by Lisa Lace
I felt weak with relief.
"Is she all right?" I asked. I rode in the back of the ambulance with people, and I didn't even know their names.
"She's breathing, and her heart is beating, but we won't be able to tell if there's brain damage until she wakes up."
Did she just say brain damage?
"There probably isn't any, but we need to run tests. You said you were giving her oxygen the whole time she was under water?"
"Yes, she only lost consciousness at the very end. When we came to the surface, she wasn't breathing."
"She's a Nuldive?" the woman said, clearly curious. Nuldives are those who are born on Vandwa with Vandwan parents but who can't breath underwater. They are unusual, and it is rare to encounter one.
"No. She's human. From Earth."
"Ah," the woman nodded in understanding. "That is also unusual."
Once we got to the hospital, the staff took her away. They made me take a hot shower and gave me some dry clothes to put on. They bandaged my finger. By that time, I was itching to see Ashlyn and know that she was okay.
"Please, is she all right? Can I see her?"
"Her body will recover. We have bandaged the cut on her leg, but we are still waiting for her regain consciousness."
I looked crestfallen. The nurse's face was full of compassion. "Come on. You can see her," she said, leading me down the hall to another room.
I sat down in the chair beside her bed, holding her hand.
"Please, Ash. Please wake up."
She had to come back to me because at some point in the dark, cold water I had realized I couldn't live without her.
And I didn't want to.
Without me knowing how it was happening, I had fallen in love with Ashlyn.
I loved her.
The most important thing for me right now was to make sure she woke up. My world had narrowed to this room and this woman that I needed more than anything.
I watched her chest rise and fall and gave thanks that she was still breathing.
When her eyes fluttered open, and those crystal blue eyes, bloodshot from being open underwater, looked at me again, I finally let myself fall apart.
She studied me as the tears ran silently down my cheeks. "Nathaniel?" she said, reaching her hand out to touch my face. Her hand came away wet.
At the sound of my name on her lips, I broke down and wept.
ASHLYN
Nathaniel was crying bitterly, sobbing as if his heart would break. I stared at him blankly, not understanding what was happening.
I looked around and saw the hospital room. I felt the pain in my leg and the weakness of my body. And I remembered.
He had pushed me out of the way of the car, and we had fallen in the water. It would have been fine except that my dress had got caught on something. I had panicked, but Nathaniel had been there right away.
He shared air with me so I wouldn't drown.
I froze as I remembered.
And he didn't need to surface to breathe.
"Nathaniel," I said, needing to know.
He looked up, his eyes full of pain.
"You didn't need air to take a breath," I said accusingly.
"No." He looked confused. His voice was rough from the sobbing. "Of course not."
"Why not?" I demanded.
He rubbed tears off of his cheeks.
"Because I can breathe under water, of course. I thought you said you did your homework."
* * *
I had been supposed to get a briefing on Vandwa as well as on Nathaniel; I remembered now. Mrs. Lynch told me that. But looking back on it, everything seemed like a whirlwind, and there were many things I may have forgotten. I had never got the briefing on Vandwa, or if I did, it was tossed in a pile back on Earth. Once I got here, I never thought about it again. Nathaniel gave me a personal summary about the Vandwan on our way home.
"Vandwans have physical characteristics that allow us to breathe under water," he said as we walked up the stairs to my room. "It surprised me to find out that humans don't. I did some research while you were unconscious. We can also swim faster and hold our breath longer than humans. I have a clear eyelid that protects my eyes under water."
The car stopped, and Nathaniel came around to help me out. I needed to lean on him. My calf was still pretty sore even though the painkillers were starting to take effect.
He helped me put on my nightgown, and there wasn't a trace of heat in his gaze. He was tender and gentle. Once I was in bed, he left and came back wearing his pajamas. He sat down on top of the covers.
"Nathaniel?" I said. "Can I see?"
"My breathing organs?"
I nodded, feeling silly.
He lifted his T-shirt and twisted his body to display his side. I reached out and gently touched him. He twitched. The skin was rough.
"It's sensitive," he said. "That's where the water goes in and out. When it gets inside my body, there's an organ that extracts the oxygen and then expels the excess."
"Amazing, and a little gross," I said, feeling full of wonder. "Thank you, Nathaniel. I could never tell you how grateful I feel. I could have died down there."
He put his finger to my lips to stop me from saying anything else.
"Don't talk like that." He looked anguished at my words. "I did what I had to do, Ashlyn. I couldn't have done anything else," he said, apparently trying to hold on to his composure.
"But why?" I whispered.
He gazed at me, his odd-colored eyes searching mine.
"Because I love you."
Chapter 16
ASHLYN
I had to remind myself to breathe. Nathaniel looked grave.
He took my hand.
"I'm completely in love with you, Ashlyn. You don't have to say anything, but I had to tell you. It shook me up to see you that close to death."
I had noticed.
He had been sobbing like he had a broken heart in the hospital. The nurse had whispered to me that all men got like that when their wives suffered severe injuries. She said that men acted tough and concealed their emotions behind a tough exterior. When someone they cared about had an accident, they often lost control.
