Gwen's Lifesavers

by Eileen Green

  * * * *

  Gwen was at work in her office cataloging all the pictures and the notes she had taken while Jake cooked dinner. Andrew was out with his one ranch hand making sure everything had gone smoothly while they were gone. One of the horses was close to giving birth and he wanted to make sure she was stabled and ready to go.

  Jake had been concerned about Gwen during the trip. She was a good worker and absorbed all the information that was given but he constantly worried she was tiring herself out. They could tell she really did have a headache the night before, for her forehead was drawn together. She seemed better this morning but he and Andrew had decided to let her rest until it was time to go to the airport, even ordering room service for breakfast.

  By the time they had arrived home, she was more relaxed. After going upstairs to change into a pair of sweatpants and shirt, she took all her information and went to work. Now, Jake debated about whether or not to make her come eat with them, or take her a plate.

  Silence came from the office and he had to wonder what was going on. A sound at the door to the hallway caught his attention. Looking up, he found her standing there watching him.

  “You okay, sweetheart?” he asked, setting down the bread knife he was holding.

  “Yes. I’m fine. I just had a lot to process the last couple of days. I’m sorry.”

  Jake rushed around to stop in front of her. “Sorry for what?”

  “That I wasn’t able to…well…please you.”

  She lowered her eyes at her words. Jake lifted her chin up with two fingers so she would have to look at him. “Gwen, we do not expect to have sex every night. We don’t expect blowjobs from you all the time. We may be Doms, but we are not ogres. We aren’t going to be upset if you don’t feel like making love to us.”

  “Really?”

  Her surprise astonished him. Gather her in his arms, he hugged her tightly. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry if that’s what you thought. If you ever have questions or doubts, please talk to us.”

  He felt her nod. “I will,” she whispered against his neck. “I promise.” After a few moments, Gwen pulled away. “I’m starving. What can I help with?”

  Jake chuckled. “I have almost everything prepared. I suppose you can get the dishes out of the cabinet, along with the silverware.”

  Gwen leaned in and gave him a small, sensual kiss. Her lips moved against his and there was a bit of tongue included, but he knew now was not the time. She pulled away and went over to the cabinets and began to gather the dishes.

  Jake finished slicing the bread he had pulled from the oven just moments before and placed the warm pieces on a plate. Domesticity filled the kitchen, which pleased him. This was something he had wanted for a long time, something he and Andrew had talked about since they began sharing women. He had to hope this would be what it would be like every night they were home from work for the rest of their lives.

  Gwen helped put the food on the counter before going over to Jake and run her hand down his arm before asking, “What do you want to drink, sweetie?”

  Leaning over, he kissed her cheek. “Iced tea is fine. I made a fresh pitcher.”

  He watched Gwen as she poured two glasses and set them on the counter along with the pitcher and an extra glass in case Andrew wanted one. He noticed how relaxed she was this evening.

  Even though she had been working, the trip somehow had done her some good. The image of her hanging on that St. Andrew’s cross as he flogged her came to mind. He knew exactly when she let go, her body sagging in her restraints. She had accepted her lashes from him and Andrew and when they had removed her, she had a look of euphoria on her face. Oh, how he loved that look on her. He wanted to see it much more often.

  Andrew entered through the mudroom breaking into his thoughts. Looking over at the man, he saw a look of satisfaction. “Everything okay?” he asked his friend as he took the platter of chicken over to the counter.

  “Yes. I’d say sometime in the next twenty-four hours.” Andrew moved over to Gwen and pulled her into his arms. His head lowered before he captured their woman’s mouth in his.

  Jake couldn’t explain why watching his work partner kissing Gwen caused him to grow hard, but it did. As with that, he also got harder while they were in the bedroom and he watched as Andrew would sink his cock into her cunt. There was nothing remotely interesting to him about seeing a man naked, but with Andrew, it felt right. He had to wonder how Andrew felt about it. He was certain he wouldn’t be able to carry out this relationship with any other man than Andrew. Perhaps that’s what made it so right. It was something that could only work with his best friend and the woman they loved.

