His Golden Touch [Gold Rush 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (9 page)

Grant jumped to the ground and wound the horse’s lead tether around a stump. “Seems to me like you got plenty of time before you need to ring the bell.” He hopped up beside her on the wooden seat. “I do believe we have some unfinished business especially now yer married and know what’s what.”

“Please get down, sir. I have nothing at all to discuss with you.”

“Oh, but you do. You and me need to seal a deal here to keep me and my informant quiet. It wouldn’t do to tell around what I suspect about who sleeps in yer bed at night. Yep, I bet the town fathers would purely love to know it ain’t just yer husband sleeping on you. Oh, excuse me, sleeping with you.”

“That’s a horrible thing to imply about me, Grant Slyke. The whole story is so preposterous that no one would believe it even for a moment.”

“Don’t know what all that fifty-cent word means, but I know lots I can tell and I can dredge up a witness or two, iffen I’m so inclined. Seems to me, you have two choices. You can be thrown out of town by outraged good women or you can fuck me here and now and hear no more about how it is yer married to two—or is it three men?”

He pulled her to him and kissed her closed, tight lips. “Okay, you don’t have to kiss me. You don’t have to do a thing, though I like it better when women struggle. Makes it spicier that way. But I’ll take you jes straight. I been waitin’ a long time to stick my cock in you, you stuck-up, little tease.”

He untied the collar of her bodice, undid the three buttons down the front, and exposed her bandeau. Hannah had all she could do to sit still. She’d be damned if she would help him enjoy this.

“You women wear more fool clothes.” He pushed her bandeau down under her breasts. “Ah, that’s what I wanted to see. Those are beauties.” He squeezed them then pinched the nipples. “And now I want a peek at yer sweet, little cunt. I bet it’s juicin’ fer me.”

Hannah was agitated beyond reason and considered reaching for the knife under her seat. Either way, stabbing him or letting him have her, she’d be marked for life in this town. “Grant, stop and think what you are doing. This is rape.”

“I’m shocked, Miz Hannah, shocked. I have given you free choice. Be on your way or fuck me. He bent and sucked a nipple.

Hannah’s jaw was so tight it trembled. He sucked the other breast and snaked a hand under her skirt.

“Shit, take off these under contraptions.” He unbuttoned his fly and stroked his member. “See, Ambrose, here is all ready fer ya.”

“That may well, be, Sheriff, but Miz Hannah is not ready for Ambrose.” Rocco appeared on the path behind the buggy. He pointed his rifle at the sheriff’s heart. “I think it best you take Ambrose and be on your way.”

Hannah held her breath. She didn’t want any shooting. Grant hesitated, but when Rocco strode closer and aimed the rifle at his crotch, he hobbled down from the buggy and to his own horse while buttoning his britches. He looked back at Rocco then galloped away.

Hannah let out her breath with a whoosh. “Oh my, thank you, Rocco. I thought I’d have to let him fuck me. He seems to know everything. How did you happen to be coming by here?”

“I wanted to talk to you without the others hearing, but I heard the sheriff’s voice and left my horse in the trees so he wouldn’t give my presence away. I wanted to hear what the sheriff had to say.” He climbed onto the buggy and helped Hannah adjust her clothing. “Hannah, you are not going to keep this thing we have going secret in this town. Too many eyes are watching the pretty schoolteacher and new bride who recently lost her family.”

“I thought we’d solved the problem when I married Wade.”

“People want gossip. They live for it and were disappointed you took the prospect away. The disgruntled with dull lives were bound to think up something else to pry into. We have to leave Plantsville, and all that gold is over a hill or two, a few days away. You don’t even have to sell the ranch. Let my parents run it for you, and if you don’t like finding gold, you can come back.”

“How am I going to get Wade and Brady to agree?”

Rocco buttoned her bodice and tied her collar. “There, all neat and prim. What you’ve got here”—he squeezed a breast—“and what’s in here”—he pressed a hand between her legs—“that will convince them.” He kissed her and left.

Hannah sighed, flicked the reins, and drove on to school. Her world had been topsy-turvy for months now. She’d been rudderless when her parents died then anchored again by Wade and Brady’s support. Rocco had come along to loosen her moorings once more, and she’d been on a steady course for a mere few days. Now, this development cropped up to hit her in the face.

