STORY EXCERPT

“Hey, Vic, Tommy, what’s going on?” Mason asked as Vic and his brother approached the main bar in Dixie Chix.

“Not too much. How’s the SWAT thing going?” Vic asked Mason as he ordered a couple of beers from Juliet.

“It’s going great. Thanks for asking.”

“Hi, guys,” Juliet said as she handed over the bottles of beer.

“Hey, Juliet. Big crowd tonight, huh?” Vic asked.

“Sure is. They’re having the first of five bull-riding contests tonight. The winner with the highest score takes home a nice sum of money,” Juliet stated.

“Really? How much is it at now?” Tommy asked.

“Four thousand.”

“Wow.” Tommy replied.

“Well, Susanna thinks it will easily reach ten before we get to the final round in December. It’s right before Christmas,” Juliet told them.

“Hey, you guys are coming over for Thanksgiving tomorrow right?” Juliet asked Vic and Tommy. They looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders as they took slugs of beer. Often, they did a lot of things at exactly the same time. It was part of being twins.

“Is that a yes? It better be. I expect some of that homemade Native American cuisine you’ve dropped off to Carl and Richie.”

“Hey, is this some sort of insulting comment because we’re Comanche and the pilgrims ate with Indians for Thanksgiving? I’m not dressing in my tribal wear, Juliet. Thanks a lot,” Tommy stated and Juliet’s mouth dropped.

She grabbed Tommy’s arm. “Oh my God, no. Please don’t think that. I just meant I loved the vegetable pie and that other cornmeal dish you and Vic made for the guys. I swear,” Juliet said, and Vic laughed as he saw Juliet turn a bright red.

“I’m just messing with you. Of course we’re coming over. The guys are like our only family,” Tommy added. Juliet shook her head then walked away.

“That was good,” Mason told Tommy. Tommy smiled then turned around to take in the large crowd of people. He could hear Gus, the DJ, getting some music going and he was talking on the mic.

Vic was looking toward the left of the room, not too far from where they stood. He gave Tommy a tap.

Tommy looked over in the direction Vic was nodding toward and he felt his stomach clench. Elise was standing in front of the bar talking to some tall cowboy he didn’t recognize.

“Do you know him?” Vic asked Tommy.

“Nope.” Vic watched at the cowboy touched Elise’s shirt that barely covered her belly. He knew she wore a belly ring, and he also knew she had a tattoo on her hip bone of an iris that led with vines below her jeans. He imagined that it went from her side, down her hip, to nearly her ass. It wasn’t huge and from the quick glimpse of it, it seemed colorful. Vic swallowed hard. He felt his blood pressure rise. He would lose it if Elise were dating someone.

“He lays another fucking hand on her and I’m going over there,” Tommy stated, sounding like he was spitting venom.

“Slow down, brother. She doesn’t belong to us.”

“Fuck that, Vic. I want her, you want her, so what the fuck are we waiting for?”

“We don’t have time to court a woman when we’re spending all our time working as deputies and training our cousins in bull riding over at Dudley Farms. We talked about this. A plan needs to be made.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. I won’t stand by and let another man sweep her off her feet and away from us. We’re thirty years old. We aren’t getting any younger and neither of us has been with another woman in over a year. Not since we set eyes on Elise,” Tommy admitted firmly, never taking his eyes off of Elise.

Vic knew his brother was right. He was getting tired of ignoring his feelings for Elise and they discussed this on the farm. But now he was getting nervous. What did he have to offer her? But then he wanted more. He wanted a woman he could hold and share things with. Especially while seeing all their friends around them pursuing their women with success. Any time there was a situation, he and his brother immediately took over protecting Elise.

He stared at her while she laughed with the new guy. The cowboy was dressed in designer jeans, designer cowboy boots, and he looked at Elise like she were his next meal.

