It was too much. Far too much. Seeing him every day. Being so close to him. Knowing the pleasure he could give her and not being able to do anything about it. Well, there was one thing she could do. Only one.

It was late, she’d eaten supper and watched a mindless program on TV. She’d tried hard not to think of him but had failed. Especially when she’d showered, the droplets running down her skin. The hot burst of water on her nipples. The soft scrape of the towel between her legs when she’d dried herself off.

She looked through her closet and pulled that particular shirt on. The shirt. The one she’d worn every night for the last week. She turned up the volume on the stereo so that no one would hear her. Then she went and lay down on her bed, on top of the covers and reached into her drawer, pulling out the purple warrior. Meghan wasn’t even sure why she’d brought the thing with her on this trip. It was all Tide’s fault. She’d lived quite happily without sex for a whole year. She’d barely even touched herself during that time. Even before that, it wasn’t that she didn’t like sex, she just didn’t particularly need it either. It was like, if she was seeing someone and having sex, then great, and if not, well, that was fine too. Only, since spending the night with him, things had changed. They’d changed for the worse. It was like her libido had been reawakened and with a vengeance. All she could think about was sex lately. Not just that, all she could think about was sex with Tide.

She could still remember the noises he had made. Little grunts and pants. Moans and growls. Just thinking about it was making her feel achy with need. Then she remembered his eyes. How blue they had been, how intense, how focused on her. Of course that led to thoughts of how he had touched her, with his hands, his mouth, his …

She moaned, opening her thighs as wide as they would go. Oh well, a girl had to do what a girl had to do. Feeling this way was perfectly normal. She was a healthy woman, at the peak of her fertility, with hormones running rampant. Sex was completely normal and in times of drought, masturbation was normal too.

She’d start on the first setting. Meghan flicked the switch and her purple warrior began vibrating in her hand. She positioned the device so that the smaller head was directed at her clit.

Double stimulation. Was there any other way? The sex toy slid in easily, she was that wet, that ready. A moan escaped as it breached her … there. The word ‘pussy’ echoed around her mind. Only, it was Tide saying it in his deep, rough rasp.

She didn't allow the smaller head to touch her clit just yet, didn't want this over too soon. Even that was different. Before, any form of masturbation would result in racing for release as quickly as possible. Not anymore. Meghan enjoyed drawing out her pleasure, just as Tide had done.

In, out, in, out. Buzzzzz … The vibrations moved through her, making her moan. Slow and easy. She pictured Tide covering her body, his weight pressing against her, his mouth on her neck, sucking, licking and nipping. Kissing her, his beautiful blue eyes open and on her. A hunger reflected in their depths.

Why him?

Why?

It was just sex. Not even real sex. Pretend sex. She could picture whomever she wanted and she wanted to picture him. Only him. She envisioned Tide naked. Broad shoulders, pecs, abs and well-muscled thighs. His cock … yes, his thick, long … She moaned, louder this time. She was working the dildo faster, harder, deeper. The second head bumping her clit every so often.

So good.

She pictured him doing that circling thrust, only, her hands were digging into his meaty ass. His cock was deep inside her, so deep. “Yes,” she moaned. “Oh, yes!”

Shit! She needed to slow down. At this rate she was going to come soon. Meghan eased off. In … pause … out … pause … in, easy … Another moan escaped and her hips jerked forward.

“Oh.” Her legs shook. Her whole body shook with the need to come. “Oh, oh, oh,” she moaned with every penetration. Every slip and slide of the rubber. By now, he’d be holding her down, pinning her with his big body. His thrusts would be relentless. His grunts loud. She’d hear the slap of his body against hers. She so wished it was real. That it was actually happening. His face would be taut with his pending release, his brow creased. Almost like he was angry.

She could hear the greedy slurping noises her body was making, sucking onto the dildo with all its might. There was another bump of the second arm of the dildo against her clit. She moaned louder, his name on the tip of her tongue. It was the one thing she hated in all of this. How she couldn’t come without saying it.

Tide.

Tide.

Tide.

Not today. No. She’d hold it in. Another bump and she cried out. “T-T … aaahhh …” No!