She’d always been daring, always confident in herself, always brave. Could she leave the town she thought of as home, leave the ranch, leave all ties to her parents?

The school day was intentionally short. Most children were anxious to get home as ranches had extra chores this time of year. Hannah was anxious to figure out what route her life would take, and Lou Ann, her main assistant, had her mind on her wedding and could not control the little tykes’ rambunctiousness.

With a sigh of relief when everyone had gone, Hannah brought Addy in from the pasture behind the school and hitched her to the buggy. “Now, girl, you run like the wind through the woods this afternoon, hear?” She climbed aboard and slapped the reins. Though a bit skittish, Addy did gallop through the wooded area and deposited her charge home safely.

Hannah ran into the house and collapsed on a parlor chair. The tenseness of the day gradually left her as she recalled what had happened in this chair last night. The now familiar need in her body ignited her desire, but the men would not return from the range for hours. Where had they put that dildo? She had grown to like the sensations it caused when she’d worn it all day. With renewed energy, she skipped upstairs and found the thing in a bedside drawer wrapped in cotton.

She washed it in the kitchen and inserted it. Immediately, her whole body came alive. Nerve endings tingled and her nipples hardened into pert peaks. When the men came home, she’d be ready for anything.

She’d been shamefully negligent of her new employees. She walked to the Vance cottage and spent the next hours assisting with dinner preparations. A few minutes before four, she returned home to change her clothes. In her bedroom, clad in bandeau and bloomers and gartered stockings, she contemplated her wardrobe. These fragile dresses would be useless in San Francisco. If she went, she’d pan riverbeds with the men or wield a pickax or whatever they decided to do to discover gold. She ran a hand over the few items of clothing Wade had brought over from the bunkhouse. Maybe she could wear britches and leave off all the petticoats and voluminous skirts. She caught Rocco’s eye in the wardrobe mirror and smiled at the thought of wearing men’s clothes.

“Is that happy expression because you’re imagining my cock inside you?”

She turned from the wardrobe to face Rocco. “It is now.” She laughed and fell into his arms.

He ran his hands over her and found the dildo. “Oh ho, you like that kind of fucking.”

“I like all kinds, but yes, I think I have more nerve endings back there and seem to want it all the time.”

He threw a pillow on the edge of the bed, bent her forward, and pushed her head down on it. A ripping sound startled her until her bloomers flew onto the pillow next to her. The dildo was removed and a cool sensation of the cream was applied. He entered her without ceremony and spanked her with no mercy as he fucked her up the ass. “You have got to learn to behave or I will have to spank you until you learn.”

“Sorry, Master. What did I do to displease you?”

“You were bad this morning, using your body to tempt the sheriff. Am I going to have to whip your ass many times before you learn your lesson?”

“Oh, yes, I think so. I am very sorry.”

He spanked her hard. “You are sorry, who?”

“I am sorry, Master.”

“Am I going to have to slam into you hard like this”—he shoved—“and this?” He shoved again.

“Yes, yes, over and over again. I am too bad to learn easily, Master.”

He stopped spanking her and slipped his hands under her bandeau to pinch her nipples. “Am I going to have to bruise these breasts you tempt men with?”

“Oh, yes, please. I need to be bruised for the thoughts I’ve been thinking.”

He left her nipples and inserted fingers into her pussy and rubbed her clit. “I think I may have to bite this later before you learn.” He struck a rhythm with fingers and cock until she screamed her release. Then he took his own. He collapsed on top of her and vaulted onto the bed, dragging her up with him. He sucked on her nipples for several seconds then knelt between her legs to keep his promise to bite her clit.

Despite having come only minutes before, Hannah climaxed hard as he flicked his tongue on her pussy and used teeth and sucking to torture her. They hugged and kissed for a long while afterward.

“I desperately want to fuck you again, but I think I’ll wait for tonight. Anticipation is a great aphrodisiac. Besides, you need to finish dressing for dinner. Mom said you helped fix it.”

“I did. She promised to teach me how to cook. I’ll need to do it when we’re on our own in the wildness of the gold fields.”

“Yes, you will. But I can help. I always helped Ma. And I don’t think we’ll be in fields. I’ve found a cave I think can be mined a short way off from the camps. I have two friends watching it for me because I didn’t have the money to pay for registering it. They’re digging what they can with shovels and should have it registered by the time we get there.”

