Their Bartered Bride

Men of the Border Lands 4 Their Bartered Bride Joel and Jonathan barter for Leigh to keep her out of a brothel. Can L...

Author: Monroe Marla

46 downloads 895 Views 667KB Size Report

This content was uploaded by our users and we assume good faith they have the permission to share this book. If you own the copyright to this book and it is wrongfully on our website, we offer a simple DMCA procedure to remove your content from our site. Start by pressing the button below!
Report copyright / DMCA form

DOWNLOAD PDF

Men of the Border Lands 4

Their Bartered Bride Joel and Jonathan barter for Leigh to keep her out of a brothel. Can Leigh adjust to having two husbands? Can Joel get past the fact that he compromised his ideals by buying a wife? Leigh isn’t so sure about the two of them since they bought her. When wolves begin to threaten their herd, they must band together with other families to hunt them down before someone gets hurt. But are they too late to protect their families? When Leigh is hurt, Joel is beside himself and realizes that no matter what his principles are, he did the right thing by her. Genre: Futuristic, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys Length: 46,088 words

THEIR BARTERED BRIDE Men of the Border Lands 4

Marla Monroe

MENAGE EVERLASTING

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

THEIR BARTERED BRIDE Copyright © 2012 by Marla Monroe E-book ISBN: 1-61926-103-0 First E-book Publication: January 2012 Cover design by Les Byerley All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Their Bartered Bride by Marla Monroe from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Marla Monroe’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Monroe’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

THEIR BARTERED BRIDE Men of the Border Lands 4 MARLA MONROE Copyright © 2012

Chapter One Joel Atwater and his brother, Jonathan, pulled into Barter Town at nearly noon in need of supplies and gas. Joel stepped out of the truck as Jonathan climbed down from the other side. They grabbed their cured meat out of the back of the truck and went in search of fresh produce. Even though they had a small garden plot at home, they needed potatoes and fruit. They wandered around until they found someone with lots of potatoes and obviously not selling them before they started to barter. Twenty minutes later, they came away with forty pounds of the vegetable and still had plenty of meat left to barter for the more expensive fruit. Once they had all they needed, they stopped by the liquor store and traded the remainder of their meat for two bottles of whiskey. They weren’t drunks, but enjoyed the occasional sip now and again after a long day out tending to the ranch. As they passed the brothels, women with collars hooked to chains stood outside the buildings, totally naked despite the slight chill in the air. Joel hated seeing them like that, but there was nothing he or his brother could do. Neither man visited the establishments. No way were they going to support the sordid businesses. By the time they

8

Marla Monroe

had made it back to the truck, they were tired and antsy to get out of the nasty town. As they loaded up their supplies, a man walked by pulling a woman by a rope tied around her neck. “Come on, Leigh. I’m sick of your tricks. I’m going to get good credits bartering you off to the brothel.” “I’d rather die than go there. You’re going to have to pull me by my neck. No doubt by the time you get me there, you’ll be dragging a dead body.” The curvaceous redhead’s husky voice stirred things inside of Joel that he had thought long dormant. “Fine. It’s nothing more than you deserve, you ungrateful bitch.” “I’m not whoring for you and all your friends.” With that, the man jerked the rope and pulled her off-balance so that she fell to the ground. Then he began dragging her by the rope around her neck. The bastard really was going to choke her to death doing that. Before Joel knew what he was doing, he had sprinted up to the stranger and grabbed his arm. Jonathan was at the man’s other side at the same time. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” the man demanded, shaking loose of Joel’s hand. “Stopping you from killing that woman. She’s not going to make it if you pull her like that.” “Right now, I don’t rightly give a damn.” He started to continue across the parking lot dragging the woman, but Jonathan stepped in front of him. Joel smothered a grin. Jonathan was a few inches taller than he was, and at six-four, Joel wasn’t short. “I don’t think so. What are you planning to do with her?” Jonathan asked. “Sell her to the first brothel I come to. She’s a bitch, and she’s nothing but trouble.”

Their Bartered Bride

9

Before he knew what he was going to do, Joel grabbed one of their bottles of whiskey, having smelled the liquor on the man’s breath. “I’ll trade you this for the woman.” “Joel?” Jonathan said in a questioning voice. “The entire bottle of whiskey?” “He’d sell his own mother for that,” Leigh whispered in a raspy voice now strained from the tight rope around her neck. She’d gotten to her knees and was attempting to loosen the rope. “Jonathan.” Joel nodded over toward the woman, indicating he should help her. “Yes, an even swap. Her for the whiskey.” The man licked his lips and thought long and hard about it. Then he nodded and reached for the whiskey. Joel held it out of reach. “Hand over the paperwork first.” He was sure the man had some by the bulge in his shirt pocket. The man grumbled, but pulled out the papers and shoved them at Joel. “Not so fast. Sign her over to us on the bill of sale on the back.” When the man hesitated, Joel waggled the bottle of whiskey in front of him. This spurred the man on. He produced a pen and walked over to their truck to sign over the woman as sold for a bottle of whiskey. Joel couldn’t believe it. He had just bought a woman. Something he and his brother had always been against, but they couldn’t have watched the man drag her across the parking lot. “Here,” the stranger said, handing over the paperwork and the rope. “Now give me the whiskey.” Joel handed over the bottle and was glad he hadn’t offered both bottles. He checked to make sure the man had indeed signed her over as sold. He filled in his and his brother’s names, then folded up the forms and stuck them in his front pocket. He turned to find Jonathan and the woman working at the knots in the rope. “It’s just choking her more, Joel.” Jonathan sighed.

10

Marla Monroe

“Cut it off.” “You’ll cut me,” the woman squeaked out. Joel walked up and pulled out his knife. “Lean over so I can get to the rope at the back of your neck.” He winced at the raw skin at her neck and carefully slid the knife between her neck and the rope. He quickly cut the rope. When it fell off, she began to cough. “Get her some water, Jonathan.” Joel squatted next to her, rubbing her back as she gagged. Jonathan hurried back with a bottle of water. She grabbed it as soon as he had the cap off and drank in long swallows. Then she stopped and hung her head. “Guess I’ve traded one nightmare for another. But thanks for keeping him from killing me, or worse, trading me to a brothel. I’d rather have been dead than work in one of those.” “Listen, Leigh. That is your name, right?” Joel asked. “Yes, Leigh McGowen.” Her voice was still raspy, and probably would be for a while. “I’d let you go on your own way, but the fact of the matter is, you’re going to be in danger of being caught by someone again if we do. I know you don’t know us from Adam’s house cat, but we’re good men. I’m Joel and this is my brother, Jonathan.” “I figured you were brothers since you look almost like twins.” Leigh sighed. “I don’t have a choice. You bought me and have my papers. I try and run, and they’ll just come looking for me, anyway.” Jonathan reached down and held out his hand. She looked up at them and took Jonathan’s hand, letting him draw her to her feet. She wobbled a bit and Jonathan immediately enfolded her in his arms. “Careful. Don’t fall,” he said. “Your neck is a mess, Leigh. We need to see to it, then get you home before that bastard decides to come back.” Joel walked over to the truck and opened the back door.


11

He pulled out a tin box that said First Aid on it and began to rummage around in it. He returned from the truck with some gauze and peroxide and poured some on the cloth. When he reached out to clean her neck, she winced and pulled back into Jonathan’s arms. “Easy, there. He’s not going to hurt you. Let him clean those raw areas so they don’t get infected.” Jonathan held her still as Joel patted the peroxide-soaked gauze against the worst places on her neck. Joel knew the peroxide didn’t hurt, but just touching her raw spots with the gauze was bound to. He was as gentle as he could be. Finally, he stopped and delved back into the kit for some antibiotic salve. He gently dabbed the salve on her neck, then put away the first-aid kit. “Okay, let’s head out of this hellhole,” Joel said and climbed up into the cab of the truck. **** Jonathan walked the woman around to the other side. When she would have climbed in the back, he ushered her up front. “We’ve got stuff packed back there. You can ride up front with us. There’s plenty of room.” He helped her up into the front of the truck, then climbed in behind her. They all buckled their seat belts and Joel pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Barter Town behind them. “What are we going to do about clothes for her?” Jonathan asked. Joel looked her over. “She looks to be about the same size as whoever used to live in our house before us. She can wear that stuff until we have time to try Sky Line for more clothes.” “Sounds like a good idea. I think you’re right. She looks to be about that size.” Jonathan stretched his arm out along the back of the seat behind her. He was a big man, and even though the truck was a comfortable size for him, he felt a little uncomfortable with her there between him and his brother. He didn’t want to crowd her, so he tried to hug the

12

Marla Monroe

door to give her breathing room. No doubt she was feeling a bit hemmed in and overwhelmed right about then. He couldn’t help but admire her rounded body. She had curves that would entice a priest to lascivious thoughts. Her tangled red hair reached between her shoulder blades and she had an ass made for fucking. He would bet anything her breasts would be more than a handful, and that was saying something, because he had large hands to fit the rest of his large body. He and his brother were big men, but he was a little taller than Joel. It would take a large woman to handle both of them, and she looked to fit the bill. Of course, she wasn’t really theirs. They’d bartered for her. That wasn’t exactly fair, and sure didn’t lead to a future relationship of any kind. But maybe, if she were willing, they could take things slow and learn to care about each other. “How did you end up with that man?” Joel asked her. “He’s my no-account stepfather,” she managed to say in a scratchy voice. “How long had he had you tied like that?” “I’m not sure. Time sort of warps when you’re a prisoner. Probably about six months.” “Well, you’re not a prisoner with us,” Jonathan assured her. “You should stay with us, though, so you’ll be safe.” “Basically, I’m just trading one cage for another. Even you have to admit to that,” she said in a bitter voice. Joel sighed. “The difference is, we’re not going to force ourselves on you. Just help around the house and the garden, and we’ll take care of you. Deal?” Jonathan held his breath at what her answer would be. She seemed to think it over, then smiled tentatively. “Deal.”


13

Chapter Two They rode the rest of the way in silence, and truly, Leigh was glad since her throat hurt to swallow, much less talk. She hoped she hadn’t ended up in a worse situation than she’d been in before. At least they appeared to be nice, and they were clean and smelled decent. Joel had been tender taking care of her neck as if he really didn’t like hurting her. That said something for them. They were big men, though. They could easily hurt her, and there would be nothing she could do about it. Joel had to be about six feet four inches. He had rich black hair, and dark eyes to match. His hair was shaggy, falling to his shirt collar. It seemed to be more than one length, as if he’d cut it himself. She smiled. He probably did. He had broad shoulders, a muscular abdomen, and a wide chest that tapered down to a small waist and compact ass. His brother looked just like him, except that he was about two inches taller and his hair was a little longer. Again, it looked like he cut his own hair. She could even it up for them. She sighed. Already she was thinking of them as if they were going to be a family or something. She had to keep reminding herself that they had bought her with a bottle of whiskey. It probably wasn’t even good whiskey. She wondered if their cocks were as large as the rest of them, or if they had tiny dicks that couldn’t do a fly any good. She nearly giggled out loud at that thought, but her sore throat stopped that right quick. Leigh sighed. She missed her mom. Ever since she had died, her stepfather had abused his power over her, making her take care of the house while he and her stepbrother lounged around selling off things

14

Marla Monroe

to pay for food and beer. She’d had to scrounge food because they didn’t offer her enough to keep her alive. She ended up stealing food from them, and that got her in a lot of hot water. Finally, they had sold everything they could, and the only possession he had left was her. Her stepfather dragged her into town one day and offered her to the first man that drove through town on their way to somewhere else. Leigh hoped the two of them were knee-deep in filth and were hungry without her there to take care of their sorry asses. They deserved whatever befell them, as far as she was concerned. They had made her life miserable for the last four and a half years. Why had God spared them and not her mother? She sighed, tired of the same question that she always ended up with. She snuck a peek at Joel through her eyelashes. He didn’t seem upset over being stuck with her. Would he expect part of her duties to eventually include having sex with them? He had said they wouldn’t force themselves on her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. They were good-looking men and seemed nice enough. But looks could be deceiving. She would wait and see if they gave her a choice or not. They hadn’t exactly said they wouldn’t want sex, just that they wouldn’t force her. She kept expecting Jonathan’s arm to drop to her shoulders with one bump or another from the road, but he never did allow it to happen. Finally, she relaxed a little more, and soon the rhythm of the road lulled her into a semiconscious state where she rested until they stopped. She had eased over onto Jonathan’s arm, where she had rested her head. Now she woke up with a start, ready to fight. “Easy there, Leigh. We’re home. I hope you’ll see it as your home eventually,” Joel said. Jonathan jumped down from the cab of the truck and reached up to help her down. She winced when he sat her on the ground. “What is it? What did I hurt?” He looked frantic.


15

“I’m okay. My knees hurt, but not as bad as my elbows.” She held up an elbow to look at it, and Jonathan swore. “Damn it, why didn’t you say something when we were cleaning your neck?” Without another word, he picked her up and carried her up the porch steps to the house, where Joel opened the door. “Why are you carrying her?” Joel’s eyebrows furrowed. “We didn’t think about what else she hurt when he dragged her. Look at her elbows.” Jonathan’s voice sounded angry. “Ah, hell, Leigh. Carry her into the master bathroom and we’ll clean her up. What else hurts?” “Her knees hurt,” Jonathan said before she could. “I’ll get the first-aid box out of the kitchen. You get her clothes off of her so we can clean everything at one time. I’m sure she’ll want a bath anyway. It will help with the soreness.” Joel disappeared in the dark house. “Why is it so dark in here?” she asked. “We don’t have electricity out here. Hold on to me while I grab a lamp.” Jonathan kept one arm wrapped under her knees and scooped up a lamp. “I’m going to sit you on the chair here while I light it.” She watched as he set the lamp on the table next to the chair and then eased her into the chair. He pulled out a lighter and took off the glass chimney to light the lamp. He adjusted the wick and picked her back up. “Can you carry the lamp while I carry you?” he asked. “Um, sure.” She reached out and picked up the lamp when he bent over. Jonathan carried her up the stairs and to the left. The lamplight did little to illuminate the room they walked into other than the immediate area. She made out a bed and then they were turning into what she found was the bathroom. He sat her on the countertop and took the lamp from her to place on the other side of the sink. “Okay, let’s get your jeans off so we can see about your knees.” Jonathan started unfastening her jeans.

16

Marla Monroe

“Whoa! You’re not stripping me.” He loomed over her, overwhelming her in the small room made even smaller by the lack of good lighting. “I’m not going to hurt you, Leigh. We need to see about your knees, though. That means either cutting your jeans or pulling them off. Which would you like me to do?” He didn’t look angry, though it was hard to tell in the dim light. “I–I guess I’ll pull them off. But I want to do it. Help me down.” She needed some control over this to feel safe. She knew this was the reason for her demanding that she be allowed to do the undressing. “Sure. Hold on.” He picked her up and gently sat her down on the floor, holding her steady until she got her footing. She licked her lips and turned around as Joel walked into the room carrying another lit lamp and a bigger box than the one in their truck. “What’s going on?” he asked, clearly puzzled. “She needs to undress herself. I think she’s uncomfortable with us seeing her like that.” Jonathan acted as if she weren’t even there. Maybe that was better because then he wasn’t focused on her pulling down her pants. “Okay.” She slowly turned around to show them her scraped knees. Though she hadn’t torn through the material, it had rubbed skin off. “Jonathan, sit her back on the counter between the two lights so we can see about her. Let’s work on the elbows first. They have dirt in them.” Joel smiled at her. He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out several towels and a cloth. He filled the sink with water and soaked the cloth in it. When he squeezed out the cloth, she knew he planned to clean her scrapes. They were going to sting something fierce. “Jonathan, hold her arm steady for me. I don’t want to hurt her, but she’s probably going to jerk,” Joel told him. Jonathan gently held her wrist and supported her arm as Jonathan began cleaning her elbow over the sink. She did jerk and cursed as he


17

rubbed out the grit and dirt from her elbow. Then he poured hydrogen peroxide over it to boil out anything left in it. Once he was satisfied it was clean, they switched to the other elbow and repeated the process. “Sorry, Leigh,” Jonathan said. “That should be the worst of it. Your knees aren’t too bad, and they don’t have a lot of dirt in them.” Joel held a towel beneath her knee as he poured some peroxide over it. He repeated it to the other side. “There. Is there anywhere else you’re hurt?” Joel asked, looking her in the eyes. “No, I think that’s all. I’m just sore all over right now. Can I take a bath?” she asked. “Of course. Do you need anything other than the lamp?” Joel asked as he cleaned up the mess. “No. I can manage from here. Um, thanks for taking care of me.” Standing in nothing but her blouse and panties, she couldn’t look at them. “No problem. There’s stuff in the cabinet over there you’re welcome to. When you get finished, check the closets and the dresser for clothes. They should fit you.” Joel picked up the first-aid box and nodded for Jonathan to follow him. The two men left her with an oil lamp to bathe. She couldn’t believe it. Before, well—she was in a different place now. So far, Jonathan and Joel had been perfect gentlemen. It seemed too good to be true. Something would jump up and bite her before it was over with. She was sure of that. **** Jonathan helped his brother unload the few things they’d bartered for, then sat in the kitchen while Joel made sandwiches. He had never talked overly much, but with just the two of them, he never had much to say. Now, however, he wanted to talk about their bartered woman upstairs.

18

Marla Monroe

“What are we going to do about her?” Jonathan asked. “Nothing. She can stay here and we’ll watch out for her. She can help around the house and the garden like I told her.” “You’re not planning on bedding her, then?” “Not unless she’s interested. She doesn’t deserve to be treated like a whore. She’s a decent woman that ended up in a bad situation. Hopefully, we’re making it better. No pressing her, Jonathan.” Joel looked up at him. “Don’t worry. I’m not planning on it. I just wasn’t sure about you. You’ve always been the more dominant one with women.” “That was with women who knew the score. That was back when the world was slightly less fucked up.” “You’re not wrong about that,” Jonathan agreed. “She can have the master bedroom as it has a bath attached. I’ll share yours.” “Good idea. Besides, that fourth bedroom is really too small for much more than what it was set up for.” It was decorated as a nursery and had all the trimmings that one would have. “Do you think she knows how to cook or handle a garden?” Joel mused. “Hope so. Our cooking sucks.” “I can cook and clean and handle the garden just fine.” Leigh walked into the kitchen carrying the lamp. They hadn’t even heard her walk down the stairs. Jonathan looked down and figured out why. She was barefoot. She had on a clean pair of jeans that fit her a little loosely in the waist, but were snug looking around her ass. Jonathan snapped his eyes back to her face, but could tell she had noticed by the frown lines between her eyes. “The clothes seem to fit well enough,” he said. “Yeah, I can manage with them. The blouses are a little snug, but the T-shirts should be okay.” “How about a sandwich?” Joel asked, indicating the makings on the bar before them.


19

“Thanks, I’m starving. Can I fix my own?” “If you want one that is actually fit to eat, you will.” Joel grinned then grabbed a glass from the cabinet above the counter and poured tea into it. “Not the best in the world, but drinkable.” “Thanks.” She smiled, then went about making her sandwich. When she tasted the tea, she lifted her eyebrows and smiled. “I’ll be making the tea from now on.” “Thank God,” Jonathan couldn’t help saying under his breath. “I heard that, little brother.” Leigh burst out laughing. “Little? He’s at least two inches taller than you.” “And,” Jonathan said, “you’re only ten months older than me.” Joel grinned and punched him in the arm good-naturedly. They carried their plates over to the sink and rinsed them off before putting them in the drainer. Jonathan caught Leigh shaking her head at their obvious lack of care on washing dishes. All they’d done was eat a sandwich off of them. Besides, it had always just been the two of them, and they were related. What were a few germs between brothers, right? He sighed. Things were going to change, no doubt. He figured they would be for the better, for the most part. If she could actually cook and clean house, they would have a much better life. He hoped they offered her a better one, too. “So, you have running water, but no electricity. How do you cook?” she asked. “We have gas. We pay a cow every year for the use of the gas.” Joel laughed at her obvious confusion. “The man who handles the gas around these parts controls if you have it or not. All he’s asked from us has been a cow a year. We raise cattle for meat and to barter with,” Joel explained. Jonathan watched his brother’s interaction with Leigh, and figured they would be okay. He wasn’t sure about himself, though. He wanted her badly, but would never even think of forcing her. He had been

20

Marla Monroe

sure Joel wouldn’t have, but he had needed to know that he wouldn’t push her, either. Right now, she was a little leery of him, perhaps just due to his size, but maybe because he’d been staring at her gently rounded stomach and panty-covered pussy earlier. He hadn’t been able to help himself. Jonathan walked out the back door and stood leaning against the railing with his hands holding him up. The garden behind the house was just beginning to die out. Some of the hardier plants would live until they cut them down and turned them under. But for the most part, they’d gotten in everything they could. Joel had determined they would start clearing it out the first of the next week. They needed to see to the cows first since they’d been gone all day. He jumped down from the porch instead of taking the steps and headed for the barn to check on the four horses they had. They would need more of the hay they grew and hand cut. He and Joel hadn’t felt safe leaving them out in the field with the wolves around. Lately, the wolves had begun to become more of a problem then they had been. Joel found him there nearly an hour later. He had just finished grooming the last horse. “They doing okay?” Joel asked, indicating the horses. “Yeah. I’m sure they’ll be happier outside tomorrow, though.” “I think one of us needs to stick close to her for a few days until she’s used to the area. Want to work close to the house tomorrow while I check on the herd?” “Um, yeah, sure. I can work in the garden getting it cleared out and ready to till under.” “She’s a pretty woman, Jonathan. Sexually, I want her in a bad way, but there’s more to her than sex. She deserves a relationship, and that’s something that takes time.” Joel leaned back against the barn door. Jonathan moved the lamp to a nail on the wall and stood there trying to decide what Joel expected him to say.


21

“You know I want her. Hell, she knows I want her. My fucking cock has been standing at attention almost since we first saw her, but I’m not going to push her toward a relationship, if that’s what you’re worried about. I have a hand. I can take care of myself.” “I’m in the same boat, Jonathan. I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m just telling you that I think we have a good chance at maybe having a family with her if we’re careful.” Joel pushed off the door with his elbows and opened it so that the last of the dying sun’s rays crossed the threshold. “I’ll see you when you come inside. I’m going to go ahead and get a shower. Going to be a long day tomorrow.” Joel walked off toward the house. Jonathan ran his hands through his hair and wondered how long a relationship took to build.

22

Marla Monroe

Chapter Three Leigh woke early the next morning, having slept like a log all night long. She had to admit, it was the first good night’s rest she’d had in a very long time. Lately, she was always waiting for someone to reach out and squeeze her breasts or try and get between her legs. The fact that she had slept without worrying that one or both of the brothers were going to come in and accost her said how much trust she had placed in Joel’s promise. She dressed in jeans and a slightly snug T-shirt before running the borrowed brush through her hair and pulling it back with one of the hair clips she found on the dresser. Everything in the room needed dusting, but then most of the house needed a good going-over as well, she was sure. She would know more once the sun shone in the rooms. She tiptoed down the stairs and found that she was indeed the first one in the kitchen. She located their coffee and the pot they had obviously used to make it. She figured she could make it if they could, and measured out enough for the three of them and turned on the burner. Then she began looking through the cabinets to find what all they had available. At first she didn’t think they had anything worth cooking until she found the pantry and cellar. There she found all their canned goods, cured meat, and staples. There were a few old potatoes almost beyond using, as well as a good amount of new potatoes they had obviously just gotten. She peeled the old potatoes and put them on to boil. She’d make them potato patties and some of their cured beef. It should keep them until lunchtime. By then she would have a better handle on where everything was located.


