Unbroken: Country Fever, Book 3 (20 page)

Surprise speared her. She’d had no idea that Christian might have these fears or that he wasn’t with her every second simply because he wanted to be.

She must have made some noise, because Christian swung his gaze toward her. The depths glimmered with fury and hurt and something deeper she didn’t understand. But it wounded her to see it.

She reached for him. He slashed the air with a hand and tore into Tucker again.

“What the hell do they want with your land?”

With an unsteady hand, Tucker pulled off his hat. The shorter ends of his hair stuck up, giving him a more boyish look. Claire’s heart tumbled straight into the dark heaven-hell it was to love this man.

“They want another access shoot for the coal mining taking place on their adjoining property. But I won’t grant it because I want to preserve the water and land for my stock.”

“You mean our stock.”

“Chris,” Claire gasped. She clapped a hand over her mouth. Did he mean to challenge Tucker for part ownership of the animals or ranch since he’d invested some time?

Tucker shot her a look then returned his attention to the pissed-off laborer who’d turned cowboy in front of him. As Tucker stared at Christian, his expression softened. “Look, man, I’m sorry.”

Christian’s composure shattered. His features convulsed, and he scrubbed a hand over his face. Claire couldn’t take it another minute. She drifted to Christian’s side.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her into his body.

Tucker gave a slow blink at the sight. “I was afraid it would be this way.”

She opened her mouth to stop him from jumping to conclusions, but Christian beat her to it.

Looking right at Tucker, he wrapped a possessive arm around Claire. “We’ll leave right after we’ve finished this sauce.”

Christian leaned against the porch railing and stared at the spot in the yard where so many people had just enjoyed each other’s company. Several tables had been clumped together and Letty had insisted upon feeding everyone who had come to help with the sauce-making.

Now the only evidence he’d even shared a civil meal with Tucker were the depressions on the grass where the table legs had rested.

Damn that man for believing he could just march into the middle of it all and take over. Did Christian’s hard work amount to nothing? Even Tucker’s possessive gaze on Claire fueled Christian’s annoyance.

A boot scraped over the porch floor behind him. Without turning, Christian sensed Tucker’s presence.

“We’ll be goin’ soon.”

Tucker sidled up to the rail beside him. “Don’t go. Stay on the ranch and take my bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

Christian glanced at Tucker’s face, hoping to see anything but the remorse that lived on his rugged features. The kettle of anger in Christian’s soul bubbled. Tucker had hurt Claire—hurt both of them. His leaving had heaped stress and work on them. If Tucker believed just turning up on the ranch would earn him forgiveness, he was dead wrong.

Christian stared at Tucker for a long minute. Tension stretched between them. Finally, Christian tugged on the brim of his hat. “Thank you for that. Claire and Letty are pretty exhausted after working all day. We’ll take your offer tonight and figure out what to do tomorrow.”

Tucker turned away, eyes averted. Christian sucked in one more deep lungful of fresh air and went in search of Claire.

He found her at the kitchen table, head in her hands. His stomach hollowed out at the sight of her despondent pose. Wrapping his fingers around her wrist, he said, “Come to bed with me.”

She looked up. Her gaze wasn’t focused on him but on some faraway point in her mind.

On Tucker, most likely, as his was.

Drawing her against his side, Christian led her down the hall to the bedroom they’d been sharing since Tucker left. So many amazing moments they’d spent together, always wishing for the man who’d run. Now he’d returned and Christian was pissed off at him for it.

No, not angry because he’d returned. Angry because Tucker hadn’t begun to say jack shit about being sorry. He and Claire needed more than Tucker’s handsome face to make their burning pain of the past weeks recede.

Claire allowed Christian to strip her. Then he pulled down the covers and tucked her into bed. When he had abandoned his dusty clothes and boots, he slipped in behind her.

The kiss of her bare flesh against his cock instantly aroused him. His shaft lengthened against her ass.

She reached back and sank her nails into his hip, wriggling closer. “I need you tonight. Just like this.”

As he nuzzled her fragrant neck, he located a condom and rolled it in place. By the time he pressed his cock on her slick folds, he was aching. The hollow in his chest closed a bit as he guided his erection home.

Deep into her tight pussy.

She gasped at his sleek invasion, pressing her back against his chest. Reaching back, she pulled on his hip. He rocked into her hard. She cried out, her pussy clamped around his throbbing cock.

Knowing Tucker was in the other room haunted Christian, but he wasn’t about to stop. The extreme pleasure and solace he gained in Claire’s sweet body blew his mind. With a few violent shoves, he reached a depth only achieved by their position.

She curled back against him, small, muted sounds bursting from her as if she didn’t want to parade their lovemaking in front of the man who wasn’t participating either.

Christian sucked on the side of her neck, lost in her flavor and feel. When the first pulsations struck her, he could hold back no longer. He palmed her breast as he exploded. Waves of release slammed him, heightened by their quiet passion.

Claire’s tight channel gripped him like a glove as her own orgasm stretched on. After several moments, Christian’s senses returned—along with throat-tightening remorse that they’d shared this in Tucker’s bed while he was on the couch.

And while both he and Claire wanted Tucker with every fiber of their beings.

A soft sob from Claire made Christian pull out of her. Flipping her onto her back, he stared down into her beautiful face. Tears streamed from the outside corners of her eyes.

“Oh sweetheart.”

“It feels weird without him. This was the first time we shut him out.”

The ache in Christian’s chest increased. He buried his face against her neck.

“I think he’s hurting bad, Chris.”

“Me too.”

“He hasn’t been whole. We need to help him heal. And I care enough to try. Do you?”

