Kaden & Keegan (The Walkers of Coyote Ridge Book 9)

by Nicole Edwards

  Unable to resist touching her, tasting her, Kaden brushed her hair aside, leaned down, pressed his lips to her neck. He sucked and licked while his hands slid beneath her sweater, gliding up her silky-smooth skin, cupping her breasts. More moans escaped her, mixing with the music playing softly in the truck.

  “Please,” Bristol whimpered, leaning into him, arching her back. “Touch me, Kaden. Don’t stop touchin’ me.”

  “Are you cold?” he whispered.

  “No.”

  Neither was he. Funny how the chill in the air seemed to disappear completely as their body heat increased.

  “Lift up your sweater,” he instructed, nipping her earlobe.

  When she did, Kaden tugged down the cups of her bra, plumped her tits in his hands, and felt his brother’s chin brush his fingers when Keegan leaned down to take her nipple into his mouth.

  “Oh, God,” she sighed, tilting her head so Kaden could continue gliding his lips over her neck.

  She was so damn hot, but he’d expected no less. For the past couple of years, he had watched Bristol. Yes, she was good at hiding all the heat and spark beneath her cool demeanor, but he had always suspected it was there. He wondered what had prompted her to take on the role of caretaker, the woman who would do anything for others but rarely did anything for herself. She did it so well, he doubted she even realized how much she neglected her own needs, her own desires.

  And yes, he understood she was using this as a distraction, a way to avoid the pressing issues. These two were good at that. They’d rather be making out than talking. As much as it bothered him, there was no way Kaden could resist being a part of it.

  When Keegan stood tall, Kaden straightened, their eyes meeting over her head. Kaden tried to get a feel for what his brother’s intentions were. They had to be careful with Bristol. This wasn’t some woman they intended to pleasure and send on her way. What happened between the three of them mattered. It mattered more than anything else as far as Kaden was concerned. He’d spent so much time aching for her, but it went further than mere lust. He wanted a future with Bristol, and the easiest way to fuck that up was to take things too far in a situation that she didn’t find comfortable. Regardless of how willing she was in the moment.

  Keegan nodded and Kaden managed to relax. They were on the same page. Keegan was on to her, too, knew she was acting different than usual. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it often backfired. Those reckless moments had to be reined in eventually, and that was usually accomplished by being slammed with overwhelming regret.

  However, it appeared Bristol had plans of her own, proven when she turned in his arms, straddling his thighs, her arms wreathing his neck as she brought his mouth to hers. No way could he resist her, so he fused his lips to hers, slowing her down in the process, taking control with Keegan’s help.

  “I’m burnin’ alive,” she whispered against his mouth. “I don’t know what y’all do to me, Kaden, but … I feel like I’m gonna go insane if you don’t touch me.”

  There was a desperation in her tone, a plea that he couldn’t ignore.

  Did he like that she wasn’t eager to get back to her house behind closed doors? Yes. Truth was, he was similar to Keegan in that he enjoyed the riskier side of things. He merely refrained from taking too many chances. He left that to his brother because Keegan was the reckless one, not him.

  But it didn’t mean he was a prude.

  It took some effort, but Kaden managed to move backward, sliding farther into the bed of the truck, onto the blanket. He brought Bristol with him, never breaking the kiss. He relished the way her hands snaked beneath his shirt, roaming over his back. Her fingers were soft and cool against his overheated skin, her body pliant. He could’ve spent the rest of his life right here, in the bed of his truck, this woman in his arms.

  When Keegan tapped his shoulder, Kaden eased down onto the blanket, bringing Bristol with him. It wasn’t the most comfortable place to lay out, but with her so hot, so eager, discomfort was the last thing on his mind. In an effort to include Keegan, he rolled so Bristol was on her side, her leg curled around his as though she didn’t want him to move away. God, he’d waited so damn long for this, to have her wanting him the same way he wanted her. They were so close, but he sensed she wanted to be closer. He understood her need because he felt it, too. Kaden wanted this woman with a passion that rivaled all. When she began grinding against his thigh, he knew what she needed, knew the best way to give it to her.

