by Jane Jamison
Lisa put the cool glass to her cheek. The summer was heating up. “I hope I’m not overstaying my welcome.”
“Are you kidding? Craig and Marrick asked you to stay, right?”
“Yes, but maybe it’s only because they need the help.” She hurried to clarify. “Don’t get me wrong. I know they’ve got the town behind them and you’ve been wonderful. That’s part of the reason I wonder if I should be leaving. They’ll still have lots of help after I go home.” She needed to get back to work. After calling her boss, he’d made it very clear she couldn’t take off much more time. Not and keep her job.
“You should definitely stay. The kids need you and the men need you just as much. Maybe even more.”
“Like I said, I’m sure they’d get along perfectly fine without me.”
“No, they wouldn’t.” Lena pointed at Marrick. “Look at him. Haven’t you noticed how often he glances your way? And Craig keeps his attention on you, too.”
She had, but it seemed conceited to say so. “They’re really nice guys.”
Lena chuckled as though she knew Lisa had tried to play their attraction down. “They’re some of the best men I know. Believe me, coming from a woman who’s lived all her life in Twisted, that’s saying a lot.”
“What’s living in Twisted got to do with it?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed it or not, but the men in our town are special. Sure, there are great guys everywhere, but our men grow up understanding what it means to be a real man. They know how to take care of their women and their families. They’re the kind of guys you can trust to protect and cherish you all your life.”
“Wow. You sound like you’re their mother.”
Tears formed in Lena’s eyes. “Sometimes I feel like their mother. Maybe it’s because I’ve never had any children of my own, but I tend to take the younger folks under my wing.” She laughed, drawing the men’s attention. “Even if they don’t want me to.”
“They’re lucky to have you.”
“And you’d be lucky to have them. Do you mind if I give you a little advice?”
As if I could stop her. “Sure.”
“Listen to your heart, honey. Not only can I tell that they care for you, I see how you look at them. If you three don’t get together—and I mean together in every sense of the word— you’re going to burst.”
“Oh.” What more could she say? If she tried to deny how she felt, Lena would know. If she told her the truth, if she told her how many times her thoughts turned to the men, Lena would never let it go.
Lisa took another sip of her drink, covering the emotions threatening to bring tears to her eyes as well. “I didn’t think I’d like it here so much.”
“We get that a lot in Twisted. What looks like just another small town is so much more. Twisted and the people in it will grab your heart and never let go.” Lena’s hand on top of hers was comforting. “Can I be perfectly honest with you?”
Alarm made her hold her breath. “Of course. I wouldn’t want anything less.”
Lena’s blue eyes zeroed in on her. “Craig and Marrick never want you to leave.”
Never? A flash of excitement caught Lisa unprepared. She put her glass down on the table next to her in case her shaking hand lost its hold. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do. Trust me. I’m always right about these things.”
“Did they say something to you?” Part of her wanted Lena to say yes while another part was afraid of the answer.
“They don’t have to.” Lena squeezed her hand then turned her loose. “Can’t you tell by the way they look at you? They’re head over heels for you, honey.”
Was Lena right? Could they have told her the truth? Was she the one they’d waited for? Would they give her the love she’d always dreamed of having? Not from only one man, but from two?
“I’m surprised they haven’t said anything to you.”
She almost revealed that they had, but decided to keep it a secret. Instead, she had to change the subject. “Lena, have you ever seen a white tiger?”
Lena pulled back and frowned. “Talk about taking a left turn in a conversation. Why do you ask?”
She had a choice. Either talk about her feelings for Craig and Marrick or risk having Lena think she was crazy. Right then crazy was less frightening. “I think I saw one the other day.”
Lena put on a surprised expression that didn’t quite play true. “Do you mean around here? On the ranch?”
“Yes. I know it sounds silly, and the guys said it was probably another kind of animal, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m right.”
Lena leaned back in her chair, her gaze jumping to the men as they gave the kids pieces of carrots to feed to the horses in the holding pen. Lisa was sure she was trying to avoid answering. “Lena?”
