by Leah Brooke
Responding to the steel in his tone, Nat jerked, her gaze flying to his. Shaking with the need for release, surprising herself by whimpering. “Please.”
Hoyt smiled, withdrawing and stroking deep again, his smile widening with satisfaction when she moaned and moved with him. “Say my name, and I’ll let you come. I need to hear my name on your lips. I need to know that you know it’s me that’s pleasuring you.”
Shocked by the torment in his eyes, Nat lifted her face to his, breathing his name against his lips. “Hoyt. Please.”
His eyes flared, and with a groan, he pumped his hips, changing the angle of his thrusts slightly to dig at a place inside her that sent her over with a speed that sent her senses reeling.
Sliding a hand under her hips, he lifted her into his quick thrusts, his eyes flaring at her cry of release. “Yeah. That’s it. Come for me.” His deep groan washed over her. “Keep coming, damn it. More!”
Shaking, she reached for him, the hot waves of release holding her in their grip and refusing to let her go. Each swollen wave seemed to last longer, each rush of pleasure layering over the last.
With another groan, he thrust deep and buried his face in her hair. “Never like this. Only you. You’re the only one who can make me feel this way. I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you.”
Lifting his head, he brushed her hair back, staring into her eyes. “Jake’s going to demand more of a submission from you than ever, and you’d better give him everything he needs from you. I don’t want anything to get in the way of me having you. I won’t allow it. Ever.”
Chapter Twelve
Sitting on the deck between them, Nat sipped her coffee, wondering if she’d ever been so completely happy.
And yet, so emotional.
She wanted to cry as she listened with half an ear as they talked about things that Jake had been planning to do around the house—mundane things that seemed to interest Hoyt immensely.
They’d spent the entire day talking about unimportant things and doing yard work, as if by some agreement, keeping the conversations with her lighthearted and relaxed.
It made everything seem so normal. So permanent.
After dinner, they’d come outside to sip coffee and talk in quiet tones, but Nat had long since dropped out of the conversation, content to just sit there in the darkness and listen to their low, deep voices.
Looking from Jake, on her left, to Hoyt, on her right she sighed and sipped her coffee, letting their conversation flow all around her, warming her like a soft blanket. Staring toward the line of trees behind the house, she tried to make out the mountains, but the new leaves on the trees prevented it.
It had gotten dark about an hour ago, and the only light came from the kitchen window behind them, creating a warm glow all around them, which added to the intimacy.
The scent of spring perfumed the air, but the nights still held the brisk chill of a fading winter.
A few of her flowers had started to break through the ground, and soon the outside of her house would be a riot of bright colors.
Smiling, she leaned back. Both Hoyt and Jake had teased her often about her flowers, which included every color in the rainbow.
Hoyt nodded at whatever Jake said, his features barely visible in the faint light. “I can get some of that started.” Reaching out, he took Nat’s free hand in his. “I talked to Joe earlier. He’s thrilled that the three of us are together. He actually got choked up when he talked about coming home at the end of the semester.”
Nat smiled and turned her head to meet Jake’s gaze. “I’m looking forward to having him home again.”
Jake, who’d been unusually quiet all day, smiled as he looked at her, the glitter of erotic heat in his eyes making her pulse trip. “But, you’re nervous about being around him when you’re with both of us. It’s something that all of us are going to have to get used to.”
Nat nodded. “You have to admit, it’s going to be a little strange.” Looking from Jake to Hoyt, and smiling at each of them, she set her cup aside, attempting nonchalance she was far from feeling. “He’s very lucky to have two such incredible fathers. I’ve always been happy at how involved both of you have always been in his life.”
Hoyt brought her hand to his lips, the twinkling of mischief in his eyes visible even in the low light. “And you? Would you like to tell us how you feel about having two such incredible lovers in your life?”
Pursing her lips, Nat pretended to consider that. Struggling to keep a straight face, she looked out into the night. “Well, let’s see. Incredible, huh? I know that I have two extremely arrogant lovers.” She glanced at each of them, careful to keep her expression bland. “Yes, I would say arrogant.”
