by Marla Monroe
Setting the box down, she put away the tools and began to explore the room and its contents. Besides the fresh root vegetables they’d gotten in the city with their supplies, there were jars of all sorts of canned vegetables and fruits. A storage box held flour, sugar, and cornmeal. All in all, they were pretty well set for the summer.
Since she was down there, Beverly decided to go ahead and carry up some potatoes and carrots along with some posh to cook a roast for dinner the next day. She needed to set the roast in the fridge to defrost. Since microwaves didn’t work on Alpha for some strange reason, she had to learn to get meat out the day before she planned to cook it. Otherwise, thawing became an issue.
After depositing the vegetables on the counter, she washed her hands and started a pot of coffee. She was sure the guys would appreciate it while they were in the office. Once it was ready, she poured two cups and carried them into the other room. When she walked in, both men looked up from where they were bent over one of the desks looking at something.
“Thought you might like some coffee,” she said and handed them their cups.
“Thanks, Bev. This will hit the spot.” Caleb took a sip and grinned.
“Where’s yours?” Jeff asked.
“In the kitchen. I’m going to sit in there and work on my garden diary.”
“Why don’t you sit back here with us? There’s plenty of room.” Jeff indicated that there were actually four chairs in the office.
“Oh, I don’t want to disturb you guys. I know you are busy.” She started to back out of the room.
“Nonsense. Get your coffee and whatever you’re working on and sit back here with us.” Caleb frowned.
“O–okay. I’ll be back in a minute.” Beverly hurried out of the office and back to the kitchen.
She wasn’t sure if Caleb really wanted her back there or not, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. Besides, it would be nice to have some company while she worked. It wouldn’t be long before they wouldn’t be around during the day. She planned to enjoy the next few days she had left with them at home and make the most of them.
When she returned, the sound of Caleb’s voice stopped her before she got to the door. He sounded exasperated.
“…not what I was expecting. I told you that. She’s what we need here though. She knows about gardens and putting up vegetables. Can you imagine anyone I’ve dated being able to function here?” Caleb asked.
“Give her some time. She’s still feeling her way around us. I’m sure she’ll get better in time. We just have to be patient.” Jeff seemed to agree with Caleb.
Beverly knew Caleb wasn’t happy with her. She thought she was doing better, but obviously he was still disappointed in her. What was she going to do? Tears welled up behind her eyes. She fought the urge to run back to the kitchen, but she couldn’t very well hide when she’d said she would be back. With as much composure as she could muster up, she carried her coffee cup and diary into the room.
Chapter Ten
Caleb could tell that something was wrong when Beverly walked back into the office. She didn’t look at them. Instead, she walked over to the empty desk and pulled up a chair with her back to them. He’d seen the sheen of tears in her eyes. Fuck! She’d heard them talking about her. How much, he didn’t know, but it had obviously been enough to upset her.
What the hell am I supposed to do now? If I say anything to her about it, she’ll just clam up and deny that anything is wrong. Why couldn’t I just leave well enough alone? It’s only been a few days.
Totally disgusted with himself now, Caleb looked at Jeff. The other man was staring at their wife’s back, a thoughtful look on his face. When Caleb nudged him with his ruler, Jeff turned back and lifted a brow. He nodded his head toward Beverly. His partner just shrugged one shoulder and shook his head.
With a sigh, Caleb returned to the map they were studying that outlined the area that the two ranches occupied. When they had talked with Andrew from the other ranch, they’d found out that the herd had grown to well over fifteen thousand head. While that wasn’t anything to sneeze at, he’d run much more on his ranches. The difference being the number of hands available to work them and the supplies they had access to back on Earth weren’t available here on Alpha.
While the other ranch had fencing around much of their land now, it had taken them several years to build it. The land he and the others would be working was totally open. They would have to start working on adding fence as soon as they could. Andrew had filled them in on a lot of the dangers in the area and how they’d handled them so far. As it was, they were lucky to have made it the first year the women were with them. It didn’t make him feel any better about leaving Beverly alone while they were working, radio or no radio.
“So what do you think, Jeff? Pick up the horses tomorrow morning and meet up with Sloan and Nelson tomorrow afternoon?” Caleb asked resigned to having to start over again with Beverly.
“I think that’s a good plan.” Jeff turned toward where Beverly was sitting. “What do you think, baby?”
“I–I’m sorry. What did you say?” She didn’t turn all the way around.
“We’re going to go pick up the horses tomorrow morning and then go see Sloan and Nelson and their wife tomorrow afternoon. Does that sound good to you?”
“Yeah. Whatever you think is best. I’d like to meet their wife.” She turned back to what she was doing.
Caleb pressed his lips together as he ground his teeth together. He wouldn’t make the mistake of talking to Jeff about her unless there was no chance she was anywhere near again.
“Radio over there and see if that will work for them.” Caleb handed the mike over to Jeff.
Once his partner had them on the speaker, he stood up and walked over to where Beverly was sitting. He pulled one of the other chairs over next to her and sat down, draping his arm around the back of her chair.
“Did you get everything finished outside you wanted to?”
