Kyle laughed and leaned in to suck on her nipple, and she gave a long, low groan when the suction pulled her flesh farther into his mouth, and his tongue circled the nipple.

  “Have ya’ll already worked this out, or are you going to draw straws to see who goes where?”

  Marcus chuckled. “Why don’t we turn you over and put you on your hands and knees. I’m sure Kyle can figure out what to do at the back end, and I’d like to feel your mouth, if you’re up to it.”

  “You’ve never—” she cut herself off because it sounded crude in her head, but she needed to ask the question, so she found another way. “You’ve only been in my mouth and my rear. Maybe you can fix that this morning, and I can torture Kyle with my mouth?”

  He took a few seconds to answer. “We need to have a discussion, but can we do it later? I promise an explanation over breakfast, okay?”

  Heather sat up. “Fine, then let’s eat.”

  She moved to climb over Kyle, figuring he wouldn’t stop her, but she was wrong, and Kyle grabbed her arm, put his other arm around her torso, and pulled her to him.

  “Kyle, let me go.”

  “Don’t be mad. We have to communicate. Walking away isn’t communicating.”

  “Neither is saying we’ll talk about it later.”

  She felt Kyle look up at Marcus. “She has a point.”

  “Fine, then let’s eat.” Marcus sounded aggravated, but Heather was pretty irritated, too.

  Which left Kyle as referee, apparently, and he said, “Jonah’s supposed to have breakfast for us at the Flying H, right? Why don’t the two of you head to different showers to get ready.”

  Heather’s back was to Marcus, since that was how Kyle had grabbed her, and she heard him behind her.

  “Flying H?”

  “Yeah. That’s the name of the ranch,” Kyle told him.

  “Because you’re Heather, and you fly?” Marcus asked.

  Heather felt her anger slipping away, and she told him, “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I shouldn’t have tried to put off an answer.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have.”

  Kyle’s grip on her loosened. “Why don’t I go draw a bath in the big tub, and we can all take a bath together and talk before breakfast.”

  No one responded, so Kyle kept talking. “Okay then, I’ll go fill the tub. I trust it’s safe to leave the two of you alone?”

  Heather pulled out of Kyle’s arms. “Don’t be a smart ass. Go draw the water. I’ll grab the clothes I’m going to wear and meet you in there.”

  Heather went to her bag to grab her jeans and shirt, and Marcus stood, but didn’t move away from the bed a few seconds before he sighed and followed Kyle out of the room.

  Heather rolled her clothes and underwear into a bundle and followed them.

  She expected them to be talking when she arrived, but Kyle was sitting in the tub while it filled, and Marcus was looking through the oils.

  Marcus looked up as she walked in. “I’d normally use something designed to wake us up first thing in the morning, but I’m tempted to use something soothing.” He glanced at Kyle and looked back to Heather. “But Kyle doesn’t want to smell like lavender all day.”

  “Why don’t we skip the oils this morning, so we don’t have to decide.”

  He nodded. “Fair enough.”

  Heather sank into the tub, settling into her own corner so she wasn’t leaned against Kyle. She didn’t want it to look like it was her and Kyle against Marcus, but she wasn’t sure how Kyle would feel about her not touching him.

  Kyle gave her what she thought was an approving look, so she figured she’d done that part right. Marcus stepped in and claimed his own corner.

  Nobody talked while the tub filled, though the water rose surprisingly fast. Marcus leaned up to turn the water off when it was time, and almost as soon as it was off, he started talking.

  “I long ago made a vow I would never father a child I wasn’t positive I’d be able to raise. Not just support, but actually raise. I don’t want to father a child who won’t live with me, who I won’t be able to actively parent every day of the week, every week of the year. As part of that vow, I don’t have vaginal sex with anyone unless I’m certain that if a child resulted, we would raise the child together — that even if we broke up, we would continue to live together, even if that meant bringing our new relationships into the house, and making sure our new significant others were mature enough to be civil in that type of atmosphere. Needless to say, I haven’t had a whole lot of vaginal sex.”

