She hadn’t remembered Jake had disappeared into the shower until the water stopped. A minute later, he strode out with a smile on his lips. He winked in their direction, but she wasn’t sure if it was aimed at his cousin or her. She wouldn’t be surprised if this triple seduction hadn’t been planned from the start. If these three men thought they could manipulate her like that, they had something else coming.
Or not.
She needed time to think about what happened. When she entered her small bathroom, she hadn’t expected Tank to join her.
“You need to leave.”
“Come on. After what we just experienced together, you can’t toss me out.”
He had a point. “It’ll be tight.”
“My kind of shower.”
“Fine.” He followed her in and they were practically chest to chest in the small enclosure. She might have complained, but seeing him fully naked thrilled her.
She tapped his chest. “You can stay, but no sex in the shower.” There were many reasons for the request. Not only was there no room to move, but her pussy was plain worn out. She picked up the shampoo bottle.
“Can I wash it at least? You remember how much I love to touch your silken hair.”
Did guys want to do that? “Really?”
“Babe, anytime I get a chance to get my mitts on part of your body, my hormones jump for joy. We’ve spent ten years apart, and I want to make up for lost time.”
Tank had changed. In high school, between wrestling and football, he was the school jock that every girl wanted. He was wild. Spontaneous. She’d spent hours trying to figure out how he and Aiden became best friends. Her only conclusion was that after Tank’s mom died, Aiden had been there to help pick up the pieces, and the bond formed never broke.
She turned around, tilted her head back, and dunked her head under the shower. Instead of him waiting until she was ready for the shampoo, he poured liquid soap on her tits. She opened her eyes and jerked back. “That tickles.”
“Get used to it.”
She faced the shower. “Wash me, master.”
He laughed. Clearly, he had no idea how much shampoo was needed to clean her hair, for it took five doses before he got any sudsing action. “This is hard work,” he complained.
“Tell me about it.”
When Tank rubbed her scalp, doing her hair turned to fun. He made sure every strand was thoroughly cleaned. “Turn back around, bend over, and I’ll rinse you.”
“How about taking out this plug, too. I can’t walk around with it in.”
“If you insist.”
Leave it to Tank to give a few twists, shoves, and general messing with her before the plug released and came out with a pop. He rinsed it and set it next to the shampoo. Did he want her to keep it there as a reminder of her debauching ways? Maybe.
She took over and washed the soap out of her hair. Tank tried to help, but all he did was get in the way. “I’ll do the conditioner.” She dropped a handful on and rubbed it in. “Now I wait a few minutes and rinse.”
“I can use this time to clean you.”
“Go for it.” He wasn’t the only one who got to rub his hands down a slippery body. She soaped up, too, and grabbed his cock.
“Hey.”
He acted like she wasn’t allowed to return the favor.
She laughed and ran her hands up and down his length. He hardened right under her fingertips. She decided not to tempt fate and let go.
His fingers darted out and rubbed her pussy. The leftover soap on his palm stung her sensitive area. She must have winced, for he didn’t linger. Instead, he moved to the cleft between her cheeks and washed her inside and out. This time his finger created excitement instead of fear.
She dropped her head back and rinsed out the conditioner.
The bathroom door opened, and both Jake and Aiden popped their heads in. Twenty-four hours ago she would have covered herself. Now she stuck out her tongue.
“You’re wasting daylight, darlin’. Tank, get her out of there.”
Tank lifted the handheld showerhead off the hook and sprayed both of them down. “Let’s go.”
She wasn’t sure why everyone was in such a hurry, but she agreed she didn’t need to be spending the whole day lounging around, even if it was her birthday.
From her closet, she put on jeans and an extra-nice top that showed off her tits. Tank dressed quicker and was out the door before she’d gotten on her boots. What was up with that?
The smell of pancakes reached her. They must be making her a birthday breakfast. How sweet. Thrilled they cared so much, she put on a splash of makeup and headed out to the kitchen. All three were seated and smiling. On the table sat a stack of pancakes, along with a plate of crisp bacon. They’d made her tea for her, while they had coffee.
“Sit down, babe. We’re going to serve you.”
“You better not be thinking of feeding me or you’ll find these gooey pancakes stuffed down your pants.”
They all laughed. “Like we’d ever let you get that near, darlin’.”
That was one disadvantage of being a female. Men inherently had the power because of their superior strength. Some things just weren’t fair.
During breakfast, they talked about her jewelry and her potential clients. Aiden told her how his business had picked up since his customers could come straight here and not have to board the animal near town.
Jake gave her the lowdown on when he might be finished with the house. “With Tank, and sometimes Aiden, helping me, we’ve really shaved off a lot of time. I’m aiming to finish next month.”
“That’s awesome.” They hadn’t let her do a walk through. Jake said he wanted to surprise her. She wondered what part of her being the owner he didn’t understand.
Regardless, she was thrilled. If the house was nearing completion, she needed to stop by Thomas’s Hardware to figure out a payment plan. Whatever money wasn’t spent on food, she’d split between paying for the lumber and her mortgage. While she was in town, she might stop off at Jasper’s home. He needed to understand that he had to find a way to start paying her now.
