Perfect Match [Ménage.com 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Free Page B

deceiving Elise went against his moral code. But the thought of watching her drive away without ever giving them a chance would pretty much kill him. So he would follow Chad’s lead just this once and hope his little plan didn’t blow up in their faces.
    Chad slowly pulled away from Elise, breaking off their heated kiss. Dakota watched as Elise opened her eyes. The passion he saw there made him want to take Chad’s place, but he saw that recognition was slowly dawning and decided to wait out his turn.
    Instead of blowing up the way he had expected, Elise took a step back and brought her hand up to her lips. Without looking at either of them, Elise continued to walk down the sidewalk to where Elliot’s garage was located. He shared a look with Chad, both of them wondering why she wasn’t speaking. It was a little unnerving not to know where she stood after that. Had she enjoyed Chad’s kiss? It had certainly looked like it from where he was standing, especially the way she was grabbing his hand.
    When he saw that Chad was ready to say something, Dakota quickly shook his head, indicating to let it go. When she wanted to discuss what had happened, Elise would let them know. In the meantime, they would follow her lead.
    Elliot had the garage door open and was standing alongside his brother, Mitch. Where Elliot was easygoing, Mitch was anything but. He rarely spoke unless someone had pissed him off, and always kept a wide berth with the other residents. Everyone knew that Mitch had spent close to ten years in prison. Rumor had it that he had killed a man, but no one ever had the guts to ask. As for Dakota and Chad, it was none of their business. Mitch had always been civil with them and gave them no trouble at the bar. As far as they were concerned, Mitch had served his time and should now be left alone to live out the rest of his life.
    “Elliot, think you could help us out?” Dakota asked, stopping a few feet from where they were standing. “Mitch, this is Elise Sinclair. Elise, this is Elliot’s brother, Mitch.”
    He still had a hold of Elise’s hand, and he saw her eyes widen at the sight of Mitch. He came across as intimidating, with his 6’4” height and broad chest, but Dakota assumed there was not a lot to do in jail but work out. His dark five-o’clock shadow didn’t help either, especially smeared with grease.
    Mitch nodded his head in greeting and then picked up a rag to wipe his hands. It was his way of indicating he didn’t want to shake hands. Elise didn’t seem to have a problem with that, as she just nodded in greeting.
    “If it has anything to do with this pretty lady, the answer is yes.” Elliot gave Elise a wink, and while Dakota knew he was playing a part, it still rubbed him the wrong way. “It doesn’t have anything to do with that cute little red convertible outside the bar, does it?”
    “Yes,” Elise finally answered, “and I don’t understand what could be wrong. I knew I would be driving a long distance, so I had my mechanic give her a tune-up. Everything was fine when I left Illinois.”
    “I’m sure it’s nothing serious,” Elliot reassured her. “If you give me your keys, we’ll get to it first thing in the morning.”
    Elise released Dakota’s hand and reached into her purse. She pulled out a set of keys and handed them over to Eliot. “Thank you so much. I’ll be by late morning, after I make up those flyers, if that’s all right with you?”
    “Sure, darlin’.” Elliot took the offered keys and tossed them over to Mitch. He placed them in his pocket and walked off. It was a typical thing for Mitch to do, but Dakota could see Elise watching his back as he retreated to the back of the garage.
    “We appreciate it, Elliot.”
    Dakota knew that his friend got the true meaning of Chad’s statement. Elliot had purposely disabled Elise’s vehicle to keep her in town a little longer. They definitely owed him one.
    Dakota went to hold Elise’s hand again, when she