Two Dude Ranchers for Dawn [Cowboy City 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (7 page)

Julie tossed her hair over her shoulder, no doubt aware of the impact it seemed to have on the men around her. “Oh, I forgot about that. Yes, I’d love to come.” She turned to Dawn, her eyes bright with excitement. “You wanna come, too?”

Brett gave a little cough. “Thing is, I think Garrett and Ben want to have a word with your friend.

We can wait until they’re finished talking, if you want.”

Dawn’s stomach hit her boots at the thought of confronting the men as everyone turned to look at her, waiting her reply. Julie probably didn’t want a third wheel tagging along, and Dawn definitely didn’t want Brett, Cody, or Mike to think she was coming along to hook up with one of them. And, no matter how much she wanted to avoid it, she was gonna have to deal with Garrett and Ben sooner or later.

She turned to Julie. “You gonna be okay on your own?”

“Of course. “

“The barn’s just over yonder, Ma’am.” Brett gestured toward the far corner of the ranch with his hat. “We won’t be going far.”

Dawn stifled a sigh, realizing her last excuse to avoid dealing with the question that had been taunting her all night had just dried up. “You guys go ahead. Don’t forget to take some pictures.”

Julie slid out of the seat, grinned at Dawn and turned to walk away with the guys. Dawn couldn’t help but smile as she saw them tripping over themselves to offer Julie their arm. She resolved to keep her gaze fixed on them until they disappeared from view and she was left with no choice but to meet Garrett’s penetrating stare, but she never got the chance. Her vision was blocked, almost instantly, by two large bodies stepping into her field of vision, one wrapped in chambray, the other in white cotton.

“Hi, Dawn.”

“Garrett. Ben. How’s it going?” She looked up at the men, sparing the big one only a glance. Ben seemed like the safer option right about now.

“Good. You?”

“Fine.”

She bit her lip and fought the heat rising in her cheeks when she saw Garrett smile at her choice of words. Why did she turn into a dork whenever he was around? Why wasn’t he more easygoing, like Ben? If he were, she’d probably take them up on their offer in a heartbeat. But there was something about Garrett that made her nervous. He rarely smiled, and those green eyes of his seemed to look right through her. Maybe that was it? Maybe she couldn’t hide her feelings from him, and that’s what scared her.

Dawn swallowed down the last of her wine cooler to steel her nerves and gestured to the empty seats around her. “Please, feel free to join me.”

Garrett shook his head. “This isn’t exactly the best place to talk.”

“Oh, I guess not. Where do you suggest?”

“We could drive up to the ridge and watch the sunset. Do you like the sound of that?”

“That sounds wonderful but, I mean, is it a long way?”

“Only a mile or so. Tell you what, I’ll leave Ben here and go get the truck then meet you two out front. Meanwhile, you ring a friend and tell them where you’re going and who you’re going with.

Deal?”

“Deal.” Dawn smiled, touched that Garrett had sensed her nervousness at being alone with them in a strange place.

Five minutes later, Ben had followed her out of the front gate and urged her onto the long bench seat in the pickup truck. The seat was wide, but not wide enough to avoid touching them both. The guys rolled down their windows and hooked an arm over the ledge, as if trying to give her more space, but there was nothing they could do about their legs. Dawn could feel both of them pressing against her outer thighs from hip bone to knee and the heat radiating off them would have made her perspire without the tension sizzling through the air.

“It’s that hill there, see?” Garrett pointed to a high point on the horizon that looked almost close enough to touch. “We could have walked up there, but it’s dangerous ground to cover in darkness if you’re not familiar with it.”

“That’s okay.” Dawn tried to keep her voice light, desperate not to let them know that every bump and rut jolting the truck went right to her groin, causing a hot ache that left her suppressing a groan.

“I’m a little stiff from sitting on a horse all day anyway. I’m not sure I could handle walking a couple of miles tonight.”

Ben rubbed her briefly on the shoulder with the hand he’d been resting on the seat behind her head. “If you’re not up for it, we could do it tomorrow night? That’s if you’ve got nothing planned?”

