She lifted her head off my shoulder and watched me with an intent gaze.
“There were a few towns near us being stalked by a qalupalik—um, a creature who steals children that wander too close to the shore,” I added when she furrowed her brow in confusion. “Because we were spending so much time around the water, Dad wanted us to be able to escape in a hurry if we needed to, so he made sure we all had our boating licenses. We all had to learn to sail, kayak, and control a jet ski too.
“After that, it was always easiest to add it to the list of documents for any of our aliases. You never know when you might need a watercraft to escape pursuit.”
She was quiet, and I wondered whether the reminder of what my life had been—a constant battle with creatures that most humans didn’t even know existed—was too much for her. I held her close, hoping she would understand I’d given all of that up for her. That I’d make the same choice over and over.
“Do you miss it?” The sound of Evie’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. She’d been sitting in thoughtful contemplation for a while. When she finally did speak, there was a trace of uncertainty in her voice.
I frowned, trying to figure out what she was talking about. “The missions?”
“Yeah.”
“No,” I said. It was a little bit of a lie, because I’d actually enjoyed the jobs I’d been on with Toni and the crew from the Dove—mostly because they’d shared my ideologies, so I’d known I wasn’t going to be called to hunt anything like Evie. However, I was willing to cut that part of myself off completely to keep Evie safe.
After a few moments, she excused herself and headed down to the galley to find something to eat. I had no complaints, especially when she brought me a sandwich too.
When I stopped the boat momentarily to help her take the dirty plates back down to the galley, a rogue wave smashed the hull, rocking the boat and threatening to knock me on my ass. With a well-timed step, I managed to balance myself. Evie wasn’t so lucky and went tumbling against the co-pilot seat.
She groaned as the boat settled back into position. When my gaze followed the sound, she looked a little green.
“Are you okay?” I asked, somewhat uselessly because it was clear she wasn’t. I wasn’t asking about the state of her stomach though. My biggest concern wasn’t a touch of seasickness; I was worried she might have reinjured her ankle.
“I’m not sure about the waves. I might take you up on that offer to go down to the cabin.”
“Actually, that’s probably the worst thing you can do. The fresh air will be better to calm your stomach.” I helped her into the aft cockpit seating to lie down for a while. “Try to relax.”
Feeling guilty for leaving her when she was sick, but knowing we had a timeframe to keep, I returned to the helm, fixed our course, and then got the boat back under power. When I thought I’d put enough miles between my family and Evie—long after she’d given up trying not to feel seasick and retreated to the cabin to sleep at nightfall—I let down the anchor.
Happy with the progress we’d made and hoping to help Evie as much as I could, I stepped down the small set of stairs to the cabin.
I stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs when I caught a glimpse of the sight waiting for me in the double bed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
EVIE WASN’T ASLEEP like I’d thought she’d be.
Instead, she was reclined on the bed, and the only thing gracing her body was my chain and pendant around her neck.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” she purred.
My gaze trailed over her skin; the exposed olive plains seemed to shine against the white linen. I swallowed heavily at the sight of her erect nipples and body ready to be claimed. “I can see that.”
“Aren’t you going to come over here?” She pulled herself up into a half-reclined position.
I nodded. “I just want to enjoy the view for a moment first.”
It had been far too long since I’d seen her naked. I hadn’t initiated anything in the hospital, much to Evie’s disgust, because I didn’t want to be the cause for any delays in her healing process. Our too-brief clash in the warehouse in Charlotte barely counted because it had been desperation and need—lust, not love—that had driven it. Now, it was desire and love causing my shorts to tighten as I took the time to trace my gaze over her body and relearn all of her curves in the soft cabin lighting.
The wounds from her latest brush with death still littered her shoulders. Most of the bruises over her body, including the one on her ankle, were now the soft yellow-green that indicated healing. I was certain the discoloration would be gone completely by the time we arrived in Mexico.
The biggest change, and the greatest concern for me, was the scar that circled her wrist like a bracelet of puckered red skin—the result of her escape from the handcuffs while escaping the hospital in Detroit. My venomous words, intended for my father and not for her, had caused her to run. Just one more fuck-up in a laundry list of them for the two of us. It served as a reminder of what we’d battled to get where we were and made me more willing to take my time and make love to her the way she deserved.
“Obviously you’re feeling better?” I asked. Without taking my eyes off her body, I closed the last of the distance between us. While I moved, I tugged at the hem of my T-shirt, pulling it over my head, and tossing it into one corner of the room.
“A little.” She grimaced.
I paused. “Enough?”
The sound of her laughter echoed in the small room. “Actually, I was hoping for a distraction.”
Humming with desire, I reached for her scarred wrist, which she offered to me as soon as she understood what I wanted.
“I think you’ll find I can be very distracting.” I murmured the words between kisses against her skin.
Holding onto her hand, I pulled her into a sitting position. The fingers of my free hand found their way beneath her jaw, tracing soft lines over her smooth skin before guiding her chin up so that I could meet her eyes. I dipped to kiss her, claiming her lips with reckless abandon.
We were free.
