by Lori King
Nodding, Ryker sighed, “Anything at this point. Life has been hell without her.”
Mack agreed, “We already told her we would give ménage a try, but she freaked out, Rogan. She told us she didn’t want to be a toy passed back and forth between us. How the hell are we supposed to share her if she won’t let us?”
“What exactly did you offer her?” Parker snarled.
“We were going to work out a schedule—” Ryker started to explain, but the three Brooks brothers in attendance all cursed and looked at him like he had just spit on his daddy’s grave. “Well then what should we be offering her?”
“Love,” Sawyer said. “Don’t you get it? She wants you both. She loves you both. So you both have to be full partners in this relationship with her and with each other.”
“Fuck that shit! He’s my brother and I’m not gay!”
Parker moved so fast Ryker didn’t see his fist move until it connected with his nose. Blood gushed out and pain blurred his vision. “What the hell, man?”
“I don’t fuck my brothers, and don’t you ever insinuate it again. Sawyer means you two have to act like a team if you want to win this woman. Let me put it in terms you’ll understand, you couldn’t win a football game with just one man running the ball. You have to have other players to throw it, and block the other team’s maneuvers. In a ménage relationship, you have to work together to make her happy, because if she’s happy you’ll be happy. Get it?”
“So we don’t have to share a bed?” Mack asked.
“Not with each other. Or at least, not without her in the middle,” Rogan said. “With four of us and Rach, we are forced to take turns, and I know the Keegan boys have to do so as well because there are three of them, but you two would be able to sleep with your woman every night.”
“What’s the benefit?” Ryker asked, using Mack’s alcohol stained t-shirt to staunch the bleeding from his nose.
“There’s always someone to talk to. Someone to share good times and bad times with. If I’m stressed out and need some alone time, I know my brothers are going to take care of Rachel while I’m gone. She’s happy and she loves us all, that makes me happy,” Rogan said.
Sawyer laughed, “And then there’s the sex. Have you ever tried double penetration? Dude, you’re missing out, and so is she. Just because you’re fucking the same woman doesn’t mean you’re gay. It just means she gets twice the pleasure, and if you’re the men I think you are, you’ll get off on her getting off.”
Mack and Ryker exchanged a look, and Ryker could almost hear his brother’s gears turning in his head. “I think we’ve been going about this all wrong.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” Sawyer said, cursing when Parker smacked him in the back of the head.
“Thanks, guys.” Mack stood, and faced Rogan, “I’m going to need to take a few days off, boss.”
“Take as long as you need. This is too important to screw up, Mack. Don’t hurt her again. Rachel really likes her, and I know she would be upset if Claudia went back to Austin for good.” Rogan gave them both a wave, and he and his brothers left the barn.
“Could you live with that kind of relationship?” Ryker asked him with a frown.
Mack shrugged, “I don’t think I could if it was anyone else, but maybe with you as the other guy.”
“You know, the only thing that weirds me out is the sex. We’re bound to touch somehow, and I’m not keen on waking up to see your naked ass every morning,” Ryker said, knowing full well that neither reason was enough to stop him from jumping into this relationship with both feet.
Mack snorted, “Yeah, well if I have to live with your ugly mug in order to land the sweetest woman I’ve ever tasted, I can manage.”
“So now what?” Ryker asked, giving his brother a wry grin.
“Now we go get our woman back.” Mack clapped him on the back and they both laughed as they walked out the barn with a new plan.
*****
Claudia met Zoey and Rachel for lunch at least twice a week now, and she spent most of her days working on her home and enjoying the freedom from corporate pressure. Her townhome in Austin had already sold, and for more than the asking price. The Granite Estates project had been scrapped, and her father intended to sell off the properties and walk away from Stone River for good. If only she had that kind of brass. Instead she stayed in the same place, just miles from the two men who her heart ached for.
