Page 57 of Twisted Alliance

The drive was silent.

It wasn’t until much later that she noticed they were taking a different route. They were going through the middle of the desert rather than the paved road path. The ride was bumpier as it was usually a path taken by people traveling by camels.

An hour later, she was still frowning in confusion, wondering why they were traveling on that path until she saw the faint outline of palm trees in the distance.

It was the Singoor oasis.

That’s when it struck her. They were going to the oasis to follow the tradition where newlywed couples took a dip in the water. She hadn’t even remembered it, but she was glad someone told Shivay Thakvar about the tradition and asked him to follow it.

The Singoor oasis held several other myths over the centuries. One of the myths was for the newlywed or childless couples to spend the night in the oasis, and they would be blessed with a child within a year. Although such myths disappeared due to safety reasons during the clan wars, the other tradition of taking a dip in the water remained.

The oasis was also one of her favorite places during childhood, and it held good memories of her parents.

A short while later, the SUV pulled up to the oasis.

She didn’t wait until someone opened the SUV door. She opened it herself and stepped out with excitement.

Smiling behind her veil, she took a deep whiff of the air. The breeze was cooler and slightly humid, unlike the rest of the desert where the air was dry.

She felt Shivay Thakvar’s presence as he walked up to her. “Let’s go,” he said.

They walked down the slope of sand towards the palm trees, between which there would be a large pond.

The cool breeze got stronger and kept blowing away her veil she kept trying to pull down.

“There’s no one here,” Shivay Thakvar said. “I’ve asked the security to stay back in their vehicles.”

“Oh.”

She felt oddly grateful for his consideration and let the veil blow away from her face with a smile.

Sensing his gaze, she looked at him. He was watching her smiling face.

“My father used to bring me and my mother here during the summer,” she said.

Feeling excited and happy, she went closer to the pond. Just before stepping inside, she removed her shoes and long veil before placing them on the sand next to the water. She turned to see that he removed his shoes as well.

With a smile, she walked into the water. The cool, refreshing water enveloped her up to her waist. Sucking in a deep breath, she took a dip inside the pond before standing up. She did those two more times.

On the third time, she came up with laughter. She felt carefree and happy. It reminded her of the time during her childhood when she and her father would compete to see who could take more dips in the water. She had always won, but it wasn’t until much later that she realized her father must have purposely lost to make her happy.

With a smile, she turned to see Shivay Thakvar standing a couple of feet away from her. He must have also taken the three dips since his white buttoned shirt was now transparent and clung to his well-defined body.

She blushed when he caught her staring at him.

Her laughter faded, and her heart began thumping when she saw the familiar heat in his eyes. She realized her clothes must be clinging to her body as well.

“I… we…” Before she could say something, his fingers gripped the back of her neck and tipped up her face. And then, his mouth met with hers.

Heat sizzled in her body even as the cool water surrounded her. Grabbing his wet shirt, she clung to him, returning the kiss. Nothing seemed to exist in her mind right then except for wanting to feel the touch of his hands on her body.

She moaned when his hand cupped her breast, and her body arched when the rough pad of his thumb rubbed against the exposed skin near her waist. Wanting to desperately touch and explore him, she slid her hand lower from his chest and touched the hardness that indicated his desire.

A growl escaped his throat, and his kiss grew fiercer. She felt drugged with excitement and need. But even as she wanted to feel him, his hand caught hers and pulled it away from his hardness. Before she could protest, his hand slid under her skirt, and a calloused finger slid into her intimate folds.

“Shivay,” she cried out in shocked pleasure.

Her body trembled as electricity coursed through her body. He bent her body backward using the support of his muscled arm. She could only see his darkly handsome face watching her while he pleasured her.

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