by Mary Winter
“I can do that.” Daniel wrapped his arms around her, his fingers sliding down to her rear. He lifted her, positioning her back against the tile wall and his cock at her entrance. This was what she loved about him. His strength. His responsiveness. “You ready?”
His thoughtfulness touched her. She nodded, finding his hand and guiding it between her thighs. Even in the shower he could tell that she was more than ready for him.
“Good.” He kissed her, devouring her mouth while the shower pounded on his back.
Katie gave herself to him. On her parents’ farm there’d been a waterfall, and too many afternoons they’d gone down there to neck. She’d put on her swimsuit, and they’d kissed and caressed, teasing each other until Daniel grabbed her and dunked her beneath the cool water. She remembered how they has risen from that water, twined together, the waterfall pounding against Daniel’s back as he took her into the secluded area behind the falls. They might as well be back there. She was as hungry for him now as she’d been all those years before.
He filled her with a single, sure stroke and Katie tightened her muscles around him. She gave a soft moan, the pleasure of making love with him again overriding every other thought in her mind. She yearned for him. Each stroke brought her closer, the rhythm of the water only evoking those tender memories deep inside.
“Daniel,” she moaned. Evenings spent on her bed, her favorite toy never quite enough to make her feel the way Daniel did now. He cherished her. Though his powerful thrusts kept her pinned against the wall, he peppered kisses across her forehead, her cheeks, capturing her lips and drinking from her slowly as if she were an expensive glass of wine.
His tongue delved into her mouth, tasting her, claiming her as surely as his cock in her pussy did. His big hands splayed on her buttocks, holding her to him, and all she could do was cling to him. Her rock. Her anchor.
Her body tensed, her release so close she could nearly reach out and touch it. Daniel pushed her closer to the edge with each stroke of his cock. His kiss deepened, grew more demanding as she surrendered to him, to the passion they created.
And when she came it was sweet surrender, a deep and total understanding that only Daniel could make her feel this way. She was awash in sensation, from the flutters of her muscles around his rod to the way her sensitive nipples brushed across his chest. She panted, the water washing away the sweat on her skin, cleansing her.
Daniel followed her into release. He buried his face against her neck, his long, low moan of completion the sexiest thing she’d ever heard. The water grew tepid, still he clung to her. How he had the strength, she didn’t know, but at long last he pressed a quick kiss on her lips and then moved so he could shut off the water.
Wordlessly, he wrapped her in a fluffy towel, drying her before taking care of himself. Still with the towel around her, he carried her into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed, snuggling with her while James remained sleeping, alone on the other bed.
~* * *~
After the blissful morning and the long drive back to the guys’ ranch, Katie began to notice the isolation in which she lived. Caring for the horses, going from competition to competition, coming back, training. She had friends. She spoke with them on the phone, online, and when schedules meshed went out to lunch but it wasn’t the same. Sharing the easy camaraderie with the men over the last couple of days made her realize how much she needed a special kind of connection in her life once more.
Daniel stopped the truck. In the trailer the horses shifted, probably sensing that they were on home turf once more. Someone, probably Midnight judging from where the sound came from, kicked the trailer.
“All right, I’m coming.” Daniel opened the truck door and stepped out.
“Let’s get the horses unloaded. We can wait on the tack.” James followed Daniel’s lead.
“I don’t want to interrupt whatever your regular routine is. I know how it goes when you get back from a show. There’re a million things to do.” Katie scooted across the seat. She hopped from the truck cab and hurried around to the back of the big trailer to find Daniel already lowering the ramp.
Inside, Diamond whinnied.
“Just a minute, girl,” he called. The ramp thudded against the ground, and Daniel walked up it, crooning under his breath as he grabbed the end of Diamond’s lead rope and tugged free the quick release knot. “Okay now, easy.” He gently led her back down the ramp.
Katie watched, smiling at the gentle way he handled the mare. Kind of like the way he caressed her.
“Might want to get back. Midnight can get a little anxious.” James’s hand on her shoulder pulled her back around the corner of the trailer. He moved up the ramp, then, his steps sure. Reaching through the partition he tugged on Midnight’s rope, and unlike Diamond’s easy steps, the black gelding skittered backwards down the ramp. “Gotta work on that training.” Once the gelding was on solid ground he stopped, letting James come up to him and pat him on the neck.
Katie followed the men into the barn, breaking open a hay bale and bringing a couple of flakes to each horse without being asked. Daniel thanked her. They paused for a moment, making sure the horses moved well. Both Diamond and Midnight buried their heads in the hay manager, while James used a hose to top off their water buckets. They were no worse the wear for the competition and the traveling.
“Shall we unload the tack?” Katie asked, partially to postpone the inevitable and partially to show the guys she could be a part of their team.
“If you don’t mind.” James turned off the hydrant and coiled the hose.
“Not at all. Just let me know where everything goes.” She started for the trailer.
Daniel followed her, filling her in on what stayed in the trailer, though the buckets would go in the wash stall for cleaning. Together they worked as a team, with James taking care of cleaning the trailer. With the last tack trunk in place, Katie and Daniel sat on the couch in the tack room. James arrived a few moments later.
