by Nina Pierce
Brenimyn held the box up for her to see.
“Oh, good you already found them.”
He shoved the crackers in next to the fruit and turned to the bottles on the shelf. “Red wine or white?”
“I’m feeling a little wild today. How about both?” She rose up on her toes, kissing him full on the mouth.
“Both it is.” He smiled when he looked at her flushed cheeks, knowing his loving had put the color there. “I like your hair that way.”
Running her fingers down the long strands, she fluttered her gloriously thick lashes at him. “Really? I didn’t know. I’ve decided I like it down rather than in a braid.” Flashing him an impish smile, Jahara pointed her finger at his nose. “But you’re going to be responsible for combing out any knots that tangle it today.”
“It would be my pleasure.” He kissed her nose.
“It’s another lovely day in The Garden.” She giggled.
“Perfect for visiting the lake.”
“Why do I feel today involves more than a picnic?” she asked.
Jahara had no idea what kind of a hornet’s nest the answer to that question would open. Brenimyn swallowed the lump of deceit clogging his throat. “I’ve got a couple of other surprises, but if I told you … you wouldn’t be surprised, now would you?” Keeping his tone upbeat, Brenimyn avoided looking at her. Even after only a few weeks, she could read his emotions and he was acutely aware his guilt would be obvious.
“Are you sure we can’t just stay here and lounge by the pool? I don’t get many days off.” She pressed her body against his back, her hands sliding down his belly. “I think I need more practice in this baby-making activity.”
Turning around, the air rushed out of his lungs. His love for her hit him with the force of a punch to the gut. He looked into her eyes, feeling as if he would drown in their deep amber pools. They were filled with trust, and he knew in that instant he would give his life for this woman if the journey they were about to embark upon ever came to that.
“You, my honorable Jahara, have perfected that technique.” His arms wound their way around her hips. “Today, if it would please you, I would like very much to show you another part of the Garden.” He watched her face pinch in disapproval at his statement. She hated when he put her on a pedestal for the cameras. Pleased that she thought of him as an equal, he gently brushed her lips, pulling away before she could deepen the kiss and delay them longer. He’d already had to fight her off in the shower.
“With your permission, I called for a car. It’s already waiting outside to take us to the lake.” Putting the pack with the food on Jahara’s back, he shrugged the heavier pack from the shelf over his shoulder. “Shall we?” He led her outside.
The ride out of the Garden proper was uneventful. As they drove past the breeders’ residences then the houses for the pregnant females, they chatted about the day ahead and the night before. They carefully measured their words lest the woman driving the vehicle be a watcher for the Governmental Body.
Jahara’s eyes grew wide as the Garden proper melted away. The residential buildings opened to the agricultural section of the Garden. Large fields of corn, wheat, potatoes and various other fruits and vegetables lined the road. Workers in their pale blue outfits hunched over the crops.
“What’re they doing in the field?” Leaning over the seat, Jahara asked the driver to slow the vehicle. “They’re all women, yet they wear the pale blue tunics of breeders.”
“The founders originally intended machinery to do the culling and harvesting they’re doing.” Brenimyn pointed to the fields. “But so many live here for so long they had to find something to occupy their time while they procreated. As you know, no one is forced to work, it’s a choice. But it’s no different than you working at the breeders’ well-check.” He toyed with Jahara’s fingers laced through his. “You’ll notice there’re no male breeders who work. It’s not allowed. We must be available to copulate at our mate’s request. Besides, they’re afraid we might get hurt.” He couldn’t keep the sarcasm from his last statement. “There are a mere two thousand of us here. Two-point-five men for every breeding woman.”
Jahara’s brow furrowed and Brenimyn couldn’t help but laugh at her assessment of the situation. Today might go better than he anticipated.
They left the golden fields of grain waving in the endless gentle breeze and traveled toward the green pastures of the animals. Herds of cows, horses and bison could be seen grazing on the rolling hills. The scent of manure filled the air. Jahara sighed.
