Twins for the Bull Rider

by April Arrington

  Dominic choked on his laughter and winked back. That kid was too smart for his own good.

  “Don’t encourage him,” Cissy advised, poking a dirty finger in Dominic’s chest. She still held her “I mean business” tone but her own giggle destroyed the effect.

  Jayden sprang back, barreling into Dominic’s leg and tugged on his T-shirt. Dominic knelt down once more, bringing his face level to Jayden’s.

  “Thanks for takin’ us fishin’, Mr. Dominic.” Jayden’s whisper tickled his ear with each rushed word. “I don’t like the worms but I like the fish. And I’ll do better next time.”

  Jayden swung his head to the side and smacked a kiss on Dominic’s cheek, then threw his arms around his neck and squeezed.

  Dominic pulled him close and ruffled a hand through his soft hair before saying, “You can’t get any better, buddy. You’re already the best fishing partner a man could have.”

  That new pride was back. It swelled in Dominic’s chest and flooded his body. He had one more second to treasure it before Jayden slipped free to join his brother. The pair scrambled off, fishing rods clanging, to join Pop on the trek back up to the house.

  Dominic rubbed a hand over the base of his throat. He could still recall Jayden’s insistent tug on his neck the first night they’d arrived. His whispered plea for Dominic to still be there when he woke up.

  At the time, he’d shied away from it. Didn’t feel he deserved that much trust or admiration given his reckless past and bad record of dependability. And, Lord knew, he wasn’t built to be anyone’s hero.

  But that was then. He stood taller now. Stood prouder. Now he cherished every wistful glance and tender hug the boys gave him. He felt new and rebranded. As if he’d earned a second glance.

  Maybe even a third...

  “You’re good with them.”

  Cissy’s soft murmur brought his attention to her. She was eyeing him again. Roving those beautiful blues over him and peering deep. He shifted from one foot to the other.

  Damn, he’d give every dime he had if it’d buy him a way inside that guarded mind of hers. Give him a glimpse of what she was thinking. What she thought of him. But he didn’t want to run her off. Or have her lock him out again.

  Instead, he acknowledged a simple fact. “Because of them. They’re easy to love.”

  Cissy pinched her lips together and her face flared an even deeper shade of red before she looked away. The words seemed to disappoint her. She stepped closer to the edge off the pond, reeled in her line and picked off the remnants of a soggy worm.

  “Their mom was like that.” Her brow furrowed as she tugged on the wet line to secure the hook. Fingers shaking, she used a lot more time and focus than needed to complete the task.

  “Crystal?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” She turned and bent to lay the fishing pole on the grass. “People were always drawn to my sister. I’m not sure if it was the same for our mom or not. We never got a chance to know her.”

  “What happened to your mom?”

  “She got pregnant with us before she got out of high school then passed away when we were born. Our aunt took us in. She and my cousin were all there was left of our family.” She stood, rubbing at the mud on her hands. “Crystal and I spent the first six years of our life dirt poor and crammed in a trailer with our aunt and cousin.” She sighed. “After a while I think it just got to be too much for my aunt. Twins aren’t really two for the price and time of one.” Her laugh was humorless. “She gave us up for adoption. Crystal and I stayed in foster homes until we aged out of the system.” She shrugged. “When I got evicted from my apartment, I tried to contact my aunt. Turns out she died a few years ago,” she said softly.

  She put her back to him, looking out over the pond. Focused on something he couldn’t see.

  “Crystal and I knew our aunt had been in a tough position. We understood why she thought she had to give us up. And we knew she loved us.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “But, sometimes, it just seemed as if she didn’t love us enough. As if no one did. As though we weren’t worth the trouble.”

  Dominic took a few steps toward her before forcing himself to stop. Hell, he knew exactly how that felt. Not being needed. Or wanted. He ached to reach out and wrap his hands around her upper arms and pull her against him. Urge her to lean into him. Make her feel his strength at her back and know she wasn’t alone.

  But his mind balked at shattering the moment. He locked his knees and waited.

