by D. L. Roan
“You’re right,” she sighed, tipping her coffee mug to her lips to finish off the last few drops. It could be worse. Two days had passed and they still didn’t know her identity. Being a nobody had its perks, apparently.
The worst part so far had been cancelling her trip to visit Henry and Olivia, and telling them why. They encouraged her to come anyway, but there was no way she was going to take the chance of bringing that circus to their front door.
Dani had been a godsend, providing her with enough of a disguise to keep them guessing. Coupled with her choice not to make a statement, or speak at all for that matter, the disguise had bought her some time.
What would she say, anyway? She didn’t have any answers to the questions they’d hurled at her. Are you Carson’s girlfriend? Why is Connor here with you? Are you dating them both? Do you know about Carson and the woman he punched? Did he sleep with that man’s wife? Does it bother you that he had sex with another man’s wife? Will you be going on tour with them?
Questions about the other women didn’t bother her, much. She wasn’t deluding herself into believing either of them had been monks at any time in the last nine years, but she knew Carson well enough to know he wouldn’t have slept with a married woman if he’d known she was married. It wasn’t who he was.
She was, however, having a terrible time keeping her expectations grounded in reality when it came to what this meant for her. They’d had sex, mind-blowing, fantasy-shattering, panty-melting—if she’d been wearing any—sex.
She wasn’t naive enough to think that meant anything in and of itself, but they’d also talked. Telling them about Ford had felt good. The time hadn’t been right to share everything, but knowing Carson knew the truth about her brother and Charlotte had been a huge weight off her shoulders.
Carson’s sincere apologies, while truly unnecessary, had been unexpected and made her wonder how much Joe and Grey McLendon had shared with them. How much did they know? It probably wouldn’t matter in the end. While they said she could ask them for anything, forever seemed a bit too presumptuous when she didn’t know what tomorrow held.
The one reassuring, bright side? They had been especially persistent in their pursuit over the last two days. Carson had cornered her in their mother’s pantry later that night, devouring her with his passionate brand of kisses atop the freezer that sat against the back wall, until she melted like a carton of ice cream sitting in the hot sun. “I need to taste you,” he said with a growl as he hoisted her onto the chest freezer and parted her legs. His strong hands gripped her thighs, pulling her hips to the edge before he pushed up her skirt and knelt before her.
“Car, not here.”
Her protest morphed into a muffled groan when he pushed aside her panties and pressed his hot mouth to her flesh. His hum of long-denied satisfaction vibrated through her core. Her legs quivered against his neck as he tightened his grip on her thighs and pressed harder, deeper inside her, his tongue swirling and probing with an erotic rhythm that had her panting in seconds. When his teeth grazed over her clitoris, she lost control, her hips flexing against his face in search of more. His control never faltered and her orgasm hit her hard. It took both of her hands over her mouth to contain her moans as she came apart.
An hour later at dinner—her first at the McLendon family dinner table—she’d wanted to disappear when Hazel asked him if he wanted dessert and he’d replied with a mischievous grin, ‘No thanks. I’ve already had mine.’.
The next day she’d barely managed to make it through Joe’s session without blushing. Maybe she was being paranoid, but something in his wise eyes said he knew exactly what she’d done with his grandsons. There had been no disapproval in his knowing smile, and he’d kept whatever opinions he held to himself, something for which she’d be eternally grateful.
Connor and Carson, as well as their Uncle Cade and Daniel, joined them for dinner at their grandparents’ the next night. She hadn’t felt it appropriate to ask, but something in the way the two older men gravitated around one another made her believe there was more to their bond than long-term friendship. The prospect that she was right, and that the McLendons were so openly accepting of such a relationship, only reinforced her love for them all. Ford had deserved that.
After another amazing meal, she, Connor and Carson took on the task of cleaning up, sending Hazel and her husbands off to enjoy an evening to themselves. Joe had been especially spirited and eager to take them up on the offer.
