by Robyn Reigns
Owen wondered what was going through his brother’s mind. He had never seen that expression on his face before. It reminded him about how he felt the other morning while he watched Verdria sleep. His heart was on his sleeve, and his gut twisted and clenched as he realized he wouldn’t want a life without the woman sleeping before them. Owen was sure he was going to be seeing that expression on his brother quite frequently in the future. This was a scene he would never want to forget. Seeing his brother so content like this gave him a sense of calm and completeness he could never remember feeling before. “Maybe we should move her upstairs to the bedroom. This way no one will disturb her when the entourage arrives.”
“Good idea, Owen. While you carry her up, I’m going to call Kai so he can warn us when everyone’s on the way up to the house.”
He gently lifted Verdria into his arms. She was so out of it her eyes never even opened and her breathing stayed smooth and even. When she was brought close to his chest, she snuggled her head into the crook between his chin and neck. Subconsciously, she trusted him. He was glad to finally hold her today. Walking to the bedroom, trying not to jostle his cargo awake, Owen bet his brother was already thinking of ways to punish this woman for getting hurt and nearly making their hearts stop beating, even if it was only for a second. Thoughts of his brother’s toys, like the butt plug and remote-controlled dildo, flew through his mind and caused the barest of grins to twitch on his face. Thinking of fur-lined handcuffs or silk hand ties brought on a full-blown smile as he lovingly placed his precious bundle on the center of the bed.
On his way back downstairs, voices caught his attention. As Owen stepped into the kitchen, he nearly walked right into Simon, who was in the middle of giving his brother a tirade. His voice was loud and beyond pissed off. Simon sounded just like he and Ry felt when they got the call about Verdria being taken to the hospital. “That son of a bitch. Bloody git. Fucking pillock. I knew I should have taken care of him months ago for her.” He was hugging his arms around himself and shaking his head. The guy truly looked upset. In this moment, Owen saw how much this man truly cared about Verdria. “She never made her situation sound this bad. I should have known she would omit information and hide. That bloody woman would lose her finger trying to save a mouse from a spring loaded trap.”
“Simon, Ry and I understand how you feel. We’re going to take down this asshole and keep Verdria safe at the same time.”
“You need to watch Verdria though, guys.” Simon nearly bumped into Ryker as he turned and moved toward the table. “If you haven’t learned already, she’ll be devious and sneaky if she thinks you’re in any danger. She will do anything.” He looked at both men. An expression of grave concern and worry lined his face as he took a seat and allowed a loud heavy sigh to escape. “I mean it, guys. She’ll do anything and everything she can to keep people in her life safe. Risking her own welfare wouldn’t even faze her. It’s going to be difficult to keep that bleeding woman protected from herself. When she gets her mind set on something, there’s no holding her back.”
Owen sighed just as loudly as Simon. He had a feeling that Verdria and her friend were going to make him prematurely gray. “Ryker and I will do everything in our power to protect her. We have bodyguards and sentries. Currently the sheriff and a few of our well placed connections are tracking this guy down. He will be found, but Ry and I would give our own lives to keep that woman safe.”
“Owen and I know how concerned you are, Simon. We know how much you care for Verdria. If I understand correctly, you’re like the brother she never had.”
“Verdria grew up in foster homes. She never truly had any family. For someone that had a hard and lonely life, she somehow came out more than okay.”
Owen connected his gaze to Ryker’s, silently communicating. Like his brother, he didn’t realize Verdria didn’t have a true family. If she continued to resist them after Monty was taken care of, he had more of an insight as to why. Their poor woman feared so many things. But he knew when it came down to it, the thing she feared most was placing the trust of her heart and soul into the hands of another. He couldn’t blame her. If his instincts were right, their poor woman must have been continually hurt growing up in foster care. Boy did they still have their work cut out for them.
“She had no family at all?” Owen needed to clarify he was hearing true.
“Not that I know of. You need to ask her though. She never brings up her past. She says she prefers to keep the past where it belongs. In the past. The only person she ever spoke of to me was Robin.”
