by Brill Harper
Grasping my hand, he tugs me up and over to the dance floor where there are only two other couples. He pulls me against his muscular frame, one hand firm at my lower back. Holding me in place. I reach my hands up, resting them on his massive shoulders. Where we’re pressed tight, I can feel him harden, and I blush, immediately reminded of seeing him in his intimate moment.
“You’re blushing, Bliss.”
I bite my lip. “I do that a lot. Not sure if you’ve noticed.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed, darlin’. I notice everything about you lately.” He reaches one hand up to stroke my cheek. “I was wondering how that makes you feel?”
I can’t concentrate, the nearness of him is way more intoxicating than the beer. “I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “I’m not really used to being noticed.” I’ve worked so hard to go unnoticed all these years. It’s shocking to hear I haven’t slipped under his radar. Or, if I’m to believe him, that of his best friend.
“Do I scare you. Like the others?”
I shake my head. “Oh, no. I promise. I’m not afraid of you. I just...don’t know what to do with you.” I slap one hand over my mouth. “That sounded weird. Sorry.”
He laughs. “You can do anything you want with me.” He adds, “Or nothing at all. I just wanted to put it out there that I’m interested. But you’re in the driver's seat. With both of us.”
I rear my head back and peer all the way up at him. “Both of you?”
I feel a third hand on me, resting lightly on my waist, and a low voice talks directly into my ear from behind me. “You don’t have to choose, kitten.”
Chapter Six
Wylder
An hour later, we’re at home.
Earlier, Bliss excused herself from the dance floor stuttering about the ladies’ room after two minutes of heaven. The scent of her shampoo in my nose while making eye contact with Colt packed an unexpected punch, and my body is still revved and ready for the possibilities. But now we’re in the kitchen and nobody knows what to say or do. And all I can think about was how she felt between us.
I’m not a man who is shy about sex or telling a woman what I want. But this arrangement is very different from anything I’ve ever done. The women that Colt dates are fun party girls who might like more than one night but know going into it with him he isn’t looking for more. I scratch an itch occasionally, a lot less than Colt does, but I’ve never invested more than a night or two, either.
This is new. The woman we both want is not going away the morning after. She’s under our protection, as a matter of fact. And if she has any experience, it’s not much. Certainly not two older men at once. And after two minutes with her between us at the bar, I already know if this is going to happen, it’s going to be both of us together. No trading of rooms and custody agreements about holidays. A woman is the only thing Colt and I have never shared, the thought never even occurring to me before, but instinct tells me that’s the way we go forward with Bliss. If we go forward at all.
She’s got issues that should stop me cold. She could sue us for harassment if she changes her mind. There is every reason to stop and none to go forward other than I can think of nothing else.
Bliss is moving around the kitchen methodically as she starts a pot of coffee and pulls out some leftover pie. I don’t think anyone is hungry, but I know she needs this time in her kitchen to center herself.
Her kitchen? Fuck me, when did I decide this was her kitchen. In my house?
Colt clears his throat and we all snap our attention in his direction. “Are you freaking out, Bliss? You don’t have to freak out. You don’t even have to say how you feel tonight. We just wanted to let you know we’re interested in dating you.”
Her lips disappear into each other she’s got her jaw so tight. “Both of you want to date me,” she reiterates, going back to concentrating on the coffee pot.
“Yes,” we both answer.
She stops. “And if I say I don’t want to date either of you, I don’t have to?”
“Of course not,” I answer. “What the fuck kind of question is that?” My heart is racing, and I realize it’s in horror. Horror that she thinks either of us would force her.
She rounds on me, pointing the lid to the sugar bowl at me menacingly. “Don’t you swear at me, Wylder.”
She’s right. “I’m sorry I swore at you. I’d hoped you knew us both enough to know that we’d never, ever take away your choice. I don’t like to think about why you assume we would.”
My apology seems to have surprised her even more than the idea of both of us dating her does. Colt takes the lid from her hands gently. “There is a better way to approach this than we have, I’m sure. But Wylder and I talked about this yesterday.”
“You did?”
He looks at me for help, but he’s already stepped in it. Nothing I can do now but help him scrape his boot when he’s done screwing up. “And well, tonight, hearing the shower stuff pushed my timeline forward a little.”
Her shoes scuffing on the kitchen floor suddenly need all her attention. I bring her gaze up to mine with a finger under her chin. “You have all the power here, kitten.”
She wants to scoff at that, but realizes she’s standing between us again, like on the dance floor, the only place we are touching her is my finger under her chin. The room is thick with uncertainty and awkwardness. Usually, it would be Colt that would smooth things over, make things comfortable again. This time, I think it’s up to me.
I let my tone deepen. “How are you feeling, kitten?”
She blinks. “Delightfully terrified, honestly.”
The knot of desire in my belly tightens. Need burns and twists through me. I’m not used to the feeling. “What do you want?”
“I don’t know?”
“How about this then...what do you need?”
Bliss
NOBODY HAS EVER ASKED me what I want or need before. Nobody. And now I’m sandwiched between the two hottest men I’ve ever seen for the second time in one night, and my needs and wants are pretty basic.
