Curling her legs up, Sanika glanced once again at Balam. He really needed to comb his hair. It was full of knots and tangles. Well, he couldn’t have hers. Grabbing the comb, she began working it through the knots and tangles in her hair. It caught on a particularly thick snarl, and she grimaced.
Before she realized what he was doing, Balam sat at her side. Taking the comb from her hands, he turned her and began working it through the tangles.
His voice was deep and smooth as rich chocolate. “Are you feeling better?”
Working a knot from a lock of hair hanging over her breast, Sanika nodded, not sure what she should say. He was too close. Combing her hair was too intimate. No other man had ever done so. It was disconcerting. Was she supposed to converse with him? Some men liked that. But what did one say to a man who was half jaguar?
His hands were gentle as he worked the comb through her hair.
Leaning her arms on the rim of the pool, Sanika closed her eyes. Slowly, the tension left her body. She relaxed and concentrated on the man who’d saved her life.
Balam was taller than the men of her village -- by almost a full head and shoulders. Most men had black or very dark brown hair, yet his seemed blacker, almost blue in this light. His nose was more aquiline than those of her people, his lips fuller. His chin was firm but not pointed. And, because his face was wider, his eyes seemed farther apart -- eyes that were the deepest shade of green she’d ever seen.
Her inner eye slid down the strong column of his neck to his broad shoulders and hairless chest. His stomach was flat, his hips lean. His legs were long and powerful, and at their juncture rich black hair curled. From the center of that dark nest, his cock had hung. Even in its flaccid state, it had looked thicker and longer than those of the men who usually worshiped in the temple.
She sighed.
Smiling, Balam smoothed his hand down over Sanika’s now tangle-free hair.
He kept his voice low. “Sanika.”
“Hum?”
“My turn.”
Tense again, Sanika sat up. “What?”
The comb appeared over her shoulder. “Would you please comb my hair?”
Grabbing the comb before it slid into the water, Sanika turned.
Balam sat with his back to her, his thick black hair hanging about his shoulders. Was it as soft as it looked?
Lifting her free hand, she touched it then slid her fingers into it. Thick and silky, the black curls tangled around her hand.
A low, rumbling growl escaped Balam’s throat as he leaned his head back.
As she worked the comb through his hair, the tension again left Sanika’s body. Balam sat before her, completely relaxed, seemingly enjoying having his hair combed. She smiled. What wonderful hair it was! Even wet, it was wild and untamed beneath her hand. No sooner did she pull the comb through it than unruly curls rolled away from her fingers.
As she combed his hair, Sanika allowed her mind to wander. What kind of lover would this jaguar-man be?
Closing his eyes, Balam kept a tight rein on his emotions. Sanika’s gentle hands, however, wreaked havoc with his control. He shifted, and she leaned forward, her breasts brushing against his back.
He groaned.
“I’m sorry. Did I pull too hard?”
He managed to choke out a “No” as a vision of her pebbled, red nipples appeared in his mind.
He tightened his control on the raging jaguar within him as his cock jerked again.
Sliding away from her, he turned. “We’ve soaked long enough. It’s time to go back to the other cave.” Water streamed off his body as he rose. Reaching down, he held out his hand. “Come then.”
Sanika’s breath caught in her throat. Balam stared at her as no other man ever had. It wasn’t lust for a woman shimmering in his eyes, it was desire, for her, Sanika, no other woman.
Slowly, she put her hand into his.
Effortlessly, he pulled her up and out. Very briefly, her body was flush against his. He was so tall, her head barely reached his chin. The soft head of his cock brushed her stomach.
A shiver danced up Sanika’s spine, and her nipples peaked. His body was hard. His musky scent teased.
Balam released her hand and stepped back. “Can you find your way back?”
Blinking, Sanika pulled her thoughts from the tingling sensations in her body. “What?”
“Can you find your way back to the cave?”
Sanika looked over her shoulder. “I don’t know.”
Balam smiled. “Lead the way. I’ll follow and make sure your steps don’t stray.”
