Wanderlust Read online

  I considered what he did with his mouth to be the sweetest of torture. While he, once again, focused all his attention on making me feel like I’d shatter from each stroke of his tongue and each brush of his lips against my skin, I was determined to turn the tables on him next time.

  And there would definitely be a next time. I didn’t care that my lack of experience whispered in my mind, warning me that there was a good chance I might disappoint him. Banishing the doubt, I’d do what I did every other time I faced an unknown—I’d let my heart lead. I would let my body show Ryder the feelings stirring inside me. He would tremble beneath my touch. He would respond to my own exploration.

  I would make it where his breath hitched as I took him in my mouth, or as I nibbled and sucked my way over every glorious inch of his incredible body. When he’d dropped his pajama pants last night, revealing a tight definition of muscles, my fingers had itched to trace each contour. He was an artist’s delight.

  Ryder was flawless, but that wasn’t what stirred the newfound passion within me. It was who he was—unapologetic and open. It was refreshing to know I could simply be myself without fear of recrimination. Lying across his couch and bed, completely naked, had been liberating. Extremely wanton and brazen, but freeing just the same.

  I could see why sex was addicting. I hadn’t even technically lost my virginity yet, and I wanted more. Something that felt so good shouldn’t be the source of shame. I’d embraced that belief in an art class I’d taken last summer, when the instructor brought in a nude model to paint. After overcoming the initial embarrassment and tug on my modesty, I quickly learned that the human form was beautiful.

  Ryder was beautiful.

  And one day I was going to draw him. I wanted the world to see him as I did.

  But, for right now, there were more pressing things to accomplish—namely unpacking the boxes scattered throughout my bedroom. It was a necessary evil to moving. As much as I wanted to hide back at Ryder’s apartment, life kept going and I needed to be responsible.

  “You’re alive.” Heather’s voice made me jump. Sure enough, there she was, standing in the doorway, her eyebrows raised. Even though I didn’t know her well, there was no way I’d let her kill the wave of happiness I was riding.

  “I am. Sorry, I didn’t know I was supposed to check in with you.” My answer came out a little harsher than I’d intended. “I mean, we’re free to come and go as we please, right?”

  The tinge of concern in her eye triggered the thought that maybe I’d judged her too quickly. “You don’t. I just knew it was your first night in town and didn’t realize that you knew anyone here. Glad to see you’re not lying behind some dumpster, murdered in an alley.”

  Studying my new roommate, she appeared sincere. “I’m fine. I spent the night with the guy who helped me move in. We went on a date and we fell into the fountain at the park. It was easier to go to his apartment and dry off.” Inwardly I cringed as I caught myself rambling.

  Heather shrugged. “Whatever. I’m not judging how you spend your evenings. I just didn’t want to have to find another person to lease your room out to.” And, once again, the walls she projected were back up.

  “Well, thanks for asking, anyway. Everything’s okay.”

  Glancing around the inside of my room, she nodded. “I’ll let you get back to unpacking, then.” Without waiting for my response, Heather turned around and retreated into the hallway.

  “I think she likes me,” I grinned, whispering to no one in particular. There’s hope for us, yet. Pity the same couldn’t be said for the job that lay in front of me.

  Thirty minutes later and three boxes emptied, I still wasn’t anywhere close to making a dent in the project I’d now dubbed “epic.” When my phone buzzed in my pocket, it gave me the perfect excuse to take a break.

  Hey. It was Ryder.

  Hey. Long time no see.

  Would u think it weird if I said I miss u?

  His message made my heart race a little faster. It depends. How much?

  Enough that I’m outside ur house hoping I can kidnap u.

  Really? Even though he couldn’t hear me, I squealed with delight.

  I thought we’d talk about what working 4 me involved. There was a slight pause before the second text came through. And u know. Other stuff.

  I knew exactly what he meant by “stuff”. Well I’m pretty busy right now. Slipping my shoes on and grabbing my house keys, I was already heading for the door.

  Okay. I understand. Maybe later?

  Opening the front door, he was still outside, his fingers typing out a new text when I interrupted him.

  “How about now?” I asked, jumping down each step until I stood before him.

  “I thought you were busy?” It was amazing to see how his face transformed and lit up when he smiled.

  “Well, I was; but it can wait. So, tell me more about this ‘stuff’?” Wiggling my eyebrows, I shamelessly flirted with him in the middle of the sidewalk.

  His arms instantly wrapped around my waist, pulling me into his body. “Why am I not surprised that ‘the stuff’ was what got you out here?”

  “What can I say? You impressed me, Ryder.” Gripping the lapels of his leather jacket, I lifted his aviator glasses away from his eyes so I could see them better. “If you play your cards right, maybe I’ll let you take me out to dinner, as well.”

  “You drive a hard bargain,” he answered. It was crazy how natural this felt, teasing back and forth, how easy it was to be with one another.

  “But here you are, outside my apartment.”

  “I don’t think I could keep away, even if I tried.” And with that simple confession, he brushed his lips over mine, showing me I wasn’t alone in the whirlwind.

  “I think I want to keep you,” I whispered, surprised how much I meant it. “But just to be on the safe side, let’s talk business, first.”

  Ryder chuckled. “That might be a wise choice. Work first, play later.”

  It was the thought of play that sent a shiver through me, standing there as the sun shone down on us.

  Chapter Ten

  Ryder

  “This is just incredible!” Skylar said, shifting her backpack as she stood in the middle of the trail staring at the soaring canopy of Redwoods that were the trademarks of the Muir Woods National Monument. She was right, the trees were amazing, and I’d been researching and exploring them for some time. However, she had no idea that she had become my current research project—and I could honestly say I’d never enjoyed exploring something so much.

  “One of these days, when we have a little more time, I’ll take you further up the coast to the Redwood Forest. It’s much bigger than this, but equally as beautiful. I like going there whenever I can.”

  “I’d love that,” she said, glancing back at me, her large smile radiating across her face. “This is fantastic. Thank you so much for hiring me to work with you.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” It really was. I’d been in a near constant state of arousal ever since I’d met her. Not that I was complaining. I loved the way she made my body hum—I just wished I could cross that last line with her. We’d only been together for a week, though, and I still needed time to get to know her and decide whether or not I wanted to ask her to be a permanent part of my future. I was trying—with great difficulty—to be patient and let things between us evolve naturally.

  I’d spent a lot of the past few days away from her, acquiring things that would lend support to my claim of being a research analyst. Yes, I already had state-of-the-art equipment, but it wasn’t exactly from this planet and it was hidden safely behind a portal in my current residence. That would be more than a little difficult to explain. So, in the interest of helping her out and allowing her to have an income, I’d created quite the little home office/research lab in the spare bedroom of my apartment.

  During my down-time, I’d entered a lot of data into my new computer so that whenever Skylar logged on and performed cal
culations, everything would seem on the up and up.

  That being said, I hated keeping secrets from her, wishing I could share my real research with her and show her the holographic models I’d made of all the places I’d visited in my lifetime. I could literally take her on a journey through the Universe without her ever leaving the room that housed my actual research. Knowing the way she reacted just to the local flora and fauna, I wanted to see her face when she discovered that there were so many other wonders to behold—things beyond her imagination. I wanted to just sit to the side and watch her paint them.

  She’d shown me a portfolio of her work earlier this week and to say I was impressed was an understatement. Her work was a riot of colors, drawing the eye completely around the paintings, photographs, and drawings. Somehow she managed to capture and convey her own personal emotion in each work, too—mirroring the way it made her feel as she looked at it.

  Her face glowed as she described each piece to me and I listened raptly, completely caught up in the vision she created.

  It didn’t surprise me at all when she showed up at my house with three large paintings this week—one for the living room, over the couch, one for the dining area and one to put above my bed.

  The one for my bedroom was my favorite. It was of a nude couple wrapped together in an embrace while kissing. It was a soft piece, no hard edges, almost like the couple was blending into one another, becoming one. It reminded me of the way I felt when I let pieces of my essence tangle together with hers. Apparently she was aware of what was happening on some sort of emotional level, as well, or she would’ve never captured this representation so fully.

  While the features of the couple where vague and slightly obscure, I was certain that the painting was of the two of us together. I found myself often standing in the room just to stare at it. It spoke to me on so many levels. She was truly a gifted artist.

  “So, what kind of research are we gathering, today?” Skylar asked.

  “I thought you could use the camera to take pictures of everything, while I gathered some soil samples around the trees and collected some bark, needles, and leaf specimens. I’d like to gather from several of the species, here. As impressive as the Redwoods are, they aren’t what captures my interest the most.”

  “Really? What does?”

  I pointed around to a few of the shorter trees. “These do.”

  “Why?” she asked, clearly not understanding my interest. Taking her by the hand, I led her over to a California Bay Laurel.

  “These short trees have learned to adapt and survive beneath the canopy. Notice how low the light is here? It has to filter down through the massive Redwoods. The root base on this little guy is so strong that it actually allows the tree to shift and move, leaning toward the light and around the shade of the giants towering over it in order to survive.”

  “Wow. I never even considered something like that. That’s pretty impressive.”

  “So is this tree,” I added, guiding over to another. “This is a Bigleaf Maple. It’s adapted to the lack of sunlight by growing bigger leaves to better catch and soak up the light.”

  “Those leaves are beautiful,” she commented, touching one. “Nature is so incredible.”

  “It is. I like studying how these specimens have evolved. They shouldn’t be able to survive here, yet they do, in spite of the odds.” I watched her long fingers stroking the leaf. “It makes me wonder if other things could adapt and survive so well in difficult places.”

  She didn’t know I was speaking about her, but I brusquely shoved the thought from my mind. Despite how much I liked the idea of showing her the Universe, there was no way I’d risk her life to help her become a Wanderer. The only way for her to begin that change would be to suffer something so life altering that she could learn to completely separate her mind from her body. Once she learned how to free her soul from its physical bindings, then she could begin to learn and understand how to travel through time and space.

