by Lana Dare
Phoenix grinned and rose to his feet. “Told you. I’m gonna go join Hawke at the well and get cleaned up a little before dinner. Take it easy on her, Blade. She got checked out by the doc.”
Blade’s dark brow went up. “And you think I don’t know that?” Bending, he gathered her against him, and straightened, holding her securely against his chest. “I make it my business to know everything about her.”
The last few weeks had been scary as hell and he spent every available minute watching her, so afraid that he would lose her.
Her fever seemed to last forever, and had kept him and his brothers awake at night, fearing she’d die in her sleep if they didn’t watch her.
When it finally broke, he and Hawke had bathed the sweat from her and then he’d gone outside, crying for the first time in his adult life.
Leaning her head against Blade’s shoulder, she smiled up at him, so light and delicate in his arms that it unnerved him. “Now that Phoenix wears moccasins instead of cowboy boots, he thinks it’s funny as hell to sneak up on me.”
Blade gave her the smile he knew she expected and strode to the bed. “We’re all used to being as quiet as possible so we didn’t wake you. I want to see how you’re healing.”
Mindful of her injuries, he flattened his hand on her thigh and started to raise her skirt, stilling when she laid a hand over his to stop his progress. “Blade, please don’t.”
His stomach clenched, the thought that she’d changed her mind about him during her recovery scaring him to his bones.
She’d taught him that he could love so deeply.
He didn’t think he’d ever find a woman who’d tie herself to a half-breed and embrace living in the middle of nowhere the way Sarah had.
His need for her grew, and went far beyond just physical. The closeness he’d established with her had fed a need inside him he hadn’t even known he’d had.
She was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman—more than he could have ever dreamed of—wrapped in one adorable, desirable package.
And so frighteningly delicate.
The slight flare of panic in her eyes was like a kick to the gut.
She’d never objected to his touch before, and his heart clenched because she did now.
If she’d decided she didn’t want him anymore, he didn’t know how he’d survive it.
Chapter Sixteen
Sarah’s face burned under Blade’s steady stare, and smoothed her hand over his in apology. “It’s ugly.”
Blade blinked, the tension she hadn’t noticed before easing from his body.
Although she didn’t understand the relief in his eyes, his slow smile took her breath away.
Turning his hand to take hers, he held her gaze, his eyes glittering with emotion. “Nothing about you could ever be anything but beautiful to me.”
“You’re just being nice.” Not allowing herself to believe him, she averted her gaze, staring toward the window. “I was already damaged. This just makes it worse.”
“Oh, love.” Pressing her gently back against the pillows, he knelt on the floor beside her. “How could you ever think that?”
She involuntarily leaned into his touch when he pushed her hair back. “I’ve seen the way you, Hawke, and Phoenix look at my scars. You stare at them and then you get this look on your faces and turn away as if you can’t bear to see them.”
Blade wore the same expression now. “And you think it’s because we think they’re so ugly that we can’t stand to look at them?”
“Yes. I under—” She snapped her mouth closed as he slashed a hand through the air and surged to his feet.
Blade’s features hardened even more as he began to pace, his long braid flying with every turn. “You understand nothing! We failed! Do you understand that?” He strode back and forth across the small room, scrubbing his hand over his face. “We were supposed to keep you safe. We were supposed to protect you.”
Stunned by his outburst, Sarah sat up again. “But you did protect me. You came to rescue me, and took care of me.”
“Yes. But, you got hurt. Seeing those scars just reminds us that we didn’t do our job. We didn’t protect you.” Rushing to her side, he knelt beside her, the glitter of emotion in his eyes leaving her staring up at him in stunned silence.
Shoving her skirt out of the way, he pressed his lips to her now healed wound, gathering her against him. “You could have died.” His arms tightened around her as he pressed his face against her belly. “We came so close to losing you. I love you, and I almost lost you.”
Shocked that his voice broke, Sarah blinked back tears. Running her hand over his sleek hair, she smiled. “You love me?”
