Water's Threshold

by Jillian Jacobs

  Her direction clear, she opened her eyes and observed Terran’s home. A woven Navajo rug lay at her feet, offering a colorful protection for the wood floors that led from the front door to the kitchen. On her right, brown leather couches squared around a big screen TV. A half wall divided the living room from the kitchen area. A few guests stood by the fridge chatting, drinking, and living the normal life of those in their second decade. She gleaned their thoughts, which came across as a gentle wave of worry over a salsa blotch on a shirt, a low cell phone battery, and sex—of course.

  The staircase to the left led to Terran. The intricately carved wooden banister slid smoothly against her hand as she snuck upstairs. He was alone, which worked out well for her plans. In her human life, she’d been called a soiled dove by co-workers. Tonight, they were right. Poor fella, she planned to keep him locked in his room, drunk as a boiled owl on the firewater burning between them.

  Along the upstairs corridor were three bedrooms, a bathroom, and a closet. The closet door stood open, so she peeked inside. A laundry basket’s contents overflowed onto the floor. Brown towels, bulk shampoo, and body wash bottles lined the shelves. Condensation beaded on a half-empty beer bottle that sat on top of a white tote with a pullout drawer.

  Maya tapped her foot against the wood floor. Impatient. Jittery—as if she’d just downed four shots of double espresso.

  Terran stepped out of the bathroom. His arms were loaded with cleaning supplies and a roll of paper towels.

  “Good evening, Terran.”

  “Holy crap, you startled me. I was just—” A bleach wipes tub toppled to the floor. “Damn it.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry. We… ah… hadn’t cleaned up here, and so I thought…um…I thought I should get it done.” He shoved the products onto the closet shelf, shut the doors, and then opened them again to grab his beer.

  Still wearing plastic gloves.

  “Nice gloves, Terran.”

  “Give me a minute, please.”

  Cute. His cheeks turned a slight pink. Handsome and cleans the bathroom—what more could a woman want? Water sloshed around in the sink and a great amount of mumbling came from behind the bathroom door.

  Watching him step back out, she blinked and tilted her head. “Terran? Is that you? I didn’t realize you were up here. What are you doing?”

  A huge grin appeared along with a teasing twinkle in his brown eyes. “Maya, I haven’t seen you in so long.” He wrapped her in an embrace that lifted her off her feet. He swung her back and forth before he set her down, keeping his hands on her hips.

  His faded jeans rested low on his hips, and a T-shirt adorned with Beaker from the Muppets was tucked behind a thick brown belt. No spectacles tonight. Not bad for a Boffin.

  “I’m glad you could make it.” Terran tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Glad to see you’re wearing shoes tonight, although I’d like a replay of those tall black boots someday.”

  She placed a finger over his lips. “No shoe talk tonight. Let’s check out your room.” Maya gestured toward the closed door behind them then pulled away and twisted open the knob. Another threshold crossed.

  Terran trailed behind, his fingers threading through his thick, brown hair. “It’s a black hole in here. Once you step in, you might not make it out.”

  “Who says I want out?”

  His sharp intake of breath clarified she’d made her point.

  She took a slow turn about the room. Socks and pants were strewn across the floor of his simple, square bedroom. The unmade king-size bed took up the majority of space. Papers and spiral binders teetered on an end table. His laptop sat perched on a small desk nestled between two windows. The curtains billowed as a cool evening breeze entered and stirred through the room.

  Voices streamed up from the backyard through the half open windows. In his closet, a blue gym bag sat on the floor, topped with a pair of scuffed running shoes.

  Her hand trembled as she brushed the change on his dresser. Don’t be nervous. You can do this. “Does your door lock?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  Maya slipped out of her shoes and padded over to the bedroom door. A loud click reverberated through the room as she popped the lock in place. She leaned against the door and ran a finger down her neck then trailed between her breasts before advancing.

  Terran stood with legs spread. He shoved his hands into his pockets. A single brow rose over heated brown eyes.

