Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Next morning they rose early, packed a picnic lunch and made their way to the boat dock. Latham was loading their gear into the boat when he suddenly dropped the picnic hamper and leaned closer to Helaine. “What’s this?” he asked, touching a spot over her heart.
She moved the opening of her blouse aside a little further so she could see what he was pointing at.
It was a pale green mark, not very big and didn’t hurt or itch when she scraped at it a bit with her fingernail.
“I don’t know. A bruise from the zipline harness?
Or maybe the antigrav buckles. The darn things kinda dug into me while we were descending. I’ll keep an eye on it.”
Brow furrowed, Latham stared at the mark and she had the impression he wanted to say more but the moment passed without further discussion as he helped her into the boat and they motored off, heading for the open ocean and the island with the good coral reef.
It was a beautiful day to be out on the water and the ocean was peaceful, with no big waves.
Latham navigated them unerringly to the spot he’d chosen close to the tiny island.
After anchoring, he made sure Helaine was comfortable with her snorkel and then the two of them slipped into the shallow water to take a tour of the coral reef.
She was amazed at the diversity of ocean life, from colorful fish to ‘flowers’ to all kinds of crustaceans and other flora and fauna.
At one point a large, slow moving creature she would have called a turtle on Earth swam by and she took a brief ride hanging onto one of its flippers.
The giant amphibian gave her the side eye but didn’t seem to mind having a passenger briefly.
“Having a good time?” Latham asked as they treaded water together while the ‘turtle’ continued on its lumbering way. He’d taken holos of her swimming with the creature.
“I’m having an incredible day,” she said with enthusiasm. “It’s all so beautiful.”
“Ready for lunch soon?”
“I could be. Let me have one last swim over the reef first though.”
After another quick tour of the reef they climbed back into the boat and Latham got the anchor aboard.
As he was driving them toward the island’s beach, Helaine saw a quartet of sleek ocean dwellers burst from the water and perform somersaults in midair before plunging into the waves again.
The high pitched keening hurt her ears but the creatures were clearly having so much fun and were so astonishing to watch she didn’t care.
Latham ran the boat onto the white sands and made sure it wouldn’t budge until they were ready to leave.
He helped Helaine out and then grabbed the picnic supplies.
“Where do you want to set up?” he asked.
“This is more of a baby island than anything else,” she said, twirling in delight, able to see the entire expanse in one 360 degree turn.
“It might even go under the water at high tide,” he said. “But we have hours before that happens and it’s a slow process.”
“There aren’t any trees so I guess right here is as good as anywhere else.” Helaine picked a spot a short way from the boat. “Can I help?”
“I’ve got it.” He brought a blanket and a beach umbrella, which he drove into the sand until it was adjusted to his satisfaction.
Then he carried over the picnic hamper and Helaine set to work laying out the items they’d decided to eat today from the amazing Harlecky Industries bounty in the bungalow’s stasis keeper.
They chatted over their meal and then once lunch was done Latham lay back with his hands behind his head and drew Helaine to pillow on his shoulder.
“Are we taking a nap?” she asked, a bit drowsy. “I don’t want to wake up with the tide rushing in. That sounded scary.”
“I had something a little more involved in mind than a nap,” he said, allowing his hand to slide down her body, over her hip and to the vee between her thighs.
He pushed aside the gusset of her damp swimsuit and explored with one finger, caressing and stroking the sensitive flesh.
“So wet for me.” He slid his finger inside her, adding a second one and thrusting in and out.
Helain clung to him, the ripples of pleasure from what he was doing sending tingles all over her body.
Latham smiled at her and continued his efforts until she was writhing and pleading for him to allow her release.
Finally he said, “Come for me, sweetheart,” and she did, arching her spine and moaning as the orgasm crested.
“Your turn now,” she said when she could speak again.
She pushed his swimsuit down and freed his arousal, which jutted toward her engorged and ready.
Helaine swiped her tongue across the head, enjoying the salty taste as she took him into her mouth.
She sucked and hummed and kept her fingers busy as well, playing with his balls and teasing the sensitive skin behind them.
