Something Sinful This Way Comes [McQueen Was My Valley 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (10 page)

“Yes,” Xandra said softly. She very much enjoyed pasting her cheek against Nathan’s husky chest. There was something about their chemistry that had her buzzing with satisfaction and arousal. Something healthful about their exchange of vibrations. He quite literally healed her. “She was my love. I left Charleston in a big hurry, so I didn’t even take my desktop. I’ll never get another copy of that photograph.”

Nathan mused, “So it’s not the photo itself the bastard is after. It’s something
in the frame
.”

“I’ll go see Marcus. But you,” said Doug, pointing at Nathan. “Keep things clean. I don’t want to find your…your
bag
on her floor again.”

Doug exited, and Xandra noted that Nathan promised Doug nothing.

“So you still think my ex has something to do with this?” Xandra had to lift her face and look up at Nathan. She had no more excuse to keep cuddling his chest, and she was getting blood on him.

“I really do, Xandra. It’s my experience random people don’t just commit the same crime over and over. He hasn’t touched your laptop, so it’s not a document he’s after. Do you have another framed photo?”

“Just one more. Another one of me and my sisters.” She didn’t want to break away from Nathan’s comforting proximity, but she really should stop bleeding on him. “It’s in my bedroom, up high on a shelf.”

“Let me clean the blood off, love.” Xandra was thrilled beyond her wildest expectation that he called her “love.” Did he feel the same buzzing thrum of chemistry flowing between them? “It’s not a deep cut, luckily. It’s stopped bleeding already.”

“Yes, he just pressed the knife too hard. But I’ll look like the bride of Frankenstein.” Xandra headed for the bathroom, glad when Nathan followed. Turning on the sink water, she waited for it to warm up. Nathan took the washcloth from her and held it under the warm water, pressing it to her neck. When he removed it, no fresh blood flowed. “I need to ask you something, Nathan,” she said boldly. “Last night. When you got into my bed.”

The washcloth paused on her neck. She knew he was surprised she’d brought that up, but she forged ahead. “You were saying some funny things. It sounded like you were quoting fishing reports. You talked about tiger muskies in a reservoir. Then you said, ‘Roar is fast-sinking.’”

Nathan chuckled feebly. “Oh. I guess I was just reading too many fishing reports, you’re right.”

“What’s a roar, though?”

Nathan shrugged. He put down the bloody cloth and whipped a fresh towel from a rack. “Just one of those things sleeping people mumble, I guess. Sorry for climbing into your bed. I took a new pill the doctor in Abilene gave me. Sure not taking
that
again.”

Xandra was disappointed that he felt the need to apologize for something that had been stimulating and comforting for her. “Oh, so the pill was responsible for
all
of your behavior? I quite liked some of it.”

He pressed the clean towel to her throat, but she detected a hint of sheepishness. “I suppose I should ask you what this horrible, debauched reprobate did to you last night. I’m sorry I don’t recall a thing—not like that’s any excuse. I just had a vague feeling I had done something…untoward.” In the mirror she could see him looking down at her, as though he’d like nothing more than to gather her in his arms and hump her—again—up against the sink. His nostrils flared as though her scent was turning him on.

Xandra backed up a few inches, just to feel the warmth of his torso against her back again. “Untoward maybe. But if I had protested, you would’ve known it.”

He finished patting her neck with the dry towel, but didn’t seem to want to lower it. She could feel his breath against the crown of her head. “I woke up buck naked with you in my arms. Not one memory of what I’d done.”

Xandra was disappointed he had no memories. “See? Who knows. Maybe it was
I
who was untoward to
you
. Did that occur to you? I could’ve seduced you.”

“Yes. But I doubt it.”

“Why do you doubt that?”

Nathan sighed. “Because I know myself. I even know my sleepwalking, drugged self. It was me. I take full responsibility for having offended you.” He finally lowered the towel, but it only hovered over her breasts, making them tingle.

“You didn’t offend me, Nathan.” Xandra wanted to turn and face him, but she liked looking at him in the mirror. So she allowed her head to loll back against that well-built chest. With half-closed eyes, she breathed in his scent. It wasn’t an unusual feeling, the grip of his gun pressing into her shoulder blade. Javier had often gone about armed, too. “It was a delightful surprise. A hot, naked man in my bed? It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed that.”

