by Cat Johnson
“You’re right.” Ben hoped that image would kill Ned’s mood for a little bit. Now that she was flat on her back, he noticed how her ribcage stuck out nearly as far as her tits. He sat up. “I’m making breakfast. What do you like? Pancakes, sausage, steak, eggs, toast?”
“Any one of those is fine.”
“One? No, I’m making it all.” He put one foot down on the carpet and glanced back at her.
“All of it?” Her green eyes opened a bit wider.
“Yup, a man can’t do a good day’s work on any less.”
“Okay. Is there coffee too?”
“Yup, I’ll make coffee, too.” He grabbed his jeans off the floor where’d he’d dumped them last night and pulled them on without bothering with underwear. This would do for cooking breakfast. He could get dressed for real before he went out to work on her car later.
Unless, of course, she stopped feeling sore, or they decided to explore those other ways to skin the cat. Then he’d just get naked again. He didn’t miss the heat in her eyes or how her gaze lingered as she watched him pull up his jeans and zip them. He smiled.
“So you like you some coffee in the morning, do you? I’m partial to something else in the morning myself.” Ned leaned down and delivered a kiss to her breast. “But we’ll get to that later when you’re feeling better. For now, I’ll go get you that coffee.”
Ben had been about to yell at Ned to leave her alone, when he backed off on his own.
“Thank you. You don’t happen to have any of those yellow packets of no-calorie sweetener, do you?”
“What d’you think, darlin’?” Ned laughed. “If you want that shit, we’ll have to go steal you some from the little holders on the counter at the diner.”
From the doorway, Ben glanced back at Heather. “While you’re here, you’ll use real cream and sugar. I’m putting some meat on your bones. You’re too thin.”
“I’m not—”
“Cream. And. Sugar.” Ben cut off her protest.
“Yes, sir.” She smiled.
Ned rolled until one of his thighs was draped over hers and Ben halted midstep. “Ned, you come with me. You can feed the stock while I cook and Heather gets dressed.”
Leaving Ned in the bedroom with Heather would be like having the fox guard the henhouse. Not good. The man had no restraint. She’d be even more sore after Ned got through with her.
“Fine.” The scowl was pretty comical, but at least Ned swung his feet to the ground and headed for the bathroom.
Once he was certain Ned was going to listen to him, Ben made his way to the kitchen, but he had to wonder how a girl who claimed she used to be a prostitute could be sore from that little bit of sex last night. Things didn’t quite add up. As he reached for the coffee grounds, he decided to keep a close watch on her. Given how pretty she was, that wouldn’t be a hardship at all.
And while he kept his eye on her, he was going to put some meat on her bones, too. Ben grabbed a pound of bacon out of the freezer just as Ned came into the kitchen, clamping his hat on his head as he walked. “I’ll be back in a few.”
“All right. Coffee will be done by then.”
“Hopefully that bacon, too.”
“I’ll do my best. Gotta defrost it in the microwave first.” Ben glanced up from cutting the packaging off the frozen meat and saw Ned smiling. “What’s up with you?”
“Having her here is good for you. It’s nice to see you loosen up a little.”
Ben scowled. “Yeah, great. I took what amounts to a stray in off the street—literally—and fucked her while my friend watched. I’m a real prince.”
“She was willing.”
“According to you, they always are.” The problem was they always sobered up and saw things differently in the light of day. At least Heather hadn’t been drunk. Just desperate for help. “We took advantage of her situation.”
“I don’t think we did. We were putting her on the sofa in the living room. We were going to fix her car and give her a place to stay no matter what. She’s the one who came out wearing nothing but your T-shirt and a smile. What pushed you over the edge and made you change your mind about putting some oil in her car and sending her away at first light? The T-shirt or the smile?”
“Neither.”
Ned cocked a brow. “So then what?”
“When she said she had no family she’d be willing to go back to.” That had hit a little close to home for Ben. For Ned, too, he was sure.
Neither one of their upbringings had been stellar. Hell, they were both lucky they weren’t more fucked up than they were. That Ned had escaped his abusive stepfather and grown up to be nothing more than a man who enjoyed sex a little too much was amazing.
Ben should try to remember that when he laid into him about it. The reason he didn’t—couldn’t—let Ned off easy was that Ned’s fetishes threatened Ben because of his own childhood trauma. Growing up dirt poor with a mother who couldn’t care for him, and didn’t want to, then getting shipped off to foster care, meant he’d never feel comfortable or secure no matter how much money the business made.
What a pair they were. Heather might have been better off spending the night on a bench at the gas station waiting for the mechanic to arrive in the morning to fix her car. She wouldn’t have had to worry about two messed up cowboys taking advantage of her in the shower. And then again in the bed.
Ben knew if Ned had anything to say about it, the barn would be next. For some reason, he had a feeling Heather wouldn’t object even if they did suggest that. Yet at the same time, she acted as if every touch was her first. Every orgasm a new sensation to her.
Reviewing the surreal events of last night, Ben shook his head. “Something’s a little off with this whole thing. It was almost like she’d never had sex before. At least not sex like it was with us.”
