Chapter Twenty-Five

Thankfully, the two of them held off running their horses. Trotting or galloping, or whatever the hell they called it. Ruben stayed close to him, and Dallas only rode ahead enough to scan the way ahead for them.

"Don't worry about riding like us. It took us years to ride well. Just come along with us and stay on the edge of things."

Ruben was more concerned with him, it seemed, than he was the horses. Marius could see, however, that he was itching to get started on rounding up the cattle. Whatever that meant.

"Go, do what you gotta do, babe, but don't lose track of him. I worry he'll go riding off into danger. Fuck, I'm worried you will too."

"I don't want to get kidnapped the minute I get with two guys that rock my world."

He rode off without allowing Marius to say a word. Not that he had anything to say to that. His worry outshone his love at the moment. So much so, in fact, that he didn't think he could say it at all. Not until it was over. The thought that he'd jinx it for himself, and the moment he said it, the universe would hear and take them was like a red-hot stone in his gut.

Dallas had made sure he packed a pair of binoculars for Marius, knowing that he'd never be able to be out in the midst of the cattle with them. The two of them knew how nervous he was that he'd lose them to Alex Joseph. They were the same, worried that he'd go out on his own to find the murderer and take matters into his own hands.

They were wise. That was exactly what he wanted to do.

Marius thought of the men he'd hurt in the past. All of them were killers, rapists, and thieves. The part of his family he loved, and the Carrillo echoed it, was the old honor.

He absently touched his chest where the tattoo colored his pec. It was an Italian horn with a crown. It was special, the exact design was drawn especially for the Monarco family. The words in a green, white and red ribbon around the Italian horn were loyalty, honor, respect, pride.

Those words weren't just ink on his chest. He lived them, or he tried to. Hurting people that didn't deserve it, hadn't hurt the person at all, or their family, that was off-limits. Women, children, innocents, they were off-limits for the Monarco family as well as the Carrillo family.

His horse moved nervously, and he was watching why she was anxious. The cattle were running north, when Dallas and Ruben were trying to move them south. With one hand, Marius held tightly to the reins, but the other was digging out the binoculars.

His heart in his throat, Marius had lost his men in a huge cloud of dust that he didn't understand. It had recently snowed, how could there be dust? Then he saw through the binoculars that the snow hadn't touched all the land and even what it had, hundreds of pounds of beef on hooves managed to dig in past the snow and mud.

Frantic, Marius swept the binoculars over the cattle and stared through the dust, close to running the horse into the fray to find them when the dust cleared enough and he spotted Ruben.

His hand slipped from the reins as his jaw just dropped. Ruben was riding that horse at an incredible speed, a rope circling his head, and he was mouthing words Marius couldn't hear.

Then he saw Dallas, the man running his horse near Ruben, also swinging a rope over his head. The two had stepped out of a movie, or were performing some synchronized teamwork for the Olympics.

Riding north, chasing stray cows, they both looked intense, so like when they fucked. Brows drawn hard, jaws clenching, bodies tight, leaning over their saddles, Marius was shocked at how fucking aroused he was in the middle of all those cattle, and all that anxiety from Alex Brooks.

All of that was far from his thoughts for the first time since he'd beaten the fucker's face. Right then, all he could see or feel were his partners.

With his heart speeding, Marius watched Ruben throwing his rope, then seeming to follow it, swinging his left leg over the saddle and then he was on the ground, skidding as he wrestled the cow to the ground.

Not to be outdone, Dallas was soon off his horse too, helping Ruben with the rogue cow before he stood and jumped back onto his horse so quickly, it seemed unreal.

He'd seen movies about cowboys, TV shows, but had never seen a real one. To see the two in action, it was incredible and incredibly sexy. Dallas rode off to gather another rogue cow, rope flying overhead again, tall in that saddle, and how he kept his hat on his head, moving that fast, Marius would never know.

He'd underestimated the two of them. Sure, he knew it was a long day's work for them, but he'd thought nothing of their work before that moment. It was harrowing, dangerous, and took a strength he didn't think he possessed.

Dallas got that big cow to the ground in seconds, and when he let her up, he was back on his horse and herding her to the others. Marius followed the herd slowly once they were all moving in the same direction, a sea of brown and white that made a loud lowing as they moved.

Ruben rode back to him, but not to simply join Marius. He was checking on him. "You okay? Sometimes the feeling of the cattle on the ground gets a horse nervous if they're not moving too."

"No, she's fine. I'm fine, but thanks for checking. That was incredible. You two are… real-life cowboys."

"Well…yeah," he said with a giggle that was in total contrast to the heavily masculine work he had just been doing. That was Ruben, though, sweet, giggly, and hard all at once. All the things Marius was going to love the most about him.

He rode slowly with Marius until they caught up to the herd, and Dallas, seeing them, began to ride over to them. Damn, the way he rode, looking so tall and beautiful, his head thrown back a little, like he was looking down his nose at the entire world.

Chest broader, thin but muscled legs were flexed, face serene, like he'd discovered the secrets of life and held them close to his chest. That was Dallas on the back of a horse.

