by Leah Brooke
Knowing how completely she responded to them, and the sense of connection she experienced with them each time they touched her, scared her even more.
Whether they decided that they still wanted to marry her or not, her heart would be broken. Before she left town, however, they could make her fall in love with them even more, making the hurt even worse.
“What are you going to do to me?” She gulped heavily as he turned, her stomach tightening when she saw he held a coil of rope. “What are you going to do with that rope?”
She took a step back, and then another, crying out in surprise when she encountered an immovable object.
She hadn’t even heard Wyatt move.
His arms came around, trapping her against him. Nuzzling her neck, he chuckled softly.
“Let me help you out of this shirt before Hayes loses his temper. If you give him what he wants, he might just go a little easier on you—something you might want to remember for the future.”
Hayes stopped several feet in front of her and looked up toward the top of the tree. With an expert flick of his wrist, he sent one end of the rope sailing over a thick branch several feet over her head.
Savannah shivered as Wyatt unbuttoned her shirt, parted and lifted the ends. Holding her hands above her head, he made quick work of tying her wrists together with her shirt, leaving her breasts bared and her unable to cover herself.
Hayes took full advantage, his eyes raking over her and making her tender nipples bead even more.
He’d been right about how exposed she would feel with the cool air blowing over her breasts, but she hadn’t anticipated having her arms lifted over her head. It lifted her breasts and made them even more sensitive, the position adding a vulnerability she’d never experienced.
The feel of the abrasive rope touching her hands made her jump and try to pull away, but Wyatt overpowered her, keeping her arms held high and pulling the loop in the rope tight around her wrists.
“What do you think you’re doing? Untie me right now!”
Reaching around her, Wyatt ran the tips of his callused fingers over her beaded nipples, the delicate friction sending shards of tingling heat racing through her veins, heat that seemed to all concentrate at her slit.
“The material of your shirt will keep your wrists protected from the rope no matter how hard you struggle.”
Hayes tugged the end of the rope he held, pulling her arms higher, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at her breasts.
“And you will struggle—but not because you want to escape.” Reaching out, he tapped a nipple, sending another jolt of delight to her already overloaded system.
The reminder that he and Wyatt could do anything they wanted to her breasts increased her sense of vulnerability.
His eyes glittered with the knowledge of her helplessness.
“It’ll be because you’re going to want to come so badly, you’ll be struggling to get closer.”
“Bastard!”
She tugged against her bonds, but Hayes held the other end of the rope firmly. Being exposed outdoors with Wyatt had been exciting and dangerous, but it hadn’t been anything like this.
Her love and need for both of them changed everything.
She knew to her soul that she was as safe as she wanted to be with them.
They didn’t say it, but their caring and love for her shone in their eyes. Startled to realize how much she wanted to give in to them, she reminded herself of the trouble her uncle would make.
The town and everything they wanted to build would be destroyed before it ever got started.
She had to resist what she’d discovered to be the most important thing in the world.
Love.
“Let me go. I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but it’s not funny.”
Hayes never took his eyes from hers as he tied the rope off, securing it to the trunk of the tree.
“I’m not laughing, Savannah.”
Wary of his mood, Savannah looked over her shoulder, searching for Wyatt. She spotted him leaning against the trunk of the tree Hayes had tied her to, his arms crossed over his chest.
He gave her a slow wink. “Oh, I’m here, darlin’. You belong to both of us all right, but it’s Hayes’s turn. Sometimes we’ll make love to you, or like now, play with you, separately. Sometimes together. Either way, we’ll both know what the other did to you.”
Hayes brought her attention back to him by running a finger over her breast, using his fingertip to circle, but not quite touch, her nipple.
“There’ll be no secrets between us. This wouldn’t work if there were. So, you want to tell me why you put something in our food that put us to sleep?”
Biting back a moan, she arched toward him, trying to get him to touch the aching tip. Frustrated that he managed to avoid it, she tugged at the ropes, wondering why the strong sense of helplessness excited her so much when she’d fought her entire life not to be helpless.
“I’m sorry for that, but you asked for it. Hayes!”
She watched in fascination as he lowered his head, calling out his name at the feel of his warm breath on her nipple. She couldn’t hold back a gasp when his tongue flicked over it, her sharp intake of breath becoming a cry when the cool breeze blew over it. The dampness he’d left behind made it even colder, a sensation that made her nipple bead even tighter and sent a fresh rush of pleasure to her pussy.
With his mouth poised just inches from her nipple, he circled the other, avoiding her attempts to get his mouth on her again.
The cool patience of a lawman gleamed in the eyes he raised to hers.
“I’m waiting for an answer, Savannah.”
Rubbing her thighs together did nothing to ease the throbbing ache that settled there, an ache she would bet he knew about.
He and Wyatt always seemed to know what her response would be to everything they did to her before she did.
She’d never expected to meet men as strong and unwavering as the Tylers, but Wyatt and Hayes had shown themselves to be that and more.
