by Marla Monroe
He and Luke would have no trouble showing Beverly just how she should be treated. A woman was the best thing that could ever happen to a man. If only he’d treat her right, she’d make him happy with one of her smiles.
“Hey, Jeremy?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it too soon to be in love with her?”
“I don’t know. Probably.”
“My chest hurts just thinking about her refusing us.”
“Yeah, mine, too. She won’t though.”
“How can you be sure?”
Jeremy sighed. “Because losing her isn’t an option.”
He lay in bed for a long time and thought about all of the ways he wanted to make Beverly happy. He worried about all the things that could go wrong, and all the pain it would cause if she said no.
* * * *
“It’ll be fun. We’ll show you some of the trails we ride that we don’t go on with the guests. There are some beautiful views out here that are just too dangerous to take inexperienced riders.” Jeremy leaned against one of the stalls as Beverly groomed one of the horses.
“I don’t know. I was kind of thinking about going to the movies this afternoon.”
“We can do that if you want to, but this will be better.” Jeremy smiled down at her.
Beverly sighed. Both men had been nagging her all morning to agree to go horseback riding with them. Being alone with them out in the middle of nowhere didn’t scare her. She actually trusted them, but she also knew they wanted her to agree to date both of them and that was where the worry set in. Two men at one time. Why couldn’t it have been just one of them?
If she agreed to go horseback riding, they’d take that to mean that she was interested in both of them. It didn’t help that she was attracted to both of them.
How can I want both of them at one time? It should only be two people, not three. Right?
Beverly was finding it more and more difficult to argue against a threesome as happy as Shelby and Billy Jean seemed to be. They both sang praises about their husbands. The guests weren’t really aware of the odd arrangements, but most of the people in town knew about them and didn’t seem to care one way or the other.
So why am I so worried over it?
Because her ex had compared her to a corpse. If she hadn’t been able to make him happy, she sure as hell couldn’t take care of two men. Instead of one heartache, she’d have two. It would be better for her to say no and move on.
“Look, Jeremy. You and Luke are obviously wanting some sort of relationship. I’m not comfortable with two men. I’m not ready to date right now. I sure can’t date two men at once.”
“Bullshit. What are you afraid of, Beverly? I can feel your attraction to both of us when we’re together. Why are you fighting it?” Jeremy walked over and took the curry comb from her hand.
“Look. I just got out of a relationship before I moved here. It hurt, and I’m not sure I’m ready to risk getting hurt like that again.”
“That was the past, before you met Luke and me. We won’t hurt you like whoever the jerk was that let you go.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
She stared at Jeremy. He really meant that. She could see the conviction in his eyes. He really believed that the three of them could be together without something happening that would tear her up inside.
Would dating them be so bad? How would I ever know if we could make it work if I don’t at least give them a try?
Something about them kept her overheated when she thought about them. She’d never felt so much for her ex just thinking about him. Maybe it would be different with them.
I can’t believe I’m actually thinking about saying yes. I’ve must have a self-destruct button in my brain.
If she did, Beverly imagined she was close to pushing it. But she’d pretty much talked herself into accepting Jeremy’s request. She was going to say yes to the afternoon horseback ride.
“Okay. I’ll go. But only if you promise that you aren’t going to pressure me into anything. If I don’t like where this is going, I can say no and you won’t harass me about it.”
“I promise. We aren’t going to make you do anything you don’t want to do, Beverly. Yes, we want you, but we want your friendship first and most.”
“And you’re sure Luke will agree to the same rules?” she asked.
“I’m sure. He and I only want a chance to prove to you that we’re serious about being with you.” Jeremy touched her shoulder. “We’re both really serious about you.”
“Okay, what time should I be down here ready to go?” she asked.
“We’ll ride out at one. That will give us about four hours to show you some great views.”
“I hope I’m not making a mistake in trusting you, Jeremy.”
“You’re not. I promise. This will be fun.”
Please don’t let him be lying.
Chapter Eight
They’d been riding for about thirty minutes when Luke took a left off the trail and through a copse of trees that bisected a less used trail leading upward. Beverly had enjoyed the ride so far. They’d talked about the land, its beauty, and how much they loved their jobs.
“Look up ahead,” Luke said, pointing ahead at where a couple of does were eating. They looked up and bounded off, deeper into the trees.
Jeremy chuckled behind her. “I think they didn’t like being pointed out, man.”
Luke laughed, as well. “Are you having a good time, honey?”
“Yes. It’s pretty up here.”
“We’ll stop once we get to the plateau up ahead. It’s just another fifteen or twenty minutes.”
She listened to them talk about various anecdotes of taking their guests on rides before she’d started working there. They had her laughing hard enough she had to hold on tight to the saddle’s horn to keep from falling off the horse.
“Here we are. Have you ever seen anything as pretty as that view?” Luke sat high in the saddle and pointed at the expanse of sky meeting ground. It was like looking off between mountains where snow clung to the tops and the trees were burning fires all down their sides. The sun’s rays lit them up like individual flames, giving the entire area an almost surreal view.
