Fabric of Fate (10 page)

He stalked toward her and it took every speck of courage she possessed to keep from fleeing. But where would she go? She had no idea where she was.

Abrah swooped down and lifted her off her feet. “You are cold.” It was an accusation and it made her grin in spite of herself.

“I don’t seem to have any clothing to wear,” she pointed out. Her heart was pounding but she wasn’t afraid of him, not really. She knew deep in her heart he wouldn’t hurt her. No, she was more afraid of her reaction to him.

Audrey wanted to cling to him, to wrap her arms around him and let him take care of her. And how stupid was that. She’d learned long ago that men were not to be depended on. Her father had left her mother and her years ago, all her boyfriends had left her at the first sign of trouble in their relationship or when they’d no longer needed her money or contacts, and her bosses used her talent and took the credit for it.

No, the only person she could depend on was herself. She held her body as rigid as possible, not wanting to lean against Abrah as he sat in the chair by the fireplace with her in his lap. But, oh, it was hard. The man radiated body heat and she was shivering from the cold.

Abrah angled her body so she was facing the fire, her back to his chest. The heat from the flames felt good against her skin. She shuddered and he swore. Before she realized his intent, he had the blanket open, exposing her front to the heat and to his view.

“What are you doing?” She batted at his hands and grabbed the ends of the blankets, trying to pull them back around her.

He yanked the blanket from the grasp with no effort at all. “I am getting you warm.” He ran his hands over her arms and in a brisk motion before moving down her torso and over her thighs. She had to admit she was certainly heating up fast.

And she wasn’t the only one. Abrah’s body was like a blast furnace. And he was also aroused. Incredibly aroused.

She swallowed hard as the memories from last night came pouring back. She’d touched his impressive erection last night and he’d had his hands all over her. She shuddered and her breasts grew heavy and her nipples puckered.

Abrah gave a low rumble of approval and covered her breasts with his hands. She’d never been this horny in her life. She wanted to give in to the moment, to let go and have sex with him but she needed answers.

“Where am I?”

He sighed, his breath ruffling her curls and warming her neck. “You are in Javara.” He plucked at her nipples making it difficult to think. Her skin was ultra-sensitive and alive beneath his touch.

“Where exactly is that?” She sucked in a breath, practically panting now. That wouldn’t do. She grabbed his hands and drew them away from her breasts. Immediately, she wished they were back there. Her pussy was damp and swollen, her body was totally out of control and that so wasn’t like her. “Did you drug me?” Outrage washed through her. Was this some kind of kidnapping rouse? “I don’t have much money but you’re welcome to what I have if you’ll let me go.”

He grew still behind her. She wished she could see his face but was also grateful she couldn’t. He was fierce when angry, and she had the distinct impression he was extremely pissed at the moment.

“I do not need your money.” Great, now he sounded offended.

“Look, big guy. I don’t really know who you are or where I am.” She grabbed the ends of the blanket and flung them around her. Even the slight weight of the blankets made her skin ache.

Abrah tuned her so she was lying across his lap looking up at him. “I am Abrah Dannon and you are at Dannon Keep. This you already know.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek and down her jawline. “You are in Javara. The tapestry brought you.”

It was her turn to frown now. “What are you talking about?”

“You mentioned a tapestry in the dream we shared and again last night.”

This wasn’t making any sense. “Sure, I found an old tapestry in a box of stuff in my closet, but what does that have to do with anything? I was holding the tapestry in my hands when I collapsed in my bedroom, but I still have no idea what that has to do with me ending up here.”

His arms tightened around her. “You are ill? You need a healer?” The concern in his voice was too real to be an act, unless he was one hell of an actor, her more cynical side pointed out.

“I’m fine.” She figured if she said it enough it would become reality. Besides, other than vitamins, good food and rest there wasn’t much else to be done.

“Why did you collapse?” Abrah obviously wasn’t satisfied with her two-word explanation and demanded answers.

