by Vanessa Vale
I put my hand on it, pressed down, hoping to hold off any pre-cum from spurting out. It would all be for Parker and I wasn’t ashamed, but I wanted her to see I had a little more control than I’d had as a teenager.
Although with her, perhaps not so much until I’d had her a few times. Her eyes settled on my left hand.
That’s right, pixie. No wedding ring. I wouldn’t flirt with her—or any woman—if I were taken. Hell, I was taken. By Parker. She just didn’t know it yet.
She licked her lips. “I remember you. How it was. How could I forget? But that was a long time ago. I’m sure you’ve improved your technique a bit. I know I have mine.”
Improved? Probably. Refined, definitely. The idea that she’s been with other guys made me want to track each one of them down and rip their heads off. But I’d had other women, and I never expected her to sit at home and pine for me, her pussy all neglected. But once I got back inside her, those other guys would all be forgotten, that was for fucking sure.
But if she got any better at sex, she’d probably kill me. Her pussy had been magic before. But now… “Oh, pixie, it’s been too long.” My voice went all soft and quiet as I used the old nickname I had for her—she was the farthest thing from a pixie. Our conversation changed from playful banter to something… intimate. Something from so long ago, and yet it was as if a whole decade hadn’t passed.
“There’s a dog sitting on a chair in the waiting area.”
“Holy shit, who’s that?” Parker leaned in and whispered.
I’d seen Kemp before, so I watched Parker, took in her first impression of him. Yeah, I couldn’t miss the interest there. Women practically tossed their panties at Kemp, with his calm demeanor and good looks. He was single, didn’t live with his mother and as a vet, had a solid job. A total catch, but no one had snagged him yet. I was just hoping Parker would.
I glanced his way, saw him scratching his head, clearly amused by the dog. He was as tall as me, but a little leaner. Where I was dark, he was fair with blond, curly hair. He wore his usual black t-shirt and jeans. None of us went for the short, white vet coat.
“The sheriff dropped off our latest patient,” I told him, but I looked back at Parker as I made introductions. “Kemp, meet Parker Drew.”
“The Parker Drew?” he countered, then came down the walk.
“That’s me,” she replied, extending her hand to shake. “Temporary sheriff.”
Hell yeah, I’d talked about Parker to Kemp and Poe. She was The One. I’d thought it after seeing her again at the ranch, and I was positive now. Just seeing her… all ball busting and sweetness rolled into one gorgeous package, and I knew Kemp had to agree. I had a history with her, so I could talk dirty to her without being slapped. No, Parker wasn’t one to slap. She’d knee me in the balls and then make earrings out of them. From the interest in her eyes, I was safe from that. I could talk about her pussy, let her know my dick was hard for her. It wasn’t going to scare her off. It hadn’t yet. If Kemp did so, he’d come across as a total sleaze. But I couldn’t miss his interest.
“Either you’re into county politics and I’m infamous in my new job or this guy’s been blabbing,” she said, pointing at me.
“I know since Sheriff Hogan died, the city council voted to hire a temporary replacement. Since it’s an elected position, they decided to have someone fill the spot until November when people can decide who gets the job, either Hogan’s son, Liam, or Mark Beirstad. Or you. You’re that replacement.”
“That’s right,” she confirmed.
“But Gus did blab,” he added with a wink. “It’s nice to meet the ex-girlfriend. The one who got away.”
Parker’s mouth fell open and she stared at me with those big, dark eyes. I could read her mind: The one who got away? I shrugged, but didn’t say anything. She hadn’t dumped me. I hadn’t broken up with her. We’d just run out of time. She’d headed to Vermont and I’d gone to Minnesota for college, both of us focused and driven when it came to school, and we’d grown apart. Moved on. Until now. Now we were going back and picking up where we left off. But this time, hopefully, with Kemp and Poe joining in on the fun.
