Israel

by Celeste Granger

  But Cairo. Israel felt a way about her, and he realized he needed to know if it was one-sided or a two-way street. If it were indeed one-sided, Israel would respect that and continue to admire Cairo from afar. If it was mutual, he was willing to explore. Hopefully, she was, too. Israel just had to decide on the approach.

  Two Nights Later

  “Dr. Davis?”

  “Yes,” Cairo replied, turning from the entrance of her tent to see who was speaking. “Oh, good evening Lachlan.”

  “G’ day,” he replied. “Mr. Ali asked me to pop around. He’s got something he wants you to see.”

  “Another discovery?” Although it had been a long day, Cairo’s interest was definitely piqued.

  “You could say as much.”

  “Okay, just give me a second to grab my bag,” Cairo replied.

  “No worries,” Lachlan nodded.

  The day had been exceptionally hot, and Cairo was physically tired, yet the idea of a new curiosity to explore energized her like nothing else could. She grabbed her backpack that held all the essentials for a night in the outback and headed out of her tent, where Lachlan was waiting for her.

  “Ready when you are,” Cairo announced as she emerged from inside.

  Lachlan led Dr. Davis across the campsite. She eagerly followed in his footsteps until they reached his jeep.

  “We’re driving?”

  “Fastest way to get there,” Lachlan answered, offering no additional information. He did, however, offer Dr. Davis a hand in getting into the jeep. Once she was seated, Lachlan walked around the front of the vehicle and then climbed in on the driver’s side. He fired up the engine, turned on the headlights, and put the truck in reverse before putting it in drive to head towards their destination. The evening air was much cooler than it had been earlier in the day, and in the jeep, the breeze was divine. Cairo folded her arms on the door and leaned her head out, catching the fullness of the cooling breeze. It was divine. Lachlan was quiet during the ride. Cairo expected that and didn’t press him for rudimentary conversation. She was okay with his silence, and it gave her a chance to sit back and relax.

  As she looked out over the horizon, Cairo began to recognize where they were headed. And when Lachlan didn’t divert from the path, they’d walked a few weeks earlier, Cairo knew where she was headed. Seeing the cavern again was somewhat unnerving. All she could think about was the bats and the darkness and being scared out of her mind. But as Lachlan pulled in front of the entrance, Israel came into view. Suddenly her apprehension about the cave began to subside, especially after he smiled.

  Lachlan put the truck in park as Israel made his way toward her. Cairo never got tired of watching the way Israel moved. He was effortlessly smooth and debonair. She silently swooned as he drew closer.

  “Good evening,” Israel crooned as he stood next to her car door.

  “Good evening,” she smiled.

  Cairo unbuckled her seatbelt as Israel opened the door. As soon as his warm outstretched hand touched Cairo’s reaching fingers, she felt safe.

  “I promise, no bat encounters this time,” Israel said against her hair as he lifted her down from the jeep.

  It was as though he read her mind, and Cairo laughed in response.

  “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  Israel closed the car door. “Thanks, mate.”

  “No worries, mate,” Lachlan answered. He waited in the vehicle, illuminating their path until Cairo and Israel disappeared from view.

  “When did you do all of this?” Cairo asked as they rounded the side of the cave, and she found herself walking on a candlelit path.

  “When the rest of the camp was sleeping,” Israel answered, folding Cairo’s arm around his. They continued a few more feet up the path.

  “Israel,” she breathed, “this is incredible.”

  Cairo’s eyes grew wide, looking at what he had done. There was a large white canopy tent with sheer walls. Light poured from inside the tent that was lined with lanterns encasing flickering light that beautifully illuminated the space. Israel escorted Cairo to the entrance and then held back the flexible wall so she could pass inside. The look on her face was priceless. Israel watched as she took in what he prepared for her, soft music playing, a carafe of wine chilling, hors d’oeuvres both sweet and savory, and a pallet of colorful pillows.

  “Why?” Cairo asked, turning her full attention to him.

  “Why not?” Israel replied.

  “That’s not really an answer,” Cairo uttered.

  “It is an answer,” Israel crooned, reaching up and gently tucking a loose tendril behind her ear. “But is that the question you really want to ask?”

  It wasn’t, not fully. They locked eyes. Cairo didn’t avert her orbs from his gaze. Instead, she sought answers to her unspoken question in the depths of his obsidian eyes. What she saw echoed what her heart felt, but what her thoughts desperately tried to override. Israel noticed a slight pitch to Cairo’s brow and a glint in her eyes when she found the answer she was looking for. He didn’t give her a chance to back away from it, to retreat to that place of insecurity and wonder. Israel’s fingers sensuously stroked her bare arm. Then he came closer, looking at Cairo intensely. She felt her pulse beat in her throat. Almost as though he sensed it, Israel lowered his mouth and kissed the vibration there. Cairo inhaled sharply at the unexpected contact, his mouth waxing wane against her reverberating flesh. Her heart hammered foolishly in her chest, and Israel kissed her neck again, this time leaving light heated kisses up her elegant length.

