Just a Taste [Merricks, Montana 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 4

  Emily wasn’t that person. He just couldn’t see her accepting that life, despite how much he wanted her there. Hawk needed to accept that, too. Maybe he needed to let Hawk go as well. They had decided to join in a partnership and share women for many reasons, one of them being after Jasmine’s last night in his home.

  Wolf had planned an intense scene with her in his dungeon and was going to use his favorite cat o’ nine tails. Made from Kangaroo hide, it had nine braided leather falls and a sturdy handle that fit his palm to perfection. He had her tied to his cross and had warmed her up with his hand and a small paddle.

  Five strikes into his intended twenty, Jasmine had passed out cold. She hadn’t called her safe word and hadn’t cried out. In the end, it wasn’t totally Wolf’s fault and she had been sick, but he still blamed himself and his confidence was shot.

  He was her Dom, he should have been looking after her better. If they hadn’t been fighting so much, he would have noticed something was wrong and not started the scene to begin with, but he hadn’t. Now he only did intense scene when Hawk was there to spot for him.

  It was a secret that he held close. He didn’t want to lose his credibility by admitting a weakness in himself. The younger Doms looked to him for guidance and they trusted his judgment. He was a stubbornly proud man, sometimes too much, so he knew that and he didn’t want to lose face in front of his club.

  “You know my reasons,” Wolf said. “Yet you persist in pushing me toward her. You are not only setting yourself up for heartbreak, but Emily as well.”

  “I think you’re wrong,” Hawk replied. “I know you’re wrong, but for now I’ll let it go. You have set yourself an impossible mission to find the perfect woman. That way you never have to actually find her. I refuse to give up though, on Emily and on you. ”

  Wolf reached out and clasped his friend’s shoulder in his hand. He didn’t say how he felt often, but now was one of those rare times when he knew he needed to tell Hawk how much he valued his friendship. They had been through so much together in the marines and out, and Wolf couldn’t see his life without Hawk in it.

  “Hawk,” he said. “Thank you. Do you remember that night in Iraq when we came under fire and I took that bullet to my leg?”

  It was a night that Wolf would never forget. The team had been deployed on a rescue mission and had come under heavy fire. He had lost a team member that night and taken a ricocheted bullet to his upper thigh. Wolf and his team had finished the mission and rescued all the hostages before Wolf had fallen to the ground from blood loss.

  Hawk had stayed by him and stemmed the bleeding until they had made it to medical. He had said something to Wolf that night that would always stay with him and had gone a long way to forge the friendship that he now held dear.

  “Yeah,” Hawk replied. “How could I forget?”

  “Do you remember what you said to me in the helicopter?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Hawk looked at him and smiled. “I wasn’t sure you did. You were pretty out of it.”

  “Well, I do remember,” Wolf told him. “And I wanted you to know I feel the same. I’d bleed for you, too.”

  “I always knew that,” Hawk replied. “You didn’t have to tell me, but it’s nice to hear it. What did you decide to do about Candy?”

  Candy was a thorn in his side. He had decided to give her one more chance and then if she still persisted in causing trouble, he was going to have to ban her from the club for good. Only this time he would mean it.

  “I have told her that she needs to voluntarily sign herself up for the slave auction and participate without causing any trouble,” Wolf replied. “If she can get through one night without any bratty behavior, she will redeem herself. If not, she is out for good.”

  “Sounds good,” Hawk said. “There is only one problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Will anyone bid on her?” Wolf smiled at Hawk and shook his head. They both turned and continued to make their way toward the club. It was a very real possibility that no one would want the annoying, belligerent woman. On the other hand, some Doms might see it as a challenge to try and tame the shrew. No matter the outcome, they would just have to wait and see.

  Emily, on the other hand, was an entirely different situation. He shouldn’t have given in to the temptation today to see her and continued to keep his distance, but his desire to be with her had gotten the better of him.

