by Marilyn Lee
Each vase bore the imprint of what appeared to be a majestic waterfall at the base of a mountain. The labels read: Crystal Falls Bath Salts and Crystal Falls Bath Oil.
Erica had declared the contents of each vase smelled foul.
Erin had found their aroma soothing and had been disappointed that the card accompanying the items had been blank. She’d never discovered who sent the salts, but she loved soaking in them.
“Get your head out of the clouds and stay with me, girl,” Erica complained.
Erin blinked and shook her head. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“So he’s back from LA with this absolutely gorgeous tan that would do George Hamilton proud. He looks good tanned…all buff…kind of sexy.”
Tanned or not, he looked good in a pair of swimming briefs that showcased his long, muscular legs and displayed his magnificent physique. And the hint of a hard-on she’d noted more than once when she encountered him at the pool.
Erin sighed. How often had she lost herself in erotic daydreams since their interlude on his balcony? Of course she wasn’t ready to admit that to Erica.
“Have you seen him yet, Nika?”
Only in her dreams and fantasies. “No. He’s been away. Remember?”
“Well, he’s back now, and it’s time you made a move before someone else latches onto him.”
“Like who?”
“Like Aja Mangrabber Miller.” Erica practically spat the name out. “You should have seen the indecent way she ogled him in the elevator. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d suddenly reached out and grabbed his crotch.”
Erin felt her top lip curl. Although both she and Erica had disliked the other woman on sight, she knew their reaction had been driven by Erin’s primitive reaction to her. She wasn’t sure what it was about the other woman that generated the irrational dislike she felt. She just knew she hated her.
Admittedly the tall, slender Aja was gorgeous enough to be equally at home gracing the cover of an upscale fashion magazine or gliding down any catwalk. While uncertain of the origin of her dislike, Erin was certain it wasn’t rooted in jealousy.
“If that skinny, self-centered bitch goes anywhere near him, I’ll—” Noting the satisfied gleam in Erica’s eyes, Erin allowed her voice to trail off.
“She was in the elevator batting her false eyelashes at him not ten minutes ago. It was all I could do not to shout at her that he was taken and then reach out and slap her right into next week.”
Erin balled a hand into a fist. “Did he seem interested?”
Erica took a slow, calming breath before she continued in her normal tone of voice. A slow smile spread over her face as she shook her head. “He barely spoke to her. He was too busy asking how you were.”
Erin sighed in relief.
“But that doesn’t mean she won’t persist until she changes his mind. So when are you going out with him?”
Erin shrugged and turned to consider her reflection in the vanity mirror. She wore her dark hair short and natural. Her skin was clear and the color of milk chocolate. She looked out at the world from a pair of dark eyes. Mark had often called her gorgeous. She knew most men found her attractive. She and Erica were identical twins, and Erica had been a runner-up in a number of beauty pageants during their college years. Four months earlier, Aleksander had certainly seemed to think her pretty. Would he feel the same when they met again? Or would Aja manage to turn his head in her direction?
“Erin!”
She turned back to face Erica. “What?”
“Do you regret breaking up with Mark?”
Strangely enough, she didn’t. She shook her head. “I know everyone thought Mark and I would eventually get…ah…”
“The word you’re trying so hard to avoid is married.” Erica sighed. “I can admit now that I was highly upset when you ended your relationship with him.”
Erin blinked. “You were?”
“Hell, yeah! He’s a handsome, straight black man with a fantastic job who thought the sun rose only when you opened your eyes.”
“But you were so supportive when I ended our relationship.”
“Hey, girl. It wasn’t easy, but what else could I do? When the sky is falling, I have to hold it up so it doesn’t fall on you.” Erica shrugged. “It’s my job to be there for you. I’m the older twin.”
Erin smiled. “Yeah—by about two or three minutes.”
“Whatever. Being the older twin has certain responsibilities. It’s my job to stand by your side and support your decisions.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “Even when I think they’re beyond dumb and bordering on reckless.”
Erin laughed. “Be serious.”
“I am being serious. Mark was quite a catch, and my heart nearly broke when you told me it was over between you two. I was so upset with you until I saw Aleksander.” She sighed. “Then I understood why you needed to be free of all other romantic entanglements so you’d be free when he made his move.”
Erin shook her head. “Don’t start trying to analyze everything to death, Rica. I’ll start dating again when I’m ready.”
Erica arched a brow. “Get real, girl. If I left these things to you, you’d die an old maid. Or worse yet, Aja would have time to sink her fake claws into him, and I am not having that.”
Erin grimaced. “I’m thirty, not ninety. I think I have a few years left before I have to start worrying about being an old maid.” Aja was another matter.
Erica waved a hand dismissively. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, girl, but every single or unengaged woman over twenty-five is in danger of becoming an old maid.”
Erin groaned. “Give me a break.”
“I’ll do better than that. I’ll get you another man—if it’s the last thing I do.”
“And if I don’t want one?”
Erica grinned. “You’re getting one whether you like it or not. So get with the program. Now, let’s get back to your big, handsome Norse hunk.”
“He’s not mine.”
