Strands of Love (6 page)

“You can wait outside.” No way was she washing with him
watching her.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

He sighed, kissed the top of her head and went to the door.
“When you are ready, we will talk.”

She waited until he was gone before searching for the
toilet, but the only thing she could find was a stone bench with a seat in the
far corner. She opened the lid and discovered it seemed to open up into some
kind of drain system. Rudimentary plumbing for sure, but beggars couldn’t be
choosers.

When she was done, she padded back to the vanity, grabbed
the washcloth that sat next to the bowl and began to clean herself up. There
was also a small bar of soap that had a woodsy scent to it that reminded her of
Darian. It didn’t lather as well as her soap at home, but it certainly did the
job.

Thankfully, the water was warm. Not hot, but not cold
either. What she really wanted was a hot bath, but there didn’t seem to be any
way to pipe water into the tub.

Sam washed away the evidence of their lovemaking along with
the dust and grime of the day. She knew her hair had to be a complete mess, but
there was no mirror in the room either. She ran her hands over her hair,
groaned and undid her braid, setting the covered elastic on the edge of the
vanity. There was no brush, but there was a comb. She used it, ruthlessly
yanking it through the tangles. She thought about braiding it again, but
decided not to. Once they’d talked, she planned on getting some much-needed
sleep.

Was it only this morning she’d had her meeting with Karen at
the bank? Seemed like a lifetime ago.

She tossed the washcloth back into the bowl and took a deep
breath, knowing she couldn’t hide in here all night even if she wanted to. A
large robe hung on a peg by the door and she pulled it on. It dragged on the
floor and would almost wrap around her twice. Had to be Darian’s. She tightened
the belt and left the bathroom behind.

Darian waited impatiently for Sam to join him. The only
thing that kept him from checking on her was that he could hear her moving
around in the other room. He’d never had a woman in his room before and he
liked the feeling. He’d added more wood to the hearth, not wanting Sam to get
cold. If the heat he’d felt today was any indication, her world was much
warmer.

When the door finally opened, he strode toward it. Sam
stepped into the room, her long, black hair falling around her shoulders like a
curtain. She was wearing his robe. A jolt of sheer possessiveness shot through
him. Sam belonged here with him, with Jace, a part of their lives.

He held out his hand and was thrilled when she took it.
Outwardly, he kept his expression calm, not wanting to overwhelm her. “Food
arrived while you were bathing.” Actually, he’d found it covered and waiting in
the hallway. The staff had known better than to knock on the closed door,
knowing full well what they’d be doing. His mother had probably told everyone
in Hunter Keep by now that Sam was a potential tapestry bride, and all who
lived here would do everything in their power to see that she wanted to stay.
And that included leaving her alone with him.

She shook her head. “I’m not really hungry now. Maybe
later.”

He worried about her not eating, but didn’t push. He led her
toward the bed and motioned her to climb in, slightly surprised when she did so
without argument. “You are tired.” It wasn’t a question, but she answered him
anyway.

“It’s been a long, crazy day.”

He nodded. “Rest. I will be here when you wake.”

Sam nestled her head against his pillow, but jolted upward
when he climbed in beside her. “What are you doing?”

“Resting with you.” He pulled her into his arms and loved
the way she settled against his chest with a little sigh.”

“Will you let me go home?” Her softly spoken question almost
broke his heart.

“It is not up to me or to Jace.” He wasn’t certain she
believed him, but he wanted her to. “The tapestry will return for you in a
little over two days.” He rubbed a hand over her head and toyed with her hair.
It was soft and lovely. “I wish you would consider staying with me. With us.”

“You’d really share me with your brother?”

He knew she didn’t understand their world and customs,
didn’t really believe they were telling the truth. “Yes. It’s expected here.
It’s all we know.” He tightened his arms around her. “I would do anything to
keep you.”

She said nothing, but he felt the fine shiver of tension
that gripped her. She said nothing else, so he let things be for now. There would
be more time for talk tomorrow. Better, there would be time to really show her
his world.

Eventually, she relaxed in his embrace. He knew the moment
she fell asleep. Darian shifted his grip so he could look at her face. She was
quite lovely. He wanted to memorize every curve, every line so he’d remember it
forever. Because he couldn’t quite shake the fear that Sam was going to go
home.