  Kaden pulled his mouth from hers, urged her onto her back while he began unbuttoning her jeans, lowering the zipper. Keegan was on her other side, his mouth sealing to hers while they inhaled one another. With his brother’s help, they got her jeans down to her knees, her panties going with them. And then their fingers began to explore her tender folds, teasing, the two of them working in tandem to bring her the pleasure she sought.

  Bristol pulled back from Keegan, her back bowing, eyes closing as she writhed so beautifully between them. And when they each dipped two fingers inside her at the same time, she came with a beautiful cry that Kaden knew he would be hearing in his dreams for days to come.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Saturday night found Bristol sitting on her couch with her Kindle in her hand, an attempt to get lost in some fictional romance. Unfortunately, she continued to reread the same page over and over, her thoughts drifting to the encounter last night in the bed of Kaden’s truck.

  She still couldn’t believe she’d done something so risqué. And she’d done her best to dissect it, to figure out how they’d gotten her distracted enough that it didn’t matter that they were outside. But try as she might, she couldn’t place the blame squarely on them. Bristol had been the one to practically jump Kaden’s bones, begging and pleading for him to touch her.

  She breathed in a choppy breath as memories flooded her. Their hands on her, their fingers in her. They’d brought her to orgasm with only their skilled fingers. More than once, at that.

  Her body heated and she smiled.

  The knock on her front door startled her out of her daydreams, had her hopping to her feet.

  She exhaled with relief as she marched through the house, hoping against hope that it was Kaden and Keegan because she hadn’t seen them since last night. After they’d returned to her house, they had come up with some excuse as to why they couldn’t spend the night, and she’d pretended to be okay with it. And today they hadn’t made plans to do anything, but if she was lucky, that would change.

  The truth was, she missed them. She might’ve gotten used to not sleeping alone in her bed.

  Without bothering to look, she yanked open the door. “Well, I did not expect—” Bristol stopped, stared, frowned. “Bianca. What are you doin’ here?”

  Her best friend’s eyes narrowed.

  Was that … anger making them brighter?

  Without waiting for an invitation, Bianca marched right into the house, leaving Bristol no choice but to close the door and face her friend.

  “I told you I couldn’t go out tonight,” she said quickly.

  Bianca glanced around as though she hadn’t been there before then settled her gaze on Bristol.

  Oh, yeah, her friend was definitely perturbed.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Bianca asked, her words soft but laced with something. Hurt, maybe?

  “Tell you what?”

  Bianca’s stare shifted to disbelief. “Are you serious right now, Bristol?”

  “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” It was the truth, even though she suspected her best friend had figured out she was spending all her spare time with Kaden and Keegan and she was here to give her crap about it.

  Bianca took a step forward. “When did you find out?”

  “Find out what?” she asked, her tone reflecting her growing frustration.

  “That you’re pregnant!” Bianca bit out.

  Bristol inhaled sharply, took a step back. “How…? How did you find out?”<
br />
  “Word travels. And I can’t believe I wasn’t the first person you told.” Her eyebrow lifted. “Well, after Kaden and Keegan, that is.”

  Bristol was pretty sure this was what a panic attack felt like. Her chest was tight; air felt like sand coating her lungs as she tried to draw it in.

  “Nothin’ to say to that?” Bianca asked, hands going to her hips.

  She couldn’t speak. Her mind was already running a marathon, attempting to figure out how she was going to manage this crisis. She was going to be the talk of the town. No doubt by Monday there would be concerned parents pulling kids out of the daycare. Who could blame them? They didn’t want some irresponsible woman in charge of their children. God. And Stephanie Hennessy. That woman was going to have a field day with this, probably spread the news far and wide just to hurt her.

  “Did they tell you?” Bristol demanded when she could form words.

  “Who?”

