Strands of Love

by N. J. Walters

  His roar echoed in her ears and the hot flood of his release filled her. Sam let go, let herself slip away in a pool of pleasure that threatened to drown her. And she didn’t care. She trusted Darian to take care of her.

  Darian locked his knees to keep from collapsing. Sam’s pussy spasmed around his cock, bringing him endless pleasure. He’d come moments ago but wasn’t anywhere near ready to release her. He’d never be ready.

  Her skin was slick with perspiration and he leaned down and licked her shoulder. Her skin was salty and soft. She smelled musky, like sex and hay. He could also smell the fresh scent of her soap rising from her body, feminine and enticing. His cock rippled and she moaned, her head dropping onto his shoulder.

  Sam was totally limp in his arms. The sign of her trust made his chest swell. He wanted to yell to the world that she belonged to him, but he wasn’t quite that stupid. Sam didn’t belong to him or his brother and she might never, not unless they could talk her into returning with them.

  Darian had hoped sex would help tie her to them, but that was a double-edged sword. Every time he had her, he wanted her more and wondered how he would leave her when the time came if she refused to return to Javara with them.

  He breathed in her unique earthy scent and kissed her temple. He didn’t want to let her go but felt Jace behind him. He turned his head and met his brother’s heated gaze. Jace wanted her again. So did he.

  Darian straightened and tightened his grip, hugging her close, enjoying the weight of her in his arms. When Jace reached for her, he relinquished his hold. He would have her again. They both would.

  But, for now, she was exhausted. A rest would do them all good.

  Darian gritted his teeth as his semi-erect cock slid from her heated depths. Sam shivered as she was passed to Jace. Both men frowned.

  “She needs a bath and food,” Jace declared.

  Darian agreed with his brother. “We will go inside and see to her.” They hadn’t taken very good care of Sam since they’d met her and that had to change. How would she know how they would treat her unless they showed her?

  His pants were around his hips so he tugged them back into place, not bothering to tie them. He didn’t expect to have them on for long. Maybe Sam had a tub big enough for two or even three. He quickly squelched that idea. Sam needed a break from sex, at least long enough for her to get cleaned up, rested and fed.

  But the night would be long and he and Jace would be more than ready to pleasure Sam again and again.

  * * * * *

  Sam slowly slid from bed, not an easy task when she was sandwiched between two very large men. Both Jace and Darian were sound asleep and so had been she until moments ago. Now she was awake and her mind wouldn’t stop working.

  She carefully plucked her robe from the back of her closet door and pulled it on as she crept down the stairs to the kitchen. The room was dark, but she knew her way around. She opened the cupboard and pulled down a glass and a dark bottle.

  Whiskey wasn’t normally her drink of choice, but tonight she was making an exception. She poured two fingers into the glass and lifted it to her lips, sipping the strong, mellow liquor. It warmed her throat and belly but did little to stop the manic thoughts charging around her brain.

  The room still smelled of slightly burnt toast and eggs. A faint smile touched her lips as she recalled the brothers’ adventure in her kitchen. They’d been determined to feed her and, once they’d gotten the hang of the stove, they hadn’t done half bad. Darian had enjoyed himself playing with the toaster and they’d ended up with an entire loaf of bread browned. Bacon, eggs, toast and some frozen hash browns had filled the hole in her belly, but it had done little to quell the ache in her heart.

  She recapped the whiskey bottle and put it away before heading to her father’s study. Her muscles ached and her body hurt in places it never had before. After a hot bath and supper, Jace and Darian had led her upstairs and proceed to make love to her again.

  After the hot tussle in the barn she’d been expecting more of the same. They were all aware that time was running out on them. Instead, they’d surprised her. With a man on either side of her, they’d licked and touched, kissed and stroked every inch of her body from her toes to the top of her head. Her skin tingled at the mere thought. She’d felt like a gourmet dinner spread before two food connoisseurs.