“Arrogant?” Jake’s smile flashed in the darkness. “I think it’s more like confident.” Leaning close, he reached under her sweater and tapped her nipple. “I can, and have made you beg—repeatedly.”
Tightening her hand on his, Nat leaned toward him. “Is that why you’ve been so quiet today? Because Hoyt made me beg?”
Hoyt chuckled. “You always were direct.”
Jake stared at her for several long seconds as if mentally weighing his words. “Okay. We promised honesty.” With a sigh, he dropped his head back. “It was…uncomfortable knowing that you and Hoyt were making love this morning. It was different than being in the same room. When you came out, the intimacy between you sort of knocked me off kilter for a while.” Turning his head, he smiled faintly. “Not the honesty you expected? It won’t work any other way. We knew that this wouldn’t be easy. You’ve been mine for so long that it’s hard to see you with another man. Even Hoyt.”
Hoyt got to his feet and strolled to the edge of the patio. “I know that feeling well. That’s how I felt when you married her, and each time I came to visit.” Turning, he smiled at her. “She loves both of us, though. We’re damned lucky to have her. Now, if another man came along and wanted to edge in what’s ours, I would not be happy.”
Nat laughed out loud, grateful that he’d once again managed to ease the tension. “Christ, I can hardly deal with the two of you! What the hell would make you think I’d want another one?”
She squeezed Jake’s hand, adopting a thoughtful expression. “Wait a minute. I don’t know about that. Having a nice quiet man might be nice.”
She turned away from Hoyt’s sharp look, afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold back her laughter. Staring out into the night, she sighed and leaned back, folding her hands over her stomach. “A man who would want nothing more than to please me. A gentle man who’d give me everything I want, one who would sit with me at night and give me a foot rub instead of copping a feel.”
Hoyt spun, his eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
Lifting her hand to his lips, Jake chuckled softly. “You’d be bored out of your mind with a man like that.”
Nat shrugged, and continued as if neither man had spoken. “Someone who would worship the ground I walk on. Someone who would bring me breakfast in bed.” With another deep sigh, she dropped her head back. “A simple, uncomplicated man who’d—oh!”
Her eyes flew open as she found herself upside down over a wide, muscular shoulder.
“Someone who wouldn’t paddle your ass for being such a brat?” Hoyt’s deep baritone mingled with her laughter.
Reaching for Jake, she kicked her feet, unable to stop laughing, sucking in a breath when Hoyt slid a threatening hand over her ass.
“Jake! Aren’t you going to help me?”
Grabbing her coffee cup, he followed close behind as Hoyt carried her into the house, pausing to close and lock the door behind them. “Nope. You asked for it. You wanted to egg him on, and you’re going to have to deal with the consequences.”
Running a hand over her hair, he smiled, the heat in his eyes sending an erotic thrill through her. “You dared him and you know it. That can only mean one thing—you’re in need of some attention.”
Lifting her head and blinking aga
inst the light, she braced a hand on Hoyt’s back, knowing exactly what buttons to push to get a reaction from her husband. “Since when did you become a pussy?”
His eyes flashed. “A pussy?” Fisting a hand in her hair, he reached out to cup her breast. “Maybe a trip to the playroom would be more beneficial.”
The knock on the door startled her, and with a curse, Hoyt lowered her to her feet, slapping her ass just hard enough to sting. “To be continued.”
Wondering who could be at the door, Nat curled up on the end of the sofa while Jake went to answer it. Surprised to see Linc standing in the doorway, she got to her feet again, her smile falling when she saw the look in his eyes.
Jake looked equally surprised. “Hey, Linc. What’s going on?”
Linc sighed. “I need to talk to Hoyt.”
Hoyt shrugged and took a seat, not appearing the least concerned. “So talk.” When Linc hesitated, Hoyt smiled, a cold smile that sent a chill through Nat. “We have no secrets here.”
Nat shared a look with Jake, curious to know what made the usually even-tempered deputy look so furious and unsettled.
