by Jan Springer
“Used three of the four mattresses and stretched them across. Wide enough for all of us,” he said.
Rafe set her down upon her feet and instructed Brady to lie down on the mattresses. He did, stretching out down the middle of the makeshift bed that had been covered with sheets, blankets and pillows. Then Brady held his hand out for JJ.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Brady said and wiggled his fingers. She nodded, feeling the heat of excitement roar through her. She stepped onto the mattress, laced her fingers with Brady’s and then lay on her back beside him.
“Close your eyes, baby. Close your eyes and just feel what we’re going to do to you.”
Oh my!
She closed her eyes and felt Brady’s hand slide over her breast. He tweaked the nipple Rafe had just been sucking on. Her flesh was sore, but pleasantly so, as he gently pinched and rubbed.
She blew out tense breaths while she listened to the rustling of clothing. Dan and Rafe were removing their underwear. Then she felt the mattress move and heard someone breathing on her other side.
“It’s me, baby,” Rafe said softly. She barely heard him above the sound of rain as it pounded upon the roof.
“This is kind of wild,” JJ suddenly giggled. She couldn’t help but to find this amusing.
There was a violent storm raging outside and she had three cowboys about to make love to her. How cool was that?
She heard Brady mumble something but she couldn’t make out what he’d said.
For a brief instant, she worried about Milena being back at the ranch, maybe a bit scared from all this thunder, but her worries disintegrated as Brady stopped playing with her nipple and then his hot, moist mouth replaced his fingers.
Rafe’s lips curled around her other nipple. Both men began a gentle, erotic sucking while their hands tenderly slid over her belly bump, her inner thighs, and her breasts, igniting flames of pleasure everywhere they touched. Two tongues gently laved her nipples and then two sets of sharp teeth erotically nipped her tender flesh. Sharp, hot sensations rippled through her making her gasp.
“Lift your bum, sweetie,” Dan instructed. She did as he asked and a pillow was quickly shoved beneath her butt.
Then her legs were being spread apart. The mattress dipped between her legs and she cried out and clenched her hands as Dan’s hot mouth melted over her pussy. She bucked as his tongue laved her sensitized clit. His hands settled upon her hips and in her minds eye she could easily picture Dan’s head dip between her thighs, his lips sucking her juices.
Her vagina muscles clenched in wicked want for penetration. She could feel the hot stickiness of her arousal easing along her channel.
Her orgasm mounted. It swelled through her. She began to tremble. To keen.
“She needs us,” she heard Rafe groan.
Suddenly their hot mouths were gone from her breasts and her pussy. Someone was grabbing her by her waist, rolling her sideways and then she was being lifted into the air.
A moment later, she was gently lowered, her pussy stretched wonderfully as a shaft entered her. She struggled to open her eyes and when she finally did, she realized she’d been impaled upon Brady. His eyes were closed and his face was etched with pleasure.
She slapped her hands upon Brady’s chest, and began gyrating her hips, loving the sense of fullness deep inside of her.
Someone moved up against her backside and she instinctively leaned forward. As something hot and smooth nudged against her ass, JJ found Brady’s mouth and kissed him.
He groaned and his shaft jerked inside of her. His tongue slipped into her mouth. Their tongues tangled and her senses blew apart.
A cock entered her ass in one swift thrust and JJ came apart. She shattered and convulsed as the climax rocked into her, sweeping her up in its tumultuous waves.
Thunder shook the cabin. Rain pummelled the windows and the men’s groans intermingled with her cries. Wave after wave, pleasure made love to her.
The storm was relentless outside and inside.
JJ drifted in the sea of whispers, instructions and desire as lightning bolts of pleasure zipped through her. She convulsed, and orgasmed beneath each man as they took turns with her. Eventually, when they were all satisfied, they fell asleep, fully spent and tangled together in an arrangement of arms, legs, sheets and blankets.
Daegen frowned as the lights flickered and a crack of thunder shook the floorboards beneath his feet. Another bad storm. They’d been having a run of storms lately with the days being so hot and humid.
The last thing he’d expected was for this day to end with a woman in it. He’d come out here to the seclusion of Northern Ontario for a reason. To get away from people and reality.
So much for trying to find peace. Instead, he’d found a cute woman.
He sighed and dumped the blueberries he’d been washing into a large bowl. He’d found several bowls in a cupboard and while she showered he’d given the berries a good rinse and managed to find space for them in the overly large refrigerator in the kitchen.
While he waited for her, he’d started on some supper. He’d located some bacon in the freezer, was nuking it and was now scrambling some eggs for them. He hoped she wasn’t one of those women who showered endlessly because he really was hungry.
Thankfully, within a few minutes, she padded barefoot into the kitchen, a towel wrapped around her hair and a pink flush to her skin that matched the pretty pink blouse she wore.
“You clean up nice,” he blurted before he could stop himself. Heck, he needed to keep his mouth shut. But she sure did look pretty.
She averted his gaze and he realized he’d embarrassed her with his comment. Interesting. He wondered where she came from and what kind of woman would be tramping around in bear country, unescorted with buckets of blueberries. Bears loved blueberries. Maybe she had a death wish?
