Tri-Tip: Grade-A Beefcakes Series - Book 3 Read online

  I blushed. I could feel it. No one had missed the way he’d practically swallowed me whole. God, he was the intense one of the three. That fact that this morning he’d shaved my pussy bare with a focused diligence, then fucked me in the shower was a good example. He was also broody and wary. Needy in a way I didn’t quite understand yet, but was almost tangible about him. It was as if he were frantic for me. Oh, Gus and Kemp were frantic as well, their dicks hard and eager to get inside me. But there was something else with Poe. I just didn’t understand it yet. But that was okay. I liked it…whatever it was.

  He smelled so good, and I remembered how I breathed in his clean scent along with the pungent scent of fucking. Of my juices, his cum, even though he’d filled a condom with it instead of my pussy.

  I squeezed my thighs together, felt how sleek I felt being bare down there. I was wet, too. Still.

  “I’ve got two men to handle. How you take on three…” Ava said, going to the fridge and pulling out a jar of pickles and handing them to Julia.

  I shrugged. “I, um… don’t really know the difference. It’s not like I’ve ever done it before. They’re a handful though.”

  Julia put her hands over her ears. “A handful? I don’t want to hear that kind of talk about my brother!”

  I stared at her wide-eyed, confused for a second, then Kaitlyn, Ava and I laughed. Ava grabbed one of Julia’s hands and tugged it down. “She wasn’t talking about the size of Gus’s dick.” She offered me a sly look. “But I’m sure it’s much more than a handful.”

  Julia groaned.

  “She was talking about dealing with three men,” Kaitlyn clarified. “They’re stubborn. Bossy.”

  “Opinionated,” Ava added.

  “Alpha,” Kaitlyn replied.

  “Dominant,” I offered.

  They stared at me and Ava grinned. She came over, patted my arm. “Dominant, bossy alphas times three. Nice job.”

  “You talk as if Tucker and Colton don’t tie you up and have their way with you,” Julia said, opening the pickle jar lid.

  Ava put her hand to her chest. “Me? What about little Miss Perv over here. She got it on with Duke and Jed on stage at a male revue show. And she didn’t even know their names.”

  My mouth fell open. Kaitlyn, the librarian? Not only at a revue show, but on stage? Then I thought of Duke and Jed outside in their jeans and snap shirts. They knew how to fill them out all right. I didn’t blame her. Hell, I’d bent over and showed my ass to three men in a vet clinic.

  “So it’s not weird that I saw Gus again after all this time yesterday, and I’d never even met Poe or Kemp before that? I mean, they’re talking long term here and it’s been…” I glanced down at my watch. “Thirty hours.”

  “Welcome to the club of men who know what they want—”

  “More like who they want,” Kaitlyn clarified.

  “—and going after it. Getting it. And never letting go.”

  The way Ava talked, it was as if the same thing happened to her. When she held up her left hand and flashed a big diamond engagement ring, I had my answer.

  Had Tucker and Jed been so intent, so serious so fast? The way Kaitlyn was nodding, and what Ava had said about how they’d done sexy times without even knowing each other’s names… Duke and Jed were the same way.

  “Is this a Duke thing? Lust at first sight? I mean, it’s fast. You saw Poe and the tonsillectomy. I met him yesterday. And the stuff we did last night… and this morning…”

  I blushed and the women grinned. Ava even high-fived me.

  Gus had said he’d always loved me. That made a little sense since we’d dated, known each other before we had sex. But Kemp and Poe? Ten minutes with them and I’d had my jeans pushed down over my thighs and thick stripes of Gus’s cum across my butt. Another six hours and they’d been deep inside me.

  We looked to Julia, who held up her hands. “Hey, don’t look at me. I don’t even have one guy, let alone two. Or three.”

  “It’s definitely a Duke thing,” Kaitlyn said. “And don’t be hard on yourself. You deserve to take what you want. If that’s three big dicks, then go for it.”

  “Kaitlyn!” Julia groaned.

