“What on earth,” he asked as soon as he caught his breath. “Did you do that for?”
She shook her head. Her hair was plastered to her scalp and he thought her t-shirt could well be transparent. Somehow, he managed not to check.
“Well, how the hell did I know if you could swim or not? There wasn’t a lot of chance to show me during our oh-so-brief time together, and you went down like a stone.”
She had a point. However, could she really be that unaware of the ability of a tiger?
“I’m a fucking tiger shifter. Of course I can sodding swim.” The pitying look on her face was enough for his tiger to snarl. No, not now. “Look, take it as read, I swim. The next point is—can you swim ashore?” The glare she gave him should have shriveled his cock and make his balls retreat into themselves. Why then was his prick perking up and his balls tight and ready for action? Weird. “Okay, then go for it it, and I’ll do a monkey up a tree act and get what we need.”
“Monkey? Ape, more like. Big stupid up yourself, ape.” She didn’t wait to see what Marloth did or said before she set off toward the shore with a stylish crawl. Marloth grinned. She’d manage about ten strokes before she hit sand. He rolled over, grabbed the struts under the jetty, and hauled himself upward. He stood on the edge of the planks and let the water stream off. He’d been right. Meryl was wading through calf deep water and splashing like a kid. She laughed and the noise echoed over the gentle waves toward him. She sounded happy.
And no doubt, I’m going to fuck that up for her. There wasn’t a thing he could do about it. He picked up the bags he’d dropped and made his way to the beach. Meryl’s shoulder bag mocked him from where he’d slung it over his chest. Melons, indeed. He had long decided no one else came within a country mile of Meryl in any way. That included all her physical attributes. As he stepped off the jetty and onto the soft sand, a glimpse of something precious slipped into his mind. Meryl had perched on a fallen log, under a tangle of scrubby bushes. She squeezed water out of her hair, and looked up at him. In that look was the signs of attraction he’d bet she thought hidden. Maybe there is hope? The prosaic words didn’t give him much hope.
“I seem to have lost my hair bobble. I don’t suppose you’ve got one on you?” Her good humor stayed with her. Her cream-colored t-shirt was a second skin, and showed clearly the outline of her dark colored bikini top. She’d taken off her shorts and hung them like a flag on a branch. He let himself glance down and was rewarded by a glimpse of navy and white striped bikini bottoms. Damned, if I wouldn’t like to take them in my teeth and rip them to shreds.
“Er no, sorry.” Marloth realized Meryl was waiting for him to answer her. “Though will a thong do?”
“Eh?” Her eyes were wide and puzzled. “Oh, right.” She giggled. “I thought you meant a pair of knickers and I was more than worried that you might have some kink I didn’t know about.”
“Nah, I think we explored all of them when . . . well, you know when. Anyway, here.” He untied the thin strip of leather that was tied tightly around his ankle and handed it to her. “Be honored. I never take it off.”
She took it and ran it through her fingers in one fluid stroke. His mouth was dry. He decided the beauty of her movement was in the pleasure he got as he imagined it was something else she touched.
Me, anywhere. I need to feel her touch again.
“Is this what I think it is?” Meryl looked him directly in the eyes. “My hair tie from then? The one I lost in the park?”
Marloth nodded. He’d gone back on that last day, and spent time he didn’t really have to spare to search where they’d been until he found the tiny insignificant band of hide. He’d wrapped it around his ankle and vowed to himself never to take it off until he could be with Meryl again. It was his way of feeling close to her. He hardly expected her to understand the significance of it, but she laughed shakily.
“Ah, right.” She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and secured it. “Um, then it was you I felt near me? When I was down. I didn’t imagine you all of the time? You were with me in spirit?”
He nodded, and prayed to all he held important that Meryl wouldn’t probe deeper. His gifts as a shifter were not necessarily those of others and were personal to him. Only a few others were gifted in a similar manner. Over the years, as his own gifts were explained to him, Marloth had learned how each person was special in their own way. Some people never discovered what they were capable of and others chose to ignore it. A few decided to embrace and explore their capabilities and use them as they were intended. He shied away from the thought of those who accepted their abilities and used them for evil. Those people were the scum of every entity.
