Eva moaned, a guttural sound. “Oh God, that’s so good.”
He kissed her hard on the mouth. North was balls deep inside the only girl he’d ever loved. It was surreal. He began to fuck her harder, nipping her jawline, and sucking her pulse points. Any minute and he’d come, filling her with his essence, making them one.
****
Colton couldn’t watch a minute longer. As soon as North reached his peak, he shoved his brother to the side. He’d already given him the gift of taking Eva’s virginity. That was a prize above all others. But North had been dealt the short end of the stick in their family. He needed to give this to North to balance out some of the guilt he felt when their mother would strike out at him.
He’d already taken off his pants, and his cock had never been more ready. She was lost, grabbing behind his neck to bring his lips to hers. He kissed her, their tongues mingling as he sought her moist center. As they explored each other’s mouths, he forced his dick into her hungry cunt. He easily slipped in, savoring the heat and tightness.
“You’re mine now,” he said. And he meant it. He’d never turn back now.
“I love you.” Eva’s nails dug into his shoulders, signalling she was close to another orgasm. His brother may have taken her first, but he’d get to feel her sweet little pussy milking his cock.
“Let it go, baby. Don’t hold back.”
He pumped his hips with enough stamina to go all night long. Each time he’d come down she’d make a sexy mewling sound that spurred him on.
“I’m almost there,” she cried.
“Fucking come for me, Eva. Come,” he demanded. “Come!” He punctuated each word by thrusting harder and faster. The entire silver bullet began to sway, the supports of the bed protesting.
“Colton! Colton!” Her body coiled tight, her muscles going rigid. She brought her arms and legs close as her inner walls clamped down on his erection. He choked out a sound between a cough and groan as she mercilessly squeezed him to completion.
When they were both limp with exhaustion, he rolled to his side of the bed, tucking her head into the crook of his arm. North flicked out the sheet, letting it settle over the three of them.
“You’re full of our cum,” said North, kissing the side of her neck. “I like that.”
She was wedged between them, exhaustion nearly stealing her from consciousness. It was like so many other nights they’d share together. They found safety in each other. Now they’d taken things to a new level, a natural progression for their threesome.
“I can feel it on my thighs,” she whispered.
“Do you want me to clean it off?” asked Colton.
She smiled. “No, I like it, too.” Eva closed her eyes, her little hand resting on his chest. He loved that she trusted him, loved that she’d given them the gift of herself. He didn’t deserve a good girl like her, but he’d spend the rest of his days showing her she hadn’t made a mistake.
When the early rays of morning light filtered in the loft, he immediately ensured Eva was still between them. She looked like an angel, her blonde hair framing her face as she slept. He lightly touched her little pixie nose.
North stirred to life, narrowing his eyes from the light. His dark hair was disheveled and his stubble already growing in. He leaned up on one elbow. “We have to get the cows in the trailer and pack up,” he spoke in a hushed tone. Eva was asleep between them. “Then we have to face the music.”
“No shit,” said Colton. “Not only do we have to deal with ma, we have to worry about how this will go over with Mr. and Mrs. Ford.”
“There’s no way it’ll go over well. They’ll fucking hate us. We’ll wish we never crossed that line.”
“I don’t regret it,” said Colton. “I just wished it was simpler.”
North scoffed. “Since when have things ever been easy for us?”
They both looked down at the sleeping beauty. Later today they’d be back home in their old routines. Chester was a fantasy, so he worried how their new relationship would weather with a dose of harsh reality. He couldn’t lose Eva.
Chapter Eleven
Colton unhitched the silver bullet and then took off in his pick-up with North. They’d been quiet on the way home, and she hated that uncomfortable feeling growing between them since she woke up in the morning. They hadn’t even come to say hi to her mom and dad. She felt sad, like she’d ruined the best friendships she’d ever had because of her lust. Eva already missed them.
She dropped the gate of the trailer and walked Ruby out first. So many memories flooded her mind. It may have only been a week in Chester, but she’d lived more in that week than most of her life. So much happened. So much changed. By the time she emerged from the barn to get Bessie, her father was walking toward her from the house.
Eva just stood there, not moving to greet him or retreating. She was frozen with her emotions precariously under the surface. Her father’s approval meant everything to her.
“Well, hello there, stranger.”
“Hi, daddy.”
“Any news for me?”
If only he knew the truth about everything. The biggest news was she’d slept with Colton and North, her childhood best friends. She’d lost her virginity and was no longer daddy’s little girl. More than the sex was the revelation that they loved each other in ways far stronger than friendship.
“I wasn’t first, but Bessie placed. We got a blue ribbon.” She reached in her shirt pocket and pulled out her prize, waggling it out for him. When he reached her, he didn’t take the ribbon, but rather pulled her into a tight hug. Her father’s familiar rustic scent made her feel safe. She closed her eyes, a tear slipping out without warning.
“I missed you, Eva. I missed my sweet girl.” He didn’t let her go, as if the physical connection was all they had left. She didn’t want things to change with her family, just as much as she knew things had to change if she wanted Colton and North in her life.
