Splendor in Sanctuary [Sanctuary, Montana 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  He started to step away when Marilee forced her upper torso over the counter and grabbed him by the collar.

  “Hey! What the hell are—”

  She crushed her mouth to his, muffling the last of his sentence. Her tongue swept into his mouth, and before he knew it, he was kissing her back purely on instinct. Then, all at once, it felt plain wrong.

  Tatum.

  The image of Tatum in her sexy lingerie struck him deep in his gut. Taking Marilee’s shoulders, he thrust her away then stepped back and wiped off his mouth.

  “Josh McLean, you’re an asshole.” Marilee’s injured pride was reflected in the hurt gleam in her eyes, but she held her head high, her chin thrust out.

  He let out a pent-up breath and wished he’d handled it better. But he didn’t have enough practice at that kind of thing. “Marilee, I’m sorry. It’s just that—”

  “Josh, I need to talk to you.”

  Why the hell won’t these women let me finish a damn sentence?

  He whirled, turning in the direction of the familiar voice. Tatum stood a few feet away, her gaze hopping from him to Marilee and back.

  “Hey, Tatum.” For perhaps the first time in his life, he was at a loss for words.

  If looks could kill…

  Tatum’s glare got even harder. “Well, at least now I know why you haven’t called me. You or Will.” Her lip lifted in a snarl. “But wait. Isn’t Will getting a part of this action? Or has he already found his date for the night?” She added air quotes around the word date.

  He finally found his tongue. “You’ve got this all wrong.”

  She laughed, but the sound was devoid of any joy. “Oh, hell. Please, don’t feed me that sorry old line.”

  “It’s not a line.”

  To his horror, he watched as Marilee stomped over and planted herself in front of Tatum. Marilee put her fists on her hips then skimmed her gaze down Tatum and back up. “And who the hell are you to be messing with my man?”

  Her man? Josh’s mouth fell open, and he had to think to close it.

  “Your man?” Tatum glared from her to him and back again.

  “You got it, bitch. My man.” The attitude was rolling off Marilee.

  “And when did you make him your man? Because just three days ago, he was with me.” Tatum planted her feet apart, and for a moment, he was afraid she was going to haul off and hit Marilee.

  “Big fucking deal. I was with him last night.” Marilee snapped her fingers in front of Tatum’s face in a zigzag of defiance.

  Tatum suddenly looked as though she was about to pass out. “Last night?” Her beautiful face seemed to crumple in on itself.

  “That’s right. So back off and run along home. He’s mine and he’s staying that way.”

  “Now hold up a second.”

  Both women spun toward him and shouted the same words at the same time.

  “Stay out of this!”

  Women are fucking crazy. Maybe I should become a monk.

  “Like hell I’m staying out of this. I’m what you two are bitching about.” Josh strode to the end of the counter, flipped up the gate, and strode over to them. He pushed himself between the women.

  God help me. I’d rather fight a mamma grizzly bear for her cubs.

  Taking care to do it as gently as possible, he planted a hand on each of their shoulders and eased them apart. “Ladies, get a grip. This is a public establishment, and if you don’t try to calm down, you’ll get tossed out.”

  Was he really toeing the company line right now?

  “Are you threatening to throw me out?” Tatum’s face twisted with hurt and anger.

  “I didn’t mean me exactly.” Although, given the chance, he’d gladly toss Marilee out on her butt.

  “Is it true, Josh? Did you take this skank to bed?”

  He was surprised Tatum had used that kind of language, but then again, on her it sounded sexy. “No. Of course not.”

  At least not in recent memory. But had he hooked up with her years earlier? He racked his brain, trying to remember.

  Marilee’s smirk sent chills down his spine. “He’s lying to you, and I can prove it.”

  The spark of hope he’d seen on Tatum’s face disappeared. “How?”

  Marilee grew smug. “If you’ve been with him then you know he has a small tattoo.”

  Aw, crap. I must’ve slept with her at some time or another.

  He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Tatum. “Darlin’, I thought we were going to keep everything on the down-low.”

