“She was jealous,” I whispered, the words barely escaping my mouth.
“What?”
I looked up, finally met his gaze. “She was jealous of me because she wanted the two of you to notice her,” I said. “But you never did. You always had eyes for me.”
Ryder raised his eyebrows in surprise.
I continued, reaching for his hand. “And she knew I had feelings for you. Both of you. And that ate her up inside. I’ve come to realize over the years that my stepsister is a petty, miserable human being, and she will destroy anything she can’t have. In our case, she couldn’t have you, and she made sure I didn’t get to have you either.” My fingers were tangled with his, and I squeezed his hand. “I meant it when I told you I had feelings for you, Ryder.”
He licked his lips, and it took everything in me not to lean across and kiss him, to feel his lips against mine. But I’d slept with Wyatt; I’d made my choice. I couldn’t break Wyatt’s heart because I was confused. It wouldn’t be fair.
Ryder finally spoke, and his voice was deeper and filled with emotion. “I’ve always loved you, Hazel, even if I wasn’t the best at showing it at times.”
“I know,” I said softly. “I mean, I didn’t know it at the time. I was young and stupid. But I see it now, and I realize how much of a fool I was back then.”
“Hush.” H raised a finger to my lips and pressed it against them. “The past is the past, and it’s not your fault. It’s Lila’s fault, not yours.”
Those words brushed over my skin like sunlight, and it was like a thousand-pound brick was lifted off my shoulders. Hearing him say those words, knowing that all the years I’d stayed away hadn’t damaged our relationship beyond repair meant more than he’d ever know.
Still, I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
“Things are still complicated,” I said, letting go of his hand.
“I know you and Wyatt are close,” Ryder said, letting out a long sigh. “And I won’t do anything to hurt my brother or you. If you want to be with him, I’ll try to stay out of the way, but I can’t promise it’ll be easy watching you together, wondering what could have been.”
The feeling from before, the warmth, passed as quickly as it came. My heart ached at his words. Even if I could be with Wyatt, I would also wonder the same thing. I wasn’t sure I could ever let my feelings for Ryder go.
“I’m not sure I can be with either of you, honestly,” I said.
Ryder’s eyes widened. “But didn’t you and Wyatt—"
“Yes,” I said, cringing as I finished his sentence in my head. “We were together, and I know he cares about me, but to pick between the two of you… I just don’t think I can do it.”
Tears stung my eyes, and I looked away from Ryder’s strong, dark gaze. I couldn’t bear to see the pain in them, knowing I was the cause of it. Whether he wanted to blame Lila or not, I was still at the center of all this, and my problem was the same as always. I couldn’t decide between the brothers. I loved them both too much.
Ryder lifted my chin with his calloused hand, forcing me to stare into his almost black eyes. His fine, chiseled features were more pronounced than I remembered. In my head, he was still the same boy I left behind all those years ago, but in that moment, I saw him for the man he’d grown into.
A strong, loyal family man. One who worked hard, who would do anything for those he loved, even if it hurt him in the process. He was a man any woman would be happy to end up with, and I could have him. He could be mine.
But I had to choose.
“Maybe you won’t have to pick,” Ryder said, speaking slowly.
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “I mean, the world has a way of sorting these things out. Maybe we just trust in the universe and see where it takes us. Hell, I may not survive the end of this and—”
Before he finished, I closed the distance and kissed him. Our lips melded together, and I could tell I’d surprised him. He sat there, his body stiff but not pulling away, with just our lips touching.
I pulled away, apologizing under my breath. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”
I opened the car door, and with my cheeks burning bright red, I hurried to the hotel room. I couldn’t believe I’d kissed him, but the very thought of losing him had stirred something inside me. He was right. Any one of us, or all of us, could end up dead before this was over. We were in over our heads, and we’d be lucky to get out with them still attached.
But I shouldn’t have kissed him.
Not after sleeping with Wyatt.
