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Eli was waiting for her when they finally arrived back at the ranch. Her horse had decided she was mortified by Layla's behavior and was simply not going to cooperate for the rest of the ride, so they had to meander their way back up the trail with the horses side-by-side and Roy gripping Misty's reins so he could lead them along. This gave her plenty of opportunity to lean across and kiss him as they rode. She was greatly disappointed when the trail ended and she saw Eli at the edge of the corral in denim cutoff shorts and a plaid shirt tied at his waist.
"You took off your loincloth," she said, climbing down from the horse.
"It's not exactly afternoon wear. Are your clothes wet?"
The sun had dried their clothes most of the way but her pants and shirt still looked damp and Layla knew her hair was a wet mess even though she had tried to tame it under a clip at the back of her head.
"I fell into a pond," she answered quickly.
Eli's eyes scanned Roy, who was visibly just as damp as he led both horses into the corral.
"I went in after her to rescue her."
"That was chivalrous," Eli called to him.
Layla couldn't get Roy out of her head for the rest of the day and that night she lay in bed sandwiched between Eli and Quinn, staring into the darkness thinking about him. Her body still hummed with the feelings he created within her. She was still thinking about him the next morning when she arrived at a field on the opposite end of the ranch from her cabin for an archery lesson.
She was yet again alone as Eli ran off to possibly contribute to the delinquency of a minor (he assured her that he was trying to sneak a look at the cashier's ID just to make sure) and Quinn went to have a self-prescribed meditation session with the pygmy goats in an effort to overcome her sudden irrational fear of farm animals. It was beginning to feel like her days of being picked last for kickball at summer camp all over again.
Her bitter feelings lifted somewhat when she saw Nathan ambling across the field toward her carrying a bow and quiver. He placed them on the stack of hay bales beside her and let his eyes, green rather than the brown of his brother's, trace over her languidly.
"Good morning, Layla," he said, "Is anyone else joining us?"
Layla held out her hands in much the same way that she had when telling Roy she would be the only one riding.
"No. It's just me. Again."
"Lucky me," he said.
Roy had used the same sentiment to describe his time alone with her and Layla felt a tremble ripple through her. Nathan scrutinized her again and she touched the cotton skirt of her sundress self-consciously.
"You're wearing boots," he said with a hint of teasing in his voice.
"Quinn made me wear them, they are ridiculous, and I hate myself for putting them on," she said all in one fast rush, crossing her arms over her chest.
Nathan smirked and picked up the bow and quiver again. He stroked under her chin with the edge of one finger as he passed her and Layla trailed behind him with a smile on her lips. Summer camp was certainly looking up.
"Have you ever shot a bow and arrow before?" Nathan asked.
"No."
"Have you ever wanted to shoot a bow and arrow before?"
"No."
He chuckled and shook his head at her.
"Then why are you taking archery lessons?"
"I'm channeling my inner Robin Hood."
He cocked an eyebrow at her and Layla sighed, "Quinn planned out the entire itinerary. I just do what the laminated pink schedule she put in my luggage tells me to do."
"You are very compliant."
"I aim to please."
Nathan stepped up closer to her.
"I'll remember that."
Layla felt her mouth water at the subtle proposition, but a second later he handed her the bow and was instructing her on how to rest the arrow across the string. Her long nails made it difficult to hold both pieces in place properly and she fought to maintain control over the weapon. She felt Nathan step up behind her and wrap his arms around her so he could help her stabilize the bow. He helped her pull back the string and his hand grazed across her breasts, immediately causing her nipples to tighten in response.
They let the arrow fly and Layla felt a shiver of excitement as it burrowed into one of the hay bale targets across the field. He helped her load another arrow, and by the time she had gotten through most of the quiver, her shots were consistently hitting close to the bullseye.
"You’re pretty good with a bow," Nathan murmured into her ear, "I wouldn't know it by how sweet you are," he nuzzled his face against her neck, "How soft. I think that makes you more like Maid Marian."
Nathan's lips touched the curve between her neck and her shoulder as he loaded another arrow onto the bow. She sighed and leaned back against him, letting her hands fall away from the bow and grabbing his powerful thighs behind her. He shot the last arrow, and lowered the bow, bringing one hand around her belly to press her harder back against him as his mouth moved across her neck.
She moved her hips in response to his touch, kneading her fingers into his thighs. Suddenly he broke away from her and started walking toward the targets. She felt a tug on her skirt and realized he was holding onto it, pulling her after him as he walked. The show of dominance made her bite her lip as she followed, her body now aching.
When they got to the hay bales, Layla noticed that the last arrow had struck directly in the middle of the bullseye.
"I guess that makes me Robin Hood," Nathan said and pulled her towards him to capture her mouth in a deep, seeking kiss.
Their tongues tangling and frantic, heated sounds coming from their throats, Nathan pushed Layla back against one of the stacks of hay bales and pressed his body against hers as he kissed her harder. When she felt like she could barely breathe, Nathan tore his mouth away from hers and lifted her by her hips to place her on top of the hay. He pushed her knees apart, running his fingers down the insides of her thighs and calves until he reached the tops of the pink boots.
"You're right," he said through panting breaths, "These are ridiculous."
Nathan pulled the boots off and dropped them to the ground. He tucked his hands around the back of her hips and brought her forward to the edge of the hay bale. Layla's breath caught in her throat as he reached under her skirt and eased her panties away from her body, forcing her to lift up so he could remove them and drop them to the ground alongside the boots. He leaned forward to kiss her as his hand moved forward to explore her just as Roy's had.
His fingers slid into her and Layla whimpered against his mouth, rocking her hips forward to seek more of the feeling. Nathan moved slower than Roy, massaging inside her at a gentler pace that started the pressure building gradually but intensely through her thighs, stomach, and pelvis. As if he could sense how close he had already brought her, Nathan pulled his mouth from hers and took a step back. The position he had placed her in put her open thighs right at his chest level so he only needed to dip his head slightly to draw his tongue up from where his fingers coaxed her to her hot, swollen bud at the top, where he paused and swirled the tip of his tongue into her sensitive folds. He repeated the masterful lick only twice more and a strangled cry escaped Layla's throat as her body contracted tightly around his hand, then released into blissful waves of tremors. She tried to draw her thighs together, but Nathan pushed them apart with his free hand, flicking his tongue across her a few more times so that she cried out and pushed his head away, gasping at the intensity of the sensations rolling through her.
Nathan brought his mouth up to her ear and kissed it before whispering to her.
"That's a good girl. Sometimes it just takes a big brother to take over where his little brother left off."
Layla gasped and pulled back from him to meet his eyes questioningly.
"You know?" she asked.
Nathan smirked and kissed her, biting her bottom lip playfully.
"Don't worry, Sweetheart. Roy and I share everything."
"Always?"
He looked slightly sheepish.
"Well, to be completely honest, we haven't shared anything quite as much fun as you since our toys when we were little."
Layla licked her lips and combed her fingers back through Nathan's hair. She enjoyed knowing that she was the first girl to make these beautiful boys act this way.
"I think I like being your toy," she murmured to him.
Nathan smiled and she felt his hands go to his belt buckle, but she stopped him.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"If you're going to share me, don't you think you should take turns? It's Roy's turn next."
She hopped down from the hay bale and wiggled her feet back into the boots. Not bothering to slip her panties back on, she kissed Nathan, and then turned and strode back across the field, feeling his eyes watching the sway of her hips as she went.