The Heart of Falcon Ridge (The McLendon Family Saga, #1)

by D. L. Roan

  From his bedroom doorway, Grey listened as Matt and Mason crept down the stairs, leaving Claira asleep in Matt’s room. When they disappeared into the kitchen, he snuck to the foot of the stairs and listened as Matt relayed all of the details of what had happened at Claira’s. By the time Matt was through, Grey was seething. Having heard enough, he turned without a sound and crept up the stairs.

  He’d heard Claira’s sobs earlier that evening and had slipped into Mason’s room next door, listening to the sounds of their voices, wishing he could join them. Knowing the beautiful, helpless creature was alone and frightened beyond belief, not ten feet above his own bed, he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her.

  Grey paused in the doorway and studied her pale complexion as the moonlight flirted with the shiny strands of her curls. She lay still, curled in a tight ball, her hands and knees drawn into her chest. She was so small and defenseless, like a baby bird that had fallen from her nest. My baby bird.

  Only the sound of her steady breaths filled the room, calling to him like a whispered prayer. Without thought, his feet shifted silently across the hardwood floor. He pulled off his tee-shirt and slid slowly onto the mattress behind her.

  Stretching out beside her, he froze when she turned in his arms and snuggled into his chest. He lowered his arm, his hand skimming across the silken skin of her shoulder.

  The tense knot in his chest relaxed for the first time since he met her, allowing him to take his first deep breath in days. He would never forget this moment, when he first touched her. The softness of her curves against his rough, calloused hands felt magical as he stroked her skin. Lost in the sensation of her touch, he didn’t notice her soulful, brown eyes staring at him until his hand had trailed the length of her arm and began its journey back to the top of her delicate shoulder.

  Neither of them said a word when their gazes met and held for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Claira’s eyes fluttered closed and she lowered her head into the crook of his arm, her soft, angelic face resting against his chest. Grey released a strangled breath as her arm circled around him and hugged him closer.

  He didn’t know how to explain it, but at that moment he would have given his life for her to never have to feel afraid again. What sick fuck would want to hurt such a tiny, delicate being? His arms folded around her and he rested his hand against her cheek. The last piece of his broken heart fall away and a new rhythm sounded in its place.

  He knew then that he was lost to her, before he’d ever truly found himself after Sarah’s death. Somehow he would have to reconcile the finality of it all or he’d lose Claira, too.

  The sounds of hushed footfalls ascended the stairs and he met his brothers’ gazes over Claira’s shoulder when they paused in the darkened doorway. “She shouldn’t be alone,” he whispered. He knew his brothers would understand the meaning behind the words he couldn’t yet say. They lingered there a moment, taking in the sight of her curled securely in his embrace before they turned and left them alone together.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The scent of pine and something definitively masculine whirled around Claira like a summer breeze, filling her lungs and sending warm waves of desire through her limbs. She’d awoken twice during the night, once with Grey’s strong arms around her, holding and caressing her while she slept. Before dawn, she rose again to use the bathroom, gulping down a much needed cup of water and taking a swig of the mouthwash that sat on the bathroom counter to wash away the sticky cotton in her mouth.

  To her disappointment, Grey was gone when she awoke that last time, but Mason had been snuggled against her in his place. Now she could feel the unmistakable strength of not one but two warm, male bodies pressed against her, along with two quite intimidating erections. She felt a flush of heat rise to her cheeks and ricochet down between her thighs.

  “Good morning, sweetheart.” Mason smoothed the hair away from her face as she opened her eyes, his deep, comforting voice as soothing as his touch. Her breath caught when she found his baby blues staring back at her, his blond lashes so long they nearly concealed the creases at the corners of his eyes when he smiled.

  He leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead then buried his nose in her hair and took a long, lingering breath. “Christ, you smell good.”

  She felt Matt’s arm encircle her waist from behind and she turned to see his identical glorious smile. From the angle of the sun’s early morning light shining through the window, she could see a hint of hazel flecks near the edges of his blue eyes and wondered if Mason’s had them, too.

