by Jan Springer
Her legs were cramping as she kept her crouch. She needed to go pee. Her hands were getting sore from holding the rifle.
Dare she peek out?
She shook her head. Why was she being such a wimp? She had a rifle. She could blow the intruder's head off.
This is my home.
A fierce territorial rage suddenly slammed into her. She would fight to her death to protect her home and her men and not cower in some stupid closet.
Why in the world had it taken her so long to get herself some balls?
A burst of courage surged inside JJ. This daring to die for what was right was an odd feeling. It was something she hadn't experienced since the day she'd killed her stepfather.
Suddenly, she knew she would kill again, if she was threatened. And she was feeling threatened. Big time.
Using the barrel of the rifle, she pushed the door open inch by inch. Silence met her.
From the angle of the sunlight, she knew it was late in the day.
Unease whipped through her. Dan hadn't returned. He had said he might be late.
But still…
She pushed the door open a bit more. Slowly, she stood. Then she slipped out into the bedroom.
No one. Not a sound.
It was very hot in here. Keeping the rifle trained at Dan's bedroom door, JJ tiptoed sideways to the nearest window and looked outside.
Raindrops sparkled on the glass panes. Beyond, the yard was devoid of movement. Large black clouds blinked with lightning to the east over the lake and shadows were spilling over the forest as the sun dropped behind the horizon in the west.
Despite the heat, JJ shivered.
It would be dark within minutes, and Dan wasn't back. She needed to get her ass downstairs and find out if she had only imagined someone being in the house.
Edging toward the bedroom door, she quietly opened it and stepped into the hallway. It was quiet here as well. For a few minutes, JJ stood at the foot of the stairs and peered down the stairway, half expecting someone to come running up. Uneasiness slithered through her as she expected someone to rush up the stairs and attack her.
Nothing.
Damn, JJ, but you have one hell of an imagination. She'd been reading about anxiety and panic on the Internet and had discovered many of the people with this problem did have a very creative imagination. Little comfort when she sometimes couldn't control the panic or anxiety attacks.
She knew she needed to change her way of thinking. Knew too that medication could help her. But she'd never liked the idea of popping pills. So far she'd managed to get away without the meds except for taking a prescribed pill to calm her nerves a couple of times since arriving here.
Okay, so she might have imagined someone lurking around earlier. Maybe the house had been settling and had made weird noises?
JJ grabbed her rifle tighter and descended the stairs. Immediately, she checked the doors. They were locked. She closed the windows she'd opened and lifted the receiver to the phone.
Dial tone.
Thank God!
Just then, a low groan from somewhere outside had her bringing up the rifle. The sound grew louder. No, not a groan. An engine.
Dan!
She moved fast now, rushing down the hallway and into the mudroom. JJ expected to see Dan enter the yard on his all-terrain vehicle.
He didn't appear. Her hopes deflated.
Where are you, Dan?
Excitement shifted through her as she spied a bright blue floatplane skimming over the waves out on the lake. It was heading toward the ranch dock.
North Country Air was scrawled in white lettering on the side of the plane. It had to be Blue. She was one of the female bush pilots.
JJ sent up a prayer of thanks as her anxiety eased a bit. She placed the loaded rifle behind the mudroom door and went outside to meet her guest.
Brady knew something was wrong the instant he spied JJ pacing on the dock while she waited for the plane. She appeared pale and wild-eyed as if she might be having another anxiety attack. He was glad that Rafe had voiced his intuition that something was wrong back home and Brady had eventually decided it was best to return early.
As luck would have it, when they'd called North Country Air for a flight, Blue had been in town and come to their rescue. They'd met her within the hour at the airport and they had been airborne.
"What's wrong?" Brady asked as he tossed JJ the rope so she could help secure the plane to the dock. In a flash, he was on the dock and the instant she secured the rope, he gathered her into his arms.
She shivered against Brady as she buried her face into his shoulder and his protective instincts went haywire.
"JJ, what's happened? Where's Dan?" Rafe asked as he joined them. Concern etched Rafe’s voice and it slithered through him as well.
