by Becca Van
Her stomach lurched with excitement as Marcus slid a hand from her waist and up to her ribcage, just below her left breast. She knew he was waiting for her to protest or push him away, but she needed to feel his hands on her flesh just as much as, if not more than, he seemed to want to feel her. She pushed her chest forward, silently begging him to relieve the ache in her swollen breasts. He didn’t grab at her instantly. Instead he teased her as he rubbed a finger on the sensitive underside of her bra-clad breast, making her eager for more of his touch. And then he slid his hand up the last few inches and enveloped her mound in his large, warm hand. He kneaded and massaged then brought his thumb into play by flicking it back and forth over her pert nipple. She screamed her pleasure into his mouth, her cunt contracting in pleasurable spasms as more of her cream seeped onto her panties.
Bella slowly eased her mouth from Marcus’s as he wound his kiss down then withdrew his lips from hers. She could see the heat in his eyes, and her satiated body fired back up in an instant. She had no idea how this man and his brothers could turn her on so fast, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She had only just experienced a touch of heaven, and she wanted more. She wanted to experience it all but had no idea how to go about getting what she wanted.
Bella had never allowed another man to get so close to her before. She hadn’t found someone she was willing to give her virginity to. In fact, she’d thought she was frigid. She’d never felt the stirrings of arousal before, until now.
“That was so hot. You just came by the touch of my hand to your nipple. Imagine what it’ll be like when I bury my cock in that hot little pussy,” Marcus said with a growl, his voice nearly hoarse with desire.
Bella shivered, her skin rising in goose bumps as the sound of his deep voice slid up her spine. Then she freaked. She’d forgotten where they were, out in the open, one of the ranch hands working a horse in the corral behind her. She pushed Marcus away from her and slid from the fence. She turned to look over her shoulder and saw the ranch hand had his eyes glued to her now that the horse he was mounted on was quiet. She turned away, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment as she realized he’d probably watched everything she and Marcus had done. She turned away from the house, barn, and corral and began walking. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Her humiliation was complete. She wouldn’t be able to face Marcus again, let alone the ranch hand. God, what was she doing? What had she been thinking? She’d never let herself go like that before, and to do so out in the open, where anyone could and had seen her, was beyond redemption. Marcus’s ranch hand probably thought she was a slut.
Bella had never been a crier, and to find herself doing so now was too much. She began to run, sobbing with every breath. She couldn’t stay here and face them. She had to leave. Marcus yelled for her to stop, but it only spurred her to run faster. She could hardly see through the tears in her eyes, but she just couldn’t face him. She’d made a complete and utter fool of herself. God, she came just from a touch to her breast. She knew that wasn’t supposed to happen. She’d read some facts about having sex, and never once had she read that.
Bella heard the pounding of boots slamming into the ground close behind her. She began to zigzag, not wanting to be caught, only to be humiliated again, but even she knew she wasn’t going to make it. Marcus’s legs were so much longer and stronger than hers. He was built for a far faster pace than she would ever reach. She shrieked when a hard arm came around her waist, hauling her off the ground in one smooth motion. She found herself slung over a broad, muscular shoulder. She was out of breath, but that didn’t stop her from pounding on the muscular back in her face, until a sharp slap stung her ass.
“Stop it,” a familiar voice bit out as a hand slapped her ass.
Oh shit. She was in for it now. It wasn’t Marcus who had her slung over his shoulder. It was Clint.
Chapter Three
Bella heard Clint’s booted foot connect with the back door. It slammed against the opposite wall, and if it wasn’t for Clint’s quick reflexes, it would have hit her side as it swung back. It didn’t seem to slow him down any, though. He moved through the house, determination evident in his fast stride, but she was thankful he made sure she didn’t catch any part of her body on the walls or doors as he carried her through to her borrowed bedroom. Her world turned upside down again and spun before her eyes until she came to a soft landing on the bed. She was about to scramble away, but Clint was too fast for her. He jumped onto the bed, straddling her hips, taking her wrists in one of his large hands and pulling them above her head, pinning them to the mattress.
“What has you so fired up? That fact that Marcus kissed you and made you come, or that someone else saw what happened to you?” Clint asked, his voice deeper than usual.
“How dare you? Let me go. Damn it to hell,” Bella yelled, wriggling and squirming, trying to get away.
“I’ve warned you about that mouth of yours, baby. I think it’s time you learned I’m not going to put up with you cussing all the time,” Clint said firmly. “Adam, Marcus, I’m going to need your help with this little wildcat.”
Bella hadn’t even realized Marcus and Adam were in the room. She turned her head and looked around Clint’s side to see them leaning against the wall just inside her bedroom door, staring at her with fire in their eyes. They both straightened away from the wall and moved further into the room toward the bed.
“Look at me, Bella,” commanded Clint.
Bella moved her eyes back to Clint even though she didn’t want to. The tone of his voice made it impossible to deny him.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Bella. You look so hot when you come, baby. Marcus made sure David, our ranch hand, couldn’t see anything. You had your back to him,” Clint said.