  When the two pulled away, Jake moved in on Gwen and gave her a quick kiss. When he pulled away, he smiled. “Let’s eat. Afterwards, we can maybe have some fun and games.”

  Waggling his eyebrows mischievously, Gwen burst out laughing. “I don’t know if I want to play your games, mister,” she said sassily as she punched him softly in the gut. “I have a funny feeling you two will probably cheat to win the prize.”

  Glancing over at Andrew, who was watching their banter with a smile, he laughed. “With the prize being you, honeybee, I’m pretty sure we will.”

  Both men chuckled as Jake escorted her out of the kitchen into the back room and over to the counter. Helping her up onto the barstool, he then took the seat to her right and Andrew sat to her left. Jake dished up creamy scalloped potatoes onto Gwen’s plate as his partner placed a nice-sized breaded baked chicken breast on it. Asparagus was added along with a piece of buttered bread. Her eyes grew at the sight of all the food.

  “This looks so good, Jake. I’m starving. Thank you.” Her words warmed his heart as she was genuinely happy.

  The trio began to eat. “So, Gwen, are you ready to see a foal be born?” Andrew asked as he took a bite of his chicken.

  “It should be interesting,” she admitted. “I’ve never really been around animals except for my cat when I was a kid. I haven’t even been out to see your horses yet.”

  His hand covered her free hand. “They’re your horses now, too, baby girl. Everything here is yours, and Jake’s.”

  Jake saw her jaw tighten and her eyes dart from Andrew’s face to her plate. There, in the corner of her eye, was a tear before she blinked it away. Looking over her head at his friend, he knew he had seen it, too.

  “Baby, look at me,” Andrew said patiently. He waited until she turned her head to him. “We’ve already told you we want you here forever. So, what’s wrong?”

  A sob broke from Gwen as she buried her face in her hands. Both men stood and moved in closer to her, holding her. As she cried, Andrew looked at Jake as if to ask, what the fuck? Jake shrugged.

  They caressed her arms soothingly, letting her have her moment. He wasn’t sure what was going on lately for this was the second time she had opened up and cried in the past couple of days. He had to hope they weren’t pushing her too quickly.

  Then, a thought pried itself into his mind. They had said they wanted her forever, but they hadn’t asked her. They had told her.

  It was time he and Andrew had a serious conversation. Andrew was already including her in everything on the ranch but they needed to make it official.

  Needing to get to the bottom of Gwen’s tears, Jake moved around to stand next to Andrew. Andrew pulled her hands down and held them in his hands. Jake gripped her chin with his thumb and forefinger and moved her head up to look at them. He hated to have to use his Dom voice, but knew that’s what was needed at this point. “Talk to us, Gwen. Now!”

  The woman flinched slightly at the command in his voice, but she opened her eyes to look at him first and then Andrew. What surprised Jake was what he saw in the depths of her eyes. It wasn’t sadness or fear that lay there. It was wonder and happiness.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry, but when you said what you did, I was surprised that you would offer me something I never would have been able to have in m
y entire life. You have given me love which is enough, but now a house, a home? I don’t know what to say.” Her words were said in between small hiccupping sighs.

  “Oh, sweetheart,” Jake said, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “I glad you’re happy. You really had us scared. I know that the past few days have been rough on you, and we in no way want to push you into anything, but please know that our love for you is real and we do want to share everything we have with you.”

  “I know that this is overwhelming for you, but Jake speaks the truth for both of us. This is your home now, and I hope that you will accept this and let us move you fully in here. We don’t want to think that you have an apartment to escape to. We want you here with us, even if you get upset with us.” Andrew’s voice was nearly breaking as he spoke, his fear showing.

  Gwen held her arms out to let both of them move into them. As her arm slipped around Jake’s waist, he felt like he was coming home. His anchor was holding onto him, to keep him from drifting in that sea of loneliness and uncertainty that was his life before Gwen came into it.

