“Now you are at my mercy, woman. Prepare to be loved.”
She groaned for real this time. He widened her legs and crawled on top of her, balancing on his elbows. He cupped her breasts and buried his face in them. “I love these.” He whipped his face back and forth, and his rough beard made the nipples burn. When he turned his head to suck on them, she jerked, as the sensitivity was now acute.
“You like it when I play with these, don’t you?”
How could he tell? Was it because she moaned and thrashed with unmitigated joy with every suck? Or was it the way her back had arched and her eyes squeezed tight each time he licked her? She nodded.
“Then I have just the thing for you. Be right back.”
What was up with him leaving her? Just as her body heated, he’d return.
“Open your eyes.”
He dangled a set of tiny pink plastic clips attached with a Y-shaped chain. Her imagination ran wild. Both her friends Brittany and Lydia had told her of these clamps and how much they loved having their nipples constantly pinched. Hailey liked a bit of pain as the ache always turned into divine bliss.
“If this is too much, sugar, just shake your head. I would have waited and brought these out in a couple of months, but our time is so limited.” He placed the clamp on one nipple and she jolted at the intensity. “Easy there. Just breathe.”
The holes in the gag needed to be bigger to allow in more air, but she managed. By the time he put on the other clamp, the first nipple had adjusted to the tightness, but her eyes still watered. A few seconds later the shards of pain morphed into fantastic pleasure between her legs. But it was when he tugged on the chain that she understood the true nature of the device. She bit down on the gag and closed her eyes to wait for the glory to follow.
“You are so beautiful. Wait until I take these off. Then the true ecstasy begins.”
She didn’t understand, but she figured he’d show her soon enough. Tanner moved lower and unsnapped her jeans. With a quick tug he lowered them. He lifted her legs in the air and removed the material. Then her pants went flying. Now all that was left were her panties. He lowered himself between her thighs and sucked on her pussy through the silky material. Tanner groaned. He tugged lightly on the clamps, and renewed sparks of electricity shot through her from tit to toe. Even though he’d barely paid attention to anything but her tits, her whole body was on fire. Her need was out of control. What had these men done to make her want them so much? She knew. They’d been kind, caring, attentive, and oh so sexy.
Knowing she’d be leaving them soon, a strong ache of loss assaulted her, but she pushed it back down. Maybe if she stayed a few more days, she could wash them out of her system. Right. And the sun would fail to come up tomorrow.
Tanner pushed aside the material, slid a finger into her moist cunt, and swirled it around. That one touch set her off. She wanted his cock so badly but now couldn’t even tell him.
“I can’t tell you how long I’ve dreamed of drinking in your sweet honey.” Faster than ice melted in the dead of winter, he lowered her panties.
Hurry.
She bet he didn’t know how long she’d dreamed of him doing this. She wiggled her hips in the hopes he’d hurry. No such luck. His one finger continued to go around in a slow circle, hitting her sweet spot on every pass. Her moans grew louder as her climax built.
Finally, he must have taken pity on her for he added a second finger. The pressure built, and when his thumb pressed against her clit she lifted her hips.
“Easy now.”
He had to be kidding. He slid his knees forward and then removed both clamps. At first she was a little disappointed until the blood rushed back to the tips. Her nipples vibrated, but it was when he leaned over and sucked on one while twirling the other that her body almost exploded. She squeezed down on the void in her pussy and gulped in air. She widened her eyes.
“You want me to fuck you?”
She nodded her head as fast as possible. He grinned. He must have tossed a condom on the bed when her eyes were closed. If her hands hadn’t been tied, she would have asked if she could put it on him, but knowing Tanner, he would have denied her request. He snapped on the condom and pulled off her panties.
“Keep your eyes open. I want you to watch me when I fuck you hard.”
His dirty words were meant to excite. He succeeded. Her juices were already dripping down her legs. She furrowed her brow pleading with him to hurry.
