by Bianca D’Arc
“Do you want to go inside?” Andrew asked at one point, not rushing things, treating her like she was precious to him, charming her with his care. “Are you cold?”
She had to laugh. Looking into his eyes, she let one eyebrow lift. “Dude.” Some of her Southern Californian roots were showing through in her words. “I live in the ocean. I love water, and I don’t chill easily, even in human form.” Then she thought about his comfort. “But if you want to take this inside…”
She lifted away but his strong arms hauled her back. “Not on your life,” he protested, laughing with her. “I’ve got you exactly where I want you. A little rain won’t hurt either of us. We’re shifters. We’re strong. And we like nature, in all her moods. Right?”
“I couldn’t agree more. Now, where were we?” She straddled him again, bringing her core into shockingly fast contact with his hard length. “Oh, yeah. We were about to get down to business.”
“I like the sound of that,” he enthused, lifting his big hands to cup her breasts.
He knew just how to rub her nipples to make her squirm in delight, and his hands—his whole body—was so warm. He was like a furnace. A living, breathing, hard-bodied furnace. Yum.
She’d been primed for him from their first kiss on the boat. The talking and dinner had only made her want him more. She’d been starved for this kind of male companionship, being out at sea for so long, and she didn’t want to wait another minute to find out what it would be like to be with a bear shifter. Her bear shifter.
Jetty hadn’t lusted after any other sort of shifter before, though she had run across a few in passing, years ago. They’d been average. Like her, only with different animal spirits. But this one…this big badass bear…had intrigued her from the moment she’d first seen him.
Now that she had him in her clutches, she wasn’t about to let him get away. Although, it was sort of laughable to think that she could overpower him. Even with all the strength of her mer half, he was still male and still a whole lot stronger than her physically. She knew, though, deep down in her heart, that he’d never use that incredible strength against her.
If anything, he would use it to protect her. He didn’t fully realize yet how little she actually needed protecting, but it was a sweet thought.
As the soft rain coated their bodies in cool moisture that did nothing to cool their ardor, she adjusted her position until she felt the tip of him at her entrance. There was no need for barriers between them. They were shifters. They were in rhythm with the ocean, in tune with the woodlands. They didn’t carry human diseases, and she knew when she was entering a fertile time. She still had a ways to go for that, so this joining could be stress free and natural.
She moved slowly downward, the lubrication of the rain and the natural slickness of her body brought him into her by slow degrees. She held his gaze as she accepted his thickness. He was masterfully built. Hard, wide and long. Just as she liked it.
The intimacy of looking into his beautiful brown eyes as they came together nearly stole her breath. This was why the Goddess had given mer a human form. So they could experience this amazing oneness with another being. The union of bodies, hearts and souls…
But such romantic thoughts were ripped from her mind as he lifted his hips slightly, coaxing her to take more of him faster. So he wanted to play, did he?
Jetty leaned downward and nipped his lip, bringing forth a sexy growl from his inner bear. She liked that sound. It made her want more.
She took all of him, seating him fully within her, gasping as he bottomed out, sending little tingles of pleasure all up and down her body. She’d never felt such magical sensations…and they’d only just begun.
“You feel so damn good,” he whispered.
She looked deep into his eyes and had to agree. “Right back at’cha, big boy.”
That seemed to surprise a laugh out of him, right as she began moving. The laugh turned into a rumbling growl of satisfaction as she slid up and down on his shaft, taking them both to new heights of pleasure.
She started out slow, but things quickly escalated to something hard and fast and hot, hot, hot. Little sounds came from her mouth, and he was growling down deep in his chest, turning her on even more. She liked the sounds her bear made when he was inside her. They were an aphrodisiac in themselves.
He grabbed her hips, and she let him guide her the last few deep, quick thrusts until she was crying out, ecstasy hitting her, sweeping her up in the torrent that went on and on. At some point, she felt him join her in climax, his voice ripping her name from his chest in a throaty growl.
Oh, yes! That was what she wanted to hear. Music to her ears.
The orgasm lasted longer than anything she could remember. It was like a bunch of tiny climaxes all rolled into one. A new experience that threatened to shatter her perceptions of reality and probably ruin her for all other men.
She collapsed on his chest, enjoying the way he drew her close, cuddling her as their breathing started to slow. There were no words for this moment. It was too perfect. Too exceptional. Too…almost…sacred.
Words would come later. After they’d both had a chance to catch their breaths.
Words of goodbye—because she had a mission to fulfill. She still had to go back to her people tonight and tell them her findings about Grizzly Cove.
For now, though, they could cuddle on the chaise lounge. Revel in the aftershocks of their passion. Be wrapped in Mother Nature’s misty rain, dewing their skin like a blessing from above. For now…Jetty could bask in the arms of her lover.
A long, long time later, Jetty rolled off him, moving to his side in preparation for pulling herself away from his embrace. It was going to be hard to tear herself away. One of the most difficult things she’d ever done. She almost wanted to forget all about her duty to her people…but she couldn’t. That wasn’t her. She was responsible for so much. People were depending on her, and she couldn’t let them down.
