by Lynn Stark
“It’ll be a while before they can load the feed. Care to go for a cup of coffee and, maybe, a sweet roll?” Sean asked, all but pushing Max out of the way.
Maggie smiled and nodded. “My stuff is all loaded. Why don’t you jump in and we’ll go together?”
A two minute ride later, they were all piling out in front of the Silver Street Café. It was a small, cozy place with a few tables and even fewer booths. It was very popular with the residents, still serving regular types of coffee in thick white mugs. There wasn’t a latte or cappuccino on the menu. Hell, there wasn’t even a menu. The waitress was wearing a crisp white dress with a red and white checked apron and a red cap on her head, looking as if she was straight out of the ’50s. She gave them a cheerful smile as they came through the doorway and chose a table.
There were a few other people in the place, chatting as they enjoyed their coffee. Greetings were exchanged. Curious eyes were watching them. Yep, Silver’s gossip line was about to heat up, Max thought. He didn’t mind in the least. Maggie didn’t seem to, either, because she knew how it worked in Silver, as well as anyone else did. Though they had been dating quite openly lately, being seen more often was simply adding fuel to the fire, so to speak. Max saw it as a good thing.
“Hi, what will it be today?” The waitress’s pencil was poised over the pad she held. “One pot?”
Max looked at Maggie. She nodded. “That’ll be good. Do you have any of those delicious chocolate chip cookies?”
Five minutes later they were sipping the best coffee in town and eating cookies so delicious there should have been a law against them. They had shared several moments like this, when they were focused solely on one another. The thought of sharing the next fifty years or so with this woman made something shift in Max’s heart.
He became still, staring at Maggie as she threw her head back and laughed at something Ethan had said to her. Max didn’t know what had been said. It didn’t matter. All he knew was that she was absolutely stunning in the light filtering through the blinds covering the large, plate glass window. It set her auburn curls ablaze and highlighted the creamy, freckled skin. Green eyes were filled with mirth and her plump pink lips were stretched into a wide smile. She was perfect.
“Maggie, I love you.”
Max jerked when he realized he had said the words aloud, just blurted them out, as if the safety between his brain and mouth had broken. He blinked and he could feel the heat rise in his face as three pairs of eyes fixed on him.
“Dude, you didn’t just say that!” Ethan exclaimed, sounding equally horrified and impressed. He looked it, too. “I thought we were going to wait to tell her,” he added and in a whisper. Obviously the guy was an idiot.
Maggie looked from one to the other. There was a pretty pink blush spreading across her high cheekbones, but she appeared anything but displeased. She didn’t, however, say anything as the other patrons chose that moment to cheer his declaration of love.
Max wanted to crawl under the table and hide. Sean was just chuckling and shaking his head. Ethan, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to shut up.
“Man, I thought we planned on doing flowers, a romantic supper, and fancy clothes? Do we? No, you just blurt it out.”
“Maggie, please turn your head.” She looked puzzled, but did as he instructed.
Max punched E in the shoulder. Not hard enough to hurt him, but enough to get his point across.
Obviously the man didn’t get it. He rubbed his shoulder as he scowled at Max. “What the fuck did you do that for?”
“For having a big mouth.” Sean and Maggie were snickering. “Now we have to make new plans.”
“The cat’s already out of the bag. You can’t shove it back in again.”
Sean reached for Maggie’s hand. “We do love you, Maggie, though we weren’t planning on telling you like this. We did have grander plans.” He glanced away from her long enough to give Max a reproving stare. “It’s good that you know. That way you can take it into consideration, along with everything else.”
There was a suspicious shine in Maggie’s green eyes. Max hoped she wasn’t about to begin crying. He didn’t have a lot of experience with crying women.
“I hadn’t expected to say this in a coffee shop,” Maggie told them in a strained, whispery voice. Her gaze darted around the public space, noting the grinning faces. The pink stain on her cheekbones deepened. She was so fucking beautiful, all Max wanted to do was pull her into his arms and kiss her until she lost her last breath. “But I love you guys, too.”
