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NAUTI BUOY

“Well maybe we
are
the only freaks in the family.”

The deep, amused male voice had Kelly’s eyes flying open in surprise even as Rowdy struggled to tug the twisted sheet from the bottom of the bed over her bare body.

She peeked over his shoulder as he twisted around, surprised to see the three men who had stepped into the room and the women who stood at their sides.

The August boys, distant cousins to the Mackays, had been threatening to visit for more than a year. Cade, the eldest, was watching the tangled scene on the bed with hooded gray eyes, while Brock and Sam were openly amused by the fact that only Rowdy shared the bed with Kelly. She knew the relationships the other men shared with each other’s wives.

“Sam, you’re a menace,” Rowdy grumped drowsily as Kelly held the sheet over her breasts and watched as he stumbled from the bed, searching for his jeans.

“Here you go!” The jeans were tossed across the room to Rowdy as Brock winked back at Kelly. “Get your lazy ass dressed and we’ll fix coffee. Dawg is threatening to fix breakfast, and that boy scares me when he starts cooking.”

“You could have knocked,” Rowdy snarled as he ran his hands over his face before glancing back at Kelly. “And why is Dawg cooking?”

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Lora Leigh

“Because he’s the only option at present. I didn’t see a Waffle House in the driveway, cuz, and Heather refuses to cook for all of us.”

“I couldn’t make enough food in a week to feed the six of you,”

Heather laughed, winking back at Kelly in amusement. “Come on, Kelly.

Get dressed and I might help you cook.”

“I could handle that better than I can Dawg’s cooking,” Kelly snorted.

“I’ll definitely help.”

She watched them leave curiously. There was an intimacy and comfort between the three couples that Kelly promised herself she wasn’t going to delve into. Some things you just didn’t need to know about people, she thought.

“You okay, baby?” Rowdy sat on the bed beside her, staring back at her, his eyes warm, filled with love.

The love that filled his gaze humbled her, left her in awe. In his eyes, she could see every dream she had ever prayed for.

“I love you, Douglas Mackay,” she whispered. “With everything inside me.”

And he didn’t protest the name. His lips lifted with gentle humor as his hand cupped her face with calloused heat.

“And I love you, Kelly. More than I ever knew it was possible to love…

Now, dressed, baby,” he chuckled. “Let’s go see if the August boys have chilled out in marriage.”

Kelly shook her head as Rowdy left the bedroom, leaving her alone to rise from the bed and slip into the bathroom for a quick shower. She had a feeling Cade, Brock and Sam would never completely chill out.

Nearly an hour later, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, she made her way back to the living room, catching the tail end of Rowdy’s explanation of what had happened the night before.

All eyes turned to her as she stepped into the room.

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NAUTI BUOY

The six men took up the seats in the room, while the three women were perched on their husband’s knees.

“You kept her safe, Rowdy, that’s all that should matter,” Cade muttered as his black-haired wife stood up, smiling back at her sympathetically.

“We’ve made these perverts coffee already, Kelly.” She smiled as she extended her hand toward her. “Come on into the kitchen and we’ll get ours while we help you and Heather get some breakfast together.”

Rowdy’s grin was pure wicked amusement as he stepped forward, his arm curving around her waist as he kissed her cheek.

She jumped as his hand landed on her ass, a soft laugh leaving her lips as she followed the other women into the kitchen.

The black-haired minx who had sat on Cade’s lap, she knew fairly well. Marly had accompanied the brothers years before during their first visit. She was several years older than Kelly but had, through example, taught Kelly much about driving Rowdy crazy. She had kept the August brothers on their toes even then.

Sarah, Brock’s wife, and Heather, Sam’s wife, introduced themselves easily as they began searching, putting sandwiches and coffee together.

The August men, like the Mackays, had always shared their women.

After Cade’s comment earlier, Kelly had a pretty fair idea that marriage might not have changed that.

As they put together a quick meal, Kelly learned of Marly’s son, who was presently sleeping in the extra downstairs bedroom. Heather was several months pregnant, and Sarah and Brock were hopeful that she was. They were all confident, and close. Surprisingly so to Kelly, considering the facts of their relationship with each of the men in the other room.

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Lora Leigh

Kelly watched them, searching for any hint of turmoil or jealousy, wondering how they had managed to form such a close friendship. She couldn’t imagine being so easy around a woman that she knew Rowdy was touching, holding.

Sandwiches and coffee were taken into the living room where the men were discussing the details of John Barnes’ life. Kelly returned to the kitchen, unwilling to hear more. She wanted to forget what happened, at least for a while, before she attempted to make sense of it.

“Have some coffee.” Marly set a steaming mug in front of her as they all sat at the kitchen table. “You look a little shell-shocked.”

And that was true enough.

“I think she’s still trying to figure out Sam’s earlier comment.”

Heather chuckled as she sat across from her, her green eyes smiling back in warmth.

“Oh, I think she’s smart enough to figure that one out,” Sarah murmured, quieter, in ways more confident than even the other two women, though they all seemed fairly sure of themselves.

“I’m normally not stupid,” Kelly assured them all as she lifted the mug to her lips and took a tentative sip.

“And you’re wondering how we manage to stay so close, while we’ve shared the men we love with each other,” Marly finished for her.

Kelly stared back at her as she breathed in roughly. “Yeah, that little thought has been running through my head,” she admitted.

“Love doesn’t always have boundaries, Kelly.” Sarah leaned forward.

