Mastered by Mavericks [Doms of Destiny, Colorado 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Chloe Lang

  “Damn it,” Nicole snapped. “I’ve had enough of Neanderthals. Sheriff, tell me what you know or I’m hitting the road back to Chicago right now.”

  “My deputy brought down a guy who was fucking with your car.”

  She frowned. Why would anyone mess with her car? Did Destiny have its own gang problems like back home? “That could be a coincidence, couldn’t it? What would that have to do with Henry anyway?”

  Jason shrugged. “Hear me out. I’m sure there’s a connection. The asshole pulled a gun on Charlie.”

  Her jaw dropped. Apparently, Destiny was more Wild West than she’d imagined it to be. “Is he okay?”

  “Yes, but he’s three days from stepping down to move to California to be closer to his kids. I can’t imagine how I’m going to do my job without him.”

  “Jason, can you stay on the topic at hand, please,” Sawyer barked, his agitation obvious.

  The sheriff nodded. “Sorry. Interesting thing is that even though Charlie shot him, the creep said a few words before passing out.”

  “Oh my God. What happened to him?”

  “The dude is alive. More flesh wound than anything, though he bled like a stuck pig. Doc is patching him up at the clinic right now. Says we should be able to talk to him in an hour or so.”

  “Well?” Her own impatience with the sheriff was growing just like Reed’s. “What did the man say?”

  “Nothing useful, but he did have a thick Russian accent.” Jason smiled. “How would you like to interrogate my prisoner, Flowers?”

  Real police work at last. “I would love to, Sheriff.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Once again, Nicole found herself in a truck between Reed, who was driving, and Sawyer, who was sitting by the passenger door. Sheriff Wolfe had given Erica a ride back into town, promising to deliver her to Dylan.

  Nicole’s whole life seemed to be a long, drawn-out series of mistakes. Was this another one of them?

  Reed drove through the cattle guard onto the next dirt road. “Chicago, how about some music for our trip to Destiny?”

  “No. The quiet is better. Helps me think.” She turned to Sawyer. “This is still Stone Ranch?”

  “It is,” he said. “Emmett, Cody, and Bryant own a lot of acreage, but it would be bad manners to say how many.”

  “Seriously?” she asked.

  “Yep,” he said. “Let’s just say they have many sections.”

  “Sections?”

  “You forget that Nicole is a city girl, bro.” Reed tapped the top of the steering wheel with his fingers. “A section is six hundred and forty acres, Chicago. The Stone brothers own nearly two hundred of them. Last time it got appraised at a quarter of a billion dollars, and that’s just the land. Livestock and their other investments put them into Destiny’s billionaire club.”

  “Shut up, Reed,” Sawyer barked. “You don’t know that. Emmett, Bryant, and Cody live a simple life. They don’t have a mansion on O’Leary Circle, do they?”

  “That doesn’t mean they couldn’t have one,” Reed shot back. “Have you ever wanted to live in a mansion, sweetheart?”

  Nicole shook her head, wondering why Reed was back to flirting and coming on strong. She was mixed up by his apparent change of heart, but that seemed to be her fallback position in any crisis. Blame everything on too much to deal with. Can’t sleep? Pop your grandfather’s pain pills. Too much pressure at work? More pills.

  A lifetime ago she’d had goals and a plan for her span in the world. If it had panned out, she might’ve been awarded one or two of the many honors from the department her grandfather had earned over his long career. Granddad would’ve been in the audience proud as he could be. She would’ve married a man who would’ve supported her choice of a career in law enforcement. He might’ve even been a cop himself, but she’d actually envisioned him as a lawyer or a businessman. After she turned thirty, she and her fantasy husband would’ve started a family. Two kids. A boy and a girl. Later, there would’ve been a move to a house with four bedrooms, two baths, and a two-car garage in one of the better areas of Chicago, unlike where she’d grown up. Her kids would’ve gone to college and eventually started their own families. Nicole and the mirage man would’ve settled into retirement quite nicely—comfortable though not rich. She would’ve loved babysitting her grandkids.

