by Marla Monroe
“I’ll walk her and groom her for you, Bev,” Jeremy said. “Go on and wash up for dinner.”
“Thanks, but I can do it. I exercised her, I’ll groom her.”
Luke’s mouth thinned into a tense line. “You’ve worked more than your share today. Let us do this.”
“I just helped out is all. I didn’t have anything else to do.”
“But it was your day off, Beverly.” Luke climbed through the fence and walked over to take Ginger’s reins when Beverly climbed down from the horse.
Though she was five feet six inches, Luke still towered over her at over six feet. Jeremy was maybe an inch or two shorter than his friend. Where Luke had black shaggy hair and bright blue eyes, Jeremy’s hair was a brown with what looked like red highlights she was sure was from spending so much time in the sun without his hat. His green eyes missed nothing.
“Fine. Thanks.” She ran her hand down Ginger’s face before giving the horse a sugar cube she kept in her pocket when she worked with the horses.
Beverly flashed a brief smile at the two men before climbing through the fence and walking over to the store where she had one of the rooms upstairs. Once inside, she sat down and propped her arms on her knees as she drew in calming breaths. There was just something about the two men that left her shaken and aroused every time she was around one or both of them.
I’ve got to control whatever this is, or I’m going to have to find somewhere else to work. I can’t afford to risk my heart again. I might not recover.
Even though she felt like the entire fiasco had been fortuitous in the long run because it had led her to Bear Mountain Ranch, it still hurt to remember the nasty things Bob had said to her as well as the blow to her sexuality.
Her last boyfriend had not only cheated on her, but he’d led her to believe it was because he couldn’t get what he needed from her. That had hurt. Was she really cold?
Maybe I am cold like he said. Maybe I’m not cut out to be a wife.
Whatever the reason, she wasn’t diving back into the dating pool for a while. None of her previous relationships had lasted more than a few months, so she was beginning to believe her ex.
There was no use moping around about it, and letting Luke and Jeremy get to her had to stop. She needed to pull some of that supposed cold demeanor around her and make sure they get the message that she wasn’t interested before she ended up causing trouble between the two friends.
Beverly stood and walked to the bathroom to clean up. She decided to shower and change into something other than her standard jeans and shirt since it was supposed to have been her day off. She hadn’t had any plans for the day, so she’d helped around the barn, catching up on some of the things that often got left for Saturday when the guests left.
Showering with the two men on her mind wasn’t helping matters. It felt like their hands touching her as she bathed and washed her hair. She could easily imagine large callused hands molding and tracing every inch of her body. Beverly was sorely tempted to make herself come but resisted the urge. Feeding into her already overactive sexual attraction to the two men wouldn’t help matters one bit.
The moment she walked into the restaurant, Beverly knew she’d made a grave tactile error in wearing the buttercup-yellow spring dress. Jeremy and Luke both looked up at the same time as if recognizing she’d entered the room, then they walked toward her with long purposeful strides.
Uh, oh. I fucked up.
It had never occurred to her while she’d been dressing that by wearing a dress she’d be throwing gasoline on an already blazing fire. Now she’d have to deal with the two men whether she wanted to or not. It was obvious that they were taking the next step.
“That dress makes you look sweeter than honey to a bear, Bev.” Jeremy stopped directly in front of her.
“You look pretty as a daffodil. I bet you taste better than honeysuckle.” Luke walked behind her then around to face her again.
“Let us escort you to the table,” Jeremy said.
Luke held out his elbow while Luke cupped hers. Short of causing a scene, Beverly had no choice except to allow them to walk her to the table. Jeremy held out a chair that would place her smack dab in the middle of the two men. Normally she sat several chairs away at the long table where all the ranch hands and office workers normally sat.
“I love that dress, Beverly.” Shelby, Dalton and Bo’s wife, told her. Shelby handled the office and books for the ranch.
“Thanks. I probably shouldn’t have worn it. I forgot that it might be a little cool tonight.”
