Tapestries 03 - Woven Dreams (7 page)

They’d probably do more than yell if they discovered her true identity. She shivered and curled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She didn’t even want to imagine what they might do.

A blanket dropped around her shoulders. She hadn’t even heard anyone move.

Garrik smiled down at her. “The evening is closing in. Why don’t you move closer to the fire?”

She blinked, noticing her surroundings for the first time in hours. While she’d been lost in thought, the sun had all but disappeared from the sky. The first day with them was almost gone. She would only have tonight and two more days. Did she dare to reach out and take what she wanted? Could she live with herself if she didn’t?

She’d lived in fear most of her life, but everything had changed the moment she’d decided to run. This was her life now, for better or for worse. Her brothers might still find her and drag her back to Craddock Keep. She could easily find herself forced into a brutal marriage from which the only escape was death. At least if she took this opportunity, she would have the memories to comfort her for the rest of her life.

Her brothers would be furious if they ever found out she’d given away her virginity, but they’d never be able to discover who she’d given it to. She’d die before she’d tell. Besides, she was never going back there and she would probably never see them again. She was free now and this was a chance to reach out and grab something good from life. To experience something truly wonderful that wasn’t tainted by her family. As she inched toward the low glow of the fire, she prayed that she had the courage to take it.

Genny lay under her blankets staring up at the night sky, wondering why she’d even bothered to pray for courage. It didn’t seem as if she needed any at all. Both men had spread their bedrolls next to her and stretched out beside her. She’d expected one or both of them to reach out to her. Instead they’d both rolled onto their sides, each of them facing her, and closed their eyes. Their breathing was deep and even while hers was shallow and choppy.

Seems she’d worried for nothing. Obviously she’d been mistaken about their intentions. Her disappointment was overwhelming and she bit her bottom lip to stem the unexpected sting of tears. Now that she’d made up her mind, she wanted to explore her sexuality to its fullest. This might be the only chance in her lifetime to do so and now it seemed to have ended before it had ever really begun.

36

“You are not sleeping,” Garrik murmured as he laid his hand upon her stomach.

She could feel the heat of it through the coarse fabric of her dress.

“I’m fine.” It was hard to concentrate on talking with his hand making small circles on her stomach. With each circle he made, his hand move higher on her stomach, taking it closer to the undersides of her breasts. When she realized she was holding her breath, she forced herself to take long, even breaths.

“Are you certain?” The side of his hand barely grazed the edges of her breasts. They seemed to swell as her nipples tightened. She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out.

Her breasts ached and it was all she could do to keep from grabbing his hand and pressing it over the swollen tip.

“Genny?” He paused, his hand hovering just below her breast. It was almost touching her. Almost.

She nodded, unable to talk. The ache in her breasts had spread low to her belly. Her legs moved restlessly across her blanket as she tried to stem the pulsing need springing to life deep inside her.

Jarmon propped himself up on his elbow as he stared down at her. The darkness hid most of his features, but his eyes seemed to glitter in the moonlight. His touch was gentle as he stroked the side of her cheek with his finger. “I can sense the tension thrumming through your body.” His low, deep voice mesmerized her and she unconsciously leaned closer. “I can feel the need burning in you. Sense the yearning of your very soul.”

Oh gods, was she that obvious? Shame filled her. Closing her eyes, she turned her head away, but Jarmon caught her jaw between his fingers and urged her head back toward him. Stubbornly, she refused to open her eyes. She didn’t want to see concern, or worse yet, pity in his gaze.

Her eyes flew open when he stroked his thumb across her bottom lip. He’d leaned closer to her, so close that their noses were almost touching. “I can sense it, Genny, because those same cravings consume me as well.” Before she could truly make sense of his words, his mouth lowered to hers.

She’d expected his kiss to be forceful. Hard. What she hadn’t expected was for him to taste her, gently running his tongue across both her lips. The roughness of his tongue against her smooth lips seemed to accelerate the pulsing within her body. Her core ached, throbbing as cream slid from her, softening her sex.

