by Angel Steel
“Caleb,” Sage whispered to him.
He spun around and faced her. Tears welled in her eyes as she stared at him.
Walking up to her, he lifted his hand and wiped the water from under her eyes. “Just going to check out the cabin, spitfire. We’ll be back in no time.” Once finished, his lips covered hers. There was nothing sweet about the kiss; she gripped his wet shirt in her fists as his tongue invaded her mouth. Moaning, he pulled away from her, wanting nothing more than to take her to bed and warm her up the best way he knew.
But he had something to do first. Stepping back, he stroked her cheek tenderly one last time. “Go inside and have a shower, baby. We’ll be back once you’re out.”
~~*~~*~~
Sage stood watching both of them disappear outside. Zeb wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her further into the cabin, closing the door behind them, and walked towards the bathroom. She was cold everywhere. Her clothing stuck to her body, as did leaves, dirt and God only knew what was stuck in her hair and on her skin. Her body was covered in goose bumps from the wind ripping through her. Shivering as they entered the bathroom, Zeb turned the water on and then faced her.
His hands gripped the side of her shirt. “Lift,” he instructed softly.
Lifting her arms above her head, he removed the shirt and pulled her bra off afterwards. He knelt down, slid her shorts and panties down her legs and walked her towards the shower.
She turned around before she got inside of it. “Can you please hop in with me, Zeb?”
Nodding, she stepped under the water and watched as Zeb removed his clothes and slid behind her under the water. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his body. The warm water cascaded over the both of them, slowly warming their bodies back up. Zeb’s hands rubbed circles over her belly, her head resting on his shoulder.
“Spitfire, I know this isn’t the right time to ask, but what happened the night before?”
Her body went ridged in his hold. Her breath stilled in her lungs with his question. His hand still moved over her belly, relaxing her a little at what she needed to voice.
Resting her head against the wall, she sighed, “I don’t know if I can tell you, Zeb. I know how you will react to what I need to say.”
“We all know something happened, Sage. We just don’t know what,” he whispered into her ear.
“If I tell you, promise you won’t do anything about it.”
He didn’t answer. She tried to spin in his grip, but he didn’t allow it.
“I promise.”
There was no easy way to say it, or even sugar coat it either, so she just came out and said what she needed to.
“That night, I found Mac in my room. I wasn’t expecting him to be there since he was at your parents’ house with Sarah. Anyways, he picked me up, lay me down on my bed, and stripped all my clothing off. I couldn’t get a word out at all. Then he went down on me and gave me an amazing orgasm. I seriously wasn’t expecting it.”
She took a breath, a little embarrassed as well as a little hot at the memory; she felt Zeb’s hands shift and grip her hips, holding her in front of him.
“Mac removed his clothes and covered my body with his. I’ve wanted him from the first moment I saw him, Zeb. There’s something about him that draws me to him. I can’t explain it.” Zeb’s hands fell from her hips. She spun around and faced him; the look that covered his face was pain; her heart clenched inside of her chest at seeing him like that. She lifted her hand and glided her fingers over his lips.
“He said he couldn’t go slow and I didn’t want that either, but I honestly thought he knew and would at least try going slowly.” A tear leaked from the corner of her eye as she continued, “I had no warning, and he pushed forward hard. Pain ripped through me. I never thought it would feel like that...the first time. He stopped, then pulled out then suddenly slammed forward, harder than the last. All I felt was pain, Zeb. I tried really hard to enjoy it, but he kept moving inside of me, not giving me time to adjust to him or what he was doing.”
Now tears streamed down her face as the words poured out of her. Zeb stared past her, his face unreadable. “I told him he needed to slow down, but he didn’t listen until I said he was hurting me. He stopped after that, for a short time anyway. He said he couldn’t, that the way I was tightening around him, milking him, was too much for him to stop, so he kept moving. The pain was bad. I tried everything to take my mind off it. The only way I knew how was to start playing with myself as he fucked me. I obviously distracted him enough to slow down and watch, then he flipped me over and took me from behind. By then, I begged him to fuck me. I screamed it at him, wanting him to do what he wanted.”
