Potential Match [Ménage.com 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Peyton Elizabeth

  Chapter Two

  Bryn felt like she was in one of her dreams where she entered a room to give a presentation of her designs, only to find herself naked in front of numerous strangers. She resisted the urge to look down to make sure she still had clothes on. Mrs. Wheelock’s fingers tightened on her elbow, which indicated the elderly woman was a lot stronger than she looked. From the devilish twinkle in the woman’s blue eyes, Bryn knew she should be wary. The minute the names Destry and Duke had left Bryn’s mouth, you would have thought she’d shouted out that she was fucking George Clooney and Brad Pitt at the same time. The way the people in the diner were looking at her, it seemed as if they thought she was out of her mind as well. Maybe Des hadn’t exaggerated his and Duke’s past history. In which case, maybe she’d better reconsider this date and hightail it out of Dodge.

  “Bryn?”

  She focused on the man who stood up from a table in the middle of the diner, his green eyes making contact with hers. This man was expecting her. Was this Destry or Duke? He was probably around six feet tall and had a body on him that would have every fireman in the state of Arizona jealous. His blond hair had some natural curls, although it had the appearance that a woman had just run her fingers through the soft strands. An image of him lying on a bed covered in red rose petals as he patted the mattress beside him, beckoning her to come join him, swam through her mind. Tingles ran up and down her arms, somehow making their way to her nipples. Her breath started to come out in shallow bursts, and it seemed as if everyone else fell off the face of the planet. He was her sole focus. Could the fairy tales she read as a little girl be true? Was there really love at first sight?

  A coughing sound interrupted Bryn’s thoughts and pulled her back to the present. She knew a flush had stolen across her cheeks, and to prevent everyone from noticing, Bryn pasted a smile on her face before whispering out the side of her mouth and asking Mrs. Wheelock an obvious question. Her nervousness had taken a spike and instead of asking one question, Bryn found she couldn’t shut off her voice.

  “Why is everyone staring at me? Is it because I’m here to meet Destry and Duke? I realize that they have a reputation, but they assured me that they were changing things around. They want something steady, which is why they joined the site. We seem to have a lot in common, but if this is the reaction I’m getting, it makes me think something else is going on. Is there?”

  “Yes, dear,” Mrs. Wheelock answered, pushing Bryn toward the middle of the diner. Bryn stumbled, adding to her embarrassment, but caught herself as she came to stand in front of the blond Adonis. She’d never seen eyes so green before. They reminded her of the four-leaf clovers she tried to find as a child or the enchanted forest in her favorite fairy tale. “It’s because you look like the murder victim.”

  Murder? A jolt of shock went through Bryn. Did the old bat just say something about a murder? Bryn was starting to not like Mrs. Wheelock. First, she had said that Mr. Ottmeyer was a little crazy for his beliefs in aliens when everyone knew he was referring to the ghost who roamed the old church grounds outside of town. That had been the first indication that Mrs. Wheelock was just as crazy as Mr. Ottmeyer. Mrs. Wheelock had gone on about how the legend started back in the nineteen-twenties that an old bank robber was killed by the local sheriff. Rumor had it that the bank robber had hidden his loot in the cemetery before he died and was protecting his treasure even during death. Bryn didn’t have the heart to tell her that she didn’t believe in ghosts.

  If that wasn’t reason enough to be wary of Mrs. Wheelock, when she started on about Destry and Duke being cursed by the bookstore owner, Bryn knew for a fact that Mrs. Wheelock was off her rocker. Bryn then had to hear about drug dealers invading the town of Triple, along with ranch hands dealing in illegal poaching. Bryn failed to follow along, but after hearing that she resembled a murder victim, Bryn was thinking maybe the town of Triple wasn’t so cute after all.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Wheelock.” The man in front of her took pity on her and leaned down to give Mrs. Wheelock a kiss on the cheek, causing Mrs. Wheelock to release her arm. “We were worried when Bryn was late, but now that we know she was with you, we feel a lot better.”

