by Marla Monroe
“Holy hell, Piper. You nearly killed me.”
“Don’t blame me. You were the one who had to drag it out.”
“I don’t know about you two, but I’m ready for a nap.” Keith stretched out on the other side of Piper and pulled her backward into his arms.
“I could do with one, too,” Tripp agreed.
“I’m wide awake, guys. Let me up. I need to work on the mess in the kitchen while you two take a nap.”
“Crap. If she gets up, I’m getting up,” Tripp said.
“We need to work on the fence anyway.” Keith got up and stretched.
“The sooner you finish it, the sooner you can rest up, guys.” Piper kissed each of them on the chest. “I’ll see you two downstairs.”
She grabbed up her clothes and hurried out of the bedroom. She could hear the men complaining as she tromped down the stairs. She stopped in the living room and pulled on shorts and a T-shirt without bothering with a bra, panties, or shoes. She wasn’t going back outside anyway. It was time to start work on dinner.
By the time she had most of the kitchen work completed and was about to start on dinner, the men had made it downstairs and were arguing about the fence.
“If you need us, call us on the radio. We have ours with us.” Keith handed her one. “This is yours. Remember how to use it?”
“I remember.” She took the radio and put it on the cabinet behind her. “You two be careful and watch out.”
“We’ll be fine. See you in a few hours, baby.” Tripp opened the kitchen door and walked out with Keith right behind him.
She watched them head out toward the back part of the yard where they had the fencing ready to put up. They still had a lot of hard work ahead of them. She shook her head and got to work on fixing a filling dinner that they would enjoy.
Once she had everything going, she took the radio and returned to the bedroom and bathroom to clean them up and straighten the bed. She wondered why Keith had wanted to try to be romantic. Had she given him the wrong impression that she needed that in her life? She hadn’t meant to if she had. And if not from her, then where had it come from? She couldn’t think of anything that would have given him that idea.
She thought about how Tripp had made her wait to climax. He had a will of iron to withstand her teasing. She liked sex and enjoyed it with them, but they both seemed to think they needed to make it better for her. How could she let them know that she didn’t need anything different without making them think she was less than pleased with them trying? She didn’t want to hurt their feelings. Men had such fragile egos.
When she had finished the bedroom and bathroom, Piper pulled on her MP3 player and listened to music as she checked the food then returned to the office. The photos of that creature were fascinating to her. She would love to get some of all the animals around the area and make a book about them. She arranged the photos into a loosely fitting pamphlet with captions and brief descriptions.
She was so engrossed with her project that she never heard the men until they grabbed her. She screamed and nearly hit Tripp in the mouth with her closed fist.
“Easy, baby. Take those damn earphones off.” Tripp pulled them from her ears and shook his head. “Those things are dangerous. You had no idea anyone was in the house with you.”
“Who else could it have been but you two?”
“Still, you need to be more aware of what is going on around you, baby. I don’t want you to end up getting hurt because you weren’t paying attention.”
Piper waved it away and handed them her booklet.
“What’s this?” Keith took it out of Tripp’s hands. “You made this?”
She nodded her head and clasped her hands in front of her. She was suddenly worried that they might think it was too amateurish. She had been proud of it only seconds before. Now she wasn’t too sure.
“This is good. Tripp, look at what she did.” Keith opened the book and showed the other man the pictures with captions and descriptions.
“Piper, baby. You’re talented. This is really good. You should do this when you have the time. Take pictures of the area around us and make pamphlets about it.”
“I was thinking I’d do that with the garden as it grows and then as we harvest it and I am putting things up. It would probably be good for new arrivals to have some idea of what to expect.”
“That’s an excellent idea. We’ll talk to them in town about how they printed theirs in bulk and see if we can do the same thing for you.” Tripp squeezed her hand.
“Thanks. I had fun doing it. I may have to just take pictures while I’m busy with the garden and then this winter when we’re not so busy, work on the pamphlets then. It will give me something to do…besides you two.” She winked at them.
“I swear, I thought I had sex on the brain,” Keith teased.
“Okay you guys, I need to go finish up dinner so we can eat. You need to go shower off. You’re both nasty again, and I bet you tracked it all through the house.”
They both looked a little guilty but didn’t admit to it. She just shook her head and shooed them out of the room. She would clean up later after dinner. They hurried up the stairs and disappeared. She headed toward the kitchen and turned on the oven and the stove to finish up dinner.
By the time they had returned from taking showers, she had it on the table. They quickly ate and escaped to the living room when she asked for volunteers to wash dishes. Once they were out of sight, she scooped all the dishes into the dishwasher and turned it on. Then she wiped down the kitchen and joined them in the living room.
They were discussing how soon they could finish up the fence. She climbed up into Keith’s lap and wrapped her arm around his neck.
“So you think you still need two days to finish it?” she asked.
“Yeah. It’s slow going. Stretching fencing is hard to do. So, we figure a good two days’ work is left out there.”
“I’m sorry, guys. I wish I could help you. But even if you would let me, I wouldn’t know what I was doing.”
