Free Blood in the Marsh by Ciana Stone

strained at the elastic material of her top, full and round, and her abdomen was flat and hard. She had a golden tan with no apparent tan lines that made him want to see if there was a place on her that wasn’t kissed by the sun.
    Tearing his eyes away, he pushed back the erotic images that were coming to mind and opened a beer. “This is great.”
    “So you like sailing?”
    He nodded and smiled at her. “And it’s obvious you do.”
    “I love it. When I’m sailing I feel free. There’s nothing but me and the water and the wind and I feel as if nothing can hurt me or make me sad. Sometimes I just want to become the feeling and never return to reality.”
    “I don’t think I’d like it if you never came back.”
    Lyra blushed and looked away and Nick touched her arm. “I mean it. I really like being with you.”
    “I like being with you, too,” she whispered almost too softly to be heard.
    They ate and Nick opened a couple more beers. He leaned back and propped his head against the cooler. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
    “I guess so.” She lay on her stomach beside him and propped up on her elbows. “What?”
    “You know yesterday when we were talking, you asked me if I’d ever been in love.”
    “Yes.” She took a sip of her beer.
    “Have you ever been in love, Lyra with a ‘y’?”
    She studied her beer bottle, scratching at the label with her fingernail. “No.”
    “Not even in school?”
    She shook her head. “I never had a serious relationship.”
    “That’s kind of hard to believe.” Nick turned on his side and propped up with one arm. “I mean surely you must have had a steady boyfriend in high school or college.”
    “Nope. I dated, but it was usually just a one-time deal.”
    “You mean a one-night stand?”
    “No!” She immediately blushed.
    He changed the subject. “My friend, Mike, the guy I’m staying with and I were thinking about having a little party next Friday. Would you go with me?”
    “What kind of party?”
    “You know, the usual. Food, beer, a little music.”
    “And magic?”
    “I might be persuaded. But it’ll cost you.”
    “How much?”
    “How about a kiss and a smile?”
    She looked down for a moment then nodded. “Sounds fair.”
    Nick leaned over and brushed his lips against hers, moving his hand to her back. He felt the trembling and pulled back, looking into her eyes. She met his eyes without blinking and he moved his lips back to hers.
    After a moment, her lips parted beneath his. She tasted of beer and pretzels and some sweet essence all her own. His hunger rose and the kiss deepened. Almost immediately, she tensed. Nick reluctantly pushed back his desire. It was imperative that she give herself to him freely.
    When he pulled away and looked at her, her face was slightly flushed and her eyes were hooded. She looked like the perfect picture of sensuality and desire. He had to fight the urge to take her in his arms again. To his great surprise, he found that he had never wanted a woman as much as he wanted her at that moment. It was a feeling that made him uncomfortable.

    Lyra stared into his eyes, feeling as if her entire body was tingling. She had never felt that way before. Part of her was afraid of the feeling, but another part liked it. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to forget it or hope it happened again. For some reason every feeling she had about him was accompanied by another equal, but opposite feeling. She dismissed the anxiety and concentrated on the excitement, hoping he would kiss her again.
    He looked into her eyes for a moment then flopped down on his stomach and groaned.
    “What’s wrong?” She immediately thought that either she had done something wrong or he had an upset stomach from the food.
    He laughed and looked up at her. “You don’t have a clue, do you?”
    She shook her head, completely confused. He reached up and lightly pulled her long hair.
    “Lyra with a ‘y’, you’re enough to make a man crazy. I