Davies, Corinne - Wrapped in Fur [3xtasy Lake 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (6 page)

“Brand. What are you doing, trying to frighten an old woman to death?” His aunt sat at the large oak table to the right of him. She tried to look annoyed but then dissolved into hoots of laughter. He barely spared her a glance. His attention riveted on his would-be attacker. She wasn’t particularly short, but then he was quite tall, and she just cleared his shoulder. She wore a top that was in blended shades of green and featured a low-cut neckline that allowed a teasing glimpse of cleavage. Below that was a hideous patchwork skirt of vibrant colors that completely hid her legs. Her bare feet peeked out from underneath the hem, tiny oval toenails painted bubblegum pink.

“Hi,” the goddess in front of him said softly. He watched as her tongue darted out to catch a chocolate smudge on her lip. His brain suddenly jumped track, because he was entranced by her.

His aunt’s amused voice helped him focus again. “Are you going to say something, or just stand there? Better yet, give me the sweater and let me wash it before that stains permanently.”

“If I was an intruder, I don’t think throwing cake is an effective defense.” His calm tone shocked him, considering he was fast losing blood pressure in his brain as it all flowed south.

“Stopped you, didn’t it?” The little imp arched an imperious eyebrow, giving him the distinct impression she was looking down her nose at him.

“Hello, Auntie Aniela. I’m such a shit for staying away for so long and then trying to give you a heart attack.” His aunt muttered loud enough that most of the province could have heard her.

“Duly chastised.” He bent and picked up the cake and placed it on the plate he picked up off the floor. Licking off the icing stuck to his fingers, he walked over and gave his aunt a big hug. He couldn’t stand it if she thought he was ignoring her.

“Brand, I want you to meet our guest. This is Holly. Holly, this is my wonderful nephew.”

Brand pressed a kiss to his aunt’s temple before turning a suspicious eye on the young lady in front of him. He had dated his fair share of gorgeous women, but this pixie was captivating. Spirals of big, red curls surrounded her head, ending just at her jaw, and highlighted her porcelain skin and vivid green eyes. She looked so innocent, which made him even more suspicious.

“Nice to meet you, Holly,” he grunted after a sharp jab to his ribs from his aunt’s bony elbow.

* * * *

Holly felt rooted to the floor, her tongue fixed to the roof of her mouth. Oh, great goddess, the picture hadn’t done him justice. The beautiful boy had matured into a gorgeous man. Tall and well built, the way his clothes fit emphasized his broad shoulders and strong legs. Thick, blond hair was brushed back away from his face in a fashionable cut. He had a strong jaw and a full lower lip. A slight crook to his nose stopped him from being too pretty. Small lines creased the corner of his eyes and bracketed his mouth. He would have a beautiful smile when he relaxed enough. Suspicion came off him in waves, and she didn’t blame him. He cared for his aunt very much. Not a common occurrence, if the television shows she watched were any indication. Her second thought was that the gods had given her an incredible opportunity.

There were a few similarities in the man in front of her and the picture of the teen in the stairwell. His hair was much shorter, and the melting snow caused the longer hair on the top of his head to curl at his temples. Brown eyes the color of a fall leaf seemed to look straight through to her lonely soul. She’d met a couple of men in town when she’d gone shopping with Aniela, and other than Colwyn, no one else warmed the parts of her she feared were still made of crystal.

“So where did you meet?”

“She freed me from…”

“The shelter.” His aunt straightened and stepped forward to wrap an around Holly’s shoulders, squeezing tight. Holly didn’t understand why she lied. Colwyn didn’t have a problem with the truth. Brand should know the whole story up front. That way no one got surprised later.

“You were trapped in the shelter?” Brand obviously didn’t believe a word she said as he turned back to Holly. She was too busy glaring at his aunt, and before she could open her mouth, his aunt exercised her creativity again.

“Trapped in that life, Brand. It’s ever so hard to get out of that kind of predicament. Trapped being a metaphor, of course. It’s the holidays, and I think I have helped. Right, Holly?”

