“I’m surprised we haven’t met before today,” Holt said when Theo headed to the bar.
“I just returned from Laramie,” I replied, the small Wyoming town being the location of the main state university.
“Returned for good? You’re sticking around?”
Why did he seem so terribly interested in my answer? It was as if the world was hanging in the balance. His dark eyes held mine as if I were snagged, caught, and couldn’t look away.
“Yes. My brother was supposed to run the ranch with my dad, then take over someday, but, uh, it wasn’t his thing. I’ll be the rancher you harass in the future.”
Far from taking offense, the sheriff just grinned, those sexy dimples winking at me. “Looking forward to it. I’ll try not to drive you too crazy.” Something about the way he said it made it seem like he meant the exact opposite. He adjusted his hat and kept right on staring.
Theo returned with three sets of darts and a glass of soda dripping with perspiration from the ice. “Ladies first.” He handed me the darts and my drink, and I had to look away.
I shook my head. “No, you.” I needed to know I had some control here.
“All right, then.” Theo opened his case and tossed one without taking his gaze off me. It hit close to center.
I set my glass on the table, untouched, and picked up a dart. Were these guys screwing with me? Just like they’d messed with my father earlier? Playing a game besides darts. Being nice to… what? Butter me up? But I’d approached them.
I threw the dart and it hit the bullseye.
“Nice one,” Theo said.
“Beautiful,” the sheriff agreed. His low rumble shot straight between my legs. Especially because he seemed to be talking about me, not my throw.
“I think you’re both messing around,” I asserted. I was riled from my father’s tirade this morning after they left. From the fact that seeing them again made me view them not as law enforcement officers doing their jobs, but as men. Attractive ones who kicked my libido into high gear. I shouldn’t be into them.
My father would kill me. What if he was right, and these two were out to get my family for some ridiculous vendetta? It wouldn’t lead to anything good. So I was grumpy when I said, “You didn’t even look before you threw.”
“That’s probably because there’s something far prettier to look at,” Holt said. He stepped closer.
It was strange that I sensed no competition between them, especially when Theo also moved nearer. Too near.
“We admit we’d rather set our sights on you,” Theo said.
“I’m the target, then?” They were close enough that if I lifted my hands, I’d be touching a big, strong, virile male. Or even two, if I wanted.
And I sort of did want to.
“Hell, yeah,” Holt agreed.
I looked between them. I guessed I was waiting for some disagreement or challenge from Theo. He didn’t offer any. When it set in that he was in agreement, my jaw opened.
“You’re not talking about darts.” I glanced back and forth between them, taking in one set of serious blue eyes and a set of dark ones—both intent on nothing in the bar but me. "Both of you?"
They nodded. Theo's hand came to lightly rest on my hip.
"Together?" The word got stuck in my throat, and I needed a swig of my soda.
Holt brushed my long hair back from my shoulder, then tipped my hat up slightly so he could see my eyes better. "That's right. We don't mind sharing. We like it."
"You're kidding." They were kidding, right? A bar thing, putting their moves on a woman to see how far she’d go?
"Not at all." Holt took the remaining darts from my hand. "Why don't you come with us, and we'll show you how it works?"
I sputtered out a laugh. “The it you’re referring to is what? Sex with both of you? Your dicks?”
They didn’t respond to my bold words, only kept right on watching me. Waiting. As if they didn’t need to waste time repeating themselves, and were letting me adjust to the idea.
Oh my God. It. With both of them. That sounded… incredible. Hedonistic. Thrilling.
I wanted to. I so did. I hadn’t had sex in a year. Not since my unfortunate roll in the hay with that jerky guy in Australia.
But reason worked its way back into my brain. These two had harassed my dad today. On our doorstep. After they’d left, I’d had to listen to him vent his frustrations about the whole situation, then how he felt they were trying to railroad him with the whole meth thing.
I’d missed the wolf shootings the previous year, and knew nothing about meth problems, but I believed my father. Because of that, I might have been able to talk myself into having a fling with a guy while living under my dad’s roof—I was an adult, and adults had sex. But doing it with not one, but two men at once, and in particular, the two men who’d pissed my dad off this afternoon?
No.
No way.
My father wasn’t the easiest man to get along with, and I didn’t need to start off working beside him on the ranch by disrespecting him that way. Yet he didn’t rule my sex life either.
I shook my head. “Yeah, not happening. You’re both hot and all, and you’ve got this—” I waggled my finger between them, “—alpha male thing going that might melt panties, but I’m leaving with my friends,” I said with total finality. “It’s been nice talking to you.” With that, I swung on my heel and strutted back to where my friends sat watching us.
I stood and waited while they got up, only daring a glance over my shoulder when we were heading out the door.
Theo and Holt watched me with appreciative looks. They both lifted a hand to wave as I left. Apparently, they hadn’t given up. Which meant… what?
3
THEO
“You’re shitting me.” Gibson, our pack alpha, scowled at us from across his desk. The look he gave us was equal parts astonished, frustrated, and pissed.
I’d spent the night in Holt’s guest room, even though my parents had wanted me home with them. I usually stayed in my childhood room when I visited town, but not this time. After watching our mate walk away from us the night before, I’d needed to at least stay close to my scent-match.
We had to plan. Figure out what the hell we were going to do, because our wolves weren’t going to give us much time.
We’d pushed too hard, too fast, at the bar, and we had to regroup. Get our heads on straight, which was pretty fucking hard when we were thinking with our dicks.
Today, the first order of business had been to talk to Gibson. He needed to know the trouble we were about to stir up, both in going after Bob Jenkins, and in claiming his enticing daughter.
Not only did the alpha have pack members who’d found their mate in—yet another—human, but the daughter of the guy who’d killed the wolves the year before.
Holt and I sat across from Gibson in his home office as we waited for him to work through the news. There were no other sounds in the house, only the hum of various appliances. No one else was around, although I picked up the strong scents of his scent-match and their mate.
“This is going to be an even bigger clusterfuck than Wade and Landry claiming a wolf biologist responsible for tagging wolves in the area,” he grumbled. “And that was a big fucking mess.”