Bend (6 page)

Evan shifted his weight to his other leg as he glanced at Justin again, obviously sensing the other man’s anger. As if Annabelle couldn’t practically see the smoke rolling from Justin’s ears. Evan opened his mouth to speak only to have Justin beat him to it.

“Well, Belle,” Justin said, his grin slipping back in to place as he lightly teased his fingers down Annabelle’s arm. “Guess we’ll just have to make sure we entertain you enough that no one man here can give you what you need, right Evan?”

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Annabelle rolled her eyes even as each man hooked an arm through hers. There was no way she wanted to let them know—especially Justin, with his smug attitude that she found sexy and challenging at the same time—that they’d already accomplished their goal. Not when she could have so much fun making them think they were still working for it.

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Annabelle reined Slick to a halt and did a quick headcount on the cattle in the pasture.

Assured each was present and healthy, she turned Slick around and let him have his lead.

There wasn’t any reason to rush back to the barn, and her mind had been drifting all week.

Annabelle snorted. Drifting, her ass. More like plunging straight into the depths of the gutter.

Her left wrist was healing up nicely, but her right forearm was sore, and there were two men to blame for that. Evan and Justin had made sure she’d kept her promise to Josh that night at the Xxchange, and Annabelle had been torn between throttling them both or dragging them off to a dimly lit corner to find some relief. It’d been days and every nerve ending in her body still screamed for something she was afraid to want.

But she couldn’t stop thinking about it, dreaming about it even. Justin and Evan were both interesting, complex men, and sexier than they had a right to be. Most of their time together at the Xxchange had been relatively innocent—for that particular club, at least, which really just meant they’d kept their clothes on and hadn’t come, though it’d been a near thing. It wasn’t until the last dance before Josh had dragged her out of there that things had really gone from an ember of heat to damn near an inferno. Annabelle dismounted and led Slick into the barn. Her blood felt like it was boiling in her veins, and Annabelle stopped, Slick doing the same beside her. Just for a minute, it wouldn’t hurt to remember—

Evan had more of the tease in him than Annabelle would have thought. He’d given her a searing
heavy-lidded look as he’d pulled her close for a slow dance while Justin had sat watching from their
table. As Evan held her close, one arm around her hips, his fingers teasing at the swell of her ass, his
other arm draped around her shoulders, he’d leant down and whispered in her ear. Gaze locked with
Justin’s, Annabelle had drank in the filthy words Evan gave her, the vivid images he shared about
what Justin would be doing to him later—and how much it’d turn both men on to have her watch.

Annabelle hadn’t been able to look away from Justin, although what she saw was something
other than the reality of the moment. No, Evan’s hot words, Justin’s smouldering stare, those fired the
fantasy playing out in her head. Evan, wonderfully nude, bent over the side of the bed with Justin’s
thick cock buried deep in his ass. Evan described it in great detail, the way Justin’s body would look,
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the ridged muscles, the sounds he made while he was fucking Evan, the way Justin’s dick filled him
thrust after thrust.

Annabelle’s entire body had felt like it was on fire, the points of combustion—her pussy and the
two hard nubs of her nipples—throbbing with each heartbeat. “And where would I fit into that
scene?” Annabelle had asked, unsure of what she wanted to hear. She was afraid of what she wanted
and how badly she wanted it.

Evan’s smile had been wicked, his eyes intent, making her shiver with the dark promise in their
depths. “You could fit in several ways,” Evan had murmured the words against her ear, his moist
breath causing her own to hitch. “Justin and I are both bi, do you know how many options that gives
us?”

Annabelle’s mind had spun with the possibilities, but the image Evan had fed her, the one of
Justin pounding into Evan’s ass, the two of them together, their grunts and words and ecstasy…

Tearing her gaze from Justin’s, Annabelle had looked up at Evan through her lashes, noting the
dark flush that was even then spreading up his neck. The feel of his dick pressed against her belly had
made that part of her quiver deep inside, and she’d wondered if she could say no, if she’d even wanted
to. She’d wondered how she couldn’t say yes, when her body had burned for the promise in Evan’s
voice and in Justin’s eyes.

