by Sable Hunter
Heath tilted his head. “You do?”
Samson and Gideon locked gazes and tried to hide their amusement. Keep your cool, Gideon. She’s worth it.
You might be right.
Their twin connection was deep. Even though they had different fathers, they’d shared a womb and now they shared their thoughts.
“This is Samson and Gideon Duke.” He emphasized the last word. “Those Dukes. The OuterLimits Dukes.”
“Do tell...” For Heath, it was hard to mellow, but he tried. After all, he’d submitted a proposal to partner with these space pioneers to provide them with the fuel used to propel their rockets into outer space. “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you. Wasn’t expecting to find you…in my backyard with my sister.” His voice had gone from congenial to gruff in a heartbeat, despite Philip giving him a hard elbow jab to the ribs.
“I wouldn’t exactly call Falconhead our backyard, brother,” Jaxson whispered. “This house is a fuckin’ citadel and the Dukes are gazillionaires.”
“Not gazillionaires.” Billionaires.
Be humble, Gideon. Keep the prize in sight.
“Ah, yes, Ryder,” Gideon said her name, acknowledging both Heath’s comment and Samson’s thought. “Luckily, Samson came upon her when he did. Her horse threw her right into the path of a diamondback rattlesnake.”
Philip moved quickly. “Are you all right?” He pulled Ryder into his arms.
“I’m good.” She hugged her brother. “If Samson hadn’t come along and shot the snake, it would have bit me though. He showed up just in time.”
“Thank you.” Philip addressed the Dukes. “We are grateful you rescued Ryder and brought her back safely.”
“Why didn’t you just bring her home?” Heath grumbled.
“I wanted her to meet my brother, I also had a bull that pushed through a fence onto your property and we managed to get him back where he belonged.”
“Hmmm.” Heath didn’t look like he was convinced. “Well…I do thank you for helping Ryder. She shouldn’t have been out riding so late or alone.” He nailed his little sister with a pointed glare. “But, I’m glad you were there when she needed you. Now, it’s time to get her home. Ryder, you’re coming with me. Jaxson, you ride Star home.”
“I was having a good time.” Ryder protested, forcing herself not to whine.
“Sure, I can do that,” Jaxson agreed.
“We could bring Ryder home when she is ready to leave,” Samson suggested, although he was aware this was a skirmish they weren’t going to win. No matter, their time with the beautiful Ryder McCoy was just beginning.
“No.” Heath was adamant. “I’ll feel better if she goes home with us.”
“I’m so sorry. Thank you for everything.” She took Samson’s hand, then moved to Gideon. “And thank you, Gideon, for making me welcome.”
Disregarding the McCoy brothers’ watchful eyes, Samson and Gideon both kissed Ryder’s hand, ignoring the growling noises coming from her elder brother. “We’ll be seeing one another again soon, I’m sure of it.” To ease the situation, Samson did something he’d been planning on doing anyway. “Heath, why don’t you give me a call on Monday and we’ll go over some numbers on the fuel. I’ve been doing my research on your energy company and I appreciate what you’re doing in the conservation area.”
Heath’s business would never be more important than his family, but he did manage half a smile. “I’ll do that, Mr. Duke. I look forward to doing business with you.”
“Thurgood!” In about five seconds, the butler appeared at the kitchen door. “Will you see the McCoy family to the door?”
“Yes, sir.” He bowed and did his duty.
Ryder felt like a recalcitrant child who was being sent to her room. She was about to follow her brothers when Samson captured her hand and pulled her close.
“I’ll be in touch, beautiful. We Dukes don’t give up easily.”
His voice made her shiver. She locked her gaze with Samson, then glanced at Gideon. He gave her a wink as if confirming what his brother said to her.
Alarm bells began to go off in Ryder’s head. Maybe it was a good idea she was going home right now, she certainly needed time to think. Ryder was confused…and very, very glad she’d met her new neighbors.
* * *
Samson and Gideon stood at the window, watching the McCoys head down the drive. “I don’t have to ask you what you’re thinking,” Gideon muttered at Samson’s side. “I can feel it.”
