by Leah Brooke
He picked up his cup of coffee and settled back, gesturing toward her lunch. “Finish eating and behave yourself. Hayes and Wyatt are making their way over.”
Throughout the rest of the meal, Phoenix entertained himself by watching her, noticing that she scooted closer to Hawke—something that seemed to please Hawke enormously.
The lawmen asked questions, and with Hawke’s urging, got Sarah to tell her story. They listened closely, their expressions hardening when she spoke about Willy.
Sipping his coffee, Wyatt sat forward, his smile tender. “That was a real brave thing you did. I’m just glad Hawke found you.”
Sarah blushed again, looking up at Hawke through her lashes in a way that twisted Phoenix’s gut. “So am I. I just can’t help but think that comin’ here was a mistake. Someone’s gonna get hurt because of me.”
Not trusting the resignation in her voice, Phoenix reached for her hand. “You’re safe here. Let us worry about Willy Krenshaw and his gang.”
Hayes smiled, a tender smile he reserved for the women. “We’ve been bored lately. We need trouble to keep us on our toes. You wouldn’t want us to get lazy, would you?”
* * * *
Standing outside the chow shack several minutes later, Phoenix blinked, his smile falling. “What do you mean, you can’t ride?”
He glanced at his brothers, unsurprised to find both of them watching Sarah.
Blushing adorably, Sarah glanced sideways at Hawke through her lashes before meeting Phoenix’s gaze again. “I’ve never gone anywhere that I haven’t walked. You know I was raised in a saloon. I never needed to ride. I’ve never had the chance to ride. I’ve never gone anywhere.” Shrugging, she took a step back from Phoenix’s restless horse. “To tell you the truth, I’m scared of horses. They’re a lot bigger up close.”
Hawke’s eyes narrowed as took her hand. “I’m a lot bigger than you are, and you aren’t scared of me. Are you?”
Shrugging again, she gave him a small smile, an intimate smile that made Phoenix grit his teeth. “Sometimes.”
Hawke smiled back, a rare, gentle smile that only Sarah seemed able to bring out in him. “We’ll have to see what we can do about that.” Taking her hand, he pressed it lightly against Major’s side, holding it there when Sarah tried to jerk her hand away. “Easy. Trust me. Feel his coat. See how he settled. He likes your touch.” Although his eyes remained indulgent, he released her, but remained protectively close.
Phoenix could have sworn he heard his brother say something under his breath—something that sounded suspiciously like so do I, but he couldn’t be sure.
Taking her hand in his, Blade placed it on his chest, holding it there the way Hawke had held it against Major. “I like your touch, too.” Smiling at her gasp, Blade slid her hand inside his shirt, moving it against his chest. “Very nice. We’ll teach you to ride—horses, and us.”
* * * *
When the powerful horse shifted beside her, Sarah jolted and cried out, reaching for Hawke. “I’d never be able to control him, or you, enough to ride either one of you.”
Throwing his head back, Blade laughed, yanking her back against him. His eyes glittered with pride and affection as he pulled her close. “That wasn’t a request, wife.” Blade softened his tone, bending to touch his lips to hers. “You’ll learn to ride because it could mean the difference between life and death. Hawke and I already have a horse picked out for you.”
“You’ll learn how to control him.” Blade touched his lips to her ear, smiling when she shivered. “But, in bed, I’m going to be the one controlling you.”
Sucking in a breath, Sarah slid a glance toward Hawke, who simply stared at her with unreadable hooded eyes. Looking back at Blade, she crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin—a defiant gesture that solidified Phoenix’s plans for her. “Are you trying to scare me?”
Out of sight of any onlookers, Blade slid his hand over her breast. “No. Not this time.” Running a hand over her back, he nuzzled her neck again. “I just want to make sure you’re thinking about me today. There’ll be times when I make you nervous, but it’ll only intensify the pleasure.”
Hawke slid a hand down her hair. “We’ve got to get back to work. Behave yourself.”
