by LAURA HARNER
I don’t know what exactly the trigger was, but I realized Owen was staring at me, and everyone had gone very quiet. He leaned in and tasted my mouth, his lips parted, tongue insistent. He kissed me as he’d kissed Gregory earlier, deep and hot, his tongue gliding in and out, slick against mine. He kissed me breathless.
With an effort, he pulled himself back from the kiss, and leaned back against the side of the tub. “God, KC,” was all he said.
Then Gregory leaned in for his own kiss and it felt completely different. Owen was smooth, like fine sipping whisky, something you savored. Gregory pushed against my tongue, pulled it back into his mouth. He nibbled my lower lip, and then sucked it into his mouth. He was hot and fast, all demands and urgent. “I can taste you on her lips,” he told Owen.
Shit, I must be drunk, because it felt really good to be kissed by these two men. I needed to do something about it before things got even more out of hand.
“KC,” Owen said, before I could think of what to say.
“Yes,” I answered.
“You should know, Gregory and I…are drunk,” he said seriously.
I laughed. “I think I figured that out.”
“You should also know, we want you. We’d like to make love with you,” he said softly, and he stroked my face with his fingers. Gregory slid his hand up my arm.
“I really love the two of you, but I don’t think I’m ready for something like that,” I said.
“It’s okay,” Gregory said. Then he sat up suddenly, looking very serious. “Shit, KC. We didn’t scare you did we? We don’t want to do anything to jeopardize our friendship.”
“It’s okay. I’m flattered, not upset. Now, I need to get out of here before I turn into a prune.”
Gregory groaned and said, “I don’t even want to think about my shriveled parts.”
Owen leaned across me and planted a kiss on Gregory’s mouth. “I love all the parts, shriveled or not.”
I climbed out first and brought the towels to the edge of the water. When Owen stood, I realized he’d been naked the whole time. Impressively naked. Well, what do you know, so was Gregory.
I left them to their toweling off and stepped around the corner to slide under the cool water of the outdoor shower. The change in temperature took my breath away. Hands joined me and I stood for a moment, glorying in the feel of Owen and Gregory all slippery and naked as they washed the minerals from my body. It was too cold to stand around, and they each soaped and rinsed quickly, too. We grabbed our towels and ran for the warm air inside.
Once inside and the laughter subsided, Owen said, “I think we might need a favor. I’ve had too much to drink to drive, and it’s a little far to be walking tonight. Do you think we could get a room for a few hours? We’ll clean it tomorrow, so you don’t have to. I just need to crash for a bit.”
“If you can behave yourself, you can come upstairs with me. I’ve got a big bed, we’ll all fit. Unless you’d rather have a room, of course.”
“Hot damn!” Gregory said.
I laughed. “Hands to yourself, lover boy. No hanky-panky between the two of you either.”
****
I retreated to the bathroom to change into a satin camisole and shorts for sleeping, avoiding the whole nightgown issue, and brushed my teeth. I took one look at my hair and knew it was going to take forever to brush out the tangled mess. I took my brush into the room with me to free up the bathroom for the guys.
“Help yourselves, new toothbrushes are on the counter,” I said and sat on the edge of the bed and began to brush. Someone had already pulled down the covers and turned off the light, so that the only spill of light was from the hallway.
I heard the deep rumble from the bathroom as they spoke, and couldn’t hold back a smile. Two men! Would I ever be adventurous or drunk enough for that?
The bathroom door opened and I felt the bed sag as they climbed on behind me. “Let me do that,” Gregory said, taking the brush from my hand.
I tensed, waiting for the inevitable pulls, but he was surprisingly gentle, and I told him so.
Owen’s voice came from somewhere to the side of me. “He used to brush my hair for me, when it was longer. It always felt so good.” His voice was a soft caress in the dark. He climbed from the bed and knelt between my legs. He took my foot in his hand and began to smooth lotion into the skin. The press of his thumbs was firm against the arch, not ticklish. He added more lotion and rubbed the other foot.
