Lies That Bind

by Willows, Caitlyn

  Her hits were softer, though they still packed a wallop, and evenly spaced, luring him into the headspace he’d longed for. Tyler felt himself drifting toward heaven, locked into bliss. There’d be no tears from him tonight. He’d shed enough since she’d left, and he’d been waiting too long to have this moment again. He lay there trembling under the kiss of leather, fucking the pillows to no avail.

  And then she stopped.

  “Roll over.”

  She was expecting a lot. He could barely move. Still, he complied. Tessa yanked the pillows away and crawled astride him. Gaze locked with his, she smeared oil over his cock, added more to her ass, then wiped the residue over her clit.

  “Hands locked behind your head.”

  Tyler interlaced his fingers into place, then clenched his jaw when she tugged the knots loose on her panties and released his dick. She grabbed it around the base, rose up, then slowly closed her anus over it.

  Stars exploded in his head. Groaning, he thrust up, seating himself fully. He longed to grab her hips and pound into her or at least squeeze her tits while she fucked him. His forearms shook with the effort to keep his hands locked.

  “I’m going to fuck you now, Tyler Coltrane.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Please do.”

  And God, she did. Her ass worked his dick. One hand fondled her breast while the other worked her clit. He writhed into her body, lost in so many sensations, he couldn’t keep track. And then finally—finally—he came. The only sound that cut through his fog of orgasm was her coming with him.

  Chapter Nine

  Tyler’s deep breathing filtered into Tessa’s blood. His heart thumped a steady rhythm beneath her ear. He’d tossed one arm around her to draw her against him seconds before he’d drifted off to sleep. She’d tucked herself close, one arm and leg claiming him. In truth, afraid to let go. Robert Baron’s words had slapped her with a reality she’d never considered. One that scared her to death. Living without Rex and Tyler was a hell of her own making, but the concept of living in a world where they didn’t exist at all was unbearable.

  She deserved the strapping, craved it even, and not for the sex play. Tessa wanted to be punished for her actions. If Tyler hadn’t opened the door, she would have done it herself. But it did little to exorcise the guilt. Maybe with time that would dull. She’d have to make it up to Rex and Tyler someway. Coming back here, though…

  And she was back to square one. She didn’t want to stay, and they refused to leave. Enjoy it while you can. There was that. Perhaps they’d be able to salvage something from the ashes her harsh words had burned into their relationship. At least there was hope of something. Not so for poor Robert. How he must have suffered, watching the man he loved die a slow and agonizing death. How he must have hurt when Derek shoved him aside.

  More guilt stabbed through her. Derek had known for well over a year he was terminal. God, how he must have felt to learn he wasn’t going to have a life. That death was right around the corner. The pain alone had to have been killing him.

  Why in the hell hadn’t he said something? Most likely, he’d been afraid they’d baby him or hover over him. He would have hated that. She wondered if Mike had known. Tessa counted it as another strike against the man. Mike could have kept quiet and let Derek live his remaining years, believing Mike was his father. Instead, he’d hurt him. He’d hurt them all. No, you hurt them all.

  Tessa blinked away tears. She could analyze it all she wanted. The answers weren’t there. One couldn’t question a dead man.

  Pressure in the room changed with the opening of the front door. Tyler bolted upright, shoving her behind him. Emotion squeezed her heart.

  “It’s Rex.” She slipped her arm around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Bringing food like he promised. I can smell the barbecue from here.”

  Tyler pulled in a breath, then relaxed. “Then let’s go eat.” He patted her thigh, eased from the bed, and reached down for something on the floor, giving Tessa a very fine view of his still-red ass.

  “You’ve been crying again.” Tyler held her panties out for her.

  “You’ve been crying?” This from Rex, now standing in the doorway.

  They flanked her, worry etching frown lines into their faces, two cowboys standing ready to give her all she needed. What the hell had she been thinking to throw it all away?

  “I—”

  They were beside her before Tessa could say another word. Strong arms wrapped around her. Hot bodies pressed against her.

  Tyler brushed his nose to her ear. “What’s wrong?”

