“Of course,” Ivy answered for her. “You’re looking much revived this morning, Mr Rook.”
“Please, call me Dean.” He flashed Ivy his dimples, and Nell’s face felt hot, all memory of the blizzard erased from her cheeks. “It must’ve been your fine soup, Miss Ivy, as I am feeling like my own self again.”
Ivy set the strainer down and began stripping off her outside clothes, apparently unaffected by Dean and his dimples and his muscles. Nell didn’t see how she could carry on like there wasn’t a half-naked man in their home, but then, she’d had more experience with half-naked—or entirely naked—men than Nell had.
Nell watched Dean resume his ablutions, scraping the straight blade along the strong edge of his jaw with skill and confidence. His hands were big and strong, with wide fingers and broad palms, and Nell wondered what they’d feel like touching her, tangling in her hair, cupping her breasts. She started unwinding her scarf. Suddenly, it was too warm in there to be wearing all her outside clothes.
“So,” Dean said, making Nell jump and forcing her mind away from the things he could be doing with his hands. “How is it that you ladies find yourselves all alone so far up this mountain?”
“We’re not alone,” Ivy said shortly, setting the milk in a cupboard to let the cream separate. “We live here together, and we are quite capable of looking after ourselves.”
Dean’s eyes flickered to Ivy’s Sharps, back on its rack near the door. “I don’t doubt that for a moment,” he said, “but there was a man here, once.” He held up the razor. “Or you probably wouldn’t have had this.”
Ivy didn’t look up, rattling through the cupboards in search of something, Nell wasn’t sure what. “My husband’s,” she said when she surfaced, the skillet in her hands. “He’s gone.”
When Ivy used that tone of voice, Nell knew that it meant she wasn’t interested in allowing any further questions, but Dean had no such experience to draw on. “Gone where?”
“Just gone.” Ivy sighed and turned to face him, one hand on her hip. “He went last summer on a short trip for supplies. He never returned. When I went to find him, he’d never arrived in town. On that same trip, I met Nell, and she was in a bad spot and needed a place to stay. We came home, found we were quite…compatible.” She gave Nell a half smile, one that fell off her face as she addressed Dean again. “My husband has been gone for a year and a half now, and Nell and I are doing very well up here on our mountain. Does that answer all your questions?”
Dean tipped his head to one side. “Most of them.”
“Good. Now then.” Ivy leaned against the edge of the table. “How is it you found yourself on our doorstep last night?”
Dean reached for his shirt, much to Nell’s disappointment. “That’s a pretty long story.”
Ivy gestured at the snow blowing past the window, obscuring everything but the swirling white. “I believe we have plenty of time. Besides, I told you a story, it’s only fair that you return the favour.”
Dean’s gaze darted between them so quickly that if Nell hadn’t been watching—all right, staring—she’d have missed it. “I got lost in the blizzard.”
“I believe last night you said that you were on the run,” Ivy said, turning back and setting the skillet on the stove top.
“Did I?” Dean buttoned his shirt, his brow furrowed. Nell admired the way his dark hair fell across his forehead. “I must’ve been more out of it than I thought.”
“You did indeed,” Ivy said. “Nell, would you bring me those eggs?”
“Eggs?” Dean asked. “You got real live eggs way up here?”
Nell held out the basket. “From real live chickens.” She handed them to Ivy. “They’re few and far between this time of year though, we’re lucky to get one each this morning.”
Dean strode across the room to peer over Ivy’s shoulder as she cracked the eggs into the pan. “I can’t remember the last time I had a fresh egg.”
“This is your lucky day then, Mr Rook, for you shall have an egg for breakfast.” Ivy held a wooden spoon under his nose. “Assuming, of course, that you tell us what you’re really doing here.”
Dean chuckled, and Nell enjoyed the deep, warm sound. “Bribery?”
“We’ll try that first,” Ivy said, turning her back to him. “If that doesn’t work we’ll try something else.”
“I’m intrigued.” Dean’s gaze drifted down Ivy’s body. “Coercion, maybe?”
Ivy was unmoved. “We’ll see.”
“Very well,” Dean said, “For an egg, I will tell you the tale of how I reached your doorstep last night. For the whole story, we may have to renegotiate.”
