by Chloe Lang
“Is it warm enough for you, Amber?” Bryant asked, eyes still closed.
“Wonderful.” Then something more sensible slammed her with a new set of shivers. What if they were responsible for her current state? What if they’d drugged her or worse? What did she really know about them? Not a damn thing. In her heart, she believed them to be trustworthy, but was she being smart? What kind of person followed their heart? Had that been the reason she’d ended up in this awful situation in the first place? “Okay, I’m in. May I have that privacy you promised now?”
Cody’s eyes opened, and he fixed his hot gaze on her. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, showing her his approval of what he saw and pleasing her more than a little.
“Please, Cody. You promised.” She covered her breasts with both hands.
His eyes slammed shut. “You sure, sweetheart?”
“I need time to think. Perhaps my memory will come back.”
“Of course you need time, Amber.” Bryant’s eyes remained closed.
“We’ll be just outside the door,” Cody said. “In case Emmett needs help with you.”
She studied his face, checking for any sign he might be stealing another glance, but found none. She grinned. “You’re a devil, Cody.”
“I can handle things here.” Emmett’s tone had a strand of anger threaded through it. Of the three, he seemed the most quick to explode.
“Don’t let her get out of the bath by herself.” Obviously, Cody enjoyed goading his eldest brother very much.
“Chill out. Both of you.” Bryant, eyes still closed, tilted his head in her direction. “We’ll leave, Amber. We’ll be just outside the door should you need us.”
Bryant was the quietest of the three, staying back until a referee was needed, which it seemed might be more often than not.
She looked up at Emmett. His eyes remained open and locked in on hers. “You said you would turn away, cowboy.”
“Yes, I did.” He sat on the commode, facing the wall. “Time for you guys to leave.”
“Are you hungry, Amber?” Bryant asked.
Her stomach rumbled in response. “Yes. A little.”
Bryant laughed, obviously hearing the sound. “More than a little, I bet. How does a thick, juicy steak sound?”
“She might be a vegetarian,” Cody mocked. “That would be a bad idea. How about some pasta instead?”
The banter was part of the charm of these three. They clearly cared for each other. That was quite evident.
“Even if I was before, Cody, I can be anything now. Steak sounds just fine, Bryant. Pasta would be great, too. I’m actually starving.”
“Time for a feast then. I’m really hungry, myself,” Emmett said.
“What do you take us for, bro? Short-order cooks?” Cody shook his head, and still his eyes were battened down.
“Your cooking talents leave a lot to be desired, but beggars must take what they’re offered.” Emmett laughed. “Amber deserves a delicious meal, not more of your slop.”
“I’ve had it with your crap.” Cody was smiling, as was Bryant. Even without her memories, she could tell this teasing was something the Stones enjoyed often. It seemed to be their way of expressing affection, which was clearly overflowing. “You’re no better than I am in the kitchen.”
“How about you, Bryant? You know anything about food prep?” she asked as her belly growled even louder than before.
Bryant shook his head. “None of us really do. We’re more microwave guys than anything. I’m not too bad with the grill outside, but that’s definitely off the table because of the storm. Burgers, hot dogs, and steak usually turn out fine. Anything else…not so much.”
“What my twin is not telling you, sweetheart, is if you don’t mind chewing until your jaw aches, you will love his shoe leather…I mean food.” Cody laughed.
“What are you now? Destiny Daily’s local food critique?” Bryant asked. “You’ve never complained before.”
She had to stop this. “Fellows, it will be fine. I’m hungry. Anything will do. I’m sure whatever you prepare will be delicious.”
“I promise to do my best.” Bryant’s tone lacked the confidence she’d heard from him before about other things. She wasn’t sure what kind of meal he would be serving, but she didn’t mind. Had she ever been so famished before? No recollection.
“Me, too, sweetheart,” Cody said.
“We’ve interrupted Amber’s private time.” Bryant smiled, and her heart melted. “Let’s get her dinner ready and give her privacy.” He tilted his head to her. “Do you need anything?”
