Slide

12

Slide felt his heart hammering inside him with weakness filling his limbs. The woman had so much power over him already, and she wasn’t even trying.

“I’m going to make do while I can,” Ember said.

“Uh-huh,” Slide replied.

He forced himself to remove the items from his pack. She lingered for a moment, then finally left, heading to the back of the cave with the rest of the group.

Slide hadn’t realized that he was holding his breath. He let out a long, gritty sigh, then rubbed his face with his hands.

“What have I gotten myself into?”

While everyone bathed and filled their canteens, Slide went out of the cave and checked the perimeter again for any signs of wildlife or the General’s men skulking around. He was glad to find the group had returned to the cave while he was outside checking and had already fallen into a deep, luxurious sleep.

Slide smiled to himself, trying to avoid looking down at Ember as he stepped through the row upon row of resting humans. Her hair was loose and damp, draped over the rolled-up towel beneath her head.

He pictured himself lying next to her in a real bed. He would kiss her bare skin until she could no longer stand the tease.

Slide gathered his pack and decided to wash up. The night was calm and serene, like an expensive spa. The dew covered grass felt cool and pleasant between his toes as he undressed, then waded into the water.

It was a little chilly, but his tired muscles were thankful for it. He walked until the water brushed against his neck.

He hovered there for a moment, his eyes closed. The sound of cicadas serenaded him into a whimsical ambiance. He hadn’t allowed himself a moment of peace since leaving the prison, so the sensation was unusual and marvelous.

“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”

Slide shot his eyes open and turned to see a stunning sight.

Ember stood there silhouetted by the dim blinking of stars, wearing only a sweater that had been handed to her by one of the people in the village.

“What are you doing?” Slide asked.

Slide had no idea what his question even meant. He was in shock to see her standing there, then noticed how dry his mouth had gone when he began wondering what else she had on beneath the sweater.

“Seducing you,” Ember replied.

She let the sweater fall off her shoulders, exposing the decadent sight of her nude form.

Slide knew he would indeed have drowned if the water had been any deeper. The sight of her bare breasts, round and plump in the evening air, the powerful ripple in her legs and forearms pleading for worship, could have suffocated him right then and there.

“You’re what?” Slide said.

She laughed, then began wading into the water. It rose from her feet, all the way to her breasts, as she began swimming out toward him. She stopped and began treading water for a bit, that beautiful smile never evaporating off of her flavorful lips.

“Don’t tell me you never get hit on,” Ember said.

She leaned her head back and dipped her hair into the water. When she emerged, she looked like a sparkly goddess, ripples of water tracing every one of her alluring features.

Slide felt her eyes on him like spotlights over a dark sea. He knew then who she was to him, and that would never change from that moment forward.

EMBER

E

mber could feel her body writhing with feelings of desire the entire way to the cave. When they arrived, she was relieved, but she also felt a wash of naughty thoughts move through her mind. She couldn’t help but feel amused by how fervently they had arrived and how relentlessly they poked at her.

It had been a long time since she had been with anyone. s*x wasn’t a priority for her, the way she assumed it hadn’t been in her parent's marriage for quite some time. She had a handful of experiences with men in the region as a simple way of taking her mind off work.

Her s****l education wasn’t exactly thorough. She had relied solely on herself for pleasure for a long time, and that had been enough for her.

That was ... until she met Slide.

Atoms buzzed beneath her skin as she walked past him at the front of the cave. When he was out of her line of sight, she bit her lip, feeling her arousal leak into her underwear.

Of all times ... now?

When she went to the natural spring with her team, she was shocked by how romantic it appeared. She filled her canteen and splashed herself lightly, feeling the cool freshness of the water streaming down her back and between her breasts.

It was at that moment that she decided she wanted to make love to Slide. Everything within her body was on fire, and there was no way to satiate it out there with so many people around. She commended her naughtiness as she returned to the cave and pretended to sleep.

When Slide stepped over her and went to wash, she sat up from beneath the blanket. She took a look around to make sure no one else was awake, then began to strip. She took off her underwear and her pants, groaning low from the relief of their removal. She placed on a sweater a woman from the village had given her and felt ridiculously sexy.

The look on Slide’s face when she revealed her naked body to him was perfectly delicious. She felt like a woman possessed as she swam toward him, his magnetic eyes never leaving hers.

She began to tread water, watching him watch her, the silky water caressing him in the starlight. He had a look of shock on his face, so she knew she needed to take the bull by the horns.

Ember didn’t mind this one bit.

“Come closer,” she whispered.

Slide waded over to her, staring at her like she was a long-lost treasure. It made her feel desired, which was the only thing a woman really needed to feel erotic.