by Lena Malick
The lights illuminated about thirty yards of water off the island, bright as mid-day. There was a reef about twenty yards out. It was teeming with every imaginable type of fish. There were huge swirls of color from schools of fish fanning side to side. Clown fish, puffers, even sand sharks gliding along the bottom. The coral was bright orange and yellow, with vivid green seaweed lolling back and forth. The fish didn’t seem to mind the light. It looked like a dream that had been woken up.
Nik pulled himself back up on the boat, water cascading off his body. Terra stood in wonder. “My God, Nik. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“This small island has most ecologically dense water around it I ever see, and I dive just about everywhere.” He went back to the storage cabinet and brought out diving masks and a wide disk with long tubes attached to it. He adjusted one of the masks and handed it to her. “This is a surface air tube,” he said, referring to the disk and tubes. “The disk floats, and connect to tubes. It allows us to stay down. Great for shallow dive,” he said as he threw it in the water.
“My backpack’s below,” she said. “I’ll go change.”
“If you want,” he said, pealing his swimsuit off. Naked, he jumped into the brightly lit water. He surfaced and rolled on his back, looking up at the sky, his arms splayed out.
He was so beautiful, it took her breath away. She finally understood that expression. All the air just seemed to leave her body as she watched him. He had the fluidity of a natural athlete. He moved in the water like he lived there, his sleek muscles blending into the graceful lines of his long, lean body. He was nearly hairless, with no tan line. She imagined him spending a lot of time here, diving naked. Terra felt she was looking at the original Adam, in this mythical, watery Eden.
Floating on his back, he looked up at her. His arms gently stroked the water, like a ballet dancer maintaining a delicate pirouette.
Terra’s naturally cautious nature forced her to check in with herself. Staring down at him in the water, she searched her mind for fear. For trepidation. For danger. She couldn’t find it. Maybe it was him. Maybe it was the place. Maybe she was just foolish, but somehow she just knew that everything was okay. There was nothing to be afraid of. She just knew it.
She pulled her sweater off. He watched her. She kicked off her shoes. Unzipping her jeans, she looked at him. He watched her intently, stroking the water. She pulled her pants down and pulled them over her feet. She stood and reached behind, unhooking her bra and letting it fall forward and off. She bent over and pushed her panties down, stepping out of them. Standing back up, she looked down at him, into his green eyes. He was not trying to be coy or shy—he was openly looking at her body, taking it in slowly and deliberately.
After making sure he had seen his fill, she grabbed her mask and dove in. The water was warmer than the air, almost bathtub warm. They stroked over to the air tubes. The disc floated on the surface, with the air tubes dangling down. He fit hers in her mouth, then his. After adjusting their masks and doing some practice breaths, he gave her the signal and they dove down.
He held her hand as they stroked together to the bottom. She was able to breathe easily through the tube. It was an odd sensation, reminding her of a recurring dream she’d had were she could breathe under water.
The second Terra jumped off the boat, she forgot she was naked. And she hardly noticed his nakedness. It seemed like the most normal thing in the world. They dove all along the reef. Some of the fish were curious, swimming right up to them. Others scattered at the sight of them. At one point, Nik went back to the boat and got some dive weights and swim fins for them so they could go deeper off the reef. Terra stayed below, playing hide and seek with a playful puffer fish. When Nik came back, he helped her get her fins on. He slipped a weight belt around her waist that kept her from constantly drifting toward the surface. She noticed he had a pouch on a string around his neck.
They dove deeper, off the far end of the reef. He opened the pouch and pulled out bits of food. The fish came quickly, surrounding them, darting at the food. They were soon encircled in swirls of color and movement as more fish came. Just as the food was running out, Terra saw a large fish coming in from the side. It was lurking in a dark area that the lights couldn’t reach, but she could see its long silver body. She nudged Nik and pointed. He nodded. She could see a slight smile behind his mouthpiece. He finished the last of the food as the large fish slipped out of the dark water and moved toward them. A barracuda.