It seemed that Nathan held his breath. Xandra wanted to encourage him, not scare him off, so she lifted one arm and snaked her hand behind his neck. Warm and musky, the scent of a real man. She didn’t want to let him get away. “You have nothing to apologize for. It was a very erotic experience, tangling with you in bed.”

Nathan seemed to think for a fraction of a moment. His decision came swiftly. Like an eagle he swooped down on her, his open mouth hot against her jugular vein. He licked, swirled his tongue about, and lightly chewed. Waves of shivers swept down her spine, raising gooseflesh on the globes of her ass. Nathan lunged his hips against her from behind, wedging the plump ridge of his cock against her. She arched her back like a cat to demonstrate her submission, gasping.

He dropped the towel to the floor. As though reading Xandra’s most powerful inner thoughts, he cupped her breast instead, snaking a finger through the gap between two snaps, popping the checkered shirt open. Xandra nearly swooned with lust, but she wanted to watch in the mirror. It was as though she were a voyeur peeping on her own erotic performance. When Nathan eased a couple fingers into her bra cup and gave a little yank, her tit popped out, full and bouncy. She admired her own tit, his hand manly and lascivious. His fingertips swept over her nipple so lightly she thought she only felt the electric charge of his masculine chemistry.

He slurped a big mouthful of her neck right under her ear, but then she felt him pull away a bit. One hand gripped her waist and the other withdrew from her breast. He panted raggedly in her ear as though he were holding himself back.

She tugged on his sleeve. “Don’t stop. Oh God, Nathan. Why are you stopping?”

He took a deep breath, held it, and stepped back from her. He had his eyes squeezed shut as though it pained him, and he raked a hand through his hair. “It’s wrong, Xandra. Wrong, wrong. You were just assaulted. Let me be your handler. Handlers don’t neck with their charges.”

She imagined a handler was some official police job description, like a bodyguard, but in her lust-filled state she decided to interpret it differently. She twirled to face him. “Yes, please, handle me! Is it because you’re having an affair with Sergeant Longtree? I don’t care, Nathan. I couldn’t care less. It’s been so fucking long since I’ve been handled properly. God! Here I am, begging. I need to be touched, Nathan. By someone who knows what they’re doing—like you.”

His look was sincere as he gripped her upper arms. He bent at the knees to look her directly in the eyes. “Xandra. We’ve got other more important things to do. Longtree has nothing to do with it. We’ve got to get you out of this apartment until we catch this whacko.”

Mortification and shame surged through her. She had just flung herself at this forceful, statuesque hunk—and he was rejecting her! It
had
to do with Sergeant Longtree! Javier’s friends had always been hitting on her. She couldn’t think of a one who would have rejected her, especially if she’d of thrown herself at them the way she just did at Nathan. “Go where? I’m not staying at your cabin, getting in between you and Julian.”

Nathan closed his eyes patiently. “Believe me, Xandra. It has nothing to do with Julian. It’s just that this maniac could walk back in here any second, and—”

“You in here?”

They stared at each other with wide, frozen eyes.

Julian had run into Doug in the lobby. Doug told him about the robber who’d gotten away. Julian was determined to get Xandra out of her suite as soon as possible.

Only, when he entered, he could see around the corner of the bathroom door. Nathan was going hard at it with the delicious lodge owner. He was dry-humping her from behind and had one luscious, full naked breast in his hand. Julian was nearly bowled over with lust to see the two objects of his craving both grappling like that. Xandra had her back arched nicely like a pole dancer, her fingers twined at the back of Nathan’s neck, wagging her shapely butt against Nathan’s crotch. And from Julian’s sneaky angle, peeking around the door like he was, he could see Nathan’s well-hung prick nearly bursting from the waistband of his jeans.

Then they broke apart. Started discussing—why,
him!
Xandra didn’t want to stay at their cabin, didn’t want to come between him and Nathan! How did she even know about them?

