STORY EXCERPT

“Thanks,” she said, sipping at her coffee.

“They’re clearly not used to you having male attention, honey. The gossip has done the rounds about Charles going to have a word with the two yummy newbies,” Tessie said.

“Nothing happened. Dad embarrassed me and asked all kinds of questions that were not relevant. He made me feel like a teenager rather than a full-grown woman running her own business.” She ran her fingers through her hair. The red locks were messy after a hard day’s work. She’d been sweating from changing the racks around. Her clientele appreciated a change of look in her main shop. Shoes, handbags and accessories were her thing, and she’d recently delved into selling sexy lingerie as well.

“At least you have a father, honey.”

With those few words, she felt like a total bitch. Tessie had lost her father nearly six years ago now.

“I’m sorry. I totally forgot.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see where your food is,” Tessie said, smiling.

Great, Ruby, now you’ve put your foot in your mouth. Dropping her head into her hands, she let out a groan.

“Can I sit with you a second? My feet are killing me,” said Tate Clark, another waitress at the diner.

“Sure. Go ahead. No one else is sitting there.” Ruby sipped her coffee while staring at the other woman.

“So, I heard the English guys got the third degree from your father?”

“If you’re here to get the inside scoop of what went on, you’re mistaken, Tate. I’m not in the mood.”

The other woman shrugged. “I saw an opportunity to ask. I can wait for the real juicy gossip.”

Rolling her eyes, Ruby took another sip of her coffee.

“Speaking of the hunky men, they’ve just entered the diner and they’re heading toward you,” Tate said, standing.

In the next breath, Chris and Troy were stood beside her.

“Hi, is this seat taken?” Troy asked. Chris did his staring again with his lovely blue eyes.

“No, the seat’s not taken.” Both men sat down. “I said it wasn’t taken, not that it was free for you to sit down.”

A look was shared between the two men. “We’re new here. Surely you could give us a few minutes of your time.”

Tate returned with a notepad. “Wow, you’re two fine young men. What can I get you?”

Chris replied without looking at the menu. His gaze was on Ruby while he spoke.

“Check out that sexy accent, Ruby.” Tate tapped her shoulder and walked off.

She held off rolling her eyes as both men looked at her. What was she supposed to say to them? Daddy Charles had given her his blessing. He liked the two new guys in town. Why was her family pushing her into a relationship? She loved working in her shop and decorating her home. Moving out of the family home a year ago had been a brilliant step forward to her independence.

“I’m really sorry about my dad,” she said, finding the silence uncomfortable.

“I liked him,” Chris said.

Markus and Brant approached the table again, bringing a chair with them to sit down. Glancing behind her, she saw Tessie shaking her head. Was the whole town going to be this protective of her?

No wonder she’d not gotten any sex in a couple of years. Now that was pitiful. It had to be over three years since she’d last been intimate with a man. She’d been too embarrassed to buy a dildo online in case the box broke when the mailman posted it to her. The mailman was friends with her three dads and mom. There was no way she was risking that coming up for conversation.

For three years, she’d been giving herself relief with her hand. Glancing at Chris and Troy as they talked to the other two men, she was struck by how damn sexy they were. Watching them work had become a sport for her since they moved into town a month ago. She’d noticed them when they first moved and her attraction for both men had intensified even more from their introduction.

Tate bought over her burgers and fries. Minutes later Tate came back with Chris and Troy’s food.

“Leave Ruby alone,” Tessie said, grabbing her men by the scruff of the neck. Ruby watched fondly as her friend, small in comparison to her men, moved them away from her table.

“You’ve got a lot of people who care about you,” Chris said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“We’ve all grown up close. Tate, Brant, Tessie and I are all the same age.” She took a chunk out of her burger and stared at the two men. They were eating along with her.

“It’s more than that. They’re protective of the whole town. Everyone is checking us out as if to make sure we’ll fit in.” Chris reached over and touched her hand.

The electricity struck her between the thighs. His touch was so small, yet she wanted him so badly. Taking a deep breath, she put her burger back onto the plate and wiped her mouth. She’d never known attraction like this before in her life. What was she supposed to do?

Crap, when had her life become a load of questions for her to answer? It was insane and totally unfair.

“Stone Valley looks after its own. We don’t want anyone who is going to mess with our lives. We’re all open to everything. I’ve got three fathers and not once was I bullied in school because of it. If you can’t accept the way we are, then you’ll never accept it,” Ruby said. She’d watched the love between her mother and the three men she called fathers her whole life. All three men, brothers, loved her red headed mother. Ruby closed her eyes trying to compose herself in front of these two men. It was impossible to do so. The world felt like it was falling away and that they were the only three people left in the world.

