He saw Bliss’s expression when she danced by Lann and Connie. She tried to hide her feelings, but Bern saw the slight stiffening of her body and the tightening of her lips. No one would notice if they weren’t watching closely. His foreman was aware. He glanced down and said something to Bliss. She smiled and shook her head. Bern would let Cadel know Bliss was off-limits to him and the rest of the men. Then he grinned to himself. Now who’s being controlling. Let what will be, be. I thought I learned that lesson years ago.
The music stopped and Lann took Connie back to where her friends waited. Then he strode back to the bar and ordered a cold beer. He took one long swig.
“I’m going to ask her to dance.” He glared at Bern, tempting him to say “don’t.”
“Go ahead. She’s glanced this way since you walked back.”
“About time,” Lann muttered. He looked for her, and then headed directly toward her. A man stepped in front of him and Bern feared an explosion, but Lann said something and the cowboy tipped his hat and went to look for some other lady to dance with him.
Bern seldom danced. He worried his leg would make his movements awkward, but tonight the hell with it. When Lann finished his dance, Bern planned to ask Bliss himself.
* * * *
Bliss’s heartbeat jumped when Lann strode toward her. She’d been pretending she didn’t notice them leaning against the bar, their long legs encased in jeans, and cowboy shirts stretched across their wide chests. They were so sexy most of the women in the room were staring with a come-hither look.
When a man stepped in front of Lann, she stepped back. But Lann moved quickly, said they’d already agreed on this dance, and the man smiled and left.
“I hope you didn’t mind me telling him a little lie.”
Her skin flushed and for a second she couldn’t think of a word to say. His manly scent, his shining green eyes and sensuous mouth held her spellbound. Her fingers tingled with the desire to touch him.
“Are you all right?” Lann leaned close.
She took a deep breath letting his scent envelope her. “I’m quite fine.”
“May I have this dance? People are staring as they dance by us.” His sexy mouth quirked up at the corner. She nodded, and he pulled her into his arms and led her around the dance floor.
Every time their bodies touched, her desire heightened. An overwhelming sense of how much she’d missed him and Bern swept through her.
Lann leaned his head down toward her. “Have you forgiven me?”
“I’ve been trying to see it from your point of view. I understand controlling situations has been what you do. I won’t want you to always step in without talking to me first.”
“Agreed. You’re right. We need to talk later.”
“I’d want Bern included. I’ve missed him, too.”
“Sure. May we come to your apartment when you’re ready to leave?”
Her nerve endings stirred and tingled at the thought of being with them. Her body craved their attention like a person dying of thirst needed water.
“I’m almost ready, but after this dance I intend to talk Bern into dancing with me. Then you two can take me home.” She nodded toward Sunn, who was dancing with a tall, blond man. “I don’t believe she’ll want to leave yet.”
Lann impulsively kissed her mouth. “Thank you, darlin’.”
At the end of the dance, Lann escorted her to the bar. “Would you like a drink?”
“No, I’ll sip a little of Bern’s beer.” She tipped his bottle up, took a swallow, and then handed it back to him. “I haven’t seen you dancing.”
“The only lady I’d be willing to try the dance floor with is you.”
“Wonderful idea. Come on.” She took his hand and drug him off the stool and out to the floor. Several of his men laughed and clapped.
When the music started, Bliss put her body close to his and wrapped her arms around Bern’s neck as they moved slowly around the dance floor.
“I’ve missed you, Bliss.”
“You didn’t call. You knew I wasn’t mad at you.”
“I thought we all needed time and space to be sure what we wanted.”
“Do you know what it is you want?” Bliss asked.
“Yes, you. I’m limping more tonight because I worked every day until I was ready to drop. And every night you invaded my dreams.” Tears gathered in Bliss’s eyes. “Don’t cry, honey.”
“I don’t want you to ever be hurt because of me.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I’ve had enough dancing. How about you?”
“Let’s go to my place.”
