Authors: Kayla Knight
Gabe knew she was a little pissed at his presumption. But he plowed on anyway. “I was thinking that both of us could enjoy you at the same time, actually, Madi.”
“You’re joking. Tell me you’re joking.” Her eyes flared hotly.
“No, straight up.”
“You mean you and your brother indulge in ménages?”
“It’s a real turn-on. You ought to try it.”
“Count me out, cowboy. It’ll never happen.”
“Madi—”
“Madison to you!”
“Madi, you protest too much, lady. I know the idea intrigues and excites you, because your heart rate has gone right off the scale.” Gabe sensed she was more interested than she made out. He could see her chest rising and falling excitedly.
“My breathing and heart rate are perfectly normal, thank you.”
“If you say so, lady.”
“I don’t like the idea that you and Tyler have been discussing me behind my back.”
“We don’t have any secrets from one another. Besides, you’ve been flaunting your body for the past week. We’re men in our prime. What do you expect us to talk about? Cooking? Dressmaking?”
Her eyes narrowed on his. “I bet you set this all up, didn’t you? Tyler going off on an errand to leave you alone with me. You bastard, you’ve used me.”
“You’re the one who invited me into your bedroom. I didn’t force my way in.”
“Well, take one last look, cowboy, because it’ll never happen again.”
He smiled. She sure did have a temper on her. “It works both ways, sweetheart.” He rolled her beneath him, pinning her to the bed. As she struggled, her green eyes flared hotly. “Quit struggling, Madi. I’m far too strong for you.” He kissed her forcefully on the mouth, and she responded, kissing him back, just as he knew she would. He figured she liked being dominated.
“Madi, I like you. You’ll be returning to Washington soon, why not have a little harmless fun while you’re here? We’re all grown-ups. Things could work out to our mutual benefit.”
Chapter Eight
When Tyler reached the hallway, he heard shouting coming from upstairs. He looked up just as Gabe started to come down. His older brother was wearing just one boot, the other held firmly in his hand, along with his T-shirt and jeans. Naked as the day he was born, he stopped halfway down, trying to pull his other boot on.
“How dare you suggest such a thing?” Madi screamed at him from the top of the stairs. She wore a red silk robe tied at the waist. Gabe ducked as she launched a shoe at him. It just missed his shoulder, and bounced off the wall. The second stiletto found its mark, crashing into the back of his head.
“I’m prime stock. I’m descended from the Russian aristocracy, and don’t you forget it, cowboy. I’m not one of those little floozies you pick up in town after a night’s drinking. I’ve got blue blood flowing through my veins. You’ve only got cow dung running through yours. My mother was right. You’re not in my league.”
Gabe didn’t stop to answer. Instead, he headed straight for the front door.
“My father was an important man. He was the mayor of Buffalo Springs, in case you’ve forgotten. What did your father ever do? I’ll tell you what he did. Nothing, except brand cattle.”
Gabe motioned with his thumb behind him. “I wouldn’t hang around, Ty. She’s not in the best of moods. This little lady sure has a temper.”
“I see your kid-glove treatment went down a treat.” Tyler couldn’t help laughing as Gabe made a quick exit. His bare ass was the very last thing to disappear through the open door. Had his brother bedded her?
“And you needn’t smile, Tyler. You’re just as bad as him.”
Tyler raised his brows, shocked to find he was next in line for her venomous tongue. Almost at the bottom of the stairs, Madi picked up one of her stilettos and aimed it at him. “Don’t you dare think you’ll be sharing my bed, either. I hate cowboys.” The red high-heeled missile flew past his head, knocking a vase off a hallstand. It crashed to the floor, breaking into little pieces. The effects of splintering glass made her scream out in exasperation and she stamped her feet, “Get out, get out!”
Tyler thought better of hanging around, and made a quick exit himself. “We’ll finish the roof off tomorrow, Madi,” he shouted as she aimed once more.
“Get off my property, and don’t you ever come back,” she screamed, letting loose the other stiletto. He heard it whistle past his ear.
Tyler ran to the pickup. Gabe was already reversing it down the drive. He just managed to get inside before his brother drove it at full speed from the property.
“Well, I can see you impressed her.”
Gabe grinned. “Wowee, she sure is a little hellcat.” He leaned forward. “Look what she’s done.”
Tyler could see several deep scratches marking his brother’s back. He shook his head, realization beginning to dawn. “You lucky fucker. You did get her into bed, after all.”
“Sure did, bro.”
“Then I’d hate to see her when she’s disappointed.”
“Take no notice of Madi. She’s just at the denial stage.”
“Denial stage? Then I take it you mentioned our sexual preferences. Not a good idea when you’ve only just started a relationship.”
Gabe shrugged and turned the pickup onto the highway. “We were just talking. You know how it is after sex. It sort of felt like a good time to mention that we enjoy ménages.”
“Maybe you should have waited, Gabe. I doubt she’ll even let us back onto her property again.”
“Oh, she’ll come around, I guarantee it. She’ll be ringing us up, begging us to go back. Just you wait and see.”
Tyler put his hand on Gabe’s arm. His brother was delusional. He’d never seen a woman more pissed and angry than Madi. “Perhaps, but I won’t hold my breath. Anyway, how was the prom queen in the sack?”
Gabe smiled. “Now that is between Madi and myself. She’s a real lady. I wouldn’t dream of revealing such intimate details.”
