Virgin (40 page)

“That is just too cool!” Giggling, she added, “I guess guys can’t handle the multiple orgasm thing, whereas for women, the more the better.”

Her laughter was infectious. “I’m sure I could get used to it eventually, but right now, I’d much rather do something else.”

He might have been seeing fireworks, but there was still nothing wrong with his night vision. He watched with growing anticipation as Ava took a sip from the carafe and moved toward him. His cock was exuding rivulets of orgasmic syrup, but she ignored it completely, going straight for his balls. Dax spread his legs apart, giving her full access to anything she might want to suck. His lips formed an O as his wish came true when she sipped first one testicle and then the other into her mouth, coating his scrotum with the viscous combination of her saliva and the Aquerei water. Back and forth and in and out, she sucked his nuts while he rubbed his hard cock on her face. Trying desperately to hold back, he bit his lip until he tasted blood.

Dax saw stars as Ava let his balls pop out of her mouth. “You can come if you need to, Dax. I don’t mind. Trust me, I’m already having a great time.” As if to prove it, Ava pulled his cock to her lips and went down on him, mixing his syrup with her own creamy wetness.

Dax couldn’t control himself any longer. He came with such force that his semen would have shot across the room if she hadn’t been holding him in her mouth.

As he savored his climax, Dax wondered if it was possible to taste what his
snard
was doing to her through a kiss. There was only one way to find out. Ava’s hair was flying in all directions and her skin shone like a pearl as he held her by the shoulders and gently backed away. His mouth came down on hers in a deep, penetrating kiss.

At first, Dax felt nothing more than delight from the soft warmth of her lips. He was about to conclude that he should have taken a sip of the water first when something amazing happened.

Heat began to curl in the small of his back, growing in strength until it broke through at last, sending tendrils of warmth throughout his body. When it finally reached the tips of his fingers and toes, the heat surged into his head, filling him with exhilaration, which was soon replaced by a sense of deep inner peace. His mind drifted downward through space to land weightlessly on a cloud of perfect bliss. Dax had felt something similar to this in the aftermath of lovemaking, but Ava’s pleasure was far more profound than his own—and he was getting it secondhand.

At last Dax understood why women couldn’t get enough of the men of his race, why others couldn’t compete, and why this great strength had ultimately been their downfall. He had been right to wait for a woman he truly loved, rather than, as Waroun had put it, risk ensnaring unsuspecting women with his potent sexual prowess.

Anyone experiencing this would want more and would have gone through hell to get it, putting up with virtually anything to maintain her supply. It wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Sex was one thing, but this was perilous. His friends at the Zetithian Palace were being totally irresponsible, even criminal—in the moral sense, if not in the legal one. It was almost as bad as selling addictive drugs, though he knew it wasn’t physically harmful.

Dax searched his memory, trying desperately to reassure himself that he hadn’t enticed Ava with sex alone. It was important that she love him for himself, not merely the sensual pleasures he could provide. There had to be clues—proof that she’d been attracted to him, with or without the street pheromones, Sholerian cream, or the effect of his own body fluids—but what were they? It all seemed so long ago now, the time before she was his, both to enjoy and to pleasure.

Then he remembered. The Davordian hookers. Ava had fought them off like a tigress protecting her young. She’d said she’d done it because she owed him one, but Threldigan had suspected that it constituted a betrothal. Waroun had been skeptical, but the Kitnocks thought her claim on him was genuine. There were other things too. No, he hadn’t ensnared her; he truly had fallen in love with her and she with him.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he covered her body with his own and joined with her. Ava had said that most guys couldn’t keep an erection after they climaxed—and Dax knew this to be true—but in this particular instance, he was doubly pleased to possess that ability. It was one thing to pleasure each other, but quite another to actually become one body, one being, one soul.

