Stef laughed and leaned back. He let his head rest against the chair and closed his eyes. “He’s not and you know it. Max is gruff and obnoxious, but he would give anyone who needed it the shirt off his back. He’s just scared.”
“Scared? He doesn’t seem scared to me. He seems ridiculously sexually satisfied.” Even as he said the words, he knew Stef was right.
“Max is deeper than you like to admit. He’s only going to fall in love once. You, on the other hand, could be happy with any number of women.”
“Bullshit.”
Stef’s eyes came open. “I’m serious. If Max weren’t around, if you didn’t have a twin, you would have gotten married a long time ago and started a family. I’m not saying you would have found the right girl. I’m just saying that you’re impatient when it comes to stuff like this. You would have been happy the way most people are. You would have found a restless contentment in your life. Max could never settle for that. Max saved you from that.”
Rye wanted to argue. He wanted to point out that he was the mover when it came to their love life. He was the one who made the decisions, but Rye always held off in the end because something held him back. It didn’t mean as much without Max involved. He knew most people would think it was strange, but it was their love life. Hell, it was their life, and it always had been. He’d accepted it and never questioned it. He had a second piece of himself, and that was simply the way it was.
A weariness invaded his bones. He let the silence stretch as he thought about what Stef had said. He remembered back to the night he told Max he wanted to marry Nina. He’d felt Max’s panic and now he recognized it for what it was, pain. Max had swallowed his pain at the thought of never finding the woman he could love. He’d done it for his brother.
Sometimes brotherhood meant sacrifice.
“I think you should be patient this time,” Stef said. “Sit back and see how this plays out. Max is happy. That’s important. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him happy before, but I’m not sure it can last.”
Rye let go of his anger and prayed it would. Max was a good brother. He deserved some happiness. He would stand by and let Max have his love, their love. He would smile and be her friend and help Max keep her happy by giving him the best advice he could. Maybe later, he could find that restless contentment Stef had talked about. He could marry and be the best husband and father he could be. He would never let anyone know that he would love his brother’s woman to his dying day.
* * * *
“Hey, Rachel!”
The next day, Rachel looked over the counter and saw Jen waving at her from the back booth. She grinned and motioned her over. Rachel could see another woman sitting in the booth, though her back was to Rachel.
“Go on, hon,” Stella said with a nod. “I’ll bring your lunch out. You go sit and have some girl talk.” Stella’s eyebrows went up suggestively. “Maybe you can tell them how you tamed that man of yours last night. He was all sweetness and light when he came in for coffee this morning.”
She flushed, her whole body going warm with a mixture of embarrassment and remembrance because she had tamed that man last night. “Thanks, Stella.”
She untied her apron and laid it down before walking across the dining room. There was no way she couldn’t think about the night before. It had been the best night of her life, a night that made her think maybe this old world wasn’t so bad.
They had moved to Max’s bedroom after enjoying the lovely dinner he had made. Max had fed her while she sat in his lap, alternating between bites of lasagna and sips of rich wine. Neither one had worn a stitch of clothing as they’d sat there eating. She’d curled up against him skin to skin, and they’d talked while they enjoyed dinner. It had been the most intimate evening of her entire life. Despite promising to keep all the conversation light, she’d found herself telling him about her childhood, while Max had talked about his brother.
He was so close to Rye. Sometimes he would talk about his brother almost like Rye was the other half of him. She’d never been as close to another person as Max was with his brother. She was an only child, and now her whole family was gone. She knew Max’s parents were gone and his sister was off in college, but at least he had his brother.
She’d started to worry that she was coming between them. Of course the deeper fear was that she was also attracted to Rye. The other half of the man. Where Max was spontaneous, Rye seemed solid. Where Max was willing to let her take charge, there was a deep authoritarian presence that made her wonder how Rye would make love. She wondered if he would take charge.
She wondered what it would be like to have both.