“That’s not the point. I can’t believe I let that happen. No one has ever touched me like that before, let alone out in the open when anybody could and did see. God, you probably think I’m some two-bit whore. Let me up,” Bella said through clenched teeth.
“We’ll let you up once you realize you have nothing to be ashamed of,” Marcus replied as he climbed onto the bed beside her and Adam climbed on the other side of her.
“We don’t think any such thing, darlin’. If we had wanted a whore, we would be at the Lake Saloon,” Adam said.
What were they trying to do to her? She was surrounded by three large, warm, masculine men, and even though she knew she should be making more demands for them to let her go, she didn’t know if she really wanted them to. The way they looked at her made her feel so small and feminine, almost delicate, and she would never have labeled herself as anything but the opposite. She’d been on her own since she was sixteen years old. She’d had no one but herself to rely on. She was the epitome of an independent, modern woman. She’d never had men look at her like the three Aldridge brothers did. She never even acknowledged another male as anyone other than an acquaintance or friend. So what the hell was she doing letting one of them make her come and then the other carry her away to her bedroom with his brothers on his heels?
“What do you want from me?”
“We want you, darlin’. We want to love every inch of that delectable little body,” Adam whispered into her ear.
“All three of you? Together? But that’s just…Oh God, what are you doing?” Bella moaned.
Adam had unbuttoned her shirt without her even realizing he had done it. One of his hands enveloped her breast, shooting electric sparks down her body to her clit, which was an aching mass of throbbing nerves, and she wanted more. She’d never realized sex would be so acutely gratifying, and she hadn’t even gone the whole hog yet.
Another hand crept up over her other breast, and she knew Marcus was not going to be left out. She arched her chest up, trying to get those skilled fingers to the place she needed them most. She cried out when her nipples were pinched between thumbs and fingers, making her rock her hips to try and relieve the ache in her pussy. It wasn’t enoug
h. She wanted more—needed more. But she was scared if she gave herself to these men, she would travel back to her own time and lose everything.
God, Bella had only been with them for less than twenty-four hours, and they had already crawled beneath her skin. She didn’t know if she could do this. A sharp pain pierced her heart at the thought of them loving her and then tiring of her. She became fearful of her own reactions when she felt hands at the button on her cargo pants. She had to stop this now before it was too late.
“Stop. I can’t do this. I hardly know you, and you don’t know me. Please let me go,” Bella stated, putting as much conviction in her voice as she could.
The three brothers looked at Bella then each other. They removed their hands from her and rose from the bed. They each gave her one last, lingering look and left her room without a backward glance, closing the door quietly behind them.
Bella sat up and straightened her disheveled clothes. She wanted to rage at the world for making her so cautious of getting hurt. She’d had no one to hold her and love her even as a child. The fact that these three men wanted her scared the shit out of her. She had learned more about herself in the last twenty-four hours than she had in the last eight years of her life. She was a coward. She was scared of letting anyone get close to her only to have them leave her life once more, just like her parents had.
Bella spent the next couple of hours holed up in her room. She’d cried the first half hour of her self-imposed exile, but then her optimistic personality had kicked in again. She should be thankful she was still alive and experiencing life in another century. She should be out and about exploring. It took her another hour to convince herself she was going to walk out of her room, head held high, and pretend nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. It took her another half hour to get up the gumption to actually walk to the bedroom door, open it, and then walk out.
The house was quiet, which suited Bella just fine. She was hungry but had no idea where they kept the food. So she decided to find out. She searched all the cabinets and found some canned goods, but almost everything had been put into preserving jars, which she found in a cellar-like room off the kitchen. She wondered if the three brothers actually took time out of ranching to make the stores of food or if they had someone come in and do it for them. Knowing men, they probably just went to the store and bought everything. There was everything one would need—flour, sugar, eggs, coffee, herbs, butter, meat, and so much more. Bella had learned to become adept in the kitchen. She loved it when she was been able to lose herself as she created meals, even if they weren’t anything like what a five-star restaurant would serve. She loved the basic simplicity of creating pies and such from scratch, and since she had nothing else to occupy her time, she got to work.
Bella was happy with the results of her baking spree. She had apple and meat pies cooling on the table, turnovers on the bench, and a couple of cakes, as well. She’d also made a rich beef stew full of vegetables she’d found in the garden at the side of the house. It had taken her a while to figure out the wood stove, but once she had, there was no stopping her. She was pleasantly tired from her hours of cooking. She didn’t know when the brothers would be back, and since she was hungry, she found a bowl and spoon, scooped some of the stew into it, and sat down to eat. Once done, she set about cleaning up her mess. She’d found the large copper kettle off to the side of the stove and realized it was kept full so there would always be hot water. She filled a large pot with the hot water and emptied it into the stone sink. She poured cold water from a bucket she’d collected earlier in the day, grabbed the cake of soap off the side of the sink, and swished it through the water to create suds. She washed and dried the dishes, put them away, and then headed out the back door for some fresh air.
