“Jesus, Angel.” She stopped in front of the couch and stared at her friend. “What the hell’s going on? Masterson said you were supposed to see him in his office, and he’s been raising holy hell. I was in there just now, going over some depositions with him, and he finally all but ordered me to come find you. I didn’t dare tell him you’d left the office. What’s the deal?”
Blowing her nose and wiping her eyes, Angel explained in halting sentences what had happened with the lawsuit and the scene with the twins. She couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her face.
Kari brought her a glass of water from the pitcher near her desk and sat down next to her on the couch. “First of all, I think you should go home. To hell with Masterson. I’ll tell him you’re sick. You certainly look like it.”
“But—”
“No buts.” Kari’s voice was firm. “And I’m taking you out the back way. No argument,” she added when Angel started to protest. “Are you okay to drive?”
Angel nodded. “I’m not that far gone.”
“Okay. Go on home. I’ll cover things here. And fix yourself a good strong drink. That always helps.”
But Angel knew it would take more than a drink to fix this mess. And to mend her broken heart.
Chapter Eight
“I just don’t know what to do.”
Angel sat in the living room of the Halliday ranch with a very pregnant but sympathetic Katie Reece and an equally sympathetic Liz Wright. These women had become her close friends so she turned to them in her anguish. She’d called into the office to tell them she was sick, not caring if Masterson had a fit or not. The truth was, she really was sick. At heart.
Kari had stopped by every day, but she didn’t have the kind of advice Angel needed. She needed to talk to people who knew Justin and Tucker. Who understood the complexities of the the two men and could give her good advice on what to do next. So she’d swallowed her pride and called Katie, who had told her to come out to the ranch at once.
“I guess,” Liz said, sipping a glass of wine, “it all depends on which you want more—the guys or your career.”
“A few days ago I would have said I wanted both, but I think my entire perspective has changed.”
“So what do you want now?” Katie asked.
Angel took a fortifying swallow of her wine. “I still want to practice law but…differently.” She gave them a weak smile. “I already decided to resign from Martinez and Devlin. If the price of the partnership is being on the opposite side of a lawsuit from Justin and Tucker, then I don’t want to practice that kind of law. And Masterson wouldn’t cut me any slack.”
“Have you told him yet?” Liz asked.
Angel shook her head. “He’s left several messages on my answering machine. I just didn’t pick up when he called. But I made an appointment with him tomorrow morning to hand in my resignation.”
“You’re sure that’s what you really want?”
“Yes. It is. Well, actually, what I really want is a life with Justin and Tucker, but this has to be the first step. I don’t know how we’ll ever get past that awful scene at their house, but there has to be a solution somewhere.” She looked pleadingly at the two women. “I love them and I really believe they love me. But there’s something besides this lawsuit at work here and I don’t know what it is. Or what to do next.”
“I admire you for resigning,” Liz said. “It takes guts to walk away from something like that. But what’s next on your agenda.”
Angel took a healthy swallow of her wine. “I keep hoping if I show them I can take this step, we can talk about what’s really wrong here. Get everything out in the open and rebuild from there.”
“So what will you do?” Katie asked.
“That depends on whether or not I can put things back together with the twins. I have to find a way to make them talk to me.”
“Give them a day or two,” Liz said. “Then call Tucker. He’ll be a lot more receptive.”
“I hope you’re right.” She finished off the last of her wine and set the glass on the coffee table. “Tell me honestly, guys. If we can patch this up, do you think the three of us living together will hurt their business? Are the people around here so uptight they’ll pull their cattle?”
Katie shifted to a more comfortable position. “I think there are enough of us living some form of the lifestyle that you’ll have plenty of support. And not to brag, but the Wrights and us carry some clout around here. People might fuss and gossip for a while, but eventually it will all settle down.”
“Besides,” Liz added, “they’ve owned that feedlot a long time and helped every rancher who contracts with them get top dollar for their beef. Despite what Bart Engler would like to think. People are funny. They might make some noise, but they aren’t going to cut off their noses to spite their face.
Angel sniffled again. “Then my only problem is how to fix this. Make them understand they come first in my life. I have something to tell them if I can ever get them to listen to me again.”
Katie and Liz looked at each other. “It just so happens we have some ideas about that.”
****
“What the hell do you think Clint and Reece have got up their sleeves?” Justin asked.
He and Tucker were drinking coffee at one of the lounge tables in Rawhide. He’d agreed very reluctantly to come here tonight, hardly in the mood for any kind of play. The blowup with Angel seemed to sap his desire as well as tie him up in emotional knots. If he were truthful with himself, which he was having a tough time doing, he was ashamed of the way he’d acted, but he didn’t know how to verbalize his regret. Tucker was right, damn it. He’d let Holly color his reaction to women for far too long, but not just for the reasons his twin thought.
