Chapter Two
Chad watched as Elise made a beeline for the exit. Her cute little librarian glasses were sexy as hell. He watched her lovely, rounded ass sway as she stalked to the door, her blonde ponytail trying to keep up the same rhythm. Stalked was a good word to describe it, too, as he knew they had upset her with talk about relationships. What had happened to her that she had such a cynical view on relationships? She was an enigma he couldn’t wait to solve.
“Do you think Elliot had enough time to disable her car?” Dakota asked, leaning against the table. He crossed his arms as he studied the closed door. “When Elise finds out, she’s going to be really pissed off.”
“She won’t find out until after we’ve won her heart.”
“You better hope not. If she’s that irritated over talking about something she doesn’t want to, can you imagine how angry she’ll be when she finds out we sabotaged her way out of town?”
“We’ll deal with it when the time comes.” Chad started to walk toward the door. “I just can’t believe that our dream woman was standing in our parking lot less than an hour ago. Talk about fate. Let’s go play the rescuing white knights.”
“She’s cute as a button, isn’t she?”
“I’ve never seen anything so damn beautiful in my life,” Chad answered. “I’m telling you, it’s destiny. Didn’t we just say that things would fall into place when the time was right? We finally own the bar outright, we’ve managed to secure the land to build our dream house, and now the woman of our dreams is within our grasp.”
Chad and Dakota had been raised in Triple. Their two fathers and mother owned a ranch on the south side of town. Since he and his brother had grown up around ménage couples, it only seemed natural for them to do the same. They knew others who had left for wider pastures, not wanting to share their woman. But Chad and Dakota knew from experience that there was nothing like sharing a woman and teaching her the pleasures of being loved by two men. Loving the same woman gave them the ability to see things that others might miss. When Chad was otherwise busy, Dakota could watch her face making sure she was getting the maximum gratification they could give. Seeing a woman in the throes of passion was a high that he would never get enough of. And judging from Elise’s facial expression when she spoke of relationships, she had never truly been loved by a man. It was time to change that, and he and Dakota were just the men to do it.
“Who’s the blonde?”
Chad looked to his right, seeing Tracy DeMar holding a tray with three beers sitting in the middle. Tracy had been working for them since they opened their doors and was one of the best waitresses they employed. She had made a play for them a few months back, but both he and Dakota had turned her down. Tracy was a good-looking girl, but not their type. She seemed to have more of an eye for money instead of a true relationship.
“Her name is Elise Sinclair,” Chad explained, starting to walk across the bar. “She’s here to promote a ménage dating website. Will you make sure the tables are taken care of? Dakota’s going to take a break.”
“Sure, no problem,” Tracy replied, giving him a quick smile and a wink.
Chad led the way out the door, hearing Dakota yell over at the bartender that he was stepping out for a bit. Chad technically had the night off and had just stopped in to catch up on paperwork. Dakota was running the bar this evening, but Chad knew he had handed the reins over to Brent by saying to call his cell phone if there was a problem. There were benefits to being the owners. Chad opened the door, and déjà vu occurred.
Elise was standing beside her red convertible, the setting sun glinting off of her blonde hair and frames. Her hand was over her chest, just as it had been the first time he’d seen her. The difference between then and now was the hood was up on the sports car and her nose was scrunched up underneath her glasses.
“Need some help, honey?”
“My car won’t start. I just had a tune-up before I left home, too.”
Chad leaned over the hood, making it seem as if he was looking for the problem. Whatever Elliot had done, it was good enough that Chad couldn’t see the reason the engine wouldn’t turn over. Elliot must be playing it safe, just in case Elise knew the inner workings of an engine. Their plan would be blown to hell if she knew they were purposely keeping her in town until they could make her fall in love with them.
Seeing her was like seeing their future. Chad had always believed in love at first sight but had never encountered it for himself. Today was his lucky day, and he knew Dakota felt the same way. Initially, his physical reaction to her took his breath away. She had curves just where he liked them to be, blue eyes that reminded him of a clear blue sky, and her lips were perfectly shaped into a bow that signaled he’d gotten his Christmas gift early this year. Then, after hearing her speak, it was like her voice had sent arrows directly to his heart. Her mannerisms were adorable, and he especially liked it when she kept pushing up her glasses on her nose when she became nervous. Chad wanted to know everything about her.
“It’s a good thing Elliot and his brother own the garage in town,” Dakota said, walking around Elise and leaning up against the car. “Let’s walk over and ask him to look it over for you. Then we can take you to dinner.”
“Ugh, this is so frustrating,” Elise complained, walking around Dakota and leaning in to grab her purse. “How could my mechanic miss something like this?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing serious,” Chad assured her.
“You guys don’t have to walk with me. Just point me in the direction of the garage and I’ll be good to go. It’s a good thing the B&B is just down the street.”
“We wouldn’t be the gentlemen our mother raised us to be if we didn’t walk you over there.” Chad placed his hand on the small of her back, urging her to walk with them.
“Seriously,” Elise protested, “it’s no big deal. I’m used to dealing with this stuff by myself all the time. I’m a big girl.”
