Cowboy Double-Decker

COWBOY DOUBLE-DECKER

Sequel to Cowboy Sandwich

Reece Butler

MENAGE AMOUR

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

COWBOY DOUBLE-DECKER
Copyright © 2010 by Reece Butler
E-book ISBN: 1-60601-785-3

First E-book Publication: April 2010

Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter from Reece Butler

Regarding Ebook Piracy

Dear Reader,

Thank you for purchasing Cowboy Double-Decker, the sequel to
Cowboy Sandwich. And thank you for not sharing this e-book.

If you are reading this book without having purchased it from my
publisher or from an online outlet who signed a distribution contract
directly with my publisher, such as Amazon.com, please be aware you
have stolen my work. Writing takes a lot of hard work. It’s a job, not
a hobby, for which I have the right to be paid for my work and to earn
a living. One advantage of e-books is that our readers don’t have to
trudge to the store to see whether anything interests them. Instead, in
the comfort and privacy of their home, they can download their
choice of reading, day or night, inexpensively. The word is
“inexpensive,” not “free." Sharing a copyrighted work such as this e-
book is illegal.

For my dear readers who are honest and paid for this copy of Cowboy
Double-Decker, I thank you. If you enjoy Cowboy Double-Decker,
please tell your friends—to purchase their own copy.

With deep gratitude,
Reece Butler

COWBOY DOUBLE-DECKER

Sequel to Cowboy Sandwich

REECE BUTLER

Chapter One

Utah, mid-November, Friday

Bryan Raman muttered a curse and set his biking gear on the

grungy carpet. He crouched in the dim hallway and squinted at the
door handle. Fumbling with the keycard, he shoved it into the slot
once more, this time with the hotel logo facing up and away. When he
pulled it out, two tiny lights shone brilliant green instead of angry red.

“Finally!”
He groaned as he stood, muscles cramping from the long ride,

shoved the door open with his shoulder, and stomped in.

The roar of the shower to his left proved he wasn’t alone. Four

hundred miles into a north wind and they’d given him a roommate.
Just because he agreed to help out his college pal didn’t mean he
wanted to relive the dorm experience, dammit!

Blessed sun streamed into the lounge portion of the one-bedroom

suite, drawing him. His leather jacket creaked as he set his helmet,
gauntlets, and saddlebags on the desk. Hands on hips, he closed his
eyes and let the hot rays soak into his chilled body, from size twelve
boots to forty-two inch chest. He’d be fine three minutes after
stepping under hot water. Mike-the-damn-roommate better get his ass
out of that shower!

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“Up!”
He opened his eyes and swiveled his head at the imperious

command. Tiny feet squishing a stuffed yellow duck, a kid beamed at
him from a portable playpen. Chubby fists clutched the top rail and
legs bobbed up and down like a yo-yo, a grin showing all three teeth.

“Aw, sh–oot.”
Two months working with rough construction crews and his child-

friendly vocabulary went out the window. He’d better start practicing
now. Candy would kill him if he swore in front of the twins. When he
didn’t move, the kid’s smile faded to a chin quiver. Bryan scrubbed
both hands over his three-day beard. He might be able to wrestle
rodeo steers and stay in the saddle all day, but he couldn’t turn down a
whimpering kid.

“Gimme a minute, squirt.”
He shrugged off his heavy riding jacket and stretched out his

shoulders. What idiot would bring a kid to a training course? He
groaned as his plans to stretch out on a soft bed went up in smoke.
There should be two queen beds in the bedroom, one for each man. If
Mike had his woman here, they wouldn’t want him snoring two feet
away. He grimaced at the pull-out sofa, too small for his broad six-
foot-two-inch frame.

When he turned back to the kid, joy like he hadn’t seen in a long

time lit up the tyke’s face. A fist grabbed his heart and squeezed. His
daughter was about this size. He’d just missed two months of her
precious life. Eight weeks of morning smiles and nightly kisses. And
no wife to show for it.

“You want up, little buddy?”
“Up!”
The kid was about the same age as Evie, though the red dump

truck on the tiny shirt suggested a boy.

“Then it’s time to fly.”
He swooped the boy high into the air and was rewarded with

chuckles. An unmistakable aroma hit his nose, double-barreled. The

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kid laughed when Bryan screwed up his face in automatic reaction.

“Whoa! You are stinky.”
“Tinky!”
“You said it. Someone’s got a big job ahead of him, and it sure

ain’t me.”

Holding the kid around the chest at arm’s length, he walked to the

window and looked down. The sun winked off the windshield of
another minivan pulling into the parking lot, fully loaded. Just like the
kid’s diaper.

He let the boy set his bare toes on the window ledge, holding him

snug around the chest. As expected, the kid slapped both palms
against the window. Pleased with the sound, he did it again.

Bryan let his shoulders relax. Great. Three days of hard riding and

he’s greeted by a kid with pants full of hazardous waste. The shower
shut off with a bang. Another few minutes and he’d ease his sore
muscles. The kid leaned forward and gave the window a wet, sloppy
kiss.

“You’d better improve your technique, son. Women don't like

wet, sloppy kisses.”

“Kiss!”
The boy grinned up at him, and he couldn’t resist returning it. The

shower shut off. A moment later, he heard the bathroom door open,
but no one stepped out.

“Just a minute, sweetie.”
The kid pounded the window with renewed exuberance, but Bryan

groaned at the high-pitched voice coming from the open bathroom
door. It wasn’t getting stuck with the pull-out couch that made him
shudder. Just the sound of her voice strained his pants and tightened
his boys as hard as golf balls.

Way too long without sex.
“Freddie? Oh my God!”
Bryan swung around, the babbling kid dangling from his hands.

The wide-eyed woman switched to an icy glare so fast he barely

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caught her initial fear. Jaw set, both hands clutched the white towel
barely wrapped around her. Damp red curls flowed to her shoulders.
Long legs emerged below the towel at mid-thigh. He inhaled to the
bottom of his lungs, no longer cold.

“Put my baby down!” Eyes wide, she bit her lip and flicked her

eyes around the room. She grasped her towel tighter and glared. “I’ve
got a gun!”

He wasn't worried. Where could she hide one? Obviously her

partner, Mike, hadn’t informed her about a roommate. If he had to
give up his bed for her, he’d check out the scenery. Dayam, she was
fine. He’d once seen a woman drive a Harley the same color as those
toenails—cherry red. Slender ankles led to long legs topped with
thighs spattered with freckles. Another few constellations of dots
sprinkled the gap between towel and shoulders. She frowned so hard
with those bright blue eyes that her eyebrows almost touched.

He winced at his body’s demand to do more than look. He

lowered the squirming child as a shield for the zipper of his straining
jeans. As Mike’s woman, she was out of bounds, but it had been a
long time since he’d seen anything he wanted so much. His upper
brain finally kicked into gear.

“Gun, huh?” He tilted his head and flicked his eyes over her

again. “Where?”

She opened her mouth to answer and then pressed her lips closed.

She looked him over from the thick soles of his black biker boots to
his scruffy beard and helmet-hair. He had a few ideas what that mouth
could do to make his day, or night.

He licked his dry lips and forced a friendly grin. He didn’t poach

another man’s woman, but he’d seen enough to keep him hard for
hours. After three days of riding, he was so exhausted he might be
able to sleep, even with this beauty in the next room. Unless she was
noisy in bed. Hearing sexy moans would wreck his sleep for sure.

“Ma-ma-ma!” The kid’s feet pumped as if he were in a bouncy

chair.

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“It’s okay, Scotty. Mama won’t let the bad man hurt you.”
The kid wasn’t worried, but his ma lifted her chin and braced

herself to fight like an injured mama bear facing down a pack of
hungry wolves.

“Relax, lady, I won’t hurt you or your kid. Where’s Mike?”
“Mike?” She frowned again.
“Desk clerk said this suite was booked for the Environmental

Solutions course under ‘Bry and Mike.’ I’m Bryan Raman. Is your
partner Mike taking the course?”

“Sorry to burst your sexist bubble,” she snarled, “but there is no

Mike. I’m the one taking the course. My employer booked a suite for
Bryony and Mike.” Her eyes widened. She groaned. “Oh, no, they
didn’t get the change in reservations!”

Bryan could read lips well enough to recognize the silent word she

swore. Great idea—mouth the word to get rid of frustration but not
say anything a kid could learn.

“No worries, you can share my room,” he said.
“This room is mine, mister. My name’s Michaela. The hotel must

think we’re ‘Bry and Mike.’ But I got here first, so it’s mine.”

Michaela? Bryan inhaled deeply, wrinkling his nose at the

reminder of Scotty’s problem. This lovely single woman shared his
one-bedroom suite? His libido shot from standby mode to fully
operational. He shuffled his feet, glad he always wore loose jeans
under his chaps during long rides. He grinned down at her, still
dangling the boy to cover the hard reason for his smile. He sauntered
closer, doing bicep curls with the chuckling kid. She clutched the
towel tight, lifting her chest. Not much there, but the fabric shifted to
reveal a tempting slice of smooth white thigh. Adam was usually a
breast and ass man. Right now, he was all about legs. Long legs
wrapped around his hips, holding him tight inside her.

“Put Scotty down and get out of my room.”
“Our room.” He stopped ten feet away, careful not to crowd her.

He gave her his slow rodeo cowboy smile, the one suggesting he

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wanted to get to know her way better. “No worries, darlin', I don’t
snore.”

With that white skin and those freckles, was she a natural

redhead? He’d count each freckle, tracing between them with his
tongue, from throat to breast to thigh to—

“I don’t care if you snore. This is my room. Find somewhere else.”

Her eyes flickered over him for a moment. She swallowed and bit her
lip. Her full, luscious lips.

“Hotel’s overbooked. I’m staying right here.”
“Don’t bet on it, buster. I’m straightening this out as soon as I’m

dressed.”

“Don’t bother on my account. You look mighty fine just like

that.” He wanted a quiet, dainty wife with lots of curves, but he’d take
whatever he could get for a weekend, no matter how cantankerous.

She gritted her teeth, lower lip thrust out like Evie when she didn’t

get her way. The lady had good reason to be afraid, finding a strange
man holding her baby while she wore only a towel. But she had
gumption, snarling like a wide-horned cow determined to escape the
lasso. She didn’t know he’d won a silver buckle for steer wrestling.
Nothing escaped him. Once he threw the rope, it was only a matter of
time before he had the animal down and hog-tied. Hmm, a bit of light
bondage might be just what she needed.

“You, sir, are no gentleman!”
“Nope. And I haven’t slept in a decent bed in days.” He lowered

his voice to the sexy drawl he used as a teenager to get the buckle
bunnies on the rodeo circuit stirred up. “Or stayed awake and shared
one for months. But my luck just improved.”

“You can’t stay here—”
“Lady,” he said, giving up hot seduction for cold reality, “the

hotel was overbooked before that last van of tourists unloaded. We’re
stuck with the situation for tonight. You’ll just have to deal with it.”

She gaped at him, quivering with indignation. He didn’t think it

was need for him. Not yet.

Cowboy Double-Decker

“Darlin’, I need a shower, food, and sleep.” And sex. “Trade you

the stinky kid for the shower.” He jiggled Scotty, trying to look
sincere, harmless, and interested all at the same time.

“Scotty’s not stinky!”
“Lady, right now he’s higher than a manure pile in July.”
Bryan fanned him forward and back in a wide arc, Scotty

chortling at the game. Michaela wrinkled her nose, automatically
reaching for the boy when Bryan held him out. Her towel slid an inch
before she realized her mistake, slapped her hands to her chest to hold
it up, and glared. His zipper, already tight, pushed back against his
swelling need like the Hoover dam.

Damn, and he’d been looking forward to a hot shower!
A pink flush rose above her towel. Did it go south as well? Were

her nipples pink, coral, or rose, like Candy’s had turned after the
twins were born?

“That was a cheap trick, mister. Put Scotty in his playpen so I can

pick him up without you ogling me.”

She pressed her lips together like a prissy schoolmarm, but the

way her nostrils flared and cheeks flushed, he bet she’d be wild in
bed. He had two nights to find out. No matter her words, he could
read her body’s silent demand. She fought it, but he’d bedded enough
women in his wild rodeo and college days to know when one was
aroused even if she didn’t want to be. He wouldn’t push her, but he’d
do one hell of a lot of encouraging.

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist.” He returned to the playpen,

gave Scotty one last jiggle, and set him down inside the bars. “Your
ma’s not even wearing knickers,” he muttered. When he stood, the
boy immediately set up a howl, stomping on his toys in a vain effort
to escape. “I know, buddy. I’d rather be snuggled up to her, too.”

He turned back to the frowning woman, exhaustion hitting hard.
“Lady, I’m tired, sore, dirty, and hungry. Thanks to you, I’m also

horny as hell.” Her sudden intake of breath forced a groan out of him.
“Jeez, lady, that doesn’t help!”

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“What?” She flicked her eyes to Scotty, still trying to climb out,

his demands at full volume.

“A half-naked woman inhaling deep enough to pop her skimpy

towel off!”

She clutched it even tighter, her blush now closer to a deep rose.

With the glint in her eye, he wasn’t sure if the color was due to
embarrassment, anger, or lust.

“Tough,” she snarled. “Deal with it.”
Anger. Damn. But at least it proved she had passion.
“Turn your back while I pick up Scotty,” she demanded.
She shuffled forward with baby steps so the towel wouldn’t gape.

When he looked closer, he saw dark lines under her eyes, her pale
skin emphasizing the evidence of exhaustion. How far had she
travelled to get here? Dragging a kid along would ramp up the misery
ten-fold. He turned his back to look out the window so she could bend
over in privacy.

A gentleman wouldn’t flick his eyes to the mirror. But he was a

horny, red-blooded cowboy. It had been two months since he last slid
into Candy’s hot, slick channel and roared his triumph as she bucked
under him.

Two wasted months searching for a wife who’d make him the

center of her world. He wanted a wife who needed him, depended on
him to make her life whole. She’d wait for him every night when he
came home tired and sore. She’d listen to him, sooth him, love him,
and share him with Adam and Candy. They’d raise their children
together on the Double R ranch.

While he'd never have the love his partner shared with Candy,

he'd have what he needed without too much risk. He’d do everything
his father had not, protecting and providing for his family.

He thought he found a sweet, shy gal who looked at him with

adoration. Until he explained he wanted a polyamory marriage. She
slapped his face, dumped her dinner in his lap, and stormed out of the
restaurant.

Cowboy Double-Decker

He wouldn’t waste his time dating again. He’d use the Internet to

find a few wifely prospects, telling them right off what he wanted.
Worst they could say was hell, no, cowboy! And who knew, he just
might get a yes. But that was for the future.

Dallying the weekend with this redhead would ease his need.

From what he’d seen so far, the career woman was everything he
didn’t want, including the small, smelly baggage she carried with her.

If she wanted a bit of fun, he was all ready to go. If he got her hot

and bothered enough, she might crash through those prissy barriers
and go for what they both wanted. Though Ms. Prim on the surface,
she smoldered underneath. He’d fan her embers and see if she’d share
his fire.

If she refused, he’d make damn sure she was just as horny.
When she picked up the kid he turned, winking at Scotty. The boy

clutched her red-gold curls and grinned over her back. Bryan watched
her saucy butt sway all the way to the bedroom.

“God gave women breasts to admire,” he murmured in

appreciation, “and a heart-shaped ass as a consolation when they walk
away. Mmm-mmm-mmm.”

First he needed a shower, then food. He’d clean up his bike and

cover it for the night before making his appearance at the meet-and-
greet. Gary Vale, his college roommate and conference organizer,
called on him when the environmental engineer broke his leg tripping
over his daughter’s skateboard. Since Utah was on the way from New
Orleans to his Montana ranch, he agreed to fill in as instructor.

Thinking of his plan of attack, he unbuckled and unzipped his

leather chaps, sitting down to take off his heavy boots. He carefully
eased his jeans over his third leg, the beast eager for action. If he
didn’t get into a cold shower soon he’d become another victim of
spontaneous combustion syndrome.

“Sorry, my man,” he said to his stiff pole. “We’re S.O.L for now.

But tonight we’ll share a room with that hot woman and I feel lucky.”

He followed his nodding cock to the bathroom, whistling for the

first time in months.

Reece Butler

Chapter Two

Michaela Jones set Scotty on the carpet and leaned her back

against the closed bedroom door. Now that she was relatively safe,
she trembled and gasped for breath. She hugged her elbows, holding
the towel snug. The man outside her door, the one who demanded to
share her hotel room, was a big, loud, hard-fisted man. Just like Uncle
Wesley. And he made it very clear he wanted her.

The problem was, her betraying body agreed with him.
She scrabbled around for something to jam under the door since

there was no lock and the furniture was too heavy to move. She
grabbed the jeans she’d worn since Tuesday and stuffed the fabric of
one leg in the gap between the door and carpet. That, at least, would
slow him down.

She sat back and exhaled.
Breathe slow and low to let your body calm. After everything

you’ve been through, you can deal with this.

Once she had a door between his dark laser eyes and her skimpy

towel, she could relax and think more clearly.

When she first saw him, standing with his back to her and holding

Scotty up to the window, she thought he was Freddie, come to steal
her baby. She gave a silent snort. Not only would that conceited idiot
never touch a smelly baby, the tall, muscular biker knew how to hold
a busy toddler. His hands were so big his long fingers almost wrapped
around Scotty’s chest.

Biker boy was big and was probably loud when he yelled, but he

wasn’t her brutal uncle or Freddie, Scottie’s sperm donor. The big
man held her son gently, but with strength and confidence. He hadn’t

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responded to her bravado with violence or with sneers and put-downs.
Instead, he tossed her giggling boy in the air and looked at her as if
she were a juicy steak and he’d been surviving on bread and water for
far too long. Her skin tingled from the way his eyes caressed her.

Had any man ever looked at her like that?
She rolled her eyes and stood up. Nope. The only man to see her

half-naked was Freddie. She’d been a shy virgin, taught by her aunt
that providing sex was the price you paid for a man caring for you.
She was so naive, he suckered her in with promises of love and
forever. Turned out

“forever” meant the end of the semester.

The roar of a shower reminded her of the man in the bathroom.

Did his wide chest have curls to run fingers through? At five-foot-ten,
Freddie was only an inch taller than she. Built like the Dough Boy but
expensively dressed to conceal it, he attracted her because she didn’t
see him as a threat. He wasn't loud or physically imposing, and he
never raised a hand to her.

She hadn’t realized emotional damage hurt far more than her

uncle’s bruises. Freddie’s disgust at her naive belief he loved her just
because he said so repeatedly, shattered her. Love was just a word a
man used to get what he wanted. She was still angry at herself for
breaking her heart over the pasty-faced slug.

Biker boy was nothing like any man she’d been near before. He

looked like a cowboy, his face and hands tanned by working in the
sun. His shirt hid the wide shoulders and chest, but she couldn’t miss
the way his arm muscles flexed as he easily held her sturdy twelve–
month-old son. He tried to use Scotty to hide the part of his blue jeans
not covered by black leather chaps, but she noticed the bulge of
interest. He must be really desperate to want someone like her.

But then, she was pretty desperate, too. Her body had never

reacted to a man like this. She glanced down at the stiff nipples
pressing against the rough fabric of her towel. She was hotter from a
few minutes of that man’s eyes than all those months of horrid sex

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with Freddy. And the way his chaps curved to frame his faded blue
jeans front and center? She gulped, forcing deep breaths into her
lungs. If his eyes did that to her, what would the rest of him do?

Could she? Would he?
No one out here knew her or cared who she slept with. As long as

the instructor and rest of the class thought he slept on the couch due to
a problem with the hotel, what harm could there be in her indulging in
a bit of adult fun? She had no heart to break, would never see him
again. Why not use him for two nights? Prove to herself that she
could enjoy sex with someone less selfish than Freddie?

She pushed herself away from the door and stood straight.
Enough! If it happened, so be it. She had more important things

on her mind. Not only was she a single mom without a family, she
was now unemployed. She had to keep her priorities straight, and
Scotty came first. Always. She smiled at her reason for living, busy
throwing his toys out of the basket. He hated to be confined, and the
drive had been hard on both of them. Jamming the near-hysterical
child into his battered car seat after lunch today was one of the hardest
things she’d done. His sobs for the next twenty miles had almost
killed her. But they made it to Utah. Intact, on time, and not quite
broke.

She blew out her breath. She had no idea where she’d go after the

course was over, much less how to get Scotty back into the car.

One hour at a time, girl. You’ll make it through.
She had to.
“Where’s Scotty?” She forced a light laugh into her voice to make

the boy smile.

He sat on his padded bottom, surrounded by toys, waiting for her

to pick them up so he could toss them again. She draped her slightly-
damp towel over his head, then quickly dressed in panties, bra, and T-
shirt while Scotty fought the towel off.

“There he is!”
No one—no one—would harm or take her son from her. Scotty

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was the only one in the world who loved her. He needed her, and that
need kept her going. She knelt to toss the toys back in the basket.
Biker boy wouldn’t appreciate stepping on a plastic digger in his bare
feet. He was grouchy enough already.

“We don’t care about the blond hunk in the bathroom, do we

Scotty?”

Oh, yes we do! sang her previously non-existent sex drive.
Maybe it was the sheer exhilaration of actually making it here that

had her body singing. Perhaps the itchy ache between her legs was
from sitting still, driving from one coast to darn near the other. Her
suddenly-tight bra must have shrunk in the wash, the cheap fabric
chafing her nipples.

Face it, Kaela, you want biker boy Bryan to give you an orgasm.

Or six.

Scotty reached for the basket to tip it again, but she scooped him

up. “We have to empty this first, my man.” She laid him on the bed
on his changing pad and tickled his belly to get his attention. She
unwrapped the smelly bomb and winced.

“Tinky!”
“You are so right!” He grinned up at her. “Why don’t you learn

my words? Say ‘I love you, Mommy.’ One word from a man and it’s
stuck in your brain.”

She jumped when a loud bang and muttered curse suggested the

big guy in her shower found the walls a bit too close for his elbows.
He’d be soaping himself down right about now. Rubbing his belly,
dropping his soapy hand to slide it over his…whoa!

“Single moms do not think of that.”
What did that arrogant man have that set her off like no one else?

Her first time having sex with Freddie had been as bad as her aunt
warned, and it never got much better. But he said he loved her and,
not expecting anything different, she’d given him what he wanted.

Wasn’t it time she learned what she wanted? Her panties never got

this damp from desire. Her breasts hadn’t ached for a man’s touch

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before. She’d wait and see how it went. She could always say no.
Something about the big man made her think he’d cajole and
encourage but never force her. Her darling boy stuck a finger in his
mouth and gnawed, eyebrows furrowed.

“Another tooth? We don’t want any ear infections this time.”
She’d barely qualified for health insurance before she got laid off.

She needed a good job, fast. In next week’s course, she’d create the
least expensive, most efficient green plan ever. The course leader
would post it on his web site for ranchers and potential employers to
see. She’d get a wonderful job offer out here in the West, far from
Freddie and bad memories.

Yes, it was past time to create some good ones, like with that

blond hunk, all naked and wet. She almost dropped her towel when
Bryan bent over to put Scotty in his playpen. She’d always had a
thing about cowboys and chaps, the way they outlined a snug butt.
What hid in the front of his jeans was extra.

She shook her head. “It must be painful to be a guy sometimes,”

she said to an oblivious Scotty.

Bryan looked rough and tough yet had held her son gently. That

meant he could take care of himself and those he loved. She shook the
thought away with a toss of drying curls. Rough, tough cowboys
weren’t potential husband and father material. She didn’t want or
need a bully in her life again.

She’d grown up watching Aunt Delia’s fear and pain. Trapped in

a marriage to a brute, so cowed she believed it was all her fault.
Unable to escape because the man controlled her strings as if she were
a mindless puppet.

But she was not her aunt. She had education, experience, and

would do anything to give Scotty the loving home she lost when her
parents died. If she could last until her April birthday, she’d be okay.
Finally getting control of her modest inheritance would give her a
touch of freedom. She and Scotty would still be alone against the
world, but they’d have a tiny home of their own that no one could

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take away. A few hot and sexy memories to fill her long, lonely nights
would be nice, though.

She wrapped the diaper tight and stuck it in a plastic bag for

disposal. “That Bryan guy acts like he might already be a daddy.” She
chattered to Scotty to keep him from squirming. “Maybe he has a
nice, quiet wifey waiting at home for him. Someone to warm his
slippers by the fire and wait on him hand and foot.”

Scotty watched her, again chewing his finger.
“Ha! Even if he was rich and single, there’s no way I would do

that for a man!” She wrapped Scotty in her towel and sat on the bed
with him in her lap.

“You, my son, need a bath. As soon as Mr. Studly gets out of the

tub, you’re going in.”

She fluffed her thin curls, encouraging them to dry. She’d use gel

later to get them under control. Control was everything. Scotty
struggled, flailing and complaining.

“I can’t put you down, sugarpie. That little hose of yours might

erupt, and I can’t afford to pay damages.”

She imagined Bryan wearing only black leather chaps, plunging

deep and hard, pounding into her from behind. A flash of lust surged
from her belly, erupting past erect nipples to heat her face. Dang!
How would she get through the weekend if her body demanded hot
sex whenever she thought of the man?

She turned Scotty around to face her and stood up, hugging him to

her chest. Bad mistake. He grabbed her hair again with both chubby
fists, chortling.

She paced back and forth, gently encouraging Scotty to let go. Her

bare thighs chafed against each other with every step. What this man
did to her! Hard nipples, swollen breasts, and wet panties. For the first
time in her life, she was turned on, by a guy built like those in her
nightmares!

No man should have this much power over her. It must be

exhaustion from the last few weeks. A few nights of good sleep and

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she’d be fine. Bryan would take the couch and she’d get the king-size
bed. She was sure he was the type to sleep naked. She clenched her
internal muscles to halt the itchy ache, but it only made it worse.

How the heck was she going to survive being near him this

weekend and concentrate on her course?

She stopped short and gulped. He’d better be staying just for the

weekend. She was signed up for the two-day intensive workshop on
“green” uses for water, followed by the five day certificate program
on designing environmentally-sensitive farms and ranches. Along
with her business and marketing degrees, she should find a job.

“Don’t you kiss up to that man,” she lectured Scotty. “He’s likely

a one-night-stand type. Leaves broken hearts all over the place. If he’s
not already married.”

“Bathroom’s free.”
She jumped at the knock and deep voice outside her door.
“I’ll take whatever bed you’re not using,” he continued.
Kaela automatically looked at the king-size bed taking up most of

the room. Scotty clutched on one hip, she leaned over and yanked the
jeans away. She pulled the door open to inform him, again, he’d be
sleeping on the couch.

Dark eyes met hers, squint wrinkles radiating toward his temples.

He still hadn’t shaved or combed his straggly hair. As she’d imagined,
springy blond curls decorated his wide, naked chest. A black tattoo
that said

SAM

ran over his right shoulder. The line of hair descending

from his belly button was darker than the golden brown curls on his
chest. She followed the line which led to…

She gulped.
“I’d be happy to drop the towel if your x-ray vision isn’t working,

ma’am.”

The deep, sexy drawl roared through her like a freight train

rattling over a crossing. She quivered, her heart doing something that
stopped her from inhaling. Scotty reached out to Bryan, breaking the
moment.

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She raised her eyes to lazy, half-open ones sending an

unmistakable message. She curled her toes into the rug to stiffen her
legs. He looked down, lip twitching. She’d forgotten to put on her
jeans.

“Oh, man. Sexy white cotton panties.”
A slow, sensual smile crept over his face. With those teeth, he

either had fantastic genetics or a great dental plan. She stood tall,
pretending she was fully dressed. He raised his eyes over her shoulder
and glanced into the room.

“That bed’s just my size.”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “This is my bedroom. Mine and

Scotty’s. You get the couch.”

He leaned a broad, naked shoulder against the doorframe, crossed

his arms, and shook his head right back at her. A drop of water
dripped off his long hair and rolled down his neck. She pressed her
tongue against her lip as she watched it. She blinked and pulled
herself back to the present when she noticed his smirk.

“Fine! I’m calling the conference leader right now.”
“You do that, ma’am. Gary and me go way back.”
She used the phone by the bed, turning her back on her problem as

she bounced a squawking Scotty on her hip.

“Mr. Vale, this is Michaela Jones, one of your students. I hate to

be a nuisance, but there’s a problem. One of your instructors was
given my room in error, and he won’t leave. ”

“Ms. Jones, I’m glad you called. We’ve just been informed you’re

replacing Mike Ranger. That’s why you and Bryan Raman were
assigned the same room. I heard he made it from New Orleans on that
black Harley of his. That’s great.”

“No, sir, it’s not great as far as I’m concerned. I’m here with my

baby, and I can’t have a strange man sharing my suite. It’s not
acceptable.” Scottie laughed, and she turned to find Bryan making
silly faces at him. She turned away again before he could notice the
rush of heat rising from her T-shirt.

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“I’ve known Bryan Raman since college and you won’t find a

more gentlemanly fellow. He looks big and mean, and he flirts like
the devil, but he’d never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. He should
be used to a baby since his ranch partner had twins about a year back.
Candy made Bryan do his share of caring for them.”

“But—” She held the phone away as Scotty grabbed for it.
“Ms. Jones, you don’t have a problem with Bryan taking your

couch, do you? I called him at the last moment to replace an instructor
who broke his leg. He’s cut his vacation short and rode all the way
from New Orleans to help out. There’s no other rooms available. It’s
only two nights and with a suite, you’ll have the bedroom to yourself,
right?”

Kaela closed her eyes to think. Okay, so Bryan was a great guy

who was doing a major favor to an old friend. He knew about kids
because he lived with a married couple with twins. Maybe he’d keep
an eye on Scottie for a few minutes so she could actually relax in a
hot bath instead of taking a rushed shower.

“I’m sure he’s nice, but I’m not sure about sharing with a strange

man.”

“Ms. Jones.” She heard a deep sigh. “If this is going to be a major

problem, I can ask my wife to bunk with you and move Bryan in with
me.”

She thought about what she’d gone through to get to this course,

how she needed it to survive. Ticking off the leader would not be a
good career move.

Dammit, Kaela, it’s not like you’re a vestal virgin!
“Oh, no, Mr. Vale, we’ll be fine. I just wanted to make sure Mr.

Raman was who he said he was. I’m sure he’ll be a perfect
gentleman.”

“That might be stretching it, but thanks.” He laughed. “Is he

there?”

“Just a moment, please.” She held the phone at arm’s length,

handed it over, and moved away from the bed.

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“Hey, dude! How’s it hangin’?”
Bryan’s eyes zapped to her. She turned her back to hide her

body’s eager reaction to the testosterone flooding her bedroom.

“Yeah, she’s pissed. She thought I was stealing her kid. If she’d

had a gun when she first saw me, I’d be dead.”

She whirled around. “Don’t tell—”
He made hushing noises at her, concentrating on his phone call.

“Yeah, the couch pulls into a bed. There’s a great view. No worries,
I’ve had worse. See ya later.”

He hung up the phone and turned to her.
“Good,” she said. “You agree to take the couch.”
He advanced like a tsunami, unstoppable. She shuffled back a step

before lifting her chin and glaring. All her life she’d had to fight for
every crumb, and no matter how much she wanted to shove him out
the door or rip off his towel, she would not be intimidated.

He pulled an eager Scotty from her arms and glared back, pointing

to the bed behind her. She now knew what the mouse saw just before
the hawk grabbed with outstretched talons.

“Lady, I’m sleeping in that bed. Case closed.”
His deep voice shivered over her body. Scotty squirmed, leaned

over, and caught her shirt at her extended nipple. She winced and
pulled off his hand, but not before laser-eyes noticed.

“You told Gary you’d take the couch, that you liked the view!”
“I do like the view. Very much.” He flicked his eyes from her

shirt down naked legs to her red toenails. “The couch does pull into a
bed, but I said nothing about sleeping there.” He shrugged, muscles
rippling across his chest. “Nobody’ll know, so you’ll keep your virtue
or whatever it is you’re so hepped up about.”

“I’m not.” She shut up, clenching her fists to stop from hitting his

broad chest. She couldn’t remember anyone infuriating her like this
man. With Uncle Wesley, she’d been so scared she hid all emotion
behind a placid mask. Then she’d tried so hard to be whatever Freddie
wanted that she ignored his insulting behavior. It was only this man

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who stirred her up in a way she felt she could safely let out. “You’re
lucky I’m even sharing the suite with you!”

He leaned down, and before she could react, brushed chapped lips

against hers. Too stunned to react, she let him do it again. Avoiding
Scotty on his hip, he snuggled his warm, welcoming chest against her
T-shirt. Her breasts filled, demanding his hands.

Scotty tried to join in, reaching out. The towel slid from his little

body and a warm stream of light yellow spurted. Bryan sputtered and
looked at his newly wet front. Droplets glittered in his chest hair.

She cried out, heart racing, and pulled Scotty into her arms. She

whirled around and ducked, bending over to protect her baby. She
fought when Bryan wrapped his arms around her, tight enough to hold
her from escaping. Fought until his soft, calm voice cut through her
past.

“Shh, it’s all right. No one’s going to hurt you or Scotty. I’m not

mad. It’s okay.”

Panting and shaking, she stilled, loosening her hold on her

complaining son. Bryan let go and she scuttled away, trembling.

“Whoa, you got me good, little buddy!”
Bryan laughed as if it was a joke. Unable to speak, she looked at

his hands. They rested open at his sides. No fists. She raised her eyes
to his calm face.

“It’s just baby pee. Evie and Diane messed on me lots of times.

And before you ask, I’m single. Evie’s mine, but the twins live with
their mom. She’s married to my ranching partner.”

She took a deep, shuddering breath. She and Scotty were safe.

Bryan was a dad who knew about kids. If Scotty had a bad night with
his tooth coming in, she wouldn’t have to worry about her baby
waking a large, tired, angry man.

“Wanna bath, buddy?”
He held out his arms to her precious son. Scotty leaned out again

and Bryan pulled him off her hip, easily holding the child with one
strong arm as if he did it all the time. Scotty gnawed on his index

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finger, staring down at her in triumph. They looked comfortable
together, her son and the man she’d be sleeping with tonight. On
different sides of the bed, of course.

“Do you trust me with him?”
He raised an eyebrow in challenge. She never left Scotty with

anyone but his babysitter while she was at work. They did need to get
clean and she’d be right outside the door. The past was gone, and she
had to learn to trust her instincts. If she couldn’t let him to do this,
how could she spend the night in the same bed with him?

“Okay, but you can’t lock the bathroom door.”
His lips twitched. He turned, leaving her standing with empty

arms, shaking with the dregs of panic.

“By the way,” he said, turning back again with a wink, “I like the

sweet white panties and erotic toe polish. Best of both worlds.” He
waggled his eyebrows and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door
with a snap.

Kaela sank onto the bed, shaking hands covering her face. Silent

tears slid between her fingers. She hadn’t panicked like that in years.
She inhaled deeply, held it a few seconds, then blew it out along with
her fear. The flashback proved she was tired and rundown from far
too many nights worrying. She needed something completely
different to take her mind off her ugly past. The throb between her
legs suggested she try a tall, blond biker who might also be a cowboy.
Would he take advantage of her during the night? Did she want him
to?

“Kaela, get real,” she said. “A man like that could have any

woman he wanted. If he wants me, it’s only because I’m nearby.” The
roar of bathwater covered up the male voices in the next room, one of
deep laughter, the other squealing with joy.

She started to tidy the room, but walking reminded her of the

throbbing between her legs. She ran her fingers over the damp gusset
of her panties. In spite of her aunt’s morality lectures, she’d played
with herself now and then. All that stopped when she got pregnant.

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Every drop of energy went into finishing her diploma and preparing
for her baby. The thought of a date, much less sex, hadn’t entered her
mind.

While she really liked the looks of tall, handsome, well-built men,

she never had anything to do with them. Having lived with a large,
violent man prone to drunken rages since she was five, she’d grown
up scared of being near them.

Until this one.
She dropped onto the bed before her legs gave out. She was

exhausted and he looked just as bad. No way would she sleep on the
couch and miss the biggest, most comfortable bed she’d ever seen. A
huge bed and a powerful man. She shivered, her libido voting for full
speed ahead.

The bathwater shut off, the silence louder than her thoughts.

Scotty loved his baths, but was very squirmy and slippery when
soaped. Kneeling beside the tub, she usually got soaked to the hips, or
beyond. She’d better check on her son. But she only had one pair of
clean jeans, and Scotty would likely get them wet, so she’d better not
put them on. Bracing herself for the sight of Bryan’s towel-clad butt
leaning over the tub, she opened the door and stepped in.

“Oh!”
She stopped, feet on damp towels. Scotty, splashing happily, sat at

one end of the tub. Bryan, long knees touching the sides of the tub
and ankles crossed, sat with his back to the faucet. A large white
facecloth rested over his naughty bits. Glancing at the facecloth, she
realized “bits” was not the correct word. She gulped and focused on
her son.

“I bathe Evie like this. She’d get along with this guy. They both

like to wiggle and splash.”

“Call me Kaela,” she said, dropping to the toilet seat. Tight bands

of tension circled her hips and breasts. Her rapidly swelling breasts.
Scotty squealed and kicked, and Bryan carefully retaliated. Both
males laughed when a splash of warm water drenched her thin white

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T-shirt and bra. She gasped and looked down. Her right breast and
nipple stood out as if she was naked. The facecloth between Bryan’s
legs began to tent. She quickly crossed her arms.

“Sorry,” he said, though his smile suggested he wasn’t.
“You, uh, share a house with the mom of twins?”
“Yep. Evie and Diane are Candy’s girls.” He handed Scotty a

second wet facecloth. The boy jammed it in his mouth and sucked on
it as usual. “Evie’s my daughter and Diane is Adam’s. They have his
name since Candy’s married to him. We all share the ranch.”

He shook his head. “Can’t believe they’re almost a year old.” A

wry smile turned up one side of his mouth. “In thirteen years, those
girls are gonna drive us crazy. And my daughter is the wild one.”

Kaela’s brain whirled at the information. Bryan had a daughter,

but no wife. No biggie, she had a son and no husband. But twins with
different fathers? Living together?

“Uh, you were a sperm donor for your friend?” She investigated a

hangnail that really needed fixing. Maybe she’d paint her nails to
match her toes. Not.

“Get real!” His deep snort caused Scotty to laugh. “Candy got

pregnant the usual way.” He waited until she met his eyes. “Wild
monkey sex with both of us at once. Two eggs, two dads.” He
waggled his eyebrows, leering. “We like to share.”

Kaela gulped and crossed her legs, squeezing against the throb.
“Both? Like, just the one time?”
“Both, as often as we can.” Bryan’s eyes laughed at her. “I need a

wife to join us. You interested?”

“Excuse me?” Her brain tried to process his words, spitting them

out as unintelligible.

“We want lots of kids, and Scotty proves you’re fertile. You’re a

very sexy woman, Kaela.” He winked, grinning as if caught with his
hand in the cookie jar but expecting nothing more than a mild rebuke.
“We share the ranch chores, the children and, uh, what did I miss?”

He tilted his head as if thinking, but bright eyes proved he knew

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exactly what his words did to her.

“Oh, yeah,” he purred. “Sex.”
She blinked. Swallowed. Crossed her legs the other way.
“Lots and lots of hot sex,” he drawled in his deep, dark chocolate

voice. “Every which way two males can satisfy a female.”

Kaela looked away, refusing to hear his words. Sex with one man

was boring enough. But what if, unlike Freddie, he wanted to please
you? No! She pushed her hair out of her eyes. Wives didn’t have sex
with more than one man at once. That was only a fantasy. Unless the
men were really hot and they wanted to share a frustrated woman.

Stop right there!
Women without employment or a home should not fantasize.

Single moms had to keep to the straight and narrow, nose to the
grindstone and all. She flashed him the look Aunt Delia used
whenever Kaela did, said, or might have thought of something she
didn’t approve of.

He grinned at her until Scotty went into a wild splashing fit. He

turned his head away and closed his eyes, laughing. She’d never seen
a man behave that way with a child. Her aunt didn’t tolerate anything
that might set off her uncle. Bryan, still grinning, wiped his eyes with
one hand when Scotty finally stopped.

“We wonder how a second woman will make our life more

interesting,” he continued.

Scotty leaned forward after a toy, drawing her attention to the

white facecloth between Bryan’s legs. It barely covered what floated
like a submarine coming up for air. A very large submarine. Her head
felt light. She twirled her finger through her hair, a bad habit she’d
often been punished for.

“Ever play pirates and virgins, Kaela?” Bryan’s voice slipped over

her like the softest Pashmina silk, seducing her senses. “What about
defiant slave girls and masters?”

She checked her toe polish. Still red. Swallowed hard. “I’ve never,

um, done that stuff.”

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“Bet you wish you had.”
His knowing eyes and sly grin held a slow burn that promised

once singed, she’d not escape without erupting.

More than once.
“I’ve been away from Candy for two whole months. Two months

with no sex,” he whispered. “Haven’t been with anyone but Candy in
years. I’m clean and horny, Kaela. Very horny. I bet you haven’t had
sex since Scotty was born.”

Heat ran up her wet chest. He stared below her collar bone where

her nipple pressed through the thin, wet fabric. She crossed her arms
once more.

“Spoilsport.”
When he pouted, his lower lip pressed out. Wet and red. The

perfect size to capture her nipple.

“Scotty’s what, twelve months? That means you haven’t had sex

for a year.”

“Not since I told Freddie I was pregnant,” she whispered.
“This guy give you multiple orgasms?”
She shook her head. “Freddie never thinks about anyone but

himself.”

“How many orgasms did other men give you?”
“There wasn’t anyone else!” Kaela snapped the words out before

thinking.

“Dayam, woman! Say no more!” Bryan grinned like a five-year-

old with his first bike. “We’re both single, clean, and horny, so why
don’t we make the best of this situation and solve our problems? I
guarantee to make up for the last two years and more. If you want
proof, I can lift this facecloth and show you.”

Kaela bolted out of the room. She slammed the bedroom door,

panting as if she’d run three miles. His strained laughter tantalized her
like a pheromone lure.

Dangerous. But, like anything wonderful, perhaps worth the risk.

Reece Butler

Chapter Three

Kaela emptied the top dresser drawer for Bryan, her mind racing.

From what she’d seen, he was at the opposite end of the male
spectrum from Freddie. Though each was arrogant, Bryan didn’t have
to prove anything to anyone. He’d walk in the room and everyone
would know he was leader of the pack. Freddie used money and his
family name to get what he wanted, neither of which he’d earned.

She sank to the bed, squeezing a fistful of Scotty’s socks. She bet

Bryan would protect those he cared about with his last gasp. She’d
never felt safe, thanks to her uncle’s sudden rages. What would it feel
like to be protected?

No!
Protection meant dependence. She depended on Freddie’s

declaration of love, giving him everything. She’d never depend on
anyone again. Once she got her inheritance, she’d have enough
money to create a small, quiet life for the two of them. A life that met
their needs, far from a man who could destroy her love with a slap of
his hand or biting comment.

Independence, freedom from the demands of others, was the only

way to go.

Freddie proved she knew nothing of love—that all it did was hurt.

But love had nothing to do with lust. That’s all she and Bryan felt for
each other.

This weekend was like a space between two worlds, the Eastern

past and the Western future. Once she settled, she’d have at least five
years before she’d have time for anything but Scotty and work. As a
single mom in a small town, she’d never have a chance to explore her

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sexual options. She wouldn’t have any. It was time to take the bull by
the horns, so to speak. She snorted. From her view of his facecloth,
that part of the man was darn near as big as the bull she’d seen
servicing cows when she got off the highway for lunch yesterday.
Bryan had the same look of determination as well.

The hotel shop would stock condoms. She’d better be prepared.

Just in case. Not that she expected to have sex, but if she got up her
nerve, she would be safe.

She changed into a dry bra that emphasized her cleavage, not that

it had anything to do with the man in her bathroom. She pulled on a
snug red cotton-and-lycra turtleneck and tucked it into clean, but
worn, jeans.

Scotty should have finished his bath by now. She pressed her fist

to her belly to stop her roiling gut and stood outside the bathroom
door.

“I’m coming in to get Scotty.”
She stepped back at the rush of water and baby squeal. After a

moment, the door opened. Scotty, wrapped in a dry towel, beamed
down at her. She took him in her arms and turned away before she
looked at what Bryan was—or wasn’t—wearing. He laughed
knowingly before closing the door.

She had Scotty dressed in no time. She slipped into shoes, shoved

her wallet in her back pocket, and spoke through the bathroom door.

“I’m going to pick up a few things at the shop downstairs. Do you

want anything?”

The door opened. The white towel made his tanned skin stand out.

He leaned a shoulder against the doorframe and smirked down at her.

“You know what I want, Kaela,” he murmured.
She fought the rising heat, cursing her red hair and the pale skin

that blazed at times like this. “I should be back in fifteen minutes,”
she said, refusing to meet his eyes. Scotty squirmed and she
remembered her appointment. “Oh, darn, I have to check on the
babysitter for this weekend. I might be a bit longer.”

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“Why don’t you leave Scotty with me? He needs to run around a

bit and burn off some energy.”

Bryan leaned so close Scotty grabbed his nose. The big man

honked loudly, receiving giggles in return. Surely she could leave her
son with a dad who seemed to like kids. After all, she’d be sleeping in
the same bed with him tonight. She swallowed hard.

“That’ll be, uh, great.”
“No promises I’ll be dressed when you get back.” He winked and

adjusted his towel. Her eyes automatically dropped. She shivered at
his words, dripping with innuendo, and then straightened her spine.

“Don’t bother on my account,” she retorted. “I’ve seen a naked

man before.”

“Not like me, darlin.’”
She dashed into the hallway as soon as he took Scotty, his deep

laugh taunting her.

* * * *

“You’re momma’s playin’ with fire, my man,” said Bryan to the

child smacking his crooked nose with a flapping palm. He’d given up
getting it straightened after Adam broke his nose the second time. He
set Scotty on the floor of the bedroom—their bedroom—while he
pulled on jeans. Very carefully. The woman did things to him, and
she’d better solve them. His strong attraction, or downright need,
must be from going without sex for months after having Candy
available for so long.

Head forward like a bull charging, the boy headed for a basket of

toys in the corner. He could walk, but his talking wasn’t as advanced
as the girls. He was sturdy while they were, well, feminine. Scotty
had a joyfulness in him, just like Evie. Diane, like Adam, would think
things out before acting, while Edie bulled ahead full speed. When
she hit a roadblock, she climbed over, around, or through.

Or howled in frustration.

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What would it be like to have Scotty and Evie as teenagers,

running wild on the ranch? He could see the two of them racing their
horses home. He bet Scotty would let her win. Nah, his daughter’d be
so far ahead the boy couldn’t catch up.

