Riding the Night
Page 35
“No, I really don’t.”
Shadoe stopped him. “We were just teasing you like we always do. We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
He pulled her into a hug. “Feelings aren’t hurt. Now go cuddle with that moron you seem to love.”
She grinned. “Okay. Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”
“Nothing a good workout won’t solve.”
Shadoe nodded. “I understand.”
AJ went to the gym to beat the shit out of the punching bag.
After he’d worked up a sweat for an hour or so, he decided even a physical workout wasn’t going to help.
“You miss her.”
He grabbed a towel, not bothering to look at Pax. “Maybe.”
Pax moved into the gym and took a seat on the metal chair. “Me, too.”
Now AJ turned to Pax. “You love her.”
Pax lifted his gaze to AJ. “Yeah, I do. So do you.”
AJ leaned against the wall. “It wouldn’t work. She’s there, we’re . . . everywhere.”
“They’ve all made it work.”
“Who?”
“All our friends here. Mac, Diaz, Spence, Rick. None of them ever thought their relationships would work. Now look at them.”
“That’s different. They’re different.” AJ pushed off the wall and moved toward the punching bag again.
“Bullshit. They’re no different than you and me. They just wanted it bad enough to make it work.”
AJ shifted his gaze back to Pax. “And you’re saying we don’t?”
“You and me aren’t really the most experienced when it comes to love. We’ve always made it about sex, deliberately choosing women who we know were only in it for the fun. Teresa wasn’t like that. She’s a forever kind of woman.”
AJ yanked off his gloves and grabbed his water bottle, pulling up the chair across from Pax. “You want forever.”
“Yeah.”
“With Teresa.”
“I love her. I know you do, too. We’ve spent our whole lives running from what scares us, afraid those we love won’t love us back.”
“She let us leave.”
“Yeah, she did. You know why?”
AJ sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Because she loves us.”
TERESA SAT IN THE BACK OFFICE OF THE BAR DOING PAPERWORK, spitting out a curse when she added up the figures wrong for the fifth time in a row.
“Goddammit.” She crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the trash can. “Pull your head out of your ass, idiot.”
“You yelling at that piece of paper or yourself?”
Joey stood in the office doorway.
“What do you think?”
“I think you’ve been a miserable, snarling bitch since AJ and Pax left a few days ago.”
She stood and put the ledger away. “I have not.”
“Sis, we’re twins, remember? I know you. Sit down and talk to me.”
She slammed the door shut on the file cabinet and fell into her chair, rubbing her fingers over the throbbing ache in her temples.
“You love him, don’t you?”
She lifted her gaze to her brother. “I love them, Joey.”
Joey’s eyes widened. He came in and sat in the chair across from her desk. “Both of them?”
“Yes. Both of them.”
Joey laughed. “Tart.”
Then she laughed. “Asshole.”
“So what happened? You told them you loved them and they left anyway?”
“Not exactly. I did tell Pax I loved him, but it was a near-death situation. And I’m pretty sure he didn’t believe me.”
“So basically you didn’t tell them. Why not?”
“They have their own lives, their careers. I didn’t want to hold them back.”
“Sometimes guys need to know you love them. We make terrible psychics, Teresa. It’s just not in our genetic makeup. We like things simple and spelled out. Sometimes you even have to hit us over the head with it.”
“And if I told them, then what? They would have just felt bad when they left. I couldn’t do that to them. We went into this knowing they were going to leave.”
“I think all of you were afraid of being hurt, so none of you wanted to take that first step.”
She arched a brow. “Giving love advice now?”
“I love you. I want you to be happy.”
Her heart swelled. “I love you, too. And I am happy.”
“Not happy enough. If you want them, tell them. Then figure out a way to make it work.”
TERESA THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT JOEY HAD SAID, AND HALFWAY through her shift that night, she realized maybe he was right. Maybe she’d given up, let them go too easily.
God, she missed them, missed their scent, the feel of their skin against hers, the way they kissed her and touched her, the way they made her laugh. She ached inside from missing them so much, and her bed was just so damned empty she hadn’t been able to sleep in it since they’d left.
She popped a couple beers for a customer, then pulled her phone out of her pocket, her palms sweaty as she contemplated calling AJ or Pax and asking if maybe they’d meet her this weekend. They might be on assignment in another state by now. Would they hate being bothered?
And when had she become such a coward? She’d survived rape, kidnapping and nearly being killed. She could damn well survive a f**king phone call and possible rejection. It certainly wouldn’t be the worst thing that had ever happened to her.
