On My Own [Liberty, Wyoming 2] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) Read online

  “But I—”

  Clay spoke close to her ear. “There are no buts. Do you trust us?”

  Isabel tiled her head to the side to see Clay’s face. “Yes,” she said softly but with conviction.

  Clay nodded. “That’s good, honey. Now trust us to deal with your situation.”

  Isabel looked back at Royce. “And what exactly am I supposed to do?”

  “Everything you’re doing now. The only difference is you’ll be living here.”

  Isabel once again struggled to pry Clay’s arm off. “No. Absolutely not.”

  Royce’s eyes narrowed, and his grip lowered to curve around the back of her neck. “Why?”

  “We’ve only just met.”

  “We’d be able to guard you better out here. Besides, just because you’re living with us doesn’t mean something is going to happen.” Clay used his free hand to caress her hip, hoping that would soothe her.

  Isabel rolled eyes and snorted. “Yeah, right. I think I’m perfectly safe in town. There are always people around.”

  “What about at night?” Royce bit out in frustration.

  “Listen. I let you take my ca—”

  Royce’s eyebrows lifted. “Let?”

  Isabel let a soft growl slid from her throat at the interruption but continued. “—car, now you have to give me something. For right now, I’d like to stay in the apartment.”

  Royce and Clay shared tense looks. “Okay, Isabel. But if there is any whiff or possibility of trouble, you and Tommy will be out here so quick your heads will spin. Are we agreed?” They decided not to tell her about the outside cameras and security guy they put on the apartment at night. That was the only way they let her have her way. For now.

  Isabel shoulders dropped in relief and nodded. “Yeah, I got it.” She would stop at the gas station. They would know where her car went. It wasn’t much, but the little bit of money she had left and a few pictures of her husband were tucked under the dash. She always took Evan’s picture out when she felt she couldn’t go on. Just looking at him gave her strength. She wondered what he would have thought about her with these two men. Would he approve? She wanted to think that as long as she and Tommy were safe and happy, he would.

  There was no way she let the pictures go. It was her only link right then to Evan except for the memories, and she tried not to think of them too much for fear she’d shatter at what she had lost. She had no options. She would do whatever needed to be done, to protect her son.

  Chapter Twelve

  A few weeks passed. Isabel had every day of the week scheduled. Most of the week was spent at Royce’s and Clay’s house. A few of those days she cleaned, the rest she made meals for the men or played with Tommy. Two days a week she spent at the Collins Ranch helping their housekeeper, Gina. One day a week she helped Carol make bread as part of her rent. Isabel had argued that it wasn’t fair, that she shouldn’t have part of her rent paid for helping a friend, but Carol won. She complained about how her back had been injured and hurt, and it was a godsend to get help.

  Isabel wasn’t quite sure she believed Carol. There had been a twinkle in her eye she couldn’t hide when she’d said it, and there was no evidence to show she’d injured her back. She let it go because she knew her company was welcomed, she had so much to thank this woman for, and it made Carol happy.

  While she was at the diner, one of the men took Tommy so he wouldn’t get bored, and she liked how bonded they had become spending so much time together.

  They ate every meal together, lunch and supper at home at the ranch. They would meet for breakfast at the café. She wasn’t blind to the fact her belongings were slowly moving to the ranch, and they were spending more and more time there.

  Isabel had given in on so many things. One was they were driving her around. She actually liked knowing someone was with her who could deal with something that happened. Every time they took them home at night, the whole ride into town, they’d ask her to move out to the ranch with them.

  “I don’t want to start something until my situation is settled,” she would argue. Both men would frown but not say another word. She knew she didn’t have long before they just moved them, and she’d have to accept it because she knew deep down she really wanted it.

  Isabel enjoyed going to the Collins Ranch more since Sara, their new nanny, moved there to take care of their daughter, Callie. They had become fast friends, and the children had already grown close.

