Going Deep: Boys of Fall

by Cari Quinn

  Paige cursed and pressed her fingers to her forehead. Could she be any more tasteless? “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry if this is difficult for you. I wish to God Colt wasn’t who he was. Or I wish I could wish that, but I can’t, because who he is happens to be exactly the man I need right now. One of them anyway.”

  “Well, darlin’, gotta say I’m glad to hear you say that.”

  Colt’s deep voice skated over her nerve endings and Paige’s gaze flew to the doorway in concert with her plunging stomach. “Oh God,” she wailed, absorbing his grin like the body-punch it was meant to be. “Why are you here?”

  “Two reasons. One, I wanted to talk to Char.”

  Paige cast a glance at her bestie and tried to ignore the pang of envy. Of course he wanted to talk to Char. They were friends, in spite of everything. She’d never begrudge them that.

  “Ugh. I just got back. Can we save the drama until after lunch at least?”

  Colt laughed and walked forward to brush a kiss over Char’s cheek. “Have a good time?” he asked lightly, but Paige imagined she could hear other things in his tone.

  Was he picturing her naked and sweaty with his brother? Did it hurt?

  Paige rubbed her forehead and turned back to the flowers. She couldn’t keep overanalyzing this or she was going to go mental.

  Before the last twenty minutes, she’d been doing so damn well too.

  “I did,” Charli said. “Unfortunately, the last few minutes haven’t been much fun.”

  Colt moved to stand next to Paige and took her elbow, drawing her definitively away from the flowers and against his side. “Why’s that?” He brushed a kiss over her hair and kept hold on her arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “Not ready to come back to work yet? Get a little too much sun?”

  Paige nudged him back. Was he really that clueless?

  Probably. He was a male, after all. A spectacularly endowed one, but that only left him less to work with up top during sticky situations.

  Charli stared at them. “You’re really going to stand there and grope her in front of me?”

  “That’s not groping.” Colt hooked his arm around her waist and tipped up her face, placing a soft, chaste kiss on her lips. “Closer to groping,” he acknowledged. “Still not there yet. Point is, I can do this whenever I want. And I will be.”

  “Don’t be so sure of that,” Paige said under her breath, hating that he’d scrambled her pulse so effortlessly when she was still annoyed with him.

  “I hope you are okay with it,” Colt continued. “We don’t want to hurt you. But we’re also not going to hide.”

  “Drama and an impassioned speech before opening. It’s gonna be a banner day.” Shaking her head, Charli slid off the counter. “I have stuff to do.”

  “Problem?”

  “No. But there will be if you have ulterior motives that will hurt Paige.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like, oh, getting me back for falling for your brother.”

  Paige watched his face for a reaction. That was something she hadn’t been brave enough to address herself. But either he was the world’s greatest actor or he was genuinely flummoxed by Charli’s statement. “What? Why would I do that?”

  Charli crossed her arms. “You tell me. The timing’s a little suspicious, if you ask me. This happens to occur the very day Wade and I get married, even though before then you hated each other.”

  “We didn’t hate each other.” Colt’s hold on Paige subtly tightened. “At least I didn’t hate her.”

  “I’ve never hated you more than I do right now,” Paige muttered, sighing at his soft chuckle.

  So freaking dense, thy name is male.

  Though obviously she was a bit dense too, because she could’ve broken free at any time and yet she hadn’t moved. She liked being held a bit too much.

  Charli’s eyes narrowed. “If you came here to talk to me about continuing…this, she already told me.”

  “I did, but I also wanted to ask after your honeymoon.”

  “Because that’s not awkward either.”

  “Look, this is all awkward. I figure the easiest way for it not to be is to be open and honest about everything. I’m not of a mind to sneak around like I’m sixteen, and I know Paige and Drake aren’t either. You and Wade are happily married, and we’ve all moved on. I just wanted to make sure we’re all—”

  Charli flapped her hands, cutting him off. “One big happy dysfunctional family. Yeah, I get it. Everything’s just dandy and we’re all so mature. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to catch up on.” She strode into the front of the store, letting the door they rarely shut between the rooms bang closed.

