Sidney’s Triple Shot [Apache Crossing] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (27 page)

He glanced around his bar. The first annual Triple Shot Halloween costume party was a huge success, and the bar was fuller than it had ever been. It seemed like every citizen of Apache Crossing had shown up tonight. The band was just finishing up a set, and Tyce was dripping sweat on stage, as he sang Ty Herndon’s song “Steam.” Xavier knew the feeling. With the costume on he understood why Darth Vader was so angry in the movies, because he was so damn hot under all that black fabric. He had long since left his helmet behind the bar so that he didn’t have to carry it or wear the blasted thing.

Xavier greeted his buddies who had taken up residence at the tables next to the bar as usual. “Hey, guys, where’s Gage?”

“He took off after he caught a glimpse of Anna in her getup. Personally I’m considering saluting that new recruit,” Lane said with a lecherous smile.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you.” Xavier turned his head to see Derek Novak sitting across the table. They shook hands and greeted each other before Xavier turned back to Lane. “I think he has it bad for that girl, and if you start messing around with her, he’s going to kill you.”

“I know, but it sure is fun to get under his skin. And she really is looking fine, plus she’s looking for a good time, and I can give her that,” Lane said with a shrug.

Sidney walked toward them to collect drink orders, catching everyone’s attention. She made her way around the table, maintaining her distance with all of the men until she finally reached his side.

“Well, Mr. Vader? What can I get for you?” she said saucily, with her dark-brown eyes glowing.

Acting on instinct, he reached out and pulled her up against his chest, loving the surprise and arousal that sparked in her eyes as she gasped and slammed one hand against his pec to steady herself. “I think I could use a slave girl, Princess,” he said seductively, and he could see her heart rate increase in the pulse at her throat.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Vader, no playing with the slave during business hours! Save it for after the crowds of heathens go home!” she answered in a softer, huskier voice that was just loud enough all of his friends could hear her. His heart nearly burst with love for her as she joked openly and confidently with him in front of everyone. Would he ever get enough of this woman?

* * * *

Without warning the sexy interlude between her and Xavier was broken when Lane spoke up.

“Yeah, man, if you can touch, then so can I!” Lane said from next to them, and then he reached up to grab Sidney’s wrist, pulling her down onto his lap. “Now, pretty slave, I have some demands we should discuss.”

Sidney was smiling until she looked up at Xavier’s face and saw the rage etched into every line. Her heart skipped a beat, and a lump formed in her throat. He looked downright terrifying. She watched him silently, and Lane chattered away at her. She didn’t even feel apologetic that she wasn’t listening to what Lane was saying. All she could think about was how angry Xavier was.

A snarl from behind her had her jumping. “What the hell, Thompson? Why do you have my woman in your lap?” Noah snapped as he walked over to the group, and held his hand out for Sidney to take.

“Your woman, huh? Damn. I thought you guys were just joking the other day. Sidney doll, when you finish playing with that bozo and decide that you want a real man, just give me a quick ring. I make house calls,” Lane said with a playful wink, and Sidney could have sworn she heard Xavier growling next to her as he placed a protective arm around her naked waist. His fingers danced over her belly-button ring, sending shivers through her body.

“Thanks for the offer, Lane, but I think three cowboys is my limit,” she teased, letting her body relax into Xavier and Noah’s grip. She could feel the tension leaving Xavier as she let it be known publically that she was with them all.

A sense of rightness filled her soul, and she immediately wondered why she had been resisting this. The Dawson brothers had been nothing but loving and protective of her. She knew in her soul that none of them would ever intentionally hurt her, and that was enough for her. She wanted them to know how she felt, and she definitely wanted them to finish what they started earlier.

She bit the inside of her cheek to regain her concentration on the customers in front of her as a wave of lust hit her. Damn them, they shouldn’t have left her like this.

