"Um, sure, maybe. Well, as friends. I'm not really looking to date anyone at the moment." Keelin saw Cait throw her towel down on the bar and storm off. She looked up and saw Flynn glaring at her from the front booth.
"Friends. Just as friends." Shane smiled. "I'd like that." He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek and Keelin blushed.
"Time to go, Keelin." Fiona grabbed her hand and helped her up. She was softly singing to the music and entwined her arms with hers as she walked out. Stars pricked the sky and a breeze teased the ocean scent to her.
"So you like that young Shane, do you?" Fiona asked as she started the car and drove from the harbor and towards the hills.
"He seemed nice. But I think Cait's into him. He asked me out on a date. My mother would love him – a prosperous real estate owner."
"Hmm, and will you go?"
"No." Keelin sighed. "I learned long ago that if my mother would love him then I will hate him. It just doesn'twork. Plus, I'd like to be friends with Cait and it seems like the waters are muddy there."
"That's a good girl."
Fiona pulled the car into the drive. They chattered about the local gossip on the way into the house. Fiona stopped and gave Keelin a hug in the kitchen.
"I'm so happy you are here. It's been lonely." She smiled and gave Keelin a scone, along with a pitcher of water for her room. "Sleep well, dear."
Keelin wolfed down the scone and then cursed herself. So much for watching the calories. She poured a glass of water and walked to the window, looking out over the cove. It was hypnotizing in the moonlight. The sky spread over the water and the stars looked like someone had tossed a bag of diamonds onto a velvet rug. It was so hauntingly beautiful that she was compelled to go outside to see it more clearly.
Keelin quietly eased the latch open and snuck out of the house. Not that she had to sneak out, she reminded herself. She was a grown woman and she could damn well go outside if she wanted to look at the stars.
The sound of waves pulled her towards the cove. The sky was stunning and the moon's light sliced a path through the water. Until the cove. It stopped at the cove. Keelin was determined to see why this was and hurried her way across the hills until she reached the edge of the cove. The waters remained dark though the moon shone brightly above them. Keelin rushed down the path to the shore, slipping and sliding on the rough trail, the cider making her clumsier than usual. At the base of the path, she stumbled onto the beach.
"I don't get it. How does this make sense?" She walked rapidly towards the cove, scanning the cliffs to see where the light of the moon ended. The beach was lit up, yet the water remained dark.
"This just shouldn't be."
She walked towards the edge of the water. Was there something in the water that prevented reflection? A type of reverse phosphorous fish that absorbed the light? She reached down at the water's edge to scoop up a handful of water and sand to check if the water held something unusual…perhaps a dark substance of sorts. A huge crash sounded and she was hit hard with a wave. The force of the water dragged her across the bottom of the sand and her leg sliced against coral. Keelin shrieked and closed her mouth against the onslaught of water and held her breath. She was tumbled across the sand and scrambled to catch her feet in the fierce undertow. Her long skirt wound between her legs and her boots made her clumsy. She tried to kick for the surface when she was jerked from the water and dragged against a hard chest.
Keelin gasped for air and held on as she was pulled onto the beach. She tripped over her feet and skirt and was scooped up as if she weighed nothing. She coughed out water and nestled into the warmth of the chest. Just for a moment. She knew who had rescued her. She needed a moment.
Unfortunately, a moment she would not get.
Flynn dropped Keelin to her feet.
"Of all the stupid things to do this has to be the dumbest of the dumb. I thought you were some fancy marine science girl and you go into the water, alone, afterdrinking. In water that you don't know anything about? Could you be any more stupid? I can't believe you would even take a risk like this. I should have Fiona chain you to your bed at night," Flynn raged at her.
"Stupid?" Keelin hated being called stupid. Her Irish temper kicked in. "Who are you calling stupid, you big oaf? What are you doing down here anyway?"
She pounded her fist on his chest and he grabbed her wrist with his hand. His eyes glinted dangerously at her as he held her hand captive.
"Obviously, I'm saving a stupid child from drowning."
"A child? You, you jerk. Leave me alone." She spun away to stomp off and was whipped back. Keelin found herself plastered against his hard chest. She huffed out a breath and tried to calm her hammering heart.
"Let me go!" Keelin's eyes met his in the moonlight. Her nipples tightened against his chest. Keelin sucked in a breath as she saw his eyes dilate and narrow. Her heart skipped a beat and the moment held for a second. Flynn cursed and crushed her to him and took her lips with his. He nipped at her bottom lip, angry, yet oh-so-gentle. She moaned. His tongue slipped between her lips, dipping, diving, mimicking a gentle rhythm. Enticing her. She tasted whiskey and the sea. It was a heady mix and much like the sea, it pulled her under. Suddenly desperate, she ran her hands up his strong shoulders and threaded them through his thick hair. His mouth assaulted hers mercilessly, and he hitched her up so her legs wound around his waist, her skirt pushed to her thighs. She sucked at his bottom lip and ground herself against him. She felt helpless, yet impossibly turned on by the way he carried her.Keelin could feel his hard length pressed against her most intimate of spots. He was just as lost as she was.
Flynn kneeled in the sand and laid her down, cradling her in his arms as he pressed a knee between her legs. Craving more, Keelin rubbed against the pressure of his leg as he continued his assault on her mouth. It had been so long since she'd felt such passion. In fact, she'd never felt like this before. Liquid heat pooled in her stomach and she wanted him to touch every part of her. His strong hands slipped beneath her shirt and skimmed up her sides. Her breath caught as he slipped a hand inside her bra, cradling her wet breast that was grainy with sand. His warm hand rubbed the sand against her cold nipples and heat shot straight to her belly.
Keelin moaned deeply as the sensations began to build within her. She writhed against his leg as he continued to rub her nipples, over and over, round and round, his tongue flicking in and out of her mouth, dipping his head to nuzzle at a sensitive spot on her neck. Keelin felt the pressure building and opened her eyes as he pulled her into his lap and trailed his hand up her leg. Flynn pulled back and met her eyes just as he slid a finger deep inside of her. Keelin exploded and buried her face in his shoulder as she convulsed around his hand. Her body shook with the tremors and she raised her head to catch a breath and gasped as the cove glowed blue from within.
"What, wait, stop. Stop!" Keelin struggled for breath and her sanity. She stumbled back off of Flynn. Flynn sat back on his knees and ran his hand through his messy hair, breathing hard. His eyes bored into hers.
"You took advantage of me!" Keelin yelled. She wasn'tsure why she said it but she was still reeling from the sight of the now dark cove being lit from within. She must be losing her mind.
"I did no such thing. You wanted that and you know it. It's not my fault you're wound so tight that you go off at the slightest touch."
