Rough and Ready

by Stacey Espino

  “Yes,” she murmured. The thought of Parker making love to another woman was indigestible. She wanted him for herself. Wanted his brother just as much.

  He worked her body, slamming into her over and over. The man was skilled, every thrust of his hips bringing her closer. They kissed and held each other, the warm breeze caressing the clean sweat on their nude bodies. When her orgasm started to spark, she dug her nails into his back.

  “That’s a girl,” he said. “Come for me, baby. I want to fill you up and make you mine.”

  Yes, she wanted to be his. His woman. His everything.

  Her womb began to contract, and she panted as her orgasm reached its peak. She exploded, screaming Parker’s name, her contractions squeezing his cock until she felt him come. He growled, his muscles going taut as he filled her with his cum.

  Parker exhaled, rolling to his back. She looked at his body, completely naked, partially concealed by shadows. Even flaccid, his cock was impressive. “Thank you,” he said.

  She crawled over to him, his cum leaking down her inner thigh. “Tell me you love me,” she said.

  He narrowed his eyes, looking at her with a mix of confusion.

  “Please.”

  He twisted to his side, running his hand into her hair and securing her head in one place. “Say that again.”

  “Tell me you love me.”

  “Don’t play with me, Robyn.”

  “I’m not.”

  He tugged her head back and she let out a little gasp of pain. Parker licked along her jaw before nipping her ear. He kissed her on the mouth, deep and possessive. “I could stay here forever. With you. But—”

  She shook her head, not wanting to hear it.

  “I can’t fuck Yukon over. If you have to choose, choose him.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. She felt so vulnerable, so completely exposed. “Why can’t I have you both?” She bit the inside of her lip after daring to spit out the most important, raw question plaguing her thoughts. It could cost her both men. But she couldn’t bury the truth forever.

  The way they’d toyed with her in their horse barn and by the fireplace. It had felt natural for them to share her, but maybe it was all in her head. They were brothers, after all. This could be a deal breaker.

  He shut her up with another kiss, his tongue caressing hers. Robyn never did get what she asked for.

  ****

  The next morning, Parker needed a cold shower to wake up. He could barely keep his eyes open. He’d been up until late with Robyn before driving her back to the diner so she could get her car. Watching her leave had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done. It wasn’t easy keeping up a stone-cold exterior, but he wouldn’t let her break his heart. She’d already done a good job of that with his brother.

  She was heading back to the city today, just as he predicted she would. His brother foolishly believed she’d give up her fancy lifestyle for him, but Parker knew better. They had nothing worthwhile to offer a woman like Robyn.

  He was out in the barn saddling his horse when Yukon came in. His shadow blocked out the early morning rays.

  “No work today?” asked Yukon.

  “Not today.”

  “What’re you doing with Silver?”

  “I’m taking a ride. Do I have your permission?” He backed out his gelding, forcing Yukon to move out of the way. He wasn’t in the mood for the third degree. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, Robyn took a piece of him when she left. Making love to her under the stars had meant something. But it wasn’t meant to last.

  “You getting practice in for the barrel racing?” asked Yukon.

  He growled as he led Silver to the paddock. His horse had been his sidekick when he was in his rodeo heyday, but he’d been retired ever since Parker stopped competing. “Stop worrying about me and worry about your damn self.”

  “I don’t know what’s happened to you. You used to give a shit. Now all you do is sneak around and get drunk. Is that how you want to live your life?”

  “Fuck off, Yukon. You’re the one pining over a piece of pussy.”

  Yukon gave him a shove, and Parker laughed. Within seconds they were brawling in the dirt, throwing punching and roughhousing like they did when they were teens. They were matched size for size, but Parker needed the physical outlet as much as Yukon.

  After a hard right hook to his jaw, his brother paused, then dropped his fist. “Whatever. You do your thing, I’ll do mine.” Yukon walked off back to the house.

