Lost Without Them

by Trista Ann Michaels

That remark made Keegan freeze in surprise. Sam was blunt. She’d give him that. His words alone sent desire racing through her veins with the strength of a locomotive. What was it about these two guys that could make her so horny so fast? They made her crazy. And all it took was a few words or a look.

  Was she really that easy?

  Sam crossed his arms over his chest and bent down, bringing himself eye level with her. “If we’re going to lay our cards on the table, we might as well go all in.”

  “I don’t recall saying anything about laying all our cards on the table.”

  “That’s how I talk about it, Keegan. I’m honest. I don’t beat around the bush. Last night was incredible, and I want you again so bad I can taste it. But what I really want is to taste you.”

  Keegan swallowed at his blunt admission. Just thinking about him tasting her had her all wet again. “Well,” she whispered. “As long as we’re being honest…”

  Sam pushed away from the counter and invaded her space. Her heart raced wildly at the hungry look in his eyes as he held her gaze captive with his.

  God, she couldn’t look away, couldn’t think of anything other than his mouth on her, licking her, tasting her, making her scream. Her breasts ached as she imagined his face buried between her legs. Her pussy clenched, and cream coated the crotch of her panties.

  “Are you going to finish that thought, sweetheart, or are you going to make me guess?” Sam murmured.

  Before she could answer, the front door opened, and someone yelled, “Sam!”

  Sam sighed. “In the kitchen.”

  He stepped back from her, and Keegan felt the loss deep in her gut. Damn these interruptions. An older man came into the kitchen. When he saw Keegan, he took his hat off and nodded. “Ma’am,” he said.

  Keegan smiled shyly in return. “Hello.”

  “Keegan, this is George. He’s been with us for a long time. George, this is Keegan.”

  “The woman you found?” George asked.

  “Yes.”

  George nodded his head in her direction. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

  “Thank you. You too.”

  “Is there something wrong?” Sam asked.

  “Yeah. Cody needs you out by the ski lift at the western edge of the property. There’re a couple of cows you need to see.”

  Sam frowned. “Why?”

  George glanced at Keegan, then turned back to Sam. “Just trust me, Sam. You need to see this.”

  Sam nodded. “I’m coming.”

  Keegan got the distinct impression that George was hiding something from her. Sam gave her an affectionate pat on the shoulder. “We’ll finish our discussion later.”

  Keegan sighed and leaned against the counter. Another afternoon of unfulfilled lust. Great. Just what she wanted to deal with.

  George turned to leave, and Sam moved in close to whisper low and deliberate, sending a wave of desire to her core, “Do you want a repeat of last night, Keegan, or do you want Cody and me to back off?”

  Keegan looked into his eyes and knew that backing off was the last thing she wanted. He must’ve gotten his answer in her eyes. He lifted his hand and brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. “Don’t cook dinner tonight. Meet us here in the kitchen…naked. You’ll be our dinner.”

  She swallowed, unable to speak past the lump of pure desire choking her. Sam stared at her for a second, then walked to the doorway. Sticking his head around the frame, he yelled at George, “Head on over. I’ll follow in a few.”

  “’Kay,” George said as he left the house.

  The door shut, and Sam turned to stare at her. She wondered what he was up to as he walked over like a panther stalking his prey. He looked so sexy, so hot with that possessive heat in his eyes. If he and Cody shared, did he ever get jealous? Did it ever bother him to see the woman he was with touching another man?

  And could she handle both of them all the time? Right now, Sam seemed to overwhelm her. If he alone could make her feel this way, what would it be like to have both of them, always seducing, always touching, always making her lose herself?

  “What are you doing?” she asked as he hooked his finger into the belt loop of her jeans and tugged her close.

  “I changed my mind,” he growled. “The cows can wait a few, I think.”

  Keegan’s stomach flipped as he leaned down and captured her mouth with his. The kiss was wild, wicked, demanding, and nearly brought Keegan to her knees.

