by Roma James
“What is it?” Becca asked, sounding just as breathless as I felt.
“Yeah, tell us.” I didn’t even try to hold back my impatience.
“I’m sleeping with Boone and Cade,” Janessa blurted out, instantly going red.
I blinked.
Wait, what?
That wasn’t the secret I’d been anticipating. I wasn’t even that shocked—just surprised at how quickly she’d thrown it out there.
Becca, on the other hand, gasped and slapped a hand over her open mouth. Her eyes looked like they might pop right out of her head if she moved too quickly.
“Okay,” I said, nervously looking from Janessa to Becca and back again. “Everyone just… take a deep breath. Just breathe, girls.”
Once it was clear nobody was in imminent danger of having a coronary, I couldn’t help but smile at Janessa. “I knew you’d give in sometime. They’re both so into you—it would have been impossible to say no. But…” I paused, remembering what she’d said. “You said you’re sleeping with both of them? Do they both know?”
Becca’s eyes were still wide, but she let her hand fall away from her mouth long enough to whisper a question. “You’re not worried they’re going to get jealous? I can’t even imagine trying to juggle two guys at the same time—and under the same roof!”
Janessa nibbled at her lip, then shook her head. “No, it’s not like that. They’re not jealous because… because it’s not…” She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. I wasn’t sure where she was going with this, but I wasn’t about to interrupt. This little secret was getting juicier by the minute. “I don’t have to juggle them because I’m seeing both of them… together.”
Her voice had gone so quiet on the last word that I’d had to strain to hear. But there was no mistaking it.
Together.
It hung in the air for several seconds. Becca’s mouth dropped open again. Poor girl. None of us were angelic little virgins, but this was clearly more than she’d anticipated.
“That’s… wow,” was all I could say. “Wow.” I couldn’t stop myself from smiling, though. “That’s pretty hot, actually. Like… together, together?”
Janessa nodded.
I hadn’t anticipated that little twist either, but my brain had definitely latched onto the idea. I didn’t want to try too hard to picture it, though. I mean, I loved Janessa like a sister, but I wasn’t trying to imagine her getting down and dirty with two guys.
Instead, my mind turned to two other guys I happened to know. Two uniformed guys. Two hot guys.
“Are you going to see them again tonight?” Becca asked, finally recovered enough to speak again.
“Yeah.” Janessa looked back over her shoulder out the window as if she was already planning her escape. “They’re down at the bunkhouse. I’m going to sneak out.”
“Wow,” Becca whispered, following Janessa’s gaze.
“That’s hot,” I said again, meaning it. It was like something out of a movie—or maybe one of those sexy romance novels my mom liked to read late at night. I nudged Becca and nodded toward the bedroom door. “Come on. I think that’s our cue to get lost.”
“Oh.” Becca blinked. “Oh. Right. Well…” She looked over at Janessa as we made our way to the door. “Have fun?”
I snickered, and Janessa flushed pink, but she didn’t argue—or try to get us to stay longer.
“And we want details in the morning,” I added, using Janessa’s line on her. “But yeah. Have fun. And… you know. Be careful.”
And I meant it in every sense of the word. Careful not to get caught. Careful not to get pregnant. Careful not to get her heart broken.
Because even though I had complete faith in my friend’s judgment when it came to living her own life, I still had to wonder if she might be in a little over her head.
Two guys. At the same time.
Together.
It was a lot.
But God, it sure was hot.
I had barely made it back to my own bedroom before I heard Janessa’s door open. A few seconds later, I heard her footsteps going down the stairs.
And okay, maybe I had been standing with my ear to the door, straining to hear. But come on. What she was doing was super hot, right?
Maybe I wasn’t going to let my imagination run too wild with Janessa, Cade, and Boone… but I could definitely use it for a little inspiration of my own.
My body flushed with heat as I shrugged out of my clothes and walked across the room to the big, comfortable bed. I normally slept in an oversized T-shirt, but not tonight.
First of all, it was hot in this bedroom—really hot.
And second… well, I was already letting my mind start to wander… to two hot cops and how it might feel if I was the one saying yes to both of them.
God, I really couldn’t imagine.
My hand skimmed under the blankets as I climbed into bed. My nipples were already pebbled and super sensitive as the cotton bedsheets brushed against them. I could feel the wet heat radiating from my core even before my fingers reached down and parted those slick folds.
Okay, so maybe I could sort of imagine how it might go with my two hotties.
My two lawmen. I was already claiming them like it was really something that could happen. Then again, I never would have guessed both of Janessa’s cowboys would have been down for something like that. And Cole had let it slip that he and Prescott shared the same taste in women.
So hot.
I gasped as a finger slipped inside.
So, so hot.
My whole body started to come alive as I moved my free hand under the blankets as well, teasing back and forth between my nipples as I began to finger myself.
Which one would take control? Would they take turns? I closed my eyes, and all I could see was the sheriff’s intense gaze staring back at me. And then Cole’s eyes—dancing and on fire, the same way they’d been earlier in his truck. I could feel the heat from my body—no, from their bodies—as they pressed closer to me.