She neither wrinkled her nose in displeasure like the driver, nor smiled in approval as she’d done with the other new scenes she’d experienced. Brenimyn tried to reach her telepathically, to sense what she was feeling, but Jahara had closed herself off from him. It was a technique she’d perfected in the last few weeks and only when she relaxed or slept could he breach her barriers.
In the beginning, he’d known her every move and sensed her every emotion, but she’d become very adept at shutting him out. Perhaps he’d simply invaded her thoughts one too many times while she was busy at the healing facility. It didn’t upset him. Nothing about Jahara bothered him, quite the opposite in fact. She never ceased to amaze him.
Jahara fell heavily back into the seat, a look of sadness creasing the corners of her eyes and mouth. Embracing her, Brenimyn tucked Jahara against him. She didn’t resist, but she remained rigid in his arms. Jahara’s incessant talking stopped and they traveled the last ten minutes in silence. Though he wanted to understand Jahara’s sudden mood swing, he instinctively knew he wouldn’t like the explanation, so he didn’t ask.
Turning off the main thoroughfare, the vehicle bumped along the rutted road. The agricultural section was the only part of the Garden kept in its natural state. The barn they sought sat nestled between the lush jungle and the emerald fields filled with livestock.
“We’re here.” Brenimyn’s voice sounded overly cheery even to his own ears. They climbed out of the car, instructed the driver to return one hour after sunset and stood watching in silence as it disappeared over a hill.
Grabbing both packs in one hand, he took Jahara’s hand in the other, leading her into the cool shadows of the building. The sun shafted through the large double doors. The stalls lining either side of the barn held animals and windows. The light slanting through the stall doors barely reached the broad-beamed floor where they stood. It took Brenimyn’s eyes time to adjust to the murky darkness.
“Hello,” he called into the emptiness. Lifting their joined hands, he checked the timepiece at his wrist. It was only slightly later than he anticipated. Someone should be here.
“Nazaret, you here?” he shouted again down the long passageway. The horses in the stalls whinnied restlessly. “She must be in the office. It’s about halfway down.” Pointing, he looked over at Jahara who curved one side of her mouth in a feeble attempt at a smile. He’d find out later what was going on. Right now he was concerned about reaching the lake before the sun reached its zenith.
He heard voices as he approached the office, relief spilling over him. Perhaps they would make it on time after all. Pushing the door open, his large frame froze on the threshold. Jahara bumped into his back. “Nazaret, Lukiam, forgive the intrusion. Don’t rush on my account.” He turned quickly, pushing Jahara two steps back, not wanting her to witness the scene in the office. He closed the door behind him.
Heat blazed on his cheeks and he was grateful for the shadows that enveloped them. Normally he didn’t find sexual encounters embarrassing. Not only had he been forced to copulate with multiple partners at the same time, but last year they had chosen him as a teacher. By now he’d mated in front of hundreds of women. But something about Jahara’s innocence unnerved him.
“They are …” Brenimyn cleared his throat as the sounds of their climaxes filtered through the door.
“Otherwise engaged.” Jahara laughed out the words.
“Perhaps we could wait for them ou
tside?”
“I think I’d like that.”
They continued to giggle as they rushed away. They hadn’t even reached the doors when Nazaret called from behind.
“Bren, wait.” A young woman moved up the passageway, pulling on breeches with each step. Her auburn hair and bare breasts swayed and bounced as she half ran, half hopped to the front of the barn. “You’re a little later than I expected. Lukiam can spare only a few minutes before he’s expected back at the Garden proper for his well-check. You know how it is when you’re in love. Any time is a good time.” She shrugged unapologetically, tying the breeches she’d just pulled up.
Nazaret’s cheeks were red, her lips puffy and bruised. Her exposed breasts were still heaving from the efforts of her lovemaking. “I have your horse bridled and ready.” She rose up on bare feet, and gave Brenimyn a hug and a peck on the cheek. “Many are expected today. Neither of us could get away or Lukiam and I would have joined you.” Her face nearly split with the smile she flashed Jahara. “And you must be the honorable Jahara Khateri.” She bowed at the waist. “It’s truly an honor to finally meet you. We’ve waited a long time for your arrival.”
