by Marla Monroe
She stepped outside on the back porch while the meal was simmering. She wanted to see more of the ranch in the daylight. As it was, she just made it in time to watch the sun sink behind the tree line. It was a glorious sight, all orange and yellow hues spread out against the distant clouds.
“Pretty, isn’t it?”
Jonathan’s voice startled her.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said.
“I was too caught up in the sunset. I haven’t really seen one like that in a long time.” She licked her lips and looked up into the big man’s face, but with the sun setting, it was in shadow.
“Time to go in. You don’t need to be out here at dusk or night. The wolves around here are dangerous. They actually attacked one woman out feeding her chickens last year. Don’t want that happening to you.” He held the back door open for her.
Leigh shivered and walked back into the kitchen. She hadn’t thought about wolves. They hadn’t been a problem where she had originally come from. While she’d been with stepfather, she hadn’t been allowed outside the house at all. She closed her mind to the past. She didn’t have to worry about him anymore. She didn’t belong to him. She belonged to Jonathan and Joel. For some reason, that didn’t bother her now.
Jonathan followed her inside and headed straight for the stove. He sniffed and smiled.
“I can’t wait for dinner. This smells wonderful.” He turned around and they nearly ran into each other.
Jonathan grabbed her when she almost lost her balance. She looked up into his face and knew he was going to kiss her. Her hands grasped his shirt as he lowered his mouth to hers. Their lips touched and he sipped at hers then pulled back and took a step back.
“Um, sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Done what?” Joel asked as he walked in the house.
“Nothing,” they both said at the same time.
Leigh walked over to the stove and began taking up the meal. Why was Jonathan sorry? He hadn’t forced her. She had wanted his kiss.
“Something smells delicious.” Joel had slipped out of his boots and was washing up at the kitchen sink.
Leigh cringed, but knew she couldn’t change old habits overnight. They had a washroom in the back. They should be washing up in it. She smiled and realized she had made the decision to give being a family a try. Now to convince them.
After dinner, they continued their work conversation in the living room while Leigh cleaned up. She joined them a little later and was surprised when she sat on the couch next to Joel that he got up and walked over toward the stairs.
“I’m going to go shower and head to bed. Dawn comes early.” He climbed the stairs, leaving Jonathan and Leigh alone.
Jonathan sat in the recliner across from the fireplace. He sighed and slowly stood up.
“Look, earlier. I didn’t have a right to kiss you like that. I’m sorry.” He walked over to the couch to stand in front of her.
Leigh stood up, crowding into his space. “I didn’t mind. I liked it. You don’t have to be sorry about it.”
“Still. We promised you we wouldn’t jump on you, and it hasn’t even been a full day and I’ve gone and done it.”
“You didn’t jump on me. I could have backed away. I knew you were going to kiss me. I wanted it.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to start something so soon, Leigh. You’ve been in a bad situation for the last six months or so. You need time to adjust.” Jonathan took a step back from her.
“What if I don’t want to wait?” she asked, taking a step forward.
“I still think it’s best.” He took another step back.
“Kiss me, Jonathan,” she said, reaching up to touch the side of his face.
“I shouldn’t.” He leaned down and brushed her lips with his.
Then he gently sat her back from him and turned and walked up the stairs.
* * * *
Jonathan almost ran up the stairs in an attempt to get out of temptation’s way. He wanted nothing more than to hold Leigh in his arms and kiss all her inhibitions away. Nothing would have pleased him more than to bury himself inside her sweet pussy right then. His cock was throbbing behind his zipper. Still, he and Joel had agreed to give her time, even if she didn’t seem to want it.
He passed Joel walking from the bathroom to the bedroom. His hair was still damp from the shower. Jonathan couldn’t wait to get in the shower now. He nodded at his brother and closed the door to the bathroom with a snap.
He turned on the shower, and as soon as he could peel off his clothes, he stepped into the still-warm water. It wouldn’t last. He hurried through his bath then grabbed his swollen dick with his hand and squeezed. He closed his eyes and imagined Leigh there with him, her hand on his cock squeezing. Then she would slip to her knees and lick his dick from balls to tip like a lollipop.
Jonathan sighed as he pictured her there licking around the crown of his cock while she cupped his balls in her other hand. She nibbled along the edge then licked the pearl of pre-cum from the slit. He drew in a deep breath and began tugging on his cock.
Thinking about her spurred his hand as he pulled faster. She would slowly swallow down his cock to the back of her throat, and then suck her way back up. She would bob up and down on his dick, sucking and licking all around it. She would gently squeeze his balls until the cum boiled inside, ready to erupt. Jonathan continued pulling until he felt the burn deep in his spine that signaled his climax. His balls drew up, and he reached down to squeeze them as he imagined Leigh swallowing around his cock and him coming down her throat. He shot his cum into his hand and against the shower wall.
He leaned one hand against the back of the shower stall as he struggled to catch his breath. The water began to turn cold and he cursed. After cleaning up, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel to dry off. What in the hell was he going to do about his attraction to Leigh? He wouldn’t be able to withstand her full-blown assault if she waged one. He needed to talk to Joel.
