Stealing Mercury (Arena Dogs Book 1) (21 page)

“Yes. It’s safer along the sides.”

She’d been so preoccupied with the power of the spilling water she hadn’t taken in the odd formations in the rock along the edge of the river. “The water must have carved the gullies.”

The shallow channels and dips worn into the white rock funneled water into the center of the river, but not before making an elaborate network of clear pools.

“Some further up on this side are warm. They seem perfect for bathing.” Mercury pushed loose strands of her hair out of her face and brushed his knuckles along her jaw.

A shiver of pleasure raced down her neck at his touch. His hands were rough, but the texture only added to the sensation. The memory of their last bath sent heat rushing to her cheeks and across her chest.

She met his gaze and looked into the piercing silver, searching for some hint of what he was thinking. She knew he wanted her, at least in the moment. She knew lust was a factor, but it couldn’t be the only one. There was tenderness there, too. She only wished she knew if he would look at her the same after they got off the planet and she introduced him to a world where females weren’t rare and she was just another ordinary woman.

Enjoy the moment, Sammie.
The moment might be all she had with this incredible man. He was accustomed to living without luxuries, but he’d found her a warm bath in an uninhabited wilderness. It was no small thing to her way of thinking. “Show me the way.”

He led her along the edges of the network of pools, steadying her footing as they went. “It’s slippery,” he explained.

“Must be algae,” she muttered, still feeling awed by the riot of color and texture and sound.

As they grew closer to the cliff and the thundering fall of water, she saw the warmer pools he mentioned. Steam hung over the water like a miniature cloud. The heated pools sat along the base of the cliff, but far enough to the side to be out from under the fall.

One of their packs and several strands of flowers sat beside the pool where they stopped. Mercury crouched down to dig through the pack. He came up with cleanser. “I have clothes for you to wear after your bath.”

She couldn’t help the flush of color that came at the thought of how good the steamy water would feel against her skin. “This is going to feel so good.”

Mercury made a noncommittal “
mmm
,” as he pressed the cleanser into her palm then tugged at one of her boots. She let him pull them free, one at a time, then watched as he slipped off his flex boots and laid them beside hers.

“First,” he said. “We need to get the mud from your clothes.” He led her toward the closest section of the waterfall. Positioned to the side of the main channel, the water trickled over in what compared to a steady rain. He urged her onto the rocks that dotted the area in front of the fall and kept her moving to the far side—closest to the center channel. “Here the water flowing over does not feed the bathing pool.” He pointed at the seemingly random pattern of gullies and she realized he was right.

It was a beautiful sight, but the charm of it was quickly forgotten when Mercury pulled them both directly under the falling water.

Even as the water chilled her, Mercury’s grin warmed her inside. It was the wide, carefree grin of a man with nothing but play on his mind. It exaggerated the lines at the corner of his eyes and called attention to his generous, sensual lips. “You’re insane!” Her teeth chattered with the words.

His grin only widened. “Hurry,
courra
.”

She had no argument with that idea and she quickly pulled her shirt off over her head. The mud caked into the material had dried, making it stiff and awkward. He tugged down her trousers. She kicked them off and started scrubbing herself down with the cleanser. The dirt and mud slid off and washed away with the water. Mercury helped her briskly brush down her arms and legs then he was tugging at her tunic and briefs. She struggled playfully at first, but then gave in because she understood he’d let her go back to the warm pool once she was free of the muddy garments.

The moment she kicked free of her briefs, she scrambled away. She made a dash for the warm pool, splashing in, then wading to the far side where she could watch Mercury standing under the waterfall…unabashedly nude.

Stars, he was beyond words. Powerful muscles, sleek lines.

He soaped his inky black hair and turned his back to the spray. Samantha followed the suds with fascination as they trailed across his shoulders and down his ribs to follow that masculine vee that led down from his hipbones.

When he finished washing he carried their things back to the pool where she waited, near the point of drooling over him. He tossed in the cleanser and strode into the mist topped water like a mythical god.