“Hey.” Jen scooted off the bench when Rachel made it to the booth. “I’m glad you’re going on break. I have to go on the clock again. I didn’t want to leave Callie in the lurch.”
Jen was leaving? Leaving her with Max’s childhood friend? Rachel stared at the woman across from her. She was a pretty woman, roughly the same age as Rachel. Callie Sheppard. She placed a name with the face. She’d seen her around a couple of times but heard her name almost every day. Callie was the shoulder everyone in Bliss cried on. She was also Rye’s administrative assistant and she’d grown up with Max. She’d heard about their foursome. Max and Rye and Stef and Callie. They’d been a little gang.
Callie turned her wide brown eyes up. There was something disarmingly innocent about Callie Sheppard. “I don’t like to eat alone. I’m afraid I was running late for my lunch date with Jen. Do you mind?”
Jen bounded away, her ponytail bobbing. Did she mind? Hell yeah, she minded. The last thing she wanted to do was sit down and talk to someone so close to Rye Harper. Everywhere she turned, it seemed Rye Harper was there waiting like a forbidden piece of fruit. She could still feel his hands surrounding hers, even after a full night in his brother’s bed. God, what kind of a woman was she?
“Or not,” Callie said with a sad twist of her mouth. “It’s okay. I can survive one meal by myself.”
Rachel slid into the booth. She wasn’t about to be rude. She could survive a thirty-minute break. After all, Callie was important to Max, too. “Not at all. I’d love the company.”
Stella chose that moment to arrive with Rachel’s lunch. It was a nice turkey sandwich with a bowl of minestrone soup and a glass of iced tea. She greeted Callie with a kiss on the cheek and then left the two alone.
Rachel picked up her spoon. “Who wants to eat alone anyway? I’m glad for the company.”
Callie sat back and seemed to get lost in thought for a moment. “Would you change your mind if you knew I was here to plead Rye’s case?”
The spoon clattered to the table, and she found herself taking a deep drink of her tea. She quickly composed herself. “Rye’s case? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m dating Max.”
“Yes, that’s the problem,” Callie replied.
It certainly was. She forced herself to pick up the spoon. She could talk about this or she could walk away and tell Callie it wasn’t any of her business. She knew she should do the latter, but she was so interested in talking about Max and Rye and how they used to conduct their affairs that she found herself staying put. “It’s not like it’s a grand love affair. Max and I are having fun. That’s all there is to it.”
And that was how it needed to stay. She had to be able to walk away at a moment’s notice. Run, not walk.
Callie huffed a little. “Max doesn’t have fun. He’s serious about you, Rachel. If you aren’t serious, it would be better if you broke it off now.” Her head tilted slightly to the side. “But I think you’re either lying to me or yourself. You’re in love with Max.”
“After knowing him a few weeks? I hardly think so.” Rachel kept her tone nonchalant.
A sad smile crossed Callie’s face. “You don’t believe in love at first sight?”
Callie did. Rachel could see that plainly. She softened. From everything she understood about the other woman, she was probably lonely. Bliss wa
s a small town. There probably hadn’t been many prospects. From the stories Rachel had heard, Callie had been the only girl her age. She’d grown up with the Harper twins and Stef as her only real companions. They had been kids and then teens together. With few suitable males her age, Callie had probably fallen in love with one of her friends. She couldn’t see Callie with the artist. That left Max and Rye. Rachel’s heart ached a little. Callie wasn’t doing the whole “stay away from my men” business. She was watching out for two men she loved.
“I’m not trying to hurt anyone.” Rachel watched as the other woman looked away.
“I know. But I don’t think you understand them.” Callie took a long drink of her coffee. The salad in front of her went untouched. “I know it seems weird, but two men can be really nice.”
Now Rachel was the one leaning in. “Did you date them?”
Callie’s eyes widened. “God, no. I wasn’t talking about Max and Rye. Look, I grew up with them. I’ll admit that when I was a kid I had a crush on them, but really, I’m over that. I love them, but I’m not in love with them anymore. Now they’re like my obnoxious brothers. My question is, are you even vaguely attracted to Rye?”