  “Good mornin’, darlin’,” Matt said, his smile widening before he leaned in and captured her bottom lip between his. His kiss was gentle and playful, but ended as quickly as it began. “You scared me yesterday, Claira,” he said, brushing his knuckles over her cheek.

  “I’m sorry,” she sighed. Matt tried to interrupt her, but she pushed ahead, determined to make him understand that she wasn’t the raving lunatic she’d morphed into the day before. “I overreacted. I saw that the porch lamp was out and I got scared. My mind made a mountain out of nothing, and I’m sorry I put you through that.”

  “What I don’t understand is why?” Mason asked, turning her chin so that she was forced to look at him. “Who are you running from, Claira, that you have to go to such extreme and archaic measures?”

  She tried to look away, but Mason wouldn’t let her. He pulled her chin up a little more and pressed his lips to hers in a reassuring kiss. “Tell us who’s done this to you, sweetheart. We won’t let them hurt you again, ever.”

  She would be lying if she said she hadn’t been tempted to tell them everything. She couldn’t explain why, but she trusted them explicitly, without question. The less they knew the better. There was nothing to tell, really. That life was over. After the complete fiasco the day before, she was ready to let go, put her past away for good and start her new life over, hopefully with them in it.

  “It doesn’t matter.” She shrugged, looking back at Matt. “That part of my life is over. Please let it go.” She leaned back and looked at Matt, the need to kiss him overwhelming her shyness. “Kiss me,” she whispered, her voice shuddering with uncertainty as she pressed her lips to his.

  “Claira,” Matt breathed, brushing his tongue over her bottom lip. When she opened her mouth to him, he slid his tongue deep inside and tangled it with hers. His erection thickened and pressed against her lower back. When his hips flexed hard against her, she couldn’t contain the moan that clawed its way from her chest.

  ~*~*~*~*~

  Matt’s pulse surged in response. He knew he should demand more answers, but he couldn’t stop the raging need to possess her. The mewling sounds she made in the back of her throat were like electricity pulsing through his bloodstream, pushing him precariously close to the edge. She made him feel like an untried teenager.

  He lifted himself above her and nudged her knees apart with his own, settling comfortably into the cradle of her thighs. Wrapping his forearms beneath her shoulders, he buried his hands in her hair, holding her as he deepened their kiss.

  His hips rolled against her pelvis, the zipper on his jeans pressing painfully against his swollen cock. They both released a tortured groan, and he felt the bed dip beside them. Breathless, Matt broke the kiss and turned to see Mason leaving the room.

  “Don’t go,” Claira pleaded, her spoken declaration sending shivers down his spine. She’d accepted them; both of them.

  Mason turned and propped his hip on the side of the mattress. Stretching out across the top of the bed, he traced his thumb across her kiss-swollen lips. “Are you sure, sweetheart? Are you sure you want both of us?”

  Claira nodded and Matt’s cock jumped in response. Her chocolate eyes shifted between them and then closed on a sigh. “I don’t know if it’s right or wrong, and...and I don’t care about that anymore. I want you. Both of you.”

  “Ah, Claira, sweetheart, we want you, too.” Mason leaned down and kissed he
r.

  Matt pulled back and unzipped his jeans, rolling them past his hips, but left his boxers on. He tossed his jeans to the floor and resumed his position between her outstretched thighs.

  “Is this what you really want, darlin’?” Matt had to make sure. He sensed her hesitancy. He would never do anything to hurt her, but he didn’t think he could stop once he was skin to skin with her, the need to connect with her so strong after the chaos of the day before.

  Claira nodded, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m sorry, but I haven’t...”

  Matt and Mason shared a worried glance. Mason gave him a little shrug. “Are you a virgin, sweetheart?” Mason asked, trying to tamp down the surprise in his voice. There was no freaking way she could be. If she was, then Matt could kiss his position between her legs goodbye, because there was no way in hell he was he giving that gift to his brother without a fight, twin or not.

  “I...no...I just...” Claira stumbled over her words, her cheeks turning rosy with her innocent blush.

