Jan Springer - In Her Bed

During her last visit, her nearest neighbor, Teyla Sutton, had confided to Liz that since being with three men at the same time, Teyla didn’t dream of going back to having sex on a regular basis with just one man. She simply enjoyed menages too much.

Is that what would happen to her? Would she lose herself in the pleasure of three men?

Liz bit back a sob. She wanted her old life back. It had been so simple back then. One man who’d loved her, family, and the conveniences of civilization, which included a phone and electricity, running hot water and an abundance of food.

Instead, she was freezing her butt off out here. She stood naked, her bare feet wobbling on rocks in the cold water of a river that ran through her property, and she had the most picturesque scenery of snowcapped craggy mountains in the distance while she washed herself. Her teeth chattered so loudly she wouldn’t be surprised if her closest neighbors heard her two miles away.

She sighed and dipped a bucket of water into the cold water. Bringing it up over her head, she held her breath and tipped it, gasping and cursing as the liquid practically froze her sensitive skin as it washed over her.

Sweet mercy! But that water was cold!

Dropping the pail, she grabbed the face cloth she’d placed on a nearby boulder and dipped it into the water before generously soaping the cloth. Normally she would have lugged in some buckets of water from the well outside her house and warmed it in the cast-iron pot she kept hanging over the fire in the living room fireplace. But she didn’t want Durango and his friends walking in on her while she washed her intimate parts. Parts that were exquisitely tender after Durango had had his way with her.

She held her breath as she splayed the cold, soapy washcloth over her right breast. Talk about freezing! She’d hoped the cold water would distinguish the heat of arousal flaring through her body since she’d woken from her nap after Durango had left her spent. But the cold air breathing against her moist flesh, and now the water dribbling erotically over her fevered skin, only seemed to heighten her senses and awareness that sleeping in her bed were three very sexy, well-muscled men.

When she’d awoken, the house had been too quiet and panic had sawed through her like a painful blade as she’d wondered if Durango and the others had left once again. Her uneasiness had only increased as she’d rushed down the hallway. Holding her breath, she’d pushed open the doorway to her bedroom, and thankfully they’d still been there. The three of them were fast asleep, their soft snores zipping through the cool air.

She’d watched them.

The new man, Tyrell Mathews, looked exquisitely handsome as he slept, his long, dark eyelashes framing his cheeks. His hair was dark brown, and he had a short, military-style cut. He was as darkly tanned as Durango, and he’d smelled very nice. While she’d tended to his wound, he’d kept quiet, his dark brown eyes studying her. Whenever he’d answered her questions, he’d answered in a mannerly tone which gave her the impression he was sweet and nice. Durango had been right though. Tyrell’s muscles certainly had made her insides twist about in an erotic way. Damn Durango for bringing another muscle-bound man into her home and into her life.

Landon Leigh’s light coloring was in direct contrast to Durango’s dark coloring. Where Durango had shoulder-length straight dark brown, almost-black hair and dark blue eyes, Landon’s hair was just as long and straight, but light sandy brown, almost blond, with green eyes. All three of them were big men, heavily muscled with dark five-o’clock shadows hugging their cheeks and chin.

They were sexy, dangerous desperadoes who were wanted by the law. Well, not that there was a legitimate law around these days. Vigilantes, people who’d taken it upon themselves to protect others or use their power over vulnerable people, preferred to hang people, before asking questions.

Lately the Durango Gang was on the top of their hit list, with their pictures on wanted posters all over town. They were a gang who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor, the rich meaning people who made extremely high profits off the misery of others.

Liz didn’t have a problem with the Durango Gang. These days lawlessness ran rampant, and one had to do anything to survive. She just wished Durango hadn’t decided to run with such a crowd that seemed to get shot up almost every time they did a bank heist or some other sort of robbery. Making enemies of the rich people was never a good thing.

The entire time Durango and Landon had been gone, she’d worried for their safety. She had inquired after them whenever one or more of the Durango members came to her for a referral to a pleasure girl or if they were injured. That was how she’d kept tabs on them.

She knew Landon wanted her. Durango had told her that shortly before they’d left. And Durango had wanted to share her with him. She liked the man. Okay, so just looking at him made her pussy pulse and her breasts yearn for him to touch her, but that didn’t mean she had to sleep with the guy. At least it hadn’t been required of her before the entire world had gone mad, including Durango.

Her gaze had then settled on Durango, the man she’d once called her heart. He did look much better than when he’d left, she had to admit. Before he’d gone away he’d possessed the look of a caged animal. Dark circles had hung beneath his eyes, and furrows had appeared at the sides of his mouth, compliments of a constant frown.

She realized now that she hadn’t been good enough for him. She’d wanted to be, but she wasn’t. He’d wanted more out of life than just settling down and trying to survive. He’d wanted to make a difference in this new world. Apparently, for him, joining the Robin Hood-style gang was the ticket.

Liz frowned and combed her fingers through her wet hair. Well, perhaps he’d gotten his adventurous streak out of his system and had come home to be with her? Yeah, right. Wishful thinking. He was probably here because she’d been convenient to patch up Landon and Tyrell and the three of them wanted some hot sex before taking off on her again. And it was at that exact moment she’d realized she didn’t want to fight with Durango anymore. She was holding onto an old way of life that would never come back. She hated change, but she now realized that changing and adapting to this new environment was the only way she would have a chance at being happy again.

Why should she deny herself the pleasures that Durango and his two friends wanted to give to her? Since the Catastrophe everything had become distorted. Why not live a few hot fantasies while she was still alive?

In town, she’d heard gossip that the environment may get even colder. God forbid if that happened. People were having trouble keeping any outdoor crops alive, let alone trying to grow feed for livestock that could be ultimately butchered for meat.

Times had gotten harsh since the Catastrophe. All of her family and extended family must have been wiped out. She’d never gone back East to find out. How could she? Nothing was running. No trains, no buses, no planes.

The only way back would be on one of those pioneer wagon trains that some people were signing up for. Caravans or something like that. Just like in the Old West days.

No, it was best to stay put. She knew if one of her three brothers or her parents had survived they would have come looking for her. She’d sent several letters back recently through what they were calling “The Pony Express,” named after the original Pony Express that the United States had had back in 1849 where riders rode all day and all night to get mail from East to West and vice versa.

The price for the Pony Express service was steep, and because most people didn’t have a job anymore, they didn’t pay her money for her doctoring services. Instead of giving her money, they gave her food or handmade items.