Another finger slipped inside, and my hips bucked against my palm. I was already so close to the edge, so worked up and ready for it—ready for my two men—that I knew it wouldn’t take long.
Daisy Lynn. I could hear Cole’s deep voice. Such a pretty name.
The sheriff was looking at me again, hungrily taking in my naked body as I waited for him to make a move.
My fingers worked faster as I tried to imagine how the sheriff’s touch might feel. His big, calloused hands would be rough against my skin, like sandpaper across the tender flesh of my nipples.
Oh, God.
That was it. That was enough to push me over the edge.
I had to turn my head and bury my face into the pillow to keep from crying out as the first wave of my orgasm overtook me. Hot and fast and so, so good. My whole body tensed and shuddered as pleasure radiated from somewhere deep inside me.
Yes.
Yes.
Cole. Prescott. That touch. That heat. It was what I needed.
It was… perfect.
Chapter 3
Prescott
I turned away from the county dispatch radio and scrubbed a hand down my face as I saw Cole Wright walking across the parking lot. I’d been irritated with him since yesterday for no good reason, but something was keeping me from just getting over it.
Well, there was one reason.
That pretty little redhead we’d met at the Triple J Ranch. Cole hadn’t wasted any time asking her out, had he? At least he’d been professional enough to wait until after we’d left the damn crime scene before making his move, though.
Not that it was much consolation for me, since he’d still been the one to get a date with a gorgeous girl while I’d been stuck patrolling the empty streets of Bliss with a serious case of blue balls.
“Morning, sheriff.” He nodded in my direction as he came through the door and walked over to his desk. “Anything exciting happen last night while I was off?”
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My jaw clenched as I watched him put his jacket away and straighten the papers on his desk. Whose bright idea had it been to set up this office so our desks had to be facing each other, anyway? Now I was going to be pissed off every time I looked up.
“I guess I could ask you the same question,” I said, the words slipping out before I could catch myself. He looked over and raised an eyebrow. I considered backtracking a little because it really wasn’t any of my damn business what he did on his personal time—or who he did it with—but fuck it. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen him through the window of the diner, laughing and having a great time. No sense in pretending now. “Did you end up getting any sleep, or was it a long night?”
His face flushed, and I’ll admit the last part was said to intentionally make him uncomfortable. To be honest, I didn’t want to know how his date had ended. I couldn’t have blamed him at all for getting a piece of ass, especially when the ass in question was so fucking perfect and round in those tight-fitting jeans.
No, I couldn’t blame him. But I still thought I should have been the one getting into those jeans first. Christ, am I in grade school? What the hell is wrong with me?
“It wasn’t like that,” he mumbled, suddenly very interested in rearranging the stack of papers in front of him. “She’s a nice girl. We had a nice time. That’s all.”
Huh.
This was new.
Cole was usually the first one to rub my face in the fact that he got a girl before I did. And I had no problems doing the same to him when the situation was reversed. It was mostly in fun, though I’ll admit to being a little salty at times. Times like today, for instance.
Still, it wasn’t like him to act so pure and innocent, like they’d been out having bible study or something.
“Okay, okay,” I grumbled, trying to look nonchalant about the whole situation even though I had more questions now than ever. “I’ll leave you alone about it. I didn’t realize you got so sensitive when you struck out, that’s all.”
So sue me. I couldn’t resist one last little zinger. But that had to be it, right? He’d wanted more and she wouldn’t put out, so now he was going to sulk about it.
Which was fine. Understandable, even. Hell, I was sulking and I’d barely even spoken to the girl.
He shot me a hard look, and I could tell my little joke had struck a nerve. He seriously looked pissed off for a second before he shook his head and the corners of his mouth finally twitched. “Are you trying to get your ass kicked today, or what?”
I laughed. My first actual, real laugh in the past twenty-four hours. “I hope you brought some backup if that’s your plan. You’re gonna need it.”
“I don’t know about that…” He gave me an appraising glance that I knew was meant to get under my skin. “I’m still in my early thirties. Still in my prime. But you…” He shook his head. “They say a man starts slipping a little once he hits forty.”
The little bastard. If he wasn’t actually one of my few close friends—and a damn good deputy, regardless—I would have seriously considered marching over there and showing him exactly what I could still do at forty.
But then he started to laugh, and I couldn’t stop myself from joining in.
“Got you that time,” he snickered. “You don’t have to be sensitive about your age, you know.”
“And you don’t have to be sensitive about not getting laid,” I shot back. “Maybe she just realized she needs a man who knows what he’s doing.”
He gave me another long look but then shrugged it off. “Yeah, maybe that’s it. I’ll have to ask her on our next date.”
Okay, so that was a good one. I had to laugh again.
The crackling dispatch radio interrupted our back and forth before I could come up with a good comeback. Probably for the best, since it seemed like we were both mostly over our little competition for the redhead’s attention.
Mostly.
For now, anyway.
