Evan spoke up. “He punched me and we tussled for a moment. It was right after you left the store.”
It wouldn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out what that was about.
“Well, don’t do that again.” She faced Brody. “As for you, I thought you had more sense. Can you stay off that leg for a few days?”
“If I had someone to keep me company in bed, I’d stay there for a week.”
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t imagine there’s anyone in Pleasure willing to take you up on your offer.”
Evan laughed. “Score one for Brittany.”
“I’m serious about your brother staying off that leg. Can you maybe stay here and watch him?”
Brody touched her hand. “I don’t need anyone to babysit me.”
“Fine. Suit yourself, but I’m not repairing you again. So be good.”
He winked. “I’m always good.”
Sparks couldn’t believe the change in his attitude. Maybe Brody needed to see Brittany do her work for him to appreciate her and see that she had grown up.
She wiped down his wound and began the repair. “You taking the antibiotics?”
“Evan made me.”
“At least one Thomas brother has some sense, but you shouldn’t be drinking.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She shook her head. As Brittany stitched him up again, Sparks watched Brody. He swore his face softened the longer she hovered over him. Maybe all three of them could fulfill Brittany’s destiny. But would she go for a ménage to include Brody? Hell, would she even agree to include Evan and him? Before he could come up with an answer, she’d finished.
“You can put your pants back on.”
“Sure you’re done looking?” Brody finished off his scotch, acting like he was Mr. Cool. Did he really think that would win her over? Evan must have told him of their plan to win her.
She groaned. “Do all the women around here fall for your lines?”
“You wound me, babe. Since the place isn’t swarming with the opposite sex, I guess not.”
“You’re still incorrigible.” Then she laughed, and Sparks let out a breath.
Regardless of who she ended up with, he thought it best if the four of them could get along. That feat would require something to keep them together a bit longer. “Hey, anyone up for some Hearts?” They used to play it all the time in high school.
Brody cocked a brow. “Hearts?”
Brittany’s pinched brow, coupled with the slight smile on her face, told him his suggestion was dumb. “Okay, I was going to suggest strip poker, but I didn’t think Brit would go for it.”
“That would be a definite no.” Her eyes sparkled. He knew that look. It meant trouble. “But I am willing to play that card game where we have to decide whether we’d rather do X or do Y.”
Trouble indeed.
“You got the cards?” Brody asked.
She shrugged. “No, but we can make up the questions. We’ve played it enough.”
Brody put his glass down and grinned. “I can think of one we could answer. Would you rather do it doggy style or missionary style?”
She glanced to the ceiling and shook her head. “You are impossible. No, don’t you remember? It has to be a real choice. Like if you’re on a sinking ship and the lifeboat can only hold one more person, would you choose to save your eighty-five-year-old grandmother or a teenager who’d just gotten a full ride to Juilliard School of Music?”
Oh, boy, she’d stepped in it now. Sparks took a seat opposite Brody and waited for the fireworks to begin.
“Babe, I’d get out of the boat and offer my seat to the other one so they both could get in.”
“You aren’t on the lifeboat. You’re there to help the people get on them.”
“You saying I’m going to die?”
She patted his hand. “We’d all mourn your loss, but yes.”
“Stupid game.”
“I’ll get some more drinks,” Evan offered.
“I’d rather debate my sex question, but I can see why you didn’t. It’s hard to know the type of sex you want unless you’ve tried several different methods. If I recall, you were a missionary girl. Or have you changed?”
Brittany blushed, but she didn’t back down. “As I recall, you were stuck in your ways.”
“Score another one for Brit,” Sparks shot back. Brody glared.
Evan came back with a tray of beers and two glasses of water. He handed the water to Brittany and Brody. She looked up and smiled at him.
Brody waved away the water. “Okay.” Brody held up his hands in surrender. “Here’s one. Would you rather keep a secret if you knew full well that to reveal the secret would help the person, or would you honor that person’s request and tell no one?”
Usually Brody wasn’t so serious. He wondered where that came from. There was no way that he knew of Brittany’s secret, the one that would rip him apart if she ever told him.
“I’ll go,” he offered. “I would keep the secret, unless it would seriously harm someone. Like if Mr. Johnson told me he planned on killing the mayor, I’d feel an obligation to let the authorities know.”
“You’re an honorable man, Sparks Langston,” she said.
“Thank you.”
Once they got the sexual innuendo questions out of the way, they turned their questions to politics. Sparks was surprised how much thought each person put into the answer. They were so intent on the game that when he got up to take a leak, only then did he hear the wind howl. He looked outside. The snow was coming down in earnest. A storm was brewing.
He came back from down the hall. “If you’ve all noticed, it’s getting nasty outside. As much as I’ve enjoyed the company, I don’t want to drive in the mountains when this storm hits.”
Brody’s chin jutted out, and his mouth turned into a frown. “We were just getting started. You’re all welcome to crash here.”
Sparks glanced at Brittany to see what she wanted to do.
