Taken by Two by Sam J. D. Hunt Page A

that big rifle over there? Can I shoot that?”
    He chuckled, shaking his head incredulously at me. “You surprise me every damn day,” he said with a grin.
     
    When we returned to the house, laughing and talking guns, Nate was standing at the door, arms folded, his lips pursed in his pissed-off Nate look. “I’m glad you two are having fun,” he snipped.
    “We were just…Rex taught me how to shoot, that’s all.”
    “Thanks for asking me along.” He tapped his foot.
    “Quit acting like a jealous little bitch, Nathaniel.” Rex’s voice was firm, dismissive. “Come on, Penny, we have guns to clean.”
    “I, uh, I’ll hang out with Nate,” I said, looking to Nate, who would not make eye contact with me.
    “You will fucking come clean your goddamn gun, and you’ll do it now,” Rex’s voice boomed. He turned to walk toward a side room, guns in tow. I looked to Nate, confused, fighting tears. Being torn between them was more than I could bear. “Go, Penny,” Nate finally said, turning to walk toward his room.
    Nate’s door slammed, and I scurried to the door where Rex was. Inside, the large room was set up to clean guns, and there was even a place to make, or maybe refill, spent bullets in the corner. “Here, I’ll show you how to clean yours,” Rex said as if nothing had happened. “You need to talk to him, to tell him… He’s upset.” He continued to clean his gun. “I’m not much for coddling people, sweetheart. We’ll catch up with him later.”
    “Rex, I think…” He turned to face me, his massive frame hulking over me.
    “You think what?” He tone was challenging.
    “I think the three of us have a… We have a relationship, a beautiful one, and those take care and feeding.” He took a deep breath. “Okay, go talk to him, I’ll teach you this shit later.”
    “I-I think,” he stared into me as I spoke. He was trying to intimidate me. “I think you should go talk to him, make an effort to… Just make some sort of effort… Please ?”
    “Mother fucker!” he shouted, “Stay here, don’t touch anything .”
    I waited for what seemed like forever for Rex to return. I was terrified that today’s spat, that today’s episodes of jealousy, would tear us apart just as we were beginning. I needed both of these men—they were two halves making a whole for me.
    Rex returned, without saying anything about Nate, and began his lesson on cleaning guns and preparing them for storage. I fought the urge to ask questions, instead completing my lesson to his satisfaction.
     
    Hours later, Nate emerged from his room and sat across from me in the living room. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…I asked him if you’d want to…” He held a hand up to stop me. “No, I was being stupid. I hate target shooting. I felt jealous at you two being together doing something he loves and I don’t. I was jealous…of both of you, really.”
    I placed my hand on his knee as he leaned in closer. “This isn’t exactly the way things normally go when falling in love, is it?”
    “Are you in love with me, Penny?” His steel blue eyes stared into mine, waiting.
    “Yes.”
    “And him too?”
    “Yes,” I answered without hesitation.
    “I’m in love with you both,” he said, his hands raking through his hair. “Uncharted territory in so many ways, I guess some growing pains are to be expected?”
    “He spoke to you?” I was desperate to know what happened between the two men.
    “Uh huh,” he nodded, a secretive smile crossing his lips.
    “And?” I asked, yearning for more.
    “And, we’re all good. Plus, he reminded me that I have things to teach you, too. Things that I’m better at, like hand to hand combat.”
    “What?” I nearly fell off the couch.
    “We both agree that to keep you safe, we have to teach you the skills to take care of yourself. It’s tough out there, babe—we want to know that we’ve given you everything we have to give. It’s important, Penny.”
    His words still