I frowned as the call came through, then picked up my radio to let them know we were on it.
“Do you think it’s another poisoning?” Cole snarled, already standing up and gathering his jacket.
“They wouldn’t call us in to look at sick animals if they didn’t think it was something serious,” I said. “But at the Josephsons’ ranch this time? Whoever is doing this has the biggest balls I’ve ever seen. They’re fucking with the biggest families in the county.”
“Could be someone who doesn’t know any better.” Cole shrugged. “Some teenagers just out thinking they’re being edgy or some shit.”
I didn’t say anything as we walked toward the door. It didn’t do much good to speculate, anyway. But this didn’t feel like the work of some rowdy teenagers. Maybe at first, but not now. Not after so many times.
These ranchers were being targeted. And it was up to us to figure out who was behind it.
Ari Josephson was waiting outside her barn with the town’s veterinarian, Logan Hensley, when we pulled up.
“She sure doesn’t look like she’s old enough to run a place like this,” Cole murmured as we got out of the police cruiser. “Is she even eighteen yet?”
I pretended to cough to cover my answer. “Twenty, if I recall correctly.”
And yeah, she definitely looked young—except in her eyes. They were the eyes of someone who had lived a little. Someone who knew how the world worked. They were the eyes of a grown woman.
I wondered if Cole might make a play for young Ari Josephson now that he actually knew how old she was. Maybe he’d leave pretty little Daisy Lynn to me. That would work out best all the way around, as far as I was concerned.
But as we walked up and started talking, I could already see that Cole wasn’t interested in Ari like he was in Daisy Lynn. There was no spark between them. They weren’t exchanging any secretive, flirty glances. Not as far as I could see, anyway.
Which was fine. It would be a little unseemly if we went after every twenty-year-old girl in town, after all. It just meant the competition for Daisy Lynn was still very much alive and well.
And I was definitely up to the challenge.
“The poison was in the water again?” Cole was asking as I pushed away those other thoughts. “Just like at the other ranches?”
Ari and Logan both nodded. “The only difference here is that we’re downstream from those other places,” Logan said. “There is a possibility that the cattle here are getting poisoned from the runoff.”
“How can we be sure?” I asked, getting my head into the game. This was an active investigation and the most serious thing to hit Bliss in years, so I really did need to concentrate. There would be plenty of time to think about Daisy Lynn after we’d gathered a few more facts and taken a few more statements. “If there’s that much poison in the streams around here, that could be a public health concern. We could be looking at more serious things than sick cattle if we’re not careful.”
Jesus, I didn’t even want to think about that possibility. If word got out that the water around town might be poisoned, this story would blow wide open. We’d have TV crews and half a dozen state and federal agencies breathing down our necks.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
“We need to get the water tested,” Logan said. “There’s a guy from the US Geological Survey in town. He could tell us for sure whether it’s coming from upstream. And as far as I know, he’s working here alone.”
Cole and I exchanged looks. The implication was clear—talk to the guy and make sure he doesn’t go running his mouth to anyone else.
“Where is his office?” Cole asked.
“He’s renting an office above the real estate agency down at the end of Main Street.” Logan looked at his watch. “I don’t know what kind of hours he keeps, but I’d assume he’s there now.”
“Perfect,” I said, giving a brisk nod to Cole. “We’ll just finish taking your statements here, and I guess we know where we’ll be going next.”<
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The part I didn’t say out loud was that we needed to get this done quickly. The sooner we could talk to the guy from the USGS, the better.
And time wasn’t on our side.
The office above the real estate agency could be accessed from stairs inside the building as well as a rusted, well-worn staircase in the back that was mainly used for deliveries.
Cole and I both agreed that it was best to use the back staircase this time, since we wanted to talk to the surveyor from the USGS without dealing with anyone from the real estate agency along the way. I didn’t want to lie to anyone about why we needed to have this urgent meeting, and I sure as hell didn’t want to tell anyone the truth.
So there we were, climbing a staircase that probably hadn’t been used in a decade and seemed to really resent supporting the weight of two grown men after all this time.
I stopped just outside the office door as I waited for Cole to join me on the landing. He looked down and then back up to meet my gaze.
“Don’t say it.” I shook my head. “We still have to get back down, and I’d rather not think about how unsafe that trip will be.”
“Just a second.” Cole held up a finger and cocked his head to the side. “Do you hear that?”
I listened carefully for a moment, then leaned closer to the door. Yep. Voices. A man and a woman.
Logan had said the surveyor was working here alone, but there was definitely someone inside his office with him. But we didn’t have the luxury of turning around and leaving. We had to get the water tested, and we couldn’t waste any time.
I reached out for the door knob, holding my breath as it turned. I let it open a couple of inches, then stopped as the voices became easier to hear.
I didn’t recognize the man’s voice—not that I expected to, since I didn’t know anyone from the US Geological Survey offices. But the woman…
Cole nudged me, wide-eyed, as he gestured toward the door. He’d heard the same thing. The same female voice. He’d recognized her, too.
