by Chloe Lang
God, he never understood how Sawyer could see so deeply into people, especially women. But even this seemed more than his normal sixth-sense bullshit. “What are you talking about? ESP? You don’t have it. We have a job to do and that’s what I plan to do. Case closed.”
Sawyer glared at him. “Damn it, Reed. Don’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Fuck, you know what I mean. You’re pulling back for some reason. Stop it.”
“And you’re jumping in with both feet, aren’t you?” He had to try to snap Sawyer back to reality. “Need I remind you she’s from Chicago, not Destiny? She has a life, a job, and who knows what else back there. She mentioned knowing what kind of club Phase Four was but that doesn’t mean she’s into BDSM or has the slightest notion what the life is really about.”
Sawyer smiled. “I knew it. You’re into her, too.”
“Wrong,” he lied. “You’re no mind reader.” But clearly Sawyer was. Fuck.
“Deny it all you want, bro. I can tell.” Sawyer grabbed the remote and muted the movie. “You might be right though. She’s not from here. Chicago might hold more for her than Destiny. All true. BDSM? That’s always been your thing more than mine.”
“Bullshit. Now who is lying?” Sawyer spent just as much time at the club as he did. “You enjoy it as much as I do.”
“And you enjoy a revolving door of subs.”
“So?” Reed liked to play. Why was that a problem?
“Why?” Sawyer asked.
“Why not?”
Sawyer sighed, clearly frustrated. “Stop answering my questions with questions, Reed. Why aren’t you ready to settle down? I’m turning thirty in September. You’ll be twenty-eight in June. Isn’t it time to grow up?”
Why the hell was Sawyer pushing him on this topic? “If you already can read my mind, you tell me.”
“I think you never got over our parents’ death.”
“And you and Erica did? Nice. Really nice,” he said, hoping the sarcastic tone wasn’t lost on Sawyer.
His brother shook his head. “No. I’ll never really be over it, but I’ve healed. I’ve gone on. I want a future, one with a woman I can love like our dads loved Mom.”
Reed closed his eyes, feeling every single day that had passed since the tragedy. Had it only been thirteen years ago? He would’ve sworn on the stand in the Swanson County Courthouse it had been twice, even three times that long. He felt every one of his years. “I want a wife, too.”
“Are you sure about that?” Sawyer asked. “You can honestly say you’re ready to settle down, to swear off the sea of subs we’ve had over the years for one woman for the rest of our lives?”
“You’re talking about Nicole, aren’t you?” Time for Reed to get his point across. Time to make sure Sawyer didn’t fantasize about a life with Chicago. It just wasn’t possible. “This isn’t one of your ‘Time to Grow Up’ speeches. This is about her.”
Sawyer shook his head “In part, yes, but not completely. Yes, I’m interested in her. I’m ready to get to know her better. More than a little, I must admit. She’s like no other woman we’ve ever been with. But you’re right. She’s not from here. Convincing her to stay might prove impossible, though I suspect that if we take our time and get to know her better, we might actually succeed. You know you’re a lot like Dad Gene, bro. Erica’s more like Mom.”
“And I suppose you’re like Dad Gilbert?” Reed asked.
“I think so,” Sawyer confirmed. “Remember, he could also read minds. Or have you forgotten that?”
“I don’t forget anything.” If only he could.
“I know.”
“How is Erica like Mom?” God, Reed missed his mother.
Sawyer smiled. “Her humor is identical to Mom’s. She can see good where others can’t.”
“Yeah. I agree, although she’s not the same since the shooting at TBK. I think she’s having a hard time getting over the guilt she feels for letting Felix into Eric and Scott’s office.” Reed was worried about her.
“I’ve noticed that, too.” Sawyer sighed. “I wish Mom were here. She would know how to help Erica. I’ll never forget how she used to smile and pull me into a hug when I was upset. Mom’s eyes were so bright.”
“Erica’s got her eyes. She’s looking more and more like Mom every day.” In the drawer of his nightstand was a bottle of his mom’s perfume. Whenever he found himself alone in the cabin, he would pull it out and inhale the fragrance to remind him of her.
