Rugged Fire [Rugged Savage Valley, Colorado 4] by Edith DuBois Read Free Book Online Page A

irritated and felt pretty proud of speaking her mind to them. They were so damn attractive, but they didn’t know anything! She tried to yank out of their grip. They held her hands tight. “Let me go!”
    “Not until you cool off.”
    “I’m not gonna cool off if you insist on insulting every friend I have, damn it.” She tried to twist away, but that made them tighten their grip on her. “Fine, but now you’ve got me good and surly.”
    “Didn’t Noah tell you their family history?”
    “Bits and pieces. I know little parts of all the families’ histories. But so what? That’s history. This is now.”
    “Not in Savage Valley, and you know it, Lianne. Our history is living and breathing. We’re proof enough of that, as well as each of the bear-shifter families, the lion-shifters, and the Shoshones. None of us will ever escape our history.”
    “Just because your history is a part of you and a part of this place doesn’t mean it has to shape every aspect of your life. People change. Families change. Even the mountains change, given enough time.”
    They approached her small porch, and Seb and Will walked her up to the door. “Well, I was thinking of inviting you two in for a nightcap or something like that, but with all this talk of family histories and friends you don’t approve of”—she dug around in her purse for her keys—“I’m not sure it would be the best idea. And it’s not that I’m not wildly attracted to you both, and I mean, it’s not like I don’t know how the bear-shifters and the lion-shifters, how that all works—”
    Seb leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, effectively ending her nervous effusions. “Thank god,” she whispered against his lips, grateful for the stop to her nonsense. Standing up on her toes, she pressed her lips deeper into his and grabbed the front of his shirt. It had been so long since she’d kissed anyone, too close to a year for her comfort, and the sensation filled her up from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Seb’s large hands pressed into her back, making her shirt and sweater bunch up, and his fingers caressed her skin and spine.
    When he finally released her, she stumbled back a couple steps, bumping up against her front door. Her breaths came in short gasps. “Oh my,” she whispered, putting her fingers to her lips.
    “Lianne,” Seb said. “I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t apologize. That was…I wanted that…you don’t have to —”
    “Not for the kiss. I plan on doing that again. I meant for tonight, for how we treated your friend. We didn’t think about what we were saying, and in the process, we insulted both you and her. That is never acceptable. Please accept our apology.” He grabbed her hand and ran his fingers over her knuckles, staring deeply into her eyes. Her pussy was so wet and tingly she thought she’d crumple to the ground, reduced to a pile of wanton nerves and moans.
    “But what about everything else? Do you understand what I was talking about? We’re all part of this town. Both of you are, and me, too. We have to help each other. We have to accept each other. Does that make sense? Can you understand where I’m coming from?” She touched Seb’s face. She so wanted to fall against him. She wanted to lean into him and let him hold her. “We’re all connected. Whether we want to be or not.”
    Seb sucked in a deep, ragged breath. “You are remarkable, Lianne. I hope you know that.” He put his hand over hers and placed another gentle kiss on her lips.
    Well, he hadn’t answered her question, but he hadn’t downright refused to listen either.
    She’d take it.
    For now at least.
    When he broke the kiss and stepped back, Will slid into the empty space he’d left behind. “Will,” she murmured, a thrill of desire skipping up her spine.
    The whole night, Will had been the quiet one. He’d watched her interact with Seb and kept his silence. His dark eyes kept her nervous and on edge. She wasn’t sure if