“Listen to your brother, Maxwell,” Marie admonished. Max looked at the sixty-year-old woman. She was solidly built, with a no-nonsense air about her. “You calm down. You have bigger things to worry about than those two boys. The whole town knows about Rachel. We’re all watching out for her. That son of a bitch walks into our town and the women’s group will shoot him. No questions asked. I’m not waiting around for him to mansplain how I should shoot him. I’m taking him out fast.”
Max and Rye had talked to Callie and Logan about getting the word out to the town to watch Rachel. It looked like it worked. Now he had to hope Rachel didn’t find out. “Well, while you’re all watching out for Rach, I can kill two asshole brothers.”
“Those young boys are all arrogance and charm,” Teeny said, shaking her head. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Rachel turned them down flat last night.”
“What?” It was Rye’s turn to yelp.
Marie stared at him for a moment. “I thought you would have heard. It was all over town. Those Kent boys came into the diner and asked Rachel out. They said something about two being better than one.”
“But Rachel told them she had a boyfriend.” Teeny pushed her glasses back up her nose. They were always falling off. She leaned forward conspiratorially. “Stella said they talked about her after she was gone, though. They seemed very interested. They weren’t at all concerned that she had a boyfriend.”
Max bet they had talked about her. He should have answered the phone last night. He’d wanted quiet time with Rachel, but from now on, he’d always answer the phone in case someone was calling to tell him about young men in desperate need of a good ass-kicking.
Rye was looking at the women like he wished they’d be quiet. “Like I told Max, he can’t kick the ass of every man who hits on her. It doesn’t matter. Rachel took care of it.”
“We have one final item on the block for today’s auction,” Stefan was saying smoothly.
“See.” Rye pointed to the stage. “We’re almost done, and then we can take Rachel home. She’ll be far away from the lustful gaze of rodeo cowboys.”
She might never leave the ranch again. Damn upstart cowboys.
“Let’s call this an adults-only prize. Someone distract the Farley brothers. One of our most beautiful citizens has agreed to auction herself off for an evening,” Stefan said with a laugh. “This will consist of a fantasy date at the Talbot estate. It’s an evening of dinner, dancing, and whatever else can happen between consenting adults.”
Everyone was chattering about the spicy item up for auction.
“See, I bet they were talking about Jen. Jen’s the only one crazy enough to auction herself off.” Rye turned his attention to where the Kent brothers were standing near the stage. “They’re practically drooling. Stefan’s going to get some decent change out of those idiots, and then they’ll forget all about Rachel.”
“Let me introduce our—” Stefan stopped as a young woman walked up onto the stage. “What should I call you, Rachel?”
She grinned and shrugged. “Let’s call me a love slave.”
“Excellent.” Stefan pushed her gently to the front of the stage. “Do I have a bid on our love slave?”
“Five hundred dollars,” one of the Kent brothers yelled.
Max felt his eye twitching. He knew he should be yelling, but his limbs wouldn’t move. This was what it felt like to be paralyzed with rage. Why did everything have a sheen of red to it? Like someone had drawn a thin, scarlet-covered sheet over his vision. Everything seemed to slow down and a weird calm settled on him. Yes, he was going to do it. He was going to finally go utterly psychotic and prove the whole town right. He was going to walk over to those arrogant assholes and take the first one apart. He would break a bunch of bones and listen for the screams of his prey. Then he’d beat the other one to death with his dead brother’s leg. It was a good plan. Sound. Logical.
He looked to his own brother. Rye would save him from his towering rage. Rye would have calming words. Rye would talk him down and ensure he made the right choice and stayed out of jail.
Rye’s face was red as he pointed at the young cowboys. “You, kill now, Max.”
Fucking A. If Rye thought it was a good idea, he was off the leash. Max started stalking toward the idiots trying to buy his woman for the evening. It would be their last evening on Earth. He would send them out with pain and horror and the sad acts of eating their own testicles.