Where the hell did that come from? He blew out his breath.
“Face it, Bry,” he said. He pulled a white T-shirt over his head.

“You’re jealous of what Adam has and you know it. You love Candy,
but she belongs to Adam. Two months looking and you can’t even
find a woman who’ll consider taking you on.”

Bryan swooped Scotty up and tossed him in the air. His tiny, red-

striped T-shirt rolled up, so Bryan blew raspberries on the exposed
tummy.

Damn, he’d missed this.
The boy clutched his long hair with both fists. “Ouch. First thing,

I’m getting a haircut.”

He missed the girls with an ache so heavy.
He’d stupidly sworn he wouldn’t return without a wife. There’d

been a lot of women willing to be pleasured by a tall, smiling cowboy,
especially when they learned he owned a ranch. But they weren’t the
type he’d bring home as a potential wife.

Almost Thanksgiving and all he had was a weekend’s possibilities

with a happy kid and his hot-tempered mommy. He’d had enough
one-night stands years ago. They left him hollow. Kaela was different.
He’d need more than a couple of nights to show the skittish woman
how her body could respond to an enthusiastic man.

“You think she’ll share more than the bed, buddy? ’Cause I ain’t

sleepin’ on no couch. Done that waaay too many times. These old
bones need a bed.”

Hell, he was damn near thirty and lonely. But how many women

would live on a ranch in the middle of Nowhere, Montana, especially
sharing sex with another couple? His wife had to enjoy role playing
with two dominant men, yet still be a sweet woman to welcome him
home after a hard day in the saddle. She’d massage his sore body,

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arouse him, and ride his cock until they came together. Then she’d
cuddle up and keep the nightmares away.

He’d try Internet dating next. It wasn’t a manly way to find a wife,

but it would save time. Adam was already pissed about having to
ramrod the ranch for two months. Bryan stretched out his muscles,
sore from the long, hard ride. Too many rodeo tosses and a violent
childhood didn’t help. All water under the bridge.

“Even if I don’t get laid this weekend, at least I’ll get a good

night’s sleep in a soft bed. Let’s go find your momma.”

He stomped into his boots, settled his cowboy hat far back on his

head to avoid clutching baby fingers, and tucked an arm around
Scotty. They walked down the stairs, a fatherless boy on the arm of a
man with a strong body made for work and loving.

And a cock harder than a fencepost in January.

* * * *

“Where’s your little boy?”
“Patricia!” Kaela turned quickly from the condom display and

smiled at the teenage girl. “I’ve got someone looking after him.”

“Oh.” The big smile faded. “So, like, uh, you won’t need me to

babysit this weekend?”

“Oh, yes, I will.” She nodded encouragingly and Patricia’s face

smoothed. “Scotty’s going to love playing with you. But I have to
warn you, he’s getting another tooth and may be cranky.”

“That’s okay.” Patricia dropped her head forward so her long hair

covered her face. “Um, the guy at the desk told my mom you’re
sharing your room with a biker. Mom doesn’t want me to go up there
in case he like, attacks me or something.” She bit the cuticle of her
thumb and stared at her feet for a moment. “Mom says you’ll have to
bring everything to the hotel’s baby room,” she said in a rush.

Kaela gave a mental groan. She counted on keeping the playpen in

the suite instead of lugging it up and down the stairs each day. But she

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couldn’t blame the mother. A huge, scowling man dressed in black
leather would scare most people, including herself.

“I understand your mom’s concern, but just because Bryan drives

a motorcycle doesn’t mean he’s a bad man. He can look a bit scary,
though.”

“I’m not scared of him.” The teenager grinned. “I saw him when

he roared into the parking lot on that huge black Harley. Like, he is so
totally hot! Is he your boyfriend?”

“Uh, no.”
Kaela felt a flush rise from her chest to her forehead. The way her

ears burned, they must be red. Of course he’d drive a huge motorbike.
As a teenager she had fantasies about riding away with a bad boy on
one. Not that she’d ever have the nerve.

“The hotel messed up our reservations. He doesn’t have anywhere

else to stay. He’ll be sleeping on the couch, of course.”

Though only sixteen, Patricia gave an adult “yeah, sure!” look.
“Maybe if I introduce him to your mother she’ll change her

mind.”

Patricia snickered. “Mom’s between boyfriends. You might not

want her seeing yours or she’ll be jealous. She’ll try to take him away
from you.”

“He’s not my—”
“I’d better get my homework done so I’ll be all set for the little

guy. Bye!”

She waved and turned her back. Kaela sighed. Some choice.

Either the mother approved of Bryan and wanted to snuggle up to him
or she disapproved and Kaela’d be humping baby furniture around all
weekend. She went back to staring at the display. Freddie had been in
charge of protection so she’d never bought condoms before. She’d
never be that stupid again.

What type should she choose? Lubricated? Would the extra-thin

type tear, like what happened to create Scotty?

“Get glow-in-the-dark. Purple’s my fave, babe.”

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Kaela froze at the slimy voice oozing from behind her. He

sounded like her uncle at his sober worst. She pretended she hadn’t
heard. When she tried to step away, a hand grabbed her arm. An
overpowering aroma of aftershave hit. The scent threw her back
years. She trembled, fighting for control.

“Hey, Red, don’t walk away. I’m bein’ nice and friendly here.”
“Let go of my arm,” she said slowly and distinctly but with

determination. He yanked hard, and she whirled around to face him.
A slightly taller man wearing a rumpled business suit and white
cowboy hat leered at her. Another stood behind him, the same look on
his face. They must have come from a long session at the bar. She
knew the signs too well. The pretending-to-be-friendly stage of mean
drunk was rapidly followed by a beating if you didn’t follow orders.

“Whyn’t you come with me? We kin get to know each other

better.”

“Let me go!” She struggled to pull away, but he dug his nails into

the inside of her arm.

“Problem, Kaela?”
Bryan’s deep, icy voice drawled the words from beside her. He

grasped the bully’s wrist and squeezed. The man let go of her with a
hiss of pain. She rubbed her arm and turned. Blinked. Biker boy no
more, replaced with a fantasy cowboy. Scotty watched the scene,
tucked securely in the crook of Bryan’s elbow.

He wore faded blue jeans with a thick belt and silver oval buckle,

scuffed boots, and a snug white cotton T-shirt. A well-worn brown
cowboy hat with a thin black braid sat at the back of his head. Unlike
the fancy-dressed bully, he wore it like it was part of him.

“Mama!”
She caught Scotty when he lunged. She hugged him against her

chest, inhaling the sweet smell of clean baby. They were safe, thanks
to Bryan.

“Didn’t know she was yours,” groused the bully. He tried to back

away, almost tripping over his feet in eagerness to escape, but Bryan

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still held him.

“Never. Ever. Touch a woman like that,” said Bryan, punctuating

each word with a stiff finger in the man’s chest. “And next time one
says go, you git!” Bryan lifted the bully’s hat and smacked him
around the shoulders with it until he ran from the store. He threw the
hat after the man.

He turned and gathered her in his arms. He held them close,

rocking gently side to side. She rested her head on his chest and
inhaled the same soap scent as Scotty, plus a dash of musky
deodorant. She never felt so safe, so cherished. After a moment, she
pushed him away. She couldn’t get used to feeling cared for. It would
leave such a hole when he left, and she’d have to learn to be strong
again.

“You okay?” He looked down at her, eyebrows low. “I can have

Security throw the bas—ah, bully out.”

“No.” She forced a smile. “But thanks. It’s nothing I couldn’t

handle. Women get used to that sort of thing.”

“Not my women.”
He glared over her head in the direction the men had gone as if the

lesson wasn’t over.

“Thanks for bringing Scotty.” She put a bright note into her voice,

dismissing the last few minutes as if they never happened. Stuffing
the nasty memories deep with the rest of them.

“This what you lookin’ for?”
He held up a silver box labeled extra-large, ribbed, with a

reservoir tip. Scotty lunged for the shiny box like a magpie.

“No, Scotty, love.” To hide her blush, she buried her face in her

baby’s neck, yelping when he grabbed her loose hair.

“I’m gonna be a lot more careful when I run my fingers through

those soft, red curls,” said Bryan. He dropped his voice to a whisper.
“Then I’ll check out the lower ones. See if my tongue can find hidden
treasure.”

She gasped, heat flaring in the region he described. He lifted

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Kaela’s hand and pressed the box into her palm. He added a lingering
kiss on her knuckles while his eyes laughed at her blush. He nodded
at the condom display.

“Buy the big box, sweetling. We’ll need it,” he whispered. He

kissed the top of her head. “I’ll cover my bike and then I’ll get some
whipped cream.”

The heat in his eyes wasn’t faked, nor was the bulge in his jeans.

Kaela forced a shaky smile. He smoothed the curls back from her ear
and kissed her neck. Goosebumps saluted all over her body.

He released Scotty’s fist from his hair, patted her bottom as if it

belonged to him, and sauntered away in that rolling walk she’d seen
in cowboy movies. Stunned silence rushed to fill the space he left
behind.

“Da!” called Scotty, watching him go. He learned the word from

the fathers of other children at the daycare.

“Not on your life, sonny boy,” she muttered. “Arrogance might be

okay in the bedroom, but it’s hell to live with the rest of the time.”

She switched the three-package box for one holding ten, bit her lip

for a moment, and then added condom-safe lube.

Would she get up her nerve to use one? Did she have anything

remotely sexy to wear? Did a guy who hadn’t had sex in months care
what she wore, as long as he got to peel it off? And was he joking
about the whipped cream?

“Oh, no.” She kept Scotty’s hands from grabbing her purchases.

“You’re not touching this stuff for at least twenty years if I have any
say in the matter.”

Cowboy Double-Decker

Chapter Four

Kaela finally forced herself to stop watching Scotty sleep. She

was so exhausted that she could almost crawl in next to him and zonk
out. She could hear Bryan moving in the bedroom they would share.
She stopped in the doorway and watched Bryan setting folded shirts
in the drawer she cleaned out for him. She hadn’t really expected him
to use it. She figured he’d be more like Uncle Wesley and Freddie,
both slobs. She expected dirty clothes stuffed into the black leather
saddle bags he used as a suitcase. But he shook out a striped polo
shirt, set it on the bed, and refolded it as if he did this often.

While she watched, she tallied points in his favor. He was clean

and neat, though his hair almost reached his shoulders. A father, he
knew how to care for babies, and even seemed to enjoy it.

They shared a fast food dinner, and Bryan left a generous tip for

the waitress. When she questioned him, he said the woman needed the
money more than he. When they returned, she changed Scotty while
Bryan headed to the reception. As expected, she was the only female
taking the course. Gary quietly apologized again for the room, but she
smiled and said everything was fine. Not wanting anyone to know,
she avoided Bryan. But he didn’t say or do anything to even hint they
shared a room.

He set the last shirt in the drawer, closed it quietly, and moved to

the small fridge, either unaware of her watching or ignoring her. He
wore only snug jeans and whatever might be under them. Or not.

He bent over, pointing a supreme bottom at her. Did all cowboys

have such a curved butt over strong thighs? She saw no evidence of
an underwear waistband in the inviting gap between his tanned skin

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and jeans.

He stood up, shaking a can of whipped cream. As he turned

toward her he put the nozzle in his mouth, pressed it sideways, and
jetted himself a mouthful.

“Dessert,” he said once he swallowed. He took another shot.
“You think eating a can of plain whipped cream is dessert?”
Mouth full, he just nodded as he capped the can and set it on the

dresser. She stared at a spot of white cream on his upper lip, wanting
to lick it off.

“Even better would be spraying it on something tasty and licking

it off.” He leaned a hip against the dresser and sensuously licked his
lips while eying her chest. “I can think of a couple of places to start.”

He crossed his strong arms over his blond furred chest. His

wicked black eyes, flicking from one erect nipple to the other, dared
her to go beyond anything she’d ever known. With her lack of
experience, even a baby step would do. But not tonight. She needed
sleep more than sex.

She turned her back to hide a flush and padded to the left side of

the bed.

“Why don’t you use the bathroom first? I might take a while.”
“If you’re anything like Candy, you’ll be hours,” he said on his

way past.

She sat on her side of the bed and read the background

information on her weekend course. Again. She couldn’t think of
anything but sleeping an entire night with a strange man. She never
shared her bed, not even with a girlfriend in high school. She could
never bring anyone home, and Aunt Delia wouldn’t let her stay over
elsewhere. Freddie didn’t want her to stay once he got what he
wanted. He’d fall asleep and she’d leave, closing the door on his
snores.

God, she’d been such a fool!
The toilet flushed and Bryan returned, belt buckle dangling and

button open in invitation. She flicked her eyes over him, desperate to

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find a safe spot to look when speaking. But everything about him
looked too good. Even his feet, narrow with long toes. But that was
for tomorrow.

“Remember to stay on your side of the bed,” she blurted, pulling

her nightgown from under her pillow.

“Deal. But if you come snuggling over to my side, all bets are

off.”

“Don’t worry,” she snorted. “I won’t go anywhere near you.”
He ambled to the far side of the bed. “What if I wake up and

you’re draped all over me like a hound dog on a cold night?”

He placed one hand inside his jeans and slowly unzipped. No tell-

tale white cotton. She swallowed hard before forcing her eyes to meet
his.

“That will never happen.” She tossed her head like a petulant

actress. “But if it does, help yourself!”

“Deal!”
She gulped at his wicked devil look, eyes bright and mouth

smirking. He turned his back to her and slid his jeans down. Before
she closed the bathroom door behind her, heart pounding, she
discovered his tan didn’t stop at his hips.

She took her time in the bathroom after all, fretting and wondering

what he’d do if she did roll over to his side. Not only was Bryan taller
and more muscular than Freddie, she bet he was bigger everywhere.
Though Freddie had known she was a virgin, he did nothing to
prepare her. She’d held back a scream when he shoved her legs apart
and pushed inside. A few grunts later, it was over. Though it never
hurt so much again, it didn’t get much better. Aunt Delia said only
sluts enjoyed it. By that definition, Kaela was no slut.

Though it was worth the pain to get Scotty, she decided to wait a

long time before trying sex again. She had no idea how quickly her
plans would change when she met a man who made her feel so alive.
A man who made her panties damp just from being in the same room.

But she had far more important things to do than have sex with a

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stranger. She had to excel on her course, take care of her son, find a
job, have an orgasm.

She pulled her thigh-length cotton nightie as far down as it would

go and stepped out. One last deep breath and she opened the bedroom
door.

Their bedroom door.
Bryan lay on his stomach, arms up like a saguaro cactus, face

turned to the far wall. The sheet barely covered his rounded butt. Soft
snores filled the room.

“Bryan? Are you asleep?”
He didn’t even twitch. She tiptoed around to his side of the bed.

The lamp shone on his slack face. With all his defenses down, he
looked exhausted, vulnerable, and incredibly sexy. A combination of
little boy lost and sex god.

Thick eyelashes caressed his cheek. His tanned back was smooth

except where a few scars marred the perfection. She lifted the sheet
just a stitch and, yes, his round buns were just as smooth. She let go
when the urge to nibble hit hard.

She snapped out his light and scurried to her side of the bed. She

sighed at the oh-so-soft sheets and snuggled under the down
comforter. Should she put a few of the extra pillows between them to
keep him away? No, the bed was so wide they could fit another
person between them and still sleep comfortably.

A thought hit and heat flashed up her body. Did Candy sleep in

the middle, Bryan on one side, Adam the other? Maybe Candy trained
Bryan not to be a bed hog.

What else had she taught him?
Forget him and sleep!
The strain of the last few weeks, leaving everything behind and

driving across the country alone hit like a sledgehammer. As she told
herself so many nights before, there was nothing she could do to solve
her problems tonight. She’d need all her concentration tomorrow.

She turned out her lamp, pounded the pillow, and imagined a

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wonderful life. Playing in the warm sand on a sunny beach with
Scotty while a blond god softly snored on a picnic blanket beside
them.

* * * *

Kaela, flat on her back, stretched her arms and legs wide. She had

the best sleep and survived a whole night with a man in the same bed.

Even better, she was still aroused from a fantastic erotic dream

where she’d been suckled north and south. Her body still throbbed
from the memory, wanted more. She never had anything like this
happen, but then, she’d never had a man as gorgeous as her bed-mate
pay attention to her before.

The shower ran, reminding her she’d need to use the bathroom

soon. She reached for the covers, but they were out of reach, down by
her ankles. As usual her nightgown had twisted, riding up to her
waist. Heat flared when she realized she lay on her back with one foot
tucked against the other knee.

Open for viewing.
She groaned. The bedside lamp would have shown him anything

he wanted to see. Had he looked?

Aroused from the thought, she reached a hand down and fluffed

her damp curls. She slid her fingers lower, finding she was slick with
her own juices, swollen with need from her dream. The shower still
ran, so she slid her free hand across her breast.

Her nightgown was wet over the nipple.
She tilted her head and looked down. Large wet dots circled each

one. She gulped and looked around. She lay on his side of the bed.
What had he done to her?

The shower stopped, and she hauled the covers up to her neck,

heart racing. The bathroom door opened, and then the bedroom. A
white towel rode low on Bryan’s hips, droplets glistening on the
blond road to glory from his belly button south.

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“I lied about snoring. Hope I didn’t keep you up all night.” He

winked. “I made up for it this morning.”

She gulped at his knowing look. He shaved off his chin stubble.

Where had those lips, now curved in a sensual smile, touched her?

“It,” she licked her lips, “it was a dream, right?”
“Dream?”
He stood tall, legs set wide, muscular arms crossed. She nodded,

holding tightly to the covers under her chin. He dropped to the edge
of the bed beside her and grasped her outstretched leg through the
covers with a giant paw. The corner of his lip raised a fraction of an
inch. She braced herself.

“I ever tell you how much I like natural redheads?”
Heat roared up her body, incinerating her modesty. She gave an

inarticulate cry and threw the covers over her face.

“Aw, sweetling, all I did was kiss you good morning,” he

murmured. “You were on my side.”

He pulled the covers down far enough to reveal her face, though

she fought every inch.

“You took advantage of me!”
His lip twitch almost made it to smile status. “Nope. I warned you

fair and square. You told me to help myself.”

“But—”
“I woke with a half-naked woman curled around me like a twist

tie.” Now smiling fully, he stretched out on the bed beside her, head
propped on one elbow. “You moaned and arched your back when I
kissed your nipple. I nibbled your thigh and you opened your legs. If
that’s not encouragement, I don’t know what is.”

“I was asleep!” Her body throbbed, especially the parts he

mentioned. “When I woke up I thought I’d had an erotic dream! I’ve
never had one before, so how would I know what I dreamed was
real?”

His eyes drooped like a well-fed cat, his smile smug. “You got

really wet when I slid my finger—”

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“TMI!”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t do that to myself so I don’t need you telling me all about

it!” She gritted her teeth. “Okay. That might have been the best sex I
ever had. But I don’t remember because I wasn’t awake!”

“You’re awake now,” he purred.
She was.
More awake and aware of her body than at any time in her life.

Why should she let her aunt and uncle destroy her enjoyment of her
own body? If she could just let go and relax. Her heart pounded so
hard she couldn’t hear anything but his voice. Her need for more
consumed her as much as the fire from his touch.

The sheet rustled and pulled against her grip as he lifted it to slip a

hand underneath. Though she held her breath and kept her eyes
closed, she didn’t stop him. Rough fingers caressed her inner thigh,
trailing fire. She clenched her fists as her swollen flesh begged for
release.

His finger quested between her curls, separating her lips. Closing

her mind to everything but his touch, she moaned and pressed her hips
up, increasing his access. She released her grip on the sheet when he
tugged. She twitched when he shoved it aside and slid his body over
hers. She inhaled strawberry shampoo and the hotel’s soap.

Rough chest hair slid across her belly. He captured her nipple

through her gown and gently bit. The sting zapped, making her hiss
and arch her back, thrusting her breasts toward him. He slid a finger
deep inside, sucking her nipple in time with his finger pulses.

Eyes closed, her entire universe consisted of his touch. Her breast

suddenly chilled when his mouth abandoned her. She croaked a
complaint, but two strong hands, one on each thigh, separated her
legs. Hot breath blew over her most private parts.

He flicked his tongue over her bud, and an arc of electricity hit.

She pushed her heels down, pressing her flesh toward his mouth while
clutching his damp hair in both hands.

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“Mmmm.” His humming vibrated her ultra-sensitive tissues.
His tongue delved deep and flicked sideways. He nibbled and

sucked lightly, and then stroked his fingers against the front of her
passage.

“Oh, yes,” she breathed.
He did it again and she squirmed, fighting for more. So near, but

not enough. He pinched her nipple, and she spasmed, bucking against
his hand, exploding into a new world, one where nobodies like her
experienced amazing orgasms. She finally sighed, floating somewhere
above the bed, quivering with aftershocks.

“Ma-ma-ma!”
“Oh, Scotty.” She automatically struggled to sit up, but her bones

had melted.

“You stay here and settle a bit. I’ll change him.”
“You’ve already done more than enough.”
She meant his help with Scotty. But wet lips descended to slide

across her own before nibbling gently. She instinctively opened, and
he ran his tongue under her top lip, sending another shiver through
her. Slightly salty, with a tang. Was that what she tasted like? Would
he taste the same?

The bed shook as he rolled to his feet. He gazed down at her in

arrogant triumph, his cock peeking from the gap in his towel like a
performer checking the audience before a show.

“Sweetling, I haven’t even started.”
At his promise of even more, the reality of what just happened

roared over Kaela with a rush of heat. She grabbed for the covers and
rolled onto her stomach, hugging a pillow as she curled into a ball.
Bryan, chuckling, carefully pulled on a pair of jeans and quietly shut
the bedroom door behind him.

She’d let a man touch her body in ways that would send her

straight to Hell, according to Aunt Delia. She should be on her knees,
praying for forgiveness. But she’d not done that when she’d fallen
pregnant without a priest’s blessing, and she’d not do it now.

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She heard Scotty’s high babble and Bryan’s deep replies. Growing

up in an abusive, dysfunctional home had not destroyed her chance of
marriage to a good man after all.

Not Bryan, of course. God, no! Though the man turned her into a

puddle with just his mouth and hands, he was nothing like what she
wanted in a husband.

And everything she craved in a lover.
A cowboy with a body built for sex, a voice that likely charmed

the panties off far too many women, and a carefree laugh that
promised everything would be fine.

Kaela threw on her nightie and slipped into the bathroom. She

soaped down her newly awakened, sweat-slicked body as hot water
sluiced away the evidence of her passion.

How could she face Bryan in class this morning? She couldn’t

blush whenever he looked at her or flush from wanting more and still
be taken seriously. No, she must forget about what just happened and
concentrate on the reason she’d come all this way. Her career and a
new life with her son.

She’d hold her head high and brazen it out. Part of her new life

was having the confidence of a strong, intelligent, sexual woman. She
faked the first two and she’d fake the last one now. She’d look her
classmates in the eye and concentrate on work.

After Bryan’s threatened promise of even hotter sex, work was the

only way she’d get through the day. She stepped out of the shower
and toweled off. A shiver ran over her when she heard Bryan blowing
raspberries on Scotty’s belly.

Was it wicked to imagine that big, tough, cowboy doing the same

to her?

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Chapter Five

“Don’t you ever treat me like that again!”
Bryan blinked at Kaela’s hissed snarl. At the close of Saturday’s

class, the others took the elevator to their rooms so the two of them
were alone in the stairwell. She whirled around and headed up,
stomping and hauling on the rail with her left hand.

He sighed and followed, keeping his hands off the swaying ass at

eye level. Waking up to Kaela’s open invitation followed by her eager
explosive reaction had set him up for the day. A damn uncomfortable
day. Every time he thought about what he’d do tonight he got hard.
He wanted to haul her snug cotton pants down and slide right into her
as she stood on the step above him. Not bloody likely with her in a
snit.

She was too independent to make a good wife, but that wouldn’t

stop her becoming a great lover once she let go of her inhibitions and
the crap from her past.

He kept his hands to himself and watched her sweet ass sway up

three flights of stairs, not a word spoken. She slid the keycard in the
door, shoved it open, and stomped through.

“Treat you like what, Kaela?” he said, shutting the door behind

them.

She turned on him like a steer intent on goring his belly.
“At lunch! When you did that…argh!” She threw her hands up as

if it should be obvious.

“Oka-ay.” He nodded slowly and leaned his shoulder against the

wall. He stuck his hands in his front pockets to stop himself from
reaching for her. He’d been doing that all day.

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“Fine!”
She whirled around and stomped into the bedroom. She didn’t

slam the door, but a few drawers made the same point.

He might not be married, but he was damn close to it with Candy.

And he knew when a woman said “fine,” especially in that tone of
voice, it wasn’t and there’d be hell to pay. Maybe she was as
frustrated as he but didn’t know how to handle it. Since this morning
was her first experience, she might not know her irritation came from
wanting more.

He wanted one hell of a lot more. Stopping himself from taking

her all the way that morning should earn him the title of saint. If he
wanted to do more than sleep with her tonight, he’d better defuse the
situation. He said a silent prayer and followed her into the bedroom.

She bent over the bed folding clothes. Her cotton pants cuddled

the bottom he kissed that morning. She dressed in the bathroom, but
his practiced eye suggested the lack of panty lines meant she wore a
thong. He forced his eyes away from the tempting sight and thought
of icebergs. His raging hard-on didn’t soften. It would be a long, hard
night—literally—if she didn’t relax enough to do what he hadn’t done
for two long months.

“I can’t not do whatever it was I did unless I know what I’m not

supposed to do again,” he said, proud he’d gotten it out so calmly.

She whirled around, eyebrows low, clutching her ratty nightgown

to her chest like a shield.

“Are you trying to be funny?”
“Nooo,” he said, slowly shaking his head. “I’m trying to find out

why you’re like a bear cub who’s just realized that honeycombs have
bees.”

She blinked at him.
“Kaela, it would help if you tell me why you’re pissed off.”
“I am not pissed off!”
He waited. One of the first things he learned from Candy was to

say as little as possible to a ticked off woman. He didn’t want to say

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something now that would bite him in the ass later. He wanted to
nibble hers, so patience now might pay off tonight.

“I,” she swallowed and lowered her voice, “I’m just very upset at

you.”

“Got it,” he said, nodding. “Upset, not pissed off.” He waited a

beat. “Why?”

“Because you did that…” She shook her head and flapped her

right hand as she searched for words. “That macho caveman thing at
lunch. That’s why!”

She pushed past, careful not to touch him. The bathroom door

locked with a snap. Bryan thought back. Gary had spoken to him
when the lunch break started so he was late leaving for the dining
room. When he got there, Kaela, the lone female, had a man sitting on
either side of her. He merely stood behind her chair, resting both
hands on the back of it, until the short dude from Texas decided it
would be a good idea to move over one seat. He hadn’t even
encouraged him by kicking the chair leg.

“Kaela,” he called through the door. “Are you talking about me

sitting beside you at lunch?”

“Hallelujah! The man can think!”
He heard the toilet flush, the sink run. She opened the door and

barreled past him into the bedroom. This time her bottom brushed the
front of his jeans. He hissed at the jolt.

“You,” she whirled to point a finger at him like a Colt pistol, “had

to do the caveman thing. Now everyone knows there’s something
between us!”

“Caveman?”
She inhaled and he automatically checked out the action. The thin

bra under her T-shirt didn’t hide the nipples staring at him. She was
riled up, all right. Candy got that way, too. He and Adam knew it
meant it was time to take her down a few pegs. She was begging to be
spanked when she acted all uppity, even though she wouldn’t admit it
to save her life.

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He wasn’t ready to spank Kaela yet, especially when the

babysitter was due to arrive with Scotty any minute, but he couldn’t
help stoking her up for later.

“Sweetling,” he drawled. “I was just marking my territory. When I

go ‘caveman’ on you, you’ll know.”

“Don’t bother because I’m not interested!”
Bryan set his palms gently on either side of her face and dropped

his lips. He slid them across hers. After a moment, she responded. He
pressed softly, encouraging her. He heard a soft moan. When she
opened to him, he slid his tongue under her sensitive top lip, grazing
the front of her teeth.

He kept up the kiss and dropped one hand to her breast, lightly

brushing his knuckles against her nipple. She thrust herself into his
hand so he dropped the other to cup her bottom. When she wriggled,
he slid both hands under her bottom curves and pressed her against
his hard erection. He ran long fingers up the seam of her cotton pants,
tracing her thong line.

Her hiss and the way she clenched his fingertips between her ass

cheeks didn’t match her words.

“If you’re not interested, darlin’, why are you wrapped around

me?”

Her half-lidded eyes opened wide. She growled and shoved him

away with both hands, panting hard.

“I didn’t ask you to kiss me.”
“When I did you upped the ante.”
“I did no such thing.”
She was having a hissy fit, just like Candy used to do when she

first joined them and didn’t allow herself to be real. Wanting to enjoy
her body, but thinking she shouldn’t.

“You can pretend all you like, darlin’, but your body’s begging

me to throw you over my shoulder, head back to my cave, and take
you again and again until you know you’re mine.”

She glared at him, mouth open, nostrils flaring. Her small but

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gorgeous boobs rose and fell as she panted, nipples reaching for him.
Oh, yeah. She wanted him all right. But she’d learned that good girls
don’t enjoy it or some other crap. Without a fancy dinner and roses
followed by a ring on her finger, sex was a no-no. Pizza and a beer
followed by his fingers making her come wasn’t good enough. If he
could just get her to shut off her damn brain!

“We’re back!”
Kaela’s eyes widened at the knock. She pulled away and dashed

into the bedroom. The cheery voice had to belong to the babysitter.
He grabbed a hand towel from the bathroom and stuck it in his belt
like an apron. He opened the door with a smile appropriate for a
teenage girl.

“Oh, wow,” said the slender teen. Eyes wide, she stared up at him

from her five-foot-one height. “You’re the biker cowboy.”

“Something like that. You must be Miss Patricia.”
“Da!” Scotty launched himself out of Patricia’s arms and into his.

He automatically caught the bundle, grinning in response to the one
on the kid’s face.

“Um.” Patricia bit her lip. “I wanted to tell Kaela about Scotty’s

day.”

“Come on in, Miss Patricia.” He backed away from the door to

give her space. He turned his back to the girl and laid Scotty’s belly
along his forearm. Making a loud airplane noise, he flew Scotty to the
lounge. “Kaela’s in the bedroom. She’ll be out in a sec.”

The girl stepped just inside and let the door close, but not latch.

She looked ready to bolt at the least chance of him attacking. Why did
females think the worst of big guys, yet let short slimeballs walk all
over them?

“It’s just Patricia.” She shrugged as if she didn’t matter. “No

‘miss’ or anything.”

He reduced the threat by lying on the floor in the lounge area. He

growled like a bear, making Scotty laugh and crawl on him. Luckily
Bryan caught an errant foot before it hit anything majorly important.

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He learned that trick early, thanks to Evie.

“My ma taught me to treat ladies with respect,” he said from the

floor. “So you’re Miss Patricia to me.”

The girl smiled shyly, let the door latch, and shuffled down the

short corridor.

“My mom said bikers are dangerous.” She looked down, smiling

in response to Scotty’s laughs. “Too bad you’re with Kaela. You’re a
lot nicer than my mom’s boyfriends.”

There wasn’t anything Bryan could say in answer, so he held

Scotty around the chest and did reverse push-ups with him. Fast, so
the boy’s arms and legs trailed after his body. They both laughed.

“Wow, you’ve got huge muscles.”
Bryan heard the bedroom door open. Kaela stepped out in jeans

and a thick sweater.

“Hi, Patricia.” She turned her head, the smile gone. “What are you

doing with Scotty?”

“Teaching him caveman stuff. Like how to impress a girl by

showing off his muscles.” He used a deep, gruff voice, which made
Scotty laugh. Patricia did, too, but Kaela didn’t crack a smile. Scotty,
spotting his mom, reached for her. Bryan let her take the boy out of
his arms. They felt suddenly empty. He could be at home right now,
playing with Evie like this.

“Don’t worry about Mr. Raman, Patricia. Though he looks and

acts like a Neanderthal, he’s a gentleman. Though it does seem hard
to believe sometimes.”

“Dang, woman! Is that a compliment or an insult?”
Patricia looked from one to the other and bit her lip, eyes bright.

Bryan winked at her, and she covered her grin with her hand.

“I’ll grab a shower while you ladies talk.”
He rolled to his feet in one quick movement. Kaela, though she

tried to hide it, looked just as impressed as the teenager. He stopped in
the bedroom to pull a fresh shirt and jeans out of a drawer and
disappeared into the bathroom. He’d give Kaela time to calm down.

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Then he’d rev her up again.

* * * *

With the hotel jammed and all the local fast food places full on a

Saturday night, Bryan said he’d ride into the next town to pick up
supper. Scotty watched bug-eyed from the playpen as Bryan strapped
on worn black leather chaps over his jeans and chunky motorcycle
boots. She had to admit she checked him out, as well. He winked and
offered to let her zip up his chaps from ankle to upper thigh, but she
kept her hands to herself. She swallowed, her mouth dry. Now, if he
wore nothing but chaps she’d show him how quick her fingers were.

He escorted them downstairs to show his bike to Scotty. She

carried his helmet and thick gloves. At twelve months, Scotty was no
lightweight, yet Bryan carried him in one arm as if he weighed
nothing. She let them get ahead so she could check out his butt, but
his long Harley jacket covered too much.

The sea of people in the lobby parted for him as if he were a pirate

ship riding the high seas. Sinister and sexy in black leather and denim,
six-foot-four in boots, he oozed wild danger. The chattering boy he
carried increased his attractiveness.

He waited for her at the door, rested his hand on her back, and

ushered her through. She knew he did it to put his mark on her. She
didn’t mind this time because it also put her mark on him. No way
would those women in the lobby, hungry for more than dinner, mess
with him when she was around. For once she had the cute guy and
she’d enjoy every moment. She followed him to the parking lot and
stopped dead when he pulled the cover off his bike.

“Harley-Davidson Street Glide,” said Bryan. “Almost eight feet of

black and silver power.”

It revived Kaela’s teenage dreams of being whisked away by a

leather-clad dude with a heart of gold and a bank account to match.
She never dreamed past leaving Aunt Delia and Uncle Wesley raging

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behind her, but knew it had to be better than her miserable existence.
Maybe someday she’d put a leg over a monster like this, put her arms
around a man like Bryan, press her face against his broad back, and
ride into the sunrise. Might as well wish to be petite with an hourglass
shape, long curly blond hair, and enough money to do whatever she
wanted.

She held Scotty while Bryan did some pre-ride preparation. He

easily straddled the beast, throwing a long leg over. He held out his
arms for Scotty, letting him touch the center part of the handlebars,
both of them making engine sounds.

“I wish I had a camera. You guys look great.”
Scotty squawked in complaint when she lifted him off, squirming

and fighting to escape. She backed away in case the deep roar scared
him. Bryan slid on his shiny black and silver helmet, visor up, put on
his big black gloves, and roared the Harley into life. A magnificent
deep rumble shattered the twilight as Bryan revved the motor to warm
it up. Low vibrations passed through her body, making her tingle from
collar bone to thighs. If she sat down behind Bryan and he twisted his
right hand to make the motor roar, she’d be half-way to an orgasm
within seconds.

What did it do to a guy to sit there for hours? No wonder bikes

were so popular. It beat sitting on the washer during the spin cycle.

Scotty bounced in her arms, babbling as he reached out to join

Bryan. She backed another few feet away when Bryan snapped down
his full-face helmet. She held Scotty tight, nodding when Bryan gave
her a two-finger salute and roared into the sunset.

They waved bye-bye until the roar faded. When she strolled

through the lobby, she caught a few envious glares. She held her head
high and let her hips swing just a bit, a secret smile suggesting just
how much Bryan revved her personal engine. It was wrong for a
woman to take her sense of self from a man, but just this once, she let
the glow settle about her.

Back in their suite, she placed a small bowl of frozen peas on

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Scotty’s highchair tray to keep him busy until Bryan returned. She
watched for a moment as he carefully picked one up and gummed it.

She needed to keep her mind on something other than Bryan’s hot

bike and body. She sat at the desk and opened his laptop. He wanted
her to see his family photos, so he had set it up to open at his My
Pictures folder. She certainly was curious after the sexual explosion
before breakfast and the unspoken promise of far more tonight.

The man seemed intelligent, polite, and considerate. He had a

sense of humor and a wicked laugh. More important, he hadn’t
pushed her that morning.

She’d seen the massive erection tenting his towel, yet he hadn’t

insisted she service him, as Freddie would have. And today in class,
he’d calmly asked her to explain her points, glaring when a few
classmates tried to put her down. Was there such a thing as a man
who appreciated a woman’s brain as well as her body? He was
flawed, as proved by that caveman thing at lunch. But, walking back
through the lobby, she understood why he wanted to say “mine!”

She didn’t have a camera or cell phone, but somehow, she had to

take photos of him, both in cowboy mode and biker leathers. Oh yeah,
she’d have fantasies about the man for years to come. Tonight she
hoped to find out if reality was as good as her imagination.

She wasn’t ashamed of what she let him do to her that morning.

She was asleep for the first part and still not awake for the explosive
finish. At least, that’s what she told herself. She couldn’t drop a
lifetime of “don’t you ever let me catch you even thinking about it”
without some uneasiness.

Bryan said he and Adam were partners on a Montana cattle ranch

called the Double R, so she wasn’t surprised when the slideshow
started with a photo of a cowboy on a horse, surrounded by cattle. It
had to be Adam, as dark brown hair curled at his collar. What she
could see of his face was grim, full of frowns and clenched teeth. He
ignored the camera as he concentrated on throwing a lasso at an
escaping cow. Were all cowboys that manly? She couldn’t think of

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another word to describe hard-working men who knew their jobs and
did them competently.

Not at all like the city men whose calluses came from a squash

racket or a BlackBerry.

The next photo showed the backs of both men, arms leaning over

a split-rail fence at shoulder height. Tight jeans pulled against their
bodies as each man rest at foot on the bottom rail. Both sets of buns
begged for a pair of chaps, with no jeans to obstruct the view. A zip of
heat made Kaela’s thighs twitch. From the back, Adam was almost as
sexy as Bryan.

“The man is married,” she lectured herself. Her fantasies didn’t

care, dropping her onto a bed between the two men, naked and
eagerly reaching for her. She gulped and forced the vision away.

In the next photo, two men watched a woman and a horse. The

camera caught what must be Candy in mid-laugh, sitting with her legs
splayed while the dapple gray horse gazed down at her, reins
dangling. Kaela knew nothing about horses, but this one looked like it
was in on the joke. Had she fallen off? None of them seemed worried.

Candy wasn’t aware of the camera in the next shot. Caught from

behind and to one side, she was intent on painting a wildflower-dotted
landscape. Mountains soared with nothing else blocking the wide blue
sky.

Kaela sighed. She longed to see such a mountain-high meadow in

full flower. “Someday, Scotty.” She looked over at her son. He
concentrated on the cartoon channel Bryan turned on earlier. The two
males bonded over Bugs Bunny reruns as Bryan provided the play-
by-play.

She turned back to the laptop and clicked onto a grinning Adam,

clad in nothing but snug jockeys, holding two little girls. It sent an
instant twinge through her belly. Adam’s arm muscles bulged as they
held up matching fairy princesses. The dark haired one, Diane, smiled
sweetly at the camera while a blond pixie bashed Adam’s head with
her magic wand.

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The blonde’s grin was familiar. Evie was her father’s daughter.

How did Bryan feel about another man raising his child? Was that
why he was so eager to marry—to have his own?

There was something sexy about a massively strong man

delighting in delicate little girls. It looked like Adam was in the
middle of dressing when he scooped the girls up. Candy must have
handed them over and snapped the shot.

In the background lurked a massive bed with tall wooden corner

posts. Bigger than the hotel king, it could certainly hold three people.
Did Candy sleep in the middle every night? Or was this Candy and
Adam’s room, and Bryan had his own?

She clicked through all the photos, peeking into the life of a

Montana cattle ranch. Horses, children, parties, a ranch house she
loved, and best of all, mountains towering magnificently over
everything.

Then Candy appeared, standing with legs set wide, glaring at the

camera in raging defiance. She wore translucent turquoise harem
pants and a matching jeweled bolero top. A gold collar ringed her
neck and gold flashed from her wrists and ankles. No thong showed
under the pants, a dark vee marking the junction of her thighs.

Kaela choked. She stared at the image while her nipples budded

and panties dampened.

The inner swell of Candy’s breasts was visible between her

crossed arms. Adam, wearing an embroidered yellow caftan, scowled
down at her. The laughing father and the loving mother were gone,
replaced by an outrageous fantasy of lust and demand.

The room, swathed in dark fabric, resembled a tent. Bright pillows

rested against the walls. She saw no bed but a well padded wide-
armed chair and what looked like a massage table waited off to the
side.

Kaela licked her lips and memorized every detail before moving

to the next photo.

Candy, now naked but for jewelry, knelt in the chair, her chest

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bent over its back. Her round bottom was flushed pink with what must
be hand prints. Bryan stood at the head of the chair, facing the
camera. What was visible of him was naked, except for a jeweled
purple turban. He held Candy’s shoulders down. The masterful look
of lust he wore made Kaela shiver.

She clicked and groaned. Candy and Bryan were in the same basic

positions, but Adam stood behind her, the front of his caftan draped
over her back. Kaela only saw the side of his face, but by the raging
bull look and possessive way he held Candy’s hips tight to his groin,
it was obvious what he was doing.

Candy’s flushed face turned to the camera, eyes wide and shining.

Kaela had no doubt she wanted this. Wanted both men.

Kaela closed her eyes, fighting to slow down her heart with slow,

deep breaths.

After being dominated, abused, all her life, why did she want this?

Was she sick? Or did it change everything when the men did what the
woman demanded? Satisfaction. Letting go of the burden of control to
enjoy total pleasure.

If Bryan wanted her to see these photos as a type of foreplay, it

certainly worked. She crossed her legs and squeezed, eager for
another explosion like this morning. If he could do that to her with
only his tongue and fingers, what could she experience from all of
him? What if two men pleasured her together?

She refused to get her face anywhere near that part of Freddie, but

the thought of sucking Adam deep while Bryan pounded into her from
behind made her squirm in the hard chair. And what about Candy?
Would two women treat each other differently without a man around?

“You’d better crash right after supper, darling boy,” she warned

Scotty. He only had a few peas left on his table so she took a deep
breath and pressed the button for the last photo.

Candy lay in a hospital bed, smiling widely with a bundled baby

in each arm, a proud papa on each side.

Kaela forced back erupting tears. What would it be like to be

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wanted like that? To be able to live securely in her own home? To
have two loving men needing her, as well as their children?

She was under no illusions—living with two dominant men would

be hell at times. Candy must be very strong to take them on by
herself. But what she got in return must be worth it.

Sniffling and twitchy, Kaela turned off the laptop and closed the

lid. She unplugged it and lifted all the cords so Scotty wouldn’t cause
damage to himself or the electronics. Her stomach rumbled, reflected
by a distinctive roar from the parking lot below. She lifted Scotty out
of his chair and went to the window, waving back at Bryan. He lifted
supper out of the hard bags beside his bike’s back wheels.

“Here comes supper, Scotty.”
To calm herself and make dinner a bit special, she lit a bunch of

votive candles she picked up in the shop downstairs and turned off the
main lights. The flames flickered like a campfire, delighting Scotty.
She wasn’t looking for a romantic atmosphere, but it would make
hard questions easier to ask—and to answer—if the lights were low.

After handing over dinner, Bryan took Scotty downstairs to run

around the lobby and get rid of some energy while she re-heated the
food in the suite’s microwave. Chicken fried rice, beef and greens,
lemon chicken, and eggrolls. She put a plastic sheet under Scotty’s
high chair since he insisted on serving himself.

The food disappeared fast. Once she eased her belly’s needs, she

thought of another hunger. Patricia had tired Scotty out. After a quick
bath, he fell asleep in her arms. When he started walking, she lost the
cuddly little bundle who loved to be held so she enjoyed his warmth,
kissing his head while debating with herself how to ask Bryan her
questions. She finally realized point blank and honest was the only
way. She settled a zonked-out Scotty in the playpen and turned to
Bryan.

“If Candy’s married to Adam, why does she have sex with you?

Does she feel obligated? Doesn’t Adam get jealous?”

Bryan, sitting in the side chair, moved his empty plate to the floor.

Cowboy Double-Decker

He’d eaten the lion’s share of dinner, but he was a foot taller and
about a hundred pounds heavier. With tawny hair to his shoulders and
a predatory gleam in his eyes, he even looked like a lion. He stared at
her for a moment, taking his time to answer, unlike her blurted
questions.

“There’s no obligation or jealousy in a polyamory family,” he

replied. “Just lots of love and companionship to share the work and
the fun.”

“Poly as in being in love with more than one person?”
“Bingo. Candy and Adam and me, we’ve got three-quarters of

what we need.” His expression intensified and his body seemed to
expand, filling the small room with his power. “I’m looking for my
own wife. You up for it?”

She forced a smile at his words. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Her stomach clenched at the thought of marriage. Parts further

south zinged at the idea of sharing a bed with two sexy men. But she
had enough on her plate with getting through tonight! She turned her
concentration to her sleeping son and tried to ignore the man across
the rug.

He refused to be ignored. He leaned forward, elbows resting on

his jeans, and clasped his hands. She stared at them. Tanned, with old
nicks and scratches showing up white. No rings, nor a watch.

“You didn’t answer my question, sweetling.”
His voice, deep and sensual, sent shivers down her back and over

her belly.

“You were just joking.”
“I don’t joke about marriage.”
“You don’t know the first thing about me!”
“You’re sexy, smart, a super mom, you nuke a mean dinner—”

He counted on his fingers as he spoke.

“With a past you know nothing about,” she interrupted.
As soon as she heard her own words, she cringed at the touch of

whining. Almost everyone had bad things happen to them and they

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survived. She’d vowed to make sure her child never had to struggle.
Though, if anything happened to her, where would Scotty go?

That was one of the reasons she was determined to put down roots

in a small town. She’d make strong friendships, like a family she
chose rather than was born into. Then she’d get a lawyer to set her
will up so Scotty had lots of support if anything happened to her.

“Sweetling, you ain’t got nothin’ on me.”
While she fidgeted he leaned back, crossed his hands over his

belly, and settled himself in the big padded chair. The gleam in his
eye faded.

“Who hit you, Kaela?”
“What?” Blood rushed so fast from her pounding heart that she

could barely hear. The memories she already forced down once today
rushed back up to overwhelm her.

“Someone used to beat on you. Someone big.”
She clamped her jaws shut, swallowing to keep her dinner down.
“When Scotty let loose on my chest you ducked away, expecting a

blow. You don’t develop those reflexes without a reason.”

She stood and turned her back to him, fist to her mouth, biting her

knuckles. She heard the rustle of clothing and strong arms turned her
around. He pulled her to his chest and tilted her chin to look up at
him.

