came to town, I don't reckon you've been thinking of us that way until recently. Have you?" Brian's question, his voice quiet, pinged her conscience.
Carrie sighed again. Who knew these two cowboys were going to prove to be gentlemen as well as being so damn hot? "No, you're both right, on all counts."
"You were pretty resistant to us - until Saturday. We think something changed for you then."
Chase tipped her face up toward him, his finger gentle on her chin. "If we were interested in just a few fast lays, sugar, we'd be there right now. But we want more than that from and with you. At the very least we want a relationship with you that is real and honest, on all sides."
"You've got secrets, darlin', shadows that haunt you. Maybe others don't see them, but we do."
"Everyone has secrets." Carrie couldn't help the feeling of defensiveness that rose up in her. She'd spent a lifetime alone, keeping her thoughts and her words to herself. Damn straight she had secrets. She wouldn't have been able to survive if she hadn't learned how to hide - both literally and figuratively.
"Yes, everyone has secrets." Chase stroked her face with his finger. "But not everyone is the woman we love. You can't expect us to share your body if you're not also willing to let us share your soul."
Well, hell. She'd been hoping to find out just what these shivery sensations would lead to. And then the words he just used echoed loudly in her head and Carrie shot up straight in Chase's lap and gasped.
She would have climbed off him but he held on tight.
"Love? You don't love me! It doesn't happen that way. That was just...just...kissing!"
Instead of being pissed off, Chase just smiled. He shared a look with his brother, and so naturally Carrie had to look at Brian, too. They were both grinning like fools.
"Maybe you don't love us yet, and that's okay, sugar. We're not going anywhere and we have lots of time to court you properly."
"Truth is, darlin', it happens to Benedicts all the time - though not to us before we met you."
"And one more thing, sugar. That wasn't just kissing. That was foreplay, and not even our best effort at it. And sex isn't happening until you admit that you're in love with us."
"And that will happen sometime after you tell us what you're hiding from."
Well, hell. Carrie didn't know if she wanted to cry - or praise God.
* * * *
Nothing had ever felt as good as holding Carrie in his arms. When he'd picked her up and sat down on the sofa with her on his lap, she'd snuggled into him just like an affectionate little kitten.
Right at the moment she still looked like a little kitten - a mad, spitting one.
"You can't possibly expect me to just roll over and let you rifle through my closet, looking at all my skeletons."
"Not right now, no." Chase didn't know a lot for certain in this life but one thing he knew without question.
Something had hurt their woman, something she was still dealing with. He had no idea - not for sure - what it could be. He had his suspicions, and those suspicions twisted his guts.
He knew Brian thought and felt the same thing.
"You don't need to be gettin' all riled up, darlin'. I can see you're mad at us. Please don't be. We are on your side. We love you."
Carrie just shook her head. "I'm not mad. Well, not really. I'm mostly just confused."
"You feel something for us." Please, God. Chase didn't know if they'd just made a huge blunder with her, not following where their hormones wanted to so merrily lead them.
Stopping had just felt right to him, and judging by the way Brian had supported him, he wasn't alone in that.
Carrie sighed. Then, thank you, Lord, she relaxed again in his arms and snuggled back down. Up until the last couple of days, it had been as if she'd been sporting a flashing neon sign above her head that proclaimed, "Don't touch." That had changed, but he and Brian both figured there was a damn good reason she'd spent so much time and energy protecting herself.
"Yes, I feel something for you. I feel something for you both, but I can't say right this minute with complete certainty that it's love."
"Fair enough, darlin'."
"I just don't know what comes next."
Chase could get awfully used to having Carrie snuggled in his lap. He made