by Jenny Penn
“You’re welcome.” The hot wash of Cooper’s breath against her neck sent a shiver racing down her spine.
“Hey! I helped, too,” Nick complained, pulling her from Cooper’s arms to envelope Lindsay in his own bear-style hug.
Cooper let Lindsay go, allowing her to be swallowed up in Nick’s warm, intoxicating scent. With every breath it infused her with a warmth that spread like a molten tide through her veins, melting both bone and muscles until Lindsay felt too weak to hold herself up.
Fortunately she didn’t have to. Nick tucked her into his side, keeping a possessive arm looped about her waist. Lindsay probably should have objected, but she was floating too high on a wave of contentment to bother. She might have stayed there, letting the tide roll away her good sense if she hadn’t caught the slight tensing of Cooper’s smile.
It wasn’t jealousy or irritation that darkened his gaze but anticipation that had Cooper’s teeth shining through his grin. “Time to celebrate, wouldn’t you say?”
Celebrate?
“Dinner sounds good to me. You in, lil’ bit?”
Dinner? There was something too smooth about Nick and Cooper’s routine. They were too well rehearsed. Nick’s puppy dog look too well honed. Cooper’s on the other hand looked like a two-hundred-pound Rottweiler trying to look pathetic. It just didn’t work. Neither did his attempt at an innocent tone.
“I bet Sally whipped up something good tonight and I could certainly sure use a shower,” Cooper added on as he pulled his work gloves off, slapping them against his thigh and drawing Lindsay’s attention to an erection standing way too large and proud for his jeans to fully disguise. “I bet you could, too, lil’ bit. Why don’t you pack a bag up and join us?”
For dinner or for the shower?
That’s what she should have asked him but Lindsay didn’t have the guts, especially not when she felt certain she knew the answer. Before the idea of being squashed between two naked Cooper brothers in some tight shower stall could override her common sense, Lindsay did the depressingly sensible thing and turned him down.
“I don’t really have the time for all that.” Easing away from Nick, Lindsay quickly rambled out the best excuse she could think of as she began stumbling backward. “After all, I have a whole cabin to fix up and finally have the light to do it by. Besides, I didn’t actually work that hard, not hard enough to work up either a sweat or an appetite. In fact I feel just fine, so…thanks for the offer but I’m going to have to say no but I do hope you guys enjoy your night.”
With that lame farewell, she turned and escaped through the back door. Lindsay half expected one if not both brothers to follow her into the cabin but they let her go. Her curiosity caught as to why, she crept across the darkened cabin. She sidled up to the open window closest to Cooper and Nick and strained to hear their conversation over the constant whirl of the generator’s engine.
“…your idiot-ass idea.”
Now that sounded like the irritated Cooper she’d grown to know.
“Excuse me, it did not fail.” Nick sounded indignant. “Unless you failed to notice, she did not say no. She said she was busy, which she actually is.”
“Unless it’s a ‘yes,’ it’s a ‘no.’ That’s all that counts, which makes—”
“A picnic.”
“A what?”
“A picnic,” Nick repeated. “All we have to do is get the stuff from the ranch and bring it here.”
“No.” Cooper shot down his brother’s suggestion without a second’s hesitation. “Unless you forget, Elton didn’t shower. He used his lawn hose to bathe.”
“So?” Nick might not be sympathetic to that point, but Lindsay was.
She hadn’t actually pulled the curtain back when she’d checked out the bathroom but had assumed that it had hid a shower. Then again her house had run on grease until that evening, so she probably should stop making assumptions.
“Grab a shower before you bring the food,” Nick suggested, sounding too innocent to be trusted. “I’m sure Lindsay and I could keep ourselves entertained while you’re away.”
“Like I’m leaving you here with her.”
“Why not? I’m not the one who tends to have her pinned and damn near mounted every time you turn your back.” Lindsay could easily imagine Nick’s disgruntled expression.
It seemed to her she should be the one expressing outrage over his callus and lewd description of her and Cooper’s association. Unfortunately Lindsay was actually slightly turned on. Being pinned and mounted sounded kind of fun. It certainly never had failed to heat her insides whenever Cooper got a hankering to put on a demonstration.
