Tangle Tails [Lions of Lonesome, Texas 7] Read online

  She looked to the other two men. Although Win had a special something that drew her to him, she cared for all three of them. Yet cared wasn’t quite the right word. She was almost afraid to admit it to herself, but she was falling for them. As far as relationships went, it’d only been a short time. But the situation was intense, bringing them together faster than what was normal.

  “Damn it, babe.” Mars’s tone was tinged with pain. “We’re sorry as hell that we got you into this.”

  “You didn’t. I came looking for John on my own.” She gave Mars as sweet a smile as she could manage. “And part of me is glad I did. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been with John when he…” She sniffed then forced herself to go on. “And I wouldn’t have met you three.”

  “Then you won’t hate me if I said I’d thought the same thing?” Charlie tossed his stick aside and moved closer to sit in front of her. He took her hand between both of his. “You mean a lot to us, sugar. More than I have the right words to tell you.”

  She held back tears again, this time for a different reason, a better reason. “Those kinds of words are hard to find. But I know. I know.” She met his dark gaze. “You guys mean a lot to me, too.”

  “Well, isn’t this just so damn sweet.”

  Joy tensed as Charlie and Win jumped to their feet. Mars was already moving toward the bars closest to Kit as she strolled in. She pulled the barn door almost closed, leaving enough room for her to slip back outside.

  Why hadn’t she heard Kit removing the chain from the door or sliding the bars back? Was she so used to the sounds that they no longer registered?

  Twisting around, she pushed away from the bars, unwilling to be close enough for Kit to touch her. Or prod her with a stick as she’d done the day before. Or, worse, to put the gun to her head and pull the trigger.

  “Why aren’t you giving us any food?” She closed her eyes, regained her composure, then opened them. If she could do nothing else, she could keep the fear out of her voice.

  “It’s very simple, sugar.” Kit used the pet name Charlie called Joy then grinned. “I want you three”— she pointed the gun at the men—“to get hungry enough that you’ll eat anything you can find.”

  Joy stared at her, willing herself to understand. But what Kit had said didn’t make any sense. “What do you expect them to do? Go hunting? Catch a rat?” She couldn’t hold back. Getting to her feet, she raged at her captor. “You’re fucking insane! You can’t keep us here forever. Are you trying to starve us to death? And then what? Dump our bodies in a shallow grave?”

  Kit sat down on a large bale of hay. “Oh, come on. Think a minute. What is there, right there in the cage, that you can eat?”

  “You’re crazy,” muttered Joy, her energy spent.

  “Easy, baby.” Win put his arm around her. “Don’t let her get to you.”

  Kit’s smile was pure evil. “Let me give you a hint. Think Donner party.”

  “Donner party? What are you talking about?” Then, at last, it hit her. The Donner Party was a group of people trying to get over the Rocky Mountains. When they had become snowbound and were running out of food, they had resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. She wasn’t sure if the story was true or not, but now she knew what Kit meant. “You want us to eat each other?”

  Kit chuckled. “Well, it would be interesting.”

  “We’d never do that.” Mars’s lips lifted into a pseudo-snarl.

  “Go fuck yourself, Kit.” Win shot her a hate-filled glower. “God knows no man will ever want to.”

  Kit’s smile faded, replaced by a snarl of her own. She opened her mouth, obviously to throw a retort at him, then closed it. After a few moments, she settled her gaze on Joy. “You don’t know these men the way I do. Trust me. They’ll do anything to survive. They’re like animals that way.”

  “You’re beyond contemptible.” If her words could kill, Kit would be lying on the ground.

  Kit hooked the gun on her elbow. “Like I said, you don’t know them. But, hey, tell you what. Kill yourself first and then you’ll never have to find out what they’re made of.” She looked to Charlie. “You wouldn’t want her to know what you’re really like, would you, Charlie? Not yet, anyway.”

  All three of the men remained silent. She searched their faces, trying to see what they were feeling. But their expressions were vacant, hiding not only their anger but more.

  Do I know them? Or is Kit right?

