by Sam Crescent
Ruby dropped her head into her hands. “This is mortifying. You’re behaving like I’m no more than a teenager.”
“Twenty-five is still young. What would Darren and Roger say if I didn’t check everything out? What about your mother?”
Chris watched the exchange between the two and couldn’t help but be amused. From the horror on Ruby’s face, Charles had hit a nerve.
“You better not bring any of them into this. It’s bad enough you’re here. I can take care of myself.” She folded her arms and then growled as Charles ruffled her hair as if she was a young girl.
“What would you like to know, sir?” Chris asked. Troy was trying to cover up his laughter with a cough and failing.
“I’ve no problem about sex.” His words earned a groan from Ruby. “But I want to know what kind of men you are.”
“We’re just trying to spread a little pleasure all around, sir.” Troy answered all the questions fired at them. Charles wanted to know their age and why they’d moved to Stone Valley. They were thirty-one years old and wanted out of the security business. Chris watched Ruby the whole time they were talking.
Charles asked them their views on women and how they’d approach harassment from men and every scenario he must have thought about with regards to their daughter. Chris helped Troy answer the relevant questions and only when the older man was satisfied did he bid them good day.
“Stay here, honey. Get to know the men. We’re all having a barbeque this weekend and you’re invited,” Charles said.
When the door closed, Ruby let out a breath. “Okay, that was even worse than prom night. I’m so sorry. Someone must have called the family and my dad is not usually like that.”
Chris held his hands up. “Don’t worry about it, love. I’m sure we’ll be old news soon enough.”
“I doubt it. You’ve got the accent thing going for you as well.”
He smiled as her cheeks became a deep red color.
“And you don’t have to come to the barbeque,” she said. Her gaze kept going to Troy and then to him.
“I love a good barbeque,” Troy said. “I’m in if you are.”
Chris was nudged in the side by Troy. “Consider us there.”
“Great.” She smiled and slowly backed away out of the door. “I’m going back to my shop. I’ll see you around.”
She turned around and Chris got another sweet glimpse of her rounded ass. Fuck, he really wanted to know what she felt like against him.
His cock thickened at the image of her bent before him, waiting to receive his shaft. He needed to get these wicked thoughts out of his head. There’s no way he could concentrate on anything, thinking about her and sex.
“When do you think you’ll be open?” she asked, turning back to face them.
“Two weeks.” Chris and Troy answered her question together.
“I look forward to seeing it. I’ve never been inside a sex shop before.” She opened the door and backed out.
Chris continued to look at the door as it closed. “Now, she’s the woman for us,” he said.
Troy slapped him on the shoulder, gaining his attention. “She’s the one I want.”
“Then we’re in agreement. Ruby Monroe is our woman. All we’ve got to do is get her to realize she’s been claimed.” Chris grabbed his beer from the counter and clinked the stem with Troy.
“Stone Valley was a good move for us.”
There was a knock on the back door, distracting them. Going through the mostly empty storeroom, Chris followed his friend to see who was knocking. Another delivery had come through, early. Maybe they could be open sooner than the two weeks. He always planned for the worst in everything, whereas Troy was the one who believed everything would work out without any glitches.
The boxes of dildos, clamps, DVDs and books were grouped together in their large storeroom. The space looked incredibly small without all their extra stock.
“Do you think we should start putting it on the shelves?” Chris asked, staring at the open boxes.
“It would be easier to get some done now and to keep filling up the main room and working the stockroom properly.” Troy grabbed several of the dildos while Chris picked the boxes of accessories up. They worked through to the late evening when the sun went down as they started to put stuff on the shelves. Their light was shining bright, blocking out the outside world.
When the boxes were empty, they took them out to the recycle tub before heading over to the Flippin’ Tasty. Chris couldn’t handle another takeaway meal or a sandwich. He needed a proper cooked meal from a good place. The diner always served good food and they were open late.
Chapter Two
Markus and Brant were pissing her off. Ruby had come to the diner to have some food before heading on home, but they were making it impossible for her to want to eat. Their teasing was driving her insane. Tessie whacked them around the back of the head when she passed and the two men backed off.
“Thanks,” she said, sipping at her coffee.
“They’re clearly not used to you having male attention, honey. The gossip has done the rounds about Charles going to have a word with the two yummy newbies,” Tessie said.
“Nothing happened. Dad embarrassed me and asked all kinds of questions that were not relevant. He made me feel like a teenager rather than a full-grown woman running her own business.” She ran her fingers through her hair. The red locks were messy after a hard day’s work. She’d been sweating from changing the racks around. Her clientele appreciated a change of look in her main shop. Shoes, handbags and accessories were her thing, and she’d recently delved into selling sexy lingerie as well.
“At least you have a father, honey.”
With those few words, she felt like a total bitch. Tessie had lost her father nearly six years ago now.
“I’m sorry. I totally forgot.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see where your food is,” Tessie said, smiling.
Great, Ruby, now you’ve put your foot in your mouth. Dropping her head into her hands, she let out a groan.
