by C. K. Brooke
“Sure.” Robin walked beside her. “Better than we can, at least.”
The carriage was barely recognizable in the black forest by the time Maverick sniffed it out. Several leaves and insects had found their way inside.
“Oh, yeah.” Robin frowned. “I forgot, we left her stuck in the mud.”
Antonia was exhausted, but there was no way she would give up and settle there. They’d made it too far. They were fleeing the coast that night, if she had anything to say about it. Determined, she went to the front of the carriage and positioned herself to lift it. “You get the back end,” she ordered Robin. “On the count of three…”
The man did as told, gripping the rear of the carriage with bent knees.
“One, two…”
They grunted, hoisting up the vehicle on both ends and giving it a mighty jiggle. It took two more heaves until they finally heard a suctioning sound, and the front wheels came free.
Robin thanked her, climbing into the driver’s seat, and extracted the copper key from his pocket. “Thank gods I’ve been keeping this on my person,” he said, shoving it into the ignition. “Ever since you lost it to that damned coyote.” He laughed.
Antonia gave a small smile. She still felt guilty about the incident, but was glad to realize some good having apparently come of it.
THEY DROVE. AND DROVE. AWAY from the coast, up the peninsula as fast as the carriage could take them. By dawn, the vehicle was low on oil, and Robin parked in a deserted field to refuel it.
Antonia was drained. She couldn’t believe it’d been less than a day since they’d first discovered the kissing boulders. The events of the last twenty-four hours seemed enough to fill a week. Aching with fatigue, she dozed while Robin tended the carriage, until his warm presence returned to the bench beside her.
She blinked up at him, taking in the circles of sleeplessness beneath his eyes. She did not need words to voice her question. She knew by the look on his face that he followed her line of thought. Slowly, he gripped the bulge in his trouser pocket, but did not extract it. Instead, he only stared at her.
After a moment, Antonia understood. “You aren’t ready.”
He glanced away, looking torn. “It’s just…been such a long search. And I don’t want to open it here, in this ugly, empty field, where I feel so…dirty and dusty and tired.”
“It’s all right, Rob,” Antonia told him, gently. “Why don’t we rest awhile? We can have a look at…whatever you’ve found…later.”
He nodded appreciatively, shutting his eyes.
WHEN THE SUN TUMBLED WEST, they headed for the nearest town. They had made it far enough; at that point, there was no longer any threat of coastal authorities catching up with them.
The hotel they came upon was clean, and the food abundant, though neither Antonia nor Robin had much of an appetite. After dinner, they retreated to their separate rooms to freshen up for the evening and prepare for slumber. But after scrubbing herself thoroughly at the washbasin, Antonia found herself wide awake, despite how wearing the last few days had been.
She tied back her damp hair and departed her room, hoping Robin hadn’t gone to sleep already. She raised a fist to his door. After a moment, it opened. He was shaving, his jaw half-coated in soap, while Maverick snoozed on a rug on the floor.
“Sorry.” Antonia blushed. “May I come in?”
Robin stood back, allowing her entry, and closed the door behind her. “One moment.” He disappeared into the washroom to finish, and Antonia took a seat at the edge of his bed.
Waiting, she gazed out the chamber window. The sun descended over verdant hills dotted with adobe houses. She sighed, soaking in the charming view. If they finally had the pearl, then what next? She would miss the traveling. Yet, there would be nothing left to travel for. But that was supposed to be a good thing, wasn’t it? At least for Robin, Antonia guessed it was.
The man emerged from the washroom, and his invigorated expression lightened her spirits. “So, are you ready to show me what you’ve found?” She kicked off her boots and folded her legs beneath her.
Robin plunked down at her side, their shoulders bumping, and reached into his pocket. “Ready.”
Antonia took a breath.
Carefully, he extracted a little black pouch. It appeared to be made of woven cloth, almost like burlap, although perhaps not as rough. Fumblingly, he unfastened the tie, and tipped its contents into his palm.
Jaws ajar, they gazed down.
