Chapter 6
Nathan had been shocked at Lillian’s announcement. And yet, he was kicking himself for not remembering who the Bradleys were. They had been members of their community and he’d been a child at the time they lived here, but he did remember her mother and grandmother.
Her father had died when she was little, but he even vaguely remembered the man.
Cal had hidden his emotions just like he always did, and Nathan was waiting for a chance to speak to him in private.
Last night, they had gone to dinner, checked Lillian out of the hotel, and then moved her into the big bedroom with them. It felt right. It felt perfect, and if only this ugly cloud was not hanging over their heads about who owned the ranch…
This morning, he’d looked over the documents Lillian had shown him. Why in the hell would the man hand over the ranch to Cal’s grandfather? Nothing about this made sense.
“Nathan, you’re a lawyer. What did you think of those papers?” Lillian asked as they walked toward the barn. Cal was saddling their horses so they could go riding.
God, how he wanted to side with his friend Cal, but the papers didn’t look right.
“I don’t know,” he said. “You know Cal and I have been friends for a long time. Since right after he moved here. As much as I’m drawn to you, he’s my friend.”
“You realize that you just don’t give away a property to someone,” she said.
As much as he didn’t want to admit it, she was right. “Yes.”
“I know Cal is not showing how he really feels. He’s hiding his emotions, and he’s damn good at it,” she said. “This was a complication I had not planned on. I wanted to attend the wedding, do my research, and then file a motion to get the property back. But now I’m torn.”
He smiled at her. “Sometimes things happen that we’re not planning, and it’s a good thing. We had no idea we’d meet you at that wedding.”
“I’m worried,” she said. “This is the first time in years that I’ve had any emotion for a man, for two men. And this piece of business could tear us apart.”
“Agreed,” he said, wishing she would drop it, but he knew from talking to her that wouldn’t happen.
They walked into the yard outside the barn, and Cal had three horses ready and saddled.
“When was the last time you rode a horse?” he asked Lillian.
“Not since we left the ranch and moved to San Antonio,” she said, gazing at the animal nervously.
“You’ll remember as soon as you get back on,” Nathan assured her as he helped her on the gentle mare.
She licked her lips and then rubbed the animal’s neck. “Let’s be friends.”
The horse snickered.
Cal glanced at Nathan who had a look that, for just a second, showed his walls were removed, and he could see the anguish, fear, and anger there. Lillian was the first woman Cal had really had emotions for since their debacle attempted wedding with Emily.
“Let’s go; we all have things to do this afternoon,” Cal said, climbing up on his horse.
Nathan stepped into the stirrup and swung his leg over the saddle. Cal clicked to his horse, and she strode out the gate.
Earlier today, Nathan had packed a blanket, a small picnic lunch, and a box of toys in his saddle bag. Yes, he wanted to play outdoors today, regardless of their time crunch. He couldn’t seem to get enough of Lillian.
They rode along in silence with Nathan and Cal close beside Lillian. It didn’t take long for them to see that she would do just fine with the gentle mare. Riding was returning to her, and she’d obviously been a very good horsewoman.
“The land is still so beautiful,” she said, gazing out at the pastures with cattle on them. “We used to ride so much. I helped Papa and my grandfathers at round-up time.”
Nathan’s family had been lawyers, so they had not owned a ranch. He’d only moved out here with Cal when they would marry. But that didn’t happen, and he’d just never moved out.
“Like you, I was raised by my grandfather,” Cal said.
“Oh, no. My mother is still alive, but we always lived with my grandmother and two grandfathers,” Lillian said.
Cal nodded. “Well, I wasn’t so fortunate. My parents got involved with drugs. Whenever my father was low on cash and couldn’t afford to buy his drug of choice, he liked to take his frustration out on me. Quickly, I learned that if Dad was out of drugs, you hid. You didn’t come out of your room. If you had to leave, you crawled out the window because, otherwise, he would make an example of you and what’s wrong with his life. And he thought nothing of using his fists.”
Lillian licked her lips and shook her head. “Didn’t your mother stop him?”
“Oh no, because if she tried, he would just hurt both of us,” he said. “And besides, she’d be going through withdrawal as well. Finally, one of my teachers noticed the bruises on me and contacted Child Protective Services.”