  “Crystal and I were each other’s home.” Cissy glanced at him over her shoulder and tried for a small smile. “We never felt alone as long as we had each other. And we were identical, just like the boys. No matter how many strangers surrounded me, I could always look at her and feel like I belonged.”

  Her mouth twisted. “Crystal never had trouble trusting people like I did. Especially men. That’s how she ended up with Kayden and Jayden. She fell for this random musician and ate up every lie he fed her.” She frowned and shook her head. “No, that’s not fair. Jason didn’t always lie to her. As a matter of fact, he was pretty blunt on a lot of occasions. I guess she just heard what she wanted to hear.”

  No longer able to restrain himself, Dominic crossed the last bit of distance between them, removing his hat and dropping it on the ground next to her fishing pole. He took her hands, turning them over a time or two and rubbing his thumbs over the thick dirt covering them. Giving them a gentle tug, he brought her to a sitting position beside him on the ground close to the edge of the pond. He dipped her right hand in the cool water, rubbing at her delicate fingertips to dislodge the dirt from them.

  “Do the boys ever see him?” he asked. He didn’t know how many answers he’d get, but he was willing to push for as many as possible.

  “They used to. Every now and then for the first few years. Jason would come around to see Crystal and he’d spend some time with them. But then he and Crystal would always take off and I’d stay with the boys until she got back. It’d usually be a month or two. About as long as he had off between gigs at the time.”

  “How ’bout since then?” Reaching down, he pulled his shirt from his waistband and wrapped her wet hand in it to rub it dry.

  “Once or twice. When Crystal got sick, he came around more often to see her. By then, the boys didn’t really know him. They just knew of him.”

  She studied his movements. Followed his hands as they returned to the water to begin cleaning her other palm.

  “Was that him on the phone that day? When you first got here?”

  “You remember that?” She seemed genuinely surprised.

  “Yeah.” How could he forget? That one call had altered her entire demeanor. Made her spine rigid and brought tears to her eyes.

  Her lips parted a couple times but no sound emerged. She swallowed hard then everything came rushing out.

  “He wants me to give them up. He says they’ll be better off with two parents and a nice suburban home.” Disdain dripped from her words. “He says he loves them even if he doesn’t want them. And that I’m being selfish for trying to keep them.”

  Dominic lifted her hand from the water and wrapped it in his shirt, repeating his motions from before.

  “Crystal and I weren’t lucky like others,” she said. “We never got adopted or had a stable home. People were always coming and going out of our lives. I don’t want that for the boys. And I promised Crystal I’d give them more than that.”

  She ran her tongue over her lips in a nervous gesture. “Jason thinks I have nothing to offer them.” She hesitated. “Do you think he’s right?”

  “Hell, no.” Dominic’s answer was immediate. It burst from his lips on a spurt of anger.

  The bastard. How blind could a man be? How could he not see how important Cissy was to those boys? What she brought to them?

  He wrung his shirt around her hand with more force than necessary, wiping firmly at her skin and dragging every mark off her.

  “Dominic, don’t. Yo
u’re ruining your shirt.” She issued a halfhearted smile and tried to pull her hand away. “I’m filthy.”

  He shook his head. He released her hands and lifted his palms, smoothing off the fleck of dirt from her chin and cradling her flushed cheeks. Emotions he’d never felt before washed over him, leaving him weak and wanting.

  “I’ve never met a woman more pure and sweet than you.”

  Her rosebud mouth parted on a swift intake of air and he moved in, nudging her lips with his. He waited, giving her a chance to respond before asking for more. Every muscle in his body strained against his rigid hold.

  To his relief, she met him halfway, pressing her soft mouth to his and trembling in his arms.

  It was all he needed to let go.

  His tongue swept between her lips, dipping inside and gathering the taste of her.

  Sweet. Intoxicating.

  He had to have more. Plunging deeper, he moved his hands into her hair, rubbing the silky, blond strands between his fingers. Her light, sweet scent drifted around him and he fell even deeper into the kiss. Into her.

  A soft sound escaped her mouth and entered his own. He reluctantly drew back, pressing his forehead to hers and closing his eyes. She bunched her hands in his shirt and tugged him closer.

