Though she was exhausted, Lexi’s curiosity led her to the edge of the waterfall. She plucked one of the purple-blue leaves, fingered it. It was thick, with a texture like the leather cover on an ancient book.Before we go, I’ll pick a few of these leaves and take them back with me through the portal. I need to study them in the lab, find out how they manage to grow in such an unlikely place.
Over her head, she caught sight of what looked like a flower bud. Surely that was impossible. She went after it, scrambling for a foothold. Mist from the waterfall made the rock wall slippery but she managed to get part way up.
She reached up, on her toes — and nearly lost her balance when a hand clamped around her ankle.
“You cursed female! I can’t leave you alone for five minutes. Come down here before you fall and kill yourself.”
“I was doing just fine until you came along,” she snapped. She slid one foot down, groping for a foothold, and caught him staring up at her, his eyes dark with hunger. No wonder. She’d been naked for so long she hadn’t even thought about how she must look — one leg stretched out, the other cocked at a wide angle, her pussy and ass practically in front of his face.
Suddenly embarrassed, Lexi twisted away from him and grabbed hold of one of the vines. It broke away in her hand. She shrieked and toppled backward.
Ayron caught her. But he was thrown off balance, and they both ended up in the sand, her body on top of his. He lay there for a moment, as though stunned. Then, with a low groan, he rolled over, pinning her beneath him. His hands fisted in her hair, and he pressed his mouth against hers.
Ever since their first kiss, Lexi hadn’t been able to get the memory of it out of her mind. She’d simply stood there, not knowing how to respond. Over and over, she’d relived the way he’d coaxed her mouth open with the tip of his tongue. How the taste and the touch of it had sent shivers of desire tearing through her.
This time Lexi met his kiss, lips parted. His tongue invaded her mouth, filling her. A jolt of lust shot straight to her pussy. She dug her heels in the sand, ground her body against his.
Ayron tore off his garment. He grabbed both her wrists in one hand, trapped them over her head, and urged her legs apart with his knee. The head of his cock nuzzled the folds of her vulva, hot and insistent.
Lexi froze then struggled frantically beneath him. She tore her mouth away from his. “No! You can’t. I’m not built like your women. It’s too big!”
He pulled back. Rose to his knees. “You’re a virgin…and I’m a cur,” he muttered.
Ayron got to his feet and turned away, as if in disgust. “I brought your skirt,” he said, still not looking at her. He bent and rummaged in the load he’d dropped when he ran to her aid, tossed it at her. “Put it on. Then come and eat. It will be dark soon, and I’ll have to put out the torch. I don’t want to use it any more than necessary. We’ll need all of them on our trip back.” He grabbed his loincloth and tied it around his hips then gathered up the rest of the supplies and strode away.
Lexi lay in the sand, her skin tingling from the heat of his body. Her lips felt tender and swollen from being crushed against his. She ran a finger over them, tracing the path his tongue had taken. She hadn’t meant to anger him. She’d spoken out of fear and panic. His cock had been so thick, so hard and hot. She’d told him to stop. Now her pussy ached with need.
He was finished with her. Instead of relief, she felt hurt. Disappointed. His kisses had thrilled her. His body touching hers lit a fire deep inside hotter than the one his hand ignited on her bottom. She hadn’t wanted him to stop everything. Only to…
Only to what?You wanted to know what lovemaking was like. You’ve been fantasizing about it. Dreaming about it ever since you saw that couple back on Earth and heard what people do on Neodyma.You had your chance. Now you’ve made him angry. He doesn’t want anything more to do with you. And you have only yourself to blame.
She picked up her skirt, put it on, and trudged to wherehe’d set up a makeshift camp. Two cloaks lay on the ground, one on top of the other, with a third rolled up like a pillow. It must have come from Eli’s pack.
Ayron dug though the contents spread out in front of him. “We need to eat the fresh meat before it spoils. There’s dried narliphant too, enough for a week if we’re careful. And we have plenty of fresh water here.” His tone was matter-of-fact, as if nothing had happened between them.
“A week? It only took one night to get here. We don’t need a week to recuperate for the journey. I feel stronger already.”
“There’s a sandstorm brewing. I saw the signs at the entrance to the cave when I went back. Sometimes they last for days. We can’t risk traveling until it passes. We’ll die if we’re caught in it out there.”
She said nothing. The thought of spending days alone in the grotto with a man who wouldn’t even look at her made her cringe inside. She longed to be held again, kissed and touched. She wanted to go to him, put her arms around his neck, and say she was sorry. But for what? For having a body that couldn’t possibly fit with his? Better to follow his lead. Pretend there’d been no moment of wild passion between them. She’d spend the time studying the plant life in the grotto, learn all she could about this planet. Then, once they were back in the city, she’d escape from him, make her way back to where she’d arrived, and find somewhere to hide while she waited for rescue.
***
Ayron watched her out of the corner of his eye. She sat down on the cloak as far away from him as possible, took the hunk of meat he handed her without a word, and began eating. Good. They’d both ignore what happened.
He only wished his cock could ignore it too. Seeing her there, those creamy white breasts bare, the tips still puckered, begging to be sucked… He tried to will away his erection, cursing Eva silently. She’d been desperate to pull him out of the bottomless pit of grief he’d been in for so long.Are you happy now, Eva? Thanks to your meddling in my life, I’ve gone from a bereaved man who lost his family to a beast who nearly ravaged a frightened, vulnerable virgin. I’m no better than Eli.
It was impossible to know how long they’d be marooned here. He needed to establish some rules. For both of them.
“What is your name?”
She looked up, startled. “My name?”
“Surely Earthers have names. I need some way to address you. On Iridia, even our animals have names.”
“Yes, I have a name. It’s Alexis. Alexis Sims. But everyone calls me Lexi.”
“Very well, Lexi. You will address me as Master.”