Confusion lined her face as Jahara took the hand Nazaret offered. “Yes, well, I’ve only been here three weeks and they don’t give me much time off. I didn’t know I was expected to pay a visit to the barns.”
Nazaret laughed and winked at him. “You never mentioned she had such a sense of humor.”
“Don’t you need to get back to Lukiam?” He wanted her to stop talking. She’d already said too much.
“Yeah, sure, after I get your horse. In a hurry today to enjoy the lake?”
“No commentary, Nazaret, just the horse.”
She laughed as she led them out into the bright sunlight, all three shielding their eyes. “Your favorite gelding. He should have no problem carrying you both.”
“I don’t get my own horse?” Jahara sounded indignant.
“You know how to ride?” Brenimyn didn’t mean to sound so surprised, but she did come from the desert. Horses weren’t common there.
“Of course, Merenith is a very gifted animal trainer. She runs the vet clinic and farm outside the capital city. She taught me how to ride.” He saw her pride turn to discomfort when she mentioned the woman’s name. That would explain Jahara’s subdued disposition as they drove through the pastures.
“Then two horses it is.” Brenimyn was pleased the jealousy warring inside him didn’t come through in his words. He had wanted to be the one who introduced Jahara to horses and taught her to ride. Her admission that she’d learned from her lover did not sit well with him. Damn, the fact that Jahara still considered Merenith a significant part of her life was a bitter pill he refused to swallow.
It just emphasized how little he truly knew about this woman he intended to make his wife.
Chapter Nine
They rode through the fields bareback, climbing into the hills. The grassy fields gave way to palm trees and exotic vegetation Jahara had never seen. Emerald leaves fringed large flowers in all shades of the rainbow, their honeyed aroma filling the air in a sweet fog. Birds hidden among the foliage warbled and sang, permeating the jungle with their melodious tunes. It was a banquet for the senses and she closed her eyes, committing it all to memory.
Jahara swayed with the steady rhythm of the horse, its hooves silent in the lush undergrowth. The air grew comfortably damp with humidity, her tunic molding to her body. She felt Bren’s telepathy caress her torso, setting her insides fluttering. She could barely wait to reach their destination to picnic and join together away from the intrusive cameras in the apartment.
She had come to accept that mating was a term reserved for animals driven by instinct. It had been that one word that had cut Brenimyn so deeply on their first night. In his presence, they referred to their joinings as making love.
That term of the ancients made sense.
Her body’s desire to have him inside her had nothing to do with procreation, and everything to do with the joy it brought them both. The thought of conceiving his child just added another dimension of thrill. She wasn’t sure when she’d begun to think that way. Pregnancy no longer frightened her. She rather liked the idea of bearing Brenimyn’s offspring. He had a kind and gentle nature, and any child of his would surely possess those qualities.
Jahara had been so disappointed when the blood had flowed from her womb last week and he’d echoed her sentiments. They’d done nothing but make love for weeks. The only benefit was the fact they had another month to enjoy each other.
The scene at the barn had embarrassed her. Jahara doubted she would ever get used to people being so open about their sexual interludes. To her great relief, Lukiam had never come out of the office. She hadn’t wanted to witness another naked man flush with the afterglow of sex.
She’d caught a couple in the throes of passion last week in a back corner of the healing facility and hadn’t known how to avoid walking past the red-faced breeder pumping furiously into the woman bent over a chair. He’d looked at her and smiled, not caring whether she watched them complete their ritual or left. She’d done the latter as quickly as she could, but the image was permanently seared in her brain. She really had no desire to have it happen again.
Riding in silence, both she and Brenimyn were caught up in their own contemplations. They meandered through the jungle on a well-worn path the horses seemed to know intimately. She hadn’t been on a horse since … well, since her trip to the river with Merenith, just before she’d left.
