Beauty and the Beasts [Bride Train 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (18 page)

“I was just telling him that a gelding doesn’t have the base of knowledge needed to understand or appreciate our situation,” said Gabe.

Oz pulled his horse to walk beside. He kept his distance as their horses had an ongoing disagreement and tended to nip. If they couldn’t reach the other, they went for the rider.

“Enough of your high-falutin’ words. How’s Sarah this fine morning?”

“I helped her bring her things to Sophie’s,” said Gabe. “We had a quick breakfast and I headed out, just after dawn.”

Oz sized him up. “You get more than an hour or two of sleep?”

“Nope.” A flush of heat rolled over Gabe. It started at his cock and went up and down, from the tips of his hair to his toenails.

“But you did manage to
sleep
with her?”

Gabe swallowed hard and nodded. “It’s the first time I shared a bed in about eight years.”

“You never did tell me why you always sleep alone.” Oz frowned. “Why do you sleep on the floor instead of on a mattress beside me and Luke?”

“It’s just the way things are. But last night with Sarah was different.” Gabe smiled, remembering how her warm breasts pillowed on his chest. “I fell asleep holding her. When I woke, she was all twined around me. But I didn’t panic.”

Perhaps it was her womanly scent that kept him calm. Instead of fighting to escape the hands holding him down, like he had since prison, he began kissing her. She woke with a moan, and he forgot all about the prison.

“You feel like you could wrassle a pair of grizzlies with your bare hands and win?”

“Yep,” replied Gabe, staring straight ahead.

“Good.” Oz nodded sharply to himself. “Sarah’s a fine woman. One I’d like to keep around for a while.”

“That she is.”

They rode on for a bit. Oz cleared his throat. “So, how was it?”

“As I figured, sex with a good woman is a thousand times better than going it alone.”

Oz barked a laugh. “Amen to that.”

“But that was only part of it. A good part, mind you. Damn good, in fact.” A grin crept over Gabe’s face without him doing anything to help it along.

“You want to give Sarah pleasure more than getting it yourself.”

Gabe pulled his head back and stared at Oz. “Since when did you get so smart?”

“You got it bad for her.” Oz sighed, a small smile curving up one corner. “And so do I. Problem is, we can’t tell her. Not without messing up Luke’s plans.” Oz looked away. “You saved my life when you forced me not to give up just because I was damned near blind in one eye. Luke’s gold bought this ranch. Without you two, I’d be a one-eyed nothing. I vowed I wouldn’t do anything that would hurt you or Luke. But Sarah,” he sighed. “She just…”

Gabe didn’t prompt Oz to finish his sentence. He agreed. There was something about the woman that went beyond anything he’d known in his life.

They checked for calves, cows which hadn’t yet dropped, and critter and varmint tracks as they continued riding. Gabe searched for the right words to explain what he felt about Sarah to Oz. For once, his wide vocabulary didn’t help. He finally spit out the bald truth.

“I think I love her. The kind that doesn’t go away. Ever.”

He looked up at the mountains, still covered with snow. They’d still be there long after he turned to dust. When his bones were gone, would a part of him still live in the valley through his great-grandchildren? He suddenly understood Luke’s need for sons, and daughters, to follow after. Luke wanted the name to continue, but Gabe just wanted to know that a child, from both he and Sarah, would live and love, into the far future. Having that dream would lighten the burden of all today’s hard work.

“I can’t see living without her, Oz. All this”—he gestured at the acres of land they owned—“is worth nothing unless Sarah can share it with me. With us. With our children.”

Oz said nothing for a while. Finally, he sighed.

“I see her fighting for something she wants so much, something she’s denied just because she’s a woman, and I hurt for her. She doesn’t ask for help, will refuse it if I offer, but I know that deep inside, she needs me. Maybe not much, but it’s there.”

He checked that his reata was still snugly tied to the saddle. Gabe knew Oz was stalling, and understood.

“No one has ever needed me,” said Oz quietly. He snorted a sarcastic laugh. “Few people have even wanted me, other than you two clowns. But Sarah’s eyes light up when she sees me, and…” He hardened his jaw and turned away.

“Yeah. When she smiles, no matter how bad things are, I feel better,” said Gabe. “It’s like her smile heals me. Lingering hurts that I’ve accepted for a long time are suddenly gone.”

