She tilted her head and looked at him. How rude. “I doubt that. This would be pretty hard to beat.”
“Come back with me and I’ll prove we have the better views.”
“Funny.” She slipped off her shorts and laid them across the seat. “I’ll race you to the water.” Without waiting to see if he followed, she took off.
Kristor watched, knowing he would let her win—this time. A smart warrior knew which battles he needed to win. Not that he minded letting her go first. She was right, the view of her in that tiny yellow bikini could not be beat.
He followed at a slower pace. She screamed when she ran into the water. He laughed.
“It’s cold.”
Kristor smiled. The water might be cold, but it didn’t stop her from diving in headfirst. He held his breath when she didn’t immediately emerge. Just when he would have jumped in, she shot out of the water.
“Come on. I promise I won’t let you drown.”
Maybe he shouldn’t have lied when he told her he couldn’t swim. That had been wrong. He only hoped it took her a very long time to figure it out.
He waded in. She was right. The water was cool, refreshing after having the sun beat down on them. He walked to where she stood, the water to her shoulders. It was much lower on him.
“You have to get your head wet.” She placed her hands on top of his head and pushed.
He didn’t move. Why would he? Her breasts were in his face.
“You’re supposed to go under,” she complained.
He laughed, then obliged, although he rather enjoyed the proximity of her body next to his.
“There, now I’ll teach you to swim. One arm, then the other.” She demonstrated.
Kristor made sure his movements were awkward. In truth, he was a strong swimmer.
She shook her head. “Not like that.”
She took his arm and made the motion again, then stood behind him, her chest pressed against his back. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment.
“Are you paying attention?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“I don’t think you are.”
“It’s hard to move my arms correctly with you standing behind me. Try moving to the front.”
She was so intent on teaching him to swim that she complied with his request, snuggling in front of him.
“Try putting your arms on top of mine and you can follow my movements.”
He enjoyed the way she wiggled her bottom. He could follow her movements until the sun slipped beneath the horizon, or until he mated with her again. But then, she abruptly moved away.
“Okay, now watch me.” She swam a short distance, then turned and came back. “Do you think you can do that?”
“I’ll try.” He swam out a ways, then dove beneath the water, coming up in front of her. He took her in his arms, pulling her close to him.
“You know how to swim,” she accused.
“I’m a fast learner.”
“Very funny.”
“Are you mad?”
She tried not to smile, but it broke through anyway. “Furious.” She leaned forward, planting her mouth on his.
When the kiss ended, they were both gasping for air. “I want to mate.”
“In the water?”
“Good idea.” He reached for her top.
“No, I wasn’t agreeing.”
“Then you don’t want to mate?”
“I do, but not here, not now. I want to get to know you better. I think we rushed things a little last night.”
He sighed, but gave in to her wishes. He would never understand women. They were almost the same on New Symtaria. “So what will we do?”
“Talk.”
Yes, Earth women and Symtarian women were alike in many ways. A woman was a woman, no matter where she was from. Which made them even more interesting.
Chapter 13
Ria spread her towel on the ground and lay down. The sun was hot, but the leafy branches of an old and gnarled oak tree spread out, giving them plenty of shade. She closed her eyes and sighed. Kristor spread his towel next to hers, dripping water across her back.
She gave him her evil-eye glare. “You did that on purpose.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
He lay down beside her. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t think you are.” His eyes twinkled with mischief. No, he’d definitely meant to drip water on her. Damn, he was just too sexy. Bare, tanned chest, rock-hard muscles, and all of it exposed for her pleasure. This had to be what heaven was like, or at least pretty darn close.
“So you do want to mate,” he said.
It took a moment for his words to sink in. When they did, she quickly looked away, turning on her back and draping her arm across her eyes to block the glare of the sun, and the temptation to look a little longer at Kristor’s delicious body. She’d meant it when she told him she wanted to slow down their relationship. She barely knew him.
And it was time to face the facts. As much as she’d like to think she had dreamed everything, she hadn’t. She had really shifted into a frog. She really did have an animal guide. She really was part alien.
“Tell me about New Symtaria,” she said. “Tell me about who I am, where I come from.”
He was silent for a moment as though carefully choosing his words. “Symtarians are a proud people, but our ancestors were brought to their knees when Symtaria was dying. They had worn out the planet, polluted its resources. When they went in search of a new one, they vowed to learn from the mistakes of the past. We live a more simple life now.”
“How so?” she asked.
“We’re very careful with waste. We’ve learned to enjoy the simple things.”
She rolled onto her side and looked at him. He’d turned onto his back, staring up at the sky. She loved watching him, and she loved hearing him talk about New Symtaria.
“And how did you become shapeshifters?” she asked.
“Long ago, gods and goddesses walked the land. They were one with the people. Part human, part animal. Their powers were great, and helped the people. Then they mated with some of the chosen. The offspring were not human, nor were they animal. Two living as one, they were both. One cannot truly survive without the other. Eventually, everyone had their own animal guide to help them when they were needed.”
“It sounds like a fairy tale—a fantasy.”
“Not quite. We angered the gods when we destroyed our planet through our carelessness. That is why we