“Technically, she mounted me at the hospital,” Cooper reminded Nick, sounding way too cocky about that fact. “And secondly, the picnic is your idea. Your idea, your mess to manage.”
“Really? And what is your idea? To drag her back to the ranch, tie her to your bed, and fuck her into submission?”
“Works for me.”
Lindsay feared it might work for her, too. Nick apparently didn’t agree.
“Well, I doubt it will for Lindsay. She deserves better than that.”
She did? Strange that she didn’t desire better than that. Lindsay scowled, wondering if something was wrong with her. Maybe Nick was right. Maybe she should be ashamed of how easily she gave in to her wanton urges. Then again they were more fun than to indulge than the sweet, girly fantasies about Prince Charming and his picnic basket. Cooper understood.
“What? Like a picnic?”
Prince Charming, he certainly wasn’t. Of course, Cooper didn’t have to make it sound like she wasn’t worth the effort. If the man really did intend on carting her around like a caveman, the least he could do was feed her first. Lindsay knew that even the sluttiest of women got fed first. She made a mental note to point that fact out to Cooper later.
“If that’s what you think then get on with it.” Cooper’s hand fluttered into view as he waved his brother away.
“And how do I know you won’t be doing things your way the moment my back is turned?”
Lindsay could have offered Nick her own assurance but Cooper surprised her when he gave up his own.
“Fine. You’re so damn worried about it then I will swear to you here and now that I will not make a move while you are gone.”
“And when I get back there will be a fully-clothed Lindsay waiting for me,” Nick tacked on, not that Cooper took him seriously.
“I can’t help it if she takes her own clothes off but I promise not to help.”
“You’re such an ass.”
Lindsay silently seconded that, though she doubted it would have stopped Cooper form chuckling even if he had heard her curse.
“And I certainly won’t promise not to watch but—I’d never listen!”
Lindsay let out a shriek as Cooper suddenly appeared in the open window. Stumbling back, she lost her footing and fell flat on her ass as he smirked, so very pleased with himself.
“So how about it, lil’ bit, would you rather be seduced with a picnic into spending the night at our place or do you want to cut to the chase and let me drag you there all squirmy and wet?”
Knowing it was unwise but unable to help herself, Lindsay stuck her tongue out at him. Cooper sounded way too cocksure and smugly amused for her to do anything else. She wasn’t dumb enough to sit there, though, when he started hoisting himself over the windowsill.
Rolling onto her feet, Lindsay hauled ass for the back door only to slam into Nick as he stepped through it. He caught her in an unbreakable hold as his head dipped. Before she could utter a complaint he captured her lips in a kiss that had Lindsay forgetting all about objecting.
Nick tasted like ambrosia. Dark, male, addictive ambrosia—the very flavor of the pleasure cascading through her in wave after wave until every one of Lindsay’s nerve endings burned with the need for more. This kiss, this man, both brothers, they made her want things that she’d never dared to desire.
&nbs
p; Whimpering as her whole body melted into his, she wrapped her arm around his neck and let the wanton urges consuming her take over. Nick’s arm shifted lower, pressing her hips tight against his as Lindsay began to roll and grind the aching flesh between her legs against the hard ridge of his erection. God but he felt so good she couldn’t even begin to get enough. Lost to all thoughts or worries, Lindsay gave in to the slow, pulsing rhythm that had her pussy clenching in time as her thighs parted over his in a desperate attempt to get even closer.
Nothing mattered beyond this moment, beyond this need. The stroke of his tongue over hers, the hard press of his cock against the weeping folds of her cunt, the electric feel of his fingertips slipping beneath the hem of her shirt to tease the sensitive flesh of her lower back, every caress fueled the inferno boiling through her blood. Overwhelmed and out of breath, Lindsay tore her mouth free, gasping and tilting her head as she sought one second to find a moment of sanity.
“Please,” Lindsay begged, for what she didn’t know.
