by Edith DuBois
“It’s beautiful,” she said. The tracks were moss grown and had a few planks missing between the rails. The iron twisted around the stone and out of sight about a hundred yards away to the left. She could see for miles into the valley, the spindly tops of pines, the rooftops of the town nestled among the dark green, and the sparkling waters of Brown Trout Lake. She hadn’t even realized that Franklin had been moving up in elevation while carrying her, and she found herself even more impressed with his strength. He’d barely broken a sweat.
“My mother used to take me on walks up here when I was a teenager. I’d get so mad because my brothers said I was too young to take me on their adventures. They always felt like they were old enough to tell me what to do. Mama brought me up here to cool off.”
“Sounds like a wise woman.”
“Oh, she is. She told me throwing tantrums wasn’t going to get my brothers to change their minds. Said I had to earn my place as a man in this family.” He chuckled, getting a distant look in his eyes as if remembering a pleasant memory.
“What is it?”
“I was thinking about the first time I shift—” Suddenly he looked stricken. He glanced down at her with a worried expression, and then his features cleared, his wide smile returning. It happened so fast that Michelle almost didn’t see it.
“What? What is it?”
“I mean, I was thinking about when my parents left. God, it’s been five years, going on six.” Michelle knew he’d been about to say something else, that he was purposefully changing the subject, but she didn’t press him, seeing that he was uncomfortable. She wanted to listen to him talk about his parents, so she wouldn’t press him where he didn’t want to be pressed.
“Mama brought me up here one last time a couple of days before she and…well, before my parents left.”
“Franklin”—she put her hand to his cheek—“I know you have two fathers. Thomas told me about it.”
For a moment, he looked relieved, but then he frowned. “When did you see Thomas?”
“Umm…”
“Because I know he was at the clinic all day yesterday and last night until past midnight.”
“He came by,” she said in a bright voice. “But what about the last time your mom brought you up here?”
“When did he come by?”
She could feel her smile crumbling and knew it was pointless to try hiding the facts. “Last Friday.”
“The night we were supposed to go on our date?”
She nodded. “So did Elias.”
He turned toward the railing and grasped, his fingers tightening around the stained and damp wood. His eyes moved from one side of the valley to the other, and the muscles across his back and shoulders looked tight. Michelle moved to him, settling her hand on one of his shoulder blades. When he didn’t jerk away, she slid her palm across the broad expanse from one shoulder blade to the other.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Mama told me last time we were here, she said that until I stop seeing myself as their younger brother, my brothers won’t either. I don’t mind that they saw you. Really, I don’t. But they didn’t tell me.” He shook his head. “I knew they were acting strange. I wish they would have told me.” He turned to her then, grabbing her elbows. He looked down at her, his black eyes alive and burning. “I want you,” he said. “But I…I don’t know how…I’m too rough. This is awkward, isn’t it?” He tried to let her go.
“No,” she said, stepping into his arms and holding his face. His uncertainty moved her, made her more willing to allow her own vulnerabilities to show. “It’s not awkward. It feels honest, and maybe we’re not used to that, and so maybe we want to shy away from that, but…”
She got lost in his eyes for a moment. Her breath caught sharply in her throat.
“But what?”
“Let’s not do that. I want honesty.”
“Michelle, I…I don’t know what I’m doing.”
There was something deeper to his words. “What do you mean?”
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “I’m a virgin.”
She gasped, and his eyes snapped open. “You’ve never…?”
He shook his head.
“Really? You’re a…?”
He nodded.
She looked into his black eyes, his handsome but worried face, and saw the truth. “You can’t be real.”
He lowered his lips to hers, and she stood up on her toes to meet him. Holding her, his hands tight on her lower back, he moved across her in a slow, deliberate pattern. He savored her, and she felt her body shudder in response. His hands moved up her back beneath her shirt, holding her so tight against his body. Her mouth opened to him, and his tongue dipped in, tentative at first but quickly growing adventurous.
