Twin Temptations (10 page)

Ryker closed his eyes and stood. Walking out to the great room, he spotted Ranger making a fire even though it was barely October. Sitting on the floor in front of the large river stone hearth, he stared at the flames. “Talk to me.”

“Huh?” Ranger looked over seemingly unaware that Ryker had even entered the room. “Where’s Lilly?”

“Taking a bath. I came to talk to you.” He reached out and ran his fingers through Ranger’s wet curls. “What happened back there?”

“What do you mean? I think you were pretty much involved in the whole process,” Ranger tried to pass Ryker’s comments off as a joke.

Ryker put a hand to either side of Ranger’s head and made him look him in the eyes. “What happened to you while I was making love to Lilly? Don’t tell me nothing because I could feel it—feel you—pulling away from us.”

Ranger shut his eyes. Ryker watched as his Adams apple bobbed up and down in the firelight. He could tell Ranger was trying not to cry. He’d only seen him cry twice before. The day their Dad died and the night Sonny was shot. Ranger was tough, always had been. He was the one who’d held Ryker together when they’d been forced to leave their home at the age of eighteen. It had always been Ranger.

Now his brother clung to him fighting to keep the tears at bay. “I’m scared,” Ranger finally whispered in a guttural voice.

He pulled Ranger into his arms and buried his face in his neck. “I love you. You’re part of me, I can’t live unless I know you’re beside me, but I love Lilly, too. Please don’t ask me to give her up.”

Ranger shook his head, “Never. I’d never ask you to do that. I’m not sure how I’ll fit in with the two of you though. I like Lilly, a lot, but it doesn’t feel right making love to her knowing I don’t love her like you do, and I’m not sure I ever will. She’s yours and she always will be. So where does that leave me?”

Fuck! He’d never even thought of a scenario like this happening between them. “Are you saying I can’t have you both? That I have to somehow choose?”

“No, my mind’s just all screwed up right now.” Ranger said.

Feeling a warm hand on his back, Ryker turned to see Lilly, wrapped in the large blue terry robe he’d laid out for her. “Can I say something?” Lilly asked chewing on her lip.

Nodding, Ryker released one of his arms that held Ranger and pulled Lilly into a hug. The feel of both of them against him was right, dammit.

“I know I shouldn’t have heard what I did, but I’m glad I took the chance.” Lilly kissed Ranger’s cheek. “I don’t want to take Ryker away from you. And I was wondering if you could give us a chance. I don’t expect you to vow your undying love for me right away, but I already love you, I have for years. Just give me the opportunity to show you I’m not trying to come between the two of you? I wanna make a life here, with Ryker and you. I can be patient, give you time, hell, I’ll give you whatever you need. But please, don’t give up on me. I’m not sure how you feel about sharing his love and attention, but I’d rather have part of him than none of him.”

“How does that work?” Ranger asked, his voice hoarse with emotion.

“I’m not sure. This is all new to me. Maybe we could both try loving Ryker and maybe someday soon you’ll grow to love me, too.”

Lilly didn’t have to spell it out. He knew she was talking about intimacy between her and Ryker and between him and Ranger. She seemed to know his brother pretty well. Ranger didn’t want to make love to Lilly with his feelings still up in the air and Lilly was saying she understood that. She was also telling Ranger he could still be intimate with him and she’d give them the space to do that. He shook his head, finding it hard to believe he’d found a woman who understood what Ranger meant to him.

Time seemed to stand still as Ranger and Lilly looked at each other. Ryker finally released the breath he’d been holding when Ranger kissed the tip of Lilly’s nose. “We’ll see how it goes. Who knows, maybe it’s my own confusion about what comes next that’s getting in the way.” He cupped Lilly’s cheek. “I do care for you, no matter what, I need you to understand that. I’m just confused right now. Who knows, I may wake up tomorrow and realise I’m madly in love with you and this whole conversation will have been wasted.”

“Never wasted,” Lilly kissed Ranger’s forehead. “You’re feelings are as important to me as Ryker’s, and if something’s bothering you, we need to work it out together.”

“Deal,” Ranger agreed.

The alarm woke them the next morning. Ryker was in his usual spot sandwiched between Ranger and Lilly. Stretching, he wrapped himself around Lilly as Ranger snuggled up to his back. “I don’t want to go to work,” he groaned, burying his head against Lilly’s warm neck.

“Sorry, Bub, but we’ve got a hundred head being loaded this morning for auction.” Ranger kissed his shoulder.

“What’s your day like, sweetheart?” he asked as he kissed his way around Lilly’s shoulder and neck.

“I need to call the insurance company and see what they’re going to do about my car. I have to be at work at three, but I’ll get off around eleven-thirty if we aren’t too busy.” She groaned as he slid his fingers between her pussy lips to the core of her.

“You sore?” Ryker asked, nipping her shoulder.

“No, make love to me,” she said, turning her head for a kiss.

Ryker looked over his shoulder at Ranger. “We have time for some love?”

“Yeah,” Ranger said, “I’ll just go get in the shower.”

“I really wish you wouldn’t try to run away every time I wanna make love to Lilly.” He pulled Ranger’s head down for a kiss.

Wide-eyed, Ranger looked over at Lilly. “Is that okay with you?”

“Of course,” she smiled at Ranger.

Rummaging in the drawer, Ranger came back with a condom and lube.

Ryker watched as a spark of desire flashed across Ranger’s face as he threw back the covers. With the three of them nude, it was easy to see Ranger’s need in the erection bobbing against his stomach.
He is scared
, Ryker thought. It wasn’t that he didn’t desire the two of them together, it went deeper. Ryker was determined to root out the problem, and soon.

Sitting back on his heels, he looked at the condom in Ranger’s hand. “Care to put it on me?”

