Hope Springs (Compass Girls)

by Mari Carr

  Her front tooth threatened to open the cut in her pouty bottom lip.

  “Careful,” Wyatt rumbled a warning.

  Which she ignored.

  She spread her legs wider. Wyatt lifted his head from the pillow to sniff the air. The scent of strawberries and Hope’s cream perfumed their modest bedroom. Delicious. Ripe. Clay wanted to devour her like a juicy piece of fruit.

  He knew she’d taste delicious too.

  The fidget he gave as he sidled in her direction was shot down by a raised brow and the pause of her hands on her lovely rose-hued skin.

  “Okay. Staying put.” He kicked himself over and over for allowing Wyatt to dictate his lack of involvement. If he ever got another chance with her, he’d take it. Wyatt be damned. The man didn’t understand that sometimes people simply needed. Even if the poison they craved wasn’t healthy. Sometimes it didn’t matter.

  Their instant chemistry crackled in the space between them.

  Hope began to run her fingers in spirals around her clit. The shaky gasps and whimpers that left her throat made Clay feel a tiny bit better about his seeming lack of control while Wy had tunneled into his ass.

  What she did to him. And to Wyatt.

  Oh Jesus.

  Trembles wracked her slight frame and the rickety bed they shared along with it.

  “Gorgeous,” Wyatt whispered. Clay wondered if the other man realized how hard he was hugging his partner. How tightly he clutched Clayton in order to avoid launching himself at the beauty they’d tamed and roped into bed with them.

  Yet somehow hadn’t taken.

  Clay tried to engage his brain but most of his blood still pooled in his crotch.

  “I loved watching you,” she told them in between pants as she mimicked the pattern of penetration Wy had used on Clayton with her fingers, which tapped against her pussy. Occasionally they delved in as far as the flexible barrier that had kept her out of his clutches would allow.

  Soon moans and curses, those dirty little swears, floated from the succulent mouth now parted as if permanently. He could easily slip his dick between her teeth. And no matter how she spit at them, he knew she’d welcome a taste.

  Hope’s fingers flashed. They rubbed and nudged and danced where the contact did the most good. Fluttering everywhere, she quickly brought herself to the cusp. It was easy to tell she toed the line when her cheeks blossomed with a flush and her lids began to sink.

  “Go ahead,” Clayton encouraged her. “Let yourself feel how right we are together. Even if we’re not touching. It doesn’t matter.”

  She nodded and focused.

  Within seconds the pitch of her whimpers and moans escalated.

  “Now, Hope. Come for us.” Wyatt pulled the trigger and Hope shot off like a rocket on the fourth of July.

  Both men stared, dazzled by the spectacle.

  When the explosive relief of Hope’s orgasm wore off, she couldn’t believe what she’d done. The pair of sexy cowboys drove her insane with need. The bitterness that crept into the void left by her receding ecstasy made her sick despite the awe etched into their handsome faces.

  They’d reduced her to retaliation.

  That wasn’t what she’d had in mind at all. Shit.

  “The pair of you make me feel like I need to chomp down a fucking handful of oxcarbazepine.”

  They stared at her long and hard enough their eyes must have dried out. A proverbial cricket chirped in her mind. “It’s what you use to treat bipolar disorder. Up down, up down. You hold out your arms, then shove me away. Enough. Fuck you and fuck you too. Almost everything isn’t going to cut it.”

  “That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you, Hope.” Wyatt dared to open his mouth. “We can’t be what you need long-term. It’s fun to play, but I didn’t want to hurt you. That’s the only place this can go unless you’re willing to keep it entirely physical…”

  “Clayton might have hung around for decades, accepting your backhanded rejection, loving you even when you shut him down. I’m not that strong. Sorry, Clay, I changed my mind. I’m going home.”

  She clutched the bunched shirt and shimmied it lower.

  “Like that?” He reached for her. Though bare enough in the T-shirt to be some people’s definition of indecent, she ran. “Hope, wait—”

  “Put some damn pants on!” Wyatt roared at her.

  She flashed him a one-fingered salute as she marched out of the house and away from them. The bonfire they’d roasted her blossoming dreams on kept her plenty warm in the spring night air.