Gregory kept brushing, making small murmurs behind me. He lifted the weight of my hair and brushed from underneath in long, flowing strokes. My neck arched in pleasure. He kept brushing even once the tangles were gone. He gathered the hair in his hands and caressed it over his own skin and mine.
Owen began to spread the lotion up my calves, massaging the muscles that were still loose and warm from the hot tub. His hands were strong, and he pressed them upwards, spreading and sliding in the lotion. He looked up at Gregory then, and I could see the love in his gaze, even in the darkness. It occurred to me they were getting as much pleasure from the touch as I was.
Owen put more lotion on his hands and slid farther up, one thigh at a time, moving higher, coming closer to my core with every stroke. He rubbed the lotion away, leaving my skin tingling and other parts aching for touch.
“Owen,” I said softly, and put my hands on top of his to stop the upward climb. My heart was pounding uncomfortably.
“Mmm?” His grey eyes filled with heat, lightening as he looked up at me.
“I think we’ve all had too much to drink. This isn’t a good idea. Please, let’s just go to sleep.”
Gregory stopped brushing and Owen blinked up at me, his face slack with desire. He blinked a few more times, then a great shudder passed through him. Owen rocked back on his heels and gave a long look over my shoulder at Gregory.
“Fuck,” Owen breathed out. “You’re right. I’m sorry, KC,” he said. He gave his head a shake as if to clear his thoughts, then moaned a little as he stood. He walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in. Without another word, Owen wrapped himself around Gregory, keeping as much distance as possible between their side of the bed and mine. There is a lot of room in a king-sized bed, I mused, as I pulled the sheet over my shoulders.
Much, much later, I lay awake wondering what in the hell was happening. I might not be ready for the whole ménage a trois scene, but I wasn’t blind to the desire that flared between all of us tonight. I didn’t think it was only the alcohol.
Gregory and Owen were my friends. Sure, we flirted, but it was a safe type of flirting. The type that’s fun, makes you feel good and you know is not leading anywhere. The three of us were comfortable together. At least we had been before tonight.
Why were the men in my life suddenly finding me so attractive? I thought about that for a minute. Was it something to do with the Honey House? There was something there…something about that idea… No, it wasn’t the House but it was something associated with my place.
I stole a glance at the blue numbers on the bedside table. There were still three hours left of my night. I needed to use them to try to get some rest. I plumped the pillow and nestled down, determined to push everything else from my thoughts for the rest of the night. Exhaustion and too much alcohol dragged me under. I only woke once, to a gentle rocking that reminded me of nights at sea.
Chapter Thirteen
Breakfast came early the next morning, but for a change, I didn’t resent it. I was humming softly as I poured my coffee and set out the trays of food. Just like clockwork, Quinn showed up for his coffee and paper, with his usual, “Miss Carmichael.” I ignored him as well as anyone could ignore six and a half feet of brooding male.
Updating my perpetual list of things to do, I crossed off yesterday’s accomplishments and noticed two items continued to languish. I still needed to find Joanne’s Book of Shadows, and I wanted to learn more about TWTW.
Tonight was the full moon, and Raymond had made a
show of the ranch closing for the event. I wonder if they really closed, or if it was some sort of marketing propaganda. I would tackle the ranch tonight then, and tomorrow I would look for Joanne’s book. I considered if there was anything else I needed to add to the list, and with a smile wrote wash sheets. Gabrielle was still off work, so I needed to stay fairly close to the Honey House, just in case any new guests arrived.
I looked up, startled to find Quinn staring at me.
“Need something, Sheriff?” I asked. I hadn’t forgotten his arrogant attempt to kiss me into cooperating with him yesterday.
“Sorry, I wanted to thank you for the tape yesterday at Rapture. And I wanted to know what the hell took you so long to get around to asking the questions about Jason?”
