"Behave," Aislyn muttered, leaning into him and making the most of his close proximity. No longer proud, she’d take what crumbs she could. "Just a little longer and we can leave."
"Yeah, well I didn’t like the way the men were watching you. And that damn cat’s no better." He glared at the purring cat and nudged it away from Aislyn with his shoe.
"I think we should split up and socialize," Aislyn announced in a soft voice. "We’re not going to find out anything if we stay together. You go and talk to the crew--pretend you’re thinking of buying a boat, and I’ll talk to the Barkers."
"And Watson, no doubt. The minute I leave your side, he’s going to land like a rash."
Aislyn wanted to roll her eyes and groan out loud. Could the man hear himself? He sounded like a jealous husband. He didn’t want any man to look at her, but professed total disinterest in her himself. Obviously, the person who stated females were unpredictable hadn’t taken a good look at Seamus Gallagher.
"Well?" she demanded, rapidly running out of patience.
"All right." He nudged the cat away for a second time and strode toward the crew who were talking to Morgan.
"An administration job," Margaret gushed when Aislyn stepped up beside the couple.
"Afraid so. Boring, but it pays the bills."
"What sort of company? Will I have heard of it?"
Aislyn reached for a bite-sized smoked salmon tart. Rats, the woman was pushy. Aislyn pushed the savory in her mouth to give herself time to think. She swallowed and drank a sip of the crisp white wine. "I work for an office supply company," she said. "Whitcoulls. I’m sure you’ve heard of it."
Margaret nodded. "What about your delectable husband?"
Aislyn could not believe the woman. She actually licked her lips when she said Seamus’s name and stared in his direction. At his butt! A little magic spell would not go astray here. Aislyn narrowed her eyes and pondered what she would do if she were in the colony. Something, subtle and sneaky, she decided. Perhaps a bee sting on the corner of the woman’s lips? Or no, a better spell would be the unraveling one. The woman’s dress was briefer than hers. A loose thread that mysteriously unraveled exposing all that lay underneath.
No sooner had the thought occurred then Aislyn noticed a long thread hanging from the side of Margaret’s dress. Morgan arrived with another tray filled with delicious canapés. As he left with the tray, the thread caught on his shoe. Aislyn’s mouth dropped open as the dress started to disappear before her eyes. She clapped a hand over her mouth to cover her laugh. Morgan walked over to offer the tray to Seamus and the three crew, then he headed inside for the kitchen.
A gurgle escaped Aislyn. "Ah, Margaret," she said. Words failed her as a giggle rose to the surface. She pointed at the rapidly diminishing dress. "Your dress," she managed.
The screech Margaret loosed stopped chatter dead. Everyone turned to gape as the woman’s dress shrunk from tiny to non-existent.
Oh! Aislyn thought, wickedly. Margaret wasn’t wearing much in the way of underwear. One of those tiny thong things that Jacob had said were good to wear under tight trousers and dresses--that was all the woman wore. Aislyn turned from the spectacle and spoke to John Watson. "Do you have a robe for Margaret?"
John Watson snapped from his stunned stupor and called to Morgan. "Morgan, a robe for Margaret. Immediately."
Margaret’s face was as red as Murphy’s cheeks after imbibing a few Irish whiskeys. She cowered behind her husband, and bent over at the waist, in an attempt to hide her breasts from sight.
"Aislyn, what happened?" Seamus murmured.
"I’m not sure." Had she caused the dress to unravel? Aislyn didn’t know. The corners of her mouth turned up in a quick grin. Perhaps she’d run a small test. Aislyn looked up and tried to ignore the hand that caressed her shoulder. Her gaze connected with that of John Watson and she shuddered inwardly at the clear lust in his pale blue eyes. Yes, perfect. Something simple, she decided, that only she would notice. In her mind, she muttered a magic spell to make John Watson’s hair stick up on end.
As Aislyn watched, every hair on his head stood to attention.
