by Ellis Leigh
I took my time getting up, giving my body a chance to recover from all we’d done to it. Matthew had definitely worked me over well, and I would pay the price for such a strenuous day. One I’d gladly pay again, just not right away.
A long, hot shower helped, and the pills Matthew had left finally kicking in definitely pushed me halfway back to normal. Ready to face the rest of the herd, I slid one of his button-down shirts over my body, the one he’d strategically left out for me. My men and their claiming.
Though, I liked wearing the clothes of my men, enjoyed their heated glances when I came out wearing one of their shirts hanging halfway down my thighs…and nothing else.
Plus, I found their shirts gave me something tangible of them to focus on when they were away from me. Wearing Matthew’s clothes, smelling his scent all around me, offered me more comfort than just about anything else could have at that point. Except Matthew himself.
I headed downstairs, figuring he had to be in the kitchen. All that time spent pleasuring me had probably worked up an appetite in him, and I almost felt guilty that I wasn’t there to cook for him. Almost. Because if he’d wanted me to make him or the other stallions dinner, he would have told me to. And I would have obeyed.
But when I reached the back hall, I heard the rumble of multiple voices. The golden light of sunset hung low in the old farmhouse, the shadows deep. Everyone had come home for dinner. Anxiety at what they would all think when I came in smelling of Matthew and wearing his shirt after having been wearing Liam’s just that morning hit me, but overriding it was a sense of excitement. My boys were home, and I couldn’t wait to see them. To feed them. To take care of them.
I raced into the kitchen, grinning when Tripp greeted me with a loud whistle.
“Look at you, doll,” he said, standing up and hurrying my way. “Maybe I should call you ‘Legs.’”
I smacked his arm but rose onto the balls of my feet for the kiss he offered. His lips were soft, plush, and yet strong. Perfect for what I needed right then.
“Maybe you should just call me by my name. Maybe all of you should.”
That received a resounding chorus of absolutely not from all seven of them. Figured.
“Fine, fine,” I said, taking in each man in turn. “I smell food. Did someone cook?”
Liam nodded toward the other side of the table. “Matthew took the reins on the evening meal tonight. Figured he owed us, seeing as how we could hear your caterwauling all the way out in the barn this afternoon.”
Oh no. My cheeks burned, and I found myself fidgeting with the edge of the shirt I wore. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t ever be sorry for enjoying yourself,” Liam said, leaning forward in his chair. “We loved hearing you, just made it a little hard to get any chores done.”
The guys chuckled, and my cheeks grew hotter. Oh boy, they’d been aroused by my yells. That made my mind go skittering off track, and I wondered if they’d each taken care of things for themselves since I’d been…tied up with Matthew. I could just picture Liam with that thick, meaty cock in his hand. Stroking himself off somewhere while he listened to Matthew fuck my ass and make me scream. Liam would look so good doing it, would probably bury his teeth in his lush bottom lip as he tried to hold back his groans when he came. The others…well, I didn’t know them enough yet to get a solid picture of what they’d look like, of what they had tucked away in their pants. But my imagination was good. My imagination was damn good.
“Okay, bunny. Quit looking at us as if we’re a buffet laid out for your pleasure.” Matthew grabbed my hand and pulled me closer, smacking my ass for good measure before tugging me into his lap. “Even if that is sort of the reality of our situation.”
As the rest of the guys laughed and started talking over one another, Matthew pulled me in close to whisper in my ear. “You hungry, bunny?”
I nodded and moved to rise from his lap. “I’ll just—”
“Quinn.” Matthew’s commanding voice made the entire table go silent. “Our mate is hungry. How about you make her a plate?”
“On it.” Quinn jumped up and headed for the stove.
“Oh no. I can do it.”
“Of course you can, but we don’t want you to. I don’t want you to. Today was a lot, more than I normally would have done at one time.” Matthew leaned in to kiss me, biting my bottom lip for good measure and moaning when I shivered against him. “You’re just too irresistible to stop.”
I grinned, turning my attention to Quinn when he set a plate in front of me. “Thank you, Quinn.”
