Heather's Challenge [Cattleman's Club 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Jenny Penn

  It wasn’t like Heather to get drunk, but Alex blamed her condition on Angelina. That woman was no good and everybody knew it. If it were up to him, Heather wouldn’t be allowed to hang out with her, but he knew better than to pick that fight.

  Not when he had ring burning a hole in his pocket.

  It should have been on her finger already, but all of his and Konor’s plans had gotten blown to hell when Konor had been called in to work. Then Heather had decided to go out with the girls that night, leaving Alex with no plans, which had ended up with Taylor and him vegging out on pizza and video games.

  Now he had a bad case of indigestion and finger cramps. It was time to go home. Taylor was visibly disappointed, a fact that kind of pleased Alex. He liked the kid. He was funny and engaging and most of all smart, proving that Heather’s genes were solid because Taylor hadn’t inherited those traits from Hugh.

  Thankfully, though, the kid hadn’t taken on his mother’s propensity to be difficult. Alex had been a little worried earlier that day when they were showing Magnolia Bluff to Ralph and Taylor. Ralph, of course, had loved it, but then he loved projects and Magnolia Bluff was a big one.

  Taylor, on the other hand, had been reserved until he saw the big room that would be his and heard Konor’s plans to divide a smaller room into Taylor’s own closet and bathroom. By the time they’d gotten to the future game room and then showed the kid where they planned to build a home gym and parkour course out back, Taylor was more than sold. He was ready get a hammer out and start the renovations.

  They couldn’t do that until they bought the place. They wouldn’t do that until Heather had agreed to their plans. They had some special plans in the designs to assure she did end up agreeing but they wouldn’t get a chance to show them off until tomorrow.

  Tomorrow felt like a long way away. Hell, the drive home felt like it lasted forever. What he really wanted to do was turn in the opposite direction and head over to Hailey’s to collect Heather. He missed her. Hell, he hadn’t seen her since lunch, and it just didn’t feel right ending the day without at least getting to say ‘goodnight’.

  A quick goodnight followed by an even quicker kiss was all he got these days. It was little enough as far as he was concerned, especially in comparison to what he really wanted.

  Soon. Very soon, he promised himself, he would get to go to bed every night with her tucked in by his side. Then finally, maybe, Alex could get a decent night’s sleep. He sure as shit wasn’t going to get any that night, he thought grimly as he pulled into his drive. For a moment he considered backing out and going for a drink but decided against it.

  It would be better to work himself to exhaustion instead of drinking himself into a stupor. Now that he was going to be a father, that sort of behavior would have to become a thing of the past. After all, he had an example to set for Taylor.

  That example only went so far and there were certain carnal depravities Alex had no intention of giving up. He didn’t think Heather did either, given all the heated looks she’d been sending them lately. She was up to something, both he and Konor had agreed, but what she was up to they had no clue.

  Alex knew he was about to get one, though, when he found the note taped to his door. It warned him not to allow either her son, her father, or anybody else into the house with him. This was a “by invitation only” event and he was the only one invited.

  That could only mean one thing.

  Heather wasn’t passed out on Hailey’s couch. She was up to something naughty. More than that, she’d used the key Konor and him had given her nearly three weeks ago. It had been a symbol of the change in their life. Their door was now locked and only one woman held the key…only she hadn’t used it.

  Not until now.

  The very idea of why had his blood heating, surging through his veins in a rush that roused his tired spirits and washed away his exhaustion. With his hand shaking and his heart pounding, he slid his own key into the lock and turned it.

  The latch clicked loudly in the still night air. The door creaked inward on hinges that had started to rust some years ago. The floors had started to creak long before that. The old wooden boards moaned and groaned beneath his feet, but were nothing compared to the sounds echoing out of his bedroom.

  The deep, husky cries of a woman being pleasured gave him a momentary pause as he wondered if Konor had double-crossed him and arranged to spend the night alone with Heather…only that didn’t sound like Heather. Neither did the squeal of delight that danced down the hall as the sound of a second woman giggling along with the first left Alex more confused than ever.

  Had Heather brought a friend home to play with? Was she that drunk? Was he finally the lucky son of a bitch? Because this would make up for all the times fate had screwed him over while blessing Konor. It didn’t even dawn on Alex that there was no way he’d ever be that lucky.

  His sex-starved brain blossomed with erotic fantasies that had him tripping over his own feet as he rushed through the darkened living room. He cracked his knee on the corner of the weight bench and didn’t even care. He banged into the side of the treadmill and shook the blow off, not even slowing down as he rushed toward the light spilling from his open bedroom door into the darkened hall.

  He should have taken the time and saved himself the injuries.

  That was Alex’s first thought as he came to a stumbling halt beneath the straight cut of the doorframe, his eyes landing immediately on the TV that was blaring at full volume. Three naked blondes were having fun with each other in a scene that Alex instantly recognized. Heather had found his porn, which was a somewhat depressing thought because she, no doubt, disa—

  Alex froze, his heart stopping as every thought racing through his head crashed into a jumbled pile that left him feeling like a bumbling idiot unable and incapable of doing anything but staring at the sight of Heather impaled on a double-harnessed sex swing. Blindfolded and bound, she hung there like a figment of his wanton imagination.

