Along Came Merrie (9 page)

He stepped out of his truck and called down to Jack. “Hey, I know the owner. I’m going to go interview her.”

“Who is she?”

“A woman by the name of Merrie Walden.”

“And she’s around here? Want me to go?”

Givon shook his head. “I’ll see you later.”

He got back in his truck and rumbled off.

* * * *

About half an hour later, he pulled up in front of Braden’s and Leo’s farmhouse. The house was old, having been in the McClintock family for several generations. It held a type of old world charm, painted crisp white with black shutters. A large willow tree helped shade the two stories. He walked up the porch steps to the front door and knocked.

Leo opened it and gave him a perplexed look. “Hello, Sheriff. What can I do for you?”

“Hi, Leo. The other day at Wal-Mart, you called out to a woman who bumped into me,” he said easily. “Merrie Walden. Do you know where she is?”

Leo shuffled his feet and Givon’s senses sharpened. Braden appeared behind him.

“What do you want with Merrie?” Braden asked.

The hackles rose on the back of his neck. He rested his hand on the butt of his gun.

“Her car was found about half an hour from here off a hiker’s trail,” Givon said, moving his gaze back and forth between both men. “I’d like to ask her some questions.”

“If we see her again, I’ll be sure to pass along the information,” Braden answered.

Givon’s bullshit meter went haywire. He narrowed his eyes. “Is she in trouble?”

“Why would you ask that?”

“Look, her car was torched, she had a cast on her wrist, and she was terrified of me.”

The two men gave each other a measured look. Annoyance sluiced through him and he put his hands on his hips.

“Is she here?” he demanded.

“Listen, Givon—”

“Oh, now it’s Givon? Come on, guys. We’ve known each other our whole lives. What the hell is going on?”

Braden reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. He handed it to Givon. Givon frowned as he read the name.

“If you have any questions, talk to that detective,” Braden said.

“Cheyenne PD? Braden—”

Braden shook his head. “I can’t talk about it, Givon. Just give that man a call. Okay?”

He shut the door, leaving him frustrated and staring at a little rectangular card. A lot of
what the fuck
s
?
rolled through his head.

Chapter Eleven

“Braden, you have to give me some money,” Merrie said frantically when Givon’s police SUV disappeared down the road. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to pay you back but I will. Someday. I’ll go to Florida. Is there a bus stop in Destiny? Can you take me? Shit! My purse. I don’t even have a driver’s license.”

“Merrie—”

“Please, Braden!” She ran over to him and put her hands on his chest. She couldn’t help begging. She began to pant a little in fear, which had the world spinning. “That cop knows. Axe has found me.”

“Shh, Merrie,” Braden murmured, pulling her into the circle of his arms. “That was just Givon Halloran, the sheriff of Destiny. I highly doubt he’s on the take.”

“Someone is!” she cried. “
He
told me that.”

“And he’s not going to find you,” Braden comforted her, his voice hard and determined. “I’d give you anything, everything, if I thought it was the best decision. But Givon mentioned they found your car and I’m sorry, but it was burned.”

Her chin quivered and tears welled up in her eyes.

“I’ve lost everything,” she whispered. “My purse, my money, my possessions… It’s all gone.”

“Shh,” he soothed again. “It’s going to be okay.”

“It’s
not
okay! He’s going to find me and he’s going to hurt me again. I need to get as far away from Wyoming as possible because he’ll hurt you too. Oh, I was so stupid to stay here for this long. I’ve got to
go
—”

Braden shut her up by kissing her. One minute she was raving like a lunatic and the next moment he claimed her mouth with his. At first, she didn’t respond as surprise rippled through her. She simply took in the fact that her stoic, taciturn cowboy was, in fact, kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth, letting her tongue meet the seam of his lips. He opened immediately and swirled their tongues together. It was different from Leo’s kiss but no less sensual. Her fear melted into desire and, when he pulled back to stare at her with his blazing blue orbs, her fear evaporated.

He swept his gaze over her head and she suddenly remembered Leo.

Crap.

She withdrew her arms and Braden’s fell away. She took a deep breath and turned. Leo watched them with his head tilted to one side, as if he were observing something fascinating.

