Family Values (4 page)

“Will you?”

He grimaced. “I’m not worried about the future.” He cupped himself through his jeans. “And I’ll handle this, same way I have every night since the day I put you on that plane.”

And because she was feeling perverse and a little ticked he hadn’t taken her up on her invitation—and because she really didn’t want to be alone with her own thoughts—she let her fingers flutter on her breast and her pussy. Just so he’d know she was far from satisfied. Miles from finished with him.

He gave her a hard look, then quickly left, closing the door quietly behind him.

Only then did she rise to sit on the edge of the bed and stare at herself in the dresser mirror. Every reddened and swollen place felt branded by his touch and kiss.

What was she doing? This could only end badly. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she caused a rift among the MacAfee men.

Still, her lips quirked. She liked the way her body looked AB—After Brand. Her nipples red and raw. Her pussy swollen. She swirled her fingers in the moisture still clinging to her outer lips. She’d needed to know if he’d ever wanted her. Now she had her answer.

Chapter Four

His brothers were waiting for him on the porch. As soon as Brand stepped outside, he walked into a cloud of tobacco smoke and resentment.

Before either had a chance to lay into him for moving too soon, he raised a hand. “She asked.”

“She asked you to have sex with her?” Nate asked, a hint of humor in his disgusted tone.

“She asked me for an orgasm.”

Both men turned their heads and gave him hard stares.

“You give it to her?” Nate asked, staring at the circle of smoke he’d just blown.

“Yeah.”

“Well, good. It’ll give her something to think about. But we’re next,” he said, rolling his shoulders.

Brand ground his teeth at Nate’s bald statement. “You aren’t lining up at her door.”

“Of course not. But we get a chance to show her we can be just as…generous. Can’t have you wearin’ the white hat.”

“Who says I didn’t take my pleasure too.”

Nate snorted. “You’re wearin’ a hard-on. It preceded you onto the porch.”

He gave his brother a deadly glare, but the effort was wasted. Nate’s teeth flashed white in moonlight as his smile widened.

“So we need a plan,” Eli said evenly.

“Why not let this happen naturally?” Brand asked, feeling uncomfortable talking about planning their seduction of Angelina.

Nate snorted. “Because natural might take too long. Who knows how long her mama’s gonna be gone.”

“I don’t want her feeling pressured. We already know she doesn’t feel good about the way she was forced to leave. Slipping a noose around her to keep her here might cause her to buck.”

“I can handle her buckin’,” Nate said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“I want her treated with respect,” Brand said, irritated with his younger brother’s inability to take anything serious.

“Oh, I’ll give her respect. But I’ll also give it to her how she likes it, hard and deep.”

Brand balled his fists at his sides. “If this is ever going to work…”

Eli clamped a hand on Nate’s shoulder. “How about dialing down the attitude, bro? Or do you want Brand to take a swing at you?”

Nate shrugged off Eli’s hand. “Do you think I don’t know Angel might believe we’ve lost our minds? Well, I’ll do my part.” He released a breath. “I’m happy she let you have her. I really am. But it’s not easy takin’ this slow. I’m not the patient one.”

Eli cuffed the side of Nate’s jaw. “We know. That impatience is what cost us four years.”

Brand shook his head. “We needed that time apart for all of us to figure out how we can make this work. And I have some news, something she told me.”

His brothers perked up, their gazes intent.

“She loves you. Hell, she loves all of us. But she’s not happy about it. She thinks she has to choose.”

Eli raised a brow. “So we should each woo her. Prove to her that making a choice will be impossible. Then maybe she’ll be ready to listen.”

Brand gave a solemn nod. “That’s what I was thinking.” His glance cut to Nate. “So you take her for a ride tomorrow. Remind her how much you have in common, how much she always liked your company.”

Nate’s mouth pursed. “If I see an in…”

Eli slung an arm around his shoulder. “Just make sure she isn’t left feeling dirty about the fact she’s had two MacAfees in as many days.”

Nate’s mouth stretched. “The trick is to keep her off-kilter. Push her a bit. Make it impossible for her to say no. I won’t give her the time to overthink.”

Brand wasn’t sure why, but sharing her with Eli would be easier than letting Nate put his hands on her. The thought sat like a weight in his gut, but he had to get past it or their plan would never work.

And after her confession, he knew he couldn’t make her choose and have the pain of rejecting any of them weigh on her for the rest of her life. Angelina loved them. She loved him. He’d hold on to that thought, let it keep him warm and focused. Still, it was damn tempting to reach across and smack the smirk off Nate’s face.

