Monroe frowned. “I thought she could teach Trisha that two guys can love the same woman. Two of us are better than one.” He grinned now.
Geoff wrapped his arms around his lover and held him close. They were both upset with the loss of Trisha. He had to remember that Monroe thought he had to be the stronger one, and so he wouldn’t release the pent-up emotions before they did damage.
“If she can’t handle us being lovers, she will never handle the fact we’re Botans.”
Geoff knew Monroe spoke the truth, and he felt the pain in every word, cutting them both deeply.
“We didn’t handle this properly and it’s no less than we deserve. We could have kept our relationship hidden for a little longer. We didn’t. We scared her off. Now we’ll spend the rest of our lives with just the two of us.” Though he didn’t say it out loud, Geoff knew Monroe felt it too. The connection they’d had with Trisha was not one they could easily find again. If ever.
They could have had everything, but blew it because of poor planning.
Chapter Six
Trisha stomped through the woods. It had been two weeks since she’d stormed out of Geoff’s house. Geoff and Monroe’s. She should have realized. Two men sharing a house in the middle of West Bumblefuck, Missouri.
Why? The men had tried to speak with her repeatedly. Why had they done that? If she’d been an easy lay, they’d have been glad she fled. If she meant nothing to them they should have been happy to get rid of her so easily.
The expressions on their faces had not been ones of happiness, though. They’d looked scared and sad. That was at odds with what she’d expected. Sneering and cheers as she left. If they’d just wanted an easy lay, why were they upset? Because they wanted more sex before she left? But why would they? They had a thing for fat chicks -- that was obvious.
When a gorgeous plus-sized woman answered the door, Trisha almost cursed out loud. They hadn’t waited long to pick up a new relationship. Did this woman know she was this week’s current flavor and not a permanent fixture?
“You must be Trisha.”
“Why? Because I’m fat?”
“Because you’re gorgeous. Geoff didn’t exaggerate when he said you had the most gorgeous green eyes.”
“And who are you?”
“My name is Gayle. I came to visit my husbands’ cousins.”
“Your husband is related to the guys? Geoff and Monroe are cousins?” Trisha suddenly felt ill. “They’re blood relations?”
“You mean like kissing cousins?” Gayle laughed. “No. They were raised in the same area. They grew up together and were best of friends before they could even walk.”
“Are you and they…” Trisha waved her hand in a wild circle.
“No.” Gayle laughed. “My husbands are quite possessive.”
Trisha wondered why Gayle said “husbands” in plural. “Did Geoff tell you how we met?”
“Yes.” Gayle laughed again. Trisha winced. That was one embarrassing moment she’d obviously never be allowed to forget. “Geoff hasn’t been able to get you off his mind since.”
“I bet,” Trisha mumbled under her breath, but Gayle heard her anyway.
“You should give the guys another chance.”
Her gaze focused on Gayle’s earnest expression. “What?”
“I’m serious. They really do love you.”
“They really do love each other.”
“And you.” Trisha shook her head. “What did you come here for?” Gayle’s voice softened as if she knew exactly what the guys had done to her.
“I don’t even remember now.” Trisha took a step back. “Whatever it was, it isn’t important.”
“Yes, it is. If you came here still as mad as you seem to be, then it was for a good reason.”
Two shadows fell over her shoulders. Gayle’s sexy grin made Trisha’s jealousy rear its ugly head, but she didn’t know why. Why would she be jealous if she didn’t like the men anymore? Why didn’t her body listen to her brain?
Slowly, she turned around and gasped. Two very handsome men stood there towering over her. Neither were Geoff or Monroe. They must be Gayle’s husbands. Damn, they were hot!
Trisha backed up as the men crowded forward. It wasn’t until they stepped just inside the entrance of the house that she noticed they’d trapped her. And they’d stepped aside to let Geoff and Monroe near her. Her legs threatened to turn to jelly from the smoldering gazes both men fixed on her. If it were possible for them to gobble her up without touching her, they’d be halfway done by now.
