Cowboy Outcasts Page 9

  Having Hailey enter their darkly masculine world, rarely treaded on by outsiders, was a unique gift. She was unique, intelligent, and appeared to care about their plight.

  “Get ready for me,” he said. Hailey was the picture of innocence, which only aroused him more. The women he tangled with left much to be desired. Hailey was everything he never expected to attain in a partner.

  “Yes,” she said, her breathing heavy. She was close, her cries becoming louder the longer Callum worked her over his cock.

  Arden made sure he was thoroughly lubricated before pushing the head of his cock against her tight asshole. The fact she was willing to accept both of them, two men nobody else wanted, made his heart swell.

  “You’re fucking tight, baby girl.” He definitely didn’t want to hurt her. She trusted them and he wouldn’t break that confidence. And if he ever wanted to double-team her with Callum again, she needed to remember this day fondly. “Tell me how you feel.”

  “Oh God… I feel so full.”

  “That’s because there’re two cocks inside you.” He’d only entered her an inch, the worst of the experience. Once she stretched wide enough, there would be no discomfort. “Relax and take it all.”

  He braced one knee on the sofa as he attempted to force more of his cock into her tight ass. Callum’s erection was a roadblock he had to slide against to fill her, only a thin membrane separating them. The resulting snugness nearly made him come on the spot.

  “I love you, darlin’,” said Callum. His brother had committed body and soul. He prayed this little angel wasn’t a devil in disguise. Good things were a rarity in their lives.

  Once he was fully seated, he exhaled. He was using immeasurable control to go slow for her first ménage. There was no way she’d had a man before Callum.

  “Hurry up, Arden. I can’t hold off much longer,” said Callum, working with him to piston in and out of her body like a finely tuned machine.

  They fucked her hard, thrusting in her pussy and ass. She contracted around Arden’s cock in spontaneous bursts. It wouldn’t be much longer for her. He toyed with her tits from behind, rolling her nipple against the pad of his finger.

  “I–I can’t take it anymore,” she said.

  “Then let it all go. Come for us,” said Arden.

  She could scarcely speak, her breathing heavier than an athlete’s. “I can’t…”

  “Come!” he demanded, his cock swelling inside her. He was about to release when she detonated. Her ass clamped down hard, waves of contractions following. He spilled inside her, his orgasm nearly blinding, lingering on and on and on.

  She screamed, the desperate sound testament to a positive experience. He kissed her shoulder blade as he carefully slipped out of her ass.

  He felt uniquely vulnerable, his emotions all over the place. Arden decided to leave the two lovebirds alone while he made a quick exit.

  ****

  “Hunting hogs again?” asked Arden. He led his horse behind him, his spurs chiming with each step. The underbrush parted as he approached.

  “Shhh,” she said. “I’m testing something new. It uses sound waves.” Well over a month had gone by since their ménage was solidified. Their lives meshed into one effortlessly.

  Hailey had been staking out the edge of the forest all morning. She knew the hog trails and feeding grounds. It was only a matter of time until one of her theories panned out.

  He sauntered around the area, finally leaning against a tree. Arden chewed on a piece of wheat, watching her. He only wore a pair of worn Wranglers and an unbuttoned plaid shirt. The strength of the sun didn’t reach them under the forest canopy. It was cooler here than out in the fields, a private place she learned to appreciate. The solitude and sounds of nature were soothing.

  “Interesting.” He smirked. Hailey knew he wasn’t interested in the intricacies of her research. But he’d taken time out of his daily duties to stop by and see her. Coming from Arden, it meant a lot.

  “Sure, Arden.” She smiled back, her body sizzling just from his proximity. He looked at her with those narrowed blue eyes, nearly bringing her to her knees.

  “I’m here to help, baby girl. Use me any way you see fit.”

  She had many inappropriate ideas, but pushed them away. Tonight she’d have both her cowboys at her disposal. “Can you hang this up in that branch?” She passed him one of the recorders she used to emit the signals.

