The Male Order, Texas Collection

A Bride for Two Tycoons,
Part 2: The Promise

Madeline Spencer has two things on her mind: securing funding for her non-profit—and the devilishly handsome Ellis brothers, two of the most coveted billionaire bachelors in Male Order, Texas. After a fairy tale courtship full of candlelit dinners and jet-setting getaways, Madeline may just be ready to give her heart to her gallant suitors, but their blue-blooded world may be too rich for someone like her.

Dalton and Garrett Ellis are set on making Madeline theirs forever. They just have to convince her that two real, red-blooded Texas men lie beneath the glamour and wealth—and they will go to great lengths to make sure she knows just how deep their need for her goes. Little do they know that the fairy tale world they’ve so carefully woven can come undone when they least expect it.

As the annual Male Order Cotillion draws near, Dalton and Garrett unveil a sinister plot that exposed dark family secrets and could unhinge the Ellis dynasty and take Madeline away from them forever.

Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 53,735 words

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A BRIDE FOR TWO TYCOONS

Part 2: The Promise

Male Order, Texas

Ava Mitchell

Sydney Holiday

MENAGE EVERLASTING

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

A BRIDE FOR TWO TYCOONS, PART 2: THE PROMISE

Copyright © 2010 by Ava Mitchell and Sydney Holiday

E-book ISBN: 1-61034-119-8

First E-book Publication: October 2010

Cover design by Les Byerley

All art and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

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Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

The authors and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

This is Ava Mitchell and Sydney Holiday’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect their right to earn a living from their work.

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DEDICATION

We would like to dedicate this book to our fans, who we hope will enjoy the trip from the warm, homespun charm of Liebling to the lavish and sophisticated world of Male Order.

A BRIDE FOR TWO TYCOONS

PART 2: THE PROMISE

Male Order, Texas

AVA MITCHELL AND SYDNEY HOLIDAY

Copyright © 2010

Chapter Eight

Madeline Spencer opened her eyes when she felt an odd vibration in the small of her back. She sat up and ran her hand over the source of the buzzing. The mattress pad felt firmer, but she couldn’t make out the shape of the object that stirred her from the most restful sleep she’d ever had. Who knew hours of mind-blowing orgasms and pure arousal would make such an effective sleep aid? Being swaddled in all kinds of fine silks and linens didn’t hurt either, she thought as she snuggled back under the covers, trying in vain to ignore the minute vibrations beneath her. She reluctantly wrenched herself from her warm cocoon, slipped out of bed, and realized she wore a soft silk nightgown that came to just above her knees. She ran her fingers over the delicate material and wondered how she had gotten into it because it certainly was not hers.

The hardwood floors felt unexpectedly cold on her bare feet, and goose bumps prickled up her calves. Reaching between the mattress and three cushy mattress pads, she felt around until her fingers grazed the small vibrator. Madeline pulled it out and examined it. Perfectly round and pale green, the vibrator had a button on the side. Once she pressed it, the room became utterly quiet. Only the crackling sound of wood set ablaze in the nearby fireplace was audible. Attached to the vibrator was a note on parchment.

Morning, Princess.

The pea has pulled you from your peaceful repose.

Put on those slippers beside your toes,

A mask and a cape await at the door.

Put them on now because there’s plenty more.

Let’s see how your fairy tale grows.

All you must do is first follow your nose.

Love,

Your Princes

She couldn’t help but put the back of her hand to her forehead as if she were about to swoon. Be still her beating heart. A smile pulled at the corners of her lips, and she held the note to her chest.

She suddenly remembered she wasn’t in Texas anymore. She had no earthly idea where she was. She didn’t know how long they’d been in the air—she was a little distracted at the time, after all—but she figured they might not even be in the States anymore. They might have gone international. She wondered how they would’ve gotten her passport, but knowing the Ellis brothers, with their connections and clout, they could make anything happen.

She looked down and saw the slippers, just as the note promised, and put them on. They looked just as she imagined Cinderella’s would, except that instead of being clear they were bedecked with tiny crystals that glittered in the firelight. And most remarkable of all, even with the three-inch heels, they were actually comfortable.

Madeline finally took in her surroundings. The king-sized bed was centered in the middle of the room. The bed’s iron canopy was shaped to look like the delicate branches of a tree with tiny leaves decorating the tips, as if the bed were enclosed in an enchanted forest. Heavy curtains hung on one side of the room, barely letting any light seep in. On the opposing wall, a roaring fire blazed in a stone fireplace. It provided most of the room’s light and cast dancing shadows on every surface. Seeing a fireplace burning indoors at all was always a novel sight for her, but especially now in the middle of summer. Most Texans were loathe to even turn the oven on let alone light an entire fire. Finding herself drawn to it, Madeline reached her hands out and let the warmth radiate through her. Out of the corner of her eye a swath of red fabric caught her attention. It hung on a coat hanger beside the door and a small marble-topped side table.

She walked toward it and immediately her eyes were drawn to the small white-and-silver masquerade-style mask. Picking it up from the table, she admired the breathtakingly fine metallic filigree detail that flared from the eye holes so that they mimicked lush eyelashes. It was so delicate and ornate she wondered how it didn’t just come apart in her hands. A few large white plumes theatrically came out from one side in a graceful arc. Tiny crystals that matched those on her slippers decorated the surface, making the entire mask luminous, giving it an ethereal and opulent feeling. It reminded her of something Marie Antoinette might wear to a party. Worried it would be uncomfortable, she gingerly placed the mask over her eyes, securing the white lace ribbon behind her head in a bow, and marveled at how natural it felt on. After a few moments, she hardly noticed she had it on at all.

Then her attention returned to the velvet red cape. She ran her finger down the material, caressing it. She pulled the plush garment over the short silk nightgown she wore and again thought it odd to wear something so warm. The velvet did feel luxurious against her skin and she snuggled the material around her neck before opening the door and stepping out of the bedroom. The moment she opened the door, the seductive scent of tea and freshly baked pastries wafted into her nostrils.

She walked down the long windowless corridor, her crystal heels making a loud hollow sound that echoed with each step she took. Madeline arrived at a little nook to see a gourd-shaped vessel with a silver straw poking out. It reminded her of those old juice commercials where a red-and-white straw chased an orange until it could poke through. She took a sip of the warm beverage and rolled it around her tongue, trying to figure out what it tasted like. It was a little on the bitter side, yet it was not unpleasant, and she detected a hint of orange peel. It reminded her of tea, but it was not quite the same. She took another sip and decided that she would ask Dalton and Garrett about it later.

Resting on a lacy doily on a small porcelain plate, a croissant waited as if just for her. She took a bite and her mouth was immediately filled with the smooth, caramel-like flavor of dulce de leche, one of her all-time favorites. When she was a little girl, she would pour so much of it on top of her ice cream sundaes that her teeth would hurt from all the sugar afterward.

She looked down and realized the doily unfolded into another note.

Finish your snack because your strength you’ll need

As your journey continues with quickened speed

Because it’s time for you to see where you are.

So follow the music, it won’t take you far,

Just around the corner is when it will start.

We hope what you see will steal your heart

Just as ours have been stolen by you,

Our fairy tale princess, your dreams will come true.

She drank as much of the drink and ate as much of the croissant as she could, but the butterflies in her stomach prevented her from finishing. The note said she’d need her strength, but that was the best she could do. The rooms were getting progressively chillier the farther she walked from the bedroom and its roaring fire. She pulled the cape up where it slipped over her shoulder and rounded the corner where she indeed began to hear the tinkling sound of music.

She entered what looked to be the den or living room. Except for where there were sconces that lit the room, the walls were draped with heavy curtains, but she could tell there were windows because of the light seeping through. She looked and listened for any signs of her two men but found nothing. She loved the small scavenger hunt they had concocted for her, but she longed to finally see them and be with them, to be wrapped in their arms and smothered with their kisses and caresses. She sighed as her eyes were drawn to the freestanding fireplace near the center of the room. Perhaps it was the brightness of the flame or maybe just the warmth, but she felt herself pulled toward it. She realized her legs were freezing where the cape didn’t quite reach low enough. She wondered why the fire hadn’t heated the room more, and then she felt an icy-cold breeze tickle her hair. She turned and saw that the door to the balcony was open and blustery flurries of white fluttered inside. Her mind initially convinced her it was cottonwood down, but the blast of cold told her otherwise.

She bundled up even more, pulling the cape’s hood over her head, and headed toward the door, realizing that it was also the source of the music. As she neared the open door, she could increasingly see her breath turning to fog as the cold air condensed the moisture.

When she stepped onto the balcony and the cold air blasted against her exposed skin, she thought her heart might stop beating as her eyes gazed upon a whole new world that she hadn’t even imagined possible. The note had said that she would discover where the men had taken her, but she still didn’t have a clue. Clearly, the weather indicated she was either somewhere close to the North Pole or in the Southern Hemisphere. After all, when she left Texas, it was the middle of summer and now it was snowing. That’s as far as she could decipher. Where in the world was Madeline Spencer?

Wherever the men had taken her was surrounded by forest-covered mountains. Thick piles of plush-looking snow capped each tree. The ground beneath the trees was also completely blanketed in pure, sparkly white. She braved the freezing chill and stepped out onto the balcony, her crystal slippers crunching on the snow that had collected there. Madeline looked up and held her hand out. Fluffy snowflakes melted in her hand. She looked up at the sky, mesmerized by the flakes gently spiraling down, and she couldn’t help but open her mouth, catching them on her tongue. Snowflakes tangled with her eyelashes, but she didn’t mind at all.

She had never seen something so remarkable, so beautiful in her entire life. She’d seen snow occasionally back in Dallas, but nothing like this. When it did snow, it tended not to stick so there was rarely enough to do anything fun like making snow angels. And forget about building a proper snowman. Usually they were a slushy brown mixture of icy snow and dirt with a few twigs and dead leaves thrown in for good measure. But here, the snow was thick and plush and pure. And to think, only just the day before, she’d boarded a plane in sweltering Texas heat.

If she looked farther, she could even make out a small village almost tucked out of sight beneath a ridge. The buildings looked like gingerbread houses coated with royal icing.

Tears pricked the backs of her eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing, and it warmed her heart to know that her men did this all to create a magical moment just for her. Her heart longed to be with them, though, to share this moment with them. Then she registered the music again and remembered the source of it would likely hold another clue. She searched the balcony and followed the melodic sounds until she saw a snow globe that was half buried by snow. She lifted it, and as she looked at it, her breath condensed on the round, clear surface and clouded it. She wiped it with the hem of her cape and saw a tiny village that looked remarkably like the one she had just seen. Etched on a small brass plaque at the base of the globe were the words San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. So that’s where she was. She turned the globe upside down and saw another note tucked away underneath the diminutive replica of this winter wonderland.

She carefully set the globe on the ground and opened the note, hoping it would be the last. So far her little adventure had been nothing short of delightful, but she was ready for her men to finally appear and complete her fairy-tale fantasy.

Go back where you came and stairs you should see,

Where at the bottom you’ll find a trail of candy.

Follow the pieces, they’ll show you the way

To a beast and a wolf who’ve been waiting all day.

But don’t be afraid. They swear they won’t bite,

But if that’s what you’re into, they’ll bite you all night.

They promise to show you pleasures galore

Until their sweet princess is begging for more.

She had to admit, that last line had her pussy clenching already. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on her men. She followed the trail of gumdrops, which lead her to a grand ballroom. A beautiful crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, so high she wondered how anyone could ever change any of the light bulbs. The marble floor was so shiny she could see her face reflected in it. She stood in the center of the room, wondering where her men could possibly be. The gumdrop trail ended there, and they were nowhere to be found. She stared up into the crystal chandelier and spun in a circle, twirling as the hem of her cape flared out around her legs.

“You look beautiful, princess,” Dalton said, his deep voice booming across the empty space.

“Absolutely ravishing,” Garrett echoed.

Madeline stopped mid-turn and clutched her hands to her chest. The Ellis brothers stood on the other side of the room, each wearing the most elegant yet simple tuxedos she’d ever seen. Perfectly tailored and black with pointed satin lapels and crisp white shirts, these tuxedos were nothing like the penguin suits or prom-night monstrosities she was used to seeing. No, these men, her men, were truly dashing and debonair, and they managed to maintain an air of dignity despite the silly yet alluring masquerade-style masks they wore.

Dalton had a small mask of a beast, while Garrett wore a wolf mask. Only covering the upper half of their faces, the masks revealed their sensual smiles and utterly kissable lips, leaving just a hint of mystery. She suddenly remembered the mask she also had on and wished she could’ve taken a picture of the three of them together, all dressed up with nowhere to go. She ran toward her men, and they met her halfway.

Garrett took her hand, raising it, and twirled her in a circle. He and Dalton eyed her up and down with hunger, something she could see even with their faces half covered.

Dalton held her chin in his hand as he pulled her mask off with the other and then caressed the backs of his warm knuckles against the sides of her face. “Sweetheart, your cheeks are flushed. Was it too cold? Or was it from running down the stairs?”

“I think it was from all the excitement.” Garrett bent down and kissed her, biting her bottom lip slightly as he pulled away.

Madeline’s heart pounded so hard she barely thought she could speak. She wanted so badly to jump into their arms, but she knew they had more in store. “I can’t believe you did all this for me. I just can’t believe it.”

“Well, believe it, Little Red,” Dalton pulled her hood back and kissed her hair. “It seemed like an eternity as we waited for you, and I am not a man who waits for anything.”

“Yes, it did take you long enough to get here, and now I’m positively starved for you.” Garrett grinned lasciviously, licked his lips, and growled. “I could eat you up from head to toe.”

Now, her patience truly tested, Madeline fought desperately to ignore the incessant clenching of her pussy, screaming at her to stop with the games and get on with it. “I got here as fast as I could.”

“Tsk, tsk.” Dalton wagged his finger at her before he ran it down the side of her jawline, holding her firmly in place as he stared intensely into her eyes. “Which is so just like innocent Little Red to run blindly into the arms of a beast and a big bad wolf.”

Madeline touched the velvet red cape that enshrouded her and remembered the connection, the game, the fairy tale. “Is that what’s going on here?” She reached her hands down, letting her fingers wrap around the bulging hard-ons she knew each man would be sporting. Rock hard and ready, just for her. “My, what big cocks you have.” The flicker she saw in each man’s eyes told her her patience would not be tested much longer.

This time a low growl emanated from Dalton. “The better to fuck you with, my dear.” He threw her into his brawny arms as if she weighed little more than a feather, carrying her out of the room as if he were suddenly not a beast but a knight and she was the damsel in distress. Except she was in no distress at all. She was exactly where she wanted to be.

* * * *

Dalton couldn’t take one more second of these games. Theatrics and fantasies were for Garrett, not him. He liked reality much better, thank you very much, and right then his woman stood before him, visibly quivering with desire. He couldn’t very well let his woman go wanting. Oh, hell no.

“But, Dalton, we have one more surprise,” Garrett called from behind. What a fool, Dalton thought. That could wait and, sure, he knew Madeline would probably love it, but what she’d love more right now was his cock buried in her pussy, or her ass.

“Where are you taking me?” Madeline asked, her voice breathy and thick with arousal.

“Our tree house. Now hold close to me when we go outside. It’ll be colder than a witch’s tit. You were supposed to have another costume change into something warmer, but fuck it. Garrett’s got too many ideas, and I think my one is much better right now, don’t you think?”

“Oh, yes.” Madeline moaned and clung closer to him even before they stepped outside into the snowy wilderness that surrounded his family’s Argentine vacation home.

When they got to the winding steps that went around the trunk up to the tree house, Dalton threw Madeline over his shoulder in a very Tarzan-like move, which seemed appropriate to him. He did feel like a beast, an animal, when he was around Madeline, unable to control his carnal needs.

A breeze blew her cape and nightgown over her back, revealing her tantalizing ass, and he felt her stiffen against him. “Sorry, sweetheart. But don’t worry. I’ll warm your ass up real good and soon.”

He climbed up to the porch and opened the door to the lavish octagonal tree house built more for adults than kids. When they were children, his parents had built it as a place to squirrel them away during their all-night parties. The walls had been made of glass so that anyone could keep an eye on them from below at a glance, but the angle actually made it very difficult to see. Now, it was still made as though for adults, he mused. With a small kitchen, complete insulation, and being nearly covered wall-to-wall with pillows and blankets, it had a hell of a view and was an ideal, quiet spot for fucking. The massive trunk of the tree jutted through the house’s center.

“Oh, my. This is your tree house? You Ellises sure grew up differently.” Madeline giggled as he set her down on the satin blankets and down-filled pillows and comforters.

“Yep,” Dalton said with a grunt as he struggled with getting his shoes and the rest of the tuxedo off. He probably would’ve tried to look a little sexier, peel his clothes off like a seasoned Chippendale, but at that moment he lost all finesse and artifice. The sound of his shirt ripping and his buttons popping off barely registered.

Clenching her thighs together, Madeline was suddenly wide-eyed. “I’ve never seen you like this before, Dalton, so passionate, so…”

“Wild? Hungry? Didn’t I say I was a beast?” Dalton bent down and spread her legs wide, revealing her sweet pussy barely covered by the silky material of her nightgown. “But don’t be afraid, ’cause you’re going to love being eaten alive.”

He planned to eat her cunt, but first, he wanted her completely at his mercy and begging for more. He wanted her so out of her mind with desire for them that she would not hesitate to relinquish herself completely to the pleasure he and Garrett would give her. He wanted to melt away every ounce of resistance she had, every minute possibility that she would shy away from their touches.

“Garrett, grab the rope,” Dalton ordered. “Let’s tie up our sweet girl.”

Garrett smiled a predatory grin and grabbed the rope from the toy chest of erotic goodies they had brought in the night before just for Madeline.

Madeline’s eyes grew wide as saucers, though Dalton saw an unmistakable glimmer of fascination and interest. Her gaze flew from him to Garrett to the rope and back, her auburn waves bouncing with each turn of her head. “Wh–why do you have to do that again? Is it really necessary? I’m not some kind of wild animal.”

“Well, you see, that’s exactly the problem. You are an animal, a sexual being with carnal needs that you won’t allow to be satisfied unless we make sure they are.” Dalton stalked toward her and gripped her by the wrists, feeling her pulse race as each second ticked by.

The glimmer in her eyes grew to a burn even as she shook her head a little. “But—”

“But what, Madeline?” Dalton taunted, circling his thumb over the soft skin of her wrist. “You didn’t like it when we tied you up?”

Her cheeks flushed. “I did! It’s just that…”

“Just what, Madeline?”

“The whole thing just felt so raw, so wild.” She flicked her eyes downward, and her lashes grazed her pink cheeks.

Dalton’s cock jumped in his pants. She was so beautiful to him with her hair wild and untamed, her skin so luminous and flushed. She was ready. He knew it, sensed it with everything inside him. He curled his finger under her chin and tipped her face up toward his. He looked down into her big, innocent, brown eyes and saw the erotic heat blazing inside them.

Before he realized it, Dalton leaned down and pressed his lips almost violently against hers. The taste of her, so sweet and warm, went straight to his head, making him lose control for a few wild, reckless moments.

He yanked himself away from her before he gave in to his raw desire for her and took her right there. Pressing his forehead against hers, he breathed her in. “You have no idea what you do to me. To us. Will you let us pleasure you, Madeline?”

Her fingers crept up his naked chest. “Yes.”

Dalton groaned, and he heard Garrett do the same. “We’re going to tie you up and fuck you until you tell us to stop. You have one chance, Madeline. This one chance to tell us to back the hell off before we can’t anymore.”

“I-I want you. Both of you.”

Dalton gathered her soft body against his. “You’re going to be so damn glad you just said that.”

“He’s right, Madeline,” Garrett said, unrolling four pieces of nylon rope and tossing one to him. “This is for your own good.” He bent to pull two small floorboards away, revealing the hooks hidden underneath. He tied a clove hitch to each one and then went to the other strategically placed hooks on the walls so that it would be the exact right height to allow Madeline restrictive comfort. Just enough slack to writhe around, but not enough for her to wriggle out of her bindings.

Dalton gently placed her on heap of pillows and blankets on the ground, pinning her down between his legs. Taking her hands, he tied each wrist in a French bowline knot. He thought she would’ve struggled more, but instead she looked at what they did and seemed to study the way he and his brother tied the knots. Garrett spread her legs wide and secured them to the hooks. When they were finished, their beauty lay before them spread eagle, completely at their disposal. He walked to Garrett as he stood, marveling. By the glistening of her pussy, Dalton could tell she was excited and ready for them.

Dalton dove in, devouring her delicious cunt, relishing in the way it quivered and clenched around his tongue, the way her pussy juices filled his mouth like some magical, life-giving elixir.

“Oh, God,” Madeline moaned, sucking in gasping breaths with each lap of Dalton’s tongue.

He slipped his middle and index finger inside her cunt as he diverted his oral attention to her clit, swirling the little pearl with the tip of his tongue before sucking it into his mouth. Then he inserted his pinky, slick with her pussy juices, into her asshole and her orgasm was instantaneous.

Screams erupted from her as her entire body shook, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if the sound shattered the glass enclosing them. Her wrists and ankles strained at their bindings, but he knew the knot they used would prevent the rope from tightening up and cutting off her circulation and was also too secure for her to squirm her way out.

Dalton lifted his gaze to the silk material covering the glorious mounds of her pert breasts as they bounced above her ribs and saw that Garrett had taken his clothes off and hovered beside her open mouth.

“You’re so beautiful when you’re in this state, Madeline. Just beautiful.” Garrett’s cock bobbed in front of her lips, and Dalton couldn’t believe Garrett’s stamina or patience for prolonging the chase. With Madeline, Dalton was a broken man who could no more control his urges than he could control the beating of his heart. He marveled at the way he, the Dalton Ellis, could so easily crumble in such small and delicate hands.

Then Dalton realized, it wasn’t self-control that had his brother waiting, it was watching her that had him paralyzed. His younger brother was clearly so mesmerized by her, he looked as if he had forgotten his own cock, which he stroked absentmindedly when he could have easily pushed it between two pillowy soft lips and into a warm, waiting mouth that obviously hungered for him. Madeline blew them both away, and it was time the Ellis brothers finally possessed her now, claimed her so that she knew she was theirs and only theirs.

Garrett kissed her mouth, exploring her with his tongue. He pressed kisses all over her body, ripping her nightgown down the middle in order to press his lips between her breasts, soothing her as Dalton used his mouth to pump her full with erotic bliss.

He watched as his younger brother kissed his way over the curve of one of her breasts and took one of her beautiful nipples between his lips, teasing the swollen nub, grazing it gently with his teeth.

“Oh, God, this is incredible!” Madeline moaned and squealed as she bucked against the ropes, but she was helpless. She shuddered and screamed her release as Dalton twirled her little pearl around his tongue, as if tasting a bead of fine caviar, sweetened with her nectar. “Oh, God, I can’t take it, I need you, I need to feel you two, please.” Her hands fisted and unfurled, searching for contact they wouldn’t find.

Garrett straddled her, blocking her face completely from Dalton’s view, but he had a good idea of what was going on.

“Sweetheart, you want to suck on my cock? Feel me on your lips?”

“Yes, yes, please. I want you in my mouth.”

“How about just the tip? Is that enough?” Garrett let out a nearly carnal chuckle, and Dalton could just picture the cock at her lips and imagine it was his own resting there.

“No, I want more. I want you, I want all of you.” Madeline panted her words out, peppering her statement with screams and moans as Dalton continued fucking her with his fingers, his mouth, almost lost in the haze he always felt when he was near her, as if time stood still just for them. He wondered if he was beginning to believe in all this fairy tale bullshit. He shook his thoughts away. A feeling of need crept upon him, a need to have her, possess her, invade her…love her. And rather than let it get out of control, he decided it was time to set their woman free.

He stood and saw Garrett pumping his cock in and out of her mouth. The look of sensual pain twisting his brother’s face told him he wouldn’t last much longer if he stayed in her mouth.

“That’s enough of that, Garrett. You’re gonna come before you’re ready, and I know you want to come inside her.”

Garrett nodded and, with obvious reluctance, pulled himself away. He groaned when he extricated the head of his cock from between her lips, as if already missing the warm heat of her mouth.

“Wait, where are you going?” Madeline almost whimpered as she spoke in the most adorable way.

“We’re staying right here, sweetheart.” Garrett untied her hands.

When she was released, Dalton picked her up by her perfectly rounded hips and turned her so her precious ass pressed against his cock. He knew he manhandled her now, perhaps too roughly, but she made not a peep of resistance.

“Garrett, get ready to fuck our woman’s magnificent cunt while I fuck her beautiful ass.” Dalton lifted her to give Garrett room to lie beneath her.

When Garrett lay on his back, his cock jutting decisively in the air, Madeline plunged herself on him to the hilt and threw her head back, arching her delectable tits in the air. The way she rocked herself on him and bounced up and down told him he had nothing to worry about. She could take anything they could dish out and probably then some.

“Holy shit,” Garrett said between gritted teeth as his fingers dug into her sides. “Sweetheart, your pussy is a goddamn revelation.”

Dalton lowered himself to his knees behind her, and as he held her breasts, they overfilled his hands. He could feel her nipples pebbling against his palm, sending a sensation that went straight to his cock, telling it the time had come to feast on their prize. He pulled one hand away from her chest and grabbed the bottle of lubricant they had set aside earlier when Garrett concocted their entire plan.

Squirting it against the seam of her ass, Dalton worked the fluid around and into her asshole. Just the way it felt clenching around his fingers had him ready to blow, but that wouldn’t do. He quickly rubbed more of the lube on his cock, making sure its mushroom tip was thoroughly coated. The plug they had used on her had been nowhere near the size of his dick, but he knew Madeline could handle it. She was made as if for them and them as if for her. They would fit together like three pieces of a puzzle.

He spread her cheeks and pushed the tip of his cock against her waiting hole. Madeline sucked in a breath and turned her head, revealing her adorable face, flushed with arousal and coated in a dewy mist of sweat. She bit her bottom lip, her flesh pillowing up against her teeth.

“You ready to be ours, sweetheart? You ready for my cock in your ass?”

Madeline nodded before she finally screamed “yes” and “please” and “now” over and over again.

Dalton pushed his cock into her virgin hole, and a rush of emotion enveloped his body, a feeling that told him she was the one, a feeling that forced all his fears aside, allowing him to just be with and love this woman no matter the consequences. He entered her another inch until his cock head was completely past the tight ring of muscle. The constricting sensation of her passage squeezing around his cock was so tight he thought he might even stop breathing, but he pressed on. He fed her ass another inch and then another, slowly at first but then faster as she easily took him in.

Madeline had completely stopped moving now, as if surrendering herself to the rhythm that Dalton and Garrett set for her, as though implicitly trusting that they would do what was best for her. She, too, could finally let go.

* * * *

Garrett shuddered as the smooth walls of Madeline’s cunt rhythmically squeezed his cock. Just before she reached her climax, the rhythm was so steady it could have been set by a metronome, until, reaching its apex, it went out of control, blind spasms rippling around him. It felt so good to be inside her and gave him a feeling no other woman had even come close to giving him. No one could or ever would measure up to the wonder that was Madeline Spencer. If, God forbid, she ever left him, he was certainly done for and would surely have to resign himself to a life of celibacy, for what would be the point? He knew that from here on out, sex without Madeline would be worse than no sex at all. And this, coming from Garrett Ellis. No one, not even Dalton perhaps, would believe how powerfully this innocent morsel of a woman had him wrapped around her little finger.

The rapid frenzy around his cock whipped him out of his thoughts and brought him back to the voluptuous vixen riding him as if he were a stallion. He certainly felt like one when he was with Madeline. She seemed to bring out the best in him, and he realized perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

He pumped into her harder, faster, working with Dalton to piston inside her like two fine-tuned machines. Her screams told him he was successful. He was pleased to see a woman enjoy the dual sensations of cock in each hole as much as Madeline seemed to.

“How are you feeling, beautiful?” Dalton gasped from behind her. “You seem like you’re getting a bit worn out. Are you?”

Garrett had to admit, she suddenly felt heavier on him, not that she weighed much at all. He always thought it was funny the way women would always try to support their own weight, as if they could ever crush a man with poundage alone. No, the surest way to crush a man was actually through his heart. A soft giggle, small pout, subtle heaving of rounded breasts, little things like that made a man fall in love.

Madeline covered her face with her hands and then pulled them back, running her fingers in her auburn locks. “Yes, no, yes, no, I don’t have a clue. I’m exhausted, but do I want this to stop? Never.” She bounced up and down a few times as though to prove to them her willingness to persevere.

“Then we’ll just keep on fucking until our seed is buried deep inside you. And then we’ll take a break, sweetheart, and you can rest this hot body of yours.” Dalton slapped her ass as if to punctuate his statement. Garrett could feel her cunt clenching around him, and he knew she was up for the challenge. This woman would fuck until her heart gave out, a fact that warmed him somehow.

The warmth seemed to travel from his heart to his cock, or the other way around, Garrett wasn’t sure. She had him all mixed up, both confused and certain all at once. The sensation intensified at the base of his spine, making his balls feel heavy with his seed as her supple body slapped against them. He held it back, knowing that they would all climax together when the time came. The look of intense concentration knitting Dalton’s brows together told him his brother certainly fought his own epic battle to ensure a simultaneous release.

Garrett gritted his teeth and worked with his brother in tandem to get Madeline off so hard her toes might never uncurl. They pumped and thrust together, the three of them, sweat coating every inch of their bodies. One lone droplet slid down the plump curve of her breast until it plummeted to Garrett’s stomach, mingling with his own sweat, evidence of how hard they all worked to show each other their love, their pleasure, their perfection.

Madeline’s entire body suddenly tensed, and a primal scream erupted from deep within her. Her cunt milked him frantically, squeezing and pulsating around his cock. Distantly, he heard Dalton groan with his impending release, and then Madeline’s body pressed harder against his, and that slight pressure set him loose. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as his seed flooded her, submerging his rod in a bath of warmth and wetness.

He deeply inhaled the glorious scent from Madeline’s silky red mane as she slumped, boneless, over him. He could feel the outline of her breasts, the still hard nubs of her nipples pressed against his chest as she panted. Then it all disappeared. Garrett opened his eyes and saw that Dalton had pulled her off him and had her cradled against his own chest.

Damn him. Dalton held her in a way that made it nearly impossible for Garrett to join in without being cradled in his brother’s arms as well. But the look of utter bliss on his brother’s face almost made up for his uncharacteristic selfishness. Almost.

“We have another surprise for you, Madeline, remember?” Garrett rose and grabbed some warm washcloths from the sanitizing towel steamer. He tossed one to his brother before he wiped down Madeline’s body.

She moaned when he moved the plush terrycloth over her breasts and down her stomach. “Another one? I’m so exhausted, I don’t think I can handle anything else. I’m only human.”

“No, you’re an angel.” Garrett made one last pass over her to make sure every inch of her had been cleansed before he grabbed another towel and wiped himself down.

Madeline chuckled softly. “Well, even angels must need to rest some time.”