The other fish scattered as the barracuda swam up to them. Terra grabbed Nik’s arm. He gave her a reassuring look, holding his hand up to let her know it was okay. She froze in terror as it swam right in front of her, just a few feet from her face. The fish’s mouth was partly open, his needle-like teeth visible. Terra’s heart was pounding so hard she could feel it throb in her ears. The barracuda came right up to Nik, face to face with his mask. He stayed there, as if in a staring contest, just inches away. Finally, the barracuda turned toward Terra, giving her a lazy look. She was still holding Nik’s arm so tight her hand was white. The fish slowly turned and drifted off, disappearing into the dark water.
It seemed that all the fish were leaving them alone now. The two of them floated off the reef, alone in the crystalline water, perfectly suspended in their private world. The pounding in Terra’s heart didn’t subside, but changed, shifting from fear to anticipation. She was still holding Nik’s arm. He reached out and took her other arm in his hand and pulled her around, so she was facing him. They looked at each other through their masks, his green eyes enlarged. He tugged her in closer. Being in the water, everything was in slow motion, each movement very deliberate.
He put his hands at the nape of her neck and let his fingertips drift down the front of her body, just as he’d done the night before at her cabana door. The back of his hands brushed over her breasts, grazing her nipples. She reached out and took his hands and turned them around, pressing them against her. He massaged her breasts, kneading her nipples with his thumb and fingers. Light shocks rippled through her body. She kicked her fins to press closer to him.
Her body, woken up, was now hungry for his touch. She ran her hands over his chest and down over his flat stomach, her palms following the contours of his muscles. She put her hands on his hips and pulled herself lower. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing into him.
He was hard against her, firm between her breasts. She pulled away enough to reach out and hold him at the base. She felt his body twitch at the touch of her hand. Her other hand slid lower, cupping his soft sack. She was amazed at his size, and how strong and solid he felt in her hand. She wanted to put him in her mouth, but was unable to with the mouthpiece. She was desperate for more, wanting to kiss him and taste him.
She moved back up his body, still holding him, anxious now. His back had begun to arch from her touch. He came forward and looked at her, then reached down and put a hand on her thigh. She kept her hand firmly gripping him. His hand slid up her thigh until it grazed her center. He cupped her. He used his fingertips to trace forward, teasing along her crease. She reached out and grabbed his shoulder. He rubbed her slit, his fingers slipping into the folds as she squeezed him in her hand.
He took his hand away, looked at her, and pointed up. They began kicking for the surface.
When they neared the surface, he pulled the tube out of his mouth. She did the same. He angled them toward the shore. They broke the surface in waist deep water. He rolled on his back and pulled his fins off, tossing his mask to the side. She followed his lead. His movements were hurried, almost desperate. As she got her second fin off, he grabbed her hand and hauled her toward the shore. He was moving so fast she was having trouble keeping up. He pulled her through the knee-deep water, frantic now.
He brought her down on her back on the wet sand as a wave rolled around them. He moved on top of her. She looked up at his face, his green eyes, his hair hanging down, dripping on her. She felt the full weight of him o
n her, wet and muscular. She wrapped her arms around his back. She could feel the need awoken in him. She breathed him in, clean and raw. A primal desire seemed to take him over. He dropped down and kissed her. His mouth opened, exploring with his tongue. She felt the wonderful sensation of his tongue against hers and felt the rough scruff of his face. His hand went to her face as he kissed her, his other hand grabbing a fist full of her hair.
Terra had never experienced what it was like to be really desired. To be ravished. To be taken with such need, it overpowers the senses and consumes you. But now, she felt that in him. His desire for her was so strong, it was like a visceral force she could only give over to, taking her to a place she’d never been to before.
