“Have you remembered any of your past?” she murmured, angling her neck so he had better access.
“My memories are there, just out of reach. At least I was able to shift. That’s a start.”
“Yeah, that’s great.” Asia pressed a kiss to the base of his throat. “My mother rang.” Best she tell him the worst now so he couldn’t accuse her of keeping secrets. “She wanted to visit, but I put her off.”
“Good. We need time together before we deal with our families.”
“I had another strange phone call. I think someone knows who you are.”
“We’ll deal with them, too,” he promised. “But not right now. I can think of much better things to do.” Roman delved into her mouth, kissing her deeply, feasting and plundering until pleasure hummed through Asia. Her arms crept up around his neck, and she clutched him tightly. Roman parted her legs and entered her in one long seamless thrust. His teeth scraped over the frantically beating pulse below her jaw. He felt so long, so thick and hard as he filled her.
“Feels good,” she muttered in a husky voice.
“Yeah. Very good.” He pulled from her and surged deep again. “I could become addicted to this. To you.”
Asia hoped so. She really did. He changed the angle of his strokes, increasing the pace until they were both breathless. He slid a finger across her clit, massaging her lightly. A gasp escaped, and hot pleasure spilled over, dragging him under too. She felt the contractions of her womb and the spurt of his seed deep inside. Asia really loved this man, and if she had to give him up, it would kill her.
* * * *
They woke an hour later to the shrill ring of the phone. Asia started, her heart leaping like a startled school of fish. Roman stayed her with a hand to the shoulder.
“Stay there. I’ll get it this time.” Before she could answer he swaggered from the bedroom toward the kitchen. He snatched it up. “Yes.”
Heavy breathing sounded.
“Yes,” he repeated with a touch of impatience. He’d far rather spend his time with Asia, repeating the incredible lovemaking. The phone clicked, and he was left holding a dead line. He replaced the phone with a thump. Possibly a wrong number....
“Who was it? Not someone from my family?” Asia stood in the doorway dressed in an oversized T-shirt.
“They hung up. Must have been a wrong number.”
“Oh. Good.” Her shoulders relaxed noticeably.
“Don’t worry, babe. What do you want to do for the rest of the day? Have another snooze? Or go swimming again?”
Her face softened, a look of longing making her seem vulnerable. “I’d love to go swimming with you. We could cruise up to Cape Reinga where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea. It’s beautiful up there. The color of the ocean....” She trailed off when she saw him watching her so closely. “What?”
“You’re beautiful.” He stepped close and brushed his thumb across her swollen lips. He’d done that, and the faint love bites on her slender neck. Marks of his possession. He took satisfaction from seeing them, which probably made him a Neanderthal, but it was the way he felt. This woman filled spaces he hadn’t even realized were empty.
They crossed the black sand, still warm from the midday sun, and headed for the sea. Waves whooshed to shore, the wind coming in from the sea making them much bigger than they were earlier. Roman reached for her hand and his firm grasp brought tears of happiness to her eyes. She skipped a few steps at his side, splashing through the foamy waves as they rushed into shore. They waded out into the water until they were waist deep. Roman tugged her against his chest so their limbs tangled and their lower bodies rubbed together.
“I was sure you’d leave once you learned the truth,” Asia murmured as she relaxed against him. She frowned, enjoying the closeness between them but worried that it wouldn’t last. Their relationship was so fragile. What if...?
“Stop.” Roman traced a finger over her wrinkled brow. “Let’s take that swim to Cape Reinga. Last one there is a rotten egg.” With that said, he swiftly turned and powered away leaving Asia staring after him.
The man was so sexy, so tempting in either form. He paused past the point where the waves started to break and spy-hopped to see where she was. Asia waved and with a grin still on her face, shifted smoothly. Diving through the oncoming wave, she chased after him, the surge of adrenaline taking her by surprise. Adrenaline layered with sheer excitement and acute anticipation whooshed through Asia. Swimming with a lover. Wow!
Asia swam strongly, sounding with a series of clicks and whistles to get a fix on Roman’s position.
