Christina's Tapestry Read online

  The warmth filling her had little to do with the tiny bit of heat being pushed out by the radiator. A nervous giggle escaped her, surprising her. She was glad that she’d bought the tapestry. It felt right and made her happy.

  Flinging out her arms, she spun in a circle, her long braid whipping around as she turned. Droplets of water flew out around her and she stopped suddenly, afraid she would get the beautiful fabric wet.

  Still smiling, she hurried into the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom, stripped off her wet clothing and unbraided her long, damp hair. Christina longed for a hot soak in a tub, but her apartment only had a very cramped shower.

  Experience had taught her that there was just enough hot water for her to wash and rinse quickly. Turning on the water, she adjusted the spray and squeezed into the shower stall.

  By the time she’d rinsed the shampoo from her hair, the water was already lukewarm. Turning off the taps, she wrung out her hair and wrapped a towel around it. Grabbing another towel, she dried off and wrapped it around her body. As much as she wanted to run back into the bedroom with her tapestry, she knew she had to dry her hair before she went to bed.

  Unwinding the towel from around her head, she shook out her damp hair. It was her one and only vanity. Perfectly straight, it fell past her waist and was so blonde it was almost white, a gift from her Nordic ancestors and a mother whom she barely remembered. Bending at the waist, she flipped her hair over, picked up the hairdryer and turned it on low.

  When the mass was dry, she carefully combed out the tangles before standing back straight and flipping her hair over her shoulder. With long-practiced ease, she picked up her brush and smoothed out her hair. Reaching behind her head, she separated it into three strands and began to plait her hair. When the braid was partly done, she pulled it over her shoulder and continued working on it until she’d created a long, blonde rope.

  As she secured the ends in a ponytail holder, she gazed into the mirror that hung over the vanity and appraised her features. Pale was the best word to describe herself. With her light cornflower blue eyes, white skin, and light blonde hair, Christina had always found it easy to disappear into her surroundings.

  As a shy, slightly overweight child, she’d found it easy to keep to herself as she was shuffled through the foster-care system after her parents were killed in a car accident. Unfortunately, she’d continued doing the same thing as an adult and as a result, she was twenty-eight years old, a solid size fourteen, and Brenda was the only friend she had.

  Shaking off her momentary melancholy, she hung up the damp towels and hurried back into her bedroom. She was digging through her dresser drawer for a warm nightgown when her hand hit something soft and silky. Pulling it out of the drawer, she shook out the rich fabric. Brenda had given her the long, slinky nightgown for her last birthday, teasing her that she needed something special for when she got a boyfriend. Christina had buried it in the bottom of her dresser drawer and forgotten about it.

  But tonight seemed like the perfect night to wear such a silky confection. Drawing it over her head, she let the lavender-colored fabric slide down her body in a sensual caress. The shoulder straps were about an inch wide and the front dipped down in a low v-neck. Luckily, there was elastic running under the chest area that created a built-in bra and helped support her large breasts.

  Her nipples puckered as the fabric slid across them. Christina clamped her legs tight together as the ache between her legs began to throb once again. It surprised her just how sensual she felt wearing the sexy nightgown instead of her regular thick flannel one. The fabric gently skimmed her sides before coming to a stop about an inch from the floor.

  Goose bumps covered her arms and she rubbed them to try and warm herself. She yanked open the drawer again to pull out a sensible nightgown, but slammed it shut again. She was tired of being sensible. The thin silky one felt good against her skin and made her feel pretty.

  Pulling back the covers on her bed, she climbed beneath the small mound of blankets and pulled the tapestry onto her lap, turning it so that it was facing her. Almost afraid to touch the beautiful design in the center of the piece, she reached out her finger and gently traced the features of each of the warriors who stood proud and tall. A low groaning noise echoed through the room, sounding just like a sigh of masculine pleasure.