Blade lifted his head, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. He blinked, and they disappeared, only to be replaced with an incredulous look of disbelief. “Of course, I love you. Did getting shot addle your brains?” Rising to his feet, Blade started pacing again.
“How the hell could you not know that I love you?” He spun again, confronting Hawke as he came through the door. “How the hell can she think that we think her scars are ugly?”
Hawke’s brows went up, his gaze zeroing in on hers. “Oh?”
Phoenix came through the door right behind Hawke, frowning at Blade before turning to her. “She thinks that? Has she seen the scars on us?”
Shrugging, Sarah picked at a thread on the sheet covering her. “That’s different. You’re men. I saw the way you looked at them—”
Hawke came closer, his hair dripping wet from where he’d obviously dunked it to cool off again. “And you thought it was because we thought they were ugly?” Shaking his head, he shared a look with his brothers. “It looks like we’ve failed her again.”
To her surprise, Hawke stripped the sheet from the bed, and with a gentleness she hadn’t expected, and an efficiency he’d obviously gained in the past several weeks, stripped her out of her clothes.
Meeting her gaze, he pressed her back against the pillows again and lowered his head. “I’ll show you how ugly I think your scars are.”
The chill of his wet hair on her breast and abdomen made her jolt, but the heat of his lips on the spot on her side where she’d been shot quickly warmed her again.
Blade smiled. “Let’s join him.” He moved to the other side of the bed and knelt beside her, bending his head to run his tongue over the scar on her thigh.
Phoenix knelt next to him, smiling as he lowered his head to the now healed bullet wound on her shoulder. Running his lips and tongue over it, he ran a hand over her hair. “Delicious.”
Lifting his head, Hawke stroked her nipples with the ends of her hair, smiling at her gasp. “Does this feel like we think anything about you is ugly?”
Feeling their lips and tongues moving over the sensitized, newly healed flesh, Sarah moaned and writhed beneath them. “Oh, God.” To have them all touch her this way made every erogenous zone in her body grow hot and tingle for attention.
“You really don’t mind them?”
Blade lifted his head and spread her thighs, running his hand up and down her inner thigh with a gentle demand that made her pussy clench. “We mind because we didn’t protect you. That won’t happen in the future. You’ll behave yourself and do everything in your power to protect yourself.”
Hawke pressed another kiss to her side, running his tongue over her scar before lifting is head again to slide his tongue over her nipple, his expression hard. “Including doing what we tell you to do. If you go anywhere, at least one of us had better know about it, or if we’re not around, tell one of the men here. Do you understand me?”
“Yes!” Sarah moaned again, writhing continuously under their hands and lips.
Blade’s hand moved over her thigh as he traced his lips over the spot where she’d been shot.
Phoenix used his lips on the wound on her shoulder, running his hand over her breast and teasing her nipple, while Hawke moved his damp hair over the other.
Lifting his head fro
m the wound on her side, Hawke stared into her eyes. “Once you get your strength back, I’m going to show you just how damned much I want you.” Straightening, he reached for her other thigh and eased it back, watching her face as he spread her thighs wide. “In the meantime, I’m going to use my mouth on you. You’re gonna take a damned nap. After you come a couple of times, maybe you won’t fight it so much.”
Holding her other thigh, Blade smiled down at her, a smile filled with wicked intent. “You get the first one. I’ll take care of the second.”
Hawke moved between her thighs and lowered his head to her slit. “Phoenix, get on the other side of her and help Blade hold her as still as possible. I don’t want her thrashing around and hurting herself.”
Sarah bucked at the slide of Hawke’s tongue over her slit, but the three of them held firm, not allowing her to move more than an inch or two in any direction. “Hawke!” His hot mouth on her clit drove her wild, his lips closing over it as he flicked his tongue over it with a speed and firmness that sent her over in a rush of heat and pleasure. “Oh, God. Oh, God.”