“Yea, she bowled me over. Tonight wasn’t the right time, but I think we should make our move.” Samson leaned his forearm on the window sill, gazing out into the night. “She’s sweet, soft, smart, and sexy as hell.”
“Just the thought of something happening to her and we never got the chance to meet her…to touch her.” Gideon turned abruptly, heading to the tray and pouring himself another glass of the expensive wine.
“Unthinkable,” Samson agreed. “Our only problem will be convincing her to accept us both.”
Gideon laughed. “If you think that will be our only problem, you didn’t meet the same group of cowboys I did tonight. Those McCoy men would die for their sister. And I have the feeling they’re pretty traditional.”
“I guess we’ll just have to convince them, as well as Ryder.” Samson drained his glass and set it on the tray.
Gideon stared at his brother. “So…you’re not viewing this as just another sexual partner, another conquest.” The Duke siblings weren’t promiscuous, they tended to focus on one woman at a time. All vetted. All discrete. But none serious.
Samson crossed his arms and shook his head. “I don’t know, Gideon. This feels different. How do you think we should proceed?”
Gideon tried to ignore his cock, which had been hard anytime she was near. “Slowly and with as much finesse as possible.”
“Ryder is not like the other women. The idea of both of us will surprise her. Should we be honest from the start or should just one of us pursue her first and…?”
Gideon interrupted Samson. “Gradually get her used to the idea of a threesome?” The brothers could always finish one another’s sentences. From the time they were born, their connection was inexplicable to other people.
“Yes, I suppose,” Samson mused.
Gideon heard his brother’s unspoken concern. “We’ve done that in the past and I don’t think it’s a good idea with Ryder. I prefer we were honest from the beginning. This may be too important – she may be too important. If Ryder can’t accept us for who we are, there’s no use investing more than we can afford to lose in a dead-end relationship.”
“I’m not sure she picked up on it, but we didn’t exactly hide it from her tonight.” Samson recalled all that had been said. He also remembered how she felt in his arms, her beautiful face, and how her curvy little body was beyond delectable. They would give her more pleasure than she’d ever dreamed.
“True.” Gideon laughed. “I wish I could read her thoughts as easily as I can read yours.”
“Damn, I’m going to bed.” Samson clapped his brother on the back and headed up the stairs to his suite.
“I’m right behind you,” Gideon called out, knowing he’d be doing the exact same thing his brother would be doing.
Fantasizing about Ryder McCoy.
Upstairs, Samson shed his clothes, tossing them in the hamper. Even though they had household help, he was by nature a neat person. He and his brother enjoyed sharing their women, but each had their own private space. Since moving to central Texas, they hadn’t participated in their favorite form of eroticism, but the size of their beds certainly allowed for the possibility. Samson and Gideon were big men and their choice of furniture reflected the amount of room it would take to play with their woman of choice. Custom made beds, oversize chairs, and an ensuite hot tub were just a few of the built-in luxuries they had installed in their new home. Needing to relax, Samson grabbed a towel and headed for the Jacuzzi tub. As he passed the bed, he imagined Ryder stretc
hed out between them, her beautiful body bare to their hands and lips.
“Ah, yea.” He rubbed his cock. “Making you feel good would be such a pleasure.” Stepping over the side, he lowered himself into the bubbling waters and sighed. The warm water churning against his skin felt incredible. Leaning back against the side, Samson closed his eyes and took his cock in hand, remembering how her breasts had rested on his forearm as she’d nestled against him while on the horse. As he stroked himself, he thought of Ryder’s sweet scent. He couldn’t wait to see her breasts, suck her nipples, find out how sweet her little clit would be on his tongue. “Fuck, baby.” She’d said yes to his phone call, he prayed she’d say yes to seeing them again. Up and down, he pumped his dick. The silkiness of the hot water against his skin a poor substitute for the creamy heat of Ryder’s pussy.
