Dalir's Salvation (16 page)

She bit into it, and the pineapple’s syrupy juices dripped down her fingers.

He set down the knife. “Is it good?”

“It’s wonderful.” She swiped tears, uncaring if she smeared juice on her cheeks. “It’s so fresh and delicious. You have to taste it.” She sucked and licked her fingers.

“You’re right.” His husky tone stroked over her like a caress and pulled her straight into his gaze. “I think I will.”

During their time together, she’d witnessed many expressions pass over his face. This one, a look of pure, unadulterated desire, took her breath away.

He glided his hands around her waist. His light touch intensified anticipation. The fruit she held almost slipped out of her grasp.

Dalir leaned in and caught it. His warm tongue slid the piece of fruit farther into his mouth. His teeth gently grazed her fingertips.

She breathed in his spicy scent mixed in with the pineapple and gave into wrapping her arms around him.

He tightened his hold. As Dalir guided her down, he teased the seam of her mouth with his tongue.

Slow, soft, beautifully agonizing kisses brought sighs. Anticipation left her dying a little inside, starving for so much more. She demanded it from him with faster, more insistent strokes of her tongue.

Dalir caressed her from waist to hip. He brought her forward to meet the press of his hardened length against her belly.

Heat flashed over her. The heavy ache of her breasts, along with the pulling between her thighs, became unbearable. She tugged at his shirt, straining the cloth at the seams, impatient for it to go.

He gently pushed her hands away and took it off.

Finally seeing skin, Ari pressed kisses to Dalir’s chest. His heart beat faster and harder against her lips. She licked his warm, salty skin and his beaded nipple. Groaning, Dalir nudged her down until she lay underneath him. The smell of crushed grass filled the air.

In between heated kisses, they stripped away more clothing.

Her shirt was the last piece to go. She lifted her arms to make it easier for him to pull it over her head. He stopped just short of dragging it past her wrists.

She squirmed, trying to break from his hold. “What are you doing?”

He chuckled, and puffs of air blew over her breast. “Having breakfast.”

As he wound the fabric tighter around her wrists, he flicked his tongue, rapidly across her nipple. Sensation spiraled down to her core.

He lifted away, still holding her bound arms with one hand, while he reached above them to the tree stump with the other.

She inflicted her own torture, nipping his chest and soothing away the bite with her tongue. He rewarded her efforts with a hissed out a breath. The uncut pineapple fell to the ground.

“Dalir?”

He gave her a grin filled with wicked intentions. “I enjoy everything in this garden, but I think you’re going to be my favorite.” He swirled a section of pineapple around the fullness of her breasts and spiraled up toward her nipple.

The soft, ridges of the fruit left tingles and drops of juice trickling down her ribcage.

He traced a lazy path with his tongue, following the drops of wetness. Dalir skated the fruit down her belly. Releasing her hands, he lapped at her belly button.

Despite freedom, she kept her hands in place. Ari arched up, meeting his kisses as he glided the fruit over her hipbone and followed it with his lips. She gave way to his hand gently pushing against her inner thighs and widened her legs. Unable to take a full breath, she panted her encouragement for him to continue.

As he clasped her hips, his hair tickled her lower belly. His breath warmed her thighs. In that moment, the canopy of green leaves, and the deep blue of the sky never looked so vibrant and alive.

He kissed the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. So close. He kept her on the edge with unhurried brushes of his lips and intensified pleasure with the shallow laps of his tongue along the seam of her sex. “I was right. You are my favorite, and I bet you go with everything sweet.” He paused to kiss and tongue her lightly again. “Strawberries.” He paused, delivering more kisses. “And pomegranates.” With each successive fruit he named, Dalir held her hips firmly in place, tasting her as if he was savoring a luxurious treat.

“Oh, don’t stop.” She held her hands, still caught in the shirt over her eyes.

Just when she thought she was about to die from the sweetest of tortures, he closed his lips over her clit. She imploded, belly muscles clenching with an orgasm that numbed her mind.

She wiggling her hands free from the shirt. He held her in place, ignoring her pleas as she pulled his hair and clawed at his back.

His fingers loosened their hold on her hips, and with one final lap of his tongue, he moved back.