Was she attracted to Rye? Yes, but she shouldn’t be. It had felt so good to sit next to him the night before. When he’d driven her out to the house, his very presence had pulled at her. She’d wanted to scoot over and sit next to him, their hips brushing each other as the Bronco bounced down the road. It was different than what she felt with Max. Despite her every instinct telling her to stay as far away from Rye Harper as she could, she couldn’t get the image of him standing over her out of her head. Max, for all his bluster, was sweet and tender when it came to sex. Rye would be a different story.
She’d started to wonder if she didn’t need both.
“Okay, that answers that question.” Callie had a big grin on her face, and Rachel felt herself flush. She’d given away way more than she thought she had.
“Fine, I find him attractive. That doesn’t mean I’m going to jump his bones.” She wasn’t going to do that. Even if she wanted to, it would hurt Max. She wasn’t going to cheat on Max.
“Are you fundamentally opposed to the whole idea of a threesome?”
Again, Rachel felt every inch of her face flood with blood. She looked around to see if anyone was watching. “How can you talk about this?” Something Callie had said earlier suddenly made sense. “You’re in a threesome, aren’t you?”
Finally, Callie showed some discomfort with the extremely intimate subject. Her hands twisted together. “No, not on a permanent basis. I mean, wow, that makes it sound like I’m going to an orgy every weekend. I’m not. My life would be way more interesting if that was happening.” She stuttered a little. “I only did it the once, but that was enough.”
“Enough for what?”
“Enough to make me think about it for the rest of my life.” Callie took a deep breath and visibly forced her hands to be still. “It was one weekend with two amazing men. At the end of the weekend, we went our separate ways. I haven’t seen them in years now. They were friends of Stef’s.”
But Callie hadn’t wanted the weekend to end, Rachel knew suddenly. It was written all over her face. Rachel felt a rush of empathy for Rye’s assistant. “What was it like?”
Rachel wasn’t necessarily talking about the sex, and Callie seemed to understand. A dreamy look came over her face. “I’ve never felt safer than I did with them. It was like I was their whole world. When I was with Zane and Nate, I was something more than just me. Maybe it works that way with couples, too, but I was surrounded by them. I was the center of the whole world for a few days. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
“But your heart got broken.” And that was what Rachel was terrified of. It wasn’t normal. It couldn’t work. Except maybe Max and Rye weren’t normal. Maybe they needed something different.
Callie shrugged and shook off the fine sheen of moisture that coated her eyes. “You can’t make someone love you. That’s what I learned that weekend. I wouldn’t take back loving them for anything in the world. Loving makes us better. And you won’t have the same problem. Max is already in love with you. Rye can’t help but follow. It just works that way for them.”
“Always?”
Callie nodded. She seemed more comfortable getting back to the subject of Max and Rye. “Ever since we were kids. You know that connection thing a lot of twins have? Multiply it by a thousand, and that’s Max and Rye. I swear one can tell what the other one is thinking most of the time. When they started dating, they dated the same girl. At the same time. And then her father came after them with a shotgun, and they ran away together.”
Rachel felt a smile split her face. What must it be like to have someone to share your soul with? How hard would it be to suddenly stop? She frowned. “Max hasn’t broached the subject with me. I don’t think he wants to share me.”
And she wasn’t about to suggest a threesome. Even if she wanted to. Which she didn’t. Did she?
“I think he’s afraid of scaring you off. They’re both afraid of scaring you off. If you care about Max, please think about giving Rye a shot. He’s a great guy.”
All thoughts of food were put on hold. What was she doing? She couldn’t stay here, could she? She couldn’t think about giving a relationship with a sheriff an honest try. He didn’t even know her real name. When he found out about her past, would he still be interested? Or would he try to save his precious brother from the crazy chick?
