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  Ariana returned his strokes, suckling his tongue until a moan broke from his throat.

  He pulled away and dropped his head back on the pallet. “Well?” he said through erratic breathing.

  Ariana cleared her throat and slid off to his side, away from his hurt ankle. She laid her head on his carved chest, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart.

  “Did he kiss you like that?”

  “No,” she answered quietly. Hanken’s kisses were quick and clumsy. He was more interested in finding relief than awakening her body.

  Andreus smoothed his hand down her arm. “What was it like for you, Ariana? How did he make you his own?”

  She glanced down at the large rise under his cloth, her pulse skipping. She had never seen Hanken’s body completely naked. He’d undressed in the dark before taking her virginity.

  “He kissed me first.” Ariana rested her hand over his stomach, the bronze skin flinched beneath her fingertips. A light sprinkling of hair began just beneath her palm, leading the way to the mystery beneath the damp cloth.

  “How was his kiss?” The words were tight, edgy.

  “It was quick, a few thrusts of his tongue. He kissed my neck next, but then not again.”

  Andreus stroked her hair. “Then what happened, Ariana? Did he give you pleasure?”

  She lifted her head, peered into those eyes the color of the sea. “Why do you want to know so much?”

  “Because you cannot make a decision for your future without knowing what you are missing.”

  “I cannot possibly experience everything there is in the span of a few days.”

  His sexy grin returned, curling her toes. “Not everything, but enough to make you realize you are making the wrong decision.”

  Ariana rose to her elbow. “Are you so certain of yourself?”

  A wicked gleam danced in his eyes. “I don’t need to be.”

  In the next instant, he rolled over on top of her and ensared her beneath his body. The hard length of him stretched across her body, shielding her, trapping her. Awareness swarmed through her like the gale of a tempest.

  She wanted him gone, to be free of his sweet temptation. But she could not say it. The frantic whoosh of her pulse would not let her speak.

  “Give me the chance.” He kissed her ear, nuzzled her neck. “Allow me to show you what you missed, what you will miss if you go back to him.”

  Her throat was parched as she tried to defend Hanken. “It-it always hurts the first time.”

  Andreus lifted his head, pinning her with his direct stare. “Yes, but the pain does not have to linger. Had he cared enough he could have given you pleasure.”

  Ariana opened her mouth to defend her betrothed but found she had nothing to say. Hanken did not take his time with her. He had found relief within her, murmured an apology, then rolled away. Later, he wanted to take her again, but she demurred, claiming the ache remained between her legs.

  Now, with Andreus’s rigid arousal throbbing on her thigh, a different sort of ache left her feeling hollow. As if she needed something to fill her deep inside.

  “Perhaps he will change after we marry.” The claim was weak, even she knew that, but still Ariana felt a loyalty to the man who asked for her.

  Andreus raised an eyebrow. “Or not.”

  Twilight brought the sounds of insects and cooler temperatures. Her stomach hungered for dinner, but the comfort Andreus provided her outweighed any meal.

  He kissed the curve of her ear, his tongue leaving a damp trail to her shoulder. Then it circled over the hollow spot at the base of her throat before continuing over to the other side.

  “Will you allow me, Ariana?” He spoke against her neck, hot breath lighting a fire on her skin. “Allow me to show you what he did not.”

  She closed her eyes. The insects chirped, like the songs of early morning birds. Leaves rustled in the evening breeze. Fire crackled and snapped. And somewhere, not too far in the distance, waves crashed along the sandy beach. Surprisingly, she felt at peace.

  As long as she was not in the water.

  Ariana moved her fingers up Andreus’s back, sighing as the corded muscles tensed beneath her touch. “Show me.”

  He did not need to be told twice.

  Like the strong current of the sea, desire blazed within his cells. Ariana tasted like the sweetest nectar and he wanted to feast on it until he could feast no more.