* * * * *

Breakfast was an awkward affair. She knew even before she stepped into the kitchen that she’d be skirting a minefield. Only, the simmering jealousy she’d expected from Nate and Eli never surfaced. Instead, every time she turned, there was a pair of hands ready to take a burden or to steady her.

By the time they all sat to eat, she needed the rest just to catch her breath.

“Your biscuits are as good as your mama’s,” Eli said in between bites.

“You’ve slathered yours with so much butter and jam, how can you tell?” she muttered, but her grumpiness was only for show. Something was happening. Something that left her feeling tingly and slightly dizzy.

The brothers seemed happy this morning, handing each other dishes, chatting comfortably. Not a single snap or off-color remark. She knew the brothers were tight, but there had always been friction among them. As she’d grown older and begun to see them as men, that friction had only increased.

Now it seemed to have all but disappeared. What was different?

Her curious gaze studied Nate, who gave her one of his secretive smiles, just the corners of his mouth curving. Eli’s stare was soft, his posture so relaxed she felt a lessening of her own tension. When she shot a glance at Brand, his crisp-blue gaze was free of any dark clouds. But before she looked at her plate again, his attention dropped to her chest and then rose again—his way of reminding her of what had passed between them the previous night.

Her cheeks warmed, and she stuck a forkful of fluffy scrambled eggs into her mouth, determined not to let her imagination follow that delicious path. She’d already spent a nearly sleepless night thinking about everything he’d done.

Nate cleared his throat, snagging her attention again. “I’m heading to the east pasture. Wondered if you’d ride with me?”

Her eyes widened. “As soon as I’m done with the dishes, I have other chores and then lunch to prepare.”

Eli shifted in his chair. “I’ll do dishes. I do know how,” he said, smiling. “You go on. It’s been a long time since you sat on a horse.”

She raised her chin. “How do you know I didn’t ride all the time while I was gone?”

He wrinkled his nose. “You live in Austin. Can’t see you rentin’ a horse and ridin’ some manicured trail.”

She narrowed her eyes but shifted her attention back to Nate, who was crunching on a piece of bacon. “I guess it has been a while. If you want the company…”

Nate lifted his eyebrows swiftly up and down. “Bring a swimsuit too.”

She made a face. “I’m not swimming in a stock pond.”

“Even if the pond hasn’t seen a cow in years? Come on. Water’s clean, I promise.”

“Who says I even brought a suit?”

“Bet there’s still one in your drawers.”

She didn’t mention the fact she’d grown a few inches around the hips and chest, but maybe the Lycra would stretch. Lifting her shoulders, she said, “Why not?”

Thirty minutes later, she stood on the porch, her too-tight swimsuit beneath her jeans and tee, her old boots feeling a little snug as well.

The sound of hooves clomping on dirt drew her attention. Nate had arrived on top of his dappled-gray gelding. She glanced around but didn’t see another horse. “You forget something?”

“I asked if you’d ride with me,” he said with a one-sided smile. He kicked his boot free of his stirrup and reached out a hand.

Angelina knew she’d walked right into a trap, but the day was sunny, the morning heat still bearable, and the thought of holding a cowboy around the waist as they rode atop a big horse was just too delicious to quibble over a little miscommunication.

She gave him her hand, stepped onto his boot and swung up behind him. “There’s not as much room on this saddle as there used to be.”

“Baby girl, you’ve got more junk in your trunk.”

A laugh caught her by surprise, and she punched his shoulder. “Not nice.”

“Beg to differ. Every time you walk out of a room, I see just how nice it is.”

Chuckling, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

With a click of his tongue, he moved his horse forward.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Brand step out of the barn. His cowboy hat was tipped downward so she couldn’t see his expression.
A blessing
, she thought, not wanting to consider consequences. She’d been honest with him the night before. He wasn’t the only MacAfee she was attracted to.

And with her body pressed to Nate’s, she felt as though some of his recklessness seeped into her. She gave Brand a wave and then nearly fell off the horse when he gave her a casual wave right back.

Didn’t he care that she was riding off with his brother? Rather than let him see her shock, she glanced away.

Once they were out of sight, Nate kicked his horse into a gallop. Angelina gripped his waist tighter and shook back her hair. With the wind tugging at her curls, the ride was exhilarating.

He followed a familiar path. One that led them toward the middle of the ranch and into rocky, hilly terrain. If she remembered right, there was a line shack not much farther ahead. One used by hands during the winter if they were caught in a sudden storm. Not anywhere near the east pasture.

