Tapestries 03 - Woven Dreams (8 page)

They continued to advance. Genny dug her heels into the ground and arched her hips higher, wanting them deep. “You’re so tight,” Garrik gritted out from between clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry,” she cried as they continued to push into her resisting body.

Garrik emitted a strangled laugh just a Jarmon’s hand stilled inside her. “Oh damn,” Garrik muttered.

“You are a virgin?” Jarmon lifted his head to stare down at her.

She ducked her head and nodded. Anger overlaid the disbelief in Jarmon’s voice.

She didn’t see what difference it made. They had their fingers deep inside her, she was burning with need and they wanted to talk!

“Genny?” Garrik’s voice was softer than Jarmon’s, coaxing her to reply.

“I’m a virgin. What does it matter?” The last words came out in a gasp. It was hard to think. Their thick fingers were still inside her, stretching her sheath. It felt so good, but she needed something more.

“It matters,” Jarmon muttered. “You should have told us.” He buried his face in the curve of her shoulder and took a deep breath. “We could have hurt you.”

“Well, you didn’t hurt me, but I’m in pain now.” Garrik chuckled and Jarmon groaned. She didn’t care what they thought so long as they didn’t stop.

“You are sure?” Garrik nuzzled his nose against her neck.

In answer, she grabbed a hank of hair and tugged him down to her breast.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Both Garrik and Jarmon returned their attention to her breasts, covering them and suckling hard. They slowly pulled their fingers back to her opening until only the tips remained inside. She pumped her hips hard and they thrust inward. They still didn’t push as deep as she wanted and she knew they were conscious of the barrier of her virginity.

One of them stroked the top of her sex with his thumb, brushing against her swollen clitoris. Every part of her body tightened at once. She hovered for the briefest of seconds, poised on the edge of completion. One more light brush on her clit and she exploded. Her hips jerked and her body spasmed as liquid gushed from between her legs. She lost all track of time as her orgasm consumed her.

When she became aware of her surroundings again, both men were staring down at her. She offered them a sleepy, sated smile and then gasped as they slowly withdrew their fingers from her still-pulsing core. They raised their fingers to their mouths and sucked her essence from them. She swallowed hard as her sex clenched. She became 41

aware that the solid ridges of their arousal were still poking into her hips. Neither of them had come.

She lowered her hands to stroke them, knowing she owed it to them after the pleasure they’d given her. Both her wrists were caught. Strong fingers wrapped around them, tugging them upward. “I don’t understand.” Their actions totally confused her.

Garrik offered her a slightly pained smile. “Tonight is all about you, Genny. Your pleasure is a gift.” Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Although if you still want to do something about it any time over the next few days, I certainly would not object.” His easy humor sank into her bones, relaxing her.

She could taste her own essence from when he’d licked it off his finger. It was incredibly arousing and gave her several ideas. There was so much she wanted to try, so much she wanted to do.

She yawned so hugely her jaw made a slight cracking sound. The stress of running, of always looking over her shoulder coupled with the mind-blowing orgasm she’d just had turned her limbs to mush. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so totally relaxed.

Garrik gathered her into his arms and she rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. She could feel Jarmon settling himself behind her and she snuggled her behind against his erection. He wrapped his arm around her waist and angled it upward, cupping her breast in his palm. Sighing, she snuggled tighter to Garrik and reached behind her to pull Jarmon closer. She felt the deep rumble in Jarmon’s chest and it reminded her of the purr of some great cat.

Content, she allowed the warmth of their bodies and the safety of their presence to lull her into sleep.

42

Jarmon glanced at the path that Genny had taken a short while ago. It seemed to disappear within a few feet of the camp, swallowed up by the forest around it. He knew that it led to an area in the river that was deep enough for her to bathe in. He’d mentioned it to her as they’d munched on some berries that he’d collected to add to the leftover fish from last night’s dinner. She’d taken the path soon after they’d finished eating, saying that she wanted to clean up.