“Shhh now, lil’ bit,” Nick murmured, scraping his teeth over the vulnerable column of her neck. “Relax and enjoy. I promise I’m going to make you feel real good, better than any man ever has.”
Biting down with that vow he brought another gasp to her lips as a new, indescribable delight pierced her with its dark, erotic flavor. Lindsay trembled, a whimper falling from her lips as his settled over the small wound to suck away the sting. Another hot wave of want washed through her, pooling in a molten tide that soaked straight through to her panties.
“Oh God, please…don’t stop…don’t ever stop…” Mindless of the words tumbling from her lips, Lindsay twisted in Nick’s embrace in desperate attempt to get closer, to smother the pleasure consuming her with an ecstasy she could feel just beyond her reach.
“Never stop,” Nick promised, his voice a gravelly sounding growl that matched the tightening of his fingers over her flesh. As if he knew the pain beginning to twist through the silken walls of her cunt, Nick’s hand slipped downward, deviling beneath the waistband of her jeans to feather over the rounded curve of her ass. The searing heat of his palm branded her tender cheek as he pushed under the lacy end of her panties to grip her soft flesh and jerk her tighter against the solid bulge tenting his jeans.
“God, you feel so good.” Lindsay groaned, arching her hips into his as she ground herself against the engorged length of his cock. “So. Damn. Good.”
The denim binding his thick boner didn’t diminish the exquisite pleasure ricocheting through her as his hips rolled and lifted. Lindsay matched every grinding pass with her own, driven by an instinctive rhythm that gave life to the ache burning hotly in her womb. It grew with every grinding press, becoming an insatiable need that had her legs widening around his as her knees lifted in a vain attempt to get ever closer.
“Go on and take what you need, baby,” Nick encouraged her, dropping his free hand to cup her knee and pull her leg wider and higher. The delicate folds of her cunt splayed around the hard ridge of his cock, leaving the sensitive nub of her clit unprotected from more than just the erection scraping over it. Lindsay’s breath caught on a gasp as she felt Nick’s fingers trace the sensitive seam of her ass down to the molten folds creaming in eager demand for his touch.
“Nick!”
Lindsay squealed as the thick tips of his fingers rimmed the clenching opening of her cunt before plunging in deep and hard. He stretched the tender walls of her sheath so wide her whole body convulsed with a hard pulse of rapture that whipped into a bone-shattering maelstrom as he fucked her hard and fast.
Lindsay cried out, her incoherent words stuttered amongst her gasps as he drove her higher and faster into a frenzy of wanton lust. The heated wash of Nick’s breathe panted in time with her even as his own words came out clear and crisp, weighted with the sound of his own hunger.
“God, baby, you’re so damn tight. Cooper is such a fucking asshole for claiming fist ride in this sweet little cunt,” Nick muttered, his fingers never ceasing their tormenting stoking.
They shifted, twirling over the sensitive flesh and igniting a kaleidoscope of delight sizzling straight up her spine. She could feel the rush of arousal soak through her, making her pussy pulse and cream and drawing a groan from Nick.
“So wet, so hot. This little cunt begs to be filled and don’t doubt that I ache to give it all the cock it can take. Feel me, lil’ bit, feel how big you make me.”
“Please…oh, God…Nick!”
Driven wild by his touch and crazy by his words, Lindsay didn’t even know what she begged for. In those seconds she only knew that it had become nearly painful to be held back from the peak cresting with such brilliance through her. Then everything snapped as with a rough shove, Nick ripped her shirt upward, revealing the pointed peaks of her breasts. The barely there lace of her bra offered no protection as his head dipped and he bit right down on her tender tit.
That small, piercing shard of pain sent her whirling right over the edge. Lightening crashed through her, making every nerve cell rejoice as pure bliss flooded her body. Time ceased to resist as reality faded away. The only thing anchoring Lindsay to the world was Nick’s arms, strong and secure and wrapped around her.
Then they were ripped away and she went tumbling back against the wall. Nick’s fate was worse. Shoved aside by his brother, he stumbled across the floor before tripping over his own feet and literally crashing into the rotted wood planks. The sharp crack of brittle wood snapping combined with Cooper’s amused comment vaporized the foggy haze of lust clouding Lindsay’s mind.
