Authors: Marla Monroe
“Are you happy with them now?”
“Very happy. They treat me like a queen.”
“Um, can I ask you a personal question? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, ’cause it’s really none of my business.”
“Sure, just ask.” Rachel smiled as if she knew what Ashley was going to ask.
“Well, do you and your, ah, husbands have sex at the same time?” Ashley asked.
“Do you mean anal sex and regular sex?”
Ashley felt the heat climb up her face. She couldn’t believe she had asked that question when she didn’t even know the woman.
“Never mind. It’s none of my business.” She ducked her head.
“I don’t mind answering. Yes, we do. It’s the most wonderful experience you can ever have. It is intimate and makes the three of you feel like one person.” Rachel winked at Ashley. “You’ll have the best damn orgasms you’ve ever had, too.”
“I want to try it, but I’m a little uncomfortable about it,” Ashley admitted.
“There’s nothing to be nervous about. If they prepare you right, it barely hurts at first. Then it gets really intense, and you won’t believe how good it feels after that.”
“Thanks for talking to me about it. I’m going to think about it.”
They talked about gardening and canning for several minutes before the men all came inside. Danny put his hands on Rachel’s shoulders.
“You ready to go, baby? I’m sure Ashley needs to rest some, and it’s close to dinnertime now.”
“Okay.” She turned to Ashley. “I hope you’re on your feet soon and come visit me. We’ll be great friends, I’m sure.”
“Thanks for visiting with me. I was getting a little lonely for some female company,” Ashley said.
Boyd saw them out and locked the door behind them. Keeton bent down and kissed her, sucking her tongue inside his mouth for a thorough kiss before standing up again.
“I bet you’re hungry. Anything especially appetizing to you?” he asked.
“Nope, anything you fix will be fine with me.”
“Okay, I’ll whip something up and bring it to you.” He walked back into the kitchen, leaving Boyd in the living room with her.
Boyd picked up the books and sat them on the end table before picking her up and settling her in his lap. He kissed her cheek and pulled her back to lean against him.
“You okay, baby?” he asked after a few seconds.
“I’m fine other than wanting off this stupid couch.”
“Be honest with me, honey. Did Keeton hurt you? I don’t want to keep you sore.”
“Boyd, I would have made love with you if you had asked, or even acted like you wanted to. I’m not hurting at all.”
“Okay. It’s just that Keeton is a little rough. It’s just how he is.” Boyd wrapped his arms around her tighter.
“I like it a little rough evidently, ’cause I loved it,” she admitted.
“How much of that book have you read, Ashley?” he asked.
“Almost all of it. Why?” she asked.
“Just wondering.”
Ashley figured he was thinking about anal sex. Maybe they would start to prepare her tonight. She shivered in anticipation.
“Cold, baby?”
“Just a little,” she lied.
He wrapped her tighter and kept her against him.
“Okay, you two. Dinner is ready. Boyd, bring her to the table. I think she can sit up for dinner tonight.” Keeton’s voice sounded strained.
Ashley worried that he might have overheard their conversation.
Boyd picked her up and carried her to the table for dinner. They all sat down and ate. After dinner, Keeton did the dishes and Boyd carried her upstairs to have a bath.
“Let’s take the bandage off and see how it looks tonight. If it is clean looking, we’ll leave it off to get some air. Still no getting it wet. He said several days.” Boyd removed the bandage and nodded.
“Looks good. I think we can leave it off.”
He ran the bath and then settled her in it with her leg on a towel on the edge of the tub.
“There, are you comfortable?” he asked.
“I’m fine. I’ll bathe, then call you when I’m ready to get out.”
“Okay, I’m going to take a shower. Keeton should be up before long to shower as well.” Boyd bent down and kissed her, and then began undressing.
Ashley watched him. She admired his body and enjoyed looking at it. He was built like a Greek god. When he bent over to finish taking his jeans off, she wished she was closer so she could pinch his ass.
As if knowing what she was thinking, he quickly turned around and watched her with raised eyebrows.
“Were you looking at my ass?”
“Maybe.” She grinned mischievously.
“You’re insatiable.” He walked back and thoroughly kissed her before heading for the shower.
When he was finished, he checked with her to see if she was ready.
“I’m still soaking. I’ll be ready to get out in a little while.”
“Just call out and one of us will come get you,” Boyd told her.
She leaned back against the back of the tub to wait on Keeton to show up. When he did, he seemed unusually quiet. He smiled at her and pulled out a towel to dry her with.
“You ready to get out now?” he asked.
“I probably should. I’ve been in here long enough now that my skin is wrinkling. I’ll look like an old woman.”
“Naw, you look like you with wrinkly skin.” Keeton helped her out of the tub then began drying her off.
