Broken Surrender (4 page)

“Thanks. I’m not exactly qualified to do
much besides shoot people. I’m an expert at making beds and packing
gear though.” She squirmed again when Silas turned in his seat and
threw his arm across the back of the bench behind her. His warm,
masculine fragrance filled her nose.

“I happen to know you were the best
navigator we had in the unit,” Silas protested. “This girl could
find her way in the dark wearing a blindfold with her hands tied
behind her back. She’s like a human GPS.”

Smiling at the compliment, she nodded, “Yes,
but only because I was one of the only women on base. Men won’t ask
for directions, so of course, women are going to be better at
finding their way.”

“Ouch!” Jeremy said with a loud laugh,
“She’s gotcha there bro.”

A tight left turn caused her to fall into
Silas before either of them could respond. She reached out to catch
herself, and her hand landed on his upper thigh with her fingertips
resting against the denim over his groin. Her shoulder was pressed
against his hard chest. Snatching back her hand, she looked up to
find him grinning at her with a wicked glint in his eyes.

“Why Sarah, were you just trying to cop a
feel on me?” he teased, and she felt her face flush as she
stammered for words. Her fumbling made him laugh, and he wrapped
his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a side hug. “Next
time just ask, sweetie. That way, we can both enjoy it.”

Before she could formulate a response, they
were parking in front of a large ranch house where a crowd of
people was gathered around picnic tables and lawn chairs. A couple
of kids played on a blanket in the grass, and there were torches
planted all around waiting to be lit. Everyone turned to look their
way as they exited the truck—her with yet another hand from
Silas—and headed in the direction of the gathering.

“Hey Si, who’ve you got there?” The man
addressing them was just as tall and nicely built as the White
brothers, but he was pretty in a more feminine way. Like a
Hollywood movie star or a
GQ
model.

Silas introduced them. “Clint, this is Sarah
Bryant. Sarah this is Clint Keegan.” She shook the man’s hand.
“Sarah’s an old friend from my Army days.”

“No way! How’d you end up in Stone River?”
Clint asked as a woman joined them. “Sarah this is my wife,
Zoey.”

“Nice to meet you both,” she said politely,
smiling. “And I came here for work and never left.”

“Hi Sarah, come on over and I’ll introduce
you to the other girls. We’ll leave the guys to grill the meat
while we exchange gossip.” Zoey reached for Sarah’s arm and curled
hers through it like they were old friends. It seemed Silas and
Jeremy’s friends were just as open and welcoming as they were.
Sarah was introduced all around, and got the surprise of her life
when they explained that each woman was married to more than one
man.

“So, exactly how many husbands do you have?”
Sarah asked the blonde seated next to her with a baby to her
breast. Claudia seemed unashamed of nursing her child out in the
open, and by the warm looks everyone kept giving her, she had
nothing to be concerned about so Sarah just tried not to look.

“I only have two. It’s Rachel and Zoey who
are the overachievers.” Claudia responded with a laugh. She pointed
to a big, bulky-looking blond standing near the cooler. “That’s
Mack; he’s the older of my two men, and Ryker, his brother, is the
one with the facial hair on the porch steps. He’s sitting with
Dalton Keegan, who is Zoey’s man.”

“I’ll never be able to keep all of them
straight,” Sarah lamented. “I’m not sure how the heck you guys keep
them straight.”

Zoey snickered, “Believe me, they’re all
very different from each other. Tanner’s bossy as hell; Dalton is
sweet as sin, and Clint is obnoxiously charming.”

Sarah’s gaze jumped from guy to guy as Zoey
pointed them out, but all she could see was good looking men in
denim and cowboy hats. It was almost like being in the barracks
again. A couple of women surrounded by men. She felt the urge to
jump up and prove her physical capabilities in sight of all the
muscle around her, but she tamped it down. It probably wasn’t going
to win her any friends around here.

In spite of their unusual relationships,
Silas’s friends were genuinely nice people. They’d welcomed her and
introduced her to all of the kids right away. Juliet and John were
Rachel’s kids, and Adeline was Zoey’s daughter. Claudia’s new son
was named Denver, and he looked just like his daddies. It didn’t
seem to matter who was the biological father of each child, because
every man treated all of the kids like his own. It was
refreshing.

