Potential Match [Ménage.com 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (3 page)

“I have to admit, it wasn’t the welcome wagon I was expecting,” Bryn replied with a smile, finally feeling comfortable enough to speak. Des had a way of putting people at ease. “They sort of had me ready to leave after explaining about the ghost that roams the graveyard. Aliens I can handle—ghosts, not so much.”

Des laughed and seemed to relax as well. That was when Bryn realized he was just as nervous as she was. Bryn gave a chuckle of her own and picked up a creamer. Tearing the lid, she poured the white liquid into her coffee and watched as it turned a caramel color. The standard routine helped calm her nerves as well.

“I take it you had no trouble finding our town?” Des asked as he sipped his coffee.

“Not at all, thank you,” Bryn replied, trying to tear her eyes away from his lips. Her cheeks still tingled. Bryn snuck a look over at Duke, only to find that he was still studying her. She wondered if her lipstick had smeared and resisted the urge to check. “I appreciate you guys meeting me for coffee. I know my schedule has been crazy lately, but hopefully it slows down after this job in Tucson.”

“Des said that you run your own designer business. What kind, exactly?”

Duke surprised her by joining in on the conversation. He didn’t seem the type to make small talk, but his interest in her seemed genuine. She wanted to reassure him that she felt the same attraction, but didn’t know how without coming across as too forward.

“I help decorate and design the inside of office buildings,” Bryn answered, still stirring her coffee. Work was something she could talk about in a calm manner. “I’ve always loved the structure of the city. But there is nothing quite like taking an empty space and converting it into something elegant yet comfortable. People spend the majority of their day at work, so why not enjoy the atmosphere?”

“You travel quite a bit?” Des asked.

“I try not to take too many jobs outside of Phoenix, but a company is expanding their business and asked that I oversee their new branch. They’ve given me so much business in the past that I just couldn’t say no.” Bryn finally placed her spoon on her napkin and picked up her coffee. Taking a sip, she noticed that both men watched as her lips closed around the edge of the mug. Trying to swallow without choking, Bryn set down the cup. “So, I do have a question that I hope doesn’t offend you.”

“And what would that be?” Duke asked, seeming a little wary of what she was going to ask.

“Why would you two need to join a dating website?” Bryn looked at both of them, wanting to gauge their reactions. She found it odd that two men who looked like they did would need help in finding a woman who wanted a serious relationship, regardless of their history. And from what Des had told her, followed up by Mrs. Wheelock’s declaration, they’d certainly made their way through the women of the town. Surely one of them wanted to settle down? “Why don’t I answer that question first, though. I joined because I’ve always desired to have this type of relationship. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy to find, especially in a city like Phoenix. And before you ask, the answer is no. I have never been involved with two men before. But I do know that this is something I need to pursue. So when this site offered me a chance to find what I was looking for, I jumped at it.”

“What made you choose to meet with us?” Duke asked in a low voice.

Bryn realized that the diner was still talking in hushed tones and that some of the patrons were still glancing their way. Des and Duke probably didn’t want the entire town to know their business, although with what she’d witnessed so far, that wasn’t even remotely possible. Bryn respected their need for privacy though, and kept her voice low as well.

“I like your honesty about being tired of meaningless relationships,” Bryn answered. “I like that you want to explore something more serious.”

“Which is why we joined the site,” Des replied, replacing his coffee cup on the table. He leaned in and placed his elbows on the table. The black button-down shirt was open at the chest, revealing sun-kissed skin that she would love to taste. Would she be given the chance? Bryn tried to refocus her eyes to Des’s face as he continued to answer her question. “Everyone around here thinks we’re still these playboys that get off on loving and leaving women. We won’t say we didn’t have our fun, but that doesn’t mean we’re not able to commit. We just need to find the right woman.”

