“Kane, really now.” She stood up and took off her bathing suit and strutted over to her dresser. Slapping a few bathing suits on top of the flat surface, she kept her back to him and didn’t realize he’d stripped off until she felt the bare existence of his weighted cock pressing against her hip.
“Kane!” She turned around and rolled her eyes.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“The thing you do with your eyes. Roll them. Don’t do it.”
“Why not? I always roll my eyes.”
“And you always look adorable doing it. Right now, I don’t need anything else to remind me of your youth. So help me, Peyton, I know I should apologize for this but you don’t understand. I have to have you right now. I have to know you belong to me.”
“Kane, you had me before I ever made it down there the first time,” she whispered.
He nibbled at her ear and moaned as she grabbed his cock and began to massage him as she moved him closer and closer to her vagina. With the tip right there, if she moved her hand, the fucking and hardcore loving started at once. If she didn’t, the teasing continued. Trouble with them right then, they had little else on their mind.
He pushed into her as he dipped his head and devoured her nipple. He mumbled all around her breast, need pouring from his mouth as he sucked her in and made her feel more like a sensual woman than she deserved. He cupped the nape of her neck and looked deep into her eyes as he fucked her.
She tried to kiss him, and he resisted. “Watch, Peyton. Look at me claiming you. I want you to watch me move in and out of you.”
Her gaze drifted to his cock as he withdrew and buried himself inside of her again and again. “Kane…I’m coming… It’s too good, so hot and…ah, Kane.” She dropped her hands to the dresser and with her palms as her anchor she pushed up and captured every stroke he gave her as he pounded into her pussy. He divided her slick folds over and over again as he tried to take the kind of pleasure he quickly delivered.
“That’s it. Milk my cock, baby. Oh Peyton, you’re so good, baby, so good and tight. Ah yes. Let me come now for you. Ah…Um…yeah. That’s it, right there. Hold still and let me have you. All of you. Give me all of you. Peyton!”
He collapsed against her and drew her close as his cock pulsed inside of her walls. When he was completely satisfied, he moved away from her and headed for the shower. He didn’t look back, and he left her where he’d placed her, on her dresser.
After she cleaned up for the second time since graduating, Peyton headed outside. Kane didn’t say anything to her at all. He just fucked her hard and fast, then showered, wrapped a towel around his waist and headed to his room.
Vicky met him in the hallway.
“Don’t ask,” Peyton said.
“Don’t ask? Are you kidding me? I heard you two coming up the stairs.”
“You did not.” She grabbed a pair of denim shorts and a plain baby-blue shirt.
“Yeah, I did. How’s this for a refresher. Does ‘milk my cock’ ring a bell?”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah, I tried to push everyone back down the stairs but, hon, I hate to tell you, most of the guys heard all of your pillow talk.”
“If I’d been on the bed, then the pillow might have muffled the sound.”
Look at it this way. The guys now think you’re a sex kitten, and the girls aren’t going to go anywhere near Kane. He sounded almost tortured. Damn, does he always fuck you like that?”
“Vicky!” Peyton grabbed her flip-flops and started for the door.
They walked down the steps arm and arm. “Just think of it this way. There aren’t too many people getting it that hard at eighteen. By the time you’re twenty-eight, you’ll know the ins and outs of sex. You may burn out on it too, but hey, if you gotta lose your thing for it, might as well do it with him. Jeez, he looked hot enough to toast when he came out of your room. Shew. Tell me he’s a good fuck.”
“He’s a good fuck,” Peyton said as she looked around the pool. “And I’m a horrible hostess.”
Vicky gave her a squeeze. “Oh, you mean the party guests? Yeah, well Braden said anyone under eighteen had to leave before midnight and everyone else has to leave by three. Evan counted heads a bit ago to see how many people are still here. Something like a hundred-fifty are still here.”
“Most of them must be in the pool,” Peyton said with a laugh as she made her way to the podium where the band was playing. She tapped the microphone and mouthed a few words to the band leader in an attempt to ask for permission to use it.
