by Sophie Oak
“I will go where I like and do what I like.” Jen’s voice rang out in the empty bar.
The look on Stef’s face could only be called a sneer. “And that is why I will not train you. This attitude may suit your selfish needs but will never fit into my world.”
The waitress went a pasty white. “Stefan, I didn’t mean…” She stopped and went still.
Callie turned to her friend, looking between the girl and Stef. “It was my fault, Stef. I asked her to come with me. I was feeling very reckless. I came here to find someone to spend the night with, and she was worried about me.”
“What?” Nate practically screamed the question. She’d done what?
Callie shrugged. “Like I said, it might not have been the best idea. I immediately ran into Zane, who cut me off at the bar and proceeded to snarl at any man who looked at me. I will admit, there were not a lot of decent prospects here. So, Stef, you can’t blame Jen. She was just trying to help.”
“What Jennifer should have done was call me to let me know you were making a huge mistake.” Stef’s face was set. Nate knew that look. Callie should stop talking. Nate had known Stef for a long time, and Stef wasn’t listening to anything but his own rage now. “She should have trusted me to handle the situation. She knows nothing of trust, and therefore there can be nothing between us. Now, Jennifer, you have two options, you can go and get in the car, or I can carry you there.”
Tears running down her face, Jennifer walked out the door. Stef turned to Callie. “As for you…”
“No, Talbot, she’s not yours to discipline.” Zane’s words came out in a low, predatory growl.
Stef looked like he wanted to argue. Nate stepped between them. Zane was right on this one. “Stefan, I appreciate the backup, but this is between the three of us. It would be best if you left. Take Logan with you. Zane and I will handle Callie.”
“Is that the way it’s going to be?” Stef glared at them, every muscle in his body bunched and coiled.
Nate wondered if they were about to have it out. It would be worth it. Callie was worth it. “Yeah, that’s the way it’s going to be.”
A small smile broke over Stefan’s face. “Excellent. Then perhaps it was worth it after all. Callie, good luck, dear. Call me if you need anything.” Just like that, Stefan was back to being the smooth artist. Nate had always envied his friend’s ability to change like quicksilver. Stef walked to the door. “Come along, Logan. I’ll take you home. I’m sure someone has told your mothers that you went into a biker bar with guns blazing by now.”
“Damn it,” Logan groused. “Do you have any idea the lecture I’m about to get? Have you ever had a big, overprotective lesbian lecture you?”
Stef laughed. “No. I’ll be sure to drive away as quickly as possible so Marie can’t catch me. Good night.”
It was blissfully quiet. Nate looked at Zane, who seemed ill at ease, and Callie, who couldn’t possibly be as calm as she seemed. “Callie, get in the car. Since you stole mine earlier, I’ll drive yours back. Zane can take his bike.”
She opened her mouth.
“No arguments.” Nate barked at her, unwilling to argue. “And Callie, passenger seat. If you decide to take off, I will show up at your house, break down your door, put you over my knee, and I won’t listen to protests, darlin’.”
Her jaw dropped open. “Nathan Wright, how dare you?”
“I dare, Callie.”
“Do what he says, or as soon as he’s done blistering your backside, I’ll do the same.” Zane let her go.
Her head swung back and forth between the two as though sizing up their true intentions. “You are both just cavemen, aren’t you?”
Finally, she understood them. She turned and flounced off, yellow skirt floating around her knees. He looked at Zane, and they followed after her. The night air was cool on his sweaty skin, and Nate was very glad for it. He was on edge, and he knew it. After Callie slammed the car door shut, he turned to Zane.
“You want to tell me what happened in there?” His eyes shifted around. He saw Zane doing the same. Looking for danger. Once a cop…
“Apparently, Ellis isn’t done with me. He put a bounty out on me.”
Simple words coming out of his friend’s mouth, but they shook Nate to his core. When would they be done with this? They had put the man in prison, but his arms had a long reach. “And now she’s on their radar.”
Zane nodded. “I’ll leave in the morning.”
