Page 46 of Beyond the Ruby River
Mahu leaned down to kiss the smirk from his mouth.
13
Daka
Back in Naukratis, the days grew hotter as the flood season approached. Daka and Mahu rose with the sun and spent mornings making papyrus in the shop, which left them free to rest during the sweltering hours of the afternoon. Evenings were spent in Mahu’s home, where Daka had moved his things and now resided. A week had gone by in this fashion, the two of them learning each other’s rhythms, leaving Daka the happiest he’d been in his whole life.
Happy enough to tackle a new challenge: swimming lessons.
“Why don’t incubi swim?” asked Mahu as they tromped down the worn path, dodging overgrown shrubs and vines.
“I don’t really know, but you should have seen my mother’s face when I mentioned it.” Daka chuckled. “Revolted, like she’d eaten a lemon.”
“But you? You’re not revolted, are you?”
“Not in the slightest.” The thought of Mahu naked and wet was enough to convince Daka to walk through fire. Water would be easy in comparison. “Though I doubt I’ll be any good at it.”
“You don’t have to be a good swimmer to enjoy the activity. It’s relaxing simply to float on your back.”
“I’m not sure I’ll manage that either. What if incubi don’t float?” Daka’s mind conjured an image of Mahu on his back, naked cock bobbing in the water. “I’ll happily watch you do it.”
“Oh, I can teach you to float,” said Mahu, his tone confident. “It isn’t hard.”
Well, he wasn’t hard yet, but he would be once Mahu’s hands were on him. Daka shivered in anticipation despite the day’s heat.
As they arrived at the river, their presence startled a flock of waterfowl in the distance. Squawking their distaste, the birds beat their wings upon the water in a rushing effort to take flight. Daka watched them rise as one, their entire group surging over the river then soaring through the air for destinations unknown.
Mahu stared after them, and Daka stared at Mahu, fixing on his long, elegant limbs, his bare muscular chest, the sharp angle of his jaw. The breeze ruffled his onyx hair. Even living with Mahu, Daka couldn’t get close enough. The urge to cling to his side and never let go had to be repressed often or they’d get nothing else done. But in this moment, Daka didn’t fight it, he stepped in and reached for Mahu’s waist.
Mahu’s arm came around his shoulders to welcome him home to his perfect spot. He laid his head in the crook of Mahu’s neck and licked his throat.
Mahu’s chest rumbled with laughter. “It’s too soon for your distractions. Put your tongue back in your mouth or I won’t be able to resist. We haven’t even begun the lesson.”
“Perhaps I’d be more focused if we did this first.” Daka pressed his groin against Mahu’s thigh.
“Wediddo that first.” Mahu’s low voice was laced with amusement…and interest.
Daka pushed. “That was hours ago. There’s no one here. We could—”
Mahu stopped his words with a kiss. “And we will.” Another kiss, this one to the tip of his nose. “After your first lesson.”
“Before and after?” Daka blinked up at him hopefully.
Mahu pinched his bottom. “I’m an old man, Dakarai.After.And you’re doing all the work.”
“Gladly, but you aren’t old, Mahu.”
“I feel like it some days.” Mahu laid his free hand on his chest. “This walk used to be nothing to me, but now I arrive to the river already out of breath.”
Daka didn’t want to think of Mahu growing old or getting sick. He was still concerned about that prickly sweet smell Mahu carried. The scent made him nervous. An idea had come to him fully fledged one evening as Mahu had fallen asleep with his head pillowed on Daka’s chest.
Daka had been stroking Mahu’s silky hair when he’d thought of it. Of Mahu’s mortal vulnerability and a possible permanent solution. He hadn’t yet found the courage to broach the subject, but the idea wouldn’t leave him alone. Now wasn’t the time to bring it up either.
Daka slid his palm to the bare skin over Mahu’s heart. Strong, rapid beats thumped against his fingers, reassuring him. He teased a nipple to hardness, and Mahu shuffled out of his grasp with a hearty laugh.
“After,” Mahu insisted, grinning. “Take your clothes off and join me in the water.”
“I suppose that’s a close second,” said Daka as they undressed on the grassy riverbank, leaving their skirts and sandals in a pile. His hunger remained in check, now that he could feed often, but his longing for Mahu stayed constant.
