by Zoey Marcel
Doc smiled at this. “Did you actually just use his name?”
Sawyer chuckled. “I did, didn’t I? I must be slipping or something.”
Kellan shook his head, feeling his fingers curl slightly in his pockets. “Stetson isn’t the problem. It’s Bane.”
Doc averted his eyes, seeming as troubled and jealous as Kellan felt.
Sawyer shrugged. “He seems like a nice guy to me. He shared his fiancée with us, for hell’s sake. How many men would do that?”
“He won’t do it permanently, though,” Kellan reminded him.
“Well…damn.” Sawyer’s expression became frustrated and thoughtful. “I guess I can’t exactly blame the poor guy. He probably never even engaged in group sex before he came here.”
“He was a virgin before he slept with Jade,” Kellan informed him.
Sawyer looked at him like he was an insane Martian. “How old is he?”
“Twenty-eight or somewhere around there,” Doc replied as he slipped the cigar back between his lips.
“What the hell did he keep his pants on for so long for?” Sawyer wanted to know. “He ain’t a bad-looking guy. Did his zipper get stuck or something?”
Doc smirked.
Kellan let out a little laugh. “No. Jade said he was saving himself for his mate.”
Sawyer contemplated this. The look seemed calmer now, as though he’d just discovered that what he’d thought was a lunatic alien was in fact merely a human idiot with tinfoil on his head. “Well, that’s…sweet, I guess, and different. What did Jade think of it?”
Kellan shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“She was deeply moved by his sacrifice,” Doc answered, seeming somehow sadder. “I can’t say I blame her. A person’s virginity is a beautiful gift, not to be taken lightly.”
“Yeah, so is knowing how to get a woman off,” Kellan snorted.
“A person can learn that,” Doc countered. “Jade’s a good woman. She can appreciate the benefits of having a virgin and an experienced man. There are ups and downs to both, I reckon. She’ll never have to worry about being compared to any women in his past.”
“I would never compare her.” Kellan whipped his hands out of his pockets and balled them by his sides. “She’s the best I’ve had.”
Sawyer got a dirty smile on his face. “That’s ’cause she ain’t a virgin.”
“Yeah, I know. Don’t get me started.” Kellan tried to tamp down his jealousy. “At least she was only ever with a woman, or so she says.”
Sawyer smirked at this. “I don’t buy it. The woman sucks cock like a whore. There’s no way she’s never had a man before us.”
“My thoughts precisely.” Doc took another drag off his cigar and studied it casually in his hand, but his thoughts seemed to reside elsewhere.
“Then why did she tell Bane she was only with Ivy before him?” Kellan challenged.
“Maybe she didn’t want to hurt him with the truth,” Doc mused quietly. “Or she could be hiding something else she doesn’t want him to know about. Not that she could remember what it was.”
Kellan scowled. “I hope she gets her memory back eventually. I already love what I see about her, and I really want to learn everything else about her.”
Sawyer scrutinized him carefully. “Love, little britches?”
“Yeah, love. There, I said it. I love Jade,” Kellan declared happily.
“So do I,” Doc agreed.
Sawyer’s gaze flickered over to him in surprise. “Well, now ain’t that interesting. I know we sometimes share women, but I never figured we’d fall for the same woman.”
Kellan got excited over this. “You love her, too, huh?”
Sawyer withdrew into himself for a minute before shrugging. “Oh hell, I don’t know. She’s got a great personality and a killer body. I like her a lot. Probably more than any other woman I’ve been with. I guess I never really let myself think of her in a serious way because in the back of my mind I knew it was only temporary.”
“But what if by some fluke Bane actually agreed to share her?” Kellan queried hopefully.
“That ain’t gonna happen,” Sawyer said with a downcast expression. “No sense wishing for something that will only come to nothing in the end.”
Kellan exhaled deeply, squinting against the bright rays of early morning as the sun gradually chased the pastel colors from the sky. “But still, what about the whole ‘fate wants you to be together, now dish out the love bites’ thing? That’s got to mean something, right?”
