Royally Mine: 22 All-New Bad Boy Romance Novellas

by Susan Stoker

  The arrow crashed into my heart.

  Chapter Four

  Cassie

  "I'm Dr. Carson, but you can call me Aidan."

  I stared at the man who introduced himself as the doctor. His name matched the diplomas hanging on the wall, but Luke had said the doctor was his twin brother. Other than their tall, muscular bodies with broad shoulders and narrow hips, the two of them not only did not look alike, they were polar opposites. Where Luke was angular and dark with piercing black eyes, Aidan had a round face with close cropped blond hair and light eyes. Equally piercing as his brother's, but icy blue instead of inky black.

  I glanced from Aidan to Luke and back again. "I thought you said you were brothers, twin brothers."

  A look passed between the two of them that I couldn't exactly decipher.

  "We are," Luke said, and Aidan nodded and said, "Fraternal twins. Not identical."

  "You're not even close to looking like brothers."

  "Don't be distracted by the difference in our coloring," Aidan said, shrugging out of his white doctor's coat. The two of them turned their backs to me.

  Oh lord. Other than the color and length of their hair, they did look exactly alike. Two perfectly sculpted pairs of shoulders tapered down to trim waists and asses that just begged to be squeezed and bitten.

  Bitten? What had come over me?

  They both looked over their shoulders at me. I think a tiny squeak escaped my mouth. That strange feeling I'd had when I first met Luke came over me again, only this time with both barrels. I gripped the arms of my chair and gasped.

  Instantly, they were both next to me, kneeling on either side of the chair. Luke grabbed my hand and Aidan wrapped his fingers around the nape of my neck. "Are you okay?"

  "What's wrong with her?" Luke glared at Aidan. "Is she okay? What happened?"

  For all their testosterone and muscle, they were rather cute. "I think I just need some water."

  "Get her water," Luke ordered his brother while he ran his fingers over my scalp and down to my throat. "Are you sure that is all that is the matter? How is your ankle? Aidan, you haven't even looked at her ankle yet."

  Aidan retrieved a bottle of water from a mini fridge and handed it to me, glaring at his brother. "I do not take orders from you." His voice was calm, but it was clear he did not appreciate Luke's bossiness. I thought it was hot as hell, but I didn't think they wanted my opinion on the matter right then.

  I took a sip from the water and gathered my thoughts. "Thank you, Aidan," I said. "I'm sorry to cause so much trouble. Really, I'm fine. If someone could just point me in the direction of the garage where my car is being repaired, I'll be on my way." I pushed up from the chair and the two of them nearly pounced on me.

  "No," they said in unison.

  "I need to examine your ankle." Aidan grabbed my calf and I wondered if he was trying to keep me from leaving the room. Once his fingers made contact with my skin, I sat back down.

  I know it had been a long time since a man had touched my bare skin, whether clinical or not, but Aidan's touch was unlike anything I had ever experienced—even in a naughty fantasy. Heat radiated out from where his hand rested on my flesh and ran up my leg to my pussy, like a high speed train slamming into the station.

  "Does that hurt?" Aidan asked.

  "Don't hurt her," Luke growled at his brother.

  Aidan gave his twin a meaningful look. "If you would prefer, you may go out into the waiting room until I have finished."

  Luke harrumphed, folded his arms over his broad chest and paced the room, but to his credit, he did not interrupt Aidan while he examined me.

  I had forgotten about the tattoo I have on my ankle, but it seemed to be of great interest to Aidan, and when he pointed it out, Luke took an unusual interest in it too.

  "Is there something wrong?" I felt a bit alarmed seeing both of them stare at my ankle.

  "Is that a hummingbird?" Aidan asked.

  "Y-yes," I said, looking back and forth between the brothers. "Is there a problem?"

  "No," Luke said. "Nothing at all." Somehow the hummingbird tattoo had gotten him pretty fired up. Were they tattoo haters? Bret had had some pretty strong opinions on me getting a tattoo, so I got it after he passed away. It wasn't a rebellious thing, more of a sign to myself that it was time for me to live my own life.