Turning, Sanika stared into the swirling steam and took a tentative step forward. Immediately, she felt Balam behind her, his body almost touching hers. Swallowing her uncertainty, she stepped into the steam. Balam would not let her fall.
Chapter 7
Thick, moist air embraced her as Sanika slid each foot along the warm stones making sure she had a firm foothold before she placed her weight on it.
Balam’s hand caressed her left hip. “Step right.”
Gasping, she did as he instructed.
His voice was as thick and rich as the nectar dripping from a honeycomb. “Good. Now a little left.” A single finger slid down her right arm.
Her nipples puckered again.
“The pool before us is boiling hot. Move to the left.” His hand splayed across her ribs beneath her right breast.
Sanika’s stomach seemed to drop to her feet, and she stumbled.
Gentle hands gripped both shoulders until she steadied herself. Those same hands slid down the outsides of her arms. Tiny bumps erupted on both of them. Her nipples ached.
“Straight now, for five paces, then we turn left.” Fingers traced lazy swirls in the small of her back.
Slowly, they traversed the cavern of boiling pools, a light caress, a silky stroke, a gentle prod on various parts of her naked body guiding Sanika. Her breathing became more labored. The delicate caresses and strokes Balam was using to direct her steps were teasing her body into a sexual frenzy.
Stumbling again, Sanika moaned.
Balam grasped her waist with both hands and pulled her back against his body. “Are you all right?” His fully erect cock nudged her behind. He dragged his tongue across the back of her neck.
Sanika shuddered and bit her bottom lip. His tongue was not smooth like a normal man’s. It was rougher, slightly abrasive. Oh, to have that tongue on her nipples, and between her legs.
His voice rumbled low. “We’re almost there. A few more steps and we’ll be out of this cave.”
She shivered again and leaned back against his chest. It didn’t matter that the man behind her wasn’t fully human. His hands had tantalized her to the breaking point. “Yes.”
The desire for sexual satisfaction rapidly clouding his brain, Balam slid his hands down over her breasts and stomach and inhaled deeply. The sweet scent of arousal filled his nostrils. She was ready -- more than ready to mate.
“I want you.” After flicking the jade bead in her navel, he slid his hand down over her stomach and dipped a finger between her woman’s lips.
A shot of desire stabbed Sanika’s groin.
Moisture quickly coated his finger. He groaned. She is ready. Mate her.
Lifting her into his arms, he strode the last few feet through the steam. He was halfway back to his cave when she reached up, gripped two fists full of his hair, and pulled his mouth down to hers. Her tongue slipped between his lips and caressed the moist warmth within.
Balam stumbled and set Sanika on her feet so he didn’t drop her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her hard against his body. With a groan, he opened his mouth wider and sucked on her tongue, melding his with hers in a sinuous dance. Honey. She tasted like the sweetest honey. Pulling his mouth from hers, he nibbled his way down her neck to her shoulder -- and nipped her. As she shuddered, he swiped her shoulder and neck with his tongue -- again and again and again.
Knees buckling, Sanika
moaned. Only the strong grip he had on her waist kept her from melting into a puddle of desire at his feet.
She dug her fingers into the muscles of his arms. “Make love to me. Here! Now!”
His deep chuckle provoked swirls of desire dancing through her body. Her stomach muscles trembled. Drops of moisture meandered down the insides of her thighs.
He trailed his magical tongue back up the column of her neck to the sensitive spot behind her ear. “The ground is too rocky. Patience. My cave is close.”
Once again he scooped her up into his arms. His stride was faster now, almost a run. In minutes, they were back in the original cave, and he laid her on the sleeping mats. His fingers dipped between her thighs.
Arching, she spread her legs. “Now, Balam. I need you inside of me -- now.” Grabbing his hips, Sanika tried to pull him over top of her. She tangled her legs with his and rubbed her hairless mons against the silky hairs of his leg, moaning as a new wave of sensation jolted through her.
A low growl rolled from Balam’s throat as he slid off of her. “No. Slowly.” A sharp nip where her neck met her shoulder both shocked and titillated her.