His tongue was smooth in her mouth. He kissed her lips and nose and cheeks, then pressed into her mouth again, turning his head and gorging her with deep, passionate kisses. She kissed him back, pulling his body into her, wanting all of him. She felt him, pressed hard against her leg. He finally broke their kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. A wave broke and pushed up around them, as if sculpting them into the shoreline. She opened her legs, sliding her hands down his back to his butt, pulling him in.
He paused. “Wait. I don’t have—I didn’t expect to…” She stopped him. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m protected. Please. Please, Nik. Please take me. Take me now.” She felt the tip of him rubbing against her. A tingle spread through her. She spread herself wider, pulling him in closer. He pushed, arching his back, but her body resisted his size. He tried again, holding himself at the base, trying to be gentle. She looked down and her heart nearly stopped. He was so large. He seemed to have grown even bigger. He paused, unsure, not wanting to hurt her.
She grabbed his hair and lifted his face to hers. She looked into his eyes. “Please, Nik. I want you now. I want all of you.” She pulled her legs up his back and pressed her head back into the sand, nearly folding herself in half. He pressed harder. She felt him begin to enter, and felt the pain instantly. It was like her body was being shocked. He pressed further. The pain was white hot. She couldn’t help but to scream out. The birds on the island all seemed to scream back at her in unison. Nik stopped. She grabbed him by the back of the neck. “I want all of you,” she said, feeling dizzy from the pain.
He pushed in. She thought he was all the way in. He pushed again and went deeper still. Much deeper. Her body felt like it was separating. “All of… you,” she managed to say. She felt the full weight of him on her as he made a final push, the full length of him plunging deep into her.
The pain was excruciating. She felt her eyes water as a wave rolled over them, washing them clean. He pulled out slightly, then pushed back into her. The pain began to blend with a far off pleasure, a tingling, not like anything she’d never known—pleasure that was slowly rolling though her body in warm waves. He began moving in and out of her in a slow rhythm. Her pain faded further away, giving way to the pleasure.
The warm tingling grew stronger, centered on her groin. It spread, widening through her stomach and breasts. He kissed her again as he moved in her. He started pushing into her faster, moving in full, deep strokes. Her whole body felt lit from within, a pleasure she didn’t know existed moving through her like a pure form of energy.
A larger wave hit them, dislodging them from the sand crevice they’d created with their bodies. He rolled to the side with the impact of the wave. He stayed inside her as she rolled with him. He rested on his back, with her on top, pressed all the way down on him. He looked up at her with those beautiful eyes. With her feet in the sand, she pulled herself up, then slid back down on him. The pleasure rocked through her. She was able to adjust her position to get his full penetration. She began rocking forward and back as she moved up and down. He had his hands on her hips, watching her, his beautiful face flush with pleasure.
An unfamiliar feeling began from deep inside her. A fluttering, shimmering feeling. She continued moving on him, the feeling progressing like a train coming from a great distance. He began moaning, his shoulders rolling back. She moved faster as the feeling got closer. She put her hands flat on his chest and tilted forward, moving up and down on him. The feeling—a vibrating, metallic sensation, shot through her, like a scream of pure pleasure.
The orgasm hit her with such force she almost flew off him. She let out a long wail as her body vibrated—spasming and twisting. She gave over to the feeling, completely at its mercy. The pleasure rolled through her in wave after wave. Finally, her body began to slow down. Panting, her wet, tangled hair falling forward over his face, she came to a stop.
He looked up at her, a blissful smile on his face. She was still catching her breath. “That’s the—that’s the first time I’ve ever had an orgasm,” she said. The honesty of the moment just compelled her to tell him. “But you didn’t,” she added.
“Not yet,” he said. She smiled down at him. “I don’t want to let you go,” she said, squeezing herself down on him. He was still hard, deep inside her. He leaned forward, putting his arms around her waist, and lifted himself up to standing. His hands went under her butt, keeping himself inside her as she wrapped her legs around his hips. He began walking into the water, not stopping until he was waist deep.
She stayed hoisted on him, with his hands locked under her. The buoyancy of the water helped keep her afloat. He pushed deep into her. She put her hands on his face and kissed him, licking his lips and kissing his nose.
