STORY EXCERPT

Barrett sighed in relief when Kendra’s breathing finally evened out. Reaching beneath the covers, he removed the ice pack from her leg, gritting his teeth against the powerful surge of lust that slammed into him when the backs of his fingers brushed against her silky thigh. Throwing the ice pack aside with a curse, he pulled the covers to her neck, and turned to his back, resigned to a sleepless night.

Now that he knew her identity and the reason she’d come, he knew they had to get rid of her. He didn’t intend to sell the ranch, and he sure as hell didn’t relish the idea of having someone under his roof nagging him to do just that.

It was a damned shame. He wanted her here.

When Kendra shifted in her sleep and moaned, he waited until she settled before slipping on his pants and heading out to the hall where he knew the others waited.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, they turned toward him.

Mason sighed. “We can’t get rid of her until the blizzard blows over and the roads are clear.”

Quinn shook his head. “That’s bullshit. We can get her out of here on horseback.”

“No.” Barrett couldn’t explain his reluctance, and didn’t want to look at his reasons too closely.

He’d seen their faces, and saw their concern for her, so he made the only argument he could. “She’s hurt and I don’t want to risk the horses. The weather’s bad and it would take too long for any of us to reach town in weather like this. She’s still too weak.”

“She doesn’t know she reached her destination.” Grant glanced at each one of them in turn. “We’ll have to disconnect the phone and tell her the storm took it out. That way she can’t call her boss. We’ll have to keep her in the dark until we can get her out of here.”

Trying to ignore the looks of unease on their faces and the fact that their eyes kept going toward where she slept, Barrett frowned.

“Look, she wasn’t trying to hide anything. She told us exactly why she’s here.”

Quinn scowled. “Would she have told us if she knew she was on the Jagged Rock? Even after being in a plane crash, all she can think about is getting her sale.”

Barrett waved a hand. “I don’t know if she would have told us or not, but we’re the ones lying to her, not the other way around. You can believe what you want to believe, but I’m not kicking her off the ranch because the three of you are paranoid.”

He froze at her whimper, and spun to race back to her, running into all three of them at the door.

It probably would have been funny in other circumstances, but at the moment, Barrett just thought about getting to her.

Pushing his way through, he hurried to her side, aware of the others right behind him. Rushing around to the other side of the bed, Barrett slid into bed beside her, murmuring softly to her that she was safe, his chest swelling when she turned toward him and snuggled against his chest.

Mason knelt by her side, laying a hand on her forehead as though checking for a fever, and stroked her hair. “She okay? Can’t you give her any more pain medicine?”

It amused Barrett that, in spite of not trusting Kendra, a whimper from her brought all three of his friends running.

Running his hand up and down her arm, he shook his head, a little surprised to see Grant sitting at the foot of the bed, rubbing her feet. “Not yet. Couple hours yet. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her. Tomorrow night, one of you can have her so I can get some sleep.”

He attempted to sound disgruntled, but he couldn’t imagine leaving her now.

Impatient for the others to go, and bristling at the fact that none of them seemed to be in any hurry to leave, Barrett dropped his head on the pillow and wrapped an arm around Kendra, filled with satisfaction when she moaned in her sleep and cuddled closer.

“I’ll call if I need you.” He closed his eyes, waiting until they left before opening them again.

With his cock hard enough to pound nails, he knew it would be some time before he slept. Not only wouldn’t he be getting much sleep, he’d be damned uncomfortable, too.

His possessiveness of her alarmed him. Intrigued him. Maybe it would be better for all of them if she left as soon as possible.

But, that didn’t feel right.

Christ, he was tired.

Blaming his mood on the late hour and stress-filled day, Barrett inwardly cursed.

He was lonely. It had been too long since he’d held a woman through the night.

When Kendra whimpered again, he tightened his hold, murmuring to her again until she settled, stunned that he never wanted to let her go.

It felt good to have a soft, sweet-smelling woman to hold through the night.

To his surprise, she turned more fully to him, pillowing her head on his chest, her palm flat on his stomach, and dangerously close to his cock.

With a sigh, she settled once again, her breathing evening out as she hooked a leg over his.

Her scent, the sweet scent of woman came through the smell of the soap they’d used, and wafted all around him, filling his senses. Her silky hair lay across his arm and chest, and the velvety softness of her uninjured thigh lay over his.

