Slide

14

SLIDE

Slide could not believe what had just happened. It had been a long time since he had been intimate with anyone, so he figured that was why he was so attracted to her in the first place. But the sight of her naked body beneath the stars stirred something more inside of him than just overwhelming lust.

As he lay on top of her after their ferocious f*****g, he realized something, and it slithered into his soul the way a snake whispers sins: her scent was familiar and, ultimately, cosmic to him.

Slide snapped open his eyes as his lips lingered upon her neck. She was breathing heavily still, as was he, and she was coated in a thin, lovely layer of sweat. He parted his mouth slightly, his tongue peeked out, and he tasted the delicious flavor of her perspiration.

“Mmm, Slide,” she moaned beneath him.

Despite being sexually satiated, Slide was still feeling ravenous for her. What surged inside him what a confusing mix of emotions that made him feel desperately afraid. He wanted to lay there with her forever, just staring up at the stars until the sun rose.

It was a foreign sensation that he had forgone for a very long time. Not since before he lost his parents had he considered anything with anyone even remotely close to a fated mate.

Was that what he was getting from her? Was her gorgeous whiff not just satisfying to him as a man but as a lifetime partner? Was something painted in the stars and sky above them?

Slide rolled away from Ember and lay upon the dewy grass. He gazed at her, and what a mistake that was. Her silky body was radiant under the starlight, damp from sweat and the chill of the night air. She looked over at him with eyes that swam with a dopamine overflow.

“I needed that,” she whispered.

Slide propped up on his elbows, peering back at her. She continued smiling sweetly, her chest heaving up and down and showing off those spectacular breasts.

A part of Slide thought about having another go with her, perhaps even going down on her and making her bellow with that melodic sound of orgasm. But he was already swirling with doubts inside his mind. His desire for her was insatiable, and that was dangerous.

“Did you, now?” Slide responded.

Ember nodded enthusiastically.

“Believe it or not, there aren’t many s****l partners to choose from around here,” Ember quipped. “Plus, I’m always tired at the end of the day, without much energy even for any self-stimulation.”

Before he realized what he was doing, Slide was reaching out and touching her face. It was as soft as it appeared, plush and enchanting beneath his fingertips.

He made a tsk sound at her before speaking.

“That’s no good,” he said. “One should always make time for pleasure.”

Ember rolled onto her side and faced him, holding his hand to her face as she did. Her body was like an exciting valley to roam, from the bulging muscles of her arms and thighs to the dip in her sculpted waist. She was powerful beyond measure, and that made him unbelievably drawn to her.

“You’re right,” she said with a grin. “I will make sure I do.”

Slide felt his smile melting on his face. He suddenly thought about the ending of the mission and how she would leave him, perhaps to go back to the United States and find a place with her family, and he would only be some distant memory. The thought filled him with anger, which also made him frustrated as he had only just met this woman.

Ember kissed each fingertip as if she could read his mind. He slowly removed it from her face, avoiding the urge to pull her in close and consume her with his mouth.

Slide stood and searched for his clothing.

“I’m all in a tizzy now,” he whispered.

He saw Ember sit up in his peripheral vision, searching the dark shore for her sweater. She stood next to him, and he felt a strange Adam and Eve joke rise in his mind.

She found the sweater she had been wearing and wrapped it around her body.

“Got mine,” she said with a laugh.

Slide found himself smirking. A glow inside of him was so bright that it hurt. His wandering eyes eventually found his clothing, the air abruptly filling with a stiff chill.

“I don’t have it in me to wash off anymore,” he said, putting his T-shirt back on.

Ember shrugged, then began rubbing her arms up and down, like the chill had found her as well.

“I’m not going to say I’m sorry if that’s what you’re looking for,” she said.

Slide pulled up his underwear, then his pants, that ear-to-ear smile never evaporating. He walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, aiding her in warming up.

“You’d think that we’d be warm after all that,” he said.

Ember’s hair was still wet from the spring and was disheveled from their frantic lovemaking. She lifted her hands, ran her fingers through her golden hair, then tied it into a loose ponytail. Slide watched her like he was seeing the first moon landing.

She grinned at him, then took a step closer. Slide felt his heartbeat pick up its pace, slamming into his rib cage.

“We’ll just have to combine forces for that then, shall we?” Ember said, wrinkling her nose at him.

Slide had to force himself to look away from her, and they both re-entered the cave. Slide put his blanket and towel next to Ember’s, and they snuggled up tightly. Slide didn’t get too cold because of his shifter nature, but he suddenly was feeling empty without her constantly by his side.

Ember placed a hand beneath his waist while the other rested upon his stomach. She placed her head on his chest as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Like she had done it a thousand times before.

They said nothing to each other as they got warm and comfortable. Slide lay there, staring in the dark, as Ember’s breathing became deeper, lulled into the comforting abyss of sleep. Her scent moved into his nostrils like a low rush of a sea breeze.