by Mia Moon
My stomach twisted with anxiety. I hoped the guys didn’t have big plans for me. And, I hoped that they hadn’t gone to a local bar the previous night to pick up women. Or a woman. Something about the idea of them taking home a woman and sharing her didn’t sit right with me.
I took a deep breath before I walked into the lodge. Then, an inhale. Oh, god, it smelled so good...
“Lauren?” Cassidy’s deep voice boomed through the airy living room, and I followed the sound.
“Hey,” I called out, trying to sound normal.
He was in the kitchen, making what looked like fresh sausage. “Smells incredible,” I said. “What are you making?”
“You ever had fresh venison sausage?”
I shook my head, and he grinned. His dark golden hair was tousled, and I wish I had been the one to mess it up.
“Today’s your lucky day.”
I slipped onto a stool and watched him form the sausage into small, round patties. I spotted a panful of scrambled eggs and my stomach growled as he spooned them onto a plate and talked about the process of adding spices to the meat. I listened intently, my mouth watering at the food.
Okay, maybe it was watering because of how natural, how sexy, he looked in the kitchen.
“I don’t cook much back in the city, but I should try. I can’t really get a whole deer in my apartment, never mind in my fridge, though.” I laughed.
“I could teach you some things in the kitchen,” he said, taking a sip of coffee. His dark blue eyes were so intense. “We could have a private lesson today.”
I imagined us in the kitchen, kissing. Spreading honey on each other. Licking honey off each other. I cleared my throat. “I’d love to, but I met someone in town.”
The look on his face was so stunned and crestfallen that I quickly explained. “A woman. She used to live in New York. She works at the cafe and is a glass blowing artist. She’s going to give me a tour of her studio.”
He looked relieved. “Of course, that sounds like something you could use for your article. Will you be back tonight? The guys and I were thinking about doing a bonfire for you. I’m making my special beef stew. If it gets too cold we’ll get out the wool blankets and warm you up. You up for that?”
“Absolutely.” I smiled, thinking that they could warm me up in many other ways. “But you don’t have to do anything special just for me.”
Cassidy scratched his chin and looked thoughtful. “We all decided we wanted to. Figured tonight would be a good night since it’s supposed to snow soon.”
“Snow? It’s April.” My eyes widened.
Cassidy shrugged. “Happens. It’s Montana. Last night at the town council meeting someone said there might even be thundersnow tonight.”
I wasn’t sure which to ask him about first. Town council or thundersnow. The quizzical look on my face made Cass smile.
“Yeah, we all went to the council meeting because we’re partnering with one of the local social service agencies to provide therapy horses for at-risk kids once a month. We were hoping to get back to ask you how your day was, but the meeting went late because there was a long and crazy-boring discussion about the water treatment plant. Then the mayor wanted to grab a beer, so we went over to the bar across from town hall.”
He rolled his eyes and I giggled. “We had to stay to talk about the therapy-horse project. Hank’s insistent that we participate. I think we have our plate full with the business, but Hank’s in charge of this one. And he’s right, there are a lot of kids around here who need some positive adult influences. And our horses are all pretty tame.”
I nodded, feeling stupid that I assumed they were out picking up women. Of course Hank would want to help at-risk kids, given his background. “Right, like Hope. She’s such an amazingly patient horse. I was hoping to ride her again before I leave.”
“Yep, like Hope. She’s our prime candidate for therapy work. We’ll get you on her again, even if it snows. You’ve still got a lot of time here in Montana and we’ve got much more to show you.”
His words rang in my ears as I drove to town, and my insides fluttered with anticipation. I noticed that Cassidy didn’t ask me to invite Allison to the bonfire, and I smiled a little, wondering if it was a sign.
I was also left with one other question: what the hell was thundersnow?
Twelve hours later, I was sitting on a wide tree stump with a wool blanket around my shoulders. I held my hands out to feel the warmth of the fire on my palms. I’d just eaten the best beef stew I’d ever tasted and was drinking my first delicious glass of red wine. The air was cool. Not frigid, like the coming of winter, but a lingering coolness, as if winter was hanging on by her nails.