Another round of cheering and clapping followed her declaration. She jumped and squealed in surprise when the ever enthusiastic Ethan left his chair, ran around the table, and pulled her into his arms. Despite his own objections to the how and the when Maggie would learn of how they felt about her, E was obviously willing to overlook the faux pau to celebrate her announcement. Max and Sean laughed as Ethan bent Maggie back over his arm, kissing her passionately as she held on for dear life, an arm hooked over the back of his neck.
When they finally broke apart, he heard his phone beep several times. Pulling it out, he saw that he had messages. Opening it, he saw photos of them, including a great one of Ethan kissing Maggie. He glanced around and saw one woman he knew quite well. She was friends with his mothers. She grinned and waved her phone.
“Thanks. It’s a great photo,” he told her, smiling.
They left the coffee shop a few minutes later. The coffee and cookies had been on the house. Ethan had to pay ten dollars for the use of profanity, which was against the rules of the establishment. He paid it with a sheepish grin, following them out a moment later.
“How long do you have until you have to meet the architect and the contractor?” Max asked. He was horny as hell. That wasn’t surprising. Just one look at Maggie was enough to make his cock hard. Since they had met at the feed store, he had also touched her and inhaled her soft scent. He wanted to make love to her.
Maggie stroked her hand down the front of his T-shirt, scorching the skin beneath. “In about forty-five minutes. It’s definitely not enough time for what I want to do to my hairy bears.”
Okay, Max was ready to jump her right there on the sidewalk. Maggie loved their body hair. While they weren’t completely overgrown, they had more than enough to keep her happy. When they weren’t making love, she was stroking chests, thighs, groins, and anything else she could reach.
“And just what did you want to do to this hairy bear?”
“Why don’t you guys come over tonight and find out?” Maggie’s fingertip found his nipple and began stroking it through the cotton. His cock twitched and began pressing against the zipper of his jeans. “The kiddos won’t be there. They’re spending a few days with their grandparents, so I can begin packing and moving things around without them trying to help. We’ll have a sleepover. There’s no telling what might happen.” Her gaze slid to Sean and Ethan.
“Don’t tell me.” Sean laughed. “I want my imagination to work on it. We’ll be there early, if you need help getting started with the packing.”
“No work. I just want to get to the fun stuff.” Ethan leaned close, asking in a low tone, “It’ll involve blow jobs, won’t it?”
Maggie shook her head as she laughed. Then she was going up on tiptoe to place a kiss on E’s mouth. “I guess you’re just going to have to wait to find out. Now, why don’t I drop you off at the feed mill? I don’t want to be late, even as tempted as I am to spend more time with you guys.” She kissed Sean then Max.
Anticipation buzzed through all three men as they were dropped off at the feed mill. A kiss each wasn’t nearly enough to hold them over until they got to Maggie’s. They still had a few hours, but damn if they didn’t have to wait for the truck to be loaded. It would be at least another hour for that to be done. Max and Sean left a protesting Ethan with the truck and walked back toward downtown. It wasn’t far and didn’t take long.
They went to Silver’s Chocolate C
afé to buy an assortment of gourmet chocolates and a fancy mixture to make hot chocolate in the morning…or at night before bed. Maggie loved chocolate and didn’t care what form it came in. She had a secret stash and treated herself to one piece of chocolate a day. Once they left the chocolate shop, Max and Sean went to the drug store to buy a fifty dollar gift card for Maggie’s e-reader. She was a huge fan of erotic romances and had begun reading them aloud as they lay in bed cuddling. They thought it was hilarious that the woman could participate in the most erotic acts with them, but blushed so hard she appeared as if she were about to spontaneously combust, as she read the scorching sex scenes.
“Who’s doing the hero’s voice this time?” Sean asked as they browsed along the aisles for anything else that might give Maggie pleasure. They loved when they found something that made her laugh.
“I think it’s E’s turn.”