  “Kaden and Keegan.” Bristol ground her molars together. They’d promised. They’d sworn to her they wouldn’t tell anyone until she was ready.

  The liars.

  Tears sprang to her eyes, welling up and spilling over.

  “Hey.” Bianca was instantly in front of her, pulling her in for a hug. “It’s gonna be all right. You know we’re all here for you, right? You don’t have to do this alone.”

  Pulling back because she didn’t want to be coddled right now, Bristol swiped the tears with her hand.

  “How could they?” she muttered, marching to the kitchen. “They promised.”

  “So it’s true? You’re pregnant?” Bianca asked, her voice a tad softer than before.

  Bristol turned to face her. “Who did you tell?”

  Bianca frowned. “No one. God. I just heard.”

  “From who?”

  She could tell Bianca didn’t want to tell her, but Bristol waited her out.

  “Rachel,” Bianca finally said.

  “Rachel? At the diner?” Bristol spun away. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God.”

  Panic set in again.

  “They told her,” she bit out. “They told everyone. How could they do this to me? They promised.”

  “Okay. Calm down.” Bianca’s hands settled on her shoulder. “Bristol, it’s gonna be all right. Take a breath.”

  “It’s not!” she shouted. “It’s not gonna be okay! How can it be? I’m screwing twins. I’m gonna be the girl everyone looks at, the one everyone’s whispering about.”

  Oh, yeah, she was pretty sure she was going to be sick.

  Violently ill.

  “Sit,” Bianca snapped, shoving Bristol into one of the kitchen chairs and then pushing her head down between her knees. “Breathe, Bristol. Calm. Down.”

  Easy for her to say.

  Her head popped back up. “I have to call them.”

  Bristol was on her feet, stomping toward the living room where she’d left her phone.

  She found Kaden’s number first, hit the button to make the call.

  “Yeah?”

  His gruff tone had her pausing for a moment.

  “It’s Bristol,” she told him, sure he hadn’t recognized who was calling.

  “I know. What do you need?”

  Her heart was in her throat. He’d never been curt like that before. Not with her. That was something reserved for Keegan.

  Shit. Maybe she’d gotten their numbers mixed up.

  “Kaden?”

  “Yeah. What do you need, Bristol?”

  “Why’d you do it?” she blurted, ignoring the concern niggling at her brain. “Why’d you tell people? You promised me you wouldn’t.”

  “What are you talkin’ about?”

  “The baby? Half the town knows now.”

  Okay, so that was not something she knew for a fact, but it did help to drive home her point.

  “I didn’t tell anyone,” he said firmly. “You asked us not to. No. Amend that. You told us not to. So we haven’t.”

  “Keegan did then,” she insisted.

  “We haven’t told anyone. Not even our fucking parents, Bristol. What’s goin’ on?”

  Tears sprang to her eyes.

  How could this be happening? No one was supposed to know. Not until she figured out how to deal with it herself. Not until she was certain she could handle the curious stares and all the questions that would no doubt arise when people found out she was pregnant, and she didn’t know who the father was because she’d slept with them both. At the same freaking time.

  “I can’t believe y’all did this to me,” she whispered, her chest aching. “You promised.”

  “We didn’t do this,” he snapped, his anger apparent. “Maybe it was someone else you told.”

  “I didn’t tell anyone else!” Bristol took a deep breath. “I’ve gotta go.”

  She hung up the phone, not wanting to hear him deny it anymore. No one else knew that she was pregnant. No one—

  Except…

  “Oh, God.” Bristol fumbled for the chair and took a seat. “Rex knows.”

  Bianca was still standing in her kitchen, staring at her like she’d lost her mind. It was a good possibility she had.

  “You told Rex but not me?” Bianca looked … apoplectic at that realization.

  “No. I mean, yes. I told him. I needed his perspective.”

  “Right. Perspective.” Bianca turned toward the door. “Now I know exactly where I fit in around here.”

  “Wait,” Bristol called out.

  “No. I’ve said my piece. I’m done.”

