Lydia's Twin Temptation (13 page)

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The cheerful musical alarm on Lydia’s phone woke her the following morning. It was easier to wake up that morning than it had been the previous morning. The sky was still dark outside as she looked out the window, but she could already see several of the ranch hands outside at the barn, getting their day started.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she stretched and blessed the men a second time for giving her such a comfortable bed to sleep in. She’d grown accustomed, or thought she had, to the hard, lumpy mattress on the bed in her motel room and was a little stiff in the mornings as she adjusted to this newer, more comfortable bed. After dressing in jeans and a dark-blue knit top, she made the bed and went downstairs. It was five o’clock, and her new helper was supposed to arrive at nine. Downstairs, she made a fresh pot of coffee, happy that she’d beat the men to it. She liked the thought of them coming down and finding breakfast ready for them.

The night before, she’d gone upstairs feeling exhausted and a little disappointed in herself. She knew she was hiding from Clayton and Chance, still trying to figure how to be with them both in the same room.

She’d felt self-conscious with Clayton yesterday when the other men had come in. She didn’t want him to think she was embarrassed to kiss him in front of Chance and the other men. Making a good impression on them was important to her.

It was unclear if the men fully understood her presence on the ranch. She suspected one of them had been flirting with her as though he thought she was single. If she hadn’t been such a coward the night before, she could have talked to them about it. Fatigue had won out, and she’d gone to sleep right after taking her shower.

She whipped up an egg, sausage, and cheese breakfast casserole, put it in the oven, and set the timer. Taking out a notepad, she made a list of items to do that day and reviewed the list she’d made for the new helper the previous day. There was an entire house that needed a thorough cleaning and meals that she needed prep work done for. It would be a full day for both of them.

Lydia sat at the table in the breakfast nook working on her list when she heard boots enter the kitchen from the hallway behind her. She smiled as they approached and let out a slow sigh of pleasure when tender lips made contact with her shoulder. She could tell it was Chance by his clean, soapy scent and the shaving gel he used.

Turning to look up at him, she was surprised when he squatted down beside her chair and said, “Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?” His voice was soft and held such loving warmth that all she wanted to do was go to him and let him wrap himself all around her. That’s what being near him was like. She felt drawn to him.

“Good morning, handsome. I did sleep well. I’m so happy to see you.”

Chance smiled widely at her words as he remained squatting there beside her. “You are?”

Lydia nodded enthusiastically. “I am.” He was so close, his sparkling blue eyes showing tenderness and acceptance, and Lydia knew she was falling in love with this man. He made it too easy to love him, and she no longer cared that she hadn’t known him that long. She knew enough. Her chin trembled just a bit as she said, “I’m so happy you asked me to come here.”

His eyebrows drew together, and he whispered, “Baby? You okay?” He opened his arms, and she turned to him and allowed him to hug her.

“I’m better than okay.”
I’m home.

“You want to talk?”

“I’m sorry I scurried off so fast last night, Chance. I needed to think and I was—hell. I was being a chicken. I don’t know how to be with you both in the same room, when we’re all just relaxing. It’s fine while we’re eating or working but just hanging out is harder. Clayton and I still have catching up to do and I don’t—”

Another pair of hands grasped her hips gently from behind, and a wave of heat sizzled up her spine when Clayton murmured in her ear, “Sometimes you just have to jump in with both feet, Lydi.”

She turned her head to look up at Clayton then turned to gauge Chance’s reaction. He licked his lips and smiled, then nodded at her. “He’s right, baby.”

“But I…” They both rose on either side of her chair, compelling her to stand, too, and Chance moved the chair out of the way. “I just…”
Damn it!

Chance placed his rough palms on her cheeks and sweetly kissed her lips then moved his hands to her hips and turned her so she faced Clayton. Chance crowded in against her back and moved her toward Clayton as he pressed his lips against her shoulder again. Clayton’s touch was equally tender as he slid his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her. His kiss was almost hesitant, as though he knew this moment with both of them had been a hurdle for her. He tasted minty, and his scent was different as well, spicier with a hint of the leather from the vest he wore over his denim work shirt.