She punched in AJ’s cell number and waited, her heart in her throat as she heard it ring. And ring. And ring. No answer.
Stupid idea anyway.
“I’m right here, babe.”
She frowned, certain he hadn’t answered his phone. Yet she’d heard his voice.
“Teresa.”
Her head shot up, her heart slamming against her ribs as AJ and Pax stood in front of her. She practically leaped over the bar and threw herself against them, planting her lips on Pax, then AJ, kissing them both with all the passion and need and longing she’d felt but hadn’t said.
“I love you,” she said, wrapping both of them in her arms. “I love you both.”
“I love you, too,” Pax said as he lifted her in his arms, then put her down and kissed her hard and deep, the kind of kiss she’d grown to love and expect from him. Then AJ pulled her to him and kissed her with that maddening softness that curled her toes.
“I love you, Teresa,” he said, the emotion in his eyes so real it made tears well in hers.
She searched for Heather and Shelley, who grinned and waved at her. Shelley came over and hugged her.
“Get out of here, you lucky bitch. I’ve got it covered.”
She grinned and nearly cried from the joy welling up inside her. “Thanks.”
Outside, she turned to them both. “I can’t believe you’re here. Why are you back?”
“For you,” Pax said. “We got back to Dallas and realized we couldn’t make our lives work anymore without you.”
“We both fell in love with you. And we both should have said so,” AJ said. “But loving someone is hard. It’s risky. There’s a chance you’ll get hurt.”
She laid her palm on AJ’s chest. “Yes, there is that chance. But it’s a chance worth taking. And I should have said something to both of you, too. I didn’t want you to go, but I was afraid to ask you to stay. I know you have a job that you both love, and I would never want to come between you and what you love.”
“You’re what we love,” Pax said, hugging her so tight she thought she might burst with happiness. “Everything else can be worked around.” He drew her away from him. “If that’s what you want.”
“Yeah, this is up to you, Teresa. If you want both of us, that is. It’s not really a conventional type of relationship.”
She linked her arms with theirs. “I’m not really a conventional type of girl. So this kind of relationship totally works for me.”
“It works for us, too,” AJ said.
“Good.” She pulled away from them and looked at both of them. “Guys, I don’t think I can wait until we get home.”
AJ smiled and shared a look with Pax. “You want to do it right here?”
“It just so happens there’s a very secluded spot behind the bar.”
“Show us.” AJ motioned with his head for her to lead the way.
She took them to the back lot where the overflow parking was. Since it wasn’t a weekend and it was already late, the lot was empty. Behind the lot was a large oak tree and a rather sturdy fence with an empty field behind it, affording them plenty of privacy.
Teresa backed against the fence and spread her legs, already feeling the twinges of excitement skitter across her skin.
“So you’ve got a little exhibitionist in you.” Pax said, skimming his hand across her breast.
It was hot out tonight. And humid. Teresa was glad she’d worn a skirt and a tank top, because her skin was on fire, especially when AJ put his hands on her, too.
God, she’d missed them both so much. AJ kissed her and Pax put his lips to her throat and she shuddered, embracing them, pulling them against her.
“I need one of you f**king me right now.” She was panting, her pu**y was wet and she ready to be fucked.
Pax turned her around and bent her over to face AJ. He lifted her skirt and jerked her panties down. She thrilled to his possession of her and raised her gaze to AJ, who was already unzipping his jeans and pulling his c**k out.
“This is why we love you,” AJ said. “Because you’re perfect for us.”
“I know,” she said.
Both of them belonged to her now. She smiled at AJ and reached for his cock, drawing him closer so she could lick the wide crest as Pax nestled his h*ps against her and thrust inside her. She closed her eyes and felt her pu**y convulse around him, then took AJ’s c**k between her lips, taking all of him as he thrust deeply into her mouth.
“Ahh, baby, it’s going to be so good,” AJ said, holding on to her hair and sliding his shaft along her tongue. “I love you so much.”
She loved that he felt free enough to say it to her now, that he caressed her hair as he f**ked her mouth. Pax bent over her and held her hips, stroked her br**sts and ni**les and kissed her neck while he f**ked her.
“I love you, Teresa,” he whispered as he stroked his c**k inside her. “You’re ours, forever.”
He reached around and found her cl*tand started to rub her. “Now come for us, honey. Come on my cock.”
She was so tightly wound, so filled with love and desire for them, that she felt the sensations deepening inside her. Pax kept the pace of massaging her cl*twhile pounding his c**k inside her, and AJ lifted her chin, forcing her gaze to his.
