STORY EXCERPT

“Hey, Tanner!” The bartender nodded toward the door. “Seems some pretty lady wants to talk to you. She’s been waving and pointing, trying to get your attention for a full minute.”

He jerked to the entrance. A petite woman in army fatigues had her hand in the air. As soon as she saw him turn around, she motioned him near. Next to her stood a tall, gangly kid who looked everywhere but at him.

Tanner shook his head. “Never seen ’em before.” He tossed back his beer, kissed the lips of the sweet thing next to him, and swiveled back to see if maybe the woman was pointing to someone else. “I’ll find out who she’s really looking for.”

“Tell her kids aren’t allowed in the bar at night.”

That went without saying. The Bandit Bar was sometimes too wild even for him. Friday night in particular was a magnet for trouble. Most of the folks in Sanctuary, Montana, had nothing to do, so they came here to dance and drink. They looked forward to watching a bunch of drunken cowboys beat the shit out of each other. He didn’t blame any of the hardworking folks here for their fun. Life was hard in Sanctuary.

He was one of the lucky ones. He worked in a bank, but this week had been a bitch. He’d had to foreclose on two families. It sucked. He’d come here to forget his woes and hoped the young woman wasn’t about to add to them.

He worked his way through the crowd, stepping around a few drunks to get to the servicewoman. He searched his mind for his facial recognition program. No name appeared.

Finally, he reached her. “Ma’am? You looking for me?”

Her shoulders squared. Her blonde hair was pulled back tight and tucked under an army-issue cap. “You Tanner Crenshaw?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He ran his gaze over her body. Nice breasts, ample hips, long legs. “Do I know you?”

“No, but you knew my sister, Megan Hartwick.”

Megan Hartwick. He mentally scratched his head. He hadn’t had that much to drink. Hell, if she looked half as good as the soldier in front of him, he would have remembered her.

The lanky kid next to her tugged on her arm. “Let’s get out of here.” His fist clenched and his eyes narrowed as he studied Tanner.

The kid didn’t have muscles yet, but he would from the way his shoulders were wider than his hips. He had dark hair that needed to be cut, and the wisp of hair above his lip would appear manlier if he shaved it off.

“How old are you, son?”

The kid visibly jerked at the word son. “Don’t call me—”

“Cody, please. For once, shut up.” The woman’s lips pursed.

Tanner couldn’t put any of the pieces together. The band came back onstage, and the loud noise made it impossible to hear. “How about we step outside for a moment?”

She nodded. As she stretched out an arm to open the door, Tanner reached around her and pushed it open. The outside was well-lit and gave him a better chance to study these two. The bar sat right on Valley Road, and as such, the place had garish red and blue flashing lights that were meant to attract attention. Despite the nip in the March air, a few people strolled by.

“So what’s this all about?” He still couldn’t place Megan, but the name sounded familiar.

The woman slipped her hand inside her coat, extracted a letter, and handed it to him. “This will explain everything.”

He folded the envelope in half and jammed it in his back pocket. “How about telling me the short of it.”

She wrapped an arm around the boy’s shoulder to bring him near, but the kid stepped out of her grasp and shot his gaze to the ground. Tanner could relate. He remembered being mad at the world at his age.

“Megan was my sister.”

The word was had his mind buzzing. His brain felt like he’d stepped in a beehive and every one of those buggers aimed at his brain. “She’s dead?”

“Yes. Two weeks ago from colon cancer. This here is her son, Cody.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss, ma’am.” As if someone had tossed him a one-hundred-piece jigsaw puzzle and said he had one minute to assemble it, he sorted through the pieces, forming the border and slowly filling in the center. “Megan.” A vague image formed. “Yeah. Blonde and beautiful.” He could see the family resemblance now with the sister. Their one-month affair had ended badly. Oh, shit. He looked at Cody and the puzzle finally came together. Only he wasn’t sure he liked the final image. He tapped his chest. “You think I’m his father?”