Hazel, what have you done? Look at the mess you’ve made, I cursed to myself as I knocked on the hotel room door.
The door swung open, and I rushed inside to the bathroom. Wyatt tried to stop me, to ask me what happened with Ryder, but I couldn’t answer him.
Just like all those years ago when I ran away when faced with my decision, I needed to be alone.
Ooo000ooo
Ryder walked into the hotel shortly after I did, and through the walls, I could hear the two of them talking. I picked out words now and then, enough to know they were talking about me, but not getting the entire story.
I sat on the toilet seat, my legs pulled up and underneath me and my face resting in my hands. Looking up, I saw myself in the mirror and thought I looked pathetic.
I was pathetic.
I kicked the trash can out of frustration, sending it across the tiny room with a clatter. The voices in the other room stopped, and a second later there was a knock on the door.
“You okay?” Wyatt asked.
“I’m fine,” I said miserably.
More silence on the other side of the door. They were worried about me. Hell, I was worried about me. Sitting in a bathroom and pouting wasn’t me. I was better than this. I needed to do the right thing, which was to stand up, go out there, and address the problem at hand. It was my mess to clean up. Feelings would get hurt, no one would be happy, but it was the way it had to be. I couldn’t cause friction between Wyatt and Ryder. They were family, the only family the other one had. I wasn’t about to tear them apart simply because I couldn’t make up my mind.
I knew what I had to do, but getting up and going out there was a lot harder than it sounded. It took me a few more minutes, but finally, I pushed myself up and forced myself to exit the bathroom.
Wyatt was closest to me, on the bed, wearing nothing but his jeans. His bare chest was a sight for sore eyes, but at least the wound on his shoulder didn’t look as bad as I thought it would. He must have cleaned it while I was outside talking to Ryder. He was in no shape to stand, but he still tried, a pained look on his handsome face.
I put a hand on his chest, gently nudging him back down. “Rest.”
Ryder was standing by the door since there were no other chairs in the room. That’s when I noticed the other big problem. There was only one bed. It was a king-sized bed, but still, one bed for all three of us.
As if the entire situation couldn’t get more awkward or painful, well, there you go. The universe had to give us one final kick in the balls.
Ryder walked over to me as I was staring at the bed, and he took me by the shoulders. He was calm, which surprised me. He was never that calm, especially when it came to anything regarding emotions.
Before I knew what was happening, Ryder pulled me toward him, wrapping his tree-trunk arms around me, holding me tight. It had been so long since we’d hugged, but right away, it felt familiar and comforting, my heads resting against his chest. I let him hold me like that for a long time, not wanting to let him go. Eventually, all good things must come to an end, and he pulled back just enough to look into my eyes.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said, his voice softer than I’d ever known it to be.
I had no idea what he meant by that, but his words rolled over me, filling me with that familiar warmth. I wanted to believe him so badly that I just accepted it. I nodded, agreeing with him. I forgot all about the mafia
and everything else in our little world for a moment, and only listened to Ryder’s words telling me everything would be fine.
But all it took was a glance at Wyatt with his injured arm to remember that we were in real danger.
“I wish I could believe you,” I said, putting more distance between us. “But let’s face it, we don’t know that. And I can’t lose you. I can’t lose either of you.”
Ryder and Wyatt shared a look, and I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant. Wyatt got up from the bed and walked over to us, hugging me from behind. Ryder held me close again, sandwiching me between the two of them.
My heart raced as I felt their hard bodies pressed against me. I’d always fantasized about having both brothers at once, but never thought it would be a reality. Even then, standing between them, I saw it as nothing more than an act of comfort.
Ryder lifted my face and stared deep into my eyes.
“We don’t want to lose you either,” he whispered. “And maybe we don’t have to.”
“What are you talking about?”
Wyatt pressed his lips against the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. My knees felt like they might give out on me. Ryder kissed me, holding my face in his hands as his tongue pushed past my lips.