“I’m going to come in your mouth when you come, Teresa. We’re all going to go off together.”
The way he looked at her, the tension on his face, the love in his eyes, set her off. She kept her focus on AJ and let go, moaning around his cock, grabbing his shaft with her hands and stroking him into her mouth as she rocked back into Pax. Pax groaned and dug his fingers into her hips, pressing himself against her as came inside her in a couple hard thrusts.
AJ let go and came inside her mouth. She took all he had, holding on to his shaft and swallowing what he gave her.
They lifted her, held her while she licked her lips. Pax withdrew and pulled her panties up, helped her put her clothing back into place. Then they came together and kissed her, held her while she gathered her balance.
She wrapped her arms around both of them. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
They had both said it.
She closed her eyes and felt like the luckiest woman alive. She’d had to go through hell to get here, but she had survived and she deserved this happiness with these amazing men. She was never letting go.
PAX’S HEART SWELLED WITH MORE EMOTION AND MORE LOVE than he’d ever felt in his life. He had everything he’d ever wanted, and he was almost afraid to believe it was real. His best friend and the woman they both loved.
“So now what? How do we make this work?”
They sat at a coffee shop in town and ate, sipped coffee and talked about the three of them.
“AJ and I will still have to do our jobs, but Grange has gotten used to his people moving on with their lives and changing locations.”
AJ nodded and took her hand. “Which means we can live wherever we want, but we’ll have to travel on assignment.”
“I can live with that,” Teresa said.
“We did ask that unless there are so many assignments that all the Wild Riders are out, AJ and I won’t be assigned at the same time. That way one of us will always be here with you.”
“I thought the two of you always went out on assignment together.”
AJ nodded. “We do. We did. Now we have a woman to take care of, so we’ll change that.”
“You’re our first priority now, Teresa,” Pax said. “We want to be here for you.”
Her eyes glittered with tears. She reached out and grasped their hands. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you two.”
The waitress came over and refilled their cups, glanced down where Teresa had her hands linked with both of theirs, looked over at Teresa and winked, then walked away.
“I supposed not everyone will think me being with two men is acceptable.”
AJ grinned. “The waitress thought it was just fine.”
“What if—”
“What?” Pax asked.
Shadoe stopped him. “We were just teasing you like we always do. We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
He pulled her into a hug. “Feelings aren’t hurt. Now go cuddle with that moron you seem to love.”
She grinned. “Okay. Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”
“Nothing a good workout won’t solve.”
Shadoe nodded. “I understand.”
AJ went to the gym to beat the shit out of the punching bag.
After he’d worked up a sweat for an hour or so, he decided even a physical workout wasn’t going to help.
“You miss her.”
He grabbed a towel, not bothering to look at Pax. “Maybe.”
Pax moved into the gym and took a seat on the metal chair. “Me, too.”
Now AJ turned to Pax. “You love her.”
Pax lifted his gaze to AJ. “Yeah, I do. So do you.”
AJ leaned against the wall. “It wouldn’t work. She’s there, we’re . . . everywhere.”
“They’ve all made it work.”
“Who?”
“All our friends here. Mac, Diaz, Spence, Rick. None of them ever thought their relationships would work. Now look at them.”
“That’s different. They’re different.” AJ pushed off the wall and moved toward the punching bag again.
“Bullshit. They’re no different than you and me. They just wanted it bad enough to make it work.”
AJ shifted his gaze back to Pax. “And you’re saying we don’t?”
“You and me aren’t really the most experienced when it comes to love. We’ve always made it about sex, deliberately choosing women who we know were only in it for the fun. Teresa wasn’t like that. She’s a forever kind of woman.”
AJ yanked off his gloves and grabbed his water bottle, pulling up the chair across from Pax. “You want forever.”
“Yeah.”
“With Teresa.”
“I love her. I know you do, too. We’ve spent our whole lives running from what scares us, afraid those we love won’t love us back.”
“She let us leave.”
“Yeah, she did. You know why?”
AJ sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Because she loves us.”
TERESA SAT IN THE BACK OFFICE OF THE BAR DOING PAPERWORK, spitting out a curse when she added up the figures wrong for the fifth time in a row.
“Goddammit.” She crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the trash can. “Pull your head out of your ass, idiot.”
“You yelling at that piece of paper or yourself?”
Joey stood in the office doorway.
“What do you think?”
“I think you’ve been a miserable, snarling bitch since AJ and Pax left a few days ago.”
