Free Lies That Bind by Caitlyn Willows

house. Minutes later, he’d seen them heading over to Rex’s place. Tyler swore his erection doubled in size just thinking about what was going on behind closed doors. It felt like boulders squeezed in the suddenly too-tight confines of his jeans. He longed to be with them, splayed out for her pleasure while Rex rode her from behind.
    He cupped his package and tried to find a comfortable position. There wasn’t one. He rubbed against the length to quell the ache. A surge burned through his cock. He shifted in the saddle and shoved his palm lower to cup his balls, squeeze them into submission. Too late he remembered his companion.
    “We could always dismount and duck into the bushes,” Nate said. “Although, privacy’s never been a big issue with me.”
    Tyler pulled his hand away. Heat crawled over his face. For the first time, he resented Nate’s appearance in their lives.
    “So who are you to Tessa?” he asked.
    “A friend,” Nate answered without pause.
    “A friend with benefits.” Not something that set well with him.
    “Sometimes.”
    Nope, he didn’t like the answer at all, but obviously, there wasn’t that tight of a bond between her and Nate if she was off with Rex now. Although some attractions couldn’t be denied, no matter how much time had passed or how many harsh words had parted them in the first place.
    “It’s a port-in-the-storm relationship. Friends lending each other a helping hand.”
    The leather saddle creaked as Nate shifted position, probably to find that elusive comfortable spot Tyler sought. He was observant. Tyler would give him that—reading Tyler’s train of thought.
    “Good to know.” Very good to know.
    Tyler loved the way she’d seemed to settle into Rex’s arms when he’d picked her up. She was theirs. Always had been, always would be. Uncertainty crawled under his skin. Something else pumped his erection now. That primal urge coded into all males. The one that reared its head at the most inopportune times. The urge to hunt, to fight, to mate. Come or die. The bushes were looking mighty sweet.
    “Let’s move on. I don’t want to let the day sneak away from us. Derek was found over here.” Tyler reined his horse in that direction, though it wasn’t hard to find with backhoe tracks gouging the surface. What was a muddy mess yesterday was now mounds of hard dirt clods.
    He and Nate topped the rise and saw the wide, open clearing. So far Rosie’s grave was undisturbed, and there wasn’t a sign of Tito or any of his people. For someone so hot to get evidence, Tito sure hadn’t put much effort into doing so. As usual.
    “Hold up.” Nate pulled his mount to a stop. “I want to get a feel for the place.”
    Tyler didn’t have a problem with that. You couldn’t investigate if you didn’t know the lay of the land. Tyler knew the place like the back of his hand. Or thought he did. Watching Nate’s slow sweep over everything around them made Tyler rethink. He put himself in Nate’s place, trying to see it all from a new perspective.
    Javelina had torn up a good quarter of the two-acre clearing. Well-trod trails led off toward the tree line in different directions. Rustlers’ visitors were kept away from this area because of the threat of pigs. It’d be prime hunting territory had he, Derek, and Rex gone that route. Doing so would help keep the inn full in the winter months. They’d still been debating their options when Derek died.
    “What do people use to hunt javelina?” Nate braced one hand on the saddle horn, his gaze locked forward.
    “Compound bow.”
    “Like the one you have?”
    “Yes.” Tyler never went anywhere without his compound bow. Though he did carry a rifle and handgun, just in case. A pig was a pig. Fair game, good eating, and a dangerous nuisance. If it threatened him, Tyler could kill it. If someone wanted to report him for doing so out of season, Tyler could argue he wasn’t hunting, he was protecting. Besides, it was their ranch.