by Becca Van
“There are a lot of polyandrous relationships in and around Slick Rock,” Rocky said as he skirted the counter until he stood next to Ridge.
Bull decided to stand on his older brother’s other side to present a united front with them and so he could see Carly’s face. When he saw the surprise on her face, he bit back a smile. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was once more gaping. She snapped her mouth closed, her teeth making an audible click, and then she glanced from Ridge to Rocky, to him, and back to Ridge.
“But that’s not legal.”
“The women involved in the ménage relationships marry the oldest man, though in their hearts they are married to all of her men,” Bull explained.
“How many men and women are in these relationships?” Carly asked, a blush staining her cheeks.
Ridge stroked a finger down her cheek, gaining her attention. “There is only ever one woman. The amount of men varies from two to four, or more.”
Carly nodded and gulped audibly before taking a deep breath. “Do these people get maligned for their way of life?”
“No,” Rocky answered. “The people in this town don’t judge others for the way they want to live their life or who they love. Do you think what they’re doing is wrong?”
Bull tilted his head and held his breath, hoping like hell Carly wasn’t judgmental.
“No. I don’t care how others live or who they love. Why would you ask me that?”
“We just wanted to make sure you weren’t prejudiced.” Rocky straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest.
Carly glared at him as she tried to mimic his stance whilst sitting on the counter, but she lowered her arms again when she bumped into Ridge. “My parents taught Shaun and I that nothing is wrong if love comes into the equation. At least my mom did.”
Bull hated that her breath hitched on the last of her words. He hated that Carly had lost both her parents while she was still growing up, and now her brother. Anger surged to the fore and he clenched his fists and jaw as he inhaled deeply through his nose.
“It’s a good thing that ménages don’t bother you, baby.” Bull relaxed his stance and cocked a hip to lean against the counter.
“Why?” Carly frowned.
Ridge shoved up from his hands, combed his fingers through her hair until he cupped the back of her head, keeping her gaze locked on his. “Because we want to have that sort of relationship with you.”
Carly’s shock was evident by her rounded eyes and gasping breaths, but she hadn’t said no, and that gave Bull hope. When she shook her head, pain surged into his chest and it took all of his self-control to stop himself from rubbing over his heart.
Ridge released her and stepped back, looking angry and hurt. Rocky uncrossed his arms and, with care, lifted Carly from the counter to her feet. When she was steady, he released her and spun away, moving quickly for the door. Bull was about to follow, but he spun back when she began to speak and Rocky halted in the doorway, keeping his back to her.
“Why? You don’t even know me.”
Bull walked back over to her, wrapped his arm around her waist and cupped her nape. “Yes we do. We grew up with you, how can you say we don’t know you?”
“You don’t,” Carly retorted in a strident voice. “You only think you do.”
“That’s not true,” Ridge said.
“We haven’t seen each other for years. So much has happened. I’ve changed.”
Rocky spun around and rushed over to her. He grasped her chin between his finger and thumb and tilted her head until their gazes locked. “You think we haven’t? We all change as we grow up, sweetheart. We were in the Marines and we fought, served overseas. We’ve seen things you could never even dream about. The death and destruction—” He shook his head and dropped his hand.
“We have scars, baby, some mental and some physical,” Bull began. “We all have PTSD in some form or another. Moving to this town and buying this ranch was a step in the right direction, a step toward healing, but we want more. We want a wife to come home to each night. Someone to love and love us back, scars and all.”
“Why me?” Carly asked. “I’m no one special. I’m an ordinary woman with average looks. You are all so handsome and muscular, with your bronze skin, black hair, and blue eyes. You could have any woman you wanted with the click of your fingers.”
Bull made a growly noise in the back of his throat, bent down, and swooped her up from the floor. Carly let out a startled shriek as she looped an arm around his neck, her fingers digging into his skin, but he ignored her as he rushed out of the kitchen, through the living area, and down the hall toward the bedrooms. He didn’t stop until he stepped into the adjoining bathroom of the master bedroom where she had been sleeping.
“What are you doing?” Carly met his gaze as he lowered her to the floor and then turned to look in the large mirror over the vanity. Bull watched as she met first Ridge’s gaze in the mirror as he entered the bathroom, and then Rocky’s, before meeting his again.
“Tell me what you see,” Bull demanded in a hard voice. He realized his tone wasn’t conducive to winning Carly over, but he was so fucking angry right now he couldn’t keep the frustration out of his tone.
“Brown hair, hazel eyes,” she replied without any intonation.
“Let me tell you what I see,” Bull murmured as he pressed his chest to her back. He combed his fingers through her hair, inhaling the floral perfume from the shampoo and conditioner she’d used. “I see hair so brown it reminds me of chocolate, but there are red and gold highlights which catch the eye whenever you stand under a bright light or in the sunshine. Your eyes change with your moods. When you’re aroused, there is more green than brown, and when you’re sad, the brown dominates.”
He paused as he wrapped his hand around the front of her throat and caressed her soft skin with his thumb. “See,” he bent and whispered in her ear. “Look at all the green coming out and the way your pupils are dilating. Your skin is so damn soft I’m scared that just by touching it I’ll end up bruising you.”