“For the three of us, we knew our lovers had demons to fight, and there was only one way for them to fight them. From what I saw, Rowdy’s a bit more possessive though.” Sarah grinned wickedly, without censure or jealousy.

That one was sure as hell the truth.

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NAUTI BUOY

“He’s not the only one,” Kelly said softly, a smile tilting her lips.

“And it obviously works for you.” Marly reached over, gripping Kelly’s hand as Kelly stared back at her. “But one day, when Natches or Dawg find the woman they love, that need could be transmitted to Rowdy, Kelly. No matter his decision now, the past, and the bonds they’ve shared, could turn around and slap both of you. Then…if you need to talk…” The offer was laid on the table.

Kelly sighed deeply. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” she said quietly.

“That’s good enough.” Heather reached out, followed by Sarah.

Kelly stared down at the three hands, clasped one atop the other, and realized the tentative bond that had formed in that moment.

She stared back at the other three women. “I’ll call,” she whispered, knowing that when the time came, she may very well need the advice that only these three women could give her.

“Good.” Marly nodded. “Now, I want to go shopping. I saw the cutest little dress shop in town. Please tell me the owner will do fittings…”

The conversation shifted, moved and flowed until the men stepped into the room. Kelly turned her gaze to Rowdy as he came to her side, leaning down to kiss her gently as she smiled back at him in reassurance.

She loved him more than she had ever imagined possible and as the conversations continued, the women’s laughter joined by the men’s huskier tones, she felt at peace, comforted and oddly unworried about the future. Rowdy would always be there, she knew. The love they felt for each other wasn’t a budding love, it had been there for years, growing, strengthening. With it, answers would be found. They might not be easy answers, but they would work out. And in the end, she knew, that was all that mattered.

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Lora Leigh

Two Weeks Later

Midnight was the witching hour. The moon rose full and bright over the marina, flowing with glowing fingers over the surface of the lake, turning the light fog into a halo of mystery as it drifted through the trees that surrounded the single-story home sitting beneath them.

The surrounding mountains echoed with the call of the night. The song of the crickets, the hoot of a lonely owl, and the serenade of the frogs. The soothing music of a mountain night that did nothing to still the shadows that fed Dawg’s soul.

He paused at the door of the house, eyes narrowed at the faint glow of a light through the tinted window. He reached out, gripped the doorknob and turned it slowly, a tight smile curving his lips as he opened the door and stepped inside the shadowed living room.

She was waiting on him, just as he had warned her to be. Her eyes were wide with apprehension, her body tucked into the large chair across the room. He closed the door behind him, seeing the small flinch that betrayed her nervousness.

She was dressed in a long gown, full and flowing, the cotton material enveloping her slight body but doing little to hide the tight, hard nipples that pressed against it.

His cock was raging beneath his jeans, pressing against the material painfully as it demanded release. He watched her gaze flicker to his thighs, her tempting pink tongue swiping quickly over her lips before her gaze jerked back to his.

“Don’t do this,” she whispered, her voice trembling with fear and arousal as her eyes glistened with tears.

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NAUTI BUOY

Dawg felt his chest clench at the vulnerability in those eyes, the memory of a night he couldn’t forget slamming into his head, just as he knew it haunted her as well. A night he refused to forget.

His fingers went to the buttons of his shirt as he began to undo them, watching her mercilessly as her fingers clenched in the material of her gown.

“Take the gown off, Crista.” He hated the hardness of his voice, the anger that fed his lust.

“Please, Dawg…” Tears were thick in her voice as she watched him.

“We have a deal, baby.” He drew the shirt from his shoulders, watching her helpless reaction to the baring of his chest, the hungry response in her eyes. “Take the gown off.” His hands went to his belt, releasing it slowly.

She was shaking, her hands trembling as her breath hitched and she moved to her feet. Her hands gripped her gown, pulling it over her head and holding it before her as he finished undressing.

God, he hated this. Hated the hunger he couldn’t control, the need he couldn’t fight. It had been like this for years, too many years, it seemed like forever. She changed the rules he had known to sex and to love, and kept him completely off balance.

“Drop the gown.” He advanced on her, wrapping his fingers around his cock and stroking it slowly as he fought for control.

“Dawg…” She was shaking, her eyes so big he felt the bite of guilt even as he saw the heat lurking behind the anger and fear.

“We have a deal,” he whispered as he stepped before her. “Remember that, Crista?” He ignored her tears. “I killed for you. I would die for you. I asked for only one thing in return. Are you going back on your part?”

Her lips trembled.

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Lora Leigh

“Now,” he snarled. “I’ve waited as long as I can, damn you. Now give me what you promised.”

She dropped the gown to the floor before moving slowly to her knees.

He watched, his eyes narrowed, ignoring his need for her kiss, knowing it wasn’t going to happen yet, maybe never.

But he could have this. His breath caught as her slender fingers wrapped around the thick shaft of his dick, his body tightening in a hunger he had known only with this woman as she leaned forward, her lips opening before her hot little tongue peeked out to lick over the head of his cock.

His hands fisted at his sides. He didn’t touch her. He had promised he wouldn’t. He stood with his legs spread, his teeth clenched as her mouth surrounded him, velvet heat and hunger spearing to his balls as a trembling moan left her lips.

“Suck it, baby,” he whispered. “Wrap those pretty lips around my cock and show me again why I lied to protect your pretty ass.”

Because he loved her. Because he had always loved her. He knew why, but he’d be damned if he’d let her know…

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Lora Leigh

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