"Now you see why I fell for the guy the second day I came to work here," Ruben said huskily, like he was lighting up with need for the man as well.

"It took me, what? Three days? And I was juggling feelings for two hot cowboys."

"Flattery will get your dick sucked."

Laughing, he said, "This is why I will never let my guard down with you. One minute love and giggles, the next, you're a dirty little whore that needs pounding."

"Damn! Start that talk and I'll need to jerk off."

"Not a fucking chance. You do and I'll whip you worse than last time."

Dallas got to them, smiling. "Think they're all good now. Marius, you helping to get them moved now that you're an old hat at this?"

"Sure, I'll just swing a rope over my head and land on the ground like some stuntman in a movie."

"I used to want to be one of those," Dallas said, chuckling.

"Me too," he said, winking. "I wanted to drive cars and jump over shit with them."

"You can do that with a horse," Ruben boasted. "I have jumped some pretty gnarly shit."

"He has," Dallas confirmed. "I made him stop. I could feel his neck breaking when the horse didn't cooperate."

Ruben leaned over and confessed, "He's not with me out here all the time."

"Yeah, well, you do it and you'll have me on that little ass too."

"Two dominant men. How'd I get so lucky?"

Dallas winked at Marius and then turned his horse around, shouting, "Let's get them in with the others!"

Of course, Ruben rode off with him to hurry the herd along, but Marius casually walked his horse behind them, watching them bouncing those sweet asses on their saddles, imagining all the things he'd like to do with the two of them.

Or what he'd let them do to him…

In the middle of all the anxiety of Alex Brooks, the kidnappings, there he was, drooling over two men that he wanted more than he wanted air. It was insane, but maybe not. Maybe it was keeping him sane, knowing he had them to hold at night. Having men around who shared in his stress and who cared for him was everything.

Later, he watched Dallas deftly move huge rolls of hay into the fenced area where they'd herded the cattle, the shelters lined up like a row of cars in a parking lot. Ruben joined him after his duties seemed to be finished, and they watched together.

The moment the forklift stopped moving sluggishly through the mud, and Dallas stepped out from behind the wheel, Marius managed to get off his horse, sore from the muscles he seldom used, and he walked stiffly over to the man. Grabbing him up in his arms, he ran his thumb over Dallas's bottom lip roughly. "You're a sexy fucking cowboy. You both are."

"Wet dreams coming true, right?" he asked in a playful but husky voice.

"You have no idea."

The kiss they shared was bruising, Dallas grabbing his ass with both hands. Against Dallas's lips, Marius gritted, "I think a nice hard fuck behind one of those barn things would be real nice right about now."

"Right. Should you get him or me?"

"You get him, and drag his ass back there."

"You got a condom?"

Marius pulled his wallet from the front pocket of his jeans where it usually sat next to his phone, as it did that day. "Always carry one and one of those nice packets of lube. Just in case. Always be prepared."

"Oh yeah, you were a boy scout? Somehow, that doesn't fit you."

Dallas was chuckling as he walked to Ruben, who was talking sweetly to his horse.

Marius ducked around the forklift and headed to the back of the shelter, but the second he took off his jacket, he started shivering. Not that it had kept him warm. He was beginning to think Ruben and Dallas were right about his leather jacket.

When Ruben rounded the corner, followed by Dallas, Marius laughed loudly. Ruben's arms were secured to his chest by the rope Dallas had been swinging while herding the cattle. "Looks like you found another stray."

"Sure did. What are we gonna do with him?"

As soon as Ruben got to him, Marius grabbed his chin roughly as Ruben's eyes grew big, but there was a definite heat in them. "A good, hard fucking. That's what I think we do with him."

Taking the rope in his hand, he let go of Ruben's face, and kissed him tenderly. Kissing the top lip, then the bottom, Marius's voice in between those feathery pecks were soft. "Tell me you want us, both of us, Ruben. Tell us how badly you want us."

After taking a stuttering breath, Ruben's words were brought on the cracking of his voice. "You two have no idea how much I want you and how much…I…"

Dallas grabbed a fistful of Ruben's head and yanked his head back, staring down into his eyes almost hatefully.

Marius was tensed to jump on the man and beat him worse than he'd beaten Brooks, but then…everything in his life changed.

"I want you so much…I mean, you're beautiful, both of you and sexy, but that's not why I want you so much."

Marius's heart was thumping so loudly, he thought he'd miss the rest of what Ruben was saying, but those words went right to his heart and tattooed themselves there.

When Dallas asked in a voice that was both rough and filled with an awe that Marius understood plainly, "Why then?"

"Don't you get it? I'm fucking crazy in love with you."

Dallas let go of him, but Marius didn't think he meant to. He was shocked, and Marius even saw plainly from the moment Ruben caught his eye, Dallas was already in the man's heart.

"You're…in love with me?"

Ruben rolled his eyes and snarked, "If you don't know that, then maybe it's true what they say about people like us. Dumb as rocks."

Dallas cracked a smile as Marius chuckled as Dallas admitted, "Uh, I'm not smart, no, not about this kind of stuff especially."