Nathan knew this story, but it still always got to him. How could a parent do that to a child? But then, how could a parent use drugs or alcohol? He counted his lucky stars that he had parents who were loving and kind and recently had moved into a golfing community for their retirement.
They knew the Blessing way and didn’t approve or disavow it. They said it was his life, his choice.
“Did your life get better after Child Protective Services were called?”
“No, they removed me from the home and put me in foster care. There, I moved from family to family. Some were good, some were really bad, and some just wanted the money. You quickly learned to hide.”
Another reason Cal was so good at hiding his emotions.
“Did they contact your grandfather? Is that how you came to live here?” Lillian asked.
Nathan could see she was curious about Cal’s background.
“Not until my parents were killed in a car crash. It wasn’t until then that they learned of my grandfather and contacted him. I was nine years old when I came to Blessing to live with him.”
She nodded. “That’s horrible. I’m so sorry that happened to you. I guess I was lucky and still had my family.”
“Yes,” Cal said. “You were. I never knew my grandmother. She had passed before I went into foster care. My grandfather is my father’s dad. The two stopped speaking not long after I was born, and my father kept asking for money. Even then, he was on drugs.”
“I hate drugs,” Lillian said. “Too many lives are ruined by them.”
“Yes,” Cal said. “I hate them for what they did to my parents. How they made my father mean, and my mother just sat around in a daze.”
“What about you, Nathan,” Lillian asked.
“My parents are lawyers. Until recently, they’ve lived in Blessing all their lives, though they did not have a partner. It’s just the two of them.”
Lillian frowned at him. “Did they not believe in polyamory?”
“No, they just said they never found another person they wanted to be a part of their lives. They told me it was my choice and my decision on whether or not to live the Blessing way.”
They rode along in silence for a few more minutes until they came to the creek. Not far from the edge, a big oak tree grew, and they pulled their animals to a halt.
The sound of the water gurgling through the land was soothing. He loved this spot.
Nathan jumped off, but Cal was there before him to help Lillian disembark.
“I brought lunch,” Nathan said. “I thought we could have a picnic.”
Cal glanced at him and frowned.
“I also brought a blanket,” he said and then smiled in a way that Cal would know he’d brought the toys as well.
He pulled out the sandwiches and the blanket from his saddle bag.
Quickly, he checked the ground beneath the big oak tree for snakes and ants before he laid it down.
After Cal ground tethered the horses, they all sank onto the blanket in the shade of the tree.
“Tell us what your life was like in San Antonio,” Cal asked Lillian.
She shook her head.
“After living in Blessing, the big city took some getting used to. My mother, grandmother, and grandfather all had to get jobs. We lived in a small two-bedroom house. My grandparents had one room and my mother and I had the second bedroom. We were poor, but we managed to live within our means. My mother always pushed me to do well in school so I could get a scholarship. And I did. I attended the University of Texas in Austin, and then I got into Baylor Law School.”
She leaned back, and her breasts pushed against the blouse she wore. “Now I work with a law firm in San Antonio, but I need answers. We were so happy here. What happened?”
They all leaned back against the blanket, their bellies full from the sandwiches. For a moment, they were silent as they gazed out at the land and the beautiful blue skies.
“Listen to that. You can hear the water gurgling in the stream,” she said, her big sapphire eyes wide with amazement. “Let’s play a game.”
“What kind of game?” Cal asked.
“Truth or dare,” she said.
“How do you know the person is telling the truth?”
“I have nothing to hide,” she said, smiling. “Who wants to go first?”
“I will,” Nathan said.
A breeze blew, and Lillian licked moisture off her lips with her tongue.
Nathan went rigid. Dear God, did she not realize what she was doing to him?
“Truth or dare?” she asked.
“Truth,” Cal replied.
“Truth,” Nathan said.
“What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?”
Cal groaned. “I’m confident this is the same as Nathan’s. We were stood up at the altar by our fiancée. Her father kidnapped her and took her back to Dallas when he learned she was marrying both of us.”
Nathan chuckled. “Agree. We had a no-wedding party afterward and got stinking drunk.”
“Yes,” Cal said, “and I don’t usually get drunk, but that time, we called a cab to take us home.”
A bird flew overhead, squawking. “Your turn. Truth or dare?”
