Assassin's Honor

Chapter 21

Honorera came out of the bathroom, braced for the worst.

Gabriel held up a black Speedo bathing suit, with the tags still attached.

She stared at the suit, not understanding. "Wha...What?"

"They sell some suits in the gift shop, but there isn't much selection. I hope it fits."

She took the simple black suit and raised her eyebrows at him. "Really?"

"Yeah really." He smiled and held up his own pair of brand new, wildly colored, Hawaiian print swim shorts that he had procured for himself. "Let's go swimming."

Gabriel had thought he was too tired for a swim. He'd been driving all day, and his muscles were tired and stiff. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed, cuddle up to Honorera, and sleep. But he’d seen the way she had lit up at the idea of a swim in the indoor pool, and he couldn’t bear to disappoint her. Suddenly it seemed like his whole purpose in life was just to make this young woman happy.

When she stepped out of the bathroom dressed in the black swimsuit, all thoughts of sleep fled from his mind, and his mouth went dry.

He'd already seen her naked when she'd been bloody and injured. The skin-tight black Lycra suit seemed to be even more revealing than if she’d been fully nude. It outlined every curve of her full breasts and did nothing to hide the peak of her nipples under the thin fabric. Seeing that he was staring, she blushed and wrapped one of the fluffy white hotel towels around her chest. As if that really helped anything; he still had an eyeful of her long, bare legs.

The pool room was warm and steamy, and smelled heavily of chlorine. The turquoise water was illuminated from underneath with submerged lighting. Every sound echoed off the high ceiling and bounced off the water. They put their towels on one of the lounge chairs that surrounded the rectangular pool.

Earlier, Honorera had come out of the bathroom with sad, scared eyes, but that look had disappeared, replaced by an expression of delight and excitement as she stepped into the heated water and giggled.

He glanced down and hoped his own excitement wasn't too obvious in the insanely loud swim trunks the hotel staff had brought him. He hoped the water would be cold enough to cool down his desire before he frightened the poor girl.

Honorera leaped off the top step and disappeared beneath the surface. She swam like a fish and popped up on the other side. "The water is so nice! Come on Gabriel! Swim with me?"

How could he resist her? He waded in and followed her, chasing her across the pool. She swam the way she ran, incredibly fast and smooth, as though she were some kind of aquatic creature with power over the water. Even though he was a good swimmer, he could not have caught her, if she didn't want to be caught. Luckily for him, she was feeling playful, and after a few minutes of darting around under the water, she came right to Gabriel and threw her arms around him. "This is great! Thank you so much! I know you didn't really want to..."

He slid his arms around her wet body and gently pressed her against his chest. "Who says I didn't want to?"

She cocked her head at him but didn't push away from the contact. "You must be tired. You drove the whole way, and all I did was sleep."

"Yeah, but you are really cute when you snore."

"Hey! I don't snore!" She splashed him and slipped out of his arms. He felt bereft as she slipped away. She surfaced a few feet away, and just floated peacefully on her back, her eyes closed in bliss.

He swam up to her slowly, and she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, a little crease of worry forming between her brows. "What's next, Gabriel?"

He knew she was worrying about deeper questions, but he wanted to keep the mood light and playful. "Next? Next, I think we should try out those hot tubs. You are getting cold. Look at the goosebumps."

He traced a finger along the fine raised bumps on her arm, his tingling touch only causing her flesh to react even more. He succeeded to distract her. She grabbed his neck and deftly swung around, jumping on his back, weightless in the water. "Okay, take me to the hot tub!"

Honorera had no idea what she was doing to him, pressing her breasts against his back, wrapping those strong, muscular legs around his waist. He obediently carried her to the side and deposited her on the stairs, and she lead the way to the steaming hot tub.

"Hot!" she yelped as she stuck her toes in. She slowly eased into the water, and he followed her. She sat opposite him and glanced around. "How do you turn the bubbles on?"

Gabriel found the control switch and got the bubbles going. She laughed happily as her hands skimmed the surface of the water. She was so incredibly beautiful when she was happy and carefree, it was almost ethereal. Her eyes glowed, her cheeks were dimpled, and she radiated a palpable energy. "Come here." he opened his arms in invitation.

She flushed and looked shy, but after a moment's hesitation, she moved over into his embrace. She allowed him to situate her on his lap, with his arms around her, her legs straddling his thighs. At first, she was stiff, fearful, and resistant, but the hot water and the bubbles continued to massage away her tension and resistance, and she slowly succumbed to his intoxicating aroma of warm caramel. She relaxed against his solid chest, leaning her head against his shoulder.