“Leo, I’m sorry.”

“About what?” he asked.

She took a deep breath. “I’m not playing one brother against the other. I swear it. The kiss… It just happened.”

“What is she talking about, Leo?” Braden asked.

“I’ve often wondered why Tam Apo led you to our door,” Leo said, a soft smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “The Great Father often leads destiny to us but seldom reveals why. I’ve seen the way you look at Braden and him at you when he thought no one was looking. I know how you feel in my arms. It’s been confusing and troublesome but I think I understand now.”

“Well, that’s great,” Braden said. “Perhaps you wouldn’t mind sharing. I’m a little confused.”

“The earth, the sun and the moon exist in harmony,” Leo explained. “It is a perfect trinity for life—and for love.”

“Come on,” Braden scoffed. “Do you truly believe that a threesome equals love?”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “I think you shouldn’t be so cynical.”

“I don’t know, Leo,” Braden muttered. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

Leo shrugged. “We should try. Shouldn’t we?”

“Hello, standing right here,” Merrie said a bit angrily. “It’s annoying when you two are talking about something that involves me but I have no clue what’s going on.”

“Don’t you?” Leo asked her softly. “You admitted to me you have feelings for the both of us.”

She shook her head. “That makes me messed up. Doesn’t it?”

“I don’t think so,” Leo said. He looked at his brother. “Braden?”

“He’s talking about something deeper growing between us,” Braden said. “I’m a little hesitant, though. How old are you, Merrie?”

She blinked. “I’m twenty-three.”

“Don’t, Braden,” Leo warned. “She’s nothing like Samantha.”

“Who’s Samantha?” Merrie asked.

“She’s my ex-wife,” Braden replied. “We gotten married way too young and after a while, she couldn’t handle life on the ranch. She didn’t like the isolation. She expected me to get out, explore the world. In the end…I couldn’t hold onto her.”

Merrie’s heart ached for him. “I’m sorry, Braden. But it’s true. I do feel something for you and Leo.”

“You’ll change your mind.”

He’d stated it so matter-of-factly that it hurt her.

“If this progresses,” he added, “then one day you’ll decide you can’t live here anymore—that you don’t want to settle down so young.” He shook his head. “I can’t go through that again.”

“Pardon me, but you don’t know anything about what I want. I won’t lie and say that in the beginning, when I first woke up, being safe was my number one priority. Of course it was—I’d just escaped certain death. And I was also concerned that my attraction was based on you and Leo saving me. But I’m past the desperate gratitude, Braden. What I feel isn’t that.”

“Well, it certainly isn’t what Leo’s proposing.”

“Why do we have to define more than it is right now?” She cocked her head. “I think the bigger question is, why me?”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “I’m nobody. A person you saved on the road. What makes me special in your eyes?”

He stayed silent for a long moment. “You’re brave,” he finally said.

Merrie took his hands in hers. “Braden, I’m not Samantha. I may not have been here long, but I already know I never want to leave. I feel the love and the warmth of this ranch, of the childhood you and Leo must have had, and it’s beautiful.”

She could see he wanted to believe her. But there was a world of hurt in his eyes that she didn’t know how to banish. Hopefully, time would help whittle away his insecurities.

He cupped her face. “You’re so young.”

“Not so young I haven’t lived,” she replied. “Not so young that I don’t know what I want.”

“Would you like to try to make this work between us?” he asked.

Once again, she looked between both men and read the sincerity in their gazes. Happiness swelled inside her as well as uncertainty. She’d never considered a ménage relationship and had no idea how to navigate the waters.

“Have you ever done this before?” she asked.

“No,” Leo said. “But learning is half the fun.”

Braden swung her up into his arms and she squealed with delight. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He marched up the stairs with Leo following. At the top, he hesitated and glanced at his brother.

“Mine,” Leo said. “I’ve got a king-size bed.”

Braden turned left and marched into Leo’s room. She’d been in there once before when she’d grabbed some sweats and still marveled how different his room was compared to Braden’s. Leo liked forest colors. Dark greens, browns and sunset red all blended beautifully together.

