Rules of Desire
(Desire, Oklahoma 4)
Erin Robinson moved to Desire, Oklahoma, unprepared for the dynamics of her new home.
Ménage and Dom/sub relationships prevail here. Erin just didn’t get it.. She couldn’t deal with one man. More than one – impossible! But when someone tries to kill her, Jared, Duncan and Reese Preston scramble to protect her. At the same time, they’re determined to show her just how good having three men in her bed can be.
Excerpt
“There you are.”
Erin spun at Jared’s voice. She’d been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard him come outside.
He looked so tall and handsome in his tux, breathtaking in fact, but she knew he looked every bit as good in jeans and a t-shirt. She could only imagine how good he would look in nothing at all. She’d seen the rather impressive bulge in his jeans several times and her mouth had watered every damned time.
On top of that, he looked good enough to eat, especially with that sexy as hell scar on his cheek. It wasn’t only the looks that got to her, though. He had a presence that she found impossible to ignore, and gave off vibes that bombarded her system, sexual vibes, making her even hungrier for him. His eyes glittered as he moved closer, the hazel green mesmerizing her as the power of his gaze slammed into her, making her shiver.
He frowned. “You’re cold.”
“No. I just-” She broke off when she felt his hands close over her arms. Thankful that he’d blamed her shiver on the cold, she shrugged. Now that she’d been pulled from her thoughts, she actually did start to feel the cold.
“You’re half frozen!”
He took off his jacket and bundled her into it. “What are you doing out here? Duncan, Reese, and I have been looking all over for you. Come on. Let’s get you inside where it’s warm.”
She couldn’t help pulling the jacket tightly around her. It still carried the heat from his body along with his own unique scent. His arm around her waist held the delicious feeling closer as he propelled her back into the restaurant. She cursed the fact that the jacket kept her from feeling the touch of his hand on her hip more directly.
What the hell was she thinking? She didn’t want to feel anything from any of them more directly. Did she? She took another sip of her drink wondering how much longer she could resist them.
When Jared started to lead her to his table, she paused unsteadily. “I’ve been sitting with-”
“Rachel, Boone, and Chase will know where you are. Come on. Let’s get you warmed up.”
Erin allowed Jared to lead her to the table he and his brothers shared with Hunter and Remington Ross. It should be illegal for a town to have this many gorgeous men running loose. The two men looked as forbidding as ever but looked up and smiled faintly at her approach. Both always looked so serious, seldom smiling. Combined with their muscular, hard-packed bodies, and quiet intensity, they had women clamoring to get close to them. She loved to watch, amused at the women’s efforts. She didn’t see Duncan or Reese, but she knew they would be joining them soon. If the men sitting at this table couldn’t warm her, nothing could. Suddenly, sitting here sounded like fun.
Hunter inclined his head toward her. “I see you finally found her. Your brothers are still looking. Hi, Erin .”
Erin took a seat, returning their smiles. “I didn’t realize a search party had been sent out.” She put a hand to her forehead. She’d gotten awfully warm again and it started to make her feel woozy.
She looked up to see Duncan and Reese approach from different directions.
Reese sat down next to her and looked up at Jared. “Where’d you find her?”
Jared sat on her other side and Duncan took a seat next to him. “She was alone on the terrace. She’s half frozen.”
Duncan reached for her hands, frowning when he felt them, wrapping his around them and rubbing gently. “Have you eaten?” His gaze moved over her. When she felt it on her breasts, felt her nipples pebble, she pulled her hands free and closed Jared’s jacket tighter around herself. When she shook her head, he smiled at her. “I’ll get you a plate. Maybe some hot food will help warm you up.”
She watched Duncan as he moved away, admiring his broad shoulders and fluid grace. Imagining how smoothly he would move as he stroked his length into her, she squeezed her thighs together. Damn, her insides quivered just thinking about it. When she realized she’d been staring, she hurriedly turned her attention to the two men across from her. “Ethan and Brandon did a good job with the food. Everything looks delicious. That chicken looks good.”
Remington nodded. “It is. Would you like to try some?” He offered her a forkful.
She opened her mouth, allowing him to feed it to her and hummed her appreciation. “It is good!” Everything suddenly seemed wonderful. She began to relax and leaned back in her seat, tapping her foot to the music.
Reese glared at Remington and stood. “I’ll go get some for you.”
