Saving Treasure (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Rose Leigh Woods

  She watched as the guy walked into the kitchen and grabbed an orange from a bowl of fruit on the bar and peeled it. He also filled a bowl full of cereal and poured milk on it. When it seemed as though he was going to continue to add to the place she guessed was meant for her, she had to sit down and stop him.

  “Thanks,” she said quietly and settled on the barstool that was butted against the bar and started eating her cereal. She watched the guy cautiously as he sat next to her, accepting her thanks with a shrug and a mumbled, “No problem.” He kept studying her as she ate. He pushed the glass of apple juice and mug of coffee closer to her.

  She glanced around and noticed a few more dirty dishes, but they weren’t overflowing. It just seemed as though nobody had washed them for a day or so. The house wasn’t dirty. It was just a little messy, definitely lived in. Maybe she should straighten up today at some point to thank him for helping her. Actions and the words always were better than just the words. She eyed the guy closely again as she ate her breakfast before noticing the time.

  “It’s after four in the afternoon? I slept all day. I’m sorry for imposing like I did. I’m sure that whoever’s bed and room I stole didn’t like that. I do appreciate everything that you did for me,” she said before realizing she had no idea what his name was.

  She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself after she realized that she had slept a good piece of the night and most of the day in someone else’s room without ever having met that person, and she had just intruded in someone’s home without so much as an explanation or apology.

  Her dad would have had her hide for acting so rudely.

  “My name’s Treasure. I promise that I’m not running from the law.” She clamped her mouth shut around an orange segment before she could really make more of a fool of herself. And she hoped she hadn’t made a liar of herself. She just hoped that he told her his name now.

  Her head still spun, but she guessed that was from whatever she had been given. Someone had to have looked over her to bandage her ribs. She hoped he hadn’t taken her to the hospital.

  The food was making the ache that she hadn’t actually noticed ease a bit. She bit into another piece of her orange and saw him staring intently at her mouth.

  A noise behind the tall sexy man next to her made him turn around as she strained to see over his shoulder.

  The hot man from upstairs came closer to them. They were both arousing her more than they should have. He was still sweaty from working out in the room they used as a gym. He had probably noticed them in the kitchen if he had looked down through the windows in there. The ceiling was tall with a glass wall that allowed them to see into the home gym upstairs. The area under the upstairs was separated with Sheetrock and plastic.

  Mr. Sexy Man cleared his throat and looked down at Treasure. He crowded closer to her without actually touching her.

  “I’m James, James Calloway, and this guy here who accidentally woke you up last night is Chad Hardin. We both live here, and you’re staying here.” She wanted to fight him on that point, but his straightforward look kept her mouth zipped tight. James continued when Treasure started to pick at her food.

  “I had to give Selena, who worked on you last night, my word that we’d watch out for you. Nobody breaks a promise to that woman without her kicking your ass.”

  She knew he was trying to keep it light, and she kept that same tone. “Thanks, and thanks for not taking me to a hospital. I’ll get out of y’all’s hair as fast as I can.” She looked into Chad’s blue-gray eyes, which sparked with curiosity. “Thanks for letting me use your bed last night.”

  “You’re stayin’ with us for a bit. Selena will demand to see you. She also expects me to get you to a doctor to check out those ribs. On top of that, her husband Jackson Barns helped us get your car and store it behind the same building where we keep our office and large equipment.” He looked at her squarely as she digested his decree.

  “Why don’t you tell me about all the bruises you have? There was barely one from the wreck, so someone put most of them there. It ain’t right to stand back while anyone gets hurt like that, especially not a pretty girl like you,” he said. She knew he was trying to get her to talk more.

  * * * *

  He wanted to kiss her and almost did when she had virtually walked into him coming from the bathroom. Her head barely brushed his pec when she had been standing right in front of him, highlighting how small she was compared to him. His clothes swallowed her whole, and she looked sexy as hell with her hair tangled despite the bruises that still showed. His fingers caressed the bruise on her face before he even realized he had moved at all. He resolved that she would not be leaving until he knew she was safe and better, if he could even let her go then. There was something about her that made him feel as though he had to protect her.

  James watched Treasure breathe slowly. Her heaving chest, still visible in his shirt, captivated him. He could see her nipples hardening and watched as her legs shifted, giving away her arousal. He adjusted his inflating cock. He almost hoped she noticed, too. His mouth started watering as his mind recalled her smell. He struggled to calm himself. He tried to quell his growing urge.

  Chad shifted next to him, obviously as uncomfortable as he currently was.

  “Yeah. They’re from a guy,” she answered after a moment. James stared at her, silently encouraging her to continue. She stared directly in front of her, tracing patterns on the smooth granite surface.

  “A guy? A boyfriend?” Chad prompted, obviously more impatient than James.

  Jealousy surged through James. He took a deep breath to calm down and focused on what Treasure was saying.

  “Named Larson. He was never my boyfriend. I met him when I was searching for an apartment while working in Taos. I had landed a job managing the activities at a resort, and he was advertising for a roommate.” She swallowed and kept studying her breakfast and fiddling with her spoon.