“I hate gags. I want to kiss you, but I know you can’t be quiet, or can you?”
She really wanted to say yes but couldn’t chance it. She shook her head. He nudged her opening and smiled. Go! He kept grinning. What was he waiting for?
“Do you want me?”
While he’d tied her wrists, he hadn’t secured them to the bed, so she lifted her arms, closed her hands into fists, and pounded on his chest.
He laughed. “That’s all the freedom you get.” He captured her wrists in one of his hand and held her arms above her.
He dipped his head and sucked on her nipples. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Spikes of lust powered through the tips so hard her body tensed. Tanner plunged into her, and she lost it. His cock stretched her, and her pussy rejoiced at the wonderful friction. She bucked and wiggled as he drove into her. His groans escalated.
“Oh, baby, yes. You are so divine. I can’t get enough.” Each sentence was punctuated with another thrust.
When she pressed down on his cock, he gasped. “Be careful.”
Holding her hands tight above her head, he rolled a nipple between two fingers, torturing her with total bliss. He then lowered his head and planted tiny kisses on her neck, sending her spiraling higher and higher. Tanner pistoned into her, creaming her hole more with each pass. Her breaths turned ragged, and when her orgasm steamrollered in, she screamed into the gag and catapulted over the edge. Waves of glory washed over her as his cock seemed to double in size.
Tanner buried his face in her neck, opened his mouth, and let out a muffled scream as his cum detonated. Heat filled her as did a sense of well-being so strong that she never wanted to leave.
Too bad she had to.
Chapter Eighteen
Oranges, yellows, and reds blended into a kaleidoscope of salmons, pinks, and peaches as the sun rose above the majestic Montana mountains. No matter how glorious the view was, Hailey could have lived without seeing it this morning. She couldn’t stop yawning as she drove back to the boarding house at this ungodly hour. What she wouldn’t have given to still be asleep in Tanner’s arms.
When he’d roused her at five, she’d groaned, but she understood the need to leave. Sneaking around reminded her of her high school days—days that needed to remain in the past.
As tired as she was, she’d do it again and again for the rest of her life if it meant she could be with her men, but once she was convinced Jackson was back on his feet, she’d have to return to Pleasure. Other than checking on Jackson, there were a few loose ends she needed to deal with. One was to learn the source of the poison that had killed three of Jackson’s cows. The rest of the ill animals had pulled through, in no small part due to Charley Higgins and Connor who hadn’t left their sides. The lab in Bozeman promised her the results tomorrow, and Jackson wanted to know if the poison had naturally occurred in nature, or if this had been sabotage.
He was favoring the theory that the McLeans were once again playing dirty. Their intent, he claimed, was to distract the Baldwins from pulling off the best rodeo ever. While she’d never seen the McLean event, the Baldwins’ rodeo seemed to have been a big success—Jackson’s injury notwithstanding. At the hospital he’d suggested those same evil McLeans had put some irritant under the flank strap to make the bull meaner. She hadn’t stayed to watch any of the other riders, but she bet the accident could have happened to anyone.
Hailey really didn’t know the McLeans very well, but if Sophie’s stories were to be believed, some of the McLeans were wonderful men.
As soon as she pulled into the back parking lot of the boarding house, she rushed up to her room and dropped onto the bed. Her goal today wouldn’t bring any happiness. She would do a thorough search for jobs to find a town that was looking for a full-time big animal vet. Her mentor, Dr. Aiden Stanton, claimed he could use her help, but they both knew there wasn’t enough work for the both of them.
Sleep claimed her quickly, and by the time she woke there was a text from Tanner saying Jackson had checked out of the hospital early and would be home soon. That was an hour ago. While the text didn’t contain a plea for help per se, they had discussed the stubborn man last night. Jackson would insist on going back to work full-time, and that meant riding his horse hard, which could jar his brain. Her job was to rein him in.
