Preston sincerely hoped that the Good Lord would see fit to grant them only sons. Males he understood. Women he tended to want to protect, and if he had daughters, he could just imagine the terror of a father he’d turn into—considering the control freak he knew himself to be.
He’d be the stereotypical Southern father greeting the would-be suitors at the door, shotgun in hand and saying, “I have no problem going back to prison.”
Then Samantha looked at him and smiled and he knew that he’d do whatever she asked of him. And if they did have daughters, she’d likely talk him into letting go when the time was right. In charge outside the bedroom. Yes, it was probably a very good thing that he and his brothers had given her that right.
“It was just a family meeting, wasn’t it? The meeting of your Town Trust was really just a large family meeting.”
Charlie picked up her other hand and kissed it, as Preston had done. Then Taylor closed in, his front to her back, and set his hands on her shoulders. Everything inside Preston went right because, emotionally and maybe even spiritually, they were already a family.
“Essentially, yes. Sometimes, if matters arise that need the full consensus of the entire Town Trust, then it becomes a bit more than that. Then we meet at our community center—a building that is fast getting too small for us. Every adult who is a member of the families has a vote.”
“Maybe you should set things up like a town council—have members of the Trust elect representatives for a two year term, so that you have a smaller body making all of those decisions, just like most small towns do. Invest that body with broader powers, and maybe have full meetings only once or twice a year.”
“There has been some talk of doing just that,” Taylor said.
Samantha sighed. “You know, I couldn’t help but think of the rare occasions when my entire family gets together. My mother was an only child, and so am I. Her parents are gone, but my father has a sister who’s married and of course, his mother is still with us.”
“Something tells me, sweetheart, that those are not jovial, fun-filled times,” Charlie said. He let loose of her hand and turned, standing with his back against the railing. Preston guessed the youngest among them couldn’t decide between touching their woman and watching her.
“You’re right, they’re not. For a lot of years, my mother would get very tense leading up to these encounters. My grandmother Kincaid never approved of my mom. And her daughter, my Aunt Glynnis, felt the same. As I got older I realized Glynnis seemed to relish making my mom uncomfortable. The only reason I can think why she’d be like that was to curry favor with her own mother. As if my mother was a competitor for her affections.” Samantha shook her head.
“It’s not a compliment to your grandmother, darling, if that worked,” Preston said.
“I know. Now, of course, when Grandmother is in need of her own daughter the most, well, Glynnis has better things to do than to tend to her. Mother is the one who takes Grandma out for lunch, or shopping, or brings her to dinner.”
“I’ll bet your grandmother still gives your mom a hard time, too,” Taylor said.
“You’d win that bet.” Samantha sighed. “But mom never seems to really mind. She just smiles, and does what she can. When I asked her about it, not that long ago, she reminded me that my grandmother is the mother of the man she loves.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting your parents, kitten,” Preston said. And he met her gaze to see how that went over.
She raised one eyebrow and said, “We’ll see.”
“That beats a ‘never going to happen,’” Charlie said.
Samantha shrugged. “I don’t know how you expect me to respond when you say things like that, Preston.”
Preston sensed her agitation. The time might come when they had to push her a little, but that time was not now.
“I’m not trying to pressure you.”
Samantha turned and looked at him, and he knew he had to make amends, fast.
“All right, I was trying to pressure you, subtly. I’m sorry. I know we haven’t known each other very long. Of course you would need more time to be sure of things. I’ll try very hard not to push.”
Samantha looked at her watch. “No, we haven’t known each other long. Fifty hours. That’s it.”
“But they’ve been a very exciting, special, and fun-filled fifty hours,” Taylor said.
“And really, an hour spent with you is easily worth ten hours spent with anyone else,” Charlie said. “So, statistically speaking, that equals nearly three whole weeks.”
Samantha laughed, and Preston decided right then and there that he liked that sound—and wanted it in his life, always.
Chapter 16
“You’re tired, sweetheart,” Taylor said.
“And that is our fault, entirely,” Preston said.
Charlie locked the door behind them and Samantha wondered if he’d comment on her exhaustion, too. They’d stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the cottage, and all three men carried in the sacks of groceries they’d bought.
“I am tired, and yes, it is your fault.” She grinned. “But if you think I’m going to complain about that, think again.” How open and honest did she dare to be with these men? Samantha was quite aware that women tended, generally speaking, to hold things back. While she hadn’t dated much in college, she had friends who did, and she often had the opportunity to listen as the women discussed everything—and she did mean everything—about their dates.
It had all seemed a little too calculated to her. How could a woman withhold thoughts and feelings from her lover, and then bitch because the lover did the exact same thing?
Her parents, to her knowledge, didn’t play those kinds of games. Well hell’s bells, that’s what had Dad so concerned on the phone this morning. Despite the fact her mother had said she wouldn’t tell Samantha’s father about her being interested in three men, she very likely had. Samantha couldn’t fault her mother for that, either.
Mates needed to be loyal, first, last, and always, to each other. That’s the kind of relationship she would expect for herself, and the kind of relationship she fully believed her parents lived.
