Claim Me Hard (Bridgewater County 2)

“One of them is my brother,” Cara groaned. “I don’t want to know anything about his sex life.” She shuddered. “Do you want them? I mean, want them?”

I glanced at Cole and Declan, who were standing at the bar talking with both Katie’s and Cara’s men. One of them was holding his hands out as if measuring a fish. All six of them were gorgeous. If word got out that Montana men were so hot, the state would be much more crowded.

“Is there something in the water here? I mean, they’re all—”

“Hot?” Katie asked, then giggled.

“Yes, hot.” I took a sip of my beer. “I’m intrigued by them. Declan and Cole,” I clarified.

Oh, who was I kidding? I was way more than intrigued. I was fascinated. Obsessed. I’d been fantasizing about both men since that first time they came into the diner, but it had never occurred to me that I might be able to have both. And holy shit, I could feel myself getting wet at just the thought of being fucked by two men at once. I had a vague idea how it was done, read some steamy romance novels with it, but I could only imagine what it would be like in real life.

If I was imagining how it would be to fuck two men, then it had officially been way too long.

“Intrigued?” Cara asked.

The fact that Declan was her brother and Cole was as good as a brother had me hesitating. Not that I was going to bad-talk the guys, but it was hard to be totally honest.

She seemed to understand my hesitation. “Look, I know I’m biased, but I mean it when I say that if Declan and Cole are showing an interest in you—which they clearly are—then they are serious about this. They’ve never been like this before.”

Katie nodded at her friend’s comment. “It’s true. These Bridgewater guys aren’t like most men. I came from New York where there are a whole bunch of assholes, including my ex-husband. They’re not looking for a one-night stand. That whole ‘the one’ thing they’re always going on about? It’s the real deal.”

“Good to know.” It wasn’t that I didn’t believe them when they talked about finding the one, or even that they hoped I might be that woman. I believed they meant it—and that in and of itself was flattering. But I couldn’t believe it would be more than just this one night. I came from a different world, and I’d be heading back to that world just as soon as I was able.

“There are a few characteristics that you’ll find are true of the men who adopt the Bridgewater way,” Cara said. “They are loyal, sincere, chivalrous…and possessive.”

“Oh yeah.” Katie nodded emphatically. “That is definitely true. And judging by the way your men are staring at you right now, it’s obvious that they’ve got their sights set on you.”

I glanced over at the bar once again and saw that Cole and Declan were, in fact, staring at me and their expressions and posture looked like they might leap over the tables between us and scoop me up at any moment. You’re ours. That’s what Cole had said, and though he might not have meant it to sound frightening, it sounded way too much like the words Brad had spoken that night before I ran. He’d not only been possessive, but he’d been obsessed. Would Declan and Cole be like that? I didn’t get that vibe, but I’d been wrong about Brad, too, and look where that got me. Hiding in a town in Montana.

I looked down at my drink as I tried to figure out a nice way of phrasing my next question. “When you say they’re possessive…?” I couldn’t figure out a way to finish, but both women seemed to know where I was going with that statement.

“Possessive as in protective,” Cara clarified, slowly circling her pint glass on the glossy wood table.

“Bridgewater men put their woman first, always,” Katie said. “They believe in making sure she is always taken care of—her problems are their problems. It’s their duty to make sure she’s happy.”

“And satisfied,” Cara added with a waggle of her eyebrows that had all three of us cracking up. They’d made me feel better and reassured me that Declan and Cole weren’t like Brad. What they said only reaffirmed what my gut had told me from the moment I’d met them. They were good men—kind men. They were also sexy men and they were watching me.

“So what’s the verdict?” Katie asked, biting her lip to obviously keep from grinning. “Are you interested?”

I opened my mouth to respond and paused. Was I? The ache between my thighs was my answer. But that’s not what she meant. I had no doubt she’d be fine with me jumping her brother and his friend for a wild night, but she probably didn’t want to hear about it. She was more interested in whether I wanted to become her sister-in-law. “I, uh…I don’t know. This is um, well, the first date, so marriage isn’t really on my mind. Besides, I hadn’t planned on sticking around for long.”

“You don’t have to know tonight whether you’re serious about them,” Cara said. “At this point, you just need to know if you’re attracted to them. If you are, the rest is up to them.”

“Them?”

Katie nodded authoritatively. “Believe me, last summer I was in the same boat you’re in right now. I didn’t intend to stick around but my men showed me how good it could be if I did.”

“I take it they made a good case in the back hallway?” I asked.

She gave me a smug grin. “Oh yeah. And I can happily say that staying in Bridgewater was the best decision I ever made. But what about you? Forget long term, are you interested in these guys?”

Cara and Katie were watching me closely. There was no way I could bring myself to lie. “Yeah,” I said. “I’m interested.” I glanced back over at the men again and the sight was enough to make me drool. “Who wouldn’t be?”

“That’s my girl.” Cara was grinning at me like we’d been friends since childhood just like her and Katie.

“But I can’t make any promises,” I started.

Before I could get any further, Katie cut me off with a wave of her hand. “No one expects you to, least of all them. They know it’s on them to show you how it can be.” She gave me a wink. “Trust me, you’ll have the time of your life being convinced.”