23

She had just poured up a cup of coffee for herself when the clomp of boots hitting the stairs let her know at least one of the brothers was up and around. Joel walked into the kitchen and stopped as if surprised to see her. “Morning, Leigh. Didn’t expect you up this early.” “Morning. You have to get up early to start a meal. I figured you two would be up early if you were going to be working.” Her voice still sounded raspy. “You should have given yourself a day or two to relax and rest up before you started helping out. I’m not going to complain, though. Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious.” Joel leaned over her and sniffed at her cooking. “Here.” She handed him her coffee and grabbed another cup for herself. “Thanks. Looks a lot better than what we manage to fix.” He took a tentative sip. “Mmm, tastes better, too.” “I smell coffee,” Jonathan said as he turned the corner into the kitchen. He stopped when he saw that Leigh was at the stove. “Um, morning, ma’am.” “Don’t call me ma’am. I’m younger than you are, I would bet.” He shrugged and smiled at her, then zeroed in on his brother’s cup of coffee. Joel turned away, guarding his. “If you ask nice, I bet Leigh will let you have some,” Joel told him. Leigh sighed and handed her second cup to Jonathan, and fixed yet another one for herself. “Thanks.” Jonathan sipped it and his smile grew larger. “This is good.” “Glad you like it.” She turned around and continued cooking as the men began talking about what they were going to do. She tuned them out, trying to decide what to work on first. She figured the kitchen needed a good cleaning first, and that would take

24

Marla Monroe

all day. Then she would see what the rest of the house looked like after that. Between the two men, they managed to eat everything she had made for breakfast, and she had no doubt they could have eaten more. They were big men. She decided she would have to learn to cook in terms of three regular-size men. “Don’t forget that if you need anything, I’ll be out back working in the garden,” Jonathan said. “Wait. You’re going to be here and not seeing about the cows?” she asked, having not paid enough attention to their conversation. “Joel will work out on the ranch today. I’ll be here working on clearing out the garden.” “Um, okay. I should be fine. I have plenty to keep me busy the rest of the day. Will sandwiches be okay for lunch?” “That’ll be fine. It’s what we usually eat at lunchtime.” Jonathan smiled at her then planted his hat on his head and walked out the back door. Leigh sighed and wondered if the reason Jonathan was sticking so close was because of her. They obviously thought she needed babysitting. It bothered her. She wasn’t a kid. She was twenty-four years old. She could take care of herself. With a sigh, she organized the cleaning supplies and began sanitizing the kitchen. She wanted it spotless. She would show them that she could run a house and handle a garden as well as they could. She expected Jonathan to show up all morning, but he never stuck his head in the door. Strangely enough, it bothered her that he hadn’t checked on her to be sure she didn’t need anything. She knew he was attracted to her because of how hard his cock stayed around her. She’d wondered at their sizes, but judging by the length of Jonathan’s hard-on, they would both be huge. She had to acknowledge that she was attracted to them. She had dreamed about them pleasuring her with their hands and mouths. If she thought about it, she could still feel the effect their lovemaking


25

had on her. Even now, her panties were wet and her nipples tight. She sighed and tried to think of something other than sex with the two men. She concentrated on fixing their lunch instead. At noon both men grabbed their sandwiches and returned to work without sitting down. Leigh ate hers alone then returned to cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom. By the time she was finished, she was exhausted but pleased. The kitchen fairly sparkled in the late afternoon sun, which reminded her it was time to start dinner for the men. She stepped outside on the back porch while the meal was simmering. She wanted to see more of the ranch in the daylight. As it was, she just made it in time to watch the sun sink behind the tree line. It was a glorious sight, all orange and yellow hues spread out against the distant clouds. “Pretty, isn’t it?” Jonathan’s voice startled her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. “I was too caught up in the sunset. I haven’t really seen one like that in a long time.” She licked her lips and looked up into the big man’s face, but with the sun setting, it was in shadow. “Time to go in. You don’t need to be out here at dusk or night. The wolves around here are dangerous. They actually attacked one woman out feeding her chickens last year. Don’t want that happening to you.” He held the back door open for her. Leigh shivered and walked back into the kitchen. She hadn’t thought about wolves. They hadn’t been a problem where she had originally come from. While she’d been with stepfather, she hadn’t been allowed outside the house at all. She closed her mind to the past. She didn’t have to worry about him anymore. She didn’t belong to him. She belonged to Jonathan and Joel. For some reason, that didn’t bother her now. Jonathan followed her inside and headed straight for the stove. He sniffed and smiled.

26

Marla Monroe

“I can’t wait for dinner. This smells wonderful.” He turned around and they nearly ran into each other. Jonathan grabbed her when she almost lost her balance. She looked up into his face and knew he was going to kiss her. Her hands grasped his shirt as he lowered his mouth to hers. Their lips touched and he sipped at hers then pulled back and took a step back. “Um, sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” “Done what?” Joel asked as he walked in the house. “Nothing,” they both said at the same time. Leigh walked over to the stove and began taking up the meal. Why was Jonathan sorry? He hadn’t forced her. She had wanted his kiss. “Something smells delicious.” Joel had slipped out of his boots and was washing up at the kitchen sink. Leigh cringed, but knew she couldn’t change old habits overnight. They had a washroom in the back. They should be washing up in it. She smiled and realized she had made the decision to give being a family a try. Now to convince them. After dinner, they continued their work conversation in the living room while Leigh cleaned up. She joined them a little later and was surprised when she sat on the couch next to Joel that he got up and walked over toward the stairs. “I’m going to go shower and head to bed. Dawn comes early.” He climbed the stairs, leaving Jonathan and Leigh alone. Jonathan sat in the recliner across from the fireplace. He sighed and slowly stood up. “Look, earlier. I didn’t have a right to kiss you like that. I’m sorry.” He walked over to the couch to stand in front of her. Leigh stood up, crowding into his space. “I didn’t mind. I liked it. You don’t have to be sorry about it.” “Still. We promised you we wouldn’t jump on you, and it hasn’t even been a full day and I’ve gone and done it.”


27

“You didn’t jump on me. I could have backed away. I knew you were going to kiss me. I wanted it.” “I don’t think it’s a good idea to start something so soon, Leigh. You’ve been in a bad situation for the last six months or so. You need time to adjust.” Jonathan took a step back from her. “What if I don’t want to wait?” she asked, taking a step forward. “I still think it’s best.” He took another step back. “Kiss me, Jonathan,” she said, reaching up to touch the side of his face. “I shouldn’t.” He leaned down and brushed her lips with his. Then he gently sat her back from him and turned and walked up the stairs. **** Jonathan almost ran up the stairs in an attempt to get out of temptation’s way. He wanted nothing more than to hold Leigh in his arms and kiss all her inhibitions away. Nothing would have pleased him more than to bury himself inside her sweet pussy right then. His cock was throbbing behind his zipper. Still, he and Joel had agreed to give her time, even if she didn’t seem to want it. He passed Joel walking from the bathroom to the bedroom. His hair was still damp from the shower. Jonathan couldn’t wait to get in the shower now. He nodded at his brother and closed the door to the bathroom with a snap. He turned on the shower, and as soon as he could peel off his clothes, he stepped into the still-warm water. It wouldn’t last. He hurried through his bath then grabbed his swollen dick with his hand and squeezed. He closed his eyes and imagined Leigh there with him, her hand on his cock squeezing. Then she would slip to her knees and lick his dick from balls to tip like a lollipop. Jonathan sighed as he pictured her there licking around the crown of his cock while she cupped his balls in her other hand. She nibbled

28

Marla Monroe

along the edge then licked the pearl of pre-cum from the slit. He drew in a deep breath and began tugging on his cock. Thinking about her spurred his hand as he pulled faster. She would slowly swallow down his cock to the back of her throat, and then suck her way back up. She would bob up and down on his dick, sucking and licking all around it. She would gently squeeze his balls until the cum boiled inside, ready to erupt. Jonathan continued pulling until he felt the burn deep in his spine that signaled his climax. His balls drew up, and he reached down to squeeze them as he imagined Leigh swallowing around his cock and him coming down her throat. He shot his cum into his hand and against the shower wall. He leaned one hand against the back of the shower stall as he struggled to catch his breath. The water began to turn cold and he cursed. After cleaning up, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel to dry off. What in the hell was he going to do about his attraction to Leigh? He wouldn’t be able to withstand her full-blown assault if she waged one. He needed to talk to Joel. He would see what Joel had to say in the morning. He wasn’t going to stay home with her tomorrow. He wouldn’t be able to resist bedding her if she came on to him again. Joel would have to stay with her instead. He had finished clearing the garden, so it was ready to be tilled. Joel could do that tomorrow. Jonathan lay awake for nearly an hour thinking about Leigh and what she might be doing right then. Was she in the bath or taking a shower? He wondered what she looked like naked. What color would her nipples be, dusky pink, or a rosy color? He wanted to taste her sweet pussy juices. He groaned and tried to think about cows and the work that lay ahead of them that winter. Finally, he managed to push thoughts of Leigh from his mind and slipped off to sleep. ****


29

Leigh felt his arms around her waist first, then his lips at the nape of her neck. She smiled and turned to look up into Jonathan’s eyes. He smiled down at her and bent to kiss her. His lips feathered ever so softly across her lips before pressing harder and demanding more from her. She opened her mouth to him. He thrust his tongue inside at the same time he thrust his hard cock against her belly. The feel of his dick against her bare skin had her pussy juices flowing. His tongue explored along hers, tickling as it sparred with hers. She sucked it until he pulled away and began kissing along her cheek to her jaw. He nibbled at her earlobe before sliding his wet tongue down her neck to her bare shoulder. He licked her there once before biting lightly. Leigh moaned at the slight pain that only turned her on more. When he backed her up until her legs hit the edge of a bed, she sat down and then fell back against the soft mattress with one push of his hand. Jonathan lay down beside her and stared deep into her eyes as he lowered his head to lick her nipple. His wet tongue rasped over her peaked nipple, leaving it wet in the cool air. He blew on it. It grew even tighter, if possible. When he sucked it deep into his mouth, Leigh grabbed his head and held him there against her breast. He pulled back, nipping at her nipple before moving to the other side. She kept her hands in his hair, loving the way it felt against her skin. He used his fingers on her other nipple while he sucked and nipped at the one he now held captive. She didn’t think it could get any better than this until he released her breast with an audible pop and began licking and nibbling his way down her abdomen. He continued to lick along her pelvis then settle between her legs. He looked up from his vantage point at her cunt and smiled before stroking his tongue up her pussy to her clit. The sensation drew a wild yes from her as he licked her cunt like an allday sucker. When he pulled back and spread her pussy lips wide, she thought he would enter her with his fingers. Instead, he stiffened his tongue

30

Marla Monroe

and fucked her weeping pussy with it. It sent her senses spiraling upward, but all she could think was more. I want more. He began licking all around her clit without actually touching it. She tried following his tongue with her pelvis, but he held her still with one giant arm across her abdomen. She whimpered in frustration, needing more of something. He nipped at her inner thigh and she stilled for him. Finally, he entered her with two fingers and began pumping them in and out of her throbbing cunt. They brushed against her hot spot and turned her moans to groans. He curled his fingers and stroked that spot over and over until she thrashed her head from side to side needing more pressure somewhere—anywhere. Leigh would have reached up and grabbed his head to show him where she wanted him, but he was already there, latching onto her clit with his teeth. He sucked it into his mouth and stroked it with his tongue even as his fingers roved over her sweet spot. Stars exploded behind her eyes and she screamed as her orgasm took her higher than she had ever been before. It pummeled her with sensations that she’d never felt before. Just when she thought she would surely pass out, she woke up, alone and empty inside.


31

Chapter Four Early the next morning, Joel was about to head downstairs when Jonathan knocked and stuck his head in the door. “Hey, you about ready to head downstairs?” “Yeah, what’s up?” His brother walked in and closed the door behind him. “I need to talk to you about Leigh.” Joel groaned inwardly. Had Jonathan fucked up? He didn’t have as much control as Joel did. “What happened?” Jonathan winced. “She’s coming on to me, Joel. You need to work close to the house today and let me go out on the ranch, or I’m going to fuck her sure as anything.” “What do you mean she’s coming on to you? What has she done?” Joel couldn’t believe she would be so eager to jump into bed with them, considering her situation. “It’s my fault. She lost her balance yesterday and I grabbed her to keep her from falling. Then I sort of kissed her.” “Fuck!” Jonathan hurried on to explain, “Then later, after you went to bed, she grabbed me and asked me to kiss her again. I did, but I stopped and left her there. God knows I didn’t want to. I wanted to strip her down right there. She’s not wanting to wait, Joel.” “Hell.” Joel ran a hand through his freshly brushed hair. “It’s too soon to start anything with her. She doesn’t know what she wants.” “Well, you tell her that. I don’t have the willpower where she’s concerned. I know I want her.”

32

Marla Monroe

“For more than a few weeks or a few months, Jonathan? This is for keeps, man. That’s why I think we all need to step back and wait.” “It’s not like she has much of a choice, Joel. We own her according to that piece of paper you have,” Jonathan pointed out. “Exactly why we need to take this slow. I want her to be damn certain she wants us before we do anything. I don’t want her to wake up one day and feel like she was forced. I’m a demanding lover, Jonathan. You know that. She has to want to come to our bed more than anything.” Joel shoved his hands on his hips and shook his head. “I’ll work the garden today. You can check the herd.” Jonathan nodded and started to leave, then turned around and looked at Joel. “I think she knows what she wants already. We started out treating her right, so she already likes us.” “Regardless, we need to take this slow, Jonathan. Forever is a long time to live with two demanding men, and a hell of a lot longer to live with a miserable female.” He watched Jonathan walk out then sighed and followed him down to the kitchen. Leigh had coffee ready and breakfast on the table by the time he had his first sip. She smiled at them and made sure they had plenty before they got up and pulled on their coats to get to work. “I’m working the garden today while Jonathan tends the cattle. You need anything, just holler,” Joel told her. She followed them to the door as if expecting something. Joel realized she was hoping for a kiss. Maybe Jonathan wasn’t all to blame. He put on his hat and closed the door behind him. He pulled out the tractor and poured some of their precious fuel into the tank before cranking it and getting to work. With someone to actually work the garden in spring, they should probably plan to enlarge it some. They had only tilled up a small patch in the past since they didn’t have a lot of time to work it.


33

Leigh would change a lot of things around the place. Her safety was first and foremost. They had to worry not only about other men, but the wolves as well. They had become more devious and brave in the last couple of years. With more people moving to the Border Lands, they were losing some of their land and didn’t like it. Joel looked up at the gathering clouds and hoped it wouldn’t rain until he had made a few rounds with the tiller. Once the rain started, it sometimes didn’t stop long enough for the ground to dry up enough to till again for weeks this time of year. Then the snows came and the land froze. He pushed to get as many rounds as possible in before the first fat drops would put an end to his tilling. He was just making it to the end of a row when movement drew his eyes upward. Standing in front of him at the edge of the garden was Leigh with a raised glass of tea. He quickly looked around for any sign of the wolves. Finding none, he finished the row and turned off the plow. “Thanks,” he said, taking the proffered glass of tea. “I figured you would be thirsty by now. Is it going to rain?” She looked up at the darkening sky. “Probably. I want to get as much plowing done as I can before it does.” “If you get muddy, remember to take your boots off at the back door.” She took his empty tea glass and smiled. Before he knew what she was about to do, she had reached up and pulled him down for a quick kiss. Then she turned and left him standing there. He felt like an idiot. Why hadn’t he stopped her before she kissed him? Joel shook his head and returned to plowing. He managed to work four more rows before the rain began to dampen his coat. He cursed and put the tiller up in the toolshed. Then he sprinted across to the back porch, where he dutifully removed his now-muddy boots at the back door. When he walked in, the room was toasty warm.

34

Marla Monroe

The scent of something good drew him to the stove, and curiosity had him removing the lid on the pot simmering on the stove. It looked like stew to him. Smelled even better, he decided. “It’s almost ready. I figured with the rain you could use something warm in your bellies today. We’ll have it with a sandwich for lunch and then over rice for dinner tonight. I’ll make biscuits to go with it.” Leigh walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist with a squeeze before stepping back. “I’m wet. You shouldn’t have done that.” “I’ll dry. I guess Jonathan will be soaked by the time he gets here. He’ll probably want to change clothes before lunch.” Leigh crowded him when he stepped away from the stove. “Probably want to take a shower to warm up.” Joel moved away from her toward the door. He watched her follow him out of the corner of his eye. She was definitely pushing. He was about to turn around and confront her when he saw Jonathan heading toward the barn on his horse. “Jonathan’s here. He’ll be in as soon as he’s seen to the horse.” He turned around to find that Leigh had snuck up on him and was directly in front of him now. “Leigh. We need to talk about this.” “What is there to talk about? You want me. Your cock is rock hard.” She ran a hand down the length of it. Joel groaned, then stepped back again and grabbed her wrists. “Wanting you isn’t enough, Leigh. I want you to want us for who we are, and not just because you think you have to.” Leigh jerked her hands out of his and stepped back. “If I thought I had to, you would be waiting the rest of your life.” “Remember that, Leigh. You don’t have to. It’s important that you make that connection. I don’t want you to ever feel like you were forced into anything.” Joel advanced on her. Leigh backpedaled and ended up against the kitchen cabinets. Her eyes got big when he didn’t stop, but continued until he was looming


35

over her. He wanted to impress on her how important it was that she think it through. Still, looking in her wide eyes, he didn’t want to see fear. He wanted to see lust and need. He never expected to see love, considering their circumstances, but he could dream of it. Joel bent low over her and smelled her skin at her neck. He wanted to nip her there and suck on it until he left a mark, his mark. Her breath hitched as his mouth hovered over a perfect spot. “Fucking rain.” Jonathan slammed into the kitchen. Joel jerked back and noticed that his brother hadn’t taken his boots off and the floor was muddy where he had walked in. Leigh noticed it at the same time and huffed out a breath. “Jonathan, take your boots off on the porch. I just mopped this floor.” She opened the back door again and pointed. “Oh, sorry.” He slunk outside, if that were possible for someone his size. A few seconds later, he walked back inside in his sock feet and looked guiltily at the floor. “I’ll clean it up if you’ll tell me where the mop is.” “I’ll take care of it. You go upstairs and shower off. Lunch will be on the table when you get back.” She turned her back on both of them and disappeared into the washroom. His brother hurried through the kitchen, dripping water along the way. Joel grinned, then sobered up at the realization he had almost succumbed to her allure as surely as his brother had. There was something about Leigh that called to him. He wanted her, sure. But it was almost as if he needed her to be complete inside. He shook that thought off. He didn’t need anyone to be complete. He was complete. When Leigh returned with a mop and a bucket, he stepped out of her way. She moved gracefully despite being a large-boned woman. Again, he was drawn to the curve of her neck as she mopped the floor. He wanted to taste her skin, her mouth, her pussy. Shaking his head, Joel walked out of the room and temptation’s way. He owed his brother an apology.

36

Marla Monroe

**** Leigh fumed as she finished the dishes from lunch. She knew what was going on with Joel. He was trying to get her to back off, but why? He obviously wanted her if the state of his cock was anything to go by. And he had a cock about the same size as his brother if what she felt was real. The men were in the living room discussing the rain. She wanted to join them and tease them some more, but wondered if maybe he was right. Maybe she wasn’t really attracted to them after all. Maybe she just felt like she had to have sex with them. It stopped her for a few minutes. Then she remembered the dream with Jonathan. No, she wanted them. Maybe there wasn’t anything deeper in it than lust, but with time, they could become more than just lovers. Was that what he was wanting, for them to care about each other first? She already cared about them some. They rescued her from her stepfather and had been kind to her. They hadn’t insisted on sex the first night and treated her with respect. Was she expecting too little? Leigh sighed and dried her hands on a towel before walking into the other room. The men were in the recliners across from the fireplace on either side of the couch. She resigned herself to sitting alone and curled up in the middle to enjoy the fire. “I’m sorry I messed up your floor earlier, Leigh.” Jonathan had a cautious expression on his face. “That’s okay. You’re used to doing what you want. It’s your house, but if I’m going to keep it clean, you have to wipe your feet, or take your boots off before you come in.” Leigh smiled at him. “I’ll remember next time.” He leaned back in the recliner and closed his eyes. “Think I’ll take a nap. Nothing like a nap on a rainy day.” Joel had been quiet for a while. Leigh peeked over at him and found he had his eyes closed as well. She waited until she heard


37

Jonathan’s soft snores before she climbed off the couch and tiptoed over to where Joel lay stretched out in the recliner. She eyed the contraption and decided the best approach would be the side. With some luck and well-placed hands, she managed to climb up on top of Joel before he woke up. When he did, he grabbed her by the upper arms and held her still. “Don’t move.” “What?” “Your knee is on my cock.” He stiffened. “Then don’t I need to move?” “I’ll move you. Hold on.” He lifted her up and sat her crossways in his lap. “What are you doing?” “I was cold.” She leaned into him. “Be still and you can stay here.” He wrapped his arms around her. Leigh let her head rest on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She wasn’t in the least bit sleepy, but she would gladly lie quietly in his arms while he slept, if he would just keep them around her. She felt safe in his arms. She could pretend to be loved in there. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but after a while, Joel began to snore. She smiled and slowly relaxed deeper into him. He smelled of manly sweat and a woodsy scent that she supposed could have been from his soap. Or maybe it was just him. She liked it. It was comforting in a way, nothing like the stench of unwashed bodies. After another few minutes, Joel’s hands moved, and he cupped her ass cheek with one hand. He held her across her back with the other. He didn’t squeeze or pinch her ass, just held it cupped in his hand. Leigh remained still, not wanting to wake him up and give him a reason to put her down. Before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.

38

Marla Monroe

Chapter Five Joel woke to the feel of soft curves under his hands and the smell of woman in his arms. He sighed and relaxed into it, then remembered it was Leigh, and this was a different time. This wasn’t seven or eight years ago when he and Jonathan kept a submissive between them. This was almost six years after the year of catastrophes, and Leigh was a woman they had bartered for. She deserved time to adjust to them before he introduced her to their way of life. Now fully awake, Joel looked down at her and found that she was sound asleep. He hated to wake her up, so he continued to hold her and enjoyed it for as long as it would last. Her hair spread out around her shoulders with some of it lying across his arm. The silky feel of it there stirred things deep inside of him that he didn’t want to deal with right then. He must have moved or made some sound because she started and pushed against his chest with her hand to sit up. “What?” Her eyes were still heavy-laden with sleep. “It’s all right. You were sleeping,” he told her quietly, so as not to wake up Jonathan. “Oh.” She yawned, then stretched and lay back down, curling her hand beneath her chin like a child. “Don’t you want to get up?” Joel asked her. “Um, not really.” She snuggled into his arms and closed her eyes. “Fine. We’ll sit here a little longer. Jonathan’s still snoozing anyway.” Joel settled back in the chair again and tried to relax. He realized after a few minutes that it wasn’t going to happen. Her womanly curves and the smell of her sweet skin had his dick rising in


39

his jeans. He knew the second she realized he was growing hard. She drew in a quick breath and let it out slowly. Then he felt her shimmy just a little against his cock. He struggled not to moan in response. He knew she was wet by the scent of her pussy juices. He wanted in her hot cunt so badly now, he didn’t know how he was going to resist her if she pushed the situation any further. His cock was rock hard now and throbbing behind his zipper. The pressure of her body against it only kept him on edge. Joel finally couldn’t stand it any longer and pushed up against her body. She moaned and pushed back. “You two awake over there?” Jonathan’s voice, scratchy with sleep, jarred Joel back to reality. “Yeah, you ready to get back out there and tend to the herd? I want to be sure they stick close to the gate in case we need to move them tomorrow. That field gets water sodden quickly.” Joel picked Leigh up and moved her off of him. He stood up but kept a hand on her arm to be sure she had her balance before he let go. She huffed out a breath, but didn’t say anything. “If you go with me, we should be able to get back in under two hours,” Jonathan said. “Leigh, will you be okay here for a couple of hours?” Joel looked at her sleep-tousled hair. “I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself. Remember to take off your boots when you get back. I’m going to be cleaning the master bathroom next.” She rubbed her face with both hands then turned and headed toward the stairs. “You two were getting pretty close over there,” Jonathan said with a smug smile. Joel frowned at him. “She’s pushy. Not very submissive, really.” “You said things have changed. Maybe you’ll have to change a little, too.” Jonathan walked past him into the kitchen.

40

Marla Monroe

Joel stood staring at the dying fire in the fireplace. He sighed and added a log, then stirred the embers before following his brother. Maybe Jonathan was right and he would have to make some changes in his expectations. Was it fair to expect her to bend to meet all his needs? As long as he was the boss, wouldn’t he be okay with backing off the D/s lifestyle he was so used to? Hell, it had been nearly six years since he’d had that kind of relationship anyway. Linda had been the last woman he and his brother had shared, and she was gone. Along with so many others that they had known back then. Most were dead. He shook himself and pulled on his coat and walked outside on the back porch to step into his boots. Jonathan was already striding across the yard in the gentle rain toward the barn. His younger brother was saddling his horse when he made it out there. “So, are we still holding off with Leigh?” Jonathan asked. “We need to. She doesn’t realize what she’s asking, I don’t think.” Joel tightened the cinch of his saddle. “I think she knows exactly what she’s getting and wants it,” Jonathan said. “I tend to be a little bossy. You know that. She isn’t going to handle that too well.” “A little bossy?” “Fuck you, little brother.” Joel grinned and led his horse toward the barn door. “I think you’re more afraid she’ll say no to your high-handedness than that she’ll balk at both of us fucking her at the same time.” Jonathan walked out into the rain and mounted his horse. Joel thought about his words the rest of the afternoon as they herded the cattle closer to the gates between fields. They checked on all of the stragglers then headed back to the house. What if she did say no to him? How would he handle it? No one had ever said no to him before. There were things about her he wanted to explore, but now he worried that she wouldn’t allow it.