Phoenix closed in behind her, bending to touch his lips to her shoulder, slightly disgruntled that she didn’t look at him the way she looked at his brothers. “Come on, Sarah. I want to show you something.”
And give you pleasure in a way that you’ll never forget.
* * * *
“It sure is a long way down.” Sarah swallowed heavily and leaned back against Phoenix, grateful for his support. “Are you sure I won’t fall?” Gripping his arm, she tried to stare straight ahead, but her gaze kept going to the ground below.
Tightening the arm beneath her breasts, he bent to nuzzle her neck, his warm lips sending a delicious thrill through her. “I won’t let you fall, Sarah. Damn it, can’t you trust me just a little?”
Struck by his tone, Sarah stiffened. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little scared. It’s a lot different than being on the buckboard.”
Phoenix sighed, running his hand over her arm. “I’m sorry for losing my temper, honey. It just makes me mad that you don’t trust me to take care of you. For the first time in my life, I have someone to take care of. It means a lot to me, Sarah.”
“I’m sorry.” Turning her head, she rubbed it against his chest, loving the way his arms felt around her.
Despite his brief show of anger, he held her the way he would hold something precious. Keeping his arm wrapped around her, he slowed his horse to a walk, his arms tightening as he nuzzled her neck. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I keep forgetting how much your life’s changed over the last few days. Ours, too.” Loosening his hold, he rubbed her stomach. “I’m a little impatient. I have a beautiful wife and I seem to be having a little trouble getting close to her.”
Sarah looked up at him over her shoulder, her heart pounding furiously at his nearness. “Do you want to be close to me?”
He wore his hat low on his forehead, shading his eyes from the hot afternoon sun, which gave him a rakish look that made her heart beat faster.
He met her frown with one of his own. “Of course. You’re my wife, just as much as you’re Hawke’s and Blade’s wife.”
Turning to face forward again, Sarah nodded, her heart sinking. “So the reason you want to be close to me is because you’re competing with Hawke and Blade. You want me to feel the same way about you.”
Phoenix fisted a hand in her hair and turned her back to face him, his eyes narrowed to slits as they raked over her features. “Yes, damn it! Something wrong with that?”
Sarah sighed. “Phoenix, I don’t know what you want me to do. Hawke and Blade are serious about being married, but I think you’re playing some kind of game. It’s not a competition. I want you to want me because you want me. Not because you feel it’s expected of you.”
Phoenix’s eyes went wide. “I’m playing a game? Hawke is one of the coldest men I’ve ever known, and you fall into his arms as if you’ve known him all your life! And I don’t want you because I think it’s expected. I want you because I want you, damn it!”
He crushed her mouth with his, his arms tightening around her. Sweeping her mouth with his devious tongue, Phoenix turned her on his lap, and with a groan, cupped her breast.
His kiss didn’t have the smooth silkiness of Blade’s, or the tenderness of Hawke’s.
Phoenix’s kiss was all hunger.
Drowning in sensation, Sarah clung to him, alarmed at the swift surge of desire. Dizzy from his kiss, she leaned into him, pressing her other breast against his chest.
He seemed to know the exact moment when she needed more, pushing the sides of her shirt aside and slipping his hand inside to close his fingers on her nipple. Swallowing her cries, he nipped at her lips before taking her mouth again.
Flames of need licked at her, so hot that she writhed against
Her pussy clenched incessantly in demand, his attention to her nipple sending sharp tugs of pleasure to her clit.
Lifting his head, he stared down at her, his breathing ragged. “Christ, I want you.” Pushing her shirt aside further, he shifted his gaze to her breast, running his finger lightly back and forth over her nipple. “I swear, I could eat you alive. You think I don’t want you? We’ll just see about that.”
Stopping at an outcropping of rock, he leaned her back over his arm and covered her breast completely with his hot, callused hand. “I know I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any other woman.”
Straightening her on the saddle again, he dismounted and reached up, wrapping his hands around her waist. “We’re about a mile west from the ranch and our cabin.”
