Riley took that moment to run as fast as she could away from the cabin. She could hear a gunshot going off around her as it zinged by her head and hit a tree. Run, Riley, run, was all she could say to herself.
* * * *
The sound of a gun going off made Cash run even faster. The cabin was in view, and they had to hike to the cabin so that the sheriff would not hear the truck pulling in. Both Cooper and Cash ran into the cabin when they saw the door open. Where was she? The other door in the back was open as well. Cooper looked in there and saw the cuff covered in blood. “Fuck, Cash, she’s hurt. She must have cut her wrist to get out.”
Cash was shaking. He didn’t know what to do. “That’s our girl. She doesn’t give up without a fight.” Another gunshot got their attention again. The sheriff had Riley on the run and was shooting at her. Well, not if they got to her first.
* * * *
Riley felt like her heart was going to explode at any minute. Adrenaline pumping in her veins kept her from stopping. There was another gunshot behind her, and then she heard the sheriff yelling. She ran, spotting a shadow, and then someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth.
“Shhh, Ms. Riley, it’s not safe in these woods. Them Bigfoot are everywhere. Best you follow me.” Oh, thank god, it was Mr. Winters. She nodded, and he released her mouth. She followed him into a small rock-like cave a couple feet away. He sat down and motioned for her to sit down as well. He asked who she was running from, so Riley quickly told the story about the sheriff and everything else. Mr. Winters nodded from time to time to let her know he understood what was going on.
“Okay, Ms. Riley, I am going to head down the hill and get your men. I saw them heading this way to come and fetch ya. You stay put and I’ll be right back. You stay right here so them Sasquatches don’t get ya.” And with that, he left her sitting in the small cave. Riley could feel the shiver of adrenaline starting to calm as she knew her men were coming. However, just as soon as she started to relax, she felt the hair on her neck stand on end.
“Did you honestly think I wouldn’t find you, bitch? I’ve known about old man Winters’s caves for years. He’s off of his fuckin’ rocker if he thinks he can actually help you. All it took was one hit in the back of the head for that dipshit to go down.” He went for Riley and grabbed her by the back of the head and slammed her against the side of the wall. Riley knew she just reopened her cut and was bleeding. She was dizzy and was fighting to stand up. She started to crawl when he kicked her in the back. “Get up you fuckin’ whore. I need my damn money, and you are now pissing me off now. Maybe I will take a turn on you first before I hand you over, seeing how you are fucking two men already. God knows who else you have opened them legs for.” He flipped Riley onto her back and started to rip her shirt off.
Riley use that last of what she had left. She had to save herself and the baby. She needed to act quickly. He was big, but stupid. He ripped her shirt off her body, but when Riley started kicking, his hands went up to her throat as he started to squeeze. His control had finally snapped. Riley could feel the lack of air she was getting as her vision started to blur. She bucked him with all her might, and he moved just enough for her to grab a rock, with which she used all her force to hit him in the side of the head. The sheriff fell backward, allowing Riley to make a run for it. She ran until again she fell over a tree stump. That was when everything started to move in slow motion as pain started to lance through her shoulder and down her arm.
Cooper and his brother could see Riley running up ahead and the sheriff after her. They didn’t have much time. The sheriff was only a few feet in front of him now. Without thinking, Cooper ran and jumped on the sheriff’s back, knocking the sheriff down to the ground. As they both fell, he heard a gun go off and Riley scream. Cooper didn’t think and started to pound into the man’s face. He’d hurt Riley. He was his friend, he was a man of the law, and yet he had turned his back on it all because of money.
Cash saw everything play out as Cooper went after the sheriff and Riley fell with the sound of the gunshot. His heart stopped. He ran to Riley and lifted her body from the ground. She was breathing, but there was blood everywhere. Her hair, her wrist, and now the front of her body were covered in her blood. Fuck, what did the sheriff do to her? He started assessing her injuries, trying to figure out which one to cover to stop the bleeding. Looking for the largest bleeder, he covered her shoulder. The fucker actually shot her. The agents showed up out of nowhere and pulled Cooper off of the sheriff while someone called for an ambulance.