As he crossed the pool, he scooped up handfuls of water to pour over his body. It kissed his skin like a misty lover. She couldn’t tear her gaze from the sight. She followed the water down the planes of his pectorals and down his flat belly to pool in the small dip of his navel. The mist swirled around his muscled thighs leaving only one place for her gaze to rest. Despite the chill of the waterfall he’d made a speedy recovery. He was aroused—the thick column of his cock stood straight and tall, the plum tip stretching toward his navel—but the grin on his face was still playful and light.

He lowered the appealing planes and hollows of muscle and bone into the water with a masculine sensuality that fogged her already muddled brain.

“I’m glad to see your color again,
courra
.” His low chuckle broke the spell and she splashed water in his face for laughing at her.

“Hey!” She tried to fend off his hands when he made a grab for her, but she ended up pulled against him—her back to his chest, his legs cradling her, his arms wrapped around her and both of them laughing. When the moment settled into ease, she sighed in pleasure and wrapped her arms over his. The tips of her fingers brushed across the scar tissue that ringed his wrists. He’d survived such horror and become so strong. With the memory of his laughter fresh in her mind, she laced her fingers with his. “This feels nice.”

“Mmm.” He pressed his lips to her neck, laving a path downward with sucking kisses and quick nips that accelerated her heart rate.

She tilted her head to give him complete access. Her blood rushed frantically through her body as if every cell raced for a chance to pass through the artery beneath the damp stroke of his tongue. “That’s almost too good. Maybe we should finish washing before we forget why we came here.”

“My memory is excellent,” he boasted, but he eased back and pushed his hand through the water around them until he found the cleanser. “Ah, here it is.”

The top snapped open and he worked the cool gel through her hair, strong fingers messaging her scalp, stroking down her neck.

She lifted her hand to make a cup. “Let me help.” He poured cleanser into her hands and she used it to clean first her own legs then his as she leaned forward giving him access to her back. He worked more cleanser around to her belly as she pulled his foot into her lap and rubbed her thumbs into the arch of his foot. He made a soft rumbling sound and rested his chin on her shoulder as she repeated the process with his other foot. The powerful intimacy of washing together, stroking soap-slicked skin, wrapped in the warmth of the water and each other, seemed at once natural and impossible to comprehend.

Samantha leaned back against him and relaxed into his embrace. “Never in my wildest imagination could I have ever dreamt I’d be here today on an uninhabited planet, bathing in a natural pool under a waterfall with flowers everywhere and I’d be doing all this with the sexiest man alive.”

Mercury chuckled. “I’m glad you find me sexy,
courra
. I also find you sexy.”

The word
sexy
sounded odd in a mouth made for rumbles and growls instead of sultriness. Her cheeks caught fire, but she was too relaxed to respond to his teasing.

He filled his hands with her breasts like a blind man relying only on touch to learn her. When her breasts began to ache and her nipples were tight nubbins under his fingers, he slid his hands down her belly and to the feminine folds between her legs.

“I didn’t dream of this either,” he said. His fingers stroked along her sensitive folds. “But after this, I think my ability to dream may be much improved.”

He slipped one finger inside her and she sucked in a breath, arching her back like a contented cat. No. She wasn’t contented yet, but she trusted Mercury would see to that eventually. There was no rush.

He stroked her lazily, playing in her folds and dipping a finger insider her then pulling it out again, with no discernible pattern. The result was blissful and frustrating and made her body shake with anticipation. She pushed back against him and the growing erection that promised so much. She was beyond ready when he added another finger to his game. She couldn’t stop herself from clenching down on those filling fingers.

“Relax,
courra
. I won’t hurt you.”

“Oh, I’m not so sure,” she breathed. “Frustration can be its own kind of hurting.”

“Then I’ll have to give you what you’re wanting,” he whispered. His hands slipped around to grasp her hips. He lifted her and positioned her at the edge of the pool.

