Monroe, Marla - Their Independent Bride [The Men of Space Station One #6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Marla Monroe

Since it was Steven who came to get her out of the tub, she started right away. He ignored all her attempts at manipulating him into a position where she could rub her body against his. Instead, he wrapped her up in the towel and carried her to the bed where he gently lay her down. Then he unwrapped her so that she ended up in the middle of the bed far away from him and his obviously interested cock.

  “You’re not going to play with me, love. I know your game. We don’t want to accidently hurt you.”

  “Please, Steven. I want you.”

  “You want whoever you can con into having sex. Now behave and go to sleep.” He climbed into bed next to her and presented his back to her.

  She started to throw her leg over his, but stopped just in time to prevent hurting her ankle. She wrapped her arm around his waist and hoped she didn’t bump one of them during the night and call out. They would go crazy if she did. She rolled her eyes and settled in to go to sleep.

  Several minutes later, Greg slipped into bed behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She tried to settle down, but her ankle bothered her enough that she couldn’t. She was so aware of it and trying not to bump it on either of the men. Maybe they had been right and sex hadn’t been a good idea.

  Thirty minutes later, she could hear the men snoring while she remained awake. She would never get any rest as long as she worried about her ankle. She tried just lying still and counting under her breath, but all that did was frustrate her. Finally, after nearly an hour of restless movement, she drifted off to sleep.

  * * * *

  Janet woke up when she bumped her foot against Steven’s. She managed to keep from shouting out, but nothing stopped the tears from forming in her eyes. Surely her ankle was better today. She looked around after wiping her eyes in an effort to tell what time it was. Without sitting up, she couldn’t see over the men to see the time.

  “What are you wiggling for?” Greg’s sleep-deepened voice startled her.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up. I was just trying to see over Steven to see what time it was.”

  She felt the bed move and dip behind her. There was a grunt and then Greg’s arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her back closer to him.

  “It’s nearly seven. We really don’t have to be up this early, baby. Don’t you want to sleep a little longer?” He sounded hopeful.

  “I’m wide awake. I didn’t sleep very well anyway. Can you just carry me downstairs and let me sit on the couch? You can go back to sleep after that.”

  “I’m not staying in bed with Steven, Janet. I’ll get up and dress. We can always take a nap later.”

  “I’m sorry.” She hated that she had to ask for help. It drove her crazy.

  “Don’t worry about it. Hold on while I get dressed. Then I’ll help you dress.”

  Janet winced. More help. She had obviously been in more pain than she remembered for it not to have bothered her this much the day before. Today was going to be a testament to her patience.

  “Here we go, baby.” Greg reached over and gently pulled her toward him while she held her foot up off the bed.

  Then he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom where he had clothes waiting on her. She smiled. He’d chosen comfortable clothes for her. The shorts were long enough to be decent for company and the shirt a comfy T-shirt that she loved. He helped her dress then propped her leg up on the countertop to look at it.

  “Your shin looks sore, but the ankle is a lot less swollen. If you keep off it all day, you may be able to walk a little bit on it tonight.” He gave her a stern look when he said it.

  “I hear you. I’ll be good and keep off it. Can I have some more of the painkiller when we get downstairs?”

  “Sure, baby. I’m sure you’re still in a lot of pain despite it looking better.” He picked her up and then carried her out of the bathroom.

  “Hey, is something wrong with Janet?” Steven was sitting on the side of the bed, rubbing his face.

  “No, she couldn’t sleep so I’m taking her downstairs. She wants to sit on the couch.”

  “How does her leg look today?”

  “Her ankle is a lot less swollen this morning, but her shin is painful looking.”

  “Hey, you guys, I can talk.” Janet huffed out a breath.

  “I know, love. I just trust Greg’s take on the subject more than I trust yours right now.”

  “You don’t trust me!”

  “Not about your ankle, I don’t.” Steven chuckled and stood up.

  Janet couldn’t take her eyes off his handsome body, especially his cock. It was standing at attention with his morning erection. She had noticed Greg’s as well. Right now, she couldn’t see or feel it, held in his arms as she was.

  “We’ll be downstairs.” Greg turned and walked toward the stairs.

  Once they were in the living room, he stooped and carefully settled her on the couch with her foot elevated over the arm of the couch once again. It really wasn’t very comfortable that way. She fumed with herself. She hated to ask.

  “What is it, baby? I can see that you want something but you don’t want to ask.”

  God, she must be an open book to him. She didn’t like that one bit.

  “Um, a pillow would be nice to prop my foot on. The arm of the couch is hard. Um, please.”

  “Now was that so hard? I’ll be right back with a couple of pillows. You should have one for your head, as well.” He bent down and kissed her nose then bounded up the stairs.

  God, I’m pitiful. I can’t even ask for something without stuttering. I shouldn’t be so fussy about something like this. I need help. So what?

  So, it bothered her that she was dependent on them. She was an independent-type woman. She had been all her life. Now she was married to two very dominant men who expected her to mind them and now she was hurt and had to depend on them. Who would have thought?

  “Here you go, baby.” Greg had made it back down the stairs and she hadn’t even noticed it.

