One Lick [A Tigers of Twisted, Texas Novella] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
A Tigers of Twisted, Texas Novella
One Lick
Jane Smith visits her aunt and two uncles in Twisted. Soon enough, she realizes the people of Twisted, Texas are different. But Eric Hall and Garron Warrick are more than simply different. They’re animal-wild and hot as hell.
Eric and Garron feel the connection with their intended mate Jane as soon as they see her. They go after her, using the instinctive bond between mates to win her over. Come hell or high water, they’re going to have her.
Jane can’t control herself around Eric and Garron. The thing is, she doesn’t want to. But when her aunt tells her a secret about them, she’s not sure whether to run like hell or call the men in white coats to take her aunt away.
Eric and Garron insist that “one lick is all it takes.” Jane wants them to lick her, but what will she do when she realizes who’s doing the licking?
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter, Western/Cowboys
Length: 22,631 words
ONE LICK
A Tigers of Twisted, Texas Novella
Jane Jamison
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
ONE LICK
Copyright © 2015 by Jane Jamison
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63259-440-2
First E-book Publication: June 2015
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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DEDICATION
Dear Reader,
The Tigers of Twisted, Texas have captured my imagination as I hope they have captured yours. Please enjoy.
Purr on,
Jane Jamison
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Epilogue
About the Author
ONE LICK
A Tigers of Twisted, Texas Novella
JANE JAMISON
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
Jane Smith slid her gaze over the small town of Twisted, Texas. “So this is it, huh?”
Lena Fortran, owner of The Rocking Porch Bed and Breakfast, threw back her head and laughed. Her gray-streaked blue hair didn’t move with the gesture. “Not much to look at, is it?”
“Oh, no. I didn’t mean—” Yet one look from the older African-American woman put the lie to rest. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sure it’s a great little town.”
Perfect. I haven’t even gotten to my aunt’s house and I’ve already put my foot in my mouth.
Lena reached over and patted her hand. The car veered into the other lane until she put both hands back on the steering wheel. “Don’t worry about it, honey. Twisted doesn’t look like much, but we have a good time around here. It’s no Atlanta, but we hold our own.”
She’s right about that. What will I do without all my friends? Or the excitement of a big city? What do they do for fun? Watch the cows graze?
Jane turned her head so Lena wouldn’t see her sorrowful expression. Still, she needed to make the best of things. When she’d called her aunt and asked to visit, she hadn’t cared that her aunt lived in a small Texas town. She’d wanted to get away for a while. After losing the promotion she’d worked so hard for, she’d decided to use the vacation time she’d stored up while working her ass off. If she’d had the money, she would’ve ended up on a warm beach somewhere, but she’d only had enough cash to buy a discounted plane ticket to Dallas. From there, she’d hopped a bus to Crosston where she’d been met by Lena.
“Can I ask you a question?” Jane twisted in her seat to get a better look at Lena and what her reaction might be.
“Sure you can. Ask away.”
“Considering Twisted’s a small town, do the people around here think my aunt is kind of strange?”
Lena narrowed her blue eyes. “Aren’t we all a little strange in one way or another?”
There was a deflection if ever she’d heard one. “I suppose, but I’m talking about her living with two men. I mean, Texas is conservative even in the big cities, but in a small town it’s got to be even more straight-laced.”
“No, it’s not a big thing around here. Truth be told, a lot of people are in the same kind of arrangement. Married and not married.”
“Seriously?” She gave the town a closer look. “I never would’ve thought it.”
“Honey, small town folks are like anyone anywhere else. Some just march a little sideways, is all.”
“Sideways? Like people who bury bones in their backyard kind of sideways?”
“I don’t know about burying bones. That’s more of a dog kind of thing.” Lena blinked as though she’d said something wrong. “It’s been a long time since you saw your aunt, hasn’t it?”
C
hange the subject much? “I haven’t seen Aunt Ruth since she moved to Twisted when I was six. If it weren’t for the photos she sends my mom, I doubt I’d recognize her.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re visiting. Family’s important. Plus, I think you’ll like it here if you give it half a try.”
