“There’s a ‘but,’” I say, shaking my head.
“I’m the owner. I make the decisions. I have a damn degree in accounting. I didn’t crown myself CEO of The Black Diamond because I wanted a fancy title. I chose it because I have a vision for how to use my inheritance to make myself happy—and I can only do that by helping other people.”
His words rock me back on my heels. “You don’t want to make a fortune?”
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to me, but it does. The prideful afterglow I’ve enjoyed all afternoon for helping Sadie winks out in an instant. It’s not Dakota who needs to open his eyes.
It’s me.
Dakota grins. “I have one. This place is worth three million dollars, and I own it outright. Shouldn’t that be enough?”
“Wait,” a strained female voice calls out from the shadows. “You mean to say that you own this place? Not Beau?”
Sadie’s incredulous response tells me just how badly I’ve fucked up by trying to play the alpha male. Judging from her expression as she advances on us, she’s rightly pissed at being misinformed. Part of me enjoyed playing the boss of the ranch. I wanted the opportunity to run a business according to my own vision, to tackle the daily challenges and earn respect. Security does not give me that satisfaction. My pride is wounded, and the words that come out of my mouth are aimed to slice deep.
“Assumptions make an ass out of ‘U’ and me,” I drawl. Dakota sends me a sharp look.
“Beau. Get outta here.” He jerks his head at the main house. Sadie’s face is drained of color and her jaw is frozen in a tight, mutinous line. The sight stabs through me.
I’m not one for emotions and relationships. I like easy-breezy entanglements with no commitments. But that isn’t what this threesome is. It’s not who we are together. I never meant to get this involved, but here we are—and I’m making everything worse.
So, I go. I turn tail and head back to the ranch house, feeling every bit like the dog I am. Tense, hushed, angry whispers follow me down the path into the deepening night.
11
Dakota
“I thought Beau owned The Black Diamond,” Sadie hisses. Her tone is rattlesnake-mad. She’s ready to strike—at me, at Beau, at the world. I happen to be in her path.
“I thought you knew,” I say. Disquiet churns in my stomach. “It’s not as though we hid the fact. Not on purpose.”
“I feel lied to.” I’ve never heard Sadie like this before. Her voice is flat and devoid of inflection. Yet I hear her underlying pain loud and clear. Beau’s not wrong. I, too, feel a little betrayed. After all, I didn’t lie to her. Not even by omission. She never asked. She made an assumption. Now’s my opportunity to set her straight.
“My dad was a banker. When he died, the majority of his estate went to my mother. Each of the four kids received a sizable inheritance. It was enough for me to buy this place and keep some money in reserve. But...” I trail off.
Part of me resists speaking the truth out loud. Beau’s goals are different from mine. I never had to scrap for every dollar I have the way he and Sadie have. I can understand why he’s a little bit resentful. My friend was right about one thing, though. I am squandering the hard-earned legacy my father left me. I’m running through my reserves and if I don’t find a way to pull out of this nosedive before the pandemic ends, I am going to lose it all. My family legacy. My dreams.
Sadie.
“But what?” she asks. I run my fingers through the fringe of tiny dreadlocks that keep my hair out of my eyes before responding.
“The truth is, I want money as much as the next guy.” There, I said it. “I just want to earn it by doing things that make me happy. My dad loved math. He was great at it. But more than that, he loved the power that banks had to make a difference in the community. For a long time, his was the only bank that would lend in certain parts of Chicago. He had faith that you didn’t have to be wealthy to be a good borrower, and he made a lot of money by sticking with that commitment. Later in his career, a regional bank tapped him to lead a multi-state network. Along the way, he made smart investments in real estate. That’s where most of the money came from—buying properties, fixing them up, renting them out, and eventually selling them. We were good landlords, too. That’s what I want to accomplish here, Sadie. Only, my love is for horses.” I kick a rock. “I’m fucking terrified that I’m going to lose it all.”
When I make myself look up at her, the tension in her body has visibly ebbed. Her shoulders aren’t up by her ears anymore. She glances away and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear before saying, “I can’t even imagine losing this place. It’s magical, Dakota. I see why you love it so much.”