Their patience appeared to know no bounds, and the tenderness and desire for her weakened her knees.
If she had been able to stay, she knew she would have spent the rest of her life asserting herself, and loving every minute of it. The challenge of standing up to not one, but two determined husbands would keep her on her toes.
She could do no less than keep them on theirs.
Hayes tapped a nipple, frowning.
“I’m waiting, Savannah.”
Reminding herself that she had to stand firm against them if she was to have any chance at all of leaving here with her dignity, she fought the wave of longing his touch created.
Throwing her head back, she thrust her breasts out, close to begging.
“Because I wanted to be left alone, damn it.”
Hayes rewarded her by giving her nipples the attention she’d been dying for, rolling them between his thumbs and forefingers.
“Don’t ever do it again. We can’t protect you that way, and we sure as hell have no intention of walking away from you.”
Before she could reply, he bent and took her nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it and heating the cold tip.
Crying out at the sharp contrast, she stood on her toes, arching her back and struggling to get closer. She couldn’t hide anything this way, certainly not how much she wanted them.
Letting them see would only give them more ammunition to use against her. Hoping to hide her desire behind anger, she clenched her jaw, hoping that they would only see irritation in her eyes.
“Why are you doing this to me? Why can’t you just take me and be done with it?”
If he took her the way he had that night in Kansas City, she could hide her face and they would never know.
“Because I want to get your attention, and make sure you’re not going anywhere. I want to talk to you and get some answers, but you seem hell-bent on avoiding us. I also notice that, although you don�
��t lie, you don’t answer or commit to something. You just stand there and let us think everything is settled, when it’s not.”
Remembering the first time they’d brought her out here to the pond, when she’d done that very thing, she felt her face burn, crying out again when Hayes straightened and tapped her other nipple.
“You just told Eb that you were going to marry us, and as soon as he walked away, you changed your mind.”
She shivered when he walked around her, the tips of his fingers running over her breasts, her belly, her shoulders, her back, everywhere, sensitizing every inch of skin he touched.
“There are rules, Savannah.”
That cold tone sent a shiver up her spine, one that he intensified by running his finger up the center of her back.
“Rules you will follow.”
His hands moved slowly around her, tickling slightly as his fingertips moved over her waist. His lips brushed over her raised arms as his fingertips moved over her belly, making the muscles there quiver as he reached for the fastening of her pants.
“Rules made to keep women safe. Rules to keep men from acting like savages around them. Rules made to entice other women to come here. You’ll abide by those rules just as much as we will. We won’t beat our women, but a nice spanking to warm that bottom and a little play will go a long way in getting our message across.”
His demeanor changed in a heartbeat, becoming brisk and hurried as he moved around to stand in front of her. He yanked her pants to the top of her boots, cursing as he worked them off. A few tugs later, he managed to get them over her boots and straightened. Tossing them to hang over the rope by his shoulder, he took a step back, his eyes glittering hotly as they moved over her.
“You’re subject to those rules. You’ll obey them, and we’ll enforce them for everyone, but especially with you. I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but I’m not about to let you make a mistake that could get you killed. You shouldn’t be alone out there, and you know damned well that you love us or you wouldn’t have given yourself to us in the first place.”
With a booted foot, he slid her feet several inches apart and placed both feet between them so she couldn’t close her legs.
“Damn, woman, you frustrate me. You’re as unpredictable as a brush fire.”
Savannah shrugged, secretly thrilled.
“A woman doesn’t like to be too predictable and boring.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she recognized them as her mother’s. A wave of depression washed over her, dousing her desire like a cup of cold water. To her surprise, Hayes seemed to notice immediately.
His eyes sharpened and narrowed on hers, the concern in them almost her undoing. To her further shock, he started to reach for her before fisting his hands at his sides, his eyes hooded as they moved over her.
“I have a feeling being bored is the last thing I have to worry about with you. A moral, passionate woman who goes out of her way to help others, and who’s brave enough to face the world alone and then take on two husbands. Wyatt and I are lucky men.”
Wyatt grinned. “And we’re about to get luckier.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him go back to his saddlebag and return with a small tin in his hand. Recognizing it, she shivered as he moved behind her, the feel of his rough clothes on her bare skin renewing her awareness.
“What are you going to do with that salve?”
The feel of the cool air blowing over her damp folds sent another wave of longing through her, her need apparent in the moisture that he gathered when he slid his fingers between her thighs.
“You’re wrong about me. Don’t make me into something I’m not. I can’t stay in Desire. Oh!”
She gasped as Hayes slid a finger into her, clamping down on it as her need for him took over. She started to rock her hips, moaning at the sensation of his finger moving inside her. Staring into his eyes, she knew where she belonged. Just seconds before, her desire had waned, but one touch from either of them could stoke the flames and reignite embers she’d thought had gone cold.
“Damn you. How do you do this to me? It’s not fair. You’re stronger and—oh, God!”
The brush of Wyatt’s clothed body against her nakedness as he moved in behind her made her feel even more exposed, but the rough hands he placed over the cheeks of her bottom sent her arousal soaring.