“That’s enough, Garrett,” Dalton commanded as he thoroughly wiped down his body. “Lady’s choice and she’s choosing to rest. And I can’t blame her.” He tossed the towel to the side and then lay down and squeezed his arms tighter around Madeline as he yawned. He opened one eye and looked directly at him. “Come on, there’s room for you, too.” Dalton shifted Madeline as Garrett lay beside them so that they could hold her equally and pulled a quilt over their naked bodies.

Madeline rubbed her wrist between her fingers and a horrible thought occurred to him. What if they’d been too rough with her? He looked to Dalton, but he had already dozed off.

“Sweetheart, are your wrists okay? We didn’t hurt you, did we?” Garrett took her hand and kissed her wrists, feeling her slow and steady pulse against his lips.

“Oh, not at all. It didn’t hurt one bit, and anyway, I liked it. And the knots you tied, I’ve never seen anything like them. Where’d you learn how to do that?”

Garrett chuckled and laced her fingers between his own. “As a scout. Dalton and I both were. I remember he got his knot badge first, and I was so jealous, I worked tirelessly all night so that the next day I could get it too. See, there’s the simple knot that everyone knows, but that one’s not good for hardly anything. You try to tie someone up with that knot, it’ll either be too tight or too easy to get out of.”

“That’s so interesting. I wish I knew how to do stuff like that. I feel like girls are never taught anything like that.”

“It’s okay. I’ll teach you tomorrow. Would you like that?” Garrett could feel Madeline’s head nod slightly before she yawned.

“Yes, I think I’d like that.” Madeline snuggled herself closer to him. Garrett inhaled the sweet floral scent of her hair and let the intoxicating aroma and feel of her body against him overwhelm all his senses.

Chapter Nine

Madeline awoke crushed beneath two massive arms and—she craned her neck to look at her feet—yes, also one heavy leg. Each brother seemed to hold her possessively but Dalton, his thigh as thick as a tree trunk, felt the need to fully contain her from head to toe. She smiled as she worked to quietly and gently extricate herself.

It was a cloudy and gray wintry day outside, which usually brought out the grump in her, but today it was welcome. She couldn’t imagine how hot or bright it might get in this tree house with all its windows. Perhaps they were lined with some kind of UV filter that deflected the solar rays, which wouldn’t have surprised her in the least. The Ellises seemed to have the best, newest, and most innovative things. Still, even with the dulling haze, it was beautiful outside. Snow piled thick and heavy on the tops of trees for as far as the eye could see in every direction, save the one side of the little house that faced the big house she had woken up in the day before.

Looking for something to cover her nudity with, she padded around the room until she found a lovely silk robe hanging on a hook by two other thick cotton ones. Wrapping it around herself, she made her way to the small kitchen on one end of the octagonal structure. Madeline shook her head in disbelief as she turned on the faucet and filled the electrical kettle on the counter. An efficiency-sized playhouse in a tree with running water, electricity, and central air and heat. When she was a kid, she and her sister made due with big cardboard boxes decorated with crayons and Magic Markers. And they had a ball, too. But this. What a childhood these men must have had, to have anything and everything their little hearts desired. They probably had no idea how lucky they were. Well, she had to admit, she was lucky too.

She turned and looked at them then, amused when she noticed Garrett’s hand resting on Dalton’s broad shoulder. Hugging herself and closing her eyes, she revisited how it felt to be with them last night, touched by those hands, tantalized by those fingers, wrapped in those arms, pressed against those hard bodies, impaled by even harder shafts of pure unadulterated manhood. She shivered, and her pussy clenched, flooding with moisture again. She could be completely dehydrated and on the brink of death and she knew somehow her body would be able to muster enough moisture to fuck these men and fuck them well.

Madeline leaned against the counter, squeezing her thighs together as her mind wandered back to the night before. She remembered the moment Dalton placed her on Garrett’s cock and how easily and smoothly she glided onto his rock-hard shaft. And then, when Dalton slid into a place she never dreamed she’d find pleasure in, well, it was as if they had been made for each other. They all moved in complete synchronicity. Maybe it was just because the two men were brothers and they knew each other like the backs of their hands, but she thought it was more than that and felt it deep in her bones. It all just felt so perfect, so right, so meant to be.

And still, some small, niggling sense of cynicism worked its way into her brain and tugged at her heart, making it impossible to feel completely at ease. It was all so perfect, possibly too perfect to be true. She pushed the thoughts away as best she could, vowing to enjoy what time she had left in this fairy tale they concocted, and began rummaging through the cupboards for coffee or tea, anything with a good healthy dose of caffeine.

“Get your paws off of me, man!” Dalton roared.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Wait…where’s—” Then he saw her, and a brilliant smile lit up his sleepy face. “There she is, the person I had in my arms all night.” Garrett glared at his brother before throwing a pillow in his face. He turned his eyes back to her, his gaze softening as he took her in. Dalton watched her, too, with the same adoring gaze. It made a girl feel priceless, like the center of the universe.

“Morning, fellas.” Madeline twiddled her fingers at them, unable to stop the smile that came every time they looked at her that way.

“What are you doing all the way over there, beautiful?” Dalton drawled as he stretched his bulging arms into the air, his big hands clenching into thick fists.

Garrett patted the space between them. “You belong right here.” A lock of his sandy-blond hair fell in front of his eyes, making him look devilishly charming and boyish.

“I was trying to make coffee, but only got as far as heating the water.” She gestured to the electric kettle already beginning to steam.

“Well, you’re out of luck, sugar, ’cause there’s no coffee here. We just keep the local yerba mate on hand,” Dalton said.

“And besides, no woman of ours should be making coffee like some commoner.” Garrett smirked as he clapped his hands. “Servants! Please, fetch our lady a warm beverage.”

Madeline laughed at his theatrics while Dalton rolled his eyes and punched his brother in the arm. “You’re going to make her think we’re two spoiled dandies when really it’s just the one. And besides,” Dalton grinned, “we gave all our help the weekend off so we could have the entire place to ourselves.” He opened his arms as Madeline sauntered over, allowing the robe to open up around her legs and caress the tops of her thighs as she walked, and let herself be pulled into his embrace.

“Oh, my.” She shouldn’t have been startled when she felt Dalton’s cock dig into her backside—in fact, the sensation seemed to be rather ubiquitous these past few days—but she wondered if she would ever get used to his impressive size. She had thought cocks were only that big in dirty movies. Her new reality brought two big cocks, as thick and meaty as they were long and rock hard. Sigh, if only every girl could be so lucky.

“I think I might have a little something warm I could put in your mouth that’ll perk you right up.” Dalton wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, walking backward toward a narrow door a few feet away.

“Wait. Where are we going?”

Dalton held her weight with one arm while he opened the door with his free hand. Madeline turned her head and snuck a peek at a small, yet luxurious bathroom. She did not think there was enough room in there for all three of them, but she suddenly was not worried about not having enough space. The closer she could get to her men, the better.

“I figure after last night you might want a hot shower,” Garrett said with a naughty grin.

Dalton set her on the cool tiles and, reaching past her, turned on the shower, then pushed her robe off her shoulders and shuffled her under the already warm spray.

Madeline tilted her head back and let the water run down her body, moaning as the warmth loosened the muscles in her shoulders and lower back. When she opened her eyes, she saw Dalton and Garrett openly admiring her, their gazes fastened on the rivulets of water than coursed over her breasts and down her belly. Madeline swallowed her self-consciousness and took feminine pride in the hunger in their gazes and in the way their chests rose and fell heavily with their breaths.

“Surely the two of you aren’t going to make me do this all by myself,” she taunted as she covered her breasts and turned to the side.

Garrett’s grin turned erotic, and his hard cock pulsed before he wedged himself behind her under the spray. His hands skimmed all over her body—her back, her hips, her breasts—before he gathered her tight against him. “You have no idea how beautiful you are or how much we want you.”

She smiled to herself. She could feel how much he wanted her pressing against her hip. She started to reach between their bodies to stroke him when Dalton inched under the shower head, his thick cock practically begging for attention.

“So what was that about perking me up?” she asked.

The corner of Dalton’s mouth curled up, and his green eyes blazed. Without answering, he reached past her and grabbed some body wash. He squeezed a dollop into his square palm, then rubbed the gel all over his huge dick. The scent of man spice and a hint of aloe permeated the steamy room, and Madeline breathed in deep, inhaling the scent that constantly clung to Dalton’s skin.

The sight of him handling himself did strange things to Madeline. Her clit started throbbing, and she felt her body temperature spike.

Garrett nipped the side of her neck. “You like watching him, don’t you?”

Madeline ducked her chin toward her chest, but she nodded. “Yes.”

“Why don’t you help?” Dalton suggested, his lips curling seductively.

Before she could even think about it, she reached her hand out and wrapped her fingers around Dalton’s thick cock and slid all the way to the base.

Dalton released a groan from deep in his chest. “Shit.”

Madeline smiled to herself and continued soaping his cock, watching as water sluiced down his lean, sculpted body. His dick was so gracefully masculine in her grip, the ridge sleek and thick and his twin weights heavy and virile. Her pussy clenched.

Then Garrett’s hand slid down her hip and curved down toward her mound. Reacting on pure instinct, Madeline inched her feet apart, opening herself up for his fingers. Garrett did not disappoint. He caressed her aching clit, soothing her with his soft, teasing touch while riling her up for them. His hard cock pressed against her ass cheek, and she wanted nothing more than for him to bend her over and take her. She wiggled her hips, silently begging, but Garrett lightly pinched her clit.

“Calm down, Madeline. We’ve got all morning.” He reached up with his free hand and pinched her nipple, making her gasp. “You’ll get there, don’t worry,” he rasped in her ear.

But she needed to get there now. Pleasure and passion swirled through her, and Garrett’s exquisitely skilled touch fueled her desire. The water flowing over their bodies felt like a thousand little fingertips caressing her, massaging her. Her whole body was alive and shaking with desire, with the awareness of what Dalton and Garrett did to her. She was so aroused that she was almost painfully aware of every single sensation—the pressing and flicking of Garrett’s fingers over her clit, the hard, unyielding length of Dalton’s cock in her palm.

She kept pumping her hand back and forth, squeezing, twisting, until Dalton cursed and gently pressed her hand away. “Enough for now, sweetheart. Let’s focus on you right now.”

Dalton leaned down and captured a nipple between his lips and sucked. Instantly, shocks of pleasure shot down her body, mingling with the sensation of Garrett’s fingers between her legs. Her legs bucked beneath her, but Garrett’s strong arms held her as he and Dalton sensually attacked her, hitting all her pleasure spots until she was writhing, moaning, gasping between them.

Her orgasm came quickly and lingered. It pulsed through her with every heartbeat and burst through her with enough force to make her collapse in Garrett’s grip, spent. They took their time bringing her down. Another bottle of body wash appeared, but this one smelled like fresh night-blooming flowers. Dalton and Garrett rubbed it into her skin with lazy, lingering strokes. Madeline braced herself with a hand against the wall and let them wash her, their fingers slowly working her back up into a frenzy for them. Then they moved her under the warm spray, and the fragrant bubbles slowly ran down her skin. Dalton stepped out of the shower stall first and held out a thick white towel for her. She dried herself off as Garrett soaped himself up quickly and then stepped out of the shower, trailing water everywhere.

She shook her head and suppressed a giggle. Obviously, men and women had completely different ideas of what it meant to dry off.

Garrett eyed her. “What?”

Madeline gathered the towel closer around her breasts, noting how amazing Garrett looked with water droplets running down his hard pecs and chiseled belly. “Nothing. You’re just dripping water everywhere like a—”

Garrett took a step closer. “Like a what?”

“A, um…” She inched toward the door and her shoulder bumped into Dalton’s chest. Damn, she was caged in.

“Finish what you were saying, Madeline,” Dalton said from above her.

Oh, she loved the way his voice sounded so rough when he was aroused.

“Like an animal,” she said quickly. Then she turned and rushed out of the bathroom, but she did not get far. Dalton quickly caught up to her and spun her around.

“An animal, is he?” Dalton lips twitched, and his eyes were warm, but his face was impassive.

“That’s not what I meant. I swear,” she protested as he gathered her in his arms.

“Tell that to my brother’s wounded pride.”

Her eyes flew wide. “Oh, my God. Did I hurt his feelings?”

Garrett scoffed as he sauntered up to them, his glorious muscles rippling with his every movement. “Of course not.” Then he leaned in to whisper against her ear, “But you were right. I am one when it comes to you.”

She shivered at the heat in his words.

“Are you cold?” Dalton asked, his gaze on her still wet skin.

“No.” She was turned on again.

“You sure, sweetheart? Because I’ve got something that’ll warm you up.” Dalton reached between them and pulled his cock out. “Care for a taste?”

Her lips parted slightly at the invitation, and her mouth watered. “And I’m assuming it doesn’t need any added cream or sugar?”

“Not unless you’re bringing it, princess.” Dalton licked his lips and lowered himself onto the pillows lying in the floor, his legs splayed in blatant invitation. The gentle green eyes that oozed love only moments before turned dark and hooded.

Not needing to be asked more than once, Madeline kneeled and dipped her head down, stretching her lips around the impossibly thick mushroom head of Dalton’s penis. As she worked her way down his shaft and then to the back of her throat, she realized Dalton’s cock was slightly thicker than Garrett’s, though Garrett’s was slightly longer. Either one was a magnificent specimen of virility.

Dalton groaned as he nested his fingers in her hair. His thighs clenched, outlining the cut and sinew of every muscle as he subtly rocked his hips. She moaned when she felt the seductive caress of Garrett slipping her towel off, trailing the thick material with feather-light kisses down her spine. The more she moaned, the tenser the muscles in Dalton’s thighs got and the more tightly he twisted her hair in his hands. The pain in her scalp only intensified the dual sensation of luscious cock in her mouth and erotic touches at her back.

Garrett dug his fingers into her hips and urged her bottom up until she kneeled with her ass in the air. His hands at her knees, he prodded her legs apart before she realized he had snuck his head underneath her dripping cunt, gingerly lapping at her like a starving kitten. She lowered her cunt until it grinded against his hungry mouth, and he devoured her. He moaned against her pussy, making her whole body resonate with his desire for her. She moaned louder, a sound that rumbled from deep within her and around Dalton’s cock. She squeezed the base of it tighter with her hands and worked him as hard as Garrett worked her.

Sliding two fingers inside her pussy as he kissed and sucked her clit, Garrett adjusted her position over his face and massaged the spot high in her vagina that he had claimed as his. The intensity nearly overwhelmed her, pushing her to the brink, but she pushed back. She didn’t want to come, not just yet. She didn’t want to become all boneless and spent, not so soon, not quite yet. She had other things to focus her attention on.

“Oh, Madeline, oh, yes. Your mouth is pure heaven,” Dalton managed to say between groans and pants. “I’m going to come so hard, you better brace yourself, sugar.” Madeline would’ve smiled around his cock if she’d had any slack in her mouth to do so.

Garrett pressed her G-spot again, bringing her attention back to her cunt. It seemed his other hand had joined in the frenzy, but the feelings around her were so overwhelming she couldn’t be sure what was going on. All she knew and needed to know was that it excited her, made her heart beat frantically in her chest, and made her feel alive and wanted and sexy as hell.

Madeline realized Garrett spread her pussy juices to her asshole, and a flutter of exhilaration seated itself in her belly. By now she was well-versed in what that meant and eagerly awaited the burning yet pleasurable sensation of penetration there. He repositioned her pelvis on his face and fucked her with his tongue. Finally, mercifully, a zing of electricity and fire radiated from her backside, lighting up every synapse in her body, as he pumped his fingers in her ass. Finding the sensation so unbelievable, she managed to glance down at Garrett, wanting to verify that indeed some human and not a god worked his magic there. As she looked, she caught a glimpse of Garrett stroking his cock, his fingers glistening with her pussy juices, rubbing her essence into his shaft and over his cock head.

She could hold back no longer, and she screamed a muffled cry around Dalton’s cock as she bucked on Garrett’s face. She heard one brother groan as she felt another brother moan and then warm cream poured down her throat, and she worked to swallow every drop of his potent seed. Garrett tensed, then relaxed underneath her.

Rolling off the brothers, she heard Dalton chuckle. “I don’t know about you, sweetheart, but I feel perkier already.”

After a deep breath and a quick stretch, Madeline had to agree.

* * * *

As she pulled her hair up into a loose bun, Madeline felt a little sad to be leaving Argentina, a place she’d never planned to visit but would be eternally grateful that she’d had a chance to even have a glimpse of. She knew she had a whole life in Texas and important and meaningful work to get back to, but she couldn’t help but want this fantasy to go on forever.

She sighed as she zipped the back of her skirt up and then looked around for her shoes. The glass slippers were nice, but weren’t quite as sensible-looking as the shoes she’d come there in. Searching underneath the bed, she looked up when she heard Dalton clear his throat. He stood at the doorway to the bedroom with his brother, both with unmistakably mischievous looks on their faces.

“As I was saying last night, we have one more little surprise for you.” Garrett walked toward her alongside Dalton.

“What is it?” she asked as Dalton helped her stand.

“As you can see, you can’t find the shoes you came here in and do you know why?” Dalton looked at her with a cocked brow and playful twinkle in his eye. The first time they met he was so serious, almost brooding. He seemed like a completely different man now.

“No, tell me why.”

“A little bird told me that, while you were sleeping, a couple of elves came and stole your shoes.” Garrett pointed to her feet as he explained. “They said they were all right, but you deserved better, so they took them behind these doors and cobbled a better pair or two.”

“To give a conservative estimate,” Dalton interjected, smiling.

“A couple of elves, huh? Could they be named Dalton and Garrett?” Madeline playfully wrapped a lock of her auburn hair around her finger.

Garrett chuckled, taking Madeline’s hand and pressing it firmly against his erection. “Sweetheart, I assure you that there is nothing elfin about me or my brother.”

Madeline bit her upper lip and sucked in a breath as her fingers made contact with his cock. “Well, that’s for damn sure.”

* * * *

Dalton could barely contain his excitement as he and Garrett led Madeline to her surprise. He never took any interest in fashion, but he knew what women were like and Madeline was certainly all woman. Shoes were like manna from heaven.

They walked up to a set of double doors. “Okay, you ready?” Garrett asked.

Madeline nodded. She had her lips folded between her teeth, probably in anticipation.

Just before Garrett’s hands, securely holding the door handles, were about to turn, Madeline put up both her hands. “Wait, wait.” She took a deep breath. “You guys really don’t have to give me another surprise. All this has been so wonderful and so perfect already. I just don’t know.”

“Don’t know what, Madeline?” Dalton hated the huskiness of his voice then, the way he sounded almost desperate or afraid. God, she really has gotten to me.

Her brows knitted together, and she chewed her bottom lip. Her anxiousness did start to make him nervous. Crap. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just a little overwhelmed, that’s all.” She sighed as her eyes grew misty, and then her bottom lip jutted out, creating a juicy pouting morsel Dalton wanted to suck into his mouth and make disappear so he could replace it with a smile. But as far as words to improve her mood, Dalton couldn’t think of one. He turned to his silver-tongued brother for help.

“Hey, Maddie, there’s no need to feel overwhelmed. What’s there to be overwhelmed about? It’s not like we’re performing rocket surgery or anything.”

“Huh?” Madeline’s expression turned to puzzled amusement. Dalton chuckled. Silver-tongued brother, indeed.

“Whatever. It’s nothing that special, just a,” Garrett flung the doors open and put his hands in the air, “huge closet full of new shoes!” He sounded just like a game show host.

Madeline gasped, and she covered her mouth with her hands. “For me?”

“Oh, wait, one more thing.” Bending down, Garrett grabbed a silver ice bucket that they had filled with confetti, throwing handfuls of the sparkly, multi-colored stuff in the air like a young, decidedly more manly Rip Taylor. “Ta-daa!” Well, maybe not that much more manly.

The sweet sound of Madeline’s infectious laughter filled the room. “I can’t believe this. I mean, this has got to be every girl’s dream, right?” She walked to the center of the room, eyes wide as she looked around her.

“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Dalton gently nudged her toward a shelf stocked entirely with strappy sandals. “You can touch. They’re all yours. We measured your foot while you slept like a log on the flight over here, and we had them all shipped just for you. Do you like it?”

“Are you kidding? Like it? I love it!” She squealed with delight as she grabbed each pair of shoes, slipped them on her feet, and did a little dance before starting the process all over with another pair. He hoped she didn’t plan on doing it with every shoe or they’d be there all night. They had something like fifty pairs of shoes, all expertly picked out by Bea. “I could die right now and be the happiest girl in the world.”

Bea had said her goal was to make her squeal like an all-female audience during a taping of Oprah’s Favorite Things, whatever that meant. Well, Madeline was squealing all right, so he was sure Bea’s plan had been a success.

Then she stilled, arms engulfed by an array of stilettos, pumps, boots, and more. “Hold on, where am I going to keep all these shoes? My apartment barely has enough room for my paltry belongings as it is.”

“Don’t worry, beautiful. We’ll figure something out.” His voice cheery, Garrett squeezed her shoulder before making eye contact with Dalton. Dalton was relieved his brother hadn’t mentioned the personal walk-in closet they were planning for Madeline as soon as they figured out if she’d move in with them. They had both sensed she wasn’t ready for that step and thought it best not to bring it up just yet. “Now come on, we have a plane to catch. Grab a pair you want to wear right now and a few others you want to look at during the flight.”

“We’ll have someone box the rest up and put them in the plane.” Dalton looked at his watch. “But it’s getting late. We’ve got to get moving if we want to make it back by Monday morning.”

“Okay,” Madeline said before she leaned up to kiss each brother. She looked down at the ground for a moment before letting out another sigh. “So, is this where the fairy tale ends?”

Dalton smiled. “No, sweetheart. This is where it begins.” He gripped her fingers, ignoring the pointy shoe that fell on the ground, narrowly missing his foot, and kissed her hand.

“And we could still take it further. I mean, there’s always Jack and the Giant Beanstalk.” Garrett grinned and pointed to the erection tenting his pants. “You want to climb on? I assure you, it will take you someplace unimaginable.”

Madeline giggled and playfully pushed him in the arm. “I bet that’s what you tell all the girls.”

“Oh, no. After this weekend, I don’t think this beanstalk will grow for anyone but a real princess like you.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose and she blushed. “I mean it.”

Dalton wondered if there was as much truth to the statement for his brother as it was for him. Yes, only Madeline would do now. No one else. As they made their way out of the room and back to the real world, Dalton hoped he and his brother had been able to give their princess the fairy tale romance she deserved.

Chapter Ten

Madeline checked her watch again and fought the urge to walk across the street to Breakfast at Stephanie’s, the local gourmet coffee shop, and grab herself a snack. And by snack she meant a cream cheese danish. Her stomach growled. If Bea was not there in five more minutes, she would make a run for it and feast. Bea had mentioned not to eat anything with sugar from today until after the cotillion, which Madeline thought was a little over the top. A girl had to eat.

Three minutes later, the unmistakable click-clack of expensive Italian stilettos on the sidewalk told Madeline to turn around, but before she could even make a full one-eighty, a small Texas whirlwind of oversized jewelry, oversized blonde hair, and, more than anything else, oversized personality surrounded her in a bear hug. A delicate cloud of sweet-smelling perfume settled around her upon her release.

“Well, look at you,” Bea screeched before she picked up Madeline’s hand and forced her to twirl around. “Even more than twenty-four hours later and you’re still radiant with afterglow. What did my brothers do to you?” Adding to Madeline’s disorientation, several gold and jeweled bracelets on Bea’s bird-like wrists created a cacophony of precious metal on precious metal as she waved her hands around in greeting and led the way toward the shiny glass doors of the department store.

“Nothing,” Madeline said as she swung one of the heavy doors open and walked through. She really did not want to go into the details about Argentina right now. Not when they were walking into one of the fanciest department stores in the country. When she stepped onto the marble tiles and looked around, Madeline realized they were in the makeup department.

“Ouch!” Madeline felt a sharp pinch on her ass followed by a firm slap.

“You sore everywhere or what?” Bea just winked at her, then took another eyeful of her rear and smiled. “They must have worked you good ’cause you could bounce a quarter off that adorable little ass of yours.”

After everything stopped spinning and the rest of her senses stopped reeling, Madeline could feel her face flame in embarrassment. Bea had phoned her yesterday, inviting her to shop for a cotillion dress. They were standing just inside the entrance of Jacqueline’s in the middle of the day, and she simply wasn’t accustomed to sharing her sex life in public at quite such a loud volume. A girl with platinum blonde hair in an impossibly tight bun working the Laura Mercier makeup counter snickered along with the salesgirl from the MAC counter. She had severely cut jet-black hair and garish red lips that perfectly outlined the O her mouth made, as in “Oh, no she didn’t.” A mother shopping at Bobbi Brown with two tween-aged young girls dropped her jaw in apparent shock and scooted them away as if just looking at someone with an active sex life would instantly turn these young girls into whores.

Madeline, still speechless, could only glance quickly at all the people now privy to the current firmness of her ass and the possible reasons it became that way before nailing her eyes right to the ground.

“Well, whatever is the matter, honey?”

“Um, it’s just that, I…um, well.” A high-pitched laugh of nervousness bubbled out of her throat, the most intelligible sounds she could manage to make at that moment.

Bea must have looked around and finally registered the reactions they were getting because she leaned her head in and said in a hushed voice, “Shoot, are you worried about what these people think?” She stood perfectly straight then. “They’re just jealous.” She pronounced each word loudly and clearly, speaking the last word like she was spitting out a watermelon seed.

Hooking her arm into Madeline’s, Bea guided her away from the onlookers and led her up a flight of stairs to meet with her personal shopper, Buford. Although happy to have help, she tended to find shopping for clothes to be more of a chore than anything, unlike shoe shopping. The thought of someone with a name like Buford picking out beautiful, feminine things was just something she didn’t imagine. But this was Male Order. Who knew what to expect?

“Hey, girl! Don’t you look fabulous?” A man in his mid-twenties with sandy-blond hair walked up with his arms raised, wrists limp, for a hug and two quick air kisses on each of Bea’s cheeks. “And this precious little thing must be Miss Maddie. Oh, we are going to have so much fun finding you a dress for the cotillion with this cute little body of yours.”

“Um…thanks. So how did you two meet?” she asked as Buford guided the two of them into a luxuriously decorated and hugely oversized room. One entire wall was covered with mirrors, and beautifully upholstered couches and marble-topped tables rested on the dark hardwood floor.

“Bea was a junior in high school when I was a freshman and, yeah, I got picked on some by, you know, jock types. All very typical. They’d call me Butt-fugly Buford,” he grimaced and then rolled his eyes, folding and unfolding his arms as he spoke, “and one day,” a smile broke across his face like a ray of sunshine through storm clouds, “in walks the most glorious little thing I’d ever seen, my dream come true all cinched up in hot pink dayglo and the most lovely crimped hair this side of the Rio Grande, and that’s including that of Miss Debbie Gibson. And, of course, I’m speaking of Miss Queen Bea here.”

Bea smiled and touched her heart as she cocked her head to the side. “Oh, he exaggerates, but I did love to rock a well-crimped side ponytail now and then.” She folded her hands in her lap and faced Madeline. “See, I could relate to his troubles. As you know, Bea is short for,” she put the side of her open hand against her mouth and leaned in, whispering, “Beulah.” She took a deep breath in and out as if exorcising the demons just saying that name conjured and continued. “And I had a pretty tough time when I was younger, mostly from the two shitty but devastatingly charming and perfect men you happen to be dating right now, so I decided to take this adorable little slip of a thing under my wing and make sure he was treated with the respect he deserved.”

“I considered changing my name for a while, I was thinking Ford, because Harrison Ford was just so it at the time, but I couldn’t get it to stick. I don’t know, maybe if I had run around carrying a lasso with a brown wool fedora atop this fine head of hair of mine it would have worked. Well, c’est la vie.”

“That’s a great story. And it all worked out. Buford is really such a…a unique name.” Madeline smiled.

“All right then, nice chat,” Buford said. His gaze skimmed down Madeline’s body with shrewd precision, then flicked back up to meet hers. “Size four, yes? Six, tops. Now that we’ve met, and I have professionally assessed your personal style, I’ll go gather a few things that I think you’d like while you two just sit back, relax, sip some champagne, and enjoy.” With a little wave of goodbye, Buford sauntered out of the room, leaving Bea and Madeline alone in the large lounge-like dressing suite.

“Thank you for helping me pick out something to wear. This is all just so new and overwhelming.”

“Oh, think nothing of it, honey. My brothers seem to have really taken a shine to you.” Bea took a sip of champagne before leaning back on her elbows on the circular bench they sat on in the center of the room. She tapped the tip of her shoe against the corner of the small glass coffee table in front of them. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them quite so happy. They’ve certainly never flown someone they’re interested in to our home in Argentina.”

Hearing that made Madeline feel special at the same time it unnerved her. She so wanted them to feel for her what she felt for them, yet the intensity of that emotion also frightened her. She decided overanalyzing her relationship and feelings was only going to make her feel more crazy, so she changed the subject.

“Bea, how did Male Order get its name? It’s certainly…different.”

Bea snickered. “Funny story. You know there were five original founding families, yes? Well, it was five sets of brothers who had all met out West after they’d made their riches during the gold rush and they all decided to start their own town in one of the vast stretches of homesteads they’d heard were available in Texas. That way, they’d be able to live and spend their money however they wanted in a town of their own making.”

“That sounds like quite the plan.”

“Yes, but not as well-thought out as it could’ve been. See, when they finally got here and settled in, they realized their town wasn’t going to get very far without women to start families with. No women means no babies, and with no one around for miles, they decided to get mail-order brides.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No, you can’t make this stuff up. And it sounds a little crude nowadays to order a woman to make babies with, but it was very common at the time, and it was a sound decision for those women who didn’t have a lot going for them wherever they were. But anyway, isn’t it every girl’s dream to marry a rich man?”

“I guess that’s true,” Madeline responded hesitantly. She couldn’t recall ever having that dream. She’d always dreamed of saving the world and winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Of course it is, honey.” Bea took the last swallow of her champagne and then waved someone over to refill it before she continued. “And so, these five pairs of rich brothers decided to name the town Mail Order so that their ten brides to be would know where their future husbands were in all of the vast state of Texas. The thing is, though, that the county clerk misspelled it, hence the male in Male Order.”

“How did it become a ménage town?”

“You mean not all towns have more than one man for every woman?”

Madeline stared at her blankly before she felt Bea push her in the shoulder.

“I’m only kidding. Small town doesn’t mean small minds. Anyway, it was another mix-up, of course. They only sent one bride per family, going by each surname, and not taking into account that there were multiple brothers for every family. It would’ve taken months to get more brides sent, which, I imagine would’ve been quite awkward for whichever brother was the third wheel. So, being enterprising men who had become successful by making do with what they had, they decided to share their wives, and that’s how it all came to be, and they made sure that within the city limits of Male Order, their way of life would never be threatened.”

Madeline nodded her understanding as she continued to wrap her brain around such an unconventional start to a town.

“And every year, to commemorate the town’s mixed-up founding, we have a cotillion where the men are auctioned off, partially to make fun of it but also respecting our unique history. So, in the end, the name and spelling of Male Order makes complete sense.”

Before Madeline had time to question the logic of that statement, Buford came in, pushing a rack brimming with dresses.

