by Leah Brooke
The chill of his wet hair on her breast and abdomen made her jolt, but the heat of his lips on the spot on her side where she’d been shot quickly warmed her again.
Blade smiled. “Let’s join him.” He moved to the other side of the bed and knelt beside her, bending his head to run his tongue over the scar on her thigh.
Phoenix knelt next to him, smiling as he lowered his head to the now healed bullet wound on her shoulder. Running his lips and tongue over it, he ran a hand over her hair. “Delicious.”
Lifting his head, Hawke stroked her nipples with the ends of her hair, smiling at her gasp. “Does this feel like we think anything about you is ugly?”
Feeling their lips and tongues moving over the sensitized, newly healed flesh, Sarah moaned and writhed beneath them. “Oh, God.” To have them all touch her this way made every erogenous zone in her body grow hot and tingle for attention.
“You really don’t mind them?”
Blade lifted his head and spread her thighs, running his hand up and down her inner thigh with a gentle demand that made her pussy clench. “We mind because we didn’t protect you. That won’t happen in the future. You’ll behave yourself and do everything in your power to protect yourself.”
Hawke pressed another kiss to her side, running his tongue over her scar before lifting is head again to slide his tongue over her nipple, his expression hard. “Including doing what we tell you to do. If you go anywhere, at least one of us had better know about it, or if we’re not around, tell one of the men here. Do you understand me?”
“Yes!” Sarah moaned again, writhing continuously under their hands and lips.
Blade’s hand moved over her thigh as he traced his lips over the spot where she’d been shot.
Phoenix used his lips on the wound on her shoulder, running his hand over her breast and teasing her nipple, while Hawke moved his damp hair over the other.
Lifting his head from the wound on her side, Hawke stared into her eyes. “Once you get your strength back, I’m going to show you just how damned much I want you.” Straightening, he reached for her other thigh and eased it back, watching her face as he spread her thighs wide. “In the meantime, I’m going to use my mouth on you. You’re gonna take a damned nap. After you come a couple of times, maybe you won’t fight it so much.”
Holding her other thigh, Blade smiled down at her, a smile filled with wicked intent. “You get the first one. I’ll take care of the second.”
Hawke moved between her thighs and lowered his head to her slit. “Phoenix, get on the other side of her and help Blade hold her as still as possible. I don’t want her thrashing around and hurting herself.”
Sarah bucked at the slide of Hawke’s tongue over her slit, but the three of them held firm, not allowing her to move more than an inch or two in any direction. “Hawke!” His hot mouth on her clit drove her wild, his lips closing over it as he flicked his tongue over it with a speed and firmness that sent her over in a rush of heat and pleasure. “Oh, God. Oh, God.”
The muscles in her thighs tightened painfully as the sizzling heat washed over her, and although she pushed at Blade and Hawke, she couldn’t budge either one of them. “It’s too much. Oh, my God.”
Lifting his head, Hawke licked his lips, shiny with her juices. “Already, little one? I was just getting started.”
“My turn.” Blade changed places with his brother, his eyes alight with anticipation. “Let’s see if I can drag it out and make the second one last a little longer.”
Phoenix bent to close his lips over her nipple while Hawke held her thighs, lowering his head to run his lips and tongue over her wounds. “She’s already weak. Be easy with her.”
Blade grinned. “So easy that she’s gonna beg for relief.”
Sarah moaned, never feeling more cherished. More wanted.
More adored.
Blade’s tongue moved over her clit with a slow deliberation that sent her senses reeling. He teased her, running his tongue over the sensitized bundle of nerves, easing her back toward release when she hadn’t even fully come down from the last orgasm.
“Blade. Please.”
Lifting his head slightly, he chuckled, the sound vibrating over her clit. “Already begging, love? We’re going to have to work on your endurance in more ways than one, aren’t we?”
Phoenix lifted his head, staring down at her with eyes dark with hunger. “We’re gonna have to work on her stamina for sure. Once we build her strength up, we’re gonna have to see how long we can play with her without letting her come.”
