by Jane Jamison
“Nothing. I managed to back away from her.” Burton dragged a hand through his hair. “I don’t know how I did, but I did. And then Carol walked in.”
Matt stalked over to the window and stood there a moment, gazing at the moon. When he turned back, his expression was grim. “It’ll be tough as hell, but we have to give it more time. If not to make sure for us, but for her sake. Besides, we don’t want to scare her away.”
Ridge scoffed. “From what Burton said, I don’t think she’d scare that easy.” At least, he hoped not. At last, however, someone had to give in. “Fine. We’ll give it awhile longer. But not much longer. Agreed?”
Matt nodded, waited for Burton to do the same. Although he did, Ridge wasn’t sure any of them would be able to keep their agreement. “Okay then. We wait.”
And hope the hell we don’t lose her to someone else.
* * * *
“Are you sure you want to stay here by yourself?”
Ever since Winnie had come back to the bunkhouse last night, she’d been acting strangely. Funny how Bree hadn’t even noticed she’d slipped out until she’d come back and refused to talk about where she’d gone. Now she didn’t even want to get out of the cramped quarters at all.
Winnie brought her knees to her chest as she hunched her back to the wall next to her bed. “I’m sure. I’m kind of…tired again today. Maybe I’m coming down with something.”
Or maybe you’re hiding from something. Or someone.
Still, she didn’t want to push her friend to tell her what, if anything, had happened. Had Winnie gone out for a walk as she claimed? Still, she knew that once Winnie dug in her heels, it was hard as hell to get her to change her mind. Besides, as much as she cared about her friend, her thoughts kept returning to the men.
“Maybe,” Bree said absently as she glanced out the window. The men were waiting in the yard with four saddled horses, ready to take her on a tour of the ranch. “You could come with us, you know. I’m sure the guys wouldn’t mind.”
Winnie shot her a scornful look. “Oh, sure. They’d just love to have me tag along.” She arched an eyebrow, daring Bree to argue. “And don’t try to deny it. You’re being very nice, but I know damn well you want to get them alone.”
She started to lie but knew her friend would be able to see the lie on her face. “Well, yeah, sure. Still, if they are what I think they are, then it’d be safer to have you with me.”
At least she earned a small smile from Winnie. “Again, thanks, but go on. I’m a big girl. You don’t need to babysit me.”
Bree ached to go to the men, but she felt bad about leaving Winnie alone. She’d push a little. “Something’s not right. And don’t you try telling me otherwise.” She sat on the edge of Winnie’s bed. “Did anything happen last night while I was gone? I mean, I was just in the main house, and I didn’t stay that long.” She paused, worried about asking the next question. “Did someone do something to you? Because, if so, I know where I can find three very large, very strong men who can beat that someone up.” She punched the air. “And I’ll give him hell, too.”
Winnie smiled a little bigger. “No. It’s nothing like that.” She put her hand on top of Bree’s. “And you were gone longer than you think you were.”
That was true enough. After leaving the main house, she’d been too wound up to go back to the confines of the bunkhouse. Instead, she’d taken a walk down the long gravel road leading to the main road. She’d stared up at the stars for at least an hour before finally heading back, ready to sleep.
“Please, Winnie, tell me what’s going on.”
Winnie shoved her shoulder. “Stop it. Just stop it, okay? And get the hell out of here. Go on. Have a little fun.” She grinned even more. “Have a lot of fun. And don’t worry about me. When I come down with the flu, you can make the ultimate sacrifice of feeding me chicken soup.”
The tiny voice inside Bree’s head warned her that Winnie was pushing her away on purpose. But what more could she do? Winnie was stubborn and wasn’t about to change her mind. “Okay. If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. Now get going.”
Bree tried not to run out of the bunkhouse. Instead, she forced herself to move slowly. “I’ll have my phone. Do you promise to call me if you have any problems? Or if you start feeling really bad?”
