Jenna's Cowboys

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “Jenna,” Stephan said, smiling at her as she stood between the beaming Howard brothers. “You look stunning this evening. May I say what a pleasure it is to have you here at Jester’s.”

  “Thank you, Stephan.”

  “Hello, Dillon, Cole.”

  “Evening, Stephan,” they both said at the same time, causing Jenna to smile.

  “These two don’t treat you right, you let me know,” Stephan said to Jenna with mock seriousness.

  “I don’t think that’ll be a problem, Stephan, but I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “Good,” Stephan said. “If you’ll follow Martin, he’ll show you to your table. Enjoy your evening.”

  “We will, Stephan, thanks,” Dillon said.

  They followed Martin to a corner booth that they’d specifically asked for. It had a full view of the rest of the restaurant, while still providing a sense of privacy. Dillon waited for Jenna to slide in to the back, then he and Cole slid in on either side of her. They moved close enough to allow for private conversation, but not so close that they crowded her.

  They ordered dinner and wine, waited for Martin to pour it, then relaxed a little. “I have a question for you, Jenna,” Dillon said.

  “Yes?”

  “How is it that you can always tell me and Cole apart?” He was surprised when she blushed, and wondered why.

  “I guess you could say I have a certain knack for seeing things in a way most people don’t. The differences between your faces are minor, but to me they’re easy to see.”

  “I take it you’re not referring to the scar over Cole’s eye.”

  “No, I’m not,” she replied. “My turn.”

  “Okay,” he agreed, sensing she didn’t really want to talk about that knack any more.

  “Why do you two, and all the other men, always look like you love coming into Senses, and at the same time, look like you’d rather be anywhere else?”

  “That’s not an easy question to answer while on a first date with a woman we want to make a good impression on,” Cole said.

  Jenna’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?” Cole nodded. “Now you have to tell me or I’m not going to be able to think of another thing for the whole rest of the night.”

  Dillon chuckled. Cole looked at him hopefully but he shook his head. “Nope, this one’s yours.”

  Cole took a healthy sip of his wine as he tried to think of a delicate way to put it. “You sure you want to know this, Jenna?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “All right then. You know what an adult toy store is, don’t you?”

  Jenna blushed but didn’t look away. “Yes, I do.”

  “Well, an adult toy store is to raw, sweaty sex what Senses is to warm, silky, sensuality.” By the time Cole got to the last word of his sentence his voice had grown rougher than usual and a little growly.

  Jenna’s blush deepened. When she reached for her wine they both saw the slight tremor in her hand as she tilted it to take a long sip. After she set the glass back down, she looked at Cole and smiled. “I think that’s the greatest compliment I’ve ever received.”

  Cole’s smile held relief, and more than a little heat. “I’m glad you think it’s a compliment, honey, since that’s the way it was meant. But I can think of a lot of other things to compliment you about than your shop.”

  The look of surprise in her eyes was too immediate and too quickly hidden to be feigned. Before Dillon had a chance to think about it, their dinners arrived. They spoke about the food and other light topics while they ate. When they were about half way through Cole caught Dillon’s eye, and he nodded reluctantly. Since he’d been born three minutes before Cole, he was technically the eldest, which meant things like this fell to him.

  “I’m sorry to have to bring up a sensitive subject, Jenna,” he said, “but you know the rules around here, I guess.”

  “Of course,” she said, nodding. “I had to read them and agree to follow them when I first moved here.”

  “Then you know that we have to state our intentions up front, regardless of what we think you know.” Jenna nodded again. “Cole and I want one woman to share between us.”

  “Yes, I know,” she said calmly.

  “Have you ever been with two men before?” Cole asked. Jenna’s eyes widened in surprise and her calm vanished, making Cole want to kick himself under the table.

  “No, I haven’t,” she said, then bit her lip nervously as she looked at each of them for a moment, then down to her plate. “Is that a problem? I mean, is experience important to you?”