  “Well, that went well.” The corner of Colt’s mouth ticked up as he stuck his hand in his pocket and produced a breakfast bar. “This is the other reason I came by.”

  She frowned. “You’re hungry?”

  “Absolutely.” He gripped the end of her braid to tip back her head but her hand on his chest stopped him. “This is for you, though. You didn’t eat much this morning. Thought you might need some additional energy.”

  “Don’t be sweet right now. It’ll make me forget I’m pissed at you.”

  His brow furrowed. “You’re pissed at me too? Why?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Because you kissed her first. Because she’s your ex and I’m jealous in spite of how dumb and wrong it is.” She sighed. “Because you kissed her first,” she repeated, needing him to know the truth. It shamed her, but she had to say it.

  “What?”

  “Seriously, Colt, I’m starting to think you have a hearing problem.” She shifted away to the utility sink, carting one of the vases with her.

  “No, more like a thinking one. It never occurred to me I shouldn’t kiss her.”

  Paige turned on the water.

  “Hang on, wait.” He reached over and turned off the faucet. “It never occurred to me that I shouldn’t kiss her cheek, because it’s just something I do. It doesn’t require thought. It’s just a thing I do with a friend.”

  “She’s not your friend, she’s your ex-wife.” When she reached for the faucet again, his hand closed over hers on the spigot.

  “She’s my sister-in-law now. Did you forget that part?”

  “No.” Paige blew out a breath that ruffled her bangs and stared out the little window that looked out to the side parking lot. “I’m being a sensitive Sally, and I hate that. I’m normally so good about keeping my emotions in check, and lately they’re just busting out all over.”

  He moved behind her. “Not all that’s busting out. Look at these.” His finger skimmed her neckline as he nibbled on her ear. “I wish I could pull down this dress and suck your gorgeous tits right here.”

  She flushed and elbowed him, more than a little dismayed at the giggle that slipped out. Was that all he had to do to get her to forget her concerns? Tell her he liked her…tits?

  Probably. And she didn’t know what that made her. A ditzy female. A ditzy female who’d gotten swept up and was falling for—

  Nope, she was not falling for anyone. She was just enjoying the good thing they had going, until it wasn’t good anymore. Simple. Easy.

  No drama in sight.

  “Hey, look at me.” He turned her around to face him and cupped her face in one hand. The other still clutched the energy bar. “I came here for you. I wanted to say hello to her, and wish her well, but that’s because I care about her. Like a friend,” he stressed. “Kissing her isn’t anything but a pleasantry. With you, however…” He rubbed his thumb over Paige’s lower lip. “A kiss is enough to make me harder than steel.”

  She smiled weakly. That’s all she wanted. To make him hard. To get all the orgasms she could stand and give just as many back in return.

  Her conversation with Sadie filled her head. Sadie wasn’t confused about what she wanted. She wasn’t looking for forever, just for right now. The moment was all that mattered.

  That was a good
attitude, one she’d cultivate if it killed her. She’d gotten off to a strong start in that area, now she just had to bring it all home.

  And stop letting pesky wittle feelings distract her from her goal of pleasure, pleasure and more pleasure.

  “Is that so?” She glanced over his shoulder at the closed door, ensuring Charli wasn’t going to charge back into the room and make the day even more of a horror. Then she reached down to cup his cock, discovering he was indeed stiff and ready to go. “That reminds me. I was hoping to stop by for lunch today.” She leaned up on her tiptoes to brush her mouth over his Adam’s apple. “Turns out last night wasn’t quite enough to satisfy me.”

  “Oh no?” He brushed his fingers over her cheek. “We can’t have that. Yes, stop by for lunch.” He reached down to rub her ass. “Hell, stay right through dinner. We’ll make you our feast.”

  She lowered her lashes. “Why, Mr. Bennett, that sounds naughty.”

  “Damn straight.” He nuzzled her neck. “Work can wait.”

