“No,” Maura said, surprising herself with her openness. “It feels…wonderful, actually. I want you to fuck me, too. At the same time.”
“I was hoping you’d suggest that,” Ejan confided. He wriggled his hips closer to hers and reached down, readying his cock for entry.
He penetrated her in a single, quick thrust. He slid inside, his cock coming to rest alongside Tagin’s with only a thin, nerve-lined membrane between them.
Keeping rhythm with the rolling sea under the boat, the two men pumped in and out of her at a measured but increasingly forceful pace. Tagin came first, flooding the deck and the backs of her thighs with hot seed. As if sensing his male partner’s response, Ejan let loose a moment later, bucking against her as climax raked his trim frame.
Stuffed with male flesh at both entrances, Maura didn’t think she had ever felt so full. Gratification swelled inside her, raw and fiery. When she came, too, she saw stars bursting in front of her eyes. She wasn’t sure if she had imagined them or if they were real ones, winking far above the drifting boat.
What a day this had been, she thought as she and the two men curled up together on the deck and basked in emotion and physical satisfaction.
* * * *
As she drifted over the waves, Cyra watched Ejan’s boat rocking back and forth, glimpsed enough to know what was happening on board, and rolled her eyes in disdain. Another perfectly good pod about to be infiltrated by a grasping human. Where would it all end? Before long there would be no men of her kind left for anyone else.
Disgusted, she swam toward shore, intending to settle down in the shallows for the night. To her surprise, when she got close enough to make out details, she spotted a bonfire on the beach near, though not actually on, Septimus’s property.
Alan lay stretched out on a blanket on the sand, drinking a cocktail in a totally natural state.
Cyra couldn’t stop herself from staring, mesmerized by the sleek planes and solid ridges of his body, perfectly accented by the moon reflecting off his naked skin. Despite his being a human, with all the usual limitations, she couldn’t deny that she found him a magnificent specimen.
“Now you’re the one who’s trespassing,” he said, spotting her as she treaded water a few yards out. “How rich is the irony. However, I’m not about to complain. I had a feeling you’d return.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she shot back. “I’m in the sea. No one owns the ocean.”
He put down his drink, wedging the glass securely in the sand, and propped himself up on one elbow. His other arm draped across his middle, his fingers resting next to the base of his cock.
“Come to me,” he demanded. “Now.”
At first, Cyra was outraged at his tone. Yet if she swam away, he would assume she feared him. And she most emphatically did not.
She waded toward him, rising from the water directly in front of him and crossing the sand in a few decisive strides. Her own nakedness didn’t seem to faze him in the least.
“I came because I wanted to,” she said, moving to stand over him. “Not because you ordered me to.”
Haughtily she shook herself. Seawater dripped from her bare body onto him. He didn’t flinch as the cool droplets showered him. Instead, he reached up to her.
“If it pleases you to think so, I’ll let it go—for now.” His hand closed around her wrist and drew her a step closer. “Provided you make amends for your other transgression.”
His arrogance astounded Cyra. She looked forward to teaching him his true place in the hierarchy of things.
She sank down on top of him, straddling him. Her legs, the muscles honed by years of life in the sea, clamped down on him possessively. She knew her grip would cause him some discomfort, if not actual pain. The thought pleased her.
Then the human did something unexpected. He bucked his hips and rolled onto his stomach, so quickly that Cyra’s eyes could barely follow his motions in the dark. Before she knew what had happened, she lay on her back underneath him. His hands pinned hers in the sand. She felt the hard dome of his cock poking against her thigh, and arousal coursed through her like a roaring high tide.
“An excellent start,” he said, shifting his weight so he could hold her down more effectively. “I sensed great promise in you from the beginning. Good to know my instincts are still sharp.”
Cyra laughed inwardly. Who did this human think he was? She looked forward to besting him at his little game. But she decided to let him play for now.
It had been a while since she’d taken her pleasure. No sense in wasting a prime opportunity like this one.
