“I suppose in some areas. This is like untouched paradise.”
“Right
on
paradise. Untouched? Not really. Developers have been coming here, checking out the land to build condos. But the Orcas's community refuses to budge. We like to control the growth of population in this area.”
“Don't you think you're being selfish? For not sharing this place to the outsiders.”
“If developers take over then this place would be available only for private residents. Nature, animals, Fawn, they all have the right to live like us. Do you think it would fair for them if the developers started cutting down hundred-year-old trees for the sake of investments? The town council is formed to protect what you see here. So people from all over the world can come and enjoy this. I don't think we're being selfish.”
“Bors Knight, are you a tree hugger?”
“A tree climber, too. My brothers and I used to climb all kinds of trees. We liked to think of ourselves as Robin Hood.”
A blue jay flew by making weird noises. Another one perched too close to where they stood. “What do you suppose is happening? Maybe trouble in the nest?”
Bors walked closer to the blue jay. The two birds joined together. They looked agitated, flapped their wings and let out what seemed to be a distress call.
“There's the problem.”
“What?” Taylor made a move to follow but Bors motioned for her to stop.
“A baby jay is on the ground. Here, take my pack.”
Taylor took the pack and slung it across her shoulder. “I don't see it.”
“Hang on. Baby jays start as grayish or ashen colored chicks. When the feathers are longer, you could mistake them for baby crows. I have a bandanna in the pack, will you please get it for me?”
Taylor found the red bandanna right away and handed it to Bors. She watched him rub it on the grass before he gingerly covered the bird.
One of the birds screeched, then flew real close to Bors's head.
“Watch out. I think they're the parents. Mad parents.”
“Yup. They're trying to protect their baby. Come closer. Look at this thing. Have you ever seen such an ugly bird in your life?”
“Oh, my God. Are you sure that's a baby bird and not some aliens’ spawn? Are those the would-be feathers? They look like porcupine quills.”
Bors laughed. “Good observation. Ugly, huh? But those parents love this baby so we have to put this ugly thing back into the nest.”
“Do you see a nest?”
“Yup. See up there where the two branches formed a V?”
“Oh, I see it. It's pretty high. Amazing how little Porky survived.”
“Porky?”
“Better than ugly.”
Bors grinned, then leaned over for a quick kiss. “Alright, Porky is going back to the nest.” He tied the two ends of the bandanna around his neck.
“Um, is that necessary?” Taylor looked at the little lump move.
“Any ideas?”
“No. Please be careful.”
“Hmm ... are you beginning to like me, Miss Jean?”
“No. I just don't want you to hurt yourself and not be able to put Porky back in the nest because I definitely wouldn't be—”
Bors kissed her square in the mouth. “I'll be careful.”
Heart in her throat, Taylor watched Bors grab one branch, then another until he came close to the nest. When his foot slipped, she screamed, scaring the momma and papa jays. “I told you to be careful, you troll!”
Bors looked down and let go of his hold on a branch. He swayed back and forth. “Ahh!”
“Bors!”
“Just kidding, babe. I'm okay.”
“Troll! I hate you. If you fall and crack your neck, I'm not calling nine-one-one.”
“You lie. Okay, Porky is back in the crib. I'm coming down. Wanna catch me?”
“And flatten me like a pancake? You're handsome, but no way I'm gonna break your fall, honey.”
Bors managed to climb down as easily as he climbed up. “What did you call me?”
“Troll.”
“Yeah, that, too. But I'm talking about when you said I'm handsome. You called me...”
“Honey.”
“Say it again.” Bors wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Honey.”
“God, you made that word sound so sweet and good.”
“It's just a word, honey. So, do you think Porky's going to be okay? Hello?”
“Oh, I hope so. The parents aren't flying around to attack me anymore. I didn't touch the baby or the nest. They don't like human scent. So, I think they're not going to abandon the babies.”
“There are more little porkies in the nest?”
“Yeah. Ready to say goodbye to Porky?” He took the pack from her and stared at Taylor.
“What?”
“I just realized you look like a hobo in your outfit. Poor, Taylor. No money, no fancy clothes.”
“But I have you.” The words were out before she thought better of it. She shrugged to cover her embarrassment then tried to walk around Bors. He stopped her.