James handed Daniel a bottle of water and passed one to her, before taking one for himself. He sat on the other side of her. Nestled between the two men, Katie found comfort in their easy friendship. Nothing sexual, nothing overt, though Daniel’s arm rested along the back of the couch. She felt him brushing his finger across James’ shoulder, though the other man didn’t say anything.
She should go home. Though she had no doubt her horses were just fine, being away from them for a couple of days made her want to check on them. She drank her water, thinking how silly her reluctance to leave was. She’d see the guys again.
“Why don’t you guys come over to my place sometime? I have an event in a week or so, so I’ll need to train.” She drained the last of her water.
“Sure. I’d love to see what your sport looks like. What’s our schedule look like, boss?” Daniel glanced over her head at James.
He thought for a moment, then stood and went to the desk. He shuffled some papers, double checking the big calendar there. “I think we could swing that. This weekend’s event is pretty local, so we won’t have to overnight.”
“Great.” She stood. “I suppose I should head home. I’ll grab my suitcase out of the truck.”
“I’ll help,” both guys said at the same time.
Katie chuckled as the three of them went back to the truck. The men mock-argued over who got to carry her suitcase, and in the end, they made a great show of both having their hands on the handle and wheeling it over to the car. She opened the trunk, and while Daniel put the suitcase in, James stopped next to her.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m glad you were with us this weekend.” He dipped his head to kiss her.
Katie swayed. She cupped his shoulder and rose on tiptoe to meet him half way. His lips moved across hers.
She sighed and melted against him. Opening her mouth, she invited him in, until a throat cleared behind them.
James pulled away, but not before giving her another quick, hard kiss.
>
“My turn.” Daniel said, gently nudging James out of the way.
Katie turned to him, finding his lips already hovering close to hers. “Were you glad I was there too?” she asked.
“Yeah. I was.” Unlike James’ deep kiss, Daniel’s was gentle. And when it ended, it left them both breathless. “You better go check on your horses. Otherwise…”
His words trailed off, yet she knew what he was going to say. “I will. Call me.”
“I will.” The guys went to the porch and in her rearview mirror, she saw them watching until she couldn’t see them anymore.
Chapter Eight
An afternoon having lunch with her friend Sydney was just what she needed. They laughed over Crazy Burgers at a truck stop not far from her place. The thick, third-of-a-pound burgers, a combination of buffalo and beef, were smothered with nearly every topping known to man.
Sydney picked up a fry and swirled it in a pool of ketchup. “I’m glad you told me about Knothead,” she paused to chuckle at the name. “One of my clients wants an event horse and he may not be a thoroughbred of impeccable breeding, but he sounds capable and cheap.”
“Well, I know you train at a couple of barns besides your own, so figured you would know if anyone wanted an inexpensive jumper. If I can help out you and the guys, then it’s a win-win situation all around.” Katie remembered the relief that the guys had shown when she had suggested telling Sydney about the troublesome horse.
Sydney popped the fry in her mouth and adjusted the baseball cap on her head. Her dye job and gone brassy, and her platinum blonde hair had green undertones.
“Daniel made it sound like they’d be willing to let him go for a good price to the right home.” Katie reached in her purse for a notepad and tore off a strip of paper. She jotted down the number from memory and pushed the note across the table. “Call him and just let him know you’re my friend. I told him I’d let you know, but I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to refresh his memory. I don’t know how many places he lists horses.”
“Lover’s discount or something like it?” Sydney tucked the paper in her pocket. “Seriously, tell me about these two hunky men.”
Katie sighed. She’d sketched out the situation on the phone, leaving out most of the intimate details. “It’s Daniel. I have a chance with him again.” She swirled her straw in her tea, trying to find a way to avoid tumbling down the slippery slope of falling in love. “And James.”
“What about him? Sounds like you have something any woman would want. Except me of course.” Sydney shuffled her food into the takeaway box. “I’m done with men.”
Katie laughed. “That’s what, the millionth time you’ve said that?” She sighed and shook her head, thinking her relationship with the guys was like the sandwich sitting in front of her, big, decadent, sloppy, and oh so delicious. She plucked a pickle spear from her plate and munched it. She finished it, mulling over what to say about James. Mentioning how sexy or how attentive a lover he was seemed like overkill. After all, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t said those things already.
“So. I can say it again.” Sydney reached across the table and snagged a fry from Katie’s plate. “I’m not concerned about my lack of men. I’m concerned about yours.”
“I don’t lack men. I have too many, probably.”
“Nah. Never.” Sydney reached for another fry then stopped herself. “Box up that meal or I’m going to end up finishing yours off and taking mine home.”
Katie sighed and flipped open the to-go container the waitress had left on the table. She followed her friend’s advice, looking for anything to focus on so she didn’t have to think about her relationship. Or what she thought was her relationship anyway. Aside from a great weekend and some conversation, she didn’t quite know what they had.
Maybe that was her problem. As someone who focused on dressage tests and figures in show she needed things exact. The precise measurements of the tests she rode in competition told her where she was, but also what she was doing wrong. With the guys, she winged it, doing whatever came naturally and felt right. And deep inside, she feared that like before, something would happen to send the guys away.
