Paige wiped her mouth with a napkin, then sat back in her chair and sighed. She’d been hungrier than she’d expected, putting away a large helping of lasagna, two pieces of Italian bread with herb butter, and a small salad. “That was delicious, thank you.”

“W0’re wewl-comb,” Arianna answered, her cheeks full of the last spoonful of mac and cheese from her bowl.

“Ari, what have we told you about talking with food in your mouth?” Tuck stood and began to collect the adults’ empty plates from the table.

The little girl swallowed. “Sorry. Can I have some cookies now?”

“May I?” Shane, Tucker, and Paige chorused.

“May I?”

“After a bath, my stinky, little brat.” Shane leaned toward her, inhaled deeply, then held his nose. “Pee-yew.”

Arianna giggled. “Daaadddy! I don’t stink. You stink! Pee-yew. Pee-yew. Pee-yew.”

Reaching over, he scooped her out of her chair and onto his lap. Her giggling increased ten-fold as he tickled and teased her. Paige could tell he was being mindful of the fact Arianna had just eaten, but it was still fun to watch.

Tucker strode back into the dining room and smirked. “She pukes, you’re cleaning it up, Shane.”

Sighing, the other man relented and set Arianna on her feet next to him. He gave her nose a tweak. “Papa spoils all the fun. Go take your bath, and then we’ll have cookies.”

As Tucker followed Arianna down the hall, Paige stood from her chair, intent on going to make a cup of tea—she’d been forewarned she wasn’t allowed to lift a finger to help with the cleanup. The men had said they’d take care of everything tonight; she was officially off the clock until tomorrow. She took a step toward the kitchen but didn’t get any further than that when Shane’s hand shot out and snatched her arm. With a quick tug, he pulled Paige onto his lap, causing her to let out a brief yelp. One arm wrapped around her waist, holding her closely. As she gaped at him, his eyes twinkled. “So . . . I’ve heard you’re freaking gorgeous when you cum. I’m disappointed I missed it.” Her cheeks flamed. Grinning, Shane ran a hand up her shin, over her knee, to her thigh. “What are the chances of getting an encore performance?”

Paige’s breath hitched, and holy hell, her clit began to throb. If his touch hadn’t already sent her hormones into overdrive, his huskily-voiced question would have. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from his face as heat flared in his eyes. His hand made lazy circles over her thighs before sliding between them. His other hand went to the nape of her neck, and he pulled her toward him before brushing his lips against hers. Paige melted into him. His taste was similar to Tucker’s yet different—she couldn’t have explained it if she’d tried. All she knew was she liked kissing both of them.

Shane licked and nibbled his way to her ear, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine. “Spread your legs for me, sweetheart. I want to watch you shatter from my touch.”

She stiffened when a noise at the other end of the house reminded her they weren’t alone—Tucker clearly wasn’t a problem, but what if Arianna walked in and saw them? Shane seemed to read her mind. “Don’t worry. Tuck will keep Ari busy for a while. We’ll have enough of a warning to make sure she doesn’t see or hear anything.”

“You—You both planned this?” she asked, not really caring if they had. Her eyes fluttered shut. She could barely think straight as he nuzzled the pulse at her neck and his thumb found her clit through her yoga pants.

Shane leaned her back on his lap, forcing her to fling her arms around his neck, even though he wouldn’t let her fall. The new position gave him better access to her breasts. “Mmm. Not exactly, but you must have missed the little signal I gave him before he left the room.”

“I—I guess I did. I’ll have to learn to look for the super-secret signals so I’m not caught off guard next time.”

“I kind of like you off guard. I also like how you said, ‘next time.’ Rest assured, there will be a next time—with Tuck joining us. But for now, you’re all mine, and I want to taste what’s mine.”

The possessiveness in his voice did things to her she hadn’t felt in years—if ever. However, somehow, she knew that if she said the word “no,” Shane would back off immediately. He’d be disappointed—so would she for that matter—but he would respect the single spoken word.