Various sexual activities were taking place around them, but neither he nor his brother had any interest in what anyone was doing. These days, they didn’t have much interest in anything. Since the scene with Angel at the house, Tucker had tried several times to get him to talk about it. See if they could pull it together again. But he’d simply ignored him and finally they reached a point where they exchanged as few words as possible. Angel’s absence was like a knife slicing across the fabric of their lives. Justin had to admit that most of the responsibility for it fell on his shoulders, and damn it, that only made him feel worse.
“I don’t know,” Tucker answered. “Reece just called and said it was important to be here tonight.”
“What the hell is so important we had to meet here, of all places?” Justin demanded. “Why couldn’t we do this at our place? Or Reece’s?”
“Beats me. But he was pretty damn insistent. And I don’t want to piss off a good friend and customer.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’d tell you to relax if I thought it would do any good. You’ve been as tight as a piano wire this week.”
“So have you,” Justin pointed out.
“I know, I know.” He shook his head. “We need to give all this shit a rest for a while. Maybe Reece has got a tasty treat for us tonight, someone who’ll take our minds off the fact the best thing that’s ever happened to us might have just been wishful thinking on our part.”
Justin brooded for a long moment. The worst part of what Tucker said was he couldn’t disagree with him. This whole business had fucked with his head. He’d been so sure Angel was the one, only to get his heart kicked again. “What would you say if I told you I’m thinking of resigning from Rawhide?”
Tucker looked at him, a shocked expression on his face. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Think about it. We’re sure to run into Angel again and then what? Besides, I need to get myself together emotionally before I’m with a sub again, whoever she is.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Tucker agreed. “It sure would be tough to see her with someone else.”
“I sure as shit hope she doesn’t show up tonight,” Justin growled. “That would be more than I could take.”
“I don’t th
ink Reece would be that insensitive,” Tucker said. “Surely he’d find a way to let her know to stay away tonight.”
They sat in silence for a moment, each busy with his own thoughts, although thinking had become almost painful lately. They had carefully avoided the subject of Angel until tonight although it was always the elephant in the room. They had wanted her to share their life with them, to live with them and build a future. Apparently, it meant more to them than it did to her and that was a wound that would take a long time to heal. At least for Justin.
Being back at Rawhide didn’t help. Memories of their nights here with her surrounded them. He just couldn’t figure out why Reece would subject them to something like this.
“Good, you’re here.”
Justin looked up to see Reece standing beside their table. “You’d better have a damn good reason for asking us to meet here.” He couldn’t keep the bitter edge from his voice.
The look in Reece’s eyes was sympathetic. “I promised you it will be well worth it.” He looked from one to the other. “You both trust me, right?”
“Uh oh.” Tucker frowned. “There’s a catch here, right?”
“No catch. Just one friend trying to help a couple of others. Just promise me you’ll accept what I have for you tonight and take it as it’s meant.”
“Wait a minute.” Justin could hear warning bells clanging in his head. “What’s going on here?”
“Come with me and you’ll find out. Come on. I have a special treat for you.”
Reluctantly, they both rose and followed him down the corridor to the private rooms. Reece stopped at one door, swiped a key card and pushed the door open. Then he stood back to let them enter. When they walked into the room, both brothers stopped short, stunned at what they saw.
Angel stood beneath an amber spotlight, arms and legs outstretched, ankles and wrists bound to upright posts with the familiar buckskin straps. Her entire body was oiled and gleamed in the shaft of light. Jeweled clamps compressed her nipples, beads dangling and dancing from the thin bars. Next to her was a table with a variety of instruments and an assortment of lubes.
Justin finally found his voice. “What the hell’s going on here, Reece? You know it’s over between Angel and us. How could you possibly set this up?” Anger and pain bubbled up inside him in a lethal combination. He would have turned and walked out except Reece was blocking his way.
“I was asked to stop three very nice people from ruining their lives,” Reece said. “That’s what I’m doing.” He gestured toward Angel. “She asked to be prepared for you. She has something to tell you, and I think you need to listen.” He started out the door then turned back. “Oh, and by the way? I’m activating the time lock on the door. It won’t open for an hour. So put your egos or whatever aside for sixty minutes and see if you can make this work. Especially you, Justin.”
And with that, he was gone.
Justin looked at his brother. “What the fuck?”
****
Angel was so nervous she was having trouble breathing. When Liz and Katie had proposed this idea, she thought it was crazy. Then she realized it would take something this drastic to get Justin and Tucker to listen to her. She just hoped the feelings they’d shown her were still there.
She had deliberately kept her gaze on the floor when they walked in and all during their conversation with Reece. Now she looked up and shifted her gaze from one brother to the other, nervously wetting her lower lip.
“Before either of you say anything, give me two minutes to explain. Then if you’re not happy and don’t…want me, untie me and I’ll buzz for Reece to open the time lock. Please,” she added in a beseeching voice.”
Justin crossed his arms over his chest and raked his gaze the length of her body and back again. There was no mistaking the heat simmering there or the thickness of his cock pressing against his fly. She saw the same reaction from Tucker. Okay, the sexual attraction was still there. But what about the rest?
