Her hair had come free of its tightlycontrolled chignon and now hung behind her, floating in the water.
“Like it?” he asked. He was sitting on therock from which she’d dived with his bare feet dangling over the edge. Beneaththe hem of the breechclout, she could see his privates and a tingle of purelust drove straight through her lower body.
“Join me,” she said, and hardly recognizedher husky voice.
He hesitated for a moment then got to hisfeet, stripped the breechclout from his hips and arched into the water like thechampion she knew he’d been from reading his file.
Though acute pain had clawed at his back ashe dared to go against his hellion, the moment he entered the water, his queenreleased her tight control on him, without doubt feeling the exhilaration andpleasure he was experiencing at being in the water after so long a time deniedits soothing delights.
The pool was deep and Shanee treaded wateras she watched him cut through the water with purpose, his powerful strokespulling him along. She could see the muscles bunching in his upper arms, hisshoulders, and now and then a glimpse of his perfect backside made her lick herlips.
Oh how she wanted this man! she thought asshe watched him dive deep below the surface. She ached between her legs withsuch fiery need she wanted to drag him out of the water, stake him upon thecrushed pebbles and straddle him, impaling herself as deep as he could go. Shelonged to taste him, to feel the weight of his body pressing down on hers, thehot warmth of his hands and mouth on her breasts.
When he shot up right in front of her—hisbody sliding sensually against hers, his strong legs churning the water—she hadno other thought in her head than to lift her legs and lock them around hiships, her arms around his neck, flattening her breasts to his broad chest.
He never faltered, never even batted an eye.He just stretched out on his lean flanks and moved backward in the water, hisarms pulling them toward the shore until his feet could touch the sloped bottomof the pool. His cock rested along the cleft of her ass and it was hard andthick and hot, pulsing now and then against her.
“I want you,” she said as he turned andwalked with her out of the water.
“I know.”
It had not been said arrogantly or withconceit but as an acceptance of her need that matched his. When he carried herto his pallet and knelt down to allow her to lie on her back on that softexpanse, she did not break her hold on him, and he stretched out atop her, hisweight a heavenly burden that sent shivers of delight through her groin. Hetouched the wound that marred her shoulder.
“Who did this?” he asked, anger leaping inhis amber gaze.
“A dead man,” she answered.
He held her gaze for a long moment thenlowered his head to the wound and kissed it gently, laving it with his tongue.As he did, his cock leapt against her.
She wriggled against him, wanting thatdelicious cock inside her, but when he shook his head, she wanted to scream.“Why not?”
He smiled gently and put his hands toeither side of her face. “Because you are ovulating, ionúin, and I wouldnot give you a child until we are legally Joined as man and wife. I want nobastard son of ours to ever feel the disapproval of his peers.”
From all the reading she had done about themen who had been experimented on at R-9, Shanee knew Reapers mated only once intheir lives. No other woman would ever know the power and thrust of them. Theywould allow no other man to have what was theirs. She knew when Ailyn Harmattantook her, he would be the last man she would ever allow that right.
“You must be sure it is I you want, littleAmazeen,” he said, looking down into her eyes.
“Am I what you want?” she asked, staring athis sensual mouth.
He stroked his thumbs over her cheekbones.“Morrigunia Herself sent you to me. I’ve no doubt in my mind about that. Canyou not feel Her hand in this?”
Shanee knew they shared the goddess incommon in their religions but she’d never thought much about such things.Though she gave lip service to the deities, she had never really believed inTheir existence or Their supposed power to sway fate. At that moment though,she believed.
“Of all the women in the megaverse whocould have been sent here, it was you who came,” he said. “I felt the pull assoon as your ship sailed overhead. I didn’t know what awaited me or who, but Iknew my life would never be the same again. I accepted that the moment I feltyour thoughts last eve.”
“We could be all wrong for one another,”she said, trying to be a responsible adult.
“You don’t believe that and neither do I,”he said, and lowered his mouth to hers.
As experienced as she was, Shanee had neverknown a kiss could be so enthralling, so devastating and so powerful that itliterally made her toes curl. His mouth was a warm haven into which her verysoul sank as he drew upon her lips. She throbbed in places she didn’t even knowshe had and such a powerful sense of rightness with this man passed over herthat she melted into his embrace.
“I want… I need…”
“I know what you need, ionúin. Letme provide it.”
He eased off her to lie beside her, slidinghis hand to her silken curls as he bent over and claimed her breast between hislips. His fingers—first one then two then three—slid into her warm sheath andbegan a deep, penetrating rhythm while his thumb grazed her swollen clit.
She writhed on the pallet, her hips archingup