“Ta-daa! Here we are.” Buford practically squealed with excitement as Bea bounced in her seat, clapping her hands in delight.

“Finally!” Bea said.

“I have plucked the crème de la crème of evening gowns and have carefully edited the selection down to just a few choice items.”

Madeline swallowed hard. There must have been more than a dozen dresses on that rack. She pushed down the anxiety bubbling in her stomach. “A few choice items?” Madeline murmured.

“Oh, how fun! I could try on dresses all day, and probably would except I already picked my dress out. Honey, do I look green because I am so envious right now.”

“So, scoot your little butt into that dressing room.” Buford lifted her from her seat and gently nudged her into the dressing room as another salesperson pushed the rack of dresses behind her.” We want to see every dress you try on, too.”

Madeline got a flashback of shopping with her mother for a prom dress and shuddered. It had been a nightmare fueled by teen angst and too much taffeta and was probably the impetus for her current aversion to shopping. This was going to be a long day.

* * * *

Madeline took a breath, fearing it might be her last one, and stepped out of the dressing room. She would have breathed a sigh of relief that this was the final dress on the rack if she could breathe at all. She would’ve been fine with the first dress she tried on. Classy and sophisticated, the ivory and gold gown had made Madeline feel like a lady. The bottom flared out from the waist and had a vintage, almost ’50s, quality to it. And most importantly, it fit well and felt right. She thought she looked like a princess in it, but Bea and Buford insisted she try on the other dresses, saying it was perhaps too simple or understated for the cotillion. Madeline thought that was nonsense, but saw no point in arguing with two lionesses ruling their domain.

The bottom of the dress she now had on flared out at her knees and was incredibly poufy but it made a wonderful crinkly sound as she walked. So hypnotized by it and perhaps a little exhausted, she had walked out the dressing room without looking up.

“How’s this one? I think it’s a bit too tight and—” The silence startled her into finally looking up. Both Bea and Buford had their jaws dropped, hand on faces, as if stunned. “What’s the matter? Is something wrong?” Madeline quickly turned and looked in the three-sided mirror to make sure the back of it wasn’t tucked into her panties somehow. When she found everything appropriately covered, she turned back to Bea and Buford.

A belated gasp finally escaped Bea’s glossed lips, and she fanned her face as if she were going to cry. Madeline would’ve shifted uncomfortably, except the gown’s constricting bodice made it nearly impossible to move. Nearly the entire gold and ivory dress was covered in fine lace shaped in half circles and layered to look like sequined and beaded fish scales. At the flared bottom, the lace stopped about halfway, allowing the ivory tulle and crinoline to stand out as it swished to and fro when she walked.

“Something wrong?” Buford said in a tone heavy with sarcasm. “The only thing wrong is that you didn’t put this one on first. Of course, I only have myself to blame. It’s my job, after all. It’s just so hard for most girls to pull off a dress with so much drama.” As he continued talking, he walked over and bent down to the hem of the dress, fluffing it so every inch of fabric looked picture perfect.

“Oh, will you stop mumbling to yourself about yourself?” Bea elbowed Buford aside and took over fluffing and primping duty. “Today is about Maddie and finding her the perfect Cinderella gown for the ball.”

“So you like it?” Madeline didn’t know what to make of the bewildered look on Bea’s face.

“Oh, honey, like doesn’t do it justice. This dress is the one,” Bea said, sounding nearly breathless. “You are a vision, an absolute vision, and I just can’t believe you’re having such a hard time seeing this yourself.”

Madeline studied herself in the mirror, unsure at first of what it was that Bea and Buford saw that had them so enamored. With such intricate detail and precise cut, the dress was undoubtedly beautiful. The strapless bodice revealed her shoulders and pushed up her breasts until they were so round and high she could have tapped one with her chin if she tried. The tighter than tight fit hugged her every curve.

Yet, it didn’t feel quite right. The person she stared at wasn’t the Madeline she was used to, not necessarily a bad thing, but it made her squirm a little bit. Neither Bea nor Buford seemed to notice, though. She stood there while the two played dress-up with her as their doll. She felt almost like one of those ridiculously pampered pets that was carried around in purses, and she wondered if that’s how Dalton and Garrett truly felt about her. Was she just something they kept around for their own amusement, dressing her up, easily impressing her with their lavish lifestyle, and it was all just a fun game for them? She didn’t think they meant any harm by it, though she knew that when they tired of their new plaything and tossed her away, it would break her heart.

“I think I know just the thing, the piece de resistance to take this look from pow to ka-pow!” Bea swept up Madeline’s hair into a loose chignon. “Buford, get that necklace I’ve been ogling. You know the one.”

“I thought you’d never ask!” Buford squealed and left the room, quickly returning with the most exquisite, opulent piece of glittery goodness Madeline had ever seen in her life. She loved costume jewelry, and this was the finest example she’d ever laid eyes on. She sucked in a breath when Buford wrapped the necklace of blue and crystal jewels around her neck.

“Give me a minute to secure it—a necklace as precious as this one isn’t going to have a simple clasp that can be easily undone.”

Madeline’s hands almost trembled as she fingered the array of vivid blue cushion-cut jewels interlaced with brilliant marquis-cut and cushion-cut diamonds. Well, they looked like diamonds, but she knew they couldn’t possibly be. The jewels were of varying sizes arranged symmetrically all the way around to the clasp. When Buford secured the clasp and let go, the weight of the necklace surprised her.

“What do you think?” Buford ask as he unfurled his fingers, palms up the way a magician would after pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

“It’s beautiful. I love it.”

“You are stone-cold stunning, Madeline!” Bea said with a delighted squeal. “I am a genius. How did I know this would be perfection?”

“It really is fabulous, the way the sapphires bring out the brown of your eyes so everything just pops! And with the dress, the way the bodice presses up those magnificent tater tots of yours so the necklace just barely hovers over them. Ooh, girl, Dalton and Garrett are going to cream themselves when they see you!”

Then someone brought out boxes and boxes of shoes, and she remembered all the shoes the men had surprised her with. She knew they had intended to buy all this for her too, but it was simply too much. Never one to take handouts, Madeline found this to be completely exorbitant and entirely out of hand. The Ellises always emphasized that all this was their pleasure, that she didn’t owe them a thing by accepting their generosity, but she couldn’t help but feel like perhaps they were buying her too. She couldn’t let that happen.

“How much is this dress?”

“I don’t know.” Bea looked at her puzzled and then laughed. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever asked that question in my life.”

Buford walked in, holding a box full of clutches and evening bags.

“Buford, Madeline wants to know how much that dress is.”

Buford stopped in his tracks, just about to set the purses down and then promptly straightened. “I’ll have to check. You’ve never asked me that before, so I stopped looking at price tags long ago.”

Picking up each purse that Buford had set down before he walked back out the room, Bea set three aside and looked up at Madeline expectantly. With barely a second glance, Madeline chose the one in the middle.

“That’s exactly what I thought, too.” Bea smiled brightly.

“Okay, I’m back!” Buford waltzed in holding a piece of paper with his slender fingers and cleared his throat. “The dress is twenty-five, and if you’re curious, the necklace is about three hundred. Isn’t that fabulous?”

Madeline fought down a tickling suspicion even as it prodded at her mind. Did she just so happen to luck out by choosing a dress on the discount rack? Even then, what a discount, she thought to herself. The necklace seemed a little pricey for faux jewels, but she had to admit they looked flawless. “Wow, I can’t believe what a great deal the dress is. I didn’t think Jacqueline’s had such amazing bargains.” Madeline gleamed as she modeled in the mirror, posing and admiring herself. “Is there some kind of clearance sale or something?”

“A what?” Bea looked as if Madeline were speaking a foreign language and then shared a look with Buford as look of understanding washed over his face.

Madeline’s heart started sinking.

“Oh, sweetheart, no.” Buford giggled. “You thought I meant twenty-five dollars. No, I meant thousand. Twenty-five thousand for the dress, three hundred thousand for the necklace. And while I’m at it, the purse you picked out is almost four thousand, but the shoes are a steal compared to everything else. They aren’t even a thousand dollars. Just three digits.” He held up three fingers and smiled warmly at her, but Madeline felt like a fool. She could feel Bea and Buford watching her. Was it with pity? Embarrassment?

A cool hand landed on her shoulder. “Honey, why ever would you want to know how much this all costs anyway?” Bea looked sincerely perplexed, and Madeline wondered what planet she was on. She had never in her life purchased anything without looking at the price first. She only rarely bought anything at full price, but if she did, it was cheap to begin with.

“This…um…I can’t possibly. This has to cost a—” Madeline did a vague calculation of the total cost of her evening dress with all of its glittery and fabulous accouterments, but her stomach turned at just the price of the necklace. Her fingers grazed it, and she let out a laugh to keep from crying. They were real sapphires and diamonds. Real and really big to boot.

“But what if it falls off and I lose it? I’ve never had anything this nice before and—”

“Well, it’s about time you’ve had something this nice.” Bea smoothed a wisp of Madeline’s hair over her ear as she spoke. “Every girl deserves a diamond or two or three dozen.”

“And besides,” Buford said, “you aren’t going to lose it. Once you got the clasp on tight—and I’ll show you how it works later—it ain’t going anywhere, honey. Plus, it’s got top-notch construction so you couldn’t rip it off if you tried.” He quirked an eyebrow at Bea and planted his hand on his slim hips. “So don’t you get any ideas, Ms. Bea. No, this is a strong piece of jewelry, and I don’t think you could lose it if you tried.” Bea stuck her tongue out, and Madeline managed a chuckle.

“By the look in her eyes and the drool forming around her lips, I’d say wild horses couldn’t take that thing away from her now.” Bea grinned.

“I don’t know, it’s simply too much, and I’m not used to having others pay for me or buy things for me. You and your brothers have already been so generous to me, and it would just make me feel better if I could pay for something myself.” As she made her offer, Madeline’s stomach churned and she felt sweat prickling on her lower back, probably ruining the lining of the dress. Forget maxing out a credit card or two, her first plan. She’d have to mortgage a house, which she couldn’t even afford to buy, to pay for the shoes and dress alone. The thought of buying the necklace had her stomach reeling. That was out of the question.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Maddie. We’d never expect you to pay for any of this. In fact, we wouldn’t even allow it.”

Something about that statement hit Madeline hard in the gut. Or maybe it was her pride. “And why not?” Madeline realized her tone sounded almost accusing, which wasn’t fair to Bea.

“Well…” Bea struggled to come up with an explanation, but Madeline knew the reason. Because they knew unquestioningly that she couldn’t afford it, that all of this would be well above her means, which she hadn’t thought were particularly meager until that moment.

“Maybe I could try to find a dress on my own? And I already have all these shoes that Dalton and Garrett got for me. There’s really no need to buy another—”

“Oh, no, that won’t do. How do I phrase this…” Bea motioned for one of the attendants to hand her the glass of champagne. She downed the whole flute in two gulps.

“Sweetheart, I think what Bea is trying to say is that this dress is just too perfect for you to pass up. It looks to die for on you and hits just the right combination of standing out while fitting in. Everyone at the cotillion will be wearing thousand-dollar dresses.”

“Thousands,” Bea interjected, emphasizing that it was plural. “No one would be caught dead wearing a dress that was less than a thousand dollars. Honey, it’s just not done in Male Order. Especially not for the cotillion.”

“I see.” What Madeline saw was that a future with Dalton and Garrett meant having to keep up with the rest of the Male Order elites whom the Ellises rubbed elbows with on a daily basis. Wearing clothes that she could afford, being herself, clearly just wouldn’t do in this town. Madeline hoped her nodding would divert their attention from the glassiness of her eyes as they prickled with tears, tears from anger, frustration, and sadness. She felt foolish enough as it was without having everyone in Male Order’s toniest department store know that not only was she fucking like an animal, but she was a crybaby as well.

“Listen, it might sound like a lot of money to you, but believe me, it’s nothing. Nothing at all. Plus, it’s a special occasion.” Bea grabbed the shoes and the purse and waved her hand at Buford. “Put it all on our tab. End of story.”

But if spending nearly four hundred thousand dollars on one dress and all its sparkly accessories was nothing at all, what did that make her? They practically used dollar bills as toilet paper, and they drank the finest champagne as if it were water, or at least Bea did. Money was never an object. Madeline had thought the brothers did all this for her because maybe they thought she was special, worthy of all this extravagance. With the Ellis brothers, she suddenly couldn’t decide if they thought she was worth every penny or if, to them, pennies and all the gold and diamonds in the world weren’t worth very much at all. This was all just a drop in the bucket.

She gazed at herself in the mirror, looking at the beautiful princess they seemed to be molding her into. Even though she looked like a mermaid, she felt like a fish out of water.

Chapter Eleven

Madeline opened the glass door to the children’s center, located in a strip mall in South Dallas. It wasn’t the nicest building in the world, but it was at the heart of the community it served. Before she had secured funding, she worried whether they’d be able to afford to lease in a place as “nice” as this one, but now, if she kept with the plan, she could afford to fix this one up or perhaps move to an even better place in a safer part of the neighborhood.

She needed to clear her head and helping her kids one-on-one was the best way to do that. The point of her work was to help the kids, but in truth, they often ended up helping her more than the other way around.

Madeline had felt all out of sorts since the day Bea had taken her shopping. Knowing what she needed wasn’t fine things or glasses of bubbly or exotic vacations, Madeline had thrown herself into her fundraising efforts. She scheduled meetings for every day that week, back to back, until she had met with each of the founding Male Order families. She also met with businesses in Dallas and had been equally successful getting donations from them—some were more generous than others, but every penny counted.

Nearly a week and a half had past, and she still hadn’t felt much better. The days of hard and rewarding work had done little to ease the constant feeling of anxiousness she couldn’t get away from. When she had some free time or energy to be with Dalton and Garrett, she could feel herself pulling away, and she wasn’t sure exactly why. They were wonderful, perfect, everything she could have dreamed of finding in one man, and she had two. Perhaps that was the problem. The two of them overwhelmed her.

The trip, the shopping, everything had made her feel off kilter. She now knew what it meant when people described being swept off their feet, and frankly, it scared her to her bones. To her, it was completely literal. She felt shaken up and unsure of herself, like the world teetered beneath her feet and she was hanging perilously on the brink. The trip, the men’s efforts, everything was so glamorous and…perfect. To a tee, the trip could not have been executed better. Shopping for her cotillion dress could not have been more extravagant. She had never felt so loved, so alive, so cherished. She experienced things she’d never dreamed of, felt things she didn’t know possible. She was now the proud owner of an exquisite necklace made of real diamonds and sapphires.

But these men lived in a different world from her. They had created a fairy tale, but every girl learned that fairy tales don’t come true. No girl should depend on a handsome prince, or two, to rescue her. Depending on a man was a dangerous prospect at best and life shattering at worst.

She saw that firsthand with her mother. After Madeline’s father left her mother with two small children, she had struggled to make ends meet, but every night she insisted on reading them a bedtime story, no matter how tired she was, how long she’d worked, and how little sleep she’d get before she’d have to start everything over again. Her mother’s favorite story was Cinderella, and even as a child, Madeline could see the parallel. Madeline always suspected her mother read that story and envisioned herself as the poor girl who slaved away and got nothing in return until one day her prince came and swept her off her feet and made her the fairy-tale princess who would be the envy and dream of all little girls from here to eternity.

But, it never happened. Her mother had yet to find that special someone, though she was single and happy. She’d built a fine career for herself and had two strong daughters to show for it. But the fairy tale never came true.

She rounded the corner and saw Erika bent over a textbook, working with a couple of the older kids. Erika looked up right as she came in and excused herself from the table.

“Melinda, Kris, keep working on those formulas and make sure to write out all your work. Seeing how you got to the answer is sometimes just as important as the answer itself, okay?” The kids nodded as Erika walked up to Madeline and gripped her by the elbow, leading her to their private office.

“Well, hello, nice to see you too,” Madeline said, rolling her eyes.

“Where have you been?”

“You know I’ve been going to meetings almost non-stop with the Male Order notables and breaking my back to get funding. We only have a week left.”

“Yeah, breaking your back. I’m sure I know exactly what that means.” Erika smirked as they each pulled out a chair and sat down. “Besides, I thought you got enough from Ellis Enterprises.”

Madeline’s face fell, and her stomach did a flip inside her gut. “Yeah, about that…”

“Don’t tell me you lost the money somehow.” Erika ran her slender fingers through her ebony hair.

“No, not at all, but it’s just that…” With an exasperated sigh, Madeline hooked her finger around a loose lock of hair and tossed it over her shoulder. “How do I put this without making myself sound like an idiot?”

“Please, you never let that stop you from talking before.” Erika smirked, but then her face softened. She patted Madeline on her knee. “Sorry, just tell me what’s going on. It’s not like you to be so…”

“I know. This whole thing with the Ellis brothers is so out of my comfort zone. They’ve been more than generous and have helped me meet a lot of other bigwigs with deep pockets, but something about this whole arrangement makes me uneasy. I just worry. What if becoming involved with them puts their funding and thus our center in jeopardy? I can’t risk this place and the well-being of the kids for—”

“Wait,” Erika held a finger up, “hold on just a second. Do you mean to tell me you’re involved with the Ellis brothers? As in plural?”

Crap. “W–Well, I…” As Madeline foundered for a reasonable explanation, anything to say, really, Erika’s grin just grew wider and wider.

“Oh, my sweet Jesus, Madeline. You’re sleeping with both Ellis brothers? Who are you, pod person, and where have you gone with the Madeline Spencer I know?”

Madeline’s face fell into her hands. “God, I know. I know!” Her words were muffled and quiet. She straightened and looked at Erika. “What is happening to me?”

“Wild, crazy-hot sex? Passion?”

Madeline felt herself blushing. “All of the above. Definitely.”

“No! Stop it. You know better than to be embarrassed in front of me. You need to tell me everything. I mean it. Don’t leave anything out!”

“Erika, now is really not the time to be talking about my very, very personal life right now.”

Erika leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Ah, now there’s the Madeline I know.”

Madeline looked down at her clasped hands. “It’s just all happening so fast, and I’m in way over my head with this. All of this. Begging for money from rich people, the idea that we could run this place soon all by ourselves…”

“Falling in love?” Erika supplied quietly, her expression curious.

“Love? Pfft, who knows? It seems too good to be true. And no fairy tale ends with the princess riding into the sunset with two princes.”

“That’s true, but what is also true is that I have never seen you this liberated before. I mean, look at you. You’re living this glorious fantasy with two of the—”

“Shh!” Madeline pointed to the half-open door. “The walls have ears here.”

“Fine, fine,” Erika acquiesced. “But there is one possibility you don’t seem to have taken into consideration.”

“And what’s that?

“That you can write your own fairy tale with its own fairy-tale ending. You don’t want to be beholden to these men because of their money and the center’s dependence on it, so don’t. With the connections you’ve already made, I know we’ll be fine, even if we have to downgrade our digs and tutor these kids in a tent. What’s most important is that we’re here for them. And don’t be beholden to how you grew up thinking the way love should be. Look at yourself, Madeline. I think this is the first time in your life you’ve been this comfortable with taking so many risks.”

“Since when did you become so wise?”

“All I know is there is plenty of money in the world that has nothing to do with the Ellises.”

“I guess you have a point, but I’m still not sold.” Madeline absentmindedly twirled a lock of hair around her finger as she thought, and she still could not shake the uneasy feeling that churned in her stomach. “But just to be safe, I think I’ll keep my options open.”

“Options?” Erika’s brows knitted. “Madeline—”

A quiet knock sounded on the door before it creaked the rest of the way open. “Miss Erika, Miss Maddie, there’s a weird man outside who keeps peeking in the windows,” Jasmine said breathlessly. “Y’all said to let you know if we ever saw a stranger, and I saw one, and he’s kind of scary.”

“Oh?” Erika turned to Madeline. “You expecting anybody?” Madeline shook her head as she stood and grasped Jasmine’s tiny hand in hers. The area around the center was relatively safe during operating hours, but, when it came to the safety of children, one could never be too careful. Plus, it wasn’t completely out of the ordinary for a transient to come through every now and then.

“Well, let’s go check this out. Thank you for telling us, Jasmine.” The three of them rounded the corner, and Madeline saw something that instantly made her heart beat faster in her chest.

Dalton and Garrett stood there.

“Are those the men you saw, Jasmine?”

“No, but he did look kind of like this one here.” She gestured toward Dalton, and then she saw Garrett. “Hey, you’re the one who saved Teddy!”

“Hello, Jasmine.” Garrett smiled.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Dalton bent down like he was going to kiss Madeline, but she turned away. Disappointment spread on his face, and he looked over his shoulder at Garrett who stared blankly.

“So, what brings you to the center today?” Madeline tried to sound cheery and nonchalant, but she couldn’t conceal the awkward lilt in her voice.

“We brought you something…for the kids.” Garrett nodded, stepped outside, and waved. As he held the door open, four men walked in with their arms overflowing with toys and games and books. The children’s eyes opened wide until Madeline thought it possible for them to pop right out. Their gazes darted between the gifts, then Madeline, then the gifts again, then Erika, then the gifts again, then at the Ellis brothers, then at the gifts.

“Go on, we brought these for you guys.” Dalton smiled broadly and waved for the kids to come over.

Garrett came back with a soft-looking stuffed bear with a pink and green organza bow tied around its neck and handed it to Jasmine. “I thought Teddy could use a girlfriend.” Jasmine tentatively reached for the bear, but the moment her little fingers touched the plush material, she quickly hugged it to her chest.

“Thank you, Mister. I think Teddy will just love her,” Jasmine said breathlessly. Madeline didn’t think she’d ever seen her look happier.

That started the mad rush of kids toward the toys. It was chaos for a moment before a shrill whistle pierced through the din.

“Whoa, kids. Easy, easy,” Erika yelled. “One at a time, okay? You’re gonna trample the little ones.” She looked up at Madeline and rolled her eyes.

Madeline felt confliction roiling in her stomach. “Hey, can I talk to you two for a sec?” she asked through gritted teeth. She walked with Dalton and Garrett around the corner so she wouldn’t be within earshot of the children.

“The kids seem like they’re enjoying the gifts.” Garrett’s eyes positively sparkled. Dalton looked a little more reticent and slower to celebrate just yet. Garrett moved in, trying to wrap his arms around Madeline when she threw his arms off.

“What the hell do you two think you’re doing?”

“What do you mean, what are we doing? Isn’t it obvious, we’re donating presents to your children’s center.”

“Which they seem to love, by the looks on their faces and their squeals. It’s like Christmas in July in there.” Garrett planted his hands on his hips and stared at her incredulously.

“Did it not occur to you that it would behoove you to run something like this by me first? You can’t just barge in here, into a learning environment with a truckload of presents. Do you realize how distracting that is?”

“There are some educational things in there,” Garrett countered.

“The school year just ended, and we’re working our asses off trying to get this summer program off the ground so the kids can be prepared for their upcoming placement tests. You know how the Texas public school system works. These tests will set the stage for an entire school year of coursework, they can qualify kids to gifted and talented programs, and they determine school funding. If we can get them into honors placement, do you know how much that could benefit them in the future? Most of these kids’ parents never went to college, but these kids have a real chance.”

“School just ended. Can’t they use a break? They’re just kids, Maddie. It’s summer. Lighten up,” Dalton said. Madeline’s control snapped.

“Did you just tell me to lighten up? How dare you. This isn’t fun and games to me, okay? There are futures at stake,” Madeline narrowed her eyes at each man and tossed her hair over her shoulder with an angry flick of her wrist, “and these kids don’t have rich mommies and daddies to bail them out.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dalton asked.

“It means exactly what it sounds like. What these kids need to do well is a good education and strong work ethic. They won’t have cushy internships lined up for them or a college fund overflowing with money so they can get in anywhere money can buy.”

“Maybe there’s other stuff to learn in life, too. Maybe we’re trying to teach them that good things can happen randomly sometimes.”

“Well, I don’t think that’s the most realistic lesson one could teach these kids. The streets here are hard, something you two with your silver spoons in your ivory tower know nothing about. You’re both just setting them up to expect things for free when I’m trying to teach them the importance of using hard work to get what you want in life. A lesson that does not jibe with an entire toy store’s worth of stuff.”

“What about letting kids be kids and having fun?” Garrett asked sincerely. Madeline was beginning to think he really had no clue. He had grown up in a bubble padded with money that took care of anything and everything for him. He was just a big overgrown child in a man’s body. And oh, what a body. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Garrett jostled her out of her thoughts, which was for the best. She wanted to stay angry at him and Dalton.

She glared at him and tossed her hair back. “Don’t change the subject, Garrett.”

“I’m not trying to. I just think that maybe kids need a pick-me-up now and then, something to keep them going. All work and no play makes—”

“Garrett, all you do is play, and that’s the problem.”

“She’s kind of got a point there.” Dalton raised his eyebrows and rubbed his temples with his strong fingers, fingers she could still imagine on her skin.

“Fuck off, Dalton.” Now it was Garrett’s turn to glare. She couldn’t take this anymore.

“You know what, I’m sick of arguing with the two of you. I’ll concede that you two had good intentions when you brought that stuff over, and I plan on letting the kids keep the stuff because it would be cruel to take it away now. But you overstepped your boundaries in more ways than one.” Madeline turned away. She just couldn’t look at either of them right now.

“Babe, what are you saying?” Garrett tried to put his arm around her. Madeline threw him off and fought like hell to keep the tears burning the backs of her eyes from falling. She couldn’t see Dalton from this angle, but she could feel his presence, and it felt suffocating. She loved the two of them. She couldn’t deny it, because what else could explain the excruciating ache in her chest? The knot growing in her throat seemed to be trying to keep her from saying the words she planned to force out her mouth.

“We come from different worlds. You can’t just throw money at a problem to make it disappear. That’s not how I was raised, and that’s not what I want to be teaching these kids. I think we should just keep this relationship professional, like how it should have been before everything got out of hand.” She looked at them, trying to gauge their reaction, unsure of what she wanted to see.

“But, Maddie—” Garrett started, but Dalton stopped him with a firm grip on his shoulder.

“Forget it, Garrett. I told you from the start this was a bad idea. Let’s just go.” Dalton turned without even giving her a second look and walked away as Garrett stood there.

“I think you’re both wrong, but fine. If this is what you two want, then I’ll deal with it. It’s just that…Maddie, I want you to know that—”

“You coming, Garrett?” Dalton called out over his shoulder.

Garrett’s eyes lingered on her. She couldn’t bear to see the pain there, yet she couldn’t pull her gaze away. He looked at her expectantly, as though hoping she might change her mind, but she could only stand there, paralyzed.

What did he want her to know? She held her breath, hoping he would finish his sentence. Instead, he held her hand and raised it to his soft lips. Closing his eyes, his long lashes fanning out over his cheeks, he pressed a soft kiss on each of her knuckles, and then Garrett’s gaze went to the ground. As she let her hand fall from his grip, he slowly turned, following his brother out the door and out of her life.

Chapter Twelve

Madeline pulled her puttering car into a diagonal parking spot in SoMale right in front of Jacqueline’s. Grabbing her cotillion dress, swathed protectively in plastic, she got out and shut her door. She slipped her sunglasses on, hoping no one would recognize her and she wouldn’t have any unfortunate run ins.

Ever since she picked a fight with Dalton and Garrett, they had not called her, had made no attempts to see her. Anything dealing with the funding was handled with one of their personal secretaries. Those damn secretaries that looked like models.

Then there were the days, the selfish, I’m-feeling-sorry-for-myself days when she wished she were one of those beautiful women who had it easy because her lips were just the right puffiness or because her legs started where everyone else’s earrings did. She really hated herself those days and resented the fact that she was the type of woman who woke up every day at six-thirty and was showered, dressed, and blow-dried an hour later. She was so boring. So predictable.

Her blood started heating up just thinking about it. She wanted to storm through the Ellis Enterprises building and tell all the women there that Dalton and Garrett were hers, damn it, but she really could not justify any of it. Especially since it had been about a week and a half since Madeline had last seen or spoken to Dalton and Garrett, not that she was counting. She cringed as she came to the realization that she had been counting. It had been exactly eleven days.

After ten days of getting exactly what she asked for from Dalton and Garrett, she decided it was time to get rid of the dress Bea and Buford had picked out for her. It didn’t look like she’d need a gown for the ball after all. After the way she’d behaved, of course the men would have stopped calling her. They probably wanted an excuse to get out of their relationship, and she handed it to them on a silver platter.

Just as she was about to reach for the door, it swung open and hit her in the face, knocking her sunglasses to the ground.

“Well, look who it is.” Darla towered over her, three big shopping bags in each hand, as Madeline picked up her now-scratched sunglasses off the sidewalk. “What are you doing here in Male Order?”

Madeline ignored Darla’s petulant tone and straightened her shoulders as she stood to her full height. “I’m here to return something.” She tried to push her way through, but Darla stood her ground, blocking her path. Her gaze went to the dress Madeline held.

“Is that your cotillion dress? What happened? You get too fat? Oh wait, I remember. The Ellis brothers dumped you.”

Madeline rolled her eyes. “That’s not exactly what happened, but it’s none of your business anyway.”

“I knew you couldn’t hang on to them.” Darla’s beady gaze looked Madeline up and down, from her simple ponytail to her scuffed Converse sneakers, with palpable disdain. “I mean, look at you. You clearly don’t belong here in Male Order.”

Madeline’s stomach coiled tightly into a tense ball of pure hatred. Her fingers curled into angry fists that dug her nails into the soft flesh of her palms. She would have done anything to slap the plastic sneer off Darla’s face, but Madeline reined in her rage. Being in a catfight in front of Jacqueline’s was no way to be inconspicuous.

“And now that you’re out of the picture, Garrett and Dalton are fair game. I’ll have a gold band on my finger and be Mrs. Darla Ellis in no time. Just you wait and see!”

Well, now she was really pushing Madeline’s patience. She gestured to Darla’s shopping bags with her chin. “You know Darla, you can buy all the expensive clothes and pretty accessories in the world, but nothing’s going to cover up how cheap and ugly you are inside.” With a hard elbow to Darla’s ribs, Madeline forced her way into the store.

As the door shut behind her, she heard Darla gasp of outrage, “You better watch your back, bitch!”

Madeline gritted her teeth and walked briskly through the store, making eye contact with no one, and headed straight to returns. She took a deep breath before dumping her dress on the counter and worked all her energy toward not taking her anger out on the saleswoman.

“How can I help you today?” The saleswoman smiled brightly from behind the counter in a way that conveyed both warm hospitality and cool professionalism.

“I’m here to return a dress that was purchased here a few weeks ago.”

“What is the reason for the return? Is the dress damaged or didn’t fit?”

No, I’m the one that’s damaged. I didn’t fit. “I just don’t want it anymore, that’s all.”

“Okay.” The woman typed something into her computer. “Do you have a receipt?”

Damn. “Um, no, I don’t.” Madeline knew she had forgotten something. She looked down at the dress and realized she’d also never seen any tags on it either, probably because Bea wouldn’t have allowed for the tiny thread of plastic to mar the fabric.

“If you used a credit card to purchase the dress, I can look it up in our system.” The woman still smiled, but Madeline could see a hint of annoyance crinkling her brow.

