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  Jaxie’s Ménage

  The Key Club 6

  Jan Springer

  A close encounter with death pushes Jaxie into making one of her most intimate fantasies come true.

  Never one for mixing business with pleasure, Jaxie Smarts knows it’s time to break that rule. With the help of one of her best friends, they’ll make sure Jaxie gets the two sexiest hunks at the Masquerade Ménage Ball. But Jaxie’s well-laid plans quickly unravel…

  When Ewan’s best friend, Royce, drags Ewan to the Key Club’s Masquerade Ménage Ball, he’s only going because he knows Jaxie won’t be there. Saving her life is one thing, but having his heart broken over and over by her is quite another. He’s sworn himself off Jaxie. Forever.

  At the Ball, a seductive princess bride wearing a sexy mask captures his attention, unleashing a deep craving that lures Ewan and Royce to use the Key Club’s trick hat to get her into their ménage bed. The last thing Ewan expects is to fall in love all over again.

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  Jaxie’s Ménage

  Published by Spunky Girl Publishing

  Copyright 2015 Jan Springer

  1st edition

  Edited by Julie Naughton

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal use only.

  The ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

  If you would like to share your ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Characters, places, settings, and events presented in this book are purely of the author’s imagination and bear no resemblance to any actual person, living or dead or to any actual events, places, and/or settings.

  Chapter One

  “Oh come on! This is so not what’s supposed to happen on my first day off in years!” Jaxie screamed as a crushing roar burst from the Alberta mountainside right behind her. Instinctively, she knew what was happening.

  One minute she’d been skiing down the pristine snow-covered slope, enjoying the crisp cold air slapping against her face, loving the perfect way her newly purchased downhill skis cut a path into the fresh white powder, and the next minute, the snow had quickly turned into her worst enemy.

  Avalanche!

  Below in the valley, her best friend, Rachel, waved frantically in warning to her.

  The rumble grew louder. Razor claws of panic stabbed into her. She quickly fought its icy grip, knowing she wouldn’t be able to get out of the way of the oncoming slide.

  A quick glance uphill struck a fresh wave of terror through her. A huge white wall of snow about five feet high tumbled toward her at breakneck speed.

  Darting a look around for any trees or boulders in the hopes that she could grab onto or hide behind, she saw nothing but virgin whiteness, bright sunshine and the blue, cloudless sky.

  I am so screwed.

  On a shout of frustration, she skied to a halt, tossed away her poles, and shrugged out of her knapsack. Ditching those items would make her lighter when the snow swallowed her. As she cursed her slowness, she slapped her hand on the emergency beacon nestled inside her pocket, unlatched and stepped out of her skis, knowing if she kept them on, the rushing tide might rip off her feet and break her legs.

  She screamed as the concrete wall collided into her, slamming the breath from her lungs, and knocking her off her feet.

  For a few seconds, she tumbled violently inside the snow. In a flash, sunshine and blue sky snapped into view as she was coughed to the surface. Remembering her brief “just in case” avalanche training from Rachel early this morning, Jaxie quickly oriented herself, began to kick her feet and thrash her arms, turning her body so she could whirl uphill. If she was lucky, she could swim out of this damned avalanche…

  Darkness and icy cold snow swallowed her again.

  Damn!

  What had she been thinking coming out here to ski in Alberta’s backcountry? She had a business to run. She didn’t have time to die.

  Snow filled her nostrils, and its icy fingers tried to pry her lips apart to get into her mouth.

  Panic speared into her heart.

  Oh God! I’m going to die!

  Rachel’s gut twisted with guilt and fear as Jaxie disappeared beneath the rolling blanket of white. One minute the two of them had been enjoying skiing down the fresh powder, and the next minute the roar of the avalanche burst through her like a shockwave. As the snow continued its lightning-speed descent toward Rachel, she realized she was in serious trouble too. The avalanche also had her in its sights.

  She hadn’t even thought about trying to outrun it. Had only thought of warning Jaxie. But now as the snow swallowed Jaxie and crashed toward her, Rachel could only stand and stare at death.

  How can it end this way?

  To Rachel’s disbelief, the slide ended abruptly about thirty feet from her. Her heart cracked like a battering ram and her hands trembled so violently it took her several tries to pry her cell phone out of her ski-jacket pocket.

  With shaky fingers, she managed to punch in the numbers for Sunset Valley Search and Rescue.

  * * * * *

  Ewan smiled at the breathtaking scenery of towering lush green pine trees, snow-capped mountains and the snow-covered valley below as he drove his truck up the steep dirt road that wound along the side of Sunset Mountain. Not everyone had the privilege of such breathtaking scenery on his or her drive to work. He counted himself lucky. He’d never regretted quitting his stressful job as a paramedic in Toronto, Ontario. He didn’t miss the traffic jams, the crazy drivers who weaved in and out of traffic, or the gridlock at the traffic lights as he tried to maneuver the ambulance through the city to get to an emergency call or get an injured or dying patient to a hospital.

  He enjoyed this untamed land in the backcountry and the challenge of his job as a medic for Alberta’s Sunset Valley Search and Rescue. There was only one hospital in town to deal with, limited red tape and one fast chopper.

