“I’m not exactly happy about this arrangement,” Raya said with furrowed eyebrows. She glanced at her sister, who looked like an old Southern Belle. Raya snickered to herself, it honestly wasn’t that outlandish of an image.
“Well, I’m not happy either,” Michaela snapped. “Why he needs the both of us, I won’t ever be able to understand.” She didn’t let a frown or a scowl distort her face, instead staying doll-like as they waited for Joel. “He should have just been happy with me,” Michaela muttered.
“He needs somebody to keep him entertained, doesn’t he?” Raya muttered.
The gasp she got from Michaela made the comment worth it. Michaela shot to her feet, her fan tossed to the other side of the porch. “Excuse you?” she snapped. She had her hands on her hips, and was bent slightly at the waist. It reminded Raya of being scolded by a schoolteacher.
“Face it, Michaela, you’re the pretty thing that everyone likes to look at, but not the one they want to get to know,” Raya said. “Besides, if they really got to know you, I don’t think they would think you were as pretty.”
Michaela made a noise of protest. Raya was certain that at that moment, if Joel hadn’t strolled up on a strong, chestnut stallion, Raya would have gotten a smack from her sister. Instead, Michaela put her happy face back on, and turned to Joel with a smile.
“Hello, darlings,” Joel greeted, “I trust you were having a friendly conversation between sisters?” He had a knowing tone to his voice that made Raya narrow her eyes. Michaela had picked it up, too, a little glint flashing in her caramel eyes.
“Of course, Joel,” Michaela replied. Her voice was like straight syrup, poured in extreme amounts over a pile of pancakes. “What else would we have been doing?” she asked.
Joel shrugged, watching Michaela closely. “It sounded to me like the two of you had maybe been fighting a little bit. Believe me, ladies, there’s plenty of me to go around.”
Michaela laughed and flipped her hair. “We weren’t fighting.” She sent a glare at Raya. “Just having a heated discussion.”
“Don’t you know that ladies don’t fight?” Raya replied. She stood up, and hauled up two of their three suitcases. “I thought you said you were going to get a coach?” she asked.
“I did, just give it a few minutes. I thought maybe I could sit with the two of you for a while and maybe have some lemonade,” Joel said. He hopped off his horse, displaying just how powerful his legs were. His shirt flipped up in the wind, giving the girls a perfect view of tanned skin.
“We don’t have any lemonade,” Raya said.
“I can make some!” Michaela interjected. She flashed Raya a little glare, as if scolding her for daring to tell Joel the truth. “I make the best lemonade in town,” she boasted.
Joel gave her a wide grin. He stepped up onto the porch, not even bothering with the little flight of stairs. In a flash, he pressed a kiss to Michaela’s cheek, and then pulled away. “That sounds lovely, darling,” he said.
Michaela blushed like a schoolgirl, and traipsed into the house, walking on clouds.
Raya remained with Joel, who took up a spot where Michaela had been. He sat closer to Raya, though, stretching his arm over the side and putting a hand on Raya’s knee. Raya promptly moved it away, keeping her gaze far from Joel. She could feel him looking at her, but she refused to look up and meet his challenge.
“You don’t seem as happy as your sister about this arrangement,” Joel said. He drew his hand back, sensing how uncomfortable Raya was. “She looks ready to burst.”
“That’s because she is ready to burst,” Raya said. She finally let herself look over at Joel, raising an eyebrow at him. “This is exactly what she’s been dreaming about since she was a child. For some stranger to come take her away and bring her to an exotic place and spoil her rotten.”
“That’s what I intend to do with her, but would you rather I did something else?” Joel asked.
Raya was honestly surprised by how caring Joel seemed. The night prior, she had pegged him as a brute who didn’t care about either of their feelings. “Well, I like the part about getting me a horse,” she said.
“Why don’t you have any now?” he asked.
“Dad said it wasn’t proper for a lady,” she muttered with a drawn-out roll of her eyes. “He was just afraid of one of us getting hurt or riding away from him in the middle of the night. Plus, we couldn’t really afford a horse,” she said. “I love them, though.” She fixed her chocolate brown gaze on the chestnut stallion, letting out a little sigh. “He’s really beautiful,” she said.
