by Marla Monroe
“Oh, um, I couldn’t sleep too late. I’m not used to it. I was going to cook breakfast. Do you have any preferences?”
“It’s your day off. I had some cereal already. We usually grab lunch at the diner on Sundays.”
“Oh, well it seems like such a waste unless you just like going into town.”
“We like to support Mattie and her family by doing business with them as much as possible. Now that we have our own personal cook, we don’t go to town as often.”
“I hadn’t thought about it that way.” She frowned.
“Hey, don’t frown. We’re very happy. We had already tried out one cook who didn’t work out. You’re a godsend, Lexie.”
She brightened up again and smiled. They were really good men. She found herself growing more and more used to them every day. For the first time in a very long time, she relaxed and, as a result, was sleeping much better at night than ever before.
“I think I’m going to go down to the barn and see the horses, then. I’ll see you later.”
He opened the door for her but stopped her when she started to walk through. She looked up, confused. He slowly lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. It wasn’t one of the quick, soft kisses he usually gave her, either. He licked along the seam of her lips until she opened them. Then he dipped inside and licked along the roof of her mouth before sliding alongside her tongue. When he pulled back, nipping at her lower lip, Lexie opened her eyes to see his darkened and heavy lidded.
Lexie wasn’t sure what to do. Should she back away or wait for him to let her go? In the end, he slowly released her and waved her off down the path to the barn. She wasn’t sure what to think about the kiss. Her pussy was soaked, and her lips felt bruised and swollen, but in a good way. She had wanted to kiss him back but had been scared he would get angry if she did.
They had made it clear that they wanted her, but they hadn’t forced her or even pressured her into their bed. She had found herself thinking about them on more than one occasion when she should have been concentrating on her job. What did it all mean? Could she be falling in love with them? Both of them? Lexie shook her head. She couldn’t think about that right now. Maybe later after the men had gone to town for lunch she would dwell on it.
The horses had gotten used to her frequent trips there and greeted her with whinnies and snorts. She spent time with each of them but especially with Molly. The pretty filly seemed to understand her reluctance to get close to anyone for fear they would turn on her.
Everyone in her life that she had gotten close to had betrayed her somehow. Her mother had given her up for adoption when she was born. Her adoptive parents had been killed in a car crash when she had been only twelve. From there things went from bad to worse. She drifted in and out of different foster homes until she turned eighteen. Then she went to college and fell in love with Ted. He’d treated her so nice to begin with. When he graduated, he left her to marry his high school sweetheart whom he hadn’t told her he was still seeing when he went home once a month.
After college, she had stayed away from men for awhile but finally allowed Johnnie into her life because he had been so insistent and patient with her. Over time, he grew possessive and jealous of anyone showing her any attention. She lost all of her girlfriends because he didn’t like them and wouldn’t let her spend time with them. He never hit her, but he wouldn’t let her out of his sight, and while he was working, he would keep in constant contact with her, wanting to know what she was doing every minute of the day.
Finally, she left him. It had been a terrible row, and she thought for sure he would hit her, but he never had. Instead, he had thrown all of her things out the window into the street, calling her all sorts of nasty names. By then, the damage had been done, though, and she didn’t think she would ever be able to find a decent man to settle down with.
Lowery had come into her life at a particularly low time. She had just lost her job at an insurance company that was laying off people, and needed to pay her rent. They had been dating for several weeks, and when he offered to let her move in with him, she had thought it a great shot of luck. Soon he became abusive, and since she hadn’t gotten another job, she had no way to leave him.
She shook her head. She really couldn’t trust her intuition when it came to men. She needed to be careful about letting the guys close to her. They were sure to change their minds eventually, and then she’d be without a job and a home. No, she was better off resisting them, no matter how much she found herself attracted to them.
With a sigh, she turned away from Molly and ran right into Jared.
“Oh! You startled me.”
“Sorry, I thought you heard me come in.”