  Parker rubbed his face and cracked his neck to the side. He mounted Silver and tore out into the fields. How much was one man expected to take? He’d been trying to be the head of the house, take care of Yukon, and keep food on the table. Life wasn’t easy for them, but he fucking tried every single day.

  Now they were in their forties, both single, both growing bitterer by the day. Yukon was right—they were heading down the same path as their father, and there was nothing either of them could do about it. Parker wished Yukon could have found that happily ever after with Robyn. He still remembered the goofy look on his face when he came home from Meg’s that first day. It had been the look of a boy in love, and it suited him.

  He brought his horse into a full gallop, savoring the feel of the wind on his face. Why couldn’t he get Robyn off his mind? He should have fought for her, told her she belonged to them.

  Them?

  She’d actually said she wanted both of them. Was it even possible to love two men? Was she screwing with him? He didn’t take her for the kind of woman to sleep around, but she’d fucked both of them in the same week. The thought of sharing her with Yukon didn’t even bother him, which was scarier than anything. If he even mentioned the idea of his lovesick brother, he’d probably knock him into next week.

  It didn’t matter. She was gone. Back to the city. Back to her real life.

  He needed to talk, but not with Yukon. Parker rode his horse through the back paths to Carlson’s ranch. He dismounted when he reached the fence line of their property and walked Silver the rest of the way.

  Ava was climbing down from the roof of the house.

  “What the heck are you doing up there?”

  She stepped off the final rung of the metal ladder. “Fixing the shingles. We had some leaks during the rain storm,” she said.

  “Carlson around?”

  Ava shrugged, adjusting the hammer in her tool belt. “He was helping Wade fix his truck earlier. Check by the barn.”

  Parker continued to walk his horse toward their barn. They’d grown up with the three Wright kids. Carlson and his identical twin Wade and their younger sister Ava. Nobody messed with her, not just because she had two brothers, but she was more of a cowboy than all of them put together. They didn’t have a mother, so he guessed she just never learned how to be a woman.

  He spotted Carlson, and he tied Silver to one of the tie outs.

  “Hey, stranger,” said Carlson. “Where’ve you been hiding?”

  “Working my ass off.”

  Carlson took off his hat and brushed the dust off his jeans. “Yukon was complaining you’re never home.”

  “I got a side job.” Parker didn’t want to tell anyone, but he trusted Carlson to keep his mouth shut. “With the Palmers.”

  Carlson laughed out loud. Parker gave him a shove.

  “I’m serious.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, trying to focus on the reason he was there in the first place. “Don’t tell Yukon. Don’t tell anyone. Sometimes you have to do shit you don’t want to do.”

  “Okay. I get it.”

  Carlson knew how much Parker and Yukon hated the Palmer brothers. They’d tormented them in grade school. The Palmers were born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Parker and Yukon went to school in hand-me-downs mended by their mother. They’d sworn never to work for them, and they’d gone without too many times to count even when the Palmers needed laborers.

  Yuk
on was worth the sacrifice, even if Parker was only good enough for the most dangerous tasks and mucking out.

  “You and Wade are my age, so tell me something,” said Parker. “You okay living without a woman?”

  Carlson narrowed his eyes. He began coiling a length of rope around his hand and elbow. “What’s this all about? Is it something to do with Yukon and that girl from the diner?”

  “It has to do with me. I’m forty-five. That’s a lot of lonely years until I hang up my hat.”

  “Shit, you’re depressing me,” said Carlson. “I’m sure you’ll find a woman when the time is right.”

  “I’m just not sure I can trust one again.”

  Carlson walked over to his truck and put the rope in the bed. He reached in his pocket for his keys. “How long you gonna live in the past? You fucked around with that girl, what, over twenty years ago? It’s time to move on and expand your horizons, buddy.”

  Parker nodded.

  “If you keep playing it safe, nothing will change. Sometimes you have to put yourself out there. I’m not saying there aren’t any risks, and another bitch may break your heart, but eventually you’ll find the right one.”