  Christina jerked her hand back and looked wildly around the room. Of course there was no one there. She was alone. She gave a nervous laugh as she shook her head at her own flights of fancy. It must have been the heater making that strange noise or possibly the wind against the window.

  She was just tired after such a long, hectic week at work. Between that and her impulsive behavior this evening, it was no wonder she was feeling out of sorts. After a nice long weekend of rest, she’d be back to her normal practical self.

  Burrowing under the covers, she reached out and smoothed the lush fabric of the tapestry with her hand. She knew she should put such a valuable tapestry somewhere safe, but she wanted it with her as she slept. For some reason, she felt comforted and safe with it draped over her.

  “It’s mine and I’ll do whatever I want with it.” She spoke aloud to the room as if daring it to object. Feeling silly, she turned off the lights and pulled the covers tight under her chin. Shivering slightly she curled her legs up tight to her body. Leaving one hand on top of the tapestry, she continued to stroke it until she drifted off to sleep…

  It was dark when she woke. Very dark. That was unusual as the lights of the city usually bathed her room in a faint light. Frowning, she pushed the covers away and sat up in bed. Her fingers lingered on the bedclothes, feeling their strange texture. It took her a second to realize that it wasn’t her wool blankets she was touching, but rather, fur.

  Squinting, she glanced around, taking in as much of her surroundings as she could see. Curtains hung from two sides of the bed, obscuring most of the room from her view. But there was no doubt that she definitely wasn’t in her own bed. This bed seemed huge and she could make out large wooden posts at the foot of it. There was no curtain across the foot of the bed and she could see that the walls of her own room had been replaced by stone ones. A low fire in the fireplace on the other side of the room gave the only illumination.

  Surprisingly, she wasn’t afraid or disconcerted by her discovery. This room was exactly as she imagined a room from the castle on the tapestry would look like. She almost laughed at the pleasure that thought gave her. She felt safer and more at home here than she did in her own apartment.

  Her laughter faded as she reasoned that this had to be nothing more than a dream, brought on by her purchase of the tapestry. Nothing else could explain her strange surroundings.

  Sighing, she lay back on the bed and waited to wake up. A rustling to her right made her gasp and she scooted to the left. She hit a large barrier and could go no further.

  A large muscled arm wrapped around her and dragged her up against a very huge chest. Definitely male. And since this was only a dream, she assumed that it was one of the warriors from the tapestry. It felt strange to have a man’s arm resting across her stomach. It made her breasts tingle.

  As if he knew what she’d been thinking, his hand slid slowly up her stomach until he was cupping one of her breasts. She didn’t protest, not wanting to speak and risk waking herself just when her dream was getting good. She’d heard about people having erotic dreams. Brenda had them all the time. But she’d never had one.

  Christina was unable to suppress the moan that tumbled from her lips when he languidly rubbed her turgid nipple with his thumb. The movement of his thumb over the fabric of her nightgown was incredibly arousing. She could feel the moisture pooling between her legs as they moved restlessly across the mattress.

  A low rumble, much like a lion purring, came from his chest. It was time to turn around and have a look at her fantasy man. But before she could make herself move away from the pleasure his hand was giving her, she heard the rustling sound from
the other side of the bed again.

  “You’re awake.” The low, male voice touched her like a caress and every hair on her body seemed to stand on end in anticipation. She didn’t dare correct him and tell him she was actually asleep.

  The hand on her leg made her jerk. “Shh,” a voice whispered in her ear. “Just relax and let us pleasure you.”

  Her thoughts tumbled over one another in her head. She was in bed with two strange men who wanted to pleasure her. It was okay, she told herself. This was only a dream. Finally, she was going to have an erotic dream. All she had to do was relax and enjoy it.

  All thoughts left her when the covers were flung from her body and she felt herself being turned onto her back. One pair of large male hands wrapped around her thighs and slowly drew them apart, while another large male hand continued to pleasure her breast.