He nodded and motioned for the others to cut the music or at least find a light tempo to hang in the balance, which is what they did. They allowed the music to rumble low in the distance as she stepped center stage.
Peyton seldom experienced stage fright but right now, she had some. She looked at Braden, and as always, he looked as proud as ever. Evan winked. It was safe to assume he was still extremely horny. If he realized Kane romped her twice since she’d turned him down, he wouldn’t look all smiles and puckers right now.
Kane tried to focus on anything but her. She knew why. She’d felt it in him for days now. Kane loved her, and he feared he was going to lose her. She loved him, she loved all of them, and she wasn’t going to leave them. What would they do without her? She couldn’t imagine her life without them and worse still, she couldn’t stand to think of them without her.
She stepped up to the microphone and took a deep breath. She knew in many ways Kane would be relieved but she wasn’t sure about Braden or Evan. They both enjoyed seeing her play ball, and Braden had high hopes. He wanted her to attend a major university somewhere in the south, but that was in the beginning. Maybe now, he’d see things differently.
She wasn’t the same girl who moved into their home nearly a year ago. They’d finished raising her where her mother left off and thanks to Braden, Evan, and Kane Cartwell, she was now a woman. Strong and independent, she was a woman in love, and she planned to stay that way for many years to come.
“Should we hold our breath?” Kane asked as Braden and Evan joined him.
“Don’t think so,” Braden said. “She may apologize for being so rude and disappearing on them, though I doubt it. By the look on both your faces, you’re pretty pleased with whatever kept you busy for nearly a half hour.”
Kane folded his arms over his chest and resisted the urge to smile when he felt the tug at the corners of his mouth. Oh yeah, it was some of pleasure’s best and more hell than he’d ever known. Ever since those damn letters started pouring in from all those schools, he’d felt the same way every time he looked at her, touched her, or heaven help him-screwed her. He couldn’t get enough. He wanted more.
Peyton’s eyes danced with mischief. She grinned big and waved at them.
“Oh shit, we’re in trouble,” Evan said recognizing the one and only Peyton Storm-signature smile.
“Great. We give her the world and what does she do?”
“Hi boys,” she said while she curled her hair around her forefinger.
Kane grumbled. “Oh yeah, we’re history. She’s up to something.”
“Kane, honey, would you come on up here and join me?”
He stared back at the buxom beauty seducing him to get his ass up there on the stage. Like the man-magnet she was, he didn’t deny her. When it came to Peyton, all she had to do was tug at his heart strings or pull at his cock, and all he wanted to do was plan out a thousand tomorrows.
He worked his way through the crowd while Peyton called for her next victim. Braden was such an easy target, she saved him for last.
“Evan. Honey, be a dear and come on up here too.”
Kane looked around and saw his brother obediently following the sound of his angel’s voice. Wherever she wanted to lead them now, they were ready to go. He pointed at his brother and laughed.
“Braden, sweetheart would you come over here as well?”
By the time they were standing next to Peyton, she was rambling on about something that happened to her on the last day of school. She told a few stories about Coach Pratchert and why she’d loved playing volleyball for her, and finally, the moment arrived.
Kane realized what all this was about. She wanted to tell them all where she planned to go to college. She’d made her decision.
“I’ve known for some time now where I was going to school. I haven’t said anything to anyone other than Vicky.” She smiled at her BFF-the one she must’ve shared everything with and that fact left Kane feeling a little jealous.
“Coach Pratchert, as many of you know, challenged her girls. She taught us to strive in the face of adversity, she taught us how to play as a team and how to stand alone when necessary. As some of you know, I lost my mother…”She grabbed Braden’s hand and squeezed it before she finished “It was a year ago today. If losing my mother taught me anything at all, it’s that I do not want to stand alone.”
Before too much pity or uncomfortable silence rippled through the air, she continued.
“Coach Pratchert and Mom taught me to seize the opportunities given. To take the chances you want to take and to let go of the dreams others instill in you when you’re not as sold on those ideas as they are.