  "In our culture," Aidan said, his finger tracing over my tattoo, "hummingbirds are a symbol of peace, love and happiness." His hand slid up and caressed my calf, and I forced myself not to open my legs and beg him to go further.

  ***

  Aidan

  I had never seen Luke like this before. I tried not to laugh since I knew that would only make it worse, and the poor guy was already acting like a lovesick calf.

  He'd changed his shirt three times. Now, Luke, like nearly all the men in Eagle Pass, had a pretty basic wardrobe: jeans, boots and a button down shirt in either blue, white, black or occasionally a plaid or checked pattern. That was it. Nothing fancy.

  He actually asked if the white shirt made his eyes look darker. I had no idea what to say and nearly busted a gut waiting for him to exit the room so I could go out on the back porch and laugh.

  Cassie's arrival, and Luke's surety that she was meant to be our princess, had created a complete role reversal for the two of us.

  Don't get me wrong. I'd been plenty freaked out when I saw Cassie and felt the arrow hit me in the heart, and then when I saw the hummingbird tattoo, I nearly fell over. But if we both started acting like Luke, the poor girl would run away, convinced we were nuts.

  Luke, at least according to him, had managed to get Cassie a room at the only hotel in town and arranged for us to take her to dinner. Then he'd stopped at Gary's garage and told him in no uncertain terms that the parts for her car were going to take at least until the end of the week, right? Gary isn't always the sharpest blade in the drawer, but I'm confident that Luke made his point very clear.

  Finally, Luke was ready. I noticed that he'd re-braided his hair and added a leather wrap to the bottom few inches.

  The man was a goner.

  Luke and I shared a house on the family compound that included houses for our parents and our brothers. We didn't have any sisters.

  As we drove by, I saw our mother out tending her garden, so we stopped. I knew Luke was anxious to see Cassie again and make sure she hadn't escaped, but I figured a little chat with Mama would calm us both.

  "Aren't my oldest sons handsome!" The pride in her expression made me puff up like a little boy. "Looks like you two have something special going on. I hear Wednesday is the new Friday, hmmm?"

  Luke and I both laughed. "We have a date tonight, Mama," I said.

  "She's the one, Mama, our princess," Luke said. "I found her."

  Mama tilted her head to the side and studied us both before narrowing her gaze on Luke. Until Cassie had come along, Mama was the only person who could cow Luke with just a look. "The Great Spirit brought her to you, Luke," she corrected. "You had the wisdom to listen to your heart," she added with a smile.

  She turned to me. "Have you met this girl?"

  "Yes, ma'am. Luke brought her to the clinic today and I examined her."

  "Examined her? That's a bit bold."

  "She hurt her ankle, Mama. I took her to Aidan so he could fix it."

  Was it just me, or had Luke started not just acting like a caveman, but talking like one too?

  "Is she okay?" Mama asked, concerned.

  "Yes, just a little twist. I used a poultice on it and she's completely fine now. I think Luke was overreacting."

  My brother scowled at me. "I wanted you to meet her. Besides, you look better in your doctor's coat. I want to her to know she'll get the whole package with the two of us. Your brain and my brawn," he said, flexing his bicep.

  "Any girl would be truly blessed to have the two of you as her husbands." Mama gave us each a hug. "Your fathers and I will be expecting you to bring her to dinner tomorrow n
ight."

  Chapter Five

  Cassie

  I changed my shirt for the third time. I didn't know why I was fussing so much with how I looked. It's not like this was a date or anything.

  I mean, I was just going to dinner with Luke and Aidan. If it was a date, there'd only be one guy, but since it was a group thing, that made it perfectly harmless and safe, right?

  Yes, if I was going out with just one of them, it would be more than I could handle. They were both too damned sexy, if not for their own good, for mine. Luke with his dark and brooding ways and Aidan with his dancing blue eyes, I couldn't decide which one appealed to me more.

  But, that didn't matter, did it, because this was not a date.

  Then why did you shave your legs… all the way up?