She stood and put the ledger away. “I have not.”
“Sis, we’re twins, remember? I know you. Sit down and talk to me.”
She slammed the door shut on the file cabinet and fell into her chair, rubbing her fingers over the throbbing ache in her temples.
“You love him, don’t you?”
She lifted her gaze to her brother. “I love them, Joey.”
Joey’s eyes widened. He came in and sat in the chair across from her desk. “Both of them?”
“Yes. Both of them.”
Joey laughed. “Tart.”
Then she laughed. “Asshole.”
“So what happened? You told them you loved them and they left anyway?”
“Not exactly. I did tell Pax I loved him, but it was a near-death situation. And I’m pretty sure he didn’t believe me.”
“So basically you didn’t tell them. Why not?”
“They have their own lives, their careers. I didn’t want to hold them back.”
“Sometimes guys need to know you love them. We make terrible psychics, Teresa. It’s just not in our genetic makeup. We like things simple and spelled out. Sometimes you even have to hit us over the head with it.”
“And if I told them, then what? They would have just felt bad when they left. I couldn’t do that to them. We went into this knowing they were going to leave.”
“I think all of you were afraid of being hurt, so none of you wanted to take that first step.”
She arched a brow. “Giving love advice now?”
“I love you. I want you to be happy.”
Her heart swelled. “I love you, too. And I am happy.”
“Not happy enough. If you want them, tell them. Then figure out a way to make it work.”
TERESA THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT JOEY HAD SAID, AND HALFWAY through her shift that night, she realized maybe he was right. Maybe she’d given up, let them go too easily.
God, she missed them, missed their scent, the feel of their skin against hers, the way they kissed her and touched her, the way they made her laugh. She ached inside from missing them so much, and her bed was just so damned empty she hadn’t been able to sleep in it since they’d left.
She popped a couple beers for a customer, then pulled her phone out of her pocket, her palms sweaty as she contemplated calling AJ or Pax and asking if maybe they’d meet her this weekend. They might be on assignment in another state by now. Would they hate being bothered?
And when had she become such a coward? She’d survived rape, kidnapping and nearly being killed. She could damn well survive a f**king phone call and possible rejection. It certainly wouldn’t be the worst thing that had ever happened to her.
She punched in AJ’s cell number and waited, her heart in her throat as she heard it ring. And ring. And ring. No answer.
Stupid idea anyway.
“I’m right here, babe.”
She frowned, certain he hadn’t answered his phone. Yet she’d heard his voice.
“Teresa.”
Her head shot up, her heart slamming against her ribs as AJ and Pax stood in front of her. She practically leaped over the bar and threw herself against them, planting her lips on Pax, then AJ, kissing them both with all the passion and need and longing she’d felt but hadn’t said.
“I love you,” she said, wrapping both of them in her arms. “I love you both.”
“I love you, too,” Pax said as he lifted her in his arms, then put her down and kissed her hard and deep, the kind of kiss she’d grown to love and expect from him. Then AJ pulled her to him and kissed her with that maddening softness that curled her toes.
“I love you, Teresa,” he said, the emotion in his eyes so real it made tears well in hers.
She searched for Heather and Shelley, who grinned and waved at her. Shelley came over and hugged her.
“Get out of here, you lucky bitch. I’ve got it covered.”
She grinned and nearly cried from the joy welling up inside her. “Thanks.”
Outside, she turned to them both. “I can’t believe you’re here. Why are you back?”
“For you,” Pax said. “We got back to Dallas and realized we couldn’t make our lives work anymore without you.”
“We both fell in love with you. And we both should have said so,” AJ said. “But loving someone is hard. It’s risky. There’s a chance you’ll get hurt.”
She laid her palm on AJ’s chest. “Yes, there is that chance. But it’s a chance worth taking. And I should have said something to both of you, too. I didn’t want you to go, but I was afraid to ask you to stay. I know you have a job that you both love, and I would never want to come between you and what you love.”
“You’re what we love,” Pax said, hugging her so tight she thought she might burst with happiness. “Everything else can be worked around.” He drew her away from him. “If that’s what you want.”
“Yeah, this is up to you, Teresa. If you want both of us, that is. It’s not really a conventional type of relationship.”
She linked her arms with theirs. “I’m not really a conventional type of girl. So this kind of relationship totally works for me.”
“It works for us, too,” AJ said.
“Good.” She pulled away from them and looked at both of them. “Guys, I don’t think I can wait until we get home.”