The three of them had worked seamlessly together in the kitchen, and she had to fight to keep her mind from wandering into domestic fantasy territory. It had been too tempting to imagine them working together like that every night, making their own meals, cleaning their own kitchen, going to sleep in their own room, their own bed.
Connor had offered her something close to that very fantasy a few hours later, asking with a suggestive wink to leave her window unlocked when she went to bed. She’d refused, of course, feeling uneasy about disrespecting their grandparents’ generosity. When Connor tapped on her window not more than an hour after they’d said their goodbyes, he’d charmed that lock open embarrassingly fast and with so little effort it left her head spinning.
She opened the window and he crawled inside, looking every bit the horny teenager with naughty intentions. She’d felt young and giddy, too, experiencing for the first time what she’d missed in her own teenage years.
Despite the adolescence of his seduction, Connor was far from innocent. His tender kisses stripped her of all her earlier inhibitions, as well as her clothes, in mere minutes.
“I’m going to make love to you, Breezy Youngblood.” His words were like a secret, whispered in the dark.
He picked her up and laid her on her mattress, his lithe body stretching out above her. Worshiping every inch of her body with his mouth, he kissed and caressed her until he’d mastered her every response. She was desperate by the time he positioned himself at her entrance and pushed inside her with a slow, deliberate stroke.
“Look at me,” he whispered in the darkness, stilling himself deep inside her. She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her, the ribbons of moonlight streaming in from the open window flickering in his kind eyes. “Do you remember that day in the field?” he asked. “The minute I kissed you, I knew you,” he said when she nodded. “Our bodies knew we were meant to be together like this.”
She held his gaze as he began to move, feeling the truth in his words. Their bodies melded together like two old souls, reuniting after living worlds and eons apart. The room was quiet around them, amplifying the sound of their racing heartbeats, their staggered breaths, the muted squeaks of the bed each time he thrust inside her.
His pace remained deliberate and unhurried, the heat between them building slowly. She clutched him to her as her release took hold and he watched her come undone beneath him, sliding in and out of her tenderly until he came inside her, his only sound a desperate sigh against her lips.
She clung to his shaking frame as he kissed her, sweetly, tenderly in the darkness of her room. His lazy, satiated smile was the last thing she remembered before falling asleep in his arms.
She’d awakened that morning alone, the scents of fresh coffee, bacon and maple syrup wafting in from beyond her bedroom door. She stretched across the bed, finding her body pleasantly and thoroughly sated with no signs of tenderness. Connor was well and truly a gentle lover.
After a quick shower, she walked back into her bedroom to dress and found him there waiting, a tray of food in his hands. “I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed, but...”
Breezy hurried across the room and slipped between the covers, excited to experience another romantic first. “No one has ever brought me breakfast in bed before.”
He placed the tray over her lap and she giggled at the happy face he’d drizzled with syrup on her pancake. Coupled with a few slices of bacon, a side of scrambled eggs, and a glass of orange juice, it was more than she could possibly eat. “Did yo
u make all this?”
“Uh, no,” he said as he sank down onto the mattress beside her and snagged a piece of bacon. “Gran deserves the honors. I’m afraid you saw the extent of my culinary skills with my world famous PB&Js.”
“World famous, huh?”
Connor shrugged, smiling as he chewed. “Okay, nationally famous.”
“Oh, God!” she gasped as she realized what he’d said. “Hazel knows you stayed here last night?”
“Relax,” he urged, gesturing to her untouched plate. “This was her idea. So, eat up.” He kissed her forehead before he pushed to his feet. “We have a surprise planned for you later. You’re going to need the extra energy.”
“I recognize that dreamy stare,” Hazel teased, snapping her back to the present to find their grandmother sitting across from her at the kitchen table.
Breezy’s cheeks heated even as she grinned, staring into her empty coffee cup to avoid Hazel’s gaze. “Busted,” she muttered in reply.
