Two In Hand Read online

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  Daniel paused by the in-gate and swung into Diamond’s saddle. He supposed he shouldn’t mention that the horse—Bright Diamond Katie— was named after her. The buckskin foal had a ton of spunk and wasn’t afraid of anything, just like the Katie he remembered. Daniel nodded to James as they rode into the arena. Thunderous applause greeted them, the roar of the crowd fueling the adrenaline rushing through his veins.

  He itched to find out what James thought about Katie. Damn, seeing her again was like a punch in the gut. She’d been fine back in high school, all long legs and tousled sun-kissed brown hair. As a woman, she rocked him back on the heels of his cowboy boots. Her smallish curves had rounded, pressing against the cotton shirt she wore. Her hard nipples made him want to palm her flesh and see if they felt as good as he remembered.

  After all the personal confusion and social phobias he’d encountered where his sexuality was concerned, it was good to know that life held one constant. Katie Kendall still made him hard.

  Luckily, he could ride victory laps in his sleep and after the perfunctory (enter a number) times around the ring he left the arena to the cheers of his fellow competitors and the crowd. The next event was announced and Daniel remained mounted as he headed for the barn. He hadn’t made it far when Katie pushed through the crowd, jogging toward him.

  “Hey, is there anything I can do to help?” she called.

  He admired the sway of her breasts for a moment before James cleared his throat beside him. With a grin, he stopped Diamond.

  “Sure.” Glancing around, he dismounted and waited for James to do the same. “You can help with the horses.”

  He slid the reins over Diamond’s head. James fell into step beside him and Daniel shot him a sideways glance, surprised by the man’s shuttered expression. For a normally taciturn guy, James remained especially quiet.

  Daniel didn’t let it bother him as they headed to the barn, Katie on the other side of Diamond. It felt right…having one of them flanking him. He grinned, the winner’s check he’d receive having nothing to do with the spring in his step. He paused at the threshold to the barn, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness.

  “Which stall is yours?” Katie asked.

  James stopped behind her, so close that he nearly bumped into that gorgeous heart-shaped ass of hers. His horse, Midnight, always a pushy sonofagun, nuzzled Katie’s shoulder and James curled his hand around Katie’s hip to steady her.

  A tiny gasp escaped her lips and Daniel’s cock tightened swiftly.

  Daniel bet she made noises like that in bed too. The desire to find out had prompted his spontaneous call to her. Kind of like when he went on the gay rodeo circuit, a half-assed joke and a challenge had turned into something more. Then again, if he hadn’t gone on the circuit, he wouldn’t have met James and that turned out pretty good. He only hoped his phone call to Katie would have the same result. He eyed James’ hand on Katie’s hip. Maybe he wouldn’t need to ask his lover what he thought about Katie. That lingering caress said it all.

  James leaned in so close his breath teased the strands of her hair around her ear. “Third aisle. All the way down.”

  He released her with a little squeeze that caused a quick shiver to roll through her slight frame and Daniel glanced at her pert nipples pressing against her shirt. A slight hitch in her breath told him she was aroused. He grinned as she scurried down the aisle and toward their stall.

  “All the way down, huh?” Daniel leaned in and whispered.

  James grinned. “A man’s gotta try. I think this is going to be fun.” He patted Daniel on the ass and hurried after Katie.

  Daniel watched his lover, noting the sinfully tight fit of his jeans and those long, muscled legs wrapped in denim. Of course they were better wrapped around him, and he discreetly adjusted himself before following. When James had told him to stop mooning over Katie and just hook up with her, he’d been eager for the chance. Now, uncertainty fluttered in his stomach, making him wonder if he’d made the right decision.

  James looked over his shoulder and winked at Daniel. Yeah, he’d made the right choice. He hurried down the aisle, the clopping of Diamond’s hooves music to his ears. He watched Katie unfasten Midnight’s girth and lift saddle and pad from the big black gelding. She swung it over to the stand, effortlessly sliding the saddle over and turning the pad upside down on top.

