Espino, Stacey - Hardcore Cowboys [Ride 'em Hard 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (11 page)

“He’s my twin, Samantha. I know him more than I think he knows himself most days.”

“Okay, so how does he feel?”

Val tucked an escaped curl back into her hat. He was wearing a thick plaid jacket and scarf, hiding the muscled body she loved. His handsome face was reward enough. “Well, I think he’s tired of living alone in that big house. Tired of working with no one to enjoy the fruits of his labor. I’m also positive he’s sick of sleeping alone at night dreaming of a cute little brunette to tuck close.”

“Are you sure we’re still talking about Cord?” She could barely speak, so enamored by his loving confession.

“We’re twins.” He kissed her lips. She closed her eyes, thankful for the much desired intimacy. “We usually know how the other thinks.” More kisses. “We do
everything
together.”

She reached up and grabbed his neck, pulling him closer so he’d shut up and kiss her like she needed. The twins certainly did everything together, and very well. The
Carson
brothers had such a rustic appeal. Val didn’t even shiver, his body hard and well adapted to working outdoors in the long Canadian winters.

It was difficult not to image him during the summer months—sweat glistened, bronzed skin, and lots of exposed muscle. She’d be long gone by then. A heavy sense of gloom settled over her from just imagining the day she’d leave the ranch. She knew it would be soon because this wasn’t real and had to end sooner or later.

“Val, why are none of you married?”

He shrugged. “Haven’t found the right woman, I suppose.”

Was she the right woman?

His mood shifted as if avoiding the new line of conversation. It only confirmed that they didn’t want her long term. “Come on. You haven’t seen the chickens yet. Maybe they’ll be more to your fancy.” Before they set off for the chicken coops, Val grabbed the butt end of a pitch fork and used the impressive strength in his arms to shovel over enough hay to keep the cattle happy for a while. His breathing didn’t even quicken. He just took a deep breath and stabbed the pitch fork back into the ground before wrapping an arm around her shoulders to lead her away.

The coop was bustling with life, a micro environment oblivious to the outside world. Val handed her a wicker basket and urged her to enter with a gentle hand to the back.

“Come on now...” He reached into one of the nests and passed her an egg. It wasn’t white and clean like the ones she bought in the grocery store. There were bits of dried blood on it, and it was speckled brown. When he placed it in her hand she noted the warmth and held it as if it were priceless. The chatter of the birds was almost comical and lifted her spirits.

She smiled as she explored. “Wait ’til you see the chicks,” he said. “We don’t have any now, but just wait until the snow melts. There’ll be plenty of little ones running around the yard.”

Samantha used the opportunity to mention the fact she was leaving, hoping there was an answer other than saying goodbye. “I’ll be gone by then.”

He frowned but quickly smoothed the lines away with a dismissive wink. She followed him out the door and back into the cool air.

“I love this land, darlin’. I can’t imagine leaving. I’d hope that you’d grow to love it in time, too.”

“It’s not my home.” Her head was spinning from all the mixed signals and her muddled emotions.

“It can be.”

Chapter Eleven

Val flicked on the light to the rarely used lower level of the house. Samantha followed along behind him. Although she continually insisted she had to return home to her real life, his brother, Cord, wouldn’t hear of it. It was one excuse after the other—she wasn’t fully recovered, the roads weren’t clear, or he couldn’t get hold of a tow truck. Val understood well, but they couldn’t keep delaying the inevitable. Why couldn’t Cord come right out and say that they’d never been happier since Samantha showed up at the ranch? That he didn’t want to see her leave?

She was the sign from above that they needed, the woman to turn their miserable lives around. But day after day, they continued to live in that ghost of a ranch with no move to adapt or incorporate a woman into their masculine world. How long did his brothers expect her to put up with them?

Val and his brothers had shown Samantha the grounds on ATVs, toured the barns, visited the animals, and she’d seen every room in the house. Today he felt confident enough to bring her to the cellar, the place they kept their most prized possessions.

“Sorry, darlin’, it’s a bit musty down here.” The walls on either side of the open staircase were natural rock. Only a lone lightbulb hanging from the ceiling provided illumination.

“It’s kind of spooky.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” he teased. Damn, but he loved having a woman on the ranch. This particular woman.

He began to rummage through the assortment of boxes lined up along the far wall. Samantha strolled around, running her finger along the thick dust as she explored the small space. It was only a partial basement and not worthy of being finished, not that the three of them needed any more room.

She came over to look in the box he’d opened. “What’s all that stuff?”

“These are some of our awards from the department. It’s nothing compared to Wyatt’s.” He nodded to three boxes in the corner. “Those hold trophies from over a decade of riding in the rodeo.”

“Why didn't you ride?”

He brushed his hands together to loosen the dust. “We’re cattle farmers, always have been. Wyatt left for his own reasons.”

She tilted her head and began to trace the patterns on the front of his T-shirt. “What reasons?”

“Wyatt went through a stage in his teens, like many young men do. He got so caught up in the lure of traveling with the rodeo that he didn’t realize how bad things had gotten on the farm one year. Our dad went to work in the mines to earn money until things picked up…but things don’t always turn out as we plan, do they?” It surprised him that just thinking of his father’s sacrifice could bring his emotions to the surface even now. They’d been without him for over a decade.

“So he blames himself?”

“Foolish really. Nothing would have changed whether he was on the farm or not. Crops were bad, beef prices dropped, and the weather was a devil that year. But that’s why he stayed in the rodeo, even as an adult. I don’t think he could face coming home. Too much guilt.”

As Samantha picked up one of his plaques he held her around the waist from behind and nuzzled her neck. It felt good to have someone to talk to. His twin wasn’t one to share his feelings and he wasn’t willing to talk to the wall.

