by Tara Rose
“Yeah, but can we go up to the house?” asked Nash. “It’s a bit crowded here.”
“Come on.”
“I don’t think I can drive.” Angela was shaking so badly she could hardly stand.
“I’ll drive your car,” said Ian. She took his hand and walked to her car, then slid into the passenger seat. It was still running, so after Nash got into the back seat, Ian put it in gear and navigated around the police cruisers to continue up the hill. As they passed one of the cruisers, Angela caught a glimpse of the man in the back. She’d never seen him before, which was what she’d told Tommy about both men.
“What happened tonight?” asked Ian. “Can you tell us?”
She nodded, giving them the short version that omitted the trip to Walmart. “When the men started climbing down the hill, I debated whether to wait because I wanted to see who they were. That’s when the cruisers came screeching around the corner, so I just ducked and waited for Tommy to peek into my car and ask me what the hell was going on.”
Ian had reached the front gate, and he punched in the code then drove around to the back. As Angela exited her car, she spotted Tommy’s cruiser coming toward them.
Ian handed her the keys as Nash got out of her back seat. He held up the pregnancy test. “Something you want to tell us, Angela?” His voice was soft, and although she’d expected anger or fear, there was none. Instead, she only heard a sense of wonder and hope, and she stood rooted to the spot, unable to answer him.
Ian stared at the box in Nash’s hand, blinking, but not saying a word.
“I’m not sure yet,” she said quietly. Her voice shook. “That’s why I was coming over. I’m five days late.” She told them about forgetting the pills as Tommy was getting out his cruiser. “I'm so sorry. I fucked up.”
Nash stuffed the box into his pocket as Tommy approached them. They followed Nash into the house, and Angela took a seat at the kitchen table between Nash and Ian. Both men looked as though they hadn’t slept in years. Their clothes were rumpled, and each needed a shave. Had they gone to bed at all?
Ian moved his chair closer and put an arm across her shoulders. Angela shivered at his touch, wishing like fucking crazy that she was alone with him and Nash right now. There was so much she wanted to say. When Nash placed his hand on her thigh, she almost started crying. They weren’t upset. She’d just told them both that she might be pregnant and they were not upset. How could that be? Or were they simply putting on a show for Tommy?
“Okay.” Tommy opened his notebook. “Tweedledee and Tweedledum have admitted they are part of Trace’s TV crew, but they have refused to implicate the ghost hunter in any of this. A third guy took off on foot, and these two won’t name him either. So, all we have them on is criminal trespassing, for now.”
“It’s not criminal if they didn’t take anything, is it?” asked Nash.
Tommy fixed him with a baleful stare. “Yes it is, Nash. They scaled your wall and were on your property, uninvited. That’s a crime in this city.”
“Why were they here?”
“I think you know the answer to that.” Tommy cut his gaze toward Angela.
“It’s time she heard the whole story,” said Nash.
“Okay,” said Tommy. “Jason Monroe, of Van’s crew, had a grandfather named Jeb. Jeb was in league with Bryce Metcalf, Dalton’s grandfather, and Battista Mandanici, Carma’s great-uncle. Nash’s grandfather, Colson, came along for the ride, but when things got a bit hinky with the numbers racket, he wanted out.”
She glanced at Nash. “Is this in the documents you found?”
He nodded. The look in his eyes was too intense, and Angela forced her gaze back toward Tommy. Her heart was pounding. What if they sent her away and she was pregnant? How would she deal with that?
“But they were all in pretty deep, and rather than part enemies, they came up with a way to split up the money and other…um…items. But Jeb and Bryce were either greedy, or legitimately cheated, because they accused Colson and Battista of not splitting up everything fairly. Certain items conveniently disappeared, and legends about jewels, money, and stocks hidden away behind walls and in abandoned mineshafts were born. The men involved were either shot while trying to find these items, or the goons they sent to look for it were, so over time everyone stopped looking.”
Angela nodded. “Except Trace.”
Ian glanced at her sharply. “How did you know that?”