“Well, hell, you can’t blame a man for trying, and by the way, those are Marines, sugar, not cowboys. Believe me, there’s a difference, and if you would care to have a demonstration later, I know a cowboy that could join you and I,” Lane replied with a wink and a smack on her bare thigh that had Noah smacking him in the back of the head.

“I think I’m going to have to decline your generous offer, sweetie. They’re still men, and three is my limit,” she said jovially.

Rising on her tiptoes to place a kiss on Xavier’s jawline and then another on Noah’s cheek, she ignored the whistles and jokes behind her and headed back to the bar.

* * * *

“You two are lucky sons of bitches,” Lane muttered, and Noah nodded while Xavier laughed loudly.

“Damn right, now get your eyes off of my woman’s ass,” Noah said, cuffing Lane in the back of the head again.

He knew how lucky he was. Sidney was the best thing to ever happen to the Dawson brothers, and he wasn’t going to risk losing her to a playboy like Lane Thompson. That Marine had spent way too long single and playing the bachelor title up to the fullest. The man went out of his way to screw as many women as possible. It sure seemed like he was running from something.

Shaking off thoughts of his friend’s love life, he turned back to the stage to see Tyce announcing a break for the band. Just when he thought that Tyce was going to head off stage, he surprised Noah by turning back to the crowd.

“As this is a party, I think we’re going to do something different tonight. How does a special guest singer sound?” Tyce asked, and the crowd clapped and cheered like it was the best idea they had ever heard in their lives. Noah groaned and shook his head.

They had argued over this when they first opened the bar. Tyce believed in encouraging new talent, but Noah and Xavier believed in not polluting the sound waves with wannabe country-music stars. In the end majority ruled, and if there had been a vote tonight, Tyce wouldn’t be pulling this stunt.

“I usually wouldn’t call anyone out like this, but I heard the prettiest voice the other night, and I have an urge to hear it again.” Tyce paused while the crowd quieted to hear what he was saying. Everyone was waiting anxiously to hear who this voice was, and a gasp was heard over the crowd when he called out Sidney’s name. “Sidney Rowe, my beautiful girlfriend, needs to head on up to the stage and give us a little entertainment.”

Wolf whistles and catcalls followed Tyce’s stupid words, and he glared out at the men of the crowd. “Hey now, I did say that was my woman. Tone it down. Sidney? Where are you at, love?”

Noah whipped his head around to find Sidney standing frozen in front of the bar with a tray on her shoulder and pale white cheeks. She was in shock, and Noah wasn’t sure whether he should go to her or wait her out. Another tense moment passed before Anna and Kara took the reins and hurried over to Sidney’s side. Anna took the tray while Kara whispered into Sidney’s ear, making Sidney blush a pretty red color.

With a gentle nudge, Kara pushed Sidney toward the stage. Watching her walk toward Tyce, it was like she moved on autopilot. Noah had to admit that there was no sight sexier than his woman in that Princess Leia costume standing under the hot stage lights with a microphone in her hand and a nervous smile on her face. She consulted with the guitar player next to her, refusing to speak to Tyce while she did. When she turned to face the stage, Tyce had stepped to the side and stood at the top of the stairs looking a little nervous himself.

Yep, you dumbass, you stepped in the shit this time, Noah thought with a groan. Sidney surprised him further by moving more confidently to the barstool at the front edge of the stage where she took a seat. The soft strains of the guitar flowed over the crowded room and vibrated straight through Noah into his soul.

He watched her closely as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she began to sing Jessica Simpson’s “I Wanna Love You Forever.” She sang it with her eyes closed for the first few bars, and then her chocolate eyes opened, and he could see them shimmering with emotion from here. The words slid through his brain and registered as the most heartfelt that she had ever said out loud to him. His heart swelled, and when she broke eye contact with him to look to his left, he looked with her. She was staring into Xavier’s eyes, and Noah could feel the emotions rolling through Xavier from here. Tyce was the last to receive her eye contact, but the moment she met his eyes, Tyce walked across the stage to take her hand. When the last notes drifted away into the night, the crowd was eerily silent. A moment later, they were thundering their applause, and Sidney was beaming.

