by Marla Monroe
“Are you okay, babe? Am I hurting you?” Carver had stopped dead still. The worry in his voice brushed aside any possible doubts she had that he truly cared about her, and not just as someone to fuck on a regular basis. Why she’d still had any lingering doubts, Vella didn’t know and really hadn’t realized she still harbored any.
“No. I’m fine. I just didn’t expect to feel so full, or that it would be so amazing,” she whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” Lance asked from below them. “I can’t stay like this forever. I’m about to blow. With him in your ass, it’s like trying to squeeze my dick through a fucking water hose.”
When Carver chuckled, she and Lance both groaned. “Stop it!”
“Hold on, babe. We’ve got you,” Carver said.
Chapter Fifteen
Carver had never been this close to someone before. Hell yeah, he’d fucked women when back with his brothers in the Rebel Riders. He’d even had his share of threesomes before, but this? This was something entirely different. It wasn’t impersonal or just scratching an itch. It was special, profound—intimate in a way nothing else ever had been for him.
Vella trusted them with her body, trusted him in a place that was normally taboo and put her in a position of being dominated. That level of trust meant almost more to him than her telling him she loved him. It meant that no matter what else happened, she would trust him with her life. Carver vowed right then as she exploded around him that he would never betray that trust.
Her orgasm sucked Lance right over, and Carver wasn’t far behind them. He felt it all the way from the top of his spine down to his balls when it began rolling through him. If he hadn’t already been leaning against the foot of the bed, Carver would have ended up kneeling on the floor.
“Son of a…” he began.
“Amazing,” Lance said at the same time. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
“Are you okay, babe?” Carver asked.
“Hmmm.”
Carver rested his forehead against her back and kissed her spine before slowly standing back up and pulling free of her.
“Is she okay, Lance?” he asked his friend this time.
“I think she’s between asleep and unconscious,” the other man said in a hoarse voice.
“I’ll be right back.” Carver cleaned up in the bathroom then ran hot water over a towel and returned to clean up their woman.
After helping Lance situate her in the middle of the bed, they finished cleaning her up and pulled the covers over her. Carver just stood there for a long time watching her sleep. That damn smile on her face had his gut all twisted up. He liked knowing he helped put it there. Finally he left her to sleep and closed the door to the bedroom so he and Lance could talk out their differences between them. As long as he was alive, he’d never let something between him and the other man touch her.
“She’s perfect for us,” Lance said, handing him a cup of coffee.
“Yeah. You’re right. I’ve never felt so at peace as when I’m with her,” he admitted.
“We need to make sure we’re in agreement about things so that she doesn’t feel any tension between us, man.” Lance sat on one of the big chairs in front of the fireplace.
“I agree. I love her, but more than that. I worship the ground she walks on,” Carver told the other man. “Whatever she needs, we’re going to give it to her. You’re going to always handle the emotional part of it, and I’ll be the bad guy if I need to be for her health and safety. That way she never has to feel that we’re both mad at her.”
Lance chuckled. “I like how we work things out together.”
Carver frowned then thought about it. “Yeah, well, I bet you agree with me, don’t you?”
“I’m almost afraid to say no.” When Carver started to argue with him, Lance held up his hand. “I’m kidding. You’re right.”
“I’m no good at the emotional stuff, and you are. You need help with keeping her safe and providing for her. I can do that. We each do what we’re good at but discuss it with each other if we need to or if it’s something that is going to affect all of us.” Carver watched the other man to see what he was thinking.
“I agree. From what I have gathered talking with Jonathan and McCall—well, maybe not McCall. He doesn’t really talk much. Grunts a lot like you do.” Lance ducked when Carver threw a pillow at him. “Anyway, that’s how everyone around here handles things within their families. One of the men is always more adept at one part of the relationship, and the other handles the rest.”
“I did a little looking around before I headed off this afternoon,” Carver began. “They have an excellent community set up here. I counted fifteen cabins that are family ready or already have families in them. Five or six of them have been added on to, so we know they have children or have one on the way.”
“Abe and his family live in the main lodge, and then if they don’t have a cabin ready when someone else shows up, they stay there until one is built,” Lance told him. “They have cattle, hogs, chickens, goats, and horses. They also have two wells with pumps and are building a new root cellar that will hold more and keep food better.”
“You found out quite a bit. Any idea how many families there are here?” Carver asked.
“Jonathan said there are a total of ten, plus us, makes eleven now. Said there were two or three other families they expect next spring, but they weren’t able to travel yet. One has a brand-new baby. One was about to have a baby, and one had a very sick child, I think.”
“Do you think there’s anyone here that’s going to cause trouble with me staying?” Carver finally asked. “I don’t want anyone bothering Vella because of me. First of all, I’d throw a fit they wouldn’t like, and second of all, she doesn’t deserve that.”
