Most definitely yes.
But she let her smile do the talking.
Twenty
“So where is this mystery hideaway you’re taking me?” Lilah fastened her gaze on his bare chest, loving the way the sun glistened off his bronzed skin.
“It’s called Gall Island. Very scenic, and steeped in local legends.”
She leaned against the fiberglass enclosure, enjoying the gentle wind that tossed her hair about her face. “Oh, you mean like ghosts and water spirits.”
“No, nothing like that.” Reece domed his free arm across the ridgeline of the Appalachian mountain range enveloping the Watauga impoundment above Blue Spring. “This entire region, extending down into the Carolinas, was the homeland of the Cherokee Indians before it was stolen by the Anglos in the early eighteen hundreds.”
His face distorted and paralleled the sentiments revealed during the recanting of his childhood legacy. “All the whining and subterfuge for restoration from special interest groups today is a colossal farce when compared to the true founders of this country. Media moguls ignore it, talk-show pundits are too ashamed to discuss it in the hopes the true atrocities of our past remain a distant, fading echo.”
“What do you mean?”
“History records the majority of natives in this region were herded together and marched along the Trail of Tears to the Oklahoma territory. Of the fifteen thousand men, women, and children forced to uproot their heritage, over four thousand died along the way during the genocidal relocation.”
His tenor took on a somber edge. “According to my aunt, my great, great grandmother was adopted by settlers just before the removal from our land. The remainder of my native ancestors perished along the trip. There are stories of a small renegade group that escaped the forced encampment by the white man and hid somewhere in the surrounding mountains. The survivors prayed to the scared mother of all animal spirits, and she created the enchanted lake of Atagahi, also known as Gall place, to protect her children.”
Lilah locked on every word. His tone, his demeanor, was not of a storyteller conjuring native fables, but as a true observer to a fact of nature few had the fortune to witness. “The Island is said to exist just at the base of the valley where the mystery unfolds when a party of runaway Cherokees return from their hunt. The great mother permits all her woodland animals safe entry in and out from beneath her shield, but never reveals the secret to outsiders, unless they share the bloodline.”
Reece tacked southward through the mouth of Indian Creek. “Only those pure of spirit may gaze upon the lost people of Gall place. The lucky ones, those gifted with a momentary snapshot of the ancient encampment, must guard the secret for the rest of their life, whispering the truth only to another as clear of purpose as they. Then, on rare occasions, as the morning mist rises and the vapors crawl along the distant shore, you can catch a glance of the enchanted lake, provided one remains obscured from the watchful eyes of the purple heron. If you’re fortunate, within two beats of a lover’s heart, you can catch a fleeting vision when all the inhabitants camped around Atagahi lake leave their dwellings and welcome their brothers home before the settlement again vanishes behind the protective veil of the sacred mother of all animal spirits.”
An image, carved in fragments of colored glass, flashed against her retina, a tall proud bird on one leg, staring back as if watching for intruders. In the background, teepees scattered in the mist around a lake. Above the portrait, the two engraved cryptic words,
Galls Place
. “The artwork behind the bar at Pelican Bar; is that…”
“Yes, but only Lakers understand its true meaning, and no one ever repeats the secret, for fear the white man would return and steal the paradise provided by the great mother to protect her few remaining Cherokee children.”
He didn’t laugh, or blink, or signal any hint of playful banter.
“Nice story.”
He nodded. “Tomorrow morning, if the sacred mother peers into your spirit and sees what I see, the guardian purple heron will look the other way and not cry alarm to the inhabitants of Gall place.”
“Wow, you are one hell of a story teller.”
He smiled then nodded toward the island. “Time to get serious about beaching this thing. Grab the tiller and point her toward that tree, the one that’s bent to the right.” Reece furled the jib then jerked the sheet free of the cam cleat, slacking the main. He did the same for the jib. The sails slapped gently while the boat eased onto the shore.
Once the keel sank into the soft sand, the
Jenny May
heeled to the starboard side. Reece lowered the main sail, flaking the large piece of canvas against the boom.
She pulled out her camera and snapped a few shots while he worked, loving the way his body moved with each task performed.
What a complicated and remarkable man you are, Reece Edwards.
They’d spent enough time at the Pelican for drinks that her inhibitions lessened. The lightheaded effect from all the martinis had her fantasizing about Reece. Not that she needed the alcohol to find him sexually appealing, but the fermented drink prompted her to be more responsive to his innuendos and flirtatious banter. Tonight, she hoped to explore more that Gall’s Island.
When Reece seemed sure the
Jenny May
was secure, he set her camera bag in the v-berth, grabbed the cooler, and set about helping her from the boat. Even with the small ladder, her descent wasn’t exactly graceful, but she managed amidst a few giggles and unladylike expletives.
He spread the blanket onto the sandy area and took the food from her hands. “Are you hungry?”
She stared at his flat abs. “Ravenous.” She lifted her eyes to his. “How ‘bout you?”
He chuckled. “I could nibble on a few things.”