  “Oh, Des, I was just filling her in on our town.” Mrs. Wheelock laughed and tugged on Des’s arm to bring him closer. In a loud stage whisper, she said, “I told her about Celeste’s curse. I thought she should know.”

  So this was Destry. He must go by Des, which seemed to suit him more. The man sitting down had to be Duke, as he looked very similar to Des. He, too, had blond hair and green eyes. His hair was on the shorter side, while his face was just a tad bit longer, although no less handsome. Duke was staring at her, as if he were studying a bug underneath a microscope. He was making her nervous, and Bryn stifled the urge to shift her feet. God help her if they asked her a question right now, as she would probably talk fifty miles an hour.

  “Now you know that we made up with Celeste,” Des replied, his green eyes lighting with humor. “And if I catch you hanging out with Mr. Ottmeyer anymore, I’m going to think you’re going as crazy as he is.”

  Bryn had been thinking the same thing, although Des said it with such wittiness that Mrs. Wheelock just laughed and patted his cheek. “You just treat Bryn right, and maybe she’ll make Triple her home. We could do with a good designer. You kids have fun now.”

  Bryn didn’t know whether to be relieved when Mrs. Wheelock left the diner, or if she should join her. Everyone’s attention was still on them, while Duke stood up beside Des and presented a united front. Oh, boy. What a picture they made.

  “Bryn, I apologize that we had to meet this way. I’m Des and this is Duke.” Instead of offering his hand like she thought he would, Des leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. His soft lips brushed her skin, making her feel as if he’d just lit her on fire. Images of those firefighters came back to mind, but they had nothing on the men standing in front of her. No wonder Mrs. Wheelock had giggled like a schoolgirl. Des stepped away, and Duke took his place, kissing her on the other cheek. Was it possible to have an orgasm this way? “Please sit down, Bryn. I know that you need to be on your way to Tucson soon, and we’d like to spend as much time as we can with you.”

  Bryn bit her lip to keep herself from speaking, knowing she was still a little too nervous to come across as sane. She didn’t want them comparing her to Mr. Ottmeyer. Taking the seat that Duke had pulled out for her, Bryn sat down and placed her purse on the back of the chair. She was grateful when the waitress came over and poured her a cup of coffee. It delayed the need to converse.

  “Welcome to Triple. I’m Willow.” The young girl placed a couple creamers down on the table. “Whatever you hear, trust me when I tell you that Des and Duke are good guys.”

  Bryn didn’t quite know what to say to that, so she just nodded and smiled. Duke was rubbing his right shoulder, while Des was running his fingers through his hair. No wonder it looked in disarray. Bryn wondered if it was as soft as it looked and resisted the urge to run her fingers through his hair for him.

  “Thanks, Willow,” Des replied, picking up his coffee cup. He leaned back in his chair, straightening one leg out. Could the man ooze any more sex appeal? “We’ll let you know if we need anything else.”

  “If you’d like to run now, we’d understand.”

  “Duke!” Des looked offended and then downright angry. When Duke made a grunting sound, that was when Bryn realized that Des had kicked him underneath the table. She resisted the urge to laugh. “What my brother meant to say is that we hope Mr. Ottmeyer and Mrs. Wheelock haven’t scared you away. They usually mind their own business, but ever since Mrs. Wheelock’s husband passed away, she’s been meddling in other people’s business.”

  “I have to admit, it wasn’t the welcome wagon I was expecting,” Bryn replied with a smile, finally feeling comfortable enough to speak. Des had a way of putting people at ease. “They sort of had me ready to leave after explaining about the ghost that roams the gra
veyard. Aliens I can handle—ghosts, not so much.”

  Des laughed and seemed to relax as well. That was when Bryn realized he was just as nervous as she was. Bryn gave a chuckle of her own and picked up a creamer. Tearing the lid, she poured the white liquid into her coffee and watched as it turned a caramel color. The standard routine helped calm her nerves as well.

  “I take it you had no trouble finding our town?” Des asked as he sipped his coffee.