“You’ve been searching for gold out there already?”

“Yes, I spent nearly a year wandering around until I found this place. It takes equipment to mine rock, which I also didn’t have money for. That’s why we need to bring vegetables and fruit to sell to earn a stake.”

“What kind of equipment?”

“No time to go into detail now. I don’t want Wade and Brady to find me poaching their territory. I’ll be with Mom when they come in.”

Sated and refreshed, Hannah dressed in a fog of the satisfaction of being loved. She chose a dress usually reserved for Sunday meetings. It was pale blue with a yellow ribbon belt. She tied her hair back with a matching yellow ribbon and, since the ground was dry, put on her shiny patent leather shoes.

The men were already seated when she entered the Vance kitchen. Once they’d seated her, food began passing around the table and talk of crops and horseflesh ensued. The Vance family, the Ponti family, and her family gelled like a bowl of shimmery aspic.

A knock on the door made Mrs. Vance smile. Hannah had noticed over the years that although the woman hated to leave her house, she loved company.

“I’ll see to it. You all continue your meal.” Grace sashayed to the door with movements to do her name proud. “Why, Sheriff Slyke, what brings you all the way out here? Come on and sup with us.”

“No, no. The night were so calm and starry, I jes thought a ride would be good.” He stepped into the kitchen.

Hannah stiffened and Rocco stood, fists clenched.

“I won’t disturb you folk none. Wanted to tell Miz Hannah of some weirdness I found at her house.”

“You went into my house when I wasn’t there?”

“Had to when no one answered my knock. Got to protect everyone in Plantsville, don’t I?”

Hannah stood. Slyke waved her back down. “No need to rise on my account. I want you on notice that I confiscated a thing lying in plain sight in your bedroom and I’m keeping it fer evidence.” He tipped his hat. “Have a good night, all.” He turned and slammed the door behind him.

Wade swiveled his head between Rocco and Hannah. “What in Sam Hill is he going on about?”

Hannah ignored the heat rushing to her face. “I believe he simply wishes to frighten me. He’s had it in for me ever since I refused to dance with him at the last harvest hop.”

“But what did he—”

Hannah interrupted Wade. “We’ll figure it out when we get home. Now, let’s have some of that chocolate cake Angelina and I concocted this afternoon.”

Wade scowled at her but kept silent while Grace and Angelina served the cake and poured coffee.

Huddled on the bed after searching the room, their worst fears had been confirmed. Slyke had found the dildo and taken it for evidence.

“Surely, I’m not the only one to have used such a thing.”

“Of course you ain’t, love.” Brady massaged her shoulders.

“It could belong to anyone. He can’t prove it’s mine.”

“With his announcement at the Vance house, if he produced it, everyone would soon know where he’d found it.” Wade growled his words through gritted teeth. “Why on earth was it out? We were careful to wrap it in cotton and stick it in the back of the drawer.”

“I missed the feeling it gave me and wore it around the house today.” She omitted the part about Rocco discovering it and, in their haste to fuck, left it out on the table.

“She’s not to blame. Slyke has no right to search anyone’s house without permission,” Rocco covered for her.

Wade stood and went to look out the window. “He won’t quit. We’re not safe here any longer. What do you want to do, Hannah?”

“I want to purchase some britches and go to Rocco’s gold mine.”

Wade swirled to face those on the bed. “Rocco has a gold mine?”

“Yeah, at least I have a share in one. If we can get a stake and equipment, I’ll have the lion’s share.”

Brady snorted. “And you ’spect us to provide the money and the tools. I knew you were after more than our Hannah.”

“Not true. I love her as much as you two. If we could make her happy by staying here, I’d forget the mine.”

“Yeah, until you had your fill of her and got restless.” Wade returned to the bed and sat on the edge.

“Excuse me, gentlemen. I am right here and can speak for myself.” Hannah folded her arms over her chest. “This camisole and this bandeau are pains to wear all the time.” She shucked them both over her head and was left bare breasted in stockings and bloomers. “I no longer feel safe in my own home, and I guess I have a bit of gold fever. I’m ready to go if you’ll decide the details.” She scooted to the end of the bed and hopped off, took her nightgown from a wall peg, and slipped it on.