My chest tightened at the thought that this, now, was really the beginning of the life we could have together. It wouldn’t be like our attempt to settle in Detroit, we’d be far enough from my family that we could truly live a proper life. Add in the fact that Eth would do what he could to keep Dad and Lou off our trail, and I was certain this time nothing could break us apart. We’d been through the worst of it, and neither of us had reason to doubt the other again.
At least until the sunbird sleeps. The unhelpful thought pushed aside the happiness brewing inside of me. In less than a year, the sunbird that resided within Evie’s soul would return to slumber.
The notes Zarita had shared about the sunbird and the phoenix indicated that the sunbird mated for life, but didn’t mention what might happen between the phoenix and her mate when the time ended, and the sunbird returned to slumber until the next generation. I pushed the unwelcome thought from my mind.
If something happened and Evie’s love disappeared when the sunbird returned to sleep, I would just do what I had to in order to win Evie’s heart again.
She wrapped her hands around my neck and tried to drag me onto the bed with her, but I resisted. God, I needed her, but I wanted to love her the way she deserved. Before I would make love to her, I wanted her panting my name and desperate for me in every way.
“What is it?” she asked. “I thought you wanted to distract me.”
I grinned at her as I pulled away momentarily. “Baby, there is so much I want to do to you.” I shifted my kisses to the column of her throat, using one hand to caress her breasts, and the other to hold her in place. “But if you want to me to distract you properly, I’m going to need some time before we do that or it’ll all be over way too soon.”
She squirmed under my ministrations.
“How much time?” The words were throaty and needful.
“Hours.” I moved my kisse
s further down until I peppered them against her clavicle. “Hours and hours.”
Moving lower still, I trailed wet, open-mouthed kisses over her pert breasts before drawing a nipple into my mouth. When Evie dropped her head back and bucked her hips forward, I dragged my teeth along her skin, relishing the taste. It was something I hadn’t been able to appreciate fully during our reunion in Charlotte. A mistake I planned on rectifying.
“Days,” I murmured as I grabbed her hips and began to rub small circles with my thumbs. “Maybe even years.”
“I think I can handle that,” she half whispered, half panted.
Letting her know what I wanted with a gentle touch, I pulled her hips closer to me as she fell against the mattress. My lips trailed small kisses along her inner thigh. “Good, because I’m never giving you up again.”
Just as I pressed my tongue against her clit, Evie shifted, no doubt about to say something, but whatever it was came out as a garbled cry. My eyes drifted closed as I explored her body with my tongue, lapping at her heated flesh. I hummed against her body, the taste of her so much better than I remembered.
Her breathing accelerated and her hands found my hair as she bucked her hips forward against my mouth. While my tongue continued to massage her clit, my hand stroked her thigh. With each pass I made, her thrusting grew more intense, as though she was desperate for me to massage away the sweet burn that must have been running through her body—just like it was through mine.
After making another pass over her body with my fingertips, running them from her chest to her thigh, I finally surrendered to her desire, pushing two fingers into her. She clutched at my shoulders as a needful moan left her lips.
With my fingers dancing within her, I trailed kisses up her body before claiming a nipple with my mouth. I rolled my tongue across the pebbled surface and breathed deeply of her scent.
“Fuck, Evie,” I murmured as I pulled away to glance over her body once more. “How did I ever get so lucky?”
Her reply was a breathy moan as I slid my fingers out to brush against her clit. The sight of her beautiful face, her eyes closed in ecstasy, spurred a need in me, and I rushed forward to claim her lips. I swallowed every perfect sigh I drew from her lips and tasted the needful words that coated her tongue.
Even though I had more plans, so many things I wanted to do, I couldn’t resist any longer. I pulled away from her just far enough to shed the last of my clothing, and then I grabbed hold of her hips and dragged her body closer to me. Without hesitation, I pulled her hips against mine. We fit together with matching cries as I leaned forward to cover her.
With my body entwined with hers, my heart was whole. Complete. My movements slowed. The desperation to be closer to her—to connect with her—no longer fueled my every action. I was able to take my time and lavish the attention on her that she deserved.
My hands traced the once familiar lines of her body, recommitting every inch to memory. Her lips parted and a breathy sigh left to fill the silent void between the rhythmic waves slapping against the bow.
As her body responded with mine, the need to possess grew in me again. I reached an arm around her waist, angling her hips so I could bury myself deeper within her body.
A cry of utter delight rushed from her mouth seconds before I claimed her lips again. Every inch of me pressed against every inch of her, and I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to celebrate our freedom. With hard, deep thrusts, I brought her closer and closer to the edge until we were perched on it together. When she met my eye and gave me a smile that proved how perfect the moment was, I tumbled over into oblivion. Into her.
Her arms wrapped around my neck, and my lips found their way back to hers. The heat from her body surrounded me. It sought me out, filled my lungs, and radiated throughout me. It tugged at my heart, sending an echo through me. The sensation was one I’d felt before, but I hadn’t recognized it then, hadn’t understood what it truly meant.
