Ranger Knox (Shifter Nation: Werebears Of Acadia Book 1)

by Meg Ripley

  He pulled his finger carefully from her mouth and replaced it with a long kiss that held the promise that this was not the only time she would be in this position with him.

  "And I wouldn't want him to have a heart attack out here on the trail if he found us," Layla said, reluctantly stepping away from the wall and reaching down to gather her clothes and put them back on, "Lord knows my horse would never get me out of here to get help."

  ******************************

  Eli was waiting for her when they finally arrived back at the ranch. Her horse had decided she was mortified by Layla's behavior and was simply not going to cooperate for the rest of the ride, so they had to meander their way back up the trail with the horses side-by-side and Roy gripping Misty's reins so he could lead them along. This gave her plenty of opportunity to lean across and kiss him as they rode. She was greatly disappointed when the trail ended and she saw Eli at the edge of the corral in denim cutoff shorts and a plaid shirt tied at his waist.

  "You took off your loincloth," she said, climbing down from the horse.

  "It's not exactly afternoon wear. Are your clothes wet?"

  The sun had dried their clothes most of the way but her pants and shirt still looked damp and Layla knew her hair was a wet mess even though she had tried to tame it under a clip at the back of her head.

  "I fell into a pond," she answered quickly.

  Eli's eyes scanned Roy, who was visibly just as damp as he led both horses into the corral.

  "I went in after her to rescue her."

  "That was chivalrous," Eli called to him.

  Layla couldn't get Roy out of her head for the rest of the day and that night she lay in bed sandwiched between Eli and Quinn, staring into the darkness thinking about him. Her body still hummed with the feelings he created within her. She was still thinking about him the next morning when she arrived at a field on the opposite end of the ranch from her cabin for an archery lesson.

  She was yet again alone as Eli ran off to possibly contribute to the delinquency of a minor (he assured her that he was trying to sneak a look at the cashier's ID just to make sure) and Quinn went to have a self-prescribed meditation session with the pygmy goats in an effort to overcome her sudden irrational fear of farm animals. It was beginning to feel like her days of being picked last for kickball at summer camp all over again.

  Her bitter feelings lifted somewhat when she saw Nathan ambling across the field toward her carrying a bow and quiver. He placed them on the stack of hay bales beside her and let his eyes, green rather than the brown of his brother's, trace over her languidly.

  "Good morning, Layla," he said, "Is anyone else joining us?"

  Layla held out her hands in much the same way that she had when telling Roy she would be the only one riding.

  "No. It's just me. Again."

  "Lucky me," he said.

  Roy had used the same sentiment to describe his time alone with her and Layla felt a tremble ripple through her. Nathan scrutinized her again and she touched the cotton skirt of her sundress self-consciously.

  "You're wearing boots," he said with a hint of teasing in his voice.

  "Quinn made me wear them, they are ridiculous, and I hate myself for putting them on," she said all in one fast rush, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Nathan smirked and picked up the bow and quiver again. He stroked under her chin with the edge of one finger as he passed her and Layla trailed behind him with a smile on her lips. Summer camp was certainly looking up.

  "Have you ever shot a bow and arrow before?" Nathan asked.

  "No."

  "Have you ever wanted to shoot a bow and arrow before?"

  "No."

  He chuckled and shook his head at her.

  "Then why are you taking archery lessons?"

  "I'm channeling my inner Robin Hood."

  He cocked an eyebrow at her and Layla sighed, "Quinn planned out the entire itinerary. I just do what the laminated pink schedule she put in my luggage tells me to do."

  "You are very compliant."

  "I aim to please."

  Nathan stepped up closer to her.

  "I'll remember that."

  Layla felt her mouth water at the subtle proposition, but a second later he handed her the bow and was instructing her on how to rest the arrow across the string. Her long nails made it difficult to hold both pieces in place properly and she fought to maintain control over the weapon. She felt Nathan step up behind her and wrap his arms around her so he could help her stabilize the bow. He helped her pull back the string and his hand grazed across her breasts, immediately causing her nipples to tighten in response.

