Szereto, Mellanie - Two Pirates to Treasure [Bewitching Desires 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (8 page)

“I’ve used a lot the past few days learning about sex.” She rubbed her breasts against Ethan’s lightly furred chest and traced his collarbone with her tongue. “Lie back, so Grant has better access.”

Following him down to the bed, she wiggled her ass. The cool gel on her anus sent a shiver up her spine, and then Grant’s finger penetrated the tight hole, easing past the tense ring of muscles. She moaned at the new pressure. Her sexual aides didn’t begin to compare to her lovers.

“Did I hurt you, Orshy?” The concern in Grant’s voice engaged her heart.

She pushed against his hand, taking him deeper. “Oh, no. It’s wonderful. I want your cock inside me now, with Ethan. I want to fuck you both.”

He curved around her back as he withdrew his finger and slid the head of his erection along the crease of her bottom. It bumped over the puckered opening, causing an anticipatory contraction in her pussy. He pressed the rounded crown into her ass one slow inch at a time, the slick coating of aloe smoothing his entrance. “You’re so tight, and I can feel Ethan. Are you certain we aren’t hurting you?”

The sense of fullness stole her breath. She arched back, taking them both completely. “Amazing. No pain. I’ve waited for this. Will you come with me?”

Ethan groaned in her ear. “Let us bring you the greatest pleasure, and we will follow you into paradise, love.”

She rocked her hips back and forth, enjoying the intensity and harmony of having two men making love to her. With every movement, waves of utter fulfillment washed over her body and soul. “Take me!”

Her lovers gasped and shuddered as she gave in to the overwhelming rush of heat in her depths. She savored every swell of sensation, drowning in the euphoria. Sharing her body with these two men gave her pleasure beyond measure and hope for a future filled with a treasure more valuable than riches.

Their shouts blended with her cries, and they gathered her between them. Ethan showered her face with light caresses of his lips, while Grant’s warm breath feathered across her shoulder and neck. Warmth swam through her body and into her soul. Could this be love?

She waited for reality to come crashing in around her, but it never arrived. Maybe it had never left. Did her pirates feel the same bond to her that she felt for them? They disengaged and held her long after the tremors subsided, not breaking the contented silence of their union. Their breathing slowed, and she closed her eyes to let the musky scent of their lovemaking surround her.
Please let this be love.

Chapter 7

A sea of faces turned toward the entrance to the dining room as Ethan stopped just inside the spacious hall beside Orshy with his cousin flanking her other side. He hadn’t expected such a large gathering of the Macska household. Nearly fifty people of various ages sat at two long tables, and he recognized only about a dozen from yesterday. Women and girls far outnumbered men and boys.

The eldest of the women stood. Romána, the powerful matriarch, bade them to enter and gestured to a trio of empty chairs on her right. “Good morning, Orsolya, my daughter, and welcome, Ethan and Grant. Come join me for breakfast, children.”

Orshy’s hand tightened around his as she aimed for the head of the nearest table. “Thank you, Great Grandmother. Good morning, everyone.”

A chorus of greetings sang out from the gathering. Several of the younger women sent bright smiles to her, offering congratulations as she passed their seats. Ethan pulled out a chair for her, and Grant helped her to sit before taking their places on either side of her as their hostess sat.

Ethan nodded to the matriarch. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Romána. We thank you for the gracious invitation to share the meal with you.”

“Many thanks, indeed.” Grant spread his napkin on his lap. “I do hope we haven’t delayed the breaking of the fast with our tardiness.”

Reaching for a platter of ham, she chuckled. “Lateness of the newly mated to a meal is never frowned upon. Sharing time with a lover is nourishment for the heart and soul. The body can wait a short while for its sustenance. Let us eat our bounty, family.”

She transferred a helping of meat to her plate and then passed the platter to Grant. That she readily accepted the knowledge of a sexual relationship without benefit of a legally binding marriage contract shocked Ethan. He and Grant had no intention of sullying Orshy’s reputation or abandoning her after weeks or months of hedonism, but how could her guardians know? If Romána trusted them without question, was the secrecy of their task safe from discovery?

Still, his heart and his conscience demanded he and his cousin make a commitment to her. They both wanted to stay with her when their duty was finished. Holding the dish for Orshy, he waited for her to fork a piece of ham onto her plate and his before passing to Jolán. “Romána, Grant and I would like to become mated to Orsolya as Shan-dor and Konrad are mated to Rebeka, Aaron and Adam are to Kata, and Amalric and Ranulf are to Loo-sha. We would seek your permission and blessing for the union.”

Orshy’s fork clattered against the chinaware, and the quiet murmur of voices died. She blinked at him. “You can’t do that! The decision is mine.
I’m
supposed to ask
you
.”

This age of young women choosing their own suitors and taking lovers before wedding vows baffled Ethan. “Do you not wish to be mated to us, love?”

“Well...yes, but...” She pursed her lips. “I wanted to ask you.”

Grant grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. “We meant only to show our deep affection for you. If you prefer to demonstrate your fondness for us instead, we’ll gladly listen to your profession and proposal. You must know we will accept your offer.”

Her shoulders sagged, and Ethan turned in his seat to face her. “I admit I am impatient to become your lawful mate, sweet Orshy, but we will wait if you aren’t ready to ask us.”

She glanced back and forth between Grant and him and then to Romána as she sighed.

