Their Independent Bride [The Men of Space Station One #6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (10 page)

He’d had no control over his life as a child. His parents moved constantly when he was growing up. Whichever way the wind blew had them on the road again. His father wandered from job to job and his mother made ends meet the best she could. Sometimes they had plenty to eat and sometimes they scrounged for a meal. They moved so much that he could never keep a friend and struggled with school.

After so many years of having no control over where he lived or when he went to school, Greg required strict control in his life now. He found what he needed in a D/s relationship. Only now, he was without a submissive. He had an independent bride with a mouth on her. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do. This was for life. He couldn’t uncollar her and look for another one.

“She’s trying to accommodate us, Greg. Remember this is all new to her, too.”

“I know. How in the hell did they screw up so badly?”

“I don’t know, but we can’t let her feel like we don’t want her. She’s a good woman.”

“I’m not saying she isn’t, but she’s not the type of woman we are used to. You have always been more flexible than I am. I’m sure you’re having trouble, too, but…”

“But I can handle a little compromise where you have to work at it. I know, Greg. Just try.”

They worked in companionable silence until all the seeds had been sown and the garden tools cleaned and put away. Then they watered the garden and rolled the hose back up.

“That’s it. We need to get inside and check on Janet. Knowing her, she’s gotten up and gotten something when she was supposed to stay on the couch.” Greg brushed the dirt off his hands and walked toward the house.

After washing up, he walked into the living room to find Janet sound asleep on the couch. Her ankle was still propped up with a bag of water lying on the floor. He guessed he was lucky it hadn’t opened up and spilled.

Steven walked up next to him. The other man shook his head and pointed at her swollen ankle. It had turned a purplish color. She was going to be in pain for a while. The next couple of days would be tough on her. He didn’t want her up on her foot at all. He was sure she would balk over that directive.

As they stared down at her, she opened her eyes and jumped.

“Easy, love. It’s just us.” Steven sat on the edge of the couch and patted her hand.

“What are you two doing standing there staring at me while I’m asleep?”

“We had just walked up when you woke up,” Greg told her.

“Did you finish the garden? What about watering it?”

“Everything is done,” he assured her.

“I’m going to go start something for supper.” Steven stood up and headed toward the kitchen, leaving them alone.

“Your ankle is in bad shape, baby. You’re not going to be able to walk on it for a couple of days.”

“I have to take care of the house, Greg. It will be okay in the morning. You’ll see.”

He sighed and chose his words carefully. “If it’s still swollen, you’re not getting on it tomorrow.”

“We have Carmen and her husbands coming tomorrow night. I have to be able to get up and see to them.”

“We’ll see how you are tomorrow afternoon. If you behave and stay off your ankle from now on, maybe you can get up while they are here.”

She started to say something then closed her mouth and nodded.

“Good girl. Steven and I will take care of everything. You just have to get well. They aren’t coming for dinner, so all there will be a need to worry about is coffee and maybe something sweet to eat.”

“If I promise to stay off my foot, will you promise to let me get up while they are here?”

Greg drew in a deep breath and counted to ten. She was struggling like he was. He needed to remember that.

“If it is not as swollen and you can walk on it with only a slight limp. If you can’t put pressure on it without a lot of pain, then no, I won’t let you up.”

“Fine. I’ll go with that. I’ll be fine by then, anyway.”

Greg grinned. She was so feisty. He liked that about her where he had never really enjoyed a woman with fire before. He’d always liked them subdued and biddable. This was something new for him.

Steven walked back into the living room. “I’ve got supper started. It should be ready in an hour. I’m going to run upstairs and take a shower.”

“I’ll take one when you finish.”

“There are two showers, guys. You don’t have to wait.”

“I want someone down here with you in case you need something, baby.” Greg ruffled her hair and gave her a quick kiss.

Steven kissed her before going upstairs. She sighed and watched Greg as he looked over her shins and ankle again.

“I’m going to pick you up and let you sit with me while we wait on Steven to finish. Let me know if I hurt you.”

Greg picked her up off the couch and walked with her to his recliner. He sat down and arranged her so that her leg was propped over the arm of the chair. She leaned back against his chest and settled her head on his shoulder. He smiled. He liked this. Holding her this way was so intimate. He enjoyed the intimacy of just holding a woman.

“How is your ankle like this?”

“It’s fine. It throbs some, but no more than it did earlier.”

“I’ll get you a painkiller before I take a shower when we get up again. We’ll soak your ankle in the bathtub when you bathe later. That should help it.”

“I’m going to be fine, Greg. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I don’t like for you to hurt, Janet.”

“Well, I’m going to hurt sometimes. That’s just how life is.”

“But if you’re careful, you don’t have to get hurt. You’ve already said you would be careful from now on. That’s good enough for me, but something tells me that you’re prone to accidents.”

“Now why would you say something like that?”

“Because you fly off the handle like you just did, baby.”

“Only because you said something dumb like that.”

“Relax, Janet. Steven will be down here soon. I don’t want him glaring at me because I’ve riled you up again.”

“Then don’t say things like that. I’m not accident prone.”

“Yes, dear.”

Janet stretched out in the tub. It was a big tub, large enough for three. She enjoyed the hot water as it encased her like a warm cocoon. Her ankle wasn’t even throbbing much now. The painkiller Steven had given her was slowly working to mellow out the pain and maybe her mood, as well. Steven’s supper had been fairly good and now she was relaxed and about ready for bed.