Ari managed to lift her head off of the ground.

He rose up on his knees with a satisfied expression. His hard shaft jutted up from between his thighs.

The need to have him heated and cooled her skin all at once.
Hurry, please.
The words repeated like a mantra in her mind.

As if he’d read her thoughts, he positioned himself between her thighs. Lifting her legs to rest against his shoulders, he found her opening. With one thrust he sheathed himself deeply inside of her. The exquisite fullness of him made Ari raise her hips upwards, wanting more.

Dalir hissed out a long breath. “Ari, you drive me crazy. I can’t hold on much longer.”

Grasping her hips, he pulled out and slammed back in. With each quickening stroke, he homed in on all the places that wrung out her cries. She clawed into the ground, grasping for sanity. With her hovering helpless on the knife-edge of completion, he palmed her hips. Soon, his urgent thrusts hurled her into another shattering orgasm.

His body tensed. His expression, a mix of pleasurable agony, along with a guttural groan and his rapid pumps in, signaled his own release. His fast breathing and heartbeat matched the pace of her own.

Floating in contentment, she met his gaze. A different ache, stemming from an unavoidable reality fisted around her heart.

Without a doubt, she was falling in love with him.

Ari snuggled closer to Dalir’s warmth under the blanket. It couldn’t be more perfect. She didn’t want it to end. They’d lazed the day away sleeping and making love in the serene beauty of the ridge. Spending time outdoors wasn’t what she typically enjoyed, but the man had skills. He’d even convinced her to hose off in the garden and run around naked like a modern day Adam and Eve.

He intertwined his legs with hers. “The sun’s going to set soon. Are you sure you don’t want to go down to the lake?”

A chill sank deep. She shivered. “Here is good.” No need to push too far past her wilderness limit.

“You’re cold. We should head back to the cottage.” He kissed the top of her head. “I also need to check in with Thane about something.”

The need to hold onto Dalir increased. “Do you have to?”

“Just for a status update. It won’t take long.”

Meaning, he had to find out if they’d located Kell. Knots tied in her belly as she dressed in her jeans. None of them would find peace or move forward until his brother was gone. They were held hostage by Kell’s existence. When Dalir and the guys went to find his brother, her, Celine and Lauren would sit in the same boat. All three of them would wait and pray for the men they loved to come safely home.

He zipped up his jeans. “Ready?”

Unexpected tears blurred her vision. “Uh-huh.” She fumbled with the buttons.

Dalir nudged her hands away. He buttoned the shirt.

She turned her face toward the lake, blinded by the rays of the sun reflecting off of the water and her tears. She blinked rapidly. “Look. Isn’t it beautiful.”

He gave her a lopsided smile. His gaze roamed as if studying every feature on her face. “Yes. Very beautiful.” He intertwined his fingers with hers and they walked to the cottage.

On the back porch, he tugged her into an embrace. “Do you want to come to the main house with me?”

One step closer to reality. She wasn’t ready yet. Lauren and Celine would also want the scoop on her and Dalir. She didn’t have all of the answers. She and Dalir needed more time. Ari wrapped her arms around him. “If you’ll be back soon, I’ll stay here.”

A grin lit up his face. He kissed her. “In that case, I’ll make it really quick.” He jogged down the stairs and disappeared in the trees.

Inside, Ari took a shower. This bathroom, the second greatest reason not to leave their hideaway lured her into staying longer. Tepid water drove her out. She dressed in one of Dalir’s flannel shirts. The warmth reminded her of his arms. Not quite the same, but close enough to compel her to bury her nose in the fabric to inhale his scent. She hugged herself. When he left to find Kell, maybe he’d let her keep a few of his shirts. Having this little part of him would take some of the emptiness away. Heaviness settled over her. But just like now, she couldn’t wallow in loneliness. She’d have to keep busy.

Ari tidied up the bathroom, the bedroom, and then the kitchen. As the sun descended below the horizon, the cottage grew cooler. Still no Dalir. The guys could have found Kell and Dalir was planning to leave. Or he was just caught up in a discussion with Thane, working out a strategy. Ari straightened the couch cushions. Driving herself crazy, wondering about it wouldn’t bring him back any faster. Once Dalir returned, he was all hers for the rest of the night. She dusted the mantel. Before today, they’d spent all of their time in the bedroom, even eating their meals in bed. Fireplaces equaled romance. They shouldn’t waste the opportunity.

