It was a downed tree, weathered and gnarled, floating nicely on the glassy surface. He butted gently up against it and tossed out a rope. The knobby trunk snagged easily and with barely any effort he dragged it up close.
There, cradled in the branches all silent and limp, was a pale form with long, trailing hair wrapped like a blanket around her. Even the sunset failed to tint her face with color. His gut knotted as for an instant he worried she was dead. He secured the rope and slid down the steps on the side of his boat to reach her.
One touch, and he knew. She was alive. The breath caught in her chest and she arched in a sudden, desperate attempt to draw air. She moaned.
He leaned to scoop her into his arms. She was heavier than he remembered, but it hardly took any effort to pull her up onto the deck. He laid her out and knelt beside her, rubbing her and talking gently, begging her to come back to him.
And she did.
Those eyes slowly opened, and she smiled. He sagged with the relief of knowing she was all right. He touched her face.
“Aliya.”
She put her hand over his and her lips parted to speak. But instead another moan escaped and he saw pain in her eyes. She looked down, her face showing something he hadn’t expected. She was afraid.
She wouldn’t meet his eyes so he followed her gaze. She was staring at her legs. Without thinking he skimmed one hand gently over them, seeking for injury.
“Are you hurt? Can you feel anything?” he asked.
Then he stopped. Reality dawned on him.
“My God! Aliya, you have legs?”
She smiled at him and reached one long, slender white arm up toward him. He let her caress his cheek.
“Hello, Devin. They’re for you—my legs.”
He had more than a few questions. What was happening? Her nakedness he had expected; somehow he’d never bothered to picture Aliya with clothes on. But legs! Holy shit, she had legs.
Gorgeous legs. Long, creamy, sculpted legs. Every curve, every muscle, was perfectly defined and oh, so soft. He was feasting his eyes on them. He was touching them. He was picturing them wrapped around him, capturing him in…
Oh God, she was a woman now, wasn’t she? Gone was the tail, the satin fish skin he’d stroked the night before. Today she was a woman, human and hot and made just for him. Wisps of angel-soft hair curled at the juncture of her legs, and he knew that beyond he would find a haven of warmth just waiting for him to sink himself into.
He was ready now. Jeez, was he ready.
“I will serve you better this way, I think,” she said.
Her voice was small, but her smile was warm. He dragged his attention away from the throbbing in his groin and the banquet stretched out before him only to find himself drowning in her eyes. Had she been this beautiful last night? How could she possibly have improved?
Still, he couldn’t overlook the fear that lingered in the edges of her smile. She was afraid. Of him? Of what he was obviously planning to do with her? The idea sliced into him like a wound.
“Aliya,” he said carefully. “You’re safe with me.”
“Oh, I know, Devin,” she said and he heard the sincerity. “Come, there’s not much time. Let me give you pleasure.”
He was probably the most stupid man on the planet, but he decided to talk first.
“Wait, we have time. I’m not going anywhere.”
“No, Devin. Please don’t talk. Kiss me again. Kiss me like last night,” she insisted.
Well, so much for talking. He’d done as much of that as he could. Aliya’s arms slid around his neck and he was helpless against her. Willingly he bent to taste her once more.
There was no doubt in his mind, however, that once more would be far from enough.
* * *
He was being so gentle, so careful with her. She’d never known a human to be so kind. Generally they seemed too intent on their own goals, seeking to serve their own whims and desires. Really, though, her experience with them was limited. Devin was the only one she’d ever gotten to know this well. He was the first she’d ever wanted to.
And now she wanted to know him still better. She studied him, let her hungry eyes rove over his features. Here on the dry deck of his boat he was fully in his element. She could see the deep, deep blue of his eyes with little flecks of gold, like sparks inside them. She memorized the planes of his face, the tiny lines at the corners of his eyes, the way his lips curled and tensed as he spoke softly over her. And she longed to run her fingers through his thick, dark hair as the wind tousled it, teasing her. Would he welcome her touch?
Now that she was out of the soothing, encompassing connection of the water, she had a hard time touching his thoughts. Air was a poor transmitter for such things. She had to rely on her other senses, what she could see in his face or feel in his lips as he bent to kiss her. And that told her she was welcome, indeed.
Ah, but she loved his kisses. His lips were soft, and that had surprised her. He seemed so solid, so set. To find that his mouth was supple and pliable tuned her into depths she had not detected.
And today his kiss was something more than the careless passion it had been last night. Today he was convinced of her existence—he was seeing her as he would another human. She was not just a fantasy creature to him; today he cared about her.
That made the wanting even stronger. She felt his desire, not just the hardened flesh she could feel beneath his thin clothing, but she could feel desire in his hands, in his arms, in his lips. It matched her own.
Yesterday she had not understood. She had reacted to him primarily because of his own feelings being telegraphed to her. But today, in this new human form, she understood.
And she ached to have him even nearer.
She circled her arms around him. His mouth held hers captive and his tongue parted her lips. She gave him access freely, as she had done last night, but today there was no need to give him air. She was able to let herself get lost in the sensations.
