sometimes,” she whispered as she stroked his biceps.
“But it’s a good kind of hurt, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. I’ll see you early in the morning.” She sat down in the driver’s seat of her car. He closed the door and leaned in to kiss her again after she lowered the window.
“Sweet dreams,” he whispered.
Yeah, like she was going to be able to sleep at all.
* * * *
Angel stayed up late into the night talking with Joaquin. Angel sensed her unease and imagined she thought she betrayed her love for him by feeling an additional interest in Joaquin.
Taking him into strict confidence, Angel told Joaquin everything Teresa told him about her past and how she’d been when they first started dating six months before. He was gratified by the anger in Joaquin’s eyes as he imparted the details of Teresa’s horrific experience with Ranulfo, the pain and terror he’d inflicted on her.
“So now you can understand why we’ve taken our relationship so slowly. Her only sexual experiences were painful ones. The last six months have been all about taming her fears and earning her trust.”
“Do you know where the bastard is right now?”
Angel explained what Teresa had told him of Ranulfo’s whereabouts. Angel smiled at the need he saw in Joaquin’s eyes to set right this wrong and knew it mirrored his own feelings on the matter.
“I’m asking her to marry me in the morning. I want you to know that as far as I am concerned, there’s room for you within our family. If she says yes to me, that is. She would have to want you and welcome you also.”
“Damn, Angel.” Joaquin swore softly, taken by surprise.
“You’d have to make it permanent with her. I won’t allow you to come and go or treat her love casually. If she’ll have you, you stay permanently. Remember the only experience with polyamorous relationships she has is what she sees between Grace, Jack, Ethan, and Adam. She knows about our family, but she was raised differently. That would be a major hurdle for her to jump, wrapping her mind around two men loving her. She’s probably confused by her reaction to you, and I’ll need some time alone with her to talk to her about it tomorrow. Give her time to get used to you, and you take some time to decide if this is what you want.”
Joaquin retrieved beers for both of them from the refrigerator and handed one to Angel. “I remember talking to Adam when he called one day after he got engaged. He went on and on about Grace and how he fell in love with her the moment he set eyes on her. I gave him a hard time about it. Now I’m eating my words, because the moment I laid eyes on her, I—I just knew .”
Joaquin ran his hands through his hair and scrubbed his whiskered cheeks with his palms. “I laid eyes on her one second and…wanted to take her in my arms in the next. It felt like she reached into my chest and stole my heart from me while I was busy staring at her like a calf at a new gate. I’m going to have to confess all to Adam now and let him laugh at me this time, because I’m smitten .” He rubbed the center of his chest. Angel grinned at the action, familiar with the feeling.
“Do you think you could love her the way she deserves? Make her your first priority? Consider her son as your own?” Angel had seen the answer in Joaquin’s eyes all evening but needed to voice the question point blank.
Joaquin mulled the question over, his eyes hooded as he thought before answering, “Yes. The question is can she love me and learn to trust me, the way she does you? And what about when she finds out about my life on the circuit? I mean, I wasn’t exactly a priest.”
Angel smirked sarcastically. “So I gathered from your little predicament this morning. Big bunny-slut .”
Joaquin swore but also had the grace to blush. His reputation amongst the buckle-bunnies that followed the rodeo circuit was legendary.
* * * *
Teresa woke to the sound of excited screeching coming from the
“But it’s a good kind of hurt, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. I’ll see you early in the morning.” She sat down in the driver’s seat of her car. He closed the door and leaned in to kiss her again after she lowered the window.
“Sweet dreams,” he whispered.
Yeah, like she was going to be able to sleep at all.
* * * *
Angel stayed up late into the night talking with Joaquin. Angel sensed her unease and imagined she thought she betrayed her love for him by feeling an additional interest in Joaquin.
Taking him into strict confidence, Angel told Joaquin everything Teresa told him about her past and how she’d been when they first started dating six months before. He was gratified by the anger in Joaquin’s eyes as he imparted the details of Teresa’s horrific experience with Ranulfo, the pain and terror he’d inflicted on her.
“So now you can understand why we’ve taken our relationship so slowly. Her only sexual experiences were painful ones. The last six months have been all about taming her fears and earning her trust.”
“Do you know where the bastard is right now?”
Angel explained what Teresa had told him of Ranulfo’s whereabouts. Angel smiled at the need he saw in Joaquin’s eyes to set right this wrong and knew it mirrored his own feelings on the matter.
“I’m asking her to marry me in the morning. I want you to know that as far as I am concerned, there’s room for you within our family. If she says yes to me, that is. She would have to want you and welcome you also.”
“Damn, Angel.” Joaquin swore softly, taken by surprise.
“You’d have to make it permanent with her. I won’t allow you to come and go or treat her love casually. If she’ll have you, you stay permanently. Remember the only experience with polyamorous relationships she has is what she sees between Grace, Jack, Ethan, and Adam. She knows about our family, but she was raised differently. That would be a major hurdle for her to jump, wrapping her mind around two men loving her. She’s probably confused by her reaction to you, and I’ll need some time alone with her to talk to her about it tomorrow. Give her time to get used to you, and you take some time to decide if this is what you want.”
Joaquin retrieved beers for both of them from the refrigerator and handed one to Angel. “I remember talking to Adam when he called one day after he got engaged. He went on and on about Grace and how he fell in love with her the moment he set eyes on her. I gave him a hard time about it. Now I’m eating my words, because the moment I laid eyes on her, I—I just knew .”
Joaquin ran his hands through his hair and scrubbed his whiskered cheeks with his palms. “I laid eyes on her one second and…wanted to take her in my arms in the next. It felt like she reached into my chest and stole my heart from me while I was busy staring at her like a calf at a new gate. I’m going to have to confess all to Adam now and let him laugh at me this time, because I’m smitten .” He rubbed the center of his chest. Angel grinned at the action, familiar with the feeling.
“Do you think you could love her the way she deserves? Make her your first priority? Consider her son as your own?” Angel had seen the answer in Joaquin’s eyes all evening but needed to voice the question point blank.
Joaquin mulled the question over, his eyes hooded as he thought before answering, “Yes. The question is can she love me and learn to trust me, the way she does you? And what about when she finds out about my life on the circuit? I mean, I wasn’t exactly a priest.”
Angel smirked sarcastically. “So I gathered from your little predicament this morning. Big bunny-slut .”
Joaquin swore but also had the grace to blush. His reputation amongst the buckle-bunnies that followed the rodeo circuit was legendary.
* * * *
Teresa woke to the sound of excited screeching coming from the
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