by Lana Dare
“Problem?”
Savannah whirled as much as she could with Hayes holding on to her arm.
“Of course there’s a problem. Hayes and Wyatt want to beat me!”
At the last second, she looked around, mortified at the number of ranch hands who witnessed the entire thing.
One steely look from Hayes had them turning and walking away.
Reaching out a hand to Maggie, he pulled her close, his sharp eyes raking over her in concern.
“Settle down, darlin’.” After taking in Hayes’s cold expression, he met Savannah’s gaze.
“I don’t blame them for that. They’re your men, and you played a pretty mean trick on them. If Maggie did that to me, her bottom would be red for a week.”
Maggie pulled out of Eb’s hold, a trace of panic in her eyes.
“What’s going on? What are you doing to Savannah?”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Eb eyed Savannah intently.
“I guess that depends on Savannah. She can’t get away with what she did. What if she needed their protection?”
Savannah lifted her chin. “I don’t know why you’re so mad about it. You’re the one who taught me how to do it, and you said there wouldn’t be any danger.”
“There was a reason I taught you that, and I meant there would be no danger to him. What you did the other night made it damned near impossible for Wyatt and Hayes to protect you properly.”
Lifting a brow, he looked even more intimidating.
“Of course, I can’t have anyone doing something like that in my town. It’s usually up to Jeremiah or me to handle, but since Hayes and Wyatt are the new sheriffs, and since you’re their woman, it’s their right to handle you.”
“I’m not their woman!”
She could actually feel Wyatt’s and Hayes’s stares boring into her. Keeping her face averted, she fisted her hands at her sides. “Please don’t let them do this to me. I really can’t marry them.”
Eb inclined his head.
“If that’s the way you want it, fine, but that’s between you and them. They’ve stated their claim on you and you’ve accepted it, Savannah.”
With a look at the others, he took Savannah’s arm and pulled her to the side, his eyes full of tenderness.
“Honey, I know you’re scared of their anger, but Wyatt and Hayes both love you very much. If I believed, for one minute, that either one of them would ever hurt you, I’d interfere.”
Bending, he kissed her forehead. “Both Wyatt and Hayes are good men—but I think you know that already. They’re scared of losing you, honey, and those men don’t scare easily.”
Nodding, Savannah looked over her shoulder to see Wyatt and Hayes both watching her intently. Even from this distance, she could see how stiffly they held themselves.
“I’ll talk to them.” Turning back, she reached out to touch Eb’s arm.
“I really wish I could stay. I’d love to be a part of what you’re all building here. I can’t believe you’d do all this for Maggie.”
Eb lifted his gaze, looking over her shoulder to where his wife stood with Jeremiah, the anxiety on her face apparent.
“There’s not much I wouldn’t do for that woman.”
Meeting her gaze again, he smiled. “And there’s not much Wyatt and Hayes wouldn’t do for you. Talk to them, Savannah. They’ll do everything in their power to make this right for you.”
Not daring to look at any of them, Savannah allowed herself to be led to back to where Hayes and Wyatt stood.
Eb stopped with her directly in front of them and lifted her chin. “Talk to your men.”
Closing her eyes against the fierce possession in theirs, Savannah nodded.
Hearing Maggie’s sigh of relief from behind her, Savannah knew she’d made the only choice she could make. She’d talk to Hayes and Wyatt about it later, when they were alone, and get them to understand why she couldn’t stay.
The hunger inside her stirred at the flash of need in Hayes’s brilliant green eyes and Wyatt’s much darker ones.
Hayes held out a hand, raising a brow as Savannah hesitated before placing hers in it.
“We need to talk.”
Eb met both men’s eyes squarely.
“If either one of you hurts her, you’ll be thrown out of the town by the rest of us, and she can stay here where she’ll be safe.”
Hayes clenched his jaw, his eyes full of rage. “I’d kill any man who hurt her.”
Savannah blinked, not having expected such a thing. Whirling, she gripped Eb’s arm.
“Are you serious?”
Eb scowled at her, putting his hands on his hips as though fighting the urge to shake her.
“What have we been saying all along? Did you think we were lying about the strength of our need to protect the women? It’s important to us, Savannah. Very important. We can’t have a town or any kind of civilization here without women. Of course, we have to protect them. Wyatt and Hayes are very much aware of that, and it’s an important part of their jobs. They wouldn’t even have considered coming here to make a life with you until they were assured that everything possible would be done to protect you.”
Ashamed of herself for taking their claims so lightly, she still bristled at the thought of getting spanked.
“If you’re so determined to keep us from getting hurt, why in tarnation are you so hell-bent on spanking us?”
Sliding a hand under her hair, Wyatt tilted her face back.
“To protect you. To keep you from getting too relaxed about what’s around you. We’re not in the city anymore. We want you to think about everything you do and stay sharp.”
Leaning closer, he brushed her cheek with his lips. “It keeps you from getting too lazy about your safety. Call it a reminder—something to remember when you’re about to do something that might put you in danger. Tell the truth. Did that spanking I gave you the other day cause you more pleasure or pain?”
