Hunt, Delilah - Wyoming Triple Heat (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)
Read Hunt, Delilah - Wyoming Triple Heat (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Online
Authors: Delilah Hunt
“We had to,” Logan countered. “Unless you wanted her to get sent back to jail. Didn’t you see the expression on her face the first time Owen mentioned it?”
Owen scowled. “Couldn’t miss it.”
He and his brothers had been away on a business trip when they’d return home, and Owen had stopped by the sheriff’s office to see if he was any closer to finding the culprits behind an attempt to burn their sugar production factory. It wasn’t a secret to the Kincaids who was responsible—Frank Warren and his son. It was still treading on murky waters to make their accusation known, especially with Sam serving under the sheriff and being privy to the details of the case. And without hard evidence to go on for the fire that burned a section of the factory a month ago, nothing could be proven.
While the sheriff blustered his way, finding excuse and reason after reason for why the investigation was stalling, he caught a glimpse of huge brown, lackluster eyes staring back at him, voided of their usual defiance from a pile on top of Harper’s desk.
“Little hellcat got booked for assault,” the sheriff confessed once Owen flipped open the folder. “Got into it with Cynthia Wright. Almost knocked the poor girl out.”
Owen found it hard to believe considering Lexie’s tiny frame, but that hadn’t stopped them from paying her bail. They’d even gotten the sheriff to convince Cynthia and her family to drop the charges.
“What’s our next move? My guess is she’s alone in her house bawling her eyes out.” He ran a hand through his hair, saddened at the thought. “Know what’s even more fucked up, I heard she was there when her mother passed away. Father was out getting drunk and she was the only one at home to watch her mother die. Makes me sick to think Warren has something that belongs to Lexie.” Owen clenched his jaw. “We should have ripped up his goddamn contract and crammed it down his throat.”
Logan lifted an eyebrow. “Are you finished?”
Owen bit back a sneer as Logan continued. “Frank Warren isn’t simple. Don’t you think he had copies made? Who’s going to take Lexie’s word over his when he’s doling out salaries? Not that it matters because we’re going to get it back for her.”
“We are?”
Logan glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, irritating the heck out of Owen. “I believe I just stated that.”
“What, are we going to break his neck or something to get it back?” Owen looked over at Connor to see if his brother was as clueless as he felt. Connor shrugged.
Logan tapped his fingers on the armchair. “Nothing like that. We’ll simply buy it back for her.”
Connor sprang from the edge of the couch. “Give money to that fuckhead? I’m with Owen. I vote for breaking his neck.”
Logan leaned back into his chair, staring down the two of them. “Do you want her or not?”
Logan’s words had a trigger effect. Owen felt his irritation ebb and watched as Connor sank back onto the edge of the sofa. All their planning had come down to this. His heart thumped inside his chest. How many days had they sat back discussing the feisty, little brown beauty, wondering how much sweetness was hidden behind her façade of stubbornness and bravery. It was all a show, had to be. One look into Lexie’s eyes and all three of them knew there was so much more to her than she was letting on. Case in point, her reluctance to give up a treasured token and the angry tears he’d seen in her eyes when he’d taken it from her small hand.
“You know damn well we want her as much as you do.” Connor spoke up. “At this point, I’m aching for that girl so bad I don’t care if we have to pay the devil himself to get her inside the house with us.”
Logan looked over at him in question. Swallowing, Owen nodded. “I want her, too.” He knew his voice had gone husky, but he didn’t care, couldn’t help it. Shit, he could even feel his prick getting hard imagining Lexie with those shapely legs bent at the knees, splayed wide, and ready to take their cocks.
“What if we do all this and she doesn’t want us? I don’t know about you, but not too many girls are going to be willing to take on three men at once, much less if she doesn’t even like them.”
Logan straightened in the seat. “We’ll just have to demonstrate to Lexie how much we want her. She won’t like it at first, what I’m planning, but in time, she’ll come to accept belonging to us.” Logan told them of his plans then lifted his eyebrows. “Does that mean we’re all in agreement?”
Owen jerked his head. Logan didn’t need to ask him twice. Anything that brought them one step closer to having Lexie and he was on board. Owen glanced to the side at Connor, who was nodding his head like a fucking maniac.
Owen shook his head. He still found it hard to believe that after so many years of being with other women, the three of them had somehow managed to fall for the same one. But what choice did they have? Neither of them wanted to back down from pursuing her. The only option was to share and try their hardest to make it work. Lexie was worth it because under all that sneakiness and fire was a girl who needed some taming and love…and the Kincaid brothers were more than up to the task.
Chapter Two
Lexie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the two coworkers leaning against the row of shirts and dresses she’d stacked onto the hangers and arranged on the wall.
Whatever, I did the job. Not my problem if those bitches mess it up
.
Anna-Sue and Marissa were trying to bait her into an argument, much like their friend had done last month. Lexie bit her cheek. She still regretted what happened between her and Cynthia. She’d never hit anyone before, much less almost knocking them out. It wasn’t an experience she wanted to repeat, regardless of the satisfaction she’d received from the look of terror on Cynthia’s face.
But Cynthia wasn’t her problem now. No, she had to keep working while those two cackled and spoke loud enough, intending for her to hear every word.
“Did I tell you that Connor invited me himself?” Anna-Sue boasted, arching her auburn brows when Lexie made the mistake of making eye contact with her.