The matriarch scooped a spoonful of a bread and fruit mixture onto her plate. “I cannot decide for you, daughter. Joining involves the heart, the mind, and the body. You are a witch of the Order of Elements, and not subject to the same rules of Macska matings. The choice is yours.”

Orshy’s eyes widened. “But I thought...So I won’t know if I’ve made the wrong choice? Joinings are supposed to be for life. Do you mean they don’t have to take the vows of loyalty and love? They can leave me?”

Pushing back her chair, she stood and pulled her hand from Grant’s grasp. The panic in her expression had Ethan wanting to reach for her, but he couldn’t move. Even as she hurried from the room, he fought to go after her. Some unseen force held him in place.

“Eat, children.” Romána’s gaze fastened on him, and he couldn’t break free.
She’d
kept him from following Orshy. “She must learn to trust her judgment as well as her lovers. Remain steadfast and give her no reasons to doubt your commitment to her.”

Unable to do anything more, he nodded. Did Orshy sense that he and Grant hid a secret from her? Why else would she believe they might leave her? No matter how many times they reassured her of their intention to stay, she never quite accepted their promises.

Ethan ignored the knot in his stomach and the feeling of being watched as he added food to his plate and passed several more dishes to Jolán. The urge to follow Orshy grew stronger rather than subsiding. A look at Grant told him his cousin wasn’t pleased with their orders, either.

The casserole of apples, cranberries, and bread could’ve been sawdust for all the more he tasted it. He preferred to be done with the meal and go in search of the woman he adored. In addition to her distressed mood, she hadn’t eaten.

Setting his napkin and fork on the empty plate, he made a sandwich of two slices of bread and a slab of ham before sliding his chair away from the table. “I thank you for a fine meal, Romána. If you will kindly excuse Grant and me, we have much to discuss.”

He stood and walked toward the exit without waiting for a response. Grant followed close on his heels as Ethan retraced his steps along the hall and up the stairs.

* * * *

Pacing to the window, Orsolya stared out at the summer gardens with bright green spouts poking out of the dark soil. A huge bank of clouds darkened the horizon as a late April rainstorm raced toward the mansion, blotting out the early morning sun. Branches of the newly leafed maples whipped back and forth in the gusty wind, matching her mood. She swiped at a tear rolling down her cheek, and commiserated with the sky when big drops splatted against the pane of glass.

She wanted to believe Grant and Ethan would never leave her, but doubts lingered. Their promises and reassurances seemed sincere. What kept her from trusting their word? The difference in the circumstances of their joining didn’t help. Every Macska witch knew for certain she’d chosen her mate before the ceremony. Only true love could produce a child, and becoming pregnant was part of the process of discovering the man she was intended to share her life with. The fertility cycle never failed to reveal whether she’d chosen wisely.

Orsolya was barely a witch, let alone one of the Macska line. Picking the wrong man—or
men
—was a distinct possibility. She had no way of knowing if Ethan and Grant were her life-mates until her life ended. Could she survive her lovers deciding they no longer wished to be mated to her after months or years of faithfulness? What if she bore their children? Although she’d always have a part of Grant and Ethan with her, could she live with the constant reminder of them? If her choice proved wrong, the loss would be unbearable. She’d already lost too many people she cared for. Her mother and father. A brother. Several “uncles” within the Order. They hadn’t chosen to leave her, but they’d left her all the same.

Why couldn’t she have a foolproof test to make the decision for her?

A loud knock sent her heart pounding in her chest. The door clicked opened. “Orshy, may we come in?”

Grant’s baritone smoothed over her skin, and she stiffened to hide a contraction between her thighs. Sex without the complicated emotions to go with it would be so much easier to handle. She shrugged. “This is your room too.”

“We’ve brought you something to eat.” Ethan held a ham sandwich in his palm as he reached around her from behind. “Are you still angry with us, love?”

Biting down on her lower lip, she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. Her pirates were confounding and confusing one minute, considerate and sweet the next. Were all men so trying?

She took the sandwich, barely resisting her stomach’s demand to stuff the entire thing in her mouth. “Thank you. And I don’t know.”

“We didn’t set out to displease you. Grant and I wish to prevent scandal from befalling our dear lady, should you find yourself...with child.”

Spinning around, she debated throwing her handful of food at Ethan.
If I wasn’t starving, I would.
“You want to join with me because I might be pregnant? Oh, that’s wonderful.”

Grant rolled his eyes and shook his head. “The thought of you bearing our heirs brings us great joy. We wish to give our progeny the benefit of known parentage.”

Ethan hadn’t offended her enough, so Grant had to add to it. She bit into the sandwich and chewed while she pondered a rhyme to send them back to the eighteenth century. Ethan thought she should take them as mates so no one could call her a whore, and Grant wanted to keep his children from being bastards.

She stomped to the chair to sit. They could wait for a response until she finished eating, and maybe in the meantime, she’d come up with way to explain that they weren’t convincing her to accept their proposal by opening their big mouths.

“You
are
angry with us, and you’ve been crying.” Ethan dropped to the couch adjacent to the chair, his jeans hugging his well-muscled legs. “What have we said to hurt you?”

Taking a seat beside him, Grant heaved a breathy sigh. A lock of his overlong hair swung forward to hide part of his face as he propped his chin on his fist. “Did I not say our behavior is often appalling? We still have much to learn in matters of wooing.”