  He was living his dream. He was saving lives and the fringe benefits were the breathtaking scenery, fresh mountain air and plenty of friendly, easygoing people.

  As he reached the top of the mountain, he drove his vehicle into the small parking lot behind headquarters. He noted that his friend Royce Murdock’s rusty black truck was here. Rescue workers Craig Johnson and Paul Crisp were just coming off their shift, strolling across the parking lot toward their trucks. The two men waved and shouted greetings to him as he got out of his vehicle. He waved back and made his way toward the small two-story lookout style building with plenty of large windows, perched right at the edge of a rocky mountain peak.

  His boots clomped on the stairs and then the wraparound wood deck as he headed for the door. He pushed the door inward and instantly sensed there was an incoming call for help. Their dispatcher, Amanda Banks, who sat at the communication station, was rapidly relaying instructions to Royce.

  Ewan quickly dumped his lunch into the lunchroom fridge, grabbed his and Royce’s gear from the locker room, and met Royce as he rushed out of the station area.

  Normally Royce was as calm as a cucumber during emergencies, but the paleness of his face and his swearing softly beneath his breath snapped uneasiness through Ewan as his friend came to an abrupt halt right in front of him.

  “Avalanche on the north side of Sunset Valley. One skier down. We need to get there yesterday,” Royce said quickly. He paused and his blue gaze grew dark as he gazed at E
wan. Instinctively, Ewan knew he wasn’t going to like what Royce was about to say.

  “Ewan…its Jaxie. She’s caught in an avalanche.”

  Ewan winced as the words sliced into him like painful bullets. He barely heard the other guys rush back into headquarters and brush past him. The dispatcher must have recalled them.

  Jaxie? My Jaxie?

  How was that possible? She never went out skiing. She never took a day off. It was why he’d called off their relationship. She was married to her job.

  “Come on! Move! Move!” Craig shouted as he lunged by Ewan.

  Ewan could barely move his legs as the rest of the team rushed past. As the shock wore off, adrenaline and fear pumped into him.

  Jaxie. What the hell am I going to do if something happens to her?

  In a blur, he followed the others outside. The chilly spring breeze slapped against him as he hurried to the helicopter pad. In a torturous long minute, they were airborne.

  Had he heard right? Or was he asleep, having a nightmare?

  “ETA is ten minutes,” Royce growled in a solemn voice as Ewan strapped himself into his seat beside Royce.

  Damn. Normally, an avalanche survivor had fifteen minutes, tops, to survive — and that was if they did everything right, like deploy their airbags. If Jaxie was even wearing one, which he doubted. Jaxie didn’t like playing by the rules. If he were a betting man, he’d bet she wasn’t wearing a helmet or a warm toque because it would mess with her hair.

  A cold sweat broke out across the back of his neck. Was the woman he’d once loved with his entire being — hell, the woman he still secretly loved like crazy — going to die in such a horrible way?

  Oh, man, she couldn’t die. He wouldn’t let her.

  Hang on, Jaxie. I’m coming, babe.

  * * * * *

  Hang on, Jaxie. I’m coming, babe.

  The words sunk through the blackness of Jaxie’s ice-cold coffin and for the briefest instant hope flooded through her. Had she actually heard Ewan calling out to her? Or was she already hallucinating?

  She couldn’t open her eyes to see if he was here with her, because the snow packed her eyelids closed. She could barely inhale a breath, either, because the snow pressed against her chest with such an intense force, it hurt to take a breath.

  She was entombed. A mummy. Destined to die.

  Panic pierced her.

  Oh God, am I going to die here?

  She bit back the terror threatening to engulf her. She didn’t know how many times she’d tumbled around within the avalanche, but it had been way too many times for comfort. Waves of dizziness rocked her and nausea punched her tummy.

  She had no idea if she was right side up, sideways or upside down. Her right arm was stretched up above her head. She couldn’t move it. Her wrist ached like a bitch and when she tried to wiggle her fingers, pain pierced the tips.

  Great. She probably had frostbite. Her feet were cold and her legs were sore. A bad chill was creeping into her body. They’d probably have to amputate her hands and feet…

  Stop it! You’ve still got time.

  Yeah, she had some time. Minutes. If that.

  She’d hit the emergency beacon, and rescuers would find her. Rachel would have called for help, and she had a small shovel in her knapsack.

  Unless…

  Maybe Rachel had been trapped in the avalanche too?

  Another burst of panic made her whimper. Had her friend been sucked into the same fate as her? Was Rachel now entombed in an ice coffin too?

  Calm down.

  She needed to remain positive. She needed to save her oxygen by breathing incredibly slow.

  Oh man, if she ever got out of here, she’d make sure she checked off everything on her bucket list. She was so not in the mood for this shit.

  She should be at work. She had a club to run. No, actually, the club shouldn’t be her top priority. She should be living life with Ewan. Damn! She was so stupid in letting him go. She should have swallowed her pride and asked him to take her back. Instead, she’d buried herself even more in her work. Then, the one time she’d decided to not put herself first and instead help out a friend and take the day off to go skiing with her, this happened.