“Can I sit with you a second? My feet are killing me,” said Tate Clark, another waitress at the diner.
“Sure. Go ahead. No one else is sitting there.” Ruby sipped her coffee while staring at the other woman.
“So, I heard the English guys got the third degree from your father?”
“If you’re here to get the inside scoop of what went on, you’re mistaken, Tate. I’m not in the mood.”
The other woman shrugged. “I saw an opportunity to ask. I can wait for the real juicy gossip.”
Rolling her eyes, Ruby took another sip of her coffee.
“Speaking of the hunky men, they’ve just entered the diner and they’re heading toward you,” Tate said, standing.
In the next breath, Chris and Troy were stood beside her.
“Hi, is this seat taken?” Troy asked. Chris did his staring again with his lovely blue eyes.
“No, the seat’s not taken.” Both men sat down. “I said it wasn’t taken, not that it was free for you to sit down.”
A look was shared between the two men. “We’re new here. Surely you could give us a few minutes of your time.”
Tate returned with a notepad. “Wow, you’re two fine young men. What can I get you?”
Chris replied without looking at the menu. His gaze was on Ruby while he spoke.
“Check out that sexy accent, Ruby.” Tate tapped her shoulder and walked off.
She held off rolling her eyes as both men looked at her. What was she supposed to say to them? Daddy Charles had given her his blessing. He liked the two new guys in town. Why was her family pushing her into a relationship? She loved working in her shop and decorating her home. Moving out of the family home a year ago had been a brilliant step forward to her independence.
“I’m really sorry about my dad,” she said, finding the silence uncomfortable.
“I liked him,” Chris said.
Markus
and Brant approached the table again, bringing a chair with them to sit down. Glancing behind her, she saw Tessie shaking her head. Was the whole town going to be this protective of her?
No wonder she’d not gotten any sex in a couple of years. Now that was pitiful. It had to be over three years since she’d last been intimate with a man. She’d been too embarrassed to buy a dildo online in case the box broke when the mailman posted it to her. The mailman was friends with her three dads and mom. There was no way she was risking that coming up for conversation.
For three years, she’d been giving herself relief with her hand. Glancing at Chris and Troy as they talked to the other two men, she was struck by how damn sexy they were. Watching them work had become a sport for her since they moved into town a month ago. She’d noticed them when they first moved and her attraction for both men had intensified even more from their introduction.
Tate bought over her burgers and fries. Minutes later Tate came back with Chris and Troy’s food.
“Leave Ruby alone,” Tessie said, grabbing her men by the scruff of the neck. Ruby watched fondly as her friend, small in comparison to her men, moved them away from her table.
“You’ve got a lot of people who care about you,” Chris said, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“We’ve all grown up close. Tate, Brant, Tessie and I are all the same age.” She took a chunk out of her burger and stared at the two men. They were eating along with her.
“It’s more than that. They’re protective of the whole town. Everyone is checking us out as if to make sure we’ll fit in.” Chris reached over and touched her hand.
The electricity struck her between the thighs. His touch was so small, yet she wanted him so badly. Taking a deep breath, she put her burger back onto the plate and wiped her mouth. She’d never known attraction like this before in her life. What was she supposed to do?
Crap, when had her life become a load of questions for her to answer? It was insane and totally unfair.
“Stone Valley looks after its own. We don’t want anyone who is going to mess with our lives. We’re all open to everything. I’ve got three fathers and not once was I bullied in school because of it. If you can’t accept the way we are, then you’ll never accept it,” Ruby said. She’d watched the love between her mother and the three men she called fathers her whole life. All three men, brothers, loved her red headed mother. Ruby closed her eyes trying to compose herself in front of these two men. It was impossible to do so. The world felt like it was falling away and that they were the only three people left in the world.
Her mother had warned her about falling in love with more than one man. She’d told her mother, Angela, she was only going to have one man. Ruby had watched all the romance movies growing up with one man and one woman. She wanted the traditional relationship, not the ménage or something more. Was it so wrong to want something entirely different?
* * * *
Ruby’s sigh cut Troy straight through the heart. The sound was filled with such sadness and he hated hearing it coming from her lips.
“We accept this way of life. We’ll always accept it and sharing a woman is what we want to do.”
He saw Ruby glance down at her food and then back up at him. “I’m really sorry about this, but I’ve lost my appetite.” She grabbed her purse, which was decorated in skulls, and pulled out some money. “It’s really nice to get to know you and all. I’m going to call it a night.” Ruby dropped the money on the table, got up and left.
Troy couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Ruby was walking right out of their lives.
Don’t be so fucking dramatic. She wasn’t walking out of their lives, but out of the diner.
He stared at her plate seeing the two bites she’d taken of her hamburger. She wouldn’t keep those luscious curves up without more food.
“Did we just send her on her way?” Troy asked.
“I don’t know. She seemed to be thinking about something and then it was like she withdrew into herself,” Chris said.
Troy glanced down at his food, no longer feeling hungry.
Tessie took the seat in front of them. “Are you interested in Ruby?”