  After everything, Nicole knew that it had been only a silly fantasy. Life hadn’t turned out the way she’d planned. In truth, life came at a person fast and furious, like a series of collisions, one right after the other. Flights of fancy never materialized. Feelings were overrated. Love was overrated. Believing in oneself and that anything was possible was a total waste of time and energy. With each passing mile she kept reminding herself of that fact, but with Reed’s arm around her shoulder and Sawyer’s hand on her knee, she was so mixed up.

  “How much longer before we get to Destiny?” she asked.

  “Another twenty-five minutes,” Reed informed.

  No time like the present to get to the bottom of what the hell Reed wanted from her. Hell, what they both wanted. If her heart was going to be destroyed, let it be now before she headed back to Chicago—alone. “Tell me, Reed. Why the turnaround in you?”

  Reed brought the truck to a stop.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, feeling the pulse in her veins tighten. “I want to get to the prisoner ASAP.”

  “Something did go on between you two when I went to Phong’s, didn’t it?” Sawyer squeezed her thigh. “What did my brother say to you, baby?”

  “I fucked up, bro.” Reed touched her cheek, but she pulled away.

  “Stop it. Both of you.” She wasn’t taking any more manipulation from either of them. Not any more.

  “You have questions for us, Chicago.” Reed’s face seemed to storm with something dark and hidden. “Fire away.”

  “Fine. You want me to interrogate you? Then I will. You were the one who pulled back, Mr. Coleman. Not me.”

  “When did he do that?” Sawyer’s angry tone shook her to her core.

  “You were right,” Reed said. “Something did happen when you were in town. Wasn’t that your plan, bro? Leave us alone and let the magic take over. It worked, too.”

  “Then I don’t understand the problem,” Sawyer said.

  “Neither do I,” she echoed. Reed had come on so strong it nearly knocked her over. Then just as fast, he’d withdrawn from her. “If it worked then why did you make me think you were done with me?”

  “I fucked up, baby. I know that. I wanted to scoop you up in my arms right then and haul you back to the bedroom and fuck you into blissful oblivion.”

  “Then why didn’t you?”

  “I should have. I may never forgive myself for not doing just that, but I’m saying it now, baby. I want you.”

  “You’ve got to understand him, Nicole,” Sawyer said in a low, gentle tone. “He took our parents’ death harder than anyone.”

  “She’s got her own demons, brother. I have no excuse for pushing her away.” Reed cupped her chin. “If you’ll let me, I will make up for my mistake. I would like you to stay in Destiny with Sawyer and me. That’s what I want, Nicole. What do you want?”

  She would’ve liked to believe him, believe in the new dream, the one with her being loved and cherished by these two incredible men. Magic wasn’t real. If there was any chance of her heart healing one day, it was time to end whatever this was before it went on any longer. “Reed, I told you my deepest, darkest secrets.” She turned to Sawyer. “You deserve to know the truth about me, too. I’m a recovering addict. I was benched because of a mistake I made two years ago. I’m no super cop. I work a desk back at the station. I’m nothing more than a paper shuffler. I’ve seen the look in your eyes. I’m not the woman you think I am. I never will be.”

  “Not true, Nicole.” Sawyer touched her cheek. “Not true at all. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted and more. What are you afraid of? The poly life? I know you’re not from here
but you have to believe me when I say it is a great life. Are you fearful that Reed and I will get jealous, that each of us will want you for ourselves? It won’t happen. Our dads gave us the perfect example of how to treat a woman. You’re the one for us. Trust me.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to create a kind of defensive barrier between them and her. I can’t be the woman who tears them apart. I won’t be. “Reed says he’s into me now, but what about later?”

  “What do you mean, baby?” Reed asked.

  “You two are into BDSM. The club in Destiny, Phase Four, that’s your club. You’ve shared women before, right?”

  They both shrugged, but she could tell they had and probably numerous times.

  “Those women were into the life, too, right?”

  “Yes, but I don’t see how that means a fucking thing about if you should stay in Destiny with us or not.” Reed’s temper was rising and fast, boiling over, creating an edge in his voice that made her anxious.