“I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. They seemed satisfied that if Vella wanted you then you were okay. We’ll see over time. That’s all we can do. With winter coming up soon, we’re going to be working hard to get ready.” Lance looked around the room. “I think they’ve winterized all the cabins already, but we need more wood chopped and to find out how we handle getting food other than what we trap.”
“I would never hurt her, Lance, but I can be harsh and not think things through. Don’t let me jeopardize my relationship with her by accident. Remind me sometimes to do something that will make her smile so she knows how important to me she is. That is the main thing I’m worried about. I’m scared I’ll lose her love because I don’t know how to keep it—I don’t know—going.” Carver shrugged. “You know what I mean.”
The other man smiled and nodded. “I honestly don’t think you have to worry about that. Somehow you do things for her that seem normal to me, but to her they are important. The fact that you walked all that way to get her clothes when we first found her meant more to her than you may ever understand. Then on top of that, you brought her all of that smell-good stuff, and she cried every time she put some on her hands or washed her hair.”
“It made her cry? Why didn’t you tell me? It wasn’t supposed to make her cry. You should have gotten rid of it.” Carver jumped up and started to pace.
“Hey. Hold on, Carver. You really don’t get it, do you?” Lance stood up. “They’re happy tears, you idiot. She loves the stuff you got her. It just overwhelms her that you thought so much of her that you spent time looking for it and then brought so much of it back to her.”
“Happy tears?” he asked. “There’s such a thing as happy tears? I’m fucked. I’ll never figure out how to handle her.” Carver sat back down and propped his head on his hands.
“You don’t have to, Carver.”
He jerked his head up and looked over to where Vella stood next to him with a sleepy smile on her face. He hadn’t heard her open the bedroom door. Some protector he was.
“All you have to do is be yourself. Lance will be himself, and we’ll all get along just fine. I don’t want you to try and figure anything out or cha
nge who you are. I love you just like this. You’re perfect.” She kissed him tenderly on the lips and then on each cheek. Then she walked over to where Lance sat and did the same to him. “You’re both perfect the way you are. If you change, you won’t be the men I fell in love with.”
Carver got up and walked over to where she stood next to Lance’s chair. He picked her up in his arms and hugged her as tight as he dared without hurting her. She was perfect, just like he and Lance had said earlier.
“Have I ever told you how much I love these tattoos you’re sporting?” she asked him out of the blue.
“Uh, no. Thanks.” He wasn’t sure where she was going with this.
“I want to trace them with my tongue. Are there a lot of them? Because I don’t think I’ve gotten to really see them all up close and everything. There’s never been a lot of light.” She kissed his neck then licked over to his chin.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of them. It might take a while to get to all of them,” he said, getting into her little game.
“Let’s start with the ones I can see, and then tomorrow, before it gets dark again, we need to explore the rest of them.” She pulled out of his arms but clasped his hand in hers. She looked over at Lance and curved one of the fingers of her other hand to get him to follow them.
“Are you sure you want me, too? I can always come to bed later, hon.” Lance grinned at them. “I’ll keep the dog company.”
Carver studied the other man closely but saw no hint of jealousy or resentment. He was truly okay with him and Vella going off together without him. Suddenly he didn’t want that yet.
“Come on, man. The dog is fine in here, but I think I need some help with our wife right now. She’s gotten a little out of hand lately,” he said, forcing his mouth into a smile.
“Wow!” Vella said, looking up at him.
He frowned. “What?”
“Smile again. I’ve never seen you smile all the way like that. I love it. You’re so damn good-looking,” she told him.
Carver shook his head but smiled down at her. It didn’t take nearly as much effort as the first time had. Actually, it felt kind of good.
“Watch out!” Lance called out with a huge grin, jumping away from them.
“What?” he and Vella asked at the same time.
“Lightning’s going to strike. You actually smiled!”
“Asshole,” Carver said, popping him on the back of the head.
“Boys.”
Carver happily followed Vella back into the bedroom. Lance poked him in the back, telling him to hurry up. This was what a real family felt like. He would do whatever it took to protect his and help their new community protect theirs, as well. This was what life was supposed to be like, and he knew they’d found their forever home.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marla Monroe has been writing professionally for about eleven years. Her first book with Siren was published in January of 2011, and she now has over 70 books available. She loves to write and spends every spare minute either at the keyboard or reading. She writes everything from sizzling-hot contemporary cowboys, emotionally charged BDSM, and dangerously addictive shifters, to science fiction ménages with the occasional badass biker thrown in for good measure.
Marla lives in the southern US and works full-time at a busy hospital. When not writing, she loves to travel, spend time with her cats, and read. She’s always eager to try something new and especially enjoys the research for her books. She loves to hear from readers about what they are looking for next in their reading adventures.
You can reach Marla at [email protected], or visit her website at www.marlamonroe.com
Her blog: www.themarlamonroe.blogspot.com
Twitter: @MarlaMonroe1
Facebook: www.facebook.com/marla.monroe.7
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