One. Twice. Three times. Salt water smacked Roman in the face and a rogue wave took him by surprise. He came up gasping for air and pissed off.
“That’s enough.” Roman turned away from Asia and swam strongly, catching a wave and body surfing to shore. He turned his head slightly to see Asia keeping pace with him without even trying. Stumbling to his feet, he waded from the water, desperate for some peace and time to come to terms with his discovery. Splashing beside him attracted his attention. “Go away.” He couldn’t speak any blunter than that.
Worry knotted Asia’s throat, jamming up words of denial. He was looking at her as if she were some kind of monster. Panic, the like of which she’d never felt before, sapped her strength. She shifted back to human form even as she glided onto the sandy beach. The usual pleasure she derived from the ocean seeped away, leaving a yawning, aching throb in her chest and at the back of her eyes. This was her punishment for lying to Roman. She’d been sure that once he’d immersed himself in the water instinct would take over. It hadn’t.
To put it simply, she was screwed.
And she had no idea what to do to make everything right.
“Roman.” Asia hated the pleading note in her voice. One lay and a few kisses and she was thinking permanent. How sad was that? The ache at the back of her eyes intensified.
“I don’t want to talk to you.” He presented her with his back and strode away.
Sudden fury whipped through Asia. He was not going to pull that crap on her. He could talk to her whether he wanted to or not. She ran after him and grabbed his shoulder. He attempted to shrug her off but she persisted until he whirled to face her.
“What?”
“I’m not a monster.”
“No, you’re a freak. A fish.”
Asia let it rip before she thought things through. Her bunched fist connected with his jaw, snapping his head back. “I am an orca,” she gritted out. “I eat fish.”
Asia glared at him. Her chest heaved—her naked chest—and she decided arguing naked in the middle of the beach, even though it was her private beach, was not the wisest course.
“Fine,” she snapped. “We can talk about it later, but you might like to know you’re a shifter too.” His face paled, and Asia took great satisfaction from his reaction for a fleeting instant. Shame crept in on the heels of her silent gloating.
Roman’s mouth worked. He swallowed. “I don’t believe it.” Underlying the words she heard a trace of panic. He doubted her—it showed in his face, and as she watched, anger boiled up to cope with his confusion. “I am not a fish.”
“No, you’re a great big bloody stubborn whale.” She threw up her hands like a drama queen and flounced back into the ocean. Fine. Let him think that. She’d give him time to cool off and take a little time out herself. Asia checked the vicinity for prying eyes then smoothly shifted and dived into the cool ocean. She swam at high speed, sending schools of startled fish flitting away in terror. The need to breathe drove her to the surface. Asia drove upward, leaping clear of the water in a graceful breach.
She landed back in the water with a mighty splash and swam hard and fast again, trying to outrun her frenzied thoughts. Would Roman accept her word? Would he even still be there when she returned to her house?
Three hours later, invigorated and at peace with herself, she returned to the beach and her house. She’d come to the conclusion that she couldn’t force Roman to acknowledge his heritage. Acceptance needed to come from him.
Asia ambled up the beach, aware of trepidation despite her decision. Making love with Roman had awoken feminine needs long suppressed. She’d always thought Roman Anderson looked like a good man despite what the rest of her family thought.
Now she knew it. The man possessed humor and goodness. The great body didn’t hurt either. She sighed. Unfortunately, the long-held crush had turned into a stronger emotion…
She walked up to where she’d left her clothes. They were gone. Asia kicked at a pile of sand. Childish. Stupid. All because she’d told him the truth. She stomped up the footpath and wrenched the door open.
“Roman?” She slammed the door and stormed through the open-plan living area to the kitchen. “Roman!” He’d left. Figured.
“In here,” a masculine voice called.
Asia halted. “Roman?”
“In the bedroom.”
Asia reached her bedroom in three large steps. She stood in the doorway and stared at the naked male, relaxed and at ease with his unclothed state.
“I’m sorry. I still don’t remember anything, but I came to the conclusion you wouldn’t lie to me. Not about this.”
“Thanks.” Asia leaned against the doorjamb, trying not to focus on the family jewels. “I think.”
A slow grin crept across his face. He’d noticed exactly where she was looking.
“Wanna make up?” His dark brows waggled up and down. “How about it?”
“On one condition.”
“Which is?”
“That you never call me a fish again.” Asia folded her arms over her chest and met his gaze with a challenging one of her own. “Well?”
“Fair enough, since you insist I’m one too.”
Asia straightened and padded over to the bed. An arm snaked out, jerking her off balance. She landed with a soft oomph. He held her firmly, aligning their bodies until she felt every inch of him caressing her body. Roman rolled without warning, grinning down at her.
“You’re an orca, the same as me. That’s part of why I didn’t push you about seeking medical treatment. We can’t see doctors in case our differences are noted. None of us want to be treated like lab rats.”
Roman traced his fingers across one breast, following the fine network of veins beneath her skin. His eyes were dark and serious when he looked at her again. “I can understand shapeshifters wanting to maintain secrecy. Do you think my conditioning kicked in and I instinctively refused medical attention?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Why were we separated? Was there someone else involved? I noticed all my clothes are in the other bedroom.”
