by Lori King
“What’s first, angel?” Rafe asked her. His mouth was close to her ear, and her hands tightened around his bicep at the desire that his voice and his hot breath created in her belly.
“Bumper Cars,” she replied as she turned to look for Ryley. He was a foot or so away, looking very perplexed. “Hey, big guy, no deep thoughts allowed at the fair. You’re only allowed to have loud, crazy fun. Come on, we’re going on the bumper cars, and I’m going to kick your ass.”
She reached out and took ahold of Ryley’s hand, pulling him along with her. She hadn’t released Rafe, and for a brief moment she pondered how the three of them must look to the rest of the fair goers. It wasn’t often that you saw a woman with two men on a date.
Shrugging it off, she stepped up to the attendant at the bumper cars, and smiled. The man smiled a toothless grin back at her, and winked before moving the chain so that she could go past him. She settled into a blue bumper car and buckled her seat belt before looking for her men.
Ryley was in front of her, facing her in a red bumper car, and Rafe was to her left in a yellow one. The two oversized men looked hilarious in the tiny bumper cars. Both of them were stuffed in with their knees sticking up awkwardly.
“Are you good, angel?” Rafe called out, and she nodded.
“Yep, prepare to get whooped, boys!” she yelled back over the rumble of the machines, as the attendant turned on the ride. There were other people in various colored bumper cars, but Shandi was focused on the two she had brought with her. Her laughter burst from her chest, and her hair whipped around her face as she plowed in and gave no mercy. They slammed their cars into each other over and over, and just before the ride ended Shandi managed to get Ryley’s car pinned in the corner where he couldn’t escape her attacks.
The growl of the ride quieted, and they all released their seatbelts and started to leave the floor.
“They don’t make these for real men,” Ryley grumbled as he climbed from his car, and she laughed.
“You’re just trying to find an excuse as to why I beat you, but, big guy, just accept it and move on. I kicked your butt!” She sauntered out of the exit and down the ramp without waiting for either man. They didn’t take long to plaster themselves to her sides again, as she walked down the thoroughfare.
“I let you win,” Ryley said arrogantly, nudging her with his shoulder. She leaned into him, her breasts pressed tightly to his wide bicep, and she nearly groaned out loud at the friction on her nipples.
“If it makes you feel better to believe that, sweetheart, then that’s okay by me,” she said haughtily, and he reached around to smack her on the ass, making her yelp loudly and then choke when his hand rubbed over the offended flesh gently. He left his hand on the curve of her ass, and she tried to clear her tumbling thoughts and not let it affect her.
“Ryley’s a poor sport. He got kicked off of the football team for clotheslining a kid that tackled him in an earlier play,” Rafe said, holding tightly to Shandi’s hand.
Shandi looked up at Ryley for a response, and he just shrugged. “Hmm, so do you have a serious side?”
“Only when necessary, but like you said the fair is only for crazy, loud fun. I see the haunted house ahead.” Ryley winked at her, and she let him drag her into the darkness of the haunted house exhibit.
As she went she wondered at how fast these two men had captured a piece of her heart. Even if she wanted to she wasn’t sure she could deny them a relationship. They just seemed to stick to her heart like bramble burrs. If you didn’t try to remove them they didn’t hurt, but once you tried to detach them, the pain was intense.
Nearly four hours later, the sun had set, and the fair’s crowd was dwindling. Shandi and the guys had finally collapsed, exhausted, onto a park bench, sharing a funnel cake and watching the crowd. They had ridden every ride twice and played multiple games that resulted in a stuffed monkey and a princess tiara, which now sat jauntily on top of Shandi’s red hair held down by her butterfly hair clips. It had been the most fun that she had had in years.
They were all quiet as they shared their treat, and she enjoyed just sitting in between them. Rafe’s arm was behind her on the bench, and Ryley’s hand rested on her thigh. It was comfortable, and felt almost too right. This wasn’t how she had anticipated the night going.