  They let the arrow fly and Layla felt a shiver of excitement as it burrowed into one of the hay bale targets across the field. He helped her load another arrow, and by the time she had gotten through most of the quiver, her shots were consistently hitting close to the bullseye.

  "You’re pretty good with a bow," Nathan murmured into her ear, "I wouldn't know it by how sweet you are," he nuzzled his face against her neck, "How soft. I think that makes you more like Maid Marian."

  Nathan's lips touched the curve between her neck and her shoulder as he loaded another arrow onto the bow. She sighed and leaned back against him, letting her hands fall away from the bow and grabbing his powerful thighs behind her. He shot the last arrow, and lowered the bow, bringing one hand around her belly to press her harder back against him as his mouth moved across her neck.

  She moved her hips in response to his touch, kneading her fingers into his thighs. Suddenly he broke away from her and started walking toward the targets. She felt a tug on her skirt and realized he was holding onto it, pulling her after him as he walked. The show of dominance made her bite her lip as she followed, her body now aching.

  When they got to the hay bales, Layla noticed that the last arrow had struck directly in the middle of the bullseye.

  "I guess that makes me Robin Hood," Nathan said and pulled her towards him to capture her mouth in a deep, seeking kiss.

  Their tongues tangling and frantic, heated sounds coming from their throats, Nathan pushed Layla back against one of the stacks of hay bales and pressed his body against hers as he kissed her harder. When she felt like she could barely breathe, Nathan tore his mouth away from hers and lifted her by her hips to place her on top of the hay. He pushed her knees apart, running his fingers down the insides of her thighs and calves until he reached the tops of the pink boots.

  "You're right," he said through panting breaths, "These are ridiculous."

  Nathan pulled the boots off and dropped them to the ground. He tucked his hands around the back of her hips and brought her forward to the edge of the hay bale. Layla's breath caught in her throat as he reached under her skirt and eased her panties away from her body, forcing her to lift up so he could remove them and drop them to the ground alongside the boots. He leaned forward to kiss her as his hand moved forward to explore her just as Roy's had.

  His fingers slid into her and Layla whimpered against his mouth, rocking her hips forward to seek more of the feeling. Nathan moved slower than Roy, massaging inside her at a gentler pace that started the pressure building gradually but intensely through her thighs, stomach, and pelvis. As if he could sense how close he had already brought her, Nathan pulled his mouth from hers and took a step back. The position he had placed her in put her open thighs right at his chest level so he only needed to dip his head slightly to draw his tongue up from where his fingers coaxed her to her hot, swollen bud at the top, where he paused and swirled the tip of his tongue into her sensitive folds. He repeated the masterful lick only twice more and a strangled cry escaped Layla's throat as her body contracted tightly around his hand, then released into blissful waves of tremors. She tried to draw her thighs together, but Nathan pushed them apart with his free hand, flicking his tongue across her a few more times so that she cried out and pushed his head away, gasping at the intensity of the sensations rolling through her.
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  Nathan brought his mouth up to her ear and kissed it before whispering to her.

  "That's a good girl. Sometimes it just takes a big brother to take over where his little brother left off."

  Layla gasped and pulled back from him to meet his eyes questioningly.

  "You know?" she asked.

  Nathan smirked and kissed her, biting her bottom lip playfully.

  "Don't worry, Sweetheart. Roy and I share everything."

  "Always?"

  He looked slightly sheepish.

  "Well, to be completely honest, we haven't shared anything quite as much fun as you since our toys when we were little."

  Layla licked her lips and combed her fingers back through Nathan's hair. She enjoyed knowing that she was the first girl to make these beautiful boys act this way.

  "I think I like being your toy," she murmured to him.

  Nathan smiled and she felt his hands go to his belt buckle, but she stopped him.

  "What's wrong?" he asked.

  "If you're going to share me, don't you think you should take turns? It's Roy's turn next."

