“I have a whole new reason to love these things now.” The filter on his brain must have broken because he hadn’t meant for that comment to shoot out. Just because she sounded like she was being aroused was no reason for him to embarrass her more.
When she looked at him, obviously curious about his comment, he made up a quick lie. “Because you and I are sharing one, and I never share my croissants with anyone.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.” Jocelyn tore off another piece and slipped it in her mouth, and this time her soft moan sent a jolt straight to his cock.
“Never have, never will.” He popped a piece in his mouth and then fed another one to her. She was almost too thin, but he figured a few dozen treats would help, and if it meant he could feed them to her then all the better.
“You know, my cousin and I are off tomorrow. How about we show you around town, and between the two of us we can tell you the Baldwin side of the story. Trust me, we’re way more charming than the McLeans.”
She lit up when she laughed, and he was happy to see her body language relax. “How do I know I’m safe with you? I don’t even know you.”
“I’m a fireman.” He patted the crest on his shirt. “Everyone knows we’re trustworthy.”
“I’m going to need a bit more reassurance than that.”
She was teasing him. He could see it in the twinkle in her eye and in her smile before she took another sip of her tea.
“All right, how about references? Who do you know in town?”
“I only know Aubrey Maxwell.”
Matt blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected this to be so easy. “I know Aubrey. She’s best friends with my cousin, Tatum. You can ask her about me and Eric tonight, and we’ll pick you up at say noon tomorrow?”
“You don’t like to waste time do you? What if she tells me you’re crazy?”
“She probably will. She’ll tell you I’m a jerk and that I knocked out her front tooth racing her to the ice cream truck when she was seven.” He took the last swallow of his coffee and put the mug on the table. “It was an accident by the way. But she will also tell you that you are completely safe with us and we wouldn’t harm a hair on your head.”
He lifted his coat and dug into the pocket for a pen to write his number down on an unused napkin. A part of him was thinking he was nuts for coming on so strong but for some reason he couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else with their arms around her. “This is my cell number. I’ll be waiting for your call tonight, Jocelyn.”
* * * *
“Did you know he knocked my front tooth out when we were kids?”
“He mentioned something about that.” Jocelyn couldn’t help but grin at Aubrey’s tone. She’d phoned Aubrey as soon as she’d gotten back to the boarding house. She and Aubrey Maxwell had exchanged a few emails and phone calls since Noah and Riley had hired her to look into the family histories around here. Jocelyn didn’t usually feel comfortable speaking to people she didn’t know, but Aubrey treated her like they’d know each other for years. “He also said it was an accident.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that one a couple times over the years and I’m sure it was. He was so upset that day he gave me his ice cream and piggybacked me home. But, don’t tell him I know that. It’s my ace in the hole every time he acts like a jerk.”
Jocelyn stretched out on her bed as she listened. It wasn’t lost on her that Matt and Aubrey knew each other better than she knew anyone in her life. Must be from growing up in a small town, unless they… “Did you and Matt ever—” I’m not jealous.
“Fuck no.” Aubrey denied the possibility before Jocelyn managed to get the entire question out. “Don’t get me wrong. He has the ability to be sweet, when he’s not being an obnoxious jerk, but I’ve always thought of all the Baldwins like brothers when I was growing up.”
“He offered to show me around town, a tour of sorts to help with my research.”
“Really? Have you met his cousin Eric?”
“He mentioned him but I haven’t met him, why?”
“I’ve heard those two are a package deal. They do everything in life together, and I mean everything.”
“Oh.” The implications of Aubrey’s comment sent a wave of awareness over her. It hadn’t occurred to her that was a possibility. Not that it would ever come to that, as she was sure Matt was just being nice offering to give her a tour of the area. Yeah and he hand-feeds pastries to every woman he meets. A stab of jealousy shot through her at the thought of him with another woman, silly, because she had no right to feel a bit of possessiveness toward a man she’d just met.
“Did I lose you with that one, Jocelyn?”
“No, I hadn’t considered the possibility.” She knew that Aubrey was involved with two men, and the idea had fascinated her but she didn’t know if it was possible to know someone well enough to ask about their sex life. “But, this isn’t a date. He’s merely offered to help me with research.”
“Well, Matt can’t be near a female without flirting, so don’t be surprised if he makes a pass at you. Eric isn’t as bad if that helps. Honestly though, I swear you would be perfectly safe with them both.”
That both relieved and disappointed Jocelyn. Should have known he wouldn’t really be interested in me that way. She could ignore his flirting and concentrate on doing what she’d been hired to accomplish and not have to worry about a conflict of interest. Once she found out everything they needed to know, and she had no doubt she could, she’d head back to her small apartment and work on her lectures for next semester.
There was a rumble of voices in the background but Jocelyn couldn’t make out what they were saying. “Sorry, Jocelyn, but I’ve got to get going. We’ll set up a time to get together this week, okay?”
“Sounds great,” Jocelyn replied. “I’ll talk to you later. Have a fun night.”