Cash just cradled Riley in his arms and prayed she was going to be okay. She was not waking up, and he just kept pressure on the wound. Paramedics arrived shortly after, and Riley was flown to the nearest hospital, as it was quicker than driving down into such rough terrain. Cash and Cooper made their way to their truck and headed over to the hospital, not caring that statements were needed and anyone might need help. All that mattered was her.
Chapter Eleven
Cash and his brother just sat there waiting for Riley to get out of surgery to remove what was left of the bullet. She had been in surgery now for about two hours. His mom and dads, along with the agents, showed up, waiting to hear Riley’s results. When the doctor finally came out to speak to both of them, Cooper and Cash excused themselves from the party gathering in the waiting room to speak alone with the doctor. “How’s she doing, doc?”
“She is doing remarkably, with all things considered. Now I must say it was challenging trying to remove the bullet as it went in at an odd angle, but in the end it went better than expected. We patched up her wrist, and her throat is going to be sore for a while, but no lasting damage. We have her some medication to avoid any infection, along with something for the pain. But in all she and the baby are going to be just fine. You should be able to see her in about a half hour once we get her settled into recovery,” said the doctor as he turned and left the room. Cash felt himself pale and turned to see Cooper sporting the same look.
“Did he say she and the baby? She’s pregnant. How did we not know this?” Cash was the first to speak. How could they have not thought about it? They didn’t use protection every time they made love to her. They had thought at one time about being a family, but this soon? Personally, he was happy. Was Riley? There were now so many more questions than answers. The half hour passed quickly with all the things running through his head.
Both he and Cooper walked into the room, and he couldn’t hold it together anymore. She looked so fragile and small, lying in that hospital bed, connected to wires and machines. There were no sounds coming from the room other than the constant beep, beep from the heart rate monitor. He was surprised when Cooper walked over and grabbed her hand as tears fell down his cheeks.
“Wake up, darlin’. I need you. Let me see those beautiful eyes,” he cooed as he ran a hand over her cheek. Riley stirred and fluttered her eyes open, and then closed them again.
Cash went to the other side of her and whispered in her ear so only she knew what he said. “You need to wake up, kitten, or I’m going to paddle that ass.”
Riley could feel that her men were with her, but could not get her eyes to open. They felt so heavy. She wanted so much to answer them. She could hear the words, but laughed when Cash whispered he was going to paddle her ass. After what seemed like eternity, she opened her eyes to see both Cooper and Cash looking down at her with concern.
She went to speak, but her throat hurt too much.
“Shhh, darlin’, don’t talk. Here, have some water,” Cooper said and moved a cup of water with a straw to her lips. She took a couple small sips and rested her head back down. She was thankful she and the baby were alive. Shit, the baby! She started to panic and sat up trying to find the right words to say.
“What happened?”
“You’re okay, kitten. The bullet hit your shoulder when you started to fall. Be thankful that the root was there or else it would have hit you somewhere else. They removed what was
left of the bullet during surgery, but you will make a full recovery. Both you and the baby are going to be fine.”
Riley was startled at the realization that they both knew. She wanted to tell them in her own way, hoping they wouldn’t be mad.
“I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I wasn’t sure how you both would react. I’m not sure who the father is, and I wasn’t sure if you even wanted children,” Riley finally confessed. She looked back to Cooper and then Cash before someone finally spoke.
“Listen, kitten, it’s not the way we would have liked to have found out, or how we wanted to start a family. We would have preferred to have been married first, but that is easily rectified as soon as you are better. As for the father, we both are this baby’s father and will love him no matter what. But you, my sweet, are in deep shit and will get your ass paddled when you are well enough for not telling us right away.” At that he smiled. She looked at Cooper, who also was smiling.