Bern grinned. “Lann’s shuffling his feet at the door. He’ll be glad to see us headed in his direction.”
“He’s very impatient.”
“Honey, he wore out every bit of patience he had waiting to start his new life. He’ll level out in a while.”
When they got to Lann, he opened the door and ushered them out. “That was a long dance.” Bliss and Bern laughed. “What I said wasn’t funny.” He frowned at them.
“It was to us.” Bliss put her arm through his. “Which car are we going in, yours or Bern’s?”
“Mine,” Bern said quickly. “Lann drives too fast to suit me.”
“All right, old man, you can drive,” Lann said.
Bliss had missed the way they teased each other and her. One way or another they kept her smiling when they were around.
At her apartment, Bern carried her up the steps with Lann right behind. “You two aren’t too eager.”
“Darlin’, one more day of exile from you, and I’d have imploded with all the hot desire swirling inside me,” Lann said as Bern set her on her feet so she could get her key out of her purse and open the door.
Lann swung her over his shoulder and walked into the bedroom. He sat her on the bedside. The room looked much smaller with her two big men standing in it.
Bern knelt at her feet. He cradled her face in his hands and stared at her with silvery-gray eyes. He kissed her forehead, each eyelid, and her temples. His lips touched as light as a butterfly. Bubbling joy spread inside her chest. Then he ran his thumb over her lower lip, and leaning forward, he sucked on the edge and liquid heat sent moisture flooding her panties.
He started unbuttoning her shirt while his mouth explored hers. His tongue swept inside, tasting and touching.
The cool air was her first awareness that he’d removed her shirt and bra. His lips slid down her neck, kissing and nipping his way across her shoulders and to her breasts.
Bern cupped her full globes in his hands and then kissed each one. Her heartbeat quickened and her temperature rose, like a furnace roaring inside her skin.
When he licked her nipple and sucked, every nerve in her body came to attention. Bern took his time caressing and kissing each breast. His teeth grazed lightly across her pebbled nipples.
Her body shook with a voracious yearning to have Bern’s body wrapped around her and his cock deep inside her pussy. She started to unbutton his shirt when Lann stepped to their side.
“I’ll take over while you get undressed.”
She glanced up and saw Lann’s naked body. A sculptor would beg to use him for a model. Tanned skin covered tight muscles, he had a well-defined six-pack, lean hips, and long muscular legs. His green eyes glowed with lust, and his longish-black hair shone in the bedroom light. His skin across his face was drawn taut, highlighting his high cheekbones and square jaw.
“You’re beautiful.” She grinned when he blushed.
“I told you, men are handsome.”
“No, some are, but others can only be described as a lovely piece of art.”
“Woman, you make me blush, and you enjoy it.”
“Maybe, but I meant what I said.”
Lann asked her to lie back on the bed. Then he removed her shoes, and unfastened her jeans. In one long pull, he had the jeans and her panties off. He moved her further onto the bed and took time to sheath his cock.
&nbs
p; “There, much better. I can see all of your beauty.” He knelt at her legs and pulled them apart. His fingers separated her lower lips, and his tongue licked across her hidden jewel as he reached up and rubbed her nipples. Desire flashed from both areas to her core. Her body trembled from the overwhelming desire overtaking her. All her thoughts had turned inward to the delight he was giving her. His tongue tasted her from her clit to the opening of her pussy.
Bern came to the bed and straddled her upper body. Bliss grabbed his long, hard cock and took it in her mouth. She licked all around his dick, and sucked when Lann did the same to her clit. Bern groaned, and she yelled out from the almost-unbearable pleasure rushing along her veins.
She cupped Bern’s sac in her hand while her mouth licked across his crown. She sucked once more on his dick and Bern stiffened. He tasted salty and tangy as his orgasm hit him. He kissed her, whispered her name, and rolled to the side.
Lann continued to kiss her inner thighs, her rosy labia and the tiny bud full of sensations. Her body screamed for fulfillment.