“No, I’m f—I’m okay.” A deep chuckle rumbled through Garrett’s chest and Dawn grinned. “I’m buying a thesaurus when I get back to New York. My vocabulary is a lot more limited than I realized.”

“Your vocabulary is fine.”

Dawn laughed out loud, as did Garrett, and it took Ben a couple of seconds to realize what he’d said, but then he laughed, too.

“Okay, hang on tight.” Garrett jerked on the steering wheel, finding a track Dawn hadn’t seen was there, and flooring the truck to get it up the steep incline. Once they breached the top of the hill, a huge valley bathed in amber light opened up before them.

“Oh my God!” The view almost took Dawn’s breath away.

“You wait. It gets better. In a few minutes, you’ll see the sky turn red, gold, pink, even purple.”

Ben leapt out of the truck and held out his hand, urging her to follow. “There’s a fallen tree just over yonder. It’s our favorite place to sit and watch the sun go down.”

Dawn followed him across the clearing to the tree, waiting while he spread the blanket he’d brought from the truck over the rough bark and then joining them as they sat down on the tree trunk, leaving a space between them for her. She was spellbound by the way the light made everything look so magical. Her vision got a little misty as her eyes filled with tears. She knew she’d never forget this moment as long as she lived.

“Pretty special, huh?”

Garrett’s voice jerked Dawn out of her stupor. “You can say that again. I’ve never seen anything so gorgeous.”

“Me neither.”

His tone made her turn and meet his gaze, and she felt as much as saw the way he was looking at her. The soft, amber glow of the sunset was reflected in his eyes, making them blaze in his handsome face.

She swallowed hard, reluctant to spoil the moment and say what she knew she should. “Garrett.

I’m sorry but—”

“Let’s talk in a minute, okay? You don’t want to miss the best part just after the sun disappears behind the mountains.”

Dawn blew out a shaky breath, relieved rather than annoyed that he’d stopped her. If she was so sure that she wanted to turn them down, why was saying it proving to be so hard?

Because I don’t want to turn them down. That’s why.

Her stomach dropped at the thought and she pushed it away, unwilling, or maybe just unable, to deal with what it might mean. “What are those mountains called?”

“The Superstitions.” Ben’s voice held the same husky timbre as Garrett and Dawn fought the urge to look his way, certain she would moan in agony if his eyes were full of the same naked lust as Garrett’s had been.

“Oh, I’ve heard about those. Some Native Americans used to believe Superstition Mountain held the entrance to the underworld, didn’t they?”

“So I hear, but they must be wrong. It’s too beautiful for that.”

“I agree.”

Silence descended as the sun put on a dazzling finale, setting the sky on fire with all of the colors Ben had promised and more. Dawn sat transfixed, her attention so preoccupied by the sight laid out before her that she wasn’t aware she was holding hands with Garrett and Ben until he pulled away and got to his feet. She felt the loss instantly, and it doubled when Garrett let go, too.

She stood up, sad that the moment had passed and acutely aware that she would probably never experience anything like it ever again.

“Thank you. So much.” Her voice trembled as tears threatened again and she lunged forward without giving herself time to question what she was doing. Dawn threw her arms around Garrett’s neck, reaching up on tiptoe to bury her face in his shoulder.

He groaned at the contact and she tried to pull away but his arms locked around her torso, holding her close. Dawn jerked her head back and looked up into his face, scared and excited at the same time by the naked hunger she saw in his eyes.

“Jesus, Dawn. Do you have any idea how badly I want to kiss you?”

Her gaze dropped to his mouth and she saw rather than heard the gentle curse that escaped from his lips as he lowered his head. She felt his warm breath caress her face as he drew nearer, and then he was kissing her. The second their lips met, Dawn sagged against him, sinking into his strength while pressing her body closer. Garrett’s hand moved up to the nape of her neck, and he slid his fingers into her hair, grabbing a handful and tilting her head to one side so he could deepen the kiss. His tongue surged into her mouth and she sucked on it eagerly, moaning as a hard pulse of desire tore through her body.

A hand on her shoulder began to rub deep, soothing circles on her flesh, and she groaned in pleasure. It took Dawn a second to realize that, unless Garrett had sprouted another hand to go along with the one that was in her hair and the other that was pressing into the small of her back, it wasn’t his.