“What do you think, Sheriff? That you could have walked in and just asked her if Jason dropped by?” I asked, sarcasm dripping. I’d spent two hours yesterday getting him good information, and he’d been nothing but an ass to me ever since.
He smiled then, nearly taking my breath away with the wonder of it. “Actually, I know I couldn’t have, because I tried. Melissa denied ever speaking to Jason. So, if I didn’t say so properly before, thank you.”
I blinked. What was he up to now? “Do you expect me to try the same thing on Raymond?” I asked suspiciously.
Quinn stiffened. “Raymond isn’t a problem. You should already know that from working with Gabrielle every day. Besides, the were-ranch is shut down for the next two days. You stay away from there or—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You’ll throw my ass in jail. It’s getting old, Sheriff,” I said.
“Morning, KC, Quinn,” Gregory called, passing through the dining room on his way to the kitchen.
Quinn grinned at me. “Did you two have a sleep over? Did he and lover boy break up?”
I raised an eyebrow, but didn’t answer, because at that moment, the lover boy in question shuffled into the room, barefoot, bare-chested, and sleep tousled.
Owen poured himself a cup of coffee, brushed a kiss against my cheek, and said, “Good morning, beautiful. I’m going to get my shower, now. Care to join me?” He carefully kept his back to Quinn and winked. I nearly choked with suppressed laughter. He was baiting the tiger.
“Not this morning, Owen,” I said. “I’ve got a meeting.”
“Who’s minding the store this morning?” Quinn asked sharply.
Owen had already been heading back toward my apartment to take his shower, but now he turned to face Quinn, his expression impassive. “Full moon, Quinn. We follow the town rules. We only do our regular deliveries, and Aaron takes care of those. We’re closed until tomorrow, like good little citizens.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, looking between the two men. “Okay, is this some big secret everyone in town knows but me?”
“No,” Quinn said.
“Pretty much,” Owen said.
I looked from one to the other and waited, and it should have been as easy as it sounds. It wasn’t. Quinn was a couple of inches taller, but Owen was just as broad, and both men radiated power. Keeping his eyes locked on Quinn, Owen took a step back so that he was now in front of me, face-to-face with the other man.
“Go see if you can help Gregory, would you, KC? I’m sorry to ask you to step out, but I really do need to speak with Quinn in private. It’ll only take a minute,” Owen said.
I stared at the naked expanse of Owen’s back now blocking my view of the room and Quinn. Suddenly I did want to go talk to Gregory. I pushed through the door to the kitchen just as Gregory was pouring eggs into the skillet.
Gregory looked up in surprise. “KC? Everything all right?”
I blinked, not quite sure why I’d thought it was such a good idea to come in the kitchen. “Owen is out there,” I said, as though that explained anything.
“Oh shit. Is Quinn still here?” he asked, swirling the pan to spread the eggs.
“Yep,” I said. Then I realized that somehow one of them had made me want to leave the room. “Goddammit!” I turned right back around and slammed my way through the swinging door to the dining room, determined not to be shut out of their conversation. Especially not in my own place. The two men stood facing each other, still as statues, mirror images.
I moved to stand next to the two men and interrupted their testosterone laden staring contest. “Why does the store close, why does the ranch close? What aren’t you telling me?” I asked looking back and forth between them.
Owen inhaled, as if he was going to speak, but Quinn cut him off. “Shut the fuck up, Owen. This is my responsibility.” Quinn turned to face me. “You’re right, it has something to do with the town’s reputation. Too many things had a habit of going wrong under the full moon.
“The short version is that we couldn’t deal with all of it. We get overrun by tourists, by all manner of people who were buying the whole werewolf myth. There are other stories, too. Stories about vampires and fairies, but they never seemed to matter as much. It’s always the full moon that brings out the worst of it.
“Either we needed to bring in extra law enforcement or shut everything down. We chose to shut everything down. It serves as an effective advertisement for businesses such as the were-ranch. We’ve gradually let it be known that Juniper Springs is a place so magickal that no outsiders are allowed on the full moon.”
