by D. L. Roan
Breezy let out a soft whimper and burrowed against his chest. “Shh, he’ll be right back,” Connor assured her, gathering her against him. He held her in his arms, trailing gentle kisses across her brow until Carson returned a moment later and scooped her into his arms. Connor reluctantly let her go and pulled down the covers, only taking his eyes off them long enough to dispose of the condom before he slipped back into the bed.
She’d curled up against Carson and Connor spooned her from behind, their legs tangling together again, their mingled breaths falling into one smooth rhythm. He caught his twin’s gaze above her shoulder and something settled inside him. He’d never seen Carson look so utterly stupefied.
He rested his head on the pillow beside Breezy’s, closing his eyes as he kissed the base of her neck. This is it. This was what he’d waited his entire life for, and it was finally happening, right in front of his eyes.
Chapter Twenty
Carson awoke with a warm hand splayed over his chest, an even warmer body glued to his side. He took a long, deep breath of Breezy’s scent, not bothering to open his eyes as he rolled to his side and drew her against him, sliding his thigh over her legs to give his hard-as-steel cock the contact it—”
“Dude! What the fuck?” He and Connor shoved away from each other and bolted off the bed, Connor landing on his ass in a tangle of sheets.
Standing outside the bathroom door, Breezy covered her mouth with a white-knuckle grip to stifle her laugh. It didn’t work. She doubled over with a boisterous chuckle, her eyes twinkling with endearing mischief.
“You little imp! You think that’s funny?” Carson bounded over the bed and tackled her, hoisting her over his shoulder and carrying her towel-wrapped, but otherwise naked, gorgeous ass back to bed. “I’ll show you funny.” In a fit of giggles she squirmed as he pinned her to the mattress, securing her flailing hands in one of his as he and Connor proceeded to find every ticklish spot they could find.
“Stop!” she gasped and then laughed some more as Connor tortured one of her feet, sucking her little toe between his lips.
“Ouch,” he bellowed when her leg jerked and she caught his jaw with the heel of her foot. “You don’t play fair!”
“Sorry!” Breezy tried to sit up, but Carson stretched out over top of her, pinning her hands above her head.
“He’s faking it to get sympathy,” he told her, Connor proving him right a second later when he crashed down beside them, grinning like a possum eating a sweet potato.
Carson honestly didn’t know what was happening. His mind was still searching for missing pieces after being blown to bits the night before, but seeing Connor this way? He couldn’t remember a time when he’d seen him so happy, not even when they hit their first number one single.
The sight fulfilled him in a way nothing else ever had, and he was all too happy to go with it. This was working. He could feel the connection to his twin that he’d severed so long ago mending and closing the gap between them.
He watched with anticipation as Connor peeled the top of her towel away and sucked her coffee-colored nipple into his mouth, his lips pulling back into a wide grin to reveal a tight, little bud pinched between his teeth.
She writhed beneath him, sending more blood to Carson’s already engorged cock. Her giggles turned into mewling sighs as he lowered his head and joined Connor, taking her other nipple between his teeth, flicking his tongue until it matched the other.
“I’ve always been a proponent of teamwork,” Breezy said with a grin, raising her head to watch them.
“Mmm, I’m a new fan myself,” Carson teased back.
Her brows furrowed as she glanced between them. “You’ve never done this before? Um, shared?”
Connor paused and glanced up at her, shaking his head. “You’re our first.”
The word only popped into Carson’s head, taking the place of one of those missing pieces. He didn’t immediately squash the idea, which was weird. His undeniable attraction to Breezy aside, he’d gone into this with his eyes wide open, his only intent to give Connor something he’d taken away from him with Charlotte. What he didn’t expect, was to feel this overwhelming sense of completion.
He glanced up at her and she gazed back at him in confusion, disbelief, seeking confirmation. “It’s true,” he confirmed. “It’s never been right before.”
That was true, too. Nothing he’d ever felt with any other woman compared to this. He didn’t have a name for it; didn’t need one. He only knew he wanted more.
