“Presumptuous human!” she hissed. Briefly she considered wriggling off his lap and confronting him face to face. However, his two hands felt so good against her hot, wet flesh that she had no desire to interrupt what he was doing.
“The root of the problem is that you, like all Aquan women, are simply too accustomed to getting your own way.” His hand moved more insistently in her pussy, penetrating her and buzzing her clit at the same time. Then, to her shock, his palm lifted and abruptly came down on her rear end. The smacking sound rang through the room.
“How dare you?” she erupted.
“I dare just fine.” He laughed again, no doubt noticing that she wasn’t making the least effort to free herself. “You wouldn’t respect me if I didn’t take command of the situation. You need a lover who can keep you in line and protect you as well. That’s what will get you to stay. You know you want to.”
He smacked her again, a lusty strike that made her buttocks tingle with heat. At the same instant, the fingers underneath her moved in such a way that the dual sensation triggered an orgasm that was nothing less than thunderous.
She came against his hand, bucking and writhing as jolts of pleasure zigzagged up and down her middle. Oddly enough, Alan was right—she had never felt more safe. And yes, she did want to stay.
He smacked her rear end again, prolonging the orgasm for a few amazing seconds more. He seemed to know when she was finished.
Gently, he spread her out on the pillows and positioned his body over hers as though shielding her. His thighs nudged hers apart, and she welcomed him into that wet crevice. She had forgotten how hard she had gotten him earlier. Instantly, she was ready to feel more than fingers inside her.
She raised her hips against him, but he stilled her movements with a kiss.
“No hurry,” he whispered. “We have all night.”
“And even longer,” Cyra murmured.
“Yes,” he said. “That’s the idea.”
* * * *
Maura stepped out onto the verandah of her bedroom. A brilliant sunset glittered over the sea. In another hour or so, this long day would finally be over, and the beach would go dark.
In the morning, she had to make her decision about staying.
She still felt guilty that Septimus’s first dinner home had been strained because of her. As happy as she been to talk to Septimus, as the evening wore on, she found it increasingly difficult to pay attention to his stories of traveling underwater and exploring life among the Aquans.
Luckily, the guys had respected her emotional state and didn’t push her to take part in the conversation. Nothing was mentioned about her leaving, either for Irissa’s or for home. However, she caught the guys flashing each other nervous looks across the table more than once. Daq had no doubt filled the others in while she’d been in her room trying to decide whether to pack her suitcases or not.
Even Cyra had shown up and smirked her way through the meal. She seemed to sense the tension in the room, and found it amusing enough to keep her at the house. Maura doubted either Septimus’s new girlfriend or his scientific discoveries interested her.
A balmy breeze drifted across Maura’s forehead, carrying the sweet scent of salt water and tropical flowers. The sinking sun made the waves shimmer with streaks of red and gold. Since childhood, the ocean had called to her. Eventually she’d decided to spend her life studying its mysteries. Never had she imagined anything like the hidden world Septimus had uncovered. The opportunity for scientific discovery was mind-boggling.
Could she bear to leave all this behind?
Clambering down the outdoor steps, Maura made her way to the beach and spent some time just wandering and picking up shells. Their smooth white surfaces gleamed in the setting sun as she turned them over in her hand, marveling at their delicate curves and intricate patterns. Maura would have loved to spend every day beside the sea, not in a laboratory or even a classroom. Septimus had always promoted a hands-on approach to studying nature, and in this matter she respected his judgment.
She took a few steps into the shallows, bathing her bare feet in warmth and comfort and welcoming an overall feeling of freedom. The hassles of civilization seemed so far away that they had ceased to exist.
The sky was a shade darker now, and the windows of Septimus’s house were dark. No one was watching her. This might be her last night here. She wanted to take one final, special experience with her.
After peeling off and tossing her clothes away, she waded boldly into the water. When the swell reached her waist, she stretched out on the surface and began to swim. The current seemed to merge with the movements of her limbs. Before long she’d propelled herself further out than she’d ever ventured before. She experienced no fear at all. Was this how Aquans felt when they drifted on the waves? If so, she could see why they found it intoxicating.
Eventually, she stopped swimming and floated along on her back with her eyes closed. Nothing had ever felt as liberating…at least, nothing she had ever done alone.