“I know what it feels like when someone who should protect you

slams their fist into you. It’s not your fault and it’s nothing to be
ashamed of. Adam’s father had a mad on for the world and beat on
anyone smaller. I’m big now, but I was once Scotty’s size. I
remember, Kaela.”

She gripped his shirt with her free hand, holding on so her knees

wouldn’t buckle. His deep, slow breathing calmed her, as did the slow
circles his hands made on her back.

“Who was it, Kaela? I’m not letting you go until you tell me.”
“My uncle,” she finally whispered. He let her pull away to tidy up

supper. She tossed her son’s toys into his basket. Folded some

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clothes. Straightened papers. He waited patiently, leaning against the
desk, white hands clenching the wooden edges on each side of his
hips. She finally ran out of things to organize in the small room and
slouched into her chair.

“Adam had just started school when his ma ran away,” said Bryan

quietly. “His dad, Grant, turned into a mean drunk. Ma took care of
me, Adam, and my older brother, Sam. Adam slept over when it was
really bad. I was twelve and Adam fourteen when Ma died. I moved
in with Adam since I had nowhere else to go. Sam was in the Army,
overseas.” He shrugged, staring at his boots. “Adam and me, we
survived. But we vowed our kids would always have loving dads and
moms. Four of us living together makes it more likely.”

He looked at her with eyes that said what she felt.
He knew.
She bit her lip, raised her head, and looked at him. Seeing caring

and compassion, she inhaled and began.

“My parents died in a car crash when I was five,” she said. “I was

sent to the only family I had, my father’s sister, Delia, and her
husband, Wesley. They made sure I knew they only took me in
because of charity and I should bless them every day. My uncle
believes a women’s duty is to obey men in everything, as all women
of Eve are cursed and must be chastised. He took it more literally
when he was drunk. He was careful to never break a bone, but it was
close. I never knew when he’d turn on me.”

“Bastard.” Bryan hissed the word.
“School was everything to me. I escaped to college on a

scholarship, loving the learning and the freedom. I’d never dated,
spending most of my time in the library. I was afraid to touch myself
in my own bed until I’d left home. In my last year I met Freddie. He
was only an inch taller than me, so he was nothing like Uncle Wesley.
He was polite and showered me with attention. Desperate for
someone to care, I fell for it. Before we had sex, he promised to marry
me, but to keep it a secret until the end of the school year. He said he

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loved me and I trusted him. When I got pregnant he laughed and said
I was ‘just this semester’s fuck buddy.’ He wrote me a huge check for
an abortion and walked out.”

“From one bastard to another.”
She nodded. “Scotty is my only family and I thank God every day

that he looks nothing like Freddie.”

“Aw, hell, Kaela.”
Bryan swept her up and carried her to his chair. He settled into it,

pulling her against his chest when she struggled.

“Dammit, relax woman!”
She blinked quickly to hold back the tears threatening to flow.
“Let it go, Kaela.”
“I can’t,” she keened. “I’ve got to be strong for Scotty. He has no

one else.”

“Neither do you. Sweetling, if you don’t let it out it will haunt you

and Scotty all your lives. Trust me on that. I couldn’t let go until we
buried the bastard. And even then it was only Adam’s friendship, then
Candy’s love, that kept me going until the girls were born.”

“I’m not ready to let go yet. There’s too much else I have to deal

with first.”

“Like what?” He stroked her cheek with the back of his finger.
“Like finding a way to feed my child and a home to keep him in!”
“Those are good ones.” He pulled her tight. “But just rest a bit.”
“I’m too heavy. I’ll squish you.”
He ignored her and she finally relaxed in his arms. Slowly her

worry slipped away, leaving her with an awareness of the aroused
man under her.

“I like being underneath sometimes,” he said. He winked and slid

a hand over her bottom. “I’ve got an even better idea,” he said, slow
and sexy.

“What?” She wriggled as he moved his hand to her breast. Her

nipples crinkled under his palm, her tissues swelling. She inhaled, a
slight tinge of leather enhancing his manly scent.

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“Picture Adam and me as thick slices of bread with you and

Candy between us, like a cowboy double-decker sandwich.”

“A what?” She turned her head.
His dark eyes bored into her, sending an unmistakable message.

One her body twitched to answer. He caught her nipple between his
fingers, gently squeezing. She clenched her internal muscles, wanting
something hard to hold. Like what pressed against her bottom,
separated only by their clothes.

“When Adam and I share Candy, she’s the filling in our cowboy

sandwich. Add you and there’s more for everyone.” He nodded, eyes
glistening. “Yep. A double-decker cowboy sandwich. Two sets of
breasts, sweet buns, and best of all, fragrant special sauces. What
more could a man want?”

“How does she do it?” Kaela gulped. Heat blasted up her chest

and face at the possibility of someone actually doing what she
fantasized about. Being cherished and loved by not just one man, but
two. She’d never thought of adding a woman into the mix.

“You tell me, Kaela,” he challenged. He slid his finger over the

center seam of her jeans, pressing it into her pubic bone. She clenched
his hand.

Dark fantasies rose like thick smoke, obscuring her vanilla world.

She closed her eyes, imagining being face to face with Adam’s dark-
haired wife. Naked breasts rubbing, naked thighs intertwined. A man
behind each, sliding into succulent heat. Hands and mouths exploring.

Or each woman on their side, mouths to thighs. Licking and

nibbling tender swollen folds while a man held their hips, entering
from behind. If Candy could take both men, could she?

Kaela shivered at the raw sexuality of it. Totally filled with strong,

virile men. She flashed to a mental image of Bryan lying on his back
while she rode him. Adam would urge her to bend forward so he
could press into her behind while Candy’s hot mouth danced over her
breast and fingers found Kaela’s nubbin. She moaned, pressing
against Bryan’s hand.

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“Kaela’s thinking about something hot,” murmured Bryan. He

shifted, capturing her breast again, kneading it through her thin top
and bra.

“I saw those pictures on your laptop.” She watched him play with

her nipple, gasping when he lightly pinched it.

“Candy put it together. Haven’t seen ’em.”
“There’s some very, um, interesting photos.”
His heart pounded hard under her left shoulder.
“Like what?” His hand stilled.
“Um, Adam wore a yellow caftan and you had a jeweled

turban—”

“Aw, yeah.”
He sighed before inhaling deep, crushing her tight. She pulled

away and looked up. He smiled down at her with arrogant pride, eyes
squinting in a broad smile.

“Sheiks and slave girl. One of my favorites.”
“Uh, that would be it. It looked like Candy enjoyed herself, even

though she fought you.”

“That she did.” He nuzzled her neck. “I love it when a strong

woman fights the dominance of strong men. Fights back with
everything, yet is still overpowered.” He nibbled her earlobe, causing
tingles to zap to her nipples and clit. “It gives me such a rush when
Candy rages at the beginning, yet screams my name when she
comes.”

He tilted his head to look at her. “From the way your heart is

pounding, I think you want it, too.” He looked at Scotty, zonked out
in his playpen bed.

“It’s my turn to play.”

Cowboy Double-Decker

Chapter Six

“Take off your T-shirt.”
Back to the closed bedroom door, Kaela’s body hummed at his

demand. She didn’t move. His nostrils flared like a bull about to
charge. She felt a flutter of delicious apprehension low in her belly. A
rush of adrenaline hit, but instead of fear, she felt on the edge of
something wonderful. Though she disobeyed him, refusing his orders,
it was okay. He wouldn’t hurt her.

“Stand here.” He pointed to the floor in front of him, right by the

bed.

His deep voice sent quivers through her. Just as he began to move

to get her, she stepped away from the door. She crossed her arms over
her front and grabbed the T-shirt hem with both hands. She slowly
raised it to reveal her belly, then her ribcage with a boring white bra.
She finally whipped it over her head and tossed it away. She shook
her curls loose.

“Drop your bra and put your hands behind your head.”
He spoke slow and deep, steel determination in every word.

Enjoying her new rebelliousness, she again made him wait. How far
could she push him, discovering her newfound sense of power?

“I see you want to be punished. I’d enjoy that. One.” He waited,

eyebrows high. “Two.”

She flicked her bra’s back closure. He licked his lips, eyes

zooming in on his prize. But she whirled around before dropping her
arms. When the bra fell to the floor all he saw was her naked back.
Purposely tantalizing him, she slid her hands up the swell of her
narrow hips and over the slight dent that marked her waist. Up her

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ribcage, over her breasts, then behind her neck to lift her hair. Only
then did she clasp her hands together and, elbows out, thrust her small
chest high. With her back still to him.

“You’ll pay for that, woman.”
She trembled at his hoarse voice, his slow, deliberate steps. She

shivered when his hands slid around her waist. His calluses rasped,
tantalizing her flesh as they lightly scraped their way to their prize. He
moaned, though her breasts didn’t quite fill his large hands. He
stepped close behind her, his chest hair tickling her shoulders and
upper back. He nibbled her neck. She bent her head to encourage him.

“You are so damn beautiful.”
He choked the words out as if the act of speaking was almost

more than he could achieve with his hands full of her. He flicked her
nipples with his thumbs. She inhaled sharply and arched, thrusting
herself into his care. She’d never felt so alive.

“Don’t. Move.”
He kissed his way down her shoulders, nibbling her backbone

until he reached her jeans. He unzipped them and pulled them off,
supporting her to lift each foot free.

Leaving her in nothing but wet panties.
He pressed her feet apart by running his hands up her thighs until

his thumbs touched. He slid one thick finger between her thighs,
sliding over her panties.

“You’re so wet for me, sweetling. Turn around.”
He helped her shuffle to face him, unsteady on trembling legs. She

looked down. He knelt before her, face almost in pain. His chest
heaved, as did her own.

“I can stop. But you’d better say ‘no’ pretty damn quick.”
She’d never imagined a man would look at her with such need.

Never thought a strong, handsome man would want her. Or that he
would give her the power of choice.

“Yes,” she said.
“Thank God,” he whispered. He dropped his head for a moment,

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resting his damp forehead on her hot belly. When he looked up again,
he had a boyishly eager grin on his face. “You won’t need these.”

Before she could ask what he meant, he grabbed the front of her

panties and ripped them from waistband to leg. They dropped to the
floor. He pressed his nose against the vee of her thighs. He inhaled
and held it a moment. Then he let go, blowing his hot breath through
her curls.

“You drive me crazy, woman.”
He lifted her by the thighs and, unbalanced, she fell backwards.

He controlled her fall so she landed gently on the bed. He hauled her
bottom to the edge and ducked until her knees were on his shoulders,
her legs up and spread.

“Close your eyes and enjoy,” he ordered.

* * * *

Bryan allowed himself a smirk when Kaela yelped and slammed

her palms down on the bedspread as he kissed her opening bud. He
loved awakening Candy to the pleasures of good loving, but he had to
share her with Adam.

Kaela was all his. Another woman slighted by selfish men. He’d

show her what she’d missed all her life, what she’d crave from now
on.

He inhaled her scent again. Sweet and welcoming, it shot straight

to his groin. It had been so long since he’d pleasured Candy, he’d
almost forgotten how hot a woman’s nectar made him.

He pressed the tip of his tongue like a finger, separating her

swollen folds, pushing them back to gain access. She had long lips,
like soft flower petals. Her slickness, pulsing forth succulent juice to
flavor his journey.

Her fine auburn hair, downy soft, tickled his nose. He lipped a few

long strands, watching them spring back into curls when released. She
was totally natural, just the way he liked. But then, why would she

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spend time and money on primping when no one would notice?

If she was his woman, he’d pamper her with attention. He’d trim

her close to see her lips when she walked naked toward him. Her
swollen lips would make an obvious promise. He’d easily see where
his cock would press her open.

Concentrate on what you’ve got in front of you, idiot!
Flicking his tongue, he tapped his way toward her center. He

pressed deep, lapping at the clear liquid seeping from her cave.
Pulling back, he sucked very gently on the hood of her clit. It rose
majestically in response to his touch.

“Oh, God, that feels good,” she moaned.
He worked on and around her clit, flicking and encouraging it to

swell. He pressed his thick middle finger deep into her. She arched as
he gently stretched her. He added another finger. She was tight,
though she had lots of fluid to spare. He tickled his way down her
perineum to her tight backdoor. When he pressed lightly with his
pinkie she arched her back, shoving her bottom onto his finger.

“Like that, do you?”
Her moans were the only answer. That and panting. Damn, he’d

gone so long without that he’d have to fight not to explode like a
teenager as soon as he entered her.

He stood up, took the condom out of his pocket, and shucked his

jeans, wincing as he released himself.

“No. Let me see you first.”
About to sheath himself, he stopped at her demand. Bottom lip

caught between her teeth, her eyes travelled over him, leaving a
burning brand behind. Did she think he was too big? His body was
shorter and thicker than Adam, as was his cock.

“I can’t hold on much longer, sweetling,” he choked.
She stretched like a cat wanting cream and opened her legs.

“Neither can I.”

He covered himself, knelt, and pressed an inch into her. He caught

the tiny wince, quickly hidden. She was too tight for this position. He

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swooped her into his arms and moved her higher on the bed. He lay
on his back next to her, rampant like the mast of a schooner.

“Climb on top, sweetling. That way you can control your level of

penetration. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’ll let me be on top?” Her blue eyes, half closed in sensual

response, opened fully.

“There’s no ‘let’ to it.” He winked. “I can’t wait to suck those

giant nipples of yours while you ride my cock.”

She stood above him, a bit unsteady on the mattress. From his

viewpoint, she was perfect. Strong thighs to ride him. Wide hips that
had birthed a healthy son. A waist that flared into breasts much
smaller than Candy’s but—he realized—just right for him. Her huge
nipples made up for everything. That and the wicked smile of
anticipation. She’d been denied pleasure for too long, but he’d make
up for it. He had another twenty-four hours to prove how great sex
could be.

She knelt over him, smiling like Mona Lisa. With his hands

guiding her, she sank, slowly pressing down until she engulfed his
first few inches.

ThankYouGodThankYouGod.
He fought not to surge into her tight heat with every ounce of

control he’d learned over his life. He focused on the breasts proudly
held above him. He palmed them, flicking her large nipples. He
pinched them between his fingers just enough that she gasped and
settled another few inches. She squeezed him tight, her hot sheath
throbbing. Or was that his cock? It didn’t matter, they were one.

She panted, head back, eyes closed and smile wide. She sat tall,

proudly displaying herself. Then she began to move. He silently
cursed, working out algebra equations to keep from exploding.

Slowly at first, she scraped her pussy against him, back and forth.

She pressed hard, tilting her hips to get the feel of him. He clenched
his teeth along with every muscle he had, forcing them not to move.
Not to explode and ruin her first ride to glory.

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Her rhythm built, back and forth, faster and harder. She had to

come first, but it better be damn soon! She whimpered and he finally
allowed himself to help.

He snuck a finger between his pelvis and her clit, giving her a

knob to rub against. He grasped her breast with the other and pushed
up from his heels, meeting her rhythm as best he could.

Damn, he wanted to see her face as she exploded for the first time,

riding his cock.

She whimpered, whipping her head about, riots of red curls

tumbling around her pale freckled skin.

“Come on, baby,” he gasped. “You can do it. Let go. Use me to

get what you want. Now!”

He pinched her nipple at the same time as her clit. She gave a

silent scream, arched high, and then exploded. He grabbed her hips to
hold her close as he slammed into her from below, meeting every
thrust until his own explosion hit and he pumped, body on autopilot,
mind gone.

Finally exhausted, she sank her hot, sweaty breasts onto his

panting chest. He gathered his arms around her, holding her close as
he murmured and rubbed her soft, womanly skin.

Until a hot drip hit his chest.
“Aw, darlin’,” he said. “That bad, huh?”
She nodded, rubbing her face against his chest without looking up.

He sighed and kissed the top of her head, the only place he could
reach. She smelled of strawberry shampoo and sex.

He waited while she had a little cry, remembering a few times

Candy had done the same. He wasn’t too worried. He knew it was
from an emotional explosion and not his lack of technique.

He learned a lot about women during his wild phase from fifteen

to twenty-five. So many women couldn’t let go and enjoy themselves
because of past issues. Kaela enjoyed herself this time when she was
on top and too far gone to stop. But could she otherwise? If she was
tied up and blindfolded so she didn’t have a choice, she might be able

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to. Then again, with her past, perhaps not.

Women often held themselves back, denying their own pleasure in

favor of their man. If Kaela gave up control, he could prove her body
was made for pleasure. He’d take hours, bringing her to the brink of
orgasm then backing off until she begged for release.

Blood rushed south, preparing to do what his mind suggested.
When she took a deep, shuddery breath and snuggled close, he

relaxed and ran his fingers in a broad circle from her neck to cup her
sweet bottom, and back. She wriggled against him when his fingers
found special spots, ensuring his cock never quite went limp inside
her.

“That calls for a repeat. And then a three-peat,” he said.
She lifted her head enough to meet his gaze. As he expected, she

was a bit shy and hesitant and a lot satisfied. He remembered their
first time with Candy and how she’d been shy. That hadn’t lasted very
long. Candy learned to be a very demanding lady very quickly.

Kaela bit her lip and flicked her eyes over him. She pursed her

lips, eyes flashing wickedly.

“Scotty’s good for another hour. But can you last, cowboy?”
His cock hardened within her at the taunt. He growled and rolled

over, pressing her under him.

“A cowboy never backs off from a challenge.”

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Chapter Seven

Sunday evening

Kaela watched her son and lover for a moment, both laughing as

Bryan chased Scotty in low gear, duck-walking. This was how real
fathers behaved. A whole different species of male compared to what
she’d known. If she ever married, this was the type of man she’d
want. Of course, he’d have to be far less arrogant and more amenable
to her taking the lead. While a take-charge kind of guy was sexy, he
was too threatening. She’d not let go of her hard-won independence.

“My reservation for the week included care for my son.” She

repeated the sentence clearly and calmly to the desk clerk, though she
clenched her fists at her sides.

“Only if there’s enough demand. Not this week.” He smiled

blandly and slid a paper across the desk. “The hotel provides this list
of local caregivers and their hourly rates, no guarantees, of course.”

She looked down. “They make more per hour than I do!”
“Then perhaps you should reconsider your choice of

employment,” he murmured, smirking. “Women who don’t mind
sharing a bed can make much more. Especially if they’re, shall we
say, amenable.” He looked around to make sure no one but she had
heard him He winked and escaped through a doorway to the office
behind.

She swallowed wrong and choked. Had the maid told him the sofa

bed had not been opened? That she and Bryan shared the bed? She
opened her mouth to tell the clerk off and then hesitated. If she made
a fuss, Bryan would vault over the desk, grab the creep, and plant his

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fist in that sneering face.

The clerk deserved it, but they’d be thrown out and Bryan might

end up in jail. In addition to bailing him out, she’d still have no
babysitter. She had no money to rent another room, even if she could
find one. Her car had pretty much wheezed its last breath in the
parking lot. She didn’t think it would start again. She desperately
needed the environmental certificate she’d earn by Friday. Then she’d
complain in writing all the way up the hotel chain’s ranks until she
got satisfaction.

She folded the list and shoved it in her back pocket. She had

enough money to pay for a babysitter, barely, but it would cut into her
first and last month’s rent deposit. Eyes resting on the rug’s practical
dirt-and-rust pattern, she sifted through possibilities. She might be
able to float a loan until April and her birthday. But that was five long
months away.

“Problem, Kaela?”
She startled and then forced her best big girl smile. It was their

last night together and she wanted to enjoy it. To enjoy him.

“Turns out the babysitting service fell through for next week. I’ve

got a list of names, though.” She patted her picket where the list
waited. His eyes followed, lingering on her behind. “I have some
phoning to do tonight if I want to complete my certificate.”

She turned her back and headed to the stairs. She had to keep

Bryan behind her until she got herself under control. She heard a
whoop and squeals as Bryan scooped up Scotty and followed. They
trudged up the empty stairwell, Scotty’s voice echoing as usual. She
figured he got it from his sperm-donor father—Freddie loved to hear
himself talk. She’d almost reached the top when Bryan spoke.

“You do the course, I’ll do Scotty.”
“What?” She stopped and turned, feet on different steps, and

stared down at him. He blinked back, face calm and unreadable. “I
thought you were going home tomorrow.”

“Nah.” Bryan shrugged. “I told Gary I’d hang around this week as

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an advisor. I don’t need to be home until the weekend.” He bounced
Scotty. “I have to be somewhere, so I might as well be useful. I can
bring the laddie along with me to class when I need to.”

She turned to face forward, heart fluttering as much as her belly.

More nights of fabulous sex? But she hated to be beholden to anyone.
No matter how desperate or greedy for more. She dropped her head.

“Bryan, I can’t let you—”
“Yes, you can.”
“I—”
“Woman, be quiet and listen for once!”
She snapped her mouth shut and turned back to him, teeth set and

jaw clenched. Though his words sounded angry, he still held Scotty
without doing anything that would upset the child.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” he lectured. “You have no job, no

family to pitch in and help, and you drive a piece of sh—”

She opened her mouth to tell him off for swearing.
“—of junk that won’t last more than fifty miles before the rust

holding it together finally crumbles.”

“But I can’t let you—”
“Hold it!” He held up his free hand like a traffic cop. When she

shut her mouth and glared, he winced and looked away. He ran his
free hand through his newly-cut hair and sighed. “I like you and don’t
want this to end yet,” he mumbled.

“What?” She grabbed the stair rail. He wanted to spend more time

with her? The dread she’d been hiding from herself slipped away.
They had another week together.

“You heard me,” he growled. “And anyway, I’m bigger than you

are. So say, ‘yes, Bryan.’”

He raised his eyebrows in challenge and stared deep into her eyes.

She recognized his determination. It was the same thing that got her
through. It would save her rent money and it would mean five more
nights together. She couldn’t remember anyone making such an
unselfish offer. He waggled his eyebrows and leered. Maybe it wasn’t

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unselfish.

“Yes, Bryan.”
“That was easy. Will you answer my next question the same

way?”

“Depends what it is.”
Feet suddenly light, she ran up the stairs, heart pounding at the

strain as well as relief. One more week of temporary security. Hot
meals, delivered. Scotty happy. A soft bed, worth more than her car,
shared with a very hot man.

Bryan kept quiet until the door shut behind them. Scotty fought to

get down, heading for his yellow ducky as soon as his feet hit the
floor. She waited while Bryan kicked off his shoes and pulled his T-
shirt over his head. She swallowed at the broad chest that felt so good
when she rested her head on it. She lifted her eyes, catching the wink
that proved he realized where her thoughts had gone.

“Um.” She swallowed. “What’s the question you want me to

answer?”

“I want to tie you up and have my wicked way with you.”
“No.” She automatically shook her head, heart pounding, and

backed toward the bathroom, not stopping until she locked the door.
She slumped against it, her hot forehead touching the cool wood. This
was her chance to let go. She hauled a shuddering breath deep into her
lungs.

She’d had to be in control of herself since her parents died and she

moved in with her aunt and uncle. One false step—an innocent look
taken wrong, a slight noise intruding—and swift and painful
punishment followed.

When she left at eighteen, she fought hard to become strong and

independent, until Freddie. While she despised the man, she let him
treat her like a brainless manikin. He didn’t force her to do whatever
he wanted, at his convenience, for promises he never intended to
keep.

No. She’d given up control in return for thinking he loved her.

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That someone actually wanted to spend their life with her.

What a crock that turned out to be.
She’d adored Freddie, thinking it was love rather than her need to

be wanted. Thanks to him, she learned that most men were total
bastards. A woman couldn’t trust their promises to take the garbage
out, much less give a lifetime of love. She didn’t need a man’s love.
Once her parents died, no one had ever loved her. Scotty she was all
she had.

Bryan didn’t promise love, just a week of caring for Scotty.
And orgasms. Don’t forget them!
But even without that, having Bryan care for Scotty was worth

putting up with his arrogance and demands.

She groaned, turned around, and sat on the toilet. Bryan always

remembered to put the seat and lid down. Mostly for Scotty’s safety,
but she still appreciated it. Another point in his favor.

She worked hard to be strong. Freddie had thrown her for a loop,

but she recovered and with Scotty to live for, was stronger than ever.
Strong enough to put up with a live-in lover for six more nights.

But was she strong enough to let herself be tied up by him? Strong

women shouldn’t enjoy being dominated by a man’s strength and
power.

So why did the thought make her melt?
She’d once read that powerful men paid big bucks to dominant

females who made them crawl. In their jobs they had to be in control
all the time, making decisions that altered the lives of thousands.
Because of that, they wanted to give up the burden of control to
another, focusing only on pleasing one person, their dominatrix.

Was the ultimate control the ability to give up, yet still be

yourself?

Bryan said Candy enjoyed both the submission and the hot sex

that came after. The photos proved it. She couldn’t forget the
orgasmic look on Candy’s face when Bryan held her down and Adam
slammed into her from behind.

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Groaning at her body’s instant reaction, she stood up and stared in

the mirror. A hot blush stained her skin from hairline to blue T-shirt.
A T-shirt that had two swelling breasts topped with hard nipples
pushing through her bra.

Though it was invisible, she felt the heat all the way down to

where Bryan’s thick cock had pounded her with unimaginable
pleasure. What would it be like to totally let herself go? Unable to do
anything but enjoy the sensations Bryan brought her body?

Everyone had bad things happen. She survived and moved on,

thinking she escaped Freddie and all the bad memories by moving
here. But flinching when Scotty let loose on Bryan’s chest proved she
brought her past with her. Would letting herself be free with Bryan
also free her from her past? Would it replace shameful memories of
restraint, spanking, and humiliation with delightful sexual ones?

Giving up control didn’t have to be bad. Not if it was her choice.
But what if he gave it up first? That would prove he wasn’t just

spouting words. She’d explored his chest, had ridden the hard cock
often straining to escape his jeans. But she’d not had a chance to
explore the rest of his body. Or any man’s body. Doing so would give
her a heck of a lot more confidence. She wanted to nibble his taut
buns and draw her nipples down his back. Lightly scratch her
fingernails down his muscular arms, leaving her mark on his skin. If
he could move, he’d distract her exploration by touching her. Bound,
she’d be free to do whatever she wanted to him.

She nodded to her reflection quickly and decisively. “You deserve

to have everything you want. So go get it, girl!”

She unlocked the door and stalked out of the bathroom. Scotty sat

on the floor in the lounge, pounding his ducky with a soft hammer,
part of a toddler tool kit Bryan found in the local hardware store. He
insisted the boy needed “guy toys.” Of course, Scotty loved it. Her
baby was already growing up, needing male things she hadn’t thought
of.

She turned to the much larger male in front of her. Bryan leaned

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one shoulder against the wall, waiting with thumbs in his front
pockets. Big and strong and wanting. Wanting a lot by the look of
what waited behind the fabric framed by his dangling fingers.

“You first.” Her words came out more of a croak than demand.
Bryan blinked. He opened his eyes wide. “Me?” He snorted and

shook his head. “What about ‘ladies first.’”

“Nope.” She shook her head back, breasts aching for his touch.

“You go first or forget it.”

He pushed himself upright, strolled over, and leaned his palms on

the wall on either side of her, looming like a hungry vulture.

“You want to tie me to the bed and have your wicked way with

me?”

“Uh-hunh.” She licked dry lips.
“Then I can do whatever I want with you?”
He purred the question, but they both knew it was a demand. He

was so much stronger physically, he could do anything he wanted and
she couldn’t stop him. She shivered at his intensity. She’d seen the
same look in hunting cats, crouched low and seemingly uninterested
until they sprang for the mouse.

She cleared her throat and looked up at him. “Yes.”
“Fine with me.” He brought his lips closer to hers. “Either way, I

win.”

* * * *

“You can do this,” said Kaela to herself. After putting Scotty

down she bathed, primped, and put on her emerald green silk nightie,
a wild purchase from the thrift store. It slid over her breasts, scooped
into her waist, then drifted to mid-thigh, shifting against her skin like
butterfly kisses when she moved.

He wanted her, even if it was because he was horny and she was

the only female available. That didn’t matter tonight. A gorgeous,
intelligent man who made her body sing would let her do whatever

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she wanted to him.

She mentally stomped on any thoughts about what would happen

after. She was in control tonight and that’s all that mattered. She’d
worry about turnabout later.

She stepped out of the bathroom straight into a warm, muscular

chest. She inhaled a gasp and looked up when his hands settled lightly
on her shoulders. She inhaled a whiff of the hot cinnamon candy he
popped now and then. A faint hint of leather lingered from his earlier
ride.

With muscles gained from working on the ranch almost his whole

life, he could easily make her do whatever he wanted. Yet she held
the power tonight.

He straightened, his eyes trolling past the nipples poking at the

soft silk to the vee of her legs, almost visible below the short garment.

“Beautiful,” he whispered.
He kissed the top of her head and released her. Forcing away

everything but this moment, she followed him into the bedroom and
shut the door. He set the stage, stripping the covers off the bed and
lighting candles. But she focused on the body she’d soon explore. He
popped the button of his jeans, then paused and stared, nostrils
flaring.

“On or off?”
“Pants off,” she croaked.
“Front or back?”
“Lie on your stomach.”
“Thank God the mattress is a pillow top,” he muttered. “What’ll

you tie me with?”

She reached into her backpack and pulled out a roll of fluorescent

orange plastic ribbon.

“Flagging tape?”
“Why not? It’s not sticky and it’s easily cut.” She picked up her

manicure scissors. “Unless you have four silk ties you want to
sacrifice?”

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“Nope.” He turned his back and slowly unzipped. “You’ve got a

kinky mind, Michaela Jones. I bet I get a hard-on every time I use the
stuff from now on.” He dropped his pants an inch and turned over his
shoulder to look at her. “How the hell am I going to explain that when
I’m working on a construction site?”

“Stop stalling and drop your pants.”
“Yes, may-am.”
Watching her intently, he took his time to ease the soft denim over

his hips. Inch by inch until they dropped to his ankles. Tonight, that
body was all hers. He kicked his pants off and keeping his back to
her, eased himself onto the bed and lay on his stomach. He muttered
and winced as he stretched his arms and legs into an X.

He looked like Da Vinci’s drawing of a naked man in a circle,

only from the back. Candle flames flickered on taut, curved buns. His
long feet pointed to her, lightly furred legs leading to the dark space
between his thighs. His broad back, the dark tan stark against white
sheets, widened from waist to shoulders. A few white lines marked
scars, ones she’d trace with her tongue. He’d cut his hair short,
leaving a faint, white, high water mark around his neck and circling
his face.

“Start any time,” he said, lifting his head to see her.
A familiar heat rose from her belly. She hadn’t blushed as much in

her entire life as she had since she first saw this man.

Though he was the one who’d be tied down, she realized he was

still very much in control of the situation. They both knew he allowed
her to do this to him. Not a conquered man, but an eager participant.

He wriggled, settling himself, and startled her into action. She cut

four long orange strips, doubling them over to make loops. She
pretended he wasn’t watching her as she tied him to the bed, first his
ankles, then his wrists.

“Such a lovely gown, milady. It gapes so enticingly.”
“Pardon me?” She stood up, clutching the tape, and frowned at

him.

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“Let’s have some fun with this,” he said, gently testing his bonds.

“It’s the seventeenth century and you’re the lady of the castle. You
captured me trying to steal your horse.”

He wanted to pretend, like the sheik thing he did with Adam and

Candy.

“Your castle is a twenty-day ride from anywhere,” he continued.

“You’ve been widowed for years after the old goat your parents
forced you to marry died. The men who court you are just as bad.
They only want for your land. But it doesn’t matter as, when you
marry, they’ll own you and everything else, and can do whatever they
want to you.”

“Then I won’t marry.” Getting into the part, she crossed her arms

under her breasts and raised an eyebrow at him. His eyes shot to her
chest.

“If you haul me to the authorities I’ll be hanged,” he said,

ignoring her interruption. “Worse, it will remind them about you.
They’ll marry you off to the highest bidder. Bored and horny, you
want to give me a more, shall we say, personal punishment.” He
waggled his eyebrows. “Of course, I’ve given my word as a
gentleman not to escape.”

“A gentleman wouldn’t steal a lady’s horse.”
“Now that I’ve seen you, I want far more than your horse,” he

growled. He raked his eyes over her, clearly making his point. “While
I shall not attempt to escape from your castle, I said nothing about
escaping your bed.”

“Be quiet, thief, or I’ll have you whipped at my post.” She leaned

over and pressed her hands on the mattress, purposefully teasing him.
His eyes lingered where the fabric gaped at her neck. “A dozen lashes
of the cat will curb your tongue.”

“My tongue is good for more than talk, milady,” he purred.
Flushing in remembrance of the previous night, she scurried to the

foot of the bed. She stood tall and admired her work. She’d start at his
feet and go as far as the underside of his bottom, where curved cheeks

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met strong thighs. Then she’d turn him over and work her way from
face to belly button. Just when he thought he’d be rewarded, she’d
start over at his feet and work up.

“If you turn me over, your loyal servant will prove his words.”
“I will hold you to your promise, sirrah. But at my leisure.”
She grinned at her use of courtly phrases, a product of the

historical fiction she read to take her far from her troubles. The
elderly librarian would burn her membership card if she learned about
this.

She ran a short fingernail along his sole. He jerked his foot but

couldn’t move it far. She giggled, surprising herself.

“Consider your actions carefully, madam,” he growled. “You

must release me eventually.”

She pouted but took his warning seriously. Objective in mind, she

crept across the white sheet. Her hands and knees sank into thick
mattress. When she reached the top of his thighs she stopped, resting
on her knees. She cupped her hand over his curving bottom.

She smacked his pale bottom cheek. He twitched and inhaled a

gasp. After a moment, a pink outline the size of her hand appeared.
She admired it for a moment before standing up.

He tilted his head to watch, pushing slightly up on an elbow. She

twisted her torso back and forth to flutter the hem. She lifted her right
foot, letting him see up her thigh. He groaned, wide eyes catching the
flicker of candle flame. She quivered as if the flames licked her from
foot to belly. She dragged her toes over him, scraping his bottom,
until she stood with her ankles either side of his narrow hips.

With a whoosh, she sank down on the lower curve of his back.

She squirmed, grinding her wet folds into his skin. She flipped the
front of her gown over her head so it flowed like a green cape behind
her, leaving her front naked. She leaned forward and pressed her
breasts against his warm back, snuggling.

“Mmmm. You could keep a widow warm when the north wind

blew in from the sea,” she murmured.

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“Winter will arrive soon, madam. I will work for food and

shelter.”

“Consider this evening your test of worth, scoundrel.”
He moved his torso from side to side, scraping her flesh against

his. She sat up a bit and dragged one erect nipple, then the other,
across his back.

“You are branded with my X, thief. The mark may be invisible,

but we both know it is there. Now you will roll over.”

“Your wish is my command.”

* * * *

Bryan groaned in relief when Kaela let him turn over and retied

him. Even though the mattress was soft, his cock was way too hard to
lie flat for long. Especially when she did the nipple thing on his back.
Even now, he could feel her brand scorching him. She tucked a pillow
under his head so he could see her better. Thoughtful gal.

He’d played games with a few other women, but no one, not even

Candy, inflamed him like Kaela. She challenged him every moment,
demanding rather than accepting. She covered herself again,
unfortunately. When he had her in his power, he’d keep her naked.

She turned in a circle, flashing golden-red pubic hair. Purposely

tantalizing him.

Maybe not naked. With her hair and pale skin, she looked

gorgeous in that emerald green floaty thing. He’d dress her in a green
satin neck ribbon and garter belt, high heels, and black stockings.
Nothing that would delay him, though he enjoyed ripping off her
cotton panties. Maybe matching satin tap pants with Velcro sides.

She tilted her head, biting her finger in a little girl gesture. But the

wicked gleam in her eyes proved she had nothing innocent in mind.
She knelt on the bed and crawled toward him like a stripper. She
settled her sweet bottom between his legs, a foot on either side of his
hips. She leaned back on her elbows, facing him.

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Opened her knees and showed him paradise.
His cock throbbed so hard his head pounded along with it. His

balls had been tight, eager for release, since before supper. Hell,
they’d been tight since he first saw her in that towel! But now they
had a whole week to play. Six nights before he had to return to the
Double R.

Alone, dammit!
Kaela reached a finger between her delicate folds and stroked her

rising bud. Blood rushed to his cock and his brain went on autopilot.

“My, my,” she crooned. “Where shall I start?”
She pressed a finger into her core. He fisted his hands,

remembering her tight channel.

“Forsooth, the thief is weeping for me.”
Candlelight sparkled on the drop of pre-cum, resting like a crown

at his tip. He clenched his ass muscles and his cock nodded.

“Does it want to play with me?”
She placed both hands on the bed and lifted her bottom up.

Though the light was dim, he could see her swollen flesh, red and
juicy. He licked his lips, hungry for her taste.

He flexed his hands and feet, straining. The tape stretched maybe

an inch, then held.

Damn!
If he was loose, he’d throw himself on top of her and surge deep,

proving how much more pleasure she received from his cock than her
fingers.

“You seem eager to work, sirrah.”
“My cockstand awaits your pleasure,” he growled.
She rolled forward and straddled one thigh, scraping herself

against him. She thrust her head back, breasts high. Nipples pressed
on fabric, eager for his hands and mouth.

She stood, glistening wet thighs proof of her arousal. As if her

wide eyes and swollen flesh weren’t enough! She stepped forward,
her feet once again either side of his hips.

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Sit on my cock! He gave the silent order. She tilted her head and

pressed her lips out as if thinking.

“I think not,” she said.
She turned to face his feet and backed up, far enough that he could

look under her gown, past her belly and breasts to her chin. Then she
dropped all at once to his chest, the fabric fluttering after to settle.

She wriggled, paradise inches from his nose. Her swollen vulva

wept for his tongue, his cock, anything, dammit!

He gazed up her perineum to the tiny rosebud of her sweet ass

hole. Her virgin asshole, but not for long. If she backed up a few
inches, he’d run his tongue up that slick road right into that light
brown dimple. He’d press her cheeks apart to reveal the pink rim
inside the brown. He’d delve deep with his tongue, easing the way
until she was ready for his finger.

If they had enough time, he’d teach her how to enjoy more than

fingers.

A vision of Kaela riding Adam’s cock while he surged into her ass

hit, and he almost came like an overeager schoolboy.

He closed his eyes and groaned, sucking air deep, inhaling her

fragrance. Her essence filled every cell of his lungs. It filtered into his
blood, roaring all the way to his heart.

A wet tongue swiped across his glans, and he bucked in shock.

She grabbed tight, squeezing him. She swallowed his tip and more,
scraping her teeth lightly when she pulled back.

He forced himself not to come, squeezing his fists as hard as he

could.

“More of that and I’ll erupt like Vesuvius,” he warned, gasping.
“Good. I want you to come for me. I want you to cover my

breasts. You’ll lick it all off then I’ll kneel over your face.”

She went down on him again, pulling up his cock as she engulfed

him. Unable to stop, he let himself go, releasing the pressure in his
balls. He pressed his arms and legs against the bed and lifted his
pelvis, thrusting with every jolt of release.

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Finally, he collapsed on the bed, heaving for breath.
“Mmm, yummy.”
He barely heard the words through the roaring in his ears. The bed

shifted under him, but he didn’t open his eyes. Didn’t move.

Couldn’t move.
“Wakey, wakey.”
He ignored the singsong voice. Until something pinched his

nipples.

“Ouch!”
He opened his eyes to find a swollen nipple hovering just over his

lips. He lifted his head and caught it. He sucked it deep, flavored with
his salty cum. Kaela said she had never played these games before,
yet she obviously wanted to explore this whole new world with him.

She switched nipples on him for a moment and then moved her

body around until he’d licked her everywhere she wanted. By then he
was again at full mast, eager for completion.

“Enough!”
She stood over him like a Valkyrie, breasts heaving. She shuffled

backwards, sank onto her knees, and grasped his cock like a video
game controller.

All thought of games fled. It was Bryan and Kaela now. Equals in

their need for fulfillment.

She guided his tip just past her gates and then stopped. She stared

down at him, tied beneath her as if helpless. She grinned at his
predicament.

Helpless? Not on your life, sweetling!
Teeth clenched, he thrust up into her. Only a few inches, but

enough to prove his power. She groaned, pressing all her weight to
force him down. She ground herself into him and clenched him tight
with her strong pelvic muscles.

He groaned in return. Had it only been a day since he’d felt her

tight flesh grip him?

She leaned forward and set her palms on his chest to adjust her

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angle until his cock hit her just right. She shafted herself back and
forth, determined to reach the best place for friction.

If he hadn’t exploded earlier, no way could he have waited for her

now.

It was still an effort. He wanted to hold her hips and slam her

down. Grab the swollen tits swinging past his face. Show her what no
man would ever do better.

“Yes!”
At the height of her orgasm she clenched him so tight his own

need raced to follow. He fought the bonds to surge up into her again
and again until, finally, blessed release. She collapsed on his heaving
chest, a welcome dead weight.

Again, he cursed his bindings. He wanted to hold her in his arms

as she came down from her orgasmic high. To keep her close to his
heart. Instead, she rested on him, toes tucked under his thighs, limp
arms around his chest.

He waited as long as he could. But she didn’t know knots well,

and the plastic tape was designed to tighten when stretched. He
stretched the hell out of it when he pounded up into her.

“Kaela?”
“Mmm?”
“Uh, sweetling, those scissors of yours nearby? I’m losing

circulation here.”

“Oh my God!”
She pushed up so fast that her knee caught him in the ribs. He held

back a soft curse, her look of panic proving she was embarrassed
enough without the added note of pain.

“You should have said something!”
She snipped away, apologizing repeatedly when the sharp points

gouged his skin. He sat up, rubbing his wrists for a moment. Then he
stretched out his back, rolled to the edge of the bed, and stood.

Pins and needles erupted. At his wince, she ran forward and

hugged him around the chest.

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“I’m so sorry, but I got carried away. Would a massage help?”
He considered letting the naked woman sooth his aches, but she’d

face a long day tomorrow.

“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Kaela.” He lifted her chin with his finger. “I’m a cowboy who

used to rodeo. I’m used to pain. And, believe me, that was more than
worth it.”

She stepped back and bit her lip in what he’d learned meant

embarrassment or indecision. Or both.

“I guess it’s your turn to pay me back,” she choked out.
He shook his head. Her voice tight, along with eyes that wouldn’t

meet his own, proved she wasn’t ready.

“That can wait. You need your sleep. Got to have your brain

awake tomorrow.” He looked at the bedside clock. “Today. You’d
better grab the first shower. The only thing I have to do tomorrow is
play with Scotty.”

“Is that what you think? Just ‘play with him?’” She snorted,

already more relaxed.

“He’s just a kid.” He shrugged. “No big deal.”
She pushed out her lips and sucked her teeth. “We’ll see what the

big, tough cowboy says after a day with a teething toddler.”

He sighed, admiring the way her peach-shaped ass swayed when

she walked. Her cheeks jiggled, enticing him with her curves. The
hotel room was way too small to appreciate her properly. He’d put her
in stiletto heels and a clingy dress that almost covered that ass. Then
he’d follow her down the bedroom hallway, all the way to the
playroom. He’d bend her over his favorite padded chair, shove up her
dress, and slam into her from behind.

Jaysus! Though he just exploded, his cock surged again, eager for

more. He’d had sex with a lot of women in his early days, but that
was all it was. Sex. Candy was great, but she belonged to her
husband.

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Though Kaela was far from the wife he wanted, there was

something about her. A mix of determination, hurt, fury, strength, and
vulnerability. Smart, but also smart-mouthed. He wanted quiet and
serene, not explosive. Other than the sex, of course. That could be
volcanic.

The wife he wanted would, first of all, want to please him. She

must need him more than he did her. A man’s job was to protect and
provide for his family, and Kaela was too damn determined to do
everything herself.

He still wanted Kaela with something more than lust. He wanted

more of her, but no way would he think beyond this week.

He flopped on the bed, mind racing. Could he convince her to

visit the Double R? Thanksgiving was almost here and she didn’t
have any family. In fact, she had nowhere to go after Friday.

He needed a reason to bring her to the Double R, one he could say

out loud. Not “I said I’d bring a wife home and I don’t want to look
like a loser,” or “I want you to stay until I can look at you without
wanting to screw you senseless.” No way could he say, “I’m lonely
and I need you because you make me feel whole.”

Whoa! Shove that thought deep. He didn’t need anything more

than he already had. A wife was just a convenience so he’d have his
own children, his own bed partner.

Nothing more.
Kaela was fun to be with. He enjoyed sparring with her in the

classroom as well as outside it. But he was on vacation. No way
would he want those hassles back home.

He’d enjoy Kaela until Friday, and if things didn’t work out, he’d

return to Candy’s bed. He’d get on the Internet, check out dating sites,
and be married by summer. No heart, no hassles.

He rolled to his feet. By the time Kaela returned, he’d made the

bed and tidied up.

“You made the bed?” She stared around the neat room, frowning

in surprise.

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“Have to keep milady happy.”
She squealed when he ripped her towel off and smacked her

bottom with his hand as he ran past. He’d wanted to do that since the
moment he’d seen her, staring him down wearing little but bravado.

Laughing at her shrieks of outrage, he shut the bathroom door on

her.

Cowboy Double-Decker

Chapter Eight

Kaela didn’t know how she would have gotten through that week

without Bryan. Not only did he care for Scotty during the day, but he
did everything so she could work on her projects and study. The
males crashed early, Scotty because he was only a year old. As she
expected, Bryan was surprised at how exhausting caring for a toddler
could be, even without a full time job, cleaning, cooking and all.

Wednesday night he literally bowed down, praising her for what

she’d done on her own. She’d chosen to be a single mom but, though
she was always exhausted, Scotty made it worthwhile. She did admit
that some days she wished he’d sleep twenty hours straight.

She worked at the desk each night, crashing into bed hours after

Bryan. Though she tried to be quiet, he’d reach out a long arm, pull
her against his chest, and fall asleep again. If, that is, he even woke
up.

Though she knew it was only temporary, she let herself enjoy

being cherished. She never had someone care about her, thinking of
her needs before their own, especially a strong, handsome, demanding
man. One night, finding her sitting on the bed rolling her aching
shoulders, he knelt behind her and massaged her muscles. When he
finished, he gave her a chaste kiss and hauled her into his arms to
sleep, demanding nothing but her company.

After such caring, Kaela knew the next few months would be even

harder. But she’d be far too busy with Scotty, finding a place to live
and looking for work, to fall apart. When her life was finally going
right, she would draw on these good memories to fill the lonely days
and aching nights.

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By Friday morning, she was exhausted and both were sexually

frustrated. Scotty, however, had never been better. He thrived on the
attention and the activities Bryan got them into.

