by Becca Van
“No, ma’am.”
Bryant burst out laughing and it was really hard to keep a straight face. His eyes sparkled and his whole face lit up with his humor.
“What’s so damn funny?” Luther scowled at him.
“You two are.” Bryant met her gaze and smiled. “You’re one hell of a woman, darlin’. I love that you stood up to these two Neanderthals.”
Tori smiled and when Bryant got up from his chair and walked around to her she wondered what he was doing.
“Dance with me, darlin’?” he asked and held his hand out to her.
She clasped his hand and he helped her to her feet, leading the way to the dance floor. Instead of placing a hand on her hip and holding her hand at chest height like she expected, Bryant pulled her up close against his body so that the entire length of her, from breasts to knees, was touching him.
She gulped when her pussy clenched, her clit throbbed, and cream dripped onto her panties. Her breasts felt fuller and her nipples were pushing against her bra and shirt. She hoped that he couldn’t feel them poking into his chest.
The song had a fast beat, but that didn’t seem to bother Bryant. He just swayed to the music as if a slow song was playing. She wanted to rest her head on his chest and wrap her arms around his waist, but she didn’t want to make a spectacle of herself when there were other people around.
“What has you worried about being with all of us, Tori?”
She shivered when his warm breath caressed her ear and then she looked up at him and felt like she was drowning in his eyes. The pull was magnetic, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break it. But then she realized she didn’t really want to and that worried her a little.
“I don’t know if one woman is enough for three men and I don’t want to lose any part of myself.”
Bryant sighed and then his hand slid from her waist until it was lower down her back and at the top of her ass.
“How can you think that, darlin’? You’ve seen the way Felicity and her husbands are. They are all very happy people and you can see how much they love each other.”
“I’m not Felicity.”
“No, you’re not. You are a beautiful, sexy, strong-minded, smart woman. We wouldn’t take you over, Tori. Yes, my brothers can be arrogant asses as you’ve already seen, and I can be, too, but you stood right up to them and by doing so you earned their respect. Didn’t you see the pride in Luther’s eyes when you shot him down? We knew you weren’t a pushover by the way you kept away from us, but you just confirmed that you have what it takes to stand up for yourself and not be pushed around. Although why he had to test you after the way you dealt with your mom and stepfather is beyond me.”
“He was testing me?” Tori frowned at him.
“Yes, but Luther didn’t really think about it consciously. Both he and Jeremiah were being arrogant assholes and staking a claim on you in front of your new partner. He was making sure that Trick knew you were taken.”
“I figured that one out. But why? He—none of you have a claim on me.”
“But we want to.” Bryant’s voice was full of sincerity and hope, but she couldn’t give him what he wanted. At least not yet. Tori needed more time to get to know them better before making such a big decision. She’d only had two boyfriends and both those men had turned out to be real assholes. She’d learned to be cautious.
Plus she was more than a little worried that she couldn’t satisfy one man let alone three. She’d never even had an orgasm before, at least not while awake, and her last boyfriend had told her it was her fault that he’d strayed because she wasn’t woman enough to satisfy him. That had been one of the reasons she had decided to avoid romantic entanglements with the opposite sex.
And then there was the fact she was about to start her own business. She wasn’t going to have much spare time, and if she did begin a relationship with the Katz brothers, would they feel neglected because she was so busy? Also they were going to be running their own ranch soon and that would be even less time they got to spend together.
Tori just couldn’t see it working out and wondered if it was even worthwhile thinking about it. But the thought of walking away and never finding out what could be hurt more than she expected it to.
Before she agreed to what they wanted they were all going to have to sit down and talk about it. She wouldn’t have them whining and bitching at her because she spent too much time at work, and she didn’t want to end up nagging them for the same reason.
There was going to have to be a lot compromise from all of them and also understanding. She wasn’t sure Luther would be considerate if she was tired and wanted to spend some time alone. She’d been on her own for so long, she knew she would need some time out now and then and could just imagine him and Jeremiah getting pissed at her if she didn’t spend enough time with them.
“Stop overthinking things, Tori. We can talk more, later.” Bryant slowly turned her in a circle. “Just relax and enjoy the night.”
When the song ended Bryant led her back to the table, but she didn’t get to sit down. Luther stood up and clasped her hand. “Would you dance with me?”
Tori nodded and tried to hold the shiver in that worked its way up her spine but knew she hadn’t been successful when Luther gave her a heated look. He guided her back to the dance floor and took her into his arms.
“I’m sorry I was such an ass before. I don’t mean to be an arrogant prick, but I can’t stand the way other men look at you.”
“There is nothing between Trick Wendall and me, Luther. I’m not some whore that jumps into bed with just anyone.”
“God, Tori, that’s not what I meant. I’m—we’re really attracted to you, and the thought of you going out with someone else ties me in knots.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Tori said and then nearly moaned out loud when she inhaled his intoxicating manly scent. He smelled so good. Clean, fresh male mixed in with a slight woodsy fragrance. She couldn’t get enough of any of their scents, and even though she knew she just may well end up going crazy with unrequited lust, she couldn’t seem to help herself.
