Hard To Handle (Rawhide)

by Desiree Holt

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  Buckskins, Boots, & Bondage

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  Book 4 of the Rawhide series

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  Twins Justin and Tucker Davis only want one thing—one woman to share for the rest of their lives. Angel Cruz wants two men who will cherish her forever. Sex between them is hotter than the Texas sun in August as they play out their fantasies at Rawhide, the private bondage club. But when her job threatens their livelihood, will their newfound connection be strong enough to survive?

  Turn the page to read an excerpt.

  Chapter One

  Tucker Davis sat on the top rail of the fence enclosing a five-acre cattle pen, squinting in the sunlight at the flowing mass of Black Angus cattle. His T-shirt with the Davis Feedlot logo stretched taut across his broad chest and wide shoulders. Dusty worn jeans clung to muscular legs and an equal layer of dry Texas dust covered his worn work boots. The late afternoon sun caught the strands of his dark gold hair just visible beneath the edge of his hat and brushed shadows across his chiseled face with its strong jaw. By any woman’s reckoning, he would be considered sex on wheels. Hotter than incendiary. At the moment, he was also exhausted, ready for a shower and a drink.

  The last of the Golden Spur beeves lumbered off the final truck and into the area set aside for them. With this load, the feedlot he and his twin brother, Justin, owned would be full for the season. They considered themselves very lucky. Through all the ups and downs of the beef market, the two of them had managed to build a small venture into a successful business. Most of the ranchers in the area found it more cost effective to let the Davis brothers properly fatten their market beef. Usually, their cattle grazed on immature fields supplemented with grain. Rather than carry the expense of the extra feed themselves, they let the Davis brothers do it at a more affordable price and under the best circumstances.

  They always saved the choice pen for Reece Halliday’s herd. Reece had been one of their first customers and always recommended them, so he got top treatment.

  Running the feedlot was hot, tiring, dirty work and took good management and well trained hands. Making sure the water reservoirs were filled. Hauling the truckloads of hay out to the feeders. Mixing the special blend of oats and grain for each herd’s particular needs. The brothers had divided up the chore according to their abilities. Justin, the older of the two by one minute, handled all the business side—contracts, legal work, ordering supplies, keeping the accounts straight. Justin preferred working in the yard with his men making sure the cattle in their care received proper treatment. They worked together well as a team, and it made for a smooth-running operation.

  When the Golden Spur cattle had all lumbered into the big enclosure, Tucker hopped off the fence, closed the gate, and went to stand beside the truck driver who was making checkmarks on his inventory list. Tucker flipped up his own clipboard and compared the figures to make sure they were all in sync.

  “Looks good, Harley,” he said, clapping the man on the shoulder. “Another real fine lot to fatten up for the boss, right?”

  “Sure thing. He just seems to have a knack for breeding, doesn’t he?”

  “Doesn’t he what?” a voice said from behind them.

  Tucker turned to see Reece Halliday himself striding toward them, dressed similarly in work-grimed jeans and boots, chambray shirt stained with sweat, Stetson pulled low over his face against the sun. He smiled and held out his hand.

  “Doesn’t he want to give the other ranchers a break and quit being so good at what he does?” Tucker laughed as they shook hands.

  “Golden Spur’s always had the best,” Reece pointed out.

  Tucker knew that was true. Reece planted special hay in his pastures and was real picky about the grain he supplemented it with. Which was probably why his cattle always brought the best prices.

  “Figured you’d be around,” Tucker commented. “You always like to do the final check yourself.”

  “I trust you and Justin like I wouldn’t trust anyone else. You know that. But it’s a habit my daddy taught me and my own kids will probably be the same way. No offense meant.”

  Tucker nodded. “None taken.”

  And he meant it. Golden Spur had been sending its cattle to the feedlot for a long time and the relationship between Reece and the brothers had evolved into friendship as much as business.

  The men stood for a moment, watching the cattle settle into their new surroundings. Harley finished scribbling on his clipboard, tucked his pen in his pocket and looked at his boss. “I guess I’ll be getting back, Mr. Halliday. See you later.”

  Tucker and Reece watched the big cattle truck rumble up the driveway to the road. Even using four trucks, it had taken most of the afternoon to move the stock. After unloading and herding and counting, Tucker was ready for a shower and a drink.

  “How’s Katie?” he asked, referring to Reece’s wife.

  The other man’s face split into a wide grin. “Big as a house, but don’t tell her I said so.”

  “She must be due pretty soon.”

  “Any time now,” Reece agreed.

  Tucker studied him. “You know, a few years ago I’d have said you were the last person I expected to settle down. Get married. Raise a family.”

  Reece shrugged. “I wanted the same things everyone wants. It just took me a while to get there. Katie and I were together a long time ago, but I did something stupid and it took us ten years to get back together.”

  “It must have been really dumb to keep you guys apart that long.”

  Reece lifted his Stetson, wiped his forehead with his sleeve, and clapped the hat back on his head. “Yeah, you could definitely say that.”

  “But it’s obvious you’ve got it together now,” Tucker told him. “I envy you. I’d like something like you and Katie found, but I’m not sure it’s possible. For either me or Justin.”