The wistfulness in her voice cracks my heart in two. I move closer and cup her soft, warm cheek in my palm, and whisper, “I wish you’d had all the good things life has to offer, Sadie Banes. Every kid deserves it.”
Her jewel-green eyes meet mine, full of emotion. Pain. Longing. Something more that I’m afraid to name—until she does.
“I love you, Dakota Wilson.”
Simple words, so full of truth that my throat closes off words. I pull her into my arms. She hugs my waist and drops her head against my chest. We stand there together as night falls hard around us. After a few minutes, she pulls back. Light from the rising moon glows on her face as her eyes search mine. “I want to help you. I have some ideas. But before I can talk about them, we need to set things right with Beau.”
“Yeah.” But how? I can’t change his jealousy of my good fortune. It hurts me to even admit that it exists. Yet I’m not willing to relinquish our friendship so readily. That means I have to go in there and fight to repair the rift. “Any great ideas on how to do that?”
Sadie kisses me. Her mouth is soft and welcoming. I lean into her forgiveness. Though I know it isn’t hers to offer, I take it anyway. The mood shifts. I slant my lips over hers and she opens, seeking more. Our teeth meet and tongues slip past one another, feeling. Seeking. Pushing one another higher. Shaking with need. Tonight, we crashed through a barrier I hadn’t known existed. There’s no way I’ll ever let Sadie go.
But I know that she’s the key to repairing our friendship.
“I need to say goodbye to Beau, too.” She swallows. “And say thank you. I belong here, with you. I’ve never felt like I had a real home before, Dakota.”
I know that by home, she doesn’t mean a place. She means a family.
She means me.
It hollows out my belly and fills it with a soft heat like a sunset on clouds. It makes me want to possess her with such raw need that I hardly know how to resist the swelling urgency to take her up against the nearest hard surface. She skims her hand down my chest, over my belt buckle, and gently brushes my straining cock.
After tonight, it will be us together, forever. But tonight, we are still three. Sadie’s mouth quirks up in a half-smile. We swing into stride, side-by-side. Unspoken understanding blooms between us.
“You’ll always have me, Sadie. I’m your family now.” I promise her this with my entire heart. To me, it’s as binding as a wedding vow. “Let’s go make up with Beau.”
We find him in the main room. He’s slumped on the sofa with his feet up on the coffee table, staring at his phone dejectedly.
Sadie and I exchange glances. She knows what to do. For the moment, I stand back.
She places one bare foot in line with the other as she pads toward him. “Hey there, cowboy.”
He tosses the device aside and gives her his full attention. Sadie crosses her arms over her stomach to grasp the hem of her shirt. She tugs it up, over her head and drops it on the floor. Then, wearing nothing but a pale pink version of the lacy bralettes she favors, she straddles his thighs and sits up.
Beau’s gaze lights on her lovingly displayed tits. After a long moment, though, he shakes his head. “Nah, Ms. Banes. I can’t play daddy anymore.”
“I’m not asking you to.” She sits back. Beau wrests h
is gaze away from the perfect rounds of her breasts and looks her in the eye. He is still unsmiling, though I detect the slightest shift of mood in the set of his mouth and at the corner of his eyes. It’s hard to stay mad when there’s a beautiful woman on your lap. “I’m asking you to join Dakota and me for one wild night.”
“One night?” he asks. “You must have a woman’s intuition, Miss Banes.”
“What’s going on?” I ask in a tone that is both friendly and authoritative. I like the sound of my own voice. It feels new to me, even though I’m sure I sound the same way I always have.
“My momma is sick,” he says softly. “She tested positive for the virus.”
“Oh, no.” Sadie hastily tries to leap off his lap. She is clearly mortified at having attempted to seduce a worried man. But Beau takes her by the hips to stop her from moving away.
“I have to leave. I don’t like to drive at night, though. Besides, there’s nothing I can do.” The helplessness in my friend’s voice hits me hard. Like a lot of men, he tends to ignore infirmity. Hell, even after a doctor ordered him to take it easy, Beau hardly slowed down. That’s why he isn’t really healing. He keeps aggravating the soft tissue by helping me with the fences and the horses and, lately, with Sadie.