“I’m Han.” The tall dark one tapped his palm against his chest. He tilted his head toward the other man. “That’s Luke.”
“Han and Luke?” With her eyes narrowed, Trisha turned and looked at Gayle, who nodded, then back at the two clowns. “Are those your real names?”
“Han and Luke. We named ourselves when we reached polli --” Luke shut up when Geoff elbowed him in the side. “Oh yeah, you didn’t tell her yet.”
“Come in and have a seat. We want to get to know all about the woman who’s managed to snag our cousins.” Luke cupped her elbow and guided her into the living room before she could protest. Next thing she knew, she was seated on the couch, sandwiched between Geoff and Monroe. When she tried to rise, both men grabbed her and tugged her back down.
“They’ve already told you about me or you wouldn’t have known about how we met.” Trisha glared at Gayle. “Surely your husbands know too. Men like to brag.” She glared at both men for good measure, and then tried to get up again. The guys’ grip was too tight, and she couldn’t get free without making a scene. Not that it really mattered what these strangers thought of her, but she had been raised to be polite and to be especially restrained in front of strangers.
An unladylike snort escaped as she remembered she’d done neither when she met the men. She’d tackled Geoff and pinned him to the ground in a very provocative way. No wonder they thought she was easy. And she had been. It had only taken a few dates and some sweet words to talk her into the hot tub and their bed. She was a slut. A genuine, bona fide slut.
Instead of focusing on the two men she was no longer in lust with -- yeah, right -- she looked across to the other sofa where Gayle sat with her husbands. Husbands. Both men were very tall, but then Gayle wasn’t a short woman either. They looked quite handsome together. Han had dark hair and brown eyes. Luke’s hair was reddish brown and his eyes blue. Han’s skin was like lickable chocolate, and Luke’s tan looked like he spent a lot of time outdoors. Both men were incredibly muscular. As much as Monroe and Geoff. “Why do you have two husbands?”
“Because I love them both.”
“And you two don’t mind sharing her?” Trisha looked at the hunks in disbelief.
“Not as long as she doesn’t mind sharing us.” Han reached for Gayle’s hand and held it in his.
“With other women?” Her horrified thoughts must have shown on her face because Luke quickly leaned forward, shaking his head.
“No. With each other.”
“Each other?” Trisha looked at Geoff first and then at Monroe. “This is bullshit. I know what’s going on.”
“Do you now? What’s going on?” Monroe stroked the thigh closest to him while Geoff put his palm on the one next to him and lightly squeezed.
She slapped at their hands and tried to get up. Unfortunately, she was wedged too tightly between the men and their big paws kept her from budging. “Let me go.”
“No. Not until you hear us out. You didn’t give us a chance.”
“You don’t need me. You have each other.” She shifted, very uncomfortable under the weight of the stares from across the room. No one spoke for so long that Trisha began to squirm in her seat.
“I thought that about Han and Luke too.” Gayle finally broke the awkward silence. “You love your sister and her children, correct?”
“Yes, but --”
“No. No buts. You love your family, no matter how many of them there are, r
ight?”
“It’s not the same.”
“There is no limit on love, hon. You can love as many people as you want.”
“I don’t love them,” Trisha growled.
“I thought we were talking about them loving you.” Han frowned. He yelped and rubbed his side when Gayle elbowed him.
“This is ridiculous. You guys think I’m the stupidest broad on the face of the Earth. You invited your friends here because they are in a triad and you wanted them to convince me to what? Crawl into bed with you again? Why?” Trisha couldn’t control her anger and decided to stop trying. Let the men take the heat. They’d used her. Tricked her. Conned her.
When she tried to get up to escape, they didn’t let her. Then, when she would have asked Gayle for assistance, Gayle and her husbands quickly exited. Geoff and Monroe pushed her back against the sofa and began to place gentle kisses all over her neck and face.
“We do love you, Trisha.” Monroe nibbled on her ear and slid his hand up under her shirt.
“We love you as much as we love each other.” Geoff mimicked his cousin.
