by Bella Grace
Amelia bit down on her bottom lip and tears spilled from her eyes. “I’m not returning to Boston without you and Lizzie.”
“Of course not,” Olivia said. “I’m sure our uncle can be a reasonable man.” She inclined her head as much as she dared with the gun pressed to her throat. “Come on, put the gun away. There’s been enough bloodshed in this family.”
With that, Amelia’s dam burst. Tears poured freely down her cheeks. The reminder of how their parents had been murdered was enough to send a pain straight to the center of Olivia’s heart. She had cried herself to sleep many nights imagining the fear her mother and father must have faced when they realized their lives were about to be taken, and she knew Amelia had lived those same moments in her mind.
Amelia lowered her arm and slumped against the wall. The gun fell from her hand. Olivia squeezed her eyes shut and braced for the shot. The clatter of the gun against the floor hit her nerves like a canon, but the silence that followed sent a rush of cool relief through her with enough force that her knees buckled.
Their uncle held her arm tight enough to prevent her fall and lowered his weapon with a sigh of sour breath. Olivia turned to him trembling with anger and spent nerves. “Have you not done enough to this family?” she said through clenched teeth. “Tell me what it will take to have you out of our lives, and I will see that it is done.”
His flat lips spread across his face, and a flicker of victory gleamed in his eye. “I knew you would be the reasonable one.”
He dropped her arm completely and stalked across the floor to pick up the revolver Amelia had dropped. She scrambled for it and cradled it like a child to her chest.
“There’s no need for guns.” Olivia hurried to Amelia’s side. “Go lie down. Let me see to this business with Uncle Robert before Lizzie returns.” She leaned close to Amelia’s ear. “If Logan finds him here…” She didn’t have to finish. Amelia nodded. They both knew what would happen if Logan or any of his brothers discovered him in their home. If shots were exchanged, Lizzie could lose her husband, and neither of them would take a chance like that.
Amelia turned her tear-filled eyes on Olivia.
Olivia laid her hand along Amelia’s cheek. “Put the gun away, and lie down. I’ll handle this.”
Amelia shot a quick glare at her uncle before lifting her skirts and hurrying down the hall.
Olivia waited until Amelia’s bedroom door clicked shut before she turned on her uncle. “How dare you come here making demands of us? You have no legal claim to anything that we own, and you have never bothered with us out of family duty or affection.”
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her close enough the stench of him almost made her gag. “Your brother-in-law has more rivals than you may think. I would hate to see your dear Elizabeth get caught in the middle of any unfortunate accidents. Especially after the horrible fate that befell your parents.” He lowered his voice. “And what kind of mother hen could she be to you and Amelia if she wasn’t alive?”
Olivia wrenched her wrist free and curled her fists so tight her fingernails bit into her palms. “If you’re threatening to harm Lizzie”
He jerked her arm and dragged her so close his lips brushed her ear. “If I were you, I’d make sure the deed to the Boston properties and sweet young Amelia are both in my possession when I set sail. If they aren’t, you will be the only niece I have left. And you will never marry either of those suitors you’re running about shamelessly with.”
He dropped her arm and jerked his vest down with both hands. “Good day, Olivia. I trust you will do what you need to do. The ship pulls out of Port Steele in two days.”
Olivia bolted the door shut and braced her back against the thick plank of wood that separated her from her uncle’s retreating form.
His threat rang in her ear, and a chill that had absolutely nothing to do with the cold winter air sank deep into her bones. She closed her eyes to block out the images of her parents’ final moments that her uncle had painted in her mind and tried instead to focus on the matter at hand. If he only wanted the deed, she may be able to convince Lizzie to let him have the property, and they could be rid of him for good. But she and Lizzie would never hand Amelia over to that man, and according to the note he’d dropped in Hattie’s inn, it didn’t seem as if the property alone would be enough to satisfy his debt.