“Tell me what’s up with your dog.” Kemp angled his head toward the building. It was clear Parker was glad he’d changed the topic. I’d come on strong and Kemp, while not being forward at all, was a lot for a woman to take in. The way Parker couldn’t help but look him over proved that.
“Oh, he’s… I mean, she’s not mine. I found her out on County Road Seven. I brought her in to make sure she’s all right.”
He glanced behind him into the waiting area. “I’d like to drop the fucker who dumped her out there and see how he does without any food, water or shelter.” He ran his hand over the back of his neck. “She doesn’t look too rough, considering, so I’m guessing she hasn’t been out there too long.” He glanced at Parker, then me. “I’ll take her in the back and see if she’s chipped.”
Kemp went back inside and we were alone.
“Any trouble with that trespasser?” she asked as if trying to make small talk.
I was amused. I could tell she was a little flustered, but hid it well. She was a past lover. More than that. Parker hadn’t been a one-night stand. Far from it. We’d shared first love. Lots of firsts. It was a little awkward remembering what we’d done together, trying different positions in my old pickup truck, and a smile tugged at my lips at how fun it had been with her. Playing, discovering. Knowing she hadn’t seen me at my finest.
She knew what I looked like naked, knew what I looked like when I came. We hadn’t been all that adventurous since there weren’t very many places we could have fooled around. I had three siblings and my house had always been crazy. There was no way we could have done anything in my room. And Parker’s house? I’d snuck in once through her bedroom window, but we’d had to be really quiet since the place was small and the walls thin. And I’d learned that Parker was a screamer when she came, and that would have been bad with her mom down the hall. I knew she’d been close with her mom, but not that close.
I ran my fingers idly through my beard, and she watched as if she wished she could do it herself. “You know more about the charges than we do, but the guy hasn’t been back.” Some fucker had framed Ava’s dad for insider trading and wanted to marry her to get the rest of her family’s money. Which was a shit-ton. Ava had no interest in the guy, not even before she’d gotten hot and heavy with my brother, Tucker, and Colton Ridge. The guy had shown up at the ranch just to fuck with her, and that had pissed everyone off. “Ava doesn’t have to worry about the loser anymore.”
Besides Ava having the law on her side, she had the entire Duke family and other men like Colton, Jed and the ranch hands to keep an eye out. She might take Jed’s name when they married, but she’d still belong to Tucker as well. She’d still be my sister-in-law. I wasn’t sure how well Parker knew Ava, but maybe they’d met before, especially since Ava owned and ran the Seed and Feed.
“Things were a little crazy that day, but I wanted to talk with you,” I added. Fuck, had I ever. And not just talked. One look at her after all these years and I’d wanted to toss her over my shoulder and carry her someplace private so we could get to know each other again… in all ways. Like whether she whimpered and still clenched right before she came. Or if she liked having her shoulder nipped as I took her from behind, like a stallion would a mare. Get her on her knees and have her swallow me down as those dark eyes looked up at me.
But she’d been working and I had no intention of interfering with her job. After she left, I’d had to go and jerk off in the bathroom just like I had as a teenager.
She’d brought the dog to the clinic in her role as sheriff, so talking dirty might not be the best idea while she was working, but I didn’t think the animal was going to tell anyone.
We walked inside and she took in the place. The three of us—me, Kemp and Poe—had met at vet school and decided early on we’d go into practice together and
opened shop two years ago. Bought the building and the practice off of a woman who’d wanted to retire. Not only did we work together, we’d claim a woman together too, but up until Parker had returned to Raines, we hadn’t known who that would be.
Now we did. I wasn’t sure how she’d go for it the idea of three guys claiming her. My oldest brother, Landon—nicknamed Duke even though it was all our last names—and Jed Cassidy, were in a relationship with the town librarian and should have made a stir. It wasn’t like they gave a shit what people thought, but Kaitlyn wouldn’t want to lose her job because of uptight townspeople. But right after they’d been pussy whipped, Tucker and Colton Ridge fell for Ava, even asked her to marry them. No one in town really seemed to care. My parents didn’t. Hell, they were thrilled that grandchildren were possibilities.