“What, you think she was a virgin hooker? Or maybe she’d only give head?” Ned snorted out a laugh. “If that’s your theory, I’ll happily test her skills in the oral area later. That part of her isn’t sore.”
Ned could be a real pig sometimes. Ben shook his head. “I’m sure you’d love that assignment.”
“Just taking one for the team.” Ned grinned.
“How about you go take some feed out to the horses instead.”
“Slave driver.” The screen door slammed behind Ned on his way out, but he turned his head and said over his shoulder, “No playing until I get back.”
“No playing until she’s not sore anymore,” Ben called after him.
“More than one way to skin that particular pussycat.” Ned’s words came from a distance as he strode toward the barn.
Ben sighed. The sad part was, he’d already thought of a few ways himself.
7
Heather pushed through the screen door and stepped onto the covered front porch. From there she could see the sweeping fields off to one side, the barn to the other, and far ahead—though she couldn’t see it since the driveway was so long—she knew there was the highway.
It was still early enough that the heat of the day hadn’t hit yet. She inhaled and filled her lungs with good, clean Oklahoma air. It seemed easier to breathe here than back home. Maybe because they were so far from the pollution of a major city. More likely because no one would ever find her here. Not the paparazzi. Not her mother. It was easy to pretend that world didn’t exist.
Just as she’d told Ned when he’d asked her last night as she was about to fall asleep, her cell phone was not only powered off, but she’d gone the extra step and taken out the battery before she’d even left the photo studio. Just in case. She wouldn’t have put it past her mother to track her like she was a child who needed protecting.
She sure didn’t need protecting from Ned and Ben.
Even thinking their names caused the need to build inside her. She’d never imagined, even in her wildest dreams, what having sex with real men would be like. Now it was hard to imagine going back to reality and leaving them. But if her mo
ther and the tabloids couldn’t find her, then neither could her agent. Staying here in hiding would mean the end of her career. The career she’d run away to save.
She’d left the domineering force that was her mother to prove herself a capable adult. She’d never felt like more of an adult than last night, sandwiched between two naked men whose only goal was to please her.
Where were Ned and Ben anyway? Not in the house. She’d checked all the rooms inside. Chances were they’d be by the barn working on her car, or doing some sort of cowboy, ranching-type stuff.
Heather stepped off the porch and onto the grass, marveling at her surroundings one more time. A working ranch in Oklahoma—who could have guessed she’d end up here? When she did something, she did it big. Even something as seemingly simple as breaking down along the road.
Around the corner of the barn, she found Ned wiping off some tools. At the sound of her sneakers on the ground, he turned. His gaze traveled from her sports bra, down to her bicycle shorts, all the way down her bare legs to her tiny white socks. He seemed to appreciate her gym clothes, which was good, because besides what she’d worn to the photo shoot yesterday, this was it for her traveling wardrobe. Heather London with no luggage. That was an even more surreal turn of events than her ending up on a cow farm in the middle of nowhere.
“How was your bath, darlin’?”
“It was nice, thank you.” Sure, she had an oversized Jacuzzi tub in her room at home, but there was something charming about a big old cast-iron bathtub.
“You soak out all that soreness?” He shot her a grin as he put whatever it was he’d held into a red metal toolbox.
“I think so.” Heather swallowed hard at the implications of his question. The thought of being with them again in that way had her both nervous and excited. She glanced around. “Where’s Ben?”
“He had to run to the auto parts store to buy some stuff for your car.” The tools all put away, Ned stepped closer and rested his hands on her waist. “He’ll be back in a bit. Until then . . . I guess I’ll have to entertain you.”
He bent low and brushed his lips on just the right spot on her neck to send a shiver down her spine. Heather leaned back a bit. Tempted. Scared.
“Maybe we should wait for him.” She raised her gaze to his face.
“All right.” Ned took a step back and leaned his jean-covered butt against the hood of the car. “You got a thing for Ben, do you?”
“I don’t know him, or you, enough to say that.” She frowned.
She did know she felt safe with Ben around, like he’d always make sure nothing bad would happen. Ned . . . well, she got a feeling that if something bad did happen, it would be Ned who’d somehow accidently cause it. She’d already figured out the dynamic between the two. Ned would be the kid who blew himself up setting off the illegal fireworks on the Fourth of July, while Ben would be the one administering first aid while lecturing him on the danger.
They made an intriguing pair. Their differences complemented each other but probably caused more than a few fights between them. She could feel the tension, but beneath it was a quiet dedication to each other. An unbreakable bond. She wasn’t about to be the one to destroy that bond by being with one man and not the other. It had nothing to do with how much she loved the feel of having one on each side of her while she lay safe and satisfied between them.
Well, maybe a little bit to do with that. It seemed she needed two men to keep her happy. Was there something wrong with her? Maybe she just had a lot of years to make up for.
Ned continued to watch her, his arms folded across the T-shirt covering his chest. “He likes you.”
“Ben? Well, I hope so.” After what they’d done together, it would be horrible if he didn’t like her. “But why do you say that?”
“He let you stay here last night, even though he thought it was a bad idea. He agreed to all of us being together. That hasn’t happened since we were very young and very drunk, traveling on the rodeo circuit years ago. He even smiled a few times since you’ve been here. That doesn’t happen all that much lately. Not since we bought this place and the bills started rolling in.”