Braden placed her on the bed and began undressing her. He traced his hands over her curves, over her aching breasts, to her jeans. His long fingers brushed the skin under her fly, which sent off a thousand butterflies in her belly. He unbuttoned and unzipped her pants.

“Lift your hips, sweetheart,” he murmured.

She obeyed and he shimmed the jeans over her hips, leaving her only in her bra and panties. Leo gently rolled her onto her side so he could unhook her bra and she pulled it off. Both men were careful not to bump into the bruises that still dotted her skin. Then Braden hooked his fingers in her panties and pulled them down, letting her step out of them before running his hands up her smooth legs. At his touch, she thanked the stars above she’d shaved that morning. Leo glided his hands up from her ankles to her ass where he kneaded her butt cheeks. He placed small kisses at the base of her spine then proceeded upward. Her back had always been sensitive and she shivered as he caressed her skin.

Braden ran his fingers gently through her hair. She loved the feel of his fingers soothing her scalp. He tipped her head back to kiss her, possessing her lips in a series of teasing kisses, letting his tongue dance with hers only to retreat then press back inside, like a little game he played so all her senses tingled. All she wanted to do was kiss him forever.

The men undressed quickly, and she took the moment to admire their muscled physiques. Strong arms, toned stomachs. Leo didn’t have chest hair but Braden had a fine taper leading to his very impressive dick that jutted out proudly.

Leo pressed himself against her back and ran one hand over the curve of her bottom, allowing his fingers to slide between her ass cheeks to touch her intimately. With his thumb, he circled her tight muscle ring then pressed in a little. The pressure made her squirm. Easing his touch, he slid his fingers forward until he found her slit. There, he rubbed in feathery strokes that soon heated Merrie’s blood and urged her juices to run. Now slick, he pressed his fingers inward. Bending one finger, he rubbed along the back wall of her pussy while he found her clit with his other hand. In and out, he used his fingers to heighten her pleasure while Braden continued kissing her.

Truly sandwiched between them, Merrie knew nothing had ever felt so good, so right. Braden broke the kiss to rain more over her cheek and down her neck. He took her breasts in his hands, cupping them and teasing the nipples by pinching them. The ache between her thighs climbed quickly. He bent, taking one nipple in his mouth, licking and sucking on it until she was all but thrashing between them.

“You’re so beautiful,” Leo murmured. “Braden, feel how beautiful she is.”

Braden teasingly trailed his fingers down her stomach and slid the tips through her pubic curls. When he found her slit, he slipped his middle finger into her warmth.

“Oh, yes,” Braden breathed. “So wet. So tight. And beautiful.”

“Oh,” she sighed, tingling pleasure radiating upward from her sensitive pussy.

As he kissed her, he began fucking her with his finger, sliding it in and out of her slowly. Soon, she needed more, needed him to go faster, or harder, even deeper. The almost lazy glide of his finger wasn’t enough.

“More,” she said.

“Let me get the condom from my wallet,” he murmured.

Braden halted and she moaned in protest. She didn’t mean for him to stop. But the tearing of a foil wrapper alerted her that he wasn’t done with her. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her, hunger burning in his gaze.

“I want you to ride me and suck Leo off,” Braden said. “Can you do that, sweetheart?”

“Oh, yes.” She looked over at Leo, who stroked his long cock as he watched them with hooded eyes.

Braden lay down, his cock ready for her and she lowered herself onto him. His large dick filled her, stretching her almost uncomfortably. She had to give herself a moment to adjust. He gripped her waist, allowing her find her center, before guiding her movements. Merrie loved being on top. She loved being able to look down at Braden and watch the pleasure blossom over his face.

He gasped. “You feel incredible.”

Leo groaned, grabbing her attention, and she turned her head. Seeing him masturbate turned her on, reminding her of when she used him in her own fantasies. She reached over and replaced his hand with hers.

“Scoot closer,” she whispered.

Leo did as she asked. He wasn’t circumcised so she held back his foreskin and brought him into her mouth. She laved the tip, kissed the hole then used her teeth gently around the crown. Finally, she slurped him down. She’d never particularly loved giving head but Leo tasted especially good—dark, salty and all male.

“You do that too good, sweetheart,” he said. “What about her pretty little cunt, Braden? Is she nice and tight?”