  In fact, Alex was pretty sure he had this dream before, which was why he knew just what to do.

  Chapter 43

  Heather had taken her time setting Alex’s room up. GD had helped move the bed and anchor the swing into the ceiling, not to mention providing all of the props she’d had requested. Things had gone well until the end when the moment had turned strangely awkward as GD stood there, clearly uncertain as to what to say.

  Normally he would have teased her with some flirtatious come on or offered to provide her assistance, but that didn’t feel natural anymore. Mostly because Heather knew Alex and Konor would be upset by even the suggestion of her with another man, much less GD. That only went to prove just how much they really cared, something Heather was beginning to realize that they proved every day.

  Who needed words when actions were so clear?

  She did.

  Heather knew it was irrational and that she was, no doubt, being stubborn but she wanted to hear exactly how they felt. She couldn’t help it. After all the years and all the insults she had shared with Alex, the wounds they had left behind needed to be treated with a salve to wash away and cleanse all those old hurts, but she didn’t have the strength or courage to be the one who spoke up first.

  So, this was her bribe. She was giving over all control to them. No safe words. No conditions.

  It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but after GD had left Heather’s doubts had begun to grow. First, she’d come to the obvious realization that it wouldn’t be easy to tie herself up, not to mention it took nearly a Master’s degree in engineering to figure out exactly how to strap on the harness that buckled into the chains dangling from the ceiling to form the swing.

  Even after she figured it out, it was still intimidating as hell to actually impale herself on the dildos that were built into the front and back of the so-called seat. Uncertain if the toys were as new as the ones that came with the cube, Heather scrounged around until she found a box of condoms in Alex’s nightstand.r />
  She also found a stash of movies that featured a lot of girl-on-girl action and decided to pop one into his DVD the player given that was about as close as he was ever going to get to those kinds of fantasies. The gesture had seemed like a good idea at the time, but Heather soon realized that listening to the sounds of passion coming from the TV while she hung there impaled only fueled the want beginning rage through her veins.

  The fact that the seat seemed to shift with her every breath didn’t help. Neither did the butterfly she’d strapped on. Between the feel of the hard, plastic cocks keeping her sensitive muscles stretched wide and the vibrator tickling over her clit it had been sheer hell to stretch all the way up to cuff her wrists in the manacles attached high up on the swing’s chain.

  That she managed it blindfolded was a complete miracle, but apparently Heather had talents even she hadn’t known about. Like her ability to withstand the torment of hanging there for the long hours that it had taken for Alex to arrive home. At least, she thought it had been hours. Time ceased to hold any meaning when every second was the same—an endless torrent of delight.

  Heather managed, though—another talent she’d discovered thanks to Konor and Alex. They’d tested the very limits of her control during those fantastical nights spent in the cube, but this was worse. At least back then she’d been fortified by non-stop fornication. Now, she’d been dry for over three weeks. She needed this…or maybe she didn’t.

  That thought raced through her head at the sound of the front door opening. The frenzy of emotions quivering in her stomach burst at the realization that the time had come.

  The show was set to begin, and all of a sudden Heather wasn’t so sure about her plan. She could only hope that the heavy footsteps echoing through the living room belonged to either Konor or Alex. Surely they did because she had remembered to lock the front door…hadn’t she?

  In that moment Heather wasn’t certain. If she hadn’t and somebody else had read the note she’d left posted on the door, would they be able to guess at what was going on? Maybe it was some intruder banging into things in the living room. She probably shouldn’t have left that note but she’d been too afraid of her father or, worse, her son seeing her like this.

  Note, no note—it didn’t matter because this was clearly mistake. What had she been thinking? Heather didn’t have a clue. Neither did she have any time left. She heard the floor squeak only a few feet away and knew it was too late to escape.

  In that moment her heart seized as everything inside her froze, everything that was, but the butterflies fluttering madly in her stomach. They escaped into her veins, spreading the panic through her whole body until she fairly vibrated with the strain of holding still when all Heather really wanted to do was rub the blindfold from her eyes and see just whose gaze was searing across her flesh.

  She could feel the heat. It thickened in the air along with the tension that had the giggly, sloppy sounds of sex coming from the TV echoing with a hollowness as the steady thump of somebody stalking toward her rang loudly in Heather’s ears. It had to be Konor or Alex.

  It just had to be.

  In the next second Heather knew it was. It was Alex. Breathing in a deep sigh, she inhaled the musky, intoxicating scent that was a wicked mixture of man, soap, and cologne. The heady fragrance infused her blood with a potent lust that sent every last butterfly surging through her veins straight down in a blind dive toward her cunt, flooding her sensitive flesh with a thick wave of heated cream as she flushed with a heat that left the air feeling cool against her skin.

  Heather couldn’t hide the shiver that raced down her spine. Spurred by the soft breeze blowing out of the vent overhead and the familiar rush of anticipation that flowed through her, it grew into a wicked little thrill that left her tingling as she sensed Alex circling her. He moved with a slow, steady pace that only heightened her sense of awareness.

