by Marla Monroe
They climbed out of the truck with Stanton helping her down on his side. The feel of his hands at her waist thrilled her, setting her pulse into overdrive. Just the touch of one of them always had her panties wet and her skin prickly with awareness.
Wade let the way, carrying the rifle. He carefully tested each step up to the porch before they followed. Lyssa noticed that despite the run-down appearance, everything felt sturdy beneath her feet. Even the porch with its sagging roof didn’t give as she followed Wade across it to the front door. The screen door sagged just like the roof and gave off a loud squeaking protest as Wade pulled it open.
“Well, if there was anyone inside, they know we’re out here now,” Stanton said.
Wade’s strained expression left no doubt in Lyssa’s mind that he was just as tense and she and Stanton. His hold on the rifle left the tips of his fingers white with the pressure. She looked over her shoulder to find Stanton’s forehead creased as well.
When Wade knocked on the door, Lyssa yelped and jumped. Stanton squeezed her shoulder lightly in a show of support.
“Sorry, it startled me.” She felt her face heat at her foolishness.
Wade waited a few long seconds then pounded with the side of his fist, making the sound even louder. Though it reverberated through the house, no one appeared at the door. He tried the doorknob and finding it unlocked, pushed the door inward without stepping inside. She couldn’t believe that it was open like that. It didn’t bode well for there being anything left in the house. More than likely someone had broken in just after all hell broke loose and emptied it, scavenging everything of worth.
“Stay behind me,” Wade said as he stepped inside, pressing down on the floor then jumping up and down to be sure it was secure.
As they made their way through the front hall and into the living room, he stopped testing each step to be sure it was solid. Lyssa was just as sure that it was. Inside the house, they found old antique furniture that was dusty in a room filled with cobwebs. The kitchen, however, had been updated though it was dirty from years of disuse. The pantry still contained canned food as well as bottled water and home canned foods. They refrained from opening the fridge since the electricity would have been off for years. No doubt the smell would be impossible to stand.
“Looks like someone just dropped everything and left,” Stanton said.
“I didn’t see a car or truck, but it could be out back and with all the weeds, we might miss it,” Lyssa said in a near whisper.
“Stanton, stay down here with Lyssa. I’m going to check the upstairs,” Wade said.
“What’s wrong?” Lyssa asked, picking up on his unease.
He looked from Stanton to her then seemed to come to a decision. “There’s a possibility that the people who lived here died here and are upstairs. I want to be sure that’s not the case before you go up.”
Lyssa shuddered. Even though she was a nurse practitioner, the sight of long-dead people wouldn’t be a pretty sight. She could do without that visual stuck in her brain for days or weeks. She just nodded and wrapped her arms around herself.
Stanton pulled out a chair and after dusting it off, urged her into it while he stood next to her with the handgun steady in his hands. She felt safe with him there next to her. She hated that Wade was going upstairs alone to find out if there were bodies upstairs, but she was glad they weren’t going with him.
They could hear him climbing the stairs, his boots clomping up the creaky steps. Then the sound of him walking across the floor above them as he slowly made his way from room to room. Sitting in the silence with only the sound of an occasional bird and his heavy tread above them felt creepy to her. She shivered despite the heat of the long-closed-up house.
Several long minutes later, Wade’s progress down the stairs relieved her. She’d worried about him though they were almost certain no one was alive in the house besides them. When he walked through the kitchen door, his grim expression was all the explanation they needed.
“Well?” Stanton asked.
“The master bedroom is off limits. It looks like the man shot his wife then turned the gun on himself. They were probably in their sixties, maybe even seventies. There’s no smell since it’s been so long. We’ll stay in the bedroom at the opposite end of the house,” Wade said.
“How sad.” Lyssa could understand that they probably felt like they had no choice with everything going on in the world, they wouldn’t have been able to keep food on the table at that age.
