Unbridled and Untethered

The Double Rider Men's Club 10

Unbridled and Untethered Emma Rae Madison wasn’t looking for one man, let alone two. After meeting Zeke Traynor at Clayton Forrester’s Double Rider Men’s Club security fortress by mistake, she’s intrigued and wary. The first time Zeke sees the girl of his dreams, he can’t resist her. But Clay won’t introduce them. Zeke finds her later on at his bank, but before he learns her name, the bank is robbed at gunpoint. He takes a bullet saving her from a robber’s immoral intent. Luke Benton was convinced a woman didn’t exist for them. Until he meets Emma Rae over Zeke’s hospital bed. He recognizes her as the one they’ve searched for. Now to persuade her. While Zeke recuperates, Luke woos Emma Rae. When the three come together, it’s pure magic, and she agrees to move in. When she fetches her things from home, she finds the escaped robber waiting to kill her. She’s the only living witness to his crime. Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys Length: 53,872 words 

UNBRIDLED AND UNTETHERED The Double Rider Men’s Club 10

Elle Saint James

MENAGE EVERLASTING

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

UNBRIDLED AND UNTETHERED Copyright © 2012 by Elle Saint James E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-010-1 First E-book Publication: July 2012 Cover design by Les Byerley All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Unbridled and Untethered by Elle Saint James from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Elle Saint James’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Saint James’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION To my wonderful husband, who keeps me tethered in reality, since I spend so much time in fictional places.

 

UNBRIDLED AND UNTETHERED The Double Rider Men’s Club 10 ELLE SAINT JAMES Copyright © 2012

Chapter One Ryder, Colorado Double Rider Men’s Club property Emma Rae Madison brushed an errant lock of blonde hair out of her eyes, exhaled a long breath to dispel her unreasonable fear, and stepped across the threshold of Clayton Forrester’s well-hidden security fortress on the Double Rider Men’s Club property. Clay beckoned her farther inside the shadowy entryway. “Thanks for coming, Em. I know you hate to make house calls. Especially late at night on a weekend.” “Luckily, you pay really well, or trust me, I wouldn’t.” Emma Rae hated the dark. Hated it with all her heart and wounded soul. But she hadn’t been doing anything else on this Saturday night, and the financial boon he offered would be worth it. It wasn’t like Clay had interrupted anything important. “Touché,” he answered with a sudden and very infectious grin. Regardless of her disquiet, she allowed a very small tilt upward of her lips in return.

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Clay was not only one of her very best customers, he was also a very good friend. Maybe even her best friend. She wasn’t sure if he knew this, but one of these days perhaps she’d get up enough nerve to tell him. Her exclusive, one-employee-only business was all about fixing computers. Hardware, software, or a combination of both, she loved working through computer problems to restore balance. There were those who thought she communicated with computers better and more easily than with humans. That was likely true. Good with computers since she was old enough to type at a keyboard, Emma Rae was sought out by many local businesses as an excellent problem solver for various hardware and software integration issues. She’d only been in Ryder for a little over a year but already had amassed a decent client base who kept her in the black as far as her small business and her singular needs were concerned. Few if any knew she preferred the company of computers to most humans. Well, perhaps Clay did, but no one else. To her way of thinking, machines never lied. Nor did they kick a person while they were down, dominate them, press their will on another, or worst of all lock someone fragile in a dark, suffocating place for two days. Her past was unfortunately littered with some very nasty men. Her most recent messy, horrible breakup had taught her, among other things, that trust and sex didn’t necessarily combine well. She’d also learned that getting out of a bad relationship could be as difficult and even more painful than staying in it. She still believed this more than a year later. The move to Ryder had freed her from the likelihood of seeing her ex around the town where she used to live. Emma Rae knew he wouldn’t ever leave the area, so it was left up to her to go when she got tired of running into him everywhere. Because he had a prominent family with deep roots in the community and she didn’t. She was alone.

 

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Regrettably, she’d learned that very important relationship lesson more than one time. After her last boyfriend had been such a bastard, Emma Rae had been overly cautious about getting close to any man since. Occasionally, she looked, but she by no means ever touched or got involved. Maybe never again. She was lonely, sure, but not enough to change her life or test another man only to discover she brought out the ultimate beast in his personality. Emma Rae found much-needed control and satisfaction working with computers and software. A control that hadn’t ever translated well to her private life. It wasn’t that she needed to be controlling or always in control, but she hated being told what to do. Someone’s idea of “what was best for her” didn’t often set well in her bones. It engendered resentment. Hers. Unfortunately, she’d found out the hard way that some men don’t like being told no for any reason. While she appreciated that Clay was very attractive, very tall, very muscular, and very easy to look at, he wasn’t a future love interest. Most importantly for her personal fears to be eased, Clay had a sad and even more tragic former love life than she did. She didn’t know all the details, just that he’d lost someone he’d loved. Therefore, they simply remained good friends. That was all. Through her initial application for employment, she knew he completely understood her disastrous romantic past. He was gracious enough not to speak of the details. She also knew he’d never cross a romantic line with her. Emma Rae depended on that line. She valued Clay as her one, if not her very best, friend in the world. She hitched the wide leather laptop-bag strap a little higher on her shoulder and entered into the plain room serving as the entrance to what she’d once referred to as Clay’s security lair. The long-ago label, issued during their first meeting over a year ago, had made him crack the first of his very rare smiles. The yawning, dark corridor ahead made her hesitate. She allowed Clay to lead the way, even though she knew exactly where they were going. She didn’t want to take a step toward the blackness without an

 

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escort. An unreasonable fear, but one she lived with every day. Damn bastard men from my past. Clay moved silently down the corridor, and Emma Rae kept pace with him but also stayed out of arm’s length. Her trust issues were very deep seated. Clay didn’t like to have anyone in this fortress. She knew this to be fact. As his good pal, she felt honored that he allowed an outsider, like her, entrance. It was a protected sanctuary she was in awe of. He had marvelous, high-end computer equipment, both software and hardware. And she felt safe here with him. No other man in her past or current lonely life could claim that privilege. “So what’s the problem I’m looking at tonight?” Emma Rae asked to keep from worrying over the darkness of their surroundings. Trusted friend or not, she still hated the low light. “It’s the recent surveillance-system software upgrade I installed. It all updated without a hitch except that the picture totally sucks.” “And what have you already tried?” “I tried everything that I know how to do already, but I can’t get the resolution on this security camera system to upgrade beyond the grainy crap you see in cheap cameras from twenty years ago. I must have put in a wrong parameter in the set-up language or the like, but I just can’t find it. I’m tired of searching, since I know you’ll be able to find it in five seconds and put me out of my misery.” He started walking toward the darkness where his security room was located. Emma Rae followed closely on his heels. Hate the dark. “Five seconds?” She laughed. It sounded slightly forced to her own ears. Perhaps he didn’t notice her distress. “I’m good and all, but it might take a few minutes more than that. I’ll take a look, but regardless of the speed in which I locate the trouble, I’m still charging you for the full hour.” Best friend or not, a girl has to eat. The sound of sincere laughter rumbled from his chest. “No problem,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I’ll even pay you double your

 

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rate as a challenge if you can find the problem in less than an hour. It’ll be worth it to have this issue solved and off my plate tonight.” With the magnanimous proposal of the challenge, Clay apparently understood she had to eat, too. “Thanks, Clay. I’ll take you up on your generous offer.” He nodded over one shoulder in reply as she followed him down the darkened hallway, wishing away her stupid, foolish fears of the gloomy surroundings. As if reading her mind or sensing her vast discomfort, Clay touched his palm to a panel on his right. The hallway suddenly brightened over her head like the crescendo of a Fourth of July sky filled with multiple dazzling fireworks displays lighting the rest of their way. The sudden light hurt her eyes, but she was so happy to be able to see everything, the minor pain was worth it. And even though the decor was only a bare, cement-lined hallway with no adornment, Emma Rae thought it was beautiful. He soon stopped in front of his private security room, opened the door, and directed her inside. Once within, her gaze beheld the alsobare cement-walled room filled with enough cutting-edge technology to make her sigh in happiness. Just working in this room made her blissfully contented. Walking to his desk, she pondered the sad idea that expensive machinery could do for her attitude what no lover ever had. She sat down in the comfortable executive chair at his massive console and retrieved her faithful laptop. Clay stood to one side and watched her work. He didn’t touch her, lean over her, or crowd her. Yet another thing she was eternally grateful that he understood. If she didn’t think of him like an older brother, he’d be the perfect kind of man for her wounded soul to pursue. If she ever decided to give chase to a man. After fifteen minutes, she had figured out what the problem was. After thirty minutes, she’d fixed the issue and done a complete scan of his system to add a few more upgrades as a bonus for the double pay she was about to earn.

 

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Forty minutes after stepping into this sanctuary, Emma Rae flipped a switch on the console and the bank of screens hanging on the wall to their right lit up with crystal-clear surveillance footage of various places on the DRMC property. Most screens filled with a changing rotation of various images from the property. Many were of barely outlined trees with a nightscope attachment showing the images in green. A couple screens were lit up with the outer walls of buildings, and one was of a cabin. No people. Probably the point of so much surveillance. No unauthorized people allowed to roam about. And if there was roaming of the club members, they’d be caught on film. She understood that the members of this men’s club liked to be watched in sexual scenarios. The thought of being watched having sex was a secret little fantasy she’d never contemplated before discovering the DRMC. She thought about it a lot in recent months since working with Clay. If only she could find a man that she could trust. “Awesome,” Clay said under his breath. “Em, you’re a rock star. That’s even better clarity than I expected.” Another uninhibited smile tugged at her lips. “I added a booster program as a bonus since you’re paying me so much.” She pointedly turned her body all the way around to look at the wall clock and then put her focus back at Clay. He grinned at her action but didn’t take his eyes off the bank of monitors. “I’m happy to double the rate, Em. You’re worth every penny and more.” “Thanks, Clay. You can just wire it to my regular account. I’ll email you a receipt tomorrow.” “Good enough.” He strolled over to stare more closely at one of the screens on the wall. “Who’s that?” she asked and pointed to a screen in the corner. The camera shot was of a guy about to enter this building.

 

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Emma Rae only saw the top of his dark, tousled head as he entered through the door she’d come in less than an hour ago. Her heartbeat sped up a notch. A low alarm sounded on the console before her, and a light flashed. Clay reached over absently and turned it off. “What does he want at this hour?” Clay mumbled the question under his breath. Emma Rae detached her cable from the console, freeing her computer. She hurriedly shoved her laptop, loose cable and all, inside her soft-sided case. She stood as she zipped the black case shut and slung it over her shoulder. Now she was all ready to go. Ready to run if need be. The doorknob turned, and the most gorgeous man Emma Rae had ever witnessed in her twenty-eight years of life entered the room. Her heartbeat sped again for an entirely different reason. He was so attractive she couldn’t turn away like she normally would have in this situation. A spark of interest swelled unbidden in her chest. “What are you doing here so late, Zeke?” Clay asked in a harsh tone. His name is Zeke. Clay moved toward the door and also blocked the striking man’s view of her poised, ready to take flight. He’d locked his electric-blue eyes onto her face for only a second before Clay came between them. Ordinarily, she’d appreciate Clay’s sudden protection, but Zeke made long-neglected and rarely satisfied places in her body tingle with a single glance. If Clay hadn’t been there, she might have found the nerve to smile at him, talk to him, and possibly even pursue him. But she didn’t want to chase after a man, did she? “You called me here, remember?” Zeke’s voice also had a riveting impact on her system. His voice was as smooth as well-aged whiskey and made more shivers of delight course through her veins. “What? When did I call you?” “I don’t know what you called me for, however, you called me last week. You said you wanted me to look at something on the down low

 

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from an old friend of yours. Don’t you remember? I told you I couldn’t come until tonight because I was out of town when you called. I just got back from Denver about ten minutes ago.” His arms came away from his sides as if in a shrug. “I haven’t even been home yet.” Clay, hands loosely resting on his hips, tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling as if suddenly remembering something important. “Oh fuck. That’s right. I completely forgot.” Zeke suddenly laughed delightedly. Emma Rae adored the sound of his amusement best of all. She leaned her head to one side and watched him. He said, “Clayton Forrester forgot something? Wow. Has that ever happened before? Remind me to mark that down somewhere and remind you of it frequently.” “Very funny, smart-ass.” Clay shifted again, and her view was blocked. Staring at Clay’s wide back, Emma Rae tightened her grip on her shoulder strap. She slowly swayed the entire top part of her body to the left a bit to get another look at Zeke. She was rewarded with a good view of the side of his handsome face. So attractive. As if sensing that she wanted to see more of him, Zeke also shifted his body farther into her field of view. She caught another glimpse of his beautiful blue eyes and gorgeous face. His dark, wavy hair was disheveled a bit, as if he’d just come out of the wind. He had an angular, masculine face with a trace of five-o’clock shadow gracing his strong jaw. His smile was genuine and lit up his whole face in amusement. His lips looked inherently kissable even when his smile disappeared. When he gazed over Clay’s shoulder and caught her eye, his mere grin in her direction put what felt like a battalion of excited butterflies in her belly. Longing and lust vied for attention in her stubborn logical mind as she tried to quell her amorous feelings for this stranger.

 

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Clay pointedly moved to his right and covered Zeke’s view again. Not to be outwitted, Zeke leaned even more to the opposite side to see her again. She tilted her head in the same direction to catch another view as well. She got only another brief look before Clay moved once more and came between them. “Nothing to see here, Zeke.” “I totally disagree,” he said almost in a whisper. “Why don’t you wait in the conference room until I finish up?” Clay took a step closer in Zeke’s direction, put a large hand on his chest, and fairly pushed him through the open doorway. “I’ve got to take a trip to the front gate. I’ll be back in less than ten minutes, then we’ll talk. Okay?” He didn’t wait for Zeke’s response before saying, “Great. Thanks.” Zeke’s grunt of protest was ignored as the door was closed in his face. Clay turned around with a wide-eyed, sheepish look on his face. “Sorry, Em. I honestly didn’t expect any visitors tonight. I know you prefer no one else being here while you work.” She shrugged. She felt a smile shape her lips again as she said, “That’s okay. He doesn’t seem too threatening.” Clay stared at her for a moment as if puzzling through the meaning of her words. “Zeke?” His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “No. He’s not a threat. Zeke’s a good guy,” he said slowly. His expression was one of expectation. Like he anticipated she would rail at him for daring to allow another man to encroach while she was here. “I imagine you wouldn’t let bad guys into this men’s club anyway, right?” Emma Rae tried to think of another innocuous question to ask to gain more information about Zeke. Clay’s body relaxed a bit. “No. I wouldn’t. Both Zeke and Luke, his best friend, are very good men. You won’t find better. Besides, I’d never let anyone hurt you.”

 

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She nodded slightly and forced herself to look away from Clay’s stare so as not to break with her self-imposed mantra of “no men” and pump him for any and all information about his friend Zeke. “Okay,” she responded and promptly bit the inside of her cheek to keep from asking for Zeke’s last name. Emma Rae usually had the opinion that very few men were good guys, but a small thread of trust unwound inside her suspiciousness, because she trusted Clay. She looked away again, embarrassed to have been caught gawking at a good-looking man or suddenly wondering what his best friend, Luke, looked like. She’d already been thinking several wayward thoughts that she shouldn’t entertain further. Something about this club intrigued her as much as it frightened her. Perhaps she was afraid of her own feelings of desire. I’m not looking for a man. I’m not. Clay didn’t say anything else, but his expression remained inquisitive until he turned away. He opened the door and checked the corridor to ensure Zeke wasn’t lingering. Emma Rae refused to tell him that she wouldn’t mind getting one last look at his intriguing friend Zeke. Because she wasn’t looking for a man. Not even an attractive one. She squared her shoulders and exited, trying to put the gorgeous man out of her thoughts. But her mind was stubborn and refused to relinquish his image. The moment they walked out of Clay’s security fortress, she saw the second vehicle parked next to the SUV she’d arrived in. The glance to the license plate as she walked by was instinctive. She could tell it wasn’t a rental car by the plate designation. She ran her gaze over Zeke’s vehicle to memorize the make and model. She presumed it was his vehicle, since it hadn’t been here less than an hour ago when she’d arrived. It was foolish to get attached to a man she’d never have, but once the information about his vehicle entered her head, it was difficult to get it out or ignore the numbers and letters now ingrained in her mind as if carved in granite. Just like his image was stamped in her memory

 

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forever. Regardless of how intriguing he was, a relationship with Zeke wasn’t possible. Emma Rae fully understood the nature of the Double Rider Men’s Club. Two men sexually involved with one woman was how the club worked. She didn’t even trust one man to be in her life. Two men having dominion over her body, spirit, and soul would be intolerable.

 

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Chapter Two Clay dropped Emma Rae off at the front gate to the DRMC property next to her vehicle and hurried back to his security building, where Zeke waited. He silently cursed himself all the way there and back due to his uncharacteristically forgetful memory. He’d apologized to her again as she slid out of the front seat, but she’d told him there was no need. He was grateful that she seemed to be intrigued with Zeke rather than paralyzed with fear like the last time someone had unexpectedly interrupted them. Emma Rae was uncomfortable around men, but she had never told him this information specifically. He had sensed it more than anything. Her demand not to be watched by his guards was another indicator. He’d done a cursory background check on her long ago before she started working for him on the property. He knew a few interesting facts about her past and some of what she’d been through. Several of the things he’d learned made him want to champion her, but likely she wouldn’t appreciate it. There had been a couple connections with what he considered vile, bastard men in her past. Men who had obviously hurt her. However, Emma Rae was a survivor, not a victim. He had the utmost respect for her. And had since he’d met her. Clay hated that he’d forgotten Zeke was coming when she was so adamant in her requirements that no one in his security force supervise her or remain with her while she worked. He knew it was because of this discomfort she had around men. She certainly had a valid reason for her unease.

 

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She told him it was due to the proprietary nature of some of the equipment she used. He let her use that as her excuse, but he knew better. They’d resolved that issue the first time she’d come out to the DRMC. Clay had never balked at keeping her safe and out of the view of other men while on his property. It was the least he could do. And it made him feel that much worse about his forgetfulness tonight. Clay had quite a few irons in the fire regarding various aspects of his life these days. However, the revelations on his mind were no excuse for forgetting he’d invited Zeke here to help yet another old friend. He needed to find better focus. His life had changed significantly in recent months. Not only had he reconnected with his brother, Kendall, and visited his place up in Montana not too long ago, Clay had also been in contact with an old friend, Jake Salerno. In fact, Jake was probably the reason Clay had so much on his mind lately. Among other things, Jake, was the first guy he’d ever shared a woman with back when they’d both been barely in their twenties. Having decided recently that he’d been on his own for far too long, Clay was considering inviting Jake to the DRMC. He didn’t know if his old friend was still interested in a ménage lifestyle, and that frustrating lack of information apparently made him stupid about everything else going on around him. Clay took the time to stop in his command center to send Emma Rae her electronic payment. Double the hourly rate was still a bargain, in his opinion, so he added an additional bonus on top of the bill. She deserved it. Once that was complete, he headed to the conference room and Zeke. Seated at the table with files open and paper spilling out in five different directions, Zeke was already poring through the information Clay had brought him here to look at. On the large screen at the front of the room, a video was paused at the end of a grainy display showing a woman poised half in shadow. The remote control for it was inches away from Zeke’s hand.

 

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“Thanks for jumping right in,” Clay said. “Sure. What am I looking at?” “Surveillance footage and still photos of someone who is supposed to be dead.” Zeke’s eyebrows went skyward. “Really? She looks awfully good for having expired.” “Exactly. But what I need to know is if it’s actually her. It’s entirely possible the woman is simply a doppelganger.” “I’m in the Treasury Department. We are concerned with counterfeiting. How would I, in any stretch of anyone’s imagination, know that or care to find out?” “I know it’s a long shot, but in the film, she’s coming out of a bank in Denver carrying a satchel. Maybe we can identify her through the bank transactions at that time of day. Don’t you have access to bank-withdrawal information?” “No,” came his sharp retort. His tone didn’t soften when he added, “And even if I did, the information is not for just anyone asking. Who needs this?” Clay pulled out a chair and sat across from Zeke, trying to reduce his ire. “It’s for an old friend of mine.” One of Zeke’s eyebrows rose a notch. He shook his head. “Still not good enough. Specifically, who?” Clay wasn’t ready to out Jake yet. “I have a very good friend who works in Immigration and Customs Enforcement—ICE. They are trying to identify this woman and ascertain whether or not it’s a former witness. My friend is asking because no one is even sure that this woman is who they think she is. If this woman is alive, she’s probably in danger. My friend was connected with the case at the time of her disappearance. Up until now, she was thought dead.” Zeke pushed out an annoyed-sounding breath, but his harsh manner diminished just a bit. “Aren’t there easier ways to discover her identity instead of a long shot using bank transactions?”

 

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“Apparently, a facial-recognition expert said there was a sixty to seventy percent probability it could be her. But that’s due to the best shot of her face being only a partial and the rest being in shadow. It was high enough to make my friend want to pursue it quietly.” “And what did this woman do? If it’s even her.” Clay cleared his throat. “She was a witness in a foreign-based organized crime ring. Someone blew up the house where she and her husband lived. They found two bodies. If this picture is her, then someone else was identified incorrectly at the house where she lived. She was about to be put into witness protection.” Zeke huffed. “So the Federal Marshal Service is involved, too? Shit, maybe we could invite Homeland Security into this and really have a party.” Clay sighed. “I already tried that direction. Dalton couldn’t help. Plus, he deferred to both Wit Sec and ICE.” “Why can’t the ICE folks determine if it’s her? Surely they have resources.” “The thing is, my friend has a difficult boss who has made more than a few enemies in his career. Apparently, the usual communication channels that are opened between most government agencies have not been available in this particular matter. Besides, this is sort of a private inquiry. It’s being done on personal time and is not truly a formal investigation.” Zeke looked up at him for the first time. “So my next question has to do with why this ‘friend’ of yours is so important that you’d go to all this trouble.” There was a mischievous glint in his expression. Clay rolled his eyes. “It’s not a female friend. If that’s what you’re asking.” “No. Not necessarily.” Zeke crossed his arms. “Tell you what. You introduce me to the cute blonde from the other room and I’ll do everything I can to get the information you seek.” “Forget it. Not going to happen.” Clay blanked his features then put in place his sternest look. Zeke should know by now that he’d

 

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have better luck taming a wild, angry mama bear after her cubs had been threatened than changing Clay’s mind. “Why not? She was looking at me, you know. I think she might be interested.” “In your dreams. Trust me, she’s not interested.” Clay actually thought the exact same thing but didn’t intend to tell Zeke that. Emma Rae had seemed particularly interested in Zeke rather than horrified. But he wasn’t exactly a matchmaker. Well, not today anyway. Appalled and horrified was what she had been the last time someone had interrupted them. This time not so much, but still. Clay wasn’t going to facilitate a relationship between them. He didn’t bother to remove the hard-ass tone from his voice when he said, “I’m not a pimp. Get your own girls. Now can you help me with this or not? I know you don’t necessarily have connections to the banking industry through your job with US Treasury beyond forensic accounting services, but maybe you know someone that can help anyway. Don’t you have any connections to other agencies able to assist with something like this on the down low?” “Maybe.” He raised his eyebrows slightly as if to say, “You know what I want as payment for any help.” His features then shifted like he wanted to negotiate further, but Clay wasn’t going to sacrifice Em for any reason. He leveled his most demonic stare at Zeke, hoping he’d get the message. Zeke finally broke the stare and huffed. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do. I’ll have to find someone to look at the sure-to-be-extensive transactions for the Denver bank that day. Do you have the exact date and time stamp for the footage to narrow the data?” Clay relaxed and pointed to the papers on the desk. “It’s all included in the file.” Zeke nodded and gathered up the files and papers he’d spread out on the table. He didn’t speak, and Clay wondered if his feelings were hurt. His first private response was too fucking bad. Then again, Zeke was doing him a favor, and he didn’t mean to seem ungrateful.

 

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In the way of an apology, he said quietly, “She has a stipulation in her contract that she works alone. That’s why I kicked you out. And…she’s been hurt badly by men in her past. At best she’s wary, and at worst she’s distrustful. I’m not going to make her uncomfortable. Not even for you.” Zeke gave him a pained look, like Clay had just accused him of something. “I see.” “I hope so. Because I’m not trying to thwart your love life or accuse you of anything, but please, while she’s here, she’s off-limits to everyone on the property.” “Except for you.” His dubious expression put Clay on guard. “Right. Except for me.” What the hell? Zeke kept gathering files and looked away. The implication being that Clay was keeping Emma Rae for himself and only saying that she didn’t want anyone else around. “Holy hell.” Clay threw his hands in the air. “It’s not like that. I think of her like she’s my little sister.” Zeke rolled his eyes. “Is that supposed to make me forget about her?” “No. It’s supposed to tell you that I don’t have a romantic interest. And that you shouldn’t either because of her past.” After a few seconds of quiet contemplation, Zeke smiled faintly. “Okay. I won’t dwell. At least not for the present. But if I ever see her out and about in town somewhere, I’m taking a shot and talking to her. Maybe she’ll at least give me her name.” Zeke gave him a look like he wanted at least her name, but Clay wasn’t going to break. “Fine.” He shrugged. “As long as it’s not while she’s here, go for it. Because I’m not telling you her name. And if you ever do find her, but she’s not interested, you back off immediately, or I’ll show you how a big brother protects his female siblings from unwanted advances of a romantic nature.” He pounded a fist into his other palm to make his point.

 

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“Got it.” Zeke saluted him with a growing smile, grabbed the file, and left the building. Clay wondered if he should warn Emma Rae she had an admirer. More than that, he worried that if he didn’t provide a protected environment while she was here, she wouldn’t come back again. That wouldn’t do. He tucked Zeke’s infatuation away and made a mental note to mention it later, if the topic ever came up while Emma Rae was there working. He hoped he’d remember to tell her. Lately his memory had not been up to par. And really, what were the odds that the two of them would ever run into each other. Slim? None? Well, only if they didn’t see each other in his security fortress again. Clay turned his attention to another important matter. He needed to call Jake. Sometime soon, when things weren’t so crazed, he planned to invite his old friend down to the property. He hadn’t seen Jake in person for several years, but they’d kept in touch now and again through e-mails. He wanted to discover if Jake still had the same proclivities he’d had in his early twenties. If he did, Clay wanted to explore a possible future. Perhaps he could finally participate in the annual Stadium events instead of just watching the shows all alone in his box. **** Emma Rae made it back to her simple home well before her regular late-night bedtime. She lived in a ground floor unit of an unremarkable apartment complex, but it suited her needs. She took a long, hot shower to ease her bones and take the chill from her skin. She couldn’t get Zeke’s face out of her head. Then she started thinking about what his friend Luke might look like. Dark hair or

 

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blond? Light eyes or dark? Tall, short, slim, muscular? She was driving herself mad over men she would likely never see again. But what else did she have if not her imagination? Still naked from her shower, Emma Rae slid on a short, silky robe and sat down at her home computer to do a little research. She looked up Zeke’s license plate number from a place she probably shouldn’t have access to and got his last name. Zeke Traynor. A further legal search in the public records for his name yielded a boon. Among other entries, Zeke owned land just outside of Ryder with a man named Luke Benton. After a quick reverie trying to further picture what he looked like, she did a more detailed search of Luke’s name. How sad that she really didn’t have anything better to do tonight than this. Scoffing at herself didn’t keep her from looking. Ultimately, she didn’t find an abundance of information on Luke. Just an old newspaper photo from more than fifteen years ago showing that he’d completed basic military training, but at least she got a glimpse of his overall appearance. He was very nice looking. In the picture, Luke looked fairly young. Twenty, maybe. With his short-cropped hair beneath a formal military cap, it was difficult to picture what he might look like now. But she made the effort. His hair was too short to discern the color, but his eyes were definitely light in color. Emma Rae shut her laptop but spent a few more minutes daydreaming about both Luke and Zeke. She closed her eyes, let her mind wander freely, and played the what if game. What if she weren’t so damaged by previous relationships? What if she dared to take a walk on the wild side with these two men? What if she pretended she was a part of their club? What if they came over and gave a hands-on demonstration of their two-men-pleasing-onewoman lifestyle?