Pulling her against him, he pressed his mouth against her temple and whispered, “Yes. You've got me.”
The end of the beaten path opened to a spectacular westerly view of the afternoon sun, islands, and prime sandy-pebbled beach. A huge rock shaped like a shell provided shelter from wind or hot sun. Anybody could relax here, spend the afternoon combing the beach, collect beach glass, read books, or simply daydream.
Taylor closed her eyes, heightening her senses. She could hear the nature talk, but no sound of manmade noise that intruded the serenity of this place. Paradise.
From behind her, Bors wrapped his arms around her. “This is an inlet. No ferries could come here, but you could see them through that opening. Once, I spotted a couple of kayakers enjoying this area. But only once. We're too far for small boats to wander here.”
“This is your private getaway.”
“Very private. Come on.”
Taylor kicked off her slippers and started running. “Oh, I love it here! Look how smooth this rock is. Shaped like Mickey Mouse's ear.”
“No, it looks like butt cheeks.”
“God, you're so dirty-minded. Can you put this in your pack?”
“Sure.”
* * * *
Half an hour later, Bors's pack felt ten pounds heavier. He spread the blanket on the flat slab of rock, sat on it, and leaned against the boulder Taylor named Clam. He watched Taylor along the wet sand searching for more rocks. The sweats he loaned her were rolled all the way up her thighs to keep them dry. Once in while she would look at him and wave. And each time, Bors's heart would soar. With the sun's reflection on her hair, her long legs red from the cold water, she looked ethereal. Like a child, she would laugh when the waves sneaked up on her.
He loved watching her—everything about her. Why? He just met her. They were only together because she needed his father's help and he needed her to pin her father and send his ass to jail. What he felt for her was pure lust. Period. Because love would be impossible to grow in such a short time. Impossible.
“Hey, lazy butt. I have more rocks. And you've got to see this.” Taylor dropped the geoduck she was dragging and then opened her hand to show a flattened disk like sea urchins that lived on sandy bottoms. They used to be prevalent in the Island, but they were getting less and less now.
“Sand dollar. It's a dead one so you can keep it. Place it under the sun to dry.”
“It's beautiful.”
Taylor wiped her hand on her sweats, placed the sand dollar under the sun, and lay down on the blanket. Her face was red from the lowering sun. “Can we just stay here forever?”
“As soon as the sun disappears from the horizon, you'll freeze.”
“But I have a troll to warm me up.”
Bors pushed off from where he sat and laid down beside Taylor. He partly covered her warm body. “And this troll is more than willing to give you warmth.”
Slowly, he inched his hand inside Taylor's plaid shirt. She shivered from his touch, but didn't complain. Her skin felt so warm, so alive. He kissed her lightly on the lips, nose, jaw and ear. He quickly grew used to being around Taylor, as if they'd been a couple for more than a month. “You're beautiful.”
“You, too.”
Bors covered her mouth with his. The kiss was slow challenging her to dominate until she drew his face to hers with her tongue thrusting, searching. Bors smiled and returned her kisses. He eased his hand inside her sweatpants to touch her heat and found she was already wet. He loved it. Her body's quick response to his touch heightened his own. “Hmm, baby, you're wet.”
Taylor writhed beneath him and replied with a moan.
He plunged his tongue inside her mouth the same time he eased two fingers inside her. She moaned while rocking her hips, urging him to go deeper.
“I want to see your breasts.” He adjusted his position to give her room as he suckled her lower lip, then her chin.
Taylor lifted her shirt and moved her lacy cups aside. “Bors...”
“Yeah?” His head bent to lap on her nipples. He tantalized the buds with his tongue, which had hardened instantly. Like a starving man, he sucked her hard.
“Bors,” Taylor's juice pooled and wet his fingers.
“Hmm ... love your breasts. And this...” His mouth left her breast so he could kneel in front of her. He shucked her sweats and thong off. “...I can't get enough of. I want your taste. Look at me, babe.”
Taylor met his gaze as he anchored her leg over his shoulder and spread her folds. Without breaking eye contact, he teased her with his fingers. “You're beautiful,” he said and then he began to feast.
