Currents Run Deep

by Shelley Munro

  “I can see that.” Asia’s gaze slid down his body to his erection. Long. Hard. Thick. He was ready all right. She moved closer and bent over him to press a quick kiss to his lips. “Don’t move an inch,” she warned. One look at his face told her the order amused him.

  “What are you going to do?” His words confirmed it.

  “Wait and see.” She pinched his nipple hard enough to make him jump.

  “Perhaps the gaps in my memory are a good thing. It’s like we’re making love for the first time. I noticed I don’t have any clothes here in the bedroom. Are we separated?”

  Oh boy. The lie just got better and better, growing like a certain puppet’s nose. Yep, the hole she dug grew deep enough for her to jump right inside. “I—”

  “Let’s talk after. Please,” he said. “I want to make love to you so bad. Whatever is in the past can stay there. This is a chance for a new beginning. For both of us.” His hand snaked around her neck, tugging her off balance so she fell against his chest. He winced a fraction but held her tucked in place, despite his bruises and sore muscles.

  Their lips met and mated in a slow kiss that sent shockwaves racing through her body. Roman took them deeper, making the kiss more aggressive. Hungry. Tongues dueled, thrusting and parrying in a harbinger of the consummation to come.

  He rolled, his biddable and accepting self fading away, replaced by the alpha male who knew exactly what he wanted. Asia took the coward’s way out and let him direct their loving. It wasn’t difficult since his touch sent her soaring and wiped away her uncertainties.

  He kissed down her neck and dallied at the hollow at her throat. His lips skirted her collarbone, gently biting then soothing the nip with a wet kiss.

  Tormenting her. Each kiss, each love bite, drove her need higher until she wanted to demand he touch her breasts, trail his hand along her moist cleft to find her swollen clit. The thought made her fidget. She needed his mouth, his hands…

  Asia cupped a breast with her hands, offering it to him. “Kiss my breast again,” she whispered.

  “With pleasure.” His smoky voice slid across her nerve endings. Her pulse raced, and at the intimate juncture between her thighs, her body moistened, readying for his penetration.

  He nuzzled her breasts with his mouth, but this time didn’t take her nipple into his mouth. No, this time he teased her until she wanted to beg for his mouth exactly where she needed it. His mouth drifted lower, and he pressed moist kisses to her rib cage and her belly. Asia’s breath stalled before an ache in her chest reminded her to breathe. Roman moved down the bed and parted her legs. Shyness hit her for an instant until she remembered they were supposedly married. Grief, she’d never carry off this charade. Asia made a conscious effort to relax, and he made an approving sound deep in his throat.

  “You’re going to have to tell me what I did that’s made you so wary,” he whispered. “But not now. Let’s concentrate on having fun and making each other feel good.” He punctuated his disturbing and perceptive comments with more kisses. One on her abdomen. One on her hipbone. A kiss on her pelvic bone. Asia’s heart pumped out a few extra beats. She arched up in a silent demand for a more intimate kiss. A chuckle sounded as he nipped the tender skin of her inner thigh. Asia jumped and steeled herself for another nip. Instead he licked her inner thigh in ever-increasing circles, coming closer and closer to where she needed his touch most.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “No more teasing. Please.”

  “But it’s so much fun teasing you,” he murmured, his warm breath puffing against her engorged nub.

  A sharp spike of pleasure shot the length of her body.

  “Your breathing changes and you make these cute little whimpers at the back of your throat when I do something you particularly like.” He licked a delicate trail the length of her cleft, circling her aching clit but not touching enough to give her relief from the sharp need pulsing through her.

  “Yeah, that’s it. Whimper for me again, babe.” He licked again, but this time made a brief foray across her clit.

  A shower of tingles burst to life, and she heard herself whimper but didn’t feel the slightest bit of mortification. Damn that felt good. When he repeated the process, she waited until his tongue was almost there and jerked her hips upward. A bolt of sensation seared her with the extra contact.

  “Yes,” she moaned. “More.”

  Roman chuckled. “That was sneaky.” He shifted away, putting more distance between them than Asia thought was necessary.