  His fingers grazed over her tunic, flipping open one button at a time. Unlike his culture’s clothing, where buttons were made of seashells, her people used the shells of nuts. At last she was undressed and her small breasts were free. Being such a slight build she did not need the bindings women of his culture wore. No, her lovely, coral-tipped buds sprang free and open for his taste.

  Ariana sighed and turned her head. Her eyes were still closed, but her lips wore the bright hue of desire. That innocence and trust sent him nearly over the edge. To think, they had never met before the sun crested over the treetops and now she lay nearly bare beneath him.

  His injury throbbed, but he ignored the pain. Once he’d been bitten by a shark, but he controlled his agony long enough to seek aid. And he’d not let this moment slip by due to the careless twist of an ankle.

  Andreus dipped his head to her shimmering skin. Lapping the tight knot of her nipple, he felt her shift beneath him. Her hips slid sideways, then jerked upward.

  Pleasure. She would feel it, know it, crave it before he was through with her. This angel from the trees would not return to her foolish lover to be used in such a crass manner. No, all women, no matter their size, had bodies made for worship.

  He moved to the other breast, swirling the peak with his tongue, nipping it between his teeth. She cried out, arched her back.

  Heat flooded his legs, strained his cock. It leapt, restless for release.

  Darkness descended upon them in the make-shift hut. Lit only by the low fire and twinkling stars, Andreus still saw the flowing silver strands of her hair. She was beautiful. His little bird.

  She tasted like the sweetest fruit as he licked his way down her stomach. But it wasn’t until his lips rested upon the silky strands of her mound did Ariana’s breath catch.

  “What are you…?” Her voice cracked, then died away.

  The man who took her virginity showed her nothing of bliss. The only desire that night had been his. Andreus would take no pleasure of his own until Ariana had found hers.

  Without answering her question, he kissed the inside of her velvety thighs. She wriggled beneath him, igniting the fervor he tried to keep restrained.

  Plunging forth, he licked her mound, then thrust his tongue within the folds. She bucked her hips, but he wrapped his hands around her waist to hold her still.

  Insistent on her finding gratification, Andreus licked and suckled her sensitive pearl. He lapped her cream, oily and sweet like the toko tree nut, like a winged goddess should taste.

  Ariana clenched her thighs around his head, dug her fingers into his hair. He felt the tension in her rise, stretch. But he was relentless in his pursuit. He wanted this woman to have the ecstasy she deserved. Come morning, she would not want to leave his side.

  He rolled the glistening pearl under his tongue, bringing a cry to her lips. “Please…oh, please!”

  Andreus knew what she cried for. More than just his tongue within her damp folds, she yearned for fulfillment. His cock begged to be the one to assuage her need. It swelled, then pumped out a small trickle of fluid.

  But it was too soon for that. He wanted more control over his actions when he finally took her. Right now he was too rampant, too wild to last long.

  Instead, he pulled his mouth away from her and slipped two fingers deep inside her wet channel.

  Ariana’s sob echoed in the forest behind them. Her sheath convulsed, flooded his skin. Hips jerking, she rose up on her elbows, panting.

  Her flushed skin and swollen lips spiked a raging urgency.

  Unashamed, he
reached beneath his cloth and stroked his cock. Her hot eyes watched him, heightening his arousal, pushing him harder, faster.

  Clenching his jaw, he jerked four, five times. Then with a tight squeeze of his fist, he roared into the night air and sprayed the pallet with his scalding fluid.

  Chapter Three

  At daybreak, Ariana awoke. Even though nothing else had occurred after Andreus took her body in his mouth, her blood still hummed. Shivers skated along her spine.

  She glanced at him sleeping. His chest rose and fell evenly, his eyelids fluttered. She scanned the length of him. The brawny shoulders and arms, perfect for swimming. A hard, chiseled chest and stomach, honed from years of activity and vigorous work. His legs were long and powerful, covered in fine hair.

  One glance at the red cloth ignited a fire in her belly. The shape there was long, firm, erect. Ariana swallowed, her mouth suddenly parched. She remembered the feel of him against her thighs. And then…the feral gleam in his eyes as he brought himself relief.

