Savage Desire [Desire, Oklahoma: The Founding Fathers 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Lana Dare

  Hawke slid a hand down her back, bending to touch his lips to her ear. “Imagine what I felt like when I looked up and saw you going head to head with an outlaw.”

  Turning her head, she stuck her tongue out of him. “I know. I know. I promised not to ever do anything like that again.” Straightening, she watched Phoenix again. “Besides, I heard from Duke that you were real proud of my spunk.”

  Blade tugged at her braid. “Duke has a big mouth—and even though we thought you were brave, and appreciated that you wanted to defend us, I’d be real thankful if you never did anything like that again. It was brave. Stupid, but brave.”

  Aware of the other men glancing at them and smiling before turning their attention back to phoenix, she sighed. “I know. No more spunk.”

  Blade chuckled softly, not taking his eyes from Phoenix. “You can have all the spunk you want. In bed.” He stiffed beside her when the horse spun Phoenix so fast it made her dizzy.

  “Oh, God. He’s gonna get thrown.”

  Aware of Blade’s hard body warming her from behind, she cried out in fear when Phoenix was almost bucked off again. His grin flashed as he seemed to get the horse under control again, clearly enjoying himself.

  * * * *

  Blade ran a hand over her hair, once again stunned by the swell of pride that she belonged to his brothers and him.

  “Phoenix!” Her shout of terror and the horror in her eyes, like a fist around his heart, had him whipping his head around to the enclosure just in time to see his younger brother fly through the air and land hard on the muddy ground.

  Hawke had already started over the fence when Blade gripped Sarah shoulders. “Stay right here.”

  Blade vaulted over the fence as several ranch hands made their way toward his prone brother, each of them watching the wild horse warily. Knowing that only he and Hawke could handle the black stallion, he gritted his teeth and confident that Phoenix would be taken care of, took the rope attached to his belt and began to edge toward the clearly angry stallion.

  Hawke approached from the other side, and working together, they kept the horse between them and away from the others.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the ranch hands help Phoenix to his feet, and blocked out the shouts of encouragement and focused on the task at hand.

  Sarah cried out, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her racing toward Phoenix and dangerously close to Hawke. It distracted him just as he released his rope, which landed over the stallion’s head a split second after Hawke’s.

  The fear of seeing Sarah race to Phoenix’s side distracted him just enough that if it weren’t for Hawke’s hold on the rope, Blade would have been trampled. It took several minutes before he and Hawke got the horse under control again, his fear strengthening to fury by the time he and Hawke had the horse back under control and secured in his stall.

  After giving instructions, he turned away, his anger even hotter. The mental image of turning his wife over his lap and reddening her ass made him feel only slightly better.

  Wiping his hands, he turned to his brother, unsurprised to see that Hawke’s eyes glittered with the same fury. “She disobeyed me. I’ll take care of it.”

  Hawke’s lips thinned. “She’s my wife, too. I’ll be there and if you don’t take care of it properly, I will. I want her to see our anger.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll handle her. Before I do, let’s go check on Phoenix. He hit hard.”

  Hawke grimaced. “He was showing off for Sarah. He let himself be distracted.”

  Blade smiled and shook his head, some of his anger melting away. “You see too much. She didn’t seem to distract you, though.”

  “I knew where she was the entire time.” Something came and went in his eyes, a glitter that disappeared as fast as it had appeared. “I was the only thing standing between her and the stallion. She needed me to do my job.”

  Blade cursed under his breath. “Hell.”

  “She put herself in danger. We can’t have that.”

  Blade nodded, determined to teach his wife a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget. “No. We can’t.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Dropping to the ground, Sarah gripped Phoenix’s hand, fear tightening her stomach. “Phoenix! Are you all right?”

  The other men tried to push her aside, but she wouldn’t let go.

  Phoenix shrugged off their help, smiling his thanks. “I’m fine, darlin’. You really don’t think you’re gonna get rid of me that easy, do you?” Wrapping his arm around her, he started toward the fence, limping slightly. “That’s what I get for showing off.”