Rem’s lips twitched as he continued eating. “So why did you go out to the terrace? It’s cold outside.”
Erin smiled and leaned toward him, whispering conspiratorially. “I needed some air and my feet hurt.” She leaned back and smiled as he chuckled. “Men outnumber the women here. Most of the women are married and their dance partners don’t like to share. The single ones, like me, are in high demand.”
Hunter and Remington laughed. Jared chuckled at her expression, then frowned. “Do your feet still hurt? Put them up here.”
Erin blinked. “No. They’re fine now.”
She jumped when Jared reached for her foot. “Really, Jared, they’re-”
“Look at these shoes. I don’t know how you can even walk-Your feet are freezing!”
Erin tried hard not to show her reaction to having her feet lifted to his lap. He quickly unbuckled her high-heeled sandals and wrapped his hot hands around them. When his thumbs stroked her arch, the tingling sensation went all the way to her slit.
“Jesus! Your feet are like ice.”
Wrapped in his big hands, her feet looked small and pale. She tried unsuccessfully to pull them away as he began to massage them. “Jared. That’s not necessary.”
“Not necessary? Your feet are ice cold.”
She had to admit her feet had begun to warm. Struggling against the erotic feelings his touch inspired, she tried again to pull away. He didn’t let her. Instead, he turned his chair to face her and settled her feet between his thighs. He continued to rub them as he and the Ross brothers spoke. With her feet being massaged by Jared, she’d long since lost track of the conversation.
If she even flexed her foot, she knew she would come in contact with the bulge in his dress pants. It took tremendous effort to keep her feet still. She wanted so badly to touch him, press against that impressive bulge and feel it grow. “Your scar makes you look like a pirate.. Very sexy.”
She smiled as seductively as she knew how, ignoring the way his eyes narrowed at her. She could flirt. Imagine that.
“Clay asked me earlier if I knew if Erin liked Missy.”
Hearing her name, Erin turned to Hunter. “Who?”
Hunter chuckled. “Missy is a beautiful chestnut filly.”
Jared spoke to Hunter but his eyes stayed on her. ” Erin hasn’t seen Missy yet. I was hoping to talk her into coming out to the ranch to meet her.”
Erin blinked at him, her head spinning. Their masculine sexiness made her dizzy. “I’m supposed to come to your ranch to meet a horse?” Had she missed something?
Duncan appeared and leaned over to put a plate on the table in front of her. ” Erin ‘s coming out to meet Missy?”
Reese took the seat next to her and put another plate of food in front of her.
Erin looked at him incredulously. “I hope you don’t think I can eat all of that.”
Reese shrugged. “We don’t know what you like yet, so we got you a little of everything.”
Erin decided to ignore the ‘yet’ and thanked them before looking at Jared. “May I please have my feet back now? I can’t eat like this.” She slapped her hand over her mouth as a giggle escaped.
Jared frowned at her again and rubbed her feet one more time before releasing them. “At least they don’t feel frozen anymore.”
Erin bit her lips. They had started to get numb. “Thank you. I should give you your jacket back.” She started to remove it, fumbling with it but with a hand on her shoulder, he stopped her.
“Keep it on. You’re still cold. I’m going to go get a plate. Would you like another drink?”
She nodded and grinned. “Yes, please. I’m awfully thirsty.”
He took her glass, downing the remains of it and lifting a brow. “Michael’s virgin margarita?”
Nodding, she giggled. It seemed awfully intimate for him to drink out of her glass that way. It made her think of other intimacies. No, she wouldn’t think about that. No matter how much she wanted him and his brothers, she couldn’t go there. She just couldn’t remember why. Mentally shrugging, she smiled up at him. “I’m not a big drinker.”
Duncan stood. “I’ll get it. I need another anyway. Anyone else?”
When Jared and Duncan left the table, Reese gestured toward her food. “Eat before it gets cold.” He leaned close and whispered in her ear. “I’ve missed you like hell, sweetheart.”
Erin looked up at him, startled by the admission, but unable to deny the warm glow that went through her. He smiled at her tenderly and she felt her face grow warm as she turned to her plate. “Me, too. I’m sorry I had to stop seeing you.”
“Would you start seeing me again?”
Erin averted her gaze, staring down at her plate. “I can’t. I’m sorry.” Why did it hurt so much to say that?