“You bit me!”
He lapped her stinging skin. “And you liked it.” He kissed her again, this time sucking her tongue into his mouth. His hand slid down her stomach, and he rubbed her jade bead with a single finger.
Shivering, Sanika moaned into his mouth as he then drew delicate circles on the soft skin of her mons. When he raised his head, she sucked in huge gasps of air.
“Look at me.”
Opening her eyes, she stared into his.
He her cupped between her legs. “I like the way you feel, so smooth and hairless. Is your skin there as sensitive as I think?” Again, he trailed his fingertips on her hairless skin.
He bent and traced his tongue along her ear.
“Oh, yes,” she gasped. “My skin there is very sensitive. When you mount me, your hairs will inflame my pleasure.”
Chuckling, he nibbled his way down her neck then lifted his head. He slid his fingers into her moist folds, dipping and swirling. “You will writhe beneath my hands before I mount you.” As he sucked her nipple into his mouth, he rubbed her clit.
Back arching, Sanika grabbed two handfuls of loose grasses and thrust her hips upward.
Balam lifted his head from her breast and stared into her face. A low growl rolled out of his throat. “Do you like that? Do you want more?”
Sanika thrust her hips against his hand. “Yes. More. More.”
Rising to his knees, he slid both hands between her legs. One massaged her clit. Two fingers of the other slid inside of her. He slid them out. “Can you take more?” A third finger joined the first two.
Spreading her legs wider, Sanika caught his rhythm, lifting her hips to meet his fingers’ thrusts.
He knelt between her legs, his knees spreading her thighs wide, his shadowy erection jutting out from the darker shadows between his thighs. As he manipulated her body, his cock bounced, brushing her thigh or mons, tantalizing her clit. She wanted him to bury it as far inside of her as he could.
“Please, Balam, I want you.”
Nostrils flaring, he shook his head. “Later. First I’ll make you come in my hand.”
A small cry escaped her.
His breathing became harsher. He stopped playing with her clit, grabbed his cock, and started to pump it. “I want to see my cum sprinkling your body, your breasts, your stomach, pooling on your hairless skin. Then, before we stop trembling from our first orgasms, I will thrust into your body and bring us to completion again.”
Panting, Sanika groaned. Just his words were almost enough to make her come.
Balam twisted and thrust his fingers into her. He massaged her clit with his thumb. His hips began to thrust as he fisted his cock. His face tense, his voice thick, he locked his gaze on her face. “Come for me, Sanika. Come for me. Now!”
Stomach muscles rolling and clenching, shudders wracking her body, she exploded into a thousand pieces.
When she finally caught her breath, she opened her eyes.
Balam was watching her, his face tense, strained. Passion wilder than she had ever seen danced in his eyes. Then he threw his head back and roared. Cum spurted from his cock, splattering her breasts, her stomach and mons. Shaking, as the final drops fell on her thigh, Balam released his cock and smeared his cum down across her stomach and mixed it with her own juices between her legs. A rumbling snarl erupted from his throat. “I want you. I’m going to bury my cock so deeply inside of you, I won’t know where I stop and you begin.”
He brushed his fingers against her swollen clit. She shuddered and arched against his hand again. Smoothing his hands up the inside of her thighs, he spread her legs wider. “Do you want me?”
Sanika closed her eyes. She didn’t care what he was. She needed him inside of her, pounding into her, fucking her until she no longer knew her name or his. “Yes, I want you.”
He kneed her legs even wider. His hot cock probed between her thighs.
A cat’s scream echoed around the cave.
One instant, Balam was positioning his cock for his first thrust into her, the next he’d jerked himself off her body and leaped to his feet.
“Nooooooo!” Grasping at her scattered wits, Sanika grabbed his leg, digging her nails into his muscular calf. “You cannot stop now!”
His leg dematerialized beneath her hand as black mist swirled. When it dissipated, the black jaguar crouched at her side.
Sanika recoiled. What was he doing? Surely he wouldn’t try to mate with her now, as a jaguar!