41

No, the best course of action was to let nature work her magic and take it slow, so that they developed friendships first, then became lovers. His aching cock wasn’t too happy with that idea, though. If he stayed hard around her all the time, he’d have an imprint of his zipper on his dick for the rest of his life. They removed their boots on the porch and shook off their coats before walking inside the kitchen. The house seemed too quiet for there to be someone else there. Joel felt an uncomfortable worry settle in his chest. Without saying anything to Jonathan, he hurried up the stairs to the master bedroom. As soon as he reached the doorway, he could hear her muttering as she scrubbed something. Relief flooded his mind when he heard her there. For a few seconds, he had worried she was gone. Already he was attached to her. How had it happened so fast? They had only known her for two days now. “What’s going on?” His brother had joined him at the doorway to the bedroom. “I was just checking to be sure she was okay.” “Is she?” he asked, straining to peer around Joel. “Yeah, she’s working in the bathroom. I’m going to go take a shower. You can have it after me.” Joel turned and walked away from temptation and shut himself inside the bathroom he now shared with Jonathan. He leaned against the bathroom counter and stared into the mirror at his reflection. There were a few more lines on his face since they had moved out here, but other than that, he didn’t look any different than he had seven years ago. He didn’t really feel any different, other than maybe a little older. Had he changed any since they had moved out here? Could he bed a woman without dominating her? There were things he loved seeing on a woman that he might never see again. How would he feel about that? He turned away from the mirror and began to strip his sodden clothes from his body. If he had to settle for a little less dominance

42

Marla Monroe

and be a little more flexible, he needed to work on his mind-set. Keeping her safe was the major priority, but he wanted her to be happy and content to live with them as well. If that meant bending a little, he could do that. But first he needed to see what she liked and didn’t like, which would be the tricky part of his decision to back down some in his dominance. Joel turned on the shower and stepped into the still-lukewarm spray. His cock hung low, still heavy with need, despite the cool rain and lust-dampening thoughts. He still wanted her with a vengeance. Soaping up the bath cloth, Joel quickly bathed, then rinsed and hung the cloth up. Instead of turning off the shower, he leaned back against the cool ceramic tiles and grasped his cock at the base. The crown was an angry, purple-looking monster that leaked a drop of pre-cum from the slit at the top. He rubbed it around his cockhead and squeezed the base of the stalk before loosely running his hand up and down it a few times. It felt good, but would have felt even better if it were Leigh’s hands working his orgasm for him. He would have her on her knees in front of him with one hand gently rolling his balls around while the other squeezed the base of his cock. She would look up at him with her big blue eyes and stick out her tongue to lick off the drop of pre-cum from his mushroom crown. Her tongue would slide over the slit in the top and send shards of pleasure through his cock. With his hands in her hair, he would direct her to suck him down over and over again. She’d relax her throat and swallow him to the back of it just the way he liked it. Then she would suck back up and lick around the edge of the cap with her tongue. All the while, her hand would be squeezing a rhythmic pressure at the base of his dick. It would serve to keep him from coming too soon while enhancing the pleasure of having her touching him. Then, the vision changed and she began licking him instead of sucking on him. The feel of her tongue just teasing over his cock had his balls curling up inside their sac. She sucked in just the crown of


43

his dick and rubbed it against the roof of her mouth. He hissed out at the new sensation. It tightened his balls even more. When she nibbled at the cap and then licked at the slit over and over, Joel thought he was going to come right then and there. His hand began stroking his cock faster now as the vision continued. He pushed off the tile of the shower stall and planted his feet farther apart so he could reach his balls with his other hand. He manipulated them with his fingers, pulling on the sac some between his thumb and forefinger. God, he wasn’t going to last like this. Leigh’s mouth engulfed his dick to the back of her throat. Then she pulled back off him using just a hint of her teeth on the way back up. He threw back his head and moaned. His hand worked harder. She sucked him back down an inch at a time until the pressure was overwhelming and his cock hit the back of her throat. When she swallowed hard around him, his balls drew up the rest of the way and cum erupted into his cock and then into his hand as he pumped it up and down the dark stalk. His dick exploded with cum. He’d never come so hard in his life, and the fact remained that he’d let the daydream evolve into something he hadn’t controlled. Joel leaned back against the cool tile wall once again and worked at catching his breath. He was even weak in the knees after that. It had to have been the most explosive climax he had ever had. Finally, he stood up straight and rinsed off once again before turning off the water and climbing out of the shower. He dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist to walk to his bedroom. Had it been just he and Jonathan, he wouldn’t have bothered, but with Leigh in the house, it only seemed right. They weren’t intimate—yet. Somehow, he figured that was going to change soon. He knew he wouldn’t be able to resist much longer, and once he succumbed, Jonathan would be right there with him. His poor brother already had a case of the blue balls wanting her. He just wanted to be sure they were comfortable with each other before they added sex to the mix. Sex changed things.

44

Marla Monroe

When he walked back downstairs and into the kitchen a little later, he found Leigh rolling out biscuit dough on the counter. She had a dot of flour on her cheek. Without thinking about it, he wiped it off and replaced it with a kiss. She looked up and smiled at him. It was almost the same smile from his vision. It stirred his cock. “You look better with clean, dry clothes on. How do you feel?” “Better, thanks. How long before dinner?” he asked. She continued to flatten the dough. “Another hour, I think. Maybe a little less. Why?” “I’m going to go work on some paperwork in the office. It’s off the living room on the other side of the fireplace. Jonathan should be down before too much longer. He was in the shower when I left upstairs.” “I’ll be fine. I’ll call you or send Jonathan after you if it gets ready before you show up.” She cocked her head and looked at him. “You look less stressed. That shower really did you some good.” He realized she knew he’d jacked off in the shower. How had she known? Was it that obvious on his face? He frowned and turned away to head to the office and some much-needed paperwork. Keeping track of the cows required a certain amount of paperwork to be sure he didn’t interbreed them too much. It produced unhealthy cattle. He needed to locate another bull somewhere and either trade and even swap or barter for stud use this coming year. There were several other ranchers in the area that had bulls. He would have to see about meeting up with them and posing a swapping session among them. It would benefit them all. With that thought, he sat down and buried his mind in the business side of survival. **** Leigh stacked the last dinner dish in the drainer and dried her hands off on the apron at her waist. Then she removed it and hung it on the back of the pantry door. She was tired. Her back was aching


45

from being on her hands and knees for so long that afternoon cleaning the bathroom up. It probably hadn’t been cleaned well since the last owner had cleaned it. She stood staring out the kitchen window for several seconds at nothing in particular when she noticed glowing eyes at the edge of the yard. Wolves. She gasped and took a step back. They were so close. She eased back from the window as if they could see her and turned and hurried into the living room to where the men were discussing the ranch. “Do the wolves usually get close to the house?” she asked them. “Not real close, why?” Joel asked. “I can see their eyes in the backyard. I’d say that’s pretty damn close.” “Fuck.” Jonathan stood up and grabbed a gun she hadn’t seen before from next to the fireplace. “Maybe they aren’t as close as I think, but there are at least four of them.” She watched the two men check guns and head back to the kitchen. “If they’re this close here, they might be scattering the cattle looking for one to single out,” Joel explained. “Oh. Well, it’s the first time I’ve seen them around here.” She followed them into the kitchen. They left the lamp on the kitchen table and walked over to the windows to look out. Joel cursed and headed outside. Jonathan followed him. When she started to follow them, Jonathan shook his head and closed the door behind him with her still inside. She had wanted to go with them. She didn’t want to wait inside and not know what was going on. Leigh peered out the window and followed their movements around the yard. She couldn’t see the wolves’ eyes anymore now. Soon, the night swallowed them up from her view. When they didn’t return right away, she began to worry about them. Long minutes went by before she heard a rifle report and jumped. Then

46

Marla Monroe

there was another and another. The silence that followed was louder than anything for Leigh. She had no idea if they were okay or lying hurt out there in the dark. Not knowing was killing her. Just when she had gotten up her courage to take the lamp out and look for them, they emerged from the gloom and returned to the back porch. Both men looked fine. She breathed a sigh of relief and threw open the back door to let them in. They didn’t even take the time to remove their boots this time. Instead, they stepped out of them at the back door. “Don’t open that door at night again. I don’t care who is standing there. Let us open it.” Joel shrugged out of his coat after standing his gun by the back door next to Jonathan’s. “Sorry. I was just so happy to see you were okay. I heard the rifle fire and was worried you had been attacked.” Leigh gritted her teeth and turned with the lamp to march back into the living room, leaving them in the dark. She wasn’t going to let them jump on her like that. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Jonathan walked into the room first. “We’re okay, Leigh.” “I can see that. I wouldn’t have opened the door if there had been wolves out there. I’m not that stupid.” “I know you’re not, Leigh. But you have to be careful around here. The wolves are wild and very cunning. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Joel said when he walked into the room. He pulled her stiff body into his arms and hugged her. Finally, she relaxed into his arms and laid her head against his chest. She had gotten her feelings hurt too easily. That wasn’t good, she decided. It meant they were getting under her skin more so than she had planned on happening. They weren’t responding to her attempts to become intimate as fast as she would have liked. Now she was falling for them. If they found out how much she cared about them, they could hurt her so easily. She had to keep it from them.


47

She pulled out of Joel’s arms and walked over and hugged Jonathan quickly. “So, did you kill any of them?” she asked, taking a seat on the couch. “No, but we scared them off. There were three by the fence on the other side of the barn. They are getting more and more dangerous,” Jonathan commented. “Have they killed any of your cows in the past?” she asked. “They got one of our young cows last year that had wandered off from the herd. That’s why we try to keep them close together. So far they haven’t attempted to attack the herd yet.” “What do you do when the cows have calves?” “We spend a lot of time out there at night watching over them. We’ll be taking turns this spring.” Joel stood in front of the fireplace warming his hands against the fire. “I think I’m going to call it a night,” Jonathan said, and stretched. “That’s a good idea,” Joel agreed. “Come on, Leigh. You can go ahead upstairs with us so we can all have the lamp.” Leigh was ready for bed. She’d worked hard and was ready to climb into bed after a nice soak in the tub. “Can I keep the lamp? I want to take a bath.” She climbed the stairs between the two men. Jonathan led the way with the lamp. “Sure. I’ll sit it on the bathroom counter for you,” Jonathan said. He followed her into the bedroom and left the lamp for her like he said. Then he started to head out of the room. Leigh caught him by the shirt. When he turned to see what she wanted, she pulled him down and kissed him softly on the lips before pushing him out the door and closing it behind him.

48

Marla Monroe

Chapter Six Jonathan wasn’t sure what had woken him, but he didn’t feel as if he’d been asleep for more than an hour or so. He lay there listening to the house with its creaks and moans. Nothing stood out as having been the cause. Just when he was about to drift off again, a loud scream pierced the relative silence of the house. Leigh. He jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to her room. He reached it about the same time his brother did. They threw open the door and scrambled into the room, ready for whatever had attacked Leigh. Only there was nothing there. She was thrashing on the bed as if fighting for her life. Jonathan immediately climbed into bed and pulled her into his arms to try and calm her. She fought him at first. “Leigh, it’s Jonathan. You’re okay. You’re safe. Calm down, Leigh.” He stroked her head with one hand. Joel lit a lamp for them and climbed into the bed on the other side and stroked her shoulder as she settled down. Finally, she opened her eyes, still breathing heavily. “They were everywhere. I couldn’t get away from them.” There were tears in her eyes. Jonathan brushed them away with his thumb. “Who, baby?” “The wolves. They were in the house, and no matter where I ran, they were there.” She still had wild eyes from her night fright. “They aren’t here, Leigh. You’re okay now.” Joel leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I was so scared.”


49

“I know. We heard you scream.” Jonathan realized both he and Joel were buck naked. At least she had on a T-shirt. He started to pull away now that she was okay, but she latched onto his arm. “Please don’t leave me. I don’t want to sleep alone. I’m scared.” She turned tearstained eyes up to him, pleading with him. “Baby, you’re okay now. The wolves can’t get in the house. Everything is locked up tight,” he tried to explain to her, but she wasn’t listening. “Joel, please don’t make me sleep alone. I’m so scared.” Tears began to fall again. Jonathan knew the moment she’d won. Joel closed his eyes and nodded. “We’ll stay with you, baby. Come on. Let’s get you back under the covers.” He pulled the covers out from under them and they all climbed beneath them. She curled into Jonathan’s side with her head on his shoulder. She reached back and grabbed Joel’s arm and pulled it around her waist. Then she snuggled between them. Jonathan sighed. It felt good to have her in his arms, but he knew this would be the beginning of the end of how things had been. He was positive she would weasel her way into their hearts in no time. He didn’t mind one bit, but he was sure that Joel was going to fight it, and that would cause problems. The three of them huddled beneath the covers until one by one, they all fell asleep. Jonathan dreamed they were a family with kids and a large backyard on one side and a large garden on the other side. They cooked out during the summer and built snowmen in the winter. It was a good dream. So when he woke up, he should have been in a good mood. Instead, he woke up in a worried mood. For one thing, Leigh wasn’t in the bed with them. He rolled out of bed wondering how he had missed her getting up. He padded down to his room and pulled on

50

Marla Monroe

jeans, socks, and a shirt. Then he made his way down to the kitchen to find her busily preparing breakfast for them. “Morning, Jonathan. How are you?” “Been better,” he groused. Why was he in a foul mood? “Thanks for staying with me last night. I was scared. I don’t have bad dreams as a rule, so it upset me.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke. He poured up a cup of coffee and sipped it as he watched her cook. The fact that he had seen a future with her should have made him happy. What was bothering him? Joel came stomping down the stairs and Jonathan knew what it was then. Joel would probably try and pull back again today after having slept with her. That worried him. It would confuse Leigh. She turned and stared at Joel when he walked in the kitchen. He frowned, then headed for the coffee. “Morning, Leigh,” he said. “Morning, Joel. I was telling Jonathan that I don’t usually have nightmares. I was really freaked out by those wolves last night. Thanks for staying with me.” She continued stirring the hash browns she was cooking. “No problem. Jonathan, let’s go ahead and move the herd over to the other pasture since we have the wolves to worry about right now.” He sipped his coffee then walked over to the kitchen table to sit down. “That way we aren’t as far from them, and we know they won’t get bogged up in mud.” “Got you.” He watched Joel’s face for any sign of what he was thinking. His brother was tops at keeping his thoughts to himself. You could rarely tell what he was thinking by looking at his face, but this morning, he appeared agitated. Something he rarely saw in his brother. Joel had an iron will and nerves of steel. What had him upset today, Leigh or the wolves, or both?


51

Once they had finished breakfast, Joel stood up and took his plate to the sink. He rinsed it, and sat it on the counter. Then he walked back over to where Leigh sat and kissed her on the head. “Don’t get into any trouble while we’re gone, and stay inside.” He lifted an eyebrow at Jonathan. “You coming?” “Yeah.” Jonathan got up from the table and rinsed off his plate as well. While Joel shrugged on his coat and slipped on his boots, Jonathan wrapped an arm around Leigh’s middle and hugged her. Then he donned his coat, pulled on his boots, and followed Joel out to the barn. “What’s going on, Joel? You’re never this unsettled.” Jonathan risked his brother’s ire to find out what he was thinking. “Nothing. We’ve got wolves to worry about. I don’t have time to worry about anything else. That includes Leigh’s feelings. Best thing to do is give her what she wants and be done with it.” “Well, that’s a fine attitude you have on having sex with her. She’s going to love that.” Joel turned from cinching up his saddle to stare at him. “What in the hell do you want from me? First you want me to lighten up and give in, and when I do, you fucking complain about that, too.” “I don’t want you to force yourself to do anything, because she’s going to know your heart isn’t in it.” “I don’t think anyone’s heart is in it yet, Jonathan. That’s what I’ve been worried about, fucking for the sake of fucking.” Joel huffed out a breath and double-checked the saddle. “I’m not planning on doing that, Joel, and you know that. I have feelings for her. It may not be love yet, but I have feelings for her. Are you saying you don’t?” “Hell, I don’t know. I just know that what we have—what we’re going to have isn’t going to be what I’m used to, and that worries me.” Joel led his horse outside, where the early morning sun was just rising past the tree line.

52

Marla Monroe

Slivers of light played across the ground at their feet as they led the horses into the yard. Joel swung up into the saddle and waited for Jonathan to do the same. They rode in silence for a few seconds. “She’s a wonderful woman, Jonathan. She deserves the best that we can be for her. I’m not sure I can be my best at something I’m not used to. She’s going to know if I’m not satisfied. That’s going to cause problems down the road.” “Joel, maybe you will be satisfied. How do you know you won’t be until you’ve tried? Don’t go into a relationship expecting the worst. You’re only going to get it, and that will fuck us all up.” Joel didn’t say anything more. Instead, they began moving the herd to the next area, working in silence like they normally did. They each knew their part in the process, and soon the cows were settled in a new pasture. “Let’s check around the house for any signs of wolves. I want to see how close they are getting at night.” Joel climbed down off the horse when they got to the house and tied it up at the barn. They walked around the yard and the garden. Wolf prints were evident all along the tree line and as far as ten yards into the backyard. They didn’t find any evidence of them near the garden or the barn, though. After seeing to the horses, they checked around the outside of the house for any signs of problems before the winter snows set in. Usually, the men would sleep in the recliners during the worst of the winter cold to be close to the fireplace. But with Leigh, if they all slept together, they might be fine under a few comforters this winter. Jonathan hoped they would anyway. They pulled off their boots at the back door and went inside to shake off the cold air. Leigh was nowhere to be seen when they first walked in. Joel called out for her when they walked into the living room. She appeared at the top of the stairs. “I’m up here. What did you need?” she called down.


53

“Just wanted to know where you were. We’re inside for a few hours. Don’t worry about lunch. We’ll fix ourselves a sandwich when we get ready for it.” Joel added a log to the fire and sat back in his recliner. “Hey, Jonathan.” “Hi, Leigh. What are you doing up there?” he asked. “Cleaning the bedroom. It’s got several years’ worth of dust on everything. Y’all okay?” “Fine. Go on back to cleaning. We’ll be down here if you need us.” Jonathan watched her ass when she turned around and walked away. “Go on up to her, Jonathan. I know you want to.” Joel’s voice sounded tired. “She deserves both of us, Joel. I’m not going to scratch an itch. I want it to mean something. That means you have to be a part of it.” He refused to let Joel start things off wrong. His brother cared about her. It was obvious or he wouldn’t be worried about hurting her in the long run. He was just stuck on his need to be in control. Jonathan had never needed that in the relationship and had always let Joel do the leading. Joel could do the leading now as far as he was concerned. “Can one of you guys come up and help me for a minute?” Leigh’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “We’ll both come up and help.” Joel scowled at Jonathan and climbed out of the recliner. They found her washing the walls with warm water. She had a disgusted look on her face. “What is it?” Joel asked when they walked into the room. “I can’t move the chest out of the way so I can wash the wall behind it.” She huffed out a breath and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes that had escaped her ponytail. They moved the chest over and waited while she quickly washed the wall to move it back. Then they did the same thing with the

54

Marla Monroe

dresser. Once she was finished with it, they moved it back and stood waiting for her to tell them what was next. She dried her hands off on her jeans before wrapping her arms around Joel’s waist and hugging him. “Thanks for helping me.” She reached up on tiptoes and kissed him. Jonathan watched as Joel pulled her into his arms and deepened the kiss. Then he was backing her over toward the bed. Jonathan sighed and hoped he knew what he was doing. He walked behind Leigh and reached for the hem of her T-shirt to pull it over her head. She didn’t balk. Instead, she helped him. They were forced to break their kiss in order for Jonathan to remove her shirt. He reached around to unhook her front-closure bra and peeled the cups back. When her arms were pulled behind her so he could remove the bra, Joel stopped him and had him hold her hands behind her while he kissed and nipped his way down her jaw and neck toward her breasts. To her credit, she never balked at being held like that. Jonathan leaned in and sucked in her earlobe to tease with his tongue as Joel zeroed in on a nipple. He sucked on it then moved to the other one. His hand was playing with the other breast at the same time. Jonathan reached around between them and began unfastening Leigh’s jeans. He wanted to taste her sweet pussy. No doubt, Joel would want that as well. If he could get her jeans off fast enough, he might be able to sneak a taste from behind while his brother was busy with her breasts. He grinned and began pulling her jeans down her legs. He knelt behind her and she stepped out of them for him. He tossed them to the side, then did the same with her panties. He could already smell her juicy cunt. He used his hands to shove her legs farther apart and spread her ass cheeks wide, so he could get to her saturated pussy lips. She was dripping in honey. He licked at her slit over and over, savoring her sweet juices. She tasted like spice and cider. He wanted to bury his face in her cunt. “Jonathan, hold up, man. We’ll get her on the bed where it will be easier.” Joel’s voice was strained.


55

“Please. Don’t stop.” Leigh’s voice held strain as well. They positioned her on the bed so that she lay spread-eagle for them to enjoy. Joel returned to her breasts while Jonathan dove into her pussy. He spread her pussy lips with his fingers and stiffened his tongue to fuck her with it. He delved inside, scooping out more of her cunt’s sweet nectar to savor. “Fuck, you taste good, baby. I could lie here all night sipping at your sweet juices. Give me more, baby.” Jonathan licked up her slit, earning a moan from her. “I want a taste of her, Jonathan.” Joel leaned down and coated his fingers in her honey. He watched as his brother tasted her. Joel closed his eyes and grinned as he licked his fingers clean of her juices. “She’s spicy, Jonathan.” “Sweet and spicy,” he agreed. Jonathan returned to devouring Leigh’s pussy while his brother tortured her breasts with his mouth and fingers. He could bring a woman to climax just manipulating her breasts. This time, they would both bring her until she exploded on his face. He loved riding a woman’s cunt while she climaxed. He inserted two fingers, careful to go slow so as not to hurt her. She moaned and lifted her pelvis to accept him. He began a slow rhythm of in and out with them as he continued to lick up and down her slit. He was careful to keep off her clit. He wanted to wait until the little nub was desperate for attention before he sucked it in and took care of it. She was slowly pumping her hips in time with his fingers. He curled his fingers and explored inside of her until he found her hot spot. When she groaned and tried to follow his fingers with her cunt, he knew he’d found it. She was slowly beginning to tense all over, getting ready for the growing explosion.

56

Marla Monroe

Chapter Seven The slow burn built into a raging fire as Jonathan teased her sweet spot with his fingers. Leigh wasn’t sure how long she could hold on between Joel’s mouth and fingers tormenting her nipples and Jonathan’s mouth and fingers teasing her cunt. The pleasure that was growing inside of her would surely destroy her. She had never felt such pressure to come before. But then she’d never had two men intent on wringing it out of her before. Just when she thought she had flown as high as she could, Jonathan sucked on her clit at the same time his brother twisted one nipple and pulled the other one with his teeth. Her climax roared through her like a race car intent on the checkered flag. Sparks shot through her veins and burned their way from her nipples to her clit. She screamed out their names, bucking until she thought for sure she would buck them off of her. But they held on. Then Jonathan was holding her legs up as he positioned his massive cock at her entrance. “Let me do the work, baby. I don’t want to hurt you.” He sounded far away to her. Maybe it was her ringing ears. Then all she knew was pressure as he pushed his thick dick inside of her, inch by exquisite inch. He stretched her wide with his cock, pushing in and pulling out over and over until he finally made it all the way inside of her. She sighed. It felt so good to have him there. But she needed him to move. “Move, Jonathan. Please, I need you to move.” Joel chuckled from his position next to her, still playing lightly with her breasts. He reached over and licked one of her nipples and


57

she shivered. They were so sensitive now that the slightest touch sent tingles all down her body. Jonathan began a slow push and pull that did little to scratch her itch. She whimpered and tried to help him by tilting her pelvis. He smiled down at her and began speeding up until his cock was pistoning in and out of her over and over again. He thrust deeper and harder with each stroke until she felt her climax building again. She had never climaxed twice in one night. Hell, she’d only climaxed by her own hand in the past. Leigh squeezed her cunt muscles rhythmically over and over to let Jonathan know she was close. He cupped her ass cheeks with his hands as he held her hips with her legs over his arms. His dick tunneled in and out of her cunt over and over until he grunted and began coming inside of her. The spurt of his hot seed inside her pussy triggered her climax. She yelled out as everything seemed to stand still. Even Joel’s fingers squeezing her tits didn’t quite register as she burned out of control. By the time she had settled down, Jonathan had collapsed beside her and Joel was there to take his place. “Roll over, baby. I want to take you from behind. Let me see your sweet ass.” Leigh had to work at turning over. She was exhausted, having come twice in less than an hour. She raised her ass in the air and wiggled it. A sharp slap on her ass had her frowning and turned her head to look over her shoulder at Joel. “What was that for?” “Because I liked seeing my handprint on your ass cheek.” He spanked the other one and she wiggled it at him. “Is that the best you have?” She grinned at him then yelped when he laid a series of quick spanks on each ass cheek. “That’s what I like to see, a cherry-red ass.” He rubbed his hand around her ass cheeks before spreading them wide, so he could enter her dripping pussy with his throbbing cock.

58

Marla Monroe

Leigh hissed out a yes when he was fully inside her. He was just as large as Jonathan, but a little longer, and he bumped her cervix just right when he tunneled inside her all the way. It felt delicious, just a little bite of pain that quickly turned into a burn of pleasure. She groaned when he began pummeling her pussy with his cock. It felt so freaking good. She never wanted it to end. He spanked her ass periodically, keeping the burn on her cheeks. With each thrust of his dick, he slammed against them, spreading the burn even further. He alternated between popping her ass and grasping her hips to tunnel in and out of her cunt. She felt every wisp of air that touched her skin and every thread of the fabric beneath her body. She was so attuned to things around her that when her climax hit, it tore through her like a twister. She screamed and stiffened all over. Joel didn’t stop fucking her spasming pussy until he climaxed, too. She felt his hot cum hit her cervix as he filled her full. It wasn’t until she was able to think that it dawned on her that she might end up pregnant with one of their babies. The thought brought an even wider smile to her face. “Are you okay, Leigh?” Joel’s voice sounded far away. She was drifting now. “Um. Fine.” “I think she’s a little high, Joel.” Jonathan chuckled. “I’m done for. I need a nap.” Joel collapsed on the other side of her from Jonathan and they all three dozed off and on. Leigh enjoyed the heat of their bodies against her. It made her feel wanted and loved. Yeah, it was far too soon for anything as serious as love, but she really liked them and cared about them. It was a start. **** They fucked like rabbits over the next few days, learning more about each other’s bodies and what they liked and didn’t like so


59

much. Joel had to admit that for such a short time, they had become friends fairly quickly. Leigh was easy enough to get along with. Don’t dirty up her kitchen floor and she was happy, pretty much. Joel could tell Jonathan was getting what he wanted out of the relationship by the grin that always seemed to be on his face now. Leigh seemed happy enough with their relationship. She didn’t balk when he lightly restrained her, and seemed to get just as much enjoyment out of his spankings as he did. Maybe they could make a go of it. Maybe waiting had only added more stress and strain on everyone. The wolves hadn’t been back lately, but they kept a watch out. Joel figured with their first snow, the bastards would be back looking for food. By the smell of the air, he thought they might get that snow in the next twenty-four hours. They would need to take turns watching over the herd day and night. He figured he would take nights, leaving days for Jonathan. “What are you doing out there?” Leigh’s voice called through the kitchen door. “Just checking the weather.” He opened the kitchen door and walked in amid a rush of cold air. Leigh shivered and rubbed her arms. “It’s cold out there. Is it going to snow soon?” “Yep. I figure by this time tomorrow we’ll have some snow on the ground.” He couldn’t help but smile at her exuberance even knowing it would cause a lot more work. She squealed and whirled around in the kitchen. “What’s going on?” Jonathan walked in from the living room. “Joel said it’s going to snow soon.” “I’ll take nights, you can have days,” Joel told Jonathan at his brother’s raised eyebrow. “What do you mean?” Leigh frowned.