Aiden reached over and took her hand. “Since it’s your birthday, we all chipped in and got you something.”
Her heart sang. “No way. You didn’t have to do that.”
“We know, but we wanted to make you happy.”
I already am happy. “What did you get me?” Another giggle slipped out.
All three stood. “Come on. We’ll show you.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
They led her out of the house. Jake pulled a clean bandana from his back pocket. “We want this to be a complete surprise.” He placed the blindfold over her eyes.
This was a little over the top, but she didn’t want to ruin it for them by protesting. They twirled her around and around until she lost all sense of direction. With someone’s hands on her shoulders, they guided her forward. She didn’t have to see to know she was in the barn. The aroma of hay and animal couldn’t be missed.
Someone halted her and another removed her blindfold. In front of her stood a beautiful quarter horse. He must be one of Aiden’s animals. “I don’t understand.”
“He’s for you. He’s a four-year-old gelding. He’s a cutting horse.”
Her heart nearly burst. She shrieked. “You really bought this for me?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
Realization dawned. “I can’t accept this. He’s too expensive.”
Aiden turned her to face him. “Why can’t you graciously accept the fact that people do nice things for others. You don’t always have to pay them back.”
“Because—” She couldn’t think of a good reason. Her parents always taught her to pay her own way and not to let others control her life.
“He’s all saddled,” Jake said. “Why don’t you take a ride and see what you think?”
Her body tingled in anticipation. “What’s his nam
e?”
“The owner called him Playboy with a Twist.”
That was a strange name. “I think I’ll call him Twister.” Excited beyond words, she led the horse out of the barn. Being a gelding, he’d be less high strung. She appreciated that whoever did the purchasing thought that far ahead. Talking softly to Twister, she calmed both the horse and herself before climbing aboard. It seemed like forever since she’d ridden. Her dream was to train cutting horses, but that would take a miracle to get her ranch into full swing again.
The men watched from the barn as she took off toward the field. She maneuvered the horse right then left, trying to judge the level of the horse’s dexterity. This one was a keeper. He’d been well trained. Having control over such a powerful animal put immense energy back into her spirit. Not wanting to keep the men waiting, she only put Twister through a few trials before returning.
She got off and Aiden took the reins. “I’ll rub him down for you.”
She kissed each one of her men thoroughly. “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
Jake said he needed to get back to work. Even though it was Sunday, Tank claimed his licensing test was coming up at the end of the week and he really needed a place with no distractions so he could study. She assumed that meant anywhere where she wasn’t.
Aiden finished with Twister and came out. “You should treat yourself in town. Do something just for you.”
Wouldn’t that be nice? “I would like to spend some time at the gem store for more supplies.”
“I was thinking more in the way of a manicure, or whatever women do, but shopping works for me.”
Totally content for the first time in a long time, she climbed in her van and headed into town. Her first stop was the hardware store to see about paying something to Brody now. He shouldn’t be saddled with any interest charges because of her. She went straight to his office hoping to find him.
Instead of Brody, someone else in a Thomas Hardware shirt sat at the computer. Darn. She knocked anyway. “Hello?”
The man smiled and waved her in. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m looking for Brody.”
“He’s out until late afternoon. May I help you?”
She really didn’t want to deal with him, but as long as she was here, she might as well give him her first installment. “I’m here about my loan.”
His fingers flew to the keys. “Name?”
She told him. After he pushed the enter key a few times, he faced her. “You don’t owe anything.”
Her pulse skipped a beat. “That’s not possible. I bought enough lumber to build my house, and I need to start a payment plan.”
“I notice handwritten notes have been scanned in. One says a Tank Harrison gave his personal guarantee that the loan would be paid back, and the—”
Pricks of anger crawled up her spine. “When was that?”
He told her the date. It was two days before she and Jake even asked for the loan. “And the other note?” Her throat turned bone dry.
“Three days ago, your account was paid in full.”
While she should have been thrilled, the massive injustice slammed into her. She wanted to be the one to pay it off. “Who paid it?”
He tapped a few more keys. “Jake Harrison.”
Shit.
She swallowed to wet her mouth. “Thank you.” How could he afford to do that, let alone help pay for a horse?
Keeping her back as straight as she could, and her gaze straight ahead, she walked out, willing herself not to cry. Seeking vengeance, however, was not beneath her.
When she left the parking lot, she was too upset to buy her gems or visit Jasper. She didn’t want to subject him to her misery. Instead, she drove home, breaking the speed limit and not caring. Only Jake’s truck was in the drive, and he was on the roof.
Instead of waving and chatting a bit with him, she dashed inside and poured herself an iced tea, not ready to confront him. She couldn’t believe these men would lie to her and take away her chance to redeem herself. Her parents had given their lives for the ranch. She owed them to keep this place going. She’d specifically told each of them about her need to pay back Brody herself. Despite that, they settled her debt. Or at least Jake had. Was he getting his repayment by enjoying her body? Was she just a convenient fuck to him?
