by Kim Fox
“A personality change,” she says with a grin.
I pull out her business card and look down at it. “Is that a service you offer?”
She laughs.
Our eyes meet again, but there’s no hardness in hers anymore. Maybe I’m getting somewhere.
“There’s my check,” she says as she stares into my eyes with a heated look. “I guess I’ll see you around, Tito.”
She reaches out and touches my forearm as she passes and for the second time today, I nearly faint.
Two
Ronin
A flash of jealousy passes through me when I see Zoe laughing with Tito. He has his shirt off, of course, but I guess that’s not such a bad thing. His torso looks exactly the same as mine with the same hard chest and shredded abs. If she’s seen his body, she’ll know what mine looks like too.
I know it’s stupid to feel jealous. We’re twins and in this together. If she doesn’t like Tito, then I’ll have no shot with her either. Our girl, the girl, has to like us both if we’re ever going to complete the triad.
But still, my stomach hardens when I see them together. The way she’s watching him… desire is dripping from her eyes.
Tito is the funny one and the one who has always been better with the ladies. For some reason, they respond so well to his arrogance and smart mouth. They get frustrated with him and that frustration turns to sexual tension. It works. Usually more than my romantic charms.
It’s good that he’s making progress with her, it’s just, I’m worried that she’s going to like him more than she likes me.
As much as I love my brother, I don’t want that. I don’t want to be second fiddle to our girl. If anything, I want her to like me the best.
And that’s what I’m going to try and make happen.
I won’t be happy in a triad relationship with Tito if the girl doesn’t like me better. I’ll just be consumed with jealousy if she prefers my brother over me.
My heart is pounding in my chest as I pick up my pace, not wanting them to get too close. I watch her as she grins at him and then touches his forearm as she leaves.
“Is that for me?” she asks as she meets me halfway.
“Three hundred dollars,” I say with a soft smile. “Don’t spend it all in one place.”
“I won’t,” she says with a laugh as she takes it.
I turn and walk with her back to her car. It’s not fair. Tito had minutes alone with her and I’m only getting seconds.
“While you’re here,” I say, desperate as I look around for something to keep her on the ranch. “Can I get you to check on a horse?”
“Sure,” she says with a smile. “You’re my last call for the day and I’ll never turn down an opportunity to pet a horse.”
We chat easily about the animals on the ranch as we walk over to the stables. Just being around this girl makes me feel so alive. She smells so good—like peaches and jasmine.
“Where did you go to school?” I ask, watching her with interest.
“Cornell,” she says with a smile. “Eight long years.”
“Wow,” I say, feeling a sense of awe while I talk to her. “What a sense of dedication you have. It’s incredible. You worked so hard for that long all to help out animals.”
She smiles shyly as her cheeks redden. “I guess,” she says with a self-conscious shrug. “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“Yes, it is,” I say, nodding to her. “It’s amazing. You’re amazing.”
She’s staring at the ground, but there’s a shy smile on her face.
We walk the rest of the way in silence, but I notice that she walks a little closer to me.
“What’s wrong with the horse?” she asks when we walk into the stables.
My pulse races as I start to panic. There’s nothing wrong with a horse that I know of.
“Oh, I see the problem,” she says as she walks over to a white horse. The horse looks as confused as me as she looks under his stomach where there’s a streak of pink running along his belly.
“He must have jumped over a fence or something and scraped the bottom of his stomach,” Zoe says as she inspects the horse.
“That’s what I figured,” I say, taking a breath of relief as she stands back up.
“It looks mostly healed,” she says with a nod. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“Good,” I say, nodding with a pensive look on my face. “I just wanted to make sure.”
Zoe steps back and looks around the large stables with a smile on her face. “Nice place,” she says with an approving nod. “I love horses.”
“So do I,” I say, inching a little closer to her.
She reaches up and pets the white horse’s neck and suddenly, I’m jealous of a freaking horse.
I stare at the smooth skin on the delicious curve of her neck as she steps on her toes and whispers something into the horse’s ear. She’s wearing a black Polo with jean shorts that make her ass look so damn irresistible.
This has to be the girl. How could it not be?
“You’re welcome to come and see them anytime you want,” I say, smiling shyly at her.
She turns to me and smiles back. “That’s sweet. Thank you.”
“I mean it. If you want to go riding, there’s a beautiful lake nearby or we have lots of trails up the hills.”
Our eyes meet and we stare at each other for a long moment. It feels like the air in the stables has just charged with electricity.
“Really?” she finally says. The corners of her soft lips curl up in a smile.
“Anytime,” I say, nodding. “If you come back, I’ll take you on a gorgeous ride. I’ll even make a nice picnic for us. Sandwiches. Wine. You name it!”
Her dark brown eyes start to shine as she looks at me with a look that makes my body tingle. “Maybe I will,” she says softly.
I smile back at her. “I hope you do.”
She swallows hard as she finally breaks eye contact. I’m expecting her to leave, but am thrilled when she doesn’t.
My eyes are locked on her body as she starts walking through the stables, petting each horse and asking their names.
