Story Excerpt

“What can I do for you?” she called out when they’d gotten within fifteen yards of the truck.

“Understood you were looking for hands. We’d like to apply for the jobs,” the first one said.

The second one didn’t say anything but kept his eyes on her hands, or rather, the hand on the rifle. He knew a threat when he saw one, and she wouldn’t hesitate to use it if she needed to. He obviously sensed that about her. Good.

“Got references?”

“Nothing recent, but we’ve got ten years apiece from growing up on a ranch.”’

“You’re ex-cons,” she surmised.

“You’d be right, ma’am,” he said

“I gather you’ve made the rounds.”

“Yes, we have.”

“What makes you think I’ll hire you when no one else will?” she asked.

“'Cause no one else will work for you.” The second man finally spoke up. His voice rolled out as deep as the well out back of her house.

Shivers ran down her spine. Something about him stirred her, and she knew right then and there two things about them. One, she was going to hire them, and two, they were going to cause her all sorts of trouble. But she was getting desperate for help, and Kenny, bless his heart, couldn’t keep up.

She drew in a deep breath, then removed her hand from the rifle and climbed down out of the truck. She slammed the door then remembered her cut arm and cursed.

“Damn barbed wire.” She jerked off her gloves and tossed them in the back of the truck to tend to later. “Might as well come in the house, and let’s get some things straight,” she said.

Drew walked around the truck and headed for the house. The two men fell into step behind her. The shorter of the two grabbed the screen door and opened it for her while the other man reached around her to open the wood door. She felt the heat from their bodies against the cooling sweat on her skin. Aw, hell, what was she getting herself into?

She went through the living area into the eat-in kitchen and reached under the sink to pull out the first aid kit. The beat-up tin box had been well used over the years and more than usual recently with her working out on the range. She plopped it down on the table and opened it.

“Might as well sit down. We’ll talk as I fix this mess.” She grabbed a towel off the hook by the sink and sat down to tend to her wound.

“First off, what were you in for? Might as well tell me the truth, because I’m going to check it out.”

“Manslaughter,” the shorter of the two said.

She hesitated at cutting off the tape at that but refused to let it daunt her. She slid the scissors under the electrical tape and snipped. The towel fell open and the jagged cut began to bleed again. At least it was a trickle and not a gusher. Before she could grab the peroxide, the taller of the two grabbed it and opened the cap. He poured it over her arm, holding the towel beneath it to catch the flow.

“Both of you?” she asked.

“Yeah,” the shorter one said.

“Okay, next thing is what are your names?” She was tired of thinking of them as taller and shorter.

The taller man dabbed at the cut with a clean edge of the towel. “My name’s Marshall Gentry. That’s Jeb Reigns.”

“Okay, Jeb. Tell me the story from start to finish.” She picked him because he hadn’t spoken much and, truth be told, she loved the sound of his deep voice.

Marshall searched in her box for something then came up with a packet of sewing supplies.

“Damn it, does it need stitches? Can’t you just put on some of those buttery-fly bandages?” she groused.

He grunted and shook his head. “If you were going to stick around the house and not do anything, maybe they would hold.”

“Hell, how many does it need?” she asked.

“Looks like three.”

“Use the damn deadening stuff on it, and if either one of you say anything when I cry, I’ll bust your balls.”

Marshall smothered a chuckle, but at a stern look from her, he contained it and got to work.

“Jeb, I don’t hear you telling me how you both ended up killing someone,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Wasn’t sure I could get a word in edgewise, ma’am.” He added the “ma’am” at the last minute.

“Smart-ass. Talk.” She winced when Marshall poked her with the deadening agent.

“We grew up together working on the same ranch in Texas. Started after school when we were fifteen and then full-time once we graduated high school. We worked there for about six years before we moved up here. Heard there was plenty of land and thought we might be able to save up and buy some of our own one day. Got a job with old man Parker other side of Billings. We worked for him another four years before it happened.

“We’d been out drinking on a Saturday night, like most weekends, and were on our way back to the ranch when Marshall had to pull over and take a—leak.”

He’d obviously changed the word for her benefit. She wanted to laugh, except right then, Marshall stuck her, and she had to keep from cursing instead.

