He sure appreciated this water nymph, and to show it, he eased a hand between them and cupped one of her breasts. Her sigh in response told him he’d gotten that right. But then, she loved everything he did for her. Every kiss, every brush of his fingers over her flesh, every stroke of her clit. He either had to be the best lover in the world, or she had to be the most responsive. Either way, he’d have a hard time finding anything like this when he went back home.

  No, he wouldn’t contemplate that now, not when she was so ready for him and his cock had swollen until it barely fit in his skin. Instead, he cradled her in one arm and reached downward to stroke her pussy.

  “Oh.” She closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder. “That is so good.”

  She heated up so fast, the water ought to steam around her. As he fondled her clit with his finger, he watched the expression on her face. Pure bliss with an occasional soft gasp to tell him he’d hit the right spot.

  Damn, but he could have sex with this woman forever and never get bored. She gave herself so completely and honestly. Sex with her was more than fucking, and a hell of a lot more than sport. It was communion with another person. True joining of spirit and bodies. Anything more than that threatened to bring up issues too dangerous to face -- that he was forming an attachment to her. So, he wouldn’t face it. He’d simply enjoy the moment.

  She eased herself out of his arms and kissed him. “I don’t want to come yet. I want you inside me for that.”

  “It can be arranged.” He shucked out of his trunks and heaved them up onto the beach. Now, when he pulled her against him, they met flesh-to-flesh. His erection rested between them, cushioned against her pelvis. So close to what it needed. He reached around her to grasp her buttocks, pressing his hips forward to create pressure against the length of his cock.

  “This way.” She stretched her arms around his shoulders to pull herself upward then spread her legs, inviting him to enter her. God, yes. Grasping his cock by the base, he guided the head to her pussy and let her lower herself onto him.

  Nothing in the world felt better than thrusting his cock into this woman’s pussy. As he did it now, warm water sloshed around them. Mark could hold her with no effort, so he kept his palms on her buttocks to tug her against him with each thrust.

  “Yes,” she said. “Keep doing that.”

  As if he could stop. Her muscles gripped him, surrounding him with wet heat, and as he thrust, his mind slipped away to places she might have called magical. Pure fantasy, about willing women sucking him deep into their mouths. Taking turns to make him out-of-his-mind horny. And then riding him.

  But reality was better than fantasy. Uma’s body was slamming against his as she frantically sought the ultimate. They both needed to come. Both of them had reached the point where orgasm became inevitable. It wouldn’t come right now. It would build. But it would happen. He’d hang on long enough to make the climax really good for her. Only then would he follow.

  But, shit, he was about to explode. Only she could make him lose control like this. Only she could take him to unbelievable heights. She clung to his shoulders, letting out a soft sound with his every thrust. Without words, she was telling him, Give me more. I need you. Don’t stop.

  The more she demanded, the more he gave. The more he gave, the more desperate his need became. Finally, her soft sounds gave way to whimpers and even cries, signaling her impending orgasm. He could finish them both now.

  So, he did. A few more frantic thrusts and her orgasm claimed her. That perfect moment when her hunger became so powerful it triggered his own. As her walls went wild all around him, he came with her. Their voices floated upward together as sweet madness gripped them both. They held onto each other through the storm, and afterward she laid her head on his shoulder and floated in his arms.

  When his mind returned to something like normal, the realization hit him. Every time with Uma went far beyond anything he’d experienced before. And he’d been no saint. Quite the opposite.

  He hadn’t been some kind of player who changed lovers the way he changed shirts. He had genuinely liked the women who granted him the privilege to know their bodies. But he’d never developed intense feelings for them, and they seemed to feel the same. Uma was different.

  When he found Nate or had to give up trying, he couldn’t simply leave Uma here. Not after everything they’d given each other. If she wanted to call it magic, fine. He couldn’t let that magic end.

  Chapter Four

  “How would you feel about coming to New York?”

  Uma nearly dropped the book she’d been reading and glanced at Mark. He had Nate’s laptop open and continued to stare at it as if he hadn’t spoken at all. They’d decided to sit on a blanket outside and wait until the charcoal in his small barbecue unit caught fire while he continued to search for any information about where his friend might have gone.

  “New York?” she repeated. What a ridiculous idea.

  He shrugged, still looking at the screen. “You might like it.”

  She scooted over to him, closed the computer and stared into his face. “Why would I go to New York?”

  He stared right back at her. “Because that’s where I live.”

  “But you’re busy here.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m not finding anything that will help me locate Nate. At some point, I’m going to have to alert the authorities that he’s missing and have them search.”

  “No.”

  “What do you mean ‘no’? You’re not in charge here.”

  She sputtered a bit. She hadn’t counted on him giving up so easily. If he called in the Ecuadorian government, they’d interrogate her, and non-answers wouldn’t work with them.

  “You can’t give up on finding your friend. He must be here somewhere.”

  He gestured toward the ocean. “Do you know how many islands there are out there?”

  She almost laughed at that. She had a much better grasp of the number of islands than he did. “But the authorities will shut your friend’s research down. He was only allowed to stay here by the government.”