ROB’S BREATHS WERE HOLLOW AS he stared at the blood-red object. From side to side, he rolled it in his hand, weighing it. It was quite heavy. It was also a precise circle, and perfectly smooth.
He squinted, running his thumb across the even surface. No grit, no bumps. Weren’t pearls supposed to be somewhat gritty? After all, no pearl of nature was perfectly round, flawlessly smooth…
Perhaps its previous owners, the numerous queens of Ancient Elphysia, had ordered some work to be done on the jewel. But then, why would they? Surely, women of that standing would’ve been wise enough to know never to tamper with such a valuable stone.
Antonia gave a tiny gasp, pointing to his hand. “Your skin, Rob.”
He examined it. It was stained red, as though bleeding. Heart drumming, he ran his fingers through the coloring on his palm. It was some sort of dye, leeching from the pearl.
Rob collected his breath. Everything was all right, he assured himself. There was just something he didn’t understand. Some missing piece of information he was about to grasp. Perhaps this red ball was a sort of protective case, and the real pearl was inside?
He searched the sphere for an opening, but found none, only more red dye lifting from the object and smearing onto his hands. In disbelief, he looked at Antonia. She appeared stricken.
Wordlessly, he passed it to her. She took it, rubbing the red coating away with her thumb. “It’s just…a ball of copper dyed red,” she whispered. She looked devastated as she handed it back to him. “Is there anything else in the pouch?”
Rob shook his head. He wanted to speak, but couldn’t. All at once, he was experiencing several emotions. But he was altogether surprised by the singular, unexpected feeling presiding over the rest.
Of course, on the one hand, he was crushed. That went without saying. A boyhood dream, shattered. An expectation, failed. So many years, so much time, effort and money, wasted.
…But had it all been a waste?
He stared at Antonia. Her beautiful blue-gray eyes were sorrowful on his behalf, her lovely face filled with sympathy, blonde hair tucked neatly back, the way he’d once told her he liked it. And the answer, the explanation, simply occurred to him.
“Rob.” She shook her head, crestfallen. “I’m so, so sorry. Your map—it must’ve been a ruse. But…” She moistened her lips, intent on encouraging him. “The real map, and the real pearl…this means they’re still at large, right? The dream isn’t dead,” she insisted. “Your treasure is still out there—”
“Antonia,” he interjected.
She fell silent.
His heart swelled. In that moment, despite his disappointment, something had begun to make sense. Clear, perfect sense. But how could he not have realized sooner?
Carelessly, Rob dropped the copper ball to the floor. It rolled across the planks, but he paid it no mind. It meant nothing to him. Why, he’d been expending so much time and effort chasing after something so material, so meaningless—and not to mention, wallowing in a past entirely artificial and useless to him—that he’d failed to see what was right before him, all along.
Well, not anymore.
“I think I already found my treasure,” he confessed, “the day my map was stolen from me.”
The girl knit her brow.
“It’s been with me the whole time.” Reaching out, he stroked her cheek, his eyes interlocking with hers. “Y
ou, Antonia Korelli,” he whispered, “are worth more than a boatful of red pearls.”
She blinked in surprise as he leaned in. When she did not shrink away, he closed the gap between them, and brought his lips over hers.
He kissed her softly, meaningfully. It was as though a floodgate had lifted, or a dam burst, releasing the avalanche of affection he’d been suppressing for so long. For what absurd reason had he ever been holding back?
But that was in the past. He ran his hands down her back, staining her white blouse red. He still had a chance, here and now. And he was so intoxicated, so overcome by her, that he was willing to drown in her, to abandon himself entirely…if she would have him.
At last, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him in return. Rob held her close. “Pearl be damned,” he professed, planting his mouth across her chin, her throat. “I care for nothing but you.”
She pulled away, just far enough for him to see the uncertainty in her eyes. “But you’ve turned me away already,” she breathed. His breast ached at the recollection. “If I give you my heart now, how do I know you’ll not change your mind tomorrow?”
