by Carol Lynne
“How’s it going?” he asked, wincing.
“Good.”
“Uh, the reason I called was to see if you’d be interested in maybe going to dinner with me and Ranger tomorrow evening? We thought we could go into Lincoln so as not to attract as much attention.”
“I’d love to go to dinner with the two of you, but something tells me it wouldn’t matter where we went, the two of you together will always attract attention.”
Shit, he hadn’t really thought of that. “Well, I guess you can come over here and we could cook out. It doesn’t matter to us. We’d just like your company.”
“I didn’t say it would bother me, Ryker, but if the two of you would feel more comfortable at home, that’s fine with me. The important thing is we spend some time together.”
“Good, great in fact. Uh, how ’bout we pick you up around seven? It should be cool enough by then to sit out on the deck.” Ryker thought his face would split with the wide grin he was wearing. He felt lighter than he had in years.
“Seven’s good, but wouldn’t you rather I just drove myself over?” Lilly asked.
“No, Ranger’s pretty old fashioned about stuff like this, believe it or not. He’d have a fit if we didn’t pick you up on our first official date. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure what he’ll think about us not taking you for a proper evening out.”
“The important thing is that we’re all comfortable enough to talk. I think we can accomplish that best where the two of you feel most relaxed. Tell Ranger we can go to Lincoln next week if tomorrow night turns out nicely.”
“Okay, I think he might buy that.” Speak of the devil. Ranger came walking in the back door. He tilted his head and gestured to the phone. “Lilly, Ranger just walked in so I’ll let him know about tomorrow night. I, uh, have to say, I’m really looking forward to it.”
“So am I.”
“Well, I guess I’ll let you get back to doing…whatever it was you were doing.” He rolled his eyes again and looked at Ranger.
“I’ll be ready at seven.”
“Okay, ’til then.” Ryker hung up the phone. “God that was nerve racking.”
Ranger walked over and wrapped his arms around him. “So?”
He grinned and kissed Ranger. “She said yes, but she thinks the three of us should be comfortable enough to talk, so she suggested we just grill out here at home.” He waited for Ranger’s reaction.
Ranger narrowed his amethyst eyes. “Promise me you won’t try to ravish her. We need to take this slow if it’s going to work for the long haul. Remember what Momma always said, slow and steady wins the race. It’ll be easy to forget that once Lilly’s here, but taking it slow is the right thing to do.”
Ryker grinned and held up his hand. “I promise.” He hugged Ranger and kissed his neck. “I’ve got a lot of stuff to get done by tomorrow evening.”
Ranger looked around the clean kitchen. “Like what?”
He shrugged. “Just because we aren’t taking her out doesn’t mean we can’t make the evening special. I thought maybe I’d do something with the deck to make it seem a little more romantic.”
Now it was Ranger who rolled his eyes. “Do what you want, Bub, but don’t go overboard. I don’t think Lilly will mind a simple barbecue.”
“Of course she wouldn’t, but that’s no reason not to put forth a little effort to make it special for her.”
“You’re right.” Ranger kissed him again. “How’s the leg?”
* * * *
Standing beside Ryker at Lilly’s apartment door, Ranger had to smile. His brother was so nervous he hadn’t sat still all day, which was totally out of character for him. Usually on Sundays, they lounged in bed reading the paper, watching sports and snoozing on the couch, but Ryker had been up since six hanging fairy lights around the deck and picking wildflowers. They didn’t have enough vases for all the flowers Ryker brought home so they improvised with jars.
When Lilly opened the door with a bright smile on her face and one of the prettiest dresses he’d ever seen, Ranger decided all the hard work was worth it. Ryker had been right. Lilly deserved a special evening.
As Ryker stammered a greeting, Ranger realized it was going to be a full-time job to keep his brother’s lust in check. He didn’t blame Ryker for his apparent attraction. Lilly looked absolutely edible in the pink and white polka dot halter dress, her sun-bronzed shoulders left bare. “Ready?” he finally asked, trying to save Ryker some embarrassment.