“I don’t want to leave,” she admitted. “But I’ll have to go soon.”
“I wish you didn’t have to go either.” He ran his fingers up and down her arm, making her shiver in pleasure.
“But I have to,” she reminded him.
“I know, but I can still wish it were otherwise, can’t I?” He sent her a sleepy smile. “At least stay the night.”
“But I have to swim out under cover of darkness.”
“Not if I drive you out there on my boat. We could spend the night here and leave at dawn. Or before dawn, if you’d rather. That’s my normal routine, so nobody would be surprised. What do you say, my cute little fishy?”
“Cute little fishy?” She wrinkled her nose, smiling.
“No? How about saline sweetheart?” She shook her head. “Kelp maiden? Oceanic beauty?” He tried several of the pet names he’d warned her about, and she dissolved in giggles as his tone took on a more dramatic flair with each new selection.
She shook her head as he persisted, loving his teasing. Above all, she loved a man who could make her laugh.
“How about Jetty, my jewel?” He kissed her, his voice dropping low. “The rarest pearl in the oyster of my life.” His tone was less teasing now, more serious as passion seemed to roll over them both again.
When he let her up for air, she smiled lazily into his gaze. “I like that last one.”
“My pearl.” He nodded. “That’s the truest one. You’re rare and precious. Beautiful and magical.”
He kissed her again, and they were swept up in the glory of being with each other, the soft, misty rain slicking their skin as they joined together once more.
Chapter Six
Getting ready to take Jetty out on the boat was hard the next morning. They’d spent the night in bliss, dozing only to wake and make love again. Drew had never experienced another night like it in his life. It was near perfect. The only thing marring the moment was the fact that he’d have to let her go this morning.
And it wasn’t just letting h
er go. It was letting her go back out there—into danger. That’s what was really killing him.
In a break from his normal, lonely routine, Jetty helped him make sandwiches in the dark well before dawn. She laughed and joked with him as she smeared jelly and peanut butter on bread, licking her fingers and his mouth with equal gusto when they paused for a passionate kiss.
She went back to making sandwiches, a little breathless, but smiling. He loved watching her move. She brought light and joy into his home that hadn’t been there…ever.
“Mm. I haven’t had PB&J in years,” she told him, making two of the gooey sandwiches and putting them in plastic baggies.
Drew worked at her side, frying up the few eggs he had in the house and putting them on bread to make egg sandwiches. They didn’t have too much more time here before they’d have to head out on the boat, but he enjoyed every second he had in her presence.
Whether they were in bed or in the kitchen, just being with her made him feel…happy. Drew paused as the thought struck him. He hadn’t been truly happy in a very long time, so it was hard to name the feeling Jetty stirred in him, but he had to admit, he thought it felt like happiness. Something he hadn’t really expected to find again in this lifetime.
He’d seen too much. Done too much as a soldier. He’d been the witness—and sometimes the cause—of human suffering. His heart hadn’t been able to stand much more, which was why he’d been glad when he’d retired. Leaving the service when he had…well…it had almost been too late.
Drew had spent a lot of time thinking since rejoining his unit here. He’d sought the peace of the ocean, but it didn’t always fulfill him. Not like having Jetty near. He was fast learning that having her nearby went a long way toward curing what ailed him—emotionally, psychologically, and even spiritually.
She was light when he was in darkness. All she had to do was just be there, and he could finally see everything that had been missing in him for so very long.
But she had to leave. Soon.
She was going into danger, and he was going to deliver her into the arms of the beast. It didn’t sit well. Not at all.
“Jetty.” He spun to face her after turning off the stove. He’d finished with the eggs, and they were nearly packed and ready to go. He waited until he had her full attention before speaking further. “When we get out there today…” He walked a step closer to her, holding her gaze, trying to figure out how to express himself. “I’m going to stay on the water all day. If at all possible, I’d be happy to bring you and any of your people who want to come with us, back here tonight.”
She moved toward him, her gaze troubled. “They may take a while to decide. I can’t guarantee they’ll want to come at all. And if they do decide to come ashore, I don’t know when that’ll be.”
He closed the distance between them, taking her into his arms. “That’s okay. I’ll be on the water every day from dawn to dusk, waiting for you, if I have to. I want you safe, my pearl.” He whispered the last bit, just before crushing her lips with his.
This kiss was one of longing and fear. He sought to imprint himself on her so that she would remember him and have a reason to return.
Drew felt so damned powerless in this situation. He’d just found everything he’d ever wanted, but he had to give it up. And he didn’t know if he’d ever see her again.
She could go out into the deeps and run into something terrible where he wouldn’t be able to help her. She could be killed, and he’d never know what had happened to her. He could lose her before they ever really got a chance to be together.
One stolen night was not enough. His bear—and his human heart—demanded more. He wanted it all.
She was his mate.
That earth-shattering thought was the only thing that could make him release her. He staggered back a step, trying to process the thoughts that had come straight from his instinctual knowing. The reservoir of magic in his soul—the place where the bear spirit lived—guided him told him the truth of it. After only one beautiful night with her, he knew for certain that Jetty Silver of the mer was his mate.