  Moving slowly, she cupped his face in her hands and rose on her toes to fit her mouth to his. With her tongue, she licked a wet wave across the seam of his lips.

  He inhaled sharply, and then took over, slanting his mouth over hers. His hands were rough and urgent over her body. He wrapped a hand around her waist, drew her closer, and then traced a line from her collarbone to her neck before his thumb locked in place under her chin.

  Heat flowed between them like a torrential downpour on a humid summer day. She moaned against his mouth as he led them in the exact direction she’d planned.

  Their elemental connection flared in blues and greens behind her closed lids as each kiss welded shut a link in the chain between them. His wild need made him the perfect choice to end her sexual drought. Her waters burned hot, brewing within her, steaming with the need to pour over every inch of his body.

  Momentarily breaking their bond, she lifted his shirt over his head. She ran her hands over his muscular chest and across his broad shoulders.

  He clutched her arms and held her at a distance. His brow furrowed and he shook his head. A quick gleaning of his mind indicated his confusion over his extreme lack of control. Indecision fogged over his need and warned him to tread at a slower pace.

  No!

  She touched his inflamed lips with hers and tried to wrap her hand around his neck.

  He stopped her by clasping her head in his hands. “Maya, what are we doing?”

  “I believe you know and I imagine you do it quite well.” She bit his thumb.

  After drawing a sharp breath, he brushed a thumb over her bottom lip then stepped back and paced along the side of his bed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but let’s think about this for a minute. I don’t understand.” He pulled at his hair, which created two tufts making his appearance a bit like the comic book character, Wolverine.

  “What is there to understand? It’s sex.” She waved a hand through the air.

  “You don’t even know me.”

  “I don’t believe you’re always best of friends with the girls you’ve slept with in the past. Why does it matter? This is basic, Terran. It’s feeding our natural instincts.” She placed his hand against her cheek then kissed his palm. “I want you on this level. Tonight. That’s all I’m asking, all I expect. Do you deny you want this as much as I do?” She ran her hand over the bulge in his jeans and shuddered as she envisioned all that molded clay moving inside her.

  Terran grabbed her wrist. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this. Not right now.”

  “Why, because it’s now instead of later? Based on how you feel against my hand, I would say you are well equipped and ready. You can’t deny you planned on getting us here at some point. Well, here I am, ready for you, eager even.” She trailed a finger across his chin then down to his throbbing pulse. “Stop worrying about the way things are supposed to be, or what you have been led to believe is the natural order of a sexual relationship. This isn’t anything you need to analyze. It’s just you and I, together, enjoying one another.”

  Why did he have to dissect this? They were two pieces of nature’s puzzle and, eventually, they would lock into place. Why not tonight? His rejection stung and made her feel like a tart offering her body, only to be dismissed.

  He leaned closer and kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose before wrapping her in his arms. Intimacy from a human seemed so foreign. The tenderness Terran shared through this gentle embrace brought tears to her eyes.

  Terran tightened his hold and was silent for a moment before admitting, “I’ll no
t deny I want you, but not like this. Not like two animals feasting on each other, mindless and out of control. At least, not the first time.” He pulled back and winked.

  She rested her forehead on his chest, so he wouldn’t see the tears evoked by his soft touch. After reabsorbing the tears on her cheeks, she stated, “You’re overthinking it.”

  “Maya—”

  Stepping away, she peered out the window. “Are you pushing me away because you didn’t make this decision? What does it matter if you know me? I am the same now as I’ll be in three weeks, three months, thirty years. Why can’t we have this one night? We’ll forget the rules and shut out the world. Be with me.”

  Why couldn’t he cooperate? She wanted to bathe in pleasure, release this dam of need. Her body felt like a steam engine and he’d sealed the lid shut.

  “You say I have questions. This is true, but you never have answers. Who are you? Where did you come from? Why are you here?” His voice softened, and she turned and caught his whispered final question. “Why do I feel a link to you I’ve never felt with anyone else?” He leaned with his elbows against his dresser, facing away.