It should have been awkward, sitting around the bonfire with the three guys that I’d fooled around with—in Hank’s case, fucked—but it wasn’t. It felt natural, even though the sexual current simmered. I’d been making eye contact with all three of them for the last hour, as we ate. And the flirting was starting to ramp up while I explained how I learned to make glass art at Allison’s studio.
“I blew some balls today!” I grinned wickedly.
Cassidy, who was putting the lid on the large, blue crock of stew, glanced up and smirked.
Hank, who was stoking the fire with a long stick, raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes but didn’t look at me.
Jaxson, who was standing next to me and drinking a beer, nudged my shoulder with his hip. “I think we need a detailed explanation of this,” he quipped. “Go on.”
My face grew hot, and not from the fire. I waved my hands in the air, wondering if I was tipsy from the wine. Not possible, because I usually drank more back home and I hadn’t even finished my glass. No, this must be due to my huge crush I had on all three guys, and my nervousness that I’d been trying to hide. And the fact that when I said the word balls, I imagined being on my knees in front of all the guys.
I laughed. “Not like that. I mean, I learned to blow glass balls. The glass had to be molten so I could blow air into it.”
Hank stood up and came to sit next to me on another stump. “Here’s what I don’t get. What are the balls for? How many did you, uh, blow?”
“They’re Christmas ornaments,” I said. “Allison’s attaching little hooks to them so they can be hung on a tree. They’re different swirly colors.”
“What do Christmas trees in New York City look like?” asked Cass. “Do you get a little mini tree or what? You said your apartment was pretty small.”
I frowned. I’d had such a fun day laughing and learning with Allison that I hadn’t thought about what I’d do with the ornaments. “I guess I’ll give the ornaments to my parents. I don’t usually get a tree, because, yeah. My apartment’s too small. One time I did get a small rosemary bush in the shape of a Christmas tree and put little bows and ornaments and mini lights on it. I saw the concept in a magazine and it was so cute.”
The guys stared back at me as if I was speaking a different language. As much as they cooked and ran a lodge, it was clear that they weren’t that well-versed in the domestic arts.
“What do you do for the holidays? Do you have a big tree here? Do your families come here for Christmas?” I asked, hoping to change the subject from me. They’d asked me a lot of questions about myself over dinner, about how I got into journalism and about where I grew up. I was feeling cozy from the fire and comfortable talking with them — although, all night, sexual tension popped and crackled in the background like the bonfire.
“At first we went to Chicago. But the last few years, we’ve had guests here. Sometimes entire families rent the place out for the holidays, so we all end up working,” Jax said. “Sometimes it doesn’t exactly feel like Christmas, y’know?”
“That must be hard,” I replied. “Maybe it will be better when you have your own families.”
There was a pause, and for the first time that night, an uncomfortable silence hung in the air. I thought about what Hank had told me, about the woman th
ey loved who chose Chicago over them. Had I said the wrong thing? Crap.
Cassidy walked to a table and the crinkling sound of foil filled the air. “S’mores?” he asked.
I whipped the blanket off my shoulders and folded it. Then I hopped up and set the blanket down on the stump. Maybe if I busied myself with dessert, the awkwardness would go away. “I’d love some,” I chirped.
After a few minutes, things went back to normal and Hank and Jax sat on the stumps, talking about the therapy horse program, some issues with the sheep and a problem with the clutch on one of the trucks. I saw Hank finish his beer.
“Want another?” I called out, since I was standing by the cooler.
“Sure, baby girl,” he said. My breath caught in my throat. It’s what he’d called me that day we had sex. My body flooded with warmth as he said it. I looked around nervously, wondering if the other two had picked up on the nickname. Jax continued to talk about the truck and Cassidy was opening a package of graham crackers. Neither batted an eye.
I pulled a bottle out of the cooler and opened it while walking to Hank. When I handed it to him, he gently tugged me close. “Sit on my lap,” he murmured. “Share my beer with me.”
