Lassoed (Steele Ranch 5)

I liked that idea, of me destroying his control. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

And not just with the tall, sexy Ashe, but Sam, too. Solid and tempting, his kiss was so different than his friend’s. Equally eager, he sank into the kiss, into the feel of me being in his arms. He licked into me, exploring, learning, his hands holding me close as if a kiss to Sam was a full body experience.

I’d been with men before, but nothing like these two. I felt…safe. And while I hadn’t been thinking about my safety when their tongues were in my mouth, subconsciously I knew I was okay, that being with them was a good thing. I may have just picked up two men in a bar, but it was more.

I sensed it, felt it with every fiber of my being. The chemistry, the connection, it was deep. Meaningful. I’d had a girlfriend who’d told me she’d known on a first date with a guy that she was going to marry him. A stranger to her, and yet, she was positive. And it had been true. Five years and two kids later, they were still rock solid.

I wasn’t considering marriage with Ashe and Sam—insane! But I knew that as they led me across the lobby and into the first available—empty—elevator, this was what I should do. I needed to do it, to be with them. When Ashe turned to me and pressed me back against the wall, I sighed. Reveled in the feel of him. I felt every hard inch of him, some places extra hard. And thick. And long. God, his cock was big. Really big.

A twinge of…something made me take pause. My mind had been full of thoughts of them, but what did they think of me? Did they think me a slut to go with them? “I…I don’t do this,” I admitted.

“Ride in an elevator?” Ashe asked.

My head was tilted back to meet his eyes and I saw humor there. His green gaze darkened and, this close, I could see flecks of whiskey-colored brown.

“No, pick up a man. Well, I’ve never picked up two before,” I admitted.

He slid a fingertip down my cheek, along my neck, his gaze following the motion.

“And, I’ve never gone with someone to a hotel room before,” I added, making it clear they knew this was a first.

The doors slid open and Ashe stepped back. Sam led the way, opened the door to their suite and in seconds, I was within, the door clicking shut behind him.

A flick of a switch and a lamp came on. Soft lighting filled the room. The view from the wall-to-wall windows was impressive. The entire city laid out before us from this floor. I walked over to it, stared. The view was pitch black with dots of colored lights everywhere. Looking down, way down, cars moved along the street, people walked on the sidewalk. It was quiet here. Like a retreat from the world.

I felt one of them approach, but he didn’t touch. “Get your phone out, Natalie. Text a friend. Let her know where you are.”

I turned about, faced Sam. I hadn’t even thought of that, of my safety more than the gut feeling that these two weren’t dangerous. They might break my heart, but they wouldn’t hurt me. His words proved they were thinking of me, of what was best. I pulled my phone from my clutch, then texted my friend, the one who’d probably understand why I was sending her a note with the name of the hotel and the room number, that she wouldn’t judge me for doing something so…crazy. Good crazy, not bungee jump-off-a-bridge crazy. As my fingers flew over the screen, Sam shared his full name as well as Ashe’s, which I added to my text.

After I hit send, I looked up at him, nodded.

“Good girl.” He reached out and took the cell from me, my clutch as well, and set them on the TV table. “We’re glad you’re here, but you need to feel safe, that we’re not going to do anything to you—with you—that you don’t want.”

“That’s right, sweetheart,” Ashe added, settling his hands on his narrow hips. There was something about a guy in a dress shirt. The buttons, the open collar. The casualness of it with jeans. Perhaps it was thinking earlier they had on suits and had dressed down. With the sleeves rolled up, it was as if they now had all the time in the world for, well…me. “We can just talk. Order room service. Get to know each other.”

I glanced around, took in the space. Sam stepped back to allow me to wander, take it all in. It wasn’t a typical hotel room. Out on the street, Sam had said it was a suite. We were in a living room area, a couch facing a large, flat screen TV on a wall, two comfortable chairs on either side. A large tufted ottoman was used as a coffee table. There was also a small dining table and chairs, kitchenette. On each side of the room, there was a door which I assumed went to a bedroom, one for each of them. I didn’t even know what they did to afford such a room.

“You’re from out of town,” I said over my shoulder, stating the obvious and changing the topic of conversation. Although, they could have been locals who got a hotel room and picked up women at the bar for a night of fun. They didn’t have a trace of a Boston accent, but that didn’t mean much any longer.

“That’s right. Montana,” Ashe said. “In town for work. We can talk about it if you want, or—”

I spun about, faced them. They hadn’t moved, Ashe’s hands still on his hips. They were so male. The need I had for them was almost visceral, as if my cells recognized theirs. Neanderthal genes? Caveman? Had they just dragged me back to their cave, but the modern-times version? Did I want this? Them?

If I said I wanted to leave, I knew they’d hold the door open for me, even call the elevator to their floor. We could sit on the couch and talk. But we could have done that at the bar. I didn’t want a getting-to-know-you window. Because while I didn’t know anything about them, I knew of them. Of the kind of men they were, of what we could do together, how it would be. How it would feel.

I wanted that. No inhibitions. My heart raced, my breathing was ragged, as if I’d run up the steps to the penthouse level. I ached for their lips on mine again, their hands touching me. I wanted to feel.

“I want the or,” I said.

Their eyes narrowed, turned instantly hot and, all at once, I felt like prey. They approached slowly.

“The or, huh? Okay. Here’s how this is going to happen, sweetheart.” Ashe touched me first, his hand sliding up and down my arm, the caress gentle, but goose bumps rose on my arm. Seeing them, Sam went over to the thermostat on the wall, then returned.

“We’re going to get you out of this pretty dress and see what’s beneath. Delicate lace, maybe? I’m thinking black.”

“No,” Sam said, shaking his head slowly, his heated gaze raking over me as if he had Superman’s x-ray vision. “Satin. Pink.”

They were both wrong, but I wasn’t going to tell them that. They’d find out soon enough.