“Coach Pratchert wanted me to go to a larger university. I think Braden Cartwell did too.” She touched his cheek with her free hand and then let go of the one she clutched to her side.
“I’ve decided on Western Carolina University because in all honesty, and girls, if you look at these three, I know you’ll understand, I can’t imagine leaving here and turning my back on the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Meeting these men, changed my life.”
Braden gritted his teeth and shook his head. Under his breath, he scolded her. “Peyton, we should’ve talked about this.”
“I don’t want to talk, Braden. In fact, there are several things I want to do over the next few hours and talking isn’t one of them.”
A few oohs and ahhs rippled over the crowd and she realized then there were enough microphones around the stage to ensure everyone heard everything she said. What the hell. She didn’t care.
Most of the town heard the news about her public romp with Evan. Others witnessed the way Kane carried on around her ninety-nine percent of the time. And then poor Braden looked at her like it pained him to look at any other woman.
“As most of you know, I kept my mother in the dark most of my life. She gave me the world and yet I never found satisfaction in anything she gave until she gave me the greatest gift of all.” Peyton pointed to the Cartwells.
“As you all know, Mom asked Braden Cartwell to look out for me, and she trusted him to take care of me until I made it out of high school.
“Keep in mind, when I moved in with these three, I didn’t make it easy on them.” The crowd laughed and a few cheered. A few of the guys in the audience provided a couple of provocative remarks and Loy Martin shouted he ‘could attest to that’.
Peyton’s voice dropped a pitch, and she tried to keep from crying so she had to speak slower and focus on the crowd instead of the men she loved. “I love pulling capers. Vicky and I have pulled a few in our time, but these three already knew all about those stunts, and I didn’t bargain for the Cartwells. Even without the coveted ‘Raising a Teenage Girl’ manual, these three contemplated everything I planned to do before I did it.
“I used to stir up a little hell before I met the Cartwells and then, lo and behold, when I didn’t go looking for it, I ran smack dab into trouble. Momma always said trouble ran in threes. I believe her now.”
Surprisingly, Kane moved closer now. He didn’t like to stand in front of anyone long but he stood beside of her and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“I’m not staying behind because I don’t have better options. I’m going to Western Carolina because it’s the best choice for me. I need to stay part of this family team now, and Western Carolina offers what I wanted to find in a college. It’s less than a fifty minute drive from the ranch to campus, and I’ll play volleyball on a full scholarship. That is if these three still want me around to stick my nose in their business as much as possible.”
Kane wanted to fade right into her all over again. He needed to bury himself so deep inside of her that she begged and pleaded for him to stay right where he was until the break of day. He wanted to love her. And thank goodness, Peyton had similar ideas. Thank God, he was smart enough to ask for his brothers’ blessings before he did something as crazy as he planned to do right here and now.
Before anyone saw it coming, Kane dropped to his knee and stuck his hand in his pocket. He retrieved a beautiful three stone diamond ring and as soon as he saw the twinkle in her eye, he realized Peyton certainly got the meaning behind it.
“Kane?” Her hand went to his cheek and in true Peyton-form, the little vixen held the microphone in front of him while grinning all over the place. Man oh man how he loved her right then and there, but he also wanted to spank her more than put this ring on her hand.
“I uh…”
Evan winked at Peyton, and Braden lifted her arm out. Kane took her ring finger in between shaking hands and slid the ring on before he popped any kind of question.
“Kane? Buddy, I think you need to ask her something first,” Evan said.
“Well, I just assumed she’d say yes considering there were about fifty-five college offers she turned down to stay here around us.”
Peyton bit her lower lip, and he saw she was going to wait for some kind of assurance those fifty-five college offers didn’t go unopened without a significant reward.
He swallowed hard and kissed her hand. He cleared his throat, and she blushed. She must’ve known what few theatrics he could manage were headed her way. Taking the microphone in one hand, and holding tight to the other, he looked into her sparkling blue eyes.
“Peyton Storm, I’d be much obliged, ma’am, if you’d say yes and accept this here marriage proposal.”
