by Marla Monroe
The other man hadn’t said much since they’d arrived. Wade pegged him as some field of law enforcement from the way he stood and walked. He had an air about him that spoke of being constantly on the alert. He was another good man to have in the community if they were able to convince them to let him, Stanton, and Lyssa stay.
“Yeah. I’d seen them beating up on people before and didn’t like them anyway. I figured Stanton wasn’t as experienced with the kind of scum he was dealing with and their underhanded cheating would end up getting him seriously hurt or killed. I couldn’t sit by and watch that.”
Abe’s slightly relaxed face turned serious once again. “With you being from back East, it stands to reason you don’t know much about living off the land or dealing with criminal types.”
Wade could see where Abe’s reasoning was going, and he didn’t want Stanton’s worth as a member of the community to be questioned. It rankled that Abe would resort to that, but then the man had at least eight others depending on him since Wade figured he was the unofficial if not official leader of the community.
“He might not have known much when he set out from the city, but he’s lasted for over seven years out here and saved both mine and Lyssa’s lives,” he all but snarled as he jumped to his feet.
“Wade. It’s okay,” Stanton said standing up when Wade did.
Abe actually grinned before hiding it once again behind a gruff expression. “Settle down. I wasn’t insulting him. I was actually going to point out the same thing you had. He’s still walking and breathing after all these years. It counts all right. How did he save your lives?”
Wade looked over at Stanton then drew in a deep breath to retake his seat once more. Leaning forward, he rested his forearms on his knees.
“Evidently they had a few friends at the bar because the next thing I know, there are six of them and I wasn’t seeing double at the time. Stanton stepped in after they’d managed to knock me out and negotiated to have me checked out where I’d been stabbed and allowed to leave on my own two feet. They carried me to the leader’s place of business, which was the city’s old jail, and Lyssa was the one they had to tend to my injuries.”
Stanton picked up there. “She’d been kidnapped from near her home in Texas and taken to Barter Town to be auctioned off as a sex slave. Arnold, the leader, bought her to use as a sex slave and sell her body for profit. He has a son who has bad asthma and when she was able to help him after a really bad attack, she bargained with the man to let her be his doctor in exchange for not using her for sex. He sold her medical services instead, but he kept her in one of the jail cells. I couldn’t leave her there like that, and I knew Arnold and his henchmen weren’t going to let me get away without every dime of their money and some payback as well. The only solution was to break them out and escape.”
Marty frowned. “You got away from Barter Town without getting caught?”
“Yeah. I bought an old truck and as many supplies as I could then went back and broke in the jail early in the morning after everyone had left and most of the businesses was shutting down. Once I had them out of the cells, we made our way back to where I’d stashed the truck and drove off.” Stanton shrugged.
“They didn’t go after you?” Marty asked.
“Yeah. They sent trackers after us, but we got away and then figured out that at some point they’d inserted a tracking chip under Lyssa’s skin. After we removed it and destroyed it, they couldn’t follow us and we’ve been able to stay clear of them ever since,” Wade said.
He saw the shock register on the other men’s faces when he spoke about the tracking chip. The idea of that type of technology still being useful bothered them as much as it had him and Stanton.
“How were they able to use it? I thought everything technical was basically useless now,” Russell spoke up.
“We thought so, too, but we were wrong,” Wade pointed out.
“Either they already had access to it before the disasters or they knew enough about the thing to know where to find it. The easiest place would be a vet’s office. They use them to microchip pets and valuable animals,” Stanton said.
Marty broke in. “The next place would be law enforcement, like at that jail. We’d started having voluntary microchipping days for the community before everything crashed. We microchipped children for the cost of the chip, so they could be located faster and easier in case of a kidnapping or them wandering off and getting lost. Hell, we even chipped the elderly since they were prone to walking off and getting lost as well. The chip was small enough that it could easily be injected under the skin without a lot of pain. Just a bee sting. It felt like a small BB when you touched it and didn’t require stitches.”
Russell turned to Abe. “If we accept anyone else the women and probably the children as well will need to be check for them to be sure they aren’t leading a posse to our door.”
“I agree,” Marty told them. “When we make the next exchange this needs to be conveyed to the others as well.”
Wade realized that they were keeping contact with at least one other community in the area. The more he learned about Abe and his group, the more he admired them. He wanted to be a part of their community if at all possible. Winter would be there soon, and they were running out of options.
The kitchen door opened and the three women emerged to walk directly for the stairs. He noticed that Lyssa seemed relaxed and comfortable with the other two women. That was good. If her potion worked on their kid, it would go better for them securing a place there.
He enjoyed watching her sweet, round ass as she walked up the steps until she was no longer in sight. When he returned his attention to the other men, they had moved on to talk about the weather and when the first snowfall was predicted. Even though he listened to them talk about average snow fall and their success with hunting in the winter, he waited to for the sound of the baby’s crying to ease. When it did, and the silence from above finally registered with Abe and Russell, Wade relaxed. They had their foot in the door.
Chapter Twelve
“I hope you’ll be comfortable here. Everything is clean and fresh,” Celina told her.