“I didn’t use a credit card. I wasn’t the one who purchased the dress.” The rush of adrenalin she had felt when she ran into Darla was beginning to subside and be replaced with bone-aching fatigue. Her patience was hanging by a thread. She didn’t know what she was thinking coming here at all. This was a mistake. Getting involved with the Ellises was a mistake.

No, she reminded herself, the mistake was pushing away the two men who had treated her with more love and respect than she’d ever experienced.

The saleswoman seemed to sense the precariousness of Madeline’s hold on her sanity, and she smiled again. “I’ll get the manager.” The woman picked up a walkie-talkie and spoke softly into it. “Buford, this is Celeste.  Could you come to customer service, please?”

Shit! The last thing she needed was Buford getting Bea involved. Madeline felt a wave of nausea come over her as her stomach did a couple somersaults into her throat. “I really must be going, I—”

“What seems to be the problem?” Too late. Madeline braced herself.   “Madeline, is that you? What are you doing here in returns?” Buford air kissed each cheek. He then turned his head as if he were about to cough but then quickly took the pink and purple Bedazzled walkie-talkie and whispered, “Head Bitch, this is Tinkerbell. The cherry pie is in the oven. I repeat, the cherry pie is in the oven.” He looked back at Madeline as if that strange exchange hadn’t just taken place right in front of her. “You looked parched. How about a cappuccino?” Buford wrapped an arm around Madeline and guided her toward the coffee kiosk.

“I, uh, I just came to return the cotillion dress.”

Apparent shock formed a perfect O on Buford’s glossed lips. “Don’t tell me you got another dress somewhere else.” Buford held his hand to his heart as if to prepare himself for impending betrayal.

“No, no, it’s not that. It’s just that I won’t be needing the dress anymore because I’m…I’m not going to the cotillion.”

Buford gasped as if he had been told the most devastating news possible. Somehow Madeline knew Buford had already known she and the Ellis brothers had called it quits, and then the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Instinctually, Madeline looked for her nearest exit, but again she was too late. She couldn’t fathom how quickly everyone in Male Order seemed to move. Perhaps that was one of the seven habits of highly effective people.

Slender fingers gripped her arm. Madeline whipped around and saw Bea standing behind her, hands returning to hips and her Jimmy Choos tapping away. She should have known Bea would be at Jacqueline’s. “Where have you been?” Bea’s voice was stern and the look on her face told Madeline she meant business. But then, just as quickly, Bea’s face warmed to a smile, and she pulled Madeline into her arms. “Oh, I can’t stay mad at you.”

Every muscle in Madeline’s body relaxed into the embrace as she inhaled whatever pricey and sophisticated perfume Bea had delicately misted herself with. “Hi, Bea.”

“Why haven’t you called me?” Bea pulled away and looped her arm into Madeline’s, leading her to a quiet sitting area in the department store. Bored-looking men sat in comfortable chairs holding their wives’ purses and shopping bags, napping or staring at nothing in particular.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that…” Madeline settled into the seat across from Bea’s. She didn’t know what to say.

“In the short time that I’ve known you, you’ve become like a sister to me, and sisters should be free to talk about anything together.” Bea’s sentiment warmed Madeline’s heart, and she suddenly realized how happy she was to see her. “I don’t know what exactly is going on between you and my brothers, but I want you to know that I’m still here for you, honey.”

“I appreciate that, Bea.”

“And I know it seems wholly uncharacteristic of me, but I do not intend to get in the middle of your relationship.” Bea reached for Madeline’s hand and then cradled it within her own. “Just tell me one thing. Do you love them? Do you love Dalton and Garrett?”

Madeline slowly nodded as a smile pulled the corners of her lips up as she thought about them and how they had made her feel so alive and complete, so cherished. They had given her strength, and ironically, it was that strength that made her think she was equipped to handle the consequences of what she said at the youth center that day. The dark sadness she’d felt the minute Dalton and Garrett walked away told her she’d made a horrible mistake, but by then, they were already gone. “I do love them, and I don’t know why, but I pushed them away.”

“Whatever is going on between you three, you’ll have to work out on your own.”

A deep sigh made Madeline’s chest rise and fall as it passed through her lips. “I don’t know if there’s anything to work out. They haven’t called me, but I haven’t called them either. And I don’t blame them. After what I said to them,   of course they’d never want to speak to me again.”

Bea squeezed her hand. “Never say never. I know my brothers and I know how they feel about you. They’d be utter fools to let you go so easily. Just hang tight, honey.”

Just then Buford appeared and placed Madeline’s dress in her lap. “I think you left this at the returns counter by mistake.” Madeline hugged the dress to her chest and nodded. She didn’t think she’d get the chance to wear it, but a girl could hope.

Bea glanced at her watch and shot to her feet. “Shoot! I was on my way out to speak with the caterer when I got Buford’s signal, and now I’m late.”

Madeline remembered what Buford had said into the walkie-talkie and chuckled. “So, am I the cherry pie?”

Bea smiled radiantly and winked. “Of course, sugar.” She gave Madeline a peck on the cheek and skipped off.

Buford helped Madeline to her feet and walked her toward the front doors. “You’d think she’d let her assistants take care of all that stuff for her, but you know how Bea loves a fuss.”

“Yes, I’m beginning to see that.” Madeline waved goodbye to Buford as she left Jacqueline’s and got back into her car. As fortifying as it was to see Bea and have her be so supportive, in reality, her future with the Ellis brothers was as precarious as ever.

She looked in her rearview mirror as she pulled out of the parking spot and noticed a man standing across the street. He seemed to be watching her. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn’t place it right away.

When she drove past him she managed a small smile and friendly nod, but something about the way he looked at her made her pause. Then she recognized who it was and shrugged it off.

It was the man who had helped her with her car the other day. It was just Vincent Pierce.

* * * *

Dalton sat in his high-backed leather chair and gazed across the river toward Male Order. The large glass windows of his office faced east toward the center of town. From here he could see the charming restaurants, cafés, and boutique shops that twinkled in the distance.

Male Order wasn’t very big—population or size wise—but it had a big heart and a big spirit that could match that of any other place in the world. Of course, he was a tad biased. This was his home. In all his travels around the globe, this was the place he always came back to, would always come back to. Of that, he had no doubt. And another thing to add to the list of things he knew were undeniably, unavoidably true? He was a broken man.

He was halfway through his bottle of twenty-five-year-old single malt scotch, and the buzz was just starting to creep up on him. This was going to bite him in the ass. He knew it. Quite frankly, he didn’t care. He brought the crystal tumbler to his lips again and took a sip, letting the deep, rich flavors roll over his tongue and down his throat.

He’d grown up watching his fathers have a glass of scotch after a particularly hard day, and Dalton always thought that the sign of a true, successful grown-up. After his first big business deal, Dalton sat in this very chair and saluted himself with a glass of his fathers’ favorite scotch, savoring the victory as much as the taste of the spirit.

Funny, he didn’t feel like that now.

It was amazing how one person—one little waif of a person—could fuck things up for him. His whole world was off-kilter now, and it was all her fault. That woman who decided that she would just crawl under his goddamn skin and wrap herself around his heart.

When the hell did he give her permission to do that? How the hell had she managed it?

He was Dalton Ellis, for fuck’s sake. He did not have feelings, emotions, or feel anything akin to the L-word for anyone, save his immediate blood relatives. Everyone else could just take a number and wait in line because he just did not give a shit. And then came Madeline Spencer in all of her copper-haired, wraparound-skirted glory. God, he just wanted to go to her and throw himself at her feet and tell her to put him out of his damn misery.

Which just pissed him off. How dare she do this to him? Who the hell did she think she was?

Jesus, his chest hurt. He swirled the glass around and stared at the last drop at the bottom. The whiskey. It was definitely the whiskey.

The lights flipped on above him, and he squinted his eyes against the stinging glare.

“Well, aren’t we being a bit dramatic?” Garrett asked wryly from the doorway. “I had a feeling you might be hiding in you office, burying your sorrows in paperwork or…whiskey.”

“Oh, fuck off, Garrett.”

“And I thought I was the drama queen of the family. Well, king.” Garrett’s steps drew closer, and he dropped heavily into the chair next to Dalton and looked at him. “You look like shit.”

Dalton just grunted his reply. Then he saw his reflection in the glass and had to agree with his brother. At least this one time. His tie was loose, the knot hanging down by his collarbones, the top four buttons on his shirt were open, and his hair was spiky from running his hands through it a few too many times. His eyes were crazed, too. He looked like he did that goddamn morning when he woke up and learned his parents had all died in a car accident. Everything in his life had changed after that moment.

“What are you doing here?” Dalton asked. “You’re usually out on the town after a breakup.”

Garrett snorted at that. “Madeline’s not just another one of our girls, and we’re not broken up. You know, I don’t even think we were officially together, if you think about it.”

Dalton’s temper flared at that. “Like hell she isn’t our woman.”

“I never said she wasn’t our woman. I just said that technically I don’t think we’d actually claimed her yet.”

Dalton’s grip tightened on the crystal tumbler, threatening to break it into innumerable little pieces. “We’ll see about that.”

Garrett’s gaze landed on him and sharpened. “What are you planning?”

“Well, she said she didn’t think we could just throw money at things and make them perfect. What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Garrett recoiled. “I can’t decode woman speak. That’s a whole different beast. I know what they like in bed. I know what they want to hear, but they speak on an entirely different level than we do.”

Wasn’t that the truth?

Madeline’s face as she threw the words at them kept popping into his thoughts. There was so much anger and frustration, but there was something underneath all of her aggression. Christ, why didn’t he see it before?

Dalton sat up straight in his chair. “She’s scared, Garrett.”

“Of what? Your sorry ass?”

“No. I’m serious.”

“Fine. Lay it on me. What is this big revelation that’s got you all excited?”

“I think we took it too far in Argentina.”

Garrett’s eyes flew wide. “What? Do you think she thinks we forced her into something she didn’t want to do?”

“No. No, that’s not it.” Dalton watched his brother relax a little, but Garrett’s arms and legs were still tense. “Just the whole thing—the plane ride, the poems, the everything.”

“But that was the point. We wanted to sweep her off her feet, take her away from all the bullshit she has to put up with all the time.”

“Yeah, but what if it was too much? What if she just wants two regular guys, not the Ellis brothers?”

“Uh, we are the Ellis brothers, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. We’ve got a corporation to run, a town to help oversee.”

“No shit, Garrett. But it’s not about that. She gets that. What she doesn’t get is that our worlds really aren’t that different.” Garrett pinned him with a glance. “All right, that’s a stretch, but the thing is that she doesn’t think she fits in. She doesn’t think she has a place with us.”

“Well, brother, I think we’re just going to have to convince her otherwise.”

Dalton felt the conspiratorial smile growing on his face. “My thoughts exactly.”

* * * *

Madeline looked up from her ledger, all the numbers big and small that would determine whether or not she would be the head of a non-profit at the end of the month, and debated on answering the door.

She shrugged. They would knock again if it was important. She was not expecting anyone, anyway, and she did not have any extra spending money right now. Every extra cent she had went to buying things for the center.

Someone knocked again, and she sighed heavily as she dragged her feet to the door.

She unlocked the door, and it swung open on its hinges.

Dalton and Garrett stood on the other side of the threshold, looking and smelling like sin incarnate.

Garrett skimmed her body with his gaze, her skin feeling the hot beam of his attention as though he were pressing his body against hers. Then he grinned at her—that cock-sure grin that should have pissed her off but made her pussy wet every single time. “Hey, babe.”

Madeline gulped. “H–hey.”

Dalton regarded her with that quiet force of his, and she felt so open, so exposed that she was tempted to slam the door in their faces to protect herself from his all-seeing eyes. Curse him. He knew exactly what he did to her.

She’d missed them terribly but would be damned if she’d let them just flounce back into her life and pick things up where they left off as if nothing had happened. Even she could admit—to herself—that she might have overreacted a little bit before, but there was still truth to her misgivings. She sucked her nerves up and glared back at them. “What are you two doing here?”

Dalton regarded her for a moment. “Get your things. We’re taking you somewhere.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. Not after the way you’ve completely dropped off the face of the earth for weeks.”

His eyes flashed with something dark and hard. “We’re the ones who’ve disappeared? Are you serious? You’re the one who pushes us away and then we’re suddenly the ones who fucked up? I don’t think so.”

“Don’t you get high and mighty with me, Dalton. I’m not one of your cute little secretaries you can boss around.”

“Whoa, we never said you were,” Garrett interjected.

“Where the hell are you getting these ideas, Madeline?” Dalton sounded as though he was about to run out of patience.

“How could I not get these ideas?” she snapped.

They just were not going to understand, were they? How the hell would this work with the two of them? It would be hard enough for her to assimilate to their world with only one man, but two? She needed to step out of this fantasy before she got too enmeshed in it—before she lost her whole self to them and never got it back.

Dalton stepped over the threshold, and she retreated before she even realized it. “When are you going to learn, Madeline?”

“Learn what?”

“Learn that you belong to us now and we’re not letting you go.”

Garrett completed their circle. “Now go get your stuff. We’re taking you somewhere.”

“But I have work to do. I have meetings and lessons I need to plan—”

God, she did not trust herself to be alone with them right now. Not with her resolve crumbling as her arousal rose. No! This should not be happening. She should tell them to go, to get out of her life unless they just wanted to be friends and business partners.

As if you would be able to handle that, a voice all but screamed inside her head.

Garrett laid on the charm, stepping close enough to her that she felt his body heat and running his fingers down her arms. “Come on. It’ll only be for the afternoon. We’ll have you back before your curfew. We swear.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she hedged.

Garrett’s brows lowered. “Why not?”

“What is this really about? Why are you all of a sudden so interested in spending time with me now when you haven’t even said as much as ‘hi’ in two weeks?”

“Maybe we missed you. How about that?” Dalton’s words melted away the tension that had built up in her body during the hours she spent without them. And so did the tight look on his face. He hated expressing his feelings.

“Fine,” she conceded, “but no fooling around. I really do have a lot of work to do.”

“But it’s a Saturday,” Garrett complained.

“Yeah, well, I have to work this one.”

“Well, hurry up, then, and get your stuff,” Garrett said. “If we get going now, we can get there before it gets too hot.”

“Where are we going?”

Dalton looked down at her from the corner of his eye. “It’s a surprise.”

Oh, no. The last time they surprised her, she woke up in a different hemisphere. And loved every moment of it.

Garrett snickered. “We’re staying within county lines, Maddie. Relax. We’re just going to go do something almost everyone does at this time of year.”

“And what’s that, Garrett? Skinny dipping in the river?”

“We could do that, too.” He stepped closer. “I would love to reach out to you and feel nothing but your slick, wet skin and your slick, wet—”

“Okay, fine. You’ve made your point. Let’s go.” Madeline grabbed her purse and keys and shooed them out the door. Garrett’s words turned her on beyond belief, and it was all she could do to keep herself from breaking down and throwing herself at them, or worse, breaking down and crying in front of them.

She hurried to keep up with them as Dalton rounded the hood of a beat-up, old Jeep while Garrett opened the passenger door for her.

“Thank you,” she said as she slid into the seat.

Garrett smiled, his gaze fastened to her cleavage. “Pleasure is all mine.”

“So, how do you like the new ride?” Dalton asked, looking as childlike as she could imagine a big man could.

“It’s certainly different. Not your usual.” Madeline smiled.

“We’re just two normal guys today, taking you out on a normal, frugal date.” Garrett kissed her cheek as he rose from the backseat.

“Two normal guys? Right, whatever you say.”

The journey to wherever they were going was fraught with meaningful silences and stolen glances. Madeline sat with her hands tucked in her lap, watching the scenery change from city to grassland until, finally, Dalton turned onto a country road and drove down until it ended.

A sweet-looking cottage stood surrounded by ancient oak trees, and the dirt road curved in the front. Bougainvilleas and wildflowers decorated the front of the house, and just behind it, she could see the lines of little plants stretching as far as she could see.

“Wow. This is beautiful. How did you find this place?” she asked as she got out of the car and walked toward the fields, their steps crunching over the gravel.

“It’s a family place,” Garrett answered. “A strawberry farm, actually.”

“Family place? Oh, so you came here a lot when you were younger?”

They rounded the house, and the fields spanned out in front of her. The strawberry plants were arranged in straight rows that marched toward a huge patch of oak trees in the distance.

Dalton shrugged. “You can say that. We own it.”

“This is all yours?” She gestured to the perfectly straight rows of lush green plants.

Dalton and Garrett flanked her on either side and stood still beside her for a moment. The Dalton said, “Yeah. When Bea was little, the only fruit she would eat was strawberries.”

Garrett snorted. “She thought they were some sort of special fruit because they’re kind of heart-shaped. I can’t tell you how many times I walked into the kitchen to find her trying to make a love potion.”

“That sounds like something Bea would do.” Madeline could just see it.

“So one day she asked our dads if she could grow strawberries in the backyard,” Dalton continued. “They didn’t say anything at the time, and she kept pestering and pestering them. Finally, one summer they took us all on a car ride and took us here. She was so excited. I don’t think I had ever seen her so excited.”

“They bought a little girl a strawberry farm?”

“Sure, why not?” Dalton asked, shrugging. Then he turned his body toward hers, and his eyes spoke volumes. “They wanted to make her happy.”

His body seemed to grow bigger, more imposing, and she thought, hoped, that he would kiss her—that they would both kiss her. But he just put his big hand on the small of her back and led her forward. “We’ll show you around.”

They led her toward the raised plant rows, and the closer they got, the more the fragrance of the ripe berries floated in the air.

“It’s a pick-your-own place. It’s all ours today, but usually a lot of people from all over the state love coming here,” Dalton said.

“And all the plants are organically grown. Mom was a stickler about organic foods. She hated anything with pesticides or stuff she couldn’t pronounce being in our food.”

“There are also blackberries and melons on the other side of the farm, and there are a lot of honeybees, too,” Garrett added when Dalton stiffened and went silent next to her.

Madeline bent down to take a closer look at the strawberries and to retreat from Dalton’s silent intensity. She still could not figure out what exactly happened to their parents, but from the way Dalton always shut down when they were mentioned, he didn’t like to speak about it.

The fruit she saw was ripe and plump, ready to be picked and devoured.

Garrett knelt beside her. “Go on. Pick as many as you like.” He handed her an adorable straw basket with a red gingham handkerchief inside.

Madeline turned to face him. “Why did you bring me here?”

This place was more personal, more intimate than Bariloche. It was not that she did not have the time of her life in South America, but this was closer to home, more revealing about who they were and how they got to be that way.

“We thought it would be nice to show you something more…ordinary, I guess.” Garrett went silent for a moment. “We thought we scared you away.”

“No!” Madeline felt herself blushing and glanced at the rich soil beneath her feet. “You didn’t,” she said quietly this time. “Argentina was beautiful—a dream, a fairy tale. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. It’s just…”

“Just what?” Dalton asked from above her.

Madeline felt his eyes on her, burning up her skin like the sun itself. She took her time picking some strawberries and stood up to face Dalton.

“It’s just that it reminded me of how different we are, especially when you brought my kids those toys.”

Dalton’s jaw tightened.

“It’s not about the toys, Dalton,” Madeline hastened to say. “It’s about the fact that you have the luxury to do that when I work with people every day who don’t have the luxury to even buy food sometimes. And I certainly didn’t have such—such resources when I was growing up.” She looked him in the eye and tried her damndest to see past his blank façade. “It’s just hard to imagine why you would do all of that for someone like me, someone who is so different from you.”

“How did you come to this conclusion?” Dalton asked, his gaze flicking over her face.

“When you went and got a ten thousand dollar sex toy for me, when you just decide that, oh, you need a plane or a new mansion or a new yacht, and just go and buy it. The rest of us have to scrape and live on a budget. That’s my reality. That’s my world. And I was lucky enough to have been raised middle class!”

Dalton released a breath. “You need to get rid of all of those bullshit ideas.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Excuse me?”

“Whatever ridiculous ideas or notions about you not being able to be with us, get rid of them now.”

“Are you calling my reasons for being upset ridiculous, Dalton?”

Garrett sidled up next to her and ran his big down her back. “No, babe. What he’s saying is that we don’t want anything to keep us away from you. Nothing. We don’t want you having any doubts about how we feel about you or where you fit in. We want you, plain and simple, and we’re going to do anything and everything in our power to make sure you stay with us. It was a long few weeks without you.”

Garrett’s words made her heart soar, as did Dalton’s grunt of agreement, but how long would they want her? And how long—

Dalton approached her and cupped her elbows. “Stop it. Stop doubting yourself and how much you mean to us.” His eyes and voice burned with intensity, making the words in her head dry up and blow away with the lazy summer wind. “I don’t ever want to see you beat yourself up about this again. We want you. End of story. It’s not going to change. Ever.”

“Oh,” she breathed.

“Now, come on. We have a surprise for you.” Dalton smiled, a true, radiant smile. “A little one, we promise. Nothing over the top.”

They led her toward a copse of trees, and there was a blanket laid out under the shade of a huge oak tree. A basket sat in the middle of it with a bouquet of wildflowers piled on top. It was the picture of rustic Texas elegance.

“Oh, my God.” Madeline’s cheeks hurt from how big her smile was, but that didn’t matter. What did was that they had gone out of their way to make the afternoon simple and special for her. “This is beautiful. Thank you.”

She picked up the flowers when she got to the blanket and reveled in their understated beauty. Texas had to have some of the most beautiful wildflowers around. She glanced behind her. And men. She was particularly partial on the subject, but she knew the Ellis brothers were two of the best catches around. And for some reason, they’d decided they wanted her. She didn’t know how that happened, or why, but she came to the conclusion, as she glanced around at the scenic picnic spot, that she would just try her best to let go. She had done enough worrying and feeling sorry for herself lately. Today was when she would start a new chapter in her life—the Madeline stops over-analyzing everything in her life chapter.

Madeline sank down to the blanket, and Dalton and Garrett followed, arranging themselves on either side of her. The cicadas’ trills rang out in the lazy heat of the afternoon, and a warm breeze shifted the hairs on the back of her neck. She reached for the picnic basket and rifled through it—citronella candles, napkins, utensils, Pyrex containers filled with sandwiches, bottled water and juice, a remote control vibrator and lube.

Wait.

“Hey!” She waved the bottle around. “What kind of picnic is this?”

Dalton’s eyes darkened. “We’re eating out.”

Garrett gave her his sexy smile. “Alfresco.”

“Alfresco, hmm?” Madeline eyed the bottle and put it back in the basket. Best to save that for later, for after she had enough nourishment in her system to handle two Ellis brothers at the activity they were masters of.

“Speaking of which,” Dalton said as he grabbed a citronella candle and a length of rope and stood, “I don’t want any little bugs getting in the way of anything.” He straightened to his full height and slung the rope over one of the branches overhead and caught it. Then he wrapped the rope around and around the candle’s base and knotted it, effectively creating a holder for it but leaving enough room at the top so that the rope would not catch flame when they lit it.

The image of her tied to the bed while they fucked her flashed through her mind, heating her up faster than any Texas summer day could. Her nipples beaded against her bra cups, making her painfully aware of how much they wanted her while they acted all cool and calm. So unaffected. Those bastards.

“So,” she said, grabbing the Pyrex with the sandwiches, “who’s hungry?” Her voice shook with her arousal, but she just smiled through it and hoped they did not notice it. She had gone way too long without them, and now, sitting here with them, she felt every single moment of their time apart.

She took a bite of the sandwich, expecting it to be as delicious as it looked. But it was not. She spit it out in her napkin.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, because I love that you went out of your way to make this special, but I think you left the mayo out in the sun too long because it’s sour now.” Laughing, she dug into the picnic basket and reached for a bottled of iced mint green tea. She tilted her head back and drank until the tang of the sandwich left her mouth. When she straightened, she felt a drop of the tea land on her collarbone.

She’d reached to wipe it off when she glanced up and saw Dalton and Garrett eyeing her like the predators they were.

She sensed their need for sex, for that crazy, out-of-control intimacy. It was as palpable to her as her own. It did not surprise her. For Dalton and Garrett, anything and everything could and did lead to sex, and since she had been with them, their appetites had begun to influence hers.

Holding her gaze, Garrett gave her his naughty smile and reached into the picnic basket. “It’s a beautiful day to try out your present.”

Madeline watched as he pulled out the vibrator. Her body heated up from the inside out as he approached her.

“It’s solar powered.” He grinned, pointing at the thin, palm-sized charger. “We figure that since we’re in the energy business and all that we should try out different methods of charging everyday household supplies using eco-friendly methods.”

She felt herself smirking. “First of all, I’m pretty sure vibrators are not a staple in everyone’s household. Except for yours. And secondly, are you telling me that you attached a palm-sized solar panel to that thing?”

Garrett just shrugged and came closer. “Batteries have bad stuff in them, you know. All those nasty chemicals. You should keep them away from such an important area on your body.” He kneeled in front of her now, and he pressed his fingers against the crotch of her jeans. Pleasure sparked through her. He always found her clit, no matter what was in his way. Maybe that was why she lived in a constant state of arousal now. They made her feel beautiful and sexy, and their constant desire for her made her more confident in herself. And it was not just in the sex department. They made her feel as though her hopes and dreams were not stupid, that she could make everything happen if she just worked for it.

Dalton reclined on his side and eyed her. “Someday we’re going to make you wear that under your clothes all day.”

Madeline’s pussy creamed at the heat in his words. She bit down on her lip and watched as the looks on their faces turned from playfully smoldering to flat-out aroused and turned-on.

Garrett held out his hand, the little clit stimulator dangling from the thin elastic band it was attached to. It looked like a G-string with a little purple silicone kitten on the front.

She eyed the sex toy and then let her glance fall on the two of them. Their mighty chests heaved, and she took them in from their broad shoulders to their lean, narrow hips. She loved how different their bodies were from hers. She reveled in their masculine strength, in the sinewy way they moved.

She had to have them. Now. It had been too long, and they were so close now, so handsome and strong and beautiful. She had missed their touch, their scent, the way her body came alive when they were near. When Dalton moved in and pressed his lips against hers, she opened for him automatically, wanting nothing but the real him, the real them, unchained and wild. No artifice or any seduction. She wanted something they had never given any other woman before her or, God forbid, after her. She shied away from those thoughts and focused on Dalton’s lips, which were soft upon hers. She constantly forgot that they were not as hard as the constant smirk he wore. But he was so different when he touched her. He was so gentle, so attentive, so thorough.

Dalton lightly cupped her neck and jaw and tilted her chin up toward him, giving him more access, more control. She let him have his way with her mouth, loving it when he pulled away and pressed kisses along her cheekbone, her eyebrow, her nose. Then Garrett crowded her from behind, his now bare skin touching hers, and peeled the light cardigan down her arms. He left it just above her elbows, trapping her arms behind her with her breasts offered up like an homage to them, the sex gods.

Dalton watched, something darkly erotic twinkling in his eyes. It sent lust swirling through her veins, slow and thick, like molasses. His fingers slid down her neck and tangled in her bra straps, easing them down her shoulders until the cups sagged away from her breasts. The material brushed against the tips of her nipples, and she sucked in a breath between her teeth. Dalton saw everything, of course, and his lips curled into the most hedonistic smile she had ever seen as he peeled her bra cups down and used them to prop her breasts up for his feasting.

He picked up a strawberry and bit into it, and she watched, hypnotized, as his jaw flexed as he chewed. Her pussy throbbed and creamed, and she could not wait for him to touch her, to fuck her. Her tongue flicked out on her own lips, wanting to lick the deep red juice that beaded in the corner of Dalton’s mouth. But he just did the job for her, much to her disappointment.

“But I wanted to do that,” she protested.

Dalton held her still with his gaze. “Maybe some other time.”

Then he pressed the juicy flesh of the strawberry against her nipple and made her nipple pucker even more. He did the same to her other nipple, then lapped the juices up with his tongue.

Her skin was so sensitive that it seemed as if he were licking every inch of her. She felt each flick of his tongue, every swirling lick over her nipples, each sensation chasing the next until her whole being was riddled with feeling. She clutched at his head, pressing him closer to her breasts, her heart. Every tug and sucking sensation shot hot sparks of pleasure to her cunt. With Dalton working her breasts, Madeline felt the distinct emptiness in her pussy, and she desperately needed it to be filled and stretched to beyond its limits.

Garrett’s hands skimmed down her torso from his position behind her and fiddled with the waistband of her jeans, his skilled fingers unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans before she realized that was his intent. She whimpered in desperation, eager to feel what only they could make her feel. Her clit was ready to explode, and she was ready to start barking out orders.

When the hell did they decide they would take their damn sweet time about this?

“Garrett,” she groaned between her teeth.

He kissed her shoulder and smiled against her skin. “Yes?”

Dalton nipped the sensitive underside of her breast, and she almost shrieked. “Garrett, please.”

Garrett chuckled under his breath, and his fingers slipped under the waistband of her panties. She did not care that her panties were damp from how turned on she was, and she was not in the proper frame of mind to be embarrassed. Let them know how much she wanted them, for all she cared. Maybe they would take pity on her and get to it before she lost her damn mind.

“Damn, Madeline,” Garrett growled in her ear. “You’re wet for us, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” she gasped. Garrett’s masterful fingers started sliding between her pussy lips, just grazing over her swollen clit.

“No! No, don’t tease,” she begged.

She could hear the grin in his tone when he said, “Come on, babe, move your hips up.”

Madeline lifted her hips off the ground, and Dalton pulled them down her legs along with her panties, exposing her wet pussy. He tossed her pants off to the side.

“Spread your legs. Show me your pussy.”

Madeline swallowed and did as he commanded, inching her thighs apart until her cunt was on display.

Dalton’s nostrils flared, and his eyes fastened between her legs so intensely she was almost tempted to shut her legs. He delivered a light, sharp smack to her pussy. “Wider,” he commanded.

Madeline’s cheeks and clit burned, but then the sting turned into pleasure, warm, gooey pleasure that gathered in her clit. She moaned and fought the urge to use her fingers on herself.

Garrett’s hands locked under her knees and opened them wider for Dalton’s viewing pleasure.

“Perfect. Stay like that.” Dalton pressed the blunt tip of his finger against her clit, and she jumped in Garrett’s grip, the solid wall of his naked chest against her back the only thing grounding her to reality. “You’re so wet, so ready.” Dalton’s finger trailed down her slit, and he pressed into her cunt without any preamble of seduction, which turned her on even more. She loved that he took complete ownership of her body and pleasure.

Her pussy clamped down on his finger, desperate to be filled even more.

“You like it, don’t you?” Dalton almost growled.

“Oh, God, yes.” Her head thrashed on Garrett’s chest, and her thighs strained against his hold.

“Damn, you’re tight.” He fucked his fingers into her, using the fact that she was spread high and wide to his advantage. Her orgasm gathered quickly, little pulses of pleasure starting to grow in intensity.

Then he pulled back, and she almost cursed him. Until Dalton turned and picked up the little toy from where it lay on the blanket. He took his sweet time sliding the elastic bands up her legs, and his fingers lingered on the insides of her thighs as Garrett rolled her nipples between his fingers. She lifted her body toward their hands, desperate for more. The ache in her pussy demanded fulfillment, and her clit throbbed heavily with every beat of her heart.