Uh, no. “I’m sure I will, but I’m only staying a couple of weeks.”
“Maybe you’ll change your mind.”
“Maybe.” No way in hell. “Thanks again for picking me up. I didn’t realize the bus didn’t come through Twisted on every trip.”
How archaic was the public transportation around Twisted? She’d half expected to take a stage coach.
“No problem. I needed to go into Crosston anyway so I was happy to help your aunt out.”
Lena nodded, bringing Jane’s attention to the small frame house set in the middle of the block. “You’re lucky Ruth and her men live in town. Otherwise, you’d have to hop a horse or joy ride a tractor to get around.”
That would’ve been worse than a stage coach.
The house didn’t look like three people could live comfortably inside it. “So my aunt and uncles don’t own a car?”
“Nope. Being retired, they don’t need one. Besides, everything’s within walking distance of their house. If they ever do need a ride, someone’s always around to give them one.” Lena put the car into Park. “You tell Ruth and your uncles hello for me.”
That was a cue to get moving if ever she’d heard one. “I sure will.” She scooted out of the car, and then grabbed her suitcase from the rear seat. “Thanks again.”
Lena lifted her hand in a wave and backed the car into the street. She waved again as she pointed the vehicle toward town.
Jane faced the house and wondered if she’d made a mistake. Spending her vacation in Twisted with her aunt had seemed like an off-the-grid kind of relaxing way to go. Now it just seemed boring.
She hefted her suitcase to her other hand. “Oh, well, might as well make the best of it.”
The closer she came to the house, the more she saw how much it needed painting. The front porch steps creaked, warning her they might give in at any moment. By the time she’d made it to the front door, she’d already planned on calling Lena and booking a room at her bed and breakfast.
“Okay, here goes nothing.” She lifted her hand to knock.
The door swung open, leaving her standing there with her fist in the air like some lost protester.
“Janie!”
She barely had time to suck in a breath before the huge man locked his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. His hard squeeze threatened to break a few ribs. “Oh!”
At last, she was plopped back down on the porch. She sucked in another breath—just in case she didn’t get a chance to breathe again—as the bear of a man took her by the shoulders and held her away from him. His brown gaze swept over her as he gave her a grin that spread from ear to ear.
“You are fucking-A beautiful.”
She offered him a weak smile. “Thanks. And you must be one of my uncles.” Why hadn’t Aunt Ruth ever included him in her photos?
“Damn straight I am. I’m your Uncle Bob.” He caught her hand between his pawlike ones. “It’s so good to finally meet you.”
The only thing he wore was a large pair of overalls that hung from one shoulder. They were covered in dirt and grass stains, some of which had been transferred to the front of her white T-shirt.
She resisted the urge to wipe the grime away and strengthened her smile instead. “Same here. Uh, is my Aunt Ruth home?”
“Sure she is. Where else would she be?”
She could think of a lot of other places. The grocery store. The hair salon. The local support group for wives married to giants.
“Is that her?”
If she could’ve looked past Big Bob, she would’ve seen the other man headed her way. He eased about Big Bob, his frail frame half the size of her other uncle.
“I’m your Uncle Gunther.” He pulled her into a half hug. His hug wasn’t the body-breaking kind. If anything, it felt as though he didn’t really want to hug her at all. “Sorry we couldn’t get over to pick you up, but I had things to do.”
“I understand.”
She tried not to stare. She really did. The two men were polar opposites of each other. Uncle Bob was big and burly with tufts of hair peeking out of his ears and a mass of curly locks covering his large chest. His protruding stomach told how much he liked to eat. Uncle Gunther was a wiry kind of guy with big black eyes that didn’t hold any warmth. If she’d seen him walking on a sidewalk, she would’ve put her head down and tried not to make eye contact. While Uncle Bob had a curly mass of dark brown hair, Uncle Gunther had a glistening bald head.
“Ruth, where the hell are you?” shouted Gunther.
“I heard you. Quit your hollering, you old fart.”
Aunt Ruth was as vibrant as Jane’s mother had described her. With fiery red hair, green eyes, and a skin tanned to just the right shade, she could’ve passed for a woman much younger than her sixty-five years. Jane felt an immediate draw to her aunt as though they hadn’t been apart for more than eighteen years.
