Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121296 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121296 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Nash stiffens beside me. “Cody—”
“What?” Cody raises his palms in mock innocence, his grin wicked. “Just offering. We’re family here. We share. Thought maybe the lady should know all her options.”
My pulse thrums wildly as I stare at him, stunned by the words and how easily he says them. Is this what Allie meant? This easy blur of boundaries? This casual temptation under one roof? I shake my head faintly, still speechless.
Cody chuckles and backs toward the hallway, his eyes still locked on mine. “No harm, no foul. I’ll see you both at breakfast.”
“Wait,” I say, as his shoulder brushes the doorframe. He stops and pivots back slowly, his mouth curving into something that’s half smile, half dare.
Nash watches me closely, his pretty blue eyes growing cautious. “Are you sure?” he murmurs, his voice a notch lower. “He’s always been too damn bold for his own good.”
I laugh nervously and breathlessly, sounding insane. “Sure? No. But do I want him to stay?” I glance at Cody, then back at Nash. “Yeah.”
Nash closes the distance again, one hand coming up to tuck my hair behind my ear, fingers lingering a little longer than necessary. His thumb brushes the hollow of my cheek, featherlight. “You want to know what it’d be like if you stayed?”
The words settle heavy and sweet in the space between us as Cody looks on, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, quietly watching, giving me space but holding his ground.
“Yes,” I whisper, the word catching in my throat. Yes, even though it’s reckless, and I should know better. Even though every breath of this moment is stoking the slow-burning agony of leaving.
But I say it anyway.
And that one quiet syllable is all it takes to tip the balance.
23
CODY
I lean against the doorframe for a beat longer, my arms crossed, watching them. Grace stands between Nash and me, her chest rising and falling fast, her lips parted, her cheeks flushed. I’ve seen this before. Felt it before. The moment before the rules break.
This isn’t the first time I’ve shared a woman with Nash. The last two women who came to “try out” for this life wanted to pretend they could handle all of it, until they realized sharing wasn’t a fantasy they could keep living in.
It never hurt me. Not really. I’ve learned not to get attached, unlike some of my brothers and cousins.
But Grace?
Grace has already cracked a part of me open that I don’t know how to close. Seeing her begin to light up parts of this family that have been living in gloom is something that’s impossible to ignore.
I watch the way her eyes flick from Nash to me and back again. So wide and curious, starving for something she can’t identify yet. My dick hardens at the sight of her biting her lower lip, standing there in those cute, sinful little pajama shorts and that thin camisole, trying to act like she’s still deciding.
I know she’s decided. I practically smell her submission in the air.
I’ve waited too long for pleasure that wasn’t delivered by my left hand, and if what Jaxon says is true, we’ll be doing Grace a damn favor. She won’t be fucking her pillow tonight with me and Nash to satisfy her.
Hard work has never been something I’ve shied away from, and giving Grace the full Delaney experience is exactly what I want to do after a long day of ranch work.
My gaze trails down her soft curves, and my throat tightens. A fucking vision. In fewer clothes, she’ll be perfect.
I step forward, voice low, rough. “Nash. Kiss her.”
Nash doesn’t hesitate. He cups her face and leans down to kiss her soft and slow. Grace melts into him, her arms sliding around his shoulders, pulling him closer. I move in behind her, my chest brushing her back, feeling the shiver that ripples through her. I gather her long hair in my hand, sweep it off her neck, and press my lips to that sensitive spot beneath her ear.
She gasps into Nash’s mouth and shivers, already so responsive and aroused.
“Easy, sweetheart,” I murmur against her skin, my drawl thicker than usual. “Ain’t no one gonna rush you. We’re gonna take our time and make you feel good.”
My hands skim up her ribs, slow and sure, under the thin fabric of her camisole, cupping smooth, warm skin. Her breathing hitches against my palms as my thumbs brush the swell of her breasts. At the same time, Nash’s hands slide down her hips, holding her steady between us.
I lean back to look down at her. Her lashes are heavy, lips parted, chest rising hard and fast between us. She’s already lust-drunk, and damn if that doesn’t get me harder than the head of a mule with something to prove.
“Damn,” I whisper, shaking my head. “Look at you. Didn’t know heaven was waiting under my own damn roof.”