Take Your Time

by Sophie Stern

  I’ve been with plenty of divas in my life and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that nobody has time for a diva. Scratch that. I don’t have time for a diva.

  “You’re beautiful,” I tell her, and she looks confused at first, as if she didn’t understand what I said, so I say it again. “Melody, you’re gorgeous.”

  Her eyes light up the room and my heart. Something tells me that despite her genuine beauty, not many people have told Melody this.

  “Thank you,” she says. “That’s really nice.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Nice?”

  “Yeah, that’s very kind of you,” she says. “I mean, you saved me from the snow and now you’re trying to make me as comfortable as possible. It’s really nice of you.”

  Is that what she thinks I am?

  Polite?

  Fuck that.

  I’m no angel.

  There’s only one way to show Melody exactly who I am, exactly what I think of her, exactly what I want from her.

  Without asking for permission, without waiting another second, I gently fist her hair and pull her mouth toward mine.

  Then I kiss Melody’s soft, luscious lips.

  5

  Melody

  Eli is kissing me.

  Kissing me.

  The man who just saved me from the snowstorm that’s blazing outside is kissing me and I don’t really know what to do. It’s been years since someone kissed me the way he’s kissing me: like he can’t get enough, like he needs this to survive.

  He’s kissing me like I’m the most incredible thing he’s ever gotten his hands on and he doesn’t want to let me go.

  For a second, I resist. My body tightens and I hold still because this can’t be right. It’s not appropriate: we’ve only just met. I don’t know anything about this man except that he’s hot as hell and he’s apparently got a heart of gold to go with his looks.

  He saved me.

  And now he’s kissing me

  And all of a sudden, everything I’ve been through rushes through my mind: my parents, my sister, my cousins. All of a sudden, I’m thinking of everything I’ve had to deal with today and I realize that I made my choice. I made a choice to say, “Fuck it.”

  I’m going to make that choice again.

  Right now.

  Right now, I’m going to say “fuck it” and keep kissing Eli.

  I’m going to forget about the fact that we’ve just met, forget about the fact that he’s practically a stranger, forget about everything except his mouth on mine.

  I relax against his body, open my mouth, and kiss him back.

  “That’s it, baby,” he murmurs against my lips. “Let it all go.” He doesn’t know what I’m going through, but obviously, he knows I relaxed against him, and he’s dominating me now, taking everything he wants. Eli fists my hair and guides my head. He pulls me closer to him and plants his other hip on my waist.

  I’m being brave now. I’m not holding back, and instead of simply letting this happen to me, I decide to participate. I run one of my hands up his broad chest, over the soft flannel of his shirt. My other hand moves over his cheek and down his jaw. His beard is scratchy against my skin, but I like it. I’ve never kissed a guy with a beard before. I think I sort of love it.

  Eli is unlike anyone I’ve ever been with. He’s firm and commanding, but gentle at the same time. His tongue sweeps over mine once more, reminding me that he thinks I’m incredible, and sexy, and arousing. Then his hand leaves my waist and moves up.

  I tense for a second, but he doesn’t stop moving, and when he reaches my breast, I groan with surprise and pleasure. It feels so good to have his hands on me.

  “That’s it, baby,” he murmurs. “You’re so fucking sexy. Fuck, these tits are amazing.” He gently squeezes my breast over the shirt and a wave of excitement rolls through my body. I keep kissing him, trying not to think about the warmth growing my body or the way I want more than what’s happening.

  I want Eli: all of him.

  It’s cold outside and there’s a storm and we’re going to be trapped indoors.

  Why shouldn’t we be a little crazy tonight?

  Why shouldn’t we have a little fun?

  For once in my life, I don’t want to overanalyze everything and over-think the experience. For once in my life, I just want to relax. I just want to enjoy the moment. I just want to be a little bit wild.

  And then his hand moves under my shirt.