Oz spat on the fresh June grass. “If anyone found out about us talking like this—”

“They’d either understand, or it wouldn’t matter,” replied Gabe. “I bet most of the married ranchers know what we’re talking about. Only, they have it forever, with their wives.”

They rode on, each tied up in their own thoughts. They were almost home before Gabe finally broke the silence.

“What can we do to have it last forever, for us?”

“Why are you asking me? You’re the one who knows Luke best. He’s the one that has to smarten up and treat Sarah like the real woman she is, not the simpering ones he grew up with.”

“That’s just it,” replied Gabe. “You know women. Luke has a chance to figure out what he wants out of marriage, and Sarah, while she lives with us. But what can we do to make her want to stay with us in spite of him behaving like a spoiled kid who wants everything and still demands more?”

Oz suddenly laughed, startling both horses.

“If you haven’t figured that out after last night, you’re not the man I thought you were.”

“What, just give her more sex?”

“There’s no ‘just’ to it.” Oz chuckled for a few minutes. “Rub her feet and her back. Make her a cup of tea. Bring posies for the table. Make her feel welcome, so she knows the Circle C is her home now.” He stood up in the saddle. The bulge in his pants suggested why he needed to relieve the pressure. “Not just sex, Gabe. Orgasms. If we can make her scream a few times each night, and pamper her during the day, she won’t want to leave.” He suddenly grinned. “Damn, we could have fun during the day as well. Out in the sun where we can see every inch of her. Oh, yeah. The Circle C is nice and quiet. We’ll have days, and nights, to show Sarah why she should stay with us.”

Gabe had managed to share Sarah’s bed for one night. But how could he sleep in the same bed with her and another man, even one he knew and trusted with his life? Would he accidently kill Oz in his sleep if a hand touched him, or would Sarah’s presence soothe the terrified beast in him?

“We?”

Oz turned his head to make sure he saw Gabe with his good eye. “I intend to sleep with the lady every night I can. I’ve never shared a woman before, and I know for damn sure you haven’t. But she’s our lady, and we’ll do everything we can to make her happy.” He grimaced. “If that means seeing your hairy ass pumping up and down as you give her pleasure, then I’ll just have to put up with it.”

Gabe picked up the hint of friendship from the wounded sarcasm.

“And if I have to see those big ears and red hair of yours snuggled between her thighs, licking her clit as I suck her nipples, well, I guess it’s a sacrifice I can make.”

Oz opened his eyes and mouth wide. “My God! You found her clit on the first night?”

Gabe swatted at Oz for the comment. He ducked and they both laughed. The tension finally eased, allowing Gabe to smile as he thought of what he’d done.

“Yeah, but I made sure I kept losing it,” he said with a chuckle. “I’d touch it with the tip of my tongue and make her cry out. Then I’d slide away, around, and back again.” He smiled slowly, remembering her frustration in thinking he was so slow in learning about something so important. “I made her show me for an hour before I got the hang of it. She was pretty steamed by then, so she didn’t realize I was doing it on purpose. When she came, she bit down on my shirt so hard I thought I’d find a hole in it. Now that she’s home, she can let loose and scream all she likes.”

He and Oz grinned at each other in understanding.

“We’d better give her a couple days to settle in before hitting her with both barrels.” Oz squirmed in his saddle. “That woman has a fine ass. She needs to gain a bit of weight before she’s well rounded again, but I can’t wait until she’s ready to take me there.”

“Her ass?” Gabe’s heart pounded at the thought. Having just discovered the joys of her pussy, he hadn’t thought far beyond. He lifted himself in the saddle, just like Oz, to find more room for his cock. “She’d be so tight…would she want a cock there?”

Oz shook his head, smiling slowly. “She sure liked it when I put my finger in. If we take our time stretching her, I think she’ll be demanding it soon enough. Try bending her over and taking her pussy from behind. Use some lard and work your fingers in her asshole, one at a time, while your other hand plays with her clit. She’ll purr as you slide your cock slowly in and out. If you do that, I bet she’ll scream the house down when she comes.”

The image of Sarah’s ass high in the air slammed into Gabe. He could watch his cock fill her wet, red pussy. She could tilt her ass to suit herself, while he was free to do things with his hands other than hold himself up, like touch her.

“If she’s agreeable, give her a few weeks and we’ll be sharing her at the same time,” said Oz.

