Monroe, Marla - Their Border Lands Temptress [Men of the Border Lands 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (4 page)

She fingered the large shirt. “Whose is it? It’s not one of mine.”

“No, it’s Garrett’s. His are big enough to cover you to your knees. I’m going to carry you downstairs so you can sit on the couch, where you’ll be warm enough with the fire.”

“Um, can I have some more Tylenol?”

“Sure you can. I’ll get that for you once we get you dressed.” Brice started pulling the towel off.

“No! I mean, I can do it. You just wait for me outside.”

“You can’t do it by yourself. You can’t bend, and you can’t use your wrist to button up the shirt,” he pointed out.

Defeat drifted over her face, and she just nodded and dropped the towel as if it really didn’t matter anymore. That gesture alone broke his heart. He quickly put the shirt on her and buttoned it up in record time. Then he helped her stand so he could pull down her underwear. Once she had them off, he had her sit back down so he could slide the fresh pair up her legs. Then she stood up again and he finished pulling them up.

“There. That’s over with. It will get better from here, Ronnie. I promise.”

She didn’t say anything, just nodded and sighed. Dressing had worn her out. He gently picked her up and carried her downstairs to the couch. He didn’t do half-bad, he decided, but then, he’d been going downstairs. Garrett would need to carry her back up. He just wasn’t as strong as the big guy.

“Let me get you some Tylenol and something to drink. Then I’ll start a fire in the fireplace.”

“Hey, I’ll do that.” Garrett walked into the room.

“Great. Thanks.”

He heard Garrett talking to Ronnie as he ran back upstairs to get the painkiller and back to the kitchen for water. By the time he had returned, Garrett was laying wood for a fire.

“Here you go, Ronnie.” He handed her the pills and water.

“Thanks, both of you, for helping me. I know I’m hard to get along with, but I’ve been on my own for a long time. I’m not used to being around people, especially men.” She swallowed the pills with the water.

“No problem. We need to sit down and find out exactly what all needs doing so we don’t miss anything.” Garrett had the fire started and was fanning the flames.

“I’m going to go heat up some water. I want you to soak your wrist and ankle in some warm water. It will help get the swelling down.” Brice winked and left Garrett alone with her.

* * * *

Garrett stood up after getting the fire started and busied himself arranging the covers over her.

Ronnie could tell he was nervous about being around her. To tell the truth, she was nervous about being alone with him. He was so big. Big men tended to be mean. So far, he hadn’t been anything but nice to her. Still, you never knew.

“We’ve milked the cow, gotten in the eggs, fed the horse and cow in the barn, and I threw hay out for the cows in your pasture. I found a garden that looks like you have something planted, but I didn’t know what it was.”

“It’s turnip and mustard greens. They’re cold-weather vegetables. Already got everything else in for the winter.” She stared into the fire, thinking maybe he would leave now.

He sat down on the corner of the couch. “So is there anything more that needs doing?”

“Always something needs doing around a place this size. I work on things as I get time. I’ve been looking for a smaller place that’s in good shape. This one is too big for just me, but it was all I could find when I needed a place.”

“How long you been on your own?”

“’Bout three years.” She couldn’t believe she was telling him all of this.

Hell, she couldn’t believe how her body was reacting around him. Her breasts were heavy and her nipples peaked. She had already wet her panties with her pussy juices. At this rate, they would know she was interested in them and want to have sex. She didn’t want to have it ever again.

“Why are you by yourself? Don’t you know how dangerous it is for a female alone? There are black market agents out there looking for women they can steal.” Garrett looked worried for her sake.

“I’m careful. I don’t go out much. Just when I have to get supplies, and I don’t go to Barter Town at all.”

“How do you find enough to live off of?”

“I manage.” She held up her head, daring him to say she wasn’t managing just fine.

“You’ve done a lot, that’s for sure.”

“I’m a hard worker.”

“Where were you before you moved here?” he asked.

“Nowhere good.” She leaned back against the pillow on the couch and shut her eyes, hoping to stop the inquisition.

Instead, he pushed on, as if eager to know everything about her.

“Brice and I have known each other since college and have been working together ever since the year of catastrophes. We mostly salvage and trade for what we need. Haven’t thought about settling down yet. Maybe someday, though.”

“So you’ve been salvaging for the last five years?” She opened her eyes to find him staring at her with a puzzled look in his eyes.

“Yep.” He smiled at her.

She couldn’t help herself. She smiled back. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. Then she looked down at his lap and notice his cock was standing straight up. She shivered and backed farther into the couch. He caught her looking at him and cursed.

“Ronnie, I can’t help it. You’re a beautiful woman. I’m not going to jump on you, though. You’re safe. I would never force a woman.” He looked desperate for her to believe him.

