Ellora's Cavemen: Jewels of the Nile II Read online

  Without thinking, she clasped the pendant. Shawn’s name rang out in her mind.

  “I need you!” she cried out. “Please, Shawn! I can’t do this alone.”

  She tried to back out of the water but her feet refused to move. If anything, she seemed to be sinking. The water gripped her ankles, threatening to drag her out to the very depths of the sea.

  Water rippled in the distance. She was struck with the irrational conviction that death was coming for her. Death by drowning—her deepest fear was about to come true. The ripple became a wake, more pronounced and moving at an incredible speed. Kelli clasped the pendant and waited, mesmerized by the sight yet unable to move out of the way.

  I’m coming.

  Shawn? His voice was so clear he could have been standing right beside her. She realized he was coming to save her. Her fears were quickly overshadowed by concern for Shawn. She remembered what he’d said about the daylight and knew he would be putting himself at risk for her sake. The sky was overcast. Would that be enough to protect him from the sun’s harmful rays?

  But there was no squelching the wave of reassurance that rushed over her even before he surfaced. He strode forward like a god of the sea and swept her up in his arms and back to the safety of the beach. “It’s all right,” he murmured over her protests. “I’m fine for a little while.”

  She clutched him tighter. “I shouldn’t have called you. It’s not safe. But I was so afraid.”

  “I know. I felt your fear,” he said. “You did great, though. I’m so proud of you! But you don’t have to do it alone. I can help you. Just remember the water can’t hurt you. It’s where you belong. It’s where you were meant to be…with me.”

  His voice alone would have been enough to ease the fear, but the added strength of his arms and the fact that they were leaving the water behind didn’t hurt. Only as the last remnants of fear receded did she realize they were both naked except for the matching pendants they wore. She knew without a doubt that somehow the aquamarine had amplified her thoughts, allowing Shawn to hear her cries for help. The matching pendants vibrated at the same frequency.

  His skin was cool and wet where it brushed her own. With each step she felt her blood stirring. He came for me. That thought was more exciting than even the feel of his erect cock pressing against her bare thigh. He’d come when she’d needed him most.

  “Shawn?”

  He lowered her to her feet then reached up to brush a lock of hair from her temple. “Yes, my love?”

  The words sent a thrill coursing through her. She wanted him. Despite all the craziness, the unbelievable stories about mermaids and underwater kingdoms, she wanted him with every cell in her body.

  “You left me last night,” she began. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to come back or not, so I…I thought I’d try to go to you.”

  He ran his hand down her arm in a silky caress before taking her hand and bringing it to his hard cock. He held it there, palm cupping his erection before gently guiding her hand in a slow stroke. “My brave little mermaid,” he sighed. “I wish I could have stayed with you all night, but I can only stay out of the water for a few hours at a time. If we’re to be together forever, it has to be in my home. I can’t survive in yours.”

  Kelli couldn’t think about that. Not right now. The important thing was that he was here and she wanted him. “I was thinking about taking a shower,” she said. “That’s, um…that’s water, right?”

  He raised an eyebrow, lust darkening his sea-blue eyes. “I do believe it is, at that.”

  He released her hand but she didn’t move it away, continuing to stroke him until his cock jerked and trembled. Only then did she release her grip and turn toward the cottage. “Let’s get inside before the sun comes out again.”

  He glanced once at the sky, as if calculating the risk, then followed her lead.

  * * * * *

  One of the reasons she had decided to rent this particular cottage was the large walk-in shower. Kelli’s aversion to water extended to bathtubs. A shower was acceptable, however, especially one with wide glass doors that kept her from feeling claustrophobic. This shower was larger than normal with a molded seat in the corner and a handheld showerhead with a power massager.

  As soon as she entered the shower, Kelli turned on the water then beckoned Shawn to join her. He stepped inside, dipped his head under the spray and made a sound of unadulterated pleasure before turning to fully face the pounding spray. Only then did Kelli realize how much effort it must have taken him to leave the water during the day, even with the sun’s direct rays obscured by thick cloud cover. She could see how much the water rejuvenated him.