  “We should bring her along to all our rodeos.” James took a stiff brush to Midnight’s coat. “Free help and pretty too.” He gave an exaggerated wink.

  Katie opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. She glanced at him, a speculative look on her face. Daniel truly wanted to know what was running through her mind.

  Daniel removed the saddle and watched James relinquish the brush to Katie. Both men watched her groom the horse. Daniel figured his partner, like he, imagined what Katie’s small hands would feel like touching him.

  Her slender hands moved over the soft black hide. She spoke under her breath, a calming tone that Daniel bet she wasn’t even aware of making. She focused her entire attention on the horse, tuning out everything around her. He knew she made love with that same intensity and he bit back a groan at the thought.

  “Hey,” James asked on his way to the saddle rack. “You want to head out for a drink? I could use something to eat and I bet Daniel could too.”

  “Sure. That’d be great.” She led Midnight into the stall across the aisle with James’ name on it and the horse immediately buried his head in the hay manger. “Looks like your horse has the same idea,” she chuckled.

  A memory of them, years younger, standing in the barn, filled his mind. Daniel grinned and led Diamond into the neighboring stall. “There’s a great place just down the road. Let’s go.” He gave both horses a final check, saw that James had picked up the tack area. Any day he rodeoed was a good day. Going out with Katie and James made it a perfect one.

  Chapter Two

  Katie had squished herself into the corner of the diner’s booth and tried not to brush against Daniel. She failed miserably. Every time their legs brushed against each other a little frisson of heat shot through her. She was thankful when he noticed a rodeo buddy he needed to speak to and quickly excused himself. Until she realized that left her alone with James.

  There was no denying this particular cowboy kept her off-kilter. She thought he was gay; Daniel and he certainly had enough signals going between them to make the assumption safe. And they were competing at a gay rodeo. She wondered if the rodeo allowed straight people to compete.

  James reached across the table to touch her hand, offering her a heated look. “It meant a lot for you to be there today to see Daniel. He’d been hoping you’d come.”

  “I’m glad. We haven’t talked in ages.” She glanced down at where James’ fingers rested not far from hers. She thought about mentioning she and Daniel had been lovers, though fuck buddies was probably the more appropriate term. There weren’t many dates that didn’t include one or more rounds of wild sex. Yeah, probably not the best thing to mention to his gay lover.

  “So how long have you guys been doing this?”

  James arched his eyebrow. Heat filled his gaze, and she couldn’t tell if it was directed at her or Daniel.

  “The rodeo thing,” she clarified quickly.

  “A few years. I needed a header and Daniel was there. What about you?” James turned her hand over and traced a callous on the side of her index finger. “You work with horses too?”

  She focused on his finger tracing patters on hand. His touch, so gentle and sure, reminded her of the way he handled a rope. She was willing to bet he handled Daniel in the same manner. Her body tightened, the strength of her wanting forcing her to turn her mind to safer topics, like her horses. She nodded.

  “I’m a competitive driver, two in hand. I do combined driving mostly, with a few other events just for fun.” She debated about how much to tell him. Combined driving was a pretty specific horse sport,
dealing with various events done with harness horses. It was hard to explain to people outside the sport. Getting one horse to cooperate in harness, let alone two, was a nerve-wracking job sometimes. She suspected any woman who would try to corral these guys would experience much the same thing.

  “I’ve heard of it.” His finger slid across the pad of her thumb.

  Little shivers found their way down to her pussy, and she pulled her hand away. Down girl. He doesn’t swing your way. She glanced over her shoulder in the direction Daniel had gone. He wasn’t anywhere in sight. Get back here. Your man is making a play for me. Laughter, quickly banked, bubbled up deep inside. A gay man was making a move on her. Yeah. Now that made a whole heck of a lot of sense.

