The Badger City Gang [Bride Train 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (6 page)

By the time they stopped for the night she was proud of herself for riding so well, but sore. She had to hold back a groan at the thought of another long day in the saddle. When Zach helped her down, she grabbed the stirrup to keep from collapsing on her wobbly legs. She couldn’t reach the saddle horn.

“Whoa, take it easy, Kate,” said Zach. “Let me help.”

He caught her around the ribs to hold her up, his sweat-soaked front to her back. She was just as wet. She couldn’t cover her breasts and hang on to the stirrup at the same time. If he looked, he’d see she had nothing under her blouse but skin.

He looked. She heard him grind his teeth.

“Dang it, woman! You’ve been riding with no more protection than a thin shirt? Not only will you be saddle-sore, you’ll be sunburned!”

“It was hot!” She turned and glared up at him. Her anger gave her the energy to stand by herself. She jabbed him with her elbows so he released her and stepped back. “Rusty took off his shirt, and you unbuttoned yours to catch the breeze. I couldn’t do that, so I did the next best thing. If you don’t like it, don’t look!”

“I like it,” said Rusty, interrupting. “Let me look.”

Rusty stared at her swollen breasts, outlined by the wet cloth. He licked his lips and moaned. He took her hand and tugged her away from her horse. She stumbled, and he caught her against his bare skin. Her almost-naked breasts rubbed against him. The shock of his heat, of his hands on her back and bottom pressing their bodies tight, stopped her breath.

Zach swore and pulled Rusty away. She managed to keep her feet. Zach stared at her for a moment and shook his head with a stony glance. She vowed to do something to make him react.

“Stretch your legs out, Kate. You’ll be sore otherwise,” he ordered.

Lips pressed tight, she took her skirt and petticoat from the saddlebags and headed into the trees, looking for a thick clump of bushes. The first steps hurt, but she needed to stretch, so she pushed herself farther. She came out on a meadow with bushes at ankle to knee height. Blueberries!

She quickly took off her pants and drawers to take care of business. The drawers were soaked with sweat, so she put on her skirt, rolling her stockings to her ankles. That let cool air flow past the hottest part of her body. She hung her drawers on a bush and set to work.

The blueberries were glorious, sun-warmed and sweet. She stuffed every fifth handful into her mouth. The rest went into the pouch she made of her petticoat. Her naked thighs rubbed as she walked between clumps of berries, creating the most wicked sensation.

When her initial hunger was satisfied, she stood and stretched, inhaling the aroma of blueberries and sun-warmed earth. Dark evergreen-covered mountains rose around her in the distance, with high hills in between. The sunset was magnificent, the colors bright in the wide, open sky. The buzzing of a few bumblebees, cry of a hunting hawk, and sighing of wind was all she heard. She turned back to work, knowing she needed to find her way back to camp before the sun fell behind the mountains.

And then what? Supper, cleanup, and then bed. Alone?

How could she get one or both of them to touch her the way she needed? She’d seen mysterious bulges in their pants when they looked at her breasts. It turned their breathing as ragged as her own. She was sore but eager to learn what it was all about. After another day of riding, she might not feel anything but pain, perhaps for days. If she wanted to find out what men and women did together, it had better be tonight.

She remembered her pants and drawers at the last moment. Zach and Rusty’s voices helped her find her way back to them.

“She’s a virgin! She knows nothing but kisses!”

Zach, defending her honor?

“Ha!” answered Rusty. “Another minute and Kate would’ve had her tongue in my mouth. She’s wild for me.”

Women put their tongues in a man’s mouth during a kiss? Kate crouched and peeked around a tree. Two men, shirtless. Forget about their mouths, she wanted to put her tongue and her bare breasts on their chests. Zach’s body was stockier than Rusty’s, but both had lots of muscle. She watched those muscles move and shift as they set up camp.

“She doesn’t know enough to be wild about anything.”

“You’re just jealous because the ladies like me best,” boasted Rusty.

He laughed at Zach’s glare and picked up a large rock. His arms bulged as he carried it over to fill the last spot in a fire ring. He bent over to arrange it into place, facing away from her. It made his pants tighten against his curved bottom.

“All your blood’s gone to your cock so you can’t think straight,” replied Zach.