“Thank you. It will be fine,” Lyssa told the other woman as she looked around the spacious bedroom.
While the men had gone to retrieve the truck and the rest of their things, Celina had shown Lyssa around the house and then up to the room where they would be staying until a cabin was ready for them to move into. Destiny and her men had their own cabin not far from the main lodge. Lyssa was sure that it helped to have their own space at times and be close to the other family when they needed help.
“There’s more cover in the closet and plenty of towels and such in the bathroom right next to you.” Celina smiled as she picked up the lantern. “I’m so glad you’re staying. It will be good to have more people around. Just knowing you have medical experience makes me feel better already.”
“I’m looking forward to getting started on setting up our cabin. It will be so nice after having lived in the truck for the last four weeks,” she told the other woman.
“Just remember that it’s going to be rustic. They weren’t built for luxury, but you can change anything you want and since they’ve already added on to it so there’s room for a family in the future you have a lot to work with.” Celina arched her eyebrow and gave Lyssa a suggestive wink.
Lyssa swallowed hard at the thought of children so soon. They’d barely gotten to know each other yet. She needed more time to settle in to the idea of being married with two husbands before they brought a baby into the mix.
“Good night, Celina. I’ll see you in the morning.” Lyssa closed the door behind the other woman and was thankful she’d been able to keep one of the lanterns with her. She didn’t want to be alone in the strange bedroom in complete darkness.
Well, there were two windows and the moon was bright out, but it wouldn’t be enough to keep the demons at bay. She kept herself busy by unpacking the three back
packs and arranging their things while she waited for them to return. Then she carried the lantern to the bathroom and she had her first honest-to-goodness hot-water shower in years. It was a luxury she would never take for granted again.
While locked up in Barter Town, all she’d been able to do was take spit baths on a daily basis in cold water and every three or four days, they took her to another room where they had a makeshift tub rigged up that someone had to haul water for. They warmed it in the winter time, but it was never hot. Neither was she allowed complete privacy. One of the men always stayed just outside the door with the door cracked so he could peek in and hear her.
This was decadent to her. She felt guilty when the water started to cool and quickly shut it off so it would begin warming again for the men when they returned. Once she’d dried off, Lyssa pulled on a cotton gown that fell just past her knees. Celina had located some clothes that would fit her better than some of the things they’d managed to rummage up over the last few weeks. It felt wonderful to feel something that soft against her skin. After the rough jeans and worn out T-shirts, the fairly new cotton shift was soft as silk.
She carried the lantern back to the bedroom and set it on the dresser in front of the mirror to increase the amount of light in the room through its reflection. Then she climbed up on the soft mattress and propped pillows behind her head so she could read while she waited on the men. She’d borrowed a few of the women’s books on natural medicine to read and decide if they were safe to refer to or not.
The sound of men’s voices in low tones combined with the heavy creak of the stairs let her know they were finally back. She couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across her face. She had missed them. They hadn’t really been apart much since their escape from Barter Town.
When the door slowly creaked open, Lyssa had to restrain herself from jumping out of the bed and throwing herself into Stanton’s arms.
“Hey. Why aren’t you asleep?” he asked in a soft voice.
“I was waiting on you and Wade to return. Is everything okay? Where is Wade?”
“He’s coming. He stopped to grab a pitcher of water and some glasses. I’m going to grab a shower. I’ll be right back,” Stanton assured her.
“There’s hot water!” she said in a gleeful voice.
Stanton grinned and grabbed underwear from the dresser where she’d unpacked it. He didn’t take the lantern with him. Lyssa felt bad that she hadn’t offered it to him. Taking a shower in the dark wasn’t going to be easy. She had almost made up her mind to get up and carry it to him when the door opened again and Wade walked in carrying another lantern and a large bottle of water with one glass.
“Hey there, honey. Why aren’t you sleeping?” he asked sitting on the edge of the bed to pull off his boots.
“I wanted to wait for y’all to get back. You know I can’t stand to be in the dark by myself.”
He turned and grinned at her. “That’s just because you like how we keep the buggers away.”
She could feel heat burn her face as images of their nighttime capers raced through her mind. There was no doubt they distracted her in the best possible ways. She could use a little of their type of distraction tonight as well.
“Stanton must have grabbed the shower first,” Wade muttered as he pulled the shirt over his head.
“Don’t worry. If he uses all the hot water, it will warm up soon enough. You can talk to me while we wait.” Lyssa smiled up at the man. His warm smile heated her blood as his eyes darkened with desire.
“You’re a little tease tonight, aren’t you?”
“I’m not teasing, Wade.” She smiled and scooted back against the headboard and her mound of pillows once more.
“Honey. You could make a saint turn to sin with the way you’re looking at me right now,” Wade said before he gave a low growl. “And I’m sure as hell no saint.”