It wasn’t so bad when she was busy with a project and didn’t let her mind wander, but once the sun set and she was alone, it was overwhelming. Every cell in her body wanted to pick up the phone and call them. She wanted to apologize for her anger, and listen to their side of the story, but one thing kept her from doing it. They had knowingly tricked her into having sex with Ryker to verify her feelings, instead of just asking her.
“Are you going to stay in Stone River for good now?” Zoey asked as they dug into ice cream sundae’s after their lunch date. Rachel’s real estate company was going to handle the sales of the Granite Estates property, and she had a meeting with a prospective buyer for one, so she had cancelled out of their lunch.
“I don’t know if it will be for good, but I’m not going anywhere for now. I love my house, and even though I’ve already put a lot of work into it, it still needs a lot more before I can sell it for a profit.” Claudia let a bite of cookies and cream ice cream sit on her tongue, enjoying the memories flowing through her. Ryker loved the cookies and cream flavor because the cookie bits tasted like Oreos. He had brought her a dish one afternoon while she was working, and tasting it now made the pain of his absence sting.
“I’m glad. It’s been great having you here,” Zoey said with a smile. “So, have you heard from Thing 1 and Thing 2?”
Claudia snorted out a laugh, “If you mean Mack and Ryker, then no. I told them not to call and they haven’t.”
“Stupid assholes.”
Turning wide eyes on her friend, she asked, “Why? They are just doing what I told them too.”
“But any good Dom knows his sub will push him away when she’s feeling backed into a corner and hurt. Mack should know better,” Zoey’s words caught Claudia so off guard she dropped a spoonful of ice cream on her lap.
“Shit! Pass me a napkin, please?” Taking the tiny paper from Zoey, she cleaned herself up and then snapped at her, “How do you know about that? Has Mack been telling everyone I’m a kink freak now?”
“Whoa! Back up! Mack didn’t say shit to me. Tanner is my Dom, Claudia, and Rachel is Parker’s sub. Didn’t he tell you Parker was the one to introduce him to The Cage? I just assumed you and he…” Zoey grimaced and a blush stained her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I thought we were there in our friendship. I won’t ask again.”
Guilt crept over Claudia, and she shook her head with a sigh, “No I’m the one who should be sorry. I’m just oversensitive about the two of them. Mack and I didn’t really have a chance to explore before everything blew up. I don’t know that I see him as my Dom, as you call it. I just see him and Ryker as the men who stole my heart and then fought over it.”
“They’ll come to their senses, Claudia. They probably already have, but you won’t let them close enough to tell you.”
Shrugging, she sighed, “But what does that mean? Coming to their senses could mean they both agreed they don’t want me, or it could mean they are determined to have some sort of custody agreement over me. I don’t want to have to worry about spending too much time with one of them, and hurting the other’s feelings.”
“Tell them.”
“Oh I did, I just didn’t say it so calmly.”
Zoey watched her thoughtfully for a couple of moments before she sat up straighter suddenly, “So tell me, if those two suddenly reappeared and asked your forgiveness, offering you a chance at a real ménage relationship with no stipulations, what would you say?”
“I would say hell has frozen over,” Claudia said with a giggle, dropping her spoon into her now empty ice cream cup.
“In all honesty I would say yes. I miss them too much to have any other answer. It’s like a piece of my soul is missing without them. I don’t understand it, but it’s the truth.”
The wide grin that spread over Zoey’s face was the only warning that something was amiss, before two looming shadows spread over the table from behind Claudia. Her heart lurched in her chest, and she gasped when Ryker spoke.
“It’s about damn time you came to your senses, duchess. Life’s been pretty dull without you around.”
She turned, and felt her panties go damp at the sight of them. She knew she should be irritated with Zoey for setting her up, but in all honesty she was glad to know her friend cared enough to do so.
“I’m going to let you three have some alone time. Just do me a favor, boys, and take care with her heart this time. Next time you break it I’m going to tell my men to kick your asses.”