Holding her gaze in his, Dalton snapped the elastic bands around her hips, and the vibrator thrummed against her clit. Madeline’s whole body stiffened, and she cried out, her words jumbled. Heady, juicy sensation flowed through her body, and she opened all of her senses to it. She felt each buzzing pulse in her clit from the vibrator, the twirling sensations in her belly from Garrett’s ministrations on her breasts, and she felt Dalton’s fingers playing along her wet slit. She opened her legs wider in blatant invitation, and he slid the G-string out of the way and pressed his index finger inside her cunt, the stimulator still humming away over her swollen, sensitive clit.

Dalton curled his fingers inside her and pressed against her G-spot, and oh, God, shards of pleasure spiked through her, radiating out from her pussy to the rest of her body, making her arms and legs and fingers and toes sizzle and come alive. Deep, hot pleasure coiled in her groin, and she sucked in a breath between her teeth.

“She’s close, Dalton,” Garrett said from above her.

Madeline realized her eyed were closed and opened them to find that her head lay in Garrett’s lap, his hard cock pressing against the front of his pants. He grinned down at her and shifted so that he kneeled beside her head and unzipped his pants. His thick, hard cock sprang out of its confines and pointed right at her, a pearly drop gathering at his slit. An answering rush of arousal seeped out of her pussy, and she raised her head up off the blanket and flicked her tongue over his cockhead, tasting him.

Garrett’s head snapped back on his shoulders. “Fuck.”

Thrilled with her ability to bring him pleasure, Madeline propped herself up on her elbows and stretched her lips over his dick, sucking him inside her mouth and running the flat surface of her tongue over the underside of his cockhead.

She gazed up at his virile body as she sucked him off, entranced by the sight of his abs tightening as she pumped her head up and down his cock. His belly quivered with his labored breathing, and his thighs twitched.

Then Dalton pushed another finger inside her pussy, and she moaned around Garrett’s cock, making him curse again.

Dalton’s fingers fucked in and out of her, dragging against that spot inside her cunt, and the vibrator kept her poised on the edge of her gathering climax. She needed to come so badly it hurt. Her body was beyond aroused, and every sensation was almost too much for her to bear. She trembled and twitched, trying to escape the pleasure pulsing in her clit and pussy, yet desperate to have more.

Then Dalton swiped the vibrator out of the way and gently sucked her clit between his lips.

That did it.

Madeline’s back bowed off the picnic blanket, and she screamed her climax. It swirled through her and around her, pulsing and twisting, and she kept reaching, reaching. Another orgasm bloomed on the heels of the first one, and she fisted the blanket, desperately clinging to something real for fear of never coming down from the pleasure. She felt Dalton’s tongue flicking over her clit, and she tried to wrench her hips away from his face, but he stared at her over the expanse of her torso, and his hands dove under her hips, squeezing her ass and fitting her more fully to his mouth.

“Dalton!” she shrieked.

“Let him have his fill, Madeline,” Garrett coaxed. “He’s missed you.” Then he bent down and took a nipple in his mouth, adding to the exquisitely painful pleasure wracking her body.

She lost track of the time and the orgasms they gave her. The whole experience melted into the most intense pleasure she experienced with them thus far. All she knew was the rise and fall of her body as she came, her screams and gasps and cries, and the way they touched her with primal possessiveness, as if they had been meant to brand her body as theirs from the beginning of time.

When Dalton finally pulled his face from between her legs and wiped his mouth, he grinned down at her, his pupils dilated and his body powerful and strong. She wanted him to plunge right into her and fuck her until she could not see straight. But he just trailed his hands over her hypersensitive body and pinched one of her nipples.

“Do you want our cocks at the same time, Madeline?” he asked, his voice gravelly and low. “Do you want me to take your ass while Garrett fucks your pussy?”

Madeline groaned. “Yes.” She needed both of their cocks to satisfy this wild passion they stoked inside her. Her whole body felt as if it were on fire, her nerve endings shooting primal need through her whole being. She was going to jump out of her skin if they did not fuck her soon.

Dalton released her breasts from his torment, and they puckered in the heat of the afternoon. The warmth of the day and the slightly humid air surrounded her made her feel as if Dalton and Garrett were everywhere on her skin, that they were in the very air she breathed.

“You need it bad, don’t you, Madeline?” Dalton said.

“Y–yes.” She was panting now, her body perched on the edge of pain and pleasure.

“Then we’ll take pity on you. Today, at least.” Dalton stood and began to undress, and Garrett joined him.

Madeline watched with growing hunger as they undressed before her. Dalton gazed at her, his expression full of eroticism as he stepped out of his pile of clothing. His hard, thick thighs bulged with raw power, and his wide, long cock was the very image of conquering masculinity, its bunt tip leaking pearly drips of his pre-cum. She licked her lips and trailed her gaze up higher to the trail of hair just below his belly button, his defined torso, his wide chest and shoulders. But the thing she loved the most about Dalton was his eyes. They were deep and dark, intense and all-seeing, and right now they regarded her with primal lust and possession.

She gulped and turned her gaze to Garrett, whose wicked grin decorated those full, beautiful lips. Lips that were cruelly skilled at bringing her pleasure. His body was leaner than Dalton’s, sleeker, his muscles closer to the bone.

With a devious grin, Garrett kneeled, wrapped his arms around her, and laid her down on the blanket as he rolled on top of her, skin on skin. He laced her leg over his shoulder and stretched it up to her chest as he leaned over her. The position left her pussy open and exposed. She was sopping wet and desperate, and her cream was slick against the tops of her inner thighs.

His chest hair tickled her nipples, and his weight made her breasts pillow against him. She felt so small under him with his muscles bunching.

“No holding back this time, Maddie. We want it all.”

She was about to ask him what that meant when he surged into her, already fucking her on his first stroke. His size stretched her pussy so tight she felt the ridges of his cockhead when he almost pulled out. The friction as he slid in and out of her made her feel like a crazed woman.

She wanted, needed more.

More, more, more!

She did not know if she said it out loud or not, but Garrett fucked her harder, his pelvis hitting her swollen, sensitive clit with each hard thrust. Madeline planted her free leg on the ground and tilted her hips to meet his better, to take him more fully inside her. Garrett groaned from deep in his chest and fucked her harder, more deliberately, as she rubbed her clit against him with his every stroke.

She looked between them and watched his stomach muscles ripple as he moved. His arms flexed, casting shadows under them as he held himself above her. She felt his gaze on her the entire time, and she looked up into his raging, passion-filled eyes, and he stared back at her, not letting her shy away from him. Then he slipped a hand under her ass, tucked her up and into him, then flipped them over.

Madeline sank down onto his cock with a keening cry, the control she now had over her movements fueling her desperation to fly apart. She grabbed his hand and leaned back, using his strength to hold her up as she found that angle that made Garrett’s cock go deeper than it ever had before. She felt so full, so stretched, and the pressure from the back of her pussy made her wetter. She ground her hips down into him and surged forward and back, side to side, up and down until she created a rhythm that drove any last bit of sanity out of her mind. She was a wanton thing of the flesh now, searching with all of her senses for that spot, that angle that would make her and Garrett come.

Her tits swayed as she moved, and Garrett sat up and sucked a nipple into his mouth. His front teeth clamped down on the tip none too gently and held it while his tongue flicked over it again and again. Then he did the same thing to her other breast.

Madeline shifted her hips forward and, oh, there it was. Her clit lit up and started pulsing. Her body had opened itself up, more than ready for her release, when she felt a lubed finger slide into her asshole. The sudden pressure broke her concentration, and she grasped for the pleasure she had lost, but it was gone.

“Dalton!” she shrieked. “Damn it!”

He pressed his lips between her shoulder blades. “You don’t get to come until we’re both inside you,” he said against her skin. “I want to feel you clench around my dick.”

His hot words made her shiver, as did the image of having them fuck her at the same time, their hands and lips all over her, their long, thick cocks inside her, surging into her until she flew apart between them.

“You like it, don’t you?” Garrett asked, his eyes wild and stormy as she rode him. “Your pussy just got wetter.”

Dalton bit down on the spot where her neck met her shoulder. “Yeah, she likes it. And she wants more. Don’t you, Madeline?”

Her head was too heavy on her shoulders, and all she had the capacity to think about was how alive her body was, how sensitive her nipples were to the gentlest kiss of air against them, or the way her inner thighs felt almost every one of the hairs on Garrett’s thighs rubbing against her skin. Her body pulsed and thrummed with sensation, with pleasure and ecstasy, and she gave herself up to it, wanting it to take her over. Overwhelm her.

“Don’t you, Madeline?” Dalton repeated. Then he spanked her, making her anus clench around his thick finger.

Garrett grabbed her hips and lifted her a few inches up off his cock. “Aw, fuck. Don’t do that, babe. It’s too good.”

When she sank back down his cock, she groaned at the pleasure of having both of her entrances filled. “Yes. More. I need more.”

Her short, gasping breaths turned into heavy pants as Dalton shoved another finger between her ass cheeks.

“You’re going to be so tight around me, Madeline. It’s going to be so fucking good.”

She rode his fingers and Garrett’s cock until she felt it rise in her again. Her nipples tightened ever so slightly, and the throbbing in her pussy and her clit grew more intense with Garrett’s every hard stroke up into her and Dalton’s counter finger-fucking that pushed her back onto Garrett’s cock. And Garrett hit her G-spot every time. He was so precise, so skilled, so attuned to her every movement. And Dalton was even more so. They touched her as if they were made specifically to please her, to own her.

“I’m close,” she gasped. “Oh, God.”

It gathered between her legs and burst through her, the pleasure making her back, neck, and limbs go limp with its power. She was vaguely aware of her screams, but the sensations swept through her and drowned out her perception of anything else. The last thing she saw was Garrett’s chest rippling, his arms bunching with his strength as he held her hips and ground her against him, helping her ride out her orgasm. His eyes were a gunmetal gray, and they focused on her face as she came above him.

* * * *

Dalton pulled his fingers out of Madeline’s ass as she started coming. He needed inside. Now.

He grabbed the bottle of lube and squirted some all over his dick, then lined up his cock with her puckered anus and pressed against the barrier, relishing in the sensation of the muscles giving way and sucking his cock into her hot body. Fuck, she hugged him so tight, so fully that it was as if her body was begging him to never leave. Or maybe that was just his cock talking because it loved being inside her so goddamn much.

Dalton looked down at their bodies joining and marveled at how creamy and white her ass was. How luscious. His skin was dark and rough compared to hers, and she was so small that he was terrified of breaking her. But he could barely control himself when he was inside her. All he had to do was look down at the graceful curves of her body, the little indentation at her waist, the bell flare of her hips, and he was a goner, lost in her soft skin, her flowery, spicy scent, in the sounds she made when he fucked her just right.

He loved it all.

He pushed in a few more inches, and he felt each and every one of her orgasmic pulses as she came. She squeezed him so hard that his eyes almost crossed, and he almost gave into the urge to fuck her like a rutting beast in heat.

He groaned and gripped her hips, stilling her so he did not do something stupid—like shove the other five inches of his dick inside her while she was still stretching around him. Her screams and sighs went straight to his head and settled there like an alcohol buzz, making his whole body tingle with his awareness of her and how good she felt.

Dalton pressed in again, and she tensed. “Shh. I’m going to take care of you, Maddie, I promise. Breathe. Just breathe.”

“Dalton.” She drew his name out, making him feel like a veritable god among men. And then she pressed her hand over his where it sat on her hip and laced their fingers together, and the vise around his heart squeezed and squeezed until he found it difficult to breathe. “I want all of you, Dalton. No teasing.”

She unleashed him with those words. The chain that held his snapping, raging beast in check broke, and his deepest, darkest desires burst forth.

“You shouldn’t have said that,” he growled.

He grasped her hips and held her still, a male dominating his female, and fucked himself into her until his pubic bone hit her ass cheeks.

The force of his thrust toppled Madeline over, but Garrett caught her and held her to his chest as Dalton pulled out until their connection almost broke and then shoved himself back in. All thoughts vanished in his mind as he fucked his woman, their woman, and made her theirs with every thrust inside of her, with every slap of his balls against her pussy. She groaned and cried out beneath him as she tilted her ass up ever so slightly, giving him more access, more power.

She hugged him into her body, squeezing every inch of him as he fucked her. She was so hot for him, so tight, that he was lost to the pleasure she gave him.

Garrett started countering his thrusts with movements of his own, and she propped herself up with her hands on Garrett’s chest, letting them have their wicked way with her. He loved how uninhibited she was, how much she accepted the pleasure they gave her. He wanted more, though. He wanted her to know she belonged to them, with them. No other man would ever touch her as long as he was with her, and he planned on being with her for a long damn time. Just the merest idea of another man touching her filled him with unbridled savagery, and he used it on her, his strokes so hard that they lifted her ass off of Garrett’s hips.

She tightened around him before she started wailing her pleasure between them, her ass muscles clenching around his cock as he drove her higher, higher until her whole body thrashed between them. He smiled to himself as he watched her and felt her come. There she was, the real Madeline, the woman who hid behind sensible dresses and sexy heels. This was the woman who hypnotized him, who made him want to worship her body until she knew no one else could ever do better. She was unleashed now, and he reveled in her raw beauty, in the awe-inspiring power of her femininity. She took them both and demanded more even as she quaked around him, between them.

Only a true woman could give so much without even knowing it. Only Madeline could take the darkest, deepest, most profound depths of himself and give them back to him, transformed, redeemed.

“Fuck, Dalton, I’m gonna come,” Garrett ground out between clenched teeth.

Thank God. He was about to lose it, too, but he wanted to feel her one more time. Just one more. He reached out with his senses, his mind. He thrust into her, and she gasped. It was the high-pitched gasp she gave them when they hit a particularly good spot.

“Oh, God. Dalton, Garrett, I can’t. Not another one.”

Dalton smiled viciously to himself. “Yes, you can. And you will.”

He fucked into her again. Again. And again. And then she groaned, low and desperate.

Ah, sweet victory.

“Now, Garrett,” he commanded before he came, growling deep in his chest. He gave himself up to the mind-blowing pleasure that rose up from his balls and shot up through his spine. His orgasm raced through him, violent and fierce in its intensity. His muscles gave out, and he wrenched himself out of the hot, clinging vise of her body before he fell on her and crushed her.

He landed next to them, and he took a moment to breathe, to let his head stop spinning. When he turned his head to look at her, he saw that Madeline was draped over Garrett’s chest, her body limp and languid. Unmoving.

Shit. He’d been too rough.

“Madeline?” He brushed the fiery red hair off her damp face and brushed his thumb along her cheek. “Madeline. Hey. Wake up.”

Garrett grasped her shoulders and shook her lightly.

Her eyebrows knitted together, and her eyelashes fluttered for a moment before they parted and she looked him with her velvety brown eyes.

“Hmm?” she mumbled.

“Did—did we hurt you?” God, if he hurt her…

She shook her head, making her hair fall back in her face. “No. It was wonderful.” She reached out to him, and her fingers wound into his chest hair and pulled, but the pain did not faze him. As long as they had not hurt her, he really could not work up the energy to care about anything else.

Her eyes fluttered closed, and Garrett pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then rested it back against the picnic blanket.

“Hot damn,” Garrett said, grinning.

“Tell me about it.”

Chapter Thirteen

One…two…three!

Madeline sucked in her gut, straightened her back, and zipped up her dress, over her pantyhose-covered lower half and up her bare back. The force nearly lifted her off her toes. Bea had promised she’d get the dress taken out a little bit, but Madeline doubted it. To Bea, the tighter the better.

Madeline turned side to side in front of her mirror and marveled at the gown’s construction, it’s ability to hold her in without extra skin and flab bulging out or folding over the top of the strapless bodice. Well, that is, except her breasts. Those were pushed up high and round like ripe melons. She couldn’t wait for Dalton and Garrett to see her tits in this dress. Even she wanted to take a bite out of them.

I guess that’s what twenty-five thousand dollars gets you.

She had already finished doing her hair and makeup and actually felt pretty impressed with the job she did. Waltzing straight into the cotillion without having to prep there would save her a lot of unnecessary fuss, she figured. Even though her dress didn’t really suit her personal style, at least her hair and face would look normal to her.

Either way, she looked good. Better than good.

She looked at the time on her cell phone. Almost seven-thirty. The chauffeur would be there in about five minutes to pick her up. The drivers who worked for Ellis Enterprises prided themselves on punctuality.

She paced around her apartment and considered putting her heels on, but then thought better of it. She could see her future self cursing her present self for putting them on before she needed to. The stilettos she bought were killer, in that they were knockout hot yet would probably also kill her feet by night’s end. She didn’t even want to begin complaining about the pantyhose, something she swore she’d never wear again as an adult, but Bea had insisted, saying it was more appropriate for an event like the Male Order cotillion.

A knock at the door stopped her in her tracks. Usually if the driver arrived at a pickup early, they’d wait until the planned time. Perhaps there was some kind of mix-up. She knew the cotillion had made things a little more hectic than usual. Or maybe, Dalton and Garrett had arranged for her to be picked up early so they’d have time for a quickie before the festivities began. She smiled to herself and took a deep breath to will away the flood of heat that always nearly drowned her in lust for her men. She couldn’t be happier than at that moment, even with this blasted dress on, because no matter how it made her feel, she looked fucking incredible. Just as with her men. No matter how crazy they could make her sometimes, she loved them, and with them, life felt fucking incredible.

“Just one sec. I’ll be right there,” she called to the driver through the door as she grabbed her opulent necklace, heavy with diamonds and sapphires. It took her a second to remember how to close and lock its special clasp, but the second she did she breathed a sigh of relief. Bea had been right, it did feel safest wrapped around her neck. Anybody stupid enough to try to take it would have to pry the necklace from her cold dead hands, and if they succeeded in doing that, then she’d haunt them to their graves.

Another sharp rap at the door had her hackles up. What was his deal? Technically, she still had a few minutes to get ready. What kind of ill-raised man would rush a lady getting ready for what was essentially a ball and in such a rude manner? She had half a mind to alert Dalton and Garrett about this driver’s rude behavior.

“Okay, okay! Hold your horses.” Madeline threw the door open and then looked down at her stocking-covered feet. “Damn, I forgot my shoes.”

She had turned to slip them on when the crown of her head blazed with a sharp pain and bright spots flashed in front of her eyes before she felt her dolled-up self being pushed like a rag doll back into her apartment.

* * * *

Madeline’s mind slowly came back to consciousness, and with her awakening came the ignition of every nerve she had in her body, each one screaming with agony. Her whole body ached, and it all seemed to culminate in her head. Was it possible for hair to hurt? She couldn’t move, and yet, she knew she was moving. She realized she must be in a car.

Madeline opened her eyes, the glare of the setting sun making her wince even more. The musty odor of old vinyl and cigarettes assailed her nostrils, and she coughed, which only increased her pain tenfold.

“I see you’re finally awake,” a gruff male voice said. “You’re a feisty little one. No wonder my brothers like you so much.”

Madeline struggled to sit up, but instead could only manage to lift her head. The feeling of the hot vinyl releasing her sweaty face was like having a bandage ripped off. The bodice of her gown squeezed her ribs just a little too tightly. When she’d first tried it on, it squeezed just tight enough to remind her that beauty requires a bit of pain sometimes, but now, tied up in the backseat of a car, she was beginning to doubt that wisdom.

Why couldn’t this psycho have grabbed me before I put this damn gown on?

“Who are you?” she managed to squeak out. Delicately trying to clear her throat without making her head radiate in another wave of pain, she tried speaking again. “Dalton and Garrett Ellis are expecting me. They’ll find me, you sick bastard.” She twisted her arms, but her wrists were tightly bound behind her back. She wondered if her fingers had turned purple yet.

“Oh, I’m counting on it. In about…thirty minutes, I’ll be giving them a call to say they’ll get your pretty ass back after they give me ten million dollars.” The man laughed casually as if he were relaying a humorous anecdote to an old friend. “But that’s just what I’ll make them think. You’re gonna die anyway.”

Madeline’s stomach did a somersault as tears welled in her eyes. It looked like her fairy tale was coming to an end. No. She stopped.

Doesn’t the prince, in my case princes, always come to the damsel’s rescue?

She looked up at the rearview mirror and could see when he looked at her, his eyes a cold, dark black. Something about those eyes seemed familiar, and it sent an ice-cold chill down her spine.

“Why are you doing this?”

“So you want to make conversation? I don’t see why not.” He turned, revealing more than just his profile and Madeline finally recognized who it was.

Vincent.

“So, why am I doing this? Because those two shits you’ve been fucking like a whore owe me and they owe me big time. You know, I’m an Ellis too, but not by name. Just blood. And you’d think that would be enough, better than enough, but no.” He laughed bitterly. “They don’t even know who I am, what I am. And why? Because their father, our father, didn’t want to hurt his precious family. But what about me? Aren’t I family? So I kept my trap shut and let the checks he wrote keep coming in. His hush money. Then, all of a sudden, he decided I needed to earn my keep, make an honest living, become a man, so he put me in charge of a fucking company, one he said would practically run itself. Well, you know what? It didn’t. It’s a fucking failure.”

The car began swerving, and Madeline trained her attention on the maniacal driver. No longer holding on to the wheel, his hands were instead balled up, smashing the air. Gut-wrenching groans emanated from deep within him that sent chills spiraling up her spine to wrap around her heart. The man was throwing a tantrum, something Madeline had experience dealing with, though usually not from adults. God, she hated a tantrum.

“Listen, Vincent. You don’t have to do this. Just slow down, okay? This isn’t safe. You’re better than this. I know that.” Her mind raced, searching for something, anything she could say to convince him to stop all this craziness. “You’re a good person, Vincent. Remember that night my car broke down and you stopped and helped me. You even followed me—” Then it all became clear. That was no happy coincidence. If she hadn’t been tied up, she’d slap herself for her stupidity.

Vincent laughed again. “Are you serious? You didn’t realize until now, until just now that that was set up? Do you know how easy it is to unscrew an oil cap? But thanks to your stupidity, your lovesick lapse in judgment, I knew where you lived. I even knew where you worked.”

He gripped the steering wheel with one hand, then turned at the waist. He batted his eyelashes. “Are you thirsty? Would you like something to drink, ma’am?”

Panic clawed its way up her body, freezing her in place. “The waitress,” she whispered. “That was you?”

The car started drifting to the side, and Vincent faced the front again. “A little date rape drug never hurt anyone, right?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her through the mirror.

Madeline gasped as she realized the lengths Vincent had gone to. She wanted to vomit. But at least he had stayed away from the kids—

“Oh, God.” She looked at the rearview mirror and studied her captor’s face and saw the same cheekbones and forehead Dalton had. “You were at the center that day Dalton and Garrett brought all the toys.”

“I was wondering if that little brat saw me. You know, I was always so envious of the Ellises, of all their money, power, women. They could have anything and everything they wanted. But what do they pick? They pick you, a completely naïve twit.” The car slowed to a stop, the crunch of tires on gravel like jackhammers in her brain. The door flung open, the summer heat blasting her, and Vincent reached in and flung her over his shoulder. “But you are pretty.” He ran his hand over her skirt. “And what firm legs you have. Yes, maybe I’ll just fuck you yet.”

Her stomach roiling with nausea, she grimaced and, for the first time in her life, felt grateful she had on pantyhose. The constricting stockings were never a welcome accessory, and particularly not during a hot Texas summer, but now they provided the protective barrier she needed to keep the bastard’s nasty paws off her.

“Where are you taking me? What is this place?” She examined her surroundings, trying to get her bearings. For what seemed like miles, wind turbines dotted the landscape, some fully erected but most lay strewn across the ground like massive, bleached-white bones. It made her think of a dinosaur graveyard, a place long abandoned and unfit for human trespassing. A construction crane held a piece of turbine suspended in the air as if work here had suddenly stopped without any prior warning.

It was eerily quiet except for the sound of wind whipping around her ears and the steady creak of the few turbines that were up as their propeller parts rotated high up in the sky.

“So many questions, so many questions. If you must know, this is my failed wind farm.” He said it matter-of-factly and waved his free arm in a wide arc that encompassed everything she saw around her.

“It doesn’t seem like a failure to me, just unfinished.” She tried her hardest to sound cheery, hoping to placate the maniac from doing anything crazier than he already had. He seemed to have a lot to get off his chest, and hopefully keeping him talking meant he’d be too busy to maim, rape, or kill her. The construction site didn’t look to be the safest place possible. Any of the large structures, even those unfinished pieces laying on their sides, were high enough to be excellent spots to throw her from and would certainly ensure a painful death, regardless of whether it was quick or slow. She gulped, trying desperately to lubricate her parched throat. “It’s probably not even your fault that it’s not finished. I mean, where are all the workers? They’re the ones who are supposed to be building this, not you.”

“Oh, no. That’s my fault too. You see, instead of paying the workers, I redirected those funds toward other project-related expenses. I figured, hell, I’m the one in charge of the project, so my personal needs should be included as a business expense.”

“That’s pretty clever,” she said.

He set her down on the ground, leaning her against the crane, and pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. “Yes, I thought so. And this is something you might appreciate, being a do-gooder and all. The money all went toward a good cause, namely paying off a few bookies to keep these legs of mine from being broken. Stress is also a terrible thing, so I invested the money in a few quiet parties with me and a number of choice whores.”

“Prostitutes need good jobs, too.” Madeline forced a smile as she looked up at him, his face silhouetted by the lowering sun.

“I like the way you think.” He climbed onto the crane into the operator’s cab and lowered the jib. Once it reached the ground, Vincent jumped out of the cab with a large bundle of rope hanging around his shoulder.

He proceeded to hastily hogtie her, and her joints and muscles screamed as he pulled her hands and feet together behind her back. The pain in her knees and shoulders was nearly unbearable, especially considering how constricting the position was for breathing in her already too-tight dress.

“If I do say so myself, you look quite lovely tied up, and I’m sure you’ll look even better suspended on that crane.” He paused a moment as if to admire his handiwork. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call to make, and it’s nearly impossible to get reception out here. But when I come back, I have big plans for you before my imbecile brothers get here with my helicopter and money.” He cackled with laughter and walked off out of earshot.

Chapter Fourteen

Dalton checked his watch again. Madeline was running late, which was unusual for her. He hoped she was not having any second thoughts about coming tonight. Garrett passed him again, pacing around the entrance to the ballroom when he should have been smiling at all of their guests who started arriving a few minutes ago.

The ladies were resplendent in their cotillion attire, and their dresses and diamonds glittered and shone brilliantly in the light like fireflies at dusk. Their husbands and escorts followed the women wherever they went, and Dalton realized that the men from Male Order did it out of habit. They liked being within touching distance of their women at all times. He thought about Madeline and how he wanted to be able to have access to her whenever he wanted, but he also liked being closer to her because he wanted to protect her, to make sure that any son of a bitch who wanted to hit on her or, God forbid, try to hurt her knew that he and Garrett would kill him before they let him lay a finger on Madeline’s precious skin. Women were important here. They were the heart and soul of their families, their homes, and, most of all, their men. The women were what men revolved around, and Male Order men liked things just the way they were. Dalton’s gaze rested on all of the elaborate masks everyone wore—ones with feathers, with jewels, elaborate painted designs. His thoughts drifted to what Madeline was wearing, how the dress fit her, how her mask would rest on her cheeks in just the perfect way to bring attention to her lips. He was sure Madeline would look beautiful, too, even though she would be too shy or too damn blind to realize it. How that woman of his did not realize how beautiful she was astounded him.

Garrett stopped pacing and stood at Dalton’s side, his body alive with tension. “Where the hell is she?”

“I don’t know, Garrett. She’s never run late to anything.”

Garrett grunted and started scanning the crowd. “It’s our crazy sister’s influence.”

“I’m not crazy. You’re just boring,” Bea said from behind them.

Dalton and Garrett spun around and faced their sister, who looked resplendent in her beaded gown, but Dalton refused to feel guilty for her overhearing them. This time. He had other things to worry about right now—namely where Madeline was.

“Bea, where’s Madeline?” Garrett asked.

She rolled her eyes and planted her hands on her hips. “Yes, Garrett, thank you so much for your compliment. I thought I looked pretty, too.”

Dalton sighed as he looked at his little sister. “We don’t have time to tell you that you look beautiful—”

“Oh, thank you!” Bea gushed.

“Bea, focus,” Dalton said. “Do you know where Madeline is? She’s not here.”

Bea’s face fell. “What do you mean she’s not here? I thought she was coming with you two.”

“That was the plan, but Madeline isn’t answering her phone and neither is Charles. We sent him to pick her up almost an hour ago.”

“Oh, God, Dalton.” Bea’s hand flew to her chest. “Charles is always on time. Always. Even when I’m running half an hour late, he somehow always gets me to where I’m going.”

“And that’s why we’re worried, Bea,” Garrett said, obviously trying to be patient.

“Let’s all just calm down,” Dalton commanded. Then his phone started vibrating in his breast pocket. He pulled it out and checked the caller I.D. “Charles, it’s about damn time,” he bit out. “Where are you?”

“She’s gone, Mr. Ellis. I don’t know where she went.” Charles’s voice sounded panicked and strangely breathy, as if he had just run a few miles.

All of Dalton’s senses went on red alert. “Charles, I can barely hear you. Slow down,” Dalton said.

“I just woke up. And she’s gone. She’s not in the house, Mr. Ellis. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Dalton gripped the phone harder. “What do you mean she’s not in the house? Is her car there?”

Charles’s breaths took up the air space for a few moments. “I–I got here at seven twenty-five, so I stayed in the car for five minutes since I didn’t want to rush her.” More heavy breathing. “At seven-thirty, I got out and started heading toward the door to pick her up and escort her to the car, and then something hit me. Just slammed into the back of my head. I woke up face-down on the sidewalk, and her neighbors and the paramedics standing over me and asking if I was all right.”

“When? What time did you wake up?”

“Just now, Mr. Ellis.”

Fuck. Almost half an hour had gone by since then. He gritted his teeth against the panic flooding him.

Dalton met Garrett’s gaze. Garrett’s lips tightened, and he pulled out his phone, dialing Madeline’s number, no doubt. But Dalton knew that was pointless. Something was terribly, horribly wrong.

“Are you all right, Charles?”

“I’m fine, sir,” the man responded. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Ellis.”

“It’s not your fault. I need to figure out what the hell is going on. Please stay in touch and let me know if you need anything.” He hung up before Charles could respond. Wild, uncontrollable panic bubbled inside him. Dalton took a deep breath and started pacing around.

“Dalton, what the hell is going on?” Garrett’s hard voice made Dalton stop and turn around to face his brother, who looked like he was about to jump out of his skin.

“Madeline’s gone,” he answered, voice tight. “Someone attacked Charles when he went to pick her up and when he woke up, she was gone.”

Bea’s hands flew to her mouth.

Garrett’s face paled. “Jesus Christ.”

Dalton’s phone vibrated in his hand, and he brought it to his hear immediately. “Madeline?”

The silence on the other end stretched and thickened, making the buzzing and bustling in the ballroom creep into Dalton’s very skull. He was on alert, everything inside him primed to spring into action. Something felt wrong, very goddamn wrong. And Madeline was at the center of it.

“Dalton,” the male voice said silkily, “how funny you should mention her.”

