Her Mountain Menage Read online

  “Good night, babe. We’ll talk to you again soon.” Kyle opened her door and stepped out.

  Quinn followed behind him, giving her a smile before he closed the door behind them. Diana touched her lips with her fingers then locked the door and all but slid down it as she leaned against it. It was only a first date, and already she could tell she was in trouble.

  Chapter Six

  Diana’s phone buzzed Sunday morning while she was washing up her breakfast dishes. She checked the number and smiled. After drying off her hands, she picked up the phone.

  “Hi, Kyle. How are you?”

  “Morning, sunshine. Doing good here. Thought I’d call and see if you were free Wednesday to come for dinner. Quinn’s cooking, which is a good thing because I can’t cook. I thought I could show you my woodwork while you’re here,” he said.

  “Is that anything like ‘I’ll show you my etchings’?” she asked with a chuckle.

  “Uh, yeah. Wasn’t going there,” he said.

  “Well, sure. I’d love to have dinner with you guys. What time?” she asked.

  “How about I pick you up at five?”

  “I’ll be ready.

  “Wear boots or bring a pair with you. It’s mushy outside, and we have to go out back to see my wood shop,” he said.

  “Okay. I can’t wait.”

  “Bye, babe.”

  “Bye, Kyle.”

  Diana hit End and held the phone up to her mouth for a few seconds as she thought about saying yes when she’d talked herself into saying no the next time they called. Yeah, that worked out just great.

  I’m too attracted to them. I need to step back. I can’t fall for these guys.

  She sighed and grabbed a Diet Coke out of the fridge before walking into her office to get to work. Normally she didn’t work on Sundays at all, but she wanted to edit the last few chapters she’d worked on the previous day. Something wasn’t sitting right about the book. She needed to figure it out, so she could continue.

  Felicity lifted her head when Diana walked into the room. She yawned then immediately lowered her head back to her paws and closed her eyes. Clearly nothing was going to interrupt her nap. Diana smiled and turned on her computer then waited on it to boot up. She scratched the cat between her ears then sighed. What was she getting herself mixed up in with those two men? What were they hoping for in asking her out? A quick fuck? More? What more could there be? There were two of them.

  And that was the problem that kept bothering her. There could be no future with both of them or either of them since she wouldn’t choose one over the other if they even progressed that far in a relationship. Maybe she was just getting ahead of herself. Maybe they just wanted to be good friends.

  Right. She could keep telling herself that, but in the end, she knew the answer.

  Am I that adventurous? Could I have sex with two men? Would they use her then forget about her afterward?

  That thought didn’t sit well with her. Diana wanted to believe that they were serious and cared about her at least a little. She occasionally wrote ménages, but that was fiction, and this was real life. Surely, they couldn’t hold up for the long run. One of the men would eventually get jealous no matter what she wrote in her books. It was human nature. Men didn’t like to share.

  But what if it could work out? Would she want two men in her life always underfoot and demanding attention?

  I don’t think they would be like that. They have work that they obviously love and would be just as busy as I was.

  She liked that idea. Maybe she could have a romantic relationship with them. Nothing too serious, but it was nice to have someone to talk to who understood how much writing meant to her. As a writer himself, Quinn especially would understand. And Kyle, he had a passion for his woodworking. He probably understood, as well. If they weren’t too demanding, it might work.

  Who am I trying to convince? I already care about them a little too much. Honestly, she was trying to rationalize it in her head. Her head and her heart were on two different wavelengths. Her head told her that a threesome was just setting herself up for disaster while her heart said to take the chance that something good could come out of it. Besides, she wrote about ménages—she should find out firsthand what it was like to be in one.

  Diana settled it in her head that she was going to play it by ear and see what the guys had in mind. If they wanted a deeper relationship, she’d think about it then. For now, they were good friends, and she liked that. Liked them as friends who could be something more.

  The next few hours were spent tidying up what she’d written the day before, making changes here and there until she was satisfied with the outcome. She saved it in two places then shut down the computer with a smile. Now she was satisfied with what she’d done. The rest of the day was hers to do with as she wanted.

  Felicity stood and stretched before turning a couple of circles and settling down once more. Diana chuckled at the big cat then picked up her e-reader and carried it with her into the living room where she had a club chair that fit her perfectly. She grabbed a throw and wrapped up in it to settle down to read.

  Nearly an hour later her phone buzzed. She ignored it until she got to the end of a chapter then picked it up off the table where she’d set it. There was a message, but it was from a private number. Diana frowned and opened the text function and read through it.

  I’ve missed you. Have you missed me?

  Her eyes grew wide as she realized who the message had to be from. How had he found her? She’d changed numbers when she’d left town and moved to Cozy. She’d even used her mother’s maiden name to buy the house and set up her utilities after having it legally changed.

  I need to calm down. He probably doesn’t know where I live. He’s fishing. Wanting to torment me since he can’t find where I live. No one from back home knows this number to have given it to him or knows where I live. He can’t have found me. How did he get my number?

  Just thinking about her stalker had her belly rolling like a pair of dice. Did she need to think about moving again? She really didn’t want to. She’d just gotten settled good in Cozy. She loved the little town, and the people there were so friendly.