  Maya wrapped her arms around him. “Let’s resolve the question you most want answered. How it feels to sink inside my body, to feel me move beneath you, the crash of that final wave as it breaks over us. Then we’ll do it all over again.” She ran her hand over his heavy flesh covered by jeans and rocked her hips against his. A wicked thought flashed through her mind—compel him. A little prod against his will and she could have him.

  No, I won’t force him. Desire makes me crazy.

  Terran twisted and grabbed her wrists before she slid them under his waistband. “I want more from you. Everything. Not just one night. I want you by my side tomorrow and the next day. Together, we can connect all the missing factors until I know every part of you.” He softened his refusal with a sweet kiss. A gentle melding that calmed her.

  “Has anybody seen Terran?” A voice carried on the wind through the window.

  A female voice.

  The man in question paused and tilted his head toward the sound. “Come on, let’s head downstairs. They’ll send up a search party soon.”

  “Is that your girlfriend?”

  “No.” A flush spread across his cheeks, and he avoided eye contact as he searched the floor for his shirt.

  “Hmm…is she aware of this? I can see myself out. It’s never good to have three kissing fish in the same tank.”

  Or a piranha with two sweet Kissing Gourami’s.

  “No, you came as my guest and you will stay. If you think I’m letting you leave after all this…” he waved his hand in a circle, “whatever this was, you’re wrong.”

  “And how do you plan on making me stay?” She raised a brow. “Gonna tie me to the bed?” She cuffed her wrists together and lowered them before him. “Feel free.”

  He grabbed her wrists, wrenched her close, and placed his hands on both sides of her face before kissing her hard. His desire made clear as he branded her lips from deep pink to enflamed red. Their kiss took a hot turn as he teased her with his tongue, driving in and out of her mouth, imitating what he refused to do to her body.

  Teasing wasn’t what she craved. Her gifts allowed her power over others, and yet, she was powerless with this man.

  She hopped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. In flagrant abandon, she kissed him as she ran her fingers through his hair.

  He braced his legs against her assault and ran his hands under the back of her shirt.

  A sound reached her clouded mind—a persistent pounding. A hard knock upon the door broke their rhythmic kiss. They eased apart, their gaze meeting as their labored breathing rushed out in short puffs against their lips, drying the glistening evidence of their passion.

  “Terran?” A girl’s muffled voice sounded from outside his bedroom door. “Are you in there?”

  Quiet ensued for a moment.

  Maya stifled nervous laughter against his neck.

  The doorknob rattled.

  “Why is this door locked?” The intruder asked whomever was listening—another persistent double tap against the door.

  Go away, Chippy!

  “Give me a minute.” Terran hollered at the door as if the inanimate wood were the one speaking.

  Intending to ignore the interruption, Maya bit his earlobe and kissed his face and neck.

  He drew a ragged breath. “Maya, you have no idea what you’re doing to me.”

  “Show me then.”

  He caught her mouth and gave her a hard buss. “Not tonight.” He eased away and narrowed his eyes—a silent warning to stop her torment.

  Young totties banging on doors would not deter her. She kissed him again.

  To halt her renewed efforts, Terran nipped her bottom lip. He soothed the bite with the rasp of his tongue. A struggle ensued as he set her on her feet. “Maya, stop,” he whispered. “I told you they’d send a search party.”

  She picked up his shirt and threw it at his head. “I don’t play games, Terran.” After she found her shoes, she shoved them on.

  “I think you do and we are playing this one to the end. You’ve made your first move tonight. Mine will come, but only once I know you, Maya Conway. Why would you come here and offer yourself? Why are you so averse to footwear? Why do I dream of you swimming in the ocean as I sit in warm sand?”

  An intense longing swept through her at his questions. A foolish wish for him to play out that exact scene trickled through her heart. “Terran, please understand, I’m not like that girl on the other side of the door. I just want this. Whether we’re together weeks or months from now, I want you to remember I’m not the one who asked for more. I only wanted this moment. It’s easy and it’s primal. As you’re the scientist, you must comprehend my meaning.”