She slid her hands across his muscled ribs and down his hard, ridged stomach. She slid farther, wanting to feel the weight of his cock in the palm of her hand. His already stiffening shaft grew rock hard, and she massaged her fingertips into his balls. He groaned, and he pulled back from her kiss for a moment. Using his backward motion to her advantage, she pushed him until he leaned against the wooden railing. Her fingers quickly moved to his belt buckle, unfastening his belt and then the button to his jeans and then the zipper.
She pulled them down as she knelt before him.
“Michelle, you don’t have to—”
“Shh.” She grasped him with both hands. “I want to.” Grinning up at him, she said, “You’d better hold on to something.”
His eyes widened, and he gripped the railing behind him.
With tenderness and breathless anticipation, she slid his boxer briefs from his hips, over his thighs, and down his legs, freeing his huge cock. “Oh god, this is a beautiful cock, Franklin.” She took him between both hands, sliding up and down his shaft to get the full length and heft of him familiar to her touch, to teach her hands to know him, for them to recognize each other. She kissed him, first on one side and then on the other, where the ridge of his head met the smooth skin of his length. She ran her hands from tip to base, pressing both her thumbs firmly against his underside until her hands grasped his balls.
Then she moved her mouth to his tip. Covering only his head with her lips, she sucked, rolling her lips and massaging, tasting his few drops of pre-cum.
“I want to go in farther. Can I…oh, hell,” he said when she took him all the way to the back of her throat. She held him there for a moment, humming against his cock. Then she began rolling her palms against his balls, and she pulled her mouth back, letting her warm lips drag across his skin.
“I can’t…I want to…”
“Mmhmm,” she hummed against his dick. She quickened their pace, knowing that if he’d never been with a woman, she must be causing him such exquisite torture. The thought made her smile, and almost made her lose her rhythm, but she kept going. She felt him press against the back of her throat with each thrust. Her mouth and her hands worked him hard, and when her fingertips felt his balls begin to tighten, she pressed hard against his sensitive spot. His back arched hard, pushing him deep into her throat. She’d been ready for it, though, and she let him in.
His cum spurted into her, and she swallowed it down, continuing to suck on his cock until the last jet was released.
When she looked up, he still gripped the railing and looked down at her with such a fierce, burning expression, she had to look away for a moment. She pulled his boxer briefs back up and then his jeans. Before rising, though, she grabbed him and held her cheek against his stomach for a long moment. She took a deep breath, smelling sap and sweat on his skin. Then she released him and stood.
Finally, he let go of the railing and wrapped his arms around her. Burrowing her face into his chest, she couldn’t keep the huge smile from breaking across her features. Despite his insistence on carrying her up here, he’d eventually let her take care of him. And now she just wanted to be held by him.
When he loosened his grip somewh
at, they turned until they were both facing the valley. A pair of hawks skimmed across the tree line, their heads swiveling back and forth. With a loud squeal, one of them suddenly dove down into the trees below. The second one followed.
Michelle gasped at the piercing whistle and the thrilling drop of each bird. “I’ve never seen that,” she said, watching them in fascination. Then she swallowed and turned her face to him. “Franklin?”
“Yeah?”
“Thomas said that all three of you share…that you all…”
“Yes?”
“But if you don’t want to…”
His arms tightened around her.
“You asked me first, and I wanted to be with you. I can talk to Thomas…I can end everything if you want.” She forced the words out. Franklin said he didn’t feel like he belonged with his brothers, and if he didn’t believe in the whole sharing-women thing, she would be with him. Maybe he needed that.
But damn, it hurt more than she thought it would. Franklin was the first one that she’d agreed to go out with, but from the very first moment of meeting each of the Ashley brothers, she’d been attracted to all three of them. She couldn’t explain it. Maybe it was that somehow she knew, or her body knew, that they would all three want to be with her and that they were okay with that. Maybe it was something else. Maybe it was their nature, theirs and hers possibly. Whatever the reason, she couldn’t deny that she did want them. She wanted Franklin, and she wanted Thomas, and she wanted Elias. She wanted all three.