  Then they’d made love to her. Yes, made love. It had been more than just sex. The way they’d touched her and the way she’d responded to them had been infused with a deep emotional connection that went beyond the physical. They hadn’t talked about their feelings, but she’d come to know the brothers well enough to know they were in this as deep as she was.

  Sam took another drink, needing the burn to focus her thoughts. It would be too easy to lose herself in the physicality of their relationship and allow time to run out. But she was no coward. This was her decision to make, one way or the other.

  She sat at her father’s desk, feeling closer to him here than she did anywhere else in the house. The land was where she felt him the most, but this was second best.

  She set her glass down on the battered wooden desk that had served several generations of Calloways. Moonlight gave the room a glow, but not quite enough for her to see. The brass desk lamp sat where it always had so she had no trouble finding it. The click seemed loud in the room and the light bright. Sam blinked several times until her vision adjusted.

  Several journals sat on the desk and she opened one, staring at the numbers. She closed it just as quickly, knowing the bottom line already. Sam stood and went to the family picture on the wall. She lifted it off its hook and revealed the safe beneath. The combination hadn’t changed since she was a kid. She put in her father’s birthdate, then her mother’s, then her brother’s and finally hers. “Twelve, thirty, seventeen, twenty-two,” she muttered as she spun the dial.

  The handle turned easily and she opened the safe, pulling out the documents she wanted before closing it and returning the picture to its original spot. Sam sat back at the desk, took another drink and unfolded the papers. She stared at them for at least ten minutes before picking up a pen and drawing a fresh piece of paper to her. There had to be a way to make things work.

  She thought and wrote and thought some more. Finally, she gave up, folding all the documents together and placed them on the corner of the desk. Tim’s phone was still in the kitchen. She hadn’t planned on using it, especially not so late at night, but she had to talk to someone not involved in the situation.

  Sam turned off the light, grabbed her drink and padded silently back to the kitchen. She turned on the light above the stove and picked up the phone from the table, dialing before she talked herself out of it.

  It rang twice before it was answered by a gruff male voice. “Sam? You okay, little girl?”

  Tears pricked her eyes. How she loved Tim and Mary. They were like second parents to her. Sam lowered herself to one of the kitchen chairs, the phone clenched tight in her hands. “Hey, Tim.”

  She heard rustling and knew he was getting out of bed. “What happened?”

  She’d worried him for no reason and guilt filled her. “Nothing happened. I just can’t sleep. I don’t know what to do.”

  Tim sighed. “Just the fact that you’re thinking about it at all means you have feelings for those fellas.” Tim gave a gruff laugh. “I still can’t wrap my head around that one. Neither could Mary when I told her. Let me tell you, it took some doing to keep her away from your place. She wanted to march right over and check them both out.”

  Sam chuckled. She could easily imagine big Tim having a hard time corralling his tiny wife. “I’m surprised you won.”

  “Well.” Tim paused for a moment. “I pointed out that you might be busy, so to speak.”

  Sam felt her cheeks turning red. Tim and Mary would have definitely gotten an eyeful if they’d turned up after supper. “Yeah, that was probably for the best.”

  Tim cleared his throat. “So
what’s on your mind?”

  She pulled one foot up onto her chair. “I love this farm, this land. It’s my home.”

  “But?” he prompted.

  “I might lose it. Not now, but maybe a year or two down the road.” She picked at a loose thread on her robe. “But how can I let it go without a fight? It would be cowardly to walk away from the farm, from my family.”

  She could almost hear Tim thinking through the silence on the other end. Finally he spoke. “Well, like I said earlier, one of them boys could stay with you.”

  Sam shook her head. “No, Tim. That’s not right. Their mother would be heartbroken and they have so many people depending on them.”

  “It’s their choice,” Tim pointed out. “How long do you have?”

  “One full day and another night. Then it’s anyone’s guess if the tapestry will even reappear.”

  “Take tomorrow to think about things. Show the boys around and let them see your land. I assume they showed you around their home?”