Ruth took a good hard look at Jane, and then nodded her approval. “Bob’s right. You are fucking-A beautiful.”
“Hey, when I’m right, I’m right.” Bob’s grin was still alive and shining. “Come on inside, girl. I’ll take your suitcase to your bedroom. In the meantime, you can sit a bit and tell us all about yourself.”
Jane let them usher her inside as though she were visiting royalty. Bob took her suitcase while Aunt Ruth wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her into the tiny living room. A worn couch and two recliners dominated the area.
“Sit down.” Aunt Ruth practically pushed her onto the couch. “Gunther, how about some lemonade?”
Gunther’s brow furrowed. “Is there anything else I can get you, ladies?” His tone was low and filled with irritation.
“No, thanks. I’m fine. Please, don’t go to the trouble.” The last thing she wanted to do was to annoy one of her uncles on the first day of her stay.
Her aunt sat next to her, pulled her into a hug, and squeezed her. “Oh, don’t let his grumbling bother you. He’s all hiss and no scratch. Now tell us. You said you were here for only two weeks. Can’t we talk you into staying longer? Maybe forever?”
“Forever?” She’d just gotten there. Who knew if she wanted to stay the entire two weeks much less forever? “I’ve got to get back to my job.”
“Shoot. We can find you a job here.” Ruth’s kind eyes glowed. “Especially if you happen to meet a special someone.”
I’ve barely sat down and she’s already hoping to hook me up with some country boy.
Aunt Ruth touched Gunther’s cheek as he bent low to place their glasses of lemonade on the coffee table. He caught Ruth’s hand then turned to place a quick kiss on her palm.
Jane watched the tender moment and couldn’t help but wish she had someone who loved her. She’d given up on men. At least for a while. Her last boyfriend, Jerry, had dumped her the same day she’d gotten word about the promotion.
“I’m not planning on dating while I’m here.”
“Maybe you will and maybe you won’t.” Her aunt took a sip of her drink. “The way I see it, there’s a reason you showed up after all these years.”
“A reason?” Jane held her glass, letting the coolness of the drink seep into her hands. “Like fate?”
“Exactly. Do you believe in fate, Janie?”
“Not really.”
Gunther and Bob took seats in the recliners. She tried her best not to stare at them, but they were so interesting. Bob was the light and Gunther was the dark.
“You should believe in fate. I can promise you it’s real. So tell me, Janie, do you believe in love?”
What was her aunt after? She’d walked through the door and straight into an interrogation. “I guess so. I mean, you three love each
other, right?”
“We love your aunt more than life itself.” Bob’s expression filled with devotion.
Wow. If she could find two men who would gaze adoringly at her the way her uncles were gazing at her aunt, she’d die a happy woman. Why couldn’t she find love? Why did every relationship she had turn into a disaster?
“You’re very lucky, Auntie.”
Her aunt gave her men a sultry look. “Yes, I am. And you could get lucky, too, you know.”
Jane sputtered the sip she’d just taken. Obviously, her aunt hadn’t meant the “get lucky” in the usual sense of the phrase. She wiped her mouth, trying to recover. “So you think I’m here to find love? That the Universe or Cupid or whatever brought me to Twisted?”
“Could be.” The way her aunt shrugged left no doubt that she was playing it down now.
She didn’t want to be rude, but she didn’t want her aunt acting like a matchmaker, either. If her aunt set her up on a blind date, she’d get out of town even if she had to joy ride a tractor to do it.
“Auntie, please don’t get any ideas. The only thing I want to do is take it easy. You know, just chill for a few days. I don’t have any desire to meet any men. Okay?”
“Whatever you say, sweetie. Still, what would be the harm? From what your mother’s told me, you can do a lot better than the men you’re dating.”
Jane held back a groan. So that was it. Her mother and her aunt were conspiring to find her a good man. Or men, if what Lena had said was true.
“All I’m saying is to keep an open mind.” Her aunt glanced at her men. “Love comes in many shapes and forms. Don’t worry about the packaging.”