  Late in the afternoon one day, Isabel came in the kitchen door and stopped short. Both men stood with their arms crossed. Royce was leaning against the cupboards, and Clay stood in the doorway with his legs spread. She sat down her purse and truck keys. “Now I know I’m not late, Carol and I were done early, so what’s the problem? It’s not Tommy, is it? Where is he?”

  “No, this is not about Tommy, and he’s at the Collins’.” Her gaze swung to the doorway when Clay spoke. “We got a call from our brother.”

  A frown puckered her brows. “Your brother? What for?”

  “We talked to him about your situation.”

  Isabel took an instinctive step toward her purse. Her first thought was to protect Tommy, and that meant running again. Then she stopped abruptly. “How much does he know?”

  Royce walked to her and slid an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “Not a lot yet, but we’re going to have to talk to him soon, honey. You can trust him.”

  “He told us there had been two men spotted around town that he doesn’t know.” Clay gritted his teeth as he watched the color leach from her face. They didn’t want to scare her. Dylan thought they might just be fishermen on vacation, but until he got a fix on the men, they weren’t taking a chance. They would do whatever they had to shield Isabel and Tommy from harm.

  The inquiries Dylan tried to make with his contacts around the country hadn’t panned out yet, so they still didn’t know much more about her situation, and they were still waiting for Dylan’s tech guy to get back with them with the number off the phone.

  It drove them crazy that she was still hesitant giving them all her information. Even with the trust they’d built, there was a part of her that was still afraid and a part that wanted to protect them. Without being able to get her full name or where she was from, there was little they could do without running the risk of Allister finding her.

  “We are going to move you and Tommy home here.” Royce waited for the fight, but she stood for several moments staring at the floor.

  Isabel lifted her head looked at first one then the other man. She nodded her head. “Okay. I get it, and I’m certainly not going to take a chance with Tommy life. When do you want me to move?”

  Royce raised his brows and snorted then looked at his brother before he smiled at her. It was cute she thought she had a choice. “It’s done already. We went to the apartment and got everything that was yours, and for now, we have you in the master bedroom and Tommy down the hall next to Clay.”

  Isabel looked in shock at first one and then the other man with her hands planted on her hips. “That was my choice to be made, not yours. You guys will have got to stop making decisions for me. You’re going to push me too far someday. And it’s ridiculous to put me in that room. The room is huge, and I definitely don’t need all that space. I can take one of the smaller rooms.”

  “It’s too bad about choices.” Clay shrugged arrogantly. “But we’ll do whatever it takes to keep you two safe. And about the bedroom, also, not your choice. Royce and I want you in there, so that’s where you’ll be.”

  A spark lit in her narrowed eyes. Isabel crossed her arms and gritted her teeth, trying to hold back the temper she could feel brewing in her. “You know, you assholes aren’t always going to get your way. Right?” She squeaked and took a quick step back when Royce straightened and started for her. She backpedaled until her back hit the wall by the door. She held her arms out and swallowed. “Wait.”

  Royce lifted her up and pinned her against the w
all with his pelvis. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist. He moved both of her hands up the wall over her head and pinned them there with one hand. His other tilted her head back before his mouth slammed down on hers.

  Clay moved to the side to better see them. “Fuck, that’s hot.”

  Isabel didn’t hear him. Her whole focus was on the way Royce was making her feel. She pushed her pussy repeatedly again the bulge in his jeans, trying to gain enough friction for the orgasm that was just out of reach. Every time she tried to get her hands loose, he would tighten his grip, sending her arousal higher.

  Royce ripped his mouth away. “It’s all right, baby. Relax and let us make you feel good.” Isabel mewled in the back of her throat, which he took as agreement, because his lip dove for hers again, tangling his tongue with her.

  She relaxed back against the wall and let herself go, to feel, for just a short time. Isabel knew it was a matter of time before they finally took her and made her their woman. She saw it in their eyes. Every day, their eyes grew more heated and more intensely possessive and domineering.

