Gage dropped his duffel onto the floor in front of the chair/couch and then he and Kylie disappeared into the other room. Travis had no idea where they were going, but he damn sure wasn't interested in studying what type of hardwood they'd used to panel the walls in this place. Seriously. Wood paneling? Shit. Did Kylie even realize what she was up against if she chose to fix this place?

Pushing through the swinging door yes, he learned the hard way when the damn thing hit him in the ass as soon as he stepped into the room Travis found himself standing in the kitchen. As were Gage and Kylie.

Ok, now he was almost certain they were testing him.

Despite how crude the idea was, Travis couldn't deny wanting to get hot and sweaty with Gage and Kylie right now. And truthfully, he didn't give a shit if it was on the floor or against the wall. (There was wood on both, so the risk of splinters was the same) Maybe Gage was trying to put Kylie at ease. Although, if he remembered correctly, she'd already seen the house, so he wasn't sure giving her a tour again was the appropriate way to go. Then again, what did he know?

Gage was more of a gentleman than Travis. Sure, he liked to talk big especially to himself but he wasn't interested in pushing Kylie either. Considering how responsive she'd been in the truck, Travis was still concerned that she didn't fully understand the dynamic of this little trio. At this point, Travis was willing to offer up his left nut for the opportunity to sink deep within her body and feel her milk him for all she was worth. And he didn't doubt that Gage felt the same way. But that could potentially send her running hard and fast in the opposite direction if they weren't careful.

Travis shook off the thought because honestly, it wasn't fucking helping. Fuck.

Letting the image in his mind's eye of Kylie riding him hard and fast dissipate into thin air, he remembered where he was. He also noticed that he was once again the only person in the room. Where had they gone? That's when he heard their voices echoing from somewhere else. He took a couple of wrong turns but wound up right back in the room with the chair/couch.

He didn't have to stand there long to realize they were talking about the house. As much as he wanted to listen to these two talk it up about remodeling and shit, Travis suddenly needed some fresh air. Without saying a word, he headed back to the front door.

Stepping out on the porch, he had to wander around to the side just to get the house to block some of the rain coming at him. He settled against the wall and stared out into the distance, enjoying the view of the tree line that surrounded the property, lit up each time another strike of lightning came down. It was nice out here. Would be even better if the weather would cooperate.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been standing outside when he heard the door creak open and then a muffled click as it closed.

"Where's Kylie?" he asked when Gage stepped around the corner.

"She's upstairs taking a shower."

Awww, hell. Now that was an image he could get behind. Kylie naked, water pouring over her.

"And why are you down here?" Travis knew if it were him, he'd have been following her up the stairs. Hell, he'd have carried her just so they could get there faster.

"Checking on you." Gage's response caught him off guard, and he stared back at the man. Wasn't very often someone was checking on him. For any reason. "Everything all right?"

The lust in Gage's dark brown eyes, his need to rebel against what was obvious between them was like gasoline to a flame and Travis was more than ready to get burned.

Being left alone with Gage especially when he wasn't all riled up was a test he wasn't sure he'd be able to pass. Then again, he happened to be quite fond of Gage any way he could get him.

As soon as Kylie disappeared at the top of the stairs, Gage had headed for the front door. Of all the people he would've thought would have a hard time with this situation, he damn sure hadn't thought it would be Travis. But, so much had happened in the last couple of hours, starting with whatever Kylie and Travis were talking about when he came upon them at the lake, followed by the blowup between him and Travis. And to round it all out, the three of them damn near combusting inside his truck until somehow he managed to put the brakes on. He could see how that might test Travis' resolve a little.

From the moment they made it across the low water crossing which was still flooded but manageable, Gage knew there was no going back to the point they'd retreated from. At least not unless Kylie changed the direction things were headed. Based on how at ease she seemed to be, Gage didn't think she was going to be the one to alter their course though. At the moment, he was worried about Travis.

As he stared at Travis, waiting to see if he would open up even a little, his pulse took off like an Olympic runner at the sound of a gunshot. Just looking at the guy made his blood run hot. Whatever this attraction was between them, it was potent. If it had to have a warning label, it would read: handle with care contents under pressure.

Gage had more than his fair share of experience when it came to threesomes, but he admittedly had little knowledge about anything other than sex for the sake of pleasure. He wasn't prone to relationships. Not that what was happening here could constitute a relationship, but that little thing called hope was leaving him feeling unsettled.

There was something about Travis Walker that intrigued him and yes, he didn't doubt for a second that sex between them would light his fucking world on fire. It was the aftermath that Gage feared. There wasn't enough water in the state of Texas to extinguish the wildfire they would ignite if and when things went south.