“You should complain, baby. We were greedy with you last night.” Charlie kissed her cheek then set his bags on the counter.
The kitchen cupboards hadn’t been completely bare when they’d arrived the night before. But there really had only been a few basics on hand—coffee, tea, and some canned goods. There’d been fresh milk and juice in the fridge, some butter and eggs and sausage. But not much else, and nothing at all in the small freezer atop the fridge.
They’d decided after lunch that tonight, they’d just stay here and fix a light supper for themselves. She told the men she liked to cook, and had been delighted to learn that Taylor did, as well.
She turned her attention back to the conversation. The very fact that her thoughts kept straying was a sure sign that she was more tired than she’d thought and she really did need some sleep.
“Maybe so,” she said, responding to Charlie’s comment. “But I was so damn glad to discover that I could have orgasms. I was having so much fun making love with you all, I just wanted more. If being tired is the price I have to pay for that, I really don’t mind paying it.”
“We’re so damn glad that you’re glad, and having fun,” Preston said. He came up behind her and relieved her of the cans she’d picked up. “But we do feel guilty. We want you to go have a nap. We can put away these supplies.”
“A nap all by myself wouldn’t be much fun.” She turned into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck. Snuggling close, she felt his cock begin to harden. Just thinking about being naked together with these men had her wanting to make love again.
Her snuggling move and provocative pout certainly got the men’s attention.
“That’s what got you into this state of exhaustion, I’ll remind you,” Taylor said. He moved in behind her and Charlie closed in beside th
em.
She eased back slightly in Preston’s embrace and met each man’s gaze in turn. “Come to bed with me. We can all nap after.” She couldn’t see the sense in being coy. She wanted these men to know that she wanted them. She’d already told them she loved them, and she did.
She’d never known anything with such certainty before in her life. And loving them, how could she not want them, over and over again?
“I have an idea,” Charlie said. “Since we were greedy and did rush you rather a lot last night, why not let us pamper you now?”
She liked the sound of that. Samantha had never been pampered at all until the other day, when they worked together to dry her after their shower. She had a feeling she’d only experienced the tip of the iceberg when it came to being pampered. “What did you have in mind?”
“That Jacuzzi is big enough for all of us. How about we take a quick shower, followed by a nice soak in that tub, and then we’ll give you a back rub, with moisturizer.” Charlie turned her face toward him and this time, kissed her lips. “You’ll be naked. We’ll be naked. We’ll have our hands all over you. Why, under those circumstances, anything can happen. Anything at all.”
“Charlie, that’s a brilliant idea,” Preston said. “What do you think, kitten?”
Samantha already knew Preston, Taylor, and Charles Kendall well enough to have a pretty good idea what they had in mind. They meant to take care of her and deny her what she really wanted—another round of hot and heavy sex. Oh, they would be true to their words. They’d all be naked and they’d have their hands on her—but their goal would be to lull her to sleep.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’m in.” And if she had anything to say about it, they’d be in, too. In her.
The men thought to be sneaky and have their way with her by not having their way with her. She could be sneaky, too. She was made of some pretty stern stuff. She could resist the lull of sleep for as long as it took to get them right where they wanted her. Plus, she had basic human nature and biology on her side.
Some hot water, some soapy hands, and a few “come get me” looks, and those men would be putty in her hands.
* * * *
Taylor lowered his lashes but kept his focus on Samantha. He felt as if he could practically read her mind. She thought to entice them, lure them into making love with her. But the Kendall men were made of stern stuff. Yes, they wanted her. All she had to do was look at their cocks—he was sure she’d be doing exactly that the moment they got naked—and she would know how very much they wanted her.
But they needed to take care of her more than they wanted their own sexual gratification.
“I’d rather not get my hair wet again,” she said as they entered the master bath.
“Perfect,” Taylor said. They wanted there to be no impediment to her falling asleep, and wet hair would be just that. “We’ll wrap your hair in a towel, turban style.”
“Good thinking. You know, it amazes me how tuned in you all are to the needs of women.”
“Tuned in?” Preston raised one eyebrow as he flicked Taylor a quick glance.
“The first surprise was the conditioner you used on my hair yesterday. That’s a fairly new innovation.”
“Yes, we know,” Charlie said. “Mom raved about it. Her hair is a bit curly, like yours. She says combing her hair now after washing it is like combing silk.”
“Your mother has done a good job of making sure you’re not clueless about the female of the species. I like that a lot.” Samantha smiled.
Her smile melts me right where I stand.
Taylor knew she could look at him just that way and he would do anything for her. He reached out and stroked her cheek. “So do we. There’s nothing worse than being clueless.” He was pretty sure that if she wasn’t so tired she never would have said that. Samantha, by nature, tended to be very diplomatic, speaking gently. But he’d seen little flashes of her temper, and other hints that she did indeed have an inner imp.
Personally, he was looking forward to seeing her temper erupt and her imp come out to play.
He’d bet the first would be spectacular, fiery, and likely short. And the second—the second he was certain would make him fall in love with her all over again.
