Chapter Seven
The next week flew by, and Zoey barely had time to think about her situation, much less lament it. She had always been a morning person, so every day she woke with the sun and made breakfast. It seemed to surprise Tanner that she would meet him in the kitchen for coffee and breakfast. Clint and Dalton would wander in right before she had to go to work, and all three men took the time to wish her a good day. If she didn’t know any better, she would almost feel like she belonged there with them.
Work consisted of filling out paperwork, answering phones, filing, and running errands for her bitchy boss, Helen, who she nicknamed, Helga the Hooker. Helen was in her early fifties and a bitter biddy who seemed to have no compassion for the students she worked with. How she ever got a job as a children’s social worker was anyone’s guess. Zoey knew she was stuck if she wanted to stay in Stone River. Small towns weren’t exactly the ideal place for someone in her career, so she forced herself to grin and bear it. According to some of the other staff, the administration was watching her closely to see if she could ultimately be Helen’s replacement. It wasn’t much, but it was a sliver of hope in her dismal world.
Walking through the front door of the ranch house Friday night, she was assaulted by the scent of garlic and Italian seasonings. Her mouth watered as much as her brain bounced. Every night this week she had come back to the Triple T to cook dinner while the three men worked the ranch. She had been surprised how quickly Clint and Dalton slipped back into their cowboy boots, but they seemed to be enjoying it. The four of them ate dinner and chatted comfortably, although the flirting had continued, it hadn’t intensified, and none of the guys had pushed her. After dinner, most of the time she would join one or more of them in the living room to watch TV for an hour or so before she went to bed and masturbated herself to sleep.
Living with them left her perpetually horny. The scent of hay and male sweat was suddenly a powerful aphrodisiac that left her limp with need. If any of them knew the fantasies her brain spun up after she shut her bedroom door, she would be mortified. She attributed her crazy fixation on ménage sex to Rachel’s blissful happiness with her men, and it irritated her that she couldn’t get off on normal fantasies anymore. Her mind’s eye was always adding men to the scene until suddenly she was back to all three Keegan brothers worshipping her body. She was beginning to think she was insane.
To her shock, Clint had taken over the kitchen wearing a white apron that had orange smears of something on it. A large casserole dish sat on the stove and he was layering noodles, sauce, and cheese into it carefully.
“Hey, angel, how was work today?” His smile was wide and welcoming, and she found herself returning it without meaning too.
“Eh, it was work. What in the world are you doing?” she asked, dropping her purse on the counter and removing her earrings.
“Making lasagna. What’s it look like?”
She stared at his profile as he worked, enjoying watching the muscles of his forearms flex and roll. “I thought I was supposed to cook?”
He shrugged and winked, “You aren’t a servant, Zoey. I wanted you to have a night off, and I actually enjoy cooking.”
“Really? Did your mom teach you?” She stepped out of her high heels, scooping them up and hooking them over her purse strap before unbuttoning the top three buttons of her collar. When she glanced back up, Clint’s eyes were focused on the exposed skin of her collarbone, and they both swallowed hard.
“Uh, no, actually. I didn’t learn until I was in California. I worked as a sous chef for about four years in an Italian restaurant before it went belly up.” Zoey watched as he gently pressed noodles into sauce, with the fine precision of a surgeon, and she tingled as she wondered what it would be like to have those same gentle fingers pressing into her skin.
“Thank you. It smells fantastic. Is there anything I can do to help?” She stepped closer and inhaled deeply.
“I’ll let you make the bread if you’re nice.” Clint grinned at her, and then swiped a finger in the sauce and held it to her lips. She hesitated before accepting the challenge in his light brown eyes. They were the color of peanut brittle, and they sparkled when her lips closed over his digit. She ran her tongue over the tip of his finger teasingly before pulling away with a pop.
“fu-ck a duck,” he groaned, still standing with his finger out as if he couldn’t handle pulling it away.
“Tastes delicious,” she said softly. “I better go change clothes. I’ll help with the garlic bread when I get back.”
