Yes.
Her body was a fuse waiting for a spark. Primed for sex. Aching for it.
She felt the unshakable gaze of Sloan at her back. Yeah, if she didn’t pull out of this maelstrom of guilt and worry, she wasn’t going to be good for anything.
Now, more than ever, she needed to be sharp and ready. She looked up into Rylan’s heated gaze. He never took anything too seriously, was rumored to be one of the best fucks in West Colony. Sex with him would be the greatest distraction she could ask for.
Except . . . she still didn’t trust herself. She didn’t trust that she could give in to Rylan and come out of it unscathed.
But she did trust someone else.
Abruptly, she pulled out of his arms. “Follow me.”
She turned on her heel, not waiting to see if he followed. The hard boots hitting the floor answered for him. Sloan straightened as she arrowed in his direction, and by the time she came to a stop in front of him, he’d reached his full, towering height.
“You said I needed a man tonight,” Reese muttered. “Is he the one?”
Sloan’s hazel eyes locked with hers. “I can’t think of a better person in this room to pull you out of your head.”
Rylan’s breath was hot on her neck, and Reese had to fight to keep from shivering in sexual delight. She shook her head instead. “He’s reckless.”
Sloan nodded.
“It’s not wise.”
Sloan nodded again. “If we did everything that was wise, we would’ve been dead a long time ago.” He lifted his hand as if to cup her cheek, but the touch didn’t land. It never did. He always held himself back.
She knew, because she wasn’t dumb or blind, that he lusted after her. He’d never made a move to scratch that itch, but it was always there between them, like the caress that never happened. Reese had become accustomed to it, as much as she expected the sun to rise and the rain to fall. Sloan was the one constant in her life.
Rylan coughed. “I’m right here, you know.”
They both ignored him. Reese kept her eyes on Sloan. If he was with her . . . then maybe she could hold on to some shred of control. Maybe the fiery lust, the recklessness Rylan stirred in her, wouldn’t spill over into other more vulnerable areas.
“Only if you’re there,” she whispered to Sloan. “I don’t trust myself.” In other words, she needed him to be the lifeline he’d always been and pull her out of the quicksand when it threatened to swallow her.
Sloan searched her face, but she wasn’t sure what he was looking for. He went quiet, as if he was turning the proposition over in his head a few dozen times, until finally he nodded again. “If that’s what it takes to ease your mind, then I’m there. Nothing will happen that you don’t need.”
“Interesting choice of words there, brother,” Rylan noted. “What about giving Reese what she wants?”
Sloan’s gaze hardened when it shifted from her to Rylan. “She gets it all.”
4
Rylan had slept with a lot of women over the years. A helluva lot. But he could honestly say this was the first time a woman had consulted her . . . her what? Lover? Lieutenant? Whatever Sloan was to Reese, he was clearly important enough that she needed to ask him before making decisions about her pussy.
Which was all sorts of fucked up.
Other men might’ve walked away after that bizarre exchange in the rec hall, but Rylan wasn’t other men. He was the man who’d wanted Reese from the moment he’d met her. The man who was finally going to feel her naked curves pressed up against him as she rode the cock that was downright aching for her.
If she wanted an audience, fine. He didn’t have a problem with Sloan taking a front-row seat to what was bound to be some pretty spectacular sex. Hell, he’d be cool with Sloan joining in, if that was what got Reese off.
But the perpetually somber man gave no indication that he was interested in getting his rocks off. When the three of them entered Reese’s bedroom, Sloan flicked on the light, marched to the lone armchair near the bed, and lowered his muscular frame onto it. Then he crossed his arms and said nothing.
Rylan looked around the room. The bed and chair were the only pieces of furniture. And unlike in his cabin back at Connor’s wilderness camp, there were no items of clothing littering the floor, no clutter, no guns and holsters and ammo strewn about. Everything was neat and orderly.
“Take your clothes off.”
Reese’s throaty command drew his gaze back to her. Her brown eyes were bright, glittering with lust. He didn’t know if she was still riding the high of the raid or drunk off the bourbon, but he’d never seen a sexier sight. He could feel the sexual energy radiating from her body, the heat of it going right to his balls.
“Do it for me,” he drawled.
She smirked. “You don’t get to give me orders tonight, honey.”
He smirked back. “Then you don’t get me naked.”