He knew that voice. He recognized it but could not place it. Primal rage flared to life inside him, and he fought like mad to control it.

“Who the hell is this?”

“I’m surprised you don’t already know, Dalton. Especially since we have so many things in common. So many things. Take Madeline, for example. I think you, Garrett, and I have a few things in common. We all find her extremely appealing, yes? Her spirit is very alluring.”

Dalton gripped the phone so hard the plastic protested.

“She’s a fighter,” the voice continued. “I’ll bet she’s quite demanding and feisty in bed. I might have to give her a go.”

“You will not touch her,” Dalton growled between his teeth.

“Now, Dalton, this isn’t a board meeting. You’re not in control here. I am.”

Dalton’s chest constricted. “Vincent?”

Garrett’s head snapped up. His eyes narrowed, and his cheekbones looked like daggers under his skin. Dalton had never seen his younger brother so angry. Garrett spun around and started stalking back and forth, a raging animal trapped in its gilded cage.

Vincent chuckled softly. “You finally figured it out. I was wondering how long it would take the exacting and ever-observant Dalton Ellis to figure it out.”

Dalton breathed in deeply and pivoted on his heel and walked over to a dark corner of the room so as not to be seen. Garrett followed close on his heels. “Vincent, just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m teaching you a lesson by taking away your best chance of happiness. Our failed project would have worked had you given me more time or a second chance. But you were always heartless, Dalton. You only look out for your own interests. And your family’s, too. I’ll give you that. Some people would call that being loyal to your family, but I disagree. You were never loyal to me.”

Dalton’s worry for Madeline grew ten-fold. Vincent had snapped. Completely lost it. He was going to hurt her. “Vincent, just let her go. This is between you, me, and Garrett. Let Madeline go.”

Silence. Then, “I don’t think so. Not until I get what’s owed to me, Dalton. It’s really too bad things ended this way. We could have been one big, happy family.”

“Family? Vincent, what—”

“Your sweet mother didn’t tell you?” Vincent’s high-pitched laugh sounded like a squeal. “I hate to be the one to break the news but—no, who am I kidding? I love it—when your mother was eight months pregnant with her first child, I was born. It could’ve been quite the scandal if it got out that Daddy Andrew had been fucking around on his precious wife and even got some waitress he met in Vegas pregnant.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Vincent?”

“Do I have to spell it out for you? You’re not the oldest Ellis brother, Dalton. I am.”

Dalton felt like he had jumped into a frozen river, the undercurrents of it dragging him under the ice forever.

“I am the first-born of the Ellis children, and I demand my share. I feel that I have a right to all the material benefits you and my other siblings are privy to. But what I mostly want is to make you and Garrett feel what I felt every day when I was growing up and watching you in the limelight. The Ellis brothers. The magnificent duo who would take over the multi-billion dollar corporation that was their birthright. Do you know how it felt to be living off my father’s little monthly checks, knowing that he could afford much, much more? Daddy Andrew gave me a pittance.”

Dalton listened to Vincent’s fevered voice as he spoke. Christ, all the secrets, all the lies his parents had left. He felt as if he never really knew them, not after this.

“As ransom for your little girlfriend here, I demand ten million dollars in cash, unmarked, in two separate duffle bags. At first, I thought I should demand one-third of the corporation’s assets—it’s only fair to keep things in the family, after all—but then I figured it’d be much nicer to take the cash, head to the Caribbean and be done with the whole lot of you. Also, I’ll need one of our fine corporate helicopters. And one more thing, if I realize that you’ve alerted the authorities, I will make sure Madeline will suffer the consequences. You’ll find us at the wind farm.”

“Vincent—”

The line went dead.

Dalton squeezed the phone in his hand and resisted the urge to throw it against the wall. Dalton looked at Garrett, his fury taking over his terror that something would happen to Madeline. “Call up your pilot friend, and tell him to get one of our goddamn helicopters ready. I know where she is.”

“I’m already on it.” Garrett fell into step with him, and together they started for the exit. “Who was that? Where did they take her?”

Rage welled up inside him, and his desperation to get to Madeline fueled it and built it higher. “It’s Vincent,” Dalton spat. “And he took her to the wind farm.”

“What? Why?”

“He mentioned something about it being his failed project. That sick bastard can’t let anything go.”

Without another word to anyone else, Dalton and Garrett ran out of the grand building and into the growing darkness. Jesus, they had to get to her quick. He had no idea what Vincent had already done or planned to do to her. Just the idea made Dalton itch to wrap his hands around Vincent’s neck and squeeze the life out of him, to see the light go out from his eyes. He embraced his murderous rage as he and Garrett sprinted to their car and Dalton got behind the wheel, not even waiting for Garrett to close his own door before spinning out of the parking lot.

* * * *

Madeline wracked her brain trying to figure a way out of this. She had no doubt in her mind that Dalton and Garrett would come for her, but would they get to her in time? She writhed on the ground, trying to loosen her bindings.

She arched her back, stretching her arms behind her until she could reach her feet. When her fingers grazed the nylon ropes, brushing against the knot, it was as if the Heavens parted. Vincent had only tied a simple double knot, otherwise known as a granny knot. Who knew that watching her men tie those intricate knots would pay off so huge? Hope filtered through her, steeling her strength and courage. She gathered everything in her and made one big stretch until the tips of her fingers latched on to the knot. Tugging on a humped loop, she worked the amateur knot until it loosened and came apart. Then she worked it again, wiggling around on the ground. The tension that had connected her limbs finally disappeared. Struggling to sit up, Madeline bounced to get her arms underneath her ass and under her legs. Every muscle and tendon stretched and ached beyond belief. She felt a few seams popping in her dress as she fought to get her arms, bound at the wrists, under her thighs, then past her knees. She shimmied her way past the tattered pouf of material on her mermaid-cut dress, and finally, blessedly, she had her hands in front of her again.

Lifting the ropes to her teeth, she easily unknotted it and then quickly untied the ropes around her ankles. The next thing she would’ve liked to have freed was her body from the dress, but then she’d be running around naked except for a pair of pantyhose.

Madeline’s heart raced as she looked around, trying to conjure up some plan in this turbine-littered wasteland. She knew there were lots of places to hide, but hiding would do no good. Who knew when her men would ever arrive and what would she do if Vincent found her. No, she wouldn’t put herself in a position where she could be cornered like a caged bird.

She tried to find a weapon, something to defend herself with. Her hand absently grazed the necklace she wore. Initially surprised she still had it on, she realized the strong, complicated lock likely prevented Vincent from taking it from her.

Good.

She hopped into the crane and closed the door behind her. Peeking out the little window, she could see Vincent talking animatedly on the phone just beyond a turbine part lying on it side. Perhaps he was calling her princes to come save her. Well, this princess was about to save her own damn self.

Vincent’s head briefly disappeared behind the tall turbine as he walked around it. The fast-approaching sound of gravel crunching told her he was near. Her mind searched frantically for a way to protect her, and she fiddled with her necklace as she thought. Then it hit her.

Well, what do you know? Maybe diamonds really are a girl’s best friend.

She reached back and undid the clasp. Buford had said the necklace was strong. If her plan worked, there’d be no doubt in her mind that the Ellises had gotten their money’s worth. She held it in her hands and steadied herself, ready to pounce out of the crane and onto this man who would take everything away from her. Well, that wasn’t fucking happening.

Vincent cursed when he got to the spot where he’d left her. Just as he was about to turn, Madeline lunged, wrapping the chain of sapphires and diamonds around the mad man’s neck and pulling as tightly as she could. The sharp edges of the marquis-cut stones bit into her hand, but she didn’t care.

* * * *

Dalton and Garrett reached the aircraft hangar at their family compound in a quarter of the time it usually took to get there, thanks to Dalton’s driving. The car screeched to a stop, and they both got out and ran to the custom Sikorsky S-92 that was already primed up and ready to go. Connor, one of Garrett’s college buddies and more importantly a former Special-Ops Marine, sat in the pilot’s seat. When Garrett and Dalton jumped into the helicopter, Connor just gave them his signature nod and took the chopper up without any preamble. If there was anything Connor was, it was single-minded and focused.

Once they were in the air and heading east, Garrett slid into the co-pilot seat while Dalton stayed in the back and made some phone calls to a few of the higher-ups in the Dallas–Ft. Worth Metro area. Wherever Madeline was, it would be flooded with the best cops and SWAT teams around.

“So I finally get to meet this lady of yours, Garrett?”

Garrett grunted and checked how fast Connor was going. Not nearly fast enough. He swiped a hand over his face and tried not to scream. “Yeah, finally.”

“I can’t believe you and Dalton would actually settle down with one lady.”

Garrett thought about Madeline, and images of her flashed his mind—the flush that blossomed under Madeline’s creamy skin when she was aroused and the way her hair looked like living, breathing flames when it danced across her back. Her image was so vivid to him in those brief moments that he could smell her, could see her smile.

He shifted in his seat to distract himself from thinking about her and how much he loved her, about how much he admired her for putting other people before herself. He moved again and again. He could not keep still, no matter how hard he tried. All of the sweet, beautiful images of her were poisoned by his terror for her. Fear permeated his memories of her, staining them. Now, all he could see was Madeline, beaten, bloodied, and broken, and Vincent standing over her with terrible, horrible things he still planned to do to her racing through his sick mind.

He glanced at the airspeed indicator, then at the pilot. “Go faster, Connor. We need to go faster.”

Connor just shook his head. “I’m going as fast as I can. We’re still flying over the city.”

“I don’t give a shit,” Garrett snapped. “Some sick fuck has our woman, and we need to get to her. Now.”

“Garrett—”

But Garrett had already stood and stepped toward his buddy. “Move over.”

“Garrett, I’m down with you piloting this thing, but we’re in mid-flight.”

“Either move faster or get out of my way.”

“All right. You got it. But don’t make me kill your ass because you send us into a tailspin with this goddamn stunt.”

“Just move, Connor.”

Connor unbuckled his harness and transferred the controls to Garrett, who gripped them lightly, not wanting to jerk the chopper, and slid into the seat Connor vacated.

Once he was seated, Garrett immediately revved up the speed. “This baby tops out at one-eighty. We’ll see how she flies going that fast.”

For once his speed demon skills were useful. It was as if everything he learned and experienced was for this moment—to save the love of his and his brother’s lives. They arrived at the failed wind farm just as the sun started dipping below the dark line of the horizon. Garrett landed the helicopter just as Dalton opened the back door and jumped out.

Garrett turned to Connor. “Stay here,” he commanded. “And make good and goddamn sure that fucking bastard does not get on the helicopter.”

Connor just grinned that toothy, shit-eating grin of his, and for a moment, Garrett saw the covert-ops guy behind his professional veneer. “You got it.”

Then Garrett hopped out of the chopper right next to his brother, and he stopped dead. The shafts and blades of the wind turbines were giant skeletons in the deepening darkness, ribs and spines jutting out of the earth in perfect, haunting symmetry. The absolute, almost suffocating, stillness wrapped around him. And when the chopper’s propellers stopped pumping, the silence added to the muffled weight of the night.

“Fuck,” Dalton seethed. “She could be fucking anywhere.”

“We should split up—”

“Over there.” Dalton turned to the left, where a weak beam of light shimmered.

They looked at each other, then sprinted toward the light, their shoes barely crunching over the pebbles and blades of grass under them. Garrett was not worried about not being able to handle Vincent man to man. They would just have to take off their damn dress shoes. They had no traction whatsoever.

With every step that drew them closer to the light, Garrett prayed that Madeline would be all right, that he would be about to feel her little body against his again. His heart raced, and his lungs burned with the need for air, but he was holding his breath, too scared to let it out and face the reality that perhaps Madeline was hurt in some way he and Dalton could not fix.

Please, God. Please, God, please.

They came upon a towering pile of dirt, and they sidled up alongside it until they reached the edge.

Dalton peeked around the corner, then turned to face him again. “I don’t see anything. On my count, we’re going. I’ll take care of Vincent. You just get Madeline the hell out of here. Leave me if you have to. Just make sure she’s safe.”

Garrett held his brother’s gaze for a moment, then nodded.

“One,” Dalton counted, “two…three.”

They rounded the corner and rushed into the open expanse of the empty clearing. Vincent’s car sat about a hundred yards away, the headlights burning into the purple evening. There was nothing around except for a single, erect turbine and a crane with a struggling form attached to it.

“Jesus Christ.” Dalton hurried toward the crane, his head upturned the entire time as if to catch the figure suspended in the still night air.

For a moment, Garrett’s heart stopped beating. His chest felt empty and hollow, as if someone or something had cut it open and left him exposed. Self-preservation kicked in. This was not happening. Madeline was fine. She was alive and waiting for them, and nothing bad happened to her. Fuck, he needed to sit down soon. He was going to—

“Dalton! Garrett!”

Garrett spun around and saw Madeline melting out of the darkness behind Vincent’s car and rushing toward them in her now ruined gown. Her hair hung in clumps about her face, and dirt covered her arms in gray patches. He had never seen her look more beautiful.

“Jesus Christ, Madeline.” Garrett took off toward her, terrified out of his mind that she was hurt. When he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground. He hugged her tight and inhaled her precious scent, filling himself up.

“Garrett, you’re squeezing a little too hard.”

He let out a shaky breath and set her back down, holding her at arm’s length. “Are you all right? What the hell are you doing out there in the dark? How did you get free?”

Madeline smiled up at him and pressed a quick kiss against his lips, then smoothed down the lapels on his tux. “First of all, I’m fine. I’m alive and well, and I’m not bleeding anywhere and nothing’s broken. I promise.”

“You’re sure—”

“Yes, Garrett, I’m fine.” She pinned him with a stern glance. “Now about your other questions. I tried to drive his car away, but as soon as I pulled out of here, I drove over something and got a flat tire, so I’ve been rummaging around trying to find some sort of working radio, but obviously I couldn’t. And now you’re here.”

“Of course we’re here. What did you expect? That we’d just let someone else come for you?”

“Well, what the hell took you so long?”

For a second, Garrett thought the anger on her face was real and he felt like the biggest piece of useless shit in the world. They had not gotten to her fast enough. She must have been terrified out of her mind, especially since she was out here all alone, despite Vincent’s dangling presence. And then the corners of her lips lifted.

“That was dirty.” He grinned. “I like it. You’re really not hurt?”

She shook her head. “I’m absolutely fine. A little on an adrenaline high, to be honest.” She glanced up at the bundle hanging precariously from the crane, and Garrett followed her gaze up.

“How the hell did you get him all the way up there?”

Madeline gave him a triumphant smile. “What can I say? Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”

“What? What do you mean? Madeline, how did you get free?”

“I saved myself.” Madeline’s smile widened. “I remembered how the two of you tied knots to, um, well…to tie me up. When he brought the rope out, I figured that he couldn’t know half the things the two of you do.” She shrugged. “I just waited until he wasn’t paying attention and freed myself.”

Garrett pulled her against him once more, needing the feel of her warm, soft body to ground him to reality. She was real, not a figment of his desperate imagination, and she was alive and unhurt.

When Dalton reached them, Garrett turned her over to him, and not a moment too soon. Dalton’s lips were set in a thin line and his eyes were scarily bright. He wrapped his whole body around Madeline and pulled her tight. Dalton looked like he was barely keeping it together. His whole body was wound up so tight Garrett thought if that if he even breathed on him, Dalton would crumble into a million little pieces.

Madeline pulled back a fraction and ran her fingers along Dalton’s cheekbone until she cupped his face in her palm. “Dalton, look at me. I’m fine.”

Dalton’s hands skimmed her arms, rib cage, and back up to her face. “You’re absolutely sure? We have a family doctor on call twenty-four-seven for us, and we can fly you to any hospital—”

“I’m fine, Dalton. I swear. Just look at me and calm down. I’m fine. I’m not going anywhere.”

Dalton wrapped his arms around her again, this time looking less rigid and a little more relaxed. He pressed his face into her hair and inhaled deeply, and Madeline burrowed against him, burying her face in Dalton’s chest. Garrett stepped right behind her and kissed her shoulder. They stayed together for a few moments, and then Dalton broke the silence.

“Madeline, what happened?”

“I don’t know,” she said against the lapels of Dalton’s tux. “One minute I was answering my door, and the next, I was in the backseat of Vincent’s car. At first I thought everything was all right because I recognized him, you know? And then he started talking about you two and one of your fathers owing him money.” She took a deep breath. “Anyway, I thought the worst, but right now I’m feeling pretty liberated, actually. I mean, I freed myself from the clutches of your evil half-brother.” Her face paled. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so callous. Did you know? Did he tell you?”

“Yeah, he told us. But now’s not the time to talk about everything. You’re sure you’re all right?”

“Yes, Dalton, I’m—”

“Are you sure, Madeline? Are you positive? He didn’t—he didn’t touch you?”

“No. He didn’t. He threatened to, of course, but in the end I don’t know if he would have and I definitely wouldn’t have let him.”

Anger in its purest, most animalistic form rose in Garrett’s gut and made his body temperature spike. He was going to kill Vincent with his bare hands. And he was going to enjoy it.

Dalton pressed a kiss against her forehead. “I’ll take it from here.” He said it so calmly that Garrett was almost fooled. But when Garrett’s gaze met Dalton’s over Madeline’s head, he saw the depths of Dalton’s rage. “Garrett, take her back to the helicopter.”

Garrett had just wrapped his arms around Madeline when Dalton sidestepped her and stalked over to the crane, pure murder written all over him. Dalton was out for more than blood tonight

“Dalton, stop!” Madeline screamed. She tried to break free of Garrett’s grip, but he held her fast. “Garrett, let go of me. I’m not going to have him ruin himself just for Vincent.”

“Vincent deserves everything that’s coming to him,” Garrett shot back. “And then I’m going to take my turn.”

Madeline stopped struggling and looked up at him, her eyes searching his. “Don’t let him do this. It’s what Vincent would want. I’m fine. He didn’t do anything that really hurt me, and he didn’t even touch me in that—that way. I just want to leave with the two of you. I just want to go home with you and move past this.”

“Maddie—”

“Please. Let’s just go. Neither of you will be able to take it back, Garrett. Don’t do something you’re going to regret later. It’s not worth it!”

He fought the truth of her words even as they struck deep. He wanted nothing more than to watch his brother pound the living shit out of Vincent Pierce and then have his go-round, too. If he was completely honest with himself, he would have to admit that he really would not regret inflicting bodily harm in the man who dared lay a finger on the woman he loved. He would get some peace of mind out of it, actually.

But her big, brown eyes were irresistible, even in the dim light. Damn her and her noble, generous spirit. He did not deserve her. He really did not. He rested his forehead against hers, breathing her in. “I love you, Madeline. I don’t know what I would have done if—”

“I’m okay. You’ll never have to worry about that.” She pressed a soft kiss against his lips, and he kissed her back for a moment, then broke it off to go haul his brother back from the brink of something he could never come back from. “Dalton, stop,” he called out as he ran after him.

Dalton already sat in the control seat in the crane, lowering Vincent’s now struggling form to the ground.

Garrett hopped up onto the rig and pressed stop. “Dalton, let’s go. Now. Don’t do this. It’s not worth it.”

Dalton’s head snapped up. “Not worth it? Not fucking worth it? That bastard laid his goddamn hands on her, Garrett. He hurt her, he terrified her, and I will see that he is punished for every single bruise on her body.”

Dalton reached for the controls again, but Garrett pushed his hand out of the way. “Dalton, stop.”

He shot to his feet. “You stop it, Garrett, and get the fuck out of my way.”

“No can do, brother. You’re not going to do this.”

Fuck. The last thing he wanted was to fight with his brother. It always went fifty-fifty as to who would win, but when Dalton won, it was always decisively.

“Move,” Dalton growled between his clenched teeth.

“You’re going to have to make me, Dalton.”

His brother’s fists clenched at his sides, pure aggression and wrath emanating from Dalton’s body in tangible waves. Garrett had never seen Dalton this out of control, this desperately angry. He knew the feeling himself. Life looked pretty damn bleak without Madeline in it.

“Dalton, I know. I know how you feel. I understand. But this isn’t worth it. Back off and calm down. If you’re still wanting to duke it out with him tomorrow, then I’m all for it. But, for now, let’s just get her home.”

Dalton’s eyes squeezed closed, and Garrett saw it all playing over his brother’s face—the guilt, the anger, the terror, the need to avenge any hurt she suffered.

“Dalton?” Madeline voice drifted to them.

They both turned around, and there she stood, a few feet away, looking like a fallen angel.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Dalton answered.

“Please just take me home. I need you to do that.”

Her big, sweet eyes did that same beseeching thing to Dalton that they had done with Garrett, and Garrett knew she would win this round. And many more to come. There was no way in hell they were ever going to let her go now that they knew what they were without her.

Dalton let out a big breath, and Garrett felt the fight go out of his brother. At least for now.

“All right, sweetheart. We’ll take you home.” Dalton pushed past Garrett and jumped out of the crane’s control center and landed pretty damn gracefully for a man in dress shoes. Dalton turned to face Garrett. “Just leave him there. We have guests on the way for him.”

Garrett jumped out of the rig, too, and stayed close on Dalton’s heels as Dalton carried Madeline in his arms to the waiting helicopter. She wrapped her arms around Dalton’s neck, clinging to him the entire time and burying her face in his neck.

Once they were situated, Dalton tucked her body into his and pulled out his cell phone. “Yeah, Chief Anderson. He’s waiting for you. Yes, Vincent Pierce. If you don’t mind getting a DNA sample, that would be great. I’ll owe you a favor. And Madeline’s fine. We’ll bring her in to discuss everything tomorrow.”

Garrett watched as Dalton held Madeline in his rigid grip. He had not seen his brother in such a state since their parents died. Dalton held her jealously tight, as if some invisible enemy were trying to rip her from his very arms. Garrett wanted to tell Dalton to loosen up his grip, but when Madeline snuggled closer to him, Garrett changed his mind.

Garrett watched the two of them together and realized that his brother was never going to let her go after this. Dalton fought so hard to deny his feelings toward her, but there could be no fighting them now that they knew what a world without Madeline would be like.

He almost shivered at the thought.

His gaze wandered over her from where her face was buried in Dalton’s neck to where bruises already started forming on her shoulders from where Vincent’s fucking fingers squeezed too hard. Hot, violent anger rose and threatened to break loose inside him. The idea of anyone hurting Madeline made his most primal instincts roar forth. He considered himself a pretty nice guy, but no one touched his Madeline and got away with it. Vincent would fucking pay. He and Dalton would see to that.

Once Dalton hung up, the professional, aloof man disappeared and the man underneath came out. He shook Madeline gently until she straightened and faced him. “Are you all right? Do we need to take you anywhere?”

Madeline shook her head. “I’m okay. Just a little shaken up and disoriented, but I’m fine.”

Dalton pulled her into his chest and buried his face in her hair. Garrett leaned over her, too, and together, he and his brother wrapped themselves around her, shielding her and protecting her.

“He’s never going to touch you ever again. No one will,” Garrett swore fiercely.

“I know,” Madeline whispered. She brushed her fingertips over his jaw, and he pressed his lips into her palm.

“He’s under the impression he’s our half-brother, Garrett,” Dalton said, his voice flat and emotionless. “And I don’t think he’s lying. Daddy Andrew wasn’t the most loyal of husbands for a few years there. Mom almost left both of our dads because of him.”

Garrett’s throat suddenly went dry. “You’re not seriously believing his bullshit, are you?”

Dalton sighed and pressed his cheek against Madeline’s vibrant hair. “Yeah, I think I do.”

Garrett rubbed his palm over his face and felt as if the reality he had been living with all of his life was a sham. “What are we going to do? There’s no way I’m going to let him near her. I’ll kill him first.”

“He’s not ever getting within a mile of her.” Dalton’s eyes burned with rage and fierce, primal possession. “He’s not getting a damn cent out of us. He’s getting nothing. The fact that he’s most likely our brother changes nothing.”

“We’re going to have to tell Bea.”

Dalton grunted. “When she finds out exactly what happened, she’s going to want to kill Vincent herself.” He swiped his hand over Madeline’s back in long strokes. “But we’ll save that conversation for tomorrow when she’s not going to be such a mess.”

Garrett rolled his eyes. “You’re right. She can only handle so many crises at one time.” He glanced down at Madeline and spoke to the crown of her head. “We’ll get you back to the family estate and make sure you’re all taken care of.”

Madeline did not respond for a few minutes. But then she pulled her face out of the crook of Dalton’s neck and wiped away the stray tears on her cheeks. “I changed my mind. I want to go to the cotillion.”

“What? No. No way in hell,” Dalton growled. “You were almost killed for fuck’s sake. There is no way I’m letting you out of the house for months.”

“You’re not letting me? Is that it?” Madeline sat up straight in Dalton’s lap and gave him a look saying she was not in the mood for arguing. “I’m a grown woman, Dalton, and I can do whatever I want whenever I want, and I don’t have to answer to you. And don’t you dare try to tell me that you’re going to lock me up to protect me.”

“I’m not going to let you get hurt again, Madeline,” Dalton shot back.

“You can’t do that! You’re not all-powerful, Dalton. At the end of the day, all the money you’re worth can’t stop something like tonight from happening again. Nothing. And I won’t have you trying to micromanage my life because you need to be in control.”

Garrett could hear Dalton grinding his teeth together, so he tried to reason with her before things got out of his domain of control. “Madeline, it’s too soon. There are always going to be more cotillions. We’re going to get you home. There’s no question about it.”

“No. Garrett. I want to go, not cry anymore about the terrible thing that happened. I refuse to let people like Vincent and Darla win because they managed to scare me or intimidate me. I’m done with that. I’ve had enough. I’m not letting that asshole win, Dalton. I refuse to.”

Dalton, still stubborn as ever, dug his heels in. “I’m not going to risk you, Madeline.”

“Risk me? Dalton, the only thing you’re risking is me living in fear or regret for the rest of my life because I didn’t have the strength to take control back from that maniac.” She took Dalton’s face between her hands. “I need this, Dalton. I need you and Garrett to be by my side for this. If we don’t go, then the whole night goes to waste. Think of all the charities that won’t get any help because you won’t be there to raise the extra funds. Please don’t let Vincent win that much. He doesn’t deserve it.”

“Deserve?” Dalton spat. “That man deserves to have every one of his fingers cut off for daring to touch you. I’m going to make good and goddamn sure that fucking bastard is going to rot. No one touches a fucking hair on my wife’s head without suffering the consequences.”

Chapter Fifteen

Madeline’s heart jumped. “Wife?”

For the first time since she’d met him, Dalton struggled for words. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, and she sensed the aggression seep out of him as the hopeful look on his face—on both their faces—rose.

Dalton cleared his throat, and when he spoke, his voice was solid and true. “I didn’t mean for it to come out that way, but we want to ask you to marry us, Madeline.”

She blinked her eyes, waiting for all of this to go away. “B-but I—”

Madeline glanced between the two of them. Surely they were joking. This was just the adrenaline talking. This was all a dream. She was in shock from being almost murdered. Then Garrett gave her a tender smile as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. His touch lingered against her skin, bringing her back to the moment, and she found herself wanting more.

“We love you, Madeline Spencer,” Garrett said, emotion making his voice gruff. “I’m sorry it took us so goddamn long to figure it out, but now that we have, we can’t let you go. We want you as our lover, our best friend, our wife. We want you for everything you are and everything you will be. Maybe the mother of our children someday.”

Madeline wanted to give them her declaration of love, too. She wanted to tell them everything she felt about them—how they made her complete, how they made her a stronger woman, and how they helped her realize her dreams, that they made her feel beautiful and smart and sexy and that she would love them with all she was, but the words would not come. She looked at their handsome, hopeful faces, humbled beyond comprehension that these two giant, powerful men who could have their pick of any woman in the world twice over would be waiting for her to say yes or no. Such simple words, really, but in that moment, she felt the weight of them.

“I don’t know how you could think I wouldn’t marry you,” she said, her voice wobbling as she fought her tears. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you. Both of you.”

Dalton and Garrett beamed at her, their smiles genuine and breathtaking in their happiness. Dalton kissed her hard, his lips pressing into hers and stealing her breath. He felt so vital and alive next to her, and she felt his love for her in his kiss, in his touch.

Garrett pulled a small box from his breast pocket and looked at her with his impish grin that was now tinged with a hint of seriousness. When he opened it, Madeline gasped. Nestled in dark velvet was an antique diamond ring.

“Oh, my God. It’s beautiful.”

Garrett leaned into her and kissed her, too, his wildness and passion warming her inside and chasing away what had happened to her. She pulled him closer and reveled in how Garrett made everything so much brighter, how he made her feel so much more vibrant and free.

When he broke the kiss, his gray eyes danced. “It’s been in the family for years. Family jewels, so to speak.”

Suddenly, a thought dawned on her. “When did you get it? I mean, there wasn’t any time—”

Dalton cupped her face. “We planned to ask you tonight at the Cotillion. And then we got the call from Vincent. I heard in his voice that he was going to hurt you so he could hurt us. I can’t tell you how terrifying that moment was to think that we would never get the chance to start our lives together and to realize that neither of us would recover from losing you. Ever. There’s no way.”

“It all just cemented what we already knew. It’s a done deal.” Garrett’s voice cracked with emotion. “We love you more than we ever thought we could love anyone or anything. We weren’t going to let you go before all of this, but now that we know what life would be like without you, we’re never letting you out of our sight again.”

“Well, I’m safe now. And we’re together.”

Dalton shook his head slightly, as if in wonder.

Madeline’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What? What does that mean?”

Dalton looked away. “At first we were just worried that we went about everything wrong, that we pushed too hard.” He looked at her, the intensity and emotion in his jade-like eyes unnerving her. “But I won’t apologize for it. Even if you had said no, we would’ve kept pursuing you until you said yes. We love you, Madeline. Just forgive us if we can’t let you go.”

In response, she held out her hand between them. “Well, you better claim me, then.”

* * * *

Garrett lifted the ring to her finger almost reverently, all the promises and hopes and love resting on the ring that had bound his ancestors together all these years. The ring slid into place on her finger, looking like it was meant to be there, like it was made for her.

Madeline stared at her finger, her big brown eyes wide and unblinking. Then she looked at them, her smile incandescent and radiant and so damn beautiful he forgot to breathe for a second.

She was theirs. She accepted them. She would be their lover and wife, the mother of their children. She would be their everything. Funny, he never thought he would ever want to be bound to a single woman forever, but with Madeline, he could not wait to get started.

Garrett reached for her and pulled her smaller body to his, his arms enveloping her as his lips descended on hers. He would never get over how soft she was—her skin, her hair, her lips. Her surprise at his sudden onslaught wore off, and she grew pliable in his hands. Needy. Her fingers wound into his shirt and pulled him closer, and he let her burrow her body against his. He loved it when she was this close, when her scent and skin were all he could think about, smell, and touch. He loved being surrounded by her.

He pulled away to catch his breath, and Madeline’s smile was radiant. “You can’t just let me not show this off to everyone. Please. Let’s go to the cotillion. Let’s make sure that this is actually one of the happiest days of our lives. It’ll be for us, to show us and anyone who cares, that we are strong and resilient and…in love.”

“And nothing and no one can change that,” Garrett added.

