Bounty

14. Wisteria

Chapter Fourteen

WISTERIA

Colin changes me into one of his thermal shirts and a pair of leggings he found in my closet. His touch is gentle, soothing. Exactly what I need to come down from this living nightmare I suddenly find myself in.

I was unprepared for the farm’s reaction to my return. In the back of my mind, I knew it wouldn’t be a warm welcome, but some people seemed hostile about it. Jude and the guys must have thought so too. I’m not stupid—I know his proposal was a ploy to keep me safe, especially if his dad comes back. The minute he announced our engagement, it felt as if the barn walls were closing in on me. The whole thing seems obvious now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he planned it. But I’m still taken off guard.

I can’t marry Jude Harvest, even if everything he said about us at that pulpit was for show. Especially if what he said wasn’t for show.

That copper-haired man is impossible to predict, completely infuriating. I could never keep myself out of his orbit while we were growing up. He made it his mission to keep me close, to watch my every move and torture me. An almost-apology as an explanation from him and a declaration of feelings didn’t erase years of bullying.

I have no clue if his feelings are genuine, but mine unfortunately are. No matter how much I want to curse Jude’s name, I’ve always had feelings for him. Desires I buried deep because of who he was to me.

But he’s not my stepbrother anymore. He’s just a manipulative weight sitting on my chest, suffocating me.

“Hey, breathe,” Colin says as he tucks me in and scoots under the covers behind me. He pulls me into a tight hold, until there’s no space between my back and his front. “I can hear you thinking.”

“Did you know about this beforehand?” I’m almost afraid to ask, but I need to know.

“Honestly, it was discussed as a possible plan, a backup of sorts. It’s not my favorite way, but I understand why Jude did it. It doesn’t change how I feel about you, or the fact that you belong to me—to all of us.”

My heart breaks. It seems everyone knew but me. They decided about my safety—my life—and never included me. The conversation we had in Jude’s office must have been for show.

Of the three, Colin had always been able to see through me the best. He knows I’m upset. His fingers sneak under my shirt, trailing along my stomach as they soothe me.

“I’m not sorry, little flower. I’ll never apologize for protecting you.”

Do you, Father Jude Harvest, take Wisteria Jean Flowers to be your wife, the embodiment of your love and faith’s bounty? To have and to hold, to care for in sickness and in health, in good and bad seasons, in this life and the next?”

“I do.” Jude looks ever the villain in a sharp black suit, and green bowtie. He smiles at me as his black pupils overtake his irises, making them appear hollow. I feel them sucking my life away, leaving behind a darkness that will only ruin me.

“Do you, Wisteria Jean Flowers, take Father Jude Harvest to be your husband, the embodiment of your love and faith’s bounty? To have and to hold, to care for in sickness and in health, in good and bad seasons, in this life and the next?”

Colin and Cain stand behind him as his best men, both not making eye contact with me. My whole body shakes hard enough that the lace on my dress rustles.

I can’t do this.

My thoughts send everything into a tailspin. The ground quakes, and the rafters of the gathering house shake, raining dust down on us. I take a chance and run as fast as my heels allow me, out of the barn and into the evening dusk.

Footsteps pound after me, and I peer over my shoulder. Instead of seeing Jude, or Cain, or Colin, I see a big, black… thing . With horns and hooves. Fur. Eyes as black as night, and a forked tongue that flicks at me. It stands erect like a man, but it’s a beast.

“You’ll never escape me, thistle.You’re mine to have and to hold, to care for in sickness and in health, in good and bad seasons, in this life and the next,” it growls.

I race as far away as I can, truly believing I lost it. Until I run smack into the beast…

I wake up, drenched in sweat. My heart pounds in my aching chest, and I feel like I’m free falling. Without thought, I get out of bed, put sneakers on my bare feet, and race downstairs. I can hear movement, and don’t wait for anyone to find me as I put a random coat on from the closet by the front door.

When I open the door, the frigid night air hits me like a brick, making me cough. I bolt out of the door, into the woods bordering the lake. The inside of the new sneakers pinch my feet, but the pain only serves as a way to keep me alert, to keep me grounded.

I can’t stay there. I can’t leave. I can’t take this.

“Wisteria Jean!” Cain yells. My heartbeat is so loud, I can barely tell how far away he is.

“You’re going to hurt yourself, come back!” Colin shouts.

My feet carry me further away, through the trees, right up to the lake. I’m skirting the shoreline, trying to orient myself because I haven’t been home in six years. It’s dark. I forget how to get to the far gate so I can leave.

Home? Is this my home?

I slam into something granite-hard. Arms wrap around me, trapping me against a hard, muscled chest. His woodsy, eucalyptus scent fills my nostrils. My body knows before my brain can connect the dots. Jude isn’t wearing a coat, but his rage seems to be enough to keep him warm.

“I got her! We’re near the lake!” His deep voice echoes through the trees, and for a second, pure, gut wrenching fear makes my spine shiver.

