Carnal Compromise (3 page)

When he finally looked up, blotting his eyes with the dark fabric, Brent was watching him with wry amusement. “That didn’t go quite like I’d planned.”

Joe swallowed another snort. “That poor girl,” he squeezed out between the spasms of mirth still quaking his chest.

Brent rubbed his belly. “I’m just glad she didn’t have a hunting knife lying around.”

That sent Joe off the deep end again, and he had to roll over and bury his face in a handful of bedspread to keep from roaring with laughter. The mattress dipped over his head when Brent sat down, but Joe was too overcome to comment on finally getting him into bed.

Long moments later, he rolled to his back and took a half-dozen deep, shaky breaths, his body completely relaxed. But his mind was still awash with images of AJ and her red face and her short blonde hair standing in a haphazard halo around her head. And her pretty tits peeking out from the bunched-up hem of his dirty T-shirt. And that dildo sunk in her deliciously wet, blonde cunt.

Taking one last deep breath, he pronounced glibly, “I think I’m in love.”

“You ain’t the only one.”

Joe tilted his head back to look at the man reclining at the head of the bed. He knew damn well Brent wasn’t any more in love with AJ than he was, but it was nice not to be the only one with his nuts in a knot over her for a change.

“We’re not letting her get away, are we?”

Brent’s smile was ruthless when he said, “No way in hell.”

Chapter Two

“Now how in the hell did you get away without me hearing you?”

Brent stood in the open door of the bunkroom, rubbing his hair in groggy disbelief. Dammit, she’d snuck out. He’d given Joe his bed and slept on the sofa, not three feet from the front door, to prevent just such an occurrence, but apparently he’d sacrificed a decent night’s sleep for nothing.

Not surprisingly, Joe had suggested they share the bed last night, and for just a second, Brent had been cruelly tempted. The vision of AJ mostly naked and writhing on her bunk as she came had been burned into his retinas, and he knew that unless he followed suit and got himself off, he was going to have a hell of a time sleeping with the hard-on that wouldn’t die. Joe could have given him the kind of relief he’d only dreamed of, and the fact that they both knew it made Brent want to plant a fist in the asshole’s face.

Instead he’d snatched his pillow off the bed without a word and marched out to stand guard. He’d had a feeling AJ might try to disappear without a trace in the night, and now it looked as if he was right. How could she have gotten by him? He could hardly draw a breath in the camper without the floor creaking, and he could swear he hadn’t slept more than a few minutes at a time all night. He must have fallen into a coma sometime before dawn.

Crossing to her small built-in dresser, he yanked open the top drawer and sagged with relief when he saw her socks and panties still jumbled together inside.

At the sound of a pickup starting, he leaned over Joe’s bunk and flipped up one of the slats. “Shit.”

He didn’t know whether to be annoyed or relieved to see her sandwiched between Seth and Tim as they pulled out of the drive, probably headed to town for breakfast. He
was
relieved she hadn’t run off, but dammit, he’d wanted to talk to her before they went to the field, try to set things straight and get a plan in place.

He righted the blinds with a sigh. She wasn’t making it easy for them.

Scrubbing his fingernails over his bare chest, he wandered back toward the shower. Usually he bathed at night, rinsing away the dirt and grime of the day before he hit the sack, but today he needed to chase the grit of a sleepless night from his eyes…and take care of this grinding ache in his groin before it made him do something stupid.

After he’d shucked his jeans and boxer briefs, he flipped on the shower and climbed into the cramped stall. AJ had obviously skipped her morning shower, and the thought she might still be wearing the rich horny-woman fragrance he’d gotten a whiff of last night was all it took to bring his already alert cock to enthusiastic attention.

He leaned a forearm against the shower’s plastic shell, letting the spray rain down on his head in wasteful enjoyment while he tugged at his aching balls. Usually he was pretty thrifty with hot water since it rarely lasted long enough for both him and Joe to shower in the evenings, but there was no need today. Joe had showered last night and was still sawing logs in Brent’s comfortable queen-size bed. God knew, he’d snored loud enough to wake the residents of the nearby cemetery half the night. How in the hell did AJ stand it?

