by Leah Brooke
Watching the ranch hands move from one place to another, she realized there were more of them than she’d first thought. Each eyed her curiously as they passed, turning away abruptly when they glanced at Quinn. “How many ranch hands do you have?”
Quinn’s expression hardened. “It varies. It takes a lot of men to run a place like this. It’s not the kind of place for everyone. Come on. Let’s get you back inside.”
Once back inside, Quinn ordered her to go lie down. “You’ve had enough for today. Barrett made me promise to make you rest.”
“But I’m not tired.” Kendra reached into the cabinet above her and retrieved a coffee cup. “I’d like to help a little around here if I could. I get stiff when I stay still for too long.”
Quinn took the cup from her hand and placed it back in the cupboard. “Too bad. You promised to rest if I took you outside. Barrett wants you to rest so you can get your strength back.”
Crowding her against the corner, he tapped her nipple through her borrowed shirt, smiling when she gasped. “I’m not fucking you until you’re strong enough to take it.”
Kendra couldn’t help it. She arched toward him in an automatic response to get him to touch her again, desperate for him to look at her the way he had outside.
Quinn’s slow smile and the glitter in his eyes told her he’d noticed what she’d done. “Yeah, it’s gonna happen, baby.”
Her face burned. “Wanting something doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get it.” The breathless quality in her voice didn’t give her words the impact she’d intended.
Quinn’s smile widened. “Speak for yourself. I don’t stop until I get what I want.”
He moved in closer, pinning her to the counter and pressing the hard bulge in his jeans against her belly. His glittering eyes narrowed on hers, the intent in them making it hard for her to breathe. “And I want you. Before you leave here, I’m going to spread your thighs and use my mouth on you.”
Kendra sucked in a breath, his whispered words creating a hunger inside her that couldn’t be contained. She could almost feel his mouth on her. “I—uh—”
“After you come, I’m going to fuck your tight pussy until you come again. I’m going to sink so deep inside you that you won’t know where you stop and I begin. When you come again, that tight pussy’s gonna milk me dry.”
Kendra gasped at the feel of his finger sliding back and forth over her nipple, inwardly cursing that the soft material stood between them. Her pussy clenched in response to his words, a rush of moisture escaping to soak her panties. “I—um—”
With an abrupt movement, he jerked away from her, going to the window and staring out, a muscle clenching in his jaw as his hands fisted on the counter on either side of the sink. “Now, unless you want me to strip you right here and now, you’d better get out of here so I can start dinner.”
Watching his lips, Kendra licked her own tingling ones, so lost in the seductiveness of his voice that it took several long seconds for his words to sink in.
Straightening, she rushed to the other side of the island. “You really are a son of a bitch.”
Quinn smiled coldly, turning his head toward her. “I thought we’d already established that.”
* * * *
Wanting to put as much distance between her and Quinn as possible, Kendra went upstairs. After refolding the items in her suitcase and packing them again, she dropped onto Barrett’s bed, her energy starting to wane.
Irritated that she still felt so weak, she stretched out on the bed with the intention of resting for just a few minutes before going down to set the table for dinner. Not until she got comfortable did she realize that her pant legs were still wet from the snow. With a curse, she kicked them off, and pulled the hem of the long shirt down to cover herself as she rolled to her side.
Shaken by her response to Quinn’s wicked seduction, she punched the pillow, imagining it was his hard stomach. “Son of a bitch!”
He got her all riled up, and in a way that she couldn’t have given in without losing face.
She was sure that he knew that and had been counting on her to put a stop to it—as if he hadn’t trusted his own ability to do it.
Ridiculous.
Pulling the covers over her, she tried to imagine what it would be like if she left here without becoming their lover.
She’d regret it, of course, regret not knowing the kind of pleasure and closeness that a man and a woman could experience together.
She’d never met anyone who even came close to making her feel so wanton and desirable. She’d never met a man who made her want to throw caution to the wind and just live for the moment.
But, could she do it?
They wouldn’t be satisfied until she’d become a lover to all four of them. She’d seen it in their faces. They wanted her, and knew that she wanted them.
And they all knew that each of the others wanted her.
Frowning, she stared up at the ceiling, wondering why that would be okay for them.
Obviously, it would be nothing more than sex. She couldn’t argue about that, because she wanted them just as much, and without having any feelings for them.
Well, maybe just a little feeling.
She couldn’t help but respect the kind of men who would make their way through foot-deep snow and up a mountain to rescue her.
Could she walk away from here without knowing what it would be like to be close to such men?
Could she walk away if she knew?
* * * *
Barrett shot a glance around the kitchen as he walked in, disappointed to find only Quinn there. Frowning as he breathed in the scent of fish frying instead of her sweet scent, he hung up his hat and shrugged off his jacket. “Where’s Kendra?”
Quinn turned from the stove, smiling. “She went upstairs to get away from me after we argued about her resting. She said she was fine and didn’t want to lie down. I went up about an hour later to find her sound asleep in your bed. I haven’t checked on her for about a half hour, but I think she’s still there.”
