Tonight’s the night.

We pull up outside my parents’ house, me behind Deke, all three of us in jeans, black t-shirts, and motorcycle boots. The twins are wearing their colors -- their vests and all their patches -- and I’ve got a leather jacket completing my outfit.

It’s still too cold for long rides, and the roads can be icy, but my men wanted to make a proper entrance, so we brought the bikes and rode carefully. They flank me as we move up the sidewalk toward the front door. My heart’s pounding so hard the whole neighborhood must be wondering what the sound is.

The door opens, and Kendra’s standing there. I almost called her to forewarn her, but she’s entitled to her responses, whatever they may be. She takes in my attire, and the two huge, tattooed men with me, and her eyes get as big as saucers before an enormous grin splits her face.

“Come on in,” she says, stepping back, as if this happens all the time. “I’m Kendra, Tara’s sister.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Deke, and this is my brother Jake.”

I told my parents I was bringing someone for dinner, but that was all. Normally, Mom would be over here by now, hostessing her heart out. I let my eyes cut to the living room.

My parents are frozen in place. Mom looks shocked; Dad looks quietly furious. My glance finally shakes Mom out of her stupor, and she comes forward, stiff but glacially polite.

It’s not just my immediate family here; my mother invited aunts and uncles and cousins, too. She must have been certain that I would never bring anyone home who wouldn’t meet with their approval.

I almost feel sorry for her.

“So what do you boys do?” Dad asks after he’s shaken my men’s hands and given them a cool nod of greeting. He doesn’t bother saying he’s pleased to meet them. I guess I’ll give him points for honesty.

“We own a bar called Wheels.” It’s Jake who answers, his tone mild.

“I see.” My father’s eyes flick over the patches on their vests. “And you … ride?”

“We’re co-presidents of the Brimstone Friars.” Deke is equally matter-of-fact.

There’s a long silence … and then Dad shocks me. “I once knew a man who was a member. Roy Blankenship.”

“Still with us.” Deke smiles. “Been a member in good standing a long time now.”

Dad just nods … but I see it, on his face, for just an instant. Only a flicker, but it’s there.

Regret. The road not taken. Somewhere deep inside, part of him wants to break free too.

I’d resigned myself to tonight being a disaster, but I knew my twins would keep me safe. Suddenly, I have hope. There’s a glimmer of light in the bleakness.

“Dad. Can I speak to you a moment?”

This wasn’t in the game plan, but the brothers don’t say a word, just let me go. I feel their eyes on me as I lead my father into the family room at the back of the house. They’ll be all right without me, and they’re trusting me to be the same.

When we’re far away from inquisitive ears, I turn to my father. He looks as cool and unruffled as ever to the untrained eye, but I have a lifetime of observing him. He’s agitated. This has hit him hard.

“Tara—”

“Dad.” I put a hand on his chest. “I don’t want you to say anything you might regret later. So before you speak your piece, I need to tell you that I love them, and they love me, and they make me happy.” I stare into his eyes, willing him to understand. “They make me happy, Daddy.”

A muscle moves in his jaw. “Is that all?”

“No.” I search for words, and the brothers help. “Someone wise told me that sometimes, people get on the merry-go-round of doing what they’re supposed to, even though it makes them miserable. Then they get stuck, and they don’t know how to get off. So I just want to say that I love you … and Daddy, it’s never too late to be happy. Never.”

There’s a storm brewing in his eyes, but he doesn’t speak. I go up on my toes, kiss his cheek, and walk away. Praying that my seed takes root.

As soon as I reach the living room, Jake and Deke inspect me for signs of damage. I muster a faint smile for them, and after a couple of seconds of their eyes piercing me, they relax. When my father follows me several moments later, he’s got his usual dispassionate air pulled around him like armor.

“Do you ride, Mr. Jordan?” Jake says, as though there’s been no break in the conversation.

“I … no. Once or twice, years ago.” He shakes his head, as if those experiences happened to someone else. In a sense, I guess they did.

“Once the weather turns, we’ll be having club rides again. If you ever want to join us, you’d be welcome.”

Dad opens his mouth, and I see the refusal in his eyes. Then he looks at me, and back at my men, and says, “Thank you. That’s … very kind.”

I’ve been around the Friars long enough to know that most club rides aren’t open to the public. My men are making space for my father. Whether he ever takes them up on it or not, they’re watering the seed they don’t even know I planted … or maybe, on some level, they do.