Greg walked in and smiled down at her. He knelt by the tub and ran a hand over her knee in the water.

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel much better, thanks. The painkiller is working, and my ankle is great. The warm water is wonderful. Thanks for running my bath for me.”

“You’re welcome, baby. I want you to rest well tonight. If you feel better, you’ll sleep better.”

“I know something else that would help me sleep better.”

“Oh, no you don’t, you little minx.” Greg shook his head. “You are in no shape for sex.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my mouth or my pussy, Greg. Don’t punish me like that.”

“Baby, I’m not punishing you. You’ll end up hurting your ankle if we screw around. I don’t want to take the chance.”

Janet huffed out a breath and closed her eyes. She would ignore him until he left and then she would show him later. She’d seduce Steven. He was much easier to deal with than Greg.

Since it was Steven who came to get her out of the tub, she started right away. He ignored all her attempts at manipulating him into a position where she could rub her body against his. Instead, he wrapped her up in the towel and carried her to the bed where he gently lay her down. Then he unwrapped her so that she ended up in the middle of the bed far away from him and his obviously interested cock.

“You’re not going to play with me, love. I know your game. We don’t want to accidently hurt you.”

“Please, Steven. I want you.”

“You want whoever you can con into having sex. Now behave and go to sleep.” He climbed into bed next to her and presented his back to her.

She started to throw her leg over his, but stopped just in time to prevent hurting her ankle. She wrapped her arm around his waist and hoped she didn’t bump one of them during the night and call out. They would go crazy if she did. She rolled her eyes and settled in to go to sleep.

Several minutes later, Greg slipped into bed behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She tried to settle down, but her ankle bothered her enough that she couldn’t. She was so aware of it and trying not to bump it on either of the men. Maybe they had been right and sex hadn’t been a good idea.

Thirty minutes later, she could hear the men snoring while she remained awake. She would never get any rest as long as she worried about her ankle. She tried just lying still and counting under her breath, but all that did was frustrate her. Finally, after nearly an hour of restless movement, she drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

Janet woke up when she bumped her foot against Steven’s. She managed to keep from shouting out, but nothing stopped the tears from forming in her eyes. Surely her ankle was better today. She looked around after wiping her eyes in an effort to tell what time it was. Without sitting up, she couldn’t see over the men to see the time.

“What are you wiggling for?” Greg’s sleep-deepened voice startled her.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up. I was just trying to see over Steven to see what time it was.”

She felt the bed move and dip behind her. There was a grunt and then Greg’s arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her back closer to him.

“It’s nearly seven. We really don’t have to be up this early, baby. Don’t you want to sleep a little longer?” He sounded hopeful.

“I’m wide awake. I didn’t sleep very well anyway. Can you just carry me downstairs and let me sit on the couch? You can go back to sleep after that.”

“I’m not staying in bed with Steven, Janet. I’ll get up and dress. We can always take a nap later.”

“I’m sorry.” She hated that she had to ask for help. It drove her crazy.

“Don’t worry about it. Hold on while I get dressed. Then I’ll help you dress.”

Janet winced. More help. She had obviously been in more pain than she remembered for it not to have bothered her this much the day before. Today was going to be a testament to her patience.

“Here we go, baby.” Greg reached over and gently pulled her toward him while she held her foot up off the bed.

Then he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom where he had clothes waiting on her. She smiled. He’d chosen comfortable clothes for her. The shorts were long enough to be decent for company and the shirt a comfy T-shirt that she loved. He helped her dress then propped her leg up on the countertop to look at it.

“Your shin looks sore, but the ankle is a lot less swollen. If you keep off it all day, you may be able to walk a little bit on it tonight.” He gave her a stern look when he said it.

“I hear you. I’ll be good and keep off it. Can I have some more of the painkiller when we get downstairs?”

“Sure, baby. I’m sure you’re still in a lot of pain despite it looking better.” He picked her up and then carried her out of the bathroom.

“Hey, is something wrong with Janet?” Steven was sitting on the side of the bed, rubbing his face.

“No, she couldn’t sleep so I’m taking her downstairs. She wants to sit on the couch.”

“How does her leg look today?”

“Her ankle is a lot less swollen this morning, but her shin is painful looking.”

“Hey, you guys, I can talk.” Janet huffed out a breath.

“I know, love. I just trust Greg’s take on the subject more than I trust yours right now.”

“You don’t trust me!”

“Not about your ankle, I don’t.” Steven chuckled and stood up.

Janet couldn’t take her eyes off his handsome body, especially his cock. It was standing at attention with his morning erection. She had noticed Greg’s as well. Right now, she couldn’t see or feel it, held in his arms as she was.

“We’ll be downstairs.” Greg turned and walked toward the stairs.

Once they were in the living room, he stooped and carefully settled her on the couch with her foot elevated over the arm of the couch once again. It really wasn’t very comfortable that way. She fumed with herself. She hated to ask.

“What is it, baby? I can see that you want something but you don’t want to ask.”

God, she must be an open book to him. She didn’t like that one bit.

“Um, a pillow would be nice to prop my foot on. The arm of the couch is hard. Um, please.”

“Now was that so hard? I’ll be right back with a couple of pillows. You should have one for your head, as well.” He bent down and kissed her nose then bounded up the stairs.

God, I’m pitiful. I can’t even ask for something without stuttering. I shouldn’t be so fussy about something like this. I need help. So what?