“It was no trouble at all, Maya,” Richard said as he lifted her garment bag and overnight case. She followed him back to the rear bedroom and happily discovered this room also had a fireplace. She thought how romantic it would be in the wintertime.
“This is Kendall’s room, and we put some things for you in the bathroom, if you need them,” Richard said as he hung the garment bag in the closet.
Grinning, Maya turned to Kendall and asked, “You’re the middle child. How did you swing claiming the master bedroom?”
Kendall chuckled as he placed her suitcase by the closet. “I whipped their asses in poker, that’s how.”
Richard grumbled good-naturedly. “I still think he cheated.”
They bantered with each other for a few moments, and Maya had the impression they were trying to set her at ease. In the dim light cast by the lamp on the bedside table, Maya looked up at the three of them. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to lay in that big king-size bed, surrounded by these handsome men, cozy and well-loved. A pool of hot moisture seeping through her swelling pussy lips was the answer to that thought.
Boone’s hands were reassuring on her shoulders as he kissed her cheek, very near her lips, and said, “Rest, Maya. We’ll see you later this afternoon. We left our cell numbers on the kitchen counter. Call us if you need anything.”
He retreated to the doorway, and Richard took his place. Her heart surged in her chest as he tilted her chin and looked into her eyes. Richard was hard to read, but she thought she saw hesitancy in the way his brows knit together over his eyes.
The woman he’d adored and lost must have been going through his mind, which could explain his tentativeness. They were comrades in suffering in that moment. She knew what it was like to look forward to a lifetime together only to have the dream stolen away.
Feeling inexplicably guilty, she looked down at his chest and moved closer to him so he could hug her again if he wanted. She hoped he didn’t think ill of her for being open about her decision to share a bed with Kendall. There was no point in going through the motions of staying in the other bedroom when this was what they both wanted. She wondered what Richard and Boone thought of her reacting to them the way she was. Life was unbearably short, and there didn’t seem to be any point in pussy-footing around with the precious time they had.
Richard hugged her again and kissed the top of her head. His lips lingered in her hair and his hands felt indescribably gentle as he caressed her spine.
“We’ll talk more tonight, Maya. Have a good nap,” Richard whispered as he pressed his lips to her hair one more time before releasing her. “Later, bro.”
A moment later, they were both gone.
Kendall pulled the covers back on the bed. “Come on, let’s get you situated, sleepyhead.”
Maya grinned and slipped off her shoes. She was struck with a quandary as to whether she should undress or leave her clothes on. Exhaustion trumped all her questions for the moment, so she climbed into the bed as she was while he sat down and removed his boots and socks. She watched him as he undressed to his knit boxers and then climbed under the covers. Smiling like he knew exactly what she was thinking, Kendall leaned toward her, kissed her, and said, “Catch up on your rest for now, babydoll. We’ll have plenty of time to talk later.”
Suddenly all she wanted to talk about was how damned fine he looked in those snug, white knit boxers. He hadn’t bothered to hide the semierect cock he was sporting, but Kendall looked exhausted, so she kept her naughty thoughts to herself.
Chapter Five
Richard stared out at the dark expanse of road as he drove down the state highway toward the ranch. A fringe of tall grass billowing in the hayfields was lit by the truck headlights. Boone was rattling on about Maya, but Richard was lost in his own thoughts as he slowed for the turn off the highway onto their ranch. The pipe rail entry, painted red, sported a metal cutout that was fashioned after their brand, the initials JWB surrounded by an oval.
“You’re not hearing a word I’m saying, are you?”
“I hear you flapping your jaws like an old woman, but I stopped listening about two miles back.”
“Asshole.”
Richard’s thoughts dwelled on the uncertain look in Maya’s eyes right before she’d glanced away from him and had allowed him to hug her. He hoped he hadn’t scared her.
“I asked what you thought of Maya’s reaction to the two of us.”
“I don’t know. She’s just as beautiful as I remember, and sweet, too.”
Richard was afraid he’d made her uncomfortable, and for the tenth time that morning he wondered if she could look beyond his size and appearance. He’d even admit he was unsure if he would ever be ready to love a woman again. Sex was one thing, but to really love a woman…He wasn’t sure.