Elizabeth, Peyton - Not So Common (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Ryder’s teeth nipped her clit and she shattered. Black dots swam in front of her and her muscles spasmed uncontrollably, making her grateful Cannon’s body pressed hers more firmly to the bed. She knew he was whispering something to her, but couldn’t hear him over the ringing in her ears. She couldn’t control the convulsions that swept through her pussy because Ryder wouldn’t stop licking her clit with his rough tongue. It was exquisite torture that never seemed to end. She clung to Cannon, afraid Ryder would continue, but also fearing he wouldn’t.

  “Ryder,” she whispered hoarsely, not knowing what she was pleading for.

  “Beautiful, darlin’, just beautiful,” Cannon whispered, letting her grip him and holding her just as tightly. “Her eyes change color when she comes, Ryder. You should see it. Absolutely stunning.”

  Ryder sat up, wiping his chin with his fingers and to her complete mortification, started to lick each one. Reality slowly came back to her. She loosened her grip on Cannon and would have tried to push him away if Ryder’s voice hadn’t stopped her.

  “Don’t.”

  Amber stilled at Ryder’s command and lay beneath Cannon, breathing hard. Why did her body obey him instantaneously? She watched as he made his way slowly up the bed until his face was an inch from hers. “You are truly a treasure, sugar. Can you please just enjoy this moment and let us do the same?”

  “But I—”

  Ryder stopped her from saying anything more with his lips, hungrily taking hers, transferring her flavor from his mouth to hers. Something she always thought would be disgusting was actually very arousing, and she found herself doing as he asked. She let her body relax into both of them.

  She felt Cannon’s hands gently caress her body in long, sensual strokes, easing her muscles to loosen, concentrating on her thigh. Even knowing he could feel the ridges of her scars, Amber’s body accepted his touch and snuggled closer to him. Ryder’s tongue became gentler and he started using his teeth to nip her lower lip, while pushing the long strands away from her face that got caught up in the sweat at her temples. Her breathing started to even out, and though she should probably have been embarrassed by what had just transpired, she couldn’t gather the energy to move. Feeling Ryder’s cock against her thigh did make her tense, until he whispered, “Don’t even think about it. This was about you. We’ll go as slow as you want, as long as you understand that you are done running from us.”

  “Yeah, no more running, darlin’,” Cannon murmured in her ear in agreement, surrounding her left side with his heat.

  The three of them lay like that for quite some time, Amber using the minutes to soak up the warmth that permeated from their bodies and ignore the emotions she didn’t even want to name. A little while longer, she thought, just let me enjoy this a little while longer. Right before she drifted off, she heard Cannon say, “Sleep, Amber. We’re needed at the ranch for morning chores, but we’ll be back to pick you up for dinner. Wear something pretty, darlin’.”

  Amber felt two pair of lips brush her forehead, but was too exhausted to move or protest their request. Would it be so bad to continue this warm and fuzzy feeling they surrounded her in for just a couple more days? She hummed what she hoped to be a sound of acknowledgement and then surrendered to sleep.

  Chapter Three

  The bell jingled, signaling another customer as Amber dragged the last box of decorations from the storeroom. Waking up this morning with the lingering warmth of Ryder and Cannon’s touch, she resolved to let herself take advantage of the tenderness they had shown her last night and came to the conclusion that a few more days wouldn’t hurt. Other women had affairs and were able to walk away afterward, right? If they could do it, so could she. Being around someone who limped and lived with sporadic pain for a limited number of days was totally different than living with a person like that constantly. If she gave them a few days and took what she wanted, it would also give them time to see they weren’t meant to be with someone like her in a “forever” kind of way. It made perfect sense.

  The way they made her body react to their touches…even thinking of the way Ryder made her come with his mouth, licking away the recesses of her essence, was enough to give her a miniorgasm!

  Really, Amber thought, they wouldn’t be together long enough for her injury to get in the way, and she wouldn’t get too emotionally attached, so everyone could walk away later with their hearts intact. Especially her. Pulling out her hair band, she gathered the loose strands that kept escaping, wrapped them back up into the ponytail she had earlier, and gave herself a minute before waiting on the customer to cool her body down from thinking about last night.