Turning away, she collected her stuff and left him staring after her. Her step was lighter on her way to the bedroom than when she first came home, and she was fighting to hold in a laugh. How long had it been since someone had done something nice for her, just because? Probably her birthday last spring, when Rachel took her in to Austin for a girl’s day of shopping and lunch at her favorite steakhouse. That day turned into a day long shopping spree for Juliet’s nursery instead of for Zoey, but it was fun.
Her laundry was piled pretty high, and she grimaced as she realized the only clean lounge clothes she had left was a pair of very short workout shorts, and a slightly too snug t-shirt that showed her belly if she stretched her arms. There really wasn’t another option unless she wanted to wear dirty clothes or work clothes all evening. Nixing that option because no woman should have to wear pantyhose more than eight hours a day, she changed and swung her long hair up into a ponytail.
She couldn’t have been gone for more than ten minutes, but by the time she reentered the kitchen, Dalton was spreading butter on the French bread, and Clint was topping the lasagna with cheese. They both glanced at her as she came into the room, and froze.
“I like this look,” Clint said, eyeing her like a fashion critic, he made a circular motion with his finger so she would spin around and she laughed. The moment her back was too them, she heard them both groan.
“What? Do they look that bad?” She twisted to try to see her own backside, only succeeding in hiking the t-shirt up to show off a band of skin at her midsection.
Dalton put down the butter knife and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead, “Nothing could look bad on you, pretty lady.”
A blush stole up her cheeks, and she dropped her eyes. “Thank you, I think. I feel a little useless with the two of you doing the cooking tonight. Is there anything else I can do?”
“Nope, just take a seat and let us handle it. Dinner will be ready in about a half an hour,” Clint answered with a smile.
She narrowed her eyes at him, “You’re being awfully nice to me all of a sudden, Hollywood.”
He threw up a hand, and looked pained, “You wound me, angel! I’m always nice to you! In fact, after dinner, if you want I’ll be extra nice to you and give you a full body massage.”
Zoey laughed, but before she could respond, Tanner entered the room from the back door. He shocked her even further when she realized that he had a bottle of wine and a single red rose in his hands. Her mouth hung open, and his complexion darkened when their eyes met.
“Hey, Zoey. This is for you.” He held out the rose, and she glanced at his brothers and then him in confusion.
“What is this for?”
Tanner looked to Clint and Dalton who both just smiled and left him to explain. “We wanted to do something nice for you tonight. You’ve been taking such great care of us all week…well…”
She took the rose from his hand, running her fingers over the soft petals and then down the stem. A thorn pricked the skin of her thumb and she hissed.
“Damn it. I knew I should have said yes when Roberta offered to de-thorn it,” Tanner said, his jaw clenching. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Thank you, the flower is beautiful exactly as it is, and thank you to you both too,” she said, smiling at Clint and Dalton, “It means a lot to me that you guys would do this.”
“Anything for you, angel,” Clint said with a wink. “Better get that rose in water, and a Band Aid on that thumb. We can’t have you bleeding out before dinner. Tanner, get the girl a glass of wine already. It’s Friday night and she should be relaxing.”
Tanner flipped Clint off, but he did as instructed, reaching up into the cabinet for a bud vase before he pulled out a wine glass. Zoey carefully removed the thorns and leaves from the long stem. The flower was perfect. Its deep crimson petals were wrapped in a full bud that would spread to become a stunning bloom. She felt a wave of warmth settle in her chest at the idea that Tanner Keegan had personally selected a flower for her. What a long ways they had come since that terrible night at Robin’s so long ago.
When she finished with the flower, she turned to find all three men watching her, and she laughed. “What is it?”
Tanner’s jaw clenched and he handed her a glass of wine, “Nothing. Why don’t you go get off your feet until dinner. I need to go shower real quick. Dalton, did you call Ulysses about getting Devonshire’s shoe replaced?”
Just like that, the moment was broken as Tanner and Dalton discussed a horse that had thrown a shoe that day. Clint gave her a wink, but he went back to working on the food prep, leaving her to do as she was told and head into the living room.
