Monroe, Marla - The Ranchers Take a Wife [Men of Space Station One #1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (9 page)

Cam nodded where Phillip had the grace to look uncomfortable.

Lacy just ignored the two of them and looked through the pantry for something to eat. She decided on a cereal bar and a glass of reconstituted milk. The milk left a taste in her mouth. She had forgotten it would do that. What she wouldn’t give to have fresh milk on occasion.

Chapter Seven

The next several weeks flew by as the three of them got to know each other. Phillip felt like Lacy was settling in just fine. Cam had proven to be easier on her than he’d expected. He had the tendency to be harsh without meaning to be, but had obviously made an effort not to be with Lacy. Probably that first time of catching her running up the stairs had led him to realize she wouldn’t be as understanding of his overprotectiveness as he had thought.

Phillip spent as much time with her as possible. He wanted her to be happy there with them and hoped that maybe she would fall in love with them. He knew he was already halfway in love with her. She was perfect for them. She loved working in her garden and kept the house nice, and was warm and satisfying in bed.

But even more than that, he enjoyed hearing her laughter and seeing her smile. Perhaps the best moments of their times together had been when she smiled at something he had done for her. Something as simple as picking one of the wildflowers for her made her face light up. It humbled him to know that she enjoyed something he did.

Cam spent time with her, but not as diligently as Phillip did. He called him on it one morning when they were out checking the irrigation systems.

“You hardly spoke to Lacy yesterday while we were at home all day. What gives?”

“I talked to her. We fucked first thing that morning.”

“It’s not the same thing as just spending time with her. I thought you liked her.”

“I did, I mean I do. I’ve just been busy keeping the journals up and worrying about that damn mole thing that keeps setting off the traps.”

Something that looked like a giant mole the size of a small beaver was digging under their fields and damaging their crops. They had traps set around all of the fields, but so far they hadn’t caught the thing. He just kept triggering the trap without getting caught.

“I’m thinking I might stake out one of the fields and see if I can catch him one night.”

“Don’t change the subject. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. She’s really into you. I don’t think she’s that fond of me. I’m the one who tells her no, and you’re the one who makes it up to her.” Cam pulled off his hat and ran a hand through his hair before settling it back on his head.

“She likes you, Cam. You’re just not spending enough time with her. I’ll stake out the field and you spend time with her. You’ll see. She’s shy around you because she doesn’t know you that well.”

Cam sighed and shook his head. When Phillip glared at him he threw up his hands and agreed.

“Fine. I’ll spend more time with her, but I’m staking out the mole. You need to watch her at night. I don’t trust the animals not to enter the yard, and she likes to sit outside on the porch at night.”

Phillip smiled feeling as if he had won a small victory over the battle to get Cam to fall in love with Lacy. He knew his friend would resist all the way. He was just that sort of man. Falling in love was for other people, not him. Well, Phillip had made it his mission to see his best friend fall.

Later that night, Lacy finished up the dishes and said she was going to sit outside on the porch for a while. Phillip was usually the one who went with her, but he nodded his head at Cam. At first Cam played dumb, then he sighed and followed her outside. Phillip waited a few seconds, then peeked out the window to see how they were doing. By the frown on Lacy’s face, not so well. He groaned and walked outside to see what was going on.

“I just want to see what my garden looks like in the moonlight. What’s wrong with that?”

“I told you. It’s too dangerous at night to be walking around out there.”

Phillip stepped between them. “Cam, why don’t you walk her out there? She’d be safe enough with you.”

“Why would I want to go walking around in the garden at night? I do enough of that during the day.” He truly looked dumbfounded.

“Never mind. I think I’ll call it a night. I’m tired, anyway.” Lacy kissed Phillip on the cheek and walked back in the house.

Cam started to follow her, but Phillip grabbed his arm. “Wait up.”

“What? I came out here with her like you said.”

“Why didn’t you walk her around the garden? She wanted to spend time with you and you shot her down.”

“We were spending time here on the porch.”

“What happened to the man who was worried about how the women would feel once they landed? You were worse than a father waiting on the birth of his baby while we were waiting on the shuttle to land.” Cam shook his head.

“Things change, Phillip. We have a farm to run that provides wheat, corn, and grain for the community. If the crops fail, we’ve got one hell of a mess on our hands. This mole is threatening to do just that. Kill our crops. I can’t help but be a little uptight.” Cam’s voice had risen slightly.

“Hey, easy. I’m not criticizing you.”

“Well, it sure as hell sounds like it to me. I’m doing the best I can, Phillip. There just isn’t a lot of me to go around. I guess it’s a good thing you’re here to see about her.”

He stormed off the porch and disappeared into the night. Phillip felt guilty then that he’d pushed him so hard to spend time with Lacy. He was right. The farm was important, and lots of people depended on them to bring in the harvest at the end of the growing season.

Phillip leaned his hands against the railing of the porch and sighed. He needed to back off of Cam, but he didn’t want Cam and Lacy to become strangers to each other. He knew Lacy liked Cam, but she acted a little afraid of him at times. It was his gruff manner, and lately, his sharp tongue.