Tears streamed down her face. She wiped them away, embarrassed she’d let them convince her how much they’d cared.
Jake and Tank were clearly in cahoots, but what about Aiden? Brody’s assistant never mentioned anything about him. Aiden had been straight with her, or so she believed. She thought about calling him and asking if they could meet, but then he’d want to know what was wrong. Right now, she needed a hug rather than give an explanation.
Jake’s gesture might have seemed nice from his perspective, but to keep what he did from her meant he didn’t respect her enough, or understand her enough to know she needed to be independent. By paying, he’d shredded her self-worth to bits.
Instead of letting him know she’d come home, she left quickly and headed to Aiden’s office.
Chapter Twelve
Tears burned the back of her lids the whole way there. Tammy had been betrayed. That’s all there was to it. How could Jake and Tank not tell her what they were planning to do? Hadn’t they seen her work hours on end to make jewelry so she could pay back her loan? Did they have such little faith in her that they believed she was incapable of doing this herself? She’d told them time and again that the money from selling her cattle would more than pay for the lumber. But did they listen? No.
When she arrived at Aiden’s office, she wiped dry her eyes. Christ. She pulled down the visor mirror and gasped. Red rimmed her eyes, and there were puffy bags underneath her lids. It didn’t matter. Aiden would understand once she told him what Jake and Tank had done.
Trying to act as upbeat as possible, she spoke with the receptionist.
“Dr. Stanton is in the barn out back.”
The poor man had to tend to all of his animals and then deal with the overflow at her place. She wondered how he’d had any time to help Jake or spend time with her. She walked out the side entrance and headed to the barn. As she stepped inside, she expected to see all twenty stalls filled with animals. Her heart lurched. Only two stalls were full. Yesterday, he’d brought over another animal to her place.
“Aiden?”
“Just a sec.”
She couldn’t see him. His head popped up from a stall a second later. “Hey! What are you doing here? Is Twister hurt?”
“No.”
He rushed over to her and tilted her chin up. “You’ve been crying. Let me wash up. I want to hear all about it.” At the sink, he washed and sanitized his hands. Once he towel dried, he came back over. “So tell me.” When he smoothed the errant strands behind her ear, her frustration lessened.
The problem was she wasn’t sure what or how to tell him. She prayed he wasn’t involved. When he cupped her face and kissed her forehead she caved. “Jake paid Brody what I owed him for the lumber after Tank gave his guarantee that the loan would be repaid.” There, she’d said it.
He leaned back and studied her. “That would be bad, why?” His expression remained blank.
“They did something behind my back. That means they don’t trust me or know me very well.”
“I don’t see why that’s—”
“What? A big deal?” She swept a hand across his barn. “It is to me. Don’t you see? It’s my house, my ranch, my responsibility. Shouldn’t they have let me know they wanted to do this?”
“And if they’d asked, what would you have said?”
“No, of course. Strangers shouldn’t do something like that.”
He pressed his lips together. “Oh, sweetheart. They aren’t strangers. And secondly, did it ever occur to you they wanted to?”
This wasn’t going as planned. He must have been in on the deception if he was so calm about it. She waved a hand to the mostl
y empty stalls. “Then explain to me why there aren’t any animals in here. You said you needed extra room. Was that a lie, too? Did you consider me a pity case? Is that why you told me your barn was overflowing?”
“No. That was the truth at the time.”
He would twist everything to make him the good guy. Given time, he’d find a way to make her believe it was all a big misunderstanding. Not waiting for him to explain further, she spun around and ran out of the barn.
“Tammy, wait!”
She didn’t want to hear his excuses. She managed to reach her van and hightail it out of there before he could get to his truck. She drove around, taking random rights and lefts as if she was some criminal trying to lose a police tail. The problem was she had no place to go. Home wasn’t an option just yet. She couldn’t face the Jake. The Mountain View Bar & Grill came into view. She was comfortable there. Everyone was nice and supportive.
Making sure Aiden hadn’t somehow figured where she went, she looked up and down the street before ducking inside. She picked a table in the far corner and ordered a hot tea and a chocolate chip cookie. She didn’t usually do sweets, but her body craved an indulgence. Taking her time with each sweet mouthful, she went over the facts. No clarity came. Damn.
Now what should she do? Here, her birthday had started out so brightly, and now the light had dimmed.
Aiden probably had already let Jake and Tank know she was onto their little scheme. All three men would no doubt be waiting for her when she got home, but she wasn’t ready to talk to them. Her reasoning had some holes in it, and she needed to think about what happened. If she wasn’t prepared with her arguments, they’d convince her to see their side. At the moment, she wasn’t ready to forgive.
She was sipping on her tea when Earl came in. What was he doing here?
He squinted in the dark light. She waved, and he shuffled over. “Ms. Tammy, fancy seeing you here.”
She rarely left her ranch except when she worked here or when she gave her jewelry presentations to the local women, so she understood his surprise. She could use a friendly face. “Care to join me?”
“I’m meeting my daughter, but I’ll sit a bit until she shows.”
Monroe, Melody Snow - Taming Tammy [Pleasure, Montana 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 11