Verdria's Heart [Lush Valley, Tennessee] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Robyn Reigns

  As she sat wrapped in the shelter of Owen’s arms after the mind blowing orgasm she felt his hard cock rub against her backside. Guilt had started to worm its way through her. She couldn’t believe he let her climax without finding his own release. He must have been achingly uncomfortable, especially with her sitting on his lap. It finally hit her. These men gave freely of themselves. Looking back on their few intimate moments, she realized they never took pleasure from her until they first gave it. In that moment, she knew she had to give him relief to quell the feeling of selfishness that was rising inside her. That was why she wanted to initiate oral sex with the man.

  As soon as she bared his cock and took it in hand it had mesmerized her. It looked exactly like Ryker’s yet was so different. He tasted deliciously sweet and salty like bold and dewy rain water. Ryker’s taste was bolder, saltier, like the hard, forceful ocean. Once she started tasting him she knew she couldn’t get enough. She wanted to take his full length into her mouth and swallow him down. But, just as she started to suck on him like the sweetest tasting lollipop, he stopped her. He demanded to come in her pussy and not her mouth. The searing kiss he initiated diverted her attention from his cock to his mouth and other parts of his body.

  She needed to be closer to him, so she wrapped her arms around him. Her sensitive nipples rubbed against his cotton shirt. “I need to feel more of you, Owen,” she pleaded as she went to grab the edges of his T-shirt to help him pull it off. When they were skin to skin, her desire started to rebuild as she rubbed her hard, red, and swollen nipples along his chest. She couldn’t resist his body. Splayed flat out on the ground, he looked like a pure work of art. Needing to touch and explore him, she let her hands and tongue wonder over his chest. Dark hair sparsely covered him, and other than a pleasure trail running from his belly button down to his cock, he was nearly hairless along his torso. Before he grabbed the back of her head to kiss her on the lips, she let her hands run over his darkly tanned and toned six- pack. She let her tongue lap between the muscular ridges, tasting his salty sweetness, and got in one last lick before he recaptured her mouth in a mind-numbing kiss. She was becoming powerless and lost to his control again. Her control over him slipped when his hand wandered over her nipples and then back down to her cunt. She wiggled, trying to move away from his fingers as her pussy started getting drenched. Her juices leaked out onto his thighs as she tried pulling back from his hands. A silent struggle for dominance ensued, and Verdria wanted and needed to be the one to control their pleasure this time.

  Before she could gain the upper hand he pinned her to the ground. Verdria knew he would win, especially because it only took one of his hands to restrain both of hers. His body was too large and powerful. She wasn’t fast enough at making him mindless with passion, and now he was the one to dominate. It was senseless to struggle against his powerful body. But she still bucked and moved beneath him. She didn’t want to make things easy. She tried to resist his kisses and caresses from his mouth. But, it was when he used his free hand to finger her pussy and reignite her with mindless desire that she knew she would lose to pleasure. The only thing she could think to do was fight for control over her release and hopefully wait until he came first. He angered her by making her feel weak, both in body and mind. His possession and dominance of her was reinforced as he fingered her until she gave control over to him. Insulting him was her last sane action. “You overbearing, muscle-bound brute,” she ground out before her mind became lost in the lustful sensations over taking her. “Damn you, Owen.” She gritted her teeth as her hips started bucking against his hand by their own accord. Her body wouldn’t cooperate with her brain as sensations of pain intermingled with pleasure and her mind became lost to her body’s needs.

  She had no choice but to plead for him to take her. Lucid thoughts were beyond her capability. The only thing she could focus on was begging him to enter her. She wanted to feel his thick hardness stretch and fill her. Her hips bucked as he slowly drove his penis into her. He wasn’t entering her fast enough so she quickly took him unaware and thrust her hips forward to impale herself on his cock. When he let go of her hands she placed them on his ass as if to get him to rut in and out of her faster and harder. But the man took his sweet time.