  As he reached up, there was a rustling in the branches to their left. It was a wild boar. She immediately jumped behind Arden, her fear of the beasts just as strong as when one nearly attacked her.

  “Relax. I won’t let it hurt you. You want me to kill it?”

  “No,” she snapped. “Just…just scare it away.”

  Arden ran through the underbrush towards the hog, yelling and stomping his feet. The animal took off, scampering away faster than it appeared. Arden looked comical, making light of her fears.

  “That work for you, sugar?” He had a healthy glow, the smile transforming his face. In the last couple months he’d transformed from an aloof drunk to a committed rancher. He made small gestures each day, the same as Callum. They made her feel like a princess.

  “I guess.” She stepped closer, unable to keep her distance. Just one touch.

  “I think you’ve had enough research for one day. Come home with me.”

  “Later. I’m so close.”

  He shook his head. “Wrong answer.” He bent over and tossed her over his shoulder, smacking her ass. “You have to learn balance. Time for work and time for play.”

  “And I’m guessing you want to play?”

  “I just saved your life, darlin’. I should get a little something, no?”

  “Fine, I’ll suck your cock. Then you have to let me be for a couple hours.”

  He set her down on her feet. “Deal.” He kissed her, a kiss so passionate, her folds instantly moistened.

  In the shadows of leafy lacework, she dropped to her knees and unzipped his Wranglers. She loved being his one and only, the woman he came to when he had urges. His cock was beautiful, her own personal play thing—and she had two. Hailey wrapped her lips around him, savoring his guttural sounds. He held her hair, guiding her over his thick erection.

  “Good girl,” he said. “I’ll pay you back tonight. I can’t wait to suck your sweet, little pussy.” His words spurred her on. She took him deeper, faster, gagging slightly from his size. He smelled like his musky cologne and horses. The cool, damp earth penetrated the knees of her jeans, but she didn’t falter until he released in her mouth. He loved it when she swallowed him so she obliged him, licking her lips when she was through.

  ****

  “I’ve got it!” Hailey shouted, as she ran out to Callum’s pickup truck. He was just about to head into town to pick up supplies at the general store—sugar, coffee, salt, and he wanted to get something pretty for Hailey.

  She climbed up the running board and leaned into the open window.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I’ve done it. I’ve solved the hog problem.” She spoke so fast, he had difficulty understanding her. “It may have taken me longer than expected, but I did it.”

  She was as giddy as a schoolgirl, her smile contagious. What he initially expected to take a couple of weeks, took two months. He never questioned her extended stay because he never wanted her to leave. She was his, the reason for him to get up in the morning. The thought of losing that joy was indigestible.

  “Tell me.”

  “I mixed two synthetic scent markers—bear and wolf. I marked the treeline of the field they love to dig up. And it worked!” She leaned in further and kissed him on the lips. “I’m just writing up my research report and proposal now.”

  “Proposal?”

  “For my grant. They have to fund my research now. Do you realize what this means?”

  It meant the dozens of farmers in the area, and hundreds in the neighboring communities, would have a safe, effective s
olution to the hog problem. It would keep them out of specific areas so farmers could be profitable once again. It also meant he could lose the best thing in his life. He was flooded with mixed feelings.

  Callum was happy for Hailey. She’d accomplished what she’d set out to do, and he was proud. But their relationship had grown and strengthened over the past couple months. He’d never seen his brother happier, and there was no more talk about leaving or following the circuit from Arden. It seemed they’d all found paradise in their own bubble of time and space away from the rest of the world. Would he lose it all now?

  “You did good, sweetheart.” He squeezed the steering wheel repeatedly, trying to stave off a full blown attack of his Tourette’s. Hailey was his rock, never judging, always understanding, even in the worst of circumstances. She made him feel normal, made him feel like a man. He couldn’t lose her.

  “You heading into town?”

  “I have a few supplies to get and I have to pick up Arden from the distribution center. He sold his bike, so he needs a ride home.”