  When she got to her house, the lights were on and her cousins were waiting. They bundled her in their arms and her favorite blanket while Daniel notified Wyatt and Clay of her safe, if devastated, arrival.

  Damn them for caring a little yet not enough to risk it all.

  Chapter Ten

  “I wonder what Vivi wants,” Hope’s mom, Lucy, speculated. She and Hope’s dads had swung by the Compass Girls’ bungalow on the way to the main house to pick her up.

  Rather than add to her dishonesty, Hope simply stared out the window and tried not to seem too worried. Maybe she could breathe again with this secret off her chest. Unfortunately, the easing of her burden would come at the expense of her parents’ grief.

  At least she and her female cousins had already processed the horrific news. They could help the older generation cope. Or at least that was the plan. They’d gathered all the literature they could to help both the Compass Brothers and their families understand the prognosis, the trials already attempted and the inevitable decline that had accelerated recently.

  I wish Wyatt and Clay were with me. Wy would let Clay do all the talking, and touching. He’d guard them, stoic, and have their backs while they cried enough for him too. She cursed under her breath when she realized just how much she’d come to rely on their support and protection in such a short period. Foolish. She didn’t need anyone but her family. Tonight they’d stand together.

  That didn’t mean she didn’t crave a little bit more. Selfish yet true.

  “Doug thinks Vivi might be getting us a pool. If construction starts now, we figure it could be done by summer vacation.” Austin bounced in his seat.

  “She’s not putting in a pool.” Best to nip that idea right now, Hope figured.

  “What makes you so sure?” Her mom rotated from the bench seat—where she perched between their two dads—her laser focus scary as hell. “She worships her grandkids and these four boys have been hounding her practically since they could talk. I wouldn’t put it past her.”

  “It’s a ridiculous idea.” Hope rolled her eyes and even flipped her hair over her shoulder, shielding her heated face from her mother’s scrutiny.

  “Is not.” Austin crossed his arms over his chest. She regretted the sting of her rejection. The Compass Girls’ little brothers were always trying to impress them and prove they were plenty grown up enough to hang with their big sisters. In Hope’s case, that went double.

  Almost ten years separated her and Austin. Her mom always said she’d gotten lucky getting pregnant once. Twice had been a brilliant surprise. And so Hope had a little brother who idolized her. She did her best to live up to his admiration.

  Hope swallowed hard. Protecting him would be impossible tonight except for crushing his expectations early on. The Compass Boys adored their grandmother right back. The next few hours would change them all forever. And this time she wouldn’t even have Clay’s warm arms around her as she recovered from the stabbing pain in her chest or the distraction of Wyatt ravaging the other man to yank her from her mourning.

  Wy had warned her. Still, it stole her breath to be alone after a taste of more.

  They didn’t have to be lovers to stand by her. Well, maybe the effort wasn’t worth it to them if they didn’t get to screw her. No, wouldn’t. Damn them.

  Shaking her head, she focused on the hurdles ahead.

  Her dad pulled onto the main ranch road. Lights streamed from the hous
e and vehicles littered the yard. Strings of LED bulbs fashioned to look like half-melted candles in antique mason jars ringed the parking area and illuminated the stairs like a runway leading to crash site rather than a flight to paradise.

  Hope floated from the backseat of the extended cab thanks to the unflinching grip of her dad’s arm. She paused to hug him when he set her down gently.

  “Thanks, kid.” He ruffled her hair, then skimmed his thumb over the last vestiges of her black eye. A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Don’t know what that was for, but I’ll take it. Thought maybe you’d grown out of those by now.”

  “Just wanted you to know how much I love you.” Horrified, she sniffled. Vivi was her dad’s mom. He would need plenty more where that came from before the night died. But if she didn’t act fast she’d blow the secret she and her cousins had slaved to keep for the past year. It was their grandmother’s right to share the news.

  Someone called her name just then. Unsure whether to curse or cheer, she spun toward the figure jogging from the direction of the barn. Mussed hair, a trim waist and the triangular shadow around his neck would have pinpointed the man’s identity even if she didn’t recognize the sound of his voice. The one that had cried out with pleasure as his partner showed her exactly what she was missing.