  Walking on the other side of him, Jeremiah scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sure Hawke and Blade are gonna have something to say about that, so I won’t bother. Uh-oh. Well, it looks like someone’s in for some trouble.”

  Pursing his lips, Jeremiah shook his head and narrowed his eyes at Sarah. “If Maggie had done what you just did, she’d be in big trouble. You ran out there and put yourself in danger. I’m real sure Hawke and Blade will have something to say about that. If not, I know the rest of us will.”

  Sarah’s knees weakened, his dark stare making her mouth dry. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to get to Phoenix.”

  “No excuse.” He looked back over his shoulder and nodded. “Yep. You’re in trouble. Good. The women around here need a strong hand.” Smiling, he shared a look with Phoenix. “They all seem to be a bit stubborn.”

  Sighing, Phoenix nodded and ran a hand down her back, warming her. “That’s because they’re spoiled.”

  Throwing his head back, Jeremiah laughed as he walked off. “That they are. I’m gonna go get the stallion settled. You take care of your woman.”

  Aware of Hawke and Blade following them back to the cabin, Sarah hurried her steps. “Maybe you should lie down a little while.”

  “What?” Phoenix hugged her close before releasing her with a curse. “Hell, I’m filthy. I’m getting dirt all over you, darlin’. I’m gonna go get cleaned up. Go back to the cabin with Hawke and Blade.”

  “I don’t want to.” She looked over her shoulder again, gulping at the angry looks directed at her. “I think I’ll come with you.”

  Phoenix stopped, turning to her with a smile. “And you don’t think they’ll follow you? Hell, we’re both gonna get an earful. Me for showing off, and you for jumping over that fence. Might as well get it over with.” Leaning close, he whispered in her ear. “Go on. I’ll give you a head start.”

  Turning to face his brothers, Phoenix nodded. “I know. I saw Sarah and was showing off. Couldn’t help myself. Did you see how she ran? She’s feeling better, don’t you think?”

  Sarah hurried toward the chow shack, hoping that Hawke and Blade would have a chance to cool down over supper.

  She didn’t get the chance to find out.

  Appearing on either side of her, they each took one of her arms and changed direction again, heading straight to the cabin.

  Once inside, they released her, and Blade ran a hand over her hair. “We need to have a talk.”

  Sarah shrugged and moved farther into the small room, shaking with nerves. “What do you want to talk about?”

  After a lengthy silence, she turned to find Hawke and Blade both staring at her.

  Hawke had his hip perched on the corner of the table with Blade standing beside him. Both men had their arms crossed over their chests.

  Blade’s hooded gaze raked over her, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. “Are you all right?”

  Smiling, Sarah nodded. “Yes. Of course. Phoenix is the one who got hurt.”

  Hawke’s brow went up. “Not hurt anywhere?”

  Sarah gulped, knowing that when Hawke cut his sentences, he was upset. Very upset. “No. Not at all.” She tried anther smile. “As a matter of fact, I feel better than I have in a long time. You were right. All that exercise and Duke’s cooking was all I needed.” Nervous at the way they were both looking at her, she shifted her feet, reaching o
ut to fluff the pillows on the bed for something to do with her hands.

  Blade’s next words had her stilling again. “Good, then we can move on, and you can explain to me why you deliberately disobeyed me and went over the fence and straight into danger?”

  Shivering at his icy tone and the cold calculation in his eyes, Sarah shrugged. “I, um, didn’t think about it. I saw Phoenix fall and just wanted to get to him.”

  Blade unfolded his arms and took a step closer, a dark brow going up. “Even after I told you to stay where you were?”

  Uh oh.

  Sarah shrugged and attempted another smile. “I told you—I didn’t think about it.” Pushing out her bottom lip the way Maggie had shown her, she wrung her hands. “Poor Phoenix. Did you see the way he went flying through the air? He fell so hard.” Lowering her gaze, she looked up then through her lashes. “I worry every day about all of you. You’re always in danger.”