  “She’s right,” Ava added, ignoring Julia. “Guys are allowed to fuck who they want, when they want. A quickie with a stranger in a bar bathroom. But women? Total double standard. I do know that Gus, Kemp and Poe wouldn’t go after you like they are if they weren’t in for the long haul.”

  “The Duke boys are one-woman men,” Kaitlyn shared.

  They made me feel a little better. A little less like a hussy. A hussy who had the best night of her life. With three men. With three really big dicks. And they knew exactly how to use them. And their hands. Oh, god, and their tongues. I was achy and a little sore from the way they’d taken me. Over and over and over.

  “Well, regardless of the fact you’re sleeping with my brother, I’m glad you’re here,” Julia said, breaking me from my pervy thoughts.

  “I sleep with your other brother,” Ava said.

  “And I sleep with the other one,” Kaitlyn added.

  Julia rolled her eyes. “Fine. I get it. My brothers have sex lives and I have none. Let’s talk about something else.”

  All three of them turned to face me.

  I sighed. “What do you want to know?”

  “Do you want a drink?” Ava asked.

  “That’s an easy one,” I countered with a smile. “Water would be great.”

  “I remember you from high school. I was in tenth grade when you started dating Gus,” Julia said.

  I nodded. “I remember. You played the clarinet.”

  Horror crossed Julia’s face. “I will pay you a million dollars to never mention that again.”

  I laughed as Ava handed me a glass of ice water. “What? You played really well.”

  “Fine, if money won’t work, I’ll be your best friend.”

  “Oh, well, in that case then. I won’t say anything about a musical instrument ever again.”

  Ava rolled her eyes and opened a package of hot dog buns.

  “We’ve got enough, don’t you think?” Kaitlyn asked, glancing at the ones already out.

  With her free hand, Ava pointed out the wall of windows that overlooked the patio and took in the view of the ranch beyond. “There are seven men out there.”

  “Right. Never mind.”

  “You moved back to take the sheriff’s job,” Julia said. “That’s pretty exciting.”

  My cell phone rang from my back pocket and I grabbed it as I answered her. “I moved back to be closer to my mom. She has diabetes now and I worried no one was helping her closely with it.” I glanced at the screen. “Speaking of, it’s her. Excuse me, I need to make sure she’s okay.” I swiped the screen, then put the phone to my ear. “Hi, Momma.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Sugar’s one-forty. It’s something else and I wanted you to hear it from me first,” she said.

  “What?” I was relieved her sugar level was fine, but I dreaded what she would say next.

  I heard her sigh.

  “I got laid off.”

  What? “From the dentist’s office? He can’t possibly need to downsize.”

  I thought of Roger Beirstad. While he was a total asshat, he was one of the only dentists in town.

  “He said I didn’t fit in his practice any longer.”

  I frowned down at the hardwood floor. “Did he say why?”

  “Actually, he told me to ask you. But that makes no sense. At least he didn’t fire me.”

  She sounded dejected and I didn’t blame her. She’d worked there for over a decade, being the office manager not only for Beirstad but for the old dentist who’d sold him the practice. While she couldn’t clean teeth, she knew more about that office than anyone.

  But what did I have to do with anything related to her job? I hadn’t been in town long enough to need a cleaning. She’d started working at the practice right after I left for college. I�
��d been back to visit on breaks or long weekends, but nothing that might affect that.

  “He can’t just fire you,” I countered. Well, he could. Montana was an at will state, meaning an employer didn’t really need a reason to fire someone, but Raines was a small town. Word spread.

  “Well, I’m glad at least I was given a small severance.”

  She told me the amount and I was pissed. For a decade of employment, she should have received at least twice that. But I didn’t tell that to her. What good would it have done except upset her more?

  “Momma, are you all right for now? I’m at the Duke ranch, but I can come over if you need me.”

  “The Duke ranch? Are you seeing Gus Duke again?”

  “Something like that,” I replied neutrally. Now wasn’t the time to get into the complexities of that one, and there was no way I would tell her about last night. Or this morning in the shower.

  “Oh, how nice. No, I’m fine. Really.” Except she didn’t have a job and she needed to pay for insulin and other diabetic supplies.

