Hold Me Together: Cameron Ranch, #1

Hold Me Together

© Felice Fox 2013, 2015

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

The places, characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

M. Scribes Press

Printed in the United States of America

© Felice Fox 2014

Fox writes some sexy as hell cowboys. No question! They’re a danger to panties everywhere.—herding cats and burning soup

Not for the faint of heart.—Fresh Fiction

★★★★½—Manic Readers

After boot-stomping all night with every last Cameron man on the ranch, Holly can’t wait to get her honeymoon started with her new husband, Gavin. He’s her dream come true—smart, rugged and kinky as hell, but the very best part is marrying into his big family; a close-knit, loving clan who take care of each other. She’d never had that. Ever. Do you take this man…? was the easiest question Holly ever had to answer.

But when Gavin poses a new, unthinkable question on their wedding night, Holly must choose between the idealized happily-ever-after she’d always dreamed of and something much more than she ever knew she wanted—or needed. Yet her happiness isn’t the only thing put at risk by the unconventional arrangement she finds herself in, and when everything Gavin treasures is threatened, Holly must decide if she can give up the family she’d always wanted for the family that wants her…in every possible way.

Warning: This story is a grit-your-teeth hot romance and reading it may make you squirm like a little roped calf. It is a work of fiction intended for an adult audience which includes multiple partners and open relationships.

CHAPTER ONE

As Gavin heaved the barn door open, Holly bounced on her boot heels, eyes closed beneath the white eyelet blindfold that matched her knee-length wedding dress. Goodness knows she wasn’t used to waiting for sex, and he had been making her wait ever since their arrival at his family’s ranch the week before. She needed the grind of his hard body against her soft skin. Scorching or sweaty, she didn’t care. She just wanted him. He was finally hers to have and she needed him now.

Holly’s breath caught on the lingering sweet smell of hay and cedar. His fingers brushed her bare shoulders as he untied the blindfold to reveal the most magical transformation of a barn she’d ever seen.

The floor had been swept clear, and sprawling, colorful woven carpets were scattered all around. Lanterns, mounted on posts and hanging from beams overhead, cast soft light over the cavernous room, and a king-sized wrought-iron bed, the posts draped with twinkle lights, occupied the long far wall.

They’d do anything for you, wouldn’t they?

He shrugged, and smiled. His brothers must have busted their gorgeous asses setting up this place exactly as big brother Gavin instructed.

Yes, ma’am. I believe they would. A huge cut of an old cedar tree served as the bedside table, and was covered in candles big and small. No fancy hotel honeymoon suite could ever compare.

You’re lucky I met you first. She winked.

Oh yeah, Mrs. Cameron? Gavin grabbed her by the waist and twirled her around to hug her from behind. Her eyes fluttered closed at the enveloping warmth of his chest against her back and his breath on her neck. Which one would you have picked if it hadn’t been me?

Gavin! she elbowed him lightly, giggling. I could never pick just one.

Gavin went quiet and released her. Uh-oh. Her heart sank. What a thing to say to her husband on their wedding night! He knew which country stars she had the hots for and never minded her panting over them. It only ever made her hotter for him. But there was such a thing as sibling rivalry, and if she’d grown up with any family of her own she might have been more sensitive about it. Holly turned to face him.

You know you’re the only one for me, Gav, she said softly.

He shook his head and smiled.

I’m just happy to be the one you love best, is all.

As Holly twirled around the space, Gavin rolled the door closed with a thud loud enough to make her jump. She squealed and, scooping her around, Gavin planted a deep, warm kiss on the side of her neck, followed by a trail of smaller kisses to her lips. She laughed into his mouth and they hugged each other. She loved the smell of him, earthy and rugged, as if growing up on a ranch had permeated his skin and remained there, despite the fact he was a city boy now.

Gavin slipped his hand into Holly’s and her limbs, tired from boot stomping with every last male in the Cameron family all night, became warm and languid, melting for him. Her heart beat a slow, sultry rhythm that pulsed lower and lower as she turned into her new husband’s broad, warm chest, seeking a thorough, you’re-all-mine kind of hug. She had only ever had that kind of embrace from one man in her life, and that was him. Her Gavin. She wanted to meld with him and fall asleep in his arms in this magical place.

One of your brothers messing around? Holly laughed, noticing the soft cotton rope wound into a neat cone at the foot of the bed.

