Blair, Samantha - Pioneers [Protectors 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read online

  Protectors 2

  Pioneers

  Partners at the police force and long-time friends Ryder and Andrew have fallen in love with the same woman, Annie Cabane, the owner of their favorite diner. Each unwilling to exclude the other from the relationship, the two men hatch a plan to ask her out. Everything is going well on the quest for Annie’s heart, and things are starting to heat up for the trio, until Ryder comes up with a far-fetched business idea that could mean risking all of their futures on a dream. Will Annie be able to hold the relationship together when everything turns upside down?

  Pioneers is a steamy contemporary romance about two men who are whole-heartedly devoted to one woman, and their desire to help build a safe community where people in alternative relationships can flourish. This is the second book in the Protectors series.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre

  Length: 26,605 words

  PIONEERS

  Protectors 2

  Samantha Blair

  MENAGE AMOUR

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

  PIONEERS

  Copyright © 2014 by Samantha Blair

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-074-0

  First E-book Publication: July 2014

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2014 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,

  If you have purchased this copy of Pioneers by Samantha Blair from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Samantha Blair’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Blair’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  For Nicole, who pulled me out of my writing slump and became my ultimate cheerleader.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  About the Author

  PIONEERS

  Protectors 2

  SAMANTHA BLAIR

  Copyright © 2014

  Chapter 1

  Payton Ryder glanced at his best friend, Andrew Filley, from the corner of his eye. They’d been Montana State Police Officers together for more than five years and in the same unit for more than two and a half. During that time they’d been in countless dangerous situations together, stuck up for each other, and protected each other. Not to mention the countless cups of coffee and fair number of beers they’d drunk together.

  Right now, they were doing the latter in a strip club along one of the major state highways. They had the next two days off, and they were celebrating the temporary reprieve from the hectic life. It was hard to come down from the workweek without blowing off some steam. The music changed to a slightly different but no less ambiguous techno song as a new girl stepped up onto the bar that doubled as a stage.

  Ryder took a swig of his beer trying to decide how to start the awkward conversation that had been filling his head for days. He’d known Andrew a long time. They were good friends—best friends—and there was nothing that he would keep secret from the other man. This, however, was a secret of a different kind, and the thought of bringing it up was making it hard for him to breathe. He attempted to loosen his tie before remembering that he’d changed hours ago. The neckline of his T-shirt wasn’t letting in as much air as it should.

  “Would you just spit it out already, man?” Andrew asked, shaking him from his thoughts.

  “Spit what out?” he returned.

  “Whatever it is that’s had you all screwed up for the last couple of days. I only suggested that we come here tonight because I thought you were missing the female half of the species. The strip club normally fixes your off moods, but tonight I don’t think you’ve looked at one single woman up there. Some of them have been damn fine. You need new glasses or something?”

  Ryder ran his fingers through his hair and looked around for a waitress. What he needed was a stronger drink. Spying a woman carrying a tray of empty glasses, he waved her over and ordered two shots of whiskey.

  “Seriously, Payton, look up. That girl is smokin’. What is wrong with you?”

  Looking up, he realized that the dancer Andrew was referring to was right in front of him shaking her ass in an effort to get his attention. His partner covered for him, whistling at the cute blond before slipping a bill into her G-string.

  Ryder attempted to give her a smile as she walked away, but she was already working on the next customer. He really was out of it. The waitress returned, dropping the two shots on the bar in front of him. He slid one over to his partner and then rolled the other around in his fingers.

  “You ever think about settling down?” Ryder asked by way of a conversation starter.

  “
Settling down? That’s what this is about? You meet a woman you didn’t tell me about or something?”

  “No, that’s not it.”

  “Then what?”

  Ryder hesitated again. He’d never know unless he asked, but this could destroy their friendship. “You remember Sara Effese?” he asked cautiously. “That girl out on the Big Sky Ranch?”

  “Of course. What about her?” Andrew returned.