The hand on her shoulder traveled down to hover just below the curve of her hip. Biting insects, Aislyn decided immediately. No sooner had she thought the magic spell, John Watson leapt from her side, slapping at his bare forearms. Aislyn resisted the urge to smirk. Somehow, her magical powers had returned. Which was odd considering that none of the male fairy force members had retained their powers, but she’d go with the natural flow of things. Not that she’d mention the return of magic to Seamus. She needed all the edge she could get.
"Are you ready to go?" Seamus murmured close to her ear.
Aislyn’s heart lurched as puffs of warm air caressed her face. "Sure, if you think we can leave."
"We’ve stayed a reasonable time considering we’re newlyweds."
"Are you going to tell John Watson? It must seem like his little party is falling too pieces with all the excitement. Did you see what she was wearing under her dress?"
Seamus squeezed her shoulder, making sure he had her attention. "Not a lot, but you can hardly talk, Aislyn O’Sullivan. I know you’re not wearing much under that dress of yours either. What would your brother say?"
"I don’t want to know," Aislyn snapped, "And it’s not very nice of you to toss that into the conversation."
Seamus turned her around to face him, a big grin on his face. "No one ever accused me of being nice."
Maybe not nice, Aislyn thought, but he championed the small guy, the people who were unable to look after themselves. That’s what made him such a good cop.
"Come on," he murmured. "Let’s say our goodbyes and get out of here." He tucked his arm around her waist and led her in John Watson’s direction.
"John, Aislyn is coming down with a migraine. I’d like to get her home and in bed before it becomes too painful."
"Oh, dear." John Watson stroked her arm. "That’s too bad."
News to her. Aislyn wrinkled her face up in a suitably pained look. Having never suffered from a migraine in her life, she wasn’t sure how to behave.
"I’m hoping the fresh air on the way back to our cabin will help," Seamus said. He fitted Aislyn snugly against his side. "We can’t have a migraine on our honeymoon, can we?"
Aislyn wanted to laugh at the look of extreme dismay on Watson’s face.
"No, indeed." The man looked as though he had swallowed a prune pit.
"Thank you for inviting us tonight," Seamus said. "No doubt we’ll see you again over the course of the week."
"I’m sure you will," the man replied, looking at Aislyn as he said it.
Too bad for him, she was a one-man woman. "Good night. Thank you for inviting us."
They said goodnight to the other guests then left via the steps from the balcony.
"Are we going straight back to our cabin," Aislyn asked in a whisper.
"Clever girl. No, we’re going for a lover’s stroll along the beach. I want to check out the launch. The crew told me that the boat is going out on an overnight fishing trip later tonight."
"And you wondered what sort of fishing might be involved."
"Exactly. Once we’re on the beach, you can take those shoes off and walk barefoot."
"Did the crew tell you anything else? Margaret and Gerald kept on and on about my job. I told them I worked for Whitcoulls just as we’d decided."
"The crew were fairly close-mouthed, but they did tell me there are other people aboard. Not all Watson’s guests attended his party. Strange, don’t you think?"
Small waves swished to shore as they left the path and started walking on the sand. Over in the trees a bird called.
"That’s a Morepork," Seamus said when she looked askance at him. "A native owl. Do you want to take your shoes off?"
Aislyn nodded.
"Use me for balance."
In the moonlight, touching Seamus seemed more personal. When she grabbed his arm,
his muscles flexed under her hands. Aislyn breathed deeply, trying to calm her surging pulse. It wasn’t fair. She had tried to distance herself from Seamus, but all it took was one whiff of his aftershave, one quick smile, and her insides turned to mush. Her fingers fumbled while unbuckling her shoes.
"Do you need a hand?"
Wordlessly, she looked up at him. He must have read her silence for assent because he knelt before her, his nimble fingers undoing the straps with ease.
"Thanks," she whispered.
He stood, and slid his hands up her forearms. "We’ll leave your shoes here and collect them on the way back." He paused then leaned closer to her. "Someone is watching. Can you see them?"
Aislyn summoned her magical abilities and sure enough, she felt a person hiding, not far from them. "Do you think they heard us talking?"
"No, we’ve kept our voices low, but we should put on a show for them. What do you think?"
A show? Did he mean ... ? Aislyn had seconds to see the gleam in his eyes before he lowered his head and covered her mouth, his demanding lips exploring hers. Strong arms wrapped around her drawing her close, fitting curves to hard muscle.