  “We’re not averse to it,” Dillon replied uncertainly.

  She sighed before raising her eyes. They could almost feel her reaching for her courage. “Since you two have to be up front about certain things, it’s only fair I do the same. The truth is that I have no experience.”

  “You’re a virgin?” Cole asked, trying to keep his voice low and his surprise hidden.

  Jenna’s face paled to white so quickly that Cole and Dillon automatically reached toward her. She didn’t seem to notice as she bowed her head and hunched her shoulders. “No,” she said. “I’m not. There was one person.”

  Dillon wondered how she could say she had no experience in one breath, then say she’d been with someone in the next. He glanced at Cole across the table and knew he was puzzling over the same question. He looked back at Jenna, frowning as he watched her body language. She looked like she wanted to climb under the table and hide. He placed one hand on her arm, very gently. Startled, she looked up, and his heart ached at the expression of shame in her eyes. What the hell was that about?

  “I don’t blame you for being disappointed,” she said so softly he had to strain to hear her.

  “We’re not disappointed, Jenna,” he said. “Not in the slightest.” She stared at him for a long moment, then nodded and took a deep breath.

  He exchanged glances with Cole again, and they changed the subject, pretending they didn’t notice how pale she was, or that her hands were now shaking. They talked about their ranch, learning that Jenna loved to ride but hadn’t done so in several years. After a while she relaxed again. She even asked if she could come to the ranch sometime to explore scents. They agreed immediately though they didn’t have any idea what she meant.

  Cole and Dillon stretched out dinner, dessert, and coffee for as long as they possibly could, even dragging their feet over paying the bill and leaving the restaurant. They weren’t ready for the evening to end but there wasn’t much they could do other than take her to Smitty’s, which they wouldn’t do on a dare. That’s where the cowboys hung out and, while an occasional woman might show up, no woman of Sparx ever stepped inside. It was too cold out to go for a walk, and their ranch was half an hour away. Even the diner was closed. They had no choice but to take her home.

  Cole parked in the alley next to her Bronco and turned off the engine, the sudden silence a little startling to all of them. Dillon opened his door and got out, then waited for Jenna to scoot over to the edge of the seat and turn to face him. He placed his hands at her waist, but instead of lifting her out he stepped close enough that her knees brushed his stomach. He looked into her big cinnamon eyes by the dim light of the moon overhead and tried to imagine what it would be like to look into them every night for the rest of their lives. “Would you mind if I kiss you?”

  “No,” she replied in a voice so soft and warm it whispered across his neck like silk.

  He bent his head and pressed his lips to hers, unable to stop the moan that rumbled from his throat at this first, small taste of her. He ran the tip of his tongue lightly along the seam between her lips, then pressed gently. When she placed her hands against his chest and opened her mouth for him, he knew it was a moment he’d never forget. He slid his tongue inside and rubbed it against hers. She melted into him, following his lead without hesitation, letting him guide her, trusting him and Cole to keep her safe because somehow he knew that Jenna wasn’t a woman to let any man touch her un
less she trusted him.

  When he lifted his mouth from hers and looked into her eyes again, he smiled to see the heat and desire there. He kissed her lightly on the lips once more, thrilled when he realized it had only taken one kiss to addict him for life. He knew as surely as the sun would rise and set that if she turned them away, he’d never be able to kiss another woman again without wishing she were Jenna. It was all he could do not to whoop for joy.

  Since he didn’t want to scare her off, he settled for smiling while he tugged the edges of her shawl closer around her shoulders against the chill, then lifted her from the truck, even more careful with her now than before. If he’d had any doubts that she was the one they’d waited so long for, that single kiss had dispelled them forever. Jenna was definitely their one. That made her nothing less than precious.

  Once she was safely on her own two feet, he gently urged her toward Cole who was standing a couple of feet away, watching her. Dillon smiled when Cole raised his hand and she went to him without hesitation, placing her hand in his.