“Yeah,” Wade said. He drew in a deep breath and turned to where the pantry stood open. “Let’s go through the food and see what looks usable.”
Several hours later, they’d finished looking through everything and boxing up what was salvageable then eaten their meal in silence. Lyssa had no doubt they were each thinking about the poor older couple resorting to suicide because they couldn’t face starvation. Maybe they’d been sick with one of the plagues and knew they wouldn’t survive. Either way, it was just another horrible event in a series of terrible ones that had befallen the world years ago.
They cleared off their dishes and the men spread the maps out once again. Now there were only two of them showing their progress. While they discussed routes and probabilities, she searched the cabinets for any utensils or cooking supplies that would be helpful. To her surprise, she found cast iron skillets and a huge Dutch oven. They were perfect for cooking over an open fire. She was sure they would need to cook in a fireplace like people had done in the eighteen hundreds.
“What did you find?” Wade asked as she pulled out the heavy iron skillets.
“A gold mine of cooking supplies. Cast iron is the only way you can cook over an open fire. I figured that’s what we’d have to do once we get where we’re going,” she answered.
“Good thinking.” He walked over and knelt next to her. “Here, let me get it out. It’s too heavy for you.”
As she relinquished her hold, their fingers touched and an electrical current seemed to sizzle between them. Her eyes shot up to his face, surprised to see the same bewildered expression on his face as she was sure she wore. They remained like that for several seconds, just staring into each other’s eyes. She realized they were slowly bending toward each other. Lyssa had no doubt they would kiss. It never occurred to her at the time to pull away.
When his mouth pressed lightly against hers, she sighed. Wade’s lips brushed softly against hers, rubbing against hers before he ran his tongue along her bottom one and then along the seam. She reacted instinctually by opening to him, allowing his tongue to sweep inside her mouth and explore.
Oh, God! Did I just moan? What am I doing?
Wade’s hands cupped her face as he deepened the kiss before slowly pulling away. Just seeing how his eyes had darkened with his arousal had her breasts tingling and her nipples pebbling into aching peaks. Lyssa hoped he couldn’t smell how affected she’d been by his kiss. Her panties were soaked with her own desire.
“I think it’s time to go upstairs,” Stanton said in a husky voice.
Reality crashed in on her when Stanton spoke from across the room. Horror at what she’d just done burned up her neck into her cheeks. She’d kissed Wade with Stanton in the same room. How had she allowed this to happen? What was he feeling in that moment? Lyssa felt as if she’d betrayed him though they had never kissed before. The fact that she was attracted to both men had her head reeling with questions and shame. What was she going to do?
“Good idea,” Wade answered in a raspy voice.
He stood up, helping Lyssa to her feet then he and Stanton gathered up the heavy skillets and Dutch oven while she stood back, shaky and unsure what to do. How could she have lost control like that and kissed one man while the other watched?
* * * *
Wade smiled to himself. Lyssa’s lips were soft and plump, perfect for kissing. He didn’t regret the kiss in front of Stanton one bit. He couldn’t when he’d been aching to do that for days now. The fact that the ot
her man hadn’t quietly left to give them privacy spoke volumes to Wade. His new friend had made up his mind that sharing Lyssa was the best way to keep her safe. He sighed in relief.
“Follow me, Lyssa. When we get to the top of the stairs, we’ll turn left. The bathroom is right next to the bedroom, but it’s not connecting.” Wade carried a lantern while Stanton brought up the rear carrying two jugs of water they used to wash off. They refilled them anytime they found a stream.
Once inside the room they would use, Lyssa checked the bed. He was glad to see that once she pulled back the heavy, dusty quilts, the sheets beneath appeared clean. She patted the mattress a few times and seemed satisfied by the slight smile on her face.
“I’ll carry the lantern into the bathroom for you,” Stanton said. You can wash up first.”
Wade watched Stanton grab a jug of water in the other hand as he and Lyssa walked out of the bedroom. When the other man returned seconds later, Wade braced himself for what the other man might have to say about his kissing Lyssa in the kitchen.