I wasn’t thinking kids with Parker… I had to get inside her again first, but based on how the town reacted to my brothers’ relationships, she could still be sheriff—hopefully—and be with three men without anyone freaking out. But, her job depended on votes—if her name was on the ballot—so we had to think of image. But right now, staring at her, what I wanted with Parker was none of the town’s damned business and no one was going to stop me.
“A little,” she agreed with a smile.
I stared at her blankly for a moment, having forgotten what we’d been talking about. Right, her picking up Perry the Prick from the ranch.
“Have dinner with me,” I said, done waiting. Having her in front of me made me want to grab her and never let go. But dinner was good. Smart. Talk first, fuck after. That was my brain thinking. My dick thought backwards was better. Fuck now, eat later.
She stopped in her tracks, turned and looked up at me, her mouth open as if she were going to say—hopefully—yes.
“No chip,” Kemp called, walking out of one of the exam rooms, not realizing he’d pretty much cock blocked me. Himself, too, in fact. The dog was right at his side, tongue hanging out as if she were smiling. “I did a test and no worms either. Until someone left her out in the middle of nowhere, she appears to be well taken care of. Good temperament. She’s a little dehydrated and probably could use a good meal—”
“She had my sandwich in the SUV,” Parker said.
Kemp smiled. Oh, that smile had dropped lots of panties in the past. I had to hope it was at least making Parker’s wet.
“You must be hungry then. Come eat with us,” I offered. “The vet tech is on her break and we’re in the back room.”
She glanced down at the radio on her hip. Seeing as it was quiet, it wasn’t as if she had to head out. “I could eat. Thanks.”
This wasn’t the dinner date I wanted, but it was immediate, and that was almost better since I wasn’t ready for her to leave yet. And, she got to meet Kemp and Poe.
Kemp led us down the hallway and I watched as Parker took the opportunity to ogle Kemp’s ass. I should have been pissed she was checking out another guy, but I was fine with it. At least fine that it was Kemp. I hoped that Parker was as kinky as me, and seeing her interest in me and Kemp gave me hope.
The dog trotted along beside Parker, happy as could be to hang with her. Smart girl.
“We have a guest for lunch,” Kemp said as he walked into the kitchen. Parker stopped just inside the doorway when she saw Poe, clearly not expecting a third guy.
Poe stood and I watched as she tilted her head up to look him in the eye. He was the tallest of us at six-four.
I heard her whisper under her breath. “Oh shit.” She turned to look at me, a little stunned and a whole lot flushed. “What’s in the water around here?”
I chuckled, put my hand on her shoulder and nudged her into the kitchen. Our uneaten lunch—plastic containers of leftovers, a brown bag with sandwiches, chips and drinks—was spread out across the table.
Poe wiped his big hands on his jeans. “Hey there.” His voice was deep, which could easily be used to intimidate, but the smile he gave Parker hopefully made him a little less formidable. But Parker didn’t spook easily and she smiled back. “I’m Poe. The third vet around here.”
“Like Edgar Allen?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
Poe grinned. “My mother liked dark poetry.”
“I’m Parker.”
Poe looked to me, eyes wide, then looked her over with a new appreciation, a very blatant one. “The Parker?”
Parker glanced over her shoulder at me. “How much do you share with these two?”
“When it comes to you? I’ll share everything with Kemp and Poe.”
3
PARKER
* * *
Oh. My. God.
I’ll share everything with Kemp and Poe.
Did that mean… did they? Oh shit. All three of them were staring at me.
With the four of us together, the room felt small, like there was barely any oxygen. But it was the fact that they were too gorgeous for their own good that had me practically hyperventilating. My nipples hardened and I wondered what it would be like to have them strip me bare and… do whatever they wanted.
Not just one alpha male with Gus, but there was no question Kemp and Poe would be just as intense. Powerful. My pussy clenched at the thought.