Sawyer nodded.
Reed shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “God, I forgot how much you are like a woman.”
“What do you mean?”
“You love talking about your feelings. Feelings are way overrated if you ask me.”
Sawyer laughed. “Just like Dad Gene for sure.”
“How so?” Reed thought Sawyer was right about the similarity he had with Dad Gene.
“Like you, he stuffed his emotions away. Of course he had them, plenty of them.”
“How would you know that?”
“He told me.” Sawyer seemed lost in his memories. “Remember the fishing trip I took with the dads when you had the flu the summer before the crash?”
“Of course.” Reed had hated to miss the trip, but his mom had insisted he stay at home.
“Dad Gene took me aside and gave me the talk.”
Reed laughed. “Weren’t you a little old for that? You might’ve been a virgin but you knew about sex.”
“I did, but it wasn’t that talk. It was about how Dad Gene saw life. He was proud of us both already, but it was hard for him to tell us. You remember how he was.”
“Yes, I do.” And the similarities continued on in him. “Talking is overrated, too, if you ask me.”
“I didn’t, bro.” Sawyer smiled, and then he looked him straight in the eyes. “You and I have always shared the beds of women together.”
“True. If it weren’t for me, you would’ve stayed a virgin your whole life, I’m betting.”
Sawyer shrugged. “Maybe so. Our lifestyle is all I know. I can’t even imagine any other way of being.”
“Me, too.” Reed felt overwhelmingly weary. He had to make him understand even if it ripped his own conscience in two. “But our lifestyle is considered aberrant and fringe on the outside and in Illinois—where she comes from.”
Sawyer sighed. “True. All true.”
God, he hated the look on his brother’s face, the look of fading hope. He wished he could let himself risk it all, risk his heart, but he couldn’t. He was already in way too deep with Nicole. Time to save himself and Sawyer from impending loss and pain.
“Yes, I’ll settle down if you’re ready, but we need to choose someone other than Nicole. Someone from Destiny—or from one of the many towns where people understand our ways like Bliss or Wilde, Nevada—not Chicago, Illinois.”
* * * *
Slipping out of her clothes, Nicole thought about how long it had been since she’d been with a man. Any man. Over eighteen months. There were many good reasons why it had been such an extended dry spell for her. One, the few experiences she’d had were at best okay. Two, the men she’d been with were slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am kind of guys. The type of foreplay she’d been exposed to mainly consisted of sixty seconds of kissing, another sixty of breast massaging, sixty more of the guy stripping her of her clothes, and then sixty seconds of clumsy fingers touching her body. Four to five minutes tops before “magic time.” Jerks. But the main reason for giving up on men altogether was it was better to be alone. Besides, sex didn’t hold much of an appeal for her. She’d never understood what all the hoopla about sex was in the first place. It was either a myth society continued to perpetuate or she was certainly missing something.
Getting into the warm bath, she wondered if Reed and Sawyer would know how to help her to experience this so-called “orgasm.”
For Christ’s sake, get ahold of yourself, Nicole. I’m here for one reason and one reason o
nly.
Even though the water felt surprisingly sinful on her skin, she vowed to herself to keep her thoughts under control. She decided to go ahead and wash her long hair. It would take a good deal of time to dry and even more to brush out, but she wasn’t going anywhere tonight, thanks to Sheriff Wolfe and Henry’s meddling.
She plunged beneath the surface, disturbing the warm liquid and drenching her locks. She took the plastic bottle of shampoo and squeezed out a generous portion of its contents in the palm of her hand. The gel’s coconut fragrance, one of her favorites, seemed odd to her. Reed and Sawyer were beautifully unrefined. They seemed more suited to a no-nonsense shampoo like Head and Shoulders. She doubted they’d ever even heard the word “metrosexual” here in Northern Colorado. They were manly men. Cowboys. So how did this ill-matched milky-scented shampoo with conditioner make it to their back porch? Perhaps no woman had decorated the bachelor-motif cabin but that didn’t mean there hadn’t been women visitors other than their sister. A sudden stinging jealousy nipped at her insides. Would they lie to her about that? They had no reason to. That thought softened the harsh green she was feeling. Maybe the only female to come here was their sister.
