“I think you are poisoned.”
“Poisoned? No. On the roof, yes.”
“Roof?”
“Drunk, you silly dope! Whoever told you those innocent blossoms are poison probably also headed up the Temperance Movement.”
His eye brows pinched together, and she laughed.
“What else did they say those flowers do, Eli? I’ll bet they lied about that, too.”
Eli ran a hand through his hair. “They said it was against the law to possess the bush, but it could be that the information is outdated.”
“You think?” Jade smirked. “I haven’t felt this good in ages.” She stretched her arms over her head and sighed.
His hot gaze landed on her chest, warming her and sending waves of goose bumps crashing over her skin at the same time. Her nipples pebbled, and Eli licked his lips.
“The rules about the plant, if I remember, state that touching the flower can cause hysteria,” he murmured. He reached out and caressed one of her breasts. “If not death.”
“Yeah, that’s what they say about alcohol,” she purred in response and arched her back, pressing into his touch.
“I remember someone saying it can increase primitive biological urges.” His hand meandered down her belly and lower.
“My, my. What a crime.”
His fingers brushed between her legs, and he nudged at her to open for him. Jade drew up a knee and let it fall to the ground next to her.
“You are still blue there.”
A soft, sensual laugh bubbled up from deep within her chest. “Perhaps you should draw the poison from me, like sucking at the puncture wounds of a snakebite.”
Eli glanced up with a scorching gaze just before covering her sweet spot with his mouth. The slickness of his tongue played over her flesh so proficiently, she nearly crawled out of her skin. He took hold of her hips with his strong hands and began to suckle her. She lost herself in the sensation, the sweet pressure building into a volcano of molten heat. Moments later she convulsed, bucking against his iron hold as he drew her orgasm into spiraling circles.
Releasing her, he pulled her into his arms, and they lay there, the breeze blowing over their entwined bodies.
Able to breathe normal once again, Jade whispered, “You take the prize for the best snugglepup in the world.” He looked down at her, a question hung in his eyes. “Have you ever played the trumpet?”
“Zsa-ninah, whatever you are saying, I hope it isn’t the effects of the flower.”
Jade giggled and sat up. Eli followed, and she maneuvered atop him until she straddled his hips. “One can never tell,” she whispered in between kissing his cheeks and jaw. “You should sip the nectar of the forbidden flower. That way you’ll know exactly what it does to a person.” She kissed her way to his ear and drew his earlobe between her lips. “I promise you won’t die, in fact, you will be able to see things with much more clarity.” Jade slipped her tongue into the hollow of his ear.
Eli shivered and nuzzled closer to her. “Am I to assume you can see things clearly now?”
“Mm-hm,” she buzzed her words into his ear. “I think it’s time I let you wet your whistle.”
“Jade—Zsa-ninah. What are you saying?”
She trailed kisses from his ear to his mouth and whispered against his lips, “Take me, Eli.”
Reaching up, Eli cupped her face in his hands, his gaze burning into hers. “Falk, how I’ve waited to hear you say that… Are you sure this isn’t the result of your poison flower?”
Jade giggled. “So what if it is?”
* * * *
Elydian drew in a deep breath. Jade’s ripe, trembling body was ready for him, he was certain. Her eyes shown dark with wide-awake passion, her breathing anticipatory and her aroused scent flowed keenly to his nostrils. But the nectar of the forbidden flower had brought her to this, not her pure desire for him. It struck him as odd when the fact blossomed in his mind. He wanted her to give herself up to him because she wanted to, not because she was under the influence of some hazardous pheromone.
Regardless of his straining cock, he released her face, set her from his lap and stood. “I’m afraid I’ll have to decline your offer,” he said and looked away, unable to meet her disappointment.
A silence fell between them. The sounds of the oasis filled the void. Birds squawked, sang and fluttered overhead, the water splashed and tinkled merrily as if nothing else in the world mattered.