60

Marla Monroe

“We have to stay with the herd to keep them safe when it snows. That means one of us stays at night and one of us stays out during the day,” Joel explained. “For how long?” “Until we know they’ll stay close together and as long as the wolves stick close by. So far we haven’t found any evidence of them being around, but we can’t take a chance with a first snow.” “I want both of you in bed with me.” She pouted. “It won’t be for too long, baby. It will be okay.” Jonathan wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her back against him. “Let’s get to bed. It’s cold in here,” Joel finally said. He wanted inside of Leigh’s sweet pussy. More than that, right now, he wanted in her tight ass, but they needed to prepare her. He planned to start tonight. Her little rosette had been staring at him for days as he pumped her full of his cum. He wanted both he and his brother to take her together. He would feel even closer to her that way. Knowing that she trusted him enough to let him in her sweet ass went a long way in cementing his security in their relationship. They followed her up the stairs and into the bedroom. All the way, his dick twitched at the thought of her back hole squeezing him. When she started undressing, he stopped her and undressed her himself. He slowly pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the side. Then he flicked the clasp on her bra and peeled the cups away from her breasts one at a time. He bent down and licked each nipple before dropping the bra to the floor. Jonathan stood back as if sensing this was important to him. Joel was glad. He wanted to be the one to undress her tonight for some reason. He unfastened her jeans and peeled them down her hips and off her legs. She stepped out of them. He pulled off her socks and then stood up and shed his clothes while staring her in the eyes the entire time. He felt his brother behind him undressing as well.


61

Leigh seemed to know that this was between them. She waited for him to finish undressing then stepped over to the bed where he positioned her on her stomach with her ass raised in the air. He bent over and licked her pussy from behind around to her little rosette. Then he reached over to the bedside table and pulled out the drawer. There he withdrew a small bottle of lube he had stashed there earlier. He made sure she could see it as he retrieved it. When she didn’t balk, he took it as permission to continue. Joel tested her readiness with two fingers in her cunt and found her pussy juices flowing. He pumped his fingers in and out several times before pulling his fingers out and sucking the delicious juices from them. Then he positioned his cock at her entrance and surged forward. Leigh hissed out a yes when he filled her with his throbbing dick. Joel pulled back almost all the way and thrust forward again and again until he was all the way inside of her. He stilled and enjoyed the tightness of her cunt around his cock. He knew her ass would be even tighter, but the moist, tight heat of her had his balls burning. Joel squeezed a liberal amount of lube on her ass and began to slowly massage it into her back hole. He pushed with his thumb against the rosette and felt her push back against him. She knew what to do. “Have you ever had someone in your ass before, Leigh?” She hesitated then answered. “Yes. I didn’t much like it. It hurt.” “I promise we’ll be careful with you. It burns a little at first, but then we’ll make you feel better than you’ve ever felt before. Will you let us?” He almost held his breath waiting for her to reply. “I know you’ll be careful, Joel,” she finally said. “I need you to say it’s okay, Leigh. I won’t do anything without you agreeing to it. We won’t force you into anything.” Her eyes watered up and she nodded before answering out loud. “Yes, I want you in my ass, Joel.” He sighed and began slowly pumping his dick in and out of her pussy as his thumb pushed in and pulled out of her tight ass. He

62

Marla Monroe

looked up and found Jonathan smiling as he lay beside her, playing with her bobbing breasts. The harder he pumped into her, the more her breasts jiggled for Jonathan. He smiled back. She would truly be theirs soon. Once she was pushing back against him with some force, Joel removed his thumb with a soft pop and added more lube before entering her dark tunnel with two fingers. She stiffened up at first, then relaxed and pushed back against his fingers. Slowly, she began to add force to her backward thrusts. Joel tunneled in and out of her sweet cunt until he began to feel his balls draw up with a burning intensity. He looked up at Jonathan and nodded. He needed help to send her over into orgasm. He wasn’t going to last much longer. Jonathan grinned and reached down between her legs to find her clit. Joel knew he would take care of her for him. He began to concentrate on holding off his orgasm until she exploded around him. He wanted to feel her tighten around him as her orgasm took her. When she suddenly clamped down on him and screamed, he let go and flew with her, pumping her full of his cum as it erupted from his balls into his cock. He slowly withdrew his fingers from her ass while she was still high on coming and waited until she relaxed around him before he withdrew his dick. Then he pulled out and went to clean up in the bathroom while Jonathan soothed her and held her until he got back. He expected Jonathan to take her afterward, but she was sound asleep when he got back. Jonathan was rubbing her back. He gently cleaned her up then tossed the cloth and climbed into bed with her. “Sorry, Jonathan. I didn’t expect her to pass out afterward.” “That’s okay. I’ll get my turn. She took to it fine. That’s all that matters. I can’t wait to take her together.” Jonathan continued to rub her back as if he couldn’t bear not to touch her. “You’ve fallen for her, haven’t you?” Joel wasn’t surprised. His brother was the more relaxed of the two of them.


63

“Yeah. She means more to me than anything. I want her to be happy, Joel.” “I want her to be happy, too. I’ll do everything in my power to make her happy.” Joel didn’t know how he felt about her yet, but he knew she was special to them both. “You can’t help but love her, Joel. You’ll see.” Jonathan let his hand rest on the small of her back. “Get some sleep, little brother. We have snow coming in. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.” He lay there for a long time after he heard Jonathan’s snores. How did he feel about Leigh? He knew he cared about her and she was important to him. Not just because his brother loved her, but because Joel wanted to love her. Maybe he already did. He had never been in love before, so he wasn’t sure what it felt like. Right now, he knew he would be devastated if anything happened to her. Just the thought of something happening to her had his heart racing, and his stomach twisted with unease. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her if he could help it. He didn’t like feeling fear and worry. If that was what love was, maybe it would be better if he didn’t fall for her. Someone needed to keep a clear head around her to keep her safe. He looked over at her lying flat on her stomach with one hand curled at her chin and the other one under the pillow. Jonathan lay on his side facing her with one hand resting on her lower back just above her ass. Joel had the urge to touch her. He wasn’t sure why, but he deliberately resisted. Need was dangerous. Needing her would weaken him, and he had to be strong to keep them all safe. There were hundreds of things out there that could harm them. Besides the uncertainty of the weather and the earth itself, there were the wolves to consider, and other men. It was nothing for a man to try and steal another man’s woman for his own. There were black market suppliers, and then there was the

64

Marla Monroe

new group that enforced the runaway law. Leigh wasn’t a runaway, but if they caught her away from a house, they wouldn’t wait to take her and punish her. The thought of anyone whipping his woman made him angry. He had to make sure she was with one of them at all times when they went to Sky Line. Eventually they would need to go. She needed clothes that actually fit her, and they needed supplies from some of the stores there. It wouldn’t be long before Sky Line was all scavenged out and they would have to locate one of the other towns further out. He wasn’t looking forward to that at all. “Joel, go to sleep. You’re thinking so hard my head is hurting over here.” Jonathan’s voice startled him. “Sorry. Good night.” “Night.”


65

Chapter Eight Leigh was the first one downstairs the next morning and rushed to the window to see out. The sun wasn’t up yet, but she could see the white blanket of snow on the porch. She was so excited she almost opened the door to touch it, but remembered the wolves before she unlocked the door. No, she would wait for one of the men. She hurried around and made coffee, then pulled out meat to cook breakfast. They would need a hearty meal to deal with the cold and extra work of shoveling snow. Maybe they would let her help with shoveling the snow. She loved snow. They got it so rarely in the south, where she had been from. “What’s all the noise about down here?” Joel asked in a grumpy voice. “It’s time to get up, so don’t fuss at me.” She grinned at him like an idiot. He frowned harder. “What?” “It snowed! I can’t wait to make a snowman!” Leigh couldn’t contain her exuberance. “Hell. You want to go play in it?” Joel shook his head. “I can’t wait.” She handed him his coffee. “Here, drink this so you’ll wake up and be nice.” “I’m nice,” he grumbled. “Who’s nice?” Jonathan walked into the kitchen and grabbed Leigh around the waist to hoist her up for a kiss. “You are.” She hugged him back. “Joel doesn’t like snow,” Jonathan warned her. “I think I figured that out.”

66

Marla Monroe

“Snow means more work and a greater chance of problems.” “Can I go outside and shovel snow and make a snowman?” Leigh asked. “Joel.” Jonathan seemed to be warning him of something. “As long as we’re out there to watch for you, you can play all you want. You’re not staying out once we head out to the pastures, though.” “Great!” She served them their breakfast and sat down to eat with them. Nearly an hour later, she had all the dishes in the sink to soak and was pulling on her coat with the men. She shoved her hands into gloves, though she knew she would be taking them off to feel the snow in her hands at some point. Still, she would need them to shovel. There was no need in getting blisters. They filed outside and Leigh immediately jumped out into it. They had approximately ten inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing. The clouds kept the sun from illuminating the sky to some extent, but it was bright enough for her to see to play. She gathered up a ball and tossed it at Jonathan’s back. He growled at her and hit her square in the chest with one. “No snowball fights, kids.” Joel scowled at them when one hit him on the shoulder. “We need to get to work.” Leigh stuck her tongue out at him but quickly grabbed a shovel and began to clear a path from the back steps toward the barn. They each staked out a section of the path and shoveled until there was a straight path there. “Okay, build your snowman quick while we see to the horses and saddle up. Once we get ready to leave, you’ve got to go back inside the house,” Jonathan told her. Leigh ran back to the house and began rolling snowballs to make her masterpiece. She had one nearly complete when the men emerged from the barn with their horses in tow. She hurriedly walked over to them to wish them a good day.


67

“You go on inside now, baby.” Jonathan hugged her and gave her a sloppy kiss. Leigh smiled and grabbed Joel before he could climb up on the horse. “Where’s my kiss?” “You don’t get a kiss from me until you behave.” He smiled. “I’ve behaved. Give me my kiss,” she demanded. He bent over her and kissed her. It was a soft, gentle kiss that said more to her than if he’d just laid one on her. He cared about her despite his gruff exterior. Leigh hugged him and then clomped toward the house. She stomped off her feet on the porch and waved at them as they climbed up on their horses and headed toward the gate. “Get on inside and stay there, Leigh.” Jonathan pointed at the door. She stuck her tongue out at him and pulled off her boots before hurrying inside. She finished the dishes then turned to working in their rooms to combine their stuff with hers in the master bedroom. They were all staying there now, so she needed to get their things moved. She started with Jonathan’s room. It needed a thorough cleaning anyway. More than likely Joel’s did, too. She would handle his the next day. When lunchtime came and went with no sign of the men, she began to worry. She kept the soup warming on the stove and kept watch at the windows until she saw them at the gate. Sighing with relief, she pulled out the sandwiches and waited for them to come inside. They disappeared into the barn to take care of the horses, then emerged several minutes later to tromp across the newly covered path. At least a solid inch, if not two, had fallen while they were gone. She began pouring up soup when she heard their stomps on the porch. They hurried inside to keep the cold air out and pulled off their coats and gloves. “Everything okay out there?” she asked.

68

Marla Monroe

“Pretty much what we expected. Had to search for a few stragglers that are too dumb to realize they stay warmer by sticking together.” Jonathan washed up then took his seat at the table. “Man, I’m hungry. This looks good.” Joel began eating as soon as he sat down. “Aren’t you going to eat with us, baby?” Jonathan asked. “I’ve already eaten. You’re late. I was hungry and couldn’t wait.” “Sorry. Had to find all of them before we came back,” he said. “It’s okay. I was getting worried, though. I wish we had radios so I could keep up with you.” “That’s a good idea, but we’re too far out of range for anything we could find to use,” Joel said. “Maybe we’ll look at building a tower one day and getting one of those base stations. I wonder if they would work out here?” “Don’t know. It’s a good thought, though. Next time we go to Sky Line, let’s see if we can find anything to play with.” Jonathan swallowed down the last of his soup. “Do you want more?” Leigh asked. “No, thanks. I’m full. I’ve got to get back out there.” Jonathan stood up and stretched. “Joel will be here with you this afternoon. Make sure he sleeps. He will be watching the herd tonight in case of wolves.” “I’ll make sure he sleeps.” She wrapped her arms around Jonathan. “You be careful out there alone.” He hugged her back. “I will, baby.” Leigh watched as Jonathan tugged on his coat and gloves and walked out the door to put on his boots on the back porch. She watched out the window until he entered the barn, then she turned and smiled at where Joel had gathered up the dishes for her. He had left the room, though. She figured he would take a shower before bed, so she decided to join him and do the dishes later.


69

Leigh found him climbing in the shower when she walked into the bathroom. “Hey! You let in cold air,” Joel complained. “Don’t worry. I’ll warm you back up.” Leigh stripped out of her clothes and got in with Joel. “How about letting me clean you up?” “Be my guest, Leigh.” He handed her the soap and cloth. She bathed him from his shoulders to his toes, saving the interesting pieces in between until last. Then she knelt and began soaping up his cock with her bare hands. She cuddled his balls in her hand, squeezing on the sac as she scratched over it with her nails. He hissed out a breath and grabbed her head. “If you’re going to do that, I’m going to end up fucking that pretty mouth of yours, Leigh. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.” Leigh laughed. “Oh, I can handle you, Joel. Let me rinse you off and I’ll prove it to you.” She turned him around from her vantage point on her knees and made sure all the soap was removed by the shower. Then he turned back around and grabbed her head with his hands. “Tell me if I’m hurting you or scaring you, Leigh. I don’t want to do that.” Joel ran a thumb over her lips, and she opened her mouth for him. Leigh planted her hands on his thighs for support and took his throbbing cock into her mouth. She sucked on it and licked around the mushroom head until Joel took over and began to shallowly fuck his dick in and out of her mouth. When he pulled all the way out, a pearl of pre-cum formed at the slit on top. She moaned and reached out with her tongue to lick it. He jerked at the touch of her tongue and hissed out a breath. “Fuck, yeah, that’s it, baby.” Leigh licked his slit over and over until he pushed her mouth deeper over his cock. The salty taste of him was wonderful. She couldn’t wait for him to come in her mouth. She wanted to taste more of him. She loved her men’s tastes.

70

Marla Monroe

“I’m going to go as deep as I can down your throat, Leigh. Relax and breathe through your nose.” He slowly pushed his cock deeper into her mouth until he reached the back of her throat. She relaxed her throat and swallowed around him. He came up on his toes then backed out of her mouth. “Fuck! That was good, Leigh. Do it again.” He pushed forward again, and she swallowed hard around him. Over and over he tunneled down her throat for her to swallow him tight in her throat. Then he pulled back and began to fuck her mouth in earnest. Leigh loved it, loved the feel of his hands on her head digging his nails into her scalp. He needed her this way. She could do this for him. It thrilled her to know that she was giving him something he needed, because she had no doubt in her mind that he needed some control over her. He was trying so hard to let her feel free without actually being free. She loved him for that. Loved him for caring enough about her feelings to try and give her what freedom he could. Leigh loved Jonathan for his gentleness and caring. He did everything in his power to make her happy. He even bumped heads with his brother when it involved her happiness. She tried to keep that to a minimum, though. She didn’t want them fighting because of her. Joel pummeled her mouth over and over again. She knew he was getting close because his balls had begun to draw up. She grinned around his thrusting cock and raked her nails along his balls at the same time she swallowed around him. He exploded in her throat with a roar. “Yes! Fuck, that feels wonderful.” Joel pumped his cock with his hand while he came in her mouth. Leigh swallowed him down, then when he pulled out, she grabbed his dick to lick him clean. She looked up at him from where she knelt at his feet and smiled. Joel threw back his head for a minute as if to clear it, then bent down and drew her to her feet. He pulled her into his arms and just held her for long seconds before turning her to the water to rinse.


71

“It’s time for me to get some sleep. Want to curl up with me for a while?” he asked. “Love to.” Leigh cleaned up then stepped out of the shower to dry off. They curled up in the bed together and fell asleep. **** Jonathan walked inside later that afternoon after pulling off his boots to find Leigh cooking in the kitchen. She squealed and jumped into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re home. I missed you.” She hugged him then slid down his body to the floor. “Dinner will be ready in another thirty minutes. I woke Joel up and he’s dressing.” “Something smells wonderful. What is it?” Jonathan asked. “I made an apple pie from a can of apples. I thought you two could use something sweet for a change.” Leigh checked something in the oven. “Joel loves apple pies. He’s going to hug you for that.” “Hope you like it, too.” She turned to look at him with a frown. “Oh, I like anything sweet. That’s why I love your pussy.” “Play your cards right and I just might let you have a taste later.” She winked at him and started pulling out plates for the table. “I’m going to go talk to Joel about the cows. We’ll be down to eat in a little while.” He winked at her and walked toward the living room. Just as he reached the stairs, Joel started down them. “Hey, little brother. How are the cows doing?” Joel reached the bottom of the stairs and crossed to the fireplace, where he stretched. A fire roared in the hearth. He noticed they were getting low on wood by the fireplace. He made a mental note to bring more in after lunch. Leigh must have been keeping the fire going for them. It was obvious that Joel had just gotten up. His eyes were still sleepy

72

Marla Monroe

looking. But the big thing to him was that his brother looked happy. He hadn’t looked that way in a long while. Instead of commenting on it and possibly ruining it for him, Jonathan started talking about the herd. “So far, they’re all sticking together as long as I’m around to make sure they do. Haven’t seen any wolves, but I did see a coyote and quite a few deer. I’m thinking some venison would be good for a change. Think I’ll kill us one tomorrow before I come back in. I can clean it up and carve it before bedtime. The meat will be good in the cellar for a couple of days.” “Sounds good to me, too. You’ll have to probably help her cook it the first few times. I don’t know if she knows anything about wild meat or not,” Joel pointed out. “We’ll take care of it. You need to be careful out there at night and watch your back. Those wolves are getting smart. I know they are out there. I can feel them looking, but I haven’t seen them. If you don’t see them tonight, I’m going to look around in the woods tomorrow in the daylight and see how deep their tracks start.” “You be careful in the woods. Like you said, they’re getting smart. They could be luring you in for a reason.” “It snowed another inch, I think, but the clouds are breaking up. I think this is it for this round.” “Hope the temps stay steady so we don’t end up with mud again. I don’t mind the cold so much if we don’t have mud to deal with,” Joel said. “Hey, you guys, the food is on the table,” Leigh’s voice rang out from the kitchen. “She cooked an apple pie. Can you smell it?” Jonathan asked. “Hot damn. I love apple pie.” Joel hurried into the kitchen ahead of Jonathan. After dinner, they enjoyed their apple pie dessert and then Joel stretched and started toward the door to pull on his coat.


73

Jonathan was amused when Leigh stopped him and pulled him down for a very intimate kiss. She held his head between her hands and laid it on him. When they came up for air, Joel laughed and wrapped her in his arms. “You behave yourself. Don’t give Jonathan any trouble.” “I’m never any trouble.” She pouted. “Tell that to someone who believes you.” “Jonathan believes me, don’t you, Jonathan?” “Sure, baby. I believe anything you say.” He laughed when she scowled at him. “Careful out there, brother. See you in the morning.” Jonathan opened the door for him then closed it and locked it behind him. At Leigh’s worried look, he laughed. “Don’t worry. He has a key.” “Why don’t you go relax in front of the fire while I clean up. Then we can have a nice hot bath together before bed.” “I’m going to bring in some more wood first. I’ll be out front if you need me.” Jonathan slapped her on the ass once with his palm and then hurried through the doorway before she retaliated. He spent thirty minutes making sure they had plenty of wood inside and out on the front porch. Then he checked the kitchen and found Leigh still working on something, so he climbed in his recliner to wait for her to come and get him. He must have dozed at some point, because the next thing he knew, she was climbing up in the chair with him. “You awake?” she asked. “Am now.” “Let’s go get a bath and go to bed. I bet you’re tired.” Leigh backed off the end of the chair, causing it to sit back up. It spilled her onto the floor, laughing. “Are you okay?” he asked, standing up to pull her to her feet. “Yes. I should have known that would happen. Come on.” She pulled at him until he followed her to the stairs.

74

Marla Monroe

They undressed as the tub filled with water. She stepped in and sank beneath the hot, sudsy water with his help. Then he climbed in and followed suit. He grabbed her feet and pulled them into his lap to massage. He figured she had been on her feet a good part of the day. “What have you been doing all day?” he asked. “Other than cooking, I cleaned out your bedroom and moved your stuff into the master bedroom with mine. That room was filthy. It needed a good cleaning.” “I’m sure it did. We didn’t do much cleaning at all.” He began moving up her legs with his massage. “Well, it’s clean now. I threw out a few shirts that were threadbare. You have plenty and can get more the next time you go scavenging. I can keep them clean for you so you don’t need more than a dozen shirts and half dozen jeans. The jeans I cut off for shorts for the summer. All that was wrong with them was where the knees were out.” “You’ve been a busy little bee. You might want to talk to Joel before you mess around in his room. He’s a little more particular than I am.” He felt her go still. “Did I do something wrong by cleaning out your room? I didn’t mean to, Jonathan.” “Shh, baby. It doesn’t bother me, but it might Joel. Talk to him first, is all I’m saying.” “Okay, I will.” She relaxed again and began soaping up her cloth. “Let me bathe you, Leigh. I like doing it.” He reached for the cloth. “You like playing with my breasts is what you like to do,” she teased. “Well, that, too.” He began running the cloth over her body. Jonathan liked the way she smiled when he began massaging her breasts with his bare hands. He liked the way they felt when he squeezed them. He leaned forward and licked at a nipple then blew over it. She moaned.


75

“That’s cruel. It’s cold now.” Leigh smirked at him. “Maybe you can warm it up for me.” “How about I warm all of you up in bed instead?” He stood up and reached down to pull her up. He felt his cock twitch in awareness as he watched the water sluice off her body as she stood up. It was all shiny, glistening in the lamplight. The reflection of it off the mirror widened his area of sight. He loved her. He would do anything to keep her safe and happy. “Help me out, Jonathan. I’m scared I’ll slip.” She reached out for him. He picked her up and sat her on the mat, making sure she had her balance before he let go of her. She giggled and began to dry off, presenting her back to him when she bent over to dry her lower legs and feet. He grinned and popped her on one ass cheek. She looked over her shoulder at him and grinned. “Come on, you little tease. Let’s get in bed before we catch cold.” He hurried her into the bedroom and beneath the covers.

76

Marla Monroe

Chapter Nine Leigh moaned as Jonathan sucked on her pussy. He was beneath the covers driving her crazy with his tongue and fingers. He had two in her pussy with his thumb in her ass and rubbed the thin layer of flesh between the two. It was driving her crazy. The sensation felt naughty and wonderful all at the same time. “Oh, God, Jonathan! I’m going to come if you keep doing that.” “That’s the purpose, baby.” He returned to licking her cunt with his long tongue. “I want to come with you inside of me.” She panted then as he pumped his fingers in and out of her holes. The sparks began to build inside of her pussy as he rubbed over her sweet spot over and over with his fingers and thumb. It had her eyes rolling back in her head when he licked over her clit at the same time. He was driving her crazy. She would never live through the orgasm. He would kill her with it. She must have spoken out loud because he chuckled against her pussy lips sending chills down her spine. “Hold on, baby. I’m going to send you flying now.” Jonathan pressed hard against her sweet spot using both his thumb and his two fingers, then sucked in her clit and tongued it all at the same time. Leigh screamed as she came. She couldn’t even think around the explosion of pleasure that took her riding high. It took her breath and left her gulping for air in its wake. Before she was even through flying from her first orgasm, he began pushing into her tight pussy and starting her up toward the next one.


77

“Easy, baby. I’ll do all the work. You relax and let me in.” Jonathan pulled back and pushed back in, gaining several inches this time. When he finally sheathed himself inside her hot cunt, he stopped to catch his breath. She squeezed her pussy muscles around him and he grunted in approval. She grinned and began tilting her pelvis up and down to move him some inside of her. It wasn’t that she was impatient. She just liked to irritate him when he was having trouble controlling himself. “I’m going to spank your ass if you keep doing that,” he rasped out. She did it again and he popped her thigh. She laughed and did it again. Again he popped her. She moaned. He didn’t spank her as hard as Joel did. His felt better, but Jonathan was too afraid of hurting her to really spank her like she needed if she was going to get anything out of it. Instead, she grabbed his wrists where his hands held her hips up for him to reach her. He looked deep into her eyes. His turned darker. He pulled out of her and plunged deep again. She moaned. This was what she liked with Jonathan. He’d stretch her wide and give her the fucking she needed this way. He thrust inside her over and over until she began to feel the signs of her orgasm creep up on her once again. She wasn’t ready. She wanted to enjoy the pummeling he was giving her before it was over. It felt so good to know he needed her. They both needed her, but in different ways. She could take care of both of them. Then all thoughts flew away as he pounded into her, sending her reeling into another orgasm. She lost her balance and fell into the orgasm. Long minutes later after they had cleaned up and she had curled around Jonathan, Leigh thought about the three of them. They were an odd family, but they were a family of sorts. What happened if she got pregnant? Would they be happy? The idea of bringing up a family

78

Marla Monroe

was daunting, but she needed to get ready for it because unless she was barren, there would be children before long. Somewhere in the thought she fell asleep, but awoke hours later to the sound of total silence and an empty bed next to her. She waited to see if Jonathan had just gone to the bathroom, but when he didn’t return after what she felt like had been plenty of time, she scurried out of the bed and grabbed clothes and socks so she wouldn’t freeze. She reached for the lamp to light it, but it was gone. Where had he gone? She listened for any sound, but heard nothing. She eased her way out of the bedroom and along the hall wall. When she reached the stairs, she grabbed hold of the banister and held tight as she negotiated each step. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones. She made it to the bottom of the stairs and noted that the fire was roaring in the fireplace, but despite the light, she didn’t see Jonathan in the chair or in the room. She used the dancing light of the fire to walk into the kitchen then grabbed a lamp from the counter and lit it. There was no one in the kitchen, either. She was just about to check the office, when she noticed the back door was unlocked now and Jonathan’s coat was missing. He had gone outside. Why? Leigh pulled on her coat and opened the door to peek out. Jonathan was immediately there, pushing her inside. “What are you doing?” he demanded. His voice was much harsher than she was used to. “I was worried about you. What’s wrong? Why are you outside?” she demanded. “Baby, it’s dangerous outside at night. You need to stay inside.” “I will, but what are you doing outside with the rifle?” Leigh had a bad feeling. He sighed. “I heard a rifle go off several times and came downstairs to be sure Joel didn’t show up needing help.” “Do you think he’s hurt?”


