Alphas' Embrace

by Sara Anderson

  They made small talk while Rylee stopped and tried to pick up every rock and stuff it in her pocket. Avery couldn’t help but smile at her little girl. She was behaving in ways she hadn’t seen in a long time. She should have been terrified of the big, muscular cowboys, but she was perfectly at ease.

  Once they made it to the square, they got in line for food. Rylee kept licking her lips as she saw people walking past with their plates full of food.

  Avery glanced over at Sam. “It smells wonderful. Are you sure it’s okay?” She hoped she wasn’t drooling. The food made her stomach growl loudly.

  “Yes,” Sam said with a determined grin. “We couldn’t let the two most beautiful ladies we’ve ever met pay for their own meal.”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat as Sam placed his hand in hers and Gage took Rylee’s hand. She swung off Gage’s hand as if she was a little monkey, and she giggled.

  “Oh my god!” Avery stared at Rylee and wanted to pull her to her in a hug, but that would have stopped that beautiful sound. “She laughed!”

  “That she did,” Gage said as he swung Rylee a little higher.

  She stared in wonder and soaked up the beautiful sound. Rylee hadn’t let out such a belly laugh in a few months.

  “I’ll help Rylee,” Gage said as he handed Avery a plate. “You get yours.”

  Almost on autopilot, Avery got the large plate and walked through the line. One person put a pile of brisket, another had the beans and coleslaw, while another gave her a large piece of cornbread and a brownie. As she followed Sam to a table, she glanced over, and Gage helped Rylee hold her plate with a cheeseburger and a huge frosted brownie, and he held a bag of her favorite cheese puffs in his hand. She smiled to see Rylee’s wide eyes on the brownie, and she licked her lips like a hungry puppy sniffing a warm hot dog.

  “You have to eat your supper first, okay.” Sam pulled out a chair for Rylee and then her. They sat down together, and someone walked by with a bin filled with ice and bottled sodas. They got their drinks, and Sam turned Rylee’s plate so she saw the cheeseburger instead of the brownie. “Burger first,” he stated again.

  “She’d eat the chocolate first if she could.” Avery smiled over at Rylee as she picked up her cheeseburger and took a bite.

  “I’m sure she would.” Sam glanced over to Dylan, the man that drove her home from the bar. He was walking over to them with a plate heaping with food. “Dylan, come and sit with us.” Another large man, who only had a stainless-steel travel mug, sat down, as well.

  Gage laughed. “I almost missed you, Raeff. You should make some noise now and then.”

  Riley’s wide eyes moved from Dylan to Raeff, and then she moved closer to Sam. With a grin, Sam moved her chair over until they touched, and she moved even closer to him. Avery wondered if Rylee would end up in his lap for a moment. He helped to pull her closer and smiled down at her when she looked up at him. Her aversion to men hadn’t resolved. Sam and Gage had just bribed her with donuts and hot chocolate.

  “She’s got intuition. I’d move away from Dylan, too.” Gage winked at Avery as Dylan shook his head and Raeff laughed.

  “He’s used to the young ones being smitten with him,” Gage continued.

  Dylan glared. “You know, you’ll be away from the kid and lady eventually.”

  “Young ones?” Avery asked.

  Sam laughed and took a sip of his cola. “Yeah, Dylan was sent to do a job about twenty miles away from here. A teenage girl had a crush on him, and Gage has had fun with him for months. He’s gonna get his teeth knocked in soon though, but Dylan won’t do anything in front of the youngling.”

  The language they used was odd, not to mention the witches spell at the bar. She’d learned one thing in her time with Collin though. Don’t ask questions. That always led to trouble, so she just took a bite of her beans and closed her eyes at the delicious flavor. It had been so long since she’d had a good barbecue.

  Gage rolled his eyes as Dylan laughed. “He can try. I’ll show him how a real man fights.”

  Raeff chuckled and drank from his travel mug while Dylan ignored them and shoved food into his mouth.

  Avery glanced to see if Rylee was doing all right with all the men around. She hadn’t seen Rylee eat so fast in a long time. She ate most of her burger and then finally took a big bite of her brownie. Once she finished, they threw away their trash and made their way over to the rides.