  Reece grinned at him. “There’s still a lot of available women around here. No problem there.”

  “I know, I know.” He stared at a point over Reece’s shoulder. “It’s just…”

  “Just what?”

  Envy was almost too weak a word for what Tucker was feeling. His brother, too. They’d certainly done plenty of catting around. Enjoyed the charms of a lot of women in the area, although their real pleasure came from a location far from their home boundaries. And they certainly enjoyed it. Another mild adjective.

  But things got old after a while. A man wanted something more substantial. Something to solidify the future. Only, with him and his brother, that wasn’t quite so simple. They had…challenges and no matter how they talked around it, they hadn’t found an answer.

  Tucker seemed to focus on it more and more these days. He’d developed a real itch to settle down. To build a family. Create the next generation of Davises. He wished Justin felt the same way, but he was still harboring a painful episode from their past that made him close up emotionally. A relationship the two of them had in college with a woman that ended badly for Justin. That aside, they had one insurmountable obstacle and no way around it or over it. Nor did there seem to be a well of people to discuss it with.

  Tucker wondered exactly what Reece would say if he decided to unload about the sexual preferences he and Justin shared. What his reaction would be. He’d known Reece for a long time, and the man didn’t appear to be quite as uptight as most of the other ranchers. And there was a certain aura surrounding him and his wife that made Tucker think the man’s sexual views might be pretty broad.

  He was tired of having to ignore his sexual tendencies and travel to other places to satisfy them. Something intangible made him believe that he and Reece Halliday shared some kind of link. Could he trust his instincts? Still, he didn’t know if dropping a ménage idea
on the table would shock him, make him burst out laughing, or cause him to get up and walk away.

  But he had to talk to someone. He and Justin were kind of between a rock and a hard place. They couldn’t exactly troll the area for a willing ménage partner. Not with the conservative attitude of most of the ranching community. They’d been forced to travel to very select bondage and fetish clubs to find appropriate partners for their games, but that was getting old. And so were they. Closing in on thirty-seven.

  What they really wanted was something on a permanent basis. At least Tucker did, and he was pretty sure his brooding twin was coming around to his way of thinking. But the big stumbling block was how to make something like that acceptable to their friends and business associates.

  Yeah, right. Like that was gonna happen.

  Just last night they’d had that very discussion yet again, wondering if they were finally going to have to compromise on what they want. Or would be allowed to have. Something that really didn’t sit too well with either of them. The most erotic and emotionally satisfying moments for them were when they shared a woman who could give equally to both of them—and take from them—and get as much pleasure out of it as they did. When they could both bury their cocks in her at the same time and feel the friction as they pumped into her, bringing all three of them fulfillment.

  “Those look like some mighty deep thoughts,” Reece commented.

  “A little,” Tucker agreed. “I don’t suppose you’d have time for a little casual conversation in my office, would you?”

  Reece grinned. “Does the invite come with a taste of that fine bourbon you keep in the desk drawer?”

  Tucker laughed. “I guess that bourbon is the worst kept secret in town.” He looked at his watch. “Close enough to five to shut down. Justin’s in San Angelo talking up a deal with a ranch there for next year so I won’t see him again today. And with your lot, we’re full up. So. I’d say a drink is definitely on the agenda.”

  He led the way in through the back entrance. “Give me a sec here, Reece, until I make sure everything’s on target. Have a seat in my office.”

  “Sure. Take your time.”

  Tucker called one of the men in the feed barn to make sure feeding was on schedule, locked up the front of the business, and thunked his way back to his office. Reece was already kicked back in one of the chairs, hat tilted back on his head, one booted foot resting on the edge of the desk.

  “You said make myself at home,” he grinned.

  “Absolutely.” Tucker settled himself in his own chair, pulled out a bottom drawer in the desk and removed a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and two paper cups. Pouring a serving for each of them, he handed one to Reece. “Sorry we don’t have anything fancier or even ice cubes.”

  “The whiskey more than makes up for it.” He took a slow sip of the aged liquor. “So. What’s on your mind these days? Besides cattle.”

  Tucker swirled the liquid in his cup. “It’s sort of a touchy subject, Reece, but I don’t really know who else to talk to. I just don’t want to shock the shit out of you and damage our relationship.”

  Reece threw his head back and laughed. “I have to tell you there’s damn little that can shock me at this stage of my life. In fact, there are some things about me that might surprise you. So lay it on me.”

  Tucker took a long moment to put his words together, still unsure of the reaction he’d get. “See,” he began, “it has to do with sex.”

  The other man’s eyebrows rose almost to his hairline. “Sex? At your age? Jesus, Tucker. Didn’t your daddy talk to you and Justin about the birds and the bees?”

  “If only that were the real problem.” Tucker took a swallow of his drink. “No, my friend, it’s a little more complicated than that.”

  “How complicated can it be?”

  “I guess I’m not sure exactly where to start except maybe back in college.”

  “College, huh?” Reece had a strange look on his face that Tucker couldn’t quite interpret.

