Cassandra Pierce - Diamonds in the Sand [The Aquans 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Special Edition) (8 page)

Because he was behind her, his cock delved into her pussy at an unusual angle, allowing him to stimulate an entirely new set of nerve endings. Writhing with excitement, she reached back and cupped his buttocks in both hands, pulling him closer.

The warm water splashing over her clit, combined with the slight but steady pressure of his fingers, made her blood rush and white flashes go off in her head. The sun bore down on her nipples, turning their stiff peaks rosy with heat. Her internal muscles flexed and squeezed, her lower body shuddering as he thrust into her.

Suddenly, the triple stimulation became too much, and a mind-wiping climax seized her. The ocean’s current seemed to eddy around them, sucking both into a bright blue void where nothing existed outside an endless, all-consuming pleasure. Her body went rigid, gripped Daq’s shaft, and wrung a quick but furious release from him, too. Maura knew she was crying out, though all she could hear was the throb of the tide and their mutual pulses pounding as they melted together.

All too soon, the moment passed, and the world took shape around her again. Daq’s muscles loosened, and his cock slipped from her pussy. His hand trailed upward this time, tweaking her nipples while his teeth grazed her earlobe.

“Do you want to go ashore?” He growled in her ear.

Maura sighed, leaning her head back on his chest. “I guess I should,” she said. Though the water felt wonderful on her hyperaroused skin, the powerful orgasm had left her drained and sleepy. She worried about Daq being able to buoy both of them up much longer, too. After paddling out this far and exerting himself in such creative ways, he must be as exhausted as she was.

“Hold on, then,” he said, giving her ear a sensuous lick before drawing his mouth away. “Just lean against me and I’ll do everything.”

Maura did as he asked, resting her head against his chest. Still on his back, he began the journey to the shallows. She wasn’t sure how much time passed until they were on the sand again, but she had the impression they’d been a lot farther out than she’d realized at first.

Though no one seemed to be around, she felt a little self-conscious walking out of the water wearing nothing except a full-frame blush. Hurrying over to the heap of discarded clothes, she bent to retrieve her tank top and panties. Daq caught up to her just as she straightened with the garments in her hand. His lusty embrace enveloped her before she had a chance to put anything on. His mouth, tasting of seawater, ground against hers while his palms cupped her rear end. His fingers imprinted her buttocks as he rocked her forward. His hard cock jabbed at her thighs, seeking entrance.

“Daq, please,” she chided him, though her protest was halfhearted at best. “Someone might walk by.”

“So what if they did?” he asked between kisses, clearly amused. “It wouldn’t be anything they hadn’t seen before. Think about it—you’ve been with all of us now. Why should we hide?”

Maura’s blush deepened. Daq had a point. She wondered who had told him about last night with Tagin and Ejan, or had he simply guessed?

She didn’t bother to deny what he’d said. Both of them knew it was the truth. “Just the same, I’d prefer to be inside.”

Laughing, he stepped back. Hastily she pulled on her clothes and he did, too, though he without any hurry. He left the waist button of his cutoffs undone and slid both hands in his front pockets, watching her brush the sand off her tank top and adjust the straps on her sunburned shoulders.

“Guess I should go back to Septimus’s journals now,” she said. “I’m still hoping to crack that computer password.”

Daq nodded. “I wish you luck. See you inside later? I’ll get lunch and some cold drinks out.”

“Of course.”

He started toward the house, then stopped and turned back to look at her. The sun shaded his face so that she couldn’t see his expression. “Maura—I think we should talk. Not just you and I, but all of us.”

The tops of her ears burned, and this time she doubted it was the sun. “Yes. We should.”

“All right, then.”

He continued on his way. Maura paused, watching the casual sway of his shoulders as he walked along the uneven dunes. Under the wet strands of his long, dark hair, ridges of hard muscle rippled in his tanned back. She could still hardly believe she’d managed to attract one such perfect specimen of male, never mind five. When she’d first heard about Cyra’s unusual polyandrous relationship, little had she known she would soon be experimenting with a similar arrangement herself.

