Read Fabric of Fate Online

Authors: N.J. Walters

Tags: #David_James Mobilism.org

Fabric of Fate (4 page)

BOOK: Fabric of Fate
10.97Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

“Damn.” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment and then carefully stepped on the bottom shelf, praying it would hold her weight.

She stretched her arm out and her fingers found purchase on the side of the cardboard. She pulled. It was stuck. Not surprising. She hadn’t moved it in years. Not since she’d put it there. She hadn’t looked at the contents for even longer.

Her limbs were shaking and she was starting to sweat. It was probably smarter to go get a chair to stand on, but she was determined. She got a better grip and yanked. The box was stubborn at first and then suddenly gave way.

“Crap.” It slid toward her and off the shelf. Audrey clung to the rim of the shelf as the box tumbled down, hitting her shoulder before spilling to the floor. She carefully stepped down, rubbing her abused shoulder. Hopefully it wouldn’t leave a bruise.

The contents of the box were strewn at her feet. Yards of fabric, large and small, all found at yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores. She’d planned to make something out of this bounty years ago but never had. But she’d never been able to make herself part with it either. It was her connection to the past, the thread that bound her to the girl she’d once been.

Audrey sat down on the floor and began to paw through the vibrant fabric. There were exotic silks with golden and silver embroidery from the Middle East and Asia, homespun cotton in tribal designs from Africa, designer fabric from Europe and America. Some of it was modern and some was vintage. All of it was beautiful.

“What’s this?” Audrey pulled out a piece of tapestry work. The design was about two by three. Not very big but absolutely stunning. A stone building that resembled a small castle was perched below a towering mountain. Beyond it she could see the ocean. It was incredibly realistic. She could almost hear the waves washing the shoreline.

She held it up to the light. “Why don’t I remember this?” And she should have. The workmanship was amazingly intricate but she didn’t think it was machine manufactured. She examined it more closely. “This is hand done.” And whoever had made it was a true artist.

Two men stood in front of the building, both tall and strong. Their hair was long and flowing. Their chests were bare. A tingling started deep in her core.

“Wow. Talk about realistic.” She really needed to get out more if seeing two gorgeous men on a piece of fabric was turning her on.

Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d even been on a date. Her last serious boyfriend had been Tom and that had ended almost six years ago. It hadn’t been a traumatic breakup. He’d taken a job transfer and she hadn’t been willing to follow him, hadn’t loved him enough to leave her position.

Why hadn’t she dated since?

The answer was obvious. Work.

A chill broke out on her skin. “You shouldn’t be sitting on the floor when you have a perfectly good bed only a few feet away.” She shoved the cloth back into the box, all the while promising herself she’d take a better look at it tomorrow. She even had some old sketchbooks stuffed in her bookshelf. She’d dig them out too and look at some of her old designs.

She knew she probably wouldn’t leave her job at Claymore and Butler. Positions like hers weren’t easy to come by, especially in this economy, and she made damn good money. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t start having a more balanced life, one that included hobbies from her past.

Audrey picked up the tapestry to stuff it in the box with the other fabric, but at the last second decided to take that one with her. She really couldn’t remember purchasing it. She shuffled back to the bed and set the tapestry aside while she finished her dinner and watched an old black-and-white Audrey Hepburn movie that was playing on television. Her mother had loved the actress and had named her only daughter after her.

Audrey was nodding off by the time the movie ended. She made herself get up long enough to return her tray to the kitchen, take her vitamins and one of the sleeping pills the doctor had prescribed and stop at the bathroom. Then it was back to bed where she pulled the covers around her and slipped into sleep.

* * * * *

She was warm when she woke and pushed at the robe wrapped around her. She hadn’t turned the heat up. There was no reason for her to be this warm. Usually she was cold.

Some strange sound caught her attention and she sat up, shoving her unruly hair out of her eyes. She blinked, unable to believe what she was seeing. A fire crackled cheerily in a large, stone hearth not ten feet from the end of the bed. The sound she’d heard must have been the pop and crackle of the wood as it burned.

