Mismatch
Page 42
It almost felt too good. He had been keeping us warm because there was a storm last night. Ayrie didn’t need any comfort from me. If I didn’t keep my head on straight, I was going to get badly hurt. He had told me in no uncertain terms yesterday why he couldn’t love me. How was I supposed to respond to that?
Ayrie sighed and gave me a squeeze. I didn’t know he was awake until he kissed my cheek. “Are you feeling better, Elle?�
“Much better. I guess I overdid it.� I felt chagrined. I had been an idiot. “How did I get back here?�
“I carried you.� There was something strange about his voice. I turned to face him and realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt.
“By yourself and in the dark? That must have been hard. I had a nice dream, though.�
“What was it about?� He opened his eyes, looking mildly curious.
“I love flying dreams, but I wasn’t flying in this one. You were. You looked like an angel.� I started laughing.
“I definitely have the body of one.�
“Maybe a fallen one.� It seemed like he might get up any moment, so I took a chance and gave him a quick kiss.
“Thanks for bringing me here.�
“We couldn’t have stayed up there. A storm started blowing after you passed out. We would have spent a miserable night on the hilltop.�
“I believe you.� I shuddered at the thought of being caught in the cold wind and rain.
“I should go back and start a smoke signal. Why don’t you stay here and rest?� He reached out and touched my hand.
“Sure. That’s a good idea.� I tried not to sound disappointed. I must not have convinced Ayrie because he gave me an odd look.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.� He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’d rather take you with me, but we shouldn’t risk you passing out again, Elle.� A shadow passed over his face. I realized that he had been deeply concerned about me.
I didn’t like that I had fainted, either. And I knew that I should stay here, but I didn’t want to be alone. “Don’t worry about me,� I said casually. “I’ll hang out on the beach and pretend I’m on vacation.�
“You would eat better if we were on a pleasure trip. I’ll gather some more breadfruit and berries on my way down. Are you hungry now?�
I shook my head. “Instead of worrying about me, figure out how to contact a ship so we can get off this island.�
Did he look like he would be disappointed to leave? Or was my mind playing tricks on me? I would be glad to go, except for one little fact. For the first time since we had married each other, my husband and I liked one another. I could see why he wouldn’t want our attitudes toward each other to change.
I wondered what would happen when we returned to the spaceship. Would our time on the island be like a dream? Would we go back to our horrible marriage?
I hoped not.
He kissed me again, gazing into my eyes with concern. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.�
I nodded. Unintentionally, my arms went around Ayrie’s neck. He put his hand on my lower back and moved me closer to him. The kiss started to heat up. I felt like he was trying to tell me something with his body that he couldn’t verbalize — and it took my breath away.
Ayrie pulled back unexpectedly. “Sorry about that.�
“You don’t have to apologize for anything.�
“I should go, Elle.� He squeezed me one last time before going downstairs.
I watched him until his back disappeared through the door, then sighed and flopped down onto the bed. I allowed myself a few minutes to mope about our pathetic situation.
But that was all. I told myself that I couldn’t wallow in misery for too long. I wouldn’t sit around waiting for Ayrie to come back. In the meantime, I was going to find something to do.
I hung the quilt outside to air out. I cleaned the shack, sweeping out the downstairs areas we hadn’t touched yesterday. I cleared out the soft grasses we used for sleeping and collected fresh plant material, bringing its sweet scent with me and spreading it over the loft.
After that, I brought the quilt back up and laid it out, then sat down on the bed to rest. I hadn’t recovered from yesterday yet, and I was asleep before I knew it.
When I woke up, the slanting bar of sunlight on the floor had moved quite a bit, and I thought a few hours had passed. There was still no sign of Ayrie. While I worked, I had become hot and sweaty. I realized that I smelled terrible.
I needed to take a shower or a bath. The closest I would get to either one was a swim in the ocean.
Ayrie hadn’t said the water was dangerous. I suppose neither of us had wanted to go back in after our narrow escape. But I wanted to get clean now. Today was the hottest since we had crashed on Vandwa. It would be lovely to cool off in the sea.
When I made my decision, I headed down to the beach. Earth’s waters were too polluted to play in them. We had to save all our fresh water for drinking, and countries still fought wars over water rights. There was none of that on Vandwa; only clear, blue water everywhere I looked.
As long as I didn’t go out too deep, I should be safe even though there were creatures in the ocean. I watched carefully for danger before I stripped off my clothes and went into the sea, bringing my filthy pants and shirt with me.
The water wasn’t cold. The weather was so warm that it felt like bathwater. And it was clear, too. I couldn’t see a trace of aquatic life, which surprised me. The experience was refreshing and exhilarating.
It felt naughty to be swimming out in the open, completely nude. I washed my clothes and left them in the shallow water before starting to float on my back. I was grateful for the first chance to relax in a long time.