  No. She refused to let him send her into a panic. He didn’t know where she lived. He was trying to intimidate her. She’d change her number again and make it a private number that he couldn’t see.

  With that thought uppermost in her mind, Diana made a mental note to call first thing in the morning to change her number. No one would have it then. She’d have to give it out to her publisher and agent, but they knew that under no circumstance to give it out to anyone. They were to give her the information, so she could decide if she wanted to call them back or not.

  Oh, and the guys. She’d give it to them. She’d decided to float with wherever the relationship moved. Life was short, and she wasn’t going to waste a single moment. There were no guarantees for tomorrow.

  * * * *

  Quinn stood and stretched. He needed to move around some. He was too stiff. It wasn’t good for him to sit so long at a time. Listening, he couldn’t hear Kyle moving around in the house, so he was probably down in his shop. The man loved it out there to the point that sometimes he didn’t come in at night and dozed in the recliner he had out there. Of course, as cold as it had been lately, he didn’t want to waste propane to keep his little heater going all night, so he usually came inside the house during the winter.

  He saved his work then shut down the computer. The current book was going along perfectly. So far, he hadn’t written himself into a corner like he had done in the past. This book almost seemed to be writing itself. He liked it when that happened.

  Looking at his phone, he thought about texting him but decided to walk out there and see what he was working on. The man was a genius with wood. They had quite a lot of his work in the house. In fact, the coffee table and several lamps where Kyle’s work.

  Quinn bundled up then made the short trek t
o the shop out back. He opened the door and stomped his feet in the doorway before stepping into the room. Kyle didn’t even look up from the wood he was carving.

  “How’s the book coming?” Kyle asked.

  “Good. Much easier than the last one. I swear I nearly scrapped that book and chucked in the fireplace a couple of times. This one is great.” Quinn toed off his boots and padded over to see what his friend was working on.

  “What time is it?” Kyle asked.

  “Nearly four.”

  “What’s for dinner?”

  “All you think about is wood and food,” Quinn said with a soft chuckle.

  “Wood, yeah. That could mean two different things.”

  Quinn shook his head. “Sex on the brain much?”

  “So, what’s for dinner?”

  “I put a roast in the crockpot this morning. Figured we could have roast, rice, and peas. All I need to do is fix the rice and peas. What time do you want to eat?” Quinn asked.

  “Six would be good.”

  “I’ll text you when it’s ready. Don’t make me have to call you. It will get cold, and I’m not warming that shit up for you,” Quinn said.

  “I can work a microwave enough to warm my own stuff up,” Kyle said.

  Quinn watched Kyle carve for a few more minutes then pulled his boots back on and tromped back to the house. After removing his outerwear and boots, he checked the roast and started putting the rest of their meal together. When it was ready, he texted Kyle but knew he’d have to call him regardless. The other man got in a zone much like Quinn did when he was writing and nothing short of a nuclear bomb could get his attention.

  To his surprise, less than five minutes later Kyle walked inside pulling off his gloves and stuffing them in the pockets of his coat.

  “Well, well, well. I was just about to start calling you. What happened that you actually show up on time?” Quinn asked in a teasing voice.

  “Fuck you. I was at a good stopping point. Plus, I’m hungry. Skipped lunch.”

  “Well, everything is ready. I was just about to fix my plate.”

  Kyle filled his plate and sat at the table across from Quinn.

  “What are you planning to cook Wednesday night?” Kyle asked.

  “Still thinking about it but thought maybe lasagna. What do you think about that?”

  “Sounds good to me. Do we have everything you need to do it?”

  “Yeah.”

  Kyle nodded. “Unless she doesn’t like Italian, I’m sure she’ll love yours.”

  “I was thinking about texting her good night. Too soon?” Quinn asked.

  “I don’t think so. She’s bound to know we’re really interested in her. I mean we’ve pretty much told her we were.” Kyle took a bite of roast then pointed at Quinn with his fork. “You know, if she writes those sexy books that women read, she’s bound to know what we want.”

  “Doesn’t mean we need to jump her bones as soon as she comes in the door.” Quinn picked up his glass of tea.

  “I wasn’t suggesting that we did. Just that she’s not going into this with blinders. I don’t want to scare her off, but all I can think about is her and going to bed with blue balls every night is getting harder and harder.

  “Can’t tell me you don’t tug one off every night in the shower. I sure as hell do,” Quinn said, wagging his fork in the air between them.

  “Doesn’t do much good though. I still dream about her. Dream about all the dirty things we could do with her. Can’t fucking wait to taste her and watch her come with my hand between her legs and your mouth on her tits,” Kyle told him.

  “Fuck, now I’ve got fucking wood just thinking about it. Thanks a lot, asshole.”

  “Only fair since I’m hard as concrete right now. So, are we going to text her tonight or not?” Kyle asked.

  “Yeah. We should each do it at the same time, so she isn’t interrupted or woken up if she’d already asleep. I’ll give you thirty minutes to clean up the kitchen then we’ll say good night to her,” Quinn said.

