Sunset Hearts

by Sunset Hearts (lit)

Jerald tightly hugged her. “Don’t worry, she’s not leaving this bed.”

  Alan laughed. “Don’t wear her out. You’ll scare her away.”

  Alone with Jerald again, she rolled over to face him. Alan had turned the bedside lamp on when he got dressed and left it on. In the yellow light of the dim bulb, she saw the deep lines around Jerald’s eyes that hadn’t been there that last afternoon in the hospital.

  “Thank you for tracking me down. When I left Old Faithful I thought I’d never see you two again.”

  “I was a cop, baby. You think I’m not tracking you down, think again. You’re my life, you and him.”

  “Thank you for forcing me into protective custody.”

  He arched an eyebrow at her, but didn’t say anything.

  “If I’d read your letters, if I hadn’t been so pigheaded, I would have understood sooner. You did the right thing to keep me safe. To protect Alan. If you hadn’t shown up when you did…” She swallowed back her tears. How many nights had she lain in bed after nightmares of Alan’s shooting woke her up in a cold sweat? “I never would have forgiven myself if he died because of me.”

  Jerald gently brushed the hair out of her face. “Old news. Ancient history. He’s fine, the Scorsini family network is either in jail, facing charges, or in witness protection, and you’re back where you belong.”

  He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her, gently, slowly, seductively exploring. She didn’t think either one of them could be ready again so soon, but she felt him stiffen against her leg even as sensual tingles deep inside her betrayed her own reaction.

  He rolled her onto her back, his stiff cock easily sliding inside her. “I want to make love to you all night long, baby.”

  Her hands settled on his waist, her legs hooked around his, holding her to him. “At least this is one night I won’t mind not being able to sleep,” she said.

  It felt so easy rolling her hips against his in that familiar way, the slow, steady rhythm he always set at first, the little extra push at the bottom of every stroke, bumping her clit in a teasing way, never enough to quite get her all the way over.

  He stopped and sat up, wiggling a hand between them. “Show me what you’ve got, baby,” he said, a playful smile on his face.

  With his thick member filling her and his thumb strumming her over-sensitive nub, it didn’t take her long to give him what he wanted. As she pulsed around him, he grinned. “That’s my good girl.” He grabbed her hips and fucked her, hard and fast, the entire bed shaking with each pounding stroke until his climax took him and he cried out her name before collapsing on top of her.

  “So good,” he whispered against her neck. “So, so good, baby.”

  They were dozing, arms and legs tangled together, the sheets pulled up to their waists, when Alan returned from the store thirty minutes later.

  He grinned from the bedroom doorway. “My turn next, right?”

  She laughed. “I think I need food first.”

  “That, my dear, is coming right up.” He returned to the kitchen.

  She tried to slip out of bed, but Jerald snagged an arm around her waist and dragged her back. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Bathroom. Then I was going to help Alan in the kitchen.”

  He cracked open one eye. “I suppose I can let you do that.” His mouth curled in a teasing smile.

  Laughing felt so good! She leaned over and kissed him. “I promise I won’t leave without you two.”

  “Okay.” He let her go. She went and cleaned up, pulled on her bathrobe, then padded out to the kitchen. Already she felt that pleasant, familiar ache in her thighs and other muscles. She’d be sore in a good way the next morning.

  And oh, how she’d missed that feeling.

  On her way through the living room she adjusted the thermostat to warm the place up a little. Alan stood at the kitchen counter, chopping something to toss into butter melting in a skillet, which already sat on the lit stove.

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his back. He still used the same laundry detergent, the familiar scent warming her soul. “What’s for dinner?”

  “Chicken stir fry. How long has it been since you actually cooked anything?”

  She felt herself blush again. “I don’t use the stove. Never have. I don’t know how to cook on a gas stove. It scares me.”

  He turned, shock on his face. “Seriously?”

  “I grew up in Florida. We didn’t have gas appliances. When I moved in here they had to show me how to take care of the water heater in case the pilot light went out.”