“Ah now, Kane. Is that the best you can do?” She winked.
“No, darlin’, you and I both know I can do a lot better.” He dropped the microphone.
The onlookers cheered. The boys and men around chuckled with a knowing reference to let everyone know the underlying meaning. The girls held their hearts and grown women looked envious.
Kane gazed deep into those mischievous, perfectly-set eyes, and he gave it his best shot. He knew from the get-go she wouldn’t make it easy.
“I love you Peyton. From the first day you arrived here, I told Braden and Evan they’d have to keep me away from you because I planned to love you from the moment I saw you. ‘Course I had to wait three months to lay the first hand on you, and that was pure hell, let me tell you.
“My heart had an unusual way of beating after you came here and regardless of age, I knew from day one you were put on this earth to love me and if you’ll have me, I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you why I was put here too. Nothing or no one has ever made me feel the way you do. I want you to be my wife, Peyton, and as far as I’m concerned, you already are.”
All of Peyton’s friends dramatically swooned then. Peyton held her heart, and she nodded quickly as he gathered her in his arms and kissed her like there was no tomorrow worth facing unless he faced it with her.
When their kiss broke, Evan and Braden stepped forward. “Sisterin-law, what do you think of the ring?” Evan said.
“I imagine Braden picked it out,” she said.
“Yeah, he did,” Kane grumbled. “I figured you knew the second you saw it what all this meant.”
“Well, uh, I only saw one of you down on one knee,” she complained as she patted Braden’s cheek.
Evan leaned in and whispered in her ear loud enough for the other two to overhear. “Darlin’, I’m going to be down on more than one knee before the night is over.”
“But…” She wanted to ask questions, and Kane just wanted her to shut up and let him feel like the lone bridegroom for a little while.
“But don’t you think others are going to wonder why we all live together and-.”
“Surely to gosh you don’t think we care what other people think or say?” Evan asked.
“No, but I mean I did have public sex with you at Clink.”
“Uh-huh, and it was nice and hot too,” he said as he grabbed her around the waist and almost kissed her.
“Knock it off you two,” Braden said. “The only one who gets to kiss her in public now, at least for the night, is Kane. Lucky bastard.”
“Yeah, that’s what she said.” He snapped Peyton’s wrist to his thigh and cupped her neck in a determined hold. He raked his teeth over her bottom lip before his tongue captured hers in a hungry kiss. She burrowed her hand in his hair and moaned before he grinned and stopped before the urgent call of sex interfered with a simple kiss.
“Now, go party. Me and the boys have some planning of our own to do,” he said.
“Like what?” Vicky popped up at the wrong time. Imagine.
All of the Cartwells greeted her with a nod or hello.
“Hope you understand, but tonight, Peyton can’t have any overnight guests,” Kane said with a very wide smile. It was fully intentional.
Sticking her lip out in a pout, she turned to Braden. “Why not?”
Peyton studied all of them, and Kane saw the devilment dancing across her flushed cheeks. “Yeah, why not?”
Kane pulled her close and planted his palm on her backside. He squeezed one of the globes and leaned in to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. “She’s not staying, baby. We have things to do and a lot of them are very delicious things we want to do to you. Got it? No Vicky.”
Vicky grabbed her hand and stared at the rocks on her hand. “Holy shit. One diamond not enough, Kane?”
Kane grinned. “Nope, guess not.”
“You didn’t pick this out,” she said without second guessing any of them. “Braden did. No expense was spared.”
She hugged Peyton tightly and then let her go. “So help me, I should hate you. Congratulations, Peyton. I swear I don’t know why in the hell you’d want to marry all of them.” She looked from one belt to another.
“Oh yes you do!” Peyton giggled, looped her arm with her friends and they took off through the crowd.
“Damn. She knows?” Evan asked.
“She’s always known,” Braden said. “And let’s get one thing straight. Regardless of how we handle this with Peyton, Vicky is always going to be treated like family for as long as Peyton wants her. We’re going to act like we always have and just accept that Peyton wanted her to know about it because girls need a friend to lean on for things. We can’t be her everything, even with three of us to try.”