He lowered his head and molded his lips to her breast. Despite the fact her T-shirt and bra were between her skin and his mouth, the heat engulfed her, distending her nipples to the point of pain-induced pleasure. The hand at the juncture of her legs dragged upward until it reached the elastic waistband of her spandex pants. It probed under the fabric, returning to where it had been giving her undeniable gratification, but this time there was nothing but skin against wet and wanting skin. Paige squirmed on his lap, wanting more. His lips found hers again, and he murmured against them, “Do your best to stay quiet, sweetheart. Not only do we not want Ari to overhear you scream my name in ecstasy, but your restraint will make your climax more explosive. You’ll find I like giving orders while giving mind-blowing orgasms—just ask Tuck.”

“Oh, God,” she gasped, barely above a whisper, as his words were punctuated by his fingers plunging into her wet core. Her eyes fluttered shut.

“He can’t save you now, sweetheart. Just go with it. You’re so tight. So wet. Your walls don’t want to let go of my fingers. That’s it. Good girl. Ride my fingers.”

Paige did just that. While he was controlling what was happening between them, he let her wriggle on his lap, trying to take everything he was giving her and silently demanding more. She bit her lip to keep from screaming when the heel of his hand pressed against her clit as his fingers continued their torturous assault. Mews and whimpers escaped her as she raced toward completion. Her nails gouged into his muscular shoulders.

“Yeah, baby. Mark me, so every time I feel where your nails dug into me for the next few days it’ll remind me how you looked and felt in my arms as I watched you come apart. Look at me, baby. Let me see those beautiful eyes as you cum for me.”

It took a monumental force to do as he’d commanded, but she somehow managed to lift her lids and find his gaze with her own. It was as if a volcano had erupted within him, his eyes burning with desire as he drove her further and further to the point of no return. His cock was big and hard against her hip. The thought of him fucking her with it, like he’d fucked Tucker in the barn, sent her over the edge. Her mouth opened to cry out in complete rapture, but before a single note could be uttered, Shane covered it with his own—claiming her orgasm as his and his alone. She shattered, just like he’d demanded. His fingers played deep within her, drawing out her climax. Her mind spun like a tornado, all thoughts except how amazing she felt had fled. Her body liquified as she came down from the blissful high and sagged against him. Shane’s fingers and mouth slowed, before coming to a stop. Lifting his head, he stared at her as he pulled his hand from her pants and brought it to his lips. He sucked on each digit that’d been inside her, moaning at the taste of her pleasure, his gaze never leaving hers until he’d licked them clean.

Lifting her back into an upright position on his lap, he lazily kissed her, letting her taste herself on his tongue. She was in a post-coiltal, euphoric zone for the second time that day and that was the only reason she didn’t protest when he’d stood and carried her into her room. Like Tucker had done earlier, Shane placed her in the middle of her bed, then climbed in behind her, spooning her. With her eyes closed, she snuggled against him. She subconsciously reached out and was surprised at the disappointment she felt when she realized her hand had come up empty. Without even thinking about it, her body had expected Tucker to be on her other side, sandwiching her between him and Shane. It was as if the two men were halves of a whole, and it was weird to have only one in the bed with her even though she’d never been with both.

In actions almost identical to his husband’s, Shane caressed her arm, hip, and thigh until sleep overtook her.

Under a cloudy sky, Tuck helped Seth unload some groceries from his pickup truck. With the reporters still snooping around town, Paige had made Tuck a list of what she needed since he refused to let her drive to the store, even with an escort. As he’d suspected, the gossipers were in full form and rumors abounded. Marla, who’d always been a sweetheart and rooted for the underdogs in life, had filled him in while he strode up and down the aisles of the grocery store. She’d been one of the first people in town who’d had Sarah’s back when the news of the ménage relationship had lit up the phone lines.

On his way back to the truck for the final few bags, Tuck noticed a vehicle coming up the driveway, kicking up dirt. He relaxed when he spotted the blue and red-light bar on the roof. Putting his hands on his hips, he waited for Lane Myers to park his police department-issued SUV and climb out. “Hey, Lane.”

“Hey.” He shook Tuck’s proffered hand. “Any more problems?”