Samantha yawned twice while they were undressing her. Taylor began tossing off his clothes, letting his brothers know he’d start with her in the shower, first.
“Come here, sweetheart.” He pulled one of the smaller towels off the shelf, and then looked from it to her. He’d seen his mother put a towel on her head in the kitchen, once. It hadn’t seemed that difficult a thing to fashion at the time. But now he couldn’t figure out how to get the towel on her head for her.
“Thank you.” Samantha took the towel, bent over, and in a matter of seconds straightened up, her hair neatly tucked under the temporary turban.
Taylor’s gaze swept her. “Damn, woman, that’s sexy as hell.”
Samantha’s eyes twinkled, and her mouth formed such a cute little smirk. “I’m sure the towel isn’t all that sexy.”
Because he got her, he said, “Oh, is there a towel on you somewhere?”
Charlie started the shower and Taylor wasted no time lifting their woman into his arms. “Come on, Samantha, let’s get you wet.”
He maneuvered her carefully, keeping the spray of water off her head and out of her face. She relaxed against him, trust inherent in the way she let him handle her. Charlie gave him the soap, and Taylor smoothed the rose-scented bar over her body. His cock had hardened—hell, he just had to look at her, even when she was completely covered, for it to do that.
She looked up at him, met his gaze, and then rubbed her delicious little ass against his cock.
“Vixen.” She likely knew how hot he was for her. Taylor sincerely hoped he didn’t let his baser self win this particular battle of wills.
“Is she trying to entice you, brother?” Preston joined them under the spray, a grin on his face.
“She entices me even if she’s asleep,” he said.
“That’s the truth.” Charlie let her see him ogle her body.
Taylor stole a very quick kiss. Since she was leaning against him, he used both hands, worked up a lather, then passed the soap to Preston.
He smoothed his soapy hands over her, and Samantha groaned, pressing into his touch. Her nipples hardened, and in the heat of the shower, the scent of her arousal worked like a siren’s song to his body.
“Your hands feel so good on me, Taylor. Won’t you let me turn around and rub my breasts against your chest? Won’t you let me take care of that wonderfully hard cock I feel pressing against me?”
“Samantha, behave. I’m trying to be good, here.”
“I can promise you’d be even better if you let me have my way with you.”
“Now I know why Preston calls you ‘kitten.’ You’re a seductive little sex kitten at heart, aren’t you?”
“I never knew I was until I met you three.” She sighed and rubbed herself against him again. Clearly, their hands on her had gotten her horny. While they intended to deny themselves, there really was no reason to deny her.
“Now that is a damn shame for you,” he said, “but lucky as hell for us.” He looked up and met first Preston’s gaze and then Charlie’s.
She wanted them to make love to her, but they were all three pretty certain her lady parts had to be tender after the way they’d taken her last night. He could see agreement in his brothers’ eyes. They would pleasure her enough that she would have no choice but to sleep when they were done with her.
They didn’t have to actually fuck her to make her come. They could tease and tantalize gently. It would be hell for them, but then, they weren’t the important ones here.
Preston nodded. Taylor tilted Samantha’s face up. “Let me taste you, sweetheart.”
He caught the satisfied little look that flashed in her eyes as she lifted her head. Then her eyelids fluttered closed and her lips parted. His mouth, wh
en he covered hers, was smiling.
Because Taylor knew his brothers so well, he knew what they were about to do. With soapy hands and questing fingers, they were going to make her come—and probably more than once before they were done.
He tasted surprised pleasure in her kiss, and then heat. His tongue took possession of hers, her flavor ripe, delicious, and more and more necessary to him with each kiss. Samantha responded so sweetly that Taylor couldn’t, at that moment, recall another woman’s kiss, or another woman’s taste.
There was only Samantha and he knew, down to his soul, that for the rest of his life there would only ever be Samantha in his heart or in his bed.
She moaned into his mouth and he drank her growing passion. He cupped her right breast and began to tug on her nipple, timing his movements to the thrusting of her hips.
When she released his mouth and cried out in pleasure, when the waves of orgasm made her shake, he held her close and kept her safe while she came.
Preston used the shower wand to rinse her. Then he slipped to his knees and put his mouth on her cunt. Taylor wanted to drink her down, too. She gasped, and then her eyes glazed and he knew her arousal surged once more.
Her body blushed with fresh heat, and she shivered when Charlie moved. Taylor stole a glimpse at the youngest of them using lubed fingers to caress her tiny rosette.
“Come for us again, darling.” He placed tiny kisses on her cheeks. Using his thumb and forefinger, he held her face still for his kiss. Lapping and sucking, he consumed her rapture, drinking down the cries of pleasure.
Taylor had been expecting the moment and when the strength left his woman’s legs, he lifted her into his arms. She shivered even as she struggled to catch her breath.
Taylor didn’t bother with drying either one of them. Since the falling water had rinsed them both of the soap, he simply carried his woman to the Jacuzzi.
Samantha sighed and snuggled into him when the warm water enveloped them both.
Their Lusty Little Valentine [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 16