Boots and Buckles

by Myla Jackson

  They dropped to their feet at the same time, neither letting go of the straw hat. Grant tugged hard, trying to dislodge it, Sam tugged equally hard and the hat ripped in two.

  The two men stared at the hat, then turned to Mona, who stood on the bar, her arms crossed, shaking her head. “Really?”

  “Sorry, Mona. I’ll buy you a new hat.” Grant reached up to help her down.

  Sam stood beside him. “No, I tore it, I’ll buy you a new hat.”

  As the disappointed cowboys moseyed back to their chairs, Grant and Sam hovered in front of the bar, each holding out their hands, waiting for Mona to choose which she’d let help her down.

  Finally, she ignored both of them, sat on the bar and scooted off without their help. “Come on, I’ll dance with Sam first, then Grant. No fighting.”

  She grabbed Sam’s hand and dragged him toward the dance floor, her lips moving, her voice drowned by the loud music and even louder cowboys.

  Sam shot a triumphant grin over his shoulder at Grant.

  His fists clenched, Grant could only watch from the sidelines as Sam danced away with Mona.

  “What’s the matter?” Dalton stopped next to Grant and chuckled. “Your partner get your girl?”

  “Shut up, Dalton.”

  Dalton smirked. “She’s nothin’ but a tease. Not worth fightin’ over.” He crossed his arms. “If it hadn’t been for her, we’d still be a team.”

  “No, if it hadn’t been for you, I’d have been with Mona for the last three years.” Grant grabbed the front of Dalton’s shirt and jerked him close. “You fucked it up. Not me, and not Mona.”

  Dalton peeled Grant’s fingers loose from his shirt and smoothed out the wrinkles. “You’re a fool, Raleigh. No woman is worth the amount of trouble that one has caused.”

  “Get out of my face.” Grant clenched his fists, fighting the urge to slug the bullshit out of his ex-partner.

  “Look what happened with your first wife. She didn’t even stay married to you a whole year before she slept with me then ran off with another cowboy. Did she?”

  Grant closed his eyes and counted to three, then opened them and said, “Get the hell out of my face.”

  “And if I don’t, whatcha gonna do about it?” Dalton waved him forward. “Come on. Take a swing.”

  Mona and Sam stopped in front of them. “Grant, your turn.”

  Reluctant to leave a fight Dalton started, Grant hesitated.

  “If you’re not going to dance with her, I will.” Sam started to lead Mona back among the dancers.

  “We’ll dance,” Grant said, his words tight. “Dalton’s not worth it.”

  Sam placed Mona in his arms and gave them a shove toward the other dancers. “Go on then. I got this.”

  Before he left Dalton, Grant said, “Stay out of my life and leave Mona alone. She deserves better than you.” Then he gathered Mona close and took off. When they rounded the end of the dance floor and headed back in Dalton’s direction, Sam wasn’t next to him.

  “Leave it, Grant,” Mona said. “Dalton’s an ass. Sam didn’t rise to his bait. Neither should you.”

  Grant settled into the steps, his gaze resting on her. “Mona, I meant it when I said I was sorry for leaving you.”

  “I know.”

  “What’s it going to take to win you back?”

  She stiffened in his arms, her steps slowing. “I told you.”

  “Sam’s not into threesomes.”

  “Frankly, Grant, I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s get through this dance and you can go home.”

  “I’m not giving up.”

  “Why? To prove a point?” She stopped in the middle of the dance floor. “Did you ever really love me?”

  “Yes. I loved you and still do.” Other couples nearly bumped into them. “I’m not leaving now, because you’re worth fighting for.”

  She stared up at him, her eyes swimming in unshed tears. “You didn’t think so the last chance you had.”

  “Other things came up. I wasn’t free to come back.”

  “Yeah, you married another woman.” A tear slipped down her face. “How was I supposed to take that? You said you loved me. Then you turned around and married another woman. I guess I should at least be happy you ended it with a phone call. I was stupid and in love.”

  “I married Desiree because she was pregnant.” There it was out. He’d told her. “Not because I loved her.”

