County Sheriffs 2: Conquering Lovers (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting) Read online

  Kent began to wonder if Bella had had a bad experience with a man, but as he pondered over her innocent questions, he began to speculate whether she’d had any experience at all. Dawson clasped her hand in his and led her back over to the sofa. After seeing her seated, he knelt on the floor at her feet. Kent walked over and sat on the cushion next to her.

  “Baby, did someone hurt you?” Dawson rubbed his hands up and down her thighs.

  When Bella shook her head in denial, Kent’s heart stuttered in his chest. He cleared his throat before asking, “Bella, have you ever been with a man?”

  He had his answer when she lowered her gaze to Dawson’s caressing hands and her cheeks once more turned pink. She gave a slight shake of her head, and even though Kent wanted to shout with jubilation, he didn’t. He’d known she was amazing, and though it wouldn’t have mattered to him how many lovers she’d had in the past, knowing she hadn’t had any confirmed how extraordinary she really was. Not many young women in this modern era remained chaste until they met someone they cared about enough to share their bodies with. Most progressive women gave in to their sexual urges in caring relationships before they’d even finished high school, and while there was nothing wrong or immoral about that in his eyes, he was in awe that Bella was still a virgin at the age of twenty-five.

  “You humble us, baby,” Dawson said in a raspy voice.

  “What? How?”

  “You’ve just told us how much you value yourself.” Kent laced his fingers with hers, lifted her hand to his mouth, and kissed the back of it. “We promise that we’ll respect you just as much.” The moment Kent said those words he knew they were true. If Bella needed more time to get to know them and wanted to slow things down, he wasn’t going to quibble over her decision or press her for more. He was in this for the long haul, and if it was necessary to wait another twelve months for her to be on the same level as he and Dawson were, then he’d wait. He glanced at Dawson and saw the same resolve in his friend’s eyes.

  * * * *

  Bella’s heart filled with so much warmth at Kent’s words it felt as if it was overflowing and coursing through her blood. Or maybe it was a residual effect of the kisses they’d shared. No, she thought. It had been Kent’s and Dawson’s words as well as the sincerity in their eyes. Kent lowered her hand and then released it at the same time Dawson stood before taking a seat on the sofa cushion next to her. He picked up the remote and started the movie playing, and though she stared at the screen, Bella had no idea what the movie title was. She was lost in her thoughts, trying to decide what to do.

  On one hand she liked both men a lot and wanted to take things further. They were handsome with buff bodies, but that wasn’t enough reason to have a relationship with them. The outside package didn’t mean shit unless they had great personalities to match, which they did. From what she’d seen, they were kind and had good morals, and that made them more attractive to her no matter what they looked like. And on the other hand, since she’d never had sex before, she was feeling a little trepidatious.

  It was a big step to bare herself to one man, let alone two, and she didn’t just mean being naked in front of them. Bella wasn’t the type of person to put on airs and graces. She was a “what you see is what you get” type of girl and wasn’t about to change for anyone. If they were asking for a relationship with her, that had to mean they liked who she was. Didn’t it?

  Just thinking about walking away caused a knot to form in her stomach, and when she thought of them being with another woman, that knot grew bigger and bigger until she felt pain in the region of her heart. That was when she knew what her answer was.

  Bella couldn’t—and didn’t want to—walk away from them, but she hoped that her decision didn’t end up with her getting her heart broken. An old adage began rolling around in her mind. Life was a risk, but sometimes risks were worth taking.

  The yearning to know where a relationship with Dawson and Kent would lead was too strong to ignore. There would be no walking away on her part, and Bella just hoped that she was woman enough to meet their expectations, even if she didn’t know what those were.

  When Dawson burst out laughing, she startled and turned to meet his gaze. She wondered if he was annoyed with her when she noticed he was frowning.

  “Are you okay, baby?” The concern in his eyes had her own burning with tears, and she quickly lowered her gaze as she nodded.

  He nudged her head back up with a knuckle beneath her chin, and when their gazes met again, he locked eyes with her with such intensity she ended up holding her breath.

  “What’s wrong, Bella?”

  She shook her head as she exhaled and blinked to dispel the tears stinging her eyes. He snatched up the remote and paused the movie. Kent turned on the cushion, giving her his undivided attention.

  “There’s nothing wrong.”

  “Then why are you crying?” Dawson asked.

  She drew in a deep breath before replying. “I’m not crying.”

  “But?” Kent pushed to his feet before sitting in front of her on the coffee table.

  “I—” Bella hesitated over saying what she wanted. There was so much wrong in her life right now. Her sister’s ex gave her the creeps, and he wasn’t the worst of it. There was a serial killer on the loose, and because of that sick fuck, she’d lost her sister and best friend.

  Nonetheless, she didn’t want to lose the chance of a relationship with Dawson and Kent. If she denied them and, God forbid, she was being targeted by the serial killer herself, she would never know what it felt like to have a man’s—or men’s—hands touching all over her body.

  Bella wanted that more than she wanted to take her next breath, but she knew that not just any man would do. Her body only lit up for Kent and Dawson, which told her that she trusted them like no other man she’d come across in her life. She knew that she was starting to fall in love with them, and because they meant so much to her already, her body was letting her know that they were the ones she wanted in her life. She just hoped that it was permanently.

