Staring down into her coffee, Elizabeth shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”
“Do you like the bed?” He hid a smile at her sharp intake of breath.
“Yes, it’s nice.”
“Do you like the color of the room?”
Sipping her coffee, Elizabeth wouldn’t meet his eyes. “The color’s fine.”
Sitting back, he shared a smile with Chandler and took a sip of his coffee. Putting the cup down, he leaned forward. “What color is it, Lizzy?”
Her eyes flew to his, before she hurriedly looked away again. “White.”
Hayden smiled. “Nope.”
Jumping to her feet, Elizabeth wiped Angie’s mouth and started to gather the remnants of her snack. “We should get home. It’s time for Angie’s nap.”
“Mommy! I wanna ride da horses.”
Elizabeth put her daughter’s glass in the sink and turned back. “Another day, Angie. You’re too tired today.”
“No, I not!”
Chandler shared a look with Hayden, not even bothering to hide his grin. “Why don’t you let me take her out to see the horses and then she can take a nap here? When she wakes up, we can take her for a ride.”
Angie stuck her bottom lip out and kicked her feet. “I wanna ride now.”
Hayden shook his head. “After you take a nap you can go for a ride. No nap. No ride.” He smothered a grin when Angie looked up at him through her lashes, her bottom lip pushed out even more. “But, Mr. Hayden, I wanna ride. I been good. I take a nap after I ride.”
Chandler coughed and stood, moving to the sink to stare out the window, his shoulders shaking.
Hayden somehow managed to keep his expression stern, but it wasn’t easy. He wanted to be a good father to Angie. To do that, he would have to learn to put his foot down. With her, he could see that would be a difficult thing to do. She would prove to be just as hard to resist as her mother. Shaking his head, he pushed his coffee aside. “No deal, angel. You can go see the horses, but you can’t ride until after your nap. If you don’t want to do that, we can take you back to your grandma and grandpa’s house and forget the whole thing.”
Angie’s lip went back in, and she appeared to mull it over. But the little negotiator hadn’t finished. “After I take a nap, can I have a puppy?”
Hayden coughed to cover his own laugh and stood to refill his cup. “The puppy is up to your momma. But you can’t have one yet. They have to stay with their momma a little bit longer. They’re just babies and need their momma.”
Angie looked at Elizabeth before turning back and nodding. “’Kay. Where’s da puppy’s daddy?”
Hayden took his seat again, enjoying her immensely. “Their daddy’s name is Sam, and he’s out there somewhere.”
Angie’s face fell and she nodded sadly. “He don’t like ’em. My daddy don’t like me, too.”
Elizabeth gasped, her face draining of all color. “Angie, that’s not true. Your father loves you very much.”
Angie shrugged and yawned. “My puppy’s name’s Fluffy.”
Elizabeth’s shaky smile twisted his gut as she knelt down beside Angie’s chair. “Is it? We’ll have to talk about a puppy later. Honey, you know how much Mommy loves you, don’t you?”
Angie wrapped her arms around Elizabeth’s neck and yawned. “I yuv you, too, Mommy. I like ‘Kota Springs.”
Hayden could see that Angie had just about run out of steam and how upset Elizabeth had become. He shot a glance at his brother, wanting to spend some time alone with Elizabeth and find out more about her ex-husband.
Chandler nodded and lifted a very sleepy Angie from her chair. “Come on, Angie. I’ll show you some horses.” He bent and kissed Elizabeth’s forehead, looking at her worriedly.
Once they’d gone, Hayden leaned forward. “What the hell did your husband do to her?”
She paled even more. “He did nothing to her except ignore her as much as possible. I didn’t think she even realized it. He never wanted either one of us, but I tried to keep her away from him as much as possible.”
Incredulous, Hayden wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and tucking her head under his chin. “Then he’s an even bigger idiot than I gave him credit for.” Holding her slightly away, he wiped the tears on her cheeks. “All those years wasted on a man who didn’t deserve either one of you. If I had known, I would have dragged you back here years ago.” Pulling her close, he rubbed her back, burying his face in her hair. “I promise you, baby, from now on, both you and Angie will know how much you’re loved.”
