“What’s inter-marry?” Talina tipped her head to one side.
I laughed. “To be married is like being mated, but for life, and you aren’t supposed to be with any others but the one you marry.”
The ‘supposed’ part was what many Earthlings forgot.
She shook her head, the masses of emerald hair cascading out onto the wooden deck. “No, we never do that on Spurn. We have mating seasons, and some couples will be together for a few of those, but there is nothing like marriage here, we are a species of clans and family but our true nature is more solitary.”
I was just opening my mouth to speak when male voices drifted over to us. The lisping of Raror was clear across the deck.
“... there’s no fishing here. We don’t eat our brethren.”
My heart beat faster as I waited for them to approach. I wanted to pre-picture Brace in the loin cloth, but I didn’t think I could mentally do it justice.
Talina stood. “Gladriel is requesting us for dinner,” she said formally, her face falling.
I jumped to my feet in one easy motion. These mesh wraps allowed such a range of movement. Lucy was already at Samuel’s side. He took her face into his hands, and as their lips touched in what even I could tell was a fiery kiss of passion, I turned away.
Only to find myself staring at a massive expanse of muscular sun-kissed chest.
Every speck of moisture that had been in my mouth disappeared. I tried to swallow once, but my muscles wouldn’t obey me. Brace and Lucas were side-by-side, directly before me, laid out like a gift-from-the-gods. They were twin bookends, one so dark and dangerous and the other icy blond. However, it was Brace my eyes were glued to; it was Brace that for the fiftieth time took my breath away.
“Abby, you should look into procuring more of those garments for your wardrobe back on First World,” Lucas said, speaking in his usual mix of formal and modern.
I tore my eyes from Brace to note Lucas was wearing a plain white wrap, which looked extra crisp against the dark honey tone of his skin. He was lean, but with prominent and well-defined muscles. His chest was virtually hair free; that, or they were so blond I couldn’t see them.
“I have to disagree with Lucas,” Brace interrupted, drawing my attention again. “I think there’s a bit much of your flesh on show.”
I managed not to drool over him as I flipped him off. That level of bossiness should be such a turn-off, but it wasn’t dampening my interest at all.
Brace’s responding grin was dark. But his eyes never left my face. The intensity had me squirming a little. His mesh matched my own in color, and right then all I could do was take as many mental pictures as I could for the future.
You could say that I was very aware that he was an oversized man. More heavily muscled than Lucas, but thankfully just falling short of being bulky. I hate bulky. His height saved him, allowing his grace and agility to carry his muscled chest and arms. But without looking top heavy.
I followed the muscles down, over his fifty-ish pack abs and muscled legs. His skin was tanned, not as honeyed like Lucas’, but still shades darker than my own ivory tone. I caught a smirk from him. Clearly he was enjoying my perusal.
“Are you going to lick him?” Lucy’s low words in my ear startled me out of my daze. “He does look lickable.” She finished with her hands on her hips.
“No!” I blurted out in shock.
Well ...
No ... I shook my head ... no, I wasn’t going to lick him.
“Lucy, you’re not allowed to say any man is lickable, unless that man is me.” Samuel didn’t seem to have the same over-the-top-possessive streak that Brace was capable of; his words sounded semi-serious, but I was pretty sure he was joking.
Lucy winked at him, and her expression was hot enough that I wanted to blush.
Glancing back at Brace, I was relieved to see he hadn’t reacted to Lucy’s comment. I hoped he was far enough away not to have heard. Although, as I took one last glance ...
No, Abby, no licking.
“If you could all follow me downstairs, we have been requested.” Talina stood next to Raror at the highest point of the stairway.
I managed to keep my tongue and eyes to myself for the journey down to the lower levels. More often than not, Brace’s looks clouded my judgment, and I’d forget all the secrets and weirdness. But there was to be a confrontation between us in the not too distant future. I was at my limit of secrets.
Stepping into a large wood-paneled room on the bottom level, I realized that the water movement was much stronger down here.
Gladriel was waiting for us, already seated at her own little table. It looked to be made of coralline. She waved a hand, gesturing for everyone to take a seat on the ground. There were separate padded meshes laid out.