  “I don’t like teasing.” Because her conscience kept screaming at her, Asia wanted them to move things along. Once they’d done the deed, they couldn’t stop. Stopping right now before culmination was gonna kill her, but if he didn’t hurry, her conscience was going to win out.

  “Hmm.” Roman smiled. “Close your eyes, babe.”

  “So you can tease me some more?”

  “Go on. Close your beautiful eyes for me.”

  Asia stared at him for a long moment before obeying. She felt his hands on her hips and the dip of the mattress when he shifted positions.

  “Are your eyes still closed?”

  “Yes,” Asia said, unable to keep the bite of impatience from her answer.

  He laughed again, a short burst of humor before silence took over. Asia heard her breathing, loud and choppy once again. She heard the faint tick of her alarm clock from where it sat over on the far side of the bedroom on a dressing table. But she couldn’t hear what Roman was doing. She wasn’t sure whether she should worry or not. So far he hadn’t done anything to alarm her, and there was nothing in his reputation to worry her either. Rumor said he’d had a few serious relationships and that they’d remained friends after parting. Asia strained to hear any sound to clue her in on what she could expect. Something sexy. Something pleasurable. She hoped. Her breasts ached. Nerves danced in her stomach while lower, a series of small pulses deep in her sex made her fidget. The fact her legs were parted, leaving her pussy open to his inspection intensified her arousal. She was wet and so ready for him. Why wasn’t the dratted man hurrying?

  “You’re beautiful,” he murmured. “So easy to love you.”

  Asia’s eyes flew open at his declaration. He stroked his hand the length of his cock, his dark gaze meeting hers. The flush of arousal in his eyes stole her breath. Then, before shock finished reverberating through her, he pinned her with his greater bulk, guided his cock to the mouth of her pussy and thrust inside. The sudden penetration took her by surprise and a gasp escaped as she struggled to take him. Roman hadn’t used birth control. She froze, trapped in her lies. If they were married it wouldn’t matter, or he’d assume she was taking a form of birth control.

  “Okay?” he demanded, holding himself in check for an instant.

  Stretched to capacity, all she could do was nod and hold tight to his shoulders.

  His naked cock felt great, and she loved the fact there was nothing between them. The thought brought a surge of juices. The chances of her conceiving were low since orcas didn’t breed often or easily. Diseases weren’t a problem for them. She’d hope for the best and deal with the consequences later should the need arise.

  He withdrew and surged back inside her, her cunt clutching greedily this time. Roman repeated the move again, stroking steadily until Asia shuddered. Their mouths met. Mated in a moist, erotic duel. Roman’s hands cupped her butt and deepened the angle of penetration. Pleasure danced through her—heat and light. A sweet burn as their bodies moved together. This was magical, sexual compatibility at its best, better than she’d ever imagined…

  “Was it always this good?” he murmured when their lips parted.

  Asia trembled, each of Roman’s strokes pushing her harder, closer to orgasm, even as guilt plagued her too. But, she told herself, he felt the magic, so it wasn’t all on her side.

  He pulled back and slammed home with increasingly urgent hunger. Her hips jerked and she felt a tightening sensation deep in her pussy. The streaks o
f pleasure rushed together, converging in an immense explosion of sensation. He thrust into her again then stilled. Asia felt the powerful jet of semen when he came and clasped him tighter, wrapping her arms around him because she didn’t want to let go. When he finally relaxed, he rolled them both over and arranged her against his body. A man who liked to cuddle. Who’d have guessed? Asia gave a satisfied sigh and melted against his sweaty chest.

  It was the best sex she’d ever had, and Asia didn’t want to tell Roman the truth. She wanted to keep him forever.

  Chapter Three

  “There’s nothing familiar about the house at all?” Asia finished showing Roman around the house she owned north of Auckland on the wild west coast. She’d decided to bring him to her territory rather than hang out at the family apartment in the city. The couple of weird phone calls she’d received before they left had sealed her decision. The last thing she needed was her family or friends turning up to hurt him. She couldn’t bear it if her pretence ended with him hurt when he was the innocent party to this deception. Of course they could come looking for her here, but she’d risk it. Mostly they rang to let her know they intended to visit.