  And I decide it’s time for me to up my game. I’ve never been much of a groper, but I set my hand on his thigh and squeeze his leg. Eli is muscular and big. I wonder what his job is, what he’s doing out in the mountains, what he does for fun, but really, I just wonder if his cock is hard for me right now.

  Fuck. I really, really want it to be hard for me.

  He keeps kissing me as I slide my hand up his leg. Then I move my palm over, right over his crotch, and feel him.

  Yeah, his dick is fucking hard.

  I groan against his mouth, kissing harder as his hand slides into my bra. He starts pinching my nipple and even though there’s a little bite of pain, it’s a good pain and it shoots straight between my legs.

  And I want more.

  So much more.

  Eli begins kissing my neck, biting and sucking on me, and I close my eyes as he does. I’m so caught up in the moment that everything else fades away. Nothing else matters right now except his hands on my body, except his mouth on my skin.

  But then I open my eyes and see a strange man standing in the doorway, and the moment is ruined. I open my mouth and scream louder than I ever have before.

  And then I scream again.

  Eli seems confused at first, almost shocked, and then he turns to see what I’m looking at. His eyes narrow instantly and he frowns at the man in the doorway.

  “You might have knocked,” he says to the stranger.

  I stop screaming.

  Eli doesn’t seem concerned with this man.

  “I didn’t know I had to knock to come into my own house,” the man says in response.

  “Eli,” I whisper. “You live with this man?” His roommate is just as big as he is, if not a little bigger. The roommate also is wearing flannel and has a big, thick beard. He looks a little like Eli and suddenly, I wonder if they’re related.

  “Melody,” Eli begins. His hand is still up my shirt, but he drops it now and places it on my thigh. “This is my brother, Keagan. Keagan, this is Melody.”

  Keagan steps the rest of the way into the cabin and closes the door behind him. He stomps on the mat by the door and chunks of snow fall off his boots. Without another word, he takes off his jacket and hangs it on the coat rack. Then he turns back to us and crosses his arms over his chest.

  “Melody,” he says, and if I’m not mistaken, there’s a little bit of a twinkle in his eyes. Is he amused by this? Does he think this is funny? Because I’m completely, totally embarrassed, and to be honest, I’m still a little scared. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he says.

  “I should go,” I say, standing up. I hurriedly try to adjust my bra and my shirt as I move around the couch toward the door. Shit. I must look like such a mess. I run a hand over my hair, trying to tame it a little bit, but I know there’s no use. Keagan already saw us making out. He already knows what we were up to. If he hadn’t come home when he did, I would have been on my knees sucking Eli’s big, thick cock because that’s what I really, really wanted to do. I haven’t wanted anything as badly as I wanted his dick in a very, very long time, but the moment is over, and I should leave.

  Eli doesn’t say anything. He just watches me from the couch. Keagan watches me, too.

  “Excuse me,” I say. “Could you move? I want to get my shoes on.”

  “And where are you off to in such a hurry?” He asks.

  “I’m going to go home.”

  “Do you have a sled?”

  “What?” What the hell is he talking about?

  “Becau
se if you don’t have a sled and a team of dogs to pull you home, darling, you’re not going anywhere.”

  “But you just got here! The roads must be clear by now.” I try to look past him and get a peek of the street outside, but the view is blocked. He’s too big. I give him a hard shove and he raises an eyebrow, but steps aside, and I pull open the door.

  “I couldn’t make it back in my truck,” he says. “I walked most of the way, sweetheart.”

  Sure enough, snow and wind swirls around outside. I can’t even see the road, much less get there. It would stupid to be try to leave now, but I’m stubborn, and I’ve already made such a fuss about leaving that I want to just grab my boots and walk outside.

  As much as I want to prove a point, the truth is that I’m not stupid enough to go out in that. Even if I managed to make it to my car, there’s no telling whether it would start or not and there’s no telling whether I have enough gas to keep the heater running all night. More than that, there’s no way I’m getting off this road tonight and if I’m correct, I probably won’t be getting home tomorrow, either.

