by Faye Avalon
Even with the beauty of the island she had experienced up until then, she could never have prepared for the sight that welcomed her when she turned into a clearing.
The waterfall fell like a silvery curtain from the heights of an enormous rocky cliff. It tumbled down onto craggy rocks where it splashed and danced before becoming part of a clear crystal pool of shimmering blue.
Lahna stopped, closed her eyes, and drew in a long steady breath. How similar were the scents and sounds to the woods near her home, and for a moment she experienced a sharp pang of longing for the simple days of her childhood. The days before her mother and father had passed from this world and into another which she hoped was more agreeable than life had become on Zomotia.
But whatever the beauty of her own homeland, she thought opening her eyes, it could not compare to the stunning scene in front of her. Unable to resist, Lahna ran to the pool and slipped off her sandals. She held her breath, anticipating the icy punch that would greet her, and dipped her toes into the water. While the water was far from cold, it was pleasantly cooling against her hot flesh. She drew in a breath, closing her eyes again. Oh, how would it feel against the rest of her body?
“It’s called Sarsa Falls,” Caelan said from behind her. “Named after my mother.”
Opening her eyes, Lahna withdrew her foot from the water. Turning, she looked over her shoulder at Caelan. He stood watching her, his handsome face pensive and unsmiling.
“That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful place.” Lahna realized she knew very little of his personal life, and the reverent way he had mentioned his mother prompted her to find out more. “Was it a favorite location of hers?”
“It was.” He stepped forward, standing beside her and looking across to the falls. “She told me it was the place my father first asked her to be his wife.”
“First asked her?”
He smiled, the memory of his mother obviously a happy one. “It seems my father requested her consent to marriage several times before she finally agreed. My mother had a mind of her own.” The smile was still evident when he turned to look at her. “In much the same way you do.”
Lahna shook her head. “I think you give me too much credit, my lord.”
“Were you not prepared to die on the ocean rather than enter into a life you did not want?”
She chose to ignore the edge in his tone that warned he was toying with her. “Desperation has little to do with choice.” When he didn’t respond, she drew in a breath. “Were you especially close to your mother?”
“I was a child when she died. There are days I can barely remember her face. But I’ll always remember her kindness, her soft heart.”
Lahna wondered if, deep down, Caelan had inherited some of his mother’s traits, and if his interaction with the villagers that day was any indication, she believed it entirely possible. Did that mean that she might be able to trust him? Just a little?
Suddenly she wanted to know more about him, about his life, and not only the things that would directly aid her plans to escape.
Before she could pluck up courage to question him, he stepped away from the edge of the pool. “You may bathe here,” he said firmly and began to turn in the direction of the horses.
Shocked, and a little embarrassed, Lahna placed a hand to her chest. “I beg your pardon, my lord?”
“Have we not moved past the niceties of titles, Lahna?” he said, walking to where Daria and Thunder waited. “I have asked you to become my bride. I have touched you in a way no other man has touched you. Does that not afford me the right to have you address me by my given name?”
“But you just said… You said that I could bathe here. In the open air.”
“Bathing is not banned on Limani. For men or women.”
“But… But I don’t have…” Dear Goddess of Maidens, did he expect her to bathe with no clothes on? In front of him? It was scandalous.
With his hands holding the reins of the horses, Caelan glanced back at her. “There is nobody else around for miles. We are alone. I can assure you that under these circumstances it is perfectly decent for two people to bathe together without the restriction of clothes.”
“Together.” Lahna had to swallow past a throat suddenly dry. “You are planning to bathe, too?”
He took the horses to a shaded area at the edge of the pool and lightly fastened their reins to a tree stump. “It is a hot day. We both crave the cooling effect of the water against our skin. If it gives you comfort, I will turn away until you are fully immersed in the pool.”
She had a sudden vision of Caelan close to her. Naked. Both of them. Together.
She swallowed again, her hand moving to her throat as if to comfort herself against the storm of sensation batting her insides.
“You have until a count of twenty,” he said, a gleam in his eye which indicated he was enjoying taunting her in such a manner. “By which time I intend divesting myself of this clothing and diving into the pool for much-desired relief.”
When he tugged the top half of his tabard from his belt, Lahna didn’t doubt that he would follow through on his threats. “Then turn around,” she said quickly, almost stumbling into the water as she lost her footing on the rocks. Steadying herself, she stabbed a finger at Caelan. “Turn around,” she instructed again. “And don’t you dare begin your count until you have done so.”
Caelan laughed, and something tight in her stomach smoothed out. She really did like to hear him laugh. It was deep and hearty, and stirred a heavy longing for something she didn’t know she wanted.
Dutifully, Caelan turned, folding his arms and beginning his count out loud.
Lahna had a moment to think that his count was perhaps a little faster than she had expected, but she busied herself undressing. She kept glancing back to make sure Caelan wasn’t looking, but couldn’t deny the amazing feel of the sun against her bared skin.
Laying her tunic next to her sandals, she pulled the tie from her hair and felt the long strands cascade down her back. She shook her head, feeling carefree and slightly guilty for enjoying such sensual pleasure.
