Monroe, Marla - Belonging to Them [Men of the Border Lands 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “Heather, when we get to the house, you can go ahead and take a bath and clean up. We have to unload the trailer. I’ll bring your things in.”

  “You’ll feel better after cleaning up,” Bolton added.

  Heather looked up at Bolton from under her dirty, matted hair and nodded.

  “Can I have something to eat first? Just a piece of something? I haven’t had anything all day.”

  Bolton cursed and looked out the side window before turning back to her.

  “I’ll get you something when we get home.”

  “Home? Will it be my home now, too? Or will you keep me locked up?” she asked, fiddling with her dirty dress.

  Chapter Two

  They pulled onto a gravel road several hours later. Heather was starved and tired. She had been hiding from the man running the brothel all day, and the stress of trying to stay hidden had drained her energy. Right now, she would settle for molded bread and a blanket on the ground. Not that what she had before had been much better. Now she had escaped the brothel to belong to two men she knew nothing about.

  After another twenty minutes of driving the dark gravel road, they pulled into a clearing. The headlights from the truck illuminated a structure she couldn’t quite make out. It looked vaguely like a house, but she wasn’t sure.

  Brandon stopped the truck and cut the engine. Bolton jumped out of the cab of the truck and held out his hand toward her.

  “Come on. I’ll get you something to eat and show you the bathroom. The water will be warm, but not hot, since we haven’t been here to run the electricity.”

  “You have electricity out here?” Heather was surprised. Very few places had it anymore.

  “We use solar energy with batteries to run the house.” Bolton helped her down from the truck, then urged her toward the shadowy structure ahead of them.

  “I’ll be right in with her things,” Brandon called out to them.

  Heather turned to look over her shoulder at him, but the darkness swallowed him up. She nearly stumbled on a set of steps.

  “Easy there. Watch out.” Bolton caught her before she fell.

  She followed his lead onto a porch and then inside the house. He picked up a lantern on the table by the front door and lit it. The flame threw shadows around the room, but she could see quite well. The inside of the house appeared to be an open floor plan. She could see all the way through to the kitchen from the front door. A set of stairs led up from the entrance hall, and a small hall curved around to the other side of the stairs.

  “This way. Let’s get you something to eat first.” Bolton pulled her by the hand toward the kitchen in the back of the house.

  He settled her in a chair at a table and disappeared from sight for a few seconds. He reappeared with a jar of peanut butter and a sleeve of crackers. He grabbed a knife and handed it to her.

  “This should tide you over for now. I’ll be back in a few minutes to show you the bathroom so you can get cleaned up.”

  “Thanks, Bolton.”Heather attempted a smile despite still being a little afraid of him.

  He just nodded and left her in the kitchen with only the light from the lamp in the other room. While she fixed peanut butter crackers and ate them, she heard the men unloading the truck and trailer. Several times, they came through with boxes or bags of stuff and sat them on the kitchen cabinets.

  Once she had eaten all she felt she needed to, Heather cleaned up her mess and waited for Bolton to return for her. She didn’t have long to wait. He appeared with the plastic bin containing her clothes and accessories.

  “Follow me and I’ll show you to the bathroom.”

  She followed him upstairs where he turned on a hall light as they stepped onto the landing. He then led her into a large bedroom through to a massive bathroom. He turned on a lamp in the bathroom on the counter and sat her things on the floor near the tub.

  “Think you’ll be okay by yourself for a while?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’ll be fine. I need to clean up, and that might take some time. I’m filthy.”

  “Take your time. I doubt we’ll be finished before two or so anyway.”

  “Okay.” She turned on the water in the tub and heard the bathroom door shut behind Bolton. She resisted the urge to lock it. They probably wouldn’t like it if she did.

  As soon as the water was deep enough, Heather stripped and climbed into the tub. It felt good to be able to sit in the water and just soak for a while. She leaned back in the tub and let the water cover her body. She knew she needed to bathe and get out, but she couldn’t help wanting to enjoy the luxury of taking a real bath again for the first time in months.

  She thought of the two men who had rescued her. Brandon stood well over six four, with shaggy brown hair that reached past his collar. His chocolate brown eyes didn’t miss anything, and seemed to see right through her. She had no doubt that he would be the disciplinarian of the two men. His broad shoulders and wide chest thrilled the woman in her, but it also scared her. She had also noticed that both men had impressive cocks, if the faded white spot at their groins were anything to go by.

  She couldn’t help the way her body reacted to that bit of knowledge. Her pussy wept at the thought of all that male flesh filling her. She had little doubt that they would expect her to have sex with them. That was one of the main reasons men wanted women. Well, that and to clean up after them.

  Her thoughts turned to Bolton, and how he seemed so different from Brandon despite their similar looks. He had black hair that appeared to be just as long as his brother’s, and stood a little shorter than Brandon. They were both broad and muscular. Physically, they appeared alike. Their reactions and personalities were very different. Where Brandon was all business and serious, Bolton seemed to have more empathy, and appeared to be the more relaxed of the two.