After disconnecting the call, she tossed her phone next to her laptop. She’d done quite a lot of research before coming here and had it all on her laptop. She’d found some old pictures of the area and census forms in the state archives, in Helena. From the information she’d gathered, it looked like the major bone of contention was over a two thousand-acre strip of land between their properties. She hadn’t been able to find any official records on the area other than the original land deeds. It had taken her most of the day to organize her files as well as scan a bunch of pictures from the books she’d borrowed from the local library. Setting up two main files, one for each family, would hold all the information she found, and then she would begin cross-referencing it later.
She poured herself another small glass of wine and looked at the napkin sitting on her bedside table. She’d never in her life had a man give her his number this way. Despite Aubrey’s assurance that Matt was a flirt there was something more about what had happened today. Either that or she was suddenly turning into a romantic, and that was as likely as finding herself in bed with two men.
Matt had said he would be waiting for her call, and it would be rude not to call him back. She took a swallow of wine before setting it on the nightstand and picking up the napkin. The numbers were bold, and “call me” was underlined.
I’ll be waiting for your call tonight, Jocelyn. She could hear his voice in her head and figured why not. This was business. She wouldn’t hesitate to call a curator of a museum or cemetery if they had information she needed. Why was she afraid of one man?
It took her another swallow of wine—because I like it and not because I need the courage—before stretching out to retrieve her phone from where she’d tossed it. She dialed the number quickly before she lost her nerve. Her heart pounded wildly as she listened to the ringing on the other end.
She was about to hang up when a deep voice sounded on the other end of the phone. “Hello?”
Dammit, did I get the wrong number? This was not Matt’s voice, and she was sure he’d said that he’d given her his cell number. Unless it’s a fake number?
“Hello?�
��
“Oh, yes, hello. We must have had a bad connection there for a moment.”
“No problem. Who’s this?”
“Oh, right, I’m…” Be professional, not stupid high school girl. She took a quick deep breath and centered herself. “This is Dr. Jocelyn Richards calling for Matt Baldwin. I apologize if I’ve dialed the wrong number.”
“No, you have the right one. This is Matt’s cell. He’s in the shower right now.”
A mental image of white fluffy suds sliding over the muscles on Matt’s chest flooded her thoughts. What an incredible sight that would be. “Oh, I apologize for bothering you.”
The voice chuckled, and Jocelyn felt her panties grow damp. His voice was like smooth, rich dark chocolate. “It’s no bother, Dr. Richards. He asked me to listen for your call. Did you have a chance to talk to Aubrey about Matt and me?”
“You can call me Jocelyn.” This must be the Eric that Matt does everything with. She wanted desperately to hear him say her name just once. Flirting was harmless, she rationalized. It’s not like it would go any farther. “Yes, I did, and she assured me that you would both be perfect gentlemen.”
“As long as you want us to be, Jocelyn.”
She had the most inappropriate thoughts involving her fingers and her pussy and how many more times she could get Eric to say her name. He drew out the end of her name like a caress, and it sent shivers down her spine.
“I’m not certain I understand what you mean.”
“You have nothing to worry about with us. What time would you like us to come and pick you up?”
“I don’t have any other appointments at the moment, so whatever is convenient to your schedules will work for me.”
“I have a couple things to do first thing in the morning so why don’t we pick you up at nine? We’ll take you for a late breakfast.”
“Late breakfast? Goodness, what time are you two usually up?”
Again he laughed, and the sound made every hormone in her body dirty dance in delight. “We both grew up on a ranch and tend to wake up early. I’d say we’re deep into our first cup of coffee by six thirty in the morning.”
Jocelyn had never been a morning person, much to her mother’s dismay. As an adult she usually booked lectures and any other speaking engagements for the afternoons. Given a choice, her head remained on her pillow until eight at the earliest. “Nine sounds good to me.”
“We’ll be there at nine. It’s been nice talking to you, Jocelyn.”
“You, too, Eric, I’ll see you both in the morning.”
“Don’t hang up yet, darling. There is someone else who wants to talk.”
Hearing him say her name was enough to make her body shiver, but when Eric called her darling her pussy throbbed in time with her beating heart. That man’s voice was lethal.
“Hey there, beautiful, I’m glad you called. Are you going to come out and play with Eric and me tomorrow?”
Jocelyn couldn’t stop the grin that curled her lips at the playful sound of Matt’s voice. She also fought the urge to ask him if he was standing in a towel or had gotten dressed. The mental image of him with little droplets of water on his bare chest and wearing only a towel was enough to completely distract her train of thought.
“I don’t remember anything about a playdate, but I do remember you offering to show me around town. “
“Don’t see why it can’t be the same thing. Did I hear you and Eric make plans for nine?”
“Yes, we’re going to a late breakfast.”
“Oh, good, second breakfast.”
His voice took on a higher note with a strange accent that she recognized right away from a character in the movie, Lord of the Rings, and it made her laugh. Knowing that Matt was a LOTR fan was going to make him harder to resist.
“You have the cutest laugh.”
