by Kaely Steel
“Do I ride? I was champion jumper at my boarding school when I was younger.” I had lost interest when I discovered boys were a lot more fun to ride, but I didn’t tell him that.
“I’ll take you riding in the morning.”
I felt a smile playing over my lips. “I’d love that.” Ideally, he and I had the same kind of ride in mind.
To my surprise I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. The smell of coffee and frying bacon eventually roused me and I stumbled downstairs where I found Hart sitting alone at the island. Interesting that none of the others were around. Or was this generally accepted to be my day with Hart?
“Ledger left you a BLT in the warming oven.”
“I don’t usually eat breakfast.”
Hart filled a mug with coffee which he placed in front of me. “If I were you, I wouldn’t go hurting Ledger’s feelings. Food is his way of showing he cares.”
I helped myself to cream and sugar. “What about you, Hart? What’s your way of showing that you care?”
He nuzzled in close to me, as if drinking in the fragrance of my skin. Nerve endings zinged to life. “I guess that’s for me to know and you to find out.”
I ate every crumb of my sandwich, suddenly starved on every level, impatient for my day with Hart to begin.
“Ever ride western?” Hart asked as we made our way from the house to the stables.
“This cowgirl can ride everything, in every way.” I punctuated my words with a provocative look so there could be no mistaking my meaning. His responding gaze was so intense it was like match to paper and I planned to enjoy every moment of being singed.
I placed my foot in the stirrup, only to feel strong arms hook around my waist and place me effortlessly into the saddle. “I’ll adjust your stirrups. You’re taller than you look.”
“Next to you guys I look like a midget.” I was five foot seven, slightly above average height for a woman, but surrounded by this lot who were all well over six-feet tall, I felt dainty and petite.
Hart fussed with my stirrups, his hands lingering on my legs far longer than necessary. The heat from his touch continued to travel upwards long after his hands left. I shifted on the saddle and felt a pleasant twinge where a girl always enjoys a pleasant twinge, especially with a powerful animal between her legs.
I looked over at Hart as he swung into the saddle. “You know what they call horseback riding?”
“You tell me,” he drawled.
“They call it foreplay.” I watched for his reaction. There it was, a sure and knowing smile that extended to his eyes.
I gave my head a toss. “I had my first orgasm in the saddle when I was eleven. My groom saw it all. He was sixteen and he got hard just watching me. Shortly after that we were out for a ride and came across a stallion mounting a mare. It was the most exciting thing I had ever witnessed. I asked him if he arranged it deliberately, and he said ‘maybe’. When we got back to the barn, he showed me how to take care of myself whenever I wanted. We were best friends until the school let him go. I guess somebody’s parent got wind of his special education.”
“Everybody should have those friends,” Hart said. “Ever see him again?”
“No. Some things are better left in the past.”
A dark shadow clouded his face and wounded his eyes in a way that let me know he got exactly what I meant.
The air was so fresh I felt every indrawn breath expanding my lungs, making me glad to be alive. I hadn’t felt this alive and vibrant, at one with nature, in a really long time. Dozens of fragrances- green and fresh and piney- warred for my attention. As we cantered across the field I felt my V-zone rock against the smooth leather of my saddle.
Hart rode just ahead of me and I admired the way the denim of his jeans hugged his ass and muscular thighs. I stretched in my stirrups, increasing the pressure with the sway of the horse’s gait. Faster and faster I rocked, my clit pulsing as if with a life of its own, straining for more stimulation.
I wanted to come. I wanted Hart. But I didn’t mind this prelude. I touched my heels to the horse’s flanks, urging him to go faster, deliberately moving in such a way that the pressure built its way to a sweet pinnacle of release.
Hart caught up to me with as I slowed my mount, his cocky demeanor and knowing smile telling me he knew I had just enjoyed a very satisfying ride.
Single file with Hart in the lead, we wound our way up a steep mountain pass that opened into a lush meadow. I wrinkled my nose trying to identify the source of the sulphur smell. Not until we rounded a bend did I see the hot springs winding toward us. Steam rose as the stream meandered from out of the brush, filling a series of different-sized pools carved from the rocks before disappearing back underground. Steam rose from the pools in hot clouds.
Excited, I scrambled off my horse. I squatted at the edge of the largest pool and trailed my fingers into the warmth. I turned to Hart. “This is amazing!”
He dismounted in a leisurely fashion and made his way to my side. He was so big. So solid. So powerful. He wore an air that said he was capable of anything and everything. Capable of being all that I needed. And I needed it all. Every last drop he had to give me.
“You have your brand of foreplay. This is mine.”
My blood sang its way through my veins as he lowered his face to mine and kissed me slowly, thoroughly, branding me his. His mouth took and I gave, longing to erase the pain, banish the suffering that I knew plumbed the depths of his tortured soul. I smoothed my hands across his back and shoulders. My wounded warrior.
I’d never felt like I had a purpose before, but here in this setting, with this man, I was confident I knew what I had to do right here, right now: belong to Hart.
My heart soared. I felt awash in emotions that were foreign to me. I felt safe, cherished and loved. All things I had spent my entire life seeking but never finding until this moment.