“Very well.” Ivy pulled a half a loaf of bread out and set it on the table. “First breakfast, then storytelling.”
True to her word, Ivy hardly waited until the last bite of egg was in Dean’s mouth before she put her elbows on the table, clasped her hands under her chin, and said, “I do believe you were going to regale us with a tale?”
“It’s probably not worth all this anticipation.” Dean leant back in his chair. “Now you’re going to be disappointed.”
“Just tell us!” Nell said.
“I got into a little disagreement, is all. Some folks decided they liked the look of my horse, and so they helped themselves. I was a mite perturbed, you could say, so I tracked ’em down and asked, as politely as I could, if they would return him to me. They declined, and as there was more of them then there was of me, the general upshot of it all was that I ended up dodging bullets and they’ve still got my horse. I was planning to circle back around and give it another go, but then this storm blew in, and I didn’t know where I was circling, so I just hoped to find shelter. And like a miracle, I tripped over the corner of your cabin, worked my way to the door, and you ladies were kind enough to drop what you were doing and let me in before I froze stiff.”
Nell shot a look at Ivy, wondering just how much Dean knew about what they were doing when he’d interrupted them, but Ivy had other concerns.
“You’re telling me that there’s a bunch of horse thieves going to track you to our front door?”
Dean stared at her. “You’ve been outside, right? I don’t think anyone is tracking anything in this weather. And besides, they’ve got my horse, what do they care about me?”
“Are you going to go try again to get your horse?” Nell asked.
Dean shrugged. “I’m going nowhere until this storm blows over,” he said, then looked quickly at Ivy. “Assuming, of course, that you ladies allow me to continue enjoying your hospitality.”
“Yes,” Nell said quickly, before Ivy could answer, just in case. “We couldn’t possibly let you go out into that blizzard in good conscious.” Nell shifted so she couldn’t see Ivy’s face before continuing, “Besides, I have an idea of how we could pass the time.”
“Nell…” Ivy said warningly, but Nell ignored her. This might be her only chance.
“See, we’ve been without a man around for a long time, and based on what Ivy says about her husband, men aren’t good for much anyway. So I was wondering if you’d like to show me what the fuss is all about.”
“The fuss…?” Dean raised an eyebrow.
“You know, sex,” Nell said brightly, and when he gaped at her, she clarified. “Sex with a man involved, I mean.”
“Um…” Dean said.
Nell talked faster, “Because Ivy says that men just don’t know where everything is, and I just want to see for myself if that’s the truth.”
Dean blinked. “I suppose that depends on the man.” He dimpled at Ivy. “I take it your long lost husband was…underwhelming?”
Ivy stared at him for a moment, then addressed Nell. “This is a bad idea.”
“Nonsense.” Nell waved a hand dismissively and leaned across the table, closer to Dean, curling one leg underneath her. “I can’t just keep taking your word for it. Don’t get me wrong.” Nell held up her hands. “I find our…activities…very enjoyable. Very.”
She gave Ivy a warm smile and the corner of Ivy’s mouth twitched up. “I just want to…experiment a little.” Nell reached back to squeeze Ivy’s hand. “Maybe he could even change your mind about men.” When Ivy still looked sceptical, Nell lowered her voice. “Besides, how else are we going to pass the time?” Ivy just looked at Nell, but she didn’t say no, so Nell chose to take her silence as an affirmative.
Nell turned her attention back to Dean. “Well, Mr Rook? Are you up to the challenge?”
Chapter Four
“Um…” Dean said again, and realised how foolish he sounded. He pulled himself together. “I’m pretty sure I’m the man for the job.”
Ivy stared at him. “You’re the only man here, that’s not an impressive statement.”
Dean decided not to address that comment. “You ladies have no idea how much I wanted to join you last night. Took all my willpower to pretend I was still sleeping.”
“I told you he would hear,” Ivy said to Nell.
“If I’d known I might’ve been invited to join in, I’d have been over there like a shot. I was simply trying to be a gentleman.”
“Ooh.” Nell draped herself over the table top, shoving aside her breakfast dishes. Dean had a clear view down the front of her dress, and he swallowed hard at the sight of all that creamy skin. “You liked what you heard, then?”