  “Hope!” Clay’s shout seemed nearer the second time. His racehorse legs ate up the distance between them. Wyatt followed at a more sedate pace, as if unconvinced by his bunkmate’s enthusiasm.

  Damn it, exactly nothing had changed.

  Yet she couldn’t help but smile, glad to see the pair, if even for a few seconds, before this difficult discussion. They’d help her steel herself.

  “Don’t take too long.” Dad tugged one of the long locks of her hair. “Looks like we might be the last here. I want to hear more about this pool project of Vivi’s. So don’t make me wait.”

  Austin cheered as he raced into the house with their daddy and mom.

  “I won’t. Promise.” She swallowed as her heart constricted.

  Her hardass father surprised her when he bent low and whispered in her ear, “Those two dumb shits have been in a pisser of a mood since the weekend. They miss you, baby. Whatever they did, maybe you should go easy on them for it. Just this once.”

  “Whose side are you on?” She glanced over her shoulder wide-eyed at her dad. He’d never encouraged her with John. His opinion meant the world to her. Too bad the guys didn’t actually want her like her dad thought.

  “Always yours, Hope. I think they might be good for you. Tough enough to handle a Compton.” He tapped the relic of a watch he always wore, the one that had been his father JD’s. It didn’t even have a digital display, never mind GPS or any of the more modern features standard on today’s devices. He raised his voice to address the guys as well, “Five minutes. No more. Come on inside with her if you haven’t finished your business by then.”

  “Thank you, Silas.” Clayton had obviously caught the tail end of her father’s invitation.

  “Don’t fuck up when it comes to my daughter or I’ll make you wish you were mucking stalls for the rest of your life.” The icy glare he leveled at the cowboy would have had poor John screaming as he peeled out.

  Not Clay, or Wyatt, who stood behind him.

  “Yes, sir. Understood.” Clayton’s respect warmed Hope’s heart.

  Once her father had been swallowed by his childhood home, Wyatt broke the silence. “Is she going to come clean?”

  The dark centers of his eyes reflected the bright points of the electronic candles and the fireflies beginning to swarm around them.

  “Yes.” A small sob escaped though she attempted to clamp down on the noise.

  “I won’t say it’s going to be all right.” Clayton didn’t hesitate. He bundled her into his arms. Though they’d never be lovers, he offered her solace and she gladly accepted. “We all know that’s not true. But you’ll get through it. You’re a fighter.”

  “Your family is united.” Wyatt reassured her. She thought she might have felt the brush of his knuckles over her hair but she couldn’t be sure. “Together you’ll make the best of things. You’ll survive.”

  “Is that really enough?” She twisted in Clay’s arms. “I’m sure Vivi wouldn’t settle for less than thriving. She didn’t when she chose JD over her original suitor.”

  “Look at you using those funny words. You must enjoy the notes you’re taking from her.” Clay hugged her, erasing the snark in his good-humored jab.

  “I am.” She bit the inside of her lip. “And I should go. Be with them. Keep this from dragging out anymore.”

  “Don’t worry. Your Vivi’s in the barn still. I saw her sitting in there with the old-timer, Jake. We left to give them some privacy since she looked so serious. Anyway, I saw you and…I just wanted to say sorry.” Clayton cupped her shoulders and turned her to face him once more. “I hate how things ended up the other day. Wyatt’s been telling me to leave you alone. I don’t think I can anymore. I wondered what you’ve been doing, how you were. I’ve missed you, Hope. So much.”

  “Same goes.” She swallowed around the lump in her throat. Though she glanced over at Wyatt, his inscrutable stare gave her no comfort. “I’m not sure that’s enough, though.”

  Wyatt blinked. His lips parted. But whatever he was about to say didn’t escape before Vivi and Jake interrupted. The veteran ranch hand had been a fixture at Compass Ranch since the golden days. He’d worked for JD while her dad and uncles had been away, exploring the world outside their tiny town.

