The afternoon sun was a high, golden weight, baking the scent of dust and cedar into the air as we rode away from the barns. For the first time in months, the heavy tension of the spring had melted into something warm and expectant. Having both of them flanking me—their horses' rhythmic hoofbeats matching Twist's—felt like the final piece of a puzzle clicking into place.
We reached the "Hidden Tank," a deep, spring-fed pond tucked away in a limestone notch where the cedar trees grew thick enough to block the view from any ranch road. The water was a dark, cool turquoise, perfectly still until we arrived.
After the teasing change of clothes on the trail, the air between us was electric. The moment Colt lifted me down, his hands lingering on my waist, I knew the playful banter of the morning had shifted into something deeper.
When Cash pulled the damp tank top over my head, the sudden touch of the breeze on my skin made me shiver, but his hands were there a second later, warm and steady. Being sandwiched between them—feeling the solid strength of Colt at my back and the gentle, focused heat of Cash in front of me—was overwhelming in the best way. Their touches were a reacquaintance, a silent map of everywhere they'd missed while they were on the road.
"We've got ya, sugar," Colt's voice was a low rumble against my skin, his thumb tracing a slow line that made my breath hitch. "It's just us."
The cool water was a shock to my system when they finally tossed me in, an explosion of silver droplets in the sunlight. I came up gasping and laughing, wiping the water from my eyes just in time to see them diving in after me.
In the center of the pond, where the water was deep and quiet, the playfulness fell away. Cash pulled me into the crook of his arm, his expression more serious than I'd ever seen it.
"The two of us promise to give you anything you need," he said, his voice carrying clearly over the soft lap of the water. "We will never lie to you unless it leads to something you'll absolutely love. We will never cheat. You're ours only, honey."
Colt moved in on my other side, his hand treading water while the other rested firmly on the small of my back, anchoring me to them both. He didn't say a word, just nodded against my neck, his silent oath echoing his brother's.
I looked from one to the other—the two men who had become my protectors, my partners, and my home. The "sharing" lifestyle I'd only ever read about wasn't just a theory anymore. Standing here in the water, wrapped in their combined strength, it felt like the most solid thing in my world.
"And you're mine," I whispered, reaching out to rest a hand on each of their chests, feeling their hearts beating steady and strong beneath my palms. "Both of you."