“Don't do anything I wouldn't do,” Cara giggled.
Wedged between two men, both of whom were her husbands, I could only imagine what she did do.
As I walked over to Declan MacDonald, I thought about what I'd just learned. Two men! Cara was married to both Mike and Tyler. God, how did that work out? Obviously, I'd heard of threesomes, but that was like… a one time thing, right? Get it on with two hot guys, check off that fantasy from the bucket list, then get back to reality. Follow the rules. Find a good man, settle down, get married. But Cara was married to two men. Married. As in forever. Did they all sleep in the same bed? Or…
“Hey, Squirt.” Declan pulled me in for a big hug. He was as tall as I remembered, but he'd filled out. With similar coloring to Cara, no one would doubt they were siblings.
“God, Declan, it's been a long time.” Even though he'd been older, in high school and had me and Cara tagging along on occasion, he'd always been nice to me. Kept an eye on me when I knew my parents didn't. I didn't have a big brother and as a kid, that's what I always thought of him to be.
He pushed me back, put his hands on my shoulders and looked me over, then frowned. “No ring on your finger? What's wrong with the men in New York?”
What was it with everyone these days? Why was everyone so damn worried about my status as a single woman? I was divorced, not dying of some incurable disease. Did I look that lonely and desperate?
Tilting my head to the side, I looked at his hand. “No ring for you either. Haven't found a wife… and another guy to share her with?”
His smile slipped a little and his eyes turned serious. “You didn't know?”
I shook my head and bit my lip. “Didn't remember. Or, when I used to come, too young to understand. I just found out, really.” Glancing at Cara, she was smiling at something her men said, their heads angled close to hers. It was obvious they were together. “You don't mind? Cara, I mean?”
Declan let me go, then directed me to sit at one of the bar stools. “I'd rather not think of Cara with any man, but Mike and Tyler are good to her.”
“Two?”
“That's the way it is in Bridgewater. It's the way it's been for over a hundred years. Hell, the area was founded on the principle. It's accepted, embraced even. No one divorces.”
“But two!” I repeated, waving my hand in the air. “Seriously? It’s not even legal.”
“I heard you were a lawyer.” As if that explained my answer. “Only one of them actually marries the woman. The rest is just a mutual understanding.”
“Some understanding. I couldn’t stand my ex-husband. Why would I want two of them?”
Declan grinned. “You might be surprised, Squirt. We're raised to put women first, in all things. We protect them, cherish them, love them. Take chivalry and amp it up about ten times. When a man finds the right woman, there's no going back. Can you say that about your ex?”
I laughed then, thinking of Chad. Chivalry? Protection? “God, no.”
“You've just found the wrong guy. Guys.” When I looked skeptical, he went on. “You like sci-fi movies?”
I shrugged, confused by the change of topic. “Sure.” I couldn't remember the last time I was at the theater, but I could envision Star Trek and little green men.
“It's like a tractor beam. When a guy gets his sights on his woman, she's pulled right in. He doesn't waver, doesn't doubt. Never cheats, never sways. It's… powerful.” He glanced up and his smile widened. “Kind of like that.”
I turned to look and found a man I didn’t recognize approaching us. A hot, gorgeous, virile, stunning stranger. Damn, he was hot. He nodded at Declan as he took the barstool next to me, but his attention didn’t waver for long. With a short, “Dec,” his intense gaze returned to me.
“Hello. I’m Sam Kane.” He held out his right hand like a perfectly reasonable human being.
Me? I froze as the name registered—slowly. Sam Kane.
Sam was big and broad like a football player with the good looks of a cover model. His nose had a slight crook to it, giving him an air of danger, or at least a bar brawl or two. He screamed c
owboy, and yet his dress was more corporate than Carhartts.
His greeting moved through my mind about as fast as chilled molasses through a straw. I knew I was supposed to say something, but damn, I couldn’t seem to remember how to talk. This was even worse than my FUBAR on the airplane with hottie cowboy Jack. Yeah, that was fucked up beyond all recognition. Now, I was two-for-two in embarrassing myself with sexy men. Go me.
Sam Kane had been cute when I was twelve. Now, holy fuck. Beam me up, Scotty.
With a chuckle, and a protective hand on my shoulder, Declan made the introductions. “Sam, you remember Katie Andrews from… God, when we were in high school. Katie, this is Sam.”
I placed my much smaller hand in his large palm and finally remembered to breathe as he gently squeezed. Tingles crept up my arm and I hoped he'd never let go. This was the teenager I'd mooned over? Shit, he was not a teenager any more. He was like sex on a stick with a fucking cherry on top.