Distant Obsession
Page 13
Lilah locked on every word. His tone, his demeanor, was not of a storyteller conjuring native fables, but as a true observer to a fact of nature few had the fortune to witness. “The Island is said to exist just at the base of the valley where the mystery unfolds when a party of runaway Cherokees return from their hunt. The great mother permits all her woodland animals safe entry in and out from beneath her shield, but never reveals the secret to outsiders, unless they share the bloodline.”
Reece tacked southward through the mouth of Indian Creek. “Only those pure of spirit may gaze upon the lost people of Gall place. The lucky ones, those gifted with a momentary snapshot of the ancient encampment, must guard the secret for the rest of their life, whispering the truth only to another as clear of purpose as they. Then, on rare occasions, as the morning mist rises and the vapors crawl along the distant shore, you can catch a glance of the enchanted lake, provided one remains obscured from the watchful eyes of the purple heron. If you’re fortunate, within two beats of a lover’s heart, you can catch a fleeting vision when all the inhabitants camped around Atagahi lake leave their dwellings and welcome their brothers home before the settlement again vanishes behind the protective veil of the sacred mother of all animal spirits.”
An image, carved in fragments of colored glass, flashed against her retina, a tall proud bird on one leg, staring back as if watching for intruders. In the background, teepees scattered in the mist around a lake. Above the portrait, the two engraved cryptic words, Galls Place. “The artwork behind the bar at Pelican Bar; is that…”
“Yes, but only Lakers understand its true meaning, and no one ever repeats the secret, for fear the white man would return and steal the paradise provided by the great mother to protect her few remaining Cherokee children.”
He didn’t laugh, or blink, or signal any hint of playful banter.
“Nice story.”
He nodded. “Tomorrow morning, if the sacred mother peers into your spirit and sees what I see, the guardian purple heron will look the other way and not cry alarm to the inhabitants of Gall place.”
“Wow, you are one hell of a story teller.”
He smiled then nodded toward the island. “Time to get serious about beaching this thing. Grab the tiller and point her toward that tree, the one that’s bent to the right.” Reece furled the jib then jerked the sheet free of the cam cleat, slacking the main. He did the same for the jib. The sails slapped gently while the boat eased onto the shore.
Once the keel sank into the soft sand, the Jenny May heeled to the starboard side. Reece lowered the main sail, flaking the large piece of canvas against the boom.
She pulled out her camera and snapped a few shots while he worked, loving the way his body moved with each task performed.
What a complicated and remarkable man you are, Reece Edwards.
They’d spent enough time at the Pelican for drinks that her inhibitions lessened. The lightheaded effect from all the martinis had her fantasizing about Reece. Not that she needed the alcohol to find him sexually appealing, but the fermented drink prompted her to be more responsive to his innuendos and flirtatious banter. Tonight, she hoped to explore more that Gall’s Island.
When Reece seemed sure the Jenny May was secure, he set her camera bag in the v-berth, grabbed the cooler, and set about helping her from the boat. Even with the small ladder, her descent wasn’t exactly graceful, but she managed amidst a few giggles and unladylike expletives.
He spread the blanket onto the sandy area and took the food from her hands. “Are you hungry?”
She stared at his flat abs. “Ravenous.” She lifted her eyes to his. “How ‘bout you?”
He chuckled. “I could nibble on a few things.”
She sank down on the blanket next to him and opened the cooler she’d packed to reveal small chunks of cheese, crackers, slices of summer sausage, grapes, and a bottle of wine. “I hope you don’t mind snack food. I thought it would be easier to deal with, a no mess affair.”
“Later.” He took the bottle from her hands and set it aside. “I have a different appetite.”
“Reece.”
“I love the sound of my name on your lips. You’ve no idea how much you turn me on.”
She sighed and closed the gap between them to plant a kiss on his lips. He obviously wanted much more and pulled her into his arms. Damp lips nipped at her earlobe, and she tossed back her head, enjoying the ripples of sensation igniting her passion. Was it so wrong to want this man? To want everything he offered? Could he free her from the nightmare her life had become?