Ruben moved his lips to Dallas and kissed him sweetly. "You're not dumb at all, Dallas. You're amazing. I wouldn't love a dumb guy."

Though it was obvious the words were hard for him, Dallas finally croaked, "You know…you know I love you too, right?"

"Yeah. I know."

Dallas turned away, ducking his head, but then, Marius was on the spot. Ruben stared into his eyes, and it felt as if Marius was sucked into a tunnel, and the rest of the world dropped away, leaving them to dangle their legs in the thin air.

"Marius, if you hadn't come here, I'd have never had the guts to tell him that. I'm not only grateful for that, but I'm in love with you too. Like…like a lot."

"Oh, yeah? Good thing."

"Why is that a good thing?" he flirted. "Because you're bat-shit crazy about me too?"

"A little bit, yeah. Yeah, I am."

Marius took his face in both hands roughly, kissing him for all he was worth. The sweet but manipulative man was everything to him. Well, the two of them were. Marius's heart had never felt full. He had a huge family, great friends, but not one person came close to filling his entire heart the way Ruben and Dallas had.

Staring at that face, those huge brown eyes blinking up at him, Marius was overcome with emotion. His voice, like Dallas's, didn't sound like him at all. "I love you, Ruben. I should say it outright."

"I was hoping you would."

He set his forehead to Ruben's, closing his eyes just to take it all in, and when he opened them, Ruben was pulled from him and Dallas was there, his eyes red from the tears he refused to let fall. "Me too, ya know?"

Marius grinned and took the man's cheek into his palm, running his thumb over the rough stubble and softer beard, Dallas's eyes cutting away, like he could barely face his own feelings coming to light. "I know. Me too, for you."

"The toxic masculinity is hilarious," Ruben said to them.

They both turned their heads to him in sync and Dallas growled, "Did I say a fucking word when you were saying your piece?"

"N-no," he said, taking a step back.

Dallas turned back to Marius and grinned. "This mother fucker needs to be taught some manners. And, you know that meant I love you, right?"

"I knew that, and yeah, let's teach this little fuck some manners."

Dallas lunged for him, but Ruben was too fast, and Dallas ended up in the snow and mud. Marius kept his laughter at bay so he could run after Ruben, but the guy was fast. He was already fifty feet away by the time Marius got started. Dallas got up cursing, and Marius looked back to see him covered from his chest to his boots in mud.

"That little fucker is gonna get it something fierce."

Marius chuckled darkly. "Let's start without him. He'll feel left out in about fifteen seconds."

Clashing like two waves crashing on a rocky shore, Dallas and Marius slammed together, their mouths entangled in a vicious kiss that was all lips, tongue and teeth. When Marius felt Dallas's leg sweeping behind his to get him to the ground, he started to protest, but it was too late. He fell hard into the cold mud and snow.

Dallas was on top of him instantly, and he forgot about how cold he was as Dallas forced his tongue into Marius's mouth, taking over every thought and pushing it away like a strong wind.

Rolling, he was on top of Dallas next, kissing him back as hard, growling in the mouth battle they had.

Soon, however, they heard a timid voice. "You guys want me to just leave?"

Like a snake striking from under a rock, Dallas's hand moved fast, grabbing Ruben's leg and bringing him down too. Crawling from under Marius, Dallas moved over Ruben and started kissing him even as he tore at Ruben's flannel shirt. "Get these clothes off or you'll be ridin' back to the bunkhouse in your skivvies."

As Ruben attempted to get his mud-coated coat off him, Dallas moved back to Marius and slapped a hand over his chest. "You too. We got a boy to fuck."

Dallas grabbed Marius's wallet as soon as he managed to peel his wet and filthy pants from him. After extracting the condom and packet of lube, he got to his feet with a bit of slipping and trying again.

His pants barely came down so he could get on the condom, and his eyes moved from Marius, who was still struggling to get his clothes off, looked him up and down, snarking, "I take it you're fucking and he's sucking me."

"You're not wrong."

Ruben's grumbling started and Dallas and Marius stopped moving at all so they could better hear him. "I always gotta do the damn sucking, two Doms great, congratulations to me, two of them, bossing me around. Just great."

Marius moved almost as quickly as Dallas, who slapped his hand over Ruben's mouth as Marius whispered roughly, "You don't like it, safeword, you little fuck. So far, you've had it pretty fucking easy. That ends now."

Ruben's eyes got an adorable size, big and round, fear creeping into them.

"Gonna rut ‘round the mud like a bunch of pigs, Ruben," Dallas said with dark humor coloring his voice. "Yeah, nice and dirty for a dirty little cock tease like yourself."

Marius laughed dryly. "What are we gonna do to him?"

"Oh, I'm sure we'll do enough that his fucking mouth will stop with all the backtalk."

After Dallas took his hand from Ruben's mouth, the smaller man began to beg, "Please, guys, I was just pissy! I'm sorry, really, I don't need another lesson!"

"Safeword or shut the fuck up, you dirty whore. We're gonna treat you like a cat in heat, only a lot less sweet than we've been doing it."

"C-cat? They bite each other when they're fucking!"

Marius grinned and said, "Exactly."