MenageaDare (31 page)

“Eve, I’ve lost you,” Remy said. “What are you thinking
about?”

“You have not lost me, Remy,” she assured. “I was thinking
about Dare’s history. I want to know more about it.”

“I know what you mean,” he replied. “It’s as if we were
meant to be part of life here.”

She nodded. “Oh yes, I was thinking of looking into UNLV or
talking to Jaxon about colleges or universities near Dare. I’d also enjoy
talking to Taylor to see which doctors she’d recommend. I could see myself
living here, Remy.”

“Really, Eve, you’d do that even though we have friends and
family in Massachusetts?” Remy asked.

“Yes, though I’d hope we could share our time between New
England and Nevada,” she said. “Jaxon has already said he’d be willing to
travel to spend time with us, but given his mother’s illness, his schedule is
going to be more restrictive than ours.”

“What about your father, Eve? He’s going to be upset by all
this.”

“We’ll have to deal with him carefully,” she admitted. “It
won’t be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. You and Jaxon are important to
me. I love you. I don’t want to lose either of you.”

“I love you too, sugar,” Remy assured. “How about the two of
us talk to Jaxon and see if how he feels?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” she said, going up on her
tiptoes to kiss him.

“Hmm, that was nice,” he murmured upon drawing back. “Do you
mind heading to the kitchen without me? I need a few minutes.”

“Sure, anything I can do?”

“No worries, sugar,” he stated. “I won’t be long.”

Eve nodded and left, taking the back stairway they’d used
the night before, weaving her way through a narrow hallway to the kitchen.
Jaxon had his cell phone to his ear and was looking inside a restaurant-sized
stainless steel refrigerator.

Beside the fridge was a stand-up freezer, a six burner
Viking stove with a griddle in the center, two wall-mounted ovens and what
appeared to be a food-warming drawer between the ovens. All the kitchen
appliances were stainless steel, including the one-cup coffeemaker, toaster
oven, microwave and blender.

Hanging from a square rack above the center island were
dozens of pots and pans, all stainless steel except for a huge cast iron skillet
that’d been well-used.

The island doubled as a breakfast bar, with stools on one
side and a small sink and food-prep station on the other. The countertops were
made of multi-toned brown and gray granite. There was even a small antique bar
off to one side of the kitchen that could double as a dessert nook and a
glass-fronted china cabinet made of heavy oak.

What was curious was that the dishes showcased in the
cabinet were Fiesta Dinnerware, all in bright orange, yellow and red. The
brightness of the plates made the brown tones of the kitchen feel cozy.

Taking a second to retrace her steps down toward the garage
side of the house, she discovered the small room she’d thought was a utility
room was actually a game room big enough for a pool table and a round table
with a deck of cards on it. A shelving unit toward the back had an assortment
of board games.

Retreating, she noticed more doors, guessing some led to
closets and a laundry room. Back in the kitchen, Jaxon had finished his call
and closed the fridge doors.

“Hey, baby girl, I missed you,” he greeted, offering his
hand.

“I hope you don’t mind that I checked out the house. There’s
so much to explore.”

“You can do anything you want when you’re here. How are you
feeling?”

“In need of Midol, coffee would be nice too.”

“There’s a medicine cabinet in the powder room down the
hall. I’ll be right back.”

“Jaxon, why do you have Midol?”

“Wish I could say you were the only female who’s been in my
house,” he answered, looking a little sheepish. “You’ll find all sorts of
feminine necessities in that powder room and the bathrooms in the guest wing.”

“Okay,” she said, watching him walk off to the powder room.

Jaxon returned with a dose of Midol. “Will this do?”

“Perfect,” she answered, taking the two pills. He went to
the fridge again, retrieving a bottle of cold water and handing it to her so
she could wash them down.

She noticed Jaxon had taken out three big coffee mugs. While
she chased the pills with water, he showed her the plethora of coffees she
could choose from and she picked breakfast blend.

“Thank you for the water,” she said, watching while he made
her a cup of coffee.

“You’re welcome. Should I make breakfast? I was thinking of
making vegetable omelets.”

