by Sable Hunter
“Giving us both what we need.” Urging the horse forward with his knees, he pulled Ryder’s T-shirt out of her pants. Running his hands up from her narrow waist, he slid them around and unhooked her bra, freeing her breasts for his hungry hands.
“Oh, Gideon,” she breathed, closing her eyes in ecstasy.
This time he didn’t take it slow, he wasn’t gentle. He covered her tits with both hands and began kneading – plumping, rubbing, massaging – weighing them in his palms, then tweaking and twisting her nipples until she was arching her back, pressing her head hard against his shoulder. “Like that, little girl?” he asked, then returned to sucking at a soft spot beneath her ear.
“God, yes, Gideon, give me more.” She opened her legs, hoping he took the hint.
He did.
Cupping her mound through her jeans, he began to massage the pad of her pussy vigorously, causing her to writhe so much the horse danced to one side – wondering what the hell was going on in the saddle.
“Holy snickerdoodles,” she gasped.
Gideon smiled. He was getting to her. “Does your little clit need playing with?”
“I’ll give you two free blow-jobs.” She set out to strike a bargain.
“Deal.” Unzipping her jeans, he nipped her earlobe. “Don’t think I won’t hold you to that bargain.”
“Get to it, cowboy, I’m dying here.”
Behind them, Samson came along slowly, enjoying the experience second-hand, but enjoying it nonetheless.
Gideon worked his big hand down the front of her pants. She lifted her hips just enough so he could wedge his palm over her mound, slipping his fingers into her creamy, hot pussy.
“Gideon!” She brought her hands up over her head and around his neck. “Harder!”
“Gladly.” Dipping his fingers deep, he pushed them up inside of her, moving in and out until her breath was coming hard and heavy. After every three plunges, he would swirl around her clit, then back – creating a seductive, erotic rhythm that soon had her gasping from a climax so hard, she was shaking in his arms. And all the while, the surf pounded, the winds blew and a huge Hawaiian sun sank beneath the horizon.
“Are you okay, baby?” He held her close, his cock so hard he could’ve pounded nails.
“I’m good. I want more later, though. That was just an appetizer.”
Gideon smiled. “Samson and I will make sure you get everything you need. Just down the beach, a beautiful tent is set up. We’ll eat and then we’ll make love to you in the surf. We’ve got an important quest…”
“Gideon!” Gideon heard Samson’s voice in his head and in his ear.
Gideon pulled up on the reins with one hand while he straightened her shirt with the other. Turning the stallion sideways, he looked back at his brother. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ve got to go.”
“Where?”
“Texas. Our lead engineer on the Mars project was just killed in a car wreck.”
The ring will have to wait, Samson said with regret.
As will the proposal. Damn.
A few hours later, the trio was fairly subdued on the flight home. There was a solemn feeling in the air. Ryder hadn’t known the man who was killed, but Samson told her he had a family, two little girls aged three and five.
Once the call came through, they’d returned to the house to say goodbye to Leilani and the dads with promises all around that a new visit would happen soon.
Now, they were winging their way over the Pacific, headed back to Texas. Ryder knew when they landed her men would be busy. She intended to make good use of her time alone, Ryder intended to go see her family.
Somewhere over the ocean, Ryder closed her eyes, trying to sleep. At her request, they’d moved to a large sectional sofa so she could sit between them. Feeling their body heat, the press of their big forms against her, made Ryder feel safe.
When she’d finally dozed off, Samson and Gideon whispered to one another, trying to make sense of what had happened. “Gabe and his team are on the job. We’ll know more soon,” Samson spoke low, so as not to disturb Ryder.
“They don’t think Ralph Ellis’s death was an accident, do they?”
Samson shook his head in the negative. “No, he was run off the road.”
The low buzzing of a cell phone caused Gideon to turn around to grab it quickly before the noise woke Ryder. Samson put his arm around her when her body jerked, soothing her so she didn’t fully awaken. He could tell by his brother’s expression and the waves of disquiet he could feel rolling off him that something else was going on. He didn’t have to wait long to find out.
