Rough, Raw and Ready (35 page)

on your pole.”

Edgard’s cock twitched between them and Trevor laughed.

“Or a little sixty-nine action?” The very tip of Trevor’s tongue outlined the rim of Edgard’s ear. “Or maybe just with my head hangin’ off the end of the bed so you can redefine deep throatin’…’course, you’d be suckin’ on me too.”

Edgard squirmed at the goose bumps racing down his arms.

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“Or—”

“Or we could talk.”

Trevor lifted his head. “Why?”

“Because I have a confession to make.”

Those pale blue eyes narrowed.

Just say it. Straight up.
“I love you, man. I’ve always loved you. But it appears I’m also falling for your wife.”

“Run that by me again.”

“I’m crazy about that woman who’s crazy enough to love you.”

“You are?”

“Yeah. From the second I met her I knew she was different—not the same shallow type of pretty, cheap, easy bimbos you preferred to bed in the past.”

Trevor grunted.

“Don’t get me wrong, Chassie is pretty. She’s sweet as pie. She’s unassuming, yet there’s no doubt she is borne of grit and a whole lotta try. Not to mention she’s funny.

And I swear, she’s as raunchy as any man I’ve ever known.”

“Preachin’ to the choir here, Ed,” he said testily.

He closed his eyes and bucked his hips. “Fine. Forget it. Get off me.”

“Oh hell no.” Trevor made his weight feel heavier. “I’m gonna be in you and on you when you tell me you ain’t pullin’ my leg when you confess you’ve got the hots for Chassie,
amigo
.”

“I wouldn’t joke, especially not about this.”

A pause filled the air. “Hey,” Trevor intoned softly, but with a gruff edge. “Look at me.”

Edgard blinked his eyes open with surprise.

“Sorry.” Trevor smooched Edgard’s nose. “It just caught me off guard, okay? Ain’t every day your best friend tells you he’s got a thing for your wife. Go ahead and finish.

I’ll keep my trap shut for a change.”

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Edgard inhaled and exhaled slowly, amazed by how much Trevor had changed. How glad he was the changes didn’t come at the expense of everything else he’d liked about Trevor. “Chassie and I hung out and worked side-by-side after I first arrived here, since you didn’t want anything to do with me. I got to know her. I genuinely liked her as a person before I figured out she really did make you happy. After I kissed you and Chassie left, I felt bad, but not bad enough that I’d’ve given you up if she didn’t come back.”

“Did you tell her that?”

“No. When she returned and worked so hard at understanding our relationship, then wanted to be a part of it, I thought if I could have you occasionally, I’d put up with being in bed with Chassie too.”

Trevor just stared at him.

“But see, there is no
put up with
. And I’ve been as freaked out about my attraction to her as I imagine you were when you figured out you were attracted to me.”

“Is it just sex?”

“I thought so at first. Strictly on a sexual level I love touching her. Having her touch me. Watching you two together. Having her watching you and me. And the three of us in bed is beyond explosive.”

A smile tilted the corners of Trevor’s mouth. “But?”

“On a personal level…it might sound lame, but Chassie lets me soothe her and she soothes me in a way no one else ever has.”

“Not even me?”

Edgard shook his head. “Not even my mother.”

“Whoa. That’s some serious shit, Ed.”

“Yeah. There’s a softness about her that doesn’t have anything to do with her female parts. The other night, when I told her everything that’d gone on in my life, things I never told anyone, not even you, she broke down and cried for me. Cried. For me. No one’s ever cried for me before.”

“I did. After you went back to Brazil.” Trevor scowled. “But I was really cryin’ for myself, wasn’t I?”

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“A tough cowboy like you really shed a tear? For me?” When Trevor ducked his head, Edgard forced it back up. “I’m glad you told me. There was a time when you wouldn’t have.”

“Times change.”

“Thank God. Anyway, the morning after the first night we were all together? She showed honest-to-God genuine sorrow that I’d slept alone. The next night and every night after that she welcomed me. Not only into your bed, but…into her heart.”

“That woman has a mighty big, mighty soft heart. I kid her that her breasts are so small because her heart is so dang big,” Trevor added with a chuckle. “Long as we’re spillin’ our guts… Lemme ask you something.”

