Did that mean she was thinking about it? A foot connected with his shin.
Johnny eyed Killian who sat opposite him. He didn’t need to be reminded he hadn’t said a positive word. He turned to Ellie. “You’d be too busy to be lonely.”
The twins frowned.
Killian snorted. “Bro, we’re trying to woo her not scare her away.”
“That’s okay,” Ellie said. “I’m not scared of hard work, but I haven’t said I’ll stay.” She set down her fork. “I’m not doing dishes. Who’s taking me home?”
“You’re not goin’ anywhere,” Johnny grumbled, then cursed to himself for being so blunt.
Her hands folded tightly in front of her. “You mean you’re going to keep up this farce? We’ve had our date. I made you dinner. Now I’d like to go home. I have work in the morning. A diner to run.”
“Stay closed,” he said, afraid he sounded like a cranky bear because he was growling. “Call Cindy and say you’re sick. She can put up a sign.”
“I’m not sick.”
“You’re also not goin’.” Johnny stood slowly, until once again, he dwarfed her.
Her gaze rose and rose. Her jaw lost its stubborn edge. Again, her tongue darted out to wet her lips.
Was she hoping for another kiss?
“We thought we might have some fun,” Jason said as though he hadn’t a clue about the tension between him and Ellie. “Show you what it’d be like.”
She blinked and glanced sideways toward him. “We?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know who you like best before you decide?”
“Who I like best?” Bright red spots stained her cheeks again. “What are you planning on, takin’ turns so I can judge?”
The way her voice rose with each slowly enunciated word said more about her agitation than the spark of anger in her eyes.
“Choose two,” Johnny blurted.
“Choose two for now,” Killian amended.
“Which of us do you want?” Mace asked.
“Or we could draw straws,” Jason said, then nodded to his brother.
“Draw straws?” Her hands hit the table and she shot up from her chair. “Why do you need my input at all? You choose and just let me know what you decide.” She turned sharply and walked toward the kitchen door, the one leading to the living room.
“Where ya goin’?” Jason called after her.
“Home. Walkin’ if I have to.” And then she slammed the door behind her.
Johnny started after her.
Killian caught his arm. “Really, bro? You think you can talk her into stayin’?”
“I was gonna drive her. If she wants to go, we have no right to make her stay. It ends now.”
“Let me talk to her first. She’s a lady and this has to be more than a little shocking. You’re lookin’ too mean to do anything but make her run faster.”
Johnny balled his fists, but nodded. “I’ll take her home if that’s what she wants—after.”
Killian nodded then hurried out the kitchen door.
“I’m headin’ out to see Zach,” Johnny said, mentioning one of their hands’ names to make it seem less like a lie. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t need a hand in the barn. You two—dishes.”
With that, he stalked out the opposite way, through the mudroom. In the distance he could see Ellie walking with her head high, her arms swinging, Killian walking backwards beside her. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but it sure didn’t look like Killian was making any inroads into changing her mind.
Damn, could things have gone any worse? He turned toward the barn and things he understood a whole lot better than the female mind.
Ellie stalked all the way to the big iron gate at the entrance of the property. She was out of breath, sweating, and Killian still hadn’t shut up. “Does it look like I’m listenin’ to a word you have to say?”
“Sweetheart—”
She gave him her dirtiest glare.
“What has you maddest? The fact they were rude or the fact Johnny or me didn’t lay claim right away?”
She halted in the middle of the gravel road. “I’m not like that. I’m not some desperate, horny woman…some slut who’s gonna hop from bed to bed to decide who’s the best lover.”
“They’re all overeager,” he agreed, letting her vent.
“Maybe the twins, but your other brother doesn’t look as though he wants me here. Maybe he’s the only one with a lick o’ sense.”
“Oh, he wants you here. He just doesn’t have much experience with women. He doesn’t know how to ask.”
She rolled her eyes. “What are you, his pimp?”
