Island Tango (Silver Goddess Series, Book One) (8 page)

The storm had passed, and r
ays of afternoon sun were blazing by the time they arrived at Pedro’s house.  Set on multiple acres of rural land, his house was impressive.  Although the estate’s size was palatial, the design was rustic and reminis
cent of a New England
farmhouse
.

Herculea exclaimed, “This is your house?!”

Pedro merely grinned.  “Yes.” He said matter of factly.  “Do you like it?”
             
“It’s beautiful.” She breathed, observing a cluster of birds sipping from a porcelain bath
in
the front yard.

Herculea was again struck by how little she knew about this man.  She had no idea what he did for a living to be able to afford such a spacious residence.  She hadn’t seen his home in San Francisco, but if it were anything like this, then he must be
a
millionaire
.

“How often do you come here?” She queried once they were out of the car.

The drinking birds trilled a happy tune as they continued to frolic in the bath.  A few cats appeared from the side yard and began chasing after the birds, who
squawked
and flew away hastily in a whirlwind of feathers.

“Not nearly as often as I would like.  I do love to come here.” Pedro inhaled the fresh country air and said expressively, “Look at those animals.  I’ve missed them.”

Pedro pointed lovingly to the cats, and Herculea’s eyes widened.  Was this a tender side the arrogant seducer was displaying?  She wasn’t sure if she should believe it.

“I love animals.” He continued.  “Those cats live on the property.  I feed them and give them milk.  So they stay even when I’m away for months.  They wait for me.”

Herculea’s disbelief mounted as she threw him a puzzled look.  Suddenly, the cats ran over to Pedro, perhaps catching a whiff of his scent.  The trio of felines rubbed against his legs as he bent down to stroke each one.  He clearly had a connection with the animals.  Each of the cat’s fur bore a distinct pattern.  One was a calico, another was a tuxedo cat, and the third was snowy white with crystal blue eyes.

“These cats really love you too.” Herculea observed.  “I wish I could have a cat, but I travel too much.  A tabby would be nice.  Maybe an orange or silver tabby.”

She remarked offhandedly, flinching as she finished her thought.  The
moment she had spoken
the word “silver” Pedro’s expression had transformed to an odd mixture of ominous and mournful.

Ignoring her comment, Pedro began striding ahead, muttering
,
“Let’s go eat.  Wait for me on the patio.”

He led her unceremoniously to the backyard, up several flights of stairs that revealed a furnished patio with breathtaking views of the property.  His backyard looked like a misty jungle.  Lush trees populated the yard, some bearing ripe fruits and others offering fragrant blossoms.  Exotic species of birds flitted around the trees, and a few wild monkeys clung to the branches.  The patio itself was a replica of the vibrant yard, decorated with potted plants.

Pedro disappeared inside, and Herculea shut her eyes for a few sweet moments.  This was the first morsel of peace she had tasted in a very long time.  The natural setting, made even more refreshing by
a
lingering drizzle of rain, calmed her senses and made those hellish plane rides seem almost comical.

Pedro emerged from inside the house carrying a large tray and pitcher.  The tray contained a tempting cornucopia of fruits: guava, watermelon, strawberries, tangerines, and a sprinkling of black cherries.  The glass pitcher was filled with a transparent orange liquid and
ice cubes
.

“Mango juice.” He explained, filling a glass for her.

“Ooh, I’ve never had mango juice.”

She took a mighty gulp of the frosty citrus juice, savoring the soothing feel of it lacing her parched throat.

“Mmmm.” She murmured.

The juice was sugary, but with an oddly bitter aftertaste that Herculea could not identify.  It almost tasted of rum or some other alcohol, she thought.  But, no, he wouldn’t serve her an alcoholic drink in the middle of the day.  This was not a champagne brunch; it w
as a light snack of fruit slices.

“I hope the fruit will be enough for now.  I kept it frozen while I was away.  Any perishable food would be disgusting by now.”

“I read that frozen fruit has even more nutri
ents than fresh fruit
.
  The transportation process from farm to supermarket causes the fruit to lose nutrients.
” Herculea remarked as Pedro raised his eyebrows.

“Do you always think of everything from an intellectual perspective?” He asked pointedly and with unhidden amusement.

She blushed.  “No.  I was just commenting.” She lowered her eyes to the plate in front of her. “The fruit looks delicious.”

Hungrily, she stabbed her fork into a banana, still cold from whatever Pedro had done to defrost it.  One by one, the cats climbed the stairs to the patio.  They sniffed around briefly and, not finding anything to their liking, disappeared into the yard.

“I promise to take you out to a three course Brazilian dinner later on.” Pedro spoke as he dipped a slice of tangerine into his sensual mouth.

Herculea tried not to fantasize as she watched him eat the fruit.  She resisted a sudden urge to sit closer to him and feed him the fruit.  Some people preferred oysters or chocolate
as aphrodisiacs
, but to Herculea, fruit was the most erotic of all foods.  It
comes
unadulterated from the earth, not tar
nished by the hands of man.  It’s
juicy and pulpy and light, the perfect appetizer to a much more satisfying carnal meal.

The look on Pedro’s face was blatantly inviting, and Herculea knew instinctively that he was trying to seduce her.  Yet, he was also aroused, she realized, as she caught a glimpse of the smoldering depth his eyes had taken on.  It would be a battle of wills if she were to resist this man indefinitely.  She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to resist him.  It bothered her that women always worried about men conquering them and seizing the power.  If it pleased her to go to bed with him, then she would, without consideration of archaic rules.

“A Brazilian dinner sounds wonderful.” Herculea enthused, as Pedro topped off her glass with mango juice.

“Good.  I know just the place to take you.” He stood up and gestured towards the massive yard.  “Would you like to explore?”