“Eva!” Her mother came running across the yard, a tea towel still in her hand. She stole Eva from her father, hugging and kissing her like she’d been gone a year not a week. “I’m so happy you’re home. Where’re the boys at? Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Gone home I guess.”
“What’s this?” Her mother noticed the blue ribbon in her hand. She took it, holding it up to the light to read. “You won a ribbon! My little Eva raised a prized cow all by herself.”
She knew her mother would probably mount it amongst the family photos next to the fireplace. It was good to be home. Her parents were always loving and supportive, but just how deep did their support reach? Did they even realize she wasn’t a child anymore?
After the reunion, she continued to offload her prize cow and settle her in the barn with Ruby. She took off her cowboy hat and ran a hand through her hair. The sun was close to setting, the clouds turning shades of red, orange, and pink. She began to think about the brothers again. Should she go over to offer a helping hand? They had a ton of work to get caught up since missing a week. She decided it would be best to stay away after her last unannounced visit ended disastrously. Eva hoped things were okay for them at home, because she could never imagine the hell they were going through.
****
North slammed his truck door shut. “Why’d you take off so fast? We didn’t even get to see Mr. Ford.”
Colton was already walking ahead, trying to avoid him. “I’m not going to be a two-face. I’ll see him when there’re no secrets between us.”
“It would be better coming from us than Eva, don’t you think?”
“Hell no. She’d kill us if we said a thing. You know how she is.”
North caught up with his brother. There was a quiet, nervous tension between them because neither of them knew what to expect when they opened the door to their house. The lights were off inside despite the sun lowering on the horizon. It gave North an uneasy feeling. He immediately staked out the living room, noting some overturned furniture. The kitchen counter was full of
dirty dishes and the fridge wasn’t closed tight, creating a strip of light across the laminate.
“Ma?” he called out.
“I’ll check her room,” said Colton.
North did a quick sweep of the other rooms and bathroom, not finding their mother. Since they’d taken the keys and ensured she had no pills to abuse, it seemed impossible for her to get in any trouble. But when Colt screamed for him, he knew she must have found a way to support her habit.
“What’s the matter?” he asked after bounding into her bedroom. She was passed out across her bed, several open pill bottles on her night side table. “Shit, how the hell did she get a hold of those?”
“She must have hid them. Or someone brought them here.”
“She breathing?”
“Her pulse is fine. She’s just out cold,” said Colton. “At least she’s been eating and getting up.”
North shook his head and stormed out of the room. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall in the hallway waiting for Colt. After his twin closed the door, he didn’t hold back. “At least she’s been eating? She did nothing but get high all week, Colt. I’m sick and tired of fucking babysitting her. She’s not getting better and she doesn’t want to. The only way she’ll quit is when she stops breathing.”
“She’s still our mother.”
“How? How is she our mother anymore? Does she do a lick of work around the house? Does she stay sober for more than a damn minute? Does she even give two shits about us?”
“I can’t deal with this right now,” said Colton, putting a hand to each side of his head. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
He watched his twin walk down the hall to his room. North felt pumped up on adrenaline and ready to blow a gasket. He couldn’t take any more of the same trials. There was only so much a man could take before he reached his breaking point.
He called out. “If she doesn’t take Aunt Laura’s offer soon, I’ll fucking check her into rehab myself!”
North stopped to catch his breath. His first instinct was to rush over to Eva’s house, to slip into her window and drown in her sweetness. He was addicted to forgetting his pain. But he’d ruined that refuge for himself by tainting Eva’s innocence and building a wall between them and the Ford family. Until Eva explained their new relationship, it would be hard to face the family again. If their news wasn’t accepted, he might never see Eva or the Fords again. That would be indigestible, just the thought making his stomach queasy.
He crashed onto his bed and stared up at the water-stained ceiling. What was Eva doing now? When he closed his eyes he could see the tin stars dangling from the ceiling, smell her sweet shampoo, and feel the plushness of her comforter.
Fuck, he felt trapped and lonely. These walls weren’t a home, but a prison.
North rummaged in the top drawer of his night side table, pulling out a small stack of pictures. He sifted through them as he lay on his back. There were plenty of Eva throughout the years, some with the three of them, and one with just North and Eva sitting on a fence eating watermelon.
He had a couple of his father from before he left. There were many times he’d been tempted to burn them, and even Colton didn’t know he kept them. He wasn’t sure if he was holding onto them for the physical memory of the man or if he enjoyed torturing himself.
North rolled to his side when he flipped to a picture of his mother. She looked so happy. That was a long time ago. Her face wasn’t gaunt and her hair was brushed neatly off her face. He stared at it. Maybe if he looked long enough he could will his mother into the woman she once was.
He set the pictures back in the drawer. At this point, she’d end up killing herself if they didn’t intervene. Colton thought he was doing their mother a favor by hiding the truth and covering up her frequent episodes. It only encouraged her self-destructive cycle. The answer was to call their Aunt Laura and ask her to help. She lived alone in Newcaster, a couple hours from them. It was a larger city with many resources and facilities made to help addicts. Living on the old ranch filled with memories of her love and loss only added to her sickness. Their mother needed a change of scenery, a fresh start in life before it was too late.