And such sensations they were! As his tongue grazed the tender insides of her mouth, giddy, tingling jolts fired through her. They coursed from her mouth, down her neck, and spread across her shoulders. As Devin’s mouth worked over hers the sensation flowed down and down, until her whole body flamed with wanting him.
Then he began his assault in earnest.
“You’re so perfect, Aliya,” he said.
She pressed herself against him, raising herself up off the floor of the boat as much as she could. She had to be closer to him, touching him with every part of her skin. But she felt clumsy and unsure in this new body, dry in the air and out of her reassuring water.
He must have realized her distress because his kiss ended. It was not abrupt, but she felt his departure from her mouth as a sort of ache. She needed him touching her, didn’t he know that?
“I’m not a very good host, am I?” he said with his beautiful smile. “You cannot be comfortable out here.”
“I’m comfortable with you, Devin,” she said.
He laughed and leaned back to gaze at her. It was so wonderful the way he loved to look at her. She’d seen that in his eyes last night, but she feared he had been uneasy regarding her nonhuman parts. Now there was nothing to keep him from enjoying her fully, and the light of anticipation was bright in his eyes.
She knew what he wanted and she was thrilled to be able to provide it.
But the legs were ungainly as she tried to move them to provide the access he needed. New muscles reacted in ways she was uncertain about; new skin buzzed with unfamiliar stimuli. It was wonderful and disappointing. She wanted to be so perfect for him.
“Devin,” she invited, shifting her hand from his skin to her own. She touched herself in the hollow of the new human body. “Is this as it should be for you?”
She found herself warm there. Life in the lake was not generally warm, but this new human addition to herself was warm. Devin would like that. She slid her fingers past the tuft of hair and investigated further.
The warmth became heat, and she pulled her hand back in surprise as more of the tingling jolts radiated from her touch.
“What is it?” he said, questioning her sudden movement.
“I felt…strange,” she said. It was impossible to put into words what she had felt. Not pain, but not any sort of pleasure she’d encountered before. At least, not entirely. She had felt something similar in the water with Devin last night.
“It was like last night, how you made me feel then. But different now,” she continued.
“Different? How so?”
She smiled. He seemed so much to want to understand. “Last night I felt you, how you felt. Today, it is me.”
He did understand. “So you don’t slip into this pretty little body every day, I take it?”
“No. This is…special.”
She knew he wanted more explanation, but hoped he wouldn’t ask for it. She was afraid if she told him it was only for a short time that he would be upset, that the idea of it would cause him greater pain.
It was clear his obsession for her was very strong. Raea had been right. Aliya could see it in Devin’s eyes, feel it in his touch. Even out of the water that carried thoughts and vibrations so clearly to her, she could still read his mind. He was consumed by his desire for her and could think of nothing but wanting to be with her. His obsession was complete. If she tried to warn him of the consequences now, he would simply not hear it. In fact, he might become even more determined not to let her go.
Which was just as well. She didn’t want to think of the dangers, the Old Revenge seeking him out. By the Deep, she couldn’t think of that just now. She was human and her body felt everything as a human’s did, perhaps even more so, since it was so new. Devin wanted her, but she wanted him just as badly. Nothing would interrupt her time with him. Here in the air, with the setting sun warming her naked human flesh and Devin watching her with dark, smoldering eyes, she felt her obsession grow just as powerful as his. Twenty-four hours with him would never be close to enough to satisfy her.
She pushed herself to sitting. It was a lot harder out of the water, but the muscles in these new legs were strong. Acclimating herself to her new abilities, she folded the long legs and drew her knees up toward her chin. She had from now until sunset tomorrow to put this body to good use. Well, no need to dawdle.
Shifting to lean forward, she could see the whole thing: legs, feet, knees, and—just barely—that mysterious dark, wet center at the crux of it all. The opening for Devin’s appendage. She couldn’t help but smile and enjoy this strange new feeling of power.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” she asked him after a long moment.
He was quiet, at a loss. Finally he found his voice. “Yeah. Amazing.”
She scooted toward him and reached to touch the silky soft hair that haloed his chest. She never expected dry to feel so enticing. Her fingers trailed over him, across his chest muscles and around the little circles of nipple he had there. He was a powerful man; solid and tight, but so soft and pleasant to touch. Such a combination of conflict. Were all humans like this, or only Devin? It didn’t matter. She would never care for any other this way.
Chapter Nine
“Come on,” he said, taking her hands in his. “Let’s try out that new body of yours.”
To her amazement he pushed up onto his feet. He was so tall! He still held her hands as she sat there on the boat, but he seemed a giant looming over her. In the water they had felt so much more equal. She had a heartbeat of fear looking up at him, but his smile dispelled it.
Devin would never use his size to harm her. She was safe. With one deep breath, she put her weight into his hands and planted her new feet on the floor.
And then he pulled her up. She was standing! It was as if she’d risen up into the sky. She was surrounded by air, with just the bottoms of her feet touching the boat. The water was far, far below.