She’d have to tell them anyway. It might as well be now. “Rowena mentioned that Jason Monroe and Trace are related. He’s looking for his grandfather’s share of the stolen loot, right?”
The men nodded. “It would appear that way,” said Tommy.
“Did they find anything in the mineshaft?” she asked.
“They never got that far.” Tommy grinned, and the sight reminded Angela of what a wolf might look like if he smiled. “You scared them away when you shouted at them.”
“I thought it was Nash and Ian up there.”
Both men almost smiled. “Guess you saved the day, Angela,” said Ian.
“She did,” said Tommy. “But now we have to get these two to flip on Trace, and we have to find that third man.” Tommy rose.
“Hey, who beat up Brett Warner?” asked Nash. “Just curious.”
“Oh, yeah. Forgot about him in all this excitement. He got into a fight behind The Saloon with two guys from Meeker. One of them is banging Becca Rawlings. Seems this guy found the YouTube video of those two, got pissed at Becca for it, so she told him Brett had made it without her knowledge.”
“Bullshit,” said Angela.
Tommy shook his head. “Who cares, though, right? He got what was coming to him.”
“So he’ll live?” asked Nash.
“Unfortunately. And Angela, I’m working on getting his YouTube account taken down. Don’t know if I can, but give me some time, okay?”
She smiled at Tommy. “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Well, I’m out of here. If we find out anything else, I’ll let you know.”
Nash stood and shook his hand, and then after Tommy left, he leaned against the counter and took out the pregnancy test. Angela took several deep breaths as hot fear raced through her.
“I’m so sorry…” She didn’t know what else to say. Now that the moment was finally here, she was terrified. “I fucked up. I don’t know what to say.”
Nash shook his head, his eyes blazing with light and love. “I’m not sorry. But before we find out, there’s something I have to tell you.” He cut his gaze toward Ian for a second. “We both do.”
Ian turned chair toward her, and Nash took his seat again and did the same thing. He placed the box on the kitchen table, and when Angela stared at it, Ian gently turned her face toward his. His eyes were wet, and Angela started to cry again.
Ian wiped the tear that rolled down her cheek. “Don’t cry, baby girl. Just listen. I love you. Angela, I love you. I have loved you for so long now…And I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter what that test shows. I want to be your lover, your Dom, and your best friend. I am so sorry we didn’t tell you about Brett being at the club, or about the documents. Please forgive us.”
“Of course.” She could hardly breathe. Her heart was filled with so much joy that she was certain it would simply burst, and the love she felt for them would leak out and spill all over the kitchen floor. “Of course. I love you, too, Ian. I should have told you, but I’m so afraid. I’m afraid of fucking it up, and I’m afraid of love. It… it doesn’t work out too well for me.”
“Oh, Angela…” He cupped her face with both hands and kissed her gently on the lips. “I promise you that this will never, ever, ever be like what you had with Brett. Not even close.”
“I want you, too, Ian. Both of you. I want to be with you both, always.” Her hand brushed the spot where her collar used to be. “I’m so sorry I tore it off.”
Ian shook his head. “We’re going to get a new one. A perman
ent one. Metal this time.” He winked at her, and Angela sighed with joy. “That way you can’t rip it off.”
Ian let go of her face and scooted over so that Nash could pull her into a tight embrace. Angela felt warm for the first time in two days. When he released her, he gazed into her eyes with so much tenderness that she just melted. “I love you, Angela. I’ve never said that to any woman, and I never thought I would. But you have captivated me, body, heart, and soul. I don’t care what that test says either, although I have to be honest and say I hope like hell you are pregnant.”
He kissed her again, and when he released her mouth, she glanced at him and Ian in turn. “You both would be okay with that? Really?” It was too much to hope for.
Ian let out a sound that was half sigh, half laugh. “Okay with it? Of course we would be okay with it. We’d be thrilled by it.”
“Angela,” said Nash, “I want you to move in here. You and Ian both. I want you with me always. As my sub, my best friend, and my lover. Please say ‘yes.’ Just do it. Please.”
“I can’t believe this is real.”
“It’s real,” said Ian. “It’s real, baby girl.”