  Heather knew Marcus’s parents had divorced, and his mother had moved them to another city. He’d only seen his dad when school wasn’t in session. This decision was such a Marcus way of handling his own baggage, she didn’t bother explaining how birth control worked. The man was a doctor — he knew. This wasn’t about logic and statistics. She got it, but…

  “When were you planning to tell me this?”

  “It’s not a conversation I normally have. The women in my life aren’t in a position to argue about my taking them in the ass every time, and I pay enough attention to their pussy with my mouth, or with toys, I don’t get too many complaints. I tell them all their holes are there for my use, and I prefer to fuck their mouths and asses.” He looked at Kyle and then back at Heather. “You aren’t my submissive, or my slave, so you’re correct — it’s a conversation we should’ve already had. I’m sorry for that, and I’m sorry I didn’t stop what we were doing to have the conversation when you asked me about it.”

  “You know I have an IUD, right?” Okay, so she had to bring it up, after all.

  “Yes, and with an IUD and a condom, the likelihood of pregnancy is minuscule, but there’s still a chance, and this isn’t negotiable for me. Not having vaginal sex is the surest way of making sure I don’t make a baby until and unless I’m absolutely ready.”

  “Your mom raised you. You visited your dad in the summer.” She got it, but it felt like they needed to completely discuss this before they moved on, so she gave him a prompt.

  “Yes, and it killed my dad that he couldn’t be there for me. My mom moved us to another city specifically to keep him out of my life as much as possible. She hated my dad more than she loved me. Revenge against him was more important than what was best for me, and I never want my child to be put into that kind of situation. I’m not saying you would, or that we’ll never get there, but a lot has to happen before we do.”

  Heather moved towards Marcus and went up on her knees to kiss him on the cheek. “Okay. I get it. It won’t be the last time we talk about it, but I’m good with it for now.”

  Marcus put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead. “Thank you for understanding.”

  “Hey, we’ve all got our baggage we carry around. This just proves you’re human, after all.”

  Kyle spoke from his side of the tub. “We’re supposed to be at the ranch in forty-five minutes, and it’ll take at least thirty minutes to drive, so we should probably get dressed.”

  Heather grabbed a bar of soap and spent a few minutes soaping up and rinsing off. It seemed silly to have run a bath to only spend ten minutes in it, but it seemed to have done the job of facilitating their conversation, so she didn’t say anything.

  She wrapped a towel around herself when she exited the tub, and moved to the sink to get ready.

  When she finished brushing her teeth, Marcus said, “Tell me more about your ranch, and the guy who runs it for you. I’m assuming you think he’s pretty damned trustworthy, so I imagine the two of you are close.”

  “Jonah’s great. There was a house on the land when I bought it, and I originally intended to live there. I thought I’d make the Collegedale airport my base of operations, but the reality is that most of my passengers prefer to fly in and out of the Chattanooga airport, so living in Apison wasn’t ideal. Anyway, Jonah lives in the house, though I still have a bedroom in it, and he doesn’t mind me staying over occasionally. I always let him know ahead of time though, because I don’t want him to feel like he’s living in my house, even though I guess technically that’s the case. Anyway, you’re asking how close we are, and I trust him with my horses.” She shrugged. “Doesn’t get much bigger than that.”

  Chapter 25

  When they arrived at the ranch, Jonah came to the door to welcome them into the house before they had a chance to ring the doorbell. Scout the border collie had run beside them once they turned onto the long driveway, showing his excitement that Heather was there. Heather tossed his ball for him a few times before she went into the house, and Scout followed her in.

  She introduced Jonah and Marcus, they did the standard nice-to-meet-ya, then Jonah headed back to the kitchen, saying, “Pancakes, potatoes, and sausage are all on the table. The eggs will join them momentarily. There’s a pitcher of ice water and a pitcher of orange juice on the table. If you want coffee it’s back here. Feel free to pour yourself whatever you want. Glasses are on the table, mugs are in here.”