Holding her hands captive in one hand, he peeled the rest of her towel away with the other and trailed his fingers over her ticklish belly, watching it jump and shudder, goosebumps trailing in his wake. When he reached her pussy, he slipped between her well-groomed folds and found her hot and soaking, ready for more.
“Ahh,” she hissed and cringed away when he pressed at her entrance. He glanced up to see a pained expression knitting her brows, her teeth sunk into her bottom lip.
“Are you sore, darlin?” Carson pulled his hand back, his fingers trailing over her hip in soothing circles.
Breezy nodded. “More than a little,” she confessed, her cheeks turning a brilliant shade of pink.
“Aww, you should have told us.” Connor released her nipple and rolled to his side, propping his head on the heel of his hand.
Carson released her hands and took the same position on her other side, but not before savoring the taste of her arousal from his fingers.
“Oh my God, you did not just do that!” Breezy laughed, swatting at his hand.
“Oh yes I did.” Carson chuckled, taking another swipe with his tongue to make sure he didn’t miss a drop. “Mmm. How many licks to the center of a Breezy pop?”
She covered her reddened face, shaking her head in disbelief. He glanced up to see Connor’s forlorn stare and burst out laughing. “I’m not sharing, bro,” he warned. “You had your turn last night.”
Connor let out a disappointed whine, his head falling dramatically to the mattress with a thud. “It’s for the best,” he conceded with a shrug. “We’re out of condoms anyway.”
“Well, we can always stop by Ralph’s for more,” Breezy giggled.
Carson and Connor groaned in unison. “That place is an eyesore.”
“But they have the condom market cornered,” she said. “I stopped there to buy a toothbrush on my way to the ranch. Everyone and their brother was there buying condoms, including yours.”
“Jonah?” he asked. “Buying condoms?”
“That sneaky little bastard,” Connor chuckled. “He hasn’t even mentioned having a girlfriend since we’ve been home.”
“Come to think of it,” Carson said, scratching his stubble-covered jaw, “I’ve never seen him with a girl.”
“You don’t think he’s gay, do you?” Connor gasped.
Carson shrugged, but eventually dismissed the idea. “Na. You remember what Dani was like when we were dating. He’s probably trying to keep whoever it is away from the family craziness as long as possible.”
“Car,” Breezy interrupted. He looked down to see all traces of her earlier carefree mood gone.
“What is it, darlin’? What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong, but...there’s something you need to know. Something I’ve wanted to tell you since I first arrived.”
“What is it, baby?”
She sat up and he and Connor followed suit. To his disappointment, she pulled up the sheet and tucked it around her breasts.
She swallowed and took a steadying breath. “Ford wasn’t obsessed with Charlotte, not the way you thought.”
“I know,” he rushed to assure her, feeling ashamed for all the awful things he’d believed about her brother over the years. “I was a jerk. Papa Joe told me why he dropped out of school. I was an idiot for not seeing it. Charlotte loved tutoring. I can see her offering to help him.”
Her gaze dropped to her hands resting in her lap. “Yes, she did help him get his G.E.D., b
ut...that’s not why I know he wasn’t in love with her.”
He and Connor waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. Connor finally tipped her chin up and a stream of tears poured from her glassy eyes. “Aw, baby. Don’t cry.”
She hurriedly swept them away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to cry. I’ve never told anyone and saying the words aloud is a lot harder than I thought it would be.”
“It’s okay. Take your time.” Carson pushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, cursing the gut-wrenching ache in his chest. A woman in tears always made him uncomfortable, but Breezy in tears was completely unacceptable. He’d caused too many already.
“Ford was gay,” she finally said. “I don’t know if he told her, or if she figured it out, but Charlotte knew.”
“Holy shit,” Carson breathed.
“Charlotte never said a word,” Connor said, confirming Charlotte’s loyalty to Ford.