She looked up into his eyes and again found it hard to break the visual connection. Why did she have to be attracted to three men now? Just when it looked like she was going to be able to get her life back on track. At least where her career was concerned.
“Are you intimidated by the thought of being with three men?” Luther asked and then he cursed. “Shit. I didn’t mean to blurt that out. That makes me sound egotistically arrogant.”
His back step made her realize he wasn’t sure about her at all and that made the ice casing around her heart melt a little more.
“I know what you meant, Luther.”
“Thank God for that,” he muttered and she nearly laughed because she didn’t think she was supposed to hear that. He must have seen the humor in her eyes because the corners of his mouth lifted slightly and his eyes crinkled.
“You’re so beautiful, Tori.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against her temple. “Is Tori short for something? Victoria maybe?”
“No. It’s just Tori.”
“Short and sweet, just like you,” Luther said with such sincerity her chest filled with warmth and her eyes burned with unshed tears. She fell for him even more in that instant and knew there was no way in hell she could walk away from the three Katz brothers without finding out if they could have something worth holding onto.
“Sweet, pfft. But I’m not short, just vertically challenged. Besides, you three are hunky, muscular giants compared to me.” Tori looked up when Luther didn’t say anything and then she watched with lust and awe as a slow smile spread across his face. It took her a moment or two to realize what she’d said and she lowered her gaze as her cheeks heated.
“You’re not used to getting compliments, are you, baby?” Luther murmured near her ear, and Tori shook her head slightly, glad he didn’t say anything about her calling them hunky. “You’ll be getting
Tori didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. She was too overcome with emotion and she decided that she didn’t really need to reply anyway. Instead she just relished being in Luther’s arms and having his big hard body pressed against hers. Usually if she felt a hard cock against her while she was dancing she would have been repulsed, but she didn’t feel one bit revolted by having his erection pressing into her stomach and she hadn’t when she’d felt Bryant’s cock either.
The song ended and Luther wrapped an arm around her waist and led her back to the table. After retaking her seat she took a sip of the fresh, cool wine and listened as the three Katz brothers talked about the properties they were going to view on Monday. They were so enthusiastic about running and owning their own ranch again that Tori got caught up in their excitement and found herself smiling and laughing with them. She felt so carefree and hadn’t felt that way since she was five years old. She liked it.
Jeremiah tapped her arm to get her attention and when she turned to face him she felt her face heat at the hunger she saw in his blue-green eyes. “Would you dance with me, Tori?”
“Yes.”
He helped her to her feet and she held his hand as he led her to the dance floor. When he took her into his arms she sighed with contentment.
“Are you okay, honey?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“When was the last time you had a night out?”
“It’s been a while,” Tori hedged while she tried to remember the last time she’d been on a date. It had been over two years, but she didn’t mind. She’d been busy with college and then trying to map out a career for herself in the travel industry, which had turned out to be a waste of time.
“What are you thinking about?” Jeremiah asked as he rubbed his whiskered chin against the top of her head, which caused goose bumps to race across her skin.
“About the time I wasted in my last job.”
“I don’t think it was a waste.”
Tori leaned back to look up at him and yet again found herself entranced in the hypnotic pull of one of the Katz brother’s eyes.
“You don’t?”
“No.” Jeremiah drew her back into his arms.
“You learned how to deal with the public and soothe snobby egos. I think you’ll find that experience invaluable when you have your business up and running.”
Tori hadn’t thought about it like that and realized that Jeremiah was right.
“Hmm, you have me there.” She sighed and snuggled up against him, aware of the hard ridge against her stomach.
These three men made her feel soft like she imagined a woman wanted to feel, and she wanted to hold onto that sensation for as long as she could. It made her feel feminine to know that she could arouse these three confident, older, sophisticated men just by dancing with them, and she hadn’t felt that way…ever.
Chapter Six
Jeremiah was so hard he was aching. Holding Tori in his arms felt so right. It was like everything he’d been searching for clicked into place. He loved the little sighing sounds she made and knew she wasn’t even aware she was making them. Tori Springer felt like longevity, love, and warmth, as well as home and hearth all rolled into one.
He’d hated the way Trick Wendall looked at her earlier in the evening, and he didn’t want her stopping to meet his brothers either. Jeremiah was jealous as hell, even if there hadn’t been lust or interest in Trick’s eyes. He hated anyone looking at the woman he considered his and his brothers’. Jeremiah knew he was being unreasonable, but Tori just seemed to bring out the animal in him as well as Luther. But he felt closer to her now than he had over the last couple of weeks. He was just glad that she’d finally opened up with them and told them about her life and worries. He wanted to be able to spend the rest of his life sharing in all the ups and downs, but mostly he wanted to spend his time loving her.
Tori hadn’t had much love in her life, and with his brothers’ help, hopefully they would be able to change that. Bryant was already well and truly in love with her. Jeremiah could see it every time he looked into his brother’s eyes. He just hoped that Tori remained oblivious to his brother’s emotions. The last thing he wanted was for her to step back because she was scared.