  Come on, Daniel. Get back here. She squeezed her thighs together, willing the ache between them to fade away. It didn’t, and she settled herself in for a long afternoon. They hadn’t talked about plans, but she imagined the three of them going back to the rodeo, trailering the horses and probably heading to their respective ranches. She hadn’t thought that far ahead and other than evening chores, her schedule was completely clear.

  James caught and held her gaze, his fingers moving over her hand. The slow caresses worked toward her palm and up to her wrist. “It takes good hands to drive horses.”

  He caressed her pulse point, back and forth, back and forth, riveting her attention to the dance of his finger across her skin. She swallowed, trying to battle the soft mewl that threatened to emerge from her lips. God, it’d been a long time since a man had gotten her this horny, this fast. She licked her lips, wishing the waitress, or Daniel, would return and break the seductive hold James had over her.

  “You know, I bet everything Daniel said about you is true.”

  Her eyes widened, imagining some of the stories Daniel might have told. Perhaps about the time they were caught making out behind the hay bales on his parent’s farm. Or maybe when they’d been making out at Lover’s Point and had locked themselves out of the car and their clothes.

  “And just what has Daniel said?” Her voice emerged a bit too husky for her liking. She resisted the urge to look behind her. What the hell was taking him so long?

  James smiled a devious smile and winked at her. “I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I said everything, now would I?” He dropped his voice to a whisky-rough pitch that slid over her nerve endings and pooled heat between her legs.

  She drew a deep breath and pondered the merits of pulling her hand back. Just feeling James’ warm digits surrounding hers made her think of that brief moment in the barn when he had pressed a very hard body into the small of her back. Would it be a gay faux paus if she cleared her throat and reminded him of his perceived orientation?

  I don’t have a guy hit on me for months, a year almost, and now the first guy to do so is my ex-boyfriend’s boyfriend. Just great. She had to admit, she’d never been in this situation before. And if she listened to her body’s demands, it could be a very interesting one indeed.

  “I suppose not,” she said, hoping her smile overcame any awkward silence that lingered between them. “Daniel and I have known each other for years. His parents’ place was just down the road from mine.”

  Twelve years of school, pre-school, yeah you could say we’ve known each other for a while. The fated couple, Homecoming King and Queen, their senior year, torn apart by college and life. She’d gone to a school halfway across the country and he’d stayed home and started rodeoing. Funny how they’d both ended up in Oklahoma City again.

  James looked up quickly and slid his hand away. Not fast, but with enough intention that Katie glanced over her shoulder. Thank you, God, she mentally whispered, as she watched Daniel’s lanky form coming past the booths filled with families and elderly couples. When he saw her he smiled, that grin turning her knees weak like it always did. The purposeful strides, his strong, roper’s arms, and broad chest, she enjoyed the show as he came back to the booth.

  He slid into it, pushing a bit closer to her than he had before. His thigh brushed against hers, the length of hard muscle and denim reminding her that he was a man, one that she had made love to on numerous occasions. He reached down and patted her leg. “James didn’t talk your ear off, did he?”

  “No,” she said, wondering if Daniel and James’ positions might have been reversed if he’d nibbled on her ear instead. She took a sip of water.

  “Good. Sometimes you got to stuff his mouth with something to get him to shut up,” Daniel joked.

  She coughed, nearly sputtering water. A couple hard spasms, had Daniel patting her on the back.

  “You okay?”

  She coughed again. “Yeah, sorry. Just went down the wrong way.” Heat flushed her cheeks, and she pressed her head against the window for a moment to let the chill of the glass seep into her.

  “Sometimes that happens. You get used to it.” Daniel’s hand lingered on her back, before sliding away with all the softness of a caress.

  Katie looked at him. If she was reading the signs correctly both guys wanted her. She shifted her attention between Daniel and James, unsure of how to proceed. Simply asking the question would be awkward at best. Hey guys, you’re gay but would you mind rolling around a bit with me?

  James winked at Daniel. It seemed more like a conspiratorial wink than any sort of affection or innuendo between the two men. Daniel just grinned, lending credence to her developing theory that something was going on between these two guys.

