some bags to help clean up the mess.

  “Call the sheriff,” he said as he walked back into the room. “The quicker we can clean this up, the better.”

  “I agree,” Wolf said. “We have to get back to the club.”

  Chapter Five

  Wolf strode angrily back to the bedroom. He was angry with Emily’s attitude. He was angry that someone had entered her apartment and poured sugar on her bed. He was angry that she wouldn’t let him fix it for her, but mostly he was angry at himself.

  He never intended to kiss Emily back in the alley, but she had made him lose his senses and with it all his control. From the first moment his lips met hers, he was filled with a longing, a desperate need to taste her and make her his. He was consumed with lust
and other feelings he didn’t want to explore too closely.

  Now he regretted his actions and he needed to make certain that Emily knew that it was a mistake before feelings deepened and they all got hurt. Hawk was already way too emotionally involved in Emily and he needed to put a stop to it now. If that kiss was anything to go by, Emily was into them every bit as much, and if he didn’t nip it in the bud, things would only progress further.

  He looked down at the amount of sugar scattered across her girly floral bedspread. It was a lot of sugar and would cost Emily a small chunk of money to replace it. Why would anyone, prank or not, break into someone’s apartment and dump sugar on their bed?

  “Emily is on the phone with the sheriff,” Hawk said entering the room behind him. “He should be here shortly.”

  “Good,” Wolf replied. “The fact that someone invaded her personal space is unacceptable. She is a woman living alone and that makes the whole town responsible for her safety.”

  It was the Merricks way for all the men of the town to look out for its women and children, especially ones living alone. The men had taken it upon themselves years ago to create a safe place to raise a family and protect what was theirs.

  It was one of the reasons they had moved to the quaint little town. Not only because they accepted people’s right to choose the way they wanted to live, but because if they ever found the woman to complete them, then she would be protected and looked after by not only Wolf and Hawk, but by the whole town.

  He felt like they had let her down. As harmless as the prank was, Emily’s room should never have been accessible to anyone who wasn’t invited in. Her family should have made sure that Emily was taking precautions for her safety when they weren’t around.

  “Where were her brothers?” Wolf asked. “Why wasn’t Emily made to lock her doors?”

  “I agree,” Hawk said. “Her safety should never have to be questioned. We will make sure it doesn’t happen again. She is ours now, to love and to protect. Wolf listen, I—”

  “Kissing Emily was a mistake,” Wolf said, cutting of his friend. “If this incident has shown me anything, it is that Emily is not the woman for us.”

  “You decided that from sugar being thrown on my bed?” Emily asked. He hadn’t even heard her walk into the room. “So, what? I guess that’s it then?”

  “Wolf,” Hawk said. “Don’t say something that you can’t take back. It’s not just your life that you are making decisions for.”

  Wolf knew that. He knew that he was asking Hawk to follow where he led. It was a lot to ask of his friend, but he needed to be in charge, and if they were ever going to enter into a permanent ménage relationship with anyone, Hawk would need to defer most things to Wolf.

  Hawk may have been dominant, too, but he was more laid-back than Wolf and he didn’t have the constant drive inside him to control all aspects of his life and the lives of those important to him. Hawk fell into the category of people who were important to him, but so far he had managed to keep a lid on his controlling instincts.

  Hawk would often ask for Wolf’s advice, but he was his own man for the most part. Wolf would often ask for Hawk’s advice in return and the dynamic worked well for their close friendship.

  However, the ultimate decision when it came to the concerns of their woman would have to remain in Wolf’s control. He couldn’t see it working any other way and Hawk knew this. They had discussed it at length on many occasions.

  “I’m sorry, Hawk,” Wolf said. “But you know that I am right at least about this.”

  “That’s crap,” Emily said. “You won’t even give me a chance.”

  “If you were our woman,” Wolf said. “I would spank you for your disrespectful attitude. I won’t even tell you what punishment you would get for compromising your own safety.”

  “Tell me,” Emily said. “What would the big bad Wolf do to me?”

  “You are playing with fire now, babe,” Hawk said. “Don’t get him riled any more than he already is.”

  “Why?” Emily asked Hawk. “He is the one who started this, and besides, I’m interested.”

  “You are far too sweet, kitten,” Wolf told her. “It would burn your innocent little ears.” If she knew all the dark things he wanted to do to her she would run screaming from the room.

  “I’m not as sweet as you think,” she said. “I talk to Sarah, Kate, and Holly. I read books. I know more about the lifestyle than you think.”

  “Oh, you may think you know,” Wolf told her. “But the reality and the fantasy are two very different things.”