“I mean Rye’s totally paranoid. I think maybe that’s a law enforcement thing,” Callie was saying. “But you’re good. You passed the background check. Once your plates clear and he’s sure you’re not a serial killer, you’ll find him to be the nicest guy ever. Of course, Mel might still think you’re an alien, but I have a test for that, too. I’m going to warn you, it involves beets.”
Callie continued, but Rachel’s vision had shifted. Everything was blurry as she realized Rye Harper had already proven her point. She couldn’t trust him. God, what did he already know? Had he called around? Her current license listed her address as Houston, but cops shared info all the time. Was Tommy already on his way?
It was everything she’d feared. How much time did she have?
Rachel stood up, ignoring Callie’s surprised look. She walked to the counter and picked up her keys. Stella called out, but Rachel didn’t respond. She walked out the door and got into the Jeep. She would leave. No good-byes, no last paychecks. She would point her Jeep to the north and head for Wyoming. She would drive past Denver because it was too close to the Harper twins for comfort. She would dump the Rachel Swift ID. When she had enough cash, she would make her way to Chicago and lose herself in the city. She wouldn’t make friends. She wouldn’t talk to anyone unless she had to. She sure as hell wouldn’t fall for another man. She turned the car around. She felt tears running down her face. How could he have done that to her?
He’d put her name out there. He’d put her in the system, and for what? Because she’d had the temerity to date his brother?
She stopped at the red light. Something made her turn her head. She wanted one last look at Bliss. And then she saw him. Rye Harper was walking out of the sheriff’s office. He stretched and yawned, pulling his big body this way and that way. His eyes caught sight of her and lit up. There was a wide smile on his too-sexy mouth, and his hand came up in greeting.
Suddenly, she just had to wipe that smile off his face. Jerking the car into park and pulling the keys out, Rachel opened the door and descended on the man who had wrecked her life.
Chapter Eight
Rye yawned as he stepped out of the gloom of his office and into the sunshine. It was turning out to be a lazy day. No alien invasions. No complaints from the tourists about naked hikers. No bombs going off on the Farley land from out of control science experiments. It was a good thing, too, because he had a headache from drowning his sorrows the previous night. His stomach growled. A b
urger from Stella’s was what he needed. A little grease and his stomach would settle right down. If he hurried, he could catch up with Callie.
And he might see Rachel. He didn’t know her schedule because he wasn’t some creepy stalker like his brother, but she often worked the lunch crowd. He could start his new plan, his friends-with-Rachel, hands-off buddy plan.
Rye turned as a battered Jeep stopped at the stoplight in front of his office. He caught sight of Rachel’s strawberry blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. His breath hitched at the sight of her. Goddamn, he cursed inwardly, even as he felt a dippy smile cross his face. It was like she was the freaking sun. He felt his hand come up to wave at her.
Don’t forget the plan. Who cares about the plan? Look at how pretty she is.
She slammed her car door shut. She was wearing a tight white T-shirt and jeans that hugged her every curve. Her breasts were gloriously round and jiggled as she walked toward him. Her hips swayed. His hands itched and he wanted nothing more than to walk straight up to her and drag that hot body against his. He would grind his erection against her and force her to come at least twice before he shoved her over and thrust his cock inside. He would ride that pussy until he finally couldn’t take another second and then…oh, then, he would come. He would flood her with every last drop he had in his balls.
Damn it, he had an erection right in the middle of the street, and now he had to talk to her. Rye finally got a good look at Rachel’s face and took a step back. She looked righteously pissed, and all that anger seemed to be directed at him.
“You asshole!” She stalked across the distance between them.
Her anger practically vibrated through the air. Rye knew he should ask what was wrong, but something about the way she was coming at him got his back up. Not only his back, his cock was straining, too. She wanted to fight. He could fucking fight. He hadn’t done anything but facilitate her relationship with his brother and offer her his protection. He’d left his freaking home so she could be comfortable there. He wasn’t about to take her shit.