Rummaging through the closets, she unearthed two down comforters and extra pillows. She arranged everything near the hearth. What else? Candles. They would add to the mood.

She opened the side table drawer. As she gathered up the candles and matches, she brushed the sheathed dagger.

The infinity symbol on the hilt glowed.

That hadn’t happened last time. Unable to resist the pull, she unsheathed it. Just like before, a strange warmth spread, this time across her palm and up her arm. Warnings sounded. Before she could put it down, energy like tingles engulfed her. The room melted away into a place so real the rays of the sun peeping through the lush, green tree branches, warmed her skin. Clouds of mist rose from the ground. The scents of grass and sweet-smelling flowers permeated the air.

She should run or call for help, but where and to whom? Nothing looked familiar. Or threatening. As she walked down a narrow trail, the hem of Dalir’s shirt fluttered around her legs. Bits of gravel, damp leaves and small twigs pricked the soles of her bare feet. This could still be The Drift. She hadn’t known the cottage or the garden existed until Dalir had shown them to her. If she kept going, maybe she’d recognize the area.

Colorful birds, the musical hum of insects, and the playful screech of a monkey mesmerized her. A ticking ricocheted through the trees. She shook her head, and it faded into the background, replaced by the symphony of nature. Ari passed under a stone archway covered in vines into the courtyard of a diamond-shaped structure. Women chanting and singing echoed faintly through the pillared walkway. Her heart rate slowed. Tension drained. Their voices were filled with goodness and joy. She’d experienced the same attending Christmas services with MiMi.

Sunlight glinted off a metal object at the base of a tree near one of the arches. It was so bright it blinded her. Shielding her eyes, she walked closer. Dalir’s dagger. The symbol glowed on the hilt.

The wind grew still. Clouds rolled over the sun. The birds disappeared, and the surrounding forest grew quiet, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence. The ticking started again, like an annoying old-style alarm clock she couldn’t stop. The same hot and icy breeze she’d encountered with Dalir in the garden rushed over her. She dabbed sweat from the forehead with the back of her hand, despite the chill.

Children’s voices rose and fell with shouts and laughter from outside the courtyard. In a meadow, yards away, a young boy about five or six years old and a younger girl, both dressed in blue tunics, played. They chased each other through tall grass and wild flowers. Their squeals of delight were so infectious, Ari laughed.

The ticking grew faster and louder, drowning out the children’s happy playtime. It ping-ponged back and forth.

Ari’s heart, pounding against her ribcage, matched the rhythm.

The children ran toward her.

They needed to stay in the field. She had to stop them. She had to protect the children.

She waved her hands. “No! Go back. Something’s wrong.”

The children ignored her. Giggling, they dodged around each other as they kept running. She lunged for the dark-haired girl with toasty brown skin but missed grabbing her arm. The dark-haired boy squirmed out of her grasp but not before she got a glimpse of his gray eyes. Dalir’s eyes.

The children ran through the arches into the courtyard.

The ticking stopped.

An explosion of light knocked Ari down. The flash dimmed to grayness. The sanctuary and the forest lay devastated, transformed to scorched earth and ash.

No! She screamed silently. Sorrow ripped so deep it threatened to tear her apart.

“You can still save them.” A beautiful auburn haired woman approached with gliding steps. Her long pale dress fluttered in the strong breeze. A yellow jewel winked from where it hung by a ribbon at her throat.

Acrid smoke from the charred trees filled the burning hollowness in Ari’s chest. “It’s too late. They’re gone.”

“Is that what you believe?” Strands of hair blew in front of the woman’s crystal blue eyes. Compassion filled her expression. “You must not give up.”

Kell appeared a few yards away, dressed in tactical gear, standing in front of a cave. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared with a mocking grin.

Tremors engulfed Ari. She fell back, her legs too shaky to stand.

“No.” The woman pinned her in place with a hard stare. “Don’t run. You can’t let him win. You have to stop him.”