Barrett pulled off his boots, stood them by the door, and hurried toward the steps. “I’ll check on her.”
His delight that she’d chosen his bed was short lived when he wondered if she’d decided to climb into his bed because she thought he was safe, and didn’t want her as the others did.
With a sense of anticipation, he hurried his steps, anxious to get to her, and to show her just how wrong she was about that.
She’d consumed his thoughts all day, and he couldn’t wait to be with her again.
He stepped into his room, stopping abruptly just inside the door, dazed at the sight that greeted him.
She looked like an angel.
The late-day sun streaming through the windows on the far side of the room seemed to capture each golden strand of her hair, making it shimmer all around her face.
With her hand curled under a cheek flushed with sleep, she looked so damned adorable.
His breath caught at the sensation of a fist closing around his heart, a sensation he hadn’t felt in years, and never thought to feel again.
He pushed the heavy door closed, careful not to wake her, and turned, his gaze drawn to her as he took a step closer, and then another. The small scratch and faint bruise on her cheek, a sharp reminder that they’d come so close to losing her, both looked better, relieving him greatly.
Every time he thought about how she’d looked when they found her, and how stressful the ride back to the ranch had been, his stomach clenched. He’d been in a cold sweat all the way back, holding her body, wrapped in blankets, as close to his as he could, fighting to protect her from the wind and the snow.
Moving closer, he caught a whiff of her intoxicating scent, a scent that squeezed his heart with emotion, and made his cock thicken and lengthen with hunger.
Smiling indulgently at her low moan, a soft sound filled with contentment, Barrett took a step closer.
God, he wanted her.
> He wanted her to know it.
Looking down at himself, he inwardly winced.
Covered in dirt and smelling of horse, he needed to take a shower before he could even think of touching her.
He hurried into the shower, pausing to let the hot water wash over him. He loved what he did, but the demands of the ranch made him appreciate Mason, Quinn, and Grant.
Moving here was the best decision he’d ever made.
But, he missed having a woman in his life.
He’d been content until he met Kendra.
He’d just finished showering and brushing his teeth, running the towel over himself before knotting it around his waist when he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye.
Turning his head, he smiled at the picture of a sleepy-eyed Kendra leaning against the doorframe. “Hi. Feel better, honey?”
Her cheeks flushed even more, becoming a darker shade of pink. “Yes.” Grimacing, she stared at his chest. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was just going to lie down for a few minutes.”
Barrett reached out a hand to her, holding his breath until she placed her much smaller one in his. “You’re still recovering. Rest is the best thing for you.”
He let his gaze move over her, and linger on her bare legs. Dressed in a sweatshirt, probably one of Quinn’s, that went almost to her knees and a pair of thick socks, she looked sweet and innocent.
Until he looked at her eyes.
The hunger and appreciation in them made his cock stir, hardening even more when her gaze lowered to the towel.
Her eyes widened and met his again. “I wanted to take a shower. Are you almost finished in here, or would you like me to use another bathroom?”
Not wanting her to leave, and amused at her attempt to ignore his obvious arousal, Barrett smiled. “I was just going to shave. I don’t want to scratch you.”
Hiding a smile when she blinked at that, he drew her closer. “I want to take a look at your thigh first, and then I’ll get you something else to wear.”
Not giving her a chance to object, Barrett lifted her by the waist and set her on the long counter. Hiding another smile at her sharp intake of breath, he bit back a groan at the feel of her hands on his shoulders and the sight of smooth thigh in front of him.
Watching her face, he lifted the hem of the overlarge sweatshirt, letting his hand press against her slit as he bared her to the top of her thigh.
He couldn’t resist moving the back of his hand against her slit, his cock jumping at her sharp intake of breath. With his face close to hers, he could see her pupils dilate, and couldn’t resist doing it again. “Your panties are wet, Kendra. Do you like my touch?”
Kendra swallowed heavily, her eyes darkening. “Yes. Damn it.”
Feeling ten years younger, he grinned. “I’m fifty years old, and you make me feel like a young buck again. I think you’ve made all of us reevaluate our lives.”
Kendra blinked, clearly surprised. “I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say.” Pleased with how well her thigh seemed to be healing, Barrett bent to touch his lips to it. “It just is. It’s almost as if we’ve been waiting for you.”
Smiling, Kendra cupped his jaw, sending a rush of hunger and possessiveness through him. “This is ridiculous, you know. Sex always causes problems, and—” She looked away, her eyes brimming with sadness and anger.
“And what?” Gripping her chin, he forced her to face him, gritting his teeth and tightening his hold when she tried to resist. “Tell me.”
Smiling sadly, Kendra pushed his hand away. “Karen thought I had a thing for Jerry. I didn’t. I always thought he was a jerk, but he is married to my sister and we lived under the same roof, so I tried to get along. Every time my sister had a class that ran late, or she worked late, she would make remarks about Jerry and I being alone with the baby.”
Shrugging, she leaned back against the wall. “I blamed it on stress. I kept telling her that nothing went on, but they started having fights about it. She started fighting with me about it. She said I didn’t date because I was too busy coming on to her husband.”