  Parker moved to the side as Carlson boarded his truck. “You’re just like your dad. You have a way with words.”

  “I’ll see you at Meg’s tonight. You best be there.” Carlson backed out of the driveway, disappearing down the drive.

  His friend was right. He should have taken a risk and told Robyn he loved her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  A week later

  Yukon brought his horse out of gallop and noticed someone standing near the barn. He walked his horse the rest of the way, giving her a breather. He’d been out scouting their distant property for any damage now that the ground had dried up enough to ride on.

  As he neared his home, he saw that it was Robyn. It had been well over a week since she’d left. The hardest week of his life. Now she had the nerve to show up again?

  A mix of anger, betrayal, and desire nearly knocked the breath out of him.

  He dismounted his mare and tied her to the fence post. Yukon lifted his Stetson to fix his hair and set it back in place.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Can I help you?” He wanted to hate her, to tell her to fuck off, but he couldn’t.

  “I wanted to see you.”

  Yukon wasn’t buying it. He made his way to the barn and grabbed the shovel, dropping it in a wheelbarrow. “I have nothing to say to you, Robyn.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “Can’t we please talk?”

  He scoffed. “I’m taking a page from your playbook, darlin’. I refuse to deal with you or Parker anymore. I’m just worrying about myself from now on.”

  She rushed in front of him so he couldn’t ignore her, pressing her palms to his chest. Damn, he missed her touch. Her hair smelled like strawberries.

  “Don’t be mad at your brother because of me. He loves you,” she said.

  “No, he’s off riding in the rodeo every day after he swore he’d never ride again. I’m tired of people betraying me.”

  She shook her head. “He’s not at the rodeo, Yukon. He’s at the Palmer ranch.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “How would you know?”

  “I saw him there last week when I was getting some contracts signed.”

  “He wouldn’t be there. I know him. Maybe you saw someone else,” he said, walking around her.

  “Yukon, he was mucking out their stalls.”

  He squeezed his hands into fists, then turned around, his mind in a daze.

  Mucking out? All these months he’d been pissed off at Parker, giving him the hardest time. The bastard had lowered himself to work for the Palmers just to keep food on their table? He hadn’t been betraying Yukon, he’d been sacrificing for him.

  “Why the fuck would he do that?” He was talking more to himself, frustration and anger surging out of nowhere.

  “Because he loves you. No matter the cost.”

  “This can’t be right. He told you this?”

  “He didn’t want to lose your respect.”

  Parker was a proud man, always had been. He believed in honor, family, and keeping his word. For him to stoop to beg the Palmers for work showed just how deep his loyalties to his family lied.

  Where did that leave Robyn?

  “What about you? You were real quick to run off, weren’t you? Haven’t heard from you since.”

  She looked down, kicking at the hay littering the floor of the barn. “I ran. You’re right.”

  “Why? I thought there was something special between us. I actually started to believe we wanted the same things out of life.”

  This time she looked him in the eyes. “I’m not like you. I didn’t have a great mom and dad growing up. Once I started having feelings for you, real feelings, it scared the hell out of me. I’ve always avoided getting close to people.” She took a breath before continuing. “Because I’m scared.”

  “Of what?”

  “I don’t know.” She spun around. “Maybe getting my heart broken, being tossed away when you get sick of me. I’ve lived a certain way my whole life, convincing myself of the kind of woman I should be. In reality, I’m not sure of anything … except you.”

  Yukon’s bravado slipped away. He reached down for her hand, intertwining their fingers. “What are you saying?”

  She swallowed hard, and she looked so helpless he had the urge to pull her into his arms. “I missed you. A lot. Can we give things a chance?”

  “But you’re heading back to the city soon.”

  “I’ve already gone back, Yukon. We left a few days ago. I thought things would go back to normal, that I’d be able to forget you. It wasn’t so easy.”

  He walked back out to the yard between the house and the barn, still holding her hand. “So, whose car is that?”