  They’d met Sara six or eight months back because she’d been involved in a case they were working on. She was a sweet girl who had been running from a crazy ex-boyfriend. She’d taken shelter with a couple of bisexual cowboys on their ranch. Luckily everything had worked out with the case. The ex-boyfriend was now behind bars, and Sara was free to go on with her life. As far as Ryder knew though, she’d stayed with the men who had helped to protect her. The cowboys, Tyler and Gage, had decided to keep her, and share her. Strange as it may seem, the three of them were maintaining a very happy three-way relationship.

  After getting to know them, just for those few days, Ryder had realized what he wanted, what he’d been missing. He wanted a relationship like that. What they had together looked fantastic to him, better than any other relationship he’d seen.

  “Do you ever wonder what that’s like?” Ryder asked.

  “What what’s like, Pay? Would you just give it to me in plain English already?”

  “I want to have a threesome, with you and a woman,” Ryder blurted.

  Completely unable to look at the other man, he downed his shot and then followed it with the remainder of his beer. Now I’ve done it.

  “You serious?” Andrew finally asked, his voice suddenly hushed.

  “You didn’t ever wonder? Watching Tyler and Gage with Sara? Seemed to me they had a pretty good thing going.”

  “They were gay.”

  “They were bisexual. Never mind. Forget I mentioned it.” Ryder knew this was a bad idea. Why couldn’t he just keep his stupid thoughts in his own head?

  “Now hold on. Don’t go jumping to conclusions on me. You just caught me a little off guard is all. I’d like some time to think about it. This isn’t something you just throw around in normal conversation. We could lose our jobs over something like that.”

  Ryder watched as Andrew took his shot and then called the waitress over for a couple more. It was going to be one of those discussions.

  “How ’bout you give me a few more details?” Andrew asked.

  “I don’t know, man,” Ryder protested.

  “Bullshit you don’t. You’ve obviously been thinking about asking me for at least a couple of days, so ask me. You have a plan? You got a girl in mind?”

  “Yes. No…Not really.”

  “Not really? How long have you known me? You think I’m gonna let you get away with an answer like that?” Andrew pushed.

  “Fine. I’ve been thinking about Annie.”

  Andrew stopped with his beer halfway raised to his lips. “Annie? Annie diner, Annie?”

  Diner was not her last name, it was really Annie Cabane, but she owned a little diner called Annie’s Place they liked to frequent. She made some of the best food in the world as far as he was concerned. It was hard to separate her from her profession because they’d spent so many hours filling out paperwork on the stools at her counter.

  “Yes, Annie’s Place, Annie.”

  “I dunno. You really think she’d go for something like that?”

  “I have no idea. She seems pretty open-minded to me though. Truth be told I wasn’t as worried about asking her as I was asking you,” Ryder confessed.

  “How about we go someplace a little quieter and talk about it?”

  “Like where?”

  “Like Annie’s.”

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Ryder said.

  “This whole thing was your idea! Now you’re not so sure?”

  “Don’t you think we should be on the same page before we try to drag her into this? Tyler and Gage—they went after Sara together—like a coordinated effort kind of thing. Two against one.”

  “They were gay.”

  “Bi!”

  “Whatever. They were screwing each other before they met her. We’re not screwing, and sorry man, but you’re not my type. Sharing a woman is one thing—maybe—but I’m so not doing you. It’s an absolute no for me if we’re going to get into a swordfight. You hear me?”

  “Don’t worry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not interested in you either, but don’t you think we should at least try this out on some other girl first or something? What if Annie freaks out and the whole thing blows up in our faces?”

  “You think she will?” Andrew asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’m not really willing to risk a trial run on her. I mean she’s really great, and I wouldn’t want it to be just a one-time thing you know? Annie’s the kind of woman you keep.”

  “Damn straight.”

  Ryder looked at his partner, trying to read his expression. “I knew you liked her.”

