by Lexi Blake
“I love you, Dani,” he managed to whisper. His throat felt too big.
Her hand came up, touching his cheek. Her lips trembled slightly as she replied. “I love you, too, Finn. Forever.”
He took his dick in hand and pushed his way home.
Dani’s eyes were wide as he slid into her tight pussy. Her mouth was open in a surprised O. “Oh, that feels so good, Finn.”
It did. It felt good and right to be deep inside Dani. His friend. His champion. His love. Finn flexed inside that hot, tight pussy and prayed he lasted long enough to get her off. The plug Julian had shoved up her butt took up so much space that her pussy was cramped and snug. Finn thrust in and pulled back, the plug a hard drag on his dick.
Dani’s legs came up and around his waist. She shoved her hips up, fucking him as surely as he fucked her. He began to pound inside. The heat, the pressure, everything about Dani sent him headlong into pleasure. He dragged his pelvis, grinding down on her clit. Her face flushed, and her blue eyes became dark orbs as she rushed to her own orgasm. When her pussy began to clench around his dick, Finn gave in. He thrust in over and over, letting the orgasm rush in. He felt broken in that moment. Broken and remade. New.
He fell forward, not bothering to withhold his weight. Dani’s arms were around him, and he could smell the soap she’d used. He kissed whatever skin he could find and wrapped his arms around her.
“That was beautiful, pets.” Julian’s weight made the bed dip as he settled in beside them. Finn sighed as he felt the Master stroke his back. When he looked up, Julian’s lips were pressed against Dani’s. Finn kissed her breasts. He knew he should be jealous, but it was just another kink now. Besides, it was Julian. None of this would have happened without Julian. Somehow Julian completed them. Finn sighed and reveled in their connection.
* * * *
Dani felt like a completely different person as she walked down the steps and back into The Barn’s main room. Of course, she looked like a different person, too. After another raucous bout of sex that had her screaming her orgasm into Julian’s chest, he’d ordered her and Finn to shower. Finn had held her and washed every inch of her before drying her off and running a brush through her hair. She’d felt like a princess. Julian had laid out a pair of jeans and a perfectly respectable T-shirt. Apparently Abby kept some clothes here. She’d been informed that her denim miniskirt had managed to walk away all on its own and would likely never be seen again. She’d frowned at him but dressed in the clothes that actually covered her ass anyway.
Now she had one hand tucked into Julian’s and the other in Finn’s as they made their way down. She knew she should feel self-conscious. Everyone was going to know what she’d been doing, but she couldn’t quite work up the will to care. Danielle Bay had two amazing men on her arms, and anyone who had a problem with that could suck it.
Loud country music pounded through the bar. It seemed that every eye did turn directly toward her when they made it to the dance floor. A quiver of excitement started in her chest, warring with a perfectly reasonable embarrassment. She’d done two guys in a room over a bar. It was a little slutty. Okay, it was a lot slutty, but there were all kinds of feelings involved, so that made it okay. There were feelings like deep affection when Julian licked at her clit and the overwhelming love she had for Finn when his cock hit that amazing place deep inside her pussy.
“What on earth is that look for?” Julian stared down at her, his lips pulled up in obvious amusement.
Finn leaned over so he could be heard over the loud music. “I think Dani is enjoying her role as town harlot.”
Julian frowned. “Harlot? Why would she be a harlot?”
Dani and Finn laughed together. For the first time, they completely understood something Julian didn’t.
“This is a small town, Sir,” Finn explained. “All anyone is going to talk about tomorrow is the fact that Dani Bay snuck up the stairs at The Barn with two guys. Trust me, she is going to be called all kinds of names. Mostly to her back, though.”
She shrugged. It was to be expected. At least no one would be feeling sorry for her.
Julian’s face went dark, and his fingers tightened around hers. “They had better not say anything where I can hear it.” He relaxed and nodded down at her. “I’m going to speak with Jackson, dear. You and Finn stay together. We’ll be leaving shortly. We’ll retrieve Finn’s things and go back out to the ranch.”
