Bakra Bride (7 page)

“Jane.” Her eyes flew to Zaren’s and she realized that she’d been staring at them. Zaren looked exasperated, Bador looked amused, while the younger brother seemed almost disinterested. “These are my brothers, Bador and Garrik.” He motioned to each man in turn as he introduced him.

Gathering her courage, Jane stuck out her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Jane Smith.” Really, it was no different than an awkward business situation and heaven knows she’d gotten through plenty of those.

At first they just stared at her hand as if they weren’t quite sure what to do with it. The moment stretched out until it began to get awkward. Jane started to withdraw her hand. She could feel the heat climbing her cheeks.

But before she could lower it all the way, Bador reached out and snagged her fingers in his. Raising them slowly, he bent his head and kissed the top of her hand. Then his lips brushed her knuckles as his tongue snaked out to stroke between her fingers.

Gasping, she tried to withdraw her hand, but although his grip was gentle, it was unbreakable. Zaren stared hard at his brother but said nothing. Jane could feel her entire body warming beneath the strangely erotic caress.

Bador slowly raised his head and smiled at her. It was a gentle smile, but it was also filled with heat and sensual promise. Jane felt a pulsing low in her belly. This couldn’t be happening to her. She’d just had wild sex in a field with this man’s brother and now she was feeling aroused by him. This wasn’t like her at all.

This time when she tugged her hand away, he let it go. Grateful, she pulled it back into her lap and just nodded at Garrik. He didn’t smile at her and, when he nodded at her, his eyes looked incredibly sad. “I’m pleased to meet you, Garrik.”

He took a step towards her and crouched down beside her. Although he was a grown man, he looked slightly younger than the other two and Jane had a feeling he was a few years younger than she was. Slipping his massive hand behind her head, he bent and placed a soft kiss on her lips. It was a simple kiss and lasted but a second, but the younger man sighed deeply as he released her and stood. “Jarmon would adore you.” With that cryptic statement, he turned and left the room.

“Garrik,” Zaren started after him, but Bador stopped him.

“Let him go. It is hard for him.”

Obviously this Jarmon was important to them. “Who is Jarmon?”

Both men turned back to her, staring as if they had forgotten she was there. “He is our brother. Garrik’s twin. And he was severely injured in a battle a month ago. He has not yet recovered.” Bador’s voice was ragged and he took a deep breath.

Jane could feel their pain and the underlying message that they didn’t really expect him to recover after this long. To have a brother so close to death when they were obviously all so close must be an incredibly painful experience. She wondered if Jarmon was the fourth warrior in the tapestry, the one who was in the shadows and faded in and out of the picture.

Her heart went out to them all, but how much worse must it be for Garrik, who was faced with the possibility of losing his twin? Well, she couldn’t even imagine it. Her own father’s death had been hard enough on her. “I’m sorry.” The words were totally inadequate, but they were all she had to offer them.

Bador nodded and Zaren turned back to feed the small flames flickering in the fireplace. Crouching in front of it, he stared into the fire as he added several larger pieces of wood.

Jane shivered again, suddenly very aware of her cold, clammy pajamas. Bador seemed to notice and frowned at her. “You’ve got to get out of those wet clothes.”

Zaren stood abruptly and headed for the door. “I’ll leave you in Bador’s care.” He didn’t even glance back as he disappeared from her view. The door closed heavily behind him, slamming with a finality that made her cringe. She felt abandoned and bereft without him.

“Everything will be all right, Jane.”

“Will it?” She honestly didn’t know anything anymore. Her entire life had been pure chaos for the last six months. This was just more of the same.

“Yes, it will.” Gripping her shoulders, he pulled her to her feet. “But first, we need to make sure you don’t get ill.” Before she knew what he planned to do, he caught the hem of her silk pajama top in his hands and whipped it over her head.

“Hey,” she cried as she smacked ineffectually at his hands. He ignored her protests as if she were no more than a bothersome child. Naked from the waist up, she covered her breasts with her hands. He’d already seen them, but that didn’t mean she was going to show him even more.