She had no warning. One moment he wasn’t anywhere near her, then he swam beneath her, nudging her to the surface. They sprang from the water together, creating a graceful ballet of leaps and huge splashes when they dived back under the water.
Roman did a series of twirls before returning to her with a definite smirk. Show off, she thought, grinning with joy in the knowledge he was recovering. She sobered quickly. Now if only he would recover his memory.
Roman seemed determined to enjoy the moment and not let her fret. They frolicked like calves, chasing schools of flashing silvery fish, startling and confusing them by blowing bursts of bubbles. The fish crammed together in a tight mass. They were dinner for the taking but by common consent they left the fish and swam further north.
Asia listened closely to the static and the garbled speech and music beneath the sea. No way did she want to run into one of Roman’s family members on this little jaunt. But despite her fears, she heard nothing more exciting than a pod of humpback whales heading for Australia and a marital spat between two hammerhead sharks. They took a detour around them. Nothing more unpredictable and plain mean than a pissed shark.
At the tip of the North Island, the ocean met the sea. It was an eerie place yet hauntingly beautiful, the place where the Maori people believe the spirits of the dead depart for the homeland in Waikiki.
Roman nudged Asia gently, rubbing his snout over the tender skin near her flippers. His touch told her he felt the same magic about the place where the waters met. It was special.
They swam back to Asia’s house at a more leisurely pace. Lethargy made Asia’s stroking through the water slow and easy. They shifted together in a huge splash of water their laughter ringing out. Their lips touched in the lazy way of lovers who were familiar with each other.
The killer whale came out of nowhere. Two more came from opposing directions, large black forms with slashes of white attacked, tearing Roman and Asia apart.
Asia screamed, stumbling and going under the water when a wave rushed to shore. She flailed in the water, panic making her forget to breathe. Asia came up gasping for air. Roman had shifted, knowing it was the only way to protect them. Four massive bodies fought, thrashing and sending sheets of water in all directions. Sharp white teeth tore at unprotected flanks while flukes struck lethal blows.
“Mum! Luca!” Asia shouted, recognizing the nicks and scars on her mother and curly slant of her brother’s dorsal fin. Her sister ignored her cries too, slamming into Roman with enough force to send him flying through the air.
Asia knew she had to do something before Roman was hurt. She threw herself into the melee screaming at the top of her voice. “Stop it! Leave him alone!”
A fluke caught her in the gut, bleeding the air from her lungs in one thump. Asia gasped, a wheezy sound, as she struggled to replace the air. Blood dripped from her head, obscuring her vision. She wiped the blood away and saw the fins heading for them.
“Shark. Shark!” she cried. Another fluke caught her across the side of the head, and that was the last thing she recalled before she surrendered to the darkness.
Chapter Six
Roman saw the blow that sent Asia face first in the water. An incoming wave swept her toward the shore. She didn’t move. She didn’t come up to breathe. With superhuman strength, he thrust the attacking whales away and shifted to human form.
The sharks attack
ed from both sides, thankfully keeping Asia’s family busy while Roman attended to Asia. He dragged her into shore and up the sand until they were clear of the water.
“Asia, babe.” God, she had to be all right. Roman smoothed her hair away from her pale face and tipped back her head. After making sure her airways were clear, he started mouth to mouth. Fear stabbed at his heart. Breathe, dammit. Breathe! Roman kept going, trying not to think about Asia dying. God knows his family would have done the same thing if they’d caught him kissing Asia. This bloody feud had to stop. It was time for the old ways to change. Past time.
Roman paused mid-way through the next thought. Hell! He’d remembered. He recalled everything. Their tribes were in a long-running feud. And that wasn’t all. Being with him put her in even greater danger than she’d probably realized.
Asia coughed weakly, her eyelids flickering. Roman held her as she vomited out the seawater she’d swallowed. Thankfully, the bleeding at her temple had slowed. He probed the wound with delicate fingers and decided it didn’t need stitches.
Splashing from behind made him glance over his shoulder. Asia’s mother, brother and sister. He watched them shift, his shoulders tensing when they headed toward them with varying expressions on their faces. Roman averted his gaze from their naked bodies. Seeing Asia’s mother naked made him uncomfortable.
