“I just don’t want things to change between us,” Lainey tried to explain to them.
“Lainey, things will change, but they’ll change for the good,” Spence told her with certainty.
“What would hurt us is if you weren’t in our lives,” Tim added gently. “We want you as our mate, Lainey.”
“We need you as our mate, kitten,” Spence told her softly.
“Spence, I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.”
“Timmy?”
“What, baby?”
“I love you.”
Tim smiled and leaned forward to kiss her temple lightly. “I love you, too, Lainey girl.”
“I’m glad.” Lainey was quiet as she thought through what she wanted to say. Her hands gently petted both men’s shoulders as they lay against her. “I don’t really understand how I can feel the way I do. I wish that I could be mated to both of you.”
“Why do you think you can’t, Lainey?” Tim asked her. “Spence and I know you can.”
“Do you really think society will allow the three of us to be mates?”
“I don’t give a damn about society,” Spence snapped. “All I care about is you and Tim. We’re a team, Lainey Markham. We always have been. We belong together. We feel right with you between us. I’ve always told you that you’re our bridge. Something happens when you touch us both at the same time. It’s like a sense of peace and contentment fills us. It’s as if everything finally makes sense and you’ve connected our souls. That’s how it’s always been, ever since we were kids, Lainey. If we weren’t meant to be a mated trio, why would the Great Spirit allow that to happen between us?”
“Lainey, I’ve never cared much for people,” Tim told her honestly. “You know that. I don’t care about people, and they’ve never cared about me. I learned a long time ago that my world is here on McKade land. The people of this ranch have been my family and the only ones who ever took any interest in me.”
“Oh, Timmy,” Lainey told him, her heart hurting for the little boy who had been such an outsider as he grew up. “You know Becca and I always cared about you. Madison, Jessie, Amber, Melanie and Gracie did, too.”
“I know, Lainey,” Tim answered firmly. “All of you did care about me. But, Lainey, you were the one who made me believe that I was worth something. That’s what Spence and I are trying to tell you. If it wasn’t for you, I would have never felt such comfort and caring. My father was an abusive asshole. My mother never cared about anything except my father. The only people who ever showed me kindness and acceptance were the McKade family, and all the children they unofficially adopted.” He reached up and rubbed the pad of his thumb across the arch of her eyebrow, smiling as she sighed and nuzzled into his touch.
“Whenever you were with me and Tim, we knew you were meant to be ours,” Spence continued. “At first we thought of you as our little kitten who liked to cuddle. You were such an adorable little girl, baby. As you grew up we realized that your friendship was something we cherished. Neither Tim nor I ever took you for granted. We loved spending time with you. You were so much fun, but you were also the one who cared about us and soothed us even though we should have been the ones taking care of you.”
He pulled up on the short sleeve of her feminine shirt, exposing her right upper arm and the jagged scar that was the result of the beating she had stepped between when Tim’s father had taken his belt to Tim so many years before. He traced the length of the scar with his index finger so gently, Lainey couldn’t prevent the shiver that worked through her body.
“See this scar, Lainey?” Spence asked her. When he saw her nod, he leaned forward and kissed it lightly. “This scar joins you to both of us. You received this scar because you put Tim’s safety above your own.”
“You did the same thing, Spence,” Lainey told him, reaching up and touching the scar that ran below his left ear and across the bottom of his jaw.
“Yes, I did,” Spence agreed. “And I would do it again in a heartbeat.” His voice was filled with strength and conviction. “I did that for both of you because I knew even then that we were meant to take care of each other.”
“Yes, we are,” Lainey agreed softly. “I would do anything to make sure the two of you were safe and happy.” There was complete honesty in her voice. “I want you both to always be safe and happy.” She repeated the words because, in her heart, she feared that none of them would be safe or happy if the people of the town found out they were in a relationship of three people.
“Then, we don’t have a problem,” Tim spoke up, his eyes bright with happiness. “Just accept it, Lainey. You’re meant to be our mate.”
“But what about…” Lainey began.
“No, kitten,” Spence stopped her. “What we have is meant to be. No one else matters. The Great Spirit will bless our mating. Neither Tim nor I have any doubts about it.”
“It’s your choice, baby,” Tim told her gently. “We would never push you to do something you’re not ready to accept. But we want you to know that we’ll do everything we can to give you a good life and a good future. We’ll love you completely with all that we are.” He paused and looked at Spence for assurance, smiling when he saw Spence nod at him in encouragement and agreement. “What do you think, Lainey? Will you make us both very happy and thankful men? Will you be our mate?”
Lainey looked from one man to the other, seeing the hopeful expressions on their faces. “You know what I like?” she finally asked them quietly.
“What, baby?” Tim asked her, leaning forward and kissing her cheek lightly, nuzzling into her neck. He smiled when he heard the sexy noises she made in response to his touch. Pulling back, he looked down at her and waited for her to focus on him once again, smugness filling him as he realized how much of an effect he had on her.
“I really like when you take me in your arms,” she told them, relaxing into their shared embrace as they enfolded her within their arms immediately. “You make me feel safe.”
