by Black, Tasha
“Señorita, there is no other way to get there,” the guide explained politely. “It would take you hours by car.”
“But this was all planned out,” Olivia said. “I can’t get there hours after everyone else.”
“That is why we have the zip-line,” the guide said, gesturing to it with a bright smile.
Olivia, too terrified to even glance at the zip-line, looked down instead at her outfit.
The light dress was decidedly not zip-line friendly.
“Are you sure there’s no other way down the mountain?” she asked hopefully.
“Olivia, do not be frightened,” Wayne’s deep voice said from behind her.
“I can’t do it,” she admitted, turning to him. “I’m afraid of heights.”
“Heights are dangerous,” he said, nodding approvingly. “But we have a zip-line.”
“Yes, but… that’s what makes it a special fear,” she said. “It doesn’t matter to me about the zip-line or the harness. I can’t go on that thing.”
“There is a harness?” Wayne asked.
“You were going to go down the mountain without a harness?” Olivia asked in horror.
“Well, we have—”
“—I know, I know, we have the zip-line,” she said impatiently. “I guess I’m going to miss the luncheon. Maybe Al can edit me in somehow in post.”
“Excuse me, miss,” Wayne said to the guide. “Can we go together?”
“A tandem zip?” the guide asked. “Sure.”
“Are you going or not?” someone asked from behind.
“Go ahead, go ahead,” Olivia said.
It was Lex, the blond cameraman. She almost reprimanded him for his disrespect.
Then she thought better of it. He was probably scared too, and just wanted to get it over with. The poor guy actually had to get footage while he was on the crazy thing.
The guide helped him on and a few minutes later he was flying down, fidgeting with something, most likely his camera equipment.
Olivia shuddered at the thought of being on the line and taking her hands off the grips for any reason.
“I’m going to grab you a tandem harness,” the guide said brightly.
“Excellent,” Wayne told her, placing a big hand on Olivia’s shoulder, as if to steady her.
It had the opposite effect.
Suddenly her heart was racing and her blood was thrumming with awareness.
She looked up at him. The world seemed to be tilting, pushing her toward him like a stone rolling downhill.
“I-I’m fine,” she heard herself saying. “I don’t need to go tandem.”
“It will only take a second,” the guide said.
“No,” Olivia said. “I mean, no thank you. Let’s go.”
She eyed the harness. It looked more like a torture device than something meant for recreation. Olivia had a brief thought of the hanged man card from the tarot reading, but she pushed it aside before it could take root and change her mind.
She took a breath and stepped into the rig, trying not to care that she was wearing a dress.
When she was completely strapped in and her connections were checked, the guide led her to the edge of the platform.
“I can’t look,” Olivia whispered, eyes closed. “Can you just, um, give me a push?”
“Sure,” the guide said.
Olivia wasn’t sure if she had expected words of encouragement, or just a moment of reflection for a quick prayer, but the guide pushed her immediately and unceremoniously off the edge and a nanosecond later she was blasting through the air, nothing solid below her dangling feet.
She squeezed her eyes closed even tighter, too scared to even scream.
The line screamed as she went - a kazoo-like sound that thrummed in her ears as the wind buffeted her hair.
After a moment, her progress slowed and at last she stopped.
She opened her eyes, expecting to be on the landing platform that overlooked the beach.
Below her feet, hundreds of feet of air separated her from the top of the forest.
The line drooped down ahead of her.
She turned back to find she had only gone about a third of the way across.
She was… stuck.
Wayne looked out at her from the mountainside, shading his eyes from the sun with a big hand.
The guide was gesturing worriedly as Wayne strapped himself into a harness.
“Brace yourself, Olivia,” Wayne called to her.
What the hell was he thinking?
But she had no time to worry about it. She could feel the tension in the cable as he leapt off the mountainside, coming for her at a furious speed, the line squealing a mighty protest.
Olivia turned forward again and closed her eyes.
Wayne slammed into her with enough force to rocket her past whatever obstruction had stopped her progress.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured in her ear, his big limbs wrapped around her protectively.
Strangely she did feel better with him near. She even felt herself begin to relax.
“Beautiful,” he whispered.
She eased her eyes open, wondering if she was capable of taking in the view now that she felt a tiny bit less terrified.
The trees below were lush. Wisps of fluffy clouds trailed between them dreamily. Birdsong rang out from every direction.
“It is beautiful,” she said, surprised that she could even begin to enjoy it.
Suddenly everything had gone from terrifying to beautiful - the woods, the air, the sky, and the feeling of Wayne all around her, cradling her so gently.
“You are beautiful,” he told her.
She shivered involuntarily at the feel of his breath on the shell of her ear.
“But I will not claim you until you beg me to, Olivia Fontaine,” he said.
8
Wayne
Wayne was sorry to see the land coming up to meet them on the other side of the zip-line.
Olivia was warm and pliant in his arms and they were alone up in the clouds, with no work to distract her.