She was completely naked now, with no stone around her neck to adorn her body. She didn’t need it, though, for she was perfect just as she was: his one and only love. He would keep her safe and whole and love her every day of his life. He didn’t need a vision to tell him these things; he felt it in his heart and knew the joy of it. Zetithian men told their women that they would give them joy unlike any they had ever known, but the reverse was also true. There was joy in being mated for life, producing children and, in turn, teaching them how to live, but most of all, how to love. Dax had missed that as a child. His children would not. He would not donate sperm to be distributed among strangers. Only Ava would give birth to his children. They would grow up under his watchful eye, knowing the love that he had been denied.

When his seed left his body at last, there was no oracle to tell him that in giving it, he became a part of her, just as she became a part of him. Oracles were not needed to tell you what you already knew.

***

Ava’s only regret in the coming days was that she was unable to share the wonders of Aquerei’s oceans with Dax. To the south of Rhashdelfi, the Temple Sea was relatively shallow, but the northern shore was rocky, with craggy formations rising from the depths. A wide channel passed between the peaks, enabling the glassy ships to sail into port, their high, curved prows reminding Ava of sea horses as they bobbed at their moorings. Farther out to sea, there were more submerged mountains, many of which had been excavated to form cavelike dwellings. While these were no less beautiful than the structures of Rhashdelfi, theirs was a more natural beauty. Living corals studded the exteriors, interspersed with sea anemones whose shapes and colors left Ava speechless. Schools of silvery fish swam in the open waters between the peaks, while brightly colored varieties hovered near the rocks.

Ava tried to share what she’d seen with Dax, but no mere image could convey her feelings, nor could she find words to describe the stunning sights hidden beneath the surface. When she mentioned her frustration to Eantle, he smiled his understanding.

“Visitors to our world cannot fully experience Aquerei if they have to remain on the surface. To that end, we have developed a mask that enables others to explore our seas. I will see to it that Dax is provided with one.”

Eantle was true to his word, but when Ava first saw the mask, though it was quite beautiful, she had serious doubts about its effectiveness. Crystal clear and shaped to completely cover the eyes, ears, and nose of the wearer, it didn’t look as though it would help anyone breathe—quite the opposite, in fact. “I don’t know if this will help or not. Dax doesn’t even like to get his face wet, let alone go diving.”

The Aquerei smiled. “There are many ways for air-breathers to survive in the sea, but this is the closest to actually being Aquerei.”

Ava turned it over in her hands, shaking her head with doubt. “How does it work?”

“It is crafted with the same technology as the bases, but with a more porous matrix.”

“Meaning?”

“It allows air-breathers to breathe the water and see as well as an Aquerei. Hearing is also enhanced.”

Eantle gave her a few more instructions, but Ava remained doubtful. Though she trusted his word, she would have preferred to see it demonstrated on someone other than Dax. “One size fits all?”

“No, but this should fit him without any difficulty.”

Ava laughed. “The ‘difficulty’ will be getting him to try it on.”

Eantle bowed, a mischievous smile touching his lips. “I leave that task to you.”

***

Dax knew how much Ava longed to show him the underwater wonders of Aquerei. He had been wrestling with the idea of using goggles and a snorkel when Ava handed him a delicate mask, insisting that he accompany her to the beach.

“And when we get there?”

“You’ll see,” she said mysteriously.

Dax chuckled. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Shedding their clothing by the shore, the mere sight of Ava lured Dax into the sea. She was like a dainty water sprite, laughing as she danced among the gentle waves. Dax would have followed her anywhere—even into the ocean.

When he was chest deep, Ava looked up at him with an expression of understanding in her aquamarine eyes. “This will be hard for you, Dax, but I know you can do it.”

Dax snorted his skepticism. “Yeah, right.”

“No, really. All you have to do is take a deep breath and hold it. Then put the mask on. It will adjust to the shape of your head.”

“And then what?”

“You put your head under the water and exhale slowly through your nose. With your next breath, you’ll be able to breathe the water.”

“Just like that?”

Ava nodded. “Just like that.” When he hesitated, she raised his hand to her lips for a kiss. “I love you more than life itself, but I also love the sea. I need to share this with you.”

