by Jane Jamison
“Time for me, darlin’.” Mike wrapped his arms around her then rolled sideways, taking her with him. With Danny’s complaint in her ears, she landed on top of Mike, his cock pressing against her pussy.
“We’ll give you more time to say it, but you already know you’re our mate.” Taking hold of the back of her neck, he met her gaze with his and plunged his cock inside her pussy.
Her next cry wasn’t muffled at all. For a split second, she wondered if any of the other guests might have heard her. Then she realized she didn’t care.
Mike rammed into her again and again, his body working like a flesh-covered machine. She felt his intensity in the hard-packed muscles of his abdomen against her fingertips and saw it in his expression. He plunged into her, her pussy walls straining at the intrusion. A wonderful burn worked its way outward from her pussy, driving the whirl of sensations inside her to a head.
A hand pressed against her spine, bending her forward. Danny eased against her and spoke against her ear, the warmth strangely chilling her. “I want your ass, sugar. Don’t worry, though. I’ll get you ready first.”
Juices already ran between her legs, but when Danny’s hand slipped to her weeping pussy, a fresh burst of need washed out of her. Taking his pussy-creamed hand and putting it to her butthole, he worked the tight-ringed muscles, making her body give way to his demand.
She tried to think, tried to do more than feel, but it was a losing battle. A battle she didn’t care to win. Her mind gave in to them with her body following soon enough.
Danny eased her butt cheeks apart and then pressed his cock against her dark hole. “Don’t forget to breathe.”
And then, he was inside her. His cock pushed into her, driving deep inside her as though trying to find Mike’s cock. She moaned, unable to muster the strength to cry out again.
Together the men moved, one thrusting while the other pulled out. Harder and harder they pounded into her. Perspiration that had nothing to do with the sun dotted her brow and trickled between her breasts for Mike to lick away.
Alex stood, his cock pointed straight at her like a matador waving a red flag. She gladly took his cock inside again, swirling her tongue around and around until he was moaning loudly for all the world to hear.
The power inside her surged upward, driven by their cocks. She was sure it would never end, taking every ounce of her, and then demanding more. Caught between three massive weapons of sexual need, she had no way or desire to stop the impending explosion.
Screaming her pleasure, she turned her orgasm free and let go of Alex’s cock just as his orgasm erupted. Her body bucked as the two men rammed into her again and then stilled with their cocks still inside her.
Exhausted, she fell against Mike as he took her by the hair and groaned out his climax. Danny muttered a low curse and then moved away, his cock in his hand as he shot his seed.
Mike’s heart beat fast as she laid her head against his chest. Her shudders ran into his, yet neither one of them moved of their own volition. Vaguely, she was aware of Danny and Alex a moment before their hands caressed her body.
“I hate like hell to say this, but we need to get back. Or leave.”
She glanced up at Alex, who was looking back toward the barn. Alarm seized her. “Did they hear us?” Danny and Alex exchanged a telling glance, but her answer was already in Danny’s quirky smile. She scrambled for her clothes.
“Take it easy, darlin’. It’s not like most of them haven’t done the same thing.”
Embarrassment flooded her as she tugged on her clothes. “Please take me home.”
The men dressed quickly, taking the hint from her.
“No problem, honey. Just relax. We can take a round-about way back to the pickup.”
She pulled on her second shoe. “Good. Then let’s get moving.”
Yet she’d gotten only a few feet before Mike took her arm and held her back. “Remember what I said. You might not be ready to say it, but you know you’re our mate.”
She opened her mouth then closed it, realizing she had no idea what to say. Was he right? If so, when would she admit it?
* * * *
Stella couldn’t have imagined how nice her life could become, but since going to the wedding then into the pasture, she’d been floating on a cloud of happiness. The smile she wore never seemed to fade as she bestowed it on everyone she met as she took her time going down one aisle after the other at Gobbel Market. Henry Gobbel and his wife Shirley caught her eye, their expressions noting that they saw something different in her. She lifted a hand to say hello but kept on moving. Once Shirley got hold of a person and started talking, there was no telling when they’d be able to break free of the continuous stream of gossip and complaints.
She checked the list Shawna had given her and grabbed two cans of sliced peaches. Next would be the meat section and the longest part of the list. The woman certainly loved her meats, and from what Stella had seen, she liked them raw.
It had been three days since their time in the pasture, and although the men always came by to either visit or take her on another excursion, they’d restrained from having sex. She wasn’t sure of the reason. Were they giving her more time to think? From their hungry looks, along with their lingering caresses, she knew they were still attracted to her. Her attraction for them hadn’t waned in the least, but she, too, was taking it slower. The next time they had sex, she wanted to be able to answer their question.
Would she be their mate?
Yes. Hell yes.
Her smile grew even bigger as she imagined how they’d react.
She’d gone from one cheating man to three men who she had no doubt would be faithful. Since people had seen them together at the wedding, many others hadn’t shied away from telling her how lucky she was. According to the folks in Fate, the Lennox brothers were as close to being perfect as any three men could be. The adjectives people used to describe them included “wonderful,” “loyal,” “trustworthy,” “sexy as hell,” and many more glowing attributes. As one obviously jealous woman had told her, “You’d be dumb as hell to tell them no.”