She couldn’t help her reaction. Sex meant pain, and she didn’t want to remember the pain.

“Please, just go for now.”

“I’m sorry, Ronnie.” He hung his head and walked into the kitchen.

Ronnie felt like a heel for hurting his feelings, but he scared her like that. Either of them could easily take advantage of her like she was. What was she going to do? She needed them to keep her farm going and she was alienating them left and right. She needed to get control of her fear.

It had been so long since she’d been around a man, much less two of them as large as they were, that she wasn’t sure how to act normally. All she could think about was the last time she’d dealt with one.

Right after the flood that had ripped through her town in Arkansas, Ronnie found herself alone and scared of what to do. She’d survived where most of the people in the town had not, including her family and most of her friends. When Carl offered to take care of her, she’d jumped at the chance. She’d known him most of her life but hadn’t been around him that much. He was a couple of years older than her.

At first, it had been okay. He’d made sure she had clothes and food, and she kept house for him. Then he started pressuring her into having sex with him. He’d said that since the world was in such a mess that men and women just hooked up and became common-law husbands and wives. She’d finally given in, and that was when the abuse had started.

She shook herself, refusing to let it get the best of her now. She was stronger now. She could choose not to think about it. She hadn’t had a nightmare in nearly a year now. Hopefully she wouldn’t have one with these men there with her.

Brice walked in carrying a bucket of water and placed it on the floor near her swollen ankle.

“It’s pretty warm, so you might want to test it with your heel to be sure it’s not too hot for you. I found some Epsom salts, so I added that.”

Ronnie lowered her heel into the water and decided it was just right. She submerged her foot into the water and hummed her appreciation. It felt wonderful.

“Thanks, it feels great.”

“Okay, be right back with the one for your wrist.” Seconds later, he returned with another smaller bucket he placed on the couch next to her.

“Try it now and be sure it’s not too hot.” He watched her test it with her fingers then let her hand sink below the water.

She lifted her head to tell him thanks and found her face next to his. She could smell him. He smelled woodsy with just a hint of male sweat. It was like an aphrodisiac to her. She leaned toward him, then caught herself and pulled back, concentrating on her hand to cover her lapse of judgment.

If he had noticed, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he stirred the fire and added a log. Then he sat down in a chair close to the couch and watched her with a strange look on his face.

“What?” she finally asked, unable to stand his scrutiny any longer.

“Just wondering how you’ve managed to take care of yourself so well all alone. You’re a remarkable woman.”

“I’ve had to, so I did it. You can do anything if you have to. It was either survive or die. I chose to survive.”

“And you’ve done it very well. I admire you.”

“You do?” She was confused now.

“Yes. It takes a strong person to live out here in the Border Lands. A lot of men don’t make it.”

“Are you going to turn me over to a black market agent?”

Chapter Four

“No! We would never do that to you. Why would you think such a thing?” Brice jumped from his chair.

“Because you’re scavengers and sell and trade things. I would bring you a lot of gas or food.”

“None of that is worth your life. I know what sort of life you would have if they sold you to a brothel or some man who wouldn’t treat you well. There’s no way we’d ever do that to you. Get that out of your head right now.”

“How do you expect me to believe you? I don’t know you at all.”

“Trust me. There’s no way either of us would ever do anything to hurt you.” Brice shook his head and walked into the kitchen, where Garrett stood by the stove, fixing lunch.

“I guess you heard all of that,” Brice said.

“Yeah, I freaked her out because I’m hard and she saw it. I can’t control my fucking dick around her.” Garrett banged a pot down as he added something to the pan he was stirring.

“There has to be a way to win her trust.” Brice paced the kitchen.

“She’s never going to welcome us in her bed. We might as well get that off our minds,” Garrett added.

“She needs loving more than any woman I’ve ever known. She’s been abused. You can tell by the fear she has in her eyes when we’re close to her.”

“Yeah, I figured that, too.”

“It will just take time, and right now, we have plenty of that. She isn’t going to be on her feet anytime soon. You up to hanging around for a few weeks?”

“Fine by me. I like the area, and am enjoying doing the chores. Of course I’m not stuck with the cow and the egg collecting like you are,” he pointed out with a grin.

Brice made as if to throw a cup at him. “You’re stuck with kitchen duty, though.”

“I can handle it. Speaking of which, I’m going to let you carry her plate to her.” He spooned up deer steak and gravy with biscuits.

Brice lifted an eyebrow at Garrett cutting up her meat.

“She only has one hand.”

“I’ll try to get her to eat a little more. She seems livelier than she was last night.” Brice took the plate and returned to the living room.

“How’s the water?”

“Getting cooler now.”

“I’ve brought you some lunch. You need to eat so you’ll heal faster. I know you want us out of your hair.” She took the plate one-handed.