“Shit. We didn’t have a condom, man.” Claire’s head was on my chest, but I was talking to Nash. He was the condom dispenser around here.

“It’s ok,” Claire soothed. “I wanted you to come.”

“Coming is one thing, darlin’, knocking you up is something different.”

She traced a line on my stomach with her fingernail. “I’m not going to get pregnant. And I haven’t been with anyone in a long time.”

“How long?” Nash asked.

“Not the time,” I scolded him.

“I want to know.”

Claire twisted her pouty lips together. “Almost two years.”

He sighed. “That’s just wrong. You haven’t had sex in two years?” He rotated her to face him. It was one of things I was getting used to. The closeness I had with her, was shared equally.

She shook her head. “No. But I thing I’m making up for it now.”

“You are and then some.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. He squeezed her ass. “How are you feeling back here. Have we been too rough?”

“No,” she whispered. “It feels good.”

“Fuck,” I groaned.

She twisted her head to look over her shoulder at me. I knew we shared something special because I had been given that gift. I knew what it meant that she gave me her rosebud’s virginity. There was no way to put that kind of connection into words.

“Having this experience. With both of you.” She choked back the words. “I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to tell you what it has meant to me. Just know when I’m back in Chicago, I’m going to dream about this night. About lying under the stars with both of you.”

Something deep in my lungs seized. I didn’t like the idea. Not one fucking bit.

“Claire,” I groaned. “Stay a little longer. Won’t you?”

“It’s not up to me. I have work. You understand that, right?”

Nash smiled. “Of course we do, baby. We both work.”

She exhaled, wiggling into my body while Nash curled his around her too. We could keep her safe. Protect her. Worship her the way she deserved. I knew that in the deepest part of my soul. How did I express that after such a short period of time?

“I bet there’s a lot more about the ranch you need to see,” Nash added. “More you could write about. Caleb is right. You should stay.”

I stroked her thigh. My palm rounded to the smooth skin on her ass. She sighed.

“I might be able to get an extension.”

“Really?” I asked.

“I can’t make any promises, but I could call my boss Francis and tell her that we had some weather delays.”

“Weather delays?” Nash sounded skeptical.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I need a good excuse that would keep me from writing the article. I probably can squeeze two, three days max from her.”

“Do that,” I urged. “Do it. Stay with us.”

She sat forward, pulling her knees to her chest. “Do you really think that’s a good idea? What are we really getting into here?”

I looked at Nash. He was the one who always had the answers. He was the smooth talker. I needed him to step up and find a reason for her to stay.

Nash propped up on his elbow. He smiled, realizing we had never taken Claire’s tank top and bra off.

“Let me help you with that.”

He threaded the shirt over her head and unsnapped the bra. She hissed when his mouth inhaled her tit.

He sucked until both tits perked. It was fucking sexy as hell. He turned her toward me and I took the other nipple in my mouth, biting lightly.

Claire ran her hands through my hair, pressing my mouth closer, until I latched against her voluptuous breast.

“I-I know what you two are trying to do.”

She pushed me away and I licked my lips, admiring the work we had done with her tits. They were perfect.

“And what’s that?” I asked.

“Seduce me into staying into Montana.” She crossed her arms.

“And what would be so wrong with that?” I countered. “We want you here.” It was the closest I had come to sharing my feelings.

“Baby, just think about it. Nights like this. We’ve only just started to see where things could go with us.”

Claire closed her eyes. “I’ve worked for so long for my career. I can’t just give it up for you two. For two men I barely know.”

Nash laughed. “I think we know each other pretty well.”

She glared at him. “You know what I mean. What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite pizza topping? Have you ever been to Europe? Do you want kids?” She covered her mouth after the last question. “Sorry, forget I asked that.”

Nash reached for the beers we had abandoned and handed them out again. He looked at Claire.

“Green. Sausage. No. Yes.” He nodded toward me.

“Blue. Pepperoni. No. Yes.”

Claire’s mouth hung open before she took a sip of Drew’s beer.

“You guys can’t be serious.”

I nodded. “Stay.”

She looked up at the big sky. Her eyes as bright as the canvas over our heads.

“Can I think about it?”

“Of course you can, darlin’.”

She smiled. “This beer is delicious. I’ll have to tell Drew when I go for his interview.”

“He’d appreciate that.”

A coyote howled in the distance.

Claire jumped. I pulled her into my lap. “It’s ok. He’s not going to get you out here.”

She leaned against my shoulder. “I feel so safe with you.”

There it was again. The way something stirred in my chest. I hadn’t felt it for a woman in so long. But I couldn’t get the words out. I couldn’t tell her how quickly my feelings for her were surfacing.

“I’m glad.”

She looked up at me with her beautiful eyes. “Thank you.”

I curled an arm around her. Nash nodded at me. We had to find a reason to make her stay. I just didn’t know what it was going to be.