“That sounds yummy. Remy likes omelets.”

“Do you? If you’d prefer pancakes or waffles or something,
let me know.”

“No worries, omelets are fine. Although if you have onions,
can you skip putting them in mine? I don’t care for onions or too much garlic.”

“I’ll remember in the future. Here you go, love, coffee.
Hope I got it right, one packet of sugar with cream,” Jaxon said, handing her
the mug. “It’s how you took it at the hotel.”

“Perfect, thank you,” she replied, touched.

“Can I have a nice kiss as a thank you as well?”

“You bet you can,” she agreed, stepping forward and giving
him a sweet peck on the lips. A peck became much more but they were both
careful not to upset the coffee mug in her hand.

“You two need a room,” Remy declared, coming into the room
from the back hallway.

“We have one. Later tonight, we’ll retreat there.”

“Ah oh, that sounds as if you’re about to say you’re leaving
after breakfast,” Eve noted.

“Actually, I’m going to disappear into my home office for a
little while.”

“Do you mind if I hunker down in the library? I’d like to
get lost in Dare’s past.”

“I don’t mind. My office is nearby.”

Jaxon broke away from her to meet up with Remy midway across
the kitchen, taking the taller man’s hands in his.

“You okay, lover?” he asked quietly.

“I’m fine, thanks, Jax.”

Eve looked closer at Remy. He wasn’t moving as quickly as he
usually did, but he didn’t appear hurt or anything. He’d been fucked hard this
morning, it was little wonder he was walking gingerly.

“I wasn’t too rough on you?”

“No, Jax,” Remy stated. “I love sex with you and Eve, truly.
But if it’s okay, I’m asking for a break until the soreness goes away.”

“Yes, it is,” Jaxon agreed. “Omelets for breakfast sound
okay with you?”

“Sure, anything’s fine. A kiss from you would make me feel a
whole lot better.”

Jaxon freed one of Remy’s hands and grasped hold of his
black and red hair. With a tug, he brought Remy’s head down, kissing him with a
reverence that lightened her heart.

Eve loved watching them together. They reminded her of two
pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that separately didn’t appear to fit until the shapes
were connected and the rest of the puzzle shaped up around the two.

She very much wanted to be the third piece to their puzzle.
But if something happened to keep her separate from them, she’d do everything
in her power to make sure they remained together.

Jaxon and Remy separated and she sighed. They were so
handsome they made her heart swell with pride.

“What can I do to help with breakfast?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Jaxon answered. “I’m an excellent cook, though I
don’t do it often enough.”

“We’d like to help, Jax,” Remy said, offering his hand to
their lover. Jax inclined his head, accepting the offer.

The three of them worked to get breakfast underway. Remy put
himself in charge of the coffee maker, refilling mugs as needed. Jaxon showed
Eve how to chop the vegetables with the finesse of a chef.

When the omelets were prepared, they made three plates and
took them to the bar side of the center island. Between bites, she asked Jaxon
more about the town, cluing him in to her interest with the historical society
and museum.

Jaxon admitted volunteers ran the historical society. He
also told her about several colleges in Nevada with excellent reputations.
Sierra Nevada College caught her attention, as it sounded very similar to Salem
Community College, which specialized in two-year degrees.

When breakfast was done and they cleaned up the kitchen,
they all went off to get some work done. Remy sought out a room where he could
spread out his equipment and concentrate on the evidence gathered from the
weekend’s hunts.

With Remy hiding out in what Jaxon called the red playroom,
she was shown to the library, which consisted of all sorts of books from the
classics to bestsellers to historical accounts of Dare, as well as the history
of mining and exploration of the state of Nevada.

The library was immense, resembling something out of the
Victorian era. Furniture was dark, paintings were framed in black and colors
were rich, the wallpaper was floral. There was a big black sofa, a chaise,
coffee table and gorgeous electric table lamps modeled after hurricane
lanterns.

Plucking two books from a shelf, she sat down on the
comfortable sofa and started reading. Relieved to discover that her PMS
symptoms had eased considerably, she did have to admit that she was tired.
She’d call her doctor and take a nap after she read for a while.