Meeting Tara’s family is … interesting. Except for her sister, these are people who’ve traded status for happiness, and the corporate grind for freedom, and they work really hard at convincing themselves they’ve made the right choice.

Not that there’s anything wrong with the business world, if that’s what floats your boat. Hell, Jake and I are businessmen. But her family gives me the impression of a bunch of folks who got their boats stuck in the mud flats but are paddling away, pretending they’re in deep water.

I can see now why Tara struggled, at first, being with us. Her wild side was always there, and with Jake and me it rose right to the surface, but the rest of her life was locked down tight. I’m thankful we found her when we did, before those hooks got sunk in her too deep.

When it’s time to have dinner, we ignore her mom’s efforts to split us up. We give Tara the center chair on one side of the long table and take the seats right next to her, leaving everyone else to distribute themselves around us.

Mrs. Jordan is not at all happy about this. She looks like she just sucked down a whole bowlful of lemons. Too bad.

Tara’s got more to tell her family tonight, and we promised to protect her. I won’t go out of my way to be rude to anyone here … but our woman will feel as safe as my brother and I can make her.

The food is delicious, and I tell Mrs. Jordan that, but the poor woman is wound so tight she doesn’t even smile. I feel bad for her. If she tries to take her feelings out on her daughter, though, all bets are off.

We’ve barely gotten started when one of Tara’s uncles speaks up. Her mother’s brother, I think. Tara told us he’s the one who usually asks her about her classwork at family dinners. He’s CFO at some big company, and seems to take personal credit for Tara following in his footsteps.

“So, Tara, how is your MBA program going? I trust your … extracurricular activities haven’t interfered too much with your studies.” His eyes skate over me and Jake as if we’re garbage that needs to be taken out.

It’s the first time tonight I’ve wanted to hit someone. I’d like to wipe that superior smile right off his face. Beside me, Tara tenses.

This is the moment she’s been worried about, even more than her family meeting us. When she lays a hand on my thigh, I’m not sure if it’s for my comfort or hers. I move until our hands are just touching.

Whatever happens next, we’re here for her.

“I’m not continuing the MBA program.” She says it crisply, firmly, with no hint of hesitation or apology. Ignoring the indrawn breaths around the table, she goes on. “I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching and decided to go in a different direction.”

Her uncle’s eyes are blazing. Her mother looks like one of those frozen sculptures. Her dad closes his eyes, then opens them again and fixes them on his daughter.

“In the fall, I’ll be starting a master’s degree in social work, with a concentration in children, youth, and families.”

“That. Is. Awesome!” Kendra cries. She jumps up from her chair and comes over to give her sister a hug. “I’m so proud of you!”

“Thanks, Kay-Kay.” Tara looks more relieved than anything, now that she’s finally come clean about all the changes in her life. I’m sure her sister’s immediate enthusiasm helps, though.

Whether she meant to or not — and I’m sure her excitement wasn’t feigned — Kendra’s response has set the tone. Everyone else is holding back on their negativity, choking on it, probably.

Except … except her father’s watching Tara with a faint smile on his face. Barely there, but real. If anyone at this table has a shot at breaking out of his rut, it’s Mr. Jordan.

The rest of the evening passes in stilted conversation, everyone in the family trying to talk around the elephant in the room. No one leaves, and I have no doubt that the second we’re out of here, everyone else will gossip about us like they’ve got nothing better to do.

Not Kendra, of course. When we say it’s time to go, she looks like she’d like to run away with us. Tara gives her a long hug and says something in a low voice that cheers her up.

Finally, we’re out the door. Tara climbs on Jake’s bike for the ride home. A few of her family cluster in the doorway despite the chilly weather, as if they still can’t believe we’re real.

Too bad the roads aren’t better. We could peel out of here fast enough to keep them talking about us for months.

I shake myself free of all that. It’s over now, and time for us to move on to the final phase of the evening. The one I’m really looking forward to.

The farther away we get from Tara’s family, the better I feel. I had a hard time holding my tongue in there. Her sister’s a breath of fresh air, and I feel bad that she’s stuck with the rest of them.

We wind through the streets, and finally pull up in front of a big house in an older neighborhood. It’s not a McMansion -- the lot’s big, and the house is the original one built here. But it’s substantially larger than the ones Deke and I lived in before.