She tried to move but his arms were like steel bands around her. He wasn’t hurting her but she wasn’t going anywhere either, not until he got answers.

“I got run-down because I was working too hard. But I’m okay.” She wasn’t about to tell him she might have had a panic attack. She still wasn’t sure she believed that, but she could easily believe she’d been working too hard and not taking care of herself because it was the truth.

A sudden thought occurred to her and her stomach dropped. “I’m dead, aren’t I? Or maybe in a coma?” Maybe she’d hit her head when she’d fallen in her bedroom. Stranger things had happened to folks. A head injury could be fatal.

He ran his hand over her leg and hip and settled it over the curve of her waist. “No, you are not dead. You are very much alive.”

Frustration ate at her, partly due to lack of information and understanding and partly due to growing desire. Being near Abrah, being held in his lap with his heat surrounding her was having a profound effect on her senses. She could smell the wind and rain on his skin mixed with the deeper, musky scent of male. Hear the way his breathing was getting deeper. Feel the hot brand of his cock through all the layers of cloth separating them. See the way his pupils dilated and his lips parted.

She wanted him. Badly.

“I don’t understand.” And she wanted to, had to. What had happened to her well-ordered life?

Abrah cradled her in his lap, watching her closely as he spoke. “As I said before, you are in Javara. The tapestry was created by a great sorceress and imbued with her magic and it has brought you here. Such has happened for many generations.”

“Magic?” Now she was concerned about his state of mind.

“Yes. Here women are scarce and are treasured by all. Brothers compete to win the right to marry a woman. Only one brother can marry her and claim her children as his own, but the other brothers get one night a week in her bed and vow to take care of her if her husband dies. There are no more than three brothers to a woman.”

“That’s all fine and good but what does this have to do with me?” Audrey didn’t buy the entire sharing-a-woman deal. But it was one heck of an original line. “What do you mean by
compete
?”

“Sexually.” That one word was like a stroke down her spine, settling in her pussy and making it pulsate slow and deep. “Both Heroc and I will pleasure you separately and together. That way you will know which one of us you prefer.”

Audrey was off his lap in a flash. The blanket slipped, exposing one nipple. She yanked it back into place but not before Abrah got an eyeful. He licked his lips and she almost moaned at the thought of having his mouth all over her body.

Focus
, she ordered. “Thanks but I’ll pass. How do I get home?”

A great sadness seemed to settle over Abrah even though he didn’t move and his expression didn’t change. She had the stupid urge to go to him and comfort him, which was insane. The man was a virtual stranger who wanted her to have sex with him, oh, and with his brother too. How crazy was that?

Not as crazy as it should have seemed to her. She stiffened her spine, determined to get to the bottom of this. “Tell me more about the tapestry.”

He shrugged one massive shoulder. “As I said, it is magic, created by a sorceress. It usually comes once in a generation, bringing a woman from another time and place, one who has the ability to thrive in our world. Some of the women stay but others return to their own world. It has already brought an unprecedented four such women in my lifetime.”

She had the feeling she’d disappointed him somehow. Well, tough for him. She wasn’t exactly happy at the moment herself. “You mean this magic tapestry simply kidnaps women?” The idea was totally preposterous and delusional. Obviously, Abrah needed psychiatric help. Just her luck, she meets a hunky guy and he’s a sandwich short of a picnic.

“Not kidnap. No.” He stood and began to pace, his agitation obvious in the way he raked his fingers through his hair. “Three days.” He spun around to face her. “We have three days to convince you to stay then the tapestry will come and take you home if that is your choice. If you stay you will remain here forever.”

Fear leached all the color from her face. She couldn’t imagine being lost in another world forever. Not that she believed this tall tale Abrah was spinning, but if it was true it was downright scary.

“So I can go home in three days?” Best to focus on the most important detail.

He lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked so dejected she wanted to go to him and wrap her arms around him. She’d already taken several steps before she stopped herself. The chair was in front of her so she clung to the top of it, digging her fingers into the wood.