Thankfully, she had no intention of turning them down. In fact, the next time she saw them, she’d tell them how much she wanted to be their mate. Even the realization that she didn’t know exactly what being their mate meant didn’t dissuade her. She was theirs, and they’d soon be hers.
“Davy, what’s wrong?”
The strident tone of the man’s voice hit Stella. She turned around, searching for the man.
“What is it? Breathe, kid, breathe.”
A thin man stood over a young boy, probably around six or seven. The boy’s eyes were huge as he clutched his neck.
“Help me.” The man looked around. “Please help me. He’s choking!”
Her first instinct, an instinct born of long hours training to become an EMT, was to rush to the boy’s side. She didn’t think, only reacted. Forgetting her grocery cart, she rushed toward them, ready to take the boy from behind and employ the Heimlich maneuver. The man kept shouting for help as others began rushing toward them.
She was halfway there when panic set in.
I can’t.
What if it goes all wrong?
No. I can’t. Not again.
The memory of the little girl hit her so hard she reeled backward. She reached out, grappling to find anything to hold on to as several people rushed past her. With their attention focused on the small boy, they didn’t recognize her need for help, too.
She sat down in the middle of the grocery store aisle and began gasping for air. Her chest heaved as she sucked in one hard breath after another. As though watching from outside her own body, she saw the people surround the boy. One man took the child from behind and began doing the same technique she’d planned on using.
I can’t.
She closed her eyes, wanting to block out the sight of the boy in distress. She knew how to help him, but she couldn’t. The memory of her failure to save th
e girl was too strong, crippling her.
She could still see the girl’s face as she clung to her hand. She could still feel the girl’s thready pulse against her fingertips.
“Mommy.”
“It’s okay, sweetie. You’re going to be okay.” Stella checked the monitor she and Gill, her fellow EMT, had on the girl to track her vital signs. She wouldn’t, couldn’t tell the poor child that her mother hadn’t survived the car accident.
The girl moaned, her face ashen as the ambulance raced toward Grady Hospital in Atlanta. Her injuries were severe, but with luck, they’d make it to the emergency room in time to save her. Gill was on the phone talking to the doctor who’d meet them as soon as they arrived.
The girl’s eyes opened, staring straight at Stella. “Mommy.”
The voice was barely more than a whisper, but Stella heard what she said as clearly as she would have if the girl had shouted. “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.” If she had anything to say about it, the girl would survive. Someone else would have to tell her about her mother. Her heart hurt for the girl. How could any child survive the horror of losing a parent?
It’s only a day away. Think about tomorrow. Think about the wedding.
Her wedding was the next day. By then, the little girl would be well taken care of with family members to help her cope with her mother’s death. Stella would soon hand her over to the doctor and his team and then go back to work, ready to help someone else.
When the girl started gasping, her eyes suddenly wider than ever, the fear etched in her face, Stella went into action. She checked her injuries then worked feverishly to find the reason for the girl’s sudden change.
“What is it?” she asked Gill, but Gill only shook his head.
“I don’t know. Fuck.” Gill, one of the best EMTs in the city, worked as fast as he could, checking and rechecking as he relayed the information to the doctor who was still on the phone.
“Gill.” It was a one-word plea, a call for help in a situation she didn’t understand.
And then it was over.
With one final gasp, the girl was gone.
Stella stared at her, unwilling to believe she’d lost her. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” answered Gill again.
Stella sat back, the rush of adrenaline that had sustained her gone. “What happened?”
This time Gill didn’t answer.
The doctor and others had reassured her time and again that it wasn’t her fault. She’d tried to believe them, but something had gone wrong. What had she overlooked? What detail had she missed? She was sure she must have made a mistake, but what? She’d gone over every step she’d taken, every minute, but couldn’t find anything. Yet, the guilt remained.
No matter how many times they told her, how rational their words were, Stella couldn’t believe them. Logically, she knew they were right. Sometimes people died and the reason was never clear. She’d lost patients before and she’d mourned them, but this one was different. Her fellow EMTs spoke of the “one” in their lives, the one they’d lost that would haunt them throughout their career. She had no doubt that the little girl was her “one.” The girl was the patient that had touched her life and changed it forever.
She’d planned on quitting as soon as she and Bruce returned from their honeymoon. But that was before she’d seen Bruce in the cloak closet. It was the last brick of her crumbling emotional foundation to be kicked out from under her. She’d gone straight home from the church and called her supervisor to tell him she was finished.
Months passed that ate up her savings. Then, one day, she’d gotten out of bed and made the decision. She and her sister still hadn’t spoken, and she couldn’t stand the idea of staying in Atlanta a day longer. After turning in her notice to her landlord, she’d packed a few bags, gotten into her car, and driven north.
“Miss, are you all right?”
Stella’s mental fog broke apart when someone touched her on the shoulder. “What?”
“I’m Drake Hardwick. Are you all right?”
