Maisie felt her heartrate pick up. “I don’t care about that,” she said, and she didn’t. “All I care about isyou– and to me, the fact you didn’t let someone get tortured to death is a hell of a lot more important than you keeping your job.” She smiled – maybe just alittlewickedly. “And anyway, if youdoget fired, you can always just get a job as a nude model. You’ll be raking it in in no time. I hear some guys are making out like bandits on OnlyFans, and they’re not half as hot as you. We could come on these kinds of holidays all the time, and even pay for them ourselves.”
Rhys laughed, a low, growling rumble that sent a warm shiver straight through Maisie’s belly.
“Thanks – well, I guess that’s a comfort. If I can’t be a secret agent, then I can at least earn a living getting my dick out for strangers online.”
“Well, I didn’t say you had to getcompletelynaked,” Maisie said, as a possessiveness wound through her.
Why did I even suggest that?! I don’t want strangers seeing Rhys totally naked! That’s for my eyes only!
“We can pose you with a modesty cushion,” she said. “Or a strategically placed banana. Or an eggplant.” She glanced down. “Although it’d need to be a really big one. Not sure if they come in that size.”
“Okay, let’s just… stop talking about this,” Rhys said, though Maisie thought she could hear a pleased tinge to his voice. “At the moment, let’s just enjoy ourselves on the island. Before I either die of embarrassment or my head explodes from getting too full of myself.”
Maisie laughed. “Okay, you have a point. We’re on a secluded private island – kind of makes it hard to focus on your troubles.”
“Speaking of,” Rhys said, glancing up. “It’s getting a little late. Did you want to head back?”
Looking up at the sky, Maisie realized he was right – she’d been so caught up in the, uh,everythingthat she hadn’t noticed the pink of sunset beginning to streak the sky. She knew night would be coming, but she really,reallywasn’t ready to let go of her time here with Rhys.
Besides which, our clothes are still soaking wet!
“No,” she said, turning to him, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder. He shuddered at the touch, his eyes hooded. “No, I think I want to stay here for just a little longer yet.”
“Got any plans for what we should do?” he asked.
Smiling, Maisie leaned in to kiss him. “Maybe one or two,” she whispered against his lips, before he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss.
Chapter 13
That may have been the best night of my life.
No, there’s no ‘may have’ about it – thatwasthe best night of my life, hands down.
Rhys, in griffin form, slowly beat his wings as they made their lazy way back toward Burr Island. He was acutely aware of Maisie’s comforting warmth on his back, and howrightit felt. Like she had always belonged there, and had been missing up until now.
Of course,his griffin said with an excessive level of smugness, even by its standards.She is our mate. She is exactly where she should be.
It sounded so pompous that Rhys wanted to argue with it, but for once he had to admit that it was one hundred percent correct. He and Maisie justfittogether.
He’d have to apologize to Hec and the others later for not wanting to hear it whenever they’d banged on about how amazing finding your mate was. Well, maybe he wouldn’tapologize, but he’d be a bit more polite about it in the future.
Our mate is clearly the best mate of all,his griffin declared.They should all have to sit down and listen while you deliver a treatise on all of her finest attributes.
Yeah, nah, I’m not doing that,Rhys replied in irritation.
The griffin gave him a haughty look.We must let the world know of her excellence!
Shut your pie hole. I’m trying to have a moment – I don’t need you barging in.
Suit yourself,the griffin said in an ominous tone, before turning its back and curling up. Normally Rhys would’ve been thrilled to see the griffin shut up and leave him alone, but this time he was a little worried. He didn’tthinkthe griffin would plunge them into the ocean out of spite, but it might just make him start talking to random people about how great Maisie was once they were back on land.
In any case, hewastrying to have a moment, and so he brought himself back to the real world, with the wind dancing in his feathers, his mate on his back, and the sunlight sparkling on the ocean below. The picnic hamper in his talons dampened the effect a little, but he didn’t even care.
Rhys was still riding high – figuratively, as well as literally – from the night before. He wouldn’t say that it was the best night’s sleep he’d ever had, given the number of times they’d woken up, whether it was to eat, take a dunk in the ocean, admire the phosphorescence that adorned the waves, or lie back down together again for another round… but it was the best-rested he’d ever felt. He thought that he could do it all again now, and still feel on top of the world.
Was this what being a lovesick idiot felt like? Well, sign him up, he supposed.
A movement in the corner of his vision caught the attention of his griffin’s eagle eye, and he changed course slightly, bringing them in closer.