He turned and walked off, supremely confident that his orders would be met.
He turned back suddenly. “And stay out of trouble.”
Dani grinned. He didn’t look so confident that she would follow that edict. He walked away. She watched his gorgeous ass as it disappeared into the crowd. When she turned, she noticed that Finn was watching, too.
“I’m sorry.” Finn pulled back slightly, his hand coming out of hers. That look was back in his eyes.
“Are you going to be an asshole?” she asked.
“What?”
“I thought we worked through this, but it looks like you’re going to be an asshole.” She wasn’t putting up with it. Maybe she would have before but being with them had changed her.
Being with Julian and Finn together seemed to have altered something fundamental in Dani. It had been beautiful. She’d never felt as deeply as she did when they were kissing her, loving her. There had been that terrible moment when she was sure Julian was leaving, but he’d stayed. He had to care about her. He cared, and Finn cared. She wasn’t going to let anyone take that away from her or make her feel ashamed. That was hers.
Finn stared almost blankly and then shook his head. “I’m sorry. I spent so long trying to hide this from you.”
“Hide what? That I knew you were gay? I was well aware of that. Why did you get upset because I caught you drooling over Julian’s ass?”
His eyes slid down. “Damn it, Dani. This is why I stayed away. I knew it should be only the two of us, but I wasn’t sure I could do it. I’m not sure I can stay away from men.”
Julian was shaking his head at Jack, who seemed to be teasing him something fierce. Dani stared at him for a moment. She noticed she wasn’t the only one. All around her, other women had their eyes on the hot new guy. They could look, but Julian was hers. He might not know it, but she planned on keeping him. And Finn. As soon as they ironed out a few things.
“And it never occurred to you to say, hey, Dani, here’s the problem. Let’s see if we can solve it? No, you decide to keep your mouth shut and almost let me marry someone I didn’t love because you didn’t want to admit you’re bi.”
“Damn it, I didn’t want to lose you. I love you, Danielle. You’re the only thing in my life that’s permanent. I would rather keep you in my life than lose you because I can’t be normal. It should be two people. A marriage should be two people.”
Oh, yes, she had to fix his way of thinking. “Says who? The old biddies at church? Screw them. Why does everything have to be one way? What we did up there didn’t hurt anyone. It isn’t anyone’s business but ours. I love you, Finn, but I think I’m falling for Julian, too. Can you handle that?”
“I can certainly try, baby. I was willing to love you from afar. I prefer loving you up close.” He seemed tentative, but his hand went around her waist. “God, Dani, I loved fucking you.”
She leaned into him. “I loved it, too.”
His hand trailed down her ass right there in the middle of the bar. “How’s the…you know? I know it seems rough, but Julian’s right. It will, you know, prepare you and stuff.”
She felt a slow smile slide across her face. Finn’s voice had gone all husky and deep, as though he was thinking about what that plug in her ass was preparing her for. By the end of the week, Julian and Finn intended to take her together. Julian would fuck her ass while Finn took her pussy. It made her shiver.
“I’m looking forward to it, too,” she whispered.
He kissed her cheek, and that momentary lapse of his seemed to be gone. Which
was a good thing because she saw someone they needed to talk to. Now that she’d been fucked and loved into a more magnanimous state, she was ready to deal with the guy nursing a beer at the bar. “Come on, Finn. We have to talk to Jimbo.”
Finn stopped, all arousal gone now. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Julian told us to stay out of trouble.”
She shrugged. “I don’t intend to start trouble. I’m just going to talk to him.”
“Oh, yeah. I bet that’s what you said the last time, right before you started tossing hardware at his brain.”
“Oh, no. I always intended to chuck something at his head the last time. Now I am calmer and more mature.”
Finn snorted. “You’ve matured in the last hour?”
“Well, my ass is still sore. I’m going to try to avoid another spanking tonight. I’ve also seen some of the stuff they keep in the guesthouse out at the ranch. I would prefer to avoid that as well, for now.” When she wasn’t so sore, they could play around on the benches and other stuff. But for now, she had to get to the bottom of something. “Come on. We’re going to talk to him. That’s all.”