  She hopped down from the hay bale and wiggled her feet back into the boots. Not bothering to slip her panties back on, she kissed Nathan, and then turned and strode back across the field, feeling his eyes watching the sway of her hips as she went.

  ******************************

  The next night, Layla finally had her travel companions with her for an activity as Quinn and Eli joined her for the ranch's traditional mid-week campfire and sleep-out. She was sure that this activity would seem far less wildly inappropriate if there had been children at the ranch, or at least a few other adults. She sat on a log beside Eli and Quinn, who were making a valiant effort to toast marshmallows, while staring across the glowing flames at Nathan and Roy. Pops had apparently decided that such things were for the younger crowd and left the five of them to venture into the woods without him.

  The cowboys looked back at her through the flames, each sitting on his own log and gazing at her with enough hunger in his eyes that she might as well have been the toasted marshmallow. She squirmed slightly against the aching feeling between her thighs that looking at them caused and tore her eyes away from them to look over at Quinn and Eli. They had their arms around each other and were swaying to a nonsensical and off-key version of "Kumbaya."

  "Hey, Eli," she said, lifting her voice loud enough to get over their singing, "Why don't we tell a few ghost stories?"

  He immediately stopped singing and shot a sharp look in her direction.

  "Why would you say that?"

  Layla shrugged innocently.

  "It's a campfire. Don't people tell ghost stories around campfires?"

  There was the snap of an animal stepping on a tree limb somewhere deep in the woods and Eli startled, grabbing tightly to Quinn's arm and looking around frantically. Quinn reached down beside her and picked up her flashlight, turning it on and sweeping it through the perimeter of the campfire where the glow from the flames hadn't penetrated the darkness.

  "I actually heard one about cowboys," Layla started.

  An owl hooted nearby and Eli jumped to his feet.

  "I'm going back to the cabin," he announced, grabbing Quinn's flashlight and bolting off, marshmallow skewer still in hand.

  "I guess I'll go with him. Are you coming?"

  "No. I'm going to stick around here. I did all of your other activities. I might as well do this one, too." There was a frantic screech from down the path and they all looked in its direction, "You go take care of Screamy over there. I'll be fine. I have these two big cowboys to take care of me in case the ghosts come."

  Quinn handed Layla her marshmallow and ran toward Eli, who was still shrieking despite being close enough to the campfire that Layla could still see the beam from the flashlight. She peeled some of the blackened toasted part of the marshmallow off with her fingers and put it in her mouth, sliding her fingers out slowly. She could feel the boys watching her and she didn't make eye contact with them but continued to pull off pieces of the marshmallow and eat them.

  When she could no longer hear the sound of Eli and Quinn running through the trees back toward the cabin, she stood and walked around the fire toward Roy. She had worn a black wrap dress that tied in the front, and as she approached him, she used her free hand to loosen the bow and let the dress fall open.

  "Eli hates ghost stories," she said, "I guess that means it's just us now."

  He opened his arms to her and she stepped over his thighs to straddle him like she had when they were beside the pond.

  Layla pulled off another piece of the marshmallow as Roy took her by her hips and lowered her down into his lap. She fed it to him and leaned forward to kiss along the side of his neck until she felt him swallow. He was rocking her hips against his again and when she picked up his rhythm, he took his hands from her hips to open her dress the rest of the way and push it off of her shoulders and onto the ground.

  She looked over at Nathan, who was still sitting in the same place, his eyes fixated on her. Crooking one finger, she gestured him to come over to them. She pulled another piece from the marshmallow and then tossed the skewer aside. Nathan came up close beside her and leaned down so she could slip the piece of marshmallow into his mouth. Roy's mouth was playing along the swell of her breasts now and she tilted her mouth up to kiss Nathan, letting the tip of her tongue tease along his lips where she could still taste sugary sweetness.

  "Undress me," she whispered as she took her mouth from his.