“I hope he doesn’t go back to riding.”

He spun her around and held her shoulders in his hands. “Why do you care so much, Samantha? You barely know us.”

“You three are everything to me. Where would I be if I wasn’t rescued and brought back to life?”

The new voice came from the top of the stairwell. “That’s not enough reason.” Wyatt took measured steps down into the basement. He only wore his jeans, no shirt. With a hand to the ledge of the lower ceiling, he leaned into the room. The muscles in his arm and shoulder flexed and Samantha’s eyes were riveted to his movements.

“Well, I wasn’t finished,” she said. “I was going to say that I feel like I’ve known the three of you forever. No men have ever treated me so well. It may only be a temporary affection, but I still appreciate it.”

* * * *

“Temporary?” Wyatt needed to teach the filly that she was wanted, more than wanted. He was ready to change the entire direction of his life just for her.

Her lips parted slightly, but she didn’t speak.

“I was going to show her some of mom’s old things.” Val had always been the most sentimental, but Cord was the one unable to let go of the past.

“Like what?”

Val reached into a box and gingerly pulled out their mother’s old wooden jewelry box. The gleam in his eyes was that of a ten year old at Christmas. He opened the box and slipped out a necklace and pendant, and then placed it in Samantha’s palm.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, examining the piece of jewelry. Samantha touched it with care, caressing the surface of the pendant with her fingertip. “My mother has something similar. I remember trying to wear it when I was little, even though she said not to touch it. It made me feel like a princess.” She took a breath. “That was a long time ago. Time sure changes a lot. My mom’s health isn’t the greatest now. Sometimes I wish things never changed.”

Val tucked her hair behind an ear as she admired the trinket, half in a daze. “Without change, we’d never have met you. Everything happens for a reason, Samantha.”

Wyatt took the final step into the basement. “It was our mother’s favorite piece. My brothers don’t seem to be able to let go of the past.”

“I wouldn’t talk, brother. Who’s the one that keeps running?”

Wyatt nearly growled when he exhaled. He didn’t like being reminded of what he knew too well. It was easier said than done to let go of guilt. It festered inside him like a cancer and he knew of only one cure—the woman standing in front of him.

“I’m here now.” He tilted Samantha’s chin up and kissed her on the lips without invitation. When she sighed against his lips, he knew she was more than willing. “Were you planning to bed my brother before I came down here? You seem awfully ripe, baby doll.”

“Of course not!” She scowled at him, but it faded as soon as he rubbed his palm over his hard-on.

“Yes you were.” He got comfortable, sitting on two stacked crates. “Now get to it.”

“Damn, the stories
are
true.” Val took the necklace from Samantha and carefully returned it to the jewelry box. “Can’t say I’m not game.”

“Be careful when listening to gossip,” he warned. “The only thing you can be sure of is what you see from your own eyes or hear from your own ears. The woman in front of you looks mighty real to me.”

He watched as Val slipped off Samantha’s shirt and then dropped to his knee to suck on her tits. Her moans filled the cramped space, increasing his arousal. His brother lowered her to a pallet on the ground, tugged off her pants, and then spread her legs. She made no attempt to protest. Her heavy breathing and hooded eyes were signs of her readiness.

Wyatt adored her little pussy, now glistening with her natural juices.

“Promise I’ll make this up to you, darlin’, but right now I've got to fuck you.” Val unclasped his belt and pulled out his rigid cock. He dropped between her legs and wasted no time in plunging deep into her pussy. Wyatt wouldn’t stroke himself as he watched the two fucking on the floor in front of him. He’d developed excellent self-control during sex over the years. He did find a twisted satisfaction watching two people he loved share pleasure with each other.

“It feels so good,” she cried out.

Val kissed Samantha with passion as he pumped in and out of her sweet cunt. In no time he was sagging over her body.

“Let me finish you off, sweet thing. Come sit on my lap.”

She eased to her feet, half in a daze. Val rolled to his back, making a pillow with his arms behind his head. It was his turn to watch.

“I ache.” She touched her clit, but he swatted her arm away.

“I know you do. Let me make it better.” He released his cock from his jeans, letting it bob in the air until she made the first move.

“Can I taste it?”

His little angel was a siren, testing his rock solid control. “Go ahead,” he coaxed. She bent over, her breasts dangling as she sampled his swollen head.

“It’s so hard. Can I sit on it?”

“I’m not adverse to the idea.” Once she stood, he gripped both her thighs, pulling her up to straddle his lap. She sheathed herself over his erection, her pussy already slick and ready to accept him. He had to hold back a growl as her inner muscles clamped around his cock.

“She’s got a nice little cunt, doesn’t she, brother?” Val was grinning like a fool, slowly stroking his semi-flaccid member.

“Perfect.” He secured her hips and began to thrust. “
Ours.”

She ran her hands through his hair and licked a trail along the shell of his ear, leaving little nips along the way.

“Touch yourself, Samantha. I want you to make yourself come.” She obeyed, which served to nearly unravel his control. The rumors were right about one thing—Wyatt liked to dominate his women and it was all coming back to him. Her little hand snaked between them and she played with her clit as he fucked her with his dick. When she neared completion, she fidgeted, grinding on his erection and searching for his lips. They kissed—deeply, intensely. It wasn’t the pressure, the pleasure, or his balls coiling tight that he savored. It was the intimacy, the simple affection between them that he’d remember. As he pumped his seed into her throbbing pussy, he knew he was lost to her.

They didn’t move when it was over, just stayed connected as their breathing settled. Val snaked his hands around her from behind and cupped her breasts.

“Can we keep her, Wyatt?” Val teased. His brother may be fooling around, but his words carried truth. They both kissed and caressed her, sharing knowing glances over her shoulder. What would they do if she decided to walk out on them?