by Marla Monroe
Abe and Russell sat in chairs on either side of a comfortable looking couch. The child lay in Abe’s arms, playing with the button on his shirt. The sight of the big man holding the child so carefully melted some of her initial fear of him. He couldn’t be all bad if he took care of the child, could he? His eyes twinkled when they looked down at the baby in his arms. They changed when he glanced over at them.
Granger stood a little in front of her while Marty rubbed up and down her arms. She couldn’t help but enjoy the feel of the heat from the fire against her skin. She’d been colder than she realized. Getting wet hadn’t been a good thing.
“Dinner is almost ready, everyone. Come on into the kitchen.” Celina’s voice carried across the room to them.
Russell had jumped up and hurried toward the kitchen as if putting himself between them and his wife in case they meant any harm. Destiny hated that they had to be so suspicious of them, but she could understand. Trusting people you didn’t know was dangerous in this day and age. It would take time for them to accept them. That is, if they were allowed to stay in the general area.
Once they entered the kitchen, the mood began to lighten. Abe settled the child into what appeared to be a handmade highchair. He sat on one side of her, and Celina took the other chair. Russell sat on the other side of Celina.
The woman looked up and smiled at them. “Have a seat.”
Granger had her sit at the other end of the table with him and Marty sitting on either side of her. This put her and Celina at the two ends. They smiled at each other. It wasn’t lost to either of them what the men were doing.
“Your daughter is beautiful. What is her name?” Destiny asked.
“Bethany Ann. We call her Beth,” Celina told them.
“Sweet Pea, more often than not,” Russell added with a snort.
Celina sighed and rolled her eyes. “She’s going to think her name is Sweet Pea if you aren’t careful. Then what will you do?”
“How old is she?” Destiny asked, watching as the baby slapped her hands on the tray part of the chair.
“She’s five months old, and such a sweet baby.” Celina rubbed her fingers over the child’s arm. Turning back to them, she grinned. “Don’t just sit there, dig in.”
For the next few minutes, they passed around the food. Destiny’s mouth watered at the sight of what looked like some sort of roast and potatoes. It had been a long time since she’d had anything other than jerky or beans for protein. Her stomach growled appreciatively, embarrassing her to no end. Everyone laughed, and they started talking while they ate, the tension easing a bit.
“Where are you from?” Russell asked.
“I’m originally from Chicago, Destiny is from Atlanta, and Granger is from Boston,” Marty told them.
“We decided it was safer to move as far west as possible. The black market agents are a law unto themselves and don’t care who they kill to get what they want,” Granger told them.
“We haven’t had problems with them this far west yet, but that won’t last,” Abe said in a gruff voice. “Our biggest dangers out here are wild animals and the elements. You’ve got to be able to work to make it out here.”
“We expected that. I’ve lived almost this far before. I know the challenges. We’ll make it,” Granger told the man.
“You picked a bad time to make the trip. You should have waited until spring. How do you expect to live through the winter?” Abe asked.
“We’ve got enough supplies if we’re careful, and we can supplement it with fresh game.” Granger met the other man’s eyes without flinching.
Destiny hated the tension growing once again. She understood that they were in a precarious situation, but she hated that her men were being challenged like this.
“They didn’t have a choice of when to travel. They were trying to keep me safe,” she blurted out.
“Destiny,” Granger began.
“If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be in this situation.” She felt tears pricking the back of her eyelids.
Marty reached over and pulled her hand into his. “Hush, honey. It’s not your fault. We did what we had to do.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble?” Abe demanded, dropping his fork to the plate. “Did you lead danger to my family’s door?”
Chapter Eighteen
“No. No one is after us,” Granger said with a sigh. “When we met Destiny, she was traveling as a teenage boy, trying to stay hidden. She had no family and was a sitting duck like she was.”
“That’s why your hair is cut so short,” Celina said. “I had wondered why you would cut such beautiful hair like that.”
“I didn’t know what else to do.” She hated remembering those first few weeks, when she was so scared she couldn’t eat, even when she did have food.
“How did you three meet?” Russell asked.
Granger quickly recounted the story, hitting the highlights and leaving out much of the more personal parts. When he finished, everyone was quiet.
“I can’t even begin to imagine what life was like for you, Destiny. Going from living almost like a prisoner without even being allowed outside for fresh air to being thrust into the world we live in now and forced to pretend to be a boy to survive. It’s a miracle you survived, and a blessing you found these two men to care for you.” Celina’s eyes were bright with tears for her.
Destiny couldn’t miss the compassion in the other woman’s eyes. She hoped they would be staying there and become friends. Celina was several years older than her mere twenty-two, but she felt as if they already shared a bond.
“We have several good-sized cabins that we’ve been working on as we had time. They can all easily be added on to if the need arises, but it will take time to get one ready. I honestly don’t think we’ll have time to finish one before the snow starts,” Russell said.
“They can stay with us this winter,” Abe said in a gruff voice. “We’ve got plenty of room, and the women will probably enjoy having each other’s company.”
