“Yeah? Which part, boy?” Reese had said, his drawl thickening.
Joe had smiled. “I need you to do something for me. Tell Stormy you’re sellin’ the ranch, not that you’re simply makin’ us partners.”
Reese had started laughing and hadn’t stopped, chuckling and coughing until he’d hung up the phone.
Joe smiled as he remembered. He’d kept Reese’s more risqué comments to himself, because he hadn’t been all that sure how Cam would react. Before today, they’d never openly discussed the possibility of sharing Stormy.
“Never did ask—how long are you stayin’?” Joe said as he sat opposite her at the small round table.
Her head bobbed up, her gaze going from Joe to Cam and then back down to her bowl. She shrugged and took another bite.
“She can stay long as she likes,” Cam said.
“Of course she can,” Joe said, arching a brow and hoping Cam would follow his lead. “New owner won’t mind.”
The spoon Stormy held halted midair, and then she put it back into her bowl. “I should probably spend the weekend clearing my bedroom and the attic of my things.”
“No rush,” he said, keeping his tone cheerful.
Her lips tightened. “I can’t believe he didn’t give me more notice.”
“Your dad? Sweetheart, he’s been wrestling with what to do with the ranch for a long time. He knows you consider it home, even if you live all the way in Austin.”
“I always meant to come back,” she said, raising her face.
Joe nearly relented, seeing the emotions clouding her eyes.
“I got my degree in accounting so I could help out. I’m not a cowgirl, but I thought I could help out. Make my own contribution.”
“He needed someone to run the place. He doesn’t have the heart for it anymore.”
“Not since my mom died, I know.” She sighed and picked up her spoon again. “I guess I didn’t think he’d actually do it. His dad built this place. He grew up here. How could he just leave it all behind?”
“He’s lettin’ go, baby,” Cam said gently. “Every year that passed since your mama’s death weighed him down. He thought maybe you’d marry a cowboy and settle down here so he could leave it in competent hands.”
A frown dug a line between her eyebrows. “He was waitin’ on me to get married?” She shook her head. “I just finished school. Haven’t even taken my CPA exam. I just broke off my engagement, but… He didn’t give me enought time to meet anyone new who could help me run this place…” She bit her lip and ducked her head.
Joe stared at her. “Don’t lie, Stormy. You had two candidates waitin’ for you right here.”
She snorted. “As if you had any intentions of marryin’ me,” she said and then glanced up, the fire in her eyes dying when she met his stony gaze. “You’d have married me for this place?”
Joe shook his head. “I’d have married to keep you in my bed and in my life. But we’ve been doin’ this dance for a long time. Guess your daddy got tired of waitin’ for you to tip your hat.”
“You said two candidates…” Her fingers gripped the edge of the table, but she didn’t look toward Cam, although Joe’s inference had been clear he was candidate number two.
“I’d have married you,” Cam said, his voice tight.
“To make sure I had a home?” she whispered. “Or to get the ranch?”
“Do you really have to ask?”
Her mouth firmed and she tossed back her head. “Well, it’s too late now.”
“Is it?” Joe asked, keeping his tone even. “Guess it depends on what you want—us or the ranch.”
Her lips pressed together tighter. “Don’t know what you expect me to say. For all I know, this is just another one of your games.”
“Think this is about payback for all those years of sass you gave me?”
Her expression remained closed, tense, but he continued to hold her gaze until he saw a crack in her composure. Doubt darkened her eyes to a storm-cloud gray. “I don’t know what this is.”
Joe gave Cam a quick quelling glance and left his seat to circle to her chair and kneel beside it.
The plea in her eyes was naked, raw. Honest, for once. He lifted her chin with a bent finger. “What this is…is real, baby. Whatever you need it to be. It’s true, things are changin’, but we aren’t.” Joe blew out a deep breath. “We’ve been here, all along, waitin’ for you to grow up, waitin’ for you to have a few life experiences so you’d know what love is when you see it. Do you see it now?”
