Page 12 of Cowboy Triplets Next Door

Billie

The pain was intense. It felt like he’d nearly ripped me in half, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want him to stop. I took one look at his face and saw the horror so clearly that I knew it was over. I scrambled to my feet and wrapped my arms around my chest to hide as I looked for my clothes. Then, I remembered I’d only worn lingerie and that my robe was outside.

“Why the hell didn’t you say anything?” Gray’s voice was low, dangerous, and his anger felt like shards of ice hitting my skin. “What the hell were you thinking?”

I looked at him and saw him running his hand down his length, collecting the smears of blood my body had left behind. He held his hand out to me, his eyes darkening. My voice shook as I spoke. “It’s nothing.”

Owen and Keaton were silent but their expressions made it clear they didn’t think it was nothing. Gray came to his feet and wiped his hand on his stomach, something that shouldn’t have been so hot while I felt so humiliated, but it was. He gripped my arms and lightly shook me.

“It’s not nothing! We would never have agreed to this if we’d known you were a fucking virgin!” Spinning away from me, Gray gestured at his brothers. “I knew she was too young, too innocent for us.”

Pulling on lingerie while someone yelled they regretted attempting sex with you was not an experience I ever thought I’d have, but there it was. I struggled to dress in the shreds of clothing I’d worn over, while doing my best not to cry. I’d never been more mortified in my entire life. I felt like my face was on fire and like leaving the ranch was a real option for the first time ever.

“Billie…” Hearing Owen say my name like he’d ever used it before stung. They’d called me Bumble B from the moment they met me and I’d shouted at them to fuck off. Losing the nickname I’d always hated didn’t feel good. “You should’ve told us. It’s a big deal.”

I held up my hands. “Stop. Just…stop.”

“The stopping point was before I tore through your hymen!” Gray gripped his hair and paced. “I didn’t want your fucking virginity, Billie. You’re supposed to give that shit to someone you care about. It’s not supposed to be tossed away while getting tag-teamed by three brothers!”

I yanked open the door leading to the balcony and glared back at them. “You’re an asshole, Gray.”

I yanked my robe off the ground and nearly fell down the stairs in my haste. I just wanted to get as far from them as possible. Every second with them just deepened the wounds. I didn’t bother grabbing my shoes as I sprinted towards my house.

“Wait! Bumble B, just…wait a second.” Keaton was suddenly there, gripping my arm and spinning me around to face him. “Just…why didn’t you say anything? We could’ve really hurt you.”

Possibly worse than Gray’s anger was Keaton’s concern. My eyes burned with unshed tears as I shoved him away from me. “Leave me alone. This never happened. Understand?”

He sighed and ran his hands over his hair. “Bumble B…”

I swore as a tear escaped and spilled down my cheek. Angrily swiping it away, I shook my head at him. “It never happened.”

He didn’t stop me again as I ran the rest of the way to my house and slammed the door shut behind me. I locked it and slid down the door, feeling the cold floor under my ass. I winced as the adrenaline wore off and the pain made itself known. I shuddered as every move I made for the rest of the night set off a constant replay of Gray and his reaction.

The worst part was crawling into my bed, knowing the sex dream I’d had about them hadn’t been anywhere near as good as the real thing. I hated them, but my body was still throbbing from the pleasure they’d given me. It betrayed me by still craving their touch.

My world was so small that when my phone dinged with an alert, I knew it was one of them. No one else would ever have texted me in the middle of the night. They didn’t have a reason to. I’d never given anyone a reason to. I’d played everything so safe in life, did everything I was supposed to, and I’d still ended up alone. So alone that I knew the only text I would’ve gotten after normal hours had to be from the guys who’d just acted like my virginity was a disease.

Keaton: We should talk tomorrow. Once everyone calms down. Okay?

“Go fuck yourself, Keaton.” I said the words I typed out loud and hit send hard enough that the tip of my thumb ached.

Before I could find out if he’d text again, I turned the phone off and threw it across the room. I didn’t want to know if he’d push to talk or if he’d only asked to be polite and he was thankful he didn’t have to chat with me, the virgin.

While I stared at my ceiling as the minutes turned into hours, I wished I could bring Brutus into my house. I needed someone more than ever and since I couldn’t admit to anyone what’d just happened, I wanted Brutus. That was why, in the middle of the night, still in the lingerie I’d hastily thrown back on, I snuck out of my house and spent half an hour in the dead of night looking for a racoon.

The dull ache in my chest when I found Brutus and Betsy curled together in the barn was jealousy. Even they had someone. It was pitiful and I had to walk back to my house feeling even worse. I was all alone and I felt like that was how it would be forever. The few friends I had, kept finding love and having babies while I felt jealous over a racoon and a cow cuddling.

To make matters even worse, when I got to my front door and pushed it open, I heard a noise and turned to find one of the younger Hellstone brothers walking by on his way to the barn. His eyes widened and the granola bar he had in his mouth fell out.

I didn’t say a word. I slipped inside, shut the door, and decided to take the day off. I couldn’t face anyone after the night I’d had.

CHAPTER 12

Keaton

The breakfast table had never been silent in the Hellstone household while we were growing up. There were twelve of us and silence wasn’t something we did. Gray, Owen, and I had continued that same tradition. The breakfast table was always loud and busy with the family who’d come with us and our other farmhands. There was always joking and goofing off before we got serious for the day.

The morning after our tryst with Bumble B, the table was silent. It was like the rest of the team knew our mood was black. I stared down at my biscuits and gravy with a frown on my face, wondering what the fuck we were going to do about B. I hadn’t slept at all after she’d run off. I could tell that Owen hadn’t either. Gray was completely shut off to me that morning so I didn’t know what was going on with him.

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