Tyler stared at his brother. They shared everything. This was the first time Gabe had ever withheld any information about his sexual exploits. He knew then that Madi had made an impression on Gabe, big time. It was just his luck that she wouldn’t want to know either of them after today.
* * * *
Madison made a final visual sweep of the living room, and then flopped onto the sofa. She idly tapped her fingers on the coffee table, and then picked up a magazine. Without any real interest she began flicking through the pages, barely noticing the contents.
All this waiting was pissing her right off. The last week had simply dragged by. When Tyler and Gabe were fixing the roof, at least they’d been a diversion. They were both beautiful men in their prime, and she’d enjoyed watching them work. Their naked, sweat-covered torsos made her panties go wet. Too bad Gabe had ruined what had been an enjoyable afternoon by revealing he and Tyler liked threesomes. Just who did he think he was, and more to the point, what type of woman did he think she was? Determined to rid her mind of such thoughts, Madison threw the magazine down in disgust.
“Get a grip. For God’s sake, woman. They’re just a couple of cowboys, a dime a dozen.” Truth be known, her thoughts were consumed with them. To think that right next door to her lived a sexual fantasy that she’d only ever read about in erotic books.
She shook her head and rubbed a hand over her throbbing temples, sensing the beginnings of a headache. It felt like a storm coming. She’d been an idiot to stop them fixing the roof. Now it would probably leak like a colander.
Still, at least during the week, she’d finally managed to sort out her mother’s papers. It had been quite a task going through everything, making sure that what she threw away was not important. A lot of things had come to light. Her mother had been born in Blackwell, a small community just outside Lubbock, Texas. Why had her mother lied? What was the point? Just what was she trying to hide? Anyway, in a week or two when the dust had settled. She’d travel there and see for herself where her mother had really come from. Her mother had always told her that she was descended from the Russian aristocracy, and that her grandparents had been eminent doctors who’d practiced in New York. It would take some time for her to accept that she was really descended from lowly ranchers. Still, no one had to know about her mother’s past. It was just a matter for her and her alone. Maybe it would shed some light on her true identity if she visited the farming community her mother had been born into. It wasn’t as if she was going to broadcast it from the roof. That’s if it would hold her weight. “Goddamn, it still needs fixing.”
Now she had to make the difficult decision. Should she sell the house or keep it? She had memories here of growing up, some good, some bad. But the place was just too big. No, this beautiful house had to go. Returning to Washington seemed the only way forward. Madison Allen was not cut out for country living, needing the excitement of the city to feel fully alive.
She sighed and drummed her fingernails once more on the table. She definitely needed a diversion from all this inner reflection. She remembered what Gabe had said—
You’ll be returning to Washington soon. Why not have a little harmless fun while you’re here?
After being without a man for three years, Gabe had definitely hit the right spot. As he’d pounded deep inside her, she’d had to admire his control. He’d wanted to fuck her senseless the moment he’d locked the bedroom door, but he’d held everything in check until she was completely satisfied.
Oh, boy had I been satisfied.
Only trouble was, while she’d been enjoying the heady afterglow, he’d dropped his bombshell—the downright cheek of the man. How dare he suggest a ménage with his younger brother Tyler?
Better to chase him out the house rather than admit being turned on by his offer.
The first droplets of rain began falling outside. Soon the sky began to darken. Lightning arced high in the forbidding atmosphere, filling the living room with white light. Dreading the worst, Madison went upstairs to the attic. Just as she’d thought, spots of water were already dripping down the light fittings, splashing onto the floorboards.
“Shit!”
* * * *
Tyler held the phone away from his ear. He could still hear Madi shouting down the line.
“I’ve got water leaking through the roof, thanks to you two.”
Gabe grinned at him over the top of the newspaper he was reading. It was obvious his brother could hear Madi’s high-pitched squeal from where he was sitting.
Tyler took a deep breath. If he was quick, he could just get a word in edgewise. “Calm down, Madi, we—”
“I’m Madison, and don’t tell me to calm down.”
“We can come over right now, and sort it out.” No sooner had he said the words than he regretted them. He knew he’d get soaked. Lightning lit up the interior of their ranch house as a thunderbolt crashed loudly nearby. He heard a scream on the other end of the line. Madi sounded increasingly agitated. He figured that with the storm raging, she didn’t like being alone. No doubt that was why she’d telephoned now, instead of waiting until morning.
Her voice softened
.
“Not Gabe, just you, Tyler. Your brother has upset me. I don’t want to talk to him. I won’t allow that man in my house again.”
“I’ll be over there as soon as I can.” Tyler replaced the receiver and stared at his brother. “That’s torn it. I was just gonna settle down and watch TV. Now I’m gonna miss my favorite program.”
“Don’t you mean we’re gonna miss our favorite program?”
Tyler smiled. “Nope. I mean what I say.” Now he had the upper hand. “She doesn’t want you to come. Says you’re not welcome.” For a brief moment there was a hint of disappointment on Gabe’s face. For all his bravado, it was obvious Madi had made a big impression on him. He wondered if it would work to his advantage. Maybe this time he’d do better than his brother. It would make a nice change. He didn’t mind coming second, but sometimes it was nice to be the first choice. Truth be known, he thought Gabe had overstepped the mark by revealing their sexual preferences to Madi so soon.