79

“I don’t think so, baby.” “I’ll stay inside. You go check on him, Jonathan. You would if I wasn’t here. I know you would.” She pushed him toward the door. “Baby, I don’t like leaving you here alone.” “You leave me for short periods of time during the day. There’s nothing different. I’ll keep the door locked and stay inside. I promise. You promise you’ll come back, though.” Jonathan hesitated, torn between what he should do, she was sure. She licked her lips and squeezed his hand. “You go in the living room and stay by the fire. Don’t move off that couch for any reason until we get home. Do you understand?” “I understand. I’ll stay right there.” He seemed to think of something and raced through the kitchen. He was gone for several seconds before he returned and handed her a handgun. “Keep this in your lap and be careful. It’s loaded.” “You’ll be right back, though, right?” she asked. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m sure Joel is okay. I love you, baby.” He kissed her and slipped out the door before she could tell him she loved him back. She locked the door then walked to the living room and sank on the couch. Waiting was going to kill her. She knew it would take him some time to saddle the horse and then to get through the pasture to wherever they had the cattle. Then he would have to talk with Joel and come back. Waiting didn’t suit her much, but she had promised she would sit still, and she would do it. Long minutes passed into what seemed like hours. Still there was no movement at the back door. She let her head fall back against the back of the couch and dozed off and on, but every pop of the fire woke her. She kept expecting to hear Jonathan at the back door at any minute, but soon she would be dozing again. Finally, a noise at the door had her standing up in front of the couch waiting to see who it was. No one came through the door, though. She edged toward the door, but stopped short of leaving the

80

Marla Monroe

living room. She had promised not to leave the living room. She backed toward the couch again and held the gun in her hand. The noise disappeared and there was silence again. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of horses. She couldn’t help it. Leigh ran to the kitchen window and peered out into the early-morning gloom to see two horses with riders outside the barn. She sighed. They were here, if nothing else. She returned to the living room and added a log to the blaze to be sure it would be warm for them when they came inside. They would take care of the horses first, but they would be inside soon. She waited impatiently, standing in front of the fire, then sitting on the couch, then pacing in front of the fireplace. After what seemed like hours, they unlocked the front door and came in. She frowned. Why hadn’t they come in the back door? They both walked over to her and pulled her between them. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” She tried to pull back and check Joel over, but both men had her tight between them, running their hands over her. “Baby, did you go outside at all?” “No. You told me not to. I didn’t go out. I didn’t even leave the living room.” She searched his eyes then looked over at Joel. “What’s wrong?” “Come here, Leigh. You need to see this.” Joel pulled her behind him as he walked into the kitchen and across to the door. He unlocked the door and pulled it open after looking out the window. The light of dawn snaked across the yard to the door. There at the foot of the door was evidence of digging, along with paw prints that had to have belonged to wolves. “Did you hear anything?” Jonathan asked. “I heard something at the door, but I didn’t know what it was so I didn’t go in there. You told me not to.” “I’m so proud of you, baby. If you had opened that door, those wolves would have come inside and gotten you. You wouldn’t have


81

had a chance with more than one, even with the gun I gave you.” Jonathan hugged her to him. “What happened out there?” she asked once they had let her go so she could breathe. “Let’s go sit down at the table.” Joel turned toward the kitchen table. “I’ll fix coffee,” Leigh said as the men sat at the table. “I was watching and several wolves came charging out of the woods toward one of the outside cows. I started shooting at them, trying to scare them off more than anything, because I didn’t have a clear shot. Then another one came out on my side of the woods and jumped at me. I managed to get out of the way in time, but he knocked the gun out of my hand.” Joel showed his hand where he had an ugly scratch from a wolf claw. “I’ll have to clean that up, Joel.” Leigh finished setting up the coffee and grabbed the hydrogen peroxide and a cloth to clean his wound. She poured the peroxide over his scratch then cleaned it with the cloth and put everything up again. “What happened after that?” she asked when she was pouring up the coffee. “I charged the wolves with the horse and scattered them. They weren’t expecting that, I guess, ’cause they ran back into the woods. Then, a few minutes later, Jonathan showed up.” “What about the cow they attacked?” Leigh asked. “She’s got some scratches, but she’s okay, and she’s in the center of the herd now.” “Won’t they come back after her?” Joel sipped his coffee and nodded. “Yeah, but I think they are gone for the day. I’m thinking they’re going to be attacking at night. We’ll both stake them out at night as long as we can trust you to stay inside no matter what. You saw where they were trying to get in. They can’t as long as you don’t let them in.”

82

Marla Monroe

“Why were they even trying in the first place?” she asked with a shiver. “I don’t know, baby. But you have to promise us you won’t go outside without us with you.” Jonathan squeezed her hand. “I promise. I don’t want to end up wolf food.” She shivered again. “Let me fix breakfast for you two.” Leigh stood up and started toward the stove. “Right now, all I want to do is hold you close, Leigh,” Joel said. He picked her up and carried her to the living room. There he sat on the couch and held her in his arms. Jonathan sat next to him and cuddled her feet in his lap. Neither brother let her go for a long time. They acted as if they had almost lost her. She had been the one safe and sound inside the house. They had been outside with the wolves. But she didn’t complain. She loved having them hold her close.


83

Chapter Ten Jonathan, Leigh, and Joel all climbed into bed just after noon. The men planned to ride out to check on the herd around six that night. She was nervous about being alone at night without them, but knew they had to tend to the cows so they would have meat to eat and trade with. It didn’t stop her from worrying. Joel seemed to know she was worried and began licking and kissing her face and neck. He was trying to distract her. As methods went, it was a good one. She soon succumbed to their dual assault on her senses when Jonathan sucked in a nipple and began to nibble at it. Leigh found herself stretched out between them. Joel teased and tended to her pussy with his fingers and mouth while Jonathan sucked and licked her breasts, molding them with his hands and nipping at them with his teeth. Between the two of them she climaxed twice before Joel entered her with his rock-hard cock. He pummeled her until she screamed out her third climax. Then Jonathan pulled her on top of him. She rode him until he came. He reached between them to stimulate her clit, but she put a hand on his. “I can’t come again. I’m too sore. Please?” Jonathan smiled and pulled her down to sleep on his chest. After a while, Leigh climbed off of him and picked her way to the bathroom to clean up. When she started to climb back in the bed, she hesitated. She wasn’t sleepy now. The sex had woken her up. Instead of getting back in bed with them, Leigh decided to go downstairs and sit by the fire for a while. If she tossed and turned in bed, she would keep them awake. They needed their sleep to be ready for staying out that night.

84

Marla Monroe

She curled up on the couch after adding a log to the fire and thought about what all she wanted to do around the house that spring. One thing she wanted to do was wash the curtains, or better yet, replace them. They were dirty and dingy. Another thing she wanted to do was clean the stove from top to bottom and inside out. It was dirty, but she needed a sunny day to do it. It would be too hard to see inside without the sunshine in the kitchen. Then there was the garden. She wanted to plant much more than they had planted this last year. She also needed to remind them to get canning supplies for her. She needed to be able to put up as much as possible so they wouldn’t have to rely on canned goods. She could easily take care of a large garden. She had handled them at home when she was growing up. Would the wolves be a problem in the spring and summer? She hoped not. She would need to be able to come and go out in the garden like she wanted, to keep it in decent shape. There was a lot to do in a garden all during the spring and summer. There was usually about a week or two of rest after the initial phase of plowing and planting before the plants started coming up and needing tending. Her mind kept returning to the wolves, though. She worried about the men being outside with them at night. There was so little light to see by, and the wolves could see better in the dark than the men would be able to. “What are you doing down here?” Jonathan’s voice cut into her worries. “I wasn’t sleepy. I was afraid I would keep you two awake. You need to sleep.” “Joel is still asleep. It’s only another hour before I would have to get up anyway. I’m fine. What about you, though?” “I’m fine. Just worried about the two of you.” She sighed and scooted over so Jonathan could squeeze on the couch between her and the end.


85

“We’ll be fine, baby. You just remember what you promised, and we won’t worry about you and concentrate on the wolves.” “I promise. I won’t go outside. Are they going to be a problem in the spring? ’Cause I’ll need to be outside in the garden then.” She watched Jonathan’s face in the firelight. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about them then. There will be plenty of game to eat out and about then. Plus, I’m hoping we’re going to be able to thin them out some. There are too many of them in one place.” “Aren’t there other people living around here? Maybe you could get together with some of them to do a hunt or something. That would make them more afraid of men again as well.” Leigh liked the idea of more than just her two men hunting them at one time. “That’s a good idea, baby. I’ll talk to Joel about it when he wakes up.” “Talk to Joel about it now. He’s awake.” Joel walked down the stairs and stood in front of the fire. “We should get together with some of the other men around here and form a hunt. It would serve to thin out the wolves and put the fear of man in them again,” Jonathan said. “That is a good idea. When we get back in the morning, let’s make a quick ride over to the neighbor’s house and see if they are having trouble like we are,” Joel agreed. Leigh sighed. She would like to meet some of the other women as well. Surely the men would let her go with them. “What are you frowning about over there?” Joel asked. Jonathan looked down at her. “I was just wondering if you would take me with you so maybe I could meet some of the other women.” “Feeling lonely for some female company?” Jonathan asked, looking worried. “Just thought it would be nice to know that there are other women around. How far are we from the closest neighbor?” she asked.

86

Marla Monroe

“By truck, it’s about two, maybe three miles. By horse, it’s about one and a half going through the woods. They aren’t that far.” Joel stretched. “Joel?” Jonathan asked. “I don’t see why she couldn’t go with us. She should be safe.” “Yipee!” Leigh bounced on the couch. “Whoa, you stay in the truck until I know if there is a female for you to meet,” Joel said. “Okay. I’ll stay in the truck until you tell me I can get out.” “Something about her being so cooperative worries me,” Joel said with a grin. “She’ll get us later with something.” Jonathan pulled her hair. “I’ll go start the coffee and a meal for you.” Leigh got up and headed to the kitchen. Joel stopped her with an arm around her waist. “Come here, you.” He leaned down and kissed her. Then he released her. **** By nine the next morning, the three of them were loaded in the truck and driving toward their closest neighbor’s house. When they pulled in, Joel once again reminded Leigh to stay in the truck until they told her she could get out. She promised, but had her eyes open for any sign there was a woman to talk to in the area. By the time the men had made it to the front door, it had been thrown open by a man that was even larger than Jonathan. Leigh shrank down in the front seat of the truck. What if he wasn’t friendly? Would he hurt her guys? She eyed them over the dashboard of the truck, trying to see what was going on. From where she sat, it looked like everything was going okay, but she couldn’t be sure. She didn’t see anything that looked threatening, though. About that time, Jonathan walked over to the truck and knocked on the window.


87

“Their female is Ronnie. She’s inside. Come on and you can meet her while we talk about the wolves.” Leigh nodded and climbed out of the truck with Jonathan’s help when he opened the door for her. He led her toward the house and introduced her to the two men standing just inside the doorway as Brice and Garrett. Garrett was the larger one. She steered well clear of him as Jonathan held her hand when they were escorted farther into the living room. “Ronnie!” Garrett called out. A woman walked into the living room with a tentative smile on her face. Her hazel eyes were friendly but cautious. She had light brown hair and was about five feet five inches. She caught sight of Leigh and grinned wider. “Leigh, this is Ronnie, our wife. Ronnie, this is Leigh and these are Joel and Jonathan. They live a couple of miles west of us.” Garrett made the introductions. “Pleased to meet you, Leigh. Come on in here and we can talk while they talk. I overheard wolves, so I know they are going to be a while. We’re having a terrible time with them right now.” Leigh followed Ronnie into a spacious kitchen with all the amenities. In fact, the entire house looked huge and state-of-the-art. Next to theirs, she felt as if she were standing in a mansion. “Would you like some coffee?” she asked. “Thanks, that would be great. I’ll help you serve the men if you like.” Leigh wasn’t sure what sort of relationship this woman had with her men. She knew it could be a forced one. She hoped not. “How long have you been living over there?” Ronnie asked. “Only about a month or so. How long have you been here?” “I’ve lived here nearly four years now. The men have only been with me for a little over a year now.” Ronnie handed her two cups of coffee.

88

Marla Monroe

Leigh followed Ronnie back into the living room to offer the men coffee. Joel and Jonathan each took their cups from her. She hurried back to the kitchen behind Ronnie. “How did you meet your men?” Ronnie asked her. “Um, they bartered for me.” She looked out the window to avoid seeing the sympathy she was sure she would see in Ronnie’s eyes. “They bought you?” The other woman was outraged. “Well, I’m not complaining,” Leigh hurried to reassure the other woman. “They saved me from being sold to a brothel. I’m much better off.” “Still. That’s barbaric.” “How did you meet your men?” Leigh asked. “I hit a deer and had a wreck. They rescued me.” “That’s actually romantic,” Leigh said. “Are they treating you well?” Ronnie asked her. “Yes. They’ve been very good to me. But it’s really great to get to talk to another woman for a change.” “Maybe, now that we know about each other, we can meet and visit sometimes.” Ronnie got up and pulled something out of the oven. She took two of whatever it was and handed one to Leigh. “Go on and taste. It’s an apple turnover. I made them this morning for breakfast.” Leigh bit into the pastry and smiled at the explosion of taste. “This is good,” she finally managed to get out. “Thanks. Brice brought home some apples from Barter Town the other day. How are you doing food-wise over there? Do you have enough for the winter?” Ronnie looked genuinely concerned. “I think we’ll be fine. They had a small garden and put up a few things, but we have plenty of meat and canned vegetables. I’ll have a nice-size garden next year. I was raised in the south and can handle gardens and canning.” Leigh was proud to be able to say she could take care of her men.


89

“Well, the winters here are really harsh. If you need help, don’t be too proud to ask. We might need meat. We could trade some if we need to,” Ronnie suggested. “That would be great. I’m sure the men will be glad to work out a trade if you need meat. If they can figure out what to do about the wolves, that is. They are getting brave. Some came up to the back door and dug at the door the other night.” Leigh shivered at the memory. “Oh, my God! Do you have a gun you can use?” “Yes, they gave me a handgun to keep with me. They have been going out at night to protect the cattle. I worry about them. The wolves have actually attacked Joel on horseback,” Leigh told the other woman. “What do you think they are going to decide to do?” Ronnie asked, looking toward the living room where the men were talking. “I think they want to form a big hunt to thin them out some. If there are enough men, they’ll be safe and the wolves will get scared of men again and stay away from us.” Leigh could tell the other woman was worried about this. She didn’t blame her. It worried Leigh, too. “If they decide to do this, they should try and gather up a few more of the families around here. I know there are more of us. Someone not too far south of us has a dog. I’ve heard them out hunting with it.” “Really? A dog? That would be really great to have dogs to help the men with keeping up with the cows. They have some that keep wandering off.” “Maybe all the women can get together when they go hunting and keep each other company. We’d be safer that way, too,” Ronnie suggested. “I’ll certainly suggest it to my men. I would feel better with someone else around. That’s for sure.”

90

Marla Monroe

Leigh and Ronnie talked for another thirty minutes about ranching and farming while the men finished up their plans. When Jonathan came and got her, she took his hand and followed them back to the truck. “So, what did you think about our neighbors?” Joel asked her as they headed back home. “I like Ronnie. She’s really nice and she knows a lot about the land around here. I could learn a lot from her.” She hoped she wasn’t being too obvious with her hinting. “I think getting to be friends with our neighbors is going to be a necessary thing if we’re going to survive out here,” Jonathan said. “We have to be careful about who we make friends with, though,” Joel cautioned. “I don’t trust some of the men out here. Anyone who’ll go and buy a woman…” “Can’t rightly say that now, can we, big brother?” Jonathan said with a frown. “It’s okay. You saved me from being sold into a brothel. It’s not the same thing,” Leigh was quick to point out. “Still, it’s not right.” Joel frowned, and nothing more was said the rest of the drive home. Leigh worried that Joel was regretting his rash decision to barter for her. Surely he didn’t wish he’d never met her. “Don’t frown so big, Leigh.” Jonathan helped her out of the truck. “What’s wrong? I thought you had a good time.” “I did. I really like Ronnie. Are you planning to go hunting with her men?” “Looks like it. They’re having as much trouble with the wolves as we are, so it’s not just our cows they’re interested in.” Joel walked around and unlocked the house. “We need to get some rest. Garrett said it will probably snow again tomorrow.” “That means more staying out at night, doesn’t it,” Leigh said.


91

“Probably. But not for long. We’re going to meet up with Brice and Garrett after the snow and go hunting,” Joel told her. He headed straight for the stairs. “I’m going to get in bed. You two coming?” “I’m right behind you,” Jonathan said. “Leigh?” “You two go on up. I’ll be there in a few minutes. I need to check the kitchen and be sure I put everything up.” Leigh shooed them on and watched them climb the stairs. Leigh walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. She needed to think. What if Joel was regretting having bought her? Did it really matter? It was done and over with. They were making it as a family now, right? Only now that the seed of doubt had been planted, it was already growing in her mind. Ronnie had been appalled that they had traded for her. Would Brice and Garrett treat her men differently because of it? Maybe she shouldn’t have said that they had bought her. Maybe she should have made up a story, but Leigh wasn’t one to lie. Maybe one of the men had said something to her men that upset Joel. “Hurry up, Leigh. The bed’s cold without you,” Jonathan called from upstairs. Leigh smiled and stood up. She quickly checked the stove and the sink to be sure she really had put everything up, then hurried upstairs to climb into bed with her men. She longed to feel their arms around her. She needed to know that they didn’t regret their choice to buy her. She needed Joel to love her.

92

Marla Monroe

Chapter Eleven Sure enough, it began to snow sometime during the night. The men went out to guard the herd during the night. Leigh was miserable alone. Not just because she was cold without them, but because she was scared. She was scared something would happen to one of them, scared something would happen to her, and scared they would stop wanting her. Leigh paced off and on the entire night. She alternated dozing on the couch with dozing in one of the recliners. She liked sleeping in them because she felt closer to them when she did. She prayed they were able to stop them with a hunt, because she didn’t think she could handle this for the rest of her life. Not knowing if they were okay or not was really eating away at her stomach. Finally, just after dawn, they came riding up in the blowing snow. She hadn’t heard them, but chanced to be looking out the window when they rode up. The snow muffled sound so that she felt as if she were in a giant cotton ball. She watched as they climbed off the horses and led them inside the barn. Leigh quickly measured out coffee and started breakfast for them. They would be cold, tired, and hungry. She had just put a log on the fire, so it would be fine for when they came in. The knock at the door startled her. She frowned and went to look out the window. “Let us in, Leigh. Our hands are too cold to take our gloves off,” Joel yelled through the door. Leigh unlocked the door and opened it only to have the wind catch it and blow it and her back against the wall. She hit it with a thunk that rattled her teeth.


93

“Hell, Leigh. Are you okay?” Joel grabbed her before she fell forward. Jonathan slammed the door closed and locked it. “What happened?” he asked as he hovered over her. “Damn door flew back and knocked her into the wall. I didn’t realize the wind would catch it like that.” Joel hugged her then let go of her. She stumbled, but stood upright. “I’m okay. Just knocked the wind out of me, is all.” Leigh swallowed back a moan when she reached back and rubbed her head. “Did you hit your head?” Jonathan asked. “Yeah, but I’ve got a hard head. Are you two okay? Did you have any trouble with the wolves last night?” “No, they didn’t show up. Did they come here?” Joel asked. “With the new snow, we couldn’t tell if there had been any around the house or not.” “No, they didn’t come here. I would have known. I couldn’t sleep without you here.” “Let us get our coats and stuff off. Then we can eat and get to bed. I’m tired,” Joel said. “Brice and Garrett are going to want to hunt tonight, I’m sure,” Jonathan added. “Can I go over there with Ronnie while you’re gone?” Leigh finally got up the nerve to ask. She didn’t want to wait alone again. The two men looked at each other as they removed their outerwear. They seemed to be communicating without talking. They did that a lot when they were trying to figure out what to say to her. Leigh was almost sure they were going to say no. She was prepared to beg if she had to. “I don’t see why not,” Joel said. “Really?” She nearly passed out from surprise. “You’ll let me stay with her?”

94

Marla Monroe

“Sure. I won’t worry about you with someone else around. Brice said she’s really good with a gun, too.” Joel ran a finger over her cheek. Leigh smiled. She liked it when he touched her for no reason. They ate breakfast then went upstairs to shower and get in bed. Leigh and Jonathan took a shower first. She washed him from head to toe, then all parts in between. His cock was rock hard by the time she had finished teasing him. He grinned down at her and helped her dry off once they were out of the shower. Joel took one look at Jonathan and shook his head. “Better take care of that before I come to bed, ’cause she’s mine when I finish my shower.” “Hey, I’m standing right here, you two.” Leigh frowned up at them. Joel kissed her on the top of her head and stepped into the shower. Leigh giggled and followed Jonathan back to the bed. He picked her up and dropped her on the bed so that she bounced. “It’s too cold to play around, Jonathan. Come on and get under the covers.” Leigh scooted under the covers and waited for Jonathan to follow her. “I want that hot cunt of yours wrapped around my cock, baby. Are you wet for me?” Jonathan climbed into the bed and pulled her into his arms. “I’m always wet for you.” She spread her legs and grabbed his hand to bring it down to her pussy. “Yes, you are.” He twirled his fingers in her pussy juices then brought his fingers to his mouth and sucked. “I’m going to pump you full of my cum, baby. Would you like that?” “Yes. Hurry, Jonathan. I need you inside of me.” Leigh reached for his cock, but he moved and came over her instead. ****


95

Jonathan pushed back the covers and lifted Leigh’s legs over his arms. Then he lined up his cock with her wet slit and plunged forward. He groaned when he only made it halfway. Fuck, she was tight. He could never make it all the way inside of her with one push no matter how much he prepared her. He sweet pussy stayed tight despite the regular fucking he and Joel gave her. He pulled back and surged forward again, and his balls bounced against her ass this time. She groaned and squeezed him with her cunt muscles. It was her signal for him to move. He grinned and began a slow rhythm of push and pull. His dick tunneled in and out of her wet pussy over and over again. He was soon thrusting harder and faster as his orgasm grew inside his balls. They drew up and tightened with each plunge inside her hot cunt. When she began to moan, he reached between them and tapped her clit several times. She squeezed him tight as she came, screaming. Her orgasm triggered his and he shot his cum deep inside of her pussy. Jonathan shouted out her name, and held himself still all the way inside of her for long seconds. Finally, he caught his breath enough that he could move. He dropped her legs and rolled over to one side. “Are you okay, baby? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” “No. You never hurt me, Jonathan. You always make me feel good.” Leigh rolled over and wrapped her leg around his before laying her head against his shoulder. Jonathan relaxed and stroked her hair from her face. “Are you happy, Leigh?” “Yes. Why are you asking?” “Just making sure we’re making you happy.” “Is she not happy?” Joel’s voice reached his ears from the door of the bathroom. “Yes, she’s happy. I was just asking to be sure,” Jonathan told him. “Are you sure, Leigh?” Joel asked, standing next to the bed now.