  “Well, I’ll check in with you when I’m done here.”

  “All right. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  I ended the call and looked up. Kaitlyn, Ava and Julia were staring at me, obviously overhearing.

  “Roger Beirstad laid off my mother. She was his office manager,” I told them. As if Momma didn’t have enough challenges, this was all she needed. I could support her, if need be, because I’d been doing quite a bit of saving, but neither of us wanted that. But jobs in a small town like Raines were few and far between.

  “Why?” Ava asked, frowning.

  I shrugged. “No longer a good fit, she said. Something to do with me.”

  11

  PARKER

  * * *

  “What does that even mean? Ooh, I hate that guy,” Kaitlyn said.

  She told me about their one date, how he’d been demeaning and rude. How she’d turned him down but he’d made it a point to try and embarrass her in front of everyone at Cassidy’s—Jed’s bar downtown—one night. Needless to say, the Duke family had shut that shit down pretty fast.

  I hadn’t heard about any of that, but Roger Beirstad hadn’t done anything against the law so he hadn’t come across my path.

  Kaitlyn stomped to the back door and went out to Duke and Jed. We watched as Duke pulled her in for a hug.

  “They’re real careful with her,” Julia commented. “She’s had it rough. With her dad and all.”

  My confusion must have shown, for she added, “Her dad’s the guy who hurt my parents in the hit and run.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Holy shit.” I remembered the accident. Everyone in town over the age of twenty probably did.

  “As for Roger Beirstad,” Julia continued. “He’s a total asshole and she gets bent out of shape because of him.”

  “They give her what she needs,” Ava added. “Duke and Jed.”

  Kemp had told me he, Poe and Gus would give me what I needed, but this was something completely different. Kaitlyn needed comforting, not fucking. And the way Duke—as big as he was—held her so carefully, as if she were the most precious thing in the world, was amazing to see.

  “I’m hiring,” Ava said, breaking me from my thoughts.

  I stared at her, wide-eyed. “What?”

  “I’m living here pretty much all the time,” she said. She waved her hand in the air indicating the ranch house. “Winter’s coming and Tucker and Colton aren’t excited about me driving on the roads in and out of town every day. It would be nice to have someone who lived close to the store to take on some shifts, to be available when I can’t make it in.”

  “Wow, Ava,” I replied. “I can’t speak for my mom, but the offer sounds great. Maybe something different would be just what she needs.”

  “Have her call me at the store and we’ll meet. If she’s put up with Roger Beirstad, she can handle the Seed and Feed. Heck, she probably knows all my customers better than me—and their teeth.”

  Poe came inside, towered over Julia and Ava, but looked to me. His intensity was like a living thing, humming about him. “Is your mom okay? We heard what happened.”

  I shrugged. “I guess so. She’s surprised and confused.”

  “And you?” His gaze raked over me as if I had been physically hurt.

  I put my hands on my hips, sighed. “I’m pissed. She said I knew why she was laid off.”

  He frowned. “You know why she was laid off or you were the reason for the lay off?”

  I opened my mouth to answer, but took a moment to think. “Oh shit. You think Roger laid my mother off because of us? I met you for the first time yesterday.”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders and remained silent.

  I’d been mad for Momma, mad that Roger was such a total douche, but now, with what Poe was suggesting, it went deeper than that. Roger, who I didn’t even know, hated me so much as to end my mother’s employment.

  “I’m not good for you,” he said.

  I glanced at him, then at Ava and Julia. I offered them a what the fuck? look. Julia stared at him wide-eyed and Ava just shrugged at me.

  I blinked at him a few times before finally answering. “What?”

  “Like you said, it’s been a day, us being together. Look what’s happened. Imagine when the whole town finds out. And they will.”

  “Finds out, what? That I’m having sex with three men?” I all but shouted.

  His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. “Excuse us, ladies,” he said, taking my arm and leading me across the great room and into an office on the other side of the house. He closed the door behind me, offering us some privacy.

  “You’re not just having sex with three men, you’re in a relationship,” he clarified, crossing his arms over his big chest. “This is more than fucking and you know it.”

