Mary's Men

by Stephanie Beck

  “I love a big, juicy steak. There’s nothing like putting a really good piece of meat between your lips.”

  Paul froze where he worked before turning to her, his tired eyes wide. She replayed her words in her head and wanted to crawl under the cabinets. So much for keeping things light. Her naughty, needy vagina had obviously taken control of her mouth. Paul grinned, the easygoing, sweet man she’d glimpsed on their first meeting replacing the insistent and then overwhelmed Paul she’d seen since Vegas. She took a step back.

  “Now, I know how that sounded.” She found herself with her back against something hard. She spun to find Thomas, also grinning. “Oh, no. You two go back to what you were doing.”

  Paul tossed four potatoes in cold water. He straightened and approached slowly. “Tell me more about what you like in your mouth.”

  She looked at them each again and quickly timed how long the potatoes would require. Unless she wanted an entire night of sexual tension followed by lead up nerves, she knew she should take the opening she’d inadvertently made.

  Paul stood closer, but she knew what Thomas liked. If she wanted to back up her tease, inadvertent as it was, she had stacked the deck a little. Her sexy dream still fresh in her mind, excitement bubbled. She ran her hand up Thomas’s forearm and looped her arms around his shoulders.

  She drew him down and pressed her lips to his. She ran her hand down the buttons of his shirt, but before she could undo even one, Paul pressed against her back. She froze, but Thomas deepened their kiss, demanding her attention even as Paul rubbed her back, unhooking her bra with the flick of his wrist.

  The scene played so closely to her dream she pinched her wrist to make sure she wasn’t still dreaming. The squeeze hurt, and her shirt rolled up her ribcage. Her heart thundered in her chest, but she held tight to Thomas—his strength keeping her grounded. Thomas took her arms and lifted them over her head. Her shirt and bra soon followed. The air cooled her skin only a moment before she was sandwiched once again between the men. Instead of his shirt, Paul’s skin pressed to her.

  She undid Thomas’s buttons and allowed Paul to slowly lead them backward to the bed. With Thomas’s chest to focus on, she centered her thoughts, sexy and wild. She wanted both of them. She was tugged back, but instead of landing on the bed, her butt found Paul’s lap. He kept her in place and pressed kisses to her neck. She moaned at the simple, yet erotic touch. His arms reached around, his hands stopping at the button of her jeans.

  Thomas peeled away his shirt and tossed it aside. The bed didn’t offer the expanse of the hotel room, but she thought there was plenty of room for him to lay beside her. Paul flicked her button and unzipped her pants. The dual sensations kept her nerves on end and increased sensitivity, making Paul’s hands on her thighs, tugging her pants down, more potent than they should have been.

  Thomas finished the job of her pants, leaving only her panties and his slacks. Paul hooked his thumbs through the bands of her panties. She stilled his progress. Thomas threw his slacks and boxers at his other clothes and cocked an eyebrow at her.

  “Everything all right?” he asked.

  She didn’t know if she wanted them to slow down or go faster. Having a say at this point meant really thinking about what happened next. She let go of Paul’s hands and lifted her hips. “Everything is fine.”

  He grinned and pulled the panties over her hips and to her thighs. He bent at the waist and pressed biting kisses to her lower belly as he parted her thighs. Paul still played at her neck, nipping at her earlobe and making her crazy.

  Thomas licked her pussy, his tongue exploring until he found her clit. She pulled her hips away from the unexpected touch and froze when Paul’s cock lined up with her ass.

  Theory and dreams weren’t the same as real life. Mary scrambled from her precarious position, landing on the bed so hard she bounced up.

  Paul pushed up to his elbow, his eyes wide. “All right there?”

  “Yep.” She scooted higher until her back leaned on the headboard. “Doing great.”

  Thomas and Paul shared a look. She didn’t want to say what she was thinking, unwilling to close the door on anything, but not ready to be completely adventurous either. Paul shrugged, and her heart sank. So much for sexy spontaneity. She shifted down the bed, ready to put her clothes back on and get back to dinner.

  Thomas grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the edge of the bed until her legs dangled on either side of him. “Did you think we were done?”

