Shelley Munro

“This is Ynroh Temple?” Carly gazed at the erotic friezes on the temple walls, very aware of Ekim at her side. “Um…it’s…um…different.” She had the absurd desire to fan the heat from her face.

Ekim’s mother went on a pilgrimage to an erotic temple? Carly couldn’t help a surreptitious glance at Ekim’s mother. The woman looked like Carly expected a wife and mother to look—loving, ordinary—apart from the colorful dress she could pass for an Earth woman. She was like Carly’s mother or one of her aunts. Carly took in the woman’s beatific smile as she scanned the panels of the temple. The temple…the erotic positions made her wonder about the woman’s sex life. Did she? Carly’s glance shot to the nearest temple wall again. The figures depicted were acrobats. They had to be with their limbs entwined and bent in that manner. Carly’s legs and joints ached at the idea of emulating the figures. She was all for experimentation but this…

“Would you like me to show you around?” Ekim murmured next to her ear.

Carly nodded, wondering at the same time what one did on a pilgrimage. She gazed at the nearest frieze again and felt renewed heat crawl over her cheeks. They didn’t have orgies, did they? While she wanted sex and would jump Ekim’s bones in a heartbeat—if he gave the nod—she liked her sex on the private side. A kiss in public, like this afternoon, was about as adventurous as she liked. Give her cool sheets, one man and privacy and that was another story. Maybe, she’d stretch to two men if the circumstances were right. Carly glanced at the entwined couple carved in stone in quiet speculation. Maybe she was missing out by not having sex in public?

“What does one do on a pilgrimage to this temple?” Carly asked finally when curiosity became too much for her. She tugged at the scarf around her face, loosening it so she could feel the soft breeze on her cheeks.

Ekim’s grin was wide and toothy, visible even though his hat screened most of his face and covered his dark hair. “What ever you like,” he murmured, leaning close enough that his spicy scent surrounded her.

Carly suppressed a groan when his warm breath drifted across her ear. Who’d have guessed that an ear was an erogenous zone? She shuffled from foot to foot, the proximity of Ekim and the atmosphere of the temple making her all too aware of how much she craved the release of good, hot, sweaty sex.

Ekim grasped her arm and drew her gently away from Rala and his mother, deeper into the temple. Inside, it was much darker, more intimate. Torches tucked in wall sconces lit the way, but there were plenty of dark alcoves for amorous couples. Judging by the giggles and deep breathing when they walked inside, many of the private spots were in use.

“Some people come to learn while others come to socialize,” Ekim said.

Carly digested his words and tried to apply them to his mother and sister. It was probably better to concentrate on this than the urgent need building inside her. She pictured mother and daughter… Uh-huh. Imagining naked women wasn’t her style at all! Ekim, now he was a different story. As she walked at his side, she was aware of his masculinity and the dampness between her legs.

“Does your father visit?” she asked, frowning at the breathy tone. She had to get a grip. Jeesh! Bad word choice. She did not need to get a grip no matter what her body craved. Her gaze darted to Ekim’s groin and away again before he noticed. No gripping with body parts. Not here with his mother and sister behind them.

“Sometimes.” Ekim chuckled. “He encourages my mother to visit. I think he enjoys the benefits on her return, but I try not to think of it, you understand. I’d rather think about you. And me.”