“Just keep up what you’re doing now, baby.”
“What? Cooking meals and cleaning the house?”
“And taking care of us.” Tripp chuckled.
“Doing your pamphlets, baby. Don’t mind Tripp. He has sex on the brain.” Keith hugged her back against him.
“Will one of you go out there with me in the morning before you leave so I can take some pictures of the garden while it’s waiting to bloom?”
“Sure, baby. We’ll do that.” Tripp spoke up this time.
“I’ll plan on taking pictures of it at every stage. The pamphlet they gave us said everything grows faster and bigger than on Earth, so it would help them to know what to look for if they have pictures.”
“Good point, Piper. I think your pamphlet is going to be a big hit,” Tripp agreed.
“The nice thing is that once you get that fencing up, I’ll be able to go out whenever I need to work out there or just to take pictures.”
“You still have to be aware of everything around you, Piper. This fence still might not stop everything. Remember, there are dangerous plants out here, too.” Tripp shook his head.
“You should take pictures of them as well and put them in a book. Once we find them in the area, you can take a picture, and we’ll kill it so it won’t be in the fenced area.”
“I think my little fun project just got out of hand.” She giggled and kissed Keith on the cheek before getting down and climbing into Tripp’s lap. He growled at her and demanded a kiss.
She grinned and leaned in but then turned her head at the last minute. He grabbed her head and pulled it back down toward him. He took possession of her mouth with his and demanded entry. She opened to him without playing around and welcomed his tongue as he explored and licked his way around her mouth. He nibbled at her lower lip with his teeth, and then sucked on her tongue in a heady rhythm.
When he let go of her, she was almost dizzy from the kiss. She leaned
back against him to catch her breath and regain her balance. He always did that to her, kept her off balance. With Keith, she was always sure of where she was. She had the best of both worlds between the two of them.
“I think we need to go to bed now.” Tripp picked her up as he stood up. “We’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”
“I’m right behind you,” Keith assured them.
“What if I’m not sleepy yet?”
“Tough,” they both said.
Chapter Eleven
Early the next morning, Piper waited impatiently for the men to dress and come downstairs. She had breakfast ready and waiting as well as her camera and notepad. She had managed to wheedle thirty minutes of time outside with them watching out for her while she took pictures of the garden and various plants and wrote notes about them in her little pad.
She was really thrilled about her little project, because she felt like she was doing something that was going to help someone else adjust to the planet a little easier. Giving them something to look at would help them identify dangerous plants and animals. Telling them about the dangers would help new arrivals know what to do to avoid them.
It really was too bad that they didn’t send them computers to work on. The only ones were those being used by the scientist and the doctor there in the city. They felt like they needed to live as simply as possible because they were going to be on their own soon enough once Earth was gone. She wasn’t so sure they were right, but it was how things were.
Piper quickly served the men their breakfast and then flitted around the kitchen, unable to be still long enough to eat. Finally Tripp put his foot down.
“If you don’t sit down and eat, I’m not letting you go outside. You’re like a damn mosquito that won’t be still long enough for me to swat.”
That got her attention fast. She managed to eat half of what she had on her plate and remain sitting until they finished their breakfast. It took a monumental effort on her part to do it. Sitting still was just not something she was used to doing. Now that she had something worthwhile in mind, she was nearly impossible to keep under thumb.
Finally, the men finished up and were ready to go outside. She grabbed up her things and waited impatiently at the back door for the two men. Was it possible for them to move any slower?
“Remember what I told you. Be aware of what is around you and don’t get too close to the poisonous plants. You have a zoom for a reason on those cameras.”
“I’ve got it. I know what to do.” She almost vibrated in place as she waited for the men to give her the go-ahead.
“Okay. We’re watching for you, but still keep your eyes and ears open, Piper.” Tripp stepped back and let her go.
She immediately started snapping pictures of the garden before moving on to the yard around them. She made sure to focus well on each individual plant, using the zoom as much as was possible. She made a meticulous sweep of the area to make sure she had every plant possible. She even managed to get a picture of a dorrie before the men ushered her back into the house.
“Thank you, guys! I got so many pictures. I have a lot of editing and work ahead of me.”
“You’re lucky you obeyed me about that dorrie. I would have enjoyed spanking that ass rosy red.”
“She would have, too,” Keith said with a chuckle.
“You’re not helping any.” Tripp glared at Keith.
“Hey! No fighting. I was a good girl, so you should both be in a good mood.” She pouted at them then turned on her heel and left them standing in the kitchen as she headed for the office.
They could fuss and argue all they wanted to. She had something to work on now. She grinned and sat down to start viewing the pictures on the viewer. She removed the memory card and placed it in the viewer. Just as they began to show up on the screen, a shadow fell over her. She frowned and looked up over her head.
“We’re about to go outside and work on the fence. We should be back in around noon or so for lunch. Sandwiches will be fine.” Tripp stared down at her.
“I’ll have lunch for you. I won’t forget you, Tripp.”
