He quickly buckled his sword around his waist, shoved her dress in the pack and slung it over his shoulder. “Are you okay to walk? We’re not too far from camp.”
“We’re not?” She was surprised, considering how long they’d been walking today.
Garrik smiled, his blue eyes softening as he dropped a soft kiss on her lips. She sighed, wanting it to continue, but he’d already pulled away. “We’ve walked in a large circle for the most part. I didn’t want to take you too far.” His smile faded, his expression growing serious. “Thank you, Genny. What you gave me was an incredible gift.”
Uncomfortable beneath his intense scrutiny, she looked down at her feet. “You’re welcome. Thank you.” The words were woefully inadequate to express what she felt, but it was the best she could come up with. She didn’t want to closely examine her feelings. Right now, she was hot, sticky and uncomfortable and wanted to soak in the cool water of the river.
She sensed that Garrik wanted to say more, but he held back. Heaving a sigh, he tucked a stray hair behind her ear, took her hand and began to lead her back toward camp.
“Take me to the river.” She yearned to be by herself and she knew that that was the one place they would let her go alone.
His fingers tightened on hers and then she could feel him force himself to relax his grip. “The river.” There was a grim edge to his voice. She didn’t know what he was thinking, but if his thoughts were as tumultuous as her own, then she certainly understood. Her world had changed so much in the past week. She needed some time alone to try to sort things out.
They journeyed through the woods in silence. This time, however, the silence was not a comfortable one, but charged with an emotion that Genny couldn’t place. She was restless and uneasy.
Garrik didn’t speak as he led her to her spot in the river a short while later. He stood staring at her for the longest time before he jerked her into his arms and hugged her tight. “I won’t let you leave us.” His pledge thrilled her at the same time it made her heart pound with dread. As much as she wanted to stay, she knew she had to go. Soon. Tomorrow evening. He didn’t want or expect a reply. Releasing her, he spun around and stalked off toward camp. “Don’t be long.”
She watched the forest swallow him up. Sighing, she stripped off her chemise and boots and waded into the river. She knew that if she didn’t hurry either Garrik or Jarmon would come for her. Lying back in the cooling water, she allowed it to soothe her battered body and her ragged emotions.
Chapter Eight
A soak in the cool river water helped soothe some of Genny’s aches. She was still sore between her thighs, which wasn’t surprising considering all the sexual activity she’d indulged in today. Her back stung and she could only assume it was as red as the tops of her shoulders. She pulled her chemise back on, knowing she wouldn’t be able to bear the heavier fabric of her dress resting against her abused flesh. She’d definitely gotten too much sun on an area that had never been exposed before.
It would be easy for her to gather some leaves and make a poultice to help soothe her sunburn, except that she was supposed to be a stranger here. She wasn’t supposed to know anything about the various plants that grew here or their medicinal properties. Too bad, because she’d seen several kinds that could have relieved the worst of the heat and pain. There was no help for it, she’d just have to suck it up and live with the sting. It was going to be a long night.
After donning her boots, she strolled back to the campsite. She wanted to spend time with both men but was embarrassed about facing them after today. Not all the redness on her face was due to the sun. Her cheeks heated every time she thought about this morning at the river or this afternoon in the meadow. She’d waited a long time to give up her virginity and take a lover, but she’d certainly made up for lost time today.
Both men looked up when she stepped into the small clearing where they’d set up their bedrolls. The smell of fish cooking wafted on the air. Lucky for her, it seemed as though Jarmon had gone fishing today. If they’d had to depend on what she and Garrik had caught for their supper, they’d be going hungry tonight.
Garrik motioned her close to the fire. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.” She carefully lowered herself to the ground, trying not to wince.
“You are not fine.” Jarmon scowled at his brother and strode over to crouch beside her. His frown deepened as he examined her nose and her shoulders. He laid his hand gently on the top of her back and she jerked away, unable to stop herself. “Your back is sunburnt.” His tone was accusatory.
“So it is.” She shifted so that her back was turned away from him. “I didn’t do it on purpose and it’s not your problem.” She didn’t know why he was so angry. It was her back that was stinging, not his.
“I know it is not your fault.” He shot his brother a hard stare before rising and stalking into the woods.
“Genny.” She turned away from Jarmon as he disappeared from sight and gave Garrik her attention. “He is angry with me, not you.”
“I don’t understand.” Her head was beginning to throb and her stomach chose that moment to growl, announcing her hunger.
Garrik chuckled and checked the fish. “Not much longer. Jarmon also dug some wild yams.” He motioned to a small, rock-covered pit. “They have been baking for some time now.”
Her mouth began to water. She was hungry enough to eat anything, but the fish and yams smelled delicious. She might not feel well, but she’d certainly worked up an appetite today.
Garrik came over to her and stretched his large frame out beside her. “Jarmon is right to be annoyed with me. I did not take good care of you today and because of that you are suffering now.”
Genny was totally confused. “But it’s not your fault that my face and back got burned. That was my own doing.”
He shook his head. “You are under our protection. It is both our responsibilities to take care of you and see to your well-being.”