  “His research doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, does it?” he said.

  As Mark would say, shit. She hadn’t planned to stay with him forever, but she should have had some more time with him. If he planned to give up on his search, he might bring the authorities down on the Sisterhood. No one, not even Mother Inu, had contemplated what would happen when Nate disappeared. They’d have to figure out a way to fix that.

  “You can’t give up,” she said. “All his work will be for nothing.”

  “At some point I have to.” His jaw tightened. Determination? Anger? Who could tell? “And when I do, I’ll be headed back to New York.”

  “Don’t you like it here?”

  He looked all around. Gods only knew what he saw. He didn’t believe in magic. Maybe he didn’t believe in beauty, either. “Honestly, no.”

  “People pay lots of money to come here.”

  “That’s other people. I like cities.”

  “But, the animals, the ocean, the sky,” she said.

  “I’ve seen enough reptiles for a lifetime.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “But you’ve never even seen a city, have you?”

  Her kind visited inhabited islands in their human form. They bought things they needed and spent time learning about human ways… basic computers, television… that sort of thing. Probably none of that qualified as a city, at least not to someone from New York. “I don’t need to.”

  “In my apartment, I have a king-sized bed, a machine that has my coffee ready when I wake up, and a shower. There’s a great Thai restaurant on the first floor of the building, and if I want Mexican I only have to cross the street.”

  “It all sounds wonderful.” What did Thai food taste like? And who needed a bed so large you could get lost in it?

  “Wouldn’t you like to go shopping?” he said. “Imagine the clothes you could buy.”

  She had all the clothing she needed at home with her sisters. In these islands, you didn’t have to wear things to keep warm. “I don’t need anything.”

  “It’s not a matter of what you need. You could buy all the dresses you wanted. Shoes. Women love shoes.”

  Maybe the sort of women he dated did. “I love animals.”

  “Yeah, like iguanas,” he said. “And octopuses.”

  “I thought you liked the octopus.”

  “The octopus was fine.” He touched her chin, turning her to face him. “I’d like to see you all dressed up. Your hair done. Makeup. I’d like to go out with you and show off what a beautiful woman I’m with.”

  She looked down at the shirt she wore. That couldn’t be too sexy. Her nude body ought to be. They’d had plenty of wonderful sex without her having to wear makeup.

  “I’m a rich dude,” he went on. “I can show you the world.”

  A sinking feeling in the area of her heart said things had gone beyond good sex. She didn’t need the world. She needed him, curse it all. But they couldn’t be together if he insisted he had to be in New York. She’d formed some naïve notion that he’d love these islands as much as she did.

  “It sounds wonderful,” she said, for lack of any other idea how to respond.

  “You don’t sound convinced.” He continued staring at her with his deep, dark eyes. He appeared honestly hurt, and maybe a bit confused, that she wouldn’t jump at the chance to live in his world. He knew nothing of her Sisterhood and the bonds that held all the sisters together. And she knew nothing else. It was her life.

  Well, she wasn’t supposed to stay with him forever. She was only supposed to conceive a child for the new generation of her kind. Maybe the fact that Ara had been able to keep her Nate had misled Uma to think she could keep Mark with her. He wasn’t Nate. He was a creature of his own world.

  But it was too soon for her to leave. She had to be sure she’d conceived. Surely, they were supposed to enjoy each other for longer than this brief time. Maybe she could find a way to stay with him for just a bit longer.

  “You shouldn’t give up on searching for your friend,” she said. “You’ve hardly begun.”

  He heaved a sigh. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I thought I’d arrive and find Nate here. I have no idea how to search for him.”

  “I know these islands better than you do,” she said. “Maybe I can help.”

  “How? He didn’t leave any clues to where he might have gone.”

  She put her hand on his. “Trust me.”

  “Trust you? I don’t even know who you are.”

  “You will.” Another lie. When she’d started this, she hadn’t realized how much she’d have to deal in dishonesty. In the end, it wouldn’t matter. She’d leave him, wiping out his memory of ever having met her. But for right now, she’d keep him a bit longer, and to accomplish that, he’d soon meet the very species his friend Nate had been searching for.

  * * *

  She’d gone for another one of her swims. This time, Mark didn’t worry… at least not too much. Obviously, Uma knew her way around this place, and just as obviously, she’d disappear and reappear when she chose.

  The idea of her going with him to New York hadn’t impressed her. Neither had his offer to let her wander through Manhattan’s best boutiques and buy whatever she wanted. And when he’d mentioned getting her hair and makeup done, she’d turned a bit green around the edges, as if the idea made her sick. He didn’t seem to understand women as well as he thought he did. Or maybe he didn’t understand this woman.

  And he was wasting his time here. Seriously. Had he honestly expected Nate to be here waiting for him? Sometimes the guy got so immersed in his work he wouldn’t return e-mails, so yeah. But Nate had left with no clue where he was going. Nothing in his journal or in his computer files gave any clue. Only that he was enthralled with the idea of his new species of seal and had a strong sense they were near.