  As he moved in and out of her sheath, her woman’s muscles kept clenching tightly around his cock. She was so close to her climax. Her need to come intensified as he changed the angle of his shaft so that the blunt head kept hitting her sweet spot. She had no choice but to close her eyes and ride through her body’s release. Her muscles clamped down around his cock as lightning raced through her. The orgasm was so intense she swore she could see dark spots dancing before her eyes as she lifted her lids.

  She was tired and spent. All she could do was sit entangled by his body until she caught her breath and could get hold of her bearings. Verdria couldn’t believe how comfortable she felt tangled up with Owen’s body. She knew she should be angry with him for overtaking her control, but the pleasure he brought her was so amazing it overshadowed everything. Never before were men able to do this to her. She was usually the one to direct and guide the men in her bed. Both Owen and Ryker were somehow able to sneak in past her defenses and shatter her ability to maintain that control. She had to admit the sex was fantastic. If she were honest with herself, having these men capable of dominating her fulfilled a secret need. As Owen started moving around under her, she realized that within a matter of days these men may have nearly captured her heart.

  “Stop thinking, sweetheart. You do that way too much right now.” He scooted her off his lap. “We need to get dressed and head back to the house before Ry sends out a search party.” He handed over her clothes as he finished closing his pants.

  “You ruined my top, Owen. It’s not even wearable.” She giggled and showed him the raggedly torn T-shirt.

  “Here, put mine on.” He handed over his shirt and she slipped it over her head. “I think I like seeing you in my clothes,” he whispered. “So what were you doing in here anyway? None of the horses are sick or anything. Are they?”

  “Nope, as far as I know all the horses are okay. Micah just asked me to make sure the knockdown box was padded well enough.” When she realized what she said, she made eye contact with Owen as they both burst out laughing.

  A smile grabbed hold of Owen’s mouth at her words and laughter. “Well, honey. What did you think? Was it padded enough?” She watched as he burst out laughing from his own question.

  Before Verdria could reply, he cupped her face in his large hands and stole a deep intimate kiss. When they came up for air, he said, “My pickup is just outside. Go hop in while I close up behind you. If we don’t stop now, we may never make it back to the house tonight. It’s Ryker’s turn to make dinner.” He patted her ass as she left to head to the truck, and then he turned and went to close down the building for the night.

  Chapter 7

  Owen and Verdria walked into the kitchen just as Ryker placed a plate of grilled steaks on the counter. “You guys have good timing,” he said. “I just finished grilling the steaks. How about we sit down for dinner then we can talk about you wandering off on your own, baby.” He walked over and embraced Verdria, then swept his tongue into her mouth for a quick kiss. “You had Owen and I worried sick not knowing where you went off to. Are you okay?”

  She inwardly cringed at his question. These men barely knew her and already they were good at making her feel guilty. “Yeah, Ry, I’m fine. Is there anything I can do to help in here?”

  “Nope, baby girl, just grab yourself a drink and go sit down. We’ll be right over with the food,” Ryker said as he grabbed the baked potatoes from the oven.

  After grabbing a glass of iced tea, Verdria went to sit at the dinner table. She was impressed that the table was already set and more condiments than she knew what to do with were spread out over its surface. “Do you guys always cook for yourselves?”

  Owen was arranging the food on plates while Ryker was
tossing the salad and placing it in serving bowls. “Our mamma taught us how to cook,” Owen replied as he walked toward the table. “She wanted us to be well rounded and be able to fend for ourselves.”

  Ryker shoved a piece of cucumber in his mouth. Verdria smiled to herself as she heard the crunching around his words. “So, we pretty much do all our own cooking a majority of the time. Sometimes we’ll go out or bring food home.”

  Owen placed the plates in front of everyone before taking his seat next to Verdria, but across from Ryker. “We mainly try and have one or two meals together so Ryker and I can connect and update each other about problems with running our operation here. Do you like to cook, Verdria?”