* * * *
Olivia pulled three more books from the box on the floor and entered them into her inventory log. Her hands shook, making it nearly impossible to pen her usually neat script. She was grateful to have the library to herself while her thoughts spun from one inadequate plan to the next to keep her uncle from capturing Amelia and stealing their inheritance. Constance had not yet made her morning jaunt from the inn across the street. Jack and Aaron were meeting with the red-faced, ill-tempered owner of a Port Gamble sawmill who had been waiting at the door of the mercantile when she and Jack arrived. Since the minute Jack had ushered the sawmill owner through the door and Aaron met them at the back of the store, the man had been shouting about a debtor and demanding to know if the man who owed him had any money in his savings account.
Aaron and Jack’s voices were harder to hear, but from the bits and pieces of the conversation that drifted all the way over to the library, Olivia could tell they were doing their best to diffuse the situation diplomatically and help the business owner recoup what belonged to him. Despite the tremor that held her in its grip, a wave of pride washed over her. The people of Port Steele, Port Gamble, and all the other little establishments along the coast of Bachelor Bay depended on and trusted the men she loved.
The door to the mercantile opened just as the irate sawmill owner shouted, “If Miles Petty doesn’t pay me every dime he owes me by the end of the month, he’ll have uncut timber up to his eyeballs. I’m not doing another minute’s work that I’m not paid for!”
Constance’s eyebrows shot up, but she quickly made her way to the library. Through the open door, Olivia watched her approach and saw Jack escort the sawmill owner to the street. Olivia held back a smile. If they were going in search of Miles Petty, she wouldn’t want to be anywhere nearby when they found him.
Constance’s wide skirts brushed the doorway as she entered the library. Many of the women had given up most of their petticoats for practicality, but on occasion, Constance fought common sense and mud in the name of fashion. Her brown wool gown had stains from the street near the hemline but the floral stitching on the fabric camouflaged most of them.
“I’ve had absolutely the most interesting of mornings.” She lifted her chin in the stance of a woman who had a secret that was about to eat her alive if she didn’t let it out.
“How fortunate for you. Could you alphabetize the second shelf, please?” Olivia continued entering the titles into her log.
The door to the mercantile opened again, and Jack entered the store alone.
Olivia’s stomach did a slow roll, and her heart swelled with love. With discreet touches and constant reminders of the intimacy they had shared last evening, Jack had made it relatively easy for her to hold her tongue on the matter of her uncle while he escorted her to the library. She hadn’t bothered to seek his counsel. With the threat to Lizzie on the table, it mattered little if Robert Prescott’s agreement with Jules D. Murdoch was illegal. She needed to find some way to bargain with her uncle that took Amelia out of the equation. While she didn’t need Jack and Aaron’s legal advice, she had decided to consult with them. Both men had plenty of experience working out business deals, and their input would be invaluable. Under ordinary circumstances, shame would prevent her from asking either of them to become involved in such a messy private affair. This was a family matter which ideally should be sorted out within the family, but she couldn’t approach Logan as easily. He loved Lizzie too much to remain rational, and Robert Prescott wielded a gun too readily to not be a threat to Logan’s life.
“Excuse me.” Olivia stood. “I need to speak with Mr. Bartlett concer
ning library business.”
Constance mumbled something about working her fingers to the bone as Olivia made her way through the door.
Olivia hurried over to the long customer counter at the back of the store. Her heart pounded with every step. Since losing her innocence, she had only had the few minutes alone with Jack when he’d escorted her to the library, and she hadn’t had a single moment with Aaron. As she watched them now, their dark heads bent over the ledgers, their broad shoulders beneath the fine fabric of their tailored suits, her stomach curled with eager anticipation and her mouth hungered for kisses she knew would have to wait.
Jack and Aaron stared at the ledgers Aaron had spread in front of him, their voices muffled in private conversation. Olivia approached quietly, hesitant to interrupt but eager to see them both. What she wouldn’t give to sneak upstairs and feel their strong arms around her, hear their low whispers in her ear.
As soon as she drew close enough to hear their conversation, she stopped in her tracks.
“She will have to choose which of us to marry,” Jack said. “The choice must be made quickly. We can’t go on like this much longer. We both need a wife.”