Her full breast pressed against his side, and even with the shirt covering her, he could feel her nipple poking against him.

Staring up into the darkness, he gritted his teeth.

It was going to be a hell of a long night.

ADULT EXCERPT

Barrett slid his hands up, closing his hands over her breasts as he lifted her shirt out of the way. “Maybe the best way to make you comfortable with all of us is to have some intimacy while we’re all together.”

His gaze held hers as he slowly lifted her sweat shirt, pushing it out of the way, and baring her breasts. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable with us. We all want you very much. Bending, he touched his lips to hers. Very much.”

Kendra moaned when Barrett adjusted her on his lap to face the table, pulling her back against him. Meeting Quinn’s hooded gaze, she sucked in a breath when Barrett’s callused hands slid to her breasts, cupping and lifting them as if showing and offering them to the others. “Oh, God.” Her nipples beaded tight, aching so much that her stomach muscles tightened in anticipation.

Mason groaned and slid his hand over her belly. “You want to come again, baby?”

The sexually charged atmosphere became even more intense as Mason shoved Barrett’s hand aside and took her left breast in his hand. Bending close, he licked her nipple. “You like having your nipples licked, don’t you?”

Kendra felt as if she’d stepped into an erotic fantasy, crying out when Mason began to suck her nipple into his mouth.

Across the table, Quinn leaned forward, his eyes glittering. “Barrett, pinch her nipple.”

The anticipation made her nipple ache, making the pressure Barrett applied to it even more intense. The pleasure shooting from her nipples to her slit had her writhing on Barrett’s lap, her cries of pleasure filling the room.

With a ragged groan, Grant pulled his chair closer and leaned over her, knocking Mason’s hand from her belly. “She likes that.” Sliding his hand into the waistband of her sweat pants, he covered her mound with his palm, using his fingers to part her folds. “She’s wet. Every time I touch her, she’s wet. I don’t think she knows just how arousing that is to a man.”

Kendra gritted her teeth against the pleasure. “I can’t help it. You make me crazy. God, that feels good!”

Something in Grant’s eyes caught her attention and held it, a satisfaction and hunger in them that fueled her own. The slow slide of his finger over her clit drove her wild, the sharp stabs of pleasure from the attention to her nipples earning cry after cry from her.

Hands seemed to be everywhere at once, an erotic sensation unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

Although Quinn didn’t touch her, she felt his gaze as strongly as a caress.

Barrett rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, his other hand holding her uninjured thigh. “I love those cries. Look at Quinn. Look at the way he’s watching you. Look at the hunger in his eyes. I’ll bet he wishes he had his hands on you.”

Getting to his feet, Quinn stared down at her, his eyes flaring when she cried out again as Grant plunged a finger into her. “I’ll have my hands on her, and when I do, she won’t forget it.”

Kendra sucked in a breath, clenching on Grant’s finger. “Big talk. Oh, God!”

Grant pressed his finger deeper and slid his thumb over her clit, his jaw clenching at her cry. “Hmm, she always seems to have just a little attitude when she gets aroused. She can get almost violent when she’s about to come.”

Arching, she rocked her hips, her moans becoming hoarse and more desperate as the warm tingling in her clit started to spread. “Oh, God! Yes.”

How could she have gone through life never knowing this pleasure?

The pleasure swelled inside her, making her body bow as it crested, the waves of heat and sensation washing over her so intense, they made her dizzy.

Mason lifted his head, running a hand over her breast and stroking her nipple, still moist from his mouth. “We’re gonna have to hire more men. I don’t know how the hell we’re going to get any work done.”

Kendra moaned as their hands gentled, their tender caresses drawing the pleasure out until she melted and slumped heavily against Barrett. She looked from Mason to Quinn to Grant, struck by the look of hunger and indulgence in their eyes.

Mason’s devilish smile widened. “Beautiful, isn’t she?”

Grant smiled tenderly. “Yes, she is.”

Quinn’s eyes narrowed as they raked over her, his jaw clenching, but he said nothing. The look of hunger glittering in his eyes, however, spoke volumes.

Smoothing his hand over her breast, Barrett buried his face in her neck and nuzzled a particularly sensitive spot. “We’ve never had a woman in the house before, baby. You make the house feel so different.”