Strands of Love (9 page)

“And how did the whole tapestry thing come about?” She was
doing her best to understand their world, but it was very different from hers
in this fundamental way.

“A sorceress.” Darian continued, edging closer to her as the
path narrowed. “No one knows where she came from, but when a family decided to
try to claim her, she fought back with her magic. The tale came out about our
problem and she created the tapestry. Once a generation, sometimes twice, it
appears, bringing a woman from another time and place to Javara.”

Sam swallowed hard. “So there are women living here now who
come from my world?” That was a lot to wrap her head around.

“Yes.” Jace stopped and faced her, the sunlight and shadows
falling across his face like stripes, giving him an even more fierce
appearance. “Christina Garen, Jane Bakra, Kathryn Garen, Roxanne Craddock and
Audrey Dannon.”

“Umm.” Sam was boggled by the idea of five other women being
plucked out of their lives and brought here. Then something Darian said earlier
struck her. “I thought you said the tapestry came once, maybe twice in a
generation?”

Jace raked his hand impatiently through his hair. “That is
how it has always been. But something has changed.”

“Kathryn is actually a descendant of the original
sorceress,” Darian added. “Maybe that has caused the change.”

Jace whirled around and continued walking, his long,
muscular legs eating up the ground in front of him. Sam hurried to keep up.
“Are they the only women who came or did some return to their own world?”

Darian’s hand tightened around hers making her wince. He
immediately released her. Her fingers felt chilled after his warmth. “They all
stayed,” he whispered.

Great, just great. So she’d be the only one who went home.
Maybe the other women had lives that sucked. Hers wasn’t so bad. She missed the
heat of Texas, walking on land that belonged to her and her family. It wasn’t
wrong for her to want to return to everything that was familiar.

The forest ended abruptly and she stepped into a meadow of
wildflowers. The ground looked like an intricately woven carpet, alive with
vibrant color. Red, yellow, orange, purple and blue circled and swirled as far
as the eye could see.

“Wow, this is incredible.” She’d never seen anything quite
so lovely. The mountains loomed high in the distance and the sky was clear and
blue. There was no sign of pollution, no noise from jets or planes of any kind.
The only sounds were those that came from the gentle lap of the water on the shoreline
and the animals that lived around the lake. A bird sang its song as it flew by
and Sam caught a glimpse of yellow wings before it disappeared into a tree.

“Come.” Jace stood on the edge of the shoreline, hand
extended.

She walked to him, loving how the soft leather boots made
little sound. It seemed a shame to step on the flowers, but there was no place
to walk where she wouldn’t step on some of them. Their perfume teased her nose
and made her smile.

Jace’s hard hand closed around hers and he motioned to the
lake with the other. “This is all Hunter land. It goes up into the mountain.”

She could hear the pride in his voice. It reminded her of
her father and the way he’d always spoken about Calloway land. “It’s
beautiful.”

“And bountiful.” Darian came up on her other side and took
her free hand. “The mountains are filled with rare plants that are used for
medicinal and culinary purposes. We harvest them for use and trade.”

She peered up at the tall, unforgiving mountain. “That can’t
be easy.”

“It is if you know the mountain’s secrets, which we do. Only
those from Hunter Keep, and then only a precious few, know the way.”

“We might not have as much wealth as some, but we are
rebuilding.” Jace’s voice was as harsh as his expression. Sam could see pain
and determination on his face.

“You’ve got the land. That’s more important than wealth.”
She knew that better than anyone. It was the same philosophy her father and
grandfather had held. If a person had land they could make their way in the
world somehow.

Jace turned to her, his frown deepening. “You understand
this.” He placed his hand over her heart, which quickly picked up its pace when
he touched her. “You know it here.”

She nodded. “I do.” She gazed up at the majestic mountain,
which was obviously a huge part of life at Hunter Keep. “I know what it means
to have land and a family legacy.” She had to make them understand that her
leaving wasn’t due to them. She liked them, much more than she should,
considering how little time she’d known them. But they were admirable men,
strong men, men a woman could trust.

“My family has been on our land for several generations
now.”

“Where are your men?” Jace demanded. “Your father, your
brothers?”

Pain lanced through her and she pulled away from them both,
moving closer to the edge of the pond. “My brother was killed in a war.” She
wasn’t about to go into the politics that led to his being overseas in a
foreign country. They were warriors. They understood battle.

