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"What are you doing here, Mr. Garner?" I managed to say, though the lust in his eyes gave me a clear indication of what he had in mind.
"I could hardly believe it when Timothy informed me he’d seen you here." His gaze roved over me, causing a pit of disgust to form in my stomach. "But, he was right." He took a step toward me, and I found myself backed against a wall.
"P-please leave, Mr. Garner."
"I thought we could talk about you returning to work for us." He removed his jacket and laid it on the back of a chair.
"B-but, what about Mrs. Garner?" She had been quite clear in her opinion about me.
"I run the house, not her." He stood inches from me, leering. His foul breath wafted to my nose, adding to my disgust at his presence. "I’m sure we can come to some agreeable terms." His gaze lingered on my bosom, the implications clear.
With shaking fingers, I reached for the vase on the bedside table.
Fear coursed through me and suddenly I thought, if only Rye and Keane were here. They’d know what to do.
RYE
* * *
"I think it’s time to go back to Bridgewater," Keane stated, downing the last of his Scotch and slamming the glass on the table to emphasize his point. We were seated, as we had been every evening during our brief sojourn in Butte, at the saloon next to the Hotel Imperial.
"I feel the same," I said, with no small amount of surprise to realize how fond I had become of the ranch in the Montana mountains. "We might as well return, though it’s only been three days, half the time we’d intended to be here."
"We failed at our task," Keane reminded me, unnecessarily.
Yes, that one task, the most important of all, had not been accomplished. Much to the disappointment of us both.
I had tried to convince myself we would find another, but I was haunted by visions of the girl in the park. Lily. Lily Snow. Her sweet voice echoed in my head and invaded my thoughts around the clock. I had woken every morning with a stiff cock after increasingly debauched dreams of her. Her with me. Her with Keane. Her between the two of
us. Her body as eager for us as we were for her. My cock ached to plunge deep into her, to claim her over and over, leave her in no doubt that she belonged to us. Her pleasure noises echoing around the room as we made her come time and again.
"You know the one I want. The one we both want," Keane said.
Hell yes, I knew who we wanted. Keane and I had been the closest of friends since childhood, able to finish each other’s sentences, communicate without speaking. Why he felt the need to bring up this subject again, I had no idea.
"For fuck’s sake, man, she’s married." I glared at him across the small table in the corner of the saloon, the disappointment in his eyes no doubt the same as what I felt.
"Not happily." He signaled to one of the saloon girls to bring us both another drink, then turned back to me, his expression grim. "You saw the way her demeanor changed when that asshole came along. The kids didn’t like him either. We’d never treat her that way. Never, ever. She’d be cherished and honored. She deserves us."
"What are you suggesting? That we kidnap a married woman, force her to get divorced and then marry us?" Our drinks arrived and promptly disappeared. "We need to stop thinking about her."
"You felt it, too, didn't you?" Keane asked me for the tenth time since we'd watched her walk away. Walk away with her husband and children, no less.
"Of course I did." I gripped the edge of the table and stood. I was tired of being in the noisy saloon. "But, it cannot be."
Keane stood as well. "No, you’re wrong. She’s meant to be ours, and it will happen. I’ll make it happen. I didn’t survive the bloody war in Mohamir and travel across the godforsaken ocean then wear my ass out on the back of a horse getting to the Montana Territory to spend the rest of my days living in a cabin with only you."
"Well, that’s hardly my dream come true either, you stupid motherfucker."
"That’s some fine talk, your lordship."
"Don’t call me that," I snapped.
We exited the saloon and crossed the street to the Hotel Imperial, Butte’s finest accommodations. We’d stayed in the best suite, dining out for every meal. Though I much preferred life on Bridgewater Ranch, I was not opposed to spending the money necessary for some time away in the city. I did not care to flaunt my family name or wealth, however, I was not shy about making good use of either when it benefited me.
As we climbed the stairs to our room, I said, "I hope I am wrong."
"About me being a stupid motherfucker?" Keane grinned, our cross words forgotten.
