by Lana Dare
“I hear it. Oh, it sounds heavenly.”
Blade hugged her closer. “It will be.”
Chapter Eleven
Sarah reached for Hawke, smiling up at him as he took her from Blade.
Eager to make him smile, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, giggling at his look of surprise. “Do you think that if I wore buckskins, I could pass for an Indian?”
Lowering her slowly to her feet, Hawke chuckled, something she’d learned was rare for him. Tugging at her braid, he held it up. “With blonde hair? Something tells me that no one would believe that.”
He took her hand and turned, walking behind Phoenix, who led the way with a lantern he’d already lit. Blade lit another and handed it to Hawke before lighting one more.
When the spring came into view, Hawke released her hand. “Don’t move. I wouldn’t want you falling in.”
He and the others moved away, placing the lanterns on the flat rocks surrounding the spring.
Despite the fact that the night air still had a warm, humid stickiness to it, steam rose from the water, giving the entire spring an unreal look, like in one of the fairy tales Mrs. Anderson in town used to read to her.
“It’s so beautiful.” She kept her voice low, not wanting to spoil the atmosphere. She looked up to find each of her husbands watching her, their lips curved into indulgent smiles. She smiled back before turning to scan their surroundings. “Are you sure no one will come here?”
Blade reached for her, his smile widening as he loosened her braid. “I’m sure. Anyone from the ranch coming this way will hear us long before they get here.”
Lifting her chin, he dropped a soft kiss on her nose, his fingers busy on the buttons of her shirt. “They’ll see the lanterns and will know we’re here. Besides, we already told them we were coming here tonight and word spreads quickly on the ranch.”
The feel of the warm night air caressing her breasts as he pulled the edges of her shirt aside had her reaching for him to steady herself. “This feels good already.”
Blade smiled and untied her skirt, allowing it to puddle at her feet. “You’re a very sensual woman, aren’t you? You lift your face to the sun. You move into every touch. Even the air on your skin excites you.”
Phoenix moved in beside her, kneeling at her feet as he stripped her out of her boots. Lifting her foot, he kissed her toes, sending sharp tingles of heat up her leg. “She loves it every time one of us touches her. Kinda makes you want to keep touching her, doesn’t it?”
Blade ran a hand over her, pausing to tug at her nipples and smiling at her soft moan of pleasure. “I have plans to do just that.” Taking her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, he gently squeezed. “I have all kinds of touching in mind.”
Hawke moved in behind her. “Come on, little one. The water will feel good on your skin. Let me help you. The rocks can get slippery.”
Turning, she gasped when she found herself pulled against Hawke’s naked body.
Pressed against him and with the low light of the lanterns allowing her to see him clearly, she stood dumbstruck.
He was hard everywhere, every line of his body and sharp features solid and unforgiving. His cock jumped against her belly, emphasizing his masculinity even more.
Gulping, she pressed her hands against his chest, her breath coming in short pants as she lifted her gaze to his. A sob escaped at the tenderness in his eyes, a look that sharpened with concern.
Lifting her chin, he searched her features. “What is it, little one? You look scared. You’re not scared of me, are you?”
Deciding to answer honestly, Sarah smiled faintly. “You have to admit, you’re awfully scary looking. So strong. It would be so easy for you to hurt me if you wanted to.”
Hawke smiled at that. “Yet you’re afraid we can’t handle your little outlaw.” Taking her hand, he led her into the warm water—water that felt like heaven—while Blade and Phoenix stripped out of their own clothing. “For the record, I would never hurt a hair on your head, and you know it. Here. There’s a ledge that goes most of the way around it.”
When she started to lower herself onto the ledge, he lowered himself to the seat beside her. “Nope. You’re too far away.” Without warning, he tightened his hands on her waist and settled her on his lap.
The feel of his cock pressing against her bottom stole her breath. “Oh!”
Running his hands over her back and thighs, he laughed softly. “Yeah. Oh. I like having you on my lap. Now, why don’t you just lean against me and let the water ease your sore muscles?”
