Abruptly, she squatted to spread her towel on the sand. She tugged at the buttons on her dress and yanked it over her head. She’d heard that cold showers worked. She wondered if a swim in the sea would do the job half as well.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Seamus kicked off his sandals and reached for his swim shorts. He glanced at the back of Aislyn’s head, noting a frozen quality about her body. Had he upset her with his remarks? Damn it, sometimes he forgot she was fairy and unused to the human side.
She stooped to spread her towel on the sand and unfastened her sandals. When she straightened, her hands went to the front of her dress. His eyes widened, his hands clenched. She wasn’t ...
The dress slid down over her shoulders baring a large expanse of skin to his avid gaze. A quick shimmy of her hips made the dress slither further down, baring slim, tanned legs before it puddled at her feet in a soft whisper of silk.
Seamus swallowed, his gaze caught on the hot pink bikini and the body that gave it shape. Great shape. He should say something, do something instead of standing here like a huge dummy--a naked huge dummy, he realized. Abruptly he lifted one leg to step into his swim shorts. While he was dressing, Aislyn sprinted toward the sea as if thirty cats chased her. Seamus gaped in astonishment. When she neared the water’s edge, she never hesitated. She kept moving rapidly, dove under a wave, and came up swimming.
What the hell? He dragged on his shorts and ran after her. He hit the water with a loud splash and stroked rapidly out to sea. With his larger frame and superior strength, he soon caught up. Breathing easily, he touched her arm to let her know he was along side. She jerked in fright, stopped swimming, and went under the water.
Seamus’s arm snaked out to grab her. She came up spluttering, and he trod water until she caught her breath.
"What did you do that for?"
Seamus couldn’t help but notice the way her chest heaved from her recent exertion. He kicked his feet, moving them inshore so he was able to touch the bottom. "You took off so abruptly. I wanted to make sure you were all right."
"I’m fine. No thanks to you."
A flash in the trees snagged his attention. "Someone’s watching. Our friend, Watson, if I’m not mistaken."
"How do you know? Is it all right if I turn around to look?"
"The sun reflected off his binoculars," Seamus murmured softly. The feel of her sleek skin was driving him crazy, making him think thoughts that a betrothed male had no right thinking. Her legs kicked to keep her afloat and since he still gripped her arms, their bodies touched, smooth slender limbs brushing against his chest and lower limbs. His gaze slid to her lips while lust struck a blow lower down his body. His arms ached with the need to draw her close, to kiss her.
"Well, can I look?" Her blue eyes were full of excitement.
"No, don’t look." Seamus hesitated for a moment, his gaze drawn back to her lips. "We need to reinforce the honeymoon angle." Oh, yeah? his conscience shrieked.
Aislyn gazed at him, a question in her eyes. Seamus cursed inwardly, knowing he was behaving badly but unable to stop the slow slide into intimacy. He let the gentle waves breaking around them jostle their bodies together. As he lowered his head, his heart leapt against his ribs. Fool. They were standing close enough to convince anyone watching. Kissing wasn’t obligatory. He paused to stare at her soft, pink lips and knew he couldn’t back away now. One taste ... that was all and then he’d do the right thing and tell Aislyn he was betrothed to Renee.
Huge blue eyes studied him, and as he watched Aislyn swallowed, her lashes lowering to screen the mysterious feminine secrets swirling through her eyes. A tremor shot through his body, but stopping now seemed like a mistake that he’d always regret. Slow and easy, he promised himself. Keep control. With blood roaring through his veins, Seamus gently covered her mouth with his lips. The soft pliancy of her lips sent a surge of lust straight to his groin. His hands tightened on her shoulders, but he forced himself to loosen the hold.
Take it slow and easy.
Aislyn issued a soft sigh. Her arms snaked around his neck, one hand moving upward to cup the back of his head and pull him insistently closer. Panic roared through his mind, his conscience hollering this was wrong even though his lusty body was enjoying every sensation and greedily craved more. But before he could retreat, Aislyn gripped his shoulders and returned his kiss.
