Bred by the Bushmen Read online

  He’d always been a private person, and talking about his feelings never worked for him.

  The following morning, he was the first one up, and made Opal some of the tea he’d made her the night before, along with some toast and their best homemade jam. Making his way to the bedroom, he was surprised to see her already sitting up in bed.

  “Morning,” he said.

  She offered him a smile. “Morning.”

  “Did you sleep well?”

  “Yes. I slept amazingly. Thank you so much.”

  “I’ve come with goodies.” He placed the tray on her lap, and then took a seat, bringing it closer to her.

  “You really don’t have to do this,” she said.

  Her stomach chose that moment to growl, and he laughed. “I don’t mind making you up a tray. You need someone who can help you out right now. It’s time to heal. Don’t worry about a thing.”

  He saw her cheeks heating, turning a pretty pink. “This is the first time I’ve been brought breakfast in bed.”

  “Until your ankle is better, get used to it.”

  He watched as she took some of the jam on her knife, and spread it over the toast. The moment she took a bite, her eyes closed. “This is amazing. What flavor is it?”

  “Wild strawberry. They grow in abundance around here, and Damon and I are always picking them.”

  “This is your jam?”

  “It is.”

  “You actually made this?” she asked, taking another bite.

  “You kind of have to living out here. We go to the main town to pick up enough supplies, but for the most part our pantry is filled with our own stuff.” He liked it that way. Being self-reliant, keeping close to nature, it meant a lot.

  There were always too many additives and pollutants in store-bought food. He didn’t like anything that had a warning or an ingredient he couldn’t pronounce.

  “I’ve never met anyone who actually preserved before. That is new for me.”

  “It’s a totally manly thing to do,” he said, thinking about what Damon would say. He gave her a wink. “You’re from the city, anyway.”

  “Yeah, the city…”

  He saw the smile on her face drop. “You came out to the wilderness to find yourself?”

  Opal nodded. “I was surrounded by a bunch of people attempting to get back to nature, wanting to know what it felt like to be poor, and to go without.”

  He heard the sadness in her voice. “You know what that’s like?”

  “Being poor? Can’t you tell? I spent everything I had in order to find out who I was, and now I feel like I’ve lost everything, and I don’t even have money to pay for the medical bill.” She placed her toast on the plate, and pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes. “And I still don’t know who the hell I am.”

  “You don’t need to worry about the bill. The doctor, he likes getting some of our preserves. We’ve already got a box ready for him.” They also had plenty of money to pay for her bill, but he didn’t want to talk about dollars and cents. It was the root of all evil, in his opinion.

  “I don’t like taking charity. I can deal with it. As soon as I’m able, I can work, I’ll pay you back.”

  His heart went out to the woman on the bed.

  Taking her hand, he pulled it away from her face, and moved a bit closer. “We won’t take your money, Opal. We’re not monsters. Just get well, and let us take care of you. That’s all you need to do.”

  When he looked at her, he saw the same beauty that Damon talked about. He also felt that yearning, the need to claim her, to make her theirs. It had been so long since they’d been with a woman. Sex had become an empty action, meaning nothing to him. He didn’t want sex to mean nothing. Or his life.

  He wanted love, connection, and of course, rough dirty sex.

  Staring at Opal, he imagined her naked, spread between him and his brother, taking their cocks, begging for more, and they’d be more than happy to give it to her.

  His cock hardened at the thought, and he knew he had to get out of the room. Before he could say or do anything, his brother came in.

  “Morning, everyone.” Damon moved to her other side before dropping down unceremoniously on the mattress. “Now, Caleb’s grumpy ways haven’t upset you, have they?” His brother reached forward and wiped the tear away.

  “Caleb made me breakfast and tea. He also listened to me moan about how crappy my life is. He’s more than fine.” She squeezed his hand. “Thank you, to both of you. If you hadn’t come to get me, I could have died. I don’t want to die, and thank you so much for making me realize that.”

  He didn’t like what he was hearing. To Caleb, her words could mean a great many things. One of them meaning that there was a time Opal had wanted to end her life, and that didn’t sit well with him.

  ****

  Over the next few days, Opal got used to seeing Caleb and Damon. Both brothers had a rustic appeal and homegrown muscles—she couldn’t stop sneaking peeks. They were so caring that she yearned to be their woman. How crazy was that? There was no way those two men wanted a woman like her. She’d been told many times over the years that she was too fat to ever be wanted. It was one of the reasons she’d wanted to end it all before coming on the retreat.

  Pushing those thoughts aside, she decided that even though they would never want her, she’d enjoy their company and make the best of the situation. Both men were totally different. Damon was the fun one who liked to joke, and of course, flirt, while Caleb always seemed serious. He rarely joked, and he didn’t flirt.

  There were many times when she’d catch Caleb looking at her in a way that made her think of sex, and all the dirty things she’d love to do with him. Even with her injury, she wanted to be with them, and that was completely crazy because she’d never been drawn to men in that way. Even at twenty-two she was still a virgin, and had expected to stay that way until she died.