Doing all of this outdoors in plain view where anyone could see (if there’d been anyone else around, which Helaine was actually glad to know no one would be) was an extra erotic element today.
“I’m not coming anywhere but inside you,” Latham said in a hoarse voice, pulling her off his cock and tearing her swimsuit away. It only took him an instant to position her underneath him and then he plunged into her aching neediness, going all the way to the root.
Heliane screamed at the sensation, being stretched and stimulated and loved.
Latham didn’t stop but set a rapid pace.
She welcomed his power and passion, doing her best to clamp tight on his shaft.
She raked his back with her nails, not deep but providing extra stimulus and wrapped her legs around him to drive him onward.
She sensed when he’d reached his limit, unable to hold back any longer and went rigid above her, repeating her name in a wondering voice as the hot jets of seed filled her.
Satisfied she’d brought him to one of the best, if not the best orgasms he’d ever had, she let herself go over the edge and lost herself in the throes of certainly the most massive burst of sexual rapture she’d ever experienced.
They lay together, sweaty and a bit sandy, hot and sated.
“I can’t believe I did that,” she said with an embarrassed giggle, cheeks flushed from the exertion and the embarrassment. “Made love outdoors.”
“Sweetheart, there’s no one around for hundreds of miles except for those corporate sticks in the mud at the cove and they couldn’t hear or see us way out here.
” His laughter rumbled through his chest and she enjoyed the vibrations.
“I don’t ever want to lose you or the happiness I find with you,” he said, smoothing her hair off her face.
”Will you come with me to Ardanna and be my wife? ”
She couldn’t breathe at first, hearing him say the thing she most wanted to hear.
Mistaking her silence for doubt, Latham continued.
“I’ve been living out of a ranger’s rucksack for the last five years, not spending my salary, not touching my military pension.
I’ve got a good sized nest egg built up.
We can get a house, you can take your time finding a job if you want one—”
“Yes, this is crazy after only three days but I absolutely will come to Ardanna and marry you,” she said, giving him a kiss to shut him up. “We’ll figure things out as we go. What is your family going to think of me though?”
She was aware he had a big family, four brothers and a sister, plus his parents and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins, nieces and nephews galore.
Suddenly shy she couldn’t imagine how they’d react to her sudden arrival, agreeing to marry Latham after only three days together.
She was sure down to her core he was the man for her and the idea of ever parting from him cut her like a knife.
“Sweetheart, my relatives are going to love you like I do. And the fact you’re the woman who brought me back to them, broke me out of my isolation, will make them love you even more.
I’ve been hiding from everyone in the wilderness, literally, for over five years.
There were days I thought I might as well end it all if that was all my life was reduced to—nightmares and flashbacks and staying away from people.
When I got the orders to come on this dating boondoggle I was pretty upset but there’s no getting out of it. Our government is serious about this.”
“What if you hadn’t found a match?”
“As long as the man reports for departure as scheduled and spends the five days with the woman IDA says could be his match, they’ll sign off the obligation as completed.
No one is being forced into anything other than coming here.
I thought I could probably handle that so they’d leave me alone in the future.
Let me be a hermit. Which is no longer my life goal by the way, in case I haven’t been clear enough.
” He gave her a grin. “The first night, in the club—”
He shuddered.
“I’m sorry,” she said, upset he’d actually contemplated ending his own life while in the grip of the PTSD.
“No, you’re the bright light I needed. Coming here, with you, has given me fresh perspective.
I’ll always have the damn memories but life can go on.
I can be a part of it again, with you at my side.
” He studied her with a serious expression.
“Am I putting too much of a burden on you? I’m not saying you have to be my guardian or my caretaker.
I want you as my partner, my equal, my woman I come home to in every sense of the word. ”
“I didn’t take it as a burdensome situation,” she said. “You’re a strong man, Latham. Together we’ll be even stronger. I’m not organized, except at work and I’m not good at long term thinking and I tend to rush into things—”
His grin was a little lopsided. “Like agreeing to marry me after only three days?”