He lifted her from the horse, his strength once again astounding her. “We’ve set up a few places like this in case one of us gets caught in a storm or is hurt. It’ll provide protection from the weather, and give you a place to hide if you need it. Everyone on the ranch knows about these places, and they’re the first places we’ll look if you’re missing. Right now, though, you and I are going to create a storm of our own.”
“How many of them are there?”
Phoenix shrugged. “Probably about two dozen, but most of them are farther away. It’s a big ranch.” Stopping, he turned her in his arms, sliding a hand down to her bottom. “One by one, we’ll explore them all."
Sarah looked around, struck by the wide open space. “I’m sure there are all kinds of wild animals and snakes.” Shivering in revulsion, she held the ends of her shirt closed as they approached what looked like a small cave.
“And there are some unfriendly Indians—not to mention men like Willy.”
Frowning, she looked up at him. “Are they unfriendly with you, too?”
His eyes narrowed. “Why? Because I’m half-Indian? We don’t all get along, you know, and Hawke, Blade, and I have never been part of a tribe. Come on. Let’s get inside.”
Worried that she’d insulted him, she tugged on his sleeve. “Phoenix, I’m sorry. I don’t understand why you’re angry. Don’t you like being an Indian?”
He paused, his eyes going wide as he turned to her. “I’m not just an Indian. I’m a half-breed. Most people don’t accept Indians or half-breeds. Neither the whites nor the Indians accept us.”
“You seem to be accepted here and in Tulsa. Besides, being half white and half Indian isn’t as bad as being raised in a whorehouse.”
His lips thinned, his eyes shooting sparks. “Damn it, Sarah—”
Shaking her head, she stepped closer. “Look, I answered your questions because I thought you were interested in my life. Why do you get insulted whenever I ask you one?” To her horror, she started to cry. “You say you want to be closer to me, and then try to put distance between us.” Turning away, she lifted her hands to cover her face, scrubbing away tears. “What am I doing here? I’m ruining everything. I don’t know how to live on a ranch. I have three husbands and I don’t even know how to be a wife to one. I don’t know how to have friends. I don’t want to insult them when they offer me something, but I don’t want Hawke to get mad when I accept something. I lean on Hawke because makes me feel safe, but you get mad at that.”
Phoenix caught her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. “Oh, honey. You’ve been through so much. Your entire world has changed, hasn’t it?”
The panic in his voice had her turning in his arms, only to be caught up against him.
Running his hand down her back, he cupped the back of her head and pressed it against his chest. “To make matters worse, you’re scared that Willy’s going to find you. Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. Put it down to wanting you so much that I can’t even think.”
Straightening, he urged her head back to smile down at her. “I’m acting like a horse with a burr under its saddle. Poor thing. Please stop crying. I can’t take it.”
Sarah sniffed, eyeing him warily. “I’m not crying.” Stunned that he seemed genuinely concerned, she smiled and laid her hands on his chest. “I want things to work between us, Phoenix. I’m proud to have you as my husband. I promise to try.”
Phoenix smiled back, a gorgeous smile that weakened her knees. “I’m the one who’s going to have to try harder. Come into the cave with me, and I’ll show you how much I want you. No. Leave your shirt open. There’s no one around except me to see you, and I can’t stop looking at you.”
Feeling decadent and more than a little naughty, Sarah smiled up at him again as he helped her up the rocks to the opening above.
Pausing at the entrance to allow her eyes to adjust, she pressed herself against his side. “Are there any snakes in here?”
Running a hand over her arm, he drew his gun. “I don’t know. You stay put while I check.”
Sarah watched him go into the cave, alarmed when he disappeared.
The cave was deeper than it appeared from outside, and when he’d been gone for several minutes, she began to get scared.
“Phoenix?”
“I’m coming.” Seconds later, he appeared, holstering his gun as he approached. “No snakes. Come on in.”
She stepped farther into the opening, stepping carefully over the uneven rocks. “Are you sure?”