  Her nipples tightened, ached for his wet mouth.

  Ariana licked her lips. An Aerotaun always returned a favor, thus she would attempt to bring him the same ecstasy he caused within her.

  Gently, she stroked the rigid outline of the cloth, watching his face to see if he awoke. Andreus sighed and turned his head, but did not open his eyes. She slid her fingers up and down the length, as he had done last night. His hips moved, but he still slept.

  Slowly, she pushed the material down and out of her way. His arousal sprang out, large and powerful, like the rest of him. Her breath stilled. By the stars, he was magnificent. Even though she had not seen Hanken’s erection before he entered her, she knew he did not possess the same dimensions.

  Ariana shifted so that her head was facing Andreus’s face. She wanted to watch as she tasted him, wanted to see the look of hunger on his face when he awoke.

  The morning sun filtered through the leaves of the hut, casting shadows along the curve of his jaw. The smell of saltwater and musk mingled in her nose, making her mouth water.

  She lowered her lips to his flesh, pressing them against the unbending firmness. It reminded her of a tree trunk, unyielding and mighty. The vein beneath her mouth pulsed.

  Ariana swept her hair out of her way, watching his chest rise and fall. She slipped the tip of her tongue out to taste him. His flavor was raw and wild, like the sea he tried to tame.

  Her pulse quickened, womb throbbed, as she lapped the smooth flesh. Andreus tossed his head to the side, his breathing rising to crash with the waves.

  Swirling her tongue, she reached the tip where salty tasting fluid glistened at the small opening. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and swallowed the length of him. Up and down, she stroked the sides of her mouth along his shaft.

  Heat flooded her core, tingled her fingertips. Still, she did not stop. Ariana suckled him they way he had done to her last night.

  His hips jerked, erection pulsated. A groan echoed within the hut. “Ariana…”

  Andreus was awake.

  She didn’t look at him but kept going, wanting, needing to bring him to a shattering release.

  The salty taste trickled along her tongue again. He was close.

  Panting, Andreus gripped her shoulder, squeezed her skin.

  She felt it build, the strain and tension crackled along his skin. Her nipples spasmed with denied release. The apex of her legs dampened, as if his mouth had been pleasuring it again.

  Ariana sucked him hard, pulling her tongue along the underside of his flesh, tickling the tip. She wrapped her fingers tightly around the base.

  “Have mercy!”

  Then, with a primitive growl, he yanked her head up to his chest as fluid squirted onto his stomach.

  His breath was harsh and quick beneath her ear. A mist blew in from the ocean, cooling the scorching temperature of her skin.

  “I have been blessed a second day.”

  Ariana grinned. “I was only repaying my debt from last night.”

  “Ah.” He chuckled. “Then we shall find ourselves in such debt every night.”

  Her stomach clenched. Every night. Andreus still spoke as if she could stay with him. But how could she? He was a Marimar, a culture long since separated from her own. Too many years, centuries even, had passed since these two peoples had arrived on this planet together.

  This moment she shared with Andreus was only that. A moment. She may not return to Hanken’s arms, but she would return.

  Ariana moved off of him and changed the subject. “How is your injury?”

  Andreus grinned. “After what just happened? I still can’t feel anything beneath my knees.”

  “Good. Shall we have some breakfast?”

  Without waiting for a reply, she retrieved the basket from yesterday and pulled out the fruit, nuts and berries. Back at the Dwelling, they often had eggs on the morning, but she was not in the mood to hunt for them now.

  Andreus sat up and wiped his stomach off with a leaf he tore from the structure. “I want to rinse off in the water first. Care to join me?”

  Her gut swirled into a knot. Though the gentle lapping of the waves on the shore appeared benign, she couldn’t shake the fear of the dangers lurking below. True, her fears may have derived from outlandish stories told to her as a child, but still she could not step where she could not see. Many more predators skulked in the shadows of the deep than in the open air or tree branches.

  Swallowing, she shook her head.

  Andreus shrugged, found his staff, then pulled himself to stand.