  There was no turning back now. Summoning all her will to the forefront, she hit the one button in Reed she’d felt from him on the porch. “I’ve never tried even light BDSM. I’ve never even fantasized about it. Will you still want me if I can’t get into it?”

  The dark burn she’d seen on Reed’s face vanished, but he didn’t answer her, instead remaining silent. She’d plainly gotten to the crux of the issue that was impenetrable in him.

  “Of course we want you,” Sawyer said. “For you, Nicole, I would move heaven and earth. If you don’t like the life, then I will walk away from it. Being a Dom is only one facet of who I am.”

  She grabbed his hand. “For you, yes. I believe you would do exactly what you’re saying, Sawyer. But what about Reed?”

  “What about me?”

  “Can you honestly tell me that you would walk away from your lifestyle just to have a chance with me? I tried to talk to you about BDSM. You answered a few questions but you kept changing the subject. Why? Because, unlike Sawyer, being a Dom is part of you as much as being a cowboy.”

  Without warning, Reed kissed her, tracing her lips with his tongue, causing her pulse to burn and her skin to tingle. He released her lips. “Yes. I would give it up for you, Chicago.”

  She closed her eyes, knowing he was telling the truth and feeling her heart swell in her chest. “But it’s not right for me to ask you to do that, Reed.”

  “I think you’re getting ahead of yourself, sweetheart.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “First, you said it yourself that you haven’t given much thought to our ways. Why would you? You never had a reason to until now. Second, you don’t get to decide what is right for me. I do that. Third, I want you, Nicole. I’ve never known anyone like you. Sawyer may be able to get into people’s head and figure out what they are thinking before they say a word, but he doesn’t get me the way you do. No one ever has before. That was the real reason I froze on the back porch earlier. I wasn’t sure how to handle that. I know now.”

  “I’m so mixed up,” she confessed. “How can this even be possible?” She brought her hands up to her eyes, which were filling with fresh tears.

  Sawyer stroked her hair, “Sweetheart, take your time.”

  “That’s just it. We don’t have time. I need to talk to Jason’s prisoner. Then I need to get back to Chicago. I know you said you were going with me but do you really think that’s a good idea? Reed, you deserve a woman who can be all you need. I’m not sure that’s me.”

  “I’m sure. You’ve got to trust me about that, Chicago. I know you’re worried about not being comfortable with BDSM.” Reed feathered his fingertips up and down her arm. “Stop worrying. In many ways that’s at the center of our lifestyle, baby. Doms create a space for a woman to just be, to embrace her feminine side fully, to trust her deepest instincts, and to really feel pleasure.”

  That sounded amazing to her. Had she ever experienced anything like that in her life? Never. “Quite the pitch, Reed.”

  “Not a pitch, baby. I feel like you will enjoy our ways more than you can imagine.”

  “I sense that, too, Nicole.” Sawyer’s tone was deep and confident.

  “You do?”

  He nodded.

  Reed continued, “If it turns out you can’t embrace BDSM, so be it. I never saw myself living a vanilla life, but if that’s what you need, I will be the most vanilla guy in all of Colorado. You’ll see.”

  She smiled, feeling her ancient fears crumbling inside her. Still, a few shreds remained. “Two against one isn’t a fair fight, guys. Don’t you think we’re all being foolish about this? We’re all talking like we’ve settled into something permanent. Not quite a ‘love at first sight’ fling but not far from it either. How is that even possible in the short time we’ve known each other?”

  “You mean you didn’t want me the first time you saw me, baby?” Reed was teasing her.

  “I thought you both were incredibly sexy, but that was the extent of it. What about you, Reed? I could see in your eyes lust, but you didn’t want more did you? How can you know you want to pursue a relationship with me already? We all got lost in the moment. That’s all.” She hated her words but she could not deny the logic.

  “Do you remember what the fortune from Phong’s cookie was? It said, ‘Happiness is right in front of you.’ You’re my happiness. I didn’t believe I would ever feel this way. My parents’ death changed me, made me hard. You, Nicole Flowers, have broken through all my walls. My brother and sister never could do that, but you did. You. I can’t get over how courageous you are.”