 

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A tingle ran down her spine, raising goose bumps across her limbs. In the safety of her mind, she tried to picture what the three of them might do together. What would it be like to have two men touching her sensuously, kissing her soulfully, and bringing her off repeatedly until she screamed her voice raw? Beneath the silk robe she wore, her nipples hardened in response to the mere fantasy of two men stroking her flesh. She opened her eyes halfway, looked down at her parted robe, and caught a flash of one pert nipple as the silk fell across her sensitive tip. Warm all of a sudden, she leaned back in her desk chair and opened the garment wide, exposing herself. She didn’t have a bad body. Her breasts weren’t medically enhanced, but still, she was a bit more than a handful. She sent her palms across her heated flesh from collarbone to breasts to thighs and back again. Heart pounding suddenly in anticipation, she stroked herself, pinched her nipples, and weighed each breast in her own hands to determine their likability. Even touching her own nipples felt incredibly good. Having someone else stroke her could almost bring her to climax. Almost. Closing her eyes once more, she allowed her hands to mimic what she imagined two men might do given free rein. What if one suckled at her breast and the other put his mouth between her legs to suck her clit? A rush of heat exploded in the center of her body. A moan escaped before she realized she intended to make a sound. She licked her fingers and brushed moist pads over her pert nipple. It grew harder and even more sexually sensitive. With Zeke’s face planted firmly in her mind, she squeezed her aching nipple between thumb and forefinger, sending several potent spasms of pleasure on a direct path to her pussy. Without realizing she’d even moved a limb, her other hand found its way between her thighs. She widened her legs. Juice from her pussy spilled out onto her fingers as she stroked her sensitive lower

 

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lips. Her clit suddenly ached with insatiable need. She shot two fingers into her body to gather slick fluid. Brushing the tip of her forefinger across her clit only once nearly brought her to release. A rush of air expelled from her lungs suddenly, and helped calm her down. She wanted this to last a bit longer. Glancing down at her own hands, she tried to imagine the shadowy mental picture of her dream lovers, Zeke and Luke, using their strong male hands to bring an orgasm. Her eyes closed again. She pictured what it might be like to be sandwiched between two firmly muscled men, their wiry chest hair exciting her sweat-slicked flesh both in front of her and behind. Then one would kneel before her, push his face between her legs, and flick his tongue quickly across her clit to tease and stimulate. His tousled hair bobbing sensuously between her open legs would send thudding pleasure through her body. Zeke. The five-o’clock shadow from his jaw brushing along her inner thighs and tantalizing her even more as he continued licking her clit and shoving his firm tongue deeply inside her pussy. He’d lick her hard and fast, building her climax until she wanted to scream the walls down with her release. But he wouldn’t let her come too fast, so he’d ease back, keeping her balanced on that razor’s edge of almost orgasm. Luke, behind her, his strong, naked chest pressing into her shoulder blades, would reach around and place his strong rancher’s hands on her breasts. He’d squeeze her nipples mercilessly and repeatedly to mindless pleasure as Zeke tongued her hard and fast then light and slow. The picture in her mind was set. Two men working in tandem to make her come. The pleasure from her own hands as this fantasy played out suddenly pushed her near the edge of gratification. One more flick of her finger below and a last pinch of her nipple sent her careening into oblivion. Her body stiffened. Her eyes flew open. She moaned at the ceiling as a strong climax pulsed through her body. Her pussy clenched hard again and again, signaling its final pleasure. She

 

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held herself rigid for several seconds before the gratification crested and she slowly slumped against her chair. Breathing hard from her efforts, she closed her eyes again and relaxed further against her office chair. After making her come, what would two handsome, virile men want to do next? They’d both want to fuck her. One in front and one in back. Double penetration. Her ardor cooled quickly now that she was satisfied. Two men in her body together was too much to contemplate. She couldn’t quite fathom ever taking a man into her ass let alone having another fuck her pussy at the same time. She understood exactly how the Double Rider Men’s Club worked. Two men fucking one woman in view of others who enjoyed the same pleasures. And probably the exhibitionism aspect of the lifestyle came after watching other threesomes fuck each other. Emma Rae wouldn’t have any problem watching others have sex. Looking at people having sex simply made her want to come. In her fantasy sexual world, she also wouldn’t care if others watched her wildly fucking two men until they all reached screaming climaxes. However, fantasy wasn’t reality. Her ultimate problem wasn’t that anyone might watch her having wild, wicked threesome sex with two men so much as it was learning to even trust getting naked with the two men she was fucking. What if they didn’t like what she liked? What if they insisted they knew best for her in all aspects of her private and public life? What if they hurt her in the heat of the moment, trying to prove their male superiority? What if they fucked her ass before she was ready? She shivered. A memory of being locked away in a dark place surfaced briefly before she could stuff it back down again. The recall of the ominous threat hurled through the door regarding her virgin ass shook her from the dark path of a past life. No need to go there. She’d escaped. She was free.

 

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Emma Rae opened her eyes again. She heaved a sigh. If even the idea of only one man scared her into remaining single, two would definitely send her over the edge. Angry that her past troubles with men seemed so difficult to overcome, she snapped her robe shut and marched off to her room. Snuggling deeply into her large bed all alone, Emma Rae sighed, wishing for the strength to trust her judgment with men. As more time passed from the unpleasantness of her past, she realized she was possibly more lonely than scared. Should she give men another try instead of satisfying her increasingly potent urges alone? She dozed off without discovering a firm answer. In the night, Emma Rae found herself dreaming about both Zeke and Luke again. They plied her with smiles and good behavior and touched her in ways she’d missed from the opposite sex. Emma Rae eventually woke in the night fevered with desire, unable to go back to sleep until she’d retrieved her battery-operated boyfriend. She relieved herself for a second time of the immense ache created by two men she didn’t even know.

 

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Chapter Three Zeke entered the bank in a rush, barely paying attention to any of the patrons inside. He didn’t really have time to go inside the bank but needed cash. Unfortunately, the ATM around the corner was out of service. Someone had tried to either bash the crap out of the machine or possibly open it up the hard way with a brick or another heavy square object. Either way, if he wanted money, he was getting it from a teller inside the bank today. He hurried inside the building, hoping there wasn’t a noontime crowd. There were loads of files on his desk needing attention before the end of the day. He didn’t want to have to work late, however the delay right now would likely warrant it. He and his best friend Luke Benton were scheduled to play poker tomorrow night with several other DRMC members. The standing game, held on the first Friday of the month, was supposed to be a boys’ night only with cigars, poker, and high-end booze all night long. He couldn’t wait. His workload had been weighty of late, and he needed to blow off some steam. After work tomorrow, he was heading straight to the poker game. He took his first quick step inside the main branch of his bank and surveyed customers already inside to see how long it might take. Not too bad. Only four people in line. He launched forward, headed to the end of the line before anyone else beat him there. He put his focus on the last person in line and took a second fast step in that direction. Female, blonde, hair cut short, petite, shapely body, impatience written all over her posture. He could relate to that himself. Perhaps she’d been waylaid by the smashed ATM, as well.

 

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As his gaze zeroed in on his target, the hair stood on end at the back of his neck. The woman at the end of the line looked familiar. She turned to one side, and he caught a quick glimpse of her profile. He almost skidded to an exaggerated halt on the shiny marble bank floors like a stunned cartoon character on Saturday-morning television show. He took a longer look. It was her. The cute blonde from Clay’s security fortress was revealed in his careful examination. Damn, he wished he’d gotten her name. She stood at the end of the patron line waiting for an available teller. While he didn’t know her name, he definitely wanted to get to know her. The first-sight lust he’d experienced last week still rippled through his body as if it had never really stopped moving. Seeing her today doubled the vibration rate. Zeke hightailed it over to her, narrowly missing an old man slowly headed in the same direction. Sorry, old dude, but I have a date with destiny. Her back was to him, but she turned slightly when he stepped close. The lush scent of honeysuckle wafting from her hair made him think of late summer and lazy, hot days. Her straight, chin-length, blunt-cut hairstyle framed a heart-shaped face. If memory served, her eyes were a curious mix of blue and green. He drew ever closer to her in the line, unable to keep a civil distance. After less than a minute of inching closer, he was practically touching her. And in fact, that was his next goal. Perhaps it would be a great conversation starter. Just bump into her, grab her close, and start talking before she could get away like last time. The sultry scent of her put his libido into dangerous territory. He wanted a chance to at least get her name. Since she wasn’t holed up in Clay’s security fortress this time, she was most assuredly fair game. He swayed closer and slid his feet a half a step into her personal space. She wasn’t very tall. The top of her head would tuck nicely beneath his chin. He couldn’t wait to take her into his arms. Suddenly,

 

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as if the heat from his body finally registered at her back, she turned and bumped her shoulder into his chest before making it all the way facing him. Fate started the pending conversation for him. “Sorry, I—” she started to say, but then her eyes widened as her stunned gaze focused in on him. “You!” “Hi, I’m Zeke Traynor. Great to actually speak to you this time.” He brought his hand up between them and held it out. “And I’m even happier to see you.” She didn’t say anything. She didn’t move. She simply stared into his eyes, and Zeke didn’t mind that at all. He kept his smile in place and stared right back. She was so lovely. So petite. So perfect. Since she hadn’t moved to shake his hand, he dropped it to his side and in doing so brushed the sleeve of her shirt. This action brought her out of her trance. She snatched her arm away and took a huge step back. He fought the urge to follow her move. Planting his feet in place, he took another tack. “What’s your name again?” “How did you find me?” she asked. She looked all around her as if to assure herself that she was in a public place and couldn’t be kidnapped without witnesses. He shrugged. “I didn’t find you on purpose. It’s just a lucky coincidence. This is my bank. I was here to get some money for a standing poker game tomorrow night. The ATM outside was broken, so I had to come inside. And here you are. If you bank here, too, then I guess fate is smiling down on us.” She swallowed hard. “That seems unlikely.” “Why?” He leaned closer, as if to whisper conspiratorially. “Don’t you believe in destiny?” “No. I’m much more practical,” came her soft, breathy reply. Most importantly, she didn’t move away from his advance. “Good to know.” He watched carefully as her face relaxed. She glanced up and stared deeply into his eyes as if trying to get a peek at

 

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his soul. If he wasn’t mistaken, her cheeks deepened in color, suddenly turning very pink. She was even more attractive blushing. Her gaze hadn’t moved from his face. Was she staring at his lips or his eyes? Doesn’t matter. He was transfixed by her intent fascination. “Are you going to answer my other question?” he asked quietly, not wanting to break the mood or stop her from looking her fill. “What question?” she replied in a whisper. Their eyes locked. She swayed a little closer, but her gaze didn’t waver. “The one about your name and what it is.” She opened her mouth as if to answer, but no sound came forth. Her wide-eyed gaze trapped him. He leaned down as she swayed closer. Their lips were mere inches apart. Was she about to kiss him? Would she let him kiss her right here in the center of the bank? Zeke wanted to freeze this moment in time and keep it forever. The breath from her lips brushed across his chin. He leaned closer still. His lips made the barest of contact with the corner of her mouth before an unexpected shout from the front door interrupted their idyllic first kiss. Damn it all to hell. Her luscious lips moved away and her intent gaze went to a point behind him then suddenly widened in fear. He straightened from her with reluctance and turned toward the poorly timed disturbance. From the front of the bank a loud voice called out, “This here is a robbery! Everyone on the floor facedown. Now!” The sudden screams from the other patrons weren’t quieted until rapid gunfire erupted into the air. **** Emma Rae fought the sincere urge to scream as the bank robbers advanced quickly into the lobby. Zeke put his arm around her and quickly helped her onto the floor as three gunmen rushed farther into the bank. She didn’t have time to be worried about their near kiss

 

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before the tip of her nose was pushed into the marble tile she’d just been standing on. Zeke whispered, “Just be quiet and stay calm. We’ll be okay.” She’d gone from being in a near trance from the unexpected close quarters with Zeke to extreme danger in a single second. Her rollercoaster emotions had fled the track and now sailed into the atmosphere. She took a deep, slow breath and tried to keep her insides from liquefying in terror. Three men, wearing thick black ski masks, gray coveralls, and carrying large black guns, swarmed even farther into the bank. They moved together as if they were a unit, but ten steps into the room, they suddenly split off into three different directions. The tallest went behind the cash windows. The paunchy, heavy one traveled to the center of a group of patrons sprawled in the center of the bank, waving his wicked-looking gun around threatening all those on the floor. Emma Rae glanced to her right in time to see the average-size gunman kick a bank officer in the face. She looked away and closed her eyes. Stay calm. Chancing a look, Emma Rae glanced to her right again. Bleeding and holding his nose with one hand to staunch the flow, the nowwounded bank employee was pulled to his feet. The gunman who’d kicked him grabbed a handful of his jacket shoulder and pushed him out of the main room. She lost sight of them on the way down the hall to where Emma Rae knew they kept the safety-deposit boxes and the vault. Another gunman, Mr. Paunchy, taunted the remaining frightened patrons. “Everyone better be kissing the marble floor and keeping all thoughts of being a hero to themselves. I’ve got plenty of rounds of ammunition to ensure cowardice today. Don’t test me.” She glanced to her other side and noticed one of the gunmen behind the counter, where the bank tellers usually stood. Skinny and tall, this robber had slung his rifle over one shoulder and was grabbing what looked like fistfuls of dollars from the cash drawers

 

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behind the counter. He shoved wads and wads of cash into a brightblue bowling bag as he made his way down the long line of cashier windows. Looking in this direction also afforded her a nice view of Zeke. He was faced away from her and watching the gunman collect the money from behind the counter. All of a sudden, Zeke turned his head and faced her. His gaze zeroed in on hers. The frown lines around his eyes softened just a bit as he watched her steadily for a few private seconds. His expression seemed to attempt to convey reassurance, as if he was telling her to just hold on for a few more minutes until the thieves got what they wanted and left. Emma Rae swallowed her rampant fear and tried to smile back. She probably didn’t pull off any sort of happy expression. His arm, still snugly fitted around her shoulders, squeezed her. For the first time in ages, she was comforted by the touch of a man. She wasn’t repelled, frightened, or tensed by Zeke’s very intimate contact. Not to mention the inevitable fact that she’d just about kissed him in the center of the bank lobby before the crazy robbery started. They’d get through this together, laugh about it later, and hopefully find a quiet place for that kiss she was determined to have. Would it be like all the times she’d dreamed about this past week? Probably it would be better. “Hey. You two, lovebirds. On your feet.” Emma Rae felt someone kick her ankle. Zeke rose to a sitting position but kept his gaze riveted on her face. “Get up,” the gunman said again. His rough smoker’s voice grated out, “What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation?” He kicked Zeke’s calf and pointed the gun at his head. Zeke patted her on the arm once. She actually missed his warm connection as he moved from her. That hadn’t happened in a long time. Emma looked over her shoulder and watched as Zeke slowly get to his feet. The gunman threatening him wore gray coveralls like the others, but his garment fit so tight around the paunch of his

 

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midsection the zipper flap bent back and the teeth, barely held together, looked in jeopardy of bursting open. Hands in the air at shoulder height, Zeke turned his attention from her and faced the gunman. He was taller by half a head than the man holding them hostage. Emma Rae couldn’t stop the furiously comforting thoughts from swirling in her head about Zeke. Something about being near him made her feel emboldened. She should be terrified, but his mere presence beside her made her feel stronger. “You, too, sweetheart. Get up. I have a job for the two of you.” “I can do it,” Zeke said. “You don’t need her.” Suddenly the barrel of Mr. Paunchy’s gun was shoved beneath Zeke’s chin. “I do need her.” The gunman put his cold gaze on her. “Get up, sweet thing, or I blow your boyfriend’s head off.” Emma Rae rose to her feet very slowly and carefully. Zeke gave her another reassuring smile. “Let’s go.” The gunman pointed toward the hall in the direction that the bank officer with the bloody nose had gone. The hallway they’d disappeared down was unlit and partially in shadows. She took a small step and paused. A very bad feeling encompassed her at that moment. Were they being led to their deaths? If so, she didn’t want to be killed in the darkened passage. The warmth of Zeke’s body seeped into her back as he stepped closer. He waited for her to move. Emma Rae couldn’t seem to take a step. She earned the wrath of the gunman. “Get moving, or I’ll splatter your blood right here in the lobby,” he roared. Next he shoved Zeke into her. She took another step, trying to calm her unnatural fears about the shadowy darkness of the hallway and being led to her death in the claustrophobic vault. Zeke’s hands fell onto her shoulders. He squeezed lightly, and they moved a few tentative steps forward. She stopped as the looming darkness filled the well of fear already dug deeply in her soul. He squeezed her again gently as if to calm her yet get her to move. The gunman, apparently tired of her hesitation, came around in front

 

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of them, grabbed her forearm, and dragged her toward the hallway. Zeke stayed with her like he was tethered to her waist with a short rope. Clenching her wrist painfully, the gunman pulled her down the shadowy hall until they’d reached the end. She didn’t have time to be more than uncomfortable with the darkness. He soon pushed her into the safety-deposit-box room. It was lit brightly, and her erratic heartbeat slowed in the light. The bank officer with the bloody nose was at the far side of the room, facedown on the floor and unmoving. There was a table with several safety-deposit boxes resting in the center of the flat surface. Emma Rae stopped and reared back from the gunman’s grasp. “Is he dead?” “Don’t know. Don’t care.” He grabbed her arm again and yanked her to the table. “Grab that white bag on the floor and start loading up what’s inside the boxes into it.” Emma Rae stared dumbly at the bank duffel near her feet. She wanted to be anywhere in the world but right here right now. Looking up at Zeke, she hoped to gather strength for the task. He smiled and winked at her. Before the gunman got violent again, Zeke bent over, picked up the bag, and handed it to her. She managed to unzip the top of the large bag even with her fingers trembling furiously. Zeke started lifting the narrow safety-deposit-box lids and dumping the contents of each into the bag as she held it open. Once they’d emptied all of the boxes on the table, Zeke took the bag from her shaking hands and zipped it shut again. “Let’s go,” the gunman said and punched Zeke in the shoulder. “Bring that bag with you.” Next they were led to the dark, cavernous vault. The space was much larger than she’d pictured. She wished they’d turned more of the lights on already.

 

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Stacks of cash lined several metal shelves along either side of the room like shelves in a library. The skinny, tall gunman who’d been grabbing all the money from the front cashier windows was now shoving vault cash into a large, dirty off-white duffel bag. “Look at all this money,” he exclaimed excitedly. His childlike exuberance was out of place in Emma Rae’s opinion. His voice was pitched high, sounding like he was barely more than a boy. He shouldn’t be here ruining his life this way. The young gunman shoved another wrapped stack of bills into the open top of his bag. “So how are we going to get all of this money out of here?” he asked the paunchy, cigarette-smoke-scented man next to them. Emma Rae had a sudden irrational and inappropriate answer. She clamped her lips together before responding that before robbing a bank, it was probably an excellent idea to have an exit strategy already in place. She and Zeke exchanged a glance. Perhaps he was thinking the same thing. Maybe they were both trying to keep an eye roll contained. “Don’t worry about it. Just keep gathering cash. Make sure to get it all.” The gunman who’d led them back here suddenly shifted his attention from his cohort and put his focus directly on her. Or rather her chest. Through the eyeholes of his mask, his muddy-brown eyes took entirely too much interest in her. His gaze ran from her breasts to her hips and back again. She fought the urge to cross her arms over her breasts to hide them from his newly engrossed view. Emma Rae looked away from his regard and instead watched the other man as he collected stack after stack of money. The man she tried to ignore suddenly stepped closer. Her gaze shot grudgingly to his face. Through the mouth hole of his mask, she watched him lick his lips. A debilitating bolt of fear streaked down her body. She froze in place even though her inclination was to run far away. He suddenly grabbed her forearm. “Come with me. Let’s go get acquainted.”

 

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She jerked her arm free and took a step away from his repugnant body. “No.” “I’m not asking you, bitch, I’m telling you. Let’s go. Or maybe I’ll just have you strip naked right here, and I’ll fuck you in front of your boyfriend here. That might be more fun anyway.” Zeke stepped between them. “I don’t think so.” His back to her, he called over his shoulder, “Stay behind me.” “Get out of the way, lover boy, I just want a taste of her. You can have her back when I’m through. If she still wants you, that is.” His loathsome smirk twisted Emma Rae’s insides into knots. He moved to one side, catching her in his view again, and called out, “Take your panties off, bitch, and get ready for a real man.” “Not going to happen.” Zeke’s calmly lethal-sounding voice comforted Emma Rae’s growing panic. The gunman lifted his gun toward Zeke’s chin. Before he could get his gun in place, Zeke shot his hand into the man’s throat with a sudden punch Emma Rae barely saw happen. The gunman, eyes wide as if with shock, staggered back with his gun arm waving and a choked sound emanating from his throat. Zeke clamped his hand around the man’s gun hand and wrestled with him for a few moments before the gunman broke free. Zeke didn’t back off. He charged the man again, wrapping a hand firmly around his flailing gun wrist this time to subdue the threat. He promptly pushed the man against a wall and pounded his arm above his head, obviously trying to get him to release the gun from his fingers. The young gunman finally realized there was a scuffle going on. He dropped the duffel bag along with a handful of loose bills and headed in their direction. Before he got too close in his approach, the gunman pushed away from the wall and wrenched free of Zeke’s grasp. He charged at Zeke, who backed out of his way to stay on his feet.

 

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The gunman’s arm came up, ready to fire the weapon again. Zeke pushed the gunman’s arm away from his chest area just as the man pulled the trigger. The roar of the gun firing in the small space consumed her attention. She looked in the direction of where the gunshot had gone. The path of her gaze led her to the shocked, wideeyed expression of the young robber only a few feet from them. A second later, and with blood gushing from his chest, he fell to his knees and then did a face-plant on the vault floor. Zeke and the other gunman continued to wrestle and fight. Emma Rae didn’t know how to help, so she just tried to stay out of the path of any further gunfire. Zeke grabbed the guy by his shoulders, pulled him downward, and shot his knee squarely into the gunman’s chest. Another wild shot rang out, and a stack of bills paid the price. Zeke grabbed the man’s gun hand and slammed the back of it against the wall hard enough to make a thwack sound. The gun finally fell from the robber’s fingers and landed on the floor at their feet. The gunman dropped to his knees and started grappling for the weapon again, but Zeke kicked the weapon with one heel. The power of his punt slid the weapon all the way across the space to land at her feet. He then kneed the guy in the face. The gunman who had wanted to do vile things went facedown on the vault floor, unmoving, just like his young accomplice. Emma Rae pushed out a sigh of relief. Zeke wiped his forehead with a sleeve before he crossed the room to stand in front of her. “Are you okay?” he asked. The concern in his expression was sincere. “Yes. Thanks to you.” She reached up and slid her palm along his solid jaw. The first signs of five-o’clock shadow abraded her fingertips. He had a small cut above his eyebrow from the altercation. A single drop of blood rested near the wound. “You’re bleeding,” she said. “I’m okay,” he replied as she looked closer at the gash. “So, what do you think? Do I get to learn what your name is now?”

 

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“Is that all you’re worried about?” She laughed and took a step closer. Now they were touching. The warm vibe of his chivalry planted deeply in her soul. Perhaps she was ready to trust a man once more. He’d stepped in front of a man with a gun and a bad idea regarding her virtue. She owed him. Plus, she wanted that kiss previously interrupted by the robbery mayhem. “I’m Emma Rae Madison. It’s very good to meet you, Zeke.” “Very pleased to meet you, Emma Rae.” His sincere smile warmed her all the way to her toes. “Thank you for stepping in front of me and keeping me safe.” She extended her hand awkwardly between them. He clasped it in his warm, strong fingers, squeezed gently, and gifted her with a smile that would make angels sing with joy. His grin was infectious. “It was my pleasure.” She tilted her head backward to gaze deeply into his intoxicatingly beautiful blue eyes. The corners of her mouth lifted upward, and for the first time in recent memory, she ached with sincere longing to kiss a man. She pressed forward, sandwiching their handshake between their intimately close bodies. He didn’t move in or try and kiss her, but if he did, she wouldn’t stop him. Which was a huge revelation in her mind and worthy of some additional thought. I want him to kiss me? How odd. Zeke was different. He’d protected her with his life before he’d even learned her name. She owed him, but more than that she wanted to owe him. She should offer him a boon. And she fully expected to enjoy whatever bonus he asked to receive. What reward might she offer? A lip-licking kiss? A full-body embrace? A sexy, bed-rocking night at her place? All of the above? They were all varying degrees of the initial great choice to involve herself with this surprising man. For the first time in a long while, she had sincere desire for a man. She wanted to get to know him more intimately. She’d missed affection.

 

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Zeke released their hands because she couldn’t seem to let go easily. The obstinate consideration that a kiss seemed like a great reward after all that had happened to them wouldn’t leave her mind. Maybe this wasn’t the perfect place, but she’d waited as long as she could. Emma Rae zeroed her gaze on his azure-blue eyes. He didn’t turn away. She couldn’t strangle the utter desire in her soul to kiss him. She needed just a small taste. Before she could change her mind—or anything else stopped her—Emma Rae went up on her tiptoes, wound her arms around Zeke’s neck, and planted her lips on his smooth, perfect mouth. Even after this harrowing experience, he tasted like fresh mint gum. The intoxicatingly sexy scent of his cologne, the familiar warmth of his skin, the hard, muscular sensation of his body pressed against her all combined and sent her libido flailing wildly in pleasure. Moisture seeped between her legs, coating her pussy in readiness for whatever might happen once they left the bank. A single heartbeat after their lips met, Zeke bent his head forward and further engaged her impromptu kiss with enthusiasm. Emma Rae thought she might swoon in ecstasy before they parted. His tongue dipped between the seam of her softened mouth. He licked a sultry path within, tangling and dancing around for a few heady moments of newfound bliss. She was about to push her body harder into his for a more erotic embrace, but a noise from outside the vault startled them both, and they broke apart, breathing hard. Damn it, not again. The sound of another muffled gunshot rang out. She and Zeke twisted to face the narrow, open vault door. He reached out and put a hand on her arm, already trying to cover her. “Get behind me,” he ordered in the next second. He shoved her behind the shelter of his body and faced the open door of the vault. The taste of him lingered on her lips as she hid herself in his shadow. Unfortunately, she’d forgotten about the third gunman. The one who’d possibly led the bank officer to his death. She caught a glimpse

 

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of someone with a black mask entering the vault door before Zeke’s arm bracketed her into the safety of his protection. The remaining gunman suddenly filled the door with a smoking gun in one hand. “What the fuck?” he said in a strange gravelly voice laced with malice. Emma Rae splayed her hands against the solid warmth of Zeke’s back. She wanted to burrow her face against the clean scent of his crisp, pressed dress shirt and reside there forever. The fervent kiss had rocked her world. The pressing matter of another wild gunman pushed forward in her lovesick brain. Pay attention. The distant wail of a police siren outside the building pealed, giving her a modicum of relief and a dollop of hope. The gunman’s attention was diverted only a moment. So was hers, until another shot rang out and Zeke dove hard to one side, pushing her backward and keeping her safely covered. She heard the sickening thud as his head hit the metal surface of the wall. He hung there unmoving against the surface, as if stunned. His face was still turned toward the gunman framed in the open doorway of the vault. She moved from behind him slightly. Blood dripped from a wound that sliced across his upper arm. Emma Rae couldn’t believe he wasn’t unconscious from the blow to his head. He put his hand flat against the wound and pulled away a blood-smeared palm. With malevolence in his stance, the gunman in the doorway then leveled his weapon at Zeke’s head. Battling Zeke’s sudden protest to the contrary, Emma Rae stepped completely from behind the shelter of his body. “Don’t you dare shoot him again.” **** Zeke couldn’t keep Emma Rae protected behind him for long. She sidestepped around him to first look at his wound and then to

 

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apparently guard him from further injury. Blood smeared his fingers when he flattened his hand against the injury on his upper arm. The bullet had skimmed the flesh, and the furrow there burned like a son of a bitch. The pain was manageable, and he knew it couldn’t be life threatening. His head hurt worst of all from hitting the wall, but he shook off the pain, fought to get upright again, and turned toward the doorway, trying futilely to get Emma Rae behind him. The gunman at the vault entrance started moving forward, closing in on them. The still-smoking gun was pointed at Zeke’s head. Emma Rae stepped in the path of the gunman even as Zeke lifted away from the wall and tried to push her behind his body. Without any warning, Emma Rae dropped to the floor, leaving him open to whatever the gunman planned. Relieved she wasn’t in the immediate path of the gun, Zeke thought the floor was the best place for her given the nasty glint in the robber’s eyes. She was safe and out of the line of fire, where she belonged. If the gunman fired at his head, she had a lesser chance of getting hurt by a ricocheted bullet. However, Emma Rae didn’t stay on the floor for long. She sprang up quickly with her arm extended. The other bank robber’s gun was now clenched in her hand. It might have been threatening if her unsteady arm hadn’t reminded him of a palsied eighty-five-year-old trying to keep hold of the weapon. The third gunman actually laughed at her. Apparently, he didn’t feel the least bit threatened. At least not until he advanced a step toward them and she pulled the trigger, firing off a shot in his general direction. The bullet went wide and missed their foe. Before Zeke could even take a breath, the gunman aimed lower, pulled the trigger, and hit Zeke in the chest. The pain was sudden, sharp, and excruciating. Shit. He fell against the wall once more, narrowly missing hitting his head again. However, his legs went weak this time, unable to hold his body straight. He started a weary slide

 

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down the metal surface of the vault wall. He was no help to Emma Rae now. Each breath he attempted felt like a red-hot poker was jammed in his chest wall. He was losing consciousness. Damn it. “No!” he heard Emma Rae scream as if in a primal rage. Then he heard three more gunshots fired. At least this time he didn’t feel them hit his body before the black splotches consumed his vision.

 

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Chapter Four Luke Benton hadn’t ever spent much time worrying about his best friend, Zeke. Or the fact that he had a government job that on occasion threatened his life. His friend had been a field agent for years but had never to Luke’s knowledge been in any violent altercations. His job with Treasury hadn’t afforded him many dangerous situations beyond paper cuts from analytical reports and computer screen eyestrain. Even though he tracked, searched, and located money launderers, tax evaders, counterfeiters, and the like, Zeke had always been involved with more white-collar crimes than busting punks in the mean streets. However, the new taskforce he’d recently volunteered for definitely added a bit more intrigue. It also put him on the road, in the field, and out of town frequently. Luke worried about him more these days, but Zeke loved his new responsibilities. Riding along on his horse surveying their ranch at a leisurely pace, Luke wondered why he had a sudden pang of unease. He shook it off and continued riding but headed in the direction of the ranch house. Maybe he’d make a phone call to check up on him. They could laugh about it later. He and Luke had been friends since God was a child, and even though he had a career with the government, Zeke wasn’t rash or a rogue, maverick agent when it came to his job. Meanwhile, Luke worked their horse ranch, and the success of their breeding stock had made them rich beyond every initial expectation.

 

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In fact, Zeke didn’t even need to work, but Luke knew he loved his job. All in all, Luke felt like they’d carved out a pretty good life for themselves over the years. Of course, it wasn’t perfect, but certainly better than he’d ever expected, growing up in a poor family. Life was still pretty good, all things considered. They’d been a part of the Double Rider Men’s Club since its inception. While the predominant goal of many of the members was to find a woman to love and share permanently, the two of them hadn’t spent an inordinate amount of time looking for their own perfect girl. At least they hadn’t searched for her recently. Luke had a poor attitude when it came to permanence. He wasn’t sure he believed they’d ever find a woman to share forever. They both loved the lifestyle, but they’d never even come close to finding a woman willing to love each of them equally on a permanent basis. They’d tried over the years to find their perfect trio, but invariably the women who said they wanted two men ultimately didn’t really. They grew tired of the life very quickly, or worse, they’d spend more time with one of the pair rather than the other and balk at a threesome lifestyle as their ongoing future. Luke referred to it as the awkward phase of the relationship. He hated it with a passion. Each of them had been hurt more than once by fickle women who grew tired of the ménage lifestyle they adored. Luke figured that when and if a woman came along who wanted to make a serious effort to spend her life with both of them, they’d have a very long engagement to ensure her feelings were valid and enduring. If after the considerable length of time together in a threesome, she still wanted both of them, then perhaps they’d buckle down and make a true success of a ménage relationship, too. But Luke wasn’t convinced such a woman existed for them. As time passed, the dejected feeling grew. Last week, Zeke had come home in a rare love-struck mood and told him about a woman he’d seen that stirred him on a completely new level. A woman he’d claimed would be perfect for the two of

 

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them. Luke had been intrigued. It had been quite a while since Zeke had been so enthusiastic over the possibility of finding a love to share. He’d set his expression to extreme disbelief and said, “Oh yeah? What’s her name?” Zeke’s wide, white smile sprouted. “Actually, I don’t know her name. Not yet.” Luke had played along with his best friend, wondering if he was joking. “Okay then, what does she look like?” He shrugged. “Truth is, I didn’t get a particularly good look at her. But I know that she’s petite and very pretty from the glimpse I got. She also has short, chin-length, blonde hair and really amazing bluegreen eyes.” “She sounds very interesting. When can I meet her?” Zeke shook his head. “I don’t know. But trust me, you’ll flip for her when you do finally meet her.” “No doubt. Where did you see this vision of perfection?” Pointing a thumb over his shoulder, he answered, “She was working in Clay’s communications bunker.” Luke tilted his head to one side, unsure he’d heard correctly. “So Clay knows her?” “Yes. Absolutely.” Zeke’s grin had widened. Meanwhile, Luke had been completely puzzled. “Can’t you get her name from Clay?” He shrugged. “I don’t think so. He’s kind of protective of her. The truth is, he wouldn’t tell me her name when I asked. Apparently, she’s afraid of men. Something about a difficult romantic past.” “Difficult romantic past? Afraid of men? Fascinating. Guess I’m not quite seeing the flawlessness of this unnamed and unseen woman that you obviously do.” “Well, I don’t think she’s afraid of me. She leaned over and tried to look at me when Clay blocked my view of her. The glance I caught of her trying to get a look at me was nothing short of spectacular.”