“Wow. You were right. It is amazing.” She dismounted and tied the reins to a limb before walking over to climb on one of the flat rocks and sit.
Luke and Jeremy joined her, one on each side. She didn’t fidget or complain. The sight before her seemed to demand awe and silence. Beverly wasn’t about to ruin the beauty around them by opening her mouth to complain.
They sat there for a good twenty minutes before Jeremy got down off the rock and returned to his horse. She glanced in his direction and realized he was bringing his pack over. What was he doing?
“I brought some cheese and crackers and some lemonade. I thought you might like a snack while we rested here.” Jeremy spread out a large towel then opened the container full of cheddar cheese on saltine crackers.
“Thanks. Fresh air and a ride always make me hungry,” she admitted, taking a bottle filled with homemade lemonade.
Luke picked up a cheese and cracker and fed it to her. He laughed when a part of the cracker fell.
“Pick it up. We’re not supposed to feed the animals,” she said with a chuckle.
“Here, let me try this time.” Jeremy picked up a cracker with cheese and held it while she took a bite. This time she managed not to drop most of the cracker to the rock.
“Finish that one, then I’ll try again. I refuse to fail at feeding you.” Luke’s voice held a hint of amusement as his warm blue eyes sparkled with laughter.
They finished up the snack and sat there on the rock pointing out different features of the view spread out before them.
“It’s too bad the trail is so steep. This would be a great draw for the guests,” she said.
“Yeah, but I like that we’re just about the only ones who get to see this. The area isn�
�t trampled down and you don’t constantly find trash that someone has either carelessly thrown down or lost without realizing it.” Jeremy reached over and brushed her hair out of her eyes where it had come out of her ponytail.
“Do you know how pretty your hair is in the light?” Luke asked. “It shimmers with all these different shades so that your hair looks alive.”
Heat crept up her neck to her cheeks. She was sure they were bright red. No one had ever said anything that nice to her before.
“What are you thinking?” Jeremy asked.
“Just that no one has ever said anything like that to me before.”
“It’s about time then. You deserve to be complimented all the time, honey. You’re an amazing woman.” Luke reached out and took one of her hands into his.
Jeremy took the other one and squeezed it. “Your eyes are the color of a spring morning sky, soft blue and full of promise.”
“You’re embarrassing me, guys. Stop it.”
“Never. We’re going to compliment you every chance we get. Get used to it, sweetheart.” Jeremy told her.
“I’m going to kiss you, Beverly.” Luke leaned in, cupping both cheeks in his hands as he lowered his mouth to hers.
He didn’t force her lips apart, just brushed his lips across hers then licked her bottom lip so that she opened on her own. He swept inside and ran his tongue along hers before slowly retreating and letting her go.
“You taste like clover honey. I could kiss you for hours and never get tired of it.”
“My turn.” Jeremy turned her to face him then wrapped one hand around the back of her neck before descending on her mouth in slow motion.
His kiss started out needy—his lips pressing against hers then a nip of his teeth on her bottom lip before he licked along that small sting to plunge into her open mouth. He sucked on her tongue then her bottom lip before placing a last kiss on her lips and pulling back.
“Definitely honey.” Jeremy’s voice sounded husky and breathy when he spoke.
“We want you, Beverly. We know you’re not ready yet, but we want to be up front about our intentions.” Luke leaned in and kissed her nose.
“What if I’m never ready?” she asked.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think you want us just as much as we want you right now, but you’re afraid.” Luke lifted her chin so that she had to look up at him. “You can lie to us, but don’t lie to yourself, honey.”
“I’ll admit that I’m attracted to both of you, but that doesn’t make it right. I don’t see how a threesome can work. One of you will get jealous of the other before it’s over with, and then where will I be?”
“We’re both committed to this kind of life, Beverly. We won’t get jealous and fight over you. You’ll have two men always wanting to make you happy. If you’re mad at one of us, that’s between you and him. We won’t gang up on you about anything except your safety. That’s why it works. You’ve seen how happy Billy Jean and Shelby are. I’m sure you’ve talked to them. Did they act like it was hard to make their relationships work?” Jeremy asked.
“Look. I couldn’t make my ex happy. He cheated on me. It would kill me to get attached to you guys only for you to decide I’m not who you really wanted.” She couldn’t believe they were talking about being together. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t talk about being with them while they were out and here she was doing just that.
“I don’t know who the asshole was, but he was stupid. It wasn’t your job to please him. It was his job to please you. He should have been taking care of you, not the other way around, Beverly.” Luke scooted closer to her.
“He said I was cold. I’m not cold.”
“No, you aren’t cold. You’re full of life and energy. You weren’t the problem. He was. Don’t let his narcissistic personality ruin your life,” Jeremy said.
“You can’t know that, Jeremy. You don’t really know me that well.” Beverly wanted to believe them.
“We do know. We can feel the fire in your kiss, honey. It’s obvious that you’re a passionate woman just waiting for the right men to bring it out in you.” Luke brought one of her hands up to his mouth where he placed soft kisses on each of her knuckles then turned her hand over and placed a single kiss in the palm of it.
