Sanctuary (New Reality Series, Book One) (8 page)

“Oh,” she said dully.

He walked to the cupboard and pulled out a bowl then went to the stove. Lifting the lid of the pot, he ladled stew into the dish and brought it to the table.

“Sit and eat something.” He retrieved a spoon. “Come on. Sit down.”

She moved to the chair he held out and lowered herself onto it. “I’m not really hungry. I’m sorry.”

“You need to eat. Even just a couple bites,” he insisted.

She frowned at him, but scooped some bits onto her spoon and took a bite. She grimaced as she swallowed. Setting the utensil down with a clank, she shook her head. “I can’t.”

Noah covered her hand with his. “Gracie—”

She pulled away and, pushing the chair back, stood. “I’m just really tired.”

He watched as she went back into the bedroom and shut the door. Ethan found him still sitting there when he returned.

“Hey.” Ethan came behind him and started massaging the knots in his shoulders. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Noah closed his eyes and leaned into Ethan’s touch.

“Grace?”

“She woke and managed to force down one bite before going back to bed.”

“Damn,” Ethan swore. “Well, I don’t think it’s anything to worry about right now. Like you said, it’s all hitting her, so maybe a little space and some rest will help.”

“You’re probably right,” Noah admitted. “But we should keep an eye on her. With everything she’s been through, it’d be damn easy to spiral downward and self-destruct.”

“We will, and she’ll be fine.”

Noah hoped he was right. Standing, he turned to Ethan and stepped into his waiting embrace.

“You’re dead on your feet. Let’s go to bed. Things’ll look better in the morning.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Would rather if you held me to you,” Ethan teased. “Unless you’re too tired.”

Noah moaned as his cock responded to just the suggestion. “Never.”

He held Ethan’s gaze as he went down on his knees and undid Ethan’s jeans. His mouth watered as he tugged the pants and boxers down and the thick, hard cock sprang free. Without hesitation, he caught the tip between his lips and sucked.

Ethan grasped Noah’s head as he swayed slightly. Humming, Noah slid up the length, taking as much of Ethan’s cock as he could. When it nudged the back of his throat, he reached up and cradled the heavy sac in his palm. Tugging, squeezing as he fucked Ethan with his mouth. When he knew his lover was getting close, he slowly slid off the shaft and sat back on his heels.

“Bastard,” Ethan said playfully.

“Get the lube.”

As Ethan rummaged in the pack next to the front door for the tube, Noah stood and stripped. He walked over to one of the sofas and, bracing his hands on the back, bent over. Then waited.

“Bastard,” Ethan said again, his voice even huskier.

Noah looked over his shoulder and suppressed a shudder at the look of desire Ethan wore. “Would you fuck me already?”

Ethan came up behind him, nudged his feet, widening his stance. “So impatient.”

“So ready,” Noah countered.

After coating his cock, Ethan dropped the tube on the floor and glided his slick fingers along Noah’s crease. Noah closed his eyes and just let himself feel. Ethan’s fingers pressed against his opening, and Noah pushed back as they speared inside.

“Ethan?”

“Yeah?” Ethan curved his fingers, grazing Noah’s gland, pulling a long, guttural moan from him.

“No need to… I’m ready,” he bit out. “I just…need…your cock…in…me.”

“If I get inside you, this is gonna go real fast. I’m ready to burst.”

“In me. Now,” he insisted.

Ethan pulled his hand away and positioned his cock, then, grasping Noah’s hips tightly, he drove forward. When he was buried balls deep, he stilled for a moment then set a blinding pace. Withdrawing and slamming back into Noah’s ass. Noah gripped the back of the sofa as fire raced down his spine and pooled at the base of his cock.

“I love you,” Ethan said roughly, driving into him a final time. As he came, he reached around and circled Noah’s shaft.

That pushed Noah over the edge. His orgasm exploded, and every muscle in his body tensed as pleasure washed over him again and again.

When Ethan pulled out of him, Noah straightened and turned. Wrapping his arms around the other man, he whispered. “I love you, too.”