  She’d been holding them off. Partly because of Evan’s death. She didn’t know if she really had time enough to grieve for him because of running from Allister. Before Royce and Clay, it was only late at night, after Tommy had been asleep, she gave in to the deep feelings of grief and despair. She wanted to shield her son from as much negativity as she could. The boy had lost his father, a few months after that, he lost his mother for a time, and then they had to run, so he lost the only home he’d ever known. She concentrated on making every day a good one for Tommy. Going to movies, libraries, parks, and games to entertain him and keep his mind off his loss. No one was there to keep her mind off her loss, so she survived day by day. When did you know you were ready to move on?

  The other part was afraid if it didn’t work out between them, it would further destroy what little mental and physical strength she had left to care for her and her son.

  But her body demanded, just needed, a little more of the intense feelings they were pulling from her at that moment to make her feel alive and like a woman for the first time in months.

  Royce continued to eat at her mouth and at the same time pressed his erection into the junction of her thighs. He lifted his head. A surge of heat raced through him at the sight of her red swollen lips and passion-dazed eyes.

  Isabel licked her lips nervously and trembled against his chest. Her breaths came fast and hard. Both of them crowded her, making her feel completely vulnerable and feminine while their shoulders blocked out the light coming through the window above the sink in the kitchen.

  “It’s my turn,” Clay said and pulled her out of Royce’s arms with ridiculous ease and pinned her against the same wall. His mouth crashed down, and his tongue dove into the depths of her mouth, tasting as much of her as he could.

  He tipped his head back as his breath rasped in and out of his lungs. “God, you smell fucking fantastic. I can’t wait to get my mouth on you. I know you’re going to taste like sweet, warm honey. I’m hungry just thinking about it.”

  Isabel’s head flung back, hitting the wall behind her. A bolt of pleasure unlike she’d ever known shot through her.

  One of Clay’s hands was around her waist, and the other inched up and engulfed her small breast as his thumb rasped over her nipple, sending shards of pleasurable agony to her very core. He needed her under him, making all the feminine sounds she made when she was being pleasured. He just knew when they both finally got to take her at the same time, her breathy little sounds would be much louder and likely drive them crazy.

  Isabel couldn’t catch her breath. A kaleidoscope of colors and feelings were ripping through her.

  Clay turned his head to seal their lips tighter together, thrusting his tongue in a move that personified the act of intercourse. His hand slid down and then under her shirt, tugging her bra up and out of the way of his exploration.

  The heat from his hand shocked her and brought her back to the present. Isabel tore her mouth from his and turned it to the side. “Clay, no.”

  Clay’s lips detoured and moved south, licking and biting at her neck and what he could reach of her shoulders.

  Royce slapped a hand down on his brother’s shoulder. “Clay. She wants you to stop. You need to let her go.”

  Clay raised his head and stared down at the woman who was changing their lives. The distraught look on her face didn’t sit well with him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Isabel pushed at his chest. When he took a step back, she adjusted her bra and shirt before raising her gaze to his. Her heart flipped at the concerned look on his face. “You didn’t scare me, Clay. It’s just too soon for where this was headed.”

  Clay’s fingers speared through her hair, keeping her between him and the wall. “We would never hurt you. You know that, right?”

  She averted her eyes and nodded. “Yes, I do. It was just going faster than I was comfortable with.”

  Clay placed a hard kiss on her lips. “I know, honey, and I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable. But you need to come to grips with the fact that we will have you under and between us sooner rather than later.”

  Royce cupped her chin and turned her head toward him. “Clay’s right, sweetheart. We get you need to trust us and get to know us better before you can relax. We will give you a little time to adjust, and no matter what, we promise that we will always take care of you and Tommy.”

  “I think I hear a but in there?” Isabel asked suspiciously.

  “But we won’t stop touching you. Every chance we have we’ll have our hands and mouths on you.”

  “And if I wasn’t comfortable with that?”