  She watched the water trickle along his skin, making sexy swirls over tight muscles and dipping into places she wanted to explore more fully. She ran a fingertip along the rivulet trailing down his spine and felt him shiver beneath her touch. His skin was smooth and hairless, as sleek as any sea creature. She trailed her finger lower. Muscles bunched in his ass as she caressed each firm cheek before circling her arms around his waist to grasp his rock-hard erection.

  When she closed her hand around his cock, he moaned. The sound of male pleasure was the same in any language. If she could have sculpted the ideal penis, it would feel exactly like this—the way it fit perfectly against the curve of her palm, the strength surging beneath tight cords and ridges, the unexpectedly velvety-soft crown released from its sheath. She explored every inch, memorizing the dips and curves, letting her fingers tease with abandon then stroking downward along the smooth shaft to circle his base.

  A voice inside her began to chant, Mine, mine, mine.

  He reached down and covered her hand with his own, guiding her movements with a gentle pressure. She could feel his body tremble with each stroke. Her own excitement built with his and she arched, pressing her groin against his bottom. The muscles of his ass clenched and released with each stroke of her hand, caressing her in a way that was intoxicating.

  Just when she thought she could stand no more, he turned and faced her. He held her gaze, his eyes dark with lust. Her hand was still wrapped around his cock. She could feel his pulse thundering in her grip before he drew her hand away and brought it to his chest to rest over his heart. The gesture, so tender and unexpected, tightened her throat with emotion.

  “All yours,” he whispered in answer to her earlier thoughts. She knew he was referring to his heart as well as his body.

  He brushed his lips over hers and then parted them with his tongue. As they explored each other’s mouths, his hands roamed along her body, caressing her breasts and hips, cupping her bottom and tugging her tightly against his erection, drawing a ragged moan from her lips.

  He pulled his lips from her mouth and kissed his way down her neck, licking a trickle of water from her collarbone. She shivered as he bent his head and licked water from first one breast then the other. He brushed his lips over her nipples until they stiffened into sensitive peaks then covered them with slow, lingering kisses. With a husky growl, he drew one nipple into his mouth in leisurely tugs that sent waves of pleasure straight to her center.

  Tearing his mouth from her breasts, he lowered himself and followed the trail of water downward, kissing her abdomen, the dip in her belly, circling her navel with his tongue and then burying his face between her legs. She gasped and threw her head back as he spread her nether lips with his tongue, gently placing one leg over his shoulder to delve deeper.

  Spray from the showerhead pounded against her sensitive breasts, making her nipples tingle. His mouth closed around her clit, teasing it lightly at first then increasing pressure, lapping it again and again until she felt herself spinning helplessly out of control.

  His thoughts entered her mind, surrounding her as he sent her over the edge, rippling and tumbling in a waterfall of pleasure. Her hips bucked wildly against his face. She threw back her head and cried out.

  The sounds were unfamiliar—but her soul recognized the words of some lo
ng-ago language.

  Yes, his mind replied in that same lilting tongue. Come home, my love. Come home to me.

  And she did. Over and over again.

  As her orgasm peaked the pendant began to glow, as if charged by the sexual energy pulsing through her body. It glowed brighter with each cascading wave of pleasure, bathing them both in a cool blue glow.

  He kissed and licked his way up her body, tongue swirling like silk along rivulets of water that dripped from her belly and breasts, finally reaching her mouth to capture her final trembling sigh. He held her close as the orgasm subsided, leaving her trembling and weak. Water rushed over their bodies in a soothing caress. She melted against him, tucking her head against the side of his neck and breathing in his scent. The ocean lingered on his skin, leaving the taste of salt and sea on her tongue and she wanted to taste more of him. All of him. She wanted to taste him with every inch of her body, in ways the tongue alone could never capture.