These were men that she admired, respected, and had fun with. They would be perfect, but would they still think she was perfect when they learned about her past? The thought dampened her spirits, and as if they each had a private line into her brain they turned to her curiously.
“What’s wrong, baby girl?” Ryley asked, rubbing his thumb over her already too-sensitive skin.
“Nothing. I’m great. This has been a blast, guys,” she said, trying hard to put the enthusiasm back into her expression.
“You seem a little quiet all of a sudden,” Rafe said, reaching out to turn her chin toward him.
“No, I guess I’m just a little bit tired. I haven’t done anything like this in years.” She let her head fall onto Rafe’s shoulder, and sighed contentedly. Hell, even his shoulder seemed to be perfectly created to pillow her head.
“We better get you home then. We didn’t mean to keep you out so late, but I guess time got away from us,” Rafe said, kissing her forehead gently. She nearly cried at the tender way he and Ryley were touching her.
“That’s okay, I don’t mind giving up a little sleep for a little fun,” she said with a smile, letting her eyes drift shut as she just enjoyed the moment.
A low growl from Ryley had her popping them back open and jerking her head around. “What?”
Ryley’s eyes had brightened a little bit, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. “I’m just wondering what other type of fun you might be willing to give up sleep for,” he murmured as he squeezed her thigh gently.
“Oh no you don’t!” She laughed loudly, surprising both men. “I told you no more of that. Look, I have had an amazing time tonight, and I like you both…a lot, but I can’t get involved with you. Can we just be friends?”
“What’s stopping you, angel? Why are you so afraid to give us a shot?” Rafe asked, and she bit her tongue. She wasn’t sure she could trust them not to reject her when she told them the truth. It would be easier to just end this now before she got hurt.
She sat silently between them, but she could feel their eyes on her. Their entire focus was zeroed in on her, and she fidgeted uncomfortably. Her mind was racing trying to find a reason that would sound plausible, so that she wouldn’t have to expose her secret.
“I’m not comfortable dating two men at once,” she said finally, and they both seemed to freeze instantly. She had the sense that they were having a conversation somehow that she wasn’t part of.
“Okay. I’ll back off. You and Rafe can date and see where it leads,” Ryley said with a regretful sigh, and Shandi’s heart skipped a beat.
“No!” she cried out, surprising them all.
“Would you rather date Ryley? I would let you go if it made you happy—” Rafe started to say, but stopped when she shook her head no.
Tears filled her eyes, and she had to look away from the confused but sympathetic looks on their faces. Why did they have to make this so hard on her? Couldn’t they just accept that she didn’t want them and walk away? Her subconscious wouldn’t allow her to lie to herself, because she definitely did want them. Right at the moment she was struggling to remember all of her reasons for pushing them away.
“I can’t let either of you do that. Do you think I could date just one of you, knowing that I hurt the other?” she asked quietly. A tear broke free and slid down her cheek.
“Shandi, we know you feel something for us. We feel it, too. Neither one of us wants to walk away, but if that’s what will make you the happiest, then that’s what we will do,” Rafe said. His voice was rough and emotion filled, and it brought her eyes up to look at him.
His jaw was clenched tightly, and the arm around her shoulders was now cl
utching at her bare shoulder like a lifeline in a hurricane. It was killing him to say that, and she was stunned. How could they possibly feel something for her? They had only known her a few days. She turned to take in Ryley, who now sat staring off into the dark night stoically. Unlike his brother, she couldn’t read Ryley’s emotions in his body language. His hand still warmed her thigh though, and that encouraged her.
“I can’t imagine letting you walk out of my life completely now…you guys…you just…I don’t have the words to explain how I’m feeling,” she said with a frustrated huff.