  She wouldn’t let Kit turn her against the men she loved. She couldn’t.

  Love.

  Her breath hitched in her throat.

  Do I love them?

  The answer was simple.

  I do. I love them. And I trust them, too.

  “Go away, Kit. If you’re not going to feed us, then leave us alone.”

  Kit glanced from her to each of the men. “It’s only the beginning. You’ll get hungrier every day. Finally, you’ll get hungry enough that you won’t be able to hold them back.” She stalked to the barn’s entrance before turning to face them again. “When you finally let them free, when you’re finally hungry enough that nothing but feeding that hunger matters, just know that I’ll be watching.”

  Joy stared at the entrance a long minute after Kit had shut the door before turning to the men. “What did she mean? What are you going to turn free?”

  Win averted his gaze, looking to Charlie. Charlie, however, shook his head.

  “You said it, babe,” answered Mars. “She’s crazy.”

  “You’re not answering my question.”

  Win’s gaze jumped from her to the bales of hay stacked against the wall. Fearing that Kit had come back, Joy whirled around. She sucked in a breath at the sight of a boy holding a stuffed bunny.

  “Don’t anybody do anything to scare him off,” whispered Win. He lifted a hand, slowly, as though any quick movement would send the boy running. “Hi, Levi. Remember me? I’m Win.”

  She smiled then moved to the bars. “Hi, Levi.” Without taking her attention from the boy’s face, she added, “I like your bunny. In fact, I have a bunny that looks a lot like that at home.” She kept the smile on her face and tried to appear as unthreatening as possible.

  Charlie and Mars stayed back, possibly to keep from overwhelming the boy with too many people coming forward. Her gaze jumped to the cameras. Could Kit see the boy? Or was he outside the camera’s range? She hoped so. Kit would hear them talking, but they had to take that chance.

  “Levi, will you please help us? A really bad lady put us in this cage, and we can’t get out. Will you help us, Levi?” She kept her voice level, not wanting to sound too frightened. “Levi, can you tell your parents that we’re here? Tell your mommy to call someone and get us help. Can you do that?” She dropped the smile, no longer able to sustain it. It took every ounce of determination to keep from getting on her knees and begging him. “You can do that, can’t you?”

  The silence was deafening as they waited for Levi to speak. As the moments dragged on, however, she knew he wouldn’t.

  “We’re in trouble. Please, sweetie, go tell your parents.”

  The boy blinked at her then looked to the men. He pointed at Charlie, his lips drawing back to show his bared teeth. Suddenly, he hissed like a cat then whirled around and disappeared.

  “No! Levi, come back! Please. You have to come back.” Despair filled Joy as she dropped to the ground. The sobs came, racking her body. “Oh, God. We’re never going to get out of here. Never.”

  Strong hands pulled her toward a firm body, but she didn’t care. Pain and fear overwhelmed her until she closed her eyes and wept.

  Chapter Seven

  “We need to tell her what we are.” Charlie looked at Joy, who lay on the floor, her head pillowed by one arm. She frowned in her sleep, emitting small moans. “It’s bad enough that Win gave her a taste of his allure.”

  Win scowled. “I gave her a taste to help calm her down. Don’t go giving me shit about it now.”

  Mars nodd
ed, his gaze on the sleeping Joy, too. “Win’s right. Besides, what’s done is done. We’ve got to get her out of here even if we die trying.”

  “Tell me how, brother, and I’m right there with you.” Charlie ached to touch her if only to smooth her hair away from her face. The blue streak had faded. “What kind of fucking lions are we if we can’t save our mate?”

  “Our mate.” Win dragged in a breath. “That sounds really good.”

  “Damn good,” agreed Mars.

  “And I’m not planning on losing her now that we’ve finally found her.” Charlie glanced at the door. “The next time Kit comes inside, we charge the cage door.”

  “What good will that do?” Win ran a hand through his hair. “We’ve tried to break it down before, and we couldn’t do it.”

