Secret Confessions: Down & Dusty — Clarissa Read Free Page B

coleslaw. She only hoped Casey, the station cook who Lucky had procured for the rodeo weekend, was still cooking in the hotel’s kitchen. She’d heard nothing but good things about Casey’s skills.
    Adam winked. ‘I think it’s a safe bet to say Brandon and I already know what we want too, and food isn’t at the top of the list.’
    Her mouth dropped open, and Brandon took the opportunity to lean close and cup her head, turning her face his way before his mouth settled over her lips for a lingering kiss that made no demands. She didn’t pull back or protest. Instead her lips softened beneath his on a sigh before she drew in his honeyed-sweet scent, his vague taste of beer and Coke.
    She was dazed when he drew back, his eyes searching hers. ‘Adam’s right,’ he said huskily. ‘Food is the last thing on our minds. It’s been the last thing on my mind since the first time I saw you.’
    ‘Really?’ she breathed, still reeling from the kiss. ‘I had … no idea.’
    She’d been too busy feeling like a failure in her marriage. Though she and Dean had tried their best, in the end they’d both conceded they were little more than friends with fringe benefits—though even the spark in their bedroom had died long before the accident had taken Dean’s life.
    Adam watched with unabashed interest as Brandon nodded and said huskily, ‘But you were happily married—’ Heat rose behind her eyelids. If only Brandon had known the truth. ‘—and then you were a grieving widow.’
    She blinked and swallowed back grim reality even as she pressed her fingertips to her still tingling mouth. She’d been grieving for a friend far more than a husband. Grieving for what should have been.
    ‘And I didn’t think you were ready to move on.’ Brandon swung a quick look Adam’s way. ‘It took another man to make me realise I was wrong … very, very wrong.’
    Something shifted inside her chest. Brandon had respected her marriage and then her need to mourn. She couldn’t help but admire him even more for his values. And yet … sometimes a woman didn’t want a man to be so giving. Sometimes a woman needed a man to take.
    Adam would take. And take.
    The bull rider slung an arm around the back of her chair and leant a little closer, his crisp and musky aftershave causing her to draw in a deeper breath. His voice murmured in her ear. ‘You all but vibrate with desire and need.’
    She gulped. ‘I do?’
    He leant in even closer. ‘Yes. It’s most … fascinating.’
    ‘Are we ready to order or should I come back in five?’
    Clarissa jumped at Lucky’s voice. The publican had an all-knowing grin from ear to ear. Clarissa cleared her throat. ‘Ah no. We’re good to order thanks.’ She looked at the men for confirmation. ‘Aren’t we?’
    Brandon nodded. ‘I’ll have what Clarissa’s having.’
    Adam’s eyes twinkled. ‘Me too.’
    Lucky smirked. She knew exactly what Clarissa wanted, and it wasn’t written inside the plastic pages of the menu. ‘Like to share everything, do we?’
    Adam shrugged. Brandon smiled a secret smile. Clarissa was beyond the point of feeling any shame. She was too impatient to hear more of the men’s past. The moment Lucky was out of earshot, she asked the men, ‘You’ve both shared women?’
    Brandon released a slow breath. ‘Yes.’
    Adam’s eyes turned heavy-lidded. ‘Does that bother you?’
    Bother her? Only if feeling hot and bothered was any indication. She fidgeted in her seat. All she could imagine right then was their callused hands trekking over her soft skin, exploring every dip and curve while they used their mouths to pleasure and to tease.
    She swallowed hard. ‘No, it doesn’t.’ How could it when she’d already fantasised that exact scenario for herself? ‘Whatever your pasts, it’s none of my business.’
    ‘Isn’t it?’ Adam asked. His voice dropped, soft and hypnotic. ‘Our past could be your future, if that’s what you want.’
    Her breath caught,