Oh, yeah. Without volition, he gentled his hold and gave into his desperate need to learn her curves, to commit her body to memory. His lips seared a path across her jaw, and down her neck. The saltiness of the water contrasted with the faint scent of apricots he’d come to associate with Aislyn.
He’d lied, he acknowledged.
One kiss wasn’t enough.
The hunger inside his heart spread to full out arousal. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the taste, the scent, the feel of her beneath his lips. God, he had never wanted a woman like this. Ever. And it was wrong.
Seamus tried to remind himself of all the reasons he must stop. He was betrothed; he owed his loyalty to the colony to do what was best for their future. Aislyn was his best friend’s sister. He’d promised to look after her--not seduce her.
"Seamus," Aislyn whispered, breathing lightly between parted lips.
He traced a fingertip across her bottom lip. His gaze dropped to her breasts, straining against bright pink material and rising and falling with her every breath. The need to do more was a hunger inside, slow and insidious.
Wrong.
"Touch me. Please, Seamus."
His gaze shot back to her face. He swallowed, his hands clenching convulsively on her upper arms. "I ... It’s wrong, Aislyn. We shouldn’t do this."
Her breasts abraded his chest as she drew in a deep breath. "Why is it wrong?" she demanded hotly, clutching at his shoulders to stay afloat. "How can it be wrong if we both want the same thing? I might be new to this, but I’m not stupid. I know you want me."
"But that’s the point. We’re on the job. We’re not here to enjoy ourselves. And something else--if Duncan could see what we’re doing he’d kill me." His mouth twisted in the parody of a grin. "You know I’m right."
"I know that I’m sick of having you fling my brother’s name at me whenever I’m doing something you think is wrong. I’m fully grown." She closed her eyes briefly before she looked at him again. "My father disowned me because I refused Fergus’s offer and forbid the rest of the family to speak of me. Does that sound like a family that cares?"
The small waves jostled their bodies, making it difficult for Seamus to concentrate. He gritted his teeth, knowing he should tell her about Renee. If he explained he was Guardian, then Aislyn would understand. She would automatically know that as Guardian he had inescapable duties, obligations.
A lone gull wheeled overhead, screeching loudly in its search for food. Alone, Seamus thought, his gaze following the gull. He was tired of being Guardian, of all the duties the office imposed. Just once, he’d like to do something purely for selfish reasons. Yet, he hesitated. Sighing, Seamus opened his mouth to start with his explanations, the reasons they couldn’t be together.
"Please," Aislyn whispered. "Just for once, I’d like to be wanted for myself. Not for what I am, or what my family might think, but for myself."
For an instant, Seamus stared. Of all the words she could have chosen, she’d picked the ones that duplicated his thoughts exactly.
They both wanted a relationship without the ties of duty and loyalty. The inner battle was hard fought, but brief.
"Seamus?" Her hands caressed his shoulders and trailed down his chest. His pulse jolted and a soft groan escaped as all the fight went out of him. Seamus hauled her against his chest and put his heart and soul into the kiss.
Aislyn’s heart thumped so hard she wondered if Seamus would feel her desperation and know how badly she wanted him to touch. All over. Her body knew what she wanted even if her head hadn’t quite caught up with the play. As if he read her mind, his hands sm
oothed over her arms, then wandered lower to cup her buttocks. A shudder worked down her body as their lower bodies met. Although she hadn’t done this before, she’d attended sex education classes at college. She knew what to expect. She knew Seamus wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Her breasts ached and only his touch assuaged the persistent throb. As his lips wandered across her face again, Aislyn wondered what he would do if she reached behind and flicked open the strap that held her top in place.
"Ah, hell. Aislyn." He pulled away abruptly, an anguished look on his face. "It’s not you, sweetheart. It’s me. I’m sorry, but I can’t--" He broke off abruptly and backed away, out of her reach. "I’ll see you back at the room. I need to contact Gill. I don’t know how long I’ll be. I’m ... sorry." Seamus swam strongly in the opposite direction to where she floated.
The aching pain in her chest intensified, but this time it was emotional. He didn’t want her after all. Rejected. Again.