Aislyn sighed inwardly and settled back to enjoy the kiss, knowing it would end all too soon--the minute Seamus considered the watcher was convinced they were newlyweds on a romantic moonlit walk. Her skin tingled where he touched her, and she had no desire for the kiss to end. Who needed to breathe anyway?
As if he read her thoughts, he pulled away, his chest heaving. He pressed his forehead against hers and smoothed his hands over her shoulders, down her sides and behind to cup her bottom and fit their lower bodies firmly together.
Aislyn swallowed, feeling his body’s reaction to their kiss. Her heart jolted. Rats. Why did he have to stop when things were just heating up?
"Let’s walk further along the beach and see if our watcher follows," Seamus whispered.
"But what if he has a weapon and tries something." Aislyn was all for heading back to the cabin in the hope the watcher followed them there. They could kiss and cuddle in comfort back at the cabin. Aislyn dug her toes into the sand. It felt coarse and rough on her feet. Not an unpleasant feel, but if she were going to remove clothes she’d like comfort. Soft sheets and privacy were what she wanted if she were taking part in a seduction scene.
"Good point."
"Why don’t we head back to the cabin?" Aislyn paused to kiss Seamus using her tongue to flick across the seam of his mouth. His mouth opened on a surprised groan, and Aislyn took immediate advantage. Going up on tiptoes, she held his head between her hands. She craved a taste of him and while he was blind-sided by her taking the lead, she dived right in. He tasted ... addictive. Masculine. Exotic even. She loved the feel of him, his dark silky hair, the soft rasp of his cheeks against hers and the taut muscles that flexed under his clothes.
Aislyn broke away, breathing hard. Her heart pounded, jumping alarmingly in her chest, while her breasts ached. She wanted to throw off her clothes, rid her body of man-made cloth and replace it with Seamus.
"Hell’s teeth, Aislyn." Seamus was also breathing hard.
He looked over her shoulder, squinting into the darkness to get a fix on their audience. Aislyn quivered in his arms, and he frowned. Perhaps she was right. They should return to the cabin where they were relatively safe. She didn’t have many clothes on and it was cooler down here by the sea.
"You’re right," he conceded. "Let’s head back to the cabin. You’re cold." Seamus smoothed the shawl across her shoulders unwittingly touch her skin. She shuddered again.
"It is a little chilly." Her voice sounded lower than usual. Husky.
Damn, he walked a tightrope here. He wanted Aislyn. His body throbbed while his erection ached. His mind, however, told him other things. They were on an assignment together. Nothing must get in the way of that. And of course, there was Renee.
His betrothed.
"I saw something move in the trees to our right," Aislyn murmured. She gave a soft laugh and linked arms with him. "Don’t forget my shoes," she said, speaking in a normal voice. "They’re Italian and I refuse to leave without them."
They ambled along the beach, back to the path that led to their cabin. The Morepork called again, the sound eerie in the darkness. The knowledge they had a watcher, malevolent and likely wishing them harm made Seamus want to hurry. Aislyn was right; they were at a disadvantage out here in the darkness. The gun tucked away carefully out of sight in the cabin was of little use.
Seamus felt Aislyn shiver again and tucked her firmly against his side. "Would you like my jacket?"
She stooped to pick up her shoes and he took them from her, placing them in his jacket pockets.
"I’ll need those to walk on the path."
"I’ll carry you," he murmured. "I have a bad feeling. It will be quicker if I carry you." He scooped Aislyn up easily and strode to the start of the path.
"The boat’s leaving," Aislyn murmured. "Can you hear the clanking noise? It sounds as though the anchor is being hoisted."
"I wish we could see the bay from our cabin. We’re not going to see the boat return unless we keep watch from down here."
"A little difficult when we have a watcher of our own." She buried her face against his throat, her curls tickling his skin.
Seamus took a deep breath. For an instant, he savored the perfume Aislyn wore and the soft feel of her in his arms. Reluctantly, he spoke. "We’re going to have to put on a show for our watcher and hope like hell he’s satisfied enough to leave us unwatched for the rest of the night."