Smiling, he took her hand and placed it on his chest. “Positive. I don’t ever want you to go to the back of the cave, though. There’s a huge hole in the middle, almost the entire size of the cave. It seems to go down hundreds of feet. You can’t see it without a light.”
Sarah shivered. “And you went in there?”
Phoenix grinned, a devilish grin that sent another kind of shiver through her. “I know where I’m going. As long as you walk around the edges, you’re fine. There’s about three feet of smooth rock all around the edges. I don’t want to talk about that anymore. I want to show you just how damned much I want you and do something to you that I’ve been thinking about all day.”
The temperature dropped with each step she took, making her nipples bead even tighter. “Sounds scary.”
Phoenix appeared to notice, his look of appreciation warming her as he slid his hand into her shirt again. “It will be, and then it won’t. I swear, darlin’, I could spend all day admiring your breasts.” Turning her, he hugged her from behind before his hands got busy with the rest of her buttons. “See the shelf over there?”
Her head had fallen back against his shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed. Jerking upright, she nodded, eyeing the rock formation that created a shelf. The feel of his fingers closing over her nipples had her leaning back against him for support, a moan escaping at the sharp pleasure. Nodding, she forced her eyes to stay open. “Hmm mmm.”
Several canteens lined the shelf, along with two kerosene lamps.
Phoenix pushed her hair aside and with a low groan, brushed his lips over her neck while working her shirttails free of her skirt. “There’s a box of matches up there, along with several blankets. Why don’t we take one of those blankets down and make good use of it?”
“Phoenix. Oh, God.”
He pulled her shirt free of her skirt, parting the sides to leave her breasts completely exposed. “You’re so damned beautiful. You’ve got a fire inside you that burns me every time I get near you.”
The hunger in his touch fueled her own. “Oh, Phoenix! That feels so good. You make me feel so naughty. I feel so free here.”
His gravelly chuckle sent shivers over her over skin, heightening the awareness in her nipples and slit. “Free, you’re not.” His teeth scraped over the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder as he stripped her shirt from her. “You’re tied to us and we’re never letting you go.” He untied her skirt, letting it fall to puddle at her feet. “As for naughty—naughty is good. You can be as naughty as you want to be with me—and I’m going to teach you how to be even naughtier.”
Releasing her, he went to the shelf and retrieved a blanket, throwing it over his shoulder before striding toward her again. Lifting her naked body high against his chest, he let his gaze rake over her. “As a matter of fact, I’m going to do my best to teach you to be real naughty.”
He strode a little farther back in the cave where she could hear water dripping, and where she could see another entrance that would lead even farther. The cool air felt incredible on her heated body, the darkness heightening the sense of intimacy. “Riding with your body pressed against mine and my cock pressed against that ass drove me crazy. Do you know how much I want to take you there?”
Sarah sucked in a breath, her pussy clenching. “What are you saying? Surely, you can’t mean that you want to …” Too embarrassed to put it into words, she buried her face against his shoulder, grateful for the darkness surrounding them.
She could barely see him in the low light, and hoped that he couldn’t see that she blushed.
Phoenix chuckled again, but this time his soft laughter came out even rougher and filled with tension. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
He lowered her to her feet, shook out the blanket, and spread it on the rock floor. Once he finished, he reached for her, running his hands up and down her body. “I like having you naked and at my mercy. Stay right here.”
Wrapping her arms around herself, Sarah watched Phoenix go, only to come back seconds later with her clothes.
“We’ll use your clothes and mine to protect your knees.” Turning to her, he drew her down to the blanket. “I was thinking about this all morning, and I stopped to get a tin of salve to grease that tight little bottom for my cock.” Lifting her face to his, he drew his shirt off and arranged it on the blanket. “Any time you get scared, or something hurts, just tell me.”
A cool breeze washed over her, the sound of water dripping increasing the unreality of the situation. Another shiver went through her, this one laced with sexual hunger. “I think I’m a little scared now. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Are you sure it’ll work?”
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