  “That side of my nature almost swamps me completely when I’m with you. It’s barely leashed right now. Anticipation will make our time together that much sweeter. Besides, I’m hungry—for food. By the aromas coming through the window, I imagine the burgers are ready.” He drew her close and placed another kiss on the tip of her nose. “We’ll get back to this soon enough.”

  Maya rocked back on her heels and chuckled. “Soon, right. I guess it’s not like I don’t have plenty of time.”

  A quick succession on the door—tap, tap, tap—louder, more forceful, this time.

  Young tottie is tiffed.

  “Terran? Who are you talking too?” A girl’s voice summoned, the tone tinged with a hint of desperation.

  “Katie, I’ll be out in a minute.”

  “But why is your door locked?” Katie questioned.

  Terran cast a sidelong glance at the door. “Go on down, Katie. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

  Maya basked in the feeling of Terran’s arms around her. Affection was something so foreign and yet so wonderful. The gentle touch of another was an infrequent experience in her second life. Her sense of right and wrong pricked, but she peeked into his mind anyway. A very romantic view of their future relationship prevailed. Unnerving, because she had given up softer emotions and long-term relationships many years ago. Yet, wasn’t this what fate had decreed? Was she strong enough to walk away if he chose a separate path? Their lives were meshed together now, like mixed paint on a canvas and nothing could separate the vibrant swirls of brown and blue without destroying the beauty they created together.

  Terran swayed back and forth and whispered in a husky voice, “Now I know, I had dreamed of you in my arms. I’ll have you here again, but when it’s right, not before. You draw me in, but I won’t allow myself to sink any further until I figure you out.”

  “Terran, do not build me into something I may never be. I am not one of your samples to process. I may be nothing but a passing wave, drifting by, unable to stop at any shore.”

  He bent and brushed her lips lightly with his own, “We’ll see. I have an awfully large shore.” The sound of his chuckle joined the sound
of the lock popping as he opened the door.

  Chapter 9

  Terran had to escape before he changed his mind, threw Maya on his bed, and lost himself in the silky caress of her body. Why hadn’t he taken what she’d been willing to give? Because her actions didn’t add up, it was like an equation waiting to be solved on a chalkboard, but too many factors were missing.

  One interesting puzzle piece was her names had water connotations: Maya meant “water” or “spring” and Conway meant “Holy River.” Perhaps that was the reason he dreamed of her as water in various forms. His parents had named him for the earth. This peculiar connection almost had him believing in predestined relationships.

  Maya tugged on his sleeve as he stepped into the hallway. Her sweet pink tongue trailed across her plump bottom lip. “Sure I can’t change your mind?”

  Sweet mother, have mercy.

  Desire and an accelerated heartbeat had him pausing in his doorway.

  Why am I leaving my bedroom again?

  He shook his head, took her hand, and drew her into the hall. Primal urges screamed do not exit, but Terran ignored them and shut the bedroom door.

  Maya chuckled and squeezed his hand. “I’ll give you a minute,” she said, before ducking into the bathroom.

  Katie waited down the hall at the top of the stairs, whispering with her friend, Melissa.

  As he approached, he was met with very different expressions on their faces. Melissa’s gaze attempted to shoot daggers through his chest, while Katie appeared close to tears. Damn. She had made clear her interest—an interest he didn’t return. Their outlook on life didn’t run along parallel lines.

  However, if his calculations were correct, the blonde in his bathroom embodied everything he wanted in a woman and more. How would they fit if he set her on the sink and—

  “Terran, what…what’s going on?” Katie gripped his upper arm.

  Melissa narrowed her eyes at the bathroom door.

  “Melissa.” He nodded. “Katie, glad you could make it.”

  Katie gathered him close for an awkward one-armed hug and kissed his cheek.

  He eased away and stuffed his hands in his front pockets. “Are you having a nice time?”