Their eyes lingered on each other as they slowly covered their

bodies. Promising with looks and gestures what they’d do that night,
their last together. She had absolutely no idea what she’d do Saturday
morning, other than check out before eleven. She would not worry
about it until Bryan kissed her goodbye. She promised herself to live
in the moment this week, instead of constantly worrying about the
future, and had done well so far.

She zipped up her jeans and knelt to pick up a toy Scotty had left

under the bed.

“Come to the ranch with me,” said Bryan.
She whipped around to stare at him, unsure where the question

had come from.

“What?” she squeaked. “Why?”
He lifted her, pulling her into his lap as he sat on the end of the

bed. For a moment he just held his arms around her, his chin resting
on her head.

“Why not? You got anywhere else to go for Thanksgiving?”
Kaela closed her eyes, biting her lip so not to speak. Thoughts of

the future had insinuated themselves into her brain all week, but she’d
forced them away by studying even harder. The thought of being in
his home made her heart pound and her feet want to run. She just
didn’t know if she wanted to run to him or away.

“You can have your own room,” he said when she didn’t speak.

“A lock on the door and your own private bathroom. Scotty can either
stay with you or bunk in with the girls. I’m not pushing for sex—this
is from one friend to another.” He brushed her breast with his
knuckles. “Not that I would refuse if you come to my bed. After all,
you do owe me a tie-down session.”

His heart pounded against her back, imitating her own. Driving

west, she’d fallen in love with the mountains. Photos from his ranch

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suggested it would make a perfect Christmas card. Smoke curling out
of the main building’s stone chimney, sun shining off snow glistening
on the roof, trees and mountains.

No matter how much she wanted to say yes, once she got there,

how would she be able to leave? She gritted her teeth and squeezed
her eyes shut, fighting tears and “might have beens.” She pretended
Bryan was hers when other women shot envious glances. Knowing it
would never be, she allowed herself to enjoy the fantasy. Just another
fantasy soon to go up in smoke. All her childhood dreams and prayers
that her parents would return and rescue her had come to nothing. Her
adult ones of a stable home full of children’s laughter and temporary
tears were no different. It was time to get back to stark reality and
pretend the past week was only a three-dimensional movie.

Only when she’d shoved her feelings deep did she reply.
“I don’t know how to thank you for what you’ve done this week.”

She kept her thumbs curled inside her fists to stop herself from
picking at her cuticles, or worse, reaching out to him. “You’ve got no
idea what it’s meant to me to have Scotty so happy. No one’s taken
care of me like this. Ever.” She sat up and straightened her back,
pulling away from his welcoming heat. “But I can’t be beholden to
you even more. So, no thanks.”

“Beholden? What the hell is that about?”
He pushed her away to look at her. She held her breath, his fierce

frown proving his anger. But the expected panic didn’t slam into her.
She inhaled, trembling, but not in fear of her safety.

Not with Bryan. Never with Bryan.
He dropped his volume a notch. “Dammit, Kaela, you don’t owe

me a damn thing, so get off your high horse and cut the crap.”

She leaned away from his yelling. He sighed and dropped his head

back, eyes shut. She did owe him a promise, but no way would she
remind him, though she’d fantasized about what he might do to her.
He looked down at her and snorted.

“Hell, woman, we both know you don’t have anywhere else to

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go.”

She bit back her need to say “yes!” Like any offer that was too

good to be true, it was loaded with problems. If she went to a ranch in
the middle of nowhere, how could she escape? She’d have no
transportation and knew no one other than Bryan.

She’d seen firsthand what happened to women who were

dependent on men. No way would she end up like Aunt Delia, tied to
a brute by promises before God and a lack of resources of her own.
She had little money, no job, and nowhere to go. If she went to him
like this, how could she hold her head up as an equal? How long until
he began to take her for granted, then started wearing her down until
she was another Aunt Delia? No way would she raise Scotty in that
type of toxic environment. Far better to live hand-to-mouth for a few
months. At least she knew her money problems would ease with the
spring.

“I make my own way in this world, beholden to no one. All I can

give you is sex and you can get that from Candy.”

“God, Kaela!” he roared.
He jumped to his feet, dumping her on the bed to pace back and

forth. He snorted like a bull, chest heaving and muscles flexing. She
hadn’t faced a man like that since she left Uncle Wesley’s place. She
automatically braced herself for a blow and then remembered this was
Bryan. After a minute he stopped, scrubbed his face with his hands,
and stared down at her. His thunderous expression evaporated.

“Aw, hell, I’m not gonna hit you just ’cause you pissed me off.”

He jammed his hands in his jeans pockets but didn’t back away. “If
all I wanted from you was sex, do you think I’d be this damn horny?”
He lowered his voice to almost a whisper. “It killed me to hold you
every night because, dammit, I sure as hell wanted to do more!”

“I’m sorry, I should have—”
“No, you shouldn’t have done anything different.” He glowered

down at her, lips pressed tight together. “Know anything about web
pages?”

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“What’s that got to do with—?”
“Will you just answer the question, woman!”
She hauled herself to her feet and stood on the bed, staring down,

her exasperation close to his.

“Yes, I do,” she yelled back. “Part of my job was to revise and

maintain the company website.”

“Good. I’ll hire you to create a webpage for the Double R.”
“If you’re trying to make me agree by throwing me a bone—”
“Will you shut up and listen?”
She clenched her teeth, blinking fast and chest heaving. Bryan

scrubbed his hands over his face again.

“The Double R needs a top quality webpage to expand our client

base for range-fed organic beef. Candy tried to make one and drove
herself nuts. Which made Adam and me crazy. She’s really artistic
but doesn’t have the computer experience. If more chefs in the
northeastern states order from us, we could ship our product more
efficiently.” He shrugged. “You could work on your own advertising
at the same time.”

Kaela crossed her arms and turned her back on him, heart

pounding even harder. Without electronic resources to make a web
page and advertise herself, she couldn’t get a job. Without a job, she
couldn’t do anything else. He was offering her free room and board in
return for the use of her brain to get a start on her new life.

Would spending two weeks with Bryan and his extended family

kill her? Not after what she’d already gone through. As long as she
kept her defenses up, she’d be okay. She’d enjoy the ranch as if it was
only a two-week vacation, knowing she had to leave right after. That
was the only way she could get by.

And then there was that whole orgasm thing. She hadn’t begun to

explore that new world. She clenched her internal muscles against the
ache that hit. Her swelling nipples itched, and she pressed her arms
tight to hide the evidence. They hadn’t had sex since she’d tied him
up Sunday night. Like a pair of old married folks, they’d shared

100

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nothing but snores all week. During the day they made out whenever
they could, but that just made the nights worse.

“Look at me, Kaela,” he said calmly.
She turned around, back straight, and stared him in the eye as if

she was at a job interview.

“Adam and Candy won’t bother you and neither will I.” She

fought a smile at the panty-remover leer which followed his words.
“Unless you want us to.”

Tucked under Bryan’s arm before falling asleep each night, his

soft snores filling her ears, she thought about the wild pictures. At
first she told herself it was only to get her mind off her coursework so
she could sleep. But she had to admit that the thought of two men
pleasuring her made her so hot the only reason she could sleep was
sheer exhaustion.

“Won’t Adam want, well, something more from me?”
“Both of us can want all we like, but Candy won’t let us push

you.” He shook his head, the smile a mix of love and exasperation.
“We might want to pretend otherwise, but that tiny woman is the
ranch boss. We’ve learned not to piss her off.”

He walked closer, his arms open, and waited. She took the final

step, wrapping her arms around him. Bryan moaned and hugged her
close. She never realized how alone she’d been until his gruff bear
hugs allowed her to really relax. It wasn’t just that he was big, strong,
and powerful. He was also caring, thoughtful, and considerate. Scotty
loved him to bits and the feeling was returned.

She had no idea if he was loaded or the ranch was mortgaged to

the last cow. It didn’t matter. She wanted to be with Bryan, to let the
dream continue for a little while longer.

“And you,” he murmured, kissing her shoulder, “still owe me a

night of surrender.”

“I haven’t forgotten, since you keep reminding me,” she groused,

though his words and touch made her shiver.

“Before you leave the Double R, I want you to watch Adam make

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101

love with Candy.” He grasped her bottom and pulled her close,
proving his arousal. “To lie beside them while I make love with you,
all of us sharing pleasure. If us guys get to watch you women play, it
will drive us crazy.”

She clenched her thighs together at the rush of lust that hit. When

he nibbled her neck, she rose on her toes to rub herself against him.
She’d already admitted to herself that she found Adam attractive, at
least in the photos. And, though she’d never thought of being with a
woman before, she was curious. What did it feel like to roll a nipple
around with your tongue? How was a woman’s touch different from a
man’s?

“I e-mailed some photos of you and Scotty.” He slid one hand

from her bottom up her belly to grasp a breast. She hummed when his
warm hand squeezed. “Adam agrees your ass is delectable. He’s
withholding judgment on your boobs until he sees them up close and
personal.”

“Bryan!” She pushed him back and thumped his chest. “You said

you deleted them!”

He’d taken a front view of her lying on the bed in her emerald

nightie. Her naughty bits were covered, barely. A couple of photos
had her wearing jeans and a T-shirt without a bra. In one she bent
over, facing away from him, and the other showed erect nipples. She
laughed at the time but got cold feet the next day and asked him to
bleep them.

“I deleted them as soon as you said.” He shrugged, but didn’t look

sorry. “But I’d already I sent them. It wasn’t as if you were naked or
anything.”

She pouted in a pretend huff, though the thought of Bryan wanting

Adam to see her and of what the other man might think gave her an
itchy ache. Even more, what would Adam want to do with her?
Bryan’s hands, mouth, and cock felt so good, she wanted to know
what two men pleasing her felt like. She ducked her head as a rush of
heat rose from her shirt.

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“I know what that blush means,” he said, pulling her close again.

He kissed her nose. “‘Fess up. The thought of sharing a bed with us
makes you horny.”

She cursed her translucent skin once again. He tilted her chin with

a finger. His eyes crinkled down at her, matched by his wicked smile.

“Come for Thanksgiving. No pressure, okay? Scotty will love to

boss around the girls.” He kissed her forehead, an endearing look on
his face as he spoke of his daughters. “Hey, what am I saying?” He
curled up one side of his mouth. “He’ll learn to get pushed around by
females, just like the big guys.”

She took a deep breath, the movement rasping her nipples against

his chest. No one had made her feel like this before. Scotty was her
life, but this man pulled at her like the moon did the tide. Unceasing,
though invisible.

“I can’t go unless Candy invites me. It’s her home. And if there’s

any chance I might cause problems between you—”

“No worries.” He released her and strode to the bedside table. “I’ll

call her now.” He punched in ten numbers, winking at her while it
rang. “Candy?”

Kaela could hear the squeal of delight, though she couldn’t make

out any words.

“Yeah, I’m bringing a friend home for Thanksgiving. She wants

to make sure it’s okay with you.”

He looked over and smiled. “Of course it’s Kaela.” He held the

phone out. “Candy wants to talk with you.”

Kaela took the receiver hesitantly, as if it might bite.
“Um, Candy?”
“Oh, please say you’re coming home with Bryan! I haven’t had

another woman in the house in months and I’m desperate for some gal
time. If Bry comes home alone, I’ll drown in testosterone!” Candy
laughed and then dropped the overdramatic enthusiasm. “Seriously, it
would be great to have you visit. Other than Doc’s wife, Madge, there
isn’t another woman who visits much. I love her dearly, but she’s in

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her sixties. A friend my age would be heaven!”

Candy sounded bright and cheerful, like she’d be a lot of fun.

Kaela’s disapproving aunt and uncle stopped her from having friends
as a child. She made a few at college but, once she got pregnant, she
had too much else on her mind and they drifted away.

“I don’t want to intrude.” She twisted the cord in her fingers.
“You won’t and neither will we. There are two separate, well

insulated suites. If you don’t want to stay with Bryan, you can have
the room sharing a bath with the girls. Scottie can stay there, too.”

“It sounds lovely, but—”
“Kaela, I can’t imagine driving across the country with a small

child, much less spending a week in a tiny hotel room with Scotty and
that big lug. I want your company, and you need a place to relax.
Diane and Evie will love having someone their size.”

“But Bryan’s been away for months and Thanksgiving is family

time.”

“Bryan has the rest of his life with us,” said Candy. “He wants

you here and that’s good enough for us. So say yes, Kaela!”

She rolled her eyes at one of Bryan’s favorite expressions.
“Okay, you’ve convinced me. And thank you.”
“Woo-hoo! Adam can’t wait to meet you. Now put the big guy on

the line.”

To give them privacy, she stepped out of the room and shut the

door. Then she thumped her back against the wall and sank to the
carpet. It only took a moment for tears to leak out.

Why did someone she’d never met welcome her so joyfully when

her only relatives hated her? No, not hate. That would take effort and
emotion, neither of which they wasted on her. She was sure they’d
wanted her trust fund’s annual interest payment more, making her an
unpaid servant as soon as she could do chores.

The bedroom door opened. She rubbed her arm over her eyes to

hide the evidence, but Bryan dropped beside her and scooped her into
his lap.

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“My family are nice people. And if they’re not, I’ll beat up Adam

for you.” He hugged her close, rasping his chin on her head as he
talked. “Doc will torture him with needles and Candy will flog his
naked butt until it turns red. Evie and Diane will do their best to
scream him deaf and—”

He stopped when she finally smiled, though it was weak and

watery.

“I’ve never been on a farm,” she said, sniffing. “Much less a

working ranch.”

“Don’t change the subject. What’s with the tears?”
“It’s in the past. Done and gone.”
He gave her a look that promised they’d continue this later.
“We caught Candy at a good time. They’re off to Missoula for the

monthly shopping today, so they’ll take both vehicles and meet us at
the airport tomorrow.”

“Airport?” She frowned up at him. “What about my car and your

Harley?”

“I already made arrangements to ship my bike. When I took

Scotty to visit the local garage, I asked about your rattletrap. They’ll
give you a couple hundred dollars for what’s left of it.”

“But how can I bring all of Scotty’s things on an airplane?”
“We box up what you don’t need right away and take it with us as

cargo. No worries.”

He made it sound so easy. Perhaps with their money, it was.
“I guess we spend tonight packing,” she said. “There goes your

chance to tie me up.”

In a flash he went from Trusting Friend to Hot Shot Lover.
“Unless you sneak up here during lunch. There’s still some

whipped cream.”

“You ate the second can, remember? And you got Scotty hooked

on it.”

“You gotta admit he looked cute staring cross-eyed at his nose as

he tried to lick it off.”

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He pulled her close and kissed her. At first, lightly. Then he snuck

a hand under her shirt and bra to stroke her naked breast. Already
knowing his touch, it immediately swelled, ready for action.

“Da!”
Bryan sighed and dropped his forehead against hers. His shoulders

shook.

“Ah,” he said. “The call of the hungry. You head off to class

while I clean him up. Today we’re going on a long walk in the sun.
It’s a heck of a lot colder in Montana.” He stood up and held out his
hand. She gave him hers and he hauled her to her feet. “I’ll keep you
warm up home.” He winked and turned away. “Scott, my man. Time
to rock and roll!”

Kaela watched Bryan jolly her son out of his playpen as she put

her bra back in place. He tossed him in the air, both of them laughing.
She loved Scotty with all her heart. And Bryan? Don’t go there!

She grabbed her backpack and scooted out the door before Scotty

saw her and sent up a howl. The instructor had praised her project
highly. Today she’d find out if it was good enough to be posted on his
website for potential employers to view.

Carpe noctum. She’d seize the nights and get through the days

one at a time.

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Chapter Nine

“There they are.”
Bryan, Scotty on one arm, pointed at the deep voice echoing

through the Missoula airport. Kaela turned to face what must be
Adam bearing down on them. Total cowboy from the boots clicking
on the concrete floor to the hat that added unnecessary inches, he
advanced like a storm front. She noticed a woman with short dark hair
waving, but the determined figure striding toward them took all her
attention.

The phrase “tall, dark, and handsome” had been made with this

man in mind. She gulped at the twinge that shot between her legs. Her
breasts immediately tightened. It was as if his eyes sent a jolt to her
body, switching her buttons to ON. She’d never experienced the
sensation before Bryan. Now that her body understood orgasms,
would it sit up and beg whenever a he-man paid her attention?

She gulped, wishing she’d been more careful when she dressed.

She wore the bright blue cashmere sweater Bryan bought to celebrate
her project getting second place. She admired it in the hotel shop, but
it was so far out of her thrift store price range as to be laughable. He
said it matched her eyes and she deserved a reward for her hard work.
She had second thoughts when she tried it on, as it was very tight and
low cut. She wasn’t sure who got a bigger reward.

She’d also taken Bryan’s advice on her light blue cotton pants,

realizing only when she glanced in the mirror before they left that
they snuggled her bottom in a way that suggested more than she
intended. By then, everything was packed and it was too late to
change. He pretended innocence, but the sparkle in his eyes proved he

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knew exactly what he was doing.

Adam stopped a few feet away, fists on hips, and caressed her

body with his eyes, reading her like Braille with invisible fingers.
When he finally looked up, he winked and sent her the same “get thee
to bed, woman” look that Bryan often sported.

Bryan set Scotty down and bent so Candy, ten inches shorter,

could walk into his open arms. She hauled him into a passionate kiss.
Scotty, eyes wide, hung to Bryan’s jeans at knee level.

Adam watched them for a moment then stepped close, shaking his

head. “He’s still trying to prove he’s the best man,” he drawled.
Brown eyes flecked with gold dared her to look away. “Let’s show
him up.”

She opened her mouth to say “let’s not” when his lips skimmed

over hers. He ran the tip of his tongue along the crease between her
lips. She opened her mouth to let him in as if his tongue had unzipped
her.

He growled low in his throat, sending shivers down her spine. He

grasped her bottom with both hands and pressed her tight against his
rather large erection. Surprised and aroused from a week without sex,
she moaned and responded like a cat in heat to a man she met only a
few minutes before.

He brought the smell of fresh, cold outside air and tasted of the

same hot cinnamon candies Bryan liked.

“Hey, you guys, get a room!”
Candy, grinning, slugged Adam lightly on the arm. He released

Kaela, both gasping for air. Candy immediately pulled her into a hug.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” said Candy. She winked. “As you just

found out, my husband’s excited to meet you. But remember, one
word and he’ll back off.” Another hug and she let go, kneeling to
smile at Scotty. She handed him a teething toy shaped like a truck.
The boy immediately put it in his mouth.

Kaela had barely caught her breath when Bryan hauled her into

his arms. She felt his need just as hard against her belly. Giving some

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of his own back, she rubbed against him. He called her bluff, kissing
her so deeply a few cowboys walking past whistled.

When Scotty pushed between them, Bryan let her go. He took off

with Adam to get their luggage and put it in the trucks. Kaela knelt
beside Scotty to see his present, glad of a chance to catch her breath
and stuff her libido back into its box. She didn’t want to know what
Bryan and Adam were talking about, but they kept shooting glances
over their shoulders, looking way too pleased with themselves.

She changed Scotty and then followed the others into a cold wind.

A few feet from the door Bryan stopped, inhaled so deep she thought
he’d burst, and stretched his arms out. After a moment, he resettled
his hat and took Scotty from her.

Shivering, her uncovered head down, she followed Bryan and

climbed into a black four-door pickup. He stashed Scotty in the well-
padded car seat behind her. She was astonished her son didn’t
complain, but it was a much more expensive, and therefore
comfortable, seat. And of course, anything Bryan did was okay. She
looked out the side window at snow-covered mountains while she
waited for him to walk around and climb in.

“Cab’ll be warm in a minute.”
Her heart thumped at the unfamiliar voice. She’d assumed Bryan

would drive, giving them time to talk. There hadn’t been much of that
yet with her class work and Scotty taking up their time. A quick
glance to the man on her left made her belly flutter and heat rush to
her face. Again.

Adam didn’t speak, so she kept her face averted the first few miles

out of Missoula. Scotty soon fell asleep, exhausted from the exciting
flight. She clenched her hands together in her lap, forcing herself not
to fidget. The sun glinting off Adam’s huge belt buckle, an oval of
silver, caught her eye. She gulped and looked away from the massive
bulge below.

“Take off your coat and get comfortable. It’s a long drive.”
She warmed up as soon as she realized it was Adam driving but

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hadn’t wanted to draw his attention by moving. Glad to be rid of the
extra layer, she peeled her coat off, releasing the seat belt to get it out
from under her bottom. She knelt on the seat and by stretching and
wiggling, pushed her coat to the floor below Scotty’s feet. The high
quality car seat held his head from flopping sideways, unlike the duct-
taped version she had to stuff him in while driving west.

Adam cleared his throat loudly, reminding her of his presence.

Face hot, she whirled around, dropped into her seat, and snapped her
seat belt on like a shield. More intense than Bryan, Adam
overwhelmed her senses. If she didn’t take control, she’d go crazy
before they made a hundred miles. She forced herself to look calm
and aloof as she faced the sexy wolf beside her.

“Did you say something?”
“Nope. But that photo of your ass didn’t do it justice. Dayam,

those pants are so tight I can hardly breathe from wanting to see
what’s underneath. Bry was right. Curves in all the right places.”

His words made her want to cross her legs to hide any sign of her

growing arousal. But she had to stand up to him now or he’d push her
around.

“Are you making a pass at me?”
“Damn straight.” He shot her a wink before returning his eyes to

the road. “Candy’s my wife and I love her dearly. But I’m a big man
with a big heart and there’s room for one more.”

“You mean sex,” she said. “Call it like it is.”
He chewed on her words for a few minutes. “Sweetheart,” he

crooned. “When we get naked together, it’ll be a whole lot more than
sex.”

“When?” She snorted, though it sounded feeble. “Who says it’s

ever going to happen?”

He cruised past an RV, back covered in bumper stickers

advertising how many states and provinces they’d visited, before
replying.

“You say no, but your body says ‘take me now!’”

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“That’s some imagination you’ve got,” she choked out.
“The way you wiggled your ass leaning over that seat, I almost

pulled off the road and took care of your problem.”

“My problem? My problem?” She choked a gasp. “You’re the one

with the pants bulging so you can barely fit under the steering wheel!”

“Noticed, huh?” He grinned wider than she’d yet seen. “I did say

I’m a big man.”

“God, men are such…,.” She couldn’t think of a word that

summed up what she felt.”

“I wore my Junior Bull Rider buckle just for you. Won it right

after high school.”

“Sounds like some of the bull rubbed off.”
“Ooh, you’re quick.” He chuckled. “Gotta warn you that smart-

assed women hit me like a red flag to a bull.” He checked his mirrors
then turned to her, eyes boring into her with arrogance. “Not only am
I built like one under that buckle, I know how to use it.”

“Don’t go all modest on me or anything.”
“I keep Candy happy.” He winked, his knowing look sending

shivers through her before he turned his attention back to driving.

She crossed her legs and squeezed, but it did nothing for her ache.

She should have told Bryan to set the alarm twenty minutes early so
they could have a quickie. She squirmed again, cursing her rising
need. She’d barely discovered orgasms and then had nothing for a
week. No wonder she was ready to jump any half-decent man who
made himself available!

She mentally shook her head.
No, it was just two men she wanted and the wrong one happened

to be sitting beside her. She looked at the rugged scenery, fighting the
need to squirm in itchy anticipation.

While she’d found Bryan a fun-loving lover so far, she noticed a

change when he stepped out of the airport into crisp Montana air.
He’d taken a deep breath and held it. When he exhaled he seemed to
grow, as if he’d thrown off his city manners like a dirty coat. She’d

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shivered. Had he returned to the wild predator he’d always been, one
he’d hidden from her?

She could see Bryan as a wolf, ready and eager to mate with his

females. Taking what he wanted, when he wanted, in whatever way
pleased him. The look he shot her as they got off the airplane
promised he’d insist on providing those “punishments” he said she’d
earned. Instead of scaring her, she had to clench herself hard in order
to walk. And the bum knew it, too. He laughed and winked at her.

What would sex with Adam be like? Bryan said his partner had

never really left the mountains and had a lot of rough edges. While
Candy had rubbed a few off, he still got her riled up with his macho
attitude.

She sighed and twisted on the seat, squeezing her crossed legs.
“Kaela, the reason I’m driving you instead of Bryan is so we can

get to know each other. As friends.”

She raised her eyebrows at him and snorted a laugh of disbelief.
“Yeah, I think you are one hot, sexy woman. Thinking of the four

of us sharing a bed makes me harder than a railroad spike.”

He pulled closer to the edge of the road as a semi whooshed past

going downhill.

“I’m still fighting my need to pull over to the side of the road.”
She licked her lips at his admission.
“All I can think about is bending you over the hood of my truck

and pulling down those ass-hugging pants. Spread your legs wide and
nibble what’s between them. Grab your hips and take you hard from
behind. Pound into your sweet, hot flesh. Make your screams echo
through the mountains.”

She gulped, almost feeling his hands grasping her hips as he thrust

into her. He couldn’t miss her reaction to his words, her budding
nipples and the way she couldn’t stop squirming on the seat.

“My dick throbs for you, but I still have a brain. And some

control.” A quick glance and another wink. “But man, oh man. When
I saw your ass bent over that seat, wiggling like you couldn’t wait for

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my cock—”

“I didn’t mean to tease,” she blurted. She bit her lip and stared out

the side window until he spoke.

“No worries.” His eyes lightened and she caught a glimpse of

devilry. He checked the rear-view mirror. “Think how Bryan feels,
riding in the truck with Candy.” Adam grinned, pointing his thumb at
the vehicle behind them. “You two act like you haven’t banged each
other in a few days and I’ve got his woman. He knows you’re horny
as hell and I want you. He’s watching how far apart we are,
wondering where my hands are.”

Adam checked to see that the lane was clear, undid his seatbelt,

and slid close to her. Keeping his left hand on the wheel, he leaned
over and gave her forehead a quick kiss. A loud honk sounded from
behind them. He laughed and taking his time, moved back into place.

“That’ll keep him stewing for a few miles.” He lifted himself off

the seat and pulled at his jeans before re-settling and snapping his
seatbelt back on. “If I knew I’d be driving you, I would’ve worn loose
sweat pants.” He flicked her a grin. “Easy access and space to grow.
Damn, those rug rats better sleep well tonight.”

There was absolutely nothing Kaela could or would say in reply.

She stared out the window as the road crept ever higher toward the
pass. Finally, she slept.

* * * *

Kaela and Adam stopped at the mercantile in Maverick. Not only

did they need to stretch their legs, but he wanted to buy cold weather
clothes for her and Scotty. Though she fought him, he insisted the
extra gear could be left behind when she moved on, that someone was
likely to use the stuff.

Bryan and Candy zipped past twenty miles back while Kaela

argued about Adam’s insistence on paying for everything. Candy
lifted her shirt and flashed her tits from the passenger seat as Bryan

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113

cruised past, both waving wildly. Adam grouched when Kaela refused
to do the same thing.

The two trucks met in the store’s small gravel parking lot. Bryan

and Candy unloaded two cute little girls from the back seat. Candy
entered the store first carrying Diane, followed by Adam with Evie.
Neither girl would go to Bryan, unsure of him after two months away.
Adam’s growl that it was his own damn fault didn’t help. Kaela
entered last, a bouncing wide awake son in her arms.

“We’re here,” Candy called out as soon as the door jingled open.
“Well, look what the storm blew in!” An elderly dark-skinned

woman emerged from behind the cash, arms outstretched. She kissed
each girl, getting squeals in return. “Geoff called to say you were on
the way. The playpen’s all set up. Coffee and cocoa are hot and I’ve
got juice in sippy cups for the little ones.”

“Geoff?” Bryan tilted his head. “You two-timing Doc, Madge?”
“Bite your tongue before I take a broom to that backside of yours,

Bryan Raman. I married Geoff Secord last week. You may call him
Doc, but I won’t.”

“You got hitched? When?” Adam’s voice boomed in the jam-

packed store.

Kaela looked at the scads of stuff filling shelves between the

scuffed wooden floor and the bright tin ceiling. She’d stopped at
small stores while driving west but found nothing like this. She bet
everything a person needed to survive was in the store. Somewhere.
And it likely had been there for forty years or more.

“Madge, you never told us,” said Candy. “We’d have held a huge

party for you!”

Madge Grierson, now Secord, blushed like a bride of twenty. “We

didn’t want any fuss. You’re the first to know. We only got back from
Vegas a few days ago.”

“Vegas? You didn’t!” Candy’s squeal matched that of her

daughters.

“Why not? We’re both Elvis fans. It was fun.”

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Bryan tenderly pulled the wrinkled woman into his arms. He

kissed the top of her head, leaning way down to do so. “You deserve
some fun, Madge Secord. Doc’s a good man. He’s waited a long time
for you to be free.”

She pulled away, sniffling. “It’s your turn, Bryan Raman. Your

mama wanted grandbabies. Since Sam’s gone to be with her, she’s
expecting you to provide them.”

Kaela took a few mental notes. Other than the one time, she and

Bryan hadn’t spoken about their pasts.

“You’d better introduce me to the young lady waiting patiently

over by the mittens.”

Bryan took Kaela’s hand and towed her over. Scotty eagerly

launched himself into Bryan’s arms with a loud “Da!” that caused a
few raised eyebrows. Kaela suddenly realized how much Scotty’s
blond hair resembled Bryan’s.

“Kaela, I’d like you to meet Madge Grierson, uh, Secord. Madge,

this is Michaela Jones. She’s visiting with her son, Scotty. He’s about
the same age as Evie and Diane.” He turned to Kaela. “Madge and
Doc are honorary grandparents.”

“Welcome to Maverick, my dear.”
Kaela returned the warm smile, again struck by the kindness of

strangers. Though welcomed for her relationship to Bryan rather than
herself, it still felt good.

“Ready for a pit stop?” Candy tilted her head to the side wall

where the universal sign of relief beckoned.

Kaela nodded, eager to take care of nature. Candy provided

background information while they washed their hands.

“Doc is like a father to both Adam and Bryan. I expect Bryan

hasn’t told you much, but neither of them had a great childhood.”

“We all survived.” Kaela tossed it off as if it didn’t matter.
“That we did.” Candy smiled warmly. “I should tell you that from

some of the photos and comments Bryan sent, he really likes your
little rascal. Now the polyamory thing is so that, should anything

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happen to our children, they’ll still have parents to love and care for
them. I wasn’t hot on the idea at first, but,” she shrugged her
shoulders and gave a wry smile, “those two men grow on you.”

“My biggest fear for Scotty is that something will happen to me

and he’ll be taken away by strangers, like I was.”

“You don’t have family?”
“I would sell my soul to the devil to keep Scotty from those

vicious—” Kaela clamped her mouth shut.

“Gotcha.” Candy leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and

looked at Kaela for a moment before nodding. “I know we’ve just
met, but I’d be honored if you’d consider me for Scotty’s guardian.
You’ll never need it, of course, but if Bryan brought you home,
you’re good people.”

Kaela stared at Candy, unable to move or think. Candy reached up

and pulled her into a hug. Everything hit. Years of rejection by those
who should have loved her. Freddie’s total humiliation of her love.
Having and raising Scotty all alone. Finding a good job, only to be
laid off. Bryan, a good man who wanted her company, who provided
strength and support. Adam’s honest desire for her and now Candy’s
friendship and offer to ease her greatest fear.

She handled the bad well enough. It was kindness she wasn’t used

to. She burst into tears.

“Shh, it’s okay, Kaela.” Candy reached up and hugged. “I’ve been

there, girlfriend. You keep strong for so long and when someone
cares, it collapses your defenses.” Candy rubbed Kaela’s back as she
spoke. “That’s it, let it all out. We can stay in here as long as we want.
No one will bother us.”

When Kaela’s sobs finally became deep, shuddering breaths,

Candy backed away to give her space. She handed over a box of
tissues without saying a word.

“I’m sorry,” said Kaela, voice shuddering. “You must think that

I’m—”

“I think you’re a woman who’s been under terrible pressure for a

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very long time. You needed to let it out and you can only do that
when you feel safe.” She ran cool water on paper towels and handed
them to Kaela. “I bet our men haven’t even noticed we’ve been gone
for a while.”

“Really?” Kaela choked. She held the cool towels over her eyes,

attempting a smile. “They think so little of us?”

“Nah,” said Candy, laughing. “Doc got Madge to order a bunch of

construction toys, and Adam’s been chomping at the bit to try them
out. I doubt we get out of here without buying some for Scotty.”

“I can’t accept charity—”
“Kaela, forget it!” Candy shook her head, laughing. “Scotty’s only

an excuse for Adam and Bryan to act like the kids they never were.
They need this, so let them.”

“But the cost—”
“Bryan didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” Kaela put more cold water on the towels and

held them to her eyes as an excuse not to look at Candy.

“The Double R has one of the lowest debt loads of any ranch

around here. Bryan made a killing in the high tech market and got out
before the crash. After Adam’s father died, Bryan came home and
bought half of the ranch.”

Candy cleared her throat. “Bryan might not want me to tell you

this, but Grant, Adam’s bastard of a father, did his best to destroy
everything. The banks wouldn’t lend him a cent, so he tried to sell the
ranch. He wanted gambling money, but he also knew Adam never
wanted to live anywhere else and he wanted to destroy Adam’s
dream. Luckily, the bastard got tossed by a horse before the sale went
through.”

Candy gently pulled the paper towels from Kaela’s eyes.
“When Adam inherited the ranch—it had a different name then—

the place was so run down that few thought he’d ever make it. Bryan
came to Grant’s funeral celebration and stayed. They worked their
asses off and did well. When I married Adam, I used my savings and

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bought half of Adam’s half. I own twenty-five percent of the Double
R.”

Kaela shook her head. “You’ll have to be blunt, Candy. I can’t

think right now.”

“You want blunt? We’re loaded. We could buy out this whole

store if we wanted. The bank would jump at the chance to lend us a
million or two.”

“Oh.” Kaela swallowed a lump.
“Oh, indeed.” Candy smiled. “I’m glad you fell for the goof

without knowing it. He’s met a few women who only want him for
the money.” She winked. “And the sex, of course. Those guys don’t
dress rich very often, but they fill out a tux like Chippendale dancers.”

“Uh, we’re just friends. There’s no future with us beyond

Thanksgiving.”

Candy snorted a laugh. “He said he met you in ‘unusual

circumstances,’ but he wouldn’t say more. Spill, girlfriend. Inquiring
minds want to know.”

Kaela had to laugh at Candy’s tough guy stance, especially as the

woman was five inches shorter.

“The first time I saw Bryan he was in my hotel room. He wore

jeans with black leather motorcycle boots and chaps. The sun was at
his back, hiding his face in shadow. He looked like the Terminator,
and he held my precious baby.”

“What were you wearing?”
“I’d just stepped out of the shower, so nothing but a towel. I told

him I had a gun.”

“What?”
“I thought he’d broken into my hotel room and was going to steal

Scotty.”

“Bryan?” Candy’s voice rose another octave.
“Well, that’s what I thought at the time. We, uh, worked out our

differences.”

Candy shook her head, smiling widely. “I think there’s more to

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that story. But we’ll wait until there’s wine and chocolate nearby. You
ready to join the mob? Don’t forget—no complaints about what
they’ve bought. Don’t spoil their fun.”

As promised, they’d been barely missed, except by sharp-eyed

Madge. A young woman stood at the cash register with a huge pile of
clothing and toys in front of her. Scotty sat on the floor, a yellow
plastic backhoe clutched in a death grip. Evie sat nearby with the
matching dump truck while Diane cuddled in her daddy’s arms with a
stuffed grizzly bear.

She bit her tongue at the extravagance but said nothing. She was

on Double R’s turf now and would follow Candy’s lead.

* * * *

Unlike Kaela, overwhelmed by the size and grandeur of the ranch

house, Scotty took to it right away. He raced around what Bryan
called the kiddy corral, a special area built into a corner of the huge
gathering room. It had padded mats and held more toys than Kaela’d
ever seen outside a daycare. There was a top-quality plastic kitchen,
small climbing structure with slide, a workbench and now giant
construction equipment.

But the best toys were the two grown men growling like bears as

they walked on all fours. Scotty caught on fast, attacking Bryan and
climbing on his back for a ride. Evie shrieked until she also got on
board. Diane, lifted onto Daddy’s back by Candy, held his neck in a
chokehold, smile wide.

After the excited children were fed, bathed, and finally asleep, the

adults sprawled by the fire. Or, three of them relaxed while Kaela sat
upright in a chair and fought rising panic.

Though it was cold outside, the room was warm. A massive stone

fireplace took up most of one wall. The front face was mostly purple
amethyst, but white crystals sparkled when the light caught it right. It
was beautiful, but Kaela was far too hot to enjoy it. A heat that came

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from inside.

She had a quick tour, admiring Candy’s landscape paintings,

proudly displayed in frames made by Adam. Candy pointedly said
both bedroom suites were totally sound insulated. She shared the left-
hand suite at the end of the long upstairs hall with Adam, while
Bryan’s was on the right. Two sets of large bedrooms, each sharing a
bath between them, plus another door, completed the upstairs. Candy
said the door led to a playroom and didn’t offer to open it.

That must be where they’d taken the Sultan and Slave Girl photos.

Kaela pushed erotic possibilities out of her mind and placed her few
bags in the room closest to the stairs. Candy said the window faced
northwest, providing wonderful sunset views of the white-topped
Beaverhead Mountains. Kaela had never slept in a more restful room.
The duvet and curtains had a muted plaid of blue, lavender, pale pink,
and dove. The floor was covered by a matching grey carpet so thick
she could curl her toes into it. In addition to the queen-size bed
against one wall, a rocking chair with side table and lamp made her
want to hide away with a good book.

Scotty joined the girls in the room the other side of the bathroom.

It held a full tub with shower, toilet, and sink, and enough floor space
to kneel to bathe children. Adam and Bryan found an extra crib from
somewhere and set it up for Scotty. After the full day, he zonked out
at the same time as the girls.

Kaela didn’t want them to think she was hiding out, so she

followed the adults downstairs after putting the kids to sleep. Before
they settled on the couch, both Bryan and Adam kissed Candy
thoroughly, as if Kaela wasn’t there. They even slid hands under her
clothes, fingers slipping into places that made Candy’s eyes gleam
and Kaela twitch.

She didn’t understand why she wasn’t jealous of Bryan touching

Candy when the women in the hotel lobby had made her want to slap
their faces. She itched to get the same deep kisses and touches from
both men. At the same time, she wanted to disappear. They were so

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comfortable in their bodies and with each other. She couldn’t imagine
ever being so relaxed, but the only tension she felt was sexual.

Adam lounged in a dark green leather chair, the squashy kind with

wide arms to sit on. It looked a lot like the one he’d bent Candy over
in the photos on the laptop. That didn’t help Kaela’s heat problem.
Nor did the fact both men wore only loose sweat pants. With, she
easily noticed, very large erections.

Even worse, Adam watched her like a wolf deciding how he’d

feast on her. When his eyes trailed over her, a line of heat followed.
Bryan knew her well enough to notice her reaction but did nothing to
stop Adam’s stares or the way he absently rubbed his palm against
what swelled his fleece pants.

Bryan smirked at her discomfort, daring her to complain while he

snuggled with Candy into a deep couch, one of two bracing the
fireplace. Candy leaned her back against his bare chest. One of his
hands had crept under her T-shirt, cupping her. He held a glass of his
favorite single malt in the other, sipping quietly.

Kaela hadn’t known he drank the stuff, much less that he had a

favorite. She knew so little about him. The immensity of it all—the
people, the ranch, the huge house—had her wishing she never agreed
to visit.

They were the Ewings from Dallas and she was from Trailer Park

Boys.

She’d only had sex with Freddie and Bryan. She experienced her

first orgasm less than a week ago, while Candy had played wild erotic
games with two men for years. The woman had had things done to her
that sent Kaela’s libido soaring like a hot air balloon.

Her deep, dark fantasies swirled into form, demanding to know

why she wasn’t already in Adam’s lap, riding what his hand caressed
while someone else licked her—

“I’m off to bed. Anyone else interested?”
Candy stood and stretched her arms high over her head. Her loose

pink sweatpants drooped, and her short T-shirt rode up to display her

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belly. Her nipples poked through the thin fabric.

Both men reacted as if her baggy sweats were from Fredericks of

Hollywood, jumping to their feet. Bryan stood behind her and slid one
hand under her shirt to cup her breast while the other slid down the
front of her sweats. She moaned and spread her legs.

Adam, eyes dark and nostrils flaring, raised his eyebrows at

Kaela, his feral smile an easy-to-read invitation and challenge. She
stood up, legs together, still dressed in what she put on that morning
in Utah. Adam didn’t move, but the bulge in his sweats confirmed
what he wanted.

“Well! I’ll see you all in the morning,” she said, forcing bright

cheer into her words. She waved good night and scuttled up the stairs
before she ran into trouble. Both Adam and Bryan belonged to Candy,
not to her. Bryan had been away from his almost-wife for months. No
way would she interfere.

No matter how hot and horny she was.
She heard a laughing shriek followed by deep male growls. She

shut the sound out, closing her door, and leaned her forehead against
it. A woman’s light quick steps ran past her door, followed by two
sets of heavy thuds. Then the door at the far end of the hall closed her
out.

Though Candy had sworn the rooms were totally soundproofed,

Kaela put a pillow over her head and turned her face to the wall. The
bed was comfortable, and she knew Scotty was safe with the girls on
the other side of the bathroom. She left both interconnecting doors
open and a night light in the bathroom, just in case.

Sometime later—half an hour? An hour?—the door to the hall

opened. A thin stream of light cut across her bed. She didn’t move,
fighting to keep her breath low and slow, faking sleep.

“I won’t do it, Kaela,” whispered a deep voice. “Not without

you.”

She held her breath until the door softly shut again, then hot tears

leaked onto the multi-hundred thread count pillowcase. She didn’t

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Chapter Ten

Sunday, late afternoon

“Admit it. You’re useless, city boy!”
After making the loud and outrageous statement, Adam pushed

his chair back and stood up, six-foot-four inches of angry male. He
leaned over the table to poke Bryan in the chest with a callused finger,
an ugly sneer curling up his mouth. Before he was touched, Bryan
shot to his feet and glared back, two inches shorter but wider, with
twenty pounds more muscle.

“Just keep it up, boyo, and I’ll make Candy a happy widow,” he

growled.

The first full day at the ranch had been hard on everyone. Neither

Kaela nor Bryan had slept well. The three children were over excited,
refusing to nap. The two men growled and muttered all day as they
worked, their hackles rising with each hour. The ranch hands kept
busy far from their bosses, but the women couldn’t do much to escape
when they stomped in to eat.

Kaela helped Candy make the usual Sunday breakfast of sausage,

bacon, eggs, and hash browns—what Candy called a heart surgeon’s
paycheck. The food seemed to rev up the men’s energy levels and
their tempers. They’d stomped to the barn, worked all day, and now
waited impatiently for supper.

“Still think you’re the best man, huh?” Adam sneered at Bryan.

“You take off for two months, do one lousy excuse of a day, and think
you know what the hell’s going on?”

Kaela flicked her eyes from one big angry man to the other. She

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huddled on a stool in the corner holding a wide-eyed Scotty. She was
trapped, unable to get past them to escape.

“It’s okay, Kaela,” said Candy quietly. She moved around the end

of the table to stand beside her. “Even though they’re equal partners,
Adam’s family have owned this land for generations while Bryan’s
family were their servants. It still bugs Bryan sometimes. Because
Bryan’s been away, they’ve got to re-establish who’s top dog.
They’ve growled around each other all day, doing the pissing higher
on the pole thing. It’s come to a head and they’ve got to fight it out
before they eat or there’ll be an explosion at the supper table.”

“Is this because of me?” Though Kaela’s heart pounded with fear

and adrenaline, Scotty eagerly watched, chewing a finger as his eyes
moved from one man to the other.

“Heck no, girl!” Candy picked up her sketchpad and pencil and

sat, quick hands flashing to produce an amazing likeness of the men
menacing each other. She did a caricature of them as bulldogs. Kaela
snickered in spite of her tension.

“It’s the male pack mentality thing. Who’s up and who’s down.

Doc says it’s a perfectly normal guy thing. They’ve been doing this
since they were kids and they still do it every now and then. A big
fight seems to clear the air. As long as they do it outside, who am I to
break a family tradition?”

Adam and Bryan now glared nose to chin. One pushed a shoulder,

the other retaliated.

“Okay, boys, enough.” Candy slammed down her sketch pad and

stood up. Hands on hips, she glared up at her husband. “Take it
outside. Now!”

“Aw, Candy, we’re just—” Adam whined like a six-year-old.
“Just nothing. Both of you, outside.”
“We’re goin’,” said Bryan. “I’m gonna beat the sh—”
“Ahem!” called Candy.
“—stuffing out of you this time.” He grabbed the front of Adam’s

work shirt. Adam did the same to Bryan.

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“Yeah?” Adam shoved Bryan. “You’ll need a steak the size of

your hat to cover your black eye when I’m done with you.”

“You and who’s army?” Bryan shoved back. “You learn anything

while I was gone or you just gonna talk me to death?”

“Out!”
Pushing and shoving, the two shuffled out the door and onto the

wide porch. Candy, following, closed the front door behind them. She
locked it, turned around, and gave Kaela a smile while making a big
show of dusting her hands off. A loud crash against the wall was
followed by a yell, then boots stomping off the front porch.

“Would you like another cup of coffee while the big kids sort

things out, Kaela?”

“Let me put Scotty in the corral with the girls.” She hurried back

to find Candy calmly stirring sugar into a fresh mug of coffee. “Is the
fight for real?”

“Go look for yourself. I don’t like them to see me watching

because it only stirs them up more. It encourages the beating on the
chest he-man gorilla thing.” She shook her head and grimaced in
resignation, pointing to where Kaela could watch unseen.

“They’re really hitting each other hard!”
“Uh-huh. I remember the first time I saw the two of them fight.”

Candy turned down the pot of stew, relaxed in her chair, and patted
her lap. The marmalade cat lurking under the table needed no more
encouragement. “It scared the heck out of me. I thought one would
kill the other or at least maim him. Luckily, Doc was here. He just
laughed and told me not to encourage them by trying to stop them.
That they had to get it out of their system.”

“A guy thing.” Kaela took her mug and went back to the window.
“Yep. All that testosterone has to go someplace. Better they take it

out on each other than on me.”

Kaela choked mid-swallow. “Would they—”
“Oh, hon, not that way!” said Candy when she saw Kaela’s face

turn white. “Those boys would die rather than have me hurt. Or you,

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come to think of it. No, when I say they ‘take it out on me,’ I mean
they plan scenes where they spank me and force me to do all sorts of
depraved things.” She winked. “I enjoy what they do, but I can’t let
on or it spoils the fun.”

Kaela listened to her words, pretending to stare outside. This was

what Bryan had told her about, what the pictures had shown. Candy
fighting every minute until she won. Until they all got what they
wanted.

