by Laura Sutton
“We will ask her tonight after dinner. That work for you?” Jason asked as they both climbed into the cab of the truck.
“Yeah, that works,” he said, not looking at Jason, his worries taking hold.
“Don’t do that, Dean,” Jason said, almost yelling over the wind coming into the truck from their lowered windows. There was no air conditioning in this old clunker.
“Do what?” he asked, knowing exactly what Jason meant, but not wanting to admit it.
“Don’t expect or prepare for the worst. I think our girl might just surprise us,” Jason said, smiling again and then turning back to watch the dirt road.
Now watching Gwynn in the setting sun, sitting in the saddle on Brinny’s back, he desperately hoped Jason was right, because Dean’s heart and soul wanted her to stay.
She turned to him. She must have felt his gaze on her as he remembered the conversation from the morning.
“What?” she asked, smiling and pushing the hair out of her face that the wind had loosened from her ponytail. She looked beautiful, and she looked like she belonged here, on the ranch, with him and Jason.
“Nothing, just admiring your beauty is all,” he answered, guiding his mare closer to hers.
She blushed and looked down, shaking her head, still not comfortable receiving his compliments. She accepted them better in bed, but outside of bed in soft moments like these, she always argued with him and Jason about her beauty, as if she honestly didn’t see any of the beauty she had.
It broke Dean’s heart a little, knowing how the world, how her mother’s ideals and expectations, had wounded her. He wouldn’t change her for the world, but he would have her trust that she was beautiful inside and out.
“Now, sweetheart, don’t shake your head no. I say you’re beautiful, so you are. Are we clear?” he said gruffly, his tone not allowing for argument. He noticed her eyes dilate a bit at his tone. Yes, his girl liked it when they took control, and it was so damn hot.
He leaned over and kissed her hard, and he swallowed her surprised gasp by sliding his tongue into her mouth to taste her. She always tasted so sweet and pure, like ice cold water on a hot summer day.
He ended the kiss quickly so the horses didn’t spook being so close to each other.
“Now say, ‘Thank you, Dean, for the complement,’” he said, grinning and enjoying the deep red of her blush, very visible even in the setting sun.
“Thank you, Dean, for the complement,” she parroted back softly, and Dean smiled.
God, he loved her.
“Come on, beautiful. Let’s get these lovely ladies back to the stable and brushed down. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. I wonder what Jason is cooking tonight,” he said as they maneuvered their horses back toward the stable, meandering at an unhurried pace.
“Oh, I asked him at lunch. He brought me a sandwich and complained that I need to take better care of myself as I write,” she answered, leading Brinny as if she had been riding for years and not just weeks.
“He’s right. It wouldn’t hurt to take a break, eat, maybe stand up occasionally.” Dean and Jason both worried about her sitting and typing for so many hours.
“I know, I know,” she agreed quickly, nodding her head, “but it’s hard! The words and the book is just flowing out of me. It’s fantastic!” she cried, obviously happy, and that exuberance made Dean happy, not just because he was proud of her—he was—but also because if he, Jason, and the Mariposa relaxed her and inspired her, maybe she would stay.
“That’s wonderful, Gwynn,” he said honestly as they removed the saddles and brushed down their horses, stabling them for the night.
He reached for her hand and laced her fingers through his as they walked up to the big house.
“I just worry about you. Jason does too. We want you happy, and we want you to write, but you won’t be able to write like that forever if you don’t take care of yourself,” he said, his voice full of concern.
“You’re right,” she whispered in agreement, and he pulled her into him, letting go of her hand and wrapping his arm around her shoulders instead. He loved feeling her pressed against his body like this.
He kissed the top of her head and sighed. He hoped tonight would go well. He hoped she would stay, because if she left, she would leave with his heart and Jason’s.
Jason
Jason was nervous, and that was an unusual feeling for him. He never got nervous, but tonight was a big night. He and Dean would ask Gwynn to move in with them—permanently.
He was ecstatic that Dean had agreed with his argument this morning. He knew Dean wanted Gwynn to stay at the Mariposa as much as he did, but he also knew his best friend would be reluctant to ask. Dean was usually reticent and heedful, almost to the point of inaction, so for him to agree to this was big.
After their conversation, Jason had left Dean tagging calves with a couple of the ranch hands, and he went up to the carriage house to check on Gwynn.
She was spending eight solid hours a day writing, working her brain the way he and Dean worked their bodies on the ranch, and while he was happy and proud of her, she wasn’t taking care of herself.
Just the night before at dinner, she complained about her wrist hurting, and Jason knew it was from all the repetitive typing. She also hadn’t been eating during the day.
