by Becca Van
Tiffany started coughing when she tried to inhale on top of the breath she’d already taken without exhaling first. Tears formed in her eyes and then spilled onto her cheeks as she coughed and choked. She had just about got herself back under control when Todd wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her firmly up against his hard body. Her breath caught again, and off she went in another coughing fit. When the last paroxysm finally dissipated, she became aware of the way Todd was running a hand up and down her back as if trying to soothe her. It had the opposite effect and only made her more aware of his proximity and the lust surging through her body. His hand landed on her arse. He pulled her in tighter to him, and she froze when she felt the hard ridge pressing into her belly.
She felt his breath against her ear and couldn’t help but close her eyes when goose bumps rose up all over her skin and a shudder wracked the length of her spine.
“Do you feel that, Tiffany? Do you feel what you do to me?”
Tiffany had no idea what to do or say. The dreams she had night after night, week after week, year after year didn’t even compare to being this close to him. She finally took a deep breath and released it on a shuddering sigh and then nearly whimpered when she felt heat at her back. She didn’t need to open her eyes to realize that Matt was pressed against her. His hard cock pushed against her lower spine, and it was almost impossible to hold in the moan bubbling up in her chest. She had memorized their unique scents when she was a child and would never forget how either of them smelled. Whether it was their colognes mixed in with their own natural scents or the bodywash or soap they used, she didn’t know, but Tiffany would be able to tell her men apart even if she were deaf and blind. Nothing and no one would ever compare to either of these men, but she still didn’t know why she was allowing them to press her between them. She had no idea what they wanted from her. For all she knew they were horny and just wanted to scratch an itch.
Her inner voice told her to go for it. It was so damn tempting to give in to them after loving and lusting after them for years, but she was worried that once they had her they would drop her like a hot potato.
And she wasn’t sure she would survive the heartache of having them only to let them go again.
Chapter Three
Todd was so damn hungry for Tiffany he didn’t want to release her, but he’d felt her stiffen even more when Matt pressed against her back. She’d gone so tense it was a wonder her spine didn’t snap. He began to wonder if he’d read her wrong. He could have sworn he’d seen desire in her eyes when she was looking at him and Matt in the mirror over the bar. When the tip of her pink tongue had appeared and she’d licked her lips, it had taken all of his self-control to not throw her over his shoulder and carry her out to the parking lot.
His cock was leaking and it wouldn’t quit throbbing. His balls felt tight and full of cum. Todd glanced over her head at Matt, and he saw his brother had felt her reticence, too. Matt was frowning, but he moved away from Tiffany so she wouldn’t feel crowded or overwhelmed. Todd removed his arm from around her waist, and it was when Tiffany shifted to the side from between them that he saw her cheeks had turned a bright pink colour.
Had they embarrassed her with their forwardness? That was the last thing he had wanted to do. Making Tiffany comfortable around him and Matt was imperative, but he figured since they hadn’t seen her for four years that he and Matt had pushed her beyond her comfort zone.
“I have to go,” Tiffany said, still without looking at either one of them. “Thanks for…thanks.”
Tiffany took off like a scared rabbit, and even though Todd wanted to follow her and bring her back, he let her go. He followed her progress through the crowd and only started moving forward once she reached the entrance. When her hand was on the door, she paused and looked back toward him and Matt. Her eyes widened when she saw him heading her way. She whipped her head back around, pushed the door open, and all but ran outside.
Todd stood in the open doorway, and although he was aware of Matt coming to stand beside him, he didn’t take his eyes off of Tiffany until she got into what looked like a restored Mustang convertible and drove away.
He and Matt had finally found the woman of their dreams. Now they needed to convince Tiffany that they were the men for her.
* * * *
The next week passed quickly for Tiffany. She spent her time weeding the garden, cleaning the house, and looking after her grandmother, but the whole time she worked, Matt and Todd weren’t far from the front of her mind.
Her grandmother was currently taking a nap, so Tiffany took the opportunity to go outside. She used to spend hours out here with her grandma weeding and tending to the veggie patch and watering the garden. She turned off the hose and stretched out her tired, aching back. She had used muscles she normally didn’t use while gardening, and even though she was a little sore, it was a good feeling.
Tiffany looked toward the drive when she heard the sound of a diesel engine. There was a big, dark-blue, dual-cab, four-wheel-drive ute coming toward her. She rolled the hose up and then walked toward the driveway as the truck parked and she saw that it was Matt and Todd in the cab.
Matt cut the engine, and then he and Todd got out of the ute and walked straight for her. She froze in her tracks and hoped she didn’t look as hungry as she felt while she watched their slow, predatory gaits when they moved.
Matt stopped within touching distance, and Todd stopped when he stood beside his brother. They both looked her up and down, and Matt reached out with his hand and stroked a finger under one of her eyes.
“You look tired, chicken little. You need to take it easy.”
“I’m fine.” Tiffany took a step back, and when she glanced at Todd, she thought she saw a flash of pain in his eyes.