He turned onto his side, tucking her body against his. She
fit there as though she’d been made for him. As Darian stared into the fading
firelight, he wondered where Jace was.

Sam wasn’t quite sure what woke her, but when she opened her
eyes it was dark. She blinked several times and eventually her eyes adjusted so
she could make out some of the shapes in the room. Nothing looked familiar.

Reality came slamming back at her with the force of a
freight train. She’d been taken from her home by two gorgeous men, men who
thought they came from another world. Sure, she’d seen a tapestry floating in
midair, but that was simply the wind blowing debris around her yard. Had to be.
Right? Because the alternative was too mind-blowing for her to even consider.

The fire had died down in the hearth, but she could still
see the faint glow of the embers. All was quiet, except for the heavy breathing
of the man sleeping peacefully next to her.

She swallowed down the lump of rising panic in her throat.
She was safe. She certainly hadn’t been harmed. If anything, they were going
out of their way to make her feel welcome.

That was all fine and good, but she had to get home. She had
crops in the field and a loan payment she had to figure out how to come up
with. As tempting as it was to stay curled up in bed next to Darian, she had to
move. Maybe she could find a telephone and call Tim to let him know she was
okay.

Of course, the lack of plumbing facilities didn’t exactly
give her hope of finding a phone that actually worked.

Moving slowly, she slid out from under Darian’s arm. He
grunted in his sleep, but didn’t wake. Sam eased her legs over the side of the
bed. Thankfully, she was still wearing the robe she’d found in the bathroom.
The belt had come untied, so she quickly tightened it. She’d need a candle or
lantern if she was going to wander around the castle. If she was remembering
correctly, there was one on the table by the fireplace.

The stone floor was cold beneath her feet and she shivered.
She’d taken one step when a deep, male voice spoke. “Going somewhere?”

Sam shrieked and jumped about a foot in the air. Heart
racing, she faced the corner of the room where the voice had come from. The
sound of her scream hadn’t even died when a naked Darian stood in front of her,
a large sword gleaming in his hand. Where had he gotten the weapon? She
certainly didn’t remember seeing it in bed with them.

Darian lowered his sword and sighed. “Should have known it
was you.” He stored the sword back in a sheath built into the side of the bed
before turning to her. “Are you all right, Samantha?”

She noted he was using her full name instead of the
shortened version and wondered why. Her heart was still racing, but it no
longer felt as though it was going to pop out of her chest. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Movement from the dark corner caught her eye and then the
darkness seemed to release Jace. There wasn’t much light coming in through the
two thin windows, but it was enough for her to know it was him.

“Where were you going?” Jace repeated.

No way was she going to admit she’d planned on searching for
a phone. She wasn’t stupid. “If you must know, the bathroom.” She started off
in that direction, figuring a minute or two to herself couldn’t hurt. Why was
Jace here?

She’d barely rounded the end of the bed when she stubbed her
toe on the corner of the trunk that sat there. She’d forgotten about it.
“Ouch.” She grabbed her toe and hopped around on one foot, swallowing the curse
words she really wanted to say.

Large arms plucked her off her feet. “Are you hurt?” Darian
asked. “Stoke the fire,” he commanded his brother. Darian carried her to one of
the two chairs flanking the hearth and seconds later light filled the room.
Jace added wood to the embers as they flared into flames.

Sam blinked. It was disconcerting to have two large men
kneeling at her feet. One of them was naked and the other was fully dressed. A
candle flared and was placed on the table, adding more light to the room.

Darian lifted her injured foot, holding it to the light.
“You didn’t break the skin.” The robe slipped open, exposing her entire leg.
She clutched the material tight, making sure she didn’t show more skin than she
wanted to.

Now that the moment was passed, she was feeling foolish. She
pulled her foot from Darian’s grasp, or at least tried to. He wasn’t letting it
go. “I only stubbed my toe. It barely hurts at all anymore.”

She pulled her foot away again and this time he released
her. “Ah, I think I’ll just go to the bathroom now.” Sam stood, grabbed the
candle and fled to the other room as fast as her dignity allowed.

