Her Passionate Protector

by Laurey Bright

  "He made a habit of it?" Brodie was outraged.

  "I don't know. Maybe. The thing is, he was right about me. I was an easy target for any man who offered me affection and security and protection. It wasn't the sex that mattered to me. It was all those other things I was missing since my father left and my mother withdrew from life. Pathetic, isn't it? A classic psychological case. Once I worked that out I steered well clear of men who reminded me of my father in any way, especially men who promised to look after me. By then I knew my fatal weakness. I learned to look after myself, not to ever expect someone else to do it. And then you came along, and the danger signals started flashing."

  "I remind you of your father?" Something tasted sour in his mouth.

  "He was very good-looking."

  "Do I say thank-you?"

  She shook her head. "Women liked him. And he liked them—too much, as my mother discovered."

  "I've never cheated on a woman," Brodie said, swallowing indignation. "And I certainly wouldn't cheat on my wife."

  "I know you wouldn't. You're not the kind of man my father was. But you might regret marrying a wife who made you feel trapped, smothered you—if she leaned on you, depended on you, asked too much … you might stop loving her in the end."

  "You could never ask too much of me, Sienna."

  Her eyes glittered with tears. Almost whispering, she said, "You don't realize how desperately I want to believe that. You're taking such a risk."

  "I'm used to risks, thrive on them. Sure I want to protect you, but heck, do you think I don't know you're able to look after yourself in most circumstances? When you threw that stuff at Conran I was still trying to figure out when and how I could take him before he took us both—and Aidan—out. You saved us all."

  "You saved me tonight."

  "My turn." He grinned. "Makes us about even. If you feel like leaning on me, feel free. And I might even lean on you occasionally… I know you're strong enough to take it."

  "Strong?" It was a novel thought. Doubtful, even suspicious, she inquired, "When would you ever need to lean on anyone?" She could scarcely imagine it.

  "Underwater," he said. "You know how buddies depend on each other if there's a problem, trust each other literally with their lives. It's a two-way thing—like a marriage should be. And maybe—" his eyes clouded "—when someone takes it into his head to burn down my business."

  "You said it didn't matter."

  "Alongside your safety it's nothing. But I've spent years getting it set up and improving it, and I'm pretty damn cheesed off about losing it and having to start over."

  "You'll have the money from PTS."

  "That'll help," he admitted. "And it was insured. But I was sort of attached to the old place. Like I am to this house. I got a buzz out of coming home to them both."

  She held out her arms, and he went into them, his own going around her, pulling her close. His lips nuzzled her neck. "You realize this was a ploy to get you back here where you belong?"

  She gave a little laugh, shaking against him. "Do you realize you've just invited a clinging vine to twine herself around you? I warned you, I might never be able to let go." She took a breath, said something she'd sworn never to say again, laying herself open to hurt and betrayal. Brodie wouldn't do that to her. "I love you…"

  "Tell me that again," he said. "I never intend to let you go, either. So don't even think about leaving me—ever."

  Three weeks later they were married in the chapel at Mokohina. Camille took her place as Sienna's bridal attendant, and Rogan stood with his friend as Sienna made her way down the aisle to Brodie's side on her brother's arm. As an engagement ring, Brodie had presented her with one of the precious finds from the Maiden's Prayer, a gold band with a single garnet flanked by diamonds. But the ring he slipped on her finger during the ceremony was brand new, a plain gold band.

  At the reception in the Imperial Hotel's private bar, Rogan wore a slightly knowing smile as Brodie came in for some ribbing from his diving friends. There were remarks about him being caught at last, hook, line and sinker, and some mention of balls and chains.

  "Don't take any notice of them," Granger advised Sienna. "They're jealous."

  Mollie Edwards, her defiantly golden curls newly permed, gave both bride and groom exuberant hugs. "I'm so glad you took my advice." She beamed at Sienna, who looked slightly puzzled. "To join the boys' company and help them raise Barney's treasure," Mollie reminded her.

  "I'm glad too." Brodie hooked his arm about his new wife's waist.

  "Although I suppose," Mollie went on, "when that horrible man attacked you, you must have had some second thoughts. At least you know now you're safe, with him in jail, and his henchmen rounded up too. As for that Joe! All I can say is, crown witness or not, he deserves to rot! How could he betray the boys like that?"

  "He was afraid for his own life," Sienna said.

