by Tara Rose
She wanted to understand the lifestyle they lived, and she wanted to be part of it. But most of all, Valerie wanted to feel as if she truly and finally belonged somewhere. And she wanted to treated as the adult that she was, not as a child. She wanted all of that, and she wanted it with only two men. Stephen and Micah.
Chapter Four
There was enough food at the party to feed the Ruiz village, the Jargonian village, and most of the town of Passion Peak. The house they were crammed into was hot, stuffy, and crowded. Valerie began to think Abby might have made a good point. Even the smallest ballroom at the hotel would have accommodated all of them with room to spare. But despite the less-than-ideal conditions, the only person who looked unhappy right now as she glanced around was Abby.
She sat in a corner talking to Mason Ruiz, Nevada’s grandfather. Stephen and Micah told her that when Nevada had come to their village to visit it had always been with Mancie, his mother. But Mason hadn’t been to their village in decades. Last month, when Nevada and Landon brought Saffron with them to hide her, Saffron had been running from her uncle, who was later found dead in his home. She was then accused of his murder, but the jaguars had hunted down the men who’d sworn out the bounty on Saffron after discovering they were part of the League.
Valerie shifted her gaze toward where Saffron was still greeting party guests. Nevada and Landon hadn’t believed her story at first, although obviously it had all turned out all right. But did that mean her situation would turn out as well? If her father was waiting for her back home, would Stephen and Micah believe in her the way that Landon and Nevada had eventually believed Saffron, or would they send her back to New Mexico?
“Valerie is from New Mexico. She’s been in our village for three months now.” Stephen’s voice snapped her back to the present. He and Micah were working their way through the crowd, talking to members of the Ruiz village, and they made sure to include her in the conversation each time. No one asked too many questions about her own village, and Valerie was grateful for that. She didn’t want to keep telling the same story, over and over. It felt like a lie each time she did although technically it wasn’t.
About an hour after the ceremony, Abby came over to where Stephen and Micah were introducing Valerie to someone, and told the three she wanted to return to the hotel as she was tired.
“Several others are ready to return as well,” said Stephen. “I’ll ask them to walk back with you. We’ll bring Valerie later with us, if that’s all right.”
Valerie stared at him for a few seconds, her pulse racing, and then she forced her gaze toward Abby to gauge her reaction. She looked uncertain and Valerie’s heart sank. This would never work. She’d insist that Valerie accompany her back to the hotel.
“Our parents are still here,” said Micah. “When they’re ready to leave, Stephen and I will as well.”
The mention of Drake and Emme must have convinced Abby that no harm would come to Valerie at the hands of Stephen and Micah. She finally nodded. “All right, then. But make sure you return when Drake and Emme do.”
“I will. Thank you.” Valerie watched while Abby made her way out of the house with several members of the Jargonian village, and then she breathed an audible sigh of relief.
“Alone at last,” said Stephen, his breath warm against her ear. The sexy undertones sent shivers up and down her spine. He and Micah steered her toward an empty spot against one wall. “On the way up here, I told Valerie that we’d talk to Abby about letting her live her own life.”
“We should have done that a while ago,” said Micah.
“I agree.” Stephen brushed a finger along her arm, and Valerie shivered. “But in the meantime, we’ll have to find a way to spend some time with you alone this weekend.”
“I’d like that.” Her words sounded so naïve and noncommittal, but she didn’t know what else to say. She wanted to scream her acquiescence from the rooftops, but would that even be appropriate?
“Are you sure?” asked Micah, his tone teasing and flirtatious. “Because you sound about as excited as if we’d just told you we were going to watch paint dry.”
* * * *
Micah listened to Valerie sigh out loud and then glance around before adding her empty glass to a tray full of them, on a nearby table. She then faced him and Stephen with a determined look on her face. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. If you knew…if you two had any idea…”
Micah’s heart gave a strange lurch at the obvious struggle on her face, but they were in a roomful of people, and it would be too easy for someone to overhear her. This girl barely had enough confidence to confess her fantasies to them when they were alone, let alone in this house with so many others within earshot.
Micah had no idea what else was going on with her, and he suspected something was, and that it had to do with whatever she’d witnessed in her own village. But that had been three months ago, and this was ridiculous. She actually looked like she was going to cry. She was twenty-one years old. It was time to grow up and live her life.
“Let’s go outside,” said Micah. “It’s too hot in here.”
Stephen retrieved their coats, snowshoes, and gloves, and then they led her outside and around to the back of the cabin, but there were groups of people out there as well. Micah glanced around. “Wait here. I have an idea. I’ll be right back.”
Micah went back inside and took Nevada aside. After retrieving the key he asked for, he returned to where Stephen and Valerie looked deep in conversation, and motioned them into the forest. Valerie looked like she was about to ask him something, but she didn’t.
Micah wished she would simply relax so he and Stephen both could enjoy her company. Were they making a huge mistake in pursuing her? Was it only Abby’s ever-watchful eye that made her so uncomfortable, or was there more to her nervousness? Maybe they should ask her. He hoped he wasn’t wrong in his assessment of her trust of both of them.
