Danika frowned as he strode off, wondering if her none-too-subtle hint had gone right over his head, too.
It hadn’t—exactly—but he wasn’t convinced he’d gotten the message either. He was sitting on one of the stones near the cave when she arrived, frowning at the water lapping against the rock. He got up when he saw her. “I have checked the cave and also the perimeter of the pool. There are no creatures here that you need be concerned about.”
Disconcerted, Danika looked around a little vaguely. “Well! That’s good news!”
Niles frowned. “Pardon … but did you say ‘watch’ your back? Or ‘wash’?”
Danika bit her lip, struggling with a mixture of amusement, discomfort, and uneasiness. A seductress, she wasn’t, however, and the question disconcerted her. Beyond that, she hadn’t actually given a lot of thought to the possibility of ‘creatures’ of any kind. She’d simply needed an excuse to find a quiet place to be alone with him to do the horizontal tango and a reminder of the need to check for creatures did nothing for her libido.
She’d really hoped he would ‘get’ it and they could avoid the awkwardness she felt at that moment. Sighing, she mentally braced herself and peeled off her T-shirt and then her briefs. Niles’s gaze instantly zeroed in on her—well, everything below the neck. If she’d been in any doubt of that, she certainly wasn’t by the time she’d reached him and lifted her hands to rest them lightly on his chest.
His gaze remained fixed until she was too close for him to focus on her body anymore. He lifted his head then and blinked at her.
She didn’t know if it clicked in his mind then what the plan was or if nature simply took over, but, to her relief, her touch seemed to be all the prompting he needed. His arms came around her like a trap slamming shut and tightened, bringing her fully against his length.
Chapter Eighteen
For many moments Niles did nothing more and the suspicion had begun to creep into Danika’s mind that he hadn’t gotten the idea after all, despite the hard log of flesh that rose up between them, when he dragged in a shuddering breath and began to explore her with his hands.
“We did not bring anything to bathe with,” he said in a strangled voice.
Dismay flickered through Danika. Excuse or not, she’d fully intended to make use of the pool! “Shit!” she muttered. “What are we going to do now?”
Niles paused in his exploration, clearly deliberating on the matter. “I will go back and collect what we need.”
“I’ve got a better idea,” Danika said after only a moment’s thought. “Why don’t we just soak?”
Niles’ hold on her slackened. Before he could pull away, Danika grabbed his ‘handle’. “After sex,” she said, amusement tingeing her voice. “I don’t know what effect that cold water will have on this fellow, but I have a bad feeling he might … uh … try to hide. I’ve heard they don’t like cold much.”
Niles cast a rather desperate glance around the area and finally scooped her off her feet. Carrying her to an area where tall grasses grew, he trampled a bed in the midst of it and then set her on her feet. She smiled up at him and then lay down, pillowing her head on her folded arms.
Niles followed her down, settling partially on top of her.
“Mmm,” she murmured, “That’s what I love about you guys. Always on top of things.”
He studied her expression for a long moment and Danika wondered what he was thinking. After a moment, he lifted one hand and began to explore her lightly, tracing his fingers over her breasts and down her torso to the light nest of hair on her mound and then back again. “To love is to feel strong affection,” he murmured.
Danika felt her amusement die. Her throat closed as a mixture of desire and compassion filled her. “It is.”
He met her gaze again. “And this is something that you feel for me?”
Danika thought about it—not that she was in any doubt that she felt a strong bond to each of them, but she hadn’t actually intended the comment as a confession. She realized, though, that subterfuge was no more a part of who they were than dishonor. He wouldn’t try to use it as a weapon against her. “Yes, it is.”
He smiled abruptly and Danika almost felt like her heart stopped for moment. Her chest tightened uncomfortably.
His smile waned and he studied her seriously. “This is something I feel for you also.”
Doubts rose in Danika’s mind. How could he even know what love was, she wondered? But then he kissed her and silenced the voices in her head, evoking pleasure and warmth and then heat as he explored her all over with his hands and his mouth. It was almost magical, the way he made her feel—in spite of the crunch and rattle of grasses beneath them—and the itch. The glow of Xeno-11’s moons glinting off of his skin and hers, the play of shadows, produced an intimate cocoon and when he joined his body with hers she felt more than passion, she felt … loved.
And she got her wish—a glorious climax and the time to savor it afterward without an embarrassing interruption!
For a short time, they lay entwined, enjoying simply touching. Finally, Niles pulled away. “I will go back and collect what we need to bathe.”
Danika was reluctant for him to leave, half asleep, and not particularly enthused about the idea of jumping into the chilly water now that the night was rapidly reaching an uncomfortable temperature. She was still warm from their love play and not anxious to exchange pleasure for misery. He rose and left before she could object, however.
She lay where he’d left her, drowsing, listening to his movements, trying to decide whether to get up and follow him back or not. She could always bathe in the morning—when it wasn’t so cool. She hadn’t actually wanted to bathe to start with.
She still hadn’t made up her mind when she heard him return. He dropped down beside her.
