“We do more business with the Divine Creek Ranch in a week than we do with the whole Owens family in a year. Seems to me like I did the right thing.”
Randy nodded and said, “You’re correct. But you know that’s not how she’s going to spin it when she tells everyone how she was mistreated here.”
“Oh, she can bite—”
“Your ass. I know,” Randy said, unable to hide a snicker. Her uncle was her senior by all of five years and had a hard time pulling the age card with her. He gestured with a thumb over his shoulder before crossing his arms on his chest, a big grin on his face. “Did you know Evan Garner is out there?”
Rosemary rolled her eyes. Word always spread fast around Cheaver’s Western Store, whether good or bad. “Yes. I’m having lunch with him. I’ll be back in an hour…or so.”
“Or so?” Randy looked at her, arching a brow. She elbowed him in the ribs as she went past him.
“See you in a bit. Want me to bring you anything to eat?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind. Anita didn’t have time to pack me a lunch this morning. Whatever you order is fine.” Randy deserved better than “whatever,” but Rosemary kept her thoughts to herself.
“’Kay, love you,” she called as she stepped through the door. Her uncle treated her better than her own father ever had, but he acted more like an older brother. As indulgent and kind as he was to his wife, he deserved better than the treatment Anita offered.
Evan waited for her, talking to two old-timers sitting on the bench by the door. He smiled as she approached, not hiding his enjoyment at watching her as she walked. When he looked at her like that, she felt self-conscious. She was aware of the way her rounded hips swayed as she walked, aware of her straight posture that pushed her big breasts out, and certainly aware of the throbbing in her clit as he continued to stare at her like a starving man. This was going to be an interesting lunch.
Rosemary held back an appreciative sigh as he opened the door for her, his thick, muscled biceps flexing sexily as he nodded a good-bye to the old men. She wanted to reach out and caress that bulging muscle, but they needed to talk first. She didn’t even know where to begin.
“Rudy’s?” Evan asked simply as he opened the passenger door for her and helped her climb into his truck. She couldn’t help but notice he seemed a little unsure where to begin, as well.
“Yeah, that sounds great. Will you help me remember to pick up lunch for Randy while we’re there?”
“Sure. So you’ve been all right?” he asked, looking out the windshield.
“Mostly, yeah. Wes tells me you’re really busy right now.”
He seemed grateful she’d broken the ice as he glanced at her and grinned. “Yeah, Jack has us building a whole warehouse full of furniture for Grace.”
Rosemary chuckled and said, “They know how to spoil a girl, that’s for sure.”
Evan put a hand on her knee for a second then drew it back cautiously. “Remember, she doesn’t know about all that. She only ordered three pieces, besides the custom bed.”
Pavlov’s dogs set to barking at his slight touch. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep the secret. So?”
Evan gulped noisily. “Yeah?”
“Confused?”
He nodded, neither smiling nor frowning.
“Needy? Missing me?” she asked, rubbing her sweaty palms on her jeans.
He kept his eyes on the road and nodded.
Rosemary searched his face, loving every plane and line of it. She liked the soul patch he’d grown beneath his lower lip. She’d liked the way it tickled her jaw when he’d kissed her cheek a few minutes before. Rosemary was glad he hadn’t gone for the whole goatee. Evan had such a strong, chiseled jaw that he didn’t need to hide it behind facial hair.
Rosemary licked her lips, wishing she could kiss him. Either he’d read her mind or he’d caught her gaze because she heard him groan quietly. He pulled into Rudy’s parking lot in one of the spaces in the rear. He sat motionless for a few seconds, looking out the windshield, the engine still running. Evan gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white then abruptly released it and rubbed his hands on his thighs.
He began almost haltingly. “Baby, none of this is your fault. I’m sorry I’ve been taking it out on you.”
“Nope, there is plenty I’m responsible for, Evan. Me and my mouth for starters—”
He held up a hand and cut her off. “That was years ago, baby, and you were right. I was a stupid boy. I was stupid for not seeing the big picture. I was a horn dog who couldn’t see past his own needs. Marrying a bitch like Rita, there must’ve been something wrong with my brain.”