“Oh yeah,” Dean said. Nell’s tongue darted out to moisten her full lower lip. Dean was pretty sure that the temperature in the room was rising.
“I’ll just leave you two to it, then.” Ivy’s chair scraped loudly on the floor as she shoved it back. “I’ll just read a book or something.”
“No!” Nell stood up and snagged Ivy’s sleeve. “You aren’t going to let him get away with bragging like that and then not see what he can do?”
Ivy shrugged and tugged out of Nell’s grip. “I know what he can do. I’ve been there before, far too many times for my liking.”
“Tell you what.” Dean scooted his chair back from the table and stretched out, legs crossed at the ankles and hands clasped behind his head. “You ladies start without me, and I’ll just enjoy the show. And if either of you have any…curiosities…that you’d like to satisfy, you just say the word.” He winked at Ivy. “I think it’s pretty safe to say you’d be pleasantly surprised. I take direction very well.”
“All right,” Nell said, and before Ivy could respond she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed her, twining a hand into Ivy’s honey coloured hair, holding her in place. After a moment, Dean saw Ivy relax and kiss her back, drifting her hand up Nell’s waist, pulling her closer. Dean’s body responded to the movement. “He’s right, you know,” Nell said against Ivy’s lips, “I am curious.”
Ivy chuckled, a deep, throaty sound that Nell caught in another kiss. “So you’ve mentioned.”
“Show me?” Nell drew Ivy along with her towards Dean.
Dean lowered his hands and sat up eagerly. He’d been looking forward to watching, but participating was even better.
“Wait.” Ivy stopped, holding Nell close. “He said he was good at taking direction.” She kissed Nell’s temple then nibbled at her earlobe. “Let’s see if it’s true, shall we?”
Nell giggled, and Dean watched the path of her hand as she slid it up Ivy’s side to cup one generous breast. Really generous, Dean thought, and fervently hoped that Ivy’s forthcoming directions would involve nudity.
“What’d you have in mind?” Nell asked, roaming her hands over Ivy’s body and making Dean jealous. “After all, I’ve never even seen a naked man before, so I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
Ivy moved Nell’s dark hair out of the way, exposing the side of Nell’s neck to her lips. She kissed and licked, and unless Dean was mistaken, gently closed her teeth on Nell’s skin. Dean wondered what Nell would taste like, what her hair would smell like, and most of all, what it would feel like if Ivy’s lips and tongue and teeth teased his neck instead. He shifted in his chair until Ivy finally spoke again.
“Let’s start with him,” Ivy said, and Dean leant forward in anticipation. “Stand up then,” Ivy said, addressing Dean directly and meeting his eyes for the first time since Nell had made the suggestion.
Dean stood, quickly, but he had only got one step towards Ivy and Nell when Ivy’s voice stopped him. “Wait,” she said, “I only told you to stand up.” She grinned at him, a mischievous twinkle in her eye, and Dean knew that she was going to enjoy making him regret his comment about following directions. For that matter, Dean was pretty sure he’d enjoy it too. He’d always had a weakness for strong women. He froze, grinning back at her.
“Apologies, milady,” he said with an exaggerated bow, and Nell burst out laughing. Dean sneaked a peek at Ivy, and she had her mouth turned to one side rather adorably as she stifled her own mirth at his theatrics.
“Nell,” Ivy said, taking a moment to run her fingers through Nell’s long curls, “wants to see a naked man. I’ve tried to tell her that it’s not all that exciting, but she needs to see with her own eyes, and I suppose I can’t blame her. Would you be so kind as to remove your clothing?”
Dean met her gaze steadily as he reached for the buttons of his shirt, trying to read something in her eyes as he pulled the shirt tails free and shrugged out of his shirt. He let it fall to the floor, but Ivy’s look was inscrutable. Not so with Nell—she watched him eagerly, her dark eyes seeming to drink him in. He stood up straighter, basking in her obvious admiration, flexing his muscles a little for her benefit as he unbuckled his belt.
“No union suit?” Ivy raised her eyebrows. “No wonder you near froze to death.”
