“Son of a bitch,” Keegan grunted, yanking the headset off his head and tossing it onto the coffee table.
“We need to talk,” Kaden said the moment he had his brother’s attention.
“If it’s not about the ranch, it’s not a topic I care to discuss.”
Which meant Keegan already knew Kaden was ready to talk about Bristol.
“We can’t avoid this forever.”
“Sure we can. It’s what we do with all the women who pass through our beds.”
Kaden stared over at Keegan, his frustration building. “And just how many women do we take to our beds?”
“Not nearly enough, man.”
“Keegan, I’m serious.”
His brother’s gaze swung over. Keegan looked pissed, but that had been what Kaden was going for. He knew Keegan was angry over what had happened the other night, about how he’d reacted. What Kaden didn’t understand was why he was so hell-bent on sabotaging a good thing.
“Bristol didn’t deserve what you said to her,” he said, broaching the subject.
“Yeah, well, I only spoke the truth. You know as well as I do that she can’t handle it.”
He held on to his temper, knowing it would get him nowhere. “She’s important, Keeg.”
“Yeah? Well, I thought so, too. Then what’d she do? Ignored us for ten months and then hopped right into bed with us only to haul ass when things got too hot.”
Kaden hated that Keegan was attempting to cheapen what they’d shared, but he knew his brother and he knew there was only one reason he would do that. Had it been a run-of-the-mill experience, Keegan would’ve looked back on it fondly, brought it up a few times before it died a natural death. Something along the lines of: Hey, remember that hot chick we had sandwiched between us? What was her name? Eh. Doesn’t matter. Damn, but I liked the way she screamed. Or: What was that girl’s name? We should look her up again, see if she wants to get nekkid.
That was what Keegan did. The encounters they had with women weren’t exactly memorable, but they weren’t forgettable, either. Except that was exactly what Keegan was doing with Bristol. Putting her in the past as though he needed her to stay there.
Kaden never knew what to expect from Keegan, but he wasn’t all that surprised that his brother had written Bristol off. In a way, he understood his reasons, even though he couldn’t bring himself to do the same.
That night with her had sealed his fate. It might take time, but he had every intention of getting in her good graces once again and convincing her that, despite evidence to the contrary, they weren’t jackasses. And he fully intended to do so with Keegan at his side. They had vowed never to let a woman come between them, and Kaden wasn’t about to start now.
But that didn’t mean he had to give up the one woman who made sense in their lives, the one he could see a real future with. Bristol was different from Kim or Meredith. Kaden had never been as into them as he’d tried to be, because deep down, he had known they weren’t fully on board with the idea of living a life with two men. He had a feeling Bristol saw them as a whole, not as individuals. Which was something else they would have to deal with when the time was right, but first he had to get the three of them back to where they were.
Sooner rather than later would be nice, but Kaden was purposely holding off. No one knew Keegan better than he did, and if he were to move too quickly, it would only set Keegan off. But he wasn’t an idiot. He knew Keegan’s attitude problem was directly related to that night. More accurately, to what he’d realized that night: that he had feelings for Bristol.
Only something intense and emotional could get Keegan to react in such a rude manner, especially with a woman. Kaden had to suspect his brother was as in love with Bristol as he was.
Question was: would Keegan accept it?
Bigger question: could they convince Bristol?
*
“What are you workin’ on?”
Travis looked up from his computer screen, watching as Kylie stepped into his home office. His wife looked tired and perhaps a bit stressed, something he’d noticed was happening quite frequently as of late. He figured he was to blame for some of it, thanks to his obsession with finding Juliet Prince.
“Research.” He closed his laptop, pushed back from his desk, and patted his knee, using the distraction as a way of escaping himself for a little while. “Come here.”
Kylie strolled over, brushing her hair back from her face before settling on his lap, her head instantly dropping to his shoulder.
“We missed you yesterday,” she said softly.
Travis grunted. He didn’t know what to say to that. He’d gone and done the one thing he promised himself he wouldn’t. He had allowed something else to keep him from his family. He’d managed all these years not to get sidetracked by his business, and here he was, letting some crazy bitch throw him off his game. Unfortunately, he had the feeling it was going to get worse before it got better.
“I finally got Avery down,” Kylie added when he didn’t say anything.
“She still runnin’ a fever?”
“Right at a hundred. Doc said it’s an ear infection.” She sighed. “I was so scared she was gonna tell me it was strep, and I’d wake up tomorrow to find out the rest of ’em had it.”
Travis brushed her forehead with his lips. They’d been through this numerous times before. Both ear infections and strep throat tended to run their course through the kiddos nearly every time one of them came down with them. And it had only been a few days ago when Haden had been running a fever.
“Antibiotics?” he asked.
“Yep. Hopefully she’ll sleep through the night.”
“Well, you let me and Gage worry about that.”
“I don’t think I have a choice,” she said with a yawn. “I’m so tired.” She shifted. “How’d Kate do today?”
Travis relaxed into his chair, curling his arm around her. “Better. I dropped her with Ethan and Beau for a bit. They made her the honorary babysitter. She spent a couple of hours bein’ the boss.”