“Anytime, sweet girl. You just let me know if you want more.”
“Want some tea?” Garrett hopped up and grabbed a glass from the cabinet. “It’s sweet.”
“Gotta get our sugar fix somehow, ain’t that right?” Liam winked at me as my blush returned. Damned traitorous cheeks.
“I’d love some tea. Thank you.”
And so my evening went. Matthew wouldn’t even let me feed myself—he used his hands to bring small bites to my mouth while Garrett cut the food and organized the plate for him. And when I ran low on the roast chicken he’d made, Quinn jumped up to bring me more. Every one of my men sat there, watching. Talking. Entertaining me as Matthew fed me dinner. And as odd as that would have once seemed to me, at that moment, with those men, everything felt normal. And perfect.
“You look tired, beautiful,” Garrett said as he took my empty plate from the table and headed toward the sink. “I know tomorrow’s my turn, but I think maybe you need a day of rest to recover from Liam and Matthew.”
I wanted to refuse him, but Liam was already nodding before I could say a word.
“That’s a good idea. We weren’t exactly easy on you.” Liam’s blue eyes held mine, his concern evident. “You take the day off, sugar. Give yourself time to regain some energy. We’ll all be patient with you.”
Matthew leaned down to nip my ear. “Not me. I’m impatient. I want in that ass again now.”
A shiver raced up my spine, and I nearly moaned right there at the kitchen table. I had a feeling no one would have minded.
“So, it’s settled.” Liam stood from the table, coming over to give me a soft kiss on the lips before addressing the crowd again. “Waverley gets tomorrow to herself. Matthew, I know you’ve still got tonight with her—”
“I’ll be gentle.” He smirked when I spun and stared at him with my eyebrows up. “What? I can do gentle. Sort of.” I cocked my head, eyebrows still up, waiting. Finally, he sighed. “Fine. I’m still going to fuck you like the naughty little bunny you are, but I won’t do anything too crazy. Maybe we’ll even stay in missionary position.”
I doubted that. A lot.
Chapter Fourteen
Coffee in the morning with my stallions was quickly becoming my favorite part of the day. Matthew had woken me up at dawn with a full-body massage followed by a hot shower. Together. And though we didn’t have sex—he apparently wanted to stick with the whole vacation-day from sex thing—he didn’t leave me wanting. Two orgasms for me brought on by his hand and mouth, followed by one for him as he stroked himself off against the curve of my ass.
Might have been the longest shower of my life.
But it had been a great way to start my day, and I’d gotten to see and hug and kiss each stallion before they headed out to do their respective jobs. Even Cade and Dalton—whom Matthew had told me did everything together—had each given me a soft kiss to the cheek. My sweet, sexy guys. My stallions. My mates. They were all quickly becoming mine in my head, every single one of them. A fact that only brought a smile to my face, a quiver to my tired pussy, and a warmth to my heart.
Their affection and greetings that morning made me feel less uncomfortable about the whole no-sex-day thing, too. Maybe the break wouldn’t be a problem, after all. Maybe they really would be patient for their turn to have my full attention. More patient than I would have been.
“What’s in your plans for today?” I asked Garrett
as I sat down across from him. He and Cade were the last two in the kitchen, Dalton having headed to the basement just minutes before. And after Matthew’s comment about them doing everything together, it struck me as odd that they’d separated.
Garrett shot Cade a look. “Guard duty.”
“Guarding what?” I took a sip of my coffee, looking at him over the cup. Frowning and setting down my mug when he didn’t answer me. “Garrett. What are you—”
“We’re guarding you,” Cade said, his voice hard and rough. His expression stoic.
I was pretty sure mine had to be a bit more…surprised. “Why am I being guarded?”
Did they not trust me to stay put? Did they think I was going to take off? Hell, was I not allowed to leave? I still had my bus ticket, still had the option to go to Fairview. At least, that’s what Liam had promised me. If they were going to keep me some kind of prisoner, then they weren’t the men I thought they were. They weren’t—
“Whoa, beautiful. Stop.” Garrett slid his chair across the floor and grabbed me, pulling me into his lap. “I can see all sorts of pain and anger on that expressive face of yours, so just stop. Tell me what’s going through your head.”
