She returned his kiss, caressing his face with the pads of her thumbs until his fear faded. He reluctantly released her when she ended the kiss and rolled to the side. She sat on the edge of the blanket, gazing at him in silence before she cupped his hand and pulled him with her to a standing position.
“Let us swim and I will gather some food for our evening meal,” she suggested.
He nodded in agreement. “Angeni—?”
She lifted her hand and gently placed the tips of her fingers against his lips. The silence grew and he knew deep down that neither wanted the answer to his unspoken question. He pressed a kiss to her fingertips.
“Will you stay tonight?” he murmured.
“Yes.”
Chapter 7
The shadows of the day had faded into the night by the time they finished their bath in the pool, dressed, and collected food. He marveled at Angeni’s ability to talk to the earth and how it would respond. Seeds, long buried and forgotten, grew before his eyes. Plants that would take months to produce food did so in minutes.
They quietly talked as they harvested their evening meal. Angeni shared wondrous stories of her father, mother, and siblings. He listened, asking questions when she would blush and grow quiet. The stories his grandfather used to tell him poured through his mind.
His eyes swept over her long hair. He wanted to reach out and touch the long braid that fell over her right shoulder. A light breeze swept over them after they emerged from their bath as it had before. The difference this time was that the wind swirled around Angeni’s hair, braiding it and tucking tiny wildflowers amongst the thick strands. She must have sensed his fascination because she paused and fingered the ends of her hair.
“My sisters love to play with my hair,” she explained.
He reached out and touched it. “I can understand why,” he responded.
Her light laugh drew him closer to her. He cupped her cheek and brushed a kiss across her lips. Alone in the canyon, they felt like the only two people in the world. It suddenly occurred to Aditsan that he would be perfectly content to spend the rest of his life here—if that would mean being with her.
“I will ask my brother to start our fire if you would like to gather some wood,” she suggested.
He nodded and watched as she walked back to their campsite. It wasn’t until she glanced back over her shoulder and smiled again that he realized he was staring at her instead of collecting the firewood.
You have it bad, Aditsan, he thought.
Anyone in the outside world who knew him would have a hard time recognizing him now. It was more than his clothing—which would have shocked everyone, including his grandfather’s friends. It was the emotions boiling over inside him. The iron control and cold facade of organization and focus that had helped him through Harvard Law School was completely shattered. His cool, clinical approach to business had been replaced with a burning need to hold onto the woman who, according to the White Man’s world, shouldn’t exist.
He bent and picked up several pieces of sturdy Juniper branches. Once his arms were filled, he turned back to the campsite. The sounds of the night, the hoot of an owl, the howl of a lonesome coyote, mixed with Angeni’s soft, lilting hum.
He dropped the wood next to the fire ring before he knelt and arranged the pieces inside. He surveyed his handiwork before he rose to his feet and wiped his hands together. Angeni walked over to stand beside him. She whispered a soft request to the wind. In seconds, fire rose from the center of the firewood where he had tucked the small pieces of dried bark.
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
“For you? Always,” he teased.
She laughed and shook her head. “First your belly, then I will feed the rest of your desires,” she murmured, running her hand across the front of his breeches.
Aditsan grabbed her wrist and lifted her hand to his mouth. He pressed a hot kiss to the inside of her wrist. Her eyes darkened with desire when he ran his tongue along the sensitive spot.
“I may be insatiable,” he warned.
“I hope so,” she murmured before pressing a kiss to his lips.
“Tell me about your life,” she requested, handing him a woven plate filled with food.
He motioned for her to sit next to him on the blankets. She sank down onto the bed, twisting enough so that they were facing each other. He fingered the food on his plate and was silent, as if he were trying to think about how to answer her question.
“What would you like to know?” he finally asked.
She smoothed her dress over her knees and picked up her plate of food. The food was more for show than for her consumption. There was no need for her to eat. She had made the plate to make him feel more comfortable.
“What do you do in your world?” she asked.
He chuckled and relaxed. “I have a law degree from Harvard Law School with an undergraduate degree in Business. I own Claw Corporations with subsidiaries in London, Sydney, Canada, and the United States. My company buys and sells companies and real estate among other things,” he said.
She frowned. “I do not understand,” she confessed.
“One of my companies buys and sells land to developers who build houses, shopping centers, and business offices,” he explained.
“How can you sell land when earth belongs to everyone?” she asked with a confused expression.
“People own particular pieces of land and they can buy and sell it. For example, this canyon belonged to my grandfather because he purchased the land many, many years ago. It now belongs to me,” he said.
“But, the canyon has been here before the people came and it will be here long after the people are gone. The land was given to all the people so that it can be shared. What you are saying is that one person can own this canyon and not share it,” she argued.
“If he—or in this case—I didn’t want anyone else to come here, I have the right to prevent them from visiting,” he acknowledged.
She looked out over the river and along the canyon walls. People were very strange. She couldn’t understand the benefit of pretending that they didn’t share one land, one planet. She looked up at the night sky.
“Do your people try to own the sky and the stars?” she murmured.
Aditsan laughed. “Not yet, but give us time and we probably will,” he answered.
She looked back at him and shook her head. “I do not think my father and mother would be happy with the way people are behaving. They are already upset people do not take care of the gift given to them. I do not think trying to claim the sun and the stars would make it funnier,” she grudgingly informed him.
“I’m sure it wouldn’t,” he replied more soberly.
She sighed. There was so much she didn’t understand and wanted to learn. Picking up a piece of fruit, she slipped the juicy morsel into her mouth and chewed.
“Tell me about your grandfather,” she said.
He leaned back against the cliff and looked up at the stars. “My grandfather’s name was Niyol. He took me in after my mother abandoned me,” he began.
Chapter 8
Angeni packed up the remains of their meal while Aditsan completed his evening refreshment. She placed the basket with enough food for his breakfast to the side and turned to add a few more pieces of wood to the fire. She was surprised when a shiver ran through her.