  “I’m not courageous, Reed.”

  “Yes you are,” he said. “You’re a cop through and through, but you’re also a woman.”

  Sawyer cupped her chin. “I think you’ve had to be tough for so long you’ve lost sight of that, haven’t you, sweetheart?”

  She sighed and felt her shoulders sag. “My whole life has been one long series of fights. I can’t be vulnerable. Whenever I’ve allowed myself to be feminine, to be exposed, everything has come crashing down around me. I’ve learned to expect disappointment. Being with you at the cabin was amazing, but can you honestly tell me we that we can beat the odds? The rule for me has always been to embrace the old saying of ‘all good things must come to an end.’”

  “Me, too, baby. Sawyer and I have suffered loss. You have suffered loss. It’s time to grab on to each other and enjoy the next chapters of the rest of our lives.” Reed planted his mouth on hers, and she felt her heart rush to him. His tongue swept along the ridge of her lips and then plunged in.

  She was filled with happiness as Reed’s mouth left her and was instantly replaced by Sawyer’s. Her toes curled as he claimed her with his lips and invading tongue.

  Sweet emotions of acceptance were racing through her, blossoming into a warming sensation throughout her body. The kissing session continued for a few minutes until her lips throbbed deliciously.

  When it ended, her cowboys looked at her with hazy, warm eyes.

  Then a buzzing sound pulled her back. It came from her cell in her jacket.

  “Leave it, baby,” Reed said.

  “You know I can’t do that.” She pulled out the cell and looked at the screen. The call was from Jason. “Can we table this discussion for later?” Not waiting for an answer and happy to have a moment to catch her breath, she clicked the green “talk” button. “Hello, Sheriff. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “I’m at the jail,” Jason said.

  “I thought the guy was at the clinic.”

  “He is. Charlie is there, making sure he stays put. Shouldn’t be a problem since the doc is keeping the prick sedated. Come to the jail first.”

  She was about to ask him why when the call dropped. “Damn.” Clicking the call back button didn’t reconnect the call. “We’ve got to go.”

  “Okay, but we’re not finished talking,” Sawyer said.

  “You’re right about that, brother.” Reed
turned the key in the ignition and fired up the engine. “She’s still holding back, right?”

  “Yep. I think your intuition is as good as mine lately.”

  “Only with her,” Reed said, driving them down the road.

  The hours with them had flown by. Never had Nicole’s emotions been so raw, causing her head to spin and her heart to race. She no longer doubted Reed’s intent. As much as Sawyer wanted something more permanent from her, so did he. But she couldn’t see how it would work. They were both ready to toss the life they’d known their entire adult lives for her. There was no way she would ask them to do that. Besides, there would eventually be a time when they would regret their choice.

  She needed to remain focused on finding Henry. That needed to be her only goal, even though her heart was trying to shove her into the arms of these beautiful cowboys.

  I’ve got two amazing men who want me and God knows I want them. What’s wrong with me?

  She closed her eyes and felt the hard truth swirl in her head. Reed and Sawyer deserved better than her, better than a fuckup, an addict.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Topping the rise on Turkey Pass five miles from the Silver Spoon Bridge into Destiny, Sawyer saw black smoke coming from somewhere in the town. “Oh shit. Do you see that?”

  “Yep,” Reed said. “Chicago, we’ve got to make a detour to the firehouse.”

  “Reed and I are volunteer firefighters, sweetheart,” he added.

  “Of course. No problem,” Nicole answered. “Can you tell what’s on fire from here?”

  “No. It looks bad though.” Reed increased the speed of the truck, clearly wanting to get to the action fast. “Whatever is on fire is in the northeast part of town.”

  Sawyer knew Destiny like the back of his hand. That could be any number of homes or businesses. Blue’s Diner. The Dream Hotel. Or the clinic—the place they were going to join Jason and meet up with Charlie to question the prisoner. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that their detour wasn’t a detour at all.