“Did I lose you there, Kaela?”
“I, uh, heard you.”
“Yeah, but does what I said bother you?”
Kaela took a deep breath. She let it out and turned to Candy. The

petite, dark haired woman watched her closely.

“Yes, as in hot and bothered.”
Candy’s smile started small, but widened to open up her whole

mouth. Even her eyes got into it, crinkling at the corners.

“You have no idea how glad I am to hear that.”
“But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to do any of that stuff,” Kaela

quickly clarified. “I mean, I owe Bryan a session where he ties me up
in return for what I did to him, but—”

“In return?” Candy’s voice went high at the question. “As in,

you’ve already done it?”

Kaela nodded. “It was the last time we, uh, had sex. Last Sunday.”
“Oh my God!” Candy sat up straight. The cat, woken by Candy’s

squeal, jumped down in a huff and went to find a quieter place. “I’ve
wanted to tie him up forever, but he wouldn’t let me! He must be
really into you.”

“It was the only way I’d let him do it to me. I don’t like losing

control.”

“You and me both. But, when you trust them with your life,

giving up control can be a wonderful thing. You don’t have to think,
just enjoy.” She winked and relaxed again. “Not that I let them know
how much I like their control in the bedroom. Wouldn’t want it to

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spread anywhere else, you know?”

Kaela, face heating, turned back to the window. Adam and Bryan

rolled on the ground, fists flying. They lost a few buttons and likely
gained bruises. The men gathered around shouted encouragement. A
closer look at their faces suggested insults were more likely.

“Wait a minute,” said Candy abruptly. “Bryan slept with you all

last week without having sex, just cuddling?”

Kaela nodded, eyes on her man. At the moment, he was on top.
“A week without sex and he still wouldn’t play? And then he slept

alone. Wow.”

Kaela’s face burned. She hoped that was what Bryan whispered in

her doorway, but she couldn’t ask him since she was supposed to be
sleeping. And if she asked what he’d done in Candy’s room, he’d
think she was jealous.

Which she was, sort of. Not about the sex but the companionship.
“I didn’t sleep much at all last night,” admitted Kaela. “And from

Bryan’s grumping, I’m not sure he did either.” She groaned when
Adam got Bryan in the belly. “After this fight he’ll be worse
tomorrow, being so sore.”

“It’s not just the fight.” Kaela turned at Candy’s laugh. “Adam

saved the worst jobs for Bryan since he’s been away for so long.
Bry’ll have worked his butt off all day. He’ll be lucky to make it
through dinner before he crashes, just like the kids. His muscles and
bruises will hurt like the devil again tomorrow.”

“What does he do about it?”
“Do?” Candy walked over to the sink and rinsed out her mug.

“He’s a Montana cowboy, hon. He’ll ignore the pain and work even
harder, just to prove that he’s the better man.”

The two Eastern women looked at each other.
“Are they both like that?”
Candy nodded.
“And you’ve put up with them for how long?”
Candy laughed. “Yeah, I know. But I love the idiots.” She looked

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out the window, wincing when Bryan got Adam in the face. “Darn, I
was just getting used to the shape of his nose. I think Bry’s just
rearranged it again.”

Even indoors they could hear the bellow of rage that erupted.

Bryan flew up and back, rolling when he landed so Adam just missed
kicking him. Even the dogs and cats watched. The dogs safely poked
their noses between the ring of men, while cats sat on the porch
railing like tennis judges, heads turning back and forth as the men
moved around.

“If we put this on the Internet and charged a dollar per hit we’d be

rich,” said Candy, snickering.

“You’re not worried about them hurting each other?”
“This is nothing.” She turned to Kaela, suddenly serious. “I’m a

ranch wife in the back mountains of Montana. My men go up into the
Beaverheads, often alone, and across thousands of acres of land. At
any moment of every day they could get thrown by a horse, gored by
a cow, or Mother Nature could toss in a sudden snow storm or
avalanche or worse.”

Candy looked up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly for a minute

before she continued.

“It’s my job to keep the home, to cope with whatever happens

when they’re not here, and to give them something worthwhile to
come back to.”

“Oh, God, Candy. I didn’t mean—”
“You’ve got to know, Kaela. This is what life and death is all

about out here. In the city you could get killed by a drunk driver or a
mugger could shoot you. You have no control over that.” She pointed
out the window where the last rays of sun lit the snow. “Out here, at
least you have some control. You work hard to be the best damn
cowboy possible. You keep your equipment in top shape, read the
clouds for weather, train your own horse, and trust it with your life.
Everything else is up to luck and fate.”

“Either way,” said Kaela quietly into her mug, thinking of her

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parents. “Life can change in a moment.”

“Yep, but here it’s Mother Nature who gives you a whammy,

rather than nasty two-leggers. And I’ll take Nature any time.”

Kaela gasped when Bryan backpedalled, bent over from a gut

punch. Adam waded close, grappled with him, and threw him down.
Bryan jumped, but at the last moment, Adam rolled away and Bryan
landed on his stomach in the dirt. He lay there, palms on the dirt
beside his shoulders, chest heaving. When Adam kicked for his ribs,
Bryan grabbed the foot and twisted. Adam landed on his back with a
thud and groan they could hear through the glass.

Adam suddenly laughed and it was over. He sat up, leaned over,

and swatted Bryan on his ass. Bryan rolled to his side, pushing
himself with one hand to sit. He whacked Adam on the back of the
head, also laughing. Dog tails wagged furiously as, head down, the
mutts approached the two in the dirt for ear rubs. The watching men
joined in the laughter, though some groused as money changed hands.

“My God. After all that, they laugh?”
“Like I said,” drawled Candy. “They’re Montana cowboys. Hard

as nails. After that testosterone-laden display, they’ll be raring for sex.
But I bet they’ll both crash tonight and will have to be dragged out of
bed in the morning. They’ll groan and moan, but once out of their
bedrooms, you won’t hear a word of complaint.”

“Because they’re Montana cowboys,” both women said in unison.
Candy grinned. Kaela high-fived her. “How do I act when they

come in? Hail the conquering hero?”

“Gosh, no! Remember, we don’t want to encourage it. We’ll

pretend we didn’t see anything and tick them off. Tell them they’ve
got ten minutes to get clean for supper.”

Kaela laughed freely for the first time in ages. “You, girl, are

wicked.”

“Thank you,” replied Candy. She lifted her apron out like a skirt

and curtsied. “It’s great having another woman here to laugh with.”
The door opened in the middle of her last words.

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“What’re you two laughing about?”
Kaela sat back in the chair Candy had pulled out and stretched her

legs. “Gal stuff.”

Adam wiped blood from below his nose with his knuckles,

smearing it across his cheek. “Bry, did you bring another dang uppity
woman like Candy into our home?”

“My woman’s not uppity like Candy,” replied Bryan. He winced

when he bent over to kick off his boots. “She’s uppity like Kaela.”

“Is that worse than Candy?” Adam dripped blood on the floor

when he leaned over to do the same.

“Nah,” said Bryan. He winked at Candy, who smiled sweetly

back. “Different, but just as bad.”

Candy threw a damp dishcloth at her husband’s head, hitting him

dead on. “Guess who’s sleeping with the dogs tonight, Kaela.”

“Aw, Candy.”
“You know the rules, Adam. I don’t want blood on our new white

sheets. Is your nose broken again?”

“Let me check,” said Bryan. Before Adam could react, he grasped

his partner’s nose and twisted. Adam bellowed and clapped both
hands over it. “Nah, it’s just a bloody nose. Should be all better by
bedtime.” He turned to Adam. “You can thank me for that.”

“I’ll thank you so hard tomorrow that you’ll—”
The grumbles from the kiddy corral that had been increasing in

the last ten minutes erupted.

“You two get cleaned up for supper,” said Candy. “Use the back

shower so you don’t track dirt and blood all over the house. I don’t
want the twins seeing you like this.”

“They might as well get used to it,” growled Adam. “This is what

their boyfriends will look like if they mess with my girls.”

“Git!”
Kaela turned her back and sniggered into her hand as the two huge

men, covered in dirt and blood, stomped in sock feet through the
kitchen to the laundry, still arguing about who won.

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Chapter Eleven

“Rise and shine, city boy. It’s Monday morning. Time to rock and

roll!”

Bryan groaned at Adam’s taunting from the bedroom doorway.

Yesterday’s brutal work, combined with Adam’s blows, had him
dreaming he was back in the rodeo, landing in the dirt after his
disastrous two seconds riding a bull.

“Hel-lo, sweetheart!” Adam’s voice went up an octave. “Didn’t

see you there. Sleep well?”

“Go ’way!”
Bryan turned his head at the feminine complaint near his pillow.

“Kaela?” He slid a hand sideways and found her thinly-covered
breast. She squeaked when he brushed his knuckles over a nipple.
Mmm, Kaela. He smiled, suddenly feeling much better.

“It’s five

., Bry,” continued Adam. “You’re not up, so I’m

pulling the sheets off.”

“I’m up!” Bryan threw back the covers and grunted. He rolled to

his feet, following his morning salute.

“At least one part of you is up. From that cockstand, I bet

someone didn’t get lucky last night.”

“Shut up, Adam.” Bryan pulled a pair of work jeans out of his

drawer. He swayed and sat on the bed to push his feet into them. “At
least I can see through both eyes.”

“Adam Richardson, get out of that bedroom now!” Candy pointed

down the hall. She wore a huge red and blue plaid housecoat,
obviously Adam’s.

“Aw, Candy, I haven’t done this in months.”

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“Out!” She turned to Bryan, one eyebrow raised. “For your

information, someone else didn’t get lucky last night. So my
husband’s a real bear this morning.” She looked at Adam’s battered
face without pity. “And he’s working on continuing the situation
tonight!”

“Uppity woman’s gonna pay,” mumbled Adam, lumbering down

the hall. Kaela stuck her head out from under the covers when
Adam’s voice faded.

“Sleep better, Bryan?” chirped Candy.
Bryan grunted his agreement through his T-shirt, halfway over his

head. “Would’ve done more than sleep if I’d known Kaela was here.”
He stuck his arms into a thick plaid shirt, ignoring the buttons.

“I didn’t want to be alone,” said Kaela quietly.
Bryan walked around to Kaela’s side of the bed. “Do I at least get

a kiss?”

“You get downstairs right after,” said Candy. “I’ll make

breakfast.”

She winked and closed the door. Kaela stood up and pursed her

lips for a kiss. She gasped when he pulled her nightgown over her
head and tossed it away.

“Didn’t say what I was going to kiss, did I?”
He started with her neck, small nibbles that traced down her

shoulder to her collar bone. When he reached her breast she inhaled,
rising on her toes to press into his warm mouth. He suckled one, then
the other, before he trailed his way down, his morning beard
deliciously rough. He caught her behind her knees, and she fell
backwards onto the bed, legs apart.

“Perfect,” he growled.
Holding her butt cheeks in his palms he nibbled up her thigh to

her core while she squirmed. Groaning his enjoyment, he slid his
tongue between her sweet folds. He flicked her clit like a candle flame
and she arched. He pressed his finger into her, and she thrust back,
wanting more. But he forced himself to stand, panting as hard as he

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had after his fight with Adam. She whimpered, panting just as hard as
he.

“You’re not coming until I do, sweetling,” he rasped. “Time’s a-

wasting and I’ve got to eat more than your sweet flesh for breakfast if
I’m to last all day.”

He grabbed socks and slowly stood as he stretched his joints, then

hobbled to the door. He opened it and then turned back. The light
from the hall lit the sweet spot between her legs, rising to her tight
breasts and wanting smile.

“Hold that thought, Kaela.” He exhaled and turned, muttering,

“It’s the only way I’ll get through the day.”

* * * *

The week continued as they counted down the days to

Thanksgiving. Candy invited Doc and Madge to stay over Thursday
night. Kaela discovered they’d sleep in Bryan’s suite, as they always
did when visiting. He informed her he’d share her bed instead.

“You can’t do that when this nice elderly couple is just down the

hall!” she’d told him. No matter how much he insisted that Doc and
Madge were okay with it, she was not. The more he pushed, the more
stubborn she got. He eventually backed off, but he caught her every
time he could and did wicked things to make her hot. Candy
explained Bryan still didn’t join them and was horny as hell, so he
made sure Kaela was, as well.

Thursday dawned bright and sunny, perfect weather for

Thanksgiving. Kaela helped Candy make pies and set the table on
Wednesday. All they had to do was stuff the turkey and put
everything together while the men took care of three rambunctious
one-year-olds.

Kaela memorized everything about the dinner. It was her first time

sharing a holiday with a real family, one that cared about each other.
After a prayer remembering those who could no longer be with them

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to give thanks, they put on silly paper hats and joked as they passed
around the food.

Afterwards the three women cleaned up while the men lounged in

front of the fireplace with the children and complained about sports,
weather, and the state of the world. Scotty went right to Bryan,
fighting Evie for his lap. Bryan ended up in the largest armchair with
both kids. Diane, as usual, snuggled sweetly in the crook of Adam’s
left arm.

“That boy’ll give Evie a run for her money,” said Doc, watching

the pair.

“Like his mother does Bry,” quipped Adam. “The man hasn’t got

laid in, what, ten days?”

“Almost eleven, but who’s counting?” muttered Bryan, playing

pat-a-cake.

“Well, well. You’ve finally met your match.” Doc looked a bit too

pleased.

“Don’t you start. I’ve had enough with the other two on my case.”
“I was worried about you for a while, son,” said Doc. “Thinking

you wanted an easy woman like your ma. She put your dad on a
pedestal, though he didn’t give her much more than two great boys
and whatever he had left after celebrating his latest rodeo win. She
was a good woman but didn’t have enough confidence to stand up for
herself.”

“Candy’s got more than enough confidence for both of them,”

snorted Adam.

“Ma loved us,” replied Bryan. “Sam, me, and Adam. She took

care of the three of us until the day she died.”

Having got her way, Evie demanded to get down. Of course,

Scotty scrambled after her. Bryan deposited the two of them in their
corral. Evie immediately started throwing all the soft toys out, Scotty
following suit. He had better aim, but she had attitude.

Doc stood, stretched, and began throwing them back, just

managing to miss the laughing children. Diane demanded to join the

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fun.

“You need someone to look you in the eye, not gaze up in

adoration,” said Doc to Bryan. “The only thing you can do on a
pedestal is fall off. It ain’t a pretty sight, boy.”

“Kaela’s only here for a few weeks.” Bryan shrugged off the other

men’s snorts of laughter. “She’s darn near broke, has no job, no
family, and nowhere else to go. She’s got little but pride. I said we’d
pay her to help Candy develop a website for us. She knows all about
that Internet stuff.”

“You hold tight to that woman, Bryan Raman,” said Doc. “Put a

ring on her finger first chance you get.”

“She’s not the type of woman I want to spend my life with. But I

wish she’d do more than sleep in my bed,” grumbled Bryan.

* * * *

“Finally!” Candy stood on the front porch the next day, waving

until the truck, containing two men and three full car seats, was out of
sight. “And for your information, Kaela, I’m waving to make darn
sure they keep on going!”

Kaela, shivering in her sweater, kept Candy company. She wasn’t

sure what Candy planned for the day, but the other woman had a glint
in her eye that made Kaela’s heart beat faster. What trouble could two
women get into out here? The men promised they’d bring the children
back from visiting Doc and Madge after ten that night. Candy said
that was long enough to get into a whole lot of great trouble.

“Spa time!”
Candy grabbed Kaela’s arm and hustled her into the warm

kitchen. Thick red dribbles of tomato soup and crumbs from grilled
cheese sandwiches littered the table. Kaela reached to pick up a cloth,
but Candy pushed her past the mess.

“Don’t even think of cleaning up. Until the gang returns, we are

bachelor gals having a blast at a high class spa.”

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“I’ve never been to one of those,” said Kaela. “They’re way too

expensive.”

“Neither have I, so we’ll just have to make it up as we go along.”

Candy pulled off her sweater and tossed it on the newel post at the
bottom of the stairs as she passed. “I’ve got a couple bottles of
strawberry Zinfandel chilling and a stash of chocolate. I don’t know
about you, but I’ve been working hard and my muscles could use a
soak. Wait until you see our super deluxe jungle-style hot tub.”

“I could get into that. Any rules I need to know?”
Candy stopped. She turned and lowered her voice ominously.

“Where we’re going, there are no rules.” She waggled her eyebrows
and began unbuttoning her shirt. “Except the usual one—no clothes in
the water. It’s time to get naked and go wild!”

Kaela stepped over Candy’s tossed shirt and started on her own.

Candy skipped down the hallway beside the stairs. At the end was a
wide door. Kaela hadn’t opened it as she didn’t feel right opening the
lock set at head height. Near the floor a cat door, far too small for a
child to crawl through, suggested it was another door to the outside.
But instead of cold, she felt warm air when she pressed on the narrow
swinging panel.

Candy flicked the lock and pushed the door open.
“Welcome to paradise!”
Kaela followed Candy, shut the door behind her, and gasped.

Warm, humid air encouraged her to shed her shirt. She pulled off her
socks, stepping onto cool terra cotta tiles. She looked way up. A
ceiling painted sky blue clashed with the gray November morning
shown through the many skylights. Above the lush green, a wall of
frosted windows filtered the light. Huge plants—trees, even—grew
from giant pots set deep into the floor. A motor hummed, the sound
mostly covered by running water.

“You can’t see it from here, but I’ve got a whole compost, grey

water and hydroponics thing going.” Candy unzipped and stepped out
of her pants and socks. “Fresh veggies and herbs all winter, even a

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few dwarf citrus trees. But what we want is over here.”

Down to hot pink bra and panties, Candy followed a river stone

path curving between giant ferns. She stopped in front of what looked
like a natural rock waterfall with a set of small pools.

“The water comes out super-hot from an underground aquifer. We

tap into it to heat the house and for hot water. You might catch a
whiff of sulfur now and then, but the filters get most of it.”

Kaela stripped to her white cotton panties. Candy giggled when

she removed her hot pink bra. She swung a strap around her finger a
few times and let it fly. When it landed high in a tree, she laughed, her
large breasts jiggling.

“Adam will have to get that for me.” She stripped off her

matching panties and tossed them as high as she could into the same
tree. “Woo-hoo, a two-fer.”

Candy unselfconsciously bent over in front of a thigh-high

weathered cedar door and opened a bar fridge. She took a bottle of
white wine and two glasses from it, scooping a corkscrew from the
rock ledge built into the wall. Kaela turned away, her face and body
flushing, before Candy could notice how she stared at the other
woman’s luscious body.

Candy had little pubic hair, and when she bent over, her lower lips

peeked out from under her bottom.

“Get the strawberries, will you? After you’re naked, of course.”
Candy set the glasses on a flat rock. She held the bottle between

her thighs, hissing at the chill, and popped the cork. She poured two
glasses and then sat on a rock beside the pool like a nymph. One leg
folded under her thigh, the other bent, her hand resting on her knee
while she watched Kaela undress.

Kaela left her clothes in a tidy pile, bra and panties tucked under

her pants so they couldn’t be seen, as she’d been taught. Her heart
thudded. Did Candy plan more than a glass of wine with a friend?

Since Candy looked at her openly, she made herself do the same,

rather than slide her eyes past as one does in changing rooms.

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Candy’s breasts were larger than her own, no longer high and

firm. She had a poochy belly, but then she carried and nursed twins.
Kaela’s smaller breasts had swollen to centerfold size when nursing
Scotty-the-piggy. Unlike Kaela, Candy trimmed her dark lower curls
very short. Since she sat with one leg bent, Kaela could see the edges
of her pink lips.

“Like what you see?”
Instead of waiting for a reply, Candy stood on the tile and struck a

Zena-type pose, fists on hips and feet wide. As Kaela watched, the
other woman’s nipples tightened. Kaela felt her own respond.

“Don’t be shy. We’re both women. You don’t have anything I

don’t, except for that sweet blush rising from your curly red nest.”

When Kaela neither spoke nor moved, Candy carried both glasses

over to her. She stopped with her breasts almost touching Kaela’s.
She held one glass out, brushing her hand against Kaela’s breast as if
by accident. The glint in her eyes proved she’d done it on purpose. A
shiver ran down Kaela’s spine in spite of the room’s heat. Bryan had
woken her body with orgasms ten days ago and she hadn’t had one
since. She was more than ready.

“Uh, thanks.” Kaela took the glass. They clinked them together

and sipped. Enjoying the fruity taste, she took a larger sip and
managed to meet Candy’s eyes.

“Did you know Bryan is a sucker for redheads?” Candy rolled her

eyes and groaned. “No pun intended, though it was a good one.” She
gestured at Kaela’s skin with her wine glass, brushing her nipple with
the chilly glass. “Man, you have a lot of freckles.”

Kaela watched her nipple harden. “Bryan likes to count them, but

he says he forgets the number and has to start over.”

“What does he use to count them? Finger, lips, tongue, or

something else?” Candy waggled her eyebrows and took a deep sip.

“Um, so far, just his finger.”
“And how many times have you two had sex?”
“The whole way? Twice.”

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“Twice? That’s it?” Candy shook her head and tut-tutted before

tossing back the rest of her glass. They wandered back to the water
and sat on the smooth rock. Candy re-filled the glasses. “Do tell,
girlfriend.”

Kaela carefully sat, surprised to find the rock warm and pleasantly

rough. “You know how we were stuck together, right? I told him not
to touch me, but the first morning we shared a bed I woke up thinking
I’d had my first erotic dream. Until I discovered my nightie had two
wet spots.”

“It wasn’t a dream?”
“No. But I did sort of dare him to touch me if I rolled onto his side

of the bed.”

“Did you roll over on purpose?”
“I was sound asleep!”
“I bet your subconscious knew what you needed and made it

happen.” Candy winked.

“Whatever.” Kaela smiled into her glass, remembering. “All that

matters is that he proved a caring man could give me an orgasm.”

“Welcome to the joys of a studly, unselfish man!”
Candy lifted her glass in a toast and they both emptied their

glasses. “I thought my ex was right, that I was the problem, until
those boys showed me a new reality,” said Candy. When she refilled
her glass again, her arm brushed against Kaela’s breast once more.
Kaela inhaled at the touch. The room was hot so she knew Candy’s
matching nipples weren’t tight from cold.

“Let’s start in the middle pool.” Candy swigged back her wine, set

her empty glass on the flat rock, and climbed in, sighing as she lay
back.

“This isn’t real rock, is it?” Kaela rubbed her hand over the

convenient ledges.

“No, Bryan designed it. It’s fiberglass or something, just like a

regular tub but formed into the shape and color we wanted.” She filled
and reclaimed her glass and leaned back. “No rough spots because

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that would not be fun.”

Candy watched Kaela over the rim of her glass as she stepped up

and over. Kaela’s heart sped up at the impishly sexy wink Candy gave
her. Kaela settled in a curved section across from Candy. It was just
deep enough that their breasts floated on the surface. Or, Candy’s
floated and Kaela’s touched the hot water.

“Some days I wish I was your size,” said Candy, sighing. “But

Adam loves my boobs. It’s not as bad since I’ve lost weight in the last
year. Even with two fathers to help, twins take a lot of effort. I can’t
imagine working full time and taking care of Scotty all by myself.
Gad, you must be totally exhausted!”

“I try not to think about it,” replied Kaela. “Just get through the

day the best I can, come home, and, when everything’s done, crash
for a few hours until morning.”

“I really admire you. Scotty is such a rambunctious boy, either

full-speed or asleep.” Candy shook her head. “Enough of that. We’re
here to relax. No more mommy talk.”

“So what should we talk about?”
“Men!” Candy finished her glass and set it aside. She slid down

until her chin almost touched the water. “The ones we have, the ones
we want, and those we fantasize about.” She winked. “Not the same
list.”

“What’s it like loving two men?” Kaela immediately colored and

waved her words away. “Sorry, that was rude.”

Candy laughed, caught a wavelet in her mouth, and sat up,

choking.

“Hon, we’re both naked and horny in a hot tub, alone in a huge

home without another female our age within hundreds of miles. Our
men are gone until tonight, we’re half looped on wine and there’s
chocolate and strawberries waiting. If we can’t dish about men and
sex with each other, we’re lost!”

Kaela smiled and nodded agreement, unable to say anything. Her

head buzzed pleasantly, as if drowsy bumblebees gently bumped into

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her. The strawberry wine was too good. She never had more than one
glass of wine, and she had two. Or was that three?

Candy settled back again. “What’s it like with two men?

Sometimes, it’s a pain in the butt. Literally!” She laughed. “But I
wouldn’t give either of them up for the world.” She pointed a finger at
Kaela. “Bryan says he’s not going to join Adam and me until you’re
there as well. So I’ve got to put up with a gloating husband because
he’s getting some and his partner isn’t and another horny bastard
who’s frustrated as hell but won’t compromise.”

“I’m sorry about that,” said Kaela, flushing. “But I’m just not

comfortable having sex in your home.” She hunched forward and
folded her arms over her knees.

“Aw, take your time. Bryan needs a bit of character building

anyway.” Candy lifted a leg out of the water and set it on the rock
wall beside her. Steam drifted from her rosy flesh. “If he has to wait,
he’ll appreciate you all the more. Adam had to think I was dead
before he admitted to himself that he loved me enough to marry me,”
she groused, then smiled. “So I’m used to big, aggressive softies.”

“So, you don’t mind me saying no to Bryan? At least until I’m

more comfortable with all this?”

“Nope. It does them good to be stopped by the short and curlies

now and then.” Candy winked. “Mind you, when you do change your
mind, he’ll find a way to get back at you. He’ll torture you with
pleasure, not letting you come until he’s darn good and ready.”

Kaela’s pulse sped up. Her tissues swelled, imagining her

“punishment.” A bit dizzy, she leaned back and closed her eyes. Was
she being silly by insisting on refusing him? Was she afraid of him or
herself? She’d only been invited for a short visit. What if she got so
used to having him near that she couldn’t face going on alone?

A soft foot touched her leg. She stilled, keeping her eyes closed,

every sense concentrating. Water swirled past in warm, caressing
ripples. The gentle gurgle of water over rock soothed her. Candy’s
touch made her skin quiver when a foot slid around and up her inner

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thigh. It pressed lightly between her legs, long toes catching her curls.
Her heartbeat steadily increased, blood pumping loudly in her ears.

“Ever wonder what it would feel like to kiss a woman’s soft

skin?” Candy murmured the words, barely heard over the waterfall.
“Men are so rough and hairy. It’s nice, but sometimes I wonder how
different it would be with soft skin on mine.”

Kaela gulped and licked her lips. Water sloshed, wavelets tickling

her breasts. She inhaled as something caught her nipple. Lips pressing
together. She inhaled, lifting her ribcage.

“Mmmm, so soft,” whispered Candy.
Fingertips stroked the outside of Kaela’s breast. Squeezed her

flesh.

“Shall I stop?”
Kaela shook her head. Blood rushed to swell her tissues. She

opened her eyes just a slit to watch. Delicate hands with pink pearl
nails lifted her breasts just out of the water. Candy ran her cheek over
one, then nipped the other with her lips. There was no beard hair to
rasp her skin.

“Your hands and mouth are so soft and gentle,” whispered Kaela.
“Show me what yours are like.”
Kaela reached out a tentative hand and stroked the underside of

Candy’s breasts. She lifted them out of the water, surprised at their
weight.

“It’s different feeling you than when I touch myself. More

sensuous somehow.” Before she could stop herself, she leaned
forward and dragged her teeth over Candy’s nipple, just the way she
liked it herself.

Candy hissed and ran her hands down Kaela’s sides, tracing the

way to her hips. Skimming her nails over Kaela’s lower belly, she
caused another shiver.

“I want to taste all of you,” said Candy. “My bed is dry and far

more comfortable. Shall we go upstairs?”

Kaela knew this was inevitable. She realized she wanted it since

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she first saw the picture of Candy bent over the chair, Adam
slamming into her from behind. She opened her mind to the future
and closed her past.

“That depends. Where’s the chocolate?”
“I have a private stash in my bottom drawer. I keep it with my

monthly supplies so the men don’t go near.” Candy gave a slow
smile. “I know where we can hide a square or two, let it melt, then
lick it all up.”

When Candy said the word “lick” slowly and with her nostrils

flaring, Kaela imagined the sweetness melting from Candy’s inner
heat. She could use her tongue and sip up every drop.

“Lead the way.”
“Race you!”
Changing the mood, Candy scrambled out of the pool, dripping

water, and took off. Wet footsteps marked her trail. Kaela followed
Candy up the stairs. They ran down the hall, giggling, and into
Candy’s suite. Following Candy’s lead, Kaela leaped onto the huge
bed and jumped, behaving like she should have at ten years old.
“Where’s the chocolate?” she demanded.

Candy tackled her. They fell to the bed, Candy half on top of

Kaela, and lay there, panting. Kaela looked into Candy’s blue-green
eyes, watching as her face slowly descended. She opened her lips to
Candy’s soft caress. The kiss was sweet, but short. Candy slid down
the bed, licking up drops of water from Kaela’s neck to her navel.

Kaela had only been with two men, and Bryan only twice. She

wasn’t experienced, but Candy’s sensuous kisses felt like nothing
else. It was as if Candy had all the time in the world for each kiss.
Nothing hurried. Just sweet lips and grazing teeth. Until she parted
Kaela’s froth of curls with her finger.

“Women’s parts are so much more interesting than men’s,”

murmured Candy from between Kaela’s legs. “They have everything
out in the open, but we have hidden surprises.” Candy slid a finger
over Kaela’s nubbin and she arched, hissing.

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“Let’s see if you like what I do. Lift up.”
Kaela lifted her bottom, and Candy slid a thick pillow underneath.

Kaela lay back and drifted in a fog of wine and pleasure while
Candy’s gentle but determined hands, fingers, and lips explored her.
When her chin and cheeks touched Kaela’s tender skin, no rasp of a
beard made her wince. She relaxed as Candy took her time, rousing
her with flicks and licks. Showing her that time had no meaning
beyond the moment.

It was as if Candy enjoyed pleasuring her without wanting to

hurry to the next stage. Of course, Freddie had never tried oral sex,
but from her small experience with Bryan, she knew he wanted to get
to the main purpose. With Candy, pleasure was the purpose.

Kaela finally groaned, pushing her heels down to press her mound

into Candy’s lips. When she came it was in a wave, slow and intense
rather than high and fast.

While Kaela shivered with aftershocks, Candy nibbled her way

back up Kaela’s body. “I guess we like the same things,” Candy
smirked, eyes laughing as Kaela panted her way back to Earth. “After
you catch your breath, why don’t you show me what you like to do?”

Ten minutes later, Kaela pressed a square of dark chocolate deep

inside Candy. She settled between Candy’s legs and took her time,
exploring the swells and secret places of a woman’s body while the
chocolate melted. Like the time Bryan kissed her and she tasted
herself, Candy’s flavor was a mix of sweet and salty. The chocolate
was an extra reward. Responsive to every touch, Candy writhed,
pressing herself against Kaela’s finger, mouth, and chin until she
came in a gush of liquid joy. Kaela rolled onto her back and sighed as
Candy’s gasps slowed.

“Oh, God, I need a nap,” moaned Candy. “I haven’t been so

relaxed since, um…”

“Since the last time you had an orgasm?”
“Mmmm, probably longer than that.” Kaela’s head still rested on

Candy’s thigh. “It’s been pretty hectic around here the last while. But

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now that Bryan’s back and you’re such a help as well, we might get
some fun in.”

Kaela rolled onto her side, as limp as cooked spaghetti.
“I’m ready to zonk out, too,” said Candy. “But in case we wake

up totally horny, I’m getting my tools out now.” Candy crawled off
the bed and pulled open her bedside table’s bottom drawer, first
flicking the baby latch.

“Tools?”
Candy rustled around for a minute before she held something up.

“This is a butt plug.” It was hot pink and shaped like a tiny toy
Christmas tree with all the branches smoothed down. It even had a
base to stand it up. Candy held up a narrower blue one, still in its
package. “This one’s your size. Brand new, just waiting for you.”

Kaela watched Candy’s grin and eyebrow wriggle. “What aren’t

you telling me?”

“When you ride—” Candy shut her mouth and shook her head,

eyes glinting. “Nope. I’m gonna leave that for a surprise. But don’t
worry, you’ll enjoy it.” She lifted out a black plastic bag and set it on
the bed. “Might as well get everything out. Dildos and condoms to put
over them, toy-safe lubricant, all sorts of stuff. Over there,” she
pointed to a long carved wooden box sitting on a high dresser, “is
where Adam keeps his toys.”

Kaela wasn’t going to ask if Adam had a butt plug as well.
“I see what you’re thinking, but no.” Candy laughed. “That’s

where he keeps a few floggers, blindfolds, and tie-downs.”

Kaela looked back at Candy. Floggers? “I don’t know what to

say.”

Candy left the bag of toys at the foot of the bed and snuggled

close to Kaela. “You could say, ‘yes, please,’ but not until we have a
long nap.”

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Chapter Twelve

Bryan crept quietly into the kitchen while Adam parked the truck.

After dropping the kids off at Doc and Madge’s place, expecting to
stay, they were sent home again. The volunteer grandparents insisted
they’d return the children the next morning. Adam and Bryan couldn’t
speed home fast enough.

“The gals didn’t clean the kitchen, so they must be up to

mischief,” whispered Adam, quietly removing his boots at the back
door.

“I already checked the jungle pool,” replied Bryan, grinning.

“Found an empty bottle of wine and clothes all over the place.”

“Damn!” Adam shook his head, smiling through his grimace.

“Where’d she toss ’em this time?”

“Caught a couple flashes of hot pink high in the trees.”
“I just bought her that set. They’re real silk!”
Bryan shrugged, grinning at Adam’s complaint.
“She’s gonna pay for that. Candy won’t be sitting down for days

without remembering me.”

They crept up the stairs like teenagers sneaking home after a late

date, avoiding the squeaky steps. When they looked inside Adam’s
room, they immediately backed off and scuttled downstairs with pants
so tight they hurt. Outside the mud room shower, they shucked
clothes left and right.

“Did you see those flashes of wet pink? They’ve been playing

with each other,” Adam boasted. “Candy seduced Kaela!”

“Maybe my gal seduced yours, boyo.” Bryan, naked first, pushed

into the shower and twisted the knob. He hissed when cold water

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came out, but it didn’t diminish the large, fleshy arrow pointing up
from his belly. He washed the necessary bits quickly, rinsed, and
backed out to give Adam a turn.

“Don’t start without me or you’re dead meat,” growled Adam.
Bryan grabbed a towel and wiping off water, backed into the

kitchen, grinning. A minute later, Adam joined him. Tossing the
towels aside, they pushed and shoved their way up the stairs, fighting
to be first. They shuffled down the hallway and snuck into the room.

Candy lay on her back, a bent knee showing curls still glistening

with dew. One hand covered her own breast, and the other lay on
Kaela’s thigh. Kaela was on her stomach, knee drawn up and hip
resting on a pillow, facing Candy.

The room smelled of sex and chocolate.
The mid-day light left nothing to their imagination. Hot, wet,

swollen female flesh demanded their immediate attention. Their
salutes rose even further. They gave each other thumbs-up and
initiated a command and control mission. Sliding carefully onto the
same side of the bed as their woman, each approached his target.

Adam laid his head behind Candy’s bottom and sighed into her

mound, lightly blowing warm air through her nether lips. Candy
smiled and reached down to pat his head, eyes still closed.

Bryan slid forward on his back and tilted his head so his nose and

tongue reached between Kaela’s swollen petals. He started slowly, as
he had when she thought he was an erotic dream. He built up his
strokes until her hips pressed down, giving him greater access. He
reached up and caressed her bottom, pulling back her cheeks for his
wet fingers to explore. She moaned, pressing into him, panting faster
as he drove her closer and closer to the edge.

Finally, she rolled onto her back, away from where Candy and

Adam silently watched and opened her arms, eyes still closed. He
took the condom Adam held out, covered himself, and surged into
her. Weeks’ worth of unmet need drove him forward with a
vengeance.

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“Yes, oh God! Harder!”
He changed angles, lifting up on his hands to scrape his cock

against Kaela’s G-spot. She moaned, grinding up against him. He was
too close to explosion to wait long for her, so he rose to his knees,
pulled her bottom to him and ground against her clit. When she
moaned and clenched him internally, he set her back on the bed and
pounded into her.

His violent need spurred her on and she came, crying out his name

and shoving her heels down to slam up into him just as wildly. He
roared his possession as their flesh slapped together, wet and wanting
until, finally, he fell onto his elbows and rested his panting chest on
hers.

“Hmmm, that you Bryan?” murmured Kaela. “Or did the milkman

finally deliver?”

“If you aren’t sure, sweetling, I can do this again.”
“Adam, honey, I want one of those.” Candy whined like a trophy

wife in front of a tray of diamond bracelets.

Kaela gasped and rolled her head to the side, eyes blasting open.

Candy lay on her side, head resting on her fist. Behind her, Adam
snuggled close, eyes with the same “I’m gonna get lucky” look she’d
seen on Bryan before their first time. Candy’s top leg lifted up and
over Adam’s thigh. Kaela gulped when she noticed Adam slowly
thrusting between Candy’s legs, his huge cock rigid and wet.

Kaela held her breath, staring as the naked man shafted his wife a

few feet away. Grimacing with effort, he still managed to wink at her.

“Oh, my God,” Kaela moaned. She turned her red face away, eyes

jammed shut.

“Glad you like my bed,” said Adam, his words broken up by

grunts as the thrust deep.

Kaela slammed her fist into Bryan’s bicep. “You did it again!”
“Did what, sweetling?” he murmured, wriggling his hips to prove

he was still hard inside her.

“You took advantage of me when I was asleep!”

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“Face it, hon,” said Candy, her voice low and throaty. “You took

advantage of each other.” Candy gave Adam a purring cat look.
“She’s hot, husband of mine. And she tastes sooo good.”

“You’re not helping,” muttered Kaela. “Did you know they were

coming back early?”

“Nope,” said Candy. “What happened, man of my heart?”
“Doc and Madge threw us out ten minutes after we got there,”

said Bryan. “Said they’d drop the kids off tomorrow. So we came
home.”

“And what did we find but two sweet pussies, wet and wanting,

winking at us,” continued Adam.

“Adam Richardson! Is that poetry?” Candy beamed at her

husband.

“Sounds more like bull,” muttered Kaela. She shrieked when

Bryan rolled over, taking her with him. He pulled her close to his
chest as she straddled him. Though she lay on top, he held her too
tight to escape, her bare bottom high.

“Her butt’s bare, bro, all ready for your hand. Can’t have a woman

sassing her man like that.”

“He’s not my man!” yelled Kaela, breathless from fear or

anticipation. “He’s Candy’s!”

“If you play in my bed, you’d better not sass me.”
Kaela whipped her head around to silently beg Candy for help, but

the other woman smiled, shrugging. Kaela shrieked when Adam’s
hand swatted her bottom, though it was just hard enough to sting. She
struggled, but Bryan, laughing, held his arms around her back and
hooked her legs with his feet, holding her tight. She shrieked again
when Adam spanked her other cheek.

When rough lips kissed the heated flesh between her legs, the

slight sting morphed into desire and she stilled. Bryan spread his legs,
widening hers as well. Unfamiliar lips and tongue traced down the
crack of her bottom, splaying her wide with callused hands to lick her
nectar. Adam’s tongue was much thicker and longer than Candy’s.

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Stronger, too.

“Mmm, chocolate. You girls had a bit of fun without us.”
While Adam spoke, he ran his index finger between her lower

lips. He rubbed her clit and placed his thumb inside her, pressing her
flesh between his large hands.

Kaela tilted her back, thrusting her bottom higher for more

penetration. Bryan released her enough to capture a breast, squeezing
it while smiling up at her. She twitched when she felt a fingerful of
something cold on her bottom, but it soon warmed.

“I bought this one for Kaela,” said Candy quietly, handing him

something.

Adam grunted his reply. A moment later, something smooth and

round stretched her anal ring. Slowly pulsing like the tide coming in,
the plug intruded a bit farther each time. She welcomed the invasion
as something wicked she felt guilty about wanting. She had no choice
but to enjoy it as Bryan held her from escaping.

Adam slowly pulsed the butt plug, stretching her a bit more each

time. She hadn’t realized how many nerve endings existed back there.
She clenched Bryan’s hardening organ, still inside her. Sensation
from both channels multiplied her desire.

Bryan lifted his lips, and she met him halfway. He slid his tongue

behind her top lip in the way that made her wild. When he pinched
her nipple, she clenched him in a spasm. He throbbed into her in
reaction.

Adam pressed the plug deeper, stretching her tissues to the point

of pain. She tried to press it out, but instead shivered as her sphincter
slowly closed around the narrow end. She moaned her need.

“Mmm, feels great from this side,” murmured Bryan. He rocked

into her, slow and steady. “Sit up and ride me, cowgirl.”

At first she felt self-conscious with Adam and Candy watching,

but she ached from the new double sensations. She pressed on
Bryan’s chest to sit up. Large hands grasped her breasts from behind
and helped by flicking her nipples, driving her to grind herself down.

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Bryan grinned encouragement, pressing his thumb on her clit to

encourage her to lean back. When she did, the butt plug pressed into
her, a pleasant fullness that intensified Bryan’s size. She leaned
forward, rose up on her knees, and gasped, eyes wide.

“Oh, God, it makes you hit my G-spot!”
“Surprise!” called Candy. “Told ya you’d like it!”
Groaning, Kaela rode Bryan up and down like a piston. With each

stroke, his cock pressed against the quarter-size bundle of nerves that
did so much for her.

“God, that feels great,” moaned Bryan. “Almost as good as it will

when you ride Adam and I slide into your sweet asshole.”

She quivered as four male hands seduced her body. Bryan grasped

her waist, his face tightening, nostrils flaring at the serious business.
She closed her eyes and moved as she needed, guided and encouraged
by Bryan’s demanding thrusts from below. Adam’s hands were on her
breast and belly. She startled and then realized the hands gently
pulling and releasing the plug must be Candy’s.

“That’s it, Kaela, let it come,” panted Bryan. “Share with us. See

how good loving with four can be.”

Sensations attacked her clit, her breasts, her vagina, and ass.

Faster and faster, harder and stronger. She ground her need into his
pelvis, red curls meshing with his blond. She tried to let go but
knowing others were watching, feeling Bryan’s need, she just
couldn’t.

“Kaela!”
“You go, I’m fine.”
She wasn’t fine. She was ready to scream from the absolute need

to explode but couldn’t quite. He filled her so deep she couldn’t feel
where she ended and he began.

“Now!” yelled Adam. With one hand, he pinched her left nipple,

and with the other he pressed her clit. Candy pulled on the plug.
Bryan roared along with his deep thrusts and ignited their dual
explosion.

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Chapter Thirteen

“Bryan brought Kaela a little something from town,” said Adam

to no one in particular a while later. He rested on his back, arms
folded behind his head, eyes closed.

“That sounds ominous,” replied Candy. She lolled on her stomach

near the bottom of the bed.

“Payback time,” said Bryan. He’d pushed the pillows up to the

headboard and lay there, one leg straight out, the other bent with his
wrist resting on top. He looked relaxed, but his muscles were tight,
ready to spring into action. His cock, limp and exhausted a minute
ago, twitched as it swelled.

“Payback for what?” Kaela, recognizing his eager expression,

edged herself farther from his grasp, closer toward Candy and escape.

“Someone owes me a tie down session,” said Bryan. He stared at

Kaela, who gulped.

“And I found a new set of silk knickers hanging in the trees like a

pink banana,” added Adam. “That calls for punishment.”

“Punishment?” Candy rolled onto her side, voice and eyes

protesting innocence.

“Tag-team time.” Adam sat up, cross-legged, on the bed.
“Oh, no,” said Candy, pushing herself backwards. “Nuh-uh. Not

this gal.”

Now standing, Kaela moved faster, backpedalling across the rug

toward the door.

“You know the rules, wife,” growled Adam. “If you run from

punishment, you get rewarded with more.”

Adam’s words stopped Candy from moving. She bit her lip, eyes

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flashing around. They stopped on Kaela.

“Bryan didn’t tell you that, right?”
Kaela, now at the door, shook her head.
“Then move your ass, girl!”
Kaela whipped around and ran out the door. Gripping the rug with

her toes for traction, she pelted down the hallway. Holding on to the
banister, she flew down the stairs, followed by Bryan roaring like a
freight train.

She hesitated at the bottom. Where to go? She dashed around the

corner to the jungle. She might be able to hide in there for a bit. It was
way too cold to run outside. She’d barely found a spot deep in a
corner under thick ferns when the door shut with a thud behind her
pursuer. She breathed as shallowly as possible, adrenaline from the
run and anticipation pounding blood through her body, preparing her
to fight.

“When I find you, and I will, you’ll pay for running away, Kaela.”
His voice was too smug for her comfort, too sure of himself.

Another arrogant man boasting of his strength and power over a
woman. Her nipples crinkled in a reaction dating back to cave woman
days. If she had to worry about a saber tooth tiger outside the cave, he
was the one she’d rub against in hopes he’d choose her to protect. She
wasn’t in a cave, though the jungle-like foliage encouraged Tarzan
thoughts.

She clenched her teeth so she wouldn’t reply to his threat. Grown

women didn’t get “punished” by men.

Unless the thought made them so hot they almost exploded from

need.

Branches rustled around her. She shrank down, wondering if it

would be better to get caught like a rabbit in its burrow or run like a
deer. Either way, he’d eventually catch her. But staying still would be
giving in. And she was a fighter.

“Remember what it means when I count to three, Kaela?” He

sounded calm, as if he was discussing what to wear for dinner. “One.”

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She rose from her knees to a low crouch, ready to bolt. Fronds

moved about ten feet to her left. She could go left or right.

“Two.”
She chose right. She rose up and sped across the terra cotta tile,

bare feet slapping, around a corner and BAM! Straight into a naked
chest.

Bryan dropped the long bamboo pole he used to rattle the ferns

near the other path and grabbed her with both arms.

“Three.” He held tight as she struggled for air, her body pressed

against him. “You goin’ to come easy, woman, or do I have to carry
you?”

Instead of answering, she ducked and shifted, breaking his hold.

But he lunged and caught her again. Laughing, he tossed her over his
shoulder and slapped her bottom. She had nothing to soften the blow,
harder than Adam’s light slaps.

“Ow!”
“Serves you right.”
“Caveman!”
“Damn straight. I caught my woman and I’m dragging her back to

my cave. Gonna tie her up good. She ain’t leavin’ my bed till I say
so.”

Kaela struggled, her breasts rubbing against his lower back as she

fought to escape. He held her legs tight so her feet wouldn’t hit below
his belly button. He carried her up the stairs and half way down the
hall before flipping her around and letting her feet touch the rug. His
one-arm grip under her breasts felt like a band of iron. Adam waited
at end of the hall, easily holding Candy the same way. Candy’s chest
heaved as if she’d been running as well, though her eyes shone
eagerly.