Joe held still, keeping his expression open, letting her see his vulnerability, hoping it wasn’t too soon and that she wouldn’t pull away or worse, decide his honest admission was something she could use in their sexual tug-of-war.
A soft sigh was followed by a visual softening of her body. Her shoulders relaxed, the lines of her face eased. She reached up and bracketed his cheeks with her small hands, and he felt a slight tremor as she held him. “I shouldn’t say this.”
“But you will,” he said, starting to smile.
“I…” She let out another ragged breath. “I love you. Always have.”
Elation expanded his chest, but he wasn’t blind to Cam’s distress. His friend’s glance moved away from Stormy. He scooted back his chair.
Stormy’s head swung toward Cam, and she reached out, capturing his hand. Her head shook.
“I’ll be okay,” Cam said, giving her a crooked smile.
“Don’t you dare leave.”
Joe pressed his lips together and looked away. This was between the two of them now. His best friend was hurting, and Stormy had a soft spot for him. Whether her affection went deeper…well, they weren’t a package deal—not unless Stormy was accepting of the idea.
She’d been raised to believe love could only be between one man and one woman. Her parents had provided the blueprint for her life. Maybe she hadn’t noticed that things were changing in their sleepy little town—that Justin Cruz and his wife Dani were both awfully fond of her old beau, Rowe. Or that all the Kinzie brothers had set up house with Chrissi Page. Folks were learning to turn a blind eye, allowing people to live the lives they wanted, maybe not without judging, but folks in Two Mule tolerated the changes.
But what Stormy wanted for her life, what she needed, was her decision to make. Joe leaned close, kissed her cheek and then whispered into her ear, “Make sure you can love us both, equally. Anything less will break his heart.”
Joe pushed up and left the kitchen without a backward glance.
Stormy blushed, but didn’t watch as Joe left the room. What he said was scandalous but filled her with a delicious excitement. He’d as much as said she didn’t have to choose between them.
Something she wasn’t prepared to do anyway. The fact he’d stated it so baldly reinforced the knowledge Joe knew her far too well. How could she expect to keep him from getting bored if she couldn’t manage to surprise or infuriate him from time to time?
Her relationship with Joe was complicated, but hers with Cam’s seemed destined for heartbreak. “I love you,” she said, squeezing Cam’s hand.
Cam nodded, his expression wary. “I see how you are with him, and I don’t think what you feel for me can compare.” He shrugged and gave her small smile. “I want you happy, Stormy. Joe’s a good man. I’ll be okay.”
“You’re an idiot,” she said, giving him a hint of the anger his words had produced. Cam’s brows lowered, but she ignored the signs of his rare anger. She wanted a reaction, something strong enough to prove whether he was equally as into her. “You just let him bully me into saying I love him. And now you’re lettin’ him have me—no fight left.”
“Do you want us to fight?” he asked, his words sharpening.
“Fists and spit?” She shook her head. “It’s me, Cam. What do you think I want?”
His gaze narrowed again, and his lips firmed.
“If I have to choose, I’ll pick a man who can handle me. I know I can be ornery.”
She tossed back her hair and stood, moving beside his chair. “Fact is, I do it on purpose,” she said, bending down and rubbing her lips against his. When she broke the kiss, she gave him a level stare. “I do it ’cause I want someone to take me in hand. I know Joe can do it. Question is, can you?”
“Stormy?” His voice rose with a hint of warning.
“Yes, cowboy?”
His lips twitched. “Liked that spankin’ that much, did you?”
She waggled her eyebrows. “You were there. Was I wet?”
He chuckled and reached up, pulling a lock of her hair to force her closer, tugging until her scalp stung.
Her breath hitched.
“Plan on stayin’ awhile,” he said, his voice taking on a hard edge. “We’ve got time, and we both need to figure out if this is how we want to live the rest of our lives.”
She pouted. She didn’t want to take time. She wanted everything sorted out right now.