  “Speaking of work, I need some manual labor this afternoon. Don’t suppose you or Drake could—”

  “Eat your pussy until you scream? Absolutely.” At her stern face, he laughed. “Sorry. That’s not labor anyway. Manual labor, you say?”

  “Yes. I need to take a delivery to Mrs. Maddox at noon.”

  “I’ll be back to pick you up then.” He pressed the energy bar into her hand. “Eat this. You’re going to need your strength.”

  With a wink, he was gone.

  She pressed a hand to her heart and sighed. Lord, she was in trouble.

  * * *

  “She’s late.”

  “She’s not late.”

  “She’s probably not coming.”

  Drake smirked. “If she shows up here, she’s definitely coming.”

  Colt hopped down off of Misty and ran an absent hand down her flank. “I had a feeling she’s still pissed about yesterday.”

  “Oh yeah? What tipped you off? When she was bent over screaming when I nailed her on the porch or when she was sucking your dick?”

  Both moments were seared in his memory. Paige was the best lover he’d ever had, by far. She was inventive and so responsive that a look from him—from either of them—could set her motor running. When it was the three of them, naked and sweaty, magic happened. Not just of the climax variety, though that was pretty spectacular too. But they laughed together. Jesus, they laughed. If he wanted to talk to someone or just kill a couple of hours in companionable silence, now he had Paige to turn to as well as Colt. That was a kind of miracle.

  He wasn’t in any hurry for it to end.

  “Sex doesn’t fix everything,” Colt said. “I hurt her feelings.”

  “Yeah, so what else is new?” Drake reached out to pat Misty’s side. Colt had taken her on a brisk run around the paddock, but she was still raring to go.

  “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t even think.”

  Drake nearly repeated his last question, then decided silence might be a kinder response. Even Colt deserved an out now and then.

  “I’m not used to this kind of thing. Having a relationship again.” He tipped his head against Misty and she gave him a baleful glance. “It’s been a damn long time, and I’m rusty.”

  “Is that what we’re having?” Drake asked carefully. “A relationship?”

  Colt shrugged. “Isn’t it?”

  “Normally that’s not a word you use without getting hives.”

  His buddy tugged up his shirt and took a quick glance at his washboard abs. “Nope. No hives yet,” he said, letting it drop with a grin.

  Drake swallowed a groan. Christ, did he have to do stuff like that all the time?

  Of course he did, because he obviously still didn’t get that Drake wasn’t just turned on by Paige’s curves. He was also aroused as fuck by all Colt’s muscles and lines. And maybe it was time for him to amp things up a bit and make that clearer.

  Paige was on her way, and that would be the perfect opportunity for him to show his lovers how much he wanted them. And if Colt bolted, well, he’d just have to learn to live with it.

  He couldn’t keep hiding his needs. God knows he’d tried. But every time they took turns fucking Paige and their dicks rubbed too close, or Colt’s mouth slid too near to his own and he couldn’t lean forward and take a bite of his full lower lip, it felt like more of him chipped away. He didn’t want to be made a liar by anyone—especially himself.

  The only thing he wanted almost as much was not to ruin the absolutely amazing thing they had going. But dammit, he’d only be successful at hiding his true nature for so long. He adored Paige and couldn’t be more attracted to her if he tried. The same went for Colt, who he loved and wanted to make love to.

  He wanted to make love to both of them, and to know they were both fully on board, with him and each other.

  Hello, fairytale. He snorted. Christ, next he’d start hoping Sleeping Beauty was a true story.

  “Yeah,” Drake said quietly, turning at the telltale sound of wheels crunching over the gravel driveway. “I guess it is a relationship.”

  Whether it would still be one by the end of the night, he just didn’t know.

  9

  Something was off with Drake.

  Colt had been certain Paige would be the one he’d have to woo tonight, considering his kissing snafu on Monday. Instead, she’d been chatty and happy, carting in bags of takeout pulled-pork sandwiches and coleslaw and going on about some new customers at the store.

  She was a damn ray of sunshine who just happened to have a deliciously dirty underside.

  Drake, on the other hand, had eaten his meal with little gusto and only said a word when directly questioned. He didn’t seem mad exactly, just thoughtful.