“Oh my gosh, we made it,” Olivia said.
He reluctantly released his hold on her when their feet touched down.
He watched the guide remove Olivia’s harness, feeling an unfamiliar burn in his chest as the other man’s hands roved over her body.
Then she was free, and his own harness was being removed.
“Wait until you see this lunch,” she told him excitedly.
They walked together to the clearing where blankets had been laid out on the ground.
His brothers and their mates were already sitting on a large blanket at the center of the field.
“Olivia, did you do it?” Ruby shouted to her.
They had gone well before Olivia, and they had clearly not witnessed any of the treetop drama that had unfolded after them. That was for the best. Olivia might have been embarrassed. Plus, he liked the idea of his secret moment with her up in the clouds.
“I did it,” she confirmed. “Wayne helped.”
He smiled at that.
“Way to go,” Margot called to her. “Come on over - we’ll make room.”
“No, no, you guys are being filmed,” Olivia said. “We’ll hang out before dinner.”
Margot rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
“Why do you not wish to be filmed,” Wayne asked.
“You know why not,” Olivia told him crisply.
He thought about it.
“I don’t think I do know,” he said. “You introduce or end almost all of the scenes. You are filmed very often.”
“I’ll do a wrap up for this one too,” she said. “But I don’t want to be in it, especially not with you.”
Pain split his chest.
He’d had no idea that words could cut so deeply, leave such marks behind.
“Why not with me?” he asked, hoping he had managed to keep the despair out of his voice.
“Because of our… chemistr
y,” she said, flushing. “I don’t want to have an on-screen romance, remember?”
The pain was washed away instantly, replaced by the sweet flowers of hope that bloomed in his heart.
“I remember,” he told her. “Let’s eat then.”
They went over to the tables, and Wayne was delighted to see they were groaning under platters of fruit, rice and beans, meat and several other things he couldn’t identify.
He gestured for Olivia to go first, and then eyed up the table while she chose her meal.
When his own plate was piled with delicious food, he joined her at a small blanket under a tree.
Olivia sat primly, her dress covering her knees. When he arrived, she smiled up at him.
“There’s so much fruit here,” she said. “I don’t even recognize half of this stuff.”
He had thought that maybe it was only his newness to the planet that made so much of what had happened lately seem unfamiliar. But he could see that many of these experiences were new to Olivia as well.
“I can’t wait to try it with you,” he told her, seating himself beside her.
He hoped it would be another first in a long line of experiences he would share with her.
A flash of movement in the tree overhead caught his attention.
Wayne looked up to see his fuzzy friend from yesterday.
“Hello,” Wayne said quietly. “Would you like some fruit?”
He held up a small mango.
The monkey chattered happily and swung down on his branch to grab the offered fruit.
“No,” Wayne scolded when the monkey reached out his foot to grab another piece of fruit. “We need to eat too.”
The monkey shrieked at him, but in a friendly way, and swung back into the tree canopy above.
“How did you do that?” Olivia laughed.
He wanted to be open with her, but he knew he wasn’t supposed to reveal his gift unless he was mated.
“I have a way with animals,” Wayne told her carefully. This was the phrase that Dr. Bhimani, back at the lab, had told him he could use to describe his gift if it ever came up by accident.
Dr. Bhimani had been very clear with the men about their gifts.
“You are already working against the fears that humans have about aliens,” she told them. “If they see that you have a supernatural ability, they will be frightened, at best.”
They had all nodded solemnly, wondering what would happen at worst.
“When you find your mate,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye, “you can show her your gift after she has accepted you.”
Wayne certainly hoped he would be able to divulge his powers in full to Olivia soon. For now he was glad he could offer some type of explanation. It would be dreadful to meet all these wonderful new animals and not be able to speak to them - even if he couldn’t understand their replies.
Olivia smiled at him, shaking her head in wonder.
All he wanted to do was take her in his arms, kiss the corners of her smile, press her body to his…
“Let’s eat,” he suggested quickly, afraid to give in to that train of thought.
For a few minutes they ate in silence. The food was like nothing he had ever tasted before - wholesome and flavorful, like eating sunshine.
On Aerie, his gaseous form had subsisted on pure starlight. No food on Earth had ever reminded him so much of that, until now.
“I wonder how we’re supposed to eat this,” Olivia said, holding up a piece of yellow, ridged fruit.
Wayne took it from her and turned it over in his hand, studying it.
“Have you ever had starfruit before?” one of the guides asked as she stepped over to their blanket.
“Is that what this is?” Olivia asked.
“Yes,” the guide replied. “The whole fruit is edible, just like that. Though some people prefer to slice it. That way you can more easily see the star shape.”
“Thank you,” Wayne said.
“You are most welcome. My name is Carmen. If I can help with anything at all, just let me know,” she replied.
“Would you like to share lunch with us?” Wayne offered.
“That is very kind,” Carmen replied with a smile. “But my daughter is at home cooking my lunch, so I don’t want to ruin my appetite.”
