by Lynn Stark
“Don’t worry. We’ll get you to the vet.”
The small animal vet, Josie Bennett, had been invited to her party but had been unable to come because of a prior commitment. Now Piper wondered if she would be able to examine Sparkle. Colt, however, was already ahead of her.
“I’ve called Rafe, Josie’s brother. He’ll be at the office by the time we get there. He’s just finishing up a call and is on his way back to town.”
Piper had met Rafe twice. He had only just returned to Silver about a month before her arrival, taking over for his father in the practice. His and Josie’s father had decided to retire after nearly forty years. Living in a ranching and farming community was very demanding and he had been out every time she had been in to see Josie about being a part of the help center.
Now she stood close to Sparkle as he examined her. She glanced at him from beneath her lashes. The man was tall, dark, and rather scary looking. His eyes were a deep blue-green, but there was a deep coldness in them which didn’t invite anyone to get too close to him. The rest of his face was harshly handsome. Actually, she thought he was rather wicked in appearance. If he were a character in one of the novels she loved to read when she had the time, he would be a vampire.
Merck and Jace were flanking her. One was holding her hand, the other had a comforting hand on her waist. Rafe was thorough in his examination and after an hour, an x-ray, and a handful of treats, he declared Sparkle good to go. The way her pig looked at the vet Piper believed Sparkle was in love.
“Thank you,” Piper breathed, grateful. “I was very worried.” Sparkle smacked away as she chewed the last of the goodies. “You’re going to get a fat butt.” But the pig didn’t care as she grunted and chewed, happy to be the center of attention and wrapped in her fuzzy pink blanket. “Are you gay?” she asked as she picked Sparkle up into her arms.
Rafe looked at her in surprise. Merck and Jace made choking sounds beside her. Then Rafe’s eyes narrowed on her and she swallowed hard. “Yes, I am. Why?”
“Do you know my brother? His name’s Melvin, but he likes to be called Mink.”
“No, I can’t say that I do. I’ve been gone for a few years. Does he look anything like you?”
Piper nodded. She didn’t know why, but she thought Rafe, if he wasn’t otherwise committed, would be perfect for her brother. “We’re very similar in looks. We have the same father. But if you meet Mink, please don’t ask him about that. My father didn’t do the right thing by him and his mother.”
Rafe gave her another long, hard look. There wasn’t a hint of a smile on the handsome face. Then he was nodding. “I’ll remember, if I happen to meet him. Now, I suggest you keep Sparkle quiet for a few days. If there are any problems, or if you have questions, don’t hesitate to call Josie or me.”
They left after that. Though Sparkle couldn’t possibly know that Merck had beat up the bad guy for her, she let him carry her out to Piper’s SUV without protest, behaving much like a wilted belle. He put her in her seat and tucked the blanket around her, making comforting noises all the while which made Piper and Jace chuckle behind him as they admired his tight buttocks in the dress slacks. Mindy and Charm were asleep in their own seats and didn’t stir as she and Merck finally got in the front.
He had volunteered to drive while Jace was driving his own truck. They took the lead and were about three miles out of town when they approached a stop sign. Piper heard Merck swear even as the SUV failed to make the stop and they cruised through. Her heart leapt into her throat as fear gripped her. They just missed a car approaching from the right, not missing the rear bumper by more than a couple of inches. Gasping for breath, pressing a hand to her chest, she dropped her head back against the headrest, her eyes closed as the SUV finally rolled to a stop. Once it had Merck put it in park.
“Fuck! Are you okay, baby?”
Piper didn’t look at him. She stayed just as she was for a few moments longer. The passenger door opened and Jace was there, reaching across her to unbuckle her seat belt. Strong hands pulled her out and into comforting arms.
“Are you okay? That was so fucking close. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.”
“The brakes went out. There was nothing, Jace.”
The driver of the other car hurried over to them, concern on his face. “You guys okay? Hey, Merck,” the man greeted when he recognized him.
“Hey, Sid. Yeah, we’re okay. The brakes went out.” There was a note of disbelief in his voice. She couldn’t blame him.
