The Mystic Cove Series Boxed Set (Wild Irish Books 1-4)

by Tricia O'Malley

  "My sincerest apologies if I "took advantage" of you last night. Though I don't think that was the case, I would like to offer you a gift that will keep you company and watch out for you, as you clearly need watching over."

  Keelin flushed. She felt ashamed. She shouldn't have said that Flynn had taken advantage of her. Once he had kissed her she had all but crawled all over him. It hadn't been fair of her to accuse him of that and it was clear his honor was offended.

  She looked down at the dog. It wriggled towards her on its belly in the grass. Keelin couldn't help but smile. It was a really cute puppy.

  "But, a dog?" Keelin said. She knew the responsibility that a dog carried. Flynn was forcing her to make a choice. If she kept the dog she would need to stay here. If she didn't, she was free to go home. Damn that man for forcing her hand. How could someone she had just met annoy her and intrigue her as much as Flynn did?

  Keelin watched the dog, charmed despite herself. She was a little pissed at Flynn for forcing this choice on her, especially the morning after the emotional events of yesterday. Thoughts of her life in Boston wound through her head – an empty apartment, her friends, school, the aquarium, and her mother. Her mother would want her to come home, finish her master's degree, and settle down with a nice boy who was either a doctor or a lawyer. Keelin sat in the grass to pet the puppy. He yipped excitedly and rolled on his back, begging for stomach scratches. She smiled at his enthusiasm and allowed the sun to warm her back. It was peaceful here, the quiet crash of the waves a constant song in the background.

  "Oh, you're a real pushover, aren't you?" She laughed down at the pup. Keelin thought about how empty she had felt in Boston. Maybe not empty, but just unfinished. A part of her had always felt set apart, as though she didn't fit there no matter how hard she tried. Keelin had experienced more true feelings in one week in Ireland than she had in years in Boston. She felt like a Band-Aid had been ripped off. It was like she had been emotionally stunted and everything was pouring out now. The intensity scared her, yet at the same time challenged her. Keelin rarely resisted a challenge. She imagined her mom's reaction when she told her she would be turning her summer vacation in Ireland to an indefinite stay. She shook her head. That would be a difficult conversation she would have to shelve for later.

  Sighing, she picked the puppy up.

  "Okay, boy. Looks like you are for me. Let's get you some food." Keelin looked up to see Flynn's dog bob its head at her and disappear over the ridge.

  "This is just weird." Keelin shook her head and picked up the basket to find a blanket, a supply of food, and a dog brush. That man thought of everything. A small smile tugged at her lips. She'd always wanted a puppy.

  She carried the puppy inside and laughed as it ran around the room, sniffing corners and barking at imaginary threats. She hoped Fiona would be okay with their new companion. Keelin dug through some drawers and found a long piece of rope and went to change into her swimming suit. Picking up her fins and snorkel gear, she called to the pup.

  "Let's go for a walk, buddy." She'd have to think of a fine Irish name for the puppy. Leaving a note for Fiona, she latched the door and made her way across the fields towards the cove. It was time to get in the water and begin her research. The puppy raced ahead of her, yipping and jumping at bugs. She whistled for him and he circled back to her, yapping ecstatically at her feet. Smart dog, she thought.

  "I'm going to name you Ronan," Keelin said. Having taken care of that matter, she made her way to the cliff's edge. The puppy stopped at her feet and trembled, looking down. It was a big hike for a little guy, so she picked Ronan up and headed down the path. Ronan licked her face happily and then, as puppies do, fell asleep in her arms.

  Reaching the bottom of the cliff path, Keelin looked around for an appropriate spot to get Ronan set up while she was in the water. She started across the sand towards a small tree that was sheltered in a rocky outcropping. She could tie Ronan to the tree and he would have shade while he slept.

  Keelin cursed. Stopped. And walked back a few steps. She laid Ronan gently down on the sand and pulled out a few flowers and pretty stones she had gathered on the walk down. Tracing a circle around Ronan and herself, she cleared her throat.

