Slave Gold (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Darby, Gil, and Barclay looked at her with so much sympathy that she nearly fell apart right there. Gil reached past Barclay, putting his hand on her cheek and looking deep in her eyes. “I am so sorry, Shannon. A wonderful woman like you deserved so much more. How can we help you heal? Do you want to talk more about it?

  Pain swamped Shannon as she remembered how good she’d been and how hard she’d worked trying to gain her mother’s love and acceptance. It had never happened, and she’d often wondered if her mom’s heart had shriveled up and died. She would never know the answer to that unspoken question, and she’d realized a long time ago that the only way to deal with it was to let it go and not think about it. She wanted to focus on the positive.

  And so did her body. Despite their heavy conversation, she couldn’t help thinking that the muscles beneath her ass were so strong and toned they were like rocks. Every time Barclay moved she felt them ripple. Her pussy softened and began to leak. Her breasts felt heavy and her nipples hardened. Why now? Why do I have to be attracted to three men at once when I’m not even on my own planet?

  That thought startled her. Am I naïve to have believed so quickly that I’m no longer on Earth?

  Shannon thought back to when she’d come to accept this two nights before. Seeing their village and homes only made her more certain. I feel at home here, but this really seems like another world.

  “Are you all right, sweetheart?” Darby asked, drawing her from her thoughts.

  “Yes.” Her reply sounded breathless, and she cursed her body’s reaction once more.

  “Look at me, Shannon,” Barclay demanded.

  Shannon looked up again and gasped as he pinned her with his heated stare. He cupped her cheek in one hand and smoothed his thumb over her skin. Then slowly he began to lower his head. Shannon drew in a nervous, excited breath and held it. Is he going to kiss me?

  Barclay lowered his head, giving her time to pull away if she wished, but she wanted to know what it would be like to be kissed by him. By all of them. Her pussy clenched again and more of her cream leaked onto her panties. And then his mouth was on hers. Barclay didn’t tease or coax. He dove right in. Using his lips to separate hers, he swept his tongue into her mouth. His taste was spicy and masculine, tinged with arousal, and she couldn’t get enough.

  Shannon moaned, and he threaded his fingers into her hair and palmed the back of her head, holding her in place for his kiss. Barclay ate at her mouth until she was gasping for air. When he lifted his head to stare into her eyes, she wiggled on his lap and squeezed her thighs together. The look he gave her was so heated, it was a wonder she didn’t burst into flames.

  A noise from the kitchen drew her attention, and she looked across to see elder woman Swan cleaning up the dishes. Her cheeks heated and flamed with embarrassment. Shannon had forgotten the other woman was even in the room. How could I have been so lost that I would forget we weren’t alone?

  Shannon pushed against Barclay’s hold and jumped from his lap. Instead of sitting down again, she left the room. Tears formed in her eyes. She felt totally humiliated. God, what have I done? She ran to her room, slammed the door closed, and threw herself onto the bed. A sob escaped, and then she grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it.

  The door bounced against the opposite wall. The loud sound startled her, but she didn’t look up. One of the men had followed her into her room. Probably Barclay. Burrowing further into the pillow, she gripped it tight.

  “Shannon, look at me.” Barclay’s voice sounded close, and then the mattress dipped, telling her he was sitting on the bed.

  “Honey, you have nothing to be ashamed of,” Darby said as he sat on the other side of the bed.

  “Why are you embarrassed, sweetie?” Gilmore questioned.

  Oh God. How can they not know the answer to that question?

  A slap landed on her ass, and she lifted her head to glare over her shoulder at Gilmore.

  He put his hands up, palms facing out. “Hey, don’t look at me. I didn’t spank you.”

  Turning her head to Barclay, she glowered at him. Since he was the most intense and arrogant of the three brothers, she figured it had to have been him who spanked her. He was smiling, and that only made her more irate.

