by Regale, Rhea
“Amanda, you know how many tourists come through this town durin’ the summer months. Brody already said the woman didn’t go home with him, and she wasn’t from around these parts. He was alone, no alibi. Who the hell knows whether the guys Caroline took home were tourists or not.”
“I recognized one of the guys. I don’t know him by name, but I’ve seen him around. He went to Ride’em a lot.” Mandy dug out her cell from her purse and punched in Heidi’s number. Placing the phone to her ear, she gave Craig a teasing pinch on the cheek. “I’m still lookin’ for a picnic today.”
Craig chuckled, lowering his forehead to her shoulder.
Heidi picked up, breathless, “Hey girl.”
“Caroline’s doin’ what she does best.”
“She’s already openin’ her legs?” Heidi smirked. Mandy laughed, earning her four sets of eyes pinning her to her chair. She cleared her throat. “What’s she doin’ now?”
“Gettin’ Craig and Brody in a bind. I need your help, my social butterfly. You remember those two Caroline went home with the night she claimed Brody raped her?”
“Yeah. Course.”
“Who were they?”
“Give me fifteen. I’ll get a name for you and call you right back.”
Mandy looked at the screen on her cell and smiled. She poked Craig in the shoulder. “See? That’s how you get things done. She’ll call me back with a name.”
“How could she know—”
“Baby, this is Heidi we’re talkin’ about. She knows things not even the Ryder gossips know.” Her anxiety began to fizzle. She sank against Craig’s chest and absorbed his strength as he held her in his embrace. Brody tugged down the brim of his hat, but his eyes locked with hers, and a secret grin curled the side of his mouth. To Rylan, she asked, “If all of these accusations prove false, can you arrest her for blackmail and extortion?”
“I’ll have to meet up with the prosecutor to see if we have a strong enough case, and that’ll happen only if we can prove Brody wasn’t with Caroline the night she’s cryin’ rape, and Craig is not the father of her son,” Rylan said. He waved the papers still clenched in his hands. “You faxed Ted a copy of these, right?”
“First thing he told me to do. He’s checkin’ into them. Said most courts won’t issue a paternity test unless there’s reasonable evidence suggestin’ I’m the father,” Craig said.
“When she spoke with me, she sounded pretty damn certain you’d come back her baby’s daddy,” Brody said, dropping his phone on the table. “Does that document say he has to see a court-appointed physician? Can he see his own?”
“There’s something here statin’ a physician, but that could be easily overridden,” Rylan said. He neatened up the papers and placed them on the table beneath a coaster. “I ain’t no lawyer, but these documents don’t look legit.”
“They’re legit. Washington’s state seal is visible,” the investigator said. Mandy’s attention shot to him, having nearly forgotten he sat with them. “I’ve got a call into the judge who ordered the test. I’m curious to know what made him issue the order. They won’t go by a claim without evidence. Either she has evidence we don’t know about, or someone forged this.”
“That would become a federal crime, wouldn’t it?” Mandy asked. The investigator nodded. “And if she managed to convince a judge to fill out the order, he could be banned from practicin’ again. I don’t know a judge who would risk their career to appease a slut.”
Her phone rang, and she quickly answered the call. Craig and Brody watched her intently. Her heart sped up, and a tremble rippled through her fingers.
“That was quick,” Mandy said, pushing off Craig’s shoulder.
“My girl’s men are in dire need of some help. Of course I’m gonna be quick, silly.” Heidi laughed, and her lighthearted air filled Mandy with hope. “Accordin’ to my sources, one of the guys was Larry Henley. The other was a distant cousin of his livin’ out in Alaska.”
“Larry Henley? He was two years ahead of us in school, right?”
“Same Larry. Kinda creepy. Ran with the wrong crowd. Always gettin’ his sorry ass into trouble.”
“He had blond hair, didn’t he?”
There was a long pause, followed by a sharp gasp. “Holy shit! You’re not thinkin’ Larry knocked her up, are you?”
“I’m thinkin’ anythin’ right now to get these two out of her claws. Thanks. I’ll give you a call if we need anythin’ else.” She hung up and turned a slow-growing smile to Craig and Brody. Rylan climbed to his feet, unhooking his phone from his belt. His eyes narrowed on her.