Dean chuckled as he slid the belt from the loops. “Never been a fan of a union suit,” he said, “but that buffalo coat seems to be able to keep me warm most times. Luckily, I’m usually too canny to be caught in a blizzard.” He unbuttoned his trousers. “This time, there were extenuating circumstances, like old Chuck Taggart and his unsavoury band of horse thieves following me in a hail of bullets.”
“What did you say?”
Dean froze, his fingers tucked in the waistband of his pants, ready to tug them off. Ivy looked stricken, and Nell looked at Ivy like she’d seen a ghost. “About what?” Dean asked, unsure what he could’ve said that would have provoked such a reaction.
“Did you say Chuck Taggart?”
Dean watched them carefully, confused. “Yes?”
“Chuck Taggart stole your horse? Chuck Taggart is the one who chased you into the blizzard?” Ivy stepped away from Nell, her hands balled into fists. Nell covered her mouth, her face pale.
“Yes,” Dean said, “Why, do you know him?”
“Know him?” Ivy’s voice was higher than usual. “I’m married to him.”
Dean let go of his trousers, only to catch them again as they started to slide. He bunched the fly in one hand to hold them up and gestured to Ivy with the other. “You mean to tell me that Chuck Taggart, the horse thief, is your missing husband?”
“He isn’t dead?” Ivy asked, colour rising up her neck. She didn’t wait for an answer, turning to Nell. “All this time, he wasn’t dead. He was just off horse thieving. He isn’t dead. He just left me.”
“Ivy,” Nell said her voice full of sympathy. She clasped Ivy’s shoulders. “I’m sorry.”
Sure, Dean thought, moments away from being naked with two beautiful, willing women and I gotta go and bring up her husband. He started buttoning his fly.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Ivy said, spinning out of Nell’s grasp.
“Getting dressed?” Dean asked.
“I don’t think so. If my no good sneak of a husband is after you, and he chased you up onto this mountain, it’s only a matter of time before he’ll be here, as soon as this storm blows itself out. If you were going to survive this blizzard, this is the only place you could be.”
“But then…shouldn’t I not be naked with his wife when he arrives?” Dean knew enough about husbands to know they didn’
t take kindly to such things.
Ivy shrugged. “We better hurry, then. I think the wind might be slowing down.”
Before Dean could respond, Ivy took two quick steps, clasped her hands at the back of his neck and pulled him down to meet her lips. She kissed him hard, demanding, and Dean tried to regroup. He opened his mouth to protest, and Ivy’s tongue gained entrance, tangling with his, and Dean decided in that moment that he didn’t need to understand and wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to him as he kissed her back. He dropped his hand to the small of her back, holding her to him, letting her feel his arousal.
She slid her fingers down to find the waist of his pants and tugged hard, pulling them down around his thighs, then she broke the kiss and Dean remembered to breathe, kicking out of his trousers.
“Come here, Nell,” Ivy said, and Dean remembered she was there. The kiss with Ivy had blotted out everything—Nell, Chuck Taggart, all of it. Ivy took Nell’s hand and drew her close and Dean tried very hard not to be embarrassed while they both stood before him, perusing his assets.
“It looks…big,” Nell said, and Dean grinned at her. “Is it bigger than usual?”
“Yes,” Dean said proudly, figuring to give himself the benefit of the doubt.
“Well,” Ivy said with a smirk, “all I can say for certain is that it’s bigger than Chuck’s.”
Dean winked at her. “Guess it’s no wonder old Chuck didn’t impress you much.”
“Chuck did teach me a few things though,” Ivy said. “Things about what men like. He wasn’t concerned with me having a good time, but he always made sure he did.”
“Selfish cad,” Dean said.
Ivy ignored him. “Here Nell, I’ll show you what to do.” She dropped to her knees in front of Dean and held Nell’s hand, pulling her down to join her. “This is how you drive men wild.”
Ivy wrapped her hand firmly around his cock, and Dean clenched his teeth as she slid her fingers up his shaft and slowly off the tip. Nell followed suit, her grip more tentative than Ivy’s, but her movements faster. Once she’d finished, Nell looked at Ivy for guidance. Ivy leaned close and touched her tongue to the underside of Dean’s cock, running a hot, damp streak up until she circled the tip and took the head between her lips, into the heat of her mouth, teasing the sensitive spot at the base of the head with her tongue.
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