  “I’ve tried. I’m really good at burning water. That’s what everyone tells me anyway. So, I try and stay out of the kitchen.” She shrugged, looking down at her plate of food. It was nicely arranged with baked potato, freshly steamed seasonal vegetables, and a medium-well steak. The food appeared really delicious, well, the veggies and potato did anyway. If she liked steak, she was sure it would have looked and smelled mouthwatering.

  Owen lifted an eyebrow questioningly. “You can’t be that bad, can you?” She noticed he couldn’t quell his amusement.

  “Um…Owen. I’m great at burning water. What do you think? If Simon ever shows up, ask him about the times I tried making dinner while we roomed together for vet school. They took me off the rotation after I nearly burned down the kitchen making a can of soup.” She sighed. Feeling defeated, she dug into her salad and started crunching away. Cooking was one of the few things she couldn’t somehow grasp the concept of, never mind excel at.

  “Well, Owen and I would be happy to brave working in the kitchen with you and see if maybe we can teach you a thing or two.”

  She watched as both men cut into their steaks and started eating the main meal. “You can’t say that I didn’t warn you. The both of you will be taking your own lives in your hands,” she muttered, staring down at her own food, trying to avoid hitting the steak with her utensils. She disliked steak so much she was barely able to eat the other items on her plate. It was one of her idiosyncrasies. If the meat came into contact with the other food on her plate, she wouldn’t be able to stomach eating everything else. Not wanting to upset the men or have them be amused with her issue, she was doing her best to hide her discomfiture. And it didn’t help matters that she was absolutely starving.

  So intent was she with her problem, she nearly missed Ryker’s explanation about his mercenary friends. “The guys split the teams up so they can take turns watching the perimeter. Some of the men will blend in as ranch hands. All the men on our property have had complete background checks and work for Sully and Mack. Therefore, they technically can be trusted.” He took a bite of his steak and potato.

  Verdria sat listening to the men. She finally decided to resign herself to their care. Going against them or fighting them over this would get her nowhere. She figured she would have to start picking her battles with them, and she knew this one wasn’t worth the effort. They were both very intense, and she noticed the intensity increased especially when her safety seemed to be an issue. As she sat listening to them with her undivided attention, a shiver of worry traveled down her spine. She never saw both men look so hard and fierce, even Owen. They had steely resolve when it came to securing her safety.

  Owen continued the conversation while Ryker was eating. “Even though we have a large number of men watching our backs, we’re still going to keep our guard up. After hearing about Monty’s connections and underhandedness, we want to be careful, especially with you and even Robin. So if Ry or I can’t be with you, especially while leaving the property, the only other people we trust at your back right now are Sully and Mack. Micah and Kai are okay, too.”

  Verdria nodded her assent. “I understand. I just want this to be over already so we all can get on with our lives.” Not sure what else to say, she continued playing with the food on her plate, hoping that they would change the subject. Just thinking about Monty was exhausting, and she wanted to forget about him and the consequences from meeting him just for a few minutes.

  In her absentmindedness, while listening to the men talk about security for her and the Double Bar C, her potatoes and vegetables ended up touching the steak. She couldn’t eat. She was tired after the day she’d had. She just sat there feeling defeated for the first time since she broke things off with Monty and stopped having any relationships with men.

  * * * *

  Owen noticed how exhausted Verdria appeared. Their poor girl had been through a lot today. He and his brother didn’t like seeing her so upset this afternoon. He couldn’t believe her pain and sadness were fast becoming theirs as well. It nearly broke their hearts knowing how much she must have hurt. But tonight he was glad that she finally gave into their need to protect her without a fight. They just found the woman they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with. If anything happened to her now, he knew he would be just as lost and hurt as Ryker. The two of them would fight tooth and nail not just to keep her secure but to also keep her in their lives. He couldn’t prevent the worry that echoed in his voice. “Are you okay, Verdria?” She took her time answering. To him it felt like minutes passed instead of seconds. His stomach clenched as he did his best not to push her for an answer.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired I guess.”

  He knew something was bothering her. He looked over to Ryker and saw his eyes shining with the same worry “Are you too upset to eat? You haven’t touched your steak.”