Sean groaned. “He gets too carried away. All that moaning, begging, and heavy breathing gets me hard every time.”
“Yeah, same here. But it makes Maggie laugh.”
“From under the blanket. I don’t know how she can be so embarrassed by those books when she’s ten times more creative than anything we’ve read so far.”
Max stopped as an idea popped into his head. He turned toward Sean, grinning like the devil himself. “If we do any reading tonight, this is what we’re going to do.”
He then proceeded to tell Sean what his idea was. It was only a matter of seconds before his lover was also grinning from ear to ear. “That’s a fucking fantastic idea. I can’t wait to do it.”
“I say we don’t let E in on it. Let’s surprise him, too.”
Sean laughed, leaning in to kiss Max firmly on the mouth. “Good. We’ll surprise him, too.”
They made one more stop before heading back to the feed mill. They went to the adult shop, Totally Discreet, and acted more like kids in a candy shop than a place which offered everything from spicy romance novels to a variety of St. Andrew crosses. The scent of leather filled the air, but they were focused on what they wanted and made several selections which were tucked away neatly in black and gold striped bags.
By the time Max and Sean reached the square, they saw that Ethan was searching for them. They climbed in the truck, ignoring his requests to see what was in the bags, laughing when he began pouting. Though tempted, they ignored his offer of blow jobs, if they would tell him what they had bought. They had an evening planned and two people to surprise. They weren’t about to ruin it for a couple of exceptional blow jobs.
An hour later, Max questioned his resolve as E sucked Max’s cock to the back of his throat. The blow job had been unavoidable. Ethan had cornered him in the bathroom, as he had stepped out of the shower. Dropping to his knees, he had slurped Max’s semi-erect cock between his lips and proceeded to devour it until the length of flesh was hard and throbbing within the hot, wet confines of his mouth.
Max’s legs shook and he shifted to brace himself. Looking down, heat flashed through his body as he watched as Ethan slid his mouth up and down Max’s cock, his tongue sliding along the heavy, twisting vein beneath, giving particular attention to swirling his tongue around the flared rim. His breath caught in his throat and he began trembling again as the talented tongue flicked vigorously over the tiny slit in the head.
“Oh crap, baby, do that again,” Max groaned. He took Ethan’s head between his hands, holding it in place as his hips began to thrust and withdraw. E sucked hard, concaving his cheeks, as Max began to fuck his mouth. One strong hand cupped his balls, stroking and pulling, as the other hand slid into the crease of his ass. The tip of a finger stroked his puckered asshole. He was tempted to ask Ethan to fuck him, but had enough brain cells still operating to tell him to wait until later, when they were with Maggie. “I’m going to come, baby. Suck it all down. Every last drop.”
Ethan hummed around his cock, squeezed his balls, and, for an added bonus, pressed the tip of his finger into the tight ring of muscles, burying it to the second knuckle. Max’s body went rigid, and then arched, as his balls were pumped dry. His hips thrust vigorously for a few tense moments as Ethan swallowed every last drop of the hot liquid.
Ethan was still on his knees when Max bent and kissed him. “I’m still not telling you.” He laughed as he straightened. “But I’ll send Sean in. He might be weaker.” He grabbed a towel and left the bathroom.
“Asshole,” Ethan grumbled, but didn’t get up off his knees. Max laughed again and closed the door.
Sean was undressed and heading for the bathroom. He glanced down at Max’s flaccid cock. “I take it Ethan is trying to learn what’s in the bags.”
“Yeah, but it didn’t work. Personally, I think he should be punished,” Max told Sean, leaning close so a certain person, likely with his ear to the door, wouldn’t hear what he had in mind. “After we’ve given Maggie her gifts, I believe we should tie him up, bend him over the couch, and fuck him for her enjoyment. She does love to watch us fuck each other.”