  I told that voice to shut up. It's not wrong to want to look my best, is it?

  Besides, how would I know if it was a date or not? It had been more than a decade since my last first date, and it's not like I had a whole lot of experience with dating before Bret.

  Involuntarily, my gaze went to the coffee can sitting on the bureau. Luke had given me a strange look but said nothing when I insisted that we retrieve it from my car, along with my suitcase and other essentials, before he dropped me off here at the hotel.

  To his credit, he didn't argue or ask questions, just wanted to make sure I had everything I needed.

  Everything I needed. I didn't even know what that entailed. I had been in survival mode for so long, I had forgotten about myself. Finding out about myself, who I was now, was, at least in part, the reason for this trip. I forced myself to stop fussing with my hair, grabbed my purse and decided to wait outside for Luke and Aidan.

  Pulling out my phone, I still couldn't get any service. Ellie was probably freaking out. I had to find a way to let her know I was safe. The last thing I needed was for her to call out the FBI to search for me. She was a little protective of me. Funny since we'd never actually met in person. We'd connected in an online support group for widows under thirty. The group's motto was 'No Appliqued Sweaters' and Ellie was the leader. We'd hit it off immediately.

  There wasn't anything else requiring my urgent attention. I had taken care of all the details of my life before setting out. My parents were busy visiting my sister and her new baby, so I knew I wasn't a concern for them. They had never wanted me to marry Bret in the first place and seemed particularly resentful that he'd gotten sick… like he'd done it on purpose just to spite them or something.

  A large black truck hummed into the lot and parked in front of me. Luke practically jumped out before it came to a complete stop. "Is everything okay? Is your hotel room okay? Why are you outside?"

  Aidan got out of the driver's side and greeted me a little more cordially, then turned to his brother. "Maybe she was just excited to see us."

  If I hadn't been excited to see them before, I certainly was now. Good heavens, but they were sexy. Crisp shirts, tight jeans and well-worn boots. I felt my nipples harden under my blouse and forced myself not to look down to see if they were announcing my arousal to the world.

  "You look beautiful, Cassie," Luke said, taking my hand and leading me to the passenger side of the truck. He assisted me up into the seat, his hand brushing along my hip as he made sure I got into the truck safely. Once I got settled in the middle of the seat, Aidan reached across and buckled me in. Seemed to be a family trait with these two, but I can't say that I minded.

  Luke took his place to my right and seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time getting his own seat belt fastened. I'm not sure if he was fumbling or just enjoyed the fact that the latch for his seat belt was next to my rear end, and his fingers seemed to spend a fair amount of time touching my ass.

  We hadn't even gotten out of the parking lot and I was ready to come.

  "Before we go to dinner, would it be possible to go someplace where I can get Wi-Fi service? I can't seem to get a signal, and my friend, Ellie, is going to be worried if she doesn't hear from me. I’d just like to be able to send her a quick email," I said, staring straight ahead. With one on either side of me, I wasn't sure where to look, plus, I was curious about the town.

  "Absolutely," Luke said, resting his hand on my knee.

  "We want you to be able to tell your friend that you are absolutely safe," Aidan said, dropping his hand to cover my other knee.

  My interest in the sights outside the windshield halted, and I stared at their two hands, one dark, the other fair, covering my knees. If I'd worn jeans instead of a skirt, at least there'd be a barrier between their hot palms and my weak flesh, though I'd imagine that the heat these two radiated would have melted Kevlar.

  "I-is this a d-date?" my voice squeaked.

  Both hands squeezed my knees, sending a pulse of need to my pussy. "Oh, this is so much more than a date," Luke whispered in my ear.

  "With b-both of you?"

  We stopped for a traffic light, and Aidan slipped his hand under my skirt, and his fingertip flirted with the edge of my panties. "That's how it works here in Eagle Pass."

  "Everyone?" I was so distracted by what their hands were doing to me, I must not have heard him correctly.

  The light turned green and Aidan removed his hand. A small whimper escaped my mouth at the absence of his touch.