  “Now that I have your attention, will you please listen to me?” Barclay placed a hand on her back and started rubbing her. The motion was so soothing she began to relax and her anger dissipated slightly. “Good. Shannon, you have no reason to be embarrassed or ashamed. Elder woman Swan is married to two men and knows all about how a relationship with more than one man works. She didn’t even look at you.”

  “I don’t care. I am not going to make a spectacle of myself in front of anyone. As far as I’m concerned, kissing and touching should be done in private.”

  “Okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. From now on all the kissing and touching we do to you will be away from prying eyes.”

  “Wait!” Shannon gasped. “What do you mean by that? I don’t even know you.”

  “Sweetie, don’t you dare deny that you’re attracted to us. We’ve seen the looks you give us.” Gilmore placed a hand on her thigh and caressed her.

  “I’m not denying anything, but I still don’t know you and you don’t know me.”

  “Honey, we want to get to know you better.” Darby clasped her hand. “Don’t you want that, too?”

  “Um, I’m not sure.” Shannon nervously licked her dry lips. She couldn’t refute the attraction she had for them. But what if she let them touch her, love her, and then somehow she was pulled back to Earth and her own time? There was no way her feelings wouldn’t develop, grow stronger if she let them make love with her. A connection would be inevitable and her emotions would engage. Shannon didn’t know if she could handle ending up with a broken heart.

  “Talk to us, Shannon.” Barclay wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up onto his lap and into his arms.

  Shannon felt so safe when she was in one of the men’s arms. She wanted to snuggle in and hold tight and never let go, but she was afraid that if she let herself feel any more than she already did, it wouldn’t last or she would somehow find herself back home again.

  “I don’t know how I even got here.” She looked up at Barclay, then to Darby and Gilmore. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her eyes and stared at the quilt. “What if I’m only here temporarily? What will I do if I let you touch me and then I’m taken back to my own planet?”

  Barclay sighed and shifted her around until she was facing him. He was sitting on the edge of the mattress with her legs now straddling him.

  “Baby, we believe that you were meant to find that slave gold bracelet. When I was younger and learned about the goddess Branwen, I felt a sense of joy and an undeniable connection to her. I think that was a sign from the goddess herself. I believe that she was letting me know that we would be one of the lucky ones. She brought you here to us. Do you honestly think she would take you away again?”

  “I don’t know,” Shannon whispered. “This is all so surreal. I honestly don’t know what to believe.”

  “I think we should give Shannon some time to think things through.” Gilmore patted her leg. “We’re moving too fast for you, aren’t we, sweetie?”

  Shannon nodded and looked at Gilmore. She let him see that she appreciated his understanding. He seemed to know she was struggling with getting her head around everything. Shannon scrambled from Barclay’s lap and sat on the side of the bed so she could see all three brothers.

  “All this was my fault for pushing you too soon,” Barclay said. “But don’t think we won’t be touching or kissing you, Shannon. We want a life with you. We want you to be our bonded mate.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There’s one other thing we should tell you, honey,” Darby said.

  Shannon waited, looking at them expectantly.

  “On our planet, making love to a woman bonds her to the men permanently. We want that w
ith you, Shannon. We want you to be our woman for the rest of our days. Once our seed is in your body, you will be a part of us, just as we will be a part of you. ”

  “How does that work?” Shannon realized she was getting angry. “When were you going to tell me this? Were you just going to seduce me into making love with you and not give me a choice?”

  “No!” Barclay exploded. He looked downright frustrated. “We would never do that to you. God, do you think we have no morals?”

  Shannon shrugged and looked away. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. He sounded so angry. But how was she to know what was going through their minds? She didn’t know them.

  “Sweetie.” Gilmore took her hand in his. “We would never make that kind of decision without your knowledge. When you were kissing Barclay, we could tell how turned on you were. While we weren’t going to take you to bed right away, with the attraction we share we know it could happen soon, and once we do, you will carry some of our DNA. You will be connected to us for all time. We just wanted to warn you before things go any further.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions. But how was I supposed to know when you were planning on telling me?”

