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stood next to Hank.
    She crossed her arms over her chest. The shrunken camisole and ratty boy shorts she wore as pajamas left little to the imagination.
    Kinda late for modesty now, since they’ve both sampled the goods you’re trying to hide.
    “Can we please talk about this? What happened last night and what’s been going on the last few months?” Kyle asked.
    “Why? So I can hear you call me nasty names because I’ve been sleeping with both of you? No, thanks.”
    Kyle and Hank traded a look. Then they faced her again. Hank looked at her hard enough that she shivered. “That’s the kind of guys you think we are, Lainie? Really?”

    LORELEI JAMES 9
    No. But with both of you here together like this? Being flip is my best defense against all this testosterone.
    “What Hank is trying to say, sugar, is that we’d never do that to you.”
    “You two exchanged pretty harsh words last night.” Lainie’s eyes narrowed on the shadow below Kyle’s jawbone. “Did you smack each other around after I left?”
    “If you remember, I ride bulls for a living. I tend to get beat up by them on occasion,” Kyle said wryly.
    Lainie stomped over and peered at the dark mark. “Has anyone looked at this?” She reached up. Before her fingers connected with his stubbled jaw, Kyle snatched her hand and kissed her fingertips.
    She didn’t dare look at Hank. Would anger burn in his eyes with Kyle touching her so blatantly? Right in front of him?
    “Just listen to us,” Hank half pleaded. “If after we’ve had our say you don’t like what you’ve heard, then you can kick us to the curb.”
    To be honest, she was interested in why they’d provided a unified front. “Fine. I’m listening.”
    After Hank noticed Kyle hadn’t released her hand, he grabbed her other hand, throwing Kyle a pointed you’re-touching- her
    look— which Kyle completely ignored.
    Kyle’s eyes searched her face. “We never talked about an exclusive relationship, Mel— er, I mean, Lainie. Damn, I gotta get used to calling you that.” He sent her a soft smile. “You’re an attractive woman. I didn’t imagine you were sitting at home or in a hotel on the road, pining for me when we weren’t together.”
    She opened her mouth to speak but Kyle shook his head.
    “But I woulda been hard- pressed to guess you were whilin’
    away the hours with my buddy Hank,” Kyle added.

    9 CORRALLED
    “Same goes for me,” Hank said. “Although I am sure I mentioned my friend Gilly a time or two.”
    “You did. But I didn’t relate ‘Gilly’ with Kyle. No one else on the EBS circuit calls him that.”
    “Point taken.” Hank kissed her knuckles.
    Her belly fluttered at the sensation of his warm lips lingering on her skin.
    “Why do you go by Mel on the EBS circuit anyway?” he asked.
    “It was Dusty’s idea of a joke. Bryson Westfield prefers male med techs, but Dusty was shorthanded when he assigned me to the EBS. So he listed me as Mel instead of Lainie so Bryson wouldn’t bitch.”
    “Anyone who mistakes you for a man is obviously blind.”
    “Amen,” Kyle said.
    Flustered, she let silence fill the uncomfortable void.
    “Look, Lainie, we don’t want to say anything that’ll make you run out again, but the bottom line is, we both still wanna be with you.”
    Her entire body froze. “You do?”
    “Uh- huh. We understand part of the reason you were upset, besides the surprise factor of Hank and me bein’ good buddies, is that you didn’t want to choose between us.”
    “I don’t. I won’t. So it’ll be easier if I—”
    Kyle put his finger over her lips. “Do you want to walk away from this? From both of us?”
    She didn’t need time to consider her answer. She shook her head.
    The guys breathed a collective sigh of relief.
    “Good. Very good.” Hank smiled. “ ’Cause neither of us wants that either.”

    LORELEI JAMES 9
    “So what do you propose we do?”
    “Share you,” Kyle said.
    “Share me?” Her gazed flicked