  “Okay, so how do you cook?”

  “I don’t. Well, if I can nuke it, I do. I don’t use that stove. I’ve got an electric skillet I use for stuff like that, and I’ve used my grill a couple of times. And a slow cooker. But I don’t cook on the stove. Don’t bake, either. I usually don’t cook at all.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Well, we’ll get you home where you belong. No gas stove there.” He kissed the top of her head before turning back to the counter.

  Jerald walked into the kitchen, naked, and slipped his arms around her waist, pinning her between them.

  Alan laughed as he glanced over his shoulder. “You do realize it’s hard to cook with both of you standing there like that holding on to me?”

  “I’m just making sure she’s not going anywhere.” He tugged on the neckline of her robe, exposing the nape of her neck. He kissed her, gently nipping and making her shiver.

  Ten minutes later, Alan had dinner ready for them. Alan held her chair for her as she sat at the tiny dinette.

  As the men took their seats, she laughed.

  “What now, sweetie? What’s so funny?” Jerald asked. He was still naked, had waited for dinner with his arms around her, reluctant to let her go.

  “I’ve never had guests. Not really. Just you guys, the neighbor lady next door, and the U.S. Marshal in charge of my case. You’re the first people besides me who’ve eaten here.”

  “Well two cherries popped, then,” Alan snarked. “Your stove and your table.”

  Jerald volunteered for clean-up duty while Alan carried her back to the bedroom. “Okay, you have a full tummy. I expect your undivided attention.”

  She giggled as he dropped her onto the bed. He stood beside the bed and stared at her as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. He dropped it to the floor and kicked off his shoes before unfastening his jeans. Then he knelt over her and untied her robe’s sash.

  “Are you starting to remember how I couldn’t keep my hands off you?” he asked, his voice low and throaty.

  “It’s coming back to me.”

  He kissed a trail from her lips to her navel and up again before he rolled onto his back. His cock had grown rigid during his oral explorations. “Come here,” he softly said, patting his thigh.

  She sat up, then dropped the robe and swung a leg over him before settling on top of him. She slowly impaled herself on his cock, sighing with contentment as she felt him bottom out inside her.

  He stroked her thighs. “Beautiful, baby. Absolutely beautiful.” He cupped his hands and played with her breasts for a few minutes, lightly rubbing her nipples with his thumbs until they stood tautly peaked. Then he dropped his hands to her mound. He slipped his fingers between them, found her clit and started rubbing it. “I want one more, baby. I want to feel your sweet pussy squeezing me.”

  She didn’t know if she had it in her, as tired as she felt, but she’d damn sure try. Then she heard Jerald walk in. He knelt behind her and played with her nipples again.

  Secure in his arms, she relaxed against him as Alan’s talented fingers wrung one more orgasm out of her. When he felt her coming, he grabbed her hips and fucked her, hard and fast, bouncing her against Jerald. Finally spent, he pulled her down to him and held her as she felt his pulse slow and return to normal.

  Jerald didn’t move. “Great. You wore her out. What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” he said, pointi
ng at his cock. It had decided it wanted another round.

  She sat up and seductively grinned. “I’ll gladly take care of that for you.” She went down on him as he swept her hair away from her face and held it at the back of her neck for her.

  He moaned. “Oh, Jesus!”

  Taking her time, she swirled her tongue around the head, flicking it over the slit, tasting his pre-come. He was already damn close, just from watching the two of them together.

  She reached between his legs and found his sac, palmed the soft, heavy flesh in her hand.

  He moaned again, his cock twitching in her mouth.

  She thought he might last longer, but he didn’t, taking only a few minutes before he filled her mouth. She swallowed, going deep and licking and sucking him as his fingers tightened in her hair before finally going lax. She sat up and kissed him.

  “Good?”

  He nodded, then dropped to the bed between her and Alan.

  “Hey, tough guy,” Alan said, poking him. “No fair hogging her.”

  Jerald grabbed her and moved her so she lay between them. “Better?” Jerald asked.