No question, she thought as she strolled back to the bungalow to resume her work, having multiple lovers provided many benefits, even if it was a little tiring. Yet, as deliciously naughty as she felt, she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when it eventually came time for her to leave the island. Would they all toast each other, laugh at their little adventure, and make empty promises to write and e-mail each other? Or would there be genuine pain? Maybe that was what Daq wanted to speak to her about.

She only hoped Septimus would be there to see her off.

She entered the bungalow, still adjusting her straps so they wouldn’t chafe her sunburn, and headed for the desk and the work she’d left spread out on its surface. When she finally looked up, intending to pull out the chair and sit down, she jumped back in shock.

Cyra was already seated there. Eyes narrowed, arms folded over her bright yellow sundress, she used her bare feet to turn the chair in irritated half circles.

“Took a break, I see. That’s good. Wouldn’t want you to work too hard in this hot sun. I hope you were able to fit in some swim time.”

Had she seen the two of them out in the water? Maura forced herself not to look or sound embarrassed. She owed this woman no explanations, even if she was Daq’s sister.

“I do have difficulty concentrating in this heat. I’m not used to it. In fact, I was looking forward to sitting down.”

Cyra smirked but didn’t budge from the chair. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have a chance to lie down for a while later.”

“Look, Cyra.” Maura took a step toward the other woman, her anger flaring. “I realize the situation here might be a bit awkward, but I’m not sure it’s your business.”

“No? My brother and I might have our differences, but at a basic level, we watch out for one another. I don’t want him wounded any more than he would want that for me.”

“Wounded? Why do you think that? Septimus asked Daq to look after me during my stay here, and the two of us have become friends. I don’t see the problem.”

“Yes, you’ve made a lot of new friends since you’ve been on Bequia, haven’t you?”

“Well, no offense, Cyra, but you’re not exactly the standoffish type yourself. I told you once that I had no intention of judging you, and I would appreciate your extending the same courtesy to me.”

Finally, Cyra rose from the chair. Her green eyes flashed in anger. They really were an odd color, Maura thought. Even their shape seemed different from any she’d ever seen before. The same might be said of her long, narrow hands and the texture of her skin. Apparently all the islanders shared some strange genetic traits, not to mention those odd neck tattoos so many of them sported.

“As far as that topic goes, I wish only to say you are woefully uninformed,” Cyra snarled. “I suppose next, you’ll insist my brother is capable of making his own decisions, and I shouldn’t presume to know what’s best for a grown man.”

“Well, yes,” Maura admitted. “Something like that. To some degree, I understand your concern. But Daq isn’t naïve. I don’t think you have to worry that he’ll be devastated when I go back to my life in the States.”

“Is that what you believe? That I’m worried you’ll leave him with a broken heart?” Cyra’s scowl melted into a genuine, though unpleasant, laugh. “Not at all. The fact is, I’m worried that you’ll stay. It’s very beautiful here, isn’t it? All the waves and sunshine…all that supple male flesh. I’m sure you’re very tempted already to toss your old life away and jump right in.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No? It seems all the rage to get human women to join the pods these days—trust me, I know. Women like you are nesters, the guys think. Less motivated to swim away and see the world. But the cultural issues inevitably come up. It’s like they say about human royalty—you weren’t born to this life, and you won’t enjoy it. You can take my word for that.”

“Human women?” Maura stared, flummoxed. Why would Cyra use such a term? “Pods? I’m sorry, but you’ve lost me.”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I know perfectly well that Septimus told you enough to get you down here, and Daq and the others have surely filled in the rest by now.”

“The rest of what? I promise you, I really have no idea—”

“Cyra!” a harsh voice interrupted. Cyra’s face tightened, and Maura turned. Daq had come into the bungalow holding two glasses of soda. “That’s enough.”

“Enough? I haven’t even started. Oh, I’m sure you talked up a tropical storm for her, Daq—made it sound so wonderful to live on the beach and get all her needs cared for, right?”