  For Cairo, Israel made the air in the room thin, making it hard to breathe, keeping her lightheaded. Israel’s hands slipped up her arms, drawing her closer. She exhaled on a gasp, and he claimed Cairo’s lips, crushing her to him. Israel’s lips were punishingly searching and sensuous simultaneously, claiming her, possessing her, marking her as his own, if she accepted. Cairo basked in Israel’s presence, her jewel already pulsating from the thought of what his lips did to her soul, escalating her heartbeat to the point she thought it would explode in her chest. Cairo’s knees buckled under the weight of everything she felt and didn’t want to feel, flashing thoughts of not being enough roaming through her head. Unknowingly, Israel pulled her from her negative thoughts, inclining her eyes to his and settling her soul with a soft yet probative gaze. She didn’t want to stop herself from being present in the moment with him. Israel felt right to her, and her heart pounded in response to him. More than that, Cairo’s soul was at ease feeling completely safe, completely protected, and absolutely wanted in his presence. The mink of Cairo’s lashes kissed the mahogany of her skin as she looked up into Israel’s eyes. This time, she was the one who kissed him urgently, exploratively, kissing Israel with a hunger that belied her inward conflict.

  Easing her lips away from him, Cairo maintained her gaze as she reached to the bottom of her shirt, grabbed it, and then lifted it over her head. Israel’s eyes lowered, brimming with passion as he appraised the beautifulness that was Cairo’s body, the swell of her voluptuous breasts, and the enticing cleavage they created. When he lifted her eyes to meet hers, his burning eyes held her still as he mimicked her movement, reaching for the bottom of his shirt and lifting it overhead. Cairo’s eyes immediately fell to the broad of Israel’s defined chest and the rip of his washboard abs, observing them through low lashes. Slowly reaching up, Israel’s fingers brushed gently against her collarbone, lingering there too long for the touch to be incidental. The tremulous breath that passed through Cairo’s full lips magnified an ache in Israel’s core. He wanted her.

  His hands fell to Cairo’s slender shoulders and, with a sweeping motion, eased the silky straps aside. Putting a large hand to Cairo’s waist, he drew her form to him. She felt the unevenness of his breath against her ear as his hands found the center of her back, releasing the clasps of her bra. Israel inhaled when he felt the fullness of her mounds spill onto his hard chest. He took a slight step back, raking hooded e
yes over her marvelousness, the swell of her dark nipples the round of her breasts. Lifting her hand, Cairo traced a single finger down Israel’s center. Her eyes followed her line until her finger rested on the edge of his pants. Meticulously, Cairo’s eyes moved up the length of him as her finger traced the pants’ edge. When her fingers found the connector and unsnapped it, a primal urge swept over Israel. The dismantling of clothing that had once been sensually slow was replaced by the tearing away of whatever kept him from her.

  He leaned her back against the billowiness of the mound of pillows and opened her legs, revealing her sweet spot. Israel continued to kiss Cairo and nibble her ears then her neck as his fingers found Cairo’s tenderness. Israel inserted one finger then two, thrusting slowly in and out. Cairo’s hips gyrated with each thrust as she continued to crest toward her first orgasm. Israel removed his fingers from Cairo’s sweet spot and licked the delicious nectar from each one. He had to have more. He wanted to taste more of the woman he craved. Israel left a trail of long, deep kisses down Cairo’s chest and belly as he made his way to the treasure. Israel breathed in deeply, taking Cairo’s scent deep into his nostrils. He admired the beauty of Cairo’s cut and smiled up at her as he began to laden Cairo’s inner thighs with kisses and nibbles. Israel pushed his tongue past the folds of Cairo’s jewel box and found the pearl. Initially, softly then with more intensity, Israel sucked Cairo. Israel moaned inside her, and she screamed in sweet release, blessing him with hot liquid nectar, which Israel eagerly consumed.

  But he wanted more. Israel wanted more of Cairo, and she wanted more of him.

  “Please, Israel, she moaned as she reached for him, digging her nails into his back, clawing for him to fill her. She moaned from need writhing because her body continued to convulse from his touch. Unable to hold out any longer, Israel slithered up the length of her, coming eye to eye with Cairo. He saw want in her eyes as he continued to taste her sweetness on his lips. Israel inclined himself to Cairo in such a way that her eyes were captive to his as his thickness found the entrance to her wanton wet pussy waiting.

  “Aw shit,” he growled as the heat from her box met his thickness.

  “Ahhnnn,” she groaned as she felt him enter into her sanctuary, filling her to capacity at a pace that made Cairo beg for more, for all of it. Wrapping her legs around his muscular back, Cairo pulled Israel in. They fell in sync as she moved her hips circularly, filling her womanly walls. Israel’s dick throbbed. Cairo offered new wetness coating him. He couldn’t get enough of her, rocking Cairo with his powerful thrusts. When she moaned again, Israel eased her legs from around him and slid his hands down, cupping her ass. He lifted Cairo slightly and lifted on his knees. The fuck came harder, faster as his sac slapped against Cairo’s plump ass. The sound of their bodies connecting and reconnecting as only matched by the moans and groans escaping their lips. Their bodies rocked under the thunder of Israel’s dick, pushing the top of Cairo’s jewel, hitting her pearl time and time again. She couldn’t catch her breath. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t get enough.