“Nonsense, you look lovely, and if you get cold I’m sure we have a sweater or shawl you can borrow,” Shelby told her.
While they passed the food around the table, Beverly was careful not to touch either of the two men’s hands when she accepted or passed a dish. The feel of their skin against hers when they’d escorted her to the table had sent tiny sparks like fireflies up her arms. The result had been that her nipples were now hard and sensitive. Every movement of her dress caressed them making her that much more aware of the men on either side of her.
“She looks delicious, doesn’t she, Evan,” Dakota said.
Beverly couldn’t help the blush she knew seeped up from her neck. It worsened when Jeremy’s arm circled behind her back to rest on the back of her chair.
“She’s not interested in the pair of you. You’re nothing but playboys,” Luke said.
The way his voice lowered, deepened, had her nerves jumping. It sounded almost like a claim. They couldn’t be thinking of claiming her, were they? She had to put a stop to this.
As soon as she’d finished enough of her dinner that it wouldn’t look suspicious, Beverly excused herself. Both men rose when she got up, but it was Jeremy who followed her as she walked across the room.
“Where are you going?” she asked when she stopped at the door leading outside.
“I’m walking you home. It’s nearly dark. I don’t want you walking alone out there especially with that pretty dress on. You’re bound to attract all sorts of wild animals.” His smile looked predatory to her.
“Thanks, but I’m capable of walking back by myself. There’s no need to miss the rest of your dinner, Jeremy.”
“Not happening. I’m going with you. You can ignore me like you usually do if you want to, but I’m not letting you walk alone anymore.”
She did ignore him in theory, but her body was well aware of him every step she took. Her pussy tingled and her nipples rasped across the lace of her bra, giving her little shocks as she strode toward the store and her room.
Once at the store she spun on her heels with the intention of putting an end to their pursuit before it even got started. Beverly found herself nose to neck with the man. His scent paralyzed her with its rich leather, fresh pine, and something that was just Jeremy. When she looked up, he moved even closer, planting both hands on either side of her head. She felt cornered like a rabbit with the big bad wolf breathing down its neck.
“You are one beautiful woman, Bev. I think about you all the time, especially at night. I dream about you, about holding you, about fucking you. You can ignore us, and you can run from us, but we’ll catch you in the end. You belong to Luke and me.”
“I—I don’t belong to anyone. You need to back off, Jeremy. I’m not interested.”
He closed the distance of their bodies until his lips were a hair’s breadth from hers. She could inhale and they’d touch. Instead, she pressed back against the cool surface of the store in an effort to put even a little distance between their bodies. It didn’t help. His heat penetrated her heart even as it warmed her body. She had less than a second before he pressed his lips against hers in a brush that was satin and searing flame.
Jeremy deepened the kiss as he pressed the length of his body against hers so that she had no doubt of the state of his arousal. The man was big, painfully big, amazingly big. It brought a soft whimper to her lips when he moved against her. Now her panties were wet
, and her body burned for his of its own accord.
He moved his tongue alongside hers then painted the inside of her mouth with his spicy taste. When he sucked hers into his mouth, she was at a loss as to how to pull away and really didn’t want to. In the end, it was Jeremy who broke from the mind-blowing kiss.
“Ours, Bev. Only ours.” He nipped her chin. “Go on upstairs and lock your door. Go on now.”
She didn’t wait for him to nudge her. Beverly raced up the back stairs to her room then softly closed the door and latched it. She caved and parted the curtain of the window that looked out over the road between the restaurant and the store to find Jeremy looking up right at her. She dropped the curtain and jumped back. She was in so much trouble.
Beverly paced the length of her room, chasing answers to the dilemma that was Jeremy and Luke. What was she going to do? If they wouldn’t back off, she’d need to relocate. Her heart couldn’t take another letdown, and she wasn’t in the same league as those two. They were hot, handsome, and wholly animal. They’d eat her alive and leave her needing them all the time. Hell, she couldn’t satisfy one man. How could she even hope to satisfy two? She wasn’t even going to admit to herself that she was tempted.