96

Marla Monroe

“I’m sure. Come fuck me, Joel. I love it when you pump inside of me.” Leigh held out her hand to Joel. Jonathan watched as Joel climbed up on the bed on the other side of Leigh. His brother’s face was still in shadow from the lamp, but he could have sworn he saw worry on it. What would Joel be worried about? Was he still thinking about the conversation about buying Leigh? Jonathan wanted to reassure Joel, but didn’t know what he could say to ease his brother’s mind. Joel pulled Leigh over beneath him and began kissing her. He watched as Leigh wrapped her body around his and rubbed against him. He knew how it felt for her to rub on him and was sure Joel was hard as a brick by now. Jonathan got up to clean up in the bathroom. He heard the bed squeak and the unmistakable sound of bodies sliding against each other. He would be back in time to help make Leigh come. By the time he returned, Joel was thrusting hard and deep inside of Leigh. The light from the lamp barely illuminated them on the bed, but he could see their glistening flesh as his brother tunneled in and out of her sweet body. Jonathan eased back onto the bed and watched as Leigh’s head thrashed back and forth. She was close, but just not going anywhere. He reached out and cupped her breast in his hand. She moaned and he began molding it. Then he leaned over and licked the taut nipple over and over again. “Fuck, Jonathan, she’s creaming all over me, but she’s not coming. Help her, man. I’m not going to last.” Jonathan reached out with his hand and squeezed her other nipple while he sucked and nipped at the one he had in his mouth. After a few seconds, she stiffened all over and screamed Joel’s name out over and over as her orgasm overtook her. “Her cunt is squeezing my cock so hard I can’t move. Ah, yes!” Jonathan knew Joel had come by the way he threw back his head and grew still deep inside Leigh’s pussy. When he finally moved


97

again, Joel collapsed to the side of Leigh, bringing her down with him. “Whoa,” Jonathan said as Leigh went limp between them. “I brought a cloth to clean you up with, baby.” She grunted and he shook his head. Loving two men had to take a lot out of her. “I’ll be right back.” Joel gasped. “Don’t expect us to be awake.” Jonathan chuckled. He pulled Leigh’s limp body closer to him and never knew when Joel made it back to bed. **** Not long after they had finished eating that afternoon, there was a knock at the door. Joel walked over to the door to check the window, and Jonathan grabbed Leigh and thrust her behind him. She managed to look around him, though. “It’s Brice and Garrett,” Joel said. He opened the door. “Hey, did you decide to hunt today?” Joel asked, letting them in. “Hey, Ronnie.” Leigh pushed around Jonathan when she saw Ronnie walk in behind the men. “Thought it would be a good time. We came over here thinking that you’re seeing them more than we are,” Brice said. “Hey, Leigh. Do you mind if I stay with you while they are out hunting?” “Of course not. Come on to the kitchen. I’m finishing up the dishes. We can let the men have the living room.” The two women left the men to discuss hunting and talked about the snow. Leigh finished drying the dishes while they talked. “You’re sure you don’t mind my staying here? I didn’t want to be alone while they were gone.” Ronnie looked back over her shoulder toward the living room.

98

Marla Monroe

“I’m sure. I had already asked the guys if I could stay with you anyway. I didn’t want to be alone, either. I’m going to be worried to death as it is, until they get back.” “They’ll be fine. With four of them, the wolves won’t be so eager to attack. Depending on how many they find, they might invite another family in to hunt next time. I think they mainly want to find out what they’re dealing with this time.” Ronnie took a seat at the kitchen table. They talked about the other families that Ronnie was aware of for a few minutes. Then Joel, Jonathan, and the other men walked into the kitchen, all carrying guns. “We’re leaving, baby. No matter what, you keep the doors closed and locked. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Jonathan bent down and kissed Leigh. The other men hugged and kissed Ronnie. Then they all four pulled on their coats and walked outside. Leigh closed and locked the door, praying they would all come back soon unharmed. “They’ll be fine. You’ll see,” Ronnie assured her. “Let me show you around the house while we have enough light to see by. With the cloud coverage this morning, I thought for sure it was going to snow some more, but it cleared off while we were sleeping.” Leigh put on some coffee for them. “It will snow again in the next day or two. Garrett can tell for some reason almost a hundred percent of the time. Helps with knowing what to expect when you’ve got a garden you’re tending to.” “How large a garden do you have at your place? I’m not sure how big they need to make next year’s. I’m still getting used to how much food to cook for them. They’re big men,” Leigh admitted. Ronnie told her about her garden and how many rows of what vegetable she planted and how long the rows were. They talked about everything, from canning to the men themselves. “You mean you haven’t had both of them inside you at the same time yet?” Ronnie asked with a shocked expression.


99

“Um, no. They’ve been preparing me, but we haven’t actually done it yet.” Leigh was embarrassed to talk about it. “Well, all I can say is, wait until you have them both filling your body at one time. It’s the most amazing feeling in the world. It sort of seals the three of you together. It hurts a little at first, but it changes really quickly if they know what they’re doing. The fact that they are getting you ready says they do.” Ronnie smiled a smug smile and leaned back in the kitchen chair. Leigh jumped up and grabbed the coffee pot to pour up more coffee. She couldn’t help the heat creeping up her face. Talking about sex embarrassed her with this woman. She barely knew her two days now. Still, she was easy to talk to. The howl of a wolf jerked both of their attentions to the window. “That sounded really close,” Leigh said in a whisper. “Yeah, it did, but sound really travels over snow on a clear day.” “Do you think the men heard it?” Leigh asked. “Yeah, I’m sure they did.” Ronnie cleared her throat. “Why are we whispering, anyway?” “I guess because I don’t want the damn wolf to hear me,” she said with a nervous laugh. They both laughed then sipped their coffee in silence for a few minutes. “Want to know a secret?” Ronnie asked. “What?” “You can’t say anything to anyone.” Ronnie leaned forward. “Who am I going to tell?” Leigh asked, shaking her head. “Not even your men.” “What?” Leigh was intrigued now. “I’m pregnant.” Ronnie smiled. “Oh. My. God! Your men don’t know yet? Why not?” “Well, I spotted a few days and I wanted to wait for a few weeks before I said anything in case I miscarried.”

100

Marla Monroe

“They’re going to be pissed that you didn’t tell them, especially if you do miscarry,” Leigh warned. “I don’t want them worried about me right now with this wolf situation and all. They need all their wits about them. I’ll tell them next week.” “I think you’re making a mistake not telling them now. It’s not good to keep secrets between husband and wife.” Leigh’s mind clicked back at Joel and wondered if he was keeping his feelings about having bought her a secret. “You looked sad just then. What were you thinking about?” “Nothing.” “No, I told you my secret. Tell me what made you look so sad.” Ronnie crossed her arms, waiting. “I just think that maybe Joel is feeling guilty about having bought me. He and Jonathan felt really strongly about buying women and then they bought me. They saved me, though. I don’t want him to regret it, regret me.” “Don’t worry yourself about it. He’ll come to terms with it. It’s nothing on you, I’m sure. It’s a code of ethics that he had, and he breached it, but there are always times when you might have to make allowances for things.” “I wish he would talk about it. I feel like I’m making him unhappy.” Ronnie reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Give him time. He’ll come to terms with it and everything will be okay.” The sounds of scuffling outside the kitchen door had both women jerking in their seats. “What’s that?” Ronnie asked. “I don’t know.” Leigh stood up and inched toward the kitchen door. “Don’t open the door,” Ronnie yelled out. “I’m not. I’m just going to look out the window.” Leigh eased forward and leaned in to see out of it.


101

“Fuck!” “What is it?” Ronnie asked, backing away from the door. “There’s a wolf out there digging at the door.” “Where’s your cellar? We need to get down there, now.” Before Leigh could tell her, there was a crash of glass and a wolf flew through the kitchen window next to the door. Another one followed by yet another one. Both women screamed as the wolves stalked toward them.

102

Marla Monroe

Chapter Twelve “There are more than the dozen we saw. I saw more than that the other night when I was out here,” Joel said. “We’ll, we’ve managed to kill three. That will let them know we’re after them and not to fuck with us,” Brice said. Garrett shook his head. “I don’t get it. They ran. Why did they run?” Jonathan and Joel exchanged glances. Joel was thinking the same thing. They had chased them deep into the woods past Brice and Garrett’s house. Something wasn’t right. “They act too intelligent for my thinking, too. It’s almost as if they’ve learned from how we’ve been watching them,” Brice said. Jonathan looked back over his shoulder in the direction of home. “Joel. I want to get back to Leigh. I don’t like this.” “Fuck. You don’t think they split up and are back at the house, do you?” Garrett asked. “Yeah, I do,” Joel said and took off running toward home. “Slow up, Joel,” Garrett yelled. “The cold air will kill your lungs and you won’t be able to even walk in a few minutes. We’ll get there.” Joel stopped and bent over, knowing Garrett was right. It didn’t make him feel any better. He had a sick feeling about the entire thing. The four of them walked for nearly an hour back toward the house. The first howl spurred them back into a sprint, though. The second howl had them running. Joel wasn’t going to lose Leigh. They had told her to keep the doors closed and locked. She would do it. She


103

wouldn’t have opened them for any reason without her men being there. The cold air was burning his lungs as he fought to keep up the fast pace he had set for them. Thank goodness the snow had been less than a foot deep in most places, or they would have been slowed way down. As it was, when they reached the house and saw the window broken in, Joel nearly went to his knees. He started forward, but Jonathan grabbed him. “They might still be in there, and we don’t know how many there are. We need to surround them.” “Brice and I will take the front door. Do you have a key?” Garrett asked. Joel dug in his pocket and pulled out his keys. He handed him the right key. “On the count of twenty we’ll all go in. Remember the women are in there, so don’t shoot one of them,” Joel warned. They all nodded and the other two men ran around to the front of the house. Joel and Jonathan would go through the window. As soon as he reached twenty, Joel nodded at Jonathan and they went through the window with their guns at the ready. There was blood everywhere, but no sign of the women. A wolf lay on its side in front of the pantry with a knife sticking out of it. Just as the other two men walked inside, a wolf came running from upstairs. Brice shot it before it ever reached the ground. Another one came barreling down the stairs as well. Joel caught it as it rounded the corner to the kitchen. “Brice and I’ll go upstairs and clear it. How many bedrooms?” Garrett asked. “Three. We’ll look for them here,” Joel said. “Leigh! Ronnie!” Jonathan called out, walking toward the pantry door. There was a murmur of voices from somewhere. Joel and Garrett both jumped for the pantry at the same time. They had to kick aside

104

Marla Monroe

the dead wolf. Then they wrenched open the door, only to find the room empty. “Leigh? Where are you, baby?” Joel called out. The murmur of voices was closer but still muffled. “They’re in the cellar, Joel,” Jonathan said. Joel grabbed the cellar door and pulled, but it wouldn’t open. “Fuck, they have it barred on the inside. Why don’t they open it for us?” Joel kicked the door. “Open the door, baby. We can’t help you if you don’t open the door.” Jonathan banged on the door. More murmurs sounded below them. “The second story is clear,” Brice said. “We didn’t find them.” “They’re in the cellar, but the door is barred on the other side. I’m trying to get them to let us in. I don’t know what’s wrong.” “Maybe they are looking for the stairs. There’s no light down there,” Jonathan pointed out. “Leigh! Follow the sound of my voice. Come on, baby. I know you can do it.” Joel called out for several seconds. The sounds of footsteps on the stairs beneath them silenced his voice. He sighed. She was coming. The wood beam on the other side started moving, and then the door creaked open. Instead of Leigh’s face emerging from the gloom, Ronnie’s did. She had blood all over her chest, arms, and hands. “Leigh’s hurt, bad. She saved my life. You’ve got to help her.” Garrett grabbed her up and carried her into the kitchen. Brice handed Joel a lantern. “You’re going to need this. Where is your first-aid kit?” “Under the kitchen sink,” Jonathan answered for Joel, who was already descending the stairs. “Baby?” Joel steeled himself for what he would find when he found her. It didn’t help. She lay against the potatoes, curled up on her side, covered in blood from head to foot. Joel felt tears brim in his eyes. He swallowed


105

around them and called out for Jonathan, but the man was already there, picking her up and holding her close. Joel held the lantern as they walked back up the stairs. It had grown dark now. The other men had lit several lamps around the kitchen to light the room. Jonathan sat on a chair, still holding Leigh. She hadn’t said anything. “Jonathan?” Joel was afraid to ask. “She’s alive, but I don’t know how badly she’s hurt. I’m scared to look. You’re going to have to.” Joel sat the lantern down on the table next to where Brice and Garrett were tending to Ronnie’s wounds. “Is she okay?” Jonathan looked over at the other woman. “She’s going to be. She has some bad cuts on her hands and arms, but that’s it. What about Leigh?” Garrett asked. “I don’t know.” Jonathan almost whispered it. “Joel?” Garrett asked. “She’s bleeding, but I haven’t figured out where yet.” He pulled her hands away from her abdomen and cursed. “What is it?” Jonathan asked. “She has a bite on her stomach. Can you hold her hand away from it for me so I can tell more about it?” Jonathan took her hand in his and held it still as Joel checked her belly. “Her arms are all scratched and cut up.” “We’ll take care of her, Jonathan,” Joel promised. “She’s got a bite on her belly that’s bleeding, but I don’t think it went too deep. I think she’s more in shock than anything,” Joel said with some relief. He knew they weren’t out of the woods yet. There was the threat of infection, and the wounds had to be sewn up. First, they had to clean her and see which ones would need closing. “Do you need anything from us?” Brice asked. “I want to take Ronnie home and see about these cuts that have to be sewn up.” “No, I’m glad she’s going to be okay.”

106

Marla Monroe

“She saved my life. She pulled the wolf off of me and kept stabbing at it with the knife.” Ronnie was crying. “We owe her,” Garrett said. “You help us kill those fucking wolves, and that will take care of it.” Joel was so upset he was shaking. “It’s a done deal, man.” Garrett picked up Ronnie and carried her toward the front door. Brice laid Joel’s keys on the table and looked him in the eye. “We’ll get them. Every last one of them.” Then he followed Garrett and Ronnie through the living room. Joel didn’t even hear the front door close. “Let’s get her upstairs and clean her off in the tub so we can see the wounds better. I’ll carry her. You need to get the lamps and the first-aid kit.” Jonathan stood up, cradling Leigh in his arms. Jonathan seemed to have his head on straight. Joel wasn’t doing so well. All he could see was a lifeless Leigh curled up covered in blood. He shook his head hard to clear it and grabbed the lamps to lead Jonathan upstairs. He made several more trips with lamps, the first-aid kit, and bags of snow from outside to help cut down on the swelling around the wounds. Jonathan had stripped her and, after padding the tub with towels, laid her in the tub so they could pour the last of their peroxide over her wounds. Her hands were bleeding the most. They packed icy towels around them while they worked on her abdomen. “Joel?” Leigh finally spoke in a small voice. “Right here, baby. We’ve got you.” “It hurts.” “I know, baby.” Joel thought he was going to break down and cry, but he refused. He had to be strong to get them all through this. “Is my belly okay?” she asked. “It’s fine, baby. You have a bite there, but it’s shallow.” This time Jonathan answered, smoothing her hair out of her face. “We’re going to fix you up, Leigh. Then we’re going to hold you close.”


107

“I was so scared.” She began to cry now, low sobs that were breaking Joel’s heart. “I know you were, baby, but you did well. You did well.” Joel leaned in and kissed her gently on the mouth. They tended to her wounds for nearly an hour before finally finishing. Leigh had passed out as soon as they began sewing up the worst of the cuts. Joel knew she had been damn lucky to be alive, much less having survived with so few wounds. She had the bite on her belly that was shallow and only required a couple of stitches. Then there were the various cuts on her hands and up one arm. He had to be thankful. It could have been so much worse. Jonathan had cleaned her up and carried her to bed while he cleaned up the bathroom. He had time to gather himself and come to grips with the fact that they had almost lost her. They wouldn’t underestimate the wolves again. “Joel, come to bed, man. She needs the warmth. She needs you,” Jonathan called from the bedroom. He could hear the tears in his brother’s voice. They matched the tears in Joel’s eyes. He leaned into the counter and swallowed hard around the lump lodged in his throat. Once he had his emotions under control, he blew out two of the lamps and brought the other one to the bedroom. He quickly pulled off his clothes. Jonathan had Leigh lying almost on top of him. “She woke up. I gave her some Tylenol. She swallowed it without water. I know she’s hurting. I can’t stand it, Joel.” “I know. I know.” Joel climbed into bed after blowing out the lamp. He scooted over close to Leigh’s back and turned on his side to offer his warmth. “Leigh, baby. I love you.” Joel needed to say that. He’d wrestled with it for several days, but held back because he felt guilty for buying her. He knew she needed to hear the words, and he needed to say them. He hoped she was awake enough to hear them. “Love you, too, Joel. So much.” Her tiny voice sounded strained.

108

Marla Monroe

He knew it had to be from the pain. “Don’t talk, Leigh. Just rest for now. We have you.” “Joel. I’m happy with you and Jonathan. I wouldn’t have been happy in a brothel.” “We’ll always try to make you happy, Leigh. Now get some rest.” Joel had closed the bedroom door to be sure nothing got inside to them through the open window downstairs. They would tend to it in the morning. Hell, they had to see to the horses and the cattle as well. They weren’t going to leave Leigh alone, though. They would have to take turns. He didn’t plan on ever leaving her alone again without someone to protect her. He heard Jonathan’s light snore and could tell Leigh was asleep by the laxness of her body. He kept the covers pulled well over her. He didn’t want her to catch a cold and was scared to death of an infection in her wounds. He knew the woman who’d survived the attack last year had nearly died from an infection. He would keep a close watch on her wounds and keep them clean and dry. He wouldn’t let her out of the bed until she was healed. Finally, he managed to settle down and drift off to sleep. His last thought was that he was glad he’d finally admitted his feelings for Leigh. Just in case.


109

Chapter Thirteen Leigh woke up hot and thirsty the next morning as sunlight streamed through the window. Her arms and belly throbbed enough that she had tears in her eyes. She moaned because she wasn’t sure she could say anything, but it was enough to rouse the men. Joel immediately woke up and touched her forehead. He was careful not to touch her arms. “Fuck! Jonathan. Wake up.” “I’m up, what’s wrong?” Jonathan rolled over and cursed when he touched Leigh’s shoulder. “She’s got a fever, doesn’t she,” he said as he rose up on one arm. “Yeah. We need to get some Tylenol in her. Go get some water.” Joel got out of the bed and headed for the bathroom. “I’ll get the medicine.” Leigh whimpered when the bed shook from them getting up. Jonathan leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry, baby. We’ll be more careful. I’ll be right back with some water.” Jonathan grabbed his jeans and pulled them on as he headed toward the door. Joel returned with the Tylenol and a cloth. He sat the bottle on the bedside table and carefully knelt on the bed next to Leigh. He wiped her face and forehead with the cool cloth. It felt wonderful to her. She was so hot. Jonathan returned with a glass of water and held it to her lips for her to take small sips before Joel popped two Tylenol into her mouth. She sipped more water and swallowed, almost choking around the

110

Marla Monroe

pills. Her throat remained dry despite having drunk the water. She licked her dry lips. “More water.” “Here you go, baby. Drink all you want. I’ll get you more,” Jonathan assured her. She drank almost all the water then nodded her head that she was through. They lowered her back to the bed. Joel pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. “Leigh, I need to check your wounds. I’ll try not to hurt you, but I know it’s going to hurt some. I’m sorry, baby.” Leigh smiled as best she could and nodded her head. “I understand.” She turned and watched Jonathan button up his shirt. She loved looking at him. He was so tall and muscular. She felt safe in his arms. She wanted him to hold her, but was scared it would hurt too much. Joel carefully sat on the bed and managed not to jar her. She turned and smiled at him in encouragement. She knew he was doing the best he could do. He eased the bandage up on one side and looked at her arm and hand. She couldn’t see it since he had the bandage open toward him, but by the wince he gave, she knew it had to be bad. He did the same thing with her belly. He didn’t bother with the other side. Instead, he sighed and looked at her. “Leigh, baby. I’m going to have to clean them again. They’re infected.” Joel’s eyes were teary. She knew it would hurt him to hurt her. She just nodded. What else could she do? They had to stop the infection. “I understand. It’s okay, Joel. I know you don’t mean to hurt me.” She closed her eyes. She couldn’t keep them open. They were so heavy. When they started working on her wounds, she would wake up for sure. Until then, she would just rest a while. ****


111

Joel nodded toward the door for Jonathan to follow him. They closed the door most of the way, but left it cracked in case Leigh called out. Joel didn’t like the looks of her wounds. “How bad are they?” Jonathan asked. Joel sighed and shook his head. “They’re puffy, red, and hot looking. They’ve got to be cleaned, but it’s going to hurt her for me to press on them. I wish we had more peroxide, but we don’t. I’m going to need your help when I start working on her. Then I’m going to stay with her while you see about the horses. Then you can stay with her while I go check the herd.” “Sounds good to me. What are you going to clean them with?” “Hot water is all we have. I’ll put the antibiotic salve back on them after I dry them.” Joel heaved out a breath. “Fuck, I don’t want to do this.” “I hear you. I’ll be right there with you.” Jonathan clasped him on the shoulder. “Bring up that washtub from the pantry. I’m going to set up the bedside table to put it on. You might have to hold her down some, Jonathan. She understands.” “Aw, hell.” Jonathan looked at Joel then turned and walked down the stairs to get the washtub. Joel returned to the room and began to clear off the bedside table. He put a towel over it to protect it from the water in case he spilled any of it. Then he pulled out all the washcloths they had in case he needed them and piled them on the bed next to the table. He pulled out the antibiotic salve and sat it next to the cloths. Jonathan returned with the washtub and walked into the bathroom to run it full of hot water from the tub. When he returned a few seconds later, Joel had him set it on the table. “Go on and sit on the bed by her feet, so you can help hold her still. You can’t really hold her hand down since she has a couple of cuts on her hand.”

112

Marla Monroe

“I’ll manage somehow,” Jonathan said with a grimace. He carefully sat on the bed close to her hand. The bed dipped despite his trying to be careful. Leigh moaned and opened her eyes. “Sorry, baby.” Jonathan patted her thigh through the covers. “S’okay.” Joel looked over at Jonathan and nodded his head. He dipped one of the cloths in the hot water and gingerly squeezed the water out. His hands had steam rising from them in the cooler room air. He started with her hand, holding a spot on her wrist that didn’t have any bites or claw cuts. She groaned and tears ran from her eyes, but Leigh didn’t cry out. As he moved up her arm, she cried louder, but didn’t scream or struggle other than little involuntary jerks. It was breaking his heart, but Joel knew it had to be done. By the time they were finished, she had thankfully passed out. Her face was streaked with dried tears. Jonathan was shaking like a leaf, and he wasn’t in much better shape himself. “I’ll pour this out and clean it,” Jonathan said. “Bring it back up when you finish. I’m going to bathe her with cold water to try and bring the fever down. She’s burning up with it.” Joel handed Jonathan the tub of hot water. “Pour it out in the bathroom. Jonathan took the washtub from Joel. After disposing of the dirty water, he headed for the stairs. Joel took the remaining clean cloths and put them away except for one. He rinsed it in cold water and returned to bathe Leigh with it. He folded back the comforter but left the sheet covering her. Then he slowly began to sponge her face while he waited for Jonathan to return with the clean washbasin. He was scared. He couldn’t remember being scared in a long time. He didn’t want to lose her. Despite having bartered for her against his rules, he had fallen in love with her. He knew in his heart that he had done the right thing. Now if they could pull her through this, he would make sure she never knew a day without him telling her he loved her.