  “So, you took the apartment.” James knew he was pushing her for more information. He hoped that she wouldn’t clam up on him.

  “The apartment was really nice and spacious, and it was in a good part of town. He seemed really kind of cool since he wasn’t expecting a woman to answer. I asked if we could give it a try, and he agreed. Everything was pretty great for a bit. He even seemed to enjoy introducing me to other people.”

  James sighed when she stopped there. “What led to the bruises?”

  “I had been living there just about two months when I decided to go out with some friends that I met between work and other places. He started demanding to know where I was going. He tried to play it off as concern for my safety, but I felt kinda odd that he was even asking for information about what time I would be back and who I was with as well as what they wanted with me, so I told him that I wasn’t really sure.”

  James traced his finger along the skin of her arm. He could feel Chad tensing on the other side of him. He hated pushing for information, but he felt he needed to know.

  “Keep goin’, darlin’,” he crooned as if she were a kitten he was coaxing closer.

  “I found out later that he followed me, because he backhanded me for lying to him when I got home. He believed I’d lied because one of my friends left early with a guy. I started to pack my stuff right then to move out, but he stopped me.” She swallowed. James knew that there was something that she wanted to hide.

  “I let him scare me into staying because I found out that night that his dad was the law and that he did anything to make his son happy.”

  “Why didn’t you just leave?” Chad asked.

  “I didn’t want to drag anyone into my problem. I also knew he’d have me arrested.”

  James noticed when Chad’s body went on high alert, and James felt his own do the same. Chad’s hands fisted, a mirror image of his own. “Arrested for what?”

  Her eyes snapped to Chad’s. James watched their war of wills.

  She sighed as she gave in. “I hired someon
e I shouldn’t’ve. He’s the only applicant we had on file at that moment, and we really needed a groundskeeper, fast. After a clean drug test, we hired him before I found out he wasn’t a legal immigrant. Of course, Larson found out and used that to keep me in line.”

  “So, he actually had something on you.” James kept his voice even and soft. His fingers trailed down to the delicate bones of her wrist, tracing them. He stayed quiet, waiting for her to speak again.

  “Everything kept getting worse. All of the sudden, everyone believed I was his girl. When I argued, it pissed him off. He seemed to believe that he owned me, and he kinda did. I didn’t know what to do except try to leave as soon as I could. He and his dad had a knack for blackmail to get their way.”

  James watched as Treasure swallowed and jumped when Chad stroked her lower back. It was a touch that was obviously meant to be soothing. She turned and looked squarely at Chad. She swallowed while taking in his appearance before licking her lips. Chad was light whereas James was dark.

  “Thanks for last night.” She looked at Chad as he beamed a smile, and she leaned further into his chest.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. I think we could have had some fun if I had stayed.” He winked at her. James felt her relax even further when Chad let her peek at his playful side. He looked into his friend’s playful eyes. They were a playful blue-gray that could burn hot in passion or playfulness. When he was angry, they blazed like a blue flame.

  He had to agree that she was extraordinarily tempting. He would have liked to have stayed in the bed with her, too.

  James felt it when Chad moved around her. His friend’s intent was clear as his fingers pulled her shirt up in the back.

  * * * *

  Treasure felt warm as the two guys kept touching her, their hands finding ways to make contact with her skin directly. Chad seemed to have pulled the shirt up just enough to touch the skin of her back while James’s hand slid back to her face to touch her jaw, his thumb rubbing her lower lip. Chad’s hand settled against her lower back, and his thumb stroked from side to side, sending shivering tingles racing across her nerves.

  They were giving her time to stop them.

  She tasted James’s skin, making him suck in air. Gooseflesh met the tingles, causing her body to respond again as it had earlier. Treasure tried to keep her breathing steady and her pulse from jumping. James’s flavor lingered on her tongue. Her pussy gushed. She wanted them.

  James tugged her completely into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She felt needy and desperate. Her eyes connected with his, and she kissed him tentatively. The kiss was explosive even though it was short-lived.

  She broke the kiss and breathed deeply, trying to calm her arousal.

  Chad suddenly leaned toward her and kissed her lightly and quickly. It teased her, and she knew that is what he wanted. The backs of his fingers lightly drifted along her jaw and cheek. The gesture felt as if he was cherishing her, and she soaked it into herself.

  James cleared his throat, stopping the moment she felt her ribs. “The first thing we need to do would be to get a doctor to document your injuries.” She shivered from the quiet rasp of his voice. Despite the twinge she felt when she had moved wrong, juices flowed from her cunt. The sound of his voice did deliciously naughty things to her body.

  She nodded, knowing she wouldn’t win. She knew she needed to see a doctor.

  James shifted her and held her in his arms while he stroked her skin reverently. He sucked on the lower lip that was much fuller than the upper lip before slipping his tongue into her mouth and tasting her further. She savored the glimpse of his taste he gave her.

  His flavor exploded in her mouth, and she relished his arms tightening around her. She responded to him before the kiss ended. James slid his face down the side of hers. She heard him breathing in deep as he pressed more into her.