Finn groaned but followed her. So much for him topping her. That was the only part of the evening that had rankled slightly. Oh, she didn’t mind it in bed, but she would be damned if Finn told her what to do out of it. Julian was another story. The clothes she had on proved that. It wasn’t that she would blindly follow him, but deep down Julian needed that control. It was essential to him, so she was willing to give it up. Finn had no such need.
“Dani, he’s going to kill us.”
She decided to be deliberately obtuse as she pushed her way through the crowd. “Nah, Jimbo isn’t the killing kind. He’s too lazy for that.”
“I wasn’t talking about Jimbo.”
But now that she thought about it, it was true. Jimbo might be selfish and a little oafish, but he wasn’t vindictive. She could see him putting her stuff out on the lawn, but could she honestly see him dousing it in gasoline and torching it?
“Hello, Jimbo.” She held her ground as Finn sort of bumped into her.
Jimbo looked up and started. His hands came up. “Now, Dani, see here. I ain’t gonna take another beating from you.”
She held her hands out to prove she was perfectly unarmed. “I came to apologize.”
Jimbo sat back, a wary look on his face. “You sure? Cause my head still hurts from the last time you came to apologize.”
“Sorry. I was upset.”
“I got that. You’ve been upset for a couple of days.”
He hadn’t been a horrible boyfriend. He simply hadn’t been close to what she needed, and maybe the same could be said for her. “I know. I am genuinely sorry about the wedding. I couldn’t go through with it.”
He gave her a sad half smile. “I know. You don’t love me. You always loved Finn. I’m glad he got his dick out of some guy’s ass long enough to see what was standing in front of him.”
“Hey, I’m right here.” Finn stepped forward.
“Yes, you are, sweetie.” She wrapped her arm around his waist.
Jimbo tipped his hat back and looked at them for a moment. His eyes held Finn’s. “You get her out of this town. I don’t give a shit where you put your dick as long you keep it in your pants around me.”
“Like I would.” Finn’s eyes rolled.
Jimbo grinned. “Oh, I know all you gay boys want a piece of this. How can anyone resist my manly presence?” He got serious again. “But, you gotta get her out of here. The people of this town, they’re gonna make her life hell. You two hitch your wagon to that rich boy and ride right on out of town.”
She sighed because she’d been totally wrong. “You didn’t burn my stuff, did you?”
He shook his head and took another swig of his beer. “Hell, no. I ain’t about to hurt anyone like that. I know I can be a jerk, but I wouldn’t do nothing like that. If I were you, I would look closer to home, if you know what I mean.”
Oh, she knew what he meant. The betrayal hit her squarely in the chest.
“Val?” Dani asked, but she knew the answer.
“Val wouldn’t.” Finn didn’t sound at all sure.
But she would. Her little sister had been nasty before, but the last couple of months she’d been sweet. Val had been the one to prod her into marrying Jimbo. She’d pushed for a date and helped with all the arrangements. She thought she and her sister had been making some progress. Now she could see Val had merely wanted her gone. And now that she thought about it, maybe Val hadn’t been so sweet during her engagement. More than once, Val had hovered around Jimbo. A dozen tiny incidents added up to one huge betrayal. Maybe he had been a horrible boyfriend.
“How many times did you sleep with my sister?” She asked the question before she chickened out.
Even in the dim light of the bar, she could see the way Jimbo blanched. Finn tensed behind her, his hand coming to the nape of her neck, a soothing reminder that whatever Jimbo said, Finn was with her.
“A whole bunch of times,” Jimbo admitted with a long sigh. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t seem to give you what you needed, and she was real good at making me feel like a man.”
She found she wasn’t all that upset with Jimbo. The whole relationship had been a mistake on both their parts.
“Julian turned her down,” Finn whispered in her ear.
He had. And Julian would never go behind her back. Despite his kinks and outward coolness, there was a warm honesty to Julian. If he decided he wanted to sleep with someone else, he would more than likely sit down and lay out the ground rules. He wouldn’t lie about it.