She shook her head and pushed away, frustrating the hell out of him. “Hayden, I’m not risking Angie’s happiness, or mine, ever again. We both know the only reason you and Chandler are doing this is out of some sense of obligation. You care for me, but not the way I need, and I’m not going to pin Angie’s future on a relationship that’s doomed to fail.”
Irritated that she wouldn’t see what was right in front of her face, he grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the room. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
“Hayden, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Not answering her, he hid a smile as he paused beside a door as she continued toward the master bedroom. “Here we are.”
She flushed again, looking so adorable he wanted to ravage her on the spot. “This isn’t the master bedroom.”
His cock swelled and hardened again, pushing uncomfortably against his zipper. “I never said we were going to the master bedroom. I want to see what you think of Angie’s room.”
“Angie’s room? Hayden, I told you we’re not moving in here.”
“Of course you are, but not until we get married. Not with Angie in the picture. Anyway, tell me what you think. We had it painted light pink, but when we went to buy furniture, we didn’t have any idea what Angie would like or need. I never knew what a shitload of furniture was out there for little girls. We liked one with a canopy, but didn’t know if she would like it. We need you to come with us to pick it out.” He watched her face anxiously as she looked around the room. “She likes pink.” Hell, almost everything she wore had pink on it somewhere.
Elizabeth’s eyes went wide as she looked around the room. “I can’t believe you did this. It’s beautiful. You even had new carpet installed. The window seat is wonderful! It’s the perfect place for a little girl to play with her dolls. Did you buy that dollhouse?”
A rush of pride warmed him as she watched her inspect it. “Actually, Chandler and I made it. We started it when we heard you were getting divorced and coming home. It kept us busy at night. Do you think Angie will like it?”
She looked up, and averted her eyes. “She would love it, and you know it. Damn it, Hayden. I’m not going to be pushed into this.”
Crossing to her, he gripped her chin, tilting her head up until she met his eyes. “I know what we want from you is unconventional, but you’ve seen for yourself that the town already accepts it. If you marry me and live with us, we’ll have a home filled with love. Isn’t that what you want for Angie?”
Elizabeth pushed away. “Love? Hayden, you and Chandler may love me as a friend, but not the kind of love I need. I remember how you were with all those women you two used to sleep with. And don’t try to make me feel guilty by throwing Angie in the middle. She’s living in a home where everyone loves her right now.”
Hayden’s temper frayed around the edges. “You’re the one who keeps throwing Angie in the middle as though Chandler and I would be bad for her. You’re hiding behind her to deny yourself and us a future together. I get that you’re afraid, Lizzy. But, we’ve already promised to be good fathers to her and good husbands to you. You know damned well that neither one of us would do anything to hurt either one of you.”
Fire flashed in Elizabeth’s eyes. “How the hell do I know that, Hayden? I haven’t seen or heard from you in years. You wanted nothing to do with me before, how the hell can I believe that you do now?”
Hayden’s temp
er snapped. “Damn it, Lizzy. We explained all of this. We were confused and fought over you constantly. We had no idea what to do about it, but we knew that neither one of us could have a relationship with you then, feeling the way we both felt about you. The jealousy would have ruined everything.”
Elizabeth looked up at him and smirked, making his hand itch to paddle her tight ass. “So there’s no longer any jealousy and because you say so, we’ll all live happily ever after. That is, until one of you decides you want a woman all to yourself or you come to your fucking senses and see that you don’t love me the way a man should love a woman. Just curious, how did you and Chandler make the decision to share me?”
His gut churned when he thought back to that time. “The night you left, Chandler and I got drunk, really drunk. We talked about nothing but you. Somehow the idea came up that we should share you. I have no idea which one of us said it, but we both thought it made sense. The next day, after we recovered from our hangovers, we talked some more. And we kept talking.”