She doubted anything she did would sway him, but she could be on hand in case he relapsed. Since Tanner needed her help with Jackson, she decided to put off the job requests until after she made sure everyone was okay. She quickly showered and changed.
While she had the makings of breakfast, or rather brunch, in the tiny kitchen, she decided a sit-down meal would be nicer. Grabbing her coat, she headed out. The day was quite warm, especially for the middle of April. The sun shone and the air smelled clean, but even the fresh scent of pine failed to rid her body of the separation anxiety that had started to cripple her. She wanted to stay in Sanctuary and be with her men, but it wasn’t practical. She hadn’t spent all those years in vet school to work part-time. Besides, she had a lot of college loans to pay back.
The Valley View Café was only a block away, and she headed there. The place was packed. That wasn’t surprising given it was a Sunday morning. The waitress led her over to the one remaining table. She didn’t even look around at the other people, as she didn’t want to socialize with anyone.
As she scanned the menu, the couple seated at the booth behind her didn’t bother to modulate their voices. Hailey would have ignored them had Sophie, Alice, and Alex McLean’s names not popped up. Phrases like “ex-husband,” “fight,” and “told to leave town” were spoken. She gathered they were talking about the fight at the rodeo. From what Hailey could piece together from their conversation along with the information Alice had shared, Sophie and her daughter were on the run from her ex-husband. He’d now found her, but the McLeans had made sure he never returned. Sophie’s comment regarding why Alice never had a puppy made sense now. They’d moved too often.
Christ. All sorts of bad scenarios entered her mind. Had Sophie been abused? Hailey placed the paper napkin on her lap and shook her head. It was none of her business. All that mattered was that Sophie seemed happy now with the McLeans. She could only hope her ex never bothered her again.
By the time her breakfast came though, her appetite had left. She picked at her food, paid her bill, and walked back to the boarding house. She was tempted to speak with Sophie right now to find out how she was holding up, but why bring up a bad memory? Being discovered while on the run had to be scary. It was Alice she felt sorry for, but from what Hailey had seen yesterday, Alice had found a good friend in Cody.
Deciding to leave well enough alone, Hailey drove out to Jackson’s ranch. If he thought it odd that she was there on a Sunday, too damn bad.
Instead of heading to the barn like she did every day when she arrived, she knocked on the front door. Cody answered.
“Hailey!” His enthusiasm bolstered her spirits.
“Hey, Cody. I wanted to see how Jackson was doing.”
“He’s good. He’s taking me riding this afternoon.”
She didn’t think that was a good idea. Maybe she could be a stand-in and let Jackson rest. “Where is he?”
Tanner strolled downstairs. “He’s outside being an ass. Maybe you can talk some sense into him.”
She laughed. “That’ll be the day, but I’ll try.”
Tanner motioned for his son. “Come on, buddy. Alice is on her way over, and we need to finish setting up the robot.”
“Alice is coming over here?” She cocked a brow. She didn’t think Sophie would allow her to come to a Baldwin home.
Tanner’s lips twitched as if he was working hard to keep the smile off his face. “They’re working on the science project. I’m chaperoning.”
Cody rolled his eyes. “I don’t need a chaperone. It’s just Alice.”
The way he said her name implied he had a lot more interest in the sweet young girl than he was letting on. She’d seen him grab her hand. At thirteen, his hormones were racing.
“I’ll go check on Jackson.” She mussed Cody’s hair, smiled, and trotted out the back door.
Jackson was in the barn loading bales of hay and looking fit. She bet his head was pounding though.
“Hey there.”
He turned around but didn’t smile. “What are you doing here?”
She moved toward him. “Is that any way to greet me?” She understood his anger wasn’t really directed at her but at the fact he felt like crap.
“I thought you were leaving today.”
Was that the reason for the bad mood? That almost pleased her. “I thought I’d stay for a few more days. The results of the water testing won’t come in until tomorrow.”
“It shouldn’t matter what they find. I’ll still have three dead cattle.”