They looked at the SUV, now illuminated by the headlights on Jace’s truck. “Isn’t that a new one?” Sid asked, amazed.
“Yes, I only got it a few weeks ago.” Piper was still trembling. Jace’s big, strong body was all but wrapped around her. “I wonder what happened. I don’t know much about cars, but the brakes going out doesn’t seem like it should happen just yet.”
“It shouldn’t. I suppose a stone could have kicked up and punctured the brake line. We’ll have the garage take a close look at it, get a mechanic’s opinion.” Jace pulled out his phone and called the sheriff’s office while Merck pulled his phone out.
“Well, if you guys are okay, I’ll be taking off. I’m just glad we’re all okay. Send the deputy over to my house, if he needs my statement. Gotta get Rachel’s meds to her.”
“Tell Rachel we said hello,” Merck told Sid as the man walked toward his car.
“Will do!”
Merck called the local towing company. It only took fifteen minutes for the flatbed truck to get there. The deputy, Tim Macon, arrived at the same time and quickly jotted down the details of the near accident before being called away to a call about horses running loose. Piper was sad as she watched her beautiful little SUV being hauled away. Once it was gone she was lifted up into Jace’s truck. Her pets were in the rear seat, all snoring away. She was squished into the front seat with Merck, the seat belt pulled across them both.
“I don’t think this is really safe,” Piper pointed out as they drove the next few miles.
“Might not be safe, but I like being tied to you.”
“You’re squishing me.”
“I plan on doing more squishing later.”
“But this is bad squishing.”
Jace laughed. “Would you two stop it? You both sound like you need a time out.”
Merck reached around Piper without warning, squishing her even more, to release the seat belt latch. Then he was pulling her onto his lap so that she was straddling his thighs. Her hands went to his broad shoulders, gripping them through the crisp fabric of the dress shirt. The hem of her dress rode up and his hands slid beneath.
“Oh, fuck, Jace, she’s wearing a garter belt,” Merck said, his voice thickening. Work-roughened hands stroked over her backside where it was exposed by the thong she was wearing. Pleasure swirled through her, between her legs, into her belly, and straight from there to her nipples. They poked at the bra and she suddenly felt restricted by the clothes she wore. She wanted them off and she wanted them off now. “I can feel the heat coming off your pussy, baby. I bet you’re wet.” Those big hands left her ass for a moment to stroke up along her thighs. They quivered, aching.
Piper arched like a cat when Merck’s hands stroked up her back. She didn’t protest when he found the small tab of the zipper and began to lower it. Her breathing quickened as she waited. The anticipation, she was sure, would kill her. With her heart racing in her chest she allowed him to pull the dress forward. It slid down her arms as she withdrew them, and then settled over her thighs.
“Nice bra, sweetheart,” Jace told her, his voice also having a husky note to it. “Please don’t let Mr. Eager there take it off of you. I want to be the one to do it. There’s only a few more miles until we get home.”
Home. That single word distracted Piper as nothing else could have at that moment. Home. Now that she was advancing to the next step with these men, would they expect her to move in with them? It was a scary thought. It wasn’t t
hat she didn’t want to live with them, because she did. Now that she had made the decision to finally become theirs in the fullest sense of the word, she was fully committed to it.
It was just such a big step that Piper was naturally nervous.
Since Jace had all but begged that they stop their play until he could participate, Piper leaned forward and snuggled against Merck’s wide chest. He was big and warm. She closed her eyes and sighed with pleasure as warm, moist breath caressed her cheek and strong arms wrapped around her body.
Home.
Chapter Eleven
“Well, you got to take her bra off,” Merck told Jace with a chuckle.
“Yeah, I did. But I was hoping she would be awake to appreciate my technique.”
Jace and Merck were standing beside the big bed, staring down at the woman sleeping soundly in the center of it. Piper was so beautiful, so perfect. She looked like a tiny sleeping angel and she was all theirs.
“So, what do we do now?”