“I don’t know why the hell not,” Kane said as he rubbed his chin and stared into the night.
“We just can’t, Kane. She still needs her own independence and her own friends. She may even still have the occasional girls’ night out when she wants to have a little girl talk.”
“And wouldn’t you love to know what they’ll talk about once they all realize she belongs to all of us.” Evan slapped his brothers on their backs, and they started walking toward the house.
In passing, Kane overheard Freda telling her daily dose of good gossip. “That’s the scoop girls. Evan, the one there in the middle was supposedly grinding into her so hard at Clink that she gripped the table and brought it out of the stand. Then, Kane and Braden joined them. Some say Kane was getting a hand job right after the fact and…”
They were almost on the terrace when Evan decided to have a little fun. He walked up to Freda and scooped her up in his arms.
“What are you doing! Evan! Put me down! Peyton! Peyton! Make your man over here put me down!”
“In case you didn’t hear, Peyton’s marrying my brother, Freda.”
Her eyes locked his in a challenge. “Word is you did her dirty at Clink.”
“Word is, huh?”
“That’s the word.”
“Wonder who spreads the word around these parts?” Kane asked as he studied his brother and Freda.
She shrugged. “One can never tell. Besides, it travels fast. Arden is a small town.”
“Clink is on the other side of Asheville, Freda.”
“Well, some say…”
“Freda,” Evan dropped his voice and then kissed her lightly on the lips. Oh yeah, Peyton would have his head for that one. “Tell me something, Freda. When you’re all dolled up at Clink wearing your long black wig and pump high heels, do you really think I don’t notice legs like these in a short black skirt?”
Freda held her breath and closed her eyes. Her friends began to snicker.
“I even spotted you while I was fucking Peyton. I saw you there in the corner watching us, trying to hide behind that Domme you hang out with some. Now tell me something, angel. Do you think that daddy judge of yours would like to know how his daughter spends her time?”
She swallowed stiffly and beads of sweat poured from her brow. “You’d have to prove it.”
Kane sneered. “We own part interest in a few properties with the owner of Clink. Don’t think we’d have a bit of trouble finding proof, darlin’.”
“What do you want, Kane?” She blinked back tears.
“I want you to be friends with Peyton for as long as she enjoys your company but I want you to shut your mouth about my future bride. Otherwise, one of these cold lonely nights, I’m going to send Evan out after you with my riding crop. Then you’ll see why little girls shouldn’t play in a big boy’s world.”
“Peyton does,” she squeaked.
“Honey, Peyton is far from a little girl. She’s a full grown woman in every way that counts. You should know. You watched her with Evan.” Kane gave her a pat on the head, deliberately trying his best to make her feel as young as her gossiping with school girls made her look. “Let’s go, Evan. Freda needs to get back to socializing. I imagine her friends can’t wait to hear details about what she does when she goes to Clink.”
Braden, forever the one with a conscience, offered Freda a warm smile. “Freda, don’t worry. These two here have their hands full with this ranch. We like your father and don’t want any trouble. Your secret is safe with us.”
Evan found a chair underneath one of the large umbrellas where party favors were scattered around the table. He licked his lower lip, plucked a cherry from one of the drinks and let it swing in front of her face.
“Freda, I like breaking in new subs. I think you’d be an awful lot of fun to train. Come snooping around here with gossip about Peyton, and so help me, what I did with Peyton at Clink will look like child’s play compared to what I’ll do with you behind closed doors.”
“Shit, Evan. Come on.” Braden pulled his brother away from the table and the three disappeared behind closed doors, making sure they shared a good, hearty chuckle.
“What was that all about?” Peyton asked as she approached Freda.
“You’re a crazy idiot for putting up with those three,” Freda said as she dabbed her forehead.
“It’s safe to guess. She’s jealous.” Annabelle, another one of their close gal pals must have witnessed the whole thing. “Evan gave her such a heated stare along with a somewhat seductive warning. I’d say it’s safe to say Freda here is sitting in damp panties about right now.”