And the questions became harder and more difficult, the lie tightening around her neck like a noose. The clothes belonged to family members and some wouldn’t fit him. “I…” Asia shrugged helplessly, her stomach bucking up and down with nerves. The truth. She needed to tell him the truth. “We aren’t—”
Roman’s hand covered her mouth. “Wait. Let’s take this situation as a second chance. Maybe that’s why it’s happened. An omen.”
Asia’s breath eased out against the palm of his hand. Relief shot through her.
A second chance. Stupidly, she found herself nodding when she knew nothing good could come of taking the pretence further. Sooner or later Roman would regain his memory and find himself in bed with the enemy.
“Good. We’re decided.” He removed his hand and pressed his lips to hers. Slowly, he pulled away. “No more discussions about f…ah, whales! We’ll make love instead.” Roman licked the column of her throat. Her heart went pitter-patter, knocking so hard against her ribs it was a wonder Roman didn’t hear and speculate about the cause. “I’m going to make love to you with my mouth,” he murmured. “I’m going to taste you and love you until you scream.”
Something deep within her belly fluttered. Her pulse quickened when she allowed herself to imagine his words becoming fact.
“You taste like the sea. Salty. Sexy.” With each husky word he moved until his face was level with her breasts. The coral-colored nipples puckered as they both watched. Asia bit back a groan. The man made her so hot, so needy.
He pinched one nipple. A sharp shard of pain-pleasure ripped the length of her body. Her pussy moistened in reaction. Another pinch made her moan. She’d never liked pain before, but with Roman it was different.
His tongue darted out to bathe the small nip he’d inflicted. She ached for the suction of his mouth, the sting of his teeth again.
“Please,” she
whispered in a thick voice she barely recognized.
“I don’t suppose we have any toys hidden away in the drawers or in the depths of the wardrobe?” He punctuated his words with a nip at the underside of one plump breast.
“Toys?” Asia stared, shock and curiosity warring. “We haven’t tried anything like that before,” she finally ventured.
Roman frowned. “No? I could have sworn we—never mind. Hold that idea. We can improvise.” He stood and gazed down at her with hooded eyes. “Part your legs for me. Yeah, just like that. Now touch yourself.”
Shock—one piled on top of another. Did he…? Yeah, he did. And he’d think it strange if she didn’t go along with his wishes. Especially as it seemed the depths of his memory were providing him with sexual history, both likes and dislikes. Asia slid her hand across her belly.
The corners of his mouth lifted in approval. “Show me what you like.”
Asia’s eyes slid to half-mast as her hand crept across her smooth pelvic bone and lower still.
“Keep your eyes open and on me,” he ordered. “I want to see your beautiful eyes.”
Her heart thundered as her finger slid down between her legs, dragging lightly on moist feminine flesh. Roman’s eyes on her, watching her every reaction, intensified the rush of pleasure. A gush of arousal flooded her pussy. Her finger slid across slippery folds and circled her swollen clitoris.
“That’s it,” he whispered. “Keep going but don’t let yourself come. Can you do that for me?”
Desire, strong and powerful, throbbed through Asia. Her finger lightly circled her clit. She teased and stoked the fires inside higher. At the back of her mind, she heard footsteps when Roman left the bedroom. A shiver ran through her. She thrust her hips upward, working her finger and hips in countermoves.
Roman returned and put a cup on the stand beside the bed. “That’s good, babe. How do you feel?”
“Empty,” Asia said in a thick voice, wondering about the contents yet too submerged in contentment to care enough to look.
“I can fix that for you, babe. Take your hand away now. Let me tend to you.”
Tend to her. Asia heard herself gasp. Touching herself in front of Roman had lit the fuse to passion and need that she’d never felt before. “Please,” she whispered. He could do anything he wanted as long as he made her come.
Roman touched her flesh. Lightly. So softly she wasn’t really sure. Then he touched her again and she was sure. A tremble swept through her. Hot. So hot. Her pussy clenched tight, and Asia bit down hard on her bottom lip, feeling as though she were poised on the edge of a cliff and would topple at the slightest push. Her eyes closed and the coiling tension intensified.
Something rattled. She heard a crunching sound. The mattress depressed and he settled between her legs. A puff of air breezed across her sensitive folds then she felt his mouth. An icy sensation hit, the contrast between hot and cold making her gasp. His cold tongue stroked along her slit, circled her nub.
An ice cube.
The rattle sounded again, and this time she knew what to expect. The piece of ice he stroked over her inner thigh still made her jump though. He alternated the teasing strokes of the melting cube with his warmer tongue, moving closer to exactly where she needed him to touch her.
“How does that feel?”
“Weird. Good,” she said, her breath hitching when he sucked lightly on her clit. His lips were cold but his tongue and the interior of his mouth were hot. It drove her crazy, made her beg, something she’d never imagined herself doing with a man. “Please. Roman, please. More.”
Roman backed off a bit, teasing her with delicate strokes, nibbles and the scrape of teeth. The little nips brought another sensation, another layer to his seduction.