I tell her about each one and have her laughing and smiling at their ridiculous names.
“The Spice Girls?” she says with a soft laugh. “Really? You named your horses after The Spice Girls?”
“My friend Lachlan did,” I say with a shrug of my shoulders. “They’re his mother’s favorite band.”
“That’s sweet,” she says, smiling up at the horse we call Sporty Spice.
After a bit of silence, she turns back to me with a grin. “You don’t seem too similar to your brother,” she says. “You’re sweet.”
I swallow hard as I stare at her. She has to like both of us for this to work. But it’s still okay if she likes me a bit more.
“He takes some getting used to, but he’s a good guy too.”
“Hmm,” she says as she turns back to the horses.
I finish giving her the tour and by the time we’re done, I’m completely in love with this girl. Brains, curves, humor, and all that with just the right amount of attitude.
“I should be going,” she says as she checks her watch.
I want to ask her out again, this time getting a real firm commitment with a time and date, but that’s not how this should be done. Tito and I should be going out with her together. The three of us should be dating as one unit. That’s the way the triad has to work. We should all be in this together.
But Zoe walks outside before I can ask her.
“Hey, Dr. Nipples is back,” she says with a grin as Tito walks over with no shirt on.
Why hasn’t he put his shirt back on? He’s going to ruin this for both of us.
But Tito doesn’t look too phased. He just smirks back at her. “You didn’t think I would let you leave without saying goodbye, did you?”
“No,” she says with a frown. “I was just hoping you would.”
He laughs as she smirks at him.
“Thank you,” Tito says with a nod of his head.
“That wasn’t a compliment,” she says as she turns to her parked car.
“I know,” he says. “But I’ll still take it as one.”
She laughs as she shakes her head and walks toward her car.
My pulse starts racing. She can’t leave. Not yet. Not like this.
I’ll go crazy if I don’t know when I’ll be able to see her again, and although Tito is playing it cool now, I know he’ll be the same.
“Abigail!” I shout, waving my hand at Caleb’s mate who’s just stepped out of her cabin. “Come here!”
She looks at me with a confused look on her face but then starts walking over.
I rush up to meet her. “Are you okay?” she asks, looking at me funny. “Your eyes are all buggy.”
“I think that’s the girl,” I say, grabbing her forearms and squeezing a little too tight.
“Stop. You’re hurting me. Jesus. What girl?”
“The girl.”
“You’re going to have to be more specific.”
I huff out an impatient breath and quickly explain about the triad.
“You mean the two of you?” she says, scrunching her nose up. “With one girl? Really?”
“Yes!” I say, nearly shouting at her. “And I think that’s her. But she’s leaving!”
“So?” she says, looking confused. “What do you want me to do about it?”
“Go talk to her,” I say, feeling the desperation take over. “See if she’s single and see if she’d be interested in dating two guys.”
She laughs. “If you two can’t seal the deal, then I sure as hell won’t be able to.”
“I’m not asking you to seal anything,” I say, feeling my blood pressure skyrocket. “Just go feel her out. See if she’d be into it.”
“Into a threesome?” she says, staring at me like I’m crazy. “You want me to go ask a girl I’ve never met if she’d be into a threesome with two guys?”
I squeeze my eyes shut as I rub my forehead hard. “I don’t know what else to do!”
“Okay,” she says, sighing as she places a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t give yourself an aneurysm. I’ll go feel her out.”
“Thank you!” I say, feeling a weight lifting off my shoulders as she walks over.
“Tito!” I say, calling my brother over who’s probably making a bad situation even worse. “Come here!”
He looks annoyed but he comes over. “What?”
“I put Abigail on it,” I say, watching as our favorite lifeguard starts talking to Zoe. “She’s going to get the lowdown on the hot doctor.”
“You should have just let me do it,” Tito says, looking exasperated.
“She hates you,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Yeah, right now,” he says, rolling his eyes back at me. “But I’m building the sexual tension. Soon, it will build up so much that it can’t help but explode.”
That’s what I’m worried about. I have a more romantic and charming way about me. I can’t compete with Tito’s raw sexual attraction.
And I really want her to like me more.
“It’s too late now,” I say, watching as Abigail leans on Zoe’s car. The two girls are chatting, but we can’t hear what they’re saying.
Maybe that’s a good thing because from the way Zoe is staring at Abigail in horror, I’m not sure I want to hear what she’s saying.
Three
Zoe
“Hey!” a pretty girl with black hair and bright green eyes says as she walks over. What the heck does this girl want? She’s acting like we’re best friends with the way she’s smiling and waving at me.
“Hello,” I say warily as she arrives at my car.
I glance over her shoulder at the twins who are watching about forty yards away. They immediately turn when I see them looking, suddenly staring up at the trees with interest.
These two guys are absolutely gorgeous but this ranch seems a little off. Maybe it’s a shifter thing. I’ve seen more than my share of weird stuff on shifter ranches. One place I visited in Colwood had a pet rhinoceros.