  “Nothing at all,” he said in a terse voice that pulled her out of stressing and dumped her deeper into guilt territory.

  For all of two seconds.

  Although Roman was frustrated with his loss of memory, Asia wanted to screech her relief out loud. The pretend marriage could continue. She knew it was wrong—she really did, but when would she have such an opportunity again? The chance to be herself with one of her own. They could go swimming off the coast together, hunt fish and play together in their killer whale forms. She’d only ever done that with her family. Swimming with a lover sounded like fun. A bolt of sheer lust went through her. They could repeat this morning.

  All day if they wanted.

  Her body moistened when she imagined Roman possessing her again. And her doing things to Roman, touching him intimately, tasting him intimately. A shiver racked her body.

  “Cold, babe?”

  “Not exactly.” The amusement she saw in his dark gaze made her look away with another surge of guilt. She was doing the right thing, wasn’t she? Of course she was, especially since a nagging instinct told her that the weird phone calls had something to do with the attack on Roman. She didn’t like the idea they’d followed them to her apartment, but it was possible.

  “Why don’t you want to go to the doctor?” she asked, deciding it would seem strange if she didn’t push. The lump on the back of his head was huge, though it didn’t seem to slow him down.

  “I don’t know.” Roman paced past her to the window. He pushed aside the creamy net curtain to stare outside and let it fall back into place. He walked over to the dresser and plucked a silver-backed hairbrush off the top. Thumping it down again, he turned to face her with a scowl. “I can’t explain it. I don’t understand it, but the thought of visiting a doctor fills me with fear.” He flashed a crooked grin that charmed Asia and made her want to smother him with kisses. “Bet you didn’t know your husband was so weird.”

  “I did actually.” Asia sauntered toward him, not stopping until her arms linked around his neck. She grinned up at him and ruffled his dark curls, taking care to avoid the knot on the back of his head. “That’s part of why I love you. Your charm.”

  A dark brow rose. “That it?”

  “And your expertise in bed,” Asia added. As she watched, his other eyebrow rose and her mouth dropped open in awe. “I wish I could do that. My eyebrows don’t work independently.”

  “It’s a gift. We can burn up the sheets any time you want. Any time. Any place and I’m yours. You should know that, babe,” he said in a chiding voice.

  “We have time this week to do whatever you want.” Asia pushed aside the ramifications of him regaining his memory. Instinctively, she knew it would return. No doubt he’d never speak to her…or worse, it could cause further trouble between tribes.

  Asia was determined to make it clear she was the one at fault. Asia didn’t care about a personal backlash. She’d made her bed and, by heck, she wanted to lie in it.

  “Do you know what I’d like most of all?”

  “Judging by the serious look on your face I’d say it’s not sex, more’s the pity.” Asia smoothed her fingers across his wrinkled brow. “Is your head aching?”

  “A bit. I’m fine.” He shrugged off her concern and stepped out of reach, telling Asia without words that he was tired of her fussing. “I’d like to go for a walk along the beach. I think I like the sea and swimming.”

  Roman wondered at the sharp look Asia narrowed on him. Part astonishment and part shock. It made him wonder if he’d done the right thing in not asking more questions about their life together.

  “A walk sounds great,” she murmured, avoiding his gaze again.

  Roman stood back and let Asia precede him. What the hell had happened to blow their relationship apart? It wasn’t anything to do with sex because they communicated perfectly in that sphere. Roman’s rueful grin lit on Asia’s curvy butt. Any more perfect and he’d have trouble walking. At least they were working on putting things right. They’d been together during his attack, which meant they were still talking, trying to find common ground and forge a future together. He liked the thought of growing old with a sexy woman like Asia.

  They walked out the front door, down two steps, and they were on the beach.