Jeremiah sighed with reluctance and eased his hold on her as the song ended and guided Tori back to their table. She sat down and took a couple of sips of her wine and then covered her mouth when she yawned. It was time to leave so she could get some rest. Tori was going to be flat-out busy as she and Trick got their shop ready to open up to the public.
“Are you ready to go, baby?” Luther asked.
“Yes.” Tori smiled and then smothered another yawn. She looked them each in the eye before speaking again. “Thank you all so much for a wonderful night. I had a great time and it was just what I needed.”
Jeremiah agreed with that last statement but didn’t say so. Tori looked more relaxed than he’d ever seen her and he hoped that she stayed that way, but he didn’t think that was likely to happen. Not when she had so much to do.
Jer helped her to her feet and kept her hand in his as he led her to the door but stopped and looked over his shoulder when she tugged back.
“Just a minute. I promised Trick that I would stop by to meet his brothers.”
Jer cursed under his breath but followed her as she walked to the other side of the room.
Trick stood up when he saw her coming and then his brothers did, too, but when Trick took her free hand in his Jer wanted to knock him away. It took every bit of control he had to keep from doing that and from the smirk and gleam in Trick’s eyes he knew how he felt.
“Tori, these are my brothers, Trent and Tristan.”
“Hi,” Tori said shyly, but when both Trent and Tristan offered their hands she shook them before withdrawing and moving closer to Jeremiah.
Jer looked down at her to see her blushing as the three Wendall brothers looked her over, and she moved closer again when Tristan smiled and winked at her.
“So you and Trick are going to be business partners?” Trent asked, and Tori nodded.
“We were just heading out,” Tori said. “It was nice meeting you.”
“The pleasure was all ours, Tori.” Trent smiled. “We’ll look forward to seeing more of you.”
Tori blushed even more and then glanced at Trick. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
“That you will, sweetheart.”
Jer glared at the Wendalls and had to stop himself from punching Trick in the face when he smiled.
Tori yanked his hand as she started walking to the exit again, and when they got outside he saw Bryant and Luther leaning against the truck.
“What’s the holdup?” Luther scowled at Jer.
“Oh, sorry, I just went to meet Trick’s brothers.”
“What?” Luther snapped. “Why would you want to do that?”
“Because he asked me to.” Tori pulled her hand from Jer’s, turned to face Luther more fully, placed her hands on her hips, and frowned at him. “Do you have a problem with that?”
Jer knew that Tori speaking to Luther that way was like waving a red flag in front of a bull and hoped his arrogant brother didn’t push her too far and send her running in the opposite direction. Especially when she was just warming up to them.
“Yeah, I do.” Luther grabbed her hand and tugged so that she fell into him. He gripped her chin between his thumb and index finger, and then he was kissing her.
At first Tori was tense, but as the kiss deepened she melted into Luther’s arms until her body was pressed against his. The kiss was long, deep, and wild and Jeremiah knew that Luther was losing control. His brother’s hands were roaming all over Tori’s body and she was moaning with desire.
Jer moved into Tori’s back and pushed his hard cock into her back while tapping Luther on the shoulder. Luther slowed the kiss and finally lifted his head. His brother’s face was flushed with arousal and his eyes hazed over with passion. He’d never seen Luther that turned on or so in tune with a woman before.
“It’s time we left,” Jeremiah said as he wrapped his arm around Tori’s waist. Luther stepped back and he pulled her tighter into his body.
Bryant moved to stand in front of Tori and brushed a few strands of loose hair back from her face. “You okay, darlin’?”
Jer heard Tori gulp audibly and then she nodded.
“Come on, honey, let’s get you into the truck.” Jeremiah shoved Bryant out of the way, guided Tori to the back door, and after opening it, helped her up into the backseat. He followed her in. It was his turn to sit in the back with her since Bryant had traveled in the back with her on the way to the hotel.
When she went to scoot across to the far side, Jeremiah clasped her wrist and shook his head. She looked at him over her shoulder.
“Sit right here next to me, honey.” He was pleased when she didn’t protest and reached for the safety belt. After he helped buckle her in he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her into his side.
She looked up at him with confusion in her eyes, but underlying that perplexity was desire and he couldn’t hold back any longer. He turned to face her, gripped her ponytail gently but firmly, and then lowered his mouth to hers.
Jer groaned at his first taste of her and knew he wouldn’t ever get enough of Tori Springer. He was aware he was doing just what Luther had done, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Jeremiah wanted her and he wanted her now.
She moaned as she leaned into him and when her hand came up to rest on his chest he felt elated. But when her hand slipped through the gap between his buttons his arousal shot into the heavens. Tori was touching him back and that was a very good thing. He wanted to do the same thing to her and push his hand under her shirt and mold her breasts with his hands and then he wanted to suck her hard little nipples into his mouth, but he didn’t. Before this got any more out of hand he had to make sure that she was on board with all of them. Because once he and his brothers made love to her he was going to make sure that she knew damn well that there would be no turning back. She would belong to him, Luther, and Bryant from then on.
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