Branded by the Texans [Three Star Republic] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Branded by the Texans (lit)

  Keeping his own balls bridled, Dash focused on Kylie’s impassioned face. Dang, if she didn’t look all luminous with pleasure and beautifully wild with her need to climax, both at the same time.

  “You’re gettin’ rode, aren’t you?” Dash whispered. “And your ass is surely givin’ my bronco the kind of ride it likes.”

  A sharp cry burst from deep in her throat, and Kylie strained her breasts toward Dono, despite how firmly Dash held her.

  “Don’t let go,” Dono answered Dash’s questioning look, even as he slammed his cock in and out of their wife.

  “Oh God...oh God...oh God.” Kylie arched her pussy as much as she could, the blaze of her curls meeting Dono’s dark thick thatch of hair.

  Falling utterly silent, she strained upward, and Dash felt her tense with ecstasy. With his shaft threatening to let loose another gusher, he watched her skin flush to a pale rose color, as if she bloomed before him. “God Almighty, honey, you’re a purty sight.”

  Dono plunged to the center of her feminine rose, joining her. He stilled like a damn museum statue, his contorted features harsh planes of shadow and light. His silence was as telling as the way he clutched her hips, his seed pouring into her.

  Dash watched Kylie’s face, cherishing his first chance to see her womanly rapture with them. Her features showed her strength, yet she appeared fragile as a porcelain doll and so alive his breath hissed inward.

  His heart lurched in his chest, just for his wife, as surely as his shaft spasmed, flooding him with a milder, longer lasting culmination of pleasure.

  Dash groaned with the wondrous dream she was to him and with the euphoria simmering his flesh. Feeling her stir as she emerged from her orgasm, he freed her hands.

  “Kylie.” Dono’s lover-like croon was filled with his heart for her.

  Falling like a tree toward her, Dono landed on his palms. With his gaze riveted on her face, he gradually lowered himself until he scooped her into his arms, then rolled to the side as Dash pulled his leg out of the way.

  Briefly holding her on top of him, he kissed Kylie, then tenderly captured her beneath him. She looped her arms around Dono’s neck, hugging him close. To Dash’s eye Kylie not only held his brother like a lover, but because she realized he needed her sweetness.

  “I’ll bet you’re bone tired,” Dono murmured.

  “Bone tired,” she bantered. “Both your bones have made me tired.”

  “Tell you what, why don’t you get comfortable with Dash? I’ll go check the house. Make sure everything’s turned off.” Dono nuzzled a strand of her hair off her cheek.

  Dash knew his brother didn’t want to scare Kylie by telling her he was going to do perimeter patrol as they called it. These days they weren’t faced with many intruders or enemy infiltrators. Still, it made common sense to keep their security measures high, especially with their wife here with them.

  Teasing her lips with sensual nips for long moments, Dono swept his hands over her body. “Back soon,” he promised, then lifted himself above her.

  Glancing at Dash, he rose unwinding like a whip. “I’ll get the bedding. You just hug on our Kylie.”

  “Damn straight, I’ll hug on her.” Giving a whoop, Dash swung around toward Kylie and gathered her close. Loosely, he spooned himself around her. “You are tireder than a coonhound after a hunt.”

  “That makes sense.” Her pale eyelids fluttered, wanting to close.

  Seconds later, large pillows landed around them along with folded blankets. Dono had tossed them from the open bin near the bottom of the bed. Reaching behind him, Dash grabbed one of the lightweight blankets. Using one arm he draped it around him and Kylie. “Pillow, honey?”

  She nodded. “I feel like I could sleep for days.”

  Twisting, Dash fisted one of the pillows. Gentle as he knew how, he placed it beneath her head. “Get comfortable, little Kylie. I won’t disturb you. You can sleep for as long as you want.”

  “Somehow, I think I’m going to need a lot rest.” Her delicate tone took a sarcastic swipe at him and Dash yahoo-ed inside. After repositioning herself, she shut her eyes and drifted into slumber rapidly.

  Dash listened to her deep regular breaths and figured nothing else in his life sounded this good.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Dash, the Prince Cowboy

  Wound up like he was about to settle atop a bull and spend eight seconds having his spine readjusted, Dash toyed with the ends of his wife’s hair. Normally, he’d be tuckered out and probably snoring by now. He’d have to make certain to tell her to give his ribs a jab whenever he disturbed her rest.