“Larry Henley?” Rylan asked, leaning his elbows on his knees. Mandy nodded. “He’s in county for possession with intent to sell to minors.”
He pressed the phone to his ear and turned his back on them. Brody pushed off the sofa and knelt down in front of her, cupping her face in his hands. He lowered her head to his.
“You’re amazin’, Mandy. Truly amazin’.” He kissed her, a motion she indulged until she heard Craig clear his throat. When she looked over at him, her face warmed. She risked a glance at the investigator, who quickly looked down at the papers spread over the table. Brody chuckled and shifted to his haunches. “I could kiss you all day for gettin’ me out of this jam.” He lifted his eyes to Craig, a smirk forming on his mouth. “But I’m not certain my brother would care for that.”
“Well, kids,” Rylan interrupted, drawing on everyone’s attention. He tapped his phone. “Got us a date with one Larry Henley in an hour.”
Mandy rubbed her hands together, excitement coursing through her like live electrical currents. Sharing a secret glance with her men, she felt their own anticipation falling off them in waves. Caroline might have thought she could tear up Ryder, but Ryder blood was about to show her what happened when an outsider threatened family.
* * * *
Craig left the jailhouse in a state of subtle shock. He couldn’t believe how fast Larry was to admit he and his cousin spent the entire night with Caroline three years ago, and even wrote down a statement for Ted. The stunning resemblance Caroline’s little boy had to Larry urged Craig to have Ted consult with Larry’s lawyer about a paternity test.
The weight Caroline dropped on his shoulders earlier lifted, and he had the woman tucked beneath his arm to thank. His genius, witty Amanda never once believed he was the father of Caroline’s child, or that Brody had raped her. While Craig and Brody spent hours going through the documents and trying to piece together the mess Caroline was creating in order to prove their innocence, Amanda walked into their meeting and handed them solutions stress had blinded them to.
Not to mention he’d be thanking Heidi for her help. What connections gave them a name, he didn’t know, but he was grateful nonetheless.
Ted held out his hand to Craig. “I’ll be in touch with you tomorrow once I speak with Larry’s lawyer. Brody, you and I will discuss what we can do about Caroline, should you wish to press charges for blackmail.”
“Thanks for comin’ down on such short notice,” Craig said, shaking the man’s hand.
“It’s never a problem, Craig.” Tucking his portfolio under his arm, Ted went off in the opposite direction. Brody rounded Mandy’s other side and slipped his arm around her waist. Rylan joined them, his brow lifting and his lips pursed.
“I ain’t gonna ask,” Rylan muttered, pointedly eyeing Craig and Brody’s arms around one woman. “Christ, first Travis and Brent, and now you two.” With a groan, he shook his head. “If you don’t want your mommas faintin’, you’d best take care to keep your…” He waved his hand, his brows cinching. “Aw, hell.”
Craig exchanged a curious look with Brody as Rylan walked away.
“Guess he’s figured it out?” Mandy asked, her sweet, innocent voice breaking the tense air around them. Craig expelled a short breath before laughing. “How’d he figure out about Travis and Brent?”
Craig stared down at her, his laughter catching in his throat. “
What are you talkin’ about?”
God, he loved the way her cheeks turned red and she chewed on her lip when she was nervous. She shrugged off the comment and started toward their truck. Brody yanked her back before he could, blocking her path to the front. Craig held her waist, keeping her pinned between them.
“Nothin’. Just thought you assumed what I assumed from Ry’s comment,” Mandy said. “Let’s go. We lost our picnic, so you two better be comin’ up with a plan to make it up to me.”
Craig tipped his head skyward. The late afternoon sun spread a golden glow across the land. Within the hour, the sky would become a blazing palette of colors leading up to the moments the sun disappeared behind the horizon.
His cock grew hard as an idea came to him. “I think I know how we’ll make it up to you.”
Chapter Eighteen
Mandy groaned and tossed her cards on the mat. She climbed to her feet, the blazing fire licking at her hot skin. The night was a balmy one, compared to the past couple nights. The stars shimmered in the clear night sky, the moon dazzled against the velvety black backdrop, and the air was dense with raw anticipation.
