Cowboys Mine (14 page)

Chapter Twelve

North stood on the front porch, staring out into the
darkness. Colt hadn’t come home. Yesterday, after working the land, he’d taken
off to town. He came home plastered, not willing to talk about anything.
Tonight he didn’t come back at all.

He was worried sick about his twin. Ever since their
Aunt Laura came to pick up their mother a few days back, Colt had changed. It
was like he hated the world for shitting on him and North even more for making
that phone call. What choice did he have? Colton didn’t realize all the
sacrifices he’d made for their mother during his life. He loved her, but he
couldn’t sit idly by another day while she wasted away.

Now the house was empty—void of both hate and love. It
was a place. Four walls. North wanted more. He wanted his brother back. He
wanted Eva.

He returned to the warmth of the house, the screen
slapping back into place as he shut the main door. He had a good fire going,
the flames glowing brightly behind the glass of the wood stove. The rest of the
house was quiet, dark, and empty. North squatted down, mesmerized by the
strength of the fire. The mix of colors in the flames danced and intermingled,
beautiful yet deadly.

What was happening to him? He didn’t even have anger
left. North felt lost, deflated, lacking any motivation beyond surviving
another day.

The best thing he could do was get some sleep. He’d
probably have to take care of Colt’s share of work come morning, so he’d need
his energy. North walked down the hall to his room, stopping at his mother’s
door by habit. It felt foreign not to worry about her any more. She was in good
hands, getting the help she needed. Despite what Colt thought, North knew he’d
saved her. She’d been given a ticket out of the McReed house. How many times
had he prayed for one himself?

He pulled off his T-shirt and kicked off his Wranglers
after entering his room. The light from the moon reflected off his mirror,
giving him enough light to sort out his quilts before crashing into bed. The
old springs protested from his weight. He closed his eyes, taking deep
cleansing breaths. He kept telling himself that tomorrow was another day, and
things could only get better. Although Eva had been a forbidden topic between
him and Colton, equal to a deadly sin, it didn’t stop him from thinking about
her. He tried to remember the exact shade of her hair, the smell of her
shampoo, and the sound of her laughter.

Each day he hoped she’d prove Colton wrong by telling
Mr. Ford what had started between the three of them. If things went bad, he’d
never turn his back on her. But he was beginning to wonder if she regretted
everything they’d shared. Should he have worked harder to resist her? Refused
her altogether?

He must have finally dozed off because the sound of
the window rattling behind his bed startled him back to consciousness. He leapt
to his feet just as the glass was lifted partway up. North was ready for a
fight, all his muscles tense.

“North, help me.”

It was Eva, attempting to heave herself through the
small opening. Rather than turning on the light, he lifted the old stubborn
window pane all the way up and helped her inside. She crawled onto his bed,
finally settling on her knees.

“What in God’s name are you doing here? Do you realize
what time it is?”

“Late,” she whispered. “But I had to see you.”

“Why?” This was the first time she’d ever come to
their house. She didn’t belong in their world, and maybe it was wishful
thinking to believe they could ever belong in hers. North’s first reaction was
to force her to leave. But his mother was gone, and there was nothing he wanted
more than Eva.

“I’ve messed everything up. Colton won’t even talk to
me. I don’t know what to do.”

“He’s just hurting.”

She beckoned him closer with outstretched arms. “I’ve
missed you.”

He stood tall at the side of his bed, afraid to let
down his guards. How the fuck was he supposed to feel at this point?

“Did you come here to play games, Eva?”

“Stop it, please. I’m not trying to be the bad guy,
North. I’m just scared.” She started to cry, so softly it was barely audible.

“Mr. Ford is a reasonable man.”

“I’m going to tell him. I have no choice.”

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t lose you.”

This time he stepped into her reach at the edge of the
bed. She hugged him around the waist, resting her head on his bare chest. “All
I think about is you,” he admitted.

She shifted her head and kissed his chest. One kiss
led to several. Eva ran her hands up his back, trying to pull him down once she
reached his shoulders.

He shook his head. “No, Eva. Not here. Not like this.”

“Kiss me.”

How could he not be affected by her? He’d been
dreaming about her every night, replaying their nights of passion over and over
in his head. North leaned down and kissed her, not expecting it to carry such
an emotional punch. He was immediately lost, as if the taste of her lips held
his undoing.

“God, I’ve missed you,” he murmured against her lips
North leaned forward until she was forced to her back and beneath him. All the
pain, fear, loneliness, and everything in between was released in a massive
rush of energy. He stripped off her shirt, kissing every inch within reach. “I
fucking need you.” His cock was instantly ready, his entire body reacting to
Eva’s presence. Everything happened so fast. They couldn’t touch each other
enough, as if they’d both die without contact.

“Make love to me.”

She didn’t need to ask him twice. There was nothing he
wanted more. North slid his hand down the front of her jeans as he kissed her
so deep he wasn’t sure where each of them started.

“You’re wet for me,” he said. Her pussy was hot and
swollen, his finger easily slipping inside. Less than two weeks ago she’d been
a virgin, now she was his.

“
Yes
.” She
helped him unbutton and remove her jeans, along with her panties. They both
rushed, sexual desperation taking control. “I need you inside me, North. I
can’t even sleep at night thinking of you.”

The yearning in her voice made it difficult to think
with a level head. He thrust himself between her legs, sliding the entire
length of his cock into her tight little cunt. She wrapped her legs securely
around him, crying out once he filled her to the hilt.

“I love your pussy, Eva.” He wanted to say it belonged
to him. That
she
belonged to him, but
he bit his tongue instead. “I want to fuck you all day, every day.”