“She gets that from you,” Kylie said with a chuckle. “Wantin’ to be the boss.”
Yes, she did. And like him, she was good at it.
“She had a good time with Kaden and Keegan, too,” Kylie continued. “They took her to McDonald’s. Stayed with her the entire time.” Kylie laughed. “You should hear Kate tell how Keegan was climbin’ all through that indoor playscape. Guy’s a nut.”
He was. But Keegan was damn good with kids, and Travis was grateful the twins were there for Kate when she needed them.
“I think she’s gettin’ better every day,” Kylie mused.
According to the psychologist they were seeing, it would take time before Kate felt completely safe again. She didn’t seem to have any issues provided one of them was with her, but she still refused to go to school. Luckily, homeschooling was an option for them, and Kylie had spent the past couple of weeks getting it all set up. Until Kate was ready to get back into the swing of things, they would do what was necessary to accommodate. Travis didn’t blame his daughter for not trusting the adults who had been responsible for her safety when she’d been kidnapped a few weeks back. Hell, Travis didn’t trust the damn school.
Not that it was entirely their fault. Juliet Prince had clearly had one goal in mind when she’d set out that morning. Hurting him had been her objective, and evidently, she would go to any lengths to do so, proven when she’d snatched Kate, then simply vanished. The fact that his cousin had managed to track her down and get Kate back quickly was the only reason Travis hadn’t lost his ever-loving mind.
He wouldn’t say he was doing much better now. Perhaps he was worse off than he’d been then. Even he would admit he was obsessed, and it wasn’t a good look for him. His family was suffering because of it, yet Travis couldn’t find his way back from the edge. Not until she was dealt with appropriately.
He hated that he wasn’t any closer to finding her than he had been when he fi
rst started, but that only made him work harder, putting in endless hours doing research. At some point, she would surface. Of that, he was certain. If only his patience wasn’t worn thin. He was pretty sure he was driving his cousin Brantley crazy with the incessant voicemails telling him he needed his help.
Kylie’s hand shifted over his chest. “I think I need to take a shower.”
Travis kissed her forehead, ready to release her so she could go do that.
Evidently, she had other plans, because she leaned in, her lips grazing his neck. The sensation that tore through his body set him ablaze.
“Shower with me, Travis,” she whispered, trailing kisses along his jaw. “Let’s escape it all for just a little while.”
“Where’s Gage?”
“Watchin’ Frozen with the kids.”
Again? Good Lord. They’d seen it at least three dozen times.
Of course, with them engrossed in the animated movie and supervised, that meant they had some time to themselves, which was unheard of these days. With five kids, there was rarely any spare minutes for them to be alone unless they were in bed for the night. Even then it was touch-and-go.
Travis knew better than to pass up an opportunity such as this one.
Shifting Kylie on his lap, he cupped her ass with both hands and got to his feet. Her legs wrapped around his hips as her lips melded to his.
Without breaking the lip-lock, Travis carried her out of his office, through the foyer, up the stairs, and down the hall to their bedroom. With a swift kick, he got the door closed behind him and made his way into the bathroom. Setting Kylie on the edge of the sink, he made quick work of turning on the shower and toeing off his boots before returning to her.
When her arms wrapped around him, there was an urgency in her movements, very similar to the need he felt building inside him. His was motivated by that restless energy. As for hers, he wasn’t sure what was spurring it, but he was certainly on board.
“Kylie…”
“Now, Travis,” she moaned against his mouth, her hands sliding beneath his shirt, shoving the cotton up high on his chest.
He helped her along, tugging the T-shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor. While he did the same with hers, she ripped at the button on his fly, yanking it open, then tugging the zipper down.
They were a fumble of hands as they hurried to get the other undressed. Once they were both naked, Travis set her on the counter again, holding her right on the edge as he guided himself inside her, pleasure lighting up his nerve endings as the tight clasp of her body sheathed him.
Kylie moaned, her lips tearing free as he pushed inside her, retreated slowly. She leaned back against the mirror, their eyes meeting as he thrust into her hard and deep.
“God yes,” she cried out. “Like that. Just … like that, Trav. Make me come.”
He didn’t know the last time he’d seen her come apart like this, but he loved that about Kylie. She wasn’t shy when it came to what she wanted. As time had gone by, she’d become more vocal, more insistent with her own sexual needs, ensuring both he and Gage knew what she needed. And while he could’ve made love to her a dozen times a day, it was moments like this one when she had him hanging by a fragile thread.
Gripping her hips to hold her in place, Travis thrust into her, filling her. His pace increased, her beautiful tits bouncing with every punishing impalement. The tight clasp of her pussy drove him mad, made his spine tingle, his inevitable release within reach.
“Harder,” she pleaded, grabbing for him, her arms wreathing his neck.
Travis lifted her off the counter, spun around, and pressed her back to the door. He held her there, nailing her hard and deep until they were both panting and moaning. His thighs burned with the effort, but it was a sweet heat because he was right where he wanted to be.