Both their hands were on me, moving over the length of my body. I couldn’t tell whose hands were fondling my breasts and whose were groping my ass; they all blended together. One set of hands lifted my shirt, pulling it off over my head. The other set worked on my pants, letting them drop to the floor, until I was standing between them in nothing but my bra and panties.
Even those didn’t stay on for long with four hands working on them.
Wyatt’s mouth moved lower, down my back and spine, as he slipped my panties down. Ryder’s rough hands reached around, removing my bra and letting it fall to the ground with my pants, exposing my breasts to him.
His eyes lit up as he looked at me. He took me in with a hunger so deep, I wanted nothing more than to sate it.
I ripped his shirt off, stroking the smooth muscle of his chest with my bare hands. His brother was more athletic than him, but Ryder worked hard outdoors, and it showed. My hands fumbled with his pants, but he helped me, kissing every inch of my face and neck. He dotted kisses down my neck, nibbling on my earlobe, as his pants and boxers landed on the floor. I reached for his cock, but he took my hands into his, stopping me before I could feel him or even see him. He stepped back, and I moved with him until the two of us landed on the bed, me on top of him.
Wyatt climbed onto the bed too, still in his jeans. I scolded him playfully. “No clothes allowed in the bed.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, standing up just long enough to lose his pants.
Wyatt was long and thick and hard as a rock. I couldn’t see Ryder’s erection, but I felt it pressing into me, and he was just as big - if not bigger - than his brother.
Wyatt crawled back into bed, lying beside us as Ryder made out with me. Not wanting Wyatt to feel left out, I pulled away from his brother and started kissing him. Ryder’s body pressed upward, into me, his shaft rubbing against my wetness.
God, was this really happening, I wondered. I didn’t have a second to even consider the possibility it might all be a dream, because Ryder flipped me onto my side, putting me between his brother and him.
“You’re much nicer to look at it,” he teased, kissing me as I wrapped my leg over his hip.
Both sets of hands worked at my body, taking turns rubbing my most sensitive parts, burying fingers deep inside me until I screamed for more. I needed to be filled, but not by just one of them; no, I needed them both.
Ryder guided his cock against my opening, and I thrust toward him, taking him inside me at last. Both of us let out a groan of pleasure as he reached the deepest parts of me. My body stretched and opened for him, welcoming him inside me like we were always meant to be together.
But I couldn’t forget Wyatt, who was kissing my neck from behind, his fingers teasing my nipples while his brother fucked me.
“Wyatt, please, I need you inside me,” I whimpered.
He growled into my ear, “Do you mean—”
“YES!” I cried out. “Yes, please, I need you inside me.”
He didn’t hesitate a second longer. He gathered my juices on his fingers and coated himself in them, then his slick member rubbed against the back of me. He spit into his hand and worked his fingers slowly into my tight hole, stretching me to accommodate him. I tightened up at the intrusion at first, but Wyatt gently probed me with his thick finger as the discomfort slowly dissolved into pleasure.I pressed my ass backward, toward him, beckoning him to take me. Wyatt moved much slower than Ryder, but he entered me from behind only pressing in an inch or two as I writhed.
I’d never felt so fulfilled in my life, and the feeling was more intense than I could ever imagine. The moment Wyatt entered me, it was like one, long orgasm broke over me. His brother and he moved in a slow, gentle rhythm, their mouths covering my face, neck and shoulders as they fucked me.
Wyatt groaned into my ear, “Fuck, you’re so tight, I can hardly control myself.”
“Then don’t control yourself,” I whimpered.
Ryder went first, pummeling into me faster and harder than before, sending me over the edge. I came hard, writhing between their firm bodies, screaming their names. “Oh Wyatt! Oh Ryder! Yes!”
Both my pussy and ass spasmed as I came, clenching their cocks. This pushed Wyatt over the edge, and he grabbed my hips, pulling me against him as he let out an animalistic growl, filling me with his seed.
