The Bartered Bride [Climax, Montana 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Reece Butler

  “She’ll have to when she reads the directions,” he replied. “You have to time those things and she doesn’t have a watch.”

  “Good point.” Travis grinned.

  They spent the next ten minutes bringing the food in, having already stashed the ice cream and beer when they first came in the front door. They put away the stuff that needed a fridge or freezer, but left the rest for Jane. If she was doing the cooking, it was up to her to decide where she wanted things.

  Riley looked longingly at the six-pack of Lone Star, advertised as the national beer of Texas. Jane was fun to have around, but they were in Port A to work. He’d pop a few cans before supper. Cooked, of course, by Jane. He followed Travis into Jane’s room and tossed his watch on the bed.

  “We’re heading upstairs,” called Trav through the bathroom door. “Come get us if you need anything.”

  “I won’t,” she replied loudly.

  “Seems the duchess is a bit pis…uh ornery today,” said Riley.

  “And another fifty cents,” said Travis.

  Riley let the front door slam. He couldn’t be charged for that.

  * * * *

  Jane read the directions carefully a few times, then waited until she heard their feet on the stairs before leaving the bathroom. She couldn’t decide if she preferred the brotherly ribbing Riley gave her, or Trav’s sensuous attack. One was fun, and the other very arousing. They wouldn’t guess her name before she was gone, especially if they went in alphabetical order. Their game gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling. It meant they were thinking of her even when she wasn’t near them.

  She grabbed the watch someone had laid on the bed and went to work. While she rinsed she decided not to look in the mirror until her hair dried and showed the real color. Since she always wore her blonde hair up, she had to get used to leaving it down. She parted it in the middle, combed it straight, and tucked it behind her ears.

  Eager for new clothes, she then investigated the bags on the bed. She’d heard about Walmart but had never been in one. Two hundred dollar blouses were no longer part of her life, but she’d take freedom over fashion any day.

  In addition to the clothes Riley had gloated about, which weren’t that bad a fit after all, she found a green and white striped boy-leg tankini. She would have thought they’d buy her a skimpy bikini instead. They’d even got her green flip-flops to match. She put it on, liking it in spite of the low price.

  To help her hair dry, she went out on the patio and stood with her back to the sun. She kept a close watch to see if anything moved in the line of bushes on the far side of the parking lot. A battered blue sign had a white outline of a bird walking with its wings up. Written in red was “Watch Out For Snakes.” She shuddered. No matter what Travis said about it being January, she was not going anywhere near those bushes.

  The sound of them talking drifted from the upper floor. She smiled, happy they were near. The tension, which had wrapped a tight band around her ribs for years, had loosened. Another thing she was not going to miss.

  She flipped her hand through her hair to help it dry, then went in to put their purchases away. As expected, the counter was covered in groceries. Three months at the soup kitchen had shown her the basics. She looked forward to experimenting with more interesting recipes.

  She checked the fridge first. She’d seen a clear fruit bin on the left, and one marked for vegetables on the right. She’d expected the men to stick everything on the middle shelf. Yet there were apples and oranges in the fruit crisper, and carrots, a cucumber, and small tomatoes in the other.

  “Whoever ends up married to these guys will be ecstatic,” she said.

  By the time she put everything away, her hair was dry. Since the men had chosen the color, she wanted their opinion before she looked in the mirror. Should she change first? Penelope would never appear in a bathing suit except at a pool. She’d been taught to wear a cover-up even to walk from the dressing room to a lounge chair at the club’s pool.

  Jane was made of sterner stuff. She also wanted to see their reaction. That fantasy, and orgasm, had rocked her world. She was not going to hang back and wait for them to approach her. Though her heart pounded nervously, she would set the pace. That meant full speed ahead!

  She put on her boots since the guys had warned her about it being a construction site. She braced herself, opened the front door, and stepped out. No one was in sight. Four steps to the right from the front door was the staircase. A light breeze made her shiver as she climbed. It was very strange to feel the air flowing past her skin. Strange, but…arousing.