  "Idiot," Brodie commented. "As if telling Conran he had the ring would ensure Conran wouldn't kill him." Instead, he'd sent his henchmen to beat Joe into giving it up. And he'd finally crumbled, admitting he'd never had it, but Sienna did. Joe had told the police everything in the end. "He should have come straight to us, we'd have seen him right if he'd just been honest about the whole thing."

  "Well, all's well that ends well," Mollie said. "And just think—you two might never have met if it wasn't for Barney's treasure! Brodie's a good lad," she told Sienna. "Mind you look after him!"

  She looked bewildered but indulgent when they turned to each other and laughed.

  "I will," Sienna promised her. "All my life."

  Days later she and Brodie were swimming together in the clear, silken water off a secluded beach at Parakaeo, wearing only swimsuits, unencumbered by flippers, snorkels or tanks.

  Brodie dived to the sandy bottom, and she followed him down, skimming the seafloor that was crowded with shells, spotted sea slugs and starfish.

  Sienna surfaced first, and Brodie came up moments later, his hair sleeked and darkened by the water. Sienna turned to float on her back as he trod water beside her. "Enjoying your honeymoon?" he asked her.

  "Mmm…" She closed her eyes, felt the sun caress her lids, the water lap around her. Something touched her lips, warm and salty, and she smiled. Brodie kissed her again, and she kissed him back as his arms came about her and she sank, with him into the sea's cool embrace, their legs tangling about each other, bodies close.

  The kiss was necessarily brief, and they emerged sputtering and laughing. Brodie pulled her close again and planted another brief kiss on her mouth. His eyes brilliant with desire, he said softly, "Want to go back to the beach?"

  Sienna nodded, silently answering the message in his eyes. They swam to the white strip of sand and the rug spread under the shadow of the palms that overhung the tiny, secret beach. There they went into each other's arms again, their bodies slick and wet as they lay on the nig and shared a long, satisfying kiss, their hands discovering planes and hollows, hardness and softness.

  Brodie drew back and shucked his swim briefs, then with her eager cooperation dispensed with Sienna's bikini. Leaning his head on his hand, he surveyed her with lazy appreciation.

  "I've put on weight," she said, "with all this island food."

  "I look forward to the day you're a real armful—fair, fat and forty…"

  She gave him a shove, and he fell onto his back, but grabbed at her wrist and took her with him, lying half over him as he grinned up at her. "…and all of it mine," he said. He carried her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

  She snuggled closer, laid her cheek against his chest.

  "Don't let me ball and chain you," she said. "You must tell me if I ever try."

  "Honey, do you really think you could if I didn't want you to? Your professor was a bastard, he preyed on your need and made you believe it was your fault. You're strong and smart, and the fact is you don't need anybody. Not even me. But I hope you want me, and will for the rest of your life."

&nb
sp; "I want you!" She lifted her head. "I've always wanted you. I fought it as long as I could, but—"

  "You can't fight love," he said. "We were meant to be."

  She bent and kissed his chest, teasing little kisses that wandered over his salty skin while his hands explored her back, and their breathing mutually quickened. Her mouth moved lower on his body and he stifled an exclamation. "No, honey, not now." He hauled her upward, and she smiled down at him and lowered her head to his kiss, straddled him and felt him glide inside her, filling her, sending her soaring, weightless, spinning into another dimension where space and time ceased to exist and only this closeness, this mystery of two in one flesh, this ecstasy in each other's arms, this rapture of the deep, was real.

  When the last of the rippling aftershocks subsided, she lay against him, spent and replete, and his fingers tangled in her hair. "It's better every time with you," he said, his voice muffled. "I never realized sex could be this good."

  "Me, neither," Sienna said. "I told you when we first met I knew what it was to be in love. I lied. It was never like this."

  Brodie shifted, turned them over, so that he was looking down at her. Overhead the palm trees made small clacking sounds, and tiny shards of sunlight peeking through the moving fronds danced like jewels on the beads of seawater trapped in Sienna's hair. "I've caught me a mermaid," he said. "A sea creature."

  "Like you," she said, remembering he'd told her that the sea threw back those who didn't belong there. "Let's go in the water again."

  He traced her lips with a finger, then stood up and tugged her after him, kissed her lingeringly one more time, and took her hand, led her to the edge of the lagoon and into the slow, rippling waves until the water reached their waists, and then they swam, hand in hand, together into that magical, mysterious world under the sea. Into their future.

  * * * * *