“Owen told me Verdria saved you and your sister from a bad situation once. What happened?”
“All I can say is that she was the only person that was able to help me convince my sister Olivia that she had something to live for in this life. She fought and battled side by side with me and never let me or Olivia give up. It’s not my story to tell.”
“I can respect that,” Ryker responded. “You show those you love great loyalty, Simon. We’ll keep you in the loop about what is going on. The sheriff and some of our men should be here soon to assess what happened today. Mack should have information gathered on the shooter by the time he gets here. Verdria is going to get through this just fine. She has too many people in her corner fighting for her not to.”
Owen knew Simon may be just as much a handful as Verdria, but for someone to care about and want to help and protect their woman this much, could win over his and Ryker’s trust and friendship in a heartbeat. All Owen could think was thank God Simon was gay and a brother figure, so there was no need to be jealous.
The conversation was brought to a sudden halt when people started filing into the house. Mack and Sully were the first into the kitchen, followed by Kai and Micah. A serious atmosphere surrounded the group of normally joking and ribbing men. Sully’s arm was held in a sling, his skin a little pale from blood loss and the pain he was doing well to hide. The men gathered round the table, each taking a seat. Owen and Ryker brought drinks to the table, handing out beer and coffee. He knew Ryker was hoping to get this business out of the way before the sheriff arrived and before Verdria woke up. Their woman didn’t need to hear their plans and tactics right this second. It was more important for her to be resting and healing from her injury. As for the sheriff, he was a good man. He knew what Ryker and Owen were up to and understood that sometimes to get justice the lines of the law had to be blurred.
Mack was the researcher and information gatherer for the group. He knew people that could hack into practically any computer system made. As a result, he was their best bet in tracking down Monty and following whatever trail he leaves behind. “This guy Monty is so far underground right now I can’t get a fix on him, Ry.” He turned to Sully and gave his partner a resigned look. “The shooter from this afternoon was just some lowlife scum from the northeast that worked for cash under the table to get his next fix. He can’t tell us anything about where Monty is hiding out. After the incident with the dog, we have to assume he’s either around the town here or he hired someone else to again do his dirty work.”
“We’re sorry, guys,” Owen heard the empathy suffuse Sully’s words. “The guy came out of nowhere. I didn’t mean for Verdria to get hurt. We all know how Mack questions people. The guy really had no info for us. It sucked that we had to hand him over to the sheriff. That stupid jackass is a waste of space.”
“Owen and I know you did the best you could. You took a bullet for her today, Sully. I don’t even want to think how much worse things would be if you weren’t there. As far as Monty’s location, I think he’s hiding out somewhere near or in Lush Valley. That incident with Verdria’s dog had to be done by him. It was too personal for him to let someone do his dirty work that time.”
Owen looked over at his brother, silently agreeing with him. “I also think today was more to scare Verdria than to get in a kill shot. He wants her too badly to kill her. From what we’ve seen and heard about this guy so far, he is very underhand
ed and will use his family’s money and connections to do and get what he wants. However, I think the man has finally reached his breaking point where Verdria is concerned. He should start getting careless soon.”
“In the meantime, does everyone agree we should just tighten security until he makes his next move?” Owen observed how Ryker met the eyes of their longtime friends and co-workers. All the men at the table nodded in silent agreement. Everyone finished their drinks and continued conversing until Sheriff Tucker made his appearance. They gave him all the information they collected, and he in turn shared with them what little he gathered. Everyone agreed not to wake Verdria for a statement. Their poor baby had a difficult day and could use all the rest she could get. She probably wouldn’t be any help anyway since she never got to see the shooter.
After everyone finally left, Owen followed behind Ryker as they made their way upstairs to check on their woman and fall down into bed with her. It had been another very long day. As soon as he entered their bedroom, his brother’s sea-green eyes went straight to the bed to take in the sight of their woman. As Owen followed his brother’s line of sight he heard the man’s breathing hitch as soon as his gaze hit Verdria. She was absolutely breathtaking as usual. Blonde hair was mussed from sleeping, her breathing was quiet and even, and her soft and quiet snores tugged at his heart. Both of them continued to watch her sleep. He was sure Ryker was trying to fight similar warring emotions that kept getting tangled inside. Each lay down on either side of her, sandwiching her between their warm bodies. As he drifted off to sleep, all he could feel was a sense of completion and peace. Owen knew both he and Ryker would walk through fire to get to the woman that completed their souls. He knew they would fight and stand together through thick and thin, battle after battle, until they both won her heart and soul.