  “Tonight,” he promised, wrapping her in a towel and carrying her out of the shower.

  “You’re leaving?”

  “Yes.” He glanced outside where the day was still overcast and gloomy. “I can’t risk being out of the water much longer. But I’ll be back. I promise.”

  She knew he was right, but she couldn’t let him leave without telling him how much she needed him, how much she wanted to make love to him.

  “Shawn, I want—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “I know. I want it too. More than you can ever imagine.” He rested his forehead against hers. “There’s something you need to know first,” he said. “In my culture…we mate for life. You have to be sure before you take that leap of faith. Take some time to think about that and if that’s truly your desire, we’ll be together the way we were meant to be. Always and forever.”

  Forever? But that meant…

  She had no doubt that he was who he claimed to be. He came from the sea and she knew that was where he must return. If they truly had a forever, she’d have to join him there. Only moments ago the thought of lost mermaids and romantic castles beneath the sea had captured her imagination with a siren-song appeal, but now in the cold glow of daylight her fear of drowning returned. She shivered. Like a splash of cold water, doubts dampened the afterglow of pleasure.

  “Trust me,” he said, then pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  She wanted to. More than anything, she wanted to trust him and believe everything he’d told her, but she needed more time. Time she knew they didn’t have. Two more nights, he’d said. He’d been granted mere days to find his lost soul mate and after that, he’d return to his kingdom beneath the sea—with or without her. If it was without her, she knew she’d never see him again and spend the rest of her life filled with regrets for what might have been. Should have been.

  “I have another gift for you,” he said, taking her hand and turning it palm up. Like a magician, he conjured an item from thin air and placed it into her open hand with a flourish.

  She gazed down at a fluted clamshell cupped in her palm. The surface shimmered with opalescent swirls, reminding her of Botticelli’s painting of the birth of Venus from the sea. The image was appropriate. Like Venus, she felt reborn into a new sexual awakening.

  “Thank you,” she breathed.

  He smiled and closed her hand around the shell. “Open it after I leave,” he said. “You’ll know what to do with it.”

  With that, he kissed her once more then left as mysteriously as he’d appeared, leaving only the shell in her hand as a reminder that their time together was more than a beautiful dream.

  She turned her attention to his gift. The curved lips of the shell were gently parted, like a lover’s lips waiting to be kissed. At the merest touch of her fingertips, the shell opened. Nestled inside were two ornamental balls the size of ripened cherries. Each was made of the same aquamarine-colored stones as the pendant she wore.

  She lifted them from their bed and rolled them back and forth in her palm, mesmerized by the play of light and color. Like the pendant, they warmed to her touch, emitting a soft tinkling when they rolled back and forth, as if tiny chimes nestled inside. Each ball seemed to play a different tone. Together they joined in an ethereal harmony unlike anything she’d ever heard before.

  She held one to her ear and shook it, recognizing the sound immediately as Shawn’s song. It called to her soul in a way nothing else before ever had, sending up a reverberating echo inside her heart. She felt it expand outward in invisible waves—seeking out the one true tone that would form their destined harmony. She knew on a deep, primal level that Shawn’s song would never be complete without her own.

  She shook the other ball and set it singing. The high, clear notes rose in a joyful expression she recognized as uniquely her own. More familiar than the sound of her own voice, the song of her soul blended in perfect harmony with his deeper, richer tones. Together they formed a singular symphony, the perfect balance of man and woman, yin and yang. Soul mates.

  She imagined those tones reverberating inside her and setting her body singing. A warm flush rose to her cheeks as she realized exactly what their purpose was. She’d heard of Ben Wa balls, but she’d never been adventurous enough to try them before. Now she was intrigued. Perhaps like the pendant, these stones held magical powers as well. Maybe Shawn’s gift would ease the yearning inside to be filled with his touch—at least until she had the real thing.