A gentle hand cupped her shoulder. Darian. “I am sorry for
your loss.”

Sam nodded and swallowed hard. She missed John so much, his
big grin, the way he always teased her when they were kids. He’d been the best
older brother a girl could have.

“Your father and mother?” Jace prompted.

“My father died of a heart attack six months after we got
word about my brother.” She could still remember the heat of the day and the
smell of death.

Darian’s arms came around her, offering her solace. “What of
your mother?” he asked.

Sam sighed. “She’s gone too. Cancer.”

“Is that an illness of some kind?” Jace asked, reminding her
they weren’t from the same world.

“Yes.”

“So you are all alone now?” Jace continued. He took a step
closer, boxing her in between the two of them. Darian was behind her and Jace
in front of her.

“Yes, but I still have the land. And I owe it to my father
and brother to hold the land they loved so much.” Her heart ached for how much
she’d lost. How could she lose the land, her last link to her entire family?

She simply couldn’t.

“You will go back?” There was no longer any doubt in Jace’s
mind that Sam would return to her world.

“I have to.” There was a wealth of pain in her voice. Jace
felt it in his heart. The worst part was that he understood her, even admired
her commitment to her family and their land. It was exactly how he felt about
Hunter Keep so how could he fault her for it? He couldn’t. But that didn’t keep
him from wishing she could somehow transfer that intense love and commitment to
him, his brother and their people.

Sam was a woman worth fighting for.

And the battle wasn’t over yet. She was still here and they
had two more days before the tapestry returned her to her world.

Jace was more determined than ever to convince Sam to stay.
He glanced at Darian and got a slight nod from his brother. Reaching out, he
cupped Sam’s face, wanting to erase the sadness he saw there.

“You are here now.” Jace leaned down and kissed Sam. She
stiffened at the first contact, but quickly softened, parting her lips slightly
as she returned the kiss. Jace ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth
before slipping inside to tease, to stroke, to entice.

Her arms came up to twine around his neck and he groaned in
satisfaction. He angled his head, wanting to get deeper, to taste every inch of
her. How would he live without her when she was gone? She’d given them both a
taste of heaven and would take it with her when she returned to her world.

He almost walked away and left Sam and Darian alone, but
could not make himself do it. There was too much at stake. Until she was
actually gone there was a chance either he or Darian could do something that
might make her stay.

Jace leaned back far enough so he could study her face. Her
long, black hair was braided, but he wanted to see it, run his fingers through
it. He pulled the holder off the end of her hair and unwound it slowly. Her
breathing was coming in fast little puffs and her cheeks were flushed.

He finger-combed her hair, loving the sensual slide of the
strands. Behind her, Darian reached for the hem of her tunic and eased it up
and over her head. Sam raised her arms to help him. The moment her breasts came
into view, Jace bent down and captured one pert nipple in his mouth, lapping at
the tip with his tongue before sucking deeply.

Sam moaned and her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging him
closer. Jace’s cock was throbbing, an unending ache that only Sam could
satisfy. His balls were tight and hard, a sign he didn’t have long. Yet he
ignored the sexual needs pulsing throughout his body, ignored his instinct to
take her to the ground and mount her. More than he wanted to claim her, he
wanted her pleasure.

Darian cupped her full breasts in his hands and held them up
as offerings, and Jace was more than willing to worship them. Back and forth,
he sucked and lapped, teased and tasted. Sweet sensual sounds broke from Sam’s
parted lips, music more beautiful than the songbirds of the forest.

“Let us love you,” Jace whispered. He left a trail of
openmouthed kisses over her collarbone, up her neck all the way to her ear.
“Let us have you. Here. Now.” He caught the sensitive lobe of her ear between
his teeth and gently tugged.

Sam was lost in a sea of sensual bliss. Darian was behind
her, his erection long and thick against her lower back, telling her just how
much he wanted her. His big hands cupped her breasts so gently, holding them
for his brother to suckle.

And Jace. The way Jace was touching her brought tears to her
eyes. Never had any man made her feel so special. The way he kissed her and
stroked her body, as though there was no rush, that all he wanted was to make
her feel good, was incredibly arousing. It was also breaking her heart.

She’d never forget these two men. These few days would haunt
her for the rest of her life.

“I want you naked. I want to fuck you among the wildflowers.”
Jace’s words made her moan aloud.