“Playroom ready?” asked Bryan. Adam nodded. “Don’t wait on

supper for us. This woman’s got some learnin’ to do.”

“Candy? Help!”
“Gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do, Kaela,” called Candy.

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“Trust your man to know what you need.”

“What? Traitor!”
Adam turned Candy toward the bedroom and smacked her

bottom. “Hands and knees on the bed. Now!” Candy scuttled into the
room, giggling. Adam nodded at Bryan. “Call if you need an extra
hand.”

“No worries.”
Bryan turned Kaela, pressing her forward by walking into the

room she hadn’t yet seen. He flicked a switch and a chandelier on the
ceiling sprang to full sparkling glory. She heard the click of a lock
when the door closed. Large cupboard doors lined the walls of the
windowless room. Other than a well padded armchair and a sturdy
desk, the furniture was draped with white sheets.

A California king-plus bed dominated the center of the room.

Thick pillows rested against the high headboard. A canopy of white
silk hung from the corner posts bolted to the ceiling. Bright pillows of
various sizes littered the bed. A closed wooden box large enough to
hold a professional basketball player’s shoes lurked on the wide
bedside table.

Long straps extended from each corner, cutting across the pristine

sheets. It looked like someone started to make an X but missed the
middle.

“On the bed, face up. Spread-eagled.”
“What are you going to do to me?”
Her chest heaved, the rush of the chase morphing into the almost-

fear of capture, of not knowing what he’d do to her. Could she stand
being restrained after what her uncle had done to her for so many
years?

Uncle Wesley enjoyed punishing her with yelling, slaps, and

deprivation when sober. When drunk, he changed to blows. She
considered herself lucky when he’d lock her in the tiny storage room
in the basement, for that meant he’d forgotten about her and she’d be
safe. He had no idea she hid water, granola bars, candles, and matches

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behind the old steamer trunk. She spent her time planning a dream life
in the country with a quiet, loving husband, happy children, and all
the pets and friends she wanted. Each of them would own half the
home, sharing everything. No one could ever force her out. Never,
ever again.

“What will I do to you?” Bryan repeated, softly.
He sauntered over to a tall, bulky thing in the corner that she

hadn’t noticed. He pulled off the sheet to reveal a giant black wooden
X on a wheeled platform. Velcro straps hung every few inches,
waiting for someone’s arms and legs. She gulped. He turned to her,
rolled the sheet into a ball, and tossed it aside.

“Whatever I want.”
Gone was the laughing, carefree lover, the loving dad. This man

could easily rule a boardroom of oil barons. She could see him riding
a rodeo bronc until the buzzer sounded, then leap off and never lose
his hat.

“Is this a game? Like, when I tied you up?”
He stepped closer, throbbing cock rising from its blond nest. She

stared at it, pulsing with his heartbeat.

“That was playing. This is serious.” His deep voice radiated

power. “You have two seconds. MOVE!”

She jumped, scrambled up onto the high bed, and lay flat, arms

and legs out. He followed, comfortable in his nakedness as if he wore
a tux.

“Kaela, you remember what I said about safe words? Green,

yellow, and red?”

She nodded. He’d slow or stop as soon as she used a code word.
“I’m tying you with something strong enough so it won’t break if

you pull slightly but will snap if you need it to.” He held up a handful
of long, round, red strings.

“What is it?”
“Shoestring licorice.”
“What?”

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He knelt on the bed and tied one end of the strings to a black

leather strap and the other to her right foot. He did the same with her
other foot, then her wrists. She pulled her arms lightly. There was a
resistance, but she couldn’t move very far. She could flex her hands
into fists, though.

“The blindfold will allow you to concentrate on your other

senses,” he said. She lifted her head, and he slipped on something
velvety soft. The room went black.

“You will not speak except to answer a question or call out a safe

word. Do you understand?”

She nodded. After that she could do nothing but lie there and

listen. He walked around the room, opening doors and drawers,
moving furniture. Her imagination ran free as to what was behind the
cupboards, what he might take from the drawers.

The bed dipped. She held her breath, every sense but sight attuned

to him.

Something gossamer soft drifted up her leg, stronger than a tickle.

It was followed by something scratchy. One leg and then the other,
moving from ankle to knee. Maddeningly slowly. Kisses and nibbles
were added when he reached her thighs. He was only a few inches
below her hips when he shifted away. A moment later, he kissed her
palm. She discovered just how sensitive the undersides of her arms
were. She twitched as he approached her neck.

He didn’t stop until she was writhing, every inch of flesh having

been tasted. Aroused.

“I’m turning you over. You will not move until I say so. Nod if

you understand.”

She nodded.
“Roll onto your stomach, on the pillow.”
She did so, finding a dip in the large pillow so her breasts weren’t

squished. He tied her down when she rested on her chest, knees bent
far apart, bottom high in the air.

“Ain’t that somethin’,” he murmured. “Bowing to your man,

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raising your ass high, knees wide to show him the way.” The delight
in his voice almost removed the arrogance of his words. She wanted
him in her now!

He gently pressed a lubed finger where the small butt plug had

been. She enjoyed the sensation until another, larger pressure pushed
against her.

“This plug’s bigger than the one you had earlier. Relax and take it,

Kaela.” He pulsed the plug against her tender flesh, stretching her
enough to slightly sting. While it settled in place, she unclenched her
fists and panted for a moment. He rested his hand on her lower back,
lightly stroking her until she relaxed.

Then he revved her up. She writhed as best she could as his

tongue dabbled and flicked at her flesh. He sucked each toe,
scratching with his teeth as she had his cock. He tasted her ankles, her
calves, her thighs. His rough calluses scratched deliciously along her
soft flesh, emphasizing the differences between them.

He played chase games with his agile tongue around her folds,

holding them apart with his fingers. He nipped her with his lips for a
few minutes before pressing his long fingers inside to massage her G-
spot. He grazed her bottom with his teeth while his thumb wiggled the
butt plug, the other hand arousing her breast. Just when she was ready
to explode, he stopped.

And started over.
She writhed, trying to control his touch. She wanted him inside

her, filling her. She wanted him to quell her raging flames. Instead, he
repeatedly stoked her embers to near-combustion then let her cool
down. If she hadn’t been ordered not to speak, she’d have demanded
satisfaction. If she wasn’t tied, she’d wrestle him like a rodeo steer
and demand satisfaction.

“You want me, Kaela?” He whispered the words between

butterfly-soft kisses.

She nodded, groaning her need without speaking.
He trailed his calluses across her upper thigh right to her most

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tender spot. He pressed her knees further apart and flicked his tongue
against her clit until she almost cried in heated frustration.

“You want me to take you like this? To ride you hard?”
Giving into his dominance in order to meet her needs, she nodded

once, forcefully.

“I’ll do whatever I want. And you’ll not only take it, you’ll beg

for more.”

He spanked her right cheek, rubbing gently in small circles

immediately after. His fingers trailed over her weeping flesh,
promising so much. She moaned between gasps, immersed in his
touch.

He pulled at her plug, stretching her again when the thick bulb

pulled her open. He pressed in more lube while she panted, her focus
on this one part of her body. He released the plug and leaned over her
back, slid his hands under, and squeezed her breasts, pinching just as
she liked. His chest curls tickled her back, his hard length slid
between her legs and under her, hinting at his touch but not allowing
it.

When he pulled out the large plug, she sighed in relief. He

squirted cooling gel into her hot asshole before pressing what felt like
his elbow against her. She stiffened, clenching.

“Let me in, Kaela.”
She shook her head. He drew his hands down her back, cupping

her breasts and trailing the backs of his fingernails down her back to
her bottom. She shivered until he held himself at her back entrance
once more.

Unless she wanted to stop him, she had no choice but to do what

he said. To take him however he wanted, even if she enjoyed it more
than she should. She couldn’t be a good girl when he forced her to be
bad, right? He’d take her the way she’d always wanted. Give her the
freedom to experience her body firsthand instead of trying to guess
what she should be feeling.

“Push me out, sweetling.”

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He pressed his cock against her stretched iris, pressing forward as

she opened her passage for him. He groaned and slid in a bare inch,
past her tight ring of muscle. She moaned in both pleasure and pain.

“That’s the worst. Take me all the way. Feel your flesh stretch to

let me in.”

He ran cool, jelled fingers around her hot rim, soothing the burn.

With his other hand, he caressed her bottom. As soon as she relaxed,
he pressed forward again, another inch deeper. She shook her head,
panting. Sly fingers massaged her perineum and below, scissoring the
hood of her clit. She lifted her bottom in encouragement, and he
gained another inch before resting again. He leaned forward,
caressing her back and the sides of her breasts.

Kaela imagined what they looked like. Her body bent over,

offering herself to him in a way she’d learned was sinful, yet sent
shivers of lust through her. Her man, strong and muscled, totally in
control, kneeling behind, his cock erupting from a froth of blond curls
to impale her ass.

“A bit of bite raises the stakes,” he croaked. “Pushes past what

you thought were your boundaries. You were taught good girls don’t
do this.”

He pulled back slightly before pressing deeper. “But good girls

want to be bad.” Again, he slid out a trifle only to surge back even
more. “Almost there, sweetling. See? I knew you could do it. Green
light?”

She nodded, every nerve ending crying for more. He pressed

again until his balls tapped her pussy. Then he leaned over her back,
chest hair tickling her, both of them panting.

“See? Green light all the way.”
He surged in small thrusts, his tight balls hitting her overheated,

needy clit. He toyed with her, raising her to fever pitch, and then
backing off until she was ready to scream. She tried to buck back
against him to increase the sensation, but he held her down with his
body.

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“You want to come now, Kaela?”
She nodded like a bobble-head doll on a potholed road. He

brought his hand to her core, thumb on her clit, fingers inside, stoking
her higher while he picked up speed, thrusting deep inside, dragging
back and forth against her over-sensitized flesh.

He snapped the licorice ties to release her legs and back so she

had some movement. She took advantage, tilting up for a better angle.
His tight balls slapped against her one more time as he surged to the
hilt and she exploded. She clenched to hold him tighter. He grabbed
her hips with both hands and bore down. He moved only a few inches
but it felt like every nerve ending from her neck down blew out her
synapses.

“Oh, God. Yes!”
He roared agreement, exploding inside her. After a moment, he

collapsed forward, wrapping his arms around her before toppling
them both sideways. Aftershocks rippled as she let the dark take her.

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Chapter Fourteen

Kaela folded back her shirt sleeves and reached for a potato from

the five-pound pile to be peeled for supper. They’d just put the
toddlers down for their afternoon nap and were getting a head start on
dinner. She glanced out the window at the white world, so different
from Thanksgiving a few days ago, and picked up the peeler. Who
could mind working at the sink when they could look at mountains
glistening in the mid-afternoon sun?

Doc and Madge had barely arrived home after returning the three

children to the Double R when the snow had hit. The reality of
dressing three toddlers in all the layers required to keep them warm
was an eye opener. Scotty and Edie threw their mittens off two
seconds after they’d been put on. Just this morning, Candy finally
found the alligator clips to attach each child’s mittens to their coat
sleeves.

Though no one spoke of it, the foursome of a few days ago had

lowered the tension between them all. The next day, Kaela’s pale skin
flushed red whenever Adam winked at her. Candy’s sharp elbows
hadn’t worked to cut his amusement of her embarrassment. A storm
dumping a couple of feet of snow caused the men to work long, hard
hours and finally distracted Adam. It also gave Kaela a couple of days
to think about what she’d done—what they’d all done—in that big
bed.

The sex, both in Adam’s bed and later tied down by Bryan, was

beyond anything she could ever have imagined. Bryan suggested half
seriously she wear her butt plug now and then around the house to get
ready to take both men. She didn’t do it during the day when the

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children were around, but she tried wearing it after supper. Of course,
she never said anything about it. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for
two men at once.

She didn’t know if she’d ever be ready for that!
Candy smiled as she entered the kitchen again. Both women

dressed comfortably in clothes that tolerated children and their
messes. With Candy’s large breasts, she had to wear a bra to be
comfortable, and her old but still pretty sweater showed off her chest.
Kaela was small enough to go without, so had layered a T-shirt under
a long-sleeved shirt.

The two women worked well together, comfortable without

having to talk. The kitchen was warm, with cats lounging on padded
chairs set under the table, a fire crackling in the lounge’s huge
fireplace. Outside glistened a winter landscape that could proudly
appear on any Christmas card.

Kaela couldn’t remember ever feeling so wanted, as if she

belonged with this family. It was temporary, of course, but the love
and caring was what she’d craved all her life.

Adam, Candy, and Bryan were pleased with the web page she

created using Candy’s design. She’d fussed at the size of the contract
they insisted on paying for her work but accepted it when they proved
the amount had been estimated before she arrived. Candy refused to a
pay stranger when Kaela could do what they needed.

For Candy’s sake, she’d agreed to stay for the girls' birthdays, but

that was it. She didn’t have much but her pride and with the amount
they’d paid her for the computer work, she could now afford a tiny
apartment in a small town. The way the economy was, she might even
be able to put a down payment on a cozy home. Somewhere south,
where the winter wasn't so harsh. Snow was nice, but she couldn’t
see coping with it for five months. Not all alone with an active
toddler.

She couldn’t stay here—she could give them nothing but

housework, childcare, and sex. Candy had done all three by herself

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for almost two years, so they didn’t need Kaela’s help. No. Another
week and she’d be gone. She might be lonely, but she’d bring good
memories to keep her warm. That and a huge heaping of pride would
have to do.

“I’m sorry I haven’t anything to give the girls for their birthday

tomorrow,” said Kaela.

“For goodness sake, don’t worry about it!” Candy squeezed

Kaela’s shoulder as she passed. “You haven’t been to town or near a
store since you got here. We’ve kept you cooped up on the ranch and
now, with the snow, we can’t even get you out.” She smiled over her
shoulder. “Having you here has been a big enough present for me.
Just being able to close the bathroom door and relax for a few minutes
while the rug rats are going crazy is a blessing.” She picked up the
two large, round pans of cake batter.

“Still, I feel bad,” said Kaela. She kept her head down as peel

after peel dropped into the sink. “I’d like to do something to thank
you for all you’ve done, but I don’t know what, other than to help
with the chores.”

Candy bit her lip and frowned. She quietly slid the pans of

butterscotch ripple cake into the oven and shut the door. She moved
slowly and deliberately as she placed the cherry red oven mitts on the
counter. Keeping her back to Kaela, she set the timer.

“There is something you might agree to help me with,” said

Candy, slowly. “I haven’t said anything, but—”

“Yes.” Kaela tossed the peeled potato into the huge pot of cold

water and grabbed another. “My answer is, ‘yes.’” Her nose itchy,
she rubbed it with the back of her hand, smearing Idaho dirt on her
face.

From Kaela’s past experience, owing people favors was not a

good thing. They might demand she do something she didn’t want to,
but felt obligated to. Even the short visit at the Double R had shown
her what life could be like in a great home with people who cared.
Not perfect of course. Someday she wanted to make her home as

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welcoming and friendly so both she and Scotty could have friends and
invite them over.

“You don’t know what I’m going to ask.” Candy stared at the

oven as if the glass door was a TV screen showing her favorite
heartthrob.

“I don’t much care if it’s immoral, and I hope it’s not illegal, but

my answer is still ‘yes.’” Kaela spoke to Candy’s rigid back. "You’ve
opened your home to Scotty and me. You’ve shown me wonderful
things that I’d never have done. So of course I’ll help.” She pretended
horror. “Oh, my God, it is that bad?” She laughed. “Just spit it out and
get it over with.”

Candy slowly turned, eyes bright and cheeks hot. She clenched

her hands behind her back, took a deep breath, and finally met
Kaela’s eyes. “Could you stay here until the end of April?”

“What?” Peeler clenched in one hand, bracing herself on the

counter with the other, Kaela stared back. Her laughter evaporated,
replaced by stunned silence.

“I know it’s a huge imposition, keeping you from wherever you

need to be.”

Kaela closed her eyes and exhaled in a whoosh. She sagged for a

moment, breath shuddering. Then she coughed a laugh, took a deep
breath, and smiled as if the sun just appeared out of a cold, cloudy
day.

“God, Candy, you have no idea! Yes, we’ll stay until April.” She

laughed, beaming. “Change that to ‘hell yes!’”

“Really?” Candy blinked quickly, eyes shining. She dropped her

shoulders as the tension flowed out and years of worry wrinkles slid
away. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but—”

“No, it’s not.” Kaela leaned her hip against the counter. “To be

honest, it’s a lifesaver. I’ve got nowhere to go, no way to get there,
and no job to pay for living expenses. The money from the web page
is a real help, but without a job, it won’t last long. Staying until April
will solve everything.”

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167

Candy rushed the few steps needed to engulf Kaela in a quick hug.

“We’re a lot to handle, even without two men being a nuisance.”

“Living here will be like a working vacation.” Kaela hugged

Candy with her wrists, keeping her potato-juiced hands away.
“Wait—you’re not pregnant and the doctor’s ordered bed rest or
anything bad?”

“What? No!” Candy backed away, eyes wide and hands up,

waving away the possibility. “I want more children, but first I need to
finish my college degree. April’s when the semester ends.”

“College? That’s great!”
“The Double R can pay you a salary—”
“No!” Kaela shook her head and returned to her potato pile. “Let

me pretend this is my home. By the end of April I’ll have enough
money to buy a home and set up my business.”

“What, you’re planning on winning the Super Ball?”
Candy, her mood a thousand times lighter, bounced on her toes as

she pulled salad makings from the glass-fronted industrial fridge. The
clear door saved countless reminders to the men to close the door
while they thought over whether anything inside was worth eating.

“No. In April I finally get access to my inheritance,” said Kaela.
“Not to be rude and insensitive, but who died?” said Candy after a

few minutes of slicing and dicing.

“My parents, when I was five. They were t-boned at an

intersection and died instantly. They were on their way to pick me up
at a birthday party. I never saw them or my home again.”

“Oh, Kaela, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I barely remember them.” She shrugged. “I just wish I

was adopted by a nice couple rather than nasty relatives.” She turned
and shook the peeler at Candy as if it was an admonishing finger.
“Make sure you have a great set of guardians picked out for your
girls.”

“That’s why we’re determined to have a polyamorous marriage.

With four parents, our children will always have someone to love

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them. None of us had a wonderful childhood, but our kids will. So,
you’re getting money in April?”

“Yeah, on my twenty-fifth birthday. It’s not a fortune, but enough

for a down payment on a tiny home in a small town. I’ll finally have
my own home. Somewhere safe that no one can ever take away. I’ll
fix it up the way I want, make friends, and fit in as part of the
community.”

“I had parents, but I was more of an afterthought to them,” said

Candy quietly. “As soon as I felt settled, we’d move again. Of course,
things got lost along the way.”

Kaela stared at the potatoes, her hands still. “I was told I owned

nothing, not even myself. That as my guardians they could do to me
whatever they wanted as long as nothing could be proven. Never
broken bones or visible bruises. But I’d be given something, like a
nice dress to wear if they had visitors. I’d come home from school
and find it got accidentally ripped in the wash. Or somehow red paint
dripped on it. Anything I liked was destroyed.”

She turned to Candy. “I need security. A home of my own with

pretty things. Something that no one can take from me. A tiny house
on a small lot with a garden and a yard for Scotty to play in. Good
neighbors and,” she shrugged. “Just call it the white picket fence
dream.”

“Got ya. Been there, done that, and here I am.” Candy opened her

arms and looked around the room. “I wanted a husband that loved me
as much as I did him. When Adam didn’t show it after a few months,
I knew I had to leave the home of my dreams right away. ’Cause if I
stayed any longer, the beauty of the Double R and the love I had for
Adam and Bryan would make me want to stay. And that would have
eventually destroyed my love. Luckily, the idiotic man came to his
senses in time, though he had to think I was dead before he’d admit
it.”

“Speaking of idiotic men, please, don’t tell anyone—especially

Bryan—about my inheritance. It’s not that I want to hide it from him

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169

but” she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I want to hide it. Something like that
might mess things up. If things work out between us, then I’ll tell
him, but for now, no.”

“My lips are sealed.” Candy pursed her lips and drew her thumb

and finger over them as if closing a Ziploc bag. She added a twist at
the corner of her lips, as if locking them shut.

“Thanks for understanding. I’ll tell Bryan before I leave, of

course, so he won’t worry about us. But I don’t want to complicate
things when I’m just visiting.”

“When you went to Utah to take the course where you met Bryan,

did you just close up your life and drive away?”

“Pretty much.” Another shrug. “I had a one-bedroom basement

apartment with ugly fourth-hand furniture. I left it for the next tenant,
packed a few things, and drove away.”

“Looking back and balling your eyes out or gritting your teeth and

looking forward?”

“Forward. I refuse to look back.”
“Atta girl!”
Kaela met Candy’s high five. The timer dinged. Candy took the

cakes out of the oven and the aroma of butterscotch filled the kitchen.

“I didn’t even ask what you’re taking at college,” said Kaela.

“You must be so excited.”

“I want to finish my art degree.” Candy talked as she turned the

cakes out of their pans and sat them on racks to cool. “I quit college to
put my ex through school. He dumped me once he got what he
wanted.” She shrugged when Kaela rolled her eyes and muttered,
“Same-old.”

“The University of Montana has a Fine Arts program in Bozeman.

They’ll accommodate me as a mature student, but this semester I have
to be there for three days a week, every other week.” She shook her
head. “No way could I do that with children. If I was in town I could
hire someone to babysit during the day, make the men’s dinner and
all, but not out here. I was ready to tell them ‘thanks, but I can’t’

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when you blew into town. I kept quiet, hoping you might stay.”

“This is great.” Kaela tossed the last potato in the pot and began

gathering up peelings for the compost bucket. “I get a temporary
home and you get a temporary cook, housekeeper, chauffeur, and
babysitter.”

“Adam’s going to go crazy when he finds out you’re staying. He

was really hurting, thinking I’d be disappointed and would take it out
on him.” Candy opened her eyes wide and blinked like a child faking
innocence while being caught in the act. “Moi? Taking out my
frustration on my dear hubby?”

They shared a laugh at arrogant men needing to be taken down a

few notches.

“Your paintings are really good.”
“Thanks. I need a lot more practice before classes start in January.

That takes a lot of time.” She grimaced. “Uninterrupted time.
Something a mom of twins and wife of two grown cattlemen just
doesn’t have.”

“You do now,” declared Kaela.
“Yeah, thanks to you sharing the chores, I’ll have more time.”
“Nope,” said Kaela. “As of right now, I’m taking over. You will

concentrate on school.”

“You can’t do all the work!”
“Why not? You’ve been doing it for how long?”
“You’re not used to two men and three children.”
“I’ll learn, and you’ll help when you can, even if it’s just to move

around after sitting at your easel or whatever it is artists use to paint.”

“You’re serious.”
“Yep.”
“Oh, man. I can’t believe my dream is really going to come true.”

Candy sat down with a thump.

“This calls for chocolate,” said Kaela. She lifted the folding stool

from behind the door. Candy watched as she set it against the fridge
and reaching as high as she could, pulled down a dark tin from behind

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171

a box of organic granola bars. She lifted the lid and held it out to
Candy.

“Chocolate? You’ve been holding out on me!”
“Bryan bought this the same time as the licorice strings he used to

tie me with.” Kaela pointed to the dark and milk single-serving
packages of chocolates and truffles. While Candy drooled over
selecting just one, Kaela set two mugs on the table.

Candy sighed and finally selected a pack of dark chocolate

truffles. She slid one onto her tongue and closed her eyes, savoring
the flavor as she rolled her tongue around the morsel. She moaned,
her eyes open half way as if she’d just had a minor orgasm.

“If Adam saw you right now he’d be jealous of whatever put that

look on your face,” said Kaela.

“Men don’t realize that sometimes chocolate, a good book, and

gossip are better than sex.”

Each woman placed a chocolate in their mouth. Candy waited for

the first rush of delight to fade before continuing.

“Did you know that I met the guys at a swinger’s club?” Candy

winked at Kaela’s gasp. “I believed my ex when he said my lack of
interest in sex was because I was deficient. After my divorce I came
to Montana to visit my old friend, Sue. She said sex with someone
who cared to put some effort into pleasing me was a whole ’nother
thing. To prove it, she had me enter a basket of food at a swinger’s
club fund-raiser in Missoula.”

Kaela choked on her coffee.
“Yeah, I know. It took a bit of convincing before I agreed. The

club has an annual Mardi Gras party where screened singles can
attend. The women are free, but the men pay big bucks. Everyone
wears a costume.” She rolled her eyes. “You would not believe the
costumes! Some were barely more than body paint and a couple of
feathers.”

“Adam and Bryan were there?” Kaela ignored her chocolate,

concentrating on Candy’s story.

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“Uh huh. The baskets are auctioned off for charity. Adam and

Bryan paid ten thousand dollars for mine.”

“Ten thousand dollars? For a picnic basket?”
“And a promise I’d eat it with them in their hotel room. I didn’t

know they always donate that much to their favorite charity.” Candy
sighed and toasted Kaela with her mug. “They convinced me to let
them prove orgasms do exist.”

“They’re good at that.”
“Oooh, yeah.” Candy popped in another truffle and leaned back in

the chair, ankles crossed in front of her.

“Tell me everything about it!” Kaela demanded eagerly. “I’ve

fantasized about a sexy club where people are all dressed up, but I’d
never have the nerve to go.”

“I wore a white cowgirl outfit with go-go boots, complete with

tassels. I saw these two huge cowboys—did I tell you I have a thing
about cowboys? Anyway, I danced just for them, pretending the pole
was their, well, you know.”

“You can pole dance?”
Candy nodded. “I took a lot of night school dance lessons to

escape being home with my ex.”

“I love dancing but never get a chance.”
“How’d you like to do something special for Bryan and have a lot

of fun doing it?”

“Will Bryan like it?”
“Yeah,” said Candy, slowly nodding with an evil smile. “But he’ll

pretend he won’t. Adam will be even worse.”

“Sounds good so far.” Kaela put down her mug, set both arms on

the table, and leaned forward. “Spill.”

“I’ve got this fantasy of being a stripper. A high class one, of

course.”

“O-kaay.”
“I want to perform at a ‘gentlemen’s club’ on amateur night.

Where we can have fun dancing and be appreciated rather than

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hassled.”

A smile tugged at a corner of Kaela’s mouth. “I’m in so far.”
“If we had a second anniversary weekend in Missoula for Mardi

Gras and if I could arrange for us to dance at a club and if Adam and
Bryan were in the audience without knowing we were there?”

“You are evil,” said Kaela. She sat back, laughing. “I love it!”
“Afterwards we’ll go over to the swinger’s club for some fun.”
“Just what type of ‘fun’ goes on there?”
“It’s a private club with wide couches and sturdy coffee tables.

The corners are dark and what happens there, stays there.” Candy
wriggled her eyebrows. “Sue says they have a couple of those sex
swings now. I’m dying to try one.”

Kaela crossed her legs and squeezed. “I took belly dancing when I

was pregnant to help strengthen my pelvic muscles. But I don’t know
how to pole dance or to strip so that someone would want to watch.”

Candy picked up her last truffle. She sniffed it. “Mint.” She

leaned forward. “Trust me, we have lots of time. It’s just turning
December and we have until mid-February to practice.” She pointed a
finger at Kaela. “Every afternoon when the kids have their nap,
whether I’m here or at school, we practice. You in?”

“Do cowboys get hard-ons?”
Kaela held up both palms for a double high-five. For the chance to

live on the Double R until her money came in, she’d do almost
anything to help Candy. But this would be excitement like she’d
never had. Candy slapped her palms against Kaela’s.

“What and how do we tell them?”
“Leave that to me,” said Candy. “They already know I want to

celebrate at Mardi Gras. I’ll say that we want to give them an evening
to remember. We can ship our costumes to my friend Sue and get
dressed at her place. She’s the one who told me about the secret
gentlemen’s club and she’s been asking me to visit her. We’ve got
lots of time to find someone to stay with the kids.”

“What costumes would we wear?”

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“Cowgirl costumes, of course! White hat, vest, bra, skirt, thong,

high-heeled boots, and thigh-highs.”

“Why white?”
“Because strip joints use black lights, which make white clothing

glow. Plus, black light hides wrinkles and stretch marks.”

This was something Kaela would never, ever do by herself. Her

one chance to go crazy wild and help Candy do the same. She shut the
chocolate tin and hid it again. The organic granola bars were so
healthy the men would never look behind them.

“One question. Where do we put our tips?”

* * * *

Bryan forced the last bite of butterscotch cake into his mouth and

crunched down on toffee bits. It took forever to get them out of his
teeth, but it was worth it. He had to take the last piece or Adam would
scarf it. Adam’s glares as Bryan savored each bite were worth the
overfull stomach.

“Guess what? I can go to college after all,” said Candy, smiling up

at Adam. She snuggled up to him after supper, the two of them
sharing the long couch. Adam had his arm wrapped around her,
cupping her breast through her thin top. She turned to Bryan. “Kaela
said she’d take over my chores until the end of April. Isn’t that
great?”

“April?” Bryan sat up straight and frowned at Kaela, lying on the

rug by the fire, staring into the flames. She didn’t move, but he
noticed her muscles tense. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He winced, wishing he hadn’t raised his voice. But April? Five

more months of sharing a bed, even if they only slept most of the
time. Staggering in from the barn in the dark, seeing her through the
window, laughing in the kitchen with Candy. Knowing she was his.

For now.
“Why should I tell you?” Kaela didn’t turn around.

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175

“Because I invited you here and you’re sharing my bed.”
“But you didn’t ask me to stay. Candy did.” She curled her body

to face him, tucking her long legs under her. “Since it bothers you so
much, I’ll move back in with Scotty.”

“Nah, move in with us,” said Adam, grinning like a hungry wolf.

“You can scratch my back and a few other places when Candy’s away
at school.”

“Shut up, Adam,” growled Bryan. “This is between me and

Kaela.” He didn’t know if he was mad at Candy or at himself for not
being the one to ask her to stay. He planned to ask her to visit until
after Christmas. He couldn’t think much beyond that.

“No, it isn’t,” replied Kaela. “It’s between me and Candy.”
She stood up. He figured it was just so she could glare down at

him, so he stayed where he was. What with the storm, they’d been
working long hours, coming home to shower, eat, and crash into bed.
Today wasn’t as bad, so he’d planned to keep Kaela awake in bed,
even if just for a quickie. Did this mean she’d blow him off? Damn,
never knowing if she’d sleep with him or in the other room was a
pain.

He now had until spring to see if he wanted to marry her. Would

she settle in like Candy or run like Adam’s mother as soon as things
got bad? She mentioned moving south where it was warmer—could
she stand a dark, cold Montana winter? He’d find out before making a
decision he’d later regret.

“I’ve been too damn tired to even think,” he said. “I was going to

ask you to stay until the new year.” He hauled himself to his feet,
letting her see he was stiff with pain. He ignored Adam’s snort. Okay,
so he made it seem worse than he felt, but he was going for sympathy.
It worked, too, as she relaxed and gave him a bit of a smile.

“Good thing you didn’t ask me, as I would have said no. Finding

an apartment at the beginning of January would be a pain. But it
doesn’t matter since we’re staying while Candy needs us.”

“I need you, Kaela.”

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She pointedly looked at the bulge in his sweatpants. She tried to

pretend otherwise, but he saw her lip twitch. Bumps swelled under her
tight sweater before she crossed her arms. It wasn’t just the fire’s heat
turning her face red, either.

“Not only for that,” he said. “But now that you mention it.” He

hobbled toward her, not exactly faking it, but letting her see he was
hurting. She let him pull her against him, resisting just a moment
before melting. He let out his breath, inhaling strawberry shampoo
and butterscotch.

“Sore muscles, cowboy?”
“That, too. I could use a soak in the hot pool, a massage, and

whatever else you can come up with.”

She took his hand and towed him from the room, walking toward

the jungle room. Adam gave him the thumbs up, grinning. Candy
rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything until Adam sat up and pulled
her sweater and T-shirt off in one yank.

Kaela let go of Bryan’s hand and pulled her own sweater off. All

she had underneath was smooth skin. She turned, flashed him, and ran
on her toes to the jungle. Since he faked being sore, he didn’t rush to
follow. He stripped off his sweatpants and walked naked into the
moist heat. Dark, except for tiny white lights showing the path to the
hot pool. He padded around the corner to find her there, underwater
lights bouncing off her curves.

“Want some of this, cowboy?”
She stood up, shoulders back. Water sluiced down her body. He

gulped. The air, cooler than the water, made her nipples stand up and
beg. She set a foot on the pool’s edge and dropped a hand. The other
grasped her breast. When he stepped closer he saw how her fingers
rubbed between her lips.

“That’s my job,” he growled.
“Not too tired and sore after all?”
After kissing her thoroughly, he sank into the water, his cock

bobbing to the surface.

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Chapter Fifteen

Missoula, Mid-February

“Why do we need to wear monkey suits?” demanded Bryan.
After Candy and Kaela had left to do “girl stuff” after breakfast,

rented tuxedos were delivered to their hotel suite. None of Bryan’s
plans for the weekend included putting on a formal dress shirt.
Especially when he and Kaela hadn’t had a hot session in way too
long. He twisted his wrist to shove the gold cufflink through the
second button hole and missed. For the third time.

“Dammit!”
“You need to get rid of that tension.” Adam, dressed in white

shirt, black pants, and cummerbund, admired himself in the hotel
suite’s full-length mirror. In comparison to Bryan, he was sleekly
relaxed. He spent a lot of time in the shower with Candy that
morning. They’d come out squeaky clean and glowing.

He tsked and took control of Bryan’s cufflink issue.
“Did Candy tell you what this is all about?” Bryan didn’t even

nod his thanks.

“She said to be downstairs at five-thirty,” replied Adam. “Wear

the tux. Bring nothing.”

Bryan attempted to jam his hands in his pants. His fingers slid past

his hips. “Why the hell don’t the pockets work? How can we carry
anything?”

“Sewing the pockets shut stops you wrecking the line of the

clothing and you slouch less.”

“I don’t slouch. Dammit, why do we have to dress like penguins?”

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179

“Enough!” Adam grabbed Bryan’s arm and pulled him around

with a rough tug. Bryan shook him off, barely stopping himself from
punching his friend. “Listen hard, bro. The girls have gone to one hell
of a lot of trouble for tonight. They’ve got something special planned,
and just because you didn’t get laid this morning, you’re not going to
ruin it for the rest of us. Got it?”

Bryan glared back. “This morning? Huh! Last night was the first

time in weeks and that was too damn short.”

“Serves you right. If you asked her to marry you, you’d get it

regular,” said Adam with a smirk.

“For your information, smartass, I asked her to stay.” He didn’t

add, “For a while.”

“And?”
“She huffed and stomped away.”
Adam went back to the mirror to put on his bow tie. “What

exactly did you say?”

“We get along fine, she’s doing a great job, and Scotty’s happy, so

why not stay until summer?” Bryan shrugged. “We’ll be too busy
working after that to see much of each other. She squawked, waved
her arms around, and stomped out.”

“You said you’d put up with her until you’re too busy to bother

with her?” Adam stared, mouth open. “Jeez, man, no wonder you’re
not getting any!”

Bryan, cursing his tie, his tux, and the state of the world in

general, gave him the finger. He rummaged in the rent-a-tux bag for
his tie. He took it to the mirror and grimaced at himself as he tied it.

Adam slowly shook his head. “Getting thrown by all those broncs

finally shorted out your brain.”

“She makes me so hard I can’t think when she’s around.”
“Unless you give her what she wants, you’re S.O.L, buddy.”
Bryan turned to face Adam.
“She demanded half my ranch portion. Said she won’t end up a

kept woman.”

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Adam, shoes tied, frowned. “Kaela said what?”
“Her aunt couldn’t leave her abusive uncle because she had no

job, no money, no family, and the bastard convinced her she was
worthless. Kaela’s afraid of ending up the same.”

“Kaela doesn’t have a job, money, or family,” said Adam. “But

she’ll get an instant family when she marries, and she’s got lots going
for her. She’s smart, witty, educated,” he counted off her virtues on
his fingers, “her tits are small, but she’s got long legs and her ass is
number one.”

“Her tits are perfect!”
Adam held out his hand and waggled it in a see-saw motion.

Bryan knew Adam loved Candy’s bountiful boobs. He finished his tie
and frowned at his reflection.

“It’s hard to get rid of the bullshit pounded into you as a kid,” he

groused.

“Yeah, we both know about that. But if you want her to stay, ask

her to marry you. Remember, Candy was about to walk when I finally
smartened up and popped the question. Give Kaela whatever she
wants. It’s worth it.”

“Not my land. It’s all I’ve got.” Bryan again tried to shove his

hands in non-existent pockets. He growled and checked the clock.
“Damn, we’re supposed to be downstairs in five.”

Adam swung his suit coat on as Bryan stomped into his shoes.
“Hey, bro,” said Adam quietly as Bryan tied his shoes. “Let’s

forget about everything tonight. Just have a good time, whatever it
turns out to be. Candy let slip that they’ve worked on this for months.
Don’t screw it up for them or I will be majorly pissed at you.”

Bryan took a deep breath, held it as long as he could, then released

it, pushing everything out of his lungs. His lip twitched, some of his
usual good humor returning. “You think they’re sending us to the
swinger’s club?”

“We can always hope.” Adam’s teeth gleamed in a predatory

smile.

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181

They grabbed their “going-to-town” white Stetsons and strode

toward the elevator. People dressed in Mardi Gras costumes crowded
the lobby. The men strode out the door into the cold winter, oblivious
to the stares and sighs as they passed. A uniformed man stepped out
of a black limousine and opened the back door.

“You gents from the Double R?”
They nodded and slid inside the spacious interior at his gesture.
“Hunh,” said Bryan. “Never thought I’d ride in one of these.”
“Where’re we going?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but the ladies requested you not be informed of

their plans.”

“Maybe we’re meeting them at a Mardi Gras party,” said Adam.
“We’re not wearing costumes.”
“Yes, we are. You said it yourself—monkey suits.”
Bryan settled his wide shoulders against the soft leather and

watched the Missoula streets go by. Snow banks lined the edges of the
roads, and stars sprinkled the inky sky.

When they drove into an industrial park, they turned to each other

and shrugged. The limo turned in at a windowless concrete building, a
giant box among many. But the back, or perhaps it was the front,
showed a different character. Pressed concrete resembling large stone
blocks made the walls look like a castle. Columns held up a portico,
which they drove under. Going with the whole shebang, they waited
for the door to be opened by the chauffeur and stepped out onto a red
carpet.

Bryan automatically went for his wallet, again cursing his non-

existent pockets. “Sorry, buddy, can’t give you a tip.”

“Not to worry, sir,” the driver replied. “It’s all been taken care of.

Management will call me when you’re ready to leave and I’ll meet
you here. Enjoy yourselves.” He tipped a finger against his peaked
cap and drove away.

At the left side of the steps, a man waited in a heavy coat, fur hat,

and white gloves. The right side had a bronze plaque with “Missoula

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Gentleman’s Club, Members Only” inscribed in discrete letters.

“Hot dayam,” said Bryan. “They sent us to a strip club!”
“This is a private club for gentlemen to discuss business while

being entertained,” huffed the doorman. He opened the door, and they
entered a world far from the harshness of winter ranching.

A sparkling chandelier lit the entry hall, tiled in black and white

marble diamonds. A statuesque blonde waited, her long-sleeved, high-
necked, slim black dress falling to her stiletto-clad toes. The sheer
fabric caressed the luscious body beneath.

“This way, sirs,” she said, nodding to each in turn. She gracefully

turned on her heel and proved her rear view was just as enticing as her
front.

Bryan and Adam took off their hats, gave each other shit-eating

grins, and followed her swaying curves through a beaded crystal
curtain. After checking their hats, their hostess patted them down for
cell phones, cameras, wires, and weapons. Both men had undergone
the procedure numerous times growing up, usually just before they
were cuffed and put into a patrol car after a drunken brawl. They
enjoyed the procedure far more this time.

They followed their guide through a door and down a short,

mirrored hall. Though the carpet was thick, both sensed a large space
above the black ceiling. Bryan peered up, but bright lights shone
harshly, obscuring his view.

“Feel like I’m walking through the portcullis of a castle,” said

Bryan. “If we do something wrong, do you drop pots of boiling oil on
us?”

She looked over her shoulder with a smile. “That’s privileged

information, sir. But, yes, we take our members’ anonymity seriously.
You may choose to acknowledge acquaintances, but no one speaks of
this establishment or what happens within.” She lifted her finger to
her mouth in a shush gesture, eyebrows high in question. They
nodded their agreement.

Adam stopped at the next mirror and pressed his index finger to it.

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183

There was a gap between the mirror and his finger’s reflection. “One
way glass,” he said. He adjusted his tie, winked, and moved on.

Their guide waited at the padded door. They heard a click before

the door swung open. A short elevator ride, one more locked door,
and they finally entered the club.

Tiers of tables descended to the floor where a woman sang the

blues in a low, sultry voice. She strolled down a long, narrow stage,
anchored at each end by silver dance poles. The volume was just
right—quiet enough to allow conversation, but loud enough to cover
individual words. Half-moon booths of various sizes were set far
apart, all of them with a view of the stage. While bright spotlights hit
the stage, the rest of the room was dim. A small lamp on each table
shone a circle of light. Waitresses in various costumes, all with
stilettos and smiles, circulated.

“Ever hear of this place?” asked Adam.
“Nope,” replied Bryan. “I wouldn’t hold out on you about

something like this.”

“Then how,” said Adam, raising an eyebrow, “did my innocent

wife find out about it?”

“I guess we’ll be asking that question when we see her.”
Their guide started down the stairs, her filmy skirt drifting behind

like a memory. They followed, keeping their eyes on their feet so they
didn’t step on it. She stopped at the bottom, next to a table with the
flat edge touching the stage. Nothing would obstruct their view of the
entertainment.

Bryan pulled out a chair. His butt had barely hit the seat before a

manicured hand set a crystal tumbler half full of a dark gold liquid in
front of him. The tall woman smiling down at him wore a Playboy
costume, complete with long ears and, he saw when she turned her
back and wiggled it at him, a round, fluffy white tail.

According to her name tag, she was Bunny.
“I’ll be serving you tonight, Mr. Bryan,” she said, her Texan

twang light but still present. “If there’s anything y’all need, just press

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this button.” She handed him a remote control.

“Does it ring a bell?” he asked.
“No, sir, it sends a signal so I know you want me.” She winked.
He pressed the button. A faint buzzing erupted from just above

her thighs. He looked up, eyes wide. “You’re wearing a vibrator?”

“Mmm, yes, sir. I’ll tell the chef you’ve arrived. Enjoy your single

malt.”

She walked away, poetry in motion. Bryan snickered to himself

and gave the button a quick jolt. She gave a small start, turned, and
raised an eyebrow. When he winked and put the gadget down, she
winked back and continued on her way.

“They’re all wearing vibrators!” hissed Adam. “And watch this.”
He gestured to the woman serving him. She carried a spray bottle

like a pistol, the barrel pointed to her erect nipples, almost visible
under a delicate white cotton gown. With her black straight hair and
gold-cord wrapped gown, she resembled Cleopatra. The gown
became transparent when she squeezed the trigger and the mist hit her
chest. Smiling broadly, Cleo handed the bottle to Adam and turned.
He aimed at her backside. Again the fabric seemed to disappear,
revealing a heart-shaped bottom, cheeks separated by the thin lace of
a white thong.

Bryan held up his crystal glass for a toast. Adam put down his toy

and clinked lightly.

“To imagination,” said Adam.
“And beautiful women.”
Their meal filled without them overindulging. They watched for

Kaela and Candy to join them, but the entertainment kept them
amused. They got a close and personal view of the pole dancer who
could hang upside down in many different positions. Adam told
Bryan they had to get Candy a pole so she could practice.

“For this evening’s special event,” announced the gray-haired MC

from the stage, “we have two lovely women who wish to fulfill a
fantasy. How could we deny them? They’ve worked hard, so show

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your appreciation to Candy and Mikki!”

The music to Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy erupted, and two

women dressed all in white stepped on the stage.

Cowgirls.
Ones the men knew too well.
“That’s Kaela!” Bryan shot to his feet, staring.
“Candy? What the hell?”

* * * *

Kaela and Candy checked the club out that morning. Even empty

and with the lights bright for cleaning, it looked classy. With tables
set, lamps low, and full of admiring men, it met their fantasy. Kaela
would never have the nerve to do this alone, but a few glasses of wine
before the show gave her liquid courage.

Each woman wore white cowboy boots, a short flippy skirt, thong,

bra, shirt, vest, and hat. Stay-up stockings completed the outfit. As
Candy promised, the black lights made anything white glow and
covered up imperfections.

Strutting across the stage with lights shining down on her, Kaela

couldn’t see the expressions on their men’s faces. Candy admitted
Adam would have a fit, but she didn’t care. She said payback was a
bitch, and tonight would make up for a lot of spankings. It would lead
to more, she agreed, but that was part of the fun.

Smiling widely, Kaela grabbed the pole with one hand, stepped

over it as if it was a horse, and held invisible reins. Legs wide, she
moved up and down as if she rode a carnival horse.

Though her heart pounded and she hadn’t been able to eat much

except crackers since breakfast, she wasn’t afraid. Exhilarated, more
like. This was Candy’s fantasy, but she had to admit having a hundred
rich men watch her dance made her want to ride one or two of them.
Bryan and Adam in particular.

Every time she sank low enough so the lights didn’t blind her, she

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saw Bryan’s thunderous expression. He caught her eyes each time,
promising majorly big time payback. She winked at him, knowing
he’d be getting some of that afterwards.

By the end of the song, she’d lost her bolero vest and undone her

shirt. A quick drink of water and AC/DC’s You Shook Me (All Night
Long) had her shimmying front and back. Off came both shirt and
skirt, leaving her strutting about in a thong, stockings, cowboy boots,
and hat. Of course, she did the majority of her shimmies toward
Bryan.

Though her breasts were small, when she arched her back, her

erect nipples sat high and proud. She reveled in her power as her
femininity captured the men, proving the balance of power was not
always held by those who had greater physical strength.

Her fear from all those years of hiding, of pretending she was

nothing so that her uncle wouldn’t attack her with insults or fists,
eased when she claimed her place as a demanding woman of grace
and beauty. A high voltage female who ruled her own body. Flaunting
it, allowing only those she chose to do more than gaze at her in
wonder and lust.

During the last break, a set of black velvet cloths were spread on

the stage. Black Velvet by Alanna Myles oozed from the speakers as
they emerged on stage.

The hot, dark molasses beat of a Mississippi heat wave slowed

their struts until they undulated across the stage. They sank to the
velvet and into a floor routine, imitating what Kaela hoped many of
the men wanted to do to her right now.

