Special Cowboy Menage Collection

by Morgan Ashbury

  Why not accept their offer to go and play for a few hours?

  “And this ‘ceremony’ requires that I accompany you?” She knew they could see the laughter in her eyes because both Jesse and Grant’s smiles widened.

  “It does. And you don’t even need to don any protective gear.”

  “Well, that’s a relief because I left my pepper spray and my panic whistle back in New York.”

  Jesse’s eyes gave away a flicker of horror before he got his expression back under control. His smile was smooth and his expression more than a little flirty when he said, “I guarantee you won’t need them or anything else. Grant and I will keep you safe. That’s a promise.”

  “I know you will. Do I need to change?” She put on a t-shirt and denim jeans after her shower that morning. Although it was the middle of July, the temperature rarely got as hot here as it did back in New York.

  “Not one damn thing,” Grant replied. She heard a husky quality to his voice that sent a shiver of awareness skittering up her spine. That voice didn’t belong in her kitchen in the middle of a summer Sunday morning. It belonged to the twilight world of half-sleep and fantasies, the world Annie sometimes floated in as she was sinking into slumber. That voice could whisper to her softly while her hand wandered down her body to stroke and tease her sex into orgasm.

  Annie blinked, unwilling to allow that thought any more room. Looking at the men, her senses told her that something was different, something had changed about the way they stared at her. Both Jesse and Grant continued to grin with those nearly identical mischief-making smiles. Did the blue of Jesse’s eyes somehow seem darker? Did Grant’s smile look sultrier than just a few moments ago?

  What was in that cleaning compound I used on the kitchen counter this morning? She just barely resisted the urge to shake her head to dislodge these bizarre thoughts and half-formed images. Instead, she straightened up and dropped her arms to her sides.

  “Just give me a couple of minutes to run a comb through my hair and put on some lipstick, then.”

  “Take whatever time you need,” Grant said. “We’ll wait right here.”

  In her bedroom, she took a look at her reflection and decided she needed a clean t-shirt, too. She picked the kelly-green V-neck top because it was close at hand, not because it made the green flecks in her hazel eyes sparkle. Smoothing the garment into place, Annie decided to ignore the pink tinting her cheeks. Moving quickly, she stepped into the bathroom and ran a comb through her auburn hair. She never bothered to use her curling iron, or makeup for that matter. A part of her felt those female accessories belonged to her old life. Jim would get angry if she didn’t dress herself up just so when they went out.

  No. Those thoughts didn’t belong here and now. She need only please herself these days. Well, herself and those two cowboys waiting for her. And they never gave any indication she didn’t measure up.

  She used a wet face cloth to remove whatever bits of dust or dirt might have found her since her shower. A few drops of moisturizer and a swipe with her lip gloss, Barely Toffee, and she was good to go.

  It felt more than a little disconcerting to step back into the living room—back into their view—and have their gazes on her as if fixated, waiting on her entrance.

  “Will I need my purse?”

  “Nah, just your keys to lock up.”

  Curiosity began to curl inside her the moment Jesse opened the passenger door of Grant’s enormous pick-up truck and she slid to the middle. No surprise they arrived together. She rarely saw one without the other. From what she understood, their ranches bordered each other’s before they merged them into one operation.

  “I happened to hear you chatting with Mrs. Bishop a while back. You told her you’ve never ridden a horse, and that the closest you’ve been to one was when you drove past some grazing in nearby fields.”

  Annie turned to face Grant. He spoke without looking at her, his focus on the road.

  “There aren’t a great many horses in New York City, unless you want to count the ones pulling carriages full of tourists through Central Park or the few used by the police department.”

  “We’re not being critical, Annie. I know that I, for one, sometimes take my horses for granted. I’ve always owned them, always been able to head out for a ride whenever I’ve wanted to be off on my own. They’re such an important part of life here we thought it time you had the chance to get a little closer to them than the side of the road.”

  “You’re going to show me your ranch and your horses?” She often wondered exactly where that ranch was. Seeing their home and their livestock up close sounded like a wonderful way to spend a Sunday.

  “We’re not just going to show them to you, Annie,” Jesse said, his tone taking on a teasing lilt. “We’re going to take you for a ride.”

  Chapter Three

  “Ohmigod!” Annie squeaked when the horse beneath her started to move.

  “It’s okay, Annie. I have you.” Jesse knew she could hear the laughter in his voice. He was trying very hard to keep his amusement under wraps, but he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

  “I know. I trust you. I do. And I don’t even blame you for laughing. But holy cow, this is really high up off the ground!”

  Annie clutched onto Jesse’s thighs, which was fine by him. He could feel the sweet curve of her bottom pressed up against his sex. He was more than semi hard, and wondered when the woman sitting in front of him on his horse, Drifter, would notice that.

  He’d put a blanket on his stallion but not a saddle. He figured this way the ride would be more comfortable for Annie. Grant prepped his horse the exact same way and would have her with him on the way back to the ranch house.

  Since all of the crew bunked at Grant’s, they began their ride from Jesse’s. Neither man wanted Annie to feel self-conscious with strangers looking her way.