  I sighed, relieved. I did, but it was good to have Poe say it aloud. The kiss he’d given me when I arrived wasn’t from someone who planned on fucking and forgetting. It had been as if he were memorizing me. But hearing it made me feel better.

  Kemp and Gus came in the room, shut the door behind them, but not before Honey squeezed past and to my side. She sat down and leaned against me, setting her body between me and Poe, as if trying to protect me from him.

  “What’s going on?” Gus asked.

  I reached down, pet the dog on the head, then crossed my arms over my chest. “Poe says he’s not good for me. Yet he fucked me. So you what, wanted to get off before you got out of… this?” I waved my hand in the air, meaning all of us.

  Poe narrowed his eyes at me. “That’s sass and you should be spanked for it.”

  I put my hand to my chest. “I should be spanked?” Smoke was probably coming out of my ears. If Poe’s goal was to redirect my anger at Roger Beirstad to him, he’d done the job.

  “Don’t make light of what’s between us,” he countered swiping his hand through the air. “Last night wasn’t just fucking. It was our first time. Our last first time.”

  That was totally romantic and no doubt Julia would swoon over those words. But he hadn’t been trying to do so, hadn’t even realized he’d said something profound. But the vehemence behind it made Honey growl quietly.

  I pet her again and she licked my hand. “Then what are you talking about?”

  Kemp swore under his breath. Gus slapped Poe on the back. “Tell her, fucker, or I will.”

  Poe lifted his chin, shrugged off Gus’s touch. “Fine. I said I wasn’t good for you. I’m not. I murdered my father.”

  I hadn’t expected that. Not at all. Maybe he’d changed his mind about sharing me. Maybe he felt like his dick didn’t measure up. Maybe he felt… oh, whatever. But not that.

  “You murdered your father,” I repeated. I’d heard him the first time, but my brain was slow to process. Murdered?

  Poe nodded once. “I was sixteen. I went to juvie until I aged out at eighteen. My record’s sealed since I was a m
inor, but still. The murderer and the sheriff. Not a good match, huh? I can ruin your career.”

  I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Like I’ve ruined my mother’s?” I sighed. “This murder. Was it pre-meditated?”

  He nodded again.

  “Did he deserve it?”

  His eyes widened as if he’d never been asked that before.

  “Fuck, yes.”

  Kemp ran a hand over the back of his neck in frustration. “Jesus, Poe. You left out the fact that your dad would beat the shit out of your mom, out of you. For years. You killed him—not murdered—defending her.”

  No wonder he’d been so upset the day before when I told him about that domestic call I went on.

  “Then why did you go to juvie?” I wondered. Sure, killing someone was a terrible crime, especially by a minor, but circumstances were always taken into account. I’d only known Poe for a day, but he wasn’t a sociopath or deranged where he’d kill someone for no reason.

  “They didn’t see it as self-defense because my mom told the police she’d fallen down. Again.”

  “Your dad beat your mother, you killed him to get him to stop,” Kemp elaborated. He sounded more frustrated by what happened to his friend than Poe did himself. “Then she protects her husband, the abuser, instead of her son, which makes the police put Poe away.”

  “I was this size at sixteen, maybe thirty pounds lighter. I didn’t get this big from my dad.”

  “Holy shit,” I whispered. I thought of Poe, a teenager, probably clumsy in his newfound size. Angry at watching his mother get hurt all the time. Pissed that he’d been beat up, too. Finally, he was able to do something about it, to protect her. And while he’d been a child—sixteen was a child in the eyes of the law—he was big. Bigger than most adults.

  “She turned on you,” I said softly.

  The look on Poe’s face was bleak. Angry. The tendons in his neck stood out. “Yes.”

  I closed the distance between us, wrapped my arms around him. Hugged him tight. I felt the beating of his heart against my ear, his ragged breathing. The tense lines of his muscles.

  “Does anyone in town think less of you for what you did?” I asked. I couldn’t see her, but I heard Honey circling us, her little nails clicking on the hardwood floor.