He took her face between his hands. “I was afraid then,” he admitted. “But I’m not afraid anymore. I love you. And I will follow you across Otlantica and take on every knight in Elat, if that’s what it takes to win you.”
Her eyes pooled. “Oh, but you’ve long since won me.”
He brushed his knuckle beneath her eye, catching the single tear that dropped. Enclosing her in his arms again, Rob kissed her passionately, his every heartbeat thudding for her. Annie. Annie.
He was startled by her strength as she pinned him down beneath her, pressing him into the mattress as she moved her mouth over his, climbing atop him. Rob groaned, slipping his hands down her waist, over her hips, and finally, finally onto that gorgeous backside.
A growl of pleasure escaped him as he kneaded the rounded, supple shape of her through her trousers. He felt himself instantly hardening. As though sensing it, Antonia lowered into his lap, grinding against him as she kissed him with mounting ardor.
“Gods, Annie,” he gasped, as she dug her fingers through his hair, soaking his neck with repeated kisses. “You look so damn ravishing in these trousers.”
“Perhaps,” she moaned, writhing against him, “you can determine whether I look better out of them.”
His pulse lolloped. “Are you serious?”
She tugged on his collar, bringing his nose to hers. “I seriously want you.”
He slid his hands up her blouse, feeling the soft skin of her stomach, her sides, until his fingers found the twin heaps of her breasts. He cupped them, massaging them over her brassiere.
Her breathing labored, she lifted her top overhead and tossed it onto the floor, proceeding to unfasten the buttons of his shirt. Her bare arms were long, her complexion like honey, breasts dipping over him and forming tantalizing peaks beneath her undergarment. Rob watched her moving above him, hardly able to believe what was transpiring. He prayed it wasn’t a dream.
Unexpectedly, she halted. Frowning, she reached a hand to her left shoulder, looking self-conscious. “My scar,” she mumbled. “Is it ugly?”
Rob gazed up at her in earnest. “I didn’t even notice it. Honestly.” He stroked down her neck and around the curve of her shoulder. The mark in question was like a faint spider web, its rays streaking midway to her arm. Antonia watched him as he traced it with his fingertips.
Gently, Rob brought his lips to the once-wounded skin, kissing every centimeter along its path. “You are thoroughly beautiful,” he whispered. He slipped his hands around her back to unfasten her brassiere. “Every bit of you.”
Her lush lips glistened, moist from his mouth, and her cheeks were rosy as he lifted the garment from her, revealing two sufficiently plump breasts, her virgin flesh so creamy and tender. “Perfection,” he murmured, kneading them.
Antonia sighed with pleasure, resting her head in the pillows as Rob positioned himself over her. He began to unfasten her trousers, but stopped at her navel, just below her waistband. He found her eyes again. He had to ensure she was truly ready. After all, once they went through with it, there would be no going back.
“Listen, I don’t want to rush you.” He brushed a wisp of hair from her brow. “I’m willing to wait, if you’re unsure…”
But she silenced him with a kiss, her eyes glowing like the twilit sea. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
HE DIMMED THE LANTERN, AND Antonia felt surprisingly calm, calmer than she’d anticipated feeling. She wasn’t wed, they weren’t in Elat, and he was certainly no knight. But that didn’t matter to her now.
Somehow, she knew she would never in a thousand years regret that night, the promising moments to come, the love she was about to exchange with the man. She wanted Robin for her first and evermore; Robin, and no other.
She lay still as he found his way within her, taking his time, pausing occasionally to kiss and fondle her, until fully submerged. Her breaths were quiet, steady as she held onto him, drinking him in and savoring his closeness as he made love to her.
He kissed her deeply, his tongue exploring hers, his perspiring hands dragging up and down her figure. Antonia inhaled, reciprocating as best she could beneath him, all the while marveling at how perfectly they fit together, as though she were designed just for him. In that hour, her heart knew with certainty that she’d been born into the world for him alone, to love him in this and every way.
His mouth overtook hers again. Soon, his voice was imminent in her ear. “Antonia, you feel incredible like this,” he murmured. “But I really want you bent over.”