She shook her head, lifted her face and grimaced. Huge tears sparkled in her eyes.
Shit.
"He hasn't come back. He's been gone all day and there was this bad storm…and I’m worried something might have happened to him." It looked as if she might want to say something else but then she wiggled out of his embrace when she spied Blue in the doorway of her plane, watching them.
"I’m sure he’s fine," Brady said as he reluctantly moved away from JJ and took a cardboard box from Blue. It was one of several boxes of dry goods that Rafe and he had purchased during their stay in Thunder Bay.
JJ shook her head. “I just have a bad feeling.”
“JJ is our mother hen,” Rafe chuckled as he accepted another box from Blue.
A low growl of thunder ripped through the warm night air. Lightning blinked out over the lake.
“Storm is getting closer. You’re more than welcome to spend the night, Blue. And JJ could use some female company,” Rafe said as Blue tossed him another box.
“I was hoping you’d ask. I’m not much for flying through storms.” Blue’s voice was edged with nervousness. They all knew she had issues with flying in storms. It was why Rafe had asked her to hang around. And Rafe hadn’t, then Brady would have.
“I’ll go get an atv with a trailer to bring this stuff up before the storm hits,” Brady said. He took JJ by the elbow and led her off the dock.
“Did Dan leave a note saying when he’d be back?” Brady asked her as the two of them trudged up the trail.
“He said he would be back for supper. But the storm…it was bad and it came up so suddenly.” JJ shivered against him and Brady hugged her tight.
“Storms can be fierce. But rest assured Dan is experienced. I’m sure he was holed up somewhere when the storm blew in. Don’t worry. Why don’t you go up and put a pot of coffee on and maybe get started on some supper. I’m starved. Then we’ll wait for Dan. I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”
He read the doubt in JJ’s gaze, but she nodded and he watched as she walked up the stairs to the ranch house and disappeared inside.
Brady frowned.
She seriously had been rattled. He hoped she wouldn’t have an anxiety attack. She’d been doing really well. But tonight she seemed too edgy. Hell, it was making him nervous. And he didn’t like being uneasy.
Brady gazed up at the sky. Lightning flickered overhead. He hoped to hell Dan would get back soon, because it wasn’t safe to be out and about in a storm. He just hoped to hell Dan was okay. But he had confidence his friend could handle himself on his own. Unless something had happened to him…Brady worried his bottom lip and headed to the shed to retrieve the atv with the trailer for the supplies.
Chapter Three
Thunder crackled through the layers of JJ’s sleep, ripping her from her sleep. Her heart pounded against her chest and she blinked wildly at the lightning that flashed through the living room windows. Wind roared against the house and rain pelted the glass panes. Her heart sank. Another storm.
It took her only a split second to blink away the cobwebs of sleep and realize she’d fallen asleep on the couch and that Dan had not come home. A quick glance at the clock showe
d it was 4:30 in the morning.
Last night, after a quick supper, Rafe and Brady had tended to chores. Then the four of them had stayed up until midnight. While Blue and the guys played cards, JJ baked Dan’s favorites, including brownies for when he came home. The guys had tried to reassure her that Dan most likely wouldn’t come back during the night. That he was smart and would take cover from the storms.
Dan was an expert, Rafe had said. During these situations he knew what to do and this wasn’t the first time one of them hadn’t made it back by nightfall. She’d also been told that she should expect more of these things happening over the coming months. But she’d noticed the apprehension in Rafe’s eyes and the constant worried frown on Brady’s face.
Blue hadn’t seemed overly concerned though, stating that Dan knew how to take care of himself. Unless she was hiding her worry. If that were the case, she was doing a darned good job.
Blue had lifted the guys’ spirits by bringing in a bottle of homemade blackberry whiskey. Straight from the local moonshiner, a hermit woman who lived on Blue’s fly-in mail route. Blue, Rafe and Brady had helped themselves to a few glasses of the rosy-colored liquid and by the time they’d headed off to bed, Brady’s frown had turned upside down and Rafe and Blue had been singing.
