AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When she gasped, he gathered her close to him, not even caring that it crossed the invisible lines they’d drawn between them for so long. The hell with that. He was done with it.
“I don’t think it was anyone after you,” he said into her hair, breathing in her scent even through the greasy restaurant smell that clung to all of them. “The footprints were small. We think it was someone looking for shelter, and the security lights scared them off. Hawk’s calling the sheriff, and he’ll check into it.”
“Oh…” She got quiet as she burrowed into him, and he felt her taking deep breaths. “I feel bad if that’s the case.”
“You two coming out?” Hawk asked from the doorway. “Morning is gonna be here way too fast, and it’ll be another long day.”
“Yeah, I suppose so. I do want to jump into the shower.” Dev started to climb out of Cannon’s lap, and he helped her up, quickly shifting his pantleg to try to hide the way his body had reacted to her. His tight jeans and boxer-briefs mostly held things in check, but the thick ridge would be unmistakable.
When he glanced over at Hawk, his lover lifted a brow, his lips quirking into a small smirk. He saw Cannon’s problem and clearly found it amusing. Bastard. It would annoy Cannon more, but he knew his man often suffered from the same predicament.
Hawk pulled Dev to him when she started to pass and pressed his lips to her forehead, much as he had earlier. “You okay, baby girl?”
She shrugged, her demeanor unconvincing. “As okay as I get. Sometimes, I think the only way I’ll really feel safe is to get myself stranded on a desert island somewhere.”
“I promise, we’ll figure out how to end this,” Hawk vowed. “We. Because we will always be here for you.”
* * * *
“You think she’ll quit?” Dressed in fresh boxer-briefs after his shower, Cannon leaned against the dresser top and watched Hawk pull off his pants, revealing his own black briefs that hugged the tops of his hard thighs and cupped his generous package.
As a couple, they shared this room, though they could each have their own. The house was big enough, with several other unused bedrooms, but they wanted to be together. Someday, Dev would move in here with them, too. The double-sized space, with an army of built-in shelves and three large closets, was clearly meant for more than two people—perhaps used by previous occupants in a trinogamous, or more, relationship.
“Quit Leena’s? No.” Hawk shrugged off his shirt and let it drop. He’d showered before Cannon, then redressed to do another thorough check of the house. Though it was probably nothing, and the sheriff and a couple guys from the Flying D were checking the area, Hawk and Cannon were still on edge.
Cannon rolled his eyes. “Seriously, man? The fucking hamper’s right there, a foot from you.”
His partner was a slob—Cannon knew that. After all, the pair of them had been together since midway through their undergrad. Back then, they’d both been mostly in the closet. In or out, Hawk never changed, though. He was whip-smart and bossy and messy, and Cannon adored him. It didn’t hurt that Hawk sported ripped muscle from head to toe—ranching sure did a body good, and it made Cannon hard just looking at his sexy man.
Hawk grumbled and hooked the shirt with his foot, sending the garment into an arc. It landed squarely in the basket. Asshole showoff.
“Nothin’ but net.”
Cannon crossed his arms and glared. “You ever consider that Dev doesn’t give us the time of day because you leave your shit everywhere?”
Hawk snorted. “I do not.”
Cannon raised a brow. “Survey says…that’s a lie.”
“That’s not why,” Hawk defended in a low rumble. “And she does. She eye fucks us all the damn time. She just thinks we don’t know. And, I guess, she was half right, since you don’t know.”
“I notice her looking. But looking and acting are far different things.”
Hawk scowled. “Yeah, I remember.”
For a long time, Cannon hadn’t been open to anything between them. He’d run hot and cold, his feelings confusing him and frustrating Hawk. Growing up in a strict Mormon home, Cannon hadn’t understood his sexuality or even that he could be bisexual.
Turned out, both he and Hawk were bi. Once Hawk had broken through Cannon’s walls, they’d been absolutely faithful to each other, though.
For eight years, they’d been a couple.
Then along came Dev.
At first, it had disconcerted Cannon to be attracted to her since, at the time, he’d thought she was a he. It had also made him feel ashamed. How could he be attracted to Dev so strongly? Was it cheating on Hawk, something he never, ever wanted to do? Turned out, Hawk had been attracted, too. Not that either of them would have acted on it without the involvement of the other.
But then, they’d learned she was female. With that revelation, everything changed and the future became clear. She was their third. She was the real reason fate had brought them to a ranch in Daly, Wyoming.
“I think it’s time,” Hawk said.