I had never really been alone on Earth. My life with Ayrie on the starship hadn’t been much different, but there was an underlying tension between us that kept me on edge. On the island, there were no other people and nothing to make me stressed. The only thing around was me, naked and honest. And for the first time, I liked the woman I saw.
I stayed in the water for a long time before coming out and spreading my clothes to dry. I decided to take a walk along the shore. I went just far enough to explore before turning around and coming back to my clothes. I was clean and dry, and I suddenly felt tired. I lay down on the warm sand with the sun beaming down on me, feeling like a bare-skinned water baby finally coming to land. I fell asleep again, completely at peace.
AYRIE
I made the fire as quickly as I could. Once the flame was stable, I fed the green leaves into it, creating a huge plume of smoke that could be seen from miles away. I stayed and added as many smoke-generating leaves as the fire could take. The flames died down after another hour.
Before I left, I stamped out the fire and covered it with dirt. I didn’t want to have to flee to the ocean because we accidentally burned down the island.
For the entire time I was tending the fire, all I could think about was Elle. Was she all right? Had she passed out again? What if she lost consciousness or stopped breathing when I wasn’t there and couldn’t help her?
I paced around nervously. When my task was complete and I could finally go, I decided that the agony of taking out my wings would be worth it if it sped up my return. I could land in the jungle and retract my wings so she wouldn’t know about them. I planned to go into the shack the same way I left. Elle would remain unaware of my secret.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Everything went according to plan until I returned and couldn’t find her anywhere. I frowned. Where was she? At the bathroom trench?
I peeked in that directio
n to see if I could spot a head of short brown hair, but I didn’t see anything. Eventually, I went over to make sure she hadn’t fainted while she was relieving herself. There wasn’t a single sign of her.
I was starting to get worried. I had expected to find Elle sleeping or resting when I came back. Instead, she had wandered off somewhere. I looked around and noticed that she had cleaned up a little and changed the bed.
Maybe she had wanted to take a swim. I needed a bath, too. I took off running to check the beach. On the sand, I found the first sign of Elle. She had spread her clothes out on some rocks to dry. Elle herself was nowhere to be seen.
Had she followed me up the trail? I had only come down the part which came out near our cabin, so if she had been moving at the same time, I could have easily missed her. I hiked back to the base of the hill and looked up the trail as far as I could see. I didn’t think she would have gone hiking. If I couldn’t find her, I would have to open my wings and search for her from the air, but I wanted to put that off as long as possible. I didn’t want her to know.
I ran back to camp, feeling more and more frantic as the minutes went by and I couldn’t find her. I shouldn’t have left her alone. She had said she was a lifeguard and could take care of herself in the water, but maybe she had an accident.
I looked in the water along the beach, just in case. There wasn’t a trace of her, like in the jungle near our campsite. The afternoon passed without me seeing Elle’s sweet face at camp.
I had lost her. I walked back into camp after another search, feeling dejected. She had neatly cleaned the loft, but it was empty now. I decided to rest inside while I tried to absorb the reality of what had happened.
It didn’t matter if she was dead or had disappeared. Either way, she was gone. I couldn’t feel any emotion, and it reminded me of losing my mother.
Were the two situations really that similar? Was I so close to Elle that I felt this strongly about her? I thought I didn’t love her.
I was going to try again. Maybe Elle was hurt somewhere in a place I had overlooked. I couldn’t give up so easily. I would look down from the air before combing the entire island systematically. If she was on the island, I was going to find her. I hadn’t been a great husband so far. I was determined to do better from now on.
Wincing at the thought of deploying my wings twice in a short timespan, I steeled myself against the pain and released them. I cried out as torment filled my head, spreading out from my back into every cell of my body. Every time I took out my wings, my body fought against me. When the anguish finally ceased, I took to the skies.
I flew back and forth across the island searching for any sign of Elle. I went down the beach that I had already walked down twice today. It took a third time for me to see her body.
She lay in a little hollow pointing toward the jungle. I had walked right past the spot before, but a dune had hidden her from my line of sight.
I dove down and landed, stifling my cries of agony as I retraced my wings for the second time in a day. As soon as the shaking stopped and I could walk, I made my way over to her.
She was nude and looked as pale as a corpse. I dropped to my knees, and a wretched groan escaped my mouth.
Not Elle too. I hadn’t known that I needed her. But now that she might be gone, I couldn’t imagine what I was going to do without her.
Chapter Nine
AYRIE
I don’t know how long I knelt beside her, afraid to touch her and unwilling to learn the truth. The wind picked up and ruffled her hair. The rosy glow of sunset filled the air. From a different perspective, the scene would have been considered beautiful.
When I saw her move and sigh, relief flooded my body. I leaned over, putting my forehead on hers and inhaling her sweet scent. She wasn’t dead, after all. Once the moment passed, I realized I had overreacted when I thought she was dead. All the important women in my life had slowly passed away before my eyes. On some level, I expected that to happen with Elle, too.