He picked her up and carried her to the bed. Boyd threw back the covers so that Keeton could settle her in next to him.
“I’m going to shower now. I’ll be back in a few.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Go to sleep, baby. You’ve had a busy day.”
“Hurry back, Keeton. I don’t want to go to sleep yet.” She yawned, then frowned when both men laughed at her.
She was determined to stay awake until Keeton returned from showering, but try as she might, she couldn’t keep her eyes open past Boyd’s searing good-night kiss.
“If I didn’t know how tired you have to be, I would be insulted at your lack of response to my kiss, baby.”
She yawned again and cursed. “I haven’t done anything but lie around. I shouldn’t be this tired.”
“Go to sleep, Ashley. Tomorrow is another day.”
Ashley closed her eyes for just a second and it lasted the rest of the night.
* * * *
“It’s been a freaking week! I can walk by myself now. My leg is healed up and I can get it wet. I need to be out planting the garden. Come on, Boyd. You know I’m right.” Ashley glared up at the two men.
Ashley felt ridiculous sitting on the couch with her hands on her hips. It was nearly impossible to make a point sitting down while two six-foot-plus men stood towering over you.
“She has a point, Keeton. The doc did say she could get back to her normal duties after a few days. It’s been seven.” Boyd winced at Keeton’s angry expression.
“Hell, all right. We have the fence up around most of the area. Give her a gun and make sure she can use it. We only have one more day of working on the fence before we have to start working on the ranch anyway. She’ll be alone while we’re out on the ranch.” Keeton wasn’t happy at all.
Ashley bit back a smile. She didn’t want to push her luck with Keeton. He hadn’t been in a good mood for several days. Neither had he fucked her. She’d stopped asking. Something was wrong and she needed to figure out what it was.
“Is there a book?” she asked.
“A book for what?” Keeton asked, frowning.
“On how to shoot a gun?”
“Aw, fuck. Boyd!”
“I’ll teach her, Keeton. You go on and get to work on the fence. I’ll be out there in thirty minutes or so.” Boyd held out his hand for Ashley to take, and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s get you some work clothes on.”
Ashley waited only long enough for Keeton to walk out the back door before she threw her arms around Boyd and kissed him hard on the mouth.
“Thank you so much, Boyd.”
“Just do us both a favor and don’t get hurt. Keeton will have my ass if you do.”
“Why is he treating me so different, Boyd? What did you say to him?”
“Nothing, Ashley. He’s just moody sometimes. He’ll be okay in a few days.” He followed her upstairs to change into work clothes.
Once she was dressed, they walked outside and he set up a few cans for targets and went over the basics of gun safety with her.
“Remember, this is the safety. Leave it on at all times unless you are ready to shoot something.” Boyd had her demonstrate how to load and unload the gun, then how to use the safety.
By the time they got around to actually shooting, Ashley was comfortable with the gun. She followed Boyd’s directions and managed to hit the post the cans were on, just not the cans. They practiced for a few more minutes, and then Boyd pronounced her gun safe.
“Keep it with you everywhere you go outside. If you need help for any reason, fire the gun up in the air and one or both of us will come running, okay?”
“Okay. I’ve got it. Go on and help Keeton. I have some planting to do today.” Ashley could hardly wait to get out with the seeds and garden tools.
She hesitated at the cellar, but took the gun with her and listened when she opened the trap door. There were no sounds of scurrying feet, so she climbed down the ladder and flipped on the light. The room looked empty. She hurried over to the storage bins with the seeds and pulled out her list of what she planned to plant that day.
By the time she had everything that she needed in order in front of the tilled dirt, she was about worn out. She hadn’t done anything in over a week to have much strength. She took a quick break to drink some tea and go over her garden plans once again. Once she had rested, Ashley started making holes, adding seeds, and covering them up. She managed two rows before she had to stop and take a break again.
She was still planting when Boyd and Keeton walked up late in the afternoon. She looked up and smiled at them.
“I’m almost finished! Woo-hoo!” She laughed and threw herself into Keeton’s arms. He barely caught her.
“Watch out, I nearly dropped you,” he said with a frown.
“You would never drop me, Keeton.” She gave him a fierce kiss, then jumped down and went back to planting.
“How long before you’re ready to come inside?” Boyd asked.
She looked at her plans and shrugged. “Maybe another thirty minutes. I’ll fix dinner as soon as I finish this row.”
“Boyd, you stay out here with her. I’ll fix sandwiches for us. She’s tired. She isn’t going to feel like cooking tonight.” Keeton walked off, leaving her staring after him.
“Don’t mind him, baby. He’s just tired, too. We finally got the fence finished around the entire house and garden.”
“That’s great. Nothing should be able to come in now, right?”
“Right, but you always keep that gun with you no matter what.” Boyd shook his finger at her.