I didn't want to tell her that I was technically Nathaniel's wife, but in reality, merely a mail-order bride.
In other aspects, I supposed she was right. The broken man who had sobbed on my bed was nothing like the sexy sailor who I had met only three days ago. The fellow who had cried when I opened my eyes seemed more real than any of the sides of Nathaniel that I had seen so far.
"Nathaniel," I began, not sure what to say.
He held his hand up.
"I don't want you to say anything right now, Ashlyn. I needed to be honest with you." A shadow of guilt flickered over his face for a moment. I wondered what it was, but I found myself nodding and acquiescing to him.
In any event, I didn't have the correct words to say. I was surprised at his admission and overwhelmed by the events of the night and the revelation about his water-breathing super alien ability.
"Can I hold you?" he said, repeating back to me the words I had asked him this morning.
"Please," I said.
We came together, and our bodies clung to each other. We lay with our faces only inches apart, and he kissed me softly and then moved back, watching me. I could hardly keep my eyes open.
"Sleep, Ash. I'm right here. Watching over you."
I closed my eyes with a smile.
I felt safe.
I could trust Nathaniel entirely. He was honest and straightforward, and he loved me.
* * *
I woke up early and went to the bathroom. When I headed back to bed, I looked out the window. It was still dark, and two of the moons were in the sky. Out the other window I could see a line of brightness along the horizon.
It was early morning.
I felt great. I couldn't believe it. I leaned down and pulled back the bandage on my wound. The open wound was gone! There w
as a scar but otherwise no sign of any injury. I hadn't believed the nurse when she said it would be better by morning. I didn't realize she meant completely healed.
She had told me that the sea water had healing properties. It was lucky for me that the injury had happened in the ocean because the sea cleaned the wound immediately, and the water began healing it right away. I could have died from blood loss but not from infection.
I peeled the rest of the bandage off, threw it in the garbage, and went back to bed. Nathaniel was facing away from me, still sleeping deeply and I got back under the covers, curling my body up against his back and wrapping my arm around him.
I felt a tenderness welling up inside of me as I lay there beside him. What a good man. He had saved me. He had taken care of me in a strange situation on an unknown planet. He loved me the way I had always wanted to be loved, completely and with nothing held back.
My heart swelled. I didn't know if I loved him back, but I cared about him. If I couldn't say I loved him, I could show him how I felt. He was going to be leaving me today.
At the thought of finally doing everything I had been dreaming about doing to Nathaniel since I had met him, I felt a jolt of lust go through me, and I squirmed a little.
I moved away from him and sat up, pulling off my nightgown and underwear so that I was completely naked.
That was better for me, but he had on too many clothes.
I gently pulled up his shirt and pressed my bare breasts against his back.
I closed my eyes at the heavenly feel of it. My arm wrapped around him and slid up under his shirt, exploring his six pack and chest. My hand slipped down to feel where his underwater breathing organs were, and he twitched. Amazing. Touching him was a luxury and a treat, and I lost myself in it.
He was still sleeping, but his breathing had changed. I rubbed my legs back and forth where I was beginning to ache, brushing my hard nipples against his back. I couldn't let him sleep anymore because I needed him to touch me.
I gradually let my restless hand drop lower and lower until I bravely slid it into his pants.
My breathing sped up immediately. He was sleeping because he was totally limp, but hopefully not for long. Gathering my courage, I brushed my hand gently along the length of him. He moved a little and made a small sound.
Taking a deep breath, I wrapped my hand around him and gently stroked. My reward was a definite movement. I took hold of him and slid my hand back, pulling gently. Bit by bit, I could feel him hardening under my touch, but he still seemed to be asleep. I was frustrated.
A moment later, I was on my back with Nathaniel on top of me, his aqua eyes boring into mine.
"Ashlyn," he said, his voice rough from sleep. "What are you doing?"
My breath was emerging harsh and uneven because he had most of his weight on me. I loved the feeling of him being big and powerful on top of me. I spread my legs so that he was between them.
"Showing you how I feel," I managed to gasp out.
"I had a dream," he said, taking a little more of his weight on his forearms so that I could breathe more easily.
"A nicer one than last time, I hope," I said mischievously.
"A woman was touching me, and I was on fire."
"Were you?" I breathed.
"Yes, but there's something you should know," he said, his lips getting closer and closer to mine.
"What's that?"
"If you play with fire, you might get burned."
"Please, Nathaniel. I'm burning now," I said, and pushed my hips up against his where I could feel his cock pressing against me. I sucked in a breath.
Fuck, I was hot for him.
"Are you sure, Ashlyn? What about your wound?"
"Yes. Yes, I'm sure. It's all healed. I promise. I checked. Please take your clothes off." I was desperate.
He grinned then. A thoroughly rakish grin.
He sat up and pulled off his shirt. I hooked my fingers in his pajama pants and pulled both them and his boxers down. He wriggled out of them and kicked them off. As he lay down next to me, I let out a soft sigh.