His hands trailed down my arms to my fingertips. “It’s right that you’re here. That we’re here.”
I nodded. Nothing had ever felt so right.
He pulled my T-shirt over my head and cupped my breasts in his scarred hands. I kissed my fingertips and placed them over his hands, as if my kiss could help heal his scars. Then I glanced up into espresso-dark eyes. “Why were you in the fire in the first place?”
“It was what I did.”
“And someone wanted you to die.”
“My partner. A firefighter who is also an arsonist is a dangerous adversary.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I survived.”
My voice softened. “But did you really?”
“Enough.”
We undressed slowly, pausing frequently to kiss, to touch, to taste. Our clothing landed in a tangled heap near some scrub pines. A short distance away our horses grazed, unheeding.
The air had a crisp fall chill that raised goosebumps on my bare arms and legs as, hand in hand, we made our way slowly into the springs.
My skin had adjusted to the temperature by the time we reached a rocky ledge where we could sit side by side, submerged waist deep. I leaned back and closed my eyes, enjoying the contrast of the hot water and the cool air. My senses felt heightened. I could feel the brush of my hair across my shoulders. I curled into Hart’s side, touching him everywhere I could reach. His six pack abs were taut and ridged with muscle, his pecs well-defined with flat male nipples in their nest of short hair. His arms bulged with muscle as he picked me up and set me on his lap. I leaned back against him. Totally content. Free. Safe.
He kissed my back the way I had kissed his earlier, his tongue tracing the curve of my spine as his lips nibbled and sipped at my skin while his hands palmed my breasts. I leaned back to look up. Huge pine trees ringed the area, their dark green foliage standing sentry against the grey-blue sky. A hawk soared effortlessly overhead, riding the air current, the only witness to our private oasis.
I felt Hart stir and harden against my back as his hand slipped between my legs.
I pressed into him, impatient for relief. He increased his pressure, enough to heighten the growing tension, not enough to bring me relief. I pivoted forward. He laughed and withdrew.
I spun around on his lap so we faced each other. I caught his square, strong face in my hands and kissed him, demanding what I took, taking rather than giving. I felt him press against me, seeking my opening. Just when I was braced for him he lifted me from the pool and onto the edge.
He pushed my legs wide to rest on his shoulders. I leaned back on my hands for balance as he lowered his face to my throbbing core, his tongue teasing the taut nub. Pressure tightened unbearably. My guttural cry of release rang throughout the meadow. Even the horses turned our way in mild curiosity.
He didn’t stop there but continued his lapping and laving as his tongue darted in and out of my opening like a tiny cock. I felt everything in me clench, trying to hold him as wave after wave of pleasure radiated through me until I didn’t think it was possible to come again.
He stood before me in the hot springs, his cock jutting proudly from its tidy, short nest, swollen with need. I felt a fresh outpouring of juices between my legs, anticipating his possession.
“I want to fuck your beautiful tits.”
He pushed my breasts together to form a shallow trench, his thumbs rolling across my nipples as he thrust himself in the damp chasm. I looked down and saw the tip of his shaft poking out invitingly. I stuck out my tongue and swirled over it as he slowly, methodically advanced and withdrew. Advanced and withdrew. His thigh muscles bunched with the effort of each movement as I tried desperately to wrap my lips around the silky head of his cock. A second before he spilled he reached back and fondled my clit. I came again as his milky semen bathed my chest. Barely able to catch our breath we both slowly sank back into the hot springs. Through the trees I saw the shadowy outline of a man on horseback retreating from view.
“Do any of the others like to watch?”
Hart laughed. “They all do.”
Chapter 4
WULFF
From my seat next to Pierce in the Command Center, my attention wandered as Thor droned on. “I’m quite certain I don’t need to remind you gentlemen, we own your very existence.”
I glanced away from the oversize screen where Thor’s image and voice dominated the room, wondering who or what had set Thor off this time. No one member of The Group was more powerful than the others but Thor liked to pretend he ran the show.
Dare spoke up. He’s the one who created our untraceable system- far more advanced and sophisticated than Skype would ever be- to communicate between G Force and The Group. “Have you figured out yet who hired the assassin to infiltrate The Group?”
“Not yet. Once we do their elimination will be your next assignment.”
“And Jenna’s husband?” We all wanted to get a crack at the guy who had abused Jenna’s trust. Who had left her feeling scared and broken.
“At this point he’s still somewhat useful. Once that usefulness comes to an end…" Thor didn’t have to finish his statement. We all knew what he meant. I often wondered what would happen if and when our usefulness came to an end.
Thor was right on several counts. The Group had created us and could uncreate us just as easily. I knew the others felt the same way I did; welcoming the chance to fight the good fight for society’s underdogs. A long time ago we had been those underdogs, too inconsequential to make a difference even when we tried. That had all changed when we were recruited by The Group.
I’d been a bush pilot who couldn’t keep my mouth shut, and I had lost my entire family because of it. The other G Force members had similar stories. It was what bonded us together more tightly than any blood.
Pierce spoke up. “I don’t think it’s wise to leave Jenna alone. When the time comes for our assignment, I mean.”