Why do I even care? Good God, what’s wrong with me?
She continued with her bath, washing her hair. After a good rinse, she grabbed one of the towels on the table and dried her dark strands. Once the bulk of the water was squeezed out, she wrapped her hair up in the towel. She took a cloth and began washing her skin. After her soothing cleanse, she curled her fingers around the glass of iced tea. The brothers had added lemon and just the right amount of sugar. The cool drink on her tongue and the warm water on her skin created one of the most relaxing moments she’d ever experienced. Placing the glass back on the table, she closed her eyes as her favorite Lee Ann Womack song began to play. Listening to the lyrics, another vision of Reed and Sawyer filled her mind, but this time she was part of the dream, dancing blissfully between them.
Reed held her hand and spun her around the floor, his stunning blue eyes reaching deep inside her. “Chicago, you’re fantastic. I’m so glad you agreed to dance with us.”
Sawyer took his turn with her, showing off his dancing skills, too, capturing her attention with his lush manly lips. What would it feel like to have them on her skin? On her nipples? Between her thighs? A tiny moan left her mouth, as her need expanded deep inside her.
Anxious and excited, she felt her heart race in her chest. Her knees buckled, and she would’ve hit the floor if Sawyer and Reed hadn’t been holding her between them. God, it was the most wonderful place to be. Something amazing was filling every atom in the room and beyond. The air sparkled with pinpoints of light and smelled of honeysuckle. Even her cowboys’ skin sparkled like diamonds in this misty expanse. She felt giant tears of joy in her eyes. So long she’d struggled. So long she’d been alone. Was this what happiness felt like?
A change of music to a slower tempo made her body burn even hotter. Sawyer pulled her in close, taking her breath away. Without so much as even a hint of jealousy, he passed her off to Reed. The mischievous brother held her tight against his rock-hard torso, moving her around the heavenly room.
God, she loved being here with these wonderful cowboys, feeling safe and secure. Loved.
Reed and Sawyer lifted her up into their arms and the dance floor vanished and in its place was a dreamy room with a big comfy bed in the center of the space. Her heart fluttered in her chest as they placed her tenderly on the fluffy comforter. Reed and Sawyer got onto the bed, positioning her between them. She lowered her head to the silk-covered pillow. The bed began to slowly spin and rise up. As they started caressing her, warmth filled her body. Her eyes softened. Tingles spread through her. Her senses had never been so alive, so heightened.
“Chicago,” Reed said tenderly. “We’re here for you.”
“We’ll always be here,” Sawyer chimed in.
She believed them, trusted them, and wanted them. She felt accepted, desired, and she no longer felt alone.
Reed’s fingertips stroked her back, igniting every nerve ending inside her.
Being between the two sexy wranglers made her hesitations vanish and her instincts break through. Suddenly, both of them were stripped off their clothing. She felt her eyes grow as big as saucers as she gazed at the perfect male physiques right in front of her. She looked down at her own body, which was magically free of attire, too. Normally, she would feel too exposed and fearful to let anyone see her this way, but not now, not with Reed and Sawyer.
“Hey, Chicago.” Reed’s hands slid along the sides of her neck. She could feel the heat of his and Sawyer’s bodies next to her. “How are you feeling?”
“Amazing,” she replied, shivering as twenty fingers feathered her skin. Why was it so easy to let them touch her so intimately? Because this wasn’t real. This was a dream. A deliciously wicked dream. Here, she could be herself. A woman.
Her grandfather had done his best bringing her up, but without a female influence in her life, it was no wonder she’d been more tomboy than anything. Shaking that image of her at the station hadn’t ever happened either. Showing the world a tough exterior was as natural to her as breathing. Now, with Reed and Sawyer, she could be her true self, a feminine woman who didn’t mind being treated as such. She was starting to think of these sexy cowboys as much more than recently appointed bodyguards. The way they looked at her, eating her up with their eyes, sent shocking shivers through her body.