“Your turn. The water is nice and hot,” she said as she fiddled with the coffee machine.
He shook his head and nodded to the eggs he was stirring in the pot.
“Eat first. Come on, have a seat. I’ll get the coffee started and serve a fast dinner. And we can have sugared blueberries and whipped cream for desert. Already have it waiting for us in the fridge. I figure the owners of this place won’t mind us getting into their grub. They can consider it down payment for all those blueberry pies you’re gonna bake for them.” He winked at her and liked that her cheeks grew even pinker.
She didn’t say anything. Instead she sat down on a chair, removed the towel, bent over and began to vigorously dry her hair with the towel. He watched her for a moment, mesmerized with her fingers. They were long and slender. No nail polish. Nails nicely cut and clean.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t been wearing a lick of makeup when he’d found her screaming at the bear. He liked a woman who was comfortable with her own looks and didn’t need makeup even out here.
Daegen quickly got the coffee brewing in the machine and then drew his attention back to stirring the eggs before they burned. He had to admit he wasn’t the best of cooks but he did whip up a fluffy batch of scrambled eggs. Mitch and Paul always looked forward to the mornings when he cooked, because they knew they’d be getting eggs. He shook in a healthy dose of salt, pepper, and the tiniest touch of some of the opened red wine he’d found in the fridge. He whipped the eggs harder and then they were done.
“Your dinner is served, my lady,” Daegen said as he scooped a healthy dose of eggs onto two plates, added the cooked bacon from the microwave and set one of the plates in front of her. She’d already returned to a seated position and stared at the plate. He could tell by her growling stomach that she was hungry.
As he poured coffee, he watched her dig into the food. She ate quickly and quietly except for a soft moan of appreciation that made something wild stir in Daegen. He noted her hair still wasn’t dry, but it was one sexy tangled mess that he wouldn’t mind combing out with his fingers. He shook his head at the
stupid thought.
Okay, cut the crap, Daeg. Eat. Shower. And get to bed. Alone.
He wondered what she would think if she knew that he hadn’t had sex in one hell of a long time.
“Good?” he asked as he joined her at the kitchen table. He poured coffee into her mug, then some into his too.
She nodded, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and to his surprise, smiled. Wow. She smiled nice and the sight of her luscious lips in happy mode did some naughty things to his lower belly and parts south.
“So how long are you here for?” he asked. He had heard from Mitch that Moose Ranch had planned on hiring some woman to keep an eye on the place while the owners were away.
“Just a couple more days. I’m housesitting until they get back. I’m expecting them at any minute,” she said.
He grinned inwardly. Now that seemed like a hint to him that she might be afraid of him. He needed to put her at ease.
“Doubt they’ll be flying in the storm. Dangerous. Looks like you’re stuck with me for the night. Or if you would rather, I can sleep out in the barn.”
Her fork stopped halfway to her mouth.
Ah, so that idea had not entered her mind?
She slowly shook her head.
“You can bunk upstairs in one of the guys’ rooms. I’m sure they’ll have no problem with it. I can set down clean sheets for you.”
He nodded and dug into his food.
Damned but he was hungry. By the time he was finished gulping it all down, he looked up to see her staring at him.
“You have a healthy appetite,” she complimented.
“You too,” he replied and nodded to her empty plate. “Ready for dessert?”
The lights flickered and they both stared at the lamp fixture as it dimmed to a dirty yellow, but didn’t go off.
“Flashlights? Matches? Candles?” he asked.
“Top of the fridge. They have generators out back that can be turned on. They said not to wait longer than twelve hours to turn it on as the stuff in the freezers and fridge will start to spoil.”
Daegen nodded as he pushed back his chair and got up.
“They’re well prepared. We hope to have our place half as good by this fall.”
Her head snapped up. Interest shone in her eyes.
“We?” she asked.
Was she fishing for details about a wife? He grinned inwardly as he turned and headed to the fridge to get the dessert and a flashlight. He remembered that he had told her he was gay. He figured it was best for her to continue to think that way.
“My two friends and myself. We’re a few miles away down a river that comes off this lake. We’re tapping into the racing horse spa business.”
She got a dreamy look on her face and asked softly. “Must feel nice to live out here, all alone, being your own boss, answering to no one.”
“I think you have to want this kind of life or be a certain type of person who enjoys solitude for it to work. You have to be aware that it’s just you and God’s country out here. That anything could go wrong and there may not be help.”
She nodded and remained quiet as he set a bowl of whipping cream drenched blueberries in front of her.
“You like?” he prodded. Why had she become so silent?
She nodded again. Were those tears in her eyes? Concern gripped him.
“What’s wrong? Did I ruin the blueberries in some way?” He hoped his attempt at humor might bring a smile to her face. It didn’t.
He backtracked to what he’d just said that might have upset her but couldn’t come up with anything.
“What I wouldn’t give to be out here. Free.” Her voice was so low that he had the feeling she’d left and gone somewhere else with her mind.
“Find a job with a ranch out this way. Or start a place of your own.”
“I wish it was that easy, Daegen.” She stuck her spoon into the whipped cream.
“It is.”
“For you. Not for me.”
