Chapter 12
KAI JERKED AWAKE ATthe sound of metal scraping metal once more. They had been left in the hold for hours, and the steamy interior had left them feeling exhausted. He had no idea what time it was, but he was fairly certain they’d slept through the night.
A cool, silky sensation slid over his arm, and he looked down at Hollyn sleeping soundly in his arms, her hair falling over her face and touching his skin. He wanted to smooth her hair back so that he could look at her beautiful face. He’d always heard that sirens were ugly creatures, more fish than human-like. Yet, Hollyn was exquisite in so many ways.
Her hair was like a vibrantly-hued sky at sunset, and he couldn’t get enough of her long-lashed, lively blue eyes or her full smile. Even now, his body was reacting to having her so close to him. One of her hands rested against his outer thigh, and the other lay across his lap. Having her so near had him thinking things he knew better than to think. She was just such an attractive woman. Yet, she was so much more than that, and that surprised him even more.
Yes, he’d given her a hard time for not en-trancing the crew of the ship so that they could commandeer the vessel to get them to the island, but he understood why she didn’t feel like she could. She blamed herself for her father’s henchman’s death, and she didn’t want to be responsible for any others. He might have even admired such conviction of character under different circumstances.
But right now, her choice could mean their lives. He shook his head.Dammit!Yet, he couldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want to. He wouldn’t, even if it did mean the end of both of them.
Being able to choose your own destiny mattered. That much he knew for certain.
The metal scraped against the door again, but nothing more happened. Was some random crew member too drunk to remember how a key worked?
He gently shook Hollyn awake, and he groaned as she pulled her arm that had been draped across his body back, and her hand grazed his jean-covered groin. His heart pounded in his chest, and he’d never wanted to kiss a woman so much as he did in that moment. He needed some distance. He started to pull away so that he could stand and move away from her, but she grabbed his forearm and said, “I won’t let you fight. I’ll sing, okay? I can do it.”
No words came to mind, but as their gazes met, he swore he could hear her heart racing in beat with his. She licked her lips, and he watched her pink tongue in fascination. This was dangerous. She was dangerous.
He nodded slowly and felt the distance between them begin to close as they leaned toward each other. He just needed a little taste. Just a sip of her kiss.
At the sound of a metal key finding its way home, they pulled apart and stared at each other with widened gazes. What had Kai almost done? He’d known her for a day, and he was already thinking about kissing her. Was he losing his mind?
No! He knew what it was. He thought she hadn’t mesmerized him on the plane, but she probably had. Maybe he only thought he was in full control. Maybe she’d been manipulating him the whole time.
The key turned in the lock, and the spell between Hollyn and Kai was broken. They stood up and waited for the captain, the bearer of their fate, to come through the door.
But nothing happened.
They waited a full thirty seconds, but the door didn’t open.
“You did hear the lock turn, right?” Kai asked.
“What are they waiting for?”
A loud bang sounded on the outside of the door, like someone was trying to break through from the other side. Another bang echoed, followed by another.