AJ
.

Brent groaned at the graphic memory of her slender legs splayed open, her strong yet feminine hand pushing that dildo into her pussy, her long, tapered fingers plucking at those delicate pink nipples. But it was the tortured expression of ecstasy on her face as she ground her head into the pillow that had sealed her fate. His resolve to have her had hardened to stone right along with his cock. She may have gotten away from him last night, but there was no way she was leaving this camper again without having been well and truly fucked. They’d just have to sort out the complexities of a boss-hand hookup as they went along.

He pulled his fist up his cock, wishing to hell AJ was here now. He’d have her on her knees in front of him, her back against the wall as he worked his way between her lips. She had such a small mouth, he doubted he’d be able to get all the way in without losing a layer of skin to her equally small, perfectly aligned teeth. Her pale lashes would be clumped together as she stared up at him, and he wouldn’t give a damn whether it was from the shower spray or tears that sprang to her eyes when he triggered her gag reflex. He wouldn’t stop fucking her mouth until he’d emptied his balls and she’d swallowed every drop.

“Fuck!” he whispered, letting his head rest on his forearm while he stroked his dick in a furious rhythm. Had anything ever turned him on as much as the thought of corrupting an innocent-looking little farm girl?

“You know, I’d be happy to give you a hand with that.”

Brent’s head snapped up and his hand froze mid-jerk. Although the shower door was fogged and dotted with water, he could see Joe standing naked in front of the toilet, taking a leak.

Shit, and here he’d thought he couldn’t get any harder.

He closed his eyes, and seemingly of its own volition, his hand resumed its feverish pumping while his brain wrestled with the echo of Joe’s offer.

Let him do it!

No, don’t!

The conflict was short-lived. Five shameful seconds later, Brent stiffened with a grunt and shot against the shower wall.

Joe waited out the entire excruciating duration of his orgasm before drawling “Maybe next time.” Then he flushed and walked out.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Brent whispered, gasping for breath and leaning heavily against the wall so his shaky legs didn’t fold under him. This really shouldn’t unnerve him so badly. Joe had seen him naked and coming dozens of times over the last six years, and he’d seen Joe in the same position every bit as often. But it had never been just the two of them before—there’d always been a woman or two, and occasionally another man, to serve as a buffer between them.

Sex with Joe Remke was inevitable, and as much as he longed for it, Brent hated it. Somehow he knew that when they finally fucked, Joe would walk away without a backward glance and he’d lose the best friend he’d ever had. The knowledge made him want to roar with frustration. Hadn’t he learned anything from his parents’ screwed-up relationship?

Of course, fucking Joe might tear him apart, but at least it wouldn’t result in an unwanted pregnancy. That was some comfort. Neither of them would be accumulating a herd of children they way his mother had, children who only got to see their fathers during the summer and on alternating holidays—if then.

And then there was AJ.

Brent sighed as he slicked a trembling hand down the wall to wipe away the trail of semen. The woman had certainly gotten under Joe’s skin in a way he’d never seen anyone else do, and yet he didn’t seem to have any qualms about getting naked with her. But then again, he was apparently suffering an unprecedented case of blue balls. He’d gone without for longer than Brent could remember him ever doing. In fact, they both had. There was a time when the two of them would get laid in damn near every town they hit—sometimes together, sometimes not. But maybe they were just getting old and slowing down. Since that first afternoon they’d spent fulfilling Mandy’s fantasies three years ago, it seemed like their casual lays were getting fewer and farther between.

As far as he knew, Joe hadn’t been with another guy since he’d started delivering Hake’s annual ass-reaming every fall. It would be easy to let himself imagine that Joe was using his cousin as a substitute for him—hair color aside, they looked more alike than many brothers. But more likely he was just getting spoiled to the kind of imaginative, no-strings sex Hake and Mandy provided. Brent certainly was.

AJ promised to provide the same brand of entertainment value, with the added bonus of being available on a nightly basis. There was probably a lot he didn’t know about the sex-hungry little hand, but he knew instinctively that she was too conscientious to get knocked up, intentionally or otherwise. Between the three of them, they’d more than make sure there were no unwanted consequences of their time together.