The boy looked up at him. At that moment, Tanner knew the truth. This was his son. From the deep-blue eyes and the prominent brow ridge to the strong jaw, he was a Crenshaw through and through. A quick glance at his large feet, and Tanner’s world spun as joy collided with fear.

“You are his father. Read the letter. You and Megan dated for over a month.”

The conversation came flooding back. “Then she dumped me.”

“Because she found out she was pregnant and didn’t want to tie you down. You weren’t the marrying type.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Jackson slid behind Hailey. “How about we celebrate in style? You’ve been gone too long.”

She dropped her head back onto his shoulders. “Those are the magic words I’ve been waiting to hear.”

Jackson swooped her up in his arms and she giggled. Who would have thought this morning that she’d be right back in Sanctuary with the men she loved?

He carried her to his room where the bed was neatly made and the clothes put away.

Tanner stepped next to her. “Jackson isn’t much of a romantic. He didn’t light any candles.”

“You fucker. I didn’t have time.” He set her down.

She laughed. “No fighting between you two. Ever.”

Jackson turned her to face him. “You’re right, Pleasure. We want our relationship to be perfect in every way.” He cupped her face and kissed her. When their tongues touched, he tasted of rich coffee, and her body exploded with need.

Right now, she needed him naked. Jackson always wanted to be the one in control, but surely a little push on her part wouldn’t hurt. Before she could undo his belt buckle, he grabbed her wrists.

He leaned back. “Did you forget something, little sub?”

“Come on, Jackson.” She gave him her best pout. “I gave up a surefire job for you. Can’t I suck on your cocks?”

A slow smile spread across his lips. “Since you sacrificed for us, I guess I can bend the rules this one time, but we do it on my terms.”

What choice did she have? “Okay.”

“Tanner and I will get you naked, then you will take off our clothes.”

If that was what he considered his terms, she liked it. “Then what?”

“Do as we say and you will be rewarded. Trust me.”

I do. With my whole heart. “Yes, Masters.” She worked hard to keep from grinning.

Tanner picked her up and sat her on the bed. “Remember to keep your gaze downward as we strip you naked.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to her ear. “Then you can suck on my cock.”

She swallowed her grin while her stomach tightened with need.

Good old Tanner. He tugged off her boots and socks while Jackson lifted off her sweater. Her body exploded with pent-up desire as she breathed in their masculine scent that held a hint of spice mixed with something citrusy.

“Stand up,” Jackson commanded, his Dom persona fully in place.

She loved when he took charge. Her life was now fully aligned. The only thing to make it more perfect would be if she could make love to both men at the same time, but she didn’t want to ruin her chances by begging them. At least not yet.

Tanner dropped to his knees and unbuttoned her jeans then looked up and smiled. “God, but I’ve missed you.”

She figured she wasn’t supposed to talk or touch, so she smiled and slightly nodded. Thoughts of disobeying raced through her mind as she pictured the fun. She loved having her ass slapped, or at least she loved the heat that followed. The delight brought her such joy.

He unzipped her jeans then dragged them down to her ankles. “Step out of them.”

She held on to Tanner’s shoulders and lifted one foot at a time. He tossed the jeans to the side. Jackson hissed, but he didn’t move to pick them up. She’d fortunately worn a long-sleeve shirt under the sweater, one that didn’t have any damned buttons. Jackson would have spent a minute on each one just to drive her crazy.

He stepped behind her, and when he slipped his fingers under her shirt, she sucked in a breath at his touch. She’d dreamed of this moment and loved how his callused palms scraped her belly and sent shivers of delight straight between her legs.

Instead of removing her top like he had her sweater, he eased his fingers under her bra and pressed on her nipples. Her pussy creamed. His weather-roughened fingers created chaos all down her body. He lifted the bra over her breasts, relieving the pressure.

“Oh, yes.” She drew in her bottom lip.

Jackson continued to play with her nipples while Tanner slipped a finger under her panties and into her weeping slit. Instant lust slammed into her, and her legs weakened.

“Masters, please. I thought you said I could suck on your cocks.” If they didn’t stop playing with her now, she’d expire.