Sawyer shook his head. “I don’t mean to rain on your parade there, little brother, but convincing Bane to stay and share Jade with us permanently is probably even less likely than persuading Oscar to climb out of the trash can and have a little fun with us. Neither man is going to budge, but Bane definitely won’t.”
“Oh well,” Doc said glumly, “it was a nice thought anyway.”
“Ah, come on, Doc,” Kellan whined, “don’t give up so easily.”
“It’s a losing battle, bright eyes,” Sawyer insisted. “Not saying I want it this way, but neither of them are gonna change their minds. Besides that, I’ve never really had a serious relationship, and Doc’s…and you. I’m sure you’ve got some kind of issues we don’t know about yet.”
Kellan gave him a saucy smile. “Nope, not me. I’m perfect.”
“Right.” Sawyer glanced over at Doc. “You really ought to be the one to talk to our brother, Doc. You’re his best friend. He’d do anything for you.”
Doc smiled weakly with his eyes downcast. “I’m sure there are some things he just wouldn’t do, even for me.”
“Well, if you change your mind and find a way to talk him into a ménage, I’ll do it,” Sawyer told him, “but if his attitude goes south, I get to be the one to club him over the head.”
Kellan grinned. “Just talk to him, Doc. He hates Sawyer, no offense, bro.”
Sawyer grunted, mumbled, and waved him off.
“He’d lecture me if I brought it up, but Stetson respects you and he likes you. Maybe he’d agree to it if just the two of you shared Jade together for a night,” Kellan suggested.
Sawyer frowned. “Now where the hell is the fun in that for us?”
Doc contemplated all of this for a moment in silence. “I’ll think about it.”
* * * *
Jade awoke when she heard a knock at the door. Before she could respond to the sound, the door opened and in walked Stetson carrying a tray of food and flowers. She sat up in alarm to find him in her room again without anyone else present.
“How did you get in here?” She’d locked the door the night before.
“I have a spare key to every room in this house,” he said nonchalantly.
“Did it occur to you that a locked door meant I wanted privacy?”
“I detest being locked out, Jade. There will be no locks between us.” His stern tone said he meant business. “I made you breakfast. I hope you like pancakes.”
“I do. Thanks. What is all this for?”
She made a spitting sound when he set the tray on her lap and the bright pink and orange flowers smothered her nose. She pushed it back a bit to admire them without drowning in the petals.
“Goober daisies,” he explained, seeming uncomfortable.
Jade tried to refrain from smiling at his mistake, but she couldn’t help herself. “You mean Gerber daisies.”
“Right.” He stood there staring at her until the awkward silence seemed to suffocate them. “How is it?”
She took a bite and groaned in appreciation. The pancakes were light and fluffy, the butter warm and creamy, and the maple syrup thick and sweet.
“It’s delicious. Thank you. You didn’t have to do all this for me.”
“Yeah, I did.”
She would have expected him to add to that sentence, but he didn’t. “I already forgave you.”
“Are you still afraid of me?” He seemed to be waiting with bated breath for her answer.
“That’s good, Jade. You keep that fear.”
His comment annoyed her. “I said I wasn’t afraid.”
He stared her down hard, making her squirm uncomfortably in the bed. Only her slowly dampening pussy didn’t seem to complain about his soul-scouring stare.
“Stay away from me, Jade.”
Her eyes rolled. “Oh brother. You came in here. I didn’t go anywhere near you.”
“You touched my crotch yesterday,” he reminded her. His fists clenched by his sides and she thought she saw his jeans move slightly near his groin. “Don’t ever do it again or you’ll unleash something you won’t be able to handle.”
His arrogance, whether intentional or not, had her outraged. She chuckled with a humorless noise. “Get over yourself, you narcissist. I punched you in the crotch because you were being an ass. There was nothing sexual about it, except maybe in your wishful head. You’re the one who spanked my ass and touched my pussy.”
“And you creamed for me,” he threw back at her.