“So what kind of work do you want to find?”
Rachel asked, sipping a glass of wine as she reclined on a glider
next to Zoey.

“I don’t have much experience in the work
force, but I’m a hard worker, and a fast learner. My first job was
retail, and I left there for the Army straight out of high-school.
I’m an expert shot”—she grinned at Silas—“and a pretty good
navigator, but I can’t imagine there being much call for that
around here.”

“You seem really young to be finished with
the military already.” Zoey commented.

Sarah nodded, but didn’t respond to the
pointed comment. There wasn’t a good way to respond without
explaining her injuries, and she had no desire to do that. “I came
here because of an office job that was advertised. Filing,
answering phones, that sort of thing. I figured, with a little
training, I could handle it.”

Claudia perked up as she switched her son
from one breast to the other. “Do you want to work in an office
then?”

“I think so.” Sarah paused, and then nodded.
“Yes, in fact, I’m determined to prove I can do it. Do you know of
someone hiring?”

Claudia glanced over her shoulder to holler
at Mack, “Hey babe, are you still open to the idea of me hiring on
an assistant for the shop?”

Mack frowned and then nodded. “Whatever you
need, sweetheart.”

Turning back, Claudia grinned, “Can you
start Monday?”

“Wait, what? You’re going to hire me? Just
like that?” Sarah’s mouth hung open, and she couldn’t seem to snap
it closed. No one had ever done anything like that for her
before.

Claudia just shrugged, “I’m a good judge of
people, and if Silas vouches for you, then I’m absolutely confident
in your abilities.”

“Wow. Um, thank you. I don’t know what to
say.”

“Say you’ll start Monday.” Claudia said.

Sarah nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely,
but I should probably know what kind of office I’ll be working
in.”

Laughter sounded loudly from all four of the
women as Claudia explained that Mack and Ryker had a
leather-working business. Ryker ran the business and did sales
while Claudia ran the office and marketing. Mack was the artist and
had no head for business whatsoever. Now that they had Denver,
Claudia was finding herself challenged to juggle being a mom to a
newborn and keep up with the office. Hiring on an assistant for her
and Ryker to share was an easy solution.

“What kind of things does he create?” Sarah
asked. The reactions around her ranged from humor to slight
embarrassment, and she narrowed her eyes at Claudia. “Is there
something I should know?”

“Well, no, not exactly. I mean, he creates
saddles, belts, purses, bags—”

“Floggers, whips, leather straps…” Rachel
added, bursting into giggles with Zoey.

Once again Sarah’s jaw dropped, “Floggers?
Whips?”

“Like for BDSM,” Claudia said with a nod,
her chin tilted defiantly. Sarah wasn’t sure what the woman
expected from her. She didn’t have a problem with BDSM, she just
hadn’t been around it. It wasn’t every day that people discussed
whips and floggers with her.

“So, is that a booming business?” she
finally asked out of curiosity.

The tension slipped out of Claudia when she
realized that Sarah wasn’t judging her, and she nodded. “It’s been
surprisingly profitable.”

The dinner call was made from the direction
of the grill before they could continue their conversation, and
they all rose to head for the picnic tables. Sarah found herself
between Silas and Jeremy once again, and she shivered at their
close proximity. Jeremy noticed immediately and wrapped his arm
around her shoulders drawing her to his warm chest.

“Are you cold, sugar? I’m sure Rach has a
jacket you can borrow,” he said softly near her ear; goosebumps
popped up on her arms.

She shook her head, “No I’m fine. Just a
chill. I have my sweater in the truck if I need it.

He ran his hand over the bare skin of her
upper arm, and then nodded. “Whatever you say. Just let me know if
you want it, and I’ll get it for you.”

“Thanks.” It was the only word she was
capable of saying without making a fool out of herself. The moment
he drew his arm away from her, she felt cold again, like she’d
stepped into the shadow of a cloud on a hot day. It was damn
tempting to lean into his warmth again, but that wouldn’t be
appropriate. After all, they were just here as friends, and Jeremy
wasn’t even the one who’d invited her along.