And she thought Marina was the selfish one.
Franklin laughed, pulling her out of her thoughts, and placed a quick, warm kiss upon her lips. “Oh no, you’re not going to deny me the satisfaction of finally having one up on my brothers.”
“What do you mean?”
He held her chin, and his black eyes were bright and mischievous as he looked down into her upturned face. Running a thumb over her bottom lip, he said, “These lips tasted my cock first.”
Her cheeks burned red. “Franklin!”
“Wait. They did, didn’t they?” She heard the uncertainty in his voice as his eyes nervously searched her face.
“Yes," she muttered, trying to shove away from him, but his free arm darted out and pulled her firmly against his body. The hand on her chin snaked over her breasts and stomach down to the warmth between her legs. “Will you promise me one thing, Michelle?”
“Let go.” She wriggled against his grasp, but he only chuckled.
“Promise me that if you do decide to be with us, my cock will be the first these lips taste, too.” He gave her cunt an affectionate squeeze, causing little swirls of pleasure to ripple through her.
“I will do no such thing.” Her words were meant to come out defiant but ended up sounding breathless and wanton.
He grinned down at her, hitting her full force with his wide, disarming smile, and then kissed her. It was a deep kiss, pulling at her annoyance and transforming it into need.
“Please, Michelle,” he whispered against her lips. “Let me take you first.”
She sighed. His kiss was so eager, so heartfelt. She couldn’t resist him, not even if she’d wanted to in the first place. “Okay,” she said.
He ended the kiss abruptly. “Okay?”
She rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. “Yes, yes. Okay.”
He lifted her up, swinging her around with a loud shout of triumph. It echoed against the stone wall behind them and then rolled down into the valley. He kissed her hard then, his exuberance taking her breath away.
God, he made her feel so good.
Chapter Six
Marina held two boxes of allergy medicine in her hands. She’d been standing in the aisles of Savage Convenience for over five minutes, trying to pick out some medicine for Michelle. How the hell was she supposed to know which one would make her nose run less and which one would make her eyes less itchy? There was also a third brand on the shelf, but its packaging looked sketchy.
“I’d go with this one.” A blunt-tipped finger tapped the box in her right hand. She turned to face the man who had spoken to her. She’d known he was there, of course. She’d noticed him when he first walked in. She always knew when there were men around, and he was no exception.
He had dark hair and deep blue eyes, high, Icelandic cheekbones, and a thin smile. She noticed because his smile grew wider and thinner when she turned to look at him. He was a pretty handsome man, and at that thought, her instincts took over.
Plastering on her megawatt smile, she simpered and looked up at him through her lashes. “Now what makes you say that?” She used her country-girl drawl.
“I always go for the most expensive one. That way, if it’s no good, I’ll at least know it wasn’t because I was being cheap.”
She giggled. “I like how you think.” She sauntered down the aisle a ways. “So what are your theories on cough drops?”
Joining her in front of the cough drops, he quickly snatched up a bag and placed it in her hands. “Got to support the locals.” She looked at the package. It read “Lianne’s Honey-Lemon Lozenges.”
“Made right here in Savage Valley?” she said in mock surprise. “I don’t believe it.”
He smiled his slick smile, and she knew he saw through her feminine wiles.
“Now, I’m no doctor, but you don’t seem to be showing any allergy or cold-like symptoms.”
“For my sister.”
“What a lucky sister to have someone like you to take care of her.” He took a step closer, and Marina quirked a brow up at him, sensing the change in their game and welcoming the challenge. She had gone just about stir-crazy, feeling cooped up in Aunt Agnes’s old, dusty house. It was about time she had a little fun, and it seemed she’d found someone who was willing to take her up on that offer.