  Contrary to popular belief, there were no little green men out there floating around in space ships. The mind was the most effective means of travel between worlds—if one knew how to do it. People of other races could, in fact, learn to be Wanderers; but unfortunately, most of them didn’t survive. The psyche was fragile; and even with guides, the chances of surviving the change were about a million to one. It was one of the major reasons that Wanderers were reluctant to even share this possibility as an option to others who discovered their race. Most Wanderers were born, products of an angelic union of sorts. These “angels” had exercised their own free will and left the Realm of Heaven to explore the Universe in search of their own experiences, purposes, and paths. Some Wanderers returned to the Realm from which they came, reclaiming their angelic status, but most were content to spend their time discovering all they could.

  I was one of those people, content with my powers over the mind, flight, time travel, speed, strength, and the ability to slip in and out of parallel Universes. I’d visited many places I enjoyed, but never considered permanently staying anywhere. Until now, that is. And it wasn’t the planet that was holding my attention, but the beautiful girl.

  She was saying something else. I knew it because her lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear her because my heart was pounding, roaring in my ears as the desire to kiss her overwhelmed me.

  Pushing her under the leafy tree, I pressed her against the trunk, allowing my mouth to descend on hers. Heat flooded her skin and my body reacted instantly, wanting to slip inside and meld with hers. Every time I touched her, she threatened to consume me. I’d never had to restrain myself in this way before. It was both excruciating and exciting, fueling the fire between us even more.

  Mouths tangling, I pressed harder into her, my hands running down her arms, spreading the few drops of dew dripping lightly from the branches above our heads across her skin.

  Breaking away, I stared at her. “You’re so beautiful. I’m never going to get any work done with you around. You know that, right?”

  “Fine by me,” she replied with a breathless smile.

  All the wonderful swirling sensation she created inside me came to an abrupt halt as a new sensation tingled along my spine. Instantly, my head shot up and I glanced around for the danger.

  “What is it?” Skylar asked, immediately sensing the change.

  “Shh,” I whispered, my eyes darting furtively around as I turned and stepped protectively in front of her. The murmur of voices filled the air and two men appeared through the trees.

  Wanderers. Both of them.

  Pausing, they eyed me before glancing behind me to where Skylar stood, peering around my shoulder.

  “Nice day to be out, isn’t it?” she called in a friendly tone, stepping forward.

  “It is,” one of the men agreed. “Are you enjoying the trails?”

  “We are,” she replied. “My . . . .” She glanced at me, faltering.

  “Boyfriend,” I supplied quickly, not even hesitating, and she positively glowed as she stared at me.

  “My boyfriend is a research analyst,” she continued on. “We’re here gathering samples of plant life, today.”

  Both of the men looked at me, smiling, knowing full well that Skylar had no idea who I was.

  “A research analyst? How interesting,” the other Wanderer commented. “How long have you been doing this?”

  “It seems like a millennium,” I replied, narrowing my eyes as I warned them both away. Something felt off about these two to me, and I didn’t like their proximity to Skylar. I didn’t want her touching them. I didn’t want them feeling her essence. “But I’ll spare you the boring details and let you get back on your way.”

  As a race, Wanderers didn’t usually interact much. Constantly moving, it didn’t really allow time to forge great lasting friendships with one another. For the most part, though, we were a trustworthy breed—but these two . . . I felt it before I even saw them. And now, the way they leered at Skylar, I coul
d practically read their thoughts. It made me wonder if they’d broken our laws—if they were some of the hunted.

  The uneasy stand-off between us lasted for a few more tense, long moments before one of them smiled easily.

  “Well, have fun studying things. Maybe we will run into the two of you again, later in your explorations.”

  “Enjoy your day,” Skylar said, reaching a hand out as if she meant to shake theirs. Immediately, I slipped my hand into hers and pulled it back down to my side.

  The Wanderers continued on past us and she turned to stare at me, a bewildered expression on her face.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, sounding worried.

  “Actually, I’m not. All of a sudden I’m feeling like breakfast didn’t agree with me. Would it ruin everything if I asked to bring you back here on a different day? I think I want to go home and lie down.”

  Disappointment flooded her features, but she lifted her chin and squeezed my hand. “You’re most important. We can totally come back some other time. I don’t want you to not enjoy yourself.”

  “Thank you,” I replied, and the two of us headed back toward her car. I knew I was lying to her and I hated that, but we couldn’t stay. At this moment I would’ve given anything to wrap her in my arms, extend my wings, and whoosh her out of here as fast as possible. I needed to get her away. This place wasn’t safe—at least not today.

  Chapter Eleven

  Skylar

  Cocking my head to the side, I tried not to let my thoughts intrude on my creativity; but no amount of squinting at my canvas could steer them away from Ryder. Even as my teacher walked amongst the students, casually offering advice and suggestions, there was no fighting the fact I was hopelessly distracted.

  It was the first week of school and the Brayson Art Academy was proving to be everything I’d hoped it would be. I loved the classes I’d signed up for, adoring my teachers even more. I could feel the artistic energy bubbling in the air the second I stepped foot inside the three-story building.