A thrill shot up Lydia’s spine as Chance slid his palms down her arms and clasped his fingertips with hers and then lifted her hands and placed them on Clayton’s chest before releasing them to cup her shoulders. In her ear, Chance whispered, “Sometimes it’s best to just jump on in, baby.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Lydia softly intoned as Clayton continued kissing her and stroked the column of her throat with the pad of his thumb, skimming lightly over the pulse that pounded at the base of her throat. This was the little push she’d needed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with equal fervency.

Her core trembled when she felt Chance’s hands slide from her hips, over her ribs, to just barely below her breasts. Her heart hammered in her chest as she anticipated his touch there. But he stopped and quietly said, “More?”

She never stopped kissing Clayton as she throatily murmured, “Mmm-hmm.” Her pussy trembled and swelled with rampant arousal, and she groaned as he slid his hands up to cup her breasts and squeezed gently.

Chance pressed his warm lips to her shoulder and worked little kisses up her neck until he nuzzled the sensitive skin beneath her ear, sending little pleasant shivers through her body with each lingering touch. The hard ridge that was developing against her abdomen did not go unnoticed as Clayton held her to him.

Just when she thought she’d have to draw away to take a breath, Clayton released her from his kiss and turned her so that she now faced Chance. “See, Lydi? Does Chance look uncomfortable to you?”

“No.” On the contrary, Chance looked ready for more as Clayton repeated his brother’s action and guided her hands to Chance’s shoulders. Clayton pressed against her until she collided with Chance and allowed them to make a sandwich with her in the middle.

Clayton’s phone started ringing on the kitchen counter, but he grunted and ignored it. Chance claimed her lips and kissed her so sweetly that tears burned in the back of her eyes. His kiss was as gentle as he was. The phone stopped ringing as their kiss grew more heated and Chance took over. One erection pressed against her ass cheeks and one pressed against her belly and an image of the three of them making love, with her in the middle and both of them inside her, sent her arousal skyrocketing. It was a good thing no one was stimulating her clit at the moment because she’d have come right on the spot. Her thong was drenched from all their attention.

The phone started to ring again, and Clayton groaned as he pressed kisses against her shoulder.

Lydia turned her head to look into Clayton’s half-lidded bedroom eyes. “Shouldn’t you get that? It must be important.”

She knew they needed to stop before things went much further. They had business to take care of and ranch hands that needed direction.

Clayton answered the phone, made a few monosyllabic responses, grunted once, and then hung up.

“Everything okay?”

“Gil had a question. What smells so good?”

As if on cue, the timer rang, and she replied, “That would be breakfast. Make yourselves a cup of coffee and I’ll serve it for you.” She smiled at Chance as he smooched her lips one more time. “I was wondering if it would be okay to make a snack or something for the ranch hands. I know I didn’t meet all of them last night. I thought it might be a nice way to say hello.”

“I’m sure they’d like that, Lydi. Around eight they usually take a quick break for a cup of coffee if you want to bring something then.”

“That’s perfect. My help arrives at nine so that will leave me plenty of time to be done and ready for her.”

Lydia served them both, taking a breath to steady her still rapidly pounding heart. Kissing two men just moments before had turned her into a quivering mass of need that was going to take a little time to settle.

“This is delicious, baby,” Chance said with an appreciative groan. Clayton agreed, and the men made quick work of breakfast, even having a second helping. It was nice to serve them and then be able to watch them enjoy her cooking instead of running around like a chicken with her head cut off at the café.

“Thank you. Can I ask a question?”

“Sure,” Chance replied.

“What will you tell the men about me? I guess what I’m asking is what my title is around here, as far as they are concerned.”

“They already know you’re here because we needed your skills in the kitchen. We told them that you were off-limits when one of them questioned it so we spelled it out for him.”

“Spelled it out?”

