Page 13 of Claimed By the Cowboys

I lean in close enough that she has to tilt her head to look up at me. “Third option’s the one where me and Jensen take you somewhere quiet to take turns spoiling you the way you deserve. Make you forget every responsibility for a few hours. Two for the price of one.”

“What?” Brandy’s eyes widen and her lips part in pure shock. A laugh bubbles out of her which is made up of half-horror and half-delight. “You’re out of your mind.”

“Maybe.” I brush my thumb along her jaw. “But I remember how sweetly you fell apart when I had you pinned down. Imagine two of us focused on nothing but you. That’s four hands to hold you down and play with your body.”

She doesn’t pull away but instead, her breathing picks up, and that little tell when she presses her thighs together makes my blood run hot. She’s thinking hard. I can practically hear the responsible voices in her head fighting the part of her that remembers how good it felt to let go.

I lean down, brushing my lips near her ear. She smells of summer nights and the jasmine that used to grow around my nana’s front door. “Think about it, sweetheart. We’ll be right here waiting.”

She nods, blinking fast and swaying on her feet, then she heads back to her table. Jensen and I watch her go, her perfect ass as mesmerizing as a metronome.

“Damn,” he mutters, low enough only I can hear. “You weren’t exaggerating. She’s something else.”

I clap him on the shoulder. “Think she’ll say yes?”

Jensen’s grin turns knowing. “She already wants to. Just gotta let her get there herself. And when she does?” He lets out a low whistle. “I can’t wait to see her fall apart for both of us.”

I scan the bar and find her still moving through the crowd. She turns and our eyes meet and a thunderbolt of electricity runs through me. It’s more than attraction. There’s a connection between us that’s so much more than I’ve ever felt. Like we knew each other in another life.

She has to say yes because I need her in my life.

Chapter 6

Brandy

I slide back into my seat at the table like a woman returning from war. My legs are shaky, and the glittery top I let Annie talk me into wearing clings and reveals way too much jasmine-scented cleavage. The margarita I left behind is sweating on the napkin. The ice has melted and it’s probably mostly water, but I grab it anyway and take a long gulp, hoping the liquid will burn some sense back into me.

Annie’s birthday crown is slightly crooked as she leans in with eyes sparkling and laced with pure mischief. “Girl. Spill. That cowboy dragged you outside, looking like he wanted to eat you alive. What happened? Did he kiss you? Lord, tell me he kissed you.”

“I think it was me doing the dragging,” I say, nearly choking on the residue of my drink. The other nurses at the table, Tamika, Lauren, and a couple of the night-shift girls, are all leaning in now, smelling blood in the water. “He has a twin. An identical twin. I yelled at the wrong one earlier. Made a complete fool of myself.”

Annie throws her head back and cackles so loud that half the bar glances over. “Wait. There are two of them? Honey, the Lord is finally answering prayers you didn’t even know you prayed.”

I rub the center of my chest, that familiar anxious knot already trying to tighten again. Part of me wants to confess the rest, but the words thankfully stick in my throat. I’m not here for judgment, which would be the likely response of everyone except Annie. The birthday queen would lose her mind at Bo’s proposal. She’d tell me to grab them both by the hand and ride off into the sunset (or the motel) without looking back. “Live your best life, Brandy!” she’d say. “You deserve to be railed into next week by hot cowboy twins.”

She’s not wrong. But still.

My mind drifts to Janey. We went to high school together. Sweet, quiet Janey, who used to sing in the choir with me. Now she’s glowing, round with a baby, and happier than I’ve ever seen her with two big, burly cowboys at her side. Mason and Brookes are protective, affectionate, and completely devoted to her. Every time I run into them in town, Janey looks soft and taken care of in a way that makes me ache for the same. It’s like the weight she used to carry has been split between three people instead of one. Two capable and sexy cowboys are there to shield her from whatever the world tries to throw at her.

Two.

But what the fuck am I even thinking?

I’m not Janey. I’m Brandy.

A one-night stand with Bo already pushed every boundary I had. Two men? At the same time? That’s not pushing a boundary. That’s jumping off a damn cliff onto sharp jagged rocks while sharks with sharp teeth circle.

Except…

I’m so tired.

Life’s gotten harder rather than easier in the last two months. If I don’t get serious soon, I’m going to miss my window and the chance to find someone steady who’ll help me raise these babies and maybe… maybe give me one or two of my own before it’s too late.

This, whatever this is with Bo and Jensen, could be my final sweet mistake. One last night as the woman who wants to be pinned down and praised and taken apart instead of the woman who has to sacrifice and hold everything together.

More compromises are coming, and the temptation is too sweet. My mind is already conjuring positions and sensations. My body is already alive with the thought of their mouths sucking and their dicks fucking. I’m depraved and foolish, but I can’t find even an ounce of regret in me for letting my mind wander to dirty delicious places.

I’m still turning that dangerous thought over when they approach, forming a huge, warm presence on my left and right.