  Mona stepped out of his arms. “She was pregnant when we were going out?”

  “I didn’t know it then.”

  “But you slept with her and then moved on to the next rodeo and slept with me.” She dropped her arms to her sides. “How do I know you won’t do it again? New town, new fuck-buddy.”

  He gripped her arms, his fingers digging into her soft flesh. “Because I love you. I don’t want another woman in my life. There hasn’t been one since you.”

  “Well, I don’t want just you. If I can’t have both you and Sam, I don’t want either of you.” The music ended on her last word. Mona walked off the dance floor and disappeared through a door into the back of the saloon.

  Grant retraced his steps to the bar and ordered another whiskey, determined to take the edge off his anger and disappointment by blurring it with booze.

  “You gonna let her walk away?” Sam appeared next to him.

  “She made her wishes clear. It’s both of us or neither.”

  “Let’s go.” Sam wove his way through the throng of rowdy cowboys.

  Grant left his whiskey and followed. “Where are we going?”

  “After Mona. Where else?” Sam turned toward the door leading to the back of the saloon where Mona had gone.

  A large figure stepped in front of them.

  Grant couldn’t quite tell if the person was male or female.

  “Employees only allowed in the back,” she said in a low voice.

  “We need to see Mona,” Grant said.

  “You and every other horny cowboy.” She jerked her thumb. “Beat it.”

  “But—”

  “You heard me.”

  “Greta Sue, let them through.” The pretty strawberry-blonde bar owner touched the massive woman’s arm. “Mona knows them, and I approve.” Her arm shot out to grab Grant’s. “As long as they don’t hurt her anymore.” She leveled a sharp stare at Grant. “Got it?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Grant nodded. “I never wanted to hurt her.”

  “Well, you did. She’s backstage in the costume room. Now get in there and fix it.”

  Again, he replied, “Yes, ma’am.”

  Greta Sue stepped aside, allowing Grant and Sam to pass, then closed the gap with her big frame behind them.

  As they entered the backstage area, Grant leaned toward Sam and whispered, “I take it you’re in?”

  Sam nodded. “I’m not excited by it. But I’m in. Whatever happens, don’t be touchin’ my dick.”

  “Goes both ways.”

  Sam stuck out his hand. “Deal.”

  They rounded a corner into the costume room and found Mona with her back to them, slipping out of her skirt and panties. She lifted the hem of her tank top and dragged it up over her head, her dark-brown hair falling down around her shoulders.

  Both men ground to a stop and stared, speechless.

  Grant’s cock twitched and a knot the size of a walnut lodged next to his vocal chords. God, she’s beautiful.

  Still with her back to them, she reached back and lifted her hair up and let it sift through her fingers. Then she glanced over her shoulder, giving them the benefit of glimpsing one full, rounded breast. “Are you two going to stand there gawking or did you have a purpose for coming back here?”

  Sam spoke first. “I’m in.” He coughed and attempted to start again.

  Grant touched his arm. “What he means is that we’re here to give you what you want.”

  She reached into the rack of costumes and pulled out a red, sequined vest and held it to her front as she turned
to face them. It barely covered her breasts and the triangle of hair at the apex of her thighs. One peaked nipple was visible, teasing them with its taut areola. “Do you really know what I want?”

  “We think we do,” Sam said. “You want both of us.”

  “To do what?”

  Grant crossed to where she stood. “You want both of us to make love to you. To show you how much we care by working together to make you happy. Sam and I have an understanding and are willing to work as a team. Aren’t we, Sam?” he said without looking back at his partner.

  “We do and we are.”

  Grant’s gaze never left Mona’s, even as she glanced to Sam and back. He held out his hand. “Are you willing to give us the chance to prove ourselves?” What he wanted to say was, would she give him the chance to prove he cared enough to do anything to make her happy.

  Her eyes widened and her breath escaped on a soft gasp. The hand holding the vest shook.

  Grant inhaled the scent of her, honeysuckle and citrus, a poignant combination he had never forgotten. Her naked body within reach, made his tighten and ache.