Asia struggled from his hold. At first Roman thought she didn’t want her family to see her with him, but he realized she wanted to place herself between him and her family in case there were problems.
“Get your dirty hands off my sister,” a young male said.
“Luca.” Asia tensed as if she expected her brother to attack again. Her voice was scarcely louder than a whisper.
“If I was Asia, I’d want his hands all over me,” the sister said.
Roman froze. He didn’t like the avid sensuality in her light gray eyes--unusual in an Orca. They seemed to pierce straight through him bringing discomfort and edginess. Damn, he wished he had some clothes.
“Rosa,” the last of the trio said, her voice carrying authority. After dampening her daughter’s enthusiasm, her attention turned to him and Asia. She frowned when her gaze slid over him. Roman stared back, waiting for her to fire the first salvo. But he was determined. No matter what she thought or whatever objections she had he was not leaving Asia, not unless that was what Asia wanted.
He needed to head back to Auckland Island to sort out the mess he’d left there. Asia could go with him or she could stay here until he finished, but he had every intention of keeping her indefinitely. They were good together. She made him happy, and he sure as hell hadn’t felt that emotion for a long time.
“I hope the two of you have thought this out,” she said, surprising Roman with her first words. “Your tribe won’t be any happier when they find out about the two of you. Do you want to start a war?”
Roman stood and helped Asia to her feet. “We’re going to the house to dress and clean up Asia’s forehead.”
“Fine. We’ll be back in an hour to discuss this debacle,” Asia’s mother said crisply. She turned and strode back into the sea without looking back or checking to see that Asia’s siblings followed.
“You’ll be sorry you touched my sister,” Luca snarled before he stalked after his mother.
“I’m not surprised my sister succumbed to you, big boy.” A naughty smile shaped her lips when she glanced down his naked body, then allowed her gaze to drift back up to his face. “Nice ... chest.”
“And it’s all mine,” Asia snapped. “Go find your own stud.”
Rosa’s dark brows rose. “Well,” she said with a slight smirk. She cast another lingering look at Roman before turning and sauntering after her brother and mother. The wench gave an impudent shake of her butt before shifting and diving into the water.
“We’d better attend to that wound,” Roman murmured, amused by her sister despite himself.
“Rosa is a flirt,” Asia muttered, scowling after her sister. “Pay no attention.”
Roman suppressed a grin, instinctively knowing that this was not the time to laugh. “I’m not interested in your sister. Her older sister, now that’s another matter.” He pressed his lips to hers and nibbled at her bottom lip. His body reacted immediately, and he chuckled. “See.” He gestured at his groin and laughed again. “If we don’t hurry, your family will arrive.” Roman slid his arm around Asia’s waist and directed her toward the house. “I’d prefer to meet them with clothes on next time.”
“Your memory. It’s returned! You didn’t seem surprised about ... anything.” Asia halted without warning and turned to him with clear apprehension written across her pale face. “You’ve remembered everything?”
“Yeah, unfortunately. Those phone calls you’ve been getting probably relate to a few problems I’ve been having on the island. The attack, too.”
A frown appeared on her forehead. “You know who attacked you?”
Roman tugged on her hand, urging her to continue walking. He wanted to soothe her fears and make love to her all night long until dawn. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen with their families trying to come between them. They walked up the front path, edged with rustling, native grasses, and Roman pushed open the front door to let her inside. “I have my suspicions. I don’t suppose we can drive back to the city so I can collect my gear from the hotel. I have a satellite phone there.”
“You can borrow my car if you want. I’m going to bed. I have a headache.”
Roman didn’t like the dejected set of her shoulders when she turned and headed for the bedroom. He hunted through the bathroom cabinet for first aid supplies. After pulling out disinfectant, cotton wool and an antiseptic cream along with some headache tablets, he walked through to the bedroom to check on Asia. She lay across the bed, her dark hair fanned across the pillow. Her eyes were closed and a tiny whistle emerged from between slightly parted lips. Roman hesitated, wondering whether it was safe to leave her sleeping or if he should wake her. She’d certainly seemed lucid enough after she’d come to. While he hesitated, a sharp rap sounded on the front door. Roman grabbed up a pair of shorts and pulled them on before going to answer. A damn short hour, he thought with a trace of irritation.