He would see what Joel had to say in the morning. He wasn’t going to stay home with her tomorrow. He wouldn’t be able to resist bedding her if she came on to him again. Joel would have to stay with her instead. He had finished clearing the garden, so it was ready to be tilled. Joel could do that tomorrow.
Jonathan lay awake for nearly an hour thinking about Leigh and what she might be doing right then. Was she in the bath or taking a shower? He wondered what she looked like naked. What color would her nipples be, dusky pink, or a rosy color? He wanted to taste her sweet pussy juices. He groaned and tried to think about cows and the work that lay ahead of them that winter. Finally, he managed to push thoughts of Leigh from his mind and slipped off to sleep.
* * * *
Leigh felt his arms around her waist first, then his lips at the nape of her neck. She smiled and turned to look up into Jonathan’s eyes. He smiled down at her and bent to kiss her. His lips feathered ever so softly across her lips before pressing harder and demanding more from her. She opened her mouth to him. He thrust his tongue inside at the same time he thrust his hard cock against her belly. The feel of his dick against her bare skin had her pussy juices flowing.
His tongue explored along hers, tickling as it sparred with hers. She sucked it until he pulled away and began kissing along her cheek to her jaw. He nibbled at her earlobe before sliding his wet tongue down her neck to her bare shoulder. He licked her there once before biting lightly.
Leigh moaned at the slight pain that only turned her on more. When he backed her up until her legs hit the edge of a bed, she sat down and then fell back against the soft mattress with one push of his hand. Jonathan lay down beside her and stared deep into her eyes as he lowered his head to lick her nipple. His wet tongue rasped over her peaked nipple, leaving it wet in the cool air. He blew on it. It grew even tighter, if possible.
When he sucked it deep into his mouth, Leigh grabbed his head and held him there against her breast. He pulled back, nippin
g at her nipple before moving to the other side. She kept her hands in his hair, loving the way it felt against her skin. He used his fingers on her other nipple while he sucked and nipped at the one he now held captive.
She didn’t think it could get any better than this until he released her breast with an audible pop and began licking and nibbling his way down her abdomen. He continued to lick along her pelvis then settle between her legs. He looked up from his vantage point at her cunt and smiled before stroking his tongue up her pussy to her clit. The sensation drew a wild yes from her as he licked her cunt like an all-day sucker.
When he pulled back and spread her pussy lips wide, she thought he would enter her with his fingers. Instead, he stiffened his tongue and fucked her weeping pussy with it. It sent her senses spiraling upward, but all she could think was more. I want more.
He began licking all around her clit without actually touching it. She tried following his tongue with her pelvis, but he held her still with one giant arm across her abdomen. She whimpered in frustration, needing more of something. He nipped at her inner thigh and she stilled for him.
Finally, he entered her with two fingers and began pumping them in and out of her throbbing cunt. They brushed against her hot spot and turned her moans to groans. He curled his fingers and stroked that spot over and over until she thrashed her head from side to side needing more pressure somewhere—anywhere.
Leigh would have reached up and grabbed his head to show him where she wanted him, but he was already there, latching onto her clit with his teeth. He sucked it into his mouth and stroked it with his tongue even as his fingers roved over her sweet spot. Stars exploded behind her eyes and she screamed as her orgasm took her higher than she had ever been before. It pummeled her with sensations that she’d never felt before.
Just when she thought she would surely pass out, she woke up, alone and empty inside.
Chapter Four
Early the next morning, Joel was about to head downstairs when Jonathan knocked and stuck his head in the door.
“Hey, you about ready to head downstairs?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
His brother walked in and closed the door behind him. “I need to talk to you about Leigh.”
Joel groaned inwardly. Had Jonathan fucked up? He didn’t have as much control as Joel did.
“What happened?”
Jonathan winced. “She’s coming on to me, Joel. You need to work close to the house today and let me go out on the ranch, or I’m going to fuck her sure as anything.”
“What do you mean she’s coming on to you? What has she done?” Joel couldn’t believe she would be so eager to jump into bed with them, considering her situation.
“It’s my fault. She lost her balance yesterday and I grabbed her to keep her from falling. Then I sort of kissed her.”
“Fuck!”
Jonathan hurried on to explain, “Then later, after you went to bed, she grabbed me and asked me to kiss her again. I did, but I stopped and left her there. God knows I didn’t want to. I wanted to strip her down right there. She’s not wanting to wait, Joel.”
“Hell.” Joel ran a hand through his freshly brushed hair. “It’s too soon to start anything with her. She doesn’t know what she wants.”
“Well, you tell her that. I don’t have the willpower where she’s concerned. I know I want her.”
“For more than a few weeks or a few months, Jonathan? This is for keeps, man. That’s why I think we all need to step back and wait.”
“It’s not like she has much of a choice, Joel. We own her according to that piece of paper you have,” Jonathan pointed out.
“Exactly why we need to take this slow. I want her to be damn certain she wants us before we do anything. I don’t want her to wake up one day and feel like she was forced. I’m a demanding lover, Jonathan. You know that. She has to want to come to our bed more than anything.” Joel shoved his hands on his hips and shook his head.