“His name is Archer,” Joel said. “Would you like to meet him?” His tone was cautious, afraid that maybe Raya would reject him since she was so against the situation.
Instead of reacting badly, she turned bright eyes to Joel, her entire face lit up. “Can I really?” she asked.
“Sure can.”
Joel stood up, and offered a hand for Raya. She was hesitant at first, but then took it. He was warm, but the touch sent shivers all up and down her body. Joel guided her down the porch steps, and to Archer who had begun to graze at the short grass that was growing.
“He was a wild thing when I first caught him, but I’ve broken him in,” Joel said.
“You caught him wild?” Raya asked. She was amazed that Joel was the type of person to be able to capture a wild horse.
He took her hand, still clasped in his own, and set in on Archer’s shoulder. Raya could feel each of his strong muscles, the way he quivered at the touch. His coat was soft and shiny, clearly well taken care of.
“He was injured when I found him, I couldn’t have let him alone and thrown him to the mountain lions,” Joel explained. Eventually, he let go of Raya’s hand, instead putting his hand on her lower back to guide her closer to the horse. “Here, I’ll help you get up on him,” he muttered.
Raya, at first, didn’t understand what Joel was saying. She was so fixated on the strong stallion in front of her, his dark mane and his trusting eyes. Suddenly, hands were on her waist, and she nearly screamed when Joel picked her up and put her on the saddle. She hugged the stallion’s body with her thighs as tightly as she could, a little shock of fear penetrating her. She had never been on such a huge horse, but Archer seemed more than comfortable with Raya at the reigns.
Joel was looking up at Raya, beaming from ear to ear as he looked at her. “What do you think?” he asked. He took Archer’s reigns, and began to lead him around. Raya let out a laugh, admiring the way Archer felt moving underneath him. She could tell that he was built for stamina, rather than speed.
“He’s amazing,” Raya said.
Joel didn’t know if he had seen the girl smile so much since he had met her.
From inside, blocked by the screen door, Michaela was scowling at the pair.
Chapter Four
Michaela wasn’t happy with what she had seen. Joel and Raya were acting closer than they had been the entire time, and it made her angry. When the coach arrived, Raya was allowed to stay on Joel’s stallion and ride next to them the entire time. Joel was on the other horse, guiding it along. He kept Archer’s reigns close, though, never letting him get out of control.
Michaela, on the other hand, was trapped inside of the coach. Her dress was making the heat unbearable, and she could hardly function. She felt as though she was going to pass out at any moment, and if Joel could have seen her, she would have died of embarrassment. She kept her long hair pushed back, wishing for one moment that she could have short hair like Raya.
Occasionally, she poked her head out, but they didn’t stop until it was long past sunset, and there was hardly any light to see by. Michaela only opened the door to the coach once there was a fire lit, and was happy enough to at least have Joel right there to help her hop down.
“Are we nearly there?” Michaela asked. She had her plate on her knees, pushing around the swarming stew of whatever Joel had thrown into it. For all intents and purposes, it was the best exampl
e of cowboy food that Michaela had ever seen.
“Yes, Michaela, only one more day of traveling,” Joel assured.
Michaela sighed, and smacked a mosquito that had landed on her arm. “Couldn’t we have stayed at an inn?” she asked. “I’m going to be eaten alive before we ever reach Montana,” she muttered.
“Don’t be such a whiner,” Raya said.
Michaela narrowed her eyes at her sister. “That’s easy for you to say, you’re used to sleeping in the dirt like an animal.”
Michaela didn’t notice the grin that formed across Joel’s features. In fact, she hardly noticed Joel at all, focused only on her sister.
“I don’t sleep in the dirt; I just work with my hands. Well…” Raya paused, taking a big gulp of the stew. “You use your hands, too, but it tends to be in an alleyway and with a boy we went to school with.”
“Raya!” Michaela screeched. She was blushing again, a horrible, ugly shade of red that was accentuated by the orange firelight. “Don’t say those kinds of things!”