Looking nervous, Ranger tore open the package and scooted closer. Ryker pulled him into a kiss as Ranger slid the latex down his aching cock. His hands felt natural on Ryker’s shaft as they continued to kiss, Ranger reaching down to run his fingers over Ryker’s heavy sac.

A physical shiver from him and a moan from Lilly broke their kiss. “Thank you,” he whispered against Ranger’s lips. He hoped Ranger understood he was thanking him for everything, not just the sexy two-minute hand job.

“Stretch out beside Lilly, I’d like to look into the eyes of the two people I love.” He smiled as Ranger did as he asked. “Feel free to play if the mood strikes,” he teased as he placed the head of his cock to Lilly’s core.

As his cock slid into the tight channel, Ryker leaned over and kissed her, pushing his tongue in as deep as his shaft. “Oh, sweetheart.” He felt Lilly’s body tighten around him as he pulled out only to fill her again.

The harder he thrust into her, the more she appeared to like it. He smiled when he watched as Ranger put a hand on her lower stomach, stroking her soft skin. Ryker didn’t think Ranger was even aware he was doing it. His smile grew wider. That was a very good sign.

Lilly’s gaze connected with his, yep, Lilly was thinking the same thing. Hooking one of her legs over his shoulder, he looked down at Ranger. “Help a brother out?”

Ranger grinned and held Lilly’s other leg up against his body. As his hips pistoned faster, driving his cock deep into her depths, Lilly’s breathing changed, going from panting to stuttering. He knew she was close. Reaching out, he held his finger in front of Ranger’s mouth who automatically opened and laved Ryker’s digit thoroughly.

Withdrawing his finger he positioned it at Lilly’s back puckered hole and slowly inserted it. If she was going to eventually make love to both of them at the same time, she’d need to get used to having both holes filled.

Lilly, it seemed, was more than ready. As soon as he breached her tight ring of muscles her back bowed, body tightening around his cock. Her cry of release was like music to his ears. Removing his finger he buried himself and pumped his seed into the condom. Falling forward, he caught himself with his arms and loomed over her. Sealing their passionate session with a kiss, he moaned as he felt Ranger’s hand skim down his back to land on his ass.

Turning his head, he kissed Ranger. Ryker was surprised when a finger ran down the crack of his ass to tap against his hole. He opened his eyes, still kissing Ranger’s soft lips. The small touch was beginning to wake his cock, still buried inside Lilly.

Ranger seemed to realise what he’d done and his eyes flew open. For a split second, the need was apparent. Could it be? His train of thought was interrupted as Ranger leapt off the bed. “I’m going to grab a shower,” he mumbled walking away.

Ryker closed his eyes. A soft hand to the side of his face had him smiling. Opening his eyes he stared down into Lilly’s jade green jewels. “I’m in love with you.”

“I know. I can feel it when you look at me,” Lilly replied, bringing his head down for another kiss. Their tongues lapped at each other’s mouths as his hands buried themselves in Lilly’s long black curls.

“We have a lot of head of cattle to get loaded this morning, but maybe I can talk Ranger into taking the afternoon off. I thought we could go to the walk-in clinic in Lincoln.”

Lilly smiled and wrapped her legs around him. “I like that idea. As long as I can be at work by three-thirty, I’m game.”

Ryker licked a path from her ear down to the hollow of her neck. Swirling his tongue in the divot of skin, he moaned. “I want to bury myself deep inside your sweet pussy without anything between us.”

“Mmm hmm,” Lilly sighed as he worked his way down to her pebbled nipple. Nipping at the turgid flesh with his teeth, he laved the sting with his tongue. “Did you like when I filled your ass with my finger?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“I want the three of us to make love. That’ll mean either Ranger or me taking you there. Are you okay with that?”

“Yes,” she grinned. “Actually I look forward to it.” Lilly looked toward the bathroom door. “Maybe we should get Ranger drunk and seduce him.”

“I thought about asking Sonny to talk to him. Whatever’s really wrong with him, he won’t tell me, but maybe he’ll open up to Sonny.”

Lilly shook her head. “You know he won’t. If he eventually opens up to anyone it’ll be you. I think the two of you need to go out drinking. It’s been my experience that more things are said with liquor on the breath.”

“Maybe we’ll just get drunk here. Ranger likes to dance when he drinks and I’d rather be home for that.” Ryker heard the water shut off in the bathroom. “Don’t be surprised if you come home tonight to two sloppy drunks. Ranger can usually drink me under the table so it’ll take a lot to get him loose lipped.”

“I’ll happily pour you both into bed.”

Chapter Eleven

By lunch-time the three of them were on their way to Lincoln. On orders from Ranger, Ryker drove this time. It appeared Ranger didn’t want a replay of their last trip. The highway thrummed under the tires as they travelled up the interstate. “So what did the insurance company say about your car?”

“That they were totalling it, and the check should be to me by the end of the week. It won’t be much, but maybe I can use it, with some of my savings on a down payment for another one.”

Ranger who’d been looking out the passenger window turned toward Lilly. “What are ya looking for?”

She shrugged and turned the stereo down. “Don’t really care. Something cheap and reliable.”

“Oh, that mystery dream car that every used car buyer searches for,” Ryker joked. He reached down and squeezed Lilly’s thigh. “We’ll find something.”

“Yeah, I was going to ask if we could go into the city this weekend.”

“Sure,” Ranger said, placing a kiss on Lilly’s forehead.

Ryker almost drove out of his lane at the unsolicited gesture.

Ranger must have caught the look on his face because he cleared his throat and looked back out the window. He knew Ranger wasn’t as unaffected by Lilly as he let on. Now he just needed to find a way to get Ranger to see it.