Page 80 of The Seeker
“Don’t be silly.” She smiled. “That’s not for another few months.”
He grumbled something under his breath.
“I’d make a joke,” Meera said, “but they’re not really a joking matter. The city has suffered too much, and the storms are only getting worse.”
“Indeed.”
Meera walked across the deck toward Roch. “How much farther are we going today?”
He gave her a lazy shrug. “Depends on how far you want to paddle.”
Meera glanced at Rhys, who was slapping at a large bug on his arm. “I’m going to say as little as possible.”
“Then we’ll cut over and around a bit farther down,” Roch said. “Maybe sleep on the boat tonight. Take the kayaks out in the morning.”
She gave him a thumbs-up before she went back to Rhys. “Roch says we’ll camp on the boat tonight.”
“Good,” Rhys said. “You can share my tent.”
She knew he was teasing her for a reaction. But the offer was too tempting. “Sure,” she said. “Why not?”
His teasing smile disappeared and a new and far more intense expression came to his eyes. “Not backing away anymore, princess?”
“Does it scare you?”
“Not in the least.”
“Is the heat bothering you?”Meera had dressed in a thin shirt and a loose pair of pants to sleep, but lying next to Rhys, her temperature was soaring from far more than the muggy air. Was it the knowledge that he was different than others, or just the potent attraction between them?
Rhys rolled to his side, propping his head on his hand. “I can’t say I’m accustomed to it. It’s hotter than Istanbul. But I will say that I’ve adapted. Most of my assignments in the past hundred years have been in hot places. And it’s not the hottest time of year yet. At least there’s that.”
He wore no shirt, and Meera tried not to stare at his chest. “Do you miss cool weather?”
“Constantly.” He reached out and played with the end of her braid. “Tell me about the weather in Udaipur.”
“There are a few months that are quite hot, but it is drier than here. The rains come in the middle of summer and cool everything off. I love the rain.”
“I do too.” He brushed her shoulder with the end of one braid. “Is it in the mountains? A valley? Plains?”
“It’s lake country.” Her heart was racing. “The city is surrounded by lakes, and there are hills.”
He’d dropped her braid and was trailing a single finger up and down her arm.
“I want to kiss you.” He leaned down and whispered, “Actually, I want to do far more than kiss you, but Roch isn’t far away, and I don’t care for an audience.” He bit her earlobe and Meera smiled.
“So kiss me,” she said. “Kissing is too often overlooked.”
But though Meera was expecting a peck on the cheek, she got far more than that. Rhys braced himself over her, lowered himself down, and took her mouth fully with his.
Every time he’d kissed her, it had been different. Their first kiss was a test and a taste. Their second, a careful declaration. The third, hot and hungry.
But this…
He drank her in like a parched man in the desert. Meera lifted her arms and pulled him down until he was caging her body with his. Rhys’s kiss was openmouthed, slow, and deep. His tongue tasted of mint with a hint of the whiskey he and Roch had shared after dinner.
Meera wanted his weight. Wanted the heavy feel of his body on hers. She hooked an ankle around his thighs and pulled him closer, only to have Rhys nudge her knees open so he could settle in the cradle of her body.
She sighed into his mouth.