For years, they’d searched for the one woman they could call their own, one who would love them both, be receptive to their needs and desires – want them as much as they would cherish her. “Oh, yea, let me love you, baby.” As he worshiped Ryder in his mind, his whole body bowed, shafts of fire licked at his balls. His hips bucked in the water, sending little waves beating against the sides. “Ryder!” he shouted as his cum boiled up, jetting out of his body in white ribbons of ecstasy.
Meanwhile… In the opposite wing, Gideon was having a similar fantasy. He stood in the shower, his back against the smooth marble wall, fisting his cock. Tonight, they might have met the woman of their dreams. He treasured the memory of how his lips had felt on her skin. Drops of water glistened on his heaving chest as he let go, sending plumes of cum shooting across the tile. “I’ll take you to heaven, baby. Just give me a chance.”
After finishing his shower, Gideon dried himself off with a Roma bath towel from Neiman Marcus, which his housekeeper had informed him cost a hundred and sixty dollars when she’d found it wadded up in the tub. He pulled on a pair of Hermes woven boxers with two fourteen karat gold buttons on the waistband which had been on sale at five hundred dollars a pair. The sheets on his bed were one thousand thread count made by Charlotte Thomas, the price for these bed linens per his decorator’s invoice, were a cool twenty-four hundred dollars. No creature comfort had been spared in their home and their five-car garage held a Bentley, an Aston Martin, a Lamborghini, a Porsche, and a King Ranch pick-up. The Duke brothers wanted for nothing money could buy.
Yet – something was missing.
The value of material things fades fast if there’s no one to share them with – no one to make smile.
That night, as they closed their eyes in sleep, both would have given most anything they owned to have Ryder McCoy lying next to them.
CHAPTER THREE
“I can’t believe they did me that way!” Ryder fussed as she put the finishing touches on a salad for supper.
Pepper giggled at her sister’s obvious nervousness. “You can’t say you were surprised. They acted totally in character.”
“They embarrassed me in front of the Dukes.” Putting a hand on her hip, Ryder frowned at Pepper who was climbing up on a stool and stretching upward as far as she could. “What are you doing?”
“I want Mama’s platter for the pork loin.”
Hearing her strained voice and seeing that she was on the verge of falling on her ass, Ryder stepped up, jumped a few inches, and grabbed the serving dish. “Here, short stuff. Just ask next time.”
Pepper huffed. “I like to be independent.” Taking her mother’s dish, she took a second to hug it close before placing it on the counter and lifting a succulent piece of meat onto its smooth white surface. “So, tell me Ryder Leigh, which one of the luscious Dukes do you have your eye on?”
Peering into the refrigerator, Ryder searched for the Catalina salad dressing that Tennessee preferred. She was trying to ignore her sister’s question. Mainly, because she didn’t have a ready answer.
“Ryder, I Googled them, they’re both hot as hell. Samson is so dreamy with that lion mane of honey-blond hair and that dark scruff on Gideon makes him look like such a bad boy. Which one did you click with?”
When Ryder delayed her answer once again, Pepper pulled her out of the fridge and slammed the door. “Ryder McCoy! She-devil! You can’t have them both!”
“Oh, don’t be silly, Pepper. I don’t want both.” She looked sheepish. “I’m just not sure which one I do want.” She twisted her body while standing on one foot, like a little girl. “They both seemed to like me. How shall I choose?”
“You sound just like you did when you were young. I can’t believe you!” Pepper swatted Ryder on her arm. “Isn’t Scott Eagleton still calling you?”
“Yes, but I’m just not interested in him.” She squirmed a little and frowned. “I know the family approves of him – he’s rich, powerful, and shares Heath’s values and love of green energy. I don’t know what it is, there’s just something about him that makes me uncomfortable.”
“You have all the luck, Ryder. I’m the one who sits dateless on Saturday nights.”
“Oh don’t tell me that, I saw the way Judah James looked at you at that party at Jimmy’s Dushku’s. Are you going to his concert in Dallas in a few weeks?”
“I want to.” Pepper went all dreamy-eyed.
“Well, do it! Did you know most all of our friends are engaged, married, or at least going steady with some guy?”