  She felt alive as she never had before, so sensitive that a mere brush of his fingertips down her spine sent sparkles of ticklish delight radiating out through her body. Her skin prickled with goose bumps as the pleasure rushed through her veins, contracting her muscles and causing Heather to arch as she moaned and begged for more.

  “Please.”

  Almost instantly, Alex withdrew, and Heather could all but hear the thoughts racing through his head. They were the same that would have plagued her, which was just why Heather knew exactly what to say to wash away all his doubts.

  “Please, Alex, I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”

  Those were the magic words. She could sense it in the sudden wash of his heated sigh across the back of her neck and hear it in the satisfied rumble of Alex’s husky whisper as he growled his response against the back of her ear.

  “And how did you know it was me?” The menace darkening his tone sent a wicked curl of heat down her spine, making her shiver even as she teased him back.

  “It’s your room, isn’t it?” Heather taunted him, relaxing as the tension eased from the air even as Alex’s tone deepened.

  “I could be an intruder,” he suggested, mimicking her earlier fears. “Then what would you do?”

  “Warn you that my boyfriend carries a gun and a badge,” Heather shot back with a laugh, feeling the euphoric rush of lightness lifting the moment back toward the familiar playfulness that infused those magical nights they’d spent in the cube.

  That was what made Alex and Konor so special. They were magicians capable of erasing the years and bringing back the innocent joy in simply playing even if the game had matured into a carnal sport. It was a sport that had no losers, no winners, and, despite what Alex and Konor might think, no masters. They were all slaves to the wild, unpredictable ride that always ended with the same soul-shattering climax that never seemed to dull.

  That was the beauty of love…and trust.

  And that was what this night was all about, proving her love and acceptance. Heather knew that Alex understood, knew without seeing just how her words affected him. This was the first time she’d ever referred to him as hers.

  The very idea sent a delicious thrill through her, along with the urge to rub up against him, which she couldn’t do. At least not unless she wiggled out of the cuffs, which she could do given she hadn’t tightened them all the way down. Or, she could have done it if Alex hadn’t caught her wrist in the tight clench of his fists.

  Trapped between his palms and her bony joint, the hard metal rings on the cuffs tightened down in loud snaps that echoed in the suddenly silent room. The movie had ended and now it was time for the real fantasy to begin.

  * * * *

  Alex didn’t know what amazed him more—Heather’s daring or the feeling that had seized him when she claimed him as her boyfriend. He wanted so much more than that, but it was a beginning. A big one.

  So was this night.

  Alex wasn’t even going to let himself feel guilty about taking advantage of the situation without Konor. After all, he was in charge of the sex. God knew he needed some.

  The fire boiling in his balls had been burning for weeks, the hunger only grew stronger with every second that passed. He was starving and Heather was conveniently all trussed up and waiting to be devoured. He’d be a fool not to take a taste, especially given the girl was all but begging for it.

  “But then again, who am I to be so picky?” Heather asked, her mischievous tone hinting at the taunt coming. “Dick is dick, after all. Right?”

  Those words would have cut deep if Alex hadn’t known Heather was just trying to get a rise out of him. She was pushing, trying to drive him past the bounds of his own self-control because she knew he wasn’t supposed to take her, not until she broke…and he wouldn’t, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t take advantage of the opportunity Heather had presented him to force the words out of her.

  Something told him that’s really what she wanted, really why she was there. She wanted to break but was afraid. Alex knew just how to get rid of that fear, how to wash it
away with three simple words because that’s all he needed to wash away his own.

  Konor was right. Alex and Heather were trapped in a hopeless battle. Hopeless, but it wasn’t without fun. Just the opposite. He’d begun to wonder if the battle wasn’t more fun than winning. That question was about to be answered right along with Heather’s challenge.

  “Maybe,” Alex allowed as he dropped his hands to the buckles holding the harness in place at her hips.

  One snap and the dildos slid back, making Heather shift and whimper as Alex pulled them the rest of the way free. Another snap and she fell back onto her tiptoes. Alex left her hanging there just like that, open and vulnerable to more than just his gaze. He didn’t hesitate to take instant advantage.

  Falling to his knees, Alex buried his face in the swollen folds of Heather’s pussy even as he wrapped his hands around the luscious globes of her ass. Parting them, he exposed her clenched entrance to the teasing probe of his fingertips. Her muscles tightened around his fingers, trying desperately to suck him deeper in to her restricted depths.

  Alex fed her one inch and then another, treating her to a taste of what was to come even as he lost himself in the addictive taste of her cunt. She was sweet and hot, and his dick was throbbing with aching demand to be buried in her clinging depths. At least he wasn’t crying.

  Not like Heather.

  She’d already moved past whimpers into full-on sobs as he lapped up the proof of her arousal right off the walls of her shuddering sheath. Fucking her with slow, teasing strokes of his tongue, Alex claimed her ass, mimicking the same smooth motion with his fingers, going just deep enough to drive her nuts.

  * * * *

  That was a short trip for Heather. She’d been hanging there on the verge of a climax for so long she was already half-mad with lust. She needed a release, and she needed it now. Not that Alex appeared to be in any rush to indulge her.