A lone tear trickled from the corner of one eye and irritated, she brushed it away and swam to shore. There were other men out there. Fergus kept in contact and still wanted to marry her, Jacob had asked her out. The minute she returned to Auckland, she would ring him and accept.
As she reached the shallow water and stood, she caught a flash from the trees over to the right. When she walked closer, she saw the edge of a building. Watson’s cabin.
Aislyn dragged herself up the beach and stooped to pick up her towel. After shaking the sand free, she wrapped it around her body in an effort to stave off the chill that made her teeth chatter--a bone deep chill that emphasized her loneliness.
* * * *
Seamus yanked on his clothes, heedless of the droplets of water that still coated his skin. Fool, he thought. After tugging on his sandals, he hurried along the beach and up the sloping path, desperate to put distance between him and Aislyn. He really needed to contact Gill, but it wasn’t that urgent he couldn’t have done it later.
Seamus stopped by the cabin to grab the car keys before hurrying from the resort. Fifteen minutes later, he drove down the main street of the small township of Coromandel. Spying an old-fashioned red phone box outside a small grocery store, he slowed and parked the car. He surveyed the street. A mother pushed a toddler along in a pushchair. She paused outside a real estate office and peered in the window before continuing on and entering the bank. Seamus saw there were several people inside the grocery store, but apart from the farm vehicle parked opposite, the traffic was non-existent.
Seamus climbed from his Ford and ambled over to the pay phone. After dropping several coins into the slot, he dialed Gill’s number and waited impatiently for his partner to answer. He tried not to think of the hurt look he’d left on Aislyn’s face.
"Yo!"
"It’s me," Seamus said tersely.
"What’s up?"
Aislyn. "Nothing’s up."
A few beats of silence played out. "Aislyn giving you problems, partner?"
"This is nothing to do with Aislyn."
"Why don’t you sleep with the girl and put both of you out of misery?"
Seamus gritted his teeth. "I can’t."
"Why not? It’s the obvious thing to do."
"I’m engaged." The instant the words left his mouth, Seamus wanted to create a magic spell to start over. As Guardian, he had the power, but he didn’t think it was ethical to mess with his partner.
"Since when? Who’s the lucky lady? Why are you keeping it a secret?" The questions flew quick and fast, and Seamus knew he’d have to offer some sort of explanation. "Does Aislyn know?"
The last question made Seamus flinch. "No," he admitted. "I ... it’s hard to explain, but the marriage is an arranged one. I’ve known for some time."
"Hell."
"Yeah," Seamus agreed.
"When do I get to meet her?"
Not such an easy question. Briefly, Seamus wondered what Gill would think about his role in the fairy colony. Too hard, too difficult to explain, he acknowledged. Stick with the basic truth. "Renee will arrive in two weeks. She’s ... ah, staying with friends first, then she’ll stay with me." He shuffled his feet, uncomfortable with discussions of his betrothed.
"So, what are you going to do about the beautiful Aislyn?"
"Exactly what I’ve been doing so far. Nothing." So he lied. Kissing the woman senseless didn’t actually qualify as nothing. "I didn’t ring to talk about my love life. We’ve located Watson. He’s in the cabin nearest the beach. We need someone to watch the beach. It’s too easy for a boat to moor at night. They might hit one of the offshore islands, and we’d be none the wiser."
"Damn. We’re doing our best, but we’re short of manpower as usual."
"Yeah, I know. Aislyn and I will try to keep an eye on things as much as we can. Any news your end?"
"Little Barrier Island was hit last night. The tuatara they keep there is gone and D.O.C. think they’re missing a kakapo chick."
Seamus swore long and fluidly. "How did they know the chicks were there? That’s not public knowledge. The media reported they were all transferred to Maud Island."
"Don’t know, bud. We’re doing the best we can."
"It’s damned frustrating."
Gill laughed suddenly. "I hear you. And it don’t help with the gorgeous Aislyn sharing a room?"
"Can it," Seamus snarled. "I’ll check in on Thursday unless we have a problem." He thumped down the phone, even more unsettled than before. Damn, Gill. They’d been friends for too long and knew each other’s thoughts before they were uttered. That was the problem.