“Yep.” Lilly held up her purse and keys.
After locking the door, Ranger let Ryker lead her to the truck. As Ranger flipped up the center console, Ryker lifted Lilly into the seat. It seemed awkward having someone ride between him and Ryker, but the smile on Ryker’s face assured him they were doing the right thing.
They made small talk on the way back to the house, Ryker fidgeting with the power button on the window. He’d never seen Bub like this. Usually he was laid back, ready for anything thrown his way. This was a completely different Ryker.
Pulling up to the house, Ranger watched Bub help Lilly out and the three of them walked in together. “I’ll put the twice baked potatoes in the oven if you’ll start the grill,” Ranger said, stopping in the kitchen.
“Sounds good,” Lilly said.
“Would you like something to drink? We have tea, beer and red wine,” Ryker asked as he opened the refrigerator.
“I’ll have some tea right now, but maybe a glass of wine with dinner would be nice.”
Ryker looked up at Ranger. “Beer for me,” Ranger said, getting the potatoes into the oven.
After filling two glasses with tea, Ryker gestured toward the French doors that led out to the deck. “Would you like to sit outside?”
“Yeah, that would be great.” Lilly said and looked over at Ranger questioning.
When Ryker turned his back, Ranger mouthed the words, “He’s nervous.”
Lilly smiled and took a deep breath. “Me, too,” she mouthed back. She let Ryker lead her out to the deck.
Ranger could hear her gasp and utter words of approval at the decorated deck. Shaking his head, Ranger washed up a couple of dishes letting Ryker have a few minutes alone with Lilly. He didn’t understand why the two of them were so nervous. It was obvious they all wanted the same things. He didn’t think any of them wanted a simple affair, so why were they so skittish around each other?
Deciding to ease the tension, Ranger went out on the deck with a new resolve. Lilly and Ryker were standing beside the grill watching the flames dance over the grate. Walking up to the pair, Ranger put his arm around Ryker and pulled him in for a short kiss. If Lilly was going to get used to the sight of them showing affection, it might as well start now.
He didn’t miss the heated look Lilly gave them as she watched the kiss. Well, that went so well, Ranger decided to take it one step further. He broke the kiss with Ryker and leaned over to place a soft kiss on Lilly’s plump lips. She surprised him by opening right away for his questing tongue. Groaning, he used his available arm to pull her into an embrace with him and Ryker as he took the kiss even deeper.
A whimpering sound from Ryker prompted Ranger to break the kiss. “What?” he asked Bub.
“My turn,” Ryker groaned, right before covering Lilly’s lips.
Watching the two of them kiss was even more erotic than he’d thought it would be. He was afraid it would seem awkward, but knowing Ryker’s feelings, he felt happy for his brother. When their kiss started to become too heated, Ranger figured it was time to cool things down. “Shall we sit?” He asked, breaking into their apparent mouth fuck.
Ryker released Lilly’s lips and looked into her eyes for several seconds. “Yeah, that would probably be a good idea.” They broke apart and walked over to the outdoor dining table.
Ranger had to readjust his jeans as he noticed the hard points pressing against the thin material of Lilly’s dress. It seemed they were all aroused. What he’d meant as a tension breaker had crea
ted a whole new set of problems. Even knowing it was too soon, didn’t cool his desire for the two people seated across from him. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Five
After dinner, they felt comfortable enough with each other to settle on the doublewide lounge he and Ranger liked so much. Now, with Lilly between them, it quickly became Ryker’s favorite piece of outdoor furniture. He was hoping that someday, their big bed became his favorite place to have Lilly, but for now, he was in heaven.
Turning to his side, he draped his arm over Lilly to land on Ranger’s hip, who did the same. With the fairy lights glowing in the dark, Ryker watched Lilly’s face as Ranger talked about the future.
“We just need to make sure you know what you’re getting into. Ryker and I are private people, but we do like to venture out occasionally, and when we do we have to watch ourselves. It’s plain to see we’re twins and any show of affection is usually greeted with disgust, so we usually keep that here at home. When we take you out, it would be better for all of us, if you pretend you’re with only one of us,” Ranger explained.
