Cassandra Pierce - Diamonds in the Sand [The Aquans 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Special Edition) Read Free Page A

was dark outside and there was still no sign of him.
    Remembering what Daq had said about bugs, she got up and went to the sliding glass door, double-checking to make sure the screen was closed tightly. As she jiggled it in the frame, she glanced down at the beach. The huge tropical moon illuminated the white sand like a lamp, making the beach sparkle. Standing just at the edge of the water, silhouetted against the whispering night surf, stood two male figures—wrapped in each other’s arms and kissing.
    Wide-eyed, she stared in rapt fascination. She couldn’t be sure, but from this distance the pair looked like Tagin and Ejan—assuming she wasn’t mixing up their names. She’d never actually seen two men together…in that way…but she couldn’t deny that it was more of a turn-on than she expected. When one of them—Tagin?—knelt to nestle his face against his lover’s abdomen, she felt a tingle in the same part of her own body. Her pulse quickened and thundered urgently between her legs.
    Drawing out of sight behind the floor-length curtain, Maura loosened her grip on the front of her towel, letting it slide open, and glided the fingers of her free hand down her thigh. She murmured in pleasure as she stroked her own tender flesh, mimicking the movements of the men on the beach. Suddenly, a burst of excitement bloomed inside her, taking her breath away, along with her voice.
    In the same instant, she heard a light clicking noise behind her. The door. She hadn’t locked it.
    Yanking her towel back into place and letting the curtain fall, she turned. Daq stood in the hallway, his arms folded and his eyes burning in the near darkness. The force of his lust filled the room.
    “Come in,” she said huskily.
    He did.

Chapter 2

    Daq crossed her darkened bedroom in three steps. Maura didn’t move as he reached toward her, curled his fingers over the edge of the towel, and whisked it off her. Nor did she object when his muscular arms slid around her bare waist and crushed her against him.
    Her eyes searched his in the brief moment before he lowered his head and began to kiss her left shoulder. She registered a dark flash of passion and noticed a corresponding surge of need tenting his baggy cargo shorts.
    “I’m…not usually…like this,” she said, trying to process the fact that she was standing naked in the arms of a man she’d met only a few hours before.
    “I told you,” he growled against her skin, “things are different in the islands. Whatever and whoever you were before means nothing here. We make it a point to enjoy our lives…in any way that feels good to us.”
    Maura couldn’t help but laugh. “I noticed. I saw your friends out on the beach. They were certainly enjoying themselves.”
    “Yes. Why shouldn’t they? They are young and hungry, the beach is beautiful and warm, and their bodies are receptive to love. I would say yours is, too.” Abruptly his hand dipped between her thighs and spread her apart. Maura knew she was already moist and ready, and his murmur of appreciation told her he also knew it. Meanwhile, his other hand moved down the curve of her hip until it cupped her bare buttocks. A slight movement crushed her even tighter against him. His erection jabbed at her, threatening to punch a hole right through his pants.
    “Take these off,” she breathed, hastily unbuttoning the front and pushing down the waistband. “I want to feel you against me.”
    “I want the same thing.” Daq leaned away so she could push the shorts all the way down. He kicked them to one side, let go of her just long enough to peel off his shirt, and lowered his mouth to hers.
    His bruising kiss sapped her breath and made her legs buckle. Maura imagined her knees turning into transparent blobs, like the jellyfish she studied on the job. Luckily, Daq was more than strong enough to hold her up. He moved backward toward the bed, pulling her along with him. His lips never left hers until they were settled on