  He gently lifted her leg and placed the pillow under her foot. Then he settled her with the pillow behind her head. She smiled at him and tried to make it look genuine. She wasn’t sure how she’d done because he chuckled.

  “I’m going to get you something to drink and that painkiller. Then I’ll fix you something to eat. You really don’t need to take it on an empty stomach, but I guess you need it now rather than later.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.” That wasn’t so bad.

  A few minutes after she had taken her pills, Steven clomped down the stairs. His sleepy smile made her wince. She’d woken them both too early. She really felt bad about it, too. They had worked hard the day before and deserved to sleep in. She had ruined that for them.

  “What’s with the sad face, love?” Steven walked over and sat on the edge of the couch next to her.

  “I messed up your sleeping in. You shouldn’t have had to get up.”

  “Don’t worry about it. There will be time for a nap later.” He bent down and kissed her.

  She warmed to his kiss and opened her mouth without being prompted. In fact, she was hungry for his kiss. She realized that she had missed the closeness they’d shared with sex. Not that they hadn’t given her plenty of opportunities for closeness over the last couple of days, but she hadn’t wanted to be dependent on them. Now that she was, she realized that maybe it wasn’t all that bad after all.

  Well, the sex part and the kissing and all. She still didn’t like to be dictated to. They would have to come to a compromise with that. She would give them the benefit of the doubt and follow their directions concerning her safety until they gave her a reason not to. She could even give in to their leading during sex. She liked what they did. No, she loved what they did.

  The kiss was over with before she had gotten into it really well. She frowned and lifted an eyebrow at Steven. He smiled and pursed his lips in an obvious attempt not to laugh.

  “Sorry, love, but you tend to get overexcited, and there will be no sex un
til you’re well enough we won’t injure your ankle any more than it already is.” He stood up and, after laying a hand against her cheek, walked off toward the kitchen.

  She could hear the men talking in the other room. She was sure they were talking about her. No doubt they were comparing notes on how she was acting. She almost fumed at the idea but stopped herself. She didn’t need to get all upset. She was at their mercy and wanted off the couch before their guests arrived later that night.

  Several minutes later, Greg appeared with a plate of food for her. She was sure her eyes grew wide by the lazy smile on his face. The plate was piled high with food. There was no way she could ever eat that much.

  “Don’t worry, baby. I don’t expect you to eat it all by yourself. I’m going to share with you.”

  “You’re not going to feed me again. I can feed myself this time.”

  “I know you can. I brought two forks.” He smirked at her then held out a fork.

  Janet felt like a fool, but then figured she didn’t have anything to feel bad about. She realized he planned to put the plate on her stomach and eat from it that way. She couldn’t stop the giggle that erupted, sending the plate moving in all directions.

  “See now, you’re going to have to contain yourself so we don’t end up with food all over you and the couch. No giggling, laughing, or snorting.”

  “I don’t snort,” she said with her nose in the air.

  “I’ll take that under consideration until you do and I can point it out to you.” Greg speared some meat and took a bite.

  Janet found that it was difficult to eat like that. She frowned after several attempts at gathering food on her fork. Finally, Greg had pity on her and picked up the plate to hold it for her while she ate. Then he finished up what she didn’t.

  She gave a grudging “thanks” and tried not to be disappointed when he didn’t kiss her before he took the plate back to the kitchen.

  Once again, she was alone with her thoughts and she had to admit she was confused inside over her feelings for the two men. She genuinely liked them and could even go so far as to say that she respected them. They appeared to be hard workers and good men. But the dominant thing got to her. She couldn’t believe that she had caved so easily on two things. Neither could she believe how quickly she had become addicted to their kisses and their loving.

  Before she knew it, they were back in the living room with her. They checked her ankle again, and Steven went so far as to massage her shoulders and neck for her.

  “We’re going to go out and check the garden and then go to the shed and check our supplies. We don’t know anything about the creatures around here and want to be sure nothing has been messed with. Will you be okay for an hour or so?” Greg asked.

  “I’ll be fine. Could you bring me one of those books on the shelf over there? I’ll read some.”

  Steven brought her two books in case one didn’t catch her attention. They each kissed her on the forehead and headed back to the kitchen. A few seconds later, the door opened and then shut. She stared at the offending ankle before opening one of the books to begin reading.

  She managed to immerse herself in the book for a good thirty or forty minutes, but a noise at the front of the house caught her attention. She put the book down and tried to turn to look in that direction, but she was facing the kitchen and couldn’t see toward the front door or the windows.

  The noise came again, and she could have sworn it was something scratching at the door. She felt a moment of panic before she got hold of herself. It couldn’t get inside, whatever it was. She listened closely for several more minutes, but the sound didn’t come again. Then she heard the men in the kitchen as the door opened. Maybe their coming up had scared whatever it was off. She wondered if she should tell the men or not. They would get upset and worry about her if she did, but then if she didn’t and they found out…

  In the end, she pretty much had to tell them when they walked in the room and immediately asked what was wrong.

  “Is your ankle worse? Your face is pale, baby.” Greg ran a hand across her forehead. “You don’t seem to have a temperature.”