They’d let her go, knowing that she was within shouting distance if she needed them. They had no doubt that she would be safe, as they were deep within Bakra territory. With all the distance they’d covered yesterday afternoon, they were now only about a day’s walk to Bakra Castle. Otherwise, they’d never have let her go off on her own, no matter what she wanted. Both brothers had sensed her need to be by herself to examine what had happened the night before, so they hadn’t protested when she’d announced her intentions.

He’d tensed when she’d taken her small pack with her, but relaxed slightly when he’d realized that she’d left her blankets behind. He didn’t think she’d run from them, but he didn’t want to take anything for granted.

Jarmon’s head was still spinning over the fact that she was a virgin. Garrik had been blunt enough to ask her age while they’d eaten breakfast. She’d just laughed and told them that she was twenty. While he supposed it wasn’t unheard of, it was unusual for a woman of her age to at least not have had some kind of sexual relationship.

“She’ll be all right.” Garrik’s voice broke his reverie.

He hadn’t realized he was still staring at the empty path in front of him. Sighing, he turned to his brother. “I still can’t believe that she is untouched. At least she was until last night.”

Garrik hunkered down by his blankets and began to roll them. “It is strange, especially for a woman with as much passion inside her as Genny.” Jarmon nodded absently. His brother was right. Genny was indeed a woman of great passion. She’d come so easily, embracing her need and taking what she wanted.

His pants became unbearably tight. Swearing under his breath, he adjusted his cock to lessen the pressure.

“Do you believe that the tapestry brought her?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.

” Jarmon raked his hands through his long hair in frustration. “She is hiding something. I know it in my gut and I see it in her eyes.” His eyes narrowed. “What it is, I don’t know.”

43

“Should we take her back to the castle?” Garrik tied the blankets to the bottom of his pack and leaned it against a tree. Standing, he brushed some dirt from his pants.

Jarmon had been debating that very question in his own mind since he’d awakened with an aching hard-on. “It would take us a day to reach the castle. If we left now and walked all day, we would be there by nightfall. If she’s lying to us, we might be bringing trouble right inside our own home. If the tapestry did truly bring her, then this is already day two. I, for one, do not want to waste the time we have together walking.”

“I agree, but shouldn’t we ask Genny? Perhaps she’d rather be somewhere that she could relax in a hot bath and eat a decent meal.” Garrik paused and a huge smile split his face. “Sleep in a large, soft bed.”

In spite of his growing tension, Jarmon smiled. His brother did have a valid point.

After all, Genny was a woman on her own—how much trouble could she actually bring to their home if they took her there? Maybe he was being overly cautious. “I will ask her.” His gaze wandered back toward the path. He strained his ears, but all he could hear was the faint rush of the river.

“Go.”

He jerked his head back toward his brother, not quite sure he’d heard him properly.

The look of understanding on Garrik’s face rattled him and he shook his head. “It is better if you go first.” He raised his left hand to his face and absently rubbed his scar. “I don’t want to frighten her.”

Garrik snorted. “Genny didn’t seemed to be afraid of you last evening.”

“That was because it was dark,” he growled. “It is light this morning and there is no hiding my disfigurement. You are whole and handsome. You should be the one to take her first.” It burned his gut to think of any other man, even his beloved brother, taking Genny’s virginity. To be the man she honored with such a gift was indeed a treasure worth fighting for. The only thing keeping him from fighting for the privilege was his concern for her.

Garrik scrubbed his hand over his jaw. “I suppose if it doesn’t matter to you…”

“Don’t push me,” Jarmon muttered as he glared at his brother.

“So it does matter,” Garrik taunted. His grin slowly faded to be replaced by an expression of understanding. “If she cannot accept both of us, then she is not the right woman.”

Jarmon’s emotions were in complete turmoil. Usually he had no trouble keeping them in check, but somehow Genny had gotten under his thick skin and was making a mockery of his control. The scar on his face throbbed as he clenched his jaw. He stared into his brother’s face and what he saw there humbled him. “You will give her up if she cannot accept me.”

“Of course.”