He suckled the erogenous zone behind her ear as he
began to work her body. She was so receptive, writhing to meet him thrust for
thrust. Her satisfied moans encouraged him to take her harder and faster. His head
board crashed against the wall with each pump his hips.

He stopped to catch his breath. Sex with Eva was as
close to heaven he thought he’d ever get.

****

Eva wanted to ask for Colton, craving the dual
stimulation along with Colt’s acceptance. Instead, she focused on North’s
massive frame hulking over her, his cock pumping deliciously in and out of her
pussy. His erection was so thick and swollen there wasn’t a cell inside her not
being stimulated at once. It felt amazing to connect with one of the McReed
twins after mourning their loss for over a week. Being with North only
confirmed the fact she had to solidify their ménage a trios as soon as
possible.

Living without them wasn’t an option.

“I love you,” she whispered in his ear. Eva needed him
to know it. She hated that the twins thought she was brushing them to the side
with disregard. It was anything but the truth.

“You’re mine,” he grated, the sound a mix of raw masculinity
and possessiveness. North worked her body with stamina, never faltering. He
reminded her of an animal, feral and hungry. They were a mass of limbs, clean
sweat, and sex.

She held onto his biceps as he supported his weight
over her body. His muscles were rock-hard and massive, his skin warm. Knowing
how capable he was turned her on even more. She could feel an orgasm mounting
each time his pubic bone brushed her clit. He was like a beast, fucking her
like he’d been holding back for years.

“Come for me, Eva.”

Those words were like magic. She wasn’t sure if it was
the dominance in his tone or the fact he’d asked it of her at all, but the
orgasm came rushing to the surface like a freight train. It exploded from her
womb, sending a cascade of perfect peace to every extremity. Her pussy walls
clamped down on North’s cock, pulsing on and on.

Before her body went limp from exhaustion, North
growled as he filled her with his hot cum. The scruff on his cheek scraped her
as he nuzzled her neck. Even his scent was familiar. She held him tight to her,
loving how sex brought them closer.

“I don’t want to leave,” she said, her breathing still
labored. “I want to stay here just like this.” Eva didn’t want him to even
remove his semi-flaccid cock.

He kissed the corner of her mouth. “Your parents will
worry.”

“I snuck out my window,” she said. “They’ll never
know.”

He exhaled, dropping and rolling to his back so she
could rest over him. “You’re a woman now, Eva. You don’t have to sneak around
like a teenager. You can make your own choices.”

“I’m going to tell him right after the corn roast. I
promise.” She painted patterns on his shoulder with a fingertip. “You’re
coming, right?”

“I’m coming.”

“And Colt?”

“He’s a bit of a mess right now,” said North. “He’s
been drowning his sorrows in cheap whiskey.”

“He has to come. He always does.”

“Things aren’t exactly the same any more, darlin’.
We’ve gone and complicated our lives. All of us.” He ran his hand through her
hair. She could hear his strong heartbeat beneath her ear. It was familiar and
soothing. “But I still don’t regret a thing.”

As peaceful as she felt in North’s arms, she worried
about Colton. It was the middle of the night and he was off drinking and doing
God knows what. Would he have one of his usual sexual flings? She remembered
how much the cowgirls in town flocked to the McReed brothers. It never mattered
to her before, but it did now. The thought made Eva feel territorial and
jealous. Even though she hadn’t held up her end of the bargain by telling her
father about their relationship, she hoped Colton would have waited for her. Did
his love have an expiry date?

“Maybe he’s moved on. Just because you’re twins
doesn’t mean he feels the same way about me as you.”

“I know my brother,” said North. “He cares about you
just as much as I do.”

“I saw him yesterday. He couldn’t stand the sight of
me.”

He stroked her hair. “Our father wasn’t a good man,
Eva. Colt’s afraid he’s destined to fill his boots. He’s rethinking
everything.”

She pushed up on her forearms. “What do you mean?”
Panic lashed about inside her like a dragon’s tail.

He cooed for her to calm. “He misses the way things
used to be, and he doesn’t want your daddy disappointed with him. We both owe
him a lot.”

“I won’t let him walk away from me. You have to talk
to him, North.”

“Sleep, Eva. Everything’s better in the morning.”

****

Colton staggered to the bench across the street from
the pub. He’d pushed his limit, and his stomach already protested. But how else
was he supposed to handle the pain? Everything was happening at once, the
shitload of stress growing to intolerable levels.

His mother was gone, probably for good, carted across
the state to Newcaster. He wanted her home, well, and independent like she had
been once upon a time. He wanted to recapture the fantasy of his mother when
she was young and full of optimism. It was bad enough that his father walked
out on the family, now his mother had done the same, even if not by choice.
She’d chosen her addiction. And Eva had chosen her perfect life over a loser
like him.

Just thinking about Eva made his heart race. She held
the key to his heart, yet she tossed it with disregard. He’d loved her every
day of his life, and he never refused her anything. Even when she wanted to
change their relationship to something new and intimate, he’d tried to pull
away to preserve what they had. Now everything was fucked.

She bided her time like a black widow, waiting until
he fell so fucking hard in love before she struck. Of all the people and shit
in his life, he never expected to be destroyed by little Eva Ford. She’d always
been his saving grace, the light in the darkness. Did he still want her? More
than breath. But as much as she harped about wanting to start a family of her
own, she wasn’t moving very fast introducing them as her men.

He stumbled along the sidewalk, deciding there was
nothing better to do than head home. He was confronted by one of the Irish
cowboys from the large hog farm just east of town. Colton and North had been
friends with the three brothers since grade school.