  Reading her body, Matt snuggled closer and pressed his swollen cock against the spot he knew would bring her the most pleasure. He’d make damn sure she enjoyed every moment of this. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, darlin’. Show us what you like and we’ll make you feel good.”

  Claira closed her eyes and shook her head. God, she wished they had just kept moving. She didn’t want to have to tell them. “That’s just it,” she said after an unbearable silence. “I don’t really know. I’ve only done this once and I wasn’t very good at it.”

  Matt swallowed, hard. He hated to ask but he had to know. “Do you mean with two men, or once, period?”

  “Oh—only once, period,” she stammered. “I was in college. It was a long time ago, and I...”

  Mason grinned at Matt and then turned and captured her lips again in a gentle kiss. When he pulled away, she opened her eyes and Matt could see the hidden desires there.

  “Sweetheart, no one is good at this their first time. Well, except for me,” Mason said. Matt rolled his eyes and Claira giggled. “We’ll teach you how to love us.”

  “And we’ll have an incredibly fun time learning what you like,” Matt teased, his hips rolling against hers again, his eyebrows bouncing mischievously above his laughing eyes.

  Matt was rewarded with another one of her giggles. Man, he could listen to that sound for an eternity and never get tired of hearing it. He disappeared beneath the sheet and drew her panties down her legs, sending them flying over his shoulder where they landed on the dresser behind him.

  “Oh Jesus! You smell good.” His muffled groan vibrated against her wet, sensitive cleft and her back arched from a pleasure she’d never known.

  “Told you.” Mason threw off the sheet, revealing Matt’s position between her thighs. He never thought he would experience this with his brothers again. Being with a woman on his own had satisfied his carnal needs, but never fulfilled him the way making love to a woman they all loved together had. He could feel Grey’s absence, but after seeing him with her the night before, he knew it was only a matter of time before Grey would join them; completing them.

  Mason skimmed his hand along Claira’s hip and feathered his fingers along the curves and valleys leading to her ripe, lush breasts. As Matt’s tongue danced along her folds then disappeared into her hot, wet core, Mason pushed her shirt over her breasts and circled his tongue around one taut, bronze nipple, eliciting another desperate moan from her lips before moving to the other. He couldn’t wait to have those rosy lips wrapped around his throbbing cock, but not yet. This was about her pleasure and learning her body’s needs and desires.

  Claira writhed beneath them. Matt was teetering on the edge, the need to claim her so intense. “You like that?” He folded his tongue and pushed it further into her sweet pussy, gathering her thick, fragrant arousal. “Fuck, Claira. You taste sweeter than honey and somethin’ else completely indescribable. I can’t get enough of you.”

  Claira pressed her thighs together around Matt’s head as her back arched against the bed, pressing her breast harder against Mason’s incredible tongue. The things they were doing to her with just their mouths made her world spin. She didn’t understand the force that hummed through her body. She needed something, anything....

  “Please,” she begged, unsure of what she was begging for.

  “Please, what?” Matt looked up at her, his lips glistening with her essence. He recognized the need in her eyes. “You need to come, darlin’? Is that what you want?”

  “I...oh don’t stop. I don’t know.” She arched her hips against Matt’s face, urging him to continue, her body seeking what she didn’t know to ask for.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. He’ll give you what you need.” Mason traced the globe of her breast with the tip of his tongue one final time before he nipped her nipple. His bite blazed a fire that shot straight to her core as Matt sucked on the sensitive place at the top of her sex and hummed his approval.

  Claira flew apart, floating up and out, a million pieces in a million different directions into a whole new world where light shined brighter than the sun and a warmth like she’d never felt melted her bones into a fiery lava. She floated there in an unknown heaven, her body humming and pulsing until she heard a silken voice calling to her.

  “Claira,” Matt whispered, crooning in her ear. “Sweet Claira. You’re so beautiful when you’re flyin’.” He peppered her face with small, sweet kisses as her breathing calmed and she drifted back to Earth.

  “I...I’ve never...it’s too much, so wonderful,” she panted, her heart lurching in her chest as her body continued to shake with her release.