  Hawk was right in many ways. He was refusing to make a move on their attraction, but he didn’t want anyone else to have her either. He was being selfish, but hated the thought of her being with other men. As much as he needed to keep his distance, he needed to remain close, too.

  Emily was getting under his skin, working her way past his defenses. It didn’t help that Hawk was already smitten. He would just have to harden his defenses against her once more. So why did the thought hurt so much?

  Chapter Four

  “Thank you,” Emily told Old Mrs. Hailbury and passed her a wrapped loaf of rye. “See you next week.”

  Emily watched as the town’s gossip wave good-bye and walk out into the street. Old Mrs. Hailbury was a lovely woman and one of Emily’s best customers, but the woman loved to chinwag. Where she found out everyone’s business was beyond Emily, but the woman certainly had a knack for uncovering the town’s deepest secrets.

  “Caroline,” Emily said, turning to where she stood at the coffee machine. “I’ll be out the back doing some prep. Call me if you need me.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Caroline replied. “It’s not busy.”

  “Thanks.” Emily walked out to the kitchen and changed back into her cooking apron. She liked to stay clean in front of the customers, so she always wore separate aprons.

  Emily moved to the cool room and grabbed the ingredients to make the viennoiserie pastry for her croissants. The buttery, layered dough took time to prepare, so Emily always liked to make it a day in advance. She also thought that the end product tasted better when the dough had time to settle.

  Switching on the radio for some background noise, Emily rolled up her sleeves and got stuck into her prep. Big mixers usually took most of her burden, but viennoiserie pastry was delicate and needed a gentler hand.

  Singing along to the music and dancing her way around the kitchen relaxed her as she worked. She really did enjoy being a baker. It was like a calling. Emily knew she wanted to be a baker growing up ever since she was little. She had watched her grandmother bake growing up and would sit for hours in her kitchen, listening to stories and eating the goods.

  It was one of her most treasured childhood memories and something just she and her grandmother had done together. Her brothers were always too busy outside getting into trouble and mucking around with the horses, and while she got up to no good with them on more than one occasion, spending time with her grandmother was her favorite thing to do.

  Grabbing the sugar tub, Emily measured out the required amount and coughed at the dust that rose from the bowl. It was unusual for there to be any dust at all. Her sugar was heavy and didn’t do that, but she knew what did. The consistency was too thin to be sugar and when she stuck her finger into the thin white granules and took a taste, her suspicions were confirmed.

  It was salt, not sugar in her container, which left her confused. Emily had opened the new sugar packet herself and filled the tub just this morning before to make the custard for the fruit flans. So, why was it filled with salt now?

  Emily reached under the bench and grabbed her salt tub. Sugar, her different flours, and the salt were all stored in big white tubs that she kept under her bench. She used a lot of these ingredients, so she wanted them close at hand.

  She could tell that it was empty straight away. The tub was way too light to be holding the twenty-two pounds of salt that it should. If the salt was in the sugar container, where had the sugar gone?

  Emily switched off the radio and walked out to the front of the shop.

  “Caroline,” she s
aid. “Did you use the sugar after I made the custard this morning?”

  “Yes,” Caroline replied. “But only half a cup, and there was plenty left. Why?”

  “It’s really weird,” Emily told her. “I remember filling the sugar container and then using it, and now it is filled with salt. Luckily I realized before I added the other ingredients and wasted money having to throw it all away.”

  “That is weird,” Caroline replied. “We have both been out here all morning and it was definitely sugar when I used it.”

  “Strange,” Emily said. “That is so much sugar lost and it’s not cheap.”

  “Maybe it will turn up,” Caroline told her.

  Emily certainly hoped so. She had lost three bags of cinnamon last week and a crate of milk the week before. She was starting to think that someone had it in for her.

  No, that was silly. If she had managed to upset someone, surely they wouldn’t be so petty to mess with her stock, and so far it had only been the three incidents. She was just being paranoid. Maybe she needed some time off.