  “It’s not really that high up, honey,” Grant said from beside them. “The deck out your back door is over twice as high as that horse you’re sitting on.”

  Jesse could tell his best friend was having as much trouble keeping a straight face and an even tone as he.

  “That’s true.” Annie replied. “Of course, my deck doesn’t tend to move while I’m standing on it, either.”

  She leaned back just a little more against Jesse, and he thought she might be starting to relax some. Their destination wasn’t that far away, and it wouldn’t take them more than fifteen minutes, all told, to get there. He and Grant didn’t know how Annie would take to being on horseback, so they chose their spot as well as their method of riding with that in mind.

  “Guess it would be a little bit scary if your deck did move,” Jesse conceded. “But you don’t have to worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” To prove his point, he took the reins in his right hand and wrapped his left arm around her from behind, tucking her in closer. It sure wasn’t a hardship having his arm around her waist and her sweet bottom nestled tight in the V of his legs.

  Because he paid attention, he heard the little catch in her breathing, felt her pulse jump. He’d been thinking about this for so long, though, that he couldn’t completely trust his perceptions. Annie still leaned against him, one hand braced on his thigh, but the other one settled against the arm around her waist.

  Her ass nestled so wonderfully tight against him, she must feel his stiff cock.

  The day had turned sweet and warm, the breeze a light one, a perfect summer day for a picnic. No rain threatened—not a lot of problems with that in their part of Wyoming, anyway—and the temperature promised to stay warm without inching into hot.

  As they crested a small hillock, Jesse felt Annie fully relax into the rhythm of the horse. He said, “If you find you don’t mind being on horseback, Grant and I thought we could teach you how to ride. If you’re open to new experiences, that is.”

  “Now that I’m a little bit used to it, I think I like it. And I guess it would depend on the new experience you’re referring
to, but I like to think I have an open mind.”

  He shot a look at Grant whose twinkling eyes told him he caught that bit of teasing she’d thrown out.

  Jesse couldn’t be happier.

  “There’s our picnic place just up ahead. Let’s get settled and then we can talk about new experiences, and just what you might be open to.”

  He and Grant had scouted this spot earlier in the week. Here by the creek, the grass grew just a little more lushly, making the ground feel softer. On either side of the waterway, the run-off from one of the many springs on their land, cottonwoods and willows provided plentiful shade.

  “It’s pretty. More….”

  She stopped in mid sentence and Jesse laughed. “More like what you’re used to back east?” He finished for her.

  “Yeah. I am used to seeing a lot of trees, even if I did live a dozen years in one of the boroughs of New York City.”

  Her face was flushed. He gave her a hug and found he had a hell of a time keeping it friendly. “My mother used to call this area Whispering Springs. She said sometimes when she and Dad would come out here on a summer evening, they could hear the springs whispering the secrets of the universe.”

  “Whispering Springs. Isn’t that what you named your business?” Annie asked him. Her voice went quiet, and he gave her an extra squeeze to acknowledge the tenderness in her tone.

  “Yeah. Seemed like the thing to do.”

  Grant dismounted and looped his reins over a low hanging branch. Sandstone, the chestnut gelding he’d ridden, was a gentle old horse, quite content to stay where he was put. Grant flexed his shoulders so the straps of his backpack slid down his arms. He set the bag on the grass, then came over to Jesse and Annie.

  “Lift your leg over, honey,” Jesse instructed as he helped her raise her right leg over the horse’s back. He only let go once Grant had his arms up to receive her.

  “Oh!”

  Jesse flicked his glance down. He figured Annie’s startled exclamation had been prompted by being held close by Grant, sporting as big a hard-on as he was.

  “My legs are a little stiff,” she said when the other man set her down.

  Jesse caught the nervousness in her voice. He couldn’t help but smile. Any doubts about Annie’s awareness of both himself and Grant as men were gone now. When he spoke, he let the hunger he felt for her come through in both his expression and his words.

  “That’s just because you’re not used to having your legs spread, honey.”

  Grant hadn’t stepped away from her once he set her on the ground. He stood just on the other side of her. Jesse knew his best friend was on the same page when he said, “If you let us, we’d both like to help you with that.”

  * * * *

  Annie felt her heart thud heavily in her chest. She knew her mouth hung open in shock, but she couldn’t seem to close it. This was not what she expected when these two handsome devils came calling. They said they wanted her to come out and play, but of course they hadn’t said what kind of play they had in mind. It took some effort to close her mouth. She let her gaze wander from one man to the other.

  “We know how you feel on the subject of marriage and relationships,” Grant said in his quiet, thoughtful way, “because over the last few months, you’ve said some things, and we’ve put two and two together. But you’re far too young, and far too responsive to want to live the rest of your life like a nun.”

  Since both men made a point of looking at the way her nipples pebbled under her T-shirt, she couldn’t deny the accusation of being responsive. Neither did she think it would be smart to tell them she only seemed to be responsive to them.