  Before she could second-guess the instinct, she removed the towel and sat on the edge of the couch, rubbing the balls over her sex-slickened pussy. The warmth of her body merged with the heat of the smooth surface. She spread her legs and pressed them against her opening. The lubricated balls slid easily inside her, first one then the other, making her feel delightfully full inside.

  She stood and walked gingerly. With each step, the balls sang inside her, each movement sending a delicious vibration throughout her entire body. Yes, she thought. Shawn was right. I knew exactly what to do with them.

  And he’d known exactly what his gift would do to her.

  Chapter Four

  Kelli slipped on a white linen shirt. She reached for her shorts and then changed her mind, feeling decadent wearing only the long shirt and nothing else. She packed up her art supplies and left the cottage. She was intensely aware of the gentle movements of the balls jostling inside her giving off a slightly metallic vibration with each step. The sensation was incredibly erotic, keeping her swollen and wet and just slightly on the edge of release. The fullness made her ache for more, a constant reminder of what she could look forward to when Shawn returned that evening.

  She walked a few dozen yards down the beach, set her easel up on a weathered bluff overlooking the sea and proceeded to paint while the light was still good. She knew that Shawn would come to her as soon as the sun set. She’d be ready and waiting for him.

  Whether from the constant feeling of fullness inside her or the promise of what was to come, her painting took on a decidedly erotic feel, with flowing strokes and underwater pastels. She relaxed and let the images flow through her onto the canvas, painting with an abandon and joy she hadn’t felt in years. Her body thrummed with each stroke.

  The picture that emerged was a mosaic of images against a backdrop of coral reefs and lush underground grottos. The border was formed by graceful strands of kelp with tiny iridescent fish peeking out from behind the blades. Like an underwater Kama Sutra, the scene depicted couples swimming together and making love in sensuous aquatic positions only possible underwater. The erotic images were beautiful and natural, like this perfect fantasy kingdom beneath the sea. Kelli yearned for the home she only remembered in her dreams, one she’d previously thought of as simply a spark of creative fantasy brought to life on canvas.

  Stepping back, she studied the finished painting. It was explicitly sexual, incredibly erotic and intensely personal. It was quite possibly the best painting she’d ever produced.

  By the time she was done, the
sun had begun to set, turning the world to a velvety dusk. She’d been too intent on her painting to even notice the passage of time. A full moon skirted the horizon, sending an undulating trail of moonlight over the water’s surface.

  She sensed Shawn even before she felt his arms slip around her from behind. “It’s beautiful,” he said.

  A warm glow enveloped her body, both at his touch and his words. “I painted it for you.”

  His hand dipped lower, cupping the fullness of her swollen sex. “And you like my gift?”

  “Mmmm…I may never need a man again.”

  He chuckled against the side of her neck. “I doubt that.” His fingers teased and stroked, making the balls inside her sing in response. She melted against him, losing herself in erotic sensations more intense than anything she’d ever felt before. The orgasm that had been flirting at the edges of her consciousness all day became even more insistent. Even as his fingertips explored, she knew she wanted more than the quick rush of release. She wanted him inside her, fully and forever.

  As if sensing her desire, his fingers expertly entered her and gently removed the balls made warm and slick by her body. He laid them on the lip of her easel and she wasn’t surprised to see they now glowed with the same intensity as the stone nestled between her breasts. All three stones were attuned to her desire, infused with the force of her sexual awakening.

  She felt at once empty and expectant. Unable to wait a moment longer, she reached behind and curled her fingers around his shaft, finding him as ready as she was. His body shuddered as she spread her legs and eased his rigid cock toward her slick and swollen entrance.

  “Take me now,” she purred. The words reverberated through every cell of her body.

  Answering her need, Shawn’s hands slid down to her waist and gripped her tighter against his body. His voice was husky in her ear. “Is this what you truly want?”

  “Yes. Oh God, yes!” There wasn’t a single doubt in her mind. She wanted him desperately. She couldn’t wait another moment to cradle him inside her. “Please,” she begged.