Hope Springs (Compass Girls)

by Mari Carr

  “You’re pushing him, sweetheart.” Clay’s nostrils flared like one of the horses when it scented a potential mate. “Me along with him.”

  Wyatt met her halfway. He caged her between himself and his bunkmate. Their powerful bodies formed canyon walls. She loved being trapped by them. Every instinct she possessed sang with the rightness of it. Surrounded by the two men—their heat and their scent—she feared she might beg them to teach her about all the things she could sense lying barely outside her reach.

  “Serves you right.” She pouted just a little.

  “Why?” Clay tipped his head. “What’d I do?”

  “You’ve been doing the same to me. Teasing me. Putting all these damn ideas in my head. Turning me on with no way to relieve the ache. Don’t leave me like this.” She tossed his words from last night in his face and sealed the deal.

  “I won’t. I—I can’t.” Clayton swallowed hard. He looked to Wyatt quickly before he tipped her head up and covered her mouth with his.

  Exactly as it had the day before, the connection of their bodies sparked a reaction more potent than the electrostatic attraction that bonded the compatible compounds she’d studied so hard. With Clay, everything was covalent. They agreed on so much. Their personalities had made last night’s companionship easy and light. Wyatt—opposite, and ionic. An explosion of magnetic energy. Or maybe the three of them could fuse into an archetypical bent bond.

  Any case provided a similar outcome. A single, perfect connection.

  Organic chemistry had never seemed sexy during her late nights of studying pharmacology. Hopefully they’d be up for some cram sessions as she learned her way around their bodies. Extra tutoring could be necessary. Whatever it took to pass their tests. She’d always been one hell of a student.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Wyatt rasped. Though he probably intended to yell, the question came out as more of a strangled grumble.

  “Kissing.” Hope mumbled between the nibbles of their mouths on each other. Clay tasted as sweet and spicy as she remembered. “He’s fucking good at it.”

  “He can’t be that great if you’re still able to talk. Or think, for that matter.” Wyatt leaned in closer.

  Shocked, she lost the ability to respond when the bulky guy cradled her head in one palm and his boyfriend’s in the other. He held them both tenderly as he traced the intersection of their lips with the tip of his tongue. Pulling back long enough to smile and hum, he rejoined them. This time fusing them more completely in a three-way kiss.

  Instead of fading out, the excitement and arousal pinging between them seemed to pump him up. Apparently sex acted like a super-drug on Wyatt’s immune system. Because before she realized it, his hand had wandered along her nape. It roamed across the deep-cut back of her flirty dress. The dip made it clear she’d had to leave her bra in her well-stocked lingerie drawer.

  A gasp separated her from the guys. They took the opportunity to collide with each other in a more urgent exchange that left her as breathless as their seduction of her lips. With an excellent vantage point she stared, entranced as the pair expressed their joy at homecoming and reconnecting with each other.

  Fighting had strained them too.

  “This is what you want? And Hope?” Wyatt growled before claiming his mate once more.

  Clay groaned his response.

  Had she done that to them? Instilled them with a little of the thrilling uncertainty racing through her veins along with a massive dose of lust? A tinge of unease infiltrated her hunger. When she would have leaned back—a tiny bit—to take a deep breath of fresh air not polluted with their pheromones, Wyatt pressed between her shoulders, reintroducing her to the mix.

  This time they alternated. Clayton nuzzled her cheek while Wyatt bestowed his first solo kiss. She could hardly think of it as something that sounded so tame when he ravaged her. It was as if all the cells in her brain lit up, endorphins painting gorgeous pictures behind her scrunched lids.

  Relief had her practically climbing him. Her already crazy attraction amplified with him in the mix. But it also held between them alone. No one was the third wheel here. With her parents, everyone was equal. It seemed the same for her, Wyatt and Clay.

  Amazing.

  He nipped her bottom lip carefully, then licked the spot that had split beneath the force of Damon’s knuckles. Resting his forehead on hers, he pulled his chin away enough to say, “I should have hit him harder. Maybe stomped on his nuts. I don’t want you to get hurt. Never again.”

