“What is a photo?”
“Remember I showed you the images on my computer?Those are photos.I can take them with my phone or with my camera.”
Tawera nodded, but Nyree’s words still confused him.
She patted his arm as if she read his mind and understood.“I’ll show you once we get back.Try not to let them photograph you again.”
His brows lifted.“I should blow fire at them?”
“No!It’s even more important these days to keep our true identities secret.There are people out there—governments—who would capture us and use us in ways I don’t even want to imagine.”Nyree shuddered.
“They could take down a mighty taniwha?”he scoffed, his disdain clear.Nothing was more powerful than a dragon.
“That might have been true once.The local people feared and revered the taniwha.There was mutual respect.When we return, I’ll introduce you to the internet.I might download a book on world history for you to read.Are your reading skills as good as your verbal?”
“I can read, but I am slow.”
“That’s all right.You need to learn as much as you can before returning to New Zealand.Reading books will help you prepare for the modern world.Now back to Keith and Carolyn.We must hide you because they’d have to report you to their boss.That would raise even more questions.”
“I can find a place to hide, but when the cruise ships come, I can walk in the open.”
“Yes, that should work.You can sneak into my quarters at night.The thing is to look confident as if you belong.That way, you’ll receive fewer questions.”
“I can do this.”Tawera reached for more cheese.“We do not have another alternative.I am stuck here at present.”He crunched down on a piece of French bread and cheese and immediately spat it out.“Ugh!”
“I’m not a fan of the goat cheese either.We won’t eat that one.”
Once they’d demolished their feast, they relaxed in the sun until Nyree checked her watch and said it was time to return, otherwise Keith and Carolyn would worry.She stood and slapped the dust from her backside.
Tawera stood too.“First, we will have our kiss because your soft lips entice me.”
“Kissing involves more than the pressing of lips.There is a technique.”Nyree drew in a sharp breath, and a hint of pink crept up her neck.“Excellent.I sound like a prissy maiden aunt.”
“There is more?”Tawera regarded her with a curious expression, his gaze following the path of the delightful pink as it traveled upward to her cheeks.“Show me.”
Before Nyree could comment—the flustered tangle of her tongue prevented an immediate reply—he stepped closer and grasped her shoulders with gentle fingers.He lowered his lips to hers, the movement a whisper of pleasure.Oh, boy.Tawera knew precisely what a kiss was and how to give a great one.She gripped his shoulders and held tight as he teased her mouth.At first, the kiss was slow with an inherent tenderness, but gradually Tawera deepened the contact, using his tongue and teeth to perfect effect.He licked and nibbled, and pressure built inside Nyree’s chest.The emotion emerged in a heartfelt groan.Tawera had been holding back on her.
She’d tried not to think about him and sex, but he’d torn down the flimsy barrier she’d erected with one exceptional kiss.It made her curious about what he’d be like as a lover.He tugged her closer, fitting their bodies together.Every feminine part of her rejoiced at the contact.He was hard everywhere.His chest.His shoulders.His cock.
Aghast at her thoughts when she’d only escaped her last relationship—a toxic one—with the help of her friends, she yanked from his embrace, each breath seesawing up her throat.
Tawera stilled, and she’d bet his watchful brown gaze saw more than he should, more than she was comfortable with him seeing.They held a stare for a long, tension-filled moment.
Tawera broke the silence first.“Did I do something wrong?”
“No.”The word emerged with a snap, and she winced.
He cocked his head, reminding her of an inquisitivepiwakawaka, the fantail that flicked through the forest and long grasses hunting bugs on the wing.
Nyree sighed.It wasn’t fair to cast any blame for her confusion on him.This was all her.“I…” she started and sighed again.“I’m sorry.”
“Did you not enjoy my kiss?”
Nyree gaped at the arrogant tilt of his chin, the smug male glint in those ever-changing brown eyes of his.Right now, they reminded her of an expensive Scottish whisky.
“Nyree?”
The verbal prod had Nyree shaking herself.“I loved your kiss.Too much.I liked it too much, and that’s a problem, especially with the coming of the full moon.I don’t trust myself, and I shouldn’t be looking at any man, not after my disastrous relationship with Ari.”