“I’ll work the garden today. You can check the herd.”
Jonathan nodded and started to leave, then turned around and looked at Joel.
“I think she knows what she wants already. We started out treating her right, so she already likes us.”
“Regardless, we need to take this slow, Jonathan. Forever is a long time to live with two demanding men, and a hell of a lot longer to live with a miserable female.”
He watched Jonathan walk out then sighed and followed him down to the kitchen. Leigh had coffee ready and breakfast on the table by the time he had his first sip. She smiled at them and made sure they had plenty before they got up and pulled on their coats to get to work.
“I’m working the garden today while Jonathan tends the cattle. You need anything, just holler,” Joel told her.
She followed them to the door as if expecting something. Joel realized she was hoping for a kiss. Maybe Jonathan wasn’t all to blame. He put on his hat and closed the door behind him.
He pulled out the tractor and poured some of their precious fuel into the tank before cranking it and getting to work. With someone to actually work the garden in spring, they should probably plan to enlarge it some. They had only tilled up a small patch in the past since they didn’t have a lot of time to work it.
Leigh would change a lot of things around the place. Her safety was first and foremost. They had to worry not only about other men, but the wolves as well. They had become more devious and brave in the last couple of years. With more people moving to the Border Lands, they were losing some of their land and didn’t like it.
Joel looked up at the gathering clouds and hoped it wouldn’t rain until he had made a few rounds with the tiller. Once the rain started, it sometimes didn’t stop long enough for the ground to dry up enough to till again for weeks this time of year. Then the snows came and the land froze. He pushed to get as many rounds as possible in before the first fat drops would put an end to his tilling.
He was just making it to the end of a row when movement drew his eyes upward. Standing in front of him at the edge of the garden was Leigh with a raised glass of tea. He quickly looked around for any sign of the wolves. Finding none, he finished the row and turned off the plow.
“Thanks,” he said, taking the proffered glass of tea.
“I figured you would be thirsty by now. Is it going to rain?” She looked up at the darkening sky.
“Probably. I want to get as much plowing done as I can before it does.”
“If you get muddy, remember to take your boots off at the back door.” She took his empty tea glass and smiled.
Before he knew what she was about to do, she had reached up and pulled him down for a quick kiss. Then she turned and left him standing there. He felt like an idiot. Why hadn’t he stopped her before she kissed him? Joel shook his head and returned to plowing.
He managed to work four more rows before the rain began to dampen his coat. He cursed and put the tiller up in the toolshed. Then he sprinted across to the back porch, where he dutifully removed his now-muddy boots at the back door. When he walked in, the room was toasty warm.
The scent of something good drew him to the stove, and curiosity had him removing the lid on the pot simmering on the stove. It looked like stew to him. Smelled even better, he decided.
“It’s almost ready. I figured with the rain you could use something warm in your bellies today. We’ll have it with a sandwich for lunch and then over rice for dinner tonight. I’ll make biscuits to go with it.” Leigh walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist with a squeeze before stepping back.
“I’m wet. You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I’ll dry. I guess Jonathan will be soaked by the time he gets here. He’ll probably want to change clothes before lunch.” Leigh crowded him when he stepped away from the stove.
“Probably want to take a shower to warm up.” Joel moved away from her toward the door.
He watched her follow him out of the corner of his eye. She was d
efinitely pushing. He was about to turn around and confront her when he saw Jonathan heading toward the barn on his horse.
“Jonathan’s here. He’ll be in as soon as he’s seen to the horse.” He turned around to find that Leigh had snuck up on him and was directly in front of him now.
“Leigh. We need to talk about this.”
“What is there to talk about? You want me. Your cock is rock hard.” She ran a hand down the length of it.
Joel groaned, then stepped back again and grabbed her wrists. “Wanting you isn’t enough, Leigh. I want you to want us for who we are, and not just because you think you have to.”
Leigh jerked her hands out of his and stepped back. “If I thought I had to, you would be waiting the rest of your life.”
“Remember that, Leigh. You don’t have to. It’s important that you make that connection. I don’t want you to ever feel like you were forced into anything.” Joel advanced on her.
Leigh backpedaled and ended up against the kitchen cabinets. Her eyes got big when he didn’t stop, but continued until he was looming over her. He wanted to impress on her how important it was that she think it through. Still, looking in her wide eyes, he didn’t want to see fear. He wanted to see lust and need. He never expected to see love, considering their circumstances, but he could dream of it.
Joel bent low over her and smelled her skin at her neck. He wanted to nip her there and suck on it until he left a mark, his mark. Her breath hitched as his mouth hovered over a perfect spot.
“Fucking rain.” Jonathan slammed into the kitchen.
Joel jerked back and noticed that his brother hadn’t taken his boots off and the floor was muddy where he had walked in. Leigh noticed it at the same time and huffed out a breath.
“Jonathan, take your boots off on the porch. I just mopped this floor.” She opened the back door again and pointed.