Claim Me Hard (Bridgewater County 2)

I was starting to get a little better about not overreacting to their touch. It took me by surprise the first few times they reached for me like they had every right to be in my personal space. But I supposed I was getting used to it, or maybe I was starting to trust them a little. Enough that I didn’t think they had any ill intentions, at least, not on the drive across town.

Aside from having Jessie’s approval, and the rest of the crowd at the diner, they’d been nothing but gentlemen from the moment I’d met them. Attentive. Curious. Driven.

And tonight, they’d been chivalrous to the point of old-fashioned. At seven on the dot they’d shown up at my doorstep as promised. I was wearing the only nice outfit I’d brought with me—a simple black dress with short sleeves and a short skirt. It wasn’t crazy sexy but it fit better than that damned uniform. Between the dress, some makeup, and my hair down around my shoulders rather than up in the requisite ponytail, I actually felt pretty for the first time in a while. And the size difference between us, the way they were so gentle and attentive, they made me feel feminine.

They hadn’t tried anything back at the apartment or after they’d helped me into the truck. S

o maybe it was true. They just wanted to date me. Both of them. If someone had told me a couple weeks ago that I’d be on a date with two sexy studs in Montana, I would have laughed my ass off. It was hard to believe that these two guys really meant it when they said they wanted me to be the one—I mean, who said that? But they seemed to be sincere.

Sincere, yes. But they’d also said some things that made my panties damp. They’d said they didn’t want to be friends. They wanted me between them and I knew that didn’t just mean in the truck. While they were being gentlemen, I had no doubt if I gave them the green light, they’d be anything but.

They said they wanted me to be their wife. Who said something like that after only a few conversations?

It should freak me out. It did. God, it did because I had a feeling these two were actually serious. But it didn’t matter. I didn’t have to even worry about even the possibility because I wouldn’t be around long enough to get too involved. Once Brad was shipped overseas, then I could return to my life. Go home to LA and get back to being a doctor.

But I could enjoy this one night, at least. I deserved a nice night out with two gentlemen who seemed intent on showing me a good time. And if I wanted more? I could have a wild night in between two hot cowboys. I’d be stupid not to. They were gorgeous and I had a very strong feeling they knew what they were doing in bed. And for one night? I squirmed in the seat, my panties definitely ruined.

Knowing I was the one in control here, not two big, dominant cowboys, allowed me to let go of some of the nerves that had me sitting up, my spine straight as a rod. I let myself rest back against the truck’s bench and was rewarded by a smile from Declan that made my mouth go dry.

When we got to the bar, which had a Wild West saloon vibe going on, it became obvious that these guys knew everyone. As we passed a wall lined with booths, it seemed that people at every table were shouting out greetings.

I recognized Cara and her men when they waved to us, but my guys hustled me toward an empty booth, not stopping to introduce me to all their friends. It didn’t come across as impolite, more they wanted me all to themselves. Cole slid in first and I sat next to him. To my surprise Declan sat on the other side of me so all three of us were on the same bench—nice and cozy.

Well, maybe cozy wasn’t the right word for it. Their thighs brushed against mine again, their arms, too. I could feel the hard muscles on either side of me. It was impossible not to think about what those muscles looked like, what they would feel like beneath my palms. I was trapped between them but I wasn’t scared—I liked it. For the first time in a long, long while I felt completely protected from the rest of the world.

Declan hailed down a waitress and they turned to me to order first. Ladies first. God, did they still abide by that rule here in Montana? Maybe I’d found the last place where chivalry wasn’t dead.

When the waitress walked away they angled their bodies so they were both facing me. “So, Hannah, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself,” Declan said. “Where are you from?”

Ugh. Now this was the part I’d been dreading. I’d gotten pretty good at avoiding direct answers but it was hard to relax when I could screw up at any moment and reveal too much. Hadn’t they asked me this already? Clearly, they wouldn’t let up unless I started giving some answers.

“I grew up on the east coast. So, do you guys come here often? You seem to know everybody.”

“Did you move here from the east?” Cole asked.

I met his gaze and looked away quickly. It was too intense. Like he could tell that I was being vague on purpose. I looked to Declan but his expression didn’t put me at ease. Oh, he was smiling. He always seemed to be smiling, but I’d bet money that beneath that aw-shucks cowboy exterior, his police officer’s brain was working on figuring out the mysterious new waitress.

Shit. Maybe if I shared a little more, they’d ease up a bit. I cleared my throat—after keeping silent for so long, it was surprisingly hard to talk about myself. “No,” I said. “I moved to California for college and never left.”

There. That was the truth.

“Where’d you go to college?” Declan asked. He grabbed a peanut from the bowl in the middle of the table and started shelling it.

“Stanford.”

All eyes were on me and I knew what their next question would be before they asked it. “What have you been doing in California since graduation?” Declan said.

I gave them my best innocent smile. “Enjoying the sunshine.” It was a joke I’d made often at the diner instead of a real answer. This time? It definitely didn’t work.

Cole took a sip of the beer the waitress set in front of him. “Were you waitressing?”

Not exactly. For a second I had the urge to confide in these men. Tell them all about how I’d just recently been accepted to join a practice in LA. After all those years of work at my residency and as an intern, I’d finally reached my goal. How nice it would be to tell these guys about it. But I couldn’t. I had to stay hidden, head down, until Brad was gone. Any chance of being found would be dangerous for me, and anyone else. If Brad knew I was going on a date with another guy? He’d flip. But two men? I didn’t even want to consider it.

Instead, I said, “I was in between jobs. That’s part of the reason I left. It seemed like as good a time as any to see the country.”

I caught the look they gave each other. Before either of them could start in with more questions, I wanted to get them talking instead. “What about you? What do you do?”

Cole told me about his family’s ranch, which he now owned and ran. As a city girl through and through, ranching was something I knew nothing about but he patiently answered my many questions. I had no idea cows were so complicated. Declan told me how he was a cop, which I already knew, and how it was what he’d always wanted to do, ever since he was a kid. Tonight, he wasn’t on duty; no radio, no gun on his hip.