Maya's Triple Dare (6 page)

Chapter Six

Kendall helped Maya climb into the pickup truck, and she chuckled when he patted her ass before she planted it on the seat. He shrugged innocently when she gasped in mock surprise.

“No man alive could resist something that pretty.”

“You’re just trying to get laid.”

Kendall snorted and said, “I was being sweet, but we can go there, too, if you’re willing.”

“I think time rather than willingness is more of a factor. Don’t you have a ranch to take care of?”

“Yes, but I’m blinded by your beauty,” he said.

Maya scoffed. “Now I know why your eyes are brown.”

“Because I’m full of shit. Gotcha. You can kid all you want. But that is
some
kind of gorgeous ass you’ve got there.” He patted her thigh before closing her door.

When he opened his door and climbed in, she said, “Thanks, Kendall. You’re very kind.”

Kendall dazzled her with his wide, sexy grin and said, “I know.

It’s a burden. Will it get me laid?”

“Drive!” Maya said, laughing as she shoved lightly at his shoulder.
Of course, it’ll get you laid!

She looked around them as he backed the truck out and pulled down the driveway connected to the main drive between two very large, red barns. He drove to the big ranch house a short distance away. It was a beautiful home with white limestone rock facing and a deep, shaded porch running the full length of the back of the house.

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Kendall parked his truck next to a white work truck. Once again, Kendall helped her down from the vehicle as a couple came out on the porch, which spanned the front of the house. The man was very tall, almost as tall as Richard in fact. The woman was gorgeous with long, wavy blonde hair. Her cheeks were rosy with a blush as she said a farewell to the man, and he kissed and gently squeezed her.

As they climbed the stairs, he approached the end of the porch and said, “Hey, Kendall.”

“Hey, Adam. I want to introduce you to Maya. Maya, this is my cousin, Adam Davis.”

“Maya, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m running
really
late,”

Adam said with emphasis as he looked back at the lovely blonde.

“Otherwise I’d stay to visit. I think Grace is already planning a get together for this weekend. She can give you all the details. See you later.”

Kendall nodded as Adam jumped into his work truck.

The beautiful woman, who must be Grace, sidled up slowly with a smile on her face. Her silky top draped softly over the hint of a rounded abdomen. Her cheeks were a little rosy, and Maya recognized the “guess what I’ve been up to” grin on her face and liked her instantly.

Kendall introduced her and Grace welcomed them inside. After the niceties were over with, Grace joined them at the large marble-topped breakfast bar.

They chatted about mundane things like how long Maya would be in town, where she lived, and about her having recently completed her nursing degree.

“My husband left me with a comfortable investment income, but I needed something for myself. Morgan knew I’d always been interested in pursuing my RN certification, and so he encouraged me to go back to school and obtain it.”

“Do you have a position lined up in San Marcos already?”

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Maya shook her head. “No, I wanted to take time off and keep my options open.”

“I see,” Grace replied speculatively.

Kendall rested his chin in his palm and said, “Maya, you might be curious to know Grace is a published author.”

Maya turned expectant eyes to her, and Grace nodded. “It’s true. I write erotic romance.”

Maya and Grace talked nonstop for five solid minutes about that topic, hardly taking a breath. Kendall couldn’t get a word in with a wedge and finally held up both hands.

“Ladies, I gotta get to work. Maya, you want to stay and visit?”

Maya glanced at Grace and then looked longingly at Kendall.

Grace chuckled and said, “No, of course not, Kendall. Maya wants to see your ranch and spend her first day here with you. I’ll have her over another day, and we can chat to our hearts’ content.”

Maya’s questions for Grace had only multiplied since meeting her, but the stronger desire was to spend time with Kendall and maybe explore some of their ranch.

As they journeyed down the state highway meandering over rolling hills, Maya said, “Grace glows with happiness. I don’t know anyone else who has what she does.”

“You mean more than one husband? You will before the weekend is out,” Kendall said, chuckling as she turned a surprised look his way. “It sounds like you’ll meet them all this weekend.” Grace had filled them in on her plans for a barbecue Saturday evening.

“What? Like a cult?” Maya giggled. “Are you trying to induct me into a cult, Kendall Warner?”

“Hell, if there’s a cult, it’s the men who are the devotees. No, Maya. They have a different lifestyle and happen to have all made good friends with each other. In a small town it helps to stick together and watch out for each other. Not everybody in town is nice to Grace.

Some people are very opinionated.”

“Well, she looks happy. It must not bother her much.”

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“I’m looking forward to you meeting them. Plus the guys are really good cooks.”

“So where is the ranch?”

Kendall pointed to a fence lining the state highway. “Our property starts at that cross fence there.” Maya sighed as they passed a huge field of tall, pale, wheat-colored grass. She could make out the roof of a barn in the distance beyond a low hilltop.

“It’s wonderful, Kendall,” Maya said as he slowed the truck and turned into the entry. The truck rumbled over the cattle guard and down the long, white gravel drive. She looked around her and was struck by how right it felt. Wildflowers in shades of yellow and orange rippled and waved in the wind as they drove past.

Kendall smiled with pleasure and even appeared to blush a little at her heartfelt compliment. “Thank you.”

“You’ve put a lot of work into it, I’ll bet.”

“Every spare moment. We’re going to take a breather for a while before we begin work on the house.”

“Why a breather? I would think you’d be anxious to start the process.”

Kendall chuckled and said, “We’d like to devote our extra time to our house guest right now. You can even help us with the house design if you’d like.”