Jude wears all black and his hood is pulled up, so I barely see his face in the moonlight. He resembles the thing in my nightmare… Was it an omen? Is Jude really a monster, destined to catch me no matter where I run? He grips my messy bun, yanking it back so I’m forced to look at him.

“Do you have any idea how much danger you put yourself into, running into the woods in the middle of the night?” he growls. “What the fuck is going on?”

“I…I…” I try to sound out the words through a sudden burst of sobbing and a tight throat. “I woke up f-f-from a nightmare. About you.”

“What?” he snaps. I pull at my bracelet, tinkering with the charms while trying to put my thoughts into some semblance of words.

“I can’t do this. I can’t marry you. I don’t belong here,” I blurt.

“You don’t have a choice,” he grits out. “Your safety is on the line. My father’s advisors know why you’re really here. I wouldn’t put it past them to make your return a non-issue …do you understand what I’m telling you?”

I nod.

“You don’t get it, do you? You have to do this. It’s the only way to stay safe and take out who’s after you.” He grabs my face in both his hands, and the intense, raw emotion on his is startling. “You have to marry me. You do belong here. Because you’re mine. Ours .” Jude’s gravelly voice hits me deep in my stomach.

But then I remember how I’m the missing piece to finding out what The Skulls want. How manipulative he is. How he used to make my life a living hell, and for what? Because if he couldn’t have me, I couldn’t be happy?

“You’re a liar.” I choke on my words. “My only purpose here is to end this feud you have with The Skulls. Then you’ll have no use for me and throw me away. You’ve done it once—-you’ll do it again. People are disposable to you once they’ve served their purpose, Jude Harvest. I don’t believe a single word you’ve said to me since I’ve returned home.”

Cain and Colin finally catch up with us, but I barely have time to register their presence when Jude pins me up against a thick tree.

“Don’t move, or I swear to fuck, I will catch you again and tie you up,” he bellows.

“Jude, calm down.” Colin implores him.

“Speak for yourself, dude. I’m fucking pissed at both of you,” Cain grouses, gesturing between Jude and I.

Jude pulls out a black, square jewelry box. The other two look at the box, then him, and the three of them hold eye contact for a few moments before they all gather closer around me.

“Everything I’ve said to you since the moment I saw you again is true, thistle. I’ve been falling for you since we were children. My love may be dark, downright obsessive—my heart rough and unpolished—but it’s yours.” Jude takes a deep breath, and a white cloud hangs around his mouth from the cold. “If you ever try to leave me, I’ll always find you.”

“I feel the same way, baby girl,” Cain says. “You’ve been the apple of my eye since you brought me a big bowl of macaroni salad and asked me to lunch when you were six. I fucking love you. The whole time you were gone, I kept a tab on you because I knew, deep in my heart, I’d come back for you. I’m not afraid to admit it.”

My heart clenches, and I feel like I can’t breathe. My whole body trembles, despite wearing a coat.

“You know exactly how I feel about both of you,” Colin says, looking at Cain and I with intention.

And I do. He’s never made his intentions with me a secret, even before I left the farm.

Jude opens the box, and there’s a beautiful diamond ring, surrounded by a halo of purple gemstones. There’s also three thin bands, all with complementing designs. They’re the type I often see women stack.

“I proposed to you today, but you don’t have to marry us until you’re ready,” Jude assured me.

“I’d be with all three of you?”

“Of course, baby girl. I’d never let you go. Jude learned how to share while you were away,” Cain quips, his lips turning into a smirk as he side-eyes Jude.

“There’s no question that I’m marrying you. But we all understand we need time to convince you we’re worth it. You need time to catch up to how we feel.”

“This is your home now, here, with us,” Jude says with a finality that convinces me.

This is my home. I want to be here.

Colin feels my face, his eyebrows shooting up. “Guys, she’s freezing. Let’s get her home.”

Jude slips the engagement ring on my finger. It fits perfectly.

Cain winds my arms around his neck, then lifts me, so I have to wrap my legs around his waist. He carries me all the way home, Colin and Jude trailing behind him.

As soon as I got upstairs, Jude insisted I take a shower to warm myself up. I stand under the stream, watching the steam billow over the glass door.

These three men that I’ve loved since our childhood want to build a life together. It’s a sobering thought, for sure, both vindicating and mildly terrifying. But it’s something that deep in my heart, I know I’ve always wanted. I want all three of them in ways that make my heart finally come alive after so many years of laying dormant.

The door opens, and Cain climbs into the shower with me directly under the spray. Water slides down his bare muscles as he crowds me to the wall and runs two fingers through my folds. He smiles when he feels how wet I am.

“Please tell me you heard us, that you know how badly we want you?” he rasps in my ear. His hands roam my body, each touch making me melt into the tile. “You’re everything to me, baby girl. I promise I’m going to prove it to you.”