  Once again, Mark set the laptop aside and left the hut to stare out over the ocean. Pointless, just like every other time he’d done it. He might as well head back to New York and let the Ecuadorian authorities take care of this. But then, what would become of Uma and whatever relationship they might have formed?

  Before his mind could wander off into that quagmire again, something broke the surface of the water. Something silvery. It only revealed what might have been the back of a sea creature. It didn’t go away but continued swimming not too far off the shore as if inviting him to find it… discover what it was.

  He didn’t stop to change into his swim shorts, although he did kick out of his sandals before he headed toward the water. On his way, he shed his shirt as well. It still didn’t leave, but showed more of itself. Definitely the shape of a seal, but not the brown color of the local sea lions. And too large to be a fur seal, if he understood correctly. Could this be the creature Nate had been chasing? If so, could it lead him to Nate somehow?

  He eased himself slowly into the water so as not to disturb the seal. Animals here weren’t usually afraid of humans. Maybe this one would let him have a closer look. He swam toward it, not splashing but moving gently. When he got out a bit, the seal turned around and headed right for him.

  Breath froze in his chest. You heard about encounters between marine mammals and humans, usually harmless, but he’d never expected anything like that to happen to him. Maybe the cynic in him had rejected the idea. Now that he’d experienced it for himself, any ideas of how to handle the situation flew right out of his head. He just treaded water and waited.

  When the creature arrived, it lifted its head above the surface and met his gaze with its own. Its bright blue eyes held an intelligence beyond any normal animal’s. As if it knew him and wanted to communicate. He extended his arm, and it came closer. Close enough for him to touch it. So, he did, stroking its flank as it swam by.

  Next, it dove and then surged upward, breaking the surface and falling back into the water with a splash that hit Mark in the face. Then, it rolled several times. Playing with him. Showing off. He watched it give him a show of how it could move in the water. So sleek and graceful.

  After a bit, it returned, nearly putting its face into Mark’s. Again, he held his breath. The creature was trying to tell him something, and if he waited quietly, maybe the message would come through.

  He reached out to it and touched its side a second time, and they made a deeper connection. He could almost feel a current sliding up his arm toward his heart. If this was Nate’s creature, the myths about mermaids made sense. Imagination could go crazy with an interaction like this one. You could picture yourself having a conversation with it, maybe by gestures or by telepathy. It would have wisdom about the ocean to share… about life free of alarm clocks and deadlines. About the joys of freedom.

  And magic. Damn it all, this came back to magic. Creatures with human intelligence able to communicate via telepathy or some other means. People who could fall under their spell. He’d always been immune to such notions. This creature had stripped him of that immunity in just a few seconds.

  As if it realized it had accomplished what it had come for, it went beneath the surface and swam away. He couldn’t have followed. It was too fast for that. So he stroked back toward the shore. After walking up onto the beach, he searched the water for any sign of the creature, but it had disappeared.

  You heard about tourists to the Galapagos having close encounters with the animals here. They were forbidden to get more than twelve feet near one, but if it came to you, that was another story. They were deeply moved by the curiosity of a sea lion pup or the patience of a tortoise. Mark had never expected that to happen to him. Would it change him, too?

  “Did you see that thing?” Uma’s voice came from behind him.

  He turned to find her running down the beach toward him. She wore his shirt, but her hair was wet from her swim. “Did you see it?”

  “The seal creature?” he said.

  She was so excited, she was nearly jumping up and down. “Yes. It was beautiful.”

  Not nearly as beautiful as Uma with her eyes ablaze with excitement and his shirt clinging to her still-wet curves. But he’d think about those later.

  “I did. It swam right up to me,” he said. “How did you see it?”

  She pointed toward another part of the island. “I was over there, and it swam with me for a while. It was as if we were communicating somehow. I came right back to tell you about it.”

  The creature had been busy. And again, Uma had been gone -- swimming for more than any normal person would. Did Galapagos have an Olympic swim team?

  “I think it’s the seal your friend Nate was looking for,” she said. “It fits his description.”

  He stared at her for a moment. “How did you know about that?”

  She hesitated for a second. “You told me.”

  Yeah, maybe he had. Who remembered conversations when you spent so much time having amazing sex?

  “Anyway, it’s exciting,” she said. “Maybe if we follow it, we’ll find Nate.”

  “How could we follow it?” he asked. “Did you see how fast it can swim?”

  “The Zodiac,” she answered. “The next time it shows up, you jump in the Zodiac and see where it goes.”

  If it waited around for him to do that. Still, she might be onto something. He hadn’t come up with any bright ideas.

  What he had done was establish a connection to another species -- what tourists came here for. Now he, the ultimate skeptic, had had the same experience. Not with a pet, like a cat or a dog, but with what appeared to be a highly intelligent creature. And it most likely was what Nate had searched for. What if Nate had found it? What had happened to him then?

  “Just think. If we find it, we might discover a new species,” she said. “We might learn we can communicate with it. We might see --”

 

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