Ah, the expected response from self-sacrificing Zane. No way that was going to happen. “No, you won’t. She’ll still be on their radar. I don’t suppose you had the good sense to act like she didn’t mean anything.”
He shrugged. “I tried, but I’d already beaten up a guy over her, and then I pretty much pleaded with them to let her go, so no, there’s no way they believe I don’t care.”
Damn it. Nate let his eyes close briefly. Well, he’d wanted a reason to throw the three of them together. Now he had one. He intended to make the best of it. “We have to stay close to her. They won’t let her be. If they’re after you, the best way to come at you is through her. I didn’t help the cause tonight. They know I care about her, too. We can’t let her out of our sight. You’ll have to suck it up and show your ass around this town.”
That suited Nate just fine. Zane needed to come to the same conclusions he had about Bliss. This town might have its head up its ass about some things, but he’d never been in a more tolerant, loving place in his life. He would take it slow, move them toward what he wanted. He was a patient man.
Zane frowned, but Nate could see the softness in his eyes as he looked over at Callie sitting primly in the car. “I don’t think she’s going to like having us on her ass twenty-four seven.”
Nate bit back a groan at the thought of being in her ass. Fuck, he was going to die if he didn’t sleep with her and soon. “She’ll live with it. You’re her bodyguard. I can watch her at the station house, but what happens when I go on a call?”
A grim look of determination crossed Zane’s face. “I’ll be there. I’ll watch her.”
At least they had a plan. He walked to the little two-door piece of crap Callie drove. He wondered briefly how he was going to fit and where they stored the hamsters that obviously powered it. As soon as they had some cash, her ride was getting an upgrade. “I’ll see you at home. You follow, and don’t let us out of your sight. And Zane, you don’t get caught without your ordinance again.”
Nate slammed the door and held his hand out for the keys. Callie dropped them in and stared forward, not looking at him for even a moment. “You be as pissed as you like, darlin’, so long as you mind me.”
Callie faced the road. “You can’t expect me to obey you outside of work, Sheriff.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. He hated the distance she was putting between them and had no intention of allowing it to go on a moment longer. He’d seen the way she’d clung to Zane. She had done the same thing to him earlier in the day, only to push him back because she was afraid. He knew he’d had a large hand in giving her that insecurity, but there was no room for fear anymore. “Nate. Don’t you call me Sheriff again. Not at work and not at home. My name is Nate.”
She set her pretty lips in a stubborn pout. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Don’t think at all, darlin’. Look where your last idea landed you.” He turned and stared at the road ahead.
It got really dark in the mountains. Nate concentrated on the twin beams of light that illuminated the road in front of him. It struck him suddenly that it took two lights to really see the way through and keep things safe. Turn one off and you could be blindsided. Something tightened in his heart. It would take two of them to keep Callie safe, two of them to really love her. He just had to convince them.
“You should turn here, Nate.” Callie’s head followed the road he should have turned down, the one that ran to her house. “You missed it.”
“No, I didn
’t. You’re coming home with us, and you’ll stay there.”
Now she was looking at him. Nate felt that little thrill he got when Callie was flustered and angry with him. He shouldn’t like to needle her, but she was so cute when she was pissed. And passionate.
“I certainly am not. I am going home, and then you can ride back with Zane.”
“Not happening. First, you were right. Zane takes up all the space. I can’t fit on the back of his bike. I’d have to ride on the handle bars like an eight year old. That’s illegal, Callie, so then I would have to write myself a ticket. If I have a ticket, how am I supposed to go on being Sheriff? I owe it to this town to be a role model. If I step down, and the rubber duck takes over, chaos will ensue. So, you have to come home with me in order to fight chaos.” He turned toward the road that led to the little valley his and Zane’s cabin was in, thinking about how nice it would be to have her there.
“That is the silliest thing I ever heard.” But there was a slight curling of her lips. It satisfied him.