But the real pain I see in my friend is that he’s facing his mortality. You can’t punch a virus—and I witnessed the tension in his body outside, I know he wanted to throw one. He can’t fix his body through sheer willpower, either. Add the fact that tonight I have basically turned down his further services as a bodyguard—not specifically, perhaps. But we both know he’ll never be mistaken for the owner of The Black Diamond again. Not if I have anything to say about it.
Beau’s going through an identity crisis.
We all are. Together.
I stride closer to the sofa. “Beau. There’s one thing you can do. Let Sadie and me take your mind off your mom’s illness for a bit. Tomorrow you’ll go take care of her. But tonight...” I glance at Sadie. “We fuck.”
She nods, once, assertive.
Beau finally meets my eyes. “Well, alrighty, Dakota. I can’t argue with that.”
As if to reinforce my authority, Sadie tucks her legs to kneel on the couch. Her fingertips tent gently on either side of my belt buckle. I glance at my friend and then down at her. I’m already rising eagerly for her touch. Forever will not be enough to satisfy me. I rock back on my heels and nod once to indicate my permission. Sadie’s pretty mouth curls up at the corners as she works the leather through metal. There’s the quiet shift of cotton and the sound of our breath. I slide my fingers into her hair.
“Watch us, Beau,” I command.
He hesitates, then says in his laconic drawl, “Yes, sir.”
12
Sadie
Beau watches greedily as I gently extract Dakota’s dick and take him into the hot cavern of my mouth. I’ve always felt as though I have to hide this part of myself from others. My body was always meant to be hidden, and each shot of pleasure taken only with a chaser of shame.
I adore sex. Tonight, I’m claiming that. No one will ever make me feel shame again.
The thought energizes me. I feel powerful. When I glance at him Dakota’s hot, dark gaze sparks against mine.
His full mouth twitches and flattens as I take him deeper, past my gag reflex and into my throat. Stiff hair tickles my lips as I take him all the way inside. He groans.
Beau’s enjoying the show. He runs his big, warm hands up my ribcage and tucks one fingertip under the lace. I pop off Dakota’s cock and sit back up, wiping my mouth with the heel of my hand and grinning. Beau flicks my nipples out from under the fabric. He rolls them between rough thumb and forefinger. I moan.
“Nice,” Dakota says appreciatively. “Hot.”
I arch into his friend’s touch. I want to savor every moment of this experience, because tonight will be our only time together like this. Once he leaves, it will be weeks before Beau comes back. By then, I hope that whatever new and raw relationship Dakota and I are forming will be solidified. Knowing he won’t reject me no matter what we do tonight lets me feel free in a way I never have before. I experiment by tugging the lingerie up over the mounds of my breasts. They bounce free. Both men’s eyes widen fractionally. I grin.
“Like that?” I ask. Dakota is still standing by my side, while I’ve pinned Beau to the couch. Now, I slide off his thighs in a sinuous movement and hop onto the coffee table. There’s no music, but it doesn’t matter. I’ve done these movements a thousand times. The difference is that tonight, I’m dancing for me as much as I am for my audience.
I hook my thumbs into the waistband of my pants and swing my hips in a slow figure-eight. Dakota sinks onto the couch. I turn in a half-circle. The furniture is sturdy enough to support my gyrations if I’m careful. I give them a peek at my thong, then slide my loose pants down my thighs and kick them away.
Beau wolf whistles.
I wink at him over my shoulder. Then, I turn to face the opposite wall. I gather my hair in both hands and let it cascade down my back. Dakota howls. I’m dancing for real now, slow and sexy, revealing my body inch by inch. I can hardly believe it was just this afternoon that I begged Beau to treat me rough, to let me play the brat. Guess I needed it. But taking control in truth is so much better—so much more fun.
I needed that to work through that pain to gain the confidence to perform like this for men whose opinion of me counts for so much. It was worth it. Now, I can let go.