 

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Luke shook his head. “Well, good for you. But what if she’s afraid of me?” Zeke waved it off. “You aren’t scary. And we can just work up to the whole ménage-life issue slowly.” He’d turned to Luke then with an exuberant grin. “What do you think?” Luke had shaken his head. “I think you’re touched in the head.” His lifelong friend grinned even wider. “Maybe. But I know what I like. And I like her.” The reverie from last weekend faded in his head as Luke finished his noonday ride on his favorite stallion, Marauder. He slowed his gait as he approached the homestead and headed to the barn. He brushed his horse down, gave him and extra ration of oats, and walked to the house. The phone started ringing before he even got his hat off and shut the front door. The ominous feeling of impending dread struck him hard as he crossed to the phone stand in the front hall. He picked it up on the third ring. “Hello,” he said with caution. “Luke, it’s Clay. I’ve got some bad news.” **** Emma Rae grilled everyone she met in the hospital about information on Zeke. No one was talking. Either they didn’t know or more likely couldn’t say where he was or what his overall condition was. She heard the words “patient confidentiality” more than one time on her quest. If she heard it even one more time, she might tilt her head to the heavens and scream her lungs out in utter frustration. She’d held Zeke’s still hand until the EMTs came into the vault to tend to him. They loaded him onto a stretcher. They’d wheeled him out of the bank quickly. Although she’d stayed with the gurney all the way to the waiting ambulance, she hadn’t been allowed to go with him. She wasn’t a family member. In fact, they were barely

 

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acquainted, but he’d stood in front of her when a gun was pointed in their direction more than once. Plus, he kept her out of the clutches of the gunman who wanted to rape her. This was obviously a man she could trust. Unable to ride along in the ambulance with Zeke, she was then rounded up along with the other bank patrons and put in a second ambulance. The authorities told them all it was standard procedure in cases like this. The bank wanted to ensure their patrons weren’t seriously hurt, so a mandatory hospital visit was required. Emma Rae ended up at the hospital to be looked over, just in case. Unfortunately, the bank officer they’d last seen in the safety-deposit-box room left in the coroner’s vehicle. Once released from the hospital, she’d been taken to the police station. Detective Rollins put her in a small room and asked a battalion of questions starting with her account of events before, during, and after the robbery started. They also tested her hand for gunpowder residue because she’d fired the paunchy gunman’s pistol at the third bank robber. She’d already admitted to using the weapon. The test on her would obviously be positive. She’d told them about shooting at the man who’d ultimately escaped the authorities back at the bank. She told the police at the scene that she fired the gun four times total but didn’t know for certain if any of her bullets had hit the third gunman. Detective Rollins opened a file folder in front of him. “We’re testing some drops of blood found in the back hallway. Could be the bank officer’s though, so we won’t know for certain until the results come back.” “Am I going to be in trouble for shooting at him?” “Did you hit him?” She shrugged. “I have no idea. My hand was shaking so hard it was a wonder I didn’t drop the thing and shoot my own foot. I’m not certain if he got hit, but it’s possible.”

 

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The heavyset detective pushed out a breath. “A report will have to be filed. I can’t promise what action will be pursued at this time, if any at all. But I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.” He winked at her. Emma Rae relaxed back in her chair until he asked the next question. “Did you know the bank employee who died?” “No.” She shook her head to further display her lack of knowledge. “But I believe he was a loan officer. I saw one of the robbers kick him in the head when they first arrived. He was led from the main bank lobby almost immediately.” “What about the two alleged robbers who didn’t escape?” “Zeke beat up the one who dropped his gun. That’s also the one who shot his cohort in the mêlée before he dropped the weapon. Is the young robber dead from the wound?” “No. Luckily for him, the bullet didn’t hit anything vital. He’s in surgery but expected to recover.” He cleared his throat and asked, “What about the other bank patron? The one who was with you in the vault who got shot in the chest? Is he your boyfriend?” Emma Rae didn’t respond and especially refrained from expressing or gushing out any foolish personal data on how Zeke made her feel. They’d only just met there and had only seen each other one brief other time at Clay’s fortress. She purposely deflected her answer with a question of her own. Perhaps he knew what happened to Zeke. “Will he be okay? The last time I saw him he was unconscious as they loaded him in the ambulance. I wish I could have gone with him. He saved my life, twice.” The man looked startled. “I’m sorry. I don’t have any further information on his prognosis. So you did know him? Is he your boyfriend?” he asked again.

 

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She shook her head again. “No. He’s not my boyfriend. We only just met at the bank. But like I said, he saved me from one of the masked guys.” “Tell me about that.” Emma Rae went into very minute detail about the harrowing experience, from when the men entered the bank to when the one escaped. Excluding the intense kiss she and Zeke shared, Emma Rae told the detective about the safety-deposit boxes they emptied into the white bag and being led into the vault, and continued with the gun landing at her feet from the man who’d wanted to violate her. She finished her official statement with the sudden entrance of the third gunman who grazed Zeke in the arm first before shooting him in the chest. “After Zeke got shot in the arm, he pointed his gun like he was about to shoot him in the head. I couldn’t let that happen. I grabbed the other gun resting at my feet to threaten him, but my hand shook so much he apparently didn’t take me seriously. He laughed. So I took a shot and missed. I’d hoped to scare him off. But he wasn’t scared. He fired off a shot that hit Zeke in the chest. So I fired three more times in his direction.” “But you don’t know if you hit him?” “No. He backed up and exited as I fired the weapon. In fact, I think I may have closed my eyes when I fired the three rounds. Seriously, it’s a wonder I didn’t shoot myself in the process.” The detective faithfully wrote notes down over the course of an hour. She was beginning to think her past troubles with the law might not come back to bite her in the ass. She should have known that was too good to be true. Another officer interrupted as they were finishing up. He was short and heavyset with thinning red hair. He called Detective Rollins away from the table and whispered something to him. They retreated to the hallway for a lengthy discussion.

 

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When Detective Rollins came back into the room and then to the table, he seemed different. His previously jovial mood had darkened. She really hated when men changed from nice to not so nice. “Is something wrong?” she asked. Was it something about Zeke? Was he okay? “Miss Madison, there is some information you neglected to tell us regarding your history.” “What else do you want to know?” Emma Rae had a pretty good idea of exactly what they wanted to discuss. It would have taken a miracle to keep her personal history a secret. Damn bastard men from my past. Unfortunate incidents from her long-ago foolish, young life always seemed to roar forward at the least opportune times. That untoward event was the reason she’d had to move to Ryder, Colorado. “Why don’t you tell me about the man you shot two years ago?” **** Clay paced the floor of the hospital’s waiting room to release the nervous energy seemingly coursing through the marrow of his bones. Alongside of him Zeke’s best friend, Luke, paced his own path of pent-up frustration. The hospital hadn’t been very forthcoming with information on Zeke’s condition. Zeke’s boss at the US Treasury was the only one getting updates. He wasn’t at the hospital, but luckily, he was passing any new medical information to Luke and Clay, albeit slowly. Zeke had arrived at the hospital already unconscious. And whether it was from the head trauma or the bullet to his chest was unclear. Currently, he was undergoing surgery to remove the bullet from his torso. His last prognosis was guarded but stable. Whatever the hell that meant. A young doctor that looked like he wasn’t even out of puberty yet came with the positive news that Zeke was out of surgery. He informed them reluctantly, since they weren’t family, that there had

 

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been no complications during the surgery. The staff was hopeful but naturally cautious at the possibility of his full recovery. Clay resisted the urge to ask Doogie Howser how old he was as he explained what happened next. They’d sent Zeke to ICU post surgery for his immediate recovery. They’d eventually get him set up in a regular semiprivate room as long as his condition didn’t worsen. Visitation could begin as early as later in the evening, but they wanted him to be fully awake from the anesthesia before visitors would be allowed. Clay didn’t want to leave without at least getting a glance of their friend. When the doctor left to check on another patient, Luke asked, “Do you know what happened at the bank?” “Not everything.” Clay had received a frantic phone call at the scene from Emma Rae as she was being loaded into an ambulance. She’d been talking a mile a minute about Zeke and a bank vault and a shooting and lots of blood. He’d had to wait for her to wind down before he could ask questions to figure out the bare bones of what had happened. “How did you find out about this so fast, Clay? Usually it takes me forever to find out Zeke’s in trouble. Not that it happens very often.” “A friend of mine was at the bank at the time and gave me a call to let me know what had happened.” “I didn’t think he was in the field this week. Was Zeke at the bank for his job?” Luke had asked a plethora of similar questions earlier that Clay still didn’t have the answers for. “No. I don’t think so. The person who called me mentioned that he was there making a withdrawal for poker night on his lunch break.” Luke tipped his head up, shaking it back and forth as he stared at the ceiling. “This is so stupid. He’s faced how many dangerous situations over his career. But he gets shot in a bank robbery a mile

 

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from home trying to get poker money. So who’s the friend who called, anyway? Was it Zeke’s boss?” Luke turned away and stared down an empty hallway to the left. He murmured absently, “I should go find some cellular reception to thank him.” “It wasn’t Zeke’s boss.” Clay didn’t know what possessed him to speak. He likely should have let Luke think it was Zeke’s boss who’d initially called him. He turned immediately to face him. “Then who was it?” Clay allowed his expression to go blank for a moment. Should he tell Luke about Emma Rae? Zeke had barely seen her once and been infatuated. Eventually Luke would find out. Plus, he couldn’t think of a good reason not to reveal it was Em. He finally said, “Her name is Emma Rae.” Luke’s eyes narrowed. “So this Emma Rae, she’s your friend?” Clay nodded. He must have been giving off reluctant vibes, because then Luke got very inquisitive. “How do you know her? Was she recently at your communication lair?” “Maybe.” Luke continued his hard-hitting questions. “Is this by any chance the girl Zeke fell in love with when he saw her at your security building a few days ago?” He shoots, he scores. Shit. Clay turned away and said, “No comment.” “Which means yes.” “No comment,” Clay practically growled. He hated to be in the middle of secretive romantic emotional crap like this. He sided with Em, if she didn’t want a relationship. He sided with Luke and Zeke because they’d been friends so long with the DRMC. He refused to come in the middle of this issue. Luke put a hand on Clay’s shoulder. His expression was sincere. “Just tell her thank you for me, okay? Normally, I might not have found out until he didn’t show up at home tonight.”

 

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He nodded. “I’ll tell her if I happen to see her.” Clay didn’t even know if he’d see her. He expected her to come to the hospital but knew she had to answer questions for the police, too. He overheard on the initial news reports that the bank patrons and witnesses of the bank robbery had been taken to the hospital and then to the local police station to give statements. Just then Clay’s phone buzzed. He checked the screen. It was Em’s private cell number. “Speak of the devil,” he said to himself. “Hey, hotshot. Are you okay?” “No, actually. I may be in a bit of trouble. I was hoping you might help me with something.” Why on earth would she be in trouble? “Whatever you need, Em. Just say the word.” “Do you happen to know a good lawyer? One that could come to me right now at the police station?” Clay blinked in surprise. “What do you need a lawyer for?” Beside him Luke turned and started paying close attention to the conversation. “Well.” She paused and released a nervous laugh. “I fired a gun from inside a bank vault four times. Apparently, they frown on that.” “You did that because you were shooting at a bank robber who was trying to kill Zeke and probably you next.” “Yes. That’s true. However…” She paused again, as if she didn’t want to tell him a well-hidden secret. He scanned his memory of her past before the likely incident occurred to him. It was a secret that Clay already knew, but that occasion shouldn’t matter here. Her quiet voice came through the line. “There was an incident from a couple of years ago where I discharged a weapon at someone in self-defense. Guess I only get one self-defense free shot before they think it’s a pattern or something.” “Don’t talk to anyone else. Don’t answer any more questions.” Clay closed his eyes. “I’ll send a man by the name of Zachary Barrett

 

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to you within the hour. Don’t worry, Em. He’s the best lawyer I know.” “Thanks, Clay. I owe you.” Luke had been listening intently to his side of the conversation. “What the hell is going on?” “Foolishness. I’ve got to go find Zachary and help my friend Em.” “Anything I can do?” “I’ll let you know. Keep me apprised of Zeke’s status.” “Of course.” Clay, phone in hand, thumb dialed Zachary as he headed to his vehicle. Once he answered, Clay gave him a quick rundown of what little he knew of Em’s current situation Zachary was in good humor when he commented on Clay’s needing him for legal reasons. “Do you know that you are singlehandedly and without equal the best source for my new-client referrals?” “Very funny. Can you help me or not?” “I’m walking out of my office right now. I’m only ten minutes away from the police station. I’ll meet you there. You paying her bond, if she needs it?” “Yes. And thanks, Zachary.” Clay drove toward the police station, keeping Zeke in the forefront of his mind as he then focused his split attention to help save Em from any unwarranted, rambunctious prosecution.

 

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Chapter Five Emma Rae declined to make further comment after Detective Rollins demanded an answer about her past. “Do I need a lawyer?” “I don’t know, do you?” It was amazing that his demeanor had changed so quickly. In the space of a single conversation with a colleague, the detective had gone from concerned officer trying to understand and document her version of events during a horrendous bank robbery to accusatory and wanting her to defend something she was innocent of from her past. “What if I decline to answer questions about my past?” Her tone of voice was light. She really didn’t want to discuss her history. It brought a whole host of unwanted fears and memories into her brain. She hated to remember the bad times from her life before moving to Ryder. Often they seeped into her nightmares. That was plenty. “Then I’d have to wonder what you’re hiding.” The detective’s tone was not playful in the least. It was dead serious. Emma Rae understood all about men like him. Mentally, her guard went up to the highest place possible. She crossed her arms as if it might protect her. “I’d like to make a phone call, please. I’d like to have my lawyer present.” She only wished she actually had a lawyer on call. But she didn’t. The lawyer she’d used two years ago didn’t practice in this state, and he’d totally sucked as a reliable source of legal representation anyway. Then she remembered Clay. Her good friend. He’d help her, wouldn’t he?

 

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The detective blustered for several minutes. “You don’t need to call anyone. We aren’t charging you. We just want to ask a few more questions.” “I insist.” She’d been to court before. If she’d had any semblance of a good lawyer the last time, the case might not have gone on so long before she was acquitted of all charges. As she should have been in the first place and immediately. Decisions involving law enforcement often changed on a dime. She understood they often had to react quickly to thwart crime, but she wasn’t guilty. And she wasn’t going to be as cooperative as she’d been the last time. That scenario had ended with her in jail without bond. After her quick phone call with Clay, less than half an hour later, an attractive, well-muscled, dark-haired man showed up to defend her with the announcement, “Hi, I’m Zachary Barrett. I’m here as your attorney to represent your interests. And for the record, I don’t think you’re in any jeopardy of arrest.” “I appreciate that. But I don’t want any more surprise questions.” In the space of twenty minutes, Emma Rae told him the story of her past, the story of what happened at the bank, and the question the police wanted answered that had alarmed her. She also got him up to date on the line of questioning that had brought him here in the first place. The only thing she didn’t reveal was the kiss she’d shared with Zeke. She felt that was no one’s business but theirs. Zachary listened intently as she explained about the former boyfriend who’d not wanted to end their relationship. The closet he’d locked her in for nearly forty hours to get her to change her mind. She gave a brief rundown on the dark, scary place that had been her shortterm prison. She mentioned the huge black gun he’d had pointed at her when he finally freed her from seemingly endless captivity. The mere memory of that door opening still sent her into screaming fits of terror during her sleep for the subsequent months afterward. She’d been half-blinded by the sudden blast of light after so long in the dark. She’d still scrambled out of the tight, dark space,

 

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taking a deep lungful of air, one after another, for the first few seconds of near freedom. Then she saw the gun aiming for her midsection and his finger already on the trigger. With her waning strength she’d pushed his arm away as he fired the gun. She narrowly missed being shot in the gut. The short fight for her very life during that struggle for control of the gun and the resulting second discharge of the weapon would live in her nightmares forever. She hadn’t killed him, but she’d fearfully realized she had wanted him dead during and after the episode. At the end of her explanation, Zachary patted her hand, told her not to worry, and called the short, squat redheaded detective back into the room so he could finish his questioning. “The shooting incident from your past—” the detective who’d interrupted her first questioning said the moment he sat down. “Is not even remotely relevant to this case,” Zachary said before she had even formed a response. “If you’d like to ask her questions regarding the incident at the bank today, fine. If not, we’ll be leaving.” Detective Rollins returned to the room and sat beside his fellow detective and without further preamble asked, “Did you recognize any of the three gunmen who allegedly robbed the Ryder First National Bank today?” Zachary nodded in her direction. She answered, “No. They wore masks, but none of them looked familiar to me at all.” “Would you be able to identify any of them if you ever saw them again?” She shrugged. “Possibly. The one who tried to rape me was paunchy around his middle and had a raspy smoker’s voice. I saw both of their faces when the EMTs arrived and took their masks off. The one who got shot in the vault by the paunchy guy was tall, skinny, and had a boyish voice.” “What about the third man? The one you shot,” asked the other detective.

 

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Zachary held his hand up. “Do you know for a fact that she shot him?” The detective’s pinched expression wasn’t attractive. “Fine. I’ll rephrase my question, counselor. Miss Madison, do you know who the third gunman was?” “No.” She fought the urge to growl. Was he accusing her of being involved? Detective Rollins continued with his questions. “Any distinguishing marks that you can remember from any of the three men? Tattoos? Scars? Anything like that?” Emma Rae was about to shoot off another quick negative response, when a slender slip of a memory came to her. Her focus had been on the gun he’d held and not on him. She’d raised the gun she held and prepared to fire. She’d been shaking so much she could hardly keep the gun in her hand. The first pull of the trigger had sent a cold streak of terror down her body in memory of her previous experience. The next three shots were more about the reflex to scare him away rather than the intent to hit him. She’d opened her eyes right before he turned away and seen him in profile. The mask rode up, showing a significant swath of the skin on his neck. He did have a scar there. The third gunman had a circular, uneven patch of skin on his neck. She allowed her memory of the incident in the vault to return. “He had a circular scar on his neck between the collar of his coveralls and where the black mask had rode up to his jaw.” “Really?” He made a note in his book. “Describe it. How big was it?” Emma Rae shrugged. “Maybe the size of a nickel or slightly larger. It was a white scar against his tanned skin. I thought it looked like a burn mark. Maybe it was a cigar burn.” She shrugged again. “I don’t know.” She felt it was odd to remember something she hadn’t considered before. Something she hadn’t really remembered until being pushed.

 

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Detective Rollins asked a few more questions about her timeline leading up to when the local police found her in the vault with three unconscious men, two of them shot and one beat all to hell. “Do you have anything to add? Anything else you remember about the robbery?” he asked. “No.” The other detective opened his mouth to speak, but a harsh glare from Detective Rollins shut his lips quickly. He didn’t look happy to have been thwarted but didn’t say anything further before getting up and leaving the room. Detective Rollins glanced at Zachary and finally excused himself with a parting comment over one shoulder. “Please don’t leave the local area without letting us know. We may have further questions before this case is resolved.” Zachary winked at her. “My client is delighted to help in any way she can with this case.” The door shut on his comment. Emma Rae was so relieved it was over for now. “Thank you. I would have freaked out if you hadn’t been here.” “Honestly, I didn’t do that much. But let me know if you need me again.” Zachary gave her his business card and told her today’s fee was waived before she’d gotten the nerve to ask how much an hour’s worth of his time cost. Clay was waiting for her right outside the front doors of the police station. He and Zachary shook hands before her new, awesome lawyer excused himself. Emma Rae wasn’t sure how to show her extreme gratitude. It was a bit out of character for her, but she tossed caution out the door and advanced forward. She threw her arms around Clay’s waist and buried her face in his firm chest, holding on tight to express her unyielding gratitude. Trying not to weep after the long day she’d had was a lost cause. She failed and sobbed quite a few times against her friend. Clay didn’t say a word, which she was thankful for. Instead, he put his arms around her and held her loosely until she completed her

 

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appreciation. He had to be over a foot taller than she was, and likely they looked a little odd smashed together, but she didn’t care. She was so relieved at the outcome of the day and Clay’s vital participation. When Emma Rae got herself together, she stepped away from Clay’s body without any further crying or sniffing. She tilted her head back and looked up at him. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough, Clay. You really came through for me. The best I can do is say that your next service call is on me. Night or day. Rain or shine. I’m in your debt.” “Not necessary, but I appreciate the gesture.” He looked over his shoulder at the parking lot. “Want a ride someplace? Do you have your car?” “My car’s probably still at the bank. I’d take a ride there, but first, how is Zeke doing? I haven’t heard anything since he was taken away in the ambulance unconscious.” “He made it through surgery. Last I heard, they were guarded. He never regained consciousness after being shot, but they are optimistic he’ll make a full recovery once he wakes up. I can take you to the hospital if you feel up to it, but I’m not sure if they’ll let any visitors in yet.” She nodded, not trusting her voice. “I’d like to go anyway. Is that okay?” “Sure. Just so you know, his best friend, Luke Benton, will be there. He wants to meet you and say thanks.” Emma Rae looked up at Clay. “Thanks? For what?” She didn’t mean to sound so alarmed. The memory of memorizing Luke’s formal military picture from that first night after meeting Zeke flashed right into her head. On the heels of that recollection came all the memories of the sexy, X-rated fantasies she’d had all week starring the two of them. Once she had both of their faces imprinted securely, her vivid imagination put Luke in her bed along with Zeke many times in the last several days. She’d pleasured herself repeatedly just remembering

 

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what they looked like and imagining what they’d do to her if they both had her in their bed. The memory of her extreme fascination with these two made her face go hot all of a sudden. If Clay noticed her embarrassment, he didn’t comment. He answered, “He wants to thank you for keeping Zeke from getting killed. The word is out that you stepped in front of his body to keep him from further bullet holes. And also scared the guy out of the bank with a barrage of bullets.” Good. Change the subject. “Wow. That’s such an interesting and different take on today’s events. The police weren’t as excited about my protective nature, but I’ll meet Zeke’s friend.” How could she decline? Emma Rae’s insides tensed at the very idea of meeting Luke. She understood what their close best friend relationship meant in the great scheme of the DRMC world. Luke and Zeke were partners in threesome sexual escapades. They got together in sexy, remarkable locales and took turns pleasuring lucky women to gasps of orgasm on top of release on top of climax. At least that was what she’d pictured over and over this past week nestled by herself between her lonesome sheets. The many positions she’d pictured starring two men she didn’t even know had delighted her repeatedly. Who in the world wouldn’t want two attentive men in the sack? A week ago, Emma Rae would have nominated herself for that category. Now she wasn’t so sure. Her curiosity level was definitely at an apex. Clay drove her to the hospital after the sun had long since set in the mountains. As late as it was, Emma Rae knew she’d feel better if she could just get a glimpse of Zeke. Even though it would likely be one where he was hooked up to machines with endless tubes inserted everywhere helping him breathe and live. As they arrived at the entrance of the hospital, Clay got a phone call. He remained in the lobby, where cell phones were allowed, but

 

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told her to go on ahead. He promised to meet her at the ICU waiting room in a few minutes. Emma Rae rode the elevator to the intensive care unit’s exclusive floor. She stepped out into the quiet of the evening shift. She searched the rooms along the way to the waiting room but didn’t see Zeke’s name anywhere. She finally asked a very young nurse and was directed to a room and told he could only have visitors for a few minutes. Surprised to even be allowed in the room, Emma Rae hurried inside before anyone discovered her nonfamilial connection and kicked her out. Zeke, with his tousled hair and even more pronounced fiveo’clock shadow, rested on his back in the hospital bed with his eyes closed peacefully. There wasn’t any sort of bandage around his head, surprisingly. He seemed to be breathing on his own but had a small oxygen canula affixed beneath his nose. Beyond the bed was an IV stand with a bag of fluid hanging. A clear tube ran from the plastic and went under his sheets near his arm. She didn’t see any other machines keeping him alive. What a relief. Zeke looked very still. Very quiet. Very serene. Just exactly as he had resting on the floor of the bank vault. After the third robber had run off, Emma Rae had fallen to her knees and put her ear to his chest, taking care to avoid the excessive blood on his shirt. The steady heartbeat she heard calmed her. He was alive. She intended to keep him that way. After dropping the gun behind her, she’d removed her outer shirt, wadded it up, and pressed it to the bullet wound on his chest to stanch the flow of blood. The police arrived shortly thereafter. She asked for medical help, and then the ambulance crew soon relieved her minimal efforts to care for Zeke. Emma Rae shoved those memories aside and studied Zeke’s handsome features. The fleeting memory of their kiss before all the chaos registered vaguely in her mind. She walked around the far side of the bed to approach him and took hold of his hand.

 

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“Hi, Zeke, it’s me, Emma Rae,” she whispered in deference to the surroundings. “I know you want to sleep. And I don’t blame you. But please, could you wake up just for a minute?” She stared at the masculine angles of his face. He didn’t move. A glance at his lips and the full force and inherent passion of the kiss they’d shared in the vault roared back into her soul. Calling on a fairy tale story from her childhood, Emma Rae leaned closer. Maybe he’d wake up if she kissed him. First, she looked up at the doorway to ensure her privacy and then quickly planted a soft, heartfelt kiss across his lips. He still didn’t stir. Didn’t even move a single muscle. Pity. She watched for a delayed reaction. She was so engrossed in watching Zeke’s gorgeous face, Emma Rae didn’t notice anyone else had entered the room until he spoke. “Are you Emma Rae?” Startled, she dropped Zeke’s hand and backed away from the side of his bed as if she’d been scorched. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. His hands came up in a placating gesture. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” The familiar man made his way toward the foot of the bed, where she’d passed moments ago, and closed in on her. It was Luke. She recognized him from his picture. Luke was older and infinitely more attractive than the fifteenyear-old photo she’d seen. At least he was in her humble opinion. Her heart stuttered a bit as she took in and memorized his rugged current features. Emma Rae gazed into his clear blue eyes and registered the strong, handsome face of another very attractive man. His sexy blond hair, cut short but in need of a trim, bespoke a man who looked like he’d forever be comfortable on a horse’s back. He looked like every woman’s fantasy cowboy, and very close to what she’d pictured this past week wrapped, alone, between the sheets of her bed in carnal splendor. Luke passed by the foot of Zeke’s bed. His arm came up, as if he intended to shake her hand. Trapped on the far side of the bed, Emma

 

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Rae had nowhere to go. She locked her knees and prepared to touch his beautifully calloused fingers. “I’m Luke Benton.” He stepped into her sensory range. The scent of leather and musk and man washed over her being. He smelled exactly the way a sexy man’s man should. And even better than she’d fantasized. Emma lifted her fingers, and he grasped her hand securely in his. She tried not to swoon. Seriously, the guy was so very attractive. And he smelled great. After the recent week of dreaming about his hands on her, she was a little off center about meeting her fantasy lover in person. She managed to say, “I’m Emma Rae Madison. So good to meet you.” She couldn’t believe she’d gotten so many words through her suddenly-dry-as-the-Sahara lips. “I wanted to say thank you for taking care of Zeke. He’s my best friend. I heard you kept him from getting killed.” She shook her head in denial. “No. I really didn’t do that much. In fact, he saved me first.” She looked deeply into Luke’s eyes and was mesmerized. She wanted to feel his calloused fingers skimming along her naked body. The desire of that vision hit her like a fist to the chest. “That sounds just exactly like Zeke,” he said and glanced at his friend. Emma Rae also captured a look as his friend did. Both of them were just so viscerally engaging, either face she stared at gave her a thrill. Zeke’s eyes fluttered open for a second and then closed as she and Luke looked on. “Zeke?” Luke said and moved toward the bed. Now she was even more pinned in. She put her hand on his shoulder and also said, “Zeke? Are you awake?” His eyes opened once more but didn’t seem to focus before drifting shut again.

 

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“Looks like he’s trying to come back,” Luke said quietly. He turned his intense gaze back to her face. She returned the stare. Maybe two men would be okay to try once. “What in the world are you two doing in here?” came an irate voice from the doorway. They both turned, and a nurse marched into the room with a scowl on her lined face. “We’re friends of Zeke’s,” Luke said. Emma Rae was stunned into silence. She took a step closer to Luke. “He’s not ready for visitors yet. The man is barely out of surgery. He hasn’t even woken from anesthesia yet.” “Well, perhaps you could inform your staff then, because I asked after him and was led here.” “Me, too,” Emma Rae piped up. The older nurse glanced over her shoulder as the young nurse Emma Rae had spoken to passed by the door. She frowned as if in much displeasure then turned back to them. “Well, I’m very sorry, but you were misinformed. Go on out to the waiting room, and I’ll call you if and when he’s ready to receive visitors. And I’m warning you, it may not be tonight.” “Well, he just opened his eyes a couple of seconds ago.” “He did?” The nurse approached the opposite side of the bed. “Did he say anything?” “No,” Luke responded this time. “He just opened his eyes briefly and closed them again. Maybe he heard our voices.” The older nurse huffed as she checked first one eye and then the other with a pen light. “Good try, but you still have to leave.” “Okay. Fine. We’ll be waiting down the hall.” Luke reached out and grabbed Emma Rae’s hand as if he’d done it a hundred times before. He led her quickly out of the room after another fast glance at Zeke. Emma Rae didn’t have the wherewithal to pull her hand from Luke’s even after they’d left Zeke’s room. She allowed him to lead her away.