  Alan cuddled close. “Much.”

  It was a tight squeeze, and one she definitely didn’t mind. “Good thing I am on the Pill,” she mumbled. “You two would have me pregnant by morning at this rate.”

  Jerald yawned. “Actually, I know I said all night, but I think I need a nap.”

  “Me too,” Alan sleepily agreed.

  Daphne giggled. “Did I wear you out already?”

  “Yep,” they echoed.

  Snuggled like that, they all fell asleep.

  Chapter Eighteen

  She awoke before dawn the next morning with a man between her legs, his tongue eagerly lapping at her clit. Without opening her eyes, in case it was a dream and not reality, she reached between her legs and ran her hands through his hair.

  Jerald.

  That meant the man she was snuggled against…

  Alan kissed her. “Good morning, babe.”

  A sleepy smile creased her face. “Good morning.” She patted Jerald’s head. “Good morning to you, too.”

  He mumbled something in reply that could have been “good morning.” The rumbling vibration across her clit only served to make her moan.

  After a few more minutes of this, with his fingers also skillfully stroking her, she felt her climax build.

  “That’s it,” Alan coaxed. “I bet you’re totally wet for him, aren’t you?”

  She knew she was. She felt it. Not that either man had ever had a problem getting her wet in the past. Just the thought of what they could do to her would make her wet.

  That was the thought she needed to push her over the edge. As she came, she cried out. Alan kissed her, fucking her mouth with his tongue the way Jerald fucked her with his fingers and mouth. When she finally lay limp on the bed, Jerald lifted his head.

  “Are you awake yet?”

  She laughed. “Get up here and fuck me, tough guy.”

  He needed no further encouragement. He grabbed her ankles and lifted them to his shoulders as he plunged deep inside her. Alan sat up and moved until he knelt behind Jerald and grabbed his ass. “Maybe I should fuck you like this, while you’re fucking her—”

  “Oh, hell yes!” Jerald cried out, but as he fell still, she realized he’d already come.

  She giggled. “I think you missed your chance there, Alan.”

  “Jesus Christ, that’s not fair!” Jerald gasped as he recovered. “I barely had a chance with her.”

  “Figures you’d cheat me out of it.” Alan slapped Jerald’s ass. “Move. My turn.”

  Jerald rolled to his side and kissed her as Alan took his place. “You tired of us yet, baby?” Jerald asked.

  “Not in the least. Give me twenty or thirty years, then ask me again.”

  “Oh, a lot longer than that,” Alan said. “Dammit, you feel so good!”

  She looked at Jerald. His eyes seemed to burn right through her. “How did you get to be the lucky one to go first this morning?”

  “I woke up before Mr. Lazy,” he teased.

  She held on to Alan. “Well, that means you don’t have to hurry,” she joked.

  He moaned against her neck, his thrusts becoming harder, faster.

  Jerald reached over and stroked his ass. “Yeah, he does. He promised to cook you breakfast.” His hand dropped lower, and she knew from Alan’s reaction that Jerald had grabbed his balls.

  She ran her tongue around his ear. “Come for me, baby,” she whispered. “Fuck me good.”

  Between Jerald’s hand and her voice in his ear, Alan couldn’t hold back. He sank his cock into her one last time before falling still on top of her.

  Jerald stretched out next to them again. “You’re too easy,” he teased. “Should make it a challenge next time.”

  “Fuck you,” Alan mumbled, his lips still pressed against her neck.

  Jerald laughed. “You aren’t fucking anyone until after breakfast at the very least. We also need to talk to her U.S. Marshal handler.”

  “Talk about a buzz kill,” she groaned.

  * * * *

  They all managed to squeeze into her shower. Alan finished first to get breakfast started. By the time she emerged with Jerald, he had it ready for them.

  She’d missed this too, being together with them at meals, talking about the day ahead or what happened, spending time together not just in bed but out of it.

  Jerald held her hand after breakfast while she called the marshal and told him she needed to see him. When he showed up an hour later and she broke the news to him, he protested before the men spoke up.