If this were real, he might stop at this point, flip her over onto all fours. Cage her body with his own. His big cock grinding back into her. Hitting that spot each and every time. “Oh my … oh … oh my good, g … oh …” His breath hot in her ear. His grunts so loud at this point. His touch hard, almost bruising. He’d whisper her name, almost in awe as he strummed her clit. The second part of that vibrator was on her bundle of nerves now. Brushing against it with every hard thrust. The vibrations at her core, flinging her over the edge. “Tide!” She shouted, as her orgasm moved through her. Ripping her from the inside out. She continued to thrust, her whole arm tired from the exertion, she ignored it. Her heels dug into the comforter, her free hand clutched at her cotton-clad breast, squeezing as she came down.

Good.

So good.

Not satisfying unfortunately. She pulled the dildo out, feeling almost as turned on as when she started. “What’s wrong with me?” she muttered, still panting hard. “What did that asshole do to me?” She squeezed her thighs shut, trying to ignore the ache. Unfortunately, if she made herself come a second time ‒ something she now knew was more than possible ‒ it would only make it worse. It would make her needier and achier than before. It was moments like this that she went back to hating him, even more than before.

* * *

“Good evening.” Tide rounded the corner.

Bay jumped. As in, his feet left the ground. He reacted like he had done something wrong. Like Tide had caught him red-handed. Even his eyes were wide. Too wide. Tide could also scent nervousness ‒ it was sour and hit him in the snout as he took a step towards the male. "What's going on?" He felt alarm. Adrenaline raced through him. "Is the female okay?"

“You need to trust me, she’s fine. More than fine. But you have to leave.” Bay put a hand out towards him and took a few steps in his direction, like he was trying to usher him away. “Go right now,” he added, with a growl.

“Why? What’s got you rattled?”

A moaning noise punctured through the wall. It was drowned out some by loud music but he knew what he had heard. Tide’s head snapped in that direction. “Is Meg … Doctor Roberts, okay? What the fuck is going on?” Then he heard something else. “What’s that funny noise?” He walked towards her front door, but Bay stepped in front of him blocking him from going any further.

They stood chest to chest. “Leave. Just go … please.” Bay’s eyes were narrowed, his jaw tense.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“As Doctor Robert’s guard, I will and I must. Go.”

“Yes.” It was Meghan, her voice clear as a bell despite the music. “Oh, yes!” It was laced with … Fuck. It was laced with pleasure. No doubt about it.

“What the fuck!” he snarled.

Bay put a hand to his chest and shoved, hard. Tide was forced to take a step back. “It’s not what you think,” Bay said, urgency in his voice. “She is alone.”

“Alone?” he growled, his hands still fisted, adrenaline still coursed, every muscle was still bunched and ready. “Oh …” He frowned. “Alone. You mean …”

She moaned again, the sound thick, pulled out from somewhere deep in her throat. He’d heard her sound like that before. When he’d fucked her. When he’d been so deep inside her … That buzzing. Wait a minute. Wait just a goddamn minute. The heavy moan was followed by a softer. “Oh!” The sound and knowledge of what she was doing tugged on his balls. Every drop of blood in his body went south and all at once.

“Go!” Bay advanced on him. “You can’t be here.”

“I’m not leaving.” What was he saying? He couldn’t stay. He definitely couldn’t go to her which was what everything in him told him to do.

“Oh, oh, oh …” Followed by another long drawn out moan that had his balls pulling tight. He’d never heard anything more erotic. Anything more beautiful. More … Tide bit down on his lower lip. He needed … wanted …he … Bay slapped him.

His head was whipped to the side, his cheek stung as he staggered back a step or two. “Go! Turn around and walk away.”

Tide shook his head. He didn’t want to. Wouldn’t!

“Yes!” Bay growled under his breath. “You have to. You can’t touch her, Tide. Use your brain for a second. I won’t let you fuck this up, you will regret it, do you hear me?”

His dick throbbed. Shit! Bay was right. Tide turned and ran. He fucking ran as fast as his pathetic legs would carry him. At least one good thing had come of this, he could trust Bay to do the right thing. He needed to stay far away from Meghan after hours. No more visits during the night. What was this fixation he had with her? It was getting in the way of things. He had almost fucked up and badly.