“Well, yes, of course, I couldn’t have done it without you, but I think that we need to clarify—”

“—where everyone is sleeping, of course.” Aniela turned quickly and as her arm was still around Holly, she had no choice but to follow. For an old woman, Aniela was surprisingly strong

His aunt’s expression looked far too innocent, which meant she was up to something. “Brand, you are in your usual room. I have Holly in the other spare room, and I am in mine. Now that it’s all set, I think we should turn in. Good night, sweetheart. Holly, would you mind helping me up to my room? The stairs are ever so difficult when I have a chill in my bones.”

Before she could protest, Aniela headed down the hallway practically dragging Holly behind her.

“Aniela, why won’t you let m—”

The older woman’s grip tightened and she hissed in Holly’s ear. “Not where he will hear.”

Brand had followed them out into the hallway, concern and suspicion palpable. “Are you sure you’re okay, Auntie?”

“I’m fine, sweetheart. Be a dear and put the lid on the cake plate will you? Good night. We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Aniela, what was all that for?” Holly asked as soon as they were in the bedroom, and she was freed. “You said honesty was best, and I completely agree with you. I’m sure he would understand once I explained it.
You
did.”

“Oh, honey, you don’t know him like I do. If you tell him what you really are, trust me, he will have the police here in a second. They will run all their fancy security checks, and we don’t want that. I’ve seen what they can do.”

“But…” A regal rising of Aniela’s hand stopped her midsentence. Aniela must have been a military captain in a past life. She had the aura of one.

“There won’t be any information on you, you’ll be questioned, and they will lock us both up in the loony bin forever.”

Holly didn’t know what this loony bin was, but by the look on the old woman’s face, she didn’t want to be in it. Frankly, she didn’t want to waste the last bit of time she had here incarcerated. She’d avoided Colwyn today because she was afraid of getting too attached to him, but already she missed him and knew it was too late, for her. She didn’t want to hurt him when her time ran out.

“All right, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Duly noted and ignored.” The older woman waved her hands in a shooing motion. “Off to bed with you now. We have a busy day tomorrow.”

Shaking her head, Holly left the room and headed for her own. She had tried to explain, but it didn’t work. It wasn’t just that she didn’t want to lie. She couldn’t even if she’d wanted to. That was just part and parcel of what she was. All that “creativity” earlier had raised a lot of suspicion, rightfully so. Time was ticking, and she knew there was probably no way she could seduce Brand now. So much for taking advantage of her final days here.

Chapter Five

I have some great news to share. It looks like our own Brand Denninger blew in with the storm. I heard this morning that he has come back to visit his aunt. For those of you who might have lost track, Brand has been working in BC for the last ten years. Welcome home, Brand. We’ve missed you.

~ Cris on 3XTC

Colwyn heaved a breath, leaned back in his chair, and tossed a pencil across his drafting table. He’d hoped to get some work done at home today, but his attention kept drifting. Brand was home, here in Ecstasy. Part of him wanted to drive back out to Aniela’s place, but to be honest he wasn’t certain what he would do. The idea of punching the bastard in the face sounded good at the moment. Colwyn had no idea if Brand planned to be here for a couple days or weeks.

The last time he’d come home, he had been there for less than twenty-four hours. Brand had stopped by his house to say goodbye. Colwyn had told him to fuck off and called him a coward. Brand had stood there and accepted all the viciousness he’d thrown at him and then left.

Colwyn went back to university to take architecture and took a job in the city for a while, but he couldn’t stand living there full time. So he’d come home and had ended up working with Gaspar Solfalvi designing eco-houses. He’d lived alone and had lots of time to think and wish things had gone differently. He’d known that Brand blamed himself for Brittany’s death, but he wasn’t completely to blame.