Lena still didn’t look her way. “Seriously, honey. A white tiger around Twisted? I’m sure Craig and Marrick are right. You must’ve been mistaken.”
Before Lisa could ask another question, Lena stood up and called to the kids. “Teag. Kitty. Who’s ready to help Miss Lena bake cookies?”
She couldn’t have orchestrated a better distraction. The children let out a squeal, dropping the carrots and rushing toward the older woman. Laughing, Lena ushered them through the door then turned to Lisa again.
“You listen up, honey.” She tilted her head toward the men who were heading into the barn. “Don’t pussy foot around with this. I’ll handle the kids. In the meantime, you get your pretty little ass in that barn and let yourself go wild.”
Lisa was still gaping as Lena gave her a wink then disappeared into the house. Was Lena telling her to have sex with them? But she couldn’t be. Not with the kids around. And yet, she had no doubt Lena would keep them busy—and away from the barn.
She’s right.
Like her hands before, now her entire body shook. Leaving her drink where it was, she moved slowly but deliberately toward the barn.
They’d said they wanted her and Lena had confirmed it. Yet what would she do if they turned her down? She stopped in the entrance and waited for her sight to adjust to the shade in the barn.
Craig was busy mixing feed then scooping it into the trough of horse called Gypsy. Marrick hung a bridle on the tack board. When he pivoted around, he froze. Curiosity as well as a look that spoke of the same yearning brewing inside her came to his face.
“Is everything all right, baby?”
She nodded, not trusting what she might say. Instead, she walked into the barn, determined to take the risk. She tugged on her T-shirt, pulling it over her head in one quick move.
“Oh, shit,” murmured Craig. He dropped the pail and closed the stall door behind him.
She kept walking toward them while undoing her jeans. Pausing long enough to kick her jeans over her bare feet, she started her leisurely stroll toward them again. Her nipples peaked and goose bumps rose along her skin. Whether from excitement or from the loss of her clothes, she wasn’t sure and she didn’t care.
“Baby, are you sure?”
“Lena said she can tell.” She stopped about five feet from them.
“She can tell what?” asked Craig.
“That we have…feelings…for each other.”
“We told you how we felt.” Marrick’s gaze was intense, his frown marring his forehead. “Did you have to hear it from Lena to believe it?”
“Who the hell cares?” Craig stalked toward her. He took hold of her, searching her as though waiting for her to tell him to stop. When she didn’t, he lifted her into his arms.
She’d been with men before, but the sensations tearing through her now were fierce, primal instincts that pushed away any effort to think straight. Thinking wasn’t what she needed. The men were all that mattered. She was consumed by the need to have them.
Craig carried her over to the long table with bridles and tools strewn across it. The rough wood bit into her bottom, but she didn’t care. She’d welcome whatever pain they
gave her, intentional or otherwise. She laid back then let out a small cry as Craig took hold of her bra and ripped it from her.
“What about the kids?” Marrick hurriedly unbuttoned his shirt, half tearing it in his rush to get it off.
“Lena.” Her chest rose and fell with her labored breathing. Watching Craig tug his T-shirt off captivated her attention. His jeans dipped enticingly toward the dark patch lying an inch or so above the button.
“Hurry,” she whispered. Lena had been right. If she didn’t have them soon, she’d lose her mind.
Craig shoved his jeans down as he toed off his boots. If Marrick hadn’t come to stand on the other side of the table, she wouldn’t have taken her attention off Craig. His jeans were gone, his massive chest hovering above her face.
The men’s expressions were wondrous and awe-filled, mixed with fiery lust. An animal-like aroma flowed from them, capturing her in its pungent allure.
Craig slid his palms along her legs, warming the goose bumps. Suddenly, taking hold of her ankles, he jerked her legs upward. He bent them at the knees then went lower until his face was even with her torso.