Chapter 10
Verdria was going to go insane. Granted the past few days went by without any life and death incidents. But she felt like she was caught between the crosshairs of two very different games. She was jumping out of her skin waiting for Monty to make his next move, while her men were going to drive her up a wall for a whole other reason. They haven’t had sex with her in days. She couldn’t tell if they were playing with her or maybe they’d had enough of her. Maybe once the Monty ordeal was taken care of they would just send her on her way. This was bringing her trust issues to the fore.
She loved sleeping with them, feeling warm and safe between two large and hard masculine bodies. Their touch would send electricity zapping through her body. Her skin always tingled after they would run a hand or even just a finger over her. It was bad enough that they kept treating her like porcelain since her injury. The fact that they hadn’t had sex with her in days was driving her beyond distraction. The need for them was unbelievable. They kept leaving bed before she would wake, and they would sneak into bed after she fell asleep. They were cordial to her, still kissed and touched her. She knew her wound wasn’t so bad that sex would be an issue. All Verdria knew was that the twins had her highly confused and she was so horny from being around them she felt like a bitch in heat.
Instead of screaming out her frustrations, she decided to give in and relent to using her trusty old battery-operated friend. She was thanking God that she remembered to pack her dildo, Big Blue. Looking at the time, she figured the guys were out working their ranch. She should have plenty of time to take the edge off her need.
She lay down in the center of the bed and pulled her nightshirt up around her hips. Spreading her thighs wide, she placed a finger through her entrance to make sure she was wet. Closing her eyes, she thought of her two sexy men with black hair and turquoise eyes as she fingered her pussy. Her juices were making her nice and slick. She was trying to imagine her finger was really one of the twins playing with her cunt right before going down on her to lap at her juices. Verdria was about ready for Big Blue when she felt large, callused hands slap her own smaller hand away from her cunt.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Ryker’s voice reverberated through her, catching her off guard and pulling her from her imaginings. The look on his face and the sound of his voice made her feel like a kid caught with her hands stuck in a cookie jar trying to sneak a treat.
Frozen to the spot, with dildo still in hand, she was speechless. All she could do was stare at the interloper. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. They were probably flushed bright red, both from her attempt to get off and her embarrassment at being discovered. Her body trembled uncontrollable. She couldn’t tell if it was from waiting for his impending reaction or if it was from unfulfilled desires. As he advanced towards the bed she detected his surprise and watched as he became conflicted. As if lust and anger collided and exuded off him into the room.
She didn’t know whether she should feel angry or excited at his interruption. Tight blue jeans rode low on his hips, stretched over large muscular thighs. A form-fitting white T-shirt enhanced his biceps and torso. Arms were folded against his chest. He loomed over her. His dominant nature flared full force and his muscles rippled and tensed with his belligerence. His eyes went from hard and furious to dilated and lust ridden. The look on her man’s face nearly had her come on the spot, right then and there.
* * * *
Ryker was coming up to the bedroom to make sure their woman was okay. She normally got herself downstairs to greet him and Owen and have a quick breakfast with them. Not seeing her this morning had him worried, so he backtracked to the bedroom before leaving the house to start his normal work day routine. Astonished, he couldn’t believe his eyes when he entered the bedroom and saw Verdria playing with herself. The blood went straight from his brain to his cock. He didn’t think he ever got harder than nails that fast before. “Verdria, I’m only going to ask one more time. What do you think you are doing?”
“What the fuck does it look like? Leave me alone, Ry.”