“I guess I was too engrossed with talking to Molly.” She hoped he hadn’t heard anything she had said.
“She’s a mighty-fine horse. You really should let Quade take you out riding one day. You would love seeing the area.”
“Maybe. It’s just that I’ve never ridden before. I’m a little scared.”
“Molly is a good mount. She would be perfect for you.” He stepped closer and placed a hand on her waist.
“We’re getting ready to go to town. Did you need to shower or change before we left?”
“You wanted me to go with you?” she squeaked out.
“Of course. You can see Mattie again and visit with her. I’m sure she’s anxious to know that you’re doing okay.”
“Um, okay. I should shower quickly if you’re sure you have time to wait on me.”
“We’ve got plenty of time. That’s why I came to get you.” He walked with her to the door of the barn.
When she would have pushed on through, he stopped her and bent down for a kiss. She was better prepared for him than she had been with Quade. But nothing prepared her for the continued fire deep inside her cunt from earlier. She had thought it gone until Jared’s lips brushed across hers. She moaned when he licked at her lower lip then sucked on it. His hand massaged her waist where he held her. The tips of his fingers splayed over her ribcage.
She wasn’t sure what might have happened next, but someone pushed on the door against them. Jared cursed and pulled back. Then he opened the door and nodded at the ranch hand as he escorted her out. She was sure her face was a brilliant red by the heat she felt in her cheeks.
“Let’s get you to the house before I embarrass myself out here in the open.” Jared’s face had a tenseness she hadn’t seen before.
Once they arrived back at the house, Lexie hurried into her bedroom and closed the doors. She leaned against them for several seconds while she regained her breath. Her entire body tingled from the brief contact with Jared. Heat that had still been there from Quade’s earlier kiss had quickly sprung to life with Jared’s attentions. Was she a slut for wanting both of them?
She swallowed down the worry and hurried to get her shower and dress before the men were ready to leave. She didn’t want to hold them up and give them any reason to be disappointed with her. She recognized now that she was indeed falling in love with the two of them.
Under the stinging spray of the shower, Lexie couldn’t help but moan when she brushed over her nipples with the washcloth. The raspy cloth stimulated her already-engorged nipples to the point of pain. She ran her hands down her body across her quivering belly to where her mound laid covered in soft curls. She couldn’t help but think about her recurring dream of the men pleasuring her over and over. The thought of Quade’s tongue at her pussy sent warm spasms throughout her body.
She ran a finger through her soaked folds to rub over her swollen clit. It would take so little to bring her to climax as aroused as she was after their kisses. She rubbed the palm of one hand over her rounded nipples again and again as she used her other hand to tease her pussy. She ran two fingers through her pussy juices then thrust them inside her hot cunt before pulling them out again.
Her clit ached for attention, so she ran a finger lightly around it several times. After teasing it
and her nipples over and over again, Lexie twisted her nipple and began to press over and over against her clit. She hissed out a breath as her climax stole up on her and caught her by surprise. She quickly stuffed her hand in her mouth to stifle the scream that threatened to erupt from her mouth as she came.
It had been one of the hardest and fastest climaxes she had ever had. She blamed it on the guys. They had gotten her aroused, and then she had simmered all that time. She grinned like an idiot thinking they didn’t even know how hot they made her. She would be mortified if they knew she masturbated to thoughts of them.
She quickly cleaned up and rinsed away the evidence of her climax along with a tenseness she had been harboring all morning.
Lexie dressed in her best pair of jeans and a navy blue blouse that accented her eyes. She even applied a light amount of makeup, wanting to look her best when she was with the men. She wanted to make sure that Mattie knew she was okay as well.
At a quarter after eleven, Lexie walked out of the bedroom and into the living room to find the men dressed in new blue jeans and button-down shirts. They both looked like sex on a stick to her. She wanted to eat them up. She threw caution to the wind and grinned at them.
“You both look great all dressed up like that.”