“Darlin’, I couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait to see you round with our child and to spend the rest of our days loving you. I love you so damn much, Riley, and I thought we lost you. Please, baby, don’t leave us, and marry us. I know it’s not the most romantic way to propose, but I want us to be a proper family. So what do you say, darlin’, will you marry us?” Cooper held his breath as he waited for her response. He looked at this small woman who captured his heart and now was carrying his and Cash’s child.
A single tear ran down her cheek when she whispered a yes and looked at both of them. He could see the love she also had for them. “I love you both so much. I want us to be a family. Yes, of course I will marry you both. But wait. I can only marry one. I don’t want to pick.”
Cash was the next to speak. “Well, being as I am technically the oldest you will marry me on paper, but we will have a special ceremony at home where you will be joined to both Cooper and me. God, kitten, I love you so much. I promise we will do everything in our power to make you happy.” And he bent over and kissed her lightly on the lips before bending lower and placing a soft kiss on her stomach where their child now grew. Riley knew she was finally going to be happy, and they could live the life they all wanted.
Riley remained in the hospital a total of three days just because she was pregnant, and with the massive injuries to her neck and shoulder, they did not want any complications. She could not have been happier. She was given her ring when she woke up the next morning at the hospital, a beautiful platinum band with a two-carat diamond surrounded with smaller ones. It was simple, but elegant. She loved it.
Once she arrived home, she found flowers scattered around the room from various family members. The feeling was heartwarming. She allowed the men to carry her into the house. She was not big into letting them do some things like this, but seeing the need in Cooper’s eye sent her over the edge. She was in bed for about another week, only being allowed to get out of bed to use the bathroom. She chuckled to herself when the men insisted she was not allowed to bathe by herself. She laughed because she and the doctor knew she could, but they wanted to make sure she was squeaky clean.
During the week, Sam would stop by as well as Wes and Grady. She caught the look of death from Cash when Wes decided to read aloud the book he brought. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except the parts he read were things she had already experienced with her men. She blushed, and soon the story time was over. Even Cheddar Bob had stopped by with chocolate chip cookies for her. She smiled at the sweet gesture and was happy to see that this whole thing didn’t bring his spirits down. She never believed it was him, but either way, she was grateful for his help in the end.
Evelyn and the dads were over a couple of times and were so excited about the baby and the wedding. They had told her that Missy was going to be coming into town for the event. It was all set, and all she had to do was show up. Riley had made plans to go shopping for a dress with Evelyn and Sam when she was paroled from the house. They both got a kick out of how she described her recovery. The wedding would be held in about a two months.
After two weeks of the accident, Riley was getting really annoyed. She did get to convince the men that she was well enough to walk around the house. She had woken up from her afternoon nap with a case of morning sickness, and that seemed to be the pattern for a short time. She figured out that a ginger ale and crackers helped before lying down before the nap. Other than that, the baby was doing fine and she was on the road to full recovery.
Cooper had finally told her that he was acting sheriff until a new one was assigned. There was a rumor that it would be someone outside of town. Riley laughed at the thought of someone else within the town being sheriff. Rumor was old man Winters was considering it, but he did not want to work nights. He was off his rocker. She loved that old man, though. He did manage to stop by one day while she was sleeping to drop off one of his books about Bigfoot and even signed it for her. She thought that sweet touch was one of things she missed about life.
The CIA agents were able to obtain the information from the sheriff and the account numbers she had to take down De Carlo. With the help from the DEA and other agencies, De Carlo would be behind bars for the rest of his natural life. Riley could breathe and know that things had finally stopped.
A few days later, the shopping trip had happened and Riley loved every minute of it. She loved that Evelyn was a mother to her as well as a friend. Missy had shown up the day before, and she and Sam had gone with them to shop. It ended with her making a choice of Sam as her maid of honor and Missy as her bridesmaid. She had planned to also seduce her men tonight as both had not touched her since the accident, because they didn’t want to hurt her or the baby. She made a trip to her favorite lingerie shop just for the occasion. She took the wedding dress that she bought and hung it up in the closet, away from prying eyes. Riley set out to get ready to surprise her men.
