Strands of Love

by N. J. Walters

  Warriors. Both men truly were warriors.

  It was hard to wrap her head around their culture. “Don’t men fight over having to share a woman?” The question popped out before she could stop it. Usually she liked to brood and think when she had stuff on her mind. Of course, this wasn’t a normal situation.

  “Our history tells of a time when there were as many women as men, but something happened. No one quite knows what, but there were less and less girl children born each generation.” Darian brushed her hand with his before twining their fingers together. “Men fought. Brothers killed brother,” he continued. “It was a bloody time in our history.”

  Two of the male workers in the field called out to the brothers and they waved. Sam wondered what crop they were growing, but didn’t ask. She had other questions she needed answers to first.

  She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for brothers and friends, all wanting the same woman. And the poor women. It had to have been hell for them too.

  “What happened to change that?” How did a society evolve to accept a ménage à trois as normal?

  “Survival.” It was Jace who spoke. The low timbre of his voice sent a shiver of desire through her. “It was a matter of survival. Too many of the young men were dying in the fighting over the women. The most powerful families got together and came up with the idea to allow one woman to be claimed by up to three brothers. She had to marry one of them and only he can claim her children as his own, but they might very well belong to his brothers. As well, each brother has at least one night each week alone with the woman. That way no one is left out and everyone is happy.”

  They left the open fields behind and entered the woods. It was darker here, the sun not penetrating the thick growth as easily. Sam felt the cold seeping into her bones. Neither man seemed to notice even though they were both bare chested.

  “That’s a lot to ask of a woman.” Physically it wouldn’t be easy to keep up to three men satisfied. Emotionally it would be even more difficult. How did a woman choose? And what if she really didn’t like her husband’s brothers?

  Darian gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “We understand and respect that fact and treat our women well.”

  “The decision was a long, long time ago and women are raised to expect it, just as we are.” Jace’s voice was flat and matter-of-fact. “Our history is divided into the time before the tapestry and the time after.”

  “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.

  Chapter Nine

  “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.

&n
bsp; 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.