“You’re not sleeping properly, are you, munchkin?” Todd was studying her face intently.
Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she looked away and blinked a few times as she took a deep breath to try to get her emotions under control.
Matt took a step, nudged her chin up, and stared intently into her eyes. “We’re taking you out for a break this afternoon and tonight, baby. Mum and Dad are coming over soon and bringing dinner with them. They’ll look after your grandma for a while.”
“I don’t need…”
Todd moved to stand behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Don’t argue, Tiffany. We’re not going to let you run yourself ragged. You need a break, too. What will happen to your grandmother if you get sick? You need to take care of you, too, darlin’.”
Tiffany opened her mouth to reply, but when she realized Todd was right, she closed it again. Then she looked up at Matt and felt like she was drowning in his hungry gaze. No matter how hard she tried to pull her eyes away, she couldn’t. It was as if she was seeing into his soul and he into hers.
God, Tiffany, stop being so fanciful. These two men may be lusting after your body, but they aren’t the settling-down type.
From what she’d heard over the years, Matt and Todd were the love-’em-and-leave-’em type of men. She didn’t think that they would ever modify their behaviour. They’d gone through girlfriends like they changed their underwear, and she couldn’t see them altering just because she was in love with them.
Her breath hitched in her throat when Matt reached up and cupped her cheek. He took another step closer, and then he slowly lowered his head. Tiffany wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and meet him halfway but held her breath and didn’t move, just in case she was reading too much into his actions. She felt mesmerised by the hunger in the depths of his hazel eyes and wanted so badly to feel what it would be like to be kissed by him. Even though she suspected he and Todd only wanted her to slake their lust with, she didn’t protest.
His lips were warm and soft when they met hers. She had expected them to feel hard for some reason, but she had been wrong. All thoughts drifted away as he brushed his lips back and forth over hers, and when his tongue swept acros
s them, she gasped and he took immediate advantage.
Matt’s tongue pushed into her mouth, gliding along hers, and then hands landed on her waist and she was pulled up tight against his hard chest. She moaned when her aching pebbled nipples brushed against his T-shirt-covered stomach and whimpered as he deepened the kiss even more. This time when the urge to reach for him came, she didn’t suppress it. She couldn’t.
The need raging inside her was all-consuming, and she wasn’t about to deny herself this one small taste.
He plundered and pillaged her mouth, the kiss hot and wild. She gasped for breath when he finally lifted his mouth from hers, and just as her breathing began to slow again, she was being turned around.
Her gaze connected with Todd’s for what seemed an interminable length of time but she was sure was really only a few seconds, and then he, too, was kissing her. He swept his tongue around her mouth. He tasted so damn good, she wanted the kiss to last forever. He was a bit rougher and more aggressive than Matt, but he didn’t hurt her, and she loved the way he took control. She whimpered when he held her face between his hands and tilted her head slightly, and then he slanted his mouth over hers again and again, and again.
When he finally slowed and broke the kiss, Tiffany was panting and plastered up against his body. Her legs were so boneless Todd was the only thing keeping her from collapsing on the ground at his feet like a melted ice cube.
Todd gripped her arms and stepped back but didn’t release her until she was steady on her feet. When she could stand on her own without swaying, both men moved a couple of paces away.
Tiffany felt her face flame with mortification and turned her away from them to get herself under control, and was glad she had when she heard the sound of another vehicle coming up the drive.
Shirley and Richard got out of their car and smiled at her. Shirley came over, hugged her, and scrutinized her face. “You go with my boys and have some downtime. And don’t you be worrying about Agnes while you’re out for a bit of fun.”
“Shirley…I…Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, child.”
Richard walked over toward her, Matt, and Todd, carrying a large casserole dish. “Make sure you boys take care of Tiffany, but also make sure she has fun and relaxes.”
“Thanks, Richard.”
Richard smiled and then followed Shirley inside.
“You heard them, chicken little.” Matt stroked a finger down her cheek after she had turned back to face the two men. “Go and get whatever you need for an afternoon and night of fun.”
Tiffany headed inside, and even though she didn’t look back at them, she shivered when she felt their eyes on her arse.
She just hoped that there would be more kissing and touching, but then wondered if she wasn’t setting herself up for a fall.
Chapter Four
Matt turned to Todd while they waited for Tiffany to come back out of the house. “What are we going to do to help her unwind?”
“We could take her back to the ranch and go for a horse ride.”
Matt ran his fingers through his hair. “That’s a good idea. What about a picnic?”
Todd smiled and nodded. “We’ll make a quick run into town and buy all the food from the diner and then head out. Later tonight we could take her to the club for some dancing.”
Matt looked toward the door when he heard it open. His breath caught in his throat and he nearly choked when he saw the jeans encasing her shapely hips and thighs, and the loose shirt she’d pulled over what looked like a camisole. Tiffany was still doing up buttons as she walked toward them. Even though her clothes looked a size bigger than they should be, they didn’t hide what she looked like. Every step she took caused the shirt to flatten over her breasts for a tantalizing glimpse of hard nipples before the shirt billowed out and then pressed against her again.