She raised her legs and wrapped them around his hips.
Chapter 6
Seated in the bungalow behind Septimus’s desk, Maura watched Daq and his sister meander along the sand. She’d slipped out early in the morning, managing to avoid talking to the guys. Her escapade with Tagin and Ejan the night before still made her blush a little, and she couldn’t help wondering if they’d shared any of the details with the others. Though she had no regrets, such brazen experimentation didn’t reflect her normally cautious personality. All she could do was blame Irissa’s potent cocktail mixture…and wonder if island life hadn’t changed her, too.
Below, the two siblings were still talking, and Cyra was moving her hands in an animated fashion. When Daq didn’t respond, Cyra turned her back on him. She marched down the beach until she disappeared from sight.
Setting down the handwritten journal she’d been poring over for the fourth time, Maura exited the bungalow and approached Daq. He stood watching his sister stroll away, his thumbs hooked in his cutoff shorts and a scowl on his face.
“Trouble?” she asked.
His mood lightened. “My sister’s always trouble. How are things going with Septimus’s notes?”
“I don’t know. Some of his entries seem perfectly normal, though of course his eye for detail is superb. Then he’s made others that seem…well, a little different.”
“In what way?”
Maura hesitated. She still wasn’t sure what to make of Septimus’s most recent volume of notes, which contained snippets of folklore about mermaids and sea serpents, drawings of mysterious stone formations, and maps of bizarre places she didn’t recognize. “He seems to have become interested in marine legends and vanished societies—Atlantis and that sort of thing.”
Daq’s brows sank on his forehead, and Maura’s stomach fluttered. She had to admit, she found his brooding expression incredibly sexy. His bare chest, flecked with droplets flung up from the waves, wasn’t exactly unappetizing, either. “Why do you consider that a problem?” he asked.
“I don’t, not at all,” she said. “Septimus loves obscure or offbeat subjects. Anything connected with the sea fascinates him. It’s just that last night, when we visited Ejan’s mother, I heard how he’d been going around telling people about underwater cities and races. I suppose he wanted his stories to be authentic, so he was brushing up on the myths. Maybe he was planning to write a book.”
“Maybe so.”
“Still, I can’t see how this new interest relates to his disappearance. I mean, it’s not as though he started walking around the island looking for sea monster eggs or something. His notes refer to places and people that supposedly vanished thousands of years ago. I doubt he built a time machine.”
“Yes—that does seem unlikely.” Unhooking his thumbs, Daq wandered to the water’s edge, gazing wistfully over the waves. “Tide’s coming in,” he observed.
“Seems that way,” Maura agreed. The churning crests looked as though they were topped with cream. “So what’s with Cyra? She wasn’t too happy with you.”
“She did seem rather on edge,” he said with a shrug. “I expect she’ll calm down soon.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I’m pretty sure she’s seeing someone. I don’t know who, and I can’t tell how far it’s gone, but I know her well enough to read the signs. We’ll find out the details eve
ntually.” Grinning, he stepped into the water and held out his hand. “Want to swim?”
Maura gazed down at the pink tank top and white shorts she had on. She wished she’d had the foresight to put a bathing suit on before coming down from her room. As if reading her thoughts, Daq casually reached down and unbuttoned his cutoffs. Moments later he’d flung them onto the sand and lifted the hem of her top.
“Haven’t we been through this before?” he asked, stripping her and throwing her clothes on top of his shorts. “We prefer to do things the natural way around here. Not only is it more fun, it cuts down on laundry.”
She didn’t protest as he took her wrist and pulled her into the water. When they got deep enough, he wrapped both arms around her waist and drew her spoon-like against his body.
“This feels wonderful,” she admitted. She stretched her own arms out like wings and floated like one of the flowers in Irissa’s koi pond. “You, the ocean, everything.”
“I knew you’d like it.” They drifted in the exhilarating rush of the warm waves, Daq easily supporting her weight despite the powerful current. “I can offer you something else I’m pretty sure you’d like, too.”
