STORY EXCERPT

Cass’s blue eyes clouded over with confusion and hurt.

Mason had always hated to see anything but a smile on her face. He’d been protective of her as a young girl. Now, as adults, it was even worse to see her upset. “Like I said, we weren’t in a position to contact anyone we knew. We were doing things we couldn’t talk about. Hell, most of the time we weren’t even in the country.”

He held back, unwilling to tell her everything. Perhaps he never would. Wasn’t that how it was when men returned from the horrors of war?

She let out a breath. “Okay, okay. You’re not going to tell me. I get that.”

“Good.” Good is right. She looks damn good.

She studied him with a searching look. “You went through some shit.”

It was both a question and a statement of fact.

“You could say that,” said Barroll before taking a long drink.

“We’ve been back just long enough to find the ranch,” added Mason.

And then to start hunting for her. Why else would they have taken the lame-ass job as private detectives if not to search for her and make a little money while doing it? The ranch had taken almost all of their savings. They weren’t about to come to her with nothing to offer her. Now they had a home, a future to give her.

Mason leaned closer. She smelled like lilacs on a warm day, exactly the way he remembered her scent. “Let’s talk about you. What do you do? When are you going to visit us in Lost?” He almost asked, “And who’s this Emmett guy?” then decided against it. They’d just reconnected so they couldn’t start telling who she could know and who could text her.

Later. Once we’ve made her ours, then she’ll tell us who Emmett is. By then, he won’t matter any longer.

“I’m a realtor. I like my job.” She took a sip then frowned. “Wait. If you’re some big-time spies or something, then what are you doing living in a small no-name town?”

“We’re out of that line of work, remember?” Was she pushing for more information? Thankfully, Barroll directed the conversation back to safer ground.

“A realtor, huh? Maybe we should’ve had you negotiate the deal on the ranch we recently bought.” Barroll downed the rest of his beer. “I’ll bet you’re one hell of a negotiator.”

“I am, but since I’ve never heard of Lost, I’m pretty sure that’s out of my territory. Besides, it’s already a done deal, right?”

“It is,” answered Mason. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t come and visit us. At least, you can tell us if we got ripped off.” He’d do and say anything to get her to Lost.

“Do you love the place you bought?” She tossed her hair back, but not in the flirting way Shelly had done. Her move was clean, unpretentious, natural.

“We do. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else except on the Double Bar D Ranch.” Barroll motioned for the bartender to give him another beer.

“Then if you love it, you paid a fair price. And it’s called The Double Bar D Ranch? Why’d you name it that?” Her graceful hand slipped around her glass, but she didn’t drink.

Mason licked his lips, already imagining how it would feel to kiss her lips. They were so plump and kissable. Nibbable? Was that even a word? Yet it perfectly described her mouth. “The old guy we bought it from named it. Somehow, it seemed disrespectful to change the name.”

“Really? That’s sweet of you.”

Sweet. Yeah. I’ll bet she’s as sweet as they come.

“Yeah. Mason’s sentimental about that kind of stuff.” Barroll’s gaze was set on her lips, too.

“Anyway, we’re headed back to Lost in a couple of days.” Mason resisted the urge to compel her. But what would he do if she didn’t say yes? “Come with us. We’ve got some work to tie up here before we leave, so coming to the ranch will give us plenty of time to catch up.”

He saw the bemusement in her eyes and could guess what she’d say next. Giving a warning glance to Barroll, he was ready.

“So you’re giving up being private investigators to be ranchers, huh? But you don’t know anything about ranching, do you? It’s not like you grew up on a ranch.”

“Not much,” admitted Barroll. “But we intend to learn.”

She slid off the stool. “Damn. Then I hope you do a better job at ranching than you did at private investigation because it’s obvious that you suck at that.”

“Hey, we got them back together, didn’t we?” insisted Mason.

She tossed her curly auburn hair again. “Yeah, I guess you did. But let me ask you something.”

“What’s that?” Mason started smiling. Here comes the punchline.

“Did you get paid in advance?”

He blinked. It seemed he hadn’t been ready for her jab after all.

She laughed, the sound of angels. “That’s what I thought.”

As she turned, he snagged her hand. “You’ll come to Lost? Swear it.”

The sizzle that whipped between them was unmistakable. He felt it in every nerve ending in his body. Better, he saw her reaction to the sizzle in her quick intake of air. He was able to keep hold of her for almost a minute before she gently tugged her arm out of his grip.

“Maybe.” Pivoting around, she was gone before he could answer.

“Maybe? Shit, man, we can’t have any maybe about it,” said Barroll.