  “What have you done to me, woman,” he whispered against her lips. “Have you put some kind of spell on me?”

  “No more than you’ve put on me,” she replied as she took his hand and pushed it into her jeans.

  Sam unhooked the buttons to loosen them so he could slide his hand in farther, fully cupping her sex in his palm. Keegan sighed and rocked her hips against his touch.

  “Mmm,” he purred as he buried his face in her neck and nibbled at the sensitive spot just below her ear. “I like how you move. How you respond to my touch.”

  He massaged her opening, teasing her with the tips of his fingers. Keegan moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding tight as her body quivered in desperate need.

  “You’re so wet,” he whispered. “What would you do, I wonder, if I did this.”

  He thrust two fingers deep into her channel. Keegan moaned as her knees went weak as Jell-O and her walls convulsed and tightened around his fingers.

  “Nice,” he murmured against her neck. “I could play with this pussy all day.”

  Sam slowly worked his fingers deeper, sliding his digits along her walls. When he found a particularly sensitive spot just inside her channel, Keegan thought she might swoon.

  “Ooh,” he cooed as he moved his lips to her mouth. “I think that’s the spot, isn’t it, gorgeous?”

  He rubbed against it a little harder. Keegan moaned. Not waiting for him, she captured his mouth with hers, invading his open lips with her tongue. He tasted of coffee and spice. He smelled of outdoors and hay. His touch was like heaven, setting her aflame.

  He made her crazy. She was too turned on to be shy or embarrassed. All that mattered was the stroke of his fingers against that spot. Every part of her body shuddered as her release built from deep inside her. Breaking away from his kiss, she let her head fall back and let out a scream she was sure they heard at the other end of the ranch.

  Sam continued to stroke her pussy, letting her ease off the high gradually. He removed his hand from between her legs and lifted his fingers to his lips. Keegan watched as he slid them into his mouth and licked the cream away. It was so erotic, so hot, she could feel herself getting turned on again.

  “You’re a witch, aren’t you?” he whispered.

  Keegan blinked as she remembered the pen and how it had moved into her hand without her touching it. Sam kissed the tip of her nose. “Cody and I will be back later.”

  She nodded and watched him leave the kitchen. As he rounded the corner, she slid down the cabinet to sit on the floor. She could hardly stand anymore. The things he’d made her feel… She was tempted to think she’d never felt them before, but how would she know? She couldn’t remember.

  She looked down at her hand, thinking about what he’d said. A witch? There was no such thing. Right?

  She shifted her gaze to the cabinet door across from her. Had the pen just been a fluke? Had she really done that, and what else could she do?

  Lifting her hand, she concentrated on opening the door. It nudged just a little, and her heart skipped a beat in fear. She dropped her hand, hesitant to do it again but at the same time wanting to know.

  She raised her hand once more and thought about opening the door. When it opened all the way, she gasped and covered her mouth with both hands in shock.

  “Oh my God! What am I?”

  Chapter Nine

  Sam found Cody a few miles from the house on the back side of the property. He and about six other hands stood around the carcass of a dead cow.

  “Wh
at the hell is so fascinating about a dead cow? You guys look like you’ve never seen one before,” Sam said as he climbed from his truck.

  Cody scowled at him. “Come here and take a look, brother. Let’s see if you can still say that in a second.”

  Sam frowned and walked over to see what all the fuss was about. He froze at the sight that greeted him: three dead cows all ripped to shreds. Pieces of them were scattered everywhere within about a twenty-foot radius. Blood covered the ground and what skin and bone remained. He’d never seen an animal pulled apart like that.

  “What the hell?” Sam looked at Cody. “What would do this?”

  “I’m thinking those wolves we saw the other night when we found Keegan. I’ve never seen wolves that big, Sam. They could’ve easily done this.”

