Dalton, Tymber - Hernando Heat (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Tymber Dalton

Mason’s shoulder. “I’ll go draw a bath. We all need to clean up.” He climbed to his feet and headed for the house.
    Katie settled herself more comfortably over Mason’s hard bulge. “I’m sorry you found out like that. I wanted us to be able to talk about it.”
    “Calvin said there was a fight in town. Between Joe and Junior. Did that bastard hurt you?”
    “No. He would have, if Joe hadn’t showed up when he did.” She laid down on top of him, enjoying the feel of his arms slipping around her, the sound of his heartbeat under her ear pounding through his muddy shirt. “He threatened to kill me, and that no one would know what happened to me. That he’d make it look like an accident.”
    “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”
    The smell of whiskey on Mason’s breath nearly made her eyes water, but she didn’t pull away. “It’s all right. You didn’t know.”
    “How am I supposed to take care of you?” he softly asked, his voice sounding pained. “I can’t even be there for you when you need me. You’re better off with Joe.”
    She rose up to look into his eyes. “Don’t you love me?”
    He nodded. “Of course I do, Katie. More than anyone or anything, ever, in my entire life.”
    “Can you share me with him?”
    He slowly nodded. “Just don’t ask me that when I’m alone in bed and I know you’re with him.”
    She grabbed his chin. “Who says we can’t all sleep in the same bed?”
    He studied her. “You mean it?”
    “If you’re okay with it.” She snuggled up against him again, hoping he’d remember this conversation when he sobered up. “Nothing would make me feel safer than lying between you and him every night, feeling both of y’all’s arms around me. Nothing would make me feel more loved.”
    His arms tightened around her as he pulled her in for another kiss. His lips tenderly explored hers, lighting fires inside her that threatened to consume her soul. “I love you, Katie,” he whispered. “If the only way I can have you is to share you, I’ll do it. Gladly.” He touched her nose with his finger. “But only with Joe. No one else. I’ll kill anyone else that even looks at you strangely.”
    “Do you mean it?” She hoped he still felt like that tomorrow.
    He nodded. “But I’m so drunk right now y’all might have to remind me of that in the morning.” A smile curled his lips, drawing creases in the mud coating his face.
    She laughed. “We will. She carefully climbed to her feet, careful not to let her muddy housedress trip her as it clung to her legs.
    Mason unsteadily wobbled to his feet. Joe came down from the porch to help Katie steady him. “Everything okay?” he asked.
    Mason swayed a little. “You hit me!” he said to Joe in an accusing tone.
    For a moment, Katie worried another scuffle would break out until she spotted the playful smile on Mason’s face.
    “Well, you come home drunk as a skunk and slinging whiskey bottles at me, yeah. If you’ll recall, you hit me first.” He draped an arm around Mason’s waist and helped him up the porch stairs to a wooden rocker, where they got him seated with a groan.
    “Oh, yeah. Sorry about that.”
    Joe clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I got my own licks in.”
    Katie dropped to her knees in front of Mason and started working on getting his boots off. “You’re a mess. You’re absolutely filthy.”
    Mason howled with laughter. “Look who’s talking! You look like you lost a wrestling match with a pig.”
    Joe smiled as he reached down and unfastened Mason’s gun belt, which was caked with clay muck, and removed it from around his waist. “She did, you pig. I’ll get this cleaned up for you after we get this mud off us. Katie will help you with that part. Not to mention I need to get your horse cleaned up.”
    He grinned a little lopsidedly. “Yeah, I’d much rather have her hands on me than yours, cuz. No offense.”
    Joe laughed, shaking his head. “None