  The storm is just too bad.

  I turn around and look at the two men standing in the living room. Eli’s standing with his arms at his side and he looks confused. He looks almost sad that I tried to leave. Keagan’s got his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes are twinkling with laughter. That fucker thinks this is funny?

  Fine.

  I’ll show him just how funny I can be.

  I slam the door and go back inside.

  6

  Keagan

  Eli doesn’t bring home strays very often and this one is especially lush, especially adorable. When she jumped up and ran to the door, I was instantly hard. I instantly wanted to chase her, grab her, kiss her. I wanted to push her against the wall and pin her hands above her head and just kiss her.

  Fuck.

  I’m in trouble now.

  She slams the door with a little growl and marches back across the room to Eli. This surprises me a little. I expected her to demand to see a guest room or to be left alone. I didn’t expect her to just go back to him, but she does. Interesting.

  I watch silently as she moves quickly across the floor and stands right next to Eli. Then she snuggles against him and he drapes his arm lazily over her shoulder. What the hell? She stares at me: her eyes silently challenging me to say something, anything, and now it’s my turn to growl.

  “If you don’t mind,” she says. “We were right in the middle of something.”

  “I don’t mind,” I say, but I also don’t move.

  This seems to confuse her, and Melody’s brave façade falters for just a second. For just a moment, she looks unsure of herself, like she’s not really as bold as she’s pretending to be. Isn’t that something? I wonder what this girl’s story is. Oh, it’s obvious she’s running from something. They all are. They’re all running and escaping and trying to find a better life. I’ve heard it all before.

  This one is different, though.

  Melody doesn’t look like a drama queen or a troublemaker.

  She looks like she’s been hurt.

  She actually looks a little scared.

  “Aren’t you going to leave us alone?” She says after a minute. “It’s rude to watch two people being intimate.”

  “Being intimate?” I ask her, raising an eyebrow. “Is that what you call it? Darling, I call it fucking a stranger.”

  “Eli’s not a stranger,” she says, but a soft pink blush spreads over her cheeks and I know I’ve got her. This is her first time with someone she doesn’t know, I bet, and I wonder what’s got her so wound up that she’s going to go through with it.

  Eli and I have shared plenty of women. Plenty. More than we should have. We’re not gay, but the idea of sharing a woman with my brother gets me. We had a weird childhood, but one that made me decide early on that if I ever take a wife, Eli is going to be a part of that. That’s what I want. It’s what we both want.

  If anything ever happens to me, I want the peace of knowing my bride will be taken care of, but more than that, I want the satisfaction of knowing she’ll be loved. I want to know she’ll be cherished. I want to know she’ll be safe.

  Besides all of that, I think sharing a woman is one of the sexiest damn things in the world. Some guys might feel jealousy or displeasure at the idea of their woman being with another man, but not me. Not when it’s my brother. Not when we both get to enjoy her.

  And I really, really want to enjoy Melody with Eli.

  Walking in and seeing them on the sofa? That was super fucking hot. His hand was up her shirt and her eyes were closed, her lips parted with pleasure. She looked like she was going to come right there on the couch if he didn’t stop touching her.

  Then she’d seen me, and she’d gotten flustered, and she’d tried to run.

  I quickly put a stop to that idea. She isn’t going anywhere. Not tonight and probably not tomorrow. The storm is much too big for that. I was lucky enough to get back when I did. I had to walk half a mile in the damn snow, but I made it, and now I’m ready to warm up by the fire.

  Now I’m ready to warm up with Eli and Melody.

  “He’s not a stranger?” I say, teasing her a little bit. Oh, she’s going to be fun. “I’m sorry. He hasn’t mentioned you before. When did you two meet?”

  She blushes furiously and looks at Eli like he’s going to save her, but Eli just strokes her hair gently and waits for her to speak.