She pulled away, and he gave her a quizzical look, but she needed a moment to study him, to collect her raging thoughts and harness the desire that ran rampant within.
“What an unbelievable evening. The sunset with its myriad of colors bathing the distant shoreline,” she lazily trailed a finger across his pectoral muscle, “and you.”
“Are you all right?”
Lilah held up two fingers separated by a quarter inch gap. “Think I had one glass too much to wink, thank you. Whoops, I mean drink. Silly me.”
An uncharacteristic boldness claimed her mind and body. He was just too near, too accessible and far too much what she’d missed from life. She laid one hand across his pectoral muscle while the other drew heart shaped figures along his abs. “Damn you’re hot.”
No inhibition, no hesitation, she fell into his chest, pulled his mouth to hers and consumed both lips before reaping the rapture of a heated kiss. Her tongue explored even crevice, every corner, leaving nothing untouched. It was as if all her senses were being willingly exploited, and their only response was to scream out in hunger for more. She ripped away the beer flavored flesh of darting taste buds, and lightly shoved at his chest.
“When was the last time you went skinny dipping?” she asked, her voice more throaty than usual. Was that really her seducing this man? She smiled, loving life, loving him.
“I think I was ten.” His voice had a breathy quality to it.
“I feel ten again. Come. Play with me.” Before she could lose her nerve, she stood.
He stared, frozen in place as she unhooked her top and let it fall to the ground. The heated look he sent made her more daring. She crooked a finger and backed away toward the water. He slowly rose and to her complete delight, shimmied from his trunks until he was gloriously nude and all hers.
She giggled, the martinis playing havoc with her balance, and stumbled toward the water. At the banks, she glanced over her shoulder. “Last one in has to wear my top.”
“Oh no, you vixen. That’s not fair. I’m screwed either way, and you know it.” He laughed and ran toward the water.
She slipped off her bikini bottoms, tossed them his way, waded into the frigid water, and sucked in a breath when the cold hit her stomach. “Oh my God. It’s cold. Hurry in and warm me.”
~ * ~
No way was Reece going to pass up an invitation like that. It took a moment to acclimatize himself to the temperature, but he hastened to join her. The water lapped provocatively at the crest of her bosom, enticing his avid attention, and he half swam, half waded to her side.
“Lilah?” The shift in behavior from reserved angel to temping huntress stunted his brain and immobilized his body. “Lilah!”
She disappeared below the liquid surface, a few kicks at the top, then shot into the air like a mermaid. “Wow, water’s colder than I thought but very stimulating. Brought me out of the alcohol-induced fog.”
He studied the ballerina prancing in the fading sunlight, splashing in and out of the water.
She splashed a column of spray into his face. “You can’t catch me.”
“Lilah, wait up. Shit.” Reece plowed through the water, his strokes agile and sure.
Damn foxy little vixen. Like a little girl set free to play in the water for the first time.
Reece playfully locked both arms behind her back. “Got ya now, you squirming mermaid. What ya going to do about it?”
The flutter of her heart against his, all his senses dancing with anticipation, the commitment of her words, the subliminal admission to his well; everything melted into one precise clear revelation.
I love you, Lilah.
Reece finally took control and pulled them slowly closer to shore where the swirling waves wouldn’t interfere with their play. Standing waist deep, he held her tightly in his embrace, and tenderly nibbled beneath her chin to the pronounced valley at the apex of her cleavage. “What has stoked your fire? You’re like a starved beast.”
“You have.” She sighed, her head tilted back to give him clearer access. “I want to devour every inch of your body.” She ran one hand along the fine hairs of his chest, and stroked four nails back and forth below his belly button, driving waves of micro spasms into his groin.
Jesus.
“Who’s got who now?” she asked.