A dark brow arched as though he’d read her mind. “I’m not Joe. I don’t decide on the turn of a dime. You want us both, you’re gonna have to prove you’ve got the nerve to face down every person who whispers about you or gives you nasty looks.” He pulled her hair again and forced her to climb right over his lap. When she was settled to his satisfaction, he gave her a steady stare. “And you’re gonna have to face your daddy. Tell him you want us both.”
Her mouth dropped. “Does he have to know?”
Cam’s jaw firmed. “Yeah, and you have to be the one to tell him. He has to know this is your choice. That you’ve really thought this through. Eventually…hopefully,” he said softly, “you will get pregnant. What will you tell him when he wants to know who the baby’s daddy is?” He tipped her face upward. “I don’t want to lie to him. Joe doesn’t either. Reese has been good to us. We owe him our respect.”
She sagged against his chest. “Guess you’re right.”
Cam pressed a kiss against her cheek. “In the meantime, I’ve got a few things to prove to you.”
Although worries were crowding in around her, she couldn’t help smiling. “You make it sound like I’m some challenge. We’ve already fucked. Ain’t that the battle?”
“Now I know you’re tryin’ to make me mad.”
“Is it workin’?”
“Yup.” He kissed her cheek again. “Go get some rest. Both of us have some thinkin’ to do.”
She leaned back. “I do—” She stopped at the shake of his head.
“Don’t say you love me again. Not yet.”
And because she knew she might hurt him in the long run, she nodded and slipped off his lap. “Tomorrow, okay?”
She left him with one last look, him sitting alone in the kitchen. Something that made her heart hurt. Her steps slowed on the way back to her bedroom as she passed Joe’s room. He’d want to know what had happened, but she was far from a decision. Cam was right. They had time. She was done with school and hadn’t yet accepted any of the jobs she’d received offers for back in Austin. The guys seemed to think the new owner wouldn’t be in a rush to see her gone, so she’d relax and try not to worry right now.
Entering her darkened room, she slipped off her clothing and slid between the sheets—only to come to rest against a lean, naked body. “Joe?”
“Do you have another boyfriend I don’t know about?” he asked in his deep, sweet drawl.
“Don’t ask me what we said.”
“He’s not with you, so I’m gonna assume you’re still wafflin’.”
“You think the decision ought to be easy? What you suggested defies common decency.”
“You’re an uncommon woman, but you might be surprised you’re not the first in these parts to thumb your nose at convention.”
“What are you talkin’ about?”
“You’ll see.”
He reached for her, and Stormy stiffened for all of two seconds before she let him turn her and spoon her against his body. The heat from his skin enveloped her. Strong biceps pillowed her cheek. He rested a muscled arm on the curve of her waist. There was surprising comfort in Joe’s embrace.
The fact he was hard and getting harder seemed to be a problem he wasn’t willing to inflict on her. So even though she’d already learned he could be forceful, she now knew he could be tender. Selfless.
“Stop thinkin’,” he whispered.
“Can’t.”
“Don’t be scared.”
She snorted. “Easy for you to say. I still have Reese Jordan to face.”
“Baby, he loves you. He’ll want what’s best for you.”
“What’s best…” She sighed and snuggled deeper against him. A yawn surprised her. “Guess I should try to sleep. Think Cam knows you’re here?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t want to hurt him.”
“I won’t let you.”
And although she smiled, she knew there was a very real possibility she would.
Chapter Eight
Early the next morning, Joe awoke to find a warm hand stroking his cock. Not that he was startled. He knew right where he was and who was doing the dirty deed.
The fact her head was under the covers and her breaths were gusting against his thigh was an interesting development. He’d thought for sure she’d sneak from her bed, if she’d managed to rise before him. Yesterday had been eventful, full of lusty fun, but he’d expected to find her riddled with morning-after doubts and ready to flee.
No, this development was very interesting indeed. He held still, wanting to see how far she dared go with her exploration.
