Page 30 of Her Double Desire

“What does that voice say?” I ask in a hushed tone.

Her hand circles mine, lingering there. “That it's okay to go with your heart. It's not wrong or bad or weird to want to be with two people... if you desire them both.”

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We ride back to thestable. It's a quiet, quick trip, both of us lost in our thoughts. Her observation continues to haunt me.

It's not wrong to want to be with two people if you desire them both, huh?I didn't expect to get such wisdom from a woman I'd fucked senseless moments beforehand.

Hopping off my horse, I take the reigns from hers and lead them both into their stalls. I'm inside the stable briefly, but the shadows mess with my vision enough that when I step back into the morning sunlight, I have to blink away my blindness.

That's when I see Shawn standing near the garage.

His jaw tilts upwards; he glances from me, to Veronica. She's smoothing knots from her hair and hasn't spotted him yet.

My hand perches on the edge of the wide stable doors. Shawn casts me a knowing look. When he doesn't turn away, I loosen my grip on the rough wood so I can gesture at Veronica. “Go inside and clean up.”

The edges of her perceptive eyes crinkle. Holding my breath, I wait to see if she'll challenge me. It's always so damn exciting when she does. “Okay,” she says, backing away. Her fingers weave together at her middle. I watch how she rubs one knuckle and I imagine taking her slender fingers and sucking them into my warm mouth.

As she turns, her dark hair catches the sun, turning from chocolate to burnt-orange for a split second. Like the feathers of a crow as it soars in the sky. I watch her until she vanishes around the stable, and then I hear the gentle crunch of shoes on packed dirt. “What were you two off doing?” Shawn asks behind me.

“Nothing.” My arms wind over my chest as I face him fully. He's dressed in tan pants and a long-sleeved cream colored shirt, the kind of clothing most people would be terrified to risk wearing outside. But I know Shawn. He's too rich to worry if his outfit gets dirty.

He looks past me, towards the house. “You went out on a ride, didn't you?”

“What if we did?”

“Why would you waste your energy doing that? Oliver doesn't give a shit if she can ride a horse.”

My insides clench.Oliver.The reminder of Veronica's fate is frustrating.

Shawn steps closer until we're eye to eye. “If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted some alone time. Just you and her and nothing in between. A romantic hillside romp.”

“Back off, Shawn.”

“My god, are you falling for her?”

“I saidback off.”My teeth come together so hard it gives me a headache.

The mocking humor melts from his face. “Fucking hell, Jared.” He shakes his head sharply. “What are you doing to yourself?”

“This isn't just about me,” I grumble.

“What do you mean?” There's something in his glare; something jagged and primal. He's daring me to tell him the truth. I know once I do that everything will change. I should keep my mouth shut.

Except... I can't. Not about this.

I steady myself before I talk. “She told me she wants both of us.”

His look of pure shock is almost worth the knot in my guts. “I'm sorry, shetoldyou, to your face, that she wants both of us?” He ruffles his hair, looking more disheveled than I've seen him before. “The balls on that girl.” His tone is as cold as usual, but the edges of his mask are cracking. My news is affecting him.

“Yes,” I agree quietly, “she's very brave.”

Shawn hesitates, studying me from the corner of one eye. “Full honesty. You want her too, right?”

“I do.” Lying is pointless, I don't even try. “And you? For all your cruelty, something you've done has attracted her to you.”

His smile is subtle. I can tell he's thinking before he answers. “When I was alone with her, she surprised me. I won't pretend I'm not excited to have more fun with her.”

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