to him. She quickly set him straight and once told him with mischief dancing in her eyes that she wanted to save him for her daughter.
Humph! Saving Peyton for him? Some luck he had. His brothers were far too aggressive for him to compete with them regardless of what he said. He kicked a wave of shavings through the barn as he tried to think of where all of this started to go wrong.
Kane.
It was Kane’s fault. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Now, it wasn’t just his hands Braden worried about. Other body parts presented the problem. His mouth on Peyton’s lips, his body hovering over hers, and his cock stroking at the one woman Braden wanted to take to his bed. It drove him to pure madness.
“We’re in trouble here, Braden.”
Braden turned around and glared at Evan.
“You know it. I know it. Kane’s known it for awhile.”
“What kind of trouble do you think we’re going to find in her?” Braden asked curiously.
“Don’t know. I imagine Kane will have a pretty good idea, though.” Evan tilted his chin toward the gates of the property. The little blue sports car raced down the long winding driveway headed for the house.
Evan and Braden stepped out into the clearing and watched as Peyton jumped out of the car, pulled some kind of large bag with her and rushed into the house. Kane sat there for a few minutes before he slowly pulled away from the house. He headed straight for them.
“I imagine we’ll find out more than we want to know,” Braden said.
“You have no one to blame but yourself,” Evan quickly reminded him.
“Braden, Evan.” Kane jumped out of the car and started inside the barn. “Who told her she could have a bunch of squealing girls to spend the night?”
“I did,” Braden said.
“Great. I can’t wait.” Kane growled.
“I imagine it’s going to pale in comparison to last night.” Evan watched him closely.
“Probably.” Kane smiled.
“Did you touch her?” Braden folded his arms across his chest, and he stared off into the distance. “Did you?” He narrowed his gaze on his brother.
Kane meant to lie. He meant to tell his brothers he never laid one hand on her but as he stood in the very barn where three men died over one woman, he couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t.
“Well?” Evan coaxed for answers.
Kane squatted down next to the car and studied the front wheel. “I hit something in the middle of the road there off of Beaver Pike.” He tried to see under the car, and before he realized it, Braden grabbed him by the collar and pinned him flat against the hood of the car.
“Damn it, Braden! Get off me!” Kane shook him loose.
“Answer me!”
“What the hell do you want me to say?”
“Whatever he asks, try to answer him with the truth. Might be a good place for all of us to start,” Evan suggested.
Braden’s breathing chopped with as much uncertainty as the wind. He held him firmly against the car, his shirt bunched in his hands. “I want to know what you’ve done to her.”
“You better be careful what you ask me, Braden, because you damn well know where this is going to lead. I don’t think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.” Kane watched the flicker of acknowledgement in his brother’s eyes.
“Did…you…fuck…her?” He held him tighter, shook him once or twice.
“Let him go, Braden,” Evan said.
If Braden didn’t let him go, Kane’s anger would take hold, and it might get messy. Kane could take on both his brothers, and his strength, next to these two, tipped toward superior and then some.
He deserved what they wanted to dish. He’d fucked Peyton silly and tried to teach her things about a lifestyle they’d never want her to lead. Sure, he’d only eased her into it, but now he realized she wasn’t opposed to it, and he planned to introduce her to more. Braden and Evan would die if they knew what he had in mind.
“I want answers.” Braden shook him.
Peyton’s small voice trembled from behind the men. “Then ask me.”
Braden quickly released Kane, and Evan wheeled around to face her. Kane saw the awareness wash over both of them. Once they had the chance to get a good look at her, all questions rendered little explanation.
Braden tried to dismiss her “Peyton, you have company. Go on up to the house. We’ll be there soon.”.
“No, Braden. I’ll wait on you guys.” She took a deep breath, and Kane imagined she braced herself. Knowing Peyton, she was determined to tell them what they’d missed. Kane understood why. She wanted all of them, all three of them. He’d have to deal with it and learn to accept it.
“Get her up to the house, Evan.” Braden looked away from her and with a fierce glare he studied Kane and gave his demand once more. “I said, ‘take her to the house’, Evan.”
Peyton crossed her arms. Evan touched her forearm and tried to encourage her to follow Braden’s request. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t touch me,” she snapped.
“Peyton, I have some things to discuss with Kane.” Braden took a deep breath and a gulp, a real good dose, of fear. A man’s uncertainty driving his form of questioning while knowledge provoked his anger often ended badly in matters of the heart. No one knew this better than the three men glaring at one another.
“Do these ‘things’ concern me, Braden?”
Braden and Kane locked eyes. Kane saw more fury so he warned her too. “Peyton, go to the house.”
“No,” she answered in frightful determination.
Braden turned on her. He marched over to her, grabbed her wrist and tugged her into the barn. “I told you to go to the house! You wanted a slumber party, a sleep over, now go sleep over!”
Peyton set her jaw, and Kane’s dick twitched as he realized what kind of reply Braden would get.
“I already had one hell of a sleep over, a private party I’ve only dreamed about. You should’ve been there. Maybe if you’d been there, you wouldn’t have to blame Kane. I’m willing to bet you might even have a spring to your step today.” Her hands flew to his chest, and she gave him a shove. She then twisted her sexy little hips right by Evan and Kane and broke into a mad dash straight for the lower fields.
“Great!” Braden kicked the stall in front of him. “Fucking great!”
“If I were you, I’d go get her,” Kane said out of the corner of his mouth.
“You have such a way with her, you go get her.” Braden started to walk off.
“Damn it, she has company, and if I know Vicky, we have an audience peering down here. Peyton’s room has a perfect view of…”
Braden clenched his fists. “Shut up, Kane. I don’t even want to hear you mutter a sound.”
He locked eyes with Evan but Evan stood his ground. “I’m not going anywhere. We’re not repeating history here. Not today and not any other day if I have my say and believe me, I’m going to have a few words with both of you.”
After a moment of silence, Evan moved closer to his brothers. “We’ve danced around the subject for far too long. What we’re afraid of here is turning into our fathers, into the men we fear we already are but don’t you see? We’re nothing like them.
“For starters, we all brought Peyton here. We’ve been open about our feelings for her from the beginning. I think she’s made a few things obvious too. I mean hell, Kane you walked in when she was in my arms right after she left yours and then she kissed Braden in front of both of us. This doesn’t have to end badly for anyone.”
“Shut up, Evan. You were too young to know everything.” Braden stalked back and forth, shot Kane the occasional glare and continued to pace.
“Then why don’t one of you spill whatever you think I don’t remember because see, I remember a lot more than I should. I know one thing. A damn love triangle with any woman is a bad idea for Cartwells unless everyone is