“No. But I’m sticking close to the house with Seth, and Paige is staying behind closed doors. We didn’t want anyone taking photos of her with a camera’s high-powered zoom lens. Any idea how they found out she was here?” Last night, Shane had called Quinn, who’d gone over to Paige’s friend’s apartment. Marcella had let him check her place for bugs, and as far as the marshal could tell, there were no taps on either her cell or landline phones, nor did he find any listening devices or cameras. So they still had no idea how the bottom-feeders had found Paige.

Lane sighed as he leaned against Tuck’s pickup. “Could have been a few ways. Someone could have been tracking her social security number—she used it to open a checking account in town—or her checking account back in California. She deposited a check for a few thousand dollars from that account into the new one here, then closed the old one. But her last statement from the old account would show where the check was deposited. From there, they probably asked around and found out where Paige was living.”

Another car coming down the drive stopped the next question that’d been on Tuck’s tongue. Both men’s eyes narrowed until the vehicle was close enough to recognize. Lane crossed his arms. “What’s Lou doing here?”

Tuck had no idea, but he was looking forward to the fireworks that went off every time Betty Lou and Lane got within twenty feet of each other. They let everyone within earshot know they hated each other, but the sexual tension was off the charts with these two. From what Shane had told Tuck, the pair had dated for a few months their senior year in high school, but the romance had ended when Lane enlisted and left town without warning. Apparently, he’d left Lou a letter, and whatever it’d said, had caused a huge rift between the two, which still hadn’t healed after all this time. But while their minds, and possibly their hearts, told one story, their bodies told another. They were hot for each other, but neither dared admit it.

Lou parked her pickup next to Lane’s SUV, then climbed out and approached them. Of course, as usual, she refused to look at or acknowledge Lane’s presence. “Hi, Tuck.”

The corners of his mouth ticked upward. “Hey, Lou. What’s up?”

She stopped a few feet in front of him. “Came across some info I figured you’d be interested in, considering the clueless cops still have no idea how the press found Paige.”

If the rest of her statement hadn’t been about what he’d been trying to find out, he might have laughed at the blatant dig aimed at Lane. “What’d you hear?”

“Apparently they got a tip from Bridget.”

His eyes widened, and he barely kept his temper in check. “What?”

At the same time, Lane asked, “How’d you find that out?”

Lou’s gaze flickered to the man she was trying to avoid, then shot back to Tuck. “Two of the cameramen came into the bar late last night. A few shots of tequila and their lips loosened.” She shrugged. “I asked; they answered.”

“In other words, you flirted with them, got them thinking they had a chance, then kicked them out of the bar after you got what you wanted.”

Rage flared in the woman’s pretty brown eyes. “Screw you, Lane. Don’t you have jaywalkers to hassle or a cat that’s stuck in a tree somewhere?”

Lane smirked. “Nope, no jaywalkers today, and cats in trees are the fire departments problem. Not mine.”

She shook her head in disgust. Damn, Tuck wished he could be a fly on the wall when the inevitable fireworks started between those two. Before Lane had moved back to town and taken the job with the police department, Lou had been fine. But now, just a glimpse of the man had her jaw clenching and her right eye twitching. Lane, on the other hand, seemed to take great pleasure in pushing Lou’s buttons. Tuck didn’t know why they didn’t just hit the sheets, because he was sure it would be explosive for both. “If you two are done, can we get back to Bridget? Are you positive?”

With a final nasty glare at Lane, Lou turned back to Tuck. “Yeah, he showed me an email that’d been forwarded to the reporters. The bitch had done an internet search of Paige’s name, and it didn’t take long to find out who she was.

“Did her husband really swindle their friends out of millions then hang himself in jail?”

Tuck frowned and crossed his arms. “Yeah. Paige was the one who’d turned him in to the feds when she found out about it. After his arrest, she filed for divorce—long before it went to trial and he was found guilty. He only lasted a day into his sentence before he committed suicide.” Tuck normally didn’t give out information like that—he hated gossip, having been on the other side of it often enough—but any idiot with a computer would find out the same information. He was sure the reporters had been telling everyone about it, anyway, while putting their own perverse spin on it.

“Well, when you let Bridget have it, make sure I have front row seats. I hate that conniving bitch.”

So did Tuck.