  When he checked Tatum’s reaction to Marilee’s claim he wasn’t pleased. Tatum believed her.

  Damn. Now I remember her. She wound up at a party where I went skinny-dipping. That’s how she saw my tattoo.

  “Do you, Josh?” Tatum voice broke as she spoke.

  She obviously hadn’t noticed the very small tat, especially since he’d taken her from behind. He’d gotten the tat several years earlier to cover up an ugly birthmark. Her gaze met his, and he couldn’t deny the question he saw there. “Yeah, she’s right. I have a tattoo.”

  “And do you know what that tat is and where it’s located?” Marilee’s tone dripped with satisfaction.

  “Tell me.” Tatum’s challenge came off as weak and airy.

  Marilee pounced on the dare. “It’s a four leaf clover on his right butt cheek.”

  “Is she telling the truth, Josh?”

  He wanted desperately to deny it but couldn’t. “Yeah, that’s my tattoo, but Tatum—”

  “Just forget it. Forget everything.” Tatum turned and took off toward the back of the bar and the rear exit.

  Why the hell won’t these women let me talk?

  Josh started after her, but he was stopped when Marilee took his arm and held on like a dog with his jaws locked on a steak. He pivoted back to face her.

  “Damn it to hell, Marilee, why’d you do that? You know we never got together.”

  She tried to caress his cheek, but he brushed it off. “Come on, Joshy. What’s the matter, anyway? She’s hardly your type.”

  “My type? And what’s my type?”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Me. I’m your type. You need a woman like me who can do more for you, more to you, than any plain Jane like her ever could.”

  He grabbed her arms and held them to her side, determined to finally get it through her thick skull. “Tatum’s exactly my type. She’s smart and funny and kind. And she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  Marilee’s jaw dropped. “Oh, my God. You’re really into her, aren’t you? Is that it?” She narrowed her eyes, looking deep through to his soul. “Oh, shit. Do you love her?”

  Love? He hadn’t given it any thought, but now that it was out there, he had to admit it. If he wasn’t already in love with Tatum, he was going down that road fast. Maybe he’d even started falling for her back when they’d seen each other during their college years. And Marilee might have just fucked up his chances with her.

  “You know what, Marilee? It’s none of your damn business.” He turned her around and gave her a slight push on the back. “Now get the hell out of here. Take a cab home and sober up.”

  Without waiting to see if she’d take his suggestion, he spun around and raced after Tatum.

  The hallway led to the back offices and the supply room as he passed by the restrooms. He was halfway to the exit into the alley when he heard Tatum speak.

  “Damn it.” Her voice was muffled with tears, but her words were clear enough.

  He turned around just as she darted back into the ladies’ restroom. His hand was on the knob and pushing the door wide before he realized that he’d entered no man’s land. He paused and thought about the dangerous territory he was about to trespass on. Was he the crazy one? Was it worth it?

  Of course it is. It’s Tatum.

  He sucked in a breath and took the first step into the small room that held a couch and a makeup counter with a brightly lit mirror hanging over it. The door
to the toilet area was still moving as he pushed through it. He found not only Tatum but two other women.

  Oh, come on. Give me a break with all these women!

  “Is that him? Is that the jerk?” A short, chunky brunette had her arm around Tatum’s shoulder in a protective stance.

  “Y–yes.” Tatum glared at him. “That’s the bastard.”

  Chapter Five

  Josh winced. Did she really think he was so bad? “Tatum, let me explain.”

  “Oh, sure. Let him explain.” The other woman was older, but apparently not wiser. “That’s how it was with my third husband. They cheat, they lie, and then they explain it away with promises and expensive gifts.”

  She wrapped her arm around Tatum’s waist, enclosing Tatum between the two of them. “Take my advice, honey. Accept the jewelry then kick him to the curb. It’s true what they say. A diamond is a girl’s best friend.”

  He shot her a bewildered look. “I didn’t bring her any jewelry.”