Three rounds in the hole and three articles of clothing lost, soon to be four. Mandy raked her gaze over Craig, who remained entirely clothed, and then to Brody, who had lost his boots and shirt a few rounds earlier. She arched her back, pressing out her bra-encased breasts in a teasing motion that earned her an exasperated and seemingly painful groan from Brody before he lay back on the mat and covered his face with his hands.
Mandy snickered and stepped up to Craig. She wiggled her hips, her breasts bouncing, and winked.
“You’re gonna be the last one left dressed, cowboy. You don’t start losin’ some rounds soon, you’ll be watchin’ Brody and me get frisky,” Mandy said on a sexy husk. She leaned over, resting her hands on her knees and making sure Craig got a full view of her cleavage. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she added, “I know that ain’t what you want.”
Craig chuckled, that bone-tingling grin melting into a dark smile. He reached out, his fingertips coming to rest on the inside of her ankle. Slowly, he drew them upward, the light touch bringing goose bumps to the surface of her body.
“Sweetheart, I want these little shorts off you,” Craig murmured, his eyes following the path of his hand as his fingers traced the inside of her knees and trekked up her thigh. He tipped his head up, his mouth so damn close to hers she could taste his lips and feel the rapturous currents his kiss elicited. The fizzling knot in her throat swelled, cutting off air to her brain and making her dizzy.
Those wicked fingers curled around her jean shorts and gave a playful tug. “Off, Amanda. Then sit back down, and I’ll deal another round.”
Mandy straightened up and hooked her thumbs inside the waist of her shorts. She stepped back, making sure Brody could see her, too. Her clit was as hot and electric as the fire crackling a few feet away. Slowly, she flicked open the button on her shorts and drew the zipper down tooth-by-tooth, holding Craig’s gaze while Brody’s potent stare seared her. Craig’s smile turned feral, his eyes drinking in the glow from the fire. He palmed the bulge in his jeans, took a swig of his beer, and let out a sharp breath. She shimmied her shorts down her legs until they pooled around her feet.
“Holy fuckin’ hell, woman. Watchin’ you is killin’ me,” Brody said, his voice thick with arousal and a predatory expression settling over his face. Mandy flashed him a smile and lowered herself back to the mat. Watching her might be killing him, but sitting here with nothing more than a bra and panties and her two delicious cowboys mere feet from her was driving her to the brink of insanity. There was only so much blame she could place on the fire for her ramped body temperature. There was nothing to blame for the dull hum in her pussy other than the consuming desires to take both her men again.
“Brody, it might be you and me tonight,” Mandy said, crossing her legs. Her gaze drifted back to Craig. “Gonna deal?”
Craig cleared his throat, did a quick shuffle of the cards, and started dealing. Mandy picked up her hand and spread the cards. She stole a cautious glance at Craig and Brody, but the two were unreadable. In their modified game of poker, they had one chance to raise their hand, and right now, Mandy needed every chance she could get to pull ahead.
Trading in three cards for new ones, she had to bite down on her cheeks to keep from squealing. After Craig swapped his cards, she waited for him to look at her.
“Hah!” She threw down her full house and rubbed her hands together. “Beat that, boys.”
Brody laughed, laying down his cards. Nothing. She watched Craig lay out his cards. Her smile fell as she stared at the straight flush.
“Are you kiddin’ me?” She shook her head and leveled her gaze with Craig. He was laughing quietly while Mandy simmered. She grabbed her cards and waved them at him. “I should’ve won. You’ve got that deck rigged.”
“Even if I did, you’d still be the first one naked,” Craig said, humor sparking in his eyes. He rolled onto his hands and knees and crawled over to her. His imposing frame forced her to drop onto her back, and he climbed right over her. He lowered his head to hers. “The deck ain’t rigged, but I don’t think it’s all fair you’re the only one ready for a good time.”
Mandy let him come in for a kiss. She rolled to the side, ducking under his arm and leaving him to kiss the air.
