Hernando Heat Read online

He grabbed her, not letting her go. “What do you think it is I’m thinking?”

  Forcing her gaze to his, she whispered, “That I must be some sort of loose woman.”

  He looked angry and pulled her tightly to him again. “I think you’re a smart, beautiful woman any man would be proud to have by his side. If any man ever said a bad word about you, I’d show him my fists.”

  “But how can I feel like this! The two of you are so different, and I love you both so much…” Tears prickled her eyes again. “I can never choose one of you over the other, because it would hurt both of you.”

  “Both of us?”

  “Whoever was chosen would still end up estranged from the other, right? How could I ever do that to you!” She felt her heart breaking as she stared into his beautiful blue eyes. “I’d rather be alone and watch the two of you find happiness with someone else and still be friends with each other than to ever break the bond you have.” She quickly pulled free and scooped his wet clothes up before heading to the kitchen.

  He followed her a moment later, now with an unbuttoned shirt on. He didn’t say anything as he stepped behind her at the sink and slipped his arms around her waist.

  Katie closed her eyes and let him pull her back against him, wordlessly holding her. After a few minutes, he asked, “What if you don’t have to choose?”

  She shook her head. “I won’t allow one or the other of you to leave because of me. I’d leave first before I come between your friendship.”

  * * * *

  Fear gripped him unlike any other. The feelings he’d had for her terrified him, ironically, more before her confession. He’d loved her but thought her heart belonged to Mase. Now that he knew how she felt, he suspected there might be an unusual solution to keep everyone happy.

  If Mase would agree to it. Not exactly how Joe would have wanted it, but however imperfect, it meant both she and Mase would also be happy, and he wouldn’t lose her.

  When Mason had confessed to him that afternoon what he felt for Katie, his next admission had shocked Joe even more. “I can’t do this,” he’d whispered. “I love her, but as much as I love her, I can’t court her.”

  Joe had stared at him, stunned. “What the hell are you talking about? Why not?”

  He’d never forget the pain in Mason’s brown eyes when he looked at him. “Because I know you’re in love with her. And I can see she loves you. After what you went through, I’d rather see you happy. You’ve been through enough pain. When I get back, I’ll have a talk with her and tell her I can’t court her and that she has my blessings for you to court her.”

  The revelation had spun his world on its axis. The truth was he didn’t need to place a feed order today, but he’d used the excuse to get away from the sawmill early, to take his time riding to town, alone, to clear his head before he picked her up to bring her home.

  Pulling his thoughts from that afternoon, he kissed the back of her neck and enjoyed the way her body melted against his. “What if,” he slowly said, “the two of us don’t want you to leave?”

  “What?”

  He made her turn and look him in the eye. “He loves you. I love you. What if we both love you and won’t let you leave?”

  “What are you saying?”

  He kissed her again, deeply, waiting until her body relaxed into his before he answered, “Do you mean it when you say you love both of us?”

  She nodded.

  “Then you let me talk to Mase,” he hoarsely said.

  “I won’t come between you!”

  He smiled. “Baby, if I get my way, you won’t have to worry about that, and we can all live as a happy little family.”

  Chapter Seven

  Her mind reeled at the implication as she prepared their dinner while Joe sat at the table and cleaned and oiled the shotgun. Both of them?

  Between her legs, she felt her clit throb with the thought. How many nights had she wickedly fantasized about being wedged in bed between their hard bodies? Could her dreams really come true?

  She started to hope then stopped, chastising herself for the silly, fruitless thought.

  It was selfish. It was brazenly wrong. If anyone found out, it would sully not just her own reputation, which, truth be told she didn’t care about, but ruin Joe and Mason in the town.

  Wouldn’t it?

  Despite the warm kitchen, she deliciously shivered at the thought of lying with both men.

  She couldn’t deny the way her heart screamed for it to be so, with no one hurt, no painful good-byes.

  Her hands paused. No more loneliness. No more nights crying herself to sleep.