  “We’ve both been drawn to you, right from the beginning, from the first moment we laid eyes on you. But we’ve been best friends forever and had no intention of letting anyone get in the way of that friendship,” Jesse said.

  “When we realized our feelings for you weren’t going away, and that you didn’t want any kind of committed relationship, we thought that maybe there was a way for all three of us to enjoy ourselves without either getting mired down with expectations of marriage, or damaging a life-long partnership,” Grant said.

  “We could all just be friends together…friends with benefits,” Jesse finished, flashing the sexiest grin she’d ever seen.

  For a long moment, Annie couldn’t think of a thing to say. “Wow,” she finally exhaled, “that is a lot of thinking.”

  “We’ve done ours. Now you do yours. Jesse and I will get our picnic set out.”

  Those two rogues did not just propose they both become her lovers and then move right along to setting out food! Annie shook her head, a small chuckle escaping. That was exactly what they were doing.

  Both men still sported erections that tested the strength of their denim, and both wore engaging, nearly cheeky grins.

  Both looked at her as if she was the tastiest thing on two legs and she was about to become dessert.

  A year ago, Annie would have said she was done with men and sex forever. A year ago, she had said that. She figured if anyone knew all she’d been through with that bastard Jim Rutherford, they certainly wouldn’t blame her. Hadn’t she just affirmed to herself this very morning that it would be best all around if she forgot about sex and relationships completely?

  Over the last few months, she had begun to heal. And she had begun, albeit tepidly, to explore her own sexuality.

  She’d masturbated for the first time in her life just a few weeks before. Annie turned away as she felt her cheeks heat at the recollection.

  One of the things she’d vowed when she moved West, she would always be scrupulously honest with herself. Though difficult, she applied that principle now. She’d begun pleasuring herself for the first time one night when thinking about these two men had gotten her aroused.

  “Annie? Come and eat, honey.”

  “I don’t know how you can expect me to eat after that bombshell proposition you just dropped on me!” She turned and headed toward them. They’d set out a pretty blanket and were on the ground beside it. There were zipper bags with sandwiches and a bag of cookies. A large thermos sat off to the side, and they’d even thought to bring paper cups.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” Grant asked that with just enough of a twinkle in his eyes to tell her he knew she was feeling off balance.

  “I’m not sure I know many women who would be hungry for food immediately after being propositioned with a ménage by two sexy studs.”

  “Wanna have sex, then?” And oh, didn’t Jesse look just the right amount of hopeful to make her laugh? She accepted his hand and settled on a corner of the blanket, effectively between them.

  “I’m thinking about it. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “Neither have we,” Grant said. “And believe me, coming to the decision to give this a try wasn’t as easy for us as you might think.”

  Annie stretched her legs out, sighed, and accepted a sandwich from Grant. She would have thought she would feel all sorts of uncomfortable talking with two virile, ruggedly handsome men about having sex. Especially about her having sex with them. She did feel some nervousness, but who wouldn’t?

  “I’ve only had sex with one man in my life. It was nothing to set off fireworks, let me tell you. He convinced me I was frigid.”

  “You’re not frigid,” Jesse said.

  “Damn right you’re not,” Grant said.

  She heard absolute certainty in both their voices.

  Annie began to eat her sandwich, a pretty tasty ham and cheese, as she worked at processing the proposition she’d been handed. “The thing is, I’m not very experienced at sex. There are a whole lot of things I’ve heard about, but never done.”

  “Don’t even think for one second that you would in any way disappoint us. Not going to happen.” Jesse’s vehemence coaxed a smile out of her.

  “You may believe that, but I won’t hold it against you when you discover differently.” Memories from the past rushed
up to flood her thoughts. Jim had left no doubt about the depth of his disappointment in her. Even before they moved to the city and he began drinking, he spared no opportunity to berate her for being a complete and utter failure as a woman. Near the end, his words had been especially cruel, his actions as he forced himself on her especially painful.

  Then came the attack that changed her forever, the one that made his label of ‘failure’ became more than just a label.

  There must have been something in her expression, because in the next instant Grant had her left hand in his and brought it to his lips while Jesse stroked a gentle hand down the center of her back.

  “Someday, honey, when you’re ready, you’ll tell us about it,” Grant said quietly.

  “It?” The painful memories evaporated. Annie’s attention focused on the two men who had turned tender in a heartbeat and were lavishing her with more pure care than she knew could exist in the world.

  “The thing you think about every now and then that puts those haunted shadows in your eyes,” Jesse said.

  Their sensitivity amazed her. She’d grown up with a father who had never seen her and a husband who’d never bothered to look. Neither one of them had cared about her one iota.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. She’d never told anyone about those last months, not even Veronica, the one female friend she’d made in Branchton. Maybe the past needed not so much to be shoved in the back corner, but dragged out in the light of day and treated to a full dose of sunlight.

  Could she tell these men what she never before discussed with anyone? “Maybe,” she said softly. But not today.

  “Fair enough. In the meantime, you just said ‘when we discover differently’ and not ‘if’, which means to me that you’ve already decided to take us for a ride.” Jesse sounded smug.