Sexy In A Bottle: A More Than Men Novella (5 page)

Maybe a
genie
could.

The thought was as unwelcome in her mind as the dreams she’d had about him last night.
All night she’d been teased and taunted by his large, strong hands and full lips. The searing heat of his bare skin had pressed into the full length of her body and coaxed a pleasure from her she never could’ve imagined possible. It was a nice dream. A great dream. But Raj was not a genie. He was a confused and potentially brain-damaged man. Handsome, yes. Polite, definitely. But not quite right in the head and, therefore, not the best candidate for her last lover.

Everything else had an explanation. And she would tell herself that until she could get this guy off her island.

"Are you displeased?"

Valerie turned to find Raj watching her with concern furrowing his dark brow. His deep blue eyes were penetrating when he looked at her, as though he could almost see into her soul and know her
every thought and desire. He seemed to understand exactly what she needed and was happy to give it to her. Did that mean he knew about her dream last night? Would he be happy to indulge in that as well?

A rough breath shuddered out of her chest at the thought.
"No, Raj. Thank you. You didn’t have to do all this."

"
I wanted to see you smile again, Mistress."

Back to the
"mistress" thing. She didn’t need more glaring clues that would point to this guy being anything other than delusional. "Valerie, please."

"
I had forgotten," he said with a formal nod of his head. "I have told you the truth of this situation, although you do not believe me. I am a djinn, a powerful being born of fire. I was summoned here to serve you by granting your wishes. As you have not made any wishes, I have done what I can to please you on my own."

The wind picked up outside, slamming some of the shutters against the window
s. He was talking crazy again and she didn’t have time to deal with this right now. She needed to secure the doors and windows, collect her supplies and firewood, and make sure everything was ready for the storm. Then, maybe, they could discuss how he was going all these things. If they power went out, they’d have nothing to do but talk.

"
I’m going to take a shower and get dressed. If you’re serious about wanting to please me, you can help me prepare the cabin for the storm when I’m done."

Raj
set down the last of her laundry and moved past her to allow her privacy to get ready. His bicep brushed her bare arm as he went, the casual graze like flames licking at her skin. The heat rushed through her veins, chasing away the chill of the room even after he was gone.

The touch brought back flashing images of her dreams and thoughts of what it would really be like to make love to a man like Raj. She had plenty of experience, although none with a man anywhere near his size or intensity. Her low
er belly clenched, and her nipples pebbled against the thin fabric of her tank top. Her body instinctually identified him as a superior lover, although it had nothing to really base the assumption on. It just knew what it wanted, and it was certain Raj could give it to her.

Raj paused. He seemed to feel something, too. His gaze traveled up the bare length of her arm, over her shoulder and along her neck. She could almost feel
it, as though his hands were sliding over her skin instead. Her lips parted softly as he studied her mouth with the expression of a man dying of thirst. "Is there anything else," he asked, "that I could do to…
please
you?"

Her brain screamed yes, even as she stood silent. Raj moved closer, encouraged by words she hadn’t spoken. His hand rested on the exposed skin of her hip
, between the hem of her top and the low-riding pajama pants. She knew she should pull away, but she just couldn’t. When he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, the last of her resistance slipped away. She melted into him. Her body molded against the rock-hard muscles of his chest. His arms enveloped her, wrapping her in liquid heat.

It was an incredibly indulgent sensation
, one compounded by the familiar and urgent masculine press against her belly. The image of Raj naked on the beach flashed into her brain, but this time it provided a dose of reality, not desire. She hadn’t been with a man since her diagnosis. It didn’t seem fair to give herself to him, knowing she could die at any moment. Raj shouldn’t be any different, even if he could be long gone before her heart gave out.

She pulled away, pressing firmly against his chest until their lips parted. Valerie hated the cold, lonely feeling that swept over her when the gap widened between them. For the last two years she’d been alone
, and she was okay with that. It was the whole point of being out here. But when she looked at Raj, when he touched her, she wondered if she had made a mistake on this point at least. Did she want to die never knowing a man’s touch again? Did she want that boring orthodontist to be the last man that ever made love to her?

It made Valerie frown to think so. She turned away, scooped up a change of clothes and took it with her into the bathroom. Perhaps she would keep the shower water on the cool side today.

While his mistress bathed, Raj decided to take a few shortcuts to prepare the cottage. Without venturing out into the rain that had started to fall in the early morning hours, he ensured everything outside was brought in, all the window shutters were closed and secured and the doors were bolted.

He cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast and was waiting patiently on the sofa when she emerged.

She came out carrying a box. Valerie set it on the coffee table where Raj could see it was filled with emergency supplies like flashlights, batteries, candles, matches and a radio. She was preoccupied with sorting through that when she looked up and noticed the room was dark. She glanced around, then up at the shuttered windows. "Did you close all the windows up already?"

"
Yes."

"
You didn’t have to do that by yourself. I just asked you to help me."

"
Is it not helpful to have the chore already completed?"

She looked at Raj, a battle of wills visibly raging in
her mind. She wanted to accept his help, but the terms of it still concerned her. "Well, yes, but there was no reason for you to go out there and get wet all by yourself."

"
I am not wet. I did not go outside. I have told you—"

"
You’re an all-powerful genie," Valerie interrupted. The words seemed to taste bad in her mouth the way she spit them out. "I know. I just…well, thank you. Let’s leave it at that."