“No, but we’re close. I know him better than anyone. He came here at the same time as me. From the same day at court. Sam sat in the back as the judge sentenced us…”
“What for?”
“Stealing food.”
She swallowed hard and looked away. The thought of these two strong, proud men being hungry enough to steal cut deep.
Killian stepped closer, but didn’t touch her. “Johnny doesn’t know how to ask for what he wants.” His voice lowered. “He waits to see what’s offered because he doesn’t think he deserves more. If you expected him to ask you to stay, you’d be waitin’ all your life. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want it.”
Ellie wrapped her arms across her belly. A hug only she could give herself. Johnny seemed like an impossible dream. “What about you?” she asked, softening her glance, because she didn’t want to fight. She wanted the truth. “What do you want?”
“I want him happy.”
“Nothing for yourself?”
Killian's lips twitched. “I wouldn’t mind bein’ there to make sure things work between you two. That you two find a way to communicate.”
“You mean, be there in bed with us.”
“I think if he has trouble talkin’ to you now, that he’ll be a damn mute when he’s got you under him. I know him. I’ve had years readin’ him. Judgin’ his moods. There’s not much expression to read, but I can see what pleases him, what scares him, what drives him. Level with me, Ellie. Do you want him?”
Her eyes filled, and she glanced away. “I’m not sure what I want. But I’ve never felt so uncomfortable. So…”
“Hot?”
She ducked her head to stare at her feet before continuing. “Yes…hot just about says it all…when he looks at me.”
“He needs you, Ellie. If there’s any hope of him finding happiness, he needs your spirit, your smart mouth to goad him. If you think he could be the one for you…”
Truth was, she was scared. Johnny was more intense, more everything than any man she’d ever met. They’d only exchanged a few dozen words over the months, but those few were ones she remembered. Could she handle that kind of intensity on a permanent basis?
“This is crazy. It’s too fast.”
A roughened fingertip lifted her chin. “It may be fast, but does if feel wrong?”
She slowly shook her head.
Killian’s smile was soft and approving. “We’ll take it slow. Promise. Let you set the pace.”
She tilted her head and wrinkled her nose. “And if I don’t want it slow? Maybe I don’t want to be in control.”
Killian chuckled and caught her hand to reel her in close to his chest. “I knew you’d be the one.”
She burrowed deep, pulling courage from him. “I’ve never done anything like this.”
“Me neither. But we can’t let this go too smoothly. We have to keep Johnny on less than solid ground. He’s got to think he’s got competition for your affection to draw him out. You shy about gettin’ naked around a bunch of men?”
Her body vibrated at the thought. “The twins too?” she squeaked.
Killian’s head nodded, bumping against her head. “Johnny gets the most irritated when they’re playin’ around. He’ll be more apt to break if they’re in the mix.”
“Will I have to…go all the way with them?”
; His chest shook with soft chuckles. “I’ll talk to them on the sly. They’ll only go so far. They got themselves in a heap of trouble tonight. But that’s how they roll. If ever one of them sets his mind on a girl, the other has to follow. Not gettin’ to have you will be punishment enough.”
She snorted. “I’m not some great prize.”
A finger lifted her chin. “Don’t sell yourself short,” Killian said, staring into her eyes. “There’s plenty here for a man to enjoy besides your talent in the kitchen.”
Her whole body warmed to the sudden tension in his face and body. A shiver worked its way down her spine. “I don’t know. It feels…dangerous.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” he asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“It’s like I’m stepping off a cliff. And I don’t know how I’ll handle the aftermath if things don’t work out.”
“There’s no guarantees in this life, Ellie. Sometimes you have to step off the edge.”
She searched his steady gaze, but didn’t find any answers there. Only time would tell his true intentions. Slowly, she slid her arms around his back and relaxed inside his embrace.
When his head bent close, she whispered, “Is he watching us?”
“Yup.” His lips twitched again. “Looks dark as a thundercloud. You ready for this?”
