by Lynn Stark
Despite the late hour, they were wide awake. Chase figured it was caused by the sugar they had consumed. Instead of heading home, they headed toward the square to see if any businesses were still open. There were a few, obviously catering to the last minute shoppers. Chase and his partners had finished their shopping. They had not put up any decorations and now that he had participated in decorating the tree with Ellen and her family, he wished they had done so. As he got out of the SUV, he made a decision.
“I’m getting one of those artificial trees and some ornaments,” he told Kane and Chance as he saw the approximately four-foot-tall tree in the window of the dime store. It wasn’t big or fancy, but it would serve the purpose. “Why don’t you guys go get us a table at the diner? I won’t be long.”
“A tree would be nice,” Kane stated. “We should have put one up. I’ll go with you.”
“Well, I have to get in on this, too. If I don’t, Chase will choose only one color for it.”
Chase laughed. “Are you saying I’m boring?”
“Not at all,” Chance said, dragging him toward the store. “I just think trees should be exciting, with lots of colors.”
It didn’t take long to get what they wanted. They did decide to get a larger tree, which was at a considerable discount, and boxes of ornaments and lights. They loaded everything into the SUV before going to the diner, where they ordered breakfast items. Fifteen minutes later they were digging into delicate omelets, crispy-browned potatoes, and cinnamon rolls. It was midnight when they walked out, after exchanging Christmas wishes with the people whom had served them.
Although they were beginning to feel the effects of a very long day, Chase, Kane, and Chance chose a place for their Christmas tree and decorated it. Once it was finished they collected the gifts they had wrapped and placed them under and beside the tree.
“I bet it looks fantastic from outside. Let’s go look,” Chance said as he headed for the door.
Laughing, Chase was on his heels. “I bet it does. It’s probably like a beacon across the valley, from all the way up here.”
“You two will freeze your asses off.”
“Oh, come on, Kane. Come out and freeze yours off with us. Look, Henry’s not a wimp.”
The dog was already at the door, yapping and wagging his tail vigorously. He loved going outside for any reason, not that he would care what the tree looked like from outside. Kane relented and grabbed his coat. They went outside together, Henry running back and forth and around them, as they walked around the house to where a tall, wrought iron fence kept stupid people and an unaware dog from wandering off the edge. They huddled close in the frigid wind blowing against them, looking up to admire the brightly colored lights covering the tree.
“We need more green on the back left side,” Chance observed.
“No, we need more red,” Chase argued, frowning.
Kane laughed. “We need to get in the house before our dicks shrivel up and refuse to come out until spring. We have a nice warm bed waiting for us. Let’s go enjoy it. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some sleep.”
Shivering and nodding, Chase headed back around the house. “Sounds like a plan. Come on, Henry. It’s time to go to bed.”
Henry barked and ran ahead of them. He was an agreeable dog. He would be in his cushy bed and asleep before they got to top of the stairs.
Fifteen minutes later Chase was in his favorite spot, cuddled between Kane and Chance. Warm bodies pressed close, strong arms draped over him. He pressed a kiss to Kane’s chest and sighed as Chance kissed his shoulder. It was nearly perfect. Chase could easily imagine Ellen snuggled close with them and wondered if she would fantasize about it, too. A smile curved his mouth as he began to drift off to sleep.
“Love you guys,” Chase told the men in the bed with him.
“Love you, too, baby,” Kane rumbled in his deep voice.
“Love you more,” Chance teased, kissing his shoulder again. “Now, go to sleep so we can wake up and open presents.”
* * * *
Kane slipped from the bed, taking care not to disturb the two sleeping men. He found his sweats and T-shirt from the night before and pulled them on. After stuffing his feet into slippers, he headed to the bathroom to take care of necessities and to brush his teeth. Noticing his hair sticking up at weird angles, he tamed it with a little water and a comb. A shave could wait until later, he decided after splashing his face with cold water. He dried off and tucked the towel back in the ring.