Remembering the way it had felt to be naked, and with his hands running over her, Savannah couldn’t hold back a moan.
Wyatt straightened and smiled, a slow, wicked smile full of remembered pleasure.
Eb chuckled from somewhere behind her.
“I guess that’s that.”
Savannah heard more than saw the others move away, leaving her alone with Hayes and Wyatt. Still aroused at the memory of Wyatt’s hands on her, she had to clear her throat before speaking.
“Now that we’re alone, I need to talk to you. I really can’t stay here.”
Hayes wrapped an arm around her waist, lifted her against him, and started for his horse.
“We’re going to be even more alone in a few minutes, and we’re going to talk about what you did to us the other night.”
He tossed her onto the back of his horse and followed right behind her, settling her on his lap before starting off. His hooded eyes held the promise of retribution, along with the dangerous combination of anger and desire.
“Among other things.”
Chapter Eight
Turning toward the pond, Savannah wrapped her arms around herself and stared out, her nerves stretched to the breaking point.
Neither one had said a word on the way here, but the tension emanating from both Wyatt and Hayes spoke volumes.
Part of her wanted to run to them, to have them hold her close and tell her everything would be all right, but the dozen or so feet between them seemed like a mile.
She wanted to have a chance to explore all the passion their eyes promised, to spend the rest of her life taking care of them as much as they claimed to want to take care of her.
She wanted to be held in the darkness, to feel safe when she closed her eyes at night.
She needed to be needed—to be wanted for herself.
Right now, though, the emotional distance between them seemed insurmountable, but she didn’t doubt that they would somehow manage to change that.
It hadn’t escaped her notice that Wyatt and Hayes wou
ldn’t allow her to hide behind the wall she’d long ago erected between her and everyone else. Each time she swallowed emotion and only allowed the cool politeness she’d used with her uncle to show, Wyatt and Hayes plowed through it, not satisfied until they’d gotten to the real woman underneath.
They wanted her—the real woman.
For the first time in her life she felt valued, and not for the favors she could do.
She felt alive.
Another part of her figured it would be better if Wyatt and Hayes decided against marrying her. She could leave here and live her life the way she wanted to.
She wouldn’t have to worry about her uncle coming for her ever again. He could find her here, but he’d never find her in Texas.
Seeing a movement out of the corner of her eye, she glanced in that direction, stiffening even more when she saw Wyatt move closer.
He settled himself on a large flat rock near the water and leaned forward, his legs spread, his laced fingers dangling between them. He appeared relaxed and calm, but his eyes told a different story.
Sharp and dark, they glittered with something that looked suspiciously like possession.
As much as the inner voice inside her fought at the thought of being possessed, Savannah couldn’t deny the pleasure and inner warmth that went hand in hand with it.
Clasping her hands together, she glanced at Hayes and found herself caught in his penetrating stare, struck by the intensity of the anger and need in his eyes. Careful to keep her voice low and even, she turned to face him squarely, fighting the urge to shuffle her feet.
“I think you need to come to terms with the fact that I can’t stay.”
Hayes lifted a brow, his expression one of cold arrogance, much like he’d worn almost constantly in Kansas City.
“I think you need to come to the realization that we won’t let you leave. You’re ours, Savannah. You’ve already given yourself to us by words and by deed. Strip.”
Shaken by his tone and the icy intent in his eyes, Savannah gasped and took a step back.
“What did you say?”
He sounded so cold and distant, but the hunger in his gaze as it moved slowly over told her he was anything but.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Hayes leaned back against the trunk of the tree behind him, his stance making him appear larger than life. “You heard me. Get those clothes off. We’re going to settle everything once and for all, and I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings, and I sure as hell don’t want anything in my way.”
She didn’t know this side of him and in this mood, he would be too unpredictable to anticipate.
It made her even more nervous when Wyatt went to his saddlebags and produced two blankets.
His lips curved in what appeared to be a semblance of a smile as he walked over the uneven ground and took his seat again.
“It’s a nice day, but you can wrap one of these around you once you get those clothes off. Keep the boots on so you don’t hurt your feet.”
Hayes stared at her breasts as he moved slowly toward her, not stopping until he stood only a few feet away. “It’s warm out, with just enough of a chill in the air to make you more aware of your nakedness. I want the breeze blowing over those pink nipples. I’m sure they’re already hard, but the cold will make them even harder—and more sensitive. Now strip, or I’ll do it for you. If I do it, though, your clothes will be in tatters and you’ll have to wear the blanket back to the ranch. Take off the shirt first.”
Shivering at his cold tone, Savannah took a step back, stopping abruptly when she almost slipped on the wet stones.
Hayes whipped out a hand to catch her, holding her against his hard body for several heart-stopping seconds, before pulling away to look down at her.
“You fall in that pond and I’m going to beat your ass raw. Lose the shirt.”
With a large hand, he gripped her upper arm and pulled her to the tree he’d been leaning against, a dark brow going up.
“Last warning.”