“Maxwell Harper, you stop right there,” Rachel said over the microphone.
“No.” Max didn’t even slow down as he yelled at Rachel. She wasn’t talking him out of it. This was his sacred right. “I’m going to kill them. They’re not going to spend the night with you as their damn love slave.”
Rye was right behind him as they bore down on their prey. The Kent brothers stood their ground. Smirks marked their faces as they watched Max and Rye move in.
Max saw Rachel up on stage, tapping that foot of hers. It was one of the things she did when she thought he was acting like a dumbass. He’d lived with her long enough to know that look.
“Well, I wasn’t planning on that. I rather thought you might buy me, Max,” she said with a huff.
Max stopped. He forgot about the cowboys for a moment. Rachel was staring down at him. “Did you plan this, baby?”
She leaned over, holding her hand over the microphone. It gave him an excellent view of the creamy mounds of her breasts. It also gave the Kent brothers a view. “Yes. I know it’s a surprise, but it could be fun. I have a whole night planned around being your love slave, Max. I know I take control most of the time, but I thought you would enjoy a little obedience from me for once.”
His cock got hard at the thought, and he knew Rachel noticed. Damn it. He was going to kill Stefan for letting her do this. It was sweet, and she’d obviously not thought that other men would be bidding. She’d thought he would be the only one, and she couldn’t have known it would get super expensive to sleep with a woman he was already sleeping with for free. It was good. Maybe it would make her feel valued and stuff. Spending a shit ton of money on sex might be a fun kink. This once. “Fine. Five hundred and one dollars.”
It did not go unnoticed that Rachel rolled her eyes at his overwhelming increase.
The Kent brothers laughed, too.
“Six hundred,” the one named Shane bid. He winked up at Rachel. “I think you’re worth it, darlin’. I’m sure the old man’s next bid will be six hundred dollars and fifty cents. I mean, if he’s got that much saved up from his decades and decades of work.”
Max growled. He took a step forward, but Rye held him back.
Rye looked up at Stefan. “Max will go to a thousand.”
“What?” Max grimaced but looked at Rachel, who was waiting expectantly. Her big green eyes were watching him and asking what she was worth. Did she have to be worth so much damn money? He couldn’t help it. He believed in bargain shopping and she obviously wasn’t accepting coupons tonight. “Fine.”
The Kent brothers grinned. “Two thousand.”
Max could hear people talking all around him. He didn’t have two thousand. He was building a damn business. He was going to end up in jail because there was no way he would let his Rachel walk off into the sunset to play love slave to two rodeo cowboys. There would be no fucking arrangement, no Demi Moore Indecent damn Proposal. He wasn’t going to let Stef sell his woman to anyone but him, and unfortunately he was a damn cheapskate.
“Twenty-five hundred,” he heard Rye say.
He loved her. He loved her so much. It better be the best sex of his life because he would be paying his brother back forever.
“I thought the other one was bidding,” complained one of the Kent brothers.
Stefan looked down from his perch on the stage. “Which one of you is bidding? You should know there’s no pooling money. If you do that, then both of you have to share the prize.”
“We don’t have a problem with that. We’re mo
re than willing to share.” Shane sent a smoldering look Rachel’s way. “We heard those two over there don’t. We’ll show Miss Rachel a real good time. We’re going to show her just how good two men can be.”
Max was going to show them how torn up two men could be. How broken two men could be. How much two men had in them.
“Three thousand,” Rye shouted. He looked at the younger men. “Three thousand and I let you live. You go a single dollar over, and all bets are off. I will let him off the leash and you will not like how your evening ends.”
Max took up the topic. His voice was low, so Rachel couldn’t hear him. “It won’t be a fair fight, boys. You try taking our woman, and you better watch your back the rest of your damn lives. You understand me?”
“I hear you,” the tall one said. “As it happens, we could only go to two grand.”