Ryder wasn’t far behind, thrusting his cock deep inside me, his face twisted into a look of pure bliss. Their hard cocks throbbed inside of me, bringing on another orgasm. I came with them, harder than I’d ever come before, my nails burying in Ryder’s back as I cried out in pleasure.
All three of us fell limp onto the bed together. Their now deflated cocks slipped out of me, but they continued to hold me, to kiss me. None of us said a word; we just laid together in bed. Exhaustion soon took hold, and I fell asleep within minutes, falling into a calm, content slumber, surrounded by the men I loved.
Ryder
No one wanted to wake up to the screams of a loved one. The sound that woke me up that morning was unlike anything I’d heard before, and God knew, I hoped I’d never hear anything like that again.
It was a mixture between a sob and a scream, and it stabbed me right in the gut.
I sat upright, just as Wyatt had to. We both were wide awake within seconds. Neither one of us had clothes on. Hazel had thrown on her shirt at some point, and her hair was wet, which meant she’d taken a shower while we were asleep. Now, she stood beside the bed, on the phone, with tears streaming down her face.
“What’s wrong?” Wyatt asked, scrambling to get to her.
I was closest to her, and I got there first.
“They have Christina,” she said through shaking sobs. Her entire body was trembling, and the phone fell from her hands. She went limp into my arms, and I held her, not sure what else I could do. I stared over my shoulder at my brother, who seemed equally at a loss.
“What did they say?” I said, pulling myself together.
“They want to meet in two hours, or they’re going to kill her. They’re done with our games and said it’s obvious they need to do something drastic to get Boone’s attention.”
She pulled away from me and started searching the room for her shorts. When she found them, she put them on and appeared a little calmer. She’d managed to get a grip, but I didn’t like the look on her face. I knew that look well.
“What are you doing?”
“They’re willing to free Christina if they have another hostage. Since I’m Boone’s sister, I’m more valuable to them,” she stated matter-of-factly.
She was going to turn herself over to those fuckers to free her friend.
Wyatt pieced things together too, and we both went for the door. I grabbed
my pants on the way over, stumbling into them.
“No way in hell are you going,” I said, standing my ground in front of the door. With my pants on, I felt a lot more in control of the situation. Wyatt was still struggling to find his, but I stood my ground, blocking the exit for Hazel.
She scowled at me, her blue eyes filled with fire. “I have to, Ryder. You don’t understand. Christina is innocent in all this. She doesn’t deserve to die.”
“Neither do you!” I shouted. “Besides, do you really think they’ll just release her because you hand yourself over? No. Because now she knows too much.”
“Well, I have to try,” she said, walking over to me and standing as tall as she could. Even at her tallest, she was a foot shorter than me. It would have been cute if the situation wasn’t so serious. “I can’t sit around and do nothing at all.”
“I’m not going to let you walk into a death trap either,” I told her firmly.
“You can’t force me to stay here,” she argued.
“Wanna bet?” I said, towering over her.
Her eyes narrowed and she gave me her most hateful stare, but there was no way I’d back down. I would stand in front of that door for weeks if I had to, anything to keep her safe.
“Guys, listen to this,” Wyatt interrupted, breaking through the tension. “Boone sent us a message about fifteen minutes ago.”
“We don’t have time for another puzzle,” I growled.
“It’s not a puzzle, it’s an address,” he said. “Maybe we should check it out?”
“I’m going to Christina,” Hazel said, folding her arms in front of her chest.
“Where did they want to meet you?” Wyatt asked.
Hazel gave an address. Wyatt was quiet for a second, typing it into his phone, then rushed over to us.
“The address Boone gave us is like fifteen minutes from where they want to meet,” he said. “We could swing by there first, see if there’s anything that could help us, and if all else fails, head to Christina.”
“They said only one of us could come,” Hazel said. “Unless Boone is with us, only one person or they’ll kill Christina on sight. And us.”
Her Mountain Brothers Page 15