  Sam had his arm around her, and Gage held her hand. She glanced around and noticed a few other couples with two men and a woman. Her senses didn’t give her any warnings about them. She had a sense of being complete for the first time in her life, like something she never knew was missing was finally there.

  Rylee appeared to be too overwhelmed with excitement to care that Sam held her hand. They let her lead, and she pulled them to a train for small children.

  They didn’t talk much as they took turns putting Rylee on rides and taking her off. Gage watched her as if she was his own little girl, soaking in every smile and wave, while Sam scanned the crowd like a sentry scanning for any and every threat.

  It gave Avery a chance to think and soak in everything that was happening. They’d cared for her and Rylee as if they’d always been a family. A part of her wanted to embrace them, and another was so scared she could barely stand up straight. Her thoughts bounced back and forth, as indecision warred within her.

  After the rides, they sat in the stands for the rodeo. She’d never watched bull riding before and found it fascinating. The cowboy needed to hold on for eight seconds as the bull did its best to buck the cowboy off.

  The latest one was a young cowboy with a black hat. He only made it three seconds before the bull flipped him off his back. Gage sprang into action, distracting the bull. It ignored Gage and used a horn to go after the cowboy that wasn’t moving on the ground.

  Another cowboy on a horse had a lasso ready and rode toward the raging bull. The bull was ignoring Gage’s attempts to distract him, so he threw himself over the cowboy. The cowboy on the horse lassoed the bull, and more staff came out to get the bull corralled.

  Gage waved over the medical staff, and once the arena was clear, he cleared away to allow the paramedics to evaluate the cowboy. As they carried the cowboy away, he gave a thumbs-up, which caused the arena to erupt in cheers.

  “That was tense,” Avery admitted.

  “Yeah, Gage is excellent at his job though. I’ve never seen a bull get him before.”

  The rest of the night passed quickly as cowboys raced the clock to get the magic eight seconds.

  When the rodeo ended, Sam and Avery left while Gage stayed behind with the rest of the rodeo crew. Sam carried Rylee. She was so tired, she fell asleep in his arms and laid her head against his chest.

  “Let me put her to bed for you,” Sam offered.

  “Okay,” Avery said and opened her door, and then showed Sam where to lay her. The house had two bedrooms, but Avery hadn’t slept through the night in a long time. “Just put her here.” She pulled her blankets back on the little bed up against hers, and Sam laid her on the cool sheets.

  When they got back downstairs, she stood awkwardly. Her body craved him while her mind warned her to push him away. She had rioting emotions swirling within her until she was ready to scream in frustration.

  Sam leaned in, bracing his hand over her head, and kissed her. His lips brushed over hers gently for a moment before he deepened the kiss.

  All her uncertainties and confusion fled, and she wrapped her arms around him. She clung to him like a drowning woman, and he was her life preserver.

  “I’ve got you, darlin’. I’ll never let you fall.” His lips claimed hers and she nearly wept at the feeling when his arms encircled her, but instead an erotic moan came out of her mouth.

  He carried her over to her couch and threw the large rectangular cushions on the floor and laid her down on the cushions. He unsnapped her shorts before pulling them down. “You’re so beautiful, Av
ery. What did I do to deserve you?”

  She shook her head at him, not sure what he meant. She wasn’t any kind of prize. When he gazed at her, though, she felt special. She didn’t feel cheap or dirty when he pulled her shirt over her head and ran his hands over her naked body. His fingers pinched her nipples, and her back arched at the sensations that went straight to her pussy.

  “Good girl. You like a bite of pain.” He stretched out beside her. “There is so much I want to do, so much I want to tell you, but Gage is still working and I want to do this with him.”

  “Do what?”

  “Make you ours, Avery. Our society here is very different than what you’re used to. We don’t talk about it to outsiders, but you’re no longer an outsider. Gage is so much better at making tough things sound nice though. I’m more of a caveman.”

  She giggled. “You’re so funny, Sam.”

  “Funny huh?” Sam kissed her knee, then worked his way up her thigh until his hot breath fanned out across her overheated pussy. “I will show you how serious I am.” He moved his body between her legs, his hands pulled her labia apart, and he licked her slit before his tongue circled her clit.