For the first time, Heather realized that as generous as these guys had been with their time, they probably didn’t have all that much money. Yet, they’d taken her in, fed her, and right now Ben was out spending cash he probably couldn’t spare to buy stuff to fix her borrowed vehicle. “I want to pay you back for the repairs on the car.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Ned waved off the offer.
“But he’s buying—”
“Some coolant and a few pints of oil. It’s nothing. Believe me. That’s not going to make or break us. Now, if the rate on the adjustable mortgage we took out on this property goes up . . . that’s another story.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal. Meanwhile, Heather’s pulse sped just thinking about how worried they must be.
Mortgage rates. She knew absolutely nothing about that. She really had been living a sheltered life. Not anymore. And if they wouldn’t tell her how much she owed them for what they’d spent on the car, she’d just leave a few twenties on the counter in the kitchen when she left.
The idea of leaving had her chest tightening. When she drove away from here, where would she go? Home? Looking for more adventure? She didn’t think anything else she might find could live up to being with Ned and Ben last night. Maybe they’d take a nice long time to fix her car and she wouldn’t have to decide.
“How long before it’ll be safe to drive that thing for any distance?” She eyed the piece of shit that had proved to be a blessing in disguise. Thanks to this car, she’d found a little piece of heaven in the middle of Oklahoma.
“We’ll probably have it up and running today for you.” Ned kept his gaze fixed on her features. “Of course, that only fixes your car issues, not the other problem. The boyfriend problem.”
She nodded as guilt overwhelmed her. Why did she have to make up such a doozy of a lie? These guys were too nice. They didn’t deserve to be lied to at all, forget about that whopper of a backstory she’d created for herself—or the person she’d pretended to be. One thing had eluded her last night when she’d gotten carried away and started making up stories. This was real life, not a movie. These were real men, not characters.
“You know, you can stay here as long as you need to.”
Filled with shame, Heather forced herself to meet his gaze. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “You’re welcome. And you do know, the offer of a place to stay isn’t tied to your having sex with us. Ben was worried about that. That you felt like you had to.”
That sounded like Ben. And the fact that Ned had brought up the subject even though it was clear he really liked having sex, proved he was a good guy beneath the horny exterior. She couldn’t help but smile. “I know, but I like having sex with you and Ben.”
A short laugh burst from Ned. “That’s good to hear.” He glanced at his cell phone. “What the fuck is taking him so long?”
She noticed the very obvious bulge in Ned’s jeans and knew exactly why he was in such a rush for Ben to hurry home. She’d said she wouldn’t have sex with Ned without Ben there, but once he was home . . . She considered how decadent sex outdoors in broad daylight might feel until a yawn overtook her.
Heather covered her mouth. “Excuse me. I’m sorry.”
Ned’s brows rose. “Tired already? Day’s just starting.”
“It must be because I’m still full from breakfast. And that bath was so relaxing.”
“Go inside and take a nap. I know I for one want you well rested for later.” He took a step forward and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
She felt her cheeks heat. He wasn’t shy about expressing what he wanted. She’d have to learn how to do that herself. Raising her chin, she met his gaze. “Make sure you’re well rested yourself.”
Heather spun on her heel and headed for the house. Without turning around, she knew for certain he watched her the
entire way.
8
“That should do it.” Ben slammed the hood shut and wiped his hands on a rag. “Try starting her up.”
Ned ambled at his usual slower than molasses pace to the driver’s side. He perched on the seat, feet still on the ground, and reached in to turn the key in the ignition. The engine hesitated a second, then came to life.
At least it started. That was something. Now to see if it would keep from overheating.
“Let her run for a few minutes.” Ben wasn’t about to let Heather drive away before he knew the vehicle, old as it was, would at least get her where she was going. He wondered where that might be.
“Hey, it started.” She’d snuck up on him, her footsteps camouflaged by the sound of the engine. If he were truthful with himself, he’d admit he hadn’t heard her approach because he’d been thinking so hard about her and when she might be leaving them; he wasn’t paying much attention to anything else.
“Yup. I want to see how she does once the engine warms up.”
She nodded. “Then I guess that’s it. I can drive it.”
“It’s too late to be going anywhere today.” Ned unfolded his long legs and stood. “You definitely need to spend the night here.”
Ned obviously wanted another night of fun with her. Ben couldn’t blame him since he wanted the same damn thing. Another night. Another day. Hell, why not right now? He eyed her tight little shorts, which were doing nothing to help him control the impulse to bend her naked over the hood of the car as it vibrated beneath them.
Damn, his imagination was too fucking vivid for his own good. Now he was as hard as the wrench he’d yet to put away. Ben dropped it into the open tool chest. It landed with a clatter. When he turned back, it was to see Ned standing next to Heather and grinning.
“So, Ben, while you were in town, Heather took a nice long bath before her nap. Now she’s all fresh and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.” Ned draped an arm around her shoulders and waggled his eyebrows. “And not at all sore. Isn’t that right, darlin’?”
Ben rolled his eyes. “Leave her alone, Ned.”