This wasn’t right. She didn’t have a fireplace. Of course she didn’t. She lived on the sixth floor of a brick building in Manhattan. She shoved at the covers and paused when her hands hit something soft and…furry. It wasn’t her heirloom quilt covering her but some kind of animal pelt.

She rubbed her eyes but the picture didn’t change.

A low rumble next to her made her jump. A long, muscular arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back down onto the mattress. “You should sleep,” the unknown male told her.

Her heart skipped a beat before it started a galloping pace. Sweat popped out on her forehead. For a second she wondered if she was having another panic attack. She froze, unable to move, unwilling to do anything to provoke the large male beside her while her mind scrambled for a logical explanation.

There was enough light from the fire for her to partially see his features. They were masculine to the extreme with a heavy jaw, wide forehead, a long, straight nose and full lips. He blinked and she wished she could see exactly what color his eyes were.

Her first thought was that he could make a fortune as a male model. Women would buy anything from this guy. Her second thought was to wonder if he had an agent and how could she get him for the Baxter campaign she was currently working on. Her third thought, and the one that probably should have been her first, was who the heck was he and what was he doing in bed with her?

He propped himself up on his elbow and stared down at her. He had long hair that flowed over massive shoulders and sculpted biceps. Audrey’s mouth went dry. The man was built. And he was also at least half naked. She didn’t know about the bottom half of him, which was covered by the fur blankets.

She yanked her robe closer around her.

He smiled at her. Not a big one with pearly whites showing, but a tiny one that barely lifted the edges of his sculpted lips. “If you don’t want to sleep I can think of something better to do.” Fingers lightly trailed over her face and she caught her breath as they grazed her jaw and neck.

“Where am I? Who are you?” Intelligent questions and ones she should have asked from the moment she’d opened her eyes.

“I am Abrah Dannon and you are in my dream.” Strangely enough, his explanation calmed her racing heart. Of course this had to be a dream. She was home in her own bed all by herself.

Strange how the thought depressed her.

He tugged at the covers and she briefly resisted, but he kept up a steady pressure. In the end, she gave up the struggle and the covers drifted down to her waist. He gave a low grunt of pleasure as he tugged the sides of her robe open, exposing a huge swath of skin.

“Hey.” She smacked at his hands. “What are you doing?”

He captured her hand with his and brought it to his lips, dropping kisses on each knuckle. “I am enjoying my dream.” There was a tinge of amusement in his voice that made her frown.

She wasn’t here for anyone’s enjoyment. She was here… Well, she wasn’t sure why she was here. Her brain was fuddled, her reflexes slow. In the few seconds she’d been thinking, Abrah had the belt to her robe undone and had spread the edges wide, baring her breasts for him to see.

Audrey knew she really should protest and she planned to. Really she did. But he covered one breast with his large, work-roughened hand and she was lost. She gasped and then moaned as he brushed one soft areola with his thumb. The light motion caused it to pucker into a tight bud.

Her toes curled and her skin flushed. When was the last time she’d felt sexual desire? She couldn’t honestly remember. Which was why she was probably having this very sensual dream.

“Relax,” he soothed. His hand left one breast and went to the other. “Let us pleasure you.”

She moaned again and then his words sank in.
Us
. What did he mean by that? The mattress depressed on her other side and she swung her head around. Her mouth dropped open as another equally handsome man climbed into bed beside her.

He smiled at her and she could see the wicked mischief reflected in his eyes. She found herself smiling back even though she didn’t know why. “What do we have here, brother?” His voice was deep, like Abrah’s and it sank into every cell in her body.

Brother? That made sense. They had the same rugged good looks, but this man’s nose looked as though it had been broken at one time or another. There was a slight crook to it, but it didn’t detract in the least from his handsomeness. If anything it added to it.

“I don’t understand?” She was tired and hot and, quite frankly, horny. This had to be a dream, but it seemed incredibly real.

The second man leaned down and kissed her forehead, her nose and finally her lips. By the time he got to them she was arching upward to reach his mouth. She wanted his kiss, wanted to taste him, to know him.

Crazy. That was the only explanation. She had to be in some wild, drug-induced dream. Maybe her new vitamins had jump-started her libido. There was no other logical reason for her to be dreaming about being in bed with two men.