His palm slid across her waist, trailed over her middle, and then moved lower. Though Maura had no idea how he did it, he managed to keep both of them afloat as he pushed her thighs apart, guided his cock inside her, and began a gentle rubbing motion on her clit. While they bobbed among the swelling breakers, he pumped his hips lightly. Compared to what she’d been up to during her last few erotic experiences, this position was fairly standard stuff, but Maura found it no less satisfying. Letting the sea embrace her along with Daq’s strong arms, she closed her eyes and opened the rest of her body to him.
Because he was behind her, his cock delved into her pussy at an unusual angle, allowing him to stimulate an entirely new set of nerve endings. Writhing with excitement, she reached back and cupped his buttocks in both hands, pulling him closer.
The warm water splashing over her clit, combined with the slight but steady pressure of his fingers, made her blood rush and white flashes go off in her head. The sun bore down on her nipples, turning their stiff peaks rosy with heat. Her internal muscles flexed and squeezed, her lower body shuddering as he thrust into her.
Suddenly, the triple stimulation became too much, and a mind-wiping climax seized her. The ocean’s current seemed to eddy around them, sucking both into a bright blue void where nothing existed outside an endless, all-consuming pleasure. Her body went rigid, gripped Daq’s shaft, and wrung a quick but furious release from him, too. Maura knew she was crying out, though all she could hear was the throb of the tide and their mutual pulses pounding as they melted together.
All too soon, the moment passed, and the world took shape around her again. Daq’s muscles loosened, and his cock slipped from her pussy. His hand trailed upward this time, tweaking her nipples while his teeth grazed her earlobe.
“Do you want to go ashore?” He growled in her ear.
Maura sighed, leaning her head back on his chest. “I guess I should,” she said. Though the water felt wonderful on her hyperaroused skin, the powerful orgasm had left her drained and sleepy. She worried about Daq being able to buoy both of them up much longer, too. After paddling out this far and exerting himself in such creative ways, he must be as exhausted as she was.
“Hold on, then,” he said, giving her ear a sensuous lick before drawing his mouth away. “Just lean against me and I’ll do everything.”
Maura did as he asked, resting her head against his chest. Still on his back, he began the journey to the shallows. She wasn’t sure how much time passed until they were on the sand again, but she had the impression they’d been a lot farther out than she’d realized at first.
Though no one seemed to be around, she felt a little self-conscious walking out of the water wearing nothing except a full-frame blush. Hurrying over to the heap of discarded clothes, she bent to retrieve her tank top and panties. Daq caught up to her just as she straightened with the garments in her hand. His lusty embrace enveloped her before she had a chance to put anything on. His mouth, tasting of seawater, ground against hers while his palms cupped her rear end. His fingers imprinted her buttocks as he rocked her forward. His hard cock jabbed at her thighs, seeking entrance.
“Daq, please,” she chided him, though her protest was halfhearted at best. “Someone might walk by.”
“So what if they did?” he asked between kisses, clearly amused. “It wouldn’t be anything they hadn’t seen before. Think about it—you’ve been with all of us now. Why should we hide?”
Maura’s blush deepened. Daq had a point. She wondered who had told him about last night with Tagin and Ejan, or had he simply guessed?
She didn’t bother to deny what he’d said. Both of them knew it was the truth. “Just the same, I’d prefer to be inside.”
Laughing, he stepped back. Hastily she pulled on her clothes and he did, too, though he without any hurry. He left the waist button of his cutoffs undone and slid both hands in his front pockets, watching her brush the sand off her tank top and adjust the straps on her sunburned shoulders.
“Guess I should go back to Septimus’s journals now,” she said. “I’m still hoping to crack that computer password.”
Daq nodded. “I wish you luck. See you inside later? I’ll get lunch and some cold drinks out.”
“Of course.”
He started toward the house, then stopped and turned back to look at her. The sun shaded his face so that she couldn’t see his expression. “Maura—I think we should talk. Not just you and I, but all of us.”