Chance and Chase were still sleeping as he walked through the bedroom. The late morning sunlight filled the room. They rarely bothered closing the drapes. The expansive view was something they enjoyed both day and night.
Heading downstairs, Kane noticed the wet spots on the floor and knew Henry had walked himself in the fenced yard behind the garage. The dog greeted him happily, eager for a good scratch. Kane fed him before he put the coffee on. The scent would tantalize the two sleeping men upstairs and they would eventually wander down. Once the coffee was dripping into the carafe, Kane wandered into the living room to turn on the lights on the tree. He smiled when they came on. Chase had had a great idea. They had thought they didn’t need to put up a tree, but they had been wrong. It was their first Christmas together in a new house in a new place. Now they had their first tree.
Henry wandered into the living room and stretched out on the large, shaggy white area rug in front of the fireplace as Kane lit the kindling beneath the logs. He closed the doors and watched as the small flames began to burn the kindling. They grew as they fed on the fuel, spreading their glowing tendrils up and around the carefully arranged logs. When it appeared as if they would also catch, Kane rose from the ledge of the hearth, went to the hidden entertainment center, and turned on the satellite radio. Christmas music filled the room. Chance had found the station the previous evening and they had listened to it for hours as they ate supper and read afterward, while Chase was on his date with Ellen.
Kane and Chance hadn’t expected Chase to bring Ellen out to the house. They were glad he had, but would never ask him to do so. They each needed to spend time with her to get to know her, and for her to get to know each of them. It was important to do so. If the four of them decided they wanted to make their relationship permanent, they would all have the opportunity to be alone with Ellen.
It was far too soon to really give much thought to a permanent relationship. Kane and his partners hadn’t been actively searching for a woman to share, but Chance and Chase had certainly known there was something special about Ellen when they saw her. Both men had texted him, insisting he hurry his ass up and get to the ball at Redford Manor before someone else made a move on her. They hadn’t been mistaken about Ellen. Kane actually believed she was as close to perfect as a person could get.
Now they would wait to see where this thing between them was headed. Slow and easy was Kane’s motto. He never rushed into anything. Even committing himself to Chase and Chance hadn’t been an overnight thing, despite being intensely attracted to them. It was the same with Ellen. He couldn’t remember ever being so attracted to a woman before. Seeing her for the first time had been like a punch in the gut. That in itself should have told him she was the one. Maybe she was. Time would tell. They would get to know her, would let her get to know them, and then decide if what they felt was more than sexual attraction.
Kane was well aware Ellen could only be interested in the sex, although inviting them to join her and her family on Christmas hinted otherwise.
Yep, slow and steady. It was also too damn early in the day to be thinking so hard on anything. A laugh escaped him as he heard his lovers’ thunderous progress through the house and down the stairs. There were times they were like two big kids and he loved that about them, too. They didn’t often get bogged down by being too serious. Chance and Chase were a good balance for his own rather stoic, overly cautious nature.
If Kane thought he might be bypassed for the presents, he
was mistaken. They both slid to a stop and reached for him, pulling him close between the two of them. He wrapped his arms around them, holding on tight. Love throbbed through him, his and theirs, making him close his eyes as he savored the moment. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and looked at them.
“Merry Christmas,” he told them, kissing Chase first, and then Chance.
“Merry Christmas,” they returned in unison, each nuzzling a side of his neck. Strong teeth nibbled and he felt his cock begin to thicken.
“You should have stayed in bed,” Chance complained before dragging his tongue along the stubble on the underside of Kane’s jaw.
“Yeah,” Chase agreed. “We would have given you a surprise present.”
“None of that.” Kane laughed, and then laughed harder as they persisted, Chance sucking on his Adam’s apple. “We have breakfast to make before we can get to opening presents.”
“You always make us wait,” Chase complained, finally pulling back. There was a wide grin on his handsome face.