  The question of timing remained. She’d come back to the city about five years ago and hadn’t exactly kept a low profile. With her athletic exploits, she had risen high within the regional competitions and was working toward some national and international recognition. Sure, all that work kept her busy and out for many months at a time. She still would have gladly accepted Daniel if he’d come to her sooner. Come to her for what? That was the question.

  “Okay guys, I think something is going on here.” She leaned forward, crossing her arms and resting them on the table. She hoped the position hid her breasts, but it probably just ended up enhancing them. “You guys look like you’ve got something going on between you, and I’m not just talking about the roping. Though maybe ropes are involved, I don’t know.”

  Daniel burst out with a huge belly laugh loud enough to startle the other patrons.

  When he quieted down, James looked right at Daniel. “Told you she’d be too smart for this,” he said. “Better give it to her straight.” James tapped the table in front of Katie.

  Katie wrapped her thoughts around James’s words, trying hard not to read innuendos into them. Give it to her straight. As in heterosexual? Like her and Daniel hooking back up again?

  “I don’t think Daniel can do that anymore,” she blurted.

  Daniel’s eyes widened. “So you’ve figured us out, huh?” he reached out and caressed her chin. “You still think you know everything, Katie-girl?” He reverted to the old nickname he’d once called her.

  “Still bet I could beat you on science tests. And that’s without figuring out that every action has an equal and opposite reaction part,” she replied, wondering if he’d remember that one study session that had ended with a hurried, quiet make-out session on her bed before her dad knocked on the door and interrupted them.

  “Oh I know all about those reactions, Katie-girl. I guess you could say that’s why we’re here.”

  “Oh,” she gasped. She straightened, letting her hands fall into her lap. Her heart beat like the pounding of hoof beats, and she felt her pulse fluttering at the base of her neck. The high neck of her shirt hid the scar from her thyroid surgery. “So I didn’t quite miss the signals.”

  Daniel took her hand. “No, Katie, I don’t think you did. I’ve done a lot of thinking and I don’t think I ever stopped wanting you.” He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a feather-soft kiss across her knuckles. “Nope, don’t think I have.” He smiled, revealing those dimples that she’d fallen for so long ago.

 
Katie stared at him, acutely aware of James on the other side of the booth. She didn’t dare look at him. As Daniel’s lover, he couldn’t be happy about this. Except, if she hadn’t been reading him wrong—and after Daniel’s confession she wasn’t sure about anything anymore—then he wanted her too. Oh Lordy. Two hot men wanted her when she hadn’t been wanted in so long.

  She released her breath on a puff of air, half-afraid she’d pass out if she didn’t remember how to breathe.

  Daniel still held her hand and grinned at her. She marveled at his hands, calloused in the right places, yet so soft and gentle with her that she could easily imagine them sliding over her body. Her nipples tightened just thinking about him reaching across the space between them to stroke her. Heat built between her thighs. And to know that James watched and wanted had heat rolling up her neck and across her cheeks.

  “What do you say, Katie? Is that a yes?” He leaned in close, so close that she could tell he’d popped a mint sometime when he’d been away. His fresh breath washed over her face like a cool rain on a hot summer’s day.

  “I…I…” she stuttered. One little proclamation, that he still wanted her, had her world sliding out from beneath her like a carriage about to topple. The air closed in on her, carrying with it the spicy scent of the men’s aftershave. “I don’t know.”

  She stared into Daniel’s emerald eyes. Less than an hour in his company and already he affected her much as he had all those years ago. She longed to throw herself into his arms and his bed, and damn the consequences. A throat cleared on the other side of the booth and reminded her she couldn’t do that. Not this time. Daniel was a gay man, who wanted her.

  She turned to James to find him sitting there, the same hopeful, expectant expression Daniel wore. James’ brown eyes were warm and open, almost trusting. “It’s not every day two cowboys claim the same woman. You have no idea the discussions Daniel and I have had over just where to mark you.”