  Why was this happening to her?

  You know why, an inner voice echoed from somewhere. Was that her mother’s voice? No, not possible. Mom was dead. Dad was dead. Her family was dead.

  Why? Why? Why had everyone she loved died? Why did bad things happen to the people she loved?

  Another wave of dizziness swept over her. She wanted to scream. Her breathing was too fast.

  Calm down!

  She had too many things left to do in life.

  Like what? You had your chance, sweetheart. You blew it.

  Dad?

  Shit. She was hallucinating. Lack of oxygen.

  Slow down your breathing. They’ll find you. You’ll be able to check off that bucket list you’ve been working on. You’ll get that ménage you’ve always wanted too.

  Not a ménage with Ewan. She doubted he was that kind of guy. But maybe, she might even get back with him?

  Stupid woman.

  She’d been living her intimate fantasies by hooking up her friends with their fantasies and not going after her own.

  She would get that hot ménage. She’d go on that honeymoon trip to Hawaii that she and Ewan had always planned, before everything had fallen apart with that relationship. She’d just go without him. She’d go down that bucket list one item at a time and do everything she’d ever wanted to do.

  While she’d been with Ewan, she’d even toyed with maybe having a family. A family she hadn’t wanted because she didn’t want to suffer any more losses. How crazy was that kind of thinking? Life was full of losses. Deal with it and move on. Oh, if only it were that easy.

  But she would never get everything she wanted if she was stuck down here!

  Anger snapped through her. She’d claw her way out of here, that’s what she’d do.

  She tried to move. But she couldn’t budge an inch.

  An overwhelming crush of terror pushed aside her anger.

  She was going to die!

  Her teeth were chattering. Her lips were so cold. The air was freezing. What air? She had no air!

  Her dead mom and dead dad were coming for her. She swore she could feel them embracing her. She could even see them. They were smiling at her. Her little brother and little sister were there behind her parents. They were smiling too.

  Their love filled her.

  But I’m not ready. Please. Ewan, help me.

  No one is ever truly ready, sweetheart. Her dad’s voice again.

  Desperation encouraged her to stick her tongue past her lips and push the ice that was jammed against her mouth. So cold. Too cold.

  She felt funny. Tired. So tired.

  Oh God. Ewan. I can’t leave you like this. I have broken your heart too many times. I still love you, Ewan. Please, forgive me?

  It’s time to go, baby. Her mother’s voice.

  No. No. No.

  Suddenly there was a light. A bright light. It was so beautiful. So warm. She needed to go into it and get warm…

  “Dammit! Breathe! Jaxie! Breathe!” Ewan shouted at Jaxie. Panic punched him in the gut. She appeared lifeless as she lay on the litter on the helicopter floor. The rat-tat-tat of the helicopter blades sounded like an ominous death chant as they soared into the air.

  “Oh my God, is she dead?” Rachel was hovering around behind him like a damned irritating squawking chicken. He wanted her gone. He needed space to move. To breathe life into Jaxie.

  Shit, she’d been like a rag doll when they’d finally pulled her free from the avalanche. They’d found her blue-tinged fingers first, then they’d dug down to her hand. He’d been able to check her pulse. It had been slow and thready.

  She’d been standing in an upright position only two feet beneath the snow. They’d dug away the concrete-like snow until her arm was exposed. Then
they’d spied her red hair, and they dug faster, exposing her head.

  Her face was ashen. Her lips so blue. She’d stopped breathing a split second after they’d freed the area around her chest. He’d begun CPR with the rest of her still entombed in the snow. It hadn’t been easy doing chest compressions and breathing life into her. It had seemed like forever before they’d pulled her out and then laid her on the litter.

  Shit! You are not going to die, Jax!

  He pressed his mouth over her cold blue lips and blew into her mouth again.

  Then he turned his head and gazed down to watch her chest. It didn’t move.

  Damn you, Jax!

  “How’s she doing?” Royce called out from the cockpit as he flew the helicopter.

  “What’s our ETA?” Paul shouted back while he checked her body for broken bones.

  “Three minutes,” Royce answered.

  Fuck! Too long.

  “Is she…dead?” Rachel whispered again. Torment edged her voice. Thankfully, someone had moved her farther away. She didn’t need to see this. Didn’t need to see Jaxie die.

  No!

  “I won’t let her die,” Ewan growled.

  Hot anger zinged through him as he continued with the chest compressions and then the mouth to mouth. He just kept going, despite the mutterings of Paul, who said something about maybe they’d gotten to her too late?

  Son of a bitch! Asshole! Shut the fuck up, Paul! He wasn’t sure if he yelled it out loud or if he’d just screamed it in his mind. Who cared? He didn’t need negative energy around Jaxie.

  “I have a pulse!” Craig shouted from the other side of Jaxie.

  Ewan couldn’t stop. If he did, she’d die. He kept on going with the CPR.

  “Ewan, stop!” Paul commanded in a serious tone.

  Somehow Paul’s words suddenly made sense and Ewan stopped. He looked up to see a play of emotions in Craig’s green eyes. His fingers were pressed against the left side of her neck. He was smiling and he winked at Ewan.