  “You’re right. We should have talked to you first.” Barclay moved toward the door. “I want you to think about what you want from us, baby. Can you do that?”

  Shannon finally felt like she could step back and be objective. Barclay had only kissed her after all, so it made sense that the men didn’t warn her about bonding during sex yet. And she appreciated how the men seemed sincerely sorry anyway. She smiled shyly and nodded. She knew the men saw her understanding when they relaxed and Barclay smiled back, gave her a wink, then left.

  “I have to go, too, honey. Gilmore will spend some time with you and show you around. I’ll see you later.” Darby kissed her on the head and left.

  “What would you like to do, Shannon?” asked Gilmore.

  “I want to see everything. Am I allowed to watch the men train? I want to meet your people and explore.” Shannon laughed when she realized she was talking fast in her excitement.

  “We can do all those things, sweetie.” Gilmore tugged her to her feet.

  “But I have a problem.” Shannon stayed sitting on the bed.

  “What’s wrong, Shannon?” Gilmore looked concerned.

  “I don’t have any fresh clothes, and I want a shower before we go anywhere.”

  “Shit! Sorry, sweetie. We should have thought about that. Why don’t you go and bathe? I’ll get elder woman Swan to find you something to wear.”

  “Why do you call her that?”

  “It’s a sign of respect. We call all the older women by that title and their last names.”

  “Oh, okay. Do you know her first name?”

  “Yes, it’s Rose.”

  “She wouldn’t let you use it?”

  Gilmore smiled. “Yes, she would. It’s just that we’re so used to calling her by the title, it would feel a little strange for us to call her anything else. Go get your shower, sweetie. I’ll be back in a bit.”

  Shannon watched Gilmore’s ass flex as he walked away. The three brothers turned her on just by breathing. Although she wanted to feel their hands and mouths, as well as their cocks, she just wasn’t ready yet. Now that she knew she would be committed to them if they made love, she wanted to be very sure before letting them touch her again.

  She headed for the adjoining bathroom and stood looking at all the buttons. There were no faucets or showerheads, and she wasn’t sure how to get it to work. Biting her lip, she reached into the large cubicle and pushed a button. Spigots came out of the walls, and water began to flow. Quickly stripping off, she walked into the shower. The water was the right temperature and didn’t need to be adjusted. Sighing with pleasure, she let it cascade over her.

  There was no soap or shampoo, so she decided to push another button. Another spigot shot out of the wall. Shannon gave a shriek, but the spigot only leaked a light-yellow gel. She placed her hand beneath and caught the fluid in her palm. After sniffing the liquid, she rubbed her hands together and began to wash.

  She had just finished rinsing her hair when a sound drew her attention.

  Gilmore was standing just inside the door to the bathroom, staring at her. She shifted from foot to foot and turned away, giving him her back. Heat filled her cheeks once more.

  “You have nothing to be embarrassed about, sweetie. You have a very sexy body. Your body is gorgeous and perfect.”

  Shannon appreciated what he was saying, but she wanted more than him and his brothers lusting after her. She wanted them to like her, maybe even love her. She’d never felt a close connection to anyone before and craved to be loved for who she was, not what her body looked like. When tears pricked her eyes, she turned away quickly. Shannon didn’t want Gilmore to see how needy she was, but he must have seen something on her face.

  “Are you all right, sweetie?” Gilmore asked. His voice was louder, so he must have moved closer.

  Shannon kept her back to him and nodded. She heard him sigh.

  “I’ll leave the clothes on the counter and wait for you in the bedroom.”

  Too choked up to answer, she gave another nod and sighed with relief when she heard the bathroom door close. Reining in her emotions, she quickly got out and dried off. She giggled as she dressed in the unfamiliar clothes. Whoever had owned them was much taller and broader than she was. The black leather pants were way too long and the matching leather vest was loose. Turning side on to the mirror, she saw that the armholes were lower than what she was used to wearing and the sides of her breasts were visible. There was nothing she could do about it now. Maybe Rose would have a needle and thread she could borrow to adjust the clothes, though she knew Gil and his brothers would be very appreciative of the side view.