“And yours hasn’t?” Rusty stood up and faced Zach. He winced. He put his hand on the front of his pants and seemed to move something around. “I ain’t been this hard in years.” He shook out a leg.

“She’s an innocent virgin who doesn’t know what she wants,” said Zach.

“Maybe, but she wants it anyway. Makes me crazy for her.”

“You’ve been crazy all your life.”

“I can take you, any day, any time,” threatened Rusty.

He rolled back his shoulders and set his feet. Zach did the same. Kate’s breath caught in her throat. She stood up before they could start fighting.

“Anyone hungry?”

Both men whipped their heads toward her. She held the petticoat full of blueberries in one hand, her pants and drawers in the other. She stepped forward, setting her feet so her hips swayed in a slow, sultry walk. She’d watched from the train as men stared after women who walked like that. Zach and Rusty’s jaws dropped. Their eyes went from her blue-stained petticoat, to the hand holding her drawers, to her thin blouse.

Her nipples hardened. Their eyes widened. She pushed her shoulders back. Zach gulped. Rusty cleared his throat. She gave them the mysterious smile those women had used. She hadn’t understood it at the time, but she did now.

Zach and Rusty weren’t going to fight over her, or seduce her. After supper she was going to take control, like the adventuress she was.

Belly full, Rusty sat on the other side of the fire ring and watched his cousin argue with Kate. He couldn’t believe how much she’d changed since catching her in his arms. Seeing her come waltzing out of the trees with those blueberries in her frilled petticoat was bad enough. His horny brain quickly realized the flash of white in her other hand could only be her drawers. That meant she had nothing under her skirt but a vertical smile. He was dying to taste those lips.

Most of the purple stains had come out of her petticoat, now drying by the fire. But, though she’d turned her back and rolled her stockings up her thighs, she hadn’t put her drawers back on. That alone would keep him as hard as a spike. She’d figured something out while she was picking fruit, and made a decision. He knew it, but Zach didn’t. That’s why they were arguing.

He couldn’t wait to touch, taste, and satisfy her, but he’d let her lead the way. She was tiny, but made up for it in attitude. She reminded him of a hungry kitten he watched attack a mouse darn near as big. The mouse got away, but he made sure the kitten got fed. He carried the ball of fluff with him on the trail until he found a woman who ran a rooming house in a one-horse town in the middle of nowhere. She was happy to get a good mouser, as well as the company, and promised to care for it.

Kate might be kittenish in some ways, but in others she was a wildcat. Right from the start, when she boldly returned his looks, he knew she was interested in him. That scorching kiss proved it. Not only did she blush, her breasts firmed up and her nipples stuck out. When he rode drag that morning, he watched the way she leaned forward and ground her pussy into the saddle whenever they went uphill. He enjoyed seeing her discover pleasure, and wanted to show her one hell of a lot more.

But it was her call. She was a virgin, untouched. If she wanted to give that gift to him tonight, he was ready to show her fireworks. If not, then he’d keep his pecker in his pants and keep thinking of riding the range in a January blizzard. Years of Texas heat hadn’t made him forget Montana’s winter blasts.

The problem was, Kate smiled invitingly tonight, but things could change once they got to the cabin. She might make them sleep in the barn while she took the bed, or she might sleep on a pallet in the loft. All alone, dammit!

It was different out here. There was nowhere to hide. Nothing but their horses, themselves, and a whole lot of empty space. Though the days could be hot, this high up, frost in August was normal. They were big men and ignored it. Kate was different. She was small and unused to roughing it. They could keep her warm, here and at the ranch. Surely a few good-night kisses couldn’t hurt? Maybe a cuddle as well?

From the way she behaved, she was itching for it. But did she know how a woman got that itch scratched? And would she want her first time to be outside, on a blanket, with two men she’d just met? All she had to do was give a hint she was ready, and he’d show her paradise.

Zach loved blueberries, but he was in a foul mood. Being horny and trying to hide it made him mad at the world. It was all Rusty could do not to laugh at him.

Kate was squared off with Zach again, arguing over something. Fightin’ and lovin’, both showed passion. Rusty bet Kate wanted both in her life. She’d get them, sure as shootin’, with three McInnes men.

“What do you mean there’s only two blankets? There’s three of us.”

“We only need two.” Zach spoke between gritted teeth, as if he’d had more than enough. “One goes under, and one goes over.”