Herculea immediately caught the double meaning of his words.  Rising from her seat, she allowed him to take her into the thick, wet jungle that lay ahead.

Chapter 6

Back at the hotel, Kent paced in his room.  Herculea had been gone for hours. The memory of Pedro’s smugly handsome features made Kent’s blood pressure soar.  Then,
he
felt foolish.  Why hadn’t he confessed to Herculea long ago that he was in love with her?

Kent conjured the image of Herculea the first time they met.  Her shiny black hair had been embroidered into a silky French braid that trailed down the middle of her back.  She had been wearing a form-fitting beige business suit and high heels to boost her petite stature. 
Herculea had burst
at the seams with enthusiasm and
ambition. 
Kent had fallen
in love with her that day.  All these years he had restrained himself around Herculea, putting up a front of professionalism.

Kent couldn’t take it anymore.  He was sure he would go insane if he stayed one more minute in his hotel room. 
He
walked across the hall to Herculea’s room.  Maybe she had returned and he didn’t even realize it.  He knocked gently at the door, shocked when it budged inward.  It was open!

“Herculea?  Are you in here?” Kent called out to an empty room.

When no reply sounded, he walked cautiously inside.  Nothing was in disarray.  Everything seemed to be as she would have left it.  Kent walked towards the unmade bed, startled to see Herculea’s cell phone on the nightstand.  She had been in a hurry that morning.  Kent found it unsettling that she was out with Pedro without
her
cell phone.  If she didn’t return by that evening, Kent resolved to find her.

*****

Hand in hand, Pedro and Herculea walked deeper into the thicket of trees and plants.  The vast acres of land that lay beyond the house were uncultivated.  Herculea stumbled over a stray branch, and Pedro gripped her hand tightly.  The air felt cool, even though the humidity was relentless.

“Where are we going?” Herculea asked a bit nervously.

They must have walked a mile by now through coarse and winding terrain.  She hoped Pedro knew where they were going.

“Just exploring.” He answered in his typical evasive fashion.

Herculea glanced behind them.  Everything looked the same.  Without a compass, she would never be able to find her way out of this natural maze. 
She
eased closer to Pedro’s body, as he
squeezed her hand
.

“Don’t be afraid.” He soothed.  “I thought you liked adventures?” He added, smirking.

“I do.  I just don’t like to get lost.”

He paused in midstep and boldly wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing the length of her body into his. “Sometimes it is good to get lost.” He said in a low voice that ended on a subtle growl.

He leaned down to capture her lips in his, sliding his mouth masterfully across hers and holdi
ng her even more tightly.  I
n an instant she
was
lost.  There was nothing she could do to stop the rollercoaster of sensations that ascended, swirled, and plummeted through her as he claimed her in his embrace.  She did not allow herself to think, only to feel, to feel fully and rapturously
the
contact their bodies made.

She entwined her hands in his wavy hair, standing on tiptoes to offer her mouth completely.  Pedro
claimed
her lips with a hunger she felt deep in the pit of her stomach as well.  It was a hunger that had
raged
inside of her all through the many months it had been since a man had touched her.  Now, against all common sense, she permitted herself to satiate that hunger with Pedro.

Gently, he eased her onto a bed of wet leaves.  She shivered deliciously at the mixture of cool sensations from the earth and burning emotions radiating from Pedro’s mouth.  She lay willingly on her back, instinctively wrapping her legs around Pedro’s lean waist, even though they were both still fully clothed.  He reciprocated those instincts by positioning himself between her legs,
which were
bare in her sundress and covered in moist leaves.  He was surprised to hear her moan in pleasure a moment later.  This woman was starving for sensuality, he realized, as his arousal mounted.

“Lost.” He whispered, while trailing his full lips down her neck and
yanking
on
her dress.

She helped him, pulling the dress down to her hips, revealing a lithe body and lace bra.  Hastily, he grabbed his belt and undid the buckle.  In a cloud of furious haste, his shirt and pants came off as well.  Herculea surfaced from erotic oblivion long enough to take a thorough inventory of the man’s beautiful body.  His chest was even broader and more finely muscled than it looked in clothes, and he had a virile covering
of hair on
his perfect bronze skin.  His chest was
like a comforting forest.  S
he reached up her hands to
weave
in the thick mass of hair covering his rib cage and firm pectoral muscles.

Pedro returned his attention to her mouth, inserting his tongue as he peeled her bra off her delicate shoulders.  Once her breasts were revealed, he bowed his head reverently to them, staring intently before darting his tongue out to taste one.  He licked the bud back and forth
as rhythmically as he had danced the tango with her
.  She arched her back beneath him, tossing her hair onto the bed of leaves and lightly digging her nails into his back as he made a feast of her flesh.

Her body felt wet from he
ad to toe.  S
he was not sure if
the moisture
was from pure arousal, the wet leaves, or the rain that had begun to fall again ever so lightly.  She opened her eyes to see a sheath of sweat on Pedro’s torso and
realized
that the stickiness in her hair was sweat as
well.

The ground felt fertile;
the ele
ments were alive and wild.  S
he cried out exultantly when Pedro finally pressed his hardness demandingly against her womanhood.  She could feel his complete arousal and commanding size, and she relaxed all her muscles, opening her body excitedly.  He pushed into her with a single, skillful stroke, burying himself all the way inside the soft wetness and groaning with pleasure.

The moved in synch with each other’s natural rhythm, flowing in erotic circles together to the music of breathless rasps of excitement.  Herculea looked up for a moment at the cloudy gray sky and felt a raindrop fall onto her tongue as she continued to press her hips upward, matching Pedro’s every thrust.  He shoved his hands beneath her body, lifting her hips higher and
gripping her waist as he star
ed down at her naked breasts and groaned again.