Her chest rose and fell, and she tried to anticipate where or when he would touch her next. His fingers. His mouth. Lord, she hoped he’d use his mouth again. Just the thought of his mouth kissing her intimately made her sex clench hard.
As if he sensed she was close, too close, he stopped teasing. A finger dragged the length of her cleft and thrust inside her needy body. Chills raced across her flesh at the invasion. She wanted to come so badly, yet contrarily, she wanted to string out the sensual experience and make it last.
“That’s it, babe. Relax,” he whispered in a voice that would tempt an angel. Asia was no angel.
Then she felt the moist touch of his tongue, dragging across her swollen flesh. He soothed the ache before tempting her higher, flailing her achy clit with his tongue, sucking gently with his mouth. The whole time he kept up a lazy thrust and withdrawal of his finger. Roman added another finger, stretching her until she felt pleasantly full. Pleasure coursed through her body, swirling and lifting her higher and higher until it swamped her. One final delicate lick pushed her into orgasm. She gasped, convulsing, her vagina clamping down on his fingers for long, decadent moments.
Asia’s eyes fluttered open to find Roman grinning up at her.
“Again.”
Immediately, her pussy clenched.
“Good,” he said, withdrawing his fingers. He slid up her body and kissed her hard, passion sparking between them. She tasted herself on him when his tongue delved deep into her mouth. His heavy thigh pushed between her legs until she parted them even wider. With one quick stroke, he surged inside her tight sheath. She shuddered at the full sensation, enjoying the way he took her with such confidence. He made her feel needed. Feminine.
His possession was so good.
Perfect.
He stroked strongly, brushing against her engorged flesh, driving her high again into a place where sensation ruled. And just like that, Asia toppled head over heels and irrevocably in love with her enemy.
Chapter Four
“I’d like to go swimming again.” Roman nuzzled her neck and blew a light stream of warm air into her ear.
“That tickles.” Asia tried to squirm away but her limbs refused to obey. Her entire body felt like builder’s putty. The days since their arrival had slipped away, full of loving and togetherness. Roman hadn’t regained his memory or the ability to shift.
Asia tried not to worry, concentrating on loving him instead, but the future was like a ticking bomb with her caught in the explosion zone.
“A swim,” he persisted.
Asia lifted her arm enough to check the time. A groan emerged. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“Then no one will see us,” he countered, blowing again across the whorls of her ear. “I want you to explain to me how you shift. What do you do to start the process?”
“The beach is private. We don’t have many visitors.” Asia studied him closely, unable to demur or argue with him, not after the incredible days they’d spent together. She inhaled, trying to decide how to handle his questions. It wasn’t easy deciding when the scent of their loving filled the room, reminding Asia of her treachery. “My mother told me it’s different for every shapeshifter. Changing forms isn’t instinctive.” Asia frowned. “Maybe that’s why you’re having trouble. You’re trying too hard.”
“Are you sure I’m an orca?” His gaze was intent, demanding answers.
“Oh yeah. I’m sure.” Asia had seen him in person, seen him changing and flirting with female killer whales from his own tribe while they swam together through the Cook Strait. She’d hidden, scarcely breathing or moving in case they sighted her.
“I thought the shifting thing might have been the problem between us.” Roman tucked a lock of hair away from her face, his eyes holding questions that begged answers.
Asia didn’t want to respond. A quick glance at his face told her she had to say something. He’d obviously thought about their relationship during the last few days. “No,” she said, relieved she could utter the truth, even if lies layered the facts.
“A third party?”
“No!”
“I didn’t think so.” Smugness coated his words. “We’re too hungry for each other.”
Because
it was new, Asia thought, though it had never been like this with another male, either orca or human. Bother. She wished he’d quit with his questions.
Diversion. Now. “When I want to shift, I picture an orca in my mind and hold the image there. The change happens naturally as long as I hold the picture in my mind. When I want to shift back, I picture my human image. It’s hard to explain.”
“Sounds easy enough.” Roman shrugged. “I think I should contact my family. I do have a family?”
Asia swallowed her alarm and wished the ground would do the same to her. How the heck did she sidestep this? His family would eat her for breakfast.
“Yes,” she said, striving for a casual manner.
The Transient tribe told horror stories about the Resident rebels to the young calves to keep them in line. Asia shuddered. In all honesty, she thought the legends held enough truth for her to worry about the repercussions in crossing the Resident tribe.
“They’re away on holiday,” she said. “I thought about trying to contact them up in the islands, but they’re probably keeping to orca form, which makes things difficult. Difficult for cell phones to work underwater. And your mother hasn’t been well. I didn’t want to worry her needlessly.” Asia watched him closely as the lies slipped glibly off her tongue.
He frowned, lines bracketing his sexy mouth before they smoothed away. “You’re right, babe. I wouldn’t want to worry my family.”
Asia relaxed a fraction and offered him a tentative smile. Crisis averted, at least for the moment. Gossip told her that Roman’s mother still lived. His father had died some time ago. Asia knew he had at least one younger brother but didn’t know names or anything else about them. She needed to divert him. “I’ve been thinking. It’s probably better if we let you regain your memories naturally rather than me filling the gaps for you.”
“But you’ll help me with the shifting.” He made it a statement.
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