 

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Luke squeezed her fingers even tighter as they walked out of the ICU area. He didn’t let go even after they made it to the small waiting room at the end of the hall. In fact, after he sat down on what turned out to be a surprisingly comfortable love seat, he promptly enveloped her fingers in both of his calloused hands. The kiss to her knuckles was unexpected. A wave of dizzying lust sped from her hand to her core. She knew she should pull her hand away, but Emma Rae couldn’t seem to tear herself from his intimate touch. The scent of him had her head spinning in a thousand different directions. She hadn’t felt lust like this since meeting Zeke for the first time. Luke smelled almost more intoxicating than Zeke did. If that was even possible. Each man was unique. Each was heartrendingly able to keep her focus off center and her libido dancing in fiery delight. The weight of the long day pressed her spine against the back of the sofa. One hand still firmly sandwiched between Luke’s strong fingers, Emma Rae closed her eyes to rest her weary soul for just a minute. Instead of nightmares, the memory of all the lustful sexual situations she’d thought about all week starring both Zeke and Luke filled her mind with a fury of scandalous images.

 

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Chapter Six Luke wasn’t often surprised by women. One look at a woman he’d never met before and he usually had their number fairly quick. Listening to a single sentence they uttered then usually confirmed his suspicions as to their overall character. However, the woman with her head leaning sweetly on his shoulder as she slept had certainly surprised him with her unrelenting vulnerability. He’d wanted her instantly after simply witnessing her hold Zeke’s hand. The tenderness with which she caressed his best friend and hovered protectively over him while he slept was easy to see. Emma Rae was obviously very concerned about Zeke. Not only that, but her angst-ridden expression told him she must have serious feelings for him, too. Her angelic countenance as she watched him had stirred Luke on a visceral level. He not only wanted to get to know her better, he wanted her. The sexy, sultry look she gave Luke when he interrupted her moment with Zeke made a considerable amount of blood rush to his groin before he could temper his unexpected reaction. Once her gaze fastened on his face, she looked like she wanted to eat him for lunch. For the first time in a long time he was heartened that a female might actually be interested in both of them. That she didn’t balk at holding his hand currently made Luke feel like he definitely had scored a victory with this exceptional young woman. He couldn’t wait to get to know her much better. Maybe once she woke up they could have a more meaningful conversation. But for now he enjoyed holding her.

 

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Luke hardly breathed as Emma Rae shifted her hand from between his fingertips. He was let down for a second until she slung her free arm firmly around his waist while she slept. He slipped his arm beneath her torso as her face burrowed against his chest between his shoulder and neck, settling against him with a soft sigh. They snuggled close, like they’d been together for years. Luke leaned in and kissed the top of her head. The sweet, flowery fragrance of her hair nearly made him intoxicated with each breath he took. His arm was trapped happily beneath her slim body. His hand rested on her lower spine, and the deadening feeling of his limb going to sleep beneath her didn’t make him want to move it. It wasn’t long before Clay found them sprawled together in the waiting room. His only reaction was one eyebrow lifting in question. But he didn’t wake her or disturb her, for which Luke was very grateful. She fit perfectly against him. He wanted her to stay nestled in his arms as long as possible. “Any news?” Clay whispered in deference to Emma Rae’s slumbering position. “He’s in the ICU room down the hall. One nurse let us in for a moment, but then another nurse immediately kicked us out the minute we were discovered in there. Zeke opened his eyes for a second before we got kicked out, so I feel a little better.” Clay nodded once in Emma Rae’s direction. “How’d you get so lucky as to be attached to Em?” Luke lifted his free shoulder and responded, “I don’t know what you mean.” “Want me to wake her for you?” “No,” Luke responded far too quickly. Clay’s amused and devious rare smile shaped his lips. “Well, she looks good on your arm. But keep in mind that she has a tragic past. Just don’t rush her, okay?”

 

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“I never rush,” Luke responded in a very matter-of-fact tone. That was true. He made it a point not to be in any sort of hurry when it came to beautiful women. “Good, because I’d hate to step in and have to kick your ass if you move too fast and make her uncomfortable.” He huffed. “You of all people know that I’d never do that. It’s like you don’t even know who I am.” “Trust me, if I had any doubts, you’d already be sitting alone.” She stirred a bit, and Luke held his breath, not moving a muscle until she settled against his chest once more. “Shush,” he cautioned Clay very quietly. He wasn’t ready to relinquish his comfortable hold on her. Until Clay had arrived, Luke had been contemplating the best way to get her to go out with him. Knowing this was the woman Zeke has his eye on didn’t hurt at all. Luke had several lines of dialogue prepped in his head to convince her to give their ménage lifestyle a try at least once. The prepubescent doctor they’d spoken to earlier came into the room to give a fairly uninformative update. A sleepy and confused Emma Rae woke slowly but remained against Luke at first. She then dislodged from his side and practically vaulted away from him as she stood and listened to the doctor speaking. The moment her eyes took in exactly where she’d been lounging against him, a pink tinge blushed her cheeks before she turned away. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. And he wanted her. The concern from the doctor seemed to be that Zeke hadn’t fully regained consciousness since his surgery. They mentioned Zeke’s eyes opening while they were in the room. The doctor frowned at first as if to admonish them for the prohibited visit but said it didn’t count since he hadn’t spoken. And further, until he regained consciousness, visiting hours were suspended until at least tomorrow afternoon, when he’d be reassessed. Emma Rae turned to Luke the moment the doctor finished speaking. The pink came instantly back to her cheeks. Her

 

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embarrassment at sleeping on him only made her more attractive to Luke. In fact, even within the short time of their acquaintance, he already wanted her with a ferociousness he’d never felt with a woman before. Sensing his time with her was at an end for the day, he moved closer as the doctor was saying Zeke was in pretty good shape as far as the bullet wound but needed to wake up to receive a clean bill of health and a promising prognosis. “Come back tomorrow afternoon. Once he wakes up, he’ll be able to have a few visitors.” “Thanks, doc.” Luke shook his hand to be friendly, wishing Emma Rae would touch him again. After the doctor left, Emma Rae put her focus on Clay and asked, “Could you drop me off at the bank on your way home, Clay? I still need to pick up my car.” “Sure,” Clay said at the exact time Luke said, “The bank is on my way home. I can take you.” She turned and stared deeply into his eyes. Her gaze locked there until he felt like they were the only two souls left in the room. “Okay, thanks,” she finally responded in a tone so low it was practically a whisper. She then turned to Clay and said, “I’ll talk to you soon.” Luke crowded her personal space. “Great.” He pointed to the hall leading to the elevator before Clay could utter a word that might change her mind. They’d taken a couple steps away before Clay said loudly, “Call me if you need anything, Em.” She smiled over one shoulder and kept walking with Luke. “I will. Thanks.” Luke secured an arm around her shoulder and whisked her down the hall toward the elevator before she could change her mind about her choice of chaperone to the bank for her car.

 

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Clay followed them all the way to the elevator and rode down with them. He didn’t say anything, but Luke could tell by his final look that he’d better not do anything to make Emma Rae uncomfortable. They parted ways with Clay in the garage parking lot. Afraid she would bolt if he didn’t get her in his vehicle as fast as possible, Luke led her quickly to his truck. He opened the passenger door for her and helped her climb inside the tall vehicle. He rushed to his side and had them out of the parking structure and on the road in less than two minutes. He drove to their bank as slowly as traffic would allow. The night sky was littered with millions of brilliant stars and a moon so big he felt like he might be able to reach out and touch it if he stretched a bit. His whimsical mood was alien to his normal attitude. Chiding himself a bit for his silence when he had Emma Rae all to himself, he tried to think of something clever to say. Nothing came to mind. “How long have you and Zeke been friends?” she asked graciously, breaking his quiet misery. “Since we were little kids. Our parents were good friends. He and I have been causing trouble together since about the time we both started walking.” “I see. And how long have you been members of the Double Rider Men’s Club?” she asked in an even quieter voice than the first question. “If you don’t mind my asking?” “No. I don’t mind. We’ve been at the DRMC since its inception. Several years now.” She rode in silence for several more minutes. Luke couldn’t take the quiet any longer. “What do you know about our club?” Her head twisted quickly to look at him. The blush came, too. He forced himself not to grin like a fool at the color in her cheeks. “Not much,” she said. “Just rumors mostly.” “What would you like to know about our club?” She shrugged and turned away again. He didn’t want to lose her attention so quickly, especially on this particular issue.

 

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“I’ll tell you anything you want to know. No question is exempt.” She turned toward him slightly. “So this club is primarily about two men sharing one woman, is that right?” “That’s one important aspect, yes.” She considered his statement for a long while before turning to stare out of the front windshield. “What if I’m uncertain about sharing myself with two men?” His heart stopped in his chest. She’s considering our lifestyle? “I’d love to alleviate your uncertainty.” “Well, I have quite a lot of doubts about my ability to allow two men in my life. Up to now, I’ve only been with one at a time. And even then…well, let’s just say that I don’t have a particularly great track record where the opposite sex is concerned.” “Maybe you were just with the wrong men.” “Obviously, since many of the pricks from my past used fear to keep me in line.” He took his focus off the road momentarily to gaze directly in her eyes when he said, “I promise. You don’t ever need to be afraid of either Zeke or me. We only want to give you pleasure. Lots of it.” “Really?” She kept staring at him after he turned away. “And what do you get out of the deal?” He grinned. “Pleasure. Lots of it.” He chanced a glance her way. The color radiating on her face was so attractive he could hardly contain himself. “Is that so? Lots of pleasure for you in giving pleasure to me. How does that work exactly?” “Another feature of our club involves both voyeurism and exhibitionism. Very simply, we like to watch others giving and getting pleasure. For me, it’s a huge rush.” “I see.” She seemed to ponder his words a bit more then added, “So very interesting.” “Interesting enough to try it out?” She turned away and shrugged. “Maybe.”

 

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“Would you like to meet somewhere or, better yet, come to our house? I can answer many more questions for you. Plus, I’d love to talk to you when I don’t have to divide my attention with the road.” “Tonight?” “Sure. Why not? Unless you’re too tired.” Luke was a fool to expect her to want to spend time alone with him so soon, but he so wanted some together time with her. They certainly didn’t have to have sex for his immediate happiness. Mostly, he was loathe to let her get too far away before she’d agreed to a future date with one or both of them. She glanced at her watch. It was later in the evening but not too late. “I should probably get on home. It’s been a long day.” “Understandable.” He hid his disappointment. She’d had a horrendous day, but he hated to part company with her. They’d arrived at the bank. He parked his truck next to the car she pointed out and said quickly before she got away, “Have I answered all your questions about our lifestyle? Is there any way I can convince you to spend some time with me and Zeke later on? Pick a day, any day, and we can get together to chat.” Remaining in her seat, she turned her pink-cheeked face his way, and asked, “Chat, huh? Can I really trust you to just chat?” Luke kept his hands on the steering wheel. “Yes. Absolutely.” “Clay said you were not threatening.” “He’s right. And he’d know. Plus, he’d also kick my ass to the moon if you suffered as much as a hangnail in my care.” “Okay, we can go to your house. For a little bit. Then I have to get on home.” “No problem.” Luke gave her a business card with their address and phone numbers before she opened the vehicle door. “Follow me. I’ll make sure I go slow enough so that you can keep up.” The unintentional double entendre wasn’t lost on him. He felt the same way about sex. He’d go slow at first in order to allow her to keep up.

 

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She nodded and slipped into her vehicle. He waited for her, and together they slowly made their way to the ranch a few miles out of town. The DRMC property was also down the road a ways. Luke was a little surprised she’d agreed to follow him home. He simply wanted to chat with her and determine whether she would possibly be a candidate for their shared future. He planned to be on his best behavior and not come on too strong or scare her away. Otherwise, Clay would kill him painfully. And Zeke would help. **** Emma Rae followed Luke’s taillights and wondered what on earth she was doing. The attraction she had to Luke after lusting after Zeke was a little disconcerting. Both of them were just so delicious. She’d never felt so comfortable around anyone like she did around both Zeke and now Luke. At least not any men she was so attracted to. Her primary goal was to see if even being in the same room with someone she found so striking would allow her to give of herself without fear. She hadn’t been with a man in such a long time, her libido had been the one doing all the talking tonight. Kissing Zeke had been so overwhelmingly sexy even though the intimate moment had ended so abruptly. Her secondary goal tonight was to kiss Luke and discover how it made her feel. Not to compare so much as to see if she had duplicate feelings for him. Perhaps his kiss wouldn’t rock her world as Zeke’s had, but so far she doubted that. Some part of her wanted to know if a life with them was even a possibility. She’d certainly thought enough about that very subject this past week. And that was before even meeting both of them in person. Having fallen asleep on Luke earlier at the hospital was telling. She’d slept so hard she dreamed as she snuggled against him, too. Sexy dreams. Ones that wouldn’t fade once she woke.

 

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The blazingly seductive thoughts as she’d napped in the hospital waiting room had put her off her game. She hadn’t been so physically close to a man in ages. She woke with Luke’s scent filling her being. She’d almost nuzzled his cheek before fully waking when the doctor came to tell them about Zeke’s status. Embarrassed at having been flung all over him while slumbering in the waiting room was bad enough. Keeping sex-filled visions of Luke out of her head during the doctor’s talk had been impossible. Not to mention that Clay had witnessed her infatuation. Being the understanding, good friend that he was, Clay had offered to drive her to her car, but she’d wanted to spend more time with Luke. Clay’s ease in leaving her with Zeke’s best friend was the cue she paid attention to. He hadn’t been the least concerned about it. So she decided not to be worried either. She planned to find out a few answers to her week-long questions over the DRMC lifestyle. Primarily, was it something she was truly interested in trying? The fantasies she’d dreamed up this past week with the mere idea of two men in her bed had been powerful. She needed to assess the reality. Once they arrived at his house, Emma Rae had sobered up much more. Her mind had gone to very dark places in her past. She got out of her car with the fleeting notion that it was a bad idea to enter his domain. She didn’t want to be cornered. Didn’t want to be surprised. Then again, if not now, when? How long did she intend to let her dark past rule her life? Resolute in her choice, she forged ahead and walked toward his home. The inviting lights strung up around the porch were soothing to her troubled soul. Luke came alongside her and pointed to the swing on the porch. “Want to rock with me for a few minutes before we go inside?” “Sure.” With silent gratitude coursing through her at the delay in going indoors, she headed to the porch stairs.

 

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He gestured for her to go first and followed her up the wide wooden planks and to the right toward the swing swaying slightly in the evening breeze. Emma Rae felt his hand press to her lower back in tender guidance. A gentlemanly gesture that warmed her all the way to her soul. The spot he touched tingled even through her clothing. Before they even made it within kicking distance of the swing, Emma Rae stopped and turned to Luke. He smiled, and his eyebrows went up in question. She pushed her body securely into his frame and planted her lips on his mouth before she changed her mind. He grabbed her up in his arms so fast she didn’t have time to take a breath. In an unprecedentedly aggressive mood, Emma Rae promptly licked her way hard and fast into his mouth, almost daring him to return her ardent desires. He did. The sudden, glorious dueling of their tongues had her nearly breathless with lust and possibilities. She couldn’t breathe and didn’t care. As if her limbs had a mind of their own, her legs lifted and soon were wrapped around his hips. His hard, wide cock suddenly pressed a dent against her belly as she clung to him. Juice from her pussy gushed so quickly into her panties she could have sworn she heard a whoosh of water running. Before she knew it or could react or even care, Luke had turned and pressed her to the outer wall of his home. This action gave her better leverage to rub against him. Her legs tightened around his body. She was able to send her hips sliding up and down easily as he pressed his body hard into hers. Her clit blazed a marvelously seductive path across his blatant erection. Her breasts were pressed tight against his chest. Nipples tingling at the friction and satisfying stimulation, Emma Rae moved her torso again, sending more lustful waves of pleasure to her already overstimulated pussy.

 

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She couldn’t seem to kiss him hard or fast enough to gain the satisfaction she wanted. And what did she want? That was easy. Sex. I want sex. Now. That realization had her pulling back. Not to stop the progression but to get inside and find a bed to consummate this newfound romance as soon as possible. He groaned as her lips pulled from his. “Wait,” he whispered and connected his lips to hers again. They kissed for a while before she broke the connection. “Let’s go inside,” she managed to say before his mouth covered hers once more. Glued together like pressed wood in a vise, Emma Rae couldn’t wait until they came together skin to skin. He didn’t stop kissing her, and she wasn’t sure he’d heard what she said. But several lip-licking moments later, he pulled her from the wall and carried her toward his front door. He didn’t let go as he juggled her in his arms to retrieve his keys and unlock the entrance to his domain. The lights were on in the first room they passed, but she didn’t notice if it was the den, the dining room, or what. So intent on the flagrantly passionate kiss they still shared, Emma Rae didn’t even notice where they were when he stopped moving. Before she knew it, she was flat on her back in the center of a large, soft bed with Luke covering her completely. The bedside lamp cast a glow across an intricate quilt, but she couldn’t see much else. And truthfully, she was so engaged in dueling her tongue with Luke’s, she didn’t care. She expected panic to rise at being pinned down but couldn’t contain her ravenous libido long enough to be the least bit frightened. After what seemed like hours, Emma Rae realized Luke wasn’t going to take this any further unless she made the first move. He hadn’t tried to strip her clothes off or touch any erogenous zones, even though they silently cried for him to do as he wished. He just kissed the living daylights out of her until she writhed with unfulfilled desire.

 

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Emma Rae twisted her body against his. They turned and rolled across the bed’s surface until she was on top, legs straddled across his lap. His cock, thick and hard against the center of her open legs, pulsed upward once as she pulled away from the still-exuberant kiss. “Can’t seem to get enough of you,” he murmured and kissed the corner of her mouth once before he then resumed kissing her fully on the lips. She ground her pussy against the length of his cock and elicited a sultry groan. His hands roamed along her spine, finding a resting place on her hips. Emma Rae pulled her lips from his and stared down into his awe-filled eyes. “You can have more.” She started to unbutton his shirt, but he stopped her. Hand covering her fingers, he said, “We don’t have to go any further. I swear I only intended to chat when I brought you here.” She nodded briefly. “That’s sweet, but I might not be able to walk if I don’t get some relief,” she countered. They were both breathing hard. He laughed. Nudging his granite-hard cock against her pussy lips, he said, “I find I’m in the same state, but I don’t want to push you into anything too fast. Because I’m not looking for a quickie or a single night of pleasure. Regardless of what happens tonight, I’ll want more from you at a later date.” Emma Rae took a deep breath and released it slowly in an effort to calm her racing heart. Luke shoved his hands behind his head and watched her with a smile shaping his luscious lips. She could kiss him all night long. He already wanted her more than just for one night. “I won’t have regrets. I promise.” Her only regret at all was that Zeke wasn’t here with them. “Trust me, I won’t either.” And then a stray thought occurred to her. “Wait. Will Zeke be upset if we—”

 

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“No. He won’t. Just like I wouldn’t be the least bit worried if you and Zeke were here alone making each other happy.” “Are you sure? I’m not used to the idea of two men vying for the same woman but not insanely jealous of each other. Perhaps I need a further tutorial on how this unusual lifestyle works.” He started talking in a low, sexy, steady voice. “Our biggest worry always is that the woman we are vying for doesn’t feel the same way about us equally. You have to want both of us. We’re a package deal. You get that part, right?” “Yes. Right. I understand. Not a problem.” She rubbed herself across his hard cock. “I have strong feelings for both of you. And I’m not used to it quite yet.” The ardent mood which had brought them into the bedroom was now broken for her. Emma Rae lifted herself away from Luke. It was difficult, but she realized that she probably shouldn’t be fucking Zeke’s best friend while he was still in the hospital with an uncertain future. Even if he had opened his eyes, it wasn’t like he’d come all the way awake. There was still question about his recovery. “You’re worried about Zeke.” It was a statement, not a question, so he understood her sudden reluctance. He sat up on the bed and stared down into her eyes. “Yes. A little bit.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Me, too. Even though it might not have exactly shone through during our lengthy and extremely amazing lip-lock from moments ago.” “Intense feelings often come out more easily during crisis.” Emma Rae slid off the edge of the bed and stood up. Luke stood as well. “I should probably get home.” “You don’t have to leave. I know it’s been a long day for you.” “Yes.” She gazed longingly at the bed. Would she have felt bad if they’d fucked each other like crazy? She didn’t know the answer. “Why don’t you stay here for the night? There’s plenty of space.” She glanced around. “I like this room.”

 

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“It’s yours. I’ll go sleep in the den.” Shaking her head, Emma Rae said, “I don’t want to kick you out of your bed.” “You could join me in it. I promise not to bother you.” “Oh, yeah?” She crossed her arms. “And what happens if I bother you?” He grinned and said, “Then my master plan to lure you into explicit sexual fantasies until you take what you want from me will have worked perfectly.” She laughed out loud. A sincere belly laugh of long-held-in humor. Not many people could surprise her as first Zeke and then Luke had. “Okay. I’ll stay. Which side of the bed do I get to have?” “Lady’s choice.” She glanced over her shoulder. “It’s a really big bed. I could probably sleep in the center and never feel you move.” “Possibly.” His arms crossed loosely over his torso. Perhaps he was trying to block her advances. He was the one who’d initially put the brakes on. “Or I could snuggle up behind you and hold you all night.” The outline of his rigid cock still bulged the front of his jeans. If he snuggled up tight against her body and held her all night long, she’d probably have a back injury in the morning. The thought made her smile inside. She’d left Luke unsatisfied. Taking stock of her own body, she realized that her clit ached in equally unfulfilled lust. If she stayed, perhaps she’d end up getting her scratch itched. If she went home, the same thing would happen. However, it wouldn’t be quite the same. Touching herself had always been second best to having a man stroke her clit to orgasm. She glanced at Luke’s calloused hands and a wave of desire suddenly pounded through her soul. Whatever else had happened or wouldn’t happen next, she wanted him.

 

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She took a step forward, hands landing on the barrier of his crossed arms. Then she slid one hand to squeeze his cock through the fabric of his jeans. His eyes slid shut, and another groan came from his throat. “I hate to leave you ungratified.” “I’ll live.” But his expression belied his words. He looked like he might not live easily without being relieved of the pressure already built up in his cock. “I don’t think I can leave until we at least kiss once more.” Arms dropping to his sides only for a moment, Luke then caught her into a hard embrace. His lips pressed to her mouth. He kissed her like he’d never see her again. Like he might wither away and die if he never saw her again. She could sympathize. His knee nudged between her legs, and he pushed her against the flat of the bare wall nearest the bed. She inched her legs wider to make room for his sexy contact. Nothing like being pinned to a wall and well kissed to make her libido stand up and take notice. Leg now securely between her thighs, he suddenly lifted his knee, and the pressure between her legs built to a peak level. Her clit ached with need. She moved her hips back and forth across his hard thigh, and her clit was rewarded with crazy, wicked, and unexpected pleasure. A few more strokes and she might get her gratification after all. Luke’s tongue wrapped around hers in wild abandon, sometimes with lazy, liquid strokes and sometimes with aggressive pushes of power. She loved his technique. She was on the rabid edge of control with regard to her libido. His hand slipped between them to cup one breast. He soon teased her nipple with thumb and forefinger. Electric bolts of sensation streaked to her clit. She moved her hips to stimulate her clit. His hand slipped stealthily between her skin and bra to touch her nipple with his bare fingers. He lightly pinched her pert tip with his amazingly calloused fingertips, and a spiral of intense sensation drilled down to her pussy.

 

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She stroked her open legs across his thigh again. The friction sent a wild flash of pleasure up her spine. She wanted more. She couldn’t control her hips’ movement. Emma Rae shifted again, grinding her pussy lips hard against his leg. Her aching clit, trapped beneath the pressure of their clothing, squeezed tight against his cock, twitched, and found purchase. A sudden climax roared through her limbs, stiffening her entire body. She slipped unexpectedly over the edge of rapturous oblivion. Luke’s tongue thrust hard into her mouth as the powerful orgasm consumed her heart and soul. She moaned loud and long into his mouth as waves and waves of blissful feeling rode hard through her body. The release clenched her thighs together hard at first. The pleasure continued bombarding her system until she thought she might faint from the intensity. Her clothing hadn’t even been removed to bring about this release. It didn’t take long for the orgasm to peak and the inevitable relaxation to take over. Her limbs sagged, seeming boneless in the wake of the stupendous experience. Luke licked her tongue one last time before withdrawing. He kissed the corner of her mouth before pulling back a bit to stare into her eyes. His self-satisfied smile made her figure he understood what had happened. If not her moan, the sudden stiffening of her body followed by the limp way she fell against him had to let him know she’d climaxed. “You sound so incredibly sexy when you come.” He knew. “Do I?” She sagged hard into his chest. “I wasn’t paying attention to any noise I made, but that felt incredibly good.” “I’m so glad.” He kissed her quickly once more. She rested her head on his shoulder. He lifted her limp body into his arms and carried her back to the large bed. Placing her on top of the covers, he murmured, “Rest here for a minute.” He kissed her forehead and moved to go.

 

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“Stay with me.” She reached out and brushed his hand with her fingertips. His eyes slid shut at first then opened. The lust in his gaze was unmistakable. He was trying to back away. The glaring evidence of his passion bulged behind his zipper. She so wanted to please him. Emma Rae reached out and stroked his hard cock. “Jesus,” he whispered. Hands fisting at his sides, Luke pressed his erection against her hand, and another rush of breath came from his lips. She thought he might leave, but he didn’t. Rigidly still beside the bed, he simply gazed down at her with desire heavy in his expression. Emboldened by Luke’s seeming inability to step away, she decided to act. Pleasure still radiating from her center, Emma Rae truly wanted him to feel as amazing as she did. Without any assistance or interference from Luke, she unbuckled, unsnapped, and unzipped his jeans quickly. Seconds later his warm, stiff cock rested in her fingers. He grunted but didn’t make a single move to stop her. Heady with power over his desire, she moved closer to the perimeter of the bed. She slipped her legs over the edge on either side of his thighs. Bracketed between her knees, he still didn’t move a muscle. He remained silent as she pushed his jeans off his hips and down his thighs. Without warning, she bent over and pushed her mouth around his substantial cock. He groaned, and his legs pressed hard against the side of the bed. Not liking the position she was in, she pulled her mouth off his cock, slipped to her knees alongside the bed, and pulled his cock between her lips once more. She licked and sucked until his cock was completely buried and pressing the back of her throat. He pulled his hips back slightly. His hands came down to rest on her shoulders as she sucked him deeply into her mouth again. Another wayward moan escaped. He soon

 

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pressed the back of her head one-handed as she slowly sucked his length in and out. It didn’t take long for him to groan much louder. The sounds of his pleasure echoed around the room. Again the supreme satisfaction of having dominion over his desire deepened and emboldened her continued action. Emma Rae reached around his body and grabbed his ass. She wasn’t letting him go until he climaxed. He seemed to come to this realization fairly quickly, if the sudden fast cock thrusts deeply into her mouth were any indication. Having him fuck her mouth was so sexy, she creamed her panties and the tips of her breasts tingled. “Can’t hold it,” he said between gritted teeth. He suddenly groaned. A wash of sweet, salty fluid suddenly jetted down her throat. She swallowed twice and kept sucking. He bent sideways to put a hand on the bed and pulled his cock slowly from her mouth. “Jesus,” he said again. “I don’t have words.” “You don’t need any.” Emma Rae smiled to herself, fully satisfied in her efforts to please him as he’d pleased her. She stood, hugged his waist quickly, and resumed her place on his bed. He sighed contentedly, and pulled his jeans together. Fastened again, he soon joined her on the surface. Side by side in bed and still fully clothed, they simply stared at each other. He had a beautiful smile on his face. One hinting of question but also brimming with satisfaction. Perhaps he wanted to know what came next. Emma Rae wasn’t sure, but was too relaxed to press the issue. They could chat in the morning when her head was clear. He stroked a hand gingerly down her arm to rest on her hip. Emma Rae didn’t mean to drift off and fall asleep but woke an undetermined time later to a shrill phone ringing in the night. She was faced away from Luke with him snuggled up behind her, his arm draped across her midsection. They both sat up in bed before the phone rang again. She spied the clock and noticed it was nearly five

 

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o’clock in the morning. Surprised she’d slept so long in a strange place, Emma Rae fairly launched off of the bed with Luke on her heels. “Don’t go anywhere,” he said and lifted the phone off its base. She stood stock-still, with her gaze focused on Luke’s beautiful eyes. He reached out and gently grabbed her arm as he put the phone against his ear. She walked a couple steps to him and slung her arms around his middle. He encompassed her in a tight embrace before saying, “Hello,” into the phone. Emma Rae pressed the side of her face against his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. “Yes, it is,” he said in an ominous tone. He crushed her even harder to his chest and added, “What’s wrong with him?” Oh no. Zeke.

 

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Chapter Seven Zeke pulled away from the dark clingy pit of a saturating nightmare where endless gunshots echoed around him and woke in a panic. Where was he? What had happened? What did he remember? Not much. He opened his eyes and took in his immediate surroundings. Dimmed lights. Strange bed. IV bottle. Hospital? The rush of sudden memory prior to waking hit him so hard he closed his eyes to keep from fading back into unconsciousness. The bank. The robbery. The vault. The gunshots. Emma Rae! Damn it. Where is she? His eyes popped open again. He lifted his head and searched the small room. Windows to his left, a privacy curtain to his right, but no door in visual range. He tried to sit up but found his limbs didn’t seem to have an iota of strength for the task. Near his left hand was wire attached to a call button. He grabbed it and pushed the button very hard and repeatedly. After what seemed like an hour, a nurse appeared. “Mr. Traynor. You’re awake.” She seemed surprised. What the hell? “You’ve been out for quite a while.” “What happened to the woman I was with at the bank?” he asked with urgency lacing his tone. His mind raced with dark scenarios of what might have happened involving those final three shots he’d heard but did not see. Was Emma Rae hurt? Dead? No please, not dead. Her brows furrowed. “Woman? I don’t know about anyone else.” She eyed him warily, as if she thought he was perhaps in a delusional state.