“A very minor technicality we’ll soon remedy.” Erica, who wore her hair in a mass of short dark curls, tilted her head. “Do you think he’s from Viking stock? Just looking at him awakens fantasies of being sexually and ruthlessly plundered and loving every damn second of it. Do you feel me?”
And how!
Erica grinned, just as if Erin had verbalized her agreement. “So we’re on the same page. If I didn’t already have the sexiest man alive, I might be a little jealous that he’s going to be your man.”
Erin’s heart raced at the thought. She lowered her lids, afraid of what Erica might see in her gaze.
“So why haven’t you gone out with him, Nika?”
“For the very simple reason that he’s never asked me out.”
Erica blinked and sat up. “Are you sure?”
Asking her to his apartment for a drink that had nearly turned into a meaningless sex romp did not constitute asking her out. “I may be in danger of becoming an old maid, but I think I’m still young enough to know if he’s asked me out.”
“You know I don’t believe in destiny or past lives, but the moment I saw him, I just knew you two belonged together, Nika.”
Erin smiled. Although she and Erica had always been close, having Erica call her Nika again served to strengthen their bond.
Erica frowned. “Maybe he’d ask you out if you stopped giving him the cold shoulder.”
Or maybe he’d just ask her to hop into bed with him. The way her love life was going lately, she just might oblige—no questions asked. “Who says I give him the cold shoulder?”
“I do.” Erica leveled a finger. “I don’t know how I know, but I know he’d be good for you. I feel it in my bones, Nika.”
That made two of them. Yet even as she felt Aleksander was right for her, memories of another love lingered on the edge of her consciousness, making her uncertain if she should pursue a relationship with Aleksander. “Don’t worry, Erica. I’ll be fine.”
; “I know you will—as soon as you get back into the dating scene.”
“Erica—”
“The place to start is at the pool party next weekend.”
Erin frowned, shaking her head. “About that—”
Erica gave a firm shake of her head. “I’ve bought you a sexy new bikini that will show off all your assets.”
“Bikini? That thing you bought is a few pieces of string at best. Calling it anything else—even a bikini—is a gross misnomer.”
“So? What’s your point?”
“My point is that I’d be practically naked wearing your so-called bikini.”
“So? The entire point of a pool party for single women is to be as close to naked as possible. So don’t you start with me, Erin. You promised you would go, and you’re going—even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming. And you’re wearing your new, revealing bikini. End of debate.” Erica rose.
With a reluctant smile on her face, Erin watched her twin stalk out of the room. Heaven help anyone who got in Erica’s way when she was on a mission. Erin’s smile vanished, and she sighed. If she didn’t go, she’d never hear the end of it. So she’d go and try not to think about Aleksander unless he sought her out.
If the spirits were kind, he’d ask her out and give her an excuse to skip the party. She closed her eyes. Once they were alone, hopefully they could pick up where they’d left off. Maybe he’d hold her close and slow dance with her to a long, sexy song with a pulsing beat while a majestic and exciting storm raged outside. Then he’d kiss her breathless and make love to her until she blew apart with the power of an exploding star.
Erica reappeared in Erin’s bedroom door. “Terrale and I are eating out tonight. Come with?”
She smiled and shook her head. “Thanks, Rica, but not only am I not in the mood to make an unwelcome third, but I have a program that’s almost debugged.”
“Ahhh. You want to be here in case Mr. Tall, Blond, and Gorgeous comes calling?”
Erin cast her gaze toward the ceiling. “Lord…give me strength.”
Erica held up a hand, an unrepentant smile lighting her eyes. “Okay. You have work to finish. Don’t stay up too late debugging computer software. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She smiled. “Have a great time, Rica.”
“I always do with Terrale.” She blew Erin a kiss.
* * * * *
Alone in the apartment, Erin got her laptop and went to work on the balcony. As a senior program analyst for a new start-up software manufacturer, she was only required to spend two days a week in the office.
Sitting on the balcony at a table with a large umbrella that shielded her from the hot July sun, Erin struggled to keep her thoughts off Aleksander. Encouraged that he’d asked Erica about her, she was certain he would soon come calling.
The day passed without any word from him. She forced herself not to get lost in wondering if he was with Aja. If he was, there was nothing she could do about it.
After a solitary dinner, she took a long soak and slipped into bed.
She lay awake for a long time before she finally drifted into a fretful slumber filled with nightmares and memories…
Chapter Three
Despite the danger, grief and longing had driven Tanginika to once again make her way through the jungle to the mating hut where Malikinder had died a year earlier. To her surprise, the hut still stood in the clearing, which had not been reclaimed by the jungle.
Her eyes filled with tears as she stood recalling the horror of that night. Why had she come? There was nothing left for her there but grief and pain. She sobbed, turned, and hurried through the jungle, tears spilling down her cheeks.
The tears became a blinding flood. Grief overwhelmed her. She sucked in a breath and leaned against a tall tree with a hand pressed against her lips in an effort to silence her sobs. Bringing attention to her presence might result in a sudden, violent death.
“And you must live, my sheenea. You must live and love again—without me.”