It was Jace’s turn to laugh. “I suggest we go take care of those critters of hers. If we don’t, she’ll probably cut off body parts. She’s gotten a lot feistier since she got to Silver.”
“She did a pretty good job of standing up to her father.”
“Yes, she did. I hadn’t seen that from her before. He’s always managed to browbeat her into doing what he wanted her to do.”
After each taking a turn to kiss the sweet, sleeping face of the woman they loved, Jace and Merck quietly left the bedroom. The pets had been left in the kitchen in their crates with the supplies needed. Jace let Merck choose a place for the litter box and he finally chose the laundry room, taking care to block the door so it couldn’t be closed. He then took the food bowls and set them out, filling them with food and water. After that he let Charm out. She inspected the litter box then used it, seeming fine with its location. Jace guessed she was long past being overly fussy since Piper moved her around so much. Mindy was a lot less picky. Jace took her out to relieve herself, and then let her get a small drink of water. The tiny dog went back into the crate on her own volition, though he left the door open. He watched as she buried herself back under a thick pink blanket then went to deal with Sparkle.
The pig left her crate and followed Jace outside. She relieved herself after a few moments, finding a choice place out by the line of trees planted for a windbreak.
“I’ll have to put a fence up,” Merck said, surprising him. He hadn’t heard him come out of the house. There was a light wind pushing through the trees, pine needles swishing against one another. He’d really gotten soft these past few months. “There are a lot of wild animals around here that wouldn’t mind munching on her critters. I’ll call Russ and have him see what it’ll take to put up a good, sturdy fence. It won’t keep everything out, but it’ll help.”
“We should make a little area where Sparkle could roll in mud. Pigs like to do that, don’t they?”
“They do. Pigs don’t sweat or have any natural lubrication in their skin. They need the mud to moisturize, though I’m sure Piper rubs her pig down with some kind of moisturizer. But, being a pig, she’d probably have fun wallowing.”
When Sparkle began to wander away, investigating the new place, Jace made kissy noises like Piper made to call her pig. “Come on, Sparkle. Let’s go eat.”
Twenty minutes later Jace and Merck were sitting at the kitchen table eating hamburgers and steak fries while Sparkle crunched her way through a bowl of pellets and carrots. Charm was sitting on a chair, her tail swishing, as she watched suspiciously. Mindy had left the laundry room and was now sitting on Merck’s lap, taking tiny nibbles of the cooked hamburger he offered her.
Jace thought they would probably win a lot of points with Piper if she could see them pampering her pets as much as she did. Since neither of them was tired they wandered into the living room to watch some TV. The critters followed. Mindy chose to sit on his lap while Charm sat on the back of the couch. Sparkle stretched out on the floor, snorting softly as she relaxed at Merck’s feet.
This was how Piper found them two hours later as she wandered into the room wearing one of his T-shirts. The hem was to her knees and the short sleeves were halfway down her slender arms. Merck was asleep with Charm draped across his chest. Jace smiled as she giggled at what she saw.
“I can’t believe I fell asleep,” Piper told him, blushing a little. “You guys aren’t mad, are you?”
His eyebrows shot up. “Kitten, why would we be mad at you? You’ve had a long day with some rough spots in it. I’m surprised you even woke up.”
“Well, it was necessary.” Her silvery-gray gaze moved from him to Merck. Charm was awake now and flicking her bushy tail. “I see you’re all managing to get along.”
“Sparkle ate and went out. She seems to be feeling okay.”
Piper went to pet the sleeping pig. “That’s great. I don’t know what would happen if I lost one of my silly monkeys.” She straightened and looked around. Actually, she was looking at everything but them. “It’s quite late,” she said casually, still not looking at him. Jace’s mouth twitched. He knew where she was going to go and waited to see if she could manage it. “Are you guys planning on staying out here much longer?”
“Not much longer. Why?”
A pink-tipped toe dug into the carpet. Piper still looked everywhere but at him. He thought it cute as hell. “I thought it would be nice if you guys came in to bed.”
