her thumbs swept across his narrow hipbones and his stomach trembled beneath her touch. more scars.

she ignored his crotch and her fingertips moved down, over the fresh bruises on his thighs. even at this angle she could see cash was bowlegged-another endearing trait.

knobby, scarred knees. gouges marred his thin calves down to his ankles. she ended the sweeping caress at his long, narrow feet. ugly feet. all cowboys, especially rodeo cowboys, had hideously mangled toes and callused feet. gemma stroked all these spots hungrily, her eyes drinking him in. "you are all rugged beauty and strength, cash. every part is...so you. why do you hide this from me?"

"gemma, you humble me. that's why-"

trevor sauntered back in and rubbed his hands together. "who's up for a gemma sandwich?"

right then, gemma wanted the menage fantasy to end. it seemed...selfish now. like one of those "life experiences" macie's mother had been determined to check off. she'd much prefer to make love with cash, the man she loved, skin to skin, heart to heart, looking in his beautiful all-knowing eyes. that was her fantasy now. and she'd fulfill it herself. as soon as possible.

but she'd finish this for them both first.

"i am," gemma said, leaning forward to kiss cash. to touch him. to heat him back up. didn't take much for his cock to stir in her hand.

trevor trailed kisses down her spine. a warm, sweetness that caused gooseflesh to break out and her desire to return with a surprisingly bitter edge.

cash's hard kiss belied the soft touches on the front of her body; her breasts, her stomach, between her legs. trevor kissed and caressed her back, and was rubbing his hard cock against her butt crack.

the ache rebuilt. her body tingled, inside and out. her pussy was drenched, needy.

already deliciously used. her head spun and she wanted to know if the reality of two men buried inside her lived up to her years of imagination.

she retreated from the hunger of cash's mouth and said, "i'm ready."

trevor continued to touch her, his mouth moving across her lower back. "on the bed, or standin' up?"

"umm..."

"standin' up we'll both be able to get into you at once."

"okay."

she stood alone, arms folded over her chest as condoms were rolled on.

trevor stepped in front of her, smoothing his hands over her body, leaving sucking kisses on her neck as he lifted her right leg, placing her foot on the bed, forcing her wide stance. "easier access," he muttered against her chest.

cash's hot body pressed into hers from behind and he licked the slope of her shoulder to her nape.

hard hands groped and petted and caressed her everywhere. two hot mouths kissing her skin. trading off to kiss her mouth. the bite of teeth. the trill of warm lips. heated breath. licking tongues. the scent of sweat and salt and latex and need. trevor's rigid cock slipped up her thigh. cash tilted her hips, opening her cheeks, poising his cockhead at her entrance.

then a hard thrust and they were both inside her. she gasped.

trevor withdrew and plunged in again. he waited, and cash did the same.

her ass was stretched, full, and then empty. her cunt was trying to expel trevor's cock and keep it in. she had no control. she began to panic.

cash whispered, "relax. let go. just feel. this is a one-time-only deal. let us fuck you. feel us both in you. you're perfect, gemma. hot and tight. beautiful. sexy. mine."

he kissed the side of her neck in the spot that drove her wild. trevor followed suit, dragging his mouth on the opposite side of her throat.

in. out. the pain of fullness gave way to pleasure and she lost herself in pure sensation of touch. deep inside her. fingers stroking her clit. cash whispering in her ear.

he groaned and trevor stopped moving, holding gemma's hips while cash thrust hard and climaxed. while cash's head sagged on her shoulder, trevor pumped his hips and took his own release.

with sweaty male bodies plastered to her, and two cocks inside her, gemma had no choice but to stay still and wait for them to catch their breath.

finally, cash said, "she didn't come, trev."

"no, it's okay, i'm fine."

"it's not fine."

"we gotcha."

trevor suckled her nipples, cash's thumb flicked her clit and he sank his teeth into the curve of her neck, they both thrust hard at the same time.

that's all she needed. an orgasm rippled through her, her internal muscles clamped down, she felt the throbbing in her clit, her womb, her anus...everywhere.

after she stopped shaking, trevor kissed her forehead. "thanks, gem-stone. i hope it's what you had in mind. i sure as hell had fun. you are one sexy woman." he pulled out of her body, and left the room.

cash slowly eased out of her. "you okay?"

she wrapped her arms over her chest and withheld a shiver. "yeah."