  “Sold his bike? But he loved that motorcycle.”

  “People change. It was his decision.”

  Three, two, one. One, two, three. Three, two, one.

  She climbed into the passenger seat and they headed off to town. He wondered how long it would take her to write up her research papers. He hoped it took another two months but doubted it.

  The roads were dusty. So far the summer had been brutal, borderline drought conditions. “I’m mighty proud, Hailey. You worked hard to get those results. I never would have thought of half the things you tried.”

  “I just had to get into their heads, think like a boar. They’re territorial animals, and once they smelled the scent of a natural predator it warned them to stay away.”

  “Just brilliant, darlin’.” For once he sympathized with the hogs. His territorial nature was flaring within him, terrified to lose the woman he considered his.

  They first stopped off and picked up Arden. He slid into the passenger side, sandwiching her between them.

  “Why’d you do it, Arden? Why’d you sell your bike?”

  He kissed her forehead, not answering her question.

  “You loved that bike,” she said, not letting the topic drop.

  “It was just a thing. Things can be replaced. People can’t.” Arden cupped her cheek, kissing her lips. “I have something to think about besides myself now.” She stopped challenging him and gave in to his ministrations.

  Their threesome was so natural. He never had an inkling of jealousy for his brother. Any other cowboy was another story entirely, and they both watched over her like hawks when they visited town. She belonged on the O’Shea Ranch and he never wanted that status to change.

  The general store was busier than usual. He guessed the customers were stocking up for the upcoming long weekend. Normally he’d drive away and come back when things were quieter, but that wasn’t easy to explain to Hailey. He didn’t want her to see him as different.

  She hooked arms with Arden as they entered the store. Callum came up the rear, cautious of his surroundings and fully aware that he had a new, aggressive vocal tic. It was loud, atypical, and difficult to control. He counted down from one hundred as he entered the store, anything to keep his mind occupied and off his Tourette’s. At least he had Arden and Hailey with him—his two rocks.

  He found the sugar on a back shelf and then the salt. Arden and Hailey found the rest.

  “Can we get some shampoo and conditioner?” she asked Arden when they approached the counter to pay. She’d run out of her girly supplies weeks earlier and had to use their masculine alternatives.

  “You get whatever you like, baby doll,” said Arden, all over her like white on rice. Neither of them could get enough of their little scientist. She wore a simple cotton dress today, accentuating her youthful beauty. Her dirty-blonde hair hung loose down her back, tucked behind her ears.

  There were people everywhere—beside him, behind him, scattered throughout the store. The cashier stared at him as if he was the son of Satan himself.

  “I need the strawberry shampoo…sh–ampoo…sh–ampoo…” Fuck, fuck, fuck. He couldn’t even function like a normal human being. He wanted to crawl into a hole and never emerge. The worst of it was Hailey watching him make a fool of himself, and he knew it was only the beginning. Now that he’d started a new tic, it wouldn’t let up, especially when he felt so stressed and under the microscope.

  “One strawberry shampoo and one conditioner, please,” said Hailey, her fingers closing around his hand. His throat clogged with emotion. How much could he love a woman?

  He could hear the whispers all around. Callum was used to it but wished he could be invisible to their gossip.

  After they’d paid, a man dressed in a casual suit stopped Hailey. He must have seen the whole display. “Long time no see,” he said. “I heard you were busy with your research.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll actually be sending in a new proposal soon. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised this time, Mr. Fischer.”

  “I look forward to it.” The older man eyed Callum and Arden skeptically and then went on his way. He’d managed to keep quiet while Hailey spoke with the man. He only wished he could fit into her world, be accepted by the people she respected. It would never be reality for him.

  They exited the store, starting the short walk to the truck.

  “Run while you can, darlin’. Get yourself a real man.” The voice originated from a group of three cowboys standing out front of the general store as they exited. Hailey ignored them. Callum ignored them. Arden didn’t.