  Blade took a step closer, his eyes narrowed. “We can handle the danger. And, I know you didn’t think about climbing over that fence. That’s the problem. Things happen fast out here, and you have to learn to react.” He took a step closer, his eyes narrowing again when she took a step back. “You’re not used to this way of life and aren’t experienced enough to be able to weigh your options or realize the consequences of each one. That’s our job, and we’ve already stressed to you how important it is to obey us, haven’t we?”

  Unnerved by his anger, she wrapped her arms around herself. “Yes, but—”

  “But within seconds of me telling you to stay put, you climb over the fence and into danger.”

  Her own temper flared. Taking a step toward him, she poked him in the chest. “What was I supposed to do? Phoenix was hurt.”

  Gripping her wrist, he whirled her around, the hand at her waist pulling her firmly back against him. “You were supposed to do what I told you to do.”

  Shivering at the feel of his body against hers, and the brush of his warm lips against her ear, Sarah dropped her head back against his chest. “I, um, wasn’t in any danger.” She laid a hand over his arm, and tilted her face toward his, her pulse leaping at the hard press of his cock against her back.

  Blade nipped her earlobe, sending a sharp stab of pleasure to her nipples and clit. “Really? So you’re an expert on danger around here?” His voice, so low and silky, lulled her into closing her eyes and leaning heavily against him. “Hmm. I didn’t say that.” Shocked that her skirt fell to the floor, she started to move, only to be yanked back against him.

  “Do you know that only Hawke stood between you and that wild stallion?”

  Her eyes flew open, her gaze whipping to Hawke’s. Seeing the truth in his eyes, Sarah pushed out of Blade’s hold and started toward him. “Oh, Hawke!”

  Blade yanked her back, his voice low and filled with anger. “Do you know that he risked his life, knowing that only he stood between you and a wild horse?”

  “Oh, God!” She reached for Hawke, stunned at the knowledge that she could have gotten him killed. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.” She looked from Hawke to Blade and back again, and then to Phoenix as he came through the door. “It’ll never happen again. I promise.”

  Hawke studied her features, his eyes unreadable. “I’m sure you didn’t also realize that Blade was distracted by the sight of you running toward danger. He lost his concentration and almost got trampled.”

  Spinning back around, she gaped at Blade, horrified at what she’d done. “No. Oh, God.” Shaking her head, she looked at each of them, her stomach in knots. “I didn’t know. I’d never do anything to hurt any of you.”

  Blade’s jaw clenched. “You not only put yourself in danger, but everyone out there. If I’d been hurt, Hawke might’ve been hurt, too, and then everyone out there—including you—would have been at the mercy of that hard-headed stallion.”

  Sarah gulped. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”

  Blade inclined his head. “You will be. You need to learn a lesson. I don’t care how many times we have to do this to hammer the point home. Practicing obeying without question might just keep you from getting hurt in the future. You will do what we tell you to do. Without question. Without hesitation. Your life, our lives, and others’ lives might very well depend on it.”

  Clasping her hands in front of her, she nodded. “It won’t happen again.”

  Blade looked up from where he sat at the table, the air of confidence surrounding him steadying her. “You assured me that it wouldn’t happen at all, but it did. Even when we explained how important it was—you chose to ignore me the first time I gave you a direct order. I’m afraid I don’t believe you.”

  The enormity of what she’d done hit her hard. “I didn’t ignore you.”

  She honestly hadn’t thought before she’d reacted, something she now realized could be deadly in such a wild untamed place.

  Walking toward her—stalking her—Blade raised a brow again. “You disobeyed me.”

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  “Yet you did.”

  Glancing toward where Phoenix leaned back against the door, Sarah shuffled her feet, wishing she knew what to say. “I just wanted to get to Phoenix.”

  Hawke sighed. “We know that, but how can we be sure you won’t run out in the middle of a shootout? How can we be sure that you won’t follow one of us into a damned sinkhole or move when we tell you not to if there’s a snake or wild animal?”

  Seeing that she wouldn’t get any help from Phoenix, she dropped to the side of the bed. “Oh, God.”