He watched her lick her lips and nod. “Everything is done. All we have to do now is keep it watered and watch for it to break ground.”
“Sounds good. You worked hard getting it all done.” He squeezed her shoulders then kissed her cheek. “Want some more coffee, honey? I’m going to get a refill while Jeff’s talking to Sloan.”
She started to get up, but he stopped her. “No. I’ll get it. You’re busy, and I’m just hanging around now.”
Beverly smiled and handed him her cup. “Thanks. Just a couple of swallows. I’ll be finished with this in a little bit and need to start dinner.”
Caleb took her cup and, after nabbing Jeff’s, headed to the kitchen. Once he’d refilled their mugs, he started back toward the office when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. When he turned back toward the kitchen to see what it was, there was nothing there. Scowling, he set the cups back down and looked all around the room without finding anything to account for the brief flash of color he thought he’d seen. It had looked like a mottled brown color. There was nothing in the area that would explain what he thought he saw.
He reclaimed the coffee and returned to the office. After handing Jeff his cup, he sat down next to Beverly again and handed hers to her. She smiled and took a tentative sip before continuing with her diary. He admired her careful writing and the well-drawn illustrations she’d made showing the dimensions of the garden. He wondered if she’d had any training in drawing.
After another twenty minutes or so, she closed the book and leaned back in the chair. Closing her eyes, she sipped the last of her coffee. He thought she was so pretty with her creamy complexion and the way she filled out her jeans. Besides that, she was a genuinely nice woman. He admired her enthusiasm and determination to do her best. But it was that determination that was giving him problems. How did he convince her that he liked her like she was and that she didn’t need to try to impress him?
“You look tired, honey. How about an early night tonight? We’ll help you clea
n up after we eat then run you a bath.” Caleb ran his fingers up and down her arm
“Th–that sounds nice.” She smiled, her eyes trying to close again as he continued to run his hand up and down her arm.
“Come on. Jeff can finish up on the radio while we work on dinner together.” He stood up and reached down to pull her out of the chair.
“You don’t have to help me. I can do it,” Beverly said in a breathy voice.
“I know, but I want to help. I used to like to cook some.” He guided her through the door and back to the kitchen.
“What was your favorite dish to cook?” she asked.
“I guess it would be between lasagna and a nice juicy steak with baked potatoes.” He grinned down at her.
She smiled and rolled her eyes. “I would have guessed the steak, no problem.”
“Now ask me what my favorite dish to eat is.”
“What is your favorite dish to eat?”
“You.”
* * * *
All the air slammed out of Beverly’s lungs when he said you to her innocent question of what his favorite dish to eat was. She hadn’t been expecting that. One minute he was talking about her not being what he had wanted to Jeff and the next he was telling her things like this. Confusion swirled in her head.
“I–I didn’t expect that.” She quickly looked down at the counter where she was working.
“I can tell. I know you’ve heard me tell you how good your sweet pussy tastes. How I can’t get enough of your spicy juices.” Using one finger, he tilted her chin toward him so that she had to look at him. “Well?”
“Um, yes, but that’s just sex talk. All men say those things, don’t they?”
His eyes darkened, and she could see his jaw working as if he was trying not to say something that was on the tip of his tongue. Beverly wished she had kept her mouth shut.
“Maybe some men say things they don’t mean during sex, but I don’t, Bev. I’m not that kind of man.”
“Okay.” It came out in a whisper.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his. They held hers as he slowly lowered his head until his lips captured hers in an achingly gentle kiss. She barely caught a whimper before it escaped. Then he was pulling away.
“So, let’s get this dinner on the road so we can see about that bubble bath.” He started chopping onions while she fought to regain her composure.
Later, as they were eating, Jeff filled them in on what the plans were for the next afternoon. They were pretty sure they would be back well before lunchtime with the horses, so they planned to drive to their new neighbors around two thirty for a short visit and planning session.
“You and their wife can visit while we work out a work schedule of sorts,” Jeff said.
“When are they planning to divide the herd up?” she asked.
“We’ll go over there Monday morning and separate them out then spend the night and drive this way on Tuesday,” Caleb told her.
“Oh! I hadn’t realized you would be staying overnight.”
“Think you’ll miss us while we’re gone?” Jeff asked with a smile.
“Of course I will.” She frowned at him. “Plus, I’ll worry about you while you’re gone.”
“Nothing to worry about, honey. We’ll be fine, and there will be plenty of other guys around while we’re working the herd.” Caleb took a sip of his tea.
“We’ll talk more about it closer to time. Don’t let it bother you now,” Jeff said.
They finished eating, and when she started gathering the dishes, Caleb reminded her that he and Jeff would take care of the kitchen. She was to relax in her bubble bath while they cleaned up.
Beverly hugged each man then climbed the stairs to run her bath. As soon as there was enough water in the tub with a decent number of bubbles, she climbed in and let the warmth seep into her tired body. She quickly bathed then leaned back to soak. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been there, but the water was beginning to cool off and the bubbles were slowly dissipating until there wouldn’t be anything hiding her any longer.
Just as she sat up, the door opened and cool air circulated around her, chilling her wet body. Caleb walked in and closed the door behind him.