  Cairo reached for him, but Israel’s stroke quickened. He had to have her, to connect with her, to seal a bond with her. She fell back onto the pillows, grabbing and gripping whatever her hands could hold.

  “Israel,” she screamed as he leaned forward, lifting her higher and fucking her senseless. The pace was furious, as their bodies clapped together. Cairo’s thighs were wet with perspiration, and her eyes rolled inside her head as Israel sent her on a wave of ecstasy.

  “Cum with me Cairo,” he uttered as his body convulsed from the pressure building inside him. Cairo was boiling over, no longer in control. There was a quickening deep in her loins. Their moans and animalistic growls echoed against the cave wall as a sound, unlike anything she ever heard, poured from Israel as he spilled hotness inside her. She matched him with coating his thickness with sweet sticky nectar. The surge of orgasm was mind-numbing. Spent, Israel collapsed on top of her. Cairo folded her arms around him. Their hearts continued to race as they held each other tightly.

  Chapter Seven

  That night Cairo felt more than she ever planned, and so did Israel. Her body had been reawakened, and so had her heart. The cadre of emotions she felt superseded her feelings of incompleteness, at least temporarily. Cairo felt herself moving past admiring Israel and liking him. She felt a level of connection to him that was unexplainable. It felt like love.

  Love. That feeling was unexpected and conflictual considering. Yet, lying next to Israel, nestled in the strength of his arms, it was hard to think about the conflict and much easier to focus on how he made her feel. Israel had unlocked her heart and her soul.

  “I can get used to this,” Israel hummed against her ear as their bodies spooned in full contact from head to toe.

  “Too bad it has to end,” Cairo mused.

  “Does it,” Israel asked, nuzzling his lips against her ear.

  “Mmmm,” Cairo buzzed as Israel layered sweet kisses down her neck. “We have to get up in a minute, so you might not want to.”

  The rest of what Cairo intended to say was muted as Israel seized her mouth with a savage intensity. She felt the press of his thickness against her ass, and Cairo’s body beckoned him. Her yoni moistened in response to his presence as she moaned in his mouth, sending vibrations from her lips to his.

  “I could stop so we won’t be late,” Israel teased as he wrapped his arm around Cairo’s taut waist.

  “You better not,” Cairo sexily chastised.

  She drew his face to hers, interlocking their eyes and their auras as Israel lifted his fullness into her throbbing puss. She moaned again, but no sound passed through Cairo’s gorgeous lips. Her mouth opened on a pant which drove Israel wild. He lifted into her again, feeling the walls of her wanton womb assuage his penetrating manhood. The intense gaze they maintained as their bodies made beautiful music together seared their connection, bonding them in a way that was undeniable and heartfelt. The rhythm of their motion was intentionally slow so that every push, every grind, every thrust, every give, and every take could be felt fully.

  Israel’s hardness electrified Cairo. As he roused her passion, his passion grew exponentially. Israel’s heart thumped hard in his chest as he felt gism rising in his fullness. She gyrated her hips in circular motions shortening and expanding the distance of her pearl, which Israel struck with precision. Cairo’s dark nipples hardened, and a surge of need rushed through her as she teetered on the peak of ecstasy. Israel free in Cairo a bursting of sensations as the heated tide of passion raged through both of them. Her body vibrated with liquid fire as Israel held back as long as he could. His spill met her spill as their mouths converged in a titillating kiss, pleasure radiating between them.

  It was more than just physical. It had always been.

  And over the course of the next six weeks, there were many nights like that first night when they connected in ways that surpassed words, and they learned the innermost sacred spaces held by the other. The excursion was coming to an end. The site yielded enough gold to make a positive, sustained contribution to the Aboriginal people who would be left in charge of additional recovery and dispensation of the funds derived from what was found. That part was very satisfying. It didn’t come without a great deal of negotiation and the backing of Ali International. Signed agreements between the Australian government, Ali International and the appointed leaders and negotiators for the Aboriginal people was the result that was widely celebrated by all those involved. It was a win on a number of levels, and there was a certain level of satisfaction resulting from it. But there was always the feeling that more could and should be done.

  “Lachlan, I would hope you would stay on and be an integral part of the management of the site once we are gone,” Dr. Davis suggested. “Collectively, Mr. Ali and I can make the appointment of General Manager if you would be willing to take on the title and responsibility.”

  Lachlan, a typically quiet man, was even quieter
after the proposition.

  “Strewth,” Lachlan replied, looking between Cairo and Israel.

  “Why are you surprised,” Israel asked. “You’ve proven to not only be knowledgeable about excavation but more than that you are an honorable man with the best interest of the original people at your center. What more could we ask for in a leader?”

  “Bloody Crikey,” Lachlan smiled, reaching out a hand to Israel. “I’ll take care of ‘er like she were me own.”

  “She is your own,” Israel replied, shaking Lachlan’s hand.

  “No worries, Dr. Davis,” Lachlan said, turning his attention to Cairo.

  “No worries, mate,” she answered with a smile.