The muscles in her thighs tightened painfully as the sizzling heat washed over her, and although she pushed at Blade and Hawke, she couldn’t budge either one of them. “It’s too much. Oh, my God.”
Lifting his head, Hawke licked his lips, shiny with her juices. “Already, little one? I was just getting started.”
“My turn.” Blade changed places with his brother, his eyes alight with anticipation. “Let’s see if I can drag it out and make the second one last a little longer.”
Phoenix bent to close his lips over her nipple while Hawke held her thighs, lowering his head to run his lips and tongue over her wounds. “She’s already weak. Be easy with her.”
Blade grinned. “So easy that she’s gonna beg for relief.”
Sarah moaned, never feeling more cherished. More wanted.
More adored.
Blade’s tongue moved over her clit with a slow deliberation that sent her senses reeling. He teased her, running his tongue over the sensitized bundle of nerves, easing her back toward release when she hadn’t even fully come down from the last orgasm.
“Blade. Please.”
Lifting his head slightly, he chuckled, the sound vibrating over her clit. “Already begging, love? We’re going to have to work on your endurance in more ways than one, aren’t we?”
Phoenix lifted his head, staring down at her with eyes dark with hunger. “We’re gonna have to work on her stamina for sure. Once we build her strength up, we’re gonna have to see how long we can play with her without letting her come.”
Hawke’s hand slid from her belly to her breast, his eyes filled with tender indulgence. “Does this feel like we don’t want you?”
Sarah tried to writhe, and found to her surprise that instead of frightening her, their firm holds excited her more.
Still holding her thigh, Hawke laughed softly and bent to touch his lips to hers. “You like being held this way. Interesting.”
Blade slid his tongue into her pussy, groaning when she clenched on it. He teased her mercilessly, sliding it in and out of her until she bucked again. Lifting his head, he brushed his tongue over her clit. “We’ll have to tie her to the bed sometime and have our way with her.”
Just the thought of it sent another wave of need through her, a wave that washed over the others and combined into something so intense, she reached for Hawke. “Please, Hawke. I can’t stand anymore.”
Heat—sizzling heat—seemed to touch her everywhere, the pressure building inside her with every swipe of Blade’s tongue.
Hawke’s and Phoenix’s attention to her nipples increased the pleasure until she thought she would burst.
She didn’t have the strength to fight it, or them.
Resigned to allowing Blade to have his way, she whimpered and begged again for release. “Blade, please. I ache so bad.” Her thighs trembled, every muscle in her body quivering with pleasure.
Lifting his head, Blade stared down at her, sliding a finger into her pussy as he stroked his thumb over her clit. “Are you going to take a nap without arguing?”
“Yes.” She’d do anything to go over again, her breath catching in anticipation of the ecstasy ahead. “I promise.”
Hawke tightened his fingers on her nipple. “And no more stupid stunts. We can handle any trouble that comes along, but I won’t have you putting yourself in danger again.”
“I promise. I’ll do whatever you want.” She was so close that every slide of Blade’s finger sent a shiver through her. She clenched on his finger, wishing he would take her, but she knew none of them would until she got stronger.
Nothing else could have been a better incentive.
“Good girl. We’re going to hold you to that. Now, be a good girl and stay still.” Blade bent again, his hot mouth replacing his finger. Closing his lips over her clit, he began to suck it, the quick flicks of his tongue sending her over within seconds.
Crying out, she clung to Hawke and Phoenix, who watched her with eyes that glittered. “Yes! Oh, God.” Her orgasm took the last of her energy, leaving her weak as the waves of pleasure washed over her.
They seemed to roll through her, sweeping her along in a rush of heat that she couldn’t control.
“That’s my girl.” Blade’s voice, filled with male satisfaction, seemed to come from a distance, the hands that moved over her and the soothing words of love and caring lulled her into a world of warm and happiness that she never wanted to leave.