“What if…” Annabelle’s voice had trembled, which she’d thought it would never do. She had
cleared her throat and forced herself to speak steadily, almost blandly. “What if I had been in that
fantasy you just spun?”

Evan had chuckled, a dark, sensuous sound that had turned her inside out and made her press
her hips against Evan, seeking some sort of relief. She’d nearly wept for joy when he’d slid his thigh
between hers, giving her something to ride. The thin silk thong had been no barrier against Evan’s
lean, denim clad leg.

“I’d have been buried balls deep in your cunt,” Evan had rasped, pressing his thigh more firmly
against her needy pussy. “After I ate you until you screamed, tasted every inch of you. Fuck, the
things we could do.” Evan’s shudder had transferred to Annabelle, and she’d had to use every bit of
her willpower not to grind against his thigh and bring herself off. It wouldn’t have taken more than
that, Annabelle had known it, but she had already been dangerously close to breaking her promise to
Josh. An orgasm with Evan on the dance floor would certainly have blown that to smithereens.

“Or Justin and I would take you at the same time, each of us—”

“Annabelle, you gonna unsaddle and brush that poor sweaty horse out or stand there all day thinking about…whatever it is you women think about?”

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“Damn it!” Annabelle started, glaring at Max. Her sudden jolt sent Slick into a minor tizzy, minor for him at least. Annabelle just managed to duck and miss getting her skull cracked when Slick slung his big head around, nickering his displeasure and threatening a nip.

“Are you trying to kill me, Max?”

Max snorted and took off his hat, rolling the brim with his fingers. “Been standing here watching you for ten minutes, staring off into space just waiting for Slick to knock you on your ass. Seems more like you’re the one trying to do yourself some damage. Slick ain’t ever been overly patient.” Max eyed her for a moment then straightened his shoulders, his face pinching as if he’d tasted something nasty. “Look, if you need to talk about something…personal—”

Annabelle felt as horrified as Max looked at the prospect. “No!” Slick snorted and tossed his head again, prancing dangerously close to Annabelle’s booted feet. “Cut it out, Slick,” Annabelle soothed, keeping the anger she felt at her own carelessness out of her voice.

She deserved to have her ass kicked for being such an idiot.

“I don’t need to talk about anything,” Annabelle murmured. She did, but the problem was there wasn’t anyone she
could
talk to. The only one who might understand was Josh and he wasn’t an impartial party. Rory wasn’t an option, none of the men on the ranch were.

They all had
a
partner, not
two
partners. Not that Evan and Justin were offering her anything more than a not-so-quick fuck, or fucks—Annabelle rubbed at her temple. This was entirely too confusing to think about right now.

Max came closer and patted her shoulder. Annabelle barely kept from squeaking in surprise; Max wasn’t the touchy-feely kind of guy unless it came to Bo.

“Why don’t you let me take care of Slick, you’re looking kind of out of sorts,” Max offered.

Annabelle swallowed the urge to laugh like a loon.
Out of sorts, indeed. Try confused as
hell and so horny I’m afraid to walk ‘cause I might just come in my jeans. And wouldn’t
that
traumatise Max?
Annabelle shook her head. “No, Max. This is part of my job. I’ll handle it.”

“Well—”

“Max,” Annabelle snapped, softly but firmly. “I said I’d take care of this. It’ll piss me off if you think I’m some weak little woman who can’t be trusted to do her job.”

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Max blanched and shook his head. “It ain’t that. I mean, you do look out of sorts, but originally I came looking for you to tell you there’s a man here asking for you.”

Annabelle felt the heat spreading from her core, spearing to her extremities and making her a bit light-headed.
Surely not
, she thought, Max only said
a
man. “Who?” she croaked, hoping Max couldn’t see the way her nipples tightened and pressed against the plaid shirt she wore.

Max gave her a thoughtful look, as if something was clicking into place in his head.