  Holding tight to her, he felt the uneasiness drain from the man who was standing next to him. They were not only partners at this point, but brothers. He had seen the man grow up mentally in the past month and he felt Andrew was really ready for this.

  He let the hug go on for another long minute before he kissed Gwen’s forehead. “I love you, Gwen Bowers, and I would do anything to see that your wellbeing is taken care of, therefore, you need to eat. Especially since I put so much work into preparing it.”

  “Yes, baby. You need to eat. You’ve been working hard. Besides, we’ll need to keep our wits about us for the next day or so. That foal is ready to come into this world and might need some help.” Andrew hugged her and then kissed her lips chastely.

  They helped turn her on her stool to face her plate again before they returned to their own seats. Gwen picked up her fork and stabbed at a piece of chicken.

  Jake watched as she raised it to her mouth and took it in, sliding it off the fork with her tongue. A drip of juice remained on her lower lip and Jake reached out to wipe it off with his thumb. As he raised his digit to his mouth, Gwen’s beautiful eyes watched him. The aqua-colored orbs darkened with her desire. Her tongue darted out quickly to lick the spot his thumb had touched. Oh, they were going to bed soon, he thought.

  Then, turning back to her plate as if the interaction had happened, she chewed her meat as she picked up some of the golden discs surrounded by creamy goodness with her fork. A sly smile played on her lips, though, which told Jake she was truly as turned on as he was.

  “Um, Gwen,” Andrew said, interrupting the little play. “Last night when we were getting ready to leave the club, Alex whispered something to you. Would you like to share, or shall I ask him myself?”

  Jake watched Gwen’s face turn rosy as she squirmed slightly in her seat. Lowering her fork, she nibbled on her bottom lip nervously. He had to wonder if it had been something bad. Had she done something wrong and he called her on it?

  “It was something that has to do with him and his secretary. I’m not sure if I should say anything about it right now.”

  As she spoke, her shoulders squared back as if she was gearing up for an argument. Jake had to admire the fact that she was willing to fight to keep her secret. She was a good friend.

  Andrew seemed satisfied with her answer, but Jake could see he was still curious. Hell, he’d been curious about the interaction also, but wanted to give her space. She didn’t seem upset with the man’s words. In fact, she had smiled after Alex had whispered to her.

  “Okay. We’ll honor your secret. I hope in the future, you’ll be willing to open up more,” Andrew said as he patted her hand. “So, are you going to want to watch your foal be born?”

  “Mine?” she squeaked, her fork clattering onto the counter.

  “Yes.” He smiled at her. “I have decided that you can have it for your very own to raise. That way it’ll be gentle for you. Your love and attention will make it grow into a loving horse for you when you’re ready to ride it.”

  “But I don’t know how to ride a hose,” she pointed out.

  “I’ll teach you. Besides, Jake will need to learn, too.”

  Gwen’s head whipped around so quickly, Jake expected her neck to hurt. Surprise was written on her face. “What? You don’t know how to ride either?”

  “No, sweetheart. I just moved in here. I’d visited before but never really spent enough time to learn how to ride. So, we’ll be able to learn together.” Jake was actually excited to learn how to ride along with Gwen. It would give them all more time to spend together and a good distraction for them from work.

  “But I thought you lived with Andrew.”

  “No. He was living here by himself. I have my own apartment in Kalispell. But once we decided we wanted you in our lives, we knew I’d have to move in here also. I’ll be moving in the rest of my stuff here soon enough. We wanted to get you settled first.” Jake was holding her other hand as he made his explanation. Her fingers curled to hold on to it as tears filled her eyes.

  “I didn’t know how much you’ve done to be with me,” she said quietly. “Thank you.”

  “I’d do anything to be with you, honey. We would both do anything to be with you.”