But still…JJ should have told them about her suspicions of someone being in the house. Unfortunately, she had no proof. Just some food missing, a messed-up underwear drawer and some weird noises that had made her hide in the closet all afternoon. More than likely they would say she’d been overreacting, just like they’d insinuated about her worry over Dan. Thankfully, she’d been able to put Dan’s gun back where it belonged before everyone had come into the house and fired questions at her. Maybe if Blue hadn’t been here, she would have said something…
Or maybe JJ was overreacting? Her guys had been living out here on this wilderness ranch for several years. Nothing bad had happened to any of them. That she knew of anyway.
JJ tensed as a crack of thunder rattled the windows and shook the couch.
Good grief! How in the world were any of them able to sleep? And when was this storm going away? Would they have to postpone going out to look for Dan if this storm kept up?
As if knowing she’d been asking those questions, the rain and wind suddenly quietened and the kitchen light flicked on. She spied Brady padding barefoot and bare-chested into the kitchen. He wandered to the fridge where he removed one of the tinfoil-wrapped plates she’d placed in there earlier.
She shook her head as she watched him lift the tinfoil and inhale deeply. Even at night they snuck around stealing the sweets. It was most likely the peanut butter chocolate-chip cookies. Those were a weakness of both Brady and Dan.
Brady hadn’t seen her, and something naughty flittered deep inside of JJ as she watched the muscles in his right arm bulge as he placed the plate onto the dining room table. Then he grabbed and ripped open a coffee pack. He dumped the contents into the coffee filter, poured in some water, switched on the coffee maker and then plopped himself down onto a chair at the dining room.
He looked so sexy and cute with his hair mused up as he yawned and rubbed his eyes. Abruptly, he opened his eyes, lifted a large peanut butter chocolate-chip cookie to his lips and then stopped. Her tummy somersaulted in a really nice way as his gaze locked onto hers.
He smiled a sheepish grin and placed the cookie back onto the plate.
For a wonderful few seconds, JJ forgot about everything except how wonderful Brady made her feel when he smiled at her.
“How long have you been here, baby?” Brady asked as he stood.
“All night.” Rafe’s voice curled through the room from a dark corner nearby.
JJ swung her gaze to find Rafe, clad in a pair of boxer shorts and nothing else, seated on a chaise in the nook where she sometimes sat and gazed out the window. It overlooked the back yard and the trail that Dan would have been using had he come back.
It appeared Dan had been doing that exact same thing.
“How long have you been there?” she asked as she struggled into a seated position.
“Long enough to know that this storm isn’t going to be over anytime soon. It’s one of those storms that subsides and then just comes back. And I, for one, need some coffee,” Rafe replied. He stood and stretched and JJ’s gaze immediately drew to Rafe’s face and the dark shadow covering his chin and cheeks.
Damn, he looked so sexy with a four thirty o’clock shadow on his face.
“Coffee is almost ready,” Brady said.
“I’m thinking we need a little something extra this morning to help us get through the day. And a little something to keep JJ’s mind off Dan, because I can guarantee you he’s having a nice sleep tucked away in a cozy pup tent or one of our utility sheds, or in one of those half-dozen abandoned lumberjack shacks scattered around out there, while we’re here worried about him,” Rafe said.
His voice had turned husky and he’d moved beside the couch, his hand outstretched to her.
JJ read the intent in his gaze. Could tell Brady had tensed with awareness as he flicked off the kitchen light and suddenly strolled toward them. She whimpered as his fingers slid beneath the waistband of his track pants.
“But what about Blue…” JJ whispered. She couldn’t have sex with another woman in the house. She might hear them.
“She’s a big girl. She knows about the birds and the bees,” Rafe whispered.
“Besides, she’s upstairs in the back guest room,” Brady interjected. He’d already found a tube of lube in the end table and placed it on the armchair of the couch she’d been sleeping on. He removed his track pants and stood in front of her stroking his quickly engorging cock.
