Wanton in the Wild West (8 page)

Amber’s
heart beat faster. “Have you? But how would that work?”

“Well, we’ll
come stay in Deadwood for while so that we can get better acquainted. We won’t
rush you with anything.” He had started to move inside her again, and Amber
felt her common sense slipping away. Her breasts bobbed at the water’s surface,
and Gideon’s eyes darkened as he stared at them. “But I’m sure that we could
make this work.”

“If you
don’t want to marry either of us, that’s fine, too, Amber,” Harry whispered
into her ear, and she felt his hard length pressing into her back.

“Marry
either of you?”

“Well, it
would be one way for us to live together without too many questions,” Gideon said.

She
reached around behind her and took hold of Harry’s cock. She moved her hand
back and forth, and he groaned, pushing his tip between her buttocks.

“She
doesn’t want to get married,” Harry spoke to Gideon.

Amber
kissed Harry then Gideon in turn, their bodies joined, the three of them moving
as one. Their tenderness and kindness overwhelmed her. She felt lit up from
within like a lantern burning brightly in the dark night. Her worries were
still there, just out of sight, like coyotes in the darkness, but the warmth
and strength of these two men could keep them at bay like a large campfire. She
knew that her own hurts, like theirs, wouldn’t disappear in a day. Hell, they’d
maybe take months or even years to go. But she had a chance here to move
forwards, to put the past where it truly belonged. It was a chance worth
taking. They were a chance worth taking.

“Maybe
you two can persuade me to change my mind.” She smiled.

****

As Amber
emerged from the trees and looked at the train, she bit her lip to stop herself
from grinning. The day’s events had taken her from a virgin to a woman with a
rather intimate knowledge of two very handsome cowboys.

Gideon
and Harry trailed behind her, still fastening gun-belts and tucking in shirts.
At the bottom of the banking they took hold of her arms and helped her to the
top. Amber’s heart danced with joy, and she felt like shouting about her
newfound happiness. She wanted to tell the world about what had happened to her
and to describe the details of her transformation.

But that would be foolhardy.

Now she
had to board the train and face Maisie.

Her
stomach churned. Would her old friend guess what had happened? Would she be
able to discern from Amber’s eyes the satisfaction that now lit her from
within?

“What are
you going to tell that friend of yours?” Gideon’s deep tones caressed her skin,
and she shivered with delight.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”
Harry smiled as
he gazed into her eyes. “Not even a hint?”

Amber
shook her head. Though her heart was fit to burst with joy, though her mind
bubbled with the possibilities ahead, and though her body tingled with the
day’s pleasures, she knew that this was not for sharing. This was among her,
Gideon, and Harry, and if things went the way she hoped, that was how it always
would be.

There was
a cheer from the front of the train where an audience had gathered, and Gideon
nodded towards it. “Guess they’ve repaired the track.”

“So it’s
time to return to Deadwood.” Amber lifted her skirts as Harry helped her into
the carriage.

Just that
morning she had been dreading returning to her old life, but now . . . now
everything was different.

Now
she had hope.

She
walked towards Maisie and held her breath. The carriage was hot and airless,
but Amber knew that the color in her cheeks had nothing to do with the heat.

Maisie
scowled at her. “You took your time.”

Amber
shrugged and took her seat. She adjusted her skirts as Gideon and Harry sat
opposite. They both assumed an air of nonchalance. Gideon brought out his
little black book, hooked his spectacles over his ears and began scribbling. Harry
wriggled down in his seat and pulled his Stetson over his eyes.

“Where
did you go?” Maisie shut her Bible and turned to face Amber.

Amber’s
cheeks burned like hot coals.

“For a walk, Maisie.
It was
too hot in here, so I took some air.”

“Alone … with those two?”
Maisie nodded at Gideon and Harry.

Amber
picked at a cuticle, trying not to make eye contact. She felt like she would
burst into laughter if looked directly at her friend.

“Of course not!
I just, uh … wandered
along the banking with the other ladies.”

“Oh.”
Maisie sounded almost disappointed.

Amber
stole a glance at Maisie. Did the young woman want to find fault with her?

Like a
lightning bolt it hit her.

Maisie
was indeed ashamed about how she had behaved at Miss Claudia’s boarding house.
She clearly had regrets about her intimacy with Amber and the other young
women. She wanted to assuage her guilt by believing that she had been misled by
others … and as Amber was the only one within the vicinity, it made sense that
Amber should now be held accountable.

“Maisie?”
Amber took her
hand and dared to look into her eyes. “You have nothing to reproach yourself
for. Not ever. What happened … in Chicago, well … it stays in Chicago. The past
is exactly that!”

Maisie
smiled gratefully, and Amber’s heart swelled. She hoped that they would
continue to be friends when they returned to Deadwood, but somehow, she had a
suspicion that they would not see quite so much of each other.

Amber
glanced at the cowboys. Yes, the past was best left behind. Gideon and Harry
had suffered but now felt that the time had come to move on. They fully
intended to seize the present and the future and to live life to the full. She shuddered
with excitement. She would be a part of their lives.

What had
happened with Maisie was, she now realized, as her friend had described it
earlier that day:
Young women being wild
and wanton.
Gaining some insight into the workings of the
body before lying with a man.
And that was fine.

But
Maisie wanted the traditional life for herself. She wanted a husband and
possibly children. Amber wanted that for Maisie, too. She was a sweet young
woman who deserved to have the future that she had always dreamt of.

As for
Amber, she had enjoyed what she had shared with Maisie and the other young
women, but what she had experienced with Gideon and Harry had awakened
something different inside her. The way they looked, felt, smelt and touched
her was everything she wanted, everything she would always want.

The cowboys
had changed her perceptions of how men were. They were not all scoundrels and
bullies. With their unity, strength, and tenderness, Gideon and Harry had
stirred her into fulfillment and brought her to a new awareness. She needed to
give them the opportunity to take her into their life, into their world and to
show her how good it could be.

“All aboard?”
The voice of
the porter pierced the late afternoon heat.

Amber
released Maisie’s hand. She was, she knew, letting go of the past.

Then she
gazed at Gideon and Harry.

She was
looking at her future.

A future that she was looking forward to.

The End

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www.evernightpublishing.com