Page 32 of Hooking Up

As soon as she’d seen to the horse upon arrival, all looked well. But she couldn’t help but think of her upcoming event. She’d be throwing down against Wynonna Calhoun again, and losing didn’t set well with her.

“She’s asleep.” Quint’s rough whisper made her eyes fly open.

Carter’s chuckle vibrated her. “Sure she is.”

“Good to see you’re up. I’m not willing to wait much longer for an explanation,” Quint said, his dark eyes serious.

A shiver ran through her. She refused to believe it was because she didn’t like his disapproval. No, she’d chalk it up to his dark, dangerous appearance…his mussed hair and the red marks on his throat from Carter’s beard. How fucking sexy.

“If you think I’m going to have some deep talk about feelings, you boys are crazier than I thought.” She wiggled out from between their bulk and popped out at the end of the mattress. Her bra was clear across the room, so she settled for the first thing she saw—Carter’s shirt.

The worn cotton felt good when she wrapped it around herself. It smelled of him—sunshine and clean male. She resisted the urge to brush her nose over the collar, though, because the guys were looking at her that way again.

Like they were going to eat her alive. This time she didn’t believe they meant to fuck her, even if neither of them had gotten off during the last round.

Quint disposed of his condom in a small trash can and took a seat at the end of the mattress. Before she could move away—or want to—he caught her hands in his and dragged her closer.

Carter reclined on the bed, but she didn’t believe for a minute he was calm. A crease stood between his dark brows and his jaw was set at a stubborn angle.

They wanted her, probably wanted much more than sex with her. So many guys did, but why should she commit? It was more fun to play around and fly by the seat of her pants.

She couldn’t stand the waiting anymore. “Look, I know what you’re going to say.”

How was it possible they gave her the same skeptical expression?

“Do you guys practice that or something?” She wagged a finger between them.

“Practice what?”

“That look you’re sharing.” When they stared at her, oblivious to what she meant, she continued, “Forget it. This was fun, guys, but I think it’s time for you to go.”

At that, Carter sat up. Every muscle rolled as he moved to sit beside his gorgeous partner. Damn them, ganging up on her this way. Two naked, gorgeous cowboys begging her with their eyes? She was a bowl of pudding wrapped in plaid.

She couldn’t move with her fingers locked in Quint’s.

“You’re not booting us out, darlin’. We’re here to stay. And you’re going to tell us why you ran back in Alabama.”

Should she confide her worries about her horse? Any rodeo person would make noises of sympathy, but she’d seen similar things before. One racer’s horse had gone down with a broken leg and while the other women in her event felt the pains of that, deep down they were relieved to be competing against one less person.

Carter and Quint were different, though. They wouldn’t have a reason to pretend.

She pushed out a breath. “Fine. It’s my horse.”

Carter’s brows drew together to match Quint’s. If she weren’t upset about vocalizing this, she might have laughed. They really had so much in common, though each personality stirred her separately. And together, they were a force to be reckoned with.

“Something’s wrong with your horse?”

She told them the story, and they took turns compressing their lips. “Did you get somebody to look at her?” Quint asked at last.

She shook her head. “I think she’s okay, but if I suspect anything at all tomorrow before the race, I’ll pull out again.”

“You can’t keep forfeiting these races, Bella. You won’t get anywhere.”

She looked down at her hands trapped in Quint’s. “I know.”

“I’m glad you told us,” Carter said, wrapping his fingers around her thigh. His pinky stroked the backside of her knee, sending new ripples of lust up into her pussy. The back of her knee wasn’t normally an erogenous zone, but he could stroke her little toenail and it would turn her on.

“Okay, that’s one question answered.” Quint eyed her.

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