  “No, I’m okay. I heard something, though, at the front door, and it startled me, I guess.”

  “What did you hear?” Steven asked.

  “It sounded like a scratching noise. I wasn’t sure at first, but then when I listened, I heard it fairly well.”

  Steven and Greg walked over to the front door and opened it. They were gone for several long seconds. Then they returned, closing the door behind them. Their faces were grim when they were once again in her line of vision.

  “What? What did you find?”

  “There are small scratch marks about two feet up on the door and there are a couple of prints in the yard. The grass obscured most of them. I would say it’s about the size of a small dog.” Greg settled his hands on his hips. “I don’t like this. We don’t know if it will attack or if it’s just curious.”

  “Either way, I don’t want to leave Janet here alone during the day.” Steven looked down at her.

  “I’ll be okay. I know how to act around animals. You don’t move and you don’t under any circumstances run. If I have to, I ease toward the house and walk inside as fast as I can once I’m there.”

  “Regardless, I don’t like it.” Greg shook his head. “We’ll talk to the others when they come tonight and see if they’ve seen anything around that looked like that.”

  “Did you see anything around the garden or the shed with your supplies?”

  “No, love. We didn’t notice any tracks or movement around the supplies. Whatever it is, it concentrated on the house. I suppose it knows that we are here.” Steven rested his hand on the back of the couch.

  They spent the rest of the morning going over various plans and ideas on what to do about the creature and leaving Janet during the day taking care of the garden. She made sure they had their conversation where she could participate. They grudgingly remained in the living room so she could hear. It was obvious they were bending to compromise, though. Still, once it was all over, they were no closer to a decision on what to do than when they had started.

  “I have to take care of the garden, or we don’t eat. You’ve got to work on the house because it is your job and why you were selected.”

  “There has to be something we can do to keep you safe. We’ll talk it over with the others,” Greg said.

  Lunch was a silent affair for the most part. Each of them was lost in their thoughts. She was sure they were concentrating on what they could do to keep her safe. She was thinking about sex. She’d never thought so much about it before Greg and Steven. It just went to show that she hadn’t been with the right men in the past. Considering that she called all the shots said what type of men she had gone after—wimps.

  Now she was attracted to two dominant males who rocked her world when it came to fucking. They were gods as far as she was concerned. If she could just get past their expectations that she would obey them unequivocally. So far, they had bent to a certain degree to meet her halfway. She would hold up her side of the bargain, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t argue her point.

  “What are you contemplating over there?” Greg looked a bit wary.

  “Trying to come up with a workable solution and falling short.” She sighed.

  “You don’t need to worry so much about it. Let us do the worrying, baby.”

  “If I let you do all the worrying, you’ll end up with an ulcer and I’ll end up in a padded room surrounded with pillows and silk like some harem girl.”

  “Hmmm, I like that image.” Steven smiled.

  She rolled her eyes and stared hard at her foot still propped up on the pillow at the foot of the couch. It still looked an appalling shade of purple around her ankle, but it hadn’t spread to her foot. With the swelling down, she should be able to get on a pair of her looser shoes. Maybe even a sandal.

  “I think we could all use a nap.” Greg start
ed to pick her up.

  “Wait. Can we try and take it down here? I can’t sleep between you in the bed. I keep knocking my foot against one of you.”

  “I want to hold you, baby.”

  “Why not try the recliner, Greg?” Steven suggested.

  “Good idea. You bring her over to me.”

  She watched as Greg sat on the recliner and pushed it back to a lounging position. Then Steven picked her up and carried her over to hand her to him. It took a few minutes for her to situate herself, but once she had, she actually felt pretty comfortable. Greg, on the other hand seemed a bit uncomfortable. She realized the reason why. His cock was stuck between her and him so that her ass had it thoroughly trapped.

  “Um, sorry. Do I need to move?”

  “No! Don’t move anymore. You’re settled now. It will be fine.”

  Janet winced at the obvious discomfort in his voice. Steven chuckled and sat in his recliner. Everything settled down and after a few minutes, the men were both asleep. She was afraid she wasn’t going to sleep, but slowly her eyes became heavy and she slipped off into slumber.

  Chapter Ten

  Steven woke slowly from a highly erotic dream with Janet and Greg in it. He could almost feel Janet’s skin against his. He opened his eyes and noticed that the room was slightly darker than usual. He quickly climbed out of the recliner and found that it was later than they had planned. He gently woke Janet first so she wouldn’t hurt her ankle.

  “Love, time to rise and shine.” He kissed her lightly on the lips.

  She roused with a frown. She looked to be a bit grumpy. He grinned. She was cute when she was fussy.

  “What? What time is it?”

  “It’s nearly five. We’ve slept the day away.”

  “What’s going on?” Greg woke instantly.

  “It’s late. We need to get up.”

  “Aw, hell. How did we sleep so long?” He glanced at his watch and cursed.

  “I guess we were all more tired than we thought.” Janet yawned. “I could use some coffee.”

  “Your wish is my command.” Steven headed toward the kitchen but stopped to find out the verdict on her foot.