Taylor, who stood behind Annabel, arched a brow at Cayden, curious to see how he would get out of this.
“I was over at the Yacht Club and had a friend run me by. I thought maybe we could go to lunch, but I see this is a bad time.”
“I’ll run in and start getting ready, Poppy,” Taylor said. “You and Cayden can talk a bit.”
****
As soon as Taylor left, Cayden stepped forward and bent to kiss her lingeringly on the lips. She leaned against him, and he caught her firmly by the elbows, lifting her toward him so he could better access her mouth.
“Let’s go up on the porch,” she breathed shakily, her fall and her outburst forgotten in the wake of his kisses.
“Hold onto your crutches,” he told her and swung her up into his arms.
“Cay!” she hissed at him, “Put me down! I can walk.”
He grinned at her. “I know, but I just like having you close. How long will it take Taylor to get ready?”
She giggled. “He likes a long shower.”
He sat down on the lounge and arranged her on his lap before once again molding his mouth to hers. “We can do this, right?” he murmured against her lips.
“Kiss? Yes.”
His hand wandered under her T-shirt to her bikini-clad breast. “And this?”
“Uh-huh.”
He began nibbling along her neck. “What about this?”
“Oh, yes.” She forgot about what happened down on the dock.
Now his hand slipped seductively over the skin of her stomach and his fingers beneath the elastic of her bikini bottom. She gasped as his fingers slid between her legs and stroked her clit. “Do we have time for this?”
There was a distinct chuckle in his voice now, but she was too turned on to notice.
“Oh, yes.”
He turned her quickly to straddle his lap and his hand returned to touching her, a finger pressing into the moist center of her. As his lips nibbled near her ear, he whispered softly. “I want you, Bell. Can you feel?”
His free hand cupped her bottom and brought her closer against him.
“Yes.”
He eased her away. “But we don’t have time now. You have to get ready.”
“Cay!” she complained. “Surely you don’t mean to stop right now?”
He smiled gently, though his breathing was ragged and his cock was plainly outlined against the taut material of his slacks. “Yes. That’s exactly what I mean to do. I will not have your brother catch me on your front porch fucking as much as I might like to spend the rest of the day with you doing just that.” He moved her again so she sat crosswise on his lap. “Can I come by tonight? I’ll bring the Belle. We can go out for a late night sail. Maybe go back to your cove.”
She hugged him close to her. “I’d like that.”
He smiled and winked at her. “Up you go, then. Go see your doctor and be sure to tell him that some things work very, very well.”
Annabel laughed. “Don’t tempt me!”
He set her on her feet and then waved goodbye.
“Where are you going?” she called after him.
“Back to town.”
“Don’t you need a ride?”
He waggled his brows at her. “No. I have my own ways of getting there.”
Chapter 10
“The shore seems to agree with you Annabel. You are significantly stronger than you were, and we were already amazed at how much mobility you have achieved…” blah, blah, blah. It was nothing more than white noise anymore.
Her eyes glazed over as she listened to the same speech again…keep doing your exercises and pushing your limits. It’s a miracle how far you’ve come. Who knows what else you might be able to achieve…
“What about sex?”
This time she caught Dr. Gorski off guard.
“What?” His eyes blinked owlishly behind his wire-rimmed spectacles.
“Is it okay to have sex?” She rephrased her question and enunciated carefully as if speaking to a slightly deaf old man.
“Well, yes. You should take all the same precautions as any other female against STD’s and pregnancy.”
She continued to regard him frankly. “Would there be problems if I were to get pregnant?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Not necessarily. You would be considered more high risk than other women.”
“You mean women who can actually walk instead of shuffling along with most of their weight balanced on some damn crutches?”
“Miss Barton,” he began severely, but Annabel cut him off with a chopping motion of her hand.
“Look, doctor, it’s been seven years since that boom cracked my skull and broke my back. Every time I come here I listen to the same speech about what a miracle I am and how I should keep doing my exercises. But the bottom line is it’s not going to get any better than where I am right now, is it?”
He looked at her steadily. His Adam’s apple bobbed a couple of times. “No. The chances of you making any significant progress beyond where you are right now are almost non-existent without some major medical breakthrough in repairing spinal cord injuries. Even then, you were injured so many years ago you would be an unlikely candidate for surgery.”
Her lips twisted into more of a grimace than a smile.
“Then I guess I should thank God that I have control of my bladder, my bowels, and that I can actually feel my lover fuck me.”
Gorski’s eyes widened even more. “Really, I don’t…”
“Need to know all about that sex part? Good. Suits me. I have to tell you, you are right about one thing. The shore does agree with me, so if you’ll recommend a doctor out that way, it will save me a trip all the way to the city just to be told to keep doing my exercises.”
When she met Taylor in the waiting room she actually grinned. That had felt good. She had continued to see the doctor that her father took her to following the accident, but she’d never liked the man. She was fed up with hearing the same platitudes visit after visit.
“Let’s go, Taylor. Cayden’s taking me out for a sail this evening.”
Her brother glanced through the receptionist’s window and Bell followed his gaze. The doctor was in conference with one of the nurses. He was gesticulating in a manner that showed his agitation.
“Poppy,” Taylor asked slowly. “What did you do?”
“I asked him if it was okay to have sex and told him I wouldn’t be coming back here.”
Taylor choked and coughed. His blue eyes shifted to the doctor and nurse again. The pair stared out at her brother and her. Taylor clasped her arm at the elbow.