 

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Already frustrated, Zeke forced himself to calm down, and tried a different tack. “I need to make a phone call,” he said clearly, succinctly, and as coolly as he could. He wanted to sound completely serene. Nobody ever helps the crazy guy. “Mr. Traynor. It’s the middle of the night. You don’t want to make a call this late, do you?” Her wizened eyes crinkled even more at the corners. He glanced around to find a clock and didn’t see one. “What time is it?” She glanced at her watch. “Nearly four thirty in the morning. Try to get some rest, Mr. Traynor. I’ll call your doctor so that he knows you’re up and coherent. If all your other tests come back as expected, I’m sure the doctor will consider transferring you out of ICU very soon.” Zeke sensed she was about to desert him and go about whatever she’d been doing before. “Listen. I need to contact my friend. He’ll already be awake, I promise.” Zeke knew Luke’s schedule better than anyone. His friend always woke like clockwork at four thirty in the morning. Zeke, meanwhile, always woke at about that time and then went back to sleep to wait for his alarm to go off. Maybe why his internal clock woke him so early this morning in the first place. She shook her head with an I know what’s best expression shaping her face. “Let’s wait at least a couple more hours, then you can make your call. All right?” “No. Bring me a phone now. I need to find out what happened to the woman I was with at the bank. Do you know if someone else was brought to the hospital from the robbery? If there was a woman hurt?” “I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about what brought you here or the circumstances after you arrived.” “Then please find me someone who does.”

 

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She frowned and quietly marched out of the room without another word. He focused his gaze on the ceiling to calm his racing nerves. Zeke was unsure if she would come back or if she was cooperating, even though he’d said please. Emma Rae’s frightened expression came into his mind. The final three gunshots he’d heard but not seen bothered him tremendously. He tried to get out of bed again, but his limbs just wouldn’t cooperate. He wanted to start throwing things at the walls and windows to get someone else to fetch a phone for him or, at a minimum, tell him what he wanted to know. But he didn’t. He took several more deep breaths in and out of his lungs to calm down. Nobody ever helps the crazy guy. The nurse returned a few minutes later with someone else. The balding man was tall, skinny, and wearing a white coat. A stethoscope hung around his neck. “Mr. Traynor, I’m Dr. Stevin. How are you feeling?” He grabbed a clipboard from the end of the bed and started flipping through papers held at the top of the pages. “I feel fine. I’d really like to know what happened to the woman I was with at the bank.” The doctor nodded but didn’t look in his direction. “Understandable.” He made a notation to the chart. “However, I don’t know the answer to your question.” “Understandable,” Zeke countered. “Please let me make a phone call, and I’ll be able to find out the information for myself.” The doctor looked up with a bland smile and nodded. “Give me the number and I’ll make your call for you.” Zeke recited their home number from memory. The doctor wrote it down. “Who am I calling, and what do you wish to know?” “Ask for Luke Benton, and please find out if he knows about a woman named Emma Rae Madison and what happened to her after the bank robbery. If he doesn’t know, ask him to please contact Clay and find out.”

 

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“Very good. I’ll do that in a few minutes. First, we need to check to see how you’re doing.” Dr. Stevin, with help from the nurse, then went through a few procedural medical questions, asking him about his pain level, his memory of recent events, his knowledge of current events, and many other frustratingly boring things he didn’t care about before departing the room. Zeke did elicit a final promise from the reluctant doctor to make the phone call he requested. The first rays of light were peeking around the edges of the blinds in the window when the doctor finally came back. However, it was a different doctor. Short, burly, and sporting a shaved head, the new doctor wore scrubs. He strode into the room and asked, “How are you feeling?” Zeke wanted to scream to the heavens until the man spoke without waiting for a response to his initial query. “You have a visitor,” he said quickly. “I’m not really supposed to let anyone in this early, but you’ll be moving in a few minutes to a semiprivate room upstairs, so I can bend the rules a bit until you get transferred.” He winked. “Thank you.” “No problem.” The man who entered his room was someone Zeke had never seen before. “Hi, Mr. Traynor. My name is Detective Rollins. I’m here to get your statement of events of yesterday at the bank. Do you feel up to talking to me?” “Sure. But first, do you know what happened to the woman who was in the vault with me?” The detective sobered immediately. “Did she shoot you, Mr. Traynor?” “No! What the hell? One of the men robbing the bank shot me. She was trying to protect me.”

 

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“Was she?” He looked so obviously distrustful, Zeke’s guard went up. This man wasn’t Emma Rae’s friend. What did they think she’d done? “Did she get shot?” Zeke asked. “Please. I just want to know if she’s safe.” “She’s fine as near as I know. She didn’t get shot because she was the one holding the gun after all was said and done. After questioning her, we had to let her go.” “Of course you did. Because she didn’t do anything wrong. She’s a victim.” “Can you identify the gunman who allegedly shot you?” “No. He wore a ski mask.” “Did you notice any distinguishing marks on him? Scars? Tattoos? “No. After he shot me in the chest, I went down quickly. My last memory is of hearing three more gunshots in the room. I was afraid Emma Rae got shot.” “She allegedly fired those shots at the third robber. The one who ended up getting away.” His sarcastic tone when saying the word “allegedly” spoke volumes to Zeke. He looked back at the detective, wary of giving him any further information. “Why do you think Emma Rae had something to do with this tragedy? She didn’t.” He shrugged at first then leaned closer as if about to impart a confidence. “She was arrested for shooting a man a few years back and went to trial over it. Now another man is shot, so we have to ask the obvious questions. You understand.” Zeke clamped down on his surprise. Even if she’d shot a man earlier in her life, he didn’t understand why she was being vilified over a bank robbery she had no part in. The detective was obviously looking for his reaction for the shock value. He refused to contribute to the drama the man sought. “All I know is she tried to save me when I was hurt.”

 

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“How well acquainted with her are you?” “Not very.” Zeke chose his next words carefully. “I didn’t even know her name until the day of the robbery.” “Is that so?” Rollins made a notation in his notebook. “My understanding is that she was pretty broken up about your injuries. EMTs almost had to physically restrain her to get you loaded into the ambulance.” He stared at Zeke as if again waiting for his awestruck reaction. Zeke smiled lightly. “Well, we went through something very profound together. It isn’t every day a person is involved in a bank robbery where people are endangered to this degree. We were threatened by guns and even more violence.” “Threatened?” “The robber I beat up in the vault wanted to rape her. I stopped him. She probably felt gratitude and then wanted to protect me.” “So you two didn’t know each other before the robbery.” Zeke wavered. “I’d seen her once before but hadn’t met her.” Rollins lifted his notebook and pen as if to make further notes. “Where did you see her?” “What possible difference does that make?” He wasn’t going to bring the DRMC into this. Beyond the fact that Clay would frown on it, Zeke didn’t trust this detective with the information. He shrugged and looked put out. “Why is it such a big secret?” Zeke’s head hurt trying to dodge the detective’s obvious slant against Emma Rae. He didn’t want to answer any more questions until he knew not only more of what had happened but what Emma Rae had already told them. He put a hand to his forehead and rubbed. “I’m very tired, Detective. Can we finish this up later?” Zeke dropped his head back on the hospital bed pillow and closed his eyes. It was very difficult to keep his eyes shut and simply hope the detective would go away. Luckily, the burly doctor returned seconds later and interrupted them to complete Zeke’s transfer out of the ICU.

 

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“I still have quite a few questions left. So I’ll catch up with you again very soon, Mr. Traynor,” Detective Rollins said with a malicious smile. “I’ll look forward to it.” Lie. Lie. Lie. Twenty minutes later Zeke was installed in a semiprivate room, but no one occupied the other bed in the small space. He was grateful for the solitude. The detective had at least told him that Emma Rae hadn’t gotten hurt. But the shot of unease lodged in his belly over her safety likely wouldn’t fade until he saw her with his own eyes. He also worried about the detective being after Emma Rae for something in her past. He was ready to defend her to the end. She hadn’t done anything wrong in the bank. He called his memory back further to before the third gunman had come to the vault. His thoughts went all the way back to the kiss they shared right before pandemonium broke loose and changed everything. The kiss had been spectacular from his point of view. He’d wanted that kiss since the second he’d seen her hidden behind Clay in the DRMC’s security office. The surprise of seeing her in the bank teller line only made him want to kiss her more. He hadn’t even known her name but had wanted a long, slow, deep taste of her lips to quell his curiosity after the mere glimpse he’d gotten at Clay’s security fortress. Seeing her again in the bank’s lobby only intensified his desire to kiss her The best part of his memory had to do with the fact that she’d instigated that kiss in the vault. While it was true that he’d helped keep that paunchy reprobate from violating her, he wouldn’t have demanded a kiss for his action. However, he’d wanted a taste of her more than he wanted his next lungful of air. But he wouldn’t have taken it. Couldn’t have pressed her for it. Clay had told him she was wary of men and had a bad history. If she’d had to shoot her way free of someone, he didn’t blame her

 

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reluctance. But he was so glad she’d trusted him enough to let go and gift him with that exquisite lip-lock. Perhaps he looked longingly enough into her eyes that she was mesmerized into action. Her lips pressed solidly to his after her arms encircled his neck. The kiss was filled with exuberant enthusiasm. He’d never wanted it to end. The third gunman he’d remembered but hoped was already gone from the bank suddenly showed up, ruined the moment, and then shot him in the chest to boot. Bastard. Zeke turned toward the noise of a squeaky cart approaching from down the hallway. Directly on the heels of that disturbance came the whoosh sound of the room’s door opening, and signaled he was about to have company. He hoped it wasn’t Detective Rollins back with more foolish questions. His body tightened as if putting up a shield and preparing for a blow. He lifted a wary gaze to the door and this new guest. There she was, like a vision called straight from his dreams. Emma Rae. Framed in the doorway of his room for only a second, she walked forward with a beautiful smile on her face. His internal shields slid away like water escaping down the side of a mountain. Gratitude, desire, hope, and happiness all vied for equal attention in his soul. “It’s you,” he said quietly, thankful he sounded so calm when he was anything but. “Yes.” She grinned. “It’s me.” “Are you hurt?” “No. I’m not at all hurt.” She strolled quickly up to his bedside. “I’m so grateful that you’re okay.” She bent forward and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “Do you hurt?” He took full advantage of her closeness. “Not anymore now that I know you’re safe.” He slid his free hand into her hair and pulled her to his lips for a kiss. “I was so worried about you when I first woke,” he murmured before pressing his mouth to hers.

 

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The kiss was entirely too quick, but she tasted like nectar from the gods. She pulled back. “I managed to get into your room last night, but they kicked me out pretty quickly.” Emma Rae pushed her lips to his once more. They kissed very sweetly for a few moments before another familiar voice intruded from behind her. “I hear you’ve been hell on wheels since you woke up, Zeke. One little gunshot wound and you’re impossible to deal with.” **** Luke followed Emma Rae into the hospital room and watched with supreme interest as she greeted Zeke with an eager kiss and then another. The space around his heart warmed suddenly. They looked perfect together. He couldn’t believe it. She was their one. The woman he didn’t believe existed for them. Zeke had found her. Luke was ready to make a commitment. He’d barely slept the night before so he could watch her slumber. She’d had a bad dream in the night and called out inarticulately until he snuggled up behind her. She calmed the moment he put his hands on her and whispered nonsensical, soothing words in her ear. It was probably foolish to be so enamored of her in such a short time, but he didn’t worry about it. The men in their unusual club always insisted that when they met the perfect girl they knew it almost immediately. They’d been right. Zeke had apparently been frantic to find out if she was okay the moment he woke up. And it was obvious by their current reunion that his best friend was in love. Zeke looked away from Emma Rae and smiled. “You know how it works, Luke. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Although in this case it’s better. The loud, wounded patient gets the girl.”

 

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Luke walked closer and put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Yeah? Well, so does his friend.” Zeke’s expression was priceless. His grin would have lit the vast sky in the middle of a full solar eclipse. “Looks like I don’t have to make introductions.” She eyed first Zeke and then Luke before responding, “We’ve become very closely acquainted while waiting for you to wake up.” Zeke’s grin widened. “I see.” “Do you? Because this is very strange for me.” Emma Rae’s candor was refreshing. She’d been so worried all the way here that Zeke would be upset about what they’d done the night before. “She’s afraid you’re going to be troubled about the time we spent together last night.” Zeke took one of her hands between his palms. “If you tell me the two of you slept together all through the night, you’ll make me the happiest I’ve ever been. That’s the truth.” She sighed and looked up at him. Her gaze was filled with such uncertainty. Zeke told her exactly what he’d expected, but she still didn’t quite believe it. Time for some proof. Luke bent down and quickly kissed her mouth. She didn’t resist. She kissed him back, even placing her fingertips on his face. Their kiss lasted for several seconds. When he finally pulled away, Emma Rae’s cheeks were pink. Zeke reached for her and kissed her, too. “Your blush makes me crazy. I want to strip you naked and do wild things to you. But sincerely, I’m so grateful you found each other.” Emma Rae looked over her shoulder as if to ensure they were still alone. “I’m grateful that you’re alive. Seriously, when you went down, I thought you were done.” “The detective working the case told me that you had to be physically restrained from coming in the ambulance with me.” “Which detective?” she asked. Her serious demeanor didn’t much surprise him. They’d probably grilled her over the incident.

 

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“Rollins,” Zeke said with a bit of attitude attached. The two of them shared a meaningful look. Luke’s expression darkened. “What’s going on?” He shrugged and said to Emma Rae, “Tell me what happened after I went down.” “I fired that gun three more times at the third gunman, and it got me in trouble.” “He deserved it. What kind of trouble are you in?” Luke asked. They’d never spent much time talking either last night or this morning. Last night because of all the amazing sexual goings-on and this morning because of the early phone call about Zeke waking up and Emma Rae leaving to go home and change clothes. “Doesn’t matter. Clay found a lawyer for me. I believe I’ll be okay, but it brings up my sordid past. Something I’ll need to confide to you both one of these days. But not today.” “Is Zachary Barrett your lawyer, by any chance?” Zeke asked. She nodded. “He is. And he’s awesome.” Luke brushed a hand down her hair and rested it on her back. “I hate that you even need a lawyer given what happened to you, but Zachary is the best.” “He must be a club member.” They both nodded. Luke wanted more information on her past. Not for the gossip, but because he didn’t want her to suffer a moment more of anguish or pain over whatever had happened. “And you both own the ranch I visited last night, right? But you”—she pointed at Zeke—“are a member of the US Treasury Department.” “Right.” Zeke looked like he’d suddenly perked up during the conversation even though he had to be tired and weary from his recent injuries. Her brows furrowed. “That’s so surprising.” “Why?”

 

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She crossed her arms. “My vision of a member of the Treasury department has more to do with analyzing data, meaning a desk job. It doesn’t really jive with the impressive fighting skills I saw you display in the bank vault. What’s up with that?” Zeke grinned. “Well the reason for that is simple. Officially I’m assigned to the Treasury Department, but I also spend time as needed in a multi-agency task force. It’s mostly field work so I gathered quite a few skills there during the training.” “I see.” Emma Rae got a funny glint in her eyes, and asked, “So…do you have a service weapon?” “Maybe. Why? Does that turn you on? Men with guns?” She shook her head. “Not exactly. But can you shoot it? Are you a really good shot?” “Yes I can shoot it, but I try not to.” Zeke glanced at Luke. “And the truth is, Luke’s a better shot with both a rifle and a pistol.” Her blue-green gaze focused on his eyes. Her eyebrows lifted in question. “Misspent youth?” she asked with a laugh. “Something like that,” he replied. “Excellent. Will one of you do me a huge favor?” “Anything,” they said at the same time. “Will one of you please teach me how to shoot a gun?”

 

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Chapter Eight Clay swiveled around in his desk chair and pondered recent events. Luke had called to tell him that Zeke was awake, talking, and on the road to recovery. They were both worried about Emma Rae and the local cop’s fixation on her past. Clay told him he’d look into things and not to worry. He’d dug up quite a few interesting bits of information regarding Emma Rae’s past difficulties with the law. In fact, he’d looked them over briefly over a year ago when he hired her. Clay worried that she wasn’t quite out of the woods with the local cops. And it bothered him. Perhaps he should look into the detective’s motives more deeply. He made a mental note to ask around. She had Zachary as her lawyer now, therefore if any trouble arose, Clay would be informed immediately to lend assistance as needed. However, he thought about a more permanent solution. Why had the police detective been so hard on her? Did he have a connection to Emma Rae? If so, it was obviously one she didn’t know about. He made another mental note to simply follow up and ensure she wasn’t bothered again. The local police might have gotten some prejudiced information. The rich, arrogant prick who’d locked her in a closet for two days deserved what he got, in Clay’s opinion. He was lucky she hadn’t shot him in the nut sac, shoved him in the closet prison she’d already endured, and barred the door before running away. Instead, they’d struggled for the gun after he opened the door to the closet, and he’d shot himself in the shoulder during the altercation.

 

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Naturally, he blamed her for the shooting. His family had enough clout to railroad her into an idiotic prosecution. Besides, all accounts of that incident had been vetted though the foolish trial she’d been subjected to. Her defense lawyer might as well have not showed up for all the good he did. If it hadn’t been for the shithead rich boy testifying in court as to his motive, intention, and actions for locking her in the closet, the outcome for her freedom might have been disastrous. The judge had thrown the case out with a severe admonishment to the prosecutor. Her lawyer, who’d been a complete joke in the way of representation, should have gotten the case thrown out before the trial started. The judge hadn’t been too happy with him either. In fact, Clay noted, he was currently in the process of being disbarred for some shady dealings that hadn’t yet been revealed in the public domain. He wouldn’t be practicing for much longer. And that was a great windfall for the public in general. The phone rang all of a sudden and pulled Clay from a vendetta scenario he wouldn’t be able to instigate anyway. “Yes.” “Hey, it’s Jake. I wondered if you’d found any information for me.” Clay smiled. “Not quite yet, but I’m working on it. I have a friend from Treasury checking with someone to possibly obtain a list of transactions from the bank for the day in question, but he’s been recently injured. Unfortunately, it will slow down the process.” “That’s okay. I’ll be grateful for anything you can get me.” “As soon as he’s recuperated, I’ll check with him.” “Thanks, Clay. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.” “No problem.” Clay cleared his throat and changed the subject. “I was wondering if you wanted to come down to Ryder sometime soon and get a drink or dinner. We should catch up. It’s been too long.” “Great idea. You’re the all-encompassing security for a private men’s club down there, right?”

 

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“Yes. It’s called the Double Rider Men’s Club.” Clay let the words sink in. There was a pause at the end of the line. “Really? That’s a very interesting name for a men’s club.” And Jake sounded very interested. “We’re not talking about horses here, are we?” “Nope.” “How about I come down this weekend? I have some time off coming. Will that work?” Perfect. There was an informal show at the Stadium this coming Saturday night. He and Jake could watch the ménage sex show from his private box. Then his old friend could fully understand the benefits of membership. “Yes. I’ll introduce you around at the club and we can take in a show. How does that sound?” “Sounds great. I’ll look forward to it.” “You can bunk with me. It’s nothing fancy, but as I recall, we stayed in worse places back when we were rowdy youngsters.” “That will be fine. Thanks, Clay. See you soon.” “Yep.” Clay rattled the phone back in the cradle. Memories of that night with Jake so many years ago flooded his mind. He quelled the excitement racing through his body as he recalled their first foray into the reality of an unexpected ménage lifestyle. They’d been drinking. Naturally. They’d been young, on top of the world, in the best shape of their lives, and out searching for pussy exactly like horny men often do given the freedom to pursue it. The better part of half a six-pack’s worth of beer already coursing through both their systems, he remembered watching his friend staring at a particularly gorgeous young thing. Clay also had his eye on her for a possible hookup and wondered if they’d have to arm wrestle for her. His mind had briefly ventured into a fantasy place he’d never shared with anyone but discarded the notion he wouldn’t say out loud. The curvy, luscious, dark-haired girl across the room he’d been lusting after since they arrived danced with seemingly wild abandon

 

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behind the bars of a pseudo cage in the seedy nightclub. She wore a microscopic bikini that looked like it might jiggle off at any second. Jake had suddenly said something unexpected that changed everything. He nodded once in the direction of the girl in the cage. “Think we could talk that curvaceous vision of sexy girl into letting both of us fuck her at the same time?” Clay’s mouth had dropped open in surprise. He’d swiveled his barstool to face Jake. “How’d you know that’s exactly what I was thinking just then?” Jake’s lopsided grin slid into place. He’d shrugged. “Maybe I’ve seen your porn collection.” “I don’t have a collection. Can’t afford one yet.” His heart started thumping hard in his chest at his friend’s suggestion. It was a mirror image of his previously discarded fantasy. Jake stared at the girl again. “Maybe I just sensed that we have similar tastes in the bedroom.” “Whatever the reason, my answer is yes. And in answer to your initial question, I believe we should at least attempt to talk her into it.” “And if she declines?” Jake turned and asked. “Then we keep looking for the right girl.” Jake grinned and took another long sip of beer, draining the bottle. He winked, slid off the barstool, and approached the girl on her next break. She said yes. Clay’s very first venture into the very satisfying practice of threesome sex had happened less than an hour later. The room had sported two mirrored walls and a mirrored ceiling as an added bonus for watching themselves with the dark-haired girl from the cage. He dearly hoped that Jake still liked the same pleasures. He’d probably researched him already. His friend was a good investigator. He knew about the Double Rider Men’s Club now. Clay figured he’d find out whatever he could before arriving next week.

 

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Exuberant at the thought of re-creating that night with Jake, Clay briefly considered his tragic past. He pondered it for a few minutes and then allowed the bulk of sadness in his heart to release and flow away. He’d loved fiercely and lost suddenly. But that had been quite a long time ago. Clay had mourned for years. While the pain had nearly consumed him once upon a time, he’d survived. Larissa and Mark wouldn’t have wanted him to curl up and die alongside them in that accident. Survivor’s guilt had gnawed at his soul for long enough. It was well past time to move on. Finding Jake after all this time had to be the huge neon sign from the universe that he could allow himself some happiness in his life once again. The coming weekend heralded his new, optimistic outlook on life and possibly finding love once more. **** After a year of no particular daily routine, Emma Rae found herself smack-dab in the middle of a rigid schedule. And she liked it. She was on her way to pick up Luke so they could visit the hospital, and Zeke, together. For the past two weeks since the bank robbery, she’d spent her days with Zeke in the hospital, reading to him, talking to him, and learning about his life with Luke. Listening to Zeke describe their unique lifestyle, Emma Rae discovered surprisingly that it was a life she wanted very much to be a part of. He didn’t ever mention any previous women in more than general terms. Just that they’d both tried to make a couple of previous relationships work but that they hadn’t. Emma Rae wanted to be the exception to their past experiences. She more than anyone else understood about bad relationships that

 

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ultimately ended poorly. She desperately wanted their budding affair to end well. She wanted to try a future with them. When visiting hours were over, she’d quickly take care of whatever work she had to do at home. Each evening, she’d drive out to their ranch and have a nice, quiet dinner with Luke. He never failed to present her flowers. A nice touch of romance she’d never experienced before and hadn’t expected from a rough-around-theedges cowboy like him. She’d tell him about her day with Zeke. They’d rehash whatever topic they’d discussed that day. Luke’s often different account of events than what she recited from Zeke’s perspective had them laughing until her stomach ached. Never in her life had she enjoyed simply talking to men about so many varied topics without fear of offending or, worse, sharing her opinion and being cut down for actually having one. Luke took several evenings and taught her to handle a gun and to shoot it. She wasn’t as skillful as he was, but she didn’t shake like a heroin addict needing a fix any longer either. She especially loved it when Luke stood behind her, plastered to her body, and helped her aim. At first he’d brought a whole new level of tremors to her frame. But she wanted to learn, and he seemed very happy to help her out. That Luke and Zeke cared about each other was obvious. In each other’s company or out, they kidded and joked about almost everything. Most nights she spent with Luke in his enormous bed, although after that first night together, she hadn’t wanted to pursue a further sexual relationship until Zeke was healthy enough to join them. Luke told her he had absolutely no problem waiting. But these past weeks pressed in on her and, in fact, Emma Rae was the one with the problem stopping if they began any kind of intimacy. It often started with merely a brief kiss that soon morphed into a lip-lock gone wild and ended with her straddled across his lap grinding her crotch over his cock, trying to find the ultimate pleasure.

 

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She then tried to suck his tongue down her throat on a subliminal mission to make them both come without getting undressed. She never slowed them down until Luke eventually pulled her away from him, stopped them, caught his breath, and said, “Pull your pants down and let me finish you. Three strokes of my tongue against your clit and we’ll both be relieved.” Emma Rae would surface from the haze of her lusty addiction and roll away, breathing hard. “Not yet. I can wait. I’m so sorry for letting things go this far.” “I don’t think I’m sorry,” he’d always say and then laugh with an agonized tone. “One of these days, we’re both going to implode.” Luke always had to be the one to put the brakes on each night. Even though Zeke told them to please fuck like bunnies in his absence. He promised that he’d make up time once he was out of the hospital. During her visits, Zeke frequently pulled her close, and kissed the shell of her ear before whispering about all the decadent things he planned to do to her once he was free from his hospital bed. He recited quite a long list of items in his detailed plan to seduce her once he was healed enough and sent home. She told him he’d have to be careful. He said that he didn’t care if he ripped every one of his stitches, he planned to have her screaming the wallpaper loose on his first night home. Emma Rae didn’t plan to let him reopen any wounds, but she was anxious for his release. Pun intended. Three long days from today and he would be back home as long as there weren’t any complications. Last night, after leaving the hospital, she’d gone home to take care of a few things that had piled up in her life. The daily trips to the hospital and nights in Luke’s bed trying not to jump his bones had sidetracked her from her loose and easy former routine. But she enjoyed the distraction and looked forward to the decadent-sex-withtwo-men lifestyle they had planned for her.

 

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The anticipation had driven her to new levels of lust. Instead of nightmares, each night her dreams were filled with sex here, sex there, and more sex pretty much everywhere. Emma Rae drove into the ranch entrance and sped to the house. Luke had asked for a ride to the hospital this morning. They didn’t often get there together, as he had responsibilities at the ranch early in the day. But he’d left her a text early this morning to stop by on her way so they could go to the hospital together. She parked, exited her car quickly, and bounded up the stairs to the front porch. Her fervent knock yielded a fast response. Luke opened the door wide and grabbed her around the waist and yanked her inside. His lips landed on hers a millisecond later. Her legs wrapped around his middle as if he wore a magnetic belt. The sincere lust-filled ache she’d been living with exceeded normal bounds this morning. Three days seemed like forever. She actually whimpered and tightened her legs around him harder. His cock, already stiff, pushed solidly into the open space between her legs. She could likely rub up and down less than a handful of times to get off, but she resisted the urge. Zeke waited. She could wait. Currently, Luke didn’t seem to want to wait. She didn’t think she had the willpower to fight off his ardent overtures. Before she could stop him, Luke kicked the front door shut, tightened his arms around her back, and carried her on a familiar path to his bedroom. What was he doing? They were already running late to get to the hospital. Luke was two steps into his bedroom before she found the wherewithal to pull back for a change. “We’re already late, you know?” “I know.” This was normally where he’d put the brakes on and they’d physically part ways so they could let the ache subside. But this time he didn’t put her down. Instead, he closed the door and then nibbled a trail along her jawline.

 

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His cock, fully hard and digging deliciously into her crotch, pushed forward a little harder than he usually did. A hand slid to her ass to hold her in place as he dry humped her a couple of times. The sensation was so sublimely erotic, her eyes almost rolled back in her head. Seriously, she was on the acute edge of pleasure so grand she’d revel in it for hours if she let go. But she knew she’d regret it if she fell over and succumbed to his charms without Zeke. She’d waited for a reason. “What are you doing to me?” she managed to whisper. “I’m weak. You already know from past experience that I can’t be trusted to stop us.” “Good. Because we aren’t stopping. I’m going to press you down on the bed, strip your clothes off, and fuck you raw. We’ve denied ourselves far too long. I simply can’t wait anymore.” He kissed her hard on the mouth. His hand snaked between their bodies and caressed her breast. When he tweaked her nipple she moaned long and hard, trying to put a cap on her libido. It wasn’t working. Emma Rae wasn’t sure she had the strength to stop him. She certainly didn’t want to cease this fabulous track they were on for a number of reasons all beginning with orgasm. But then Zeke’s face slid into her mind. He’d told them over and over again that he didn’t care, but they’d already waited for so long. What was a few more days? In that next second, Luke shifted his hips and drove his cock hard between her legs. As one other time before, he hit the perfect pressure in the perfect spot to graze her clit with immense pleasure. Her breath sucked in hard. “Oh, God.” One more stroke like that and she’d be gone. Luke pushed her down to the bed and crushed his body on top of her. Legs spread wide, she arched her back the second he stroked his cock along her pussy lips. Even through the layers of their clothing, she felt vibrating pleasure streak down her body, brush across her clit, and settle deeply in her pussy. One more time like that and she really would scream in gratified completion.

 

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She pulled back. “Wait.” He lifted his torso and shook his head. “We have waited.” His intense gaze drilled a hole into her soul. “No more waiting, right Zeke?” “That’s right. Let him take you, Emma Rae.” Zeke’s sultry, sexy voice filtered slowly into her brain. “I’ve pictured this in my hospital bed almost since the moment I regained consciousness. I can’t wait to see you pleasured.” Zeke’s voice registered, but her confusion was profound. Luke covered her, pressed her harder against the surface of the mattress, and distracted her from the newfound puzzle. She turned her head to look at the opposite side of the bed for the first time since she’d entered the room. Zeke, dressed in a gray T-shirt and navy sweatpants, rested on his side facing them, head propped in one palm, carefully watching their embrace with ubiquitous desire sweltering in his gaze. Emma Rae reached out a hand to him. He took it and kissed the back of her trembling fingers. Luke pulled back a bit. She turned her gaze to his mischievous smile. “Surprised?” “Yes.” “Good surprise?” Zeke asked. She looked back into his fathomless blue eyes. “Definitely a good surprise.” Emma Rae brushed her palm along his jawline. “Are you feeling okay? Does anything hurt?” “I feel great and nothing hurts, but there is something that truly aches.” “Behave,” Luke said. “She’s not talking about your cock. At least not yet.” He shifted his body off of hers to free her. She rolled to her side, facing Zeke. “Come here,” he said. His husky voice drilled all the way to her pussy.