“Honey, I’m old, not dead. Don’t think for a second that I don’t see what’s happening between you three, and let me be the first to tell you, I couldn’t be happier.”
“Really?” An unexpected hopefulness bloomed in her chest, swirling around with a heaping dose of awkwardness.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Hazel asked in her usual matter-of-fact tone. “Those boys have been driftin’ all over the place for years, without sail nor anchor. We’ve been prayin’ for someone like you to come along and show them the way home. I think God finally heard our prayers, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with His choice.”
“I, uh,” Breezy stammered, feeling the heat rise higher in her cheeks and spread to the back of her neck. “I’m not sure what to say. We haven’t really talked about—”
“Ah,” Hazel huffed and gave her a dismissive wave before she rose from her seat. “Words are overrated. Let your body do the talking,” she said with a vulgar thrust of her hips.
“Hazel!” Breezy burst out laughing as their grandmother danced around the kitchen.
“Love always makes me feel alive!”
“What in the world’s gotten into you?” Jake’s boisterous voice called from the doorway. Hazel danced over to him and took his hand, pulling him into step with her. “Whatever it is, I like it,” he said, picking up her energetic rhythm without missing a single beat.
Hot tears prickled the back of Breezy’s eyes at the purely romantic sight. After all these years together, they still had it. She allowed herself to imagine being twirled between Carson and Connor, their grandchildren laughing in the background. For one brief moment it was possible, the very idea leaving her speechless.
The sound of an engine in the driveway broke the magical spell. Hazel snapped away from Jake and hurried to the kitchen window. “They’re here!” She rushed to the refrigerator and pulled out a large plastic bag and small cooler.
A few seconds later Carson walked into the kitchen. “Hey, darlin’.” Breathless and grinning, he drew her into his arms and planted an excited kiss on her lips. “You ready?”
“Ready for what?” She glanced over his shoulder to see Hazel handing Connor the things she’d retrieved from the fridge. “Are we going on another picnic?”
“Sort of.” Connor grinned, snagging her hand and pulling her in for a quick kiss of his own. “We’re going camping.”
“Camping?” She couldn’t go camping. “What about Joe’s sessions and—”
“Thank heavens,” Joe grumbled from the doorway. “I need a break. She’s a slave driver, this one.” Joe reached for her hand and she helped guide him to the table.
“Where’s your walker?” His stride had improved so greatly that his gait was nearly even with little assistance needed, but he was still feeling a bit off-balance, so she’d insisted he use some form of support to prevent any nasty falls.
“I’ve got it right here,” Nate chimed in behind them. “I think he missed the part about using it, though. Doesn’t do him much good sitting in the bedroom when he’s in here.”
“Don’t be a nag,” Joe shot back. “I made it, didn’t I?”
Breezy eased him into his chair and watched as he pulled both legs under the table with little effort. “Now you three go on and don’t worry about me.”
“Love you, Papa Joe.” Carson leaned down and gave Joe a hug.
Connor did the same, then snagged Breezy’s hand, pulling her towards the door.
“You forgot something.” Hazel stuck out her cheek and tapped it with her finger. Both brothers darted back and gave her a peck and a tender hug. “Thanks for the food, Gran.”
“Be back in time for the picnic at the creek on Sunday!”
“Use your walker!” Breezy shouted as they pulled her from the kitchen and out the front door.
“I’m not so sure this is a good idea,” she said as she approached the two giant four wheelers parked at the base of the front steps.
“You heard him,” Carson said as he opened a lockbox on the back of one of the ATVs and placed the food and small cooler inside. “Papa Joe will be fine. You’ve said it yourself.”
“Here, put this on.” Connor handed her a helmet, then pulled his own over his head, fastening the strap at his chin. She followed his example and to her surprise, it fit snug and secure. “It’s Dani’s. I figured since everything else of hers fits...”
“Why don’t you have one?” she asked Carson.
“Because he’s an idiot,” Connor replied before his twin could answer.
