The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea - Kerrelyn Sparks Page 0,34
face and not on the curves of her breasts. “But you’re not a soldier, either. So go home and be safe. Please. That’s all I have to say. Good-bye.” He turned and walked away.
“I’ll be safe if you come with me.”
He glanced back at her. “What?”
“The seals have confirmed my suspicions. There is an island southwest of here. The Isle of Secrets. A perfect place to hide the Embraced army, don’t you think?” She motioned to the blanket stretched out on the beach. “So we should eat the food I brought, then start our journey. We’ll swim as seals, and you can even shift into an eagle to spot—”
“No!” He stepped toward her. “I won’t let you get involved in something so dangerous.”
She scoffed. “You won’t let me? I don’t recall that you have any authority over—”
“Dammit, Maeve.” He moved closer. “You will not go looking for an army. They’ll outnumber you. They’ll have powers. They’ll want to hurt you.” He slapped a hand on the water’s surface. “It is not happening!”
Her eyes narrowed. “And I’m supposed to believe you don’t care for me?”
He hissed in a breath. “Look. I have my own plan for finding the army and dealing with the last of the Circle of Five, and—”
“What is your plan?”
“None of your damned business!” He glared at her. “I can’t carry out my plan if you’re interfering and making me worry about you. So go home!”
“Why don’t you go home? Then I can go about my plan without having to worry about you!”
He scoffed. Had she always been this stubborn? Once again, he wondered how well he actually knew her.
She took a deep breath. “I can see you’re going to be stubborn about this.”
“I’m stubborn?”
“Yes.” When he continued to give her an incredulous look, she shrugged. “All right, we’re both stubborn. So you should go ahead and pursue your plan, and I’ll pursue mine. I can ask the seals to go with me. Good luck to you.” She sank underwater and shifted into a seal.
“Maeve!” She swam by him, but he leaped on top of her, grabbing hold of her to stop her from leaving.
She wiggled, trying to break loose, but he held on tight, lifting her head above water so she would be able to breathe.
“Listen to me,” he begged her. “Don’t do this!”
She shifted back into human form, her hair dangling in wet locks down her face. “Let me go!” She shoved at his chest.
He pulled her closer, then froze when her naked body collided with his own. Holy goddesses.
She gasped, and the quick intake of air pressed her breasts against his chest. “Brody?” Between strands of hair, she peered up at him.
“Yes.” He gently swept her hair back so she could see.
“Let me go,” she whispered.
“I did.”
“Oh.” She glanced at his chest, where her hands were still resting. With another gasp, she lifted her hands and stepped back, putting a few inches between them.
When her gaze met his, the last remnant of his resistance wavered. Don’t touch her. Don’t—To hell with it! He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.
She made a small sound, halfway between a sigh and a groan, but it roared through him, destroying the last of his resolve. He pulled her into his arms and claimed her mouth. Maeve. My beautiful Maeve.
And she was kissing him back! She wrapped her arms around his neck as her body melted against his.
Maeve. His kiss became more desperate. More ravaging. He’d wanted her for over four years. He’d admired her—hell, he had worshipped her from afar as she’d grown into a beautiful woman. And here she was, opening her mouth to him, letting him inside. Letting his hands roam down her back, over the contours of her narrow waist and the flare of her hips.
Heat rushed to his groin, making him grow hard against her flat belly. Damn! He grabbed her hips and pushed her away as he stiffened with an erection.
“What . . . ?” She gave him a dazed look, her lips pink and swollen from his kiss.
He groaned inwardly. How could he explain his predicament to sweet, innocent Maeve? She really would think he was an animal. “I-I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t.” She stepped back, raising her palms in a stopping motion. “That was my first real kiss. Don’t ruin it for me.”
He winced. But he had ruined it. He shouldn’t have kissed her, not when he couldn’t have a future with her. “Maeve—”