by Anthology
He wrapped one arm around her waist and placed the other against her lower back, sliding his hand up along her spine to bend her at the waist. She braced hers hands on the corners of the easel and surrendered to him with wild abandon.
In one smooth movement he dipped and plunged, taking her from behind. A groan of pleasure escaped her lips when the thick bulb of his cock forced her open, parting her tight entrance and filling her in a way she’d only dreamed. She was so wet and ready for him.
“More, more, more…” she pleaded.
With a groan of surrender, he plunged deep inside her, deeper than she’d ever felt before. Her mind screamed yes, but all that came out was a low, throaty growl. Her walls tightened around him, pulsing and caressing his thick cock with each thrust and locking them together in a heated mating.
This was what she’d been waiting for, she realized. Not just for the last few hours, but all her life. She’d been born to mate with this man and had spent a lifetime not knowing what it was she had waited for.
His movements quickened, his grip on her flesh tightening as he pounded and thrust into her again and again. Her legs shook and her arms locked tight, her body rocking viciously until she was sure she would shove her easel over the bluff to tumble into the sea. Her orgasm rose in a rush—primal and wild and impossible to contain. Her entire body went rigid, prepared for that final reckless leap over the edge.
“Now,” she cried out. “Oh God, now!”
But her words were unnecessary. He’d sensed her need before she’d even spoken and plunged fast and furious, riding the edge of her orgasm until they both exploded in a mind-shattering climax. They came together and this, more than any words she could give him, was the answer she knew he’d been waiting for.
He held her tightly as their orgasms rushed through them, around them, binding them together for all eternity. She straightened and leaned back against his chest, weak and trembling, his cock still firmly nestled inside her. He nuzzled the side of her neck, murmuring wordless endearments she understood on some deep, primal level. His hands circled her breasts and plucked at her sensitive nipples through the shirt, sending jolts of pleasure straight to her center.
His movements gentled now, less urgent as their bodies settled into a more leisurely rhythm of lovemaking, surprising each of them with little aftershocks that ebbed and flowed then slowly receded in a warm, leisurely current. Slowly they came back to reality.
When she opened her eyes, she was still facing the sea. A shudder rippled through her body, part passion and part fear. This, she knew, was the final hurdle she had yet to overcome. She’d already given Shawn her heart and her body. But was that enough to overshadow the anxiety still gripping her mind?
As if sensing she’d already withdrawn from him, he slipped out of her, leaving her feeling empty and hollow inside. She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, unwilling to let him go. She had to try. She had to conquer her fear once and for all or risk losing the one person who finally gave meaning to her life.
His voice came to her mind more clearly now, as if making love had strengthened the connection between them. His words were both comforting and understanding. I’ll be with you, he said. I’ll always be right by your side.
She nodded and took his hand. Together they descended the bluff and walked to the shore.
They reached the edge of the sea and stopped. Gentle waves lapped at her feet, the water shifting the sand beneath her. Gazing out at the sea, she harnessed that sense of utter peace that came over her whenever she was near the water. All the worries and fears slipped from her shoulders, dissolving into mist. But could she take the final plunge?
The combined glow of their pendants surged over the sea, rivaling the moonlight rippling over the water’s surface. The twin beams merged at a distant point near the horizon then disappeared from view, beckoning her to follow the path into the deep unknown.
“You feel it too, don’t you?” he asked, breaking the silence. He gestured toward the horizon. “This is home. Mine as well as yours.”
“Home,” she said. It felt right. No place before had ever felt like home—not the numerous foster homes, nor the apartment she rented alone in a cold, uncaring city.
She took a step forward, feeling the inexorable tug of the sea on her soul. “Home,” she whispered as the water reached her ankles, her calves then her thighs. She moved forward in a trancelike state, hearing the music of the waves blending with the song of the man by her side.
He stopped her before she could go any farther. “Not yet,” he said. “You’ve been land-bound most of your life. You’ll need time to acclimate back to the sea.”
At her puzzled stare, he brushed a fingertip along her cheek and murmured softly, “My little lost mermaid.”
Lost. Yes. She’d been lost for so long. And now he’d found her.
Kelli suddenly felt constricted by her clothes. The light linen shirt felt like an intrusion between her skin and the water. As soon as the thought entered her mind, Shawn reached down and gathered the material at her waist. She raised her arms and let him slide the shirt up and over her head, leaving her naked beside him.
She felt natural and free. Water tickled her skin like a lover’s caress. Her nipples hardened, as sensitive to the moist air as they would be to his teeth, his tongue, his lips. As the water rose to the lower curve of her bottom, a wave of lust rolled deep within her groin.
He took her in his arms and lifted her. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he strode forward, carrying her deeper into the water. She held her breath, fighting the fear as water rose to her waist then lapped at the lower curve of her breasts. He stopped, giving her time to acclimate. The water was cool and soothing to her body, yet still her mind rebelled.
