“Good.”
The door opened and Paul stepped in, naked, erect, and already striding for the bed.
Mary blinked twice. “Oh dear.”
Duane speared his tongue deeper and the first spark of orgasm slammed into her, not enough to give satisfaction, but enough to make her want more. Thomas lifted her off Duane and onto him, but instead of being face to face, he flipped her over.
She held her arms open to Paul. He reached first for the nightstand, but she shook her head. “We should be fine. Pill is doing what it’s supposed to.”
Paul rubbed his hands together. “I’m glad to hear it.”
He crawled up the bed, between the v of her legs. With Thomas under her, she shifted and wiggled, his cock hard against the crack of her ass. He provided a hard mattress, but his hands on her breasts helped.
Paul halted a moment at her pussy, giving it a long lick. “Delicious. You’re so wet. You’re ready to come again, aren’t you?”
“Yep.” She covered Thomas’s hands with hers and squeezed harder. “Hurry.”
“Duane, grab the lube, will ya?”
She hadn’t forgotten her third man, but in this position wasn’t sure how to incorporate everything. The bed shifted again and she turned to find him on his knees, his cock at eye level. She wrapped her fingers around his thigh, encouraging him closer.
He looked down, his lips drawn tight in a frown unworthy of her bed.
“Come closer.” She trailed her finger up the inside of his leg, playing lightly with his balls. “You won’t regret it.”
Paul’s cock nudged between her nether lips, but she kept her eyes on Duane. Her vagina clenched and she wanted satisfaction, but didn’t want it alone. Paul dipped in deeper, pressing in and out with shallow thrusts. She forced herself not to clench her teeth and wrapped her lips around Duane instead.
The angle made her crane her neck funny until Thomas sat up a little and offered his chest as a support. She found his hand and squeezed it as she continued with Duane, the soapy fresh taste of his cock even more exciting than last time. He hardened quicker this time and he rocked lightly into her mouth, bumping against the back of her mouth with more penis still left out.
Paul lifted her legs to his shoulders and pushed in fully. She moaned around Duane’s dick and closed her eyes against the pleasure. She didn’t want to fly off the handle yet, but he made control difficult.
Duane ran his hands through her hair, tugging it just hard enough to bring her back to focus. She sucked his tip, popping her lips around it. He cursed and a shot of early cum landed on her tongue.
From beneath her, Thomas massaged her hip, enlarging his circles until his fingers stroked between her ass with every move. She clenched instinctively and Paul moaned above her where he’d stayed motionless the last few moments.
Thomas’s finger breached her ass and she fell into orgasm so quickly she jerked away from Duane’s cock so she wouldn’t bite him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him down for a hot kiss as her body flew apart. Paul began pumping and Thomas’s finger took up more space. She wanted to get away, wanted more—just wanted. Duane’s tongue delved into her mouth, taking up more space.
Thomas’s finger pulled out as Paul thrust hard enough to buck her legs higher. She squeezed her eyes closed against the fireworks erupting behind her eyelids. Duane kept kissing her, his hands in her hair again. Pressure from Thomas on her ass provided much more girth than before and the memory of unsuccessful anal reared its head. She tensed up, but Duane tugged her hair again.
Her eyes shot open. “What the hell?”
“Don’t tighten up.” He took a sucking, biting kiss on her neck. “Push out and think about my tongue up your pussy. You came so hard I thought you were going to take my tongue.”
She shivered at the memory. Thomas took the moment and pressed harder. Duane tugged her hair again and squeezed her breast. The combination worked and within moments Thomas was deep inside her, his body taut as a bowstring beneath her.
“Gotta move,” he said.
She wanted to turn to see his face, but the position didn’t allow much for flexibility. Paul took his place again, his penis in hand as he carefully pressed inside. She gasped, the overfull sensation bordering on pain, but the familiar pleasure flitted on the edges. When Paul moved in, Thomas pulled back, but not all the way out. With the bed beneath him, there wasn’t enough room. The two occupied space, the stretch too much.