The day Evie was in danger, the day Lou’s stupidity almost cost both their lives, I’d felt the pull toward Evie. I’d inherently known she was in danger, and my instincts had tugged me toward her. It was so similar, and yet so different to the way my soul had always been able to sense Lou’s proximity.
Recalling the words I’d spoken to Evie the first time I’d tried to find her, about the ache in my chest at the thought of having to leave without her, an understanding grew within me, deeper and more profound than anything I’d experienced before.
Things that I’d felt during our time apart floated into my mind, and everything snapped into crystal clear focus. I drew away from Evie as my pulse quickened.
Rolling to one side, I broke the connection between us. Instantly, my fingertips yearned to run along her body. My palms ached to caress her skin. With a contented sigh, I pulled her body closer to me.
I opened my eyes to glance at her. The emotions Evie had instilled in me had somehow tied themselves to my instincts, drawing me to her in ways I never imagined.
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it earlier. Felt it earlier.
The connection between us was more intense than I’d ever thought it could be. Now that I’d stopped fighting it, it echoed deeper in my core than I could have ever believed possible.
Maybe Dad and Eth had been right all along; Evie really had cast an enchantment over me, just not in the way they thought, or in a way I could ever regret. My lips left hers as a chuckle rose in my throat.
Evie’s hum was more curious than needful.
“It’s nothing,” I assured her. Moving my hands to cradle her hair, I took a moment to just drink in all her features. “I love you,” I murmured between kisses.
Meeting my eye, she replied in kind.
AFTER HER initial bout of seasickness, Evie seemed to settle into a routine of life on board the yacht fairly quickly. Except when we had to stop to refuel, I had to relegate her to our cabin. It was that or send her ashore, and I wasn’t certain I could cope with that.
Thankfully, she understood that her heat and the possibility of gasoline fumes weren’t a great combination. In fact, the mere mention of refueling was almost enough to send her into hiding.
It didn’t take long for Evie’s favorite pastime to become sitting in the aft cockpit seating watching me at the helm and torturing me with her latest outfit choices. Each of the outfits I’d most desired to see her in were rolled out day after day. One day, it was something as simple as a black V-neck singlet, which was cut low enough to show a hint of the black lace bra she wore underneath. I was desperate to keep the boat moving so we’d make our port in time for the flights Eth had arranged, but it was just as tempting to say fuck it all and ravish her on deck. As much as I enjoyed seeing her in the top, watching her peel it off later that day had been even better.
Almost too soon, our trip was over and we needed to return to the real world of trying to get off the continent for good.
After mooring in Mexico and following Eth’s instructions to the letter about the return of the keys, I led Evie to a small hotel for the night. The stress that she’d finally managed to shed over the course of our cruise came back tenfold as we spent the night trying to ignore the danger we’d be facing the next day. While we planned the trip, I made one request, and that was that I could select her outfit for the day. Although she’d been confused at my desire for sartorial control, she’d agreed and I’d picked the black top and bra set that she’d used to torture me on the boat.
Combined with her “I put out” hat, I hoped it would give the men at security something else to focus on. The best-case scenario would be that her outfit would draw their attention away from her hair. The last thing we needed was a Rain wannabe stumbling onto the discovery of his career and turning Evie in. I had no idea how we could distract any female guards that may be there, but I hoped I’d inherited enough of whatever genes had turned Eth into a ladies’ man to be able to bluff my way through—it hadn’t failed me so far.
Before we
checked out of the hotel, I asked Evie to put her switchblade in her pocket rather than her bag.
“Are you freaking crazy? You do realize we’re about to go to an airport, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. I have a plan though and would rather you be armed.”
“An airport,” she repeated as if I was stupid or hadn’t heard, “with guns and cameras and guards and dogs and—”
I pressed my lips against hers to silence her fears.
She pushed me away. “I can’t go in there with a knife in my pocket.”
I caught her gaze and held it. “Do you trust me?”
She paused for a moment and my face fell at the thought that she didn’t believe her safety was my number-one priority. Obviously realizing that her pause had hurt me, she placed her hand on my cheek. “I do. It’s just hard for me to put that much faith in someone else again. I haven’t had to do that since . . .”
She trailed off, but her face gave away the path of her thoughts: since her father’s death almost four years earlier.
“I’ll have my piece on me too, if that helps. I wouldn’t tell you to do it if I didn’t think it was for the best.”
“I’m not sure the knowledge that you’ll have a gun strapped to your body in a place where they are pretty serious about people not having weapons helps at all if I’m honest.”
I chuckled and brushed my fingers along her jaw. “Do it for me. Trust me.”
She relented and thankfully didn’t press for too many more details about what my plan was. I wanted to avoid spilling the beans on the presence of the Rain for as long as I could. There was no point in both of us being stressed about that issue, especially not when her stress coincided with an obvious rise in the ambient temperature in her immediate vicinity.
The closer we got to the airport in Mexico City, the more worried Evie appeared to grow. Her leg bounced as we weaved through the crowded streets, and the inside of the VW Beetle that was acting as our cab was heating rapidly. In fact, the temperature was increasing so quickly I worried the cab driver would become suspicious.
Court the Fire (Son of Rain #3) Page 9