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Though they were speaking slowly, sensuously slowly, I still had trouble grasping what they were saying.
They were Bridgewater men. From the ranch Mr. Garner had railed against so many times. And, if I heard them correctly, and I wasn’t certain I had, they had come to Butte to fin
d a bride and—that bride was me. Me?
They surrounded me. Their touches were intoxicating, and their kisses—oh mercy, their kisses were otherworldly. My head spun, and sensations coursed through me, making it difficult to think of anything but more, more kisses, more touches, more of them.
Both of them.
"We would like you to do us the honor of marrying us. Be our bride and live with us at Bridgewater," Keane said, his gaze dark and sincere, penetrating to my very soul.
"You would want for nothing. We would cherish and love you, protect you with our lives, until our dying breaths." Rye pinned me with his blue eyes that seemed to change shade depending on his mood. If I were to guess, his current mood was —passionate.
I gulped.
"I-I ... what... um..." My mind had never been so befuddled. I glanced from one to the other and back again. Was this a joke? For what purpose?
"We aren't doing this properly," Rye said, releasing me and climbing from the bed, getting down on one knee on his side of the mattress
Keane repeated the process on the other. I felt their absence, and a shiver ran through me.
They each took hold of one of my hands. Rye kissed the top of my right, just as he had done in the park. It had only been a few days ago, but a lifetime of things had happened since then. My breath hitched in my throat.
Keane held my left between both his warm palms.
"Lily Snow," Rye spoke in a husky whisper.
"Will you marry us?" Keane finished, his voice full of emotion.
"B-both of you? 'Tis illegal." I knew that much. Of all of Mr. Garner's rantings about the sins of Bridgewater, that much had, in fact, been correct.
"Technically, legally, you would only be married to one of us," Rye answered, his gaze holding mine in a most distracting way.
"But spiritually, emotionally, you would be married to both of us, equally." Keane placed a kiss on the center of my palm, so gently and reverently, while his dark gaze locked with mine.
Oh lord. This was insanity.
Or was it?
Of course, the idea of it was scandalous. Shameful. Debased.
So why was my body alight, as though flames filled my veins? And why did their touches cause me to yearn for more. So much more. Things I could not adequately describe or define, but that my body sought. Eagerly. Passionately.
But, to say yes to such a thing?
What would... I stopped and caught myself. I was about to ask myself what would my father say? But I had no family. I had nothing. What few belongings I had were still in the room where Mr. Garner had assaulted me.
Thanks to Mr. Garner, I didn’t even have my good reputation anymore.
What I did have was free will. My life was mine to do with as I pleased.
Taking a deep breath, I looked from Keane on my left to Rye on my right. "Yes," I said, tentatively at first but as I spoke the word, my heart opened and swelled with jubilation. "Yes!" I cried louder. "A hundred times yes."
KEANE
* * *
For a stunned moment I gaped at her. Of course, I had told Rye I was sure we’d find a bride and even find a way to make Miss Lily Snow ours, but now that it had happened, now that she’d agreed, I found it hard to believe.