“You’re guarding me, so what… I can’t leave?”
Garrett grabbed my arms, looking me square in the eye. “Hell no. We wouldn’t force you to stay here if you didn’t want to be with us. Cade, tell her.”
Cade sat back, all big and confident and one-eyebrow-raised hot. Sarcastic as hell too. “Hell no. We wouldn’t force you to stay here.”
I nearly laughed even as Garrett sighed in frustration.
“Real good help there, man.” He pulled me a little closer. “This isn’t about keeping you on the ranch, though we really want you to stay. This is about keeping whatever’s chasing you away.”
I stiffened, unable to think. Unable to breathe. “How did you know?”
Cade answered that question. “No one runs across the country on a bus, with next to nothing, unless they need to. We’ve been looking into what made you need to.”
“No.” I pulled away from Garrett, rising to my feet and pacing the big, open space. “No way. You can’t go looking for him. If he finds me, if he comes here, you’ll put the entire ranch at risk. I won’t have it. I won’t let him hurt you.”
Cade’s lips parted and pulled up, the smile on his face reminding me of a shark ready to bite. “He won’t hurt us, woman. I can guarantee you that.”
“You don’t know him.”
“So, tell us,” Garrett said, imploring me with those bright blue eyes of his. “Tell us who he is and what he did to you so we can find him. We’ll get ahead of him.”
But I couldn’t. I shook my head, still pacing. An oppressive sensation blanketed me, making me feel trapped and anxious. My fox scratched at my mind from the inside, wanting out, needing to run. To disappear for a bit. Needing me to give her control.
Which sounded pretty damn good at that moment.
“I’m going for a run.” I held up my hand when both men rose to their feet. “Alone. I want to be alone.”
“No can do,” Cade said, already pulling off his boots. “You can run out there all you want, but we’re coming with you.”
I spun, walking away. Pacing. Needing to find my space but unable to leave them behind. “You guys can’t just—”
But when I turned back around, I froze. I wanted to argue, to fight, to demand they let me go, but I had to focus too hard on breathing.
Both men were stripping off their clothes right there in the kitchen.
Boots and socks removed and set aside, collared shirts pulled off over their heads and hung over the backs of the chairs. And when they dropped their jeans—neither wearing anything underneath the thick denim—I had to hold myself up with a hand placed on the counter. Muscles. Muscles upon muscles from shoulder to ankle. Thick thighs and slim waists, rippled abs and broad chests with just enough hair to tease my sensitive nipples when they dragged their bodies against mine. And the rest… I couldn’t look away. They were just so damn sexy and hot and male.
“I don’t want you out of my sight,” Cade said, the words almost fuzzy in my head. I couldn’t look up at him, couldn’t turn my head away from the two cocks jutting straight up in the air before me. Both big and thick, both hard. Garrett’s looked to be just a little longer than Cade’s, with a curve to it that made my mouth water. But Cade? He was pierced. Motherfucking pierced. The little silver barbell looked like a bow tie for his cock. A thought that almost made me laugh.
“So are we shifting or fucking?” Cade asked, watching me, his hand dropping to grab hold of himself, all stoic disinterest gone from his face. “Because I’m up for either.”
“Fucking’s off-limits.” Garrett stroked his long cock, fingering the head as his gaze burned into me. “You’d better shift, beautiful. You keep looking at us like you’re hungry for our cocks, and we’re going to find a way to give them to you that won’t break Liam’s rules.”
Yes, please. But my fox howled, still wanting out. Needing to run. And those cocks would be waiting for me. Garrett tomorrow, Cade in a few days. With Dalton. At once.
Yeah, I needed to run.
I shifted right there in the kitchen, the shirt I’d been wearing falling to the floor. I shook out my red fur and strutted closer to my men, bouncing around them in a floaty sort of trot and rubbing against their calves before heading for the door. When Garrett swung open the screen for me, I raced outside, jumping off the porch and running across the driveway toward the woods. Hoofbeats followed, heavy and hard. Fast.