Colwyn never should have gone along with the crazy plan to jump into bed with them years before. He’d pushed Brand to share his girlfriend and had told him how much she meant to him, too. He’d been attracted to her but didn’t love her like Brand did. Her reaction had been completely understandable. Their grand plan was for Colwyn to come up behind her while she rode Brand’s cock. Forty minutes later, her car had been wrapped around a tree.

He knew that Brand only came home because of Aniela’s guest, and that reopened a decade-old wound that never really healed. Colwyn wasn’t going to let Brand go back to BC without a fight. Not this time. He wasn’t going to take Holly and Aniela with him, either.

Colwyn deliberately stayed away from Aniela’s house, not because he wanted to avoid Holly, but because he wanted her to spend some time with Brand. If the two of them felt an attraction, then he would fight for them both.

* * * *

Brand found his Auntie in the kitchen the next morning. Her mysterious guest was nowhere in sight. As usual, he had barely gotten out a
good morning
before she’d ushered him into a seat and placed a big plate of food in front of him.

“I can cook, too. You don’t have to wait on me.”

She bustled around the kitchen giving him a withering look at the mention of his cooking skills. “Not in
my
kitchen, you don’t.”

That wasn’t what he wanted to talk about, anyway. The problem was how to bring it up without putting her on the defensive.

“So, what do you think of Holly? Such a nice girl, yes?”

That was easy.
The calculating look in her eyes concerned him. She stood back against the counter top, a spatula in her hand. Aniela Denninger was county-renowned for her matchmaking. The fact that he sat in her sights wasn’t comforting.

“Don’t look at me like that. I am only here for a short visit and far too busy for what you have in mind. What do you know of Miss…do you even know her last name?”

“Stop being so suspicious. She is just a poor soul that is out of her element and needs a bit of TLC. Something
you
should keep in mind.”

Brand gave her an incredulous look. His sweet, elderly Auntie didn’t just suggest what he thought she did. Did she?

“Where is she from?” he asked, while swirling local maple syrup over the plate of pancakes she had placed in front of him. One bite and years slipped away. He felt as if he’d never left.

“Oh, here and there, lost and drifting. All she needed was a bit of a talking to, and she came right out of her shell.” A bright smile followed that comment, as if she had just answered a skill-testing question without a calculator.
What exactly is going on?”

“Morning, Aniela. Brand.” Holly skipped into the kitchen as if she tiptoed through a field of wildflowers. Brand tried to keep his concentration on breakfast and not think about how much better the syrup would taste if he licked it off her breasts. He kept his gaze on his plate and not on her dainty feet. Although he did notice that this morning her toenails were purple. Her legs were encased in a pair of over-washed blue jeans, covered in patches of all different colors and patterns. An oversized lime-green sweater lay over her shoulders, with a tight, purple T-shirt visible under it. The young woman practically tiptoed across the floor when she moved, as if she wasn’t sure if the ground was secure enough. She really had the most amazing green eyes. He’d love to get a closer look at them, and her lips—an impish grin. Damn, she caught him blatantly checking her out and not paying attention to his breakfast.

“Do you think I could call Colwyn and see what he is doing this afternoon? Maybe he can come over again?” Holly looked uncertain of her suggestion, but his aunt gave her a big smile. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, Holly. I’m certain he would love to see you again.”

Damn, maybe she’s trying to match Holly up with Colwyn and not me.

He should feel relieved that he wasn’t in his aunt’s immediate matchmaking crosshairs. Instead it bothered him to be left out. His head filled with visions of this jewel between the two of them. He and Colwyn shared such a tight connection long ago that Brand hadn’t shared a woman with another man since…His anger toward his friend had dissipated long ago, leaving emptiness inside him. He’d missed his friend but hadn’t been certain they could easily mend a decade-old wound. Until he found out more about this mystery woman, he shouldn’t be thinking about taking her to bed. Period. Let alone with someone else.

“What’s your last name?” he asked quickly, hoping to surprise her into answering honestly. If she was a crook, he wanted her arrested by this evening.