He decided to change the subject before she thought of other questions. Something along the line of visitations and planes.
“How about you stay in the shade whilst I set the hammock up and make a canopy for it? This is your fantasy, after all. Then I’ll skedaddle.” He paused. “Unless you are up for a talk?”
Meryl lifted one leg to rest it on the log. The elegant way she moved made his heart miss a beat, and then speed up. As she ran her hand from her knee down her leg and hooked her fingers around her ankle, Marloth wished it was his hand doing the rubbing and holding.
“I think we’d better. You do your Robinson Crusoe stuff and then we’ll talk. I’ll sit and do the ‘little woman watching the hunter-gatherer admiration’ look.”
He grinned and rummaged in the overlarge picnic basket, and found a rope and a machete in a leather holder. “Amazing what you can find in with three lettuce leaves and a pineapple.”
She grinned. “I hope there’s something more substantial than that, I’ll fade away otherwise.”
“Give me five, I’m gonna get some leaves to make a shelter, then I’ll show you. Want a coconut while I’m at it?”
“Go on, then.”
He looped his rope around the bole of a palm and began the steady climb upward, his machete strapped to his back.
“Maybe it should have been Black Jack the pirate.” Meryl called up to him. “Or Captain Pugwash.”
Trust Meryl to know about the ancient children’s cartoon. “Thanks a bunch.” He reached the canopy of the tree, and set himself at the right angle to cut some fruit down. He wanted some juice even if she didn’t. “Mind your head.”
He checked that the area below the tree was clear and chopped off two ripe fruit. They dropped onto the sand with a satisfying thud. “Leave them for now, I’m going to let the leaves fall now.” He worked as swiftly as he could and soon, had harvested as many of the leaves as he felt it was proper to cut. They fell around the base of the palm, like giant confetti. Marloth fixed the machete back in its holder and began the scramble downward. He achieved it in a lot less time than the climb up.
Meryl waited at the bottom as he dropped the last few yards and then leant the machete against a log, well out of harm’s way.
“My hero,” she said and curtsied. “Does it help or hinder? You know, your tiger side?”
Marloth rubbed his chin and picked up a handful of palm leaves. “Hinder, I guess. A tiger is too heavy to do much climbing tree-wise. But that strength helps me as a man. Swings and roundabouts. Right, let me sort out what I’m going to do. I reckon if I put the hammock between those two trees there” —he pointed to where two tall palms were around six feet apart— “it’ll work perfectly.” The palms stretched toward the sky, their trunks bent slightly from the constant exposure to the wind. Their leaves rustled and to his sensitive hearing it was a song of benediction.
It will work as it should. You will find out. Soon now, soon . . . .
He hoped so, because if it didn’t, he’d have one hell of a lot to explain. A shadow crossed the sand and he looked upward to see a sudden cloud scudding in front of the sun.
With a mental oh, please, Marloth prayed to all the gods it wasn’t an omen.
“Let me get this shelter done and you can swing away as I sort out your lunch,
” he said. “Can I set lunch up over there?” He pointed to where the sand gave way to an area of scrub, a few straggly bushes, and a circle of palms “It’s out of the sun and there’s a soft breeze to cool the air a little. Or does that mean I’m too close to you for your fantasy to work?”
Meryl’s mind went blank. What on earth had she said she wanted as a fantasy anyway?
“Deserted island, champagne, good book,” Marloth said as he weaved the big leaves into a canopy. “Peace and quiet.”
“Will you stop doing that?” Meryl said in indignation. “It’s my mind; you shouldn’t go into it without an invitation.”
He grinned and showed his impressive teeth. With a twinkle in his eyes, that flashed amber and gold, he looked every inch the majestic big cat. Meryl swallowed and rolled with the tingles of heat and excitement that spun around her and stung her skin with tiny darts of pleasure. Damned if the bugger isn’t purring. And that ‘come to me and let me ravish you’ look is way too enticing for my liking. No, no, and no. Not here, not now, and maybe not ever. She waited to see if Marloth had a witty—or cutting—comeback, but he didn’t say a word. She could hear him humming under his breath as he worked. If ever a man looked at peace in his world, it was him.