“Are…are you truly upset that I picked those flowers, Eli?” He’d barley heard her perplexed voice above the din of the waterfall. “I know how protective you are of your oasis.”
He shook his head. “There are hundreds of blooms on that bush. I doubt the twenty or so you plucked would make a difference.”
Still behind him on the ground, she didn’t reply to his response. A minute or two stretched between them, awkward and cheerless.
Elydian dragged a hand through his hair. “Look, I have one more sweep to make and then we can return to camp,” he said over his shoulder, still not wishing to see the expression on her face he was sure would have devastated him. “Wait here for me.” He turned and headed back up the hill.
* * * *
Whatever pleasure she’d felt from the nectar of that flower peeled from her insides like a pair of opera-length gloves. Teary-eyed, Jade retrieved her dry clothes and dressed herself. She’d offered to give her heart away—and he didn’t want it. The rejection stung like a sunburn. She had always considered herself easy-going and fun—and she’d been told by other boys that she was cute and sexy. So why didn’t Eli want her? The chemistry between them sparked like an electric storm, and they seemed amicable enough with each other.
Well, she wouldn’t beg, that’s for sure. And someday, he’d regret turning her down.
She rose to her feet, and with a sigh, she crossed the rocks that separated the pools. All this relationship talk, which streamed through her mind like some sappy radio program, made her think about her life. Really think. What would she do once graduation commenced? Even though she’d geared her studies toward history, history was boring to her. It was just a bunch of old men sifting through dirt and desperate treasure hunters who would take the gold they found and melt it down only to draw a profit.
So what did she want to do with the rest of her life?
* * * *
Jade had been contemplating her future since Eli had stormed off and felt terribly frustrated that she’d not come up with a single answer. Now clothed, she sat upon a low hill, the sun setting behind her. Eli would be returning to fetch her soon. What would she say to him? Should she apologize? Should she still be upset with him for rejecting her? Perhaps she should ask him for an apology.
If that bloody plant didn’t make her so randy, she’d lie under it and let the nectar drip into her mouth for the rest of the day.
She was brought out of her thoughts by Eli’s voice calling to her.
“I’m here,” she stood and swept off the back of her skirt.
“Good. Let us depart for camp.”
He had a large, heavy-looking sack slung over his shoulder.
Without another word, she followed him out of the oasis.
* * * *
Elydian plodded across the sand, sensing more than seeing Jade a few steps behind him. She wasn’t speaking to him, and it pricked at him with astounding annoyance. Since she’d wandered into his camp three nights ago, he thought he’d found what was missing in his life. Someone to have interesting and amusing conversations with, someone with whom to share everyday life; a companion who was both friend and lover. Those few hours in the oasis he’d been apart from her dragged on and on—at times he couldn’t even focus on his priorities. He had even cut his tour in half, something he never did, to go back to the waterfall and see her. And he couldn’t fault himself nor bear an unnecessary burden of guilt about it, either. The status of their relationship was yet uncertain, so why wouldn’t her very presence distract him? This coupled with the natural mag
netism between them sent his normally logical reasoning reeling across the sky.
He had to figure out what was it about this woman that turned his world upside down. His body reacted quite pleasantly to her soft skin and feminine, rounded curves—and he’d not heard any complaints from her. Their mutual attraction could be counted upon like the setting of the sun. But where the situation left him or where it would lead them together, he did not know.
Upon their return to the camp, he’d consult with Me-Ma while delivering the load of food stuffs he’d gathered. She’d know what to do.
* * * *
Eli drew back the fabric to his tent for Jade. “Wait here. I shall return shortly.”
She nodded and entered. It was cool and dark inside. She felt around on a table in the corner, wondering where the matches were so that she could light the lamp she’d seen there earlier.
A flame flared across the room. Lothar-Canute held the newly lit lamp and Havliah stood next to him.
Lothar smiled, his eyes twinkling in the lamplight. “Ah. You have returned.”
Without a word, Jade dove for the doorway.