  Once she felt composed enough, Amber walked to the counter. Standing there was her one and only friend she hadn’t seen in months. She shrieked and went flying around the counter to hug her. The other woman just giggled and held open her arms for Amber’s embrace.

  “Annabelle Murphy!” Amber pulled away and held her friend at arm’s length. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you call to say you were coming home? Where is Sam? How—”

  Annabelle’s light laugh cut off her questioning, and she pulled Amber back into another hug. “I missed you so much, girl! It’s so good to see you! It’s been way too long.”

  At the wistfulness of Annabelle’s voice, Amber pulled back again, only to see what she’d missed to begin with. Annabelle was much taller than her, standing at five-foot-eight with a thin body Amber had been envious of throughout their high school years. She had short blonde hair shaped in a stylish bob that angled to her pointy chin, and blue eyes that were always sparkling with mischief. Now, they were surrounded with worry lines and dulled with emotion, while her smile seemed forced. Keeping hold of her friend’s arms, Amber asked, “Honey, what’s wrong?”

  “I just wanted to come home for a visit, sweetie. Nothing wrong with that, right?” Annabelle pulled her in for another squeeze and then drew away, asking, “Do you still have my favorite snickerdoodle coffee? It was a long drive, and I could certainly use some caffeine.”

  Annabelle released Amber and sat her purse on a stool while climbing on the one closest to the serving circle Amber used when someone wanted their coffee to go. Not taking her eyes off her friend, Amber went behind the counter and poured the flavored coffee into a mug before setting it down on the wooden surface. Glancing around the shop, Amber saw a group of ladies that included Miss Lila taking a break from their shopping, and Tom Witherby, the local lawyer, consulting a client in an informal meeting. Amber was satisfied they didn’t need anything for a while and walked back around to take a seat next to Annabelle. Turning the rotating stool so she could keep her right leg extended and face her friend at the same time, Amber commanded, “Spill it, Annabelle. It might have been a while since we’ve seen each other, but no one knows you like I do. What’s wrong?”

  “It’s nothing, really. Sam and I were arguing over the same thing we always ague over and I decided to come home for the weekend.” Annabelle closed her eyes as she sipped her coffee, obviously enjoying the spiced flavor.

  Amber gave a sigh of defeat, knowing Annabelle would open up only when she was ready to do so. Her and Sam’s standing argument for the last few years was over having children. Sam was adamant that he didn’t want kids, and had been up front with Annabelle from the beginning. Everyone, including Amber, had warned her that it was a subject that should be agreed upon before their marriage, but Annabelle had thought she could make Sam see things her way after a few years of marriage. Unfortunately, the more Annabelle pushed Sam, the harder he pushed back, causing more fighting and angst in their relationship. She knew Annabelle didn’t need to hear “I told you so,” and Amber had never uttered the words, but they hung in the air whenever Annabelle visited home. Seeing the dark circles under her friend’s eyes, it was obvious their marriage was at a breaking point and one of them needed to either back down, or they needed to call it quits before they ended up hating each other. But Annabelle wasn’t ready to h
ear that.

  “Have you been home to see your Dads and Mom yet?” Amber asked, changing the subject. Annabelle’s parents were part of the ménage circle that lived near town, although only about two-thirds of the relationships were that way. The town was very discreet about its way of life and very protective of its women. She thought of last night and Ryder’s hand, but Amber quickly pushed the image away, bringing her attention back to Annabelle.

  No doubt Annabelle would be over tomorrow night and they would have their standing date of a chick-flick movie and their favorite chocolate-chip mint ice cream from the local ice cream shop, Sundaes at Sunday’s, across the street. They always made sure they had a night together when Annabelle was in town.