 

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She shifted closer until she pushed her body against his frame. His mouth dipped ever closer to hers. “Kiss me. It’s been too long.” “We kissed last night at the hospital,” she reminded him. His eyelids slid half-shut. “Seems like ages ago.” Emma Rae moved forward, meeting him in the middle until her mouth brushed his lips. Heaven. Zeke was more aggressive than usual. Perhaps because they weren’t in a semipublic place. First at the bank and then at the hospital, they’d kissed, but not like this. He licked between her lips like he was starved for the taste of her. Behind her, Luke had sidled close and pressed his body against her back. It should have been shocking to have two men pressed against her, but she barely noticed. Zeke kissed her like they’d been apart for decades. She was now loosely sandwiched between them. It was the first time in memory that she wasn’t alarmed about being so confined. Zeke’s hand moved between them. Before she could stop him— and she wouldn’t have—he slid his fingers over one breast. He pinched her nipple and thrust his tongue deeply into her mouth at the same time. Remarkable. Her pussy pulsed in readiness. She wanted to strip naked and have her wicked way with the both of them. How long had it been since she’d wanted to fuck anyone, let alone two men? Way too long. Luke ran his hands all over her back, eventually fastening them to her ass. Each squeeze also pushed her pelvis into Zeke’s growing cock. He felt as huge as she knew Luke was. The kiss grew more intense. Zeke started thrusting his hips forward in tandem with each lick into her mouth. Her pussy gushed with aching need. Luke nibbled a path along the back of her neck. He whispered, “Get on top of Zeke and ride him. I’ve decided that I want to watch the two of you together first.”

 

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Zeke groaned into her mouth and thrust his hips harder against her as if in assent. She hated to stop kissing Zeke but decided it was time to get her clothes off. She reluctantly pulled away from Zeke’s luscious lips and sat up on the bed. Luke helped pull her shirt off as she wriggled out of her pants. Zeke got himself undressed in no time and had a condom from the nightstand drawer rolled on seconds later. She crawled naked over the top of his body and straddled his hips. Before she could say the words “let’s fuck,” she bent down, and they came together in skinto-skin bliss. Emma Rae pulled back and glanced at the bandage on Zeke’s chest. He smiled. “I’m fine, I promise you.” He kissed her and pushed his cock against her slick pussy lips. The pleasure rifling up her core from their intimate connection put her in motion. She groaned and slid her wet opening across his rigid cock. She angled herself to take his dick deeply inside her body. The moment he breached her pussy, her eyes slammed shut, trying to gain some control. He likely wouldn’t even get his cock all the way inside her body before she burst apart. But she wanted to last longer. She grasped her limited control, centered her pussy over his glorious cock, and eased her way down slowly. Once he was completely embedded inside, she noted that his eyes had drifted halfway shut. Emma Rae glanced over at Luke. The lazy, seductive expression on his face as he watched them emboldened her even further. She was about to ride Zeke as hard as she could manage as Luke watched her. So sexy. Zeke’s palms suddenly covered her breasts. Each of his thumbnails scraped across her nipples. She gasped and almost came. Gain some control. Easing her pussy off of his cock, Emma Rae then plunged down, swallowing him completely once more. And then she did it again. And again.

 

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Riding him harder and harder as he played with her nipples was the most acute and sublime pleasure she’d ever experienced. Streaks of desire raced through her body. Being in control of this mating was an alien feeling, but she loved it. Each time the tip of his cock met the end of her pussy an explosion of pleasure rocketed up her spine. She didn’t know how long she rocked up and down over him, but when Luke slid his hand between them to finger her clit, she lost it. Head tilting back, scream erupting from her throat, pulsing pleasure consumed her heart and soul. Luke pulled his hand away. He smiled like he’d just gotten away with something naughty. Zeke’s hands dropped from her breasts to grip her hips. She still moved on him, but, using his hands as leverage, he pushed his cock even more deeply into her pussy. The walls of her pussy clamped on his cock as he fucked her hard for several thrusts. She watched his beautiful face. Their gazes met right before he shot his cock deeply into her body very hard and very fast. He stiffened briefly and growled as if with forceful pleasure. After a few more intense thrusts, he pushed his cock all the way into her pussy and settled back against the bed. Still intimately connected, Emma Rae pushed out a breath and slumped over his heaving chest. “Fuck, that was good,” she murmured. “That’s the truth,” Zeke replied. Her eyes opened, and she caught Luke’s amused gaze. “Fun to watch, too.” She kissed Zeke’s chest near his heart, promptly putting her ear in the same place to listen to his pounding heartbeat. He hugged her close for endless seconds and massaged her back. When she caught her breath, she lifted slowly and freed Zeke’s cock from her body. He rolled off the bed and made his way to the bathroom, leaving her alone with Luke. “Now it’s your turn,” she said and pointed at him. “Take your clothes off.”

 

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He lifted from the bed, stripped quickly, and put a condom on before joining her. She had rolled to her back. He covered his body over her well-satisfied limpness. “I want you, but I’m weak from immense pleasure right now.” “Understandable. But not to worry. I’ll get on top for this round. Will that work?” “Yes,” she whispered and widened her legs to accommodate him. He dipped his head and kissed her cheek. He then trailed a steady row of kisses down her neck until he crested the top curve of one breast. Sucking her nipple gently into his warm mouth, Luke took his time licking and laving attention on that lucky tip. Emma Rae quivered in pleasure by the time he abandoned the first one and captured the other one to administer the same pleasure. She arched her back and widened her legs even more as he seduced her breasts, sending tendrils of pleasure to her pussy. Wanting his cock inside her body as soon as possible, Emma Rae shifted her hips and wiggled to get his attention. He laughed to himself and finally centered himself more fully between her legs. He kissed his way back to her lips. The tip of his cock suddenly rested at the entrance to her pussy, but he didn’t try to penetrate her. He simply stared down into her face with a loving expression. She didn’t know why until Zeke came back into the room. He climbed onto the bed and sidled close beside them. “I’ll fuck her until she screams again while you suck on her nipples. Good plan?” “Perfect,” Zeke said. “I warmed them up for you.” “Excellent.” Luke shifted onto his elbows to give Zeke some room. Emma Rae put her hand on Zeke’s head and furrowed her fingers through his wavy hair. Until he clamped his lips around her nipple and sucked hard. Then she grasped a handful of his hair and arched her back in supreme pleasure.

 

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Between her legs, a marvelous pressure built as Luke slowly breached her body. His huge, hard cock didn’t stop until he’d fully penetrated her pussy. Zeke sucked on one extremely sensitive nipple until she was about to scream and lose it. Then he reached his hand across her torso to fondle and tweak the other pert tip. Having two men working to bring her off was the most sublime pleasure imaginable. She almost couldn’t believe she was experiencing it. Luke pulled his cock halfway out and plunged hard and fast into her pussy again. The feeling was so intensely good, she shrieked. Her loud display didn’t slow her two men down any. If anything, Luke fucked her pussy even harder and Zeke sucked her nipples with more ferocity. Emma Rae was fast coming to another pleasurable peak. Having both of them focused so intently on making her come was certainly a brand-new experience. She’d never felt so treasured before. Her hand was still buried in Zeke’s soft hair. She expected Luke to release any second. They’d waited so long to consummate this relationship, she wanted him to feel good. After her long-awaited climax from a few minutes before, she didn’t think she could come again so quickly, but her body seemed to disagree. She was getting closer and closer. Luke fucking her hard and fast and for so long made her libido ramp up quickly. Zeke suddenly lifted his head and stared into her eyes. “Reach down and finger yourself. Luke won’t release until you do.” She looked at Luke, who nodded and slowed his pace. He looked fiercely close to completion. “I want to feel your pussy squeezing my cock before I let go. It’s something else that gives me a rush.” Zeke resumed sucking on her lucky nipple as she reached her free hand down between her legs to finger her swollen, aching clit. Two strokes later and she was within half a breath of another powerful climax.

 

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She brushed one more hard stroke over her clit just as Zeke bit down on her nipple. The sensation pushed her over the edge. She came apart with a long, resounding moan. “Fuck that feels good.” Luke sped his thrusts, and she groaned even louder. Each thrust of his cock sent a rush of pleasure screaming through her body. He suddenly shot his hips once more deeply inside her pussy and stiffened. A growl emitted from his throat, sounding much like a satisfied beast. Zeke lifted his head away from her breast just as Luke collapsed on top of her. He was breathing very hard. “That was utterly and completely amazing,” she said. Luke nodded but didn’t speak. Zeke grinned. “I agree. I already can’t wait to start over and do all of this again.” “I’m deplorably out of shape,” Luke murmured. He pulled his cock from her and lifted off of the bed. Scratching his chest, he stretched and moved toward the bathroom. Zeke shook his head. “Nah. You’re just out of practice. Two or three more months repeating this and you’ll be fine.” Emma Rae smiled inside. She hoped they’d still be together in two or three months. She turned to face Zeke. He swooped down and kissed her mouth, licking his way inside for a deeper taste. He broke only long enough to whisper, “Seriously, I’d be perfectly content just kissing your remarkable lips for the rest of my life.” Then he captured her mouth once more in a rousing kiss that soon had them plastered together and rolling back and forth slowly on the surface of the bed. Luke returned and snuggled up behind her when he was able. Emma Rae broke from Zeke, twisted, and pushed her lips against Luke’s mouth hard and fast. If she thought Zeke’s kiss was aggressive, then Luke’s was overwhelmingly forceful. Little growling noises came from him as he thrust and parried his tongue powerfully between her lips.

 

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After quite a while, she pulled back and looked at Zeke. Head propped on one palm, he smiled as if he’d also thoroughly enjoyed the lip-lock she’d shared with Luke. For her, the ease with which these two men accepted her love for the other was the most difficult concept to grasp. “You really aren’t jealous when I kiss Luke, are you?” “Nope.” “And I love to watch you kiss Zeke like you want to gnaw his face off. It’s sexy.” Luke nibbled her shoulder. “Honestly, we love to watch each other almost as much as we love to participate.” Emma Rae was reluctant to bring up the topic she was most worried about going forward in this unusual relationship. The double penetration sex was certainly coming sooner rather than later. She’d researched the subject in greater detail since meeting them. While there had been a fleeting desire to try this dark intimacy long ago, she was a reluctant virgin in this respect. In a previously horrid relationship, the act she’d longed to try had been used as a threat of violence. She’d shied away from it thereafter. With no men in her life for such a long time, she hadn’t thought about it for years. Lately, it was all she thought about. She didn’t plan to bring it up until they did. Hopefully, it would be a few weeks or, better yet, months before she had to consider participating in the decadent double penetration sex. “There’s a DRMC event planned for this coming Saturday in a place we call the Stadium. We’d like to invite you to our private box to watch a show.” The idea of watching naked women jiggling their assets on a private stage or more likely contorting their bodies around brass poles slid into her mind and made her smile. “Whatever will we watch during this show at your men’s club?” “Double penetration ménage sex,” Luke said as a simmering smile shaped his lips. “Then perhaps we can act out what we see.”

 

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Chapter Nine Saturday night had arrived very quickly. For the first time in possibly forever, Clay was uncertain he was doing the right thing. Stalwart in his intent to move forward with his sex life, he still fought the nervous anxiety racing through his veins at the coming evening. Would Jake want to join him as his partner and continue with a ménage lifestyle at the DRMC? Was his old friend still even interested in this unique way of life? It had been quite a long time. Perhaps Jake was over that phase and wasn’t as fascinated as he had been in his youth. But then again, what if he was? He’d sounded very interested on the phone to come down and check things out. Ultimately, Clay knew he planned to charge ahead and make this life his own regardless of the outcome of tonight’s initial foray into his search for another male partner. If Jake wasn’t interested, he’d likely have his answer tonight. The long-ago memories of Jake had been on his mind of late. While that night long ago with Jake had been his first time sharing a woman, if memory served it hadn’t been Jake’s first time. This gave him hope. However if his memory was faulty, perhaps he was inventing reasons why Jake was the perfect partner for his future. He should just let things unfold. But he was antsy at waiting to discover Jake’s thoughts on the lifestyle presented and preserved by the DRMC. He chided himself for feeling like a girl headed to the fairy castle for a date with the prince. Jake was already on his way to the property from town. He’d gotten a room at the Ryder Hotel in town and called to say he’d be at the DRMC directly. Clay couldn’t wait. Giddy excitement coursed

 

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through his limbs at the possibility that he might finally get to enjoy the lifestyle he’d put aside during the long phase of his mourning. A buzzer sounded in the main guard building at the front entrance to the DRMC, signaling someone had arrived at the entrance gate. Clay was currently in the guard shack’s office waiting for Jake. That was likely him. He strode out of the office to check. Through the door, he saw his old friend seated in a large, black SUV. Clay’s guard was about to do what he’d hired him to do, but Clay intervened. “I’ll take this one, Tommy. Mr. Salerno is an old friend.” Tommy stepped back with a slightly surprised expression. “Yes, sir, Mr. Forrester.” Clay stepped outside of the building. Through the window of his vehicle, Clay could tell that Jake looked pretty much the same as he had when they’d first met. He was a bit older and had a few new scars and wrinkles, but when he grinned, Clay’s memory of him was sent careening back years. Jake Salerno, the friend who’d launched Clay into this lifestyle. “Clayton Forrester. Long time no see. How’s it hanging, man?” “Past my knee caps, as usual,” Clay responded with a grin. “Good to see you, Jake.” He reached out his hand, and they shook. Jake nodded at the gate guarding the entrance. “Quite a setup you’ve got here. I know we go way back, Clay, but am I going to be allowed entrance into this place?” “Luckily for you, I have the final say for who is permitted on the property. And although you look as disreputable as ever, I’ll just have to keep a close eye on you while you’re here.” He turned back to Tommy and signaled him to open the gate. “If it’s okay, I’ll hitch a ride with you and we’ll head to the Stadium. We can get a drink and catch up before the show starts.” “Sounds like a plan.” He walked around to the passenger door and climbed in. He directed Jake through the property to the Stadium, knowing that his

 

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friend possessed the canny ability to remember the route forever. Jake could go back to a place he hadn’t been to for twenty years and easily track through the most complicated course without a misstep. At least he’d been able to do it in his youth. “I like Colorado. Great terrain around here.” Jake pulled into the parking lot at the Stadium and stopped. “Yep. I love the mountains, and this piece of land is exceptionally well forested and private.” “Guess you need that for this club, huh?” Jake winked, and his grin was decidedly mischievous. A sudden warm feeling crawled up Clay’s chest. He figured it was his hopeful attitude about to be rewarded. “What do you know about our club anyway? I meant to ask earlier.” Clay exited his SUV and walked up the steps to the Stadium. “Enough to know that I can’t wait to see the show tonight.” Clay smiled to himself and led Jake inside. He nodded and said a few quick hellos to several trios already within along the way, including Zeke, Luke, and, very surprisingly, Emma Rae. She smiled shyly at him as he walked by and blushed a little, if he wasn’t mistaken, although the light was low, so it was hard to tell. He tucked that interesting bit of information away for the time being and headed over to get a drink. He and Jake ordered beers and slid onto the tall leather stools at the end of the bar. Jake took a sip from his bottle and glanced around the room at several club members. “Interesting group of people you have in here, Clay. Have to say that I’m very intrigued by your club.” “Good. I hope you’re intrigued enough to maybe try it out again like we did long ago.” He nodded. “I’m game.” Clay upended the bottle against his lips and took a long swig before asking, “So does that mean you still enjoy the same pleasures as you did way back when we were brash young men?”

 

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He grinned. “Yes. Very much so. Although I haven’t been able to participate in my ultimate desires for quite a long time. It’s a great way to live if you can make it work. I’ve been on the road for too long to sustain any sort of regular life, let alone one with unique aspects.” Clay nodded. “I understand that. I’ve been out of the life for a few years myself. Due to an unexpected occurrence, but I’m looking to get back in.” Jake sobered. “I heard about that a couple years back. I’m truly sorry, Clay.” He looked up and stared at Jake. He was very surprised. “You knew I got married?” His old friend nodded. “I kept my ear to the ground with regard to old friends, even though I was assigned for duty overseas for the bulk of the time since we knew each other long ago.” “Thanks. Took me a long time to get through it, but I’m ready to move on. And that’s a great segue into the reason you’re here right now. I do have a purpose in mind, and I’d like to discuss it with you.” Jake nodded. “Let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” “Sure.” “I’ve moved to Denver temporarily, but I can certainly move my permanent residence to Ryder, if I need to.” He looked up at Clay. “I’ve wanted to live my life in a certain way. I haven’t been able to for quite a long time. So if you’re looking for a partner for a ménage lifestyle, I’m very interested. I’m not saying it will work perfectly, but I’d like to give it the old college try.” “Thanks for reading my mind and making this easy.” “I’ve always been a giver,” Jake said and then laughed. He and Clay chuckled together for a few minutes, then Jake sobered. “My next question is, do you already have someone in mind for a third?” “Nope. Not a clue. If this eventually works out between us, then we’ll have to find her together.” Jake held up his beer. “To finding our perfect woman.”

 

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Clay clinked his bottle to Jake’s and responded, “And to renewing old friendships.” **** Zeke settled against the booth cushions at the Stadium bar and sipped his drink. Across the table from him Luke was nursing a beer. Between them Emma Rae also sat, sipping something sweet with a cherry skewered on a decorative toothpick. He caught her eye, and she smiled. Tonight was their first Stadium event as a threesome. He hoped it wouldn’t be their last. The past several days leading up to this evening had been carefully and slowly planned. Zeke went weak with unadulterated lust every time the idea of sharing Emma Rae with Luke in their box at the Stadium crossed his mind. Unfortunately, when they’d mentioned it to her earlier in the week, she had looked considerably less excited about the prospect. Of course, they’d talked about it that night. She’d been nestled between them post lovemaking. He’d been completely sidetracked by simply staring at her and hadn’t realized she was at all distressed at first. Emma Rae rose, resting on her elbows. The perfection of her nude body made him sigh with pleasure every time he thought about her being a part of their lives forever. She was absolutely ideal. Petite, with curves in all the right places. The scent of her repeated orgasms floated in the air around them and made his cock throb to life between his legs. He glanced at her face and saw the obvious unease in her eyes. “What’s wrong?” She turned to him but didn’t meet his eyes with her gaze. Tugging her lower lip between her teeth, she said quietly, “I’ve never had anal sex before. I’m not sure I’m ready yet. Or if I ever will be. However, I understand it’s an important component of this lifestyle.” Her

 

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expression shifted to one of absolute misery. “I may need some time to work things out.” Before Zeke could move, Luke slid a hand to her face and stroked her jaw tenderly. “Not a problem. We just won’t do that until you are fully stretched and ready. We promise.” “Stretched?” Her eyes had widened, whether in fear or curiosity, Zeke didn’t know. Luke wiggled his fingers before her eyes. “If you’ve never had anal sex, then before I’d ever penetrate you in that manner with my cock, I’d spend quite a bit of quality time stretching you with my fingers.” Eyes wide open and staring at Luke, her mouth suddenly formed a perfect O. Zeke had wanted to kiss her, hold her, and love her forever from that moment forward. Luke leaned closer to her. “Would you like to try a little demonstration tonight?” She didn’t say anything, but as she stared at his fingers, her nipples got even harder. He slid his hand between her thighs and gathered her pussy juice on one finger. “First I’d lubricate you liberally, so my finger would slide easily between your butt cheeks. Then I’d shove my finger as deeply as it would go into your ass and thrust my cock deeply inside your pussy at the same time. I could fuck you either from the front or behind, whichever you wanted. ” He licked her essence off his fingers and moaned in appreciation. He looked into her eyes and said, “You taste so very good. But I digress.” Her mouth slid open slightly as Luke spoke. “Once I was fully penetrating you, I’d ease my finger in and out of your ass as I fucked you.” Luke stopped talking and stared at her for a moment. “And then what would happen?” she asked quietly. He smiled. “You’d come screaming as I pumped my cock and finger into your body at the same time. When we’re both breathing

 

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normally again, I’d start the seduction all over again, only I’d use two fingers instead of one. Or better yet, I’d have Zeke use two fingers on you. We can certainly take turns stretching out your pristine, virgin ass.” Zeke brushed a finger along her collarbone. Once she turned to look him in the eyes, he said, “Once you felt good about two fingers then we’d move on to getting three fingers inside your lovely, sweet derriere. When you get tired of three fingers between your butt cheeks, then, and only then, will we try one of our cocks.” She turned to him, and her sultry, inquisitive gaze made him smile. “How long of a time will there be between the first finger stretching me to an actual cock in my ass?” “That’s up to you,” Luke said. “We’ll let you set the pace.” She had considered that for several minutes. “Thanks. I’m intrigued. I just need to get over a few foolish fears from my past.” “No problem. Take as much time as you need,” Luke promised. Zeke had kissed her. “The first finger plunged deeply in your ass will start with our next seduction, however. Please let us know when you’re ready to go all the way down the dark path of decadence. We’ll guide you there with slow, sultry care to ensure maximum satisfaction. Perhaps by the time the Stadium event rolls around, you’ll be ready.” “I’ll let you know,” she said with a wide-eyed expression. “But if not, at least you’ll get to see a double penetration performed so you’ll know what to expect.” Over the course of the past several nights, they’d each taken turns stretching her ass as they made love to her. She hadn’t balked once at having any number of their fingers shoved deeply between her cheeks. She’d screamed, “Go harder, go deeper and harder,” on more than one occasion. While Zeke thought she was likely ready physically, he wasn’t sure her past fears of the act had been completely conquered. They’d

 

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told her repeatedly all the way up until last night that she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to at the Stadium event evening. Now that they were here and the show was in less than an hour, she seemed beyond tense. He glanced over at her for the hundredth time since they’d arrived to check. Lovely and obviously nervous, her eyes darted around the room at the several other trios in the bar. She looked as jumpy as a handful of beans dancing in a hot buttered skillet and as nervous as a whore in church. Zeke reached out a hand and closed it over her forearm. She startled, and part of her drink spilled over her hand. He gave up his cocktail napkin to clean the runnel of sticky beverage coating her fingers. “Relax. Don’t worry so much. I promise you, we don’t have to do anything tonight, okay?” Her gaze drilled into him hard. Her expression was resolute. Eyes narrowing a bit, she said, “But what if I want to try it? What if I’m ready?” “Then we take our cue from you. However, why don’t we wait and see how you feel after the show? We can watch and see.” He didn’t think she was ready. But he smiled warmly for encouragement. Apparently, she didn’t buy it. “I’m not so fragile, you know?” “Of course you aren’t.” Luke reached out and covered her hand as well. “But, we don’t want you to feel rushed. I expect we’ll have plenty of time together in the future, right?” She stared first at Luke and then at Zeke. She exhaled slowly, and with the breath exiting her body the starch came out of her a bit. “Yes. We can have a long future.” “Nothing has to happen tonight. There is no rule that says we must have double penetration sex in a certain length of time. Not until you’re ready.” “But you both want to. I know you do.”

 

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“Yes,” they said in unison. Her spine went ramrod straight once more. They each squeezed her arm. “However, it absolutely does not have to be tonight.” The door opened across the room, and Clay stepped into the bar followed by a man Zeke had never seen before. Distracted by seeing his friend with someone and not alone, Zeke paused and couldn’t help but stare as they entered the room. “Who’s that with Clay?” he asked. Luke glanced at the door. “Don’t know.” Emma Rae also glanced across the room as Clay and the other man approached their table. Zeke noted that she stiffened even further in her chair as Clay got closer. He didn’t say anything as he passed, just nodded politely in their direction. But Emma Rae’s cheeks suddenly turned a robust shade of pink. Clay had seemed puzzled but not upset about them being a trio. Zeke thought back to the first time he’d seen her in the DRMC security fortress. Clay had succeeded in protecting her identity. He knew she’d been at the hospital checking on him on a regular basis during his confinement there. Also he knew that Luke had taken her home the night of the bank robbery. Perhaps Clay didn’t know they’d continued the relationship or, more likely, he’d been distracted with his own personal life, as he had been that night, having forgotten their meeting. The thought made Zeke smile internally. “I’m glad to see Clay moving on with his life,” Luke said quietly. “He’s been alone long enough.” Zeke nodded. “I agree.” “What happened to him?” Emma Rae asked. “I know he has a tragic past, but not the details. Or is it a secret and we aren’t allowed to talk about other members of the club?”

 

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Luke gave him a look, and they stared at each other for a few seconds, wondering how much they should reveal. Zeke finally spoke. “Keep in mind that any items in Clay’s past are not widely known or discussed. I know you won’t tell anyone.” She shook her head, her expression sincere. “He was in a ménage relationship but lost his wife and partner a few years ago in an automobile accident. It devastated him. To my knowledge, he hasn’t tried to find another permanent partner until tonight.” Luke added, “While it’s entirely possible the other guy over there is a local plumber about to give him a quote on a water softening job, I truly hope Clay’s moving on with this life.” Emma Rae smiled and nodded. “I hope so, too. Clay’s a good guy. He deserves to be happy.” All of a sudden she visibly relaxed against her chair. She took a long sip of her drink, swallowed, and then gifted him with a tranquil smile much different than she’d displayed all evening. He wasn’t sure what had changed with the exception of Clay’s story being discussed. Zeke leaned closer, slid his hand around the back of her neck possessively, and kissed her hard on the lips. She drove her tongue firmly between his lips a millisecond later. He could tell she’d found her balance. Whatever had made her jittery earlier had suddenly changed. He broke the kiss and she asked, “When can we go to your private box?” “Whenever you want.” “Excellent. I’d like to go now, please.”

 

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Chapter Ten Emma Rae had overcome her fear in a flash of insight. Something about the way Luke and Zeke had felt regarding Clay’s return to something he loved clicked in her soul. It was difficult to overcome adversity. It took a lot of strength of will and swallowing unrealistic fear to get back on the horse, so to speak. If Clay could finally pick himself up and live his life again after losing someone he loved, she could stop foolishly fretting about double penetration sex. It wasn’t like the two of them were insisting she bend over and take it hard and dry. It wasn’t like she didn’t trust them not to hurt her. It wasn’t like they hadn’t prepared her night after night the past week with their wide fingers deliciously invading her ass. She’d loved it each time. Clay walked past her, nodding once with speculation in his eyes at her choice of companions, but didn’t seem too surprised. If she’d had anything to worry about regarding Zeke or Luke, why then Clay would have already warned her. He merely smiled as he passed by as if he knew she was in good hands and he didn’t have to protect her. So she took a mental break and finally relaxed. The massive weight of her own fearful design fell away from her shoulders in that moment. She was in safe company with men she was falling in love with more each and every day. If she told them she wasn’t ready, they wouldn’t insist. They’d wait patiently until she asked for the pleasure. With her newfound courage, she knew she was ready to delve in and embrace this lifestyle fully. Her desire to discover what it would

 

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feel like to have both of her men loving her at the same time overrode her fear that it might hurt too much to bear. Of course it wouldn’t. Her men wouldn’t let it. All this past week with them stretching her had been an exercise in control. She’d begged them to go harder and deeper each time their fingers had been pushed into her ass. The acute pleasure had been nearly unfathomable. But whenever things calmed down and she had time to think because she wasn’t in the throes of passion, severe doubt would creep in. Echoes from her past would intrude to the point she closed up and forgot the pleasurable aspect of their lovemaking. But not anymore. She would not let fear rule her a second longer. Zeke and Luke currently led her from the bar to their private box. She couldn’t wait to get there. “The show won’t start for a little while yet, but we can settle in and get comfortable until it does.” Emma Rae smiled inside. Little did they know how “comfortable” things were about to get, if she had her way. Perhaps she’d instigate the double penetration sex before the show started. Wouldn’t they be surprised? Luke opened a door at the end of the hallway once they stepped out of the elevator. He motioned her to go inside first. A thrill rode up her spine as she crossed the threshold and took in the design of the space. The first thing she saw was the wall made out of a single sheet of glass angled a bit so she could see a stage beyond and below. The neutral colors abundant in the space were accented with hints of dark blue and cranberry throughout the room. She thought the room looked upscale, trendy, and very manly. She loved it. Parallel with the window was a comfy-looking medium-gray sofa with navy- and cranberry-colored throw pillows artfully placed at either end. Emma Rae walked toward the window, peeling her jacket off as she went. She kicked her shoes off next and then pulled her shirt over

 

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her head and flung it in the direction of the rest of her discarded clothing. Shimmying out of her slacks and panties, so she’d finally be naked, she turned around in time to see them both staring at her. “I wanted to be ready.” They looked at each other with goofy grins and then back at her as if she had granted them their fondest wish of an eternal life to fuck her senseless. Naked and getting turned on at the prospect of the pending night, she then turned her back on them and looked out to check out the stage below, where the coming sex show would commence. No pun intended. Before she’d had her fill, Zeke sidled up behind her. He still wore his T-shirt, but his jeans and shoes were gone. The pressure of his wide, hard cock suddenly dug into her ass cheek. He still wore his boxers. His chin scraped a short path along one shoulder. She loved it when he scratched his unshaven face across her skin. She especially loved it when he went down on her with a whiskery face. Her inner thighs tingled in memory. He reached around and covered her breasts with his hands. “Just so you know, the picture window is not currently set for privacy.” “What does that mean?” she could barely get the question coherently though her lips as he pinched and played with her nipples. Repeated zips of pleasure arrowed straight to her pussy each time he touched her. His voice was thick with passion when he answered, “It means that any one of the other private boxes having a direct line of sight into ours can see how lucky we are to already have a naked woman ready to be pleasured.” “People can see us right now?” Her gaze traveled to all the other boxes she could see from where she stood. Most of the other windows were mirrored, but as she looked more closely, she noticed that she could see inside a couple of the other boxes. Luckily she didn’t see any people.

 

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Luke edged closer. He’d removed his shirt but still wore his jeans. Muscles rippled along his shoulder when he lowered his hand and slid it between her legs. His finger hit her clit with unerring clarity. Her breath sucked in as he continued to finger her very slowly. She almost said, “Faster,” but then remembered about the window she stood naked in front of being nonprivate. A flash of movement came from across the central space above the stage. However, Zeke plucked more intently at her nipples, drawing her focus away. Luke continued pushing his finger languorously across her very sensitive clit, and instead of privacy, she started wondering about the acoustics of the box and if anyone would hear her shrieks through the walls when she climaxed. Which was about to happen pretty quickly if they kept touching her. Zeke pulled his hand away from one of her breasts, trailing his fingertips down between her legs. Luke massaged her clit without a break, sending pulses of delight to her gushing pussy. Zeke gathered some of her suddenly abundant juice on two of his fingers. Before she realized what he intended, both those slick fingers were buried deeply between her ass cheeks. The sensation brought a long groan from her lips. One hand went flat against the window, and she focused on staying upright. “I need a taste of you,” Luke said and fell to his knees before her. She widened her legs to allow him access. Then she and Zeke shuffled a bit so that her other hand went flat on the window, as well. Zeke pushed his fingers in and out of her rear channel a few times before Emma Rae decided that what she truly wanted was for his cock to make its entrance into her virgin ass. Before Luke put his mouth on her, she said, “Zeke, take your fingers out of me and replace them with your cock.” He paused for several seconds. “You don’t have to,” he finally said very slowly, but she could tell by his lack of movement that was exactly what he wanted. “I want to know what it feels like. I’m ready to try it.”