Her mouth opened of its own accord. She wanted more, wanted to feel his tongue stroking hers. She felt more than heard his rumble of pleasure as he accepted her invitation, slipping his tongue inside.

Heat. She’d never felt such heat before. Her body felt as if it were burning from the inside out, being consumed by a need she’d never experienced before. From listening to the women gossip in her home, she knew that this was passion. Although from what they’d said and the stories they’d told, Genny had never expected it to be this out of control, this overwhelming. She felt as if her body no longer belonged to her.

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Jarmon stroked his tongue across hers, coaxing it to play. Tentatively at first, she rubbed it against his and was rewarded with another rumble of pleasure from deep in his chest. Sliding her hand up over his shoulder, she cupped the back of his head, not wanting him to pull away.

There was so much more she wanted to experience, to try.

Taking her time, she leisurely explored his mouth. Jarmon’s breathing quickened and he slanted his mouth over hers, fitting them even tighter together. Genny could hardly breathe, but she didn’t care. Every part of her body was tingling. Her toes curled as he deepened the kiss, the movements of his mouth and tongue becoming more frantic, less practiced.

Her fingers curled into his scalp, her short nails biting into him when she felt him start to pull away. She didn’t want it to end. Wasn’t ready to let go. But he tore his mouth from hers, gulping air into his heaving lungs.

Genny reached her hand out to Jarmon but sucked in a deep breath as Garrik slid his hand over the front of her dress, across her hip and down to her knee where the hem had bunched. Leisurely, he slid his hand beneath. She hadn’t had time to pull on her damp chemise that she’d washed earlier today at the river so there was only one layer of cloth covering her. Pushing the fabric out of his way as he went, he continued upward. His hands were hard and calloused but extremely gentle as he skimmed his fingers over her thigh. She shivered as he traced her hipbone. Whimpered when his finger dipped into her navel. His low laugh thrilled her to her toes. When his hand was resting just below her breasts, he stopped.

“Let us pleasure you.” Jarmon leaned over her, briefly obscuring the moon and the night sky from her view. The scar on his face appeared deeper and he looked as if he were in pain.

Raising her hand, she cupped his ravaged cheek. The raised edges of the scars seemed to burn against her palm. She wanted to take away the pain he’d suffered. He flinched away. Hurt by his sudden withdrawal, she dropped her hand back to her side and began to chew on her bottom lip again. It was one thing to decide that she was going to give away her virginity. Quite another thing to actually do it.

As if he could read her jumbled thoughts, Garrik shifted his hand higher, skimming the edge of his fingers against the sensitive undersides of her breasts. “We want nothing more from you this night than to be allowed to pleasure you, Genny. All you have to do is lie back and enjoy it.”

“That’s not fair to you.” She didn’t know of any men who would forgo their own pleasure.

“It is a gift, Genny.” Jarmon picked up her hand and slowly raised it until it was hovering just over his left cheek. Gradually, he pressed her palm over his ragged scar.

“A gift of great value from you to us.”

Not knowing what else to say, she nodded.

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“The words, Genny,” Garrik crooned from behind her. “We need the words from you.

Swallowing back all her trepidation and fear of the unknown, she nodded again.

“Yes. Yes, I want you to touch me.”

Jarmon didn’t smile, but the corner of his mouth turned up the tiniest bit and the expression in his face lightened. Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed her palm before pulling her upward into a seated position.

Before she could blink, Garrik yanked her dress over her head and tossed it aside.

Totally naked, she instinctively curled her legs into her body and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face against her knees.

Jarmon tugged one of the blankets over her bent legs. “You do not have to do anything you do not want to, Genny.”

Raising her head, she met both their gazes and saw only concern. There was no anger or irritation at all. That more than anything else gave her the courage to slowly uncurl her legs. When Jarmon urged her to lie back down on the blankets, she did so, allowing all her fears to slip away.

If they had meant to hurt her, they’d had plenty of opportunity to do so. It was strange to trust two men she’d just met, men she barely knew, but she did. Deep in her soul, she knew they would do nothing to physically harm her. When Garrik smiled at her, she felt the desire that had momentarily been smothered by her fears leap to life within her once again.

