by Marla Monroe
“What?”
“You’re so pretty sitting there with the sun shining on your hair. It almost glows.”
She could feel herself blushing from the heat that filled her cheeks. She didn’t know what to say.
“Thank you.”
“Since we don’t have anything going on tonight and our first guests don’t arrive till the afternoon, would you come over to our place and watch a movie with us? We thought we’d cook a steak on the grill. Not as good as yours, but at least you wouldn’t be fixing it.” He looked almost nervous as he spoke.
It hit her that he was worried she’d turn him down. Had they not given her some room, she might have done just that, but now she didn’t want to. She wanted to spend time with them and learn more about the men who had made it clear that they were serious about her. She found herself nodding.
“Yes. I’d love to. I don’t mind cooking. I like to cook,” she assured him.
He grinned. “In that case, do you mind making a dessert of some kind? Nothing fancy. Something simple.”
She laughed. “I should have known. Yes. I think I can whip up something to complement the meal.”
“I’m glad we told everyone that dinner was on their own tonight. It gives them the chance to get out and us some time together.” He dropped his hand to her knee and squeezed. “I want to hold you while we watch the movie. I hope you like action movies. It’s all we have right now.”
“I’m a die-hard Die Hard fan,” she quipped with a smirk.
He groaned and brushed his shoulder against hers.
“That was weak,” he teased.
“I’m a chef, not a comic.”
* * * *
Laramie didn’t see Billy Jean at lunch. She’d set out sandwich meats and cheeses with an assortment of breads like she’d promised, but she had disappeared. As much as he wanted to find her and just give her a hug, he resisted. Besides, he needed to eat and get over to the other side of the ranch where the breeding part of the business was housed. They were moving some of the mares to the new barn, and he needed to be there to help.
The entire time he helped settle the mares into their new home, he thought about Billy Jean and how she was so afraid of the animals. He longed to take her riding and show her more of the land, but knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon—if ever. He had to face it. She might never get over the PTSD. Most had to live with it the rest of their lives.
After they had finished going over all of the horses and making sure they were fine, he spent some time talking with the hands and going over the condition of the horses. Then he checked in on the stallion. Majesty seemed relaxed and at ease in the exercise pen. Laramie walked over and clicked his tongue, holding out a sugar cube. The big animal all but pranced over to him, stopping just shy of the fence.
“You remind me of a very special lady. Her name is Billy Jean and she’s just as cautious as you are.” He kept his hand out with the sugar cube in it as he spoke softly to the horse.
It snorted and stomped the ground a few times before finally edging forward and stealing the cube from Laramie’s palm. He didn’t nip him at all and barely brushed his muzzle over Laramie’s hand. The horse had been well named. He stood and walked with all the grace and airs of a majestic being. Yes, the foals from this horse would be well worth the extra work Laramie had no doubt the animal would cause. Some things in life were worth a little extra work and risk. Like Billy Jean, he thought.
She’s amazing, and I still can’t believe she’s still here after we told her we both wanted her.
Most women would have told them they were perverts and run. He had no doubt she still doubted they could make it work, but he and his brother were determined to prove it to her. She just didn’t understand that he and Laredo were closer than most twins. They didn’t like being apart from each other and liked spending time together. Despite their differences, they got along well.
He’d been worried about sharing her at first, but soon realized that together they would be able to make her happy where individually, the stress of running the ranch and the breeding business would have made it difficult to give her the attention she deserved. They all had the best of both worlds by creating a three-way relationship.
He frowned as Majesty trotted off to the other side of the pen. They hadn’t broached the subject with their parents yet. He really didn’t think their sister would think anything of it, but Mom and Dad…
I’m not sure how they’re going to take the news. Dad’s awful traditional.
Because of their dad’s health issues, neither he nor Laredo wanted to shock him. So far he’d been doing well. He’d been proud and grateful when Billy Jean had sent recipes to their mom that would taste good and still be on his diet. She’d said their dad was eating much better and not fussing nearly as much.
Grinning, Laramie strode to his truck and after waving at their manager, climbed in and started it up. He couldn’t wait to get home. Laredo had texted him to let him know that Billy Jean had agreed to come over to the house to eat steak and watch a movie with them. She was even making dessert. Life was good.
He checked his watch and relaxed. It was only five. More than likely they hadn’t even left the lodge yet. He would have time for a quick shower before greeting her. He wanted to be freshly shaven and smelling less like horses before giving her the hug he’d wanted earlier.
As soon as he pulled up outside their home, Laramie cut the engine and jumped from the cab to race up the steps to the porch. He only stopped long enough to kick off his boots before he ran to the bathroom. His mom had taught them well to never enter the house with their boots on. If it was icy outside, they stopped just on the inside of the house and pulled them off there, setting them in the boot tray by the door. The habit had stuck.
The entire time he was showering and shaving, Laramie pictured Billy Jean in their home. She’d look good there, cooking in their kitchen. He was glad Laredo had insisted on the best of everything when they’d had it built. Back then, Laredo could have cared less if there were plenty of cabinets and counter space. All he’d cared about was if the refrigerator would keep the beer cold enough.