Because the velvet slid on the floor, when she knelt and pulled her

knees in and out, the fabric moved. She rose up and down, as if riding
a man. She pretended Bryan lay between her legs when she arched her
back and panted in mock orgasm.

Her upper thighs were so slick with sweat and herself that, had she

slid her finger under her thong as she desperately wanted to, the
orgasm would not have been fake.

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When the song faded away, wild applause and whistles erupted.

While she and Candy pulled on their skirts and shirts, men walked
down to the stage with tips. They kept to the side opposite Bryan and
Adam, who glared as if wanting to shoot everyone.

Kaela knelt at the edge of the stage in front of her admirers. Shirt

loose, she rested her hat upside down in front of her. Many of the men
“accidently” brushed their fingers against her breasts while dropping
bills into her hat.

When the lineup of men ended, she attempted to stand. A hand

grasped her elbow and helped her. She turned her head and smiled,
discovering the hand was attached to a very unhappy Bryan.

“See, I can dance,” she said.
“I was thinking more on the lines of ballet,” he growled.
The MC motioned for them to approach.
“Candy says your generous tips will be added to a ten thousand

dollar donation to service veterans and their families for medical and
psychological care. I’d like to add a few hundred to that.”

He dropped the bills in the hat Adam held out. Adam looked as

happy as Bryan. As in not.

“Perhaps the ladies will circulate so other gentlemen could

contribute. What do you think?”

Roars of approval met matching glares by Adam and Bryan. Their

jaws were set as hard as the time someone let their prime bull out onto
the road. Adam grabbed the microphone.

“In case you haven’t noticed, my wife,” he glared at Candy, who,

hands on hips, stuck her tongue out at him, “surprised me tonight with
an anniversary gift. I would have preferred a new belt to go with my
championship bull riding buckle.” He waited for the laughs to die
down. “I may have to buy one tomorrow to apply to her shapely
backside.”

“You can try!” yelled Candy.
Adam raised an imperious eyebrow and looked at her from his

twelve-inch advantage.

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“Candymine, I’m a cowboy. We don’t ‘try.’”
He handed the mic to the MC and placing both hands under her

bottom, lifted her off her feet for a kiss. She wrapped her legs around
him while he carried her off the stage to whistles of approval.

“Is Mikki your wife, Bryan?”
“No, I’m just helping a girlfriend,” called out Kaela before Bryan

could answer.

The MC held out his hand to the audience. “You heard it here,

folks. This lady is unattached.”

Bryan grabbed the MC’s arm and spoke into the mic. “I’ve

branded her mine,” he growled.

Kaela glared, swung around, and strutted slowly off the stage,

shimmying her bottom and front just enough to jiggle attractively.
Bryan pointed at her back with his index finger, then his chest with
his thumb, making a “she’s mine!” gesture while glaring up at the
tables.

“We’ll be helping the ladies gather donations,” he said. Boos of

disapproval came from all over. “Tough,” he replied. “And dig deep.
My brother Sam died after Gulf One because he didn’t get the help he
needed. We’ve already put in our ten grand. Can you match it?”

He handed the mic back and followed Kaela. “And now,”

continued the MC, “I’d like to introduce a bit of burlesque. The Three
Doves are a fan-tastic trio of feather fan dancers.”

* * * *

“What in hell did you think you were doing?”
When Kaela reached the dressing room, she saw Candy being

dressed down, so to speak, by her raging husband. Candy ignored
him, flapping her shirt to create a breeze.

“Just your bra and skirt, Kaela,” she said.
“And your shirt,” growled Adam.
Candy pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “Okay,” she

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said. Adam relaxed a bit until she added, “But don’t button it up.”

“Candice Elizabeth Richardson!”
She pushed out her lower lip and blinked, the same trick Kaela

had seen Diane use.

“Don’t do the tears thing. It’s blackmail.” Adam’s voice had lost

volume and conviction.

“I thought you’d be pleased that we’d arranged this for you,” said

Candy, adding a little sniffle. “We spent months practicing and now
you want to ruin it for us.”

Kaela didn’t add “yeah,” thinking it was a bit childish, but she

crossed her arms and glared to back Candy up.

Adam jammed his fists on his hips, looked at the ceiling, and

sighed. He shook his head. “Why do you do this to me?”

Kaela wasn’t sure if he was speaking to God or to Candy.
Candy snuck her hands between his body and elbows. She

snuggled up close, brushing her breasts against him. Adam
automatically curled his arms around his wife and dropped a kiss on
her head.

“Because even though you roar and bellow, you love the fact that

they can see my tits and ass, but I’m going home with you.”

“Damn, I hate it when she’s right.”
Kaela squeaked when Bryan pulled her around and into his arms.
“I want a reward for putting up with that,” said Bryan. “And I

want it now!”

“Good, you’re ready.” The MC walked into the dressing room

shaking his head. “Enough kissy kissy, better get what you want
before it disappears.” He caught the men’s smirks and added, “I mean
the donations, boys. I bet you’ll get lots of that later.” He ran his eyes
over the women and winked.

* * * *

Back in the limo, the four of them snuggled while the driver

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negotiated the snowy roads. The club counted the donations and
provided a ten thousand dollar check, employees making up the few
hundred dollars missing. The women freshened up but still wore their
costumes. When the men asked what was next, they shook their
heads, lips sealed.

“Just think of the picnic baskets we could buy with twenty grand

in donations. A couple of women each.” Adam sighed. “You gals cost
us ten grand and one heck of a lot of trouble.” He kissed Candy’s
head, the closest part of her in reach.

“I’m still worth every penny,” she purred back.
He shared a look with Bryan. “Depends on what you do for us

next.”

The driver pulled into another industrial park. Bryan frowned and

looked at Adam. They turned to the women who fluttered eyelashes in
a Southern belle manner, still not speaking. The limo stopped in front
of a familiar set of stairs. Two years ago, Adam carried Candy down
them and into his truck. He hadn’t worn a shirt that night, but she had
him so hot snowflakes melted a foot from his skin.

“You scheming minx,” said Adam, delight in his voice for the first

time since he’d recognized his wife on the stage.

“Well, it is our special anniversary place,” said Candy with

pretend innocence.

“You’d better have plans to make up to me, woman,” growled

Bryan. “Because here I can do what I want and no one will
complain.”

“Yeah, they’ll probably cheer him on,” said Candy.
“We’ll see,” said Kaela sweetly.
As before, they were waved through the door. When someone

questioned why the men weren’t in costume, Adam’s “monkey suits”
quip brought a nod of approval.

Each man kept his woman close in front, hands on their waist.

Candy led the way to a dark corner where a wide leather couch and
two sturdy coffee tables waited with a “reserved” sign. Nearby, a

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woman in a white blouse and short pleated plaid skirt lay in a swing
designed for pleasure. She had her legs spread wide while a man
dressed as a gladiator swung her forward and back as he kissed her.
They were oblivious to anything but each other.

“I want you as naked as you were on that stage,” growled Adam

to Candy. He turned to Kaela. “You, too.”

They looked at each other and winked. Candy pointed to the

couch and the men sat. Each woman climbed on the low coffee table
in front of her man.

“How’d it go, Candy?” said a short, plump woman dressed in

layers of colorful ruffles. She held a can of soda in each hand.

“It was great, Sue. Bryan, Adam, remember my friend Sue? She’s

the one who arranged all this for us.”

Kaela accepted the offered can of soda. “Thanks so much. I had a

fantastic time.”

“I admire your guts, but no way am I ever going to do something

as crazy as that,” said Sue.

“Never say ‘never,’” drawled a man dressed in black like an old-

time preacher. He nodded and handed beers to the men. “I may insist
you do it just to rile you up, wife.”

Sue rolled her eyes. “You wish, husband!” But her breathing rate

increased and a flush rose from her cleavage.

“You can visit later,” he continued. “These nice people have a few

things to do before they can relax.” He winked, slapped his wife’s
bottom, and followed her toward the stage.

“He’s right, I want some action,” said Adam. “So finish your

sodas and get moving.”

Bryan leaned toward Kaela. “If you’re not naked in two minutes,

I’m ripping those clothes off.”

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Chapter Sixteen

By the time Kaela performed a personal strip tease, once again

removing everything but boots, stockings, hat, and thong, Bryan was
panting as hard as she. Though he’d stripped to his tuxedo pants and
the room wasn’t sweltering, small droplets glinted on his forehead. He
leaned forward, elbows on wide-spread knees.

Beside her, Candy took longer to disrobe, purposely delaying

Adam’s reward. Unlike Kaela, she teased, pushing for punishment.
The muttered threats Kaela heard from Adam promised that Candy
and Adam would both be rewarded.

The hot, fast sex Kaela shared with Bryan the previous night

hadn’t helped after going without for weeks. Her fuse was short, her
fire burning hot. She turned her back and leaned forward, dropping
her hands to her thighs to wiggle her bottom. She’d give him another
minute and then pull down her thong.

“That’s it!”
Bryan pressed one shoulder under the bend of her waist and lifted

her. She grappled for a hold, but he didn’t walk far before setting her
down in front of the empty swing.

“Don’t move,” he said. He placed fresh towels on both nylon

straps, lifted her, and settled her bottom on the lower strap. It cupped
her hips and she leaned back, the higher strap supporting her back.

He leaned forward, both hands resting on the spreader bar above

her head, and kissed her. Deep and thorough. The swing bounced
slightly when he let go, thanks to the huge spring hooked to the
ceiling. Chest heaving, he ran his hands down her stocking-clad legs
to her boots. He slid her feet into the foot rests, hanging separately

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from the bar.

He held an ankle in each hand and spread his arms, making her

legs follow. He stepped close, showing her his wicked smile when her
thong bumped against the bulge behind his zipper. A jolt rippled
outward from the point of contact like a pebble dropped in a pond.

No, like a large rock heaved from a cliff.
This tantalizing man was hers, at least for another six weeks.

She’d seen the looks of envy from beautiful women tonight, yet
Bryan desired her. She wanted him to prove to everyone just how
much.

He stared at her, intent and desire strong and hot as he undid his

waistband. He unzipped, dropping his pants and boxers. He stepped
forward, the tip of him at just the right height.

She’d been wet since they arrived at the strip club that afternoon.

She’d thrilled at knowing every man in the room watched her dance.
She knew many wanted her body, to do what Bryan would do to drive
her crazy until she was a limp ragdoll.

He gently pushed her away. She rocked forward, then back to

bump against him. Satisfied, he stepped close and ran his hands over
her. She shivered as his fingers trailed from her shoulders to breasts,
to belly and below.

He groaned and grasped her buttocks, spreading her cheeks wide.

He slid her fluid from pubis to anus. She tensed, wanting to be filled
by him.

“If I’d known about this, I’d have brought your toys.” He pressed

a thumb past her ring, wiggling his hand to increase sensation. “I
bought you a new butt plug today. Just my size, so you can take me
right here.” He pushed his thumb deeper into her bottom. She tensed,
trying to twist to increase the pleasure.

“Nuh–uh, sweetling. This is my time. And when we get back to

the hotel, I’m going to plug you up before we sleep. By morning
you’ll be ready for me to fill your ass while you ride Adam.”

He pressed his fingers into her sex and tapped his fingers and

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thumb together. Only a thin membrane separated them. He grasped
her hips with both hands and pushing her back, stepped forward and
set his swollen purple head against her. Grimacing as if in pain, he
slowly encouraged gravity to pull her onto him.

“This is going to be fast,” he panted.
He pressed her away again and then back, both watching as his

thick cock slid deeper into her. He grimaced, fighting for control.

“Shit!” He gave up and slammed deep, pumping her with his hips,

swinging her hard against him. Heat flaring, she could do nothing but
grip the straps holding her up, clenching him deep within her to savor
every inch.

His bellow of completion roared over the crowd. She vaguely

noticed people watching him slam her deep until he slumped forward,
gasping. Unfulfilled, she clenched him tight from within, pulsing with
her heartbeat, mentally cursing.

After a moment he straightened and gently glided her forward and

back, sliding in and out, keeping him hard and her wet. Satisfied for
the moment, he concentrated on meeting her needs, caressing her
breasts, her legs. He pulled her more upright to kiss her, sliding his
tongue deep, the way she liked.

She was lost, but he was aware enough to look around.
“Look at what you caused,” he said, tilting his head to point to the

side.

A man dressed as a gladiator had his kilt up and naked sword out.

A woman dressed as a naughty school girl bent over the back of a
well-padded couch, her breasts spilling from her white shirt. The
gladiator lifted her plaid miniskirt to expose her rounded bottom and
spanked her while she writhed.

He stepped back as another man, this one in a toga, spread a dab

of lubricant between her cheeks. He inserted one, then two fingers,
spreading her until three fingers plunged into her bottom. She thrust
back against him, eyes shut tight as she moaned.

Kaela watched intently. Bryan’s thumb was again inside her

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bottom, mimicking each thrust the woman took. She twitched,
entranced at both her sensations and what she watched.

Toga man slid a condom over his short, thick erection. He stepped

close and spread her cheeks. Holding himself to aim, he pressed
against her. Grimacing, she curved her back, tilting up to meet him.
He pulsed slightly, in and out, deeper every time. When his balls
slapped against her vulva, he bent over her, chest heaving. He clasped
her to him and rested a moment.

Kaela gasped when toga man picked the woman up, still attached,

and carefully sat on a massage bench next to the chair. He rolled back,
bringing her with him, her back to his chest. Her thighs rested on his,
both sets spread wide. Eyes closed, she flicked open her last few
blouse buttons and exposed herself. Holding her hands over his, she
massaged her breasts via his palms. The gladiator knelt before them.
He cupped her bottom and delicately licked and nibbled the exposed
flesh of both of them until all three were panting hard.

“Candy enjoys that,” murmured Bryan, watching intently. “We

stuff her full of both of us until there’s nothing else in the universe but
pleasure.” He turned to Kaela. “You’ll soon know all about it.”

Kaela was already hot from Bryan pulsing inside her, his fingers

arousing her flesh wherever he could reach. She watched the triad
closely, imagining her men pleasuring her just the same.

The gladiator lifted his short garment, shielded himself, and

pressed into her. The woman writhed as best as she could while
attached underneath. The gladiator clasped her breasts while he
surged in and out.

“The bottom guy can’t really move, but he gets massaged by the

top guy’s cock,” said Bryan, speeding up his strokes in her. “To make
it really wild, the guys can wear butt plugs. It rubs against their
prostate, sort of like your G-spot.”

He hardened in her as he spoke. Kaela imagined Bryan on hands

and knees in front of her while she lubed him up then pressed a butt
plug between those strong, masculine buns. If he’d do that, what if

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she wore a dildo and did to him what he wanted to do to her? She
could be on the giving side for once rather than the receiving.

Kaela shivered, anticipation racketing her up a few notches.
The gladiator slammed into the woman, jolting both bodies

forward. The bottom man had found footholds and thrust up when the
other retreated. Though he didn’t move in and out, it must do
something great for them, considering the way they twisted and
moaned until they came.

Kaela, one hand on her breast, the other above Bryan’s cock,

watched them buck, smashing together in pleasurable violence. She
imagined being stuffed full of Bryan and Adam. Bryan suddenly
breached her bottom. She stiffened as her orgasm hit. He continued
plunging, prolonging her explosion until he joined her, pumping deep
inside once more.

He shuddered and almost collapsed, grabbing onto the straps to

stay upright. It took a few moments before he recovered enough to lift
her out of the swing. He carried her to the towel-covered couch and
lay on his back with her sprawled across his chest. His heart pounded
under her cheek, racing to match hers.

Her pulse had just begun to slow when a snapshot of reality

flashed into her mind. Her heart contracted at the thought of what a
picture she made. Damn near naked, she lay on her lover’s chest after
proving to the world, or at least the room, that she was multi-
orgasmic.

Tonight at the gentleman’s club, she reveled in her power, making

men eager for her body. Before Adam and Bryan crashed the dressing
room, the manager had offered her a job, suggesting she’d make ten
times as much dancing as she had working in an office. She turned
him down with a smile. It wasn’t a job that went well with taking care
of a toddler, but the offer added to her growing confidence.

Bryan held her secure and kissed her head. He ran callused fingers

from her neck to her thighs in lazy erotic circles.

This was what Candy said was best—snuggling with her man

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after a hot bout of love. Kaela blinked to clear her eyes so Bryan
wouldn’t notice. Raised in an environment of harsh criticism, she’d
rarely felt cherished, much less safe. When Bryan held her like this,
she felt protected from the world.

But feeling safe, like orgasms, never lasted long. After she left the

Double R, would she experience either again?

“Got the condoms, bro? We’re up next for the swing and I’m

thinking some rear action is called for,” said Adam. His long cock, tip
glistening, bounced with his heartbeat. Candy waited by the swing.

Bryan looked up. “Condoms?”
“You always carry ’em since Kaela’s not on the pill.” Candy

caught Adam’s eye and pointed to a clear glass fishbowl on a side
table. “Ah, there they are.” Mind on only one thing, he handed one to
Candy and set her in the swing.

“Aw, shhhiiit” Bryan grimaced. He scratched his head with one

hand, fast, like a dog attacking fleas.

Chills ran over Kaela’s skin though heat surged up her chest. She

tried to sit up, but he held her snug, his heart suddenly pounding just
as fast below hers.

“Is this a problem, Kaela?” He spoke through tight jaws. “There’s

no pockets in this damn monkey suit to carry anything and I was so
into you that, aw, shit.”

Kaela thought back, counting the days. With Candy concentrating

on mid-terms and the kids miserable with colds, she slept in her own
bed the last few weeks. But was it two, three, or four weeks since her
last period? Her schedule hadn’t been regular since Scotty’s birth.

“I don’t think so.”
What else could she say at this point? She’d taken precautions

with Freddie and still fell pregnant when the condom broke. Not only
was it too late, she wasn’t sure Bryan’s baby would be a bad thing.
She didn’t want Scotty to be a lonely only child like herself. If her
parents had lived even a few years more, she’d have siblings to share
her life with. She’d not be alone.

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The thought of dying, leaving Scotty alone in the world, haunted

her. Even if he was an adult when she died, he’d have no family. In
six weeks she’d have enough money to afford two children if she was
careful. Though Bryan didn’t want to give her what she needed—the
safety and stability of a full partnership marriage—she’d cherish his
child. Pregnancy was a long shot, but fate would determine the result.

He grimaced and hugged her. “I was so horny I couldn’t stop.”
“We both were. Hey, it was just once. No worries.”
“Right.” He kissed her forehead. “Let’s not let it wreck our

weekend.”

She looked up, the motion making her nipples rasp against his

chest curls. She gulped at the zing that rippled across her belly and
between her legs. Pushing everything else out of her mind but
pleasure, she looked at her friends in the swing.

Candy, two of Adam’s fingers in her bottom, his thumb in her

vagina, leaned her head back. She panted with her mouth open, eyes
jammed shut and back arched. Adam, oblivious of anything but
increasing her pleasure, looked totally besotted.

“Candy seems to like what Adam’s doing.”
Bryan nodded. His cock twitched against her thigh, slowly rising

to attention.

“She says she feels every inch, in and out, when we’re both in

her,” he murmured. “Says it takes a while to get used to it, but the
orgasms are fantastic.” He turned to face Kaela. “You know what the
butt plug does to your G-spot? Imaging how much better it would be
with two hot cocks sliding in and out, all those nerve endings firing at
once, until we come together.”

He reached his long arms down her back and parted her cheeks.

When he lightly scratched a fingernail over her anus, she clenched,
catching his hand between her cheeks for a moment.

“I guess it’s time I tried it, then.” She swallowed hard, her pulse

racing.

Bryan caught her chin and lifted it so he could look her in the

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eyes. “Oh, sweetling, I was hoping you’d say that. We brought
everything with us just in case. How ’bout we watch these two finish
and head to the hotel? We’ll grab a shower and some food, get some
sleep, and be all ready for some morning glory.”

“Sounds good.”
His blue eyes darkened into deep wells, drawing her down. She’d

drown in them if she wasn’t careful and never escape.

“Tomorrow we’ll show you what you’ve been missing.”

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Chapter Seventeen

In spite of great intentions, Mother Nature blew away their plans.

By eight the next morning, they were on the road, chains on their tires
as a north wind pushed them home before another winter storm.
Candy laughed about the same thing happening two years earlier.

A month went past and still no foursome. Though working hard

outdoors all day tired him out, Bryan had been pleasant to her and
they’d been able to make love a few times. But he hadn’t spoken of
the future and neither had she. In fact, she had yet to tell him she had
a “best before” date that ran out in April. Only a few weeks to go.

Candy was home for her spring break. She worked on her final

projects, but for once, had time to relax. Encouraged with a nudge-
nudge, wink-wink, Doc and Madge did the grandparent thing, taking
the three children for a mid-week break. They insisted grandbabies
kept them young.

Tonight was the night for their first four-play. The last few nights,

Bryan and Adam disappeared into the adult playroom right after
supper to plan. The children left after an early lunch, and everyone
had taken a quiet nap. Alone.

Now late afternoon, the early sunset darkened the windows above

the women as they lolled in the jungle pool. After a light meal the
four of them shared the spa, but the men climbed out after fifteen
minutes to “put the final touches on the evening” as Adam put it.

“Hey, Candy?”
“Mmmm?”
“Any idea what might happen tonight? I mean, what role stuff the

guys might do?”

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“Considering we’re both wearing butt plugs, my guess is a Roman

orgy. To-ga! To-ga!” chanted Candy quietly.

“Did they take the white sheets I just washed?”
“You think they’d use sheets instead of a proper toga costume?

Come on, they love to dress up.” Candy sat up to emphasize her point,
squeaking when her butt plug shifted.

“Big boys who didn’t get enough play time when they were kids?”
“None of us did, hon. Maybe that’s why we enjoy it so much.”
Kaela let Candy’s words slide past her without dwelling on them.

“Do you think they’d do something to get us back for Missoula?”

“In a heartbeat.” Candy grinned and waggled her eyebrows.

“Though they had a great time, they weren’t in control. Being macho,
Neanderthal beat-the-chest types, they need to,” Candy held up her
hands to make quote marks in the air, “re-establish their dominance.”

“Ouch.”
“Come on, admit you love the thought of Bryan throwing you

over his shoulder and carrying you kicking and screaming back to his
lair to ravish you thoroughly.”

Kaela’s breasts tingled when her nipples hardened in response.

She hated losing control, so why did the thought of Bryan roaring his
possession of her turn her on so much?

No matter what they threatened, she knew neither man would

intentionally hurt her. Erotic spanking didn’t count, and it only stung
for a few moments.

“Did you hear that?” Candy turned her head, scanning the dark

foliage.

“Sounded like one of the cats.”
“No, it’s something much larger.” Candy slid down under the

water, her smile broad. “I guess I was wrong about the Roman orgy.”

Another louder rustle sent Kaela’s heart racing even faster.

“Maybe ‘me Tarzan, you Jane?’”

“Whatever, prepare to be invaded.”

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* * * *

“Hit the breaker.”
Dressed in full combat gear, Major Bryan Raman gave the order

into his shoulder mic and the jungle went dark. He focused on the
sudden shrieks and splashes from the far corner.

“Breaker off. Moving into position.” Captain Adam Richardson’s

voice was equally quiet and steady. Bryan’s night-vision goggles
allowed him to creep through the thick foliage separating them from
their quarry.

The ex-Special Forces duo used their hard-won skills to bring

home senior company officials taken for ransom overseas. For their
own reasons, they also stole back children of custodial parents from
places where the law was useless. They only charged what the mom
could pay. He and Adam hadn’t wanted to take this last-minute job,
but they needed the money to continue their pro bono work.

Working almost non-stop for months, they’d gone without a lot.

Sex was on the top of the “must-have” list. Their present clients, a
pair of husbands, said their wives had swindled them out of millions
of dollars. After cleaning out the bank accounts, the wives took off on
an adventure vacation. They’d sent an e-mail saying they were taken
hostage, but the husbands insisted otherwise. The husbands wanted
their wives taught a lesson for running away, as well as their money
back.

When their clients insisted the “lesson” be sexual, the job

suddenly looked too good to be true. They’d never hurt a woman, but
unless they were told “no” in very strong terms, they intended to
release some sexual tension. The clients were such weasels that Bryan
and Adam figured the women would welcome some he-man one-on-
one. Or, even better, two-on-two, or whatever combination felt good.

Bryan ignored the feminine gasps of fear as he crept closer to the

waterfall. The fact the women were unguarded suggested, as their
husbands had insisted, the women were there by choice. He peered

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through the last layer of jungle. Broken pieces of an almost-full moon
reflected from the rippling water as the women moved restlessly.

One of them stood, peering around. He swallowed a gulp. The

formal photos provided had hinted at luscious curves. The curly-
haired one, Michaela, looked far too good to a man who’d gone
without sex for months.

“Alpha clear.” Adam’s voice whispered into his left ear via the

comm link. With long practice, he ignored his body’s demand for
action and continued his job.

“Bravo clear. On my signal.”
As if reading his mind, the women climbed from the pool. They

peered around for a moment before pulling on thin, light-colored
robes. They took a few hesitant steps toward their captors, unaware of
the danger.

Good. Hauling naked, wet females from a hot pool wouldn’t be

easy. The fabric would also make carrying a squirming, sexy bundle
less of a pain than he’d expected. Major Bryan removed his goggles,
gave a short whistle, and rose to his feet in front of the curly-haired
one.

She opened her mouth to shriek, but he clamped his hand over her

mouth and rolled her back into his chest. When she lifted her hands to
grab his wrist, he snapped on handcuffs. A squawk and rustle to his
left proved that Captain Adam had done the same to his target.

He carried his outraged captive through the jungle until he passed

the compound’s gates. Now in relative safety, he hauled her over his
shoulder, head down. Soft breasts pressed against his back. He patted
the ample backside and slid his hand down her legs to hold them
snug.

It left her mouth free, and she used it. They were far enough from

the compound that no one could hear. She hit him as best she could
while wearing handcuffs. He pulled another set of restraints from his
hip pocket and snapped them on her ankles, stopping her kicking
attempts.

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Her colorful language proved she was no innocent. The other one

must have got in a good blow because he heard a muttered “shit!”
behind him. Damn. He wanted to keep their knowledge of English a
secret until the women were stashed away in their base camp bunker.

By the time the bunker door locked behind them, Bryan’s captive

had run through her curses and started over again. They weren’t near
as inventive as what his buddies in the Unit had come up with over
the years, but not bad for a society trophy wife.

He used the pale glow of the lamp to find his way across the

windowless room. He unsnapped one handcuff, ran it behind a bar at
the foot of the bed, and reattached it so her hands were held in front.
Adam did the same with his woman. Bryan glared a warning not to
kick before bending and removing her ankle restraints.

She glared back. Her light blue gown gaped, giving him a good

view. His cock twitched in his camo pants. They were loose for ease
of movement, but not enough for this temptation. Space for his third
leg was not required in their usual training exercises.

“What are you going to do with us?”
Red held her head high as if to look down her nose at him. The

clients said their wives were gold diggers, lower class trash that
married rich businessmen to get ahead. He understood about escaping
that life—he’d done the same through the Army. But he received
excellent training, worked his way through the ranks, and gained
respect.

Their husbands didn’t respect them at all. The way the men told it,

their wives were blood-sucking leeches, whining and demanding the
best of everything while giving nothing in return. Neither woman had
even kissed their husbands in months. Neither he nor Adam would
ever force a woman into sex, but the two in their grasp had all signs
they were ripe for plunder. Force would not be necessary.

The way the women carried themselves, as if with inborn

confidence, made him wonder at the story their husbands told. Never
mind, he and Adam were doing nothing illegal. The wives had

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disappeared and their husbands were concerned for their safety. Why
and how they returned home was unimportant. What he and Adam did
with the women didn’t matter as long as the women were satisfied
afterwards. They’d have no problem satisfying these two. His cock
twitched in agreement.

“Your husbands hired us to, ah, ‘rescue’ you,” said Adam.
“Ha! We don’t need or want rescue. We ran away from them,”

said the short, dark-haired one. Candice, according to his records. A
nice package, but he preferred the tall, curly redhead. Michaela. He’d
bet her father was named Michael and wanted a son. The way her
hard nipples pressed against the thin silk of her gown, she was all
female.

“Don’t blame you wanting to get clear of your weasel husbands,”

he said. “Even ten minutes of their whining was too much. I don’t
understand why beautiful women marry rich assholes instead of
making their own life. You like being his trophy wife?”

“We’re not trophy wives! We brought money into our marriage”

said Candice. “We thought they loved us, but all they wanted was our
bodies and our cash. We both want divorces. Are you’re taking us
home now?”

“Nope,” said Adam. “We took the contract and we’ll finish it.”
“But you said you were here to rescue us. What else would you

do?”

Her wide eyes, taut nipples, and breathy voice suggested Adam’s

captive had the same idea he did. After seeing the two wimps they
married, he and Adam looked damn good.

“We’ll take you home, but not until we’re finished.” Adam trailed

his fingers over the nipple jutting toward him, and she moaned and
arched for more, “And we want a personal reward.”

The red-head, Michaela, gasped. Bryan stepped close, crowding

her. Lip quivering, she glared, challenging him by inhaling deep,
thrusting her chest at him. He ran a knuckle, slowly and deliberately,
down her cheek and neck to her shoulder. He used the fingertips of

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one hand from that point, drifting down to capture the breast peeking
from her silky robe. She trembled, but didn’t resist.

He pulled her belt. It slipped its loops and fell to the floor. She

shivered when he used the backs of his hands to draw the robe open.
He inhaled, nostrils flaring, and looked down. Hard-nippled breasts
begged for his hands, so he obliged. They were just his size, small
with large nipples. He used his thumbs to flick them. Her initial gasp
became a moan.

He slid his palms up and over her shoulders. Her robe dropped

behind, caught at hip level by her handcuffed wrists.

It was his turn to moan.
She looked at him, nostrils flaring and blue eyes dark with need.
He slid his hands over her hips then back to clasp her rear cheeks.

He trailed a finger down the cleft between and felt something. He
turned her sideways and bent to look closer. A pink, rubbery flange
rested between her lower cheeks. She wore a butt plug!

He lifted an eyebrow at Adam, who checked his woman. “Green,”

he said.

Bryan stepped back and rubbed a hand over his stubbled cheek.

He looked at Adam and flicked his eyes to the side. Adam followed
him to the corner fridge filled with chilled water and juice. He
unscrewed a bottle and glugged half of it.

“What’s your reading on this, Major?”
Bryan toasted the fidgeting women with his water bottle. “We

were fed a cock-and-bull story by their husbands.”

“I feel like a bull and my cock’s ready to prove it. I say use

whatever’s at hand to get the job done.” Adam adjusted his pants. “A
man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. And I’m doing the one with the
big boobs and smart mouth.” He blew her a kiss. She pouted and
pretended to wipe it off her breast. “Those pouting lips are going
down on me, bro.”

“And if the plug fits, use it,” murmured Bryan.
“Or, in this case, remove it and fill the empty spot with something

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more—”

“Satisfying,” completed Bryan.
“It’s been too damn long since a hot filly rode my cock.”
“Been even longer since we shared one. I get the redhead. She

looks hungry for action.”

“So does her friend.”
“Let’s get the job done right.”

* * * *

Kaela, well into the fantasy of capture by Army guys, stared at the

two men. Their loose camouflage pants bulged below snug T-shirts,
proving everything was real. Their faces, smeared with camo paint,
looked tough. They were so strong they could do whatever they
wanted to her and she couldn’t stop them.

“Look at the bulge on that dark haired one,” said Candy. “Where

was he before I decided to marry that weenie husband? He’s useless,
in bed and out. Thank God for that pre-nup. As soon as I’m back, I’m
tossing him out on his skinny ass.”

Kaela watched the blond man’s throat ripple as he swallowed. A

drop of water slid down his chin. She licked her lip, eager to catch the
drop with her tongue. She watched it fall. When her husband dropped
food it always landed on his shirt, thanks to his belly. This drop of
water landed on camo pants, pressed out by the size of his package.

She’d gone without a man for too long. Candy had been the one to

convince her to try the sex toys. She’d sworn a plug in her bottom,
along with a vibrator, would provide an intense orgasm. They hadn’t
started playing when these brutes hauled them to this windowless
room.

When the blond threw her over his shoulder and ran, her butt plug

moved with every step, tantalizing her. She twisted her hips, making
it shift again. If his cock was as big as she expected, with the big butt
plug in place, would it feel like two men? She’d always had this

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fantasy of two men at once.

The blond bent over to get two more bottles from the fridge. She

licked her lips at the way his camo pants pulled tight against his
curved bottom. He handed another water bottle to his buddy. Both
looked over, seeming as eager as she for some fun. She’d not let them
know how much she wanted them. No use making them even more
arrogant. She backed up as far as she could, barely an inch, as they
approached.

“You’re Michaela, and this is Candice.”
She nodded, as did Candy at her side.
“I’m Major Bryan and he’s Captain Adam. You will do exactly

what we say or you’ll be punished.”

“Punished?” Kaela licked dry lips.
Bryan stepped so close that his rough khaki T-shirt scratched her

nipples and belly.

“I will put you over my lap and spank you until your bottom is hot

and bright pink. Do you understand?”

She closed her eyes and shivered as a rush of desire hit. She

should be fighting to escape, but all she could think of was his hands
on her. His cock thrusting deep until she came harder than she could
with the vibrator. She gasped and opened her eyes when a rush of
cold water ran down her breasts and over her belly.

“Do I have your attention?”
The now-warmed water trickled a torturous path between her lips

and down her legs, following gravity’s rule.

“Answer the question,” said Adam.
She could barely think past the sensations bombarding her. She

nodded.

“Good. We’ll start with you.”
Kaela tried to breathe as she watched Adam remove Candy’s

handcuffs. He slid his hands over her chest and shoulders, tossing her
robe aside. He stood behind her, rubbing his groin against her bottom
for a moment. Candy arched to rub back. Adam slid his hands down

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her arms and placed her hands on the footboard. “Don’t move unless I
tell you,” he growled. “Watch, listen, and learn.”

Kaela forgot all about Candy when Bryan dipped his head to her

breast and bit gently on her nipple. She rose onto her toes to press
herself closer to the mouth providing pleasure.

Adam removed her cuffs, and she grasped Bryan’s shoulders to

steady herself. He swept her feet from under her and tossed her over
the footboard and on the bed. Sprawled on her back, she watched him
pull his shirt over his head. He bent to remove his boots and socks.
Her fingers crept between her legs at the sight of his muscular body.
He wiped his face clean of paint before stalking to the side of the bed
and unhooking his belt. She barely noticed Adam doing the same.

Bryan unbuttoned his pants and let them drop. His cock, long and

narrow, jutted out from a nest of blond hair. His balls snuggled tight
against his groin, evidence of his need. She parted her lips and slid in
a finger.

“That’s my job,” he said. She gasped when he took her ankles and

yanked her to the side of the bed, legs spread wide. He lifted her
bottom high, and Adam stuffed a pillow underneath. When he let her
down, he hooked her thighs over his shoulders and bent his head.

She closed her eyes, jolting when his hot tongue slid from her

perineum to her clit. He spread her lips with his thumbs and inhaled.
He flicked his tongue over her clit for a moment and then caught it
between soft lips.

Her world devolved until nothing existed but his tongue and

fingers, dipping and delving in the few square inches between her
legs. God, what the man did to her! Every nerve ending fired as he
stroked, nibbled, flicked, and sucked her tender tissues.

Just when she didn’t think she could take any more sensation,

he’d switch places, sucking deeply or probing a finger or two into her.
He pulled and gently twisted the butt plug, reminding her of even
more pleasure nerves.

The bed shifted and a hot mouth suckled one breast, a rough hand

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the other. She flickered her eyes open just enough to confirm that it
was dark-haired Adam.

She writhed, trying to press her breast into Adam’s mouth and at

the same time thrust into Bryan. She was close, panting with need,
when both men backed away. Adam flopped on his back beside her,
covered himself with a condom, and reached for her.

“Climb on top of him.” Bryan, holding her waist, helped her settle

astride Adam’s hips. “Take him deep. Ride him like a stallion.”

Needing relief, she ignored the order and slid his cock back and

forward between her legs without letting him enter. She ground him
against her swollen tissues. Bryan lifted her and guided the tip of
Adam’s cock into her. She dropped an inch, realizing he was a big
man all over. Even without the butt plug filling her, she’d have had to
ease him in.

She let gravity slowly work, settling down on him as she

expanded to match his size. Her butt plug pushed him against her G-
spot, sending tiny shocks to intensify her pleasure. She finally
engulfed him, her rosy nether lips against his rough, dark curls.

He reached for her breasts, and she leaned forward on her hands

and knees. His cock slid partway out when she moved forward so
Adam could suckle her breast. When she moved back, she took him
deep again.

Ignoring his whispered commands, she gripped him tight and

ground herself against him, meeting her own needs instead of his. She
squeaked at the quick slap on her butt. Pouting, she raised herself high
and turned to her right. Bryan shook his finger at her, likely with the
hand that had smacked her bottom.

Adam reached for her again, pulling her against his chest. She

fought him as it left her bottom high, an easy target for Bryan’s hand.

But he didn’t touch her cheeks. Instead, he twisted her plug.
“Time to get rid of this.”
She relaxed her sphincter and it popped out. Still impaled below,

she rested against Bryan’s chest. Cool gel soothed her hot bottom for

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a moment. Bryan knelt behind her and grasped her hips.

“Now,” he said.
He guided his cock to knock at her back door. Full with Adam, at

first she squeezed closed, keeping him out. He spanked her bottom,
the sting shooting right to her clit.

“Take me,” Bryan ordered.
Kaela, forgetting all about the role play, shivered at his command.

She had no choice but to do what he said. She grabbed the excuse and
ran with it, giving in to everything she craved.

A gelled finger easily slid into her. He twisted it, reminding her of

the wonderful nerve endings there. He added a second, then a third,
spreading her wide and tantalizing her with the need for more.

“Push me out,” said Bryan. He placed his cock against her again

and pressed, slowly and relentlessly until he breached the tight iris of
muscle.

Unlike the plug, his cock was hot and alive. He pulsed, a bit more

forward than back each time, stretching her. Adam eased partway out,
and she relaxed some of the tension she’d been holding. Bryan surged
forward a few inches.

Though her bottom felt hot and tight, when Bryan moved forward

and back, thousands of nerve endings fired in pleasure. Deeper he
went, until the hair on his thighs rasped her own cheeks. She panted,
ass in the air, Bryan’s deep breaths flowing over her back.

After a moment, Adam pressed her down onto his cock. Bryan

reached around and held her breasts, pinching her nipples. The slight
pain tempered that from her bottom, causing an arc from breast to clit
to ass.

When both men finally settled deep within her, they sighed a

collective groan. After a moment, Bryan pushed her forward, sliding
almost out before Adam lifted her up and reversed it.

Head back and eyes shut, she let them guide her, concentrating on

feeling every synapse fire from breast and back, to ribs, to waist, and
below. Fingers trailed, pinched, and scratched while mouths kissed

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and nibbled wherever they could reach.

They sped up, thrusting counterpoint from a slow waltz to a two-

step, then faster. She ground her clit against whatever she could, be it
callused finger, groin, or velvety steel cock. Blood sang through her
veins as she pumped herself higher and higher.

It was the friction she craved. Bryan’s cock invading and

retreating like a piston. Sliding through her, lighting up every neuron
to fire deliciously.

Deep male gasps, moans, and groans surrounded her. No matter

how good an orgasm she could produce for herself, the extra senses of
shared pleasure, the smells, sounds, touches, and sights, brought her
to a level unavailable alone.

She quivered, nearing her pinnacle, wet flesh slapping as they

pounded into her, as she clenched them hard.

“Take it, Kaela,” growled Bryan. He bent over, his chest tight

against her back, and reached between Adam’s groin and her own
with his magic fingers. Both men stuffed her full of sensation, but she
couldn’t quite reach what she needed. Then Bryan pinched her clit
and she exploded, clenching them front and back.

Adam groaned, pounding her up and down, prolonging her

orgasm. She shuddered and collapsed on his chest, her ass high.
Bryan grabbed her wide hips and surged forward, deep into her
bowels, bellowing his triumph. Adam held her tight as another
orgasm ripped through, shattering her grasp on reality.

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Chapter Eighteen

Kaela woke to Candy’s groans and gasps. Bryan lay on his back a

few feet away. Candy rode him, grinding down. Adam winked at
Kaela and covered himself with a condom, then lube. He climbed on
the bed behind Candy, his knees on either side of Bryan’s thighs. He
pressed gently on Candy’s back, and she leaned forward, pulling
slightly out of Bryan. She wiggled her ass at her husband, pretending
sweet innocence by her expression.

Kaela, suddenly awake, watched Adam’s wife pulse Bryan’s cock

up and down, a mere inch at a time. Adam pulled gently on Candy’s
butt plug until it popped out. He pulled the condom covering it inside
out and tossed both aside.

Seeing Kaela watching, he motioned her to come closer.

Fascinated at seeing what she’d just experienced, she slid over. She
bent at Adam’s urging and looked between Bryan and Candy’s sweat-
slicked bodies where his cock connected the two of them. Kaela’s sex
throbbed at the sight. Candy’s trimmed body let Kaela see thick rosy
petals opening to engulf his hard ridged length, all shiny with juice, as
if she swallowed him with her mouth.

Kaela sat up when Adam held out the lube to her. She squeezed

some of the clear gel onto her palm then swept it over the warm, silky
steel of his cock. At his encouragement, she ran a dribble down
Candy’s bottom crease. She scratched the top of her finger against
Candy’s tight brown ring. A circle of bright pink appeared for a
moment, like an “O” of surprise.

“She’s ready,” said Adam.
He rose to his knees, grasped Candy’s hips, and motioned for

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Kaela to guide him into his wife. Kaela did, watching as, inch by slow
inch, he pressed forward. Candy, moaning in encouragement, easily
took him. She even pushed back until Bryan pulled her against his
chest.

“You jealous?” Adam panted the words.
“No,” Kaela replied. “More envious, I think. What you three have

is wonderful.”

Though it had hurt a bit to take both men, it was a satisfying hurt.

The sort she used to get when she wiggled a loose tooth until it finally
fell out of her mouth. Her bottom was sore and she didn’t want to do
it again for a bit. The massive explosion that came at the end of the
experience made any discomfort more than worth it.

The men pumped Candy up and down, forward, and back. Kaela

fit her hand between Bryan’s chest and Candy’s breast. She pinched
her nipple as Adam thrust deep and erupted. He pushed Candy onto
Bryan’s chest as he pounded, roaring his possession. He’d barely
slowed when Candy, grinding against Bryan, cried out. She set off the
man underneath who fought to thrust up in spite of Candy and
Adam’s bodies above him.

Candy collapsed onto Bryan’s chest, and he automatically

wrapped his arms around her. Adam lay against them, holding them
together. Candy sighed, a fully satisfied smile on her face.

Kaela scrambled off the bed and ran to the bathroom, holding

back sobs. She pulled the lid from the hot tub and poured in a few
handfuls of Epsom salts.

It was an excuse to escape. The three on the bed looked as if they

didn’t need her. As she’d told Adam, she was envious instead of
jealous when she watched Candy ride her man. But was Bryan hers
after all? They’d all worked so hard lately that, unless she was feeding
him, having sex, or passing in the hallway, she and Bryan rarely
spoke anymore.

Aunt Delia said marriage was a contract between a man and a

woman before God. In return for the husband’s protection and

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provision, the woman must meet all his needs and nurture any
children of the union. Nowhere did it say the man had to speak to the
woman other than giving orders. Nor did it say the woman had to like
the man or his behavior. Once married, he did as he pleased as long as
he protected his property from outside dangers. Wife and children
were part of his property and he could do to them as he chose. These
days, only a woman unsure of herself would put up with it.

Kaela now knew her aunt was wrong, but her words lingered.

Freddy had destroyed her romantic illusions as he neither protected
nor provided for her or Scotty.

And now she lived with Bryan. He provided food and shelter for

them, as was right. Though Candy had asked her to stay longer, Bryan
could toss her off the Double R whenever he wanted. Adam wouldn’t
let him do it physically, but Bryan could make life so miserable that
she’d run.

She’d given him her labor, her body and her heart.
The first two were as temporary as the food and shelter she

received. The last she’d never escape. She refused to be a handmaiden
like Candy had been to her first husband and she’d not be an
emotional and economic prisoner like Aunt Delia.

Thank God her money was coming soon. She could escape before

anyone realized how deeply she’d fallen for Bryan. She placed a hand
on her still flat belly. She had to leave before he knew about the
unintentional gift he’d given her at the club during Mardi Gras. In a
few weeks, she and her little family would be safe, far away from
Bryan’s temptation.

She wanted the baby growing inside her, a reminder of how much

she’d enjoyed living on the Double R. She thought she received the
total amount of interest earned on her inheritance each year. A few
days ago, she phoned her trustee to make sure the money would go
into her account and discovered some had been diverted into high-risk
stock. The trustee had done well and she had way more money than
she expected.

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Enough to find a nice three-bedroom home with an office for her

business. She couldn’t tell Bryan about the baby—he’d insist that they
marry, even though he didn’t love her. He’d want to raise his own
child, even if living here without his love destroyed her.

No, if Bryan didn’t want her just the way she was, to heck with

him. After she was settled, she’d tell him about the baby. She
wouldn’t keep him away, but she wouldn’t let him take her baby. Two
men, two babies. Freddie didn’t want her or the child, and Bryan only
wanted the product of his seed.

Too bad. They were her children, and she’d keep them safe.

Bryan could find another wife, one who could live without needing
his love. A love he would not allow.

She blinked quickly and stepped into the shower. No one would

see her tears there.

* * * *

“What’s up with Kaela?” asked Bryan. “She rushed out of here

like a barn’s blazing and she’s the fire boss.”

Candy lay like a blanket over him, warm and cozy. Adam flopped

to the far side a few minutes ago and now snored softly.

“You think she’s jealous?” continued Bryan.
“Nope,” said Adam in a sleepy monotone. “She said she’s

envious.”

“Thought you were asleep,” said Bryan.
“Was until you woke me with your jabbering.”
“Envious of what?” asked Candy. “The sex or the bond?”
She pushed on Bryan’s chest to sit up. He groaned as if her weight

crushed his ribs. She gave him a nipple twister and rolled off. He
yelped and clutched his chest.

“Does it matter?” asked Adam.
“Of course it matters,” said Candy. “Sex is easy to get. The bond

is something she’s never known and may think she’ll never have.

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From what she’s told me, Scotty’s the only one she trusts to love her.
Everyone else just wanted to use her one way or another.”

“What are you staring at me for?” Bryan rubbed his chest and

frowned at Candy’s look of disgust. “I’m not using her. We’re all
enjoying her. Just like she’s enjoying us.”

“And I want to keep it that way,” said Candy. “We’ve proven that

Kaela’s compatible with all of us. She loves it here, and the girls and
Scotty get along great. What are you doing to make sure she wants to
stay?”