“Yea, I just got an invitation to Dana Oliver’s wedding. I can’t believe she’s getting married, not after what happened with her fiancé.” Pepper began to set the table, then stopped and turned to face her sister. “You’ve done a good job trying to change the subject, but I am not going to forget your dynamic duo and the fact that you seem destined to be the female-filling in a sexy cowboy-sandwich.”
“Oh, hush.” Ryder began to pour the tea. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I do too. I know how you’ve always inhaled those ménage romances. M/F/M! Every woman’s dream. Having a threesome is on your sex bucket list! You’ve always wanted this. This is one of your dream fantasies”
Ryder stared at her sister. “You’ve been reading my diary again.”
“Yea, you might as well just ‘cc’ me on every entry.”
The sound of a door opening and shutting drew the girl’s attention.
“Something smells good.” Philip smiled at his sisters.
“Pork loin with all the trimmings.” Pepper grabbed a bottle of water to hand to her brother. “You look sunburned and exhausted. Is something wrong?”
“Oh, we’ve got a mess out there. We had one crazy cow kick down a fence post and now fourteen calves are loose and headed in fourteen different directions. You ought to see it, it’s like one of those crazy video games out there. Once we round them up, we still have to repair the fence and tag them. If you two could fix us some sandwiches, we’d appreciate it. I bet it’ll be midnight before we’re finished.”
“Sure, of course.” Ryder instantly began to gather bread, condiments, and sandwich baggies.
Pepper pitched in. “I’ll run them out to you as soon as I get everything together, Philip.”
“Thanks.” Glancing at his watch, he frowned. “I was supposed to take a run out to that mine I discovered on the land we own near Enchanted Rock. I swear someone’s been messing with my gear out there. Oh well, it won’t be today. Family first.”
“Do you think you’ve struck gold this time?” Pepper asked.
“Silver, maybe.” Philip shrugged. “As a professor, I’m more interested in the history, of course.” He started to leave, then glanced back at Ryder. “Are you all right after last night?”
“What do you mean?” Ryder asked. “From my fall? Yea, I’m good. This wasn’t the first time I’ve taken a tumble off a horse.” She shivered. “I don’t like snakes, thankfully it didn’t get a chance to bite me.”
“No.” Philip held onto the doorknob, delaying his departure to study his sister’s face. “I’m more concerned about your encounte
r with Thor and Aqua-Man.”
Pepper snorted over Philip’s description. “Chris Hemsworth and Jason Momoa! He’s right, that’s exactly who they look like, with their long hair and bedroom eyes.”
“Whoa!” Philip reacted with horrified surprise, holding his hands up. “Don’t put words in my mouth. I did not see any bedroom eyes!”
Even though Ryder had no desire to discuss the Dukes with Philip, she couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. “Philip, we’ve all wondered why you’ve never gotten serious about a girl.”
Philip scowled. “I might be more serious than you think. I’ve met someone and her name is Shell.”
Before Ryder or Pepper could ask him a question, he was gone.
“Shell?” Pepper repeated. “Like Michelle or clam shell?”
Ryder shook her head. “I can’t believe he just dropped that bomb…shell and walked off.”
Giggling, Pepper helped her sister get the sandwiches ready to take to their brothers and the ranch hands. Just as they were finishing, the house phone rang. “You get that and I’ll bag these up and take them to the barn,” Pepper offered.
“Thanks.” Ryder wiped her hands on a towel and grabbed the phone from where it sat on the bar. “Highlands Ranch.”
“Ryder?”
The husky voice was familiar and it only took her a moment to place it. Her nipples and clit recognized Samson Duke before her brain got the message. “Yes.” Her whispered response was so low; she was sure he wouldn’t hear. She grasped her throat and tried to find her voice. “Yes, it’s me.”
“Hey, baby. How are you today?”
Ryder grabbed for the bar stool before her knees gave way. “Samson? I’m good. How are you?”
“Better now that I’ve heard your voice. What are you doing?”
“Pepper and I just finished making sandwiches for the men, they’re tagging calves.” She covered her eyes, knowing she was telling him things he probably didn’t care anything about.
“Do they need any help?”