Room to grow.

“Here it is, sugar.” I scoop Tara up, too excited to let her walk through the doorway on her own. “Home sweet home.”

Deke unlocks the door, and we go inside. The downstairs is just as it was when we toured the house. A big, open-plan space with lots of windows, showcasing the view outside -- wooded hills with a mix of pine, fir, aspen, and birch trees, the latter bare now, spring’s growth still weeks away.

There’s a kitchen big enough for all three of us to cook in it together, with a walk-in pantry, plus living room / family room / dining areas. One one side of the open area are two guest bedrooms with a bathroom between them, and on the other side a library and utility room.

Upstairs is where the surprise is. I set Tara on the stairs and she shoots me a glance, like she’s wondering why I’m directing her that way instead of us all wandering around downstairs first.

But she goes up readily enough, Deke and I climbing side by side behind her, enjoying the sight of her ass as it moves in her jeans. No matter how many times we’ve shared a bed, we never get tired of sampling her pleasures and giving that back to her.

At the top of the stairs, she goes left, checking out the bedrooms and bathroom on that end of the hall. We just wait, and when she comes back and passes us, her eyes narrow on our faces.

“What have you done? You’re up to something.”

We don’t say a word, just smile. A big linen closet, another bathroom … and then she stops. “It’s different. That door used to be over here.”

The hall on this side wraps around the side of the house. There were six bedrooms, counting the two downstairs. Now there are five.

“Go on in,” I tell her, and she gives me big eyes and tentatively pushes the door open. And gasps.

“Oh my word.”

We follow her into our new, enormous master bedroom suite. On one side there’s a sitting area, with sliding doors opening onto a balcony; on the other, a bathroom the size of the bedroom it used to be, complete with a whirlpool tub big enough for all three of us, a separate shower, three sinks, and heated floors.

And in the center of the suite, dominating the space, a custom-built bed. The room had to be huge just to accommodate it. It’s long enough for Deke and me to stretch out without our feet dangling off the end, and wide enough for all three of us to lie comfortably abreast. Wide enough that the length doesn’t look odd, but no more than that.

We like to cuddle, after all. No point having a bed so big we’re isolated from each other.

Tara takes it all in without saying a word. We wait while she walks the space, from one end to the other, and comes back to us. There’s a curious expression on her face.

“I thought you just closed today?”

Deke tucks his hands in his pockets. “We might have fibbed a little bit about the closing date.”

Her hand goes to her mouth. “You naughty men.” The sparkle in her eyes tells the real story.

She turns to survey the bed, hands on hips. “How did you ever find sheets for that?”

“There’s a place that makes them custom,” I tell her. “We bought a few sets.”

“It’s beautiful. All of it.” She goes up on her toes to kiss Deke, then me. “Thank you.”

When she tries to go back down to the floor, I hold on to her hips, keeping her against me. “How you feeling after that dinner?”

She knows what I’m asking. “Oh, I’m just fine. It went better than I expected, thanks to you and Deke. I have plenty of energy to break in that enormous bed.”

“That’s my girl.” I shift my grip, lift her up by her ass, and take her mouth.

Wrapping my legs around Jake, I kiss him back, as hungry for his touch as the day we met. Behind me, Deke’s hands go under my shirt and his mouth finds the side of my neck. Pleasure spikes through me, by now familiar but still always new.

Of all the things I had wrong about the way my life should go, my biggest mistake was thinking two men were too much trouble.

It’s true of most men, of course -- but not my men. They are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and somehow, with them in my life, everything else has fallen into place.

I wasn’t the type of girl to take chances, but the one time I did — walking into Wheels in pursuit of a fantasy — it turned out to be the smartest decision I ever made.

Deke and Jake are so perfect for me — such strong, brave, caring men, who are always thinking of me, and never cease to surprise me.

I can’t wait to create new memories in this gorgeous bedroom they’ve made for us, and in fact I don’t have to wait at all.

Jake tosses me down on our enormous new bed and the two of them descend. I cup each of their faces in my palms and stare into their beautiful blue eyes, the exact color of happiness.

“I love you,” I say, looking between them, hoping the expression on my face conveys all that I’m feeling.

“Love you too, sugar,” Jake says.