 

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“I’ll get the lube,” Zeke said and pulled his fingers from her. He moved away to get ready. She gazed down at Luke and for the first time noticed that he hadn’t shaved either. He grinned. “I’ll just pleasure you with my mouth while Zeke breaks you in. I can’t wait to get my lips wrapped around your clit after his cock is buried all the way in your ass.” He leaned forward, buried his face between her thighs, and wiggled his tongue over her clit. Her knees buckled as a raw bolt of pleasure rode up her spine. Her pussy gushed like a waterfall after a flood. Luke licked his tongue between her lower lips and gathered some of her excessive juice. He moaned and nuzzled his face between her legs. The scratchy feel of his whiskery face sent her libido into an upward spiral of ecstasy before he pulled away. Before she knew it Zeke was behind her again. He pushed a palm against her back until she bent forward. She balanced her hands on the thick window as he slathered her rear channel with lots of lubrication. She looked down into Luke’s eyes. He calmed her with an expression of sheer love and devotion. “Relax,” Zeke whispered. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The tip of his cock made its way slowly inside of her ass. It took every bit of concentration not to tense up as he pushed steadily forward. She lost her battle of nonchalance after less than a minute. The forward movement of Zeke’s cock overwhelmed her senses. She was about tense up, but then Luke shoved his face between her legs, and she felt the strong, hard stroke of his tongue across her clit. Before she barely got over the surprise sensation, he wrapped his lips around her clit and started sucking her bud. Her legs trembled, and a climax built steadily in her core. Mindless with pleasure in seconds, she soon lost track of Zeke’s progress. His cockhead made it past the ring of muscles at the entrance to her ass. But then Luke sucked her clit even harder. Emma Rae had so many bold new sensations coursing through her veins, she didn’t know what to focus on.

 

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Zeke kept pushing his cock slowly and more deeply into her ass. The dark pleasure of his intrusion where no man had ever been put her libido in a whole new plane of blissful existence. She glanced down and saw Luke’s head bobbing between her legs. His whiskers scratched a tingly path against her inner thighs. Her clit ached with the pleasure of his exuberance and helped send her passion to new levels. She wanted to come shrieking. She wanted Zeke to fuck her ass as her ultimate pleasure crested. And truthfully, she didn’t care one whit if the entire building watched her do it. The fronts of Zeke’s thighs brushed the backs of her legs. He stopped moving, and kissed the back of her neck. The sensation of his huge cock filling her ass suddenly registered. “I’m going to start moving now. You okay with that?” She nodded. Luke continued sucking on her clit, and she didn’t trust her voice. The pull half out and the push back in distracted her for a few moments, but when she felt Luke sucking her clit between his lips she almost lost it. Pleasure zoomed through her limbs at crazy speeds. The pressure of Zeke’s cock up her backside was wickedly satisfying. She loved the commanding way he took control and built pleasure fast and hard inside her body as he started moving at a more steady speed. In and out. In and out. The realization finally dawned on her. He’s fucking my ass. Feels so good. Emma Rae was on the very edge of a monumental orgasm. Luke stroked his hands along the outer part of her legs, sending tendrils of arousal spinning through her body. The speed of Zeke’s thrusts picked up. She pushed her palms flat against the cool glass to brace herself as he pumped in and out. He’s fucking my ass. And I love it. Luke shoved two fingers into her pussy and sucked her clit hard between his lips. The sudden climax pulsing through her body pushed

 

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a primeval scream from her throat. She vibrated with such gratification, she could barely stay upright. Braced against the glass wall, she did her best to hold on as waves of satisfaction coursed through her. Luke stood up slowly and kissed her mouth. She tasted her own musky juices on his lips as they kissed. Without breaking the kiss, he loosened his pants. They slid to the floor. Suddenly, his cock pressed against her belly. Her pussy twitched in delight at the possibility that he was about to fuck her, too. He pulled back, and she whispered, “I want to try double penetration. Please.” Zeke slowed his thrusts. He pulled her against his chest as Luke lined his cock up between her thighs. The tip of his cockhead slid easily into her slick pussy. He pushed harder, and suddenly he was fully seated. Emma Rae pushed out a quick breath. The sensation of having two cocks embedded within her body made fresh arousal spike to a new level. “Oh, God,” she whispered. Her eyes slid shut. Only one palm remained on the glass. Luke pulled out halfway and then thrust hard and deep into her pussy with his huge cock. Before she took another breath, Zeke did the same thing in her ass. They started taking turns thrusting in and out. “Finger yourself,” Zeke whispered in her ear after several moments of sheer rocking pleasure throbbed within her body. “We won’t come until you climax again.” She reached her free hand between her thighs and stroked her own clit. The small bud felt electric with repeated pleasure. Each rub sent tingling waves of delight zinging along her veins. Her arousal built hard and fast as they doubly fucked her. It didn’t take ten strokes to climax like a sun had gone supernova in the center of her body. She screamed and writhed with bliss.

 

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“You’re so exquisitely small,” Zeke whispered suddenly against the shell of her ear. “Your ass is so fucking tight, I’m about to lose it.” He roared and stiffened against her one second later. She could barely stand, her legs trembled so badly. Luke moved his cock hard and deep in her pussy. Moments later he groaned loud and long, and then slumped against her. They all were breathing hard as if spent beyond their capacity for gratification. Her palm, sweaty from the sexual acrobatics, slid along the window as she pushed into Luke. Zeke leaned hard against her back. Luke held her in his arms as she came down slowly off of the single most powerful orgasm she’d ever experienced. Breathing so hard she couldn’t speak, Emma Rae clung to Luke as Zeke pulled his cock from her ass and headed for a door across the room that she assumed was the bathroom. “Good climax?” Luke asked with mirth in his tone. “’Cause mine was awesome.” She nodded her head hard, still not able to trust any coherent words could spill from her lips just yet. “Kiss me, Emma Rae,” he whispered. She tilted her head back, and his mouth came hard over hers. She tasted her pussy juices on his lips, and a pulse of residual pleasure rocked her body. She moaned in utter satisfaction. He held her tighter and pushed his tongue between her lips the moment she made the noise. The kiss went on until Zeke came back and plastered himself against her back. When she could finally speak, she said, “That was simply amazing. I know I was reluctant about this earlier, but I truly want to experience double penetration sex again tonight. Maybe you two could trade places next time.” ****

 

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Luke almost fell to his knees in oversatiated lust when Emma Rae announced she wanted to be doubly penetrated again. He’d been so worried she wouldn’t enjoy the experience. Hearing her scream and having her tight pussy clamp repeatedly on his cock when she came was stupendous. He hadn’t lied when he said his climax was awesome. Having her love it so much she wanted to do it again immediately made him incredibly happy. He definitely wanted to fuck her ass tonight, too. Now he’d be able to experience both positions this evening. “Are you sure you want to do this again tonight?” Zeke asked after returning from the bathroom. “I most certainly do.” Luke excused himself to the bathroom, and when he returned, Zeke and Emma Rae were on the sofa kissing. Love swelled in his heart as he watched them. He heard music and noticed that two men and a woman had entered the stage area below. “Want to watch the show?” he asked and joined them. Emma Rae turned, cupped her hand around his jaw, and kissed his mouth with languid intent. After his cock was as hard as a fence post, she broke the kiss and said, “Okay, we can watch the show for now, but I still want more ménage sex afterward.” “Not a problem.” Over her head, Luke winked at Zeke. He smiled in return. This was damn near the perfect evening. The only way it could possibly be better was if she agreed to marry them, too. She was their one. He knew it. They watched the ménage show even though in Luke’s personal opinion, the one they’d personally experienced beforehand was much better. The moment the trio below had fucked and climaxed and the stage had gone dark, Emma Rae turned to him and asked, “That was very arousing to watch. Are you ready to repeat it?”

 

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“I am.” Cock stiff as a frozen baseball bat, Luke gathered the lube and two condoms. Zeke turned her to face him on the sofa. Soon she was draped over his body, kissing his best friend, leaving her ass wide open to his exploration. He slathered lube over her derriere hole and pushed an abundant amount inside as well. She pushed her ass out as he worked. He kissed first one round cheek and then the other before securing a condom and mentally readying himself to plunge his cock deeply into her ass. Balancing on his knees, Luke grabbed her hips and nudged his cock between her ass cheeks. She stopped kissing Zeke as he eased forward. The hot, tight, exquisite pressure of her rear channel swallowed his cock inch after inch until he was fully seated and a pulse away from orgasm of the most sublime kind. She rose from Zeke and plastered her back against his chest. Luke had to use a force of willpower he didn’t know he possessed to put a stranglehold on his libido and not spew his wad like a teenager watching his first porn movie. Zeke slid on a condom and worked his cock into Emma Rae’s pussy. The agony of stifled arousal propelled his cock suddenly halfway out and then quickly back into her ass. She groaned and said, “Oh, God, Luke, go faster. Harder.” Luke sped his movement and deepened his thrusts. Zeke reached between their bodies to stroke her clit. He couldn’t have managed more than ten times rubbing her clit before she came unglued. Writhing between them as she screamed in orgasm, Emma Rae was quite possibly the most beautiful woman he’d ever pleasured. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her and Zeke. Emma Rae slumped against Zeke. Luke still felt her pussy clamping over and over again. Luke pumped a few final thrusts in her ass before a monumental orgasm tightened his balls and a fury of satisfaction shot from the end of his cock.

 

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He trembled with aftershocks of pleasure as he pressed his lips to the back of her neck and shoulders repeatedly in gratitude. Zeke grabbed her hips and thrust his cock repeatedly into Emma Rae’s still-pulsing pussy before roaring his own seemingly excellent gratification moments later. Luke hadn’t caught his breath yet. He glanced over at the window and noticed that the privacy still wasn’t engaged. The trio across the way watched them with rapt attention. Luke loved the attention. He loved that others had witnessed his and Zeke’s ultimate expression of love with their perfect woman. He hoped Emma Rae wouldn’t be upset by the voyeurism. She looked up at that moment and saw out the window. “They can see us?” “Yep,” Luke answered. He waited for her horror or any negative reaction. She shrugged. “Hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.” “I don’t see how that’s possible, but I’m glad you aren’t upset by the audience.” Luke pulled away, and so did Zeke. They quickly cleaned up and returned to snuggle with her. The sofa flattened out into a cushy futon bed. He grabbed a few pillows and a couple of blankets from the closet and tossed them to Zeke. The three of them snuggled together, completely naked beneath the blankets. Emma Rae was tucked cozily between them. The other two dozed off in contented slumber as Luke’s mind worked furiously, planning an expansive future for the three of them. First on his list was to purchase an engagement ring. More than that, he wanted a custom design especially created for her. She deserved something as unique as she was. Of course it would have to be the best money could buy. Luke never spared any expense for what he considered the important things. He brushed a kiss on her bare shoulder. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer against him. Luke had never felt so sure of anything or anyone in his life.

 

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Chapter Eleven A few days after the Stadium event that changed her sexual life forevermore, Emma Rae was curled contentedly on their sofa, feet tucked under her legs and drinking a hot tea. Luke was in the kitchen cleaning up an exceptional dinner he’d prepared, and Zeke was currently setting up an action movie to watch in the Blu-ray. Life didn’t get much better than this. It was interesting how easily and quickly she’d adapted her life to theirs. Each night they slept together, making love most nights but not every single night. Each morning, Luke was up before dawn to work on the ranch. Zeke slept a couple more hours then left for work. Emma Rae departed at the same time Zeke did. She always went back to her small apartment to work. She answered all her important e-mails on her smartphone as they came up day to day but had suddenly limited her new-client acquisitions in light of her new life with two amazing men. Money had never been a problem, because she didn’t need much and made plenty working job to job with her computer business. There was a nice-size bedroom at the back of their house they’d offered her to use for her work when she was there. It was becoming all too easy to adapt to this comfy lifestyle and edge away from her former lonely, solitary existence. She loved this life with these two exceptional men. Her future held a new promise and level of optimism she’d never had before. A thread of unease coursed down her spine at how forlorn she’d be to lose Luke and Zeke for any reason, but she chased it away. She deserved the happiness and joy they offered.

 

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Emma Rae eased back against the cushion and glanced out the bank of living room windows at the western sky. Mountains silhouetted in black against an orange sunset lulled her into the realization that she was well and truly contented for maybe the first time in her life. “Penny for your thoughts,” Zeke said when he sat down next to her after cueing the movie to start when Luke returned. “I was just thinking how happy I am here with the two of you.” “Really?” Luke asked as he entered the room carrying a bowl of popcorn. He seated himself on the opposite side of her and put the popcorn on the coffee table. “Because before we watch the movie, there’s something we wanted to talk to you about.” She leaned forward and placed her teacup on the coffee table. “What is it?” They looked a bit more exuberant than usual. She’d gotten the distinct impression they were keeping a secret. However, she had no idea what to expect. “We want you to consider moving in with us,” Luke said boldly. Then they both watched her as if worried about what her reaction would be. Secretly elated, she purposely furrowed her brows and said, “Well, I don’t know. This is sort of sudden. Don’t you think?” Both of them opened their mouths slightly, stared at her like deer caught still in the high beams, and stopped breathing. She continued but couldn’t hold the stern face. A smile crept across her lips as she continued, “I mean I already sleep here every night. And I eat almost every meal here as it is. It’s going to be a pretty big change in my life to move in with you, too.” She laughed. “You two are so serious.” “Please tell me that’s a yes. We love you, and you must move in with us,” Luke said. She nodded wildly, slipped an arm around each of their necks, and hugged them one after another against her face. “Of course, it’s a yes. Because I love you both, as well.” She kissed first Luke’s cheek and

 

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then Zeke’s. “I can’t imagine not being here. Thank you for offering me a home.” Luke pulled her close and kissed her mouth with a zeal she’d come to love. When he released her, Zeke then kissed her lips hard and deep like they hadn’t seen each other in a year. “My, my. I should say yes more often.” Luke ran a forefinger down the side of her face. “There is something else.” “What else?” “We can’t wait. We’d like you to move in immediately.” “Okay. So does that mean you want me to leave now while you two watch the movie to go home and pack, or can I just spend the night like usual and pick up my things tomorrow?” Luke shrugged, and a smile shaped his sculpted lips. “I guess you can wait until morning. Will you need any help?” She shook her head. “Nah. I don’t have too much. Mostly, I’ll be moving my business into the spacious room you already gave me at the back of the house.” “I have to do ranch stuff in the morning, but I can help later on in the day.” She shrugged. “I can manage. You already gave me a key. I already come and go as I please. I’ll ‘officially’ move in, and nothing will really change in your lives.” “Not true. We’d like to have that all-important change-of-address card as well. We’re old fashioned that way,” Zeke said. “Then I’ll stop at the post office on the way back here tomorrow.” “Home,” Luke said quietly. “You’ll stop at the post office on your way home.” “Right.” Head spinning happily, Emma Rae tried to remember the last time she’d had a real home. Orphaned since the age of three, she’d been exceptionally lucky to have a good, steady foster home until shortly after she’d turned twelve.

 

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But when her foster father died suddenly from a heart attack, her foster mother had crumbled in sorrow, unable to continue in the program or as her parent. Emma Rae understood her foster mother’s extreme sadness but always wished she’d been able to stay and help her through it. Emma Rae had also mourned her foster father, as he was the only father she’d ever known. But she did her grieving all alone in a strange new place. Instead of commiserating with a loved one, she spent the next six years shuffled to various group homes, each one more deplorable than the next, until she aged out of the system at eighteen. It had almost been a relief to be on her own, to make her own rules and choose her own friends. But there was a downside. Too often, she’d selected poor company in the form of boyfriends who only wanted to take advantage of her wounded spirit and eventually test her boundaries by pushing her around. She had traded a place to live safely for crappy relationships that rarely worked out. She put up with things she didn’t like until she could get out and move on. Unfortunately, her last such encounter had ended with confinement in jail and a trumped-up, bogus charge of attempted murder. After narrowly escaping that horrid situation, Emma Rae had moved to Ryder, Colorado, and started over completely. She’d set up the new rule of no men and managed to live by that credo until Zeke stepped into her life unexpectedly and then went on to save her during a bank robbery. She didn’t want to put a damper on the jovial mood but felt like she needed to be forthright. “Before we move in together, I’d like to tell you about my most recent past. I want to give you full disclosure. I never told you the story of shooting my last boyfriend, did I?” She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the shock of her statement in their possibly distrustful faces. “We already know about that.”

 

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She opened her eyes to their very understanding expressions. She was the one surprised. “Really? How?” “A bit of research on the Internet after Clay refused to tell us anything specific. He just said you had a bad past with men and if we made you uncomfortable he’d pound on us. I’m sorry you had to go through that. With Zachary as your lawyer, you won’t ever have to again.” She nodded and smiled. “Clay is my very good friend. He introduced me to Zachary, who is an awesome attorney.” “And don’t forget, I already taught you how to shoot my gun. I should also add the sincere promise that you won’t ever have to use it on me.” “Or me,” Zeke added. “Thank you. I wasn’t too worried. This is the first real family I’ve had since I was twelve. My poor, pitiful foster-care story will have to wait for another day. But I can’t tell you how much I appreciate being part of a family again. Now let’s watch the movie, eat popcorn, and be ordinary.” “Yes, ma’am.” Zeke pushed the button on the remote, and the movie commenced. She reached out and grabbed each of their hands, lacing her fingers through each so as to grip them tighter. They watched the action-adventure movie until she fell asleep. One of them had carried her to bed, but she never stirred all the rest of the night. Emma Rae didn’t wake until early the next morning, when Luke got up to take care of his ranch duties. She scrambled out of bed early, leaving Zeke sound asleep, and left when Luke did so she could pack up her meager belongings and return before dinner. “I’ll make you a special welcome-home dinner,” Luke said as they walked out of the front door. “What would you like?” “Doesn’t matter. Everything you make is good. Believe me, it’s a treat to have real food, too. I’ve survived on takeout and peanut butter sandwiches for the bulk of my life.”

 

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“Chef’s surprise then.” He kissed her passionately, like he hated to leave. “I love you, Emma Rae.” “Love you, too, Luke.” Her heart went pitter-patter in her chest. “See you later this afternoon. I’ll hurry.” He kissed her again as the eastern horizon brightened with the pending sunrise. His tongue dipped slowly and sensuously between her lips, licking her, tangling with hers, seducing her mouth until she was ready to throw him to the ground and have her wicked way with him for breakfast. Emma Rae stumbled when he finally released her. “Steady, darlin’. Are you safe to drive?” “Steady enough, but that was one mighty intoxicating kiss. I’ll want another later on.” “Done. Plan on it.” He eased away with a smile on his rugged face. “Chef’s surprise for dinner and intoxicating kisses for dessert.” She grinned and hopped in her car quickly. She wanted to race to her apartment and pack up as fast as possible. On her way, she made a mental list of chores for today. Get the boxes out of her spare room closet, pack up everything in her place, give notice on her apartment, and, most importantly, get a change-of-address form at the post office. That would make her men happy. Streaks of light filled the eastern sky as she approached her apartment. Before she reached her turnoff, she noticed a vehicle parked on the side of the road across the street from her apartment building. At first she thought the car was out of commission or had a flat tire, but she then she noticed a figure sitting in the driver’s seat. As she drove by to enter the parking lot, Emma Rae got a closer look. She immediately recognized Detective Rollins seated behind the wheel. It looked as if he’d had her apartment under surveillance. Crap. She hoped she wasn’t going to have to deal with him today of all days. With an extra spring in her step to pack quickly and escape back to the ranch, Emma Rae headed to her ground-floor

 

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apartment, unlocked her front door, and slipped inside, dismissing the annoying detective as unimportant to her duties for today. She was so focused on her move to Luke and Zeke’s ranch and the detective being parked out front, she didn’t notice immediately that the light she always kept on was turned off. The hairs on the back of her neck sprang up like she’d stomped her foot down hard on the business end of a rake. Someone came up behind her fast and pushed her face into the door. Before she could fight back, a black hood was thrust over her head. Blind, disoriented, and scared of the sudden darkness encompassing her on a primal level, Emma Rae struggled like a wild thing until the man crushing her against the door snagged her hand, and she felt the bite of metal enclose one wrist. Handcuffs? Fuck. She screamed, “No!” But he grabbed her and bounced her off the door again. She struck the side of her head, sending a shower of vibrant stars through her battered brain. Sluggish from the blow, she was unable to resist as he clamped her wrist in the other cuff. She was unceremoniously dragged through her apartment to her bedroom. The irony of Detective Rollins being on the street outside her apartment was not lost upon her. Why wasn’t he preventing the break-in of her home or her current assault? The man pushed her face down on her own bed. She tried to kick at him, but without being able to see where he was coming from, he was easily able to subdue her legs by simply sitting on her. She heard the sound of tape being ripped from a roll, and seconds later her ankles were mashed together. The unknown assailant then snagged the handcuffs biting into her wrists and promptly tethered her ankles to them. Just like that, she was hogtied and supremely uncomfortable. Emma Rae turned her head and screamed as loud she could. Before she took a breath to do it again, the hood was yanked off her head, along with a chunk of hair at the root. Her eyes, watering from the sudden loss of hair, barely had a chance to focus in on the stranger before he spoke.

 

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“Shut the fuck up, bitch!” A gun was shoved against her nose painfully. “That cop sitting out front can’t hear you. And we can’t leave until he does.” While she didn’t recognize the man holding her—and she most certainly didn’t wish to depart with him—she, however, did remember the distinct tone of his voice. Blinking tears out of her eyes, she saw the round scar on the man’s neck. “I’m in this mess because you ran your fucking mouth about me to the cops, trying to be a big-shot witness. Fucking bitch. I should have dropped you next to your boyfriend in the vault. If you hadn’t been spraying the area with wild gunshots, I would have.” Emma Rae closed her eyes and pushed out a silent breath of frustration. She had completely forgotten about the third gunman, yet again. Unfortunately, he would more than likely kill her rather than leave another witness behind. **** Luke finished his basic ranch chores quickly and made it back to the house before Zeke left for work. He needed to discuss something important with his best friend. “You’re back early. Tired of playing with the horses?” Zeke asked absently without looking up from the paper he was reading. “Not exactly. I have something to show you.” The paper lowered, and Zeke peered over the top edge. “What?” Luke opened the cabinet and retrieved a small jeweler’s box. Popping it open, he revealed the engagement ring he’d purchased. He’d intended to design one especially for her, but when he saw this amazing ring in the jeweler’s case, he thought it was more perfect than anything he could think up. So he bought it. The impulse to buy this ring hadn’t bothered him with the exception that Zeke didn’t get a

 

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chance to shop with him. And the reason he wanted his friend’s approval of his choice now. “Initially I was just window shopping, but I thought it was perfect, so I bought it. What do you think?” Zeke took a long look and whistled. “That’s quite a rock. I believe it might be bigger than her dainty little hand. But I like it. You made a great choice.” “Will she like it?” Zeke’s brows furrowed. He looked up with an amused expression. “Weren’t you the one who insisted that any woman ever to come into our lives again would have to prove her devotion by staying in our lives for a minimum of two years before you’d even say the words marriage, wife, or ring? I distinctly remember you being rather adamant about it” He shrugged and looked nonplussed. “She’s the one. You know it and I know it. Why wait?” Zeke laughed. “I don’t disagree with that, but I’m surprised you’re willing to test her like this. What if she says no?” “She won’t. You heard her. We’re her family. She loves us.” “I did hear that. And in answer to your first question, I do think she’ll like it.” “What would you think of asking her tonight?” Zeke choked on the sip of coffee he’d just swallowed. “Her first night here?” “Why not?” “Are you going to at least demand a long engagement?” “Nope. I’ll leave it to her. Whenever she wants. Whatever she wants. Anything from a big, expensive wedding with all the trimmings years from now to eloping in Las Vegas next weekend. She calls the shots.” The phone rang, suddenly jarring him from his wondering what she’d choose. Big or small. Lavish or simple. Now or later.

 

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Deciding it didn’t matter as long as she was happy, Luke snapped the ring box shut and shoved it into his front pocket before picking up the phone. “Hello.” “It’s Clay. Will you put Emma Rae on the phone?” The tone of his voice suggested that they possibly had her chained to a bed somewhere. “She’s not here. She’s at her place packing.” Luke smiled as he thought of her living here as his wife. “And by the way, she’ll need a permanent pass to get in the gate. She’s moving in with us today.” “The hell you say.” Shockingly, instead of a lecture on why he didn’t like to give out permanent passes, Clay chuckled. Luke wanted to look into the phone and ensure it was really Clay. He said, “Well, good for you for not letting her get away. She will be good for the two of you. I’ll get the pass ready and have it to you before the end of the day. How about that?” “Thanks, Clay. Did you try her home phone?” Luke asked. Clay sounded like he was about to say something then stopped. “I already tried both her home phone and her cellular. She didn’t pick up. Which is why I called you.” “That’s odd. Sometimes I think her phone is permanently wired to her hand. She’s probably just loading her car. I’ll try her and get back to you, or I’ll just tell her to call you.” “Thanks and congratulations. As far as I’m concerned, Emma Rae is good people.” Luke quickly dialed her cellular phone, but it went into leave-amessage mode after the first ring. He called her home phone number twice, letting it ring until her phone mail kicked in and gave him the canned “leave a message after the tone” and then beeped. Zeke asked, “What’s wrong?” “Emma Rae isn’t picking up either her home or cell phone.” He had a funny feeling in his gut that something just wasn’t right.

 

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“Maybe she’s loading things into her car. Give her a few minutes and try again.” He glanced at his watch, seemingly untroubled. He’d thought the same thing when talking to Clay. But Luke’s bad feeling increased with every minute that passed. He waited ten long minutes and dialed her home phone again. It rang and rang and rang. The message kicked in. He left one. “Call me, I’m worried about you.” He hung up and redialed with the same result. He did it again and again. Damn it, he was going to get a response if he had to call every minute and wait all day. A small, devious internal voice from the past suddenly mocked him. She’s not coming back. She’s just like all the others. After he’d called for the seventh or eighth time, the receiver was lifted. “Hello,” came Emma Rae’s clear voice. No inflection. No emotion. He’d heard her speak to clients in the same no-nonsense tone. “It’s Luke. I’ve been trying to call you. Were you out packing up your car?” “No.” Clear. Concise. No feeling. No love. “Why not?” A long pause of silence followed. Just when he was about to speak again to end the interminable quiet, she said, “I’ve changed my mind.” What the fuck? Can’t be true. “I see,” he said as his mind raced with denial. He didn’t see at all. “When will you be back home then?” “I won’t be back.” She cleared her throat. “I’ve decided the arrangement we discussed earlier won’t work for me after all.” Luke’s heart fell to his stomach. Every memory of every lurid breakup they’d ever endured from women who’d suddenly changed their mind about a threesome relationship screeched to the forefront of his brain.

 

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“Emma Rae, we want to marry you. I’ve got a ring in my pocket right this second. Please, will you reconsider?” Another endlessly long pause. “No. I’m not interested. Please don’t call here again.” Click.

 

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Chapter Twelve Clay wanted Emma Rae’s help with something for Jake’s private project. He needed to add a better processer to crunch some largescale data. She’d have him wired and working in no time, if only he could get a hold of her. The weekend with Jake at the Stadium couldn’t have gone any better. By the end of the evening, he’d agreed to move to Ryder in the next month or so. He just needed to get official approval from his job. They even discussed building a new place of their own on the property. Clay had just the spot he’d been saving for a new home. After selling his first cabin to Sabrina Lancaster and her two husbands, Parker and Drew, he’d drawn up plans for a larger and more modern place immediately. He shook himself from his reverie and glanced at the clock, surprised to find out it had been almost thirty minutes since he’d called Luke. He called their ranch again, but the phone rang until messages picked up. He dialed Emma Rae’s home and cellular once more but got nothing. Odd. His gut churned from frustration. He’d gotten accustomed to Emma Rae always being at his beck and call for his computer-related issues. If Zeke and Luke were going to monopolize her time, he’d have to speak to them and allot himself some slices of time for her computer services. Or if she planned to live on the property, perhaps he’d offer her a desk, room, or small corner space in his security fortress. Then she’d be close by for days like this. He got up and paced the room, disturbed by his lack of discipline in waiting for her to call him back.

 

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Once she knew he waited for her response, surely he’d hear from her. He couldn’t stand waiting by the phone here any longer. He decided to create Emma Rae’s permanent DRMC access pass and leave it at the front gate for the next time she came. Then he’d head to her apartment in town to discover if she had technical difficulties or if Zeke and Luke were just monopolizing her time today. **** Emma Rae slumped sideways on the bed after what she considered an Oscar-winning performance in telling Luke she didn’t want to move in with them anymore. She hadn’t broken. She hadn’t cried until the third gunman—whom she now knew as Lenny Boston—had hung up the phone. The line had just clicked off on her new life, her new love, and the men she tried desperately to protect with her lies. “And if they come here anyway, boom! A pop in the melon is what’s waiting for them. You get me, bitch?” “Yes. I understand.” Emma Rae did her best to placate him with calm, deadpan words of response. So far it worked to keep him away from her. Meanwhile, she feverishly tried to slide her hand from one of the cuffs. The first one was tight to her wrist, but the second one hadn’t clamped as close to her skin. She silently worked to free her hand, and when he wasn’t looking, then boom. In her fantasies, Lenny would be the one with a pop to his melon. She didn’t need a gun for that. A nice ceramic bedside lamp or glass pitcher would also work. One of these items was in her bedroom. Another was on the top of her refrigerator. She spent a few minutes trying to think of other possible weapons in her apartment, but beyond the iron skillet in the storage space beneath her stove, nothing else came to mind.