“Relax.” Abrah rested his hand on her belly and leaned down to touch her straining nipple with the tip of his tongue. Her entire body jerked as if a bolt of lightning had hit it. Relax? He had to be kidding.

Audrey made the decision to go with the flow and enjoy the dream. Why shouldn’t she? She wasn’t in a relationship. She wasn’t cheating on anyone. And, the deciding factor, it wasn’t real. It was a fantasy brought on by deep sleep and exhaustion.

Decision made, she embraced the situation. The second man cupped her jaw and kissed her again. Really kissed her this time. Not just a light brush of lips but a full-on, hot, tongue-twining kiss.

Audrey lost her breath as he leisurely explored her mouth. She’d been kissed many times in her life, but she’d never been kissed like this. He used his lips and teeth to nip and tease until she was breathless to do anything but respond. He tasted warm and welcoming, with an underlying spiciness that she wanted more of.

Abrah was anything but idle. He closed his lips over one hard nipple and sucked it into his mouth. He gently tugged on the sensitive bud and she pulled away from the kiss and let out a cry.

Her legs shifted restlessly against the mattress. Her cashmere robe was open but she was still wearing it. It was soft against her back, a warm and cozy place for her to rest while her two dream men pleasured her.

Four hands glided up and down her arms and legs, over her torso and belly. Abrah’s brother left her mouth and eased down to capture her other nipple. The two men licked and sucked and generally made her crazy.

Audrey clutched at their hair, her fingers tangling in the long locks while she moaned and writhed on the bed. She needed more than they were giving her. Abrah raised his head and watched her as he let his hand slide over her belly and down between her thighs.

He didn’t hesitate. He spread her pussy lips wide and plunged one finger into her hot depths. Audrey arched up, her lips parting on a long, high wail. Oh God, she was so close to coming.

Every cell in her body was clamoring for release. Her skin was hot, her nipples hard, distended buds. Her lips were moist and her legs quivered with pent-up desire. It had been way too long for her.

Her other lover ran his hand over her hip, squeezing gently before letting it slip even lower. Impossible. He wouldn’t? Would he?

He did.

He worked one long, thick finger into her tight sheath, crowding next to Abrah’s. They stretched her slick channel, the inner muscles contacting and expanding to accept their sexual claim.

She was panting hard now, unable to talk. Every part of her was focused solely on her impending orgasm. She had to have it. She pumped her hips up and down, trying to get them to move, to push deeper.

Abrah moved his thumb, flicking it over her distended clitoris. It was like setting a match to dry kindling. Audrey went up in flames. She cried out and her hips jerked. Fire rushed through her, going up to the roots of her hair and down to the tips of her toes. Heart racing, blood pumping, she embraced her orgasm, letting it flow over and around her.

It was better than anything she ever remembered. Both men moved their fingers then, working them in and out several times. Another wave of pleasure hit her with the force of a sledgehammer. She cried out. It was too much but there was nothing she could do but ride it out.

If she died now, at least she’d die happy. That was the last coherent thought that went through her mind for a long time.

When she finally came back to her senses, she shivered. Her body was covered in a light sheen of sweat and her heart was slowly returning to normal. Abrah and his brother still had their fingers resting inside her, but they were both still.

She opened her eyes and stared at them. As if that was the sign they’d been waiting for, they slowly removed their fingers, leaving her feeling empty. She blinked back tears, uncertain why she was so close to crying. It wasn’t like her to feel so emotional.

Maybe it was natural. One of the information sheets the nurse had given her said that her emotions might be all over the place for a while and that it was to be expected, was even normal considering she was physically run-down and mentally exhausted.

Her unnamed lover caught a tear as it rolled down her temple. He frowned even as he brought it to his lips and licked it away. Her heart clenched at the intimacy of the moment.

But it wasn’t real. None of this was. It was only a very realistic dream.

BOOK: Fabric of Fate
10.97Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

The New Elvis by Wyborn Senna
Gambling On a Heart by Sara Walter Ellwood
Murder in Mumbai by K. D. Calamur
The Firethorn Crown by Lea Doué
Wounds of Honour: Empire I by Riches, Anthony
Frigid by J. Lynn