Yes, that's where I needed him to be.
I wondered for a moment where responsible, feet on the ground Ashlyn had gone. But I pushed the thought out of my head.
To hell with her.
We kissed for a long time. I got wet, and he got hard. We didn't move on until we were both desperate and longing for more.
I put my hand on him again, but he pushed it away.
"I'm already pretty far along, Ash. I want to last for you. Not too much of that. Let's focus on you first, okay?"
I nodded, wondering what that meant.
My second boyfriend and the first guy I ever loved had also been the first and only guy with whom I had relations. Our love-making had been pretty straight forward. We would kiss. He would touch me for a while until he thought I was wet enough. Then he would put it in.
He usually lasted about three minutes before he would come. Then he would tell me he loved me, and we would cuddle. I loved it because it made me feel grown up and close to him. But we had never focused on me.
I swallowed and gazed at him in the dim light of dawn. He started kissing me again, but this time his hands explored my body. They slid down my sides, touching my breasts. He swept lower and lower until I held my breath, but then they climbed back up, finally arriving back at my breasts. I froze, waiting.
He took so long that I whimpered.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered and took my breasts in his palms, massaging and rolling them — giving me what I wanted. He squeezed the nipples, and I moaned. The small action sent a shot of desire straight through me.
He slid down my body, kissing everywhere. Then his head was poised over my breast. I felt myself get wet at the thought of him taking my breasts into his mouth.
His hot mouth closed over my nipple, and I thought I would come just from that. I wasn't sure if I had ever had an orgasm, but I knew what it was theoretically. I wondered if I was about to have one.
His skilled mouth sucked and licked both my breasts until I couldn't stand it anymore. He laid down beside me, and his hand cupped my sex.
I let out a little sobbing sound when he finally touched me there. He cupped it a few times and pushed his finger into my folds. I was slippery, and his finger slid right in. He rubbed it up and down the entire length of my slit several times.
I loved it.
He found a spot near the top. It was a hard, round, little nub. And when he touched me there, my hips bucked, my back arched, and I groaned with pleasure.
"Holy fuck," I ground out as he touched me again, light as a feather. I could hardly feel his caresses, but they were making me wild.
My world narrowed to the point of pleasure Nathaniel was skillfully touching. He slid a finger inside me and rubbed. He plunged the finger in and out, adding to the intense feelings burning internally. It was at that moment that I noticed a pressure building inside me. The pleasure grew more intense and more exciting.
"Nathaniel," I said as the bliss became impossibly fantastic.
Then I shattered into a thousand pieces.
I moaned and bucked as my body clenched and convulsed. He kept rubbing and plunging, drawing the ecstasy out longer until my body finally lay still and I collapsed back on the bed.
"Ashlyn, you've got a beautiful O face," he said.
For a long time, I couldn't speak and couldn't move. I lay there in delicious oblivion with a lazy smile plastered to my face.
"What's an O face," I asked when I could talk and open my eyes again.
He looked at me in surprise.
"Your orgasm face," he said.
"That's an orgasm?" I said. "Oh fuck, I want another one."
He frowned.
"You've never had an orgasm before?"
"I'm Catholic. I think an orgasm is a sin," I said. I smiled at him lovingly.
"That's one," he said, looking like a determined alien.
He kissed
me hard and moved down my body, stopping to suck my breasts. Then he licked and sucked his way to my sex. He spread my legs wide and positioned himself over that little button that gave me so much pleasure.
He was close enough that I could feel his breath, and I shivered.
He wasn't going to touch me with his tongue, was he? That would mean he would taste me and touch me down there. I didn't know if I was clean, and I spent over half an hour in the sea, not to mention the swimming in the morning.
I gasped as he licked up my slit.
"Ashlyn, you taste delicious," he said.
Oh my fucking God.
His tongue flicked out, and I felt him touch my sensitive nub.
If I thought his hands had felt great down there, that was nothing compared to his tongue. Always as light as a breeze, he took me right up and over the top again. And this time I screamed from the intensity.
"Two," he said. "And counting."
Chapter 17
NATHANIEL
When I had woken to find Ashlyn's hands on me, I had been surprised, happy, and unbelievably aroused.
When I had found out that her loser of a boyfriend had never made sure she came before, I felt determined to show her how good sex could be.
After her second orgasm, though, I couldn't wait anymore. I needed to take her body. I needed to make her mine. I needed to fill her until there was no way of telling where I ended, and she began.
As she lay on the bed with another blissful smile on her face, her hips still convulsing occasionally, I lay down on top of her and kissed her. It started out slow and sweet and ended up with me fucking her mouth with my tongue — mimicking what was to come. At the same time, I was floating over her clit again, and she was making breathless noises. Her desire was mounting.
"Ash…" I started. But she interrupted me.
"Nathaniel, I need you inside me. Now. I have such an ache, and I need you to fill me. Please, Nathaniel."
I closed my eyes.
She was begging me to fill her.
That was sexy.
I pressed at her entrance until the resisting flesh split, and I slid inside her.