  “Was that your first orgasm?” Matt was stunned they were her first. It was too much to hope for.

  “I’m hoping that’s what that was,” she giggled, unable to hold back her smile. “Because I don’t think I could handle anything better than that.”

  “Oh, it gets way better than that, darlin’. I promise.” Matt chuckled and covered her mouth, devouring her laughter as he drank from her lips. She could taste herself heavily on his tongue before he broke away and kissed a trail down to her breasts. “I’ve yet to taste these beauties,” he continued to tease, caressing the tip of one taut nipple with his thumb before he sucked it into his mouth.

  “He’s a breast man.” Mason chuckled and tilted her mouth toward him, releasing a primal growl of his own when the taste of her pussy exploded on this tongue, firing his taste buds to life. “God, I’ve missed your taste.” Tipping his head to the side, he deepened their kiss, his teeth lightly nicking against hers as he explored her mouth, gathering her unique flavor before retreating to skim her lips and plunging in again.

  She tensed when she felt Matt’s penis nudge at her opening. “Relax, darlin’. Let me in.”

  Mason trailed his fingertips over her collarbone, down to the valley between her breasts and cupped one in his big palm, kneading her soft flesh. As Matt rolled his hips, nudging the swollen head of his cock into her slick, wet passage, Mason pinched her nipple and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger, simultaneously deepening their kiss again.

  Claira cries of pleasure mingled with Matt’s, her back arching off the bed with the same pleasured responses as before. “God, Claira! So tight.” Matt groaned, his efforts to hold back his release evident in the taut, corded muscles in his neck, the sheen of sweat blooming from his pores and hoarse cries clawing from his chest.

  “Look at him, Claira.” Mason pulled away from her lips and nodded to Matt hovering above her. “Look at the way his arms are shaking with the pleasure and pain of holding back his release. He wants it to last, sweetheart, but you’re making it so good for him he’s fighting not to let go.”

  The sensual picture Mason was painting with his erotic words and the sight of pure, male rapture in Matt’s expression sent a spike of need and lust straight to Claira’s womb. Her stomach muscles quivered and contracted. Her hips jolted up as M
att began a slight forward roll of his hips. His rock-hard cock pushed through her delicate, tight passage much deeper and faster than he’d intended.

  “Fuuuck!” Matt’s curse came on the heels of Claira’s scream. “Darlin’, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Trembling, Matt began to pull out, afraid he’d hurt her, but the thick, hot arousal that flowed through her tight, pulsing passage soothed his worry and spurred him toward his own spine melting orgasm.

  Deeper and faster, he fed from her breathless moans as he moved inside her. Her whole body quivered around him as he lost control, pumping once, twice then roaring as he held himself stiff inside her. He could feel his cock pulse against the tip of her womb as his seed spilled in endless wave after endless wave.

  Just as he thought he wouldn’t be able to come again for the rest of his life—as he lay on top of her, their chests heaving together in breathless abandon—Claira’s velvet sheath contracted around him again, sending a shock wave through his still half-hard cock. His hips pulsed against hers, triggering a secondary orgasm in them both. He cried out into the crook of Claira’s neck, his teeth scraping against her shoulder as his dick pulsed to life inside her again. Dear sweet God in heaven, he didn’t think it was possible to come twice in the same lay.

  Matt laid his sweaty forehead against hers, his eyes closed, a smile on his face as they continued to pant through every breath. “Oh, you are so never leavin’ this bed,” he chuckled, bracing himself on his elbows.

  “Hmmm,” Claira hummed and turned her head toward the soft hand that caressed her cheek. She opened her eyes to see Mason’s staring back at her in wonder, his eyes as dark as the deepest ocean.

  “That was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.” His thumb slid over her lips, tracing along the seam as Matt continued to pepper slow, sensual kisses along her neck and shoulder.

  Claira couldn’t help the guilty feeling that pushed at the edges of the euphoria surrounding them. She glanced down at the apparent bulge tenting the front of Mason’s black boxers and a frown pulled at the corner of her lips.