“You’ll be there?”
“Every step of the way.” And then he kissed her, taking her mouth with a confidence that made her knees buckle.
His mouth rubbed against her lips until she opened, accepting the thrust of his tongue.
She was oddly reassured by his masterful kiss as much as by what he’d said. She hadn’t a clue how this would work, what was expected, but for once, she’d just let go. What was the worst that could happen?
She’d have a night she’d never forget with four handsome cowboys. A sensual adventure she’d never imagined embarking on.
Groaning, Ellie rose on her toes and pressed her body into his, loving the way his arms tightened around her and the evidence of his desire grinding gently against her belly.
Chapter Four
Johnny stood with his back against the wall, legs braced apart as he listened to the sound of running water. He wondered if she hoped they’d fall asleep before she finished. “That’s a long damn shower,” he muttered.
“Give her a chance to relax,” Killian said from the bed, where he sat, leaning against the headboard. “We’ve pushed hard to get her this far. Let the idea of it sink in.”
A tap sounded at Johnny’s bedroom door. He reached to the side and opened it a crack, keeping his hand on the knob.
The twins stood in the hallway. Jason raised the bottle of fragrant oil Killian had told them to find under his bathroom sink—a chore to get them out of the room for a minute, Killian had said, because Johnny looked ready for a fight the minute Ellie had escaped into the bathroom.
Johnny wanted nothing more than to slam the door in his brothers’ grinning faces, but he opened it wider, admitting them. Killian had said she wanted this. To be the object of their combined attentions. A favorite fantasy of hers.
He’d never have guessed she’d want that. Not in a million years. In fact, he’d thought up until the moment she’d called Cindy Luckadoo, saying she wouldn’t be in the next day, that she’d insist on going home.
The twins strode inside, barefoot and shirtless like Killian.
Johnny had yet to shed even his boots, unsure whether he could be in the same room when things went down. The thought of all the others swarming her made him feel ill at ease. Not because he really thought it was sordid, but because he was unsure he’d have what it took to enter the play. He’d never done anything like this, never even watched a porno movie to see what a ménage scene looked like. Not that he didn’t understand how it could work.
He leaned against the wall again and eased his legs a little wider. His cock was hard, but crammed against his leg. His balls felt heavy. From the glint of humor in Killian’s eyes, he knew exactly what was bothering him.
Johnny schooled his face into an implacable mask, determined not to give way beneath his brother’s amusement.
The water stopped.
All the Logan brothers’ gazes swung to the door.
Several long moments later, the door opened, releasing fragrant, steamy air.
Johnny inhaled the sweet, apple scent of her as Ellie stepped into the room, a towel tucked under her armpits.
Her gaze went to the three near the bed, then swung, searching the room until she glanced slightly behind her and found him. He stared back, catching a look of panic in her wide eyes, but before he could react, she broke with his glance and turned toward the bed.
Her chest rose; a deep breath blew between her pursed lips. “Well, boys,” she said, her voice slightly husky, “you’re the experts. Someone gonna show me how this works?”
That her thoughts were so close to his own almost made him smile. She wasn’t as self-possessed as she’d like to pretend. The hand clenched at the closure of the towel betrayed her nervousness.
Johnny pushed away from the wall and walked up behind her, settling his hands gently on her shoulders.
She gave a little jerk then a short gusting laugh. “Guess I’m nervous,” she whispered.
He leaned toward her ear. “Me too.”
“I’m gonna make an ass of myself with an audience watching.”
“Not possible,” he muttered. Nuzzling through wet strands of hair, he kissed the side of her neck.
A delicate shiver slid over her warm, damp skin. “Killian promised to keep things from getting too out of hand,” she said, her breaths shallow.
His fingers tightened their hold, and he swallowed hard. “You have any bad moments, all you have to do is say uncle and we stop.”
“You’re all right with this?”