  Asia paused to remove her shoes and chucked them up near the door. Roman did likewise, relishing the heat of the black sand under his feet. He reached for Asia’s hand and tugged her closer, the salty tang in the air relaxing the tight pressure banding his chest. Overhead a lone gull rode the air currents while the crash of the breakers as they raced to shore relaxed him. The coil of tension released even further.

  “Do I like the water?” A gut instinct told him he loved swimming, but he wanted confirmation.

  A gamine grin flashed. “That’s what I like about the house. The sea and the privacy.” She stopped walking and started undressing.

  Roman stared then smirked as she revealed her body piece by piece with the finesse of a professional stripper. A cotton shirt. A lacy bra. Denim shorts. Pink cotton panties.

  “Last one in is a rotten egg.” Asia sprinted down the beach, leaving him standing above the watermark still staring. It was hard not to stare at his wife. Tall and curvy enough that he felt safe holding her tight. He didn’t worry about squashing her or crushing a rib. Roman’s gaze wandered down her back and lingered at her trim waist before he started to strip.

  Damn, he was a lucky man.

  He rapidly shucked his clothes, leaving them in an untidy heap, and hurried into the surf. The water was cool against his heated skin. This had been a good idea.

  Already the aching at his temples had ceased. He cut through the water, diving through the waves when they approached, steadily gaining on Asia. He heard her laugh above the roar of the surf and grinned. Oh yeah. He liked the water all right, but making love to his wife would take priority. She couldn’t flaunt her luscious body at him without reprisals. He lunged and she evaded him, stopping a few feet away to grin.

  “Headache gone?” she asked.

  “Yeah, it has. How did you know?” Roman realized that not only had his headache vanished, he felt great. Invigorated. He swam a few lazy strokes until he was close enough to touch Asia. The sun shone down from overhead, a soft breeze blew and Asia treaded water right next to him. Roman slid his arms around her neck and drew her flush with his naked body. The sun caught the droplets of water on her face, making her sparkle. He felt a tight sensation around his heart as though a fist squeezed it. A lump formed in his throat. Roman swallowed and lowered his head to taste her.

  Their lips moved together leisurely as if they had all the time in the world.

  Asia pulled away to survey him intently. “Do you feel an urge?”

  “Always,” he replied, smirking. “I want to slide deep
into your pussy and love you until you scream.”

  She swallowed and an expression that might have been panic or something else flitted across her face. “I’d like that too, but that’s not what I meant.”

  A wave knocked them together, their bodies jostling until it passed and continued its journey to shore. His erection brushed against her abdomen and he squeezed his eyes shut to enjoy the teasing sensation. The promise of what would come when they loved each other. Suddenly his skin prickled. A warning? Or something else. His eyes snapped open to see Asia still studying him intently, as if she knew something he didn’t.

  “Watch me,” she said. “Hold the image you see in your mind and the change should occur. I hope.” Asia pulled away from him, leaving him in confusion. Image?

  What the hell was she talking about? Roman groped for understanding, knowing from her serious expression he’d missed something important.

  “I don’t—” He broke off, his eyes widening in shock. The air around her shimmered, and it had nothing to do with the glint of the sun. It was Asia. As he stared, her face lengthened. She transformed before his eyes into a sleek black and white fish. Long and streamlined with a dorsal fin.

  “Holy shit,” he cursed. That was no fish. She’d turned into a killer whale in front of his eyes.

  Asia swam around him in a tight circle before backing away and poking her head and flippers from the water. Then she sank out of sight. Spyhopping. He dredged the word from his befuddled mind. What did she mean hold the image?

  Roman scowled. He might like swimming, but he wasn’t a damn fish. Was that why she’d acted so uneasy earlier on, when her behavior and actions didn’t fit? Because she’d hoped to hide their differences? A hollow feeling punched him in the gut.

  He was married to a fish.

  The whale—Asia—swam closer, and if an orca could frown that’s what she was doing. She nudged him roughly in the chest, hard enough to make him go under the water. When he came up spluttering, she waited for him. Her mouth gaped open, revealing large white teeth that curved backward to her throat. Asia pulled away and rolled suddenly onto her side. She slapped her fin on the surface of the water.