“I don’t know if I can—”
Duane turned her toward him again and pressed his dick between her lips. His fingers in her hair made her scalp tingle and once again the mix of pleasure and pain spiked the pleasure off the chart. Her body trembled at first, the mindless ecstasy taking away her power to do anything but let them go.
Duane thrust in her mouth. She opened wide, taking him as deep as he wanted. Paul and Thomas moved as one and sped faster. She rode another wave of pleasure, letting the burn deep into her bones. Duane swore and pulled away, but she followed, catching the hot cum as it spurted from his penis. She licked the tip as Paul arched above her and Thomas’s fingers dug into her hips.
She squeezed her eyes closed against the near violence of her pleasure. Paul pulled away, but the relief was short lived as Thomas reared up, flipping her on her stomach and following her. She dug her fingers into the sheets and collapsed onto her elbows, groaning into the bed as he pumped only twice before his jerking finish sprayed over her ass.
Her throat ached with tightness from screaming and from Duane’s cock hitting the back of her mouth. She coughed but couldn’t muster the energy to do more than lie there. Warm hands rubbed up her back after a moment, joined by hands in her hair and someone at her feet.
“I think you could use a bath, huh?” Paul asked.
A nap sounded better.
“I’ll go run one.” Duane kissed the top of her head before moving off the bed.
“How about a glass of water?” Thomas asked. “I’ll check the chicken. Smells good.”
She couldn’t believe their energy level and envied their ability to talk.
Paul massaged her back in long, easy strokes. “Doing all right?” he asked.
“Yep.”
Sleep called to her, but all too soon the massaging hand stopped and the bed jostled. She peered over her shoulder to find Duane crouching to lift her. He cradled her to his chest.
“Good thing you’re small.” He carried her out the door and to the bathroom where the tub already bubbled with soap. “We need bath junk for you, but I put in extra shampoo for bubbles. You relax. We’ll finish making dinner and then I’ll come get you.”
She did as ordered, the water warm, bubbly and sweet. The door closed behind Duane. Mary looked around the quiet room where she’d failed in her earlier advances, and she smiled. Never had her best laid plans failed so marvelously.
* * * *
Paul pulled the chicken out of the oven as Duane carried Mary through the door. She wore pink from head to toe and without her makeup looked young and innocent. He set the hot pan down and frowned at the chicken. He’d been sure he could finish things, but the delicious smelling bird with crispy skin was too good to screw up.
He glanced over his shoulder to find Mary ambling toward him, her steps lazy without her usual bounce. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she’d been smoking what the neighbor boys grew in their back forty acres.
“Yummy. Potatoes done?” she asked.
He presented the side dishes he’d put together while she bathed, including the boiled potatoes he’d mashed with butter and cream.
“Nice.” She sighed and rubbed her shoulder to his. “I suppose I should cut this sucker up and get it on the table.”
He dropped a kiss to her wet hair. “If you’ll cut it how you like it, I’ll handle toting it over. I’ll even come back and carry you to your chair. How’s that?”
She picked up the knife and carving fork. “Sounds like a damn fine plan.”
; Duane and Thomas set the table with the dinnerware Mary liked, even adding a tablecloth. Paul marveled at the change only a few weeks created. Mary turned the cabin into a home.
Duane and Thomas brought over a carton of milk and the water jug. They paused, looking down as well. This was the plan, had been since they were kids. One woman, one home, one life shared among the three.
“Chicken is ready.” Mary held the tray, a grin on her face. “I’m so hungry it perked me right up. If there are leftovers I’m going to make soup.”
Paul took the tray. “You know there won’t be leftovers. You’ll have to get another chicken.”
They sat around the table, heaping their plates full. Even Duane, who didn’t eat much, tackled his meal, stopping only to make appreciative noises. Paul cracked open the top of his beer and took a long drink. After the day and evening, he wouldn’t be surprised if he crashed soon, but at the moment enjoyed a nice boost of energy stemming from happiness.