She sunk into the butter soft leather of the sofa, sighing with pleasure as she put the flower on the end table next to her, and took a sip of wine. Flavors exploded on her tongue, and the mellow scent of berry filled her nose. There was nothing of interest on TV so she stopped it on a music station, tapping her foot as Jason Derulo sang about “The Other Side”.
Her eyes drifted shut, and she let herself be swallowed up in the lyrics of the song and the uplifting dance beat. She wondered if she could handle a fling with one of the three Keegan brothers. It wasn’t like she would be here forever, in a couple of weeks Rachel’s mom would go back to Oklahoma, and Zoey would be able to move in there if she hadn’t found her own place yet. Living on the Triple T, she didn’t have any rent to pay so she should be able to save up the money for a deposit pretty quickly. What if until then, she let herself be seduced by Clint, or even Dalton? There was no way she would offer herself up to any of them after being turned down so flatly by Tanner and then Dalton, but if she just flirted back a bit, maybe…
A sudden sinking of the sofa cushion next to her made her jump and her eyes flew open to find Clint settling in beside her.
“Whoa, sorry, angel. I didn’t mean to scare you. I seem to have a particular talent for that.” His arm went around the back of the couch just like Dalton’s always seemed to do when he sat with her.
“It’s alright, I guess I was lost in thought and didn’t hear you come in.” She reached for the remote and turned the volume down on the TV as Christina Aguilera started singing “Your Body”.
“That’s a good song,” Clint said, stealing the remote from her hand to turn it up just as she sang about finishing off on her own. What a fitting song for the thoughts she had been having a moment ago. “You know, I got to meet her once.”
“Who?”
“Christina. I guess meet isn’t quite the right word. I got to park her car once when I was working as a valet.”
Zoey laughed out loud, and Clint’s eyes widened. “You have got to do that more often. You’re beautiful when you laugh.”
A snort slipped out and she shook her head. “And you are a Grade A flirt.”
“Grade A, huh? You really think so? I’d rather be a Grade A prime piece of meat in your eyes, I think.” He wiggled his eyebrows sending Zoey into another round of giggles. She whacked his shoulder with the back of her hand, and he grabbed it in both of his, holding it over his heart. “You’re breaking my heart, angel. And here I thought we were going to get married and have a dozen kids together.”
“A dozen? You have to be joking? I can’t have a dozen kids, I would swell up to the size of a house!” she teased, and he tugged on her hand, pulling her against his chest.
“Perfect, as long as you’re mine I don’t care how big you are.”
Clint swooped in for a kiss before she could respond, and she melted against him. Tomato sauce and man was all she tasted as his tongue swept past the barrier of her lips and stroked over her own. One of his hands slipped from between them to cup the back of her head, holding her in place for his mastery, and she lost herself in him.
Someone moaned, and then whimpered, and she was startled to realize it was her. Her hands flexed against his chest, fisting into the fabric of his t-shirt, and kneading the muscles of his pecks as she kissed him back.
A sharp slap on her raised ass broke them apart, and she turned to glare at Dalton, still breathing hard. “What the hell?”
“Save a little sugar for me, pretty lady. Clint here has to go check his masterpiece. The timer just went off.” Dalton looked way too pleased to have come upon her making out with his little brother, and she couldn’t decide if she was irritated or if she wanted to kiss him so she could compare the two.
Her lips tingled, and her pu-ssy clenched when Clint brushed a sweet kiss over her mouth and then swaggered into the kitchen leaving her alone with Dalton. She turned a hard look on his grinning face.
“You enjoyed that.”
He gave her an innocent look, “What? The interrupting part, or the part where I got to watch from the doorway as you tried to swallow Clint’s tongue down your throat?”
Face flaming, Zoey glared at him with all of the intensity she could muster. It might have helped if he was wrong. “You know, a gentleman wouldn’t point those things out.”