“No. This is wrong on so many levels. You two are related. You’re cousins. You don’t love me, anyway. You love each other. This is insane.” Her protests became breathless as the men continued to tease her. She did love them. She did desire them. Even if they were sneaky, lying bastards. How you could fall in love with someone over such a short period of time, she didn’t know. Maybe it was the fact they’d been willing to play her game. And played it so well.
“You’re overreacting to this whole situation,” Geoff whispered in between nibbles on her neck.
“You lied to me. You both led me to believe you were friends. You should have both told me you were lovers from the start.” She wanted to slap them stupid, but they were already the stupidest men she knew.
“You wouldn’t have gone out with Geoff if you knew that.”
“You don’t know that.” Her protest was automatic. She didn’t know how she felt about being a third wheel on an already happy couple.
“You came over here today. Why?” Geoff stroked her arm.
“I needed resolution. I thought if I told you both where to go, then I’d feel better.” As soon as the words were out, she groaned. Why not tell them she was in love with them and that was why the lies hurt so much? Moron. Now who’s the stupid one?
“We invited Gayle, Han and Luke here to show you that it is possible to make a triad work. Han and Luke are bi.”
“Is your whole family bisexual?” The men shared a look that made her jaw drop. It was a look of guilt. Not one of amusement. She’d been making a joke. Or trying to.
“We love you, Trisha. We want to make you ours.” They shared another long look.
“But first we need to tell you the whole truth.” Geoff took one of her hands in his while Monroe held the other.
“There’s more?” Trisha tried to tug her hands free so she could stand and pace. She needed space to think. To breathe. With the men sitting so close and doing that thing with their thumbs and her wrists, it was hard to focus on anything.
“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m going to blurt it out.” Geoff paused. She looked back and forth between the men.
Monroe looked at Geoff and nodded. “Do it.” The loving look they shared brought tears to her eyes.
“We’re Botans.”
In the following silence, she tried to figure out what a Botan was. “Is that some type of extreme vegetarianism? Wait! No! You don’t eat vegetable matter. So are you allergic to vegetables?”
“We’re not into cannibalism.”
“Good. I’m not either. Unless it is eating me out. Then it’s okay.” She attempted a half-hearted giggle, but the men didn’t seem amused.
“We should show her.” Geoff turned to Monroe. “Otherwise she’ll never believe.”
“No. It’s too soon. I don’t even want to tell her now. She’s not ready for it.” Monroe released her hand, grabbed Geoff’s, and led him to the other side of the room. She strained to listen.
“I don’t want to lose her, Monroe.”
“If we tell her now, we will.”
“You heard her. We can’t keep any more secrets. She deserves to know the truth. What we are. Who we really are.”
“Yeah.” Trisha rose and walked over to them. “If you do love me, then you have to let me in. Completely in. Not only do you owe me the truth, but you won’t win my trust until you earn it. Right now that seems highly unlikely.”
“We’re aliens,” Geoff blurted out.
Trisha started at his sudden rush of words, and then she began to laugh as what he’d said sank in.
“No. Really. We’re not from Earth. We’re from a distant planet that is no more. We were brought here and raised with others of our kind until we reached pollisexation. Now we can be wherever we want, but we never seem to go far from home. The city is no place for a Botan.”
“Definitely not,” Monroe agreed. “We can prove to you that we’re not human.”
“No.” Trisha snorted as she took a step back. As if she was that fucking stupid. “I think I’ll just be going now.”
“It’s true.” Gayle’s soft voice came from the doorway.
“Were you there the whole time?” Trisha snapped.
“Yes. Even though the men wanted to apologize, and I know how much they love you, I wouldn’t have tricked you into coming inside and then leave you at their mercy. We were out here waiting in case you didn’t want to be here anymore.”
“Well, I don’t. So let me out.” Trisha stalked toward the door.
“We’re Botans too.” Luke gestured at both himself and Han.
“What about Gayle?”
“I’m as human as you.” Gayle stepped over to her and reached for Trisha’s hand. She patted it as she spoke. “I understand how confused you are right now. We should let them show you what a Botan is, and then explain everything to you before you run out of here thinking you’re having a psychotic episode.”