“You’re ours, babe. From this moment on, you’re ours.” Craig’s gaze locked to hers as he pressed his mouth against her pussy. His tongue raked over the seam, pushing just hard enough to open her folds the slightest bit.
She inhaled and laid her head back against the table. Craig’s touch opened the cage to feelings she’d kept in check since the first moment she’d seen them. All at once, everything was clear and simple. These were the men she could never have dreamed of, the men no fantasy could ever have envisioned.
“Get ready, baby. We’re going to take you and turn you inside out.”
“Yes. Do it.” She was ready. Hell, she’d been born ready.
Marrick’s chest muscles flexed as he put one leg on top of the table. He leaned forward, putting his lower half over her face. His thick, luscious cock bopped invitingly close to her mouth. She brought his shaft inside, hollowing her cheeks, pulling him in with a moan.
They caressed her, roughly, possessively. Marrick claimed her with his hands and lust-filled words while Craig made her his with his fingers and tongue as they dipped into her pussy then found their way to her ass hole. She was filled as only they could have filled her.
Her mind floated, her body taking over. Heat surged within her as she writhed with each touch, each stroke they gave her. Her clit thrummed under Craig’s imaginative lashings, going around and around, before diving into her pussy. He worked his fingers, teasing her as he reached for her G-spot and stretched her anus.
Marrick tasted so good. Not like anything she’d ever had before. She sucked harder, doing her best to bring out every ounce of pre-cum. Playing with his balls, she was filled with joy when the sound of his pleased growl rumbled out of him.
She was on fire and only they could extinguish the flame. Her hands slid along Marrick’s strong legs. Her legs opened wider, exposing as much of herself as she could.
Craig drank from her, licking, sucking, driving her ever closer to the precipice. Marrick fondled her breasts, pinching and twisting her nipples. If they’d asked the moon of her, she would’ve done everything in her power to give it to them. But all she had to give was herself. She prayed it would be enough.
She lost her hold on Marrick when Craig tugged her legs around his waist. For a moment, they stared at each other. Then, with a groan filled with longing, he positioned his cock at her pussy and shoved it inside her.
She cried out, not from pain, but from the ecstasy of finally having him inside her. He stretched her completely, driving to the end of her. Her body responded to his, welcoming him like a long-lost lover.
Marrick got on top of the table and straddled her. “Suck me off, babe. I have to have your mouth on me when I blow.”
As she and Craig had done, their gazes met, their souls recognizing each other. The burning need she’d felt from the first moment they’d met devoured her.
She was theirs. It was so simple she wondered why she’d ever doubted it.
They pumped into her from both ends. She did her best to keep up, her body wild for them, her mind aching to tell them how much she’d needed them. The noises they made filled the barn, accompanied only by an occasional snort or pawing of one of the horses.
“Lisa.”
She looked up at Marrick and did her best to hold onto his cock. His body jerked, his mouth parted and she realized he was done. He gave in to the release. Hot seed shot into her mouth and she did her best to take it all before he fell away from her. His cum trickled down her chin.
“Oh, hell, yeah.” Craig held her hips, keeping her from sliding too far from her. He drove into her, harder than ever. When he paused, she almost cried out, ready to admonish him for stopping.
Lifting her head, she saw his release coming in his intense expression a moment before he let it fly. His cum poured into her, warming her, filling her. His body shuddered as he fell onto one elbow, supporting himself as the remaining climax rippled out of him. He laid his head against her leg, a gesture that was more intimate than the sex.
Giving her a soft smile, Marrick wiped the trail of seed from her face then gave her a sweet kiss. “I’m going to have to thank Lena.”
The rush of need was gone, but her body still simmered being near them. Grabbing a nearby horse blanket, she wrapped it around her naked body. Where she’d been a vixen before, suddenly she was a shy school girl. She was proud she’d put herself out there and was thrilled they’d wanted her as much as she’d wanted them, but suddenly she needed to get away. Needed to deal with emotions she couldn’t quite grasp to understand.
“I’d better get cleaned up before the kids and Lena finish baking cookies.”