But she stayed silent, letting Nate guide his horse through caliche gravel that rolled downhill, around larger boulders and scrubby cedar, until at last they reached a small pond with a green patch of grass surrounding it. The shack was just beyond the pond.

Why that fact disturbed her, she wasn’t sure. He’d told her to bring a suit. He’d brought her to the pond to swim. Only now, she didn’t want to remove her outer clothing because she felt suddenly vulnerable.

He drew back on the reins and kicked a boot free. Without being told, she quickly dismounted, ignoring his boot to slide straight to the ground. After he’d seen to his horse, he joined her where she stood beside the pond.

Her gaze went to the long escarpment in the distance that enclosed the valley. “Why did you bring me here?” she asked, not looking at him because she didn’t want to see that cocky smile he wore like armor.

“I thought we might catch up. Have some fun.”

She stiffened a little, because she had something to say and she might as well get it over with. “Did you think I’d let you fuck me?”

“Not what I planned,” he drawled, “but is that something you want?”

It was odd, but she liked the fact she could be so blunt with him, that she didn’t feel shy or horribly embarrassed. There had always been honesty between them. Even that fateful night, she’d known exactly what he wanted when he’d led her up the stairs. “Let’s have some fun,”
he’d said
.

Still staring straight ahead, she said, “You know what happened between me and Brand?”

“I know you were alone with him, that he gave you an orgasm without putting his dick inside you.” He shuffled sideways until his shoulder nudged hers. “See, that’s where he and I are different, sweetheart. I wouldn’t have been a gentleman. I’d have had to get inside you.”

The tone of his voice had dropped to a sexy purr. A sound that had made her crazy when she’d been younger and eager to experiment.

I’d have had to get inside you.
Good Lord, it wasn’t fair he could make her wet with so few words.

Keeping her expression neutral, she turned her head toward him. “We should swim. I’ll have to get back early enough to cook something for supper.”

A small frown dug a line between his brows. “Why are you in such a hurry? We just got here. Did I do something to piss you off, Angel?”

She drew a deep breath and shook her head. “I’m just feeling…a little confused, I guess. Being back here. With the three of you. Eli chatting me up every time he’s near. Brand…” Her eyes began to fill. “My mama’s not going to be proud of the fact I can’t seem to keep my pants on around you boys.”

One corner of his mouth kicked up. “Your mama thinks you’re in love with us.”

It was hard to keep her gaze steady when all she wanted to do was hide. How could her mama say that? “I love you all. That’s true. But to be
in
love…with the three of you…” Her voice tapered off in a hoarse whisper.

Nate turned and gripped her shoulders to force her to face him. Then he tipped up her chin with a single finger. His gaze was direct, and his mouth was a serious straight line. “You’re in love with us. We know. And the thing is, baby girl, we’ve loved you right back for a very long time.”

Her mouth trembled. “So you see how impossible this is—how dangerous? Your brothers are all the family you have left. I won’t come between you.”

“Oh, you’ll come between us,” he whispered. “And you’ll love it. Give us a chance to prove we can make this work. That’s all we ask.”

She shook her head, not understanding. “Nate…”

“I’m here,” he said, stepping closer.

She tilted back her head, locking with his deep blue gaze. “I hated the way it ended…the way I left. How can we ever get past that? I still feel…”

“Ashamed?” He swallowed. “That wasn’t on you. Shouldn’t have happened that way. We shouldn’t have had to sneak around. And I damn well should’ve locked that door.” He cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb across her skin. “Let me take the blame.”

Her mouth turned downward. “That Brand saw us that way…”

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. “I’ll tell you a secret, if you promise not to be mad.”

She leaned her head away so she could see his eyes and his expression.

He drew a deep breath. “I wanted to be caught. Wanted them both to know I’d taken you. I thought…I thought if I did, that it’d be over. You’d be mine. When Brand took you from that room, I let him, because I was sure the next morning your mama and I would be havin’ a chat about your future.”

Her heart pounded against her temples, and her stomach fluttered. “You thought I’d marry you because I fucked you?”

He tapped her nose. “And I don’t like that word comin’ from your mouth unless you’re havin’ an orgasm. We made love, Angel.” At her glare, he shrugged. “Yeah, I expected you’d have to marry me.”

Angelina put her hands against his chest and pushed.

And even though he was stronger, he let her go. “You have a right to be mad.”