  The older woman was stunned. “Well, then he really is a loser. I say get rid of him now before he breaks your bank account and your heart.”

  Tatum shook her head. “No, Mrs. McAlister, he’s not a loser. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let him, let us…”

  “Oh, honey, don’t go there. It’s always the man’s fault.”

  Josh couldn’t take it any longer. “Ladies, would you mind staying out of this? I don’t want to be rude, but could you please leave so I can talk to her in private?”

  Both of the women hovering over Tatum began to object, but Tatum interrupted them. “No, he’s right. We need to talk. Alone. Please?”

  Mrs. McAlister and the brunette didn’t like it one bit, but they did as Tatum wanted. Though not without a lot of grumbling first. Mrs. McAlister drew even with Josh as she passed by, paused, and shot him a glower that could’ve shrunk a lesser man’s balls. Having been brought up to respect his elders, he held his tongue and kept his thoughts to himself.

  Once the door closed behind them, he took a steadying breath. What he said might determine his entire future.

  “Tatum, it’s not what you think.” Did I really say that? Talk about lame.

  “No, Josh, it’s okay. Now that I’ve had a little time to think about it, I realize that I didn’t have any right jumping down your throat. You and Will didn’t make any promises—”

  “Yes, we did.” He searched his memory trying to recall the conversation they’d had at the cabin. “We did. We talked about a more permanent relationship.”

  She blinked, studied him, then shook her head. “Look. I’m not some silly high school girl you have to lie to. I knew what I was doing when I showed up in that lingerie. And, yeah, I admit it. I was hoping you and Will would want me for more than one night. I loved hearing you talk about a possible future. But I get it now. You probably just got caught up in the moment like I did.”

  She was trying to let him off easy. Problem was, he didn’t want to be let off. Not easy. Not hard. Not in any way.

  She tried to ease past him to escape, but he caught her and made her face him. “We didn’t lie. We meant everything we said.”

  Her attempt to remain stoic failed as the hurt took over her face. “Then why didn’t you call me? And why did you hook up with that woman?”

  He skimmed his thumb over the tearstains on her cheek. “I never hooked up with Marilee. We were at the same party a long time ago where a bunch of us went swimming in the buff. That’s how she saw my tattoo. I’ve been trying to dodge her claws ever since we got back into town. The woman is relentless.”

  “So you really didn’t do anything with her last night? Nothing?” She bit her lower lip. “Still, I don’t have any right to tell you who to date or hook up with.”

  He met her gaze and tried to put everything he felt for her in that shared look. “Actually, you do have that right. We want you to have that right. Will and I are serious about you. But just so you know, I didn’t even see Marilee last night. In fact, I spent the night beating the pants off Will in a poker game.”

  “The hell you did.”

  He’d gotten so absorbed in trying to get Tatum to believe him that he hadn’t noticed Will cracking open the door and craning his head around to see them. Will came inside and took Tatum’s hand.

  “He’s telling you the truth, Tatum,” added Will. “Marilee’s been after him like a hound dog on the hunt for years. She just won’t take no for an answer.”

  Josh could see her calming down. He slid a hand up her arm. “Are you okay now? You believe us, don’t you?”

  She leaned into him, and he wrapped his arms around her. But he could tell that Will wasn’t too happy. “What’s up, cuz? How did you know we were in here?”

  “That’s the problem. I heard the commotion as soon as I came down the hallway. A whole lot of people did.”

  Tatum pushed away. “Oh, no. I hadn’t even thought about that.”

  Will nodded. “Which means that word could get around about us. Are we still going to keep this thing between us a secret? Although we may not have that option any longer.”

  “We need to try. For my father’s sake, if not our own.”

  “Okay, then here’s what we need to do.” Will pulled the door open just enough to check the hallway. “It’s clear. Tatum, I think you should slip out the back way while Josh returns to his job. He can talk it up about how two crazy women are after him, but how he doesn’t want anything to do with either one of them.”

  Josh was right with him. “In other words, I go back out there and use my skill at glib talking to convince everyone that there’s nothing permanent between you and me.”