Olivia’s feet refused to move another step. Her heart lodged deep in her throat, and a crushing weight fell upon her chest. How could she possibly choose? And if she did marry one of them, who would the other one marry?
Olivia stood stunned as the men moved on to discuss a business matter. Hurried footsteps drew near, and Constance brushed past her. “Mr. Lambert? I hate to be a bother, but when did you say my corsets might arrive? I swear, if Hattie doesn’t begin preparing edible food for us, my waist will disappear completely.” She planted both hands on her hips while sucking in a deep breath that narrowed her waist and pushed her bosoms up several inches. She turned to the side to give Aaron a better view of her figure. “I may need to be measured again.”
Aaron studied her with curiosity.
Laughter rumbled from Jack’s chest. “Miss Kendall, you’re the most brazen woman I’ve ever met.” His eyes glittered, and Olivia saw a possibility she didn’t want to believe. Perhaps Jack found Constance intriguing. Though he had been brutal with her when they met in the inn, maybe he had begun to find her forthright nature charming, or at least tolerable.
Olivia remained frozen to the floor. An ache settled deep into her bones. Would Aaron also be willing to marry Constance?
Aaron took the hand Constance extended and kissed it with perfunctory politeness. “I expect to receive the shipment in about two weeks. Surely, Hattie won’t starve you before then.”
Jack’s gaze shifted over Constance’s shoulder and landed on Olivia. “Good morning, love. What can I help you with?”
His smile poured heat from Olivia’s heart straight to her feet, but not even his handsome face or the warmth of his greeting could pierce the cloud of sadness that filled her. She struggled to open her throat.
“Good morning.” She smiled at Jack and then Aaron, but then forced her attention onto Constance. “Connie, we have books to sort. Could you assist me in the library, please?”
Olivia made her way back across the store. She no longer needed advice on how to handle the situation with her uncle. The solution to her dilemma had become clear. The idea that had begun to take shape in her mind may kill her, but the alternative was worse than death.
* * * *
Olivia ran a fingertip along the strong tendon of Jack’s neck and then bent to trail kisses along the same path. The taste of his skin beneath her tongue opened a hunger in her soul. Kneeling on the bed behind her, Aaron brushed her hair from her shoulder and nipped at a tender spot below her ear. A shiver of delight trickled down her spine, momentarily easing the ache in her chest.
She had never felt so much love in her heart, and she had never felt so loved. Four strong hands stroked her body with an intimate, gentle touch that harnessed the heat and desire she felt pulsing beneath her lovers’ skin. Aaron’s hands came around to cradle her breasts, and a low groan escaped from his throat. Olivia turned to kiss him, to taste the passion of his tongue, but Jack cupped his hand behind her head and drew her mouth to his.
Together, the three of them made the perfect combination. She never wanted for anything, and they both let her know how much she pleased them. Aaron’s hands slid over her ribs, down to her waist, and came to rest on her hips. Her knees slid across the sheets, and she broke from Jack’s kiss as Aaron pulled her lower body toward him. She arched her back, propping her bottom up, giving him the perfect angle to give her what she wanted. What she needed.
Jack eased down onto the mattress and spread his legs. His big cock jutted from his lap only an inch from her lips. Her mouth watered for a taste of the velvety smooth skin and the dew of excitement that pooled from the little slit at the top.
“Jack, you should see this.” Aaron’s hands spread across her ass, rubbing sensuous circles in her skin, spreading her cheeks, making her pussy weep with anticipation. “God, she’s the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Olivia ran her hand over the wiry hair on Jack’s thigh and wrapped her fingers around his cock. The thick head of Aaron’s cock brushed her inner thigh, and she automatically pushed back, seeking the heaven that came from having him inside her.
“Oh she’s eager tonight.” Aaron laughed and massaged her bottom harder as Olivia moved, urging his cock closer to the wet opening between her legs.
“I think we should try something new.” Jack twisted his hand in her hair and sucked in a breath as she let her tongue slide across the head of his cock.
