Mutual Desire

by Donna Grant

  “If he returns,” Yuso agreed.

  Arian nodded, her heart in pieces. Just a few hours earlier she had been smiling, eager to get on with the day. Now all she wanted to do was curl up on the ground and die.

  She had never thought to fall in love, never thought to experience the joy and the pleasure that went with the emotion. But she also never expected to feel as though her heart had been torn from her chest.

  Life wasn’t worth living without Jensen. How could she face the long years of her life without him?

  And did she even want to?

  Jensen adjusted his bags on his shoulder as he stopped in front of a ship. It was the first one he found that was departing the Amazon that morning.

  He turned and let his gaze scan the port. He knew he shouldn’t have, but he found himself wandering here with a half hope that he would see Arian. It was the closest port to the tribe, and it was where he assumed she would go.

  But she was nowhere to be found.

  Jensen rubbed the back of his neck where a dull ache had begun. He had slept little during the night, and when he had, his dreams had been filled with Arian and her delicious body.

  “Ye comin’ aboard, lad?”

  Jensen jerked and looked to the old sailor. Jensen nodded to the grizzled man and stepped onto the ship. He had no idea where it was headed, and he didn’t care. As long as it took him far away from the Amazon.

  But he knew deep in his heart that he could run forever and still Arian and her violet eyes would haunt him.

  She had wanted to stay. He should have found a way so she could. But he had been too scared at the fierce emotions running through him. His need to keep her at his side and lock her away from everyone stopped him from doing something idiotic.

  Like letting her go?

  Jensen took another step then stopped and turned to the rain forest. The greatest pleasure, the greatest love he would ever know, was also his greatest find.

  “Lad?”

  “I’m coming,” Jensen said and forced himself to face his future. “Where is this ship headed?”

  “We’ll be stopping in Africa. Ye can get off there or stay with us when we head to Spain.”

  Jensen pulled his ticket out for the man. He had no wish to see Africa or Spain again. In fact, there was nowhere he wanted to go. After all the tales of his explorations he had told to Arian, nothing sounded interesting without her by his side.

  “Where’s yer destination, son?” the sailor asked.

  Jensen shrugged. “I have no idea. I lost my bearing yesterday.”

  “Maybe the ocean will help ye right yer heading.”

  “Maybe so,” Jensen said as he moved past the sailor, but he doubted it.

  He had always known where he wanted to go next, always had a heading. Until Arian stole his heart. Now he felt as if he were adrift in an ocean of nothingness.

  Greece, six months later

  “Your Highness, be careful,” Vlad called as she walked down the flimsy gangplank.

  Arian didn’t bother to heed his words. She stood in awe at the beauty of Greece. The water was just as bright turquoise as Jensen had described, and the buildings just as blindingly white.

  “Princess Arian, please, don’t get too far ahead of me.” Vlad huffed out great breaths as he hurried to catch up with her.

  She smiled. “I apologize, Vlad.”

  “No worries,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I’m just happy to see you smile again.”

  She had returned to Tulso, but after just a few short moments in the palace, she found it impossible to stay. She had called a meeting with her parents and informed them she would be leaving the next morning.

  Arian smiled as she recalled how her parents told her no and rose to leave as if that were the end of it. They hadn’t expected her to refuse to accept their answer, but Arian had found independence in her adventure that she hadn’t had before. And she found herself.

  She loved her newfound freedom, though her parents were none too happy. When she had then informed them of Jensen and how she had fallen in love with him, her father had patted her head like a dog.

  “You’ll get over it,” he had said.

  It had been the last straw for Arian. She could still see her father’s mottled face when she told him she wouldn’t marry anyone but Jensen. When he had threatened to disown her, Arian hadn’t even cared.

  Her mother had pleaded with her to stay in Tulso, but Arian had to leave to see the world. She needed to see the places Jensen had told her about, to see their beauty herself. She might not be able to share it with him, but she could walk in his same footsteps.

  “You’re parents won’t disown you,” Vlad said in the silence.

  Arian looked at her bodyguard. “They might. I think they still expect me to return and carry through with the wedding.”

  “No. Your father told me before we left he had already informed your intended that the wedding was off.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  Vlad licked his lips and shrugged. “The king asked me not to tell you until after we had been traveling for a while, but I thought it would help ease your mind somewhat.”

  “I don’t understand. I thought he was furious.”

  “He was, but apparently the queen had a long talk with him.”

  Arian should have known her mother would step in on her behalf. Her father always meant well, but sometimes he forgot he was a father and a king.

  “Thank you, Vlad.”

  “My pleasure, Your Highness. I have to admit, Greece is as beautiful as you said it would be.”

  Her throat clogged with tears as she gazed at the city. This was Jensen’s favorite place, so she had chosen it as her first stop. It had been quite a blow to learn she wasn’t carrying Jensen’s baby, but it steeled her resolve to travel the world until she found him. She wasn’t giving up. He filled her life and her heart, making her whole when she hadn’t even known she wasn’t.

  “Where to, Your Highness?”