  The man held a special place in the family’s heart for reasons she didn’t think she fully understood. Something about the way he treated her Aunt Cindi had Hope on high alert. The Mothers always dismissed her curiosity on the subject, though. An eternal bachelor, Jake sometimes radiated loneliness that put fear in Hope’s soul. She didn’t want to end up like the kind man. What was his story, she wondered?

  Maybe she’d ask Vivi when her grandmother was having a particularly lucid day.

  “Hope.” The elation she felt at the older woman’s recognition faded fast. “Come inside with Colby and Silas. I need to talk to you.”

  Rather than argue with the slightly confused woman, Jake waved toward the house. His motion, hidden behind Vivi’s back, commanded the two younger hands to comply with her directive.

  When they reached the top of the stairs, Hope’s grandmother put out her hand, palm perpendicular to the ground, commanding them to stop. “Sorry. I got confused for a second. Anxiety seems to exacerbate the problem.”

  The guys rushed to convince her it didn’t matter.

  “Shush. This is important.” Vivi strained, leaning against the arm Jake wrapped around her tiny waist. Was she shrinking? She beamed at her granddaughter. “Another story for you. A quick one. And a lesson for you boys. Wyatt. Clayton. Yes. My Hope’s boys.”

  “Everyone’s waiting, Vivi.” Hope shivered at the urgency in her grandmother’s tone.

  “They’ll hold. I’m the one with the ticking bomb in my brain. And this is what I want you to know. Sometimes history repeats itself. Occasionally we get a do-over and I’m looking at one right here. I kick myself for all the time I let your father waste when he holed up in Alaska. Do you know why Silas ran off?”

  “To work on the oil rigs.” This was nothing Hope hadn’t heard already.

  “Wrong.” Vivi snickered. “He was hiding. In deep freeze. Because he was terrified he’d hurt your mom. Or Colby.”

  “Sounds familiar.” Hope tipped her head. “Why the hell did he think that was a good idea?”

  “That son of mine is gallant to a fault. Willing to sacrifice himself for the happiness of his loved ones. Except he discounted how important he was to that equation. They were content, your mom and daddy. But not whole. And even when your dad came home with his leg mangled, then fought his way back to health, trouble followed. Your mom used the chance to show him just how competent she was. Wouldn’t matter if people talked abo
ut the three of them—tried to put her down or treat her bad because of her choices. She could handle herself damn well. Did you know she held off a crazy man in the foreman’s cabin at gunpoint?”

  “Seriously?” Wyatt’s eyes had gone wide.

  “My mom makes it seem less dramatic than all that.” Hope shrugged.

  “Because to her, it was nothing. Not compared to the trauma of living without part of her soul for a decade then almost losing your dad again once she thought she could count on him to stick. After the incident, he had faith in her. Knew that had he been there with her, the whole thing would have gone down differently. His fear left her exposed. We all got lucky that night, and it could have been avoided had he not bolted again.”

  Hope nodded. “I can take care of myself too.”

  “Of course you can, girly.” Vivi chuckled. “You’re one of my Compass Girls.”

  “Tell that to the guy who gave her the black eye,” Wyatt grumbled.

  “She’s safer with you than without. Could an accident happen? Or an on-purpose by some sick bastard like her ex? I suppose. But don’t assume the worst-case scenario, okay? You don’t want to wander through this life alone, son.” Vivi touched Wyatt’s cheek softly. He didn’t evade her maternal caress. Instead he leaned in. “Believe me. I’ve been at it a while now. Jake here too. It sucks.”

  The grizzled ranch hand kicked at the decking with the scuffed toe of his boot.

  “The years with JD by my side were a pleasure, even when things went to shit. Through it all we had each other. Isolating yourself—in here or here—” She tapped first his temple then his chest. “Won’t keep bad stuff from happening. No. It’ll mean you deal with problems in solitude. Dooming your partners to the same fate, one they wouldn’t choose, isn’t honorable. It’s shortsighted. And cowardly. Don’t make the same error I’ve seen before. Please. Don’t hurt my Hope like that.”

  Tears tracked silently down Hope’s cheeks as her grandmother pled her case.