In the end, she decided to wait and see what they did next. Maybe she could avoid them long enough they would get the picture.
“You can run from us, but we’ll catch you in the end.” Those words mocked her plan to avoid them.
I’ve got to find a way to prove to them that I’m not interested.
She considered a lot of options and came up with a couple of possibilities. First, she’d try to keep away from them and volunteer for every trail ride or nature walk that she could, to take her out of their line of sight.
Beverly changed into pajamas and crawled into bed, positive that she would dream about the two men no matter how many times she swore that she wouldn’t. Her body was too aroused to sink into a dreamless sleep. She just prayed that she didn’t make a fool of herself in her dreams like she was afraid she would do in reality.
Chapter Four
“She’s hot as hell, Jeremy.” Luke undressed after meeting his friend back at the bunkhouse. They shared a room just like the other ranch hands did.
“That dress made her way too noticeable to the other guys. I swear my cock isn’t going down no matter how many times I jack off.” Jeremy shook his head as he climbed up on the top bunk.
“Tell me again how she tasted, how it felt to hold her,” Luke said.
“She’s soft and smells like wisteria and baby powder. Her mouth is hot, and she responded even though she tried not to. She’s going to be wild when we finally get her in our bed.
“If we don’t scare her off. She might rabbit if we aren’t careful.” Luke was afraid of pushing too hard, too fast.
“I love her hair. It’s the prettiest shade of brown. All those highlights like sunshine and golden wheat.” Jeremy sighed from above.
“She’s the perfect height for us. Not too short, and not too tall. I bet she’ll fit perfect between us.”
“I want to gaze up into her pretty hazel eyes and count the freckles across her nose while she rides me.” He shifted in the bunk.
“Jeremy, she’s going to need some time to get used to there being two of us.”
“I know. I’m doing the best I can not to come on too strong.”
Luke climbed onto the bottom bunk and lay awake thinking about her. Jeremy had a rough streak in him that normally drove women wild, but this time, he was afraid their Beverly would run before giving in to their type of loving.
It didn’t surprise him that when he finally slept he dreamed of her. She came to him wearing the spring dress in pale yellow, only it was made of gossamer material that didn’t hide her womanly curves and the beauty of her body.
Luke walked toward her as she stood next to one of the horses.
“If you want to ride, you can ride me, babe. I’m hard as iron and ready for you.”
“The horse is safer. It won’t hurt me. You might.”
“Never.”
“How can I believe you? What about Jeremy?”
“He’ll ride you, beautiful.”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid.”
“Don’t be. We’d never hurt you. I promise.”
“You can’t know that for sure. It may already be too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“For me.”
Luke reached out and pulled her into his arms. She felt like every man’s wet dream, all soft and round. He loved her wide hips and the soft swell of her belly. He could imagine planting a baby there for the three of them to raise.
She didn’t pull away when he kissed her. She opened her mouth to him, giving him access just as Jeremy had described to him. She did taste like fire. He couldn’t quite smell her scent, but he was sure his friend had it right. Wisteria and baby powder. The combination would be intoxicating, not cloying like so many other flowery perfumes.
Her dress floated away under his hands just as his clothes disappeared. Luke picked her up and laid her on a massive bed that would easily hold three, only there was just Beverly and him on it now. He kissed down her neck to lick at the hollow at the base of her throat. He continued to her shoulders, splaying kiss after kiss as he used his hand to find her breast. She was a little more than a handful and firm to the touch. Luke licked down her chest to latch onto one of her nipples. The little nub peaked for him as he licked and sucked on it then the other one until both of them stood up like red berries.