A crack of lightning shot through the air close by, quickly followed by a loud roar of thunder. Valerie cried out in surprise, clutching her chest and closing her eyes. The air was electrified by the proximity
of the strike, the hairs on his arms standing up. "The worst of the storm is almost here," he said, "but do not be frightened."

She closed her eyes and nodded, taking a deep breath.
"It just startled me. I’m fine." Raj didn’t believe a word she said, but he wouldn’t push the issue. After a moment, she opened her eyes and returned to sorting through her box. "These are here in case we lose power. It tends to happen when the weather is bad, so I like to be prepared."

As if by fateful cue, the rain
began falling harder on the roof. It was coming down in buckets, the wind starting to howl through tiny cracks in the doors and windows. The shutters rattled against the sills. This was a fierce storm, indeed.

Valerie shivered and tugged on the sweater she’d carried out with her.
"Well, this may be a very long, boring day. I hope you’re not looking for much excitement. We could watch a movie unless the power goes out. If it does, I started a puzzle a few days ago. We could work on that."

Why his mistress felt the need to entertain him, he did not know.
"I am happy to be in your company, Mistress." And he meant it. It was very pleasant to be around Valerie once he found useful ways to pass his time here. He liked doing things for her. When she smiled, the gold in her eyes seemed to flicker as brightly as the light flashing off his golden cuffs. They had glimmered with desire after he kissed her. He could only imagine how beautiful they would be if she allowed him to pleasure her. There was nothing quite as exquisite as watching a woman come undone. And for a woman as beautiful as Valerie, the pleasure was doubly his. His body tensed at the mere thought of her passionate cries echoing through the small cottage.

"
I’m not that interesting, I assure you."

"
In that, Mistress, you are very wrong. If given leave to, I could spend hours simply listening to your melodic voice or exploring the soft contours of your body." Valerie gasped softly, but she didn’t shy away or divert her gaze from his. "I have a great deal of interest in many things about you, do not doubt it."

The spark was there. He could see the glint of attraction in her eyes as she looked at him. She wanted him, but she was afraid to have him. Something had made her push him away before. He would have to coax the tiny
flame into a raging fire before she would give in to her desires.

"
Raj, I—" She started to speak but was interrupted by another loud crack of lighting. In an instant the house went dark and the buzz of electronic devices quieted. The only light came from the fire.

He wanted to know what she
’d been about to say, but the weather’s poorly timed interruption saw to it that she would never finish her thought. She immediately turned away, seeking out the flashlight on the table.

"
Just perfect. I need to call the power company and report the outage," she said. "It will be awhile before they can fix it, though. We’ll probably have to fire up the generator to get things going again."

R
aj wished that he could snap his fingers and handle the situation, but restoring the power was a big task. One that would require a wish. He could fix it, but she would have to ask him to.

She returned from the kitchen and looked down at her cell phone with irritation
, wrinkling her nose. "Well, it’s worse than I thought. Power is out on the mainland, too. We will definitely be at the bottom of the priority list for this."

"
I can fix it," Raj offered. She seemed to get uncomfortable every time he broached the subject, but he wanted her to know what he was capable of. "I can restore power to the island. To the whole area if that’s what you want. I can even repair the power lines so they don’t go out as easily. But you would have to wish for it."

Valerie’s grip on her flashlight tightened, and with it, so did her mouth. The full, pink lips flattened into a hard line of concern. She was holding back what she wanted to say, but Raj already knew before she spoke.
She didn’t believe him. "There’s no need for that. I just have to go out and start the generator." She turned away from him, retrieving her hooded jacket from the hook on the wall.

"
I shall go with you."

"
You don’t have a coat, Raj. Before, it was sprinkling, but now the weather is too bad."

Raj certainly wasn’t going to let that stop him.
He envisioned a coat similar to hers but in blue, and with a snap, he was wearing it.

"
I’ll be right back," she said, leaning down to get a flashlight but stopping when Raj snatched it off the table.

"
I said I shall go with you. I am properly attired now."

Valerie’s gaze ran over him from head to foot. Then she reached out and touched the jacket as though it was some magic illusion that wasn’t real. Her fingers glided over the slick, waterproof fabric.
The touch of her hand moving over the hard muscles of his bicep made him painfully aware of her physical presence and the conversation they hadn’t finished. But now was not the time.

“How did...?”
A loud crack of thunder shook the cottage and she pulled her hand away. "Never mind. Right now, I want to get the power back on, but we need to talk about..." She bent down to grab another flashlight and gestured at his coat with it, "...this...when we get back. Let’s go."

Raj followed her out of the house and across the island to a small outbuilding. He was amazed that Valerie’s small frame was able to withstand the weather. The wind and rain were punishing them. The waves were crashing hard against the rocks and
, in some places, starting to wash up far higher than the usual waterline. She could be swept away by the storm, and yet she charged across the island as though it was a gentle May shower.

She unlocked the door
, and they both stepped inside. Valerie turned on a large lantern that illuminated the whole room, including the rusty old generator in front of them.

Valerie
slipped out of her coat and laid it across a wooden crate. Approaching the monstrous machine, she pushed up her sleeves and eyed it with dread. She reached out and flipped a metal switch on the control panel, but nothing happened. She didn’t seem concerned, waiting patiently for a few minutes. "It’s too cold to start. I’ve got to preheat the engine first, then prime the fuel lines." After about five minutes she compressed a bulb on the side. Then, finally, she turned the key and punched a large red button.