Savannah shook off his hand, knowing that she could only because he allowed it. “If this is how you’re going to treat me, can you blame me for not wanting to marry you?”
Hayes nodded and went to his own horse.
“Something we’re going to settle before we leave here. Are you going to take off that shirt, or am I?”
Need and fear made a potent combination, one that left her shaking so hard her teeth chattered.
Her fear didn’t stem from thinking they wanted to hurt her.
Whatever they had planned for her had nothing to do with pain and everything to do with pleasure. She could see it in their eyes.
Her fear came from the unknown. Not knowing what further decadence they had in store for her had her trembling in anticipation, every inch of her skin sensitized with awareness. Not knowing if she could handle it terrified her.
Knowing how completely she responded to them, and the sense of connection she experienced with them each time they touched her, scared her even more.
Whether they decided that they still wanted to marry her or not, her heart would be broken. Before she left town, however, they could make her fall in love with them even more, making the hurt even worse.
“What are you going to do to me?” She gulped heavily as he turned, her stomach tightening when she saw he held a coil of rope. “What are you going to do with that rope?”
She took a step back, and then another, crying out in surprise when she encountered an immovable object.
She hadn’t even heard Wyatt move.
His arms came around, trapping her against him. Nuzzling her neck, he chuckled softly.
“Let me help you out of this shirt before Hayes loses his temper. If you give him what he wants, he might just go a little easier on you—something you might want to remember for the future.”
Hayes stopped several feet in front of her and looked up toward the top of the tree. With an expert flick of his wrist, he sent one end of the rope sailing over a thick branch several feet over her head.
Savannah shivered as Wyatt unbuttoned her shirt, parted and lifted the ends. Holding her hands above her head, he made quick work of tying her wrists together with her shirt, leaving her breasts bared and her unable to cover herself.
Hayes took full advantage, his eyes raking over her and making her tender nipples bead even more.
He’d been right about how exposed she would feel with the cool air blowing over her breasts, but she hadn’t anticipated having her arms lifted over her head. It lifted her breasts and made them even more sensitive, the position adding a vulnerability she’d never experienced.
The feel of the abrasive rope touching her hands made her jump and try to pull away, but Wyatt overpowered her, keeping her arms held high and pulling the loop in the rope tight around her wrists.
“What do you think you’re doing? Untie me right now!”
Reaching around her, Wyatt ran the tips of his callused fingers over her beaded nipples, the delicate friction sending shards of tingling heat racing through her veins, heat that seemed to all concentrate at her slit.
“The material of your shirt will keep your wrists protected from the rope no matter how hard you struggle.”
Hayes tugged the end of the rope he held, pulling her arms higher, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at her breasts.
“And you will struggle—but not because you want to escape.” Reaching out, he tapped a nipple, sending another jolt of delight to her already overloaded system.
The reminder that he and Wyatt could do anything they wanted to her breasts increased her sense of vulnerability.
His eyes glittered with the knowledge of her helplessness.
“It’ll be because you’re going to want to come so badly, you’ll be struggling to get closer.”
“Bastard!”
She tugged against her bonds, but Hayes held the other end of the rope firmly. Being exposed outdoors with Wyatt had been exciting and dangerous, but it
hadn’t been anything like this.
Her love and need for both of them changed everything.
She knew to her soul that she was as safe as she wanted to be with them.
They didn’t say it, but their caring and love for her shone in their eyes. Startled to realize how much she wanted to give in to them, she reminded herself of the trouble her uncle would make.
The town and everything they wanted to build would be destroyed before it ever got started.
She had to resist what she’d discovered to be the most important thing in the world.
Love.
“Let me go. I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but it’s not funny.”
Hayes never took his eyes from hers as he tied the rope off, securing it to the trunk of the tree.
“I’m not laughing, Savannah.”
Wary of his mood, Savannah looked over her shoulder, searching for Wyatt. She spotted him leaning against the trunk of the tree Hayes had tied her to, his arms crossed over his chest.
He gave her a slow wink. “Oh, I’m here, darlin’. You belong to both of us all right, but it’s Hayes’s turn. Sometimes we’ll make love to you, or like now, play with you, separately. Sometimes together. Either way, we’ll both know what the other did to you.”
Hayes brought her attention back to him by running a finger over her breast, using his fingertip to circle, but not quite touch, her nipple.
“There’ll be no secrets between us. This wouldn’t work if there were. So, you want to tell me why you put something in our food that put us to sleep?”
Biting back a moan, she arched toward him, trying to get him to touch the aching tip. Frustrated that he managed to avoid it, she tugged at the ropes, wondering why the strong sense of helplessness excited her so much when she’d fought her entire life not to be helpless.
“I’m sorry for that, but you asked for it. Hayes!”
She watched in fascination as he lowered his head, calling out his name at the feel of his warm breath on her nipple. She couldn’t hold back a gasp when his tongue flicked over it, her sharp intake of breath becoming a cry when the cool breeze blew over it. The dampness he’d left behind made it even colder, a sensation that made her nipple bead even tighter and sent a fresh rush of pleasure to her pussy.