He wrenched open the door and stood aside for Asia’s family to enter. They arrived en masse and the open plan kitchen-dining room was full by the time they’d all entered. Roman bit back a snarl as one of the shifters shoved him out of the way.
“Where’s Asia?” her mother demanded.
“She’s asleep in the bedroom.”
“Kill the bastard,” Asia’s brother snapped. “He’s sleeping with her. I could smell him all over her.”
Roman shrugged, unconcerned by the younger male’s bluster. “Asia might get a little upset if you hurt me. She loves me.”
Luca sneered, pushing his face close in a threatening manner. “Bah! Feminine crap. She’ll get over it.”
“That will be enough from you, Luca,” Asia’s mother said in a hard voice. It was obvious to Roman that she ruled the family. Her word was final, and they deferred to her in all things. “Healer, please go and check on my daughter. Take Rosa with you.”
“Aw, Mother. Can’t I stay here?” Here was right beside Roman, standing way too close for his comfort. Her breasts rubbed against his arm in an annoying manner. The sisters were alike in appearance but Rosa didn’t stir his lust in the slightest. Asia, on the other hand, could offer him a tentative smile and turn him inside out.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Anderson? Your tribe is on the verge of civil war. You should be on Auckland Island putting a stop to all the petty bickering.”
“The workings of my tribe are nothing to do with you,” Roman said icily. He could pull the leader persona out when he had to. “Neither is my relationship with Asia.”
“Asia is my daughter.”
“A mature adult,” Roman countered, knowing he wasn’t wise to rile the Bolino family when he was
the sole Anderson present. Yet he was good at reading other shifters, and although he sensed anger, it was controlled. “An adult ready for marriage.”
“Marriage.” The word was repeated a dozen times until it sounded like an echo bouncing around the interior of the house.
“Asia and I intend to cement our relationship with human legalities.”
“And what does Asia say about that?” Luca said. “We only have your word for it.” He lurched at Roman and swung his fist in a wild punch. Roman felt the breeze when the young male’s fist skated past his cheekbone.
“Leave him alone,” Asia cried from the bedroom doorway. She looked pale yet beautiful in a royal blue colored robe. She wobbled, and Roman caught her arm to steady her.
“It’s all right,” he murmured. “Everything will be fine. Go back to bed and try to sleep. No one will hurt me.” Roman guided her into the bedroom, slid her robe off and tucked her between the cool sheets before returning to face her family.
“I want to talk to Asia.” Asia’s mother walked past Roman into the bedroom and closed the wooden door with a sharp snap. She was back minutes later and made a sharp gesture with her hand. The family members filed from the house with low muttering. “Don’t think you’ve won this battle, Anderson,” she snarled. “You might have won this round, but my daughter will come to her senses.” She stomped to the doorway, then turned to glare at him, a tall, imposing woman with glossy black hair and a distinctive white lock at her temple. “You’ll marry Asia over my dead body.”
* * * *
When Asia woke up the next morning, the house was still and quiet. No arguments. That could be a good thing or it could mean there were dead bodies all over her lounge. Had Roman left? The thought brought a frown and niggling uncertainty. If he’d left because of her family, he wasn’t worth the stress. She’d get over it. One day soon.
Asia forced away thoughts of Roman and things she couldn’t control. A gingerly stretch caused a wince of protest from sore muscles. Either her brother or sister had landed some good blows. Her ribs ached something fierce. When she slid the strap of her nightgown down her arm, she noticed the deep purple bruise. She grimaced. No wonder she was feeling sore. Asia padded down the passage and peeked through the doorway into the lounge. No blood or bodies. After checking the rest of the house she discovered it was empty. A folded rug draped across the couch in the lounge told her Roman had spent the night there. At least she hoped it was Roman and not one of her family members. She headed to the bathroom and flicked on the water. Hopefully, the warm water would take some of the stiffness from her body.
From The Deep Page 20