  Finally, she nodded. “Okay.” Her hand dropped, the hanger with the vest on it falling to the floor, exposing her entire body to Grant and Sam’s perusal.

  Grant reached out and touched her face.

  Sam stepped up beside them. “How’s this work? I’ve never been in a threesome.”

  “Kinda like team ropin’,” Grant said with a grin. “I’ll take the front, you get the back.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Mona giggled nervously and leaned into Sam as he moved into position. “Umm.”

  Grant lifted her chin and claimed her lips in a kiss that left her breathless. He stroked her tongue while Sam’s fingers settled on her waist and slid upward to cup her breasts, weighing the mounds in his big, rough hands.

  Mona groaned into Grant’s mouth and she reached for the buttons on his shirt, releasing them as quickly as she could.

  She tingled all over and her blood burned through her system, igniting a desire so palpable, she ached with it. Mona had to be closer. Skin-to-skin wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her hunger. With a desperate tug, she yanked Grant’s shirt from his waistband and went to work on the top button of his jeans.

  Sam tweaked the tips of her nipples, rolling the nubs between his thumbs and forefingers.

  “Let me at one of those.” Grant pushed aside one of Sam’s hands and sucked the nipple between his lips, pulling hard.

  Mona arched her back, urging him to take more into his mouth.

  Sam’s hand slid down her belly to the juncture of her thighs, threading through the curls.

  “Oh, yes,” Mona said, widening her stance, making it easier for him to part her folds and stroke the sensitive strip of flesh between. “There.” She fumbled with the tab on Grant’s jeans and pulled it down, releasing his stiff, thick cock into her palm, hard as steel and as soft as velvet, the mushroom head rounded and smooth. She licked her lips, anxious to taste him, wanting to take him into her mouth as she’d done before. Her channel washed with fresh juices, preparing her for what would come next. Anxious to get the party started, she turned to Sam and made quick work of his shirt, tossing it onto a stack of boxes. Her fingers slipped beneath his waistband and flicked the button loose.

  Sam’s hands closed over hers. “I don’t know about this.”

  “You can keep your pants on, just let him out to play, like Grant.” Mona unzipped his jeans and eased his cock free.

  “Aren’t you afraid someone will step back here and see us?” Sam asked.

  “The fear of getting caught is half the excitement,” Grant commented. He stepped away, grabbed a cape from the costumes, whipped it around with a flare and spread it across the floor. Then he dropped to his knees and tugged Mona down with him.

  Still facing Sam, she knelt, her other hand taking his, guiding him to a kneeling position.

  “This is weird,” Sam remarked, his forehead furrowed.

  Mona almost laughed. “Only for a moment.” She dropped to all fours and took his cock in her hand, guiding it to her lips. “The weird ends here.” With the tip of her tongue, she traced his bulbous head, lapping at the glistening come easing out of the tiny hole.

  Sam’s chest rose, his fingers reaching out to feather through her hair, pulling her closer.

  She opened her mouth and sucked his cock in.

  Sam’s hips jerked, thrusting his dick in until it bumped against the back of her throat.

  Grant lay down on his back and slid beneath Mona, aligning his head with her pussy. Then he ran his fingers along the insides of her thighs. “Lower, sweetheart.”

  Her insides on fire, Mona widened her knees so that she eased down over him until her clit was closer to his face, her body remembering the magic of his tongue, the way he made her scream for more.

  He parted her folds and leaned up to flick her clit.

  Mona moaned, her mouth closing tighter around Sam’s dick.

  Sam pulled out and slid back in as Grant flicked her again.

  The intensity of sensations racing through her body made her fingers curl in the cape and she sank lower on her knees.

  Grant dipped his tongue into her channel, then back out, laving the nubbin packed with nerves, his attack spot on, sending her shooting to the edge with each stroke. He didn’t let up, or back off.

  Tingling began at her center, spreading outward to the very tips of her toes. A long slow groan rose up her throat and came out her mouth as a muffled scream around Sam’s cock.

  Just as Mona flew over the edge, Grant scooted out from under her. His hands curled around her hips and he positioned himself behind her, between her legs.