“You’re probably right,” Thor said. “She’s more vulnerable than she lets on.”
She was also one hell of a lot of woman. But I wasn’t about to share that with Thor.
“Wulff, you took care of her car?”
“Done,” I said.
“Her phone?”
We all laughed. “More than done,” Dare said.
“I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” Thor signed off and the center seemed to reverberate with a collective sigh of relief.
“Any of you guys ever think of a life after G Force? Once we can’t or don’t want to do this any longer?”
Trust Pierce to ask the question I didn’t even want to think about. He’d been a very successful stock broker whose holdings had been wiped out by the greed and corruption of a foreign government. His wife hadn’t taken the news well. Rather than trust him to fix things, she’d smothered their two young children then done herself in. Pierce had been on a single-handed course of self-destruction before The Group got hold of him. Losing your family is something I understood all too well.
“Day by day, man. That’s my mantra,” I said.
Ledger spoke up. “No past. No future. Just right now.” I figured that attitude is what helped keep Ledger alive the stretch he spent in jail. He didn’t ever talk about the night he’d been broken out of prison by The Group. We all knew he wasn’t capable of the espionage he had been framed for.
“Anybody read anything in Thor’s latest rant?” Hart asked.
I shrugged. “He needs us. He wouldn’t have sent Jenna to us if he had any other choice.”
JENNA
For a girl whose worst fear was being alone, I managed to adjust to my own company surprisingly well. I read. I played solitaire. I tackled a jigsaw puzzle. All those normal childhood pursuits of an only child that I’d missed growing up helped fill my days at the ranch
The one problem with being alone, and why I avoided it with a passion, was that I couldn’t avoid those terrible questions swirling through my brain. Questions with no answers.
-Why hadn’t my parents loved me and spent time with me?
-Who killed my parents, and why?
-Would my life be any different if they were still alive?
I put my book down when I realized I had been reading the same page over and over again.
I never really knew my parents. First there were nannies, then boarding school, as if I was an inconvenience that got in the way of their work. I was likely conceived in their lab, as that’s where they spent all their time. Who knew? Maybe I was part of an experiment. Something they created then didn’t know what to do with.
Since their death, I’d learned I cope best not thinking. Just going with feelings, sensations, surroundings, getting by off on the energy of others and letting that energy feed the empty hole in my soul.
Here at the ranch my soul was feeling exceptionally well-tended. I’ve always adored the company of men and this group was something special. They exuded a unique essence that I couldn’t get enough of.
Right now they were nowhere in sight. No doubt they were huddled some place private, choosing which world wrongs to put right next. I smiled at the thought. My very own super heroes. I wondered if they had a name. If not, I should come up with one. Except that would require thought on my part.
Vowing not to think, I changed into my work-out gear and found my way to the lower level where the gym was every bit as luxurious as I remembered. One entire wall was covered in floor to ceiling mirrors with the floor in front of it cushioned by rubber mats.
One thing I didn’t remember from my earlier tour was a shiny silver dance pole beckoning to me from the far end. Did they bring in strippers for their own private viewing? I grabbed hold of the pole and did a half-twirl. Damn, I needed some music.
As if on cue, ceiling speakers sprang to life. A sultry jazz piece flowed over me, making movement instinctual. I kicked off my shoes and wrapped one leg around the pole, attempting an experimental spin.
As I moved, I took a closer look at the mirrors. What if those mirrors were two-way glass? Which one of my heroes might be on the other side, watching me?
Dark and brooding Wulff?
Blond Viking Ledger?
Scarred and handsome Hart?
Soulful green-eyed Pierce?
Or the blue-eyed Dare devil?
Excitement raced through me with a rush of warmth. I grew flushed at the thought of any or all of them watching. My girl parts tingled. Who didn’t love to tease and be teased?
The tempo of the music changed, grew faster and more vibrant, and with a pulsing beat that matched the heated blood thrumming through my veins.
With a talent I didn’t know I possessed, I continued my flirty, provocative foreplay with the dance pole as my partner, fueled by lust. Lust for the five men who were tasked with my care and well-being.
Beneath my thin stretchy bra-top my breasts ached with want and I rasped a fingernail across the nipples, feeling the resultant rush of heat between my thighs. I freed my breasts, fondled them lovingly, then unzipped the front of the top and spun it overhead in my best stripper move before I released it. My top flew through the air and landed off to the side, the one splash of pink in this black and grey male enclave.
Topless, I felt totally free and uninhibited as I continued my sultry, gyrating movements, admiring the way my naked breasts dipped and swayed in time to the music. As gracefully as possible I slithered my way to the floor and lay on my back with my legs wrapped up the pole. I lifted my hips off the ground, writhing in time to the music as if I was fucking the pole.
Were my men watching? Were they getting hot like me?
Heat pooled within the confines of my peek-a-boo spandex. I rolled onto my stomach and arched my back, head thrown back, breasts front and center. I rolled over and did a few spins on my ass before I straddled the pole, legs wide open. I pivoted from hip to hip so the hard metal caressed my clit through the spandex while I played with my breasts, head back, hair brushing my shoulders while my heavy-lidded gaze remained glued to the mirror.
I knew they were watching!