Hawke’s hand slid from her belly to her breast, his eyes filled with tender indulgence. “Does this feel like we don’t want you?”
Sarah tried to writhe, and found to her surprise that instead of frightening her, their firm holds excited her more.
Still holding her thigh, Hawke laughed softly and bent to touch his lips to hers. “You like being held this way. Interesting.”
Blade slid his tongue into her pussy, groaning when she clenched on it. He teased her mercilessly, sliding it in and out of her until she bucked again. Lifting his head, he brushed his tongue over her clit. “We’ll have to tie her to the bed sometime and have our way with her.”
Just the thought of it sent another wave of need through her, a wave that washed over the others and combined into something so intense, she reached for Hawke. “Please, Hawke. I can’t stand anymore.”
Heat—sizzling heat—seemed to touch her everywhere, the pressure building inside her with every swipe of Blade’s tongue.
Hawke’s and Phoenix’s attention to her nipples increased the pleasure until she thought she would burst.
She didn’t have the strength to fight it, or them.
Resigned to allowing Blade to have his way, she whimpered and begged again for release. “Blade, please. I ache so bad.” Her thighs trembled, every muscle in her body quivering with pleasure.
Lifting his head, Blade stared down at her, sliding a finger into her pussy as he stroked his thumb over her clit. “Are you going to take a nap without arguing?”
“Yes.” She’d do anything to go over again, her breath catching in anticipation of the ecstasy ahead. “I promise.”
Hawke tightened his fingers on her nipple. “And no more stupid stunts. We can handle any trouble that comes along, but I won’t have you putting yourself in danger again.”
“I promise. I’ll do whatever you want.” She was so close that every slide of Blade’s finger sent a shiver through her. She clenched on his finger, wishing he would take her, but she knew none of them would until she got stronger.
Nothing else could have been a better incentive.
“Good girl. We’re going to hold you to that. Now, be a good girl and stay still.” Blade bent again, his hot mouth replacing his finger. Closing his lips over her clit, he began to suck it, the quick flicks of his tongue sending her over within seconds.
Crying out, she clung to Hawke and Phoenix, who watched her with eyes that glittered. “Yes! Oh, God.” Her orgasm took the last of her energy, leaving her weak as the waves of pleasure washed over her.
They seemed to roll through her, sweeping her along in a rush of heat that she couldn’t control.
“That’s my girl.” Blade’s voice, filled with male satisfaction, seemed to come from a distance, the hands that moved over her and the soothing words of love and caring lulled her into a world of warm and happiness that she never wanted to leave.
* * * *
Blade felt her slump, and smiled as he lifted his head. “She’s asleep.” Licking his lips, he savored the taste of her and slid his hands up her thighs. Frowning, he covered her with the sheet, not wanting her to get chilled as the pleasure wore off. “I didn’t expect that. I thought she knew how we felt.”
Phoenix shrugged. “Women always want to hear the words.”
Hawke nodded. “I’d like hearing the words myself. The only time she’s ever said it was when I asked her if she was happy here. She as
ked me how she could be unhappy when she’s with the men she loves.”
Blade nodded. “She loves us. She’s proven it over and over, but doesn’t seem to recognize it in us.”
Phoenix straightened the sheet over her and rose to his feet again. Staring down at her, he ran his hand over her hair. “Maybe she’s scared.”
Blade frowned. “Of what?”
Hawke sighed and ran a hand over her arm, smiling when she rolled toward him. “What the hell security has she ever had in her life? She’s probably just scared that someone’s gonna pull the rug out from under her. We’re gonna have to be patient.”
Blade nodded. “Yeah. She actually thought we wouldn’t want her anymore after Phoenix got shot.”
Phoenix sighed, looking up to meet Hawke’s gaze. “And she sure as hell was shaken when you got mad at her for being on the porch instead of in bed. She seems to think that anytime one of us gets mad, it’s at her, and that being mad at her means we don’t love her anymore.”