  “Protection?” Sam gritted out.

  Leaning over to reach for his jeans, Grant unearthed his wallet and pulled a foil packet from inside. He tore it open and slid the condom over his cock, then positioned it at Mona’s entrance.

  Her pussy creamed, her ass clenched and she waited for him to penetrate.

  He touched her there with the tip of his cock, hesitated, then replaced his dick with his fingers, soaking them in the liquid, dragging it up to her clit. Mona rocked back against his hand in rhythm with Sam’s thrusts into her mouth.

  Tension built again, and her belly tightened, her core aching for Grant to bury himself deep inside her.

  He slid his thumb into her pussy, drenched it in her juices and then circled her anus.

  Mona inhaled sharply as he thrust his thumb into the tight hole at the same time as he flicked the nubbin of nerves between her folds. Sensations bolted through her. Just as she teetered on the edge, Grant stopped flicking her and aligned himself behind her, then thrust into her channel, his cock sliding in easily. Her muscles clenched around him as he pulled out, creating suction to bring him back in.

  He gripped her hips and pumped in and out of her, matching Sam’s thrusts with his own.

  Mona rocketed to orgasm at the same time Sam’s fingers knotted in her hair and he pulled out of her mouth.

  Grant thrust one last time and held her firmly against his groin as he came, cock twitching inside with the force of his release.

  Mona dropped her face to the cape, ass in the air, moaning, her body wracked with spasms. Holy hell, he was every bit as good as she remembered. Damn him.

  When the earth stopped shaking, Grant pulled free and eased her to her belly on the cape and then rolled her to her side. Grant lay down in front of her and caressed her breasts.

  Sam lay down behind her and rested a hand on her hip, slowly rubbing a circle.

  “I’ve missed you.” Grant stroked the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

  As she caught her breath, Mona stared into Grant’s eyes, wanting to believe him. Wanting him to say he loved her and that he’d stay with her forever. More afraid than ever to let her heart be broken again.

  Sam’s hand rested on her hip without moving, his cock still hard, pressing into
her buttocks.

  He was a good man. Sam would never hurt her. Mona felt it deep inside. He was strong, considerate, sweet and his lovemaking was great. But he didn’t stir her to the depths Grant did. “I’ve missed you too,” she whispered.

  With time, they could make a threesome work. Time she’d need to get to know Sam better. But did she want to? Was her heart open to loving two men? She liked the way his hand felt on her hip. And having Sam there would divide her love so that she didn’t invest all of it in Grant, only to be disappointed when he left again.

  Her head spun with different scenarios, all of which involved Grant leaving. She wasn’t ready to trust him with her heart. And she didn’t know Sam enough to commit to him. “I have to get to work.” She jumped up and grabbed the fallen vest.

  “Will you see us tomorrow?” Grant asked.

  “I don’t know.” Mona shoved her hands into the sleeves of the vest and pulled it over her breasts, buttoning the front.

  Sam tucked his hard cock inside his jeans, his mouth pressed into a thin line. “We’re only here one more day. We need to know if we have someone to come back to.”

  Grant grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips. “Say you want me…us. And I swear on my favorite horse, I’ll be back as soon as the rodeo circuit is over.”

  She shook her head, grabbed a G-string from inside a backpack and slipped it up over her hips. “I don’t know what I want. I’m confused.” She stood in her thong and the vest, her eyes filling with tears. “I’m afraid.”

  Sam touched Grant’s arm. “Let her think on it.” He nodded to Mona. “We’ll find you tomorrow. Sleep on what we’ve said. Maybe you’ll feel better about it in the morning.”

  She nodded, a tear sliding down her face. “Thank you.”

  Hooking Grant’s arm, he dragged him out of the costume room as two other women passed them, going in.

  A redhead smiled and winked at Sam. “Stick around, sweetie, the party starts at midnight.”

  As soon as they disappeared out of sight, Mona sat on a stack of boxes and buried her head in her hands. What was she going to do? She loved Grant as much, if not more than when they’d first met. Was it enough to sustain a relationship with a man who’d be on the road half the year?