“Yes, Mom, I promise. But don’t worry. More than likely, I’ll start feeling better. If I do, I might run into town and enjoy some of the fun there. You do remember that we came to Lonesome for the festival, right?”
“For that and to find shifters.” Bree glanced once more at the men. “I’m pretty damn sure I’ve found them.”
Winnie grew thoughtful. “Maybe. But don’t push too hard. You don’t want to go poking any wild animals.”
“I don’t?” Bree laughed as she imagined prodding Matt with a cattle prod. “I don’t know. That might be the best way to get them to confess.”
Either that way or by getting them between my legs. Who knows what they might own up to once their minds are clouded with lust?
“Are you going to get moving or what?”
Bree blinked back to reality. “Yes, ma’am. I’m going.” Picking up her phone and shoving it into her back pocket, she whirled and was out the door.
The men had their backs to her when she came through the door. As soon as they turned around in unison, she stopped.
Good God but they’re hot. So hot they take my breath away. It’s almost unfair how hot they are. A woman can only stand so much heat.
“Are you ready, baby?” asked Matt.
You bet. I’m ready for anything and everything you’ve got in mind.
“Sure am.” She forced her gaze away from them and to the horses. “So which one is mine to ride?”
“Sweet Sue is the gentlest horse we have,” added Ridge.
“Sweet Sue, huh?” The black and white horse was pretty enough, but then again pretty wasn’t a big concern. Although Sweet Sue didn’t seem as large as the other three horses, she was still a big animal.
And I’m supposed to get on her back. And, hopefully, stay on it. God help me.
“We know you don’t have much experience riding, but if you can just hang on, old Sue will do the work for you. She’ll follow the other horses without you doing a thing.”
Matt held Sweet Sue’s bridle. “Do you need help getting into the saddle?”
“I think I can figure it out.” She eased closer, startling when Sue let out a snort. Keeping her attention on the horse’s face, she grabbed hold of the knob thing on the saddle. “All I have to do is take hold of this thing—”
“It’s called a saddle horn.”
She ignored the bemusement in Burton’s voice. “Then put my foot in this thing.”
“It’s a stirrup, and you’d be better off putting your left foot in it. If you swing up with your right leg in the stirrup, you’re going to end up facing the horse’s rump.”
Matt was getting as big an amused kick out of her getting on the horse as Burton was. She didn’t need to look at Ridge to know he was enjoying her predicament, too. She took her foot out of the stirrup and replaced it with her left foot.
“Okay, now, pull yourself up,” said Matt.
“You just hold on to her, okay?” It was now or never. If she was going to get on the beast, she had to do it now. Holding her breath, she gave a little jump and pulled her body upward, swinging her leg—her right leg—over the back of the horse. As soon as she was sitting in the saddle, she let out a burst of air, relief flooding her. That is, until Sweet Sue decided to do a little dance.
“Oh, shit. Hold on to her.” Bree gripped the saddle horn with both hands.
“Easy, girl, easy,” murmured Matt.
Is he talking to Sweet Sue or to me?
Not that it mattered. Both horse and woman would do well to follow his direction.
“It’s okay, Bree. She’s just anxious to do more than stand here.”
Burton and Ridge sw
ung onto their horses, a beautiful black horse with a white streak down its face and a gorgeous chestnut horse. They looked like perfect examples of testosterone-filled cowboy studs.
Matt looked up at her then handed her the leather ropes attached to the horse’s bridle. “Ready to take the reins?”
Reins. Check. I knew that.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” The least she could do was to fake a confidence she didn’t feel.
“Great. Then let’s get the tour going.” Matt took the reins of the fourth horse, another stunning chestnut, and swung easily into the saddle.
She watched the men nudge their horses with their heels and cluck to them then mimicked what they’d done. Sweet Sue started forward, at first startling her, but she soon got used to the rocking motion of the horse.
“You’re doing fine, hon. You can trust Sweet Sue to know what to do.”
She smiled at Ridge, concentrating on the horse too much to speak.