Ouch. Financially and emotionally it had to hurt. “I know. I’m sorry.”
He leaned the pitchfork against the wall. “It’s not your fault.”
She waited for him to blame the McLeans, but instead, he closed his eyes for a moment as if the pain had escalated. She moved closer. “Are you all right?”
“Head hurts. That’s all, but I’ll live.”
“Maybe you should come inside and rest.”
He cocked a brow. “What do you think I’ve been doing since yesterday?”
“You had a concussion.”
“Yeah.” He picked up the pitchfork and went back to work shoveling the hay. She wondered why Charley wasn’t doing the work, but maybe he was the smart one staying home with his wife, taking a day off.
“To answer your first question, I stayed around to take care of you.”
“Don’t need care.”
That was rather hostile. If he wanted to be that way, she didn’t need to stay. “I guess I’ll go back to the house then.”
Jackson’s shoulders slumped. “No, wait.”
She inhaled, steeling her heart for what he was going to say.
He stabbed a hand through his hair and leaned the wooden handle against the wall. “Look. I’m sorry, but it’s hard.”
“What’s hard?”
He moved closer but not near enough for an embrace. “You leaving. Cody’s attached to you.”
And you aren’t? “I know. I’m attached to him, too.” And you. And Tanner.
“Stay.”
The pain skipped across his eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. She wanted to throw herself in his arms and say yes. “And do what? There isn’t enough here in Sanctuary for me.” His chin jerked inward, almost as if she’d hit him. “I mean, job wise.”
He shrugged. “There are always weekends, I guess. You could come visit.”
Semi-long distance relationships never worked. Besides, she wanted marriage, a family, and total love. “If I’m still in the state I will.” With each exchange, her stomach twisted even more. She loved him. There. I admitted it. But would that be enough? She needed a job.
“You’d really go to Texas?”
That was what she’d mentioned before. “If I could find another way to stay, I would.” She cast her gaze downward. “Alice is on her way over. I need to see if they need help.” She didn’t mention that Tanner was with them.
She turned around before he could see the tears in her eyes, and she rushed inside and up the stairs. She wanted to witness something that would bring joy into her heart. The laughter reached her before she’d even knocked.
Knowing there would be youthful exuberance within, she pres
sed open the door and soaked in the sight of three heads leaning over the robot.
“Hey, need help?”
* * * *
The next two days were hell trying to be polite around Tanner, Cody, and Jackson. Jackson’s head still hurt, which worried her. She told him to get it checked, but he kept saying he’d had a concussion before and it would go away in due time. The fact this was a repeat event worried her more.
Then there was the lab report that had come in around lunchtime on Monday. They’d found trichloride diphosphate in the water, a chemical found in high-grade fertilizer. She and Jackson had checked out every barn on the Baldwin estate but hadn’t found anything containing that particular chemical. Jackson seemed to think it was their rivals who’d done the deed, but without any way to prove it, all he could do was ask his men to be more vigilant. She was thankful he wasn’t thinking about retaliation.
On Tuesday night, she announced she’d be leaving the next day, and Cody had turned inward. Her heart broke.
“I’ll be back to visit. I promise.” Unless I get another job out of state.
He looked up at her. “At first.”
Maybe he was right.
An idea struck. It was only five. “How would you like to go to the movies and get some pizza afterwards? Just you and me?” She wanted to spend time with all three of the people she’d grown to care so much for, but she felt spending a whole night with Cody would be better.
His eyes shone. “Really?” He turned to his dad. “Can I?”
“Sure.” Tanner faced her. “Don’t keep him too late. He has school tomorrow.”
“I won’t.”
She wrapped an arm around Cody’s shoulder. “You ready to be my date?”
He was nearly her height and looked so much like Tanner she almost pictured herself twenty years younger.
“You bet.”
God help her, but Cody was stealing her heart as much as the two men.
Chapter Nineteen
Pleasure in Sanctuary [Sanctuary, Montana 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 15