* * * *
She knew she should protest. She should force him to take her home. Callie’s hands twisted in her lap as Nate efficiently handled her little car. The top of his head nearly brushed the ceiling, and despite the fact that he had the seat all the way back, his knees were up. She doubted Zane would be able to fit at all. Zane. He was here and, at the very least, he didn’t want her to be horribly murdered by bikers. That was something, right?
She could still feel the press of him against her skin, his weight holding her down. She had been able to sense his panic when he realized they were surrounded. A lump formed in her throat. They had been surrounded. Those men…they were going to kill him. The sudden image of Zane’s big body still and silent brought a sob to her throat.
“Baby?” Nate’s voice was softer than she’d heard it in six years. He sounded like he had back then. “Oh, baby.”
He pulled the car in front of the cabin he’d bought. Callie knew it as Marnie’s old place. The elderly woman had moved into an assisted living home in Alamosa. Callie loved her cabin. She’d played there with Marnie’s grandkids when they came up for the summer.
He could have died…
She heard the door slam. She couldn’t hold it back any more. She put her head in her hands and sobbed. It all crashed in on her. The weeks of being near Nate, her loneliness, how scared she’d been tonight. It crashed over her like a wave that had been building for years, and she trembled with the force of it. Her car door opened, and Nate unhooked her seat belt. He pulled her into his arms. One hand went around her back, and the other hooked under her knees. He cradled her against his chest. Callie gave in to the irresistible pull of another human being comforting her.
“What’s wrong?” Zane’s voice was a soft accusation.
“She’s coming down,” Nate stated quietly.
Zane nodded. He rushed to the cabin door, unlocking it and opening the door.
“I wasn’t high,” Callie protested through her wretched tears. It came out on a hiccup.
“Of course you weren’t, darlin’.” Nate swept her through the small living room and sat down on the couch. He gently directed her head to the crook of his neck. “You had an adrenaline rush because you were in a very dangerous situation. It helps keep you alert and aware during the crisis. Now you’re crashing down. I feel it myself.”
“Me, too, babe.” Zane was kneeling close to her. His hand stroked into her hair.
Callie rubbed her face into Nate’s neck. She knew she should stop and put some distance between them, but it felt too sweet to be held. It had been so long since she had arms around her, skin pressed to hers, the scent of another filling her senses. She felt Zane moving next to Nate. She shivered slightly as his head nestled into her shoulder. She was fitted to Nate, and Zane was connected to her, the three of them linked together like pieces of a puzzle.
“Callie, baby, we’re in a dangerous position.”
Callie wasn’t sure if Nate was talking about the stuff with the bikers, or the fact that every nerve in her body was so aware of the two men touching her they were singing a chorus. Her tears were drying up, subsiding into little tremors. Those tremors were rapidly having more to do with the slide of Zane’s hand along her thigh and the way Nate’s breath heated her cheek than her earlier fear.
Zane’s voice was a low, husky growl. “You’re going to have to stay with us for a while, babe. That biker gang won’t go away. They’ll be looking to mess with you because they know that would hurt me.”
“Us,” Nate corrected. He brushed the hair back from her face. His blue eyes were serious as he forced her to look up.
God, she must look a mess. She didn’t cry prettily. She went all out. She got red in the face, and her nose lit up like Rudolph. She tried to pull away. His hand tightened on her hair, firmly but gently keeping her where he wanted. It should have bothered her. It just made her soften against him.
“Callie, these men are dangerous. You have to trust that we’ll do what it takes to protect you,” Nate said.
Zane’s head rubbed restlessly against hers. “We won’t let anything happen to you.” He groaned a little as his hand found the naked skin under the skirt of her dress.
Oh, boy. She was rapidly approaching the point where she wouldn’t be able to make a good decision. The tequila was still running through her system. She was going to slow things down. She understood the need to stay here, but she wasn’t about to sleep with them. Except when she opened her mouth to protest, Nate’s tongue slid in. Push him away. Her arms weren’t listening. One wound around Nate’s neck while the other wandered off to encourage Zane.