“You’re working your way to quite a punishment, baby girl.” Ryker took her hand and licked her juices from her fingers. He couldn’t resist tasting her womanly fluid. When she moaned he knew it was from frustrating pleasure as he saw rivulets of cream leak down her thighs. “Didn’t Owen and I tell you this pussy”—he took his hand and pushed two of his large hard callused fingers into her entrance—“belongs to us?” He pushed her thighs wider and replaced his fingers with his mouth. His wet fingers moved to rim her anus while he licked and sucked at her pussy. He gently pushed his fingers through her hole, stretching the ring of muscles. “You were being a very naughty girl, Verdria. Didn’t we tell you no one plays with your pussy but me or Owen? You’re not supposed to be pleasuring yourself. ”
“Damn you, Ry! What was I supposed to do? Since you and Owen didn’t want me, I figured I’d take care of it myself.” She moaned again. She was beautiful when her anger combined with passionate need. “Would you rather I had gone out on the ranch and asked one of the hands to help me scratch an itch?” He couldn’t believe she asked that question. It was sarcasm in its greatest form, but it hurt none the less. She was asking to be punished and he had a pretty good idea on how to discipline his woman.
Ryker took hold of her large blue dildo and lubed it up. Once he felt her rectum was stretched enough, he slowly pushed the dildo through her back entrance. “You are to never think about anyone touching you except me and Owen. Is that clear?” He continued pushing the dildo in as he spoke. “Answer me!”
As he waited for an answer he watched the expressions cross her face. Anger changed to guilt and embarrassment. She looked like she regretted what she said. “Yes, Ry. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that.” Tears started running down her cheeks and the second he saw them he knew he would forgive her for those hurtful words.
He slowly drew her T-shirt off before speaking again. “No, you shouldn’t have said that. It was very hurtful, baby.” Once the dildo was pushed to the hilt, he started pulling and nipping at her nipples. He wanted to take his time pushing her to the brink.
The guilt
and shame from her words was still noticeably riding her. He could tell when she gently cupped his face with her small delicate hands and pulled his lips to meet hers. Ryker let her pull him into a long, deep, intimate kiss. He let their tongues war against each other. As if understanding her shame, he let his lips kiss along the traces of tears down her cheeks. “As long as you never speak like that again, it will be all but forgotten, baby. I know you’re hurting.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I know, baby girl. Owen and I didn’t want to hurt you. We knew your wound wasn’t too bad, but we didn’t want to take any chances of causing you pain. Now sit back and just feel. I’m going to give you what you want.”
“I want you in me. Please, I need to feel you.”
“Hush, baby. I’ll take care of everything.”
Verdria moaned with pleasure as Ryker pushed on the dildo. Soon he and Owen would be able to take her together. Just thinking about it made his cock jerk against his rough pants. He continued exploring and feeling her body. Between kissing and licking her, he managed to strip the rest of his clothes off. His cock stood out large and thick. It proudly hit against his stomach, smearing himself with pre-cum. Giving his woman pleasure made his cock grow even bigger. Her taste, her cries, her loss of control, giving into her body’s needs almost had him coming before he could sheath himself in her. This woman made him feel like a young, randy stallion.
Ryker knew how to drive her body to the brink. Her cunt was weeping juices nonstop as he suckled and licked her nipples. Stroking her pussy with his fingers made it contract nonstop. “Please, Ry. I need you inside me.” She kept begging for more. He knew she wouldn’t be satisfied until his cock stretched her sheath to fullness. But he loved drawing out this love play, and making her teeter at the edge.
His fingers were coated with her juices. God, how he needed to feel her pussy around his cock. He needed her so bad he wasn’t going to let her come until he was rutting in her. “I can’t wait to feel your pussy around my cock, baby girl.” Feeling his balls tense up close to his body, Ryker knew he couldn’t last too much longer. He lined the blunt head of his cock up with her entrance and slowly pushed in. He could feel the dildo in her rectum through her sheath. She was so magnificently tight he could barely catch his breath. Before moving his cock in and out, he turned the vibrator on. His control was hanging on by a thread. Her tight sheath clenched around him and enhanced the soft vibrations from the dildo in her ass. He couldn’t believe how much tighter her sheath was because of the dildo.