“Never thought I’d find a woman like you,” Deke adds. “Love you, darlin’, with everything in me.”

Tears form at the corners of my eyes, but I blink them away. “Good to hear. Now, get your clothes off.”

I give them each a gentle shove and they obligingly stand and disrobe, their faces full of equal parts amusement and heat. When I join them, taking off my clothes even as I keep my eyes on their sculpted bodies, the expression in their eyes goes full-tilt lust.

When I’m naked, Deke reaches for me, but I dart around him and jump onto the bed. Stretching out, I ask, “Who wants to go first?”

They chuckle at the reminder of our first time together. Jake, who has his clothes off first, advances toward me. “Thing is, sugar, we could both be involved …”

I make my eyes go wide. “Ooh, that sounds intriguing. Just how … involved do you want to be?”

Deke, who’s crawling toward me from the other side of the bed, the muscles in his chest making his tattoos dance, pauses. He and Jake exchange a look before they settle down on either side of me.

“We can be as involved as you like, pretty lady.” Deke trails a finger down my torso, between my breasts, heading toward my pussy. “Did you have something in mind?”

I keep my tone pure innocence. “I was wondering if you might fuck my pretty ass.”

Deke’s breath catches in his throat, and his hand splays across my abdomen. “You mean it?”

I nod. “And, um, well …”

Jake leans down and brushes his mouth across mine, part teasing, part seduction, part encouragement. Against his mouth, I breathe the rest of it. “I want both of you at once.”

They go still, and then Jake lifts his head far enough to look me in the eyes, his expression serious. “You sure, babe?”

“Yes.”

Deke’s hand moves in a slow circle. “We’ll be careful.”

“I know you will.”

“Anytime you need us to stop, just say the word.” Jake rubs his nose against mine, and the playful affection of it erases my nerves. These are my men, and they would never do anything to hurt me.

“Do it.”

As soon as I agreed to move in with them, we had the talk about birth control and testing, so we’ve been condom-free for a few weeks. But I’m not surprised that the nightstands in our new bedroom still hold some, along with lube.

The twins get them out, then leave them there as their hands and mouths, lips and teeth and tongues and fingers, explore me as if for the first time. They’re more patient than I’d expected, and my body glides slowly up the golden heights of arousal, until I’m ready to tip over the edge and fly.

When it happens, Jake’s mouth is on one breast, Deke’s on the other, and each of them has a finger inside me. Their thumbs take turns on my clit, and it’s different enough from our usual foreplay to drive me wild with anticipation.

“Please,” I gasp after they bring me again, and then again, their hunger for my pleasure never satisfied. “I need you inside me.”

Slowly, reluctantly, they pull free. I swear these men would do ten hours of foreplay if time allowed. They turn me, then, and I glory in the feeling of their big, strong bodies moving me wherever, however they want.

It’s wonderful to be at their mercy, knowing they’ll only use their strength to please me.

Deke begins to play with my ass, his hand caressing the flesh, over and over. Then a light smack, making me gasp, and then he soothes away the sting. With endless patience, he teases me until I’m writhing on the bed, wriggling my butt at him in blatant invitation.

Finally, one lubed fingertip begins to circle my opening, around and around the fluted flesh. “Oh fuck, that feels amazing.”

“Good.” He teases my opening, and the muscles clamp shut instinctively. Unhurried, he goes back to what he was doing, until I’m squirming, eager for him to try again.

“Push out,” he tells me, and this time his fingertip slips inside me. I gasp and moan, convulsing around him, and he pulls out and starts circling again.

Jake, meanwhile, is nuzzling my neck, licking his way down my spine, and occasionally nipping my ass, the tiny little hurts flaring into incredible pleasure. I can’t wait for this to happen, for all of us to be joined at once, for me to feel them both inside me.

Gradually, Deke opens me up, getting me comfortable. The farther he goes, the more I want his cock inside me. “Please,” I beg again.

“All right, darlin’. I think you’re there. Remember, you need us to stop, just tell us.”

“I don’t want you to stop.”

Jake’s big hand frames my face. “But if you need us to, you’ll say so. Right?”

“Yes, I promise.”

He hears the impatience edging my voice and smiles, but the look in his eye says I had damn well better keep my promise. And I will, because it would kill them to think that they’d hurt me, and I don’t ever want to do that to them.