Craig skimmed his hand over her hair in a tender, loving caress. “Yeah. We’ll come inside in a minute. Go on.”
Marrick’s saucy smile struck the center of her pussy and, for a moment, she considered staying for another go. Sauciness switched to a wide grin.
“Sex with our woman and then cookies for dessert. What more could a man ask for?”
She laughed as she snatched up her clothes and hurried toward the house.
Chapter Six
Lisa woke up with a start, her hands stretching outward to find the two small bodies she’d fallen asleep with. She’d crawled into bed with Teag and Kitty again last night when Teag had yet another nightmare. But her hands found only an empty bed.
Where are they?
Fear charged to life. They’d been told to stay near the house, but that didn’t mean they would. Kitty and Teag had a way of wandering off, chasing a rabbit or running through the pasture faster than she could catch them.
“Teag? Kitty? Where are you?”
Silence answered her.
She threw back the covers and dashed out of the bedroom, not bothering to change from the shorts and T-shirt she’d fallen asleep in. Seeing that no one was inside the house, she bolted for the kitchen door leading to the backyard.
They’re probably playing outside. Please let me be right.
If they weren’t, she’d have to find Craig and Marrick and let them know. Hopefully, the men had their cell phones with them.
She threw open the back door, saw the kids, and let out a huge sigh. Wearing matching cowboy hats, Teag and Kitty hung on the fence of the corral. They’d pulled themselves up to the highest rung and were watching Craig and Marrick work a horse.
Thank God.
She should’ve known the men wouldn’t let the kids get far from the house. Even when they left to “go into town” or “check things out”—all codes for searching for John Bask—they’d made sure she or Lena could watch the children.
In the past two days since their time in the barn, they’d exchanged longing glances, but they hadn’t had sex again. Lena hadn’t had time to take care of the kids and give her a break. After a long day with the kids, Lisa had spent her nights reading their favorite s
tories to put both her and the kids to sleep. Had she done so to keep from ending up in bed with the men? Maybe. Although she felt closer to Craig and Marrick than ever before, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was jumping into things too fast. Hell, she knew she was jumping in too fast. The thing was, resisting them was so difficult to do.
Kitty’s giggle drew her out of her thoughts. Lisa didn’t know what the men were doing with the horse, training it somehow, but she knew the kids loved watching their uncle and his friend. Lately, they’d even started calling Craig their uncle, too.
They’re so good with them.
Finding one man who was good with kids was hard enough, but either one of the men would make any Father of the Year list. They treated the children with respect and yet still kept a firm hold on control. Anyone could see how much they loved the twins and enjoyed spending time with them.
What would it be like to have their children? Was it even possible? Two men and one woman? If she had their babies, would she know which man had conceived which child? Would Marrick’s children have dark hair and Craig’s have his golden locks? Would she know each man’s child by the color of their eyes?
Would it matter?
She wouldn’t care, but would they?
Teag and Kitty jumped off the fence. Slowly, they turned to face her. She lifted a hand and smiled, letting them know it was all right to continue watching. In the meantime, she’d cook them a nourishing breakfast.
Craig and Marrick pivoted in her direction. They lifted a hand in response, saw the kids looking at her, and then went back to working the horse.
Teag and Kitty took one look at each other then started running toward the house. She couldn’t help but feel a rush of joy. The kids obviously liked her and her affection for them grew stronger every day.
How much longer can I stay?
The question had changed in its meaning. At first, she’d worried about getting back to work. Now it was a matter of longing to remain on the ranch.
I have to go home. It’s the only option that makes any sense.
Her boss had called again, once more threatening to fire her. Before meeting Craig and Marrick, his warnings would’ve sent her hurrying back to the club. But now? The thought of leaving the ranch made his threats pale in comparison. Still, she’d have to go home soon. Not only was she about to lose her job, but she was getting more attached to both the men and the children. Leaving was going to be hard as hell, but the longer she stayed, the harder it would get.