Hawke’s stomach clenched, the reminder of the kind of life she’d had making him physically ill. “We can’t really blame her for that. It sounds like she walked on eggshells her entire life, trying not to draw attention to herself. Now that she’s here, she’s got all kinds of attention. It’s given her confidence in some ways, but not enough.”
Phoenix bent to touch his lips to her hair, smiling at her soft sigh. “We’re just gonna have to be patient and let her know that being mad at her doesn’t mean we don’t love her.”
Chapter Seventeen
Sarah smiled at the cheers and shouts of encouragement coming from the paddock. Deciding that she’d done enough sewing for now, she got up to stretch, pleased that she felt stronger now than she ever had in her life.
Duke appeared, studying her from the doorway of the chow shack. “You all right?”
Grinning, Sarah nodded, and bent to put her sewing back into the basket. “I’m great. I swear, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good in my entire life.” Straightening, she wrinkled her nose at him. “Must be all that delicious food you make.”
Duke grunted. “I just cook it. It’s your men who practically force feed you. How about a glass of milk? Savannah’s in here having some.”
Another loud cheer had her turning. “Thanks, but no. I’ve been sitting too long. I want to go see what all the commotion’s about. I’ll be back in time to help with supper.”
With a wave, she raced down the porch steps and around the corner, hurrying toward the paddock before whatever the men were cheering about was over.
As soon as she rounded the cabin, she could see men all around the fenced area. Even from this distance, she recognized Hawke and Blade. Dressed in buckskins, they stood out from the crowd, but she would have known their lean, muscular forms anywhere.
A crowd of men stood around the wooden fence, calling out shouts of encouragement.
Curious and anxious to see Hawke and Blade again, she started toward them, her boots squishing in the mud from the thunderstorms of the night before. Holding her skirts up to keep them from getting muddy, she wished she’d worn her buckskin dress and leggings.
Grinning, she ran up to them, stunned that despite the shouts and cheers from the other men all around them, they somehow sensed her presence and turned in unison to face her.
Hawke smiled faintly, his eyes flaring as she placed her hand in his outstretched one. “Hello, love.” His gaze raked over her as he pulled her to his side. “Something wrong?”
“No.” Smiling up at Blade, she leaned against Hawke, loving the solid warmth of his body supporting hers. “I was sitting on the front porch sewing, and I heard a commotion. What’s going on?” Her eyes widened when she saw that the great attraction was Phoenix riding a horse that bucked wildly. “Oh, dear Lord!”
Covering her eyes, she turned to press her face against Blade’s chest, tightening her hand on Hawke’s. “Every time I see one of you do this, it gives me chills.”
Hawke slid a hand down her back, bending to touch his lips to her ear. “Imagine what I felt like when I looked up and saw you going head to head with an outlaw.”
Turning her head, she stuck her tongue out of him. “I know. I know. I promised not to ever do anything like that again.” Straightening, she watched Phoenix again. “Besides, I heard from Duke that you were real proud of my spunk.”
Blade tugged at her braid. “Duke has a big mouth—and even though we thought you were brave, and appreciated that you wanted to defend us, I’d be real thankful if you never did anything like that again. It was brave. Stupid, but brave.”
Aware of the other men glancing at them and smiling before turning their attention back to phoenix, she sighed. “I know. No more spunk.”
Blade chuckled softly, not taking his eyes from Phoenix. “You can have all the spunk you want. In bed.” He stiffed beside her when the horse spun Phoenix so fast it made her dizzy.
“Oh, God. He’s gonna get thrown.”
Aware of Blade’s hard body warming her from behind, she cried out in fear when Phoenix was almost bucked off again. His grin flashed as he seemed to get the horse under control again, clearly enjoying himself.
* * * *
Blade ran a hand over her hair, once again stunned by the swell of pride that she belonged to his brothers and him.
“Phoenix!” Her shout of terror and the horror in her eyes, like a fist around his heart, had him whipping his head around to the enclosure just in time to see his younger brother fly through the air and land hard on the muddy ground.