  Heather dunked her head and then worked shampoo into the matted ends. She scrubbed and threaded her fingers through her hair until she was satisfied she’d gotten all of the dirt and mats out. Then she dunked her head once again and let the water from the tub. Her hair reached just between her shoulder blades for the first time in over a month. She wrung it out then stepped out of the tub. Heatherused a towel to dry her body and then her hair.

  Searching through the bin, she used the deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, and brush. By the time she had dressed in a gown and her hair was well on the way to being dry, Heather was worn out and ready to go to bed. She didn’t have a clue where she would sleep. She cleaned up her mess before shoving the bin from the bathroom to the bedroom. Then she climbed up on the bed and curled up. She would rest for just a few minutes, then go downstairs and offer to help the men with their unpacking.

  The next thing she knew, Brandon was picking her up. She shrieked and struggled to escape his arms.

  “Whoa, Heather. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just putting you under the covers so you can sleep.”

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s just after three in the morning. Bolton is showering and will be here in a minute.”

  “If you’ll show me where you want me to sleep, I’ll let you have your bed.” Heather tried to pull from his arms.

  “You’re sleeping in here. This will be your room.” Brandon pulled back the covers and slid her easily beneath them.

  It was then that she realized he was nude. She quickly averted her eyes and shivered. She had been right. His cock was huge, and it jutted out as if looking for her. Surely they didn’t plan on having sex with her right then. Was she in any better place than the brothel? Reluctantly, she acknowledged that she was. At least here she only had two men to please, and it would always be the same two, and not lots of different ones. How hard could it be to take care of them?

  Resigned, she sighed and huddled beneath the covers as if it were cold in the room. She watched as Brandon climbed in on one side. He turned toward her and pulled her closer to him. Heather expected him to start undressing her, but he only wrapped an arm around her
waist and tucked her head beneath his chin.

  “Get some rest, Heather. Tomorrow will be a long day. We have a lot of unpacking to do, and the farm to take care of.”

  Confused, she tried to relax, but a noise from the other side of the room let her know that Bolton had walked out of the bathroom and headed for the bed. She nearly jumped when the other side of the bed dipped, and heated male flesh came in contact with her legs.

  “Easy there. We’re not going to hurt you. Calm down and relax. You need to rest,” Brandon said again.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Don’t understand what?” Bolton asked in a weary voice.

  “I thought, I thought you would want sex.”

  “Not tonight, that’s for damn sure. I’m too tired.” Bolton chuckled.

  “That monster you call a cock is poking me in the stomach.”

  “Do you want to have sex?” Brandon asked from behind her.

  “No! I mean…” She couldn’t think what to say.

  Did she want to have sex with these two men? Honestly, yes, but because she wanted to, and not because she had to. She doubted they would understand that.

  “Just go to sleep, woman.” Brandon yawned and pressed tighter against her.

  She was surrounded by male bodies. Still, somehow she managed to fall asleep.

  * * * *

  Heather woke alone in the massive bed. She had no idea what time it was, or where the men were. By the amount of light outside the window, it had to be late morning. She hurried through her morning routine and dressed in a pair of new jeans and a T-shirt that actually fit her. She pulled on socks and the boots she’d been wearing the night before.

  It didn’t take her long to tidy up the bed and make her way downstairs to the kitchen. She rounded the corner and found the two men drinking their cups of coffee, talking. They fell silent as soon as they realized she was there.

  “Morning, Heather,” Bolton said. “Want some coffee?”

  “Um, no thanks. I don’t drink coffee.” She hovered in the doorway, unsure what to do.

  “Come on in and have a seat. We were just trying to decide what we needed to do first. It’s already after nine.” Brandon pulled out a chair between them.

  “Would you like me to cook something for breakfast?”

  “There’s biscuits and gravy on the stove if you’re hungry. We’ve already eaten. You can fix something for lunch later,” Bolton said.

  “Come on, have a seat.” Brandon patted the chair bottom he had pulled out.

  Heather crossed the room and sat down, fiddling with her T-shirt. She hadn’t realized before just how big the two men appeared to be. They each dwarfed her.

  “I figure you and Bolton can unpack the supplies here in the house, and I’ll work outside today. You can call me when lunch is ready.” Brandon turned up the cup and drained the last of his coffee. “Best get going. We’ve got a lot waiting on us.”

  “Come on, Heather. I’ll fix you a plate. You’ve got to eat, or you’ll never last the morning.” Bolton stood up as Brandon walked out the back door.

  “I’ll fix my own plate. You get to work, and then I’ll join you and you can tell me what to do.” She jumped up and hurried to the stove. “Uh, Bolton? Why is the gravy red?”

  He laughed from the other side of the kitchen. “It’s tomato gravy. It’s good. Warm it up and pour it over your biscuits.”

  She shrugged and followed his instructions. He was right, it was good. She cleaned her plate then cleaned up the kitchen. She found Bolton in a large pantry unpacking a box of dry goods.

  “Why don’t you let me do that? I can figure out where to put stuff. I need to know, because I’ll probably be doing the cooking from now on.”

  Bolton nodded and climbed off the ladder. “Be careful. Don’t fall and break your neck.”