“Yes.” Throwing herself into the moment, Sam reached for
Jace. Time was short and she wanted to run her hands over every inch of both
men, to learn their bodies, to caress them as they had her. She wanted to memorize
every hard, sculpted muscle and line of their chests and torsos.

Sam ran her hands over Jace’s taut abs, loving the way his
muscles jumped beneath his skin. She was glad he was bare from the waist up.
Saved time. But he was still wearing too much clothing.

She reached for the tie at the front of his pants and the
side of her hand brushed the bulge beneath the leather. Jace swore and pushed
her hand aside, making quick work of the ties himself. He pushed the leather
away and his cock sprang forward, free from its confinement. It was hard and
hot and pulsing with life.

Sam wrapped her hand around his shaft, feeling the heat
against her palm. She licked her lips, wanting to taste him.

Leaning forward, she ran her tongue across his chest and
found it slightly salty with perspiration. She knew Darian was behind her,
watching what she was doing to his brother. Sam felt slightly naughty. Who knew
she was an exhibitionist? Not that she ever imagined doing something like this
in front of anyone else, but with Jace and Darian nothing seemed wrong. Just
the opposite. Everything felt very, very right.

Jace’s lean, strong fingers dug into her hair and massaged
her scalp. “Samantha.”

She shivered, loving the way her full name sounded coming
from him when he was so aroused. His voice was so low, almost guttural.

Slowly, she lowered herself to her knees in front of him and
pushed his pants down around his hips to give her better access. He parted his
legs slightly, widening his stance, which allowed her to cup his heavy
testicles. She rolled the sac between her fingers, loving how firm and heavy it
was. So hot and full of life.

He growled her name once again and guided her face closer to
his cock. Sam stroked his shaft from root to tip and back again. Jace wasn’t a
small man in any way, but rather than intimidate her, his size made her pussy
throb. Oh yeah, she wanted a piece of this.

Jace’s fingers threaded through her hair and he pulled her
toward him until his cock head brushed against her lips. She parted them and lapped
at the slit before circling the tip with her tongue.

“No more teasing.” He pushed inward and she took him into
her mouth. She kept a grip on the base of his cock so he couldn’t go too deep,
too fast.

His taste—a combination of heat, musk and saltiness—exploded
in her mouth. She moaned and the vibration went through his shaft. Jace’s
fingers tightened in her hair and he groaned.

Sam pulled back until only the tip of his cock was in her
mouth. She circled the head, dragging her tongue over the thick ridge, before
plunging her mouth back down and taking as much of him as she could.

Behind her, Darian swore. She felt him kneel behind her and
then his hands were at her waist, opening her pants. Darian shoved the fabric
down her thighs and it pooled at her knees. Hot, large hands stroked her
stomach before dipping between her thighs and finding her hot core.

Sam cried out as Darian pushed two thick fingers inside her.
“I want to fuck you while you suck Jace’s cock.” His breath was hot against her
neck and a need unlike any she’d ever felt overtook her. She wanted that too.
She wanted Darian’s hard cock powering in and out of her while she sucked
Jace’s cock. She nodded, unable to speak.

Jace pulled his shaft away and Sam found herself pulled
upright. Her pants fell to her ankles and Darian wasted no time yanking the
garment and her boots away while Jace held her steady.

Probably less than a minute passed before Sam found herself
back in the same position on her knees with Jace’s cock in her mouth. She
pumped his cock, squeezing his hard length, using her mouth and hand in tandem
to pleasure him.

Darian knelt behind her, his bigger body surrounding her.
“Spread your legs.”

Sam did as he asked and inhaled deeply when she felt the
nudge of his cock head against her slick opening. The air was thick with the
perfume of musk and arousal and the sweet scent of wildflowers. The cool air
brushed over her skin like a lover’s caress in perfect counterpoint to the heat
generated by the two brothers. Every inch of her skin felt alive and sensitive.
Even her scalp tingled.

Darian wrapped his arm around her waist and held her as he
pushed into her, filling her, stretching her.

Jace caught her head between his large hands and fed her
more of his cock. And she took him, swallowing hard against the head. He
groaned and began to rock his hips, pushing his cock as far as it would go on
each thrust.

Sam was completely surrounded by them. Darian started to
fuck her, slowly at first, but his movements quickly grew faster. One of his
hands slid downward until he found her swollen clit. He stroked the sensitive
bud and she cried out, the sound muffled by Jace’s thick cock powering in and
out of her mouth.