“But they’re true, aren’t they?” Raya asked. “What was the one boy who you let take your corset off? Was it Jeremiah?”
“Raya,” Michaela hissed. “Stop telling lies.”
“It’s not a lie,” Raya casually said after taking another gulp of stew. Joel watched the exchange with curious eyes. Raya glanced at him, a strong look in her eye. “If Joel’s looking for a pure, virgin wife, he’s got the wrong girl.”
With that, Michaela shot up bolt right, and tossed the bowl of stew to the ground. “I can’t believe you!” she snapped. She had the beginnings of tears in her eyes, and when she stormed off, Raya grimaced.
“I might have taken that one a little too far,” she muttered, but Michaela was long-gone by then.
Joel sighed as he stood, glancing at Raya. “I’d better go get her,” he said. “Don’t want her getting attacked by a coyote.”
He waited for Raya’s nod of approval before heading after Michaela. He found her just past the line of the trees, leaning against a strong tree and hiding her face in her gloved hands. Her shoulders were shaking, and Joel felt a cruel streak in him that wanted to see the girl when she was crying.
“Michaela?” he called out, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t cry,” he whispered. “Raya was just being mean, I’m certain.”
Michaela looked up at him with reddened eyes, daring to peek over her fingers. “She wasn’t just being mean,” she mumbled. Her hands were hiding her voice, and Joel gently pried them away from her face. “It’s all true.” She looked away, the tears in her eyes glinting in the strong moonlight. “She’s right, if you’re looking for a virgin, that’s not me. I haven’t been one for a long time.” She let out a little laugh, though it was harsh. “I was just trying to keep it a secret.”
“Why would you do that?” Joel asked. He dropped his voice, and as soon as Michaela looked at him, he stole her lips in a heated kiss. The girl gasped, and he took his opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. At first, it was a dance he performed by himself, but then Michaela took the hint. She pressed her tongue against Joel’s, and he took it as permission to go further. Joel took Michaela’s chest in his hands, squeezing and massaging the soft mounds in his hands.
Michaela tilted her head back, her cheeks dusted a dark red, and her breath already coming choppier than it had before. She had to restrain herself, just the feeling of Joel touching her had her wanting to moan and bend to his every touch. Her eyes were just barely opened as she watched Joel with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t need a virgin,” he said. He leaned forward, trailing hot breath over the milky expanse of Michaela’s neck. He grazed his teeth across her skin, and Michaela squirmed under his ministrations.
She felt like she was going to explode, she couldn’t remember the last time she had been touched by somebody that she actually liked. “All men want a virgin,” Michaela scoffed. “They like the feeling of being a girl’s first.”
“I prefer the feeling of a girl who knows what she’s doing,” Joel muttered. “I can imagine you, bouncing on my cock so pretty, losing yourself in our pleasure.”
One of his hands dropped, pressing between Michaela’s legs. Even through all of the layers she was wearing, she could feel Joel’s strong fingers. The heat in her body began to grow, turning into molten metal in her veins. She opened her eyes a little more at Joel, and seeing the predatory expression on his face sent her into another bout of sharp breaths and high-pitched moans.
“I like a girl who knows how to act when I touch her,” he whispered. He had his head resting next to Michaela’s, trailing his tongue and his teeth along the shell of her ear. She screwed her eyes shut, trying to keep her sounds hushed. Raya was not far away, and could most certainly already hear them.
Michaela turned her head away, and it gave Joel the best opportunity, latching his teeth onto her neck and biting fiercely, as though he were trying to draw blood to the surface of her porcelain skin. All the while, he massaged her through her skirts, pressing down hard so the girl could feel him. He was hardening and thickening himself, and pressed his clothed cock against her thigh.
“Do you feel that?” Joel asked, pulling away from her neck. He rutted his hips against her, a sickening grin on his face. “It’s all for you, Michaela, so let me hear more of you.”
