Tangled in Divine [Divine Creek Ranch 14] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Heather Rainier

  When he’d woken up that morning, for a second he’d been afraid that he’d dreamed the whole thing. That Gwen had been nothing but an elusive fantasy that he’d struggle to remember like with all dreams. Then she’d shifted in her sleep, pressing her hot, sleek body to his, and he’d known a few moments of sheer, utter joy, before he’d recalled the fact that she’d be leaving in just a little over a week. He imagined the reality of rolling over and finding himself in a cold, empty bed and a dark void opened up inside him.

  Julián held up a rotten board as he climbed from the interior of the ancient trailer, a look of disgust on his face.

  “I don’t think she would’ve gotten on the road if she’d known what bad shape this trailer was in.”

  Chris nodded and chewed his lip, thinking before he spoke. “I’ve tried really hard not to dislike the man, but I can’t believe her dad would allow her to go on the road with this piece of crap. I’m surprised she didn’t lose half her possessions out the bottom of it.”

  Julián threw the board on the pile with the rest of the rotten timbers. “Her memory is a little fuzzy of the event still, but I’m beginning to wonder if her dad wasn’t being influenced by Roger Bedford. It seems to me that he was at cross-purposes back then…sending her on the road and then asking her to come home. I know she left abruptly, but still, he suggested that she shoot for one more winning year.”

  “Then changes his mind and gets behind Roger Bedford wanting her home. I know. It doesn’t make sense. Do you think Roger never intended to watch her leave?”

  Julián cleared his throat and took a drink from his water bottle before pouring some of it over his head. “I don’t know. Either way, Gwen’s not one to be told what to do. I guess we can judge better when we meet him.”

  “Yeah, and what’s up with that? He can’t give Gwen a time, or at least a day when he plans to arrive, just keeps her guessing, saying he’ll be here sometime next week? What the fuck?”

  Julián used the pry bar to pull up the next rotten plank which broke into pieces and fell through the bottom of the trailer, illustrating Chris’s earlier point about her possessions falling through while on the road. “The same week the auctions happen too. I don’t get it. Listen, I’ve been giving something a lot of thought.”

  “What’s that?”

  “After talking with Wilbur, I’ve been thinking about buying this place.”

  Chris nodded but didn’t say anything. He’d had a feeling this was coming and was glad for Julián that he was considering making a commitment to the area. Divine was a great place to live, with its rolling hills, curving scenic roads, and river access, and the quaint town itself. The surrounding country was beautiful, prime ranch land. Chris would love to make the area his permanent home too. It was far enough from Junction that his family wouldn’t be in his business but close enough that he could easily visit.

  Julián looked him in the eye. “I’d like you to consider being my partner in it. Fifty-fifty.”

  There was a time, not too long ago, that Julián’s offer would’ve surprised Chris because his self-esteem wouldn’t have permitted him to believe it could work. Since forming their relationship with Gwen, Chris knew it was a good bet that they’d do fine as partners in a ranch as well.

  “When do you need an answer?”

  Julián stopped what he was doing and looked over at Chris. “I told Wilbur I’d let him know after he gets home late next week. But if I decide to go ahead with it on my own, the offer still stands. I know you have a commitment to Del. I just wanted to put it out there.”

  “I’ll let you know. There’s just a lot to consider.”

  Chris had enough money in savings to do the deal but he had signed on with Del for two years. He could live anywhere he wanted but he’d still be working at the Cook Ranch. He had a feeling if he asked, Del would let him out of his commitment, but that wasn’t how he did things. He would stick to his word, even though he’d follow Gwen onto the rodeo circuit in a heartbeat if he was free.

  After what had nearly happened to her on Valentine’s Day at The Dancing Pony, he knew he’d worry himself to death over Gwen.

  The morning after she’d been attacked, they’d found out from Hank that there was an outstanding warrant for sexual assault for Hatch Dunlap in Wyoming, and his two buddies were wanted for questioning in connection with the same case. It turned out his skewed understanding of the word “no” had gotten the three of them a one-way ride back to Wyoming care of the state police who’d come to collect them. In outrage, his Aunt Gladys had disinherited and publicly disowned him.