Pulling her cheeks apart, he touched her forbidden opening, and no matter how hard she clenched the cheeks of her bottom, she couldn’t close against him.
His lips moved against her hair, his deep voice almost a whisper.
“You’re a lot more powerful than you think, darlin’. Hayes and I can’t even sleep at night because we’re thinking of you. You walk across the yard in those damned pants and my cock gets hard as a rock.”
Savannah stilled, filled with trepidation at the slight pain as Hayes closed his teeth over a nipple. She found it even more amazing that the danger excited her, the thrill of being naked outside and being so defenseless against whatever Hayes and Wyatt decided to do to her.
Hayes withdrew, sliding his slick finger over her clit, his eyes flaring at her strangled cry.
“We’re going to get her ready. Not yet, though. I’ll tell you when. I’ve got a few more things to discover before that.”
Chuckling softly, Wyatt removed his finger and slid his other hand up to cover her breast.
“I guess it’s only fair that you get what you want this time since I got to spank her.”
Hayes smiled, a wicked smile filled with sinful intent. He aimed his words at Wyatt, but his eyes remained steady on hers.
“Yes, you said she liked it. We already knew our little Savannah had fire. I’m anxious to see how far we can push her.” His eyes sharpened and narrowed to slits.
“She likes this. She likes being vulnerable and exposed. She likes the things we do to her. I don’t think she really understands that hurting a woman isn’t the way to get her attention. It’s through pleasure and just enough danger to keep her on edge.”
Relieved, and oddly disappointed that Wyatt had removed his finger, she stared up at Hayes, mesmerized by his glittering eyes.
“The way you make me feel is sinful. I’ve never felt like this with anyone else before.”
Rolling her clit between his fingers, he ran his other hand over her hair.
“You ever do and you’ll get your ass paddled so hard you won’t sit for days. Putting bruises on you is sinful, Savannah. Beating you and forcing you to be a slave is sinful. We’re just two men who want to marry you. We want to pleasure you—and we sure as hell want to make sure you don’t get yourself hurt or killed.”
Frustrated that she couldn’t use her arms to pull him closer, Savannah groaned.
“By tying me to a tree?”
Hayes slid his fingers through her folds and into her, stroking her inner flesh, his body stiffening when she cried out and clamped down on him.
“Don’t try to tell me you’re not enjoying this. Your thighs are soaked with your juices, and only my restraint is keeping you from coming. You’ll remember this, Savannah. The next time you even think about doing something like that to us again, you’ll remember this.”
With a low curse, he released her and reached for the fastening of his pants. His hands shook as he yanked them to his knees, his eyes swirling with need and possessiveness.
Savannah couldn’t help but look down, her breath catching when she saw the size of his cock, hardly able to believe she’d taken such a huge thing into her body. It looked so hard and threatening, so big around she didn’t even think she could get her hand around it.
Thinking about holding his cock in her hand made her long to touch it.
She wondered what he would think of her if he knew how desperately she wanted him.
Shaking uncontrollably, she rubbed her thighs together, stopping abruptly when Hayes stepped forward again and reached for her, taking her bottom into his hard, warm han
ds and lifting her against him.
Feeling his warm, firm body against hers, she wanted to cry. It seemed like forever since she’d been held like this.
She hadn’t realized just how much she needed to be held by him again.
Wrapping her legs around him, she closed her eyes on a moan as his cock jumped against her center, rocking her hips against the hard length of it.
Memories of how it felt inside her came crashing back.
The heat. The passion. The feeling of being cherished.
She wanted it all again so badly she would have given almost anything to stay.
Anything except the future happiness of the people she loved.
With a strong arm at her back, Hayes pulled her closer, his eyes glittering with need as his hold effectively stopped her squirming.
“No. You’re going to come with my cock inside you.”
With his hands on her hips, he moved her back slightly and thrust into her with one smooth motion, filling her with his amazing heat.
She stilled, the shock of being filled so completely making it impossible to move. Her pussy walls clenched repeatedly as she struggled to adjust to the size of him, his hard cock forcing her inner walls to yield.
He held himself still, his jaw clenching as he searched her features, his body tense as though poised to withdraw if she needed him to. Holding her to him with one arm, he ran the fingers of the other through her hair.
“Easy, honey. I won’t move until your body accepts me.”
Nothing he could have said or done would have convinced her more that, although he and Wyatt appeared to be in charge, she actually held all the cards.
Relief, love, desire, and an unbelievable sense of freedom washed over her, the combination making her light-headed. Feeling more powerful than she’d ever felt in her life, she looked up at him through her lashes and dug her heels into his tight bottom to keep him inside, inadvertently taking him even deeper.
“I’m not delicate.”
If he withdrew from her now, she wouldn’t be able to stand it.
Having him inside her, being surrounded by his and Wyatt’s heat and strength and held as if he never wanted to let her go, felt like she’d always imagined coming home should feel.