Free Bayard[Bedtime stories 3] by Joyee Flynn Page B

strong rock and now both of us were falling apart.
    “I felt like everyone was ganging up on me so I defaulted to defensive mode and stuck to my guns. No matter how stupid or wrong I was, it was like I couldn’t back down when everyone insisted I should.”
    “You stubborn man,” I sighed and leaned against his chest, trying desperately not to move my hips. “We shouldn’t do this. You shouldn’t touch me this way with how we’ve left things. I’m your brothers’ now.”
    “Is it too late for me?” he asked as his other hand squeezed my ass firmly. I moaned and he helped me wrap my legs around his hips, his fingers going deeper inside of me. “Tell me I’m not too late and can fix this, Taji.”
    “I don’t know, can you?” I leaned back enough to star e into his eyes. He pumped his fingers and I let out a choked moan as I moved with them. “Can you show me you really love me? I won’t choose anyone, Ansel. My choice is all of you. Would you be able to live with that?”
    “I don’t know but I do know that I love you.” I froze at his words and tears filled my eyes. I was so quick to be ready to forgive him and he still didn’t know if he wanted me for real.
    “Then let me go,” I said in a firmer voice than I felt. He nodded and pulled his fingers free, before setting me on my feet. “I can’t keep going around in circles with you,Ansel. Either you’re sorry and you love me, want to be with me, and share me with your brothers. Or you just want to be my brother-in-law. Decide soon, Ansel, before all there is between us is anger and angst.”
    And with that I walked away, went into the house, and crawled into bed, pulling the covers over my head. I wanted a redo on the day and my conversation with Ansel. I’m glad that he had only said what he said in anger, and not having really meant it. But that also wasn’t the same as everything being okay now.
Far from it.
Chapter 9
    Callum and I were plowing the last plantable field the next afternoon when we saw Ethan riding towards the house at a pace that could only mean trouble. Luckily we had just finished plowing and I was already unhooked. Callum leapt up on me and held on to the handle that was on the simple pad strapped to me, and I took off as if the devil was on my heels.
    When we reached in front of the barn my heart skipped a beat before trying to burst out of my chest it thumped so hard at what was going on. Ethan was screaming like a madman and he had a rifle pointed at Ansel’s chest.
“Just give me the bayard! I know he’s here,” Ethan exclaimed, as
    Callum leapt off my back.
“We’ve already been over this, Ethan. There’s no bayard here,
only a horse that your mother fairly sold to us,” Ansel replied calmly. “I don’t believe you! Give me the horse then.” Ansel shook his
head at Ethan’s words. “You’re willing to die for a horse? Bullshit!
He’s a bayard and he’s put you under his spell.” He narrowed his eyes
at Ansel. “I will kill you.”
“I believe you but you’re not taking him,” Ansel growled and
gestured to his brothers. “And you only have one shot, Ethan, before
you have to reload. There’s no way you could do that before they rip
you to shreds.”
“But you’d still be dead.”
“I’m willing to keep him safe because then you’ll be dead too and
no one will come for him again,” Ansel said calmly. He glanced over
at me then I saw the love in his eyes for me. He was serious. I shifted and screamed, “No! I’ll go with you,just don’t hurt
anyone here.”
“I knew you were the bayard,” Ethan chortled, a mad, crazy laugh.
“Fine, I won’t hurt anyone here if you come here now and don’t fight
me.”
“Don’t do this, baby,” Ansel begged. “I would gladly give my life
to keep you safe.”
“And I would do the same,” I whispered as I walked over to him. I
reached up and cupped his cheek. “I would have loved you a million
days until fate saw to take us to heaven. But my life is