Threading his fingers through the damp hair at Trevor’s temple, Edgard let his thumb caress the hollow of Trevor’s cheek and the man practically purred. “Anything.”

“Do you think Chassie would be so acceptin’ about us if it wasn’t for Dag?”

“No.”

Trevor’s eyes were serious. “Me neither. Why is that?”

“She watched her brother, the first man she loved, wither up inside and die because he couldn’t be who he wanted to be or live his life on his own terms. She doesn’t want that to happen to her or to you, or now, even to me. Not when she has the power to change it. Not in a crusading way, trying to right old wrongs, but in accepting things change.”

“It goes deeper than rollin’ with the punches, don’t it?”

“Yeah. I’m amazed that Chassie loves unconditionally, which is why she’s at her aunt and uncle’s place helping out even when she’s mad as hell at the whole lot of ’em.

Even when she’d rather be here with you, hearing what happened with your family.”

“Doesn’t seem like there’s enough of her sweet goodness to go around, does there?”

Trevor said.

“No. She just…” Edgard stared at Trevor helplessly, hoping he’d fill in the blanks.

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“I know, buddy. Chassie is like…
it
, ain’t she? I discovered that the very first time we spent time together. Made me goddamn glad no other bozos around these parts figured it out before I snapped her up as mine.”

“You’re not mad?”

“No. That pint-sized woman brings out the best in everyone, even degenerates like us. Bein’ with her has made me a better man. I think that’s why I’m able to accept how I feel about you because she accepts it. Encourages it.” Trevor kissed his forehead.

“Besides, I knew you were a goner for Miz Sassy Chassie when you bought her that goddamn goat.”

“Chass was kinda putty in my hands after that, wasn’t she?” Edgard mused.

Trevor laughed. Hard. His whole body shook atop Edgard’s. “Putty. Right. She’s steel, not putty. My advice? She’s a helluva shot too, so don’t piss her off.”

The dead coyote flashed in his mind and Edgard shuddered.

Trevor pulled his softened cock out and took his time melting Edgard with his sweet and hot brand of kisses.

Edgard sighed with absolute contentment as Trevor hopped off the bed, gifting him with another glimpse of the hottest ass he’d ever had.

“You wanna shower?

“Now?”

“Yep.” Trevor grinned and pointed at the interest stirring in Edgard’s cock. “After we have another round of monkey sex, we’ll talk more about all this. In detail. I wanna make it work this time, Ed. Don’t know how we’re gonna go about it, but I figure we can come up with something.”

“But you always bolted when I attempted to talk about anything serious before.”

“I think us both bein’ here together like this is proof contrary to that statement, doncha think?”

“Yeah. I do. Know what else I think?”

“Mmm.”

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Edgard wanted to tell him of the conversation he’d had with Gus, but something made him hold off. He smiled cockily. “I think you’d better plan on checkin’ cattle with the four-wheelers in the morning and grab the lube ’cause it’s gonna be one long damn night.”

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After Colby and Cord’s families left, Carson convinced Carolyn to go to bed.

Chassie couldn’t sleep. She paced in the guest bedroom, wondering what Trevor and Edgard were up to even when she knew exactly what they were doing: each other. Odd, she didn’t feel so much jealous as curious.

Keely locked herself in her bedroom on the pretext of studying, but Chassie suspected Keely wouldn’t crack a single textbook. Keely freely shared graphic details about her sex life, but when it came to talking about her feelings she was as closed-mouthed as her brothers, maybe worse.

Chassie meandered downstairs into the dark kitchen. She poured a mug of milk and heated it up in the microwave. When she noticed the small lamp glowing from Aunt Carolyn’s sitting room, she went to turn it off and saw Colt standing in front of the big windows, staring out into the darkness.

He said, “Couldn’t sleep either, huh?”

“Nope.”

Colt glanced over his shoulder at her and the mug in her hand. He smiled slightly.

“You still drinkin’ warm milk at night?”

Chassie froze. “How did you know?”

“Dag. He told me he never understood how you preferred milk to whiskey, even when you were older and had the choice. Said he used to get up with you sometimes.

That way if Uncle Harland heard noise he’d put the smackdown on Dag, not you.”