Hesitating, I looked to Jax. He grinned and winked, so I sank onto Hank’s leg. My pulse raced, probably because this was the first real and open display of affection I’d shown while around all three guys.
How far would we take this?
Hank handed me the beer and I took a sip, then shook my head. I handed the bottle back to him and grimaced.
“You’re not a beer girl?” he asked, wrapping his arm around me.
I shook my head. “It all tastes the same to me. I like wine better.”
Hank gave my thigh a squeeze, and I caught Jaxson's mischievous dark gaze. “We can arrange for a road trip to Billings to the fancy wine store. Next time you come, I mean."
I smiled as my skin felt prickly and hyper-aware. “Ah, so we’re planning a next time?”
Hank squeezed me again. “We’re planning a lot of things.”
“Hey,” called Cassidy. “I need my S’more assistant. Lauren, get your butt over here. You’re the one who bragged about being the best marshmallow toaster in the Girl Scouts on Long Island.”
“Duty calls.” Boldly, I planted a kiss on Hank’s face, allowing my lips to linger on the edge of his goatee. His skin smelled like campfire and pine, and I wanted to lick him.
I could feel both Hank’s and Jax’s gaze on my ass as I hustled to help Cassidy. I even put a little extra sway in my step, feeling emboldened. This—sex, an orgy, or something sensual and hot—was definitely happening tonight with the three of them. I could feel it on every inch of my skin. All I needed was to keep my cool and not squeal with of excitement. Because I was downright giddy.
And a little afraid. It’s not like I’d ever been with three guys before. Or two guys. Hell, it had been two years since I’d been with one guy. How would this work? What, or who, would I do first? Would the guys touch each other? The idea of that was pretty damned hot. So many questions.
Even though it was chilly, beads of sweat pricked at my neck.
I grabbed a fat marshmallow and impaled it on a sharp stick. Standing near the fire, I rotated the stick. Cassidy stood next to me with his own stick.
“Yours is going to burst into flames,” I said, pressing my shoulder into his arm. All of the guys were so much bigger than I was. “There’s a technique for this, you know.”
“Hmm. Flames. Maybe I like mine extra hot.”
I giggled. “You need to turn it. Like a rotisserie chicken. You want it brown, not burnt. If it catches on fire, it’s like a little lava bomb.”
By now, my marshmallow had come to a perfect, golden hue. Almost the color of Cassidy’s hair. I pulled it out of the fire and held it up for him to see. He opened his mouth.
“Don’t you want to wait for the chocolate and the graham cracker?” I asked.
“Shit.” His marshmallow had caught on fire and he chuckled, waving the stick until the flames extinguished. He set the stick and the charred sweet on a big, flat rock then turned to me.
“Nope. Don’t want to wait. Give it to me.”
I blew on the marshmallow to cool it down, locking eyes with him. Gently, I tried plucking it off the stick, but half came off in a gooey chunk. I offered it to Cassidy, and he opened his mouth again. I placed the marshmallow on his tongue and he took my index finger into his mouth. His tongue wrapped around my finger and licked salaciously.
“Delicious,” he murmured.
I gasped. Trying to gather my composure, I slipped the rest of the gooey marshmallow off the stick and popped it into my mouth.
“You got some on your lip,” Cassidy said. “Here. Let me get it off.”
And that’s when he let out a little growl as he leaned down to kiss me. Before I closed my eyes to return the kiss, I noticed that Hank and Jax were watching with feral, hungry expressions.
Chapter Ten
As if on cue, a bright flash of light lit up the night sky, followed by a boom. Jaxson and Hank whooped, and I clutched Cassidy’s jean jacket.
“Oh my God,” I whimpered. “What was that?”
He kissed my forehead and hugged me tight. “That, Lauren, was thundersnow.”
I pulled away, my heart pounding because of our kiss and the startling flash. “I thought you were joking earlier. What is thundersnow?”
“Why don’t you guys take her inside and I’ll make sure the fire’s out,” Hank said.