  “I won’t tell anyone about us,” she promised.

  “Not even your cousins?” Wyatt peered directly into her eyes.

  “Don’t take the Compass Girls away from her.” Clay came to her aid. “This could be confusing. She might need someone other than us to talk to. Don’t assume all the danger comes from outside. You remember what it was like for us at first, right?”

  Wyatt hesitated.

  “They all adore her parents. It won’t be any different accepting Hope’s desires.” Clay approached behind his partner and laid his cheek on the bigger man’s shoulder. “Plus, if Daniel is in the know he can keep an eye out at their place.”

  “Fine,” Wyatt snapped. “Those four. No one else. Your grandmother was already asking a lot of questions tonight. Other people will suspect if we’re not careful.”

  Hope wasn’t sure she liked being their dirty little secret. The tension in Wyatt’s chest made it clear he didn’t plan to budge on this point, though. She placed her hands over his firm pecs, kneading them like one of her Aunt Cindi’s barn cats when it mauled the blanket-lined box it lived in.

  Still, Wy held himself rigid and aloof.

  “I promise. I won’t climb the ridge in the south pasture and scream what great lovers you are. Too bad for your reputations. And your egos.” Not that either needed any inflating.

  “Good girl.” The calm before the storm vanished. Wyatt directed Clayton. “Carry her to the empty stall in the corner. Get her dress off.”

  “Now don’t you wish you’d fixed that hand before it went haywire?” Clay made her giggle when he tsked at Wyatt. “You’re going to miss out on untying those pretty laces and working her panties down her sexy legs. Do you think we’ll find a thong under that skirt? Or maybe boyshorts. Something ruffly.”

  “Um.” Hope bit her cheek. She prayed they wouldn’t be disappointed.

  Wyatt and Clay exchanged a heated stare as if they guessed the truth. By tacit understanding, they moved as one. Clayton scooped her into his arms and toted her toward the rear of the barn, away from the door and the light. She couldn’t believe she was going to become part of the ranks of people who’d gotten ultra-lucky in this familiar place.

  Once, when he hadn’t realized Hope had been standing behind him, Jake had bragged that the barn had seen more action than a whorehouse. The ranch hand had become a staple in Compton Pass over the past several decades. A good friend of her fathers and Silas’s brothers, he had become an honorary uncle. He treated her as much like a princess as the rest of the Compass clan. Ugh.

  These young cowboys had no similar predilections. A welcome relief.

  Wyatt snagged a horse blanket off one of the racks as they passed by. He draped it over the loose, fresh hay on the floor before Clayton laid her on the makeshift bed then followed her to the ground.

  “You’re so damn pretty, Hope.” He trailed a knuckle over the arch of her brow. “I’m honored that you’d consider us to give you your first ménage. Or even to touch you at all. We’re just two regular guys. You’re…”

  She didn’t bother to correct him or his assumptions. Instead she answered as honestly as she could. “I didn’t have a choice. This feels right. In a way it never has with anyone else.”

  “To me too.” The soft press of his lips to hers lulled her.

  “Us too.” Wyatt cleared his throat. “So why does she still have that dress on?”

  “I got distracted,” the man covering her replied. Clay
ton tucked against her from head to crotch before her thighs parted around the thick trunks of his legs.

  “No kidding.” The stern tone from the leader of their trio had Hope’s pussy slicking, preparing for the rest of his instructions.

  She had passed ready several days ago. No doubt in her mind. Except for one thing…

  “Guys, I didn’t expect this tonight. I didn’t think you were coming to dinner. Wyatt especially.” She blushed as she considered the surprise they were about to get. Okay, so maybe she’d thought about dropping by their bunkhouse with leftovers after the family gathering had finished. And serving up some dinner in bed.

  “What are you saying, Hope?” Wyatt cut to the chase.

  “I’m not on birth control and I don’t have any condoms with me. Hell, this dress doesn’t exactly have pockets.” She winced.

  “Don’t worry, we’re covered,” Wyatt assured her. “We both got Vasalgel-ed.”