“Naw. You were just thinking with the wrong brain,” Rosemary said with a snicker, hoping a little levity would help the mood. Plus, he knew better than to give her an opening like that and not expect her to run with it. “Since we’re dredging up the past, you might as well say it.” She looked into his eyes and waited.
He paused for a few seconds. “Damn it. Sleeping with my brother? After turning us down time after time,” he muttered.
“I wanted to wait until after college when we would all be together again. I wanted it to be forever and then you didn’t want me anymore—” Rosemary couldn’t stop her voice from cracking even after all this time.
He surprised her by not raising his voice and quietly said, “I never stopped wanting you, even after I met Rita.”
Anger swelled in her at his words. A fat lot of good telling her that did her now.
“You brought her home and introduced her to everyone, even me,” she said, her voice trembling again on the last word. “You asked her to marry you.”
Defensively, he said, “It didn’t seem to bother you none—”
“It was killing me. You gave me no warning and—”
Evan put his hand on her knee again to stop her. “I’m sorry, Rosemary. This was my fault. Please don’t be upset. I shouldn’t have said that. Wes told me later that was the first time for both of you.”
Taking a calming breath, Rosemary replied, “Yes. Evan, I’ve only ever wanted the two of you. When he told me you’d divorced Rita, we got our hopes up that you’d come around. What the three of us had was a long shot before, but now…”
“But now, what?”
“I’ve talked to Jack, Ethan, and Adam, and they're so happy. I’m probably not as sweet and kind as Grace, but I think it could work.”
Evan chuckled wryly. “I don’t know, baby. Grace can drive a point home with a blunt chisel when she wants to.”
Filled with more curiosity, Rosemary asked, “You’ve talked to her? About other stuff besides the furniture, I mean?”
Evan turned to her and nodded. “Yeah. She came over with the guys one night. I asked her about things and she helped me see it could work. I asked her how she handles it when people criticize her for her choice. You know what she said?”
“What?”
“That Jack, Ethan, and Adam take care of her so well they make it worth it to her, and she said she tries to do the same for them.”
Rosemary asked, “Aren’t you at least glad it was Wes and not somebody else I slept with?”
Her question seemed to surprise him a little, judging by his expression. He paused for a few seconds before nodding. “Yes. I’d have let him be your first, anyway. You looked like it had been good between you.” He shook his head and said, “I wasn’t upset about catching you in Wes’s bed. I was jealous because I wasn’t included. That really says something, doesn’t it?”
“If you were making love to me with Wes in the room, he’d care if it was good for the two of us, also. We’re a threesome.”
“I’m sorry I called you a slut. I never believed that. I said it because I was surprised and hurt, and because I was an ass. Has there been anybody else for you since then?”
She was embarrassed by her immature reaction to his question even as she pulled her fist back and popped him in the arm. She should’ve known bet
ter. His biceps were like granite. “Ow! Ow!” she yelped as she clutched her hand to her chest. “That’s none of your damn business!”
No, you ass! There hasn’t been anybody else, unless you include my battery-operated boyfriend. She needed to release tension from time to time like any other normal person.
Evan took the hand she clutched to her chest and kissed her knuckles soothingly. “I’m sorry. You’re right, that’s none of my business. Forget I asked.”
Done! Rosemary could picture his smug face if he ever found out she’d been waiting all this time for them.
“So, do we have a clean slate?” he asked, looking hopeful.
Not quite done, she held up an index finger. “Rita?”
“I doubt a bigger, more faithless, lying bitch exists. I have debts I’ll be paying on for at least another two years. I haven’t spoken to her since our divorce was final in December.”
“Do you have any obligation to her?”
“No. I hired a P.I. and made sure. Everything I’m obligated to pay for, I’m paying for, and through the nose. Listen, Rosemary. I’m sorry I threw away what we had together. I promised I’d never leave you then I did exactly that.”
“I’ve missed you very much, Evan. It’s in the past. Let’s leave it there.” She chuckled when she heard Evan’s stomach rumble noisily. “Ready to eat?” Rosemary asked, reaching for her purse.
