Hank faced him and grinned. “Well, there you go. I knew this was a good idea. Problem solved. We’ll pitch it to her first thing tomorrow.”

“Now, hold on.” Kyle took a drink of beer. “I ain’t sure she wasn’t just all talk.”

“You trying to convince me? Or yourself?”

“Both, maybe. Hell, I don’t know. This just seems really f**king weird.”

“Was Lainie drunk during this conversation about being with two men?”

“No.”

“That tells me she’d be open to it.”

“That don’t mean that I’m on board.”

“For a threesome? Why the hell not? I’m totally on board.” Hank snickered. “You ain’t afraid Lainie will be comparing our dick sizes or something?”

“Fuck off, Lawson. That ain’t what concerns me. What if part of her deal is she wants us to be together, kissing and touching and shit like them women in  p**n  threesomes are?”

That visual immediately caught Hank’s attention. His body went rigid before he shuddered. “No f**kin’ way am I sucking your dick, Gilly.”

They both went quiet.

Hank drained his beer and handed them each a fresh one. “But I’m gonna point out that Lainie knows us both well enough that she wouldn’t expect us to be doin’ each other when we’re doin’ her. And because she’s had sex with both of us, if anyone can talk her into a three-way relationship, it’d be us.”

“That’s true.”

“Best-case scenario: She agrees to be with both of us when she’s working the CRA tour.”

“What about when we are together? Will it always be the three of us? Or will I get to spend time alone with her?”

“I don’t know the damn logistics,” Hank grumbled. “We can sit here and plan the whole goddamn thing out how we want it, but we both know she’ll have ideas of her own. Knowing Lainie, she’ll probably bring up things we ain’t even considered.”

“You ain’t whistlin’ ‘Dixie’ there.” Kyle listened to footsteps fading on the blacktop. An engine started. A Buick slowed as it drove past them. The occupant probably wondered why two cowboys were tailgating at the Broken Spur Motel at midnight.

“So we need to talk to her,” Hank said. “But we have to present a united front. She either takes both of us or neither of us.” Hank turned and Kyle felt his quizzical gaze. “Right?”

Rather than respond, Fuck no. You’re on your own, pal, Kyle muttered, “Right.”

“Good. You ’n’ me will talk specifics on our way to her motel tomorrow morning.”

“Where’s she staying?”

“Cow Palace Inn.” Hank jumped off the tailgate and gathered the empty beer bottles, dropping them into the crumpled paper sack with a muffled chink. “Well, roomie, I’m whipped and goin’ to bed. You comin’?”

“Nah. I’ll be along in a while. Think I’ll sit out here and strategize covering my bulls tomorrow night.”

“I looked at the roster from the stock contractor. He’s brought some seriously rank bulls.”

“All the better.”

“Thought you might say that. Got your room key?”

Kyle nodded and aimed his face at the stars, hoping Hank would get the hint that they were finished talking.

Hank lumbered off without a word.

Somehow Kyle managed to put the bizarre conversation and situation out of his mind and focus on the reason he was here: to ride bulls.

Chapter Three

When the knock came on Lainie’s door at eight a.m., she’d expected to tell housekeeping to go away, not Hank. And Kyle.

Dammit. She should’ve left the safety chain on. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Coming in, because Lainie, darlin’, we need to talk.” This from Hank as he brushed past her.

“There’s nothing left to say.”

“Wrong,” Kyle said as he walked past her too and stood next to Hank.

She crossed her arms over her chest. The shrunken camisole and ratty boy shorts she wore as pajamas left little to the imagination.

Kinda late for modesty now, since they’ve both sampled the goods you’re trying to hide.

“Can we please talk about this? What happened last night and what’s been going on the last few months?” Kyle asked.

“Why? So I can hear you call me nasty names because I’ve been sleeping with both of you? No, thanks.”

Kyle and Hank traded a look. Then they faced her again. Hank looked at her hard enough that she shivered. “That’s the kind of guys you think we are, Lainie? Really?”

No. But with both of you here together like this? Being flip is my best defense against all this testosterone.

“What Hank is trying to say, sugar, is that we’d never do that to you.”

“You two exchanged pretty harsh words last night.” Lainie’s eyes narrowed on the shadow below Kyle’s jawbone. “Did you smack each other around after I left?”

“If you remember, I ride bulls for a living. I tend to get beat up by them on occasion,” Kyle said wryly.

Lainie stomped over and peered at the dark mark. “Has anyone looked at this?” She reached up. Before her fingers connected with his stubbled jaw, Kyle snatched her hand and kissed her fingertips.

She didn’t dare look at Hank. Would anger burn in his eyes with Kyle touching her so blatantly? Right in front of him?