That statement seemed to hold more meaning for him than just the actual words. Maya decided to cut to the chase.

“Or we could cut all the bullshit and be honest with each other about what we want.”

Kendall removed his straw hat and ran his fingers back through his hair. “My suave and debonair charm must be failing me.”

Maya’s heart fluttered, and she had to take a deep breath. “Trust me, cowboy, your ‘suave and debonair charm’ is firing on all cylinders. Tell me what you’re trying to tell me without actually telling me. Please?”

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Kendall replaced his hat on his head and guided the truck slowly down the driveway. He pulled into the cleared area where a ranch house had obviously once stood, judging by the broken foundational piers jutting from the ground. The broken and splintered wood and debris had been bulldozed into a pile.

He parked and then turned to face her, twining his fingers through hers and squeezing gently. Her lips trembled when he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

“I love you, Maya. I don’t want you to leave,
ever
. I want your input on the house because we want it to be your house, too.”

He sounded awfully self-assured when he used the word
we
. “I love you, too, Kendall. You know that. Do you speak for Boone and Richard on this?”

“We’re ready to settle down, Maya. This is what we want, our best-case scenario. For you to love it here, love us, and want to stay.”

“Thanks for being open about it.”

“Thanks for not expecting me to pussyfoot around the issue all week. I love that about you.”

“There’s a lot to love about me,” Maya said with good humor, feeling relieved to get the elephant in the truck cab out in the open.

“You’re open to the possibility?”

“I’d be a liar and a hypocrite if I didn’t admit I was also attracted to Boone and Richard. How long have they wanted this?”

“We’ve been observing Grace with her men and Teresa with hers for a couple of years now, and I think it started rattling around in our heads about that long ago. I’ll admit our fascination in the beginning was more along the line of one-night stands and no attachments, but we’ve grown some and want more than that now.

“Boone and Richard mentioned the possibility to me about the time you started dating again. Richard is still dealing with his issues, but they
both
asked if I would talk with you. Kind of break the ice on the subject. That’s not because they’re shy, by any means. They don’t want to make you uncomfortable if you don’t want a relationship with
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them as well. Boone said they didn’t want to mess up what was happening between the two of us.”

“I wanted a ménage so much with you and Morgan. I regret never asking for it. I wanted to tell you last night on the phone, but I didn’t see any point in saying so, since we couldn’t change the past. Now here I am, presented with that opportunity. Morgan dared me in his letter to go after what I wanted. After missing the first opportunity, I’m going to fully explore it this time. I’m open to the idea, Kendall, but I’m going to need time to get to know them on a deeper level.”

Kendall was relieved, judging by his happy sigh. “Take all the time you need.”

“Time alone with each of you. One-on-one. Is that going to be a problem?”

“One-on-one, huh?” Kendall said with a smirk. It was so like him to tease her about that. He’d probably pictured her having sex with them when she meant talking and getting to know each other, the horn dog.

Maya giggled and said, “You heard me right.”

“I can guarantee we’ll be fighting for a chance to spend time alone with you.”

“Kendall, we’re not talking about a fling. Right? I won’t go anywhere near them if that’s all they want.”

“No, Maya. That’s not what they want, and you know it’s not what I want. I’d never allow it if they did. You can trust them, babydoll. Judging by the looks in their eyes this morning they’re already half in love with you.”

Maya doubted that after one rushed, early morning encounter, but trusted Kendall to know his brothers’ minds on the subject. He’d always been protective of her. Maya looked out the windshield at the remnants of the old ranch house. “Sorry about your home again.”

Kendall chuckled quietly and said, “It was a shit hole. Really rundown and in need of a lot of work. We’re actually relieved to be

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building new because the farther we got in renovations the more problems we found. It was over one hundred years old.”

Maya shaded her eyes from the harsh afternoon sun and walked around the truck, getting a better look at the place. The remains of the house and the small outbuildings were surrounded by fenced areas. A large nearby field contained more tall grass ready for mowing and baling, and other cross-fenced sections contained grazing white-faced Hereford cattle. Here and there calves cavorted around the hooves of their mamas or lay nestled in the shorter grass. Patches of Indian blanket and small yellow Engelmann’s daisies proliferated in the area near the remains of the house foundation.

“Damn. It’s beautiful, Kendall,” Maya said, not hiding the catch in her throat. She sensed his warm presence behind her, and she turned to him. He smiled as he looked around at his family’s place.

Then he gazed down at her, his sweet, brown eyes shaded from the sun by his straw cowboy hat.

“It would be more beautiful with you on it, babydoll.” His eyes burned with desire as he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. His lips were hot and moist as he pressed them to hers, his tongue dueling passionately with hers as she opened for him. Maya’s body pulsated with need, and she wound her arms around him tightly. Pressed close to him, she could feel his growing erection against her abdomen.

Kendall’s squeezed her ass cheeks hard and groaned before he released her. A calf bawled in one of the pastures, and Maya chuckled as he broke their kiss.

Maya said, “Duty calls, I know. Do you mind if I explore?” She wanted to get a better look at what could possibly become her home.

She wished Boone and Richard were here. She was anxious to talk with them and find out for herself what it was they wanted with her.

She believed Kendall when he said they weren’t after a fling, but she need to hear that from them, too.

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Kendall shook his head and said, “Just be mindful of where you’re walking. Take a bottle of water with you. You can get dehydrated fast out here.” He reached into the cooler in the back of the truck.

She accepted the bottle of water from him. “Are Richard and Boone coming here after work?” It was already midafternoon, but she didn’t know how late they worked.