I might be shy and awkward, but I’m not stupid. “I need you. Both of you.” The words tumble out with no finesse at all, but sometimes the truth is raw.
They make eye contact over my shoulder. The sensation of being surrounded is intense. Caged in men. Men who want me, but don’t scare me.
“We’re gonna take this slow,” Colt says, moving the hair off one of my shoulders and pressing a soft kiss to the curve that meets my neck.
I shiver. “Wait. Slow? Why?”
“There’s no rush.”
“Actually, there might be.” I may not be stupid, but I am an overthinker. If given the opportunity, I will ruin my chance at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about sex from two handsome, virile, gentle yet sexy beasts. “Tonight is good.”
“You’ve been drinking,” Wylder points out, his hand on the dip of my waist.
“And we said ‘date.’”
If there was enough room for me to stomp my foot, I would. “I thought that was a euphemism.”
Wylder’s voice rumbles in my ears. “Oh, we’re gonna fuck, too, kitten. But not tonight.”
I gasp at the word fuck. Am I really going to do this? With both of them?
He bends down and kisses me impatiently, shamelessly, pushing me harder into Colt’s body. Wylder wraps his hand around my neck like he owns me. His other hand roughly squeezes my breast, and I inhale sharply. Colt’s hand slides down my waist, my hip, my thigh, and he murmurs something I can’t hear. Something meant to soothe me, I think.
Wylder’s force increases, and I moan softly. He pulls back, releasing me. “You need to be sure.” He walks away and I slump into Colt. I couldn’t stand on my own if I wanted. My entire body is made of gelatin now.
I catch my breath for a few seconds. “Why do you want to date me, Colt?”
His arm tightens around my middle, and he secures me to his chest. “I believe my words to Wylder the other day were
about courting.”
Courting sounds sweeter than dating. Is that what I want? And that didn’t answer my question anyway.
It should be obvious to me that it’s more a matter of convenience than anything else, right? They already told me their plans to hire a wife, I guess it got downgraded to dating. It doesn’t bother me as much as it should.
They’re convenient for me too, right? Two hot men who treat me well isn’t the worst way to spend a summer. A lot of girls got their experience earlier in life with earnest high school boyfriends if they were lucky, jerks who used them if they weren’t. Colt and Wylder are sexy and experienced. I have no doubt they are good lovers. When I go back to school in the fall, I could be a new woman. Confident.
I just have to make sure I remember it’s all temporary. It would be too easy to let my heart get involved.
Colt turns me around, letting go of me except for my wrist. He holds it gently while one callused finger swirls over the delicate skin there in light circles. I’ve never been so aware of my wrist before. How the pulse skitters in my veins. “Do you hate us? Have we put you off men completely by suggesting this?”
“What? No. I don’t think I could ever hate you. You’re so good to me. Kinder than I deserve.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Bliss. You deserve to be treated like a queen.” He brings my wrist to his lips and presses the softest kiss to it. “I know it’s not conventional, dating two men at once.”
“We’re not really talking about dating though, are we?”
“There’s no rush—”
“I’ve never had sex before,” I blurt out.
“I kinda figured that. There’s really no rush. Things will work themselves out the way they’re meant.”
“I want to. Have sex. With you. And Wylder. I want...I want you both to teach me the things I don’t know. And I know I’m blushing horribly right now, and I can’t believe I’m saying these things because I’m so shy most of the time.”
“I don’t think your blush is horrible. I like it.” He licks my wrist and my knees turn to jelly. Again. “We don’t want you to be scared. We can take our time.”
“What if I don’t want to take it slow?”
“I guess you’re going to have to find a way to convince us you’re ready, aren’t you?”
He doesn’t kiss me hard like Wylder did. He doesn’t hold my throat or push his tongue into my mouth roughly. Instead, he cups my cheeks like I’m the most precious thing in the world to him and whispers a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth before leaving me in the kitchen barely able to stand.
Chapter Seven
Colt
The next day is Sunday and we plan a little something special for Bliss after the morning chores are done.
“I really don’t think this is a good idea, guys,” she says, standing in front of the saddled mare. “I’ve never been this close to a horse before, much less ridden one.”
The look on her face is priceless. This girl has roped me but good.
“We’ll keep you safe, sweetheart,” I tell her. I get her situated and watch her make a couple of false starts once she gets her foot in the stirrup. I can’t help but notice the fiery look in Wylder’s eyes as he watches her ass. It’s hard not to grab it, I know. I’m fighting it, too.
Once she’s in place, I plant myself in the saddle behind her.
“You’re riding with me?”
“Best way to learn, Bliss.” I lean forward to put my hands around hers above the reins. I press my chest to her back and my chin on her shoulder. “Now squeeze your legs, darlin’.”
She shivers at my voice in her ear. At the words that sound so provocative. Fuck, she’s going to be so responsive in bed. I just know it.
“You’re gonna love learning to ride, kitten,” Wylder says and takes off ahead on the trail while I spend some time showing her how to use the reins and her body to control the horse.