“Seriously, what are you worried about? I know you. You have that ‘things aren’t going as planned’ face. Don’t tell me you’re over thinking these guys.” Sydney rustled in her designer purse for her billfold, then opened it and pulled out a twenty. She tucked it beneath the ketchup bottle and grinned. They’re men. Feed ‘em. Fuck ‘em. What’s the problem?”
Katie laughed and ducked her head, hoping her friend didn’t see the blush creeping across her cheeks. “It’s not that simple,” she muttered.
Sydney reached across the table, the silver of her bracelet glinting in the fluorescent lights above the table. “Honey, it is always that simple.” She patted the top of Katie’s hand. “I didn’t know you when you were dating Daniel the first time. But we’ve been best friends pretty much ever since. You’ve talked about nothing except finding a guy who was like him. As loving, as caring, as sweet, as tender. I could go on, but we just ate.” She grinned, her somber side fading beneath the familiarity of their friendship.
“Seriously. You have Daniel now. Don’t worry about James. Don’t worry about anything except following your heart.”
Katie went still. She stared at her friend, knowing Sydney had gone through hell and back after her divorce. From being a single mother, to having her child die from leukemia, then finding out her ex-husband had disappeared only to reemerge as a woman, she’d gone through enough stuff to star in a week’s worth of daytime talk shows and come back for more. If Sydney could still follow her heart, even after she’d sworn off of men, then Katie figured she definitely had something special. “I don’t know,” she said, inching away and towards the edge of the booth. “I just don’t know. What if I get it wrong?”
Sydney laughed so loud other patrons turned to stare at them. She tossed her hair and smiled with all the aplomb of a former Miss Texas and offered Katie a million-watt smile. “You just pick yourself up and try again. That’s what I’ve done after all? Let’s go get some frozen yogurt.”
“You can eat all of that and then you want frozen yogurt?” Katie arched an eyebrow. “A bit late for us to start counting calories, isn’t it?”
Sydney chuckled and swept her Styrofoam box off the table. “The yogurt is for later, when I am counting calories again.”
Laughing at her friend’s antics, Katie added a couple of dollars to Sydney’s twenty on the table, and together, the two friends left the diner.
~* * *~
Sitting on the porch, the remnants of lunch in the fridge, and a pint of strawberry frozen yogurt in the freezer, Katie stared at the cordless phone on the swing next to her. Sydney’s words rang in her mind; picking up the phone and dialing should have been so damn easy. Instead, it was one of the hardest things she’d done.
In the paddock next to the house, a pair of foals gamboled together, their mothers grazing nearby. The bright blue sky with few clouds looked as carefree as she should have been. If only she knew why Daniel had left in the first place. If it was because of his sexuality, then why was he back?
She picked up the phone and dialed James’ number. Maybe it was chicken to talk to him instead of Daniel.
He answered on the second ring. “Stockton Stock Company.”
“James? It’s Katie.”
“Katie.” She heard rustling in the background, as if he shuffled papers. “You sure sound prettier than the rodeo director I was about to call. What can I do for you?”
His easy compliment made her smile. “I was wondering if we could talk. Maybe get together.”
“Sure. Let me check with Daniel. Maybe tomorrow night?”
“I was kind of just wanting to talk to you,” Katie pushed her foot against the porch, sending the swing back and forth.
“About Daniel.” James’ suddenly serious voice worried her.
“Well, not exactly about him. But
about you guys. Me. I’ve never done all of this before.”
“Everything okay? Something wrong?” A door closed, and she imagined him walking across the room.
“Everything’s okay,” Katie said, rushing to reassure him. “Just, I’ve been thinking. I know Daniel kind of went away before. I like you guys. I don’t want to wake up and find out that you’re gone.”
“Oh, honey, we’re not going anywhere,” James said. “There’s no need to worry about Daniel and me. We’re bisexual, not gay. We both like women. More specifically, we both like you.”
A strange fluttering started in her chest. She wanted to ask ‘really’ like some kind of love struck teenager but grinned instead.
“That’s good to know, because I like you guys too. Although, I’m having a hard time imagining you two at one of my events.”
“A bit too wild?” A hint of a smile filled James’ voice.
“Oh, you haven’t seen some of the benefactors at the wine and cheese reception the night before.”
“There aren’t wine and cheese receptions at the rodeo, that’s for sure.” James chuckled under his breath. “I’m not sure Daniel and I are civilized enough for something like that. Sounds awfully fancy.”
Katie pictured them standing with her, dressed in crisp western shirts, jeans, and boots. Most of the other men wore suits or tuxedos. They’d stand out, and not just because of their opposite coloring. They would stand out because compared to them, everyone else was just so…tame.
“I’m sure you’ve had to mingle in your line of work,” she said.
“Most deals are made over a beer or two,” James said. “But yeah, I think I dress up really nice. Daniel wore a tux to my sister’s wedding last year. I had to beat off the bridesmaids with a stick.”
Katie laughed at the image. “I bet. You’ll have to show me pictures sometime.”
“Doing okay now?” James asked.