But it wasn't sex that had Gage worried. Maybe it was because he was going on thirty three in just a couple of weeks. Or maybe he was just tired of playing the same games he'd been playing since he was a teenager. He couldn't deny that he was hoping to find something worthwhile, something like Kaleb and Zoey had found with each other. And whether he liked it or not, Gage was secretly hoping he'd find that with Kylie and Travis.

Gage had a strong feeling Kylie could be the woman who caused him to settle down, if only she reciprocated. But then there was Travis. And Gage didn't trust his intentions, and that was mainly because he didn't know what the hell they were.

When it was clear that Travis wasn't going to respond, Gage did the one thing he did best. He walked away. At a quick clip. He didn't stop until he was inside the house and leaning up against the tacky wallpaper on the wall in the kitchen. At that point, he closed his eyes.

He should be getting a little worried because this was becoming quite the habit. Walking away from Travis because he was so overcome by feelings he felt were out of place, mostly because he got the impression that what he was looking for wasn't quite what Travis had in mind. Sex, sure. More than that. Well, Gage didn't think Travis had much more than that in him.

What the hell was wrong with him? His heart was pounding like he'd just run ten miles. The only thing Gage could think about was the argument he had with Travis and his need to push the man into responding. When he'd seen Travis at the lake, he had been bombarded by a red haze of anger when he realized who was in the truck with him. The mere sight had sparked something dark and possessive in his gut.

Shit, they'd almost gone toe to toe the night before because Travis was insistent that Gage wouldn't be asking Kylie to stay with him while she handled the renovations on his house. He'd understood what Travis was stating, but the way the man went about it was all wrong. If they stood half a chance of this working, there was no room for jealousy between them.

Yet the green eyed monster had reared its ugly head. Last night with Travis and then again this morning with Gage. That didn't bode well for where this was headed. How did they expect to share Kylie in any way with them both pulling the alpha bullshit that should be relegated to animals in the wild?

And still, they both seemed to be dedicating much of their energy to taunting one another. When Travis bolted toward him at the lake, Gage had wanted a reaction and he'd certainly gotten one. For one second, Gage had seen more than just the anger and resentment that Travis had been consumed by lately. But that's the way Travis had always been for as long as Gage had known him. Detached. Aloof. Promiscuous. The man didn't do relationships, and Gage knew from being Kaleb's friend exactly how stand-offish Travis was. The man was centrally focused and everything revolved around work, whether it was Walker Demolition or the new resort, and his extracurricular activities, which were random and one-nighters at best.

But Gage had sensed some emotion in Travis recently. It started when Travis kissed him that first time, then the second, but most importantly, he'd seen it when he brought Kylie to Kaleb's house. He'd set out to get Travis fired up, and it worked. Not quite the results Gage was going for, but something had changed.

And the absolute last thing he expected to come of this was some sort of twisted menage, although Gage damn sure wasn't against it happening. He just hadn't expected it. He anticipated that he and Travis would collide in the most passionate of ways. Eventually. But for Kylie to be involved, becoming the center of both of their attention was somewhere out of left field.

His thoughts back tracked to the day he'd made love with Kylie at her house. The way she rode him, giving herself over to the passion that erupted when they were in the same room together still made Gage's head spin. The memories caused a strange constriction around his heart. One that had become persistent over the last couple of months.

Gage leaned over, putting his hands on his thighs as he tried to catch his breath. He was beginning to think he was having anxiety attacks. He was overwhelmed, and he didn't know whether this was something he'd brought on himself or if it had something to do with the two people who were now under the same roof as he was.

When the door swung open, Gage stood to his full height quickly, not wanting to let Travis see him at a weak moment.

"You ok?"

Why did it sound like Travis cared? From what Gage knew, Travis only cared about himself. That reminded him of what Travis had said to Kylie earlier: You were never my play thing, Kylie. Never. Nor would you be now. What I felt for you, I've never felt for anyone else.

If there was something more inside of Travis, was it possible that there was a chance he'd feel the same about Gage at some point? At least something more than the chemistry that he knew flickered between them like the electrical storm that was brewing outside.

"Fine," he growled, turning to walk away before Travis had a chance to see what was written all over his face.

Travis' strong fingers gripped his bicep. Before Gage could pull away, he found himself being pushed up against the wall, Travis all up in his face. He wasn't intimidated easily, but the reaction his body gave to Travis' aggressiveness wasn't what he expected. Although Travis was a few inches taller, Gage was bigger. But it didn't seem to matter because even at two hundred and ten pounds, Gage felt as though Travis could take him down with a breath. His entire body reacted as though he were a submissive and Travis was his master, which he knew damn sure wasn't the case.