Claudia giggled at Zoey’s parting threat, but the moment the other woman was gone the laughter dried up in her throat. Mack’s eyes were wary instead of warm, and Ryker looked hesitant instead of cocky. What had she done to them with her rejection?
“So I guess you heard, huh?” she whispered.
Both men nodded, and Mack frowned, “Did you mean it?”
“Every word,” she responded without hesitation. It was time to face whatever future fate had in store for her, even if it meant they made her choose.
The corners of Mack’s mouth curled up into a wicked grin, and he reached for her, pulling her to her feet. “Thank God.” Instead of kissing her like she expected, he bent and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder.
“What the hell?” she gasped, bracing her hands on his lower back as he moved quickly across the street to his waiting truck. Ryker was right behind him and quick to open the door so Mack could deposit her in the front seat.
Ryker jumped in next to her, pushing her into the middle of the seat. Before she could protest, Mack was climbing in on her other side. She jerked her gaze back and forth between the two of them. “What are you doing?”
Laughing, Ryker dropped her purse into her lap, as Mack threw the truck into reverse and took off in the direction of her house, “We’re not going to give you a chance to escape us again, sweet cheeks. You just said it out here in front of God and the whole world. You’re ours, so buckle-up, buttercup. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Chapter Twelve
They made it to Claudia’s house in record time, and before she could protest, Ryker had her over his shoulder and Mack was rifling through her purse for her keys.
“You could at least talk to me before manhandling me,” she griped, feeling slightly bruised and very dizzy from her upside down position.
“Last time we tried to use words you threw them back at us. This time we’re not talking. We’re going to seduce you into accepting us both as your men,” Ryker said, letting her slide down his body until her toes touched the floor, and then ravishing her mouth.
His tongue battled with hers as she drew every ounce of pleasure she possibly could out of the kiss. It was exactly what she had been missing for the last couple of weeks. She hadn’t realized exactly how interconnected they were, but now, with him kissing her in front of his older brother, she was on the verge of bursting into tears of relief.
Tearing her mouth away from his, she fought to regain control of her breathing only to have Mack grip her chin and turn her head to face him, “Do you remember when I told you that I need my woman to trust me to make the best decisions for her? This is one of those times. Do you trust me, Claudia?”
His silence seemed odd until she realized he was waiting for her to answer him. When she nodded, he took over where Ryker left off. The combined taste of the two brothers on her tongue made her knees weak, and she heard Ryker chuckle as she went limp against him while she kissed Mack. There was no jealousy or condemnation, just pure pleasure.
When Mack finally broke away from her mouth, she could barely think, much less speak clearly. “Can you walk up the stairs, sweetheart?” he whispered to her, his voice heavy with desire.
When she shook her head no, both men laughed. Ryker lifted her off her feet and instructed her to wrap her legs around his hips. Doing so put her sopping wet pussy in the perfect position to ride his erection and she wiggled against him with a sigh of pleasure.
Mack reached down and picked up a backpack she hadn’t noticed before, and then followed them upstairs to her bedroom. Once there, Ryker dropped her on the bed unceremoniously, and she watched wide-eyed as they both quickly removed their shirts and shoes.
Giving her a pointed look, Mack asked, “Why aren’t you undressed yet?”
“You’re serious?” she instinctively scooted backwards on the bed as he collected something black and soft looking from his bag and then stalked her direction.
“Of course we’re serious. This time you’re ours to play with. Remember what I said about me needing to have control most of the time? Well, you’re about to get an up close and personal look at how the Dominant/submissive relationship works in the bedroom. And before you ask, Ryker tops you, baby. So don’t go getting the idea you can boss him around or weasel out of this somehow by playing up to him.”
“I-I-wh-what?” she sputtered for a response as she watched Mack’s crystal clear blue eyes darken with heat. Reaching the headboard, she froze in her movements as she realized she had nowhere else to run. Did she really want to run? Mack was promising her an experience unlike anything she’d had before, so why wouldn’t she embrace it? “Okay, but I’m not calling you Sir.”
