by ammyford1
“Well, I’m lucky that there aren’t any hot-blooded males in the vicinity,” I said facetiously. I was rewarded with a dunk. He took me by surprise and I swallowed some water which made me cough and splutter as I returned to the surface.
“Sophie? I’m sorry, are you alright?” His voice changed from playful to anxious. I caught him full in the face with a hand-sweep of water and attempted to swim away, still coughing but laughing at the same time. Before I could put any distance between us he caught me by the waist and pulled me to him.
“And where do you think you are going?” he said with feigned menace.
I turned to face him and placed my hands on his chest. His eyes darkened dangerously.
Now I was in trouble.
He took hold of my legs and wrapped them around his waist.
“No, no, no, no,” I said quickly and attempted to wriggle free but he gripped my legs tightly around him.
“People will see,” I protested, and glanced over his shoulder to find that Leylana and Toby were nowhere to be seen and the King was engrossed in the tablet on his lap with a couple of guards not too far away.
“It will only seem odd if you struggle,” he said with a wicked gleam in his eye. “To the casual bystander, we are just facing one another having a perfectly normal conversation.”
As soon as my skin made contact with his any protest from me was always going to be a weak and feeble one. He ran his hands down the length of my thigh until he cupped my bottom and supported my weight.
“I want to bury myself in you,” he declared. His voice had become delectably husky and it made my heart slam against my ribcage.
“Not here,” I argued, although my rebuff only seemed to carry a promise for later. I really didn’t want to lead him on but it was impossible to think coherently all the time his hands were gently kneading my behind.
“No, not here. I’m not into public displays of my sexual prowess,” he said with a crooked smile. Oh, how much I wanted to lean forward and kiss him, but any contact I was to have with him had to strictly be underwater.
I settled for running my hands up and down his forearms.
“You like that?” he asked, as he continued to fondle my bottom through my bikini bottoms.
I nodded, not able to tear my eyes away from his.
“What about this?” He slowly slipped his hands underneath the fabric of my swimwear and made contact with the skin of my behind causing me to take a sharp intake of breath.
“Judging by your reaction, I would say you found that… favourable,” he said with an arch of his brow his own breath sounding a little uneven.
I nodded again. Our eyes were locked together, as his voice, which now was just a low rumble in his chest, continued to seduce me. My own voice had caught somewhere in my throat.
The world had suddenly shrunk and now it contained just the two of us, standing there, the warm sun on our shoulders and the cool, crisp water soothing our heated skin beneath the surface. Ahran’s pupils were dilated and I suspected that if I reached forward I would find further evidence of his arousal. I kept my hands firmly planted on his forearms, silently willing him to continue, the fact that it was so delightfully risqué fuelling my excitement.
Ahran began stroking down the backs of my thighs and up underneath my bikini bottoms. He did this over and over again and it was slowly driving me crazy. My lips parted as my breathing picked up and still our eyes were focused on nothing else but each other. Here I was, with this incredibly gorgeous man who had stolen my heart and he was looking at me as if I was the epitome of every male fantasy. It was a pulse pounding experience. I suspected it would take some form of catastrophic natural disaster to force our gazes away from each other.
“Ok, so we’ve established that you like me caressing your beautiful behind, what would happen if I did this?” he rasped.
I knew where he was going next and I held my breath as his hands ran over the top of my thighs and his thumbs hooked inside the front of my bikini. He began to stroke the narrow strip of hair hidden there.
His eyes were fixated on me, he was here with me but at the same time he’d drifted somewhere else, concentrating on what he was doing with his thumbs and what effect this was having on his own state of arousal.
“…and this?” he asked as his thumb made its way down between my legs and found the most sensitive part of my body.
I gasped and my nails dug into his wrists.
He began a slow assault, moving his thumb up and down and around in an exquisite solo dance.
I began to pant, feeling hot waves within me beginning to build as we stood there in the lake locked together in our secret, underwater, sex. I gently moved my hips back and forward.
Oh dear lord, I was a slave to his expert fingers. I closed my eyes as the waves built in power.
“Open your eyes Sophie,” Ahran demanded.
And like his obedient subject, I raised my lids but was barely able to focus. Ahran’s persistent thumb continued to work its magic and I struggled not to rock my hips more markedly.
One final sweep of his thumb tipped me over the edge.
“Ahhhran,” I breathed as I clutched his forearms to brace myself as the bone melting heat spread through my body, the lower half of me gently convulsing over and over again as the breath rushed from my lungs. I wanted to throw my head back and give myself over to the sensations coursing through my body but knew I couldn’t give such an outward display of what had just culminated under the water. In that moment I realised that no other man would ever make me feel the way he made me feel. It was a heart-wrenching and depressing thought.
Ahran held me as my orgasm subsided and then I slid down his body until my feet made contact with the soft sand of the lake floor.
“Okay?” he asked with a little smile, still holding my arms.
“Yes…thank you.” I said, feeling a little embarrassed that he had made me climax so easily. My eyes drank in his exceptional features. He really was the most beautiful man I had ever seen.