"When are you going to get tired of running?" Travis asked, his face incredibly close. Close enough that Gage could see the stubble on his chin and the storm clouds brewing in his impassioned blue eyes. Somewhere along the way Travis had ditched his cowboy hat, his dark hair haphazardly spiked like he'd run his hands through it one too many times.

"I didn't run," Gage answered, knowing it was a lie. He'd been running for months now. Ever since Travis cornered him at the Walker's house. Ever since he made love to Kylie.

"The hell you didn't." Travis' voice lowered, his head moved in closer. "You've run from me since the first time."

"What do you care?" Gage asked, trying to push him away without much effort.

"I don't want you to run."

Gage stared deep into Travis' eyes, wishing like hell he could see right into the man's soul. What was he getting at? Aside from wanting to fuck? "No? You'd rather I stand here and give you what you want? Is that it?"

"And just what the hell do you think I want?"

"Me."

"You don't want me to want you?"

Gage didn't know where this conversation was going, but, Lord help him, he was getting hard. Here he was, trying to piss Travis off, getting way too defensive and the look in Travis' eyes backed up his words. Now, more than ever, Gage wanted this man.

He didn't respond. He couldn't say a word, so he just stood there, staring, waiting... Hell, he didn't even know what he was waiting for.

Travis gripped his chin, and Gage's entire body went rigid. It didn't matter how the man touched him, but whenever their skin came in contact, his body lit up from the inside out. He sucked in a breath, anticipating what Travis would say or do next.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted me to kiss you," Travis goaded.

Reality slammed back into Gage at the tone of Travis' voice, and he pushed him at the same time he flipped their positions so that Travis was pinned against the wall.

"Yeah? You think that's what I want from you?"

Travis glared, not an ounce of fear in his expression. Gage could sense that he was being taunted and damn it all to hell, he didn't give a fuck.

Slamming his mouth down on Travis', Gage took everything Travis offered and then some. There was no hesitation when he shoved his tongue into the hot recesses of Travis' mouth, tasting him, damn near inhaling him. And when Travis gripped the back of his head, holding him close, unwilling to let him back off, Gage found himself pressing fully against Travis' rock hard body, a deep, rumbling growl emerging from his chest.

Fucking hell. Gage wanted to strip Travis bare right there in the kitchen and bury himself deep inside of him until neither of them could breathe from wanting that release that seemed just out of reach. The game they'd been playing was becoming more than a little tiring, and Gage wanted more. Hell, he wanted anything and everything Travis would give him.

Groaning as the kiss slowed and intensified at the same time, Gage thrust his hips forward, seeking the friction he desperately needed. That's when Travis snaked his hand between their bodies, stroking Gage's steel hard cock behind the zipper of his jeans. Fuck. Shit. He was surprised he didn't come right then and there. He was unable to remember his own name when Travis slid his fingers into his hair, angling his head just slightly so he could delve deeper, his tongue thrusting, dueling... robbing him of everything that he was.

Long seconds passed before they separated, both of them struggling to suck in oxygen. As though Travis was worried he would try to get away, his hand tightened in his hair, holding him as their foreheads pressed together.

"You don't know how bad I want you. How long I've wanted you." Travis' words penetrated the fog inside of his brain, but Gage still wasn't sure what to make of them. He was beginning to want something from this man. And the more he was around Travis, the more he wanted.

More than sex.

The sex he could handle. There wasn't anything that Gage shied away from and having been attracted to both men and women most of his life, he didn't think twice about what he wanted from Travis when it came down to sexual gratification. It was the other things Gage was beginning to crave. Emotional attachments, tomorrows. The happily ever after shit that everyone else seemed to find but him. He wondered whether Travis would ever be able to give anyone those things.

A sudden gasp had Gage breaking away from Travis as though they'd just been busted doing something illegal. They both turned to see Kylie standing in the doorway, her hand over her mouth as she stared back at them, her eyes wide as saucers.

Before Gage could say anything, Kylie turned and ran up the back staircase to the second floor. He couldn't do anything except stare after her. He tried to put himself in her shoes, to see what she had seen from her perspective, but it didn't work. Gage had no idea how she interpreted the two of them together. If the look on her face was anything to go by, she didn't see it with the same desire she'd portrayed when Gage had kissed Travis in the truck.

Travis pushed away from the wall and turned to go upstairs, but Gage didn't move. As Travis disappeared up the back stairs, Gage realized that the water upstairs had never come on, the old pipes weren't rumbling and creaking.

Shit.