Vicky looked at Peyton, and Peyton rolled her eyes.
“You might have some competition with Freda,” Annabelle said.
“I’m marrying Kane, in case you haven’t heard.” But her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was coming out of her chest. Evan openly flirted with Freda? Freda, of all people?
Freda stood up and set her jaw. The girl always had the ability to shoot someone down with a simple glare. She often stared down her nose at others like they weren’t worthy of standing in front of her. It pissed Peyton off but she tolerated her because Vicky grew up with her and liked her, for some reason.
“When are you going to knock off the act, Peyton? Everyone here knows the whole Kane engagement thing was for show.” She picked up her hand, stared at the ring and let her arm drop immediately. “Look at this ring. It’s almost gaudy. Three stones for three cowboys? Huh! I guess you just don’t care who knows, do you? In your own words, ‘trouble travels in threes’ and three stones sort of indicates you kind of like the trouble you’ve found here, huh?”
Peyton didn’t have confrontations. She didn’t like them, and she avoided them because she liked to laugh and play. She lived for the good times and since she worked hard, sometimes she felt like she deserved it. What she didn’t deserve was the arrogance of a judge’s daughter belittling her for loving three men.
Feeling their eyes on her, Peyton glanced up to the upper balcony. Sure as the world, there they were. All three handsome men standing in their cowboy boots, tight fitting jeans and button down shirts looked good enough to eat. And she was starving.
No, she didn’t think she’d justify her decisions or explain why she loved three men, but looking up at them then, she came to an understanding, a peace from within. She refused to deny what she felt for any of the Cartwells. She didn’t give a shit if it was right or if society condemned her because of it.
Freda pointed. “Oh! Well speak of the handsome devils. I guess you’re being summonsed to the bedroom now, Peyton.”
Before she thought better of it, she drew back and slapped Freda. Vicky flinched beside of her, and Freda whimpered as she held her face.
“That’s for being a bitch, for being so fucking proud that you can’t be yourself. For walking into Clink in a disguise and thinking you’re so much smarter than everyone else that you can fool people who’ve grown up with you and protected you. That’s for trying to make something beautiful into something ugly. I pity you, Freda, and half the people here do too.”
Vicky tried to stop her. As Peyton made her way back to the band podium, she realized she was right on her heels. “Peyton, think about this. Don’t do it. If you plan to stay here and live here, don’t do it. It’s one thing to let people think what they want but quite another to say something you’ll later regret.”
“I won’t regret this.”
She stepped to the podium and spoke to the town. Yes, the town. By the time she finished here, everyone at the party would know she was a Cartwell woman and her men were off-limits to all other women. It was the kind of gossip people didn’t wait to spread when they bumped into a stranger on the street. They picked up their cell phones and started dialing everyone on their speed-dial features.
“I want to thank everyone for coming tonight. This party has been very exciting. As you can imagine, I’m exhausted. All of the seniors here are exhausted. We’ve had a wonderful and busy week. Graduation has been so exciting, but with a new engagement pending and three very handsome men waiting…” She pointed to the upper deck. “Well, I think you all can put the rest of it together. If not, let me spell out for you.”
Braden shook his head. Evan smirked and Kane moved away from the balcony, no doubt on his way to stop what he knew she planned to do. He wouldn’t make it. She wanted to say her peace and then call it a night and go love on her cowboys.
She held up her ring. “There are three diamonds here because I am marrying, at least in my heart, all three Cartwells. I wasn’t going to bring attention to the love we share because when Kane proposed, it became clear to me, they might want to protect me from the whispers. For those of you, like Freda, who are concerned about my fling at Clink, I want to assure you. The gossip you heard about me and Evan is one hundred percent accurate.
“If you think words are cheap, you should see how I dress around these three. I like to act the part, if you know what I mean. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an after-party to attend.” She tilted her chin in the direction of the balcony. “And for those of you who are apparently interested, let me explain. It’s a private sex party, and I’m the guest of honor.”