“I appreciate that.” Brittany got up. “But I’d rather be snowed in at my place. I’ve got some medical reading I have to do. I start work on Monday.”
“Suit yourself. And thanks again for the repair. I’ll try to be more careful.”
Sparks hadn’t been kidding about driving up her mountain at night. There had been accidents in the summer from people trying to get up and down the mountain in the dark. Add in a storm, and the driving could be quite dangerous. Good thing he’d cut himself off from drinking two hours ago.
They said their good-byes to Evan, knowing he planned to spend the night.
Sparks helped her into the Jeep. “You have fun tonight?”
“Believe it or not, yes. It was like old times.”
Just what he wanted to hear. He backed out and headed toward town. “So have you given any thought to my proposition?” He tightened his hands on the wheel, awaiting her answer.
She looked over at him and furrowed her brows. “Proposition?”
“Yeah. Where are you with the idea of being with both me and Evan? Or possibly all three of us?”
She leaned her head back against the seat. The snow had picked up, making the visibility low.
“I will admit I’ve given some thought to being with the three of you, assuming Brody is included in the package deal, but right now I’m a total emotional mess. It’s too soon to make up my mind.”
All three? That was a pleasant and unexpected surprise. “I haven’t discussed the issue with him, but I’m betting he’ll go along.”
She turned her head before he caught her reaction. “Good luck with that one.”
When they reached her cabin, he cut the engine. She pushed open the door and headed toward the cabin without waiting for him to do the honors.
Idiot. You blew it.
He jetted out the seat and followed her up the path. When he got to the front door, she turned and faced him.
“I had a really good time tonight, both before and after we went to Brody’s.”
He wanted to continue where they left off, but with her confusion, maybe this wasn’t the best time to push her.
“Me, too.” He leaned a hand on the doorjamb and hovered over her. “You said you wanted to get some lamps for the living room. You want to take a drive to Bozeman tomorrow and go shopping? We could do a late lunch and maybe take in an afternoon movie.”
She smiled and his heart sang.
“I’d love to.”
“I’ll pick you up at nine.”
Sparks gave her a quick kiss good-night and headed out. The wind had picked up, and if he didn’t go now, he might not make it back down the mountain.
* * * *
Brittany closed the door and plastered her back against the door. Her mind swirled with emotions. She was definitely attracted to all three men, though she wasn’t too sure about Brody’s feelings toward her. He did flirt with her on occasion, which was a good thing. She wanted there to be no bad blood between them.
The residual feelings from years ago added to the ones that were building between them now, but she still couldn’t wrap her mind around something so out of the norm as having a ménage relationship with two or maybe three men. Perhaps if she had spent more than three years in Pleasure, she might be more used to the idea.
You’d like it.
Would I really?
Could she sit on one cock and suck another? What would it be like to have all those hands touching her? She bet her pussy would gush fluids faster than water burst out of a mountain spring.
All would be lost if she didn’t tell Brody the truth about the baby. Keeping something like that secret would not only continue to eat away at her, but would jeopardize any future she might have with them.
A gust of wind swirled around the house and rattled the windows. She stepped away from the front door, turned on a few more lights, then lit the fire in the woodstove. Once she showered and put on her pajamas, she dragged out her medical books to prepare for her new job.
She didn’t remember dozing off, but it wasn’t until faint light lit the sky that she awoke.
“Oh, my.” Sparks would be here soon and she needed her coffee.
Just as she finished eating breakfast and cleaning up, he knocked on her door. She was looking forward to spending another day with him. Her mother used to say that the best way to get to know someone was to do chores with him. You really got to see how they handled the stress of day-to-day living. Most men were great to be with, she said, when you were at a party having fun, but have him help with housework, and his true personality showed through. She’d get to test her mom’s theory very soon.
She opened the door. “Hey.”
Sparks smiled, and even she was a bit surprised at the amount of excitement that raced through her.
“Ready?”
She got her purse and coat and stepped outside. A new layer of snow sat outside her entry, and as she was judging whether the snow would go over the edge of her boots, he picked her up.
“Sparks!” She laughed as he chivalrously carried her to his car.
He set her down. “There you go, madam. Sparks Langston at your service.” He bowed before plowing to the other side.
He was such a fun goof. He did a good job retracing the ruts in the road he’d made coming up. Thank goodness for snow tires and four-wheel drive.
Once they reached the bottom, the roads had been cleared.
“So what kind of lamps are you looking for?”
“I’m not sure. Remember, I’m the one who thought I should have recessed lighting in a rustic cabin.”
“So true. I hope you’re ready to walk your feet off since there are about six stores that carry a wide variety of lights.”
That would test anyone’s patience. “I’m game.”
For the rest of the three-hour drive, she kept the talk focused on his biggest rescues and not on relationships. For one afternoon, she wanted to forget her future and enjoy the present.
When they arrived, the day was clear and dry, with no snow in the forecast. He parked on West Main Street and handed her a one-page, printed map of the locations of possible stores. She inwardly groaned. She hadn’t inherited the shopping gene.