  She ducked into the woods to relieve herself, then rinsed her hands in a bucket of fresh water he’d collected last night.

  Ariana nibbled on berries as she watched him make his way across the glittering sand and walk straight into the water. No hesitation, no testing of the temperature.

  Those strong legs moved forward into the waves until the wide expanse of his back disappeared. Only his head remained above water. The sun glistened off the surface, brightening his handsome face as he turned to face her.

  He was breathtaking. Brilliant.

  Her heart ached, lip trembled. When she was gone from here, she would feel the loss of him. But she knew—and certainly he must also—that there was no future for them.

  Andreus moved along the shoreline until he reached an outcropping of rocks. He ducked below the surface.

  Ariana held her breath, waiting for him to re-emerge. It must have been minutes before he came back up, a triumphant grin on his face. He waved his hand, showing her something she could not make out.

  He hobbled out of the water and found his staff, but his limp was worse. As he approached, she noticed swelling on his injured ankle and a dark color developing below the skin.

  “Is the pain worse?” she asked as he ducked inside the hut.

  “Nah.” But the wince in his face as he lowered himself to the ground told the real story. He held out his hand. “I have more food for breakfast.”

  Ariana wrinkled her nose at the slimy-looking creatures sliding in and out of the seashells.

  He rekindled the fire then set about scraping the poor animals out of their homes and into a bowl made of wood.

  She popped another berry in her mouth. “So how did you hurt yourself, anyway?”

  Andreus stilled. His tanned shoulders tensed. Then he resumed cooking. “I am not quite sure you’re prepared to hear the answer.”

  What could be so horrible? Had he killed a man? Unease slithered up her spine. Suddenly, she realized he was truly a stranger. A Marimar. She knew very little about them, except what she’d been taught in school. And she’d been taught to stay away.

  Ariana recoiled, moving away from him. She reached for her wings, prepared to take flight in case he became violent.

  He stopped frying the animal meat and turned to her. Sea green eyes changed from relaxed to alarm. “What is it?”

  She should go. By the stars, she should have never stayed.<
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  “Don’t leave. I’ll tell you what happened if it will allay your anxiety.” He rose again to his feet. “But you’ll have to follow me.”

  Ariana hesitated, but then she saw the pain written in the tenseness of that strong jaw. Even if he were dangerous, he could do little harm to her in his present condition. She stood and followed him out onto the sand, keeping her wings securely on her back.

  They crossed the beach to a small path leading into the thick forest. Andreus leaned on his staff, his limp more pronounced.

  The muscles in his back rippled with each step. Thoughts of tasting his skin tumbled through her mind, pooling heat between her legs. Yes, he was dangerous to her, but perhaps not in the way she imagined.

  The dense trees opened up to a clearing up ahead. The sound of rushing water filled her ears, until it was nearly a roar. And there it was. A sun-drenched lagoon with water cascading down several layers of rocks. Unlike the ocean, this water was crystal blue. In fact, as she edged closer, Ariana realized she could see all the way to the bottom, where brightly colored fish darted between rocks and plants.

  She turned to look at Andreus, whose easy grin had returned, although his eyes remained guarded. “You injured yourself swimming here?”

  “No.” His sigh was laced with sadness. She did not understand it in such a beautiful place. Although she still feared being in the water, even she appreciated the unique spirit of this hidden lagoon.

  Ariana pushed aside flowering bushes and lowered herself to a large boulder. “Then tell me.”

  Andreus hobbled to the line of trees and pushed aside a mass of undergrowth. Muscles straining, he pulled on something until he shouted a groan and let go. “You’ll have to come here. I cannot move it while injured.”

  Her heart beating like the quickened flutter of wings, she slipped off the boulder and joined him in the shade. He moved aside more leaves and branches and stood back.

  Ariana stared, her blood chilling. Lungs tightened in a frightening grip. It would have been better had he killed a man.

  “This is why I did not want to tell you.” His voice was quiet, but not ashamed. “My foot twisted in the mud as I tried to move it.”