  Once she no longer had a place to stay and word had gotten around about Judith’s behavior, no man in Divine wanted anything to do with her. The last anyone had seen of her was her gaudy truck kicking up dust as she hightailed it out of Divine.

  Although he knew Gwen could take care of herself, Chris couldn’t stand the thought of her facing another situation like that with no certainty that she’d escape harm the next time. When it was all said and done and his two-year commitment was over, he’d follow her to Colorado if she’d allow it.

  But even then, he felt torn because Julián was a part of their relationship. A dynamic that he didn’t want to leave behind. But could he stay and become Julián’s partner without her?

  Either way, a vital part of the puzzle would be missing.

  Without saying anything else on the subject, they went back to work. The sun had come out and felt good on his bare back. He put his mind on the job they had to finish that day if they wanted to have their picnic with Gwen later that afternoon.

  While he and Julián worked on getting her horse trailer more roadworthy, she was in the house putting an early supper together. Right after they’d finished with breakfast that morning, she’d heard from Caughlin and Abigail McIntyre. They’d assured her that she could use one of their quarter horses, which would mean traveling to their place in North Texas to pick it up, and then a whole lot of catch-up practice in order to be ready to compete.

  For a less experienced rider, Chris knew there was no way her scenario would work and produce a championship, but if anyone could make it work, Gwen could. The McIntyres must’ve thought an awful lot of Gwen to agree to loan her a horse for her use.

  A short while later, they were perched on the now-solid framework inside the trailer, nailing in the new boards. Chris glanced up as a shadow passed in front of him. Gwen stood nearby ogling him like he was lunch, and he smiled at her as he brought the hammer down right on his thumb. White-hot pain exploded and shot through his entire body.

  “Ow-ow-ow! Motherfucker! Shit! Damn it!”

  Gwen jumped in surprise and ran to the end of the trailer, flapping her hands and making distressed noises.

  “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have distracted you while you were hammering!”

  Chris wrung his hand, biting his lip to muffle more cursing. He embarrassed himself by losing his balance and falling through the floor framework, tangling up his legs. “Shit!” His thumb throbbed like a son of a bitch and he squinted at it, still all tangled up, expecting to see blood. He held it out farther, trying to focus.

  Gwen climbed right in the trailer with them and Julián reached out to her from where he squatted with his boots perched on the sides of two boards. “Gwen, careful. You’re going to get hurt too.”

  Gwen disregarded the warning and stepped over to him carefully as he extricated himself from his embarrassing predicament. She took his hand and pulled his finger close so she could see it and gently stroked it. He felt a little silly, but it was comforting to have her holding his hand, seeing to his injury, especially since he couldn’t see it very clearly.

  She looked up at him and said, “You’ll have a blood blister under the nail later, baby. And I think it’s time you went to the doctor.”

  Chris smirked. “I smashed my thumb. Why do I need to see the doctor for that? I can fix my thumb later.” It wouldn’t be a pleasant task but it didn’t warrant a do
ctor’s visit, or doctor’s bill.

  Being a smarty-pants, she squinted up at him. “Nope, the eye doctor. You need glasses.”

  “His distance vision isn’t any better,” Julián offered with a chuckle when he saw Chris’s reaction to her statement.

  “Shut the hell up. I can just hear my brothers now, teasing me for needing spectacles.”

  Gwen scoffed. “They better not. I’ll kick their butts. Besides, Angelo and Salvatore both needed reading glasses when we were looking at Lorenzo’s tablet. Lots of people wear glasses and your brothers can all kiss my lily white ass if they don’t like it.”

  Her last statement got both of her men’s attention and Chris forgot all about his thumb. “Oh, yeah?” he asked suggestively, raising an eyebrow.

  Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Gwen nodded brazenly. “Yeah. Every inch. All of it. All up in there.” She smacked her hind end with her free hand just for good measure.

  Chris chuckled and said, “That’s our job.”

  Winking at him, she said, “You know what you’re doing better than they would too. I have our picnic supper ready whenever you’re finished.”

  They climbed from the trailer and surveyed the progress. The new floorboards were already cut to the right lengths and just needed to be installed. “We need another hour.”

  Nodding, she stroked both their biceps admiringly and said, “That’s fine. Guess who I talked to just a few minutes ago?”

  Chris was afraid to say Roger Bedford. He was tired of hearing about the man. “I don’t know. Who?”

  “Wilbur! And guess what he told me!” Her eyes were animated with excitement and Chris couldn’t help but smile back at her. “He said he was just calling to check on me and told me that he’d been doing some thinking. He offered to let me take Tutti with me on the road, to use as my barrel racing horse.”

  “Really?” Julián said, but didn’t seem surprised.

  “Yes! So I won’t need to borrow from Caughlin. This improves my chances too, because I’ve already been working with her for the last six weeks. She knows me and trusts me.”

  That much was true. He’d seen it in the arena. Gwen was consistent in her care of the horse and Tutti was one hundred percent willing when Gwen asked her to be, fast as lightning rounding those barrels and in the straightaway. Even though it reminded him of her leaving, he was happy for her that her chances of success had just improved.

  “Wilbur said that by training her like I have, and giving her experience in competition, it would increase her value and make her worth more when he sells her.” Her eyes dimmed a little at the notion but she continued, still excited. “He said that if I chose to take her that I should use her trailer too. I’m not too sure about that because he can get more for it if it has less wear and tear on it. I told him that you were working on my trailer for me.”

  Not one to tell her what to do, Chris still hoped she’d consider using the newer trailer.

  “It has larger living quarters in it and he told me I could rent it rather than borrow it if I felt better about that.”

  Warmth filled her gaze as she slid her hand over his bare oblique and stroked Julián’s biceps admiringly, and she said, “I’ll let you two finish and go see to the rest of the chores.”

  Julián called out as she walked away. “We can do that, love!”

  Gwen waved a hand and kept on walking, her hips swinging hypnotically as she moved. “That’s okay. I’m a big girl and it’s my job! By the way, without your shirts on, you both look good enough to eat. I hope you’re saving energy for me for down at the creek.”

  Just like that, he was as hard as a steel pole. He could hear her giggling mischievously as Julián growled.

  * * * *

  Julián reclined on the gently sloped creek bank with Chris, on the blanket Gwen had laid out for them. The temperature was perfect. Warm enough to go naked and splash in the cold water and then need to be “warmed up” afterward. The weather would swing back and forth between hot and cold for a few weeks before the real heat of late spring and summer would kick in. Then the creek would be a great place to have all kinds of fun.

  Gwen had just dropped the last of her clothing in a neat pile at her feet and stood before them completely nude, watching them as they watched her. The dappled sunlight filtering through the tree branches played tricks on her curves, revealing and then hiding her peaked nipples from his view.

  His cock throbbed as she got to her hands and knees and prowled across the blanket, stopping between them, sitting back on her shins. She arched her back and stretched her arms above her head.

  “It feels so good out here by ourselves.” She shifted so that her thighs were now parted. Her voice was a little shaky as she looked from him to Chris. They placed their hands on her thighs and stroked her. Julián’s cock twitched with excitement, a little drop of pre-cum clearing the slit in a stinging prelude. “I’m so wet, and so hot. Stripping for you excited me and now I’m dying to feel you inside me.” She looked up into the trees and down either bank of the creek.

  “Are you nervous about being seen?” Julián asked, knowing the truth.

  She bit her lip and smiled wickedly. “With the two of you here to protect me? Not even a little worried. I’m imagining what we look like together, as if someone was watching us.”

  His voyeuristic side loved her exhibitionistic tendencies. They were a mile from the ranch house and completely safe from prying eyes but Julián didn’t remind her of that.