The tops of her ears burned, and this time she doubted it was the sun. “Yes. We should.”
“All right, then.”
He continued on his way. Maura paused, watching the casual sway of his shoulders as he walked along the uneven dunes. Under the wet strands of his long, dark hair, ridges of hard muscle rippled in his tanned back. She could still hardly believe she’d managed to attract one such perfect specimen of male, never mind five. When she’d first heard about Cyra’s unusual polyandrous relationship, little had she known she would soon be experimenting with a similar arrangement herself.
No question, she thought as she strolled back to the bungalow to resume her work, having multiple lovers provided many benefits, even if it was a little tiring. Yet, as deliciously naughty as she felt, she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when it eventually came time for her to leave the island. Would they all toast each other, laugh at their little adventure, and make empty promises to write and e-mail each other? Or would there be genuine pain? Maybe that was what Daq wanted to speak to her about.
She only hoped Septimus would be there to see her off.
She entered the bungalow, still adjusting her straps so they wouldn’t chafe her sunburn, and headed for the desk and the work she’d left spread out on its surface. When she finally looked up, intending to pull out the chair and sit down, she jumped back in shock.
Cyra was already seated there. Eyes narrowed, arms folded over her bright yellow sundress, she used her bare feet to turn the chair in irritated half circles.
“Took a break, I see. That’s good. Wouldn’t want you to work too hard in this hot sun. I hope you were able to fit in some swim time.”
Had she seen the two of them out in the water? Maura forced herself not to look or sound embarrassed. She owed this woman no explanations, even if she was Daq’s sister.
“I do have difficulty concentrating in this heat. I’m not used to it. In fact, I was looking forward to sitting down.”
Cyra smirked but didn’t budge from the chair. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have a chance to lie down for a while later.”
“Look, Cyra.” Maura took a step toward the other woman, her anger flaring. “I realize the situation here might be a bit awkward, but I’m not sure it’s your business.”
“No? My brother and I might have our differences, but at a basic le
vel, we watch out for one another. I don’t want him wounded any more than he would want that for me.”
“Wounded? Why do you think that? Septimus asked Daq to look after me during my stay here, and the two of us have become friends. I don’t see the problem.”
“Yes, you’ve made a lot of new friends since you’ve been on Bequia, haven’t you?”
“Well, no offense, Cyra, but you’re not exactly the standoffish type yourself. I told you once that I had no intention of judging you, and I would appreciate your extending the same courtesy to me.”
Finally, Cyra rose from the chair. Her green eyes flashed in anger. They really were an odd color, Maura thought. Even their shape seemed different from any she’d ever seen before. The same might be said of her long, narrow hands and the texture of her skin. Apparently all the islanders shared some strange genetic traits, not to mention those odd neck tattoos so many of them sported.
“As far as that topic goes, I wish only to say you are woefully uninformed,” Cyra snarled. “I suppose next, you’ll insist my brother is capable of making his own decisions, and I shouldn’t presume to know what’s best for a grown man.”
“Well, yes,” Maura admitted. “Something like that. To some degree, I understand your concern. But Daq isn’t naïve. I don’t think you have to worry that he’ll be devastated when I go back to my life in the States.”
“Is that what you believe? That I’m worried you’ll leave him with a broken heart?” Cyra’s scowl melted into a genuine, though unpleasant, laugh. “Not at all. The fact is, I’m worried that you’ll stay. It’s very beautiful here, isn’t it? All the waves and sunshine…all that supple male flesh. I’m sure you’re very tempted already to toss your old life away and jump right in.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“No? It seems all the rage to get human women to join the pods these days—trust me, I know. Women like you are nesters, the guys think. Less motivated to swim away and see the world. But the cultural issues inevitably come up. It’s like they say about human royalty—you weren’t born to this life, and you won’t enjoy it. You can take my word for that.”
Cassandra Pierce - Diamonds in the Sand [The Aquans 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Special Edition) Page 6