“Yes,” I moan as he swirls his tongue around my nipple. My back arches as he sucks and nibbles me.

Cain leads me out of the shower, over to the counter. He lifts me up and places me on the edge. He drops to his knees, parting my thighs and devouring me, no teasing or savoring involved. My moans echo off the small space, and grow more desperate after he pushes two thick fingers inside me. Every time they impale me, I clench around him harder. Every second he looks into my eyes he bulldozes past my walls, obliterating all my fears and doubts as he makes a home in my heart. Every raspy breath I take, I get closer to the edge I’m desperate to fall from again.

I’m so wrapped up in the feelings and sensations that I don’t notice Jude standing next to him until he grabs my jaw, angling it up so he can bite and kiss his way down my neck. He slides a third finger inside me, working with Cain to bring me to the most Earth-shattering climax. As I catch my breath, I see Cain licking his wet fingers. His lips glisten with my arousal and his pupils are blown wide.

“You soaked my face,” he murmurs, licking his lips again. “It’s been such a long time since I tasted you...”

“And now it’s my turn,” Jude rumbles, his voice dangerously low.

He throws me over his shoulder and carries me to my bed. Colin is already laying under the covers, but pulls them back for us. Jude lays me down, and steps out of his underwear before spreading my thighs open. He teases and nips at my clit, running his tongue everywhere but where I need it the most.

Jude teases me, bringing me pleasure and taking it away until I’m squirming, fingernails clawing in the sheets beneath me.

“ Please, ” I whine.

Colin sits near my head, running his hands through my hair as he observes us.

“You’ll take what you get, thistle,” Jude reprimands me, biting my folds hard enough that it hurts. The stinging pain only makes me want more.

I peer up at Colin, imploring him to give me more. He lays next to me, molding his body to mine as he sucks on my nipple and fingers me deep and slow. I lose myself in them, letting the pleasure crash into me like a wave.

My thighs quiver, my body thrumming as Jude switches us, so that he’s laying on his back as I straddle him. One swift thrust and he’s buried inside me, gripping my hips and pushing me down as he drives up. His fingertips dig into my flesh as I grind down to meet him, our bodies slapping together. Colin and Cain sit on the bed stroking themselves as they watch us.

“Do you feel me inside you, owning your tight cunt?” he asks as he drives into me. “You belong to us, don’t you thistle… I want to hear you scream it.” He rubs my clit so hard and fast I can barely keep myself upright.

“Yes. Fuck, yes!” I shout.

Cain groans before taking Colin’s mouth in a passionate kiss, pulling at his hair until it falls from its bun. As Cain weaves his fingers through it, Colin takes over. The passion in that kiss makes me feel like I’m burning alive. I want everything they have to give, all at once.

Jude brings me down by my hair, so our lips meet. His switches to deep, grinding roles of his hips that send shockwaves through me. I can feel something building inside me, pushing at my insides as it becomes too hard to contain.

“You can’t run away again. You’re ours,” Jude rasps quietly, just for us to hear.

“Always,” I breathe right before plunging into another orgasm that hits me like a train.

Jude goes with me, then rolls me to our sides, spooning me from behind as we wind down. Cain lays in front of me, giving me a questioning look as he pulls me from Jude, wrapping his arms around me.

“I need you,” he whispers as he nuzzles into my neck, kissing his way up to my ear and hitting the sweet spot behind it.

He lifts my thigh, throwing my leg over his hip and pushing his way inside me. He groans, low and throaty.

“Fuck, yes. You feel so wet ,” he marvels as he moves, picking up speed. Jude presses into my back, holding my hips so I’m pinned between them.

Colin lays behind Cain, murmuring filth in his ear. “Did you miss how hot and soft she is? How her pussy grips you like a vise and won’t let go until she milks you dry?”

Cain grunts, slamming into me harder. “I missed you, baby girl.”

“I missed you too,” I say around a moan, my eyes bouncing between Colin and Cain.

Colin kisses Cain’s cheek, then his neck, then the hollow of his throat before sinking his teeth into his nook between his neck and shoulder. Cain revels in the pain, his thrusts becoming more erratic.

“Do you feel me working my slick fingers into you? Fuck yourself back onto them,” he orders Cain, who obeys without thought, working himself between us. “I want you to fill her up.”

Cain catches my mouth in a bruising, overwhelming kiss. I swallow his low moan as he spills inside me, pressing his fingertips into my thigh for a few seconds. Colin works himself in sure, steady strokes until he comes on Cain’s lower back. He kisses us both, but I barely feel his lips brush my cheek.

I melt into Jude, feeling equally exhausted and elated. That was by far the most intimate, physically demanding experience I’ve ever had, and I loved every second of it. Someone puts a blanket over me, and my eyes droop.

“Take a quick nap, thistle, then we’ll all clean up,” Jude murmurs in my ear as he traces circles into my stomach.

I drift into a deep sleep, surrounded by the men who own me, body, heart, and soul.