“Dare,” Lillian said.
“I dare you to get naked,” Cal said.
“We’re playing a game,” Lillian said.
“And this is part of the game,” Nathan replied reaching over and unbuttoning her shirt.
Lillian rose from the blanket and began to remove her clothes. Only she didn’t just remove them, she did a little dance as she took off her blouse. Then she unzipped her jeans and slowly slid them down her long legs. She stood before them in only her bra and panties.
“Continue,” Cal said, his eyes glazed with desire.
Reaching behind her, she unhooked her bra and then turned her back to them. Slowly, she inched down her underwear and bent over as she did. The butt plug was obviously sticking out of her tight little hole.
“Damn,” Nathan said. “Someone dare me to remove my clothes.”
She shook her head as she turned to them and let her bra fall to the ground. “Dare completed. Now it’s your turn again.”
“Truth,” Cal said.
“Truth,” Nathan replied.
“Before me, when was the last time you had sex with a woman?”
They both glanced at one another.
“Not since Emily. That’s been over a year ago.”
“Wow,” Lillian said.
“What about you?” Cal asked. “When was the last time you slept with a man?”
“Not since college. In law school, I didn’t have time. Since I’ve gotten out, there’s been no one that’s interested me until the two of you.”
They all laid back on the blanket and stared up at the sky.
“I have one more question,” Lillian said. “Would you consider getting married again?”
“Yes,” Nathan said automatically.
“Yes,” Cal said. “But this time, I will ensure her family knows they’re getting two sons-in-law, not just one.”
Lillian let out a giggle, and it was the sweetest sound. But Nathan was tired of playing this game and was ready to play with Lillian.
“Truth or dare?” Nathan said, knowing how he wanted her to answer.
“Dare,” she said with a gasp, her sapphire eyes almost taunting him.
“I dare you to kiss me,” he said.
“I’d love to,” she said, rolling over naked.
Without asking, he pulled her into his arms, and his lips covered hers.
She tasted of sunshine and clover and everything sweet and innocent. His tongue swept over her lips, and he pushed into her mouth, his tongue dancing with hers, and he felt her tremble in his arms.
Taking command of the kiss, he held her tightly and refused to let her escape.
His hand reached for her breast, and he felt the swell beneath his hand.
When they came apart, Cal was busy removing his clothes.
“The toy bag is in my saddle bags,” he said as he rolled over and stood.
“I should have known the moment you dared me to get naked,” she said, smiling. “Where better to take me than out under a tree in a pasture.”
Cal threw their dishes into the picnic basket and pulled out a bottle of honey.
“Oh my, look what I found here,” he said.
Nathan started to laugh. “I put the bottle in the picnic basket at the last moment.”
He crawled over to Lillian and pushed her back on the blanket, opened the bottle of honey, and poured some on her breasts.
Lillian gasped. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to eat my honey,” he said and then he poured more between the V of her legs.
Nathan watched Cal before he scooted to the side of Lillian. He unzipped his pants, and his hard cock sprang free. He took the jar of honey and poured some on his penis.
“Darling, I’ve got something for you,” Nathan said as he pushed his cock into her mouth just as Cal moved down between her legs.
Suddenly Lillian gasped as Cal’s tongue lapped up the honey between her legs. His fingers worked over her clit as his tongue dove inside.
She moaned loudly.
“Do that again, Cal. She’s moaning all over my cock,” he said.
Cal spread the lips of her pussy, and she widened her legs. He paid particular attention to her clit, causing her hips to rise off the ground as he lapped at the nectar between her legs.
“That’s it, baby, suck my cock,” Nathan said. “Oh, God, you are so good at this. I’m going to cum out here beneath this tree, and when I do, you swallow it all.”
Cal reached down and grabbed the butt plug in her ass, and twisted the plastic dowel.
She screamed around Nathan’s cock with pleasure as the man grabbed her head and held her tightly against him.
“That’s it, darling, swallow it all,” he said as he groaned.
“Cal,” she moaned after he pulled out. “Can I cum?”
“Not yet,” he told her. He was testing her ability to restrain herself. Watching him, Cal nipped at her clit, and then he eased up and pulled out his rock-hard cock.
“I need to be inside you,” he told her. “I need to feel you squeezing me. I want to hear you scream my name.”