Once again, she was reminded of just how different these men were from her brothers and the men she’d grown up around. If she was home and had been careless enough to allow her skin to be burned, she would be facing her brothers’ scorn and ridicule, and possibly worse if it kept her from performing her regular duties around Craddock Keep.
“I don’t understand you and your brother. You confuse me.” The last came out like some deep, dark confession. But truly, these men seemed too good to be true. Except they weren’t. They were real and they were the best men she’d ever known. She hated the fact that she was lying to them. Despised herself for keeping her identity a secret. But she couldn’t bear to tell them now, not after basking in the glow of their concern, not after sharing herself with them both. To watch that caring turn to anger would hurt her worse than any beating her brothers had ever meted out.
Garrik’s eyes softened and he reached out and stroked his finger down her nose. “I know you don’t. It matters not. All that matters is that you accept that we do care.”
Jarmon stalked back into the clearing, his hands filled with leaves. Genny recognized them immediately as some of the ones that would help ease her sunburn. He laid them on the ground next to her while he went to his pack and rummaged around. Pulling out a small wooden bowl, he disappeared back into the woods, only to quickly return with a bowl of cool river water. Crouching beside her, he took the leaves one at a time, shredded them and dropped them into the water.
“Can I do anything to help?” Genny tentatively reached for one of the leaves, only to find her fingers captured by his.
Jarmon brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them one at a time. “No. All you have to do is rest and get well.” Totally bemused, she brought her hand back to her lap and curled her fingers inward.
Garrik heaved himself up and went to check on the fish as Jarmon continue to shred leaves into the bowl of water. “The food is ready.” Garrik removed the fish and laid them across several large leaves.
“It
will have to wait until I have seen to Genny’s back.” His hard tone left no room for disagreement. When he spoke to her, his voice changed, softening. “I need your other chemise.”
“It’s in my pack.”
Reaching out, Jarmon snagged it with his hand and handed it to her. She’d half expected him to just dig through it himself, but once again, he respected her privacy. Opening the bag just enough to reach inside, she grabbed the chemise and quickly closed it again. The tapestry was still safely wrapped in her spare dress at the bottom. She handed it to him and his hand brushed hers. Even that briefest of touches caused her fingers to tingle with pleasure. But that pleasure quickly turned to dismay when he ruthlessly ripped the thin fabric into large strips. “Stop! What are you doing?” That was her only other chemise.
“I need it.” No more explanation that that.
“You could have asked first. That’s the only other one I have.”
He stopped, his hands looking ridiculously large and male against the delicate white fabric. “What does it matter? You are a tapestry bride. By tomorrow night, you will go back from where you came from or you will go home with us. Either way, you will have more clothing at your disposal.”
Caught by her own lies. She couldn’t fault his reasoning, nor could she protest. He was right and he was also staring at her with a strange expression on his face. “I forgot,” she blurted out, trying to divert any suspicion. “Of course, it doesn’t matter.”
Grunting, he went back to what he’d been doing. What exactly did that grunt mean? Did he believe her? Plucking the fabric of her shift away from her skin, she decided not to worry. He was right about one thing—by tomorrow night she would be gone.
Jarmon picked up the bowl and scooted behind her. He hesitated briefly before he touched the thin straps that held up her chemise. “Your poor back, Genny.” He traced the ridges of some of her older scars as well as her newer ones. “I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice was as mesmerizing as the motion of his fingers as they stroked gently over her skin. His words made her throat tighten, making it hard for her to swallow. “The poultice might sting a bit at first, but then it will ease the pain. It will also draw the heat from your flesh. By the morning, you should be fine.”
“How did you know which leaves to use?” she forced herself to say as she blinked back the tears that welled in her eyes. Her brothers depended on her to take care of any wounds or ailments and she was sure they wouldn’t have had a clue what to do about a sunburn.
“Our mother taught us.” He eased the straps over her shoulders. Genny caught the fabric as it dipped down in the front, holding it over her breasts. “She thought all her sons needed to know some basic medicines.” He tried to ease the fabric lower, but Genny held it tight in the front, not allowing it to slip any lower. “When we were boys, Zaren and Bador would take us out into the woods and show us plants we could use to eat and to heal ourselves, just as our father had shown them.”
“Your father did not show you?” She knew their father was dead, but she didn’t know for how long.
“He died when we were boys. Zaren was more father than brother to us when we were growing up.” Garrik joined in the conversation, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he watched her play tug-of-war with Jarmon.
“Genny.” She could hear amusement as well as exasperation in Jarmon’s voice. “I cannot properly tend to your back unless you let me uncover it.”
She knew she was being unreasonable. Both men had seen her breasts and every other part of her as well. It was just hard to break habits of a lifetime and she was suddenly feeling very shy. Just because they’d seen her didn’t mean she was comfortable with it. Besides, it felt different under these circumstances.
As if sensing her concern, Garrik placed his hands over hers, where she had a death grip on the cloth. “Let go, Genny. Everything will be fine.”