  Thirty minutes later, Kyle strode into the living room where Quinn was watching a football game and settled into his recliner. Quinn muted the TV.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  Kyle pulled out his phone and nodded. “You go first, and I’ll send mine right after you send yours.”

  Quinn typed into his phone and hit Send. He looked over as Kyle hit Send on his phone, as well. Several seconds passed until both phones dinged one after the other.

  Goodnight Quinn. Hope you sleep well.

  “What did she say?” Kyle asked.

  Quinn turned his phone around and held it out to his friend. Kyle nodded and turned his around for Quinn to read.

  Night Kyle. See you Wednesday.

  “Like it that she didn’t just copy and paste the same answer,” Kyle said.

  “Yeah. I think she cares about us a little more than she thought she would. All we have to do is go slow and show her that we’re serious about her. I’m sure she’s worried we’re only in it for the sex.”

  “We’ll just have to make sure she knows we want a family. The whole nine yards,” Kyle told him.

  “Starting Wednesday night, we play for keeps.”

  “Operation seduction is in full on mode,” Kyle quipped with a huge smile.

  Chapter Seven

  Diana fidgeted in front of the mirror. She was wearing jeans and a pullover sweater that had a rounded neck that was just low enough to show a little cleavage. She wore sneakers but had her boots by the front door to carry with her. She didn’t want to clonk around in them all night. Besides, they weren’t very sexy. Now if she’d been going out, she had a pair of boots with three-inch heels that she loved.

  She checked the time on her phone and sighed. This was going to have to do. She couldn’t change clothes again. There simply wasn’t enough time.

  Felicity was curled up on her bed but lifted her head and gave her a bored look before yawning and dropping her head back on her paws to nap some more.

  “You’re no help. The least you could do is tell me yes or no,” Diana said with a sniff.

  The cat didn’t so much as lift her tail or move a whisker in reply. Diana smoothed down the sweater and with one last look in the mirror walked out of the bedroom. She crossed to the kitchen and pulled out a Diet Coke. She needed the liquid courage even if it wasn’t alcoholic. She also needed a clear head if she was going to be dealing with two men.

  I can’t believe I’m doing this. Somehow, it’s different than going out somewhere with them. This is their house. Where they live and sleep. Bedrooms. Oh, God.

  She felt her tummy turn somersaults at the knowledge that she was possibly taking the next step in their budding relationship. Would they push her into having sex with them? How would that even work?

  Idiot. I know how it works. I write about it all the time.

  But writing about it and actually participating in a threesome was entirely different. It had to be. Diana didn’t think she could handle the emotions that she wrote about if they had sex. Somehow a threesome seemed more intimate than a single partner. She wasn’t sure why, but it did.

  The doorbell rang so that she jumped, sloshing a small amount of her Diet Coke onto her sweater.

  “Crap.”

  Diana hurried to the fridge and set her nearly full drink inside then forced herself to walk slowly to the door to open it. When she pulled it open, Kyle stood outside with a broad smile that held a twinkle in his otherwise dark eyes. She liked that his smiles always reached his eyes. He wasn’t reserved like some of the men she had dated in the past.

  The distant past.

  “Ready, babe?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She picked up her boots and stepped outside.

  “Let me carry those while you lock up,” Kyle said, reaching out for them.

  Diana smiled and locked the door before carefully picking her way across to where he’d parked the truck behind her SUV.

  “Carefu
l, Diana. Let me help you get in the truck. I don’t want you to slip and fall.”

  She waited for him to put her boots in the back seat then climbed up into the truck with him holding her waist to be sure her feet didn’t slip out from under her. Then he reminded her to buckle up before closing the door.

  “How was your day?” she asked once he was inside and had backed out of her drive.

  “Great. Got a lot accomplished. What about yours?” he asked.

  “Really good. I managed to exceed my word goal, so I’m happy.”

  “I know from talking with Quinn that meeting or exceeding your word count goal is a big thing. He’s in a foul mood when he doesn’t get it for some reason. Don’t understand it since he’s in his little hole the same number of hours as always,” Kyle said with a chuckle.

  “Some days the words flow, and sometimes you have to pull them out like teeth. They’re painful when you have to do that.”

  “Good analogy. That’s exactly how Quinn is when he is frustrated. He acts like he’s had his teeth pulled.”

  “I hope fixing dinner tonight didn’t cut into his writing time too much,” she said.

  “Nah, he wrote Sunday so that he could feel comfortable cutting it short today to cook. Besides, having you over is more important than one day’s worth of words. He actually said that,” Kyle said, briefly looking over at her before returning his eyes to the road.

  Diana didn’t know what to say to that, so she said nothing. Looking out at the pretty snow-covered trees and craggy mountain, she tried to digest that. He sounded as if this was more to them than just dating as she’d believed. Dare she believe that they were seriously interested in her? A little thrill raced down her back like tiny electrical fingers. Sure, they’d acted like perfect gentlemen so far, but were they after something more, she didn’t know, permanent?

  They pulled into the guys’ drive, and Kyle parked directly across from the front door so she that she had a straight shot to it. He insisted that she waited for him to get down. He pulled her boots out of the back then helped her down from the truck, keeping a light hold of her arm as they crossed to the steps.