  She moaned and ran her fingers through his hair. He pushed her legs further apart and stroked her pussy in long strokes of his tongue. This was so much better than anything she could do while fantasizing about him. His tongue licked over her clit and she gasped at the sheer pleasure of it. She moaned, gripped his hair, and ground her pussy against him as his tongue moved fast and hard.

  His head lifted for a moment. “That’s my good girl. Take what I give you. Come for me.”

  Avery’s breath was ragged, and her hips jerked when he resumed stroking her clit. His hand lifted and swatted her thigh. Not hard, but enough for a flash of heat to caress her skin and send her over the edge. She cried out as her back arched while her cunt pulsed out wave after delicious wave of warm pleasure. Tingles of bliss saturated her as he rose over her. He lowered his jeans and kicked off his boots and jeans before pulling his shirt off without unbuttoning it.

  Avery ran her hands on his hard chest. She gently rubbed the soft hair that covered his smooth chest. She could run her fingers over him all night long.

  “You’re perfect, Avery. Everything about you calls to me.” He held his cock in one hand and lined it up with her soaking wet cunt. “You’re mine.”

  “I’m yours, Sam.” She wrapped her legs around his waist, which opened her pussy to him. He leaned forward and took her lips in a dominating kiss as he thrust his cock into her in one hard thrust. She cried out into his mouth as he filled her. He was so huge that it stretched her, but his hand moved to her clit and he stroked the tight nub until she was gasping for air and ready to come again.

  Once she was gyrating her hips and digging her fingers into his shoulders, he started to move. Slowly at first, and then faster as her breath became more ragged.

  His hands gripped her ass as he picked up speed and thrust into her hard enough that the sound of flesh slapping flesh filled the living room.

  Avery cried out as tears filled her eyes as she came again. She looked up into his face and noticed his eyes changed slightly and his teeth appeared longer. His face buried in her neck as he came and groaned as his cock pulsed deep within her.

  Sam rolled off her and pulled her into his arms. “Avery.” He stroked her arms lightly held her close.

  “I’ve never felt this way before,” Avery confessed.

  “Me either, Avery. You complete me in a way no other woman has. I could never live without you now that I know how perfect you are for me.”

  Sam ran his hands over her back, relaxing her even more than the after-sex languor. Could it be this was her chance at real love? She closed her eyes and slept better than she’d slept in years while Sam caressed her skin and whispered her promises about forever.

  * * * *

  The week passed in a blur. Sam, Gage, or both of them showed up with treats, flowers, or gifts for them as if they were Southern gentlemen courting her. She’d fallen head over heels in love with them, and that terrified her, even though this town accepted two men to one woman. She had terrible luck with one man. Two would leave her a sobbing mess when they tired of her. Her thoughts drifted to happier times earlier in the week.

  Four days ago, Sam showed up while Gage was at the rodeo with a bike just Rylee’s size.

  “Sam, did you buy her a bike?” Avery’s eyes were wide as she stared at the pink bike with streamers and a pretty basket attached to the handlebars. She loved it, and she could kiss him for thinking of her baby like that, but she also felt guilty. She couldn’t afford nice things like that for Rylee.

  “No, not a new one anyways. One of the guys under me has a girl who outgrew hers, and I bought it from him at a yard sale. It wasn’t much, I swear.”

  “How much?” She’d been paid and could spare some money. It was a very pretty bike, and Rylee would love it.

  “Don’t worry about it, please. I happened to see it while I was out, and I thought of Rylee.” He set the bike down on her porch. “I really didn’t pay much for it, and this stuff came from other members that had them lying around.”

  She wasn’t sure she believed him. The bike was beautiful and looked like one of those eighty-dollar bikes, but she didn’t want to be rude. She was beyond thankful.

  Sam stared at her as if he was reading her thoughts. “Honest, Avery. It’s used, and Gage and I just fixed it up.”

  “Thank you, Sam. That is so sweet of you, and yes, Rylee will love it.”