  Luke's hand slipped under my skirt in place of his brother's. "You see, Cassie," Luke's voice was a husky whisper, "when two men care for a woman, her needs are always met. While Aidan makes sure we get to our destination safely, I can make sure you are properly attended to."

  "In our community," Aidan added, not taking his eyes from the road, "women are cherished. Properly protecting and caring for a woman is a job so important that not just one man can do it."

  Luke's fingers worked their way between my thighs and pushed the crotch of my panties to the side. "Not just two men to protect and care for you, but two men to take care of your needs, all of your needs." As if what he was trying to say might not have been clear, his thumb rubbed across my clit while his index finger slipped into my embarrassingly wet pussy.

  "Oh, Aidan, she is so wet."

  We stopped at the only other traffic light in town. Aidan put the truck in park and reached over to push my skirt up and we watched Luke finger fuck me. His long dark fingers moved in and out of my pussy. "Does that feel good, little girl?" Aidan asked.

  My eyes met his, and I could see that they had gone from sky blue to a deep gray with desire. We all knew the answer to his question, but I said it anyway. "Yes. It feels… wonderful."

  "Good girl," he said and went back to the task of delivering us to our destination. I was glad he was driving and not me. I would have ended up in the ditch again.

  Luke continued to torment my pussy with his fingers and pressed my clit with his thumb. While I was in the throes of a building orgasm, the two of them talked about me as though I wasn't even there.

  "I told you she was perfect for us," Luke said.

  "I know. And so responsive," Aidan added. "I can't wait to get her between us."

  Between us? Oh god.

  An image of the three of us together in bed flashed in my mind and sent me over the edge of my climax. As the waves built inside me and my muscles all seemed to contract at once, I reached out and gripped Aidan's thigh with one hand and pulled Luke's mouth down to mine with the other. Somehow, instinctively, I needed to connect with both of them.

  To unite the three of us.

  Chapter Six

  Luke

  That kiss.

  It was as though everything in my entire life had meant nothing until Cassie's lips met mine. The crazy frenzy I'd been feeling all day calmed too. What a relief. But now I wanted more. Aidan and I were waiting patiently, and at a discreet distance, while Cassie used the Wi-Fi at The Library.

  In Eagle Pass the council had voted to limit cellular and Wi-Fi services. At first, just like the rest of the world, we had been mesmerized by the opportunity to surf the World Wide Web a
nd to have communication at our fingertips. In a remote area such as ours, it was also a matter of safety to have a phone in case of emergencies while working, hunting or fishing far away from others.

  But soon, the phones, websites, email and social media had taken over our lives. The elders of our council, along with our parents, had made a persuasive argument to the community that access should be limited. Signals to Smartphones were jammed and didn't work. Nearly everyone had a flip phone. It served the purpose of fulfilling a need without taking over our lives.

  The Library was a community space filled with books as well as computers which were connected to the internet. The ban on Smartphones had had the desired effect. The Library had become such a gathering place, an additional room was added and that's where we were taking Cassie when she finished emailing her friend.

  "How long does it take to type 'I'm fine. I'll be in touch soon?' What’s she doing over there?" The frenzy had calmed, but was starting to build again. I hadn't taken my eyes off of her, though all I could see was the top of her sweet strawberry blonde head in the sea of computer work stations.

  "Calm down," Aidan said, though I'd noticed he'd not looked away from her either. "At least you got to kiss her. I'm kicking myself for driving, but you were acting like such a lunatic, I figured I'd better."

  I brushed my fingers beneath my nose and inhaled the musky aroma of her pussy. My cock, which had been rock hard practically since I sat down next to Cassie in the truck, nearly burst my zipper.

  "Would it be wrong to get take out and drive her home and fuck her?"

  Aidan gave me a pained look. "First, we don't know if that's even something she wants. Second, we promised her dinner. And third, we need to be able to control ourselves and not act like a couple of thirteen-year-olds who just found a stack of dirty magazines."

  "Of course it's what she wants," I stage whispered. "How could she not?"