Dalton’s laugh boomed through the room, and she fought to keep a straight face, “Whatever gave you the idea that I was a gentleman, pretty lady?”
Zoey tipped her chin arrogantly, “I wasn’t the one who put the brakes on.”
His blue eyes flared with heat, and he stalked her. Slowly but surely he edged closer to where she sat on the sofa until he was close enough to reach out and pull her up against his chest. Her hands gripped his shoulders to keep from tumbling backwards, but she knew instinctively that if she let go he wouldn’t let her fall. Two large hands reached down to squeeze her ass, his pinky fingers falling just below the hem of her shorts so they settled in the connecting crack where her upper thigh stopped and her ass curved.
“I won’t ever make that mistake again, Zoey.” Dalton’s voice had dropped a couple of octaves so it was low and growly, and it skittered over her already aroused body like fingers. “Just give me the signal, and I’ll have you naked and spread before you can take a breath.”
Her lips parted on an exhale as his words slammed into her brain. This was what she wanted, right? She could allow herself to be seduced into a fling and not feel guilty about it because they were both adults. Dalton’s head tipped and one eyebrow rose questioningly, but as she rose up on her toes for a kiss, Tanner walked back into the room.
“What is going on?” Tanner snapped harshly.
To her surprise, Dalton didn’t let her go, instead he just shifted her to his side so he could turn to face his older brother. “Nothing now, but if you would have been a few minutes longer you might have gotten a show.”
Clint’s voice called out that supper was ready, breaking the tension, and thankfully both brothers let the conversation drop. Tanner stormed through the living room ahead of them, and Zoey looked up at Dalton warily.
“Don’t worry, love, that’s just a bit of jealousy. He hasn’t had any competition for your affection until recently. He’ll come around.” Dalton gave her a gentle nudge and she led the way into the dining room.
Everyone took their seats silently and Clint gave them all a funny look. “Okay, what did I miss?”
“In a nutshell? You kissed Zoey, then I almost kissed Zoey, until Tanner interrupted and got jealous. Now she is second guessing herself, and I’m a little bummed that I didn’t get my kiss in before he interrupted,” Dalton said without even lifting his eyes from where he scooped lasagna onto his plate.
“You got your kiss last weekend,” Zoey said petulantly, and then instantly regretted letting the words fall off her tongue. Tanner’s jaw flexed, and Clint’s eyes went wide.
“Wow. I didn’t figure Dalton would be the first,” Clint said with a shake of his head.
“He wasn’t,” Zoey whispered, staring at Tanner.
Now all eyes were on the oldest Keegan brother. Zoey wanted him to speak up, but he stayed stoically silent, leaving his brothers to their imagination. The deep crease between his eyebrows and the quick jump of the pulse in his throat signaled his discomfort, and Dalton and Clint turned to her for answers. Seeing their curiosity, Zoey shook her head and stared down at her food. Clint had taken her plate and served her the moment they took their seats, and per her normal request he had only given her half of what he and his brothers took, but even that looked enormous. Her mouth tasted like sawdust, and her stomach felt like it was full of lead.
It was clear to her that Tanner didn’t want news of their kiss shared. Was he ashamed of her? What was the rose and wine for then? Suddenly she felt ridiculous. For just a moment, she thought that maybe all of this meant something. Her heart melted at the knowledge that these three men might genuinely care about her in some small way, and then Tanner had to go and fu-ck it up with that one look.
Shoving her chair back, she gave Clint a shaky smile, “Thank you, Clint, for cooking dinner tonight. I really appreciate it, but I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.”
She didn’t wait for a response. She just grabbed her wine glass, and made a beeline for her room. There was nothing more to say. Tanner wanted her, but only if he could have her in secret, and it killed her to think that he might be ashamed to be with her. Sure, she was the daughter of the town’s biggest junkies, but she figured she had overcome the judging and horrific pitying assumptions.