Micah led them through snow-covered fronds that grew so close together, it was difficult to tell that they were two separate trees. When they came to a small clearing with a cabin, Valerie stopped in her tracks and stared at the cabin. Was she remembering Saffron’s story about the day Landon and Nevada had found her?
Micah took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, opening it and motioning them both inside. “There’s no fire, but Nevada said we’ll find what we need to build one if we want. He also said he’d let our parents know we’re here so they can find us when they’re ready to return to the hotel.”
“What do they use this for?” asked Valerie, glancing around at the furniture, including a large four-poster bed against one wall.
“Not for much anymore.” Micah closed the door and crossed to the fireplace. “The cabin has a spell placed on it by one of Nevada’s ancestors so that no one can shift while inside. They used to hold enemies here to await execution.”
They took off their snowshoes, coats, and gloves. Valerie sat on the sofa near the mantle and watched Stephen and Micah get a fire started. “You mean like League members?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“And this is where they held Saffron before they brought her to your village to hide, isn’t it?”
He followed her gaze toward the ceiling, where a system of rings and pulleys had been screwed into the wooden beams. Marks around them made it obvious that chains or heavy ropes had once dragged through the rings and across the beams. “That’s barbaric.” He actually saw her shiver.
“They didn’t know who she was,” said Micah, taking a seat to Valerie’s left. “They thought she was part of the League, or at least that League members were following her.”
Stephen took a seat on her right. “Don’t worry, Valerie. That’s not our plan for you.” He cut his gaze toward Micah. “What is our plan for her?”
That made her smile. Stephen had that gift, and Micah had seen him put her at ease with one simple sentence before. “I thought this would be a more private place to speak wit
h Valerie until we have to return to the hotel.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
It was his turn to smile at her. “I believe we’ve both made that clear today.”
“I’m sorry.”
Micah shook his head. “No. Don’t say that. You have nothing to apologize for. We know you’re inexperienced. We know you’re a virgin. But we also know you have a lot of curiosity, not only about sex, but about BDSM play as well. Stephen and I think it’s time we helped you explore both. Unless of course we’re wrong about what we’ve seen in your eyes. In that case, tell us that now.”
She shook her head. “Oh, no. You’re not wrong at all.”
She averted her gaze and for once Micah was glad she had, because the urge to simply take her into his arms and kiss her until he couldn’t breathe was too strong.
She watched the flames dance, and he could feel the struggle going on inside her. He needed to keep the conversation going, before she had a chance to talk herself out of it. “Good. I’m sure I speak for both of us when I say we’re glad to hear that. So when we return home, we’d like to invite you over one night to play when no one else is in the dungeon. We’ll have the entire place to ourselves. What do you say?”
Disappointment settled over her face and he frowned, confused. Wasn’t that what she wanted? Before he could formulate a question to try and ascertain what was going through her mind, Stephen spoke up.
“And I meant it when I said that Micah and I would talk to Abby. We’ll take care of that this weekend if we can but if not, then definitely as soon as we return home.”
She still didn’t speak, and it was obvious now that something was troubling her deeply. It had to be more than simply Abby’s overprotectiveness.
Micah sighed. “Please say something. Anything. I’m getting mixed signals. Just tell us what you want.”
“You’ll laugh at me.”
He exchanged a glance of incredulity with Stephen. “What? Why would I do that? Why would either of us do that?”
“Because it will sound ridiculous.”
“I promise you it won’t,” said Stephen. He and Micah exchanged another look of utter confusion over her head.
Valerie took a deep breath and Micah fought the urge again to pull her into his arms. Whatever it was, they’d figure something out. “I don’t want to wait until we get back home. I’ve waited three months as it is. The moment I saw both of you, I couldn’t stop staring at you or finding excuses to come to your home. I dream about you both. I fantasize about…” She took another deep breath, and Micah had to bite back a smile because his heart soared at her words.
“I fantasize about making love to both of you. Every time I’ve been in your dungeon, I’ve pictured myself draped over the spanking bench, or tied to the cross, with both of you are touching me…flogging me…doing things to me that I don’t even understand yet because I’ve never done them.”
She shifted her weight and faced both of them. “I can’t even process all my dreams or the images that pass through my head. All I know is that I want you. Both of you. And I know I’m totally inexperienced, but I can learn. I’ll do my best to learn and do it well, and to make you pleased with me.”
Micah cut his glance toward Stephen. He looked just as ready to jump out of his skin as Micah felt. How long had she been holding this in? It was what they both wanted, but she hadn’t realized that. He had to put her at ease and quickly before she regretted saying anything. He could only imagine how vulnerable and uncertain she felt right now.
He shook his head, unable to stop the grin this time. “As if we could be anything but pleased with you. Do you have any idea how much we’ve both lusted after you?”
“No,” she whispered. She looked like she was going to cry again, and he couldn’t let that happen.
“Well, we have. So I guess it’s time to show you, because words don’t seem adequate right now.”