  Heather went to the dining room to see what kind of pancakes Jonah had made, but it wasn’t obvious from looking at them, so she grabbed one and took a bite. “Mmmm, peach pancakes. You’ve outdone yourself Jonah.”

  “Ziggy’s been here a few days nonstop, working with Woodstock. He doesn’t want any advice from me — do you think you can watch one of their sessions and maybe see if you can help?”

  “What’s the problem?”

  “Woodstock is being stubborn and Ziggy’s not using finesse to counter it. I know we’re technically just boarding Woodstock and aren’t being paid for any training, but it kills me to watch when I know what Woodstock needs, but he’s not my horse so I can’t do anything.”

  Heather sympathized. “I’ll see what I can do, but you didn’t have to invite us to breakfast to ask me. You can always call or email me that kind of thing.”

  “Oh, I made breakfast because I’ve missed you. You’ve been even busier than usual the past couple of months. You’ve been here a few times a week to spend time with Phantom, but you and I haven’t had much time to connect.”

  “Speaking of Phantom, I’m going to ride Marcus behind me on him, assuming Phantom doesn’t hate Marcus at first glance.”

  Jonah looked at Marcus. “You’ve ridden before?”

  “Yes, but it’s been a while, and Heather tells me she doesn’t let just anyone ride her horses.”

  Jonah paused and then spoke slowly, with intention. “True, and Heather doesn’t usually let anyone ride Phantom with her, either.”

  Marcus looked at Heather. “Is that true?”

  Heather shrugged. “Phantom’s my friend. He carries me because he wants to, because I’ve earned his respect. We respect each other, and—” She rolled her eyes. “It’s hard to explain, but yeah, I’m not in the habit of asking him to carry someone besides me.”

  “I don’t have to ride, if it’s a big deal.”

  “It’s not so much that it’s a big deal, it’s just not something I make a habit of. It’ll be fine. Well, unless Phantom doesn’t like you, but I think the two of you will get along.”

  Marcus looked to Jonah, as if wanting him to verify it was okay, and Jonah told him, “Heather’s smaller than most kids, and you’re tall but kind of thin, so I doubt you top two hundred pounds. She doesn’t have much of an ass, so the two of you in one of my saddles will easily accommodate the two of you.”

  Heather didn’t want this to be a big deal. “When we have a few hours, I’ll put you on one of my horses and work with you in the corral, to get you back in practice and used to whichever horse you get along with the best. Today’s just a quick ride out to the wall and back, and this is the easiest way to do it.”

  * * * *

  Two hours later, they were riding the horses through the woods at the back of the farm — Heather and Marcus on Phantom and Kyle on Zeus.

  Heather had actually been a little concerned about the first meeting between Marcus and Phantom, but Marcus had adored her horse at first sight, completely awed by Phantom’s size, and the fact that he’s solid white, almost silver in the sunlight. Phantom loves to be adored, so everything had worked out just fine.

  Marcus was riding behind Heather, holding her loosely while she held Phantom to a leisurely walk. She would let him run when they got back to the field and Marcus got off, but a slow pace was good for now. Marcus seemed comfortable enough behind her, so she’d probably put him on Molly next time, and stay in the field so she could keep a close eye on how he rode.

  Marcus’s chest vibrated on her back when he spoke. “I had no idea you were coming out here three to five times a week to ride. How do you find the time?”

  “I don’t find the time, I make the time, but it sounded like Jonah feels I’ve been neglecting things, so I’ll need to make even more time. He’s probably right — some of our boarders are used to having me around more. All I’ve really been doing for the past three or four weeks has been putting Phantom through his paces, and I alternated working with some of the other horses once Phantom and I were through. I should probably consider spending one night a week out here, but that needs a conversation with Jonah.”

  “What do you know about Jonah’s personal life?”