  Amber and Annabelle had been friends since childhood, growing up a few houses apart on the edge of town. They had been known as the “A girls,” and wherever one went, the other followed. Different as night and day, Annabelle was the social butterfly and Amber was the sidekick along for the ride. The trouble her friend got them into knew no bounds, and they still got a few stern looks from their old teachers whenever they ran into them. It was Annabelle’s family she stayed with to finish her senior year of high school after the car accident. Then Annabelle went away to college in Chicago, met and married Sam, and set up life in the city. Amber had stayed in town, got her business degree at the community college a few miles away, and worked at the coffee shop a block away from campus until she saved enough money to add to the life insurance her parents had left her and started her dream of being a business owner. It was only natural that Amber open her shop in their hometown and, being a local, everyone had helped to make sure it was a success.

  “No, I came right here for my caffeine fix. I gave Dad a call and told him I’d be at the house around noon. Father had taken Mom out to the stables for a ride. That gives me another thirty minutes or so. Anything new going on around here?”

  “You might say that, my dear. Isn’t that right, Amber?” Miss Lila’s singsong voice drifted over from the group of ladies, who were about to leave the café.

  Amber grumbled under her breath and stood from the stool slowly, making sure her leg didn’t cramp up. Just what she needed, gossip spreading across town. She was sure the whole town knew that Cannon and Ryder had been over last night by 7:00 a.m. this morning, when Earl had breakfast at the diner. From there, the telephone wires must have been on fire. This was the way of small towns, and normally, Amber loved it. When she was the topic...not so much. She needed to make sure they understood it was a temporary thing.

  “Miss Lila, they were just helping me out last night. That’s what good folk do around these parts, and you know it. They were very kind and I am taking them to dinner as a thank-you. Nothing more.”

  “Cannon and Ryder? Jeez, girl, those two have been after you forever! You finally caved?” Annabelle asked in amazement.

  Miss Lila gave Amber a sly smile and a flicker of her fingers before leaving the shop with the other ladies, amusement shining in her eyes. When Amber saw her again, she’d have to tease her about Lou and turn the tables. Snagging a wet rag, she walked over to their table and started to wipe it down. Over her shoulder, she responded, “I didn’t cave. My leg was acting up and they helped me out.”

  “You don’t accept help.” Annabelle hopped off the stool and brought her coffee over to the table Amber was cleaning and flopped in the chair. “And from the look on Miss Lila’s face, she knew more than she was letting on. So spill it.”

  Amber closed her eyes and prayed for patience. Leaving the rag on the table, she sank in the chair opposite the other side. “After Ryder made me take one of those pain pills, by the time they closed up for me and walked up to my apartment, I must have fallen asleep. They put me to bed and stayed overnight to make sure I was okay. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. They left before my alarm went off.”

  Why Amber didn’t tell Annabelle the truth, she didn’t know. The two of them shared everything with each other when they were younger, and Annabelle was really the only one left that Amber was close to, although the accident had changed even that. She would always love Annabelle, but after losing her entire family in one night, she had placed a little distance between them from that point on. Looking back, it had been easy to do, because her friend had taken off to college and started a life away from home. She was sure Annabelle had noticed, but being the person she was, let Amber deal with her loss the only way she knew how. They still had their “girl” nights when Annabelle visited home, but with each leading her own life, emotions were more easily separated. And thinking about emotions, Amber wanted to keep her feelings about Cannon and Ryder to herself, because if she said something aloud, it might come out to sound like more than it was. And she couldn’t have that. It was only going to be a temporary thing.

  “What about dinner tonight? When did that get scheduled?”

  Amber wasn’t going to tell her that Cannon and Ryder were the ones that set up the date, because that would clue her in on the little white lie she told Miss Lila about dinner being a “thank-you” meal. “It’s a considerate thing to do, Annabelle. Like I said, they helped me close up and made sure I was okay. Come on,” Amber said, deflecting the conversation, “I’ll get you a to-go coffee before you head home.”