His eyes only skimmed her breasts before dropping lower. His blue eyes darkened as he skimmed the tips of his fingers over her torso and down her rib cage. A shiver skated down her spine, partially due to cold and partially due to arousal. Shame washed over her at the thought that she could so easily go from making love with one brother to being aroused by another.

Bador didn’t even bother with the knot at the waistband of her pajama pants but snapped the thin string with his hands and pushed the fabric low.

Gasping, Jane caught the fabric before it slipped below her hips. His thumb brushed her hip and she winced. Looking down, she saw a bluish splotch. Bador swore under his breath and quickly checked the other side. Sure enough, she had another bruise on the opposite hip.

“My brother was not as careful with you as he should have been.” There was a thread of anger in his voice and Jane hastened to reassure him.

“He wasn’t rough with me.” Bador looked at her as if he didn’t quite believe her. “Honestly,” she continued, “I didn’t feel it at all. I actually bruise easily.”

Forgetting the fact that it would leave her breasts bare, she brushed the side of his face with her hand. The slight stubble scraped her palm as he turned his head and kissed the center.

“You have been unwell, I think?” He pushed aside the hand still holding onto her pajama pants, and the fabric dropped to her feet.

Jane felt totally self-conscious and tried to cover her body from him. Bador ran his eyes over her body from head to toe. And she feared that he missed nothing. Turning, he walked to the bed, grabbed one of the thick furs that covered the top and came back to her.

Draping the fur over her shoulders, he wrapped it around her before plucking her off her feet and depositing her in front of the crackling fire. The warmth from the fur and the fire was delicious and she edged closer.

Bador sprawled out behind her. The heat from his body was amazing. Without a word, he turned her so that she was cradled in his arms, with her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. Like his brothers, his torso was bare except for the leather vest he wore.

Snuggling against the firm warm pillow of his chest, Jane fought against the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm her. She had so many questions to ask.

“Sleep,” he crooned as he sifted his fingers through her hair. “I will be here when you awake and I will answer all your questions then.”

As if his promise was all she needed, she felt herself drifting off to sleep. Just before sleep claimed her, she thought she heard him whisper, “And you shall answer mine.” Then there was nothing but darkness as sleep claimed her.

Bador didn’t know how much time passed as he held Jane cradled close to his heart, but as he gauged the shifting shadows on the wall while the sun moved across the sky, he suspected that the afternoon was almost gone. Her soft breath ruffled the hairs on his chest with each breath she drew. Her hand had started out on his chest but had ended up flat on his stomach. One inch lower and she’d be touching his cock, which was strained to its limits.

Never in his life had he been subjected to sensual torture such as this. Holding Jane in his arms felt right. He knew very little about her, but what he had gleaned so far was favorable. She had shown a kindness and empathy to Garrik that hinted at her caring personality. Obviously, she’d had no trouble with Zaren. It had amazed him how she’d stood up to his older brother. She had looked more like a bedraggled kitten, but she had shown her claws. The thought brought a smile to Bador’s lips.

Sifting his fingers through Jane’s tousled hair, he felt contentment unlike anything he’d ever experienced in his life. His cock was throbbing and his balls ached, they were so heavy. Sweat dripped down his brow as the heat from the fire and the furs draped over their bodies enveloped them. And yet he felt content.

The fact that the tapestry had brought her here was not to be discounted either. A tapestry bride was one who was magically chosen and was always a good match. Just look at how the match between the House of Garen and Christina Beaumont had worked out. Yes, they had gone to challenge for the right to have her as a bride, but from the moment they’d laid eyes on her with the Garen brothers they had known deep down that it wasn’t meant to be. It was obvious that she was with the right brothers.

Still, they had felt her loss keenly. Having Jarmon so severely injured so soon after had only made things worse. Their mother was taking it hard. She’d rushed to Castle Garen to nurse Jarmon and had been there ever since, refusing to leave his side.

He doubted Zaren would send for their mother. There was barely enough time for her to make the trip back to Bakra Castle before Jane’s fate was decided. Besides which, it would be too stressful for her to leave Jarmon at this point.

Although Jane wasn’t aware of it yet, she had only three days to decide her future and the first day was almost spent.