  “I meant if she gets close to the cage. Mars and I will rush at her, throw her off-guard while you grab her. I don’t care if you have to break her fucking neck, but hold her tight and give me time to get the keys.”

  “Then break her fucking neck,” added Win.

  Mars didn’t have to shake his neck for Charlie to know that the plan was half-assed. Barring anything short of a miracle, it wouldn’t work. Worse, it might get one of them killed. Worse yet, it might get Joy killed. He’d die if anything happened to her.

  “Shit. It’s just like us to finally find our mate days before we end up dead.”

  Charlie slammed Win against the bars. “Don’t ever say that. Do you get me? Don’t you ever fucking say that.”

  Win, amber flecking his eyes, held back. Slowly, he nodded. “I won’t.”

  Charlie shoved his brother back then stalked over to Joy and went to his knees. If it was the last thing he ever did, he’d save her.

  * * * *

  Joy had never understood how anyone suffering through a frightening experience could make love. The movies were filled with it happening, but it had never made sense—until now.

  When she awoke, still scared, still grieving John’s death, she finally understood. She needed someone to hold her, to comfort her, to make love to her. By doing so, maybe she could fend off the pain, the fear if only for a little while.

  Finding Charlie beside her was all it took. She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I need you. Right now.” Her gaze slid to the men behind him. “I need you, too.”

  Charlie leaned forward, his lips so close to hers that when he pulled back she felt a physical tug. “Are you sure, sugar?” He glanced toward the cameras. “She could be watching.”

  She looked to one of the cameras and resisted the urge to flip her middle finger at it. “And maybe she’s not. Either way, I don’t care. I’m going to break apart if I don’t have you.”

  Win and Mars moved closer as Charlie pulled her into his arms. She sighed, releasing the heartache of her loss to revel in the joy of her gain.

  Charlie’s hands caressed her body, skimming over her curves as he murmured sweet words in her ear. “You’re so beautiful. So amazing. I can’t believe we found you.”

  His words were exactly what she needed to hear. Yet how soon would it be until they lost each other?

  It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

  Although the saying hadn’t been meant for a situation like theirs, it was appropriate. At least she’d found the men she loved. At least she’d have them before she died.

  He kissed her neck, quick little nibbles that sent the heat between her legs into a slow burn. Pushing against him, she offered him her breasts, yearning to have his mouth on her nipples. He eased her shirt over her head and tossed it aside.

  Win and Mars stood next to them, naked, having already shed their clothes. Her gaze studied their long bodies. Bodies that were leaner than when she’d first met them, but just as hard, just as desirable. She reached out a hand, silently telling them to join them.

  Charlie eased her onto her back, his gaze meeting hers as he began to undo her jeans. A quick tug then a shove sent them to her feet where Mars took hold of them and pulled them off her. She lifted her hips when Win bent over her to snag her panties with his teeth then tear them away.

  For a moment, Charlie stared down at her. Win and Mars did the same. As she looked from one man’s face to the next, she was touched by the love she saw there.

  “I’m a lucky woman.”

  Win chuckled as he took in their surroundings. “You must be a crazy woman to think you’re lucky to be locked in a cage.”

  She touched his cheek. “I’m lucky because I found you.” She touched each of their cheeks, taking time to press her palm against their flesh. “And I found you. And you. So, yes, I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

  Charlie cleared his throat, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears. “Nah, we’re the lucky ones.” He pulled his shirt over his head then went to work on his jeans. He kept his gaze to hers as he discarded his boots.

  “Hmm, commando style, huh?” she asked with a soft smile.

  “Damn straight, baby,” answered Win for Charlie. “We don’t like underwear. It binds a man up.”

  She had to have them, then, with no more talking. “Take me. Before…” She didn’t finish, unable to say what horror the future might hold.

  Before Kit sees us. Before Kit stops us. Before she kills us.

  “Right. Before.” Mars swallowed. “Now and forever, too.”

  She prayed he’d be right.