  Maybe the love of not just one but two good men could finally heal her perpetual pain.

  When she turned to set a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table, her eyes met Joe’s blue gaze. He laid the gun on the table and pushed his chair back. Patting his thigh, he held out his other hand to her.

  In a daze she walked over to him and let him pull her down onto his lap. Settling her arms around his neck felt more than comfortable.

  It felt right.

  His gaze lingered over her face. “I love you, Katie,” he whispered. “And I won’t deny the thought of Mason owning your heart, too, makes me a mite jealous, but I want to make you happy. Putting a smile on your face is all that matters to me.” He kissed her, sweet and slow and, outside of her dreams, sending heat coursing through her body in a way she hadn’t felt since…

  No! Not tonight! She wouldn’t think about her poor Paul tonight. Instead, she ran her fingers through his still-damp hair and kissed him back fiercely, softly moaning as one of his hands pushed her housedress up and his fingers slipped between her legs.

  Her eyes dropped closed and she rested her head against his shoulder as he sought out her intimate places, his fingers unerringly centering on her throbbing clit, gently rubbing.

  “Does that feel good, baby?”

  She whimpered a reply, her hips now rocking in time with his fingers. It’d been so long since she’d felt the hot, hard hands of a man on her. Praying he wouldn’t stop, she clutched his shirt with one hand, the back of his neck with the other, and clung to him.

  His hand pressed forward and she gasped as two fingers easily parted her damp curls and slid inside her lubricated channel.

  “Jesus!” he moaned. “You do enjoy that, don’t you?” His rock-hard erection dug into her thigh.

  Her nipples rubbed against the soft fabric of her housedress, adding pleasant friction to the delicious delight of his fingers exploring her now-gushing pussy.

  “More, please!” She kissed his throat, teeth grazing his warm flesh.

  He started a slow, steady rhythm with his hand, in and out, as deeply as he could press, working his fingers inside her, caressing a sweet spot she knew would send her over the edge if he just wouldn’t stop.

  Clutching him tighter, she whimpered against his skin, lost within her body’s whirlpool of need and hunger.

  “You’re gorgeous, baby. Give me what I want.” His deep voice resonated through her, his own unmistakable passion hurtling her closer to that sweet brink. He kept two fingers buried inside her pussy as his thumb found her clit and stroked it. “Give it to me. Come for me.”

  Katie rode his hand, her body on fire in a way she hadn’t felt in far too long. Nothing but the hot lust coursing through her cunt mattered to her. Shame? What shame? Something that felt this good couldn’t be wrong.

  His free hand skimmed up her arm, to her chin, where he tipped her face up to his before his arm settled along her back, cradling her. “Look at me. Open your eyes and look at me.”

  Forcing them open, she stared into his intense blue gaze, like a summer sky across a pasture.

  “Now. Give it to me now.”

  His commanding tone tipped her over the brink, her soul scattering like leaves in the wind as his hand quickened, harder, faster, every stroke rubbing both that sweet spot inside her wet pussy and her throbbing clit. He swallowed her cries with his
mouth, his tongue plunging between her lips, possessing her body.

  Possessing her heart.

  It felt like her climax wouldn’t stop as her body trembled in his arms until his fingers finally fell still between her legs. She lay there, spent, replete, satisfied.

  Guilty.

  He withdrew his hand. She opened her eyes, meeting his deep gaze as he sucked her juices off his fingers. Then he kissed her again, rising with her in his arms and setting her on the table. He shifted her around, stepping between her legs as he pushed her dress up over her thighs.

  She held on tight, wanting more. Needing more. Guilt fell to the wayside as he unfastened his trousers, freeing his hard cock.

  Hooking her legs around his hips, she pulled him close and tight as he plunged inside her, hot and ready, his previous ministrations well preparing the way for his rigid shaft. He pleasantly stretched her, the sweet ache of him filling her pussy, sending her on the climb toward another release.