“Where is my sister?” It was time to talk to her baby sis.
Jimbo pointed to the door. “She left with some skinny guy a while back. I ain’t seen him before. I wouldn’t expect her back until morning.”
Then her talk with Val would have to wait.
“Danielle.”
Wow, that voice got to her. She turned in tandem with Finn to see that Julian had come for them. “Are you ready to go?”
Julian looked between the two of them and Jimbo, as though assessing the situation. “Have you said what you need to say?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Then let’s call it a night.” He held out his hand, and Dani waved good-bye to Jimbo before taking it.
“I’m very proud of you. You managed a conversation with your ex-fiancé without any violence.” He led the three of them through the crowded bar and out into the night.
“Yes, I’m saving my violence for my sister,” she admitted as they walked through the parking lot.
Now Finn took the lead, his hands on his keys. He led them to his SUV. Julian had come with Jack, Sam, and Abby. Finn would have to drive them. “It’s about time someone took her out. She’s been terrorizing the world since she hit high school. She was Medusa in a cheerleader skirt.”
“Yes, I do believe that the younger Miss Bay is more than likely due a bit of retribution. I’ll consider it.” Julian opened the back door and gestured for her to get inside.
She had no intention of allowing Julian to decide whether or not she had it out with her sister, but now probably wasn’t the best time to fight about it. Her ass was still tender as she sat down. Finn opened his door and slid in, but Julian left the passenger door closed. He got in beside Danielle. He immediately pulled her into his lap.
“Is my poor little one’s backside still sore?” He whispered the words directly into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
“Yes, Sir.”
His hand slid over her knee. “That’s what happens when you disobey the big, bad Dom, Danielle. He does all sorts of nasty things to you. He might tie you down and force himself on you. You wouldn’t want that, would you? You wouldn’t want the big, bad Dom to take a whip to all that soft flesh before he fucks you senseless, would you?”
Did she? Hell, yeah she did. She was thinking about disobeying right now.
“That might have t
o wait, guys.” Finn didn’t sound aroused. Finn’s voice was quiet, thin, and reedy. Even from the backseat, she could see that Finn was tense. His eyes were focused on the seat beside him. “We have company.”
That was when she heard it. It started low, but quickly made a sound every Texas girl knew meant trouble.
Rattlesnake.
Chapter Twelve
Finn tried to keep his entire body perfectly still. It was hard, since what he really wanted to do was run away screaming like a five-year-old girl. Instead, he froze as that fucking awful sound continued. That sound seemed like the only thing real in the whole world. Time seemed to slow, to grind to a halt. The very air felt frozen as he forced himself to breathe.
It sat perfectly coiled on the seat beside him. How had he missed that? How had he climbed in next to a fucking rattlesnake and not noticed? He’d been focused on Dani and Julian, wishing he didn’t have to play chauffeur. He’d wanted to be back there with them. He hadn’t noticed a thing until he looked down to turn on the radio, and then he’d heard that sound.
“Finn, I want you to stay completely still.” Julian’s voice was steady, a calm, quiet anchor reaching out to him.
“On it, Sir.” He forced himself to reply, pushing the words out of his mouth and past his clenched jaw. It reminded him that he wasn’t alone.
He stared at the snake, afraid to take his eyes off of it even for a second. God, he didn’t want that thing to stick its fangs into him. He wished he hadn’t parked under a damn light. It might have been easier if he couldn’t see the thing. It sat there with dead, primeval eyes. He remembered everything his grandfather ever told him about snakes. They were supposedly more scared of him than he was of them. Bullshit. He was really fucking scared, and that snake looked perfectly happy. Maybe not happy, but certainly content. It also looked ready. Its diamond-shaped head was standing up, taking in its prey. It was waiting for him to make one wrong move. Just one.
Julian’s voice broke through the tension. “Danielle, as carefully as you can, I want you to get out of the car. I want you to climb out, run back to the bar, and go find Jackson and Abigail Barnes.”
