by Jane Jamison
“Aren’t you going to ask me?”
Jilly shrugged at her questioning look, obviously not understanding what Caleb meant, either. Instead, Molly turned to face him, but didn’t dare to ask any questions. Especially the questions she really wanted to ask.
How about a little romp in the hay? Why not let me move into the house instead? Want to share a bed with me and your brother? Are you into BDSM?
Instead, she asked, “What are you talking about?”
He nodded to the big frying pan. “Aren’t you going to ask me how I want my steak?”
“How you want your steak?” What other answer could there be besides “cooked”? “Um, I mean, how do you want your steak?”
She was fairly certain he’d caught her mistake, but he didn’t say so. “Derrick and I like ours rare, just short of it getting up and walking out of the kitchen.”
“Okay. Got it.” She was so out of her league. Why hadn’t she paid more attention to her mother when she’d tried to teach her how to cook?
“And your baked potato?” asked Jilly.
It seemed like a reasonable question to Molly. She smiled, trying for all the world to act like Susie Homemaker.
He frowned, obviously thrown by her question. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Uh-oh. She pushed Jilly aside and laughed. “Don’t mind her. She’s always making jokes.”
And then it happened. For the first time, she touched him. Not a handshake, but on his shoulder. On his muscled and hard shoulder that led down to the equally hard-packed abdomen outlined by the tight T-shirt he’d changed into after finishing work.
Oh, wow. He’s so…
Was there really a word that could say enough about his body? She let out a breath of pent-up sexual frustration, barely catching the moan on the tip of her tongue.
“Are you all right?”
She chewed on her lower lip and fought the urge to pull his mouth to hers. “I’m fine. I just want to get cooking. Why don’t you go join your brother in the living room and leave us girls to get the meal on the table?”
“Okay. If you’re sure you don’t need the help.”
He glanced past her to Jilly. He was anything but confident in their culinary skills, but at least he hadn’t said it out loud.
Oh, I need help, all right. But it has nothing to do with dinner.
“Nope. Besides, it’s part of our job. We wouldn’t want to let Derrick down.”
He cupped her behind the neck, both thrilling her and jolting her. “Don’t worry about Derrick. His bark is way worse than his bite.”
She nodded feebly then watched him walk away. His walking away was one of the best sights she’d ever seen. If she had her way, she’d get to see his perfect ass without any clothes covering it.
Now that would be something to see.
“You’ve gone ape-shit crazy over him, haven’t you?”
“Just pull out your tablet and start searching for ways to cook a steak. In a pan. And rare.”
She put her back to her sister, but Jilly was right. If she had to admit it, she would’ve agreed. She’d gone crazy over Caleb the first second she’d met him. Derrick, however, was another matter. He touched her libido good and hard, no doubt about that. But could she get past his stern exterior?
She and Jilly had wandered into the house after moving into the bunkhouse. They’d had a good look around and had realized how comfortable the home was. Beige dominated the color scheme, but splashes of reds, yellows, and blues were thrown in where more contrast was needed. The only things the place lacked were a woman’s touch and the sound of children.
Stunned, she kept her thoughts to herself. Kids? When had she ever wanted children? And yet, it would be a shame for Caleb or Derrick not to be fathers.
The men weren’t anywhere around, but soon they’d heard the sound of horses nickering. When they’d glanced out the window, they’d seen Derrick and Caleb leading their horses into the barn. It was already getting dark outside and she’d assumed they’d want some dinner. Steaks and potatoes were the only things in the giant commercial-size refrigerator. As if she knew what to do with big, red hunks of meat.
Twenty minutes later, she was sure they’d pulled off their first real meal. Cooking was a lot harder than she’d have thought. Ordering takeout was a lot easier. Still, as she forked the steaks onto one of the big platters she’d found in the cabinets, she was pretty proud of what she and Jilly had done. Hefting the tray high, she waited until Jilly had her bowl of potatoes ready, and together they marched into the dining room.