Leaning against him, she watched Phoenix and Blade step into the spring, her pulse racing at the sight they made. She tried to reach for them, but Blade shook his head and took her hand in his. “No, love. Just close your eyes and let the water soothe you. I’m right here.”
The combination of firm hands moving over her and the warm water caressing her body eased her aches and relaxed her muscles one by one until she felt as though she floated.
Then she realized that she was floating.
Blade’s hands supported her shoulders, and Hawke had moved to the center of the small pool, supporting her bottom and thighs, but keeping them submerged.
Blade braced her shoulders against his chest, and with a groan, slid his hands up to cover her breasts. “So, you and Phoenix had a nice ride? I understand you stopped at the small cave.”
The feel of his lips against her neck and his hands sliding over her breasts had her tilting her head to the side to give him better access, not bothering to open her eyes. “Hmmm.”
Frustrated that he didn’t give her nipples the attention they needed, she shifted restlessly, but it had no effect.
Opening her eyes, she sucked in a breath when she saw Phoenix standing directly in front of her, a half-smile playing at his lips as he parted her legs and lifted her knees to his shoulders. The ache in her nipples drove her crazy, and when she looked down at them, she realized that Blade held her so that just her nipples were out of the water. Even though the night remained warm, the water was much warmer—making the air on her nipples feel cooler by comparison.
It drove her crazy.
Running his fingers down the backs of her thighs to her bottom, Phoenix groaned. “Tell them what I did to you.”
Blade slid his fingers over her nipples, drawing a cry from her. “Yes. Tell us what Phoenix did to you.”
The brief attention he gave to her nipples in no way satisfied her. Instead, it left her aching for more. Her stomach muscles clenched at the slide of Hawke’s hand over it, her thighs trembling at the feel of Phoenix’s fingers moving over her still sensitive bottom hole. “He undressed me and turned me around, and bent me over. Oh!”
Hawke’s hand moved slowly down her body, not stopping until her parted her folds. “Did you like that?”
“Yes. Oh, God. Please do something.”
Blade chuckled, tugging her nipples once before releasing them again, increasing the awareness there. “We are doing something. Several things at once. So you were bent over, with that pretty bottom stuck out. What happened then?”
Aroused beyond belief, she squirmed restlessly, desperate for Blade to stroke her nipples, desperate for Hawke to touch her clit, desperate for Phoenix to push his finger inside her. Her desperation made her angry, and she snapped. “You know what happened then! Why are you doing this to me?”
Hawke frowned. “Doing what, little one? We’re just holding you, caressing you, and asking what happened with Phoenix.” He turned his head, glaring at his youngest brother. “Did he hurt you? Did he use enough salve?”
Phoenix sighed and gathered her against him. “I know what I’m doing, Hawke. I used salve, and went slow. Ask Sarah if I hurt her. Believe it or not, Blade and I are well practiced in taking women that way, or do you think any of those girls in the saloon are willing to take a chance of getting pregnant by an Indian?”
Blade stiffened against her back, his hands massaging her s
houlders. “Not a conversation to have in front of our wife, Phoenix.”
Phoenix cursed again, and moved to the edge of the spring. “She knows I don’t want anyone but her. I didn’t hurt her. Check her out if you don’t believe me.”
Sarah gasped as she found herself turned and eased to her knees, a hand at her back pushing her down until her breasts were pressed against the smooth, wet rocks at the edge. Gulping at the awareness in her bottom when Blade grabbed one of the lanterns and held it behind her, she struggled to get up, but the firm hand at her back held her in place.
Hands moved over her bottom, parting her cheeks. Fingers ran over her bottom hole, one pushing slightly into her.
Hawke groaned. “She’s very sensitive there, isn’t she?”
Phoenix moved up to sit beside her, kissing her shoulder. “You have no idea.”
Blade said something under his breath she didn’t understand. “I’ll get the salve. It’ll help her feel better.”