“And he considers that the subtle approach.” Cooper snorted and rolled his eyes. “But it does go to show you, lil’ bit, you’re not safe no matter which way you turn. So, once again, are you really going to make us feed you first?”
Drawing herself upright with all the strength she could summon, Lindsay gave Cooper a once-over that should have left him in no doubt of her annoyance before turning to eye Nick, who was still stuck in the floorboards. Muttering a stream of colorful obscenities while he tried to hoist himself out of the hole his ass had created, it took Nick a moment to realize he had her attention. He fell silent and had the audacity to offer her a smile.
“Sorry about the hole.”
Lindsay didn’t say a word. She didn’t trust herself to respond. Instead she turned and marched out of the cabin, escaping into the dark night where her blush could be hidden. Oh, God. She’d just let one brother make her come while the other watched!
Her life was actually growing more complicated by the second. And more exciting.
* * * *
Cooper watched Lindsay storm across the yard as Nick grunted and muttered behind him. Another sharp snap of wood splintering had him glancing back to find his brother unstuck and the hole in Lindsay’s floor widened. The place really was a dump. He didn’t intend to spend the night praying the floor didn’t cave in.
That didn’t mean he was dumb enough to go racing off after Lindsay right then. While he didn’t buy her indignant act, Cooper still figured she needed some space or she wouldn’t have bothered with all the bluster in the first place. That’s just what happened when amateurs tried to pretend to be masters.
“So that’s your idea of how to seduce a virgin?” Cooper couldn’t help but taunt his younger brother.
“Actually that was my impersonation of you.”
“Well, in that case, you were too subtle, and you should have remembered to restrain the woman,” Cooper tacked on before turning back to catch sight of Lindsay disappearing into the barn. “So you going to get that picnic now?”
“I guess I should.” Nick heaved a sigh and glanced out at the yard. “You don’t think she’s really mad, do you?”
“Nope.” Rolling his shoulders, Cooper stretched, trying to work the tiredness from his muscles. “But I do imagine she’s hungry, and you know what they say about hungry women.”
“No, but spare me.” Nick held his hands up in surrende
r. “I’ll get the food, but…we’re not really staying here tonight, are we?”
“Hell, no,” Cooper shot that down and didn’t even bother to lower his voice like his brother had. “We’re taking her home with us after dinner. Lindsay might actually agree to go, too, once she’s well fed and ready for bed. A few glasses of wine won’t hurt either.”
Nick snorted at that but Cooper was being serious. Nothing was more important than moving Lindsay out of Elton’s hellhole of a cabin. Cooper would do whatever was necessary. If that meant putting off sex and getting Lindsay too tanked to object to relocating, then he would sink that low.
“I’ll see what I can find.” With that faint assurance, Nick started down the back steps. He paused at the bottom, lingering long enough to cast a curious glance back up at Cooper. “What? You’re not going to go try and persuade Lindsay to your way of thinking while I’m gone.”
“Nope.” Cooper didn’t even hesitate to answer. “Not for all the money in the world. That woman is dangerous right now. She needs time to settle down.”
That’s just what Cooper planned on giving her.
Chapter 18
Lindsay vented her frustration by cleaning up the mess they’d made installing the generator. Years spent in an institution where everything had a place and was expected to be kept there had made her a very neat person, but it was just a gift of nature that the need to clean consumed her every time she felt like things were spinning out of control. Given the way her life had gone, Lindsay had spent a good deal of her time cleaning.
It didn’t work tonight, though. No amount of packing and organizing could quell the tension keeping her stomach twisted into knots. One way or another, Lindsay knew she wouldn’t be sleeping on her air mattress tonight. She’d be staying at Cooper’s ranch, and then what would happen?
It wasn’t the sex that scared her. It was the wondering what came next. While getting laid had been on her list of things to do, falling in love hadn’t. In fact it was expressly forbidden. That rule would end up breaking if Lindsay let Cooper and Nick take her to their bed.