He chuckled. “You don’t have to thank me, the pleasure was all mine.”
“But you didn’t, you know…” I said, willing him to understand what I was getting at without actually having to say it.
“Believe me, touching you brings its own pleasure.” I couldn’t help wondering whether he was for real. Walking away was becoming more and more of an impossibility.
“We had better head back to the beach,” I said, glancing over his shoulder. Leylana, Toby and three of the bodyguards were making their way back. Toby had a bucket in his hands and Leylana carried a small fishing net.
“You go ahead, I just need to spend a bit longer in the water,” he said a little self-consciously.
I gave him a knowing smile and squeezed his hand before letting go and wading through the water to the shore. I could still feel the tingle where his thumb had been and I had a warm glow that came from somewhere deep inside. And that’s what I had to deal with. Apart from what had just happened, being with Ahran felt good. Not only could he give Daniel Craig a run for his money in his swim shorts, and by some way in my opinion, he was kind, sensitive, perceptive, funny, the list went on. He wasn’t your average man and that was aside from his looks and his highly evolved talents. The problem I faced was that in the eyes of those around him, I was not a suitable match and to make matters worse, it was because of me that he had broken his parentally arranged betrothal. And so my internal battle raged on. I gave a hopeless sigh and walked towards the royal party.
“Look Auntie Sophie,” Toby said skipping towards me. “Leylana and I went further up the beach and caught some little fish, see?” He held the bucket out for my perusal.
I peered in. “Oh yes.” There were some small almost translucent fish darting about in the confines of the bucket.
“Leylana said I can take them and put them in the pond in the palace,” he said enthusiastically. He was clearly enjoying himself.
“Good idea,” I said
encouragingly.
“Aha! Here they are,” Leylana said, interrupting my appraisal of Toby’s catch of the day. I followed her eyes to find one of the bodyguards walking across the beach with a box in his hands.
“What is it?” I asked intrigued.
“Ice cream!” she replied with a mischievous smile.
Ahran came to join us and I avoided his eyes just in case I blushed. Leylana had already proven to be too observant. The ice-creams were handed out and we sat down to eat them.
“Ooh! That’s delicious,” I declared, swallowing the sweet, creamy ice cream that tasted like toffee apples.
“Where did you get these from?” I asked unable to recall seeing an ice-cream van in the car park.
“There is a very good Gelaterie in the town, I had someone come and deliver them to us,” Leylana explained.
Well, I suppose you could do that when you were royalty. Oh, how our lives were poles apart.
Toby polished off his ice-cream first and challenged Ahran to a bat and ball play off. I finished mine and laid back to relive the secret moments Ahran and I had shared in the lake. It had been risky and hot and incredible.
“How do you see us taking things from here Sophie?” Halsan said, dragging me out of my X-rated reverie. It took me a moment to realise he was talking about Toby. I reined in my thoughts, forcing them to the back of my mind as I contemplated what the King had just asked me.
“Well, as I said to you before, Toby must come first. I know you will want him to spend time with you but he’s got school and a home back on Earth with people who love him. He’s going to need some normality in his life,” I forewarned, watching Toby dive for the ball. I wanted to remind the King that although he was half Ramian, he was still half human.
“I understand, but we are going to have to strike a delicate balance. I want him to learn about our way of life and culture because one day he will be King of Dinara.” I baulked at how Halsan seemed to think Toby becoming King was a fait accompli.
“I would be doing him an injustice if I did not teach him about our world but I understand he has a life back on Earth and that is part of who he is also.” He took a deep breath as if it pained him. “But, I have a duty to protect our world and I cannot take any risks that might breach our security and the anonymity we have in your world, it is something we are very proud to have protected over the years.”
I made eye contact with the King and noticed the determined set of his mouth. I knew I had a fight on my hands here. There was the possibility Toby might decide that becoming the ruler in a new world was not for him, but looking at him now and seeing how easily he had accepted his newfound status, that seemed unlikely. No matter what happened, it was clear we had a very difficult situation to manage and I wasn’t at all sure how we were going to reach a compromise.
“What do you suggest we do?” I asked, giving him the chance to lay something on the table.
“I think the best solution is that Toby spends term time here, being educated the Ramian way, learning about our history and our culture in preparation for his future. You would be welcome to visit anytime and then he could spend the holidays back on Earth. He will of course have a bodyguard presence with him at all times.
The thought of Toby spending the majority of the time away from me was unbearable and how would he feel being away from his best friend Adam? They were so close, it was hard to imagine Toby being happy spending that much time away from him. I had never envisaged a future where Toby wouldn’t be with me, not at least until he went away to university.
“I need to give it some thought,” I said, stalling for time. “It’s all been such a whirlwind, mine and Toby’s feet need to touch the ground for a while.” I wasn’t prepared to give him an answer until I’d had a chance to discuss it with Toby.
“Why don’t you stay for a while, it will give you both time to think about it?”
Whilst a little voice in my head sang with jubilation the thought of staying here much longer made my heart feel heavy in my chest.