  “So, how does your ankle feel today, princess?” Damon asked, entering the room. He yanked open the curtains, the dust motes dancing in the sun rays. She loved when he sweet talked her, even though she assumed it was how he talked to every woman. The positive attention was new for her, and she thrived on it, craved it.

  It was getting colder, and she’d heard them talking about a snowfall warning. Her ankle wasn’t broken, and the doctor said after a few days’ rest she should start to move around. It looked like that day was going to be today. Damon and Caleb had been carrying her to their bathroom so that she could use the toilet and wash. She needed to push for her independence if she wanted to get well.

  She looked forward to a shower or even better, a bath.

  Opal wiggled to the edge of the bed while he gathered her dishes. She lifted up off the mattress and took a step. There was a little pain but nothing to complain about. A big weight lifted off her shoulders knowing she was almost good as new.

  “I think I’m fine.” She turned to find Damon staring at her. The sun shone through the window and when she looked down at her body, she saw that her night shirt had become transparent. Quickly covering her body, she offered him a shy smile. “I hope I don’t sound rude, but do you think I could have a bath?”

  “You can have whatever you want.” He cleared his throat, and the playfulness was gone. She wanted the moment to mean so much more, but nobody could want her the way she needed. He just wanted no-strings sex.

  Her nipples tightened as he turned away, his shirt stretching across his shoulders. Both men were ripped, all hard muscle, and from what they’d both told her, they worked the land by hand all the time.

  They lived an amazing life.

  Peace, tranquility, freedom.

  She didn’t miss the city. Every time she listened, she heard the birds singing, or the sound of the trees rustling in the wind. Back in the city, it was all about cars honking or people shouting. The air was always thick with pollution, and everyone was always pissed off. Her old apartment had thin walls—babies screaming, people having sex,
and lots of yelling and cursing. She hated that life, and never wanted to go back to it. But what choice did she have?

  Damon and Caleb had both been lucky to get away. The lifestyle they chose was one she’d love to be a part of. It would be a dream come true, one she hadn’t realized she had until staying with the brothers.

  “I’m going to get washed up.” She escaped to the bathroom, desperate to get away from the feelings Damon inspired in her. A man like him could destroy her because she knew it wouldn’t take much for her to fall in love. Closing the door softly behind her, she ran some water into the bath. Everything was simplistic and plain, exactly what she’d expect in a small cabin home. It was perfect.

  Damon had told her before to make herself at home, and she tried to do so without outstaying her welcome. Stripping off her clothes, she noticed the bruises on her skin, which still hadn’t faded. She sighed. Opal had tried to find herself, and all she’d succeeded in doing was nearly killing herself. Once she sank into the water, the warmth seeped into her bones, relaxing her.

  Running a hand down her stomach, she thought of Damon and Caleb. When it came to the brothers, she found it next to impossible to think about one without the other. They were opposites but also one. Her body came alive. Heat flooded her pussy, and her nipples tightened as she imagined both men touching her, loving her. It would feel so good to have their rough hands all over her curves, their lips caressing her flesh.

  She hadn’t misheard Damon the other day about what they wanted. He’d been honest with her. They shared their women. Everything in their life, they did together, and even though she tried to fight the fantasies those words conjured up, she couldn’t. Touching her tits, she toyed with her nipples, biting her lip as a moan built up inside her. She didn’t release it, and kept it down, not wanting to be heard. The last thing she wanted was for Damon to know what she was doing.

  Would it be such a big problem?

  She didn’t know if she wanted to answer her own question.

  Her thoughts were all over the place.

  Opal slid a hand down her body, touching her pussy, cupping herself. She’d been overly sensitized since first seeing the brothers in the morning. Rubbing the palm of her hand against her clit, the pleasure was instant, and she gasped as it went through her entire body, hardening her nipples. What would it be like to have to men worship her? For them both to want her body.

  Damon and Caleb were sexy men, with a no-holds-barred vibe that pulled her in. They were both so different and she liked them together, like two halves of a whole.

  Moving her palm up, she slid her fingers across her clit, and closed her eyes, thinking of their lips on her body. She imagined them touching her, placing her on the bed, and each of them kissing her body. They’d suck on her breasts, not one part of her left untouched or unwanted.

  That was what she craved more than anything, to be wanted. No one had ever taken the time to get to know her, and just the thought of the brothers wanting her filled her with hope.

  She came with a few strokes against her clit, and the orgasm wasn’t exactly thrilling. It never had been. Her orgasms were a release of the pressure, but nothing special. She had a feeling Damon and Caleb had the experience to show her a thing or two about being taken, being fucked. Unfortunately, they could have any woman they wanted, so why would they settle for the ugly duckling?

  ****

  Hearing Opal’s lackluster orgasm pissed off Damon. All he wanted to do was take her from the bathroom, spread her on his bed, and eat her pussy so she knew what a real orgasm felt like. Instead, he had to listen to the little moan, and even the finale was pitiful.

  This woman hadn’t had a man’s touch, and he wanted to change that, to show her how good it could be with two men. He’d been with a lot of women, so it didn’t take long for him to peg her as a virgin. The thought of claiming her, breeding her, owning her was too much. He’d been pent up since she showed up, but he refused to let it affect his mood. Damon’s only outlet was physical punishment, so he left the cabin before he did something he’d regret.