“We appreciate your willingness to open your home to us, Abe. Marty and I will work on the cabin while the weather allows and help around the lodge wherever you need help,” Granger told him.
Destiny had noticed that he’d been acting differently toward her ever since she’d woken up. He seemed almost distant and careful around her. She couldn’t help but wonder why. Just when she thought everything was going so well, something changed between them. She would find out what was wrong and fix it. Her men were too important in her life to lose them for any reason.
After they’d eaten, she helped Celina clean up. Her men took little Beth with them into the living room as the men all filed out of the room. Destiny listened as Celina talked about living out there and the hard work ahead of them with winter on the way.
“You have to keep the cattle fed and close together, as well as the horses and our few chickens.” She dried her hands on a towel then started setting up the coffee pot.
Destiny was thrilled that they had gas for the stove, though Celina said they didn’t expect it to last much longer. She’d said that there wasn’t anyone this far west to keep them supplied with it like there was back east. The other woman motioned for her to sit at the table.
“I wanted to talk to you about your men. They treat you well, don’t they?” she asked with a serious expression on her face.
“Yes! They’re great to me. Why?” Destiny wasn’t sure why the other woman was asking her.
“Well, sometimes men will just use a woman for their needs and not treat her well. I know you said you’d been living like a boy before you met them, but you’re so thin and have bruises on you. I wanted to be sure they aren’t abusing you, is all.”
Destiny fought down the urge to tell her to mind her own business. It was sweet that Celina cared, and she was only trying to make sure she wasn’t being abused. Not many people would care, much less speak up and ask these days. She calmed herself and smiled at her.
“I
’m fine. I’m much better than I was when they found me. I’d been badly beaten and starved, with barely enough to survive. They’ve treated me with nothing but kindness and are constantly urging me to eat. I’m slowly eating more as I can. I’d been eating so little for so long that I’ve had to work myself back up to it.”
“I’m glad to hear they are good to you. If anything ever changes, you know you can come to me, and my men will make sure you’re safe. They would never allow a woman to be abused, Destiny.” She stood up and checked on the coffee water. “Looks like it’s about ready. Let’s carry it in the other room and join the men.”
* * * *
“It’s getting late. We’d better all get some rest,” Abe said, standing up and stretching.
Celina had already taken the baby upstairs and put her to bed. They’d all been sitting around talking about everything, from the past to what life was like this far west. Abe and Russell seemed to have accepted them and didn’t appear as reserved as before. Destiny could only pray that everything worked out. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going on between Granger and Marty. They’d seemed to be avoiding each other despite sitting on either side of her.
“You’re right. We need to check out the cabin tomorrow and see what needs to be done.” Granger held out his hand to Abe. “We appreciate you all giving us a chance to live here. I know it’s not easy to trust strangers.”
Abe shook his hand and then Marty’s. He nodded at them before wrapping an arm around Celina and leading the way upstairs. Russell doubled back, saying he was going to check all the doors again before coming up. It gave Destiny a little more confidence that this was the right place for them.
The heat of Marty’s hand at her back as they climbed the stairs together was comforting when everything else inside of her screamed that something was wrong. Granger had taken the lead for them and carried the lantern as they walked across the landing to their room. When he opened the door and disappeared inside, Destiny followed the dancing light into the room and watched as Granger set it on the dresser in front of the mirror and started undressing. When neither man said anything after Marty closed the door, Destiny knew she’d been right. Something was definitely going on between them.
“Granger? What’s going on?” she asked, walking over to touch his arm.
He looked at her with a blank expression. “Nothing, darling. What do you mean?”
She searched his eyes, but nothing shown in their obsidian darkness. Turning, she walked to where Marty was pulling off his shirt on the other side of the bed. He actually flinched when she stayed his hand from unfastening his jeans.
“Marty?”
“What, honey?”
“Are you and Granger fighting about something? Did I do something to upset y’all?” she asked.
He immediately pulled her into his arms. “No, ladybug. You haven’t done anything wrong. Why would you think that?”
“Because something is eating you two. You’re dancing around each other like you’re afraid you’re going to get cooties or something. What is it? What has you both acting like this?” She turned to Granger. “You’ve barely touched me all night. What else am I supposed to think?” Destiny pulled away from him and turned to stare at both men.
Neither man moved. Neither man said a word. They just stared at each other and then her. Destiny huffed out a breath and crossed her arms. They weren’t going to bed until they’d at least told her what was going on. The longer they let things fester inside, the worse it would get, and the harder it would be to fix things in the long run.
“I’m not budging until someone tells me what in the hell is going on.” When they still remained stubbornly quiet, she growled and threw up her hands in defeat. “If you want to go to bed, then climb in, but you’re going to be sleeping with each other because I’m going back downstairs to sleep on the couch.”
With that, she turned around and marched to the door. When she grasped the doorknob, prepared to fling the door open, strong arms grabbed her from behind and lifted her off her feet.
Granger.