  They took her, then, as she’d always dreamed her man, her men, would do. Charlie’s mouth found her nipples and tortured them as he pulled her body close against his then scooted lower to put his face against her breasts. He gripped her behind the shoulders, his tongue and teeth moving from one breast to the other. His cock, hard and wet, pushed against her legs.

  She spread her legs and felt a hand slide between them as she twisted her bottom so that she lay on her back. Tunneling her fingers through Charlie’s hair, she held him against her breasts even as he grumbled a complaint. “Win?”

  “Yeah. It’s me.” He spread her legs even wider, his fingers delving into her warm snatch. “Tell me what you like, baby.”

  “I like it all. Whatever you do is wonderful.”

  “How about this, babe?” asked Mars as he put his cock near her mouth. It was magnificent, a perfect appendage for the perfect man. Fully erect with a nice curve, his cock glistened with pre-cum. Purple veins ran down the long length of it. His balls hung enticingly, begging her to cup them. She did, loving the weight of them as she opened her mouth to receive his cock.

  Oh, he tasted so great. Musky with the fragrance only a real man could possess. She circled her tongue around his cock, pushing it as far inside her mouth as she could then feeling its texture under the bottom of her tongue. Playfully, she put her teeth against his loose skin and sucked her way down to the mushroomed tip.

  “Easy, babe. You don’t want to do any damage,” warned Mars.

  She smiled around his cock then realized the danger she’d put him in when Win put his mouth to her clit and sucked hard. Gasping, she almost bit down on Mars’ cock but caught herself in time. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice.

  Win pleasured her clit then, and using two fingers, pumped into her, his hand bumping against her ass. Teeth then tongue swept over her clit, demanding more and more wetness from her. His licked her, sucked her, bit her, driving the slow heat of before into a hot, wild fire.

  With her eyes closed, she moaned, but the sound was cut off when Charlie put his mouth to hers. Almost as though he was mimicking Win, his tongue played with hers, whipping around it then sucking on it to pull it into his mouth. He bit her lower lip then slicked his tongue along the seam of her mouth until returning to find her tongue.

  Their hands explored her body. Their voices filled her ears. Their moans excited her.

  I love them. I really love them.

  And although they’d never said exactly that, she knew they loved her, too.

  Win pulled out from between he
r legs then eased her back onto her side. “Damn, but you have such a sweet ass. I have to have your ass.” He slapped her lightly, playfully then fondled both her butt cheeks. “Don’t worry, baby, this won’t hurt but for a second.” He moved behind her and kissed his way up her spine as his finger found her tight anal muscles.

  If any other man before the Mesa brothers had said the same, she wouldn’t have believed him. But with them? She’d believe any and everything.

  This time, Charlie’s groan was filled with joy. He skimmed his hand along her leg and pulled it over his hip as he pushed himself up on his elbow. His gaze met hers, and once again, she was stunned by the emotion shining there.

  “Take me, Charlie.” Had she spoken too softly? Even at all?

  But he heard her. Pushing his cock against her crotch, he slipped a hand between her leg and guided the tip of his cock to her pussy. “I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you.”

  Holding Mars’ cock, she paused and answered Charlie. “Please. Don’t wait another minute.” If Kit came in now and tried to stop them, she’d keep going. Even if it meant her life.

  Mars cupped her under the chin, urging her to take his cock again. When she did, he groaned and brought her hand to his balls. “Squeeze me, babe. Yeah, that’s right.”

  Pushing her ass cheeks apart, Win slipped his cock inside her tight ass. Pain flashed through her, but it was gone before she could cry out. In its place came an incredible sensation of being filled.

  Charlie. Now. Please.

  Charlie thrust his cock inside her pussy, paused as though relishing the feeling, then pulled out and rammed into her again. He pushed his hips back and forth, a human battering ram. Over and over he plunged into her, harder, faster, his panting breaths matching each move.

  Mars fell over her, keeping his body above her head as he planted his hands on the other side her. She tweaked his nipples as she kept her mouth around his cock. Her soft “uhs” sent warm air over his cock. Pleasure radiated from his expression.