As I tried to calm myself, Elle opened her eyes. She looked at me quizzically before giving me a sweet smile. Elle took my hand without saying anything and kissed it. The innocent gesture made me aware she was nude. My cock started responding immediately, but I ignored it and picked Elle up, beginning to carry her back to camp.
She spoke up when we approached the shack. “Ayrie, why are you carrying me?�
“Is there a reason why I shouldn’t?� My words came out gruff because I was still feeling worried about her.
“Is there something happening that I should know about?�
“What were you doing out there?� I knew I looked upset, but my concern was quickly changing into anger that she had worried me so much. I put Elle over my shoulder, making her squeal, and carried her up the ladder. As I set her down in the loft, I could see her realize she wasn’t wearing any clothes. Her cheeks flushed pink as she put one arm over her breasts and reached her other hand down to cover her sex. I ignored my desire for her body, wondering what she was going to say.
“I cleaned up and decided to take a swim.� Her eyes looked like she was still waking up. “I walked along the beach. When I got tired, I laid down in a warm spot of sand and took a nap.�
“Anything might have happened to you, Elle.� My voice sounded harsh, but I couldn’t control it.
She frowned at my tone. “Anything could happen to me here, too. It’s not like we have an impenetrable fortress.�
Hearing about something impenetrable drew my eyes down to the hand between her legs. What were we talking about? My brain short-circuited as I thought about penetrating her fortress.
“Anyway, I don’t understand why you’re making such a big deal about this.� Elle was getting defensive in a way I hadn’t seen since we left the mothership. “I went swimming and took a nap. Was I supposed to ask you for permission?�
“No, of course not. But I was worried. I couldn’t find you, and I looked everywhere.� I felt harassed and frustrated because I knew nothing could come from my arousal. “I thought something happened to you.� I stopped talking. I didn’t want to reveal the extent of my imagination.
“I was totally safe.�
“I looked and couldn’t find you. I didn’t know where you were.� I ran a hand through my hair, which was getting long and needed a cut. I closed my eyes, wondering if I looked like a madman. When I glanced at her again, I couldn’t figure out the expression on her face. She didn’t look angry anymore.
“Where’s your shirt?� Her voice trembled.
I looked down at my bare chest. I had left my shirt somewhere after I deployed my wings. When we flew, our torsos were nude, and we lost tops all the time. I shrugged, getting caught in the snare of her eyes and finding myself unable to look away.
Elle crawled across the bed toward me. She wasn’t bothering to cover herself any longer, which meant her perfect breasts were swinging and distracting me. “Were you really worried about me?�
I nodded. I felt my cock become fully erect. I was unable to look away from the sexy, naked goddess approaching me. I tried to speak but something caught in my throat. I coughed and tried again. “Elle, what are you doing?�
“It’s something we should have done a long time ago.�
“We can’t bond with each other.� I felt frustration fill my chest.
“Of course not. I know you don’t love me.�
“I never said that.� The words slipped out before I could stop them. She looked as surprised as I felt. What was I saying?
“Ayrie, weren’t you the one who said even though we can’t bond we can still have fun?�
I d
idn’t answer as she pressed her body against me. Her soft breasts pressed against my hard chest and I felt her hard nipples rubbing against my skin. When she hooked her hands around my neck, I couldn’t help but respond to her touch. After all my pent-up anxiety, adrenaline was still pounding in my blood, and I wanted to release all the coiled energy in my body.
“Take me, Ayrie.� When Elle looked at me, her eyes were on fire. “Take as much of me as you can.�
I didn’t need another invitation. I claimed Elle’s mouth with mine. The lust surging through my body made it impossible to be gentle. By the way she responded, maybe she didn’t want me to be gentle.
Her fingernails raked my back. She sucked on my tongue as I thrust it in and out of her mouth. It was the way I wanted to move with her body farther down, but couldn’t. She began to squeal, and the noises made me harder. I wanted to take her sweet body. I palmed her breasts and pinched her nipples. I needed to taste them.
I laid Elle down in the bed that smelled of sun-warmed grass and took my pants off. I kissed from her mouth down her neck and over to her breasts. Closing my eyes, I took her nipple into my hot mouth and sucked gently. She gasped and arched her back toward me, encouraging me to take more of her. I sucked and nipped her breasts. They were small, round and firm. From the noises she made, I wondered if she was so aroused that she would come already.
I wanted more.
I continued playing with her breasts while my hands worked their way further down. I ran my fingers along the length of her leg and slowly back up, feeling excited as I went past her knee. Slowly, I drew my fingers up her inner thigh, pausing only for a moment before I cupped her pussy. She started to pant as I rubbed in soft circles around her clit, never touching it or moving inside. I played with her for a long time, until she twisted beneath my hand and pressed her hips against me. I finally slid my finger into her and found her slick, hot, and wet.