  "Um, hi, Grace's Cove. I'd like to offer you these gifts that I have brought for you today." She placed some flowers on the sand and hurled the pretty stones into the water. She tried desperately to remember everything that Fiona had told her about entering the cove. Purity of purpose, she remembered.

  "I am simply here to observe your beautiful waters and to document the plants and animals found underwater for my thesis. Research is just part of what I do. I, um, ask the universe and my angels for protection while I am here, oh, and to protect Ronan too!" Keelin made the sign of the cross for good measure. She squinted at the cove but nothing had changed.

  "Well, here goes nothing." Keelin hoped that she had made the appropriate gestures and headed towards the rocky outcropping. She tied Ronan up and laid him down on her towel, along with a small hunk of rope to chew on. The exhausted puppy curled up and watched her through one eye.

  Keelin pulled her mask and fins out of the bag and made her way to the water. Today would be a free diving day without tanks. Tanks were too heavy to lug down here anyway, she thought. She would need to bring them on a boat if she wanted to do any serious diving. Spitting in her mask to keep it from fogging up, she entered the water and cleared the mask out. Keelin scooped some water in her hand and tamed her hair back from her face and adjusted her mask over her head. She turned her back to the water and walked backward against the waves, bending over to tuck a fin on each foot. She squinted through her mask and could have sworn she saw Flynn's dog racing across the cliffs above the cove.

  That's weird, she thought. Didn't his dog typically go fishing with him? She shrugged and rolled facedown into the water. A kaleidoscope of colors flashed before her as a group of fish swam past her. She smiled into her snorkel. This was home to her.

  Breathing easily, Keelin allowed herself to just float. She had no agenda with this dive other than to get her bearings, examine the ocean floor, and begin to learn the pattern of the cove. She stayed in the shallow waters and examined some of her favorite things, small mounds of coral that housed the tiniest of crustacean and fish communities. They always made her laugh and she entertained herself by imagining personalities for all of the small creatures that thrived on these bits of living rock.

  A glimpse of light caught her eye, and Keelin turned towards darker water. She could have sworn that she had seen a flash of gold. She kicked with her powerful fins and quickly propelled herself towards where she had seen the glint. In deeper water now, Keelin strained her eyes as the light struggled to reach the bottom of the ocean. Visibility was less here as the waves hitting the rocky outcroppings of the shore churned sand back up. Taking a deep breath, Keelin dove down to get closer to the lump of coral that lay below her. She hovered around it and examined the coral for unusual lumps. Typically, any type of metal or lost "treasure" would have coral grown around it or have a small community of mussels attached to it. It would be easy to miss. Unable to hold her breath any longer, Keelin swam towards the surface and caught another glimpse of gold further out. Swearing, she broke the surface and dove down immediately without checking her position, as she didn't want to lose her bearing on the gold.

  She swam further out and the bottom grew more distant. Where had she seen that gold glint? Suddenly realizing just how far the bottom was from her, Keelin gasped. She had unintentionally violated the number one rule of diving – plan your dive and dive your plan. She could see the particles in the water moving fast past her and realized she had crossed into a current. Cursing herself, Keelin popped her head out of the water and could see Ronan barking hysterically at the end of his rope – a tiny dot on the beach. Looking up, she saw the curve of the entrance to the cove rapidly passing her. She was being swept out to sea.

  Keelin swore and forced h
erself to breathe slowly. She put her face back in the water and made herself horizontal. She was a trained diver and had handled currents before. The key was not to panic. Struggling against the current, Keelin kicked against it, trying to cut across the current and not into it. If she could just make it across the current, she would be out of it and fine. It seemed to be coming at her from all directions and she struggled at finding which way to kick. Panic began to grip her.

  Dimly, she heard the sound of a motor. Keelin popped her head out of the water and raised her arms in the universal sign for help.

  "Help! Help me!" she screeched, and then shoved the snorkel back in her mouth as water clogged her throat. Breathe, just breathe, she thought. She kept the snorkel in and continued to yell through it, waving her arms. The boat turned towards her and quickly picked up speed.

  Keelin placed her head back in the water to make her breathing easier and held one arm out of the water so the boat could see her. She stared at the bottom of the ocean and could have sworn she saw a dull blue light. She must be hallucinating.