She was ready and he slipped inside her easily from behind, filling her with hot, hard cock. She braced one arm against the icy stone edge and reached back to pull him closer with the other. The curved slope of the bottom of the pool put him at the perfect height to fuck her in a sensual in and out slide that had her whole body tight and burning with pleasure.

Her fingers clutched against the slick skin across his ribs, coming up empty, but the rest of her was full of him. Full of that heat and hardness.

She hung onto the edge as long as she could then plunged into orgasm.

His moist breath against her cheek, became a pant.

His hips jerked in a less steady and more powerful rhythm as he gave into his own needs, and filled her with his release.

Samantha could have stayed in the warmth of the pool all night, but not long after they’d both recovered from the sex, Mercury started urging her to the edge of the pool where the pack sat.

“There is still one more thing to show you,” he said.

She let him move her about like a rag doll, as she indulged in naughty speculation about what else he might have to show her.

“You’re grinning and golden,” he accused.

“Me?” She tried to sound surprised and playfully offended, but in the end she couldn’t stop either the grin or the coloring, so she nodded. “You’re right. I totally am.”

He lifted her out of the water and sat her on the stone edge.

“Yikes. That’s cold.” She realized then that the sky had turned the pink and ginger of twilight, but the white of the rocks reflected what light was left and made the area glow in a rainbow of colors.

As Mercury pulled his body out of the water, she made a grab for her tanks and briefs.

“The other pool I want to show you is cooler but those won’t keep you warm. You don’t need them.

Samantha looked around. “What if Lo or Carn decide to come down for a bath?”

His brows drew together and his flat nose scrunched, but then he shrugged and picked up his own pants.

Samantha stepped into her briefs. “I suppose, living together, you aren’t used to having much privacy.” Or, being a slave, allowed any modesty.

Mercury didn’t answer and she took that to mean he didn’t want to think about his years of captivity. She tugged on her tunic and started to grab the rest of her clothes.

“That’s enough. More will weigh you down in the water. The other pool is larger and deeper.”

“Okay.” She helped him pack their things then followed him back the way they’d come. He brought along the flower vines, tickling her curiosity, but she managed to hold back her questions.

“This is it.” Mercury stopped and put down their things. “Wait here.”

She sat on the edge of the pool as he took a strand of flowers and waded into the pool.

Samantha pulled her legs up to her chest and huddled against the cooling night air.

Mercury disappeared below the surface of the water and she leaned forward. He was a dark mass against the lighter rocks and a trail of glowing pink light moved through the water beside him. It swirled in a whimsical pattern and she followed it, fascinated and giddy as a child by the time Mercury surfaced and pulled her into the water with him.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. “It has to be some sort of bioluminescent reaction,” she said as he pressed the vine into her hand. “How did you discover it?”

“Last night, Lo and I found some of the flowers that had fallen into one of the pools.” He tugged on her hand. “Go ahead,
courra
, paint for me.”

She chuckled. “I guess it
is
like painting.” She made a large circle, trailing the vine through the water and was rewarded with a pink glow following her pattern. A burst of pure joy had her stopping to share the feeling with him. “I love it. Thank you for showing me.” But her voice fluttered like feathers and it wasn’t joy that shook her.

He was beautiful with a smile on his face and delight, a sparkle in his eyes. She pretended it was the cold that started her trembling and she stepped into his arms. It should have been a happy moment, but fear and cynicism and longing had twisted into an achy ball that burrowed into her chest. Her eyes threatened to overflow with barely restrained tears.

She wanted to find some way to keep him from going back to Roma. To keep him from risking his life. But selfishness would do her no good. He wasn’t hers. She could so easily fall in love with him, but too much was uncertain. Even if he survived his rescue attempt, his whole life, everything he’d know was changing. This wasn’t the time to expect him to make any life altering decisions or new commitments. This was a time to enjoy every moment they could.

“Samantha?” Mercury’s warm breath tickled along her neck, starting another wave of shivers. “Your cold, we should get back.”