Then Tai closed in behind her, his equally solid body hemming her in. She groaned at the firm press of his strength to her back and the powerful arms circling her.
She wrapped her arms around Seth’s shoulders and held on tight while Tai swept aside the curtain of her dark, wavy hair and kissed the back of her neck. Seth tilted up her chin then his lips claimed hers with a groan that sounded so much like relief that butterflies erupted in her belly. His mouth took hers with an urgency and an aggression that eclipsed everything but the feel of these two men and the arousal overwhelming her.
“Finally,” Tai muttered. His fingertips traced along her abdomen, hampered by the thick layers of silky fabric but seeming to burn her nonetheless. The sensations filling her all seemed right, perfect. The three of them came together so easily. Had this always been a foregone conclusion?
“River? Are you out here—oh…? Oh!”
Riv turned from Seth’s mouth. Her friend, Madison, stood near the entrance to the reception tent. Her blue eyes were wide, her delicate features painted with shock. Even her waist-length, black-brown hair seemed to tremble with her surprise.
“I’ll just—” Madison hooked a finger toward the gathering inside, taking a few steps back. Suddenly, she blinked and froze. She shook her head slowly as if trying to clear away her confusion then took a deep breath. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said, “but Moon’s looking for you. She wants a picture of all us girls—your sisters, the cousins and your college friends—since we don’t get together often.”
Darn straight, they didn’t. Half the time Riv forgot she had cousins. Her girlfriends from college often attended events with her family and were quickly considered as family.
A wave of sadness slammed her. This might be the last time she was in a group picture. Nodding at Madison, she wiggled to disengage herself from the Seth and Tai’s embrace. Seth set her on her feet then steadied her as another wave of dizziness overtook her. Her friend narrowed her eyes in concern, her head tilting slightly, but she said nothing. Pasting on a smile, Riv headed inside.
“Hey,” Tai said, his voice gentle as he caught her arm and stepped close to her back. His warm breath tickled the skin behind her ear. “Don’t change your mind.”
“I won’t.” She turned her head, intending to kiss him on the cheek, but his lips covered hers. His soft, closed-mouth kiss turned her liquid, and she moaned with regret. Now that she’d made her decision, she wanted to leave with Seth and Tai this second.
Seth stepped close, and she turned her head slightly for the equally soft brush of his mouth.
“This shouldn’t take long,” she promised. “We can leave right after. Okay?”
“We’ll be ready,” Seth replied.
“More than ready.”
“I’m more than ready, too,” she echoed. “It’s time for you to take me home and have your way with me.” She chuckled, imagining herself spread out for them, their mouths tasting her everywhere, their bodies loving her into oblivion. These two men could make her forget everything. For a while anyway. For tonight.
Chapter One
Two Weeks Later…
River surveyed the seven people gathered before her in Moon’s family room. Her sisters Moon, Paisley and Sunflower, Moon’s husband Pete, Paisley’s husbands Ace and Brant and their daughter, Sela. Their infant son, Kylor, was asleep in the other room.
They’d gathered here for dinner now that Moon and Pete were back from their honeymoon, and though she’d been freaking out for the past week, River had waited until after the meal to share her announcement. She stood in front of the fireplace.
“Um… I have some news,” she said, drawing their attention.
“Don’t tell us you’re moving,” Moon groaned. “You’re such a wanderer.”
“Look who’s talking?” River quipped back. “I’ve been here for four years while you’ve been… Where have you been?”
“Okay, okay,” Paisley cut in before Moon could defend her jaunt to the west coast when she’d run away from Daly. “What’s up, Riv? You’ve looked pensive all through dinner, and that’s not like you.”
No, it wasn’t. “Like I said, I’ve gotten some news. Last week, actually, but I wanted to wait until we were all together and you two,” she looked at Pete and Moon, “were back.” She took a deep breath, not wanting to go on.
“You said you had some news,” Sun said quietly. “Gotten some news sounds…ominous.”
It was. It so was.
“I suppose it is,” River conceded. Tears burned at the back of her eyes. Her sisters looked concerned, but her announcement would make it so much worse. “I’ve been having really bad headaches, trouble focusing—mentally and visually—dizzy spells…a lot of nausea…” Across the way, Pete seemed to guess where she was going, and his arms went around Moon, holding her tight. “When Dr. Walker noticed some of what was happening, he checked me out then sent me to a doctor in Gillette. They did some tests then sent me to a specialist—”
“When were you going to tell us this?” Paisley exclaimed. Her hand went to her mouth as she heaved, trying to catch her breath. Horror filled her young face. She’d taken on so much and shielded her sisters from so much tragedy over the years. There was no shielding anyone from this.
Tears ran down Sun’s cheeks, while Moon just stared at River, ashen but otherwise blank as if she couldn’t comprehend what her twin was saying.
“I’m telling you now. I… I-I have a brain tumor,” River rushed on. “It’s not cancer, but it’s inoperable.”