The plan involved laying his hands on Aislyn again. Kissing her. Touching her intimately. His heart leapt at the idea. His mind fought tooth and nail.
"You going to tell me the plan?" she murmured.
Seamus spoke rapidly. "Once we get back to the cabin, we’ll head upstairs to the bedroom. We’ll turn on the lights and go out on the balcony to make sure our watcher thinks we’re doing typical newlywed stuff." A sense of urgency and panic drove him, making him walk even faster. The plan was right, the only logical thing to do to satisfy their audience they were what they appeared--a newly married couple intent on being together. Seamus’s felt his willpower dwindling at a rapid rate, and Aislyn wasn’t helping matters much with her enthusiastic acting skills. His self-control held by a thread.
"Sounds like a fine plan to me."
Little witch. She sounded excited by the prospect.
Seamus bounded up the steps of their cabin and set Aislyn on her feet at the top. She strolled to the far end of the small balcony.
"A pity we don’t have the same view that John’s cabin has," she remarked. Then she chuckled, a throaty chuckle that made his insides jangle uneasily. "Not that it matters, sweetheart. I’m sure we’ll be too busy to look at the view."
Seamus knew her words were for the benefit of their audience, but her sentiments did more to erode his restraint. He was so achingly hard it was painful. Thank God, the light was dim out here. Was their audience still there? He would spare himself some grief if he knew they’d gone.
Aislyn padded back to his side as he inserted the key into the lock. "They’re still out there," she whispered. "I saw the glow of a cigarette over in the trees below our bedroom."
Seamus sighed inwardly. He opened the door, switched on a light, and let Aislyn enter first.
Showtime.
The lurch of excitement inside made him pause. "I’ll be up in a minute," he called. He groaned softly, and rubbed his hands across his face in an attempt to clear his mind. He could do this. A few kisses. A little touching. He would cope.
This was work. Remember?
Another deep breath. Seamus switched off the light and headed for the bedroom. At the doorway, he hesitated. Aislyn had turned on the two bedside lamps. They gave the room an intimate glow. As he watched, she stepped forward and opened the doors leading out to the balcony.
"Just as I thought," she called over her shoulder. "You can’t s
ee down into the bay at all. Such a pity. Come outside, sweetheart. It’s not as cold out here as it was down on the beach." She turned back to the view, that wasn’t really much of a view in the darkness.
Seamus swallowed, his heart thudding. Slowly, he strolled outside to join Aislyn, feeling a little as though he were walking past the point of no return. Her hair caught the light from the bedroom and glowed a rich copper color that reminded him of a fiery sunset. As he watched, she looked over her shoulder at him, her gaze teasing, and he read the underlying dare in her bright blue eyes.
Unwillingly, he grinned. Some of the things she did might make him shudder with horror and want to shout but without fail she made him laugh.
"What are you doing over there, sweetheart? You’re not much use over there." One shoulder lifted and her shawl slid to the ground.
His breath caught in his throat. So beautiful. He wanted to touch, to stroke her luscious curves, and strip that sorry excuse of a dress away. Aislyn’s grin widened. She crooked her little finger and just like that, he was gone. With one bounding step, he snatched her up into his arms and covered her mouth with a hungry kiss.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Aislyn’s feet left the ground when Seamus swept her up in his arms. His hand shook as he smoothed a curl from her face, the expression in his gray eyes, stormy as though he clutched her to his chest under protest. A trembling breath of dismay caught in her throat. The idea of him stopping was ... it ... she couldn’t let that happen.
"I’ll shut the doors," he murmured, letting her slide down his body until she gained her feet. The sensation of hard muscles sent a desperate message to her brain. He couldn’t stop now.
"Seamus, kiss me first." A knot twisted in her stomach while she waited in an agony of uncertainty to see what he would do. As she watched, his chest rose in a heavy sigh. Did he have second thoughts? Aislyn opened her mouth to plead with him then noticed his gaze falling to her lips. Her heart pumped out an unsteady beat. Nerves dried her mouth while her lips felt heavy, almost swollen. Without thought, her tongue snaked out to moisten them.
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