His friend hadn’t been this way a year ago. But then they were just getting there and starting out. They had all sorts of plans for the farm and couldn’t wait to get started. They had planted small fields of each crop to see how they would fare and started building their house. By the time the crops were ready to come in, everything was going smoothly. They hadn’t had a single problem setting up house, but once winter was over and the promise of the women arriving problems began to happen.

At first it was small things. The late snow that prevented them from getting their seeds in the ground on time, the mole that began to outmaneuver their traps, and the tracks from an animal they had never seen before showing up close to the yard all proved to be added pressure on them. Well, he had to admit, Cam was taking most of the pressure on himself. Phillip vowed to help him more. Lacy would be fine now if they didn’t spend as much time with her as he would like. She knew all about farm life and would understand.

* * * *

Several weeks later, Lacy woke to find Cam climbing out of the bed nearly an hour early. She waited until she heard the shower running before slipping out of the bed and tiptoeing to the bathroom. She eased in the bathroom and walked into the shower to find Cam facing the back, scrubbing with the sponge.

Lacy wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. He grunted and turned his head to watch her as she walked around him.

“What are you doing, Lacy?” he asked.

“I’m taking care of my husband.” She sank to her knees and grasped his hardening cock with her hands.

She squeezed and leaned in to lick the drop of pre-cum that formed in the slit at the crown. He hissed out a breath as she licked his dick from top to bottom and back up again.

“You don’t have to do this, Lacy.”

“I know. I want to, Cam. I want to taste you. You taste me all the time. I’ve never gotten to taste your cum.”

She wrapped her mouth around just the head of his massive dick and sucked hard, drawing Cam up on his toes.

“Fuck! Yeah.”

She nipped at the underside of the crown and then sucked him into her mouth again. He moaned as she took him to the back of her throat. Lacy enjoyed hearing him moan for her, and swallowed around him. Over and over, she sank down on his thick cock only to pull back and suck at just the head. She bobbed a little faster now until he took her head in his hands and held her still so that he could fuck her mouth.

“There you go, baby. Take my cock. Take all of it. Relax your throat and breathe through your nose.”

Lacy struggled to do as he said. He was gentle with her at first, but as he grew closer, he became a bit rougher. She loved that he was losing control. She’d made him do it. Still, he was careful enough not to choke her, and she didn’t fight his grasp as he held her head for his questing cock.

She reached between his legs and gently rolled his balls in her hand, then lightly squeezed them, sending him over in a rush of cum that coated her throat and filled her mouth. He shouted and let go of her face as he leaned heavily against the back of the shower.

She swallowed all of his cum and licked his slick cock until it was clean. She rested her forehead against his thigh. Finally, he reached a hand down and smoothed her hair back from her face.

“That was fucking amazing. Thanks, Lacy.” He stood up and reached down to help her to her feet.

When she wobbled, he held her against his body for a few seconds until she’d gotten her balance, then let go and returned to bathing.

Lacy wasn’t sure what she expected, but she felt as if she’d been dismissed. It hurt. Maybe she was expecting too much from him. He was so different from Phillip. She knew where she stood with him all the time. With Cam, she didn’t have a clue. Maybe he was disappointed in her for some reason. Maybe he still wanted Rachel. That thought hurt.

“You want me to leave the water on for you to finish bathing, or are you coming out?”

Cam’s voice startled her. She looked up at him and shrugged. “I’ll get out now.” She stepped out of the shower and pulled a towel off the warming bar and dried off.

“Tell Phillip when he wakes up that I’m heading out to check on the wheat first.”

“Don’t you want something for breakfast? I’ll have it ready in just a few minutes.” She quickly dried off and hurried to dress.

“Shhh, don’t wake Phillip up. I’m fine. I’ll grab a cereal bar on the way out.” He kissed the top of her head and walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

Lacy watched him from the top of the stairs. She stood there in her jeans until she heard the back door close. Then she returned to the bedroom and finished getting dressed. She’d let Phillip sleep until he woke up. No reason he shouldn’t sleep in once.

Coffee sounded really good to her right then. She fixed the coffeemaker and waited for it to finish before pouring a cup and sitting down at the table to sip it. She’d been there with them for nearly three months now. It would soon be September, and they would start to harvest some of the crops on into October. She was already picking vegetables and canning tomatoes at least twice a week. Winter was just around the corner.

She worried how things would be when they were all three stuck inside with each other for three or four months with nothing but each other to keep them company. Would Cam lighten up some, or would he still be the same brooding man he had become these last few months?

Lacy thought about when she’d first met them. He hadn’t been this way. In fact, he had been almost lighthearted compare to how he was now. Was it her fault? Did her claiming them cause him to change? The more she thought about it the more she wondered if he had really wanted Rachel and not her. Tears pricked her eyelids, but she refused to let them fall.

“You’re sure looking serious about something.” Phillip walked into the kitchen and grabbed the cup she’d left by the coffeepot for him.