  Woman had a way of romanticizing things, and if she was reading those sappy romance novels filled with fluffy Doms and a little spanky-spanky over an office desk, then she was far off the mark when it came to the kind of relationship he would demand from his sub.

  “If I am so clueless, why won’t you teach me?” she asked. “Train me to be your submissive. At least give me a chance before you brush me off.”

  “She has a point, Wolf,” Hawk said. “It’s what I have been saying all along.”

  No, no, and no. Wolf wasn’t going to have her right where all his fantasies had pictured her, submitting to them or at least trying to and investing his time as well his feelings. She would never be what they needed and would only get hurt in the long run.

  “No,” Wolf replied. “You will both only get your feelings hurt when it doesn’t work out.”

  “And I’m not hurting now?” she asked. Wolf hated to admit that she was putting up a good fight, but in the long run he would win. He had to. He needed to be the responsible one here and finish this foolishness.

  “What about one night?” Hawk asked. “One night of total submission and then we can reassess.”

  “This isn’t a game, Hawk,” Wolf said. “This is our life. She can’t just play at being a submissive. She either is or she isn’t. Being a Dom isn’t something I can just turn off, and it isn’t in you either.”

  “No one is asking you to,” Hawk told him. “I not sure what you see when you look at her, but Emily is definitely a natural submissive. I think that you just refuse to notice the signs.”

  “Do you know what I think?” Emily asked. “I think that you’re scared. I think that you are so afraid of letting someone in that you push anyone away that gets too close.”

  Wolf’s back straightened at her words. She had hit a sore spot inside of him, not that he would ever admit it. He was afraid to let her in. She was so damned sweet that she could easily break his heart, and that was why he needed to push her away.

  “Don’t you understand, little girl?” he snapped. “I just don’t want you. You are not my type. I don’t want to train a submissive from scratch. I want a woman who can submit totally and completely to me, and that isn’t you.”

  Wolf knew his words were harsh and by saying them he was making a hole that he wouldn’t be able to get out of. Once said, he couldn’t take them back, but he needed to make not only Emily, but Hawk understand that a relationship between them was not going to happen.

  He may even be pushing his friendship with Hawk too far by taking such a hard-line and well, frankly being a rude asshole, but he would calmly talk it out with Hawk later and make him understand.

  “You’re a stubborn, pigheaded mule,” Emily snapped back. “I don’t think you know what you want in a woman even if she fell from a tree and landed on your stupid head.”

  “I know that woman isn’t you,” Wolf said, every word breaking his heart a little more, but it was better now than further down the track. He had to keep telling himself that.

  “I am starting to agree with you,” she rebuked. “Why I would want a man with an ego the size of Texas is beyond me. Besides, there are much better looking men all over town.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Well, your hair is too straight and your tits are too small.”

  “I—”

  “Now, now, children,” Blake said, walking into the bedroom and cutting off whatever Emily wa
s about to shout. “What seems to be the problem?”

  “Wolf is being a jerk,” Hawk said, and Wolf could see the pain in his eyes. He was sure it was reflected in his own as well, but he needed to stay strong and finish what he had started.

  “Someone broke into my apartment,” Emily told the sheriff. “They poured sugar taken from my kitchen all over my bed.”

  “It’s hard to break in when you leave your door unlocked,” Wolf told her sarcastically.

  Emily turned her angry eyes on him and then pointed to the door.

  “You can leave now,” she said. “I don’t need you anymore.”

  “I rest my case,” Wolf replied and turned to Hawk before continuing. “Stay and make sure it’s handled properly. I’ll meet you back at the club.”

  “Sure,” Hawk replied. “Whatever you say.”

  Wolf walked from the bedroom and then from Emily’s apartment and probably from her life as well. Things had turned slightly immature and ridiculous at the end there, but the woman surely got under his skin.

  His heart was hurting for the three of them, but Emily just couldn’t be the submissive he needed her to be, and in the long run all three would get hurt far worse. Why couldn’t they see that? Why was he the only one that understood?

  Emily was never going to give up control of her life and let Wolf and Hawk take care of her. She was far too stubborn and opinionated and independent. The woman constantly talked back and couldn’t even let him handle one situation without arguing with him.

  She wouldn’t have had to worry about anything except her bakery if she was their woman. She wasn’t about to let them choose her clothes and feed her from their hands. He couldn’t see her agreeing to run around the house naked, let alone the club, and he definitely couldn’t see her remaining quiet when he told her she couldn’t talk.

  As for her safety, she wouldn’t be leaving their side without a fully charged cell phone and tracking devices in her collar, because woman tended to get kidnapped when they hung around Sarah and Kate, and he would demand to know where she was at all times of the day.