“Why? I mean, I can understand pretending here in town, although everyone knows the two of you are lovers, but why in Lincoln? Sure there’s a time and a place for everything but there’s that gay bar there. I’d think the two of you could dance together or both with me and not draw too many eyes.”
Ryker couldn’t resist placing a kiss on her neck. “It’s a little more acceptable yes, but even in that atmosphere we’d draw attention. Hell, until recently, we even embarrassed Rawley. People just don’t understand our relationship. You need to give it a lot of thought. There’s your mom, for example. Will she accept us or reject you because of us? What about your friends? We know it’s a lot to think about, but we don’t want you to be hurt by what people will undoubtedly say.”
“Well, my mom already knows I’ve had a crush on the two of you for years. I’m not sure if she knows that entering into a relationship will mean the three of us, but I’ll talk to her. I have a couple of girlfriends, but they also know me well enough that I don’t think it will come as a shock to them.” Lilly stopped and worried her lip with her teeth. “I think I’d be okay with the odd looks from strangers as long as the two of you are with me, but maybe we should go out in public to test that theory now that we’re more comfortable with each other.”
“I like that idea,” Ryker said, moments before kissing her. Even though it was only the second time they’d kissed, his tongue felt right at home sweeping the depths of her mouth. He tasted the wine they’d had with dinner and it went straight to his head. The bulge in his jeans let him know just which head, too. As the kiss continued, Ryker couldn’t help himself and moved his hand to Lilly’s breast. Running his fingertips, over the swollen nipple caused the three of them to moan. Slipping underneath the material, he lightly pinched the hard nub unsurprised when he felt Ranger’s lips join his fingers in their quest.
Lilly’s moan was swallowed by his mouth as she lifted into their touch. Feeling Ranger’s hand run up the length of his cock, Ryker thrust his hips. The action seemed to cause Ranger to come back to his senses because he broke the connection with Lilly’s nipple and removed his hand from Ryker’s erection. “Stop,” he said, tapping Ryker on the arm.
Breaking the kiss, Ryker looked at his brother. “What’s wrong?”
“We need to slow down before things get out of hand.”
He looked at Lilly, her exposed breast and bee-stung lips were a testament to how quick things had escalated between the three of them. He noticed the moisture from Ranger’s mouth still clinging to the cinnamon colored nipple and licked his lips. “I’m sorry, Lilly. You’re just so beautiful.”
Lilly shook her head. “Don’t apologize. I’ve waited years for the two of you to touch me like that.”
“Soon,” Ranger said. “First we need to get over a few of the hurdles in our path. Namely your mom and going out in public. I don’t think we should go any further until we know for sure this is what we all want.”
Running her fingers through Ranger’s short black curls, Lilly gave him a chaste kiss. “For the record, I know this is what I want. It feels right. But I can wait until after our next date.”
“How about tomorrow?” he asked.
“I’m off, but the two of you have to work,” Lilly said, still with her hand in Ranger’s hair.
“That’s the beauty of owning your own business. We’ll just take off early enough to come home, get cleaned up and pick you up. Say around six? That’ll put us into Lincoln around seven,” Ranger said, tucking Lilly breast back in her dress.
Ryker was sad to see it go, but understood what Ranger was trying to do. Thank God one of them had maintained control. If it had been left up to him, he’d be buried as deep as possible inside Lilly’s pussy by now. Condoms, fuck, he hadn’t even thought of buying condoms. He mentally added that to his list of things to do tomorrow at lunch.
“I think it would be best if we took you home,” Ranger said, looking at Ryker. “I’m not sure I trust the look on Bub’s face right now.” Ranger grinned and gave Ryker a wink.
“Yeah, that might be a good idea,” Ryker agreed, feeling way too horny to trust himself much longer.
* * * *
After they both gave Lilly a goodnight kiss at her door, Ranger held Ryker’s hand as they walked toward the truck. “It was a good date,” Ranger said, breaking away to open his door.
“The best,” Ryker grinned, getting in on his side.