“Too late,” Trisha whispered. But was it her that was having a breakdown or these people? These weird, strange people.
Surrounded on all sides, Trisha could do nothing as she was hustled out the door and around to the back of the house. Monroe and Geoff both stripped out of their clothes, as did Han and Luke. She tried to keep her stare above waist level, but surrounded by such handsome men she found her gaze wandering.
No mental slap would work here. Trisha slapped her face, shook her head and looked up at the sky. “Dear Goddess, give me the strength not to kill these guys. Or cut off their penises.” She looked at Gayle. “Why are you still clothed?”
“I’m not a Botan, silly. You don’t need to see me naked anyway.”
“We’re both fat. Not like I don’t see a fat chick every time I look in the mirror.”
“You’re not fat,” the four men growled at the same time. Both Gayle and Trisha jumped.
Gayle let out a soft laugh. “Don’t let the guys hear you talk like that. They like their women lush. It’s a Botan thing.”
“Botan thing?”
“They’re big men, or hadn’t you noticed?” Trisha looked at the four cocks.
“Trisha!” Gayle laughed, and the men laughed with her.
Heat flamed as she tried to act nonchalant. “Yeah, they’re all pretty tall. Taller than me.”
“And big. They want a woman who can handle them. Not a stick that will break the first time they drive that big, thick cock…” Gayle wrapped a hand around each of her men’s cocks and stroked them.
Trisha crossed her arms over her chest and stepped back. “Gotta give Geoff and Monroe a good view. They like to watch.” All of a sudden, she noticed the men had rings on their dicks. She glanced from man to man and saw all of them were the same. “Oh. My. Goddess. What the fuck!”
“It’s normal for us.”
“Normal to have ringed dicks?”
“It’s normal for a tree to have
rings, right?” Monroe asked.
Trisha snorted. “Yeah. Growth rings.”
“Why wouldn’t we have rings then?” Monroe planted his feet and lifted his hands out and up as his feet turned into roots and burrowed into the ground. His legs formed a solid trunk, and his arms turned into branches. By the time he was finished, a tree stood where her lover had once been.
Trisha blinked rapidly, but she still saw a tree. She looked at Geoff. He winked, and then did the exact same thing. His feet turned into roots and his legs, a tree trunk. Part of her noted they were different types of trees as another part of her tried not to hyperventilate at the thought she had fucked aliens. Alien shape-shifting trees. It wasn’t like they turned into wolves or vampires. No, they were fucking trees. Fucking trees, all right. They’d fucked her but good. Her laugh sounded a little hysterical to her, but she didn’t care.
She turned around and watched as Han and Luke also transformed into trees. Gayle put her hand on her shoulder. Trisha wanted to shrug it off, but right now Gayle was the only thing that felt safe. Sane. Grabbing onto Gayle’s arm, Trisha held on tight. She watched in awe as the men transformed back into humans. The men pulled their clothes back on and stood there in an awkward silence. Trisha didn’t know what to say -- if she could even say anything at all.
“I’m a white mulberry.” Geoff offered a shaky grin. “Monroe’s a red mulberry. Luke is a sassafras and Han is an American elm.”
“And I’m outta here.” Trisha turned around and ran. Ran until she couldn’t run anymore. Then she walked. Walked until her legs gave out. Then she sat. Sat until darkness fell.
Every tree around her became menacing as the shadows grew and the sunlight vanished. Panic stole her breath and tightened her chest as the sound of critters moving on the forest floor grew louder and closer.
The men -- aliens -- were likely to have followed her. But what if it wasn’t them? She was in a forest for crying out loud. What if it was a bear or mountain lion or something horrible that wanted to kill her? Eat her.
Trisha bit back a sob and focused on her shields. Once she was satisfied she’d poured enough energy into them, she looked up at the night sky. “Goddess, your daughter needs your help tonight. I don’t know what to think or do. I don’t know anything anymore.”
Big, Blooming and Wild! Mulberrilicious Page 5