  The motor cut and strong arms grabbed her. Huffing out salt water, Keelin dragged herself over the side of the boat and collapsed facedown. Her body shook with small tremors and she allowed the adrenaline to hit her. Her teeth chattered and she pushed the mask off of her face and stared into Flynn's blue eyes.

  "I suppose I should thank you," Keelin stuttered. She tried to regain her composure as she lifted her chin at him.

  "Of all the…how do I end up with the woman that is stubborn as all get-out?" Flynn said to himself as he started the motor and whipped towards shore. Keelin pulled the towel that he had handed around her and tried to get warm.

  "You know, most women would have thrown themselves on me in gratitude. You know, promising anything I wanted? Offers of undying devotion? Baked goods? No. You can barely thank me." Flynn glared at her.

  Keelin stared regally at him from across the boat.

  "I am sure I would have been fine. I just needed to cut across the current is all, and I was a bit disoriented."

  "A bit? You were a quarter mile out! You were shark bait. A goner! What were you even thinking? Are you insane?" Flynn lost it as they motored quietly into the cove. His shouts echoed off the walls of the empty cove and Ronan went silent on the beach.

  "Hey! You aren't the boss of me! I'll have you know that I am a trained diver. I study this. This is what I do."

  "Trained? Hardly! If you were trained you would know not to go diving alone and perhaps maybe to study the waters ahead of time and know that there is a nine-knot current that runs outside the cove. Had I not been out fishing today and heard your cry for help you would have been gone in minutes!" Flynn cut the motor and raged at her.

  Keelin stood up on shaky legs and yelled at him.

  "I'll have you know that I am a professional!"

  "A professional pain in the ass!"

  They were nose to nose in the rocking boat. Keelin's breath huffed out and her chest heaved.

  Flynn sighed and laid his forehead against hers, surprising her.

  "Just. Just don't ever do that again. Please."

  Chagrined, she nodded.

  "I could use a hug," Keelin whispered.

  Flynn pulled her into his arms, and she felt the heat spread. Keelin began to recite nursery rhymes in her head to keep from devouring his mouth. Flynn wore no shirt and his cargo shorts hung low on a torso that was tanned from the sun and as chiseled as the cliffs that surrounded him. Keelin wanted to run her tongue down the little curve of muscle that dipped into his shorts. What did they call that area on a man anyway? It was so sexy.

  Nursery rhymes, Keelin reminded herself, and eased slowly away.

  Flynn's breath puffed out in small huffs. His blue eyes bored into hers. There was a question and a demand there.

  "I can't. I just, I can't." Keelin wasn't sure what question she was answering.

  "Let me know when you figure it out," Flynn said quietly.

  Keelin was scared she had already figured it out but wasn't sure if she was leaving one current to be swept away in another.

  Flynn lifted the motor and let the boat bump gently against the shore. He hopped out easily and stood in the water, offering his arms to her.

  Keelin took the coward’s way out and dove into the water. She needed a moment to cool off. Surfacing, she caught his wolfish grin. He knew she was avoiding him.

  Nose in the air, she walked to the shore, pulling her gear with her. Flynn followed, tugging the boat partially up onto the sand.

  The puppy yipped hysterically and Keelin ran over to Ronan, glad for the excuse to ignore Flynn.

  "Shh, it's okay. I'm okay. Shh, good boy, Ronan." He wiggled in her lap, yipping and barking. Flynn walked over to them and smiled down at the puppy.

  "Ronan, huh?"

  "Yes, my little warrior. Um, thank you for him." Keelin wanted to avoid what his note had said. She thought of Margaret and how she had always drilled proper manners into her. "Um, also, you're right. You didn't take advantage of me. I shouldn't have said that." Keelin blushed and looked at her feet.

  "Thank you." Flynn bent over and scratched Ronan under his chin. The puppy dissolved in wriggles on the sand and Flynn laughed. Keelin knew how the puppy felt; she was a puddle in Flynn's hands as well.

  Sensing her thoughts, Flynn looked up at her from under heavy-lidded eyes. Keelin took a deep breath. Whoa, boy. A shirtless man, cut like a god, playing with a puppy on an empty beach. She was toast.