Justin just studied her, his face carefully expressionless.
It was Tucker who spoke first. “Okay. Talk.”
Please let this come out right. Please let them believe me and give this another chance.
“My boss blindsided me when he told me about the lawsuit,” she began. “I’d only found out about it that morning. The first thing I did was tell him I wouldn’t work on the case, which sent him into a rage. Then I hightailed it out to tell the two of you what was happening.” She swallowed. “I’ve been on the short list for partnership, and he threatened to move me to the back of the line if I gave him a hard time.”
She paused and looked at them, but their faces were still unreadable.
“We know the partnership was a big deal to you,” Justin said at last, his voice tight and controlled. “I can understand that. Absolutely.”
“Let her finish,” Tucker prompted.
Were they softening? Bending? Understanding her situation?
Plunge ahead, Angel. That’s all you can do.
“One of the reasons I wanted that partnership so badly was because it gave me professional security. My personal life would no longer be an issue. Being with both of you might raise eyebrows at the firm, but I’d be virtually untouchable. Can you understand that?”
They were still watching her, but at least they hadn’t turned away.
“When I told you about the lawsuit,” she went on. “I was stunned that you already knew.” She forced herself to breathe. “The papers hadn’t even been drawn up yet. I guess I didn’t give enough attention to the rumor mill in ranching country.”
“We have friends who’d heard the rumors and gave us a heads up,” Justin told her. “Otherwise we’d just have been hung out to dry, right?”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “I never would have let that happen. I’m telling you, that’s why I drove out to see you as soon as I knew about it.”
God, this wasn’t going quite the way she’d planned. Had this been a huge mistake after all?
Justin shoved his hands into his pockets. Were those lines of pain etched on his face? Not anger? What was really going on here?
“So let’s cut to the chase.” His words were clipped. “Where do you stand with all of this? Are you going to be sitting at the enemy table despite everything we were building between us?”
Just tell them, dummy.
“I quit my job.”
Two pairs of eyes stared at her. Two faces wore identical amazed expressions.
Justin was the first to speak. “You what?”
“Quit my job. Handed in my resignation. You two mean more to me than any partnership or any law firm. So I walked.”
Tucker moved closer to her and cupped her chin. “Look me in the eye and tell me again.”
She stared back at him, her chin jutted in defiance. Two could play at this game. She wasn’t about to lose her pride. “I quit my job. Tucker, I love you and Justin. You mean more to me than anything else. I wish I’d chosen a better time than that afternoon to tell you, but it is what it is. I never thought I’d find this kind of relationship, and I’m not about to trash it. So either you believe me or you don’t.”
Now Justin was directly in front of her. Was that hope flickering in his eyes or just wishful thinking on her part? “So what you’re saying is, you’re basically unemployed? You gave it all up for us?”
She could still sense the stiffness in his body.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I meant. But if that means nothing to you, then I guess we really are finished.” She wet her lips. “Actually, I was kind of hoping the two of you would hire me to represent you in this lawsuit. I’ve still got great connections, and I’m still a damn good litigator. Besides, I’d just love to stick it to that asshole Masterson.”
She didn’t know if it was what she’d said or the way she said it, but suddenly the tension in the room evaporated like smoke drifting on the air. For the first time in days, Angel began to breathe a little easier and the knot
of anxiety deep inside started to unwind. It was going to work. It was really going to work.
“So let me get this straight.” Tucker’s face was barely an inch from hers, his breath warming her skin. “Just so we’re not misunderstanding here. You dumped your job and your career because we mean more to you than that? And you want to represent us against your former law firm?”
“Uh huh.” She looked straight into his eyes and saw—what? Hope? Surprise? Regret?
“And you want to make a life with us more than you want anything else?” Justin clarified.
Yes, yes, yes!
Okay. Now for the next part.
“But only if we can get everything out in the open,” she told them. “I asked to be prepared for you, to offer myself without reservation. But first, I think I deserve an explanation about what was really going on the afternoon I came to the house. I drove out there breaking all the rules of my job to give you a heads up on the lawsuit, and you treated me like shit. I think I deserve to know why.”
She watched Tucker watching Justin as if sending him some kind of silent signal. Justin shoved his hands in his pockets, a gesture she’d come to realize indicated edginess on his part.
“Damn it, Justin,” Tucker huffed. “If you don’t tell her, I will. Stop being such an idiot and letting the best thing that ever happened to us walk out of our lives.”
Justin stood as if frozen, his eyes fastened on a place on the wall. “It’s my fault,” he said at last. “And you’re right, Angel. We handled it all wrong. I mean,” he corrected himself, “I did. The worst part of it is, it had nothing to do with you.”
Angel raised her eyebrows. She was getting hornier by the minute, but she needed to know what she was dealing with here. Otherwise, this was over, something she hated to think about.
“Then what did it have to do with?” she persisted.
Turning away, he told her in stilted phrases the story of Holly and their unexpected breakup. Unexpected on his part.
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