The wavy-haired one, Marissa, giggled and kicked aside a shirt brushing her leg. “Those guys are hot. I’m not sure which one I like more, but I could totally see you hooking up with Connor.”
Shoving a sweater onto the rack, Lexie couldn’t help but perk up her ears. This wasn’t the first party being held by the brothers that she had heard about in an offhand manner. For all the eyeing she was getting from them whenever she was out and about, one would think at least one of them was interested in her, but not once had they ever invited her to any of their parties.
Not like I care
.
“So, um, Alexa. Did you get an invitation?” The girl didn’t even try to hide the smirk on her flawless face.
Lexie stood and brushed off her knees. “Yep. I turned them down. Got better things to do with my time.”
“You’re such a fucking liar.” Anna-Sue sneered while folding her arms. “You don’t have anything better to do.” She turned to a snickering Marissa. “Correction, Alexa’s going to be all alone in her little shack, curled up with a brown paper bag, drinking just like her drunk of a father.”
A muscle in her cheek ticked. “So why the hell did you ask me then, genius, since you already knew the answer?”
“Because I know what a liar you are, and you just proved me right.”
Lexie curled her fists and pretended to study her fingernails.
Ignore it
. “Okay, I’m a liar. Pat yourself on the head, Anna-Sue, or maybe Marissa here can do it for you.”
Do not have time for this
. Lexie walked behind the counter and grabbed her handbag. “I’m done for tonight.” It was Marissa’s turn to lock up the clothing store anyway.
The “shack,” as Anna-Sue called it, was a modest one-bedroom house she’d shared with a great aunt. After her mother’s death from stomach cancer, the shock of being handed off to a stranger had been nothing compared to witnessing the demise of her levelheaded father. Her father, Marcus Grey, had been an engineer working with one of the largest firms in the state of Wyoming. Unable to cope with losing the woman he loved, he’d turned to alcohol soon after they’d learned she wasn’t going to survive despite the chemotherapy. The day after her mother’s funeral, she was sent from Cheyenne to the small town of Oak Creek. They told her it was supposed to be temporary until her father straightened out his life.
What a load of crap that was
. Ten years had passed since that day, and the trusting twelve-year-old had to wise up and deal with living in a place where cattle seemed as if they were more important than most of the people, including her. God, just thinking about all the damn cows, she couldn’t help but think of Logan, Owen, and Connor and the sprawling ranch they owned. Bet Frank Warren never would have pulled a stunt like that on any of them. Then again, she wasn’t sure. The man was the proverbial snake in grass and even now she wanted to scream, cry thinking he was touching her mother’s necklace or gifting it to a lover.
Before she learned that her daddy had taken her mother’s necklace and lost it in a bet with Frank Warren the last time he came to visit her during one of his bouts of sobriety, Lexie had made plans to move back to Cheyenne. That thousand dollars she’d scrimped and saved was supposed to go toward a deposit on a place to live. Instead, the pig-face bastard had it along with her momma’s necklace, and she was stuck in Oak Creek for God knew how much longer.
To make matters worse, she was going to have to stop by Circle-K Ranch and speak with the Kincaid brothers, or rather Logan. She didn’t know much about their personal dealings, but she’d heard as much to know Logan was the one in charge of the sugar refinery. Last week when she had stopped by the factory inquiring about a job, the human resources manager had taken one look at her slight build and dubbed her incapable of the strenuous work.
The man was sorely mistaken if he thought she was going to give up so easily. Supposedly, the salary was one of the most decent rates around, and well, she needed the money. With her hours at the store about to be reduced, it was time for a change. Logan and his brothers might be a lot of things, but she doubted they would refuse someone willing to work hard, even if that person was her.
* * * *
“You want what?” Logan repeated, taken off guard. Moments before, he had been inside his office, combing over their latest figures when the doorbell rang. Of all the people he had expected, it was not Lexie. It was, to say the least, a welcomed pleasure.
“I wish to have a word with you inside your office.” She straightened her shoulders and added, “It’s a business matter…Mr. Kincaid.”
His eyebrows shot up. He had to have heard it all by now. Keeping his features impassive, Logan opened his hand gesturing toward the hallway and up a flight of stairs. “By all means. Follow me.”
She nodded, but not before he caught the flash of relief in her large brown eyes. She was wearing a simple white button-down shirt and a black skirt that fell to her knees.
She must mean business
.
Logan had never seen her dressed like that before. Always shorts, miniskirts, or the tightest jeans she could fit her luscious round ass into. Still, he had to admit the plain outfit did nothing to distract from her slim, petite figure.
“It’s in here.” He pulled open the door to one of the spare rooms he’d converted into an office. Logan seated himself behind the oak desk, observing the way she walked slowly toward the desk, perusing every inch of the office, and making no effort to hide it.
“Have a seat,” Logan instructed, wishing to get to the bottom of whatever it was she wanted.
She took the chair directly in front of him, and Logan waited in the terse silence for her to begin. Nothing.
“Alexa—”
“I’m sorry I tried to take the five bucks off your table.”
Logan stiffened. He hadn’t expected that, and frankly, he hadn’t wanted her to mention it again. He hadn’t been present at the time of the incident, but Owen had related the details to him and Connor of catching her red-handed attempting to sneak a five-dollar bill from the table. Owen had called her out on it; the right decision, which he knew, had left Owen feeling as if he was now in even worse favor with her than himself and Connor.