Soulbound (MFM)

Excerpt

Soulbound
Mahalia Levey
Addie exhaled a deep breath as she took the exit to Lone Star Lake. Sequestered away from the beach, she took the turn that led down a winding one-lane trail barely wide enough for her Bug. The campgrounds were nestled off the way in a thatch of thick woods to the left, but she veered to the right. Low-hanging limbs filled with lush green leaves smacked her compact as she bobbed over the bumpy ground. Finally, she reached a clearing. “I Kissed a Girl” blared from her blackberry.
She jumped in surprise at the strong signal. “Hello handsome,” she responded to Teagan's personal ring tone.
“Are you headed here anytime soon or do Galen and I need to send out a search party for that Volkswagen of yours?” Time had changed his voice. She recalled the light tenor and registered the change. Now the rumbling baritone quality sent her nerves skittering.
“I'm almost there.” She couldn't help the squeak of excitement from rushing out and blushed at his coarse laugh. In her mind, she could envision his smartass comment, “Are you now?”
“Asshole,” she grumbled as she flipped shut the phone. Only through webcam and online pictures did she know how much they'd grown. Still, seeing her two favorite men in the flesh, with their muscles abounding and their unique smells kept her foot on the peddle. Briefly, she wondered if each still smelled the same—unforgettable. Butterflies swirled in her belly. How on earth would she survive an entire weekend with the two of them?
The rest of the drive zoomed by. Around the bend lay their haven, their own private spot they'd discovered by accident years ago. Teagan's Ford Explorer sat parked a few feet from the site. She spotted the guys before they noticed her. Thank the gods, her car was quiet. She idled to a park, then slid out to observe the two men put together the tent. Lifting the corner of her sunglasses, she kept her gaze on the well-paired team.
“Do you honestly think we'll still fit in that?” Her voice carried across the narrow distance.
“We've never had a problem before.”
Nervous laughter spewed out as Galen answered her question. She noted they'd brought their childhood sleeping bags.
“I don't think I'm going to fit in my New Kids on the Block sleeping bag anymore,” she said, her legs turning to liquid jelly as she watched the two men bend and pound tent stakes into the ground. The delicious view brought another type of pounding into her mind—Galen's physique hadn‟t changed. Shaking off the thought, she stilled the fantasies playing out in her head and smiled.
“Well then, we'll have to improvise tonight.” Ahhh, Galen and his teasing, but the light tone of his voice surprised her. She crossed her arms and winked at him.
“So are we set? Food? The works?” she asked.
“Food, beer and, of course, your wine.”
Addie smiled at Galen and went over to the freshly dug fire pit. “Are we roasting tonight?”
“How hot do you want to burn, Addie?”
“Teagan! We're not kids anymore. Cowboys and Indians are over and I'm not Pocahontas.” She grinned big. “I still can't believe you two built a freakin' pyre to roast me on.”
“We're guys. Besides, we don't roast pretty women anymore.” Teagan lied, his face sporting a huge grin.
“Says the big bad wolf,” Galen said.
She stuck her tongue out at Galen and settled on a rock to enjoy a spot of sun. When Galen came over to embrace her, she thought she'd died and gone to Heaven. He'd changed from a lean young man to a towering male with the same gold flecks reigning in his eyes. He trapped her, encasing her in muscles galore and full arm sleeve tattoos. His once short brown hair, now curled in an unruly fashion about his neck, giving him a bad boy air. Seeing him sent sparks of electricity through her core at just how good he felt touching her. Add having Teagan slide behind her and embrace her felt divinely wicked. Turning about to face him, she ran a hand over his cheek. To this day, he still held that timeless boyish perfection. “You look the same—taller, thicker, but the same.” She ran her fingers over Teagan‟s goatee. “And you look like a biker.” She turned to Galen and lifted her hands to run down the tattoos on his left arm.
“They're addictive.” His voice hit her about the same time as the spray of repellant fell on her neck and arms, catching her off guard.
“You could have told me you were going to aerosol me to death.”
“Where's the fun in that?” Galen continued to spray her down, using his opposite hand.
“Wait „til a big bad bear descends on our spot, I'll send him to eat you first,” she said. A ploy of bruised feelings landed her a soft kiss on the cheek.
“You two done? We have some swimming to do, no?” Teagan's voice interrupted their playfulness.
Addie grinned. “I'm not going nude again. It took me two hours to find my buried clothes last time.” Shyness crept over her; she teetered between hiding her body and showing it after being away from them.