He chuckled out loud at the memory of his twin’s face when he’d said as much. You would have thought the poor man had eaten a sour piece of fruit.
“There’s more to life than cold beer, Laramie. You want appliances that look nice and complement the kitchen as well as keep your beer cold,” he’d said.
Now he was thankful his brother had had the foresight to plan for the future. Who would have thought they would fall in love with a chef? Yep. He loved her. He wasn’t afraid to admit that now. She meant everything to him. Yes, he was still a little worried about the sharing part simply because of their parents and how they would react, but he could care less about the rest of the world.
He chuckled, thinking about their fridge argument again. All Laramie had cared about was the here and now at the time. It was just another reason they got along so well and worked well together. Where Laramie made sure his twin took time to enjoy what was around them and not miss out on life, Laredo kept Laramie grounded and saw ahead to what they needed to prepare for. His brother’s ability to plan and strategize had saved their asses on more than one occasion when they’d been overseas.
He stepped out of the bathroom, a towel encircling his waist. The sound of the door closing downstairs alerted him that at least Laredo was there if not Billy Jean. He walked over to the bedroom door and opened it to call out that he was getting dressed.
“Hurry up. We’re starting the grill and putting the potatoes in the microwave. Billy is hungry,” His brother called back to him.
Laramie grinned. She was here. In their house. It wouldn’t be long now before they broached the subject of her moving in with them. He couldn’t wait. Yep. Life was good.
Chapter Sixteen
“Wow! This is amazing,” Billy Jean gasped. “It’s beautiful and functional all at the same time. I love i
t!”
She twirled around the kitchen looking at the shiny appliances in stainless steel with the dual gas stoves that meant there would be plenty of cooking space. Very few people would think of that if they weren’t cooks themselves.
“This is the pantry over here,” Laredo said, opening a door next to one that led to a laundry slash mudroom.
She walked over to peer inside and gasped. It was huge and sported nifty pull out drawers and racks. She stepped inside and explored the room, marveling over the ingenious use of space. This was her dream pantry. She would organize it differently, and make sure it was full, but other than that, it was perfect.
“Where is she?” Laramie’s voice reached her from the kitchen.
“She’s lusting over our pantry, I think.” Laredo’s amused voice had her cheeks burning.
She hurried out of the little room and presented herself to Laramie for a hug. She didn’t know why all of a sudden she felt that way, but it probably had something to do with the fact that the kitchen was a chef’s wet dream.
It was funny to see the look on the man’s face when she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. If she’d had a camera, she would have taken a picture to tease him with later.
“Hey. Missed seeing you at lunch,” she said. “I headed to my apartment early to work on the menu for our breakfast outdoors next week.”
He recovered quickly and hugged her back. “I missed you, too, sweetness.”
She saw him look over at his brother with a confused expression on his face. Laredo just shrugged in return. Billy Jean liked that she could surprise them and hoped to always keep them guessing. It struck her then that she’d accepted the fact that they were a couple.
Um, threesome.
She enjoyed being around them and they treated her like a queen. The employee-employer issue was the only real problem for her.
“Is the grill fired up?” Laredo asked.
“On and heating up as we speak,” the other man said.
“I’d better check the potatoes. I think I heard them ding.” She pulled from Laramie’s arms and strode over to the microwave to check to see if they were ready. All microwaves cooked differently. Until she had worked with one for a while, it was hit and miss cooking with them.
She felt someone’s arms wrap around her waist and a chin settle on top of her head as she checked the potatoes. Until his scent reached her, Billy wasn’t sure who it was, but once the faint hint of woods and heated male reached her, she knew it was Laredo. Laramie’s scent was much stronger and always held more of a hint of leather than Laredo’s did.
“Laramie checking the grill?” she asked, setting the plate with the potatoes back in the microwave.
“How did you know it was me?” Laredo asked without letting go of her.
“I can just tell. You’re not completely identical no matter what people say,” she teased, turning around in his arms to face him.
“Yeah, Mom tells us that, too. She could pretty much always tell us apart. Sometimes Dad had trouble, but Mom rarely did.”
She buried her face against his chest and inhaled once again. She realized that he didn’t just smell good, he smelt like home to her. She felt safe and secure in his arms. She was sure she would feel the same way with Laramie as well. It didn’t scare her as much as she thought it would have. Inside, she’d known all along that she was falling hard for them. She just hadn’t expected it to happen that fast, and there was still the problem of them being her employers.
Laredo held her tighter against him before pulling her back to look down into her eyes. His were dark brown, reminding her once again of decadent chocolate syrup, which she had a fondness for that wasn’t healthy. Of course, choosing to be with two men who were her bosses wasn’t exactly healthy either. She held back a sigh as he lowered his head to kiss her.
The light brush of his lips across hers was a bit disappointing when she’d hoped for something deeper to take her mind off of her present thoughts. Instead, he led her toward the French doors that opened out onto a spacious deck where Laramie stood in front of the grill.