  Sam rubbed his chin in thought but had to nod in agreement with Cody. Those things had been huge and unlike any wolf he’d ever seen. He’d talked some with the sheriff about it but had let Mike handle it from there. Now that they were attacking his cattle, it looked as though he’d have to take matters into his own hands and contact Jake over at Fish and Wildlife. If anyone could catch these wolves, he could. The last thing he needed was some monster wolves taking out his livelihood.

  Sam pulled his walkie from his belt clip and hit the talk button. He hadn’t used this yet to call Keegan, but he knew it was still on the kitchen island. He’d seen it earlier, but would she hear him?

  “Keegan,” he said into the mic and then waited a few seconds before calling out again. “Keegan, are you there?”

  “I’m here,” she replied through the speaker.

  “Hey, baby. We’ve got a problem over here on the other side of the ranch. We’ll be late getting back.”

  There was silence for a few seconds before she finally replied, “Is it bad?”

  “Not bad, just looks like some wolves have gotten to the cattle. Cody and I are going to head over to Fish and Wildlife, see if we can get someone out here to try to capture these things.”

  “Do you think it’s the same ones that attacked me?” she asked, and Sam didn’t miss the nervousness in her voice. Cody must’ve noticed it too, because he looked up when she spoke.

  “Maybe,” Sam said. “But you’re safe there at the house. Just don’t go off alone, okay?”

  “Okay. How much of a range do these walkie-talkies have?”

  “Several miles. They cover most all of the ranch, but they won’t reach town.”

  “How do I get ahold of you if I need you?”

  Sam cursed. They didn’t have a landline, and Keegan didn’t have a cell phone. “I’ll send George back to the house with Cody’s cell. Are you freaked about something, Keegan?” Sam asked softly. It just seemed odd to him that she would worry about getting in touch with them.

  “Up until you mentioned them, I had assumed the wolves were gone.”

  Sam nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry, baby. We’ll hurry as fast as we can.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Sam. It was just a moment of panic. Unless they can open doorknobs, I have nothing to be concerned about.”

  Sam chuckled. “That’s right. But I’ll still send George with the phone.”

  Cody unclipped his phone from this belt and handed it to George, who stood close by. George waved it and headed for his truck.

  “Just look for my name under contacts. Cody says to ignore all the other girls’ names, though; they mean nothing to him.”

  Cody frowned at him. Keegan’s giggle came through the speakers, and Sam felt relief that she didn’t seem quite as nervous as she had a second ago.

  “Tell Cody I will ignore the girls’ names for now, but for every girl listed, he’ll have to make it up to me.”

  Cody’s lips twitched in amusement.

  “Same goes for you, Sam,” she said softly.

  Sam’s balls tightened at the sexy tone of her voice.

  “And you still owe me dinner,” she added.

  He imagined her looking at him with a sexy pout, and his heart skipped. God, he could get used to this. Her being there when he got home. The sexy teasing over the walkie. It felt comfortable and right.

  Sam smiled. Cody looked a little confused, and Sam waved his hand. “I’ll tell you in a sec.” He put the mic to his mouth. “Deal.”

  * * * *

  Keegan stood at the massive two-story window, watching the sunset below the mountains in the distance. She wondered how Sam and Cody were doing. She found she missed them, but she also had to admit she’d needed the time alone.

  Over the course of the afternoon, she’d found out she could move most anything with her mind. Or at least anything in the house. Was she telekinetic? She’d done a little research online about telekinesis and witchcraft. There had been lots of information about both but nothing that really helped her or gave her any of the answers she sought.

  She debated telling Sam and Cody. She finally decided against it. Until she knew exactly what she was dealing with, she wouldn’t bring it up.

  “Keegan.”

  She tensed at the strange voice calling her name. She turned to look behind her but saw nothing.

  “Keegan.”

  “What?” she snapped, wondering if Sam or Cody was playing some sort of trick. “Sam? Cody? Is that you?”

  She waited but heard nothing else. A chill worked its way up her spine, and she moved to the sofa. Her head began to ache, and she rubbed her hand across her forehead, wondering what had caused the sudden onset of pain. Grabbing the remote, she decided to try and find something on television to take her mind off all the weird things that seemed to be happening to her.