When he sucked in as much of her breasts as he could, Luke groaned around it, loving the whimper she made when he did. He left her perfect breasts to make his way down her belly, planting kisses along the way, then kissed the inside of her thighs. They quivered with the touch of his lips. When he leaned in, her scent teased him. He couldn’t quite get it and leaned in closer, but it eluded him.
“So soft and wet. I can see your juices on your pussy waiting on me to lap them up.”
“Luke.”
“I’ve got you, beautiful. I’ll take real good care of you. Just relax. Enjoy.”
He spread her legs wide to accommodate his shoulders then lifted her butt off the bed so that he could lick from the bottom of her honey slit to the top and back down again. Luke twirled his tongue all around her clit then ran it lightly over the top. Beverly bucked upward at the slight touch. He smiled and lapped at her juices as she grew more and more aroused. Soon her head thrashed from side to side as she moved her hips to capture his tongue.
“You’re so fucking hot, Beverly. I can’t wait to get inside of you, but this time is just for you.”
He twirled his tongue around her clit, lightly touching it then slipping away to gather more of her delicious taste as it slid down her slit. He could easily imagine burying himself deep in her pussy while Jeremy took her ass, but she deserved more than that. He wanted to make her scream with pleasure while he ate her delicious pussy.
When he entered her cunt with one finger, she gasped out loud. He moved it in and out of her as he sucked on her pussy lips. Then he added a second finger, stretching her ever so slightly so that she tried to grind her hips on them to push herself over the edge.
“Easy, love. Let me take you there.”
Luke thrust his fingers in and out of her pussy until she was wild with need. Then he sucked her perfect little clit into his mouth and ran his tongue back and forth over it so that she bucked against him screaming his name.
Perfect.
Beverly woke just before dawn with Luke and Jeremy’s names on her lips. The erotic dream had been so real with both men pleasuring her to the point of madness. She had to get them out of her head and convince them she wasn’t interested. She was sure they’d only break her heart, and there wasn’t much left of it to break.
She groaned at the time, realizing she’d need to get up in an hour anyway, so she might as well do it now. She’d get a head start on cleaning tack s
ince this was Sunday and their guests would leave today. There wouldn’t be any trail rides today or tomorrow. Tomorrow, the new guests would arrive throughout the day and would go through a kind of orientation.
Beverly showered then dressed and walked across the compound to the barn. It surprised her that someone was already there since the lights were on. She expected Reed or Dalton, but was surprised to find Luke and Jeremy already hard at work mucking the stalls.
“Morning, love.” Luke smiled and leaned on the top of his pitchfork.
“Morning, guys.” She sighed and walked past them to the tack room.
“How did you sleep last night, Bev?” Jeremy asked.
“Well, thank you. I hope you guys did, too.” She continued walking and opened the door to the room where all of the tack used on the horses was stored.
“Slept good. Dreamed of you, sweet Bev.” Jeremy chuckled when she closed the door behind her without comment.
They’re not going to give up. I can already see that. I don’t want to leave here. I love it on Bear Mountain.
That meant she was just going to have to convince them to leave her alone. She wasn’t interested in what they were offering.
That was going to be easier said than done. There were two of them, and they acted like they had all the time in the world to wait her out. Beverly would have to avoid them as much as she could. After she finished cleaning and oiling up the tack she’d talk to Reed, the head wrangler. Maybe she could get him to put the three of them on opposite schedules.
Beverly cleaned and oiled leather until her hands ached. She still needed to work on a few of the saddles that were showing signs of wear. The majority of the saddles were stored over barrel stands in front of the stall of the horse they normally went on. The ones that needed work were stored in the tack room where she was working. She’d start on them after lunch. Right now, she needed to clean up and head over to the restaurant.
The ranch’s restaurant was owned by Billy Jean, the wife to the two owners. She was an amazing chef. All of the ranch hands ate free. The guests ate as part of their stay, and anyone from the surrounding towns who came were paying customers. There were very few nights that they weren’t packed with a line waiting in the foyer.
