Beauty and the Beasts [Bride Train 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Reece Butler Page B

despicable.
    He backed away and set her feet on the floor. When he was sure she wouldn’t fall, he released her and took another three steps back. He shuddered, barely able to stop the explosion that threatened to embarrass him.
    “Oz was right about one thing.”
    Luke’s voice came from behind him. He barely heard it over the rush of blood pounding through his veins. Sarah was still leaning against the wall, breasts heaving as she pouted up at him. She caught his eyes and, arching her back like a cat, rubbed her palms over the hard nubs that had almost been his undoing. He groaned and turned to Luke. The man was laughing at him!
    “Luke, I swear this time I’m going to pound you into pemmican and—”
    “The lady sure can kiss, but I don’t think she’s an angel,” said Luke. “She’s got too much devilry in her.” He put his hand over his heart and sighed dramatically. “Too bad she won’t let me show her how much better I kiss than either of you louts.”
    After twenty-five years of experience, Gabe could see through Luke’s melodramatic posing. He covered up what he felt, wrapping a false front around him like a cape. From birth, he’d been taught to hide what he really felt. It was the way of the upper class, and Luke’s family had enjoyed wealth, respect, and prestige for generations. The war changed all that, but Luke still had the inborn arrogance of a man on top of his world.
    Knocking that arrogance out of Luke was one of Gabe’s missions in life. It was even more important now, as Sarah wouldn’t accept Luke the way he was. After that kiss, he was desperate for Sarah to marry his friend, and share their bed. But Luke had to change his attitude for that to happen.
    “Now you know how it feels to be part of the furniture while a woman kisses your partner in front of you.” Gabe forced himself to speak quietly. “How many years did I guard you, standing against the wall while you danced and kissed the women who curled their lips at me? You’d do whatever the hell you wanted, knowing I had your back if anything happened.”
    Luke’s smile dropped, his face turning white except for the red slash across his face. “I never thought…”
    “Exactly,” replied Gabe. His cock, though still hard, was no longer at the bursting point. He could look at Sarah and not need to do things he’d dreamed about but never tried. Just thinking about it made him stiffen again. He had to get away.
    “Luke, give Sarah her two bits so we can get home. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
    Luke dug in his pocket and produced a silver coin. He laid it on the counter. “I’ll meet you at Stumpy’s,” he said, and walked out.
    Gabe kept his eyes down, but he was fully aware of Sarah. What did she think of him pushing her away? Was she insulted?
    He heard her skirts brushing against her ankles as she walked over to pick up the coin. He counted every step of her boots as she went to the connecting door into the kitchen. She hesitated there.
    “Help yourself to whatever you want from the display counters,” she said quietly.
    “Sarah, if I hadn’t stepped back, I don’t know what I would have done. But it would have been something you didn’t want.”
    He waited, heart pounding, for her reaction to his apology. She didn’t reply for what felt like ages.
    “None of you know what I want,” she whispered into the near-empty room. “How could you, when I don’t even know myself.”
    She quietly closed the door behind her, leaving him alone with her offerings. He inhaled, hauling air deep into his lungs. He’d barely breathed while he waited for her to speak, in case he missed her soft voice.
    What the hell did she mean?
    He’d talk to Oz. The man knew a lot about women. He also noticed things about them that he, and especially Luke, didn’t. It was one of the things that made the ladies crowd around. Oz would tell them how their dress matched their lovely eyes.
    Gabe would know how many men were in the