“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.