Zane slid off the couch. She felt him kneeling at her feet. Nate’s tongue was gliding against hers with a silky grind. Callie felt Zane pull off her shoes. He held her feet in his big hands, surrounding them with his heat. They were both so hot. The heat that came off those large bodies could keep her warm all winter.
Nate’s palms cupped her face, holding her still for his dominating tongue. He was done with gentle caresses, it seemed. His mouth slanted over hers again and again, challenging her to keep up with him. Callie let him lead, her tongue playing against his, a feminine response to his male dominance.
Callie sighed as Zane gently bit at the arch of her foot. She’d never thought of a foot as being erotic, but the sensation was overwhelming. Her legs started to move restlessly. Zane held her, putting a stop to that.
“No, Callie. You relax. You’re not in charge of this. We are.” Zane’s deep voice had a direct line to her pussy. It pulsed with need. She stilled, and Zane kissed his way up her leg, licking and biting and awakening every inch of her skin.
Nate’s hands pushed down the straps of her dress. He kissed her hard on the lips one last time before twisting her body around. His hands on her waist, he spun her forward so her back was to his chest and used his knees to spread her legs wide. She could feel the hard line of his rigid cock against the seam of her ass. She wiggled against it.
“No teasing,” Nate barked as he pulled down the bodice of her dress, baring her breasts. “Damn it, Callie, where’s your bra?” His hands cupped her, his fingers immediately playing with her hard nipples.
“I don’t like them. I wear them at work but nowhere else.” She hated them actually. She knew her breasts were too big to go without, but they were still somewhat perky, and she saw no need to give in just yet.
She looked down, and Zane was grinning up at her, the look on his face so sweetly lascivious she thought she might faint. Whatever he was planning in that brain of his was going to feel good. She was sure of that. He tossed her skirt up, and his head disappeared.
“Damn. No panties, either.”
Nate pinched her nipples, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger. Callie felt her breasts swell under his plucking fingers. Her head rolled back. She gave up the fight. She hadn’t really given it much of a go. She wanted them, even if they broke her heart.
&n
bsp; “I’m fine with the panties,” Nate replied. His breath was warm on her neck. “But I don’t want anyone watching these breasts. They’re soft and round, and every man with eyes will want to watch them bounce.”
Zane came out from under her skirt. “Let ‘em. I don’t mind them looking, but I’ll kick the ass of anyone who tries to touch.” He shoved her skirt up, exposing her to the air. “This, on the other hand, is a different matter. God, I missed this.”
He knelt back down and shoved his nose right into her pussy. The sensation was so startlingly intimate, Callie nearly jumped up. Nate’s hands tightened, keeping her close.
“Calm down, darlin’. Let Zane taste you. He’s been wanting to taste you again for years.”
“She smells so good.”
“Is she wet?”
The men were talking around her like she was a sweet little plaything, existing only for their pleasure. Callie sighed and gave herself over to the fantasy. It was so nice to let go. Every day of her life, it seemed, was about being in control and taking care of someone else. This was heaven. She needed it so badly.
Zane’s fingers slid through the flesh of her pussy. Callie felt a fresh coat of arousal covering her.
“She’s past wet, bro. She is soaking.” He pushed a big finger deep into her cunt, grunting as he rotated it. Callie quivered. “She’s also tight as a drum. That’s what happens when you wait, babe. You get tight as a virgin all over again.”
Nate’s tongue traced the shell of her ear. “What do you mean wait?” He gasped a little. Callie could feel his breath on her ear. He whispered. “You haven’t had anyone but us, have you, baby?”
She wanted to lie and tell them she’d had a hundred men since them. It would make her feel far less vulnerable than the truth. But, they would see through her. Besides, there hadn’t been anyone. “No one but you.”
She’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted them. What she had felt for the Harper twins was a girlish crush, an attempt to hold on to what she knew. Nate and Zane were different. Her heart had been engaged the moment she laid eyes on them, and she doubted it would ever change.