  If anything else happened, she would have to mention it to someone. Maybe Sarah could run it past one of her men. Blake was the town sheriff and Sarah’s Dom. She wouldn’t want to make an official report or anything, but he might have some advice to give her.

  For now though, she would leave it alone and see if anything else happened.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Emily said. “I’ll sort it out. Thanks.”

  Emily returned to the kitchen and emptied the salt back into the right container. Sighing, she went to the storeroom and grabbed a new bag of sugar and placed it into a fresh container. She labeled and dated it, before starting on her dough.

  What had happened to the missing sugar would remain a mystery for now and it was going to frustrate the hell out of her. She hated losing things and it drove her mad until she was able to find it.

  Sighing again, she slammed down her wooden spoon and went in search of her missing sugar. Emily checked all the flour containers under the bench and then went back into the storeroom and checked in all the containers in there. Everything was exactly where she left it and nothing else was missing.

  Storming into the cool room, Emily looked through her shelves and even under them. Nothing. She checked the office and the toilets and under the counter in the store and still nothing. She had one place left she could check, and then she had to give up and get back to work.

  Making her way to the back of the building, Emily opened the back door and went out into the alley that ran behind her bakery. It was where her car was parked and she received deliveries. It was also where the dumpsters were kept.

  Carefully so she didn’t get smelly garbage on her, Emily opened the lid of the large bin and looked inside. She peered around the discarded food and trash looking for the white granules of her expensive sugar. Nothing was visible on the surface, so she reached down, stretching her body over the lip of the bin to move the bags around.

  “Emily?”

  Emily looked up at the sound of Wolf’s voice. Of all the embarrassing things, to be caught hanging over a dumpster looking through trash. He looked good, too, dressed in a tight black T-shirt with his faded black jeans and black biker boots. His dark hair was pulled back behind his neck and he had his trademark black leather jacket.

  Then she noticed Hawk standing behind him smiling like an idiot, and she thought she might have drooled. He had his dark blue checked flannel shirt tucked into a pair of blue Wranglers that molded to his muscly legs, and his shaggy blond hair looked tousled and wild.

  The men were complete opposites in look as well as attitude, but her heart refused to like one more than the other. Her body reacted the same in both of their presences, which was turned on and that left her out of sorts.

  “Wolf, Hawk? What are you doing here?”

  “We were just cutting through the alley on our way to the club,” Hawk replied, walking closer to her. “What are you doing?”

  “Looking for something,” she told them. “Hey, you didn’t see anyone else back here, did you?”

  “No,” Wolf answered. “Did you think they were in the rubbish?”

  “Funny, but no,” she said. “I was looking for something else.”

  “Anything we can help you with?” Wolf asked. As if she was going to tell him she lost almost a full bag of sugar and she suspected foul play.

  “Nope,” she said. “All good. Carry on.”

  “Babe,” Hawk said. “You are acting weird.” No she wasn’t, or maybe she was, but she wasn’t going to admit it. Not to them anyway.

  “No, I’m not.”

  Wolf moved closer and Emily back up. She couldn’t go any further when her back hit the wall of her building and she let out a little oomph. Wolf crowded her, moving into her personal space and loaming over her.

  She sucked in a breath and she almost whimpered. He smelled as good as he looked, all spicy and masculine. He lowered his head until inches separated them and Emily was reminded of being in exactly the same position with Hawk just the other day.

  “I don’t like being lied to, kitten,” Wolf told her. “You are keeping something from us and I demand to know what it is.”

  “You demand?” Emily whimpered as he moved closer and pressed his hard body against her. Her nipples hardened and her sex flooded with desire.

  “Tell me,” he said. “Hawk and I will always help you, but you have to tell us what has you acting so strange.”

  “I wasn’t,” she said. “I often look through the bin for things. I lose things a lot.”

  “Kitten,” Wolf said, sighing. “If you were my woman, I would spank you for lying until your little bottom turned a nice shade of red.”

  “Don’t tease,” she replied. “I’m not yours though, am I?”