  However, if things didn’t work out, she wouldn’t be looking back with any regrets. Sure, it would hurt if they broke things off, but wouldn’t it hurt more if she didn’t even try?

  She glanced over at Kent, who was staring at her intently and leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. She let her gaze wander over his handsome, rugged face and square jaw and stopped when she got to his lips. His lips were a healthy pink color, and as she stared at them, she began to salivate. Bella already knew what he tasted like, and while she was a little nervous about where things were going, the craving to taste his lips and his tongue was such a strong compulsion, she had to mentally restrain herself from reaching for him. From the way he was watching her, she felt open and vulnerable as if he could see right into her heart and soul, or maybe she was just so aware of him and Dawson, she wanted Kent to see her. The real her. Not the woman who’d kept to herself most of the time.

  Bella had feelings, dreams, and needs just like any other woman, but she’d never found anyone she was willing to take a chance with.

  Until now.

  She turned her head slightly when Dawson shifted on the seat, and her breath hitched in her lungs. He was just as handsome as Kent, but his eyes weren’t blue like Kent’s. They were hazel. Dawson’s hazel eyes seemed to change with his mood, and right now the green was more predominant. His face was more muscular than Kent’s, but that didn’t detract from his good-looking manliness. In fact, it seemed to enhance it somehow.

  When Bella realized she’d been sitting there staring from one to the other for an undetermined amount of time, she exhaled slowly and forced her fingers to uncurl from the fists they’d formed.

  She met each of their gazes once again, licked her suddenly dry lips, and jumped in with both feet before she could change her mind.

  “I want…” Bella lowered her gaze to the floor and her feet. Her heart was pounding so hard and fast inside her chest it
nearly hurt, and while she tried to keep her breathing even and deep, she could feel her lungs expanding and contracting quickly, as well as hear the panting, shallow breaths she was taking.

  Dawson scooted a little closer before reaching out to gently clasp her chin between his finger and thumb. “What do you want, baby?”

  She closed her eyes and forced the words out of her dry mouth in a stammer. “I-I want b-both of y-you?”

  Chapter Nine

  Dawson wanted to yell with elation, but he didn’t. Bella was nervous enough as it was, and he didn’t want to scare her or send her running. He had a feeling that if he made any loud sounds right then, she would jump off the sofa and make a break for it. Nonetheless, he was happier than he’d been in a long, long time, and though he wanted to pounce on her and kiss her until she was breathless and writhing beneath him, he needed to make sure this was really what she wanted. When she’d said that she wanted them both, she’d posed those words more like a question than a statement.

  “Look at me, baby,” Dawson commanded.

  Bella’s lids fluttered open, and when she licked her lips again, he couldn’t help but follow that subconscious, sexy movement with his eyes. What he wouldn’t give to feel that tongue licking over his… He quickly pushed that lascivious thought aside and brought his mind back on track.

  When she finally met his gaze, he stared intently into her beautiful green eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  She nodded and glanced over at Kent.

  Kent reached out and threaded his fingers with hers before covering the top of her hand with his free one. “We need to hear the words, darlin’.”

  “I want to try a relationship with you both.”

  Dawson exhaled with relief. She’d been more emphatic this time and hadn’t posed that statement as if it were a question.

  “You won’t regret this, Bella. We promise that we’ll take things slow, and we will never intentionally hurt you.” Dawson rose and then held his hand out to her. He stopped breathing altogether when she eyed his hand and didn’t make a move to clasp it. Her gaze lifted to his, and then she slowly reached out.

  Dawson exhaled gustily as her small cool hand slid along his, and though he wanted to wrap his fingers around hers, he hesitated. He needed to make sure she really was on board with what they were offering, by her actions as well. When her small fingers curled around his, he did the same and then tugged her to her feet. Kent stood, released her other hand, and then brushed a stray strand of hair back from her cheek.

  “Let’s go and get comfortable, darlin’.”

  Dawson met Kent’s eager gaze and narrowed his eyes in warning. He knew that his friend wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize this chance of a lifetime, but Dawson couldn’t seem to help himself. He was as nervous as a green boy about to be with his first girl. There were butterflies roiling around in his belly, and he was having trouble keeping his breathing deep and even. His palms were even slightly sweaty, and that hadn’t happened to him in so long that he couldn’t remember when he’d been so anxious.

  He took slow, measured steps across the living room and then down the hall, aware of every step and sway of Bella’s hips as she trailed slightly behind him. He was still holding her hand and felt her fingers tremble slightly, and knowing she was so edgy seemed to help him calm down. He needed to be confident so she wouldn’t pick up on his anxiety, but most of all, he and Kent needed to make sure she was with them every step of the way. They needed to make her burn so that she was begging them to make love to her.

  Dawson stopped at the end of the bed in the master bedroom, the bedroom they’d given Bella to sleep in, that had so much meaning to him and Kent. They’d left it empty hoping against hope that one day soon they’d have a woman to love and share between them, a woman who’d love them back unconditionally. The master bedroom was to be her domain. He only hoped this wasn’t a pipe dream that would come crashing down around his ears, leaving him a broken man.

