Page 31 of Vicious Hearts

I splash at him, but I’m so timid in the water that even then I barely manage to get a few drops of water on him. He lifts his arm and smacks it down into the water heavily, the movement so powerful that he drenches me like a waterfall. I’m so surprised, I feel like I’ve been waterboarded and struggle to take a breath. I shake my hair out and watch as he reaches me with a few strokes in the water until we’re within arm’s length of one another.

“If I’m a turtle,” I say, putting a hand to my chest, “you’re a monkey.”

I laugh at the look on his face and swim away. But I’m not quick enough. He reaches out and pulls me back, ready to splash me again. Or hold me under water. Or something silly. But something happens when he pulls me back so abruptly that I’m pressed up against his body, the hard ridges of his muscles literally cutting into my soul. Our faces are so close, I can feel his heavy breathing as it cascades off my skin, his eyes piercing through me as we gaze at each other quietly.

I feel the blush that blooms against my skin, creeping slowly upward. There is no amount of water that could douse the fire that has ignited within me. My heart is doing a rapid gallop as we remain locked in the moment. A battle of wills as we try to avoid the inevitable.

And before I know what’s happening, his eyes darken and he’s moving into me, his hands crawling up my back, his lips finding mine. He forces my lips apart, delves in like he’s always been there and kisses me deeply, his tongue navigating its way until we find our rhythm. He tastes of honey and spice and mint, and his mouth is so intoxicating that I find I can’t pull away. I don’t want to pull away. I feel faint and lightheaded and I don’t understand how a kiss could possibly do this. It’s like I’ve been infected by his poison, because I never felt this way after a kiss with Rand. That was tame in comparison to this. Child’s play. This, this must be what being with a real man is like.

26

CALEPH

The minute I get her out of the water, we’re rolling around in the damp earth as we continue to consume each other. She doesn’t know where to put her hands; it’s like she wants to touch every inch of me. I hold her face between my hands and kiss her hard, holding her close, swallowing every bit of air I can get from her. I can’t get close enough. I want her air, her breath, her soul inside mine. I want us as one. And she’s reciprocating, leaving no doubt she wants me as much as I want her.

My dark hair falls in a tousled mess over my eyes, and I push it back. I just want to stand over her and admire her radiance as she looks up at me, her heart dancing with discovery and longing. Her hazel eyes sparkle with desire, her lips curved into a sinful smile that sends shivers down my spine and between my legs. The air is thick with an unspoken yearning, a magnetic pull drawing us together.

This desire coursing through my veins is unfamiliar to me, and I’ve never wanted any woman more than I want her right now, in this moment. My heart is pounding as I meet her gaze. The intensity of our connection is undeniable, an invisible thread that has woven itself into the very fabric of our souls. She reaches out, her fingertips grazing my cheek, and a jolt of warmth spreads through my body.

The world around us fades into insignificance, leaving only the two of us suspended in this timeless embrace. My hands find their way to Ariadne's waist, pulling her closer, our bodies melting together as if they were meant to be one.

All around us, the sounds of birds and monkeys and insects are rampant throughout the forest, but it’s like we hear nothing as my lips go to hers again, embarking on a delicate dance, each movement a testament to our unspoken desires.

When Ariadne moves a hand across my naked chest, her touch ignites a fire within me, awakening a passion I have never known before. I surrender myself to the waves of fire that wash over me, embracing the moment.

The sun is a silent witness to our love, casting its baking glow upon our skin as I strip her clothes away. I remove my trunks, and we’re all limbs and passion and fire as we roll against the earth, my arms snaking up her back as I hold her to me. I want to take my time, to enjoy her body and discover every inch of her skin, but as the day starts to settle into late afternoon, my desire takes a hold of me, and I am desperate in my need to feel myself inside her. I lift above her, looking into her eyes, their intensity daring me to go further, until I’ve fixed myself where I need to be, and I enter her slowly. I start to thrust, slowly at first, reveling in the feeling of being one with her. I fit her like she was made for me. My pace picks up, slowly but surely, until she’s gasping little breaths into my ear, and she winds her legs around my back, urging me to go deeper. I don’t know that I can go any deeper, and I realize that her ache is more emotional, more spiritual. We move together, one seamless, fluid dance until her scream echoes through the forest, setting off a cacophony of fluttering wings as birds flee, and I throw my head back and howl with the intensity of my climax. It is all consuming and it leaves me breathless. That’s the moment that Ariadne Moore ruins me forever, because she reaches into the depths of my dead soul and she pulls my heart out, and she has no intention of giving it back.

The afternoon draws to a close as we lay in each other’s arms, our bodies entangled beneath a canopy of trees. We don’t speak until I tell her we need to get back before dark. She murmurs then stirs, and I realize she must have dozed off. I watch her as she throws a t-shirt over her head and zips up her shorts, before I dress, and we start to make our way back through the forest.

“When I told you we should come back to the forest and swim, I meant it,” she says, and my head snaps her way. There is a playful smile curling at her lips.

“We did come here to swim,” I reminder her. “It was never my intention to let you take advantage of me.”

* * *

Ariadne is suckingthe breath out of me with every step we take out of that forest and get closer to home. Her proximity saps at my energy as I realize all I want to do is be with her again. I’ve never had that urge to be with just one woman. To have someone I want to be with so totally that I shut out the rest of the world. But she’s there at the forefront of my mind; front, center and back, as I watch her walk ahead of me. I don’t hold her hand like I want to; instead, I fall back to retain my senses. She’s sucking the life out of me, and I don’t understand this overwhelming feeling of just wanting to be with her.

When she swings her head to look at me over her shoulder, my heart almost collapses in on itself at the smile she gives me. Her hazel eyes glisten with their customary twinkle, the haze of sex potent around her. She’s mesmerizing me in a way I never thought anyone could capture my attention, and I force myself from reaching out and taking her again here on the floor of the forest. When I brought her here to Guatemala, starting anything with her was the last thing on my mind. Now, keeping her here with me is my priority.

27

ARIADNE

They say you never really get over your first love.

I say it’s possible to forget you ever had a first love if you find the right person who can make you forget your first within a matter of days. Caleph is that person for me. I don’t know how, but he’s managed to infect me, body and soul, and I don’t know what this is or where it’s going, but I can’t get enough of him.

He catches me staring at him and throws me a small wink, before turning back and conducting another phone call. At times, I’ll be sitting in the garden doing some writing and I find him standing in the window watching me. I’ve caught him staring too many times to count. And I can’t say that I don’t like it. These feelings are unexpected but welcome.

I prop a hand under my chin, my eyes following him around the room as I watch him work. I could sit here all day watching him, and even if we didn’t speak, a silent conversation plays out between our eyes. Until he gives in and carries me to the bedroom, where he ravishes my soul and leaves me begging for more.

When he hangs up, he walks toward me and tips my chin, pushing my gaze up toward him. The look he gives me speaks volumes.

“Attila’s coming out to visit,” he says. He tells me he’s arriving late this afternoon and suggests we pick him up from the airstrip. “We can drive through the city on our way so you can see more of the country.”

I wind my arms around his neck and move into him; I can’t get close enough to this mountain of a man that’s built like a tank. If we had enough time, we’d probably go at it again, but he tells me there’s no time if we’re to make it in time.

* * *

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