  Soon enough, he’d make love to his wife, snuggle her close, and hit the pillow half asleep. Not now. Not when his blood poured through him like whiskey because he was damn drunk on her.

  Already, Dash envisioned their brand on her, decorating the pale skin of her inner wrist. As he imagined placing their brand above the crack of her incredible ass, he groaned quietly. His cock gave a hitch of anticipation as he thought about branding her above her lush thatch of curls.

  Damn! If she ain’t temptation all wrapped up in the prettiest bow.

  “We have to keep you safe,” he whispered. Their brands on Kylie would mark her forever as belonging to them, the Vega brothers.

  Any other man or men would know she was a married woman and not to be trifled with or lead bullets would be filling their bellies instead of a good steak. Dash knew he, Dono, and Dillon wouldn’t hesitate to keep the wife that belonged to them and keep her protected, no matter how many blazin’ guns it took.

  “Kylie,” he whispered, wondering what her whole name was. Not that it mattered one whit. Still, he was more curious than Dono’s cat. The compulsion to know all about her gripped him as hard as the lasso must have tightened around her delicate shoulders.

  Hearing Dono pad inside the room, he glanced up as his brother dimmed the room to nearly dark.

  “Asleep?” Dono snatched up a blanket as he stepped up onto the bed, carefully moving toward Kylie.

  “Out like a light,” Dash whispered, propping his head up on his elbow.

  Dono eased his frame downward and curved around Kylie, yet didn’t touch her. “Dillon will give us a bull stomping for not letting her sleep sooner.”

  “No, he won’t. Since he broke our agreement, had his cock in her first.” Unable to stop himself, Dash smoothed her hair from the side of her face, light enough she didn’t stir. “Besides, she asked us.”

  “Yeah, after we spied on her, riled her up somethin’ fierce. Dang, I don’t dare touch her. I won’t be able to pull back on the bit hard enough.”

  Dash spared a glance at his brother’s face. Passion carved his features and more, his possessive need for Kylie. “She sure got under your skin fast enough.”

  “Look who’s talkin’, little brother. You couldn’t get your hump on her fast enough.”

  Dash inhaled a long breath before he shot words with Dono. “Looks like we all got our special weakness for her.”

  Dono suppressed a groan. Lying flat on his back, he thumped his head on top of his hands. “I know we made plans. But just how are we supposed to share her?”

  “Looks like she don’t mind both of us lovin’ on her. Looks like she had her lusty enjoyment.”

  “What about Dillon? He’s demandin’ on a woman. And he’s got the jalapeno hots for her.”

  “Like we always do with big brother. Give him a long enough lead rope and enough time with her. He’ll be fair. Besides, we all got our responsibilities. Not like we can all hover around her, dogs sniffin’ behind her sweet butt.” Dash mentally stifled the image of him and his brothers actin’ like stud dogs with her, then frowned at his lengthening shaft.

  “Thanks,” Dono muttered derisively.

  “You’re the one who can’t haul back on the bit strong enough.”

  Dono snorted a breath. “We gotta be careful how argumentative we are around her. Remember what that one book said? Nothin’ kill
s a woman’s mood more than men acting like scrappin’ cocks.”

  “Hell, there’s an image I don’t want. Our scrappin’ cocks.”

  “Scrappin’ roosters,” Dono tossed toward him. “One of us is going to have to be hanging around her, though. Till she gets her feet under her.”

  “Yeah, to protect her, too. Like we talked about.”

  “With her throwin’ eye, she’s gonna be a good shot. I get dibs on teaching her.”

  “We better do some love tamin’ first. She’ll be aiming at us.” Dash rumbled a chuckle at the thought, then laid on his back, his head propped by the bed’s rim cushioning.

  “What we gotta do is brand her quick as possible. Before word spreads too far. She ain’t gonna like it, given her free-running nature.”

  “Gotta be done and registered. Or some fools will put a claim on her. Not interested in a gun battle myself.”

  “Had enough of that in the border wars.” The somberness of Dono’s tone reflected Dash’s own.