After all, she had gone to college. She had gotten her goddamn master’s degree for fu-ck’s sake. Just who the hell did he think he was? She was absolutely good enough for him. In fact, she was too good for him. Her spine stiffened as she resolved to stop caring so much what Tanner thought. It seemed like she just continued to let him hurt her over and over again until she was nothing but a self-conscious mess.
Well, no more. She was done feeling sorry for herself, and letting someone make her feel less than adequate. If Tanner didn’t see her worth, then perhaps Dalton or Clint would, and she couldn’t wait to see his reaction when he realized she had made her choice.
Throwing herself on her bed and scooping up her book, she refused to let the tears fall for Tanner again. Too many times had she let him make her feel small. This time, she was going to overcome those doubts, no matter what.
An hour later she was engrossed in a BDSM story, and she had completely relaxed, letting go of her tension. Her heart lurched when someone knocked sharply on the bedroom door.
She hesitated a moment, and then set her book aside to answer it. To her surprise Tanner stood in the hallway with a plate full of food in one hand and her rose in the other.
“Tanner?”
His golden eyes looked wary, but he stood tall under her scrutiny. “I came bearing gifts, and an apology.”
The reminder burned and she crossed her arms over her chest. “No thank you.”
“Zoey, please. Let me come in for a minute and say my piece.” She couldn’t remember Tanner asking so sweetly for anything before, and indecision welled up in her chest. “I know I hurt you, but I didn’t do it intentionally. I want a chance to make it right.”
Pushing the door open, she stepped out of the way and let him into the bedroom. He put the plate and rose on the bedside table, and then took a seat on the bed. She saw him take note of her reading material and swallow hard. His whole body seemed to tense as he reached out and picked up her open book. Refusing to cower or be embarrassed of her choice in novels, she tried to assume an air of indifference as she took a seat next to him and retrieved it from his hands.
“You wanted to talk, so talk.”
For just a moment, she saw heat in his eyes before he put it aside and reached for her hand. “I’m not ashamed of you, Zoey. I know that’s what you thought, but it’s not true. I’m ashamed that I took advantage of your situation.”
“Took advantage—” Her temper flared, but Tanner pressed a finger to her lips stopping her from blowing up.
“You’re in my house because you needed help. Not because you wanted to be accosted every waking minute. My temper got the best of me the other day, and when you asked me to kiss you, well, I didn’t use good judgment. I had hoped that you would be able to put it aside and forgive me, but when you brought it up tonight I knew that I had hurt you.”
Zoey stared at him in confusion. “You didn’t want to kiss me? What was all of that crap in the truck about wanting to fu-ck me?”
For the first time ever Tanner’s head dropped and he didn’t look her in the eye. She tried to tell herself the uncomfortable twinge in her heart region was just a belly ache from lack of dinner, but the longer he was quiet, the more painful it got. Reaching out a hand, she placed it on his thick thigh in a silent attempt to encourage him. He stared down at it for a moment before he placed his big hand on top of hers and laced their fingers together.
“I’m not good enough for you, baby. As much as I want to be, it just can’t happen that way.” His voice was quieter than usual, and her mouth dropped open in shock.
“You’re not good enough? You’re not good enough? For me? Have you fallen off your horse recently, cowboy?” Caught between being confused, pissed, and elated, she struggled to find the right words. “Tanner Keegan, I have wanted you since I was a teenager. Back when I was skinny, pimply, and awkward. But every time I have offered, you have slapped me down. Now you’re trying to get me to buy that it’s because you honestly believe you aren’t good enough? Who the fu-ck is going to be good enough for me, Tanner? Do you think I’m so shallow that I need a millionaire, or a movie star?”
“Hey, I’ll be your movie star!” Clint’s voice piped up, and Zoey fought to keep from grinning at him as he leaned against the door jam.
“I’m not a millionaire, but at least I wouldn’t reject you, pretty lady.” Dalton appeared behind Clint, and Zoey rolled her eyes at the pair of them.
“Can’t you two give us a few minutes of privacy?” Tanner snapped, glaring at his younger brothers.
Dalton shook his head, “Nope, not when it involves all of us, and someone we care about. We’re all four going to have to talk it out if this relationship is going to work.”