The sight that met Bella’s eyes made her squirm in her seat. Clint, Marcus, and Adam were just riding into the yard. They made a fine sight seated up on their horses, leg muscles rippling as their thighs gripped their mounts. She could just imagine those thighs flexing as they pumped their cocks deep into her body. God, she had it bad. She wanted them more than anything but was too scared to reach out and take hold. No one ever seemed to stay in her life. They always ended up leaving her. She was doing the right thing for her. She was going to keep them at arm’s length. That way no one would get hurt, most especially her.
Bella saw David come out of the barn at the sound of the brothers’ return. He opened the doors wide, allowing the brothers to ride right in without having to dismount. They disappeared into the dim interior, and Bella let her mind wander to what she’d left behind. Her conclusion—absolutely nothing. She had nothing to go back for and didn’t know if she wanted to even if she could. For some unexplainable reason, she felt more at home here on the Triple A Ranch than she had back in her own time. Her mind was a mass of contradictory confusion. She wanted to keep the three brothers at arm’s length, but she wanted them to have feelings for her other than physical. God, she was a mess.
Her breath caught in her throat as Clint, Marcus, and Adam exited the barn and sauntered toward her. They were all so different, yet so similar. Their gaits were loose hipped, loose limbed from years of being in a saddle. They were so masculine and handsome she couldn’t pull her eyes away from them. Their features and musculature drew her eyes to them again and again. They were masculinity personified. They oozed testosterone, and she knew if other women had gotten a hold of them, they would have been hog-tied with a ball and chain shackled around their ankles. They reached the steps leading to the timber deck around the house, stopped, and turned toward her.
“Are you all right, Bella?” Clint asked, his deep, husky voice rolling over her.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I hate the fact we had to leave you all alone. We are going to take turns staying with you. You need to learn to ride and shoot. You need to know how to protect yourself, baby. I would hate it if something happened to you while we weren’t here.”
“I don’t need babysitters, you know. I can look after myself. I have for years.”
“That may be, darlin’, but out here it’s different. Anyone could come riding up and take advantage of a lone woman. We talked about it today and decided while you’re here, you need to learn our ways,” Adam stated.
While she was here? Did that mean they were eventually going to get rid of her? Well, maybe she would just leave before they had the chance to ask her to leave.
“Dinner’s on the stove. I’m tired. I’ll see you in the morning. Night,” Bella said as she walked around the three men and entered the house, leaving them to stand staring after her.
Chapter Four
Bella had spent a restless night, her mind a mass of worries she had no idea how to solve. She had finally come to the conclusion she would learn what she needed to survive, because she had no idea how long she would be trapped in this world. She would learn to ride and shoot. She had every intention of being able to tack up a horse and mount up, in case she ever needed to head on out by herself. She knew that time would come, and she wanted to be prepared. She felt in her gut that her time here was limited but still wanted to know how to look after herself.
Bella was up and about just as the sun began its ascent in the east. She set out the ingredients she needed to make pancakes, as well as strawberry and blackberry jam. She was just placing the last batch onto the griddle when she heard three sets of feet heading down the hall.
“Something smells good, honey,” Marcus purred from behind her.
Bella was surprised when Marcus wrapped his arms around her from behind and gave her a gentle squeeze then placed a kiss on her head.
“Bella, you don’t have to cook for us all the time. You must have spent hours in the kitchen yesterday. We appreciated coming home to a cooked meal and the time and effort you put into all the food you made, but we don’t want you wearing yourself out,” Clint said.
“You think making a few pies is going to wear me out? For the love of�
��I used to work ten-hour days as a cook and waitress in a popular café that was always filled to capacity. Besides, I was bored out of my brain. I can’t stand sitting around doing nothing. I’m used to being busy.”
“Well, my stomach is very appreciative of your boredom, sweetheart. Thanks for our supper last night and for all the other goodies you made,” Marcus said.
“I’m going to stay here and teach you how to shoot this morning, and then this afternoon I’ll teach you how to tack up and begin your riding lessons,” Adam said. “Tomorrow Marcus will spend the day teaching you, and the day after will be Clint’s turn.”
“I appreciate you all taking the time out for me. Thanks.”
“You don’t have to thank us, Bella. We will feel much more comfortable knowing you can defend yourself, once we have to leave you alone again,” Marcus said as he loaded his plate with pancakes.
* * * *
Clint looked to Adam and Marcus, who both nodded their heads surreptitiously at him. He and his brothers had spent a few hours in the kitchen talking over how they could get through Bella’s defenses. He knew she was the woman of their dreams. They had always been attracted to the same women, but since the few women in the area had always been snapped up before they had even had a chance to begin courting, they’d never really had the opportunity to share a woman. They’d decided that’s what they all wanted a few years back when they had each watched one particular woman being married to a friend on the neighboring ranch. They had seen their friend’s woman from a distance and had been about to approach her, but before they’d had the chance, Rob Sinclair had swept her up into his arms, literally, and carried her away. They’d later found out the two had just become betrothed. They always seemed to be days too late.