Blood rushed into her cheeks. “Oh, like you weren’t hard when you pressed up against me. You were erect, you pig.”
He looked at her seriously as his tone cautioned her. “I know you would love nothing more than for me to take you to my bed and show you what a real man can do, but we can’t. Understand? You need to learn to control your womanly urges.”
Her jaw dropped in shock and she made an indignant sound. “Excuse me? Maybe you should control your violent temper and your unrestrained dick! Sleeping with you is the last thing I want. Believe me. I hate you.”
“I mean it, Jade. The sex would blow your mind, but we can’t. I can’t go there, and I refuse to take you there.” His countenance darkened with pain and hatred as he stared off into space. “There are things about me you don’t know. I have needs that would scare the shit out of you. You wouldn’t be able to handle me. Bane is much better for you. He’s sweet and safe.”
If the pancakes weren’t laden with syrup she would have chucked one at him. “You arrogant son of a bitch! I’m not some scared little virgin who can’t handle the big bad Dom in bed. For your information, I must have dabbled in BDSM a little in my past, because I referred to myself as mistress twice when I slept with Kellan.”
Stetson shook his head thoughtfully. “No, Jade, that was probably you just coming to grips with the fact that you were making a slut of yourself with my little brother.”
“What?” Jade moved the tray aside and threw back the covers. Now he was going down. She flew to her feet and marched over toward him. “You listen to me, you conceited jackass. I don’t like you. I don’t respect you, and I never want to feel your fingers up my vagina again. Are we clear, buster?”
He stared down at her, acting as though her nearness bothered him in more than a mere sexual way. “I would change you, Jade. If I showed you what I’m really capable of, if I took you to my bed and had my way with you, I don’t know if either one of us would survive.”
She snickered at this. “Wow. Somebody’s full of themselves. Maybe you can’t handle me, tough guy.”
He studied her with an unnerving stare that seemed to shred all pretenses. She prayed he couldn’t tell that she was getting aroused from his dark, ominous speech. It made no sense and he was probably playing it up bigger than it actually was, but the warning in his voice and the way his eyes cautioned and threatened her simultaneously conjured dark desires she couldn’t explain.
“I could handle you,” he finally spoke, “but I’m not sure if I could keep myself from hurting you.”
His words alarmed her. “Some Dom.”
“I’ve never harmed any of my submissives,” he stated firmly.
She folded her arms, wishing she were taller and more intimidating. “But you want to hurt me. Why is that?”
“I didn’t say I wanted to hurt you. I said I didn’t know if I could stop myself from doing so.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh brother. You’re all about control, but I make you go crazy. That makes a lot of sense.”
He swept her body with his invasive gaze. “There are things I can’t tell you, Jade.”
He was really ticking her off now. “Then don’t. Get out of here and quit being all ‘ooh, look at me. I’m Mr. Mysterious.’ I have a good man. I don’t need you.”
“Bane is a good man.” Stetson’s hand snaked up her nape and his fingers tangled in her hair, stealing a little gasp from her when he gave a tug that forced her head back. “Don’t you ever forget it. Not ever. I would mess you up, Jade. You think you’re a slut now—”
“I do not think that!” she snapped angrily. “You’re the one who keeps saying it.”
“Your inexcusable behavior would seem like innocence compared to what I’d show you. I’d make a whore out of you, Jade.”
The backs of his fingers brushed her cheek in a gentle caress that made her shiver. The hard lust and wild danger that flared in his brown eyes caused her nipples to pucker almost painfully. Warm moisture gathered in her folds at the way his grip in her hair tightened. His knuckles ground into her scalp, creating a slight edge of pain that made her stomach heat with arousal.
“Don’t,” Stetson whispered, and his eyes closed as he inhaled deeply. His face twisted in pain just before his eyes opened again.
“Don’t what?” she breathed, still spellbound by the dark, brooding cowboy.
“Don’t get turned on.”
“I’m not turned on.”
“Yes, you are.” His thumb slid across her lower lip as his tone became a sultry hush. “You’re so wet for me. You can already feel my cock inside you, can’t you?”