Man, she was really down about something. He shouldn’t be caring. He had too many issues of his own to deal with. He didn’t need anything else on his plate. He kept quiet, not knowing what to say.
“I get the feeling that Mitch didn’t tell you about me? Unless maybe Brady didn’t share the news of my past.”
His gut twisted with a not so good feeling. Her past?
“I’m sure it’s none of my business,” he stated. Suddenly the dessert wasn’t tasting as good as he’d hoped.
“You rescued me from a bear. I think I owe you an explanation of who you rescued.” Her voice had become soft. Outside the thunder became louder. Lightning flashed at the rain-soaked windows. It had gotten dark out there and he was glad he was here with her. That she would have spent tonight, alone, in this house, with a nasty storm, didn’t sit well with him. Why would they let this woman stay here all by herself? Who was she? Some crazy antisocial lady?
“I’m actually on loan from a prison. I go back soon.”
He shook his head. He didn’t understand what she was saying. On loan from a prison? Like what? A prison guard?
“I’m out on a conditional leave. To see how things go. It’s like a test. Some inmates get a temporary assignment while others get a permanent one right off the bat. I go back into the system and wait until another job opportunity comes up. If it’s temporary, like this one, I do my job and then go back to prison until I get a permanent job. Then when I get a permanent job I can get out on parole.”
“Wow, talk about an information dump.” He couldn’t wrap his head around what had just told him.
“Sorry,” she whispered. She sounded devastated.
“You’re a convict?” he said without thinking.
She scrunched up her mouth with distaste, obviously not liking that last word. But he’d said it and there was no taking it back. No use in apologizing either. He had the feeling she wouldn’t believe him anyway.
“Thirteen years and counting.”
“Thirteen years? Wow.”
The kitchen lights flickered again. Daegen grabbed the flashlight and turned it on just as the lights went out.
Suddenly he wasn’t in the mood to finish his desert.
“Talk about good timing. I guess we can have desert in the morning instead?”
She nodded and stood. “I’ll put them in the fridge. I for one am ready for bed. Come on, I’ll show you where you can bunk,” she said.
Thirteen years. His mind was still reeling as half an hour later he was lying in one of the men’s beds upstairs. It was hot inside with the windows closed. If he dared open one, even a crack it would probably rain in. So, he opted to suffer the heat.
Shit. How did a person live behind bars for thirteen years?
Yeah, it was best if he steered clear of her. He had the feeling there would be just way too much baggage between the two of them for any kind of relationship to ever work.
Daegen closed his eyes and shook his head. There he went again. Thinking crazy shit about relationships. He needed to get some sleep so he could start thinking straight.
Even as he drifted off, he knew his night would be filled with the cries and screams of his fellow soldiers and of another voice pleading for him to come home. Just like every other night.
Chapter Ten
“He’s really cute,” JJ giggled the next evening as she and Milena took a walk after supper leaving the guys to do the dishes.
“Who’s cute?” Milena laughed. She hooked elbows with JJ as they strolled out of the yard and onto the main atv trail that wound its way into the wilderness.
“Daegen, of course! You spent a night with him and you’ve already forgotten the hunk?”
Milena didn’t answer so JJ snuck a peek at her. She had a bit of a smile on her face.
“Penny for your thoughts?” JJ prodded.
“Oh, I’m just thinking,” she replied. When she didn’t continue speaking, JJ shook her
head. Aside from telling them that Daegen had rescued her from a bear and then returned her here during a thunderstorm in his canoe and had spent the night, she hadn’t said much else about the man.
“Thinking about Daegen?” she teased.
Milena laughed.
“Well, what isn’t there to think about? It’s been years without a man. If he hadn’t been gay I might have had a hot night with him. Instead, I slept like a rock, and in the morning, he was gone. Not even a goodbye.”
JJ jolted. “Daegen? Gay? Who told you that?”
“He did.”
JJ frowned. “That’s weird. Why would he say that?”
“Weird why?”
“When I was in the city and Mitch and Paul stayed with me at that little apartment that belonged to the nurse, one night they told me that Daegen had had a wife. She’d died in childbirth while he’d been overseas. He’d been devastated.”
Milena’s hand flew to her mouth. She looked shocked and her brown eyes sparkled with tears.
“The poor man,” she whispered.
There was sadness in her voice, and JJ felt bad for her. She had only seen Daegen briefly that one time when he’d brought Paul and Mitch out to the plane in that canoe when Brady had fallen ill. In her concern about Brady, JJ hadn’t thought about any of the men’s looks, but later, after everything had settled, she’d briefly thought that all three of them were cute.
“Maybe he told you that so you wouldn’t jump his bones?” JJ teased.
“Gosh, I was too scared of him to do that. He was a stranger.”
Sudden understanding burst through JJ.
“He said he was gay to put your mind at ease. He probably noticed you were afraid of him.”
Milena brought them to a halt. Her mouth dropped open and she shook her head.
“I cannot believe that man. It was awfully sweet of him to put my mind at ease like that.”
“Did it work?”
Milena rolled her eyes and sighed.
“Yeah. It worked. Like I said I slept like a baby.”
JJ tugged her forward and they began walking again.