  Vlad’s voice intruded on her thoughts. She turned to the beach and longed to have some time to herself. “Will you find us a place to stay while I take a walk?”

  “You know I cannot leave you.”

  She sighed. “All right. Let the guards find us rooms then. I would like to stay at least a week if not longer.”

  While Vlad gave instructions to one of the two guards that accompanied them, she ventured to the beach. She hadn’t gotten far when Vlad caught up with her.

  “Where shall we walk, Princess?”

  She pointed to a group of rocks. “You can sit there while I stroll down the beach. I promise I will stay in your line of sight, but I would like to be alone.”

  Vlad hesitated before he nodded. “As you wish. Just be careful.”

  “Of course.”

  She breathed in the sea air and shielded her eyes from the bright sun as she moved near the surf. She leaned down to kick off her shoes before she lifted her skirts in her hand and let the waves lap at her feet.

  Greece was enchanting and stunning. Arian had gotten used to the warmer climate since the Amazon and had even contemplated making her home away from Tulso. After she toured the world, she would then decide where she wanted to live.

  Her siblings hadn’t understood her need to leave Tulso and the palace, but then again, they had not met Jensen and seen the excitement in his hazel eyes as he spoke of his travels.

  “How long will you search for him,” her mother had asked.

  “Until I find him.”

  She smiled and closed her eyes, wishing with all her might Jensen would be in the one place he had said he wanted to return to.

  11

  Jensen stuffed his hands into his pockets and let the sea breeze blow his hair into his eyes. Not even the beauty of the Greek Isle could bring him out of the despair he had fallen into since Arian’s departure.

  After Africa and Spain, he had left the ship and found another. He had been surprised to find they wer
e bound for Greece, but it seemed fitting. It was the one place that had always called to him, the one place he had always thought of returning to.

  In a brief moment of insanity, he had contemplated going to Tulso and declaring his love for Arian in front of her family and the entire kingdom, if necessary. But the whiskey had worn off sooner than he would have liked and common sense prevailed.

  Jensen kicked the sand at his feet as the tide rushed around his ankles. He didn’t know what he was going to do with his life now. He could continue traveling, but it no longer held the same appeal it once had.

  There was also the university. Maybe he should return to America and begin teaching. There was nothing else for him to do.

  He took a deep breath and looked over the turquoise waters. A ship had docked in the port, disrupting his quiet. He groaned at the noise and decided to move farther down the beach.

  As he walked, he saw a big, hulking man atop some rocks grumbling to himself. Jensen passed him, dismissing him as he did everything else.

  But the word “princess” made Jensen stop in his tracks. He jerked around and looked at the man again. Jensen blinked, unsure if the man was real or a figment of his imagination.

  He walked to the man. The closer he drew to him, the more Jensen realized there was no mistaking the man to be Arian’s bodyguard.

  “Bloody hell,” Vlad said as their gazes met.

  Jensen’s heart pounded so hard in his chest he thought it might explode. “Tell me she’s here. Tell me she’s with you.”

  “She is.”

  Jensen whirled around. “Where?”

  His gaze searched for his princess with her midnight hair and violet eyes. Then he spotted her walking leisurely down the beach. He breathed in a shaky breath and started toward her. Each step he expected to wake from a dream, to have her jerked away from him as she was every morning when he woke.

  It wasn’t until he neared her that he realized he hadn’t asked Vlad if she was alone or with her husband. Jensen cursed himself for being ten kinds of fool. He had been about to sweep her off her feet and kiss her.

  Jensen stopped. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to talk to her without touching her, kissing her. Yet, if she was married, he had no right to do either. He had never thought to see her again, and knowing she was just steps away from him but she might not be free was like a knife slicing his heart in two.

  He had heard nothing of a wedding from Tulso, but then again, he hadn’t wanted to know. The mere thought of her binding herself to another made him physically ill, but he had held out hope that she might swell with his child. At least then he would have some connection to her even though he never intended to see her again.

  It was selfish, but, he had known it would be impossible to be near her and not touch her. He had only so much control, and around Arian he didn’t seem to have any.

  The very sight of her was like a ray of sunshine after an eternity of darkness. He started to turn away when she suddenly lifted her head and looked at him.

  For several heartbeats they just stared at each other. When her lips broke into a smile and she ran toward him, Jensen knew he would fight to keep her now that he had another chance. Common or not, he loved her.

  She flew into his arms, her laughter washing over him. He held her tightly against him, his heart bursting with joy. His eyes closed as he soaked in the feel of her wonderful, lush body.

  “I don’t believe it,” she whispered.

  He couldn’t either. He was afraid to loosen his hold on her for fear she would disappear.

  She leaned back and caressed his cheek. “Is it really you?”

  “It’s really me.”

  “I can’t believe it,” she said again as a tear slipped down her cheek. “I went back to the village for you the next day.”

  His stomach fell to his feet. “What? Why?”

  “Because I love you, you silly man. I would have given up my title if I’d had to, but my parents relented and ended my engagement.”

  “You love me?” He had known she cared, but he had never dared to hope that she loved him.