Just as North realized the same applied to him.
****
Eva went over her list one last time. Her father wanted definitive numbers for the big corn roast coming up in a week. This would be the biggest yet. Although she’d been overly excited about the event before leaving for Chester, it was difficult to inspire herself now. It had been a week since they’d come home and she hadn’t seen Colton or North once. Each day felt like a lifetime, her zest for life slowly slipping away. Part of her wondered if they wanted to write her off, but in her heart she knew they were waiting on her. She was expected to announce their relationship to her old-fashioned parents. It chilled her to the bone just thinking about it. Every day she’d promise herself she’d do it tomorrow, but tomorrow never came.
Eva found her dad in the barn, unsaddling his riding gelding. Dust motes danced in the rays of light peeking in through the knots in the wood. It smelled familiar of hay and manure.
“I have the list,” she said.
He turned to her, staring for a few long moments before beckoning her closer with a crooked finger. “Something you’re not telling me?”
She shook her head. “Why would you ask?”
“Well, for one, it’s the first week the McReed twins haven’t offered to help with the cattle or show up for a meal. Seems odd to me.”
Her nerves flared. “I’m sure they’re just busy getting all caught up.”
He tilted his head as he studied her. She felt like glass—fragile and transparent. He hated it when she lied. Most of her punishments had been for lying, and her heart beat double time under his suspicious glare.
“But they’ll be at the corn roast, no?”
“Of course. I mean, I don’t see why not.”
He lifted up her chin. “You haven’t been yourself since coming back from Chester, Eva. You look…sad. I don’t like it.
She wanted to offer him part of the truth because she needed his love and acceptance, now more than ever. “I went to the city for a lot more than a ribbon. I wanted to show you I was capable, to show you I’m not just a child anymore.”
Her father smiled. He always had a sense about people, able to look past the exterior to the goodness within. It was one of the reasons she loved him so much.
“You’ll always be my child, Eva.” He pulled her into a tight embrace as he petted her hair. “But I’m also proud of the young woman you’ve become. I never doubted you, never saw you as incapable. I’m just a foolish daddy worried too much about his baby girl.”
“You’re not foolish,” she cried. Her tears soaked his plaid shirt. They came seemingly out of nowhere. She’d been a basket case since coming home because she knew what had to be done.
“I need to remember you’re nearly twenty-three, not ten. It won’t be long until you’re ready to start your own family, and I’ll be beside you every step of the way. Next time I mess up, you make sure to give me a swift kick.” He cupped her face and kissed each of her closed eyelids moist from tears. “No more crying now. We have a corn roast to plan, and I’m going to do something a little extra special for you this year.”
She smiled up at him. “Thank you, daddy.”
Eva started to return to the house but decided she couldn’t sit idle any longer. She needed to know what Colton and North were thinking. God, she needed to see them. It was torturous being separated for so long. She didn’t even realize how engrained they were in her life until they were no longer in it.
She mounted her Palomino mare and rode across the fields to the McReed farm. Their little bungalow came into view, but the tractor in the distance caught her eye next. She steered her horse to the left and galloped across the partially plowed barley fields. The twins kept her father’s cattle in hay for most of the winter.
When she neared, she kn
ew it was Colton in the tractor. The sunlight made the blond highlights in his hair appear like rays of gold. She rode a wide circle around his tractor to signal him to cut the engine. Growing up on a working farm, she knew better than to risk life and limb around the deadly blades of farming equipment.
The rumble of the tractor wound down until silence returned to the morning. She dismounted her horse and rushed over to see Colton. Her spirits lifted just being near him, but he didn’t greet her like he usually did. Colton didn’t get off his seat and his face remained stoic.
She swallowed hard, not even attempting to climb up into the cab like she usually did. “Hi,” she said. “I’ve missed you.”
He looked straight ahead, not even turning to acknowledge her. “You tell your dad about us yet?”
“Not yet,” she said. Eva knew she’d been stalling all week. It wasn’t an easy thing to do. She had to tell her parents that she planned to spend the rest of her life with not one, but two men. It was unheard of but also the only answer for her. “I was thinking maybe after the corn roast.”
“Sure, Eva.” Then he turned to face her, his emotions guarded. “I don’t think you ever plan on telling him.”
“It’s not exactly simple. Have you told your mother?”
“Our mother’s gone. She left two days ago.”
Eva felt like a monster for having mentioned Karen McReed in the first place when it was only to take the focus off herself. “What do you mean, Colt?”
“I mean she’s fucking gone. It’s the story of my life, didn’t you know that? People leave. I’m over it.” He started up the tractor again, the sudden noise spooking her horse. “And I expect no less from you, baby girl.”
She watched him drive away.
Eva felt numb. Part of her wanted to chase after Colton. She wanted to apologize, to tell him she was different than all the people who’d hurt him. That she loved him. This was the first time he’d ever raised his voice at her. He’d always been kind and patient, and never brushed her off. Maybe she’d pushed the brothers away for good.
When she turned around, she could only see the distant image of her horse as it headed back home without her. Eva had a long walk ahead of her.
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