  His head descended before she could reply. His tongue redoubled its efforts, stabbing deep within her pussy before circling her clit again. She rolled her shoulders, hoping to relax enough to enjoy his attention. The ceiling offered nothing but white specks for distraction. She closed her eyes, willing herself to relax.

  She opened them to find Paul grinning down at her. Her cheeks heated with embarrassment at being caught not participating. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea or think she was frigid or unhappy with the play. She started to say so when Thomas slipped a finger in her pussy. Her cheeks warmed even more and she found it impossible to speak to Paul with Thomas so intimately close.

  Paul leaned down and darted his tongue between her lips before their mouths met in a full kiss. She giggled, the teasing kiss silly and playful. The laughter tightened her body, including her pussy. The laugh turned to a groan when Thomas flicked her clit.

  Paul nipped her lips, keeping the silly, playful attention on her mouth while Thomas’s fingers worked in and out. She shifted her hips, but Paul didn’t give her much wiggle room. He planted his hands on either side of her shoulders and rested his forehead to hers.

  “You are so beautiful.”

  Thomas blew air across her clit, making her body shiver. She closed her eyes and arched into Thomas’s hand as the first wave of orgasm hit. Paul moved down and licked her breast. The dual sensation, Thomas between her legs and Paul sucking her sensitive nipple, sent her body directly to peak. She wanted to be closer and to escape at the same time. Paul massaged both breasts together, rubbing his face between them.

  She opened her eyes and caught him gazing at her face, his expression all bliss as he ran his tongue over her nipple again. Over his head, Thomas came into view, but Paul blocked his moves. Mary felt before she saw his action, his cock sliding where his fingers once played.

  Thomas lifted her legs to his chest, the shift in position stretching her quads and opening her body to him. She threw her head back against the pillow, so enjoying Thomas’s penetration and easy thrusts she’d put Paul out of her mind for the moment, but he stayed at her breasts, licking and kissing. His teeth dragged across her nipple, the sharpness grabbing her attention back from Thomas.

  She tried to keep up with the sensuous assault. She threaded her fingers through Paul’s hair and wrapped her legs around Thomas’s waist. His thrusts came quicker and harder. She held on, her hips rocking to meet him. The motion sent her body into the act, pressing her breasts deeper into Paul’s mouth as well. He moaned around her nipple. He abandoned one of her breasts, leaving it without his warm hand. She arched for its return.

  Thomas grabbed her ankle and broke her clasp around his waist. He moved both of her legs until her ankles rested at his ears. He leaned deeper into her, thrusting in short, hard bursts. She closed her eyes, pleasure flying through her brain in hot flashes of white behind her eyelids. Paul sucked her nipple into his mouth, the tingle sending her higher into orgasm.

  She tried to catch up to the sensations, to grab the last bits of pleasure. She gasped for breath, gasped for Paul, but the words didn’t come. Mary let go and screamed.

  After the screaming finally died, she caught her breath, staring at the cracked ceiling. Mary giggled. And giggled some more. She looked at Thomas for help, but her first love only grinned. She dug her face into Paul’s side when he gave her the same indulgent expression. The muscles in her legs clenched and eased in memory of being propped high on Thomas’s shoulders. Her pussy did th
e same.

  “Hey, Thomas. Run and grab her a glass of water, will ya?”

  Thomas moved from her right. Though she didn’t want him to go, she kept hold of Paul.

  “I’ll get the steaks started too. I bet the potatoes are nearly done.”

  She smiled into Paul’s chest. “More meat.”

  He kissed her hair. “You’re going to need to keep your strength up, darlin’.”

  She wiggled her toes, just to make sure she could. Her mind cleared out of its pleasure fog, slowly but surely. She’d never thought sex could have such power over her.

  “Oh no.” She pushed herself up on Paul’s chest to see his face. “I forgot you.”

  “Forgot me?”

  Her cheeks heated. How she could be even moderately embarrassed with him after the last twenty-four hours amazed her. “You know, you didn’t, um, finish.”