"was it everything you imagined, sweets?"

"yes. it was. thank you."

"i'll clean up in the downstairs bathroom and see to trevor." he kissed the back of her head. "i'll be up in a little bit. don't wait up. i know you're probably tired."

cash skirted her and she watched his firm naked perfect cowboy ass as he strode out the bedroom door.

oh. she was tired all right. sick and tired of whatever was going on with cash.

she'd get to the bottom of it. but to do it, she'd have to be on top.

"ain't you gonna stick around tonight?" cash asked trevor.

"nope. i'm wired. i might as well hit the road."

"where you headed?"

"livingston."

the bug zapper by the machine shed made a loud crackling noise.

cash sighed. "am i supposed to thank you?"

"it was my pleasure, cash. but i gotta be honest, havin' a horndog reputation across five states ain't the best for my ego these days."

"you love it. you ain't the type for settlin' down."

a surprisingly wistful look crossed trevor's face. "yeah. well. you never know about me. i might just disappear off the face of the earth someday and settle where no one can find me."

"that why you're goin' to montana?"

"no. i'm doin' some stupid thing for my dad. don't want to get into it." trevor shifted his weight against the pickup. "maybe it ain't none of my business, but did something happen between you and gemma when we took that short break?"

the muscles in cash's gut tightened. "why?"

"i sensed a change in her. kinda like she was wantin' to back out."

cash didn't know what to say. he'd felt it too. part of him wanted to squirrel gemma away, let her look her fill at him, and not let trevor touch her again. but he'd managed to keep focused on her pleasure, fulfilling her fantasy, not his sudden displeasure with the situation.

"at any rate, she didn't. i hope it won't be weird the next time we run into each other. you are gonna do right by her, ain't ya?"

"yep."

"she got no problem havin' an instant family with macie?"

lord, cash could only hope they'd be a family. a real family. all of them. "doesn't appear to."

"good. give that sweet macie a kiss from me." trevor climbed in his truck. "keep in touch with me, you ol' ornery indian. miss your ugly mug."

"speakin' of keepin' in touch...you hear much from edgard?"

trevor's grin died. "haven't talked to him since he left last year."

after they'd been roping and traveling partners for a couple of years? that was weird. with forced cheer, cash said, "he's probably hooked up with some little senorita and is stayin' out of trouble, eh?"

trevor snorted and looked away. "doubtful. take care."

cash checked macie's camper, even though he knew she wasn't there. he checked the horses before he headed inside. yeah. he was stalling. he'd be in a better place to deal with the aftermath of this tomorrow.

when he finally crawled into bed beside gemma, she was already sound asleep.

or so he thought.

two hours later cash woke up handcuffed to the headboard.

chapter thirty-five

a naked gemma sat on cash's chest looking sexy. smug.

and a little mean.

"what the hell do you think you're doin'?"

"i warned you. i want my wicked way with you, cash. with the lights on. you wouldn't oblige me so i'm takin' what i want, just like you would."

stall stall stall. "the lights were on last night when trevor was here."

"newsflash, cowboy. it's still night. and that doesn't count." she leaned forward, making her nipples within licking distance. "i want to look in your eyes when i'm making love to you. would that be so bad?"

"gemma."

"cash," she mocked.

damn. he closed his eyes.

"that's cheating."

"fine. do what you will. i'm helpless anyway."

"don't sound so thrilled by the prospect of me touching you."

a beat passed. nothing happened. then he heard snip snip. naturally, his curious eyes opened.

gemma held a pair of scissors. right next to his groin.

"jesus. you're gonna castrate me?" his frantic gaze zoomed to the corroded steel blades. "with rusty scissors?"

"would you rather i shut off the lights and did it in the dark?"

"gemma!"

"relax. i'm cutting off your boxers."

"oh."

she stroked him through the cotton material.

"if you're lookin' to...release me, umm, there is a hole in the front for that."