Compared to the bunkhouse, the ranch house was a mansion. Compared to their parents’ home in Dayton, however, it wasn’t much more than a glorified shack. But it was clean, neat, and filled with photographs of their family. She hadn’t realized before just how cold her family home was. Although the Houston brothers didn’t have much in the way of furnishings, just a well-worn couch, a recliner, and a few tables, their home was filled with a lot of warmth. She’d felt right at ease the moment she’d stepped inside.
The rectangular dinner table was scratched up and dented, but it was sturdy and shone with a polished finish just like her mother’s expensive dining set. Jilly had set the table earlier with mismatched plates and cups, along with a bunch of forks, knives, and spoons, almost none of which matched.
The flow of the house was simple. The living room flowed into the kitchen which flowed into the dining room which flowed back into the living room. All in a box configuration. A long narrow hall led to the bedrooms toward the back of the house.
The men were relaxing in the living room, watching a football game. For a moment, she just watched. What would it be like to see the scene every day? Would she have the same warm feeling deep in her heart?
Where were the strange thoughts coming from? She’d never wanted the typical housewife life. Instead, she’d dreamed of two men who would treat her like a queen in their home and a sex slave in the bedroom. She was not, nor would she ever be, the type of girl who’d want to settle down.
“Dinner is served.” Jilly held up the bowl of potatoes, then placed it next to the tray of steaks.
“It’s about time.” Derrick rose from his chair, a bear of a man in more ways than just his physical side.
But she wouldn’t let him get to her. Inside she knew he was nothing but a big old teddy bear. And she was just the one to bring out the cuddly side of him.
They slid into the chairs, scraping the legs against the roughhewed hardwood floor. Caleb sat on one side of her, and although she’d hoped Derrick would sit on her right, he edged Jilly out of the chair across from her.
Didn’t he want to sit close to her? Or was it because he wanted to look directly at her face? Either way, she’d get him to loosen up.
“This is terrific.”
Caleb was definitely the easier one of the two brothers to talk to. He smiled and bumped his shoulder against hers.
“Thanks. I hope you like it.”
“Where’s the tea?” Derrick critical gaze swept over the table. “And the bread? A man can’t eat a steak without rolls. Or at least a piece of bread.”
“Come on, bro. Lighten up. You could do without more carbs.”
“I’ll get both.” Jilly motioned for her to stay in her seat as she got up to get the drinks and bread.
“Tea’s in the jug in the fridge, Jilly,” called Caleb.
The noise of the men helping themselves to the steaks and the potatoes was the only sound. Before she knew it, all four potatoes were gone.
“Damn it, Derrick. We act like we were raised by wolves. Here, Molly.” Caleb speared his potato, then pushed it onto her plate.
“I guess we should’ve cooked more.” At least there were four huge steaks and the guys had only taken one each of those.
“We work hard and we need a lot of energy.” Derrick cut into his steak, sectioning off several pieces. “It’s better to cook too much than not enough.”
“Got it. I
’ll remember for breakfast.”
Jilly returned with a pitcher of iced tea and holding a bag of plain white bread. “I’m sorry, but this was the only kind of bread I could find.”
“Y’all need to make a run to town and pick up some groceries.” Derrick frowned as he worked hard to cut his steak. “Nothing fancy. Just get the basics like milk, meat, and taters.”
“What about vegetables?”
They both stared at her like they hadn’t understood what she’d said. Did they never eat anything healthy? “You know. Lettuce, zucchini, carrots, and fruit?”
“You’re the cooks so get what you’ll use.” Caleb was frowning at his steak, too.
She glanced at hers, then poked it with a knife. The sharp end barely made a dent in it. “So have you guys had the ranch long?”
“Nope. We came down from Idaho a little while ago after saving up to buy our own spread. That and the livestock took everything we had, but it was worth it.” Caleb stabbed his steak then yanked his knife out.