Carson shot him the bird and fired up the motor on his machine. “Who you ridin’ with darlin’?”
She glanced between them, deciding that, while Connor would no doubt be the safer driver, she’d missed Carson. He pumped his fist in celebration when she strolled over to his machine and straddled the seat behind him, wrapping her arms tight around his chest.
Connor’s reply was a tire-spinning donut in the gravel before he took off down the hill into the valley, leaving them in a trail of dust and laughter.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Wow.” Breezy said as they rounded the ridge and the family hunting cabin came into view.
“It’s not much,” Carson said. “No electricity or running water, but there’s a small lake out back and a bed.” Which was exactly where he was taking her the second they set up camp.
Good God in heaven! For two solid hours she’d been plastered against his back, her hands splayed over his chest or on his thighs, caressing teasing circles through his blue jeans mere inches from his dick. He was tempted on more than one occasion to stop and show her exactly what she was doing to him, but that would have meant taking longer to get there and they hadn’t been far enough up the mountain to be sure they weren’t being spied on by another drone.
By the time the cabin came into view, he was done for. It was a bizarre feeling for his ass and balls to be numb and his dick to be hard at the same time.
Connor reached the cabin first and Carson followed his path to the front steps, cutting his engine before they’d rolled to a stop.
“Hot damn! I almost forgot how gorgeous it is up here!” Connor dismounted his four-wheeler and peeled off his helmet, hooking it over one of the handle bars.
Breezy groaned as she slid out from behind Carson, stumbling a bit before she caught her footing.
“You okay?” He reached out to steady her, thinking that maybe he should postpone his sneak attack until after she’d rested a bit.
“I’m good.” She dragged in a deep breath of the fresh air. “Just a little numb.”
“Told you we should have stopped,” Connor grumbled.
“She’s the one who said no,” Carson argued, though he’d been hoping she wouldn’t want to stop. Now it looked like his impatience had cost them both.
“I’m fine,” Breezy insisted. “Stop fussing over me and take me inside.”
Once the one-room tour was over, he and Connor went to work unloading their gear while Breezy swept and dusted. Th
e inside of the cabin hadn’t been too worse for wear, but Carson could tell it had been a few months since anyone had been there.
“I’m going to go collect some wood and start the campfire,” Connor announced. “It’ll be dark soon and I’m already starving.”
“Gran packed some leftover ribs from the Bar-B-Q. All we have to do is heat them up,” Carson shouted over his shoulder. He pulled three sleeping bags from his duffle bag and unrolled them on the floor so he could zip the edges together into one large mat to lie beside the campfire. He and Connor had plans for Breezy—big plans. He couldn’t wait to see her naked under the stars, the moonlight glowing on her milky skin.
“Are there any sheets or blankets?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah. Here.” He pulled a sheet and a quilt from the side pocket of his bag and tossed them to her. “We should be fine with just those, but we have the bags if it gets chilly.”
When she didn’t respond, he looked up to find her staring at the red quilt he’d tossed her, a dreamy expression on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said with a giggle and went back to work making the bed.
Carson dropped the sleeping bag in his hand and marched across the room. She squealed when he hoisted her up and tossed her onto the half-made bed, pinning her beneath him. “Don’t nothin’ me,” he warned her with a playful growl, sliding his hand under her shirt. “Con told me about your little habit of sayin’ that, but I know how to get the truth out of you.”
“No! Please don’t tickle me.” She giggled and stilled his hand, tensing in anticipation.
Their gazes met, their excited breaths mingling in the still cabin air. Something inside him shifted again as he looked at her. He didn’t know a damn thing about déjà vu or whatever was happening, but it was like he was seeing her for the first time, like they’d just met at that very moment, which was ridiculous.
He’d known her almost half his life. He’d kissed her, been inside her in the most intimate way a man could possess a woman, but all of that seemed so far away, like a dream that had happened a lifetime ago with someone else.