This much, he understood. Dax wanted to share all the wonders of the galaxy with Ava, but for that, he needed his ship. All this took was a leap of faith.

And it was quite a leap. Dax figured that “next breath” he took would be impossible, given the apparent solidity of the mask. “Where did you get this thing? From Waroun?”

“No, Eantle gave it to me. And I’m sure he wouldn’t risk letting the Oracle of the Aquina drown.”

“Good point.” Dax closed his eyes, thinking that a pleasant memory might help to calm his nerves. Smiling, he recalled making love with Ava in the surf on Rhylos. “Too bad I won’t be able to pick up your scent underwater.”

Ava giggled. “You’ll never know ’til you try.”

He opened one eye. “Trying to motivate me?”

“Something like that.”

After reaching between her legs, Ava then slid her finger across his upper lip. Dax responded with an erection so intense, he would have taken a deep breath whether he’d intended to or not.

“Now, hold it, and put on the mask.”

Dax followed her instructions as though commanded. Leaving him no time to protest, Ava pulled him down hard.

Exhaling in a flood of bubbles, Dax opened his eyes. Beyond the sloping sand near the shore, he could see a path stretching off to the south. Without thinking, he swam toward it, still holding Ava’s hand. Upon hearing an odd sound, he turned toward her. She was laughing.

No longer a mere water sprite, Ava was now a true sea goddess. Her blond hair waved about her head like a crown, and her round aqua eyes sparkled with delight as she drifted beside him. Dax pulled her into his arms and kissed her, only then realizing that he was breathing quite naturally. The mask seemed to have become a part of him. Teasing his lips apart, she slipped her tongue into his mouth, and Dax felt the power of her kiss spiraling straight to his groin.

Laughing again, Ava swam up through his arms, the soft curls at the apex of her thighs tickling his chin as she passed. The seawater made an excellent carrier for her powerful scent, and he swam after her like a predator on the hunt.

Dax was amazed by how well he could match her strokes when he didn’t have to worry about breathing. Despite the fact that he hadn’t grown webbing between his fingers and toes, his longer arms enabled him to keep up with her with very little effort.

Ava led him further along the path, pointing out various fish and other sea creatures. From his own studies, as well as what she had taught him, Dax recognized corals and anemones and fish whose colors defied description—all with astonishing clarity. Tiny flowers snapped shut when his fingertips touched their petals. Anemones waved as he passed his hands over their tentacles. Among the fish, Dax had never seen such vivid blues, or yellows so intense. A purple fish swam past, its gossamer fins trailing behind it like a windblown scarf. Another anemone beckoned to him, its light brown tentacles tipped with greenish gold. Sea urchins bloomed with bristling spikes, sucking down into their tubes when he ventured too close. Everything was in motion—waving, dancing, floating—like the goddess who swam beside him.

A sly smile touched Ava’s lips as she kissed her way from his mouth to his groin. When she reached his cock, her body contracted in orgasm. Her evocative scent mixed with the water he breathed, the effect so intense, Dax was sure it was being absorbed through his skin. Despite the coolness of the sea, his body was aflame with need. Ava’s skin was already beginning to shimmer, taking on colors Dax had never seen until this first dive. When a blue-green fish pecked at her shoulder, he realized she was assuming the hue of whatever sea creature was closest to her. He tested this theory, taking her in his arms and propelling her toward a purple anemone. He was rewarded when she turned a delicate shade of lavender.

Dax felt the water swirling past his genitals but knew that Ava’s heated core would surpass these sensations. When he thrust into her warmth, his body rejoiced. Ava’s legs curled around his hips, and Dax rocked into her, his thrusts propelling them both through the crystalline water. He swam forward along the ocean trail, Ava clinging beneath him, his cock buried in her core. Her expression of sheer ecstasy drove him on, and Dax became more adventurous, his arms pulling them both toward the surface before diving back to the ocean floor.