“Well, you forgot to give us our kiss before we went off to work.” Keith stepped out from behind Tripp with an exaggerated pout.
“You’re both so crazy. Come here.” She held up her arms to give them hugs and a kiss only to be pulled out of the chair and wrapped in arms, squished between them.
First Tripp demanded complete surrender to his kiss, and then Keith licked and nibbled his way around her mouth. She laughed and realized that she was completely happy. In fact, she hadn’t been this happy in a very long time.
“Go, you two, and finish the fence so you won’t be so worried about me all the time.” She gave Keith a push.
She watched them leave the room then returned to the viewer and the pictures. The camera made perfect pictures. You could see every detail of each plant on the viewer. She printed out the best of the pictures and arranged them according to if they were safe or dangerous or edible. She would let Tripp verify them to be safe. Then she printed out several pictures of the dorrie. It was a fierce-looking little thing. The first picture was deceiving. It made the creature out to be cute. Then it opened its mouth, and the double row of razor-sharp teeth could be seen.
She would show the two sides of it so that they knew that looks could be deceiving on Alpha. She smiled. That was a very apt description for everything on Alpha. She hadn’t been so sure about her two men, but they had turned out to be exactly what she wanted and needed.
Now if they could get the fence up so that they could go to work without worrying about her. She had to be able to work outside so they would have food. Once again, the idea of her being responsible for their food for the winter overwhelmed her. She had thought she was over being worried about her ability to actually grow the garden. Maybe she wasn’t.
She checked the time and groaned. Thirty minutes and the guys would be looking for lunch. Piper hurried to the kitchen and rushed through making sandwiches. She had just put the last one on a plate when they walked in laughing.
“It sounds like everything is going okay out there.”
“We’re actually making some progress,” Tripp said.
“How are you coming with your project?” Keith asked.
“It’s pulling together really well. It will take time, but I think I’m going to have four different pamphlets when I get finished.”
“Sounds good, baby. We’re going to go wash up. Be back down in a few minutes.” They walked through the kitchen doorway into the living room.
Piper sighed. They weren’t as excited about her ideas as she was, but that was okay. She didn’t need them to be all in awe of her or anything. She could enjoy it and be fine, right? She frowned and filled up two glasses with iced tea.
By the time they had returned to the kitchen, she was back to normal and not worried about their lack of interest. She set the plateful of sandwiches on the table and passed them their glasses of tea. She took her seat and listened as they discussed the fence and how well it was coming along now that they’d gotten the hang of it.
“We’ll be finished by either late this evening or after a couple of hours tomorrow.” Tripp grinned, obviously proud of their accomplishment.
“That’s great. You’ll have time to relax before you start work.”
“Relax would be nice.” Keith agreed.
They finished up their sandwiches and gave her a quick hug as they hurried back outside to finish up the fence.
“We’ll probably be after dark coming in so don’t fix dinner too early, baby.” Tripp closed the door behind them.
She didn’t like the idea of them being out after dark with all of the different kinds of dangerous creatures around. Never mind that all they had seen around the house had been the dorrie and the muskie. The mantis was still out there somewhere. She needed a picture of it but didn’t want to see one to get it.
She shivered and finished cleaning up the kitchen. Then
she headed upstairs to clean up the bathroom after the men had washed up for lunch. They wouldn’t have put anything up. She was right and had to straighten the bedroom and the bathroom. Evidently one of them had cut themselves because there was blood on one of the shirts. She frowned. It was actually a good bit of blood. They’d kept that from her. She would address that when they got back that night.
Once everything was straight again, she returned to her project in the office and lost herself in the pictures.
Late that evening, she had just finished cooking dinner when the men finally walked through the door, looking dirty, tired and grouchy. Neither of them said much but headed straight upstairs to shower. Something hadn’t gone as planned evidently. She couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong. If she were smart, she’d wait and let them bring it up. Unfortunately, she rarely played it smart when it came to something she was curious about.
Thirty minutes later, they tromped back into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Piper hugged both of them then served the meal and sat down to eat with them. They were silent for the first five minutes. She tried, but she couldn’t wait any longer.
“Hey, guys, what’s wrong?”
“Huh, what’s not wrong?” Tripp asked sarcastically.
“The fence isn’t cooperating like it was earlier, and we’ve had to redo four feet of it.” Keith took a bite of his meal and shook his head.
“You can’t see crap out there when it’s cloudy even with two fucking moons.” Tripp wasn’t finished yet.
“I’m sorry guys. I wish I could help.”
“You can’t. The thing is, even with this fucking fence up, we’re not sure you’ll be safe. There was a damn mantis thing out there right before we came in. It wasn’t worried about us at all. The damn five-foot fence comes up midbody on him. For all we know, he can climb the damn thing. Hell, he could even jump over it.” Tripp huffed out a breath.
“I think, from everything I’ve read about it, that it likes the darker part of the day and of course, nights. It was late afternoon when that one rammed us on our way here, and this one you saw was at dusk in the dark.”