His hands clenched her bottom, lifting her up gently then bringing her down again onto his shaft. The sensation was unlike anything she’d ever imagined, both liquid and solid combined as she slid down until he was firmly planted inside her. The heat of his body merged with the cool water. Both sea and man entered her as one, as if they were joining not just with each other but with the water as well.
This time they made love slowly, playfully. He dipped and swirled her in the waves, entering her with long, slow strokes that churned the water in lazy currents around them.
He eased her backward until just the tips of her hair brushed the surface, then lowered his head and lapped at her breasts, teasing and nibbling her nipples until they ached. His tongue circled over and around each swollen nub, licking the saltwater from her skin with sensuous swirls.
She wrapped her legs tighter around his waist to anchor herself then slowly, hesitantly, leaned back to float her upper body on the surface of the water, letting the sea cradle her like a mother embracing her long-lost child. Her hair fanned out around her head in silky black waves. Released from the pull of gravity, she floated easily and effortlessly.
“My beautiful mermaid,” he murmured.
“Yours,” she replied. The single word resonated through her entire body, filling her with wonder and desire.
He pulled her into his arms in a wordless embrace. She clung to him, feeling a stillness surround them. In that stillness, all her senses burst to life. She felt the soothing caress of the water, smelled the sweetness of the night breeze, heard the rhythmic rise and fall of the waves and tasted the saltwater on his lips when he captured her mouth possessively.
She parted her lips, meeting his tongue with her own. Now they were joined in every way possible, right down to the pendants pressed heart to heart between them. She luxuriated in the deepening kiss, returning each sweep of his tongue with her own as she explored every inch of his hot mouth with growing hunger.
Slowly he lowered them until they were shoulder-deep in the water. He rocked his hips, using the water’s buoyancy to slide her up and down his thick shaft with little or no effort from her. The slow, steady thrusts made her heart race, seducing her to new and insatiable desires.
She pressed her lips to the side of his neck and felt his pulse race when she left hot little love bites along his skin. She ran the tips of her fingernails down his back in a teasing trail and ground her hips against his in quickening circles, grinding her clit against his pelvic bone until she wanted to scream for release.
He made a low growl and answered with a deep plunge. She arched her back as his pelvis thrust upward, lifting her out of the water then back again. A spray of droplets cascaded around them like jewels exploding from the sea. Their every movement was intensified by the rush of cool water against her heated skin. Each time she settled back onto his cock, he filled her fully and completely and their frenzied lovemaking churned the sea into wild waves around them.
When she came again, her orgasm flowed over and through her in hot, rushing waves. She felt him erupt inside her and held on tightly as their bodies shuddered together. She knew now she could never let him go. Somehow she had to find the strength to reject a lifetime of fear in order to fully embrace the future he offered.
She felt him withdrawing. Don’t leave yet! her mind cried out.
He glanced at the moon, already full on the horizon. “I must. It’s only your song that tethers me to land. But even so, my time here is limited. I must return to the sea.” He lifted her chin and held her gaze. “Tomorrow, my love. When the moon guides my return, I’ll come back for you.”
Although the words were unspoken, she felt the true meaning behind his statement.
If she didn’t return with him tomorrow night, they’d both be doomed to live alone, forever divided by the unforgiving sea.
* * * * *
Kelli spent the next day hovering between anticipation and dread. She was overcome by an inexpressible longing for both the man and his kingdom beneath the sea. She yearned for the promise of a life with her one true love. No longer feeling alone in a lonely world, but cherished and loved for all time. All she had to do was choose love over fear.
The day had been overcast and gloomy. When dusk came, so did the storm that had been threatening to break loose all day. The skies darkened and rain fell in sheets. Even the moon was hidden by the thundering clouds. Kelli stood at the window, waiting and watching.
She thought back to all the things Shawn had told her. He’d said the moon would guide him back. But the moon was hidden by clouds. What if he couldn’t find his way back to her? Tonight was the final night he could walk freely on land. If he couldn’t return, would they lose their only chance to be reunited?
She couldn’t bear the thought.
Heedless of the storm, she ran out to the bluff where she’d painted…was it only yesterday? It felt like a lifetime ago. She searched the roiling sea, but there was no sign of Shawn. Her fear of the water was overshadowed by an even stronger fear that she’d never see him again.
She cried out his name, but her voice was drowned out by the pounding torrent. She opened her mind, reaching out mentally to draw him to her. Her voice rose in the song of her birth—her mating cry. It was the song he’d taught her to hear, the song that bound them together. Would he hear her and come?
And if not—could she finally find the courage to go to him instead?
Then she heard his voice as clearly as when he’d spoken the words yesterday in the cabin.
You have to be sure before you take that leap of faith.
She was sure. All she had to do was prove it…to Shawn and to herself.
“A leap of faith,” she said aloud, embracing the idea.
She stripped out of her clothes and stepped to the edge of the bluff. Rain pelted her skin. Still there was no sign of Shawn, but she trusted that he’d hear her song and find her. She sent it out over the sea like a beacon, keeping his image in her mind.
Without the moon’s guidance, would her call be strong enough to lead him to her? He’d done it once before, but now the night was so black he might not find his way. Maybe he was already beyond her reach.