Oh, I assure you, he said, taking her around the waist. It’s no joke.

There was a flicker of something dark in his eyes. She’d seen it before but could never draw its meaning from him in words. It rattled her now, needy as she was to join their bodies, having been deprived of that soothing melt of connection for days. She sucked in a deep breath to calm her nerves. Maybe he was nervous too?

He lifted her high to wrap her legs around his waist, his belt buckle pressing against her mound, cold metal catching a slip of exposed skin. She ground her hips for a better position and found the sweet spot, a laugh bubbling up as he carried her to the bed.

Gavin threw her down and raised the hem of her short dress with one hand while pulling her panties aside with the other. His fingertips barely brushed the softness there, as he bit his lower lip. She watched his chest rise and fall, quietly at first, then with a low growl that resonated in her own body. He slid a hand up her belly and squeezed her breast through her dress.

Gavin touched her slowly, gazing intently at the bare, shiny creases between her legs.

Like what you see, cowboy? she said in a sweet, breathy drawl to match his own.

Indeed I do. He bent to sniff between her legs and her skin heated all over, puckering her nipples. Though his lips barely grazed her exposed flesh, the fog of his breath made her bite her lower lip and whimper.

P-pull off my boots?

Everything you want and more, darlin’. I promise you. There went the dark flicker again. Holly’s stomach tightened with anticipation as Gavin grasped her boot by the heel and dragged it off slowly, not losing eye contact. He did the same with the other.

He released her, pulled her knees together and ran his rough, warm hands along her thighs when she scooted back on the bed. Holly smoothed her hands over the bedspread. It was a fine, well-preserved quilt, made a long time ago by the looks of it. He watched her carefully as she ran her fingers over the pattern.

My mother’s wedding gift. Gavin swallowed. She made one for each of us boys before she passed. This one’s ours. Yours and mine, Holly.

Her own mother couldn’t even be found, let alone invited to the wedding, and she’d never known her dad.

Tears welled up and she choked a little. I don’t want to cry, not now. Not yet! Maybe after my first big orgasm as your wife…

He laughed.

I love you, Gav.

As he nodded slowly, deep in thought, the smile faded from his lips but lingered in his eyes.

I need to ask you somethin’, Hol. It’s a serious question.

She sucked in her lips and raised her brows. Couldn’t it wait?

Did you ever wonder if maybe there’s more ways to love people than the usual?

The question confused her. She had said her vows only a few hours before, a perfect declaration of her feelings. Being the wife of Gavin Cameron and a full on, card-carrying member of a real family was everything she’d wanted since she was a kid. She belonged to one person who wanted only her. Wasn’t that the kind of love everyone hoped to find?

I’ve never loved anyone more than you.

That’s not...exactly what I meant. Look, the boys forgot somethin’. I’ll be right back.

Condoms?

We ain’t having none of that anymore. Not between us, anyway.

Before his comment registered on her dreamy, newlywed brain, Gavin walked away, leaving the misty heat between her legs. He rolled the door open along the track, wide enough to slip out and for her to see a hint of stars in the night sky outside the barn. She sighed deeply, covered her warmed-up pussy with her hand and lay back to wait for him.

This was Holly’s first time in Montana. Her travel schedule for work in the past year had made it impossible to visit before, though she had video chatted with his family. Luke and Travis took her on a virtual tour of the ranch, his dad Hank showed her the garden and McKenna asked ever so quietly if she wanted to watch a foal being born, all to teach her a thing or two about their way of life. Maybe to lure her to it and bring Gavin back home.

Holly’s job as a corporate trade show organizer was so different from ranch work, she could scarcely imagine what she’d do in Montana besides ogle the tantalizing cowboys she was forbidden to touch. She’d never cheat on her husband, of course, but what if she started to fantasize about his brothers? Doing that while she was in bed with Gavin wouldn’t be fair. Holly winced at the thought and rolled over onto her side, briefly averting her eyes from the open barn door, as if Gavin would catch a guilty glint if he walked in at that moment.

In the week leading up to the wedding, she’d spent time with each of them, alone and as a family. If Holly had to give it a name, she’d say it was relief she sensed most, a familial sentiment she couldn’t quite wrap her head around. Gavin wasn’t exactly the kind of guy you’d worry about finding a bride. Holly had stood at a distance many an evening, watching women of all ages approach his booth at the farmer’s market, buying more Cameron Ranch grass-fed sirloin than