Shane sighed. “Damn. I guess we’ll have to find comfort elsewhere. You fellas don’t happen to have a sister, do you?”
Rye shoved a hand against his brother’s chest.
“You stay away from my sister, asshole,” Max yelled. He would kill them first. He kind of wanted to.
The Kents were laughing as Rye pushed Max away.
“Calm your ass down, Max.”
Max looked at his brother, who didn’t seem as pissed off as he should be. “Now they’re talking about our sister.”
Rye looked seriously irritated, but not with the cowboys. “She’s safely in Denver, Max. Have you given any consideration to the fact that we purchased a slave for the night? We bought a slave for the two of us.”
Max’s mouth dropped open. He looked up at the stage where Rachel was talking to Stefan. “She can’t know what it means. She was just saying that.”
Stefan jogged off the stage as Rachel talked to some blonde who had come with him. She seemed to be giving Rachel explicit instructions.
Max stopped the elegantly casual Stefan. “This date I went into hock for…it’s dinner and stuff, right? She was joking about the slave part.”
Stefan frowned. “If she was joking, then Lana wasted an entire morning training her. Rachel was specific in her demands. She wanted to be a proper submissive for the evening. She thought love slave was a little sexier, but the rules of D/s are in play. She’s prepared to submit sexually this evening. She has a safe word and understands what you will likely require of her. I stocked the guesthouse with everything you could need. There are condoms, lubricant, toys, anything you could want. The hot tub is ready, as well. Dinner will be waiting. She requested that no servants be present since she intends to be naked the entire time. I do not believe she was joking.”
“Damn.” Max completely forgot about his need to kick the Kent brothers’ young asses. The thought of Rachel naked and submissive to their whims was more than he could comprehend.
“I’ll get someone to give me a ride home, brother,” Rye said. Max couldn’t miss the disappointment in his brother’s voice.
“No,” Stefan insisted sharply. “I was serious about the rules, Rye. You put in your money, you share the prize.”
“That’s ridiculous. You can’t make her do that,” Rye said with a huff.
Stef laughed. “I didn’t make the rule. Rachel did.” He slapped Rye on the back. “Take some advice from a man who knows women. She’s ready. This entire thing was set up so you two would have to share. She wants everything the two of you can give her. Go on and get your woman.”
Max and Rye turned to the woman in question. Lana was handing her a key. It was the key to Stefan’s guesthouse, where the three of them would come together for the first time.
Max looked at his brother and knew they were thinking the same thing.
About damn time.
Chapter Fifteen
Rachel took a deep breath as the Bronco came to a stop in front of Stefan Talbot’s guesthouse. It was a beautifully constructed cabin with a stark view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, but Rachel wasn’t thinking of the pretty scenery. The auction had gone poorly. She’d been sure the bidding wouldn’t go past five hundred dollars, but that’s where those assholes Stef had brought in had started.
She couldn’t tell what they were thinking. They had been almost silent since they had collected her from the podium. Max had told her it was time to go. They had waited together while Rye brought the SUV around. She had settled in the back seat before Max could protest, and the ride from the park to Stefan’s had been tense, to say the least. The men seemed to be on edge.
Rye put the SUV in park and got out quickly. Max opened the passenger door, got out, and then waited on her. His hand squeezed hers as he helped her from the vehicle. She had never been as grateful for anything as she was the feel of Max’s arms around her.
“I love you, Rachel,” he whispered. He looked at her as though searching for something. “Are you sure, baby? Be sure, because this isn’t some one-night thing. This isn’t something we want to play around with. This is forever.”
Rachel felt tears threatening. “I love you, Max, but somewhere along the way, I fell in love with Rye, too. I think I need you both. Are you all right with that?”
Max’s smile held all the warmth of the sun. “Nothing could make me happier.”
He held her close, and Rachel felt something deep inside her relax. She wasn’t hurting Max.
“But, Rach, you should know, I’m the soft one when it comes to sex. Rye can be demanding.”