Jake gestured toward the kitchen, keeping his arm firmly wrapped around her. “Come on into the kitchen. Have a cup of coffee.”
While Jake poured the coffee and Nat put out cookies, Hoyt sat at the table, never taking his eyes from Linc.
Linc thanked Jake and sipped his coffee before setting it aside. “We had to let Debra Smith go.” At Hoyt’s frown, Linc sighed and glanced at Jake and Nat. “The teller. We can’t find a damned thing to connect her to the robbery. Ace, Rafe, and I have been pouring over every piece of information we can dig up. We’ve questioned the manager and her coworkers. No one’s seen her with any of them. We’re checking on family and friends, but so far—nothing. Her mom and dad are both gone.”
Hoyt’s eyes narrowed. “She’s in on it.”
Nodding, Linc reached for a cookie, clearly frustrated. “I believe you. Ace and Rafe believe you, but we can’t prove it. We’ve had Lucas, Devlin, and Caleb watching her and she hasn’t even gone near the hospital to visit them. I don’t know if you’ve ever met them, but they have a security business here in Desire.”
Hoyt’s expression never changed. “We’ve met. Tell me about the leader.”
Linc’s eyes narrowed, and he studied Hoyt with renewed interest. “His name is John Engels. The man who got killed was his brother, Henry. The other man in the hospital, the one who shot Henry when he was aiming for you is Clyde Johnson. Clyde grew up with the Engels in Albuquerque. It seems that they worked their way through New Mexico and part of Texas committing robberies. Liquor stores. Convenience stores. Gas stations. They’ve all got warrants for their arrest. This is the first time they’d tried robbing a bank, though.”
Hoyt reached for his cup again, his eyes hard, his voice clipped, and all business. “Where’s she from, and how long has she be living here?”
Nat frowned, and allowed herself to be pulled onto Jake’s lap. “She doesn’t live here, does she? I never see her around town, just in the bank.”
Linc nodded. “That’s right. She doesn’t live here. She lives in Cushing. She lives alone in a small apartment that she rents month to month. She doesn’t appear to have any friends there, and her landlord says that she pays the rent by sliding an envelope under the door. She never even sees her.”
Hoyt continued to sip his coffee, but his entire demeanor had changed.
Nat couldn’t put her finger on exactly what was different, but suddenly he seemed colder. Harsh. Uncompromising.
It was almost as if a mask had come down on his features, changing them subtly, but in a way that she would have never been able to put into words.
Hoyt inclined his head. “So she’s someone who has to be watched. She was in on it.”
Linc nodded. “Lucas agrees. He looked at the tape and dug up some background information on all three of them, but focused on John Engels, the one in charge. He’s petty ante. Lucas said that there’s no way Engels would have escalated to bank robbery if he hadn’t been sure that he could get away with it. She’s the key and she’s being watched closely, but right now, Ace doesn’t have enough to pick her up.”
Nat stiffened, glancing at Hoyt. “So she’s just going to get away with helping them?”
Linc shrugged and sat back in his chair. “If they don’t talk and we can’t prove it. The weakest link was the younger brother, Henry. Neither John nor Clyde is talking.” A slow smile transformed his features, showing a side to him that had women all over Desire chasing him. “Yet. We’re watching Debra, though. Closely. The bank manager knows about our suspicions, and since he has no proof that she did anything wrong, he’s keeping her on. It helps us keep an eye on her. Her phone calls are being monitored at work and Ace is trying to get her phone records.”
Hoyt paused with the cup of coffee halfway to his lips. “You said she’s being watched at work. What about her home? Has it been searched?”
Linc met Hoyt’s look with a smile. “We can’t do anything without a warrant, and we don’t have one. If her apartment is searched, it’s not something I would know about.”
Lifting his coffee cup to his lips, Jake hid a smile. “It looks like we might want to go have a talk with Lucas and the others.”
With another shrug, Linc lifted his own cup to his lips. “I don’t want to know about it.” Finishing his coffee, he got to his feet. “I just stopped by because Ace wanted me to come talk to you. He didn’t want you to think he didn’t take your claim seriously, or that he was brushing it under the rug. He believes you, but believing and proving are two different things. That doesn’t mean that we’re giving up, though. We don’t need any troublemakers in this town.”