  ****

  Hailey had wanted to hold onto Callum and never let go when they were in the store. He always struggled in public places and she wished she could shelter him from the world. It was the look of humiliation in his dark eyes that broke her heart. It wasn’t his fault. It was society that needed to be educated and more tolerant of others.

  It seemed every other time they came into town there was a confrontation of some sort. Callum usually withdrew into himself, more embarrassed than angry. Today they had Arden with them. The usually cool and controlled Irish cowboy lost it.

  He yanked off his plaid long-sleeved shirt, which he wore unbuttoned over his black tank top. He tossed it to the dusty sidewalk and stormed over to the group of men, not a hint of apprehension in his step.

  “What did you say to our woman?”

  “Our woman? You two wouldn’t know conventional if it dropped out of the sky and hit you on the head, would you?” the tallest man said.

  “You all need to fuck off and mind your own business. Last I heard this was still a free country.”

  “Arden…” she warned. Hailey didn’t want him to do anything he’d regret. The three cowboys leaning against the glass windows of the store looked unsavory.

  The tall man laughed, the other two following suit. “She even has to stick up for them. How pathetic can two men get? When are ya’ll going to realize you’re not wanted in these parts? We’re God-fearing citizens in this town.”

  Arden’s muscled flexed, his Celtic bands moving as his biceps shifted. She didn’t want him to get into trouble because of a few ignorant jerks.

  “You’ve never walked a mile in my shoes. God-fearing has nothing to do with it because He abandoned us long ago. So I have no reservations about fucking all three of you up.”

  “Just like your father,” said the man with the tan cowboy hat. He spat on the ground beside him. According to Arden and Callum, their parents were always outcast as the unwanted Irish immigrants. It seemed that hatred carried through the generations in the backwards little town.

  Arden charged forward, driving his fist into the gut of the cowboy. His body was lean and powerful, and as much as she was worried, she knew he’d come out on top.

  “Callum, do something!” she cried.

  He only shook his head. “He likes it, darlin’. Just leave him be.” Callum
wrapped his arm around her, keeping her safe and close. If things got out of hand, she knew Callum would step in. But if she knew Arden, and she did, he needed to let off the steam he’d been building up.

  A gunshot fired off, bringing the area to deafening silence. The small crowd that had gathered froze, and the vicious fight ceased. A lone cowboy with a pot belly stepped forward, holding his rifle in warning.

  “Why don’t you two get back to your God-forsaken ranch and stay out of town. You’re both nothing but trouble.”

  Arden picked up his shirt and black Stetson, swatting it across his jeans to clear the dust from the scuffle. “And a lovely day to you too, Mr. Anderson,” said Arden. As the three of them returned to the truck, he turned around. “And you ain’t the only one who knows how to use a rifle.” He winked mockingly.

  “Don’t aggravate him,” Callum said. “We’ve got what we need. No more trouble.”

  When they were out of sight and back at the truck, Arden slammed the heel of his hand against the side. “I can’t believe those assholes. They can’t leave well enough alone.”

  “You only encourage them by reacting,” she said.

  “How can I help it? They disrespected my brother and my woman. I won’t fucking have it!”

  His woman. The two words sounded like a dream. As much as the townspeople may reject Callum and Arden O’Shea, she felt like the luckiest woman in the world. Her men were drop-dead gorgeous, excellent lovers, attentive, loving, and fun to be with. She’d always been a loner herself, focused on her research, so living off the grid wouldn’t be a drastic change for her. If living on the fringe of society was a prerequisite for her ménage relationship, she’d gladly accept it. It was a small consolation to finding love in the arms of her two cowboy heroes.

  Chapter Eleven

  Hailey had all her papers together. She stuffed them into her knapsack and then pulled out of the driveway in her noisy old truck. With both men working together in the fields, she didn’t want to disturb them. After finally achieving her goal and pounding out the most convincing essay she could, the idea of waiting even another day to turn in her proposal wasn’t an option.