The brothers shift us all so Jake is on his back and I’m straddling him. My eyes on his, I take him in and sink down, letting him fill me, stretch me, inch by inch. Then Deke is adding more lube, teasing me again until I’m moaning, and only then does the tip of his cock nudge me.

Even after all his preparation, my eyes go wide. Jake’s hands, which have been on my hips, shift. One cups my breast, then tweaks the nipple, while the other finds my clit.

“Push out,” Deke reminds me gently, and I do; and I keep pushing until the head of his cock slips past the first tight ring of muscle.

“Holy fuck.”

“Okay?” he says in my ear.

“Holy fuck.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” But Jake’s eyes go over my shoulder, and I know Deke is checking with his brother, who can see my face, to make sure I’m really all right.

“Don’t stop now.” I want to make it unmistakably clear how I’m feeling.

“All right, babe.” He pulls back a bit, then presses in, over and over, and it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever felt. Jake keeps playing with my breasts and my clit, but his eyes are intent on my face, and I know he’s enjoying the show.

Finally, Deke is buried deep, and I can feel both of them, their cocks pulsing inside me, separated only by a thin membrane. Deke’s braced over me so I don’t take most of his weight, but he leans down again and brushes his lips over the shell of my ear. “Doing all right?”

“Oh yeah,” Jake answers for me. His voice is deeper than I’ve ever heard it, and his pupils are huge. “She’s good.”

“I’m …” I search for words. “So much more than good. This is amazing. Why didn’t we do this sooner?”

Both of them chuckle, and the sensation makes my eyes roll back in my head. “I’m sure we can make up for lost time,” Deke says.

“Let’s get going on that, then.”

Another chuckle, and then they start to move, very slowly, and as they do a thought flashes through my mind: I have to find a way to bring this up with Megan and Zoe, because, first, who else could I compare notes with? And, second, if by chance they aren’t already doing this with their guys, boy are they missing out.

Pinned between my men, their cocks stroking in and out of my most intimate places, I give myself over to sensation, to pleasure, to unbelievable closeness. “I love you,” I moan. “So much.”

“Fuck, Tara.” Jake’s hands are on my hips again, his fingers digging in. If I have bruises in the morning, I’ll wear them proudly. “I love you, baby.”

“So much,” Deke echoes. “You’re the best thing we ever found.”

They speed up a little, and the friction of their cocks against all my sensitive nerve endings is too much, it’s everything, and I clamp around them, making them groan, as my first climax washes over me.

And then they start with the dirty talk.

“Fuck,” Deke growls. “Gonna fuck this sweet little ass every day for the rest of my life.”

I shudder in ecstasy, my body already riding the edge of another orgasm. “Fuck, yes.”

“Gonna fill you up.” Jake’s eyes are blue fire. “Every day.”

“Yes.” My nails dig into his arms. “I want your big hard cocks in me, every day and every night.”

Deke’s teeth sink into the sensitive flesh where my neck meets my shoulder. “Gonna drill you till you can’t walk.”

They speed up until they’re fucking me hard and fast, and I never want it to end.

“Oh, fuck, you fuck me so good!” Any second now, I’m going to wash away on a sea of pleasure.

“You’re ours,” Deke grits out. “For always.”

“And we’re yours.” Jake’s face is savage and beautiful. “Always, Tara.”

I can’t answer, because my body explodes -- and so do theirs, all three of us crying out, coming at once, ecstasy like white lightning searing us, melting us together.

When I come back to myself, Deke has given me just enough of his weight that I’m squished between him and Jake. It feels wonderful. If not for needing to breathe, eventually, I could stay here forever.

Then we roll onto our sides, our bodies still joined, our skin glistening. “You want our babies?” Jake says abruptly.

The intensity of his gaze might be frightening if I weren’t so sure of the answer, so totally at peace. My smile spreads like the glow of the morning sun. “Yes.”

“We figured two,” Deke says, his lips against my shoulder. “Or, you know, biology being what it is, maybe two sets of twins. They can have the upstairs bedrooms when they’re little, and move downstairs when they’re older and want privacy. By then we could remodel that side, give it more room.”

“Sounds good.” I lace my fingers with his. “You’ve got it all planned out.”

“Easy to want all that, with you.” He lifts our joined hands toward Jake’s, until we’re all intertwined, with me held close between the two of them.

Just the way I want to be.

Forever.