“She responded to you,” Stanton said from the doorway.
“Yeah. She did. I think she was worried about kissing me with you in the room. Otherwise, she was into it. You need to approach her next, Stanton. Let her know that you’re okay with it and that you have feelings for her, too.” Wade could see the uncertainty in the other man’s eyes.
“I’ve seen two and three men with one woman on the way out here, but I thought it was just a fluke, not the norm. You’re telling me that it’s accepted, even expected out here to keep them safe. I’m torn up inside over this, Wade. I’m not going to lie to you. I want her all to myself.”
Wade sighed and leaned back against the dresser. He had been afraid of that. Stanton hadn’t been out there long enough to know all the dangers. The idea of sharing someone he cared about didn’t make sense to him.
Hell. It doesn’t sit right with me either. I don’t like the idea of sharing Lyssa with him anymore than he wants to share her with me. The world is a fucked up place but I can’t change how things are.
“Look if you’re not sure about this, you need to stay away from her. Your indecision will upset her and make her feel like she has to choose. The fact of it is, if you can’t live with it and I convince her to stay with me, I will be looking for another man I feel like I can trust to help me take care of her. All that matters to me is her safety and happiness.” It galled him to have to admit that he couldn’t keep Lyssa safe by himself, but it was just how things were now.
“How does it work? Do we take turns being with her?”
At least Stanton was thinking about it again. That was progress. Wade shook his head.
“Not all the time. Sometimes we share her together. We each need alone time with her sometimes, but creating a bond between the three of us is essential to making this work. There can’t be any animosity between us, and when we have differences of opinion where she’s concerned, we settle it without her around. We can’t make her feel torn between us. It will destroy her once she’s committed to both of us.”
“I get that. I don’t want to lose her to you. I think I’ve fallen in love with her. I never would have believed it was possible to love someone so soon, but I started to fall for her the moment I set eyes on her,” Stanton admitted.
“I can relate. The more I’m around her, the more I want to hold her and make all her fears go away. She’s special, Stanton. I don’t know she lived like she did for seven years and still managed to keep her sweet disposition. I never want to see that crumble.” Wade hoped the other man would accept what needed to happen. He liked Stanton and felt the man would die protecting Lyssa.
Before he could say anything more, Lyssa walked back into the room carrying the lantern. She looked refreshed and much more relaxed than she had earlier. It made his cock twitch when he saw her shy smile and the way she moved across the room to set the lantern on the dresser next to him.
“I feel a lot better now that I’ve gotten some of the grime off of me. I’ll be in heaven when we get somewhere that I can take a real bath.” She smiled at him then Stanton.
“We’ve got about two maybe three days of driving left depending on the conditions of the road. Then it’ll just be a matter of locating one of the communities set up out there that we feel comfortable living in,” Wade told her. “I’m going to wash up next. Be back in a few minutes, Stanton.”
Wade walked out carrying one of the lanterns, leaving Stanton and Lyssa alone. He hoped the other man would take the chance to talk to Lyssa about how he felt. That would be the first step to forming a threesome.
It didn’t take him long to clean up, but he lingered a little longer to give them time to talk. He hoped Stanton was taking advantage of the time he was giving him. After a good thirty minutes, Wade carried the lantern out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom. When he walked back into the room, he had to smile. Stanton had a very nude Lyssa lying back on the bed, and they were kissing. The sight of the other man with his hands on her curvy body did bother him on some level, but all he felt right then was relief that she was accepting the other man like she’d accepted him.
The trick now is to convince her to accept them both as her men and become comfortable with both of them touching her at the same time. I’m not sure that’s going to be nearly as easy. Stanton may back out if she starts to balk at the idea, but I’m not about to give up on her.