She shoved her hair back from her face, and shook her head as she met his gaze again. “Who the hell was I supposed to date? The mailman? The produce guy in the grocery store?” Blowing out a breath, she toyed with the hem of the long sweatshirt. “I took care of the house and the baby, fixed meals for them, and basically took care of everything so that they could get their careers established. In return, they were going to pay for classes for me. She didn’t realize that her husband was no prize, and she’s the jealous type. She thought everyone was after him.”
The surge of anger at the way she’d been treated threatened to choke him. “So, what happened?”
Kendra blew out a breath. “There was a big fight one night. Jerry made a pass at me, not knowing that my sister had come home early. She caught him, and blamed me for it.” Her breath caught. “She called me a slut.”
Her sad laughter tore him up inside. “Imagine if she could see me now, and know that I was actually thinking about sleeping with four different men.”
His gut clenched with fury. “It’s not like that!”
“No, it sure as hell isn’t!” Grant’s bark of rage startled both of them.
Barrett had been paying so much attention to Kendra that he hadn’t noticed that the others had gathered at the doorway.
Glad that they’d heard, he straightened, bending to touch his lips to hers. “It’s not like that at all.”
Quinn came forward, gripping her face and lifting it to his. “You’re just going to have to see what it’s like for yourself, aren’t you?”
* * * *
Kendra melted under his kiss, the anger and frustration in it igniting her passion. Pouring herself into their kiss, she moaned as hands slid up and down her legs, carefully avoiding her stitches.
One kiss flowed into another, his mouth possessive and insistent as he drew on her passion, making it even hotter.
Tasting of mint and male, his tongue swept her mouth over and over, the hunger in his kiss leaving her in no doubt of how much he wanted her. Closing his hand over hers, he pressed it back against the mirror, deepening his kiss and making her dizzy.
She jolted when another hand closed over her free one and pressed it back against the wall on the other side. Instinctively fighting it, she sucked in a breath when Quinn nipped her bottom lip and groaned, focusing her attention on him.
With Quinn holding her face to the side, he blocked out everything else, not allowing her to see the others.
Letting her eyes flutter closed on a moan, she fisted her hands, shocked that they kept her wrists pressed against the wall.
“Easy with her.” Barrett’s deep voice penetrated the fog of lust surrounding her.
Lifting his head, Quinn released his hold on her jaw, staring down at her as he lifted her shirt, his eyes narrowed and glittering. “I’m not hurting her. I would never hurt her and she knows it—but, if she tries to refer to herself using that word again, I’m not going to be so nice.”
Kendra couldn’t hold back a moan when Quinn and Mason both ran their hands over her breasts. “I didn’t say I was a slut. I said that if my sister, oh God, saw me now, she would think she was right about me.”
They pulled her borrowed sweatshirt off and tossed it in a corner, leaving her wearing only panties and thick socks.
With desire raging through her, she looked at each of them in turn, thrilling at the feel of their gazes on her breasts. “What would you call a woman who couldn’t seem to resist four men who were friends and business partners, especially when she knew it could only lead to trouble?”
Both Mason and Quinn released her, sharing a look and smiling as they reached for her. Bending close, Mason brushed her lips with his. “Ours.”
Grant took one of her shins in his hands and pulled her sock from her and tossed them aside, his smile so tender it stole her breath. “He’s rig
ht. I can’t imagine you leaving here now.”
Barrett removed her other sock and helped her down from the counter. “She wants to take a shower.”
Mason quickly stripped her out of her panties, running a hand over her bottom. “Need help?”
Relieved that they’d somehow known she wasn’t ready for more, Kendra smiled at each of them gratefully. “No. I can do it by myself.”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, Barrett yanked her against him, his cock pressing hard against her belly. “I’ll get you one of my shirts to wear and give you some time alone as soon as I finish shaving.”
As Kendra washed her hair, she smiled at the feeling of intimacy of having Barrett standing at the sink shaving while she showered. Unable to resist, she opened the shower door a few inches and peeked out at him just to make sure he was still there.
Smiling when his eyes met hers in the mirror, she watched as he slid the blade over his face. “I’ve never watched a man shave before.”
Pausing to rinse the blade, Barrett turned to smile at her. “I’m sure it’s something you’ll be seeing quite a bit in the future.”
Leaning against the shower wall, Kendra shook her head. “I can’t stay, you know. I’ll be leaving here as soon as the sheriff gets here. I have a job to do.”
“Fuck your job.”
Surprised at his anger, Kendra blinked, pushing back her wet hair. “What?”
“Never mind. I’ll leave a shirt and fresh socks for you on the bed. Come on down as soon as you’re done. I’m sure dinner’s ready.”
Kendra watched him wipe the remaining bits of shaving cream from his face and toss the towel aside. “Barrett? I can’t walk away from my job.”
“We can talk about it later. What a fucking mess.” Turning, he left the room.
Kendra stared at the closed door for several long seconds before turning away. Chilled, she stood under the spray wondering what the hell had gotten into Barrett.
She rushed to finish her shower, anxious to join them again and find out.