“And your family? Are they still in Idaho?” What was wrong with their steaks? Derrick’s frown had gotten bigger and the knot in her stomach harder.
“Our mom’s still there. She’s really active in her church and has her group of friends so there was no getting her to come with us.” Caleb caught her studying him and quickly replaced his frown with a forced smile.
Jilly joined the conversation. “But you guys aren’t much older than us, right?”
Molly shot her a look. There was no telling what Jilly might say.
“I’m twenty-five and the kid brother there is twenty-three.”
“Kid meaning that I’m fun-loving and young at heart. Unlike my stick-in-the-ass big bro.” He finally got the first piece in his mouth…and choked.
She patted him on the back. “Are you all right?” From the corner of her eye, she saw Derrick take his first bite.
Oh, shit.
Caleb chased the piece down his throat with several gulps of tea before he finally answered. “Yeah. I think it just went down the wrong pipe.”
To her horror, Derrick spat out his piece of meat. “What the hell did you do this cow?”
“I cooked it.” She’d meant to say it in a stronger voice, but it came out a whisper.
“You did and then some. Didn’t we tell you we like our steaks rare?” Derrick wiped his mouth with a paper napkin, then sat back and scowled at her.
“Hey, I bet the potato is good.” But Caleb’s comforting smile died once he tried to stick his fork in the spud. It went in. Barely.
At least it didn’t bend the fork.
“I’m sorry. I guess in all the excitement, we kind of ruined the dinner. I promise we’ll do better. In fact”—she started to stand—“let me fix you something else.”
Caleb’s hand on her arm stalled both her body and her mind. “Naw, it’s okay. We’re big boys. We can fix a sandwich later. I’d rather hear more about you right now.” As though in an afterthought, he added, “And Jilly, too.”
“There’s not a lot you don’t already know.” She did her best to focus on Caleb’s handsome face instead of Derrick’s irritated one. “We’re from Ohio where we were both going to Eustane University. It’s a small private college just outside of Dayton.”
“And you decided to take a road trip? To Pleasure, Texas?” Derrick refilled his glass.
At least he’d calmed down—a little. “Yeah. The Club at Pleasure Ranch is getting a name for itself among my, um, our age group. And since Jilly and I didn’t really want to go to college, we figured why waste our parents’ money?”
“I’m sure they appreciate you thinking of their cash flow.”
“Derrick, knock off the sarcasm, bro.”
To his credit, Derrick did appear contrite. “So if not college, what do you want to do?”
“We both had part-time jobs at waitresses and we both loved it. I know it makes us sound unambitious, but we made good money. And I hear the waitresses at the club make really good money.”
Caleb gave up on stabbing at his harder-than-a-rock potato. “They do. Especially if they get into doing scenes with the customers.”
“Is that what you’re thinking?”
At last, Derrick was interested. The appraising spark in his eyes said as much.
“That was the plan. We didn’t count on the fire, though. How’d it happen, anyway?”
“A disgruntled employee set fire to it.”
Caleb followed up Derrick’s explanation. “A waitress kind of went over the edge. When she couldn’t find a Dom or Doms to take care of her for the rest of her life, she took her frustration out on the club as well as one of the other waitresses.”
“Seriously?” Jilly, who had a fascination with the macabre, leaned forward. “Was anyone hurt?”
“Not really. Except her. Once she was found out, she got out of town as fast as she could and ended up wrecking her car and dying.”
“Wow.” Jilly sat back. “Who knew a small town like Pleasure would have so much excitement?”
Derrick pushed his plate away, once again scowling at it. “You’d be surprised how much shit goes down around here.”
“Is that it, Molly?” Caleb shifted in his chair, giving her his full attention. He couldn’t have made it plainer that he wanted her and not her sister unless he’d said the words out loud. “Is that all you want out of life? What about a family?”
She’d never dreamed about having a husband and kids. Why should she after growing up with her parents shouting at each other every night? “I want to be loved.”