What would it mean to her to give in to their wicked offer of a ménage à trois? What would happen after they had her? Did the future matter at all? This was her dream, her fantasy. Anything was possible.
“Sweetheart, how does this feel?” Sawyer rubbed her shoulders, releasing the tension there.
“I love how you touch me,” she confessed.
Reed smiled, making her tingle between her thighs and causing her pussy to dampen. “If you think his fingers are good you tell me how mine feel, Chicago.” He feathered his digits down her arms, causing goose bumps to pop up. “Well?”
“Wonderful, cowboy. Your hands have magic in them.”
“Damn right,” he said with a laugh.
It was good to let go, to feel, to be a woman. Keeping up appearances, remaining a tough cop, tamping down her emotions, all of it necessary but also so tiring. Being intimate after so long was deliciously devastating to her. She needed this in the worst way. She let go of the worries about the station, about Henry, about the investigation, about the missing persons report. In these men’s arms she felt new sensations, and she could just be herself.
Sawyer was a gentleman, always gaging her comfort level. Sexy as hell. Kind to a fault. And mouthwateringly tempting.
Reed was a devil, plain and simple. He clearly enjoyed trying to make her blush, and more than once, he’d succeeded—something that rarely happened. Blushing cops didn’t do well on the streets of Chicago. His grin crushed, and his blue eyes devastated.
Both men had agreed to protect her, and the truth of the matter was she was thrilled they had. Gun-toting muscled cowboys were her bodyguards. What woman wouldn’t love that? The sheriff, with the help of Henry, had forced her into a corner—a corner that included Reed and Sawyer. She’d given in quickly, and now, she was so glad she had.
“You’re so beautiful.” Reed captured her with his wicked gaze. Had she ever seen a more beautiful man in her whole life? No. His wavy, blond hair begged for her fingers, and she willingly complied.
“I don’t know about that,” she said as her fingertips touched his golden strands. “I’m pretty average at best. More tomboy than girl, if you ask me.”
“Stop.” Reed’s face darkened. “You. Are. Beautiful.”
As he pressed his lips to hers and Sawyer continued stroking her back, she felt fresh tears sting her eyes.
“We’ll never let you go, Nicole.” Sawyer’s words wrapped themselves around her entire being. God, how she wanted what he said to be
true, to be real. An incurable loneliness drowned her night after night. Would it ever end? Here, with Reed and Sawyer, she could feel a light breaking through into her darkness. Maybe it would only last for a little while, but it would be the relief she needed from her suffering.
Sawyer’s hand moved down to the curve of her hip while Reed’s cupped her breast. She was cradled between them and loving every second of it. Her head was swimming from desire and need. She was feverish for pleasure. Her whole body felt like it was spinning, open and ready to receive whatever they had in store for her.
Reed brushed his lips with hers, a tender caress, a kiss with the promise of more. As their noses touched, she felt like she was floating on air, in the clouds, spinning in their arms.
Sawyer slowly and gently kissed her neck. She could feel his tongue sweep across her skin, filling her with agonizing need. Her toes curled as a hot sensation that began in her belly spread out through the rest of her body, finally settling between her thighs. She was getting so very wet.
Their cowboys’ kisses came slowly, pressing here and there, dotting her entire body with their seductive lips.
She shuddered as Reed’s tongue circled her nipples, causing them to ache and harden. Sawyer’s lips skated down her back all the way to her ass. When she felt him lick her there, a sea of sensations flooded into her, opening her up, making her ready to receive them in the most intimate way. As their fingers and lips roamed across her skin, her desire to have them inside her body grew and grew to a maddening level.
Reed moved down her body until she could feel his hot breath on her mound. “I want to taste you, Chicago.” He grabbed her thighs and spread them wide. His greedy tongue lapped up her cream. Her hands shot to the back of his head, as if they had minds of their own, pulling him in closer. Her body’s need was too much to bear. She needed relief so badly. Instead they turned up the heat inside her. Sawyer’s mouth swallowed one of her breasts, making her wonderfully dizzy. Reed’s fingers rubbed her pussy as his tongue hit her clit. She heard herself whimper, brought on by the tremendous tingles ripping through her body, one after another after another.