Many Roads Home (39 page)
Love…or freedom?
If All the Sand Were Pearl
© 2008 Pepper Espinoza
A
Calling of Souls
story.
As a youngest son, Jag Martin has eagerly walked a life-long path toward the priesthood. Then his once-great family falters under a mountain of debt. Their only hope—marry Jag off to an appropriately wealthy suitor.
Brace Rivers desperately wants more than just a short fling. However, his economic and political reality makes finding an appropriate male partner next to impossible. When the Martin family offers Jag’s hand, it’s a dream come true. But his suspicions mount that the young man is being forced into an unwanted marriage.
Compassion wins out over loneliness, and Brace offers Jag a pearl ring valuable enough to both save his family’s fortunes and give him freedom. There’s just one thing Brace wants in return—twenty-four hours together.
Brace can only pray it’s long enough to convince Jag that a life together is worth more than all the pearls in the sea.
Warning: Explicit M/M content, use of toys, outdoor sex.
Enjoy the following excerpt for
If All the Sand Were Pearl:
Jag shaved the last patch of hair away then reached for one of the warm towels. He dabbed the towel against Brace’s cheeks, wiping away the lather. Jag caught his breath as he pulled the towel away, and his cock jerked again. Without speaking, he cupped his betrothed’s face and tilted his head.
He didn’t seek out Brace’s mouth immediately. He skimmed his lips across his upper lip, his cheeks and jaw. Each caress was soft and thin, the barest brush of contact connecting them. Brace held still, his muscles tense, holding his breath. Even his thumb stilled. Jag kissed his brow, and his eyes fluttered shut, allowing Jag the chance to kiss each of his eyelids.
Jag didn’t quite understand why, but the longer he teased Brace with his mouth, the harder he got. His cock jutted between them, the tip brushing against Brace’s stomach. As soon as his mouth drifted closer to Brace’s again, Brace turned his head and caught Jag’s lips. Brace traced his bottom lip with his tongue, seeking the access that Jag wanted to grant. Jag parted his lips, welcoming Brace’s caress.
The first kiss they had shared had made Jag’s head spin. The kiss they had shared while Brace was inside of him had made him melt. This kiss was a curious combination. The back of his neck prickled, and so did his palms, and lips, and the bottoms of his feet. In a way, it was like kissing an entirely new person. Before, the bristly whiskers had scratched against his chin, providing a contrast to Brace’s soft, probing tongue. But now there was nothing but smooth skin and a demanding mouth, and Jag didn’t know how he was going to keep his feet.
Brace put a hand up to his face once the kiss ended, rubbing his cheek with a nod of satisfaction. “Better than my barber usually does it.”
“I think I bring a little something extra to the work.”
“You do. A certain passion that the barber lacks.”
Jag’s lips were still close to Brace’s, and each word was a warm puff of breath against his face. “Not everybody can be as passionate as I am.”
Brace teased his mouth with his tongue, licking his bottom lip before drawing it between his teeth. He nipped at the soft skin playfully before deepening the caress. If there was one thing Jag had learned about Brace, it was that the man liked to kiss. And he was good at it. Jag didn’t have anybody to compare him to, but he was still certain that Brace had to be an expert. Only a man of great learning and skill could reduce him to such an incoherent mess so quickly.
When Brace broke the kiss, Jag sank to his knees. Partly because he was weakened. Partly because he was eager to explore other parts of Brace’s body. He didn’t know if he could be so bold with anybody else, but Brace so obviously appreciated everything Jag did. Jag had never felt so confident about something so alien to him.
Brace rested one hand on top of Jag’s head, but he didn’t apply any pressure, or try to guide Jag towards anything. Jag trailed hard, sloppy kisses down Brace’s chest and over his stomach. His skin radiated warmth, and Jag thought he could catch a trace of the scent of green leaves and clover lingering on his body.
Jag looked up and blinked. “Your horses.”
“What?”
“That’s why you’re tan. That’s where you spend your time. In the stables, with your horses.”
Brace nodded. “It’s spring. I’ve been training them.”
Jag ran his fingers over Brace’s muscles with new appreciation. “Could you show me how to do that?”
“Train horses?”
“Yes.”
“If that’s what you’d like. I spend a lot of time in the spring and summer with the horses. I rarely even return home during those months. I would appreciate the company.”
Jag smiled, trying to imagine what his own skin would smell like if he were surrounded by horses and clover and sunshine. Resolving to ask more questions about it later, Jag returned to his exploration. Brace’s stomach was hard and flat, and the line from his hip to his groin was well defined. Jag followed it with his tongue until he reached Brace’s groin. His tight hair tickled Jag’s chin and nose, and here he didn’t smell like clover. It was a musky, darker smell, and it triggered something in the back of Jag’s mind. Something like hunger, only deeper.
He dragged his mouth over the top of Brace’s erection, surprised by how smooth and soft his skin was. He tasted salty, but otherwise Jag mostly tasted soap. Until he reached the crown. There the texture of the skin changed, and Jag ran the flat of his tongue over it again and again, caught up in the differences, until Brace’s hand tightened on the back of his head.
“Goddess, Jag…”
Jag looked up from beneath his lashes and smiled shyly. “Was that not okay?”
“No,” Brace said quickly. “No. It’s good. Just…I’m very sensitive.”
Jag ducked his eyes. He moved from the flat top of the crown to the tip. His betrothed’s slit was already leaking a little bit, and Jag swiped his tongue over the slick skin. Brace hissed, his fingers flexing against Jag’s skull. Jag didn’t know if Brace wanted him to move faster, or if he was pleased with the pace. And he didn’t understand how he could get so much satisfaction from this act. But his flesh was warm, his stomach tied in pleasant knots, and his groin was tight. He gripped Brace’s cock with one hand and wrapped the other around his own erection and began to stroke them both in an easy rhythm.
“Oh…don’t stop. Please. Just keep doing that.”
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