Mack froze, and Ryker burst into laughter behind him, drawing a smile to his brother’s face.
“Deal. Now no more talking. Lay back.” His instructions were given in a harsh demanding voice that made her clit tingle so she slumped down on the bed until she was lying flat. “Arms up.”
Lifting her arms over her head, she watched as he wrapped the black satin material in his hands around her wrists and then around the wooden headboard. Once her hands were secured he looked over his shoulder to Ryker, “Pass me the gag now.”
“Gag? Wait a second!” Panic filled her belly as Ryker retrieved another piece of heavier black material.
Mack held it in his hands in front of her so she could see it. “It’s not going to hurt you, and you should be able to make noise around it. You just won’t be able to cuss me for what I’m going to do to your sexy body.”
“I’ve read books about this. I know I’m supposed to get a safe word,” she argued, bringing another smile to his lips.
Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he tugged free his truck keys. Pulling a smaller than normal one off the key ring, he slid it into the palm of her tied up hand. “This key is special to me. The unit it unlocks holds all of my tools and gear from Saddle-Up. I should have sold it all when the business collapsed, but I couldn’t let go of it. I haven’t even opened the unit in more than a year. If we push you too far, you drop it and we’ll know. But, Claudia, don’t let it go unless you want us to stop everything.”
Her heart flipped over in her chest as she stared up at him. His leatherwork was precious to him. Letting go of this key would be like letting go of him, and the look in his eyes assured her he knew she would never drop it. Nodding to him, she opened her mouth so he could slide the black fabric in easily. Once it was secured behind her head, he bent and kissed her forehead.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Mack? I certainly can think of better things to put in her mouth if you just don’t want her to talk,” Ryker said, winking at her as he adjusted his hard cock behind his zipper.
“This is about teaching her she can trust us, Ryk. Until today we’ve let her have control of this relationship. It’s been about what she feels comfortable with, but now, we’re going to make her uncomfortable so she lets us in as her men.” Mack stared into her eyes as he spoke, and Claudia felt tears burn the back of her eyelids.
He had to know how uncomfortable sh
e was already. She had never slept with two men at the same time, and she had never delved into the world of Dominance and submission. Part of her was afraid of losing herself if she submitted completely, and part of her wanted to be defiant just to see how far he would push her.
Ryker joined her on the bed as Mack retrieved his backpack and started removing items from it. Drawing out a pair of scissors, Ryker began cutting away the clothes she had never removed. Glaring at him as hard as she could only seemed to make him smile wider as he tore away the last remnants of her armor and left her naked for both of them.
While she was distracted by Ryker, Mack had removed a slim vibrator, a pair of pinchers of some sort, a bottle of lube, several more pieces of satin, and a small butt plug from his bag of tricks. Eyes wide with anxiety, she waited to see what he would do first.
To her shock, he slid into the bed on her other side, opposite Ryker, and the two men began to stroke and fondle her everywhere. Four hands can do a lot of damage to a woman’s willpower when used correctly, and she rapidly fell under their spell.
They each touched her very differently, Mack’s touch was controlled and firm, he took what he wanted, and gave pleasure in return. Ryker’s touch was a soft caress, almost reverent in nature, and as he touched her he couldn’t seem to keep from whispering his lecherous thoughts to her. Before long she was writhing under their hands, and neither of them had touched her hungry pussy yet. Every inch of her skin was electrified, sizzling as they stroked her, but she couldn’t beg them to fuck her, or even to give her an orgasm, because of the stupid gag.
Biting down hard, she envisioned herself hulking out on them and biting through it, and a choked laugh escaped her throat. Both men stopped what they were doing.
“You’re laughing? Did one of us tickle you?” Mack asked, frowning at her when she shook her head no. “Then we need to make sure you have nothing to laugh about.”