Bryn finally relaxed and started to drink her coffee. What should have been one hour eventually turned into three, and it was going on nine-thirty at night by the time she had to leave. Time had passed in the blink of an eye. She still had to drive the rest of the way to Tucson for her early-morning meeting, but couldn’t seem to drag herself away from them. They were interesting, fun, and downright sexy. They talked about everything under the moon—her work, their ranch, their families and childhood memories, politics, religion, and every other topic that could be discussed.

Bryn found that their parents lived in Nebraska, near their sister named Sarah. She was married and had children, giving Tim and Connie Winslow the grandchildren they always wanted. They came to visit once a year in the winter, and everyone always got together for the holidays. Des and Duke had a yellow lab named Spur, who tended to be a handful and was always getting into things. Bryn shared that her father had passed away many years ago from a heart attack, but that her mother was alive and kicking—and Bryn had the bruises on her ass to prove it.

“Does she live in Phoenix?”

“Yes,” Bryn nodded, sipping on her lukewarm coffee. She’d lost count of the refills, but didn’t think it really mattered since she needed the caffeine to keep her awake for the rest of her trip. “As a matter of fact, she lives in the same apartment building, so she stops by daily. Please don’t think I don’t love her, because I do. She’d do anything for me.”

“But sometimes it becomes too much, huh?” Des reached over to take her hand. Afraid he would stop touching her, Bryn didn’t move. It was the first physical contact that they’d shared. She stared down at where their hands connected. His hands were large and his fingers were warm to the touch. It had been a while since she’d felt that kind of heat. It was a tender, protective, arousing kind of touch. “Family can be overwhelming, but we all know that no one loves us more.”

Bryn didn’t want to tell them that her mother had probably already contacted the police, so she concentrated on Des’s hand. A short silence followed, causing Bryn to look around the diner. She half expected crickets to chirp. The crowd had thinned out and only a handful of people were left. Willow was behind the counter, cleaning and getting ready to shut it down. Bryn figured they probably closed at ten o’clock. Things had gone so perfect that she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Bryn knew that was her mother’s voice inside her head telling her that things weren’t always as they seemed, but she couldn’t seem to shake off that impending-doom feeling. It was Duke who spoke, relieving the stress that had started to build within her. He asked the question she was dying to hear.

“How long will you be in Tucson? Would you be willing to stop by here on your way back home? We’d love to see you again.”

Bryn broke out into a smile. She was about to look up and answer him when something caught her eye. What was her picture doing in the newspaper? Bryn reached for the paper with her free hand, not willing to relinquish Des’s touch just yet. How had she forgotten what Mrs. Wheelock said about her resembling a murder victim? My God, the woman on the front page could be her!

“We saw the paper right before you came into the diner,” Des said, pointing a finger to the caption below. “It says her name was Brooke Carlisle. Are you related in some way?”

“No,” Bryn whispered, feeling a sadness sweep over her at the loss of someone so young. She scanned the article, taking from it the important pieces of information. “Mrs. Wheelock was right. It says that she was murdered. They found her car abandoned along the side of a road, with no sign of her in the vicinity. It wasn’t until two days later that they found her body in a ditch a couple miles away from the original crime scene. She’d been strangled. This is so awful.”

“Bryn, you can see why everyone here was a little shocked when you entered the diner,” Duke said, taking the paper from her hand and opening it up to the full article on page three. He folded it along the crease and then replaced it in front of her. “There were three other victims. Each of them looks like you.”

Bryn stared down at the pictures in horror. He was right. There were some highlights about the case off to the right-hand side of the pictures. All the victims had been from Phoenix. Each murder had been similar to the one on the front page, and all the victims were petite brunettes with brown eyes. Bryn felt a shiver come over her body that had nothing to do with the previous three hours.

“Maybe you should stay in Triple for the night,” Des suggested, taking the paper from the table, folding it up and placing it on the empty seat next to him. “I don’t feel comfortable with you driving all the way to Tucson this late, and I’m sure Duke feels the same.”