“And where do I sleep?”

“Between me and Rusty, where you’ll be warm and protected.”

Even from fifteen feet away Rusty could see her struggle to hold back a squawk. She’d been warned not to make noise that would encourage bears, wolves, and mountain cats. To be truthful, the hunting was good and the fire would keep them away. But sound carried far at night. In these parts, a woman’s voice would encourage nasty two-legged varmints more than four-legged animals. At least you knew a wolf when you saw one. Humans would pretend to be friendly, waiting until a man relaxed before they slit his throat and took his woman.

He’d fight to the death to keep Kate safe. He’d only known her a few hours, but he would never let her be hurt. He also couldn’t wait to get her home and into his bed. Unless she said otherwise, tonight they’d share the two blankets, fully clothed. He hoped to get her back so her ass would snuggle right against his cock. It would make him too hard to sleep, but just having the woman near did that. He’d been in agony watching her ride. Every time he turned around her damn-near-naked breasts shot fire into his balls. Seeing her walk and stretch, her ass snug in those worn pants, made him react like a stallion.

“If it wasn’t already chilly, I’d sit under that tree and let the two of you keep each other warm.”

Since she pointed at the tree next to him, Rusty figured it was time to join the conversation.

“I’d rather keep you warm, darlin’. You lie in front of me and I’ll wrap myself around you. We’ll be as snug as packrats in our own little nest.”

“I would prefer a bed, thank you,” she stiffly replied. She glowered at Zach as if sleeping on the ground was his fault. Well, it was, because it was his idea to rob the Bride Train. A damn good idea, too.

“Don’t worry,” said Zach with a smirk of superiority. “I can take care of you.”

Rusty stood up and brushed off his pants. Carefully. He ambled over to stand in front of her, ignoring Zach’s glare.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” she complained.

“Nope, but this might.”

Rusty gave her just enough time to realize what he planned before he brushed his lips against hers. She opened her mouth, and he deepened the kiss, tasting the blueberries they’d had for dessert. He wanted more, but wouldn’t take what she wasn’t ready to give. The last woman he kissed so gently was a willing widow who showed him what women wanted a man to provide. He was a fast learner. Following those lessons, he brushed his fingertips over Kate’s nipples. She gasped and leaned forward for a moment before stepping back.

“What was that?” she demanded, her voice hoarse.

“After everything that happened today, don’t you deserve a good-night kiss?”

“Oh.”

She licked her lips. He saw wheels turning. She had something up her sleeve. Just in case he was right, he decided to keep going.

“If you liked that one, I’ve got more.”

“Whoa,” interrupted Zach. “Kate doesn’t want your kisses. Mine are far better.”

He elbowed Rusty aside and leaned over. “Pucker up.”

Zach slid his hands around Kate to hold her ass and pull her to him. She had a fine ass, with just enough curve. Rusty groaned as he watched them kiss. He swallowed hard when she grabbed Zach’s shirt and pulled him closer. They finally broke apart, both gasping.

“Whew! That was some good-night kiss,” said Kate.

“I won’t be sleeping after that,” replied Zach.

“Why not?”

Rusty watched her chest rise and fall as she panted. With the fire behind her, he saw how her nipples poked out. The woman was horny, sure as shootin’.

“Men can’t sleep with a hard cock,” explained Rusty.

“Why don’t you do whatever you need to make it soft, then?”

Rusty shoved Zach out of the way. He set Kate’s hand on his hard cock through his pants to show her how hard he was. She inhaled a gasp. But, instead of pulling away, she pressed her hot fingers into him. He groaned. She licked her lips, her tiny tongue flicking out. Damn, he wanted that tongue on him!

“If you take that out of my pants and play with it for a bit, I won’t be having any trouble sleeping.” Rusty could barely choke out the words. He’d never said anything so crude to a woman, much less a virgin.

She lifted her hand, and he reluctantly released her. She stepped back and he cursed his bluntness. But she didn’t turn away. She stared him in the eyes and lifted trembling fingers to her blouse. He watched as she opened buttons, one after the other. His cock throbbed at the sight of her white throat. She hesitated for a moment, then continued her downward journey. He couldn’t see much because she kept her shirt closed. But, hot damn, his imagination went wild!