There was a hand on his swollen flesh now, stroking through the thick fabric of the sweatpants he wore. “We have plenty of time for breakfast. We want you to make love to us.” Chance obviously wasn’t willing to give up just yet. Chance rubbed his cock against Kane’s thigh.
With the devil sitting on his shoulder, Kane grinned and shook his head. “It won’t hurt you to wait. Hell, it will probably make you appreciate my skills more. I’m getting old. I’m not the love machine I used to be.”
That set his lovers off. They began to laugh until they were nearly hysterical. Kane didn’t know whether to be pleased or offended. It could go either way. They released him and headed toward the kitchen, laughing and shaking their heads. His gaze roamed over them, admiring the firm asses beneath the soft fabric of their worn sweats.
Once breakfast was over, they headed to the living room to open gifts. Winter sports seemed to be the theme for the day. They exchanged clothing and gear for skiing, along with laughter and a lot of kisses.
Two hours later Kane, Chance, and Chase were on slopes, enjoying the fresh powder and the lively attitude of fellow skiers. The sun was shining and the temperature was actually tolerable. There wasn’t any wind to speak of, something that often felt as if it was trying to peel a person’s skin off.
As they were leaving, Chance spotted Ellen on the bunny slope with her daughters and grandchildren. There were also two men and Kane guessed that they were Ellen’s sons-in-law.
The kids spotted them first, yelling and waving frantically, which didn’t help their efforts to remain upright on skis. Kane laughed as they landed on their small butts, small skis pointing in all directions. Ellen laughed, too, shaking her head before helping them upright. Then she was turning her bright gaze on Kane, Chance, and Chase, giving them a beautiful smile as she did so. It struck Kane’s heart like an arrow.
Yeah, Kane was fairly certain Ellen was the one. He couldn’t remember anyone but Chase and Chance affecting him like that. A smile, a touch, or just the expression in their eyes was enough to turn him into a pile of mush.
“Let’s go over and say hi,” Chase said, heading in Ellen’s direction.
The next few minutes were filled with introductions and polite conversation. The children described how they were learning to ski. One of the twins, Kane believed it was James, declared he would be going down the big hill in ten minutes. Kane heard the laughter, but his attention was mostly focused on Ellen as she fussed over her grandchildren. It was obvious they were precious to her and Kane thought it was a shame that her family didn’t live closer so she could see them more often.
Before they excused themselves, Ellen moved toward them. There was mischief and desire in her lovely brown eyes. “My family is jumping ship this evening. I thought I might invite myself out to your house for the evening. That is, if you don’t mind.”
Kane smiled. “We don’t mind at all. I hope you’re prepared for some serious snuggling in front of a roaring fire.”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful! I’ll be there by eight,” she promised before hurrying back to her family on the gentle slope.
As Kane, Chance, and Chase headed for the SUV, Chase said with concern, “All I want to do is make love to Ellen until I can’t see straight. But I want it to be more than sex between us, you know?”
“That’s the way I feel, too,” Chance agreed. “I know she’s probably expecting sex tonight, and I’m certainly not going to tell her no, but at some point I want Ellen to see that there’s more to me, to us, than sexy studs.”
“There’s plenty of time for that,” Kane said reassuringly, understanding their fears. The longer Ellen was in their lives, the more important she was to them. They just wanted her to see that they were more than raging hormones, that there could be more between them than unbridled lust. She needed to see that the three of them could be the men for her. They were men who could help expand her life, giving it new dimensions. “Just don’t try too hard. We don’t want to scare her off before she gets a chance to really get to know us.”
As they drove home from the ski resort, Kane listened to Chance and Chase discuss what needed to be done before Ellen arrived. They always had the holiday meal in the evening. There was a large ham waiting to be baked and would be prepared and put in the oven as soon as they returned home. It was only the first thing on a long list of things his partners wanted to do. Kane smiled, knowing there was nothing he could do or say that would ease their fears, not when he had the same ones to deal with.