“Take me, now.”
Lann chuckled against her lower lips. “Soon, darlin’.” He continued to build a wild, earthy ache in her with his mouth and tongue. Her body raged with heat and an impassioned longing for completion. Her juice flooded her labia.
“I love the smell of your arousal and the taste,” Lann murmured.
Her body arched, and he moved quickly, plunging into her pussy. She clamped tight around his cock. He thrust fast and hard, sending her quickly to the pinnacle where she floated in a state of elated pleasure.
Lann pumped into her pussy a few more times. Her pussy walls rippled around him, keeping her orgasm going more gently, but longer.
When he reached his orgasm, he yelled out her name and tightened his hold on her. His green eyes sparkled with passion. “Damn, you are one sexy, wonderful lady.” He rolled to the opposite side and lay trying to get his breath.
Her heart still pounded and her nerves tingled as she gradually came down from the height of the emotions her orgasm had created.
Bern, lying on her right side, clasped her hand. “I guess you can see we definitely missed you.”
“I didn’t want to admit it, but I missed you both, too.”
Lann rolled to face her and leaned up on his elbow. “Is our misunderstanding cleared?”
“I realize what you’ve had to do in your last position in Wyoming, but I want to be told before you make major decisions which will affect me. Is that fair?”
“Sure is, darlin’. I got excited about doing something to please you and wanted it to be a surprise. My mistake. No big surprises, so you’d better know about Alan.” Lann sat straight against the headboard.
“He acted out in Sunn’s office to get at you. I think he hoped you’d sign and give him your shares. It didn’t happen. He called me yesterday and wants the sale to go through. I told him it would be up to you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’d like the land, but I can make other arrangements, if necessary.”
“What will you do with the land?” Bliss sat up beside him. Bern lay with his hands behind his head, listening.
“Much of it will be for grazing for cattle and horses. But I’ll have a landing strip built on one section. I want to purchase a small jet to travel between here, New Mexico, and Wyoming, also on jobs for The Black Scorpion group. All the permits are done except for buying the land. I thought I’d give you the house and the immediate acreage around it. If you want it. My thought is you’d have a home of your own, even after you marry us.”
She pointed her finger into his hard chest. “I haven’t agreed to marry one or both of you. Don’t get too hasty. But I will sign the papers for the ranch to be sold. I’m not sure I want the house. We can discuss that later. If I do, I’ll pay you for it.”
He tipped her chin up and kissed her mouth, a long, deep, satisfying kiss. “All right, my Miss Independence.”
Bern took her hand. “Will you come with me to the shower?”
Bliss nodded yes, and he lifted her out of bed. “Put me down. You two act like I can’t walk on my own.”
“Fussy, fussy, I like holding your soft body.” Bern ignored her and headed to the bathroom. Lann waved to them from the bed.
Once the water was comfortably warm, Bern placed a condom on the ledge of the shower, and they stepped under the spray. He soaped his hands and massaged her back and legs. She steadied herself, holding on to the tiled wall. When he’d finished her back, he turned her and caressed her front starting with her full breasts.
“They are lovely.” When the soap had rinsed off, he kissed each breast and licked around and over her nipples. He stimulated the small burning desire in her core into a sizzling fire.
Then his hands ran along her rib cage and across her soft abdomen. His fingers slipped between her lower lips and pressed against her jewel. A zing of pleasure shot from the bottom of her spine to her brain. His mouth came down hard on hers and his tongue sucked on hers while his fingers explored her pussy lips and the opening. Her breasts rubbed against his chest covered in soft blond hair.
She ran the palm of one hand across his nipples and clutched his dick in the other. Her thumb raked across his crown, and he groaned.
“I’m going to lift your legs.” His voice sounded gravelly. He pulled away for a second to roll the condom on his large, hard cock.
When he turned to her, Bliss put her arms around his neck and he placed her back against the wall. Bern pulled her legs up, and his cock rubbed at just the right spot. She wiggled to get closer.