Sarah cried out. “If I felt any better, I’d go crazy! Listen, you sons of bitches, if you don’t do something soon, I’m going to—”
Blade growled, a deep sound that seemed to come from his soul. “Watch your language.” A hard hand came down on her bottom, making her jump. “You’re not going to do a damned thing because there’s nothing you can do about it. You belong to us, remember? In case you haven’t noticed, we’re a hell of a lot bigger and stronger than you are, and we’re not going to be wrapped around your little finger like the other men on the ranch are with their wives. Behave yourself, or I’m going to give you a spanking that you won’t ever forget.”
Before she thought about the consequences of her actions, she turned to glare at him over her shoulder, the need to challenge him not to be denied. “Go ahead and do it! I’m not scared of you.”
“Yes, you are, but not that we’ll hurt you.” Blade knelt on the lower ledge of the flat rock next to her and kissed her hair. “Phoenix said that you were upset earlier.”
Although he hadn’t phrased it as a question, she knew by his tone that he expected an answer.
Turning to watch Phoenix head to his horse, naked and wet, and retrieve the metal tin from his saddle bag, she moaned. “Phoenix and I talked about it.” The feel of the cool rocks against her nipples threatened her sanity, and she found herself rubbing against them to get the friction they needed.
When she realized that her movements also wiggled her ass, she tried to stop, but couldn’t.
The water splashed slightly when Phoenix eased down on the other side of her, his smile one of pure seduction. “Yes, we did.” Setting the open tin in front of her, he ran a finger down her spine to her puckered opening. “She thought I didn’t want her, and was afraid she wasn’t a good wife. I told you the rest.”
He handed the tin to Hawke. “Here, you check her out while I tell you why she was crying.”
Stilling when Blade moved to stand behind her, Sarah sucked in a breath at the feel of her bottom cheeks being parted wide.
Phoenix reclined next to her, one hand supporting his head as he held himself propped on his elbow, while the other hand replaced Blade’s on her back. “She knows better now.”
Hawke chuckled. “It sounds like she’s gotten to you, too. I’m glad you’ve decided to take this seriously.” Running his finger over her forbidden opening, he touched his lips to her bottom. “Sarah hasn’t been treated very well, and she hasn’t had anyone to protect her. All that has changed.”
Blade slid a hand under her hair and cupped the back of her neck, turning her face toward his. “This is a dangerous place and you have rules to follow now in order to keep you safe. I know you’re not used to having anyone pay attention to you before, and have done what you could to be ignored, but that’s not an option for you anymore.”
Humbled by their concern, she smiled, loving the feel of Hawke’s caress over her back and bottom. “I know it’s dangerous here, but I feel so safe with you—safer than I’ve ever felt in my life. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
Blade’s voice deepened, his expression hardening. “You’re thinking about Willy. Anyone after you has to go through us to get to you. That’s not going to happen.”
Hawke parted her ass cheeks again. “So how did you like having your little bottom taken?”
Blushing, she tried to turn away, but Blade’s hand in her hair prevented it. “I didn’t even feel like myself.”
“No?” Blade took the seat beside her again, keeping her face turned toward his. “So what does it feel like to be taken there?”
A shiver went up and down her spine, the sensation of a finger, thick with salve going into her bottom making it difficult to concentrate. “Oh, God!”
The knowledge that Hawke was the one pushing his finger deep made the sensation even sharper. “It feels so sinful. It’s too private. I’m embarrassed that it feels so good.”
Blade ran a thumb over her bottom lip. “There’s nothing sinful about being taken by your husbands, and nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re ours. That’s the beginning and the end of it.” Pressing at her bottom lip, he watched her closely, his eyes flaring each time she cried out. “How does it make you feel when one of us touches you the way Phoenix touched you earlier—the way Hawke’s touching you now?”
Bending toward her, he brushed her lips with his. “Tell me.”