She let go of Zeb and slid down the wall, wrapping her arms around her knees and continued to talk. “He smacked my ass. I never thought I’d ever be turned on by something like that. I told him I wanted more, and he gave it to me. Once we were finished, he sat at the end of the bed not looking at me. I shifted closer to him, and as soon as I wrapped my arms around him, he pushed me away and stood.”
She couldn’t look at Zeb. If anyone told her what she was telling him, she’d be pissed as hell. She continued, “He got up, just like that, and began to dress. He was going to leave me, without thought or care, so I stopped him at the door. I shouldn’t have done it. I should have let him leave, but stupid old me wanted to know what was wrong with him...or me.”
Taking a breath, her heart ached as she spoke the next words. “All he needed was a good hard fuck and I supplied that to him, but apparently, I was crap since he can fuck Sarah anyway he wants to. He told me that I suck cock like a pro, but I’m too frigid for him. He needs someone with more experience.”
She glanced up at Zeb, his fists clenched beside him, his breathing coming in very short pants. She slowly stood and rested her hand over his beating chest. “Zeb,” she whispered.
“What else happened?” he growled. His chest rose and fell quickly with every breath he took. His fists clenched and un-clenched beside his thighs as he stood, staring at her.
She stepped back and swallowed the lump in her throat. “He didn’t care that he took my virginity. He thought I hadn’t fucked in a while and I was just tight. I was just another notch on his bedpost—his words, not mine. I hit him after that, Zeb. He broke my heart. He scared me after I had lashed out at him; he gripped my hand hard, and said I was lucky that I wasn’t a guy, or I’d be on my ass. He explained that it was his cock that was fascinated by me, not him. He then told me he needed to erase the images stuck in his head from what happened between us. He never wanted to remember them at all; he never wants to think of those images again.” Sobs racked her body, but there was still more she had to say.
“I told him I fucking hated him for what he did to me, that he will always be the man-whore that he is. After that, I ran from the room and collapsed in the hallway. And that’s where you and your brothers found me.”
“You were a virgin?” Zeb rasped.
Nodding was all she could manage in response. Her throat was sore from the yelling out in the yard and her sobs.
“That fucking piece of shit,” Zeb spat out. He spun around, pushed open the shower door and ripped a towel from the rack as he wrapped it around himself.
“Zeb.”
“Stay in the shower. I’ll be back in a minute,” he ordered before he slammed the door behind him, leaving her there.
She slid down to the floor of the shower as the water covered her completely. Was it a bad idea to tell him what had happened? She had no idea, all she knew was that she couldn’t keep it bottled up to herself; she’d needed to tell someone, and one of the brothers was the best to tell it to.
She needed to get it off her chest. It still sat there fresh, as if she was going through it yet again, but she wasn’t. She was safely at the cabin with Logan, Caleb and Zeb, with no Mac in sight. She shifted to the corner of the shower and allowed the water to run over her feet as she sat on the shower floor. She
wasn’t moving from the floor. Even if she’d tried, she doubted that she would make it too far. Her body was exhausted; everywhere was. She didn’t have the strength to even crawl her way out, so she continued to sit, hoping that Zeb would be back sooner rather than later to check on her.
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Caleb stripped his shirt and boots off and stepped into the cabin with Logan in tow. Throwing his wet clothes towards the hamper basket, he made his way towards the main room. As he approached, he heard the shower on and smiled to himself. Maybe he could slip in with Sage and enjoy the warmth and her company.
As he rounded the corner, he found Zeb storming towards him, with a towel wrapped around his waist. He didn’t look his way as he moved past him. Caleb shot his arm out and stopped him going any further.
“What’s wrong, Zeb?”
Ripping his arm from his grip, Zeb grated out, “I just need to cool down for a bit before I see Sage again.”
