Guardian's Challenge (9 page)

Asher dragged open-mouthed kisses over her shoulders and neck. “Take him into your mouth,
cariad.
I want to see him take your mouth while I fill your cunt.”

She clenched around him at the sound of his dark, rough voice, and he shuddered beneath her. Gently, she tugged the other man closer, letting the tip of his erection hover at the seam of her lips.

Joseph groaned as she flicked her tongue over the silky head.
“Please.”

Tentatively, she engulfed the tip of his cock in her mouth, and he sucked in a harsh breath through clenched teeth.

“Take him deeper,” Asher urged as he gripped her hips and lifted her upward then pulled her back down the thick length of his cock. A whimper escaped her lips as he pushed deeper into her body.

“Gods, yes,” Joseph groaned as he cupped the back of her head and urged her to take more of him. “Yes, Neeve, just like that.”

“So beautiful,” Asher rasped as he thrust again. “The way you take us both is so…by the gods,
cariad,
I’ve never seen anything so…fucking beautiful.”

They fell into a desperate rhythm, Joseph thrusting into her mouth and Asher guiding her up and down the length of his own cock. Despite her seemingly helpless position, she’d never felt so powerful. She was the recipient and the source of both men’s pleasure. Hunger tangled hot and taut in her belly as she fucked both men. Every pulsing thrust coiled her need tighter, pushing her that much closer to the edge of release.

Sucking harder, she took Joseph deeper. She reveled in the way his muscles bunched and tense beneath her hands. He was close. Very close. He tried to pull back, but she refused to let him.

“Neeve, I’m going to come,” he gritted between clenched teeth.

Unwilling to release him, she took him deeper, hoping he’d understand what she was trying to say. Tangling his fingers in her hair, his thrusts became faster and jerkier. Finally, he stiffened, gasping loudly as he came in shuddering bursts, down the back of her throat.

Barely waiting for the other man to slide free of her mouth, Asher lifted her over and over slamming into her pussy from beneath her. It was too much, the taste of Joseph in her mouth, Asher stretching her tender passage and the sudden pinch of bliss laced pain as he reached around and squeezed her clit.

The taut knot of urgency in her middle snapped. Satisfaction spiraled outward, and the hot rush of orgasm washed over her. Seizing her hips, Asher swore darkly as he ground her against him and spurted heavily within her. Spent, he slumped against her back and wrapped his arms around her.

“Thank you,
cariad,”
he whispered as he pressed tender kisses along her spine. Still breathing heavily, they fell back onto the mattress, and Joseph pulled the sheet over them all as the stars on the ceiling slowly dimmed.

* * * *

Asher woke from a sound sleep as his temple hit the wall of the tiny cabin. A creaking groan resonated along the wood where his head rested, and the frantic shouts of the crew mixed with crashes of thunder drifted to him. He sat up. Joseph had already risen and was pulling on his clothing. Worry tightened Asher’s limbs as he shook Neeve awake.

“
Cariad,
wake up.”

She stirred but burrowed deeper into the blankets.

He shook her more forcefully. “Neeve, wake up!”

Joseph tossed their clothes to Asher before disappearing from the room and presumably up to the deck.

Neeve rubbed blearily at her eyes.

“Get dressed. Quickly.”

“What’s happening?” she asked, fumbling in the dark with her dress before tugging it over her head.

“I don’t kn—”

The door burst open and banged against the wall.

“Rocks.” Joseph gasped. “Storm. We’re going down.” He grabbed Neeve’s hand and tugged her from the tangle of covers that grasped at her feet like tentacles.

Asher yanked the fabric away from her and followed them up the stairs in only his pants, his dagger bumping against his thigh as he climbed.

Heavy sheets of rain soaked them immediately, and a harsh wind tore the sail loose. It flapped wildly, obscuring the tops of the masts and muffling the fearful shouts of the men. The ship listed suddenly to the side, throwing them against the wheelhouse. Breath rushed from Neeve’s body on a rush. Jagged lightning flashed, throwing her features into sharp relief. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he tucked her into the side of his body and pulled her toward where the captain stood shouting orders.

“How far from shore are we?” Asher demanded.

“Maybe a league…” he said, pointing in the distance “Maybe half. It’s too stormy to tell.” The man didn’t bother to look at him.

But the first mate whirled to glare at them. “I told you we shouldn’t have allowed a woman on board.” He lunged at Neeve. “This is your fault!”

Asher pushed Neeve behind him while Joseph pinned the first mate’s arms behind his back.

The ship lurched again as it took on more water and tilted violently toward the portside, and everyone on deck slid toward the side of the ship, many sailors crashing through the damaged wooden barrier and into the water below. The lightning illuminated the figures bobbing in the rough waves as they struggled to keep their heads above the surface. Some climbed onto the rocks that had damaged their vessel only to be washed back into the ruthless sea.

As he and Neeve clung to the side of the ship, Asher scanned the deck for Joseph and something to use to help them stay afloat once they hit the water.

“Can you swim?” he asked her.

She nodded tightly, her hands clenched around the carved wooden railing. Glancing around, he still didn’t see Joseph, but he spotted the gangplank. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.

Releasing his hold on the railing, he pointed at the hunk of wood. “Stay here, and don’t let go. I’m going to get something to hang onto in the water.”