“You don’t have to deal with this on your own,” Dakota argued.
Chad saw that his brother grabbed onto her hand as they were about to cross the street. He saw her try to resist, but she finally relented as Dakota all but pulled her behind him. Chad kept his hand near her hip as all three of them crossed the road.
“Fine. You can walk me over there, but I’m going to have to decline your offer for dinner. I have to hit the library before they close for the evening and then edit the book I’ve been trying to finish.”
Chad glanced down at his watch. Seeing the time, he couldn’t help but smile and be thankful that luck was on their side. “Honey, the library has already closed for the day. I guess you’ll have to wait until tomorrow, which shouldn’t be a problem since your car needs to be looked over anyway.”
Elise crinkled up her button nose again, causing her glasses to slip down. Since they had reached the sidewalk, Chad did what came naturally. He took her arm and brought her to a stop. Reaching up with both hands, he pushed her glasses back in place and saw that her blue eyes darkened into a deeper color. He couldn’t resist leaning down and brushing his lips across hers.
He heard the light gasp she emitted and then felt her right hand come to rest upon his chest. The heat from her palm soaked through the material of his cotton shirt. Chad watched as her lashes fluttered closed. Needing to really taste her, he cupped her face with his hands and tilted her head. Running the tip of his tongue across her bottom lip, he waited until she leaned her body into his. The second he felt her fingers press into his muscle, he melded his lips to hers.
Nothing had ever tasted so sweet. He dipped his tongue into the recesses of her moist mouth. Her tongue tentatively touched his. Taking the lead, he playfully glided back and forth, teasing her tip and then trying to get her to play a game of tongue tag. She tried to catch his, pressing her lips more firmly against his mouth. He relented and let her have her fill. The tightly wound little author was finally coming out of her shell. He swallowed a groan when he felt her hips rota
te. She was trying to rub against the bulge in the front of his jeans. His hardened cock was about ready to explode.
* * * *
Dakota had still had a hold of Elise’s hand when Chad stopped her on the sidewalk. Seeing his brother kiss her made his dick throb. Her fingernails were now digging into the back of his hand, but he wasn’t about to complain. This little blonde bombshell was everything they had ever wanted.
Dakota remembered the day they had started plans on building their home. He and his brother had been sitting in the bar after closing time, discussing the little intricate details they would like added to their house. Somehow, the conversation had turned to the traits they desired in their future wife. She must be honest, confident, capable, intelligent, and above all have integrity. They wanted her to be independent but able to depend on them as they would with her. In a short amount of time, it was hard to believe that they had found all of those characteristics in one little pint of a woman—and he was holding her hand while his brother kissed her.
He still wasn’t sure that Chad’s little plan to keep her in town wouldn’t backfire. His brother always had the more carefree attitude, and while Dakota enjoyed life to the fullest, he always had one important rule—honesty. And what they were doing by deceiving Elise went against his moral code. But the thought of watching her drive away without ever giving them a chance would pretty much kill him. So he would follow Chad’s lead just this once and hope his little plan didn’t blow up in their faces.
Chad slowly pulled away from Elise, breaking off their heated kiss. Dakota watched as Elise opened her eyes. The passion he saw there made him want to take Chad’s place, but he saw that recognition was slowly dawning and decided to wait out his turn.
Instead of blowing up the way he had expected, Elise took a step back and brought her hand up to her lips. Without looking at either of them, Elise continued to walk down the sidewalk to where Elliot’s garage was located. He shared a look with Chad, both of them wondering why she wasn’t speaking. It was a little unnerving not to know where she stood after that. Had she enjoyed Chad’s kiss? It had certainly looked like it from where he was standing, especially the way she was grabbing his hand.
When he saw that Chad was ready to say something, Dakota quickly shook his head, indicating to let it go. When she wanted to discuss what had happened, Elise would let them know. In the meantime, they would follow her lead.
Elliot had the garage door open and was standing alongside his brother, Mitch. Where Elliot was easygoing, Mitch was anything but. He rarely spoke unless someone had pissed him off, and always kept a wide berth with the other residents. Everyone knew that Mitch had spent close to ten years in prison. Rumor had it that he had killed a man, but no one ever had the guts to ask. As for Dakota and Chad, it was none of their business. Mitch had always been civil with them and gave them no trouble at the bar. As far as they were concerned, Mitch had served his time and should now be left alone to live out the rest of his life.
“Elliot, think you could help us out?” Dakota asked, stopping a few feet from where they were standing. “Mitch, this is Elise Sinclair. Elise, this is Elliot’s brother, Mitch.”
He still had a hold of Elise’s hand, and he saw her eyes widen at the sight of Mitch. He came across as intimidating, with his 6’4” height and broad chest, but Dakota assumed there was not a lot to do in jail but work out. His dark five-o’clock shadow didn’t help either, especially smeared with grease.
Mitch nodded his head in greeting and then picked up a rag to wipe his hands. It was his way of indicating he didn’t want to shake hands. Elise didn’t seem to have a problem with that, as she just nodded in greeting.