Carly licked her lips as she began to pant. Bull continued to hold her but shifted slightly to the side as Ridge stepped forward until he stood next to him.
“You have one of the sexiest bodies I’ve ever seen.” Ridge caressed his hand up and down her side. “Your curves are amazing. I love the way your waist indents and flares out with those sexy hips. Your breasts are so fucking sexy. Not too big, and not too small. I bet you would fill my hand perfectly.”
Carly moaned as her eyes fluttered closed. Bull bit the inside of his cheek to keep from moaning right along with her. Her cheeks were flushed, her nipples were hard, and from the way she shifted on her feet, her pussy had to be wet.
Rocky nudged Bull until he released Carly’s neck and stepped aside. Rocky moved up behind her, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him. He pressed his hips firmly into her back and Carly’s eyes flew open. “See what you do to me, to us. It’s been a hell of a long time since a woman has affected me the way you do. We’ve been with women, alone and together, but none of them made me feel what you do.”
Bull moved around until he stood in front of Carly with his back to the mirror. “We are old enough and experienced enough to know what we want. We could have something really special if you’d just give us a chance, baby.”
When Carly’s eyes fluttered closed and she groaned, Bull glanced down and saw that Rocky was kneading her ass and pressing his erection into her back.
“Open your eyes, darlin’,” Ridge commanded.
Carly’s lids lifted and Bull nearly lost control when he saw the arousal in her gaze.
He cupped her face between his hands as he bent down toward her. “We know you’re the woman we’ve been waiting for, baby. Give us the chance to show how wonderful we can be together. Please?”
* * * *
Carly desperately wanted to say yes. She’d had a crush on them when she was young, and now that they’d become
reacquainted and she was a mature woman, the feelings she had for them now were so much more than when they’d been kids. The temptation to say yes was so strong she had to bite her tongue to keep from blurting out her affirmative answer. She’d never had sex with one man, let alone three. Not because she was frigid or wasn’t attracted to the opposite sex, but because she’d always imagined to be in love with her partner when she took that final step.
Her feelings for the Atkins brothers were strong, but was it love? She couldn’t answer that question because it was way too soon, but as she prepared to answer in the negative, she paused. Would she regret not giving them the chance they were asking for? If she turned them away, would she wonder about them for the rest of her life? The answer was unequivocally yes.
“What if I’m not what you need?” she asked and then closed her eyes so she couldn’t see the expressions on their faces. She was so scared of putting herself out there and having her heart and soul stomped on. She’d worked in the women’s shelter and seen what those poor souls had gone through when their partners had used them for punching bags or raped them. She’d seen the dead expressions in those women’s eyes, the pain and heartbreak they’d suffered. She wasn’t sure she would survive something like that.
“How can you ask that, baby?” Bull asked as he pressed his forehead against hers. “You turn us on, make us wild with need.”
“Sex. That’s what this is all about?” Carly asked. “And if I give you what you want, what happens then? Will you walk away from me once you’ve gotten into my pants?”
“This isn’t just about sex,” Rocky snarled as he moved to her side and turned to face her. “If that was all we wanted we could grace any fucking bar and pick up a willing woman. This is about the rest of our lives.”
Carly felt bad for asking that last question, but she’d needed to know that, if she agreed to be with them, they were in this for the long haul. Even though her mother had died when she was still young, she’d instilled morals and taught her to respect her body.
Rocky made a “humph” sound before he threw his hands up in the air with frustration.
“What do we need to do or say to convince you we’re being honest?” Ridge asked.
“Nothing,” Carly replied immediately. She already knew they were being sincere. She could see it in their eyes.
“Then I guess there’s nothing else we can say to convince you.” Bull’s voice held a note of dejection, and her heart flipped. Her goal hadn’t been to hurt them or reject them. She’d just needed to make sure they were in this for the right reasons, and they had her convinced. Plus, she’d yearned for them for such a long time, and now that they were offering her what she dreamed about since she was little, she wasn’t about to throw that away.
“You’re right,” Carly agreed, just before she wrapped her arms around Bull’s neck. She was just in time because he’d begun to straighten.
“What are you—”
Carly didn’t let him finish. She pressed her lips to his and hooked her legs around his waist. Bull tensed and froze after standing up straight, and when he didn’t respond to her sexual overtures, she wondered if she was already too late.
Fingers threaded into her hair before grasping her tresses and tugging gently until she drew back.
She met Ridge’s gaze as he stared at her. Her eyes flicked to the mirror when she saw Rocky coming closer.
“What are you doing, Carly?”
She met Ridge’s gaze again and drew a deep breath before she replied. “I thought it was obvious.”
Carly nearly smiled when she saw the dejection and dullness leave Ridge’s gaze, to be replaced by excited hunger.
“We need the words, darlin’.”
“Yes.”
“Yes what, baby?” Bull asked as he caressed his hands down her sides and cupped her ass.
“Yes, I’ll—”
“Wait!” Rocky said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’d better be fucking certain because, once you accept, we aren’t letting you go.”