“I’m not you know.” Marloth had stopped weaving and looked at her, unblinking. The way he did that, as if every inner vision and sense was focused only on her was unnerving. She wriggled on the log.
“Not what? Reading my mind? You so are, and it’s got to stop. Or well, if you carry on, there’s no need for us to talk, you can just dredge through the myriad of random thoughts and find out what you need to know.”
Marloth sighed. It was impressive. His whole body shuddered and resettled. Meryl bit her lip. When he did that, even though he was a man, it was so very tigerish.
“Honey, we might not have spent long together, but I did think you understood my integrity. I only look when I’m called to. You call to me a lot, you know. So, I can’t go delving through your mind just because. Stop pushing me. That expression ‘grab a tiger by its tail’ is so very true. You do it at your peril. Now, do I finish this and disappear for the rest of the afternoon, or finish it and share it with you whilst we act as civilized humans—okay, human and shifter—and talk over what we need to?”
Meryl stood up and turned her back on him. She needed to block the vision of his maleness out. It only confused her—and made her wet and tingling.
“That won’t make any difference.” His voice was full of laughter tinged with, she decided, a hint of sadness. “But I’m not looking—at you or in your mind.”
Bugger him. “We’ll talk.” Meryl turned back to see him once more making the sunshade. “Is it safe for me to walk around?”
“Along the beach, sure. I wouldn’t go through the trees or mangroves by yourself. You might get lost.”
As she reckoned the atoll was smaller than the size of her local supermarket car park, Meryl couldn’t fathom his rationale, but she nodded. There was no point in antagonizing him for no reason. She only needed to get away from his overwhelming charisma for a short while. “Thanks.” She picked up her flip-flops and plonked her sun hat on her head. It was still damp from being unceremoniously thrown onto the jetty, and a dripping wet Marloth having picked it up for her. However, it was needed. So was the damp shirt, because Meryl was under no illusions how hot the sun was. “I’ll go thataway.” She pointed to her right. “Clockwise.”
* * * * *
It was pleasant walking along in the shallows. Meryl splashed with her feet and enjoyed the cool droplets as they landed on her heated skin. If only she could cool her feelings down as easily. This meeting with Marloth was proving to be harder than she thought. It had all seemed so simple in the abstract, but in the actuality? Oh no, not at all. What could either of them say that hadn’t been said? Had anything changed? Meryl thought it probably hadn’t, apart from them both being a year older. She shook her head in a conscious effort to get rid of her negative thoughts. This was a day in paradise, and she was going to enjoy it. Even if, like every paradise, it had its worm—or in her case, a pesky, won’t take no for an answer unless absolutely pushed, tiger shifter.
As she turned a corner, Meryl looked back. Marloth still worked on his shelter, but he must have sensed her gaze because he straightened up and turned to look at her. Meryl waved, and after a long moment he waved back. At that distance, he seemed more feline than ever. As she didn’t think he’d shifted just for the sake of it, Meryl grinned at her fanciful notions and carried on splashing. A ray swam past and she marveled at the subtle hues on its back. The natural world had so much beauty, and so often you simply didn’t notice it.
In front of her, what looked like a natural formation of rocks ran into the sea and provided a breakwater. As she got closer, she discovered it was man made. Meryl ran her hand over one of the semi smooth rocks and wondered why it was needed on a so-called deserted atoll. The slight breeze flicked the rim of her hat and she held onto it as she looked around. The breakwater also ran inland and created a gap in the mangroves, too enticing to ignore. She left the water and thrust her feet into her flip-flops before the sand burned said feet. If she just walked along the rocks until they stopped, she’d be able to turn around and head back to the beach. There would be no way she could get lost then.