  They’d known all along that Jenna had very little sexual experience. The products she chose for her store…hell, the store itself…spoke of her natural passion and sensuality. But her innate innocence made it clear to anyone who cared to look that she’d never explored those passions. Or if she had, she hadn’t truly tapped into them yet. Now that they knew she was damn near a virgin, and that she’d never been with two men, it was surprising to find that she exhibited none of the usual reticence and nervousness that women new to menage relationships displayed. Jenna acted as though being with both of them was the most normal and natural thing in the world.

  He closed the truck door and locked it before climbing the stairs behind Cole and Jenna, wondering if her easy acceptance was due to living in Sparx for ten months, or if it was yet another sign that she was meant to be with him and Cole. He decided it was most likely the latter. Sexual preferences didn’t tend to change due to proximity. And there was also the fact that, of all the men who’d asked her out over the past ten months, she’d said yes only to them.

  He watched, still smiling, as Cole kissed Jenna after they reached the top of the stairs, his hands looking huge against Jenna’s slender back. They were going to have to be so careful with her. Just the thought of accidentally hurting her in a careless moment of passion made him sick to his stomach.

  Jenna’s soft moan made his pulse jump, then heat raced through him when Cole groaned in answer. He knew damn well it was involuntary on his brother’s part. A moment later Cole broke the kiss and rested his chin on her head while he tried to catch his breath.

  “Give me your keys, honey,” he said, releasing her after a few moments. “I’ll open your door for you.”

  Jenna reached into her purse for the keys and handed them to Cole, watching as he unlocked the door and pushed it open before handing them back to her. She looked up at him, then glanced over at Dillon who was wishing her porch light was brighter so he could see if she was blushing again.

  “Thank you so much for dinner,” she said. “I had a wonderful time.”

  “Aren’t you going to invite us in?” Cole asked, stroking one finger down her cheek in a light caress that had her closing her eyes with a sigh of pleasure that didn’t escape either man’s notice. Dillon moved in until he was standing close enough behind her to feel her body heat, yet not quite letting his body touch hers the way he wanted. He swept a loose curl aside, pausing for a moment as it seemed to wrap around his finger of its own accord. Her hair was even silkier than he’d imagined, and he’d imagined a lot. He gently pulled his finger free, then bent to kiss the gentle curve where her neck met her shoulder, smiling to himself when she shivered beneath his lips.

  “I want to,” she said on a sigh. Dillon had to think a moment before realizing she was responding to Cole’s question about inviting them in. “So much.” The raw need in her voice made both men close their eyes and struggle against their baser natures. It wouldn’t do at all to swoop her up into their arms and take her against the wall. Not this first time, anyway.

  “But?” Cole asked when he regained control of himself.

  “There are names for women who sleep with men on a first date,” she said. “None of them are nice, either.”

  “This is our first date with you, that’s true,” Cole said. “But we’ve spent a lot of time getting to know each other over this past year. It’s not like we just met.”

  Jenna looked into his eyes for a long moment, and they both felt her wavering. “We’ll wait if that’s what you want,” Dillon said. “It’s up to you, Jenna. As much as we want you, and we want you more than you can know, we don’t want you doing anything you’re not ready for, or that you don’t feel comfortable with.”

  Jenna reminded herself that she’d most likely only get to be with these men one time. Then she’d have to tell them certain things that she should tell them first, but wouldn’t. She wanted one night. After that, she doubted they’d ever speak to her again.

  Of course, she could send them away tonight, right now, before things went any further. If she did that, they’d probably ask her out again, maybe even more than once. But holding back just so she could have more dates with them would be far more manipulative and dishonest than she could stomach. Whatever else she might be, she wasn’t a tease, and she wasn’t going to act like one. They wanted her, she wanted them, and tonight was the night.