  Treasure’s eyes met Chad’s. He leaned down and kissed her lips gently, lightly teasing the seam with his tongue before barely slipping it through to taste her.

  The two kisses were different from one another, but they both melted the last of her composure. Treasure had managed to stay calm and rational while dealing with an abusive roommate who had decided to take over her free will. She had been surviving and planning to get away from Larson for what felt like ages even though it was just a matter of a couple of months and not years. The tears that she had held at bay began to leak from the corners of her eyes even as she kissed the man kissing her.

  The tears held no shame. Instead, they were freeing in a way that she needed.

  James began kissing the tear tracks along her cheek, sucking each off of her face while easily stroking her back, arm, and leg. Chad had one hand planted firmly on her abdomen while the other cupped the back of her head, tangling in her hair.

  Treasure stroked one hand along James’s muscular leg under her own, and the other hand slid up Chad’s chest and gripped his strong shoulder.

  The kiss finally broke, and Treasure was gasping for breath.

  She looked from one man to the other quizzically. This was not something that she really knew how to respond to. She had been kissed by guys before, but she had never been kissed by different guys on the same day. And she definitely had never been kissed by one guy while another guy was holding her. It made her wetter and achy.

  She kept looking from one man to the other, trying to determine how they were going to respond and how often they did something like this. She wanted to ask questions, but she couldn’t quite make her mouth work with her brain.

  She knew James sensed her discomfort and tried to relax her. “We’ll worry about it later. Tomorrow, we are going to deal with taking care of the paperwork side of keeping this creep away from you, taking care of your car, and getting you settled.”

  “Getting me settled? What do you mean?” she asked, not really sure if she could believe what she thought he might be proposing.

  “Exactly what I said. You can’t keep running, and you’ll at least be safe here. We can make sure of that easily enough. You need time to heal. You also can’t keep running forever. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I need to make sure you are safe,” he stated plainly.

  Chad spoke softly next to her ear, and she knew he was trying to lull her into doing whatever they wanted. If only he knew that all he had to do was keep touching and kissing her, she would do whatever he asked. Whereas James’s voice was deep and raspy, Chad’s was husky and rough. “Nobody can run forever, and you’ll need other people on your side. Don’t you have any family anywhere?”

  The bluster that Treasure was planning on building and letting loose deflated as she shook her head. “It was just Daddy and me, but he passed on a couple of years ago.”

  “I’m sorry, but don’t you think he would want you to admit it when you needed help? Wouldn’t he want you to be safe? What kind of men would he think we were if we didn’t do everything we could to help you get away from this? I know you love your daddy just by the tone in your voice. For you to love him like that, he had to be a great man, so you will let us help you, in his place,” Chad stated. She knew he was trying to make her see the point they were making, and he was doing a damn-good job, too.

  Treasure’s brows puckered as she thought about the points that were being highlighted for her. She already knew all of this. She just didn’t know these men, despite the fact that she felt safe with them. She reflected on the fact that she had never felt this at home with Larson or even any of her roommates before him.

  “If I stay, I will insist on being useful around here. I have always done my part and paid my own way,” she stated stubbornly. This was a point on which she refused to budge. “We also need to discuss…We need to make a few things clear.”

  She waited while James and Chad both studied her. She knew they had expected to have to work harder at convincing her. She loved that she had both relaxed them and put them on their guard.

  “I’m going to find a place of my own. I�
��ll just need a couple of days.” She took a deep breath.

  James shook his head. “You need someone for right now. Stay here. You’ll need time to find a place, and you’ll need to get your car fixed. You should stay longer.” She wasn’t sure what was happening with these two men. There was something in the air, an unasked question for which she didn’t have an answer.

  James continued as his arms tightened around her, claiming her.

  “You can stay here. We’ll help you get on your feet again.” All she could do was nod and accept for that moment.

  Her eyes roamed over James again as she admired his dark looks. Both he and Chad were tall. James had at least two inches on Chad in height. Chad’s skin was fair while James’s was tanned. James had hair that touched the collar of his shirt while Chad’s hair was shorter even with its shagginess.

  Her eyes were riveted to Chad’s eyes. They weren’t blue, and they weren’t gray. They were a mixture of the two. They lent to his mischievous look.

  James had full lips, but Chad’s were fuller. James had a sexy cleft in his chin that begged her to lick it.

  Her core clenched again in insistence as it woke up.

  Sex was something that she hadn’t been exposed to a lot. She had only had two partners previously, and both had occurred after she moved away from her daddy. Constantly moving around meant that she hadn’t formed a lot of deeper relationships with others until she went to college. During college, she was worried about disappointing Daddy. He also managed to scare away many guys she had been interested in during his time. She couldn’t help but to wonder what her daddy would think of these two.

  James continued to just hold her close. She felt so safe there. Chad’s hands played with the skin he exposed. She knew in that moment that these two men would be in her life. She wasn’t ready to acknowledge in what capacity. She was barely wrapping her head around how perfect they felt and how complete she felt in this moment.