There was a steady hum of something, as Meryl turned inland and picked her way over the uneven surface. To either side, the mangroves and trees closed in and cocooned her. The sweet-sour smell of vegetation became stronger the further she walked, and blocked out any other scents. A shrill shriek of a bird made her jump and almost lose her footing. That would be the easiest way to annoy Marloth, injuring herself doing something he’d advised against. At least with his shifter senses he’d be able to find her. If he chose to.
Once she left the beach, the air became warmer, with no breeze to create an illusion of coolth. Meryl wiped her hand over her forehead and then onto her shirt. It was humid and heavy. As if the air is waiting for something. She walked on slowly. Even the noise of the waves lapping on the sand and rocks had disappeared. It was like a new world. No sea, no surf on the coral, and no sand. Just Meryl, the sky, and the trees. A gentle hum of some insect or another increased and then fell away, to leave the air silent again.
The top of the rock formation became steadily narrower the further inland she walked. By the time she realized, it had curved and there was no view of the beach. It was not much more than the width of her foot.
Time to turn back? It looked as if the rocks once more curved and maybe petered out a few yards ahead. Meryl decided to go as far as the bend, just to see. It was the age-old interest of what was around the corner.
What was around the corner stopped her in her tracks. The rocks did end, but in their place was a crushed coral path that lead to a long low house. It called to her in some basic ‘this is home’ way. The pain of that thought made her double up, even as the beauty of the building took her breath away. It sparkled in the sun. Pristine white walls created a sense of serenity, and clear glass windows reflected the beauty all around. The roof, thatched in palm leaves, fell low around the building, creating a perfect haven of shade and shadows. To one side, the sparkle of water showed a pool, its deep blue reflecting the sky. She fell in love. It truly was paradise. Why on earth hadn’t Marloth told her someone lived here? Meryl felt more than an interloper as she took one last glance and turned around to bump into—
“Argh.” She teetered on the narrow ledge, and her foot slipped. Before she fell and did any damage, Marloth grabbed her in a none-too-gentle grip, and leaped with her to stand on the coral pieces.
“Which bit of don’t leave the beach didn’t you understand?” he demanded. “Are you totally lacking in honesty and respect? Apart from common sense. What if you’d fallen and hurt yourself, eh? What then?” He shook her and her hat fell off. With a muttered oath Meryl thought she’d be best not hearing, he bent, picked the hat up and shoved
it on her head again. The force with which he jammed it over her ears was some indication of his annoyance.
“Seriously, woman, what if, eh?”
“You’d have found me? Tuned into my mind and heard the cussing?” Damn, I sound flippant. Marloth must have agreed because his snarl had none of the man in it and all of a very snarky tiger.
“Bloody, stupid, idiotic, infuriating . . . argh.” He stopped speaking and crushed her mouth under his in a ferocious kiss. Somewhere in the back of her mind, before it stopped functioning, Meryl saw it as his way of metaphorically not murdering her. She hoped it was symbolic anyway. She opened her lips and welcomed his tongue as it thrust inside and meshed with her own. The tug and pull was so reminiscent of the joy of his cock in her channel that Meryl shook. Her spine tingled and those well-loved stings of arousal bombarded her skin. There was an inferno raging through her, and even with her mind clouded, she knew that the only way to put it out was to be sated by Marloth.
She scrabbled at the waistband of his shorts, impatient to touch and stroke. To feel his silk covered hardness in her hands. His groan reverberated around her mouth, and sounded like music to her. Even as she managed to get a grip on the material and tug, the hairs on his body teased her fingers, and the tingle that rocketed through her grew harder and more demanding.
Her mind hardly registered the tearing noise as Marloth responded to her actions by tugging hard at her top. The tiny decorative buttons ripped off the thin material, as he tugged it over her head. Then his hands were stroking her and tugging her nipples. A whirlwind of sensations spiraled in her, and she was flying. Even as she finally got his shorts down and his cock snug in her hand, Marloth took things one-step further. He tore his mouth away from hers.
“Not here, quick, come on.” He kicked his shorts away from his body. The words came out in staccato bursts as he pulled her along the coral path. “I need you, oh my gods how I need you. Please be the same, please need me. Let me show you; let us be us.”
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