Rafe sat watching her for a moment, while Ryley stayed passive at her other side. Finally Rafe reached out and pulled her up into his lap before she could resist. His huge arms wrapped tightly around her, embracing her in a giant hug and calming her chaotic emotions. His clinch comforted her on levels she had never experienced, and she immediately clung to him, curling into his warm chest, not caring who saw them.
“Then don’t. Don’t push us away, angel. Give us more time. We’ll try to take it slow and be patient. Okay?” he said against the top of her head. His body was a stable rock under her fragmented emotions right now, and she relished his large sigh of relief when she nodded her agreement.
A moment later she felt stronger and lifted her head. Ryley still sat where she had left him with a vacant stare on his beautiful face. Hesitantly she moved to stand in front of him. “Ryley?” Her voice sounded weak and pleading in her own ears, and she bit the inside of her lip to keep her head from dropping. “Ry, let’s get out of here.”
Ryley looked up into her eyes, and for a moment she could sense he was searching her face for answers. Either he accepted her at face value, or he gave up trying to find the answers, because he abruptly stood and pulled her up against him.
He held her firmly in his grip, his hands clutching at her hips, keeping her pressed tightly against his firm chest and abdomen. His blue-green eyes sparked with fire as he held her gaze. “Baby girl, I’m going to push you. I can’t help myself. It’s something inside of me that wants to be closer to you. I have a feeling I’m going to push you further than you like. Maybe farther than you’re willing to go.”
Shandi’s body started to tremble at the seriousness in his tone, and she dropped her eyes back to his chest. He wasn’t playing around, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for whatever else he had to say. “Ry, I don’t—”
Instead of letting her speak, Ryley brought his hand to her hair and gently tugged until her head tipped up to meet his gaze again. “Shandi, Rafe is the safe one. Rafe will hold you tenderly, and be affectionate and soft with you. I’m not like that. I’m not sure I’m ready for a relationship either. I like to play the field. I like to flirt with women.” He paused, and Shandi held her breath.
Her heart was already breaking. She just knew that he was either dumping her, or trying to push her into dumping him. “There is just something about you that occupies my every waking thought. I find myself avoiding flirting with other women, because you’re the one that I want. So I’m sorry in advance if I’m too pushy, but I’m going to push you. Because every moment you deny that you’re mine, you’re pushing me. Don’t ever deny that you belong to Rafe and me. Can you handle that?”
Shandi didn’t know how to respond. She had never met a man so immediately possessive of her, and she was surprised to find that just hearing him call her “mine” was a major turn on. She mulled over his words as they stared into each other’s emotionally turbulent eyes. He was giving her an out. One chance to turn tail and run, but she couldn’t take it. For some reason these two amazing men had managed to get their hooks into her, and they were dragging her heart underwater. There was no doubt in her mind now. She was going to fall for these two, hard.
Shocked to the core, she felt frozen in place. It was several moments before Rafe stood, and moved to stand behind her. He ran his finger over her cheek, as she stood within the circle of his younger brother’s arms, and instantly she felt a sense of calm wash over her. No matter what, these two men wouldn’t try to hurt her. She knew it in her soul. But would they hurt her unintentionally when she finally shared her secrets with them.
Not giving herself a chance to question her desires, she reached up and laced her fingers through Ryley’s beautiful golden hair. With just a slight bit of pressure, his head was dropping down closer to hers, and she lifted her lips to brush over his gently. “Let’s get out of here,” she repeated softly, and she heard the two responding growls as she covered Ryley’s lips with her own.
Chapter 9
Shandi’s skin sizzled with desire as Ryley lifted her out of the front seat of the SUV. Her feet never touched the ground. Instead he lifted her into his arms, so that she had to wrap her arms around his neck and hold on.
“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.
Ryley’s sharp look cut her off and kept her from arguing. They all rode the elevator in silence, and when they reached her apartment door, he reluctantly let her down so that she could get her keys from her purse.