  * * * *

  Dastan slapped his palm against the granite covering the kitchen island. “Damn it! I had her!”

  “Did you see anything?” Dmitry asked.

  Dastan shook his head. “Not enough. A log house, mountains, snow. That’s all. She’s not maintaining the invisibility spell, so it’s beginning to weaken. That little bit of magic she performed was enough to create a crack, but it’s just not big enough to break through yet.”

  “What the hell is she doing?” Dmitry asked in frustration.

  “I don’t know. I’m beginning to get worried about her. I could sense a feeling of fear, confusion. It was almost as though she could hear me but didn’t know me.”

  * * * *

  “Keegan?” Cody yelled as he strolled in the front door.

  He could hear the television in the den and went to see if Keegan was in there watching it. He found her lying on the couch, her arm over her eyes as though to block out the light, her other arm over her stomach. She was sound asleep, but even in sleep, her mouth was turned down.

  Sam came into the room, and Cody put his finger to his lips. “She’s asleep.”

  With a frown, Sam picked up a bottle of Tylenol from the table. He showed it to Cody.

  “She must’ve had a headache or something, or maybe her stitches were bothering her. We should probably take it easy on her tonight. Let her get some sleep.”

  Sam nodded and set the bottle back down on the table. He turned off the television while Cody leaned down and put one hand under Keegan’s shoulders and the other under her knees.

  She woke briefly and stiffened in his arms.

  “It’s just me, Sunshine,” Cody said softly. “You fell asleep on the couch.”

  “My head hurt,” she whispered as she laid her cheek against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Does it still hurt?” Cody asked softly.

  She nodded but said nothing more. Cody glanced over his shoulder at Sam. “She took a pretty hard hit to the head the other night. Should we be concerned about this headache?”

  Sam shook his head. “I don’t think so, but we’ll see how she feels in the morning.”

  “Where are we headed?” Cody asked as he started up the stairs.

  “My room. I’ve got the bigger bed.”

  Cody nodded and carried Keegan t
o Sam’s king-size bed.

  * * * *

  Keegan stirred and moved closer to the warm body curled against her back. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she could tell that it was Cody. Maybe it was his scent? It was just a tad different from Sam’s. Cody had more of a woodsy scent, whereas Sam smelled of spice.

  It was amazing how well she knew them in such a short amount of time. Sometimes the whole thing scared the hell out of her. What if she never remembered anything? Would she be happy to stay here and accept her new life as Keegan, the woman falling in love with two cowboy brothers?

  She rolled over and stared at Cody as he slept. His lashes were long and rested gently against his cheeks. They blended well with the weatherworn roughness of his face. Stubble covered his jaw, and she ran her fingers over the rough whiskers to his full lips. She touched them, remembering how they’d felt against her own.

  Cody was so sweet. So kind. Sam was too, but Sam had a rougher, more gruff side to him. She didn’t mind it. She actually liked their differences. She could grow to care for them each in their own way. They could both have their own relationships, both the same yet different.

  She frowned slightly, wondering when she’d begun to think of the three of them as being in a relationship. She didn’t even know who she was, where she came from. She didn’t know if she had family, yet here she was content to remain with her cowboys, to lock out the rest of the world and stay in their arms forever. It felt right. When she was with them, she felt whole.

  Had she never felt that way before? She had no idea.

  “You look like you’re awfully deep in thought about something,” Cody said in a sleepy voice.

  Keegan realized she’d been staring at his lips, lost in thought. She jerked her gaze to his and feathered her fingers along his jawline. “I was just thinking.”

  “What about?” he whispered.

  “Stupid stuff, really. Like how we need to go grocery shopping.”

  “Just so we’re clear, food is never a stupid thought.”

  Keegan giggled.

  “How’s your headache?” he asked.

  “It’s gone. I think maybe I just did too much yesterday. I still feel a little slow and get tired easily.”