Owen snorted as he stepped sideways to slide around behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders, and I leaned into him, gathering strength I hadn’t realized I needed. He looked at Quinn, and the power emanating from him was palpable. Did Owen have some magick?
My mind had drifted, and I missed some of what Owen was telling Quinn. When I tuned back in, Owen was saying, “Your choices have made you responsible for her safety, Quinn. KC, sweetheart, I’m going to go get that shower now. Will you be all right?”
I nodded, simultaneously touched that he was so protective and pissed he thought I needed protecting.
When Owen left, I looked at Quinn. “What exactly does that mean? What choices did you make?”
“Who the hell knows? What the fuck are you doing mixed up with someone like him?”
“Like him? That’s funny. I was just thinking how similar the two of you are. Except for the part about you being an asshole, that is.”
“Hilarious, Miss Carmichael. Now, I need to go, and the only thing you need to do is stay home until tomorrow. It’s expected that you support the full moon ban on activity now that you are a full member of our business community. Joanne did, so I assumed you knew. Everyone stays inside and none of the businesses are open. It’s only effective as long as everyone follows the rules, and everybody profits from it in the end.”
“Is this all part of the big hoax Jason was about to expose? Jesus. I can’t believe you had the nerve to call me a con artist. This whole town had motive to kill Jason. Get out, Sheriff.”
Quinn hesitated for a moment, as if there was more he wanted to say. He shook his head at whatever thought had entered his mind, turned, and left.
My body wasn’t big enough to contain the anger coursing through it. I sat abruptly and gripped my coffee mug. There were too many loose ends, too many seemingly unrelated pieces, too many connections between everyone. Was someone directing it all behind the scenes? Or had I just seen life as a giant con for so long that I’d quit believing in coincidence? I’d lost track of the game.
There was definitely something off between Owen and Quinn, something I hadn’t picked up on at the dinner party. Watching the two of them in the same room had been like watching two lions circling, sizing each other up, and looking for weaknesses in the other’s defense. They were sleek and muscular, and aware of everything around them. With a jolt, I realized they thought I was the prey. It was time to remedy that. Everyone knows the females are the true hunters of the pride.
****
David sat on the foot of the barely mussed bed, and clutched a pillow to his stomach.
“Thanks for coming in here with
me, KC. I don’t know if I could have done it alone,” David said.
“I’m sorry, David. I’m really sorry for your loss.” The finality and the emptiness of Jason’s room made my throat tight. “Why don’t you just sit there and I’ll get Jason’s things.” I gathered the shaving kit from the bathroom and walked around the room looking for any other personal items. Other than the clothes he’d worn when he’d arrived, there wasn’t anything else to gather. He hadn’t been here long before he'd died. I folded the clothes and placed them in the travel bag. As soon as I touched the zipper, I knew there was more than what we were seeing. Apparently my psychic abilities were spreading to inanimate objects, now.
The crime techs had searched the room and released it, yet I could sense something every time I touched Jason’s bag. I looked at David, but he was lost in his grief. Running my hands over the outside of the bag, I found a hot spot, a place that triggered the warmth in my hands. There was a small cut in the lining of Jason’s bag secured with a thin strip of Velcro. I carefully pulled it open and removed the sheaf of papers hidden inside.
Muttering at Satan to get thee behind me, I handed the papers to David. “I found these in Jason’s bag. I don’t think the sheriff knows about them.”
David glanced down and saw his brother’s neat handwriting then turned his gaze on me. “I can’t look at them, KC. I don’t want to know.”
“They should probably go to Quinn, David. Edwin Merkham will also want them if he thinks they’re notes for the article.”
“You keep it. You can tell either one you want, or tell no one. I don’t care. Just make sure it isn’t something to embarrass Jason’s memory. I need to go, the cof—”