Her insides convulsed at the thought of Ben touching her in the same way, and she pulled away from Garrett and turned around in his arms to face the other man, but he didn’t move.

“Ben?” His hesitation confused her, and a niggle of doubt wormed its way into her brain.

He stared down at her, a question lingering in his eyes, and Dawn knew he wouldn’t make a move until he knew it was okay. She reached up to him, feeling his bristle tickle her palm as she cupped his face in her hands and dragged his mouth down to meet hers. Any breath or willpower she had left disappeared when his lips met hers. What Garrett had in raw sex appeal, Ben equaled with technique.

He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and grazed his teeth over it gently, leaving her trembling with need, desperate for him to kiss her properly. Ben didn’t keep her waiting and covered her mouth as his hands latched onto her hips and he pulled her roughly against him. Dawn felt the hard ridge of his erection press against her and she ground against it, reveling in the guttural groan she forced out of him.

Garrett’s hands began to move from where they rested at her waist, sliding up her torso to cup her breasts. She could feel the heat of his skin through the cotton of the shift dress she’d thrown on after her shower earlier, and she tore her mouth from Ben’s to lean back against Garrett and allow him greater access.

Dawn felt Ben lean closer, and she opened her eyes, expecting to find him ready to kiss her again, but it wasn’t her he wanted to kiss. It was Garrett. Dawn tilted her head to watch as the two men kissed each other with a ferocious hunger she was envious of. They were as hot for each other as they were for her, and Dawn had never seen anything so erotic.

The desire to be part of the sizzling connection between them made her reach back and cup Garrett’s rock-hard bulge just at the very moment she pressed her palm against Ben’s erection. Their reactions were instant and very satisfying. Garrett threw his head back and let out a grunt of pleasure, while Ben cupped her face in his hands again and kissed her as he thrust into her palm.

Dawn felt a breeze caress her heated flesh, and she looked down to find Garrett unbuttoning her dress. He nipped the skin at the side of her torso as he reached down to undo the last button at her mid-thigh and thrust the fabric aside, sliding his palms over her flesh as he stood again. His fingers nudged under the band of her bra, and he yanked it over her breasts, freeing her aching nipples.

Ben stopped kissing her and let his eyes roam over her half-naked body, smiling to himself as if it made him happy to look at her. His gaze met hers again, and she fought to keep her eyes open as she felt him trail a fingertip inside the lace trim of her panties. Ben bit on his lip as he burrowed deeper into her underwear, and she felt his knuckles brush her mound before he turned his hand over and slid his fingertips over her hot, throbbing clit.

Her knees gave way and she began to sink to the ground until Garrett’s grip on her tightened. She felt his bristled jaw brush over the tender skin of her shoulder and then his mouth latched onto her neck, adding a new and dizzying aspect to the sensations already assaulting her.

The fingers teasing and pulling at her bud slid further between her legs and Dawn felt a gentle nudge at the entrance to her pussy. She spread her thighs wider, aware she’d never been so hot for anyone or so desperate to be touched. Ben thrust his fingers inside her, and she clutched at his hand, urging him deeper. Her clit made contact with the base of his thumb and Dawn thrust against it, jerking forward again and again, unable to control herself. She felt Ben’s hair trail over the skin on her upper chest and then his face replaced Garrett’s hand on one of her breasts as he sucked a nipple into his mouth.

She wasn’t aware of Garrett until she felt him yank her panties away from her butt and thrust his hand between the cheeks of her ass. He didn’t hesitate long enough for her to wonder what he was going to do, and slid the tip of his finger inside her anus. Dawn’s legs give way again as she let out a whimper, and she reached up to grab a handful of Garrett’s hair and pulled as hard as she could, wanting him closer. She felt Ben’s mouth trail down over her torso toward her groin, and she began to jerk between the two men, desperate for whatever they wanted to do to her.

Dawn heard the tear of fabric and then her leg was over Ben’s shoulder and his hot, moist mouth latched on to her clit. She let out a savage sound that was half-scream, half-moan.