A realization hit ‒ he needed to excuse himself from this detail completely. He would do so first thing in the morning.

* * *

“I don’t understand.” Torrent stood up, staying behind his desk. “Why? What happened to make you change your mind? You wanted this detail. You insisted that Shale take the mining assignment.”

Tide was also still standing. He’d burst into his brother’s office and had announced his decision to be taken off the detail. “Nothing changed. I just … I think it would be best if someone else took over. That’s all. It would be my recommendation that Bay take head guard position.”

“Shale is already—”

“Not Shale! Anyone but fucking Shale.”

Torrent frowned. “What has gotten into you, Tide?”

“I was wrong when I said I’d had her and that I was over her,” he blurted. “The female winds me up in knots.”

“Are you saying you have feelings for her?” Torrent growled, pushing his chair back so quickly it fell backwards, clanging as it landed. Torrent ignored the ruckus, he kept his eyes on Tide.

“No! Fuck no!” he sighed. “I’m in serious lust with her. We were highly compatible. I guess I can’t stop thinking about fucking her again.”

“You’re going to walk away from this assignment because you can’t control your urges? You’re a grown male, for fuck sakes. You’re a prince.”

“Exactly, that’s why I’m here. If I stay on that detail, I’m going to fuck up. Look, I feel like a failure standing here admitting weakness but it’s that or sticking my hand in the cookie jar.”

Torrent choked out a laugh. “It’s not your hand we’re worried about though, is it? Why not go on the stag run this weekend? Get it out of your system.”

Tide shook his head. “It’s not my turn.”

“You’re the prince, I think you’re permitted an extra stag run once in a while. No one will—”

“Nope, I don’t think it would help. I want her … Meghan … Doctor Roberts.”

“Shit!” His brother frowned. “Are you sure you don’t have feelings for her?”

“Yes, very sure.”

“Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“Doctor Roberts is working on the final,” he made a face, “DNA sequencing report for the meeting with the royals next Wednesday.”

“And?” Tide had no idea where his brother was going with this.

"Fuck her. I'll give you this one pass. Get it out of your system but no one is to know. Not a single soul. Maybe Bay and Ice and that would be it. For the next few days, she will need to be kept from the public eye …"

Tide felt his jaw drop. “What are you saying? Have you lost your mind?” He failed to keep the growl from his voice.

“No! You need to get her out of your system. You’re fixated on this female and I don’t like it. Doctor Roberts is important to our people. She’s important to my family.”

“Exactly, that’s why I’m staying far away from her.” Tide chuckled. “No wonder you nearly lost Candy early on in your relationship. How does your mind work? The last thing I want is to use Meghan or to hurt her. Not that I want any kind of a relationship with her either. We’re not even friends, but I guess I respect her as a person. I will end up hurting her if I sleep with her again. I don’t want her developing feelings for me. Right now, she hates me and I want to keep it that way.” She did hate him, but she definitely wanted him at the same time. It was a recipe for disaster. He was staying far away from Doctor Roberts.

“Oh my god!” Torrent scrubbed a hand over his face. “You do have feelings for her.”

“What are you talking about? I just told you it’s strictly sexual.”

“You don’t want to hurt her.”

“What’s wrong with that? Meghan is a good person. She’s sweet and …”

Torrent was pacing. “Oh my fuck, you care!”

“I care about our people. I care about our future heirs. We can’t have our geneticist heartbroken because I fucked her and ran.” He used her words, which made him smile.

“Okay,” Torrent sighed. “I guess that makes sense. Fine. I’ll make Bay head guard. You might need to hang tight the next few days while we find your replacement. Also, Shale’s doing a decent job at the mine. I doubt Blaze will want to pull him for no reason. Are you sure you want this?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “I don’t think I have much choice.”

“Okay then, I’ll get the ball rolling.”

Tide nodded, already regretting turning down a night with Meghan. It was for the best. The thought of hurting her ‒ even potentially hurting her ‒ didn’t sit right with him at all.