With another glance at Caelan, she sucked in a breath and stepped into the water.
Oh, but it was so good to cool off this way. The water felt silky against her flesh, sending little shivers of pleasure through her body as she waded up to her waist. Since Caelan had almost reached twenty, Lahna dipped below the surface until only her head and shoulders were visible.
She looked over to where Caelan had now turned to face her in time to see him throw off his belt and remove his tabard. My, but he was very broad of chest, very muscled and tanned. She liked the shadowing of hair across the wide expanse and the way it seemed to grow darker as it dipped to…
Sharply, she spun away. He was removing his breeches.
His laugh came to her across the pool, seeming to blend with the gentle roar of the waterfall and the song of the birds that swooped overhead.
A heavy splash sounded behind her and she knew that Caelan had taken a dive into the pool which meant it was now safe for her to turn around. He was a few feet away from her, his dark hair plastered to his skull, water glistening off those wide shoulders as he faced her in the pool.
“I demand that you stay there,” Lahna said, hoping to all the goddesses that she sounded more confident than she felt right then. “That will be your side of the pool and this will be mine.”
“Suddenly you have taken ownership of the pool?” he asked, his eyes gleaming with devilish charm. “And here was I, Prince of Limani, under the incorrect impression, it would seem, that the pool and all its occupants were mine to enjoy.”
He swam forward until he was an arm’s length away, all the while those wicked eyes stayed on hers.
Lahna stuck her chin into the air, trying to ignore the shaky feeling that assaulted her legs. “You are not at all chivalrous.”
His smile spread. “Indeed, it would seem at this moment that chivalry is a trait I am happy to igno
re.”
Making sure to keep her shoulders under water, Lahna walked backward until she hit the side of the pool. Thankfully, Caelan hadn’t moved.
He stood up, the water now only to his waist. Water trickled deliciously down his torso, his long dark hair hanging across his shoulders. Raising his hand, he slicked it back from his wide forehead. Then he turned and swam back to the opposite side of the pool. He twisted and, leaning back against the rocks, spread his arms out from his shoulders. Dropping his head back, he closed his eyes.
Mesmerized, Lahna watched. He was the most handsome of men. Just being in his presence seemed to do the strangest things to her body. First it was chilled, then it heated. First, she trembled, then she felt strong. It was as if her body no longer belonged to her when she was around him, but had taken on a will of its own. Was this the way all women reacted when in the company of a handsome man with a fine physique? Surely not, because she had seen handsome men before, but they had never stirred such intense longings inside her.
She thought about the wisdom of agreeing to become Caelan’s consort. In reality, would it be so bad? Would he really be a brute of a husband and hold her as a slave inside the royal quarters? Indications were that he had a soft side, certainly that he was loyal. He was beloved by his people, feared by his enemies. If she actually became his wife, surely she would become his people, too. Wouldn’t he then be loyal to her? Wouldn’t he do anything to protect her, just as he protected everything that was his? Would he ever give her back to the king, even if Limani became independent again and she was no longer of value to him?
Oh, she couldn’t think. Especially not with Caelan across from her, and naked. She glanced down, her gaze level with his waist and the water undulating against his firm stomach. She wondered about his manhood. She had never seen a fully-grown man before. Boys, yes. She knew the differences. But everything about Caelan seemed larger than life. Did that mean…
Her body reacted sharply to her wicked thoughts, sending heat from her groin and up through her center. But the skin on her upper arms shivered and, crossing her arms over her chest, she rubbed her hands softly against her skin to warm it.
“You should swim.” Caelan’s voice reached across to her. “If you are becoming chilled, moving around in the water will adjust the temperature of your body.”
Since he had yet to open his eyes, Lahna wondered how he knew she was chilled. Not that it mattered. She dipped lower into the water until only her head was visible above the surface and began swimming toward the waterfall. She looked back, checking to make sure Caelan was still in the same place and hadn’t followed her.
But instead of following her, he’d shifted around, his arms folded against the rocks, his chin resting against his hands. Had he done that to preserve her modesty? She doubted it. He would take great delight in taunting her, teasing her. But that was unfair. As promised, he hadn’t looked when she’d disrobed by the side of the pool. Hadn’t glimpsed when she’d waded in naked.
He had his head turned away now, and Lahna swam beneath the waterfall to the small silent pool of water between it and the rocks. She could still see the shady outline of Caelan through the curtain of water, so she took a moment to relax back against a small ledge.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the sounds and the scents of this beautiful environment. It seemed all her senses were suddenly on overload.
She skimmed her hands along her arms again, then across her shoulders and over her breasts. How would it feel if it were Caelan’s hands stroking her skin? His hands kneading her breasts? His fingers touching her nipples? She had felt his touch before, of course, but now they would be naked. How would it feel to touch him?
Swamped in a sensory haze, Lahna slipped her hands lower, over her stomach and hips toward the juncture of her thighs where delicious heat built. Caelan. She wanted him. As a woman would want a man. It surprised her, delighted her, but it also scared her that she seemed to want him quite this much. Was this normal? If so, it was indeed pleasurable and not at all like the older women in her village had warned. They told Lahna and her friends that a woman was cursed to endure the needs of her husband and must submit willingly even though there would be no pleasure in it for her.