His words gave her chills while her mind struggled to regroup. How did he know she was soaked for him? Was he simply guessing?
“Your hot, wet cunt is pulsing and aching to taste the forbidden.”
Again, how did he know that? He must simply be an expert on women’s bodies. Her fingers twiddled with the hem of his shirt, but she cussed at herself inside not to undress him like she wanted to.
He solved her problem by grabbing her arm and forcing both behind her back. He gripped her wrists together tightly, and she didn’t miss the hot flicker of need in his dark eyes when she gasped at his action.
“Shit, Jade. You’re completely soaked. It’s dripping down your thighs. Your panties are damp and sticky,” he remarked in a sizzling tone. “I bet you want out of them more than anything in the world right now, don’t you?”
Hot drops of liquid rolled down the insides of her thighs, but they hadn’t reached the skin beyond her pajama shorts yet. She wasn’t sure how he knew frame by frame what her body was going through and when. Her panties were indeed sticky and nearly as coated with her thick cream as her swollen, private flesh was.
“What do you like in bed?”
Jade tried to shake herself from the daze long enough to answer his question. “What?”
So much for that.
“Do you like to be dominated?”
She swallowed, unable to escape the searing intensity of his alluring gaze. “Yeah.”
His hand left her hair while the other one still kept her arms pinned together behind her back. His free hand skimmed the side of her body in a sensuous descent as his words caressed her with the gentle decadence of lace. “Do you like to be forced to surrender?”
Her pulse skittered with wild sparks of excitement. “I don’t think I’ve ever done that.”
“But it turns you on.”
A meager whimper fluttered from her when he palmed her breast through her pajama tank top. She was frustrated with herself for arching into his presumptuous hand, but the stimulation felt incomparable.
His eyes darkened and he seemed different all of a sudden. “Look at you. You say you hate me and what I’m doing to you, but you’re hard and responsive from my touch.”
A mangled cry wrung from her throat when his thu
mb grazed her nipple. Lust darkened his eyes and he had a savage look about him when he witnessed her reaction.
“They were rough with you, but I’m going to give it to you tender and gentle like a lover,” he vowed darkly as his hand crept up her shirt.
She moaned at the sinful fire of his touch on her swollen breast.
“I’m going to fuck you every way possible and make you feel things for me that will scar your soul forever.”
Jade bit her lip to keep from grinning at his over-the-top comment. She pushed into the work-roughened hand groping her tit and felt the vibrant charge hum through her body.
“I’ll bury my dick so deep in your ass and drive the memory of that bitch from your mind forever.”
“Ivy isn’t a bitch, you jerk.” She grimaced and her pussy tingled when his fingers slid up her shorts and wiggled their way into her panties. Nectar seeped from her cunt when his finger strummed through her coated folds, collecting her natural lubrication.
Stetson blinked after she’d spoken as though he were coming back from somewhere momentarily before his eyes glazed beneath a dark cloud again.
His fingers rooted toward her rear end, and she knew what he would do when his digits slipped into her crack, feeling around for the sensitive hole they looked for.
“You won’t be able to fight what I do to you any more than you could them.”
She came up on her toes for a second when his finger shoved into her anus, covered in her cream.
“Because you’re too weak and I’m too strong.”
She snorted at this. “I’m not weak.”
The insidious fuck of his finger up her asshole made her groan with pleasure. Having this sociopath’s finger up her bottom made her leery, but the dark, primitive thrill of him caressing her anal walls drove her crazy with want.
His brown eyes glistened with suffering and flared with a godless fury that scared her. “I’ve wanted you for years.”
She snapped out of the erotic haze and her head jerked up to look at him, hoping she’d heard wrong. “What did you say?”
The scary thought passed through her mind that perhaps Stetson had been the man who beat her and Bane up in the desert. It had been dark that night. Bane might not have recognized Stetson in broad daylight. Surely she was wrong. She had to be. Stetson was no killer…was he?