  “You can’t be mad at me!” Bristol insisted, shooting to her feet and stomping into the living room, where Bianca was reaching for the doorknob.

  “Can’t I?” Bianca spun around. “I’ve spent the past month trying to figure out what’s goin’ on with you. We all have. We’ve been there for you, damn it. And you were keeping this secret from us. I thought we were best friends, Bristol.”

  “This isn’t about you.”

  Bianca gave a curt nod. “Clearly. It’s all about you. Just like it’s been for a really long time.” She sighed. “Like I said, I’m done.”

  With that, her friend walked out of the house, leaving Bristol to stare after her.

  An hour later, Bristol was lying in her darkened bedroom, eyes swollen and scratchy but wide open. Try as she might, she couldn’t sleep, her thoughts continuing to drift to Kaden and Keegan. To being seen with them in public. The stares the looks.

  No doubt about it, she would be slated as the town slut.

  For the first time, she was grateful her father wasn’t around to see it. Heaven forbid he find out his daughter was a trampy whore who spread her legs for more than one man at a time.

  Her chest tightened, her stomach lurched. What had she done? That one night, her lapse in judgement, it was going to taint the rest of her life. She would have to explain not only to those who knew her but also to her child that she was not the woman she’d prided herself in being. Bristol had spent her life attempting to set a good example only to screw it up.

  And to think, she’d somehow managed to overcome Baxter’s betrayal. For the longest time, she’d gotten sympathetic glances from everyone she knew, everyone feeling sorry for the girl who couldn’t keep her man happy.

  A sob tore free and she rolled over, hugging her pillow tight to her chest.

  What made it worse was the fact that she wished Kaden and Keegan were there, holding her, assuring her, helping her through this.

  But they weren’t here and she seriously doubted they would be ever again. Not after the way she handled things. Her reaction to people finding out she was pregnant … it was inexcusable.

  Bristol’s stomach lurched again and she breathed in deeply. Slowly. In, out.

  She honestly didn’t know what was worse: the town finding out or her losing Kaden and Keegan for good.

  Both were enough to keep her stomach in chaos.

  *

  “What the hell was that about?” Keegan asked, j
oining Kaden in the kitchen.

  “She accused us of spreadin’ the news about the baby,” Kaden told his brother as he stared at the refrigerator, debating on whether he was going to have a beer or something harder. Right now, the latter was looking damn good.

  “To who?”

  “Accordin’ to her, the whole town.” Kaden could still hear the fear in her voice, as though someone finding out was the end of the world.

  “We haven’t even told Mom and Dad yet,” Keegan stated firmly. “And trust me when I say I’ve been damn close to callin’ them about a dozen times.”

  Yeah. Kaden knew the feeling. They were the first people he wanted to share the news with, but out of respect for Bristol, he’d refrained. Well, that and he’d been hopeful they would attend the sonogram with her so they’d have some first pictures of the baby to share with their parents. However, if word got around before…

  “We’re gonna have to tell ’em now,” he told Keegan. “If word spreads to Eve, she’ll go straight to them first.”

  Keegan sighed. “I was hopin’ to wait until we saw the sonogram. Figured we could give the details. You know Mom’s gonna ask.”

  Yes, she would. She would want to know the expected due date, the sex of the baby. All that good stuff. Just thinking about it had Kaden’s chest warming. They were having a baby with Bristol. It was probably stupid, but the idea of it made him hopeful.

  “We have to go talk to her,” Kaden decided.

  “Then what’re we waitin’ for?”

  Twenty minutes later, Kaden pulled his truck into Bristol’s driveway directly behind Keegan’s. Bristol was still driving it because they hadn’t gotten around to fixing her car yet, although the parts had come in midweek. It was on his list of things to do, but he’d been caught up in other things this week. Like work, renovations, his overwhelming thoughts about their shaky relationship with Bristol. He’d procrastinated because he knew her car gave him an excuse to talk to her if it came down to it.