Her partner’s beautiful face flashed over her thoughts. It wasn’t until this morning as they’d traveled the road near the pastures that Jahara realized she hadn’t talked to Merenith in over a week. Brenimyn now occupied every waking moment and often filled her dreams as well.
She toyed with the ring on her finger, wondering if this is what love felt like. Giddy happiness tripped over her heart whenever she thought of the man, and being with him made her whole in a way no relationship with a woman ever had. Still, there was so much she kept from him. He knew nothing of her upbringing, her deepest fears or her dreams for the future. Sharing those things with him would surely betray Merenith.
She smiled over at him as he rocked placidly on his horse. The smile he returned quickened her pulse. How fortunate for her that she’d found not only a skilled lover, but a philosopher, a dreamer and a handsome specimen of a man who’d agreed to be her breeder. And though it pleased her that their combined genetics and talents would create exceptional offspring, she didn’t want to mistake any of that for love.
As a scientist, she’d come to believe her euphoria was simply her body’s reaction to Brenimyn’s natural pheromones. Then again, no woman had ever made her feel so totally loved and accepted.
Guilt weighed heavily on her shoulders. Guilt that she hadn’t been missing Merenith. Guilt that she’d come to the Garden to fulfill an obligation, not find happiness. Guilt that she was forsaking the natural order of the world—and falling in love with a man. It was all so overwhelming she fell forward onto the neck of the horse, too tired to carry the burden.
“Jahara, are you all right?” Brenimyn brought his gelding close, reaching over to rub her back. “We can stop for a rest if you’d like.”
She shook off his hand. “No, I’m fine. I don’t need to rest.” Her words rode on frustration and confusion, coming out unusually loud and hard.
Brenimyn lifted his hands as if in surrender, his expression one of shock. “I was just thinking of you. We can ride or rest. Whichever you want.”
She forced herself upright on the mare’s back. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I haven’t ridden in so long and I was getting sore. I don’t need to stop. I just needed to stretch.” The lie tripped off her tongue with such ease it added its load to the anxiety already gnawing at her. What the hell did she want in this life? “I’m good,” she said finally. “Let’s just get to the lake.”
He dipped his h
ead in a subservient gesture. “As you wish.”
Brenimyn coaxed his gelding ahead of her mare, his back and leg muscles flexing with the cadence of the horse. She couldn’t get thoughts of this man out of her head. Everything melted away when she was with him. For the first time in her life, it seemed her heart was pushing away all logical thought and leading the way. Is it possible they’d gone straight from introductions to love? It seemed as if her heart had recognized Brenimyn the moment he’d touched her.
“And mine recognized you,” he said without turning around.
“Hey, get out of my head,” she shouted, her voice startling the birds into flight, their thunderous wings and screeches of reprimand shattering the tranquility. “Exactly what did you hear?” Nudging the mare, Jahara forced her mount through the thick vegetation until she came back alongside Brenimyn. “Whoa.” She pulled on the gelding’s reins until the horses stood flank to flank.
Jahara’s anxiety immediately flashed to anger. Heat rose in her face and she hoped he could see just how upset he’d made her. “Let’s get one thing straight here mister-man.” She shook her finger at his nose. “You may not venture into my head without an invitation. It’s just … well … it’s just rude.” She’d gotten so good at blocking him. The soothing setting of the jungle must have dropped her defenses.
Brenimyn’s hand engulfed hers and he leaned in close, the warmth of his breath stroking her cheek. “My dear, I was not in your head. You crawled into mine somewhere around the barn scene with Nazaret and the thoughts of our lovemaking over the last few weeks.” He nipped the bottom lip of her gaping mouth. “Which, I might add, has been a pleasant vision while we rode.”
“But I’m not … I didn’t … It’s not … How?”
“I know you’re not telepathic and I don’t know how you did it. But you did.” He chucked her under the chin, closing her unhinged jaw. “And it’s been mostly enjoyable listening to your internal debate.” He checked the position of the sun. “But I wasn’t exactly telling the truth when I said we had time to rest. There are people anticipating our arrival and we’re already late. Are you experienced enough to ride faster?”