Cool air pebbled their flesh, but neither of them minded as internal heat blanketed both lovers from head to toe. She caressed one nipple then swapped and ran circles around the other with her wet hot tongue until his brain exploded with visions of things to come. Lilah washed a pathway toward her target, and he shook his head to try and clear his mind.
Her fingers trailed lower, seeking the arousal pressed boldly against her flesh. At the first touch of her hand against his heated skin, he sucked in a breath. Lilah had her way, as if she’d hungered alone at night, on her own, for the opportunity to consume a real man, to take him the way that only a woman can.
Oh God.
Every muscle tensed, every nerve screamed as his mind and body prepared for the inevitably, until in the blink of a butterfly’s wing, the currents shifted in his sails, replaced by the high pitched wail of a banshee.
“Snake!”
Reece’s brain was thrown into a bucket of ice cubes, and his body quivered, not in delight but shock. He tried to regain his senses, reorient to this world, this night, and the predicament of his exposed lower extremities.
“What the hell?”
She flailed in the water. “Big snake!”
Reece drew in a labored breath and increased the tenor of his frustration. “Jesus, Lilah, you’ve got to expect him to react to…to what you were doing down there. I’d think you’d be happy for the way he…”
“No, damn it.” She pointed to the shore. “Not him, it. Look, it’s heading toward the water.”
“What are you talking about?”
Reece squinted and canvassed the shoreline. Except for a slight disturbance at the edge of the water, there were no other creatures on Gall Island, except one frantic female clutching her nude form and one male staring solemnly at his rescinding posture as a man.
“There.” She waved her finger toward a wisp of movement. “See him now?” She slipped behind Reece, pressing her breasts against his back and flaming his ardor once more.
He stared harder. A dark black ribbon slithered toward their right. Shit. That’s it for the night. Unless I can salvage things to my advantage.
“That’s a black racer and quite harmless.”
“You sure?” She peered over his shoulder, her warm skin playing havoc with his inflamed senses.
He turned and pulled her to him once more. “Very sure. But, I’ve got another snake that’s not so harmless.”
She giggled, and he felt the tension flow from her body as she melted into his. “How venomous is this snake?”
“Venomous to the first tantalizing bite of flesh he finds.” He bent his head and latched onto one of her breasts.
“Oh Reece. You have no idea how good you make me feel.” She clutched his head, pulling him tighter to her bosom. “Make me feel more. Make me forget the ghosts of my past.”
He lifted his head, trying desperately to maintain some sanity. “I’ve got an idea. Let’s go back to the boat. The cushions in the v berth are quite comfortable.”
Her features blanched. “You must think me a complete ninny to have behaved so aloof and now act… loose, but you made me lose control in a way I’ve never felt before.”
“I’m all for losing control.” He held her hand and tugged gently in the direction of the boat, toward what he hoped would be the beginning of their future together.
Twenty One
His large hands wrapped around her waist and lifted Lilah to the side of the boat. With as much grace as possible, she swung her legs over. He climbed aboard and followed her into the cozy V-berth. The small room in the bow of the ship had thick cushion for a bed and couldn’t have provided a more intimate backdrop for their joining.
She hesitated, suddenly overcome with awkwardness. He slipped in behind her and drew her to him. At the touch of flesh against flesh, all inhibitions fled, and once again she drowned in a sea of bliss.
The pillows pressed against the back of her knees, inviting a more comfortable position. She slipped onto the blue and plaid backdrop, completely at ease with the way his eyes darkened as they feasted on her body.
He joined her and laughed when he bumped his head against the low ceiling. “Small but cozy.”
“There’s nothing small – oh, you mean the room.” She flashed a seductive smile, one she hoped would extend the mood.
“You’re good for my ego,” he admitted, then enveloped her with his embrace. “God, you feel good.”
Soft heat blanketed Lilah’s body until all worries melted away. Nothing mattered except the magical sensations offered by Reece. Any inhibitions she’d entertained fled on a wave of strong desire.
