Mallory's Bears(27)

“Hey, you’re getting it all wrong.”

“How’s that?”

He ran a hand over his face, then dropped it to soothe the calf. “Maybe this isn’t coming out right, but we don’t think of it, of you, as an easy lay.”

She crossed her arms, mindless of the calf’s stirring. “Gee, that’s good to know. So I’m not an easy lay. Good for me.” What did that mean anyway? Was that a compliment? If he’d meant it as such, it was damn sorry one.

“Mallory, will you stop getting angry at me and let me say what I need to say?”

“Go ahead. I’m not stopping you.” The anger that had taken hold of her was a pitiful second to the pain that tore at her gut. Anger was easier than hurting, but harder to hold on to.

“Last night wasn’t just a fun time for either of us. Hell, baby, can’t you feel it? There’s this thing between us, the three of us. I know you’ve got to feel it.”

The denial was on her lips before she swallowed it back. “I don’t know what I feel.”

“Don’t lie to me. I can see it in your eyes and feel it under my hand. Your heartbeat gives you away, not to mention the scent of your arousal.”

There it was. The strange flecks of amber she’d seen last night. “My scent? Are you telling me that I stink?”

He chuckled, then stroked the calf. “Everyone, every living thing, has its own unique aroma and you’re not different in that way. You’re different because your scent is part of what draws Gunner and me to you. Admit it, Mallory. You can feel the energy between us. That’s what brought us together last night. That’s what brought us together so hard and fast.”

He had to see the truth written on her face. “Do you know what it is?”

“In a way. It’s a kind of energy that brings a man, or men, and a woman together.”

When the calf stirred again, he held its head and stared at it. The calf quieted. How did he do that? Was he the calf whisperer?

“Are you talking about fate? Like star-crossed lovers?” She was ready to laugh along with him. She’d have to. How else would she cover the fact that she believed in such a thing?

“Call it what you want. It doesn’t matter. All we need to know is that we belong together.”

Her mouth dropped open, surprise and joy fighting against reason. “Together? You and me?” Before she’d met them, she wouldn’t have given the idea any thought. But now? His explanation fit and it was the only explanation she had.

“You, me, and Gunner. All three of us. Just like we were last night.”

She was ready to fall into his arms again, ready to believe that they were the good men they seemed to be. Ready to believe that her fantasy had come true. But was she ready for more?

“Prove it.”

He reached over until his mouth hovered an inch from hers. His eyes met hers, pinning her to him without a touch. She couldn’t move, wouldn’t have, even if she could have managed it.

His hand slid over her jaw, going to the back of her neck again. She prepared herself, her heart setting up an erratic rhythm.

Kiss me.

She wanted to say the words out loud, but her throat had closed up, her body tense with anticipation. At last, he tunneled his hand into her hair, then pulled her mouth to his.

He crushed his mouth to hers and plundered his tongue forward to wrestle with hers. Then, all at once, when he’d made a mess of her mind and weakened her body, he softened the kiss. She feared he’d pull away again.

But he didn’t. Instead, he slowed the kiss down, even as the intensity of it grew. It was hot and thorough, a kiss she’d remember for the rest of her life.

She tried to lean closer without putting her weight on the calf. How the animal remained quiet, she’d never know. If it felt only part of the heat that was winding around her, it would’ve run like it was escaping from a grass fire.

Her nipples hardened, her breasts swelled as she tried to arch her back. She longed for him to forget the calf and touch her. Her pussy clenched, then released, then clenched harder, longer. The burn between her legs roared to full life. She was as helpless as the bound calf lying between them.

What the hell?

She wanted to scream at him when he turned her loose. The roar of the pickup headed their way brought her back to reality.

“My brother has lousy timing.”

“Yeah, he does.” Sitting back, she pressed her fingers to her lips and wondered if Gunner would see the kiss lingering there. If he did, she’d have no problem letting him even the score.

The calf’s patience, however, had worn off. Letting out a pitiful mewl, he jerked at the ties around his legs. Rick gave her a heated glance that sent her own flame firing higher, then scooped the calf into his arms. She stared up at him, mesmerized at his strength. Even Kid, the strongest person she’d ever met, couldn’t have lifted a calf with such ease.