As soon as they left town, Ryker scooted over next to him. “Thank you,” he said, nibbling on Ranger’s neck.
Tilting his head to the side, he smiled. “You can thank me when we get home. I’m horny as hell now.”
“Why wait,” Ryker said, opening Ranger’s jeans.
He felt Bub’s hand cover his cock, seconds before his thumb pressed against the slit at the top. “Oh, fuck.” One more mile and they’d be in their own drive where he could pull over. He didn’t dare stop on the side of the road, not with their family living just down the lane.
Trying to concentrate on the road, he rested a hand atop Ryker’s. “Feels good.”
“Mmm hmm,” Ryker pumped harder kissing his neck.
Pulling onto their private drive, Ranger waited until they reached the tree line before stopping the truck. He tilted the steering wheel to give Ryker more room and thrust up into Bub’s touch. “Yes,” he growled, feeling his sac draw up tight to his body.
Ryker held his hand still while Ranger continued to thrust into it. “Gonna,” he panted moments before the first spurt of seed left his cock. He grabbed the back of Ryker’s head and pulled him in for a deep kiss. “Oh, oh that was good,” he moaned.
After cleaning Ranger’s cock, Ryker tucked him back in. Ranger smiled and kissed him once more. “Let’s get home so I can take care of you.”
“I’m all for that,” Ryker said with a smile.
* * * *
Lying in Ranger’s arms, Ryker kissed his chest. “Where should we take her tomorrow night?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I was thinking of LaMonts.” Ranger swirled his fingers around Ryker’s short curls.
“Kinda fancy. Lilly doesn’t really strike me as the fancy type. How about we just get a steak at Cattleman’s Choice?”
“That sounds fine. You might want to give her a call and let her know. Women like to be prepared so they dress appropriately.” Ranger grinned.
“Feels weird, taking a woman’s needs into consideration.” Ryker bit Ranger’s already red nipple. “I like it.”
“Rawley called again today. He’s still bugging me to run for City Council.”
“You thinking about it?”
“Hell no. But the more I think about Rawley running for Mayor, the more I think he’s making a mistake. That man was born to be Sheriff, he loves it. Can you honestly see him behind a desk all day dealing with government bureaucrats?”
Ryker shrugged, “He just wa
nts some changes around here. Since Mayor Channing’s indictment for bribery and tax evasion, Rawley’s been on a mission. So tell me why you don’t want to help him?”
“It’s not that, it’s the fact that I don’t want to live my life under a microscope. I enjoy working and then coming home where I don’t have to answer to anyone but you.”
“And hopefully Lilly,” Ryker interjected.
“Yeah, and hopefully Lilly,” Ranger whispered before they both drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Six
Pulling up to the small farmhouse, Lilly looked out over grounds knowing her mom would be outside somewhere. The farm had belonged to her grandpa before he’d passed away. Lilly had never known her father, so it had been just the two of them since her grandpa died when she was thirteen.
Spotting her mom’s legs sticking out from under the old red tractor, Lilly walked toward the barn. Sitting in the small area of shade given off by the tractor tire, Lilly picked a blade of grass and began shredding it. “Hey, Momma.”
“Hey, baby girl, what brings you out here on your day off?” Debbie Turner asked, crawling out from under the broken machinery.
“I need to talk to you.” Lilly continued to pick and shred grass, not looking at her mom.
Debbie wiped her hands on a rag and scooted to the shade, shoulder to shoulder with Lilly. “So talk.”
When Lilly hesitated, her mom bumped her shoulder. “You know there’s nothing you can say to me to make me love you any less, so out with it.”
“I want to date Ryker and Ranger Good,” Lilly blurted out.
“Oh, Lilly.” Her mom shook her head and wrapped her up in a hug. “There’s so many things wrong with that idea. First and foremost, those two men are closer to my age than yours.”
“Please, Mom, it’s not about the age and we both know it.”
“It’ll be hard on you, but I guess growing up without a father was hard too and you made it through just fine. Do you see this becoming serious or is it just a whim?”