“You ain’t in control this time, cowboy.” Mandy crawled over to Brody, her poor, neglected man, swaying her ass with each movement and giving Craig an eyeful. Brody’s face darkened with his eyes, carnal hunger as toxic to her mind as his touch was to her body. She climbed over his knees and straddled his waist, pressing her breasts to his chest. “You get first dibs, baby. What do you want?”
Brody thrust his jeaned cock against her pussy before casting Craig a mischievous glance over her shoulder. “Wanna make him squirm?”
Mandy rested her forehead against his and looked at Craig. The tortured etch in his face should’ve made her cave, but he’d tortured her long enough tonight.
“I like that,” she agreed.
“Oh, baby. You’ll like it so much more in a moment. Get those wet panties off.”
Mandy climbed off Brody and slipped her panties from her legs. Brody laid back, knees bent, and pinched her hip.
“Hop on. I’m gonna eat that juicy pussy while you ride my tongue, ’cause I know how much he likes the taste of you.”
Mandy allowed Brody to guide her over his face. She gazed down at him as he positioned her pussy over his mouth, his eyes clouding with thick lust. He used his thumbs to spread her slick labia, unleashing the first jolt through her system. Her pussy was so sensitive and desperate for attention, and Brody was merely running the rough pads of his thumbs along her seam.
When she turned her attention to Craig, his entire demeanor had changed. The calm, laid-back Craig was nowhere to be found amidst this dark, raw, starved man that pulsed power and strength and the underlying threat of retaking control. He was working his shirt off, his eyes never leaving her. He climbed to his knees and began to unbuckle his belt when Brody’s tongue licked her pussy, squeezing a whimper from her lips. The flash fire inside her rocked her vision as Brody probed her pussy with his tongue in slow, tantalizing strokes. His hands curled around her ass, his fingers kneading her fleshy mounds, urging her to rock against his mouth. She didn’t hesitate a moment, milking each delectable stroke of his sinful tongue, riding his fierce kisses and hungry suckles.
Mandy threw her head back and let out a low moan, the tension coiling unbearably tight inside her core. She hugged her breasts, her nipples burning from the friction her bra produced, spiraling down into the molten pool boiling between her legs. Brody growled against her, drinking her, ravishing her and stripping every thought from her mind as she swayed at a tedious peak.
Fingers tangled in her hair, lifting her head. She peeled back her eyelids and stared up into Craig’s eyes, a predatory craving darkening them t
o a stormy gray.
“You’d rather fuck his tongue over my cock? Sweetheart, I can do so much better,” he said, his voice thick and rich like molasses.
He glanced sharply down at Brody, who immediately ceased his delicious attack on her pussy and left her spinning on a dangerous point, anticipating release that rested seconds from her reach. Craig gave her hair a gentle tug, urging her to her feet. His formidable grin melted into a salacious smile, snatching the breath from her lungs. The thunderous pulse resonating through her body from her clit left her trembling as he drew her head to his.
“You’re in control,” Craig whispered. He slanted his mouth over hers, filling her with his kiss. She sank into the steely planes of his body, delighting in the hard cock bulge barely contained by his partially opened jeans. The edges of his hair tickled her face. The woodsy scent of his skin saturated her lungs.
Mandy splayed her hands over the corded terrain of his back. She slid her palms down to the waist of his jeans and slowly dragged the rough fabric from his hard ass. As she worked the jeans down his legs, she broke free of his encompassing kiss and drew a path of playful scrapes, nips, and licks down his chest. His fingers fisted in her curls, his muscles tensing as she moved over his packed abs and came to pause at the crown of his moist cock.
Peeling the jeans from Craig’s legs, Mandy glanced over her shoulder and spotted Brody, completely naked, lubing up his sheathed cock. “Aww, Brody. I wanted some of your cock, too.”
Brody jutted his chin toward his brother. “Suck him, baby. I want to feel that tight ass tonight.”
She turned back to Craig, curling her fingers around the base of his cock. A vague spasm shook him. She leaned over and wrapped her lips around the top of his shaft, moistening his long length before she sucked him into her mouth. Closing her eyes, she ran her tongue over the ridges of his cock, loving how velvety his skin felt over the fierce hardness. His musky scent jolted her heart and left her creaming.