All at once, the air thickened around her. Or was it the heat rising up her neck and into her cheeks that made it seem that way? She laughed, sloughing it off. “I mean, who doesn’t? But being loved doesn’t mean having to get married and pop out a baby or two.”
“Nope. It doesn’t.”
Why did Caleb act like he was disappointed? But was he disappointed in her?
“And what if the man, or men, you fall in love with want to have kids?”
She searched his face as though she could find the answer there. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to discuss it.” Wait. Had he said men? “Did you just say man or men?”
“Yes to both. Some folks around here like it when two or more men hook up with one woman. And I don’t mean for just one night, but for a lifetime. They might get married or they might not.”
“Another surprise.” Jilly played with her steak by pushing it around her plate and flipping it over. Like it would look better from the other side. “Who’d have thought a small town anywhere, but especially in the Bible Belt, would be so liberal?”
“We’re full of all sorts of surprises around here.” Derrick stood up, took his plate, and headed for the kitchen. “Come on, Jilly. You and I are going to fix some sandwiches. You do know how to put a piece of ham between two slices of bread, don’t you?”
Jilly rolled her eyes, but stood to follow Derrick. “You two go ahead and do whatever you want.”
“We will.” Molly gathered her plate and put it on top of Caleb’s, then handed both of them to her sister.
“Are you too hungry to take a walk?”
She was starving, but when a man like Caleb Houston asked, then stood up to leave the table, she had only one answer to give. “Not so much. I’d love to walk. Besides, a walk will work up a really big appetite for a sandwich.”
Molly felt like she’d been thrown back into time when a woman and a man took long strolls around the neighborhood to get to know each other. Instead of a fast hookup a club, they’d take it easy and be able to concentrate on listening to each other instead of worrying about what might happen later on.
The night was still warm, but a breeze had picked up. Starts dotted the black blanket of the sky, and a full moon gave enough light that they could see several yards in front of them. The horses were settled in the barn and silent, except for the occasional nicker. Crickets chirped in the grassy areas around the h
ouse and barn while an owl hooted from somewhere in the distance.
“Come on. Let’s take a walk down by the pond.”
“There’s a pond?” She and Jilly had taken a look around the yard before heading to the house to cook the ill-fated dinner, but they hadn’t had enough time to go away from the house. Besides, she’d assumed only pastures lay beyond the mowed area around the house.
“It’s not very big, but it does have fish in it. Do you like to fish?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never done it.”
“We’ll have to fix that.”
“Okay.” But fishing wasn’t what she was interested in. And neither was anything else on a ranch. Her interest was in Caleb and, possibly, his brother.
She stayed by his side as he strolled past the barn, then over a small rise. Although she kept hoping he would, he didn’t take her hand. Had she read the signals wrong? Was he not attracted to her?
The pond wasn’t very big. In fact, she was sure she could hurl a rock across to the other side. As though he’d heard her thought, he picked up a rock and sent it skipping over the water. She picked up a small stone and tried it, but her stone bounced once then sank.
“I guess I’m not very good at skipping rocks.”
He turned to her, his deep, rich eyes reaching into her and tugging at the spot between her legs. He couldn’t have heated her up faster if he’d doused her with gasoline then tossed a match on top of her. She caught herself leaning forward and lifting her face toward his.
Kiss me.
“Do you really want to be a submissive?”
She drew back and searched him. “Yes. Why?”
“Because I’m a Dom. Or at least I was back in Idaho. And I’d like to get back into it once the club opens up.” He put his hands on her arms and grazed his palms over her skin.
Her flesh tingled like her nerve endings were reaching out and begging him to touch her more. “Does Derrick want the same thing?”
Maybe she was jumping the gun. If Derrick wasn’t into being a Dom and Caleb was, bringing up his brother might cause friction.
“Not really.”
“Oh.” Disappointment deflated a part of her hope. Until that moment, she hadn’t fully realized that she wanted both of them. But she did. Derrick hadn’t seemed too interested in her, but she wanted a chance to change his mind.