  The U.S. Marshall caseworker looked decidedly unhappy. He paced Daphne’s tiny living room while Alan and Jerald flanked her on the couch and held her hands.

  “I can’t believe you’re willing to risk your life like this.”

  “I’m not changing my name back. I’m staying Jenny Hemingway. Very few people knew me back then anyway. I rarely left the house before the trial.”

  “Nobody will get close to her,” Jerald growled. “I’ll guarantee it.”

  “You’re the one who put her in protective custody in the first place, Major. Why are you now willing to risk her life?”

  “I’m not a major anymore, I’m retired. Besides, Paulie Scorsini was killed in prison two months ago. Or did you forget to tell her that little factoid?”

  She looked at the caseworker. “What? Is that true?”

  “Well, yes, but what difference does that make?”

  “Because,” Jerald said, “you know as well as I do that the Scorsinis are worried about the dozen or so other federal indictments coming down the pike for the few people still not under indictment yet. The old man’s dying, Paulie’s dead, their whole organization is in turmoil and being cannibalized by other families. Their own people are turning rat faster than they can whack them, and the least of their concerns right now is Daphne. Jenny,” he corrected himself. He looked at her and brushed the hair away from her cheek with his free hand. “Sorry, honey. That will take some getting used to. You’ll always be Daphne to me.”

  “Me too,” Alan echoed.

  After an hour, the caseworker gave up trying to change her mind. He left in a huff with dire warnings to her to think about this long and hard. She knew she didn’t need to do any more thinking because all she had done over the past long, lonely months was think about what a horrible mistake she’d made.

  She packed herself a weekend bag and, sitting in the passenger seat while Alan rode in back, they drove out of town, headed to Yellowstone. They would stay at the cabin for another night before driving up to Mammoth and staying there.

  “Oh, wait! I need to do something.”

  “What?” Jerald asked.

  “We need to stop by the travel agency.”

  Alan reached over the seat and gently grabbed her chin. “You’re coming home with us when we leave,” he firmly said. “And that’s fina
l.”

  She grinned. “Of course I am, silly. I need to quit and clean out my desk.”

  Jerald laughed as he swung the car around. “Then by all means, let’s get that handled right now.”

  Barbara Thomas didn’t look happy. She suspiciously eyed the two men while Daphne cleared out her desk. Before she left, Barbara pulled her into the back room. “Are you okay? I can call the cops for you.”

  She laughed and hugged the other woman. “I can honestly say this is the best I’ve felt in over eighteen months. They’re my guys. I know it’s weird, but I love ’em like crazy and they love me. There isn’t a damn thing on this planet that’s going to keep me away from them now that I’ve finally got them back.”

  “I do have to admit you look happy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like this before.” Barbara handed over her final paycheck. “Well, good luck. If things don’t work out, you’re always welcomed here.”

  “Thank you, but I have a feeling those two guys aren’t about to let me go again. Believe me, that’s the way I want it.”

  She kept one hand on Jerald’s thigh while they returned to Yellowstone through the east entrance. She showed her employee pass at the gate and they waved them through. “I am going to hate quitting here,” she admitted. “It’s beautiful. You should see it in winter when it’s covered in snow. They groom the roads for snowmobiles.”

  “I could care less about the park,” Alan said. “I’ve got the only sight I want to see sitting right here with us. You’re so beautiful. You look so good.”

  Jerald lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it without taking his eyes off the road. “Talk about a sight for sore eyes, baby.”

  They stopped at Fishing Bridge for lunch before continuing on to Old Faithful. In the cabin, Jerald fell onto the bed, pulling Daphne on top of him. “Now I’m thinking screw the vacation, let’s go rent a truck and get your stuff and drive home.”

  Alan knelt on the bed behind her, straddling Jerald’s legs. “Not a bad idea.”

  “No. You don’t have to worry about me leaving. I’m not going anywhere and I don’t want to ruin your vacation. I promise I won’t leave your sight, except to go to the bathroom. Deal?”