  Emily pushed against Wolf’s chest and tried to flee. He had hurt her with his words. She wanted to be his and Hawk’s so badly, but he refused to give her the time of day. Now here he was rubbing it in her face.

  “Let me go,” she snapped.

  “I’ve tried,” he replied. “It’s not working.”

  Wolf pulled her into his arms and his big hand cupped the back of her neck. Her eyes widened in surprise as he slammed his mouth down on hers. He didn’t ease her into the kiss gently, but took her mouth hard and demanded a response.

  She moaned as he forced her lips to accept his and his tongue explored hers, tangling them together. Emily angled her head and drank in the taste of Wolf on her lips. He tasted like coffee and mint, a flavor Emily could easily become addicted to.

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled her body closer and lifted her legs to wrap around his hips. Wolf cupped her ass in his large hands and she ground her lower body against the hard length behind his jeans.

  Emily knew she had practically climbed Wolf like a tree, but she couldn’t care less with her body on fire from his kisses and his body finally between her legs, just where she wanted him. Her back was firmly pressed against the hard brick building and she used it as leverage to push herself closer to Wolf.

  Not sure how long the intimate moment would last, she was desperate to make the most of it and whimpered as she kissed him back with all the passion she could muster. Sucking his lip into her mouth, she gently bit down and felt his chest rumble as he groaned in response.

  So consumed with passion and wrapped up in Wolf’s insatiable kiss, she had totally forgotten about Hawk until his words broke through her lusty haze and dragged her back to herself.

  “Fuck that’s hot,” he said.

  Emily lifted her head, breaking the kiss and burying her face in the crook of Wolf’s neck. Her chest rose and fell rapidly and her body throbbed with built-up passion. Emily had never been so consumed in a kiss before, and it was scary how Wolf had made her forget everything around her. One thing she did know, she wanted him to do it again.

  * * * *

  Hawk watched as Emily hid her face in the crook of Wolf’s neck. He
had embarrassed her with his comment, but he couldn’t hold it back. Seeing Emily in the throes of passion was a sight he wouldn’t soon forget.

  She gave as much as she took, all the while letting Wolf dominate her mouth. When she had lifted her legs and started to grind her body against his friend, Hawk had felt it in his body as if he was the one standing there instead of Wolf.

  Hawk’s body was crying out to touch Emily’s and his mouth watered with anticipation. At first he had been shocked when Wolf had grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. His mouth had fallen open when Wolf had kissed her. Maybe his talk the other day had finally had some effect and Wolf was finally willing to move on his attraction.

  Emily finally lifted her head and looked over Wolf’s shoulder at him. Her lips were bee stung and swollen and her straight blonde hair was tussled and messy. Hawk felt his heart flip in his chest. She was adorable, her big blue eyes staring back at him laced with confusion and desire.

  “Move over,” Hawk told Wolf. “I want to see if her kiss is as good as it looked.”

  “Not yet,” Wolf replied. “She feels too good in my arms.”

  “Yes now,” Hawk said. “I’m dying here.”

  Hawk all but shoved Wolf out of the way as he slowly moved out of Emily’s arms. She leaned against the brick wall when Wolf stepped back and Hawk wasted no time in crowding her between it and his big body.

  “We have unfinished business,” Hawk told her, referring to the other day in the kitchen when he had almost kissed her, but was interrupted. “And this time nothing is going to stop me.”

  “Please,” Emily said and threw her body at his. He just managed to grab her, wrapping his arms around her waist and letting out a surprised oomph, when her body slammed into his and she grabbed onto his hair.

  Hawk lowered his mouth to hers and gently ran their lips together. She growled in frustration, but Hawk refused to be rushed and gently took her mouth. He kissed her slowly and used his lips and tongue to show her the depth of his emotions.

  He wanted to make love to her with his mouth so she would always know who she belonged to and would never doubt the depth of his affections. Tilting his head, Hawk deepened the kiss and sucked her tongue into his mouth and tangled it with his own.