“What the fuck happened?” Logan asked as he stopped in front of him, arms crossed over his chest.
Zeb slumped his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck, not looking at either of them as he spoke.
“I took Sage for a shower; nothing happened between us. I asked her what happened that night when we found her in the hall.”
“What did she tell you?” Logan asked, stepping closer to him.
He leaned against the wall as he spoke, “Mac happened. He fucked everything up. He took her. Didn’t care that he was hurting her and that he had no fucking idea that she was a virgin at the time. He didn’t bloody care, Logan. He used her body for what he wanted, and then pretty much said that she was a lousy lay; that she wasn’t enough for him, and that she was only another notch in his bedpost.”
“What?” Caleb growled.
“Get this, he even said that she sucked cock like a pro, but he needed someone with more experience, ‘too frigid’ were his exact words. He didn’t know she was a virgin, just thought she was tight from not getting any for a while. She even hit him after he said that shit. Seriously, what is wrong with him?”
Caleb growled and slammed his fist into the wall. He ripped it out and stormed past Zeb, but he didn’t make it past Logan.
“Where are you going?”
“Going to find that asshole and show him a piece of my mind,” Caleb hissed out. He was beyond livid. He wanted to do real damage to his brother for the pain he caused her and his brothers.
“That won’t do any good right now, Caleb. She needs us here, not out in that storm. We can sort it out once we get back home tomorrow night,” Logan said, struggling to reign in his own anger.
“How can he have done that to her? How did he not know she was a virgin after what happened? Fuck, we didn’t even know that ourselves, but damn, I know that we would have been able to tell straight a-fucking-way.”
“We might have to have a little chat with her and find out why she never told us. But tonight will still go ahead. We give her that night back; the way it was supposed to happen. This is about her, not us. It’s her night to be pleased by all of us. And once we get home, we’ll deal with Mac our own way, without her knowing. It’s his loss that he did this, because whether she was a virgin or not, I will enjoy every second with her,” Logan voiced in reason. “So calm down, both of you, and push it aside. This is for her right now. We make her feel wanted, not by one, but all of us. Show her what she means to all of us. This is the only chance we will get to do this, and I don’t want any of us screwing it up.”
Both Caleb and Zeb took a breath and released it heavily. It was time to show the woman they all loved what she meant to them, and now.
~~*~~*~~
Sage lifted her head when she heard the bathroom door open slightly. A shadow fell across the glass door, and then it slid open, showing Caleb looking sinfully sexy with his jeans opened at the front and his chest and feet bare.
Sitting up, his eyes never leaving hers as he pushed down his jeans, he flicked them aside and stepped in with her. She shifted her body further into the corner so he could get under the warm water. It was amazing that the water stayed this warm for as long as she had been in here.
Once he had warmed up enough, he sat down opposite her. Nothing was said between them. She knew by the look covering his face that Zeb had told him what had happened. She didn’t want them to feel sorry for her; she wanted it in the past, not in this time frame. Shyly smiling at him, she crawled over towards him and into his lap. He still sat staring at her; it was like he was in a daze or something.
Tapping him lightly on his cheek, she asked, “Caleb, are you all right?”
Shaking his head, he replied, “Sorry, spitfire, what did you say?” He wrapped his arms around her wet body.
“I said are you all right? Did something happen out there?” A worried look covered her face.
His arms tightened around her, pulling her into him more. “Everything is fine, spitfire,” he mumbled against her neck, inhaling her sweet scent.
Leaning back against his shoulder, her body relaxed into his. She finally felt at ease and happy that she had told the truth, and that her secret was out now; well, to the boys anyway. It was a huge weight lifted off her chest.
Sitting under the tempered water with Caleb, she was content; she felt safe in his embrace. She loved that they sat curled around each other, not a word spoken between them. Nothing more had to be said. The tenderness Caleb showed was enough for her.
They stayed in that position for a long time, till the water began to cool down. Someone knocked on the door, obviously telling them to jump out.