  His face turned red, probably as red as hers was. “Don’t worry about me. I, ah, took care of it.”

  She stared at him. Her face grew hotter, and his cheeks got redder.

  He smirked. “Is my face as red as yours? Because it feels that way.”

  She giggled and rubbed her nose to his. “Yep, pretty red. Good thing I think men who blush are adorable.”

  He ran his hand over her back. “Are you all right? I know that was new and you got a little spooked. I want to make sure we’re on the same page for everything.”

  “I’m on a good page.” She threw her leg over his waist. He pulled her closer, aligning her over stimulated parts with his limp one. “Some of that…I don’t know if I need to try right this second, but it sure ended with a bang.”

  “Yeah, don’t worry about the other stuff. We’ll get there. I’m going to have to say I only mirrored my partner in this case,” he said. “I have to tell ya, I never really thought about what it would be like to have sex with a married woman.”

  She rubbed his chest, which was furrier than Thomas’s. “That’s funny, because I spent the last few months doing nothing but thinking of having sex with my husbands. You. Thomas. Duane. All the time. It’s amazing I got any sleep at all.”

  The moments the words were out she wished them back. Mentioning other men while they still snuggled smacked of trouble.

  He pressed his lips to her nose. “It doesn’t bother me.”

  “Huh?”

  “I can say their names too,” he said. “Thomas, Duane—no problem. Baby, the sex stuff is probably the least complicated part of this for me and the other guys. I see it’s probably the most for you, but for us sex is a time we can show affection and share pleasure. I want you to feel good all the time, and though I want to be the one causing it, I’m just as happy when Thomas makes you scream. Your happiness is what matters.”

  She stroked his chest. “Your emotions matter to me. I want you to have special time too, just like I want it with Thomas and hopefully Duane.”

  She understood the collective mindset, respected it, even hoped it transcended into parts of their world, but this close one-on-one moment with Paul fed her soul. She needed this, even if Paul didn’t.

  He stroked up her thigh and past her hip, settling on her waist. “Can I say something sappy?”

  She threaded her fingers through his. “Go for it.”

  “Right this second, lying here with you after our first time in my bed, I’m feeling pretty damn special.”

  Her heart fluttered and her eyes burned with tears. He probably didn’t realize it, but his words bolstered her confidence. They could have these quiet moments, these times to touch hearts and they meant something to Paul as well. She snuggled her head to his chest.

  “Thanks. I feel pretty special too. I’ve always wanted to be in love, but I never imagined it would be like this.”

  He kissed her hair. “It’s all right though, right?”

  “The best.”

  Chapter 6

  Meat cooked, but as hungry as Paul had been before, he couldn’t get up the gumption to leave his place beside Mary. He’d let the speed of the wedding weigh him down, but he was no idiot. They’d stumbled into something amazing. When he and Thomas first started looking for women who fit the lifestyle they wanted, the ones they’d found lacked…sincerity.

  There’d been calculation in each hook-up, and even though they’d seriously dated one woman a few weeks, he’d seen through her. She hadn’t kissed him when they were alone, never attempted to know him.

  Mary loved him.

  “Come on, guys, let’s eat,” Thomas called from the kitchen.

  Paul groaned, but Mary sat straight up, stretching and smiling. She twisted to him and tickled her fingers up his sides. He jumped away. Her ability to go from emotional to playful guaranteed some interesting interaction in the future.

  Mary clapped as she threw on Thomas’s discarded t-shirt. “Yay, someone is ticklish. Thomas isn’t, so I find the fact you are completely endearing.”

  She padded into the kitchen with far more energy than Paul. More than lack of energy, though, his worry about Thomas grew. He needed his brother to be non-confrontational about his quiet time with Mary. Any friction would throw a wet sheet over their evening in bed.

  Paul ambled to the dining table and grinned when he found Mary sitting on Thomas’s lap, already eating. She motioned for him to take a seat beside them while chewing. “This is so good. Is this from your cows?”

  “Yep.” He shot a quick glance to Thomas. If he held onto Mary a little tightly, Paul figured that was fair enough. Sharing took practice.