 

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She pulled hard on the cuff, trying to wedge her hand through the too-small opening of the rough metal circle. Her fingers ached from being cramped in the unnatural position. She twisted. She pulled. She started to sweat a bit, which helped, but not enough. So frustrating. Lenny paced around her living room. She could see him when he circled near the bedroom door. She only stopped her efforts when he walked directly by and glanced into the room. If, by some miracle, she got out of these handcuffs, she was getting out of here. Her best bet was likely crashing something on his head and running for her life. The short length of tape tethering her hands to her feet had been cut quickly when he forced her to take the phone call from Luke. So at least her arms and legs weren’t bent behind her in the uncomfortable pretzel position any longer. However, her ankles were still taped together, limiting her ability to run. He’d used the masking tape hurriedly and badly, and therefore it should be easy to rip. At least she hoped it would be easy. He’d only wrapped a few strands of the sticky tape around the outside of her legs over her jeans. With all the strength of her ankles she tried to break the bond, but the tape stretched and didn’t budge. She wasn’t sure she could break it without her hands being free. If nothing else, she’d kick her shoes off, shed her pants off like an unwanted second skin, and run out the back door in her bare feet and panties. Which would probably only work if she could get rid of these stupid, painful handcuffs. Once Lenny wasn’t waving the gun everywhere or stalking around her apartment like an angry tiger tethered to a stake, she’d take her best chance and get out fast. Even if she had to hop her way out of her apartment. Lenny was high on something that made him paranoid, manic, and difficult to communicate with. Emma Rae did her best to remain calm as she worked on freeing herself. All the while, she tried to stay small and forgotten so as not to earn his paranoid and delusional wrath. He paced the room and peered out the window on occasion to check to see if Detective Rollins still waited outside.

 

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“Fucking cops,” Lenny muttered from behind the parted curtain in the living room. He paced into the bedroom and back out then he circled her small apartment checking each window for only he knew what. She didn’t know if Detective Rollins was still even out there. Or if Lenny’s delusional mind saw other threats to his well-being in his drugged-up state. All of a sudden he whooped and laughed. “All right. Finally! He’s leavin’. Good.” Lenny marched back into her bedroom. The gun went under her chin. Fearing he’d just discovered her plan to escape, Emma Rae ceased movement of her hands. She tried to make herself tiny and not worth his effort. “Now you be a good little captive and sit tight here for a few minutes. No moving. No screaming. Nothing. You got me?” He didn’t seem to want an answer, so she didn’t give him one. The gun pulled away from her skin slightly. He wiped a hand across his mouth, taking a deep breath. He looked behind him and to either side, as if someone was about to jump out and scare him. “I need a little hit of courage. Then you and I are taking a ride together out of town.” His glassy-eyed expression was a stark reminder that he was completely unstable. She wished his “hit of courage” would send him into an overdosing death spiral or at the very least an unconscious state so she could run, or possibly hop to freedom, without fear of a bullet in her melon. But surely she wouldn’t get that lucky. Emma Rae ground her teeth together so she wouldn’t speak out of turn. For the first time in her life, she’d been ready to settle down and be a part of a family. Two men who loved her also wanted her to live with them. And now she’d likely die at the hands of a man who didn’t even deserve the freedom he had in this world. She wanted to rail at Lenny for the unfairness of this situation. She wanted to bang his head into the wall until it was bloody. At the very least she’d love to kick her foot in an upward direction between

 

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his legs so that he fully understood her fury. But she didn’t. It would be satisfying, but he had the gun. She wouldn’t provoke him into killing her faster than he already had planned. Emma Rae closed her eyes and took in a deep, calming breath. After a long moment, he removed the gun from her chin and shuffled out of the room. She opened her eyes but couldn’t see him from her vantage point. Tugging at the cuffs again, she resumed her efforts to free herself. She was so close. From the other room she heard him banging around in her kitchen. Then silence. The sound and scent of a match being struck soon drifted into her bedroom. What was he doing? Setting her apartment on fire? Another pungent odor she didn’t recognize soon floated past her nose. What was he burning? She pushed at the handcuff with renewed alarm. Then suddenly it was stuck and wouldn’t move forward or back on her hand. She took a deep breath and yanked with all her might. The pain grew until she thought she might have broken a few bones. Then all of a sudden her hand slid free of the metal. She was free. Emma Rae leaned forward as far as possible on the bed but still couldn’t see Lenny. The stench of whatever he was burning grew stronger. Where was he? She quietly placed the empty handcuff in one hand, taking care to keep the chain from clinking together. She then reached down to quietly free her legs. Unfortunately, the masking tape was stubborn. Her hands were sweaty from the effort to remove the cuffs and she couldn’t tear it from her jeans. Lenny moved in the other room. She heard the squeak of the rocking chair. Shit. Was he moving? Was he coming for her? Emma Rae stood up and wobbled. She couldn’t run with the tape around her jeans. She kicked her shoes off as fast as she could, realizing suddenly that she hadn’t bothered with socks this morning.

 

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She then quickly unbuttoned and then quietly unzipped her pants. As she moved the jeans fabric down her legs, the loose handcuff link dropped and made a sound. She stopped dead and didn’t budge. “What are you doing in there?” he called out. “I told you not to move around.” More accentuated squeaking from the rocking chair. Shit. Was he coming in here? He coughed several times but didn’t say anything else. Not wanting to lose this premium advantage, she went as still as the dead. Jeans now crowded around her ankles, Emma Rae stepped from them carefully. Silently. Barefoot, sans pants, and ready to get as far away from Lenny as she could, Emma Rae stepped closer to the door. She made ready to run down the hall and out the back door. If he was still in the rocking chair, his back would be to her as she made her way past the living room and down the back hall to the rear apartment door and freedom. She moved slowly. A glance out the door, and she saw him in the rocking chair. He was hunched over, faced away from her, and waving a match over the bottom of a piece of foil. Whatever noxious fumes rose from what burned, he was breathing them in. It smelled terrible. Emma Rae glanced down the hallway and suddenly realized how he’d entered her apartment. He’d broken the glass out of her back door. It was scattered in many hundreds of shards all over the hallway floor. With a glance down at her bare feet, she decided she didn’t want to chance going back for her shoes. Suddenly, Lenny coughed several times and stood up. He turned and saw her framing the doorway. The glassy expression of his druginduced high didn’t seem to make sense of her being there. He frowned.

 

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Distracted by her freedom, the match he held suddenly burned down close enough to his finger. He yelped and dropped the match, swearing a blue streak and shaking his injured fingers. As he was sidetracked, she realized he no longer held the gun. Where is it? She searched only a second before she saw it on the lamp table next to the rocking chair. Three long steps and she’d have the weapon. Lenny’s gaze also went to the gun and then lifted to her face. She had two choices. Fight or flight. Emma Rae chose fight. They both lunged toward the gun. “You fucking bitch,” he screamed at the top of his lungs. Grappling for only a second or two, she had her fingers on the handle before it was snatched from her. She scrambled backward and tried to keep from falling as she ran toward the back hall. She almost fell on her ass. Once he got the gun in hand, he’d shoot her either in the spine or in the back of her head. She had no doubt. She saw the broken glass scattered across her only viable escape route. She lunged forward anyway. Suddenly, she heard a loud boom echo and reverberate across the room. Was that the gun? Was the bullet headed toward her back? Her skull? The room brightened all of a sudden. Am I dying? Emma Rae lost her footing in the scramble for freedom. Or she was dead, her limbs no longer worked, and she was beyond feeling. She slammed against the wall with one shoulder. A striking splinter of pain ran down her arm. She lost her balance and slid down the wall the rest of the way, falling to her knees. A small stray piece of glass cut her where she landed. It hurt. A lot. Maybe I’m not dead. Then she heard the unmistakable roar of a gunshot at the same time someone screamed her name in a tone filled with unrelenting fury.

 

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**** Zeke and Luke had been the very best of friends for the bulk of their lives. Zeke recognized every one of his friend’s expressions, from elated to enraged. After Luke hung up from talking with Emma Rae, Zeke knew he’d have to catalogue a new one. He’d never seen an expression like he saw on Luke’s face. A cross between borderline despondence and unholy disbelief, Luke blinked a couple of times and then went straight faced and calm. “Something is very wrong.” Luke stood stock-still. Having only heard half the conversation but getting the gist that Emma Rae wasn’t coming back nor was she interested in moving in with them or getting married, Zeke couldn’t comprehend her abandonment. It didn’t compute. So he watched and waited to find out what Luke planned to do. It didn’t take long for him to decide. Luke wanted to meet with her face-to-face. If she had second thoughts about their lifestyle, they wanted to talk to her and alleviate any sudden fears she’d developed in the short drive to her home. Somehow, Zeke didn’t think that was what was going on. Something didn’t feel right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Luke grabbed his keys and headed outside. Zeke barely had time to call in a personal day at work before climbing into Luke’s passenger seat. He didn’t even have his seat belt on before his friend took off. They didn’t speak on the way, but Zeke developed a very bad feeling. Luke was right. Why would she suddenly change her mind? In fact, the closer they got to her house, the worse Zeke felt. His gut churned with ill ease.

 

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Once there, they saw her car parked in its normal spot. They walked toward her front door. Luke was ahead of him by only a few steps. When they’d gotten within earshot of her front door, they heard a man’s muffled voice scream loud enough to hear, “You fucking bitch!” Before Zeke barely registered the curse or that the voice sounded incredibly familiar, Luke ran to her door, lifted one leg, and shot his size-twelve boot just left of the knob. The door exploded inward, and Luke blasted through the door like a bullet as it opened. Zeke was right on his heels. Inside, Zeke took in the scene, but his reaction time was off. He was slow. The tender space on his chest from his wound throbbed. Across the room he noted that Emma Rae was on the far side of the apartment near her bedroom door. The more notable change being that she had a set of handcuffs dangling from one wrist and her legs were bare. Thankfully, Luke wasn’t slow or injured. The foul, acrid stench of something burnt filled the air. Zeke saw a strange man with a gun. It was aimed at Emma Rae. Before he could take a breath, he saw Luke charge the stranger, who had extended his arm to fire the gun in his hand. Luke jarred the guy’s elbow upward just as he fired. The shot hit across the room in the wall near Emma Rae’s head. She suddenly fell to her knees on the floor. She leaned one shoulder hard against the wall and didn’t move. “Emma Rae!” Zeke screamed and ran for her. Was she shot? Was she dead? Luke tackled the stranger and knocked the gun from his hand by the time Zeke got over to Emma Rae. The two men only wrestled for a second before Luke got the upper hand and started beating on him. His fist drove into the man’s face before Zeke put his attention on Emma Rae.

 

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Zeke grabbed her shoulders and squatted down next to her. “Emma Rae, are you hurt? Are you shot?” His hands ran down her arms. He looked for blood but didn’t see any. She seemed to snap out of her trance. She looked over her shoulder, but he wasn’t sure she saw him at first. When her gaze finally focused, she squinted. “Zeke?” “Yes. It’s me.” He slid his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. She buried her face against his chest. Her fingers dug into his arms. “It’s the third gunman from the bank,” she whispered against his throat. “He was waiting for me.” In the distance, Zeke heard the wail of sirens coming closer. Luke had finally stopped punching the intruder. Luke stood and wiped an arm across his forehead. He approached the two of them slowly. Zeke helped Emma Rae stand up. “I didn’t mean anything I said on the phone,” she said before he made it all the way across the room. Luke smiled. “Of course you didn’t.” “I only said it to keep you both away. He threatened to kill you if you came here. I didn’t want you hurt.” He nodded. “I know that, too.” She glanced at Zeke then back at Luke. “But you came anyway.” “And we always will.” Luke walked closer. She released Zeke and flew into Luke’s arms. Their exuberant kiss warmed his heart and soul. He was glad they’d made up. The sirens once in the distance had grown steadily louder. Zeke heard a car arrive. He left them kissing in the room, pulled his badge, and walked out to greet whatever law enforcement was about to enter. If nothing else, he had the capacity and experience to deal with fellow lawmen coming onto the scene. Luke eventually exited with Emma Rae. She’d found some new jeans to put on, but the handcuff was still fastened to her wrist.

 

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Zeke insisted it be removed before she spoke to anyone. Once free, she made a brief statement about what had happened and also who the man was. She only spoke for a moment to the officers, but neither Luke nor Zeke left her side during the questioning. She didn’t want to go to the hospital but instead asked to come home with them. They wanted her to go to the police station to make a statement, but she called Zachary to have him there during any and all questions or statements. Shortly after the police arrived, Clay also showed up at her apartment. “What are you doing here?” Emma Rae asked. Zeke wondered the same thing. “You weren’t answering your phone. What’s going on?” “The third gunman from the bank robbery paid me a visit.” Clay glanced down at Luke’s abraded knuckles. “And you got a chance to tell him how you feel using your fists.” Luke merely shrugged. Clay turned to Emma Rae. “Want to stay at the DRMC tonight? I’ll fix you up a place in my security fortress.” Zeke suddenly stepped between them, his back to Emma Rae. “Nothing to see here, Clay. Get lost.” Emma Rae slid her hands along his spine. She said, “I’m sorry, Clay. My time is limited these days. You’ll have to share me from now on.” “Damn it all. I don’t think I like the idea of sharing you.” But he grinned. “Just make sure I’m at the top of your list of computer clients, Em. That’s all I ask.” “No problem.” **** Emma Rae discussed her new limited time constraints with Clay regarding her computer business. She wondered if he might become

 

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her only client in the coming months. The idea was certainly appealing. Zeke and Luke stayed practically glued to either side of her, waiting for the police to release her. Detective Rollins showed up after an hour with his built-in sour expression. They were leaning against her vehicle when he approached. “I hear you had some trouble here.” Emma Rae was not in the best mood to speak to him. If he said one wrong thing, she planned to call Zachary and let him handle it. The power of having a good attorney at her fingertips emboldened her. “Yes. There was some trouble. I understand you were parked in front of my house when the third gunman from the robbery broke into my apartment and held me captive.” She resisted the urge to add, “Great job, nimrod.” He didn’t look bothered by what she considered a supreme lack in his skills. “I was watching to see if you were in collusion with him. I got an anonymous tip that he might be looking for you.” “Great. So you knew he’d come after me? Thanks for the notice.” Her sarcastic tone didn’t seem to bother the detective in the least. He smirked. “Well, I didn’t know if you were involved with him, now, did I?” “You should have,” Zeke said. “I told you she wasn’t involved in the robbery at the bank.” Detective Rollins busied himself with his notebook. “Is that your big head or you little head talking?” he murmured under his breath just loud enough to be heard. Zeke straightened. “What did you say?” Emma Rae put a hand on Zeke’s arm to keep him from doing anything rash. She knew both Luke and Zeke would defend her. Regardless of any foolish comments made, she didn’t intend to let either of them get in trouble for her. The detective frowned and shook his head like he didn’t plan to repeat his audacious comment. He glanced over at the open door to

 

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her apartment. The stench of whatever drugs Lenny had been smoking still wafted out of her place. Rollins took a deep breath. “Do I smell illegal drugs coming from your domicile, Miss Madison?” Clay said, “Don’t answer that, Em. What is your problem?” Rollins turned to Clay. “Who are you?” “I’m her friend. And in about five more seconds, I’m going to call her lawyer. I dare you to talk the same way while he’s around.” Rollins rolled his eyes. “No need for that. Jeez.” Emma Rae was at a loss for why he seemed to hate her so much. “What is your issue with me, Detective? What have I ever done to you?” He shrugged. “Tell me what happened here.” “I already told you. Pay attention this time. Lenny Boston, the third gunman from the bank robbery, found me and tried to kidnap me because I was a witness. I’m pretty sure he planned to kill me. After you left, he lit up some drugs for courage. Meanwhile, I almost got myself free, but my friends here saved my life when Lenny tried to shoot me.” “Who beat the shit out of him, anyway?” Clay said, “Don’t answer that either.” “Are you one of her foster-kid cohorts or something?” the detective asked. “No.” Clay’s expression bordered on what Emma Rae considered dangerous. She was glad he was on her side. “How did you know I was in foster care?” Emma Rae asked as something became abundantly clear. That information was only available in the state where she’d moved from before coming to Ryder. He must have looked it up in relation to her being arrested for the shooting. The prosecutor there also had a bug up his butt about her coming from a life she hadn’t chosen. The rich prick she’d shot had also made his opinion of her past vastly clear. He’d acted like he was doing her a favor by wanting her so obsessively.

 

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“I have my ways,” the detective said quietly. His sudden smug attitude told her that he was not a fan of the system. Well, she had news for him. She hadn’t particularly been a fan of it either. Emma Rae stiffened her torso. “I’m not going to apologize for being in the foster-care system. I can’t help that my parents died when I was three and left me all alone without a place to go. I don’t think that was their plan.” “And I’m not going to apologize for knowing that a significant percentage of teenaged hoodlum punks exiting the foster-care system eventually become criminals.” So that was it. He’d discovered she aged out of foster care and decided she was a criminal. Prejudice ruled his system of beliefs. He was entitled to his opinion, but she didn’t care for his attitude or the way he’d treated her. “Bite me,” Emma Rae said. “If you don’t have anything relevant to ask, I’m leaving.” She straightened up and took a step away. “Not so fast.” He reached out as if to grab her, but Zeke, Luke, and even Clay were faster. Zeke and Luke took half a step in front of her as a two-man shield against further harassment. Clay moved quickly and blocked the detective as a second layer of protection. He then lifted his phone to his ear and said, “Hey, Zachary, Emma Rae needs you again. What can you tell me about the subject of police harassment?” Rollins smacked his notebook shut, turned on his heel, and walked away. Clay put his phone away. Obviously he hadn’t really been on the phone with Zachary. “I haven’t seen the last of him, have I?” Emma Rae asked. Clay shook his head. “Hard to say. Although I did enjoy the expression on his face when you said, ‘Bite me.’” She laughed. “I meant it, too.” “Of that I have no doubt. But in the meantime, Zachary will make sure your future contact with him is minimal. I’ll actually call him

 

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later and let him know about today’s events. We’ll let him deal with this particular law officer and his biased attitude.” “Thanks. That would be great.” Clay turned and smiled. “Just remember, I’m your best and favorite client.” Emma Rae moved closer and caught his gaze. “You always have been, and you always will be, as far as I’m concerned.” They did a quick fist bump, making her two men smile. Luke grabbed her hand. “Let’s get you home. We can get the rest of your things later.” “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.” With the exception of a few items from her business, she could have simply left it all behind. She had two men who loved her, and that was all she needed. Before another hour had gone by, she had arrived home, showered, and wore borrowed, comfy clothes. After steaming away the day’s difficulties, she found a comfortable lounge chair, kicked her feet up, sipped hot, sweet tea, and gazed in the direction of the afternoon sun sinking ever closer toward the large mountain range. Seated between her men on the large porch attached to the back of their house, Emma Rae audibly sighed in contentment. “Clay called a minute ago,” Luke remarked casually, and then sipped from a highball glass filled with amber liquid. “Oh yeah? What did he want?” Zeke asked. “Just to let me know that he called in a favor from a law enforcement friend of his.” “The police commissioner?” Zeke asked. “Yep.” “Clay knows the police commissioner?” Emma Rae asked. She hadn’t realized how well connected the members of the DRMC were. Luke nodded. “He and Clay used to be in the military together a long time ago or something.” Zeke drained the glass of whatever he was drinking and asked, “What favor did Clay get from the commissioner this time?”

 

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Luke laughed. “He got Detective Rollins transferred out of town.” Emma Rae lowered her tea cup from her lips. “Really? How’d he do that?” “Don’t know. He didn’t say. He just wanted to let you know that your life would be harassment free from now on.” “That’s a huge relief. I’ll have to thank him with computer upgrades to his system.” Her whole body relaxed with the knowledge. She hadn’t realized how much the detective’s prejudice bothered her. She lifted her cup to take a sip of tea once more. “One other thing, Lenny Boston was charged with murder in the first degree while sitting in jail for breaking and entering at your place.” Emma Rae paused and lowered the tea cup again. “Was the charge for the bank officer that died?” “No.” Luke shook his head as if in disbelief. “He murdered his drug dealer right before he came over and broke into your house. Not only is there a video of his crime with sound, but also several witnesses have already stepped forward. We won’t be seeing him for a long, long time, if ever.” “Good. I’d just as soon never see him again.” Zeke reached out and brushed a palm down her arm and settled his loose grip around her wrist. “I’d also be fine if you never had to bother seeing or dealing with him ever again. But if you do, we’ll be with you.” Luke put a hand on her thigh. “That’s right.” Emma Rae took a deep sip of the flavorful calming tea and sighed with happiness. “I love this view,” she said without taking her focus from the mountains. Luke kissed her cheek. “I’m glad.” Zeke kissed her other cheek and patted her leg. “Me, too.”

 

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Her mind wandered to nothing specific, but then a wisp of memory regarding some unsettled business popped up and waved a warning flag in her mind. “Wait a minute. I just remembered something,” Emma Rae put a significant amount of alarm in her tone to get their undivided attention. “What?” they said at the same time. Both of them sat straight up in their chairs. “Empty your pockets. Both of you.” Zeke frowned as he stood. Without hesitation or questioning her request, he pulled out a phone, his wallet, his keys, some loose change, and an unopened package of gum. Piling them on the small table next to her cup of tea, Zeke gave her a puzzled look. Luke did the same thing, piling up a similar list of things next to Zeke’s pocket contents. After a couple of seconds he started smiling. “I know what you want,” he said and chuckled. “Tell me.” Zeke’s bewildered expression had her grinning even wider. “Luke told me something on the phone. I wanted to know if it was really true.” Luke pulled a small ring box out of his pants pocket. “Good thing I didn’t lose it in the fight earlier.” “Good thing,” Emma Rae agreed. “So can I see it?” Both Zeke and Luke shared a meaningful look. Without warning, they each fell to one knee beside her chair. “Will you marry us?” they asked. Luke popped the ring box open to a stunning oval solitaire as big as her fingernail. “That’s a huge ring,” she murmured. “And it’s beautiful.” “What to try it on?” Luke asked. “Yes.” She reached for the box and pulled the ring loose from the dark-blue velvet slit where it rested. She’d never expected to get married. She’d also never given much thought to what she’d like for a

 

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ring if the opportunity ever came up. She didn’t even remember ever trying on an engagement ring in her life. Emma Rae slipped the ring onto her left ring finger and held her hand up to admire the sparkly diamond. It fit like it had been made for her. The ring was absolutely perfect. “Is that also the answer to our question?” Luke asked quietly. She looked away from the ring and into her men’s eyes. “Yes.”

 

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Epilogue Two months later Luke stepped inside the cool confines of the house after spending a hot, sweaty early morning in the barn with an obstinate horse. His patience was used up, and he dearly wanted to simply shed all his clothing and take a long shower. Before he even made it to the stairs, he walked by the room Emma Rae used for her business. The door was open about a foot, and when he glanced inside as he strode by, he saw her in a short, sheer silky robe dancing around to music only she could hear. He paused and reversed his course. With her MP3 player in one hand and wires leading from it to her ears, she continued swaying to the beat of whatever song she listened to. What caught his attention was when she spun, he noted she wasn’t wearing anything beneath her robe. And he was weak where she was concerned. Anytime he saw her naked, he wanted her. Discreetly watching her hips undulate and the peek-a-boo glimpses of her breasts whenever her robe parted as she moved made his cock hard. Their bride of less than two months was audaciously beautiful. He and Emma Rae had married in a simple service over a month ago at city hall. Zeke and Clay had been witnesses. Then the three of them had a private ceremony at Clay’s security fortress in the very room where Zeke had first seen her. This had also been overseen by Clay and catered by a couple of wives living on the DRMC property,

 

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Stella and Sabrina. They’d been overjoyed to welcome Emma Rae into the fold. Luke settled his body against the frame next to her room. He pushed the door open a little bit wider and saw something unexpected. She wasn’t alone. Zeke, with his tie askew, wearing a once-crisp shirt now rumpled and unbuttoned all of the way, was sprawled unceremoniously on her love seat. Further study showed his pants shoved down to his thighs and his semirigid cock against his stomach. He was still breathing hard. He kicked the door open all the way and entered the room. The scent of sex perfumed the air around her. Emma Rae’s eyes opened and then widened. She yanked the earbuds out of her ears and grinned. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t coming back until after lunch.” “I got tired of fighting with an ornery horse and came in for a shower.” He nodded at Zeke. “What have you been doing?” She glanced over one shoulder at Zeke still stretched out on the love seat, one leg hooked over the closest arm and one leg straight. She shrugged. “I lured him into playing hooky from work until after lunch. I had needs.” “She’s very difficult to resist.” Zeke seemed to be catching his breath “I’ll bet you didn’t even have to try that hard.” Luke crossed his arms. Emma Rae put her MP3 player on a table and approached him slowly. “You’re all sweaty,” she remarked seductively. Her fingers did a scissor walk from one elbow to his neck. She tugged on his lobe. “Want to get sweatier?” “Maybe. Or you could help me take a shower.” “I just got out of the shower.” She sent a gaze to Zeke. “He was all pretty and ready for work, but I couldn’t resist getting him all disheveled. Just like I find it very difficult to resist you.” She leaned

 

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up on tiptoes and kissed his chin. “You smell like the outdoors. Like leather and musk and all manly things. Makes me hot.” Luke grasped her in his arms and buried his face against her neck. He nibbled on her flesh as she clung to him like a monkey. Her robe had opened wide. Her pert breasts pressed into his chest. He slid a hand down to cup beneath her thigh, pulling her lower body closer. Her hand snaked down between them and grabbed his cock. She squeezed him, and he almost dropped her. He set her down long enough to free his cock from his jeans and grab her up again. He pressed her to a bare wall and maneuvered his cock deeply into her silken, hot pussy. “Oh my, what a big cock you have,” she said with a giggle. “All the better to fuck you with, my love.” He pulled out halfway and thrust deeply once more. The insanely tight sheath of her made him want to explode in climax. But he held back. She groaned. “Feels so good. Harder, Luke. Go faster. You know what I like.” Luke clamped his hands around her thighs and drove his cock harder and faster into her body as she requested. The urge to come built to crazy levels. He kissed her mouth hard, thrusting his tongue deeply between her lips. His hips slowed the escalating movements. He wouldn’t blow his wad so fast regardless of how good she felt. And she always felt amazing. With one arm slung around his neck, she moved her free hand between them to stroke herself. She knew he wouldn’t come until she did. He loved the feel of her pussy squeezing on him after her orgasm. Another superior rush for him right before he released. Emma Rae stiffened in his arms. Her back arched against the wall. The sudden rhythmic feel of her pussy gripping his cock ensued with vigor. He increased his thrusts immediately as the warmth of her pussy’s grasp pushed his ever-increasing pleasure to maximum levels.

 

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He didn’t last five more seconds. Luke came with a roar. He pushed his cock hard and fast inside her pussy before, during, and after his release. She was addictive. Behind him, Zeke said, “She’s the best wife.” Luke nodded, because he was breathing too hard to use words. A glance over his shoulder confirmed that his friend hadn’t moved. When he could speak, he said, “Are you late for work again?” “Not necessarily. Does it count as being late if I texted my boss that I’d be arriving an hour after my normal duty time?” “Yes.” “Then I’m late for work again. But I don’t care. We should have taken a longer honeymoon.” Luke pulled out of Emma Rae’s body and settled her on the floor. She smiled, picked up her MP3 player again, inserted the earbuds, and started dancing around the room as if she’d finally satisfied her needs and didn’t have a care in the world. He loved that she was so comfortable with them. Luke leaned against the wall and just watched her move seductively. Zeke, still sprawled on the love seat, suddenly fastened his pants and stood up slowly. “I’ve got to go change clothes and get to work.” He flashed a grin. He then kissed Emma Rae as she swayed to music only she heard and departed the room. They did a fist bump as Zeke exited the room. Marriage to Emma Rae agreed with them both. **** Clay perused the list of names and information the computer had finally spit out after chewing on the large amount of bank-transaction data supplied by Zeke’s contact. Emma Rae had installed the equipment he’d requested, and voila, he had what he needed to help Jake.

 

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Seated at his right hand, Jake also scanned a duplicate list. “Who knew there could be so many transactions in such a small amount of time?” “Welcome to the electronic age and the fast-paced world we live in.” Jake smoothed the paper on the table, sat back in his chair, and sighed. “I just wish I knew if this was even relevant. Maybe the picture isn’t even her. Thirty-six possibilities is more than I can deal with on my own only to find out it isn’t and I’ve wasted my time.” “Well, it won’t take overnight, but I have a couple of investigator friends willing to help as they can. They travel around the country regularly. I’ve asked them to take a copy of the list and check off as many names as possible when they go out and about. They promised to send regular reports as they run down the names here.” Jake sent an appreciative gaze his way. “Thanks, Clay. I’d never have gotten even close to finding this possible list if you weren’t on the job.” Clay nodded. “Well, that’s what friends are for. You’d do the same for me if the tables were turned, right?” “Yes. I would.” Jake straightened in his chair. “One other thing I meant to tell you. I really enjoyed the Stadium event the last time I was here.” Given the salacious way the evening had ended, Clay was pretty sure he already knew that, but it was nice to have verbal confirmation. “I’ve just received ‘official’ notice from my superior that I’ll be able to relocate to this area permanently from Denver.” Clay did a mental happy dance and fist pump in the air. “Excellent.” “I’ve also secured a temporary home at the Ryder Hotel in town. So I hope you were serious about allowing me to join this club and search for our perfect threesome.” “I’m completely serious.”

 

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“Good. Because I’m ready to starting looking for some permanence. I’d like to settle down. I’ve roamed the world for long enough. It’s time for me to find some roots.” Clay did another silent dance of joy in his head. “Look no further then, because I’m in the same place.” He’d lived this extraordinary life once long ago. He knew it was the only way he wanted to live his life going forward. Now he had another perfect partner to make that dream come true. Connecting with Jake again was like coming full circle to where he was supposed to be. Clay looked forward to a very optimistic future for the first time in many years.

THE END WWW.ELLESAINTJAMES.COM

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR There are rumors that Elle Saint James used to live in Intercourse, PA, where she devoured gothic novels filled with seductive heroes seeking redemption from feisty heroines. This was where her erotic writing imagination was developed. Others are convinced Elle Saint James spends her afternoons supervising the cleaning of her personal dungeon and her nights directing the delicious torture that goes on there. Fortunately, her slaves take dictation, enabling her to write while otherwise engaged. However, neither of these scenarios are entirely true. The majesty of the Rocky Mountains, as well as her gorgeous husband, serve to inspire Elle Saint James’s dark and deliciously sexy novels. She writes for those who are not afraid to take a walk on the wild side and explore more erotically charged sexual adventures in reading.

For all titles by Elle Saint James, please visit www.bookstrand.com/elle-saint-james For titles by Elle Saint James writing as Lara Santiago, please visit www.bookstrand.com/lara-santiago

 

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