“I’m thinking about it,” grumbled Bryan.
“Candy’s last class is the first week of April,” said Adam. “After

that, Kaela has no reason to stay. Unless, that is, you ask her a
question she won’t want to refuse.”

Bryan rolled off the bed and stood up. “Not dealing with that

now.”

“If you don’t deal with it, you’ll lose her, Bry. And I love her like

a very special sister.”

“Me, too,” murmured Adam. “But what I feel for her isn’t at all

brotherly. I love Candy to bits, but there’s something about the way
Kaela’s blue eyes glow when I part her golden red curls and lick—”

“Let’s keep this serious, lover,” interrupted Candy.
“I am serious,” replied Adam in a huff.
Bryan escaped into the hall. He closed the door on the married

couple’s bickering. They used it as foreplay, and he wasn’t up to
listening. Kaela wouldn’t be coming out the bathroom any time soon,
so he’d shower in his own room, dress, and head out to the barn. Hard
work always cleared his head.

* * * *

Candy rolled her eyes at Adam when Bryan closed the door with a

snap. “He’s running scared,” she said. She lay back on the bed.

“So’s Kaela,” agreed Adam. He rolled until she was beneath him.

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“How ’bout we join her in the shower? We don’t want her to feel left
out, do we?”

Even if she hadn’t felt his cock stir, Candy knew that smile.
“You think this is your chance for two hot women to seduce you,

huh?”

“Would be nice,” he replied, “but I don’t think so.” He pushed

himself off her then scooped her into his arms. She held on, nibbling
wherever she could reach, as he carried her into the bathroom.

Kaela lay in the tub with her eyes closed. Splashes on the shower

floor proved she already cleaned off. They quickly did the same,
hands straying as they washed each other.

“Ah, you remembered the Epsom salts. Thank you.” Candy

released a hum of contentment and settled in the tub to Kaela’s right.
Wanting quiet, she didn’t turn on the jets.

Adam, like a well-trained husband who wanted to get laid, poured

each a glass of orange juice from the thermos on the counter. He put
the drinks to the right of each woman and settled far from Kaela,
saying nothing. He closed his eyes to mere slits and pretended to
sleep, all senses alert.

A few minutes passed before Kaela moved. She sat up just enough

to drink the whole glass and then slid neck-deep again.

“Want to talk?” Candy didn’t open her eyes or move as she spoke.
“No thanks.”
“Bryan’s running scared,” said Candy, ignoring Kaela’s resigned

sigh. “Adam says he’s never seen him like this. Even when Grant was
at his worst, Bryan hung tight.”

“Sorry to be a nuisance.”
Candy sipped her juice and let the silence hang.
“Nah, the man obviously loves you. That’s what scares the crap

out of him.”

Kaela sat up with a whoosh, water sloshing. “If he loves me, why

doesn’t he say anything?”

“Because the poor bastard won’t admit it, not even to himself.”

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219

Candy slipped lower in the hot water. “He’s a man. He’ll figure it out
eventually.”

“Maybe.” Kaela emptied the thermos into her glass and turned to

Candy. “But he’s running out of time. In a few weeks, I’m history.”

“I really hope not. I don’t know what we’ll do without you. And I

don’t mean all the work you do or the fact you’re a fantastic
playmate. I love you, Adam loves you, and so do the girls. If you
leave, you’ll rip a hole in our hearts.”

“I’m sorry about that, too.” She shook her head, blinking hard.

“But I can’t stay and become my aunt.”

“What?” Candy bolted upright. Kaela had to lift her chin, so the

resulting wave didn’t go up her nose. “We don’t tolerate abuse. From
the little I’ve heard, Grant did enough damage with his fists to last too
many lifetimes.”

Kaela waited to speak until Candy settled again, still grumbling.
“I don’t mean physically. My aunt never hit me, yet her abuse was

in many ways worse than bruises. She beat at me, heart and soul,
every day. Wearing me down until I believed I didn’t deserve joy,
passion, or love.”

“That won’t happen here,” declared Candy.
“No? Even if Bryan and I marry, what if he takes me for granted,

happy to use my services in bed and around the ranch, yet won’t
speak to me of what is deep in his heart? There’s sex and there’s
intimacy. He’s all about sex, but won’t let me into his heart.” Her
voice roughened. “You say he loves me. Well, I love him and always
will. But if he won’t admit it to himself, he’ll never tell me. And
without his heart, the rest is sawdust. He’d make it so miserable that I
couldn’t stay. Again, I’d be homeless. Never again.”

Candy had no answer. She watched, heart pounding and chest

tight, as Kaela pulled herself from the tub, wrapped herself in a thick
towel, and swept into the bedroom.

“Well, that went well,” growled Adam when they heard the hall

door close. “Com’ere.” Candy crawled onto his lap. Adam wrapped

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his arms around her in a bear hug and held her gently.

“They’re both hurting,” said Candy finally.
“And we can’t do anything but support them,” replied Adam.
“At least we know that she loves Bryan and that she wants to

share his heart. If we can get him to talk openly with her, tell her he
loves her, and—”

“—and nothing, Candymine. They are adults and must work out

their own problems.” He kissed the top of her head. She twisted
around to look up at him.

“We aren’t allowed to do anything to smarten them up?” He

shook his head. “Dammit, Adam, she’s the best thing that ever
happened to the man. And if he’s too macho to admit it, we could all
lose.”

“No interference.”
Candy sighed her disagreement but quietly snuggled against him.

His cock responded to her touch as if on automatic pilot.

“If Kaela leaves,” said Adam, “he’ll be worse than a bear with a

dozen bees up his butt.”

“If Kaela leaves, Bryan might as well take a vow of celibacy

because he’ll not get any action from me again.” She caught his eye.
“And you can tell him that. No Kaela, no sex. With two upset children
to chase and all the chores to do by myself, I’ll have little patience
and no time for fun and games. And if I’m tired, you can sleep alone,
too.”

“Then I’d better get what I can right now,” Adam murmured. He

skimmed her breast with his palm. Her well-trained nipple responded
immediately. His fingers slid between her legs, finding her slippery
with need. He stood up, pulling her with him.

“Use the towel to lean on,” he said, voice tight.
He helped her kneel on the step and lean her elbows on the floor, a

thick towel as a cushion. Her heart-shaped ass, cheeks divided like a
peach, always turned him into steel. He wanted to take her hard, to
force her to cry out loud as he claimed her. But not here, not now.

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221

This time was for slow and gentle.

He lay another towel down and sat on it. He patted his thigh, and

she smiled. Candy loved riding him this way. She climbed on his lap
and slid herself down his pole. He used his hands to support her but
let her move as she wanted. He wouldn’t come this time, but it was
almost as good to give her pleasure.

Tonight, after she’d slept a few hours, he’d wake her. He’d tell her

she was his unwilling prize, won in a card game in the saloon
downstairs, and he’d woken her to claim what was now his.

She’d fight the stranger he’d pretend to be, loving the way he

mastered her. He’d force her to take him deep in her mouth, though
her hand, fisted around his cock, would allow her to control the depth.

He’d pull out and toss her on her back on the bed. He’d pull her

legs apart while she tried to kick him. He’d hold her hands over her
head and slam deep, proving who was boss.

Then he’d roll her onto her hands and knees and run his cock

between her cheeks, teasing her as to what he wanted. Letting her
think he’d ream her ass. But not tonight. He’d hold her down and put
in her butt plug before rolling her on her back. This time, when he
entered her pussy, the plug would make his cock rub against her G-
spot. She’d fight him, but he’d take her hard, in control. Her body
would betray her, driving her insane with the pleasure she tried to
refuse.

He groaned, wanting to do it all now. But he held back, having

learned patience was worth the reward.

Candy hugged him tight, grinding her clit against his groin. He

slid his longest finger between their bodies and drew her fluids up.
She knew what he intended and thrust her bottom out. He drilled her
ass, twisting in and out. She shuddered and gasped, held still for a
moment, then collapsed. He wrapped both arms around her and
hugged tight.

Tonight when they fucked—that was the only word that described

the frantic action he had planned—she’d explode even wilder under

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Chapter Nineteen

“Kaela doesn’t want me.”
Bryan snarled the words as he rode behind Adam. He let his

gelding find its own path between the snow drifts. Late March might
be spring in a southern city, but not on the north slope of a Montana
mountain.

“You finally asked her to marry you and she turned you down?”

Adam’s horse skittered sideways in reaction to the man’s startle. He
calmed the horse with a pat.

“I didn’t ask her yet.” Bryan closed the gap between them on a

straight patch.

“What?” Adam groaned and shook his head. “You’re a damn

fool.”

“I’m not asking until I know she’ll say ‘yes.’”
“Then how do you know what she thinks?”
“I knew she’s turning twenty-five, but she just dropped a

bombshell. She gets access to everything her parents left her, plus
interest, on her birthday. That’s why she jumped at Candy’s offer in
November. Free room and board until she gets a wackload of cash.”

“Jeez, that changes the situation,” said Adam. “She’ll be able to

move off the Double R, buy her own place if she wants. Won’t need
you at all.”

“Uh, yeah.”
Bryan looked at Adam to see if he’d meant it as sarcasm, but his

partner was in front with his hat too low to see. Bryan shrugged and
continued.

“She wants to buy a house and start an environmental consulting

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business over the Internet. That and designing web pages for small
businesses.” He ducked to avoid a low-hanging branch. “In a warm
city.” He looked off into the distance. Far below, the ranch house rose
over the numerous outbuildings. He stretched in the saddle, shrugging
his shoulders back.

“And you said what?”
Bryan shrugged. “Nothing. She has this thing about owning her

own home.”

After a few moments of silence, Adam looked over at Bryan, a

knowing eyebrow raised.

“What?” Bryan frowned back.
Adam stared forward again, a smile twitching. He shook his head

and pursed his lips to hold back words. They rode for a while longer,
Bryan’s irritation percolating.

“What the hell are you laughing at?”
“Me? I’m not laughing.” Adam finally let his grin explode.

“Okay, I am. But you’re asking for it. The two of you are so alike and
neither of you will admit it.”

“What the hell does that mean?”
“Just like I said,” said Adam. “Kaela’s aunt and uncle didn’t want

her, and Grant sure as hell didn’t want you. Both you and Kaela could
have been thrown out at any moment. So you both need the security
of control. That means owning your own place. You love her, but
won’t admit it. You won’t risk your security for a chance at what
Candy and I’ve got.”

Bryan grunted in disgust. They rode side by side, unspeaking, for

some time.

“I gave Candy half of my half of the ranch as a wedding present,”

reminded Adam. “And she put her divorce settlement into the Double
R. I fought her on it because I wanted to take care of her, but she
insisted.”

He looked out at the herd below them.
“We bought that prime Red Angus bull.” He looked sideways at

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225

his partner, eyes crinkling. “Candy says that, unlike her ex, that bull
has a decent-size cock and knows what to do with it. Of course,” he
gave Bryan a superior look, “so do I.”

Bryan snorted his disgust. The horse did the same, and he patted it

approvingly. “Didn’t we also get the super-king bed for the playroom
with that money? You wanted Candy to get something special as
well.”

They rode for a few minutes as Bryan simmered.
“What happens if I sign over half of my stake in the ranch, then

Kaela leaves?” complained Bryan. “Or Candy does? Either of them
could sell their part out from under us. Or get a divorce and come
back with an asshole boyfriend, demanding to live here.”

Adam snorted his reply, sure of his wife’s enduring love. Bryan

stewed.

They rode homeward, watching out for cattle, carcasses, newly

snagged trees fallen during winter windstorms, signs of predators, and
Mother Nature’s changing weather. Just another day.

“Spit it out, bro. This is me you’re talkin’ to,” said Adam finally.
“I can’t sign the Double R over to Kaela. It’s all I have.”
“Bryan, you’re my brother of another mother.” Adam sighed from

the bottom of his lungs. He spoke to the air, not looking at his partner.
“You took beatings beside me when you could have run away. You
shared my room after your ma died, keeping nightmares away just by
being there.”

“Yeah, but I left you alone with Grant for too many years.”
“The bastard threw you off the ranch when you were seventeen,”

said Adam, staring at Bryan. “What the hell could you do about it at
that point? You got your college degree, used your brain instead of
smashing it against a rock falling from a horse—”

“I never fall!”
“—and, when Grant died, you came back to bail me out of debt.

We’re partners, bro. But I faced my demons, thanks to Candy’s love,
and moved on. You’re still stuck in the past.”

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He rode a while, waiting until his partner’s jaw muscles relaxed a

bit before he continued.

“This place ain’t goin’ nowhere, Bry. If you give Kaela a portion,

you, me, and Candy will still own seventy-five percent. Worst case,
we buy her out. No biggie.”

“Yeah, well, your family’s owned this land for over a hundred and

fifty years. Your great-whatever-ma took in mine as hired help. My
family’s lived here ever since, but only as servants. I can’t take a
chance on losing what my family’s fought for all this time.”

“That’s in the past.”
“Past?” Bryan turned to Adam, his face mottled red and white but

not from cold. “Do you know how often that bastard father of yours
threatened to throw me and Ma off the ranch?” He shook his head. “I
need to own my land. Otherwise I’m nothing.”

“Grant’s roasting in hell, Bry. Let it go.”
“Let it go?” He grabbed Adam’s reins for a moment to force the

man to look him in the eye. “Did you know Ma kept a packed suitcase
hidden in the laundry room closet? Every moment of every single day
we lived with the terror of losing everything. Ev-ry-thing. How can I
throw half of my heritage away after that?”

His agitation passed on to his horse, who danced sideways. Bryan

took a moment to settle both of them.

Adam looked at his partner with regret. “You won’t believe me

any more than I did you two years ago. Not until you realize what life
would be like without Kaela. Candy and I see how you look at each
other. Your love is strong, but your will is stronger. And neither of
you will bend.” He shook his head, radiating sympathy. “Make peace
with your demons, Bry. Forgive them—and yourself—and move on.”

Adam turned his horse and trotted a few steps, then paused. He

looked back at Bryan. “One more thing. Candy says if Kaela goes,
you’re cut off. She’s serious, too.” He paused for a moment. “If I’ve
got a pissed-off wife, I will make your life hell. And what use is land
without family? Chew on that for a while. I’m heading home to my

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warm, sexy wife.”

Adam urged his horse into a canter. Bryan continued to walk his

horse, though the bay’s ears perked up and he strained to follow his
herd-mate.

No sex? Hunh! Except for the mind-blowing weekend in Missoula

and the recent fantastic four-way, they’d been like celibate hermits,
working from before dark to way after and then crashing into bed.
Adam swore he and Candy didn’t do much more than cuddle, even
when she was home. Kaela slept in her own bed to be near the kids
because of their frequent colds. But was it an excuse to stay from his
bed?

The whole time, she’d known she had money coming. Yet she’d

said nothing. And she spoke of trust?

When she finally leaked the secret, he’d been furious. He

complained to Candy, but she asked what he offered Kaela that would
make her want to tell him.

Maybe Candy was right. Work took up all his time now that the

women took care of the home front. Was he pushing himself, working
long hours just to avoid talking with Kaela?

At night, did Kaela lie awake, lonely and aching like him? Or did

she count the days until she got her money and ran away, out of his
life forever?

What would Scotty do without his two best buddies? Without a

father figure? Scotty loved their wrestling matches. He couldn’t see
Kaela teaching him about the innards of a tractor or how to rope a calf
and shoot a weapon, things every boy should learn. If she wanted to
go, then to hell with her. He’d miss Scotty, but Evie wasn’t far behind
him in attitude and strength.

Time to find a wife over the Internet. He’d met a few Australians

and they seemed pretty easy going. He could put out an ad, one like
Adam’s great-whatever pa did when he had advertised in a
Philadelphia newspaper. “Wanted: wife. Must be fertile and a hard
worker. No money for fripperies but good food and a future. Love not

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required.”

The matriarch of the Richardson family replied. She refused the

husband chosen by her father and had nowhere to go but the streets.
Instead she went West, her grandmother’s jewels sewn into her coat.
Jewels that Candy occasionally wore as a slave girl.

The sapphires would look stunning on Kaela. If he ever saw her

naked again.

Damn! He stood in the saddle to adjust himself.
Maybe she’d agree to take only ten or fifteen percent ownership,

leaving him with thirty-five. Naw, he’d offer her twenty percent,
almost half. After all, he was born to the land, so should keep the
majority. Their kids would inherit everything anyway.

It just might work. He had only two weeks before Candy finished

her semester. No matter how tired, he wasn’t going to waste too many
of those nights. A quickie would help both of them sleep.

He walked his horse into the barn, rewarding him with an extra

good grooming and warm mash. As always, he did a good job
cleaning the tack while he planned his next steps. Candy was home
tonight. After dinner and the kids were in bed, he’d help Kaela with
the dishes and let Adam and Candy head upstairs.

Then he’d give Kaela his counter-offer of twenty percent. Surely

she’d understand he couldn’t give up everything. In fact, she’d be so
delighted they might not make it past the kitchen counter. His legs
were the perfect height to set her bottom down, lift up her skirt, and
ram home.

Fighting the part of him that begged for her love, knowing he’d be

trapped and maybe burned, he concentrated on the joys of her body.
Far safer territory.

* * * *

“So will you stay for twenty percent?” Bryan waited until they

were mostly finished the dishes to pop the question.

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“What?” Kaela stopped drying her hands and faced him. She

snorted. “Stay? For twenty percent while you keep thirty? What part
of ‘equal relationship’ do you not understand?”

Bryan caught the damp dish towel aimed at his face. He draped it

over his shoulder, picked up a pot, and crouched to put it away.
Instead of throwing the pot into the bottom cupboard as he felt like
doing, he quietly stacked it inside the bigger one.

He rearranged the lids in the storage wire on the door. Satisfied

they were in order by size, he looked around for something else to do.
Anything that kept him from standing up and facing Kaela.

A not-so-gentle nudge in his backside with her foot almost sent

him sprawling.

“You listening, cowboy?”
Realizing he might do better looking down at her, he rose to his

feet. His extra eight inches and muscle didn’t slow the furious woman
one bit. She poked him in the stomach with her index finger. He
grimaced and rubbed the spot. He wouldn’t have eaten third helpings
of lemon pie if he’d known he’d get this grief.

“Not that you asked me to marry you or anything, but I don’t need

a husband who won’t see me as an equal. In fact, I don’t need a man
in my life at all. Scotty and me, we were doing fine before I met you.
And once I get my nest egg, we’ll do even better.”

She finished her lecture and using her sponge as a weapon,

attacked the countertop. She wiped the spot he planned to settle her
naked bottom on. His breath caught and his cock twitched.

Damn, he should get her riled up more often. Her face, flushed

with anger, looked just like she did a moment before she screamed her
release. Candy would rant at Adam like this and then they’d have hot
make-up sex. Sometimes he thought Adam got her mad on purpose,
just for afterwards. Seeing Kaela like this, he could understand why.

While Kaela ranted on about her future plans, a house with a

fenced yard for Scotty to play in and the work she’d find over the
Internet, he thought of what he’d do to make up. Neither she nor

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Candy bothered with a bra today, and he’d fantasized about her
nipples all through dinner. How he’d nip and suckle her right through
that hot pink T-shirt. Did she skip panties, as well?

When she finally slowed her frantic cleaning efforts, her voice

faded as well. Bryan listened more closely, hoping she was ready to
listen.

“It’s just that I don’t want Scotty to lose his home like I did.”
Kaela’s voice broke, her lip quivering. She gulped and turned her

back to him. She laid the sponge on the edge of the sink, her hands
trembling. Was she crying?

Oh, shit. She wasn’t acting like Candy did on a rant. Was she

sick? She’d zonked out early the last week or so and Candy said her
stomach wasn’t right. Maybe she was fighting off a cold? They’d all
been working so hard.

He couldn’t speak, couldn’t think of anything but his concern for

her. But he couldn’t let it show. Not now. She finally pulled herself
together and turned her blotchy face to him.

“I told you what I need and you’ve got nothing to say?” She rolled

her lips over her teeth and held them there as if fighting more tears. “I
don’t want you to hurt Scotty. And I don’t want to be hurt, either. You
don’t even talk about love.” She gulped and continued, her voice
shaking. “Didn’t you hear me? I’m afraid of you, Bryan.”

The words seared themselves into his brain.
Kaela was afraid of him. She thought he’d hurt Scotty? My God,

did she think he was no better than Grant or her bastard of an uncle?

A shard of ice stabbed his heart, chilling him in an instant. No

matter how bad it got, he’d never hurt a child.

This meant she knew nothing about him. After everything he’d

done, she didn’t trust him. He stepped back, shaking his head. If she
thought that, it was over before it could begin.

“I heard you. Loud and clear.” He forced himself to speak quietly

though his hands fisted. “You think I’d beat on a woman and child in
my own home.”

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“No,” she coughed. “I said—”
“If you believe that about me, why should I care about you? Have

a nice life,” he said, his voice too tight to say more.

“Bryan, wait!”
He nodded politely when he really wanted to pull her into his

arms and prove how much he loved her. How much he wanted Scotty
to be his son. But if she couldn’t see him for what he was, to hell with
her. He stormed into the main hall. How dare she accuse him of being
like Grant, a man who spoke with his fists, battering animals,
children, women, and men.

How could she accuse him of being anything like that bastard?

He gritted his teeth to hold back from smashing his fists into a wall.

Adam would understand his reaction to Kaela’s attack on his

honor, but he’d get no sympathy from Candy. She still didn’t know
just how much damage Grant had inflicted. They didn’t want her to
know how many broken bones they’d received or scars that hadn’t
come from ranch work and rodeos.

So what to do now? He’d avoid Kaela until she was gone. Lots of

work needed in the barn or equipment shed. First he had to get
through tonight.

He was too wired to sleep, but maybe hot water would relax his

muscles. If that didn’t work, an hour or on the treadmill might.

Tomorrow would be another day of hell. Beyond that, he wouldn’t

go.

* * * *

As soon as Bryan disappeared through the doorway, Kaela’s legs

gave out. She slumped into a chair, set her elbows on the table, and
rested her forehead on her palms, fighting for control.

He would not make her cry! She was a grown woman with a

toddler and a secret babe on the way. She could, and would, survive
without a man. Especially one who would not listen!

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She pressed her palm against her belly and the invisible soul

growing within. A mother had to put her baby before herself.
Certainly before an arrogant, irritating man who refused to see reason.

He didn’t understand.
All she wanted was a safe home full of love. She knew he would

never hurt her physically, but she was afraid of the pain when he
broke her heart. If she stayed, unwed and without equal ownership,
she had no safety net. As a father with all these resources, he could
take her baby away. If he adopted Scotty, she could lose him, too.

The man she loved wouldn’t do those things, but he hadn’t said

one word to her about love. He decided what he wanted to hear and
gave up on her. She tried to tell him he misunderstood her words, but
it was too late now. Either he couldn’t be bothered to listen, or he
found his excuse to run away from her. From a commitment he
refused to make.

Fine.
For the next couple weeks she’d stay far from him and hide

evidence of the baby. As long as Candy didn’t see her naked, she
should be safe if she wore loose clothing. Since it was warming up,
she could wear loose dresses or leave her shirt out and pin her jeans
closed.

It was only for a few weeks. Then she’d have her freedom from

her promise to Candy and from poverty. She’d take Scotty somewhere
warmer. Utah was nice and she enjoyed crossing Colorado. Now that
she’d lived near mountains, she didn’t want to live without them.
Mountains were forever. She’d had enough of temporary. She needed
permanence.

A permanent home. A permanent job. And face it, permanent

loneliness.

She could do without the fantastic sex Bryan provided—there

were books and toys to deal with that—but going back to being alone
would be hard. She really enjoyed the support of other adults to talk
over her day with. People who cared about her as much as she did in

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return.

She’d keep in touch with Candy, but she couldn’t ever see Bryan

again. Knowing what they almost had, and lost, would rip her heart
apart.

Face it, Michaela Jones. You love the man and will until the day

you die.

She dropped her head onto her crossed arms and let the tears

come. She sobbed quietly, as she had as a child, so no one knew how
much she hurt.

Her pride was all she had left. If Bryan didn’t want her, so be it.

She wouldn’t force him into staying together. He wanted to think she
was afraid of him when it was he who was running scared. And the
coward wouldn’t even admit it to himself.

* * * *

Bryan didn’t make it as far as the jungle pool before stopping. He

placed both hands on the wall and leaned over, head drooping like a
sway-backed mule. He’d acted like a mule, too damn stubborn to
listen.

He’d said “Have a nice life” and walked out. Wouldn’t even let

her explain.

But she accused him of wanting to beat on her and Scotty!
Or had she?
He tried to think back to her exact words, but anger clouded his

mind. She said she was afraid and that she didn’t want him to hurt
them.

But she didn’t look scared when she said it. She looked like an

emotionally upset female.

So, dunderhead, think like a female!
Women, unlike men, got their feelings hurt. They didn’t have a

good fight and get everything out of the system like he did with
Adam. Nope, they kept it in and let the hurt fester.

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Hurt.
She didn’t want to be hurt and he didn’t talk about love. She

thought he would hurt them because he didn’t say he loved her?

Damn, this female stuff makes my head hurt. Time for male logic.
Did he love Kaela? Though he’d fought to deny it, yes.
Did he want her in his life? Again, yes.
Did he want Scotty to be his son? Of course.
How much did he want it? That was the billion dollar question.
Would he give up his heritage for her? But without Kaela, what

was it worth?

The least he could do was to apologize for behaving like an

asshole. He padded back to the kitchen on sock feet. Snuffling noises
warned him to stop outside the kitchen door. He silently swore.

He recognized the quiet, desolate sobs. He’d done the same as a

small boy when Grant beat him hard and he couldn’t tell anyone. His
ma would complain and get fired. Sam, his big brother, would attack
Grant and end up beaten to a pulp or in jail. His dad had never been
part of his life, even before he got stomped to death in a rodeo arena.

At least he had a dog to hug. Kaela’s uncle didn’t allow pets, and

she told him he ripped apart the teddy bear her parents had given her
when she was a baby.

He didn’t have a great life as a kid, but he’d had his ma, his

brother, and Adam. Kaela had nothing and he’d ripped into her like—

Shit.
No wonder she cried like her life was over. Her quiet sobs ripped

into his heart.

He’d rejected her, too afraid she’d do the same to him.
But if she left, how could he head into frigid January mornings,

spring rain and sleet, or August heat? Unless he knew she’d be there
to welcome him home, it wasn’t worth it.

He finally understood how Adam could come home after a brutal

day and whistle as he cleaned tack in the barn.

Neither Adam nor Candy would want him around if he took Kaela

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235

from them. It would be better for everyone if he left so that Kaela and
Scotty could stay.

Why the hell did this love thing hurt so damn much?
Being alone didn’t hurt. Instead, it brought an emptiness as cold as

the deepest pits of hell. Just thinking of it sent his memories deeper
than he’d gone in years. Back to the time Grant threw him out of the
only home he’d known.

He didn’t want to feel that cold nothingness again.
He’d never bared his heart to anyone. Was scared shitless to do it.
But not doing it was worse.
Kaela’s sobs slowed to sniffles. He gave her a moment to settle

herself. She ran water into the sink, and he imagined her splashing it
into her eyes. She blew her nose a few times, hiccupping now and
then. When he heard the rattle of the kettle and the tap running again,
it was finally safe to face her.

That’s what she meant by safe, boyo. Heart, not fists.
He turned the corner and stopped in the doorway. She rested her

palms on the counter by the sink. Her head drooped like Atlas, with
all the cares of the world on her shoulders.

“Kaela?”
She stiffened and raised her head, standing tall but still facing the

dark window.

“Sweetling, I’m sorry. I was wrong and you’re right. Fifty-fifty is

what you deserve.” He coughed. “Well, you deserve more than that
for putting up with me, but you did say equal.”

She didn’t move. She stood like a deer in the meadow with a

panther downwind. Sensing something dangerous but not knowing
where or when it would strike.

The kettle neared the boil. Soon it would whistle and then shriek.

He walked to the scarred wooden table, pulled out a chair, and sat
down. Generations of his family and Adam’s had eaten here. He
wanted his children to do the same.

He hunched over to make himself appear smaller. Two cats saw

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the opportunity of a warm lap and jumped up. He patted them, one
crouched on each thigh. They butted their heads against him, begging
for cuddles.

The kettle began to sing. She walked over and lifted it off the heat.
“I suppose you expect me to make you some tea,” she snarled.
“I don’t deserve to have you do anything for me.” He hated the

herbal teas she’d taken to drinking instead of decent coffee but would
take anything she gave him and like it.

“You got that right,” she ripped back at him. “Doesn’t take any

more effort to fill the pot full instead of half.”

She reached into the cupboard to get another mug. Her shirt pulled

up a bit and a tiny slice of skin appeared. Damn, she has a lovely
back. A zap of intense desire shot through him. Fully clothed, mad as
hell, she still turned him on like no one ever had. Even her sarcastic
mouth did him in.

“I feel bad sitting and doing nothing when you’re working. My

ma taught me to stand until the lady sits.”

“I’m not a lady and you’re doing something important.”
He took a minute to think that one through while she rattled jars

and spoons. Of course she was a lady. His lady. But what was he
doing that was so important? He absently scratched a cat under the
chin, the Harley-style purr rumbling through the kitchen. The cat? She
thought scratching a cat was all-fired important?

He shook his head, keeping his eyes down when she stomped over

with two mugs. He was sure she’d slam them down, but at the last
moment she set them down gently.

Ah. The cats. She didn’t want to disturb the beasts. Considering

they kneaded their claws in his lap, he was much obliged. If twenty
claws sank deep into his pants, at least one was sure to puncture the
delicate part of his anatomy that was rising to the occasion.

He waited until she sat across from him, another feline on her lap,

a hand curled around her mug.

“I love you, Kaela,” he said to the table. “That’s why I go crazy

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237

around you.” He wouldn’t look at her until she gave him some hope.

“Is that an excuse or an apology?”
“I don’t know if I can apologize enough for what I said before. I

need you.”

“You’ve got a lousy way of showing it.”
“Yeah.” He sighed and forced himself to meet her eyes. Her red,

puffy eyes. “I need you in my life, Kaela. Without you, the Double R
is only dirt and cattle. I need you to make it a home. My home and
yours.”

“Candy’s already made you a home here.”
He nodded. “Yes, she’s a wonderful woman. She brings light into

my life and I love her for it. But she’s not you.”

“She’s Adam’s wife.”
“And she gave me my daughter, Evie. Both will always be a big

part of my life. But they don’t make me whole, like you do.”

She stared at him for a few minutes, blowing on her tea. Lemon

cranberry. The ball in her court, he waited.

“Why the change and so quick? You were happy to turn your back

on me twenty minutes ago.”

“Twenty minutes ago I was behaving like a teenager, thinking

with the other brain.” He blew out his breath. “Riding home today, I
decided you’d be so damn happy if I raised my offer from fifteen
percent to twenty that you’d jump in my arms. In my mind, I had your
naked bottom on that counter and my pants around my knees as you
screamed my name.”

She rolled her lips over her teeth and glanced down. “That’s pretty

juvenile.”

“Yeah. It’s how seventeen-year-olds think.” He snorted. “I’ll have

to remember that when Evie turns fifteen. No boy is going to treat my
daughter—”

“—Like you treated me?”
“Aw, sh–oot.” He stared at the purring cats. “Guilty as charged.

What can I say to make up for earlier?”

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“You can never take back what you said.” She spoke carefully,

each word distinct.

He’d blown it. She didn’t want him. He couldn’t think of a swear

word bad enough.

“I’m sorry, Kaela. That’s all I can say.”
“No,” she said, slowly and deliberately. “It’s not.”
He glanced up again. Though her face was blotchy, her nose and

eyes red, her beauty sang to him. “You’re so beautiful.” The words
came out before he could think.

“That’s a good start.” Her lip gave the barest twitch. “Go back to

the beginning, where you spoke of love and need.”

He dared to reach across the table and place his hand, palm up,

between them.

“You mean, how much I love you and need you in my life?”
She placed her hand on his. He curled his fingers lightly around

her palm, squeezing gently.

“Yes. But you missed something. It goes with love.”
He thought back, though it was hard to concentrate with her warm

hand in his, her bra-less chest rising and falling just across the table.
She’d been baking earlier, and she exuded a scent of cinnamon.

Whatever she meant, it went with love. A bolt of lightning lit up

his brain. He carefully brushed the cats off his lap and stood.
Shoulders back, head high, he walked around the table and dropped to
one knee in front of her. It was risky, but he had to do it. If this didn’t
bring her back to him, he didn’t know what would. He held his empty
hand forward, palm up as before. She lifted an eyebrow and stared
him straight in the eyes.

“Micheala Jones, will you marry me?”
“What about Scotty?”
“I want.” He stopped. This was not about what he wanted. “I

would like to adopt him. To be his father.”

“And Evie?”
“She’ll always be special to me, but she is legally Adam’s

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daughter.” He took a chance and winked. “I hope we might have a
couple sons or daughters of our own some day.”

Her face screwed up. She bit her lip and her eyes watered.
“Oh, damn, Kaela, don’t cry. If you don’t want me I don’t know

what I’ll do.”

She yanked him forward. He hugged her tight with both arms,

squeezing her just enough so she knew in her bones that he was there
for her.

“Yes,” she whispered, then burst into tears.
His brain whirled. Yes, she didn’t want him or, yes, she did?
“Sweetling, uh, what kind of ‘yes’ do you mean?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you. Yes, I want you to be Scotty’s daddy. And

yes, you’ll be father of our children.”

“Thank you, God!” he murmured into her hair. He backed away,

inhaled deeply, and let out a shuddering breath. He looked at her
through a sheen of tears. “And thank you, Kaela.”

He kissed each tearful eye, then her blotchy nose. Finally, he slid

his lips over hers. She moaned and opened to him, aggressively
deepening the kiss to devour him. Her hands scratched at his shirt.

“Naked,” she moaned into his mouth. “I need you naked. Now!”
“Oh, baby, I live to please.”
He ripped off his shirt and shucked his pants so fast he almost fell

over backward pulling them off. He stood in his work socks, proud
and hard in front of her. The cats scattered when he hopped on one
foot to get his pants off. He held out his hands and, when she put hers
in his, pulled her to her feet. He kissed each set of knuckles.

“One of us has too many clothes on,” he said, for she hadn’t

undone even a button.

“Then do something about it, cowboy,” she drawled. She pulled

her hands free and jammed fists on her hips, thrusting her chest high.

He moaned and ripped open her cotton blouse, buttons pinging

around the room. Her breasts spilled out. They seemed much fuller
than he remembered, the nipples extending out a thumb’s worth.

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“What about your skirt?”
She’d begun wearing loose skirts a while back, with equally-loose

blouses flopping on top. He figured it was a way to try to reduce her
sexiness. Faint hope. Even her toes turned him on.

“I’ve got nothing under—”
He dropped to his knees and flipped up her skirt.
“Oh, God,” he choked when he discovered her newly-shaven

pussy. He hoisted her onto the table. She leaned back on her elbows
and spread her legs. He dropped to his knees and inhaled her scent.
He rolled her skirt up to her waist. The fabric still covered her belly,
but all he needed was on full display.

With her mound shorn close he could see she already glistened

with wanting him. He kissed her and slid his tongue between her
naked lips. She tasted slightly different but still wonderful.

“Oh, God, that feels so good! Your tongue just slides…mmm.”
She lay back and hooked her heels on the edge of the table. It

exposed her swollen petals. Her sex looked like a pink flower touched
with morning dew. Magic.

He savored her, sliding his tongue over slippery slopes.

Investigating every fold, every curve, from front to back. Her clit
lifted its red head, demanding pleasure. He spread her lips wide,
exposing everything. Nothing like shown in porn magazines. She was
unique, her large lips long enough for him to suck deep into his
mouth. She thrust herself against him, begging for more. He stood,
placed his weeping cock an inch into paradise, and stopped.

“Condoms,” he rasped.
“Not needed.”
Right. They’d soon be married. Married people got pregnant all

the time.

Kaela, pregnant with his child? He couldn’t wait. The thought

swelled him further, and he slid into her with his purposely-naked
cock for the first time.

Naked cock, naked pussy.

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Bryan flowed into her channel as if she was made for him. He

held her ass cheeks and watched his thick, dark cock disappear into
her body. He was a piston, thrusting deep until his blond curls tickled
her naked pussy.

He tried to take it slow, but she clenched him hard. He looked at

her and she smiled, knowing what she did to him. With every in-
stroke she increased the friction, making him work to press into her
willing body.

He held her hips, broad fingers splayed over her white flesh. She

reached one hand to her breast, dropped the other at the top of her
crease.

He stared down at her Mona Lisa face. She played with herself,

nipple and clit, now and then rubbing her hand against the part of him
entering and leaving her body.

“It’s been so long and you feel so damn good. I can’t last long,”

he gasped.

She worked her fingers, north and south, an intense look on her

face. He saw the moment before he felt her spasms hit, her body
tightening around his cock. Her face squeezed tight, and she bowed
her head back, gasping her pleasure. A deep pink orgasmic flush rose
from where they were joined all the way to her face. He forced
himself not to come, to give her all the pleasure first.

She opened her eyes and panted, “I. Love. You.”
That was it. He bellowed, pounding into her as they stared at each

other, the link of eyes, of bodies, strong and hard. For the first time,
he felt his seed erupt deep within her, pumping again and again until
everything he had was hers.

She held him tight as if her need for his seed was so great she

must milk him. His orgasm set her off again, prolonging his own
ecstasy.

Finally, he collapsed, his chest heaving, his legs barely able to

hold himself up.

“Aw, sweetling, that was fantastic,” he panted. He kissed her,

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plunging his tongue deep to match the cock still throbbing inside her.
He finally laid his head on her rapidly beating heart.

“I hope we made a baby,” he said. “I can’t wait to see you swell

with our child. To see your belly full and round with our future.”

“November,” she whispered.
He looked at her. Kissed her nose.
“Why wait until November? Why not start a baby now?”
A flush rose from her chest to her hairline. She blinked like she

did when embarrassed.

“Um, there’s going to be another November birthday.”
His brain still buzzed from the amazing high, yet his cock again

stirred, wanting more.

“You’ll have to tell me, sweetling. The way my head’s buzzing,

there’s not enough blood left in my brain to think.”

She reached up and cupped his face with her small hands.
“Diane and Evie have November birthdays, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Scotty’s birthday is just before theirs.”
“Okay.”
“You’re going to be a father again by November.”
“I’m going to what?” He couldn’t breathe. His chest tightened as

if in a vise.

“Remember Missoula in the swing? Turns out I wasn’t at a safe

time after all.”

“You’re pregnant?” His voice broke on the last syllable as if he

was a scared, horny fourteen-year-old.

She nodded and bit her trembling lip.
“We’re having a baby?” He whispered the words, and then gulped

for air.

She unbuttoned the front of her skirt until her slightly rounded

belly, previously hidden by the skirt, appeared. She took his palm and
placed it on the swell. He felt nothing but warm skin, but the signs
were there once he really looked at her. Swollen breasts, thickening

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waist, the tears and mood swings. No wonder she was off coffee, just
like Candy two years earlier.

Only this time, the baby was all his. The name “Raman” would go

on the birth certificate. Kaela might want to keep her maiden name for
her business, but she’d damned well be Mrs. Raman at home.

“We’re having a baby!”
Nothing but a slight curve showed that he helped to create a

miracle. But Missoula was back at the end of February.

He pulled out and backed away. She reached to cover herself, but

he stopped her.

“If I didn’t come back to the kitchen tonight, would you have told

me?” He hid his hurt and forced the question out. He couldn’t marry
her without knowing what might have been.

“Yes, Bryan, I would,” she said, “and you know it. You’re not like

Scotty’s useless sperm donor. You’re a man of honor. Don’t be angry
because I waited.”

“I’m not angry.” He sighed. “If anything, I’m hurt you hid

something so important. When were you going to tell me?”

“I wanted to wait until I safely passed the three month mark, until

I was fairly sure I wouldn’t lose the baby” Her voice trailed off when
he stared at her.

“I would have insisted we marry, knowing you carried my child.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why I couldn’t say anything.”
“What? Is this feminine logic? Because I don’t get it.”
She sat up and pulled her clothes over her nakedness.
“I wanted to know you loved me. That you didn’t ask me to marry

you just because of our baby. Do you understand why?”

If he pushed her to marry just because of a baby, she’d always

resent him. If, that is, she even agreed to marry him. This way was
clean. No regrets.

“Yeah.” He leaned down and kissed her, not with wild passion,

but with love and tenderness. “But next time, tell me right away,
okay?”

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She circled his neck with her arms and pulled him close. Her

breasts pressed against his chest. He stepped between her legs,
grabbing her ass to pull her against his rising cock.

“Next time, you’d better pay attention to me so I don’t need to

tell you.” She pulled him into another kiss, this one more sensuous.

“How many children do you want?” he asked, coming up for air.
“I was a lonely child. I want Scotty to have brothers and sisters.”
“Are we talking a pair or a posse? Give me a hint, woman.” He

distracted her by latching onto her nipple. The kitchen was cool, and
he didn’t want her to take a chill. Though he was naked, he radiated
heat like a furnace. Especially when Kaela was naked.

“Mmmm, that’s nice.” She gasped when he nibbled, squirming

until he released her. “With Scotty, we’ll have a pair before
Christmas.”

“I’ve got a pair right here,” he said, warming her breasts with his

hands.

“How many are there in a posse?”
“As many as possible.” He shrugged. “At least three or four.”
She drew him close and kissed the corner of his lip. “Sounds good

to me.”

“How ’bout a Double R baseball team. Nine kids plus a couple

coaches.” He laughed at her wide-eyed expression of horror.

“Whoa, boy,” she said. “Let’s take this one at a time.”
He kissed her belly where their son or daughter grew. “Be safe,

little one,” he whispered. “I love your ma and I already love you.”

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Chapter Twenty

Bryan whistled as he saddled up his mount the next morning.

He’d woken before the sun, Kaela wrapped around him. He kissed her
awake, planning to celebrate the morning. Instead, she raced for the
bathroom while he ran for the crackers in her bedroom. He’d
forgotten the joys of pregnancy.

“Somebody got lucky last night.” Adam entered the barn, a mug

of steaming coffee in each hand.

“Wasn’t just last night. I got lucky when that clerk messed up my

reservation and dumped me in with a guy named Mike.”

Bryan lifted his saddle onto the padded blanket. He settled it in

place and fastened the girth buckles before accepting his bronc-riding
mug from Adam. He sipped, sighing his thanks. Kaela’s stomach
didn’t encourage him to drink his morning coffee anywhere near her.

“You and Kaela made up?”
“Yep.”
“Fifty-fifty?”
“Yep.” He set the half-empty mug aside and reached for the

bridle. He knew Adam was pissed at him but didn’t say anything. Let
the man stew.

“Dammit, Bry, is Kaela staying or is Candy going to make my life

miserable?”

“All three are staying. Permanently.” For once Bryan had the

chance to string Adam along, and he was going to milk it for
everything he could.

“Three? There’s Kaela, Scotty and who else? You?”
“Nope.”

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“Who, then?”
“Don’t know yet.”
Adam grabbed his shoulder, pulled him around, and pushed his

back against the wooden wall. “Tell me what the hell is going on
before I bust your gut with my fist,” he hissed.

Bryan just grinned at him.
“Damn, you know I can’t punch you out in the barn. But later on,

you’ll pay for this.”

“Can’t figure it out, huh?”
Adam stepped back. “Kaela agreed to marry you.” He waited for

Bryan’s nod. “You’re going to adopt Scotty.”

Another nod. Adam picked his mug up again. Stared at it.
“You didn’t make the coffee before you went out. The first one up

always makes the coffee.”

“Except when?” Bryan lifted his eyebrows and shook his head,

hands out in a “duh” motion.

“Except when Candy was...” Adam’s jaw dropped. He snapped it

shut and swallowed. “Kaela’s pregnant?”

“Took you long enough, you sorry bastard.”
“How?”
“Geeze, how the hell do you think?”
Adam slapped the side of Bryan’s head before he could duck.
“Ow!” Bryan rubbed his head. The pain was nothing more than a

sting. He’d take a lot more for the fun of making Adam lose it.

“Do I have to beat it out of you?”
“Remember that night in Missoula when you asked me for a

condom so you could do Candy in the swing?”

“Remember the swing,” Adam grinned. “Don’t remember you.”
“I’d just exploded inside Kaela, totally forgetting about protection

until your question. Turns out my fiancée is a fertile little rabbit.” He
couldn’t help feeling smug. He was two-for-two, missing a condom
only once with Candy on purpose and once with Kaela by a blessed
mistake.

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“When?”
“November, just like the twins.”
“And the wedding?”
Bryan shook his head. “You think I have any say in that when

there’s two women involved?”

“Right,” said Adam, nodding. “Remember the fuss Candy made

over what could have been a five minute stop at the courthouse?”

“Exactly.”
Adam gathered both empty mugs and turned to go.
“Don’t forget to act surprised when Candy tells you her news

about Kaela,” said Bryan.

Adam turned back. “You trying to tell an old married man how to

keep his wife happy?”

“She’s been like a wife to me, too, boyo. So, yes.”
“And now I’ll be sharing your wife.” Adam sauntered off, a spring

in his step.

“Watch it, you horny bastard,” called Bryan. Adam gave him the

finger and sped up, heading straight for the house.

Bryan led his horse outside, tightened the girth, and rose into the

saddle. He left the house with Kaela zonked out in their bed. Between
the relief of knowing she’d be staying where she and Scotty were
loved and the exhaustion of weeks, even years of worry, he figured
she’d sleep most of the day. Adam might push his buttons, but he
wouldn’t intrude between a man and his fiancée.

Unless invited, of course.
Bryan sat tall, left hand lightly holding the reins. A slight lip

twitch was the only sign of the erotic fantasy he began planning as he
rode. The wind whipped around him, but Kaela’s heat would keep
him warm for some time.

She’d be there with Scotty, waiting for him to return.
A heavy weight lifted from his shoulders as he rode across the

land. His family’s land. Four loving adults and their children, carrying
on the traditions of six generations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I work full time, commuting to the city from our few acres of

rocks, meadow and trees where we’ve lived for over twenty years. I
have a wonderful husband and two near-grown sons who do a lot to
keep our family going, allowing me to pursue my second career, of
writing.

The other two members of the family, the cat and dog, prefer to

interfere. The cat stomps on my character and plot charts and the dog
insists I’d be far better off going for a walk than sitting for six hours
straight at my computer.

As to where I get my ideas, characters and their situations create

themselves, emerging from the back of my brain where everything I
read, see or experience percolates. When I sit down to write, what
happens is beyond my conscious control.

I hope you enjoy the result.

Also by Reece Butler

Cowboy Sandwich

Available at

BOOKSTRAND.COM