Dalton heaved a great sigh and looked at Garrett who saw the hesitant resignation in his older brother’s face. Garrett nodded and picked up the radio connected to the pilot and told him to head for the family compound. He would tell Bea to pull herself away from her duties as hostess of the cotillion and meet them there with a new dress, and Garrett suspected she would be desperate to help in any way possible. She would be especially thrilled at the opportunity to help Madeline get all dressed up. Although she might not get passed the ring.

Dalton turned back to Madeline. “Fine. The cotillion it is.”

* * * *

Bea was already waiting at the front door when Dalton carried Madeline over the threshold and swept her up a ridiculously grand staircase and into a room that could only belong to Bea. A huge canopied bed sat in the middle of the room, and clothes lay on every flat surface imaginable in random bursts of silken, lacy color.

Bea immediately rushed to their side. “Are you okay? I’ve been so worried about you, well, all of you, but you especially, Maddie. Do you need anything? Anything at all?”

“I’ll be all right, Bea,” Madeline replied as Dalton carried her farther into the room. “But you can help with something. I’m going to that cotillion. I’m not letting some crazed psycho ruin everything we’ve been planning. I can’t let my kids down either.”

“Bea, did you rustle up some cotillion dresses for her?” Dalton asked once he sat Madeline down on Bea’s bed.

“I didn’t have to. I just called Buford and had him bring over the one dress I knew that Madeline wanted.” She looked at her with that Ellis gleam in her eye, and Madeline’s heart fluttered.

“You mean?” She clasped her hands across her chest in anticipation as Bea walked to a set of double doors and flung them open with a flourish. Madeline’s breath caught at the sight. It was that lovely, sweet lacey gold and ivory gown she tried on in the store that day. The one that was not too big and not too tight but perfect. Perfect for her.

“I’m sorry I forced you to get that dress you’re wearing right now. I mean, it’s dead sexy, and I’m sure my brothers will agree, but if I hadn’t been so pushy I would’ve seen then that this is the dress you really wanted.”

“Oh, Bea, I can’t believe this.” Madeline stood stunned, wanting desperately to run her fingers down the rich fabric, but fearing she was so dirty she’d end up ruining it. Tears burned her eyes as her mind played back the horrific events of that evening. Then two slender hands gripped her by the shoulders, pulled her into a hug, and grounded her back to the present.

“Aww, honey. I can’t imagine how horrible everything was, but I do know what a strong and determined woman you are and how badly you want to make it to the cotillion tonight. Am I right?”

Madeline mustered all her strength and nodded. She wanted to put this event behind her and move on, move forward with her life with the two amazing men who had asked her to marry them that same night. It could’ve been the worse night of her life, but if she wanted, she could turn it into the best. “You’re right, Bea.”

“That’s my girl. All right, I hate to say it, but you’re a fine mess and we’ve got a lot of work to do before you’re cotillion ready. Even with your natural beauty, raccoon eyes aren’t becoming. Let’s get to work, okay?”

Garrett stepped between them. His gray eyes searched hers. “You sure about this babe?”

Madeline traced his chin with her fingers. “Yes. I need to do this. I can’t just cower in fear. It just doesn’t feel right to me.”

“Well, it’s settled.” Bea clapped her hands together and then began pushing Garrett and Dalton out the door. “It’s girl time. You boys need to get back down to the cotillion and fulfill your hosting duties. Don’t worry about this pretty little thing right here. She’s stronger than you think.”

Garrett leaned in and whispered into Madeline’s ear, “I’ll leave it up to you to tell her the good news. I have no desire to be around to hear her squeal when she sees the ring. She’ll make my ears bleed.”

Madeline could feel his lips tilt up the corners against the shell of her ear before he leaned back and pressed his lips against hers. It was meant to be a soft kiss, at least on Garrett’s part from what she could tell, but with his big, warm hands massaging up from her thigh to cupping her ass, she came to the conclusion that she wanted something else entirely. Madeline kissed him back but with more fervor, putting her desperation to feel him inside her into the kiss.

Garrett groaned from deep inside her chest, and his grip on her leg tightened.

“Ahem,” Bea cleared her throat and snatched Garrett’s wandering hand, “excuse me, lover boy, but I’ve got a job to do.”

Madeline blushed and used all her newfound strength to wrench herself away.

“Come on, Bea. Just go outside for a bit,” Garrett playfully whined.

Bea put her hands on her hips and eyed Garrett with a hostile glare. “She’s just been through an extremely terrifying experience, and you’re manhandling her! I can’t believe you.”

“Hey! She was the one who got handsy, not me. I just wanted an innocent, virginal kiss.”

“There’s nothing remotely innocent or virginal about you, brother mine. Now off you and Dalton go. This is ladies’ time now.”

“Madeline?” Dalton said, his voice husky and thick with emotion. “I just wanted to tell you that…I’m proud of you, sweetheart.” He bent and kissed her sweetly on the lips, and she could just barely feel his bottom lip quivering. He then kissed up her jawline and whispered hotly in her ear, “You, Garrett, and I are going to pick up where we left off later.”

Madeline gulped down a breath and saw Dalton’s erotic promises swirling in his jade eyes. “All right.”

“We’ll see you soon.” With that, he and Garrett sauntered out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

“Thank God,” Bea sighed. “Okay. Let’s get you prettied up.”

Bea led her into a spa-like bathroom attached to the bedroom with marble floors and tiles, and Madeline padded after Bea, her bare feet soaking up the coolness of the floor. But when she looked down at her feet, all she could really see was her ripped, torn, dirty dress and everything that could have happened.

Madeline stopped dead still in the middle of the palatial bathroom. “Would it be okay if I took a quick shower, just to rinse off? I know there’s not a lot of time.”

Bea faced her and gave her a serene look of understanding. “Of course it would be.” Bea grabbed a silk kimono style robe and handed it to her. “This one’s my favorite one to wear when I’ve had a terrible day. You can put this on when you’re done.”

Madeline squeezed Bea’s hand for a moment, and Bea squeezed back.

“Thanks, Bea.” When Madeline turned around, Bea undid her dress and necklace and walked to the bathroom door.

“You take all the time you need, honey, but remember. You’re doing the right thing for you by going to the cotillion. You are a strong woman, and nobody can take that away from you.” Bea quickly turned, but not before Madeline could see her eyes start to glisten, and she closed the door.

Madeline sighed and stepped into Bea’s magnificent shower covered entirely with beautiful gold and pearlescent tiles so that she felt like she was inside some magical seashell. It had jets on the ceiling and on all sides that shot out horizontally. She turned each and every one on full blast and let the hot water and steam infiltrate her every pore. She reached down and picked up a bottle of Bea’s gardenia-scented body wash and soaped herself from head to toe. She shampooed and conditioned and didn’t fight the tears that rolled down her cheeks, letting them get washed away and lost among all the other infinite droplets of water purifying her body. Madeline took a moment to breathe, relax, and completely collect herself before she shut the water off and stepped out. It was as if a reset button had been pushed, and she felt almost new again. No, she was not completely healed, but it was a damn good start.

Madeline dried herself with a plush towel scented with lavender before twisting her hair up with it and then shrugging on Bea’s robe. She heard a soft knock on the door and lifted her head.

“You decent, honey?” Bea asked. “Feel better?”

Madeline smiled and nodded. “Definitely. Let’s get going. It must be getting awfully late by now.”

“True. We can’t take too long lest your chariot turn into a pumpkin. But no worries,” Bea grasped her hand and walked her over to her vanity with a heavily cushioned seat, “I’ve got a whole arsenal of goodies. Come into my office, darling.”

As Bea sat her down, Madeline realized Bea continued to hold her hand. She glanced up and then understood what had Bea paralyzed with her perfectly glossed lips dropped open.

“Oh, my God. Holy shit! How in the hell did I not see that when you came in? Is that—did they propose?”

Madeline nodded and held out her left hand as they both cooed over the ring. “They did, right on the helicopter, too.”

“Well, it sure took those boys long enough. I knew you were destined to be an Ellis the moment I saw you.”

“And now, we’re going to be sisters!”

“That’s right!” Bea got quiet for a moment and started combing out Madeline’s hair.

“When our parents died, Dalton and Garrett changed. I mean, all of us did, but the whole company—the satellite companies, the holdings, everything—went to them. They became the sole runners of the company overnight. So not only did they have to deal with losing our parents, but they also had to take care of a multinational corporation with the family name on it.”

“I don’t know how they managed that or how you managed it,” Madeline said.

Bea just shrugged and kept working on Madeline’s hair. “The first few months were a blur. I don’t remember them, really. Garrett went crazy. He acts out, if you didn’t know that by now.” Bea sighed. “He started going out with all of these models and actresses and staying out all damn night. For days. He did that before, of course, but this was on an entirely different level.

“And Dalton just shut down. He and Garrett used to go paint the town together, always going out with the flavor of the week, showering her with sparkly things and the stuff that happens between the sheets and then starting all over again on Monday with the next girl. But when our parents died, Dalton really took his position as the oldest of the Ellises to heart. He’s singlehandedly made sure our company didn’t fall apart the way we all did inside. Hence the reason why he’s so frigid and angry all the time.”

Madeline’s brows furrowed. “Is that why Dalton and Garrett fight all the time, too?”

“It is. Garrett’s way of dealing with things is not dealing with them at all, and Dalton’s way to do it is to distract himself with all the busy work he can. They’ve been arguing about everything lately, except for you.”

Madeline could not help but be flattered. “Really?”

Bea moved away and rifled through a few cabinets until she found some hairspray and a large bag that must be her makeup. “Really. I honestly don’t know what my brothers would’ve done if they’d lost you.” Her voice cracked, and she turned away, swiping quickly above her cheekbone.

Madeline reached up and touched her hand. “Hey, Bea. It’s all right. I’m all right, Dalton and Garrett are all right. We’re all going to be okay. Everything’s going to be okay.” Madeline smiled and held up her hand again. “More than okay! Soon you’ll have a wedding to help me plan!”

“Oh, you are good. You know just what to say, and right in time too, before I completely ruin my whole face with these silly tears.” Bea and Madeline hugged before Bea straightened with a heavy sigh. “Okay, now watch your future sister work her magic.”

She fiddled with Madeline’s hair one more time and stepped back. “Close your eyes.”

Madeline tried to breathe through the fog of hairspray Bea sprayed all over her hair.

“I know your hair’s still wet, but I promise you, it’ll dry by the time we’re ready to go and it’s going to be shiny and smooth. Not a stray hair in sight.”

When she opened her eyes again, she saw that Bea had swept her damp hair up into a simple and elegant style that made her face look softer and more delicate.

“Wow, Bea. That looks great. Thank you.”

She admired her work and smiled. “Yes, I know. I am quite gifted, if I do say so myself. Now close your eyes.” Bea gently swiped a damp rose-scented cloth over her face. “Makeup is next.”

For the next twenty minutes, Madeline sat still as Bea made her over in record time. It was good to sit with her and talk and let their sisterly affections grow and comfort her.

“And now, sister mine, you are done.”

Bea stepped aside, and Madeline gaped at her reflection. A new version of herself stared back at her—flawless, luminous skin, soft, full lips, and wide, dramatic eyes. No one would be able to tell what happened to her. All they would see was Madeline Spencer in a beautiful dress with the two handsomest men in the room.

“Bea, thank you. You did such a good job.”

Bea winked at her. “Yes, I know.”

Madeline stayed where she was, staring at herself, while Bea slipped out of the bathroom and returned carrying the dress.

“Staring at my handiwork? I know it’s pretty good, but I have to give you all the credit. I only bring out what’s underneath.” Bea rose up onto her toes and hooked the hanger over the door, and the dress spilled down from it in ruffled rivers of cream-colored fabric.

Madeline rose from the cushioned little bench and walked over to it. “Bea, it’s perfect.”

After helping her slip the dress on, Bea turned her around, and Madeline saw a woman in a gown fit for a queen, but it took a moment to recognize the reflection as herself. The embroidered bodice fit her shape like a glove and showed off her waist and the flare of her hips, and the gown itself flowed out in gentle, feathery waves.

Bea grinned next to her. “I’m a genius. A genius.”

Madeline ran her hands down the fabric and marveled at it. “Thank you so much, Bea. It’s beautiful.”

“Don’t thank me. You’re the one who picked it out.” Bea handed Madeline an adorable pair of satin heels and a matching handbag. Then she held up the diamond and sapphire necklace. “Do you want me to help you put this on?”

Madeline stared at it and realized the necklace had served her well enough that evening and putting it back on was suddenly the last thing she wanted to do. “You know, Bea, why don’t you wear it? It suits you more anyway.”

“Are you sure?” A half second later Bea had it wrapped around her neck. “Well, if you insist.”

“So are we ready to go?”

“Not quite yet.” Bea ran into her closet and pulled out a box. Opening it, she lifted out a stunning pearl necklace. “This belonged to my grandmother,” Madeline gasped as Bea stood and held it up, “and I want you to have it.”

“Oh, Bea, I couldn’t possibly—”

“You can and you will. End of discussion. Now stand still so I can put this on you.”

Madeline admired herself in the mirror, and she would’ve cried tears of joy if she hadn’t known that Bea would’ve thrown a fit if she ruined her brilliant makeup job. A wave of emotion rushed over her, and she took a breath. Staring back at her was Madeline, more confident and stronger than ever before, but still herself. She didn’t have to worry any longer about fitting in with the Male Order elites because she fit in with herself. And just as important, she had two magnificent men by her side whose love was surely enough to move mountains.

“It looks beautiful on you.” Bea beamed at her. “Now let’s get going. The cotillion awaits.”

Chapter Sixteen

Madeline gasped when Dalton and Garrett held the doors to the cotillion open for her. Before her was the grandest, most elegant sight she had ever seen. The entire place smelled like flowers and expensive perfume, and as Madeline took more of the scene in, she saw that flowers decorated every horizontal space available. She shook her head. Bea had spared no expense.

Round tables lined the far wall, and elegant floral arrangements sat in the middle of each table setting, surrounded by small candles. A full orchestra sat directly across from the entrance, playing classical music. In the center of the room, couples danced with refined elegance and style, while around them, others milled about the grand ballroom, talking, hugging, brushing kisses on cheeks, and flirting. Men in perfectly tailored tuxedos stood around their women whose dresses were bursts of color, silk, and taffeta. While the gentlemen wore plainer white or black masks with minimal embellishments, the women’s masks were decorated with sparkling jewels, streaks of bright colors, and fluffy plumes. The gigantic crystal chandelier reflected crystalline globs of light around the ballroom, softly illuminating the whole scene. The thirty-foot high ceilings gave a feeling of airiness and grandeur, as did the ornate carvings on the square Roman Corinthian columns.

Madeline took the elbows her men proffered for her and let them escort her onto the black-and-white checkered marble floors. Madeline felt as if she was stepping into an eighteenth-century Venetian masquerade ball, and the masks made her think back to that blissfully erotic weekend in Argentina. “Bea, you did such a great job.”

“You mean her army of assistants did a great job,” Garrett interjected.

“Well, somebody had to direct them,” Bea said.

Madeline smiled. “Okay, everyone did a great job. It looks beautiful.”

Garrett grinned. “Yeah, I guess it does. I never thought about it before.”

Bea gave a martyred sigh. “Of course you didn’t. You’re a man.”

“Our table is just up here,” Dalton said into Madeline’s ear.

But before they reached their assigned seats, a spotlight fell on the four of them.

“And there they are, ladies and gentlemen, your generous hosts, Dalton, Garrett, and most importantly, Beulah Ellis.” The emcee’s deep, silky voice permeated through the entire room, delicately echoing off the high walls and ceiling, and all of the people in the room faced them and applauded politely.

Dalton and Garrett nodded and bowed, looking every bit like the New World royalty they were, and graciously accepted the gratitude of their guests while Bea blew kisses at everyone like a pageant queen, although Madeline saw her smile tighten when the announcer said her full name.

Madeline was unsure of what to do other than smile and look pretty. Not that she could really do anything, anyway, with her hands tucked into her men’s elbows. She forced herself to gaze slowly at the crowd instead of looking away, and thought she recognized some of the Kingstons, Bartletts, and the Caldwells mixed in with the crowd, but it was hard to tell, though, since everyone was masked.

“If I remember correctly, these remaining men still have yet to be auctioned,” the emcee continued.

She lifted her gaze to the stage and locked eyes with the handsome emcee. He smiled and winked at her, his boyish appearance and blond hair making him more teasing than flirtatious.

The emcee lifted the microphone to his mouth. “Gentlemen, if you wouldn’t mind tearing yourself away from those beautiful ladies, we’ll start the evening’s final auction.”

The crowd started buzzing with excitement.

Dalton looked down at her and pulled her hand up to his lips. Holding her gaze in his, he pressed a soft, chaste kiss to her knuckles. While the gesture might have appeared sweet to their audience, no one else but Madeline could see the erotic heat in Dalton’s eyes as his lips touched her skin. Then, releasing her, he took a step back, inclined his head in a mini-bow to her, and started walking toward the stage.

Garrett was not so subtle. He grinned, pressed a kiss to her lips, then whispered, “Make sure you get those bids up, babe. Everything we earn goes to charity.”

Then he quickly turned and went after his brother.

“I must say I’m impressed, new sister,” Bea said, bumping her hip against Madeline’s. “They sure are smitten.”

Madeline just sighed and watched them walk away. Oh, how she loved watching their smooth, masculine gaits.

The crowd closed behind Dalton and Garrett, and she started to follow them, but Bea stopped her. “We can get a little closer, but they’ll want to see you, so let’s not get too far into the middle of the crowd.”

Madeline and Bea found a place toward the back of the crowd where they had an unobstructed view of the stage. Dalton kept scanning the crowd until he found her, and when she smiled at him and waved, he visibly relaxed.

Bea giggled like a schoolgirl. “See? I told you. He hates not being able to see you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Madeline replied, still maintaining eye contact with Dalton.

Bea handed her a bidding paddle. “There you go, Maddie. Let everyone here know they’re yours.”

No sooner had the paddle transferred hands than the emcee’s smooth, rich voice filled the air. “We’ll start at fifty thousand. Fifty thousand, ladies.”

Hands and bidding paddles went up everywhere in the crowd, and Dalton and Garrett just stood on the stage, their poses relaxed and confident. They looked so damn smug and cocksure that she was tempted not to raise her hand to teach them a lesson until she saw a familiar face in the crowd.

Darla.

Madeline’s hand shot up.

“Seventy-five. Seventy-five? Yes, eighty-five. Takers?”

On and on the bidding went, Madeline raising her hand whenever any number, no matter how exorbitant, was called out. Darla did, too, constantly eyeing Madeline with a smug smile on her perfect face.

“Oh, that little bitch,” Bea gritted through her teeth. “She needs to know when to give the hell up.”

Darla raised her hand for two hundred fifty thousand, and Bea let out a squeak. “That’s it!” Bea’s hand shot skyward for two fifty-five. “I don’t care if I’m bidding on my own family. That little harlot is not going to win if Beulah Ellis has anything to say about it.”

“Beulah?” Madeline asked in shock.

Bea winked. “It pisses me off. Anger is motivating.”

Together, Madeline and Bea got Darla up to three hundred fifty thousand before Darla started biting her lip.

“That girl is ridiculously desperate. I’m sure she ran out of money on her first bet, but she refuses to let go. I can’t believe I ever thought Dalton and Garrett would like her. I never realized that the perfect girl for them would come along all by herself.” Bea smiled at Madeline and squeezed her hand for a moment. “They’re all yours now, Madeline. Bring ’em home.”

“Four hundred,” the emcee’s now excited voice announced. “Any takers?”

Madeline glanced over at Darla and saw the other woman’s face redden. Darla raised her paddle to chest level. Madeline sucked in a breath, more than ready to keep the bidding war going. Then Darla gritted her teeth and lowered her paddle. Madeline was so busy smiling and enjoying her victory that she tuned almost everything out.

“…going twice,” the emcee called out, holding two fingers up.

“Madeline!” Bea urged under her breath.

“Oh, God!” Madeline shot her bidding paddle up in the air and waved it around.

The emcee cupped his hand over his eyebrows and made a show of searching the crowd for any last takers. Madeline rose up on her tip-toes and waved her paddle around more.

“Well, I see one lady in the back who looks like she just won herself a pair of Ellis brothers for the evening. Why don’t you come up here and claim your prizes?”

“Go, go!” Bea snatched the paddle out of Madeline’s hand and urged her forward.

Madeline held her dress up as she made her way through the crowd of unfamiliar, masked faces, trying not to feel self-conscious as she did. These would be the people she saw on a daily basis now. They were part of Dalton and Garrett’s world, and now that she was, too, there was no going back. She held her head up and tried to smile at everyone, especially since they were clapping for her, though she was nervous and shaking in her stilettos.

There wasn’t anything on her face, was there? No smeared lipstick or a hair out of place?

Dalton and Garrett waited at the bottom of the stairs for her, and Garrett offered her his arm while Dalton brought up the rear. The polite applause grew louder as they crossed the stage together.

“Congratulations and well played, Miss…” the emcee said.

Dalton approached the blond man, who handed over the microphone. “Thank you, all, for coming this evening. I want to take this opportunity to present this beautiful woman, Madeline Spencer, our future wife and—”

“Wife? Did he say wife?” a shrill voice shrieked.

Madeline swiveled her head toward the sound in time to see Darla’s horrified, angry face. The woman shook so hard, her chandelier earrings vibrated. Darla opened her mouth to say something else and then Bea’s form shot across the distance separating them, her hair a bright streak of platinum blonde as she dragged Darla toward the back exit.

“—and the new head of philanthropy at Ellis Enterprises,” Dalton finished smoothly. Soon after, applause rose from the crowd and filled the air.

Madeline’s mouth dropped open when Dalton completed his sentence, but she hitched it up to a grin when Dalton turned toward her. His expression was full of so much love and devotion that she wanted to cry. She felt the familiar burn in the back of her throat and tried to swallow past it.

“That’s okay with you, isn’t it? I thought you might like organizing Ellis youth centers all over the state or even the country. There’s no limit to what you can do, Madeline. No limit at all.”

“Yes, it’s fine. It’s my dream come true, Dalton. Thank you,” she looked at Garrett, who tucked her into his side, “both of you. I never imagined this could ever happen.”

Dalton cupped her face in his big hands and tilted her chin up. “We love you, Madeline. For the rest of our lives, we will do everything we possibly can to make you happy.”

She closed the inches separating their lips and kissed him. “I don’t think I can get any happier.”

Dalton smiled, and the pure joy on his face made her heart feel as if it were about to burst.

Garrett’s hand drifted down to her ass, and Madeline whipped around. “Hey! We’re still on stage!”

He just grinned, and his gray eyes danced mischievously. “Nobody’s watching. They’re all back to dancing now. See? The music’s playing again. And besides, if they are, who cares? This is our ass, and they can’t get mad at us for touching it.”

“Oh, please,” she batted his hand away from her derriere, “we’re at a formal event. At least grope me when we’re not standing on a platform where everyone can see.”

“Fine.” Garrett proffered his arm and cocked a grin at her. “Future Mrs. Ellis, it would be my honor to escort you to the privacy of the car.”

She let her joy radiate throughout her whole being and wrapped her hand around his elbow. “Thank you, sir.”

Madeline smiled to herself as she felt his muscles under his jacket. She could not wait to feel nothing between them. She felt Dalton right behind them as they alighted the stairs, and she saw Bea and Buford waiting for them a few feet away.

“I’m so sorry I had to miss everything,” Bea said, “but I had to take out the trash.”

Buford rolled his eyes. “That heinous bitch. You can’t buy class.” He winked at Madeline. “Sometimes you just have to have it.”

Madeline felt Dalton’s fingers skimming up and down her side, and with Garrett’s muscles tempting her to find the nearest private room, her lust spiked into overdrive. “Well, thank you, you two. And I really appreciate you handling that situation, Bea.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. I’ve fantasized about doing that for a while now. Trust me.”

Garrett rocked back on his heels. “Right. Well, thanks for everything, Bea, but we’re going—”

“Going?” Bea narrowed her eyes. “You can’t be going just yet, Garrett, not when I slaved away for this night for weeks.”

Garrett scoffed. “I’m pretty sure it was your minions who slaved away, little sister.”

“Don’t you ‘little sister’ me, Garrett.”

“Enough, you two,” Dalton sighed. He looked down at Bea and said in his all-business voice, “We’re going to have one dance each with Madeline and then we’ll go.”

Bea tapped her foot. “Fine,” she conceded, “that’s fair enough. After all, there’s an engagement to celebrate!” Madeline fought the rush of heat to her cheeks when Bea and Buford wiggled their perfectly sculpted eyebrows. “Oh, don’t be embarrassed, my future sister.”

Garrett tucked her into his side and used his fingers to tilt her chin up. “Want to go show ’em how it’s done?”

Her cheeks burned, and her nipples hardened. “How what’s done, exactly?”

“Dancing, of course.” He grinned. “What else did you think I was talking about?”

Madeline ignored that last part. Judging from his cocky expression, he knew she wanted him. “Well, in that case, yes. I’d like to dance. But I’m warning you now that I’m not very good—”

“It’s all in the leading, babe. You just follow me and I’ll take care of it. Trust me.” His hand slid down her arm, and he interlaced his fingers with hers. It seemed like an innocent enough gesture, but there was never anything innocent about the way Garrett touched her. Ever.

Once they found a spot, Garrett quickly led her into a double spin, then caught her when she pitched forward a little. She used his wide chest and body heat to ground herself.

“I love it when you do that,” he whispered into her hair. Though his voice was low and quiet, arousal roughened the edges of his sweet words.

“Do what?”

“When you lean into me like you know I’ll catch you.”

She turned her face up to his, and her heart clenched at the tenderness in his blue-gray eyes. “Of course I know you’ll catch me.”

In response, he just smiled at her, then started leading her. “It’s a fox-trot, so slow, slow, quick, quick—yeah, that’s it, Maddie.” She managed to follow him without stepping on his feet more than three times, which she considered a miracle. Even though she knew she was not the best ballroom dancer, she was so happy to be in his arms that she felt like she was floating. Her whole body felt lighter than it ever had, and every time she saw her ring glinting in the dim light, her joy coursed through her entire being. So this was what Cinderella felt like at the end of the movie as she danced with her handsome prince.

“How did you learn to dance like this, Garrett?”

He shrugged. “Our mother put us in dance lessons. She always said that if we really wanted to impress a woman that we needed to be able to dance.” He wiggled his brows. “Is it working?”

Madeline laughed. “I’ve already been thoroughly impressed.”

“Well, of course. But what I’m really asking is if you’re thinking about the car ride home and what we’re going to do…after.”

Her pussy clenched, and the low-level throbbing she always felt when they were around intensified. “After?”

“Oh, yeah, babe. After we get you out of that dress. After I see if you’re as wet for me now as I think you are.”

Madeline swallowed past her arousal. “I—”

Garrett’s eyes went from playful to bedroom in less than half a second. “I don’t see Bea anywhere, and even if she sees us skipping out early, I’ll gladly face her wrath to get inside you right now.”

The offer was so deliciously tempting, and she was so caught up in her desire for him that it took her a few moments realize that the orchestra had started playing a new song. Already, couples twirled past them in blurs of flashing color.

She felt Dalton before she heard him approaching. There was something about the air whenever he was near her. It felt charged and full, as if he silently commanded it. Garrett pressed his lips against hers and kissed her thoroughly, leaving her slightly off balance, before he kissed her nose, then stepped away.

Dalton gathered her in his arms. “We should have taken you dancing sooner.”

“No, I think I like the way this turned out. I’m actually pretty terrible, but Garrett said it’s all in the lead.”

“He would say that.” Dalton chuckled.

Madeline looked up at him admiringly as he started walking her backward to the beat of the waltz playing. When he laughed, even if it was only a little, his happiness was contagious.

Dalton was an amazing lead. His movements were smooth and precise, and she never felt as if she had to worry about what came next. She trusted him to lead her properly. She had taken ballet lesson when she was in middle school but realized after a few months that she would never be a prima ballerina. Since then, she had avoided dancing altogether. But with Dalton guiding her around the dance floor, she suddenly felt transformed. Her feet moved in time with his, and he somehow anticipated her movements, be they wrong or right, and moved to accommodate her.

Madeline never realized that a simple waltz could be so erotic, but with their bodies moving in time with each other, she could not stop thinking about having nothing separating them at all. No wonder the dance had been banned centuries ago. She was almost painfully aware of his hand resting on her shoulder blade, and she was also aware of how hard his arm was under his tuxedo jacket. She snuck a glance down between them and saw the outline of his semi-erect cock through his pants. Heat shot through her, and she licked her lips.

Dalton gave her a knowing smile, led her into a turn, then caught her and gently dipped her. “I love you,” he whispered. Then he kissed her. Already euphoric from his words and the dancing and excitement, Dalton’s kiss made her head spin. Her world felt weightless and right, and in that moment, with his strong arms wrapped around her and supporting her, she knew without a doubt that this Dalton and Garrett would make her feel this way for the rest of her life.

Madeline lost herself in his skillful, passionate kiss, twining her arms around his neck to bring him closer. When he pulled away, leaving her breathless, she realized that a few people around them were clapping. Mortified, she buried her face in Dalton’s neck and let him receive the rounds of, “Congratulations on your engagement!” and “You’re going to have a blissfully happy marriage.”

“Oh, God, I’m so embarrassed,” she whispered to him as he started leading her toward where Garrett stood, waiting for them.

Dalton gathered her close and pressed his lips against her hair. “Don’t worry about it. Garrett and I have known them for years. They’re just happy.”

When they reached Garrett, he cupped her chin and ran his thumb along her lower lip. His gray eyes were heated with that look he gave her before he put his mouth on her. “Your lips are red and swollen, babe. And I like it.”

She opened her mouth to respond when someone beat her to it.

“And who is this?” A dark-haired man approached them, the top two buttons of his shirt open and his bow tie dangling from his well-formed neck. He was as tall as Garrett and almost as beautiful. But this new man had a darkness about him, something predatory lurking just underneath his refined, yet masculine features. His eyes were an unnamable shade between blue and brown, and the look in them was so sharp that she doubted he missed any details. The way he spoke, both the confidence and the self-assured way he moved his mouth, told her that he knew he was beautiful, and his lips, full and almost mocking, practically begged any woman within a fifty-mile radius to see if he tasted as good as he looked. When he looked down at her, Madeline felt like just his heavy gaze could gobble her up right where she stood.

Dalton’s aura changed. While he was still calm, there was a sense of territoriality about him that had not been there before the man walked up to them. Dalton ran his hands down her shoulders, then trailed one of them down to her waist, palming her hip possessively. Madeline glanced down to make sure this was really happening. Sure enough, Dalton’s large, well-formed hand sat there, making her wish they were in private so she could take it and push it lower down her body and put it where she really wanted it.

“Dylan,” Dalton supplied smoothly, “this is Madeline Spencer, our fiancée. Madeline, this is Dylan Caldwell, a very close friend of the family’s.”

Dylan lifted his whiskey glass. “Cheers to the three of you.”

Madeline extended her hand after he took a sip from his glass. “I’m so pleased to meet you. How long have your families known each other?”