Both men stretched out on either side of her. She could feel the heat emanating from their bodies and longed to touch them both, to stroke her hands across every inch of their naked chests. Jarmon was closest, so she reached out and laid her palm over his heart. The heavy beat pulsed against her hand. “I want to touch you.” A deep groan rose from deep within him. “Anywhere. Touch me anywhere, Genny.

Anything you want.”

Genny tasted feminine power for the first time in her life. With just a touch, she had made this strong man groan with need. It was intoxicating. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she skimmed her hand over his impossibly wide chest. She could see the deep scar on his left shoulder but avoided it for now. She longed to touch it, to soothe any lingering ache that resided there, but that would have to wait until another day.

The hair on his chest was sparse, but there was a light covering in the center between his nipples. It arrowed downward in a thin line, disappearing into the waistband of his pants. Threading her fingers through it, she followed its descent. The muscles of his stomach were rock hard beneath her questing fingers.

Garrik, obviously tired of waiting, stroked his hand across her stomach before moving upward. This time, he didn’t stop. Genny cried out, arching her back as he palmed her breast, pushing it more firmly into his hand. His fingers kneaded the pliant flesh and when he stroked his thumb over the swollen tip, she moaned. She felt that 39

small caress everywhere in her body. Her scalp tingled and her core burned. He did it again and liquid heat flowed from her sex.

Jarmon leaned down and captured her mouth with his. This was not the gentle kiss he’d given her earlier. No, this was the kiss she’d expected the first time. This was a claiming. But rather than fearing it, she embraced it as it fed the growing hunger within her. His mouth was hard and heavy, consuming her, sucking the very air from her lungs. Her fingers curled into his chest. She needed something to hang on to, something to anchor her in this growing storm of desire.

Jarmon pulled away with a growl of pleasure and kissed a hot path down her jaw and neck. She gasped when she felt the nip of his teeth at the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder. Her womb clenched hard. He didn’t stop but kept moving lower until his head was poised over her breast.

Garrik plumped her other breast in his hand. She could feel his warm breath against her nipple. It puckered even tighter, making her moan. “Please.” She wanted them to touch her, to put their mouths on her flesh. Something, anything to help ease the growing ache that was consuming her.

They moved as one, both of their heads lowering to her breasts. Their hot mouths covered the aching tips and they began to suckle. Genny cried out as lightning bolts of pleasure whipped through her body. They stroked their tongues over her swollen nipples. Instead of appeasing the ache, it seemed to swell, growing in strength. Her hips thrust upward, meeting only air. The blanket was long gone and she had no idea if one of them had pulled it away or if she’d kicked it away with her restless movements.

“Spread your legs.” Jarmon’s voice was so low and guttural she barely recognized it. “Your pussy is hot and wet. Give it to us.”

“You know you want our fingers deep inside you, fucking you, making you come.” Garrik swirled his tongue over her nipple and then blew on it.

Both men were pressed tight against her sides and she could feel the hard ridges of their erections stabbing against her. Her inner muscles constricted. In spite of the coolness of the night, sweat clung to every inch of her skin. Her breath was coming in harsh gasps as she spread her legs, unable and unwilling to deny them anything.

Garrik groaned as he rubbed his erection against her. His hand swiftly skimmed down her stomach. There was no gentle exploration this time. She felt Jarmon’s hand slipping over her torso as well and she sucked in an expectant breath.

“Hook your legs over ours. Give yourself to us.” Without thought, she did as Jarmon asked. The night air flowed over her sex but did little to quench the fire burning within her.

Fingers sifted through the curls covering her mound and quickly moved lower. She whimpered as they traced the wet folds of her sex, circling it once before dipping just inside her slit.

“More.” She bucked her hips upward. They couldn’t stop now. She needed those fingers inside her.

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Both of them slipped the tip of their fingers just barely inside her. Two thick fingers pushed past the natural resistance at the entrance of her body. Her inner muscles clamped down hard, at once trying to stop them from going any deeper and at the same time trying to pull them further into her. The sensation was almost too much.