AJ smiled and shared a look with Pax. “You want to do it right here?”
“It just so happens there’s a very secluded spot behind the bar.”
“Show us.” AJ motioned with his head for her to lead the way.
She took them to the back lot where the overflow parking was. Since it wasn’t a weekend and it was already late, the lot was empty. Behind the lot was a large oak tree and a rather sturdy fence with an empty field behind it, affording them plenty of privacy.
Teresa backed against the fence and spread her legs, already feeling the twinges of excitement skitter across her skin.
“So you’ve got a little exhibitionist in you.” Pax said, skimming his hand across her breast.
It was hot out tonight. And humid. Teresa was glad she’d worn a skirt and a tank top, because her skin was on fire, especially when AJ put his hands on her, too.
God, she’d missed them both so much. AJ kissed her and Pax put his lips to her throat and she shuddered, embracing them, pulling them against her.
“I need one of you f**king me right now.” She was panting, her pu**y was wet and she ready to be fucked.
Pax turned her around and bent her over to face AJ. He lifted her skirt and jerked her panties down. She thrilled to his possession of her and raised her gaze to AJ, who was already unzipping his jeans and pulling his c**k out.
“This is why we love you,” AJ said. “Because you’re perfect for us.”
“I know,” she said.
Both of them belonged to her now. She smiled at AJ and reached for his cock, drawing him closer so she could lick the wide crest as Pax nestled his h*ps against her and thrust inside her. She closed her eyes and felt her pu**y convulse around him, then took AJ’s c**k between her lips, taking all of him as he thrust deeply into her mouth.
“Ahh, baby, it’s going to be so good,” AJ said, holding on to her hair and sliding his shaft along her tongue. “I love you so much.”
She loved that he felt free enough to say it to her now, that he caressed her hair as he f**ked her mouth. Pax bent over her and held her hips, stroked her br**sts and ni**les and kissed her neck while he f**ked her.
“I love you, Teresa,” he whispered as he stroked his c**k inside her. “You’re ours, forever.”
He reached around and found her cl*tand started to rub her. “Now come for us, honey. Come on my cock.”
She was so tightly wound, so filled with love and desire for them, that she felt the sensations deepening inside her. Pax kept the pace of massaging her cl*twhile pounding his c**k inside her, and AJ lifted her chin, forcing her gaze to his.
“I’m going to come in your mouth when you come, Teresa. We’re all going to go off together.”
The way he looked at her, the tension on his face, the love in his eyes, set her off. She kept her focus on AJ and let go, moaning around his cock, grabbing his shaft with her hands and stroking him into her mouth as she rocked back into Pax. Pax groaned and dug his fingers into her hips, pressing himself against her as came inside her in a couple hard thrusts.
AJ let go and came inside her mouth. She took all he had, holding on to his shaft and swallowing what he gave her.
They lifted her, held her while she licked her lips. Pax withdrew and pulled her panties up, helped her put her clothing back into place. Then they came together and kissed her, held her while she gathered her balance.
She wrapped her arms around both of them. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
They had both said it.
She closed her eyes and felt like the luckiest woman alive. She’d had to go through hell to get here, but she had survived and she deserved this happiness with these amazing men. She was never letting go.
PAX’S HEART SWELLED WITH MORE EMOTION AND MORE LOVE than he’d ever felt in his life. He had everything he’d ever wanted, and he was almost afraid to believe it was real. His best friend and the woman they both loved.
“So now what? How do we make this work?”
They sat at a coffee shop in town and ate, sipped coffee and talked about the three of them.
“AJ and I will still have to do our jobs, but Grange has gotten used to his people moving on with their lives and changing locations.”
AJ nodded and took her hand. “Which means we can live wherever we want, but we’ll have to travel on assignment.”
“I can live with that,” Teresa said.
“We did ask that unless there are so many assignments that all the Wild Riders are out, AJ and I won’t be assigned at the same time. That way one of us will always be here with you.”
“I thought the two of you always went out on assignment together.”
AJ nodded. “We do. We did. Now we have a woman to take care of, so we’ll change that.”
“You’re our first priority now, Teresa,” Pax said. “We want to be here for you.”
Her eyes glittered with tears. She reached out and grasped their hands. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you two.”
The waitress came over and refilled their cups, glanced down where Teresa had her hands linked with both of theirs, looked over at Teresa and winked, then walked away.
“I supposed not everyone will think me being with two men is acceptable.”
AJ grinned. “The waitress thought it was just fine.”
“What if—”
“What?” Pax asked.