ADULT EXCERPT

“So soft and so responsive,” he said.

The tips of his fingers travelled down to her collarbone and then down to the top of her breast. She was breathing deeper than ever before.

Her body was not her own. Chris controlled her with his touch, the easy way he manipulated her body.

“How long, Troy?” Chris asked, staring into her eyes.

“Soon.”

“Why?” she asked, licking her lips.

“Give me your lips.” Chris leaned down, taking what he asked for. She tilted her head back, giving him better access.

His tongue licked along her bottom lip, making her moan. There was no control inside her. She reached up, sinking her fingers into his hair and tugging him harder against her. Ruby felt like a starved woman, finding food for the first time. Chris was feeding her with his touch. His kiss pleasured her, making her melt. She covered the hand on her thigh and forced his touch further up until he cupped her pussy.

“Fuck,” he said, breaking the kiss.

“What?” Troy asked. The other man’s voice sounded strained.

“Get us to her house. She’s fucking wet and I want a taste of her sweet pussy,” Chris said.

Ruby moaned, needing more. Three years. It was a lifetime and she was finally breaking her spell with two hunky English men.

“Please get me home,” Ruby said.

* * * *

Troy pressed down on the gas, trying to get to Ruby’s house as fast as possible. The scent of sex permeated the truck, making it hard for him to concentrate on anything other than fucking her. The skirt of her dress was up around her thighs, tempting him to reach over and stroke.

He saw Chris’s palm working her mound and he wished it was his hand.

Taking a quick left and then a right, he pulled up outside of her house. He liked the look of her space.

“We’re here,” he said, opening the door and climbing out.

Chris helped Ruby out of the truck. They all worked quickly, Ruby unlocking the door, switching the light on as they moved into the house.

Troy kicked the door closed, following her down the long hall to the stairs. She didn’t stop as she ran upstairs. Chris was first, with Troy coming up the rear.

Ruby stood in the main bedroom. Entering the room, Troy watched as she unpinned her hair.

“Tonight doesn’t mean a commitment,” she said, throwing the clips that bound her hair onto the drawer opposite the wall.

“Got it,” Troy replied, not meaning a single word. Tonight may not be commitment, but it was certainly the start of something.

He was breathing heavily and Chris was doing the same. She was intoxicating to watch.

Her hands moved behind her, fingering the zipper.

“Do you need help with that?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t need help with anything.”

Their fiery woman was trying to show her independence.

“Besides getting off,” Chris said.

Troy watched as Chris tugged off his shirt.

Ruby smiled and pushed the top of her dress down. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Her large breasts sprung free. Her nipples were rock-hard tips waiting to be sucked on.

Stripping the shirt from his body, Troy gasped as the dress fell to her feet. The fabric pooled on the floor and she stepped out of it.

She wore a tiny blue lace thong. Ruby faced away from them, presenting her ass to their view as she bent forward.

Fuck, he was close to exploding in his jeans. Her ass was so round and perfect. He wanted to touch her. Troy wanted to open those rounded cheeks to see the red, swollen lips and the view of her anus.

The thong was removed, revealing a peek of her weeping pussy. He liked this woman, the playful side of her.

She stood and faced them again.

“Your turn,” she said.

Troy didn’t wait for another instruction. He kicked off his boots and tore the jeans from his body. Chris did the same beside him. Within moments, they were naked and ready to claim her.

Ruby climbed onto the bed. Her knees splayed open, waiting for them. Fuck, she was the picture of perfection.

“Come here,” she said, crooking a finger at them. Troy rarely took orders from a woman, but at that moment he’d do whatever Ruby said.

He walked to where she stood. Chris got there first. His friend didn’t wait for instruction. Troy watched as Chris banded an arm around her waist and tugged her against him. Their kiss was hot, fiery and everything he imagined watching.

She pulled away first, tapping Chris’s lips.

“It’s Troy’s turn now.”

Her gaze fell on him. She crawled to where he stood on the opposite side of the bed. He didn’t move, waiting for her to come to him.

Troy made his move slowly. There was nothing rushed in his movements. Her hands caressed up his chest to circle his neck. “What do you want, Troy?” she asked. Her head tilted to the side.

“You.” Sinking his fingers into her red hair, he pulled her forward. She collapsed onto his chest, but he took her back onto the bed, forcing her back. Ruby fell to the bed. She moved her legs out from behind her.