A shiver of excitement raced up her spine. She’d dreamed about Ridge, Bull, and Rocky over the years, imagining what they looked like as men. Nothing had prepared her for reality. They were so handsome and kind. None of them had hesitated to take her into their home to keep her safe and to help her in her time of need. They may not love her, but she had a feeling she was well on the way to falling head over heels in love with them all over again. While she was nervous about making love with them, she craved it more than the air she breathed. It didn’t matter if they didn’t love her. Carly had a feeling she was going to have more than enough love for all of them to sustain their relationship for years to come. Of course, she also hoped that they would eventually fall in love with her, too. They all needed time to know one another again.
“Carly?” Bull asked.
“Yes. I want to give this relationship a try.”
Chapter Seven
Ridge wanted to shout with excitement when Carly finally agreed to be theirs, but instead he moved faster than he’d ever moved before. He scooped her up into his arms and hurried toward the bedroom. Once there, he stopped beside the bed, but instead of lowering her to the mattress, he glanced down and found her watching him with such desire in her eyes his hard cock pulsed, leaking pre-cum from the tip. He licked his lips and, as he lowered his head, was pleased when Carly leaned up to meet him halfway.
The moment their lips met she moaned, her lips parting as her breath sighed from between them. Ridge took immediate control, slanting his mouth over hers and delving into her mouth with his tongue. She made a whimpering sound in the back of her throat, her arms reaching up to loop around his neck, and she kissed him back. Their tongues glided along and twirled around each other’s as they devoured each other.
When she shifted in his hold, her movement brought him back to conscious thought and he took her down to the mattress, covering her small body with his much bigger one. She moaned, spreading her legs to give him room to nestle his hips between hers. Ridge groaned when he felt the heat from her pussy and began to rock his hips back and forth as he continued to eat at her mouth.
She turned her head to the side, breaking the kiss and gasping air into her lungs, but Ridge didn’t care. He was so hot and hungry for her his arms and legs were shaking. He’d never felt so weak, yet so empowered, at the same time. Never had he felt so masculine, so manly and confident in his life, and it was all because of Carly. She was so small and soft and feminine. He wanted to rip the clothes from her body so he could lick and nibble every inch of her soft, delectable skin. He nipped and sucked at the skin of her neck, and when he reached the spot just under her ear and she shivered, he did it again and again, loving the sighs and moans coming from her.
Finally, when the yearning to feel her skin against his own got too much to ignore, he pushed up until he was kneeling between her splayed thighs and then scrambled from the bed. She frowned but didn’t say anything as she gnawed at her lips, but when she saw movement to either side of the bed and she turned to look at Bull and Rocky, she gasped.
Both of his brothers had taken the opportunity to strip down while Ridge had been kissing her. Bull climbed up onto Carly’s right and Rocky to her left, both of them as naked as the day they were born and up on their knees. If Ridge hadn’t been so hungry for her, he would have laughed as her head turned back and forth between his brothers as if she were watching a tennis match.
He quickly shucked his clothes and, when he was naked, got back onto the bed near Carly’s feet. When he saw the trepidation in her gaze as she eyed their bare bodies and erect cocks over, he frowned. Was she scared because they were bigger than average, or was there another reason for her apprehension? He wondered if some motherfucker had hurt her.
* * * *
Carly was panting and shaking. All three of the men were totally naked, and she didn’t know where to look first. They were all so muscular, handsome, and sexy, laid out like a smorgasbord of f
ood, and she felt really vulnerable because she was the only one with clothes on. Which didn’t make one lick of sense, but her brain seemed to have gone on vacation. She swallowed the pool of saliva in her mouth with a gulp and then licked her suddenly dry lips.
They were so fucking sexy and handsome they could grace any magazine they chose.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Bull asked.
“You’re all so…big.”
“You don’t need to be scared of us, sweetheart,” Rocky said. “We would never hurt you.”
Carly nodded and bit her lip. “I know that.”
“Then what has you so nervous?” Ridge asked.
She drew in a ragged breath as her gaze wandered over his broad, muscular, bronze-skinned chest, down over his washboard abs and long, thick cock nestled in a nest of black pubic hair which looked as if it had been trimmed. Carly had never even considered doing anything to the hair on her mound since she was the only one who ever saw it. She’d heard other women complain about the pain of waxing, but also about the itching when the growth returned, and one of the women she’d worked at the shelter with had told another woman that she got ingrown hairs regularly since she’d been grooming down there. Carly had decided that since no one else’s eyes would see her pubes, that she would leave it all au naturel. Would they be turned off by that? Would they want her to shave or wax her pubes off?
“Carly?” Ridge placed his hand on her knee.
“I’ve… I’m—” Carly closed her eyes and then took a deep breath as she went to sit up. Her stomach was all a flutter with nerves, but she didn’t want them knowing how anxious she was. This moment was supposed to be sexy, but she was so out of her element because of lack of experience she wasn’t sure what to do.
Bull helped her and stuffed a couple of pillows behind her back. “Did someone hurt you, baby?”