By the time she got to a few feet away, Matt was so damn hard he was leaking pre-cum. He just hoped that his cock wasn’t leaving a wet spot on the front of his jeans.
“Ready?” Todd asked and held his hand out to Tiffany.
She must have heard the slight deepening of his brother’s voice, the same as Matt had, and raised an eyebrow in question.
Of course Todd just asked her if she was ready to go again, and then he dropped his hand, spun on his heel, and headed toward the ute.
Matt saw a sad expression quickly cross her face, but it was gone so fast he wondered if he’d imagined it. Tiffany didn’t say a word but turned her back on him and walked over to the car. He cursed softly under his breath when he saw her struggle to get into the backseat of the truck, and then she closed the door and buckled up. If he’d had his wits about him and hadn’t been wondering about that expression he thought he’d seen, he would have directed her to the front and lifted her up into the cab. He wanted her to get used to them being close to her again and damned himself for a missed opportunity. He rushed over and got in when Todd started the ignition.
Todd turned toward Passion, and Matt wondered if Tiffany would ask them where they were taking her, but she was quiet as a mouse and didn’t say a word. He wished he could see her, but if he turned around to look at her, he didn’t think she would show any emotion at all.
That was one thing he’d noticed since seeing Tiffany again. She seemed to have learned to hide what she was feeling, and he didn’t like not being able to read her. Other than smiling at them when they’d first seen her at the club, she didn’t show anything. Although he and Todd had learned to read people when serving in the military and now as security and bouncers at the club, she was harder to interpret. There was a time when every little emotion had shown across her face and in her eyes. Tiffany had never been the sort of person to hide what she was feeling. She used to be an open book and wore her heart on her sleeve.
He wondered if she’d been hurt by some arsehole while doing her apprenticeship in the city.
Todd pulled up outside the diner, and both of them got out of the truck. It wasn’t until they were already in the shop that Matt realized Tiffany hadn’t followed them. He turned toward the window, narrowed his eyes, and tried to see her. Although she was looking out the side window and not the front toward the diner, he saw her reach up and brush at her face with her hands as if she was wiping tears from her face. The first thing he wanted to do was rush back to the ute, get into the backseat with her, and pull her into his arms, but he didn’t. He and Todd were going to need to give her some time to become comfortable around them again before plying her with questions so she would open up with what was going on.
He was only vaguely aware of Todd ordering the food as he stared at Tiffany, and when Todd had the bags in hand and nudged him toward the door, he placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“She’s crying.”
“What?” Todd looked toward the truck and inhaled raggedly before turning to look at him. “We have to find out what’s going on with her.”
“I agree.”
“You don’t think it’s just because of her grandmother, do you?”
“That’s part of it. Grandma is her only living relative as far as we know, and she’s dying, but just before she headed to the truck before coming here she looked really sad.”
“Damn. I would love to know what she’s been doing since going to the city.” Todd sighed.
“You and me both,” Matt said.
“Do you think she’s pining for someone back there?”
“How the fuck should I know?” Matt snapped and then glanced around, hoping no one had heard him. Thank God no one in the diner seemed to be taking any notice of them. If they had, they may have thought that he and Todd were stalking someone.
Matt all but pulled the door off its hinges when he tugged it open. He didn’t say a word to his brother as he got into the front passenger seat of the truck. Todd glanced toward Tiffany as he backed out of the parking lot, and Matt turned to peek at her, too, but she never once looked their way, just kept her gaze out the sid
e window.
The ride back home was fraught with tension, and Matt couldn’t understand the change in Tiffany. Was she worried because they had kissed her? Surely she would have said something if she was? At least he hoped she would. What had made Tiffany clam up so much? She never used to hold her tongue. Had he and Todd changed so much that she no longer looked at them as her friends?
Of course he and Todd had known about the crush she’d had on them when she was a kid. They would have had to have been totally insensitive not to have seen the way she looked at them as she trailed after them. And even though they had done everything they could to ditch her when they were teenagers and had girlfriends, they had made sure they had been careful with her and not hurt her emotionally. At least he hoped they hadn’t hurt her.
Did she just see them as friends now and didn’t see them as someone she could love? No, Matt mentally shook his head. He couldn’t even think that. They hadn’t seen her in over four years. She was a grown woman and had surely had men panting after her in the city.
Matt ground his teeth and clenched his jaw. The thought of another man touching her sent shards of pain straight to his heart, and a knot of jealousy formed in his chest. He knew he was a bastard for being upset over the thought of another man touching what he now thought of as his, especially after parading girls in front of her when she’d imagined herself in love with them, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Not that he and Todd had intentionally set out to hurt her young heart, but since she had followed them everywhere or sought them out and found where they were entertaining, that hadn’t been possible. He regretted hurting her, but he and Todd were five years older than she was and she had still been a kid when their hormones were raging out of control.
After everything that had gone down back then, how the hell were he and Todd supposed to convince her that she was the woman they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with and that they were the men for her?