“Cyra,” he said again. This time, she did fall silent. Her expression changed as she looked from his angry face to Maura’s astonished one.

“Wait a moment. You haven’t told her anything, have you, Daq?” Cyra asked in wry amusement. “Well, then, it looks like I saved you some time. Bringing it up is always the most difficult part.”

“Bringing what up?” Maura turned to Daq, who kept his furious gaze trained on his sister. “Can one of you please enlighten me as to what we’re all arguing about?”

“I’d be delighted.” Cyra took two steps toward Maura, reaching up to thread her fingers through her shimmering red hair. “The truth of the matter, Maura dear, is this—they’re not human. None of us are.”

While Maura gaped, speechless, Cyra flung her hair back over her shoulders and exposed to full view the strange lines Maura had noticed on all of the guys and on Ejan’s mother as well. Her eyes widened as Cyra drew in a deep breath, puffed out her neck, and made the slits flutter—like gills.

* * * *

“Is this true?” Maura asked the five guys, who were seated around the kitchen table with glum and embarrassed expressions. Only she and Daq remained standing. Calling the impromptu meeting and waiting for his friends to assemble had done nothing to assuage his temper. His arms were crossed over his bare chest, and his jaw was still taut with rage.

“Yes,” Janko said.

“I’d wanted to explain this in my own time,” Daq growled, pulling out a chair at the table and motioning Maura into it. “Maybe even later today. But Cyra short-circuited my plans.”

Maura nodded. Cyra herself had flitted off, announcing that she wanted no lunch and apparently pleased at the conflict she had managed to ignite. “Go on.”

“Well, my sister was right about one thing—she got the most difficult part out of the way.”

“You mean when she said you weren’t quite human?”

The guys chuckled in unison. Looking around the table at each of them, she began to notice things that hadn’t struck her as out of place at the time. As with Cyra, the shape of their eyes, and even their faces, seemed different from most people’s. Their skin had a shiny texture and a burnished, coppery tint she’d assumed was the result of prolonged exposure to the sun.

“Yes. Of course, she isn’t entirely accurate about that. Over time, we’ve evolved and crossbred with land dwellers. These days we’re more like a separate race than a different species. We call ourselves Aquans, though of course we’re known by other names in other places.”

“I just can’t quite take this in,” Maura admitted. “A different species? Not human? How is it possible?”

“You’ve probably noticed some of our differences on your own,” Janko said. “You just didn’t realize their significance.”

“Like our agility in the water,” Ivar said. He bit back a naughty smile, and she remembered how long he’d stayed under without having to come up for air. She didn’t want to get distracted, so she didn’t dwell on what he’d been doing at the time.

“The Grenadine Islands are full of our people,” Daq continued. “As are the Caymans, where Cyra spends most of her time, and a number of other spots, even the Florida Keys and certain remote areas off the coasts of Maine and Canada. We have made our home in the sea since ancient times, and geographically speaking, we’ve spread out. Even we’re not sure where all of our brethren live, or how many of us there are.”

Ejan spoke next. “We’ve learned to keep ourselves hidden—merge with mainstream culture. Islands are best, we’ve found, because people come and go without paying much attention to anyone else or invading anyone’s privacy. Yet some of us are fully integrated into modern society and even live in coastal cities, passing as human. You might have met Aquans and never suspected a thing.”

Maura could hardly believe what she was hearing. Was this some sort of huge joke they were playing on her? They certainly sounded serious. Were all of them just delusional? Were they part of an esoteric cult?

“Because we can go pretty much anywhere underwater, we started off by helping Septimus with his research,” Tagin added. “We could bring him specimens and investigate things in a way humans can’t. Gradually, we confided more and more of the details to him. A lot of it he figured out himself.”

Maura thought back to the journal entries she’d found so puzzling at the time. Now they made sense. He was jotting down and verifying their story. Had he been able to tell if any of it was true?