  He wasn’t prepared for her to lean over and throw her arms around him. Holding him tightly to her, he welcomed her warmth. Shooting a quick glance at his friend, he found him watching them, his eyes flashing with happiness and love.

  Yes. They were all going to be all right.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Why is your phone going off at three in the morning?” grumbled Gwen as she slid her hand down Andrew’s hip.

  He reached for the offensive device that was lying on the nightstand next to the bed. Picking it up, he looked at the display to see who was calling. Even though he and Jake were technically off duty, if there was an extreme emergency, they could get called in.

  Luckily enough, it was his ranch hand. Holding the phone up to his ear, he pushed the blankets off his body as he got to his feet. “Yes, John.” He listened as the man on the other end told him it was time. “I’ll be right there.”

  Pushing end on the phone, he grabbed the pair of jeans he had left folded on the floor next to the bed and slipped them on. As he slipped on the sweatshirt he had left there also, Gwen sat up.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Behind her, Jake was rising.

  “Yes, baby girl. It’s time. I’ll be in the barn.” Andrew leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Love you.”

  Rushing out the door and then down the stairs, he went through the kitchen to the mudroom, slipped on his boots and a heavy wool coat and out the door. The night was dark, although stars twinkled gaily above him. The cold was bone chilling. Why is it when something like this happens, it’s always at night and freezing cold?

  Lights were dim in the barn as he opened the door and stepped in. Moving quietly down the main aisle, animals on both sides of him shifted restlessly in their straw beds. Several horses whinnied at him as he passed while a couple of the cows mooed. At the end of double rows of stalls, where they had put Moon, a pained grunt sounded.

  Standing at the gate to the stall, he found John kneeling down next to the mare, stroking her back. Not wanting to upset her, Andrew stayed outside the stall and looked over the top rail. “How’s she doing?”

  “So far, she’s good. We had a hoof appear and retract. I believe we’ll see it again shortly.”

  John’s voice was hushed. He was excellent with animals and had been with Andrew’s family since he was teenager. He had shown his loyalty, so when Andrew’s grandfather passed away and Andrew was already working as a paramedic, the man was asked to stay on.

  Now that there were more animals, Andrew knew they would need more hands. Also, there was the matter of Jake and Gwen. They would need more time as a family,
so definitely, he would have to hire more men.

  An inhuman groan emanated from the stall and Moon’s tail lifted, as did her hindquarters. Movement behind Andrew caught his attention. Gwen’s body cuddled up against his side, causing surprise to jerk his attention to her.

  “What are you doing here?” he whispered. “You should be sleeping.”

  “I couldn’t pass this up.” Her voice was a whisper also. “I’ve never seen anything except my own child be born, and even then I was a bit distracted.”

  A quiet chuckle from behind them let him know that Jake hadn’t let Gwen come out here alone. Moving his arm around Gwen, he helped her climb up onto the lower rail so she could see the show that nature was about to give them. Cuddling up behind her, as did Jake, the two caged her in so she wouldn’t fall and she could relax in their embrace.

  Another grunt came from within the enclosure. A dark hoof appeared within the sac that the foal was still encased in. It was a few minute later that the other hoof slipped out. A small sigh came from Gwen. Andrew was pleased that she was finding this fascinating. Watching new life come into the world was always so sacred.

  These were the moments that Andrew would remember in his old age, being with Gwen along with Jake as they took in special moments like this.

  * * * *

  At this moment, surrounded by her men, watching a new life come into the world, Gwen knew things were going to be good for them. They always made her feel special, but this was wonderful. Just being able to share momentous occasions such as this would stay with her for the rest of her life.

  Andrew’s arm was around her waist, holding her steady, while Jake’s was right above his, their bodies warm against her back. She could feel their eyes on her, making sure she was comfortable and happy.

  Turning to Andrew, she whispered, “Why is her tail tied up?”

  Gauze was wound around the tail and seemed to be folded in half. She had never seen anything like it in any magazine or movie. What was left of the tail swished backward as the horse seemed to bare down on her hips.