Page 83 of Outlaw

One had dark brown hair, cut short, but there was a hint of a curl to the flipped-up edges that could be seen from under his cowboy hat. His face was chiseled with a firm jawline and a cleft in his chin. The stubble on his face looked like he hadn’t shavedin a week.

The guy behind him was taller, maybe even six-five, with a slightly lighter shade of brown hair and a beard. He didn’t wear a hat, but he looked like he’d just walked off a ranch or maybe a calendar shoot for sexy cowboys. When his eyes met mine, he did a complete up and down of me, and then the corner of his lips quirked.

He reminded me of the one I believed was Mal. That would make this one his oldest, Locke. Which, if Jayda was correct, the other would be Ransom.

“How much did you lose on the Patriots game?” Mal asked them.

“Not a fu—” The one I was almost positive was Locke stopped before finishing the word as his eyes landed on Stevie sitting in Linc’s lap, looking up at him. “Not anything. Didn’t bet on them.”

“I’m down three grand. Oz’s ass has already called to taunt me about it,” the other said as he picked up one of the sliders from the table. “Y’all always have the better food.”

Locke held out his hand to Stevie. “Hello, Stevie,” he said formally.

She looked at his hand, then back at Linc, who smirked, then nodded. Slowly, as if not sure she was okay with this, she reached out and placed her much smaller one in his, and he gave it a shake.

“I’m Locke. It’s nice to meet you. Gathe has told us all about you.”

Her eyes lit up at the familiar name, and then she swung her eyes to me. “He knows Gathe, Mommy!”

I nodded, smiling at her enthusiasm.

“And I’m Ransom, Goldilocks,” the other one told her, then stuck a chip into his mouth.

“And that is Branwen,” Luther said. “These are Hale’s andMal’s boys. Ransom belongs to Hale and Locke to Mal.”

Both of the younger men turned to look at me.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, feeling awkward and on display.

“Than did not exaggerate,” Ransom said. “Shocker.”

Linc cleared his throat and stood up, holding Stevie in his crooked arm as if she weighed nothing. “I’ll go tuck this one in,” he said to the men, then started toward me.

I couldn’t tell if his expression was angry or not. But he didn’t look happy.

“Where’s the puppy?” Luther asked.

Grinning at his concern over Maui, I looked back at him. “We just took him to his bed for the night.”

He looked disappointed, and I wanted to laugh. I wasn’t sure if Maui was Stevie’s or Luther’s anymore.

“Night!” several of them called.

I gave a small wave, then followed Linc inside, not sure what to expect from him and wishing he didn’t tie me up in knots so easily.

Thirty-Seven

Linc

As I closed the door after waving back at Stevie one more time, tucked into her large bed, my chest was tight with the reminder that I’d missed so many of these nights already. Nights I couldn’t get back. Moments that would never be mine to cherish one day when she was grown and living her life.

“She’s easy to put to bed,” I said as I turned to look at Branwen, standing over by her door with her arms crossed. “From what I can remember, Levi was hell to get to sleep. Refusing to stay in bed.”

“We had times when she was more difficult, but it seems we’ve moved past it,” she replied.

The way she stood was pushing her tits up, making her cleavage all the more visible. A champagne-colored lock of hair curled just over the right side, and the tip would be touching her nipple if she were naked. There wasn’t a blemish on her skin. Itwas as if she’d been airbrushed. All smooth, golden perfection.

Listening to the others talk about her and even with the ones who hadn’t said anything, I knew they’d looked at her for too fucking long. I’d seen their gazes. She was intoxicating with or without that tight velvet cunt that sheathed my cock like a vise.

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