  All of this ran through her mind in just a couple of seconds, most of it an argument she’d been having with herself for months now. Without letting herself think about it further, she rose up on her toes to press her lips against Cole’s throat before whispering “Yes.”

  Cole shuddered, her soft, warm mouth against his throat more erotic to him than the most shameless stripper out at Stallion’s. He bent down and lifted her up so suddenly that her arms went around his neck and she gasped softly in surprise, then he carried her inside. Dillon closed and locked the door before following them across the living room, past the kitchen, and down the hall to the bedroom at the end. There were night-lights throughout the apartment, Dillon noticed. In the kitchen, the living room, along the hall, and in the master bedroom, giving off a low soft light that banished the darkness. He’d never seen anyone use so many and wondered about it.

  Cole set Jenna down near the foot of her bed and waited for Dillon to join them before placing one finger beneath her chin and tilting her head up to look at them. “You sure about this, Jenna?” he asked. “Be sure, baby. The last thing we want is for you to have regrets about being with us.”

  She wanted them so much that it was hard to think around her body’s demands. She’d never experienced such intense arousal before, and was a little surprised to find that it was hard to concentrate. When her tongue came out to lick her lips nervously, Dillon’s eyes went to her mouth and he groaned, sending hot shivers racing down her body.

  “Yes,” she said, “I want this.” She blushed at her own boldness, the soft rose pink staining her cheeks visible even in the low lighting. She was so damn adorable Dillon wanted to put her in his pocket and keep her there forever.

  Cole pulled her into his arms before slanting his mouth over hers and kissing her with far more heat and passion than before. She barely noticed when Dillon took her purse out of her hands and set it on her dresser before walking behind her to slip her shawl off while trailing kisses across her neck and shoulders.

  Cole lifted his mouth from hers and looked down at her, his light blue eyes glittering hotly. He glanced up at Dillon when he returned to stand behind Jenna after putting her shawl on the dresser with her purse. “Do you understand what it means to be with two men at the same time?” he asked, keeping his gaze fixed on hers. “What it is we’ll want to do with you?” She blushed but, once again, she didn’t look away.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “You gonna be okay with that?”

  Jenna swallowed hard, then nodded. “Yes.”

&nb
sp; Cole kissed her again, thrusting his tongue between her lips with more intent than before. The more they kissed and touched her, the more they realized how sexually inexperienced she was. But she didn’t hide from what she wanted, nor did she make them coax her, or convince her. The combination of innocence and boldness made them want her all the more.

  Cole lifted his lips from hers and watched as she opened eyes dark with heat and passion. When he stepped back and began stripping off his clothes, Jenna’s eyes widened and her lips parted as she sucked in a deep breath. A moment later she stepped to the side so she could watch both of them when she noticed that Dillon was taking his clothes off as well.

  Realizing that she was enjoying watching them, they both slowed down. By the time they slid their shirts off and tossed them over a chair in the corner, Jenna’s breath was coming in quick little pants and her fists were clenched at her sides.

  How many nights had she laid awake in her bed, staring at the night sky through the skylight while trying to imagine what these two men looked like naked? She had no idea. A lot. A helluva lot. They were even hotter than her fantasies, with hard ropes and planes of muscle that ran all the way down to and below the waist of their black pants. Which, by the way, they were now removing almost as slowly as they’d removed their shirts. She watched unabashedly, glad they were standing beside each other now so she could see both of them at once.

  When they were both standing before her fully naked she gasped softly, stunned at the beauty of their bodies. They were so big and powerful, deeply tanned on their upper bodies, lighter from their hips down. Their cocks were long, thick, and heavy, with broad, purplish heads that she doubted would fit inside her. Even as she doubted, something purely feminine within her shivered hotly at the challenge.

  They were so beautiful. Too beautiful. There was no way two men who took such great care of their own bodies would find much to admire in hers. She took a small step back, crossing her arms and hunching her shoulders, sorrow and regret tamping down the intense arousal of a moment before.