Reaching out, he cupped her jaw. “It was the first time we’d talked to each other without fighting in a long time. If you chose one of us now, it would destroy the other.”
Narrowing her eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing them as if she’d gotten chilled. “So you made this decision when you were drunk and decided to share me so you wouldn’t fight anymore? Well, excuse me for not falling in with your plans, but you don’t even know me anymore. And it looks like I don’t know you either.”
Hayden shook her. “You know us and we know you. The years we’ve been apart haven’t changed that.” Leaning close, he smirked, knowing damned well it would piss her off. “And you still want both of us, baby. You wouldn’t react the way you do with both of us if you didn’t still want both of us.”
“You son of a bitch!”
Smiling as she turned her back to him and moved to the window, Hayden came up behind her, covering her breasts with his palms. His cock jumped when she immediately leaned back against him, her nipples pebbling beneath his hands. “Your body doesn’t lie even if you try to. You get aroused anytime either one of us touches you, and when we touch you together, you go up in flames.”
She gripped his hands as if to push them away, but moaned as her head dropped against his shoulder. The mixed messages made him crazy to have her.
Sliding his hand under her shirt, he felt her shiver. Smiling against her neck, he undid her jeans and slid a hand inside, at the same time unsnapping the front closure of her bra. Her sharp intake of breath made his cock throb as he simultaneously slid a finger through her wet slit and stroked a nipple.
Although her hands covered his, she made no move to stop him. “Hayden, damn you.”
“Shh, baby.” He ran a finger through her slick folds, zeroing in on her clit. Closing his fingers over her nipple, he pinched lightly. “Your pussy’s soaked. You gonna try to tell me again that I don’t turn you on? You know you damned well that you love me.”
“Bastard.”
Holding her firmly, he chuckled against her neck as he doubled the speed of his strokes on her clit, groaning when she moaned and her body started jerking. “That’s it, baby. See how fast I can get you hot? Think about spending the rest of your life with Chandler and me doing this to you all the time.”
He pinched her nipple a little harder and almost came in his jeans at the sweet sounds she made as she stiffened in his arms and went over. Slowing his strokes, he drew out her orgasm, the rush of her juices over his fingers making him insane to have her.
Sliding his hand lower, he slid a finger into her hot, creamy cunt. The quiver of her inner muscles as she milked his finger almost had him coming in his jeans. “This is right for us, baby. And you know it.” Going for broke, he slid his slick finger from her cunt and poised it at her bottom hole, holding onto her as she jerked.
* * * *
Elizabeth shivered, gripping his forearms tightly. “Wh-what are you doing?”
Hayden scraped his teeth over her neck as he applied pressure, pushing his finger through the tight ring of muscle and about an inch into her ass. “You’re a smart girl. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
The pinch startled her as the most erotic sensations raced through her. She’d never felt such a thing! Never even imagined it. Hayden touched her more intimately than she’d ever been touched, making her mind go numb at the unbelievable naughtiness of it. Embarrassed because her bottom kept clenching on his finger, she struggled against his hold, only to freeze when it moved his finger in her ass.
He slid his foot between hers, pushing her jeans to the floor. “Step out of them and spread your legs.”
Stunned, she did it without thinking. “Hayden, I’ve never—Oh God.”
Applying more pressure, he stroked his finger in and out of her once, twice and then slid his finger deep into her anus.
Holding onto him when her knees buckled, Elizabeth gulped in air. Moisture coated her thighs as he began stroking her clit again with light, fleeting strokes that had her whimpering like a child. His finger in her ass felt huge, spearing her and making her anus burn. “Hayden, I can’t…what are you…I’m gonna come.”
“Not yet, you’re not.” Withdrawing his finger from her ass, he turned her to face him. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a condom, quickly lowering his jeans and putting it on. Wrapping an arm around her, he lifted her against his chest, holding her ass in one of his big hands. Holding her gaze he slid that thick finger back into her anus as he lowered her onto his waiting cock. “Now you’re gonna come.”
