She took notice of the tags on the truck as it tore down the street. Her eyes widened as she noticed they were from Mora County, New Mexico. She felt as though her heart stopped. Who would be here from New Mexico?
Whoever it was, she was sure this wouldn’t be good.
She turned and walked back into the store. It felt weird to just get back to work, but she didn’t know what else to do. Chad wouldn’t be off for several hours, and it would be a little bit before she was supposed to be off.
In the meantime, she had to figure out what, if anything, to say to Chad. She didn’t know what to tell him. It could be a coincidence, but Mora County was really close to Taos County.
She decided to wait to see if she continued to see the truck. Maybe just mentioning it in passing would be good. No need to make a big deal out of it.
That had to be the best idea.
Chapter 20
Treasure paced nervously as she sorted through everything that was flooding her mind.
“Oh,” she moaned as she flopped on the couch. “What am I going to do?”
She had seen the truck a grand total of five times over the past few weeks. On top of that, she still hadn’t even so much as spotted—much less had—her normal flow, and she kept trying to count back, which was hard since she had never been all that regular. That one time with Chad where passion had overruled them kept floating through her memory. She berated herself about not starting the pill or the patch or something and relying on the condoms, but the one time she had been on birth-control pills to help regulate her period, she had stayed so sick her daddy asked if she could just not take them.
She had never given a thought about being a mother, and now, the possibility was all too real. Just to add to that, she knew that the truck was still hanging around. She groaned again and grabbed a pillow, pulling it flush to her front and wrapping her arms and legs around it. She had a feeling she knew who was in it. She cursed Buddy once again.
A few tears slid down her cheeks as the stress began to catch up to her.
She jumped when the door opened and closed. Chad wasn’t supposed to be off for another hour or so. She thought back, trying to remember if the door had been locked or not.
Her heart was pounding as she looked around for something she could use to defend herself. Not spotting anything other than a laundry basket and the remote, she crept silently down the stairs, crouching low. Just as she peeked around the corner, the light flicked on. Both people shouted in surprise, and she found herself swooped up into a giant bear hug.
“James!” she shrieked excitedly.
“Hey, baby. I got back home just a tad early since I drove straight through. Chad’s not off yet?” he asked, keeping her body close to his and helping her to wrap her arms and legs around him.
He smiled as Treasure shook her head no. “Your heart is pounding awfully hard. Did I scare you that badly?” he asked, pulling his head back enough to look down at her.
“You scared the crap out of me,” she whispered.
She wrapped herself around James tightly and nuzzled her face into the safety of the place where his neck met his strong shoulders. Before she even noticed, she spilled about the truck and how many times as well as where she had seen it. She told him that she was planning on telling Chad and how scared she was but didn’t have anything more to say about and felt stupid because of that. She then told him who she suspected it may be even though she hadn’t seen who was driving it as of yet.
James made his way into the kitchen and to one of the chairs there before he sat down with her. He started shushing her gently and reassuring her that everything would be okay.
“You know we wouldn’t let anything happen to you. Everything will be all right. I am home now, and you won’t have to be alone at all for awhile. I will make sure nothing happens. Next time we see that truck, we will find out for sure who is in it. Understand?” He kept speaking softly as though she were a frightened child. “You should know by now that Chad and I love you. We couldn’t live with ourselves if anything bad ever happened to you again.”
She sniffed once and pulled back, looking directly into his eyes. They were warm, dark chocolate, pulling her own confession from her lips. “I love you and Chad, too,” she whispered.
“I am so glad to hear you say that,” another person said roughly in a gravelly voice from behind her.
“Chad?” she asked.
He stepped forward and leaned closer to her, kissing her lips. “We do love you, Treasure, and we want you to stay with us forever. We want you no matter what, and we want to have you with us forever. This is not a fling for any of us. I know this is not conventional, but we can work it out,” he said, wrapping an arm around her and draping the other one along James’s shoulder.
“Chad, there is something else I have to tell you both,” she said, suddenly even more scared than expressing her details on the truck that she kept seeing. “I love you, Chad, and I love you, James—” Her voice broke off, making it painfully obvious that she was having trouble telling them something and that she thought it was incredibly important.
“You can tell us. We want to know, and we want to help you,” Chad said encouragingly.
She grabbed James’s hand and deliberately dragged it to the lower part of her belly, below her belly button, and looked from the curious blue-gray eyes to the shocked dark brown ones. “I think I might be pregnant. I haven’t taken a test yet, but I think I might be,” she said nervously, gulping down her emotions as she studied the looks flashing across their faces.
Chad kissed her first, obviously in awe. James couldn’t take his eyes off his hand as he cupped her body. He seemed to be absorbing the possibility into his body, his heart and his soul then his mind.
“Our baby?” he asked no one in particular. His eyes looked just a bit shiny with so much awe that it nearly stole her breath as he kissed her.