  “Dillon ever say for certain which brand design he favored?”

  “Said he liked my last design best but wanted to wait until we had our wife before makin’ a permanent decision. Wanted to know her looks and personality, first.”

  “I think we should add a wildfire.” Dash smiled to himself. He intended to “rile” Kylie up into a little spitfire every now and then.

  “A rose the color of flame.”

  “She is like a rose and like a blaze.” Dash settled himself more comfortably, drowsiness catching up with him. “A long day of chores tomorrow. I’ll make breakfast for her. Leave it in here for when she wakes up.”

  “Yeah, morning comes early. We’ll have to check in on her regular. I don’t want her to feel frightened and all alone. I’ll gather up some clothes. Throw her duds in the washer unit.”

  “Woowee,” Dash whispered. “She’s gonna look so female-appetizing in that corset you been workin’ on.”

  “Got all the basic pieces ready. Now I know her size, I can do the final cut and start stitchin’.” Dono restlessly moved onto his side, facing Kylie. “Why’d you have to go and remind me? Now, I’ll be dreamin’ about her in a corset. And not the sleep kind of dreaming, either.”

  “Maybe we oughta down a couple of whiskey shots.”

  “She wakes up and smells alcohol on us, I don’t think that’s gonna please her.”

  “There’s those herbal tabs Dillon sucks on whenever he cain’t sleep. Given how hard we got our rocks off, we should be snoozin’ like babes, though.”

  “Come to think of it,” Dono rolled toward the large chest that held lots of the sex enhancement items they’d purchased, “there is a bottle of slumber tonic. Put it in here just in case our wife was wore out and we weren’t.”

  “Good thinkin’. The kind of slumber tonic for cock-a-doodle-doos awake before sunrise?” Dash watched his brother crane his neck looking for the tonic. Quick enough, he found the dark brown bottle and unscrewed the lid.

  “What else?” Dono took a giant swig, then swung around passing the tonic to Dash, his hand above the rounded shape of Kylie’s butt.

  Rising to a sitting position, Dash clutched the bottle and poured down a few swallows, then gave it back to Dono. “Hope we don’t have to use this too often.”

  “She’s a frisky filly. Temperamental, though. And if she ain’t feelin’ up to par we got something to rein in our libidos.” Capping the bottle, Dono replaced it and closed the chest lid.

  “Dang, that’s bitter tastin’. Course, if it works, I won’t be complaining.” Dash re-draped the blanket, then gazed at Kylie’s face.

  Pale, she was lost to the type of sleep where her body didn’t move. Dillon had been right. She was as exhausted as they’d been during long months of engaging the enemy, a time Dash didn’t want to forget, but preferred not to dwell on.

  With his gaze on Kylie, Dono moved back to his spot and covered himself with the tartan plaid blanket. “If she’s not okay when she wakes up, Dillon is going have our hides. And I won’t blame him. I’ll help him skin us.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Dash murmured. Settling himself on his side, he kept vigilance on her face until the darkness of sleep claimed him.

  * * * *

  “No, no, no.”

  The desperate pleading penetrated Dash’s awareness, and he cracked open one eye. A split second later he woke up, wide-eyed.

  Kylie thrashed between him and Dono. With her eyes shut, she’d obviously been trapped by a bad dream. In unison, he and Dono gazed at each other, blinking, and not quite certain what to do.

  Dash reached out, his fingertips grasping her shoulder. “Kylie. Kylie, honey.”

  She loosed a terrified shriek, then jerked awake. Immediately, she propped herself on her elbow.

  “What’s wrong?” Dono’s worry owned his voice.

  She blinked several times swinging her gaze back and forth between them. Slumping, she let her head fall back.

  “Kylie.” Dash stroked her knee through the blanket.

  “I thought I was in prison.” She choked back a sob, then raised her face. “That I’d been sentenced to life in prison. The judge… never mind.”

  “Is it because you’re sleeping between us? You feel trapped?” Dono asked.

  She shook her head no. “I don’t think so. The judge… ” Her voice faded.

  “Judge?” Dash squeezed her knee gently.