  Rylee walked out, and her face lit up in a smile. She climbed onto the bike, and then got off as she ran back into the house.

  Avery turned worried Rylee was upset, but she came back out with her Raggedy Ann doll and placed her in the front basket.

  Sam knelt down and grinned. “Do you like your bike, kiddo?”

  Rylee nodded as Sam picked up the bike, Rylee and all, and then set her on the sidewalk. “Pedal while I push.”

  Avery watched with a smile so big her cheeks hurt as Sam spent the day helping Rylee learn to pedal her bike.

  Over the next three days, Rylee tried to ride the wheels off her bike on the sidewalk, until yesterday.

  A couple of motorcycles rode down the street toward them, and with her heart pounding and fear choking her, she ran after Rylee.

  “Rylee, stop.” She picked up Rylee and carried her into the house. It was silly, she knew. The likelihood that The Brotherhood would find her was slim. No one knew her friend that owned this house, and she changed her last name from Williams to Johns. It wasn’t them. Besides, they would have shot at her house immediately.

  Her heart rate slowed down, and she let Rylee back outside, but then she ran over a nail and the tire went flat. Rylee’s eyes filled with tears, but it was getting dark anyways. “Come on, baby girl. We’ll try to fix it tomorrow, and you can play again.”

  Now this morning, as she sat watching the sun rise in her pajamas, she struggled to feel safe here. The nagging fear of the bikers ate at her. She wished she could go to the police, but they never believed her. They behaved as if they couldn’t believe her. She’d pointed at bullet holes in her home, and they stared right past them and explained it away as a teenage prank. Maybe she should leave. She could try to start over somewhere else. How long until you don’t feel safe anymore? It would be temporary, and you wouldn’t ever see Sam and Gage again.

  Her chest hurt as she thought about leaving. She just wanted someone to love her and tell her everything would be okay. Maybe that was a sign to slow down. Perhaps if she weaned off them, she could leave. “We’ll just slow down. Maybe if it fades away instead of ending it suddenly, it won’t hurt as much.” She rubbed her chest. Yeah, right, just saying it out loud and thinking it hurt, and they barely knew each other.

  With a heavy heart, she climbed up the stairs to get dressed, and then headed downstairs to get breakfast started. The sight of Rylee’s bike leaning against a pilla
r on their front porch made her heart sink. She had no idea how to change a tire, and no money to buy another one. “YouTube. Maybe some glue will fix it. You can figure anything out by watching a YouTube video,” she told herself.

  Rylee came down soon after carrying her blanket and Raggedy Ann doll. She stared forlornly at her bike before turning around and giving Avery a sad look. She pointed at her bike.

  Avery shook her head. “It has a flat tire. I will look up how to fix it today. Maybe it just needs some super glue. We can go up to Hunt’s Hardware store and get some glue today.” It shouldn’t be too much, and she still had some change in her jar.

  A loud knock had Avery glancing up at the door. Sam stood there holding a small box. Rylee didn’t run anymore, but she still jumped. “It’s okay, Rylee. It’s just Sam.”

  Rylee turned around to look for herself, and sure enough, there was Sam. She relaxed and even smiled.

  “Drink your milk, Rylee.”

  Avery opened the heavy door, but left the antique white-framed screen door closed and latched. It was a very old door, but it was sturdy. “Hey.” She glanced from the box to his face.

  Sam held out a box that said inner tube. “I saw the flat tire, and I happen to have a spare. I could fix her tire if you’d like.”

  She never had a chance to respond before Rylee wiggled in front of her, unlatched the door, and held her arms up to Sam. Avery could only stare in shock. Rylee actually went to him! She didn’t run or hide at all.

  She stared at him and imagined trying to live now without him. She was nearly in tears at the grief those thoughts inflicted.

  “Just the bike, honest. I’m not going to hold it against you or anything that I fixed Rylee’s bike.”

  Avery swallowed hard and smiled. He misunderstood her mood. True, she had strong feelings for Sam and Gage, and in her life experience, that was a terrible thing that got her hurt, but now she was in too deep for that to stop her now. A criminal biker gang though, she couldn’t face them and endanger Rylee. Not even Sam and Gage.