Jake lifted Nat from his lap to show Linc to the door. “The three of you can’t keep up this pace forever. When are the new deputies supposed to be here?”
Linc sighed. “At the end of the month. I can’t wait. For a small town, we’re dealing with trouble more and more. It puts everyone on edge. I can understand now why this town was set up the way it was and why the founders of Desire were such hard-asses. There’s another seminar at the club starting soon. I just hope there isn’t any trouble from that. Their new bartender seems to be more than capable of taking care of things there, but you just never know. I’ll see all of you soon. If I hear anything else, I’ll let you know.”
After Linc left, Nat sat in the kitchen with Hoyt and Jake, sipping coffee. Eyeing Hoyt, she reached for another cookie, promising herself that this would be her last. “Hoyt, are you sure about her?”
“Positive.” Hoyt smiled at her speculative look. “When your life depends on judging a person right, you learn how to do it quickly.” Reaching out, he touched her hair. “That’s why I know you’re the only woman for me.”
Nat shook her head, recognizing Hoyt’s attempt to ease the tense atmosphere. She didn’t want to think about how many times his life had been in danger over the years, or how many times only his instincts had kept him alive. “What was the thing you were doing when Linc was here?”
Frowning, he pushed his cup aside. “What do you mean?”
“You know. That look you get. It’s scary.”
Hoyt grinned and leaned forward, taking her hand in his. “If you want to see a scary look, wait until we get you into the playroom.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jake let his gaze rake slowly over his wife, wondering if she’d ever know just what she meant to him—wondering if she’d ever fully understand just how happy she made him.
Since learning that Hoyt wanted to come to Desire, Jake had second-guessed himself many times, wondering if he’d ever really showed her.
He vowed to himself to spend the rest of his life showing this magnificent woman just what she meant to him.
Her blush after all these years never failed to arouse him.
Since Linc left, she hadn’t stopped pacing, and after a shared look with Hoyt, the two o
f them stood in her way, their arms folded across their chests. Frowning, she turned from Hoyt and faced him, stopping abruptly when she saw that they’d blocked her in.
Determined to get her mind off of the bank teller, Jake raised a brow at her look. “Go get undressed and put on your robe. Wait for us in the bedroom.” Jake’s cock hardened at the flash of arousal in his wife’s eyes, his body tense with anticipation at her response to the steel he’d injected into his tone.
The thrill of knowing that she would be used for their pleasure, and would have no say in what they did to her shone in her beautiful eyes.
She wanted this, and he suspected she needed it just as much.
She needed time with him and Hoyt together, to see them as a united front. She needed it for her own sense of security, and for her own peace of mind. She needed to know how much they both wanted her.
She needed to think about something other than the bank robbery.
He watched the sway of her ass as she left the kitchen, meeting her cocky look with an icy one, while inside his blood boiled with hunger for her. Once she disappeared from view, he turned to Hoyt. “You know, I don’t remember you being into dominating women before. As many times as we’ve been to the club together, I don’t ever remember you talking about it.”
Hoyt shrugged and got up to set his coffee cup in the sink before going to the refrigerator for a beer. “I’d dabbled a little shortly before I met Natalie, and the deeper I got into it, the more I enjoyed it. Then, I met Natalie. She was a virgin and very skittish, and I loved her. I didn’t want to take my demons out on her. I told you that I started to experiment with her, but I ran out of time.”
Jake blinked. “Demons?”
With a sigh, Hoyt dropped into his chair again. “That’s how it felt to me, especially when I was younger. I found that dominating women was sort of therapy for me—a release from my father’s bossiness—from my frustration.” His lips twitched. “It made me forget, and put all my focus into the woman I was with. The more pleasure I could give, the more she’d give up control, and controlling a woman with her own pleasure was a high I couldn’t resist. The more control I had, the better I felt. The more pleasure I got out of it. It was another world, a world I couldn’t resist.”