Lily stood and put on one of her best smiles—the kind he could see right through. “Okay, but after I try this on, you’re buying me lunch at the beach.”
Kieran grinned and drew her hand back to his lips, this time kissing her palm. “Deal.”
ChapterTwenty-Four
North Avenue Beach in July was a sweltering mass of tourists and locals alike. They flocked to the long, thin beach, loving it for the same reasons Lily cited—the beachfront restaurant, the short walk to Lincoln Park Zoo, and of course, North Avenue Pier and its spectacular view of the city skyline. Kieran would’ve been happier at South Shore, with its curving shoreline and shady trees, but this little outing wasn’t for him. It was for Lily.
After sitting down for hamburgers at the grill, they settled midway between the boardwalk and the shoreline with a rented beach umbrella, their towels and a small cooler packed with water and snacks.
Lily took her time shimmying out of that little white sundress, inch by inch revealing a strapless bikini top in emerald green. It fit and supported her breasts so perfectly, it could’ve been painted onto her sun-kissed skin. It was the same one from the Fourth of July. Right down to the bikini bottom’s strings—the ones that came away so easily when he tugged with his teeth.
He shrugged out of his shirt with far less finesse, but Lilydidn’t seem to mind. As soon as he dropped his shirt onto his towel, Lily’s sunblock-covered hands spread over every visible inch of his skin, even dipping under the waistline of his swim trunks. He growled a playful warning, then she was lifting her hair and passing him the sunblock to return the favor.
When did putting on sunblock become so fucking sexy?
He chased Lily into the tide, water spraying up and around her feet as she danced into the rushing waters. When the cold registered, she shrieked and ran back toward him, but he wasn’t letting her get away so easily. He scooped her up by her waist and waded out toward where the waves were only swells but they could still touch the lake’s floor.
“Okay, okay! I’m in!” she shrieked, but as soon as he set her on her feet, she tackled him into the water.
They both came up gasping and shivering. “Holy shit, that’s fucking cold,” he bit out between clenched teeth. He reached for Lily, and she took his hand, letting him draw her closer until she wrapped her legs around his waist.
“Kiss me. You’ll warm up.” One hand splayed across his cheek, and the other tangled in the short hairs at the back of his neck.
She didn’t need to tell him twice. With his legs shoulder-width apart, he drew her into a kiss that spread warmth like swirling embers under his skin. Her contented sigh only fanned them.
When she broke their kiss, she didn’t go far. She flicked the tip of her nose against his and steadied herself by holding on to his shoulders. “I like this. It’s just you and me and the lake.”
He rested his hands on her hips and twined the strings of her bottoms between his fingers. If she remembered just how much he liked those ties, she didn’t let on. “No phones. No interruptions. If I wasn’t worried about you turning into a seal, we’d never leave.”
Lily tilted her head. “Why in God’s good name would I turn into a seal?”
The warmth of his embarrassment chased away the lingering cold of the water. He hadn’t meant to regale her with folk tales, but there was just something in the way her dark hair floated around her like a cloak in the night that reminded him of his grandfather’s stories.
“Ah, well.” He twirled her bikini strings once again. “Daideo, my grandda, he used to tell me stories of the fae when I was little and still believed in magic.” He let a wave lift him off his feet and set him back down, then watched it break closer to the sand. “Selkies have two forms. They’re seals in the water, and they’re dark-haired women on the land.”
“Like a mermaid,” Lily supplied, her lips quirking upward.
“Not really. Mermaids can be predators. They might drag men to their watery grave.” Kieran untangled one hand from the strings and brushed a shiny section of Lily’s hair back behind her ear. “Selkies are kind. They only want to dance in the moonlight and swim in the seas. But if a man steals her seal coat, the selkie becomes his bride and is trapped in her human form until her seal coat is returned.”
“That—” She shook her head, her brows pinching together. “That sounds awful.”
Kieran nodded. “You’re right. It is awful. Most selkie stories end in tragedy.” He wet his lips. “But some of the stories tell of selkies who willingly go to their human lovers. Have children with them.” He traced the underside of her jaw with the backs of his fingers. “Daideo always said his wife was a selkie, because one day she put on her coat and never came home.” He let his hand drop back into the water, a brittle chuckle breaking on his lips. “Well, it’s the only explanation for why my father turned out the way he did.”
“So, what would that make you?” she asked, sadness tingeing the upturn of her lips. She cuddled closer and slid her cheek against his. “A quarter selkie? Can selkies even be male?”
“They can. Though the males seek out lonely women. Or women looking for a selkie lover can summon one by dropping seven tears into the sea.” He nipped her ear playfully. “You been crying into the lake, Princess?”
She giggled, the sound seeping into his skin and settling into his heart. He loved this fun-loving side of her. The side she let out only when the rest of the world quieted. “I’ll never tell.” She stretched out her arms and leaned back until she floated in the water.
From everything he knew of her, Lily would have been well within her rights to walk into the sea and search for a better life. Yet here she was, still in Chicago. She hadn’t run. She was ready and willing to fight for a life she wanted—a life she deserved.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked without opening her eyes.
Kieran dipped his hands into the lake and raised them, dumping chilling water over his face and slicking back his hair. “I was thinking how nice it is seeing you happy.”
“You don’t like me when I’m sad?” She opened one eye and let a mischievous grin spread across her face.
This woman.He took her hand and tugged her closer, letting her body float against him. In the barest of a caress, he trailed his palm down from her neck, through the valley of her breasts, until his hand hovered over her abdomen. “I like every part of you. Especially your smile.”