  She jolted as Chris’s fingers slid to her apex and delved into her cunt, the wet sounds incredibly provocative. He pointed to a pair of short stumps nearby and in a deep voice, he said, “Darlin’, take the other blanket and lay it folded on top of those two stumps. Kneel on the lower one and I want to watch you bend over the taller one and get into position for Julián to fuck you.”

  She looked at the stumps and bit her lip as she turned shining eyes to Chris. The stumps were located several feet away on a rise in the bank, where she could easily be seen from any point along the creek. Julián gave Chris a nod of approval. Well chosen.

  As she rose to her feet and did as she was told, Julián whispered, “If I buy this place, I’m building a little playhouse down here, complete with outdoor ‘play furniture’ just like Angel and Joaquin have done at their place.”

  Chris looked at him in surprise but then his expression changed to one of speculation as he watched her move seductively, bending over so they’d both get a look at her wet pussy. “‘Play furniture’? Like tie-her-to-it-and-fuck-her-silly furniture?”

  “Exactly.” The word came out like a growl as he rose to his feet, his cock throbbing to get inside her.

  Gwen looked behind her as she rested her elbows on the blanket-padded stump and held his gaze as he moved toward her. Lit completely by sunshine, her skin glowed like an angel’s, her creamy buttocks offered up to him as she arched her back.

  Julián moved so that Chris could see them from where he lay on the blanket, lightly stroking his cock, and he squeezed her ass cheek. Her skin was a little cool and he bent over her to whisper, “Are you okay?” He caressed her pussy with two fingers and could verify that for himself but he wanted to be sure. Her hot juices soaked his fingers and she moaned.

  “Yes.”

  Satisfied, he stood and squeezed her ass again before sliding his fingers to her opening once more. “You feel a little cool to me, love. I think I need to warm your ass a bit. A spanking should do the trick. After teasing us this afternoon, you certainly deserve one.”

  She bit her lip again, a sign that she was very on board with the plan, and she said, “Someone might hear.” He could feel her cunt clenching as she spoke. Yes, she was very on board.

  “Then I guess they might come see too.”

  She rubbed against his hand, drenching it further, and she giggled. “I’ve been a very, very naughty girl, Julián.”

  “Count,” he ordered as he squeezed her ass cheeks, battling with his self-c
ontrol as he fought the urge to grab her hips and just ram home. Her slick cream ran in droplets down her inner thigh as he took position beside her, placing his other hand on her lower back to steady her. He brought his palm down in a nice stinging smack on her flesh.

  “Oh! One!” She knelt for him, positioned openly and willingly for the next smack. She even arched her back when he made her wait a few beats and she wiggled a little as if in anticipation. He hid his grin and gave it to her. More of her cream dripped from her opening and he gritted his teeth to counteract the torture his cock was enduring as he watched her slowly come undone. She counted breathlessly with each resounding pop until she reached ten and he could stand it no more. He positioned his cock at her flooded opening and they both cried out as he rammed his cock home in her slick heat and began fucking her mercilessly.

  “Yes, Julián! Yes! Harder!”

  He fought the urge. He didn’t want her to be sore and knew that she’d want Chris right after they were done. Never one to wait, she was greedy where they were concerned. He pulled her upright so he could wrap his arms around her from behind while he fucked her and tweaked her nipples. She moaned and held on to his forearms and moved back against him with each stroke.

  “Feel good, love?” he ground out as he slid one hand down to her clit and rubbed the little swollen pearl. Her breathing, mixing with her moan, came out in one long, pleading syllable. He trapped her clit between his fingers and rubbed in a circular motion as he fucked her with a methodical slowness that was driving them both crazy.

  Bird wings flapped overhead and a whole flock of birds took flight from a nearby tree and Julián said, “I wonder how Chris likes the view? You probably won’t even get a breather before he sticks that big cock in you. We’re both filling your sweet little pussy to overflowing with cum before we’re done.”