The little nub he knew would give her pleasure felt good trapped in between his lips. He pulled it with his mouth while his fingers slowly eased inside her. Bors began pumping. Slowly at first and then he increased his tempo.
Taylor's hips began to move. “Don't stop,” she whispered.
Bors didn't stop until she screamed his name.
Slowly, he eased his body back up, leaving kisses on her belly, breasts and neck. With his arms supporting his weight, he stared at her passion induced eyes. “You look like a cat that just had her bowl of milk.”
“You mean satisfied.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Yes, but we're not done yet.”
“I'd love nothing more than to make love to you right now, but the slab is too hard. We'll continue when we get home.”
“Nonsense.” Taylor pushed on his shoulder, urging him to lie on his back.
Bors smiled and flattened his back on the blanket.
Taylor straddled his thighs then began unbuttoning his fly. He swallowed. Anticipation on what she was about to do increased his burgeoning urge to bury himself deep inside her. He raised his hips a fraction and helped her ease his jeans down. “Ride me, Taylor.”
Taylor replied with a smile. She moved her ass lower instead of higher to where his waiting hard cock bobbed. Bors hissed from the pleasure when Taylor wrapped her slender fingers around his shaft.
“My turn to taste you,” she said with a smile. And she did.
Bors's toes curled from sheer pleasure of her timid licking. If he let this go on another second, he'd ejaculate while her mouth was wrapped around his hard shaft. Unable to bear it anymore, he grabbed her arms and pulled her up. “Enough teasing. Spread your legs. Take me in. Yes, that's—fuck!”
Taylor wrapped her fingers around his cock then rubbed the tip on her clit. “Like it?”
“Babe...”
Biting her lower lip, Taylor slowly lowered herself on his engorged cock, feeling his whole length inside her body. “Hmm ... so nice.” She began to ride him.
Bors reached down to touch her clit. “Yeah, baby. Fuck it. Come on. I want to feel you come again.”
Taylor looked down at their joined bodies, licking her lips. Ah, she would probably enjoy looking at herself in the mirror while they made love, he thought. Next time. For now, he'd give her what he could. He surged his hips upward to meet her. Without missing a beat, he helped her come.
“Bors. Oh, my God!” She lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. Her breasts giggled from their hard pumping. Cupping her breasts, she said, “I want your mouth on my breasts, Bors.”
“Sure, baby.” He placed his hands just below her armpits and pulled her closer so he could suckle her.
Taylor moaned and rocked her hips faster.
As soon as she screamed his name, he lay back down and lifted her ass. He kept her steady while he surged up deep and hard into her pussy. His release shook him to the core. Exhausted, he pulled Taylor close for a tight embrace.
“That was ... yummy.” Taylor said, her breath warm against his chest.
“Yes. Delicious.”
“So, are we doing it again when we get home?”
Bors laughed. “Insatiable wench. Of course.” And he hugged her tight.
Chapter Twelve
For the next six days, Taylor and Bors visited Porky and his family on their way to the Clam. Bors thought if Taylor continued bringing rocks home, he would have to build another room just for her collections. She wanted to go back to the cove this morning but Simms called asking him to come to his office and to give him updates in person. When he left the house, Taylor was sitting on her favorite spot in the living room, facing the mountains, tuning in her violin. He wanted to listen but she shooed him out and then laughed. That laugh had him going back to her side for another long kiss that promised something more. If Gawain didn't call to remind him that they would be flying to Seattle soon, he would have had her back in the bedroom.
He was inspecting Butt, the rock Taylor found in the cove when Astrid tapped him on the back.
“Sheez, what had got you so entranced that you didn't even hear me call your name?”
“You were calling me?”
“Uh-oh. Who stole your mind from work?”
Bors held up the rock that Taylor wanted to name Mickey, but he insisted on calling it Butt. He didn't relent until she agreed.
“A rock. I'm able to sneak up on a top agent in this office because of a rock?”
“Not just
a
rock. Tell me what you see when you look at it.”
Astrid stared at the rock for a minute frowning. “It does remind me of something. Wait, aha! Testicles. Uh-huh, it looks like it.”
“A what?”
'You heard me. That rock looks like testicles when in a relax state.”