“There’s been an explosion at Cape Canaveral. One of our rockets was blown to smithereens.”
“We have another. This won’t stop us.” Samson was livid. Only Ryder’s presence soothed him, so he kept one hand on her, absorbing strength from her small, still body. “So, this has to be the work of Rasputin.”
“Who the hell is Rasputin? Why haven’t we been able to find out? I’m damn sure Anatoly and Oleg aren’t doing this on their own. But who’s backing them? Do you think Rasputin could be Putin himself?”
“I don’t think so, Gideon. Putin may be involved, but he’s got someone else doing his dirty work. Call them back and give our team strict orders to keep the news of the explosion strictly in-house for as long as possible. All we need is negative publicity, not that it will stop our mission, but we’re dependent on private contracts. If companies lose confidence in OuterLimits, our customer base will dry up.”
Gideon did as Samson asked, moving to the back of the cabin so he could speak freely. When he returned, he laid the phone on the table. “I can understand competition, the battle for the upper hand. But this is terrorism, plain and simple, Samson. What will be next?”
“They’ve already tried to take us out once, we’ve got to make damn sure they don’t do it again, especially if our Ryder is near.”
“Yes, but if it’s one of us…just remember our rule. We’ll come after one another, we’ll send an army if necessary – but we don’t bend to the pressure. We don’t pay ransom and we don’t compromise.” Gideon’s voice was full of conviction, rising above a whisper. By the time he was done, he was almost shouting.
An emotional second or two passed before Samson and Gideon realized Ryder was crying. “No, please, no. Don’t say that. I’d give anything I had to save either one of you. Even my life.”
Samson cursed under his breath, gathering Ryder into his arms. “Oh, honey. Nothing’s going to happen. Our testosterone is just riding high because we’re upset. Everything will be okay.”
“I don’t know, so much is happening. I’m scared!”
Gideon took her from Samson’s arms, adding his comfort. “Don’t be scared, baby. We’re sorry. We were just two men carrying on in the heat of the moment. We won’t take any unnecessary risks.”
“No, you’re serious. I know you.” She clutched Gideon’s shirt. “Take me to the bedroom. I need you both to hold me. I’m shaking and cold. I don’t feel like I’ll ever be warm again.”
Samson and Gideon did as she asked, leaving the couch and escorting Ryder to the bedroom on the private plane. Once behind closed doors, they undressed her and themselves, slipping beneath the covers to cradle her close between them.
Ryder shivered, lying on her back. She held onto them, her arms linked to theirs. Her men laid on their sides, facing her, soothing her with kisses and caresses.
“You’ll be careful, won’t you? I can tell you’re worried.”
“Yes,” Samson promised her. “We’ll be careful. Now that we have you, we’re going to do everything in our power to keep you safe and to keep ourselves safe for you.”
“That’s right, Princess.” Gideon put his arm around her waist. “We’ll take care of this tomorrow, then we’ll come home to you. Promise.”
She closed her eyes and prayed, willing that all would be well.
* * *
Heath hung
his black Stetson on the hat rack in his office at the resort. He was waiting on Scott Eagleton. He’d finally been able to tie the man down for a meeting. Even though they’d been acquainted for a while, Heath didn’t really know the guy that well. In addition to his views on the environment, he knew Eagleton was an adventurer of sorts. Like Philip, he traveled the world. His reputation was that of a cat with nine lives; he’d survived a plane crash, one of the terrorist attacks in Paris, a gunshot wound from a would-be burglar, and a poisoning attempt from a disgruntled employee. Heath admired the man’s resiliency. Eagleton was hard to kill.
As he headed to the dining room, Heath stopped to speak to a couple of customers. He made nice, asking how they were enjoying their room and the food. “Have you gone on the paddleboat tour to see the eagles?”
“No, we haven’t! But we’d love to.” A woman gushed, giving him a flirty smile.
“Well, my wife and I highly recommend that you go. Just check at the concierge desk, and they’ll book you a reservation.”