  "Um, have you ever seen gold in the water? Like do you swim here?" Keelin babbled out. So much for being a professional, she thought. She sounded like a middle-school girl.

  "Gold? What do you mean? Are you talking about rumors of the chalice?" Flynn frowned at her.

  "I don't know. It was just so confusing. I kept seeing like this flash of gold or something underwater, which is how I ended up way further out than I should have been. I just couldn't place it and it wasn't a fish or something. It was the strangest thing."

  "Ahh, yes, I've heard of this before. Are you sure you haven't been listening to the local lore?" Flynn asked.

  "No, what do you mean?"

  "Well, supposedly, the cove will lead you out of it if it feels like you are trying to uncover something it doesn't want to share. Like the chalice. Most people won't come here, as everyone who has ulterior motives has been injured or killed."

  "No! Do you really believe that?"

  "Yes. What were your motives for coming here today?" Flynn stared at her. Through her.

  Keelin dug her toe into the sand and didn't meet his eyes.

  "Well, you know, I'm doing my thesis, was just wanting to study the ocean life and see the lay of the land so to speak. Nothing crazy."

  "Hmm. Well it seems as though the cove disagrees." He just looked at her patiently.

  Keelin felt like a child being chastised.

  "Okay, maybe I thought I might be able to find the chalice. Or figure out what that blue light was." She stopped talking. She could have slapped herself for bringing up the blue light and last night. They both knew when the cove had lit up and what they had been doing at the time.

  A slow smile spread across Flynn's face.

  "Maybe we need to do some research. A reenactment, perhaps?"

  "Ugh, shut up. Last night was a mistake. I had a bit too much to drink and haven't dated anyone in a while. That's all it was and nothing more. Can we just forget about it and be, like, friends or neighbors or whatever? Honestly, you aren't even my type."

  Flynn's smile widened and Keelin huffed out a breath. Enough of this. She needed to get away from him. She reached over and began stuffing her snorkel stuff in her bag and moved to stand up. Flynn reacted quickly. He jerked her to her feet and pulled her to him, crushing her mouth under his. Keelin whimpered. His arms closed around her, rock hard, imprisoning her against his chest. Her hands fell to her sides and her bag dropped. Flynn caressed her with his mouth, whisper-soft in his
kisses as he dipped and dived, gently sucking on her lower lip. Keelin moaned at the contrast of his strong arms forcing her to be still and the gentleness of his kiss. Helpless not to respond, she opened her mouth and kissed him back.

  She stumbled back as his arms suddenly released her. Flynn steadied her with his hands on her shoulders. He touched his finger to her lips, caressing their shape, and tucked her hair behind her ear.

  "Not your type, huh?" Flynn stared pointedly down at her breasts – her nipples puckered against her wetsuit – and ran a hand down her side.

  "Get some rest, Keelin." Flynn reached down and patted Ronan on the head and strolled away whistling. Cursing him, Keelin grabbed her bag and Ronan and made a break for the path. She'd had enough of both Flynn and the cove today.

  Keelin trudged across the fields with Ronan loping alongside her. She could see Fiona waving to her from the garden in front of the house. She cut a path straight for the old woman. She kept quiet as Fiona bent and petted Ronan, who dissolved in wriggles at her feet. Finally, Fiona straightened and met Keelin's eyes.

  "Tell me about the gold," Keelin said.

  Chapter 12

  Fiona's shoulders tensed and she sighed as she reached out to touch Keelin's arm. Concern flitted through her eyes as she took in the stress on Keelin's face. Without saying a word, she gestured for Keelin to come inside. Briskly, Fiona walked over to a small cupboard and pulled out a worn book, and a bottle of whiskey. She poured a healthy amount of whiskey in cairn glasses and gestured for Keelin to come sit with her in the alcove, where the window was thrown open to encourage the sea breezes.

  Keelin sat down and Ronan hopped into her lap. She stroked Ronan's soft ears and felt comfort seep through her. There was something soothing about having an animal curled in her lap, and she hugged him closer.