  “Oh, baby,” he whispered, falling still for a moment before starting a slow, deep rhythm. He clutched her tightly to him as he kissed her, one hand fisting in her hair, finalizing his claim. She met each thrust with her hips and was barely aware of the table moving under them as he picked up speed until she realized every stroke hit her already swollen clit just right, pulling her with him.

  He felt it. “You gonna come with me, baby?” he hoarsely muttered. “I can feel your pussy grabbing me. You want it?”

  “Please!”

  Harder, faster, each thrust hitting her clit and that sweet spot inside her again. His hands slid down to her hips, his strong fingers digging in and using the leverage to hold her where he wanted her. His balls slapped against her ass as he fucked her, his lips ravaging hers, bruising kisses stealing her breath, until she gasped.

  “Yes!” She felt like her soul had been ripped apart at the seams and put back together in the right way. For so long she’d felt lonely, and this felt so right in a way she never wanted to lose, no matter how wrong anyone said it might be.

  “Goddamn!” He plunged again, hard and deep, then fell still as she felt his throbbing cock pumping his seed deep inside her, claiming her.

  Owning her heart.

  With tears streaming down her face she clung to him, desperate to never let him go. His hands roamed her back, now gentle, tender, caressing her. “I love you, Katie,” he whispered in her ear. “I love you fierce. Please, promise me you’ll never leave us.”

  Unable to talk through her emotions, she nodded and held him tighter. As her bliss receded, despite her dreams appearing to be fulfilled, guilt once again established a foothold.

  What about Mason?

  * * * *

  Joe carried her into his bedroom and tenderly laid her down on his bed, where he pulled her housedress off her before dropping his clothes to the floor. Then he crawled into bed with her, slowly exploring her body with his lips, driving her close to madness yet again.

  Tangling her fingers in his hair, she held him close, refusing to let go for fear he’d leave her. Together, the sweet, musky scent of their lovemaking reminded her of long-ago happiness she never thought she’d ever experience again outside of her lonely dreams.

  This time when he entered her, his body covering hers as she wrapped her legs around him, he laced his fingers through hers and kissed her. Slow, sweet, sensuous glides of his cock across her clit, sliding deep inside her, their combined juices making it easy for his large member to search out and locate that sweet spot again.

  “I love you, Katie,” he said, his voice sounding hoarse and full of emotion. “I’m not letting you go.”

  She stared into his eyes and knew her heart was lost.

  To both men.

  “I don’t want you to let me go. Either of you.”

  “We’ll make this work, the three of us. I promise.”

  She silenced him with a kiss, knowing damn well Mason wouldn’t want to share, and part of her heart breaking at the selfish thought of losing the other man she loved. This time, her release came with his. He didn’t withdraw. Instead, he gathered her into his arms and rolled them onto their sides.

  Her cheek rested against his chest, and she enjoyed the feel of his heart slowing into a normal rhythm beneath her ear. Golden curls brushed her flesh.

  As she lay there in his arms, a torturous thought pounded through her brain. What have I done?

  * * * *

  When Joe heard her stomach growl, he remembered he’d interrupted their dinner. There’d be time for him to contemplate what this meant later. “We need to get some food into you.” He untangled himself from her sweet body and poured water into the basin on his dresser. He brought a washcloth and towel and proceeded to kiss her as he helped clean her up.

  Even in the dim light he saw the blush rise in her cheeks.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I’m not used to this, that’s all.”

  “What? I want to take care of you.” He kissed her again. “I will take care of you. We will take care of you.”

  Her eyes glistened and he heard the tremor in her voice. “What about Mason?”

  “He’ll listen to me. He loves you, too.” He didn’t want to mention Mason’s earlier conversation with him. Didn’t want Mason or her to have a chance to do the honorable thing and agree to let her be with him.

  There was no reason the three of them couldn’t be together. Despite knowing they’d have difficulties down the road, he couldn’t bear to take Mason’s love from him when he knew from personal experience how damn lonely it would be.

  He’d mastered loneliness over the years and would never wish it on another. They could and would make this work.