Breezy nodded and sniffled. “I didn’t know, either. I suppose I was too young to see it, but Pa knew. He...uh...he...”
Carson bit back a curse. He could imagine the shit Ford had caught from that holier-than-thou bunch. If anything was worse than being a McLendon, it was being gay, no matter who you were.
He and Connor rubbed comforting circles on her back as she took a steadying breath. “It’s okay,” he assured her. “Papa Joe and Grey told us enough about him to know he wasn’t father of the year material.”
Her next breath rushed out as an incredulous huff. “Not even close.”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her palm. “I know I’ve said I’m sorry, but it doesn’t feel like enough.” He’d been such a selfish ass.
Her lips turned up into a weak smile and her gaze dropped to her lap again. “It’s more than enough, Car. We were kids, and we were all hurt by what happened. I wanted you to know the truth. Charlotte was trying to help Ford escape. He’d passed his high school equivalence test and she’d helped him enlist in the military. I think he was on his way home that night to tell me he was leaving, but after working days of double shifts and everything else, I believe he was simply too exhausted to drive.”
Carson closed his eyes as a barrage of images from that night came rushing back. He saw the crumpled vehicles, parts strewn across the road. He saw Charlotte’s lifeless eyes and the paramedic cover her mangled body. And for the first time he saw the true tragedy of it all, untainted by blame or guilt. Ford had killed his only true friend.
“Car told me about them not telling you where Ford was buried. Is there anything we can do?” Connor asked, shuffling to sit behind her. He bracketed her legs with his and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, drawing her back into his embrace. He rested his chin on her shoulder and glanced up at Carson, his message received loud and clear. They would do anything she asked, whatever it took to lessen her pain.
Breezy gave them a small shake of her head. “Just being able to tell you is a huge relief.”
“You can tell us anything,” Connor declared. He shifted behind her, leaning around so that she could see him. “This thing between us,” he glanced at Carson and back to her. “I know it’s new, but don’t ever feel like you can’t talk to us about something. I mean, I’m technically the better listener, but—”
What the hell, bro? Carson reached out and gave Connor a knock-it-off shove.
“I’m just saying.” Connor shrugged with a chuckle. “If you want a classic over-reactionary response, then Car’s definitely your man.”
“Asshole,” he grumbled, but couldn’t contain his smile. He and Connor hadn’t shared that kind of friendly-fire banter in ages.
“Seriously, though,” Connor continued. “If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask us, okay?”
“Okay,” she said with some reluctance, combing her fingers through her hair. “Do you think either of you could come up with a hairbrush? All of my things are at your grandparents’.”
“Speaking of which.” Connor tumbled her back onto the mattress, trapping her between them again. “No more B&Bs, no hotels, no more running,” he demanded. “Got it?” He pressed his fingers into her ribcage and threatened to tickle the life out of her if she refused.
“Oh God, please don’t! I promise!”
“And no more sneaking out of bed before us,” Carson tossed in. “I may be traumatized for life.”
Breezy snorted and Carson dug his fingers into her side. “Little witch still thinks it’s funny!”
“No!”
“And exactly how did you plan on getting back to the ranch?” Connor asked, giving her a reprieve from his wicked intentions.
“Oh shoot! I forgot!”
“Breezy? It’s me,” Dani called out from beyond the door after a series of muted knocks.
“Oh shit.” Carson bolted from the bed, snatching his jeans from the floor and tossing Connor’s to him.
“Con? Car? If you’re in there, do not open this door.”
“What is she doing here?” Carson danced around the room as he fed his legs through the uncooperative denim.
“My plan B to get back to the ranch,” Breezy said, wrapping herself up like a Roman goddess in the bedsheets. “I hadn’t exactly thought things through when I asked her to bring me here last night.”
“We’ve got it covered, Dani!” Connor shouted across the room as he zipped and buttoned.
“Yeah, well, you might think differently in about two minutes,” Dani warned.
“What is she blabbering about?” Carson asked, stomping to the door.