“I want to feel you, taste every inch.”
The pounding of their hearts created one rhythmic beat. His breath caressed her ear. “I imagined us together, like this, from the very beginning, but I never dreamed…”
She placed a single digit against his lips. “Me too.” Craving lips lapped up the flavor of his skin, searing a trail of kisses along his neck and biceps. His groan morphed into a growl, and Reece twisted her body around so her knees drew up against the cushions. At his urging, she leaned back and scooted farther onto the soft foam mattress. He gazed down and fixed on her patch, absorbed what she offered, and as if by instinct alone, his tongue dampened his mouth, while the flow of air in and out of his chest quickened.
Lilah held out both hand and with a pleading tone, “Come to me, please, before I explode. Make my body soar.”
She watched unabashed as he slid the lambskin onto his swollen appendage. The thought of their bodies linked, blending as one, churned her hormones until moisture flowed in preparation for their coupling.
He placed a knee on each side of her hips and bent his head to capture her lips. His slow seductive foreplay primed deep within that special place that had been left untouched for too long.
She cupped his butt, sampled the smooth heat that fit into both hands.
He groaned. “Damn, woman. What are you doing to me?”
She recaptured a single breath to respond. “Loving you.”
He froze and stared into her eyes. “Do you?”
“What?”
“Love me.”
Her hands stilled as she contemplated her feelings for this man. She’d known him for such a short time and yet she felt a connection that surpassed time. Why had it taken so long for her to say the words? “Yes. Yes, I do. Reece, I know we haven’t dated long, but …”
A broad smile transformed his stern features. “I feel the same, Lilah. You’re the one.”
“Show me.” She drew him to her.
He buried all that he was, everything he had, and her body developed a mind of its own. It enveloped all offered by this man. With each probe, her loins quivered with delight, massaged and consumed the furnace burning inside, then pulsed with gratitude for the forgotten sensations.
When the gift of his masculinity withdrew in preparation for the next thrust, her brain sc
reamed in fear he’d changed his mind, would remove the source of her ecstasy, forever.
The experience, the melding of her spirit, intellect, and body lifted Lilah like never before, into the clouds. From above she watched and listened to the writhing lovers as they shared, melted together. Their voices formed a sensual symphony of erotic tones and guttural melodies, and she lost all connection with the world.
Only he, the man soothing, stimulating, tantalizing her flesh existed for her, within her, around her. The purring sound escaping from her throat deepened, merged into a complex string of cries, howls and whimpers, as if a craven beast were begging for an end to its hunger.
“I can’t take any more. Too much pleasure, I can’t…”
He paused movement and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.
But she didn’t want gentle; she wanted the deep thrusts, the pounding of flesh against flesh that would take her on a journey of forever. “No, no, don’t stop, not yet, please don’t stop.”
His pace accelerated until finally they howled together, like two animals baying in the dark of night at some celestial object.
The intensity elevated to the crest of the mountain, and everything disappeared while they floated as one for an eternity before returning to earth and collapsing in each others’ arms.
Lilah tried to mouth the words, proclaim her emotions but her body refused, exhausted, spend. Instead she could only whisper, “I love you, Reese.”
~ * ~
In the background, around the edge of his senses, a warm soft blanket caressed his skin. The sensation went beyond the typical afterglow and pleasant tingle of spent bliss. Reece’s mind descended from peaceful slumber to a new field of thought, one with certainty, knowledge that someone wanted all that he was, strength and flaws combined. In return, he would commit his heart, his soul and more; whatever she needed on her journey through life.
He felt movement, as if his ear, his neck, the top of his shoulders were being embraced with soft moist lips, and he returned from that limbo state between sleep and consciousness. Reece reached back, rubbed the smooth curved skin of her bare thigh. The emotions, the comfort, the feeling of belonging, echoed the realization he’d found what he thought was impossible, and his mind confirmed; She’s the one.