Shifters with Secrets (An MMF Bisexual Threesome)(17)

More importantly, she’d started looking into the resources of the Truckee Historical Society. They weren’t as good as the Placerville Public Library, but at least they didn’t have people intentionally making her life hard.

Besides, since half her research had been stolen, Placerville was a considerably less good place to do her work. Hard to write a dissertation if she had nothing to write one about, after all.

For the second time that day, she was surprised by a knock on her door.

Sofia froze.

How serious had that card been? Even though it had been beautiful and cursive, whoever had left it there clearly meant what they said, but she’d thought she had a little longer than a few hours to get out of town.

Maybe this weird creep who wanted her gone was a very impatient weird creep.

Standing, Sofia rushing to her tiny sublet kitchen and grabbed a steak knife. She was fully aware that it was dumb and probably useless, but it wasn’t like she had anything better.

Besides, if someone was coming to kill her in broad daylight, why knock?

The door had a chain, and Sofia stood back, knife in one fist, as she opened the door just that far, so she could barely see out.

There was Thomas’s face, right outside the door.

Without saying a word, he held up Tall Tales of the ‘49ers.


“Holy shit!” Sofia exclaimed.

She shut the door quickly, undid the chain, and then opened it wide, surprised to see Gavin standing behind Thomas, holding even more books.

“Found these,” said Thomas.

Sofia grabbed at it, then recoiled.

“Why’s it wet?” she asked.

“They were in a fire pit,” said Gavin. “The rain actually saved them.”

“A fire pit where?” she said, running her hands over the books’ covers.

The two men entered her tiny little apartment, their heads each nearly scraping the top of the door frame.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Gavin, putting his hands into his pockets and moving into the room. “Nice place.”

“You could put that knife down,” suggested Thomas.

Sofia looked at her hand, only just realizing that she was still holding the flimsy steak knife.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, and hurried to the kitchen, putting it back in the knife block. “I thought you might be whoever sent me that note.”

“So you were going to stab me with a blunt-ended steak life?” Thomas said.

Sofia looked up from the book and realized that he was grinning.

She blushed and put the books on the kitchen table, making a mental note that she needed to dry them out more.

“It was better than nothing,” she said.

She was very, very glad that she’d finally gotten off her couch, eaten something, and put on clothes that weren’t just her pajamas — the thought of facing these two handsome men without a bra on was just too much.

Even if they’re not interested, she reminded herself.

They got your books back, though, she thought. Doesn’t that count for something?

“Do you want a drink?” she asked, and went to the fridge. “I’ve got, uh, gatorade.”

“I’m good, thanks,” said Gavin, as he leaned against her kitchen counter, though the apartment was so small that he was still standing in the main room, which functioned as both her living room and her bedroom.

Speaking of small victories, she was also glad she’d made her bed that morning, despite really, really not wanting to.

“No thanks,” said Thomas, who was standing at the table that doubled as a desk where she’d put the books down.

She leaned against the countertop, her back to it, and looked from one man to the other.

“I wish you’d tell me what’s going on,” she said, trying to keep the pout out of her voice.

They looked at each other, and Gavin sort of shrugged at Thomas.

“There are people in Placerville who don’t want you to look into its history,” Thomas said. He leaned back against the countertop, standing right next to Gavin, their hips nearly touching. “They don’t like outsiders, or anyone who isn’t like them.”

Sofia just shook her head.

“It still seems like a bit much,” she said. “It’s just a dissertation.” She paused and looked down at the ugly tile in the tiny kitchen for a moment.

“I was looking into doing research over in Truckee today, actually,” she said. “They’ve got less stuff, but it might be safer.”

In one step, Thomas had strode across the kitchen and was standing in front of her, holding her face in his hands, tilting her face up, his own only a couple of inches away. His touch felt electric and warm, all the more so because she was surprised by it.

“I swear you’re safe here,” he said, he voice getting low and gravelly all of a sudden.

Sofia looked up into his eyes, and thought she saw a flash of something there for just a moment, and then it was gone.

“How do you know?” she whispered.

“I guarantee it,” he said, and she saw a smile begin to pull at the edges of his mouth. “I got your books back, didn’t I?”

“I helped,” said Gavin, who was still leaning against the counter, arms crossed in front of his chest.

He was also just barely smiling, looking utterly relaxed.