  Clay turned her head back to him, his eyes piercing and assessing. “If you can tell me that right now your heart is not racing, your nipples aren’t hard as rocks, and your panties aren’t soaked, we’ll leave you be.”

  A tide of red crept up her face, and she bit her lip. Damn, they were too overconfident for their own good. Sometimes she wanted to slap the arrogance off their faces. Isabel’s chin went up. “My heart is calm, and my panties aren’t…” Before she drew in her next breath, Royce had his hand down her jeans and panties, and one of his fingers slid between her delicate lips, spearing up into her moist center.

  Royce bent forward and spoke softly into her ear. “Isabel. Don’t ever lie to us. We know exactly how your body is reacting at any given time. We know it from your nipples when they try to poke through your shirt, or the flush that covers your face, to the way you press your legs together trying to get relief from the soaking throb in your pussy.”

  Isabel’s head fell back against the wall as soft mewling sounds escaped from her throat, and her eyes slid closed as her breath puffed out of her lungs.

  “I think our woman likes her pussy touched and a little dirty talk.” Clay couldn’t prevent his hips from pressing into hers, which pressed his brother’s hand deeper between her legs, ripping a moan from her. Clay bent and sunk his teeth delicately into the sensitive area where her neck met her shoulder.

  Oh, God. Her body was tightening, begging for an orgasm. She cried out in frustration and anger when they both abruptly stopped their twin assaults on her body. They were playing with her. Trying to use her body against her.

  Royce slowly slid his hand out from her jeans.

  Her chest rose and fell as she panted for breath as she watched in a stupor and fascination as he brought his fingers up to his mouth and sucked her juices off them and groaning his pleasure.

  “Mmmmm. You’re delicious, baby. I can’t wait to get my mouth on you.”

  A moan slid from her throat as her body convulsed from the pleasure these men were giving her. Isabel wanted nothing more than to beg them to fuck her, to take her here against the wall. She opened her mouth to demand it until Royce spoke.

  “But we need to stop before this gets out of hand. Right, sweetheart?” Royce smiled at the dazed look in
her eyes. “Right, Isabel?”

  Isabel’s eyes slid shut again. Something in the cajoling tone of his voice made her start rationalizing. Were they manipulating her? If they were playing a game with her, she couldn’t let them get away with it. They’d gotten away with so much already. She needed to get it together and nodded her head. “Mmmm.”

  Both men gritted their teeth against their own driving need to take and possess her, and moved a step away, smiling when she groaned from the lack of contact with them, but kept their hands on her for support.

  Clay cupped her chin. “Isabel. Open your eyes.”

  She pulled in a deep breath and slid her eyes open to stare at him.

  Clay’s thumb slid back and forth over her delicate cheeks before moving to her lips and pressing with a gentle pressure. “We need to stop.”

  Isabel stood frozen. That was what she wanted, right?

  “Isabel. You want to stop, right? Because if this continues, we’ll have you naked on the bed with both of us on and in you.”

  The men watched as she slowly became physically aware.

  Isabel took a deep breath and smoothed out her clothing. “Yes, we have to stop,” she whispered. She looked up at them as they stood side by side, both sporting grim, passion-filled faces. She took a sliding step sideways, walked into the living room, faced the window, and crossed her arms, aware they had followed her.

  “If this is going to work,” after a long moment of silence, she said and turned toward them, “you both need to give me some space.”

  Both men looked at each other. Royce spoke up. “We’ll give you all the space you need, sweetheart.” He took the few steps he needed to get to her and grasped her shoulders. “Everything is going to be okay. This will all work out. Let’s stop worrying about it for now, and let’s go get Tommy and tell him the good news.”

  Isabel watched them walk to the door and rolled her eyes behind their backs. Yeah, right. Once again, they were getting their way, and she didn’t like it one damn bit. She had to find ways to get around their arrogance because she certainly wasn’t going to give in to them all the time.