“Yes. In three days the tapestry will return and you can make your choice.” His head came up and he stared intently at her as if he was trying to see into her very soul. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling.

He began to move toward her then, his large body fluid and silent. She took a step away but he kept coming. Like an animal on the prowl he tracked her every moment. His nostrils flared and his lips parted.

“But I will use that time to convince you to stay.” His words were so soft she almost didn’t hear them. She wasn’t certain if he was talking to her or to himself. Not that it mattered. His intentions were more than clear. He intended to have sex with her.

The oddest part was she wasn’t certain she’d mind it at all. He’d touched her skin, stroked her breasts and had his fingers inside her last night. What would it feel like to make love with him? No, it wasn’t love—it was sex. She couldn’t confuse the two. He didn’t know her any better than she knew him.

She licked her lips and stood her ground as he got closer and closer until he was standing right in front of her. She was shivering now but not from the cold. Her body was alive, every nerve ending in her body singing, yearning for Abrah.

What would it hurt? They were both adults. This was a time out of time. She was already on vacation from work. No one would miss her for three days. She could have great sex with him and then go home.

“You promise you’ll let me go in three days?” He flinched at her question and she wished she could call it back. He’d brought her to this strange place after all, why should she believe him about anything? Yet, oddly enough, she did.

“Yes. If that is what you want.” He cupped her face and lowered his head. The time for talking was over. She went up on to her toes, drawn to the overwhelming need she felt coming from deep within him.

Their lips met. She’d expected a more forceful kiss but his mouth was gentle against hers, coaxing her to part and accept him. She could do nothing less. Driven by a primitive urge she truly didn’t understand, Audrey let his tongue slide between her lips and welcomed him into her embrace.

Chapter Seven

Abrah knew he should walk away from Audrey. She’d made it clear she planned to leave when the tapestry returned. He’d explained everything to her but didn’t think she truly believed him. His word was his bond, his honor, and yet she doubted him. Never in his life would he have expected this turn of events.

And to have her offer him money to let her go had been like a sword thrust to his heart and his pride. He might not be rich but he would never be poor enough to take money from his woman. He could hunt and had a strong back. She would never be cold, never go hungry as long as he lived.

Which was a moot point since she had no plans to stay.

He knew she was having a difficult time coming to grips with the reality of the situation. From what he’d heard over the years, most tapestry brides did. Some accepted the situation more easily than others. Others never did and fled back to their homes as soon as the tapestry returned. Abrah honestly didn’t know what to do to convince Audrey his world was as real as hers. She’d seen the countryside. Gods, she’d been lost in the storm. What else was there to convince her that this was not a dream?

Then he’d understood there was no need to even try. She’d already made up her mind. But the tapestry had brought her to him and Heroc and they owed it to themselves to try to convince her to stay. Abrah had the feeling this was their one and only chance to have a woman of their own. If Audrey left them they would be alone forever.

He poured all his pent-up loneliness into the kiss he gave Audrey. He would not beg, would not plead with her to stay, but she would remember him long after she’d gone. She would go to her deathbed as an old woman with the taste of his kiss on her lips. It was only fair as he knew he would never forget it or her.

Her fingers dug into his scalp, holding him to her. The blanket slipped from her body and fell to the floor, tangling around her bare feet. Abrah scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed.

He wanted her and she was willing. There was no need for him to hold back any longer.

Her eyes were closed, the dark sweep of her lashes resting on her cheekbones. Gods, she was beautiful with her rosy skin and full, moist lips. She looked at him then, her blue eyes as brilliant as a summer sky.

Abrah stripped off his tunic and tossed it to the floor. Her gaze ran the length of his torso and stopped at his waist. He loosened the laces of his pants and slid them down his legs. His cock was standing erect, hard and firm, leaving her no doubt he was ready and willing to take her.

She licked her lips and his cock jerked toward her. He closed his eyes, knowing he’d lose control if he didn’t. He wanted her too much.