  “Yeah.” Not quite as much as she would have liked, but she’d seen the stables, the fields and the people living in and around the small castle. She’d hung back, determined to return home and hadn’t given any of them the chance to really meet her. Now it was too late.

  “There you go. Let them work with you and see how you feel tomorrow night. Why don’t you all come over for dinner?”

  “I’m going to take a rain check on that, Tim. I think we need to be alone to figure this out.”

  “Good enough. But, Sam, call any time you want. And remember, I love you.”

  Sam wished he was close enough to hug. “Love you too.”

  “I’ll see you day after tomorrow. Early. Whatever happens, I’m gonna be there.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Tim.” She ended the call and put the phone back on the table. Sighing, Sam downed the last of the whiskey before she pushed away from the table. She placed the empty glass in the sink and turned off the light before heading back to bed.

  Sam paused in the doorway of her bedroom, studying the two men who currently occupied it. Thank the heavens she had a king-size bed, but even with that it was a tight squeeze. She removed her robe and quietly climbed between Jace and Darian. Sighing, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

  Beside her, Jace lay still as a stone. He’d awoken the moment Sam climbed out of bed and it had taken all his self-control not to go after her. Darian was wide-awake too. Neither of them had spoken, but Jace knew his brother was as worried as he was. Two days were almost over. Tomorrow was their final full day together.

  He had to go home to Hunter Keep. Too many people depended on him and then there was his mother. He couldn’t leave her alone.

  But Darian could stay if he wanted. Jace swallowed hard as emotion threatened to choke him. How would he lived without his brother and Sam?

  A heavy hand fell on top of his and he clasped his brother’s hand, knowing Darian was thinking about tomorrow as well. Jace sighed and released his brother and wrapped his arm around Sam.

  All he could do was try to change her mind. Although the longer he spent with her here in her home, the less likely that possibility became.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The sun was high in the sky by the time the three of them finished breakfast. Sam had run upstairs to use the bathroom while Jace and Darian headed outside. She was just washing her hands when she heard a vehicle pull up outside. Assuming it was Tim, she didn’t hurry. Sam rubbed some moisturizer with sunscreen on her face and neck and slicked some lip balm on. That would help protect her against the unforgiving Texas sun.

  She was almost to the back door when she realized the voice she was hearing didn’t belong to Tim. “Son of a bitch,” she muttered. George was back.

  Darian and Jace had both faced off against George. The white T-shirts they wore—which had belonged to her father—were pulled tight across the shoulders and around the biceps. The material looked as though it would rip at any moment. Her father hadn’t been a small man, but the Hunter brothers were much wider through the shoulders and arms.

  “What’s going on?” Sam stepped out onto the back porch and glared at her former lover. Honestly, the more time she spent in his company the more she wondered what she’d ever seen in him.

  She supposed he wasn’t bad looking, when taken on his own. But next to the brothers he was lacking, not just in size, but in character too.

  “Wanted to see if you’re ready to talk business.” George removed his sunglasses and twirled them between his fingers. Sam found herself wishing the slender sidepiece would snap off. Then she felt petty for thinking it, which only irritated her further.

  “I’m not selling the farm to you, George. Get over it.” She didn’t step out from beneath the meager shade of the porch. Today was another scorcher and she wasn’t going to bake her skin until she absolutely had to.

  “Come on, Sam. You know you’re not going to be able to get another loan so where does that leave you?” George turned to Jace and Darian, who had been silent since she appeared. “Sam trying to get the two of you to invest in the farm? Is that why you’re here?”

  He turned back to her. “Shame on you, Sam, for trying to get two army veterans, friends of your brother, to flush their money down the drain.”

  Sam fisted her hands by her sides. Over and over she repeated to herself, If I hit him, he’ll call the sheriff. It didn’t help. Sam still wanted to sock George in the mouth and rattle his perfect teeth.

  George looked her up and down, a sneer marring the perfection of his face. “Or maybe you sweetened the pot a bit. I know what she’s like in bed and she’s not that good.”