113

Jonathan returned with the clean tub and filled it with cold water from the bath. He placed it on the table and stared at Leigh with a sick expression on his face. Joel knew how he felt. He was scared, too. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, Joel. If you need me, holler out the door.” “I will. I’m just going to bathe her off and try to get this fever down.” “I swear I’m going to kill every last wolf when we get the chance,” Jonathan said. “You can count on it, brother.” Joel squeezed out the cloth and began wiping across Leigh’s neck. Long minutes passed, and she began to move about on the bed, moaning. He could tell the fever had increased by the feel of her hot skin. The more she thrashed, the more she ran the risk of splitting her stitches. He finally got in the bed with her again and held her still. She whimpered and moaned, but she didn’t wake up. He was losing her. If her fever didn’t come down soon, she could have brain damage. Soft footsteps sounded on the stairs. Joel got out of the bed and went to the door to be sure it was Jonathan. “How is she?” he asked as Joel backed up to let him in. “Not good. I’m afraid we’re going to lose her, Jonathan. I can’t get the fever to break.” “Fuck! We can’t lose her. We just found her.” Jonathan began to pace, running his hands through his hair. “What about putting snow in the water or better yet, in the bath cloth and holding it to her skin?” “I guess it’s worth a try. I’m fresh out of ideas.” “I’ll go get a boiler full of snow and bring it up. I’ll be right back.” He raced out the door and, from the sound of it, bounded down the stairs. Joel gritted his teeth and went back to sponging her off with the now-lukewarm water. When Jonathan returned a few seconds later, he had two boilers full of snow. He handed one to Joel and took the other one to the other side of the bed. He had a dishcloth and began filling it

114

Marla Monroe

with snow. Joel followed suit with his wet cloth. They held the snowfilled towels to her neck, then rubbed them around her face and chest. They continued this over and over with Jonathan leaving to get fresh snow twice. Finally, she began to shiver and sweat. They piled the comforter back on her and Jonathan got on top of the covers to keep her warm now that the fever had broken. “As soon as she stops shivering, change her clothes and put towels under her to keep her off the wet sheets. I’m going to check on the herd. I’ll be back as soon as I can. If she wakes up, you can give her more Tylenol. It’s been nearly four hours now.” Joel pulled on another shirt as he told Jonathan what to do. “I’ll take care of her. You be careful. Take the gun with you.” “I will. I just want to round up the stragglers and make sure they’re where they can get to water. I’ll throw out fresh hay as well.” Joel hurried out the bedroom door and clomped down the stairs. He jogged through the snow to the barn once he got outside and quickly saddled his horse. He was anxious to get back to Leigh as soon as possible, but they had to keep the herd together or they would lose some of them. The herd was their livelihood and source of fresh meat, something that Leigh would need if, no, when she recovered. He prayed that she would be awake and coherent when he returned. His heart remained in his throat the entire time he was out on the ranch instead of being inside with her. Don’t let her die, God. Please. **** Jonathan prayed the entire time he lay on top of the covers keeping Leigh warm. After she began to settle down and her teeth were no longer chattering, he climbed off the bed and gathered towels and one of his T-shirts to put on her. He pulled back the covers and pulled off the sheet. It was soaking wet. He carefully lifted her and laid her on a towel while he laid a towel where she slept. Then he


115

patted her dry and pulled the T-shirt on over her head and down her body. He had a devil of a time getting her arms through the armholes with the bandages in place. Once he had her settled once again, he sponged fresh water on her lips. Her tongue peeked out and lapped it up. After a few seconds of this, she opened her eyes. They were glazed, but open. “Thirsty.” Her voice came out raspy and weak. “Here you go, baby.” Jonathan held the glass of water to her lips while holding her up slightly. She moaned, but sipped at the water. “Hold on and let me get you some medicine to take.” Jonathan quickly poured out two Tylenol tablets and then raised her back up to swallow the pills with the water. She choked and coughed and spluttered, but finally managed to get them down. She turned her head and stared at Jonathan with a blank expression on her face. “Where am I? What’s going on?” “Do you remember the wolves, Leigh?” he asked. “No. What’s wrong with me?” “You were attacked by wolves. You’ve got some cuts and scratches we had to sew up. Do you hurt anywhere in particular?” “Not too bad. I can’t remember where I am.” “You’re at home in the house on the ranch. Try to get some sleep, Leigh. You’ll feel better when you wake up again.” She closed her eyes and let out a long breath. Jonathan panicked until he saw her chest rise and fall again. He drew up a chair and sat next to the bed, keeping watch on her. She moaned occasionally in her sleep but didn’t wake back up before Joel got back. “How is she?” Joel asked in a whisper as he walked in. “Better, I think, but she woke up earlier. Her eyes were glazed and she didn’t know where she was or what had happened to her.” “Was she able to take any more Tylenol?” “Yeah, she sputtered and coughed a good bit with it, but got them down. She also drank some more water. I think she needs to drink

116

Marla Monroe

more, though. Maybe we should start waking her up every few hours and get her to drink,” Jonathan suggested. “That’s probably a good idea. How long has she been asleep this time?” Joel asked. “It’s only been about an hour. Let’s wait another hour.” Jonathan walked over to the door. “How was the herd?” “Miracle of miracles, I don’t think we lost any of them. I did have to round up quite a few stragglers, though. I didn’t see any sign of the wolves, either.” “That’s good. I’m going to fix us something to eat. We need to keep our strength up to help her and tend to the animals.” “I’ll watch her. I’ll wake her up in another hour.” Joel took the chair by the bed and leaned back. Jonathan took the stairs two at a time. He looked at the mess in the kitchen. He’d gotten rid of the dead wolves, but the blood remained and needed to be cleaned up. He sighed and set about putting the kitchen back to rights. Then he fixed them soup and sandwiches. He ate his first, then carried a tray up to Joel. “How is she doing?” he asked, handing the tray to Joel. “About the same. I woke her up a little while ago and gave her water. She drank about half the glass. She’s warm to the touch, but not hot like she was. A little fever is good. It helps fight off the infection. I just don’t want it to get up like it was.” “I cleaned up the kitchen.” Jonathan didn’t know what to say. All he could think about was Leigh. “I noticed when I went out that you’d gotten rid of the bodies and put a board over the window. We’ll have to get an entire window casing to replace that one. Means a trip to Sky Line once Leigh has recovered.” “I don’t like the idea of leaving her here while we go. It will take both of us to load one.” Jonathan planted his hands on his hips. “Me neither. Maybe she can stay with Ronnie if everything is okay with them by then.”


117

“We can’t even call and check on her, but I’m not leaving Leigh to go find out how she is,” Jonathan confessed. “Me neither.” “We’ve got another two hours of light left. I’m going to go out and check the horses again. Do you think the herd’s okay for the rest of the night?” Jonathan asked. “Yeah. We’ll check them early in the morning.” Joel stretched his legs out in front of him as he ate his sandwich. “I’ll be right back, then.” Jonathan turned and headed for the kitchen and his coat. He needed the coat and the scarf since the wind seemed to have picked up. It wasn’t as cold as the night before, but the wind lowered the temperature by at least five degrees. He hurried and checked the horses, making sure they had plenty of food and water. Night was well on its way by the time he walked outside the barn. He stood outside in the snow and looked up at the sky full of stars. He wished Leigh was well so he could show her the spectacular view. He vowed he would as soon as she could come back outside. He wouldn’t accept anything less than her full recovery. He looked up at the stars again, and when he saw a falling star, he made his wish.

118

Marla Monroe

Chapter Fourteen A week passed and Leigh felt a little better each day. Her wounds were still puffy, and throbbed when she held them down. They propped them on pillows, and that helped. Still, she was sore all over, and the attack was still hazy in her memory. She finally remembered where she was. Then she remembered the men. They had bartered for her, and she was theirs now. Leigh wasn’t sure how she felt about that. They had been nothing but kind to her, and treated her carefully. Surely they were good men. How did they feel about her, though? She felt a closeness to them, but wasn’t sure if that was gratitude, or something more. The men were very cautions around her as far as talking about what happened. They seemed to think that bringing it up would upset her too much. Finally, she decided that if she was going to get her memory back, she needed to push it. That meant pushing them to tell her more about the incident. When Jonathan walked back into the room with a bowl of soup for her, her mouth watered even though she knew she’d never finish it all. She just didn’t have room in her stomach right now. “How are you doing, baby?” Jonathan asked as he sat the bowl on the bedside table. “I’m fine. Wish I could feed myself, but it hurts to bend my fingers still.” “I like feeding you.” He grinned and winked. “You’ll have your hands back in eating shape in no time now.”


119

Jonathan dipped up a spoonful of the beef soup and fed it to her. She managed to eat a little over half the bowl this time. It was a record for her. “That was better than last time, wasn’t it,” she said with a broad smile. “Yes, it was.” He sat the bowl back on the table to take downstairs later. “Tell me about the attack, Jonathan. I need to know if I’m going to remember everything. I feel like my recent past is all hazy.” “I’m not sure you’re up to it yet, baby.” “I am. I promise I am. Please?” Jonathan winced and she could tell he’d given in by the doomed expression on his face. He started back when they first started having more trouble with the wolves and told her about how one had been digging at the door. That was when they decided to get help in hunting them down. He went over meeting Brice, Garrett, and Ronnie. “She came over that night to be with you. We figured two would be safer than one, and you could keep each other company.” “I remember now,” Leigh said. “She’s really nice. She and I talked about all sorts of things. She was going to help me with my garden this coming spring.” Jonathan then told her about the wolf attack as far as they were able to piece it together. “Ronnie told me she was pregnant. When the wolves attacked, they attacked her first, and she was trying to protect her baby. I grabbed a knife and stabbed the wolf over and over when I couldn’t pull it off of her. Then another wolf attacked me. Ronnie managed to get the pantry door open, and then the cellar. She climbed down the stairs. I fought off the last wolf with my hands and lucked out closing the door and bolting it before my arms started throbbing and I couldn’t use my hands anymore.” Leigh felt the tears well up in her eyes.

120

Marla Monroe

She didn’t want to cry anymore. It upset the men. “So you remember everything now?” Jonathan asked in a careful voice. “Most everything. I’m a little hazy on things before that, too. But it’s coming back to me.” “Good. Don’t push it, baby. Give yourself time to remember it without stressing out over it.” “Jonathan? Would you hold me? I feel safe in your arms. I want to feel safe for a little while.” Leigh turned frightened eyes up to him. “Of course I will. You’ll have to help me. I don’t want to hurt you anywhere.” Jonathan sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back against the headboard. He reached for her and carefully pulled her into his arms, avoiding her belly and hands. She scooted further up in his lap and rested her head against his shoulder. “Wrap your arms around me,” she said. “I’m afraid I’ll hurt you, baby.” “I’ll tell you if you do. Please?” she begged. “Okay, you say something if I hurt you.” He gently wrapped them around her upper body where she had very few scratches. “How is that?” he asked. “Good. Really good. Thanks, Jonathan.” A little while later Joel walked in. He took one look at Jonathan holding her and grinned. “Do you feel better, Leigh?” “Yes. I remember about the attack now. I’m still hazy about before the attack, but it should come back to me soon.” Leigh smiled up at him. “Good girl. Just take it slow, and don’t force it.” He sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked her hair back from her face. Then he bent over and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I love you, Leigh.”


121

Leigh’s mouth dropped open. She hadn’t expected that. “You do?” She stared at him, trying to determine if he really meant it, or if he was saying it because she was hurt. She wished she could remember how close they actually were. She could almost grasp it. Then it was gone. “Yes, I really do. I’ve loved you for a long time, but fought it. I’m not fighting it anymore.” Joel bent forward and kissed her again. “Get well, baby. I want to show you how much I love you.” Leigh felt the heat rise in her neck and face, and it wasn’t from a fever, either. Joel chuckled and ran the back of his finger across her cheek before standing up. “I’m going to take a shower. I’m too nasty to come to bed.” Joel disappeared into the bathroom. Several seconds later, the shower turned on. Leigh imagined him naked in the shower and suddenly she remembered a time with them there. Heat suffused her body at the thought of him plunging inside of her over and over again. She lost her breath for a minute. “Leigh? You okay?” Jonathan asked, turning her in his lap so he could see her face. “Yeah, I was remembering something. It was something intimate. We were intimate, weren’t we?” she asked. “Yeah, we made love all the time. We’re wild for you, Leigh.” She felt the heat climb back up her face at that. Why couldn’t she remember something so important? “Leigh, we love you, baby.” Jonathan kissed the top of her head. “Now lean back and relax until Joel gets out of the shower.” Leigh must have dozed because the next thing she knew, Joel was climbing into bed completely nude. She was too shocked to avert her eyes. Besides, she’d seen all of him before. Jonathan eased her back into the center of the bed and stood up to remove his clothes. She couldn’t help but watch as he pulled off first his shirt, then his jeans. He didn’t wear underwear.

122

Marla Monroe

“Scoot over a little bit, baby. I want to give you plenty of room so I don’t hurt you in the night.” Jonathan slid beneath the covers. “If I keep my arms above the covers, I should be okay. I’m cold. I need you closer.” Leigh needed the contact for some reason. Maybe she was still a little scared. Joel scooted closer to her as well. He laid a hand on her shoulder and leaned in and kissed her cheek. Jonathan kissed her other cheek and all three of them finally settled down to sleep. **** Three days later, Leigh managed to talk the men into letting her sit up on the couch downstairs for a while. She was sick of the bed and getting testy about it. Joel grinned when she was finally settled on the couch. “So, are you happier now?” he asked. “Yes, thanks. I was really sick of that bed. There are only so many positions I could get in that were comfortable. Here I can sit up with a nice, cushiony back behind me.” “I’ll bring you some tea, baby.” Jonathan walked through to the kitchen. “Joel?” “Yeah, baby?” He stopped fluffing the blanket they had draped over her. “What about the wolves? Are they still attacking the cows?” It had taken Leigh a lot of working up to ask about them. “They aren’t attacking them right now, but we see them most nights. Don’t worry, Leigh. We aren’t going to let them near you again. There’s no way we will leave you alone, even with Ronnie.” Joel knelt by the couch and rubbed her cheek with his knuckle. “I’d die if anything happened to you, baby.”


123

“Do you know how Ronnie is?” she asked, uncomfortable with his declaration when she wasn’t sure how she felt about him and Jonathan. “No, we haven’t seen Brice or Garrett to ask. We are thinking about one of us going over to see how they are, but neither one of us wants to leave you right now. It’s bad enough one of us having to see to the herd every day.” Joel kissed her hand where it wasn’t bandaged. Jonathan returned with her glass of tea. “How do you feel now?” Leigh laughed. “I’m feeling the same as when you asked me a while ago, silly.” She smiled up at him and took the glass of tea. “It’s my turn to see about the herd. I’ll see you later, baby.” He bent over and kissed her on the lips. It was a lingering kiss. Leigh licked her lips when he had turned away to talk to Joel about the cows. She picked up the book they had found for her and started to read. “I’m going to be working in the office and try to catch up our breeding records. If you need anything, holler. I’m leaving the door open.” “I’ll be fine, Joel. Don’t you need a coat on back there?” She had the fireplace, but he wouldn’t have anything in the back part of the house. “I’ve got on two shirts. I’ll be fine.” He ran his finger down her nose and then kissed the top of her head. Leigh wasn’t sure how long she read, but sometime later there was a knock at the door. She froze. Who could it be? She started to holler for Joel, but evidently he had heard, because he jogged into the living room. “Be quiet, Leigh, until I know who it is.” Leigh only nodded and sank further into the couch cushions. Joel took one last look at her before opening the door just enough to see who it was. He placed his body in front of the opening so no one could see into the room. Leigh listened to see if she knew them.

124

Marla Monroe

“Hey, Joel. We wanted to come and check on Leigh. Ronnie is having a fit to see her. We need to keep her calm as possible. She’s pregnant. Can we come in?” Garrett’s voice carried into the room. Leigh smiled. Ronnie was okay if she was outside waiting to come in. She almost yelled out for Joel to let them in, but remembered he had said to be quiet. She didn’t want to upset him, so she didn’t. “Sure. Leigh has been worried about Ronnie. Bring her on in.” Much to Leigh’s delight, Joel stepped aside to let them in. She heard Garrett call back for Brice to bring Ronnie in. A few seconds later, Brice and Ronnie walked into the room. Ronnie squealed and ran to her. She started to kneel on the floor in front of her but Joel immediately stopped her. “Wait. I’ll get you a chair. You don’t need to be on the cold floor.” He disappeared into the kitchen and was right back with a kitchen chair. “Thanks, man,” Brice said. Garrett and Brice nodded toward the front door, obviously wanting Joel to follow them. “Baby, we’re going into the office. If you need anything, just call out. Okay?” “I will.” Leigh smiled at him. The three men walked into the front hall and out of hearing range. “I’m so glad to see you, Ronnie. I’ve been so worried about you. How are your arms?” Leigh asked. The other woman had on long sleeves. She had carefully taken off her coat with Garrett’s help and laid it on the opposite end of the couch. “I’m doing fine. My arms are almost healed. I didn’t have as many cuts or bites, and they weren’t as deep as yours were. You saved my life, Leigh. I will never be able to thank you enough.” Ronnie reached out and laid a hand on Leigh’s hand that wasn’t all scratched up. “How are you really?” Ronnie asked.


125

“I’m really doing fine. My arms hurt a little bit now and then when I do something. My belly doesn’t hurt unless I move too quickly. Mostly, everything pulls. They took the stitches out the other day, and that about made me sick.” “Don’t I know what you mean? It’s the weird feeling of something pulling in your skin. It doesn’t really hurt.” “Right. So you told the men about your baby. What did they say?” Leigh asked. “They were quiet at first, like they were in shock. Then they were worried about me. Now they seem to be excited. I was worried at first that they weren’t happy, but they keep assuring me they are.” Ronnie rubbed her belly. “I don’t even have a baby bump yet.” “You’ll be showing before you know it. Give it time. Soon you will be complaining about not being able to see your feet.” Ronnie’s face grew serious. “Do you dream about the wolves?” she asked. “No, thank goodness. I was worried I would. Do you?” “Yes. I woke up one night beating on poor Garrett. He almost never got me calmed down. I wish they would get rid of them so I’ll feel safe again.” Ronnie picked at her warm-ups. “Joel and Jonathan said they are going to form another hunting party once I’m healed up. They promised me they wouldn’t leave me alone without one of them there with me. They’re going to need more men to do it.” Leigh shivered. “I’ll worry to death until they get back.” “I know what you mean. My men said about the same thing. Brice has been talking to some of our neighbors on the other side about helping. They all are having trouble and seem like they want to help.” “Good. I don’t want just three of them out there all alone. There are so many wolves, and they are smart. Who would have ever thought they would come after us? And to jump through the window…” Leigh grew quiet, remembering.

126

Marla Monroe

“Don’t think about it anymore. Let’s talk about something more cheerful. I want to have a late-spring party with all our neighbors. We need to meet them all. You never know when you might need help with something.” Ronnie was animated talking about it. “Right. You’re going to have a baby. You’ll need help with your garden, and when the baby comes.” “Oh, Lord. I haven’t even thought that far in advance. But you’re right.” Ronnie grew thoughtful. About that time the men returned. They were still talking when they walked in. Leigh heard something about other men and getting together. “Ronnie? It’s time to go, honey. You need to rest, and I’m sure Leigh does, too.” Garrett walked over and helped her stand up. “We haven’t gotten to talk very long,” she complained with a pout. “We’ll bring you over again later,” Brice assured her. Joel smiled. “You’re welcome anytime you want to drop by. Either Jonathan or me will be here.” “We’ll be in touch later once we have finalized plans,” Brice said. “We’re in. Just let us know when.” Joel saw them out the door. When he returned, Leigh stopped him from going into the kitchen. “Joel. Are you going to hunt the wolves again?” He hesitated then sighed. “Yeah, baby. We’ve got to get rid of them, or at least thin them out. They’re too dangerous in such a large group to leave out there.” “I know you have to, but I don’t want just three of you to go out there. You need more men.” Leigh watched his face for any sign that he was going to lie to her. “Don’t worry, baby. Brice and Garrett have contacted more men, and we’re going to have at least six of us out there. Two men are going to stay behind with the women. You’re going to stay with the rest of them. I’m not sure who’s going to stay with you, but you won’t


127

be alone. I promise.” He knelt on the floor in front of her despite the kitchen chair right there. Joel picked up her hand and carefully placed tiny kisses all along it and up to where her sleeve covered her. Then he cupped her head between his hands and drew her down for a kiss. He licked at her lips and she opened, welcoming him into her mouth. He caressed her mouth with his tongue then ran it alongside hers before pulling away. He kissed the corners of her mouth and her eyelids before standing back up. Leigh looked up at him and smiled. Her breasts were taut and sensitive against her shirt. Her pussy wept with juices all from a kiss. She realized that she wanted him. She drew in a deep breath and reached out and traced his rock-hard cock with her hand. She couldn’t believe that she was being so bold, but it seemed right. “I’m sorry you’re hurting, Joel. Is there anything I can do?” “Aw, baby. Not right now. You’re not well enough for that sort of loving. Just hold the thought and we’ll make up for lost time. I promise.” Leigh planned to hold him to that promise.

128

Marla Monroe

Chapter Fifteen A week later, Leigh was tired of waiting on the men to determine that she was ready for them to make love to her. She knew deep in her heart that it was right and that she cared for them deeply. She still couldn’t remember everything, but she remembered enough to know that they were good to her. They said they loved her. She wondered if she had ever told them that she loved them. Right now she was mixed up inside on that. She planned to attack them in the shower that night. She had it all planned. One of them usually took a shower with her. She would start with him and then draw the other one in. Surely if she got them hard and was aggressive with them they wouldn’t say no to her. She was well enough. Her scars were fading somewhat. She wasn’t really sore anymore. That night, Jonathan suggested they take a shower before Joel got home so that he would have plenty of hot water for his shower. Leigh couldn’t wait. She was nervous now that the moment was at hand. They stripped and Jonathan helped her into the shower after adjusting the water to a few degrees below hot. They took turns cleaning each other. When Leigh got to his cock, she knelt and took him in her mouth before he could stop her. “Baby. God, I want you, but you’re not ready yet. Fuck, that feels good.” Leigh sucked him to the back of her throat then pulled back up to ring her tongue around the head of him. He moaned. She licked the slit as a pearl of pre-cum appeared. He hissed out a breath.


129

She squeezed low on his cock and gently rolled his balls with her other hand. She still had difficulty with squeezing, but she managed. Again, she sucked him down, then pulled off and licked him like a favorite piece of candy. Over and over she bobbed on his dick until he stopped her with his hands to her head. “Fuck, baby. I need you. I want inside of you. Do you think you’re ready?” “I’m soaking wet, Jonathan. I need you, too. Please make love to me.” She stood up with his help. He got out of the shower first and obtained a towel to dry her off. She stepped out of the shower into his arms. He gently dried her, then picked her up and carried her to the bedroom and laid her on the bed. Then he was there with her in bed. He licked the remaining water from between her breasts. He licked up until he reached her nipple, then sucked it in. He teased it with his tongue before moving to the other breast and applying the same treatment. Leigh moaned and stroked his head as he nibbled and licked her nipples over and over again. When he moved down to her belly, he kissed each of her scars. She couldn’t believe how tender he was for such a large man. He licked his way down to her pussy lips, where he sucked them into his mouth and played with them. “Your hot cunt is weeping your juices for me, baby. I want to lap at them the rest of the night.” Jonathan licked and sucked at her pussy until she thought she would come just from that alone. He carefully entered her cunt with two fingers and fucked her with them deep and slow. She lifted her pelvis, hoping he would get the message that she wanted more. She needed more. “Please, Jonathan. I want you in me. I’m so empty.” “Soon, baby.” He pumped his fingers in and out of her, picking up the pace, but never going as far or as fast as she felt like he used to. Then he began to tongue over her clit in soft, lingering licks that had her panting.

130

Marla Monroe

Heat built inside of her cunt until she thought she would die from it. A tingling started from her clit and spread inside of her until it reached her nipples. She couldn’t help it. She began to twist them, needing the added stimulation. Then Jonathan sucked in her clit and tapped it with his tongue over and over. She exploded with her climax. She screamed Jonathan’s name. He licked her down until she was merely panting. Joel came running into the room. He skidded to a stop when he saw what was going on, on the bed. “Well, fuck! I thought she was dying. Damn, Jonathan. She’s not ready for that yet.” Joel huffed out a breath and planted his hands on his hips. “Yes I am, Joel. I’m so empty inside. I need you both to fill me up.” Leigh reached out to him. “Aw, baby. Are you sure?” Joel asked. She shook her head and continued to reach out to him. “I’m nasty. I’ll take a shower. Jonathan will take care of you until I get back.” He looked over at Jonathan and sighed. Joel nodded his head. Jonathan laid one last lick on Leigh’s pussy before kneeling between her legs and pulling them up over his arms. “You start to hurt or feel bad, you stop me, Leigh. I mean it. I won’t touch you again if you let me hurt you.” Jonathan stared down into her eyes with a stern expression. “I promise,” she whispered. She would promise anything to get him to make love to her. Jonathan lined his dick up with her slit and eased into her. She was tight, as it had been so long. Leigh tried to lift her pelvis to meet his slow invasion to hurry him up. “Stop, baby. Let me do the work.” “More, Jonathan. Don’t be so careful. I need you deeper and harder.”


131

Jonathan sighed and pushed further into her. He pulled out and plunged in again. This time he reached the end of her and she hissed out a yes. God, it felt good to be filled by him. When he began to pull out and push in again, she sighed. He slowly sped up and she groaned at the pure ecstasy of it. Pressure began to build as he picked up speed. Each push against her cervix sent a spark to her womb and higher to her nipples. He altered his position and his cock began to hit a spot inside her cunt that revved her up even higher. He’d found her sweet area and manipulated his dick to hit it on the downstroke. He tunneled in and out of her hot cunt, making sure to rub it with each plunge. She squeezed her cunt muscles tightly to help him grow closer to coming. She was so close. She wanted him to come with her. “God, do that again, baby. That felt so fucking good.” He squeezed her ass with his hands. Leigh did it again and again. The next time he hit her G-spot, she flew. Her orgasm took her higher and higher until she felt like she would die from the feeling. Then she felt Jonathan come deep inside of her, and the warmth of his seed hitting her cervix sent another little thrill through her system. They both collapsed, gasping for breath. Jonathan eased to the side so as not to suffocate her. He shook his head. “I think you killed me.” “As long as you didn’t hurt her,” Joel said from the other side of the bed. He was glistening with the remnants of his shower where he’d missed drying off. “You’re going to catch a cold like that, Joel. Get in the bed,” Leigh said. “I’m so freaking hot watching the two of you that I might combust without even touching you.” Joel eased into bed next to her. He turned on his side and began to stroke her arm from shoulder to fingertips. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed each finger, and then placed a kiss on her palm.

132

Marla Monroe

“Are you tired, baby?” he asked. “Not too tired to welcome you inside me. I need to feel your cock filling me up, Joel.” “God, I want to fill your cunt with my seed.” He moved to the end of the bed and settled between her legs. He took one leg and raised it while he lined his cock up with her pussy. Then he plunged inside of her in one smooth stroke. He pulled out and tunneled into her until he reached her cervix. He pulled back just a little, then pushed hard and bumped it. He knew how much she liked it bumped. Leigh couldn’t use her pelvis to manipulate his thrusts with one leg over his arm. He held it up so that he could go deeper. Over and over he plunged his cock deep inside her pussy. His eyes grew heavy lidded as he fucked her wet cunt. She could feel her pussy juices leaking along with Jonathan’s seed. It slicked her up so that Joel was able to move faster and harder for her. She squeezed down on his thick cock over and over to give him what she had given Jonathan. Joel threw back his head and roared at the same time. He reached between her legs and fingered her clit so that she soared with him. She came with a thousand stars behind her eyelids. He fell forward but caught himself with his hands before he fell on her. “I love you, baby. God, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” The fact that he had told her before made it okay that he said it after sex, because she knew he meant it. It wasn’t just said in the heat of the moment. Joel got up and rolled over on his side of the bed, still breathing heavily. He reached and took her hand in his. He held it as Jonathan pulled the covers over them all. After a few minutes, she rolled over and kissed Joel on the lips, drawing his lower lip into her mouth before letting it go. Then she rolled over and did the same to Jonathan. Now she was satisfied.