She drew the smooth knob into her mouth and sucked once before Jack tugged her hair hard enough to lift her off him.
Olivia’s muscles clenched and she pushed back against Aaron again. Her bottom landed on his abdomen. His hard shaft slid between her slick nether lips and nudged her throbbing clit. She moved forward and reached between her legs to guide him inside her. Jack pulled his cock back and out of reach, wrenching a moan of frustration from her throat.
“We’re going about it a little different tonight, sweetheart,” he said.
Disappointment sank her heart. She wanted it again just the way she’d had it before. She wanted Jack’s wide cock stretching her mouth and Aaron’s pumping into her until she couldn’t breathe, until she lost complete and utter control. And then she wanted to switch it around and taste herself on Aaron’s cock while Jack held her hips in his big hands and drove himself home again and again.
“No, please,” she begged. “I want you inside me again. I want both of you inside me again.”
Aaron reached between her thighs and stroked her clit with the flat of his finger. When he found her most sensitive spot, she gasped, and he rubbed tight little circles that left her panting and pleading for his dick more than ever.
“Please, please, please!” she cried and moved back against him. “Please, let me feel you inside me.”
The fat head of Aaron’s cock stretched the opening of her wet hole while the constant circular vibrations of his finger continued to jerk the breath from her lungs in short, quick pants.
“I’m going in once, sweetheart, but then we’re going to teach you something new.” His voice was strained. His grip on her hip tightened. She nodded and dove for Jack’s cock again, wanting to taste him against her tongue when Aaron entered her.
Aaron filled her, stretched her, made her feel physically whole. She readied for the slow torture of his withdrawal, hoping he hadn’t meant what he said about “going in once.” Instead of the continuous movement she expected, he seated himself deep inside her and began to massage her bottom again. This time his strokes spread her cheeks and held them apart. Above her, low growls erupted from Jack’s chest as she sucked and stroked his cock, slow and firm, the way she’d learned he liked it best.
Aaron reached around her waist to stroke her clit before sliding his fingers lower, coating them in the juices that soaked her swollen lips. She moved against his hand
, grinding herself deeper into his crotch, but he withdrew his fingers and pulled out of her far enough to put space between them. Whatever she had expected, it was not the feel of his slick fingers between the cheeks of her bottom. Tingles struck the instant he caressed her tight, puckered little hole, and her head instinctively jerked up. Jack twisted his fingers in her hair, holding her in place as he began to slowly pump his cock in and out of her mouth. His short, hard breaths told her he was close to release.
“Relax, sweetheart. Just relax and trust us.” Aaron’s voice was tight with lust, and his fingers continued to work the tension from her bottom. “Good girl,” he said as she let go of the apprehension and gave into the pleasure of his touch.
She tensed up again just slightly as the tip of his finger intruded her most private space and a slight sting replaced the tingles. His voice soothed her again, and as she relaxed, he entered her, stretching her in such a delightful way her knees nearly gave out beneath her. Jack cupped her chin and pulled his cock from her mouth. His thumb stroked her cheek, and the fire that jumped in his eyes made her heart pound. She tightened her grip on his cock and began to stroke it, but he stilled her hand.
“If I don’t stop you now, you’ll miss out on our big surprise.”
Aaron’s cock began a slow retraction, and she ached for it more with every inch. Jack lay back and pulled her on top of him, spreading her legs over his thighs and letting his big cock rest against her hungry pussy.
Aaron leaned over her back. He inserted a second finger, stretching her tight rear hole. “Do you like that?” She flinched, then nodded quickly as he entered her slowly, and the sensation of newly excited nerves burst through her body and drew her nipples tight.
Jack took her mouth in a kiss as Aaron withdrew his fingers, and the smooth, hot skin of his fat cock slid between her butt cheeks. She felt the pressure as he pressed the head slowly against her opening, taking his time to gain entry. Her breath burned in her lungs despite Jack’s attempts to keep her kissing him. Aaron entered her tight rear hole in a long, slow, steady stroke that widened her eyes and made her pussy cry for even more attention than before.