Then again, she wasn’t alone. She realized that as soon as a pair of hands slipped around her waist from below. Another pair encircled her middle, the fingers stroking her nipples. More hands joined in—one pair on each thigh, and finally a gentle palm against the side of her face. She opened her eyes and found herself looking at Daq’s face. The others were there, too, reaching up to her from below the surface.
“We’ve come to convince you to stay,” he said. “Irissa’s guest house is nice, but you can’t deny that her koi pond is microscopic compared to our bay. And I guarantee you have nothing remotely like it back in the States, either.”
“You’re right,” she admitted. “I can’t deny it.”
“This island means nothing to us without you,” he went on. “It’s only beautiful to us with you here. If you leave, we’ll have no reason to stay, either. We want to build our lives around yours. You won’t have to give up your career, either. Septimus used to travel to the States to teach his classes, and then he flew back as soon as they ended. You could do the same.”
“Daq, I—”
“Shh. Don’t answer now. Just let us make our case…without words.”
Dropping his hand, he ducked back underwater. The other hands withdrew as well. Though she couldn’t see a single one of the men, Maura felt herself being spirited along toward the shore, propelled from beneath.
The next thing she knew, her knees were planted on the wet sand, and all of them crouched around her. They kissed her back, her shoulders, and both her arms. Between the dimming light as the sun went down, and the flurry of Aquan activity, she lost track of who was doing what. Somehow, though, that made the situation more exciting.
“Daq is right,” Janko whispered in her ear. Obviously he was the one licking the nape of her neck. “We want you to stay.”
“All of us,” Ivar’s voice confirmed—she wasn’t sure from where, exactly. Was he the one kissing the sensitive space between her shoulders, or nibbling the tender inside of her elbow? Then again, what did it matter? They functioned as a team. She understood that now.
“Please stay,” she heard Ejan say next. He was most definitely the one who had been brushing his mouth over her abdomen, tantalizing the underside of her left breast. Tagin, positioned opposite his male partner, murmured his agreement and went further, wrapping his tongue around her right nipple.
Where was Daq? The answer to her unspoken question came a moment later, when she felt gentle hands easing her into a kneeling position. She gasped with surprise to find Daq lying on his back underneath her. He reached up, gliding his palms along her stomach, her rib cage, over her breasts. His erection poked up, hot and urgent, to prod between her legs. The domed tip spread the lips of her pussy and rubbed the sensitive bud of flesh nestled there.
Moaning, she sank down on him with all her weight, taking him inside. The sensations coursing through her as his cock drove upward were intensified by two of the guys suckling her nipples.
She felt another Aquan leaning over her shoulder.
“Remember this?” Tagin whispered. He stroked his cock along her butt crack. “It was good, wasn’t it? You liked it.”
“Yes,” she said. The word came out as a near-gasp. “I did.”
“Let us show you how great we can be together.”
He used his fingers to stretch her out and guide himself inside. Then he began to fuck her slowly, timing his thrusts so that she could pump herself on Daq at the same time. With both openings stuffed, the sensation of fullness was incredible. One thing was missing.
Between gasps, she managed to form a few words. “One of you…over here.” She motioned to the empty space in front of her.
Someone came forward. The beach was nearly dark now, and she couldn’t tell who it was until he got close. Ivar, she thought. Well, that was appropriate. She still owed him for that wonderful underwater tongue job he had given her.
She wrapped her lips around his cock, drawing his pleasure out in long, slow sucking movements. He moaned as she drew her mouth along his shaft, letting everything slip out but the head. Then she would pitch forward again, gulping him down.
Maura could hardly believe she was really doing this. One guy was plugged into each available aperture, and one more labored at each breast. She felt like a primitive priestess being worshipped by some unknown tribe who lived utterly outside of any modern concepts of time, science, or geography. She even heard a wild drumbeat in her head, only to realize it was her own thrumming pulse.
She was pure body, pure passion. She was one with the sea. And with them.
Climax struck suddenly, tightening her flesh around Daq and Tagin at the same instant. Maura felt hot tremors rock every fiber of her being. Her inner muscles flexed, and her nerves sang with delight. Even her nipples seemed to turn inside out and back again as their rasping tongues pleasured them.
“Please stay with us,” Daq pleaded as she slumped down on his chest, feeling as though her body had exploded. She was ready to rebuild herself, though. “We need you. We love you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered as she closed her eyes. “All of you. I won’t leave.”