JJ quivered as she relived the wondrous pleasure the guys always gave her. She had to admit that grabbing herself some downtime to reduce her anxiety about Dan did feel like a good idea.
She blew out a tense breath and placed her fingers against Rafe’s palms. He pulled her up off the couch with ease and instructed her to lift her arms so he could undress her. There wasn’t much to remove. Just a tank top and her panties, as she’d left the rest of her clothing on the nearby sofa.
Yes, their attention is what she needed right now. Some red-hot pleasure to ease her tensions. A little anger sex payback to Dan for not being here. She’d make sure he learned what he’d missed when he got back.
They were quiet now. She stood naked between them and she moaned softly as fevered heat curled like lightning throughout her body. Behind her came the slurps of lube as Brady prepared himself for her.
In the flashes of lightning she watched Rafe sheath his thick erection. It was long and stiff and angled up against his belly.
Need gripped her. She needed both of them desperately. She wanted to forget her worries about Dan if only for just a little while.
As Rafe stepped closer, she noted his eyes were heavy-lidded with arousal. She gasped as he cupped her breasts and held them with possessive firmness. She reacted immediately.
Reaching out, JJ slid her palms over his firm waist and brought him closer to her. He arched his hips and they both moaned as his cockhead pressed against her sensitive clitoris.
He massaged her clit and she could feel her body preparing itself. Heated warmth flowed deep inside her vagina, toward her opening.
She struggled to breathe as Brady’s hands slid over the curve of her hips and he pushed his hot lubed cockhead against her tense sphincter.
“Are you ready to be loved by us, sweetness?” Brady murmured against the nape of her neck. Heat and softness brushed her flesh as he kissed her.
“Yes,” JJ whispered in a guttural voice she barely recognized. Excitement raced through her as Rafe stroked her nipples with callused thumbs and then his head descended toward hers.
Pleasure seared her as his warm lips gently caressed her mouth.
“You’re so beautiful, JJ,” Rafe murmured. She barely heard the words. The pressure of his mouth upon hers
encouraged her to part her lips. She grew heady when his tongue stroked inside. She savored his sweet tongue and tasted…chocolate? Her brownies!
Oh, the little bastard! While she’d been fast asleep on the couch, Rafe had gotten into her baked goods. He must have noticed her tension, for he suddenly chuckled.
“While our princess was sleeping…” he growled against her lips.
Her anger melted and she smiled.
Gosh, she loved these guys, even if they were thieves.
Pleasure flared and her thoughts splintered as Rafe increased his massage on her clit. She shuddered and jerked between them as their hot kisses worked to destroy every shred of her self-control.
Damn! They always smelled so good. She inhaled their scents deep into her lungs. Rafe smelled fresh like the outdoors and Brady of musk like the forest aroma after a rain shower.
They always made her feel so happy and so loved.
JJ gasped as without warning, Brady plunged his lubed shaft into her rear. His thickness stretched into her and pushed against sensitive muscles that retaliated and gripped him. She cried out when he withdrew and Rafe thrust into her. His cock was ultra-thick and long and she felt every solid inch impale her.
They took turns, pistoning into her until she could hold back no longer. JJ’s body tightened and she exploded on a cry, suddenly not caring who heard.
Pleasure pummelled her and wrapped around her, drowning her in exquisite sensations. Yeah, she wanted to stay here. This was bliss.
Rafe knew the instant JJ was about to come apart. Her pussy muscles clenched him so tight she was like a velvet vise. He couldn’t stop his ultra-loud groan of approval. The intense way that Brady was fucking her, had her bumping against him, creating a magnificent friction around his shaft.
Man! Rafe could barely hold himself together. He wanted to come. Bad. But he was selfish. He needed to keep JJ in the pleasure zone for as long as he could, because he enjoyed her cries of arousal as she came apart. Loved her whimpers as Brady and himself kept up their brutal rhythm. Her cries grew louder and he melted his mouth over her sweet lips catching her sounds. They vibrated into him. Became a part of him. Branded him.