* * * *

Sunlight cut through the window and brightened the room. Grace threw an arm over her eyes in an attempt to block it out. Since the bedroom faced the west, she knew she’d slept the day away. Again. She lifted her arm and peeked at her watch. Six pm. Guilt settled over her uneasily and, try as she might, she couldn’t push it away. She heard movement beyond the closed door and voices. Noah and Ethan. They were still here. She half expected to wake up one day and find them gone. Although, Grace could hardly blame them if that happened. She’d barely left the bedroom since the day they’d arrived, wandering out to use the outhouse and attempt to eat. Each time, other than asking how she was, the men hadn’t said a word. They hadn’t shared her bed either. Though, she was certain, she was less than appealing in her current state. Her body ached all over—from inactivity, she knew—and she was in dire need of a scrub.

With determination, she uncovered her face, swung her legs to the edge of the bed and sat up. She swallowed hard against the wave of nausea that rose. Food. She needed to eat. As if on cue, her stomach growled. She noticed her pack and boots sitting next to the bed. After shoving her feet into the boots, she leaned down and rifled through the bag for clean clothes and toiletries. Holding her things in one arm, Grace rose and walked to the door.

Before she could chicken out, she opened the door and walked into the main area. The guys sat at the table eating, Callie at their feet. Conversation ground to a halt as soon as she’d entered.

“I’m…” She cleared her throat. “I’m going to the river to wash up.”

Ethan said nothing and returned to his meal. Noah gave a tight smile and nodded. “There are clean towels on the line. They should be dry now.”

“You put up a clothesline? Great. Thanks.” Anxious to escape the tension, she hurried to the door and outside. Her heart swelled when the dog followed.

Squinting against the sunlight, she bent down to give Callie some love.

“I’ve been neglectful, haven’t I? But it looks like the boys have been treating you well.”

Callie licked her face in response, pulling a giggle from Grace.

“You wanna go play in the water? Let’s go, pretty girl.”

As she straightened, she saw the men hadn’t just strung a line, but had put up a proper clothesline. Two t-shaped posts stood several yards apart with five lines between them. One held several towels and a sheet. She found they were indeed dry and took two with her to the river. Setting her things on the ground near the water’s edge, she took her toothbrush and squeezed a small amount of paste on the bristles. As she brushed her teeth, she wondered if her dad had stocked toothpaste. She’d have to do a thorough inventory of what exactly was stored where.

After finishing, she dropped the items on the mound of her stuff and toed her boots off. When she’d finished stripping her clothes, Grace picked up her tiny bottle of shampoo and waded into the water. Braced against the cold, she was pleasantly surprised. While cool, it wasn’t as frigid as she’d expected, and the sun beating down on her skin actually made it enjoyable.

Grace moved toward where she remembered the river being a bit deeper and whistled. Callie bounded out of the woods and down to the river. When the water almost touched the edge of her panties, Grace stopped. Bending her knees, she dipped down then dunked under. She was shivering slightly when she came back up, so she quickly washed her hair, dreading the later task of having to comb through the mess, and used the suds to wash her body. Another quick dip under the water and she was all rinsed off.

“You’re not coming all the way in?” She laughed as the dog danced at the very edge, barely getting wet. “Okay, your loss.”

Back on the bank, she laid a towel on a small patch of grass and sat, draping the other towel over herself. She stretched out her legs and leaned back on her arms. Tilting her face up, Grace closed her eyes and enjoyed the sunlight she’d shunned for so long.

Callie splashed a bit longer then Grace heard her take off into the woods. After a squirrel or rabbit, no doubt.

After several minutes, she used one of the towels to whisk away the stubborn water drops that clung to her skin and gave her hair a once over. After donning her clean panties, shorts and t-shirt, she gathered her things and walked back up to the cabin. Ethan and Noah still sat at the table when she came inside.

“Would you like something to eat?” Noah asked.

“Yes, please,” she said quietly. “Let me just put this stuff in the bedroom.”

When she returned, Noah was setting a steaming plate on the table. He motioned for her to sit. Grace lowered herself onto the chair and inhaled deeply. A glance down confirmed what her nose told her. Chili. What surprised her was the thick slab of bread resting on the edge of the dish.

“Did you make this?” she asked Noah, picking up the spoon and digging in.

“I opened the can.” He chuckled, then added, “Ethan made the bread yesterday.”

She hummed in appreciation as she chewed. “It’s absolutely delicious.”

“Glad you like it,” he said dryly and turned to Noah. “Are you checking the traps in the morning or am I?”