Wade eased into the bedroom, careful not to make a sound. He set the lantern on the dresser and slowly turned the light down then off. The other lamp on the bedside table on what looked to be his side of the bed gave off plenty of light for him to see by. When he crept around the bed, he knew Stanton was aware that he was there, but Lyssa wasn’t yet.
Even when he knelt on the bed next to her, she was so swept up with Stanton’s kisses that it didn’t register that the bed had dipped until the feel of his lips on her shoulder and the side of her neck had her freezing in place.
Chapter Nine
Lyssa froze at the feel of warm, wet lips pressed against her neck then her shoulder. Stanton lifted his head, leaving her lips tingling and swollen from his attentions. She knew it was Wade’s mouth against her skin with Stanton staring down at her. Her first thought had been how good it felt. Her next thought had been that it was wrong for two men to touch her this way at one time. Now, as she stared up at Stanton with Wade still kissing and nipping up and down her shoulder she wasn’t sure how she felt. She wanted to say the hell with it and accept them both.
“Lyssa?” Stanton’s gaze had changed from aroused to worried.
“What is going on?” she asked of no one in particular.
Stanton didn’t answer. His eyes strayed to where she knew Wade lay just behind her. She started to move away from Wade’s kisses, except he slipped a hand between her and Stanton, pulling her back against his rock-solid chest.
“We want you, Lyssa. We both want to take care of you and keep you safe,” Wade said next to her ear.
“No one’s forcing you, Lyssa,” Stanton quickly added. “You can say no or stop at any time. We won’t force ourselves on you.”
She slowly turned her head to look up at Wade. He was lying on his side looking down at her. She could see desire reflected in his eyes. It was just as strong as Stanton’s had been only moments earlier. What was she going to do? She lost all reason when one of them touched her. She cared about both of them.
I can’t lie to myself. I love them. They’ve seen me at my worst and they still seem to want me. I don’t think I can choose between them. I don’t want to choose between them.
And there lay the crux of the matter. Lyssa wanted them both and wasn’t sure what to do about it. They had both nearly given their lives to protect her. Instead of walking away from her when she had one of her panic attacks, they helped her through it. There was no way she would pit them against each other. That wasn’t her style.
She looked over at Stanton again before answering. Ev
en as she opened her mouth, Lyssa wasn’t sure what she was going to say.
“Both of you? Why?”
“We’re both attracted to you, Lyssa. We want to make you happy and keep you safe,” Wade told her.
She looked up at Wade now, shaking her head. “But it’s wrong for me to be with two men. I don’t even understand why I’m attracted to both of you like this. It will never work.”
“Lyssa, out here in the Border Lands, it’s a common practice for a woman to have two and even three protectors. Women aren’t safe with all of the men out there wanting to steal you away either for themselves or to sell you to the highest bidder. Then there are the bounty hunters like the ones we ran into a few days back.”
She looked up at Stanton but couldn’t really tell how he felt. His face was carefully blank. Wade’s eyes held passion. Unlike the other man, he didn’t mask his feelings. The fact that she lay there, completely naked between the two men, suddenly hit her. With the two men on top of the covers, she had no way to cover herself. She didn’t have time to say anything because Wade slowly descended on her, giving her plenty of time to stop him, but when she didn’t, he covered her body with his own while he claimed her mouth with a kiss.
The way he took control, consuming her with the heat of his kiss thrilled her. Despite her uncertainty, Lyssa found herself responding with enthusiasm and pleasure. His tongue slipped between her parted lips and teased hers until she was sliding it along his. She couldn’t get enough of his taste or the way he explored every part of her mouth.
When he pulled away she almost protested, but then he kissed the corner of it and nipped and kissed his way along her jaw before moving down her neck. One hand cupped her cheek in a gentle gesture while the other found her breast to squeeze it gently before tugging on her nipple with two fingers. The sensation spread all over her body as Wade slowly tightened his fingers and tugged on the stiff nipple until she groaned once again.
“Wade. Oh, God that feels so good.” Was that her voice all husky and deep?