She recognized Drake as one of Raven’s mates. He was also the town’s sheriff and, from what she’d heard around town, a friend of the Lennox brothers.
“Is the boy okay?” She couldn’t see the boy any longer with so many people surrounding him.
“He’s fine. I’m more worried about you.” Dark eyes, reminding her so much of Mike’s, were filled with worry. “You looked like you were out of it.”
She let him help her get back onto her feet. “No, I’m okay. Really. I guess I got a little thrown with the boy. Are you sure he’s all right?” It wasn’t the first time she’d been sidelined by the memory, and unfortunately, she knew it wouldn’t be the last.
“I’m positive. My brother Dugan’s with him. He’s shaken, but he’ll recover.”
She drew in a steadying breath. “Good.”
“You’re…friends…with the Lennox boys, aren’t you?”
Friends? Is that what they’re telling people? That I’m their friend and not their mate?
“Yes.”
He still had his hand on her, supporting her. “I think I should give them a call.”
“No. I don’t want you to do that. I’m fine.” She pulled herself together and put on a pleasant face. “See? I’m fine now. Calling them would only worry them.”
“If it was Raven, I’d want to know.”
“I understand, and I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine.” Her gaze darted toward the crowd beginning to disperse. The little boy seemed all right as his father picked him up and carried him away. “Please don’t make a big deal out of this.”
“It sure looked like a big deal.”
How could she convince him to keep quiet? The only way she could think to do it was to lie. “Look, if it’ll make you feel any better, I promise to give them a call. Okay?”
His reluctance showed in his pause, but at last, he nodded. “If you’ll call them right away.”
“As soon as I get these groceries back to the B&B.”
Again, he hesitated. “Okay, you’ve got a deal.”
“Deal.” She stuck out her hand, making it official. One day, she’d apologize to him for lying.
He nodded again, this time tipping his cowboy hat. After another quick glance down her body, he turned around and headed to another man she recognized as his brother Dugan. Taking her chance, she took hold of the grocery cart and hurried toward the checkout lane.
Chapter Six
Stella loved being at their ranch. The air seemed cleaner, the sky brighter, and the world somehow smelled sweeter. Or was it because she was in love?
I’m in love.
A year ago, she’d thought she’d been in love, but now she knew differently. What she’d felt for Bruce had been based on an idea of what love was supposed to be. He’d represented the white picket fence, the husband who would come home to her every night, and the possibility of the children she’d always dreamed of having. When his infidelity had torn that dream apart, she’d needed time to understand her feelings. Having suffered through the death of the girl, followed swiftly by Bruce’s cheating and her sister hiding her fiancé’s cheating until the last moment, she’d been emotionally knocked off her feet.
But now she felt whole. Or at least as close to whole as she’d ever imagined she’d feel again.
“Hey, sugar, how’d you like the horses?” asked Alex. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. She almost spilled her coffee with this tug, but it would’ve been worth getting burned to feel his hard body against hers.
“I love every one of them. And getting to ride one? Wow. I never thought it would be so much fun.” She rested against him, letting him support her.
He cupped her butt cheek. “Are you sore?”
“A little, but most of the soreness is in my inner thighs.”
He squeezed her ass then slipped his hand to her thigh. “You might want to skip the shorts and wear jea
ns next time.”
She laughed. “I’ll definitely do that. Still, it was great.”
“What was great? Me?” joked Danny as he came into the kitchen along with Mike. They’d stayed behind to brush down the horses while she and Alex went ahead to make coffee.
She sipped her coffee and played as though Danny wasn’t dead right. As far as she was concerned, all three of them were great.
“Big talk for such a little…” Mike dropped his gaze to his brother’s crotch and laughed.
“Fuck you, man.” As usual, Danny grinned.
Alex turned her around. “Stella, there’s something we need to talk about.”
She didn’t like the somber mood that had quickly cut into their previous mirth. “There is?” What could they want? Had they found out about yesterday? Or had they found out about her past?
“Yeah.” Mike poured himself a cup, his face hardening. “I got a call from Raven Hardwick. She wanted to know how you were after yesterday in the market.”
Shit. So much for Drake keeping his mouth shut.
“I’m fine. It wasn’t any big deal.”
“She said you were on the floor. Drake told her that you seemed wiped out, like you’d seen a ghost or something.”
“I just lost my balance for a minute. When that little boy started choking, it kind of threw me. Trust me. Drake’s making a big deal out of nothing.”
Alex shook his head, his own scowl deepening. “That’s not Drake’s style. He’s as cool as they come.”
“Then it’s just Raven gossiping.” She tried to move away, to go into the living room, but they surrounded her, keeping her where she was.
“I won’t say the woman doesn’t gossip. Hell, even some of the men around here gossip. But Raven wouldn’t have called if she wasn’t concerned.”
“She doesn’t even know me.”
“We look out for each other around here,” added Danny.
“Like I said, I was thrown by the little boy choking. But he’s all right, and I’m all right.”
“Drake also said it seemed like you were rushing toward the boy. Like you were going to help him. And that was before you went to the floor. It wasn’t the boy choking that really threw you, was it? So what was it really? What’s going on?”