  She peered through the gloom, desperately trying to see their faces. Their features were indistinct, but they were both large with long, straight hair. These were definitely the two warriors from her tapestry.

  Christina opened her mouth to speak, not quite sure what she wanted to say, but before she could utter a word, the warrior looming over her captured her mouth with his. Her words became a cry of surrender as he pushed his tongue past her lips and sank into the moist cavern of her mouth.

  His tongue stroked hers, gently at first and then with a demand that she meet him, stroke for stroke. As he kissed her, he continued to tease her swollen nipple through the fabric of her nightgown. Just when she thought she might go mad with wanting his hand on her flesh, he pushed the fabric down and lightly pinched the swollen bud.

  Digging her fingers into his shoulder, she held him tight to her, not wanting to let him go. But he pulled away. Before she could protest, he kissed his way down her throat, over her collarbone and came to rest on the curve of her breast.

  The warrior between her thighs pushed her nightgown upward and the fabric bunched at her waist. She could feel his hot breath on her thigh as he lowered his face closer to her sex.

  She gasped for air, barely able to breathe as she realized what he intended to do. As if it was a choreographed dance, both of them lowered their heads at the exact same time. Her back arched as she tipped her head back, and her lips parted as a low keening sound of need emerged from deep within her. She’d never felt like this in her life.

  A calloused hand cupped her breast gently as one of her warriors drew her engorged nipple into his mouth and suckled it. His tongue stroked the top and circled her areola. She realized she’d tangled the fingers of her left hand in his hair to hold him there.

  Between her legs, the other warrior was tasting the slick, pink flesh of her sex. His tongue felt slightly rough against her aroused flesh and she arched her hips towards him, wanting more, needing more. He laughed as he blew on her heated skin. Then he captured her clit between his lips and sucked on it.

  Her entire womb was clenched tight. She dug her heels into the mattress and pushed her pussy against his mouth. More. She was so close to coming.

  A light sheen of sweat covered her body now, she was so hot. Tendrils of hair that had escaped her braid now stuck to her forehead. Her entire body ached with a desperate need for completion.

  “Now,” she whispered. Reaching out blindly with her right hand, she gripped a handful of the warrior’s hair and tugged him closer to her pulsing slit.

  Two long fingers slipped inside her. Her entire sex clenched around them. He withdrew them right to the edge of her opening. She whimpered and pumped her hips wildly, desperate to keep his fingers inside her.

  Just as he shoved them deep, he pressed hard on her clit with his tongue. The mouth at her breast tugged at her swollen nipple with his teeth.

  Christina exploded.

  Her entire body convulsed. She could feel herself coming as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her. Neither man stopped, but continued to pleasure and tease her until she was laughing and crying at the same time.

  The hands that had held them so close to her were now trying to push them away. She couldn’t take any more.

  Both of them sat up straight in the bed just as a log shifted in the fireplace and the light flared. She caught a glimpse of them both in that moment. Both wore sleepy, satisfied smiles. But it was their eyes that seemed to burn straight to her soul. They blazed with desire and something more. Something she couldn’t quite identify, but the intensity of it frightened her.

  When they reached for her again, she instinctively shrank back into the mattress. “No.” The sound of two male voices echoed in her ears.

  Christina sat straight up in bed, gasping for air. The covers were twisted and half of them had been pushed to the floor. She scuttled back against her pillows and she glanced wildly around the room. It took her more than a few seconds to realize that she was still in her own single bed in her apartment.

  Dreaming. She’d been dreaming! Her common sense asserted itself and she laughed shakily and she straightened her legs out. Reaching out, she flicked on her bedside lamp. “Well, I’d always wondered what an erotic dream was like.” She spoke aloud to try and ground herself in reality.

  Her body shivered with aftershocks from her orgasm. The bottom part of her nightgown was still bunched around her waist. Her thighs and sex both glistened with cum and her sex still pulsed with desire. Shoving the fabric down to cover herself, she scooted to the edge of the bed and sat there, trying to recover.