“It was nice while it lasted,” Caleb laughed.
She giggled herself when Caleb helped her up and out of the shower. After he finished drying her, he wrapped the towel around her and pushed her towards the door.
“Go and get dressed. Dinner will be ready soon.”
Nodding, she spun around, took two steps and received a swat on her ass before Caleb closed the door behind her.
Shaking her head with a smile, she stepped over towards the dresser and opened it. There was nothing that would fit her properly. They were all men’s clothes, much larger than her size, but she had to improvise if she wanted to wear clothes.
Pulling a pair of sweats out and a t-shirt, she rolled the sweats at her waist so they would stay up, and even though the shirt dwarfed her, she kept it on.
Opening the door, she made her way towards the kitchen where the mouth-watering aroma was coming from.
Logan stood at the stove as he stirred a pot while Zeb was cutting something up at the island bench. Sliding up beside Logan, she leaned over and looked in the pot. She licked her lips at the smell.
“What’s in there? It smells really yummy.” She leaned forward again and took another sniff.
“It’s lamb curry. Something to warm us all up,” Logan answered while smiling down at her.
Her body shivered as a cold breeze slid over her. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shifted closer to Logan. The heat radiating from him warmed her instantly.
“You still cold, spitfire?” he asked, pulling her further into his side.
“Only a little. There’s a draft coming from somewhere. Can’t you feel it?”
He stood at the stove in only jeans; she wasn’t complaining at the sight, but it made her shiver again that he wasn’t fully clothed and she was.
“It’s probably coming from the bottom of the door. It hasn’t been fixed since the last storm came through,” Logan suggested as he stirred the mixture in the pot again.
Caleb came walking into the kitchen with a silly grin covering his face. Giggling to herself, she moved away from Logan and towards Zeb to see what he was doing.
Glancing around him, he finished cutting up what looked like a salad for dinner, as he slid all the produce into a bowl and pushed it aside. He turned around and stood, staring at her. The look of contentment shone over his face as well as something else; she cou
ldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Caleb pushed past him, knocking Zeb’s shoulder with his, causing Zeb to frown at Caleb’s back. She glanced between all three of them; she knew that Zeb had told Caleb, and now possibly Logan considering the way he looked at her, but why was Zeb acting differently towards her?
Shaking her head, she moved away, walked into the lounge room, and sat down on the two-seater sofa right in front of the raging fire.
Moments later, Zeb followed and sat down next to her. She stared at the flames—the oranges, yellows and reds, as they went from large flames to small ones. The wood crackled, sending little sparks into the air before ash fell on the rest of the wood.
The glow from the fire shone over the room, light flickering over the walls, bright and dull. She inhaled contently, the smell of burning wood filling the room; she loved it. Curling further into the sofa, Zeb shifted closer beside her, but she never took her eyes away from the dancing flames.
Once she was comfortable, Logan walked in with Caleb in tow, carrying bowls of food. Handing one of them to her, she sat up straighter as Zeb scooted even closer.
Taking her eyes from her bowl, she looked at Zeb.
“Stand up for a sec, spitfire,” he asked.
Frowning slightly, she placed the bowl on the side table and stood like he asked. He slid over to where she once was sitting and Caleb sat in his spot. Zeb tapped his lap for her to sit on.
“How are you going to eat?” she questioned.
“I’ll manage, or you could always feed me,” he replied, raising one eyebrow at her. Shrugging her shoulders, she sat on his lap, her feet between Zeb and Caleb.
Logan sat on the ground in front of them all when they started to eat. Zeb held his bowl in his hand as she ate. When she was half-done, she reached for his bowl and began to feed him, spoonful by spoonful.
His little moans of enjoyment sent her pulse into overdrive. She shifted slightly in his lap and froze when she felt his erection poking her in the hip. Her eyes shot to his, his eyes still closed as he chewed the last mouthful she gave him. Damn! She could so get used to this. Listening to the voices, watching their expressions, all of the small gestures, made her heart warm.