“Doesn’t matter to me.” Noah shrugged. “It’s that or chopping wood. Which would you rather do?”

“Chopping wood?” Grace frowned. “Isn’t there already wood? I remember Dad had a large amount chopped and stacked.”

“Yeah, there was, but winter’s coming,” Noah reminded. “We wanted to make sure you had enough to last. You don’t need to be running out in the middle of a blizzard or something. Better safe than sorry.”

Her frown deepened when he said “you” instead of “we”. It couldn’t be any clearer than that. They didn’t plan on being here come winter. Here, she’d thought they avoided her bed because she’d had her little breakdown, but maybe that wasn’t it at all. What if they had a plan to leave, and were distancing themselves? Her chest tightened at the thought.

“You don’t need to do that,” she protested. “I’m certain there’s plenty—”

“But you wouldn’t know that, would you?” Ethan snapped as he pushed his chair back and stood.

Grace gaped at him.

“You have no clue what is even here,” he continued, “because you haven’t bothered to
look
. Hell, how long would it have taken you to notice if Noah and I weren’t here?”

“Ethan,” she whispered. He couldn’t honestly believe she wouldn’t notice if they left.

“You have made that fucking room your world. Do you even know how many days it’s been?”

She looked at Noah, who watched her with furrowed brow, then back to Ethan. She swallowed around the gargantuan lump in her throat, mind racing yet landing on nothing.

“You don’t know, do you?” he asked incredulously. “Five days, Grace. It’s been
five fucking days
since you checked out.”

“Ethan,” Noah murmured. “She’s grieving.”

“Of course she is, but—” He shoved his hands through his hair, clearly frustrated, then leaned forward, bracing his hands on the table to bring his face level with hers. “Ask yourself this. If you had died, and your sister had been the one to survive, would you want her to pull the covers over her head and waste away, or would you want her really live?”

Grace’s vision blurred as he held her gaze. She couldn’t understand why he was so angry with her. What could she possibly say that would satisfy him? He pushed himself upright and, without another word, walked out of the cabin. Noah called after him, rising to his feet. Instead of going after Ethan, as she figured he would, Noah rounded the table and pulled her up off of the chair. His arms came around her, enveloped her in warmth.

“He’s worried about you.”

Grace let out a humorless laugh. “That wasn’t worry. That was definitely pissed off.”

“Yeah, Ethan’s worry translates as anger.” Noah kissed her forehead. “Luckily for you, I speak fluent Ethan.”

“I should talk to him.” She tipped her head back to meet his gaze. “Or maybe he needs some space?”

Noah shook his head. “First instinct was right on. Go talk to him. Just remember, under the bluster, he’s worried. Seeing someone he cares about in pain is something he doesn’t handle very well. Especially when he feels like there’s nothing he can do to help.”

Rising up on her toes, she kissed his firm mouth. “Thank you.”

He tightened his grip on her. “For the record, Ethan’s not the only one who’s been worried. Or the only one who cares.”

Ethan slammed his palm against the side of the bunkhouse—once, twice—before bracing both hands on the wall and dropping his head forward. He drew in a long breath, held it a moment then blew it out in a rush.

Fuck, he shouldn’t have blown up like that. It didn’t solve a damned thing, and he could very well have made things worse. He did understand she was working through her grief, that she’d lost so much. And if he didn’t, he had Noah in his ear constantly hammering that point home. Ethan just happened to disagree with him about how to handle it. Noah wanted to just sit back and let things run their course. But when the hell did hiding from problems and pain ever work? They needed to be faced, dealt with, and put to rest.

“Ethan?”

He straightened and watched Grace approach him. Her hands were clasped together, white-knuckled, in front of her. She stopped about two feet from him.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” he asked and nearly screamed in frustration when she frowned and remained silent. “I don’t want apologies, and for fuck’s sake, don’t apologize if you’re not sorry.”

“But I am sorry,” she insisted. “I upset you, and never wanted that. I wish I could undo it, fix it, make things better. I don’t know.”

Ethan scrubbed his hand over his face. “You’re hurting, and that upsets me. It really isn’t something that can, or should, be fixed, sweetheart.”

“What you asked in there? About if things were different, if I were gone, would I want my sister to give up or live…”