  One of her breasts was exposed and she quickly pulled the top back over it. Standing on shaky legs, she made her way to the bathroom and cleaned herself up. It was only when she was returning to bed that she remembered the tapestry.

  Hurrying, she grabbed the covers and shook them. The tapestry tumbled out onto the floor. Dropping the bedclothes, she grabbed it and held it up to the light. Nothing seemed to be damaged, but she wasn’t ready to take another chance. Rolling it carefully, she laid it safely on the top of her dresser before turning off the light and climbing back into bed.

  Settling back, she tried to sleep, but her mind was filled with images of the two warriors. From time to time she shivered at the remembered pleasure they’d give her. She lay awake a long time before she finally drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Three

  There was a ringing in her ears. It was coming from a distance, but she wished it would stop. She’d been having such a lovely dream.

  Her eyes popped open wide as she hurriedly surveyed her surroundings. She was in her own home. Of course, she was. Where else would she be? The ringing continued and she realized that it was her phone. Tossing back the covers, she hurried out into the living room.

  “Hello.”

  “It took you long enough.”

  Christina recognized Brenda’s voice immediately. She should have known it would be her. Other than the occasional work-related phone call and telemarketers, no one else phoned her.

  “I was still in bed.” She’d rushed out without grabbing a robe or slippers and she was quickly getting cold. The heat was still on low and she curled her toes to try and warm them. It didn’t help.

  “But you never sleep in.” Brenda made it seem like a crime that she’d slept late this one Saturday.

  “I did today. What time is it?” Her watch was in the bedroom on her dresser and she couldn’t see the kitchen clock from here.

  “It’s almost eleven. I wanted to meet you for lunch. I have so much to tell you.” She paused and giggled. “Last night with Jason was just amazing.”

  “Speaking of last night, I bought something after I left the bar last night.”

  A long sigh came through the receiver. “What?”

  Christina knew that Brenda wanted to tell her about last night, but for once, she wanted to talk about what had happened to her. “A tapestry.” Just saying it made her feel slightly warmer.

  “Why would you buy something like that?” She could hear the mild disdain in her friend’s voice. “I hope you got a deal on it.” Brenda
was the queen of the bargain shoppers and never paid full price for anything.

  “I bought it because I wanted it. It’s really lovely.”

  “You’re hedging. How much?” she sounded slightly impatient now.

  “Two thousand.” She said it quickly. “So where do you want to meet for lunch?” She’d hope to distract Brenda, but her hope was in vain.

  “You paid what?” The screech from the other line had her holding the phone far away from her ear. “Are you crazy? You can’t afford that.”

  Her stomach knotted with each word her friend hurled at her. Brenda was right, she couldn’t afford it. She didn’t know what she’d been thinking last night, except for once in her life when she’d wanted something, she’d reached out and taken it.

  A headache was forming behind her eyes and she reached up to try and rub it way. Brenda was still berating her for wasting her money on a piece of woven cloth. She moved the receiver back to her ear just to hear the tail end of Brenda’s rant. “I could have gotten you a pretty rug at this place a few streets over from me for thirty bucks.”

  “It’s not a rug, it’s a tapestry.” Why she was defending it, she didn’t know.

  “You have to return it. You got hoodwinked.” Brenda said the words that Christina had been dreading to hear.

  Deep in her heart, she wanted to keep the tapestry. It belonged to her in a way that nothing else ever had. But as she looked around her small apartment and thought about her upcoming rent and the premium on her health insurance that she had to pay, her stomach got even queasier. Her common sense demanded that she be sensible and return the tapestry and get her money back.

  It would be so hard to face the woman this morning after practically demanding she open the shop last night so that Christina could buy it. The pounding in her temples got worse.

  “I know.” Those were the hardest two words she’d ever uttered in her life.

  Brenda just harrumphed. “That’s settled. You can return it and then meet me for lunch.”