  “I’m fine. Please, guys, just let me be.” It was almost as if a combination of dejection and embarrassment flared across her face. Her cheeks brightly blushed red and her eyes lowered as if she tried to hide glistening tears.

  “Then why aren’t you eating anything, sweetheart?” Owen watched as she pushed her food around the plate. When he glanced towards his brother, he watched as Ryker’s worry was gradually turning to frustrated anger. He knew Ryker was trying very hard not to let her stubborn will and indifference get the better of him. But her quietness and lack of answer was probably starting to grate on the man’s nerves. “I’m just worried about you. Please tell me what’s wrong?”

  Owen watched the scene before him. He couldn’t help but find amusement with his brother’s frustration and anger. He could completely sympathize with him. But he could tell that Verdria was attempting to hide something from them. Trying to understand their woman, he knew was going to be an ultimate challenge. She always seemed to get quiet and despondent when she wanted to avoid facing them and especially when she didn’t want to answer their questions. She was shortly about to learn that she couldn’t avoid facing him and Ryker. They were determined to get what they wanted, and they always worked together to get their way. “Verdria. Sweetheart. What are you trying to hide? Talk to us, honey. We’re just worried.”

  “Verdria, we asked you a question, and we expect an answer. You can’t keep hiding from us. Owen and I won’t let you.” She still remained silent as she felt anger and annoyance radiate off of Ryker. Knowing that he wouldn’t intentionally hurt her, she wasn’t afraid to not answer. Instead, she let his anger steep, hoping he would eventually just stop questioning her.

  Ryker’s eyes connected with Owen’s in silent communication. Owen subconsciously knew to force her to answer them tonight may break something in her. The last thing he wanted to do was be so overbearing that they broke her spirit. “I know what you’re doing, Verdria.” With silent resignation, he accepted not getting an answer tonight, but they still couldn’t let her go unpunished. “You will eventually learn to trust us. Ryker and I will earn it, but we will only jump through so many hoops for you along the way.”

  The rest of the meal was eaten in strained silence. “How about you go upstairs and get ready for bed, sweetheart, before Ryker bites through his cheek trying to hold his tongue. We’ll take care of the mess down here and be up when we’re done.” Verdria quickly and qu
ietly left the room while the guys got to work cleaning the kitchen.

  Owen remained quiet. He waited for Ryker to break the silence, since he had better hearing he knew when Verdria would be out of earshot. “She’s going to drive me completely crazy, Owen. I know I almost let my temper get the best of me again tonight.”

  “I know, Ry. Our woman barely knows us, but she figured out a way to twist us up inside out until we don’t know if we’re coming or going. I had a feeling if you pushed her too far tonight, something in her would break. She was exhausted physically and emotionally, and went through a lot today. We can’t break her spirit.”

  “You’re right.” Ryker’s frustration was easily apparent as he quickly and tersely overcleaned the table and countertops. “I guess if she were easy to figure out and win over she wouldn’t be worth the fight. Hopefully when Monty is taken care of she’ll be able to open up and trust us more. I want her to realize that we would belong to her as much as she would belong to us.”

  “She’s been alone and independent for so long, Ryker. It’s not going to be easy to give in to us. I think she worries that if she stops fighting us, we’ll control her. She’s going to have to learn that we want to love her, not manipulate her. Don’t worry, bro. We’re going to win her over. I’ll meet you upstairs after I go shower.”

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Ryker waved his brother off.

  Owen got lost in thought as he made his way toward the bathroom. He and his brother have always wanted what their parents had. His mother and fathers had a relationship he and Ryker have only dreamed of. Their father’s cosseted and spoiled their mother. He finally understood how their small, loving, delicate mother was able to wrap his two fathers around her little finger. After he and Ryker lost them all to an automobile accident, they got so caught up in running and expanding the family business he almost forgot why he was working as hard as he was until the other day when Verdria stepped into his life. He and his twin may have let her win a small battle tonight, but he and Ryker were going to win the war of capturing her heart and keeping her.