Cassandra Pierce - Diamonds in the Sand [The Aquans 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Special Edition) (7 page)

“Not at all.” Ejan was clearly surprised by her response. “Maybe you didn’t quite understand. She meant the three of us.”

“What?” It took a minute for his words to sink in. When it did, Maura blushed. “Oh.”

“Tagin and I have a good thing going, sure, but I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m attracted to both men and women. My mother knows, by the way, and she’s fine with it.”

Maura nodded. “I wondered. That explains a lot.”

“Tagin feels the same. Don’t you, Tage?”

Tagin had moved to stand beside them. “Yes.”

“You know, I’m not sure I can say this in a politically correct way, so I’m just going to blurt it out.” Maura took a deep breath. “I’m amazed how everyone acts like having multiple lovers is the norm around here. Are things really so different on this island? I mean, I’ve never even heard of this kind of arrangement before.”

Tagin shrugged. “It’s complicated. I figured Daq would explain it to you. I guess he’s waiting for the right moment.”

“Explain what to me?”

“I don’t want to get into the whole thing now,” Ejan said. “Basically, the idea is not to close ourselves off to any possibility.”

“We think sharing what we have is important,” Tagin said. “It’s our way of life.”

“And Daq is okay with…this…as long as you are,” Ejan added.

She didn’t need to ask what he meant. The two men were now on either side of her, each of them nuzzling one of her shoulders.

“We find you very beautiful,” Tagin murmured. Ejan kissed his way up to her lips. Soon he moved downward, skating his mouth over the curves of one breast and then the other. He tongued her nipples through her shirt for a while before he actually opened the buttons and eased the fabric aside.

Tagin slipped into place behind her. His body formed a comforting pillow, holding her while Ejan pleasured her nipples. Tagin soon began to take a more active role, dragging his tongue along the slope of her neck and shoulder and moving down her back. Tingles of pleasure vibrated through her with every moist swipe of his mouth.

Maura wasn’t quite sure how all of them got naked, but suddenly they were, stretched out together on the deck of the boat. She marveled at the way the moonlight cast Ejan’s body in a silvery-blue wash. His plump, eager erection jutted up from a fringe of silky, dark hair. Reaching down, she stroked his cock gently and was rewarded with the sound of him gulping back a groan.

She couldn’t see Tagin, since he remained behind her. She could, however, feel the wet tip of his hard cock pressing into the small of her back and his right hand reaching around to explore the space between her legs.

Now it was her turn to moan as his fingertips probed her most sensitive area. Gradually he worked his fingers into her crevice and spread the wetness backward. That gave her an idea of what he had in mind. Somewhat to her surprise, she felt wickedly excited, rather than fearful, at the prospect of taking him in such an unusual way. It was sort of like losing her virginity all over again.

She shuddered with anticipation when she felt him fitting his erection between her buttocks. He rubbed his cockhead up and down a few times, tickling her until she squirmed with arousal.

“Ever done it this way before?” Tagin asked, wedging himself in a little tighter. His flesh blazed red hot, and she could feel his pulse thumping inside his thick shaft.

“No,” she said. Sweat prickled up and down her spine when he let out a low, growly laugh.

“Well, Ejan’s never complained,” he teased.

“Then I’m sure I won’t either.”

A moment later, she gasped while Tagin began pushing his way into her rear entrance. The sensation wasn’t what she had expected. It was much more pleasurable and not at all painful, except for some stretching in places she wasn’t used to having stretched. To Tagin’s credit, he went slowly and in tiny increments, giving her time to adjust to each additional inch of him. Her own flesh cupped his willingly, molding perfectly to his vein-studded length.

“Doing okay?” Ejan asked. He was still so close his lips brushed hers as he spoke. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“No,” Maura said, surprising herself with her openness. “It feels…wonderful, actually. I want you to fuck me, too. At the same time.”

“I was hoping you’d suggest that,” Ejan confided. He wriggled his hips closer to hers and reached down, readying his cock for entry.

He penetrated her in a single, quick thrust. He slid inside, his cock coming to rest alongside Tagin’s with only a thin, nerve-lined membrane between them.