“He heard someone scream and yelled at me to come on. We took off running toward this abandoned house on the Millers’ place. There was a light inside. It looked like they’d lit a fire in the fireplace. A wonder it hadn’t caught the chimney on fire, as old as that place was."

“Shit, can’t you go a little bit easier?” she yelped as tears slid down her face.

Marshall looked up and winced. “Sorry. Guess it isn’t dead yet.”

Jeb frowned at Marshall, and the other man shrugged.

“And?” she prompted Jeb in an attempt to take her mind off the pain.

ADULT EXCERPT

“You’re flirting with me, Marshall.” Drew shook her head with a shy smile.

“That was my intention.” Marshall took a step closer, pinning her back against the cabinet.

He leaned in and set his coffee cup on the counter. He didn’t touch her with his hands. He just leaned in and looked down at her face. There was no fear in her eyes as he bent over and slowly closed the distance between them. His eyes searched hers for any sign she wanted him to stop. Finding none, he took her lips in a soft kiss. He licked along her lower lip then sucked on it. When she opened to him, he slid his tongue in along hers, teasing and tempting her to play. He slanted his head and took more control of the kiss when she didn’t balk or pull away. He pressed his body against hers, letting her feel his need.

Marshall’s cock was rock hard and straining in the confines of his jeans. He wanted her with a vengeance, but he wouldn’t take her without Jeb. He’d tease her and pleasure her if she’d let him, but he wouldn’t fuck her without Jeb there to help.

When he pulled back, they both stared into each other’s eyes, panting for breath. She looked at him with a question in her eyes. He smiled and nipped at her chin with his teeth.

“Let me take care of you, Drew. I’ll take real good care of you if you’ll let me.”

“It’s been a long time for me, Marshall,” she whispered.

“Too long,” he agreed.

When she didn’t protest, Marshall picked her up and carried her to the stairs and up them to the bedroom. He slowly removed her shirt then unhooked her bra and stared in wonder at her breasts. They were perfect. Her nipples were already pebbled and hard. He leaned in and licked one with a long, slow slide of his tongue. Drew whimpered.

“You smell like honeysuckle,” he whispered.

He circled the other nipple with his finger then pulled at it. When she arched her back with need, he knew it wouldn’t take much to send her over.

Marshall licked then sucked each nipple before kissing and nipping his way south. When he reached her jeans, he reasoned the boots had to come off first. Once those were dealt with, he unfastened her jeans and pulled them down her long, lean legs. Her thighs were strong from gripping a horse when she rode. Would they grip him the same way? He couldn’t wait to find out. She wore panties that matched the bra he’d removed. He inched them down her body and off her feet before kissing her belly just above her mound. When she whimpered, he smiled and blew across the curls at her apex.

“Please, please,” she begged.

“What do you want, Drew?” Marshall asked, just inches from her sweet pussy.

“I don’t know. I want you to touch me,” she pleaded.

He shouldered her legs farther apart and spread her pussy lips with his fingers. She groaned. He swiped his tongue across her cunt and hummed his appreciation.

“You taste like fresh mountain rain,” he told her.

“Please, more.”

He grinned and set to licking her from her ass to her clit and back down again. He circled her clit with his tongue but avoided licking directly over it. He wanted to drag it out as long as he could. The longer she lasted, the greater the pleasure would be in the end.

Marshall teased her slit with one finger as he lapped at the honey sliding from her hot cunt.  When he fucked her shallowly with his finger, Drew tried arching her back to gain a deeper penetration, but he backed off when she did. Whimpering, she thrashed her head back and forth. He pushed his finger in deeper and slowly began pumping it in and out of her tight cunt. She groaned.

When he added a second finger and began curling them inside her, looking for her hot spot, she cried out.

“Yes.”

“Do you like that, baby?” Marshall found the spot he was looking for and felt her shudder all over as he stroked it.

“Oh, God,” she whimpered.

He began licking her closer and closer to her clit until he felt her pussy muscles begin to quiver. He began to pump in earnest and latched on to her clit and rode her orgasm as she bucked and screamed.

Damn, he’d forgotten she was a screamer, he thought with a smile. Hopefully no one was close enough to hear her and worry.

He slowly eased from her and climbed up the bed to kiss her. She didn’t balk at the taste of her own juices on his lips. She kissed him back.

“Thank you,” she said in a breathy voice.

“My pleasure, ma’am.”