  Phoenix shrugged. “Sorry, honey. They’re right. Your safety’s the most important thing. I can’t go through you getting hurt again.”

  Hawke crossed his arms over his chest again, looking like a warrior. “If we don’t stick together, you won’t have the security you need. Don’t try to pit one of us against another. It won’t work.”

  Blade moved to one window, closing it while Hawke closed another. “You’re going to learn to obey us if I have to turn you over my knee every day to remind you.”

  Sarah gulped, eyeing Phoenix as he closed the last window, the realization that the only reason they would close them on such a warm day would be to keep others from hearing her cries. “But—”

  “Take off your clothes.”

  Sarah gulped again at the hard edge in Blade’s voice, and the look of iron determination in his eyes. “What?”

  A muscle worked in Blade’s jaw, but his eyes held a tenderness and daring. “You heard me, yet you question a direct order. That’s one of those things we’re supposed to be working on. Remember?”

  Hawke turned from closing the window, crossing his arms over his chest. “Take them off right now, or I’ll rip them off you.”

  “You wouldn’t dare!”

  Hawke’s brow went up, and without hesitation, he stepped toward her.

  “No! I just made this dress and you’re not ruining it.”

  He stopped, eyeing her steadily. “You have one minute. Blade’s going to administer your punishment because you disobeyed him, but my hands are itching to paddle your well-padded backside. Disobey me and it will.”

  She should have been terrified. Surprised that although she was nervous, she wasn’t afraid, she eyed each of them warily, wondering if they’d actually spank her. Knowing that they wouldn’t hurt her, and that she didn’t appear to have much choice in the matter, she began to undress. She deserved it. She already felt guilty. She’d distracted Phoenix and he’d gotten hurt as a result.

  She could have very well gotten others hurt as well,

  Trembling with nerves of trepidation, she unbuttoned her blouse, aware of her three husbands’ rapt attention. Pausing, she stared at Hawke, knowing that only he could stop this.

  Hawke’s brow went up went she hesitated. “Minute’s almost up.”

  “You’d really rip them off me?”

  Hawke’s lips twitched. “And enjoy it.”

  Glaring at him, she threw off the rest
of her clothes, and stood in the middle of the floor wearing just her boots, self-conscious that she stood there naked while they remained fully dressed. “There.”

  “Boots, too.” Blade’s gaze raked over her as he turned one of the chairs from the table and sat in it. “I don’t want to get kicked with your boots when you’re struggling to evade your spanking.”

  Lowering herself to the edge of the bed, she tugged off her boots, tossing them aside before wrapping her arms around herself, her body burning under their sharp gazes.

  Despite their threats, she’d become aroused, and knew that as soon as they touched her, they’d realize it. Lifting her chin, she faced Blade. “There.”

  Blade lifted a hand, his eyes dancing with amusement. “Better. Come here.”

  Knowing that hesitating would just anger him, she got to her feet and started toward him, trying to hide her nervousness and arousal.

  Holding her breath as she walked past Hawke, she let it out in a moan when Hawke reached out to trail a hand down her back to her bottom.

  Leaning back, Blade smiled. “Over my lap. Now.”

  Sarah didn’t dare look at either Hawke or Phoenix, her face burning as she lowered herself over Blade’s lap.

  Although the buckskin felt soft against her skin, the thighs beneath her were rock-hard.

  She jumped at the feel of his hand sliding over her bottom, inwardly wincing when he chuckled.

  “I barely touched you and you jumped. Are you nervous, love?”

  Gulping, she stared at the floor, struggling to even her breathing. “I’ve never been spanked before.”

  One hand moved over her braid while the other caressed her clenched bottom. “Well, it looks like there’s a lot of firsts for us, doesn’t it?”

  Hawke’s feet came into her line of vision. “You don’t seem particularly scared.”

  Fisting her hands in front of her, Sarah bit back a moan when Blade parted her thighs and slid a hand between them. “I know you won’t hurt me. Oh!” She gasped as Blade plunged a finger into her.

  Chuckling again, he stroked her pussy. “She’s aroused.”