  The door was open, so she peered in. Buster, curled in a patch of sun, lifted his head and wagged his tail. He gave a good stretch before settling back to sleep. The main area was just like downstairs, though the kitchen was vastly improved with high-end stainless steel appliances. The floor was made of big rectangles of wood. She walked toward the bedroom and their voices. Riley held a set of drawings against the wall. He pointed to something on the paper, then toward the bathroom. She stood in the doorway, hands twisting nervously behind her back.

  “Hello?”

  Riley’s head whipped around. His eyes went up and down a couple of times as his grin got wider.

  “Jay-sus, Trav. You were right for once. That’s a heck of a lot better than a bikini.” He looked her over again, whistling in appreciation. “You have one set of gorgeous legs, babe. Come on in and give us a turn.”

  Heat exploded at the hungry way both of them stared at her. Her nervousness evaporated. Riley grinned, while Travis was solemn. Solemn, but very intense. Her pussy, which hadn’t quite calmed down from before her nap, swelled again.

  “That’s enough,” snapped Travis. “Don’t embarrass Jane.”

  “You embarrassed, Duchess?” asked Riley. He lifted an eyebrow in challenge.

  She bit her lip as she thought about it. Riley’s exaggerated leer was in fun, though he obviously liked what he saw. Travis had stared, mouth open for a few seconds, before he snapped it shut. The fronts of both men’s jeans had an obvious bulge. The heat that filled her was warming, not shaming. She was Jane, and Jane knew what she wanted! She cleared her throat.

  “Actually, I rather like being appreciated.”

  “Great! Show us the rest so we can appreciate you even more.”

  Riley made a circling motion with his hand. Jane had their attention, and reveled in it. She lifted her arms, knowing it raised her breasts, and slowly pivoted in place.

  “You got great boobs, Janey, but that is a prime ass.”

  Though her back was to the brothers, their word choices made it easy to tell them apart. That was Riley talking. He did not mince his words. Travis was far more polite and used more precise words, but she liked Riley’s rawness. It was honest, something she’d had far too little of.

  “I believe Jane came up here to show us her hair color, not give us a peep show,” said Travis. “But you do look good, hon.”

  She finished her turn. Riley met her eyes, and she realized that, until now, he’d looked past or through her. No longer.

  “You’re nothing like the woman I saw in the parking lot last night,” he said quietly, all trace of the fool gone. “I was wrong. You’re a good person, Janey.”

  She looked past his wisecracking shell. Deep inside he was hurting. Was this the real man behind the laughing fool? Zarah, whoever she was, had ripped him apart. Could they help each other get over their pasts?

  Travis punched his brother in the arm. They looked at each other, but no words were said. She found herself walking toward Riley. She wrapped her arms around him and held on, saying nothing. His heart pounded against her ear. It took a moment, but his arms hesitantly returned the gesture.

  “And you’re a good man, Riley Adams.” She squeezed him and stepped back. He instantly released her. He was six inches taller, so she had to tilt her head up to look at him. “A jerk sometimes,” she added, “but still fairly decent. Most of the time.”

&n
bsp; His sparkle returned. This time, when he met her eyes, it was with warmth.

  “I love your outfit, but if you’re going to work with us, you’d better cover your legs.”

  “My legs?”

  “You’ll be on your knees, Duchess. One of my favorite positions.”

  She hadn’t thought of a man taking her pussy from behind. Another wave of heat flowed up her body. That sexy leer was back.

  “Whoever ripped out the carpet and underpad left a wackload of staples in the floor. They have to come out. Since you’re the shortest, that means you get the floor work. You can duck walk if you want, but it’ll be easier on your knees. And more fun for me.”

  She scraped her toe in an arc, ducking her flaming face. Small bumps hit her boot. She crouched to look closer. Sure enough, rows of thick staples crisscrossed the floor.

  “How do I get them out?”

  “Pliers,” said Travis. He cleared his throat. “Might want to use a flat-head screwdriver to lever them up first.” He stepped in front of Riley, blocking his brother’s view. He held out a screwdriver about two feet long. She didn’t know they came that big. “Pliers are in the red toolbox.”