The lady looked a tad let down. Heath guessed the wedding ring he wore sorta got lost on his big ole hand. Maybe he needed to wear a sign around his neck that said, Happily Married, Baby on the Way.” Yes, he was gonna be a daddy and Heath couldn’t be happier.
In fact, things were looking up all around. He’d received a text from Ryder. She and…those damn Dukes were on their way home from Hawaii. The thought of those two goons putting their four big mitts on his sister still gave him a migraine. At least their father was handling the situation better than he was. Heath still intended to talk her out of this nonsense, but at least he was going to get the chance to sit down with her and address this mess face to face. When he answered her text, he issued a civil invitation and she agreed to come to the ranch for dinner that evening. Heath was keeping his fingers crossed that he could talk some sense into his baby sister. If not, he might just have to hog-tie her and put her in the barn for a spell until she cooled off.
Hearing his phone buzz, he looked down and grimaced. “Goddammit!” Another meddling, supposedly well-meaning friend had sent him a You-Tube link. He started not to click on it, assuming it was a link to that damn libelous video revealing the fact that Ryder was the Dukes’ current flavor of the month. “Hell, I hate this.”
But when he took a closer look, it was something else entirely. “Wow. Great!” He was relieved on more than one count. This piece of information was going to spread like wildfire. And if people were talking about this…they wouldn’t be spending their time gossiping about Ryder. Another valid point was that this was legitimately good news. “Excellent! Kyle Chancellor has announced he’ll run for the Presidency in 2020.” Everyone he knew, everyone who knew Ryder, would find this tidbit of news irresistible.
“Heath!”
Heath turned on his heels to find his guest had arrived. “Scott, good to see you, man!” He went to shake his hand. “I appreciate you making time for me, there’s a lot I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Always glad to see you, Heath. I respect what you’re trying to do for our country.”
“Climate change and protecting our environment are passions of mine.” He escorted Scott into the dining room to the best table Canyon of the Eagles had to offer. After placing an order for drinks and hors d’oeuvres, he began to lay out his plan.
“As you know I’ve spent years building my energy company to be as green as possible. I’ve been diversifying, not putting all my eggs in one basket. Solar, wind farms, hydropower, and I’m even working on devising a way to use methane cleanly. I’ve recently signed a contract with OuterLimits to provide methane for their rockets. You know, they think they can refuel on Mars using the methane that occurs naturally there.”
Heath was used to people zoning out while he talked, he didn’t usually care, as long as he got their support and their money, he didn’t care if they were entertained or not. But - Scott seemed animated, excited. “You work with the Dukes?”
“Yes.” This wasn’t exactly what he was aiming for, but he’d take what he could get. “Samson and Gideon are very concerned about the environment. It takes people with the kind of money that you and the Dukes have to bring awareness to the rest of society.”
“What can you tell me about the Mars launch? When is it? Is everything in place?”
Heath shook his head. “Not much. I only know about the fuel.”
“Do you think you can get me a meeting with them?”
Scott’s face took on an intensity that Heath couldn’t define. “Well…”
“I will tell you that I have several million dollars to allot for one of your programs…if you can get me an audience with the Dukes.”
Heaven above, Heath never knew he could use a member of his family this way. “I can try.” Lie. Lie. “My sister is dating one of them and she’s coming to dinner at Highlands tonight. If you’d like to come to join us, I can see about getting Samson and Gideon to stop by.”
Scott sat stock still, mesmerized, like he’d just been offered the keys to the kingdom. “I can see Ryder at dinner…” A myriad of emotions clouded Scott’s countenance. “I’ve always been drawn to your sister, McCoy. I saw that hideous video. None of that can be true, can it?”
Heath shook his head. “Of course not. Ryder is dating Samson only. I’m not worried, though. She’s still playing the field. My baby sister is too young to get serious about anyone.”
A pleased smile split Scott’s face, transforming it from handsome to almost skull-like. “I see. Well, in that case, I accept your invitation. Seems like I’ll be able to kill two birds with one stone.”