  “Dominic...”

  A question? A plea? Quiet cry of surprise?

  He wasn’t sure. But damned if her soft sigh and the sweet taste of her on his tongue didn’t make him weak and desperate. Weak for more and desperate to hold on.

  “Yeah?” he asked, speech slurred and husky.

  At her silence, he opened his eyes and leaned back to find her studying him. Only this time, her gaze wasn’t as focused. It was dazed and excited.

  Her hands uncurled, leaving his shirt, smoothing up his chest and wrapping around his nape. Tingles spread over his scalp and down his spine when her fingers combed through his hair. The corners of her mouth tipped up, her expression shy.

  Her big blue eyes wandered over his face and lingered on his mouth.

  “Will you do that again?” she whispered.

  Dominic’s heart tripped in his chest. Would he do it again?

  If he did, he’d fall so fast there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d be able to avoid the impact. But if he walked away, he’d never know how deep this feeling ran.

  And he’d never know how far she’d let him in.

  “Yeah,” he murmured, touching his mouth to hers. “As much as you want.”

  Chapter Six

  “One more, girl, and that’s it.”

  Cissy jumped, her head smacking into the underside of a picnic table and her fingers fumbling over the red ribbon wrapped around them. She eased back on her heels and looked up with a laugh.

  A young woman stretched over the edge of the wide wood table to peer down at her with raised brows. “Did you hear me? Just one more table to decorate and everything’ll be set.”

  Tammy Jenkins. She’d arrived at Raintree Ranch a couple of days ago with her cousin, Colt Mead, to celebrate Independence Day. They were both taking a short sabbatical, as they put it, from the rodeo circuit to enjoy the holiday. And they were both close friends of Dominic.

  Dominic...

  Cissy sighed. It’d be exactly a week tomorrow since their fishing trip. If she was being altogether honest about it, she could probably cite the number of minutes that had passed from the exact second his lips had touched hers. Her mind had wandered back time and time again to his kiss by the pond, leaving no room for any other thoughts.

  Despite his strength, he’d been nothing but tender. Warmth pooled low in her belly at the remembered feel of his mouth on hers. His big, warm palms kneading her nape. His deep, sexy rumble a soft whisper over her skin.

  As much as you want...

  “Sorry,” Tammy said. “Didn’t mean to break your concentration.”

  Cissy blinked, realizing she was staring blankly at the disarrayed bundle of material in her hands. Tammy’s fingers curled over hers, gathering up the wayward ribbon and bundling it back into the bow she’d been tacking to the smooth wood of the picnic table.

  Cissy shook her head and smiled. “You didn’t. I was just thinking about...”

  About... She scrambled to try to find a reasonable excuse for where her mind had been. Dominic.

  No. The party.

  His mouth...

  No. The horses.

  His touch...

  No—

  “You’re busted, girl.” Tammy grinned wide, brown hair streaming over her shoulders as she rose. She studied her through narrowed eyes. “I know exactly what you were thinking.”

  Cissy bit her lip. The heat from the scorching July sun was no match for the embarrassment that blazed through her body. She opened her mouth but couldn’t manage a sound, her useless jaw hanging.

  “You were thinking about how nice it is to have a night off from those wild nephews of yours.” Tammy propped her hands on her hips, green eyes sparkling. “You’ll be able to relax. Dance. And maybe even enjoy an adult beverage or two.”

  Or find a dark corner and ask Dominic to kiss her again. Cissy clenched her teeth at the sudden thought.

  Or ask him to touch her. Or ask to touch hi—

  Stop it. Stay focused. She shouldn’t have given in to begin with.

  Cissy squared her shoulders and nodded. “You’re right. That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  Tammy winked. “Can’t blame you. I mean, I fell in love with those two on sight, but good golly, Miss Molly! Those two spitfires could burn the world down with a wet match if they set their minds to it.”

  “Who y’all talking about? The twins?” Jen Taylor, Tammy’s friend and fellow barrel racer, arrived, plopping a basket full of condiments on the ground by the picnic table.