Fortunately, at their third store, she found the perfect lamps. Or rather, Sparks found the perfect lamps. Once they purchased them, they dropped their stuff off at the car, and he suggested they take in lunch.
She saw a really cute two-story yellow building with a fabulous mural of the mountains on the side. “How about there?”
Sparks wrapped a possessive arm around her waist. “Looks good to me.”
Throughout the day, he’d kept a smile on his face as if just being with her was good enough for him. She, too, felt that way. With Sparks, she could be herself.
Once they finished lunch, he paid the bill and checked the time. “We have two choices. There are a ton of movies we could pick from, or we could go to the Museum of the Rockies.”
She liked each option equally, so from the way his eyes sparkled when he suggested the museum, she wanted to go with that one. “I’ve never been to the museum.”
He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “You are in for a surprise. It is the number-one dinosaur museum in the US.”
She couldn’t imagine it being better than the Smithsonian. “I do love dinosaurs. They were amazing animals.”
“Then let me escort you to another world.”
Once inside, the time flew. There were living history docents dressed in period costumes who were amazingly knowledgeable, but perhaps the biggest surprise was how much Sparks knew.
He patiently explained about some of the digs he’d read about. She couldn’t think of another date who was as well-rounded and entertaining.
They spent close to four hours at the museum, and even then, they hadn’t seen everything. They were able to sit and watch the planetarium show, which might have been her favorite part.
When they walked out, he took her hands in his. “You look beat. Why don’t we head back to Pleasure, and then stop for a bite to eat at the Mountain View. That way you won’t have to cook.”
“You always could read my mind and know my wishes.”
He smiled, looking as if she’d bestowed a great gift on him.
When they arrived back at her cabin, it was close to 10:00 p.m. “You want to come in?”
He dragged a knuckled down her cheek. “You’re probably tired of me by now.”
“Never.” She meant it.
He drew her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. “Sleep tight and pleasure dreams.”
She laughed. “You mean pleasant dreams.”
“Nope. I want you to have Pleasure dreams.” He winked and walked off.
His meaning became clear as soon as she stepped inside. He meant to picture herself in his arms, along with Evan and possibly Brody.
Oh, my.
Chapter Eight
When she woke up the next morning, her head throbbed. She hadn’t slept well. Damn Sparks for putting those erotic thoughts in her brain. She was very attracted to both him and Evan. She pushed aside her feelings about Brody. Until they cleared the air, it wouldn’t be smart to even contemplate a life with him.
A life? Whoa. She had a career to establish, and needed to slow down her dating until she had a good handle on her job.
Uh-oh.
It was Sunday, her last day before starting work, and Evan had said he’d take her car shopping.
No sooner had she cleaned up, when Evan arrived.
He stomped his boots on the mat and came in. “Ready to find the drive of your life?”
She laughed. “With my limited funds, I won’t be driving a luxury vehicle.”
Pleasure had one car dealership, but Evan insisted they go to Bozeman for the day for a better selection.
“This will be my second trip in two days.” She hadn’t meant to whine.
“You’ll get the best selection there.”
“I’m sure you’re
right.”
“And bring a bathing suit.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s got to be thirty degrees outside.”
“Trust me.”
There he went with all that trust stuff. “Fine, but I’m not going swimming.”
“Who said anything about swimming?”
What was up with these forest rangers? Sometimes they were impossible. “Fine.”
She had to riffle through her drawers to even find where she’d put her suit. Since it was small, it fit in her purse. Once dressed in her winter gear, she and Evan left. Given the wind was stinging her face, she hurried to the truck.
Evan slid in. “You know what kind of vehicle you want?”
“A four-wheel drive.”
He smiled. “Honey, around here, all cars are four-wheel drive.”
“Then I want something small, not huge like a truck or anything.”
“You want to be safe, right?”
“That’s a no-brainer, but I can drive a small car easier, and besides, I want good gas mileage.”
He headed down the mountain. “I’m betting when you see something cute, you’ll want it.”
He got that right.
Bozeman had about ten dealerships all within a five-mile radius. There were so many options, she didn’t know what to pick. “Okay, we’ve gone to five places and I’m still confused.”
Evan wrapped an arm around her. “I say take the safest one. Since I think we should go for a heavier vehicle, I’m going to recommend something between the small car you want and a truck. The Jeep has a nice SUV that’ll fit your style. There’s plenty of storage and it’s safe to drive.”
She did like that model. “And I can drive it home.” The dealer had assured her there was one in stock.
It took close to an hour to process the paperwork, but eventually the dealer handed her the key. Her stomach grumbled.
Evan took her hand. “How about we catch some lunch, then I take you someplace special? You can leave the Jeep here for the afternoon.”
The salesman said it was fine.
Evan brought her to a cozy café, different from the one she and Sparks had enjoyed. They ate fabulous, juicy hamburgers, and chatted about the Pleasure locals. He caught her up on who’d come and gone since high school.
Monroe, Melody Snow - Brittany's Destiny [Pleasure, Montana 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 8