“You look amazing. That blouse looks good on you,” Jared said.
Quade just nodded his head with wide eyes. She wasn’t sure if he approved or wasn’t sure what to say. Then he bent down and kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear.
“You’re fucking hot, baby girl.”
Heat crept up her neck at his words. In that moment she felt hot.
“Let’s get on the road before I change my mind,” Jared said with a grin.
Lexie felt sexy with the way they were admiring her. She knew it wasn’t a good idea to encourage them, but she couldn’t help enjoying their attention.
When they arrived at the diner, they walked in and found a table in the back. The men sat on either side of her at the table. Mattie herself came over to take their order.
“Lexie, you look good, girl. How are these handsome men treating you?”
“Oh, they’re treating me great. How did Mike do with his finals?”
“Passed with flying colors. I’ll be looking for a new fry cook soon, too.” She shook her head then got down to business. “What can I get you?”
They all three of them ordered the lunch special and iced tea. Several of the other patrons walked over to say hi. They all seemed to know about her. She felt herself sink deeper into her chair with every well-wisher.
“Does everyone know about Lowery?”
“It’s a small town, Lexie. They all worried about you but couldn’t do anything as long as you didn’t leave him.” Jared tried to reassure her.
When their food came, she picked at it until Quade commented on it.
“You should eat, Lexie. You need your strength, baby girl.”
She nodded and tried to eat as much as possible so they wouldn’t think she didn’t enjoy the meal. Jared seemed to realize what was bothering her. He reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
“Honey, they all mean well. Don’t let them knowing upset you, baby.”
After they had finished eating lunch, the men ordered pecan pie and insisted on feeding her a bite from each of their forks. She felt conspicuous in front of half the town eating from their forks. When they settled the bill and walked out, they kept her between them on the way to the truck. Once there, Jared unlocked the door then walked around to the other side to get in. Quade helped Lexie into the cab of the truck before climbing in behind her. Just as they started to leave, Lowery’s truck skidded to a stop directly behind them.
“Oh, God.” Lexie buried her face in her hands.
“Shh, baby. Don’t let him upset you.” Quade looked over at Jared. “I’ve got this.”
She watched him climb out of the truck and walked back to where Lowery was crawling out of his truck. The other man was obviously drunk.
“Where’s my fucking bitch? You give her back to me.”
“Lowery, you’re drunk. You need to go home and sleep it off before you get into trouble.”
“She’s the one in trouble. She’s fucking you both ain’t she? She couldn’t even keep me satisfied. How the hell she gonna take care of two of you? Bitch doesn’t even know how to give a good blow job.” He tried to swagger over to her side of the truck, but Quade stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t talk about her like that. Now get in your truck and go home, Lowery. I’m not telling you again.”
“What you gonna do about it, huh? You think you can take me?” Lowery shoved his chest out at Quade despite having to look up to the other man.
Just when Lexie thought there would be bloodshed, the sheriff’s car pulled up. That’s when she realized a small crowd had formed outside the diner. She cringed in mortification at the knowledge that everyone had heard his horrid words about their sex life.
“I’ve got Lowery. Quade, you can get back in the truck. I’ll get his truck moved for you.”
“Thanks, Sheriff.” Quade walked back to the truck and climbed up next to her.
She knew there were tears in her eyes, but she couldn’t do anything about it. Lowery had humiliated her in front of everyone. She swallowed around the lump in her throat and stared straight ahead. Jared still had his arm around her shoulders as he backed out of the parking spot and turned them toward the ranch.
“Are you okay, Lexie?” he asked.
“I can’t believe he did that. I’m so embarrassed.”
“There’s nothing for you to be embarrassed about, baby girl. He was drunk. No one takes anything he says seriously.” Quade clasped her hand in his, their fingers intertwining.