  Heather heard the caution in his voice and figured she knew what he was getting at, so she decided to just come out with it and not drag it out. “I take it you picked up on the fact he’s gay? Most don’t, but I should’ve known you would.”

  “Yeah, but it wasn’t obvious, and I wasn’t a hundred percent sure at first. I’m guessing most of your paying customers don’t figure it out.”

  “It isn’t a secret, but he doesn’t advertise it to customers. He goes to clubs and stuff, and dates occasionally, but he keeps his private life mostly private.”

  “Watching him with the horses when we went to the barn also made me think he might be a Dom, but I guess you’ve kind of got to do that when handling horses, so maybe not.”

  Heather thought about that a moment. “Now that you mention it, I think you may be right. I’ve met a few of his boyfriends, and I didn’t realize it at the time, but they’ve all been kind of deferential to him. At the time, I thought it was part of the gay thing. I mean, I’ve always assumed Jonah was the fucker, not the fuckee, but now that I know about the whole Dom and sub thing, I’m wondering.” Not that it was any of her business.

  “We’ve made a big circle, haven’t we?”

  She nodded. “We’re almost back to the ranch. When we get there, I’ll drop you off, and then I want to run Phantom a little, and put him through his paces.”

  “Do you compete with him?”

  “I did last year, and I’m planning to do it again next year. We’re taking the year off, and I think it was a good decision. We’ll be doing three competitions this year, so I’m not taking the year completely off, but last year we competed seventeen times, and I think it burned both of us out.”

  Kyle spoke up from his horse behind them. “You’ve backed off because of me, haven’t you? I’ve got you stretched too thin.”

  “I’ve stopped spending the night out here because of you, so that part’s right, but I didn’t back off on the competitions because of you.”

  Marcus moved one of his hands to the top of her leg. “Between staying at Kyle’s house, my house, your place, and out here, that’s a lot of beds to be juggling.”

  The trail widened out enough so Kyle could come up beside them as Heather said, “Agreed, but let’s have this conversation later, maybe over dinner.”

  They came to a fork in the trail, but instead of using the reins, she said, “The climbing wall, Phantom.”

  Kyle groaned and said, “That’s my punishment for bringing it up? You change the subject to remind me of the climbing wall?”

  Heather felt Marcus taking a breath to speak so she hurried to speak first, “No, Kyle. The climbing wall will never be a punishment. Ever. I may offer a reward for doing a good job on it, but we’ll never use the wall as punishment. I was just telling Phantom where to go. Nothing more.”

  He looked over at her. “I’m sorry, that was a poor choice of wording.”

  Kyle paled when they rounded a corner in the trail and the wall came into sight. She’d had a seventy-two-foot-tall tower constructed, and two walls of it, so far, had been made into a climbing wall.

  “Most people who aren’t climbers don’t make it to the top, and I’m never going to expect you to ring the bell. Hell, some people who do consider themselves climbers don’t make it all the way up. I created the wall I want to climb. When it’s time to put paying customers on it, I’ll need another bell, probably two-thirds of the way up, to give them a more reachable goal.”

  But he didn’t need to know all that. She took a breath and gave him an order. “Ride Zeus up to the wall and put a piece of your purple tape as high as you can reach.”

  She watched him do it and saw that this would put him at just under twelve feet up, meaning he’d only have to climb four or five feet the first day if he stretched to touch it, or six feet if he got his head up to the tape. The goal was to make it a positive experience, so this was a good way to start, and today shouldn’t scare him at all. She’d seen him go higher on a stepladder.

  She felt Marcus release her entirely and turn as much as he could towards Kyle, “Do you want to get off of Zeus and do it now, to get it over with?”

  Kyle thought it over and nodded, so Heather pointed to the post at the side of the tower.

  “There’s already a rope attached to the rail. Hook it to the halter under his bridle, and make sure the reins are up and out of the way, so he won’t step on them.”

  Kyle dismounted and did as she said, then walked back to the wall and looked up to the tape. “I take it I don’t get a safety rope today?”