“Sorry about the cool air. Looks like you’re getting out anyway.” He grabbed the towel off the warming bar and held it spread out for her.
Beverly stood up then stepped out of the tub into the warm cloth. Caleb gently rubbed and patted her skin until she was completely dry. Then he led her out of the bathroom and eased her under the covers. When she opened her eyes, it was to the sight of Caleb getting undressed. His body was truly gorgeous. She’d never seen men as handsome and muscled without being grotesque as Caleb and Jeff.
“Like what you see, honey?” Caleb grinned at having caught her ogling him.
“I can’t help it. You’re both so good looking and sexy. I can’t believe you’re my husbands.”
Caleb’s mouth furrowed in a frown, but he quickly got rid of it and tempted her with a sensual expression that promised all sorts of naughty things. She had just lifted her hands to invite him into her arms when Jeff walked in.
“Ready to take care of our wife?” Jeff asked.
Caleb spread out his arms. “I’m not standing here naked to pose for Playgirl.”
“But you could totally pull it off,” Beverly said before she realized it. Popping her hand over her mouth, she stared at them, horrified at her bold statement.
Jeff started laughing so hard he ended up sitting down on the edge of the bed. Caleb growled at the other man before turning his attention to her. He climbed on the mattress and tore the covers off of her.
“I think someone is having some dirty thoughts and needs to be punished.”
Beverly squealed when the covers came off and tried to roll off the other side of the bed as Caleb advanced on her. Jeff ran around to the other side and stopped her from getting off the bed.
“Oh, no you don’t. Caleb isn’t finished with you yet.” He turned her around and shoved her back on the bed before landing a swift slap on her ass.
She yelped this time and froze when Caleb’s wicked smile from less than a foot away caught her attention. She realized they were playing with her. She’d never played like this before. Beverly wasn’t sure what to do or say.
“What are you going to do to me?” she finally asked.
Caleb tilted his head to one side as if thinking about it. Then he ran a finger down her chest between her breasts to her belly button.
“I think a lesson on holding off your orgasm is in order.”
“What?” Her eyes flew wide open at that. “What do you mean holding off my orgasm? I can’t control them.”
Jeff snickered. “Sure you can. We’ll teach you how much better they are when you hold them back until you can’t stand it any longer. You’ll thank us later.”
“She’ll curse us first, though,” Caleb said. “Get the rope.”
“Rope? Why do you need rope?” She had a feeling she was getting in over her head.
Jeff disappeared into their closet for a few seconds. When he returned, he held several lengths of rope. Obviously it had come from Caleb’s toy bag. It wasn’t the kind they used with horses or cattle. He dropped it on the bed next to her before holding one end up in front of her.
“Feel it, baby. It’s soft rope. It won’t hurt you as long as you don’t pull too hard against it. We’d never hurt you.”
Caleb knelt on the bed and urged her to sit back down. Beverly wasn’t sure she could do this. Why would they want to tie her down if they weren’t going to hurt her? It didn’t make sense to her.
“I’m not sure this is a good idea, guys.” She tried to get back up, but Caleb gently pressed her shoulders down until she was lying flat on the bed.
“Trust us, Bev. We want to make you feel good. We would never do anything to hurt you. Just give this a chance. If we do something you don’t like, just tell us to stop. We’ll stop.” Caleb’
s eyes seemed to implore her to give them a chance.
Fear warred with a tiny edge of excitement. She wanted to trust them and see what they would do, but the inner conflict was winning out. As if Jeff knew she was going to say no, he leaned over and kissed her. His lips sipped at hers before his tongue slipped between them and claimed her mouth as his. She was lost, and when he finally moved back, she nodded her head.
“Okay.”
Chapter Eleven
They each took a hand and lifted it over her head so that they could secure her to the bedposts with the rope. Even though they didn’t tie it tight, she could tell there would be no way she could actually get loose. They then moved on to her legs and tied them in the same manner so that she felt like a giant X splayed out on the bed. At first, she didn’t worry about it too much, but the longer she lay there, the harder it became to remain calm.
Jeff moved to the side of the bed so she could see him and slowly took off his clothes in a teasing parody of a dance. As each area of his body was revealed, heat inched higher inside of her, one degree at a time. They both climbed up on the bed and knelt beside her so that she could easily see them.
Jeff wrapped his hand around the base of his cock and slowly started pumping it up and down. When she turned her head toward Caleb, she realized he was doing the same thing. Where Jeff gripped his at the base and pulled up, Caleb fisted his near the middle and ran his hand over the tip of it with each pump of his hand. Both of them squeezed to the point of what she thought had to be painful. When a drop of pre-cum pearled at the tip of Jeff’s dick, he wiped it off with one finger and held it out for her to lick. His essence exploded on the tip of her tongue, salty and tangy with a hint of musk.
As if choreographed, the both stopped masturbating and lay down beside her. Jeff leaned over and ran his tongue all around her areola without touching her nipple. Caleb licked around her belly button then up between her breasts, leaving a wet trail in his wake. When he reached the top of her cleavage, he also circled her nipple, leaving the hardened nub dry.
