Hotter Than Hell

After fastening the headdress on Bern, Ched turned to the crowd and proclaimed, “Behold the queen and king of summer. This mating will bring fertility to the land! Let the festival begin!”

“You know, I’m begi

“Don’t.” Bern grabbed her and kissed her.

He swung his naked lover up into his arms and covered her mouth with his. While his tongue probed inside that sweet, responsive warmth he carried her to the cloth-covered mound of grass and flowers that was to serve as both bed and altar for them to mate upon.

“Put me down!” she demanded.

“Don’t chicken out on me now,” he pleaded.

Ginger laughed wickedly. “Not a chance.” She remembered his directions to just look at him, but the crowd was the last thing on her mind at the moment. She wanted to taste him, and that was what she did.

The crowd cheered. A wave of raw sexual energy washed over her. The lust cha

Bern pushed her gently onto her back on the soft, fragrant altar. He knelt over her, poised at the moist opening of her vagina. He waited while her hips rose pleadingly.

“Now!” she demanded.

But he didn’t move until her gaze finally met his. “The night is just begi

Then he entered her, and his worship of the goddess began in earnest.

“Ahem.”

The embarrassed throat-clearing, followed by a second voice demanding, “Cover your shame, woman!” was the last thing Ginger expected to hear after the night she’d enjoyed.

Besides, she wasn’t sure how shame was supposed to be covered, especially when what she felt was marvelous. All right, she was sore and tender in places, and rather hung over, though not in the having-drunk-too-much-alcohol way. Who knew too much great sex could make you groggy?

Could you have too much great sex?

If it could be done, she’d done it tonight.

“Colonel, sir,” the embarrassed voice whispered. “Excuse me for waking you up, but—”

“Rouse yourself, man!” the other voice boomed.

Ginger giggled. “Please don’t,” she murmured. “Not on my account. Not just yet, anyway.”

“Wha? What?” Bern muttered.

She felt his breath brush her cheek when he spoke, and realized that he was the warm weight lying half on top of her. The cool morning breeze skimmed across the rest of her, teasing one bare nipple to a hard peak. Maybe that was the shame the guy was talking about. Was that any way to talk to the goddess’s own—

That voice…There was something familiar about it…

“Is that you, Dr. White?”

Ginger’s eyes flew open and she caught sight of a familiar, concerned face.

“Sergeant Kaye?” Oh, good Lord, she was naked in front of a colleague! She didn’t recognize the man standing next to him, but the stranger was frowning down at her with utter disgust written all over his face.

“His name’s Percy Perkins, and he’s a jerk,” Bern whispered. He sat up and said, “I hope you brought us some clothes, Kaye.”

The sergeant held out the dress Ginger had worn last night, and a long tunic for Bern.

“Of course you realize that I intend to report this infraction,” Percy said.

“Infraction of what?” Bern asked. “There’s no rule against team members fraternizing.”

“You led an orgy! Your disgusting behavior roused the indigenous population to—”

“He didn’t get any, sir,” Kaye put in.

Bern scratched his jaw. “I can see how that might make him cranky.”

“Not to mention being named Percy,” Ginger added. “That alone probably put the guy into years of therapy. Could you sue your parents for giving you a name like that?” she asked Bern.

He shrugged. “Ask Percy.”

“Well?” she said.

Percy declined to respond. But his posture, though it seemed impossible, became even more tense.

“I could use a shave,” Bern said. “And a bath.” He sprang to his feet and helped Ginger up. “How about you, sweetheart?”

“Definitely.”

“Have the team meet us at the bath, Kaye. But give us a few minutes, will you?”

They could hear Percy spluttering as they walked away.

She slipped the white dress over her head, and they walked arm in arm across the field toward the villa, frequently stepping over and around still-sleeping revelers.

The spring ceremony had apparently been a great success.

Kaye went off to his assignment, and Percy followed behind them, making the occasional disapproving sound. The morning sun shone down, the sky was blue, the earth was green, birds sang, and Ginger was happier than she’d ever been before. They had the blessing of the goddess, she supposed.

They passed the old bishop preaching to a small group of revelers who looked thoroughly hangdog and hung over. Myrdyn gave them a pleasant nod when he saw them pass him by.

“We must be good for business,” Bern said.

“If he baptizes all those people, the energy in the pool is going to be whacked out for days,” Ginger said.

“That is hardly a scientific explanation of a temporal malfunction, Dr. White,” Percy complained.

They both ignored him.

Once they reached the bathhouse, Ginger led them into the preparation room where oils scented the bathers’ bodies before they got into the hot water of the bathing pool. Benches lined the walls, and the floor was tiled in a beautiful leaf-patterned mosaic.

“This is where I meant to bring you yesterday,” she told Bern.

He pulled her close. They looked into each other’s eyes. “It was worth the detour.”

“You two are being disgusting,” Percy said.

Bern sighed. “You know, this time I think I agree with him.” He let her go. “We do need to make plans.”

“We have work to do,” she said.

“Do I detect some professionalism at last?” Percy whined.

“Shut up, Percy,” Ginger and Bern said together.

“And that’s an order,” Bern added.

Ginger took a seat on a bench against the back wall. Within a few minutes Kaye and the rest of the team joined them. Bern allowed his people a few minutes of teasing him before the introductions.

“This is Gareth and Lamorak.”

Ginger smiled. “Of course they are.”

He didn’t understand what amused her, and didn’t ask. “Let’s get down to business.”

“Now that we have recovered Dr. White, it’s time to continue surveying the nexus points,” Percy said immediately.

“Percy’s a douser,” Bern explained to Ginger. “He’s working on a new nexus map. But he hasn’t yet found a spot with enough energy to get us home.”

“It’s hardly my fault that this island is swamped with more energy points than anywhere else on the planet, especially in this area. It was a mistake to send a team this far back, and especially to this geographic location.”

“Yeah, I think we’re all aware of that,” Gareth said. “We noticed the problems. And that’s before you started telling us every five minutes.”

“We have one more man to find,” Lamorak said. “That’ll round out our mission.”

“Finding the exit point is far more important for our own survival,” Percy said. “We should cut our losses and concentrate on finding a functioning nexus. Perhaps Dr. White could conjure up a vision of where we should go,” he added. But not as though he meant it.

“What’d I ever do to you?” was Ginger’s response to this rudeness. “See if I tell you if I find it!”

Bern liked that she refused to be intimidated by the jerk. “No one gets left behind,” he reminded Percy. “We’re still looking for Owens.”

“But his transpond—” Percy started.

“What does your gut tell you, sir?” Kaye jumped in. “You found me—”

“Your transponder was working—” Percy cut him off.