Chapter 9
All eight of them gathered at the edge of the sea, the guys in their cutoffs and cargo shorts, Maura in one of the light one-piece sundresses she’d taken to wearing around the house. Septimus and Zaila were modestly wrapped in large beach towels they planned to shed as soon as they hit the waves. But first it was time for farewells.
“I’m glad you’ll be looking after the homestead, Maura,” Septimus said, reaching out to take her hand. “It’s not that I don’t trust the boys, but housekeeping’s never been their strong suit. They’re not good on the computer, either, and someone has to keep up with my e-mail.”
Maura returned his affectionate squeeze, but couldn’t stop the tears from springing into her eyes. “Please be careful, Septimus. I know this sounds like the journey of a lifetime, but it’s still risky.”
“Nonsense!” Septimus laughed. “I knew my way around the ocean floor long before I figured out that I belonged there. Not even getting blown off course stopped me last time. Besides, I’m going to have the best tour guide in all the seven seas.” Still holding Maura’s hand, he took Zaila’s as well. When she smiled up at him, and their gazes locked, Maura’s doubts concerning the wisdom of their plans faded.
“I’ll keep him out of trouble—and kelp forests as well,” Zaila said. “Go on with your lives here, and don’t worry about us. We want you to be as happy as we are.”
“We’re certainly going to try,” Daq said.
Finally, Septimus released Maura’s hand. She stepped back, averting her eyes as he and Zaila tossed their towels onto the sand. They waded into the water and soon disappeared from sight.
“Off to see the world together,” Janko said, shaking his head in wonder. “I have to hand it to Septimus—he knows how to plan a memorable date.”
“You’re not jealous, I hope,” Ivar said as all six of them turned and trudged up the beach toward the house.
“Yeah, we’ll be sticking close to the shore from now on,” Ejan pointed out. He took Maura’s hand and brought it to his lips. Maura wondered if Irissa would extend them yet another dinner invitation this week. She never seemed to tire of Maura’s company and loved to regale her with tales of Ejan’s remarkable childhood and the special talents and gifts he had carried with him to adulthood. “I, for one, am looking forward to that.”
“Not jealous in the least.” Janko grinned. “Helping Maura with her research suits me perfectly.”
Maura returned his smile. “I’m excited to have all of you help me.” It was going to be tricky to document her findings and possibly even write articles without giving away the existence of the Aquans. Still, Septimus had faith in her, and she was sure she’d manage somehow.
She looked around at the five of them walking with her, enjoying Ivar’s boyish laughter and Janko’s breezy attitude. Ejan and Tagin stayed close together, but she felt more than welcome as part of their relationship.
And then, of course, there was Daq. Even now, as they strolled along a few yards away from one another, she felt the warmth of his love and the power of his desire. The bond was so strong that they didn’t need to touch to feel it.
Soon, she would return to the States long enough to collect her possessions and arrange to join them here permanently. Aquan multiple marriage wasn’t technically legal in the human world, the guys had explained, but what mattered was the commitment between them. Maura was ready to make that commitment. She’d be away from them for a few days, and though the separation wasn’t something she was looking forward to, she knew it would make their reunion that much sweeter.
When she’d first arrived in Bequia, she’d had no idea who was picking her up or what kind of situation she’d been plunging into. The next time she stepped off that plane, she’d know exactly who—and what—to expect.
She couldn’t wait.
THE END
WWW.CASSANDRAPIERCE.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cassandra Pierce has been a fan of Gothic literature for most of her life, even studying the origins of the genre in college and graduate school. Before long, she got the urge to create paranormal romances of her own and is now hard at work on the third Darkisle novel (among other projects). When she is not writing, she teaches English (including a course on Vampire Lit) at a small New England college and is active in a charity that rescues and rehomes abandoned pets.
Read excerpts from Cassandra’s upcoming books and her author blog at www.CassandraPierce.com, and visit her on Facebook!
Also by Cassandra Pierce
PolyAmour: Terran Border Patrol: Captain Gareth’s Mates
Siren Classic: Darkisle 1: Heirs to Darkisle
PolyAmour: Darkisle 2: Loving Two Vampires
Siren LoveXtreme: The Aquans 1: Jewels from the Sea
Siren Classic ManLove: The Vampires of Anarchy 1:
The Vampire’s Vacation
Siren Classic ManLove: Elven Treasure 1: The Enchanted Earl
Available at
BOOKSTRAND.COM
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Cassandra Pierce - Diamonds in the Sand [The Aquans 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Special Edition) Page 9