Jane sighed and, as he looked down at her, she tilted her head back and peered up at him. When she blinked, her long lashes feathered over her pale cheeks. Her full lips were parted slightly and as he watched, a fine pink blush crept up her cheeks, giving her face some color. She looked good enough to eat. Bador shifted as that thought had his cock straining to be released from his pants.

“I’m still here?”

She looked like a sleepy little owl as she stared up at him with wide blue eyes. “Yes, Jane. You’re still here.”

She nodded and sighed again. “I thought I would be.” Her hand began to absently stroke his stomach. He clenched the muscles and gritted his teeth. It felt so damned good, but he might come in his pants if she kept it up for very long. “How long did I sleep?”

Struggling with his unruly desires, he tried to concentrate on her question. “Several hours, I think.”

She nodded but made no motion to leave her position. Her hand stroked lower and this time it brushed his erection through his pants. Bador hissed as he sucked in his breath. Jane’s hand froze over his hard length and he covered her hand with his, pressing her hand against him.

She made a soft sound of distress in the back of her throat, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, her fingers closed slightly around his cock. Bador almost howled at the intense pleasure it gave him.

Lifting his hand to her chin, he tipped it up as he lowered his mouth to hers. It was a struggle to keep the kiss light and undemanding when his body was urging him to roll over, thrust inside her welcoming body and fuck her senseless. Instead, he licked at her lower lip with his tongue, tracing the contours before slipping inside.

Cupping her face in one hand, he kept the other wrapped loosely around her. Her fingers flexed, massaging his straining flesh through the leather of his pants until Bador couldn’t take it any longer. He rolled, cradling her in his arms, until she was beneath him. Bracing himself on his arms, he continued to kiss her until her tongue was tangling with his.

Breaking away, he gasped for breath. “I want you.” Uncertainty clouded her eyes as he watched, so he quickly changed tactics. “Let me pleasure you.” Nuzzling her neck, he kissed and licked his way down over her neck, stopping at the hollow where her neck and shoulders met and biting gently.

Jane sucked in a breath and moaned as he licked her skin, soothing the bite mark with his tongue. He playfully nipped at her collarbone as he worked his way down towards her breasts. The two soft mounds were tipped with pink nipples that begged to be tasted. So he did. One at a time, he lapped at them, pleased to see the nubs harden as her arousal grew.

Sitting back on his knees, he pushed the furs aside and kissed her soft belly as his hands glided over her torso. He could feel her ribs as his fingers skimmed over them. She was way too thin, but that would change now that she had him to take care of her. Keeping Jane happy and healthy was now a priority.

But right now, he had a chance to consolidate his position with her and he wasn’t about to squander the opportunity. Her breasts jiggled with every breath she took and the rosy tips were puckered and wet. With her eyes closed and her lips parted, she was a breathtaking sight.

He slid his hands over the fronts of her thighs and then slipped them to the inside of her knees and stroked upwards again, pushing her thighs farther apart as he went. Her eyes flew open as he parted her sex with his thumbs, spreading her wide open for his inspection.

“Your pussy is beautiful. So pink and wet and hungry.” Jane licked her lips but said nothing. “Let me taste you. Let me pleasure you.” Not giving her time to answer, he bent his head and lapped at the swollen folds of her sex.

Jane moaned, unable to stop herself. The sight of Bador with his head between her thighs had her insides clenching tight. She was filled with a sensual yearning, but at the same time her body felt heavy and lethargic. She was barely awake when he’d started kissing her and caressing her, and her body had flamed to life immediately. But this was wrong, wasn’t it?

Reaching down, she pushed at his head, trying to dislodge him. “Bador, we must stop. This isn’t right.”

He raised his head and licked his lips. “Why is it not right?”

“Well, because it’s not.” Her thoughts were muddled as she stared at his handsome face. His long blond hair was mussed and pushed over his shoulders and his eyes shimmered with desire.

Sighing, he sat back and she almost cried out at the sudden loss she felt. But he stayed between her legs, his fingers lightly skimming her labia as he talked. It was almost impossible for her to follow what he was saying, but she struggled desperately to do so.