  He turned to face her and gently pulled her closer to him, released her hand, and cupped her face between his palms. His every intention was to go slow, but that flew right out the window when Bella went up on tiptoe as she grabbed hold of his shirt with both of her hands and pulled him down to her.

  He groaned and gave in to the hungry urges racing through his body. His tongue delved into her mouth, rubbing along and dancing with hers. Dawson loved how sweet and sexy she tasted and could have gone on kissing her forever.

  Bella broke the kiss and lowered from her toes as she gasped air into her lungs. For a second Dawson was worried he’d scared her with his hunger, but when her lids lifted and he saw her famished gaze, he relaxed again. That was until her trembling fingers went to the hem of her shirt and she began to pull it up her body.

  * * * *

  Bella was so full of need she was shaking, and she hadn’t done anything other than kiss Dawson yet. Her fingers were trembling so much that she found it hard to grasp the hem of her shirt, but once she had hold of the material, she slowly pulled it up her body, exposing her belly. She paused when she reached the underside of her breasts, just as Kent moved around her to stand in front of her and next to Dawson. His blue eyes were ablaze with fiery need and expectation, and when she looked into Dawson’s nearly all-green hot orbs, she found the courage she needed to continue.

  Both men sucked in noisy breaths when she lifted the shirt up over her lace-covered breasts and then up over her head. She dropped the material to the floor with a soft plop and then teased them by fiddling with the button on her jeans. Her gaze snapped up to Kent’s when he growled softly, and she found his focus riveted on her fingers near the waistband of her jeans. He took a step closer and then stopped himself as if that step had been involuntary and more instinctive.

  “Stop teasing us, Bella.” He met her eyes before his gaze wandered over her body, pausing at her breasts before moving back down to her jeans. “You’re pushing us, darlin’, and I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

  Bella shivered as the deep huskiness in his voice washed over her, sending frissons of desire racing up her spine and goose bumps breaking out over her skin. She tugged the button free and then slowly lowered the zipper, wondering if both men could see the matching mint-green panties she had on beneath the denim pants. She glanced down and nearly giggled when she saw that although the zipper was open, the placard hadn’t moved apart.

  “Are you trying to kill us, baby?” Dawson rasped.

  Bella glanced at them again and became more confident when she saw how tense they were holding themselves. If they didn’t like what they saw, they wouldn’t look as if they were about to jump on her. Would they?

  She dropped her gaze, and when she saw the long, thick ridges of their hard cocks outlined beneath their jeans, she knew then that they wanted her just as much as she wanted them. Shoring up her confidence, she once more lifted her gaze to theirs and hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her jeans.

  Kent stepped closer to her and knelt at her feet. She frowned until she felt him tugging at the laces on her sneakers. Her cheeks heated with a flush of embarrassment over her ineptness, but she quickly shrugged that thought away. She wasn’t inept, just eager, and in her eagerness, she’d forgotten all about her shoes. However, they were no longer a problem because Kent removed first one and then the other, keeping a hand on her hip to steady her as she lifted each foot. When she was standing on bare feet, Kent pressed a light kiss to her belly before shuffling backward on his knees, but he didn’t rise to his feet again.

  She didn’t tease or hesitate this time but quickly shoved her jeans down over her hips and thighs until they were pooling around her ankles, and then she kicked them away.

  Bella held still as Kent slowly gained his feet and both men eyed her body up and down.

  “So fucking beautiful,” Kent rasped.

  “Sexy as sin,” Dawson said in a hoarse voice.

  “Come over here, darlin’.” Kent held his
hand out to her, and she stepped forward quickly and clasped it. He guided her toward the bed and, after Dawson had pulled the covers down, helped her up onto the mattress. “Get comfortable, Bella. We’ll be right with you.”

  She climbed onto the bed, her lips curving when both men groaned, and when she looked back over her shoulder at them, their gazes were locked on to her ass. She turned back around and crawled up a little higher, making sure to sway her hips a bit more than she would normally, earning another round of growls from Kent and Dawson. Bella sat down after moving and fluffing the pillows and then reclined back in a half-sitting, half-lying position. She was just in time for the sexiest strip show she’d ever seen. Not that she’d ever seen a strip show before, or that they were trying to be tantalizing or sexy, because both men shucked their clothes as fast as they could, dropping each item on the floor without caring where they landed. When they were down to their boxers, they literally stalked toward her and around the bed, and climbed up on either side of her.

  From what she could see of their hard cocks, both men were well-endowed, and though she was no expert since she’d never seen a real live penis in the flesh, she was a little nervous about how they’d fit. Especially since she’d never had a cock in her pussy before.

  Dawson turned to his side, and then he wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her a little farther down the bed. Her breath hitched when he slung his strong, muscular leg over hers, and she shivered when the hair on his leg tickled her skin. His gaze locked with hers, and then he leaned forward. There was no tentativeness this time. He slanted his mouth over hers and pressed his tongue in before sliding it along and then twirling it around hers. She moaned and lifted her arms until they were looped around his neck, sliding her fingers into his soft, silky brown hair.