  “In my dream. He was horrible. One of those faces that look like a skeleton with skin. His black robe kept growing larger and larger.” She shook her head attempting to get rid of the image. “It’s why I’m here.”

  “Why you’re here?” Dono carefully asked. “Oh, what you told Dillon.”

  “Yeah, I was on the run, on the lamb. Looking for a hideout. You know, the Hole in the Wall…sorta.” Her voice had become wisps of sound. Heaving a breath, she made a small attempt to straighten her spine. “I was accused of a crime I didn’t commit.”

  “But they were going to string you up anyway.” Dash figured to jump in, but regretted saying “string you up” since she blanched slightly. “Just a sayin’ here, honey.”

  “No one’s going to string you up here,” Dono reinforced, giving Dash a censuring glare. “Kylie, women who are accused in the Union sometimes try to make it inside Texas. You’re not alone, even if you came from a parallel dimension.”

  “I still can’t believe it. Hell, I can’t believe I’m right here, right now.” She hiccupped. “Between you two.”

  “We can make you believe it.” Dash realized the instant his lips stopped moving, he’d made another blunder.

  “Dang it, Dash, she needs our words, not our cock-a-doodle-doos.” Dono scowled for good measure.

  “I know that.” Dash felt his face tighten and his chin thrust as he scowled back at Dono.

  “She needs more sleep.” Kylie interrupted their glaring contest. “Maybe, Dillon was right. You two do need someone to ride herd on you. Thing is, I’m not up to that right now. Truth is, I might never be.” With a resigned sigh, she curled up, her head on the pillow while both of them stared at her.

  “Kylie, honey, I’m sorry. Dono and me do go at it like territorial studs, sometimes.”

  Shifting her head, she gazed at him as if she’d never seen his breed of human before. “An apology,” she muttered, “I don’t get many of those.”

  “He’s the Prince Cowboy,” Dono bantered, his tone neutral enough.

  “Prince.” She rolled on her back, gazing at Dono. “You’re the Musketeer Cowboy.” Looking at Dash, she offered, “You’re the Prince Cowboy. Oh, God, I must be out of my mind with fatigue. Or still dreaming, saying that.”

  “You’re not dreamin’, honey. Why don’t you rub her back, Dono?” Dash smiled at her wary glance. “I mean for relaxin’. He’s good at it.”

  “And don’t go apologizing every time because you think it works, either,” she snapped as much as her soft sleepy voice allowed.“No, ma’
am,” Dono piped up. “How about a back rub? One hand only,” he tempted.

  “One hand,” she agreed, then shifted so her back was all Dono’s. “Can’t resist talented hands. Why the shh… shoot am I telling you that?”

  Dash and Dono blinked at each other for a long moment.

  “Did Dillon say not to use certain words?” Dash asked.

  “Why? Do you want to blister my butt too?”

  He and his brother stared at her ass. Dash had decided the tinge of red he’d seen was from riding for so long up the mountain, not Dillon whuppin’ on her. He and Dono locked gazes, again.

  “No, sweetheart, all I want to do is help you sleep.” Dono touched her back lightly. He brushed his palm across her shoulders first, then began a slow circling motion over her shoulder blades, and down her spine.

  “I suppose you know how to do this with horses, don’t you?”

  Already their Kylie drifted off, her voice drowsy.

  “Relaxes his race horses,” Dash answered. “Helps them win.”

  “I’d like to watch them win,” she whispered. Moments later, she’d fallen into slumber.

  Dono continued a while longer, then stroked his hand from her but kept his gaze fastened on the side of her face. “We’ll have to talk later,” he whispered to Dash.

  “Don’t want to wake her.” Dash arranged the blanket around her shoulders.

  They both eased downward, preparing to doze off.

  As Dash waited for sleep to overtake him, Kylie’s scream echoed through his head. He was reminded of the time he and his squad had rescued a group of lady librarians who’d been trapped behind the battle lines.

  They’d thought his squad were Union raiders, at first, and had screamed their lungs out, throwing anything they could get their hands on. Unwilling to be taken prisoner without a fight, they’d blasted the raiders, using the last of their ammo.

  The relief he’d seen on all their faces was as clear in his memory now, as it was then. Kylie must have been through a similar hellfire terror.