  “How’d you guess?” Tammy asked, sharing a laugh with Cissy.

  Cissy used the edge of the table to pull herself to her feet and eyed the decorative bow for any adjustments. The annual Fourth of July celebration at Raintree Ranch would kick off in just a couple of hours. She’d spent the better part of the day setting up with the staff and a few guest volunteers while the boys trailed after the Slade men.

  It had been hard work but seemed like more of a treat. It’d been forever since she’d been able to socialize with other women her age. In the past, she’d spent the majority of her time with Crystal and the boys. And when Crystal became sick, her time had been split between hospital trips, work and worry. There’d been no time for fun. Or for herself.

  And the cherry on top of it all was the fact that the boys would be spending the night out camping with the other kids as part of their Fourth of July treat. Pop and Logan would be leading the excursion, leaving her free of worry and able to enjoy the night’s festivities. If Tammy and Jen’s tales regarding past Raintree celebrations were even half-true, the night promised to be more than just festive.

  “Where are the little toots anyway?” Jen lifted a hand to her brow, nudging a red curl back and shielding her brown eyes from the harsh afternoon sun.

  Cissy motioned across the wide expanse of the field, focused on constructing one more bow from the last of the red ribbon. “They’re over there helping the guys set up the portable stage for the band.” Her laughter traveled down her arms and shook the ribbon in her hands. “Or, at least, they’re over there anyway.”

  “Well, I hope they’ve been drinking that bottled water we left out for them.” Jen fanned her neck, her nose wrinkling. “It’s hot as Hades out here.”

  “And speaking of hot,” Tammy whispered.

  Cissy glanced up from her handiwork and followed the women’s gazes through the hazy air to find Dominic, Logan and Colt making their way over to the picnic tables. The three ambled across the high grass, shirts saturated with sweat and clinging to their chests. Jeans tight and pulling in all the right places.

  It was a sight no fully bred Southern woman could resist.

  “Mmm, mmm, mmm.” Jen’s fanning turned
furious. “Maybe this is Hades. Because those have got to be the three hottest devils in Georgia.”

  “Two,” Tammy said. “Colt doesn’t count.”

  “Why not?”

  Tammy’s mouth stretched on slow, exaggerated syllables. “Because he’s my cousin.”

  “So? Doesn’t mean I can’t have a gander.” Jen eyed her from the side and shimmied her chest suggestively.

  “Ugh, Jen.” Tammy rolled her eyes. “You’re ruining the moment for me. And don’t let Colt hear you say that. His head’s big enough as it is.”

  “Don’t worry.” Jen smoothed a hand over her fiery hair, her expression sly. “I know how to handle Colt.”

  Tammy’s groan was long suffering.

  Cissy ducked her head and laughed. Today was definitely more of a treat than work. Though she couldn’t say she hadn’t enjoyed the past few days of ranch labor.

  She admired Dominic’s long stride, recalling how his jeans had stretched over the thick muscle of his thighs when he’d squatted at her elbow to repair a fence earlier that morning. Since their fishing trip, he’d jumped into the daily fray of chores. Most often the ones near her or at her side. And afterward, he always made it a point to find an evening activity they could enjoy with the boys. She’d begun anticipating those two late-afternoon hours with Dominic as much as Kayden and Jayden.

  Still, Cissy made certain their frolicking didn’t interfere with work. She’d clocked in six days this week and had managed to pay off the dab of engine work and two of the new tires her car had required to be put back in working order. Only two tires left to pay for and she’d owe nothing more to Logan’s mechanic friend. She’d be free and clear of debt, allowing the small stash of money she’d earned to flourish faster.

  But she’d learned not to sacrifice too much of the time she spent with Kayden and Jayden, planning to reserve one day every week just for them. And it was an added bonus that Dominic seemed to enjoy being around them. Because she’d found herself growing more and more eager for his company.

  “Hey, ladies.” The trio had arrived, and Colt leaned on the picnic table with big hands, trailing his gaze from the top of Jen’s head to the tips of her turquoise boots. “Gotta say, makes a man’s work a lot easier having such pretty scenery on the job.”