The smiles on their faces made her relax. She couldn’t help how she felt about them. Maybe it was wrong for them to be in a relationship with three people, but all she could think about was how right it felt to be with them. She wanted them as her mates. She wanted to believe that the Great Spirit would bless them.
“We can try and see if this works,” she offered quietly, taking a breath to calm her fears.
“No.” Spence’s voice was firm.
“Absolutely not,” Tim added, his voice tinged with anger that was rarely a part of his personality.
“Well, hell!” Lainey muttered, pulling her arms free from them and slapping at her thighs in frustration. “You both brought this up! Now, you’re backing off? Let go of me.”
She pushed at their arms and tried to remove herself from the bed, but their grip on her waist only tightened. She slapped at both of their hands, grunting in anger as she was finally able to push them away from her. She climbed off the bed to stand beside it and turned to face them, her chest heaving in frustration.
“Don’t even say one word,” she warned them, pointing at them both as she fought to calm herself.
“Lainey, you don’t understand,” Spence told her firmly, easing his large frame from the bed to stand beside her.
“Oh, I understand perfectly,” Lainey stopped him. “I’ve told you both before that you need to find women to be your mates. I think it would be best if you do that and leave me alone because I’m not up to having my heart ripped out.”
She turned to walk away and found her hand being grabbed by Tim. She pulled free and turned to face him, her blue eyes flashing with anger.
“I never in my life would have ever thought you would be so cruel to me, Tim,” she told him softly.
“Baby, listen to me,” Tim told her gently, grabbing his T-shirt from the chair by the bed and pulling it on quickly.
“No. I’m through listening.” Her heart hurt as insecurity rushed through her body. Muttering to herself,
she walked toward the door. “I should have known better. I’m such an idiot.”
She turned and walked out of the bedroom, fully aware that both men followed her. She could hear Tim stumbling and turned briefly to see him pulling on socks and shoving his feet into a dry pair of boots.
Turning away from the two men who had just denied her, she ran down the hallway, emotions swamping her. A low growl of frustration and anger left her as she practically ran down the stairs and over to the front door. Ignoring the house alarm, she pulled the door open and stepped out onto the front porch.
She was down the front steps and walking up the path that led to Deuce’s ranch home within seconds.
Chapter 6
“Lainey, stop!” Spence demanded, reaching out and grabbing her shoulders to turn her around to face him.
“Why, Spence?” she demanded. “Let go of me, you big dope.”
Tim’s laughter grabbed her attention and she faced him angrily. The mischief sparkling in his eyes just served to fuel her fire.
“Do you have something to say, Timothy?” she demanded.
“Lainey, you’re not leaving here until you finish hearing what we have to say,” Tim told her, his humor leaving him immediately when he saw the anger in her eyes.
“I’ve already heard what you both had to say,” Lainey told them angrily. “And I was willing to try to have a relationship with both of you. You’re the ones who said no.”
“We didn’t say no,” Spence insisted angrily.
“Really? That’s what I heard,” Lainey snapped, continuing to walk away as she spoke. She was determined to get to Deuce and Gracie’s home, somehow survive the birthday party for Robbie, and get the hell out of there and go home as soon as she could. She was determined to distance herself from the McKade family and protect her heart—even if that meant leaving a part of it behind.
“No, you heard me say no to you saying that you were willing to try being mated to us,” Spence clarified.
“That’s exactly what I just said!” Lainey yelled, turning to face them both as she skidded to a halt. “You don’t want me to try the relationship!”
Tim growled in frustration. “Lainey, what we said no to was that you would try being mated to us. We don’t want that. We don’t want you to try. We want you to make the decision to be our mate, commit yourself to the mating completely, and accept us. We need you to commit yourself to being mated to us. The only way our mating will be blessed is if you accept it and pledge that you belong to us. There is no try.”
Lainey looked at Tim in shock. “That’s why you both said no?”
Spence nodded, reaching out to touch her, cringing when she pulled away from him. “We want you to be our mate. There is no halfway, kitten. You either accept it or you don’t. Only when you accept us and our mating, and commit to the lifelong relationship, will the golden links of the blessing of the Great Spirit appear on the back of our necks.” He stepped toward her and touched her cheek gently, relieved when she didn’t pull away again. “We want the mating marks on our necks, Lainey. We want you.”
“But…”
“Lainey, listen to me,” Tim told her gently. “We know we’ll have to figure this out as we go. I don’t know of any other mating around here that was between three people, but Spence and I know that our mating with you is meant to be. We feel it in our hearts and in our souls. Don’t worry so much, honey. Everything will work out as long as we work through it together.”
Lainey looked from Tim to Spence and felt herself crumbling. She wanted to be their mate. She wanted a future with them. She couldn’t deny it, she didn’t want to deny it, but she knew their future would be filled with so much conflict. People just wouldn’t accept a mating between the three of them. The sudden thought of her men being the recipients of cruelty and prejudice from the people who would condemn them and their mating filled her, making her sick to her stomach.
“What about the people who are going to call me a whore and you two depraved?” she asked. “It’s going to happen, you know.”