Rachel felt her eyes widen at that statement. Max was pretty damn demanding himself. Even as she worried a bit about that statement, Rye was proving it to be true.
“Are the two of you done cuddling?” Rye asked in a voice that reeked of authority. “I’d like to go inside and get our evening started.”
Rachel nodded and began to walk toward the door. Rye stopped her.
“We need to get a few things straight, Rachel.” Rye pulled her close to him. His blue eyes were fierce as he looked down at her. “I want you. I love you every bit as much as Max does. If you walk through that door, you will belong to the two of us. Do you understand?”
“I understand that Max wants to marry me.” Rachel felt a perverse need to challenge him. He wanted some form of authority over her, but she wasn’t giving it to him without some assurances.
Rye’s sensual lips turned up as his hands ran down her shoulders. She shivered at the touch. “Oh, we’re going to handle that, baby. I want commitment from you, too. You’ll be legally married to Max because he won the coin toss, but never doubt that you’re my wife, too. Do not test me on this. If you think Max is a possessive asshole, I have no idea what you’ll call me.”
She smiled and let her hands find his waist. She let the coin toss statement go. It didn’t matter who she legally married. “I’ll call you my possessive asshole husband.”
He leaned over and, for the first time, pressed his lips to hers. It was short and very, very sweet. “I want children and we’re not getting any younger.”
She nodded. She wanted them, too. She had never thought of it before, but now she couldn’t imagine her life without their children. They would run rampant across Bliss, Colorado. They would learn how to ride and live in this amazing wilderness that would be their birthright. They would have the best dads in the world. “Then I don’t think we should wait.”
He was silent for a moment and he reached for her hand, bringing it to his heart. “Will you marry me, Rachel?”
She nodded because her heart was far too full for speech.
“Will you marry me, Rachel? Will you be the center of our world and the mother to our children?” Max asked, coming up behind her.
She was enveloped in them. She was surrounded by the Harper twins. Their warmth and love soothed her soul like nothing had before. Rachel stilled for a moment because she knew she had finally found home.
“Yes,” she said simply.
Max kissed her cheek. Rye leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead.
It was a sweet kiss, his han
ds brushing her cheeks, but suddenly those hands tensed as he had gotten the formalities out of the way. Her whole body tightened in time with his. Oh, now he was ready to get to the sex, and so was she.
Rye took a step back, releasing her. “Rachel, do you understand what you agreed to when you put yourself up for auction?”
Her smile was all about seduction now. “Yes, Rye. I did it to tempt you and Max. I wanted to force the situation. I wanted you both.”
Max groaned behind her. “And it never occurred to you that saying ‘I want you both’ might work? We had to give Stef three thousand dollars to get us here.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said, biting her bottom lip.
Rye shook his head his brother’s way. “Stop complaining about the money.” He turned back to her. “We’ll have the full story later. We’ll have every story later. Now, I want you to walk through that door. Once you’re inside, you’ll be our slave. You will follow every order we give you. You will be obedient. Stef said you spent some time with Lana earlier today?”
“When you said you were with Stella?” Max asked as though he couldn’t quite believe she would ever deceive him.
There was nothing to do but nod.
“She can take her punishment,” Rye said in a voice that made her pussy clench. Punishment, Lana had explained, came in many forms and mostly ended in extreme pleasure. “Do you understand your role, Rachel?”
“Yes, Rye.” She remembered that Lana had said she should use his name or “sir” when she spoke to him.
“Excellent,” Rye said, sounding pleased. “Go inside, take off your clothes, and assume the proper position. Max and I will be with you in a moment.”
She used the key Lana had given her and practically skipped into the guesthouse. She had no real idea what they were going to do to her, but she knew she would love it. They were hers. The one thing Lana had made clear to her was that the submissive was really the one in charge. It was her choice to play this role for them. She was more than willing to cede a little sexual power to the two men she loved more than anything. They let her run the show most of the time. She could compromise.