  Bringing the axe down on another plank of wood, it shattered in two, and it didn’t help his mood at all. Caleb was pissing him off with all of his serious man bullshit, and right now, his desire to be fucking selfish was riding him high. What was wrong with taking Opal as their own? It wasn’t like he planned on using and discarding her. She’d be their woman. Their everything.

  He’d seen the pleasure on Opal’s face as she listened to the quiet sounds of the wilderness surrounding the cabin. By her own words, she was poor, which meant her life back home was nothing to covet. She probably lived in a rundown apartment building that was more suited to being demolished than refurbished.

  Damon had explored the city at great length. The poor parts and the wealthy parts. Their uncle had asked them to try to involve themselves in city life, and to make a go of it.

  From the start, he’d done what he’d been asked to do, and what he found hadn’t enthralled him. It had turned him off. The city was a cesspool, and he was just as eager to escape as his brother.

  Caleb thought he lived in a fucking fantasy land for being hopeful. He wasn’t naïve to the evils in the world, but he chose not to dwell on them. Pushing the bullshit and pain away made life tolerable. He’d learned that once his parents died.

  “Any reason you’re attacking our firewood?” Caleb asked, leaning against the porch railing.

  He ignored his brother and placed another log on the tree trunk, lifted the axe, and brought it down.

  Before they died, their mother would often watch their father chop wood, doing all the manly chores that living in the wilderness demanded of him. Their father taught them almost everything they knew.

  “Why do you think our parents decided to live out here?” Caleb asked.

  Chopping another plank of wood, he lifted the axe out, and stared at his brother. “We know they were wealthy. Money was never a problem.”

  “No one would accept our mom,” Caleb said.

  “What?”

  “I asked our uncle that question one night, and he told me that the moment Dad saw her, he wanted her. She was some waitress or something. Our grandparents didn’t approve. They wanted someone from wealth to marry their son.”

  “How did I not know this?” Damon asked.

  “Did you ask?”

  He shook his head. “No, I didn’t ask.” He placed the axe against the tree trunk, and sat down, not caring about the uneven surface. Damon took a deep breath, calming the beast within.

  “Is this about our mom and dad, or is this about a certain woman who’s cleaning up our home?”

  “I heard her in the bathroom,” Damon said, running a hand down his face.

  “You heard her what?”

  “I heard her touching herself. She was trying to give herself an orgasm.” He chuckled. “Well, I wouldn’t call it an orgasm. She gasped at the end but that was about it.” He shook his head. “I know you want to wait, and you don’t think she’s the one, but I’m telling you, she is.”

  “I never said she’s not the one, Damon. I’ve asked you not to get your hopes up because I don’t want to see you sad. You’re my brother. My little brother. You see the world as sunshine and rainbows.”

  “I know the world is a fucked-up mess, Caleb. I know our way of life isn’t understood by a lot of people. Even our uncle never understood why our parents did what they did. We do, and we know this is what we want.” He stepped up close to Caleb. “Tell me that when you look at her, you don’t imagine her pregnant with our kid. That you can’t imagine her coming apart as we touch her.”

  “Damon, don’t. It’s not that simple.”

  “Life isn’t simple, but this doesn’t have to be so fucking complicated. What is it with you constantly being Mr. Negative?”

  “I’m trying to protect you.”

  He shook his head. “You can try to protect me all you want, but I’m not going to end up lonely because of
it. Don’t ruin this for us.”

  Brushing past his brother, he entered their home, and went straight toward the kitchen where he found Opal sitting at the kitchen counter. She wore one of their shirts, and it looked good on her. Her pale features now had a little color in them. She smiled the instant he entered the room, and that smile, it went straight to his cock, and made him think all kinds of dirty thoughts. He wanted her, fuck the consequences.

  Something told him that Opal was different from a lot of women. His brother would think he’d gone crazy, but the moment Damon saw her, he knew she was the one.

  She’d been on that trip to find herself, and he knew she’d tried to end her life, or at least thought about it once. This woman was screaming for help, but no one was listening.

  He didn’t say a word, tongue-tied for the first time in his life. Damon grabbed some slices of bread and started to make himself a sandwich.

  “You have an amazing home,” she said.

  He watched as she glanced around the room with a childlike wonder. “Have you only ever lived in apartment buildings?”

  “Yeah. Cheap ones. Most of my neighbors have been cockroaches.”

  He saw the sadness in her eyes, and he was done.

  Life was about taking chances, and he was about to take one for all three of them.

  Chapter Four

  Opal felt fresh after her long soak in the bath. Her head was clear, and her energy had returned. It was the day she’d dreaded, the day she should ask for a drive to town because she was no longer bed-bound.

  Damon’s mood had been off since this morning. There was an energy between them, but she didn’t want to disappoint herself and believe it was intimacy. For all she knew, he had grown impatient with her slow recovery.

  “Hungry?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.” She’d already had breakfast in bed, thanks to Caleb. “I’m trying to watch what I eat, anyway.”