As they watched the cowboy walk away, Vic saw Elise turn and fan herself as Carla smiled wide then gave Elise a high five. Fuck if that guy was going to get into his woman’s pants. Not if Vic and his brother had a say in it.

ADULT EXCERPT

Elise walked into the bedroom to find her phone. As she pulled it out, she saw she received a text message from Tagart.

He wished her a “Happy Thanksgiving” and asked if she wanted to meet him at his hotel. She laughed. Like that would happen? The man sure was presumptuous. The fact that he texted her like that, as if she were simply a booty call, pulled on her bitch strings. She was annoyed. Like she was stupid enough to fall for his slick behavior at the club last night. He hinted about going back to her place or his hotel. She also noticed the way that Carver guy stared at her body. It was as if he thought he would join them, too, if she said yes to Tagart’s offer.

“Important message?”

She turned around quickly to find Vic standing in the doorway. He stared at her as he ducked so he wouldn’t hit his head on the trim molding. He was tall and wide as he maneuvered through the average-sized doorway.

She took a deep breath, instantly feeling intimidated and off-balance being caught in a small enclosed space with him. Never mind that text message. After his and Tommy’s behavior the other night at the club, he might truly freak out.

“Not really. Just a friend.”

He closed the space between them and reached for her wrist.

He turned it over and took her cell phone from her hand. He read the text message, and in the dim light she practically saw his eyes change from calm to angry.

“Did you text him back?”

“That’s really none of your business, Vic.” She couldn’t help but shake from his interrogation.

He raised his eyebrows at her and stepped closer. She felt the bed behind her calves and froze where she was.

He reached out to gently touch one of the small curls of hair by her neck as he held her gaze.

“That’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart. You are my business and Tommy’s.”

“Why is that? Because you think you’re always supposed to protect me? I don’t need protection or any more brother bodyguards around.”

He reached over her shoulder as he stepped closer and embraced her face and neck between his large hands before he brought his mouth down closer to hers.

“There ain’t nothing brotherly about it.” His lips covered hers as she held on to his arms.

Initially shocked, she felt her belly tighten. She had often fantasized about Tommy and Vic, but she knew she couldn’t allow herself to open up her heart to them. But now, in his arms, consumed by his smoldering kiss, she was completely confused. She was lost in such an amazing kiss, and she couldn’t focus on anything but the feel of his tongue exploring her mouth. He stroked every inch of it as he held her body against his, and she teetered on losing her balance and falling onto the bed.

She barely heard the sound of the door closing and locking. She was lost in the sensation of being held by such a large, muscular man while he kissed her breathless. Vic turned her body slightly and that was when she felt the second set of hands on her waist.

“We’re setting the record straight, baby. This body belongs to Vic and me,” Tommy whispered as he kissed along the back of her neck and trailed large fingertips down the open V of her dress before grasping her hips and squeezing.

Vic slowly released her lips but continued to move his mouth along her neck and shoulder before pushing the material of her halter-style dress downward.

“God almighty, you’re beautiful, woman.” Vic immediately sucked a nipple into his hot, wet mouth, making her moan.

She grabbed ahold of his head, fighting with her mind to either push him away and stop this out-of-control situation or press him firmer against her breast.

She felt Tommy’s hands move under the hem of her dress to her thighs and she began to shake. His palms caressed over the fabric of her dress, and she felt every movement, every combined sensation both men simultaneously assaulted her senses with. Were those his thumbs that rubbed up along her pussy?

“We can’t do this. Oh God, please, you have to stop.”

Vic pulled his mouth abruptly from her breast, making the nipple hard and aroused as she gasped.

He looked dead serious and aroused as he held her gaze. “That asshole ain’t good enough for you.”

He licked across her nipple and then tried to suck more of her breast into his mouth. The sight of his firm, chiseled cheekbones sinking in while he savored her breast made her pussy clench. Then she felt Tommy’s fingers move between her thighs.

“Open up for me, baby. I want to explore what’s mine.”