  Rex burrowed his head into the curve of her neck. “Talk to us, sweetheart. Don’t shut us out.”

  Like you did before was left unsaid.

  Tessa tried to swallow the tightness in her throat. Why pick at it? Why not live the moment, accept what they were offering? So she sagged into their warmth, basked in the knowledge she was fully protected, and opened her heart to possibilities she’d tossed aside before.

  “I don’t understand why Derek would keep such a thing secret. Or how he could do so without one of you noticing something.”

  “I’ve been asking myself that same question.” Rex pulled them all down, and the men stretched out beside her, draping their legs over hers. “I guess we were too wrapped up in our own concerns to notice much else.”

  Tessa spooned into Rex and pulled Tyler’s head to her chest. God, she loved the feel of his soft hair on her skin. “Was this an accident, suicide, or murder?”

  “The shot to the head wasn’t an accident. Neither was the attempt on Nate.” Rex pressed his hand to her stomach. Tyler’s broad palm covered her butt. It wasn’t about sex. It was bonding. Her heart tumbled a little further.

  “If it was suicide, I’d like to think he would at least leave a note,” Tyler said. “But it’d be in plain sight if he had. Kevin would have seen it at the ranch house. He would have said something.”

  “No, not until he got the autopsy back.” Kevin was Derek’s attorney. He was invested in protecting Derek. Kevin wouldn’t reveal information like that unless it was absolutely necessary.

  “We can talk to Kevin in the morning.” Rex trailed kisses over her shoulder. “It’s been a long day. You two need to eat, and I need to get back to work. If I stay here much longer… Hmm…” A little nip, and he swung his feet to the floor.

  “Derek being terminal might explain why he never filed that quitclaim deed.” Tyler hoisted on his jeans as he stood. “It’d leave things up in the air when he died.”

  “That is what wills are for,” Tessa told them.

  “There’s no way we’re ever going to know why Derek did what he did. It’s only going to drive us nuts. Let’s take this a step at a time.” Rex leaned in and kissed her. “You’ve created a stir with your airplane arrival. Someone traced the number to Oliver Holbrook. Is that the Oliver Holbrook? And I’m almost afraid to ask how you know him.”

  Tyler froze, eyes wide, his arms stuffed halfway into a white T-shirt.

  Tessa laughed. Wealthy philanthropist and rumored Dom of all Doms? Yeah, she could see why Rex might wonder. “He’s a friend, a benefactor. As for the rest… Even I’m not brave enough to step into that world.” Though she had tried one night. It hadn’t gone well.

  Relief seeped into Rex’s face with his smile. “Good.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I need to get back to work.”

  Tessa hated to see him go. He’d had a long day too.

  Tyler hauled a T-shirt on, then finger-combed his short hair. “He’ll stay if you ask him.”

  Tempting, but he was already out the door, and he did have a job to do. “I’ll never put him in the position of choosing me over work. That’s not right.” She cocked her head to one side. “We could go with him.”

  “Whatever you’d like.”

  Answers? An easy solution to the problems ahead? She combed the tangles from her hair as she eased from bed. “Don’t worry. I still know how to be a cowgirl.�
��

  Tyler grinned. “Never a doubt. I’ll trust you to tell me when I need to saddle up.”

  “You can count on it, cowboy.”

  He hooked her elbow when she walked by, dragged her against him, kissed her slow and sweet, made her second-guess her decision to head out rather than crawl back into bed with him.

  “Time to cowgirl up.” He swatted her backside and walked away.

  Laughter bubbled up. “Oh, you’re going to pay for that, mister.”

  “I do hope so,” he said over his shoulder, cowboy boots thunking the floor with every step. “Come on, let’s eat up. We’ve got work to do.”

  Tessa grinned and admired his backside as he walked away. You can run, but you can’t hide.

  * * * *

  There was the Tessa Rex loved. At least one of the versions. Without makeup and her hair pulled into a ponytail, she looked ten years younger. She’d dressed in worn jeans, dusty boots, and an oversize yellow Western shirt, clothing Tyler insisted they keep “just in case,” then kept them in his own closet. Rex was glad he did.