  “I can tell these potatoes are from the market.” She crinkled her nose after a bite. “I swear, they taste more like chemicals every season. Next year I’ll plant a bunch. Potatoes keep well in the cellar. Does this place have one?”

  He took a bite, didn’t notice anything off-putting, but would till as much ground as Mary wanted. Money he didn’t have to spend on groceries could be put toward cattle.

  “There’s a little cellar I can line for you,” he said, remembering the question in her chatter.

  She smiled and took a bite of beef. Her eyes closed and she made a sound so close to her orgasm moan his cock twitched. He looked toward Thomas who also watched Mary. They were a couple of pieces of work. They’d never get a damn thing done.

  “Can I borrow the truck tomorrow to pick up job applications?” Mary asked after several minutes of eating in silence.

  “Job applications?” Thomas asked. “You just got here. There’s no rush to get you working, honey.”

  After decades of seeing his mother work harder than two grown men at her job at the local diner, Paul instinctively didn’t want Mary to have to work outside the home. There was plenty around the cabin and ranch he could keep her busy with, while still not letting her hands get too calloused. He bit back his pride though, because he recognized the fire in Mary’s eyes at Thomas’s assurances she needed no job.

  “Of course there is,” she said, her upbeat tone not on par with her intense gaze. “I’m not a guest here, I’m a member of the family. I’ll have a job. Girls are expensive you know. My dad always said raising daughters took more cash than sons.”

  With only one vehicle between him and Thomas, they were already stretched thin on transportation. Most days, Thomas took the truck while Paul stayed on the ranch and used the shared ranch truck—but that wasn’t always available. Or he saddled his horse for shorter trips among the neighbors. Putting a ring on Mary’s finger and sharing her sexually with his brother had been easier, it turned out, than sharing how stretched they were financially.

  “Paul, didn’t you have to let go your payroll guy?” Thomas asked pointedly.

  He had, because the guy demanded a raise Paul couldn’t give. Hell, he had a hard enough time making payroll, so losing Steve had been a blessing in disguise. He could write checks…and did by the light of the moon the night before payroll was due.

  “I did.” Paul quickly calculated what he could offer Mary to do the job and still buy food a
t the end of the month. He threw out a number and wished he could take it back. She deserved more.

  Mary nodded. “For doing payroll? How many guys?”

  “I’ll keep doing it,” Paul muttered. “It’s not worth your time. I can take you into town tomorrow to pick up applications. I’m sure the grocery store would pay you better.”

  He took another bite of steak, but it tasted like old leather. They needed to get their shit straight to take care of Mary. It was time to do the things they’d always planned, not continue scraping by.

  “What, you’re not even willing to negotiate?” Mary asked. “Maybe your number is a little low, but what perks can you offer?”

  “Perks?”

  She grinned. “Garden space? Barn space? Maybe half a beef before winter? I could take those instead of a bigger paycheck.”

  “That’s a hell of a deal.” Thomas kicked Paul under the table.

  He held back his wince, his pride smarting more than his shin. She had a kind heart, and in her creative way, she helped him save face.

  “As the ranch owner I can approve barn space and half a beef,” he said. “As your husband, I’ll till up every flat acre if it makes you happy.”

  She held out her hand. “I agree to the terms of employment. When do I start?”

  He accepted the shake and though there was work to be done, plans to flesh out, dreams to put into action, he felt like he’d brought a good partner on board to make it all work. “Welcome to the team.”

  * * * *

  Thomas wiped water vapor from the mirror and still couldn’t see enough to shave. The tiny pitted mirror had to go. He threw his razor in his shaving bag and stowed it on the rickety shelf near the window.

  Mary needed better. He looked around the tiny outhouse, bare bulb swinging when a gust of wind hit the north wall. He’d always known the place was a hole, but until Mary stepped onto the property, he’d ignored it.

  As soon as he had a job, he’d make improvements. They needed a walkway to the outhouse before winter hit, and if they could scrape together more cash, new plumbing and insulation would help. The contractor who built the cabin didn’t take into account the drainage field and screwed up the whole thing. They had to start from scratch if they wanted better.