Jace sat up and put Mindy on the floor. The small dog tippy-toed out and he guessed she was going for her bed. He looked over at Merck and laughed. Piper giggled. The cat had moved, all but curling around the man’s head as he slept. All that could be seen was part of his forehead and one eye. Not wanting to miss this opportunity he pulled out his phone and took a picture. Then he was standing up and moving toward Piper.
She tipped her head back, causing silver curls to spill back over her shoulders. Huge gray eyes looked at him. “Are you all rested up? If we come in to bed we’re going to make love to you.”
“I don’t know. You look pretty tired. And Merck is out. Maybe we should just wait until tomorrow night.”
“Nu-huh.” Jace shook his head, moving toward her. “You look darn cute in my shirt. But you’d look better without it.”
Piper backed up and he followed, his cock hardening against his zipper. He liked the game, enjoyed the chase. And he would really enjoy it when he caught her.
“Are you going to wake Merck up?”
“He’ll wake up once you start screaming my name.”
A frown dipped the delicate line of her brows. “What makes you think you can get me to scream your name?”
“Do you think I can’t?” he challenged, feeling his entire body begin to heat with the beginning of lust. His cock twitched and he rubbed the swell, grinning when her gaze dropped and fixed on it. When the tip of her tongue poked out to lick at her lips he felt his balls tighten, pulling up against his body. “I’ll have you screaming my name all night.”
But Piper was shaking her head. “You can’t. I have to be in town very early. I can’t be tired when I need to have everything ready for the grand opening. It will be a very long day.”
This practical side of a very sexy woman amused Jace more than Piper could possibly know. She was looking at him so seriously, as if she could imprint the importance of it on him just by her gaze alone.
“Merck and I’ll be there to help you with everything. Our woman won’t be doing this alone.”
“Still, I can’t be all worn out. We’ll just have to wait.”
“But you were teasing me into coming to bed not five minutes ago. You have to pay the piper now, so to speak.”
“Show her your cock. She’ll change her mind,” Merck said helpfully. Jace glanced back to see him gently lifting the sleeping cat from his face and rising from the couch. He brushed at his face, as if dislodging stray hairs. “She’ll forget all about tomorrow. At least she will for a little while.”
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“I think our sweet Piper needs to be taught not to tease her men. If she does, she’ll be spanked.” Big gray eyes widened even more. Whatever goop she had put on them hadn’t smeared while she’d been sleeping. It enhanced her eyes, made them look mysterious and tempting. He watched as she blushed. “You like that idea, don’t you, kitten? You want me to put you over my knee and smack that pretty little bottom of yours.” Silver-blonde curls shook wildly. He watched as she glanced back in the direction of the hallway. “Come here, Piper.”
“No?” Piper sounded uncertain. Her usually melodic, bell-like voice came out in a squeak that would do a mouse proud. “Uh, I really have to get to sleep now.”
“You’re not going to sleep just yet. Why, it’s barely midnight,” Jace said smoothly. With Merck by his side they backed Piper toward the hallway…and the bedroom. “We have more than enough time to get to know each other, beginning with spanking that little bottom of yours.” When her breathing quickened and her fair skin flushed even more, he pressed harder. “Is your pussy getting wet just thinking about it? Do you feel an ache between your legs?”
She shook her head, gripping the front of his T-shirt in a tight fist. That sweet little tongue popped out again to wet her lips. He easily imagined it doing the same thing to his cock.
“I think she’s lying to us,” Merck observed. “I think her pussy is filled with cream right now, just waiting for us to taste it. Babe, if you want me to, I’ll hold her while you have the first taste.”
Jace grinned like a wolf and he saw the excitement flare in her gray eyes. Oh yeah, their woman wanted to be naughty with them. By the time they were finished with her she would want it any way they wanted to give it.
“That’s a great idea. First, however, there’s the matter of a spanking.”
Piper spun around and ran then, the hem of his shirt dancing around her slender thighs. They were on her heels in a second, feet pounding on the floor as they chased her back into the bedroom. The door slammed shut behind them and both he and Merck were breathing hard, as if they’d run a mile instead of thirty feet.