Mason leaned against the bar and took a long refreshing drink. “Calm down. Trust me. There isn’t any maybe about it. She’ll come. If she doesn’t, we won’t back down until she finally gives in. There’s no way in hell or heaven that we’re going to lose her.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Cass couldn’t have told them to leave. Not even if it would cost her dearly. Telling them to leave would have broken her. “No.” She put her hands on them again, searching and finding their cocks.

They moaned and slid onto the bed with her. Their hands were everywhere at once, thrilling her, teasing her, slipping between her folds then finding her breasts. She arched, urging them to do more to her hard nipples, to put their mouths where their hands were. They understood, each man taking a tit and torturing it.

Mason found the warmth between her legs and dipped his fingers into her pussy. She mewled, fighting back the urge to cry louder. Taking it slowly, he moved his fingers in and out, wiggling them to have her soaring to the edge of a climax then back. His tongue swept along the side of her breast then back to whip around her areola and nipple.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his breath hot against her skin.

“You can’t see me.” Yet she knew he could. Was she fishing for another compliment?

“I see you all the time. While I’m working. While I’m sleeping. You’re everywhere within me.”

How had she never known that Mason could speak so romantically? His words made her heart beat faster.

But Barroll wasn’t to be outdone. “I don’t have the gift of sweet talk like Mason does, but you’ve got my heart, Cass. I think you’ve always had my heart. I want you to know that.”

She touched Barroll’s check, too choked up with emotion to give him any other answer.

Mason took her behind the neck and kissed her deeply. His tongue played with hers, but the kiss was still beyond sensual, his love evident in the intensity. “On your side, babe.”

She rolled over, giving Mason both her breasts to play with as Barroll chuckled and skimmed his palm along the curve of her body then over to the seam between her butt cheeks.

“Please. I need you,” she whispered.

“Not as much as we need you,” answered Mason. “Ease your leg over mine.”

She did, opening herself to him. His hand quickly found her pussy again. But his cock was there, pushing at her folds, challenging his hand for dominance. Soon enough, his cock won out.

Mason kissed her again as he drove his cock inside her pussy. She let out a soft cry, but it was muted by his mouth covering hers. Their bodies meshed together, barely a part of hers that wasn’t pressed hard against his. When he broke the kiss, she finally caught her breath.

“That’s it, babe. You don’t have to worry. Let me do all the work.”

Still, she tried to move with him. Tried to give as good as she got. But that became doubly difficult when Barroll gripped her ass, eased her cheeks apart, and put his cock at her dark hole. “It’ll be okay, sugar, if I come right in. Trust me. With me, with us, it won’t hurt.”

She trusted him. She trusted both of them with everything she was. “I know.”

And then he slipped inside her, going in smoother than she could’ve imagined. The brief flash of pain was nothing and soon forgotten once his cock filled her.

They moved together, three bodies becoming as one. Each thrust was answered with another. Her body tightened around their cocks, holding them with her, trying to delay the inevitable when they slid back out. Perspiration dotted Mason’s chest, and she licked it up, loving the taste of him. He lifted her chin to take another deep kiss and put his fingers to work on her throbbing clit.

Barroll nibbled on her neck, and even before she could ask it, he added fangs, making his nibbles a little more painful and pleasurable. His hands kneaded her butt cheeks as he plunged into her time and time again.

Caught between them was the perfect place for her to be. She could think of no better. As they pinned her between them, she ran her palms along Mason’s chest and up into his hair. His hair was wet at the nape as she clutched a hunk of it.

Barroll moved her damp hair away to kiss her neck then nibbled his way over to her ear. “I want to bite you so much.” He nipped at her neck hard then slicked his tongue over the small scrape. “You taste so fucking good. Your blood is sweeter than honey.”

“Take it easy,” warned Mason, his own fangs showing now. “Don’t bite her the wrong way.”

Was there a wrong way? If she could have, she would’ve told them to bite her any way they wanted. Even if it was a changing bite. She would’ve told Mason as much if he hadn’t slammed his cock so hard into her that her breath caught in her throat.

And then, she no longer cared. As long as they stayed together, connected not only physically but emotionally, too, then the rest could wait.

She tightened her pussy walls around Mason and earned a groan as a reward. She did the same with the rings of her asshole and felt Barroll tense behind her. Their soft “uhs” of pleasure delighted her even as her climax swirled from a soft roar into a ferocious howl of need.

Her release came swiftly, barreling through her, destroying her control over her own body. A scream escaped her for a moment before Mason clamped a hand over her mouth.