plans.”
“Hopes and plans?” she asked. The warm
night air had dried their skin, leaving a light dusting of
salt.
“Yes. You know, my dreams.” He turned
and looked at her with that same expression. One of the birds
squawked again, left hanging in the middle of their conversation. Say it, she thought as she looked at him, her stomach
tightening into a fist. What is it? What do you want to tell
me? After a moment, he called back to the bird. The bird made a
chuckling sound, as if laughing at their exchange. Or teasing Nik
for being a coward.
Nik stood and reached down, taking her
hand. He led her down the steps into the hull of the boat. There
was a small, cozy sleeping room, about the size of a large closet,
barely tall enough for him to stand in. A low, wide bed was built
out of the sidewall. Nik led her to the bed and laid her on her
back, then slid in next to her. There were small oval windows along
the wall next to the bed, at about the same level as the water. The
surface of the water bounced against the windows, giving her
glimpses of the illuminated, underwater world, and brief peeks of
the island beyond.
Nik traced his fingertips along the
length of her body, from her knees, over her groin, along her belly
and breasts, and all the way to her neck. He danced his fingers
over her face and over her lips. Though his touch was as light as
the flutter of a butterfly, she felt like there was an electrical
change coming from his fingertips. As his hand fluttered back down,
her body arched up, eager for more contact.
He leaned down, his mouth at her lips,
and paused. His hand traced back down her torso, his fingertips
doing the light dance over her skin. His lips brushed hers. She
felt his breath on her face. He smelled like the earth after a
rain—earthy, clean, and purely masculine. He traced her lips with
the tip of his tongue in the same way his fingertips were tracing
over her breasts, circling her nipples. She opened her mouth and
their tongues met. She reached up, grabbing the back of his head
and pulling him into a deep kiss. His hand cupped her breast,
kneading and massaging.
“Oh, God, Nik. Oh, God,” she said,
breaking their kiss. She was already breathing hard. He had a
mysterious command over her body, knowing just what to do. She
responded in ways she only half understood, as if constantly
discovering new sides of herself. He seemed to possess some key
that opened her up in a way that was exotic and dangerous. It made
her bold, giving up any pretense of self-control or propriety. She
felt she could do anything with him and it would be okay. They were
in their own little cocoon of a world, where they placed no limits
on each other.
“Nik, I want you in my mouth. I want
to feel you in my mouth. I want to suck you.”
While still sliding his fingertips
over her, Nik sat up so he was on his knees, next to her head. She
turned toward him, seeing how large and hard he was. He held
himself. She opened her mouth, looking up at him. He guided into
her mouth as his other hand palmed her crotch. She reached up and
slowly stroking him as she sucked.
She’d imagined doing this in many
fevered dreams. It was so wonderfully personal, like she was
sucking at the very essence of him, his life force. She loved the
power and strength of him in her mouth, hard but vulnerable at the
same time. Both powerful and delicate. She could feel his pulse
though her hands and in her mouth.
She pulled him in deeper, as far as
she could. He let out a long, low groan as his fingers rubbed the
outside of her opening. He seemed to expand further, pushing out
against the inside of her mouth, growing more solid in her hands.
His finger slipped inside her. She let out a whimper as his palm
rubbed her.
Nik turned and lifted himself over
her, straddling her backwards. He pushed her legs wide apart with
his elbows and gently pulled her open with his fingertips. When his
mouth touched her she let out a long moan of pleasure. Feeling
Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain