Rough Stock, the Novel Page 6

  “I think you are a complicated woman,” he replied with that crooked grin I loved so much. “Complicated and beautiful.”

  “Why’s that?” I asked, stuffing the final things I needed into a large backpack.

  “Your apartment is pretty Spartan for a woman,” he said, glancing around, “but the things you do have indicate your interest in everything from history and art…all the way to rodeo, apparently.” He indicated the bulletin board near the front door where I’d pinned a photo of him and the other three guys that I’d taken when I was out there a couple days ago.

  Had it only been a couple days? It might be the head injury or the insane attraction I had to Charlie, but it felt much longer.

  I grinned and said, “You’re spot on. I never knew how much I liked the rodeo until I met you four.”

  “Well, rodeo likes you too,” he replied and winked. I felt a little flutter in my stomach, not sure if he meant rodeo as in just him, or rodeo as in all four men.

  I really struggled with that, actually. The realization that as much as I wanted Charlie, I couldn’t push the thought of all four of them out of my head. But women didn’t do that kind of thing; women didn’t have sex with four men…at least not anyone that I knew.

  And how would it work? The logistics of it, physically and emotionally, escaped me. I decided I would have to shelve it as a fantasy and leave it there where it belonged.

  Certainly not in real life.

  Charlie saw that my bag was full and picked it up before I could say anything. I had left the camera in his truck — luckily it had escaped the attack with just a couple of scratches to the body, and so I could use the photos inside.

  I could do most of the research on the building from the ranch, so in spite of Charlie’s fears, I was going to continue working on this story.

  “Oh shoot,” I said as we made our way to his pickup, as I was unable to drive, and stopped.

  “What’s up, darlin’?” he asked.

  “I’ll miss seeing you guys on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper.

  “You’ll just have to settle for us in person,” he smiled and we kept walking.

  The drive out to the ranch took less time than when I was on my own. I wasn’t sure if it was the company or the fact that I was actually really excited to get back out, but I didn’t care.

  By the time we pulled up in front of the big main ranch house, though, I was exhausted. I knew the doctor had recommended against me sleeping for too long, but I needed it badly.

  “Let’s get you upstairs right away,” Charlie said as he stopped the truck and saw me dozing off.

  He helped me out and I was immediately plunged right back into fantasy come to life as all four men surrounded me, helping me inside and asking me questions all at once. Their apparent concern was flattering and uplifting. I’d never had so many people worry about me all at the same time.

  “Now leave her alone, guys,” Charlie said with an authoritative voice. “She’s had a rough day.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, “I think I just need to get some rest.”

  “That’s not a problem,” Clive told me, reaching around to support me as we walked towards the stairs to the second floor. “I’ll take care of you, sweetheart.”

  I looked back to find Harley, Ty and Charlie watching us. I expected Charlie at least to have a jealous look on his face, but he wore a small smile of approval…as did the other two men. I had a strange feeling that they might have been thinking about the same thing as me, and that intimidated and excited me in ways I’d never felt before.

  “What about Charlie?” I asked as Clive picked me up and carried me up to the master bedroom.

  “Charlie will be fine,” Clive chuckled. “You’re stuck with me now.”

  I didn’t mind that at all. Clive was gorgeous in his own right, about the same height as Charlie but more leanly muscled than his friend. His eyes were a devilish green and his smile shone as we made our way to the bed.

  “Now you get some sleep,” Clive said, laying me gently on the soft sheets. He tucked me in and leaned over me. My breath caught in my throat and even though I’d been kissing Charlie that same day, I wanted Clive to kiss me so bad that it almost hurt.

  He did, his lips caught mine and his tongue pushed in, exploring my mouth and making it known that he was interested in me. Very interested.

  My body heated at his touch and everything turned liquidy and fluttered, just like it did with Charlie.

  His lips were fuller and his touch more demanding, more forceful in a way, and I would have dragged him into the bed with me right then and there had I been in perfect form.

  But my head hurt and my body betrayed me with its fatigue and I couldn’t find the strength to pull that hot cowboy on top of me.

  And then the craziest thing happened…Clive pulled away from me.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, scanning his face for rejection. My heart clenched and I feared he had found me lacking somehow.

  “If I don’t stop now, I’m not going to be able to stop, sweetheart,” he said in a low, strained voice. “And now is not the time for this.”

  “What if it’s okay?” I asked in a hushed tone. “What if I want it?”

  “That’s not the way we do things around here,” he replied with almost a groan. His body still covered mine, his arms kept him up off the bed but his heat radiated off him in waves. I tentatively reached up and ran my hand along his chest, along the bumps of his rock hard abs, and to the rigid shaft straining to break free of his jeans.

  “I think you want to,” I said, feeling bold in spite of my concussion. Maybe being knocked in the head had made me hornier than usual, I didn’t know and at that moment I didn’t care.

  “I do,” he exhaled slowly, as if in pain himself. “But we can’t. I can’t. It’s not time.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” I said, letting exhaustion wash over me at long last. I shut my eyes and felt Clive leave the bed, but I heard him drag a chair over so he could sit next to me.

  I felt his rough fingers stroke my cheek as I let myself drift off into sweet sleep.

  “It will, sweetheart,” he told me as he touched me tenderly. “It will all make sense in time. And then we can finally be together.”

  As tired as I was, my body buzzed at his words and his touch and I fell into dreams of being surrounded by love and devotion…and four incredible men.

  Chapter 16

  I stretched and smiled, my eyes were still closed but I could sense somebody watching me.

  “You awake?” a deep, almost melodic voice asked me and I was immediately confused.

  I tried to open my eyes but they fluttered uselessly so I gave up.

  “Come on, princess,” the voice persisted. “The doc told us to wake you up every hour or so.”

  I tried again to surface but the warmth of unconsciousness compelled me to sink back into the dark.

  I felt rough skin against my cheek and soft lips on mine. I came back to the surface of awareness and felt the lips kiss mine again, and teeth lightly bite my lower lip, rolling my flesh softly, carefully.

  I woke fully and began to kiss back, I opened my mouth to his and let his tongue slip against mine. I lifted my hands to find explore and found a chiseled angled face, stubble, thick short hair, and broad muscled shoulders.

  I finally opened my eyes and found Clive with his mouth on mine; his eyes half closed with the most luscious look on his face. Like he was experiencing pure bliss.

  “You are awake, my Sleeping Beauty,” he smiled against my lips. “I thought that might get through to you.”

  “Don’t stop,” I exhaled and wrapped my arms around him. It was bizarre, wanting Clive when only a short time before I had been so hot for Charlie. It felt okay, though, like there was an unspoken agreement between the men that I was sharing them both.

  And if there was one thing better than one hot, eager cowboy…well, that was having two.

  “I have to
stop, beauty,” he murmured. “If I don’t stop I won’t be able to.”

  He sat up and shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the bed. I could see the thick ridge of his hardness bulging in his jeans and I almost licked my lips at the sight of it.

  “Are you sure we have to?” I asked and looked back up at him. He was startlingly handsome, in a classic kind of way. Where Charlie seemed more rugged and thicker, Clive was leaner and more wolfish. He had a smirk that seemed to hold promises of a very dirty mind too…something that wouldn’t have interested me that much just a week ago.

  “I’m sure,” he replied and kissed me again, just a quick peck on the lips. He brushed my hair off my forehead and kissed it too. “Now go back to sleep, beauty,” he told me. “I’ll be here watching over you.”

  “Thanks,” I replied and yawned, covering my mouth with my hand so he didn’t have to stare down my throat. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to get back to sleep after that kiss though.”

  “If I give you another one, promise you’ll try to get some rest?” he asked.

  I smiled slyly and nodded. “I promise. I’ll be good if you give me what I want.”

  “What we both want,” he said and let his hot gaze rake over me from under hooded eyes.

  I reached up, completely against my normal behavior, and pulled him down to ravage my mouth again.

  After a few moments of pure bliss, he released me, pulled to covers up and said, “Now go to sleep,” in a stern voice.

  I laughed and closed my eyes, letting the sensation of the kiss linger on my lips as long as I could.

  Eventually I had to let it go, though; sleep came for me and I couldn’t fight it any longer.

  Clive woke me a couple more times through the night to check on me. Yesterday became a distant memory each time I woke to find the protective cowboy guarding me.

  I made it to the morning with pleasant dreams and even more pleasant wakings. I could feel the bright morning light warming my face as the memories of the kisses throughout the night warmed my body.

  I stirred, stretched and smiled.

  “Something making you smile?” a deep, male voice floated over me. It wasn’t Clive and it wasn’t Charlie.

  My eyes snapped open and I found Ty next to the bed, his long legs clad in tight jeans and stretched casually in front of him. He had been quite shy the last couple times I’d seen him and I’d never really gotten a chance to know much about him.

  He was gorgeous, probably my age or a year younger. He had deep blue eyes, full lips and smooth skin. His hair was longer and dirty blond, he had a habit of tucking it back over his ears that made him seem younger and more vulnerable than the other guys.

  He made me feel almost predatory until I locked my eyes on his and saw the hunger blazing deep and hot.

  “I suppose you did,” I said and smiled again. “What are you doing here?”

  “Watching over you,” he grinned. His teeth were perfect and white, like a Colgate model or something.

  “Where’s Clive or Charlie?” I asked.

  “I suppose they’re working,” he replied and took his cowboy hat off his lap and stood up. He sat down on the edge of the bed where Clive had been a few times during the night. “It’s my turn to get to know you, it’s only fair after all.”

  “You guys are pretty organized in your…fairness,” I laughed.

  “It’s almost like we’ve got it all planned out,” he smiled and winked.

  I felt the familiar sensation of heat creeping into my cheeks and rolling into my stomach, melting any tight reservations I’d carried there.

  These guys weren’t fooling around, they all seemed interested in me and the strangest thing was that each one of them interested me, too.

  Before my mind got away from me and started on the awful march of anxiety, Ty broke it off and leaned over to kiss me.

  And what a kiss it was.