  There was a lot of floor. She bent her elbow to get a closer look, which meant her bottom stuck out. Riley choked, then coughed. She felt terribly wicked displaying herself like this. Wicked, and aroused. So she bent the other way, wiggling her bottom in the process. Twin groans made her smile in satisfaction. This was fun! She went back to a crouch.

  “I remember seeing kneeling pads on gardening shows,” she said, all business. “Having one of those would help.”

  “We have a set of knee pads,” said Travis, “but they’re too big for you. Next time we’re in town we’ll get a couple of those foam pads.”

  Jane had been trained to direct housekeepers and cooks, not do it herself. She’d watched hundreds of shows on decorating and remodeling but she’d never lifted a hammer or screwdriver. She wanted to learn everything possible. She’d do what she could, and learn by listening to them. She’d dreamed of her own home, something small, such as a cozy cottage. One bedroom for her, and one for guests.

  Two pairs of size twelve or thirteen boots shuffled beside her. If she had a husband to share her home, and some children, her dream home would have to expand. A home, and a family? Both were possible, now.

  “Jane?”

  She looked up. Both men averted their eyes from her chest. She hid a secret smile. They wanted more than her body, and that created a glow in her heart, which spread to the places covered by her tankini. A pair of cowboy rodeo buckles shone in front of her face. Below the buckles, jeans stretched to accommodate what they must think she’d been staring at while she thought.

  She rose to her feet, too quickly after crouching, and wavered. A hand caught each arm, steadying her. She found her balance and pulled away. She wasn’t used to their intensity.

  “I, uh, stood up too fast. Time to work.” She backed away, toward the door. “I’ll get changed.”

  “Don’t bother changing your top,” said Riley. “If you get cold, I’d be happy to warm you. My hands are always ready, anytime you like.”

  Though he spoke to her back, she heard the sexy smile in his voice. She didn’t need his hands to warm her. The thought of his touch had her sweating in the chilly air. She stopped, refusing to run away.

  “I want ten cents for every staple,” she demanded. She looked over her shoulder. Both men raised their eyes. Travis looked somewhat sheepish for staring at her bottom but Riley just grinned.

  “A penny a staple,” said Travis.

  “I’ll double that if you leave on your bathing suit top,” added Riley.

  There were an awful lot of staples in the condo. It was about nine hundred square feet and everything but the entry, kitchen, and bathroom had been carpeted. She turned partway toward them, arching her back as she moved. She inhaled. Their eyes shot to her chest.

  “How much will you pay if I take it off?”

  * * * *

  “That woman is asking to get her ass paddled,” said Travis with a growl. Jane’s bright laugh trailed behind her like perfume, tantalizing him.

  “I’m ready,” agreed Riley. “How long before we can haul her panties down and redden her cheeks?”

  “That’s up to Jane.” Travis turned away from temptation, grabbing a hammer instead of following Jane down the stairs and doing just that.

  “I think she played with herself while we were gone,” said Riley, smirking. “She lay on that big bed, spread her legs, put her fingers in her pussy and—”

  “Dammit, Rye!”

  “So, the duchess makes little brother lose his temper,” said Riley smugly. “You wish it was your mouth between Jane’s legs, instead of her fingers.”

  “Ya think?” Travis closed his eyes and concentrated on cold mountain streams. Anything to get his rock-hard cock under control.

  “How long before she’ll be ready for us?” demanded Riley.

  “Whatever it is, it’s too long for me.”

  “Damn right!”

  Travis grabbed a hammer. He had to hit something, get in a fight, or…He looked at his brother. Riley sported an eager gleam.

  “Bet I could throw you, five times out of seven.”

  Riley’s grin widened. “You’re on. Only, we’ll do it in the ocean. Whoever loses, gets dunked and ground into wet sand.”

  “That will be you.”

  The physical challenge revved him up. It wouldn’t be as good as sex, but it was better than going into town, getting in a bar fight, and ending up in jail. That had happened a few too many times back home. At least in Climax the sheriff knew them. Josh Gibson was tough, but fair.