* * * *
Blade felt her slump, and smiled as he lifted his head. “She’s asleep.” Licking his lips, he savored the taste of her and slid his hands up her thighs. Frowning, he covered her with the sheet, not wanting her to get chilled as the pleasure wore off. “I didn’t expect that. I thought she knew how we felt.”
Phoenix shrugged. “Women always want to hear the words.”
Hawke nodded. “I’d like hearing the words myself. The only time she’s ever said it was when I asked her if she was happy here. She asked me how she could be unhappy when she’s with the men she loves.”
Blade nodded. “She loves us. She’s proven it over and over, but doesn’t seem to recognize it in us.”
Phoenix straightened the sheet over her and rose to his feet again. Staring down at her, he ran his hand over her hair. “Maybe she’s scared.”
Blade frowned. “Of what?”
Hawke sighed and ran a hand over her arm, smiling when she rolled toward him. “What the hell security has she ever had in her life? She’s probably just scared that someone’s gonna pull the rug out from under her. We’re gonna have to be patient.”
Blade nodded. “Yeah. She actually thought we wouldn’t want her anymore after Phoenix got shot.”
Phoenix sighed, looking up to meet Hawke’s gaze. “And she sure as hell was shaken when you got mad at her for being on the porch instead of in bed. She seems to think that anytime one of us gets mad, it’s at her, and that being mad at her means we don’t love her anymore.”
Hawke’s stomach clenched, the reminder of the kind of life she’d had making him physically ill. “We can’t really blame her for that. It sounds like she walked on eggshells her entire life, trying not to draw attention to herself. Now that she’s here, she’s got all kinds of attention. It’s given her confidence in some ways, but not enough.”
Phoenix bent to touch his lips to her hair, smiling at her soft sigh. “We’re just gonna have to be patient and let her know that being mad at her doesn’t mean we don’t love her.”
Chapter Seventeen
Sarah smiled at the cheers and shouts of encouragement coming from the paddock. Deciding that she’d done enough sewing for now, she got up to stretch, pleased that she felt stronger now than she ever had in her life.
Duke appeared, studying her from the doorway of the chow shack. “You all right?”
Grinning, Sarah nodded, and bent to put her sewing back into the basket. “I’
m great. I swear, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good in my entire life.” Straightening, she wrinkled her nose at him. “Must be all that delicious food you make.”
Duke grunted. “I just cook it. It’s your men who practically force feed you. How about a glass of milk? Savannah’s in here having some.”
Another loud cheer had her turning. “Thanks, but no. I’ve been sitting too long. I want to go see what all the commotion’s about. I’ll be back in time to help with supper.”
With a wave, she raced down the porch steps and around the corner, hurrying toward the paddock before whatever the men were cheering about was over.
As soon as she rounded the cabin, she could see men all around the fenced area. Even from this distance, she recognized Hawke and Blade. Dressed in buckskins, they stood out from the crowd, but she would have known their lean, muscular forms anywhere.
A crowd of men stood around the wooden fence, calling out shouts of encouragement.
Curious and anxious to see Hawke and Blade again, she started toward them, her boots squishing in the mud from the thunderstorms of the night before. Holding her skirts up to keep them from getting muddy, she wished she’d worn her buckskin dress and leggings.
Grinning, she ran up to them, stunned that despite the shouts and cheers from the other men all around them, they somehow sensed her presence and turned in unison to face her.
Hawke smiled faintly, his eyes flaring as she placed her hand in his outstretched one. “Hello, love.” His gaze raked over her as he pulled her to his side. “Something wrong?”
“No.” Smiling up at Blade, she leaned against Hawke, loving the solid warmth of his body supporting hers. “I was sitting on the front porch sewing, and I heard a commotion. What’s going on?” Her eyes widened when she saw that the great attraction was Phoenix riding a horse that bucked wildly. “Oh, dear Lord!”
Covering her eyes, she turned to press her face against Blade’s chest, tightening her hand on Hawke’s. “Every time I see one of you do this, it gives me chills.”