If Zoey hadn’t already been sitting, she would have dropped to the floor in shock. “Relationship? What are you talking about?”
The two younger Keegan’s moved into the room, Clint stood in front of her, while Dalton took a seat on the other side of the bed behind her. She stared up at Clint who took her free hand in his, she was surprised to realize that her other hand was still gripped by Tanner.
“They are just being assh-oles and trying to piss me off.” Tanner’s tone had changed, and she could tell he was really upset at the intrusion.
Clint shook his head, “No, we’re trying to be honest about our intentions with the lady. Just because you’re too chicken shit to admit you want her, doesn’t mean we are. Angel, I know you and I are just getting to know each other, but—”
Zoey jerked her hands away from both of them, and stood up abruptly. “No.”
“No?” Dalton said, while Clint just looked stunned. Tanner’s eyes narrowed on her and he crossed those muscular arms over his big chest waiting for her to explain.
Taking a shaky breath, she moved farther away from the three of them. Did they even know what seeing them on her bed did to her? It was like all of the air had been sucked out of the room and she was feeling hot and slightly claustrophobic, so she began pacing. “What I mean is no, we’re not having this conversation. I like you guys, and you already know what you do to me when you kiss me.” She took a moment to make eye contact with all three of them. In their own ways they each looked masculinely smug. “But I won’t be the cause of a divide in your family, and I won’t settle for anyone who can’t be honest about what he wants.” This time she glared at Tanner pointedly. He had the decency to look a little ashamed, and she felt empowered.
“I’m only here for another week or two, so let’s make the best of it and part as friends. No more pissing on my leg for each other’s benefit because I’m no one’s territory, got it?” She waited for each man’s nod before she smiled, “Besides, just because it’s temporary doesn’t mean it won’t be fun.”
Clint’s face spread into a wide grin, and Dalton’s eyes took on a wicked glint. Tanner’s previously smug and arrogant persona was gone, in its place was fury and contempt. “Are you saying you will fu-ck us, but you won’t date us?”
“Tanner!”
“fu-ck that man!”
Zoey stared him down silently while his two brothers blew up on him trying to protect her honor. When they had blown off their steam she stepped closer to where he stood next to the bed. “No. Years ago I offered my body to you, and you turned me down flat. I promised myself I would never do it again. This time if you want me, you will have to work for it, cowboy. So enjoy sitting on the sidelines watching your brothers have all of the fun.” She paused for effect, and then pointed to the door. “Now, you can all leave. I’m tired and I want to go to sleep.”
It was like the wall broke between them, and Tanner looked hurt as he stormed past her out of the bedroom without a word. Clint and Dalton exchanged a look.
“Zoey, it doesn’t have to be like this,” Dalton said softly, moving around the bed to stand on her right, while Clint moved to her left and ran his hand over her ponytail.
“Yes it does. I know you two think you know me, but you don’t know everything yet, and when you do, well…the point is that right now all I have to offer you is something temporary. Trust me, once word gets around the three Keegan men are back in town and on the market, you will be glad.” She let Dalton wrap her in his arms, pressing her face into his chest and inhaling deeply as she tried to control her emotions.
Clint moved in behind her and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, giving her a gentle squeeze before she lifted her head again. “I disagree, angel, but I won’t push you. Tonight you better get some sleep because you have a date tomorrow with two lonely cowboys.”
She gave him a small smile, and accepted a sweet kiss from each of them before they left the room. Tears were running down her cheeks before she even managed to sink down onto the bed, and she grew irritated with herself. So much for not crying over Tanner ever again, this was turning into a routine.
Tanner Keegan wanted a woman who was a born rancher’s wife, someone who would stay at home and take care of his children while stroking his ego. Zoey knew what her flaws were. With her tainted blood, and career driven future, she certainly didn’t fit that bill. Her food grew cold on her plate, long forgotten as she cried herself to sleep yet again for the cowboy that didn’t want her for keeps.