  “Exactly.” Will motioned for them to follow him. “I’ll hang out and drink a beer and try to get the feeling of what people are saying. Go on, Tatum. Slip out the back.”

  But Tatum wasn’t moving. “I have to know first. Why haven’t you called me? Was a poker game more important?” She swallowed, her face an open book of vulnerability.

  Josh pressed his palm to her cheek. “We didn’t call you because we have to be cool about us. Trust me. It wasn’t because we didn’t want to. If we’d had it our way, we would’ve met you at the shack every night.”

  “Then do it.” She fingered his collar, making him sizzle with her touch. “Meet me at the shack again. Tonight.”

  “I can’t tonight. I’m working a double shift.” Josh knew his cousin well enough to know that Will would jump at the chance to get her alone. “And Will’s not going near the place without me.”

  Josh shot his cousin a pointed look, daring him to try and see her alone.

  “He’s right, Tatum. Let’s give it a couple of nights before we meet again. Let this uproar die down. If we lay low, everyone will have forgotten all about what happened tonight.”

  “Okay. You’re probably right. But then we can meet? Same time, same place? How about this Thursday? I’ll bring the food and drink.”

  “Wild horses won’t be able to stop us,” vowed Josh.

  She tugged on Josh’s collar again. “Just make sure that wild filly, Marilee, doesn’t stop you, either.” She sighed then hurried down the hallway.

  “Cuz, that’s one hell of a woman we have there.”

  Josh grinned at his cousin. “Damn straight.”

  “Do you think she’s worth all the trouble we’re bound to catch?”

  Josh chuckled. “Like I said. Damn straight.”

  * * * *

  Another clandestine meeting.

  Tatum tingled with excitement. This time she’d make it to the shack before Josh and Will. She wanted to greet them as they came through the door.

  Although she’d toyed with the idea of dressing sexy again so she could see their faces fill with lust, she hadn’t had the time or the opportunity. She’d rushed home after school and had started to put on a skimpy teddy when her mother had knocked on her door. She’d had to throw the lingerie back into her closet and pull on her robe so her mother would
n’t catch her.

  For a moment, she started to tell her mother where she was going and what she was about to do. She was, after all, a grown woman, and her mother knew she wasn’t a virgin. If anyone would understand how she felt, it would be her mother.

  But two things stopped her. She didn’t have the nerve to tell her mother that the men she was having sex with were McLeans. But most of all, she didn’t want her father finding out. The impression that something was wrong with him had her walking on eggshells around him. Telling her mother was the same thing as telling her father. They’d never had a secret between them, and they weren’t going to start.

  Fortunately, her mother hadn’t stayed long. She’d just wanted to check in and see how Tatum was doing. After a brief mother-daughter conversation, her mother had gone to find her father.

  I should move out and get my own place.

  The thought came more often lately, but again she couldn’t shake the feeling that they might need her sooner rather than later. Living with them made her feel better.

  Forgetting about the teddy, she yanked on a T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and running shoes. Tatum darted down the back steps, snatching up her coat then her car keys and purse off the small stand near the kitchen door. She was in her car and pulling out of the driveway in less than five minutes.

  She turned onto a side road that would keep her off the main highway. The fewer people who saw her car headed toward the cabin, the better.

  I beat them here.

  She pulled her car in front of the cabin and turned off the ignition. It wasn’t a woman’s idea of a romantic getaway, but to her, the most luxurious suite overlooking the Eiffel Tower would’ve paled in comparison. Snowflakes swirled in the gusts of the wind, giving the place a mystical, fairy-tale look. She’d always think of the cabin as where she’d first heard Will and Josh tell her that she was special to them.

  Tatum hurried inside, taking the basket she’d left earlier in the car with her. After closing the door and pulling the curtains closed, she got to work building a fire. Soon enough, a strong blaze erupted and the fire filled the fireplace, setting the shadows dancing on the wall. Keeping her coat on, she stood and warmed her hands then turned to scan the interior again.