No! She knew without a doubt that distance couldn’t separate them. They were bound together. Two hearts, two souls, one eternal life.
She wrenched the pendant from around her neck and held it aloft. The aquamarine sparkled against the velvety night sky. She poured her will into it, making it glow. Energy flowed up from the soles of her feet through her core, up and into the stone, charging it with every emotion in her being until it glowed bright and strong like a beacon in the night.
“Come to me,” she cried out, sending her siren call out to the sea. “Find me, Shawn! Let my love guide you.”
She placed the necklace back around her neck, feeling the warm glow suffuse her entire body…
Then she let go and rushed forward into the sea’s embrace.
She felt herself falling then suddenly plunging beneath the water. Down, down, down. She held her breath and fought the urge to surface. She wouldn’t give up. She wouldn’t leave the water without her soul mate.
Before the fear could drown her, she felt arms come around her, lifting and buoying her in the water. Her lungs screamed for air but his voice calmed her. Let it go, he coaxed. Let go of the fear. Breathe in the life-giving water you were born to.
She released the last bubble of air from her lungs. This is it, she thought. Either she let go and trusted him or she was doomed.
He pressed his mouth to hers and breathed into it, parting her lips with a sweep of his tongue. She felt the sweet rush of cool water enter her mouth. His kiss deepened and instead of struggling for air, she found herself giving herself up to the water’s embrace. It filled her, flowing through her and washing the fear away.
She opened her eyes and saw him swimming before her, even more beautiful and graceful underwater than on land. Forgotten memories jostled her mind like insistent waves—memories of underwater castles and bodies unfettered by clothes or gravity. She knew that these were memories that had been locked away and struggling for expression in her paintings.
She’d been shackled and land-bound all of her life. Now his love had finally set her free. He took her in his arms and showed her how to swim, using gentle movements of her body to glide gracefully through the water. It felt natural, light and more exhilarating than she’d ever felt in her life.
They rode the currents, looping and diving and spiraling with childlike abandon. This time when she spoke his name, it sounded exactly the way he’d first given it to her. She was speaking his language—her language. The language of the sea.
You came for me, she thought.
He shook his head and smiled. No. You came for me.
Yes. She had. And as they swam together toward their future, she knew she’d come for him again and again.
Underwater, their pendants glowed even brighter, turning the depths of the sea blue and marking their way. Everything around them took on a watercolor quality in the aquamarine glow, as if her paintings had come to life and invited her inside.
No longer following his lead, she surged ahead into the path of light to the place of her imagination. Unafraid and with her mate by her side, Kelli made her way home.
Lady’s Choice
Rebecca Airies
Chapter One
Wonderful! Kyna Deacon glared up at the flickering lights in the tan-colored ceiling. She’d barely finished unloading the crates of supplies in the kitchen when the power had failed. Neither the door nor the comm station worked. The safety programs had obviously failed.
She sighed. The lights faded. Complete darkness surrounded her. She couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face. The joys of being stationed on a base on an uncolonized world.
She ran her damp palms down her pant legs. It didn’t help that she could feel the edge of one of the work tables against her hip. The darkness felt almost solid and she had to fight the feeling that she was trapped.
The lights flickered on again but were now very dim. She looked over at the stack of boxes—she couldn’t leave them unattended. It went against Laurati policy. Settling more comfortably ag
ainst the counter, she resigned herself to a long wait. Someone would already be working on the problem. Hopefully she wouldn’t be here all night.
She had no idea how much time had passed when she heard a scraping noise on a door on the other side of the room. The metal panel scraped as it jerked to the side. She saw a slender gap in the door. Dark brown fingers curled around the edge and pushed the sliding door into the wall.
A large dark-haired man wearing the dark green Calazi uniform stepped into the room. His broad shoulders and tall muscled body made the doorway seem smaller than it was. His green eyes swept the room and locked on her. A wide smile curved his lips, softening the harsh rugged lines of his face.
“I thought you might be here. We saw you in the hall as you were coming this way but I don’t think you saw us,” Commander Finn Tarn offered, a friendly smile on his face. The crinkles at his eyes creased the black tattoo at his temple.
No, she hadn’t noticed him this time. She had seen him a few other times and knew that “we” must mean the other black-haired Calazi commander. That black hair was almost the only thing they had in common. This man reminded her of a fierce powerful warrior, especially with his flatter nose. The other man wasn’t flabby, but the muscles weren’t as obvious beneath the sun-touched gold of his skin.
The Calazi intrigued her. As a people, they were inventive and adaptable. They’d had to be to survive on a dying world. Their culture was very different from the Laurati culture. She’d always wondered how their social structure had come to be. Calazi males had a tendency to join with another male as lover and partner, then together they would choose a woman to complete their bond.
“Actually, I didn’t think anyone was in this section, Commander Tarn. Do you know if this is going to last long? I don’t know if any of this is perishable.” Kyna gestured to the boxes but didn’t take her eyes off the large, very attractive man in front of her. She wasn’t going to miss any opportunity to look at him.