She shook her head. “Thank you.”
“I’m going to leave the door open in case we’re needed,” Cody said. “That way we can hear you if you call.”
“I’ve got this,” Emmett growled.
“I’m still leaving the door open,” Cody said. He didn’t seem concerned with Emmett’s sullen tone.
With his charm and confidence, Cody would be easy to fall for. “Overprotective much?” She couldn’t help but grin.
Cody shrugged. “With you, apparently I am.”
Bryant and Cody exited the room, keeping their words about not looking. She sighed.
“You okay, Amber?” Emmett said, his back still to her.
They were all overprotective, it seemed. “I’m fine, cowboy. I’m fine.”
“Take your time. I won’t rush you. But if you need anything, just say the word. Understand?”
“Yes. I understand.” Her body seemed to respond to his forceful words in ways that both surprised and thrilled her. Her skin tingled and not from the warmth of the water.
“Check in with me every so often so I know you’re okay. I don’t want you passing out in the tub.”
“I will. You’ve got to trust me, too, Emmett. I’m no fool.” Although without her memories, she couldn’t be sure that was true.
“Okay then,” he said. “Enjoy your bath, Amber.”
“I will, cowboy. I will.”
He and his brothers were her whole world for the time being, at the very least until her memory returned. What choice did she have but to trust them? But more than that, she did trust them. Call it instinct, intuition, impulse, or whatever. She truly trusted them. They might be capable of some terrible things, but she couldn’t envision them doing anything that would harm her.
She grabbed the sponge on the side of the tub and plunged it beneath the water’s surface. Her thoughts were buzzing, though landing on no memory. Where did she come from? Why was she here? What accident had caused this? She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and moved down into the tub until her head was completely submerged. The image of the young boy floated through her mind’s eye. Something about this boy had to be important, but what? Who was he? Where was he? Then the apparition vanished. Trying to will the youth’s reflection back, she remained down in the water. But her injured head had no sway over what memories were locked away. Please. I want to remember. Nothing. When her lungs demanded oxygen, she pushed her upper body out of the water.
“What kind of person am I?” she asked herself silently, knowing Emmett was right there, ready to jump at her least little request.
She squeezed shampoo from the container into her hand. As she washed her hair, Amber considered several questions rolling through her mind, but one in particular stayed in the forefront, demanding an answer that just wouldn’t come. Who am I?
She didn’t have a clue. Not even one. Sinner or saint? Who knew? Maybe her past life was too awful, too painful to return to. Had she been running from something—or someone? Could having one’s memory wiped clean be a blessing, a restart, or some kind of new birth? Maybe. Still, she wanted to know something. A thread. A crumb. What about the boy? Was that a true memory or some fantasy her addled brain had produced? Again, the broken synaptic paths in her brain remained painfully mute on the subject.
Plunging back under the water, she threaded her hands through her long hair, rinsing each strand of
the shampoo. The only memories that came from this submerging were of the past hour, memories of the three cowboys who were so attentive, so kind, and so damn good looking—incredibly so.
She came up for a much-needed breath. She squeezed out the water in her hair. “What can I do to fix this?” she asked aloud.
Instantly, Emmett was by her side. “What do you need, Amber?” His face stormed with obvious worry.
Smiling, she shook her head. “Apparently, I’m the kind of person who talks to themselves when trying to solve a problem. I might be crazy, you know. Would you happen to have a straightjacket handy?”
“You’re definitely not crazy,” he said with a tone of authority that hit her between the eyes. Even his stare was emphatic when it came to his belief in her mental capacity.
She wasn’t so sure. Perhaps she had escaped some kind of mental institution. Anything was possible. Absolutely anything. “And how would you know?”
“Believe me, I know crazy, which isn’t what you are. You sure you don’t need anything?” His eyes, his beautiful eyes, were two tiny windows she couldn’t bear to look away from.
“I’m really good. Feeling better, too. Who knows? Maybe this bath will bring back my past.”
