Spurred (Steele Ranch 1)

“She wants your attention.” Sutton leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees and spoke with enough of a bark to have her mouth clamp shut. “You just said that. If you’re there when they’re caught, you’ll be rescuing her. Or, if she sees you, she may think you’re against her. You’re the victim here, not her. So as for you going? Not happening.”

Sutton was the least gentle person I knew. He was flawed. Cranky. Rough. Mean, at times. Not to Kady, but he was serious with her. A straight shooter who didn’t soften any blows. And right now, she needed that. I may have coddled her on my lap, but that was more for me than for her.

Her shoulders slumped.

“Kady, love, Cord and I need you here,” Riley told her. “Safe in the house. We won’t be able to focus if we have to worry about you.”

She sighed, gave Riley a serious look. “Yes, you’re right. I don’t want you hurt because of me.”

“Good girl,” I murmured, proud of her for understanding. She flicked her gaze to me as I stood, leaned down and took her lips in a quick kiss. I was so proud of her. She was so fucking strong.

Briggs was going down. Her sister, dealt with. This was like fighting in the war. The enemy was identified and we had a mission. We had to do everything to protect our own. And that meant being able to focus. There was no fucking way I’d be able to do that if Kady was anywhere near someone dangerous. I couldn’t be distracted.

She reached out, took my hand, glanced at me, then Riley. “You’ll come back to me?”

She was worried for me. Us. I pulled her so she was in my arms, her body pressed up against mine. I held her in a tight hug, kissed the top of her head. “Sweetness, when this is over, we’re never letting you go. Okay?”

She didn’t delay, didn’t even take a second to think. All she said was, “Okay.”

And while I’d been done for from the very beginning, I was ruined all over again. Then, I’d decided she’d be mine. Mine and Riley’s. But now, she was agreeing to be ours. There was a big difference and it felt like…everything.

“I’ll stay here with her,” Jamison said. He looked to me, then Riley. He didn’t have to say anything for us to know he’d protect her with his life. “Go get this done.”

Damn straight. I wanted Briggs behind bars, Beth in a locked down rehab and Kady in my bed. Permanently.

13

KADY

“Muzjik? That can’t be a real word.”

I stared down at the strange mix of letters that was giving Jamison triple letter, triple word points.

“A Russian peasant,” he replied, updating his score on a scrap piece of paper.

“If you’re this good at Scrabble, I bet you can do the Sunday crossword.”

Jamison shrugged a shoulder and didn’t look at me, but I had my answer.

“You run the ranch and you’re very smart. What else do you want to tell me about you?” I asked.

We were sitting at the kitchen table, the board game between us. The men had left two hours earlier and Jamison took his role of staying with me seriously. We’d done all the dishes, baked brownies and pulled out Scrabble from the selection by the fireplace in the great room. At first, I’d assumed the game was more to keep me distracted than anything else, but Jamison was a competitive player.

He’d done a good job of distracting me, but my thoughts had gone to what Cord had said.

When this is over, we’re never letting you go.

They hadn’t just been words. He’d meant them. What we had wasn’t just sexy times. It wasn’t just intense orgasms. It was deeper, more complex and had been from the very start. I wouldn’t have called it love at first sight. No, that was too cliché. It was a connection, a bond, that went soul deep with them. I couldn’t explain it. I just felt it. Within me and in Cord’s words, Riley’s look.

And by agreeing, I’d set my fate. As for the others, they hadn’t said a word. They hadn’t poked fun or made snide jokes. Not even when I’d been sitting on Cord’s lap as we’d talked. They knew the way it was and respected it. Even with two men wanting me to be theirs. Two men. There was no doubt.

Oh, I wanted their kisses, their gentle—and not so gentle—touch. I wanted their dirty words. I wanted their big cocks. I was starting to think I might even want more butt stuff. Strangely enough, I liked it. How could I not when they made me come so many times I forgot my own name?

“You’re no dummy,” he countered, breaking me from my thoughts.

My cheeks got hot, but if he had any idea what I’d been thinking about, he didn’t let on. Scrabble. We were talking about a board game, not the desire for my guys to take my anal virginity when I saw them next.

Scrabble. I’d thought I was a decent player, until now. Being a bookworm had paid off in the past, but not with him.