Denys, Jennifer - Wife for Three [Duoterra] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (7 page)

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marriage. That is, if she wasn’t now finishing packing her bag. Giving Adam a mournful look, Eric followed her up the stairs.

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Jennifer Denys

Curt shifted uncomfortably in his place on the wooden settle.

His cock was hard and throbbing and had been for days. He knew, after what Eric had told him, that he had to take it easy, but the sight of a beautiful woman around the place, the view of her tight ass as she moved around the kitchen, the wobble of her gorgeous breasts as she bent over the table, made it difficult to contain himself.

No, it was more than that, he told himself. It was also the look of joy on her face when he had given her some flowers that he had picked.

Actually, her expression had been one of mortification that had stunned him. Her words explained why, when she stuttered that she’d remember to pick some herself in future, thinking she was expected to do this chore herself.

He had laughed and told her, “I picked them for you, not for the house or my brothers who would think I had gone crazy.” She had given him a look of utter joy followed by sadness.

Querying this, she had said no one had ever given her flowers before.

He felt so proud that he had been the first and, at the same time, so angry that her life had been lacking in such simple acts of kindness.

He had told Eric, and they had both made sure they gave her lots of things, for her alone. Eric had rummaged in the kitchen cupboard, getting in Adam’s way, and found an old but very pretty glass vase shot with colored striations that his father had bought for his mother many years ago, for Brianna to put the flowers in.

Adam’s expression of disbelief had been priceless.

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Curt had then presented her with a beautiful, long tail feather from a yellowcock that occasionally flew over the area and deposited its feathers while on its flight to its nest in the mountains. It was fairly useless but looked very pretty lying along the mantelpiece where she had placed it. Adam had been annoyed as he used that mantelpiece to lay items he needed for the horses, brushes, bridle bits, and so on.

Eric had just removed these horse-related items with a broad smile. “These would be better off in the barn.” Adam had not been happy.

When Eric then handed her a wooden comb that he had made just that morning, Adam had curtly asked them, away from her presence, what the hell they were playing at. They simply stated that they were just welcoming a new person into their family. His older brother had grunted but didn’t join in. He just looked at them askance when they came up with other things for her.

It had now been four days since her night with Adam, and Curt had agreed with Eric that it would be Curt’s turn to sleep with her next, but he had to get it right or he would scare her off altogether. So they had been taking it very easy and spent the time showing her around the farm, taking her on a horse around the nearby countryside to familiarize her with the area.

Adam had made terse comments about people avoiding their chores.

“We need to show her around so we can point out which places to avoid because of known dens of wild animals, toxic plants, or dangerous cliffs where rock falls happen frequently,” Eric had explained patiently, almost oblivious to Adam’s mood. Curt had just smirked at his elder brother’s tense face. Adam had just glared at them for a few seconds and told them to avoid going anywhere near the wilderbeast. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the danger of stampede or just because Adam would be in that vicinity.

Curt had been astounded by Brianna on many occasions. Firstly, she didn’t seem to have spent much time on a horse, but then that was
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town girls for you. However, she went everywhere they had asked without a qualm, and he had laughed at her discomfort when she had gotten up the next morning and walked down the stairs like she had spent the night having an orgy. Well, how he would imagine a girl would look.

Eric had been annoyed with him and rushed over to take care of her, offering to give her a massage. She had very sweetly turned him down, but Curt had winced knowing it was because of what had happened with Adam and not because she didn’t need the massage.

He had also been surprised that she was uneducated about some of the toxic plants, like the red spider plant. Actually, it wasn’t the plant that was poisonous, but it sheltered the nest of the red spider, which was deadly.

Brianna didn’t appear to have had any of the plants that they showed her where she had lived with her uncle. It could, of course, be that Goldtown had been settled such a long time ago that all the poisonous ones had long since been removed.

Remembering this, he frowned, thinking that he wasn’t sure on their travels that they had showed her the wildershrub yet and made a mental note to do so the next day.

Anyhow, their efforts seemed to work, and Bree was settling in very nicely. Curt chuckled at how quickly he and Eric had dropped into calling her by this nickname. She frequently laughed in his and Eric’s presence, and he enjoyed his conversations with her. She knew a lot about basket weaving, and when they presented her with leaves from the long-tailed rainbow shrubs, she astonished them by creating an amazingly strong and incredibly beautiful basket. She explained that she had often made such baskets. He knew that there was a huge craft industry on the planet and that women were the main force behind those goods. Brianna explained that she had sold those she made in her town for extra money to buy luxury items and asked if she could do the same here.

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He narrowed his lips, his thoughts unsettled. They would be happy to buy her any luxuries. She didn’t need to buy her own. He also frowned recalling that she had yet to say very much around Adam. He seemed to scare her. It didn’t help that he hardly talked to the girl, let alone gave her a friendly smile.

Shaking his head, Curt laughed to himself. Actually, Adam never even gave his brothers a friendly smile.

“What’s up?”

Curt glanced over at Brianna and laughed out loud. “Nothing, just a thought.” He became aware then that the daylight was almost gone, and Brianna was struggling to do some sewing by the lamplight. “You shouldn’t do that anymore. You’ll strain your eyes.” She laid the sewing down, and his heart thumped. It was an old shirt of his. He mused, wondering why that would make him glad. It was great that she was prepared to do their sewing. No, it was more that it was
his
shirt she had chosen to mend.

“You’re right.” She sighed and looked around her. It was just the two of them. Adam was in the barn with a horse that was foaling, and Eric had gone into town. Curt knew his brother was getting very antsy and needed to get away. “Well, do you have anything to read?” Chuckling, he responded, “And that’s not going to strain your eyes either?”

He could see she had flushed a little. “Well, what can I do then?”