Bern positioned his dick and thrust inside her pussy. Her pussy walls clamped tight around him. She moved downward, taking more of his cock deeper inside her.
He pushed in and out slowly at first and then quicker and harder. She clenched and unclenched her pussy in response to the sensuous excitement building to a powerful desire for him.
“Oh, baby, you make me feel emotions I thought I’d forgotten, wonderful, warm, life-affirming emotions.”
Bliss kissed him hard. “I’m glad. Your eyes are often shadowed and sad. I’ve wondered what put the sadness in you.”
“For tonight let’s enjoy the fact you can take it away.”
He thrust harder. Her body responded to his every movement.
Their orgasms hit them both at once. Bern staggered for a moment. He placed Bliss feet on the floor, and then he bent over, gasping for breath.
“Are you okay?” Bliss asked.
“If my heart doesn’t burst with the good feelings you gave me, I’ll survive.” A few more seconds, and he stood straight.
He grasped Bliss in his arms, and held her body tight against his with her feet dangling. Looking straight in her eyes, he said, “Thank you, honey, and I have to say this whether you’re ready to hear it, or not. I love you deeply and forever.”
She gazed into his slate, bluish eyes. “I’m pretty sure I love you, too. Still, I’m not quite ready to say the words as wholeheartedly as you just did. Give me time.”
“All the time you need. I’m not going anywhere and neither is Lann.” He rinsed off and toweled dry then left the bathroom.
The warm water felt good. She stood for several minutes letting it cascade down her body. She stood at a crossroads in her life. She wanted to let go and love these two men with all her being. But memories from the past held her back. If they were willing to give her time, she planned on taking it. Marriage had been a state of existence she’d never desired until Bern and Lann came along. She wanted it all, the shop, the men, the happiness being with them brought her. Did she dare reach for the golden ring on the carousal? Would she get it or fall flat on her face?
Bliss shook her head. Enough silly thoughts for tonight. Two gorgeous hunks were waiting in bed for her. She turned off the shower and toweled dry. Then she walked across the dark room to the bedside. Strong hands lifted her onto the bed between them.
Chapter Twelve
&nbs
p; Lann woke first and enjoyed the feeling of Bliss’s front warming his back. Her flowery fragrance drifted across his nose.
He was happy. He couldn’t wait to take her to his house on the cliff in California, and then go to Wyoming to meet the family. He’d talk with Garth about how and what to tell her about the tribe. She had to know. If they had children, one or more might have his genes and the extra powers that went with them.
Once awake, he was restless to get up and start the day. Moving quietly, so as not to disturb Bliss or Bern, he tiptoed to the bathroom, taking his clothes with him.
Cold water rushing across his body had him fully awake.
He dried and dressed then crept out of the room and down the stairs. He’d get some flavored coffee for Bliss, high-octane for him and Bern, and coffee cake for them all from the local baker. He walked the few blocks to the bakery shop. On the way, he called Sunn and arranged to have Alan sign the papers this morning. He’d bring Bliss by after Sunn notified him the brother had been there and gone. No need taking the chance Alan would upset Bliss again.
Inside the bakery, he took a deep breath. The wonderful smells would weaken anyone’s defenses against not splurging on sugar.
Emma Platinum, the baker’s daughter, greeted Lann. Lann had discovered the bakery several years ago on one of his vacations.
“I see you’re home from college,” Lann commented to her.
“I graduated a few months ago. Dad’s health hasn’t been good. I’m helping out until I decide where I want to live, and what I want to do.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your dad. What’s your degree in?”
“Business, with a specialty in management. I may end up managing this place and staying in Saddlespurs.” She sighed.
“I take it you don’t particularly want to stay here.”
“I’m not sure. It is difficult to leave the place you know best for the unknown. But I’m taking up your time. What would you like this morning?”
Capturing Our Lady's Heart [Commando Cowboys and Renegade Texans Unite 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Polyromance) Page 12