After a little while, her hand slipped up and caressed his neck. He sucked in his breath and wondered if she was even aware she was doing it. Gabriel refused to move, or even whisper a sound, lest he break the spell. He didn't want her to stop. He didn't want to scare her away again.

She had opened her eyes and was staring at his mouth. She licked her lips and re-arranged herself so that she was pressed even closer to his body. She braced both of her hands on his broad shoulders and looked at him uncertainly. She leaned forward hesitantly, shyly, and tasted his lips.

Gabriel resisted the urge to groan, the urge to pull her closer and plunder her mouth. He instinctively knew that she needed this time to explore without any pressure from him.

She sighed and grew a little bolder, licking at his lower lip, nibbling it, wrapping her arms around his neck, until he couldn't stand it anymore. He pulled her close, and kissed her back, his hunger and his need overpowering his will to be gentle and careful. But she didn't seem to be put off by his passion. She moaned and held him tighter.

She finally broke the kiss so she could breathe, her chest heaving against him. She looked down into the water in surprise, because she could feel his erection straining through his shorts, pressing against her core. Her eyes were dark and clouded and confused.

Gabriel sucked in a deep breath and groaned hoarsely, "I think we better go back to the room, baby girl, before we make a public spectacle of ourselves."

She nodded and scrambled from his lap, and out of the hot tub. She grabbed her towel and wrapped herself up, covering her head and face so he couldn't see her expression. He moved slowly, drying himself off before he lead the way back to the hallway, and to their room.

"Let's get a shower," he murmured. "And get the chlorine off before we go to bed."

"Together??" She squeaked.

He pulled away the towel that hid her face and brushed her wet hair out of her eyes. "I promise, I won't do anything that you don't want."

Her eyes were wide, but she didn't protest as he led her into the bathroom. He closed the door, and turned on the hot spray. She stood there, frozen in fear and anticipation.

Gabriel didn't want her to be afraid of him. Never, ever. He drew her close and kissed her again. Her resistance melted away, as her hormones, and the power of the mating bond took over, making her feel love-drunk and emboldened. She allowed him to peel the swimsuit off her shoulders, and pull it down her body. His hot, electrified hands followed the suit, skimming down her sides, over her hips, down her sensitive thighs. "You are so beautiful, Honorera."

She kicked the swimsuit aside and reached for the elastic waist of his swim shorts. She'd seen him naked when he shifted for her, but that didn't quite prepare her for the sight of him, close up, and fully aroused. She pulled the shorts down carefully, easing them over his erection, allowing her fingers to caress his taut, muscular buttocks. Her face was so close to him that she could smell the musk of his arousal. She skimmed the shorts off his legs, and stepped back, embarrassed by the power of her own need.

He caught her hand and pulled her into the shower. He soaped a washcloth and gently began scrubbing her, every inch of her. Down her slender arms, her back, the curve of her buttocks. He traced the silvery scars that cross crossed her body. He gently cupped her breast in his hand, making her gasp with pleasure and surprise as he soaped her mounds, and ran the soft washcloth over her sensitive nipples. He gave equal attention to both sides before she grabbed the washcloth from him.

She had to stretch to reach his shoulders and the back of his neck. Her curious fingers followed the washcloth, tracing the lines of his muscles, the crease of his spine, and the breadth of his chest. She was mesmerized, fascinated by his body. She was especially captivated by the muscular crease at his hip, that lead down into his groin, and the trail of hair that moved south of his belly button.

She looked at him uncertainly before she reached his manhood. Was it really okay to touch him there? He nodded in response to her unspoken question, his eyes so dark, so intense, it was almost frightening. She wrapped her hand around him gently, feeling the weight, the heat, the hardness of it. It was so large, she didn't see how it could possibly fit her. She traced its length and gently ran her thumb over the tip, causing him to suck in his breath sharply. "Oh God Honorera, stop." he gasped. "You're killing me."

"Sorry," she jerked back and flushed. "I'm doing it wrong."

"No baby. You are doing everything right. Too right." He grabbed the little bottle of shampoo that the hotel had provided and dumped it into her wet hair, massaging gently. He finished washing her, and then himself, and turned the water off. He wrapped her in a dry towel. "I want you Honorera. I want you so bad, but not yet. First, you have to make up your mind to accept me as your mate... because once I have you..." He growled and buried his nose into the spot on her neck where he would mark her. "I will never let you go. I will mark you, and you will be mine, forever."