Micah leaned toward her and touched his lips to hers. It was just a quick kiss, but it was full of warmth, passion, and the promise of dark, erotic secrets that he could hardly put a name to. He pulled back and waited for her to react. Had she ever been kissed before? Should he just go for it? He didn’t want to frighten her.
Valerie put her arms around his broad shoulders and kissed him. She moaned in the back of her throat as he tangled his fingers in her hair. Her lips moved over his in ways that surprised him. When he probed her lips with his tongue, she parted them and he was rewarded with yet more passion racing through his body as she moved her tongue around inside his mouth.
He pulled her closer, and she moaned again as her lush, warm body pressed against his. He caught movement, and watched Stephen’s hands caress her back and ass cheeks, and then she pushed further into his embrace.
This was what they’d both dreamed of and fantasized about, only Micah hadn’t realized what it would feel like. It was decadent, and delicious, and far more intense than anything his imagination had dared to conjure up. Valerie wanted them both. She wanted all of them. And Micah was determined to make her fantasies come true.
Chapter Five
Kissing Micah was unlike anything she’d imagined. And to have both of them touching her at the same time was heavenly. She had no idea if she was doing this right, but if his reaction was any indication, she was right on the money. This was heady, and erotic, and she wanted so much more, from both men.
Micah released the kiss, and the look of triumph and lust in his eyes nearly stopped her heart. He was breathing hard, and she couldn’t tear her gaze away from his face. “Valerie…” His voice was rough and deep, and it sent shivers up and down her spine.
“Turn your body toward me.” She couldn’t have disobeyed Stephen’s command if she’d wanted to. Valerie shifted her weight but he didn’t even wait until she’d turned completely around. He pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth in a kiss so hot, Valerie was certain her brain cells would melt. This time, she parted her lips right away, and Stephen groaned loudly in the back of his throat as his tongue raked the inside of her mouth.
He moved her until she lay supine on the sofa, and then Stephen was on top of her and his bulge pressed into her lower abdomen. Valerie moaned again and wrapped her arms and legs around him while her pussy contracted in tiny spasms and her clit throbbed. She wanted him inside her. She wanted them both inside her. Nothing else existed right now except Stephen, Micah, and this cozy cabin in the woods.
Stephen released the kiss and she gazed into his eyes, so full of lust and pure delight. Micah knelt beside the sofa and turned her face gently toward his. He kissed her again while Stephen nibbled at her neck, sending shivers up and down her spine with each tiny bite. His teeth and tongue moved over her collarbones, and then when he reached her breasts, she sucked in a sharp breath as he grasped them gently in his strong hands and kneaded them.
Valerie arched her hips, aching for more. She didn’t even understand what she wanted. She only knew that the combination of Micah’s tongue and lips on her mouth, and Stephen’s hands on her breasts, was inching her closer and closer to an orgasm. But the sensations were nothing like what she did to herself in the dark with her fingers and her naïve imagination. This was different. This was full and ripe, and threatened to spill over and consume her any second now. She wanted it to. She gave into it and let go.
Stephen teased her nipples through her sweater with his teeth, and Valerie groaned louder. When Micah released the kiss, he moved to her neck, biting and sucking gently. Stephen moved lower, trailing his hands over her lower abdomen and then between her legs. Valerie writhed on the sofa, unable to process all the new, exquisite sensations. She’d had no idea it would be like this. If she had, she would have done something about it the first time she’d found herself alone in the dungeon with Stephen and Micah.
Micah took his brother’s place at her breasts, kneading them in his strong hands and teasing the nipples into taut peaks that strained against her bra and sweater. She
wanted to pull off her clothes and offer her naked body to these two. When Stephen began to stroke her pussy, Valerie tossed her head back and forth and muttered incomprehensible words. How could anything, including their dicks inside her, feel better than this?
The door opened and both men jumped up, identical looks of embarrassment and frustration on their faces. Valerie glanced toward the front door and blinked a few times before her brain registered who stood there, watching the three.
Drake’s gaze fixed on his sons. “Nevada said you’d be here. It’s time to return to the hotel. We’ll wait outside.”
Emme and Mancie stood behind him, but Valerie couldn’t read the expressions on their faces. Her face burned as she sat up and shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs. Her entire body hummed, like someone had run a low voltage electrical charge through it. Her pussy was soaked and her nipples tingled. Her clit was throbbing hard now, and she had a strong suspicion that all she’d have to do was contract her Kegel muscles and she’d come.
“Ready?” Stephen held out a hand and she stared at it. When she glanced into his face, she was shocked to realize that he seemed totally unaffected by the fact that his parents and Mancie Ruiz had just caught them both kissing her and touching her.
“Are they upset?”
“Who?” asked Micah. “Our parents? No. Of course not. They’ll probably convince Abby to go into town with them later so we can finish what we started.” He fished the key to the front door out of his pocket. “And I’m sure Mancie just came for this. They keep it locked, even though it’s hard to find.”
As Micah strolled toward the door, Stephen took her hand and helped her to stand. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, and then she stared at him, convinced she’d incorrectly heard what Micah had said. No one was upset with them. And they weren’t going to run and tell Abby what they’d caught her doing with Micah and Stephen.