He rocked back on his heels and whistled, much like Garrett occasionally did. “Since before this whole town was founded. Must be over two hundred years. Makes for lots of stories, huh, Dalton? There was this one time back in high school when Dalton, Garret, my brother, Caden, and I—”

“Don’t start, Dylan,” Dalton said, “and you’re forgetting about Eric and Gunner. They were there, too.”

“Eric and Gunner?” Madeline asked.

“Kingston,” Garrett said. “All of us used to run around together when we were younger. Got into a bit of trouble, you could say, especially in college.”

“Those were the days, weren’t they, Garrett?” The innuendo in Dylan’s voice was not very subtle.

Garrett sighed. “Those days were amazing, but I’ve got something real to look forward to now.” He pressed a kissed right under Madeline’s ear, making her skin break out in goose bumps.

Dylan’s eyes focused on the place where Garrett’s lips had touched. “I see.” Then his gaze flicked up to meet hers. “Madeline, you are a very special woman to catch and hold these two.” Although Dalton and Garrett flanked her, Dylan gently reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. “Truly special.”

“There’s someone out there for you and your brother, too, Dylan,” Dalton said after Dylan released Madeline’s hand.

Dylan’s gaze traveled somewhere behind the three of them, tracking someone, it seemed, and for an almost imperceptible moment, Madeline thought his eyes showed just a modicum of softness. Then the sharpness returned to his gaze. “Let’s hope not. God knows Caden and I are not the settling kind.”

Garrett snickered. “That’s what I always said about Dalton.”

“Oh, please, Garrett,” Dalton said wryly. “Don’t even try.”

Dylan smiled, and Madeline was dumbstruck for a moment. It was not fair for people to be that attractive. She looked up at Dalton and decided she still had the handsomer of the two. Throw Garrett in and she had no doubt the two best-looking men in the room were with her.

“So, Madeline, what are you doing these two?” Dylan asked over the rim of his whiskey glass.

“Oh, fuck off, Caldwell,” Garrett said with an expression of mock hostility on his face. “Don’t mind him, Maddie. He’s just trying to get a rise out of you.”

Dylan smiled slightly. “I’ll leave you and your beautiful lady goodnight.”

After he walked off, Madeline spun around to face her men. “Is he always like that?”

Dalton grunted. “Always.”

“He’s a cold-hearted guy, make no mistake,” Garrett supplied, “but he’s a good friend once he lets himself care about you.”

Madeline heard the rapid click-click of Bea’s thousand-dollar shoes, and Buford followed close behind her. “Oh, was that Dylan Caldwell? Damn it, I missed him, but I did get you some prosciutto-wrapped melon, Maddie. It’s delicious. My idea, of course. Lordy, Dylan gets better looking every year.” She fanned herself. “Wow, that man…”

“Have a crush, Bea?” Madeline teased.

“Honey, crush doesn’t even begin to cover it. I’m so upset I missed him. That just ruined my evening—” Her gaze settled on a spot just behind Madeline, and she licked her glossed lips. “But I must be going. I have someone I want to…talk to.”

“Who?” Madeline asked, much to Dalton and Garrett’s audible chagrin.

Bea wiggled her perfectly plucked eyebrows. “I’m getting me that emcee, honey.”

“But, Bea, he’s looks so young.”

Bea just clasped her hands together. “Wonderful. He’ll be able to keep up, then.” She adjusted her cleavage, a woman on a mission, and stalked off toward the stage.

Buford looked from Bea’s retreating form to Madeline. “Sorry, darling, but I must see how this goes. He’s so yummy. If she gets sick of him, he’s mine.”

Dalton lifted a brow, then turned to her. “Let’s go home.”

* * * *

They took her for a walk around the gardens of their family estate, the night breeze carrying along with it the rich scent of roses, jasmine, and lavender, but he thought Madeline smelled even better. As Dalton looked around, he imagined their kids running around and playing out here the way he, Garrett, and Bea did when they were younger. Someday. But for now, he was content to just walk quietly with their new fiancée and head of philanthropy at Ellis Enterprises.

Madeline walked between them, her shoes dangling from her dainty fingers. He and Garrett had to slow their steps for her, but he did not mind. They offered to run into the house and find a pair of more comfortable shoes, but she refused. She inhaled deeply, her breath making her breasts pop up from the neckline of her dress. It was all Dalton could do to keep from ripping her bodice open and fucking her against a tree.

“You’re so lucky to have grown up in this house. You must have had the best games of tag and hide-and-seek.”

“We did,” Garrett agreed, “until we got older. Then we were up to no good with the pretty girls who came over.”

Madeline rolled her eyes and smiled. “It figures.”

“But none of them were as pretty as you.” Garrett wrapped his arm around Madeline’s shoulders and pulled her into him. “None of them smelled as good as you.”

Dalton came up behind her and made sure she felt how hard his cock was for her. “And none of them belonged to us.”

Madeline rubbed her luscious bottom against his erection. “I guess that is true. And they didn’t have one of these.” She wiggled her fingers around, her ring glinting in the moonlight.

Dalton’s insides clenched with the primal wave of possessiveness he felt. That ring belonged on her finger. It had been made to be there. She was theirs now. She always had been, but now it was in her head, too. Funny how shiny pieces of compressed carbon made everything real for women. He did not get it, but he guessed he did not have the right equipment down there to understand. Which was fine by him. He liked his stuff just fine.

She turned in Garrett’s arms, standing so that she could look at each of them. “I need you two to do something for me.”

“Sure. Anything,” Dalton said.

“I want you to tie me up.”

Under normal circumstances, the image of her tied up would have turned him on in a heartbeat, but right now, all he could think of was Vincent. Dalton felt like he had fallen into frozen water—knives of cold, furious anger stabbed through him until he realized he was clenching his fists together, desperate to hit something, anything.

“I can’t do that, Madeline,” he stated, his voice rough.

Madeline laid her hands on his chest, over his heart—the very part of him she possessed. “I need you to. I need you to overwrite what he did so that I won’t be scared of it later.”

Dalton gathered her hands in his and brought them to his lips. “I can’t, Madeline. Not now. Not when what Vincent did is still fresh in my mind. I’m sure I speak for Garrett, too.”

“You sure as fucking hell do.” Garrett’s expression was murderous. Rarely had Dalton ever seen his brother not in a jovial mood, but certain things did piss him the fuck off, and anything or anyone hurting Madeline was obviously one of those things. People tended to underestimate his little brother, but Garrett was pretty damn heartless when provoked beyond his limits.

“Just hear me out,” Madeline insisted. “I know there are things you want to try. Sexual things. Things that I’ve never even done before or never imagined doing, and I want to be able to do those things with you without Vincent’s face popping into my head. I don’t want him to get in the way, Dalton. I need you and Garrett to make sure that Vincent disappears from my memory forever.”

Garrett sighed. “Maddie—”

“You can do whatever you like to me,” she interrupted. “I won’t mind. I won’t complain. I just want your hands on me. All over me.”

She rose up onto her toes and laid a heavy kiss on Garrett’s mouth. He stiffened at first, but as Madeline deepened the kiss, Garrett’s hands started to roam over her breasts, her back, her hips. Her luscious ass. Dalton’s cock hardened, and the beginning rush of desire ran hot and thick through his veins. He watched as Madeline circled her hips against Garrett’s. If his eyeballs could drool, they would have. He loved watching her ass move and sway, and well, he just loved her ass. It drew him to her, the pitiful sap he was when she was near, and he gripped it in his hands, hearing her surprised gasp. Then she ground it against his erection.

That was it.

Dalton spun her around and hauled her over her shoulder with Garrett following close behind. He was glad he could have walked through the grounds and the house blindfolded because her dress kept falling into his eyes and blocking his vision.

“You got your wish, Madeline,” Dalton said as he spanked her very available ass through the yards of fabric that separated his hand from her bare flesh. “If you want to back out, you best do it now, because once we get into that house, you’re ours until we let you loose.”

“I can handle anything you give me.” Her voice was muffled, but he heard her loud and clear.

“You sure, babe?” Garrett taunted. “Because the two of us have pretty big stuff to handle.”

“It’s not like I haven’t seen them before,” she shot back.
Dalton let out a bark of laughter right as he kicked a side door to the house open. Instead of heading for the main stairway that would take them to his room, Dalton turned down a corridor and stalked down it.

“Wait. Where are we doing?” she asked into his back.

“You scared, babe?”

“No, Garrett,” Madeline snapped.

Garrett scoffed. “You know, you’re throwing a lot of attitude for someone over someone else’s shoulder.”

“Stop trying to intimidate me, Garrett. I’m not scared of you.”

“You really should not have said that, Madeline,” Dalton said as he turned into his and Garrett’s special room.

“Where are we?” she asked, her voice hinting at her nerves.

“A very special place. You’ll love it. I promise.” Dalton set her on her feet as Garrett flicked the lights on.

His and Garrett’s special room, as they called it, was the house’s old servants’ quarters that they renovated years ago. Now, it was the picture of understated elegance—at least the decorations. The rest of the furniture in the room was meant for debaucherous, hedonistic, dominating sex. On his and Garrett’s part.

In one corner of the room was a fully adjustable restraint table and on the opposite wall sat the California king-sized bed with reinforced steel bars forming a square canopy over it. To everyone else’s eyes, it just looked like a large bed with a minimalist, modern frame, but he and Garrett had it made especially for them—a bed with a frame and top rails that would be able to withstand the weight and stress of restraining a woman to it. The shelves and cabinets running along the walls housed their favorite toys, all brand new, of course, and lubes, condoms, restraints, anything their minds could come up with, which was a lot.

Madeline took in the whole room with rounded eyes, then swiveled around. “You have a sex room in your family home?”

Garrett just shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Why not? The only person who really stays here is Bea, and she’s not really ever home. She’s usually bothering us at our condo because she hates being alone at night. No one can hear anything. The walls are soundproof, and she would never come down here anyway.”

“It’s so weird to me that there are whole wings of this house no one really goes into.”

Her gaze flicked over them, and Dalton felt the familiar sensation of all of his blood slowly but surely flowing down to his cock, which grew heavy and thick in his pants.

“You know what’s weird to me?” Dalton asked, his voice getting lower with his growing lust for her. “How much clothing you have on.”

With that, Dalton walked behind her and unzipped her dress, his eyes glued to every inch of her newly revealed, luminous flesh. As her dress sagged from her body, her warm scent hit him, making his mouth water to taste her.

“Turn around,” he commanded softly.

Her shoulders tightened, but she did as he asked, slowly turning to face him. Her dress lay in a gauzy, satiny river of delicately-scented fabric, and she rose from it like Aphrodite herself, resplendent in all of her feminine glory. His gaze trailed down her body from the top of her head, to her rounded breasts, her small waist, her sloped hips, her bare pussy.

Dalton bent his head and licked a beaded nipple and relished the shaky breath she took. Her fingers laced through his hair, and the sensation sent tingles under his skin. She pulled him tighter against her soft flesh, and he gave into her for a few moments, taking her nipple into his mouth and sucking her deeper.

“Dalton,” she moaned.

Whenever she said his name like that, he felt like he was invincible. It fired his desire for her even when he thought it could go no higher. Already, his dick raged in his pants, demanding to get out and bury itself in her hot, wet, clinging cunt. He wanted to feel her skin against his as he watched her face while he pumped into to her, absorbing her every gasp and scream and sigh.

Instead, he pulled back, promising himself he would get his delicious fill of her soon. Tonight was about her and her pleasure, about him and Garrett showing her with their hands, lips, and mouths how much they loved her and cherished her. Then they would seal the deal with their bodies and bind her to them, giving her so much pleasure that she would never be able to get turned on without thinking of them. It was only fair since she had already done that to them without even trying.

Garrett came up behind her and pulled her against his naked chest. “Is your pussy wet for us, Madeline?” His hand caressed her belly and crept south, his fingertips brushing against her already swollen slit. “Answer my question, Maddie.”

Her little tongue flicked out and wet her bottom lip. “Yes.”

Garrett’s fingers spread her pussy lips and started stroking her swollen clit. Madeline gave a high-pitched cry, and her head fell back on Garrett’s shoulder. He let Garrett have his way with her for now. Once the games started, though, Dalton would be the one in charge. He took his time finding the silk restraints they were going to use on her, letting Madeline’s pleasured cries turn him on more. When he turned back to them, he stopped for a moment, staring at the sight before him. Garrett’s hand cupped Madeline’s pussy, and her thighs clenched around it, holding him in, holding him tightly against her as her fingers dug into his forearm. Her head was thrown back, and her breasts with their pink, pointed tips were heavy. She looked so soft and delicate with Garrett’s arms caged around her, and his skin was dark and rough compared to her milky white. Garrett pressed his face right next to hers, and Dalton watched as Garrett listened to her every cry and adjusted his touch to her, letting her search and seek her climax as he guided her toward it.

Dalton drew closer, his eyes trained on Madeline’s writhing body. She was close. The signs were written all over her body. That sweet flush started blooming under her skin, and her gasps grew higher pitched and desperate, making her belly flutter.

Then she came, her choked gasp turning into a groan as she rode Garrett’s hand. She undulated against Garrett’s body, and Dalton marveled at his brother’s restraint. Usually Garrett was the one who barreled into things, giving up their sensual play to get right down to business, but with Madeline, he liked to draw things out for her. It heightened their pleasure, yes, but Dalton knew Garrett ultimately did it for Madeline. Her orgasms were more intense as he and Garrett slowly wound her up.

Dalton leaned down and pressed kisses against her collar bone and where her neck met her shoulder. He breathed in deep and took in her warm, heady scent—the scent of soft flowers and sensual, sated woman. Then he kissed her, deep and thorough, as he wrapped his hand around her wrists.

Her eyes fluttered open and met his. She glowed with the aftereffects of her orgasm, but when she tugged on her wrist and could not get free, the satisfied look in her eyes turned to coyness.

Dalton took one of her wrists in his other hand and kissed it before gazing at her and tying a silk rope around it. “If you want us to stop, your safe word is ‘red light,’ okay? If you say that, everything stops immediately.”

Madeline gasped, but Garrett was already on it. “Relax, Maddie. You’ll like it. And if you don’t,” he shrugged, “then we’ll stop.”

Dalton tied her other wrist and reached up to the hook under the crystal chandelier overhead. Still holding her wide-eyed gaze, Dalton attached the silk rope to it, lifting Madeline’s arms up over her head. Her breasts lifted as well, giving Dalton and Garrett the most luscious view of her nipples pebbling with her arousal.

“But it’s going to fall.”

“It’s reinforced, babe,” Garrett replied with his cocky grin. “We thought of everything.”

Dalton handed the silk blindfold to Garrett, and he knotted it behind Maddie’s head. After checking her bindings were secure, Garrett walked toward the back of the room toward the supply cabinets. Dalton smiled to himself. His brother had a little surprise planned.

Dalton returned his attention Madeline and stood directly in front of her, close enough that he could feel her body heat. He looked down her petite body and fought the rutting urge that threatened to take him over.

He leaned in, letting her feel his breath against her neck. “Your nipples are so pebbled for us, and I’ll bet your sweet pussy is ready,” he whispered. “Isn’t it?”

Her pink tongue darted out and licked her lips. “Y-yes.”

Dalton nipped her earlobe. “Yes, what?”

“Yes, Dalton,” she said, her voice a little stronger.

He trailed his hand down her side, tracing the flare of her hips and caressing her soft, milky skin. He could not get enough of how delicate and fragrant her skin was, like warm, living silk.

She tensed when he moved his hand lower, to where her leg met her pelvis. She was already warm and wet for them. He held back his groan as he cupped her hot pussy. He tilted his wrist up so the heel of his hand rubbed against her clit.

“Ohh, Dalton.” She opened her legs wider for him, and the sight of her spreading herself for him made his dick jump in his pants, and when she said his name like that he felt like a veritable god on earth.

He traced the seam of her pussy lips with the pad of his middle finger, teasing her, teasing himself as she squirmed. They would have to work on her ability to stay still when she was tied up, but they had the rest of their lives to practice.

“Stay still,” he commanded.

“But—”

He pulled his hand away and smacked her pussy. “I said stay still or you’ll earn yourself a paddling.”

Madeline groaned, but did as he said and bit down on her lip.

Dalton continued where he left off, this time spreading her pussy lips with his fingers and drenching them in her cream. She was sopping wet for them, and Dalton fucking loved it. Tonight, they would worship her body the way it deserved to be worshipped, and they would show her exactly what she could expect in their life together. They would show her the depth of their passion and desire for her.

Garrett returned from the back of the room with a pleased grin on his face and holding a bottle of lube. He silently came up behind Madeline and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, alerting her to his presence. “Take a deep breath, Madeline,” he commanded.

She sucked in a quick breath and then let out a low moan. “Ohh.” Her body went slack for a moment, and Dalton knew his brother had breached the ring of muscles in her ass. He and Garrett shared a smug look over her shoulder, and then Dalton dipped his finger into Madeline’s slick cunt and swirled his fingertip around her engorged clit. She moaned between them, the scent of her arousal fanning the raging flames of his desire for her. He played with her clit, and Garrett plunged his fingers in her back hole until her breathing hitched in that special way that told them she was close.

Dalton took her lips in a rough kiss. “Not yet, Madeline. You can come all you want later, but for now, you wait.”

“No! No, no! Damn you!” she wailed as she tried to clamp her thighs around his hand to keep him in place.

“You’re just making it worse for yourself, Madeline,” Garrett taunted. But the tone in Garrett’s voice told Dalton that Garrett wanted more. If there was anything Garrett loved more than fucking Madeline, it was watching Madeline work herself into a frenzy so he could watch her come. Dalton saw it in his brother’s eyes and in the avid way he watched every move and twitch of Madeline’s body. It was the chase, the anticipation.

Dalton bent his head and sucked on her nipples while he finger fucked her, making sure to hit her G-spot every time he thrust into her. She went wild under his touch, pumping her hips against his hand and pleading for more. He watched, hypnotized by the deep undulations of her hips while she screamed and groaned and cursed him and Garrett, saying that they were heartless bastards for not letting her come. But he and his brother had their reasons.

He straightened and caught Garrett’s attention over her shoulder. Garrett nodded, pulled away from Madeline’s body, and headed for the supply cabinets again. He returned within a few seconds, carrying a lubed up butt plug.

“Open your legs wider, Madeline.” Dalton’s command was met with her jumbled words and moans, so he pinched her nipple at the same time he delivered a sharp smack to her pussy. “You just earned yourself a spanking. Spread those legs, Madeline.”

“Y–yes, Dalton.” Her voice was breathy and ragged from all of her screaming, but she did as he commanded.

“Wider.”

“Dalton, I—”

“Trust me, Madeline. Wider.”

When she spread her legs far enough, Dalton dropped to his knees, took her hips in his hands, and held her body so he could use his tongue on her succulent pussy.

Madeline squealed and shook above him, screaming his name as more of her precious cream flowed onto his tongue. He lapped her from cunt to clit, using the flat of his tongue to give her as much friction as possible. He wanted all of her thoughts and inhibitions to disappear until all she could focus on was the pleasure they gave her. Her legs almost gave out, and he used the strength of his arms to hold her steady as he tweaked her clit with the tip of his tongue, flicking and teasing it until only garbled words came from her mouth. She was close. He could taste it, and he wanted to push her over the edge so she could come right against his face.

Garrett approached her from behind. “Hold still, Maddie.”

* * * *

Her whole body was alight with the agonizing need to come until she passed the hell out. There was no way she could stand any more of this. Dalton’s tongue was so skilled, so precise in where he licked and sucked that she was beyond the ability to form words. All she knew was that her pussy ached with the need to be filled, to be fucked, and her clit burned and throbbed with every heartbeat, making her desperate, mindless.

She needed to come. Now.

She felt someone come up behind her—Garrett. Oh, God, maybe he would help her and end this torture. His hand caressed her ass cheek, triggering her pussy’s Pavlovian response, and she felt herself getting even wetter with the promise of something penetrating her.

“Yes,” she groaned, and her head lolled to the side and rested on her arm.

Any second now. Please, please. Her whole body ached.

Then Garrett’s hands spread her ass cheeks and something cold and hard started pushing into her. The tingles started deep inside her and spread to her clit, making it sizzle and spark, ready to detonate.

Just one more good lick, please, Dalton!

Dalton took her clit between his lips and sucked. That was all she needed. She came apart, her whole body erupting so violently that she felt as if her skin failed to hold her in. She knew she was screaming, crying out, but she could not hear it. All she could hear was the mad rush of blood through her ears and the masculine huskiness of Garrett’s voice telling her to keep coming. So she did. She fucked herself against Dalton’s tongue and fingers, felt him pressing against that perfect spot inside her. And then the plug sank inside her ass all the way, and she came again, trembling with the force of it surging in and out of her as Garrett fucked her hole with the toy. She dug her fingernails into the rope holding her up, trying to find some sort of anchor in her dark world of dangerous sensation.

When she started coming down, she realized Dalton was no longer between her legs. She sensed him and Garrett behind her, which meant—oh, no.

The first smack to her ass shocked her, and she jumped at the stinging contact.

“That’s one. I lost count of how many you earned, so we’ll just go with six. How about that?” Dalton’s deep voice ran down her skin like warm caramel, wrapping her up in his seductive warmth.

She groaned when the stinging turned into a warm sensation that settled in her pussy and clit, and then Dalton laid the remaining five spankings on her in quick, sharp succession, alternating cheeks until he finished and she was a panting, turned-on mess. She was already on the edge again, needing to come. Her pussy was dripping, and her nipples throbbed, needing to be sucked, but they took their damn time getting undressed. The sound of cloth rubbing against skin made goose bumps rise on her flesh, and she envisioned them getting naked in front of her, first Dalton and the Garrett, their meaty, masculine bodies glinting in the light, their cocks huge and imposing and virile. She would suck them later. For now, she wanted them to fuck her until she lost her voice from all the screaming.

One of them came around to her front and pinched her nipple. She jolted from the sensation and felt an answering throbbing rush between her legs. She took a deep breath.

Dalton.

His spicy scent washed over her, making her anticipate his rough and playful loving.

“Untie me,” she whimpered. “I want to touch you.”

His lips descended upon hers, and she felt him smile. “No, Maddie. I want you to feel it. This is about your pleasure. Let me give it to you.”

Well, who was she to argue with that?

He skimmed his arms down her sides and around and down to her ass, his fingers pressing gently against the plug filling her ass. His cock pressed against her stomach, and its virile hardness made her anticipation soar. She needed him.

Suddenly, he grabbed the backs of her thighs and lifted her so she straddled his lean hips. His long, thick cock plunged into her in one hard shove, and she wrapped her legs wrapped around him, securing her body against his.

“Dalton!” she screamed, the feeling of having her pussy stretched so far overwhelming her. “Ohhh, I–I’m—”

“Come all you want, Maddie” was his rough reply as he started fucking her with hard, deep strokes.

She felt every inch of him as he plundered her, fucked her with his soul-deep intensity, and he filled her so much that her pussy struggled to accommodate him. She loved it. She loved the exquisite combination of pleasure and pain, the way he was too big for her. He always positioned his hips so that her clit rasped against him, and it took less than a dozen strokes for her to come, chanting his name like a prayer.

He kept at her, his growls and groans inflaming her lust for him. His cock pressed back against the butt plug, making her feel so full that she never wanted to be empty again. But what she really wanted was Garrett’s cock in her ass. It was not complete without him.

“Garrett,” she cried out, “I need you, too.”

“My pleasure,” Garrett said from right behind her.

Dalton stopped his thrusts, and she felt Garrett pulling the plug out of her.

“Take off the blindfold. I want to see you now. I don’t want to miss anything.”

Garrett chuckled. “All right, Maddie. What the lady asks, she shall receive.”

The silk fell away from her face, and she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light. When she focused, she saw Dalton, his eyes glowing with an inner brightness that only he had. The power in his gaze was as palpable as his physical touch, and she watched as an erotic grin spread across his face as he slowly withdrew only to tunnel back inside her, so painfully slow.

“You ready, Maddie?” Garrett asked, his cockhead poised between her ass cheeks.

She sucked in a breath between her teeth. “Yes. Fuck me. Love me. Both of you.”

“Our pleasure.” Garrett’s voice was guttural now, and she almost did not recognize it. She turned her head so she could see him out of the corner of her eye, and she was not disappointed. His muscles bunched from holding himself in check as he pushed his dick inside her. She could not get over how much it turned her on to see the physical evidence of his desire to not hurt her. She loved watching as their muscles bunched as they held themselves over her, how their abs rippled and their hips swung as they fucked her.

The sensation of Garrett’s cock sliding into her stretched her body to the point of pain, but Dalton reached down and flicked her clit with his thumb, giving her enough pleasure to balance it out. Soon, though, the pain morphed into pleasure, and the feeling of both of their cocks inside her, filling her, completing her, made her body thrum.

“Please!” she cried. She could not take any more teasing, any more going slow.

“You want us to fuck you, Madeline?” Dalton asked as he tormented her clit with his thumb.

“Yes!” She was not sure what she was saying yes to—Dalton’s question or his thumb.

Garrett’s fingers kneaded the globes of her ass cheeks, and his firm yet tender ministrations loosened her up a little more, letting Garrett’s dick sink that final inch into her ass, He groaned behind her, his breath fanning out between her shoulder blades.

“I’m in, Maddie. You squeeze me so tight. Fuck.”

She felt herself stretching around them, her body trying to accommodate them, and then Dalton pulled out and surged back in, starting their deep, heavy rhythm. There was not a place inside her they did not fill with themselves, and she was never empty. When Dalton pulled out, Garrett shoved his cock into her. On and on it went, her body overwrought with sensation and pleasure. The base of Dalton’s dick rasped against her clit with his every stroke, and Garrett kept hitting that special spot inside of her ass that intensified every single touch, stroke, kiss.

Dalton’s face was a mask of rigid control, but his eyes were wild, and his touch was rougher than it ever had been. But she wanted him to lose it all. Holding his savage gaze, which was hard to do with how hard they fucked her, she taunted him.

“Is that all you’ve got, Dalton?”

His eyes narrowed, then a feral grin spread across his face. “You shouldn’t have said that.”

He held her hips with both hands now and kept her still as he rammed his cock into her, faster, harder, deeper, and Garrett followed suit.

Yes!

Her body gloried at their animalistic, uncontrolled intensity. Gone was their smooth, practiced finesse. They were rutting with her like wild beasts, and she loved it. This was what her men were really like under their expensive suits. They were savage, wild, and untamed, and she marveled at how she was the only person in the world who knew them for who they truly were. She gave herself up to their primal need for her and opened her mind and senses to them, feeling them more than she ever had before.

The storm gathered between her legs before she realized it was there. The pressure from their cocks blended with the piercingly sweet sensation of Dalton’s cock hitting her clit.

“Ohh, I’m close,” she moaned.

“Just go with it, babe,” Garrett said as he surged into her.

So she did. Her body was taken up in a whirlwind, her clit firing wave after wave of pleasure through her blood, and then Garrett hit that spot in her ass one more time, and it amplified her orgasm, making her vision go white as she came and came, her body shaking with the powerful force of her orgasm. The intensity scared her. It felt so good that it was almost painful and sharp, and it seemed never to end. She kept flying up and up, her body tingling and pulsing and bursting with decadent, erotic sensation.

“Shit, you’re squeezing me hard, Madeline. Fuck, yes.” Dalton rammed into her harder, higher, prolonging her climax and torturing her with pleasure.

They kept fucking her, their cocks growing harder inside her. They were close. She sensed it in their faster strokes, in the almost desperate way they surged into her. Their guttural groans and growls reached her ears, and she knew it would be any second now.

Then Dalton shifted her hips somehow, and off she flew again as he pulsed inside her. He gripped her tight, his fingers digging into her flesh, and she tightened her pussy around him, milking him.

“Fuck!” The tendons in Dalton’s neck stuck out, throwing shadows beneath them.

Madeline was right there with him, crying out her release as Garrett slammed into her ass one last time and erupted inside her.

“Maddie, shit. Oh, fuck.” Garrett’s satisfied groan was a balm to her aching body as she came down and settled back into reality.

When she opened her eyes, she saw they were all gasping, sweaty, and spent. It was wonderful.

“Mmm,” she moaned at the aftershocks.

Garrett’s muscular arms surrounded her and supported her as Dalton released her from the ropes. Garrett carried her to the bed on the opposite side of the room and laid her down, massaging her arms as sensation started to return.

“I think I need to rest for a bit,” she said. “That was intense.”

“Yeah.” Garrett grinned at her, his expression the epitome of male smugness. “It was. But I’m up for round two whenever.”

“Of course you would be.” She slapped at his chest, but he caught her hand and held it there.

“I love you, Madeline Spencer.”

Her heart surged. “I love you, too, Garrett.” The bed tipped as Dalton lay down next to her, and their big bodies surrounded her, wrapping her in a cocoon of hot, masculine flesh. “And you, too, Dalton.”

Dalton grunted, then kissed her.

“Hey!” she exclaimed. “What about—”

“I love you, too, Madeline. Geez, woman. I just wanted a damn kiss.” He cocked a smile at her, then looked at Garrett. “Did I hear her say she was ready for round two?”

“Wait a second, you two,” she protested. “I just want to lie here for a second. Just to catch my breath.”

Dalton slapped his hand on her hip. “We’ve gotta practice more with you. These breaks are unacceptable.”

“Yeah, babe,” Garrett chimed in, “you’ve gotta be able to go for days.”

“Days, huh? So we’re really doing it, then? We’re getting married and living happily ever after?” It was still so new to her, so mind-boggling.

“Of course we are.” Garrett kissed her damp forehead, then grinned at her. “And you get to pick where we go for the honeymoon, babe.”

“This is such a dream,” Madeline whispered.

Dalton pressed his lips against hers in the sweetest kiss he’d ever given her. “No, love. Wake up and look around. It’s your life.”

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ava Mitchell grew up on the Texas coast and has had a love affair with words ever since she could read. As an only child for the first seven years of her life, Ava made up stories to entertain herself and drove her mother crazy with her personalized renditions of Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, and Peter Pan, just to name a few. Ava firmly believes that a bad day can be cured with dessert and that inspiration can be found anywhere, especially when discussing hunky heroes with her writing partner and dear friend, Sydney Holiday.

Ava feels blessed to have the opportunity to share her words with her readers and would love to hear from them at AvaMitchell.author@gmail.com.

Sydney Holiday was born and raised in Central Texas. As may be evidenced in her writing, she has a great love of food and baking. She has two small lap dogs, a Pomeranian and a Boston terror, and is lucky enough to be married to a wonderful man with nearly infinite patience.

The eldest child of restaurateurs, Sydney spent much of her youth making up stories to entertain herself while she folded napkins, polished silverware, and refilled water glasses. As an adult, she’s honed her imagination to craft what she hopes are fun and sexy erotic novels. Sydney is working on several romance novels and collaborates with her bosom buddy and sounding board, Ava Mitchell. She hopes readers enjoy her stories as much as she enjoys writing them.

Sydney would love to hear from her readers: SydneyHoliday.author@gmail.com.

Also by Ava Mitchell

Liebling, Texas 2: Edie Earns Her Saddle

Also by Sydney Holiday

Liebling, Texas 1: A Perfect Fit for Three

Also by Christine Michaels

Kat Rides the Iron Men

Anna Rides the Desperados

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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