Kane folded his arms over his chest and resisted the urge to smile when he felt the tug at the corners of his mouth. Oh yeah, it was some of pleasure’s best and more hell than he’d ever known. Ever since those damn letters started pouring in from all those schools, he’d felt the same way every time he looked at her, touched her, or heaven help him-screwed her. He couldn’t get enough. He wanted more.
Peyton’s eyes danced with mischief. She grinned big and waved at them.
“Oh shit, we’re in trouble,” Evan said recognizing the one and only Peyton Storm-signature smile.
“Great. We give her the world and what does she do?”
“Hi boys,” she said while she curled her hair around her forefinger.
Kane grumbled. “Oh yeah, we’re history. She’s up to something.”
“Kane, honey, would you come on up here and join me?”
He stared back at the buxom beauty seducing him to get his ass up there on the stage. Like the man-magnet she was, he didn’t deny her. When it came to Peyton, all she had to do was tug at his heart strings or pull at his cock, and all he wanted to do was plan out a thousand tomorrows.
He worked his way through the crowd while Peyton called for her next victim. Braden was such an easy target, she saved him for last.
“Evan. Honey, be a dear and come on up here too.”
Kane looked around and saw his brother obediently following the sound of his angel’s voice. Wherever she wanted to lead them now, they were ready to go. He pointed at his brother and laughed.
“Braden, sweetheart would you come over here as well?”
By the time they were standing next to Peyton, she was rambling on about something that happened to her on the last day of school. She told a few stories about Coach Pratchert and why she’d loved playing volleyball for her, and finally, the moment arrived.
Kane realized what all this was about. She wanted to tell them all where she planned to go to college. She’d made her decision.
“I’ve known for some time now where I was going to school. I haven’t said anything to anyone other than Vicky.” She smiled at her BFF-the one she must’ve shared everything with and that fact left Kane feeling a little jealous.
“Coach Pratchert, as many of you know, challenged her girls. She taught us to strive in the face of adversity, she taught us how to play as a team and how to stand alone when necessary. As some of you know, I lost my mother…”She grabbed Braden’s hand and squeezed it before she finished “It was a year ago today. If losing my mother taught me anything at all, it’s that I do not want to stand alone.”
Before too much pity or uncomfortable silence rippled through the air, she continued.
“Coach Pratchert and Mom taught me to seize the opportunities given. To take the chances you want to take and to let go of the dreams others instill in you when you’re not as sold on those ideas as they are.
“Coach Pratchert wanted me to go to a larger university. I think Braden Cartwell did too.” She touched his cheek with her free hand and then let go of the one she clutched to her side.
“I’ve decided on Western Carolina University because in all honesty, and girls, if you look at these three, I know you’ll understand, I can’t imagine leaving here and turning my back on the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Meeting these men, changed my life.”
Braden gritted his teeth and shook his head. Under his breath, he scolded her. “Peyton, we should’ve talked about this.”
“I don’t want to talk, Braden. In fact, there are several things I want to do over the next few hours and talking isn’t one of them.”
A few oohs and ahhs rippled over the crowd and she realized then there were enough microphones around the stage to ensure everyone heard everything she said. What the hell. She didn’t care.
Most of the town heard the news about her public romp with Evan. Others witnessed the way Kane carried on around her ninety-nine percent of the time. And then poor Braden looked at her like it pained him to look at any other woman.
“As most of you know, I kept my mother in the dark most of my life. She gave me the world and yet I never found satisfaction in anything she gave until she gave me the greatest gift of all.” Peyton pointed to the Cartwells.
“As you all know, Mom asked Braden Cartwell to look out for me, and she trusted him to take care of me until I made it out of high school.
“Keep in mind, when I moved in with these three, I didn’t make it easy on them.” The crowd laughed and a few cheered. A few of the guys in the audience provided a couple of provocative remarks and Loy Martin shouted he ‘could attest to that’.
Peyton’s voice dropped a pitch, and she tried to keep from crying so she had to speak slower and focus on the crowd instead of the men she loved. “I love pulling capers. Vicky and I have pulled a few in our time, but these three already knew all about those stunts, and I didn’t bargain for the Cartwells. Even without the coveted ‘Raising a Teenage Girl’ manual, these three contemplated everything I planned to do before I did it.
“I used to stir up a little hell before I met the Cartwells and then, lo and behold, when I didn’t go looking for it, I ran smack dab into trouble. Momma always said trouble ran in threes. I believe her now.”
Surprisingly, Kane moved closer now. He didn’t like to stand in front of anyone long but he stood beside of her and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“I’m not staying behind because I don’t have better options. I’m going to Western Carolina because it’s the best choice for me. I need to stay part of this family team now, and Western Carolina offers what I wanted to find in a college. It’s less than a fifty minute drive from the ranch to campus, and I’ll play volleyball on a full scholarship. That is if these three still want me around to stick my nose in their business as much as possible.”
Kane wanted to fade right into her all over again. He needed to bury himself so deep inside of her that she begged and pleaded for him to stay right where he was until the break of day. He wanted to love her. And thank goodness, Peyton had similar ideas. Thank God, he was smart enough to ask for his brothers’ blessings before he did something as crazy as he planned to do right here and now.
Before anyone saw it coming, Kane dropped to his knee and stuck his hand in his pocket. He retrieved a beautiful three stone diamond ring and as soon as he saw the twinkle in her eye, he realized Peyton certainly got the meaning behind it.
“Kane?” Her hand went to his cheek and in true Peyton-form, the little vixen held the microphone in front of him while grinning all over the place. Man oh man how he loved her right then and there, but he also wanted to spank her more than put this ring on her hand.
“I uh…”
Evan winked at Peyton, and Braden lifted her arm out. Kane took her ring finger in between shaking hands and slid the ring on before he popped any kind of question.
“Kane? Buddy, I think you need to ask her something first,” Evan said.
“Well, I just assumed she’d say yes considering there were about fifty-five college offers she turned down to stay here around us.”
Peyton bit her lower lip, and he saw she was going to wait for some kind of assurance those fifty-five college offers didn’t go unopened without a significant reward.
He swallowed hard and kissed her hand. He cleared his throat, and she blushed. She must’ve known what few theatrics he could manage were headed her way. Taking the microphone in one hand, and holding tight to the other, he looked into her sparkling blue eyes.
“Peyton Storm, I’d be much obliged, ma’am, if you’d say yes and accept this here marriage proposal.”
“Ah now, Kane. Is that the best you can do?” She winked.
“No, darlin’, you and I both know I can do a lot better.” He dropped the microphone.
The onlookers cheered. The boys and men around chuckled with a knowing reference to let everyone know the underlying meaning. The girls held their hearts and grown women looked envious.