Michaela had turned to a mess, the pleasure nearly too much for her to handle. She wouldn’t be able to finish through her clothes, she could already tell that it wasn’t enough. She rolled her hips against Joel’s hand, trying desperately to increase the pressure between them.
* * * * *
Raya, sitting back at the campfire, listened to her sister as her moans increased in volume, and eventually turned into screams. It sickened her to listen to it, and she felt a knot of jealousy form in her gut. She wanted Joel to treat her that way, to ravage her and leave her a keening mess. She glanced down at her feet, and spotted a little grass snake on its way away from the fire. She felt a sickening pleasure in herself, and bent down to scoop up the little creature.
It wiggled and tried to worm out of her grasp, but Raya knew it would be happier in its new home, anyways. She walked over to the coach, and slipped the reptile inside of it, a beautiful present awaiting her sister.
She had shut the door to the couch just as she noticed Joel and Michaela return, Joel with a strained tenting in his pants.
“I trust you two enjoyed yourselves,” Raya said.
Michaela brushed past Raya, and stepped into the coach.
Not a moment later, and a scream ripped through the air.
Chapter Five
Raya woke the next morning with the sun, far before Michaela. Her sister, despite having a fit about the snake that she had found in the coach, had decided to sleep there. She acted as though there was something else, though, traipsing around and fidgeting all night long. Raya could hear her in there, rocking the thing about from side to side.
If Joel hadn’t been sleeping across the fire from her all night, Raya might have thought that the two of them were up to no good well into the night. Rather, she assumed that they had had enough of each other after the mishap in the woods.
When she woke up, Joel had already woken up. He was drinking a cup of coffee that was too strong, but also far too watery for his taste.
“Good morning,” he said. He had a tired smile on his face, and the deep bags under his eyes only seemed more prominent than ever. “Did you sleep well?” he asked.
“I did,” Raya agreed. She stretched her arms over her head, and then rubbed at her eyes. She let out a wide yawn, not even bothering to cover her mouth in front of a gentleman. Had Michaela been awake, she might have been horrified at Raya’s rude display.
“Do you want some coffee?” Joel offered with a tilt of his head.
Raya looked the man up and down. She had yet to see anything of him that looked more than just a cute, puppy-dog exterior. “No, I’m good,” she said. “Michae
la might want some.”
Joel flapped his hand dismissively. “She doesn’t need anything; she won’t even be awake for it.”
Raya smiled, impressed that Joel had already learned the ins and outs of the sisters. “You’re right,” she said, “she won’t be.”
“Do you think she’ll mind if I hook up the horse and get us moving?” he pondered. He scratched at his unshaven chin, a little sprouting of hair lingering there. “I would like to get going as soon as possible. If we’re fast, we can get to Montana by the end of the day,” he said, more to himself than to Raya.
“I think we’ll be just fine,” Raya said. “She won’t notice.”
“Like she almost didn’t notice the snake last night?” Joel teased.
Raya blushed a dark red, which just barely showed up behind her heavy tan. “There wasn’t any way she didn’t notice it,” Raya said. “I did it because I knew she would notice.”
“Are you jealous of her?” Joel asked.
Raya stood up, and brushed off the dirt that had gathered on her pants. “I don’t think that matters,” she said. “I think that right now, we should get going. If we leave before she wakes up, we won’t have to deal with her complaining for a few hours yet.”
Joel didn’t seem happy with the answer he had been given, but he didn’t say anything about it. He stood, and gave the horses each a couple pats before hooking up the other horse to the coach. He hopped up on the seat, and Raya pulled herself into Archer.
For a long time, they rode in silence, admiring how nice it was without the complaining of a certain somebody. Raya found it peaceful, without an absurd amount of complaints that didn’t do anybody any good. She looked around, admiring the scenery that passed by. Occasionally, she nudged Archer into a little gallop—with Joel’s permission—and they rode ahead of the coach.
Raya didn’t know when Michaela woke up, but it suddenly made the journey to Montana seem so much longer than it needed to be. She complained about everything she could—the heat, not being closer to Joel, the smell of the horses, and whatever else she could think of.
Romance: My Stepbrother's Plaything Page 14