Struggling against the increasing awareness in such a private place, she bit her lip and groaned. “It makes me feel so helpless, but not helpless like I was in Waco. Helpless like a woman. I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.”
Especially when Hawke moved his finger inside her, and her brain stopped working.
Hawke withdrew his finger, pausing to kiss her bottom again. “She looks fine. I’m going to put some more salve into you, little one, and spread it around. I’m not hurting you, am I?”
“No.” She didn’t want to admit that Hawke’s gentle, intimate touch had aroused her, especially since he’d concentrated his attention on her bottom.
Hawke slid his into her again, his touch firmer than before. He murmured softly to her when she cried out, the feel of being taken there making her tremble. “Easy, little one. I just want to spread the salve inside you. It’ll make you feel better.”
Gritting her teeth as the awareness and need for more continued to build, she threw her head back and wiggled, sucking in a breath when Blade cupped one breast while Phoenix cupped the other. “I can’t believe what you do to me. Oh, God. How can it feel so good?”
Chuckling softly, Hawke moved his finger with more firmness, pressing against the walls of her bottom. “You do like this. Hmm. Just in case you haven’t noticed, you do things to us, too.”
She couldn’t help but glanced down at Blade’s cock, frustrated that she couldn’t see it clearly beneath the swirling water. “I do?”
Blade closed his thumb and forefinger over her nipple, his gaze holding hers. “You do.”
Hawke pressed a thumb against her clit, moving it slowly back and forth. “At times you unnerve the hell out of me.”
Blade’s eyes narrowed. “You’re under my skin, but I won’t let you wrap me around your finger.” He tugged at her nipple, a slow smile spreading at her cry of pleasure. “Instead, I’m going to do whatever it takes to have you wrapped around mine.”
Blade stroked her nipple while bending to touch his lips to her shoulder. “You had the privilege of taking her virginity, and Phoenix took her ass first. It’s my turn to enjoy our wife and give her a taste of what she can expect from me.” Although he spoke to Hawke, he never took his eyes from hers.
Sarah gulped, remembering what Willy had forced Rose to do as she’d rushed out of Rose’s room. “I think I know what you want. Willy forced Rose to her knees and made her take his cock into her mouth. I ran out of the room, so I don’t know what she did, but if you show me, I’ll do my best.”
A cold chill went through her, and her position had embarrassment taking
over again.
Blade frowned, running his hands down her back. “You stiffened up and there’s fear in your eyes. There’s no need for that.” His gaze flicked to Hawke’s. “I’ve got her. She turns to you for protection, and it’s about time she learned that she can come to me as well.”
Hawke eased his finger from her bottom. “She’s scared. I’m here, Sarah, but Blade’s right. You’re going to have to look to him and Phoenix for protection, too.”
Blade turned her back to face him. “Look at me.” He pushed her hair back from her forehead, his eyes glittering with something that stole her breath. “What you’re talking about doesn’t have to be the way you saw back in Waco.”
Pulling her against him, he settled her on his lap, running a hand over her breast. “Sex can be a lot of things. Back in Waco, you saw women use it to make enough money to survive. It’s not like that with us, is it?”
Lulled by his silky tone, Sarah looked up at him through her lashes, relaxing against him. “No. It isn’t. I thought it would be. When Willy looked at him, I wanted to vomit, but when you look at me, and touch me, it gives me a mushy feeling inside.”
Blade’s lips twitched. “Well, I’m glad we make you mushy, but I was hoping for a little more than that. I guess we’re gonna have to work harder.”
Her face burned, his teasing smile relaxing her even more. Giggling, she slapped at him. “That’s not what I meant.”
He caught her hand in his before it hit his chest, smiling as he opened it to kiss her palm. “I know what you meant, honey.”
He pushed her hair back from her forehead, as though he couldn’t stop touching it. “I get that same feeling when you touch me.”
“Really?” Frowning, she searched his face for any hint that he was still teasing her. Her stomach fluttered at the thought of having that kind of power over such a man.