Good.
Let them chase me for a while. They might have been bigger, maybe even faster, but I had something they didn’t. Agility.
As I ran into the forest, I caught sight of my two mates tracking me from the more open pasture. Big and tall, with black hair covering their muscular bodies and long, flowing manes and tails, they looked regal yet wild. Dangerous, even. They looked like the stallions I knew them to be.
Mine.
There was no way I’d let my past come to take them away from me.
Chapter Fifteen
Two hours running through the fields and woods around the farm refocused my thoughts and left me both reenergized and exhausted. I needed a long bath and a nap if I was going to be of any use for the rest of the day. I raced into the barn, heading for the box of cloaks the men kept handy for moments like this. Moments when someone needed to shift and couldn’t just walk around naked. I mean, I could walk around sans clothes. I had a feeling my stallions wouldn’t mind, but I figured—in the spirit of the no-sex day—I’d better stay covered up.
As I tugged a cloak around my naked shoulders, one of my stallions came trotting into the barn. So big, so heavy with muscle. His black coat shone like a mirror, the muscles rippling underneath it. Something I couldn’t resist. I approached with caution, the sheer size of him making anxiety tighten my skin. My heart pounded hard and loud, giving away my fear. My excitement.
But my stallion simply stood, watching me with eyes as cornflower blue as the sky outside. Breathing hard from so much running but refusing to move even an inch. That look in his eye, the careful way he watched me, the way he stood so calm and solid for me—only one man made me feel as safe and cared for.
“Hi, Garrett. May I pet you?”
He tossed his head, snorting once and dropping his neck so I could reach him better. I took that as a yes.
I ran my hand over his face, letting my fingers tickle along his velvety muzzle. Bringing them all the way up to the tips of his ears and squeezing. He closed his eyes and sighed, nudging me for more, that fuzzy top lip of his quivering as I stroked him. Ears to nostrils, around to his heavy cheeks, down under his chin. Every inch. Every dip and curve. Everywhere I could reach.
“You’re so pretty.” I laughed when he opened his eyes and snorted. Loudly. “Fine. Not pretty. Handsome. You’re quite the handsome stallion.”
He nodded on
ce before nudging me with his head, greedy for my attention. I loved it, loved that he wanted my touch. That he was willing to stand there and let me rub my hands all over his face.
“You know, I’ve never ridden a horse.”
His head jerked, swinging around to bump his nose against his back. Inviting me up.
“No, not today. I’m a little…sore.” I shrugged, blushing at the thought of why I had that quiet ache between my legs. Of Liam and his skilled tongue, his thick cock. Of Matthew and his kinky side, his toys, and the way he offered a side of pain with the pleasure he gave. Yeah, way too sore to sit astride such a beast at that moment. “Maybe another day, though. If you wouldn’t mind.”
Garrett shifted right there, rolling between forms quickly and standing in front of me—human and naked—within seconds.
“Of course I don’t mind.” He pulled me into his arms, wrapping himself around me and sliding his hands up and down my body. Rubbing my hips, gripping my waist, massaging over my rib cage. “Anything you want or need, we’re all here for you. Don’t hesitate to ask.”
I curled against his chest, loving the warmth of his embrace. The support I found there. That was Garrett—kind and supportive, always watching me to see if I needed something. Always keeping an eye on his herd, too. Attentive…that was how I would describe him. I wondered how that would translate into the bedroom, to how the two of us would come together. Would he be as attentive then, making sure to cater to my needs? Or would that care fall in the face of his own pleasure? Would he take and take and take, using my body for his pleasure before giving me my own?
I almost couldn’t wait to find out.
Almost. My pussy was still in recovery mode.
Garrett finally let me go, reaching for a cloak and slipping it around himself before moving to tighten the tie on mine. Covering me fully. Even reaching to tuck my breasts away with gentle hands and a soft smile on his face.
“Beautiful as ever, but I can’t concentrate when you’re naked. And I need to concentrate right now.”