He didn’t answer. He wasn’t. Not really. But this wasn’t about him. He let his hands slide over her breasts, gently pushing away the fingers clutching the towel. Then he pulled the edges, opening it, exposing her to his brothers’ avid stares.
His glance left the view of her pretty pink nipples to give a warning to his brothers. But not a one offered a dirty comment.
The twins’ gazes raked her frame, their bodies tensing. For once, all humor erased from their expressions.
Killian’s eyes narrowed as he looked. He turned on the bed, dropping his legs over the edge, and stood. He strode toward her, his hands lifting when he was right in front of her to cup her face. He bent toward her and gave her a soft kiss then raised his head to look at Johnny. “This is about her.”
Johnny gave a sharp nod then stepped back, taking the towel.
The others had seen more of her than he had, but this view of her backside was just about perfect. Her frame was small, her waist deeply indented over pretty, flaring hips. Her buttocks were lush and round—heart-shaped, he thought, struggling to find words to catalog her attributes. Her legs weren’t all that long, but were firm and smooth—they’d be strong enough to ride a man’s hips when he went wild.
Killian lifted her hand and pulled her toward the bed.
Her buttocks jiggled a little with her stiff-legged gate, but she followed him, letting him lead her to the twins. When he dropped her hand, he stepped back, returning to take up a position next to Johnny as the twins moved in, sandwiching her between their naked chests.
She faced Mace. “Which one are you?”
The corners of Mace’s mouth kicked up.
Johnny cussed softly. She was about to have sex with the twins but couldn’t even tell them apart.
Jason’s hands slipped around her belly and moved up to cup her breasts. “Mace is the biggest idiot. Me not as much.”
“That’s true,” Killian murmured.
Johnny grunted, watching the way her nipples beaded as Jason toggled them with his thumbs.
Mace grabbed her hand and led it to the waistband of his jeans. “It’s all yours if you’ve got
the guts.”
Ellie lifted her chin with a soft, feminine snort. She opened his pants then spread the sides open to reveal the tip of his cock. But then her hands smoothed around his body and sank beneath the waist to cup his buttocks.
Mace rose on his tiptoes and chuckled as she did whatever she was doing—caressing his butt? Her gaze never left his brother’s as she withdrew. Then she gripped the waistband and shoved the jeans down to his thighs.
Johnny tried to avoid staring at his brother’s dick, but her fingers wrapped right around it, gliding up and down his shaft.
Color seeped into her cheeks. Her mouth parted around a shaky breath.
“Any complaints?” Mace’s voice was silky and low.
Johnny’s own breath caught at her expression. This was the moment, he knew it, when she’d embrace the challenge or back away.
Her eyelids fluttered down then blinked rapidly. She tilted her chin and gave Mace’s cock another slow stroke. “No complaints,” she said, her tone smoky.
Jason chuckled behind her and dropped his hands. He shoved down his jeans and stepped on them as he freed his feet. Then he spun her to face him while his brother ditched his pants too.
Jason gripped her ass and raised her off her feet. Her legs dangled for a moment, then rose to hug his waist.
Johnny felt his whole body tighten at the intimacy of the embrace, jealous as never before because he hadn’t been the first to feel that grip.
Jason turned to the bed and climbed onto the mattress, carrying her with him to the center of the bed. When she released him, lowering her legs to rest on the mattress, her sex was open. Jason’s gaze dropped.
Johnny wished it was him looking there. He’d do a sight more than just stare.
“Jason,” she whispered, a knee rising and turning inward, but halted by his thigh.
“That’s right,” Jason said, combing his fingertips through the pale hair covering her mound. “But do you really want to be able to tell us apart?”
“Shouldn’t I?” White teeth bit into her bottom lip.
“Isn’t it more fun to guess?”
Mace snagged the bottle of oil and climbed onto the mattress beside his brother. “Don’t get too far ahead. We promised a massage.”
A Four-Gone Conclusion: Lone Star Lovers, Book 5 Page 4