Keeping rhythm with the rolling sea under the boat, the two men pumped in and out of her at a measured but increasingly forceful pace. Tagin came first, flooding the deck and the backs of her thighs with hot seed. As if sensing his male partner’s response, Ejan let loose a moment later, bucking against her as climax raked his trim frame.

Stuffed with male flesh at both entrances, Maura didn’t think she had ever felt so full. Gratification swelled inside her, raw and fiery. When she came, too, she saw stars bursting in front of her eyes. She wasn’t sure if she had imagined them or if they were real ones, winking far above the drifting boat.

What a day this had been, she thought as she and the two men curled up together on the deck and basked in emotion and physical satisfaction.

* * * *

As she drifted over the waves, Cyra watched Ejan’s boat rocking back and forth, glimpsed enough to know what was happening on board, and rolled her eyes in disdain. Another perfectly good pod about to be infiltrated by a grasping human. Where would it all end? Before long there would be no men of her kind left for anyone else.

Disgusted, she swam toward shore, intending to settle down in the shallows for the night. To her surprise, when she got close enough to make out details, she spotted a bonfire on the beach near, though not actually on, Septimus’s property.

Alan lay stretched out on a blanket on the sand, drinking a cocktail in a totally natural state.

Cyra couldn’t stop herself from staring, mesmerized by the sleek planes and solid ridges of his body, perfectly accented by the moon reflecting off his naked skin. Despite his being a human, with all the usual limitations, she couldn’t deny that she found him a magnificent specimen.

“Now you’re the one who’s trespassing,” he said, spotting her as she treaded water a few yards out. “How rich is the irony. However, I’m not about to complain. I had a feeling you’d return.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she shot back. “I’m in the sea. No one owns the ocean.”

He put down his drink, wedging the glass securely in the sand, and propped himself up on one elbow. His other arm draped across his middle, his fingers resting next to the base of his cock.

“Come to me,” he demanded. “Now.”

At first, Cyra was outraged at his tone. Yet if she swam away, he would assume she feared him. And she most emphatically did not.

She waded toward him, rising from the water directly in front of him and crossing the sand in a few decisive strides. Her own nakedness didn’t seem to faze him in the least.

“I came because I wanted to,” she said, moving to stand over him. “Not because you ordered me to.”

Haughtily she shook herself. Seawater dripped from her bare body onto him. He didn’t flinch as the cool droplets showered him. Instead, he reached up to her.

“If it pleases you to think so, I’ll let it go—for now.” His hand closed around her wrist and drew her a step closer. “Provided you make amends for your other transgression.”

His arrogance astounded Cyra. She looked forward to teaching him his true place in the hierarchy of things.

She sank down on top of him, straddling him. Her legs, the muscles honed by years of life in the sea, clamped down on him possessively. She knew her grip would cause him some discomfort, if not actual pain. The thought pleased her.

Then the human did something unexpected. He bucked his hips and rolled onto his stomach, so quickly that Cyra’s eyes could barely follow his motions in the dark. Before she knew what had happened, she lay on her back underneath him. His hands pinned hers in the sand. She felt the hard dome of his cock poking against her thigh, and arousal coursed through her like a roaring high tide.

“An excellent start,” he said, shifting his weight so he could hold her down more effectively. “I sensed great promise in you from the beginning. Good to know my instincts are still sharp.”

Cyra laughed inwardly. Who did this human think he was? She looked forward to besting him at his little game. But she decided to let him play for now.

It had been a while since she’d taken her pleasure. No sense in wasting a prime opportunity like this one.

She raised her legs and wrapped them around his hips.

Chapter 6

Seated in the bungalow behind Septimus’s desk, Maura watched Daq and his sister meander along the sand. She’d slipped out early in the morning, managing to avoid talking to the guys. Her escapade with Tagin and Ejan the night before still made her blush a little, and she couldn’t help wondering if they’d shared any of the details with the others. Though she had no regrets, such brazen experimentation didn’t reflect her normally cautious personality. All she could do was blame Irissa’s potent cocktail mixture…and wonder if island life hadn’t changed her, too.

