Episode Fifteen - Not Imaginary (Part 2)

He couldn't deny her when she pleaded so beautifully. Mouth-watering for a taste, he closed over her wet lips. Eira jolted at the sensation of warm, rough tongue licking her deep inside, the naughtiness of it inflaming her passion. No man had ever kissed her there. It was strange, and so damned erotic.

Lars drew back to slip two fingers inside her, testing her tightness as he circled the broad pad of his thumb almost roughly over her ripe, aching clit. His fingers pumped relentlessly teasing her until her juices flowed and he felt the initial flutter of her impending orgasm. Rubbing the rough patch inside her, he latched onto her swollen bud and bit down.

"Lars! Ahhhh!" Eira's sobs echoed around them, her head thrown back as the orgasm spiralled through her, her muscles twitching and spasming. She was falling so hard, her toes curled, and her mind emptied out. Not letting up, Lars lapped up every single drop of her pleasure, savouring the sweetness of her honey. "You taste so fucking good, Eira. Just like how I imagined. So fucking sweet." He growled against wet flesh.

Eira gasped between fragmented breaths as she came back down, a delicious humming sensation enveloping her boneless body. She couldn't move an inch. "What have you done to me?"

Planting one final kiss, Lars rose over her, arms caging her head. "What do you mean?"

Dilated pupils clashed with his. "I've never felt that way before," she said, still trying to catch her breath.

"You don't have to stroke my ego, Eira." Lars's face closed over at the thought of her with anyone else.

"No." She shook her head, fingers digging around his arms. "No one's ever made me come so hard before. Only you."

Lars bottled up the male satisfaction of her words, brushing aside her halo of pink hair. "How do you feel?"

An impish spark entered her eyes, her arms draped across his back. "I think I need a few more kisses."

His lips quirked and he obliged her, their lips meeting. Lars's mouth was hot and insatiable, ruthlessly devouring her. They kissed until she had to come up for air, her voice breathy, her mouth filled with the taste of him. "What about you?"

"No, this was all for you."

Confusion translated on her beautiful face, telling him that she didn't understand. He cupped her cheek. "If and when we do have sex, I want you to be completely sober. And I don't want to do it while we're on a mission."

Her teeth sunk into her lips. "I'm sorry. I should have been more careful. I thought I could handle the aphrodisiac. It's not my first time."

Lars's eyes hardened as he soothed his thumb over her swollen lips. "When?"

"I tried churimonga with my old unit mates. There was nothing sexual about it." She hurried to assure him. "I had no idea the effect coupled with wana-wana was this intense." Her eyes ran down his still clothed body. "But why aren't you affected?"

"I didn't consume as much as you did. And my muscle mass is higher than yours. It'll take a lot more to knock me out."

That was true. She squeezed his bulging muscles reflexively. "What do we do now?"

Lars rolled off her and retrieved an extra shirt from his sack. Eira caught it when he tossed it to her, hiding a smile. She could have just worn her own. Taking an indiscreet sniff of his scent, she happily pulled it on. It felt almost as good as being in his arms — just, almost.

"There's something shifty going on with Chief Borjan. I think he knows about the corpses in the Oasis."

"Is that why you didn't hold back when he asked us where we came from?"

He nodded. "That's right. He was fishing for answers but, instead he confirmed my suspicion. In the first place, it was weird for him to direct Yaena to the Oasis. My guess is he might have done it to get rid of both siblings but, he never expected for Yaena to encounter us. Setting that aside, I believe he isn't working alone. He's the muscle for the brain behind the Oasis incident."

The plausibility of his words couldn't be ignored. "Are we going to call him out on it?"

"There's no need." Lars had run through the possible scenarios in his mind, latching onto the only one that fitted Chief Borjan's personality. "I'm certain he will attack us first."

She tilted her head questioningly. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because he's that type of coward. I know men like him." Lars's tone spoke for itself. "If I were in his shoes, I would have poisoned us the moment we drank the wana-wana. He wouldn't have dared to kill us in front of the villagers. There must be a reason for it. He needs their support. And it's obvious someone is pulling his strings." He revealed what he had observed earlier today. "The tribe's condition isn't bad but it's not extravagant, which is strange given the amount of food they could afford." Lars rubbed his jaw pensively. "Perhaps it's a a cultural difference and I'm reading too much into that. Either way, our existence puts him at risk, and he will want to silence us."

Eira watched him with aloof focus, amazed by how much thought he had put into the situation. "Come to think of it, Chief Borjan is Izel's paternal uncle. The young women I talked to didn't have much to say about him but, Malina's daughter Qiren did mention that the Xaosose tribe isn't like before. I think her exact words were 'the tribe has lost its honour after the previous Chief's death."

The younger generation probably weren't as involved in tribe politics but, Malina was of the older generation. She would have experienced the difference and possibly told her daughter about it. Plus, that old hag was uncannily perceptive. "We'll just have to wait the night out," he decided, climbing back into bed. "For now, let's try get some rest. From here on, it's going to be a waiting game."

Lying on her side, she traced his side profile with her eyes, appreciating his rugged beauty. In the quiet darkness, she felt courageous enough to ask. "Why don't you want to be with me, Lars?"

Long, anxious moments passed before he sighed. "It's not you, Eira. You know I desire you…it's just…me. I can't get over my past and what happened to my family…,"

"Do you feel unworthy?" she blurted out.

"Maybe…," he trailed off, refusing to elaborate further. It was always uncomfortable for him to talk about the past, or his feelings ever since he lost everything dear to him. Everytime he dwelled on the past, anger crashed upon him like a wave — the injustice of it all — made him see red.

It was on the tip of Eira's tongue to tell that he wasn't alone but, she held back. Once upon a time, she felt unworthy too and it had led her down the wrong path. It didn't ruin her life but, it taught her some valuable lessons and the number one lesson being — don't trust anyone so easily.

"What about you? Why do you want to be with me? Technically, we were just two strangers trying to survive when we met." His voice genuinely curious. "How do you even know that the boy you fell in love with wasn't just an outcome of the situation? Haven't you ever thought that you might be in love with the idea of who I was and not the present me?"

"That's impossible." She nearly scoffed. "I'm not trying to be fanciful, Lars. I've been through enough tough times to be able to differentiate what's real and what's imaginary. I don't blame you for questioning my feelings. I was a young girl back then, and yes, there were times that I was afraid but, you forget that I'm not like any other girl. My parents trained me and my siblings to be tough warriors ever since we learned how to walk." Her fingers crept over his unmoving hand, clutching hard. "You've always made me felt safe and protected. Even after we were separated, when I think of you, it helped me through all my nightmares. You are my anchor, Lars."

He refused to buy it. "What if it's all in your head?"

She snorted bluntly. "A person will have to experience the worse and they'll never make the mistake of confusing a bad apple as good."

Her words reminded him of what she had said in the gym. Imprisoning her hand and gaze, he asked. "Back in the gym, why did you say you didn't feel disgusted with my kiss?"

Perceptibly, she stiffened.