I love surrounding her with my body, keeping her safe. I know she says she wants us to teach her about sex, and frankly, that’s pretty much all I can think about most of the time, but I don’t want to push her. I want her to feel safe and secure with us. I could tell last night she thinks it’s a summer fling. And Wylder probably does, too. But me, I’m setting up a foundation for something that will last. Starting with a day in the sun with no expectations other than relax and enjoy the most beautiful place on Earth.
If she can find a measure of peace and joy here, the way I have, maybe she’ll want to stay. The situation is unique, and I can’t say that I ever thought I’d want to share a woman before. The more I think about what it would be like for the three of us to be happy together, the more I know it won’t be trading bedrooms every other night. Not after the two minutes of her between us on the dance floor at the Hound. Not when I realized what it would be like to look into Wylder’s eyes when we take her. It has to be together. There was something so right, so electric, last night.
I only have a couple months to convince them both it’s worth fighting for. That some people go their whole lives not feeling that spark of rightness.
We stop at the swimming hole, Wylder giving her a hand down, making sure she shimmies down his body before she hits the ground. We brought a bottle of wine and some sandwiches, so I unfold the blanket and get it ready while he shows her the water. We’re both dreaming of some skinny dipping today, though neither of us said it in so many words. The words we did exchange this morning in the milking barn were me telling him what she said after he left the kitchen. Him getting a faraway look in his eye and thinking it was too good to be true, and me convincing him it was worth a try.
We’re sitting on the blanket in the shade, Wylder with his back against the tree trunk, when Bliss asks, “You guys sometimes talk about the old ranch like it’s gone. What happened to it?”
I catch cold fury in Wylder’s eyes before he tamps it down. “Nothing you need to be concerned about.”
She flinches like he hit her. “I’m sorry.”
Hell, the day just got about forty degrees colder.
Wylder closes his eyes. “It’s just not really a first date story.”
“Second date,” I remind them both.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.”
I don’t want to shut this fine day down. He’s right, it’s not a dating story, but he hides his pain too much. “She should know.” It might explain why he’s such a grumpy ass sometimes. He doesn’t talk about it, he hardly ever did. And only ever with me. I wonder if it’d be good for him to open up to someone else.
Wylder glares at me like he knows what I’m thinking. “It burned down,” he says, his voice dipped in the crispy frost of a first freeze.
She bites her lip and looks to me for courage. “It’s okay, Wylder. You don’t have to tell me.”
I put my hand on her shoulder, trying to tell her it’s not her that’s causing a problem. I’m shocked when Wylder speaks. “My sister married a psychopath. He hit her. A lot. And when she got pregnant, she ran home to the ranch. My parents took her in, of course, thinking she’d be safe.”
I close my eyes, trying not to go too deep into the pain with him. They were my family, too. They took me in and treated me like a son. Maybe it’s a bad idea to talk about it here, now. I wanted this day to be different. Uncomplicated and fun.
Bliss gets on her knees and takes Wylder’s hand, clutching it to her chest. “You don’t have to finish the story. I can see it hurts.”
His gaze is unfocused, pointed somewhere over the horizon. “He came to the ranch and he shot everyone in the house before he set it on fire.”
Bliss loses all color in her face and gasps. “Were you there?”
He rubs the scar on his shoulder, the one where the bullet went in. I answer for him. “He almost bled out.” I was in town, trying to get into Lacey June’s tight Daisy Dukes while my best friend lay dying. “Everyone in the house died except for Wylder.”
But part of him died that da
y. He’s never been the same. Maybe he never will be. I just hold the space for him in case he returns someday.
“Oh my God.” Bliss wraps herself around his stiff body like she can shield him from the bullets of the past. “I’m so sorry. What happened to the shooter?”
“Everyone in the house died but me,” he says, not melting in her arms, but not pushing her off him either.
“How did he die?”
“I killed him.”
Bliss
HE SAYS THE WORDS WITH no emotion, but I can see the turmoil beneath the surface of his eyes. “You killed him?”
Every time I think his story can’t gut me more, his words plunge the knife in further. I squeeze him harder, trying to hold him together even though I feel like I could be the one falling apart.
“He was trying to run out after he set the fire, but I woke up enough to wrestle him to the floor.”
I’m still confused, but Wylder goes someplace deep and dark inside his mind. “I came home in time to hear the third shot. That woulda been my sister. She was already dead when I got up there. My parents, too. In their own bed, he shot them. I found him pouring gas in the living room, and he shot me. I went down hard, passed out, but came to in time to pull him to the floor before he could flee. I killed him with his own gun. I never saw a man die before, and I’m the one that did it.”
My heart starts pounding in my ears.
“It was self-defense,” Colt says, trying to buffer my reaction to Wylder as always.
“The hell it was,” Wylder replies. “I took his life. I still remember how sick I felt doing it, but it didn’t stop me. I’m a monster just as much as he was..”
I don’t know what to say or do or even how to feel, but then I look at Wylder’s face and things become more clear. I lower from my knees to my backside and pull him into me, cradling his head to my breast as I soothe his soft hair, rocking gently. I’m surprised by his vulnerability. His tense body eventually loosens, his arms coming around me, and he exhales a long, ragged breath. I make eye contact with Colt, and he tucks a tendril of hair that’s broken free of my ponytail back behind my ear.