They would just have to do their best to prove to Ellen that they were worthy of her love.
Chapter Six
Taking a deep breath, Ellen grabbed the small paisley overnight bag off of the passenger seat of her car and got out. She hoped she was doing the right thing. Although she hadn’t planned on spending time with the men so soon, seeing them that afternoon had made her realize how much she both needed and wanted to be with them.
Ellen had the feeling it wasn’t all about sex between them. That was damn good, of course. But she needed more. Good sex was easy to come by. She had experienced it before and she could do so again. Kane, Chance, and Chase had taken her to places, however, that she hadn’t been to in a very long time. Not since Jerry and Mitch had she experienced such earth-shattering pleasure.
The front door opened as Ellen walked up the steps. Chase was there, a grin on his handsome face. Then Chance was there to give her a welcoming smile of his own. It was weird that they were so similar in appearance but weren’t even closely related to each other.
“Hi,” she said as she reached them. Chance reached out to take her bag as Chase leaned down to kiss her. “I hope you guys don’t mind that I invited myself to stay the night.”
Chase laughed and pulled her into the warmth of the house. “You’re kidding, right? We couldn’t be happier. Tell her, Chance.”
“We couldn’t be happier,” Chance agreed. “Waiting to see you again was making us nuts.”
“Well, we don’t have to worry about that happening now.” Ellen sniffed the air. “Wow, something smells good.”
“Ham and bread. Kane’s a wizard when it comes to making fresh bread. Let me take your coat.”
Chase was there to take her coat after she unbuttoned it. Ellen noticed his fingertips brushed her shoulders. She trembled and felt her nipples pucker. It made her wonder how long it would be before her self-control snapped, causing her to jump one of the men, when she was determined to get to know them better, beyond the sex.
Because there was more to life than fantastic sex, right? Ellen chuckled and walked between the two men as they headed toward the kitchen. It was only then she remembered the treat she had brought with her.
“I brought a pecan pie with me, but I left it in the car. There’s vanilla ice cream, too.”
“I’ll go for it,” Chase volunteered and turned to retrace his steps.
“Hello, Kane,” Ellen greeted as she walked into the ki
tchen and saw the tall man working at the large island in the center. He seemed to be putting the finishing touches on a relish tray. “Can I help?”
Kane smiled and shook his head. “Not this time. You’re strictly a guest. Would you like a glass of wine? Eggnog?”
“Eggnog would be nice.” She sat on one of the tall stools opposite from where Kane was working. She had an excellent vantage point from which to watch him, admire him. “Have you had a nice day?”
Kane glanced up and gave her another one of those winning, heart-stopping smiles. “So far it’s been perfect. How was skiing with your grandchildren?”
Thinking of the fun-filled hours, Ellen felt the warm sensations she always did when she thought of family. “Entertaining. It was their first time out. I have to admit, they were less whiny than I’d anticipated.”
“No tears?”
“Not until Brad fell down and Mya teased him. Then James punched Mya in the arm, so she began to cry and pushed him down. We left after that. They had obviously had had enough.”
“Obviously. They sure were cute, with their little skis and poles.”
“And doesn’t Grandma know it? I took about a hundred pictures of them today. With what I’ve taken since they arrived, I will be able to fill a couple of albums.” Ellen was very pleased by the prospect of spending hours filling albums with new photographs, reliving memories as she did so. She would choose the very best ones for the scrapbooks. The thought reminded her that she needed to make a trip to the store to buy more goodies to include while making the new pages. She loved to see how creative she could be.
“You keep albums?” Chase asked as he came in with the pie and ice cream.
“Yes, of course. Don’t you?” she asked curiously.
“No, we have a box to keep them in. A lot are on CDs, too.”
Chase opened the container holding the pie. He moaned and gave her a hopeful glance, something she pointedly ignored.
“That’s a shame. You shouldn’t store your memories in a box.”