“So, speaking of getting another chicken, I was thinking I need to make a run to town tomorrow.” Mary poured herself half a glass of wine. “Would anyone be interested in joining me?”
“Pass the milk,” Duane said. “How’re things in town? People acting all right?”
Mary’s lips tightened into a frown. “For the most part.”
“I’ll go and take care of the other part,” Duane said.
Paul shifted in his seat. They’d made a good stride with the creamery, but hadn’t faced anything yet, not really. He’d switched accounts to the creamery and to a supplier in Helena over the phone, but hadn’t stopped into the grocery store. He speared a bite of chicken. Maybe he was due to visit.
“I’ll go too,” he said.
Mary’s head jerked toward him, eyes wide.
“Count me in,” Thomas added. “We’ll make it a family affair.”
He, Thomas, and Duane had presented a singular front since grade school and they’d never had issues. They’d dropped the ball with supporting Mary. He looked around the table, his brother and cousin nodding when he made eye contact. They were together, united in the relationship they’d wanted for years. Now was the time to cement it and keep their woman happy.
“I think I’ll be fine on my own.” Mary’s brilliant smile almost outshined the stress lines around her eyes. “Really, no need to prove anything.”
“We let behaviors go unchallenged too long. We’ll make our intentions and expectations clear.” Paul squeezed her hand. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
She blinked, holding her eyes closed a second. When she opened them the beautiful calm from earlier was replaced with worry lines.
“The worst?” she asked.
Paul considered the grins on Thomas and Duane’s faces as possibilities ran through his own mind. Fist fights. Running assholes over with the truck. Knocking over soup displays. The brands of trouble were endless, but they were adults.
He kissed her palm. “We’re grown men, darlin’, just ready to show our neighbors the way we expect to be treated when we’re out and about. Nothing more, nothing less.”
She nodded, but didn’t look convinced.
“You can always drag us out of the store by our ears if we get too lippy,” Paul offered.
She took a long sip of her wine and finally nodded. “All right. Our first family outing. It’ll be fun.”
Chapter 23
They meant well. Heck, she even blamed herself for her most recent predicament, but neither of those thoughts settled Mary’s tummy as they approached town. She sat between Paul and Duane, Thomas in the back reading over paperwork for his meeting with the loan officer. Paul offered to bankroll Thomas’s office, but in true Paraby fashion, Thomas wanted independence—at least to try on his own before he accepted assistance.
When she’d assured Thomas he could stay home and finish his work, he’d given her a long look and declined. The boys had something to prove. She respected it, even though she worried they were doing more harm than good.
“Where to first?” Paul asked as they entered the city limits.
“Creamery,” she said, thinking of Rachel’s kind face. She needed to see a welcome.
“How about the grocery first?” Duane recommended. “Then we can get ice cream cones at the creamery afterward. They still do ice cream cones there, right, Thomas?”
“That’s a good idea,” he said from the backseat. “Rachel makes great ice cream. We can even get some for the freezer at home.”
“Grocery store it is,” Paul said, pulling into the parking lot. “Looks busy too.”
Only a handful of parking spaces sat open. Paul took one and turned off the engine. As the men began to get out, she grabbed onto their elbows. Duane and Paul peered down at her in question.
She swallowed her heartburn. “I trust you with my body, my life, and my soul. I do. Please…just…”
Duane patted her shoulder. “Babe, we’re only going to have to do this once if we do it right.”
“This? It? What are those things? I don’t know what you’re doing.” She honestly didn’t know what Paul, Thomas, and especially Duane had in mind to smooth things over or to ruffle feathers beyond recognition.
Duane kissed her lips. “You said you trust us. So do it. You put on a pretty smile and follow our lead. Speaking of pretty, I like that blue dress on you. Really nice.”
His compliment didn’t kick her worry away, but she did as he asked and smiled as she stepped out of the truck. Duane helped her, his hard hands gentle on her waist. He slung his arm over her shoulder and brought her close as they walked.
“You’re really short, you know that?” he said giving her shoulder a squeeze.