Taking her by surprise, Evan yanked her against his brawny chest as if she were weightless. “There is one little thing.” Kissing her with a blistering hot intensity, he cupped the back of her head in his hands as though he’d never let her go. Despite the air-conditioning in the truck cab, the air grew sultry between them as his lips plundered hers passionately and his fingers gently grasped her hair, holding her in place. How his kiss could be so dominating and so tender at the same time amazed her. Desire coursed through her veins, and she was reminded why, even though she had dated, she’d never wanted any other men more than she did this one and his brother. Her out-of-kilter world righted itself in that moment.
Thankfully, the back parking lot was empty except for his truck. She slid her fingertips into his short, neatly trimmed brown hair. She squirmed in his lap and moaned as she tilted into his kiss and pressed her breasts against his chest. He released her to catch his breath, and she giggled and said, “I’d say it’s anything but little.” She wiggled in his lap and pressed against his bulging erection. “Is that for me?” The very thought made her pussy ache for him.
Evan groaned. “Yeah, that and about a thousand others over the years.”
Rosemary kissed his lips playfully. “Did the thought of me make you hard?” She shouldn’t do this. It wasn’t nice to tease him.
“Very.” He wrapped his arms around her hips and pressed her against his groin. “But it’s been worth the wait, to hold you now.” He laid his forehead on hers, and she could hear the emotion in his words. “I love you, Rosie Posie.”
Her heart lurched, and when she spoke, her voice cracked. “I haven’t heard you call me that in years.”
“I’ve loved you forever. Even when you were a hellacious brat. Now you’re a beautiful, grown woman. Can you forgive me?”
“Of course.”
He nuzzled her jawline, the brush of his soul patch sending shivers skating down her spine again. “I’m sorry for all the wasted time.”
“It wasn’t all wasted, Evan. We were going to college in different parts of the state for four years. I grew up a lot while I was gone, so I don’t believe it was all wasted.”
“I’m sorry I made you and Wes wait like this, being so stubborn these last few months. I just didn’t think it would work.”
She braced herself on his thick, solid shoulders as she climbed off, unsure she wanted to let go. “Wes loves us both very much.”
Evan chuckled good-naturedly. “Yeah, but I’m not doing him.”
She giggled. “You know what I mean.”
He patted her ass before she settled back in the seat. “The only thing we’re sharing is you, Rosemary.”
She grinned when he shifted in his seat, giving his swelling cock a little more room. He pressed a button on his phone, eyeing her hungrily. Her pussy responded to his gaze with an echoing pulse. “Hey, I’m at Rudy’s with Princess Butterbutt. You want me to bring you something?”
He grinned at her gasp when he used the nickname she still despised, and then he laughed as he tried to cover his vulnerable parts when she pinched his arm. “Ow! Yeah, she still hates that nickname. Hang on. Here she is.” He handed her his phone.
Playfully, Rosemary stuck her tongue out at him and took the phone. “Hello, honey,” she said pleasantly.
“Hey, baby. I like the laughter in your voice.” Wes sounded happier than she’d heard in a long time. “Did you show him how much you still love that nickname?”
Evan had begun calling her Princess Butterbutt in seventh grade to rile her up. Wes had rarely ever used it. He knew better than to make fun of a woman’s butt.
“Yes, I showed him all right.”
“What time are you done with work today?”
“Five o’clock.” Suddenly, it seemed a long way off.
Thoughts of retribution against Evan were forgotten as she detected the hopeful tone in Wes’s next statement. “Would you like to come out to the house for a while this evening?”
“Sure, but all we’re going to do is talk, all right? No fooling around.”
“If you’ll come out, I promise we’ll be gentleman. I’ll hog-tie and gag Evan if I have to.”
Rosemary giggled at that image and replied, “Okay. Should I bring anything? Rope?”
Wes chuckled sexily. “No. Just yourself.” Her pussy liquefied at the rugged timbre of his voice. “That’s all I want. You sound happy.”
How she was going to get through this evening with her panties on was anybody’s guess.
“That’s because I am.”
“I’ll let you go before I get all sappy. I love you, baby.”