He touched her cheek so gently. “If that’s what’s best for you, then I hope it happens, sweetheart. I’ll be one step away.” He went back to his guard post on the porcelain.
Chapter Four
Amber’s mind drifted. Emmett was so quiet she couldn’t even hear his breathing. She closed her eyes, and a towering wall stood in front of her. On the other side of that imaginary wall was her past, her thoughts, her memories, and who knew what else.
Time alone.
Time to figure out what she did know and if she was crazy or not. How could she get past this wall? There seemed to be no door anywhere. It was too tall to climb. In her gut, she knew it was too deep to dig under, too thick to crush. The more she thought about the thing, the more dread, awful and sobering, welled up inside her. Emmett had said words that reached into her very bones and made her wonder if she should leave well enough alone. “If that’s what’s best for you…”
Had she built the wall as a defense to some terrible past?
What do I know?
She was a woman. She was American. Holding up her hands in front of her eyes, she counted ten fingers. Raising her feet out of the warm water, she wiggled her ten toes. Good. Auburn hair. Other than those few facts, she didn’t know a damn thing about her past, and that was terrifying and frustrating. Was someone looking for her? The rainstorm continued outside, mocking her with every crash of thunder.
This was the twenty-first century, for crying out loud. Women didn’t act like helpless damsels who needed big, tough cowboys to save them. Why was she surrendering so quickly to their rescue? Then it hit her. It’s the twenty-first century. I remembered that. If she could recall that fact, couldn’t she recall more? It made sense—quite a lot of sense.
Excitement rolled through her as hope flamed hot. I’m going to remember. She would allow herself the pleasure of a short soak. The culinary-challenged cowboys were certainly still working on her meal. She would eat every bite. They deserved that from her at the very least for all they’d done for her.
She bent her knees slightly, slipping down into the water until all that remained above the shiny surface was her head. The tension she’d felt in her muscles began to fade. Even the ache in her forehead softened. She drifted into a hazy, warm state of consciousness. The wall was gone, thankfully. It was too scary to deal with now. Why not enjoy this amazing bath and let her worries fade? Every speck of strain in her body released and softened. Her shoulders slumped, her breathing relaxed, and her eyes grew so very heavy. Lingering in the warm water, she succumbed to her fatigue. Gone was the worry of who she was or where she’d come from. In its place came softening thoughts. Drifting into a delicious, trancelike state, the world faded into the background. Gone was the claw-foot tub and warm water. Gone, too, was her pain. Memories didn’t matter in this space of steam and dreams. The sensation of floating weightlessly seemed so very real.
Emmett’s face appeared, strong and confident. A little sigh left her lips. He was holding her in the road again, only this time, he was naked and so was she. His thick, manly lips came crashing down on hers with a force that caused her entire body to shudder, but the bulk of the quivering remained deep inside her pussy.
“Amber, you are so beautiful.” His words were masculine and truthful.
“You’ve saved me.” Her words came out lyrical and full of breathy passion.
She stared up at him, and her body temperature rose several degrees. He lowered her down onto a soft white blanket in the middle of a meadow. The sun was low in the horizon, highlighting his bronzed skin perfectly. The air remained nice and steamy. His hands came down on her breasts, causing her to gasp delightfully. His thick fingers massaged her mounds with a skill that defied logic and reason. Each tiny swirl of his fingertips shot through her like bullets of desire, raising her need, her want, her craving to levels that shouldn’t be possible, and yet he pushed her even more. How did he know exactly what to do to get her body to respond so? He’d saved her, and she wanted to give him his reward—all of it. In return, she, too, would be rewarded.
He nuzzled into her neck, causing her skin to stand up and tingle with hot electricity. His hands moved down her body with an ease and deliberateness that told her he meant to take his time, a lot of time. Emmett’s lovemaking meant something and she knew she would never be the same once he was inside her, claiming her for always.
With her eyes closed, she moved the sponge over her skin. Where it touched—where Emmett touched—tingles came, grew, and intensified.