  Tessa walked right up to the serving line, no hesitation in her step, and started to work like she’d never left. Oh the memories that stirred, among other things. He watched her work, the glow in her face. For all her talk, Tessa loved this. She had from the first day she’d arrived three years ago. Mike’s little bombshell ruined it all. Rex couldn’t fault her anger at Mike. He was none too pleased either with the lie. But they’d been caught up in the fallout, and there was nothing right about that. Considering Derek’s condition, a better choice would have been for Mike to keep his damn mouth shut. Derek would have been happy. The land and ranch could have passed into their hands without all this turmoil. Derek never would have cut them out.

  Yeah, you used to think that about Tessa too. Look what happened.

  Rex told the voice in his head to shut the fuck up. She’d tried to do right by Derek. It wasn’t her fault Derek never filed the quitclaim deed. As for the rest of it… He didn’t want to think about any of that right now. It was in the past. They had a fresh start, and he was going to see they took full advantage of it. Let the chips fall where they may. She could leave, but he didn’t intend to let distance keep them apart. Not now, not ever again. He loved her.

  The emotion strangled his heart and nearly brought him to his knees. He loved her, and she’d made it quite clear she had no intention of staying here or keeping the ranch she’d worked so hard to help make successful. Rex would crawl naked through cow shit and broken glass if that’s what it took to get her to stay there with him, with them.

  “Whips or lasso tonight?” Brett asked through a lip full of bubblegum. He did it for effect, to seat the character of grizzled cowpoke. Guests thought it was chew.

  Rex didn’t have the focus for whip play tonight. “I’m out tonight. Lassos.”

  “Could do target shootin’ too.”

  “No, I don’t want to risk it.” Chills raced through Rex’s body. Had Derek gone out the night before and gotten hit by an errant bullet? No. He wouldn’t have been stupid enough to put himself in the line of fire. Even if he wanted to end his life, Derek would never have put that kind of guilt on another person.

  “He was too far out.” Tyler stood beside him, watching Tessa work the last of the people in the food line. She had a smile for everyone, bright and welcoming.

  “We only have Tito’s word that Derek was shot, and we know that was nothing more than a wild-ass guess. Robert Baron said the autopsy hadn’t been done yet.”

  Someone was lying. Rex put his money on that being Tito. He’d known Tito for ten years and didn’t have much respect for him as a man or a sheriff. Derek had been pretty vocal about the upcoming election, swearing he’d run himself rather than see Tito Llano in the office again. Tito wouldn’t be above creating a case where it didn’t exist just to prove how great a sheriff he was. With the election looming, Tito had to do something to win. Finding a murderer, even one who wasn’t there, would cinch a victory. God help the innocent person he arrested. Rex prayed it wasn’t going to be one of them.

  It’d be the perfect way to shut up the most vocal advocate against him.

  Yeah, Tito might be desperate enough to take advantage of Derek’s death, but shooting Nate? Tito was many things, but not a killer.

  Rex stretched the kinks from his back, then leaned into the nearest post. Their guests where fully engaged, watching Brett dance his way through loops and twirls and rope anything in sight, including the pretty blonde nearest him—his wife, but the guests didn’t need to know that.

  “Robert Baron must have cut us some slack and not filed a report yet.” Tyler braced his shoulder next to Rex’s. “Tito wouldn’t miss a chance to come pounding on our doors again.”

  “He could be lying in wait outside Nate’s hospital room.” One of them should have stayed there. Rex hoped hospital security was diligent enough to keep visitors away, as per doctor’s orders.

  “If Tito’s going to lie about an autopsy, I hate to see what he’d do to possible evidence.” Tyler moved his head closer to Rex’s. “You get the arrow?”

  The news he’d been avoiding. “It’s gone. I asked Brett if he saw the bloodied T-shirt in your quiver, and he said he didn’t.”

  “Fuck,” Tyler muttered.

  “Any chance it could have fallen out while you were trying to get Nate back?”

  “Anything’s possible, but I don’t see how. It was in there tight. Now what?”