“Put me down, Granger! I’m not sleeping in here with two stubborn, ornery assholes who are too manly to speak up.” She struggled, but he only threw her on the bed.
“This is what’s wrong, Destiny. I’m a rough man. I like sex, and I like it nasty. You don’t deserve to be treated that way, and I get that, but it doesn’t change what I like and want.” Granger panted when he’d finished.
“So? Have I complained about anything? You haven’t hurt me or disgusted me. Are you feeling guilty about what we did the other night? ’Cause if you are, you shouldn’t be. There’s nothing to feel bad about. I loved every minute of it.” She looked from him to Marty, and it suddenly hit her. Her mouth opened and then closed again with the knowledge of what the issue was. She eased off the bed and stared at the other man.
“Marty? Granger doesn’t feel guilty, but you do, don’t you.” She made it a statement, knowing the answer already.
“Honey, I…”
She stopped him. “I want to know how you feel about what we did. Did you enjoy it or hate it?” she asked. Destiny couldn’t control the tremble in her voice or the tears fighting to fall.
“That’s just it,” Marty finally said in a soft voice. “I liked it. Too much. It’s not right, Destiny. It’s degrading for Granger to take you that way.”
“Funny. I don’t feel degraded. I’d think that since it happened to me, that I would be the one to feel that way, don’t you? Granger wasn’t treating me like a worthless bitch, or even a whore. He cares about me. I never once felt like I was being used.” She shook her head and looked down at her feet. “At least I didn’t until you suggested that I was.”
“No! You’re not any of those things. Hell, I don’t know what to do. But watching Granger take you like he did bothers me,” Marty said.
“Because you fucking liked it,” Granger said with a growl in his voice. “And that makes you more like me than you want to be. I’m an ex-con, rough around the edges, and abrasive. You think better of yourself than that, and it pisses you off that maybe you’re just as perverted as you think I am. Well, fuck you, Marty.” Granger’s voice had grown deeper but louder.
“Hold it down, Granger,” Destiny cautioned the big man. She turned to Marty, unsure what to say now. “I love you, Marty. I love Granger, too. Just because he likes kinky sex, it doesn’t make him a bad person. I know he’d never do anything to hurt me. I trust him, just like I trust you. It sounds like you’re angrier with yourself than you are with Granger. Taking it out on him isn’t fair, Marty.”
“Hell, I know that.” He ran a hand through his wavy hair and pulled at it. “It just feels wrong to enjoy—that,” he finally said.
Granger sneered. “Anal sex? Rough sex? Just what is that?”
“Granger. You’re not helping things,” Destiny cautioned.
“No, he’s right, honey. I was raised to never harm a woman and that some things were just wrong on principal, like,” he swallowed, “anal sex and stuff like that.”
“Like spanking your sweet ass, darling, or tying your up so you have to take all the pleasure we give you,” Granger told her. “He thinks that anything except plain old missionary sex is dirty and wrong.”
“No, I don’t. It’s just that some of the things you like seem a little extreme.” He cursed and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. “I almost hate myself for wanting those things with you, Destiny. I love you, and the thought of ever hurting you makes me physically ill just thinking about it.”
She walked over to stand in front of Marty. Lifting her hands, she cupped his face in them and stared into his eyes.
“But Marty, you’re not hurting me, or using me, or any of those things you’re scared of when it’s what I want. If I didn’t like or want something you guys did to me, believe me, you wouldn’t do it again.” She smiled up at him. “I love you both. I want both of you to make love to me at the sam
e time sometimes. I want to feel you both deep inside of me, binding us together as a family. I like having my ass spanked sometimes. Nothing either of you has ever done to me or threatened me with scares me or turns me off. I’d tell you, Marty.”
He stared down at her and covered her hands on his face with his own. She could see the struggle in his eyes, but finally he closed them and nodded. Relief flooded her chest. She knew it wasn’t the end of it, but it was a step in the right direction.
Destiny dropped her hands and turned to walk over to where Granger stood with both hands fisted at his waist, wearing only his boxer briefs hung low on his narrow hips. She searched his eyes, hating the wary way he watched her approach him. Stopping in front of him, close enough she could take a deep breath and her breasts would brush against his chest, Destiny closed her eyes and inhaled his scent, the rich, spicy aroma that was unique to Granger. Opening her eyes once again, she smiled up at him.
“I’d tell you, too, Granger. I don’t want you to be anyone except who you are, inside and out.” She placed her hands against his chest, soaking in the warmth and comfort that just touching him gave her. “I don’t want anything between us, guys. This has to stop. We talk about everything together, or it will never work.”
Granger uncurled his fists and rested them lightly at her waist. “I love you, baby. You deserve better than this, but it’s who I am and fuck it, I can’t let you go.”
Another set of hands rested on her shoulders, and the press of Marty’s hard body against her back, his hard cock nestled against her lower back, let her know he wanted everything to be good between them. Destiny leaned her head back against his chest and lightly scored her nails down Granger’s rock hard chest.
“Strip, Destiny,” Granger said, his voice deep and raspy.