“If it has anything to do with this pretty lady, the answer is yes.” Elliot gave Elise a wink, and while Dakota knew he was playing a part, it still rubbed him the wrong way. “It doesn’t have anything to do with that cute little red convertible outside the bar, does it?”
“Yes,” Elise finally answered, “and I don’t understand what could be wrong. I knew I would be driving a long distance, so I had my mechanic give her a tune-up. Everything was fine when I left Illinois.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing serious,” Elliot reassured her. “If you give me your keys, we’ll get to it first thing in the morning.”
Elise released Dakota’s hand and reached into her purse. She pulled out a set of keys and handed them over to Eliot. “Thank you so much. I’ll be by late morning, after I make up those flyers, if that’s all right with you?”
“Sure, darlin’.” Elliot took the offered keys and tossed them over to Mitch. He placed them in his pocket and walked off. It was a typical thing for Mitch to do, but Dakota could see Elise watching his back as he retreated to the back of the garage.
“We appreciate it, Elliot.”
Dakota knew that his friend got the true meaning of Chad’s statement. Elliot had purposely disabled Elise’s vehicle to keep her in town a little longer. They definitely owed him one.
Dakota went to hold Elise’s hand again, when she pulled away and walked ahead of both of them. Coming to a stop right outside the garage, Elise turned and placed both hands on her hips.
“I appreciate you walking me over here. And even though I can’t go to the library, I intend to use my time wisely. Enjoy your evening, and I will stop by the bar on my way out of town tomorrow. Goodnight.”
“Well, that went better than expected,” Chad said. “She didn’t say a word about that kiss.”
“You think that’s a good thing? What if she didn’t like the way you did it?”
Dakota leaned back, avoiding the playful punch that Chad would have landed on him. He turned and watched as Elise walked down the sidewalk, heading toward the only B&B in town.
“I think she doesn’t know what to make of us and is retreating to the safety of her room. I figure we should give her about thirty minutes and then head on over.”
“You going to make the call or should I?”
“You make the call,” Dakota instructed. “You’re better at all this conniving shit.”
Chad laughed as he pulled his cell phone from the front of his jeans. Chad placed a call to Kathy Goode, owner of the B&B. Dakota listened as his brother explained their situation and enlisted her help. The best thing about living in such a small, close-knit town was that everyone was willing to help out a friend. They were definitely going to be repaying favors for a long time to come.
Chapter Three
Elise slammed the phone down. How could it not be working? She had seen Kathy, the woman who owned the B&B, talking on the phone when she walked into the foyer not ten minutes ago, so why was the one in her room not connecting to a dial tone?
She couldn’t take any more misfortunes today. She needed to get the website address from Shea, make the flyers, and drop them off at the bar. Elise knew the real reason she was so frustrated, and it had nothing to do with the phone. Chad had kissed her while she held on to Dakota’s hand. And it was like nothing she had ever felt before. The feeling that had traveled down to her pussy was indescribable. The tiny little electric shocks went everywhere, and the throbbing that ensued was maddening. Now, her body’s senses were heightened. It seemed that now, whenever anything brushed up against her skin, she couldn’t stop the immediate reaction of wanting an orgasm.
Elise gave a huff of frustration and stood up. Since she wasn’t going to get that orgasm, at least the one she wanted from Chad and Dakota, she sure as hell was going to place a call. If she had to use the one at the front desk, so be it.
Leaving her bedroom, Elise followed the staircase downstairs. What must have once been a bar with rooms on the second story had now been converted into a quaint B&B. Elise had counted eight rooms on the second story, but since two rooms had been converted into one, it left four stupendous suites with their own bathroom and kitchenettes. Seeing that Kathy was still in the foyer at the front desk, which Elise was sure was part of the original bar, she made her way across the woo
den floor.
“Excuse me, Ms. Goode, but may I use your phone?” Elise asked, giving her a polite smile. “The one in my room doesn’t seem to be working.”
“Now isn’t that just a coincidence?” Kathy replied, returning her smile. She was an older woman with red hair that had to be out of a bottle. Elise guessed around early seventies, although she seemed to have more energy than she knew what to do with. “My landline just up and quit on me. I have a call into Roy over at the phone company.”
“Oh. Do you know how long it might take to fix the problem?”
“No, dear, I don’t. It’s after hours, so I’m sure I’ll hear from Roy tomorrow.”
“Do you have a cell phone I can use to place a quick call to someone back home?” Elise couldn’t believe the way her luck was going. First, she had dropped her cell phone. Then, her car wouldn’t start. And now, she wasn’t even able to use her room phone. “I’ll pay you whatever it might cost you in minutes.”
“I’m sorry, dear,” Kathy said, shaking her head. Her earrings were so big, they were swinging back and forth with the movement of her head. Elise cringed at the thought of their weight pulling against her earlobe. “At my age, there’s no reason for me to have a cell phone.”
Elise closed her eyes for a brief moment, hoping her irritation didn’t show through. It wasn’t Kathy’s fault that her day kept getting worse. She ran through her options and decided to head back to her room and take a shower. Once a hot shower relaxed her muscles, she would head back out and go to the local diner. She would just ask someone there if she could use their cell phone.
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