“Any interest in finding another view?”
“Meaning?” I turned in his arms.
“Want to go for a flight?” He ran his lips down my neck.
“Yes.” The thought of flying around such a beautiful island filled me with excitement. “And I’m even dressed for it.” I gestured to the spaghetti strap beach cover up I wore over my bikini. I’d tested it out, and it fell just right so that my wings could still extend.
He laughed. “You’re getting the hang of it, aren’t you?”
“I guess so. The idea that I have wings is still a strange one, but I feel like I’m learning to live with it.”
“That’s what happened with me.” He settled a hand on my hip. “It’s like you’ve always known they were part of you even if you consciously didn’t. Does that make sense?”
“Perfect sense.” I looked up at him. “Are you ready?”
“Absolutely.” He pulled off his shirt, and I took in the sight of his chiseled chest again. I fought the urge to run my hand down it. I’d have plenty of time for that later.
“Let’s go then.” I took off, knowing Toby would follow closely behind. There was something amazing about flying with someone. We didn’t hold hands or anything like that, but he stayed close by so I knew he was there. With our enhanced hearing, we could technically hear over the wind, but we tried to keep things quiet. It was more fun that way.
I felt a tug on my hand and glanced over at him. He had a huge grin on his face. “Waterfall.”
I smiled. “Sure.”
We landed beside a roaring waterfall. It was tucked away in the mountains in one of those places a hiker could never reach, especially in the dark. Because of that, we knew we were alone.
Neither of us said anything. Toby just reached over and pulled my cover up down over my hips. He scooped it up when I stepped out of it and tossed it along with his shirt onto a rock. He didn’t have to say it. We weren’t getting rid of our wings.
He reached over and untied my string top, watching me intently as he removed the only fabric covering my chest. His mouth went to my breast before he’d even dropped the pink triangle top. I went to work on his swim trunks, eagerly untying them so I could free him from the fabric. Without moving his mouth, or the hand currently fondling my other breast, he stepped out of his trunks. I held him, gently stroking him as he finally dropped my top and started to pull down my bottom.
His lips moved down from my breast to my stomach as his hands slowly slipped my bottoms off. I leaned my head back, loving the sensation of his lips on me. Then he stopped, stood up, and took a step back. For a terrifying second, I thought he was rejecting me until I realized he wanted to see me. The real me, wings and all. I’d never seen him naked with his wings before. It only accentuated his muscular body, and combined with his evident arousal, he looked more of a god than a man.
His eyes devoured me as I watched him struggle to keep his hands at his sides. “You’re incredible. Look at you.”
I looked down at my body. It was the same as always, but I felt beautiful and fearless all at the same time.
“Why would they try to keep Pterons apart?” He reached out to gently stroke one of my wings. “How can this not be right?” The sensation of his hand on my wing felt just as intimate as when he touched my breasts. Being naked only made it more intense.
“I don’t know or care right now.”
“Me either.” His lips smashed into mine as he lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, ready when he jumped into the water.
We broke the kiss momentarily as the cool water splashed over us, only to return exactly to where we were. We remained a little off to the side of the cascading water.
Toby repositioned us slightly before thrusting into me with a force so strong it would have knocked me over if he wasn’t holding me so tight. He rocked me to the core, moving his lips to my neck, and I had the distinct impression they were going to leave a mark. I tangled my hands in his hair, giving myself over to the sensation of pleasure spreading through my entire body.
“Amazing.” Toby grunted the word as he continued to move inside me harder and faster than I’d have thought I could take.
“Yes.” Nothing would ever compare. The sex with Jared felt like a distant memory as Toby pushed me over the edge twice. He released, and I thought it was over just as he started again. It’s like being in our Pteron form changed the rules. Sex didn’t have to have a set end. His mouth returned to my breast, and his teeth grazed me. The sensation thrilled me. I thrust my hips against him, letting him know I wanted more. I wanted everything he could give.
Hours later, we settled on a rock at the water’s edge. I ran a finger down his chest, following the path of a drop of water running down from his damp hair. “That’s how I know we’re not human.”
“Tell me about it. That was surreal.” He rested his hand on my back. We’d finally retracted our wings.
“The craziest part is I’d be ready to do it again right now. How is that possible?”
“If you haven’t noticed, I feel the same way.”
I shifted away slightly. “I don’t deserve you.”
“What do you mean?” He sat up and pulled me into his lap so I was straddling him.
“After everything I did, I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve you.” I buried my face in his shoulder, not wanting him to see the tears that were streaming down my face.
“Stop. Stop beating yourself up about this.” He put a hand under my chin and made me look at him. “What happened with anyone else is in the past. Whether it was magic or not, I’d have forgiven you. That’s what life’s about. Accepting those you care about despite their missteps.” He kissed my forehead. “It’s what’s in here that matters.” He touched the place over my heart.
“How can you say that? How can you get over it so easily?” My heart both swelled and hurt. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe he could accept me back, but I was terrified of being rejected by the guy I was falling so hard for.
“Nothing about us is ever going to be normal or easy. I’m okay with that. I’m okay with what happened because in the end you came back. When the magic stopped, you willingly came back to me.”
“And that’s enough?” I wiped a few tears away.
“That’s everything. With all the crazy revelations in your life, you chose me to come to. And you didn’t just come for support. If what happened there,” he gestured to the water, “tells us anything, it’s that whatever is between us is real. It’s strong.”