Page 50 of Corvus and the Broken God

“Want me to run up and get them for you, sweetheart?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. How about we get another drink at the bar?”

I glanced at the mostly full pitcher on the table, scrambling to keep up with him. Our dinners hadn’t come out yet, and we had already run up quite a tab. I looked around for our waiter and spotted him halfway between us and the bar.

“Yeah. I don’t like these weak margaritas anyway. Maybe we should just stick to beer.”

Camazotz stood and held out his hand. I took it but then pulled him in the direction of our waiter, pausing to ask him to cancel our order and put everything on our room’s tab before allowing him to lead me to the bar.

We found an open barstool near the end of the bar. Camazotz pulled it out for me, and I leaned over to flag down the overworked bartender. He nodded at my request for two Coronas, and I settled back, surprised to find a strong chest against my back.

Someone is watching us, so put on your best tourist face. Pretend to be in love with me if you can stand it.

The desire to look for the person watching us was strong, but it would’ve been an instant giveaway. I needed to find something better to do with my eyes. And mouth. Feeling reckless, I tilted my head back and kissed his jaw, grabbing his arm and pulling it tight around me.

It was too noisy where we were now to talk, which was a relief since I’d never been good at mindless small talk. I couldn’t imagine Camazotz being even halfway competent at it. He didn’t react to my snarky thought. Then again, he was distracted. I should’ve been worried about the person who had caught his eye, but all I could concentrate on was the feeling of his strong arm around my waist. The warmth of his skin still lingered on my lips.

Good, Corvus, keep it up.

Our beers arrived; otherwise, I would have pressed him. Instead, I squeezed his lime into the pale liquid and handed the bottle to him over my shoulder. I squeezed my own lime and then downed the first big gulp, shoring up my courage. Aware he could still hear my thoughts, even while distracted, I tried not to think about anything besides the cold liquid coating my throat. When his arm loosened, and he took a drink, I swiveled my bar stool around until I faced him.

He looked down at me and stepped close. Our eyes met. My hand went to his neck, pulling his head down to mine. I was the one who kissed him, and this time, I didn’t freeze.

His lips were softer than I remembered from our first brief contact, his breath cold and smelling of lime, beer, and corn chips. I pressed my body against his and threw my other arm around his thick neck, enjoying the sparks dancing down my back.

He pulled back too soon, and I almost cried. He looked at me as if seeing me for the first time.

Sorry about that. I figured that would convince him we were at least in lust, if not in love.

Do not apologize, Corvus. You are welcome to attack me anytime.

I looked away, sure I was blushing. What the hell were we doing?

He took a drink of his beer.

So, what would a couple deep in lust do after running out on dinner and settling for piss-like weak beer instead?

I laughed. Walk on the beach?

He smiled, eyes back on mine. Why didn’t I think of that?

Because you prefer to fly over the beach instead of walk in the waves.

You know me so well, Corvus, but we will be flying again soon enough.

I glanced around the bar to see if I could spot anyone out of place, but nobody stood out. Hopping off my bar stool, I reached for his hand. His fingers wound through mine, and he followed as I led him by the pool and out the long walkway to the sand. There were people everywhere. A row of hotels ran all along the beach. It didn’t matter, or shouldn’t have, since we were putting on a show. I slipped off my sandals. The sun had set, but the sand had been soaking up its heat all day.

Camazotz kicked his flip-flops off but left them by the walkway. I carried my sandals and walked straight to the water. The waves rolled over my toes, the water warm but nowhere near as hot as our mountain springs.

I was aware of how close he stood, although the usual connection we shared seemed to be on the fritz. I did my best not to read anything into the fake, decidedly non-romantic evening we were playing at.

Then his hand took mine, and he tugged me after him as he waded out of the water and farther down the beach. I knew it was all an act, yet my heart raced independently of my common sense. I thought about all the Mayan history and architecture books I’d read recently, anything to keep my thoughts from betraying that flicker of hope.

Couples strolled along the beach. If any of them were spies for Camazotz’s enemies, they all looked like regular tourists to me. He turned toward a large dune, dragging me through the thick sand. Without warning or explanation, he sat down on the ground, gently pulling me to sit with my back to him between his bent legs. I let out a sigh. It had been a long day, starting before dawn with us driving to the airport using the Stag’s Jeep. The Corona only made me sleepy.

Eventually, I relaxed and leaned back against his chest. He didn’t seem to mind, putting one arm across my middle. His thighs closed around me until I was surrounded by him. No matter how I tried to distract myself, it was impossible to keep my thoughts from going down that path.

Relax, Corvus. It’s been a long time for me, and I would enjoy a little bed play if you’d like.