“Obviously God thought I reached my perfect height at fourteen. It’s not my fault it took longer for you giants to reach perfection.”
He looked down with pride in his eyes. “You’re going to do great.”
She didn’t know how she was going to do, but with Duane holding her close, smiling and encouraging, she had more confidence. The twins took the front and back, almost like guards. When she glanced at them, they also wore smiles. Trouble. The shot of lust did away with much of her nerves as she stepped into the grocery store.
A stack of shopping baskets waited near the door and a child’s giggle welcomed them inside. If not for the horror story of Gerty and other patrons, Mary would have loved the store. She’d drive to Helena or Fort Harrison a hundred times rather than patron the store ever again.
“Hi there, Parabys,” Sam said with a forced smile. “I’m real glad to see you, Paul. What can I do for you today?”
“Just shopping,” Paul said, though the grin on his face hardened. “Got a cart?”
Sam stepped away from where he’d been bagging an order and rolled a cart to Paul. “Nice to see you back, Duane. Thanks for your service to our country.”
Duane shrugged, jostling her a little, but Mary held her breath, too fascinated with the dialogue and tension building in the air to move. “You’re welcome. It’s nice to be back.”
The two lanes had customers waiting, so Sam didn’t dally. The checkers looked their way along with the patrons. Mary recognized a few. The expressions varied from mildly curious, boredom, to outright disgust. Mary ignored the looks and soldiered on, walking beside Paul who pushed the cart.
“I usually get a basket,” Paul confessed. “But I figured this would work better. I bet you’d fit in it, Mary. Want a ride?”
His impish grin and teasing eased her nerves. She nudged him with her elbow and led the way to produce. She didn’t want to spend her money at the store, but if she had to go along with the statement, they could use veggies.
Paul, obviously not used to operating a cart, didn’t stop soon enough and hit an older woman near the beans. She turned and frowned at Paul.
“Sorry, Ms. Maple,” Paul said with an apologetic smile. “Put me on a horse or in a skid loader and I’ll never hit a thing. Give me a grocery buggy and I’m a mess.”
The older woman, plump with lots of laugh lines and deep wrinkles on her face, didn’t crack a smile. “Your mother told me about your little arrangement, but I didn’t believe her.”
Paul turned to Mary. “Ms. Maple was our third grade teacher. She’s friends with Mother. Ms. Maple, this is my wife Mary. Mary, this is the fine woman who taught me to read.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Mary offered a smile.
The older woman examined her through narrow eyes. Mary steeled herself for the hurt a sharp word could deliver. She was sick of being hurt, but Thomas gave her arm a discrete squeeze, reminding her she wasn’t alone.
“Well, she’s certainly cute. I should have known something like this could happen. You three always were excessively good at sharing. You’ve given your mother—”
“A beautiful daughter-in-law, don’t you think, Ms. Maple?” Thomas injected before the older woman could continue.
She started at the interruption but then gave a genuine smile. “Yes. Yes, you did, Thomas. I’ll let you three get on with your shopping. Steer clear of the strawberries—I bought some last week and they were moldy on the inside.”
“Thanks,” Mary said, finding her tongue. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Maple.”
The older woman walked away but looked over her shoulder. “You too, Mary. Take care.”
“See.” Paul added a sack of potatoes to the cart before Mary fully processed their pleasant conversation. “A little behavior modification will do people fine. Maybe they didn’t know how we expected them to act. Just you watch, it’ll get around we’re fine and then it will be—”
“Get the hell out of my store.”
Mary’s head jerked toward the order to find Gerty with her hands on her hips in front of the radishes. During their initial meetings Mary thought Gerty pretty. Her blonde hair and blue eyes, combined with her freckles, gave her a sweet look. But now Mary saw how ugly the woman was. The scowl lines on her face stood out and the heavy meanness in her eyes went even deeper.
“Well, heck, Miss Gerty,” Duane said. “Your brother welcomed us with open arms. Maybe you’d better go talk to him.”
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