  “What will people say?” She kept her voice low despite them being alone, just the thought, apparently, enough to make her want to keep it secret.

  He grabbed her hand. “You leave that to me. You’ll marry one of us. We’ll figure it out. Mason and I’ve lived together for a while. He’s still my cousin. It won’t cause talk.” He stroked her cheek and smiled to reassure her. “People would talk more if you didn’t marry one of us, despite you being a widow. They’ll expect one of us to claim you soon enough, I’m sure.”

  When she started to protest again, he laid a gentle finger on her lips. “No more worries, Katie. Promise me.”

  She finally smiled and nodded.

  “Good. Now let’s get back to dinner.”

  After dinner, he wouldn’t let her return to her room. Instead, he drew her into his bed, but they were both so tired they simply lay down together, with her nestled in his arms.

  She fell asleep almost immediately.

  He smiled as he studied the curve of her jaw, the smooth lines of her brow without wide-awake worry to crease it. He didn’t want to tell her about the one time he’d been with someone other than his Laura. A trip to Tampa, when he and Mase rented a soiled dove at one of the Tampa hotels and spent a night with her, fueled by Mason’s grief over a visit to his sister’s grave and Joe’s alcohol-fueled memories of his lost love. An evening where the two of them shared the girl, enjoyed losing themselves and their grief in her and for a few hours, deadening the pain in their souls.

  They never talked about it again after that, but he suspected Mason had enjoyed it as much as he did, at the time.

  He’d loved Laura so much, but she’d have tempted the angels themselves. Being young, he’d wanted her. And with only three weeks before their wedding, neither of them saw a reason not to give in.

  And then she was dead just weeks later.

  Deep down, he suspected Dorchester Junior, who’d made statements about wanting to court her despite her rejecting him once already, had a hand in it. The way the sickness had suddenly come on her, Joe had suspected poisoning, even though the doctors thought perhaps it was caused by a ruptured appendix brought on from a fall from her horse the day before.

  The doctor insisted she was delirious when she tightly clut
ched Joe’s hands as he sat with her. How she begged him not to trust the Dorchesters.

  The way Junior seemed to sneer at him at the funeral before disappearing.

  The Dorchesters hadn’t dared cross his path since.

  He’d never told Mason or anyone else his suspicions after the doctor warned him. “They’re powerful. They’re evil. And I don’t want to be burying any more people if they did have a hand in this.” The doctor shook his head. “I’m willing to bet this was natural, just unfortunate timing, son. Don’t let fantasies eat you alive. And don’t plan revenge.”

  Joe hadn’t planned revenge, but if the opportunity darkened his door, he wouldn’t refuse it. No one could convince him the Dorchesters were innocent. Especially not Junior.

  Chapter Eight

  The repetitive, melancholy sound of a whip-poor-will awoke Katie just after false dawn the next morning. Confused, she didn’t recognize the room until she realized the warm body comfortingly pressed along her back was Joe.

  Closing her eyes again, she felt like laughing and crying at the same time. They’d made love yet again sometime in the dead of night, when she awoke with her face pleasantly snuggled against his bare chest. Then he’d shifted position slightly, rolling toward her, placing his lips within kissing distance and…

  She sighed.

  “Good morning.” His deep, sleep-thick voice rumbled through her.

  Afraid to respond and break this wonderful dream, she cuddled tighter against him. Maybe if she pretended this wasn’t real, there would be no hurt, no scandal.

  No heartbreak.

  His arm circled her waist as his lips brushed the nape of her neck. “You okay, Katie?” he softly asked.

  “Yeah,” she finally admitted. “I’m all right.”

  “Please don’t regret what we did. I love you.”

  She squeezed his arm. “I love you, too.” Working up the nerve, she rolled to face him. “How do we tell Mason about this? I can’t break his heart.” She swallowed hard as she stared into his eyes. “I love you, but I love him, too. I can’t lie to you, and I won’t lie to him, either.”