  Shannon knew that physical attraction was needed as the basis of any relationship, but she wanted so much more. She wondered if she would ever see love on Gilmore and his brothers’ faces.

  Chapter Seven

  As Gilmore waited for Shannon, he worried over the sadness and tears he’d seen in her eyes. He didn’t think he’d said anything to make her feel bad, but since he’d never met or dealt with an earthling before he couldn’t be certain. When he’d seen Shannon’s beautiful naked body, his cock had roared to life, filling with blood and beginning to throb. Even his balls were aching. He’d never seen such a gorgeous woman. All the women they knew were tall and muscular. Although Shannon wasn’t fat, she was much shorter and softer than what he was used to, and he liked that. A lot.

  The need to have her warm, soft body against his was clawing at his insides, but he wouldn’t do anything to make her feel uncomfortable. He cursed when he remembered how her cheeks had turned pink when he had entered the bathroom. The people on his planet weren’t self-conscious at all about their bodies and sometimes they would all go swimming naked in the stream on a hot day to cool off.

  Gilmore tapped into his data chip and the customs of Earth in the late twentieth to early twenty-first century. None of them ever went naked outside the house. He wondered if Shannon was uncomfortable with her body. It seemed there was a great deal of pressure in advertising on Earth for women to be so slender they were almost sticks. Were the men on Earth so small minded that body image was more important to them than what was in the heart? As he dug deeper he realized that wasn’t the case with all men, but the media on Earth had a lot to answer for. The women who appeared in advertisements for clothes and other products were so slim that Gilmore would be scared to touch them in fear of hurting them. If Shannon thought she was fat, then he and his brothers were going to have to change her mind.

  He looked up when the bathroom door opened and grinned. Shannon looked like a small child playing dress up in clothes way too big for her.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t find you anything smaller, sweetie. We will get one of the seamstresses here to measure you up and order you some clothe
s of your own.”

  “Oh, thank you, but this will be fine. I can wash my own clothes and wear them again tomorrow.”

  “I want to, Shannon, so don’t argue.” Gilmore held out his hand. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes.” She took his hand and let him lead.

  “What would you like to see first?”

  “Um, the village. Is that okay?”

  “Sure is. Let’s go exploring.”

  Gilmore strolled around the village with Shannon. He watched her expression and saw his home through new eyes. Her pleasure was almost childlike, and she often stopped to talk to the elders and the children. Some of the children were playing a game of chase and catch, and when a little boy tripped and began to cry, Shannon helped him up, gave him a hug, and kissed his head.

  Oh yes. She was absolutely perfect for them. Shannon was a very compassionate, nurturing woman, and he could see her fitting right in with everyone. Already he could see the acceptance in the eyes of the people she had spoken to. Now all they had to do was get her to accept him and his brothers.

  “Can we go and watch the men train for a while?” she asked. “I’ve never seen warriors wielding their swords before.”

  Gilmore hesitated. He wanted to please Shannon, but he was a little wary about the mostly single men seeing her. Would she be a distraction? Of course she would. All the warriors enjoyed watching the women, but Barclay and Darby wouldn’t let the men disrupt their training for long. He could hear Barclay now. “Keep your eyes and concentration on your job.”

  Gilmore wrapped his arm around Shannon’s shoulders and led the way back through the village and out the other side to the field where the training was in progress. He stopped and pulled her down onto the grass beside him.

  “Wow,” Shannon exhaled. “They look amazing.”

  Her eyes were on his brothers. She didn’t even look at the other men. That she was watching Barclay and Darby gave him hope. He pulled her up against his body, and she used him as a leaning post. Her body felt nice and relaxed. It seemed that even though Shannon wasn’t sure what she wanted with him and his brothers, her body had other ideas. She was comfortable with him, and he only hoped that she would eventually decide to let them make love to her.