Jewel of Atlantis

stepped into their midst. Hope filled them. It had been so long, they thought, their excitement growing, and they hadn't been forgotten as they'd supposed.

The centaur wavered in his surety that Gray was nothing more than a human, but retained a firm grip on his doubt. 'Prove it,' the horse-man snarled.

His name is Bradair, Jewel whispered in Gray's mind. She hadn't been able to reach him this way since his sickness, and she had no way of knowing if it worked this time.

'Shall I strike you down with a lightning bolt, Bradair? Shall I turn your flesh to ash?' It had worked! Why, she didn't know. She was only glad that it had.

Color drained from the centaur's bronzed skin, revealing a fine trace of blue veins. 'How did you know my name?'

He f ears snakes, Jewel added.

Gray never missed a beat. 'Shall I toss you into a snake pit?' 'I—I—'

Ready to end this, Jewel closed her eyes and projected her thoughts into the patrons' minds, willing all of them to think Gray was floating, that fire crackled from his head, and lightning sizzled on his fingers.

Bradair fell to his knees, babbling, 'I am so sorry for my doubt, my lord. Please forgive me. I am a foolish man, and I will despise myself for all eternity for daring to question you.'

'You are forgiven. Make sure it doesn't happen again.'

'Yes, yes. Thank you, thank you.'

'Table, chairs.' Gray clapped, obviously enjoying his role. 'I have immediate need of them.'

Centaurs and sirens rushed to please the man, or rather god, beside her. A table was quickly cleaned, the contents swept to the floor with giddy eagerness, and two chairs dragged in front of it. 'Your table, oh Lord of Lords.'

He strode to it with an arrogant swagger, everyone he passed reaching out to touch him. He helped Jewel into her seat, then plopped down next to her. No one seemed inclined to leave; they hovered around the table, their expressions rapt. A female centaur with a silky mane of carmine hair stepped forward. Her chest was bare, and her large breasts bounced with her movements.

Jewel's hands fisted at her sides as she fought to the urge to cover Gray's eyes. 'Please allow me to serve you, Divine One. It will be my greatest pleasure.'

'Two of your finest.' Gray flicked Jewel a glance and noticed her chair was several inches away. He grabbed the edge of her seat and scooted her closer, until their thighs brushed.

She gasped at the hot, electric contact. Her gaze locked with his, and his lips slowly teased in a half smile. Every time she looked at him or touched him, she felt as if her soul were exposed. As if she were raw and vulnerable, and oh so needy.

'That's better,' he said to her, then to everyone else, 'Continue about your business.' Gradually, reluctantly, they obeyed, though everyone kept a reverent eye on him.

'I never expected you to announce your godliness like that. I thought we'd mention it, that's all.' She paused. 'You're always surprising me.'

'Then we're even.'

Jewel tore her focus from the hot intensity of his gaze and glanced around. The walls were painted with beautiful murals of frolicking centaurs, lush meadows, and blooming flowers. The wide array of colors was breathtaking, from the brightest azure to the palest pink.

Their drinks were deposited on their table a moment later. 'Is there anything else I may get for you, Glorious One? Anything? Anything at all?' As she spoke, the centaur's finger traced the outline of her nipple.

'Nothing else,' Jewel snapped. If anyone was going to invite Gray to bed, it was her. Jewel. Expression crumbling, the female trotted away.

'What was that about?' he asked, lips twitching.

'As if you don't know. Pervert!'

'Sheath the claws, Blaze. There's only one woman I'm interested in at the moment.'

Her stomach clenched deliciously, but she barely had time to explore the wonderful sensation before he was pushing a glass at her and saying, 'Drink up. We really can't stay here long.'

Curious and unsure, she sipped tentatively at the amber liquid. The icy liquid was sweet with an apple flavor. 'Mmm.' She drained the rest and despite its coolness, it warmed her inside out.

Gray gulped back a drink, then paused and grimaced. 'What is this stuff?' He held up his glass and eyed it suspiciously. He even sniffed the rim. 'It's like pure sugar.'

'I've never tasted anything so delicious.'

His gaze dropped and lingered on her lips, intoxicating and heady.

Her cheeks warmed with a blush, that one look affecting her as strongly as a caress, moving along her skin. Her nipples hardened. What would it be like if he licked her there? What would it be like if his fingers delved between her legs, spread her moisture and glided inside her?

She shivered.

What would it be like to clasp his penis in her hand and gently stroke up and down? Tasting the bead of maleness from the tip? So many times she'd dreamed of those things, prayed for them. Been desperate for them. Would he ever give them to her? Would he ever truly want to give them to her?

Her gaze strayed to the centaurs dancing in the middle of the buildings. Their arms were clasped around each other, their hooves swaying left and right, their tails swishing, and a deep pang of longing rebounded.

'You ready to begin your dancing lessons?'

'I've been ready for years,' she said, then pressed her lips together. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. She didn't want Gray to know how she felt about him. He claimed he preferred relationships over quick, forgotten entanglements, but she'd seen the number of women who had fallen in love with him only to watch his back as he walked away.

He was not a man who accepted ties easily.

Pushing to his feet, he intertwined their fingers and tugged her up. The calluses on his hand ignited an inexorable friction. Everyone watched as he ushered her onto the dance floor. He turned, facing the crowd, his back blocked by a corner, and spun her. He drew her into the hard embrace of his arms.

Her lashes fluttered down. She lay her head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent. Her hands wound around him, anchoring on his lower back, right above his buttocks and beneath his bag. She felt the strength of his muscles, the heat of his skin, and never wanted to leave that spot.

The music continued to play, soft and slow, and they swayed to its seductive beat. It felt so wonderful to be in his arms. So... perfect.

'You're a natural,' he praised, his voice thick. He buried his nose in the hollow of her neck, inhaling deeply. 'Hmm, you smell good. Ever heard of dirty dancing?'

'No.'

'Want me to show you?' His legs spread slightly, fitting hers between them, and his hips began to rock forward, brushing and retreating, his erection straining against her core.

Shock waves of pleasure shot through her, sizzling like the lightning Gray had threatened to use against the centaur, and she gasped. Every point of contact seared her.

'Move your hips against mine.'

She did, moving in the opposite direction and connecting in the middle. 'It's—it's—' The words caught in her throat, suspended on a jolt of pure carnality. Faster and faster they rocked, arching into one another.

'Perfect. God, I know.' One of his hands strayed to her buttocks, gripping, and the other lifted to her neck, tangling in her hair. He pulled her deeper into his embrace until their mouths were only a breath apart. Gazes locked together with sultry intensity, he moved one of his legs so that the apex of her thighs straddled him.

'Oh, gods.' Another gasp slipped from her. If they kept this up much longer, she was going to explode. Already her body rushed toward completion. A coiling of pleasure. A search for release.

'I want you tonight,' he said. 'I shouldn't, but I do. I want you so much I'm aching with it. I told myself I wouldn't take you all the way, just play a bit, but that's not going to be enough. Not nearly enough. Right now, I can't make the consequences matter. I want you tonight,' he repeated.

I want forever with him, she thought dazedly. Her taste of freedom today had broken something inside her. An acceptance, a passiveness. She deserved a Me all her own, a life of love and