Sweet Mother of All.
Andrew released her, an odd expression on his face. That kiss had been pretty spectacular, but then again, every experience she’d had with him had been memorable. He was like no other man she’d ever known, and she regretted having to cut this short, but she had to get back out there and pass on her findings to her people. They were counting on her.
She turned back to the small cooler and closed the lid. They had plenty of sandwiches. She’d eat one or two before she left the boat, but she’d leave the rest for him, feeling a certain mer-ish satisfaction in knowing that she’d helped provide a meal for him, even when she wasn’t around to watch him eat it.
Providing food for the others was part of her duties as a member of a hunting party. It was part of her instinct, and her pleasure. She liked hunting and was darn good at it, if she did say so herself. She felt satisfaction in providing for the weaker or less skilled of her people, especially the elders and the tadpoles. She felt joy when she helped others, even in small ways.
Her mother had always said it was because she was a nurturing soul. Jetty admitted that was true, but that wasn’t all of it. She was also a warrior. A protector. She didn’t see a problem with the way those two inclinations fit together. She was an Alpha female, protecting her pod while nurturing them. Sorta like the mer version of how she imagined a mama grizzly would be. The thought made her smile as she finished packing up the second cooler with ice and drinks.
She noticed Andrew hadn’t added any beer to this cooler today. She knew from observing him that he usually drank a local microbrew when he fished, but there was a conspicuous absence of the long, dark bottles in his cooler today. Instead, there were more sensible choices—sports drinks, plain water and even a few sweet, fizzy soft drinks. He was also capping off a big thermos filled with rich, dark coffee when she turned around.
It was super sweet of him. He wanted to stay alert while she was out there with him. That much was obvious.
All packed up, she went over to give him a hug and a kiss. His actions spoke of care and concern, and touched her deeply. When she backed away, he let her go, a bewildered expression on his handsome face.
“What was that for?” he asked in that deep growl that made her lady parts tingle.
“For the pop. I love orange fizz,” she teased him, gesturing toward the ice chest with the drinks.
“Well, if I’d known that was all it took to get a kiss, I’d have dragged out my secret stash of fizzy drinks sooner.” He looped his arms around her waist again and pulled her in for another devastating, laughter-filled kiss.
He really was the easiest man to be with that she’d ever met. Everything with him was simple. Basic. Delicious and fun, while also meaningful and…real.
He was real. That was the crux of it. No pretense. He was as you saw him, with no lies and no subterfuge. Not like the last guy she’d been serious with.
Dirk the Jerk had been an actor. His entire life was a role. He’d never felt a genuine emotion for her, and everything he’d told her was just to advance his own goals of getting her to do what he wanted.
She’d been sick of the lies. Sick of the dishonesty of it all.
With Andrew, that was all over. He was true blue in every sense of the word. Everything he’d told her had turned out to be not only true, but magnificently so. So far, he’d never lied to her, and she got the feeling he never would. Something inside her unfurled and dared to extend a little tendril of trust to him. Little by little, she was growing attached to the bear who was very close to stealing her heart.
But it was time to go. Her mood dropped. She didn’t want to go. For the first time in her memory, she wasn’t looking forward to putting the human world behind her and embracing the freedom of her mer side.
Now that meant something. Something profound. Something she wasn’t ready to contemplate just yet.
; “We’d better get going,” she whispered
The ride out of the cove was calm, but there was definitely the scent of a brewing storm in the air. The misty rain of the night before had stopped, but it felt like the calm before another band of weather—probably heavier rain—came through.
The weather above didn’t impact those below the waves too much, unless it got really violent. The absence of direct sun made things a little darker. A little more mysterious. But then, after a certain depth, things were always dark and mysterious in the underwater world.
Jetty watched Andrew pilot the craft out toward the open sea. He was so handsome she just enjoyed watching him move, his gaze intent on the instruments and the horizon, his muscles shifting as he worked the various controls. There was so much more to him than his looks, though. She’d learned that over the past hours.
He was a man of emotion and depth. One with scars, to be sure, but he was still a being of light, working toward making his life, and the lives of those around him, better. It was a worthy goal, that expressed itself in the town and the people in it. As she’d assessed the town, she’d also made discoveries about the man next to her. She liked everything she’d seen about both.
“Is there a particular area you’d like me to aim for?” he asked, looking from his charts to her as the sun began to rise behind them, kissing the dark sky with orange and red. It looked like an angry sky. It would definitely rain later.
Jetty didn’t want to lead him straight to the pod, but she felt confident enough in him now to give him the general region her hunting party patrolled. She moved closer to him, reaching across his chest to point to an area on the chart where shoals of fish usually gathered this time of day.
“This is the most likely spot for my hunting party right now.” Andrew frowned, not even commenting on the way she stroked his muscular chest as she withdrew her hand. That he didn’t respond to her teasing aroused her concern. “What is it? What’s wrong?”