  Jace moved so fast, he was a blur. One moment George was talking, his shirt crisp, despite the morning heat, his jeans pressed. The next, he was on his butt on the ground with Jace standing over him. “You don’t talk to her like that.”

  As much as Sam enjoyed seeing George on his ass, she couldn’t allow the scene to escalate out of control.

  Jace reached down and yanked George to his feet, dragging him toward his truck. “Leave.” He yanked open the door and threw George behind the wheel, with one hand. Sam tried not to be impressed, but couldn’t help being just a tiny bit amazed by Jace’s show of strength.

  Darian was beside his brother holding George’s sunglasses, which he’d dropped when he’d landed on the ground. Darian held them out. “You might need these.” The words were polite enough but they were laced with pure menace.

  Sam pushed her way between the two Hunter brothers and faced George. “Don’t come back. You’re not welcome here. I’ll sell to anyone else in the world before I’ll sell my land to you.”

  “No one around here will buy it if the time comes. I’ll see to that.” George grabbed the door and slammed it shut. “You’re lucky I’m not pressing charges against him.” George jerked his thumb toward Jace.

  “You do that, George, and I’ll tell everyone in town you slept with me so you could cheat me on the price of my land. Then we’ll see who loses.”

  Sam hadn’t told a soul, not even Tim, what had happened with George. As far as anyone else knew, she’d sold off some land and pocketed what it was worth. She hadn’t kept silent to protect George’s reputation, but to keep herself from appearing foolish. Maybe she should have spoken out, but she’d been too raw, too hurt at the time. By the time she was over it so much time had passed there hadn’t seemed to be any point in making a big deal over it. But she would if it meant protecting Jace.

  George’s face darkened with anger, but he started his truck and drove away. She’d seen the last of him, for now. But he’d be back. She could count on that as easily as she could count on the hot, dry Texas summer.

  “Well, that wasn’t pleasant. Sorry about that.” She barely had the words out of her mouth when Jace grabbed her by the shoulders and lightly shook her.

  “You are going to lose your land? Your home?”

  Jace’s concern was a soothing balm
against the harshness of George’s nastiness. Sam shrugged. “Maybe. But that’s my problem, not yours.”

  Jace frowned, his eyes narrowing, his jaw tightening. He dropped his hands and stalked off toward the barn. Beside her, Darian sighed. “He worries about you. We both do.”

  Darian took her hand in his and pulled her until she was resting against his chest. “I know you say you must stay, but that doesn’t lessen what I feel for you, what we feel for you.”

  Sam breathed in the fresh scent of soap Darian had used in his morning shower. Both men had been fascinated by the shower, each of them spending almost a half hour there. Thankfully, neither of them seemed to care when the water went cold on them.

  Sam gave a rueful laugh. “Right now I’m thinking Jace finds me more of a nuisance than anything.”

  Darian sighed again and this time it ruffled the top of her hair. “Don’t let his outward appearance fool you.” He pulled away and led her toward the porch. “Let me tell you a story.” He sat in one of the Adirondack chairs and pulled her down onto his lap.

  The air was still and warm and thick, but it was slightly cooler beneath the shade of the porch. Bees hummed as they flitted from one sunflower to another that grew along the edge of the porch rail.

  Sam stared out over the land. For as far as her eyes could see belonged to her family, to her. It was dry, harsh land, but it was theirs and they’d managed to hack a living from it even during hard times. She wouldn’t be the one to throw in the towel and give up. She couldn’t. Not without tainting everything her family had sacrificed their lives for.

  Darian’s big palm cupped the back of her head and eased it down onto his shoulder. “Our father was a good man, but not a wise one. He and his brothers squandered the wealth of our home, what our forefathers had built up. There were hard winters, hungry winters for our people.”

  And for him and his brother too. Sam knew without him saying that neither brother would have a full belly if there were others in need. It pained her to think of them as two little boys, cold and hungry.