Julian agreed with Xandra. He didn’t want her to come between him and Nathan either. Nathan was, bar none, the most masculine, athletic, righteous and forceful man Julian had ever run up against. And if he was staying in McQueen Valley for awhile, anything was possible. Yet lately a new idea had entered Julian’s perverted mind. Something that might possibly please all three of them.
A ménage.
This idea hadn’t gotten very far—he couldn’t figure out how to make it work.

Probably out of malice and spite that he didn’t know he possessed, Julian butted in by rudely calling, “You in here?” Though he very well knew they were. They were steaming up the bathroom so heavily the mirror was fogged.

“It’s Julian,” Nathan assured the woman.

She was so limp with relief she forgot to stuff her breast back into her shirt. “Julian! Did you hear? That asshole came in here
again
.”

Julian took off his Wildlife Resources cap and smoothed his long hair away from his eyes. “Yeah. I just saw Doug in the lobby, and he told me the story. I think you have to get out of here
now
, Miss McQueen. Pack a goddamned bag and get down the hill to our cabin. Let us figure out the rest. Nathan, did you get that background guest information from the security guy here?”

Nathan looked relieved that he had a new task to do. Julian could sense he wasn’t comfortable canoodling with Xandra—or anyone else, for that matter. It was going to be an uphill battle convincing this buck to relax. Julian was convinced more than ever that Nathan hadn’t spent fifteen years arresting drunks or handing out tickets to people who kicked pigeons. Nathan was far too brutal for that. He had a much more dangerous background that he obviously wasn’t free to discuss. “I was trying to insist that she stay with us, Longtree. She’s resisting.”

Xandra resisted the fact that she was resisting. “I’m not resisting! I simply don’t think it’s necessary, and I don’t want to come between the two of—”

Nathan butted in. “I still haven’t gotten that guest information from Marcus, though my friend is sending those ears.” He seemed glad to head for the suite’s front door, spinning around to point adamantly at Xandra. “I’ll meet the
two
of you at the cabin.”

“He’s right, Xandra,” said Julian. He took the woman by the shoulders and steered her toward the bedroom. “You have two men licensed to carry concealed weapons. You can’t get any safer than us. The guy wants something
inside
this suite, not you. If you remove yourself from harm’s way, maybe he can find whatever it is. You have nothing valuable you’re afraid to lose, are you?”

“Just my photo of my dog,” she whimpered.

“All right,” Julian said soothingly. “Pack your dog photo, too, and a week’s worth of clothing.”

“I’m telling the truth, Julian.” Xandra stood in front of her closet, looking dejected. She had finally snapped her shirt up, and this seemed to make her even sadder. “Nathan doesn’t want me at your cabin. Earlier this afternoon he could barely wait for me to leave. It’s
you
he’s interested in, not me. I feel like the loser who pines for the quarterback, and he never notices her.”

Julian saw a likely overnight bag on the floor of her closet. He swooped down and handed it to her to get her moving. “Well, what I saw just now—accidentally, of course—tells me different, Xandra.”

Xandra’s jaw dropped. “
You
were
standing
there…”

Julian waved it away. “What I saw was a man struggling between two powerful sides of himself, two strong desires. He wants you, Xandra, make no bones about that.”

“But he wants you, too,” she surmised.

Julian chuckled. “I should hope so.” She still wasn’t moving, so Julian grabbed some flowery blouse from her closet and placed it on top of the overnight bag. “He’s got an ass you can bounce a quarter off of. Have to admit, Xandra. I’m in competition with you, and I’m not easily backing down.”

She looked at the flowery shirt, wrinkled her nose, and chucked it back in her closet. She confronted Julian with a fist on her hip. “So you’re both bi.”

“If that’s how you want to term it. I think so. I don’t think Nathan’s very experienced with other men, but I’m hoping he can’t resist me. Me?” Julian shrugged. “I’ve probably had more experiences with men than with women. Let’s face it. I spend most of my time in my outdoor office—the wilderness. Who do I mostly run into? Men. Men in the wilderness, hot and horny. Nathan’s planning to stay around awhile, did you know that? Teach fly fishing or something like that.”