“I fucking shouldn’t, but I do.” He raised his head to meet her gaze.

She swiped the tears away and gave him a watery smile. “Clean up and let’s open the bedroom door.”

Christian’s mouth quirked up, suddenly tugged by a feeling of lightness. The clouds parted and he was able to see a clearer path. He disposed of the condom, slipped on his boxers and fetched a warm washcloth from the adjoining bathroom for Claire to clean up. When she was once more wearing a T-shirt and panties and lying under the covers, Christian opened the door.

There, Tucker stood, face ravaged by pain, both hands braced against the doorframe. His shoulders bowed forward. “I just—I’m so damn sorry.” His gaze penetrated Christian then slid past him to Claire.

The last ember of anger in Christian’s chest burned out and sailed up to the sky on the breeze of loving this man. He hooked an arm around Tucker’s neck and tugged him against him.

Dark passion flared in the place of the hurt as Christian drank in Tucker’s familiar scents. “You’re a dumbass, but I’ll forgive ya.”

“And I forgive you for being a stubborn ass about the money.”

Claire’s raspy laugh floated from behind them.

Christian shook his head, mouth opened to protest, when Claire’s silky touch on his arm stopped him.

“You
were
being stubborn. And you should have told me about it. You weren’t the only one filling in the gaps on this ranch.”

A spasm of hurt pinched Tucker’s rugged features. “What about you, Claire? Can you forgive me?” He locked an arm around Christian’s middle.

She must have nodded because the look on Tucker’s face transformed to one of joy. He shoved Christian into the room and shut the door behind them. When Tucker took Claire into his arms, Christian smiled wider than he had in weeks.

They crawled under the covers together and just held each other for a long time. The moon rode higher in the sky, climbing toward its peak. Christian stared at it, his mind foggy with fatigue but his body on high alert. Being in this bed with both of them was a dream come true.

“Is there room on this ranch for us?” Christian asked.

“Of course—I wouldn’t dream of putting you off if you want to stay.”

“Claire here has room in her heart for you and me both.” Christian stroked her side, close to her breast.

“That so?” Tucker swallowed, a shadow crossing his face. His voice sounded as if his dog had just died and the country song about it was belted out by his most hated performer.

“Well, she hasn’t come out and said it yet…” Christian looked deep into her eyes, “…but I know she’s in love with you.”

She nodded, unable to help herself.

“And I think she’s in love with me.”

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she grinned at Christian.

Tucker scuffed a hand over his jaw, fingertip resting on the silver stud under his lip. “So what does that mean?”

Christian swallowed hard, his throat working. “Means there’s one more confession to be made.”

Tucker waited, as did Claire. Time ticked by.

“Say it,” Tucker said softly.

“I…I want to be part of this ranch, because it’s the only place I’ve truly felt as if I do some good.”

Claire squeezed him close.

“And?” Tucker prompted after a minute of silence.

Christian dropped his gaze, then snapped it back to the man they both longed for. “And I want you too.”

Tucker’s chest heaved at the blow Christian’s words delivered. Dark heat clawed at his insides, and his cock was instantly erect. Throbbing, hard as steel.

His friend wasn’t only talking about jacking off together on the couch with cold beers beside them. If his tone of voice didn’t alert Tucker that Christian wanted more, his friend’s burning gaze did.

Tucker met that gaze straight on. In that instant, he accepted everything that Christian was to him—more than a friend. Their sex had entangled them but Claire had united them.

She made a quiet noise that made Tucker’s sac draw up close to his body in need.

Again, he locked his gaze on her sweet, tormenting mouth.

He wrapped her tight to his body. With a cry, she threw her arms around him. He crushed her lips beneath his, bruising her, devouring. Christian pressed close to them, his body hard and hot as hell.

Without releasing her mouth, Tucker removed an arm from around her waist and reached for Christian.

His friend shuddered and dropped his forehead to Tucker’s neck as Claire kissed the fucking hell out of him.

Her tongue was wild, driving him to the brink. Tucker tightened his hold on Christian, and the three of them grappled in their embrace. Hands moving. Exploring. Tugging at clothes, which they didn’t want to be there.

Tucker tore his mouth free from Claire’s. She moaned her displeasure.

I’ll take care of you, baby. But I need to take care of him too.

Catching Christian’s gaze, Tucker let understanding flash between them. All of the passion he’d ever known with his friend had suddenly escalated to a monumental peak. This was it.

Their mouths collided in a fury of need. Hard lips, tooth against tender flesh. The pain shot through Tucker’s heart and shattered some of the old hurt, bringing only warmth and desire.

Christian gripped Tucker’s nape and plunged his tongue deep into his mouth. Sensation ripped through Tucker as their kiss spiraled out of control. The stroke of Christian’s hot tongue brought him to the quivering edge of the precipice. Another damn swirl, a scrape of Christian’s face hair, would make Tucker come too soon.

Claire wiggled between them, her soft hands working back and forth over his pecs.

Heather was gone. Claire and Christian were here, and he wanted them bad.

Claire arched and gasped under their hands. Christian drew a broad palm down the center of her chest, over the slope of her bared belly, to her exposed mound. A path he’d obviously traversed more than once.

Tucker fell back, struck by the magnitude of what he’d done by leaving.

Immediately, Claire sat up and wrapped her arms around him. Christian moved around the bed and pressed close. “As long as the stars burn,” she said.

“What does that mean?” Tucker grated out. Longing for these two people broke over him once more.

“It means you belong here with us. Between us. Now c’mere.” Christian’s firm lips were inches away, and his flavors still lived on Tucker’s tongue.

With a growl, he swooped in and kissed Christian.