“We told the ranch hand you were ours. None of the others batted an eyelash when we said it. Remember I told you two of our ranch hands are involved in a foursome and are engaged now.”

“Oh. That’s right. So…what? You ‘claimed’ me?” she asked with a snicker.

Clayton seemed relieved by her words and replied, “Yeah. It was that or leave it open for them to draw their own conclusions. This way, it’s up front. No one should bother you.”

Chance added, “It also means word may make it into town faster.”

“Which translates into I need to call my nagging mother-hen brothers,” she said with a disgruntled tone. She rolled her eyes, imagining their reactions. Ace would blow a gasket, and Kemp would plan a painful accident. Poor Chance and Clayton. She really needed to make that call to the big oafs.

“You’ll do that?” Chance asked as he stroked her cheek.

“I will. I promise.”

They took their plates to the sink, and she shooed them away when they tried to clean up the breakfast mess. After refilling their coffee mugs they both kissed her again and went out the back door to start their morning.

Looking at the clock, she knew it was way too early to start her day with an interrogation from Ace, so she set about planning what she would make for the ranch hands as a morning snack. She mixed up yeast dough and set it on the back of the stove to rise.

She organized the tools that she and her new helper would need for that day’s work. After that was done, she prepared homemade
kolaches
for the men, figuring they would appreciate something hardy that needed nothing more than a napkin to eat it on.

One by one she pulled the hot, bread-dough-wrapped sausage rolls from the pan and heaped them in a dishcloth-lined basket and filled a thermos with fresh coffee for Chance and Clayton. Turning off the oven, she was positively eager to see the brothers again as she stepped lightly down the back porch stairs and followed the flagstone walkway back to the barn.

“Hello!” she called when she heard movement near the entry to the barn. One of the ranch hands came to the large entry and squinted at her. She ran through the list of names she’d memorized last night, based on where they sat at the table.

“Well, what can I do for you, darlin’?”

His suggestive tone took her a little by surprise, considering what Clayton had told her that morning. “Darlin’” seemed awfully familiar to be calling her, but she’d let him slide in case he wasn’t privy to their announcement about her status, whenever it had occurred.

“Hello. Kade, right?” At his nod, she took a step back and continued, “I brought a coffee-break treat for the men.” She gestured to the basket.

He never took his eyes off of her, looking her up and down, as he said, “You sure did, darlin’.” He’d flirted, but he hadn’t been like that at the dinner table the night before, in front of Chance and Clayton.

When she made no reply, he came closer than she was comfortable with and looked her in the eyes. “I’d say
you’re
a treat. Pretty and can cook, too. Why don’t you come on in?” He took another step toward her.

Guarding her tone, she asked, “Where are the others? Where are Chance and Clayton?”

“Don’t know,” he said as he kept looking her up and down. His tone also implied he didn’t care.

She stopped in her tracks and pulled her phone from her pocket. There was no point in dealing any further with this ranch hand. His mind seemed on one thing, and she wasn’t setting foot in the dim shadows of the barn with him. Her hand trembled slightly as she touched the shortcut to dial Chance’s number on the screen and put the phone to her ear.

“Hello, baby.” His voice was reassuring to hear as Kade Parker continued to stare at her hungrily. The hunger she saw had little to do with the basket of treats she held.

“Hello, cowboy. I’m outside the barn. Where are you?”

“We’ll be there in about thirty seconds. You bring me something to eat?” It was a simple question but she could hear the innuendo in his tone.

“Yes, I did,” she said, being careful to not use a suggestive or playful tone. “I’m visiting with Kade Parker at the moment.”

Kade’s demeanor changed, and he squinted at her with a hint of anger in his dark eyes.

“Shit. Be there in twenty seconds. Stay outside the barn, okay?” She heard hooves approaching and smiled in relief when both Chance and Clayton appeared on horseback.

Kade slapped his hat against his thigh and said, “Can’t even be friendly these days without someone complainin’.” He turned and walked back into the dusty shadows of the barn.