133

**** Several days later, someone knocked on the door again. This time when Jonathan answered the door, Brice and Garrett had four other men with them. He let them in, but had Leigh go upstairs while they talked. Jonathan didn’t want her around the strange men. He didn’t know them even though Brice and Garrett vouched for them. He could tell she didn’t like it, but she didn’t fuss about it. He was proud of her. “These are Brandon and Bolton, and Wyatt and Kent. They live on the other side of us and in back of us. They’re having as much trouble as we are and want to go with us to hunt the wolves,” Garrett said. “Sounds good to me. I’m sure Joel will say the same thing. What about the women?” Jonathan wasn’t leaving Leigh alone again. “I figure one of us and one of you will stay behind with the women. There are four of them altogether,” Brice said. “Sounds good. When do you want to go?” Jonathan wondered if Joel really would go along with strangers being in the mix. “We want to do this soon. How about the day after tomorrow in the afternoon. Say about two?” Garrett asked. “Fine with me. I’ll have to check with Joel to be sure. One of us will come to your house tonight and let you know. Where are we putting the women?” “We thought our house, as we have a nice-size cellar. We’ll put chairs down there for them and lamps. It’s the safest place for them,” Brice explained. “I like that idea.” Jonathan figured Brice was right, and the cellar was the best place. “Joel will be home in another two hours. I’ll discuss it with him and we’ll get back with you.”

134

Marla Monroe

“We best get back to our women. We left them with two other men and their woman.” Brice looked uncomfortable with having done it. “It was nice to meet you guys. Hopefully we’ll see more of each other from now on. I think helping each other is going to be key to our survival from now on.” Everyone said good-bye and Jonathan closed and locked the door behind them. He wasn’t surprised when Leigh came down the stairs the moment he had the door locked. She had probably been eavesdropping on the landing the entire time. “Well, what do you think, since you were listening in?” Jonathan teased her. “I think it is a sound idea, but I’m going to worry about whichever one of you goes. I’m glad that one of you is going to stay with me, though. I won’t be quite as worried like that.” “We’ll never leave you alone again, baby.” Jonathan pulled her in his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips. Then he drew a finger down her nose. “I’m getting hungry. Better start dinner. Want to keep me company while I cook?” she asked. “As long as I get to taste test.” She heaved out a big sigh and shook her head. “You’re always hungry. Of course you can test the food. Just leave some for your brother. He’s going to be hungry when he gets in.” She walked into the kitchen and looked over at the wood they had nailed up over the broken window. It sent shivers down her spine thinking about it. It was a solemn reminder of the wolf attack. She would be glad when they fixed it. “Don’t worry, baby. We’re going to go to Sky Line and get a new window as soon as we take care of the wolf situation.” “I know. I just hate seeing it. Now, what shall I cook tonight?”


135

Chapter Sixteen Everyone gathered at Brice, Garrett, and Ronnie’s house on the afternoon agreed upon. Brice and Jonathan were staying behind to guard the women. The rest of the men were going hunting. Leigh chewed her nail at the thought of Joel out in the woods with a bunch of wild wolves. “Leigh, baby. It will be fine,” Jonathan said, wrapping his arms around her. “I can’t help but worry. They’re vicious animals. Why aren’t they scared of man anymore?” Joel walked up and kissed her on the nose. “Because there are so few of us out here now. They’ve bred and had free run of the place. Now we’re moving back in and they’re threatened.” “Please promise me you’ll be careful, Joel,” Leigh begged. Joel pulled her out of Jonathan’s arms and hugged her. “I’ll be careful, baby. We all will.” He let her go and looked up at Jonathan. “Take good care of her, brother.” “Don’t worry. I will.” The men all gathered together to go over their plans one last time. They shook hands all around before filing out the door. Brice locked the door behind them, and he and Jonathan herded the women to the kitchen and down the cellar stairs. It was arranged with thick blankets on the floor and blankets for them to wrap up in, as well as lanterns for light, food, and water. “It’s a mini home away from home,” Leigh pointed out. Ronnie laughed and huddled under a blanket. “I just wish we had a fireplace down here.”

136

Marla Monroe

“I’ll talk to Garrett about that, honey.” Brice sat down next to her and hugged her close. Jonathan picked Leigh up and settled her on his lap on the floor. He wrapped the blanket around her, and then his arms. “Heather, move over here between us so we can help keep you warm,” Jonathan said. Heather hesitated then slid between Leigh and Ronnie, and Jessie. Brice wrapped the blanket around her and secured it. “How’s that, Heather?” he asked. “Good, thanks.” “You’re married to Brandon and Bolton, right?” Brice asked. “Um, yeah.” “How far along are you?” Ronnie asked. She blushed. “I’m six months.” “I’m only a few weeks, I think.” Ronnie grinned at Heather. Both women smiled at Leigh. “Hey, don’t look at me. I’m not pregnant.” “Yet,” Ronnie said with an even wider grin. “Let’s not tempt fate here, Ronnie,” Jonathan said with a smile. “We’ve got to get past this wolf problem and get you two delivered before anyone else turns up that way.” “How are Brandon and Bolton handling it?” Ronnie asked. “They’re driving me crazy. I can’t do anything without one of them stopping me.” Ronnie looked over at Garrett with a smirk. “Yeah, I know what you mean. They think that everything will be bad for the baby.” Leigh smiled. She had a feeling that with the way Ronnie had said everything that she was referring to sex. The men must be worried it would hurt the baby. She sure hoped if she got pregnant she wouldn’t have that problem with her men. She suddenly realized that she could remember her love for them now. It had all come back. They loved her and she loved them.


137

Everything would be okay now. She grinned wide enough that Jonathan noticed when he looked over her shoulder. “What are you grinning about?” “I’ll tell you later,” she said, and leaned back into his arms. They all settled down to wait. Heather and Ronnie both ended up going to sleep after a while. Leigh just couldn’t get settled enough to. She managed to finally get comfortable and warm, but remained awake worrying about the men. She didn’t want any of them to get hurt, but especially not Joel. He was hers. After what seemed like all night long, the men returned in a cacophony of voices and noise. Everyone jumped to their feet and raced for the steps leading up to the kitchen. Brice and Jonathan managed to get between the women and the door. “Hold up, ladies. Let us be sure what is going on first.” Brice lifted the board blocking the doors from opening and pushed open the door. Garrett met him at the doorway. “We’ve got two wounded. They’ll be okay. If you can keep the women down there until we clean them up…” “Not a chance,” Leigh said, bounding up the stairs. “You let me out. Jonathan! I want out right now.” Jonathan wrapped an arm around her waist. “Joel!” she yelled through the men trying to hold her back. “Better let her out, guys. She’s going to hurt herself if you don’t.” Jonathan held her close to him as they walked through the door. Joel lay on the kitchen table covered in blood. Leigh immediately broke free of Jonathan’s arms and went to him. Someone had removed his shirt already. There was blood all over his chest and abdomen. “Joel? Can you hear me? Oh, God. We’ve got to stop the bleeding.” Leigh started feeling of him in an effort to locate the origin of all the blood. “Easy, baby. Most of it’s not mine. I’m okay,” Joel said in a strained voice.

138

Marla Monroe

“What happened?” Jonathan asked. “They surrounded us once we found them. We got a lot of them, but they managed to get a few bites in as well. How is Brandon?” “Don’t know, man. I’ll go find out. Hang in there.” Jonathan squeezed Leigh’s hand and walked off. “Where are you hurt?” Brandon walked over with wet towels. “They got him on the shoulder.” “Here, let me. I’ll clean him up. Then if he needs stitches one of you will have to do it. I don’t think I can.” Leigh took the wet towels and began to clean Joel’s shoulder and chest. Joel hissed out a breath through gritted teeth. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to be careful, Joel.” Tears slid down Leigh’s face. “I know,” he said. “Don’t mind me. It’s going to hurt. Nothing you can do about it. It needs to be cleaned.” Leigh went back to work on him, wincing every time he hissed or moaned. The bite proved to be deep, but there was no real tearing of the skin. She wasn’t even sure they could stitch the wounds closed. They might have to stay open to drain. Jonathan walked back over. “He’s doing okay. He has a nasty tear on his chest that they’re going to have to sew up.” “Jonathan, I don’t think they can sew up this. I think we’re going to have to leave it open to heal. What do you think?” Leigh moved back so that Jonathan could get a good look. “Hmm. I think you’re right. We’ll keep it covered for a few days until it starts to heal so it stays clean. We’ll let Brice look at it, though. He was a paramedic.” Ronnie walked over with a glass of water. “Here. He’s probably thirsty.” “Thanks, I hadn’t thought of that.”


139

Leigh walked back to Joel’s head on the opposite side of his injury and held the glass of water for him to sip on. He managed to lean up on his elbow to drink. “Thanks, baby.” “Okay, let me look at you.” Brice walked over and began probing Joel’s wound. Leigh winced and finally turned away into Jonathan’s chest. She couldn’t stand to see Joel in pain. “Yeah, it needs to stay open. Puncture wounds usually drain. Keep it covered for a few days. After that you can leave it open to air. If it gets puffy or oozes, boil it out with peroxide. I’ll do that now. Just wash it with warm, soapy water for now, but be sure it gets dry and stays dry.” “Jonathan, we don’t have any peroxide. You used it all up on me.” “I’ll give you a bottle of mine,” Ronnie said. “We have quite a bit.” “Thanks. Brice, when can we go home?” “As soon as he feels up to sitting up.” “Jonathan, can you move him to the living room now that he’s quit bleeding? I need to clean up the kitchen.” “Oh, no. I can do that, Leigh.” Ronnie held Leigh’s hands. “No, you’re pregnant. You don’t need to deal with blood. Garrett, come get Ronnie.” Garrett walked over with an indulgent smile. “What are you up to, honey?” “She’s trying to clean up the kitchen, and she doesn’t need to do that. I can do it.” Ronnie crossed her arms. “Leigh. You need to get Joel home and in bed. Brice and I will clean up the kitchen. I promise we won’t let Ronnie do it.” “I feel bad about leaving this mess for you. I don’t mind cleaning it up.” “No need for you to. Ronnie, get that bottle of peroxide for them, honey.”

140

Marla Monroe

Jonathan loaded Joel in the truck then came back for Leigh. She sat on the side of the door to keep Joel’s wounded shoulder off the door. She was a little softer than the door. He didn’t complain at all on the way home, but did some impressive cursing when Jonathan helped him out of the truck and up the steps to the house. “Think I’m going to be sleeping on the couch for a night or two,” he said with a hiss when he sat down. “We’ll keep the fire going in the fireplace for you,” Leigh promised. “I’m going to go get covers for you.” Jonathan started up the stairs. “Don’t forget his pillow, Jonathan,” Leigh called up the stairs. It was nearly midnight when they finally got Joel settled down. Leigh didn’t want to leave him downstairs alone in case he needed something, but Jonathan refused to let her sleep on the floor. “We’ll sleep upstairs in the bed. I’ll come down and check on him through the night. You are going to get some rest.” Leigh hadn’t realized that Jonathan could be so bossy. She stuck her tongue out at his back when he headed for the stairs. Joel caught her and grinned. Then he sighed and motioned for her to follow Jonathan upstairs. “Go on, baby. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you in the morning.” “I love you, Joel.” Joel stilled then grinned. “I love you, too, baby.” **** Joel settled back on the couch, wondering at why she had all of a sudden said the words. Did she mean them, or was she worried about him and said them to reassure him? Her eyes had filled with love, so she had to have meant it. Did that mean she remembered now? He couldn’t wait to find out.


141

He had held back for so many weeks in telling her that he loved her. With her not remembering anything about their relationship, he hadn’t wanted to push her. He felt guilty about bartering for her, but realized it had been the right thing to do. Did she remember that he’d been distant toward her those last few days before the wolf attack? If she did, maybe she had forgiven him since she had said she loved him. The crackling of the fire drew his gaze and he thought about how much he wanted to be holding her right then. Jonathan would be snuggling up to her, keeping her warm. He wanted to be in that bed with them, but there was no way he would be able to make it up the stairs without a lot of pain and Jonathan’s help. He sighed. The wolves had gotten the drop on them. He figured there had been close to twenty-five of them. They had managed to kill at least seven and wound another three or four. It thinned their ranks, but not nearly enough, as far as he was concerned. They would need another hunt, and soon, to keep them down. Maybe they would back off for now. He needed time to heal, and so would Brandon. He had a feeling Brandon was feeling a bit more pain than Joel was. He’d gotten a nasty tear on his chest. Meeting the other men seemed to be a good idea. They could help each other in tough times if they all became friends. Brice had already asked him if they would let Leigh visit Ronnie some when she got too far along to get out. They were worried about her getting depressed holed up in the house. Another thought struck him. What were they going to do when Leigh ended up pregnant? She would eventually, and there were no doctors around. They would need the women to help her then. Joel lay there worrying over every little thing for what seemed like hours when Jonathan slipped down the stairs to check on him. “What are you still doing awake?” he asked. “Thinking too damn much, that’s for sure.” Joel sighed.

142

Marla Monroe

“You need to rest so you can heal. What are you thinking about?” Jonathan asked. “Have you thought about what we would do when Leigh gets pregnant?” “Not really. I figured when she gets pregnant, then we would worry.” “We’ll end up delivering the baby. I don’t know the first thing about delivering babies, Jonathan.” Joel wiped his hand over his face. “Neither do I, but it can’t be much different than delivering calves. We can find out who’s got a book, or get one from Sky Line when we go this spring.” “I expect you’re right. I can’t sleep because I’m not comfortable, so all I can do is lie here and think of things to worry about.” Joel tried moving to another position again. “So what’s the scoop on the wolf situation?” Jonathan asked. “Not as good as I’d have liked.” He filled Jonathan in on the hunt and the numbers of wolves. “That thinned them down some. Maybe they will stay away for a little while until we can hunt them again,” Jonathan said. “That’s what I’m hoping. I’d feel better if we could thin them down to about five or six. We need them to keep the vermin down, but not go after our claves.” “And women,” Jonathan added. “How’s Leigh?” Joel asked. Jonathan sighed. “She cried herself to sleep. She was really upset that you were hurt. You’re going to catch hell going on the next hunt. She’s not going to want you to step foot in those woods again.” “I figured that. But neither one of us wants to have to worry about her working in the garden alone this spring and summer. We’ve got to take care of them now while we have the snow to track them.” “I agree. We’ll worry about convincing Leigh when you get ready to hunt again.”


143

Joel knew Jonathan hated not getting to go, but one of them had to watch out for Leigh, and Joel was the better shot. It was only smart for him to be the one hunting. Besides, if something happened to him, Jonathan was the best at taking care of Leigh. “Okay. You need to get some rest now. I don’t want to have to deal with you raving with a fever. I might have to knock you out.” “Like hell, little brother.” Jonathan laughed and walked back toward the stairs. He turned and looked at Joel one last time as if he wanted to say something. Then, he climbed the stairs and vanished from sight. Joel settled down once more and stared into the flickering fire, thinking about Leigh and what she meant to him. The one single word he could come up with that summed it all up was home. She meant home to him.

144

Marla Monroe

Chapter Seventeen After several weeks, Joel was just about back to normal. Jonathan kept the herd close to the house, but there had been no further problems with the wolves. Leigh was still holding her breath, though. She was so afraid they would start up again and the men would want to go back out hunting. She had overheard Joel and Jonathan talking about it on several occasions, but they always hushed when she walked in the room. She was fairly certain they planned to set up another hunting party soon. She wouldn’t allow it if it were in her power. She was so afraid of losing one of her men. Another thing she wanted was for both men to make love to her. After everything Ronnie had told her about it, she could hardly wait. They had prepared her for several weeks before all the excitement, and now they were just beginning to have sex again after Joel’s injuries had healed. Leigh didn’t want to wait anymore. To her way of thinking, it was the last step to becoming one between the three of them. She saw it almost like a wedding ceremony, and she hadn’t had hers yet. She planned to broach the subject that night. She would take a nice, long bath and bathe in her best soap so she would smell nice. Then she would pounce on them. Leigh laughed to herself at the thought of pouncing on either of the men. She was so much smaller than they were. “What are you laughing at?” Joel surprised her. She hadn’t realized anyone was in the house. The men had been outside in the barn.


145

“Just thinking that I’m happy. Everything is going so well. How are the horses?” “Doing fine. We’re probably going to get more snow tonight, though. The wind has whipped up some major clouds.” “Mmm, snuggling weather.” Leigh wrapped her arms around Joel and squeezed. “You’re feisty today. What’s gotten into you?” Joel held her out in front of him and tilted his head to the side. “You’ve got something planned. I can see it in your eyes. What is it, Leigh?” “Nothing. I’m going to have a nice, long bath now while you two are outside.” “Don’t catch cold, baby. Keep the water hot and wait for one of us to come dry you off quick. How long do you want to soak?” Joel played with her hair, holding it up on top of her head. “About forty-five minutes.” She swatted at his hand when he tickled the nape of her neck. “That’s an awful long time in the cold.” He frowned. “I’ll be fine.” Leigh stood on tiptoe and kissed him, then bounded up the stairs. She ran the water as hot as she could stand and pulled out the smell-good soap she had found in the back of the cabinet. Then she slipped into the water, hissing at the heat. It would cool off quickly, so she would need to let some out and turn the hot water back on again. She quickly bathed, then leaned back and let the water soothe her. She was nervous about tonight and wanted to be relaxed, or the men wouldn’t take her together. She was sure they were reluctant to for fear of hurting her. Well, she was going to put an end to that thinking. Twice she had to add hot water before Joel came in to pull her out of the tub and dry her off. He kissed her as he wrapped her in the towel and briskly rubbed her skin. He was careful of her arms and her belly. Truly, she was healed now, but they were still so careful with her.

146

Marla Monroe

“Where is Jonathan?” “Downstairs, locking up. He figured you would be asleep in a tub full of cold water.” Joel picked her up and carried her to the bed. “Climb in and snuggle. We’re going to take showers and be right with you.” Joel stripped and hurried to the bathroom to the shower. She heard Jonathan’s heavy tread on the stairs. When he walked in, he headed straight for her. “So, are you a prune under there?” Leigh laughed. “No. I’m not a prune. I really enjoyed my bath, though. Hurry up with your shower. I need my men to keep me warm.” “I’ll hurry, baby. You stay warm. Joel will be out in a minute.” Jonathan hurried out the door to use the bathroom down the hall. Leigh could feel the nervous flutters in her belly once again. She tried to will herself to calm down, to no avail. Finally, she managed to calm down enough so that her teeth were no longer chattering. When Joel emerged from the bathroom, she grinned and held out her hand. “Hurry up. I’m cold over here.” She snuggled up to him as soon as he climbed beneath the covers. “Mmm, you smell good, baby. I like that scent. What is it?” Joel buried his nose in her neck. “Honeysuckle.” She giggled when he began licking her neck. He moved his mouth around her neck to her jawline and nibbled his way around to her chin. Then he kissed the corners of her mouth before sucking in her lower lip to tease with the tip of his tongue. Leigh moaned. Joel took advantage of her open mouth and plunged his tongue inside to slide sensually along hers. He sucked her tongue inside his mouth, where he pulled on it in time to his thrusting hips against her side. Then he pushed his back into hers to explore the roof of her mouth, as well as teasing her with his thrusting in and out.


147

Leigh reached down and found his rock-hard cock. Just touching it had her pussy juices flowing. She ached inside for him to fill her up. She squeezed the base of his dick, enjoying the groan that slipped from his mouth. Joel broke the kiss to breathe as she ran her hand up and down the thick stalk of his cock. Then he was thrusting into her hand. He sucked on her neck, tickling it with his tongue before moving lower to her cleavage. He licked there before moving up to lick around her nipple. She tried moving to get him to touch her beaded nipple, but he avoided it, spreading open-mouth kisses all around her breast except where she wanted it. She grabbed his head and held him still while she brushed her nipple over his mouth. “Is this a private party, or can anyone join?” Jonathan dropped a knee on the bed, then climbed in to help Joel torment her breasts. Both men teased her until she was whimpering with need. Then Joel sucked in her nipple at the same time that Jonathan twisted her other one. She came up off the bed with a miniorgasm. Now her pussy juices were coating her inner legs. She was so turned on that even anal sex might not hurt. It was now or never. She pushed against the men until they moved back with strange expressions on their faces. She pushed Joel down and climbed on top of him. He grinned. “You want to ride, baby?” “I want you in my pussy and Jonathan in my ass.” She held herself up with her hands on his chest. “Baby, I don’t think you’re ready yet,” Joel said. “Let’s prepare you some tonight, and maybe in day or two,” Jonathan began. “No! I want you now. I need both of you now. I want to feel whole, and I don’t feel that way right now.” Leigh rose up from Joel and aligned his straining cock with her cunt and slowly lowered herself on him. She moaned at the fullness that gripped her.

148

Marla Monroe

Jonathan ran his hands up her back over and over again. His workroughened hands felt good stimulating her skin. She wanted to feel them on her ass. She rose up off Joel then dropped again, managing to sink a little lower on him this time. She rose and fell until she was sitting flush against his pelvis with his balls against her ass. She sighed in contentment. All she needed now was for Jonathan to fill her ass with his hard cock. She looked back over her shoulder and pleaded with him, using her eyes. “Fuck, Leigh. I don’t want to hurt you,” he said. “You won’t if you do what you’ve been doing. I really want this, Jonathan. It means a lot to me.” “Joel?” Jonathan asked. “Yeah, man. Give her what she wants. I’ll never be able to say no to her.” Leigh leaned forward and laid soft kisses across his chest from nipple to nipple. She stopped and licked each small disk before moving upward to his neck. Jonathan rubbed and massaged her ass cheeks before spreading them and applying lube to her back hole. He slowly inserted his finger until she felt his fist at her ass. He pulled out and pushed in several times before pulling out and adding more lube. Then he added a second finger. Leigh pushed out as he pushed in. It burned, but not too badly. He pumped them in and out over and over. She could feel him press against the thin membrane separating her cunt from her ass. She sighed when he pulled out and added a third finger. She pushed out, knowing it would hurt less if she did, but it pinched hard this time. She swallowed back her whimper and tried to relax her back hole. He slowly thrust them in and out of her ass until she didn’t feel the pain anymore. Something more was beginning to fill her body. She tingled all over. When he pulled out, she knew this was it. He added more lube. Then she felt his cock pushing against her dark rosette. The more he


149

pushed, the more she pushed back. The burn and pinch were almost more than she could handle until finally, the head popped through and he lunged forward. Jonathan stopped and rubbed his hands over her ass cheeks in a soothing motion. “Fuck, you’re tight, baby. Are you okay?” “I’m fine. It burns, but it’s beginning to go away now.” Leigh wanted him to move, but kept still for a little while. “I can feel you inside of her,” Joel said in a strained voice. “Move, Jonathan. Please. I need you to move.” She couldn’t wait any longer. Jonathan pulled out then plunged forward. He did this several times until he was fully seated inside her dark channel. He rubbed his sweaty forehead against her back. The two men began moving in tandem. First one pushed in, and the other pulled out. Then they switched. Leigh tried to move with them, but found she couldn’t. She was the vessel they were filling and she had no recourse but to lie there between them, letting them fill her. Never had she felt so full and so complete. With all three of them connected she felt like they were indeed a family unit. Slowly the tingles she had felt earlier grew in intensity. They soon had her nipples aching for stimulation and her clit begging for pressure. Her cunt wept, coating Joel with her juices. She could feel them each time she moved on him. Jonathan changed angles and her clit now came in contact with Joel’s pelvis. The raspy hairs surrounding his cock stimulated her clit until she knew she would come soon. Leigh began squeezing her muscles in an effort to bring the men toward orgasm faster. She wanted them all three to climax at the same time. She was fast reaching that point. Heat suffused her face and traveled down her body as her climax washed over her. She screamed out their names. Somewhere in the distance she thought she heard them shout out as well, but the roaring

150

Marla Monroe

in her ears pretty much obscured all sound. She closed her eyes and collapsed on top of Joel. Jonathan leaned heavily on top of her. Then he moved back, pulling loose from her. She heard the water running in the bathroom and realized he’d gone to clean up. She started to try and rise off of Joel, but he held her tightly against him. “Don’t move yet, baby. You feel so good here. My dick is warm and comfortable inside your cunt.” A few seconds later, Jonathan returned with a warm, wet bath cloth. He cleaned her up then helped her pull off of Joel, who complained. He cleaned her up the rest of the way then went to discard the cloth in the bathroom. Joel pulled her into his arms and kissed her repeatedly. As soon as Jonathan climbed back in the bed, he, too, snuggled up next to her and kissed her wherever Joel wasn’t. Leigh felt as if she were a princess. They were showering her with love. She wanted to give some of it back. “I love you two. That was even better than I thought it would be. I feel so much closer to you now.” “We love you, too, Leigh,” Jonathan told her. “More than anything.” “You’re our Bartered Bride, baby,” Joel said. “I couldn’t have made a better decision than to trade that bottle of whiskey for you. I’ll never regret it as long as I live.” “Kiss me, Joel.” Joel pulled her in for a nice, leisurely kiss. Leigh turned and kissed Jonathan, then clasped their hands in hers before drifting off to sleep. Her last thought was that they were the best owners a woman could ever have.

THE END WWW.MARLAMONROE.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Marla Monroe lives in the southern part of the United States. She writes sexy romance from the heart and often puts a twist of suspense in her books. She is a nurse and works in a busy hospital, but finds plenty of time to follow her two passions, reading and writing. You can find her in a book store or a library at any given time when she’s not at work or writing. Marla would love for you to visit her at her blog at themarlamonroe.blogspot.com and leave a comment. You can also reach her at [email protected]

Also by Marla Monroe Ménage Everlasting: Men of the Border Lands 1: Belonging to Them Ménage Everlasting: Men of the Border Lands 2: A Home with Them Ménage Everlasting: Men of the Border Lands 3: Their Border Lands Temptress

For all other titles, please visit www.BookStrand.com/Marla-Monroe

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Their Bartered Bride

Their Bartered Bride

Their Bartered Bride