She nodded mutely, her face bloodless and her wide, brown eyes full of fear. He pushed down the terror in his chest. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Not now when he’d just found her again.

Turning away, he scrambled toward the opposite side of the deck, clinging to warped floorboards and whatever he could grab hold of as the ship listed a little further to port. The heavy ropes holding the cannons in place creaked and groaned as gravity tugged the iron backward. The cannons on the portside had already crashed overboard. He needed to get Neeve off the ship before the ropes gave way and one of the weapons careened into her.

His hand closed around the heavy plank as he pulled it from its place. The sides of the ship groaned loudly, and the unmistakable sounds of rushing water reached him. He turned to Neeve just in time to see a crate of fishing supplies slide across the deck toward her, hitting her in the thighs, pushing her body out into nothingness.

He dropped the plank and threw himself across the deck at her.

“Neeve!” From the other side of the ship, Jospeh’s voice sliced through the night air.

Her hands clung to the railing, fighting to keep hold of the rain-wet wood as Asher tried to grab her wrist. She slipped away before he could get a hold of her, disappearing into the night with his name on her lips and a muted splash.

* * * *

Dark, icy water closed over Neeve’s head. She’d barely had time to get a breath before she’d gone under. One of the sailors from the ship clung to her, pushing her under the surface, attempting to keep himself afloat. Kicking and punching, she tried to free herself from his grasp at least long enough to get another breath of air. She refused to give up. Not when Asher was out there somewhere. And Joseph. She had no idea if he could swim or even where he was. She hadn’t seen him since he’d pulled the first mate away from her.

Her head started to spin, and her lungs burned with the lack of oxygen. She fought the urge to breathe in, but she was growing weaker by the second. The sailor pushed her head down further as his panic heightened, shoving his fingers in her face. Impulsively, she sank her teeth into his wrist, trying not to swallow the sea water that rushed in. The man howled and yanked his hand away from her.

Kicking as hard as she could, she propelled herself away from him, breaking the surface of the water and taking in huge gulps of air. Her lungs still burned and her head throbbed. Black spots floated before her eyes as she did her best to tread water and keep her head above the waterline. Her heart slammed into her ribs doing nothing to alleviate the ache in her chest. Slowly, she spun in a circle, trying to get her bearings. Rocks to her right, the floundering ship behind her and nothing but open sea to her left and in front of her.

“Asher! Joseph!” she choked out, her voice weak and thin.

Lightning continued to brighten the sky, but the wind whipped water into her face obscuring her vision and the thunder stifled her cries.

She heard voices, but all of them sounded far away and none were the ones she’d hoped would answer. She called again. But the only thing she heard was thunder and the sound of wood creaking and snapping under the pressure of the sea.

Heavy waves surrounded her, growing rougher by the minute. Forcing her limbs to move, she set out in the direction that the captain had pointed out earlier. She had no idea if she had the strength to swim a league or even half a league, but she had to try. She knew Asher wouldn’t give up, and she refused to, not when he was still out there. She’d know if something had happened to him. She was sure of it. She continued calling his name as she swam, hoping against hope that he’d answer.

She had no idea how long she struggled against the current—how long the salty waves parched her lips and stung her eyes, but the dawn seemed to lighten the sky. Though it was hard to tell through the clinging mist. Sometime during the night, the storm had given way to a heavy fog that sat thickly above the surface of the sea. Her muscles burned from the constant movement, and she couldn’t tell if she was any closer to shore.

Something heavy and cold bumped against her back, nudging her forward. She turned to look, managing to choke on a sea water-tinged scream. The bloated body of the sailor who had nearly drown her stared sightlessly into the dripping sky. Summoning a burst of energy she would have sworn she didn’t possess, she kicked hard, trying to put as much distance between her and the corpse as possible.

As she swam, the water seemed to grow lighter. If the water was getting lighter, she had to be getting closer to shore. For the first time since losing sight of Asher last night, her chest felt a little less tight as if tiny green leaves of hope were beginning to unfurl within her. Her leaden arms cut through the water, muscles screaming.

As she fought her way forward, she thought she heard her name. Stopping, she treaded water, hoping to hear it again. Though his throat sounded raw, she recognized Asher’s voice. And Joseph’s.

Relief exploded through her body, warming her slightly as she pushed a response past her shivering lips. She changed direction, swimming toward the sound of their voices as they continued to call her.

A faint glow on the horizon shimmered through the mist, growing larger and brighter as the morning sun burned away the fog. She pushed on, relief turning to euphoria as the tips of her toes scraped the sandy bottom of the seabed. Water up to her neck, she rested for a moment, standing flatfooted as she peered around her, searching for Asher and Joseph.

Several figures, shadowed by the light of the rising sun, moved in the distance, but two ran along the shoreline racing toward her. The hysteria she’d managed to control through the entire ordeal bubbled to the surface within her, and she pushed off, swimming toward the two men as fast as she could, desperate to throw herself into the solid safety of their arms.

As she reached the shallow water, her dress clung to her, hampering her movements as she tried to stand. Her legs were as wobbly as a toddling babe and her body exhausted. Asher wrapped his arms around her, and she collapsed against him, clinging to his broad shoulders in relief as he lifted her from the water.