  As a rule, thoughtful made him nervous.

  He’d never considered that trying to have an arrangement with two people meant twice the headaches. Twice the smoothing of feathers, twice the solicitous behavior. The twice-the-sexual-favors part didn’t bother him overmuch, since he definitely got that in return. And it wasn’t as if he was servicing anyone but Paige, though a few times stuff had happened with Drake that didn’t bear examining. Mainly because he didn’t want to consider what any of it meant. He’d always identified as straight and while he had a feeling that category could be flexible if need be, he figured any awakening feelings in that direction were probably just Paige spillover. With all the desire pingponging between the three of them, of course some would go in a different direction now and then. He could love the guy without…loving the guy.

  Couldn’t he?

  It wasn’t as if it was a big deal if something did happen between them, as long as Paige was in bed with them. Then it was just usual sanctioned threesome activities. At least that seemed logical in his head.

  Lots of bullshit seemed logical once he’d had a couple of beers and a sexy girl was on her knees, undoing his jeans.

  “Looks like someone’s already ready to play,” she purred, sliding her hand around his cock. Before he could reply, she’d taken him in her mouth.

  Her silky, wet, hot mouth.

  She’d just taken a long drink of her grape soda, and sweet hell, he could almost feel some kind of fizzy tingle exploding along his length as she licked. Dirty girl, all right. He might build some kind of altar to her. Later. Much later.

  “I know we were supposed to ride first,” she said coyly, gazing up at him through the fringe of her cinnamon-colored eyelashes.

  The combination of her skin and hair was like one of those frou-frou drinks they made down at The Lone Bean. He never drank them, preferring his coffee strong and black, but he sure liked to look at them. Loved to look at her.

  “But I figured we’d start in here, maybe go for a ride later?” She flicked her tongue over the bubble of pre-cum that formed at the tip. “In the dark?” She chuckled and licked him again. “Naked?”

  He groaned. “Darlin’, if you’re riding naked in the dark, it w
on’t be on a damn horse.”

  “The guy has a point.” Drake decided to leave his sulking behind and circled around Paige to loosen her hair from its thick braid. He touched her so carefully, so lovingly, that the pressure in Colt’s balls only grew. “We can think of enough to ride in here tonight.”

  “But I want to ride Misty too.” Lick, lick, lick. “You guys know the land.” Lick, suck, nibble. Fuck. “We’ll be safe, even in the dark.”

  Luckily Drake fielded that one, because his brain cells were currently residing south of the border.

  “One word for you: coyotes,” his buddy said shortly, his tone brooking no argument.

  That didn’t stop Paige, even with a cock in her mouth. She just slipped it out and shifted to pout at Drake, her beautiful rosy lips plump and gleaming. “We’ll be careful.”

  Drake tossed aside the band from her hair and dragged his fingers through the wild strands. “You can’t be careful enough. No.”

  “But—”

  “Paige, that’s enough.”

  “But—”

  “No. End of story.” He tugged up her dress and pulled down her panties and slapped her ass hard enough that she squealed around a mouthful of Colt.

  Colt jerked in the chair as she pulled back, scraping her teeth along his length. “Goddamn, give a guy some warning before he loses his dick.” He leaned forward and cupped her cheek. “You okay, darlin’?”

  She nodded, though there was no missing the sheen in her eyes.

  “He’s just worried. We both are.” He shot another look at Drake, who stared back, unrepentant, his blue eyes like twin flames. “That doesn’t give him cause to bruise you.”

  “I didn’t bruise her. And she liked it.” He rested his chin on her head and slid one hand up her torso, dragging her dress up with it.

  Colt instantly saw the wet spot on the front of her panties.

  “Didn’t you, sweetheart?” He turned her head to peer into her eyes. “Your pussy’s pulsing, isn’t it? You want me to do it again.”

  Her tears didn’t match the rest of her reaction. The easy pliancy of her in his arms, the wet spot, the tight pucker of her nipples against her dress. Colt knew her well enough already to know when she was turned on, and this definitely qualified.