“Cal,” she moaned.
He slapped her on her pussy, and she drew up her legs. She fought her orgasm so hard. Nathan could do the least little thing, and she would be over the edge.
Gripping her legs, he spread her wide and slammed his cock home.
“Oh,” she cried. “Oh, Cal.”
He halted, and she tried to move her hips to get him going.
“What do you want?”
“Please, Cal, I need you,” she said.
Nathan couldn’t help himself. He rubbed his soft cock until it began to grow.
“What is it you need?” Cal asked her, his voice breathless.
“I need your cock. Please give me your cock.”
He smiled. “With pleasure.”
Lifting her hips, he rammed into her again and again, each time more forceful than the last.
She bit her lip, trying to hold back the orgasm, and closed her eyes.
“Open your eyes and look at me. I want you looking at me when you cum.”
“Can I cum?”
“Yes,” he said as he pummeled her one last time, his body exploding as he came deep inside her.
Nathan watched as he collapsed on top of her, her breasts crushed against his chest, his breathing labored as his body slowly came down. She gazed at him, and then she reached up and kissed him.
“Now it’s my turn.” Nathan shoved his friend out of the way, his cock hard from wanting to feel her soft pussy gliding over him.
Lillian gazed at him with desire-glazed eyes. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to fuck you into next week,” he replied.
A smile flitted across her face. “Are you sure you can take me?”
“Up on your knees,” he commanded, knowing that he’d not taken her from behind, and it was his turn.
Slowly, she raised off the blanket. When she was on her knees, she turned and gazed at him, licked her lips suggestively, and sighed.
With a smack on her ass, she jumped. “Do it again.”
He smacked her again.
“Now, fuck me,” she said, leaning down on her arms.
But he wasn’t ready to do her bidding.
He pulled the butt plug almost all the way out and then rammed it back home.
“Nathan,” she groaned.
“That’s what I’m going to do to you soon. I’m going to shove my cock so far up you, you’ll be begging me for more.”
A groan escaped from her.
With a thunk on the butt plug, his fingers trailed down to her clit, and he pulled the little button and twisted it.
With a nod toward his partner, Cal opened the bag of toys and pulled out a large vibrator.
When he clicked it on, she turned to see what he was doing and he yanked the vibrator behind his back.
“No, darling, head back around,” he commanded.
A moan came from her.
He grabbed nipple clamps from the bag and handed them to Cal, who grinned.
While Cal attached the clamps to her breasts, he ran the vibrator over her ass and around the butt plug.
“Oh,” she cried. “It’s vibrating me deep inside.”
“That’s the point,” he said.
His fingers tweaked her clit, and then he drove his cock inside her pussy.
“Nathan,” she gasped.
At the same time, he moved the vibrator to her clit. While his cock moved in and out of her, he ran the toy over her clit, causing her to jerk and groan. Causing her body to ripple with desire.
“Nathan, I’m going to cum,” she cried.
“Darling, not yet,” he said, wanting to prolong her release as long as possible.
In and out, he plunged inside her sweet, tight pussy, and she clenched her muscles, almost wringing the cum from his body.
Finally, he couldn’t wait any longer.
“Nathan,” she cried, her voice sounding desperate.
“You can cum,” he said as he felt her body shake and ripple around him.
“Nathan,” she screamed out her pleasure, and he shoved into her one final time. One final time for now.
“Aargh,” he cried as he slapped her buttocks once as his own body hurtled through space.
With one last shove, she collapsed, and he fell on top of her, his cock still buried deep as he sighed.
For several moments, they all three lay on the blanket. It had been the best sex of his life, and he just wanted to relish the feeling for one moment longer.
Finally, he rolled off her and pulled her up next to him.
“With you, sex is better than anything I’ve ever experienced. I wanted it one more time before I feared this ranch, this place of beauty, would tear us all apart. I don’t know what to believe, so I will do my best to stay out of this while the two of you find out the truth.”
Lillian turned and stared at him, her sapphire eyes filled with tears. “I understand. But I need to know what happened. What tore my family apart? What made us leave here?”
“And I am not willing to give up the land I love,” Cal said. “This place saved me. Now I’m going to save it.”
There was silence, and Nathan feared they would never experience another day like today.