Two sets of pale-blue eyes watched her. She could feel their
gazes on her. As she shut the door behind her, she wondered once again why Jace
was here. He’d been standing in the shadows watching them sleep. It was kinda
creepy and sad at the same time.

Sam set the candle down on the wooden vanity and used the
facilities before washing up with the now-cold water in the basin. What was she
going to do? She couldn’t stay in the bathroom all night. Although sleeping in
the round tub sounded a lot better than returning to face her two handsome
kidnappers.

Jace watched Sam walk to the bathroom, frowning when he
noticed she was limping slightly. “She’s favoring her foot.”

Darian nodded. “It is not broken, only bruised.” His brother
faced him. “Why didn’t you join us in bed?”

Tension invaded Jace’s entire body. His cock was thick and
heavy after watching Sam sleep in his brother’s arms. He hadn’t been there
long, having worked until late before retiring to his own room to bathe and
sleep. But sleep had evaded him so he’d come to Darian’s room, knowing he’d
find them both here. He’d noted the covered trays still filled with food
sitting on the table.

“Why didn’t Sam eat?”

Darian sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “She
was too tired.” He paused for a moment. “After.”

A muscle quivered beneath Jace’s left eye and his jaw
tightened. “You didn’t feed her first.” Jace was angry that his brother had
already taken Sam. He found her clothes scattered around the room and the fact
she’d been wearing Darian’s robe had confirmed his suspicions. Darian had seen
Sam naked, stroked her soft skin, tasted her sweet cream and felt her pussy
clench around his cock.

It could have been him. But stubborn pride had kept him
away. That and his promise he wouldn’t force himself on her. How had Darian
gotten past her guardedness so quickly? He wanted to hate his brother, but
didn’t. He envied him instead even as he was glad his brother had found a way
to entice Sam into his bed. If one of them could bind her physically to him
through sex, maybe she might be willing to stay.

“I gave my pledge to her.” Darian’s low confession sounded
like a shout. Jace’s chest actually hurt.

“And?” he asked.

Darian shook his head. “She did not accept.” He stared back
at the door Sam had gone through a few minutes before. “I’m not sure she
believed I was in earnest.”

Some of the tension bled from Jace. There was still a chance
for him to claim Sam. As soon as he thought it, he felt disloyal to his
brother. If Darian had claimed her, he would be happy for him, for all of them.

“You called her Samantha?” Jace liked the name. It was
feminine, yet strong.

“When she met Mother, she called herself that name, but she
says that everyone calls her Sam.” Darian’s patience was obviously at an end
because he stalked over the door to the bathing chamber and knocked. “Sam?”

The door slowly opened and she stood there, candle in hand.
Her black hair flowed around her shoulders and she looked small enveloped in
Darian’s oversized robe. It practically swallowed her whole. Her toes curled
into the stone and Jace knew her feet were probably cold.

She sidled by Darian and came back to the fire, setting the
candle carefully on the table. Standing on the fur rug, she faced them both.
“So what happens now?”

Jace could sense her nervousness, see it in the way she
twisted the belt of the robe between her hands. He knew he should leave, allow
her to be at ease, but he could not.

“I told you I would not force myself on you.” Jace walked
toward her, not stopping until he was standing right in front of her. She
didn’t back away, but tilted back her head to look at him.

Pride and longing filled him. He cupped the back of her head
in his large hand, leaned down and kissed her. Her lips parted on a surprised
gasp and he took advantage, sliding his tongue into her mouth. He groaned when
he got his first taste of Sam, no Samantha. He liked that name much better. He
lost himself in her sweet warmth, almost yelling his triumph when he felt her
fingers digging into his shoulders.

He eased back and stared into her dark eyes, easily reading
her arousal and confusion. “Invite me to your bed,” he commanded. He needed her
to want him, to offer him what she’d shared with his brother. “Samantha.” He
whispered her name, stroking the sides of her face with his thumbs. “Give
yourself to me.”

A deep shudder went through Sam. She felt as though a
wildcat, a golden lion or maybe a tiger, was stalking her. Dangerous and
deadly, yet enticing as hell. Jace was weaving a sensual spell around her that
was almost too tempting to ignore. But she’d slept with Darian. She couldn’t
turn around and do the same with Jace.