Her skin tingled at the request, although she wasn’t entirely sure of its meaning. Carefully, he withdrew from her, and helped her to turn over onto her knees. His fingers fumbled at her neck, tugging her ribbon undone and allowing her hair to tumble freely down her back.
Her body gave an anticipatory quiver as his hands gripped her hips, then her bottom, coaxing the space between her legs from the erotic new angle. Emitting a low, appreciative moan, the man found his place within her again, and resumed making love to her from behind.
Antonia grasped the bed sheets, overcome by the unfamiliar, tantalizing sensations as he thrust into her, spreading and stroking her hips and backside until evidently reaching his threshold. With a warning growl, he seized her by the waist and released deep into her, sending her pulse into a frenzy.
She peeked over her shoulder, glimpsing his form interlinked with hers, his features wrought with passion, and she swelled with a mixture of pleasure and conviction. Why, she’d been right to flee the Temple of Azea. And this was exactly why she’d done it—to know a man’s love and share in his bliss. There was no other experience like it.
She held her breath as he extracted himself from her and collapsed beside her with a satisfied sigh. She rolled onto her side, and Robin pulled her into his arms at once. “Mmm.” He kissed her forehead, smiling. “I do hope this becomes a routine between us.”
“Don’t worry.” She returned his grin, nuzzling against him. “I plan on loving you forever, Robin Watkins.”
A FAINT CHIRRUPING SOUNDED OUTSIDE the window. Rob blinked his eyes open, apprehending the fuzzy morning light creeping into the chamber.
He glanced down. A long, golden arm was draped across his chest, layers of radiant, sunshiny hair toppling down her bare back. Automatically, his eyes trailed past the tiny pinch of her waist to her plump bottom and thighs. My gods, he thought. This is Annie. So the previous night hadn’t been a dream. He stroked her glowing skin, lush and soft against his hand, and discovered he was already aroused.
He lay awake as the sun emerged, petting the girl’s hair and legs, eventually earning a sleepy, sensual sigh from her. Finally, she revealed those beautiful eyes. “Morning.” He ti
ckled her cheek.
She smiled. “Fancy meeting you so early,” she purred, wrapping her arms around his neck. “And so proximate.”
“What a curious happenstance.” Rob climbed over her, delighting in her satiny skin against his. “Wonder how we got here.”
Her eyelids flickered shut as he grazed the rosy tips of her breasts with his mouth, and scattered a trail of kisses down to her navel. “Either way,” he murmured, nibbling at her thighs, “I intend to seize every advantage of this highly pleasant predicament.”
She raked her fingers through his hair. “Rob.”
They made love until the morning was worn, fading as it gave way to afternoon. He had never felt so alive, so real. Antonia’s love was true, and all his. Likewise, she’d swept him away, like the Axacolan Sea reclaiming its tides from the shore. Rob wanted her in every possible fashion. He wracked his mind for a unique way to articulate his passion beyond his repeated ‘I love you’s. Aye, Antonia was his pearl, his precious pearl, the treasure he’d long been seeking, his heart’s sole haven and desire.
He loved the way she curled up in his arms after, staring up at him with a serene smile on those lips, pure affection in her eyes. Ever so tenderly, she stroked the hair on his chest, twirling it around her fingers. “So, what’s next?” She nudged her feet against his. “Where to from here?”
“I’m not sure.” Rob caressed her fondly. “But I’m in no hurry.”
THEY TOOK THEIR TIME. YET, after a fortnight of tropical bird-sighting, tequila and Axacolan sunsets, they knew it was high time to return the prototype to Thad. Miraculously, they still possessed enough full canisters of oil to get back to Innía. With the help of a map from the reception desk, the couple planned their route home through the land of Palomona.
It was late on their final evening at the Axacolan hotel. Rob relaxed in bed, watching Antonia fold the rest of her things and place them neatly into her valise. He would admit, it felt strange that, after so long, there was no longer any hunt, any treasure. But then there was this wonderful girl. And she had made it all worthwhile.