  As soon as he left her alone in the pantry, Heather could breathe again. He took up so much room. She spent the better part of the next hour putting away groceries. When she was finished, she wondered where Bolton had gone. She didn’t know what to do next. She dragged the empty boxes out of the pantry and stacked them by the back door. She was sure they would need to use them again.

  “You finished?”

  She nearly screamed when Bolton suddenly appeared behind her.

  “God, don’t do that.”

  “Do what?” He walked over to the sink and filled a glass with water.

  “Sneak up on me.”

  “I thought you heard me walk into the room. I wasn’t trying to be quiet.” He drained the glass and filled it up again.

  Heather watched the muscles of his throat work and realized she was staring at him. She quickly looked away.

  “What do I need to do next?”

  “Come on upstairs and I’ll show you.” He left the glass by the sink and led the way to the stairs.

  Here it comes, the sex. They’ll each corner me every chance they get and use me. Heather sighed and followed him upstairs, wondering if she should start undressing, or if he wanted to do it.

  He turned to say something, then frowned. “Hey, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. We can move our own clothes later.”

  “What?” Totally confused, Heather jerked to a stop.

  “Move our clothes. What did you think I wanted you to do?” Then it must have dawned on him because his brows knit together in anger.

  “Fuck! You think I brought you up here to fuck you?”

  “That’s why you kept me, isn’t it?”

  “Hell, no. We helped you get away because you don’t deserve to be treated like a slave. There was no way we were going to leave you to some bastard that would abuse you.”

  “I don’t understand. I belong to you now. Your brother said so.” She wrapped her arms around her middle, a little afraid of Bolton in the mood he was in now.

  “Yes, but you belong to us because you have to belong to someone, or you’re free for anyone to grab. You’re our responsibility, but we’ll take good care of you. We aren’t going to attack you for sex.”

  “You don’t want me?”

  “Hell, females are so complicated,” Bolton said under his breath.

  “I mean, last night, you were hard.”

  “Yes, we want you, but not until you’re comfortable around us. We aren’t animals, Heather.”

  “Okay.” She bit her lower lip and waited for him to tell her what to do.

  When he groaned and turned away, she was confused again, but waited for him to say something. She didn’t want to make things any worse.

  “What I wanted you to do was put your things up in here, and move our things out of the other two bedrooms into here as well. We’ll all stay in here from now on. It’s safer to be together.” He took her hand and pulled her out of the master bedroom, and showed her the other two rooms where their things were. “Can you do that?”

  “Sure. I’ll do that. Where will you be?”

  “I’m going to unload the rest of the stuff off the back porch that goes in the cellar. I’ll show that to you after lunch.”

  “What do I fix for lunch? What do you normally eat?”

  “There’s fresh-cut bread we picked up while we were in town. You can make peanut butter sandwiches for us. We’ve got to use up the peanut butter before it goes bad.” He walked toward the door, then stopped and turned around.

  “Heather, we want you. Don’t think we don’t, but nothing is going to happen until you’re ready. We won’t force you.” Then he walked through the door and left her to sort out the bedrooms.

  She sighed, and hoped he was telling her the truth. She liked what little she knew of them so far, and wanted to feel safe. So far they hadn’t done anything to harm her, and had fed her and let her bathe. She should feel grateful and offer to take care of their sexual needs without them asking, but she was nervous. Her life could be so much worse, and had been. Even before the year of catastrophes, she’d felt beholden to her foster parents since they always told her t
hey took her in out of the kindness of their hearts. She felt like she had to be the very best girl she could be to make them love her.

  She spent the next two hours combining the two bedrooms into the one master bedroom. There was plenty of room for everyone’s clothes, with plenty of room left in the closets. They each had three pair of boots and several pair of tennis shoes. She had only the one pair, and cursed that she hadn’t thought to get some more shoes while at the store the day before. Maybe they would go back before long, and she could get more shoes.

  She decided it had to be close to time for lunch since her stomach began to growl. She hurried downstairs to make sandwiches. She made two for each of the men and one for herself, then walked outside the back and called Bolton. Both men walked up from what looked like a barn out back.

  “Um, lunch is ready. Do you have a clock anywhere so I will know what time it is?”

  Brandon pointed to one hanging over the kitchen sink. “You mean like that one?”

  They all three laughed, and the mood lightened. The men talked about the garden and how they would enlarge it next spring. This year it was all they could handle with everything else they had to tend to.

  “I’ll show you the garden when I show you the rest of the place,” Bolton told her.

  “Do you have canning supplies?” she asked.

  “Do you know how to put up vegetables?” Brandon asked, the unmistakable sound of hope in his voice.

  “Yes. I was raised by my grandmother. Remember, I told you last night, but I’m sure you were tired. We put up all sorts of things all year long. If you have canning supplies, I can put it up.”

  “Hot damn!” Brandon grabbed her and kissed her full on the lips.

  She realized she liked it when he kissed her. But it was over with almost as fast as it began.

  “We’ve got some, but we can get tons more,” Bolton told her. “Everything you should need is in the cellar. I’ll show you.”