She slipped a slim hand between his thighs and cupped his balls, rolling them lightly, testing their weight. Lips smoothed over them, and then she opened her mouth and took one stone into her wet heat.
His toes curled. His cock jerked.
Stormy scratched a fingernail beneath his balls, teasing him and then slowly drifted downward. When her nail ventured toward dangerous territory, he flipped back the covers.
Stormy’s head popped up and she gave him a lazy smile.
“That was a helluva wakeup call, darlin’.”
Her eyebrows bobbed up and down. “Wanted to be sure I had your attention.”
Joe narrowed his gaze and gripped his cock. “I’d planned on wakin’ you for an early mornin’ ride.”
She laughed and dipped back down, licking him from root to tip.
A quiet joy filled his chest. He’d give anything for more playful moments like this. “Scoot that pretty peach of yours this way. No reason the both of us can’t have a little fun.”
Her sexy laughter gusted against him, but she angled her ass around, lifted a knee and bumped his nose before she was straddling his face. His eyes watered, but he wasn’t deterred. Centering her slit right over his mouth, he cupped her ass and settled down to show her just how much fun this could be.
Her sexy wiggles showed him just where she wanted his mouth, and he lazily sucked on her plump outer lips while she dove down his cock. Soon the moist, juicy noises they made were accompanied by lusty sighs and groans.
She clenched her lips tightly around him and sucked, drawing off him and then sinking down again, letting his cock slide along her tongue and the roof of her mouth, fingers tugging his balls and another naughty finger rubbing the sensitive spot beneath. Again, her finger strayed and Joe let her have her way, trying to distract her by giving her sex long strokes with the flat of his tongue that started at her perineum and didn’t draw back until he’d stroked her burgeoning clit.
She wiggled her ass again and tightened her thighs. She dove again and let him butt against the back of her throat. When she held there, he tensed, and sure enough, she swallowed, the sensation of her throat opening and closing around his head so delicious his belly quivered against her.
When she slid her finger between his buttocks, he didn’t have the heart to stop her. A small tip traced a circle around his asshole and then sank inside.
Joe groaned against her sex and then burro
wed against her clit, latching his mouth around it, sucking it and tapping it with his tongue.
She burrowed deeper while she lashed her tongue against the side of his cock, and he couldn’t stand it a second longer. He bent his knees and pushed up his hips, trying to fuck her mouth, but she withdrew.
“Stormy,” he growled.
She climbed off him and knelt beside his body, eyeing him from his chest to his bobbing cock. “I think I’d like that ride now.”
A decisive man, he jackknifed up, putting his back against the headboard and opened his arms. When she would have crawled over him, facing him, he shook his head, gripping her waist and turning her to face away.
With her hair shifting around her shoulders as she tossed it back, she climbed over him, placed the tip of his cock at her entrance and then slowly eased down, giving him shallow circles as she worked her way down.
His heart thudded inside his chest as he realized that even after yesterday’s outburst, she hadn’t hesitated for want of a condom. She trusted his intentions at least that much.
Joe was glad she couldn’t see his face. He knew everything he felt was there. The awe that this beautiful, spirited woman was with him. The lust that tightened his jaw and the grip of his hands on her hips.
More than anything, he wanted to set the pace, but he let her make several slow up-and-down glides, her channel gripping him all the way, dragging along his shaft. Moisture spilled from inside her, adding a slick punctuation to her quickening motions.
When her hands disappeared, he knew she touched herself, that she was playing with her clit. More than anything, he wished Cam was here to watch, because she needed someone to see what this was doing to her, keep her naked and shaken, vulnerable, before her pride and humor stole the poignant moment.
And suddenly, she stopped. She gazed back at him, a question in her eyes.
For once, he couldn’t guess what she was thinking, but he gave her a nod.
She lifted, letting his cock fall from between her legs. She left the bed and went to the door, opening it wide.
Reined In: Lone Star Lovers, Book 7 Page 5