44

Jarmon hung his head. Those two words said it all. Of course. The bond between them, the sheer love he felt for his brother, was overwhelming. How could he have kept his brother at arm’s length for almost a year? It shamed him how selfish he’d been.

He felt Garrik’s hand on his shoulder and reluctantly raised his head to meet his brother’s fierce gaze. “We are brothers. Nothing will ever change that or come between us. Besides.” He slapped Jarmon on the back. “Perhaps she will choose you and then I will be the one scratching at your door.”

He snorted in disbelief but grinned as Garrik had intended. “That is not likely.” Garrik’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “So I have your promise that if you are chosen to be husband, I will get more than one night a week in Genny’s bed?” Jarmon didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.”

Garrik’s smile faded. “I will not hold you to that.”

“I will.” Jarmon spun on his heel and stalked toward the path. He didn’t think that it was even an issue worth discussing, but he’d wanted his brother to know just how much he valued him.

Jane and his older brothers had taught him the value of a strong, accepting marriage. She was married to Zaren, but her love for Bador was evident. True, she rarely, if ever, spent a night alone with him, but it mattered not because Bador shared their bed at least half the nights of every week. It made the bond between all of them strong.

He did not expect the same thing if Genny married Garrik though. As long as she accepted him, he would content himself with his one night a week. That was enough. It had to be.

Taking a calming breath, he unclenched his hands that had curled tight by his sides.

Shoving aside all thoughts and worries for the future, he crept toward the edge of the trees. It was all moot if Genny didn’t accept either of them.

He heard her before he saw her. The sounds of the waterfall and the flow of the river faded into the background until all he could hear was Genny. She was humming and every now and then she would sing a word or two. He felt himself smiling as the soft sound of her voice swept over and around him.

Parting the branches in front of him, he stepped out onto the banks of the river.

Sucking in a breath, he froze. Never had he seen such a beautiful sight. Totally naked with the water lapping at her waist, Genny raised her arm and absently ran a small piece of soap over her skin. The sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees, giving her an otherworldly appearance. Like a water nymph from myth and legend, he expected her to disappear beneath the surface of the river any moment.

He must have made some sound because her head whipped around, sending a shower of water droplets from her wet hair arching through the air. Her arms folded protectively across her chest and she shrank back into the water.

45

He felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut. He’d been right. She could not bear him in the light of day. The beat of his heart was painful against his chest and he raised his hand to absently rub the ache.

Then she smiled at him.

It was if the sun had come out at the end of a storm, brightening the entire world.

Genny smiled shyly and slowly unwound her arms, baring her breasts. “You frightened me. With the sunlight shining on the shoreline, for a moment I couldn’t see who was there.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat. She’d given him something he’d never expected. Acceptance. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” His voice was harsh, but there was no help for it. The last year had changed him, made him tougher both physically and mentally. His emotions had been closed off in order for him to survive. He yearned for the young man he’d been and reached back to find some of the gentleness he’d once possessed.

Lust flowed through his veins and fired his blood. He wanted Genny with every fiber of his being. All his muscles flexed and tightened until he felt as if his entire body was forged of stone. His cock jerked inside his pants, demanding release. Craving satisfaction.

His continued silence was making her nervous. He could tell by the way her smile slowly faded and her fingers clenched the soap tight. “How is the water?” The corners of her mouth lifted again. “It’s wonderful. Cool and refreshing.” She laughed as she sank into the water and leisurely swam toward the small waterfall that cascaded over a twelve foot drop of rocks. “You didn’t tell me about the falls.” She paddled back to toward him and stood, lurching a bit as she found her footing on the rocky bottom.

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” Her pleasure filled him, becoming his own. “Genny,” he began, knowing he had to ask her. “Do you want to leave here and go to Bakra Castle? We can be there by tonight and you could spend your night in a soft bed. We would have tomorrow at the castle.”

“No!” She stepped backward and stumbled slightly. “No,” she repeated, this time more calmly. “I’d rather stay here. If I’m only going to be here for two more days, then what’s the point of wasting time?”