  Nathan moved around behind her and she felt his hands release the hooks on her bra. His fingertips stroked down her spine as she removed her bra and let it fall from her hand onto the ground. She complied with the pressure of Nathan's hands at her waist, pulling her backwards so she climbed off of Roy's lap and stood in front of him. Nathan eased her panties off and guided them down her legs and completely away so she was totally bare in front of her cowboys. Roy ran one hand down the center of her chest and down her belly. She could see in his eyes he was enjoying the feeling of every inch of her and she relished feeling beautiful under his hands in the glow of the firelight.

  Layla took Roy's hand from her stomach and tugged him to his feet, tilting her face up to kiss him as she unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off of his incredible body. She took a moment to trace his muscles with her fingers before bringing them down to his belt buckle. Behind her, she could feel Nathan nearly mirroring her movements, undressing himself as she took off Roy's clothes.

  Roy kicked off his boots and stepped out of his jeans. She hooked her thumbs in the waistband of his trunks and pushed them down, finally revealing the long, thick erection she had been thinking about for days. It was bigger than she had expected and so beautiful that she couldn't resist bending down to run her tongue along its tip. Roy drew in a sharp breath and she smiled, repeating the lick to gather a droplet of crystalline fluid that formed there in response to her touch. His hand brushed back through her hair and cupped the back of her head, not pushing her, but holding her steady as she swirled her tongue around the swollen head of his cock and took a moment to concentrate on the sensitive bundle of nerves on the underside.

  Nathan's hands touched her hips from behind, gliding over her curves and kneading her flesh with strong, sure fingers. Layla adjusted her position slightly so her hips nestled back against Nathan as she gripped Roy's thighs, opened her mouth, and let his cock slide in over her tongue. He groaned deep in his chest and Layla felt his hand guiding her in to a smooth rhythm. She closed her eyes as he moved in her mouth, enjoying the feeling of each vein and ridge.

  She sighed happily and arched her back slightly, presenting herself to Nathan. An instant later she felt him grab her hips more firmly and plunge inside her. She moaned her appreciation, moving one of her hands to the base of Roy's erection so she could hold him steady as she let Nathan's thrusts guide her mouth along its hard length. Nathan reached around and dipped his fingers bet
ween her thighs, swirling them around her most sensitive place and he pushed hard and deep inside her.

  Layla cried out at the intense combination of sensations, pulling her mouth away from Roy and standing so she could loop one arm back around Nathan's neck. With the other hand she reached for Roy, coaxing him forward so she could kiss him. His hands cupped her breasts, squeezing as he kissed her. She could feel them bouncing against his palms with the motion of Nathan inside her and Roy's cock twitched in response.

  Roy stepped away from her and she felt a flicker of disappointment, but saw him drape his shirt across the log, then sit down on it, reaching out for her.

  "Come here," he said.

  Layla carefully withdrew Nathan from her body and walked up to Roy. He turned her by her waist and brought her down into his lap, filling her. She let her head fall back against his shoulder and let out a gasp, spreading her thighs further to take him in completely. When she sat up again, Nathan had stepped up close to her and she eagerly took him into her mouth, lavishing him with the same attention she had given Roy. She could feel Roy's mouth on her shoulders and the back of her neck and his hand come around to stimulate her as Nathan had.

  The sensations began to build out of control and within moments she pulled her mouth away from Nathan to scream as a dizzying orgasm consumed her. Her hard, rapid tremors squeezed down on Roy, milking him until he stiffened within her and roared with his own release. She was stroking Nathan with her hand to mimic the waves of pleasure rolling through her body and soon he gave a strangled cry and hot streams began to pour out of him. She caught them with her tongue, swallowing luxuriously and cleaning him carefully with her tongue as she continued to roll her hips so she could ride Roy's pulses within her.

  Not bothering to dress, they gathered their clothes and walked together to the largest tent set up at the edge of the campfire area. Layla collapsed into the middle of the pile of sleeping bags and pillows inside, and her boys fell on either side of her, cuddling close so she could feel their sweat against her skin. She smiled contentedly and kissed each of them, nestling back into the curves of Roy's body and entangling her legs with Nathan's in front of her as she draped an arm over his waist.