A lump lodged in Chassie’s throat, remembering those nights she couldn’t sleep and she’d tiptoe downstairs. Usually Dag would follow, grumbling she’d made enough noise to wake the dead. They’d sit in the sun porch—winter or summer—talking until she www.samhainpublishing.com 277

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finished her “good girl toddy” or until Dag admonished her for being chatty as a magpie.

“I’m surprised Dag told you.”

“Dag told me a lot of things. Might sound sappy as shit, Chass, but he loved you.

Probably had a piss-poor way of showin’ it, but he thought you were the greatest. He always wanted more for you than he wanted for himself. That’s what made him such a great guy, in my mind anyway.” Colt faced the windows again.

Tears filled her eyes and splashed into her cup. “I didn’t know if he cared about me, especially the last couple years. He was always so angry and bitter.”

“Yeah, well, there’s quite a bit you didn’t know about him.”

“There’s lots I did know about him that he wouldn’t admit. Or more importantly, he didn’t have the guts to face up to. With me or anyone else.”

That comment caught Colt off-guard and he whirled around, his eyes narrowed.

“Like what?”

“Are we really gonna tiptoe around the subject, Colt? Dag’s dead and we can’t even talk about this?”

Colt didn’t utter a sound.

“I knew Dag was gay. Or bi. Or whatever. Did you?”

After a healthy pause, he nodded. “Not because he told me, because I stumbled across him and another guy at the Boars Nest. Not my thing but I didn’t give a rat’s ass if it was his. I told him that.”

“Did he believe you?”

“Nah.”

“I would’ve told him the same thing if given the chance.”

“Dag thought it was the booze talkin’ when I tried to convince him no one would care who he fucked behind closed doors. Hell, that philosophy holds true for everyone.”

“Everyone except my dad.”

“Except for him. And without soundin’ like a prick I hope those fool-headed ideas died right along with him.” Colt cocked his head with a quizzical look. “Uncle Harland would’ve freaked about Dag. Disowned him and all that shit, right?”

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Talking about her dad always made Chassie uncomfortable. “Pretty much.”

“Then the shitstorm would’ve come down on you. Dag knew how much you already did around your place. Plus you were stuck takin’ care of your old man, barely scrapin’

by. He felt guilty he couldn’t contribute more.”

“It would’ve been worse if Dag hadn’t sent us cash from his rodeo earnin’s when he was on the circuit. It woulda pissed Daddy off if he knew, so I hid it in a separate account and he didn’t find out.” She shook her head. “’Course, there’s none left now. Trevor and I used it to bulk up the herd last spring when the cattle prices were low. Doubled the size of the herd for about half of what it’d normally cost.”

“Smart. You’ve always had a sharp eye when it comes to livestock.”

Chassie appreciated the compliment. “Thanks.”

“So where’d you end up grazin’ all them extras?”

“It’s been a challenge,” she admitted. “We had grazin’ rights to Forest Service land that we hadn’t used for a couple of years because the amount of cattle we were runnin’

decreased dramatically. Then we moved the bulls in with Junior Anderson’s for the summer. No doubt we need more space or we’re gonna hafta cut back and sell some off.”

“You heard the rumors that Gus Dutton is lookin’ to sell his place?” Colt asked.

Chassie thought about lying but in the scheme of things the McKays would end up with the land anyway. “Yeah.”

“Any truth to ’em?”

Chassie measured him. Coolly. Honestly. Since Colt sobered up, he’d shed twenty pounds. His handsome face was sharp angles again. No beer gut or flab distorted his sturdy frame. If anything he’d bulked up, adding more muscle to his arms and chest. His eyes weren’t bloodshot, but they held a wary edge. Not only was Colt the most resourceful of her McKay cousins, he’d always been the best looking—and that was saying something. Colt’s cowboy charm also knew no bounds, so Colt’s bad attitude had been the worst part of his slide into alcoholism. He’d turned mean, cynical, nasty to his family. Just like Dag. But unlike Dag, he’d overcome his demons.

“You gonna keep gawkin’ at me, or you gonna answer the question?”

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“Sorry. I…just noticed sobriety agrees with you, Colt. You look great.”

Colt frowned. “Uh. Thanks.”

“Anyway, Gus is sellin’. He approached us first since he knew Trevor and I were lookin’ to expand.”