Because the ranch was so large and their duties would take them away from the house, Jason and Dean typically packed lunches like most blue-collar working people, but Jason came back today to make lunch for himself and Gwynn. He wanted to make sure his baby girl was eating and taking care of herself.
He busied himself in the kitchen, making them both a sandwich and cutting up some fruit, and he headed for her office upstairs.
He found her hunched over her laptop at the desk, typing furiously, her brow cutely pinched in concentration as she put her words down on the screen. She was dressed in a tank top that showed off her ample breasts, and shorts so short that all he could see was her pale thick thighs. Her hair was tied up in a sloppy bun as if she had taken it down and put it back up repeatedly, and her bottom lip was swollen from her biting it—something she did when she was nervous or when she was concentrating intensely.
She almost bit through her lip the first time she made him cum with her hand. It had been one of the most erotic moments of his life. She looked both sweetly innocent and wanton all at once.
“Hey, baby girl,” he called softly from the doorway, as she still hadn’t noticed his presence. He didn’t want to startle her, but she jumped at the sound of his voice anyway, and he made his way over to the bistro table that was under the window with a view of the lake, and he put the tray down, displaying their sandwiches and two glasses of water.
“Have you stopped for lunch? Have you moved at all? It’s almost 1 PM,” he said, making his way over to her, pulling her up from the desk and walking her over to the table so they could eat their lunch.
“No, I’ve been writing all morning! Another three chapters down!” she nearly shouted, then she took a bite of the sandwich and moaned as she chewed.
“This is so good!” she cried, and it made Jason smile.
“It’s just the ham from last night, baby,” he told her, taking a bite of his own. The sweet ham with sharp cheddar cheese and mustard tasted good, but the flavor was second to watching Gwynn’s joy as she ate her lunch.
“I’m glad you’re writing so much. I’m proud of you and admire your work ethic—Dean does as well—but you’ve got to take care of yourself,” he told her, reaching across the small table to take her hand.
She blushed and looked down. She did that sometimes. She would look away when he or Dean stared at her too long, and he didn’t know why.
“Why do you do that, baby girl?” Jason asked, his eyes never straying from her face as he drank some water.
Her eyes shot back to him, questions in the deep blue depths.
“D—do what?” she asked, her voice breaking just a little.
She was still so nervous around them sometimes, even if he and Dean had had her body in every way known to man—and maybe a couple ways they made up themselves—she still acted like a skittish colt at times.
“Why do you look away sometimes when we are talking? Don’t you know how much I love your beautiful eyes staring back into mine?” he asked her, his tone all casual curiosity. He didn’t want to spook her—his shy, sexy girl.
She was flushed, bright red flooding her face and neck, and it made him hard instantly, because it is exactly what happened to her right before she came.
“Oh!” she laughed a little nervously and looked away once again before taking a nervous sip of her water.
Jason just waited patiently, finishing his sandwich then popping a grape in his mouth. When she still didn’t explain, he raised his eyebrows in a “well, tell me” sort of way, and she smiled tremulously.
“I suppose it’s because you’re so handsome, that sometimes I get nervous looking at you.” His face must have shown his confusion because she laughed again. “You don’t understand. You and Dean are probably the sexiest men I have ever met, and girls like me don’t get one guy like you, much less two. In fact, some days I’m convinced I never made it to the Mariposa, and I’m in a coma somewhere, and this is all a dream.” She laughed, but it sounded hollow and sad to him, and it made his heart hurt.
Jason picked her hand up again and brought it to his lips, kissing her delicate fingers. She was beautiful. They treasured her, and more importantly, both he and Dean loved her.
Jason didn’t think she was ready to hear how much they loved her yet, but he could still help her feel loved and desired.
“You are so beautiful, Gwynn, and Dean and I are the lucky ones that you decided you wanted us, not the other way around, baby girl.” He smiled and watched her flush and avert her eyes again.
“Hey, look at me, please. I love your eyes so much. I hate when you hide them from me,” he implored softly.
Gwynn looked up, but he could practically feel her fear and nervousness flow off of her in waves.
Jason got up, never letting go of her hand or breaking eye contact, and kneeled in front of her. He reached up, and with his other hand, he caressed her face. Her skin felt like silk, and he would never get enough of touching her.
“You are so beautiful, but not just beautiful—you’re funny and smart, and trust me, it’s not a dream. Did last night feel like a dream?” he asked, playfully leering at her.
“No,” she said a little breathlessly, her eyes dilating. Fuck, he wanted her, but he had work to get back to.
“Oh, baby girl, I wish I could show you how much of a dream this is not, but Dean isn’t here and I have to get back to work soon. I just wanted to make sure you ate lunch.” He smiled, leaned up, and kissed her. Then he stood and moved back to his chair.