Whatever you do, just don’t fall off.
Chapter Five
Bree knew it wasn’t a bright idea, but she simply couldn’t stop teasing the men. As they rode around the ranch, she became more comfortable with riding the horse as well as “riding” the men, taunting them with both her wit and sexuality.
She stared down into the gully from on top of her horse. “So you’re telling me those slashes in the ground on the other side weren’t made by werelions? Really? Because they sure look like it. I mean, they’re parallel and all about the same length. Like a really big shifter leapt across the gully and didn’t quite make it to the other side. He must’ve dug his claws into the ground and hung on.”
Ridge groaned. “No. Those are exactly what they look like they are. Ruts.”
“Baby, you might as well give it up.” Matt pulled his horse next to hers. “We’re not going to admit to being shifters.”
She twisted in the saddle to confront him. “Do you mean you can’t admit to it or that you won’t admit to it?”
Burton, the one who seemed to be taking her not-so-subtle hints the best, chuckled. “Puttin’, I’ll give you one thing. You’re like a dog with a bone when you want something.”
“True enough,” added Matt. “But even perseverance, just like a damn dog, can become a pain in the ass if you don’t watch out.”
“So you guys don’t like dogs?” she asked. It made sense that werelions wouldn’t like canines. Neither “normal” dogs nor werewolves.
“Not much,” answered Ridge.
But maybe they were right about her becoming a pain in the ass. They’d been riding for well over an hour, and she hadn’t gotten anywhere with them. She had to find another way of getting them to admit what they were. She decided to try her last resort. Or was it that her last resort was what she’d wanted to do all along?
Don’t second-guess yourself. Just do it.
Tugging the bridle, she had Sweet Sue walked backward until she was several feet from the other horses and their riders. Once she was, she swung off the saddle and landed on the ground as gracefully as she could.
“Do you need a break?” asked Ridge. “If you do, all you had to do was say so.”
“Yes and no,” she answered. “But I do need something else.” If her plan didn’t work, if getting closer—a whole lot closer—to her didn’t work, then she wasn’t sure what she’d do. Maybe then she might have to consider the possibility that they were telling the truth. That maybe, just maybe, she’d have to forget about them and go back into town to find a real shifter. The thing was, leaving them for any reason, would be hard as hell.
She walked away, keeping her back to them as she started unbuttoning her cotton blouse. She smiled a moment before they began commenting.
“Bree, baby, what are you doing?”
Her smile grew at the hunger in Matt’s tone. “You’ll see.”
“Fuckin’ A, hon. Are you trying to get us in trouble?”
“What trouble would that be, Ridge?” Still, she kept her back to them.
A couple of nickers from the horses and she knew that they were dismounting, letting the reins drop to the ground as she had. The horses wouldn’t wander far. They’d left them earlier as they’d gotten off to rest on the grass near the lake and the horses had stayed where they’d left them.
She paused long enough to tug off her running shoes and toss them aside. One good shrug and her shirt followed them.
“Do you think you can sex us into telling you what you want to hear?”
Leave it to Matt to understand her plan first. “Sex you into telling? Of course not.” Maybe. “Then again, I wouldn’t mind doing that. Would you mind me doing that?”
“Hell, no. I wouldn’t mind you doing that at all,” quipped a very eager-sounding Ridge.
She reached behind to undo her bra then let it fall. She resisted the urge to glance over her shoulder as she undid her jeans then slowly, seductively skimmed them over her hips.
“Holy crap,” said Burton.
She heard them coming closer. Could feel them getting nearer. Her senses heightened as though her body had been waiting for them to come to her.
With a slight shimmy, her jeans went to the ground. Slowly, she turned to face them.
And found that she wasn’t the only one who was surprised.
“How’d you get undressed so fast?” Her gaze jumped from one incredibly built man to the other. If only she had her phone with her, she’d take photos—hell, a video—of how they looked.