Seamus stomped back to his Ford and climbed into the driver’s seat. He scrubbed his hands over his face and groaned out loud. Hell’s teeth. One kakapo chick stolen--gone, just like that. There were only 86 of the native parrots in existence. The country couldn’t afford the loss. Now they knew Watson was a competitor in the scavenger hunt, they had to keep him under surveillance. At all times. Keeping watch during the night would have difficulties, he acknowledged as he started up the Ford and headed back to the resort. A bit difficult to explain why you were lurking around a cabin that wasn’t yours.
Seamus parked the car and strode through reception. A different receptionist manned the desk, and she smiled as he hurried past. He scanned the area around the bar and the pool, but couldn’t see anyone matching Aislyn’s description of John Watson. Probably keeping a low profile. That’s what he’d do in the same position.
He stood aside to let a young couple pass. Newly married, he decided. They looked happy and totally immersed in each other.
Seamus bounded up the front steps and entered their cabin. "Aislyn, I’m back."
"Up here, Seamus."
Half expecting anger, he felt a sense of relief when she replied. He ran up the stairs and into the large double bedroom, he’d only glimpsed briefly to date.
A large room, it had double doors that opened out to a balcony and a view of the Hauraki Gulf. Aislyn lay in the middle of a king-sized bed. Lush potted ferns dominated one corner of the room near the doors and when Seamus stepped further into the room, he saw the spa pool that Aislyn had mentioned earlier. Instead of the prissy colors he’d expected, the furnishings were in a range of blues with gold contrasts. Colors that made a man feel right at home instead of being frightened to touch or sit on anything.
"What have you been doing?" he asked, stepping towards the bed with caution.
Aislyn gazed up at him, her blue eyes shimmering with excitement.
Hell’s teeth. Seamus froze. He knew that look. What the devil had the girl been up to now?
"I met John Watson."
"You what?" Seamus sat on the bed, his legs suddenly unable to hold him. "When?"
"When you left, I sunbathed for a while until I dried off and then headed back to the cabin. I met John Watson on the path."
Seamus groaned. "Don’t tell me you talked to him? Did he recognize you from the other day?"
"Of course I spoke with him,
and no, he didn’t seem to know me. What did you want me to do? Tell him, oops, you’re Mr. Watson. I’m not allowed to talk to you. Don’t you think that might have raised a few questions?"
Seamus wanted to grin but held the humor at bay. He had to show Aislyn that being part of this investigation meant teamwork. It did not mean going off and doing her own thing. Hell, if she did that, she might wind up dead. The thought didn’t bear thinking about. "Cut the sass, sweetheart. This is serious. If he has ties with Maximillan, he’s capable of anything. Including murder. Are you going to tell me what you talked about?"
"He said hello first and when I heard his accent, I asked him where he was from."
Seamus studied her face. She’d caught the sun today. Her nose was pink, and he would swear she had more freckles than usual. She was damned fidgety. There was something else--she hadn’t told him everything yet. She positively vibrated with importance. "And?" he queried in a soft voice.
"We chatted about England. Then he invited me for a drink!"
"You said no," Seamus stated, jealousy flaring in response. The dirty old man.
Aislyn frowned. "Of course I didn’t."
His mouth worked, but no sound came out. All he could do was stare at her in disbelief. Was she that green and stupid? Hadn’t she listened to a word of his lecture during the drive from Auckland?
Seamus leapt to his feet and paced. It was either movement or wringing her neck to release the building tension inside. He winged a glare in Aislyn’s direction. The female was unbelievable. No wonder the board had jumped at his solution. They’d wanted rid of the responsibility. She was a reckless menace. "Would you care to explain exactly what transpired during your talk with John Watson?"
Aislyn narrowed her eyes, and he saw the exuberant air deflated a little. Her chin shot up belligerently. "I told you. We talked about England--"
"You’ve already told me that." Seamus rubbed at his temples, feeling the onset of a tension headache. "Tell me about meeting him."
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