“Trav… oh, God…”
Kylie’s inner muscles clamped down on him, dragging a ragged groan from his throat as he held on for as long as he could. But when her head fell back, hitting the door with a thud, he knew he was a goner. Her pussy gripped him like a vise, milking him as she cried out in that sensual way she did. He gritted his teeth, drove into her several more times, until holding back was no longer an option. He slammed home as his body jerked and spasmed, filling her in the most intimate of ways.
They were both breathing hard, but Travis didn’t move. He wasn’t sure he could.
When Kylie chuckled, her muscles gripped him again, making him groan.
“We really do need that shower now,” she said, pressing her lips to his cheek.
It was in the shower that Travis took her once more. Because they both had needed it.
Chapter Ten
First thing Monday morning, Keegan dragged Kaden down to the bank. They managed to get there a few minutes before the doors opened, and every second Keegan waited felt like eons.
The giddy feeling, he realized, was more like anxiety than hope. At some point during the night, he’d woken up in a cold sweat, dreaming that the bank had turned them down flat, refusing to give them a loan for the property. With a few callous words, the woman in his dream had dashed all his hopes.
He’d been almost tempted to say fuck it, to tell Kaden he’d changed his mind. Last thing he needed was another letdown. Right now, he wasn’t sure he could deal with the bad news.
At the same time, this was his dream. No way could he let his anxiety take him down.
Of course, he was damn good at hiding it, so he plastered on a smile, shoved a nuked breakfast burrito and a mug of lukewarm coffee at his brother, and forced him out the door. To keep from fidgeting, Keegan had driven, managing somehow to not break any traffic laws on the way to town.
Fortunately, the bank wasn’t busy at that time of morning, and they’d managed to wrangle a meeting with the bank manager without an appointment. At least, that was what Kaden had told him. Then again, the bank manager—who just so happened to be related to them—was the only other person working besides one teller. There wasn’t another soul inside the building, so there weren’t exactly people knocking down the door for a loan.
They’d been directed into this office, offered more coffee—which they had both refused—and were now waiting for the manager to appear. It took everything in him not to hyperventilate.
Keegan heard footsteps seconds before a familiar voice said, “I heard it through the grapevine that you boys are lookin’ to buy Tuck’s ranch.”
“We are,” Keegan said with a grin, letting some of that repressed hope out in his voice.
And then there were three in the small office, which couldn’t have been more than eight by eight if an inch, held little more than a single desk, two uncomfortable guest chairs, one executive chair, a printer, a computer, and now the bank manager, Griffin Walker, one of their many cousins.
“You realize who your neighbor’ll be, don’t you?”
“Who?” Keegan inquired, glancing between Kaden and Griffin.
“My brother,” Griffin said, leaning back in his chair. “Brantley lives next door to ol’ Tuck.”
“Did you know that?” Keegan asked Kaden.
“I did.” His brother grinned. “And I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
“Didn’t figure it would.” Griffin glanced between them, his expression shifting to serious. He held that look for several seconds before a grin broke out on his face and he looked at Kaden. “Sorry, man. I tried.”
Keegan wasn’t sure he understood. He’d heard sorry, but it was said with a chuckle. That didn’t mean bad news, did it?
“What’s goin’ on?” Keegan asked, fear once more trickling into his bloodstream.
Griffin leaned back in his chair, his grin widening. “Congrats.”
Keegan frowned. “For what?”
“It’s yours if you want it.”
How the hell could that be possible? They were here to fill out the application, go through the process. All the bullshit Keegan wasn’t looking forward to but knew
was necessary.
Keegan peered over at Kaden. “What’s he talkin’ about?”
Griffin chuckled. “You didn’t tell him you applied for the loan already?”
“No.” Kaden exhaled heavily. “Figured I’d let it be a surprise.”
Why that surprised him, Keegan didn’t know. That sounded just like Kaden. Always one step ahead, the expected outcome in sight.
“It’s ours?” Keegan asked, his gaze darting between the two of them.
“Well, provided the appraisal comes back, which, based on the asking price, I can’t imagine it won’t.” Griffin glanced between them again. “We are lookin’ for twenty percent down.”
“Twenty percent?” Keegan pulled the paper Griffin laid out toward him. “Holy shit.”
That was a lot of damn money.
“We’re good for it,” Kaden said, his voice oddly reassuring.
“We are?”
Another laugh from Griffin as he stared at Kaden. “I take it you’re the money man.”
“I have to be. Otherwise, we’d own stock in Xbox and not much else.”
Keegan probably should’ve been offended by that, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. The ranch was theirs.
“It’s my understanding Tuck’s movin’ to Wyoming with his kids,” Kaden said. “There gonna be a problem with him signin’ the papers from there?”
“We’ll get it all worked out. I will need to get his John Hancock on a few things so we can get started processing the paperwork, but I’ve already talked to him. I called him up yesterday when I saw the application come through. I’ll meet with him this afternoon, get things underway.”
“What do you need from us?” Kaden asked.
While his brother and his cousin chatted it up, Keegan continued to stare at the paper in front of him. The one that had his and his brother’s names as the buyers for Tuck’s ranch. He was grateful Kaden was there to take care of the details, because he wasn’t sure he could do much of anything besides stare.
Kaden & Keegan (The Walkers of Coyote Ridge Book 9) Page 15