“What do you mean?” Troy asked, feeling defensive. He’d not been in Stone Valley long enough to let his guard down.
“You know what I mean. Is she the one?”
“Why, are you interested?” Chris asked, leaning forward.
“She was part of my seduction with Markus and Brant. I’d like to help her out. This is not payback or revenge. I love her like a friend and I’d like to see her happy. I can help you out with that, but I need to know if you’re serious about her.”
Troy looked at Chris. His friend appeared thoughtful.
“We’re not sure how we feel,” Chris said.
“Look, I’m only going to help you if you’re invested in this. I’m not about to help two guys win Ruby’s heart if you’re not into it.” Tessie slapped her hand on the table, glaring at them. Markus and Brant cleared their throats from behind them. Troy didn’t know where to look. Stone Valley was not a threat to them at all. He was attracted to Ruby and he could see a future with her. Troy really needed to discuss it with Chris before he made any firm decision.
“You better answer her, buddy. Our Tessie is not going to back down,” Markus said.
“We want her,” Chris said. “We’ll take care of her.”
For Chris to take the lead on this, Troy knew his friend was interested in the redhead. Neither of them loved her yet, but that could happen with time.
“Good. Ruby’s a little different from the rest of us. She doesn’t actually want to be in a ménage relationship.”
“Then why are you helping us?” Troy asked.
“Because she grew up watching those crappy romantic stories. Believe me when I say Ruby’s been brainwashed into thinking happiness comes in twos, not in threes or fours,” Brant said, snagging the burger from Ruby’s plate.
“Brant, put it down,” Tessie said, growling the words at her man.
“What? Ruby’s not going to eat it and I know she hasn’t got any diseases.”
“You’re being tight with your money again. Order your own damn burger.” Tessie snatched the half-eaten burger from Brant’s grip and frowned at him. “This is about Ruby. Stop bringing the attention back to you, mister.”
Troy caught the wink Brant gave to his brother. They were purposefully winding their woman up and he didn’t have a clue why. Strange town. Strange people.
“You think we can convince her two is better than one?” Chris asked.
“It’s worth a shot.” Tessie stood up and grabbed Ruby’s plate. “Are you going to the barbeque this weekend?”
“Charles invited us.”
“Get some fine malt scotch for her three dads and some daisies for her mother. I think Ruby’s sister is down this weekend so you’ll get to meet the youngest member of the Monroe clan,” Tessie said.
“What other advice do you have?” Chris asked.
“Go slow and don’t rush her. Ruby’s a tough cookie, as I’m sure you know. If you’re going for her and meaning it, then make sure you don’t break her heart,” Tessie warned them, walking away.
“If you upset Ruby, you’ll upset our woman. We don’t like Tessie being upset. She’s had a lot of crap to deal with just recently. You’ll answer to us, English boys,” Markus said, walking away.
Brant smiled and left them alone.
“I think we’ve been insulted,” Troy said.
They finished their meal, left a large tip and made their way out to the truck. Chris was the one driving. Troy hadn’t perfected driving on the wrong side of the road yet. The drive out to the ranch by the old lake was short.
“What are your thoughts on Ruby?” Chris asked, pulling up outside the rundown ranch. The house needed a lot of work. They’d sold most of the fields surrounding them to the other ranchers living nearby. Troy was never going to be working fields or understand anything ab
out farming or running a ranch. The house and a back garden was the only thing important to him. No, not back garden, it was a yard.
He really needed to get used to the new sayings. It was fries instead of chips and a trashcan instead of a rubbish bin. Why did he want to move away from England?
“I like her. I’m attracted to her and I’d love to get to know her better.”
Troy ran fingers through his hair, feeling agitated. It had been too long since he’d been with a woman. Neither of them had been with a woman in some time. Their lives were too chaotic to try and make a relationship work or even some sex. Up until today, Troy had started to believe his dick was broken. Most days, he was too tired to even use his fist to beat himself off. After meeting Ruby, his cock was back to attention.
He was relieved, because losing the use of his cock at thirty was downright depressing. The problem was that Ruby was not going to dig the two of them. Tessie had said as much. Did he and Chris have it in them to give her what she needed most? Troy really didn’t know the answer to that question.
* * * *
Chris threw the keys to the truck on the dinner table. He opened the refrigerator and pulled himself out a beer. With a flick of the wrist, he pulled the cap off and took a healthy gulp. He was wired and his cock was thick with need to be inside Ruby. The fiery redhead had captured his attention and now all he wanted was to be around her, inside her.
“What are you not telling me?” Troy asked, stepping in behind him.
“Nothing. I just need to have a drink.” Chris looked down at the tatty floor. He was going to spend the weekend pulling up the old floor and putting down the new wood flooring he’d stored in the garage.
“You’ve got your brooding face on. You can’t hide anything from me, Chris. What’s going on?” Troy grabbed a beer and faced him.
“I want her. I’ve never felt like this with any other woman.” He shook his head, taking another gulp of beer. “I don’t know. I can’t think right now.”
Pushing the desire to the side, Chris faced his best friend.
“I want her as well.”