“No one will call you that and walk away with a full set of teeth,” Tim promised, his voice filled with anger.
“I agree,” Spence added. “Just know this, kitten. Tim and I don’t care what others will say. We’ll be happy mated to you and having a future with you. Having your love and making you happy is all that matters to us.”
“Do you really think you can share me without jealousy?” she asked them softly. “I couldn’t stand it if either of you were hurt by the attention and love I show to the other one of my men.”
Spence and Tim smiled at the admission that she considered them her men. They looked at each other with satisfaction then returned their gaze to their adorable mate-to-be.
“We know without a doubt that we’ll be able to share you without jealousy, Lainey,” Spence told her gently.
“It’s something we’ve thought about and talked through, baby,” Tim added. “We’ve tried to see what it would be like if one of us touched you while the other one of us didn’t. No feelings of isolation happened. We only felt happy when you gave your gentleness to us. We always felt that it was mutually given to both of us. I don’t know how to explain it better, Lainey. It just feels right. You touching me is just as important and special as when you’re touching Spence. Of course, it’s always better when you touch us both at the same time.”
“It is, huh?” Lainey muttered, trying very hard not to smile.
“Absolutely,” Spence spoke up, winking at her. “I’ve said it before, kitten. You’re our bridge. You connect the three of us in a way that’s amazing. We can, and we will, share you without a problem.”
“Have you done this before?” Lainey asked them suddenly, the thought making her heart hurt.
“Done what?” Tim asked, confused.
“Shared a woman.”
“No.”
“Never.”
Both men spoke at the same time, the vehemence in their voices soothing Lainey’s worries somewhat. She wanted to believe them.
“We’ve been with other women, Lainey,” Spence told her honestly. “But we’ve never been with any other women together.”
“The thought never crossed our minds that we could share anyone but you,” Tim told her gently. “Please believe us, sweetheart. It only feels right with you because you’re our mate.”
Lainey looked at both men, judging their sincerity and somehow knowing they were telling her the truth. “I don’t want to think about either of you making love to any other woman,” she told them honestly.
“We didn’t make love to any other woman,” Spence corrected her. “We had sex with other women. You are the only woman we’ll ever make love to. You’re the only woman we’ve ever loved.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“Yes, kitten, I do,” Spence continued. “Have you ever seen either one of us date any woman for any length of time?”
Lainey searched her memories and couldn’t come up with any woman that either man had ever dated for very long. She had watched them over the years date one woman after another, but she could honestly say that none of the other women had lasted for more than a few dates.
“I haven’t loved any other man. I dated a few men over the years but when it came to being physical, it was never any good,” she told them softly, blushing immediately but never looking away from their gazes. She saw the way their expressions changed to smug happiness, and she narrowed her eyes at them.
“It wasn’t any good?” Tim asked her, reaching out to run his large hand down her hair as it fell to the bottom of her back. When he reached her waist, he pulled her gently toward him until she was flush against his body with Spence pressed against her right side.
“No. It wasn’t.”
“Why wasn’t it, kitten?” Spence asked as he leaned down and kissed her temple lightly. “You’re a very loving person. Why didn’t you enjoy the intimacy?”
“I really tried to open
my heart to them, but it just didn’t work,” she explained softly.
“Why not, baby?” Tim urged her gently, trying very hard not to let her see how glad he was that she hadn’t given her heart to any other man. He had no right to deny her any moment of love or happiness with someone else, but he was honest with himself in admitting that he wanted her heart to belong to him and Spence—only and always.
“Because it wasn’t you or Spence.”
Both men looked down at her, smiling gently at her admission. The tender expressions on their faces showed her how much what she had just said meant to them. It was something she had never told anyone—not even her sister Becca. It was not something anyone else had a right to know. But Spence and Tim had a right to know. She only wanted her two best friends. Any time she had spent with other men had always made her feel empty.
Facing the two men now, her heart beat faster as she laid her feelings out before them. Their expressions were gentle and happy, but she also saw the expressions of complete satisfaction that consumed them.
“Don’t,” she warned them.
“Don’t what?” Tim asked innocently, winking at her.
“Don’t be so smug.”
“We’re not being smug, kitten,” Spence promised. “It just makes us happy that you only want us.”
Lainey looked up at him warily. “Really?”
“Really,” Tim said softly.
“I don’t know. I think you both have a considerable amount of smugness about you.” She couldn’t help but smile as both men laughed. She always loved it when she made them laugh.
“Two years ago, Tim and I came to realize that you were meant to be ours. It took us a while to get up the courage to tell each other what was in our hearts. I wasn’t sure if Tim was open to sharing you as our mate, and he was worried about the same thing. When you and Becca bought your diner and we saw how hard you worked, we knew we had to give you time to settle into your new life. We talked it through and decided that we would wait until you were ready to be our mate.”
“There was no place in our thoughts that you wouldn’t accept us both, Lainey,” Tim continued. “We had already accepted it. It was just a matter of time before you could find it in your heart to take a chance on loving and committing yourself to both of us. Since that day, neither one of has had any desire to be with any other woman, and we haven’t. We wanted to wait for you.”
Claiming Lainey [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7