“No, let me,” Breezy insisted, shuffling past him to the door.
She unlocked the door and Dani stumbled inside, a chorus of muted voices following her before Breezy could get the door closed.
“What the hell is going on out there?” Carson asked, rushing to the window.
“I wouldn’t do that!” Dani warned, but it was too late. He’d already parted the curtains and was met with a sea of camera lenses.
“Son of a bitch,” Connor groaned behind him.
“What are they doing here?” Breezy slid the chain lock into place and backed away from the door.
“You mean you haven’t seen it?” Dani asked and whipped out her phone. “It’s grainy because it was dark, but there was definitely more than one kind of fireworks going off in the park last night.”
Carson snatched the phone from Dani and growled a string of curses. Those bastards! Their entire life had been strung up on the internet and now this? “Breezy, I’m so sorry.” Shit. “This is my fault.” He’d screwed up yet again. He should have known there would be someone stalking him at the park.
“What is it?” The color drained from her face as she took the phone and studied the picture on the screen, Connor hovering over her shoulder.
“Oh my God,” she gasped. “This is on R.L.Z.? That means it’s everywhere!”
“It’s actually not so bad,” Dani shrugged. “You can’t really tell it’s you unless you study it.”
“I hate these fucking people,” Connor cursed, slamming his fist against the door.
Seeing the panic in Breezy’s eyes pushed Carson across the room. He snatched the phone from her hands and pulled her into his arms. “If this is as bad as it gets, darlin’, it’s not that bad, really.” It wasn’t. Dani was right. He could barely make out anything but his profile and the color of her t-shirt.
“Car, it looks like I’m having sex against a tree! In the middle of a public park!” she argued, turning in his arms and grabbing at the phone.
He held it away from her and tried to calm her down. “Darlin’ listen to me.”
“Oh my God.” She turned away from him and plopped down onto the edge of the mattress. “Henry and Olivia are going to see that.”
Connor sank down beside her. “Baby, we’re sorry. I was hoping to delay this as long as possible, and we certainly didn’t want it to happen like this, but it was inevitable that someone would see one or both of us with you e
ventually.”
“I’m not afraid to be seen with you,” she argued. “Either of you. I just...What am I supposed to do? What do I say?”
“We don’t have to say shit to them,” Carson interjected. He’d never despised the media as much as Connor did, until now. “We can leave in separate vehicles if you want. You can say as little or as much as you like. It’s completely up to you what you tell them, or don’t tell them. We’ll stand by whatever you decide.”
“For the record,” Dani piped in, “I think it’s awesome. You know, that you’re boinking my brothers.”
“Dani!” Carson and Connor shouted in unison.
“What?” She shrugged innocently. “It is! I like her.”
“I don’t know,” Breezy said in a huff, glancing down at the sheet she was wrapped in. “Oh no!” She bolted to her feet, swirling around the room in a frantic search for her clothes. “I can’t go out there like this! I don’t even have a hairbrush!”
“Here.” Dani pulled off her sunglasses and P.B.R. rodeo cap and handed it to her with a hair tie she snapped from her wrist. “Put these on. We can switch shirts and shoes, too, if you want.”
“Thank you!” Breezy pulled their sister into a crushing hug before racing off into the bathroom, the door slamming shut behind her.
“Boinking?” Connor glared at Dani from across the room.
“Would you rather I say fu—”
Carson whipped his hand over her mouth, smothering her smartass reply. He did not need to hear that word coming from his kid sister’s mouth. He didn’t know what to call what they were doing, but they were definitely not boinking.
Chapter Twenty-One
Breezy groaned as she watched the footage of herself ducking the swarm of microphones and cameras outside the B&B, and the nosey news hacks wielding them. “Ugh, the camera really does add ten pounds.”
“Oh, honey. Stop torturing yourself.” Hazel reached up and flipped off the screen. “Enjoy what you’ve got while you’ve got it because, believe me, you blink and then you’re old, and ten extra pounds is the least of your worries.”
