She kicked the back of the seat a couple of times and then folded her arms over her chest.
“Great! How did you know this is exactly what I need?” She threw her fist into the side of the door.
Peyton heard them before she saw them. She must’ve dozed off while they attempted to rearrange her life. She shook her head. More like sticking their noses where she didn’t ask them to sniff.
“Evan, get in the front seat with Braden.” Kane sounded furious as all three doors slammed in unison.
“You’re grounded,” Braden said the second he started the engine.
“Yeah, I kind of noticed.”
Evan turned around and smiled. “He’s dead serious. You’re so grounded.”
“Shut up, Evan.”
“You volunteered to take your clothes off for that class. Why?”
She shrugged. “Automatic ‘A’.”
“No doubt. I’ve seen those tits,” Kane sneered. “Still doesn’t excuse it.”
“Grounded,” Braden repeated.
“So tell me something. How is this going to work exactly?”
“Easy,” Braden said as he turned onto the state highway, “You can’t do a damn thing.”
“This is not fucking fair!”
“Language!” Braden yelled back. “I’m not interested in fair, Peyton. I’m interested in keeping you safe. In order to do it, you need to keep your clothes on.”
“Fine, if I won’t have anything to do, take me by the mall so I can pick up a new sex toy.” She smiled innocently at Kane, realizing immediately by his expression and the rigid shoulders of the men in the front seat, every dick in the vehicle twitched when she mentioned it.
“So maybe you can keep phone privileges,” Braden said.
“Really? I can talk on the phone? Sweet! Phone sex really gets me going.”
“Knock it off,” Kane snapped.
“Knock me up with something hard and stiff, I might consider it. Until then-”
“Peyton, damn it!” Braden growled again. He was getting pretty good at the sound effects. Maybe he was watching adult movies or something,
He slammed on the brakes. Peering into the rearview mirror, it was hard to tell if his gaze meant to warn Kane or scold Peyton. “I have a mind to bend you over my knee and let these two here spank you.”
“Oh goodie, spank me. I’ll cry for more, maybe even beg, and the next thing you know, the three of you will try to figure out what you can do to shut me up. An early hint, any one of your cocks should do the trick. I’ll open wide.”
Kane glared at Braden and then Evan. The evil eye left Evan rubbernecking to see where Kane’s hands were, and while they weren’t on her yet, they soon would be and she knew it.
She scooted closer to Kane. “Well I guess everything is out in the open now. Call it an ‘oops’ because now the cat’s out of the bag.”
Kane’s nostrils flared, maybe because some kind of crazy pact existed between brothers. An oath Kane was only seconds away from breaking altogether.
His eyes narrowed on hers, and he tilted her chin with his index finger. He acted like he wanted to kiss her but instead he reached over with his free hand and patted her denim-clad mound. “Oh no, sweetheart. See, it’s more like this sweet little pussy is coming out of hiding because it just got the wrong hound’s full blown attention.”
Chapter 12
“Peyton, go in the house. I need these two to help me.”
Like hell he did. Braden wanted to give them another warning, a stern reminder, something to scare them off and hold them back. Kane figured he faced two choices. Lie to Braden and tell him he wouldn’t touch her or lie to Peyton because she’d call him out this time.
After what they’d shared earlier, she’d force him to face her, demand answers and expect to hear them. If he turned down her advances, she would want to know why. Hell, there was a third choice in there somewhere, and maybe, by God, it was time to toss good sense to the wind.
Peyton marched over to Braden. Her cute little butt barely shook as she walked straight up to him and shocked him as much as his brothers. “Braden, do you like me?”
“Well, what kind of stupid question are you asking now?”
“It’s a yes-or-no stupid question. Do. You. Like. Me?” She emphasized each word and added a huff or two between each syllable for added Peyton drama. “Check yes or no.”
“Of course, I like you, Peyton.” He touched the tip of her nose with his forefinger and turned his back to her. Kane wanted to laugh out loud.
Peyton wasn’t going to stand there looking at Braden’s back, unless she really liked his ass. And she might but she hated a man turning his back to her more. Kane and Evan learned early on it ranked as her number one pet peeve.
She started to reach for him and for some reason stopped. “Do you want to fuck me?” Her hands returned to her hips.
“Oh shit, here we go now everybody.” Evan headed for the feed room and stopped short of stepping inside. He didn’t look amused.
Kane almost felt sorry for Braden, because knowing his brother, he wanted to die right about any second. It simply came down to this, and he saw the caution light straight ahead.
After Kane talked to the man Peyton almost-but didn’t-fuck, he had time to think. David Taylor gave him a lot to consider. A woman ruined three prosperous lives. Three cowboys destroyed the underlying strength of one woman. His mother might have lived to meet Peyton if things had been different for her, the way he imagined he wanted them for Peyton.
Braden didn’t turn around. “I said ‘I need to talk to Evan and Kane’. Go up to the house and get some dinner started. We’ve all had a long day, and by the time we feed everything down here, it’ll be time to eat.”
“Then snack on this.” She grabbed his wrist hard, whirled him around and by God she pressed her little body against his as she cupped his face and most likely stripped his ever lovin’ mind with a kiss like hers. Watching it shackled Kane’s senses and gave him more to think about than he needed.
Evan stepped into the feed room. He couldn’t watch it.
Kane knew why. His own dick was harder than it had ever been. If Evan had feelings for Peyton, then he understood why it was a little tough watching her kiss Braden with one goal in mind-to try and convince him why they belonged together. From what he’d seen from Peyton, she wanted all of them, and she refused to deny herself any one of them.
“Stop.” Braden held her by her shoulders.
“No.” She started to kiss him again but he held fast to her thin arms.
“You’re making a train wreck of everything.”
“I’m shooting for the rodeo, and I’m ready to ride when one or all of you get your head out of the sawdust.”
“Peyton, your analogies need some serious help,” Evan teased as he stuck his head out of the stockroom.
Braden stepped away from her. “Get on up to the house, like I told ya.”
“No.”
Kane saw the tears fall before Braden blinked and realized he caused them. Kane took a few steps forward and wrapped her in his arms as she fell into one of those heartbreaking sobs she released on occasion, especially when she wanted to get her way.
“Where’s the key to her car?” Kane snapped.
Braden reluctantly pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to him. He in turn, handed it off to her. “Peyton, get in the car, passenger’s side.”
Sniffling, she walked off, but by the time she reached the car, Kane would just about bet she was smiling. Oh yeah, this stunt was going to get her exactly what she wanted but before he left, he planned on letting his brothers know. He wanted it to eat their hearts out. He’d drive them one inch short of crazy.
“I’m not taking her to the boathouse but if you want to look there, you’re welcome to and I’m not coming back with her until tomorrow. Maybe by the time I get her back here, you’ll make a decision to see her for what she is and what she’s not.”
Evan stepped out with a few buckets of grain piled high. “She’s already confused, Kane. You’re making it tougher on her.” He started reaching in each stall and dumping the horse feed in the individual bins.