Chad knelt in front of them, placed his fingers over James’s, and allowed his palm to settle over her currently nonexistent belly. He studied their hands as they claimed her body before kissing their linked fingers.
“We’ll get a test before going to the doctor,” James murmured. He grinned and stood. “Let’s head upstairs and celebrate. Then, we can figure out what to do about the lingering truck.” Chad shot him a questioning glance, and James mouthed the word “later” in response.
Chad kissed James and plucked Treasure from James’s lap. He held her close to him and headed for the stairs. He only looked back once to see James following them.
Treasure kissed Chad as he climbed the stairs, causing him to stumble for only a moment. She moaned out loud as James swatted her butt, issuing a warning to get to the bedroom as fast as possible. She giggled and teased by nipping Chad’s earlobe and wiggling her hips against him in a blatant invitation. Her ass did not go unnoticed by James as he swatted her bottom again.
Chad swore as he bumped into the railing and then the wall, nearly tripping as his cock, which had to be painfully hard inside of his scrubs and boxer briefs, tented the front, calling her to touch it. He stopped her playful mischievousness with a scorching kiss as they entered the room and fell on his back on the bed with her cradled on top of him.
Her shirt was drawn quickly, and James swore behind her as he wrapped his arms around her middle, kissing her neck.
Chad stripped her bra off. He seemed entranced at the sight before him and licked his lips. He cupped her cheek and kissed her. Her lips were swelling beneath his, and he claimed those soft bits of flesh, intent on leaving his mark on them.
He broke the kiss, moving to assert his ownership over more of her delectable body. Chad was feasting on one shoulder, and James was devouring the other. The atmosphere changed around the trio as hands began to stroke gently, cupping her reverently.
Treasure reached behind her to pull James’s shirt off until she felt his naked skin touching her back. She looked into Chad’s eyes as she then pulled his top off.
&n
bsp; The intensity of the need throbbed among them as they held one another close, savoring the feeling of their skin-to-skin contact. “I missed this,” Treasure murmured. She trapped James’s hand between her and Chad’s bodies and wrapped her arms around Chad. She took in the combined smell of her men, allowing it to flood her senses and make her wetter.
After a moment passed as they absorbed the feeling that circulated among them, James removed her bottoms and panties, kissing along the way down. He shifted her up Chad’s body, licking his arousal as he exposed his friend’s naked body.
Treasure turned around in Chad’s arms, sliding along James’s body as she stroked his sides. James stood slowly, groaning at the feel of her hands on him.
She allowed her body to slide to the floor, and her eyes connected with James’s. Her hands reached his unfastened jeans. She paused, allowing the moment to stretch. When her hands descended again, she pulled the rest of his clothing with them. James’s erection sprang out, greeting her in its neediness. She answered by straightening and licking around the head adoringly. She inhaled the first few inches into her mouth, licking and sucking and moaning around the intrusion.
James moaned, his eyes closing and rolling back at the pleasure as she continued.
She felt Chad watching them. She knew he was intrigued as she consumed and loved his friend with her mouth. Watching her blow either of them was something that would have his dick stiff and ready for her. James’s fingers threaded into her hair tenderly. She could still feel Chad watching and burning the sight into his memory. It was one that should be immortalized for just the three of them.
Chad reached down and pulled Treasure into his arms, turning her to straddle him. She needed them both inside her.
She licked her lips before she pushed her pelvis into his, taking his full length inside of her in one slow downward push. She laid her head against his chest and matched breaths with him as she listened to his heart beating. Chad became entangled in James’s dark eyes when their gazes met. James used one finger to stretch the tight rear entry, then two, then eventually three fingers. He stroked Chad’s balls, eliciting a guttural groan from deep inside his friend’s throat. Treasure groaned her need and knew the men loved her needy sounds too much.
James lay along Treasure’s back as he pushed inside of her, entering in one agonizingly slow push thanks to the liberal amount of lube he had used.
He and Chad gazed into each other’s eyes. Chad smiled his contentment, but it was strained with the tension of being on the precipice of paradise. They kissed and licked either side of the same shoulder, eliciting shivers from the woman between them. They withdrew just slightly to push right back into her at the same moment. Their rhythm was slow, and their possession was thorough. Treasure tried to move a little faster to encourage them to own her completely and to push her over the edge into her orgasmic bliss, but they continued at their pace, reveling in their reunited connection.
“Please, I’m so close. I need just a bit more. Please,” she pleaded as she ground herself into them more, clutching the broad pair of shoulders in front of her.
They sped the rhythm, becoming uneven but still managing to match stroke for stroke inside of her. She sobbed as she felt her body spiraling out of her control as the feeling of flying and falling filled her middle. Her eyes closed, intensifying the blinding, bright colors of her release. Her muscles milked seed from her lovers as they fell apart heartbeats after she did.
Chad and James wrapped their arms around each other, keeping her firmly and tightly between them as they came down from their passion high.
Nobody said a word as the moment stretched among them. Treasure felt the love in their embrace not only for each other but for her as well. She kissed one then the other, murmuring that she loved them.