  Rex pressed his lips together, considering their options. “I don’t know. We could head out in the morning and look. But the chance of a blood-soaked T-shirt still being there are zero.” The critters would have gotten to it by now, destroying it and contaminating any DNA.

  “Do we tell Tessa?” Tyler tipped his chin in her direction. She wrestled a pan from the steam table and headed toward the inn. “She has connections.”

  Serious connections, all thanks to Oliver Holbrook. And it pissed Rex off to have to use them. He wanted all her ties to be to them, not the life she’d created without them. They could take care of Tessa just as well as Oliver Holbrooke could, and they didn’t need or want his help.

  He laughed at himself, realizing too late he’d snorted out loud when Tyler looked at him from the corner of his eye. “I don’t know if there’s anything she can do, but I’m sure not going to keep her in the dark.” They pushed away from the post in unison and headed for the kitchen door.

  * * * *

  Tessa’s back ached, sweat soaked her scratchy-as-hell shirt, but her heart? Pride nearly burst it. This was her work. All the organizational measures she’d put into place still existed. The recipes she’d help create were here, used daily, enjoyed by the hordes of people who came to Rustlers Retreat. The staff might have changed a tad, but these things remained constant. Her work. Still shining.

  Her ranch. Her land. A legacy she’d never wanted, yet embraced before she’d known the truth. Talk about feeling conflicted.

  Working side by side with the people she admired didn’t help her sort it out either. Ed, the cook, feeling his age at sixty-five, but still ruling the kitchen. Hannah, majordomo over housekeeping, and God help the fool who left a speck of dust where she could find it. A formidable husband-and-wife duo. They were the first hired when Mary Ford’s illness kept her from working. They were fully experienced and ready to work. Neither balked at taking orders from the “kids.” They’d jumped in with both feet.

  “How you holdin’ up?” Ed asked. “Been a long time since you worked the line, little missy.”

  “I still got what it takes, though.” She scraped the leftover potatoes and onions into a large container. The dish would resurface at breakfast.

  “Looks that way to me,” Hannah said.

  “Sure coulda used you here last week.” Ed stacked empty trays. “Everybody in town came to Dog Days.”

  “I heard it was fun.” Not a good time to point out she was only here now because of
Derek. Her conscience was doing a damn fine job reminding her, and Tessa was just about fed up with it. “Heard you had games. What kind?”

  “Ropin’, ridin’, target shootin’ both guns and archery.” Hannah crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. “Competition was fierce in those last two. You’d think we were handin’ out gold bars. In the end, Kevin Drummond took the prize for shootin’. Ethel Turnbauer got it for archery. She beat out her daddy, Tito, and Derek. Boy, and her daddy wasn’t too happy about that.”

  Tessa imagined not. She felt for the woman. Ethel was always trying so hard to please her father and never quite measuring up to whatever standards he demanded. He was barely civil to her in public. Tessa couldn’t imagine how he treated Ethel in private.

  “You know she was back again this afternoon with yet another casserole shortly after you all took off to the hospital,” Hannah told her. “Woman’s testing my patience.”

  “I suppose she means well. I saw her at the hospital with a baby present.”

  “She sure gets around. I’ll give her that.”

  Hannah’s nudge pulled Tessa’s attention to the doorway as Rex and Tyler walked in.

  “Can’t help wonderin’ who’s corralled who around here. Maybe a little of both? Or a lot?”

  Hannah’s knowing chuckle still had the power to heat Tessa’s cheeks.

  “They’ve missed you, sugar.”

  Heat built to a burn. She turned away before the men could see it.

  “We’ve got this,” she heard Rex say. The kitchen help scattered to other tasks, leaving the five of them alone.

  “You’re gonna wash?” Ed asked.

  “Calluses need a good soak,” Rex replied.

  Tessa looked around to find him smiling, arms deep in the sink, billowing suds kissing his elbows.

  “Hmph. Only one reason a man’s wantin’ softer hands.” Ed leaned against the counter, arms crossed, bushy eyebrows shading narrowed eyes. “Ain’t that right, Tess?”