Ahran let Toby win by a cat’s whisker and Toby flopped down triumphantly next to me putting an end to mine and Halsan’s conversation.
We spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing and making sandcastles and as we got back into the car I felt like I had shaken off much of the ordeal of the last few days even though I felt more torn than ever about my decision to leave. I wasn’t ready to leave Toby here on his own. A few more days to let him settle in and to give me time to think was what I felt we both needed, but every minute I spent with Ahran was making the prospect of leaving more and more difficult. I hoped he would go back to his farm sooner rather than later.
I didn’t have a chance to find out what his plans were during the car ride back because he took a phone call. When we arrived back at the palace he was still talking on the phone. I mouthed, ‘see you later,’ and opened the door. Ahran winked at me and shared an intimate smile which made me think about our underwater antics. I got out of the car and walked to my room with a silly grin on my face.
Toby came bounding into our rooms a few minutes later, full of the day. I listened to his chatter about how Halsan was nicer than he first thought and what a brilliant swimmer Ahran was and how good Leylana had been at building sandcastles. He was obviously very taken with his new family. I chewed on my lip as I listened to him. It was wonderful that he liked them all so much but did this mean I was losing him?
“I’m glad you’ve had a nice time. I’m going to have a shower now, you need to have a shower and get changed too,” I said putting an end to his exuberant rundown of the day. “There are some fresh clothes on your bed.”
I went into my bathroom and switched on the shower. I undressed and stepped in under the hot jet of water. Part of me felt euphoric about what had happened between me and Ahran at the lake today but there was also a part of me that felt nothing but despair. My despondency only amplified when I contemplated losing Toby to Ramia for the majority of the year. Why was my life never simple?
I finished showering to find more clothes had arrived on my bed. I felt embarrassed at the Queen’s generosity, the clothes were so beautiful and expensive. I selected a gorgeous, figure hugging cocktail dress with a cowl neck and high strappy shoes in the same scarlet colour. I didn’t care whether I would be overdressed, chances were I’d never wear anything like it again. I wore my hair down allowing its natural wave to do its own thing and after a quick application of make-up I was ready to head down for dinner.
Now wasn’t the time to talk about Toby’s future, he’d had enough to take in for one day. I resolved to have that conversation with him tomorrow.
“Are you ready?” I said, walking into the lounge between our two rooms.
Toby was lying on the sofa glued to the television, freshly showered and dressed in another new outfit.
“Yeah,” he said, his attention still on the T.V. and his thumb firmly in his mouth.
“Come on, we’re going to be late.”
He was watching some programme on the engineering of a new super modern railway line and reluctantly switched it off.
“The trains don’t run on rails here, they hover,” he marvelled as he got off the sofa.
He stopped when he caught sight of me. “Wow, you look amazing Auntie Sophie. I’ve never seen you in a dress.”
“Yes you have,” I contradicted, wracking my brain as to when this would have been and finally having to agree with him.
“You don’t look half bad yourself,” I said, as he stood there in a smart pair of trousers and checked shirt.
He pulled at the collar. “I don’t like this shirt it makes my neck itch,” he complained. I didn’t like to tell him he would have to get used to dressing smartly.
We walked to the drawing room together and I concentrated on keeping my thoughts away from the prospect of spending the evening with Ahran, acutely aware that once the evening was over he was expecting me to spend the night with him. I hadn’t yet come up with
a reason not to, not that I had tried very hard.
Everyone was having a drink and I was thrilled to see that Elaya had joined us. Her presence was a welcome diversion.
“I knew that colour would suit you,” Leylana said as we walked into the lounge.
I stole a glance at Ahran and by the look in his eyes he approved of the way I looked too. His long legs were clad in a dark pair of chinos and he wore a white linen shirt. I caught the smell of his aftershave as I walked past him to kiss Elaya and it made my heart skip a beat. How was I going to make it through the evening with him looking and smelling like that?
“It’s good to see you Elaya.” She looked incredible in a navy strapless dress that showed off her toned shoulders and curves I hadn’t realised she had.
“It’s good to see you too! You look stunning in that dress.” All the attention was making me feel more than a little self-conscious, especially as I knew Ahran’s eyes hadn’t left me since I had arrived. “It beats the overalls you were wearing the last time I saw you.”
“Thanks, the overalls weren’t really my colour,” I said, shaking my head and screwing up my nose. We laughed together.
It was an enjoyable meal even though I felt like a coiled spring. Everyone else was relaxed in each other’s company. The King regaled us with stories about his capers with the other cadets during his army days and Toby hung on his every word. Ahran and I sat opposite one another and I caught him looking at me often. I only allowed myself to look at him a handful of times and addressed him directly less than that. The atmosphere crackled between us. I nearly dropped my glass twice and was worried the others would notice I was a nervous wreck.
By the time we got to dessert Toby was struggling to stay awake and I was secretly pleased to have an excuse to leave early, the strain of being in Ahran’s company was taking its toll.
“I think I better get this young man off to bed,” I said as his head nearly fell into his dessert bowl for the second time.