  * * * *

  Amber nervously smoothed the gray angora sweater over her black slacks, turning to the side to see if the flat-soled boots she wore were dressy enough to pull off the outfit. Having an injury that caused her to limp, she had resigned herself to the fact that she would always wear flat shoes. High heels just wouldn’t cut it. Bringing her gaze back up to her hair, she debated on putting it up. Gathering it together, she placed it atop her head, moving her chin one way and then the other. Giving a frustrated sigh, Amber knew there wasn’t enough time to make her hairstyle fancier and released the bundle, letting it fall back around her shoulders and down her back. At least her hair was naturally wavy, so it sort of styled itself.

  Hearing a firm knock on the door, Amber took a calming breath, then another, and walked out of her bedroom. There were two entrances to her apartment. One entrance led from the café to her kitchen with an inside staircase. The other access was located in the living room, from the outside stairs that came from the parking area around back. Opening the door, the calmness she felt went right out the window and was replaced by instant arousal, as they heatedly looked her up and down. Both men were wearing jeans and cowboy boots. Cannon had on a navy sweater underneath a black dress coat. Ryder wore a black turtleneck that left nothing to the imagination of the muscles underneath due to his black leather jacket hanging open down the middle.

  “Hello, darlin’.” Cannon’s deep voice caused shivers to race up and down her spine, triggering her heart rate to accelerate. “You sure look pretty tonight.”

  “I second that.” Ryder leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, wrapping his thumbs through his belt loops. “I was sure the phone would ring sometime today, with you trying to back out of our dinner.”

  Not wanting him to feel superior, Amber shifted her weight to her left leg, crossed her arms underneath her breasts, and obstinately answered, “It crossed my mind a few times.” Where in the world was she getting this newfound courage? She stifled a nervous giggle when one of Ryder’s eyebrows rose in question.

  “And what stopped you?”

  “Well, about that. You two have been very clear that you want me,” Amber pointed out. She cursed at the blush that settled on her cheeks. “Although why you want me, I haven’t the foggiest.” Right when both men would have interrupted, seeing the way their backs straightened and the amusement left their faces, Amber rushed on before she lost her nerve. “But I wanted to propose something to the two of you that might benefit everyone involved.”

  Silence seemed to stretch on for a few moments while the men just stood there watching with expressions of distrust. She really couldn’t blame them. For a whole year, Amber had done everything to
keep them at arm’s length, and now she was suddenly turning the tables. Well, she thought, a little irked, it was really they who had changed the tables with last night’s…she wasn’t sure what last night had been.

  “That sounds interesting. May we come in to hear this fascinating proposal instead of standing outside in the cold?”

  “I’d rather talk about it over dinner, if you don’t mind.” Amber grabbed her purse and jacket off the coat rack behind the door, not providing them a chance to enter or giving herself time to change her mind. Just ask for an affair, Amber. How hard could that be? “Let’s go.”

  * * * *

  The restaurant was very quaint, about twenty minutes away in a neighboring town along a frozen river covered with layers of glistening snow. Not too big, the room’s atmosphere was very intimate, with candles lit on every table and windows along the lengthy side of the building, letting its light shimmer off the flakes to give a breathtaking view.

  It was a view Amber didn’t notice as she anxiously waited for the server to leave after clearing the men’s empty dishes and her half-eaten one. The meal had been carried out with small talk about their ranch, her coffee shop, and the town gossip. Both men made the dinner very relaxing, and even had her laughing a few times at their jokes. With them being so intense around her all the time, seeing this side of them was nice. Ryder never really lost his intensity, though, his commanding presence still underneath the surface, but seeing him relax and smile was a joy to behold.

  But now it was crunch time. How did one approach two virile, intimidating men about a temporary affair? Technically, it should be easy, considering what they had done to her last night. Even though she had had the greatest orgasm of her life, her body was craving more, and from the looks in their eyes, they knew it. It was taking everything she had not to reach out and touch them, which was something she wasn’t accustomed to. Cannon sat to her left on the outside of the table, while Ryder had the seat across from her, making her feel protected. Is that why she was attracted to them? Damn, her mind was jumping from excuse to excuse trying to reason her feelings for them. Maybe she had ADD. She made a mental note to speak with the local doctor about her thought process jumping from one thing to another.