She glanced at Darian, a very naked and aroused Darian,
looking for something—anger, reassurance. Some idea how he was feeling. He
simply smiled at her. “It is your choice, Sam. We both want you. We told you
that.” Darian came to stand beside her and nodded toward his brother. “It is
your choice.”

“But it’s wrong,” she blurted out. Really, what kind of
woman was she to want two men?

It was Jace who answered her. “In Javara it is normal for a
woman to have two men in her bed, sometimes three. There is nothing wrong or
shameful in that.” He slipped his hands inside the neck of the robe. The fabric
parted, exposing the tops of her breasts. “Let me touch you.” His fingers
danced over the mounds, sliding slower until he was almost touching her
nipples. “Pleasure you.” His lips brushed against her forehead. “Taste you.”

Sam couldn’t think, couldn’t reason. Not with two, hot sexy
men staring at her with unrestrained lust gleaming in their eyes. This was a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something to remember when she was back on the
farm, toiling away alone under the hot sun.

A pang of regret and loneliness almost brought her to her
knees, but she stiffened them. She was a Calloway and would not falter now that
her decision was made. “You’ll let me go home?” For some unknown reason, she
trusted them to keep their word. Some might call her crazy, and maybe they were
right, but that didn’t change the way she felt.

Both men stiffened. Darian appeared sad and Jace angry.

Way to kill the mood.

“Yes, we will let you go when the tapestry returns.” Jace
pushed the plackets of the robe wide, exposing her breasts to both their views.
“But if you are going to leave, I plan on making the most of the time I have
with you.”

Her breasts felt heavy and swollen and she couldn’t suppress
a moan of pleasure when Jace cupped them in his hands, tracing the puckered
nipples with his thumbs. “So lovely.”

Another pair of strong arms came around her from behind.
Darian untied the belt to the robe before easing it from her body. The heat
from the men and the fire drove back the night chill and it wasn’t long until
she felt hot.

Sam licked her lips and put her hands on Jace’s chest. He
was a little taller than his brother, a little wider, his features more rugged.
There was no denying his strength. It was evident in every thick muscle in his
arms and legs, the width of his shoulders and broadness of his chest. She
traced the lines that delineated his abs, absorbing his heat and measuring his
strength.

Jace moved suddenly, reminding her that he might be big and
muscular, but he was also very fast. He scooped her into his arms and carried
her to the bed. He dumped her on the mattress and stood back watching her as he
shucked his boots, vest and pants. When he was as naked as she was, he loomed
over her, his expression dark and grim.

“Ask me?”

She realized then how much she’d hurt his pride earlier. In
spite of her unspoken invitation, he would not take her to bed until she
invited him. He was aroused, his cock hard and ready, the thick veins that ran
through his shaft pulsing in need, but he made no move toward her.

“Be sure,” he added. “Once you say yes, I will not leave
your bed while you are here.”

Sam glanced toward Darian, who was still standing naked by
the fire. He slowly nodded.

She looked back at Jace and noted the pain in his gaze, the
hurt, the expectation that even now she might reject him. She held out her
hand. “Come to me.”

If she was expecting him to jump into bed with her
immediately, she was sadly mistaken. He put his hands on her thighs and shoved
them wide. His fingers tightened and he gave a low growl of pleasure as he
leaned inward. “I have to taste your pussy.”

Sam had never met two men more earthy and plainspoken when
it came to sex than Darian and Jace. She’d also never known two men who seemed
to enjoy going down on a woman like they did.

Jace ate her as though he was a starving man and she was a
banquet. He tasted and teased, nipped and stroked. His tongue flicked the hard
kernel of nerves at the apex of her thighs and she came halfway off the bed,
her back arching into his touch. She almost came, but he stopped just before it
could happen.

She moaned, grabbed his hair and tried to pull him back
where she wanted him. His low laugh of pleasure sent a shiver of desire
rocketing through her. His tongue probed the opening of her slick channel,
pressing inside. “Jace.” She cried his name, wanting more of him.