Balam snarled and sprang toward the shadowy opening on the other side of the cave. His roar echoed around the cave.
The ocelot cubs appeared, leaped onto the sleeping mats with her, and tried to burrow under her body. Both shook with fear.
Wits spinning, Sanika shook her head. What was going on? She rolled onto her stomach.
Across the cave, a large golden cat screamed a third time.
Chapter 8
Sanika lay on her belly and stared at the golden cat. Her voice echoed around the cave. “A puma? Here? Now? Why?”
Balam’s answer was a roar as he catapulted to attack.
The puma met him in midair.
Snarling and growling, the two big cats bounced off of each other, fell to the ground, and attacked again. They traded swipes with unsheathed claws as Sanika huddled on the mat. Never had she seen such a large puma. But then, Balam was bigger than any jaguar she’d ever seen before.
Sanika shook her head, trying to clear away the last of the sexual cloud enveloping her mind.
Vicious snarls reverberated as the two cats circled each other. The puma stepped into a ray of sunlight. The bright light sparkled in his blue eyes.
Sanika stared. Blue eyes? Pumas didn’t have blue eyes. He was no normal puma.
“Balam! Stop! He’s an avatar.” With no thought to her own safety, Sanika pushed herself to her feet, leaped to the jaguar’s side, and threw her arms around his neck.
The black cat tensed, and -- for a split second -- Sanika thought he would attack her. Instead, he snarled and backed away from the puma, pulling her with him.
Crouching on the cave floor, the puma growled but didn’t attack.
Sanika kept her arms wrapped around Balam’s neck. “He has blue eyes. Think. What normal puma has blue eyes? He’s here to serve the goddess.”
After one more rumbling snarl, Balam shifted back to his human shape.
Sanika found herself dangling from his neck.
Grabbing her by the waist, Balam set her on the floor behind him. His eyes never left the other cat. “Show your human form.”
Golden mist surrounded the puma, and a man soon stood in his place.
Sanika’s mouth dropped open. Never had she seen a man such as this one. He was golden! His skin was a much lighter brown than a normal human’s. His eyes were as blue as a cloudless summer sky. He was no more
or no less handsome than any other man she’d ever seen, but his hair was different, so very, very different. No human she’d ever seen had hair the color of his. Long and silky, it hung in golden waves past his shoulders.
Sanika trailed her gaze down his body. His shoulders were broad, his waist trim. Curls a darker gold than the hair on his head surrounded his cock -- and a long, bloody scratch curled around his muscled thigh.
Sanika stepped from behind Balam. “He’s wounded.”
Balam grabbed her arm before she could take another step. “Stay here.”
Instead of the instant obedience Balam expected, Sanika jerked her arm free and rounded on him. “He’s wounded. It’s my duty to see to him.”
Balam’s answer came out with a snarl. “I don’t trust him.”
The golden man crossed his arms over his chest. “And I don’t trust you.”
Sanika planted her fists on her hips and glared from one to the other. “You don’t trust each other -- two avatars of the gods? Do you honestly believe they will let you kill each other?”
Balam crossed his arms over his chest. “I would not be the one to die.”
Gritting her teeth, Sanika clenched her hands into fists so hard she shook. “Arrogant jaguar. Can’t you see he’s still little more than a boy?”
Dragging his gaze from Sanika’s angry face, Balam looked more closely at the other man. He was lithe and tall, but Sanika was right. He was young, his muscles still not as bulky as they would be when he matured. “Why are you here?”
The other man’s answer came out in a snarl. “I come to where I was summoned. I didn’t expect to find others here.”
Balam stared at the younger man. When he’d first answered the goddess’s call, his predecessor had been here waiting for him. The old man had stayed with him a few days to explain his duties. Then he’d touched his forehead, shifted into his jaguar form, and disappeared. Balam tightened his fingers on his arms. If he hadn’t been so aroused and eager to mate Sanika, he would have remembered before this. There was knowledge he had to transfer to this puma.
Myths and Legends 01 Jaguar Page 4