She wanted to let go, but her fingers wouldn’t cooperate. Garrik pried her fingers away one by one until the cloth fell to her waist. She gave a small cry of distress, but Garrik wouldn’t release her hands and allow her to cover herself.
Cold. She shivered as Jarmon began to place the wet leaf mixture on her back. Instead of trying to escape Garrik’s hold, her fingers now clung to his. “I’m sorry,” Jarmon murmured as he quickly covered her back. Rivulets of water rolled down her back as he carefully patted the leaves down on her skin. She clenched her teeth together to keep from crying out as the juice from the leaves seeped into her flesh, making it sting worse.
Jarmon continued to work swiftly and wrapped the long pieces of her torn chemise around her torso, trapping the leaves against her back. When he was finished, he tied it in several places with two thin strips that he’d torn. By the time he was finished, the pain was already receding, replaced by a cooling sensation.
Garrik helped her ease the straps of her chemise back over the makeshift bandage while Jarmon cleared away the bowl and remaining leaves. When she was settled, they both leaned in and kissed her. First Garrik and then Jarmon. They weren’t demanding or sexual kisses, but rather ones of comfort.
It didn’t take them long to serve up the baked fish and yams. In spite of her earlier hunger, Genny picked at her food. It was delicious, but her appetite had flown. Her head continued to throb, but at least her back and shoulders were beginning to ease.
They spoke little, each lost in their own thoughts, and by mutual agreement they cleaned up and turned in to bed early. The three blankets were laid out one beside the other and Genny eased herself down on the middle one, turning onto her stomach with her hands tucked under her head. She didn’t think she’d get much sleep tonight, as this wasn’t a very comfortable position.
Once the fire was extinguished and the camp secured for the night, both men joined her, one on either side. She was facing Jarmon and could see the concern in his eyes. “You didn’t hurt me.” She didn’t know why it was important for her to tell him that, just that she sensed it was.
He stroked the side of her face with his fingers. “I would never want to hurt you.”
“I know.”
He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Behind her, Garrik gently kissed the back of her head. “Sleep now.”
She closed her eyes but didn’t think she’d be able to follow Jarmon’s command. There were so many thoughts running through her head, but deep down she knew what was keeping her awake. It was time to be truthful with herself. Somewhere in the past two days, she’d opened her heart up to the Bakra brothers. Simply put, she’d fallen in love with them.
It wasn’t just the way they treated her with respect and listened to her opinions. They might not always agree with her, but they at least acknowledged what she had to say. It wasn’t the way they put her welfare above their own or the way they’d made love to her with such care to her pleasure before seeking their own. She could call it making love now, because in her heart she knew that is what she’d done. If she hadn’t suspected she was growing to love them, then she would never have been able to give herself so freely to them. She trusted them.
But it was more than that. It was the little things they did without thought that truly touched her. Like the way they made sure she had enough to eat and the way they worried about her safety. It came as natural to them as breathing and spoke well of their character. They were good men, with a high moral code they lived by.
What had pushed her over the edge from caring to love was what had happened here this evening. Jarmon had tended to her back while Garrik had held her hands, offering silent comfort. Never in her life had she felt as cared for or as loved as she had in that moment when they had both pressed a kiss to her lips just to reassure her.
Her stomach clenched and she wanted to cry out at the pain this admission caused her. She forced herself to keep her breathing calm, not wanting to alarm either man or have them ask questions. Tomorrow was her last day with them. This time tomorrow evening, she had to have a plan in place that woul
d allow her to slip away from them. Her heart protested, but her head assured her that she had no choice. She was the sister of their worst enemy. She could not risk them discovering who she was. Not that she thought they’d hurt her. That thought had been long dispelled. They would never hurt a woman. What she couldn’t bear to see was their concern and caring turn to anger and hatred.
She wanted to rub her chest, it hurt so much. Instead, she forced herself to keep breathing slowly. One breath in. One breath out. It didn’t help the ache, but it did ease some of the strain.
She squirmed around, trying to get comfortable. Both men shifted and Jarmon placed his hand on her bottom and began to rub, the action soothing. Garrik stroked his fingers over the back of her head and her neck. Beneath their ministrations, she slowly began to drift toward sleep.
Tomorrow was her final day with them. What would happen? What would she do? How would she leave without hurting them?
Chapter Nine
By the following afternoon, Genny still had no idea how she was going to slip away from them later this evening. Both men watched her closely, as if expecting her to disappear at any moment.
Thankfully, she had been feeling fine again this morning. The first thing Jarmon had done upon awakening had been to check her back. The poultice had done its work, and while her back and shoulders were still tinged a pale pink, they no longer stung. Genny had taken her time down by the river, washing and dressing. She longed to wash her chemise but knew that would have to wait for another day. She hated having to put the garment back on again, but she had no choice. There was no way she could wear her dress without it. The material would be too scratchy and rough against her skin.
Strangely, she had wanted to linger, not wanting to leave. Leaving meant that this was the beginning of the end. By contrast, both men seemed eager, almost impatient, to get started. Genny knew they were headed toward Bakra Castle. She just had to delay them enough so they wouldn’t reach it until tomorrow. By then, she would be gone.
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