  “Not at all, thank you,” Bryn replied, trying to tear her eyes away from his lips. Her cheeks still tingled. Bryn snuck a look over at Duke, only to find that he was still studying her. She wondered if her lipstick had smeared and resisted the urge to check. “I appreciate you guys meeting me for coffee. I know my schedule has been crazy lately, but hopefully it slows down after this job in Tucson.”

  “Des said that you run your own designer business. What kind, exactly?”

  Duke surprised her by joining in on the conversation. He didn’t seem the type to make small talk, but his interest in her seemed genuine. She wanted to reassure him that she felt the same attraction, but didn’t know how without coming across as too forward.

  “I help decorate and design the inside of office buildings,” Bryn answered, still stirring her coffee. Work was something she could talk about in a calm manner. “I’ve always loved the structure of the city. But there is nothing quite like taking an empty space and converting it into something elegant yet comfortable. People spend the majority of their day at work, so why not enjoy the atmosphere?”

  “You travel quite a bit?” Des asked.

  “I try not to take too many jobs outside of Phoenix, but a company is expanding their business and asked that I oversee their new branch. They’ve given me so much business in the past that I just couldn’t say no.” Bryn finally placed her spoon on her napkin and picked up her coffee. Taking a sip, she noticed that both men watched as her lips closed around the edge of the mug. Trying to swallow without choking, Bryn set down the cup. “So, I do have a question that I hope doesn’t offend you.”

  “And what would that be?” Duke asked, seeming a little wary of what she was going to ask.

  “Why would you two need to join a dating website?” Bryn looked at both of them, wanting to gauge their reactions. She found it odd that two men who looked like they did would need help in finding a woman who wanted a serious relationship, regardless of their history. And from what Des had told her, followed up by Mrs. Wheelock’s declaration, they’d certainly made their way through the women of the town. Surely one of them wanted to settle down? “Why don’t I answer that question first, though. I joined because I’ve always desired to have this type of relationship. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy to find, especially in a city like Phoenix. And before you ask, the answer is no. I have never been involved with two men before. But I do know that this is something I need to pursue. So when this site offered me a chance to find what I was looking for, I jumped at it.”

  “What made you choose to meet with us?” Duke asked in a low voice.

  Bryn realized that the diner was still talking in hushed tones and that some of the patrons were still glancing their way. Des and Duke probably didn’t want the entire town to know their business, although with what she’d witnessed so far, that wasn’t even remotely possible. Bryn respected their need for privacy though, and kept her voice low as well.

  “I like your honesty about being tired of meaningless relationships,” Bryn answered. “I like that you want to explore something more serious.”

  “Which is why we joined the site,” Des replied, replacing his coffee cup on the table. He leaned in and placed his elbows on the table. The black button-down shirt was open at the chest, revealing sun-kissed skin that she would love to taste. Would she be given the chance? Bryn tried to refocus her eyes to Des’s face as he continued to answer her question. “Everyone around here thinks we’re still these playboys that get off on loving and leaving women. We won’t say we didn’t have our fun, but that doesn’t mean we’re not able to commit. We just need to find the right woman.”

  Bryn finally relaxed and started to drink her coffee. What should have been one hour eventually turned into three, and it was going on nine-thirty at night by the time she had to leave. Time had passed in the blink of an eye. She still had to drive the rest of the way to Tucson for her early-morning meeting, but couldn’t seem to drag herself away from them. They were interesting, fun, and downright sexy. They talked about everything under the moon—her work, their ranch, their families and childhood memories, politics, religion, and every other topic that could be discussed.

  Bryn found that their parents lived in Nebraska, near their sister named Sarah. She was married and had children, giving Tim and Connie Winslow the grandchildren they always wanted. They came to visit once a year in the winter, and everyone always got together for the holidays. Des and Duke had a yellow lab named Spur, who tended to be a handful and was always getting into things. Bryn shared that her father had passed away many years ago from a heart attack, but that her mother was alive and kicking—and Bryn had the bruises on her ass to prove it.

  “Does she live in Phoenix?”