But Devin was holding her. That made it all right. Devin wouldn’t let her crumple back to the hard wood of the boat. She leaned into him and forced a smile.
“Remarkable,” she said when she could.
“Don’t get out much, huh?” he said.
“I’ve never been out; not like this.”
He was watching her face, studying her. His hands were warm where they made contact with her skin. There was no water between them, nothing but sun-warmed skin against skin. She shifted position and thrilled at the lightning sensations as his body hair grazed her.
He noticed her excitement and it seemed to spark his own. Leaning against him, she shifted again to feel the increasing bulk of his hardening appendage. He noticed that, too.
“You’ve got a one-track mind,” he said.
I just don’t want to waste any precious minutes with you, Devin, she wanted to cry out.
But she wouldn’t say that. She wanted him to believe they could go on forever, if that’s what he wanted. It’s what she wanted.
“I want to be with you,” she said. “Really with you.”
“Can you walk?” he asked.
She was confused. Walk? They were on a boat. Where should he want her to walk?
“I, um, I don’t know,” she said honestly.
“I’ll help you,” he said and began leading her toward a doorway that appeared to lead to an opening down inside the boat.
She found her legs did indeed know how to walk, graceless though it was. She was glad for Devin’s sturdy body beside her when they got to the opening, though. The flat surface of the deck gave way to nothing. She halted.
“These are stairs,” he said as she hesitated. “Take just one step at a time. Hold on to me.”
Hold on to him? That would be easy. But negotiating this passage…How did humans keep track of all these gangling body parts? And what sort of invention were these stairs? She was afraid she’d fall and embarrass them both.
Why was he bringing her in here? He seemed to want her, she was certain of it. Things had been just fine there on the deck, outside in the pink glow of the setting sun. Why didn’t he just hold her and touch her and let her give him pleasure? Why all this talking and moving about?
Humans were so hard to understand sometimes.
Still, she knew she could trust him. She took a deep breath and allowed him to lead, making it down into a very human room at the bottom of the wooden walkway called stairs. It felt quite alien and exotic. Larger than expected, too. Funny, she’d never realized there was so much inside these things. All she’d ever really considered was the outside of a boat, the part that kept the water out.
From the look of things, though, humans appreciated the inside. And it seemed they brought much of their lives from the land out here onto their boats. Furniture, utensils, all sorts of gadgets of varying sizes, shapes, and textures littered the place. Did they need all of this for surviving here on the water, or did they always need these things, even on the dry? She could only guess at the purpose for most of it.
All she knew was it was very distracting. She wanted to be wrapping her new body around Devin, feeling him against her, in her. It seemed far too crowded inside this dry room for that.
“Let me get you something to drink,” he was saying as he followed closely behind her.
“Drink?” she asked.
“You know, a drink. Juice, pop, beer…bottled water?”
It was unintelligible to her and she shrugged. He stared at her like she’d lost her mind. Well, that wasn’t part of this wonderful wish she’d made!
“You don’t drink? Anything?”
“I’ll do whatever you want me to, but I’m afraid I don’t know what this drink is.”
He ran his hand through his hair. She liked his hair, such an unusual color. Dark, like the wood from an old ship, but full of sparks of color when the light hit it. She stepped closer to him so she could touch it.
“You really do come from another world.” He sighed.
She pulled her hand back before she’d made contact with his hair. What was th
at in his eyes now? Was he disappointed in her? No! She didn’t want that. She was human now; she couldn’t disappoint him.
“I’ll drink for you, Devin,” she said quickly. “Please, just show me how. I want to make you happy.”
He made a warm growling sound and wrapped her in his arms. She liked that. The shirt he had on was open and she pressed her body as close to his wonderful, firm chest as possible. The way he smiled was anything but disappointed.
“You don’t have to drink for me,” he said with almost a laugh. “I guess living in water you don’t really have to do that.”
When he saw her confusion he explained, his breath warm against her ear. “It’s like eating, but it’s liquid. We have to drink fluids to keep our bodies hydrated.”
“Oh! That’s drinking? I never thought of that. Yes, you would be very dry inside, wouldn’t you?”
His body shook with laughter and she knew it was at her expense, but she didn’t mind. As long as he would just keep holding her against him this way.
“And it’s something we do to be polite. When we have company, we always offer a drink. I guess it was force of habit.”
She leaned back just enough to look at him. “And you were being polite for me. That’s very sweet, Devin. But I don’t need a drink. Maybe later. Probably later.”
He was studying her again, like he just couldn’t figure her out. Well, she certainly felt the same about him. He still wanted her, so why wasn’t he kissing her again? There must be more, something about this human politeness that she was missing.
“Is it wrong for me not to want your drink, Devin?” she asked finally. “I want to be polite for you, too.”
“Jeez, Aliya. Coming onto my boat naked and staring at me like that is just about as polite as it gets, I would say.”
“You like my being naked? I wasn’t sure. You keep looking at me with a strange expression, and I see you are wearing clothes on your legs.”
Kissed by the Wave: A Forbidden Realm Novel Page 8