  “Whoever loses pays ten bucks into the swear jar,” added Riley.

  “You’re only saying that because you’ll be cursing when you lose. You’ll owe that much by the time you drag your sorry ass out of the water. Make it a twenty, and you’re on.”

  “Lose? Ha! You’ll be finding sand in places where the sun don’t shine, little brother.”

  Chapter 15

  “I can’t take this much longer,” said Travis with a groan a week later.

  As usual, they’d gone back upstairs when Jane went on her after-supper walk with Buster. They hadn’t touched Jane, other than a brotherly kiss on the forehead, for seven hard, uncomfortable days, and nights.

  He couldn’t imagine putting up with this temptation from any other female. Somehow, Jane had wriggled her way into his heart. Unfortunately, his cock hadn’t gone anywhere near her. Soon, he promised himself.

  It better be darn soon, or he was going to spontaneously combust. This part of the job was way ahead of schedule. A lot of that was due to Jane. Knowing she was near had him at half-mast pretty much all the time. Listening to the water running for her shower was torture. He imagined her hands caressing those breasts, dropping between her thighs to finger her pussy…

  “I’m taking tonight off,” declared Riley. He scowled, tossed down his hammer on a pile of tarps, and stomped toward the door.

  “Good idea.”

  Travis took ten minutes to finish what he was doing. He opened the door just as Riley appeared from their bedroom, hair still damp, wearing an ironed shirt and creased jeans.

  “You’re going out?” Jane wiped the spotless countertop.

  “Yep,” replied Riley. “Gonna check out the local wildlife.”

  Travis had figured the three of them would stay home and play board games or something. His cock perked up at the trouble he and Jane could get into without a chaperone.

  Jane stilled, then turned to Riley. “You’re going birding in the dark?”

  “Nah,” scoffed Riley. “I’m gonna find me some cougars.”

  Her eyes widened. “On Mustang Island?” she squeaked. “I didn’t know there were mountain lions in Texas!”

  “Jane,” said Travis, unable to let her hang herself any higher, “he means the two-legged ones.” She con
tinued to look blank. “Older women who go after younger guys are called ‘cougars.’” Another gap in her knowledge thanks to the tight leash she’d been kept on.

  “Oh!”

  She whipped around to give the counter a good scrubbing. They both admired the way her ass cheeks wiggled when she scrubbed hard.

  “Well!” she blasted, keeping her back to them. “Go and have your fun. Buster and I will do…something.”

  He and Riley exchanged glances. Jane was not happy at the thought of them going out without her. Or was it that Riley would be looking at other women, with the suggestion he’d do more than look?

  “You won’t be alone, Jane,” said Travis, “I’ll be keeping you and Buster company.”

  The cloth slowed for a moment, then went back into high revs, reverse this time. Her booty shook just the same, though.

  “Don’t hold back on my account! Go have fun. I’ll fold the laundry.”

  Travis turned her around. She had a major pout going.

  “Do you think we’d leave you alone, knowing you’d be frightened?”

  She tore at her lip, then shook her head. “I wouldn’t be frightened. Buster would protect me.” She kept her head down. He used a finger under her chin to make her tilt her head back. Her eyes didn’t follow.

  “Jane. Look at me.”

  Her pouting lips pressed harder together. Nothing else changed.

  “Jane, that was a command.” Anger was better than fear, even if her eyes shot daggers at him. “Riley’s going out, not me. I’ve got plans for us.”

  “You do?”

  Heat flooded her face. Her nipples popped up. He clenched his jaw in response. Oh, heck. Being with Jane, and not jumping her bones, was going to be a lot more difficult than he’d imagined. Time to cowboy up.

  “I’m thinking of a Scrabble tournament. You, me, and Buster.”

  “Don’t be silly, Buster can’t spell.”

  “Then I’ll beat him fast and get another chance at you.”

  The slamming of the front door behind Riley was followed by silence. He released Jane’s chin. She backed up a step.