  She smiled. “I should have told you before I left the village, but I was afraid you would reject me. I don’t care that you’re a commoner, and it shouldn’t matter to you. I just want you in my life. Always.”

  “I should have fought for you,” he admitted. “I gave up.”

  She put a finger to his lips. “I don’t want us to think about what we should have done. We’ve found each other again. Let us think of that.”

  “There’s only one thing I want.”

  “What’s that?” she asked as she kissed his neck.

  “You. Will you be my wife, Princess Arian?”

  She sighed against him. “I thought you would never ask.”

  He spun her around, their laughter mixing with the sea breeze. He looked down into her smiling face. “We’ll get married immediately, unless you want something big and royal.”

  “I cannot wait that long. I’ve dreamed of all the ways I want to make love to you and I want to start right now.”

  “We need to find a church then.”

  Her violet eyes crinkled wickedly in the corners as she stepped out of his arms and took his hand. “I don’t think I can wait for that.”

  Jensen glanced down the beach to find Vlad had left his station on the rocks. “There’s a cove up ahead that is secluded.”

  “Sounds like just what I was looking for. Shall you take me in the water again?”

  He groaned, his cock throbbing with need. “In the water, out of the water, on top, on bottom, behind you, and any other way. I just want you.”

  She reached down and cupped his rod. “Can I suck you again?”

  “Bloody hell, Arian. Stop or I’ll spill now.”

  She stilled. “That’s the first time you’ve called me by my name.”

  He brought her hand to his mouth to kiss it. “That’s because you’re my princess. I love you.”

  “And I love you. Now what’s this about being on top? Can I be on top?”

  Jensen groaned as his cock jumped. His princess would certainly keep him sated and happy. He brought her against his chest, his hands just beneath her breasts. “Would you like to find out?” he asked as he ran his thumbs over her nipples.

  She sucked in a breath and melted against him. “I want you to show me everything. As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.”

  “Then I don’t want to keep you waiting a moment longer. Come.”

  Jensen took her hand and pulled her toward the cove. He had found it the first day he arrived, and he had pictured Arian naked in the turquoise waters.

  She was breathless, her smile wide, when he slowed and drew her around the rocks. “It’s stunning,” she murmured. “And you can be sure Vlad won’t let anyone disturb us.”

  “Just what I wanted to hear,” Jensen said as he began to un-lace her dress.

  She pushed his hands away. “Let me.”

  He laughed and began to jerk off his clothes, his blood on fire for her. Naked, he stepped into the water and held out his hand for her. “Ready?”

  “For you? Always.”

  She pushed against his chest and sent him falling back into the water. Jensen grabbed her hand and took her with him. They surfaced, their limbs entwined and their laughter filling the air.

  “It seems an eternity since I last saw you.”

  He caressed her cheek. “I think it was at least two eternities.”

  “But we’re together now.”

  Jensen hissed when her hand closed over his cock. “Bloody hell, Princess. I want you so bad I can hardly wait.”

  “Then don’t.” She wound her arms about his neck and smiled. “Take me.”

  Jensen reached between them and felt the wetness between her legs. He groaned and his balls tightened. “What do you want, Princess?”

  “You, my love. Always you.”

  He lifted her and wrapped her legs around his waist. With a
shift of his hips, his cock slid into her heat. He groaned at the exquisite feel of her.

  Her hands threaded in his hair as he leaned down to suckle her nipple. He ran his tongue back and forth over the bud and heard her moan his name. She rotated her hips and caused him to hiss in a breath.

  As desperately as he wanted her, he wouldn’t last long. “Arian.”

  “I need you,” she whispered in his ear before she bit down on his lobe.

  Jensen’s control snapped. He gripped her and began to move inside her slick heat with long, deep thrusts. She dropped her head back, her cries growing louder.

  His orgasm was building too fast. He ran his finger between her bottom cheeks until he found her hole. With just a small amount of pressure, she screamed his name, her sex clenching around him. Jensen buried his head in her neck and let his seed spill inside her as he peaked.

  With his body sated and weak, the next wave that crashed into them knocked him off his feet. He saw Arian’s smile as he surfaced and moved them to the shore.

  “I think I want a house by the beach or a lake. I quite like making love in the water,” she said as she leaned up to kiss him.

  “Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.”

  Her brows lifted. “What are you talking about?”

  Jensen rose and moved to his discarded clothes where he fished out the emerald. He tossed it to her and smiled as she gaped at the size of the gem.

  “Where did you get this?”

  He sat beside her and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “The Yanomami gave it to me for returning their god statue.”

  “You never said anything about this,” she said as her gaze rose to his. “Do you know how much this is worth?”

  “A fortune. It’s all I have, Arian, but it’s yours. I won’t have you living on dirt floors in a hut as my wife.”

  Her lips curved into a smile as she moved into his arms. “For you, I would live anywhere. All that matters is that we are together. I don’t need this stone or money to make me want to be your wife.”

  Jensen chuckled. “How did I get so lucky to get you?”

  “I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. Now,” she said as she set aside the gem. “Didn’t you mention making love to me while I’m on top?”