“Come on down here, baby,” Beau calls out. He’s stripped off his shirt. Dakota’s shed his jeans and sits sideways on the couch wearing only his boxers. His cock tents out. I get down off my makeshift platform and shove Beau aside to make space for myself between them.
“Ooh, bossy now, are you?” he teases, grinning. His eyes crinkle at the corner.
I return his happiness and say, “You’ll find out.”
I work my hand down the flat plane of his belly into his pants and stroke the hard length of his cock. His eyes flutter closed. Excitement pulses through me. I work leather through metal and undo his belt. He’s already hard. I stroke his length while I cast Dakota a sidelong glance. “I want to fuck your friend.”
He settles back against the arm of the furniture with a grin. “I’d like to see that.”
He likes watching me—which is a perfect fit for me, because I love to be watched. I think of all the ways we could play voyeurs with one another. It stokes the inferno rising inside me.
I straddle Beau’s waist, facing the room, in a reverse cowgirl. He adjusts his position. I guess because of his aching back. Either way, I’m grinding hard against his jeans. The fabric scrapes my inner thighs. The ridge of his cock hits my sex with the perfect amount of pressure. I rock back and forth while Beau’s calloused hands explore my curves. First, he cups my ass. Next, warm palms skim the narrow part of my waist and up my ribs. By the time they land on my breasts, Dakota has his cock in hand, stroking it with no urgency.
“Like this?” I ask breathlessly. I shake my hair around my shoulders.
“Love it,” he confirms.
“Not exactly a bad view from my perspective, either,” Beau informs us. I twist around and bite my knuckle. He leans back with a grin of male satisfaction. I raise my hips, inviting him to slip a finger inside my wet sex, which he obliges. I moan.
“Play with your nipples,” Dakota says. It’s half-command, half-request. A day ago, I couldn’t have imagined him ordering me to touch myself. Asking, yes. He has abandoned the deference that I first thought was a natural part of his easygoing nature. Now I see differently.
It speaks to the strength of their friendship that he’s able to share me with Beau tonight. I spend several minutes playing with my boobs, which makes Dakota light up. I’ve never felt closer to another person than I do now, with him. I let my hand drift down and circle my clit while Beau works more fingers inside me. I’m so wet. I’m beyond ready. But I can wait. I love having two men
’s attention.
“Take out his dick and fuck him,” Dakota says roughly.
I give him a half-grin. Then I extract my fingers from my pussy and lick my juices. His eyes widen and his head falls back. “Damn, Sadie. You’ll be the death of me.”
“We’re just getting started, Dakota.” I wink at him.
Beau steadies me while I sit back on his stomach far enough to unfasten his pants. I make a nice show of taking out his engorged cock.
“Sit your ass down, girl,” he growls. I comply, though I am still startled to feel his mouth on my pussy. The scrape of his stubble on the sensitive skin of my inner thighs causes me to gasp. My muscles are still faintly sore from riding either the horse or Beau. I collapse over him. My face is an inch from his cock. Oh, a sixty-nine. How excellent.
I catch Dakota’s eye and start licking. Beau parts me and slicks his tongue along my slit. I shudder with pleasure.
For the next several minutes, Beau applies his tongue to every crevice of my pussy, circling, lapping, teasing. I make a big show of sucking his cock, though to be honest, I’m more focused on enjoying the slow and steady application of Beau’s tongue and monitoring Dakota’s reaction. This is all for his benefit. Well, mostly. I’m getting plenty out of the experience myself.
My core tightens. I’m getting close. Beau grasps my hips and darts his tongue into my passage. A strange wail comes out of me. He finds my clit with two fingers and applies a hard circular motion. I see stars. My vision pinpoints to the point of blackout. When I begin to come back to myself, the first thing I see is Dakota, grinning.
“Didn’t know you had it in you, old man.” He laughs. “Flip around, Sadie Banes. It’s my turn.”
I scramble up to obey. Beau lets me go. Dakota kneels between Beau’s feet. I straddle his thighs, and then I sink down over him. He fills the aching emptiness within me. I’m already pushing higher, riding a second wave of the orgasm.
Confined with the CEO and the Bodyguard Page 7