With her arms over his shoulders, she slowly moved herself up and down, the length of him sliding in and out of her. A gentle wave pushed against her back. Looking down, she saw a school of brightly colored fish come near them, then fan off in a swirl of color, like a flock of birds in formation.
She tightened her legs around him as she moved. He kissed her desperately, groping her mouth with his lips and tongue. His breath was hot on her face as he moaned. He gripped her tighter. She could feel his strong body tensing, his muscles bulging against her. He jerked, his back arching. His head tipped back. She kissed his neck. She moved up and gently bit his ear while flicking her tongue inside.
His body jerked again, as if shocked. She squeezed herself tightly around him. “Come inside me, Nik,” she whispered in his ear. “Come inside me, baby.” He let out a primal scream, pressing hard into her. The water splashed as he thrust like a piston, driving into her. She watched his face as the orgasm took him over, completely vulnerable and helpless in the grips of his desire.
She felt him explode inside her with his first powerful burst. Quaking and jerking against her, she could feel each surge as he released into her. He thrust harder each time, clamping her in his powerful, visceral grip. His body seemed to vibrate as he continued thrusting and releasing, over and over. She felt his spasms, warm bursts deep in her center, until finally he slowed down. His body quivered against her, as if suddenly weakened from the effort.
He was breathing hard against her, his head over her shoulder. She stroked the back of his hair and gently kissed his cheek. As she soothed him, she could feel his body relaxing, letting go.
He finally pulled back and looked at her, his breathing now normal. He gently pulled out of her and dipped her backward, her legs hooked around the top of his legs. Her hair spread out sideways on the water. She looked up at him, an expression of quiet delight on her face. Looking down at her, he saw her as an angel, a beauty so pure it could have dropped out of heaven into this paradise he called his home.
He pulled her back up, her legs slipping around his waist again. As he kissed her, he walked into the deeper water. He kept walking until they were neck deep in water. He took a deep breath of air—she did the same. Together, they slipped under, holding hands but separated, gazing at each other. The same school of fish swam between them in a swirl, like they were the entrance to a tunnel that led to a secret place. Other fish came and swam around and past them, as if inviting them into their home.
Maybe it’s the way certain moments seem to expand in time, or ma
ybe somehow a spell had been cast on them and they really were able to hold their breath for minutes, but it felt to Terra like they were down there for a long time. Long enough to feel, briefly, that they were part of that world. That they belonged there. A mermaid and her Poseidon joined in union. Eventually, he pulled her to him as the fish whirled around them in a rainbow of colors. He held her in his arms as they kicked to the surface.
He rolled on his back. She rested on his chest, facing up. They floated on their backs, with her head nestled under his chin. As they headed for the shore, their arms stroking in unison, they stared up at the vast night sky, filled with so many stars it was like looking at the grains of sand from some cosmic beach mirroring their own.
He went to the boat to fetch blankets, towels and a picnic basket. Though naked and wet, Terra felt warm in the night air, as if his seed had lit her from within. He came back and they toweled off. He spread one of the large, heavy blankets over the sand, then covered it with a fluffy white duvet, as soft and elegant as something on the bed of a five star hotel. They climbed in under the duvet, like a couple in their honeymoon bed. He reached for the basket and took out the food he brought from the house; packs of cheese wrapped in paper, bunches of grapes, a jar of olives, and fresh bread. He opened water and wine, which they drank direct from the bottle. They fed each other grapes, olives and cheese while gazing up at the stars and listening to the lush sounds of the island.
He pushed the duvet down and leisurely ran his hand up and down her body, his fingertips skimming the surface of her skin. He looked over her body with a mixture of awe and desire. His hand slipped inside her thigh, brushing past her crotch with a whisper-like touch. Terra extended and arched her back, her body stretching to meet his touch. He reached into the picnic basket and pulled something out, then pushed the basket out of the way.