  Hope laughed. “I didn’t know it was a verb, but good to know. The polymer they inject into the vas deferens is supposed to be a hundred-percent effective. There hasn’t been a single reported failure since the clinical trials in India during the early two-thousand-teens.”

  “It’s kind of hot when you get nerdy like that.” Wy used his undamaged hand to rub the bulge in his jeans.

  “I prefer to call it smart, but thanks.” She smiled. Until Clay’s exploring fingers had her eyes rolling back in her head and a whimper replacing her amusement. They tracked up the length of her legs, toying with the hem of her dress before lifting it.

  And revealing that her panties matched her bra. Non-existent. Bare, her engorged flesh was soothed by the breeze swirling around her in the barn even as she responded to the two men driving her wild and to what they were likely to do to her.

  “You planned to seduce us?” Clay leaned in for another kiss, interrupting his grilling. He slipped his hand between her legs, groaning when his palm cupped naked, slick flesh. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  “If I only wanted to talk, I would have worn underwear.” She thrust her pelvis at him. “Hurry up already. Unless you’re not a fan of women going commando?”

  “I like that just fine. As long as you assumed it was me that was coming to dinner.” Clayton grinned and nipped the edge of her answering smile.

  Wyatt nodded. For a second, Hope thought he might leave them to each other. She silently dared him to run. Some of her determination must have flashed in her eyes because he laughed softly. “Have it your way.”

  He yanked the button fly of his jeans with his good hand, then shoved the pants that had framed his ass perfectly to the ground. With a kick, he rid himself of his boots. Finally, he stepped out of his clothes. The seams of his soft cotton shirt objected when he whipped it from his torso with a single off-center yank.

  Hope nearly choked on the tongue Clay had slipped into her mouth to thrill the sensitive nerve endings in her palate and gums.

  “Gorgeous, isn’t he?” Clayton peeked over his shoulder as if the sight of his lover could never get old. She bet it wouldn’t.

  “Yeah.” She squirmed beneath Clay, wishing she could see his matching bronze skin and the underlying muscles that shaped it into little hills and valleys as tantalizing as Wyatt’s.

  As if he could read her mind, Wyatt said, “Show off for the lady, Clay. Let her see what all that manual labor does for your body.”

  Wyatt knelt beside them. He grabbed Clayton’s ass before settling near her. Together, they watched as the taller, thinner of the two guys discarded first his shirt then his jeans. How he got rid of them and his boots so quickly remained a mystery. Lithe twists of his torso and impressive strength allowed him to contort his frame in ways that could only be a benefit to kinky sex.

  Their nudity eased her discomfort over being stripped from the waist down. In fact, she writhed, trying to haul her dress over her head so she could glide against them skin-on-skin. Ever helpful, Clayton slipped the floral painted-silk over her head. Before her shoulders could meet the blanket again, Wyatt cupped the breast nearest him.

  “You have a killer rack.” It seemed no one had ever told him staring was rude.

  In this case, his undivided attention made her feel more like a goddess than a freak. “Not proportional.”

  She’d despaired over finding clothes that weren’t too big in the waist if they accommodated her bust.

  “Mmm. I’d say the ratio of plump tits to tiny waist is perfect.” Clay measured her with a heated gaze before treating her other breast to a caress similar to the one bestowed by his partner. Their touches had a lot in common. Yet if she closed her eyes, she’d know which man was which without doubt.

  Wy didn’t take any prisoners. He went straight for her nipple and rolled it in his palm, hardening the tip until she found it difficult to breathe through the pleasure. Clayton took a more scenic route, pressing on the soft skin and drawing designs on the mound, which heightened her awareness of his touch. He encouraged her to wonder where he’d venture next then drew out a sigh of delight with his decision.

  Before she had really gotten enough of their delicious manipulation, they’d descended in unison, applying the heat and moisture of their mouths to the job.

  When Wy moaned against her breast, her spine arched, feeding him more of her chest.

  “You taste good, Hope.” Clay rubbed her tummy. If he planned to calm her, it didn’t work. Instead, he inflamed her. Her fingers tunneled into their hair, holding them close even as she prayed for them to advance—to take this fantasy one enormous step farther.