“Aren’t you sad to miss the feast?” Wayne asked. “There are so many things to try.”
“The lunch my daughter is preparing has many of the same ingredients,” Carmen laughed. “Here in Costa Rica we have fruit and vegetables like this all year long. Many of the things on your plate grow near my house.”
“You can just go outside and pick a starfruit?” Olivia asked.
“Yes,” Carmen said. “We are very lucky to have a climate where so many things can grow.”
“That is lucky,” Wayne said thoughtfully. A place where food could grow easily seemed an optimum place for humans to live.
“Oh dear,” Carmen said. “It looks like your friend needs help.”
She dashed off toward another blanket where one of the crew was trying to open a coconut with a pocketknife.
“Shall we cut up the starfruit?” Wayne asked Olivia.
She nodded.
He placed the fruit on his plate and sliced off a piece, handing it to Olivia.
She waited while he sliced a piece for himself.
They took their first bites.
The juice filled his mouth, tart and refreshing.
“It’s almost like a pear,” Olivia said.
“It is like waking up early in the morning,” Wayne said, “just as your sun is rising.”
“Did you know you’re kind of a poet?” she asked him.
“That did not rhyme,” he told her, confused.
Olivia laughed. “Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme. It’s more about having a different and more beautiful way of looking at the world.”
“I see,” Wayne said, not exactly sure if he did see. “I do not know about poetry. But I am content, and it is easy to see beauty in your world when happiness surrounds me.”
“Yes, it is a wonderful place,” Olivia nodded.
He hadn’t meant the beauty of the country, though he agreed with her. He had meant the happiness of being near Olivia.
Not wanting to romance her when she wanted to stay professional in front of the group, he chose to open another piece of fruit instead. This one was large, the size of a loaf of bread. Inside it was pale and mushy looking.
“Wow,” Olivia said, peering down at it.
“Should I taste it first?” Wayne asked.
She nodded.
He used a spoon to scoop out a sample.
His taste buds danced with delight at the sweetness.
“It’s very good,” he told her.
He scooped out another bite and held out the spoon.
Olivia leaned forward.
Time seemed to slow down as she opened her sweet mouth to eat right from his spoon.
Her eyes closed in ecstasy and he watched helplessly as she hummed her enjoyment.
“It tastes like… marshmallows,” she murmured, licking her lips.
Wayne fought against the demands of his instincts. He would not grab her and lick her lips himself. He would not pin her to this blanket and claim her in front of everyone.
He forced himself to take a careful breath.
“You don’t like it?” she asked.
“It’s very sweet and delicious,” he told her. “Would you like another bite?”
He scooped out another mouthful and held it out to her before she could answer.
This time she took the spoon from his hand. He felt a pang of disappointment.
“Your turn,” she said, offering it to him.
He smiled and leaned forward slowly, holding eye contact with her as he locked his lips around the spoon.
The sweet flavor exploded on his tongue and he saw her lips part slightly.
By the three moons of Aerie, this woman was bound to drive him
wild.
9
Olivia
Olivia sat cross-legged on her bed with Al, the cameraman. They leaned over her laptop, eyes locked on the dailies.
It would have been nice to have a big desk or table in her room, but the awkward set-up was worth it for what they were able to film here at the resort.
She had known in theory that they could get beautiful footage in this lush environment, but she’d had no idea just how exotic and lovely it would be. The scenes of the two couples were incredibly romantic. And Al had managed to capture shots of wildlife and mist-shrouded mountain views for the transitions.
In one shot, Wayne was helping a small, confused bird make it back to a nest on a low tree branch. How had she not caught that? And who just did that kind of thing without even mentioning it?
A knock on her door pulled her attention away from the screen.
“Come in,” she said distractedly, noting down the timestamp for an especially nice moment between Margot and Kent.
“Oh, hello, Al,” Wayne said, looking a little shocked.
“Hey, Wayne,” Al said in a friendly way. “We’re just looking at the footage from today. Want to check it out with us?”
From Al’s speedy reassurance, Olivia could tell he was aware the big alien had feelings for her.
Was the whole world trying to get the two of them together?
Al looked over at her and winked.
It sure looked that way.
“What’s up, Wayne?” she asked.
“I was talking with Amalia,” he said excitedly. “I think I have a good idea for another activity.”
“What is it?” Olivia asked, wondering what an alien might consider a good activity.
“Horseback riding on the beach,” he said proudly.
“Oh wow, that is a good idea,” Olivia told him. “I wonder if we can actually arrange it on short notice.”
“I did some work on that,” Wayne said, endearing himself to her by pulling a small notebook out of his pocket with a page that appeared to be covered in his large scrawl. “I think we can pull it off.”
“Have a seat,” Olivia told him.
He looked at the bed uncertainly.
“It’s a big bed,” Olivia said. “There’s room for all of us.”
She was secretly thankful that Al was along. She never would have entertained Wayne in her room if she’d been alone - tongues would surely wag.