She put her fingers across her mouth and rolled back against the headboard trying not to laugh any more, as she considered her laugh idiotic. Perhaps she shouldn’t have had that second glass of wine. Her therapist had once described her laugh as like that of a deranged pixie. Considering pixies weren’t real, she’d questioned the therapist’s mental health, qualifications, and ability to carry out his chosen field.
“Don’t stop and deprive me like that.”
“No, that’s enough of me embarrassing myself for one day.”
“Come on, one more giggle. One little snort.”
Jocelyn covered her mouth with her hand again afraid that she would make that silly noise again. “No, it’s horrendous and unprofessional.”
“It’s cute and I like it,” Matt replied. “I’ll leave you be for now, but you have to promise to laugh at least once tomorrow.”
“I can promise no such thing, but I can promise if it happens I won’t cover my mouth right away.”
“I’ll accept that promise, beautiful. See you in the morning.”
* * * *
April 21st
Eric’s cock was harder than it had ever been after talking to Jocelyn last night. Matt had spoken nonstop about her from the moment he got home. He talked about her sense of humor and her beautiful eyes and the way she hid behind large catlike glasses. She had a slim body, which surprised Eric. He and Matt had the same taste in women, and Matt usually liked them with curves. Not that Eric really cared one way or another. He loved women in all their shapes and sizes. Physical beauty changed over time and often hid a shallow soul. His ex-fiancée was proof of that. Brittney had taken one look at the scars he’d been left with from an accident at work and he’d seen the end of their relationship in her expression. When he said he’d decided to leave the fire department and move back to Sanctuary, she chose to carry on her life in the city without him.
He should have known when she and Matt couldn’t stay in the same room with each other that there was no future for him with her. After that Matt brought up the thought of the two of them sharing a woman permanently. At first Eric wondered if it was because Matt worried that with his scars he couldn’t get a woman on his own, but he knew it was his own insecurity talking. If not for Matt he would have crawled into the bottom of a bottle of Scotch and never stopped wallowing in self-induced misery. So when Matt’s cell had gone off while he was in the shower, Eric was thrilled to get the opportunity to talk to the mysterious woman who’d enthralled his cousin.
They’d both gotten up earlier than normal and were now restless as they waited to leave and pick Jocelyn up. They’d debated on a few different places they could take her on Baldwin land after the tour. There was a section of the property not far off the highway they’d planned to build a house on one day. His great-aunt’s old house that was currently on the property needed to be demolished first. They’d been living full-time in a small house behind the station while they planned out the one they’d build.
After the conversation with Jocelyn last night, they’d spent the rest of the evening looking over blueprints of the house. Meeting her had inspired them both to get started on building as soon as the snow melted for good. He knew the stories his Uncle Jack told about knowing that Aunt Katherine was meant to be his the moment he saw her, and Matt was a big enough romantic to want to follow in his father’s footsteps. Eric felt he would need a bit more than feeding her part of a dessert, before he decided she was the one.
He checked his watch as Matt paced past him for the third time, this time his arms filled with linens from his bed. “Didn’t you just do laundry two days ago? Or is this woman having that kind of an effect on you already?”
Matt flipped him the bird as he passed. “Shut up, I stripped your bed, too.”
Eric laughed. “I highly doubt we are going to get her into bed today, tomorrow, or even next week. We might not see her again after today.”
“Oh, we’ll be seeing her again, and I want to be prepared.”
Eric suspected there was more to Matt’s sudden need to wash his sheets, but he didn’t bother pushing him too much more. Eric had woken up with a r
aging hard-on this morning, too, much harder than his normal morning wood. He chalked it up to the anticipation of meeting the mysterious Dr. Richards after hearing Matt go on about her. It had been a long time since he and his cousin had enjoyed a woman’s company together. Sanctuary was too small of a town to openly share a woman without it becoming fodder for gossip.
“You know, it would be nice to have a woman we wouldn’t have to hide,” Matt commented as he tucked the sheets into the washer. “Don’t get me wrong. I’ve enjoyed our times when we’ve gone into the city, but I’d like to have someone to wake up to, you know?”
“Yeah, I feel the same way.” They hadn’t openly talked about it, but usually the women they’d met were interested in a threesome for a night but nothing permanent. Both he and Matt played in the city away from the stigma of the family feud, making sure their women never learned that their families were well-off. Their family wasn’t as affluent as the McLeans, but they were better off than most. “But don’t pin all your hopes on this woman. You said she is here doing research…”
“Yeah, some book she’s writing on family histories in the US, something like that.”
“So she has a life someplace else that she’s going to return to.” Regardless of Matt’s belief in love at first sight, convincing a woman to allow them to share her was going to take longer than an afternoon tour.
“Bozeman is only about an hour away.”
“What has Bozeman got to do with her?”
“I thought I mentioned that. She said something about teaching at MSU.”
Eric rubbed his forehead. Sometimes getting details out of Matt was like pulling teeth. If she only lived an hour away, then that did make a difference. If she was interested then they could make the trip on their days off… Damn, now he has me contemplating a future with a woman I have never met. “There is no guarantee I’ll like her. You didn’t like Brittney.”
Trust in Sanctuary [Sanctuary, Montana 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3