“There’s lots of things we could do.” His heart started beating quicker as he became conscious that this was looking like a really good time to take things further.

“Oh, do you have a game or cards or something?” She sounded keen. He wished it was eagerness for what he had in mind.

“I do have a game in mind. Come over here.” She frowned at him but still stood and wandered over to him, her expression showing her bewilderment. He held out his hand for hers, taking hold of her long, supple fingers when she placed her hand in his, and he stroked his thumb over her wrist. He could feel her pulse
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racing. He then surprised her by pulling her quickly onto his lap. She let out a squeal which was followed by a louder yell when the sudden movement caused her to topple backward onto the wooden bench covered with cushions. He went with her, placing a hand over her head on the arm of the bench before he crushed her. A moment’s stunned silence was followed by their laughter.

The door crashed open. “What happened?” Adam entered hurriedly. “I heard a scream.”

Curt groaned at the interruption which caused Brianna to fling her legs off of his, smooth down her skirt, and jump to her feet in embarrassment. After a moment’s indecision, she then fled to the kitchen.

Adam just looked in her direction as she left and then back at Curt with a look of surprise on his face.

“We were having a laugh,” Curt finally answered.

“Oh.” His older brother glanced once more at the back of the woman in the kitchen and then grabbed his jacket from the coat hook and left.

Curt saw Brianna turn her head, watching as Adam departed with an uncertain look on her face. Curt rose to his feet to join her in the kitchen. She gave him a warm smile and turned back to the countertop, swiping it down with a cloth. It didn’t need any more cleaning. It was perfectly tidy. He grinned to himself and softly came up behind her and, taking hold of her hips with both hands, he positioned himself tightly up against her body.

“Eek!” She jerked in his arms, but he held her firmly, bending his head down to kiss her neck.

She smelled of a lovely, fresh floral scent that he knew came from the soap she had made with the flowers surrounding the house. The stuff they usually bought in town was harsh in smell and texture and he briefly wondered what she had done to make hers so nice.

As he kissed and nibbled, she began to calm, and he felt the tension start to leave her body. Idly, he caressed one hip gently.

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Deciding she was ready for more, he turned her in his arms and lifted her onto the countertop. She was so little it was like lifting a cushion.

Well, maybe something slightly heavier.
He grinned and was rewarded by a shy smile. Keeping his gaze on hers so he could ascertain the level of her fear, if any, he took hold of a knee in each palm and spread her legs, her loose skirt being pushed up her thighs as he moved in between so that they were face to face.

Brianna started but didn’t show fear, or not much. If he was analyzing her responses correctly, she was part aroused, part anxious, part stunned, and part excited. He waggled his eyebrows and was responded with an answering giggle. Taking hold of her head between his hands, he rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks and dipped his head to taste her lips.

God, how I’ve wanted to taste her lips all week.
And he wasn’t disappointed. She tasted divine—that wonderful taste of woman mixed with the moss bark drink she’d had earlier.

Aware of her trembling beneath him, he gentled his hands, moving one hand around to cup the back of her head and smoothing the other over her shoulders and down her back as his tongue traced the crease of her lips.

As she arched toward him, he was aware of her groaning against his mouth. He pushed with his tongue, making her realize he wanted her to open them. When she did, he entered her mouth very slowly, just sucking on her top lip, before tentatively touching his tongue to hers.

He wasn’t sure what shocked them more. The electricity that went through their bodies as their tongues touched or the door crashing open once more. They jerked apart almost guiltily as they both looked to where Adam was standing in the doorway staring at them again.

Well, glaring actually.

Curt turned and placed a deliberate hand on Brianna’s thigh and frowned back.
What’s Adam getting all worked up about? It’s my
turn, after all.

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However, it was enough to unnerve Brianna and, with a mortified expression, she pushed urgently at Curt’s hand and scrambled in an unseemly lurch off the countertop. Not looking in Adam’s direction, she ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Curt heard the sound of her bedroom door slamming and winced as he leaned back against the countertop clenching the edge in his irritation.

“Great, thanks, brother. And it had been going so well.” Adam stomped into the kitchen, not saying a word. He grabbed a jug, filled it with water, and left, his face stormy.

Curt sighed. He knew his brother’s moods well. This one told him Adam was embarrassed at what he had caught them doing.

Then he brightened. Adam must have guessed what Curt was attempting to do with Brianna when he had come in on them earlier, so the fact that he had come back in again so soon told him that Adam was probably jealous. He grinned, glad to get the upper hand on his brother for a change.

But it also boded well for their fledgling marriage if Adam had developed some feelings for Brianna.

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Cheerful at the thought that the marriage might work out after all, Curt doused the lamp and went upstairs, hovering for a moment outside Brianna’s door to gather some confidence before knocking.

“Bree, can I come in?”

“Yeah.” She sounded a little reluctant.

Opening the door, he didn’t venture inside but just leaned nonchalantly against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets, not wanting to make any sudden movement and startle her. She was sitting on her bed looking nervous, and he could tell she was still uncomfortable with Adam having found them like that, so he just smiled.

“What can I do for you?”

He stifled a lascivious grin. He didn’t think she had meant it the way it actually sounded. Moving forward slowly, he held out his hands, indicating he wanted her to place her hands in his, and raised one of them to kiss the back. She smiled slightly.

“Since we seem to be forever interrupted by Adam this evening, and not wanting him to come in at the most inappropriate moment, can I suggest we move instead to my bedroom?” When he tried to pull her gently to her feet, she balked. “Why there? Why not here?”

Wondering if she was frightened about entering a man’s bedroom after her experience with Adam, he answered with a chuckle,

“Because there is no way Adam is going to charge into
my
room.”

“Oh.” Her voice was breathy, and he could see her chest was starting to heave.