Three hot men all eyeing me as if I were the lunch instead of what was on the table.
What exactly had Gus meant by those words?
Gus moved around me, pulled out a chair, but ignored my wide-eyed stare. “Sit.”
I did and the guys pulled out their food and spread it out on the table so it was like a little buffet. Gus pointed. “There’s leftover lasagna, a turkey sandwich with avocado, um… something green that Poe brought—”
“Kale salad.” He tugged the container away from Gus as if it weren’t a bitter superfood but a sweet dessert.
“And leftover chocolate cake,” Gus finished. “Although only store bought since my parents are on vacation.”
Oh yes, there was a decadent slice of cake and my mouth watered.
“Gotta eat your veggies first,” Poe grinned, waving about his container of salad. “Makes you grow big and strong.”
His gaze raked over me in a heated way, recognizing I was already big and strong.
He had hair as black as night with a hint of curl. Blue eyes that were pale and piercing. Black Irish all the way, which completely and totally worked for me. Crazy, since Gus, with his beard and quick smile, was gorgeous. So was Kemp, all fair and seemingly gentle.
Oh shit, I was in big trouble lusting after three men. Three friends. Colleagues.
“The sandwich looks great,” I answered, remaining neutral. “Thanks.”
Kemp took one of the halves and placed it on a paper napkin and slid it across the linoleum surface to me.
“So tell us about yourself, how you ended up being sheriff,” Poe asked.
I glanced at his pale eyes and saw he was interested and really wanted to know. He wasn’t one of the guys who patronized me. What’s a gal like you doing with a big gun? Are you a lesbian or something?
“You want me to recap the past ten years?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Tell us anything you want.”
I swallowed. As sheriff, I was the one who asked the questions, did the interrogating. “Well, Gus headed to Minnesota for college, I went to Vermont. Dartmouth. From there, law school. I always wanted to be a lawyer.”
“I remember,” Gus replied. “And I always wanted to be a vet. That’s why we went our separate ways. We were both driven. We had big plans, didn’t we, pixie?”
We had. And now that I was sitting before Gus again, I realized how thankful I was for him. He had wanted me to go after what I wanted and hadn’t held me back. We’d given up us for… well, us.
“Yes. Now look at us.”
“Yeah, but explain the sheriff part,” Poe continued.
It seemed that was what he was really interested in.
“I was an assistant district attorney back east. They wanted closer interaction with
the police department… the new chief thought it would better if someone from the DA’s office could work closely with the cops. Ensure their procedures were accurate so they didn’t have cases fall apart because procedure wasn’t followed.”
“That makes sense,” Gus commented.
I nodded. “It did. My boss was really happy with that. The police wanted a DA to understand them better. So they offered to send someone to the police academy. That was me. To make a long story short, I was looking to move back to Raines because of my mom—she’s fine, but she’s diabetic now, and I felt too far away if something went wrong—and I’m sure she talked to your mother or someone else on the city council and they called me about the position.”
Gus grinned. “Yeah, I have no doubt the mom network certainly helped get your name on the short list. But your resume’s what got you the job.”
Not even the dimmest bulb would hire a sheriff who wasn’t qualified.
“I’m more lawyer than lawman. That’s why I don’t go on calls alone. One of the deputies is always with me. I made that a requirement of employment.”
Poe made a grunt, as if he either was satisfied with the answer or hated it and didn’t want to say.
“What about you?” I asked him, taking a bit of the sandwich, eager to take the spotlight off of me. I’d rather hear about what made him brooding and… well, smoldering. Those pale eyes had me hooked.
“Me? Let’s talk about Gus. I heard you were his first.” Poe speared his salad as if he were commenting on the weather, not his co-worker’s sexual initiation. With me.
The sandwich was halfway to my mouth for a second bite and I froze, glanced at Gus. “Jesus. You told them?”
He grabbed the lasagna container and stuck it in the microwave, then leaned his hip against the counter. “Hell, yeah.”