  “Yes,” Bryn nodded, sipping on her lukewarm coffee. She’d lost count of the refills, but didn’t think it really mattered since she needed the caffeine to keep her awake for the rest of her trip. “As a matter of fact, she lives in the same apartment building, so she stops by daily. Please don’t think I don’t love her, because I do. She’d do anything for me.”

  “But sometimes it becomes too much, huh?” Des reached over to take her hand. Afraid he would stop touching her, Bryn didn’t move. It was the first physical contact that they’d shared. She stared down at where their hands connected. His hands were large and his fingers were warm to the touch. It had been a while since she’d felt that kind of heat. It was a tender, protective, arousing kind of touch. “Family can be overwhelming, but we all know that no one loves us more.”

  Bryn didn’t want to tell them that her mother had probably already contacted the police, so she concentrated on Des’s hand. A short silence followed, causing Bryn to look around the diner. She half expected crickets to chirp. The crowd had thinned out and only a handful of people were left. Willow was behind the counter, cleaning and getting ready to shut it down. Bryn figured they probably closed at ten o’clock. Things had gone so perfect that she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Bryn knew that was her mother’s voice inside her head telling her that things weren’t always as they seemed, but she couldn’t seem to shake off that impending-doom feeling. It was Duke who spoke, relieving the stress that had started to build within her. He asked the question she was dying to hear.

  “How long will you be in Tucson? Would you be willing to stop by here on your way back home? We’d love to see you again.”

  Bryn broke out into a smile. She was about to look up and answer him when something caught her eye. What was her picture doing in the newspaper? Bryn reached for the paper with her free hand, not willing to relinquish Des’s touch just yet. How had she forgotten what Mrs. Wheelock said about her resembling a murder victim? My God, the woman on the front page could be her!

  “We saw the paper right before you came into the diner,” Des said, pointing a finger to the caption below. “It says her name was Brooke Carlisle. Are you related in some way?”

  “No,” Bryn whispered, feeling a sadness sweep over her at the loss of someone so young. She scanned the article, taking from it the important pieces of information. “Mrs. Wheelock was right. It says that she was murdered. They found her car abandoned along the side of a road, with no sign of her in the vicinity. It wasn’t until two days later that they found her body in a ditch a couple miles away from the original crime scene. She’d been strangled. This is so awful.”

  “Bryn, you can see why everyone here was a little shocked when you entered the diner,” Duke said, taking the paper from her hand and opening it up to the full art
icle on page three. He folded it along the crease and then replaced it in front of her. “There were three other victims. Each of them looks like you.”

  Bryn stared down at the pictures in horror. He was right. There were some highlights about the case off to the right-hand side of the pictures. All the victims had been from Phoenix. Each murder had been similar to the one on the front page, and all the victims were petite brunettes with brown eyes. Bryn felt a shiver come over her body that had nothing to do with the previous three hours.

  “Maybe you should stay in Triple for the night,” Des suggested, taking the paper from the table, folding it up and placing it on the empty seat next to him. “I don’t feel comfortable with you driving all the way to Tucson this late, and I’m sure Duke feels the same.”

  The image of Des lying naked on a bed covered in red rose petals and patting the mattress for her to join him flashed through her mind once again. Only this time, Duke was standing next to the bed with his hand extended, waiting for her to join them. The paper, the murders, and her resemblance to the victims all disappeared from her head. Her sole focus was these two men and what they might be suggesting. Where they offering up her fantasy?

  “There’s a great B&B down the street on the left-hand side,” Des continued, squashing any hopes that Bryn may have had. Cold water had just hit her square in the face. She didn’t know whether to be offended or flattered. Did they not feel chemistry with her or were they trying to be gentlemen? It wasn’t like she was the type to give it up on the first date, but it would have been nice to know that maybe they found her irresistible. Well, maybe for them, she would have given it up. Her previous nervousness started to come back in waves, and she pulled her hand out from underneath Des’s. Her skin immediately felt like it had been put into a freezer. “We can walk down with you and get you settled in.”