The image of Des lying naked on a bed covered in red rose petals and patting the mattress for her to join him flashed through her mind once again. Only this time, Duke was standing next to the bed with his hand extended, waiting for her to join them. The paper, the murders, and her resemblance to the victims all disappeared from her head. Her sole focus was these two men and what they might be suggesting. Where they offering up her fantasy?

“There’s a great B&B down the street on the left-hand side,” Des continued, squashing any hopes that Bryn may have had. Cold water had just hit her square in the face. She didn’t know whether to be offended or flattered. Did they not feel chemistry with her or were they trying to be gentlemen? It wasn’t like she was the type to give it up on the first date, but it would have been nice to know that maybe they found her irresistible. Well, maybe for them, she would have given it up. Her previous nervousness started to come back in waves, and she pulled her hand out from underneath Des’s. Her skin immediately felt like it had been put into a freezer. “We can walk down with you and get you settled in.”

“I appreciate the offer,” Bryn said, not able to leave it at that. No siree, she just had to keep rambling on. Damn her bad habit. At this rate, they’d be shoving her out the door and into her car. “It was great meeting the two of you, but I really need to get to Tucson. My appointment is at seven in the morning, and at this rate, by the time I arrive, check into my hotel, get my luggage situated and myself to bed, well—I’ll be lucky to get five hours of sleep. With the amount of coffee I just drank, I’ll be good to go for the rest of the trip. You have my e-mail address, so feel free to send me a message if you’d like to meet for another cup of coffee at some point. If you don’t, that’s okay, too. I really enjoyed my coffee. Have a nice evening.”

Bryn had gathered her purse off the back of the chair as she talked and was standing by the time she finished speaking. Giving them a quick smile, she made her way to the door, praying they let her go on her way, yet wishing like hell that they’d stop her. Her hand hit the door and pushed, but when her body kept going and the door didn’t, she figured out too late that the door opened inwards. Closing her eyes in embarrassment, Bryn grabbed the handle and quickly made her way out the door. What had started out as such a promising evening had turned into mush—so much for that potential match.

Bryn was fishing around her purse for her keys when her phone rang. Pulling both out, she huffed in exasperation when she saw that it was her mother again. She’d been calling on and off for the past hour, but Bryn had been enjoying herself so much that she’d ignored the calls. Seeing as that wasn’t the case anymore, Bryn answered.

“Mom, I’m fine.” Bryn hit the button on the small key device, unlocking her vehicle. Coming around the side, she opened up the door and slid inside, throwing her purse onto the passenger seat. “Leaving Triple now and heading to Tucson.”

“You are so lucky I didn’t call the police, Brynny,” Frances snapped, her voice coming across loud and clear. Bryn pulled the phone away from her ear with a wince. Depression was starting to settle in with how her evening had ended, and the last thing she needed was to hear her mother say I told you so. “The next time you meet some strange guy in a town I’ve never heard of, you are to call me every hour on the hour.”

“Mom, I don’t feel like doing this tonight.” Bryn slid the key into the ignition. “I have a long drive in front of me, and I just want to get to the hotel and go to bed. I’ll call you in the morning.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me how it went?” Frances asked. “Was he nice? Did he have manners? Was he tall, dark, and handsome?”

“Mom—”

“Oh, I know that tone,” Frances replied, drawing out her
oh
. Bryn rolled her eyes. “He turned out to be a dud.”

“Mom, seriously, can we discuss this in the morning?”

Bryn had just turned the key in order to start her car when someone tapped on her window. Immediately thinking it was Des or Duke wanting to ask her to stay with them, Bryn turned her head toward the window. A cop was standing there with his black baton, tapping on her window. Shit, Bryn thought. Maybe she’d parked illegally and hadn’t known it. She rolled down her window.

“Officer, I swear I didn’t know I was parked illegally. Was there a meter I didn’t see?” Bryn asked, her words coming out at a fast pace. Why did cops make innocent people so nervous? It wasn’t like she was some criminal or something. “I can pay it now. I have quarters. I hadn’t planned on being here for so long, but the evening just sort of flew by. Is there a time limit on how long someone can be parked here? I—”