“Sounds good to me.” He looked down. Max followed his gaze, grinning as he saw that Sean’s cock was standing out and begging for attention, pearls of liquid oozing from the tiny slit. Max’s mouth watered for a taste, but resisted. “Sounds good to him, too. Well, I better get in there and take my shower. We don’t want to be late.” Sean chuckled. “It’s going to be a very interesting evening.”
He passed Max and opened the door to the bathroom. They shared an amused glance when there was a thunk and E yelped. Max got a glimpse of him rubbing the side of his head before the door closed. A moment later he could hear Sean moaning. Obviously Ethan was determined to get someone to tell their secrets.
Max and Sean were just as determined to benefit from his efforts. After all, the man needed to hone his skills. It was a win-win situation.
Chapter Ten
Doing her best to be discreet, Maggie turned her wrist slightly and glanced down at her watch. The meeting with the architect and the contractor were going on far longer than she had expected. It was mostly due to her decision to make several changes to the plans. Huge changes. Neither man was happy, but she was adamant. Though she had just exchanged “I love yous” with her men just a few hours ago, she could now easily see their relationship developing toward something permanent. She had been to the house they lived in on Max’s family’s ranch. If she and the guys decided to marry, she couldn’t see the seven of them living in a house that wasn’t that much larger than the one she was expanding. It only made sense that they would move in with her and her children. Of course, they would have to discuss it.
With that thought in mind, and hoping she wasn’t getting ahead of herself, Maggie had the master bedroom expanded upstairs and added a second large, walk-in closet. She did the same with the much desired family room, which would be beside the new office. Her old bedroom would become part of a guest suite. There would be a lot of changes and at some point soon, she and the kids would have to relocate for a few weeks. It wasn’t something she was looking forward to, but it was a necessary evil.
Maggie looked forward to the end result. The house would be unrecognizable once it was finished, but she planned on incorporating many of her grandfather’s special projects into the new house. She had asked her children what they wanted, too, believing it was important that they have input in their home. They had discussed their ideas. She had gently but firmly told them they couldn’t have a koi pond in the bathroom or stalls for their ponies. She smiled to herself as she listened as the architect and the contractor went over the changes, taking detailed notes, before going off together. The ideas that came to children’s minds were hilarious. She had agreed that Emily could have shiny stars hanging from her ceiling. Brant wanted a large painting of his favorite super hero. Samuel asked if she could paint a portrait of his favorite horse, a black Tobiano stallion a family friend owned. She would do whatever was reasonably possible to make each room special.
Maggie wasn’t an over-the-top
kind of parent. At the moment, it was simple to make them happy. She knew it would take more later on. But she wasn’t just going to hand over expensive electronics and expensive clothes and shoes. They would have to earn those things, just as she had done as she grew up. Her parents had been big on teaching responsibility and that a owning something like a new Walkman had been a privilege and not a right.
Chuckling, Maggie shook her head. She saw a few disagreements in her future and knew that was being optimistic.
Relieved when the architect and contractor finally left, Maggie got into her SUV and went back into town to pick up Emily, Brant, and Samuel. She drove them to her parents’ house, just outside of town. Her parents could have easily picked them up, but she wasn’t going to see them for a few days. It was important to her that she didn’t make them feel as if she was abandoning them, even if it was to people they loved very much.
She was relieved that the trouble with Rick’s parents had been settled. There hadn’t been a chance of them getting custody of the children. That fight had been more of an annoyance than anything else. Though she had more than enough income to support her kids, she had believed that Rick’s parents should honor his wishes, and provide his children with money she would put toward their future. The court had agreed. At some point in the future she would make arrangements for Rick’s parents to see their grandchildren. It was only right that they all get to know one another.
There were a lot of hugs and kisses before Maggie was allowed to leave her parents’ house. They made her promise to call them every night before they went to bed. It was a simple thing to do. She needed to nurture their connection as much as she needed her next breath. She backed out of the driveway with a final wave.
While she missed them already, anticipation began to buzz through her veins. It wouldn’t be long before she was with Max, Ethan, and Sean again. She had missed them immediately, after leaving them behind in town.