There was the woman he loved. Strong, confident, beautiful, and leaving the stage. Noah moved quickly to intercept her and Tyce, and he could see Xavier already headed to the back office. Now they would finish what they started earlier. They had her answer. Even if she hadn’t directly opened her mouth and said it to just them, she had declared it publically, and that was almost better in Noah’s eyes.

A hum of anticipation skittered over his skin as he thought about all of the fantasies he had had of Sidney Rowe in that back office. Now he was going to get to live them out, and with a full bar, too! Damn, I really am a lucky son of a bitch, he thought with a smile as he wrapped an arm around Sidney’s waist.

* * * *

He’s a dead man.
That was Sidney’s first thought when Tyce called her onto the stage. Panic overwhelmed her, and she couldn’t even force her feet to move to take her out of the line of fire. Instead she stood there gaping at him like an idiot. Thank God for Kara and Anna, because Sidney wasn’t sure how long she would have stood there like a fool if her friends hadn’t taken the choice away from her.

The distance to the stage didn’t even register in Sidney’s brain when she moved, and then she was in front of the guitarist who was smiling warmly at her.

“What are we singing, Sidney?” he asked kindly, and she fumbled to remember his name. Colby? Carter? Colton! That was it!

“Umm…” She hesitated, trying to think of a song to match her emotions of the night. This was a moment she didn’t want to lose. It had been so long since she was on stage in front of a crowd, and her body was buzzing already with adrenaline. She glanced out at the sea of familiar faces. The people of Apache Crossing were going to be her family now that she was with her men, and her heart ached with hope.

The song hit her, and she grinned back at Colton. When she told him the song, he looked a little surprised and glanced over at Tyce as his smile grew. “Yep, I think that’s perfect. Let’s sing,” he said, and he tipped his head, gesturing to her to take her place on the stool at the front of the stage.

The music was like food for her soul, and she closed her eyes to relish the sounds and feelings of the moment. She was telling her men that she loved them. Maybe it wasn’t the best way, but it was her way. She began to sing, and she could feel all eyes on her in the nearly silent bar. Somehow she could sense her three men and where they were in front of her. She opened her eyes and instantly met Noah’s beautiful blue eyes. He wore a small smile on his face and looked a little dazed. After a moment she could see the knowledge that the song was for him in his eyes, and she let go of him to look over at Xavier.

Xavier’s ice-blue orbs were hypnotizing, and he wore a look of pure male satisfaction on his granite-carved face. She drew on the strength in his body language, and she could feel her voice strengthen as she belted the words to the song loud and clear to the world. To her right Tyce stood awkwardly at the edge of the steps that would either lead him back into the crowd, or if he turned…She pulled her gaze away from Xavier to focus on Tyce.

The moment their line of sight connected, he relaxed, and that sexy smile grew on his face. His scruffy goatee only succeeded in making him look like a devilish sex God. He moved across the stage toward her as she sang out the words
I wanna love you forever, ten thousand lifetimes together
. He did nothing more than take her hand in his, but he never let go of her eye contact, and he encouraged her with that small physical touch. The song ended, and a wave of panic washed over her when there was no reaction. No applause or encouragement of any kind, only stunned silence.

This was the icy-cold rejection that she had received from Robert when she had a gig and he found out about it. Her body felt limp and empty. All of her emotions were out in the open for everyone to see and judge, and she wasn’t sure if she could handle it.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to look out into the audience just as they began to roar. At first she thought that it was in her ears, maybe the blood rushing to her brain, but her eyes landed on Kara and Anna standing near the front of the stage. They were clapping, hooting, and hollering, and it was for her. The smiles and encouragement sunk into her head and went bone deep. It was like a piece of her that had been fragmented for the last year was finally melded together whole and well. This was what she needed for herself. Not a career on stage for the rest of her life, but the opportunity to spread her wings and be the person that she wanted to be.