Annabelle averted her gaze, afraid he’d see more than she wanted him to. “Big ol’ guy, Justin, said he was Josh’s brother.”

Annabelle grunted, feeling pole-axed. She hadn’t told Justin or Evan where she worked, but it wouldn’t have been hard to find out. She for damn sure hadn’t expected either of them to show up here, especially since she hadn’t called them and therefore hadn’t spoken to them since the night they’d met. Which, in hindsight, she realised was the sure way to ensure Justin
did
show up here. The man really had enough ego for the entire male population.

“I’ll be more than happy to send this guy off,” Max offered. “Seems like a cocky, uh, bastard, if you ask me.”

If you only knew
. Annabelle did, if Evan’s description of Justin’s cock was accurate, well then, holy hell. She shook her head and offered the reins to Max. “He is a cocky bastard, but I can handle him. And I’d appreciate it if you would take care of Slick for me.” Annabelle narrowed her eyes at Max as he reached for the reins. “As long as you understand that I
can
do this, I just
choose
to accept your help since I think it’s best I deal with Justin.” Hopefully she’d know how she was going to do that before she got to the bunkhouse.

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She moved in such a sexual way, each step a promise whether she realised it or not.

There was the slightest jostling of her breasts, and her hips glided smoothly, temptation incarnate. Justin’s fingers tingled with the need to touch while he watched Annabelle as she neared the porch. As smooth as her gait was, she reminded him of a cat, taking her time to get where she was going, her body working in accord with the sensuality that seemed to pour from inside her. She’d get where she was going, and make a man—or men—damn glad of the wait as she did so.

The smile was slower in coming, but when Annabelle’s lips tipped up, her midnight eyes gleaming as she swept his body with her gaze, Justin had to bite back a moan.
Patience
, Evan had advised, and Lord, wasn’t that one thing Justin had never been accused of having more than a thimble-full of? It was a miracle he hadn’t caved sooner and showed up on Annabelle’s porch.

Annabelle stopped right at the first step and looked up at him, apparently not the least bit intimidated by the difference in their heights.

“Thought I told you I’d call once I had some time to think about things,” she said in a lazy tone that stroked right over Justin’s dick. Annabelle glanced at his package and smirked.

The tip of her tongue peeked out and wet her full lips. Justin’s hand trembled as he tried to keep from reaching for his dick, or for Annabelle. He wanted to do both so badly, he fisted his hands and propped them on his hips. If Annabelle wanted to look, he’d damn well give her something to look at. Canting his hips forward as he propped himself against the porch rail, Justin grinned as Annabelle sucked in a noisy breath.

“I don’t like being strung along when I think you’ve already made up your mind,”

Justin told her. A woman wouldn’t be looking at a man like he was every one of her favourite chocolates rolled into the perfect dessert if she didn’t want what he was offering. Or what they were offering, as the case happened to be. She’d looked at Evan the same way at the Xxchange, and Justin had nearly come in his jeans as he’d watched his partner and their soon to be lover together.

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Annabelle snorted and shook her head, though her eyes never went higher than his groin. “Just because I like what I see doesn’t mean I’m going to jump into something like this without thinking it through. My body might be begging me to give in, but I
do
have a brain and that’s what I use for making decisions.” She looked up at him with that last bit and Justin didn’t doubt the sincerity of the words or her expression.

Justin wavered between feeling victorious at Annabelle’s admission about how much she wanted them and complete terror at the prospect of rejection her serious voice implied.

He settled for remaining calm, at least on the outside. Inside, he was all raging hormones and abject fear. Whatever was building between Annabelle, Evan and himself was almost overwhelming in its intensity. Evan had been the one to admit it first, this clamouring need and borderline certainty that Annabelle could be the woman they’d both yearned for. Justin had agreed before Evan had finished speaking.

“Are you pouting or plotting some evil seduction scheme?”

Justin jerked at Annabelle’s words, his mind snapping back into focus. “Neither. Just thinking about how you and Evan looked out on the dance floor.”