She nodded. “Yes. My answer is ‘yes.’ I love you both so much.”
Nash held her for a long time, and then Ian did as well. When he released her, Nash picked up the box and took her hand. They insisted on coming inside the bathroom with her, and Angela didn’t even care at that point. After the test strip was wet, they stood and waited, counting softly, together.
It didn’t even take as long as the box said it would to show up. There were two lines on the test strip before they finished counting. Angela was shaking and crying so hard that she nearly dropped it on the floor. She was pregnant. She was going to have a baby. “But we don’t know whose it is…”
Ian and Nash exchanged a glance, and then Ian gathered her into his arms. “We don’t care,” he said. “Angela, I love you. I’m so happy right now…”
Nash embraced her as well. “I don’t care either, love. We’ll raise him or her together, and neither of you will ever want for anything in your lives. I promise you that.”
Angela held onto her Doms, still unable to believe she’d found everything she’d ever wanted, right here with both of them. She was going to have their baby, and she’d be with them for the rest of her life. And no matter what happened with all the crazy shit in this town, no one could or would come between her, Nash, and Ian ever again. She simply wouldn’t allow it.
Chapter Thirty
Angela knelt in front of Nash and Ian. Surrounding them were at least sixty people, including Carma, Mateo, and Blaine. Even Van and Rowena had come tonight, although they’d never set food inside Indulgence before. When Angela had asked if they’d be comfortable attending her collaring ceremony at the club, Rowena had said they wouldn’t miss it for the world.
She kept her eyes on the floor in front of her while Nash and Ian slipped the delicate woven gold chain around her neck. They’d picked it out together. It was a bit thicker than her leather necklace had been, and Angela thought it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. At the front of the chain, three intertwined hearts formed a delicate, flowery design.
“Angela, you may look at us.”
She did, and was rewarded with the look she’d come to cherish in Nash’s eyes. It spoke of love, and lust, and happily ever after. She lived to see it every day. She lived to serve him, and to please him.
“I want you with me forever, as my friend, my lover, and my sub. I promise to cherish you, protect you, and honor this gift you’ve given me. I love you, Angela.”
She smiled, her limbs trembling, but not from fear. She was so in love with both of them. Every day it grew, and Angela knew she would always feel this way. It had been inevitable since the first time he’d come into Expressions Salon to buy hair product, and Angela had flirted with him as she paid for her haircut.
“I love you, too, Sir. I accept your collar, and I promise to love you, serve you, obey you, and cherish you, every day for the rest of my life.”
Nash blew her a kiss, and then stepped aside so that Ian could stand in front of her. “Angela, I love you. I will always love you. I want you as my friend, my lover, and my sub. I pledge my protection, my love, and my respect, now and always.”
Ian had worshipped her from afar for a long time, and Angela now understood that it had only been a matter of time for them as well. She’d always had a thing for him, and now he would be with her as well, for the rest of her life.
“I love you, too, Sir. I pledge my love, my submissiveness, my service, and my obedience to you, for the rest of my life. I accept this collar as a symbol of all that, from each of you.”
Ian held out one hand, as did Nash, and Angela stood to take them. Everyone cheered and clapped, and suddenly their friends and neighbors were congratulating them, shaking their hands, and touching the barely visible baby bump on Angela’s abdomen.
Angela gazed at her two Doms with love, still hardly daring to believe this was real. Every fantasy she’d ever had and then some had come true, and she’d spend the rest of her life proving her love to them and basking in their love as well.
THE END
WWW.TARAROSEROMANCEAUTHOR.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tara Rose loves to write about small towns and the quirky people that inhabit them. You’ll find engaging characters, budding romance, intrigue, and plenty of hot, steamy ménage sex within the pages of her books. You never really know what goes on behind closed doors, but her books will take you there and leave you panting for more.
When she isn’t writing, Tara spends time with her husband—her real-life hero. She loves to cook, collect antique pottery, and she will read just about anything. Tara also plays the cello and loves decorating her house for Christmas.
For all titles by Tara Rose, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/tara-rose
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com