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 is forever.”
Rachel felt tears threatening. “I love you, Max, but I love Rye, too. 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, Rachel. 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. “That’s one of the things that attracted me to you, Rachel. You don’t sell yourself cheaply. 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, Rachel. 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. “No birth control, Rachel. I want children.”
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 have curly hair, with red and gold in the brown. 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.
“Will you marry me, Rachel?” Rye asked plainly.
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 wrapped one hand behind her around Max’s waist, and 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.
Rye was very serious as he spoke to her. Rachel knew he had gotten the formalities out of the way. Now he was ready to get to the sex. “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,” Rachel said, biting her bottom lip.
Rye backed up. “We’ll have the full story later, Rachel. 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.
There was nothing to do but nod.
“She can take her punishment,” Rye said in a voice that made Rachel’s pussy clench. She wondered exactly what he meant. “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.”
Rachel 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 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.
She tossed off her clothes because she had no idea how long they would take to follow her inside. She didn’t care if the T-shirt and jeans got wrinkled. She shoved them to the side, then walked to the center of the room. She got on her knees and settled back onto her ankles the way Lana had taught her. She placed her hands palms up on her thighs and waited patiently. It wasn’t more than a minute before the door opened, and Max and Rye walked in.
“Very nice,” Rye remarked.
She kept her eyes lowered submissively. This wasn’t something she would want to do every time they made love, but she could play the role if it made them happy.
“You’re beautiful, Rachel,” Rye said. She heard the satisfied smile in his voice.
She kept quiet, remembering Lana’s training.
“Tell me something, sweetheart,” Rye said suspicion plain in his voice. “How long have you known that you wanted the both of us? It occurs to me that you’ve been very manipulative the last week.”
“Hey—” Max attempted to defend her.
“No, Max. Think about it. She’s done everything she can to get in between us. She’s teased me for a solid seven days. I suspect she knew the effect it was having on me. I want an honest answer, Rachel.”
“I knew after Max got shot.” If they wanted the story, she would give it to them. “I’ve been planning this evening for a week. I planned the auction with Stefan.”
She heard Rye sigh. “Did he bring in the idiot brothers?”
She bit her lips and went for honesty. “Yes, the older one is an artist. I never meant for it to get so expensive.”
Max growled. “He better buy them a one-way ticket out of town, or those boys are in for the ass-kicking of a lifetime.”
Through her lashes, she saw they were efficiently getting undressed. Rye shoved his jeans off his hips. Her mouth watered as she took in the sight of Rye Harper’s enormous cock. It shot straight up his abdomen, easily reaching his navel. His cock was hard and ready. Max was ready, too, Rachel noted as he tossed his shirt aside and handily rid himself of his denims. Max’s eyes gleamed down at her as he sat back in a chair. He lounged, heedless of his nudity. His big hand stroked his cock slowly. He was just warming up. He could stroke himself for a long time.