Pulling out of Cassidy’s embrace, I looked over to Hank and Jax.
“C’mon,” Jax said, nodding towards the lodge. “I’ll build a fire inside and we’ll do dessert in there.”
My insides were trembling a little as I held onto Cassidy’s hand while we walked to the lodge. I noticed that no one had mentioned grabbing the chocolate, graham crackers or marshmallows, and that’s when I realized: I was dessert.
Once we were in the big living room, I watched Jax build a fire in the giant stone fireplace. He knelt on a furry white rug and I marveled at how he’d been so precise about taking off his boots before stepping onto the rug. Cass, too, slipped off his boots, and I did the same with my sneakers, setting them near the door. I stripped off my fleece jacket, leaving me only in a black turtleneck, jeans and my hot pink socks.
The sound of thunder boomed dangerously close.
Now I was really nervous. We were inside, the living room was lit only by the light of the growing fire, and I was alone with two of the guys. About to be three, when Hank came inside.
“So, explain this thundersnow situation,” I said, sinking onto a sofa and cracking a smile to hide my nervousness.
Cassidy sat next to me, putting his arm around me and pulling me close. God, I wanted to kiss him again, for hours. His lips were soft and a little slippery and I longed to nibble on his bottom lip.
“It’s kind of rare, but happens in Montana at this time of year. It’s basically a thunderstorm, but with snow, instead of rain. But here’s a fun fact: with a typical thunderstorm, the thunder can be heard for many miles. With thundersnow, the thunder’s only audible for a couple of miles.” He brushed some hair back from my face and my skin tingled.
“Why’s that?” I couldn’t believe I was talking about meteorological patterns and thinking about having group sex with three hot cowboys.
“The snow’s an acoustic suppressor,” he murmured, brushing his fingers over my cheek.
He leaned in for a kiss and I moaned, low in my throat. His tongue danced around my lips, and I did exactly as I wanted: I nipped his bottom lip.
“Your mouth is like sin,” he whispered. “I can’t stop thinking about where I want your lips.
“Um,” I sat back, away from his tempting mouth. “I need to ask you guys something. I’m getting a certain vibe here.”
Jaxson chuckled. Cassidy grinned.
“So how’s this all going to work?” I took Cass’ hand i
n mine and Jax stoked the fire.
“So, we’ve all talked about this.” Cass raised my hand and kissed the backs of my fingers.
“You all know about, uh, what I’ve done with all of you?” My face felt hot. Normally I was a straight-shooting, plain-talking New Yorker, but this situation had me tongue-tied.
“We know. And we all approve,” Jax said.
Cassidy nodded. “And we want you to know that you can say no. If you feel uncomfortable, or if anything hurts or doesn’t seem right, tell us. Or stop us. At any time. We’re not here to force you. But we all want you. We all want to share you, for tonight and however long we can.”
I was speechless.
Jax stood from the fire and came to sit next to me. He kissed my shoulder and looked down at my feet. “Nice socks, city girl.”
I giggled.
“Seriously, Lauren?” he said. “I know we can be overwhelming. We have some experience with this. But the way we feel about you—and I’m including Hank here, because he told me—is pretty intense. We haven’t all felt this way about one woman in a long time.”
I shifted to look at him, still gripping Cassidy’s hand. Being between both big men was making me a little swoony. “I know about the woman in Chicago. But you’ve been with other women since, right? You’ve shared others?”
Jax nodded and traced my lips with his thumb. “Sharing a woman for a night is easy. There are a lot of women who want the novelty of doing three guys. What we feel for you is more in-depth, though. So this is a risk for us, too. We don’t often all feel so strongly about one woman. We really like you.”
“I really like all of you, too,” I murmured, leaning to kiss Jax.
So, so, much, I thought as I captured his mouth with mine. I could fall in love with each and every one of them.
Our kiss was hesitant, soft, and I felt Cassidy’s hands massaging my shoulders. Never had I kissed one man while being touched by another, and the sensation was heady.