She sank down on the blanket next to him and opened the cooler she’d packed to reveal small chunks of cheese, crackers, slices of summer sausage, grapes, and a bottle of wine. “I hope you don’t mind snack food. I thought it would be easier to deal with, a no mess affair.”
“Later.” He took the bottle from her hands and set it aside. “I have a different appetite.”
“Reece.”
“I love the sound of my name on your lips. You’ve no idea how much you turn me on.”
She sighed and closed the gap between them to plant a kiss on his lips. He obviously wanted much more and pulled her into his arms. Damp lips nipped at her earlobe, and she tossed back her head, enjoying the ripples of sensation igniting her passion. Was it so wrong to want this man? To want everything he offered? Could he free her from the nightmare her life had become?
She pulled away, and he gave her a quizzical look, but she needed a moment to study him, to collect her raging thoughts and harness the desire that ran rampant within.
“What an unbelievable evening. The sunset with its myriad of colors bathing the distant shoreline,” she lazily trailed a finger across his pectoral muscle, “and you.”
“Are you all right?”
Lilah held up two fingers separated by a quarter inch gap. “Think I had one glass too much to wink, thank you. Whoops, I mean drink. Silly me.”
An uncharacteristic boldness claimed her mind and body. He was just too near, too accessible and far too much what she’d missed from life. She laid one hand across his pectoral muscle while the other drew heart shaped figures along his abs. “Damn you’re hot.”
No inhibition, no hesitation, she fell into his chest, pulled his mouth to hers and consumed both lips before reaping the rapture of a heated kiss. Her tongue explored even crevice, every corner, leaving nothing untouched. It was as if all her senses were being willingly exploited, and their only response was to scream out in hunger for more. She ripped away the beer flavored flesh of darting taste buds, and lightly shoved at his chest.
“When was the last time you went skinny dipping?” she asked, her voice more throaty than usual. Was that really her seducing this man? She smiled, loving life, loving him.
“I think I was ten.” His voice had a breathy quality to it.
“I feel ten again. Come. Play with me.” Before she could lose her nerve, she stood.
He stared, frozen in place as she unhooked her top and let it fall to the ground. The heated look he sent made her more daring. She crooked a finger and backed away toward the water. He slowly rose and to her complete delight, shimmied from his trunks until he was gloriously nude and all hers.
She giggled, the martinis playing havoc with her balance, and stumbled toward the water. At the banks, she glanced over her shoulder. “Last one in has to wear my top.”
“Oh no, you vixen. That’s not fair. I’m screwed either way, and you know it.” He laughed and ran toward the water.
She slipped off her bikini bottoms, tossed them his way, waded into the frigid water, and sucked in a breath when the cold hit her stomach. “Oh my God. It’s cold. Hurry in and warm me.”
~ * ~
No way was Reece going to pass up an invitation like that. It took a moment to acclimatize himself to the temperature, but he hastened to join her. The water lapped provocatively at the crest of her bosom, enticing his avid attention, and he half swam, half waded to her side.
“Lilah?” The shift in behavior from reserved angel to temping huntress stunted his brain and immobilized his body. “Lilah!”
She disappeared below the liquid surface, a few kicks at the top, then shot into the air like a mermaid. “Wow, water’s colder than I thought but very stimulating. Brought me out of the alcohol-induced fog.”
He studied the ballerina prancing in the fading sunlight, splashing in and out of the water.
She splashed a column of spray into his face. “You can’t catch me.”
“Lilah, wait up. Shit.” Reece plowed through the water, his strokes agile and sure.
Damn foxy little vixen. Like a little girl set free to play in the water for the first time.
Reece playfully locked both arms behind her back. “Got ya now, you squirming mermaid. What ya going to do about it?”
Lilah buried her face in the nape of his neck, purred her way up to his lips and speared inside his mouth. “Anything you want, my love.”
The flutter of her heart against his, all his senses dancing with anticipation, the commitment of her words, the subliminal admission to his well; everything melted into one precise clear revelation.
I love you, Lilah.
Reece finally took control and pulled them slowly closer to shore where the swirling waves wouldn’t interfere with their play. Standing waist deep, he held her tightly in his embrace, and tenderly nibbled beneath her chin to the pronounced valley at the apex of her cleavage. “What has stoked your fire? You’re like a starved beast.”
“You have.” She sighed, her head tilted back to give him clearer access. “I want to devour every inch of your body.” She ran one hand along the fine hairs of his chest, and stroked four nails back and forth below his belly button, driving waves of micro spasms into his groin.
Jesus.
“Who’s got who now?” she asked.
Cool air pebbled their flesh, but neither of them minded as internal heat blanketed both lovers from head to toe. She caressed one nipple then swapped and ran circles around the other with her wet hot tongue until his brain exploded with visions of things to come. Lilah washed a pathway toward her target, and he shook his head to try and clear his mind.
Her fingers trailed lower, seeking the arousal pressed boldly against her flesh. At the first touch of her hand against his heated skin, he sucked in a breath. Lilah had her way, as if she’d hungered alone at night, on her own, for the opportunity to consume a real man, to take him the way that only a woman can.