“You mean, she could take both of us in her, at once?”

Oz laughed so hard his horse danced sideways. “I see there’s some blank spots in that expensive education of yours. Yes, Gabe,” he said as if lecturing, “in time Sarah’ll be able to take both of us at once. And when she hits her fourth or fifth orgasm, her scream will echo off the mountains and make the cattle stampede.”

Stunned and eager at the same time, Gabe let his horse take him toward home. They were almost home when another thought hit.

“What about Luke? He’ll hear us playing with Sarah.”

“That’s his problem,” replied Oz. “Seducing the lady, or being seduced by her, is ours.”

* * * *

“So, how was night number two?” Sophie leaned closer. “Not that you told me anything about the first night.”

Sarah rested her chin on her hand and sighed. After two nights of amazing sex with loving men, followed by grueling work, she should be exhausted. Instead, she felt glorious. The slight ache between her legs made her smile, reminding her of the pleasure she’d shared. She and Sophie had cleaned the kitchen and had their feet up for a few moments. Sarah would share Sophie’s room tonight, and tomorrow she was off to the Circle C. With Gabe, Oz, and, unfortunately, Luke.

“Come on,” cajoled Sophie. “Tell me something.”

“I never knew it could be so good.”

“Oh, yes, make me jealous right from the start.” Sophie waved away Sarah’s protests. “You had sex, more than once, with wonderful men. Of course I’m jealous. Don’t worry about it, just tell me more.” She winked. “Give me some good ideas. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll find a man or two to share.”

“Oz was wild and eager, while Gabe was slow and sensuous.”

Sophie nodded. “Just like I thought they’d be. A man’s loving style would suit his personality.” She brushed a few crumbs off the table. “Amos was kind and gentle. Not at all exciting, but I didn’t know any different at the time, and I loved him.”

Love? The tension that had been building up for days, the one in Sarah’s heart, exploded.

“I think I love them, but I can’t!”

Something bubbled up from deep inside, and she burst into tears. She fought to get herself under control as Sophie hauled herself to her feet and walked around the table. She rubbed Sarah’s back as her tears finally slowed to sniffles.

“You love them, but you don’t think you should.”

Sarah accepted the offered handkerchief, blew her nose, and nodded.

“Why not?”

“I can’t marry Luke.”

“What has that got to do with loving Gabe and Oz?”

“What if I have a baby? I’d have to marry for the baby’s sake.”

“If you’re not sharing your bed with Luke, I can see why he might refuse to marry you if you’re carrying a child. But if you end up having sex with all three of them, unless you take precautions like Beth and Amelia, you won’t know who the father is. Unless it has lots of curly red hair.” Sophie nudged her, and she tried to smile. “If you became pregnant, Gabe would marry you without a question asked. Oz would help, so you wouldn’t have to lose either of them.”

“Marry Gabe, with Oz? What about Luke?”

“If he’s that cantankerous, let him find his own wife,” said Sophie. “Maybe you’ll have to share the Circle C ranch with Luke’s wife one day, or move away.”

Sarah shook her head. “I couldn’t destroy their partnership.”

“Then you and Luke will have to learn to get along with each other.”

“All he wants is someone to have his babies and serve him,” she grumped. “He doesn’t see me for who I am, the way Gabe and Oz do.”

Sophie rubbed Sarah’s back for another few minutes. It wasn’t really true, but it made it easier to dismiss Luke. And that made her feel more in control.

“Do you think you love them just because they showed you, um, a wonderful time the last two nights?”

Sarah wiped her eyes with her apron.

“No, because they treat me well all the time. And I don’t just mean kisses.”

“I said all along that they’re good men.”

“Oz pretends not to care, but he’s really a nice man. He’s good to Billy, and he didn’t think twice about saving Daisy, even though he says Luke doesn’t want animals in the home.” A surge of anger hit. “But if I have to stay there, he’s going to get Oliver whether he wants him or not!”

“Luke will adapt to both you and Oliver,” said Sophie soothingly. “What do you think about Gabe? Many women are afraid of him because he’s so big.”

Sarah felt a blush rise up her cheeks.

“Ah, he’s big all over, is he? I trust everything fit?”

Sarah nodded and Sophie cracked a smile. Sarah covered her face with her hands, unsure whether she was laughing or crying.