Havliah beat her to the entrance and wrapped Jade in her arms, one hand over her mouth and one restraining both arms behind her back.
“That is not how one woos a woman to his bed, Havliah.” He set the lamp on the table and his gaze scraped Jade from head to toe.
“I don’t care. You paid me to help you, now drop your loin cloth and take her before I change my mind.”
Jade panicked and struggled against Havliah, but it hurt her arms to move. The woman’s arm entwined behind Jade’s back, pressing her upper arms together in a painful grip. For all her wiry frame, Havliah had the strength of a gorilla.
“Careful now, you’ll break her arms,” Lothar warned, obviously trying to play the hero.
“Breaking her arms sounds like a good plan.” Havliah sneered and pulled Jade tighter against her body. Jade squeaked at the agonizing action, but from beneath Havliah’s hand, it wasn’t nearly loud enough to gain anyone’s attention outside of the tent-room.
Lothar approached Jade and rubbed a strand of her hair between his fingers. “She would break your arms, she’s a heartless bitch.” Havliah hissed at him, but he continued. “I’m sure if you agree to come with me, we can escape together unharmed.”
“Oh, Lothar, your sentimentality sickens me. Just take her.”
“What the falk is going on here?” Eli’s voice boomed from the entrance, and without another word from anyone, he stepped forward, his fist connecting with Lothar’s face with a crack of skin against skin. Lothar sprawled upon the ground at the opposite side of the tent.
Eli turned to Havliah. Fury darkened his features.
Havliah gasped and released Jade. “It is Lothar. He commanded me to help him.”
“You lying bitch!” Lothar said, his hand holding the side of his jaw. “You wanted to get the Omari into bed and bade me come to get the new Lambish out of the way.”
Jade’s status in this camp, however temporary, needed to be put to rest here and now. “I am not a Lambish!” she yelled.
“Such nonsense.” Havliah tisked. “I saw the way you were dressed, your swollen assets displayed to tempt all in your path.”
Lothar rose from the ground. “Jealous, Havliah?”
“Enough!” Eli boomed. “Get out of my tent, both of you. Havliah, pack your things. You are no longer welcome in Omari Amun.”
“But—but I am helping Me-Ma serve at the feast tomorrow night!”
Jade’s gaze shot to Eli’s face. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“Very well. You will leave the night after you help Me-Ma. Now get out.”
Havliah spun on her heel, but as she past Jade, her hand raised, claw-like next to Jade’s cheek. Jade turned to the bitch, ready for an all-out brawl.
Eli reached out and took Jade by the arm, pulling her out of the reach of Havliah. “If you value your life, Havliah, you will retract your nails.”
“You will regret this. Neither she nor any of the other camp whores have the skills to please you!” she cried.
“You’d best hold on to those skills. They’re all you have.”
Hard on the heels of Havliah, Lothar tried to tip-toe past Eli. He flinched when the Omari spoke.
“You know the penalties for entering a tent without the occupant’s permission in my camp.”
Not meeting Eli’s scrutiny, Lothar continued slinking toward the door.
“If it happens again I will break your jaw, and no one will fault me for it.”
Chapter Eight
Jade had been shaking with a curious intermingling of anger and fear ever since Lothar and Havliah were tossed from Eli’s presence.
Eli’s host skills were in full swing, thank goodness. He’d shown her to his retiring room and made her comfortable with dozens of pillows and a soft, thin blanket. He’d ordered a meal from Me-Ma’s kitchen, then fed Jade in the quiet of his tent with an aching tenderness that further endeared him to her. Who’d have thought that big hulk of a man was capable of such affection? She felt her shattered nerves slowly return to normal as Eli continued to fuss over her.
Trying to soothe the bruises while he cleared the meal dishes away, she rubbed her arms. “Too bad you can’t lock the door to your tent.” She gave him a half-hearted smile.
From across the room, he sent her one of his funny looks, the ones he usually gave her just before conveying his confusion at her words. He tossed aside a drying cloth he’d used after washing his hands, and then poured two glasses of water.