Jaxon had disappeared through a mystery door situated in a
wall of bookshelves. It didn’t surprise her that the door was operated by a
button hidden behind a massive an antique tome of the
Kama Sutra
. He
promised he’d be back later.

Eve suspected he was going to write but didn’t want to say
that specifically for fear that it might impact his creativity. She let him
have his due. If he wanted to share what he was doing with her and Remy, he
would when he was ready.

Jax sat down behind his oak desk, opened up his laptop and
sent off an email to a friend at Sierra Nevada College. Eve had indicated her
interest in the college. It surprised him that she’d be interested in looking
for a job change from where she was in Salem, but he’d be pleased if she did.

After closing his email, he opened up the script he’d been
working on. Reading through the scene he’d written the other day, he discovered
something he didn’t expect. He liked what he’d written.

He’d never thought of himself as a screenwriter, but
apparently he’d sold himself short. It was different than writing a novel and
he could go about it with a different mindset. And Eve’s suggestion that he
write under his real name may have done the trick. Whether true or not, he was
happy to say he was writing again.

With that in mind, he took up where he’d left off, the words
flowing freely. Time stood still, all that mattered to him was the next
sentence, the next scene, stage right, stage left, who spoke, whose POV took
precedence and how he could adapt an upcoming sex scene into mind-blowing
eroticism without jumping into pornographic territory.

It wasn’t until he heard a light tapping on the door that he
paused.

“Evelyn, are you all right?” he called out, thinking she
might have knocked.

When he heard nothing, he got up, opening the door only to
discover Evelyn asleep on the library’s big leather sofa. A big book was
opened, resting across her chest.

Crossing the room to check on her, he saw that she breathed
easily, the book rising and falling. She must really be tired, perhaps a side
effect of PMS or too much sex. If he and Remington were pushing her too much
too fast, they’d need to be more cognizant of it.

Wanting her to get the rest she needed, he grabbed a throw,
removed the book from her hands and placed the blanket over her. She looked
beautiful sleeping on his sofa, completely natural.

Reaching out, his heart raced as he carefully stroked
Evelyn’s hair away from her face. She was amazing, touching him in a way he
couldn’t explain. Right then and there he knew he loved her as much as he loved
Remy.

Heart slamming nervously in his chest, he drew back, fearing
he’d startle her. But the truth was he didn’t fear that as much as Evelyn and
Remy’s disappointment when they learned the truth about the reason he’d gone to
meet with producers in Hollywood without Gemma and Niko.

The truth was he’d been heartbroken when Gemma told him she
wanted to have a baby with Niko. Caught up in his own arrogance and jealousy,
he stormed off, telling them he needed time to think, hearing none of her pleas
to understand.

And the result of their separation had been tragic. In his
heart, Jax knew he’d not caused their deaths. Yet to this day his biggest
regret was never saying he was sorry. Since then, he’d cut himself off any
chance at finding love again.

But apparently he was being given a second chance at finding
happiness with two deserving people. He didn’t know what he’d done to earn
Remington and Evelyn’s love, yet he didn’t doubt how they felt.

As much as he was tempted to awaken Evelyn right then, he
knew it was best to let her rest. Being certain to place her book within easy
reach, he stepped back, turning and heading to his office, oddly more at peace.

Funny how soul searching just now freed him to realize he
couldn’t lock himself in the past. His future resided with Remy and Eve and
he’d have to make sure he did everything in his power to treat them with the
dignity and respect they deserved. With that in mind, he began to write, not as
Ransom Hunter, but as himself, Jaxon Wynter.

Locked away from Jax and Eve in a playroom known for its red
bed, covers and décor, Remy waded through hours of camera shots, videos and
EVPs gathered during the two-night ghost hunt in town.

The data was quite surprising. Two of the EVPs gathered at
the jailhouse were enough to conduct another hunt there. He’d also like to
return to the room in the Dare Hotel where Eve picked up a very strong female
voice on her recorder. The entity had responded to a question prompted by Jax.