“Finish this fruit with me and tell me about what you’re working on.” He pushed the bowl of fruit toward her and popped a piece of watermelon in his mouth while she took a grape.
“Oh, I sent the first twelve chapters to my stepdad. I hope he reads them soon and gives me some feedback,” she told him happily, her face lighting up.
Jason smiled back.
“I’m sure he will love it,” he said. He hadn’t read it, but he knew it was amazing.
They chatted a bit longer and finished the fruit, and Gwynn helped him carry their dishes downstairs. He pressed her up against the kitchen wall and kissed her. His tongue slowly invaded her mouth, their bodies pressed together, but he steadfastly kept his hands on her hips. He needed to keep his desire in check, but he wanted just a little taste.
He broke the kiss, and both of them were panting. Gwynn practically melted into the wall, and she looked delicious.
“Till tonight, baby girl,” he said, his voice husky, even to his own ears.
He made his way out the front door. “Oh, I’m making your favorite tonight—creole shrimp and pasta.” He got another smile from her as he closed the door, which is exactly what he wanted. He loved her smiles almost as much as he loved being inside her.
Jason felt happy and confident. They would ask her to stay tonight, and she would, and then Gwynn would be theirs. Always.
Gwynn
Gwynn was happy, probably the happiest she had ever been in her life. The past few weeks here on the ranch had enriched her in a way she didn’t even know she needed. She felt free, content, and loved.
They hadn’t used the word, and she still wasn’t entirely sure that Jason and Dean loved her, but they made her feel loved, and it wasn’t just the sex, either.
The sex was wonderful—hot and dirty and amazing—but while the sex was part of what made her feel fulfilled, it was also the other things. It was the almost-daily rides with Dean and listening to him talk about the ranch, what improvements they had made in the last few years and what he still wanted to do. Listening to him talk about the cattle and worry about a mare who was carrying a foul strangely. It was Jason asking her to tell her about what scenes she had written that day, making sure she ate lunch and rubbing her back when it ached in the evening from sitting too long in front of her computer.
It was also a hundred other little things, and it just made Gwynn never want to leave. She wanted her remaining weeks left at the ranch to stretch out indefinitely. She wanted to stay with these two wonderful men at this beautiful place and make them and this ranch her home forever.
“Whatcha thinking about, beautiful?” Dean asked, bringing their clasped hands up to his mouth so he could kiss hers as they walked from the stables up to the house. The sun was turning the Texas sky a brilliant burnt orange as the sun dipped behind the big house.
“How beautiful and wonderful the ranch is, and how much I’m enjoying my time here,” she answered honestly, omitting only a few details of her thoughts.
His smile grew, lighting up his face, his eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that would lead to more permanent lines as he aged but would never deter from his handsomeness.
“What?” she asked, smiling back as they headed up the porch steps and inside the house, the smell of dinner making her stomach growl.
“Nothing, I’m just happy you enjoy it here, because we enjoy having you here,” Dean told her, his words tender, and they made her heart beat faster.
Gwynn always thought she couldn’t love Dean and Jason any more than she already did, and then they do something or say something so perfect, and her love for them grows just a tiny bit more.
“There you two are!” Gwynn tore her eyes away from Dean’s smiling face to see Jason leaning in the doorway that led to the kitchen. He was dressed in a tight gray T-shirt and well-worn blue jeans, his feet bare, looking more handsome than should be legally allowed.
He walked over to them and took Gwynn’s face between his large, warm, calloused hands and dropped a quick kiss to her lips.
“Go get cleaned up quickly. Dinner’s been done for a good ten minutes, and I don’t want the pasta to get sticky and gross. Plus, we’ve got a chocolate cake for dessert,” he said as he pulled out of the swooning kiss.
“The same chocolate cake you made the first time we all had dinner together?” Gwynn asked hopefully. She had a terrible sweet tooth, and that cake was like heaven on earth.
“One and the same, baby girl,” he told her with a wink.
“Yay!” She practically bounced as she headed for the downstairs bathroom to wash her hands. Two sexy men and to-die-for chocolate cake. She was the luckiest of girls.
Gwynn came out of the bathroom to find Jason and Dean already in the kitchen carrying dishes of food and a pitcher of iced tea to the table.
“Need any help?” she asked. She then headed to Jason to take a pan of roasted asparagus from him.
“Nope!” he replied, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth, and held the dish above her head so she couldn’t take it from him.
“You just sit your pretty little ass in a chair at the table. We got it.” Jason
said, and she grumbled under her breath as she made her way to the table.