She shook her head at him in a subtle reprimand as he strode towards her. “You don’t have to be so serious, Eli. I’m not permanently damaged, you know.”
“Drink this. You’ve hardly had anything to drink these past few days.”
He’d spoken to her as if she were a child. “Yes, Daddy,” she teased and tilted the water to her lips.
“All of it, now.”
Funny how comforting his words and actions were. He was sure a doll when he wanted to be.
She finished and sighed, settling back against the pillows. “Aren’t you tired? You’ve been at it for over twenty-four hours now.”
He shrugged and swallowed his water. “I’ve gone longer.”
Jade rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’ll bet.” How unfortunate that her sexually playful innuendo was lost on him.
Eli set their glasses upon a nearby table. “You are an impertinent female, you know that?” he taunted and settled next to her.
“What, you don’t like cheeky girls? Would you prefer me to cower at your feet like a simpleton?”
“I’m sure I wouldn’t like you half so much if you did.” His arm snaked around her shoulders.
“Mmmmmm.” She snuggled closer to him. “Now that’s flirting, baby.”
He chuckled. “Sometimes, Zsa-ninah, you make no sense.” he nuzzled her ear. “But the purr in your voice brings me to life.”
Jade raised her gaze to his, and his lips touched hers ever so lightly.
She let lose a great, contented sight, and it suddenly hit her. Jade Anne Poole, the flapper who had vowed not to go all the way unless he was “the one,” wanted this gorgeous bull of a man. And yes, he was arrogant at times, but with that undeniable strength and commanding presence, his superiority waxed appropriate. He respected the land. He protected and cared about his people. Regardless of his high-ranking position, he’d shown her such kindness since she’d come to Omari Amun—and the most intense physical pleasure she’d ever encountered—how could she not grant him a special place in her heart? She pushed to the back of her mind a warning that she’d probably never see him again once she found her camp.
Eli whispered unintelligibly against her skin, bringing Jade out of her thoughts.
Feathery light, his lips crisscrossed her cheeks and jaw and ever so slowly, inched their way back to her mouth. She squeezed her thighs together, desirous of more stimulation.
It was decided, then. Why fight it? She needed to be careful about the way she presented herself to him, though. Last time, when she was drunk with the nectar of those lovely blossoms, he’d not taken her up on the offer. In fact, he’d flat out rejected her. Maybe this time she would let him ask. He had before, after all, she smiled to herself.
Yes. It was time. Tonight she’d throw caution to the—Eli deepened his kiss—wolves and something about sheep and clothing—and a dish running away with a spoon. Whatever she’d been thinking, before Eli’s tongue swept in to entwine with hers for a brief moment, drifted to the ceiling of the tent and dissipated. All that mattered to Jade was the man with his arms around her, his lips on hers, and nudging against her thigh his big—
“Oh, yes,” she murmured, her breath mingling with his.
“Tell me. Are you finally free of the spell of the poison flower?” He sprinkled more kisses around her mouth, just at the edge of her lips.
Jade grinned at the ticklish sensation. “If you mean has my head stopped spinning as if I’ve just come from a speakeasy, then the answer is yes.”
“You sure were a little wanton under its venom.”
“Yes, well. I’m…easily influenced.”
He stopped kissing her. “No, you’re not.”
Still close enough for him to be out of focus, she protested. “What? Why do you say that?”
“I’ve been trying to influence you for three days now.”
“Except when—”
“Yes, except when your blood ran hot with that flower’s nectar. Can you see why it’s been outlawed—why everyone has been told it is actual poison?”
“No. And I think frightening everyone with the false information is a silly thing to do.”
“You must understand. If the flower had the same effect on every woman, we’d experience a population explosion. Our oases wouldn’t be able to support the populous then. We would all starve to death. What sort of a future would that be for our offspring?”
“But surely you would—”
“Hush now. I should not have mentioned it, forgive me. I don’t wish to spoil our time here.”
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