“Hey, baby.” Cody touched her cheek.
“Hi,” she answered. Being between him and Emmett on the blanket felt so right, so wonderful, so necessary. Her body began to respond, heating up wherever the men touched her. Every care vanished inside her. Her pussy began to ache and her clit began to throb. She couldn’t keep still, need clawing at the very fabric of her being.
Feeling Bryant underneath her multiplied the fantasy until she thought she could stand no more. He tugged on her hair, forcing her to tilt her head up until they locked eyes. “Amber, we’re here for you. Always. You’re ours.”
Emmett and Cody nodded their agreement.
When would they take her, really take her? She was theirs. They’d saved her. More than that, they’d been there for her in every way. Kind. Loving. Manly. Honest. Had she ever known any men like them before?
Six hands massaged her body into a total frenzy of sensations. “Please. Please. I need you.” The truthful resonation of her own breathy words was filled with impact, resolve, and submission. A thirst, so powerful and all-consuming, swept through her like a tsunami. Fiery electricity rolled through her as they kissed, licked, caressed every inch of her skin. No part of her body was safe from them, and she happily waved the white flag of surrender to her cowboy conquerors.
“Amber, I want to be inside you.” Emmett growled beside her.
“I want that, too,” she confessed freely.
He kissed her again, filling her mouth with his hot, lusty tongue. He tasted of long rides and warm nights. His weight felt so good on top of her. The aching in her pussy grew and grew to the unbearable. Her clit’s pulsing drove her to the brink of madness. “Please, Emmett. Please. Do it.”
Moving her fingers to her pussy, she felt his thick, long cock pierce her sex, filling her utterly, completely, and absolutely. “Yes. Yes. Yes.” More like breaths than words, she continued panting as he moved deeper and deeper into her body. Her savior, her cowboy, her man. Emmett Stone. Emmett. And then her climax shook every cell in her body, from head to toe and back again. Remaining still and quiet was impossible. Her responses came and came and came, filling her with a myriad of sensations. “Yes. Yes. Yes.” The words ran through her mind over and over.
Emmett had found her and brought her to his brothers. Without these men, she would’ve died, most certainly. She owed them her very life at the least. “Emmett. Thank you,” she said as her orgasm softened to a nice warm hum.
“For what?” he asked.
Her eyes popped open, and she could feel her heart thudding hard in her chest. The dream receded into the back of her mind. The water was still warm, but the steam was gone. She turned and saw Emmett, no longer sitting with his back to her but now facing her directly. She glanced back at the water, feeling her cheeks heat up. When she saw where her hand was at that very moment, they flamed to bonfire temperatures. Her hand was between her legs. She jerked it back to her chest, causing the still water to be disturbed.
“You okay, Amber?” he asked.
“Fine. Could you hand me a towel and then go back to facing the wall again?”
“Towel? Yes. Wall? I’m done with that. Besides, I think you’re ready to get out, and like I said earlier, you will be accepting my help for that. Understand?”
Denying Emmett anything he wanted would be next to impossible for her, though she wasn’t about to tell him that. “I’m sure I’m fine.”
* * * *
Emmett stared at Amber. His cock and balls ached and throbbed in his jeans. After witnessing her slip off into what was clearly an erotic dream of some sort, his lust had gone into overdrive, pressing the pedal to the floor. “Fine or not, you will not get out of that tub without me.”
“You like giving orders, don’t you, cowboy?”
He stood and walked to the side of the tub, making sure to keep his eyes directly on hers. “Think what you like, honey. I will not have you fall on my watch. Got it?” God, keeping his head around her was proving to be more difficult than he could imagine.
She smiled and sent him a mock salute. “About that towel?”
“First, let’s get you on your feet.” He bent down and lifted her out of the tub. Amber felt so good in his arms. “Don’t let go of me, sweetheart.” He lowered her down until she was standing, though still with her fingers wrapped around his neck. Her obedience fueled even more hunger inside him. He grabbed one of the towels on the shelf by them and wrapped it around her body.