14
The grainy sand was almost white, speckled with tiny rocks along the shore. It may be close to midnight in Honolulu, but the moon hung low and was heavy with silver light, beaming off the silent sea like a jewel. Corran had finished collecting samples from the volcano crater, and true to his word, he took me swimming.
“You look spectacular,” he said, and I glanced over at him, still in his jeans and buttoned up shirt looking proper as always. At least he’d removed his shoes.
I looked down at myself in a swimsuit we’d found at one of a handful of stores still open. A skinny black bikini, barely covering the sides of my breasts and so skimpy that I might as well have been naked in the back. Corran had surprised me by insisting I wear it. I tried to tell myself that I didn’t adore the way his eyes glinted when he stared at me, eating me up with his gaze.
“Why do you enjoy dunking yourself in cold, salty water?” he asked.
“Stop analyzing everything.” I grabbed his hand and drew him toward the water lapping across the shore. “It’s such a hot night, and it’s refreshing to go swimming, especially with someone else.” I winked his way. “Especially when the two of us combined should be wearing a lot less clothes than you are right now.” I eyed him head to toe.
“If you’re implying sex, the friction is painful in water.”
I sighed and hauled him closer to the water. “Just follow my direction, okay?”
And to my surprise he nodded.
The water rushed toward us, running up and over my feet. I giggled and latched onto Corran’s arm, while he stood there, the hems of his jeans getting wet. He didn’t seem to notice as he kept staring at me.
“What?”
“Something in your face looks different when you smile today.” He watched me closely, or more like studied me. Corran was always trying to work me out, while me… I just wanted to laugh for a change, stop being afraid.
“It’s called freedom.” And the moment the words fell from my mouth, an awkwardness fell over me because he was my captor and I wasn’t really free. After our time together with him carefully explaining all the data he was collecting on the volcano, I’d foolishly let myself imagine that our situation had changed. All because he’d made me feel incredible in his company, trusting me to help him, taking me to the beach, spoiling me. The hard facts remained however that I remained under his control.
I turned away from him and faced the ocean, my hand slipping out of his grasp. Out in front of me, the dark waters came in gentle waves, proving that nothing would ever tame the ocean.
Corran placed a hand on my shoulder, his touch sizzling hot. “Did I do something wrong?”
When I met his gaze over my shoulder, his lips curled upward, and he reached over cupping the side of my face so tenderly I almost let myself believe he truly cared.
“On my home planet, women are worshipped and adored. We protect them above all else, and we keep them close at all times to ensure they are safe. But you say freedom like claiming you is wrong.”
“Are you listening to what you’re saying?” I said, my mouth hanging open from his response.
“Earth is no longer the place you once experienced,” he retorted. “And it will never be the same. We’ve offered you freedom from what is coming,” he growled, his expression darkening, and in a heartbeat his features schooled, and his words faded as if he’d said too much. “Go, have your swim, we have to leave soon,” he snapped.
I turned and headed into the waters feeling less than a person because the Vepar had this way of giving, then taking away any good they did. Always reminding me of my place. If they revered females so much, why dominate them? My stomach churned with his last words about Earth never being the same again. Something was happening, and it had to do with the test results I found in their secret lab, I felt it in my bones. Regardless of what Corran told me, I wasn’t sure how much I could believe. After all, they’d arrived here, shrouded in secrets, so why would he so easily divulge their information? Nope… more secrets lay hidden, and I had every intention to find them out. If I was stuck with them, hidden from another monster, then I’d at least uncover the truth.
The cool water lapped around my thighs and I pushed deeper into the water, dunking myself into the sea’s embrace, the iciness refreshing. There was an eeriness about floating in water so dark I couldn’t see my hand just below the surface. Who knew what swam around me… but was that any different to being in the company of Vepar?
I stared back to Corran. He leaned against a palm tree, arms folded over his broad chest, watching me. What would he do if I dove under and never resurfaced? Probably drain the ocean to find me. I would laugh if I didn’t believe he’d do exactly that.
I left the water behind, my skin pricked with the cold. Corran hadn’t moved from his position even though the towel he’d purchased lay right by his feet. Instead, he drank me in from my head to toes, his sights fastened on my breasts in the skimpy bikini, at my pebbled nipples. When I reached his side, he picked up the towel and dusted it of sand before wrapping it around my shoulders. He rubbed the fabric over my arms and back to dry me. His moves were smooth and unaffected, but his eyes held a hunger that showed how he truly was feeling.
He leaned down and kissed me, his lips on fire. His breathing escalated and he held onto my shoulder while another hand cupped my breast. With deft fingers, he peeled back the material, revealing one of my breasts. Then he bent over further, collecting it into his mouth.
I gasped, glancing around to see if anyone was around. Finding we were alone I relaxed although the knowledge that we could get caught still filled me with a nervous thrill. His hands fell to my backside and he kneaded my cheeks. The way he sucked on my chest had me swooning, arousal escalating quickly through me, my head fogged with heat. And he wasn’t letting me go either, plucking at my flesh with his lips.
“Corran,” I breathed, fire scorching hot between my thighs. As if sensing my need, his fingers found the edge of my bikini bottoms and slid inside. Caressing me softly, he slowly slid into me. I parted my legs slightly for easier access, only the towel sitting on my back like a cape concealing what was going on if anyone watched. My cheeks sizzled, but nothing compared to the heat I felt that he was touching me so intimately in public.
I groaned, grasping his shoulders, needing him with every fiber of my being. I ought to be pissed at his treatment of me earlier, but as always, his attentiveness won me over, taking all my anger away.
When he turned me around, driving my back to the palm tree, he ripped the bikini top the rest of the way off. I could barely breathe from need. His mouth latched onto my other breast, eliciting another gasp out of me. His fingers pushed back into my bikini bottoms, and his knee nudged my legs wider.
“We shouldn’t do this here,” I moaned, staring around us, but when his fingers slipped inside of me again, I lost myself. Gone were all my thoughts, the only thing remaining was a desperate desire to float on the clouds. His tongue flicked me and holding out seemed an impossibility. His teeth bit down softly on my flesh, and it all become too much, too fast. I fell over the edge, and a cry of pleasure fell from my mouth, my body shuddering.
Diving into my mouth in a deep kiss, Corran’s tongue slayed me, erasing every thought of the outside world until I was breathless, and we had to break away to drag in air. I writhed, soaking, every last inch of desire throttling through me. It took me a few minutes to settle down. Corran kissed me softly before moving away and pulling the towel tightly around my chest. Embracing me once again, I melted into him.