Darian cupped one of her breasts, teasing the nipple,
tugging lightly, even as he continued to stroke her clit. His movements grew
jerky and his cock swelled within her.

Sam cupped Jace’s balls and squeezed gently. He seemed to
grow even larger as he thrust into her mouth. The hand she had wrapped around
the base of his shaft helped her control the depth of his trusts. It also
allowed her to feel his cock hardening and she knew he was close to finding
release.

Jace came first. His fingers tightened in her hair seconds
before his entire body tensed. She felt his orgasm rocket from his testicles,
all the way up his shaft and into her mouth. Sam swallowed, milking his cock,
giving him every ounce of pleasure she could. His shout filled the clearing and
several birds took flight from a nearby tree.

Darian stilled behind her while Jace was coming, but the hot
pulse of his thick shaft would no longer be denied. The second Sam released
Jace, Darian hammered his cock in and out of her slick core. Her pussy ached
and throbbed. She needed to come. Badly.

Jace dropped to his knees in front of her and captured her
mouth. She knew he could taste himself on her lips and that was incredibly
arousing. Jace stroked her breasts and played with her nipples while Darian
continued to fuck her hard.

Sam pulled away from Jace’s mouth and let her head fall back
against Darian’s shoulder. She cried out, her body clenching hard. Spasms shook
her as her orgasm overtook all her senses.

She heard Darian cry out, felt the flood of wetness between
her thighs, the ripple and pulse of his cock and knew he’d come too. The only thing
keeping her upright was Darian’s arm around her waist and Jace’s hands on her
breasts. Sam relaxed completely, knowing they wouldn’t let her fall.

Pleasurable aftershocks rocked her, leaving rivers of
delight in their path. She felt completely boneless and totally relaxed.

Strong arms lifted her. It was a sign of how much she was
getting used to the Hunter brothers that it didn’t even seem strange anymore to
have one of them carrying her.

“Can you swim?”

She opened her eyes and stared at Darian through a haze of
post-orgasm lethargy. Could she what? Swim? “Yeah.” What an odd question to ask
her at a time like this.

“Good.” He grinned at her and then she was falling. Sam
gasped and managed a half scream before her naked body hit the water. She had
the presence of mind to close her mouth before the water enveloped her. The
freezing lake cooled her heated body and snapped her senses back. He’d pay for
that.

She broke the surface just in time to get soaked again from
a large splash alongside her. Sam tread water and watched Darian surface. The
moment his head rose above the water, she jumped at him, shoving it back down
again.

But he didn’t go down alone. At the last second, he caught
her around the waist and dragged her down with him. She opened her eyes, surprised
at how well she could see beneath the water. Darian grinned and kissed her,
stealing the last of her oxygen just before they surfaced.

Gasping for breath, Sam held onto him, letting Darian do all
the work to keep them afloat. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

He shook his head, sending droplets of water spraying
everywhere. “No, I’m happy. Thank you, Sam.”

The teasing was gone and she felt the import, the weight of
his words. “You’re welcome.”

Sam glanced back at the shore. Jace was standing there, arms
crossed and a slight smile on his face. He looked far too alone for her liking.
“Come and play.”

He hesitated and looked around. She realized he was scouting
for hidden dangers. “Is it safe?” She shivered and the water seemed suddenly
colder.

“It is safe,” Darian assured her. “We are deep in Hunter
territory. No one will bother us here.”

“Then join us.” Sam issued another invitation to Jace. She
hated seeing him so aloof, so alone.

Jace hesitated and Sam was sure he was going to decline.
Suddenly he gave a huge war whoop and jumped. Water sprayed over her and Darian
in a huge wave. Sam laughed and then yelled as she was playfully pulled
underwater. Jace’s strong arms wrapped around her and yanked her back to the
surface. Then his lips were on hers, driving back the cold.

Darian sprawled across a bed of wildflowers enjoying the
heat of the sun as it seeped into his bare skin. The day was wasting, but he
felt no urge to move. Sam lay sprawled between Jace and him, the three of them
naked and exhausted. After making love to Sam in the water, they’d all crawled
out of the lake and collapsed. It was well past lunch and he was hungry, but
not enough to end this interlude with Sam.

She stirred and shivered slightly. Darian sighed, knowing it
was time to get dressed and head back. The last thing he wanted was for her to
catch a chill. She was accustomed to a much warmer environment. He put his arm
around her and pulled her into the cradle of his body.