Below, the two siblings were still talking, and Cyra was moving her hands in an animated fashion. When Daq didn’t respond, Cyra turned her back on him. She marched down the beach until she disappeared from sight.

Setting down the handwritten journal she’d been poring over for the fourth time, Maura exited the bungalow and approached Daq. He stood watching his sister stroll away, his thumbs hooked in his cutoff shorts and a scowl on his face.

“Trouble?” she asked.

His mood lightened. “My sister’s always trouble. How are things going with Septimus’s notes?”

“I don’t know. Some of his entries seem perfectly normal, though of course his eye for detail is superb. Then he’s made others that seem…well, a little different.”

“In what way?”

Maura hesitated. She still wasn’t sure what to make of Septimus’s most recent volume of notes, which contained snippets of folklore about mermaids and sea serpents, drawings of mysterious stone formations, and maps of bizarre places she didn’t recognize. “He seems to have become interested in marine legends and vanished societies—Atlantis and that sort of thing.”

Daq’s brows sank on his forehead, and Maura’s stomach fluttered. She had to admit, she found his brooding expression incredibly sexy. His bare chest, flecked with droplets flung up from the waves, wasn’t exactly unappetizing, either. “Why do you consider that a problem?” he asked.

“I don’t, not at all,” she said. “Septimus loves obscure or offbeat subjects. Anything connected with the sea fascinates him. It’s just that last night, when we visited Ejan’s mother, I heard how he’d been going around telling people about underwater cities and races. I suppose he wanted his stories to be authentic, so he was brushing up on the myths. Maybe he was planning to write a book.”

“Maybe so.”

“Still, I can’t see how this new interest relates to his disappearance. I mean, it’s not as though he started walking around the island looking for sea monster eggs or something. His notes refer to places and people that supposedly vanished thousands of years ago. I doubt he built a time machine.”

“Yes—that does seem unlikely.” Unhooking his thumbs, Daq wandered to the water’s edge, gazing wistfully over the waves. “Tide’s coming in,” he observed.

“Seems that way,” Maura agreed. The churning crests looked as though they were topped with cream. “So what’s with Cyra? She wasn’t too happy with you.”

“She did seem rather on edge,” he said with a shrug. “I expect she’ll calm down soon.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I’m pretty sure she’s seeing someone. I don’t know who, and I can’t tell how far it’s gone, but I know her well enough to read the signs. We’ll find out the details eventually.” Grinning, he stepped into the water and held out his hand. “Want to swim?”

Maura gazed down at the pink tank top and white shorts she had on. She wished she’d had the foresight to put a bathing suit on before coming down from her room. As if reading her thoughts, Daq casually reached down and unbuttoned his cutoffs. Moments later he’d flung them onto the sand and lifted the hem of her top.

“Haven’t we been through this before?” he asked, stripping her and throwing her clothes on top of his shorts. “We prefer to do things the natural way around here. Not only is it more fun, it cuts down on laundry.”

She didn’t protest as he took her wrist and pulled her into the water. When they got deep enough, he wrapped both arms around her waist and drew her spoon-like against his body.

“This feels wonderful,” she admitted. She stretched her own arms out like wings and floated like one of the flowers in Irissa’s koi pond. “You, the ocean, everything.”

“I knew you’d like it.” They drifted in the exhilarating rush of the warm waves, Daq easily supporting her weight despite the powerful current. “I can offer you something else I’m pretty sure you’d like, too.”

His palm slid across her waist, trailed over her middle, and then moved lower. Though Maura had no idea how he did it, he managed to keep both of them afloat as he pushed her thighs apart, guided his cock inside her, and began a gentle rubbing motion on her clit. While they bobbed among the swelling breakers, he pumped his hips lightly. Compared to what she’d been up to during her last few erotic experiences, this position was fairly standard stuff, but Maura found it no less satisfying. Letting the sea embrace her along with Daq’s strong arms, she closed her eyes and opened the rest of her body to him.