How long had Kylie been standing there?

Chapter Twenty Three.

Taking the back stairs that led to the second floor, Kylie fled from what she'd just seen. Her mind was fast tracking through a multitude of emotions. Lust, excitement, and all of a sudden, a heart weary fear. They all flooded her as she tried to come to terms with what she just saw.

The interaction between Travis and Gage was so powerful, she had a hard time understanding how there was room for her. Well, it didn't take much to understand how it would physically work. But, that's not the part she feared. Surprisingly, she could contribute her excitement to that aspect of it. But the connection between the two of them was something that seemed impenetrable from someone on the outside, and she wondered whether they even realized it.

Travis wanted Gage.

Gage wanted Travis.

And if she were to rationalize the situation, she had a hard time figuring how she fit in with the passion that was so potent between them, she'd physically felt it as she stood in the doorway.

By the time she made it back to the small bedroom that she had escaped to earlier, she was out of breath, but the shock still hadn't worn off. Not only had she wanted to be a part of that, she had been turned on by what she saw. The way Travis trapped Gage against the wall, then vice versa... the influx of heat and passion was palpable in the still, humid air.

She slipped into the small bathroom and closed the door behind her, but there wasn't a lock. She knew one, if not both, of them would come after her maybe not until they were finished and she wasn't sure she wanted to see either of them right then.

She was just so confused. Like she was living in an alternate universe, and everything was not the way it was supposed to be. Shouldn't she be jealous? Of at least one of them? Travis was her husband for chrissakes. And Gage... well, there for a while she'd dated him. Kind of. Now the three of them seemed to be involved in this decidedly strange triangle. And she was torn between the heat generating in her core when she watched them and understanding whether this was real or not. And if it was real, was her heart at risk once again?

For the last few hours she'd ignored that particular organ, not wanting to accept how real this could be. Nonetheless, she couldn't turn a blind eye to what she desperately yearned for no matter how damn horny they made her.

Sliding down the wall, she sat on the floor, dropping her head in her hands and closing her eyes, but as soon as she did, the vision of Travis and Gage kissing assaulted her and heart be damned, her blood reheated. It was the hottest thing she'd ever seen.

Still, she couldn't wrap her mind around how this situation would even play out. It didn't matter that she ached for both men, or that she knew given half a chance, they'd give her what she wanted in the sexual sense at least. Kylie couldn't help but feel there was something significant going on between the two of them. Something more than sex.

It sounded like a bad case of lust, based on the words she'd heard, but watching them, and maybe they didn't even realize it, she knew there was something else there. They were both strong, powerful men, yet when they were like that, it was as though those hard exteriors dissolved and what remained were two men who needed each other.

So what was her problem? Well, aside from the fact that she wanted them to turn that intensity on her. Desperately. Was there room for her in this? Or was it one of those right place right time scenarios and these men, who were so interested in having a threesome as they refer to it, were including her because it was convenient.

Ok, so she was overthinking this.

"Damn it," she whispered in the dimly lit bathroom, lifting her head to glance around.

All sorts of erotic images danced through her head as she looked over at the shower. This was an old house, and the shower was small, barely large enough for two people, much less two gigantic men. But that didn't stop her from fantasizing about what it would be like to have both of them naked in that shower.

She was reading too much. Maybe she should try a different genre for a change. Romantic suspense or something like that. Hell, maybe a good murder mystery would do her some good because the fleeting thoughts of what it would feel like to be plastered against Travis' body while Gage stood in front of her, doing all of those wicked things with his tongue...

Holy shit.

Taking a deep breath, Kylie contemplated getting up, but she couldn't find the energy to move.

What were they doing now? It was clear she'd interrupted a rather intimate moment between the two men. Were they still kissing? Oh, man. The thought sent a lightning streak of sensation straight to her clit.

Scrubbing a hand over her face, Kylie tried to erase the thoughts. She needed to take a shower. A really cold one. Maybe that would clear some of the cobwebs from the logical part of her brain, and she'd stop thinking with her...

A strangled chuckle escaped. Was she really sitting there thinking about sex? The idea amused her. Granted, she was downright intimate with her vibrator these days, but other than her battery operated boyfriend, Kylie was lacking anything promising in her life. At least when it came to sex. She'd been engulfed by a big fat dry spell.

Until recently.

And technically, this could be an end to that, couldn't it? Maybe a few romps together, some nights spent rolling around in the sheets with two sexy cowboys... The idea had merit.

"Get it together, Prescott. You don't know what you're asking for." She said the words out loud, but it didn't help. She could try to talk herself out of this for the next three hours, and it wouldn't matter.