They woke to Treasure’s stomach growling after a short time had passed. She giggled and blushed. “I guess it is time to eat,” she said, jumping up from the bed and going downstairs without dressing in anything other than one of the guy’s T-shirts, which had been discarded on the floor.
Chad sat on a barstool while James leaned against a counter, both watching her pull out tortillas and eggs and other ingredients for what looked like breakfast burritos. She was just finishing at the stove when James cleared his throat.
“About that truck, I need a description, and I’ll go to work with you tomorrow until we figure this all out, baby,” he stated firmly. Treasure only nodded, knowing arguing would have been an exercise in futility that she didn’t feel up to engaging in. “We will get it taken care of as soon as possible.”
Treasure kissed his cheek as she grabbed plates and handed one to each of her men. “Let’s eat. I’m starved for some reason,” she stated playfully.
She sat down once everything for the meal was on the bar. Chad sat on one side of her, and James took the other. Every so often, one of their hands would drift and touch her, a soft caress along her arm or a sweet touch on her thigh or even tucking a bit of her hair behind her ear. None of the touches were very sexual, but they were loving and warm. To her, it was the perfect moment.
James cleared his throat as he finished half of his burrito and studied her face as she took a bite of the stuffed one in her hand. She placed it on her plate and looked back, blushing as she munched on the huge bite she had just taken.
As soon as she swallowed, he pounced. “What did the truck look like?”
Her eyes widened. “It’s an older model, and dirty. It’s brown and beaten-up a good bit. It has a steel bumper. I didn’t see anything on it that would identify exactly what type of truck, but I do know it is a Chevrolet because of the sign on the front. I’m pretty sure by now that it is a man driving it, but I couldn’t swear to it,” she finished as her eyes trained on her food.
She went to take another bite, but her stomach protested.
Both men were left standing at the bar as she ran as fast as she could to the small half bath that was downstairs. It was a small closet-like room that held a sink and a toilet. That was all she needed as she heaved everything that was in her into the porcelain fixture.
During her third painful heave, a strong hand stroked along her spine, trying to soothe her. The voice shushing her was Chad’s. She continued to heave even when there was nothing left in her. Her throat was raw, and tears were running down her cheeks. Her head was spinning when she leaned back into Chad’s embrace. He began requesting what he felt they needed from James, who had been standing in the doorway, completely helpless to help her without some direction.
“It’s okay, darlin’. It’s all right. You’re all right, baby. Wash your mouth out with this,” he said, holding a small glass of water to her lips. She complied, swishing the water around her mouth and spitting it into the toilet.
She moaned in discomfort as her stomach continued to punish her for whatever wrong she had committed. Chad wiped her face off with the cool, wet washcloth. He kept his other arm locked around her, and she sank into the support he was giving her. She felt exhausted once again. Her eyes opened to find the concern in Chad’s blue-gray orbs.
“I am going to hand you over to James, and he is going to take you back to bed. I sure hope you are off today. Either way, you aren’t going in,” he murmured while struggling to his feet with her in his arms in such a tiny space.
She didn’t remember getting into bed or anything after she was cuddled into James’s arms. He must have decided to tuck her back into the bed so she could get some rest.
A glance at the clock told her that only about an hour had passed though.
She got up and looked around for a pair of jeans and a comfortable top. She was feeling much better, although that was her first real bout of being sick to her stomach in a very long time. She couldn’t remember being sick since she was about thirteen or so. The term “morning sickness” floated through her conscious thought, bringing a grin to her face. It made the possibility of a baby feel more real for some reason. She had suspected with
her missing period, but this made the chance seem more like a probability. A broader grin broke across her face until another, granted much smaller, wave of nausea broke through her. She sat back down quietly, letting it pass. It was something she would have to get used to. Having a baby wasn’t something she had really thought about, but it just felt right. Even when it got her into trouble, she had gone with her gut instinct quite often.
When she felt better, she stepped into the hallway and headed into the TV room. She noticed the news playing and stepped around the sectional to see James sitting and watching. He smiled at her.
“Feeling any better?” he asked, holding his arms open for her.
She nodded a yes and hurtled herself into his lap, drawing a hearty laugh from him. “So, what are we doing today?” she asked.
She waited for an answer but didn’t receive one until she looked up into his face. He leaned down and kissed her, sucking her lips before nipping them possessively. Her body was turned to face him as he grabbed his cell phone from the coffee table in front of them.
“Chad called in sick for you while you rested some, but he wanted you to call him when you got up. He was also going to set up a doctor’s appointment for you, and knowing him like we do, it might even be today,” James said, slipping the phone into her hand. He looked at the phone for a bit in deep thought before he added, “I think we may also be getting you a cell phone on our plan since you don’t seem to ever use yours. Maybe a clean break would be best on that front.” He seemed unsure of telling her that, but it also was something that he clearly wanted to do.
Saving Treasure (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 11