As Lahna cupped herself and felt the resulting shiver of awareness, she wondered if she were more like one of those women, again who the elders had warned against, who encouraged and enjoyed a man’s sexual attentions. They were the women who had men pay for their services.
Lahna bit her lip. Did that mean she was one of those women?
Shocked at the thought, Lahna stopped touching herself and brought her hands above the water at the same time she opened her eyes… And saw Caelan watching her from the side of the waterfall.
“You were so long and so quiet I was concerned something had happened to you.” A hint of a smile lingered on his lips. He glanced down below the water. “May I offer assistance in any way?”
“Go away.” Even to her own ears her command sounded weak, thready. “How dare you watch me?”
His smile spread. “I dare because I am the prince and this is my island. And, despite that you claim part ownership of the pool, you are standing under what is in effect my waterfall.”
“So much to own,” she snapped, horribly self conscious and embarrassed, yet desperately aroused by her thoughts and by the way he was looking at her. “Perhaps, now that you are assured I am in no need of your services, you would be good enough to move away.”
He reached out and steadied himself on the jagged edge of a nearby rock. “Perhaps today I do not feel like being good.” His hot gaze drifted beneath the water again before taking a leisurely path back to her eyes. “Perhaps I feel like being quite the opposite.”
Dear Goddess of the Waters, help me.
With his eyes on hers, he lifted his free hand out of the water. Following the movement, Lahna saw he held a small bottle. “What is that?”
“Oil of roses,” he said, pulling the stopper from the bottle. “Elena no doubt thought you would enjoy such a gift.”
Remembering the small package Elena had handed to Caelan as they left the village earlier, Lahna was touched by the gesture. Until she realized that Elena knew Caelan would be bringing her to Sarsa Falls. Was that because he always brought his women here? Was it common knowledge?
A different kind of heat filled her, one not nearly as pleasurable as the kind she usually enjoyed while thinking about Caelan. She didn’t enjoy knowing that he came here with other women. Enjoyed even less knowing that he probably touched them as she wanted him to touch her.
Caelan’s blue eyes gleamed as he placed the stopper on the top of a rock. “Turn around.”
“What?”
“Turn around. Brace your hands against the rocks.”
That meant he would need to come closer. That his body would be inches from hers. And they were naked. And alone.
She wanted to protest, she knew that she should protest. But she was so incensed with thoughts of those other women that she wanted to drive them from her mind. She wanted to drive them from Caelan’s mind. And she wanted to know how being that close to Caelan would feel. Devoid of clothing. Under the pulsing hot sun. Cooled by the crystal blue water. And the scent of roses … and him … filling her nostrils.
She turned, placed her hands on the ledge. And waited.
Chapter Eight
Caelan smiled as he moved toward Lahna. He had played his role well, acting with chivalry and allowing her to enjoy a modicum of control over events. He thought he deserved recognition for such restraint.
But imagining Lahna’s delectable body naked, wet, and just begging to know a man’s hands had been ripping at his resolve, and he would no longer have his wishes denied.
She wanted him. Hadn’t she been touching her body beneath the waterfall? Hadn’t her eyes been closed and her mind no doubt harboring thoughts of him? While he did not consider himself the vainest of men, he was no idiot either. There was no other
man that would have filled Lahna’s head with such thoughts.
She turned away from him and as he stepped closer he glimpsed the round globes of her backside beneath the clear water. His cock responded. Soon he would be inside her and would make her his. She would accept his request to be his consort, and all would be well.
Planting his feet on the pool bed, he poured a little oil into the palm of his hand.
She tensed a little when his hands touched her shoulders, but soon relaxed. Her skin was soft and warm beneath his hands, enabling his fingers to glide easily aided by the richness of the oil. He kneaded gently, pressing his fingertips and sliding his palms until she gave a little sound.
He moved closer, lifting her long golden hair from her neck and tucking it to the opposite side of her head. Careful to keep his movements slow and easy—although he was becoming more and more desperate to simply take—he rubbed lightly along the side of her exposed neck until her eyelids fluttered down.
She made that sound again, her fingers moving against the rock in the same steady way his fingers worked along her neck.
When she rolled her head back, Caelan stepped closer still, allowing his shoulder to provide a resting place.
The scent of roses filled the air. The scent of her filled him.
He closed his eyes. Had he ever wanted a woman this badly?
Momentarily shaken by the force of this realization, he opened his eyes and looked down. The tops of her breasts teased the water’s surface, while beneath the clear crystal her ruby nipples were hard and erect. He slid his hand around her throat, down to her collarbone, and massaged the delicate flesh there.
She arched her back, dug her head against his shoulder. The movement raised her breasts from the water, and he watched mesmerized as droplets slid down their tempting orbs.
Dear gods, but he wanted her. His cock would explode if he didn’t have her. And soon.
Reaching out to the side, he fumbled for a flat surface on which to place the bottle of oil. He wanted both hands free to explore Lahna’s delicious body.