Hawke had already started over the fence when Blade gripped Sarah shoulders. “Stay right here.”
Blade vaulted over the fence as several ranch hands made their way toward his prone brother, each of them watching the wild horse warily. Knowing that only he and Hawke could handle the black stallion, he gritted his teeth and confident that Phoenix would be taken care of, took the rope attached to his belt and began to edge toward the clearly angry stallion.
Hawke approached from the other side, and working together, they kept the horse between them and away from the others.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the ranch hands help Phoenix to his feet, and blocked out the shouts of encouragement and focused on the task at hand.
Sarah cried out, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her racing toward Phoenix and dangerously close to Hawke. It distracted him just as he released his rope, which landed over the stallion’s head a split second after Hawke’s.
The fear of seeing Sarah race to Phoenix’s side distracted him just enough that if it weren’t for Hawke’s hold on the rope, Blade would have been trampled. It took several minutes before he and Hawke got the horse under control again, his fear strengthening to fury by the time he and Hawke had the horse back under control and secured in his stall.
After giving instructions, he turned away, his anger even hotter. The mental image of turning his wife over his lap and reddening her ass made him feel only slightly better.
Wiping his hands, he turned to his brother, unsurprised to see that Hawke’s eyes glittered with the same fury. “She disobeyed me. I’ll take care of it.”
Hawke’s lips thinned. “She’s my wife, too. I’ll be there and if you don’t take care of it properly, I will. I want her to see our anger.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle her. Before I do, let’s go check on Phoenix. He hit hard.”
Hawke grimaced. “He was showing off for Sarah. He let himself be distracted.”
Blade smiled and shook his head, some of his anger melting away. “You see too much. She didn’t seem to distract you, though.”
“I knew where she was the entire time.” Something came and went in his eyes, a glitter that disappeared as fast as it had appeared. “I was the only thing standing between her and the stallion. She needed me to do my job.”
Blade cursed under his breath. “Hell.”
“She put herself in danger. We can’t have that.”
&nb
sp; Blade nodded, determined to teach his wife a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget. “No. We can’t.”
Chapter Eighteen
Dropping to the ground, Sarah gripped Phoenix’s hand, fear tightening her stomach. “Phoenix! Are you all right?”
The other men tried to push her aside, but she wouldn’t let go.
Phoenix shrugged off their help, smiling his thanks. “I’m fine, darlin’. You really don’t think you’re gonna get rid of me that easy, do you?” Wrapping his arm around her, he started toward the fence, limping slightly. “That’s what I get for showing off.”
Walking on the other side of him, Jeremiah scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sure Hawke and Blade are gonna have something to say about that, so I won’t bother. Uh-oh. Well, it looks like someone’s in for some trouble.”
Pursing his lips, Jeremiah shook his head and narrowed his eyes at Sarah. “If Maggie had done what you just did, she’d be in big trouble. You ran out there and put yourself in danger. I’m real sure Hawke and Blade will have something to say about that. If not, I know the rest of us will.”
Sarah’s knees weakened, his dark stare making her mouth dry. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to get to Phoenix.”
“No excuse.” He looked back over his shoulder and nodded. “Yep. You’re in trouble. Good. The women around here need a strong hand.” Smiling, he shared a look with Phoenix. “They all seem to be a bit stubborn.”
Sighing, Phoenix nodded and ran a hand down her back, warming her. “That’s because they’re spoiled.”
Throwing his head back, Jeremiah laughed as he walked off. “That they are. I’m gonna go get the stallion settled. You take care of your woman.”
Aware of Hawke and Blade following them back to the cabin, Sarah hurried her steps. “Maybe you should lie down a little while.”
“What?” Phoenix hugged her close before releasing her with a curse. “Hell, I’m filthy. I’m getting dirt all over you, darlin’. I’m gonna go get cleaned up. Go back to the cabin with Hawke and Blade.”