Embarrassment at having Hayden’s finger in her ass had kept her from looking at him, but now she had no choice.
His features had hardened, a tortured look on his face that she’d never seen before. But his eyes…his eyes glittered, so dark and mesmerizing she couldn’t look away. The emotion in them had her sliding her hands from his shoulders to his neck and then into his hair.
Holding onto him, she lifted herself to touch her lips to his jaw. “Oh, God. Hayden, you’re inside me.” She wished she could have had him naked, but it had happened so fast neither one of them had even gotten undressed.
Bending, he touched his lips to hers, moving her on his cock and holding his finger inside her bottom. “That I am, baby. I plan on being inside you a lot from now on.”
The feeling of fullness amazed her, her pussy stretched as he moved her on his cock. Clenching on both his cock and his finger, she moaned as it intensified the sensation in both openings. Barely able to catch her breath, she held on as his strokes came faster. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.”
Hayden’s smile was pure evil, a look she expected from Chandler, but never from him. Already overwhelmed by having him inside her and the naughty, vulnerable feeling of having his finger stretching her anus, she couldn’t resist that evil grin.
Those amazing tingles began, but this time they also sizzled around the finger pressing deep inside her, sending her over the edge so quickly it stunned her. She clamped down on him, her inner muscles milking him.
Hayden groaned. “You feel so fucking good, baby. I don’t give a damn what you say. I’m never letting you go.”
Chapter Six
Sitting in Hayden and Chandler’s office three days later, Elizabeth sat back, folding her arms across her chest. “I’ve been looking for a job in town for two days now. Not a single person will hire me. They smile, apologize, and give me one of these.” Wadding the paper she held into a ball, she tossed it at Chandler.
Smiling, he unfolded it and scanned it briefly before passing it to his brother. “Yeah, we passed those flyers around town so we could find someone to handle our correspondence and a few other things. Are you here to apply for the job?”
Torn between laughter and the urge to smack him, she glanced over to where Angie played with one of her dolls. “And no one else applied for this job?”
Hayden wadded the flyer into a ball again and tossed it
into the garbage can. “No. They all know the job is yours.”
Eyeing them hungrily, Elizabeth hid a smile. She hadn’t seen either one of them since they’d taken her home the other night.
She and Hayden had come downstairs to find Angie sound asleep on Chandler’s chest as he reclined on the sofa. When Angie woke up, they went riding, with Angie riding on Chandler’s lap. Afterward they’d had dinner, thankfully keeping the conversation light. By the time Hayden and Chandler had taken them home, Angie had started to fall asleep again. Several people had already been at her parents’ house, installing new locks and deadbolts.
Hayden and Chandler had jumped in to help and stayed until everyone else left.
Since they left that night, they’d called several times, but had kept the conversations light as though they’d tried to give her some space.
It appeared her space had run out.
They’d showed up at her parents’ house about a half hour earlier, and had hustled her and Angie out to the ranch before she had a chance to object.
Now, both of them watched her hungrily, smiles playing at their lips.
Tapping her fingers on the arm of the chair, she narrowed her eyes. “What, exactly, would I be doing for you?”
Hayden looked away from where Angie played and waved a hand toward the massive desk he sat behind. “Chandler and I are hardly ever in the house during the day. We’re either busy with the horses or meeting with someone who wants to buy them. Martha does a great job of taking care of the house, but she’s no spring chick and doesn’t know a thing about computers. She can’t keep running out if there’s a message to relay, and she doesn’t have the time to keep stopping to answer the phone.”
Elizabeth eyed him warily. “If you needed someone to do all of this, why haven’t you already hired someone?”
Chandler looked up from where he sat on the sofa close to Angie. “We used to take care of it at night. Now we want to keep our nights free. You need a job, and this way you can bring Angie to work with you. I don’t want her going to any babysitter, and I want both of you here as much as possible so we can keep an eye on you. It works out well for all of us.”
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