“I haven’t seen you around town,” the girl says, leaning on the hood of my car. “I’m Abigail.”
She smiles as she offers her hand. Okay. I know what’s going on here.
I offer a curt polite smile as I shake her hand. “I’m Zoe.”
“So,” she says, twirling her black hair. “Are you… seeing anyone?”
I clear my throat uncomfortably as my back straightens. “No… but sorry, I’m not into girls.”
She tilts her head in confusion then lets out a high-pitched laugh. “No,” she says, giggling to herself. “Not me. The twins.”
My heart picks up its pace as I look over her shoulder at the two of them standing there. I don’t know which one I’d pick. Ronin is really sweet and seems like he would make a great boyfriend. And then there’s Tito. He didn’t make the best first impression—or second—but he’s got something about him. There’s definitely an attraction there, although I would never admit that to him.
“Which one is interested?” I ask. I’m not sure who I would prefer. I’m not hoping she’s going to say one over the other.
“Both of them.”
That I didn’t expect. I feel my cheeks getting hot as an uncontrollable giggle erupts out of my chest.
“Both of them?” I ask, staring at her in shock.
Abigail grins. “Shifter twins always share a mate.”
A flush of heat is swirling around my body at the thought. Two men? At the same time? As intriguing as that is, I can’t. What would people think if I had two hot muscular men on my arm? It’s too weird.
“I don’t think so,” I say, feeling a surprising wave of regret. “I’m a one-man kind of girl.”
“Until you try it,” she answers with a smirk.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see an enormous shifter walking by wearing—
“Is that guy wearing a loincloth?” I ask, feeling my jaw hanging open in shock.
Abigail glances at the guy over her shoulder and shrugs. “Don’t worry about him,” she says dismissively. “He just can’t find any clothes to fit him.”
“Oh,” I say, staring at him as he disappears into the forest. This place is weird.
“So,” she says, leaning in. “Twins? What do you say?”
“This is nuts,” I say, shaking my head. Yesterday, I couldn’t find a date to finally end my two-year cold streak, and now I have two gorgeous guys asking me out. At the same time!
I can’t possibly. People would talk behind my back. They would look at me funny.
Society has rules for a reason, and those rules must be followed.
One woman. One man. That’s how it always is and that’s how it should be.
Still, that doesn’t mean I can’t indulge in the fantasy of it for a minute. A warm shiver trickles through my body as I picture being with both of them at the same time. Four hands on me, two tongues, twelve abs, and two hard cocks. That wouldn’t just break my cold streak, it would shatter it.
“I can tell you’re thinking about it,” Abigail says with a grin. “Don’t you know that two is better than one?”
I laugh as my cheeks heat up. “Not for me,” I say, shaking my head. “Sorry.”
“Ahh,” she says, looking disappointed.
“It’s too bad,” I say, glancing at them in the distance. I laugh when I see them both examining their fingernails while trying to remain conspicuous. “They’re kind of cute.”
“Then why not?” she asks. “Just one date. If you don’t like it, blow them off.”
“I can’t,” I say as a feeling of regret seeps in. “I’d date one of them, but not both.”
“Okay,” she says, glancing over her shoulder at the guys. “Which one?”
My breat
h catches in my chest as I turn to them, not knowing which one I’d prefer.
Ronin seems like the safe choice. The type of guy who will show up with flowers and always say the perfect words in each romantic moment. I can already picture how his big arms would feel wrapped around me as we watch a romantic movie on the couch or how his hand would feel in mine as we walk down the beach. He’s a good choice. A choice I know I wouldn’t regret.
And Tito, well, Tito is more of a wildcard choice. I know he would keep me on my toes with that sharp sexy mouth of his. Our dates would be more fun and exciting, but probably full of a lot of bickering and frustration too. Instead of saying the right thing like Ronin would, he would probably always say the wrong thing and get away with it too because of that sexy grin he’s always hitting me with. He’d make me laugh and curse, all at the same time. I’m drawn to him too.
“Hard to pick, huh?” Abigail says with a chuckle.
“Yeah,” I say, not knowing how to decide at all. I can’t even pick the better-looking one since they look exactly the same.
“So, pick both,” she says.
“I told you,” I answer. “One guy at a time for me.”
Abigail nods. “Go out with each of them once. Separately. Then see which one you like more.”
“This is so crazy,” I say with a laugh. I can’t believe I’m about to agree to this. I came here to help a cow give birth and I’m leaving with two dates. With two brothers. Sophie is going to love this.
“What do you say?” she asks, leaning in with a grin on her face. “One date with Ronin and one date with Tito.”
The spirit of my two-year-long cold streak is grumbling in my head. It’s grumbling somewhere else too.
“Okay,” I say, giving up. “I’ll go on a date with each of them. Separately.”
I might be able to bend society’s traditional values by dating more than one guy, but I’m not going to break them completely by ending up with both of them. I’m not that much of a rebel.
“Really?!?” Abigail says, looking a little too excited. “They’re going to be thrilled if I get them a date. I’ll be able to get them to do my chores for a month!”