  Tucker shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Just thinking back to the beginning made his cock twitch and his balls tingle. What a great time that had been. They’d fallen into it almost by accident, but the results had been…unbelievable. And he and his brother had discovered a whole new level of sensuality within themselves.

  Sharing.

  Who would have believed it?

  “Okay. So, junior year Justin and I decided we’d had enough of dorm living and decided to get an apartment. The place we liked only had a three bedroom available so we thought we’d advertise for a roommate. To share with us.”

  Reece nodded. “Okay. Sounds reasonable. So?”

  Tucker added a little more of the whiskey to his cup. “So who should show up at the door with our flyer in her hand but a blonde to make your mouth water and your dick start sending you messages.”

  Reece laughed. “We should all have such luck.”

  “Yeah, well, it really caught us by surprise. Anyway, we really wanted her live with us, you know? Share and share alike. I made the first move and she was more than willing. Well, we got a good thing going and one night at dinner Justin sort of hinted around he’d like her to share his bed, too.”

  “How did she take to that?” Reece wanted to know. “It’s touchy bringing up something like that when you don’t know if the woman would be into it.”

  “She hemmed and hawed and finally admitted she was attracted to him, too. After a couple nights of the two of them together, we decided the three of us would talk it over and give it a try. We could establish appropriate boundaries, and…what the hell, why not?”

  “And?”

  “So the next night we’re sharing beer and pizza and fooling around and pretty soon we were sharing more than food and drink.” Tucker studied his friend, watching for a reaction, and was surprised to find the beginning of a smile teasing at the other man’s lips.”

  “How did that go over? I mean, when the next day came around and you had to face it in bright sunlight.”

  “You know, it was really strange. None of us felt uncomfortable. After that we just sort of fell into a routine that satisfied all of us.” He grinned. “Really satisfied us.

  “How did that go over with your friends?”

  Tucker shrugged. “Strangely enough, everyone was so into their own thing, no one paid much attention. But after graduation Justin and I talked to her—her name was Holly—about what we were going to do and where we’d do it. She made us feel we were the next best thing to sliced bread and the answer to her dreams. We, of course, wanted to come back here. With her.”

  “What did she say?” Reece asked.

  “Not what we wanted, that was for damn sure. She shocked the hell out of us. I was already half in love with her and Justin was all the way in. Just fell like a ton of bricks. He had dreams of the three of us building our future together.” Tucker raked his fingers through his hair. “Sure wish I’d seen that coming, but you know what they say. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.”

  “So what happened?” Reece asked.

  “To our very unpleasant surprise, Holly told us love wasn’t in her plan. At least not then. She’d just been playing with us, enjoying the sex and telling us what she thought we wanted to hear. For her it was just a little fling, but she was over it. Besides, she’d decided neither Justin nor I were good bets for the long run. I managed to deal with it, but Justin…” He shook his head. “He was a long time getting over it. He’s a deep one, as you know, and I’m not sure he’s gotten past it yet.”

  Tucker continued to study the man opposite him, gauging his reaction. Something that would indicate the way Reece was thinking.

  “Ouch,” Reece commented finally. “Still, that was a long time ago, and you guys were a lot younger.”

  Tucker nodded. “Yeah. And a lot stupider. But it’s been rough for us sexually since then.”

  “Don’t tell me you guys have gone without sex all this time. Now that’s something that
would definitely shock me.”

  “Lord, no. But single dating when we really want to share just doesn’t cut it and it’s not like we can put an ad in the paper here. It’s been…difficult.”

  “I can believe that.” Reece leaned forward, set down his cup, and added a little more whiskey to it. “Let’s get something out of the way first, Tuck. You might be shocked to find out that I don’t see anything strange about your…sexual preferences, and—”

  “You don’t?” Tucker’s eyebrows flew up. It appeared his instincts about Reece had been right all along.

  “No. As a matter of fact, you’d be surprised at what actually goes on in our tight little community here.”

  “Like what?”

  “There happen to be other people in our neighborhood who prefer an alternative lifestyle and can still satisfy themselves out of the local public eye.”

  “You’re shitting me.”

  “Not a bit.” He rubbed his jaw. “Let me tell you a little story.”

  By the time, Reece had finished relating the details about himself and Katie, Tucker wondered if he’d landed in an alternate universe. Not only did the Hallidays’ lifestyle astound him, but the existence of Rawhide…well, what a well-kept secret that was.

  “It’s extremely private, Tuck. I mean very. And members pay for that. All of them are thoroughly vetted, and everything is properly monitored. For some members,” Reece went on, “club play is all they want. Others, like you and Justin, are looking for more long term. And we do our best to provide it. You’d be surprised at the familiar faces you’ll see there, if you decide to come as a guest one night.”

  “So.” Tucker fiddled with a pen on his desk. “You’re saying my brother and I don’t have to hit clubs all over the country or expose ourselves at public munches to hook up with a woman who is, say, like-minded?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. But I think it would help to know what you guys are really looking for. Something occasional? Rotating combinations? Something more permanent?”

  Tucker shrugged and finished off his drink. “We want what everyone else has, Reece. To be settled with someone we both love, who loves both of us, and who’ll make a family with us. But you know what this community is like.”