Lyssa wrapped her arms around Wade’s bare back as he descended on her, covering her body with his own. She welcomed the weight of it against hers as he took her mouth in a hungry kiss. Nothing was ever halfway with Wade. Once he committed to something, he poured everything into it. It didn’t matter if it was driving the truck or making love to her, Wade gave it his complete concentration. It made Lyssa feel like the most important thing in his life when she was at the center of his attention like that.
“You taste so good, honey. I want some of that sweet cream of yours. Spread your legs for me, Lyss.” Wade backed down her body, pushing the covers along as he went.
Everything inside of her tensed, her body frozen, waiting for the touch of his fingers or the feel of his mouth against her pussy. Experience had taught her that when one of her men went down on her like that, she was going to scream in pleasure before they finished with her. The only difference this time was that they weren’t alone, out in the middle of nowhere so her screams didn’t matter. Here, she’d not only wake the babies but also let everyone know they were having sex. That they sure didn’t need.
The instant Wade’s hot breath fanned over her moist pussy lips, Lyssa’s entire body jerked.
“Easy, sweetness. It’s just me,” Wade told her in a raspy voice.
“The others,” she hissed out.
“Don’t scream, then,” he said with a chuckle.
She could have killed him in that moment but instead, grabbed the sheets in a desperate attempt to ground herself when his tongue rasped over her pussy lips before he spread them wide with his fingers.
“Yes!” she hissed out as quietly as she could.
Wade ran his tongue up her slit and around the little nub that seemed to direct all of her pleasure. Lyssa swore there was a direct line from her nipples to her clit. Playing with one always affected the other. Right now both of her nipples were hard and tingling. Each time Wade stimulated her clit her nipples reacted as well. Pleasure built inside of her, growing more and more intense as Wade entered her pussy with one finger. Just that extra stimulation had her breathing hard and anticipating the addition of a second finger.
“Please, Wade.”
He hummed against her feminine lips while stroking her swollen clit with the flat of his tongue. First soft, then hard, and then teasing. His constant change in directions and the amount of pressure he used while pleasuring her kept her near the edge. Lyssa dug at the sheets beneath her trying to hold on.
“You’re so damn sweet, Lyss,” Wade said before sucking lightly on her little nub.
She nearly screamed when he added a second finger to her pussy, thrusting them in and out as he sucked a little harder on her clit. The slight stretching added a feeling of fullness that amped up the tension singing along her nerve endings.
“You started without me.” Stanton stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.
“Just warming her up to take us both tonight,” Wade said before returning to drive her crazy with his fingers and mouth.
The bed dipped next to her as Stanton climbed on without a stitch of clothing. It wasn’t lost to her what Wade had said. They been preparing her to take them both for the last two nights. As much as she wanted them both, joined inside of her, she couldn’t help but harbor a trace of fear at the same time. Anal sex had never been something she thought she would want to do, but then she’d never imagined a world gone crazy or the possibility of having two men in her life either.
Hot breath drifted over her breast just before Stanton enclosed as much as he could take in his mouth. He played his tongue all around her nipple then nipped at the swollen nub before pulling back to suck on just that small beaded tip. When he changed sides he used his fingers on the one he’d released to continue the torture.
Lyssa moaned then groaned when he pinched the tender bud. That tiny spark of pain added even more sensation to the already overwhelming feelings flowing through her body. Instead of hurting, it tightened the pleasure they were giving her. She couldn’t help but wonder if she were wired right or not. Then all thoughts left her as Wade sucked hard
on her clit and Stanton pinched both nipples before catching the scream she forgot to hold inside with his mouth.
The way they knew her body so well should have embarrassed her, but it didn’t. She was thankful they did. Especially since they could wring mind-blowing orgasms out of her like they did. Even knowing the human body as well as she did, and her own body even better, she’d never been able to give herself climaxes as strong or as fulfilling as they did.
No soon had she begun to relax then Stanton repositioned her on top of his body, his very aroused body. Lyssa couldn’t hide her smile at the feel of his long, hard dick poking at her belly. She’d much rather have it poking somewhere else but enjoyed the moment of just lying on him with her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was comforting and reminded her that they were lucky to be alive. Maybe having finally found a place where she felt safe was helping her to relax more and accept how she felt about the two men.
“Darling. Look at me.” Stanton gently squeezed her upper arms.
She pushed up with her hands on the bed to look into his rich blue eyes. They looked a little worried to her at the moment.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. I just want to be sure you’re ready for us and that you’re not doing this just because we want to. You know neither of us would ever hurt you, right?”
“I know, Stanton. I want this as much as you do. We’re a family now, right? That is what we are isn’t it?” She began to wonder if she’d somehow misinterpreted everything.
“Easy, Lyss,” Wade said from behind her. “Yes, we’re a family. Don’t ever doubt that. Stanton wants to be sure you know that you don’t have to do this.”
She looked over her shoulder at him. He’d shed the towel at some point and now, standing at the foot of the bed with the moonlight reflected off his body, Lyssa could only stare at how ruggedly handsome he was with broad shoulders, and his work-roughened body complete with scars. He and Stanton looked nothing alike side by side, but inside, where it counted, they were both beautiful and honorable men. She loved them both to the point of infatuation.