  The other man shrugged unconvincingly. “Of course I like her. She’s great to us.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I mean you’ve thought about this—about asking her out? On your own?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. What if I had?”

  “Well why didn’t you go through with it?” Ryder asked.

  “I guess I saw the way you were looking at her. I didn’t want to get in your way. Besides, I think she likes you better.”

  Ryder let out a kind of barking laugh. “I don’t know, man. I thought she was more interested in you.”

  “Well there’s only one way to know for sure isn’t there?” Andrew asked.

  “We’ll ask her out together? You’d be okay with that?”

  “Maybe. I kind of think you’re nuts, but I won’t lie and say that the idea doesn’t appeal to me. You just kind of caught me off guard is all. I like Annie a lot, and while I’m definitely not gay, I’m willing to admit that I don’t have many friends like you. I’d give it a chance, if Annie would, but only with Annie. I don’t like the idea of screwing around with some other girl. If we do this, I want to do it right.”

  Ryder turned his attention back to the stage. The girls, seeing their disinterest, had moved on to other, more attentive customers. That was okay with him. He wasn’t in the mood.

  Maybe he was nuts. Maybe they both were, but that conversation had actually gone a lot better than he thought it might. He was at least half-convinced that Andrew would never speak to him again, ask to be reassigned, or something.

  This was more than just a fantasy to him. Oh sure, there had been plenty of fantasies as well, but ever since he’d met Annie he’d enjoyed their group banter. He’d wanted to ask her out, had even gone so far as to have dinner there alone a couple of times so that he could talk to her, but the conversation just hadn’t been the same. The chemistry was somehow different when it was the three of them.

  “You know?” Andrew said, dropping his empty shot glass on the bar and pulling Ryder out of his contemplation. “I could really go for a burger.”

  “Yeah,” Ryder agreed. “And a slice of blackberry pie.”

  Chapter 2

  Annie Cabane looked up from the register as the bell on the diner door jangled. She couldn’t hide the smile that came to her lips when she saw her two favorite men walk through the door. Payton and Andrew were easily her best-loved customers. They tipped well, never complained, and it didn’t hurt that they were easy on the eyes. Both police officers, they kept in pretty good shape, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed. She’d had more than a few fantasies about the two of them, in and out of uniform.

  They were similar looking, both probably in their early thirties, professional appearances, with their dark hair cut short and their clothes cleaner and better pressed than her average patron. Ryder had a longer face and sharper features than Andrew who always seemed gentle and welcoming, but they were both extremely handsome in her opinion
.

  The three of them had been flirting and talking for what felt like years, but it had really only been a couple of months. They’d started hanging around when they’d discovered her restaurant on a break from highway patrol. They stopped in frequently, but if she had anything to say about it, they’d be here every day.

  “Look what the cat dragged in,” she called. “Want me to put on a fresh pot?”

  The two men took seats at the counter as they usually did. The diner was pretty much empty—too early for the folks just leaving the bar on a Friday night and too late for the dinner crowd—so they could have their run of the place.

  “Yes, please,” Ryder answered respectfully. “I’d love a cup of your always fantastic coffee to go with a piece of your even more amazing pie.”

  “Blackberry, Apple, or Pumpkin?”

  “Do you even have to ask?”

  Annie laughed. “Blackberry it is. For you, Andrew?”

  “I’d like a menu please.”

  “Don’t you have it memorized?”

  “Maybe. But when I look at it something always jumps out and says ‘eat me.’”

  Annie grabbed a menu and slid it across the counter. “Meatloaf is on special, but if it were me, I’d get breakfast. The steak and eggs have been looking good all day. Coffee?”

  “Yes please,” Andrew answered.

  Annie set down two empty cups and poured them both three quarters full. If she didn’t give them full cups she’d have more reason to hang around and fill them back up. She put a small pitcher of creamer and a sugar caddy down in front of Andrew. Payton drank his black.