She gulped in a breath and straightened. Her heart pounded with hope. “Malikinder?” She cast a wild look around. There was no sign of Malikinder. She knew he was dead, yet she could feel him. “Malikinder? Where are you?”
“You must live, my sheenea. Give your heart and your body to another who loves you just as much as I always will.”
“But I don’t want anyone else. I want you, Malikinder. I can’t love anyone else.”
“Yes. You can.”
“No. My heart and body belong only to you.”
“Undress and turn around.”
“Now?” She glanced nervously around her. “Here?”
“Trust me. You’ll be safe.”
After a brief hesitation, she slowly obeyed. She stood naked in the moonlight with her breasts pressed against the trunk of the tree.
A gentle rumble sounded in the distance.
She glanced up.
Lightning lit up the night sky.
She shivered.
“Don’t be afraid, my sheenea. You are safe with me and with him. Close your eyes and allow yourself to be surrounded and protected by two who love you more than you can imagine.”
She frowned. “Two? I only want you, Malikinder.”
“Obey, Tanginika.”
She closed her eyes.
Even as the thunder rumbled in the distance, a gentle breeze surrounded her. Warmth brushed against her shoulders. It kissed over her nipples until they pebbled before trailing slowly down her body.
She trembled as the warm caress came to rest between her legs.
The familiarity yet strangeness of the touch sent a jolt through her. She caught her breath and swung around, expecting to find Malikinder standing behind her. She was alone. Yet she wasn’t.
“Trust us. Turn around. Close your eyes. And believe…believe.”
She turned to face the tree but kept her eyes open.
Warmth spread up from her ankles to her thighs.
She bit her lips, feeling her passions rising.
The warmth touched her core.
Desire flared in the pit of her belly before it raced upward to cup her breasts. She shivered. Her nipples hardened. She parted her lips. The gentle breeze fluttering over her body in a series of caresses left heat in its wake. Intrigued by the magic of what was happening to her without Malikinder’s presence or touch, she closed her eyes.
Need for satisfaction consumed her. Reality blurred and disappeared. In the middle of the dangerous jungle, she found herself in a world inhabited only by her and Malikinder. Malikinder. Her love. Her love…
She imagined his big hands caressing her breasts…rolling her nipples between his fingers…sliding down her stomach to cup between her legs. With her eyes closed tight and the thunder shutting out the sounds of the nocturnal night, she could almost feel him.
Tanginika frowned. She could feel him. She opened her eyes and looked down.
Her heart raced with joy. Real hands cupped her breasts. A real body pressed against her back. The eager lips nibbling at her neck were real.
She parted her legs, eager to know the joy of being loved by him again. “It’s been so long. Take me…make me yours again.”
He gripped her hip and ground himself against her bottom, allowing her to feel his thick, hard length.
“Oh…”
He licked the side of her neck. “I need you.”
She felt his length rubbing between her nether cheeks, in search of her opening. She gasped, her core flooding. “I’m yours. Take me, my love.”
He licked her neck and pressed his length against her core.
Determined to enjoy the unexpected pleasure, she closed her eyes, enjoying the slow, sweet slide of his length into her.
When his powerful hips stopped moving, she felt herself stretched over his hard warmth. She moaned.
She felt a sense of satisfaction from him, which confused her. “You’re mine. At last you’re mine.”
Why at las
t instead of again? “Malikinder?”
“Don’t talk. Let’s just feel, my lovely one.” He slid his hands down her body to link his fingers with hers.
She shivered as he eased in and out of her with a gentle passion. She loved feeling stretched around his flesh. She ground herself against him, reaching back to clutch at his body.
He raked his teeth along the side of her neck while he surged deeper. Reaching around her body, he rubbed his thumb against her pleasure nub.
The storm raged around them, fueling her passions. Her stomach muscles tightened. Wonderful sensations built in her. Soon…just a few more thrusts, and she would know the joy that only a man who loved her as he did could give her.
She trembled with anticipation.
He abruptly slipped out of her.
She cried out in protest. “No!”
He turned her around. “Look at me, my sheenea. See a different me who loves you still.”
When she opened her eyes, a strange male with gray eyes, pale skin, and hair the color of sunburned grass faced her. She jerked back against the tree, lifting her hands to cover herself. She burned with shame to be naked with this strange white male. She had allowed him to touch her intimately. Worse, she had enjoyed it.
“Malikinder!” she cried out. “Where are you? Help me…please.” She tried to slip away.
The stranger held her in place. He spoke to her in a soft, comforting voice. “You mustn’t be afraid of me, sheenea.”
She stared at him, poised to push past him and flee into the jungle.
He shook his head and spoke to her in Malikinder’s deep, warm voice. “I would willingly surrender my eternal essence to protect you. You mustn’t be afraid of me, sheenea.”
Now he felt like Malikinder. She frowned, confused. “Malikinder? I don’t understand. You sound and feel like you, but you’re not you.”
“This is how I’ll look from now on, Tanginika.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want you like this. I want the old you with the skin like mine.” She touched a trembling hand to his pale skin. “This skin is too pale…”
