She snorted and tried to splash him again. He dunked her twice more.
“Give up yet?” he said in her ear, sending shivers racing down her spine.
“Yes, yes I give up.”
His arms loosened, and she took two steps forward, a smile pulling at her face. She gave him a sly backwards gaze before sending a wave of water his way, feeling victorious when it hit him square in the face.
“Victory is mine,” she crowed before diving into the water and scissor-kicking for the opposite size of the grotto.
The muffled sound of splashing water reached her as he arrowed toward her. She evaded his grasp, slipping from his hand with a move that would have impressed a fish. They played this game for several more minutes until he cornered her at one end of the pool, her hands pinned behind her back and his face close to hers.
“What was that you were saying?” he murmured, a dark wicked look in his eyes.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Shea tried to keep a straight face but feared the mirth showed through despite her best efforts.
His smile was that of a conqueror, arrogant and dark, and just a little bit cruel. “If you were anybody else, such actions would have resulted in a swift and painful punishment.”
She lifted one eyebrow. “Oh?”
He nodded solemnly. He leaned forward pressing a kiss to the side of her neck, following it up with a sharp nip. Shea bit down on her moan, warmth spreading through her core, but she wasn’t ready to give up the game just yet.
“Well, you should know by now, Warlord. This pathfinder rarely does what she’s supposed to.”
Shea twisted her wrists, sliding out of his grip. At the same time, she kicked his leg out from under him in a move Trenton had spent considerable time teaching her over the last few months. Done properly, it could seriously injure someone. Ideally, it would send her opponent crashing to the ground. Fallon staggered but didn’t fall. It was enough that Shea was able to slip past him.
She aimed a smile at him as she treaded water at the deeper end of the pool.
The look he gave her was half fascination, half determination, and all possession. It sent a thrill of adrenaline through Shea. She took off, avoiding his grab. The two of them romped for another hour, each giving as much as they got.
It was a rare opportunity to play, something Fallon told her he’d never had the chance to do as a child. So much of his life was spent protecting his mother or in training that he’d never been able to be a child. While she’d had plenty of opportunity to play games when she was younger, it was a forgotten art until she met Fallon. As an adult, she had to be serious and restrained when living in the villages, not wanting to give them any reason to see fault with her. She’d never realized how much of a strain it had put on her until she’d experienced the light-heartedness playing with Fallon could bring. He was the only person to bring out that part of her, and she took pleasure in these small moments, rare though they were.
Fallon lunged forward, catching her before she could slip away, his momentum carrying them to the side of the pool. A seriousness had entered his face. Shea stood still as he lowered his head ever so slowly to hers, giving her a dozen chances to turn away if that was what she wanted.
She lost patience with the slow tease, bridging that last little distance and pressing her lips against his. For a long moment, his lips remained hard, then they softened and suddenly he was kissing her like he intended to consume her. Like the world might end if he didn’t get inside her. His hands gripped her ass, lifting her and crushing her against him. She helped him by wrapping her legs around his waist.
There were none of the teasing touches of earlier. No delaying the inevitable culmination. It was like someone had lit a match and they were going up in flames.
He was inside her between one breath and another, thrusting up into her and pressing frantic kisses against her throat and breasts. She threw her head back and moaned, feeling her womb pull tight, and those feelings spiral deep inside.
He reached down, rubbing the bundle of nerves just above where they were joined, building the tension in Shea. She was hurtled into climax before she could even think to guard against it. He followed moments later, his groan echoing through the trees.
Finished, he pressed her closer as he rested his forehead against hers. Shea was still breathing hard as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as he moved to the side of the pool and lifted her up to set her on it.
They were quiet as they dried off, each keeping their thoughts to themselves. They shared little touches with each other, a caress against the shoulder, a fleeting touch to the back, a press of lips against the chin, telling each other without words the depth of their feelings.
They dried off and dressed in the change of clothes Shea brought. She pulled out the food, mostly trail rations—nothing fancy—except for two pieces of fruit she saved for their dessert.
By now the sun had set and even its memory had faded from the sky, leaving only night in its wake. This high in the canopy there were gaps for the sky to be seen, and what a sight it was. This far from the camp and village meant there was no light pollution to obscure the heavens on this nearly cloudless night. It made for the perfect opportunity to lay next to each other and stare up, as the stars woke one by one, until they were a stream of light twinkling across the heavens, sometimes so thickly that they looked like a river of sparkling dust.
It wouldn’t be long now until the main event—the reason Shea had wanted Fallon to see this. It was only visible for a limited time beginning a few hours after the sun set. Not every night, but often enough that Shea had risked the trip.
“This is beautiful, Shea. I can see why you brought me here.”
Shea turned her head to find Fallon staring at her. She gave him a smile, only visible because of the moon and stars. Something over his shoulder caught her eyes. She tapped him and pointed. “Look.”
The purple flowers that had been folded tight in daylight began to unfurl, looking nearly silver in the pale light. Out of each flower a light rose, slowly at first, then with ever-increasing speed until the little treetop grove was aglitter with moving, flickering lights. It turned the grove into a fantastical oasis as the tiny lights became nearly as numerous as the stars above.
“It’s like the stars have come down for us to touch,” Fallon said in a soft voice, reaching out one hand to touch a light that had drifted close.
“This is the only place I’ve ever seen these,” Shea confided. “It seems to be a phenomenon unique to this area. This is a small showing. I’m told that deeper in the forest, the lights are so plentiful that it’s brighter than the sun at midday.”