“And what are you doing after you give dear sister her medicine?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.” She sent him her “sexy smile.” She had about five smiles she liked to use on men. The “sexy smile” was secretive. It said, “I’ve got something for you if you want to look for it.” She didn’t show teeth on the “sexy smile.” That gave too much away. She said everything with her eyes.
“Well then, why don’t you ditch the sick sister and come have a drink with me at Catdaddy’s?”
She opened her mouth to shoot back a sassy retort, but he put a finger to her lip.
“Seven is a good time.” He smirked and then turned to head for the door.
“I don’t even know your name. My Mama always taught me to stay away from strangers.”
He paused and turned back to look over his shoulder at her, a dark grin tipping up the corner of his mouth. “Skyler Fischer. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Marina Andrews.”
Then he slipped through the door.
Oh, hell yeah. She was going to have some goddamn fun tonight.
* * * *
Michelle wiggled the end of her nose. She felt an itch. The sneeze was coming. She knew she couldn’t stop it, and she grimaced. Her nose itched. Her eyes itched. The back of her throat itched. She could feel it coming. Every extremity of her face twinged and tickled with the sensation. If it would just…
It all exploded.
At her loud sneeze, the puppy, which they had named Roy, yelped, startled from his dozing on Marina’s stomach. Marina cuddled him and petted him until his head went down again and his little bandit eyes drifted closed again. Marina lay slung over an armchair, watching a Wheel of Fortune rerun, but she craned her neck to look at Michelle who lay stretched on the couch at the back of the living room.
“You sneeze like a man, Michelle.”
“Thank you. That’s very sweet.”
“Try to channel it through the nose, not the throat. It’ll sound daintier that way.”
“Not really concerned with my daintiness right now, but thanks.” She blew her nose, wincing in pain. Her nostrils were raw from blowing her nose so much, but after every sneeze, her nose turned into a snot
faucet.
“When is that medicine supposed to kick in?”
“It’s only been ten minutes, Marina. Give it some time. Do you maybe want to start thawing out some of that chicken soup?”
“Oh.”
“What?”
“I think Aunt Agnes took it to her bingo potluck thing last night. I got stuff at the store, though, to make a fresh batch.”
“Where is she tonight?”
“Yoga, I think. Or maybe poker? I don’t know. It’s something.”
“Okay, well, I guess you’ll have to help me cut up veggies.”
“Umm, actually…”
“What, Marina?” She didn’t mean to snap, but she recognized her sister’s tone of voice. Marina used it when trying to get of something.
“Well, I was going to go over to a friend’s this evening.”
“What friend?”
“Real nice.” Frowning, Marina turned back toward the television, her legs now kicking up and down in a furious rhythm.
After a couple minutes, Michelle sighed. “You know I didn’t mean it that way. I meant…” She sniffled. “I just meant…hang on.” She sneezed. “I meant that I didn’t know you’d made any friends here yet. Have I met him?”
“She’s not a him.”
“Oh?” Michelle blinked a couple times, trying to get her head wrapped around that little tidbit of information. Besides her, Michelle didn’t know that Marina even knew how to talk to females without pissing them off, much less make friends with one of them.
“Yeah. Her name’s Lianne. She makes honey beauty products or something and invited me over to try some of her new stuff.”
Michelle watched Marina for a while, trying to decide if there was any angle she was missing, but she couldn’t come up with a logical reason why Marina would need to lie about this. And at their meeting with Dr. Brine that week, the counselor had suggested to Michelle in their private session that she encourage Marina to try making female friends outside of the family, namely someone besides Michelle.
“What’s she like?” Michelle asked.
Marina shrugged, mindlessly stroking Roy’s back. “Don’t know her that well. She made those lozenge things that I brought you, and she saw me checking out at Savage Convenience. She knew who I was and asked if I would come by and try some of her beauty products and then maybe like tweet about them or something.”