They were bronze statues come to life. Every inch of them was tanned and hard as a rock. Their waists were lean, their muscles aglow in the sunlight. Their shoulders seemed wider than they had underneath their shirts. Dark hair covered their arms and legs with the tantalizing brush of dark hair leading the way downward from between their pecs to the curly mass surrounding their cocks.
Oh my God.
Their cocks were more than impressive. Magnificently thick with just the right amount of curve. Sparkles lit up the mushroom caps as pre-cum caught the sunlight.
She forgot about her plan and immediately came up with another one. She met Matt’s intense gaze. “I want you.”
“And me,” added Burton as he took a step toward her.
“And you.” Her attention went to Ridge. “And you.”
They were on her then, their hands skimming over her body, dipping into places the sun would never see. She’d gasped as they’d grabbed her, and now she did her best to drag in yet another breath. Then another. She managed short, soft gasps as they continued to explore her.
“Down.”
She followed Matt’s order as they lowered her to the ground. The grass underneath her was warmed by the sun, but the real heat lay deep inside her, burning brightly. They spread her legs, and soon she felt Burton’s palms skim up the inside of her legs. He traveled on as he knelt between her legs and put his tongue to travel one of the paths. She tensed, not in fear but in anticipation.
Matt brushed a strand of her hair away from her cheek then leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was light to start, and if he hadn’t grown more intense, she would have. Her hand found his hair and clutched it, pulling him to her. The kiss grew harder, nibbles soon giving away to his exploring tongue that brushed over her mouth and then slid into her mouth. She moaned and tightened her hand on his hair.
“Get on your side, hon,” murmured Ridge in her ear as he lay next to her.
She did so with the help of Burton and Matt, putting her leg onto Burton’s shoulder as he gently kissed her pussy lips. He pulled her apart, opening her to him, then changed the kiss into licks that pushed past her folds to find her oh-so-wet and welcoming pussy.
Matt’s kiss changed positions, moving silkily from her mouth to find the tender flesh of the hollow of her neck. He teased her breasts, pinching her nipples to elicit small bursts of delightful pain.
The plan she’d had of using her body to talk them into admitting they were shifters was gone. One brief thought of i
t and it was no more. She wasn’t the one in control. They were. With their hands, their tongues, their cocks pressed against her, they were the ones who could convince her to tell them whatever they wanted to know. With their sweet words, their groans, they could make her do anything they wanted.
And she didn’t mind one damn bit.
At last, Burton put his mouth to her clit and sucked, drawing her aching bud into his mouth. Using first one, then two fingers, he explored her pussy, bending his fingers, twisting them. More than once, he swept over her spongy area, at once sending her skyward, only to plummet downward. She moaned, trying to tell him not to tease her, but she was hardly in the position to make demands.
Ridge moved closer still, pushing his body harder against hers. She reached for him but couldn’t grasp his cock, gave up, and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck. With Matt tasting her nipples, she craned around and offered Ridge her mouth. Much as his brother had done, he plundered it, giving brief attention to her swollen lips before demanding to taste the flavors in her mouth. Ridge’s cock pushed against the crack of her butt cheeks, wet and hard.
She broke the kiss long enough to beg. “Please. Fuck me. All of you. I need to feel your cocks inside me.”
“Easy, puttin’. We’re getting to it.”
She could imagine the dimples in Burton’s cheeks flashing. “Lube?”
Surely, they hadn’t come prepared with lubrication or with condoms. Yet she didn’t care.
“No need. At least for the lube. As for the other…”
“Stop us now, baby, before it’s too late,” warned Matt.
She wondered about the no need for lube even as she shook her head. “I’m not stopping. No way.”
“Good.” Ridge’s tone was guttural, animal-like. “It’s already too late.”
She glanced at him and saw the amber flaring in his eyes. When she looked to the other men, their eyes were the same. “Tell me what you are.” She felt Ridge tense and knew she risked their time together.
“We’re the men who want you,” answered Matt. “The men who are going to make love to you right here and right now.”