  “Fine,” she finally grits out. “He rescued me, okay? I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.”

  “It’s not,” I shrug. “You’re beautiful and he’s a good lover.” She raises an eyebrow at that. Then she looks back and forth between us like she’s trying to figure something out.

  “Are you two…?” Her voice trails off and I decide it’s time to put an end to this silliness. I stride across the room and around the couch to where Melody and Eli are standing in front of the fireplace.

  “Are we what, Melody? Are we lovers?”

  “Yes.”

  “No, but we do share certain proclivities.” She’s still standing next to Eli, and I move closer to her until I’m standing directly in front of her. She doesn’t back up, but she looks up into my eyes. Her breathing is suddenly heavy.

  “What kind of proclivities?”

  “You’re a brave little thing, aren’t you?” I curl a finger under her chin and tilt her head up to me. If Melody is afraid, she doesn’t show it. She is brave. I really, truly believe that. She allowed herself to be rescued, which she didn’t have to do. She could have stayed in her car and frozen to death or tried to walk to the nearest town, but she didn’t. She didn’t let her pride stop her from staying with a stranger for the night: possibly for the weekend.

  “Tell me,” she whispers, and I lean in close to her ear.

  “We like to share women, Melody.” Her breath catches, and she looks up at me with those big, wide eyes.

  “You mean in bed,” she says.

  “That’s right,” Eli says, moving behind her. Now she’s settled perfectly between us. I know my brother is rubbing against her from behind and I take a step forward, pressing my body against hers. She’s pinned right in the middle, right where we want her. She’s perfect.

  And it’s time for her to make a choice.

  She can give in to this, to us, and enjoy a night of adventure and fucking and pleasure, or she can say no. She has that right. We would never take a woman against her will. If she doesn’t want this, doesn’t want us, she can walk away. No hard feelings. We have a perfectly decent guest room where she’ll be completely happy, completely comfortable.

  Or she can live on the wild side with us.

  “What do you say, darling?” I ask her. I run my hand through her hair and cup her cheek. “Do you want to be a little naughty tonight?”

  “I think you’re asking me for more than a little naughtiness,” she says, but her voice is husky with arousal.
<
br />   “I’m asking you to let me bring you pleasure,” I tell her. “I’m asking you to let me show you what you’ve been missing with those boys you’ve been dating.”

  “How do you know I’ve been dating boys?” She says. “Maybe I date big, bad men. Mean men. Maybe I date men who are really, really good at fucking women.”

  “Maybe,” I nod. “But I doubt it, baby.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because no one can fuck you like we can, princess. You’ve never been in the middle of two men before, not men like us, not men who know how to make your body explode with pleasure.”

  She’s breathing heavier now, but she’s not running away or freaking out, so I keep going. I lean down and bite her ear.

  “No one’s going to make you come like we can. What do you say, Melody? One night. Give us one night to show you how fucking amazing this can be. Tomorrow we’ll take you home and we can walk away, but give us tonight.”

  7

  Eli

  “Okay,” she whispers, and Keagan drops his lips to hers. I groan, rubbing my cock harder against her backside. There’s no way she can miss how fucking hard I am right now. There’s no way she can miss how damn hot this is.

  “Fuck,” I whisper. “Melody, you are so ridiculously beautiful. I can’t wait to get my cock in your tight pussy, baby. I can’t wait to feel you from the inside.”

  “Holy dragons,” she groans, but she rubs up against Keagan and I love the way she’s touching him. Even though this isn’t the first time we’ve had a woman together, this is completely unexpected. When he walked in the door, I thought for sure I’d lost her. I thought she was going to book.

  And then Keagan pushed her.

  He pushed her to see what would happen, and the little minx pushed back.

  I did not expect that.

  Melody is tougher than she looks. Oh, she looks perfect and curvy and sexy as fucking hell, but she’s fierce, too. She looks sweet and innocent on the outside, but inside she’s a damn vixen.