Page 44 of Christmas with Three Cowboys

Basking in the sweetest afterglow, I know they’re not done with me yet. I can feel Ethan getting hard again. His pulse racing. His heart thudding against my ribcage.

“It’s not a good idea,” I mumble, closing my eyes for a moment.

“I think it’s the best idea you’ve had so far,” he insists.

12

Colton

Come morning, as the sky gives us a grey nod of what’s to come, I let Melissa rest in my arms for a few more minutes before we start the day. Ethan and Mitch are already downstairs, getting ahead of the breakfast situation. We can hear the pots and pans clanking, and it makes Melissa giggle as she hides her face against my chest.

I love this feeling.

It’s a tricky situation. I’m letting myself fall before I get a full picture, and it could be a recipe for disaster. I know it, and so do my brothers. Yet none of us are hitting the brakes either. Regardless of her past, Melissa came to us for a fresh start.

“You know they’re going to serve burnt bacon and charred eggs if I don’t go down there soon, right?” Melissa says, raising her head so she can look at me.

I love the way her rich, dark hair falls over one shoulder, a splendid mess framing her beautiful face and soft, hazel eyes that sparkle when she smiles.

“Give them some credit. Theycancook.”

“Are you sure?” she says just as something made of glass breaks downstairs.

“We’re not entirely helpless, you know,” I say to her. “We can always whip up some PB&J if push comes to shove.”

“Darla will wring my neck like a chicken.”

“Nah, she barks a lot, but she doesn’t bite.”

“That doesn’t sound as reassuring as you think it might since the prison expects a monthly review of my performance,” Melissa replies.

I kiss her softly on the lips, welcoming the warmth she covers me with beneath the thick blanket. “You’ll always get glowing reviews from us. Besides, I’m the one writing them, not Darla.”

“Oh, so you’re the one I need to keep happy.”

“You most certainly excel in that aspect,” I say, then decide to take advantage of this private, peaceful moment between us. The clock is still ticking, and my brothers and Sammy are counting on me to join them later so we can finish the southern gate repairs today. Judging by the wind I can already hear rising outside, the blizzard will land at some point tonight.

“Melissa, I need to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“What happened with Jake?”

Slowly but calmly, she sits up, the sight of her gorgeous, bare breasts making my throat feel dry. It’s hard to focus with her naked, but I do need answers. I need the whole truth if we’re to turn this into something more—Melissa deserves a real, fresh start, too. No secrets. Nothing between us.

“What do you want to know?” she replies, a slight tremor in her voice.

“How did you two meet?”

Melissa glances over to the window, her gaze hazy as she takes a trip down memory lane. “I was working at a diner in Lincoln. My last shot at a decent job in that city, to be honest. I’d gotten in trouble at my previous workplace. The manager was a handsy type of sleaze, I punched him in the nuts… anyway, that’s a story for another time. The diner was okay. Relatively safe. Jake kept coming in, working on his laptop, drinking way too much coffee. He was always nice to me, you know? He made me feel like I was worth something.”

“I suppose you loved him,” I say, unable to ignore the aching pang in my heart. It’s a selfish thing to feel, so I keep it to myself. Of course, Melissa had a life before us.

“I thought I did,” she replies with a heavy sigh, a bitter smile blooming on her lips. “Thing is, most of the time, we think the person we love is amazing, but we just project onto them what we want, you know? It’s our love that makes them special.”

“So, Jake wasn’t that special?”

“He lied. From the moment he struck up a conversation, he lied through his teeth about pretty much everything. About what he did for a living, about where he lived, the people he knew, where he came from. For almost a year, I thought I’d finally found the one. He played the part well; I’ll give him that.”

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