  Chapter 17

  Ty’s tongue was soft at first, almost hesitant, but he soon warmed up and got into it. He seemed less experienced than Charlie or Clive and that endeared me to him somehow.

  He pulled back before I felt like I’d gotten enough of him, so I clung to him and tried to pull him closer.

  His hair spilled forward and tickled my face, his intense blue eyes locked on mine and he sighed, almost a shuddering breath.

  “Not yet,” he said quietly. “It’s not time.”

  “What’s with this time I keep hearing about?” I pouted and pulled him back down onto me. I dug my fingers into his back and tugged at his shirt, trying to pull it out of his jeans. “What about what I want?”

  I managed to slip my hand under the fabric and contacted hot, smooth skin. I raked my fingernails along him, felt him flinch and suck in his breath.

  “Oh, you’re a kitten,” he chuckled and held himself above me, excruciatingly close but still too far away. “I love the claws, but pull them back in. It’s not time.”

  “Tell me what that means,” I demanded and let him go.

  He sat up, tucked his shirt back in and wiggled slightly. “Damn, kitten, you really scratched me.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me,” I said shaking my head. “I’m not like this, this isn’t me.”

  “It’s quite alright,” he replied and shifted again. “Now this time thing, Charlie and Clive haven’t told you anything?”

  I shook my head, he frowned at sat up. “Dang it. Okay, so as you know me and the guys are all pretty close. We grew up together and Charlie’s grandpa taught each and every one of us how to ride and ranch.”

  I nodded to let him know I was still listening.

  “Well, we like being close. We’re like brothers, we work together, ride together, rodeo together…and sometimes, well, we fuck together.”

  My foggy brain was blasted with the image of four men at once and I shivered in delight. Four of them, all doting on me, wanting me. I practically arched my back and begged Ty to call the others right then and there; I wanted to know what it was like so bad.

  Instead I nodded and hid my desires so he could finish.

  “Well when we first saw you on Saturday, we wanted to have our way with you,” he admitted, that familiar blush making his soft skin redden and his eyes darted away. “We’ve done it before, shared a woman for a night or two, and it always works out well for everyone involved.”

  “Especially her,” I replied, narrowing my eyes as I thought about some lucky bitch having them all at the same time.

  He grinned. “Yeah, they don’t seem to mind.”

  “What about me then? Why not me?” I asked.

  “Well, you’re different, kitten,” he replied and eyeballed me again, letting his eyes sweep across my body.

  “What do you mean different?”

  “You’re funny and smart and seem like you could hold your own with any one of us, for one,” he replied. “And, well, I started to like you. I mean more than just a one night stand kind of like.”

  “Interesting,” I replied and felt a little thrill of delight shiver through me.

  “The thing was that we all kinda started liking you. And then you got drunk and nothing could happen anyways, we’re very clear about our boundaries around here.”

  “You’re clear about consent but not what to do if you like like somebody?” I laughed. “You’re an interesting bunch.”

  “Well it ain’t that often that we’re all on the same page over a woman,” he replied.

  “What are you guys planning on doing about it?” I asked.

  “Well, if you’ll have us, we were all kinda hoping you’d give us a chance. Date us.”

  “All of you?” I sputtered. “How would I do that?” It didn’t seem logical, how would I juggle four men in my day-to-day life? Now sex, I could get down with that. I wasn’t normally this oversexed but there was something about the four of them that got my body purring and my mind humming with the possibilities of what could happen.

  But relation
ships with all four of them? That seemed daunting somehow, and logistically impossible.

  “For one you could just spend time with each of us,” he said, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “Like right now, spending time with me.”

  “And then decide who I want?” I asked.

  “That’s the plan, yeah,” he replied. “It’s all up to you, that way there’s no fighting between us guys. We’ve made it this far getting along, no use turning it sour now.”

  “Good point,” I said and sat up, smiling at him. “So where do you want to start?”

  “How about breakfast?” He stood and reached his hand out to pull me to my feet. Ty might have been the youngest of the bunch, but he was the tallest and thickest by far. He had to be about a foot taller than me and wide with broad shoulders of solid muscle. I wondered if his dick would reflect that, would it be thicker as well?

  I guess I’d have to wait to find out, make my choice and get naked with whatever man was ultimately my favorite.

  The trouble was that at this moment, it was impossible to decide. Even though I hadn’t had any time alone with Harley, the fact that he was in on this and attracted to me made it intriguing to say the least.

  What the hell would happen if I wasn’t able to choose? I knew I might need to bring Selena in on this to help me choose, otherwise I’d end up with none of them.

  Chapter 18

  “This is incredible, what is it?” I asked Ty as sat at the table with me, finally enjoying the fruits of his labor.

  “It’s just a pancake, kitten,” he laughed and sipped his coffee.

  “This isn’t like any pancake I’ve ever had, it’s so fluffy,” I replied and forked in another mouthful. I didn’t care that it probably wasn’t ladylike, I was starving and the food was incredible.

  “It’s a French style pancake, not a crepe of course, but a poofy one. I’m afraid I don’t know the name of it in French, though,” he told me.

  “Where did you learn French cooking?” I asked once I finished my bite.