  “She smells even better.” Wyatt scented the air like one of the stallions she’d seen in the pasture. “You going to do the honors? Warm her up, Clay. I know how good you are with that mouth.”

  “Would you like that?” Clay’s eyes darkened, his pupils dilating until she caught her expression in their reflection. She looked every bit as desperate and urgent as she felt.

  “Yes.” She pushed on his shoulder, guiding him lower, though she couldn’t have budged him if he weren’t willing—hell, already in motion. “Please.”

  “You beg so nicely, Hope.” Wyatt dragged his fingertip around her nipple then up her neck to her mouth. He inserted it between her lips.

  With them, nothing seemed forced. She did what felt right and their hungry stares proved it to be the perfect thing. They made it easy to experiment. She sucked on his finger, liking the way he filled her mouth.

  “It’s been a long damn time since we were with a woman who didn’t seem fake.” Clayton hovered over her mound. He nuzzled the apex of her thighs before breathing deeply. “I love how natural you are. How honestly you share your passion. Let me return the favor.”

  Hope lost suction on Wyatt’s finger when her jaw dropped open.

  An amused rumble drew her attention to Wy. “I wasn’t joking. Clay’s damn fine at servicing his partners. And he loves to do it too. Don’t you?”

  She picked her head up long enough to spy the red-hot stare Clay winged to Wyatt before he dove into his treat. Her. The rap of her skull on the lightly cushioned surface below her returned some clarity to her mind.

  “Here.” Wyatt urged her to lift again. He wadded his T-shirt beneath her nape, supporting her while improving her view. “Let him know when he does something you like so he’ll do it more. Simple, right?”

  Good thing. Complex reasoning went out the window about the time he licked her slit from end to end, concentrating several swirls around her engorged clit. She didn’t need Wy’s coaching to call out then. Her pussy clenched. Wetness spilled from her.

  Clay was quick to lap it up.

  “Save some to ease the way.” Wyatt’s gruff joke held a note of seriousness. “You’re not exactly small, you know.”

  “Look who’s talking.” Clay paused long enough to wink at her. “You can peek. We don’t mind.”

  She couldn’t believe she hadn’t checked them out. But honestly, she’d been dazzled eno
ugh by the heat in their eyes and the ultra-fit tone of their chests and abs to short-circuit her brain. With their permission, she followed the length of Wyatt’s torso downward. He rolled onto his back, using her breast to pillow his head.

  “Go ahead. Touch me.” He made it sound as if he were granting her access, not as if he were aching for her hand on his cock. The full erection he sported had her nibbling her lip. Could he really fit inside her?

  Growing up on a farm left her no doubt as to the mechanics of sex and the seeming impossibility of some biological phenomena. It’d never been her parts in question before, though. Wyatt clasped her hand in his good one and flattened it against his chest. The pounding of his heart reassured her in some twisted way.

  He slid their joined fingers down his torso, allowing her to read the ridges of his abs like Braille that declared him sinfully sexy. And then she encountered steely flesh beneath soft skin. The contrasting textures fascinated her. When Clayton redoubled his efforts, apparently as excited by watching them play as she was by the wriggling of his tongue, she closed her fist around Wyatt harder than intended.

  He grunted and she let go as if burned.

  “That wasn’t a sound of pain.” His laughter came tight and rough. “Get your hand back here. Stroke me. Not too fast. Just enough. Make me good and hard.”

  “Mission accomplished.” She tested his stiffness again. Yep, firm.

  Clayton kissed her clit before whispering, “That’s not all he has to offer. I think he’s still hurting a little even if he’s not letting on. Make him forget about being sick, Hope. Give him something better to focus on.”

  Wonder infused her every caress as she noted him solidifying and growing beneath her gentle pulls. If he got any bigger he really would be enormous.

  “What kind of guys have you been with that you’re looking at me like that?” Wy angled his head toward hers for a deep, drugging kiss that prohibited her from admitting her inexperience.

  But it didn’t take long for Clayton to discover and divulge her secret.