“If I don’t stop and get you somewhere less private, I’m going to tear your clothes off of you and bend you over the arm of the couch. You tempt me, woman,” he said softly in her ear.
She smiled and gave him an innocent look. “I wouldn’t have minded.”
Before he could say anything to that, she pulled from his arm and walked over to stand next to Laramie. He turned and grinned down at her, his eyes just as tempting to sin as his brother’s had been.
“Hey there, sweetness. The steaks are nearly ready. Medium rare, right?” he asked.
“The best way to enjoy the full flavors of red meat,” she agreed.
He dropped a kiss on her cheek before picking up the fork to turn the steaks. She watched and heard her stomach voicing its appreciation for the delicious-looking meat. Laramie chuckled, eyeing her as if he was afraid she might chomp on him.
“I can’t help it. Lunch was a long time ago. I’m used to regular meals in case you haven’t noticed,” she quipped.
He hip-bumped her out of the way and picked up the plate on the attached tray table to take up the steaks. She followed him back into the house to find that Laredo had already come in to pull the potatoes back out and set the table.
“Have a seat, darling. We’ll serve you first since you’re usually one of the last ones to eat every day,” Laredo said.
The meal was delicious. She hadn’t enjoyed eating something that she hadn’t cooked herself in a long time. They kept her entertained with stories about their childhood during dinner and shooed her off to choose a movie from their stash in the living room while they dealt with the dishes. There were no leftovers. The small piece of meat she’d not had room for had quickly become the center of a tug-of-war between the two men with Laramie winning after a quick game of rock, paper, and scissors.
Billy Jean scanned the titles of the DVDs in the massive bookcase surrounding the stone fireplace and narrowed it down to three movies. Laredo hadn’t been kidding when he’d said all they had were action movies. She couldn’t help but grin at that. While she loved a good love story now and then, she preferred reading her naughty books to watching a romance on TV. She enjoyed action and thrillers on the screen much more. She found that with a love story, she could imagine herself in the heroine’s place easier if she didn’t see someone else portraying her. It made for much better dreams at night when she was alone.
“Did you find something you can live with?” Laramie asked.
“Billy informed me that she is an action movie fan, so we’re saved.” Laredo walked over and picked up the three DVDs she’d pulled out.
Laramie grabbed her by the hand and pulled her over to the couch to sit on his lap. Her gasp at the sudden movement had him looking closely at her with concern.
“Did I hurt you?”
“No. You just surprised me with that move.”
“Be careful, Laramie. She’s not used to how rowdy you are. And no fighting in the house. Didn’t you learn anything from mom growing up?” his brother asked with a serious expression.
Laramie scowled at him. “Seems to me that I wasn’t the main instigator in some of those fights, brother of mine.”
Billy Jean couldn’t stop the giggle that erupted at their building glaring war. They both instantly turned their scowls on her, but she could see Laredo’s lips twitching in an effort to keep from smiling. She gave them her own glare back and Laramie lost it first, bursting into laughter. He rolled her off his lap to the couch, climbing on top of her the instant her back hit the cushions.
“I’ll teach you not to glare at us.” He lowered his head and, at the last minute, buried his mouth against her neck and blew raspberries there.
“Stop it! Stop it!” she screamed laughing.
Then he was kissing up her neck and along her jaw. His soft groan when he made it to her lips tightened her nipples and had her pussy seeping into her pa
nties. God, his mouth was dangerous. He nipped her chin then sucked on her lower lip until she parted them and he could delve inside with his tongue. Heat burned her veins at the building arousal that flared in her body. Each swipe of his tongue against hers had her aching for more.
Just when she thought it couldn’t get better, Laredo was licking and sucking on her side where he’d lifted her top to expose bare skin. One hand slipped farther under and cupped her breast through the lacy material of her bra as he trailed kissed down her side. She was going to burn alive if they kept this up. She still had her clothes on, and already her body felt overheated and ready to explode.
Laramie lifted from the kiss and stared into her eyes with a seriously aroused gaze. He was breathing just as heavily as she was. Laredo lifted from where he’d been nibbling near her breast and had the same needy expression on his face as his brother.
“We need to slow down or there won’t be any movie time,” Laramie finally said.
“He’s right,” Laredo agreed. “We invited you over for a meal and a movie.”
Billy Jean wasn’t complaining one bit, but the fact that they’d put on the breaks made her feel better. They truly did want a relationship more than they wanted sex. Amazing sex, but it wouldn’t hold them together when things were dicey. She sighed but nodded.
“You’re right. Besides, I haven’t seen any of those movies and can’t wait to watch them.” She winked at Laredo.
Laramie helped her sit up then stood up to look down at her. “I’m going to get us something to drink before we get started. What would you like?”
“Um, what do you have?”
“We have Corona if you want beer and several other domestics we keep at the bar, plus Coke, Sprite, and tea.”
“A Corona sounds good, thanks.” Billy Jean leaned back and watched Laredo’s scrumptious butt as he bent over to slip the DVD into the player.