Heath didn’t return Eagleton’s smile. It wasn’t clear to him what constituted the two birds. “Great. I look forward to seeing you. Be there at seven…and bring your checkbook.”
Hell, he was just trying to garner money for a good cause.
So…why did he feel dirty?”
* * *
Back at Falconhead, the Dukes and Ryder arrived home safely. During the night, Ryder had calmed down after being reassured repeatedly by her men that everything would be fine. The sweet, gentle way they made love to her went a long way in accomplishing their goal.
Just before landing, Ryder relented and contacted Heath. She didn’t apologize, but she did make an overture by asking to come visit him. Her older brother surprised her by suggesting she come to dinner. How odd that felt – being issued an invitation to her childhood home. Ryder couldn’t deny she was anxious to see everyone. Even though it had only been a few days, this was the longest she’d been away from them all. Even on vacations or trips, someone in her family had normally accompanied her. At least she hadn’t been totally incommunicado with the clan. Since the visit to their father’s home, Pepper had called her several times and Molly sent pictures of the twins daily. Cato texted her, sending Ryder encouragement. Philip had even contacted her in his odd way, vacillating between sending GIFs of baby pigs to articles on obscure archaeological finds he thought she might be interested in. Following their elder brother’s example, Jaxson, and Ten hadn’t reached out to her at all, and this bothered her. Especially Jaxson. She’d always been so close to him. Since his accident, however, that had changed. Jaxson had changed. Oh well, it wasn’t like she was running out of time. Ryder knew she had fences to mend and she was ready to try.
All in all, things looked brighter to her this morning.
The only ones who weren’t happy she was returning to Highlands were Samson and Gideon. She understood how they felt, she wasn’t anxious for them to venture out in all the turmoil that was going on either. “I know you need to go take care of things,” Ryder told her men, “I’ll just miss you. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’m just going to have supper with the family, then I plan on inviting Pepper back here for an impromptu slumber party. I’ve missed our gossip sessions.”
“We’ll be back as soon as we can. Most of our security team are at the plant or on other assignments, but one of Gabe’s men
will be here to take you to Highlands and bring you home when you’re through.” Samson buttoned her sweater. “The temperature is dropping; you might need to wear your gloves.”
“Samson, Highlands is next door. I could walk over there in ten minutes.”
“No.” Gideon added emphatically. “You are to take every precaution. We still don’t know who’s behind all of this. The only people we trust is us, our team, and your family.”
“Okay.” She gave them a loving smile, resting a hand on each of their chests. “I’ll walk on eggshells until you get back. And then…I want my surprise.”
“We look forward to giving you that surprise.” Samson gave her a grin and a wink.
As well as another one, an important one. Gideon ran a loving finger down the side of her beautiful face. “You take care of what belongs to us, Princess. Our future is just beginning.”
* * *
Gideon sat in the passenger seat of the Lamborghini, holding Ryder’s ring box in his hand. “This wasn’t how I planned on spending the day.”
“Me either,” Samson mused. “She understood and she’ll be waiting for us when we come home.”
“I can’t wait to get this ring on her finger. You know, we need to decide how we’re going to handle this. We’ve always talked about marrying the love of our life, but we both can’t – not legally.” Gideon glanced over at his brother. “How are we going to manage this?”
“Well, I’ve given it some thought.” Samson tapped the steering wheel. “One of us will marry her openly, in front of her friends and family.”
“That should be you,” Gideon said immediately.
Samson frowned. “No, I think it should be you.”
“Listen. You’ve dated her. If you marry her, no one will blink an eye. If I’m the one, people will be more likely to believe the video or wonder if we’re feuding.”
“Okay.” Samson could see his point. “I don’t want to leave you out though, best man status is not enough for you.”
“I’ll be married to her in my heart, either way. This ring is proof of that.” He opened the box and stared at the ring, designed to complement the necklace they’d given her – one big Princess cut diamond flanked by two huge round stones. A picture of their future.