She shivered at the depth of emotion she could see in his eyes. They burned with it and promised she’d enjoy whatever he gave her. In that moment, Beverly wanted whatever it was. She looked over into Jeremy’s green eyes and saw more of the same. Could she trust her judgment concerning them?
“I just don’t know if I can handle both of you, and dating just one of you isn’t an option. It wouldn’t be fair even if you’d do that.” She sighed. “I’m scared of getting hurt again.”
“Beverly, we’d never hurt you, but you have to be the one to make that decision. How will you know if this isn’t right if you don’t take the chance to find out?” Luke asked.
She swallowed around the thickness in her throat. She wasn’t weak or a coward. Her ex had only hurt her because she’d let him. She wasn’t going to let him ruin the rest of her life. She drew in a deep breath and nodded her head.
“I want to see if there can be something between us. I’m not promising anything just that I’ll try.”
* * * *
Luke felt relief like nothing he’d ever felt before. She would give them a chance. All they had to do now was convince her that the three of them could be together without petty jealousy or useless arguing.
I can’t wait to make love to her. I want to bury myself so deep inside of her that she can’t help but believe we belong together.
First, they had to get her relaxed so that she wouldn’t stiffen up every time one of them touched her. Beverly expected them to hurt her. They had to get past that part of her fear before they could hope to convince her that what they were building was strong enough to last forever. He already knew that was what he wanted, forever with her.
Luke watched as Jeremy nuzzled Beverly’s neck before nibbling on her earlobe and around to her jaw. The other man was slowly seducing their woman into allowing them to pleasure her. His cock was already rod hard, and his balls ached with the need to explode inside of her. That would come later. First, they would show her that they could take care of her without needing their own release. It wasn’t easy, but they weren’t slaves to their bodies’ needs.
Beverly moaned as he and Jeremy lay her back on the towel. They kissed and caressed every part of her body they could touch. Neither of them attempted to remove her clothes. That would come later, once their woman was well and truly seduced. They wouldn’t rush this. It meant too much for them to be hasty and greedy.
“You are so beautiful, Beverly.” Luke kissed her cheek then nuzzled her neck with his mouth and nose.
“She is. Look at how pretty her cheeks blush, Luke. They’re warm and rosy.” Jeremy brushed his lips across Beverly’s.
Luke rested one hand on her abdomen, his pinkie teasing along the narrow strip of skin exposed when she’d lain back on the towel. It was soft and warm to the touch. He wanted to run his lips over that smooth stretch of skin. He scooted down her body and did just that. He’d been right; it was warm and smooth and tasted of candy.
“Oh, God. What are you doing to me?” Her voice sounded breathy and wrenched from her mouth.
“Making you feel good, honey.” Jeremy continued to kiss her neck and cheek then her mouth while Luke gently nudged her blouse higher to reveal more of her midriff.
“So soft and sweet.” Luke licked across the wide expanse of skin then sucked on it, leaving reddened areas here and there.
She moaned into Jeremy’s mouth and squirmed as Luke shoved her top higher with his nose. He reached the bottom of her bra and traveled back down, using his tongue to map her entire torso with open-mouthed kisses and barely there nibbles with his teeth. Beverly arched her back when he returned to the line of her waistband to pull at the denim with his mouth.
&nb
sp; “What are you doing to me?” Beverly’s raspy voice belied her control.
“We’re seducing you, sweetheart. Let us take care of you.” Jeremy claimed her mouth as Luke began to unfasten her jeans.
She didn’t fight him or try to stop him when he pulled them down her legs. He had to stop and remove her boots first in order to pull the pant legs over her feet. She lay between them with nothing but her panties and top in place. Luke just stared down at her, his body rock hard with need at the sight of her fair skin and the pale lace that covered her pussy from sight.
“Make her feel good, Luke. Show her that we can make her scream in pleasure,” Jeremy said.
Luke slipped his hands inside her panties and slowly rolled them down her legs before dropping them on top of her discarded jeans. The sight of neatly trimmed had his cock jerking against the confines of his too tight jeans. He wanted her. He wanted to bury his face between her legs and make her come so hard she couldn’t scream.
Without allowing himself time to think about removing his own clothes, Luke stretched out between her legs and spread her thighs wide enough to allow his broad shoulders between them. Then he spread her pussy lips and licked the entire length of her slit. Her flavor exploded across his tongue. She tasted of a cross between cherry limeade and peach tea. He could lap at her all day and not get tired of her taste.
“What does she taste like, Luke?”
“Pure heaven. Here, taste her.” Luke took one of Beverly’s fingers and dragged it through her wet pussy and held it up for Jeremy to find out for himself just how good their woman tasted.
The other man groaned around Beverly’s finger then pulled it from his mouth with a little pop.
“Perfect.”
“I know.” Luke returned to lapping at her juices before stabbing his tongue inside of her pussy to gather more of her tangy juices. He ran the tip of his tongue around her clit then plunged deep again. Over and over Luke teased her clit, never really touching it, only tracing the outside of it until he could feel her arching her back to get closer to his mouth.