A lump formed in her throat. If she stayed on the phone, she was going to do worse than get sappy. She was going to bawl.
“I love you, too, Wes.” She ended the call and handed Evan his phone.
“No fooling around, huh?” he said, sounding like someone kicked his puppy.
Ugh! Out of everything he heard, that’s what Evan was asking about?
Rosemary crossed her arms under her breasts, noting the flare of heat in Evan’s eyes. Suffer, boy! Serves you right. You great, big horn dog!
“No. We need time to talk and let the dust settle. Being intimate with you, then discovering another slew of problems that we need to deal with would be too much. I need to know we’re all on the same page.”
Evan gazed at her and caressed her thigh. “When did you get so wise, Rosemary?”
Rosemary was relieved he was being serious about it now. “It’s my heart we’re talking about, Evan.”
A little part of her also needed to keep Evan at arm’s length until he’d proved she could trust him. Talk was cheap, and she needed time to develop faith in him like she had with Wes. Intimacy would only complicate things, and the last thing she needed was to be thinking with her girlie parts. She already knew what they wanted.
* * * *
Junior year of college…
As Rosemary worked through her junior year at Sul Ross University in Alpine, Texas, the need within her for them persisted. One night she called Wes, who was at the University of Texas at Austin, and discovered that all their Christmas break schedules coincided, and they made plans.
Evan wanted her to come back a whole day early and spend the night with them, but she refused. Rosemary knew this time she’d give in to him. To them. She wanted them as much as they wanted her, but she’d be damned if she’d put her goals in jeopardy.
She was meeting them in their favorite spot at Bowie Lake because it might be the only privacy they had this Christmas. Rosemary searched the waterfront for the
m as she cleared the bend and…whoa.
Rosemary feasted her eyes. They stood talking at the base of the cypress tree. Evan skipped a rock across the water as he nodded and spoke quietly to his brother. They looked bigger, harder. Wes looked over Evan’s shoulder and smiled widely. Rosemary squealed and ran to them, her coat flapping in the breeze. Evan caught her when she gleefully flung herself into his arms. Wrapping her arms and legs around him, she hugged his neck happily. They’d changed since the last time she’d seen them. They were even manlier.
She looked into Wes’s glowing green gaze and reached out to him over his brother’s shoulders. Evan held her cradled to him as Wes moved to stand beside his brother. She put a hand on both their shoulders, completely unself-conscious of the way Evan held her, until she looked in his eyes. Evan was normally reserved, not quick to reveal much emotion.
His eyes glowed with love. And lust. She became very aware of the hard ridge pressing between her thighs. He was so…big.
Her cheeks grew warm, and Wes chose that moment to break the tension. “Come give me a hug, Rosie Posie.” Wes’s big jacket opened when he held out his arms to her, and she reached inside it and snuggled against his chest.
Evan stroked her long, unruly hair. She knew he and his brother loved her hair, which was one of the reasons she’d never cut the length off. He’d been giving her that sweet, simple touch since they were in kindergarten together. She pressed her cheek against Wes’s muscular chest and turned her head to look at Evan, her heart filled with pure joy.
Her eyes grew misty as she said, “I missed you both so much.” She closed her eyes and breathed in the scents of soap and leather. Evan stroked her cheek, standing close to her. It felt so right. She smiled up at Wes as she reached out a hand to draw Evan closer. They satisfied her need for both of them this way, allowing her to hug them in close proximity to each other.
The wind chose that moment to kick up, and Rosemary shivered at the damp chill in the air.
Wes pulled his coat around her and said, “Let’s get you out of the wind, baby.”
Wes and Evan led her back to the boathouse near the pier. She ran ahead of them to the deserted structure. Taking a seat on the dock, she let her feet dangle above the water. They entered and sat down on either side of her. She felt bracketed in their body heat, surrounded by her two best friends. Looking from Wes’s gentle green eyes to Evan’s smoldering brown eyes, she wanted so much.
Box Set: The Divine Creek Ranch Collection, Volume 2 [Book 4 - Rosemary's Double Delight (MFM), Book 5 - Spurs and Heels (MF)] (Siren Publishing Romance Collection) Page 2