She didn’t say anything else the rest of the trip back to the ranch. Quade’s hand holding hers gave a measure of comfort she knew she shouldn’t have allowed. Sitting between the two bulky men offered her security, and she longed for it to be real. She knew better, though. Men, even these men, weren’t to be trusted. They would turn on you or, at the very least, change their minds.
When they pulled up outside the house, Lexie let out a breath of relief. She needed to move away from them before she did something stupid like ask one of them to hold her. As it was, she had been leaning against Quade all the way back.
He helped her down from the truck, but when she would have walked on ahead, he tucked her in at his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He didn’t let go of her until they were inside. Then he pulled her over to the couch and sat down, settling her on his lap. When he wrapped his arms around her, she couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. She sobbed like a baby.
She was dimly aware of Jared sitting next to Quade and pulling her feet into his lap. He removed her shoes and began to massage her feet as Quade rubbed her back with one hand and held her tight against his chest with the other.
“Shh, baby girl. It’s okay.”
She didn’t know how she would ever be able to face anyone again. She wasn’t even sure how to get out of Quade’s lap without having to look at either him or Jared. What must they think of her? She struggled to stop crying and sit up straight. She didn’t look at either man but started to slip her feet down from Jared’s lap. He let her move them, but he took one of her hands from her lap.
When she tried to pull away, Quade pulled back from her and grasped her face in his hands so that she had to look at him. What she saw in his eyes wasn’t pity or amusement but something more. She wouldn’t let her mind process it, because it couldn’t be true. Quade couldn’t love her. Not her.
Chapter Eight
“We need to talk, Lexie,” Jared said.
“What about?” Her voice came out as little more than a whisper.
“About us, the three of us.”
“There is no three of us, Jared. There’s just you two and me.” She swallowed down the worry that was beginning to eat at her gu
t.
When she would have wiggled out of Quade’s lap, he tightened his grip. She felt his cock thicken beneath her. That stilled her faster than his hands would have. She froze, but it wasn’t in fear. Her body responded to his, and her pussy juices began to leak, soaking her panties.
“I think you know that we want you, baby. We’ve been horny for you since the first day we met you. You can’t deny that you know it. You’ve been tiptoeing around us for nearly a week now.” Jared stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. It only accentuated the size of his hardened cock.
“Oh, God.” She closed her eyes against the sight of his obvious lust for her. Hadn’t they heard anything that Lowery had said? She wasn’t good in bed.
“Quade, stand her up.”
Quade easily stood up with her in his arms. He let her slide slowly down his body, making her even more aware of the solid erection between his legs. She whimpered at the feel of it against her pussy, then her belly. She wanted him. In that instant, if he were to touch her, she would have gone to him. Instead, Jared turned her to look at him, and she lost sight of Quade for a minute. Jared brushed a tear away from her cheek, using his thumb. He took the tear from his thumb into his mouth and sucked, all the time keeping his eyes on hers.
“Give us a chance, baby. We want to make you feel good. We’ll take good care of you, Lexie. I swear we will.”
She opened her mouth to tell him that it wouldn’t work, but he closed the distance and covered her mouth with his. She moaned into his while he stroked his tongue along hers, back and forth. Hers mimicked his until they were dancing around each other. When he pulled back, it wasn’t to just breathe. He picked her up and carried her toward the bedroom. She saw Quade follow them from the corner of her eye.
Think, Lexie. What are you doing? They’ll change just like all the others did. You’ll lose your job and your place to stay. She couldn’t think, though, with them so close to her. She couldn’t process what was going on for the heated lust circling in her head.
Jared deposited her gently on the bed. He began to remove his boots, then his shirt, never letting his eyes stray from hers. She finally broke away from them and glanced in Quade’s direction. She gasped. He had managed to remove all of his clothes except his jeans, which he was slowly pushing over his thighs right then. His cock sprang free of the confining material to bob heavily in front of him. He was thick and long and so very aroused. She licked her lips, and a drop of pre-cum pearled from the slit.