She had planted small clues throughout the house so that they could find her. She got into a bath and shaved leaving her legs smooth and rubbed on her favorite lotion. She blow-dried her hair and applied some mascara to her eyes. She was never one for makeup, but this she could handle. She then went into the bedroom, slipping on her new outfit while she set up the room for her men.
Cooper and his brother went into the house to find a note taped to the door that said to follow the trail. It was in Riley’s handwriting, so they went inside. Looking down, Cooper noticed saw a small trail of chocolate Kisses. It was their inside joke. It started as a joke with Cash in the kitchen, but ever since then, she had a stash in every room. Now every time they asked for a kiss when she was in the middle of something, she would throw the candy at them. Ever since then, kisses became a staple within the house.
The trail came to a stop at their bedroom door. Slowly Cooper opened the door to find the most amazing sight he had ever seen. The room was bathed in soft light from the candles and the smell of vanilla. But that was not what got them. It was what was lying on the bed. Riley had on a plum-colored baby doll nightie that was sheer with traces of lace along her breasts and the small straps that held it in place. Between her breasts were two small ribbons that held it together as the rest fanned open over her still-tight stomach, revealing a matching G-string panty. She looked like something out of his and Cash’s fantasies.
“Welcome home, boys. I’ve missed you today. I went shopping and got my dress, and picked up a couple other things. Including this…” Riley stood and did a small twirl, making sure to slow when she reached the back so the men could see how her ass looked in the panties. She knew Cash was an ass man, and this was especially for him. She turned to face the front and saw how Cooper looked at her breasts as her nipple pebbled underneath the delicate fabric. “Do you like it?” Riley took a tentative step closer to the men as they seemed rooted where they stood.
“Fuck, kitten, I’ve never seen anything so damn sexy. Are you sure? I mean, once we start, I can’t stop.”
Riley took that minute to lean up and kiss Cash’s lips.
She kept it soft at first, nibbling on his lower lip. She turned to see the burning hunger in Cooper’s eyes as he stared down at her.
“Come here, darlin’. I’ve missed you so damn much.” Taking her lips into a heated kiss, he pushed his tongue into her mouth, forcing a response. She circled her arms around his neck to bring him closer to her. She felt him chuckle as it rumbled across her chest.
“Not yet, darlin’. We have such a pretty package that we want to open. Now you just lie back and let us do all the work.” And he moved her toward the bed. As her knees hit the back, he lifted her up so she lay down in the middle. Cash soon followed after he had taken off his shoes and shirt.
“Now, what happens if I pull here?” Cash pulled the first ribbon, and the top part of nighty fell forward. “And this one.” Cooper pulled the second ribbon, and her nighty was left open to them and hanging on only by the thin straps on her shoulders.
“Would you look at that, Cash? I found some pretty berries ready to be plucked.” His mouth descended in her desperate nipple, sucking it into his mouth. “Oh, darlin’, your breasts are so sensitive already, aren’t they? They feel larger, too. God, baby, you turn me on so much.” And he bit on her extremely sensitive nipple again.
Cash moved lower and kissed his way down her belly and paused to place the sweetest kiss on her still-small stomach. “Ours,” he whispered and kissed it one more time. He moved to the apex of her thighs, pushing his shoulders to make her spread them wider. She opened them as he slowly blew on her throbbing sex. Rubbing his nose against her now-wet panties, he hummed in appreciation. He reached up and removed her panties slowly down her thighs until they hit the floor. “This is ours, too.” And he spread her lips and licked her pulsing clit. He licked up and down, stopping a few times to rim the opening of her cunt. “So sweet, kitten. Let me have all your cream.” He slowly pushed one finger into her pulsing walls while sucking her clit into his mouth.
Just Her Luck [Lucky, Montana] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 11