“I could have walked, big guy. I’ve been doing it for the last twenty-seven years, minus that first year or so,” she said playfully as she stuck the key in the lock. Before Ryley could respond, Rafe was pushing her door open and guiding her into her apartment.
She could hear the click of the front door behind her, and then she was being whirled around. She flinched, expecting her back to hit the wall of the entranceway, but instead Rafe’s hands held her gently against it as he swooped in for a long, hot kiss. In that one kiss she was able to feel his desperate desire for her. When they broke apart she could feel her own need from the bottom of her curled toes all the way to the top of her scalp, where his hand now held her in place so that he could look into her eyes.
“Damn, angel, I’ve wanted to do that all evening,” he said breathily against her throat, and she moaned at his words.
“Me, too,” she responded with a shiver, enjoying the possessively tender way he held her against his body. She turned so that her eyes were locked on Ryley’s, and she watched as he put his hand up to the deadbolt on the door, and then raised an eyebrow at her in question.
The small smile that quirked her lips must have looked like a yes, because a moment later the door was locked, and Ryley and Rafe were stripping her clothes from her body.
In the space of a breath, she was completely naked in between them. She whimpered at the friction of their clothes against her sensitive skin. Like erotic sandpaper, the denim of their jeans was rubbing over her, keeping her brain cloudy with need.
“Please…” she moaned as Ryley’s hands went around her to cup her aching breasts in his hands. He pinched her nipples, making her cry out, and then he squeezed the whole lush mound tightly. It felt amazing, like he was placing his brand on her skin. His chest was pressed against her naked back, and she could feel the tension in his muscles as he pleasured her.
“Do you want us now, baby girl?” Ryley whispered against the shell of her ear, as Rafe dropped to his knees.
“Oh she wants us. Her pussy is dripping. Angel, you smell so sweet,” Rafe said before he lifted her legs to rest over his broad shoulders. With Ryley supporting her body, and her legs wrapped around Rafe’s head, she threw her head back and gasped. His fingers spread her pussy lips wide, and she felt the soft whisper of his breath over her throbbing clit. Then he was there, licking her everywhere, nibbling at the delicate folds of flesh until she was writhing against Ryley.
The edge of her orgasm was quickly approaching, and her body felt like it was on fire. Every time Ryley pinched her nipple, she whimpered, and he and Rafe both responded with a growl. Rafe’s growls ricocheted through his tongue and against her clit like a human vibrator. It was too much, too fast, and she exploded in their arms. The sensation of falling off of a cliff was overwhelming as she screamed their names and collapsed into their arms limply.
Rafe allowed her legs to drop back to the floor before he stood and lifted
her into his arms. He stared down at the beautiful woman as he carried her gently into her bedroom. Laying her on the soft, peach-colored comforter, he took a step back to stare down at her nude body. She was glorious. There was not a thing about her that he would change, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Ryley’s heated gaze run over her body, he knew that his brother felt the same way.
“Are you guys just going to look?” she asked curiously, cracking her eyes open to peek at them, and Rafe growled in response. Her eyes widened, reminding him that she didn’t know the whole story about him and Ryley yet. He was going to have his work cut out for him restraining his wolf and staying in control.
“Nope, baby girl, we’re going to look, touch, and taste every square inch of you. Roll over. I’m dying to see that pretty ass,” Ryley said, reaching for her bent knees to nudge them in the direction he wanted her to move.
When she was on her stomach, Rafe reached out and ran his hands over her round white ass cheeks. His fingers danced over the curve of her waist and up to the hard ridge of her shoulder blades. Her skin was absolutely flawless, and softer than a wolf pup’s fur.
The smell of arousal rolled off of her, making Rafe’s brain slow. Ryley was kissing his way up her legs, tasting her luscious skin all the way, and Shandi was moaning her pleasure.
Rafe met Ryley’s gaze and they spoke silently.
Heads or tails, bro.
I’ll take heads this time. I’ve at least tasted her already.
Fuck, I can’t wait to get inside of her.