  Robyn chuckled. “It’s mine. It barely got me here.”

  Yukon had been in a dark rut since Robyn left with barely a goodbye. He’d just gotten to know her, then she was gone. As much as he shouldn’t trust her, seeing her again stripped away all the layers of sadness and depression. He wanted her in his life more than anything.

  He spun around, conflicted on how he should react. Yukon climbed the first rung of the paddock fence and sat on the top rail. “You telling me you drove all the way from the city to here by yourself? Because you missed me?”

  “You have every right to hate me. I left when every instinct inside me told me to stay. I’m just so used to disappointment that the happiness terrified me.”

  “So, what now?” he asked.

  Robyn walked over to the fence and braced a hand on each of his knees. “Were you telling me the truth when you said you wanted a future with me?”

  “I had no reason to lie.”

  “What about now? Do you still feel the same way?” She slid both hands up his thighs, his cock reacting from the simple touch, hardening in his jeans.

  He didn’t answer.

  She ran her palm over the bulge in his pants, then untucked the front of his shirt. “I missed this body,” she said. When her roaming hands smoothed up his abs, he’d had enough.

  Yukon shackled both her wrists in a hand and slipped off the fence. “What game are you playing? You have another assignment up here?”

  Robyn tried to tug away, but he wouldn’t let her. “I told you why I’m here. I made a mistake, probably the biggest mistake in my life. I’ve been looking for happiness in all the wrong places. I know that know.”

  He clenched his jaw, staring down at her beautiful face. Her long hair hung in loose curls over her shoulders and her lips were painted red. Yukon licked his lips as he looked lower. Her huge juicy tits were barely hidden in her tight black shirt. “You want me to trust you now? How do I know you won’t run off again? I’m too old for this shit.”

  “Let me show you how serious I am.” She licked her lips, teasing and tempting him. He still hadn’t releas
ed her wrists when Parker’s truck came barreling up the long, winding drive. County music filled the quiet of the afternoon.

  He’d been on bad terms with Parker since Robyn left, and now that he knew the truth about where he disappeared to every day, he felt like an asshole. Yukon still didn’t need to hear Parker tell him “I told you so” and push Robyn away.

  Robyn turned her head, and they both watched as Parker hopped down from his truck, fitting on his black Stetson before walking toward them.

  “You’re back,” said Parker, circling them as he made a slow inspection of their runaway guest.

  “Are you disappointed?” she asked.

  “I never should have let you leave,” said Parker.

  ****

  Robyn was in a bind. Both the men who’d stolen her heart were there, and the idea of a ménage relationship could turn both of them off. She’d suggested it to Parker, but he never said anything one way or another.

  After leaving for the city with Shelly and Peter, she swore she left her heart and soul behind in the country. She tried to focus on work, drinks at night, the same routine … but all she could think about were Parker, Yukon, and their simple life in paradise. It took her a few days of self-reflection to realize she’d been chasing rainbows her entire life. Trying to be something else just to be accepted by people she couldn’t stand had stolen her zest for life. What she needed, what she’d always needed, was love, acceptance, and authenticity.

  Parker looked like sin with his black Stetson, Wranglers, and fitted t-shirt hugging his hard muscles. His eyes were dark and set, making her body thrum. She still remembered their time in the barn loft—and driving away when the night was over, knowing she’d never see him again.

  “I never should have left,” she said. Robyn had never felt so vulnerable, her heart and life on the line. “I love both of you.”

  Yukon narrowed his eyes, but kept silent.

  “And you still ran back to the city,” said Parker. He approached her without apology, running the backs of his fingers along the swell of her breast. “You should be punished for putting my brother through a week of hell.”

  “You’re right,” she said. Out of everything, she felt the worst for hurting Yukon when he’d only been good to her. “I told Yukon about your job, too.” It was supposed to be some big secret, but all this bad blood had to stop. She’d never had a real relative, and to see two brothers grow apart because of a misunderstanding was indigestible to her.