Conversation flowed around her, and Sarah
was able to pick up on some of the Stone River gossip. She learned
that a few others in polyamorous relationships had moved to town
recently, and it seemed to be becoming quite the mecca of
acceptance. She’d never considered that anyone would want more than
one husband or wife before, but as she watched the groupings around
her, she could see the benefits. Each woman was doted on completely
by her men. If one was busy there was almost always another
available, so there was never a lack of attention. In fact, it
almost seemed like it might get to be too much attention sometimes.
How did these ladies ever get any peace and quiet?

“It’s not easy, let me tell ya.” Rachel said
with a snort, and Sarah realized she’d spoken her question out
loud. Embarrassment flooded into her, and she reached for her beer,
gulping down half of it in one swallow. Silas was looking at her
curiously, but she shied away from his gaze and turned her
attention back to Rachel.

“I’m sorry, that was a rude question.”

The petite blonde shook her shoulder length
hair and said, “Not at all. We’re used to questions. From the
random to the rude. It’s part of being in a poly relationship. Not
everyone understands or approves, but it works for us.”

Her husband, Parker, who seemed to be the
biggest badass of the bunch, reached for her hand and kissed her
knuckles. He looked at her with such love and devotion that it made
Sarah’s heart ache with jealousy. What would it be like to have a
man, or even more than one man, look at her with such
adoration?

Beside her, Silas brushed his fingers over
the top of her thigh to get her attention and then murmured, “Would
you another beer?”

She shook her head to decline and then
changed her mind. If this was a one-time night to relax, there was
no harm in having another. Besides, she wasn’t driving home.
“Actually, yes, but first, which one of you is my DD tonight?”

Jeremy waved his hand, “That would be me. My
truck, my keys, my responsibility.” He picked up the can of soda in
front of him as if to prove it and she nodded approvingly.

“Then yes, I’d love another.” She told Silas
giving him a warm smile.

The two brothers took extra care to include
her in the conversation around them and make her feel welcome.
She’d never really had a group of friends like this where she
shared all of the details of her life with them, but she found the
girls were easy to talk to, and the guys were willing to just sit
back and let them chatter. Several times, she noticed unusual
by-plays between individual couples, and she began to realize that
each woman had a unique relationship with each man in her grouping.
It wasn’t just about the multiple partners.

Making a mental note to question the girls
individually another time, she let herself relax and enjoy the
evening. The kids were all well behaved, and other than a minor
tantrum from Juliet over having to eat her pea salad, there was
absolutely no drama among any of them.

What a perfect way to spend an evening.

~ ~ ~ ~

There was no denying his attraction to
Sarah. Jeremy was smitten with the nervous little kitten from the
moment he’d laid eyes on her perfectly plump backside at the bar.
Finding out that his younger brother knew her and had already
scheduled a group date for them had been icing on the cake. That
is, until he realized Sarah didn’t know it was a date. She seemed
determined to keep her physical distance from both of them, and he
was just as determined to draw her in. Like a spider with a web, he
wanted to ensnare her and then spend the rest of the night
ravishing her.

Her curiosity about the plural relationships
surrounding them was great news. If she was curious instead of
disgusted, then he had a chance of showing her and Silas that
they’d be great as a trio. Although he didn’t know much about her
likes and dislikes as a civilian, he’d gleaned a ton of information
from Si over the last few days. His younger brother seemed just as
entranced by the brunette beauty and couldn’t quit talking about
her.

For the first time in two years, Jeremy felt
like there was a good chance they’d found a woman they could have a
life with. The question was, would she be open to it, and based on
her innocent questions, his gut told him yes. It just might take a
bit of seduction first.

The sun was setting on the horizon as they
cleared away dinner, and Rogan and Hudson began building a large
fire for everyone to sit around. Sawyer set up a stereo speaker on
the front porch and Kenney Chesney’s “Summertime” blared into the
yard. Fireflies winked across the balmy breeze, and Jeremy
scrambled to snag the seat next to Sarah on the glider. She held a
bottle of water instead of beer now. The softness in her movements
and the mellow way she smiled at him assured him that two drinks
had affected her.