N. Walters - Strands of Love

Sam blinked back tears, feeling suddenly emotional and vulnerable. But she didn’t stop. She used her free hand to cup Jace’s balls, rolling them carefully between her fingers.

His big hands fisted in the sheets and she heard a rip as one of them gave way beneath his assault.

“I’m coming.” She knew he was warning her, giving her time to pull away so he could come on his stomach instead of in her mouth.

Sam took him deeper, sucking and swallowing around his shaft and cock head. She wanted to give him everything, wanted to give him what she’d never given another man. She’d never swallowed before, hadn’t wanted to and had always broken off before it had happened with her previous lovers. But not with Jace.

“Sam. Sam. Sam.” He chanted her name over and over as she drove him closer to coming.

His balls tightened and his cock rippled beneath her hand. Then he was coming in her mouth. She swallowed and kept swallowing until he was done. His heavy hand rested against her head and he sighed a deep sigh of contentment.

Sam sucked him clean and sat up, wiping the edges of her mouth. Jace opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again and shook his head. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting. Certainly not a declaration of love, but something other than silence.

She started to turn away, but he grabbed her and pulled her down until she was sprawled on top of him. He held her face as he kissed her, pouring everything he couldn’t or wouldn’t say into it. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but she knew her own heart was more than a little involved.

How could she have fallen in love with a man who was going to leave her?

Sam slowly sat up and moved off Jace, whose pale-blue eyes followed her as she reached for Darian.

Two brothers. One intense and committed to his land and people. Loyal. The other just as loyal and committed but more lighthearted, less burdened. Similar, yet different in so many ways. Darian would always be the easier of the two to live with, the one to bend more to compromise. Not Jace. He would always be difficult and unbending. But his loyalty was unshakeable and so was his tenacity.

How was it possible for her to love them both? Because there was no longer any denying that she did.

Staring down at Jace, who still managed to look dangerous and sated at the same time and then over to Darian who waited patiently for her to come to him, she admitted the truth to herself.

Love had finally come into her life, not once but twice. But it had come at a deep cost. Both men would go tomorrow. As much as she wanted one of them to stay, she couldn’t allow it. She wouldn’t be responsible for breaking up their family.

Family. It was what she missed the most, what she wanted.

What was she staying here for?

The question shocked and surprised her, but before she could really think about it, Darian reached her for. Sam shook her head and wrapped her hand around his cock, wanting to give him the kind of pleasure she’d given Jace, a night of pleasure he’d never forget.

Darian groaned as she slid her mouth over his cock, his fingers threading through her hair. Sam lost herself in the moment, more able to show her feelings than to voice them out loud.

Darian was a man torn between two worlds, between the people he loved the most in the world—his brother and Sam. He stood on the back porch and watched the sun rise and push back the darkness. The stars slipped away and dawn was ushered in.

Today was the day. The tapestry would come and choices would have to be made.

How could he choose?

Sighing, he raked his fingers through his hair. There were no easy answers. If he stayed with Sam he’d never see his brother or mother again. If he went home with Jace he’d never see Sam again.

He swept up his sword and stalked to the center of the yard. Training always calmed and centered him. He set his bare feet on the warm dirt and began a series of movements, exercises designed to strengthen his body and his skills. Darian easily fell into the rhythm of moving body and weapon together. It was familiar. Comforting.

The early morning sun soon had him sweating, but he didn’t mind. He was becoming accustomed to the heat, just as he had become accustomed to having Sam in his bed.

None of them had slept much last night. After Sam had given him a taste of heaven with her mouth, they’d taken turns making love to her again and again until she’d fallen into a fitful sleep. A twinge of guilt made him wince. They’d been all over her and she’d likely be sore today. Desperation had ridden him even as he’d ridden Sam.

To his amazement, his cock stirred. After last night he’d figured the organ wouldn’t even twitch for several days. But all it took was a thought of Sam.

Darian ignored the physical discomfort and focused on the moves of the exercises until all else slipped away. The blade cut through the air as his body sinuously twisted and turned. His movements started slow, but soon picked up speed. He kept his breathing even and deep. The exercises were as much about mental control as they were about physical development.

He felt the ripple in the air, the way every cell of his body seemed to come to attention, and knew Sam had stepped outside. He lowered his weapon and turned to face her.

“Wow, that’s incredible.”

Darian inclined his head. “Thank you. We’ve both trained since we were children.”

Several beads of sweat rolled down his chest and his fingers gripped the handle of his sword. He wished there was a foe to fight and vanquish. That would be easy. It was impossible to fight Sam’s memories and a lifetime of family expectations. He should know. He was battling with his own.

He strode toward Sam, admiring the way she looked with her dark hair pulled back in the familiar loose braid. She was wearing pants and a shirt that clung to her breasts. Her skin smelled fresh, like soap and sunshine. He leaned down and nuzzled her neck, inhaling deeply.

Sam laughed, but it was tinged with nervousness. Darian pulled back and caught her chin with his hand. “What is it?”

She shrugged. “I’m worried about today.” Sam nibbled on her bottom lip and Darian groaned. All his peace and calm fled in an instant, replaced by lust and a tenderness that nearly dropped him to his knees.

He kissed her, not with passion, but with love. Gently, he laved her abused bottom lip before deepening the caress. Other than his hand on her chin the only place they touched were their mouths, yet Darian’s body was on fire.

It would always be this way. He knew it to the depths of his soul and accepted it.

When he released her and stepped back, he’d made his decision. “I will stay with you.”

Sam’s mouth dropped open. He could tell his pronouncement stunned her. Did she think they would both leave her here alone? Or perhaps she didn’t want him here. She might as well run his sword through his heart if that was the case.

“Do you not want me to stay?” He squared his shoulders and watched her face. Confusion and hope warred there, but both were chased away by a deep sadness.

Sam wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head. “As much as I want you to stay I can’t let you.”

Now he was confused. “Why not?”

Sam didn’t know how much more she could take before she collapsed in a heap of tears and regret. Her body ached from their sexual play last night. Both men had been insatiable, taking her again and again. She was sore, but she didn’t regret last night. No woman could have felt more wanted and cared for then she did.

Emotionally, she was a wreck. She’d left Jace in bed and come downstairs to find Darian. What a sight he’d made, wearing only his leather pants and the familiar bands on his arms, as he’d trained with his sword. Swinging the weapon as though it was as light as a feather, he’d moved through a series of intricate movements that reminded her somewhat of martial arts stances. It was a mesmerizing, deadly display of raw power and very, very hot.