Straightening, he grabbed the shampoo and squeezed a blob into his palm. All he had to do now was get AJ on board with their plan.

Joe jammed his cap on his head and climbed down the camper steps, careful to not slam the door behind him. First AJ and now Brent. It was a sad day when both the people he wanted to fuck would rather get themselves off.

The morning was sunny and calm, the air crisp enough to really wake him up as he zipped his jacket and headed down the gravel drive on foot. It wasn’t often he walked into town, but this morning he was feeling the need to work off some aggression before he said or did something he’d be sorry for later.

When he reached the highway, he hung a right, staying close to the outside edge of the shoulder as he loped along fast enough to wind him a bit. The thump of his bootheels on the asphalt was satisfyingly loud, and he felt the rigidity beginning to seep from his neck and jaw.

He’d been playing this game with Brent for years now, and usually he enjoyed every minute of it. Every winter he did long-haul trucking while Brent caught up with his other family business ventures, and then every spring they’d get together again and travel around the country doing custom tilling, planting and harvesting. By the time they’d shared a camper for eight or nine months, the sexual tension between them was always pretty explosive and they both welcomed the respite another winter apart would bring. It was a cycle he’d grown way too accustomed to after six years, but he enjoyed the renewal of the chase too much to end it.

Lately, though, Joe found himself feeling more and more impatient with the boss man’s stubborn refusal to give in. The fact that he regarded the imminent arrival of winter with annoyance rather than relief was a bad sign. If he were smart, he’d just pack up his shit and leave now, while they were still friends. He’d never expected to stay with the outfit this long anyway, and if he left now, at least he’d still have…something. Someone he could actually run into a few years down the road and not feel the need to duck out of sight to head off any kind of awkward emotional confrontation. Someone he could casually shoot the breeze with once every few years. Someone he gave a shit about but wasn’t too wrapped up in.

So why in the hell did it feel like he couldn’t leave until he’d had Brent Andersen in his bed? When had the game turned into a challenge he had to win at any cost? Generally he was a canny player who knew when it was time to fold and hit the road in search of a more attainable goal, but fucking Brent was becoming an obsession. He could have him and he knew, felt it deep in his bones, that Brent wanted him just as much.

Joe kicked a gravel rock off the shoulder into the short, frosted grass on somebody’s lawn. Dammit, this was exactly how gamblers lost their money, their homes and eventually their families at the poker table. They kept playing long past the point of no return, risking everything good in their lives on that desperate certainty a big payoff was just around the corner. They lost sight of when the risk started to outweigh any potential gain and ended up with less than nothing.

He had the sinking feeling he was doing that now. His brain was barking,
Fold now! Leave before you lose it all!
But the payoff was so tantalizing…a virgin. And not just any virgin but a masculine, attractive, intelligent virgin who’d never even thought about playing for the other team until they met.

He’d never have another opportunity like this one and he damn well knew it. There was more silver in his hair every day, and soon he’d be too old and grizzled to attract anything but hookers.

And then there was AJ… She dressed like a man and carried herself like a man, but damn, if he’d ever had any doubts she was a female, they’d been obliterated by the sight of her gorgeous body tangled up in his dirty T-shirt. Now there was a woman in desperate need of a man’s—or men’s—attentions, and it would be his pleasure to see that she got them. Hopefully the challenge of getting her to cut loose with them would take the edge off this suicidal determination to corner Brent and fuck the living daylights of him.

Main Street was lined on both sides with cars and pickups, and after a quick look, he crossed to the diner on other side. It wasn’t hard to spot AJ in a booth near the front—her silky white-blonde hair stood out like a beacon in the sea of comb-overs and seed caps.

Joe’s eyes narrowed. If Seth sat any closer, he’d be in her lap.

Then AJ saw him and flinched, her blue eyes skittering away as color flooded her cheeks, and Seth leaned even closer to tell her something.

Since he wasn’t one to let another man poach his prey, Joe felt no compunction about inviting himself to join them. He ambled right up and sat down next to Tim, shoving his sorry ass into the corner.