“Let’s go, Poppy! I want to get you home before you decide to lay it out there for everyone.”
He had driven her dad’s Volvo. The Miata might be great to tool around the beach in, but it left something to be desired when it came to any kind of longer trips. It was late afternoon by the time they reached the blue house on the point. Taylor shook her.
“I’m sorry. I must have fallen asleep on the way.”
“Let me take you inside.”
She batted at his hands, but Taylor ignored her protests, carried her inside the house, and set her on her bed.
“I’ll bring you a valium; then you need to lie down and rest for a while so you’ll have enough reserves for your evening with Cayden.”
****
He sat with her until she fell asleep. When her lids began to droop, Taylor studied the faint shadows beneath her lids and he sighed. She put up such a tough front, and she was tough, mentally and emotionally, but her physical reserves were nearly nonexistent.
She slept through the afternoon. Taylor woke her around six when he started dinner so she could get ready. When Cayden showed up just a short time later, Taylor had him join him in the kitchen.
“She’s getting ready, Cayden. It will take her a little while. Would you like some dinner? I was just going to throw some fish on the grill.”
“Sure. I love fish,” he added with a
chuckle.
Taylor turned from where he was shucking corn.
“Speaking of your liking of fish…. When are you planning on telling Poppy about your alter ego, Whiskers?”
Cayden flushed. “Soon.”
“She won’t freak out. She’s tougher than you think. She’s had to be.”
“I have a sneaking suspicion, from the name of her old boat and all the seal figures she had in her room seven years ago…”
“You were in her room seven years ago?”
“Once. Anyway, I suspect she knows a lot more Silkie myths than you. I want her to understand I’m not leaving her, no matter what, before I tell her. We do have a reputation for loving and leaving.”
“Are you having sex with my sister?” Taylor inquired, one brow arched.
Cayden frowned, his dark eyes suddenly remote. “I’m not going to answer that, Taylor. That’s something between Bell and me.”
“Fair enough,” Taylor responded and then added, “Just don’t hurt her.”
****
Annabel entered the kitchen then and smiled at both of them. She used the wheelchair tonight, a sign of just how exhausting a day it had been, but she smiled brightly at both men. Cayden smiled back, and leaned over to kiss her softly on the cheek.
“You look lovely, baby. I like that shade of blue with your eyes.”
He didn’t look half bad himself. Her gaze roved over the polo shirt and jeans he wore this evening. His feet, she noticed, were once again bare. It made her smile. He made her smile. In fact, just looking at him made everything heat until she felt like she was melting from her head down to her toes. And she couldn’t wait to be alone with him, but Cayden insisted on helping clean up the kitchen with Taylor before he wheeled Annabel down the ramp to the Belle.
“There’s not much wind tonight,” she commented eyeing the clear sky as they stopped next to his boat. “Should we make other plans?”
Cayden smiled at her. “We’ll be fine. I had plenty of wind on the way over.” He helped her on board and set her crutches next to her. “Do you want me to bring the chair, too, or leave it here on the dock for when we get back?”
“Leave it. I can’t use it on the boat anyway.”
He cast off and hopped onto the deck, turning on the motor to take them out away from shore and into the bay. As he set out, he paused to lean down where she sat and kiss her lingeringly. In the evening light, she caught just a glint of gold around his neck right before his mouth touched hers and made her forget everything else.
He was right about the wind. When they got out into the bay, it picked up just enough to fill the sail. Annabel lifted her face, enjoying the feel of the warm wind and salt air. It cleared away the aftereffects of having to go into the city and erased the memory of her visit to the doctor. Her eyes turned to Cayden, watching as the wind ruffled his hair and molded his polo shirt against the muscles in his chest. He was so incredibly handsome; it made her feel guilty that he was out with her. He should have some leggy blonde on his arm, headed out for a night of dancing.
He turned to look at her and must have caught something in her expression. His brows drew together.
“Bell? Is something wrong? You’re not uncomfortable, are you?”
“No.” She didn’t elaborate, unwilling to let him see where her thoughts had taken her. “I guess I’m just a little moody after visiting the doctor today.” There. That was generic enough that it should satisfy him.
“What did he say?”
She grimaced. “What a miracle it was that I had as much mobility as I did. That I should keep doing my exercises and pushing myself… blah, blah, blah.” She paused and then plowed resolutely onward. “I also got him to finally admit that this is about as good as it gets, that after seven years, there won’t be any more significant improvement.”
She stared at him. It was time to get it out in the open. “You could do so much better than me, Cayden,” she whispered. “You should find someone else.”
“No,” he declared, his tone leaving no doubt of his conviction. “We’ve been through this, Bell.”
He turned the boat into the cove and reduced sail, once again anchoring in almost the same spot as before. He joined her, sitting down next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders before pulling her close against his ribs. “Now, why don’t you tell me exactly why you’re pushing me away?”
“I’m a burden, Cayden. While I can do a lot of things for myself, there are times when I need help with just common everyday tasks. You should find someone who can fully share your love of the sea, someone who can then turn around and walk on shore with you, but that’s never going to be me.”
His fingers tilted her chin up and his mouth touched her forehead, her eyes, her nose and finally her lips. “I want you . I love you . It is you I can’t live without. As long as you breathe, as long as I breathe, there can be no one else. I don’t give a damn if you walk, wheel, or crawl just as long as you stay with me.”
She rested her head against his chest. How could she make him understand? “I want you to be happy, Cayden. I want you to find someone your family can be happy with. I don’t want to be a wedge between you.”
Cayden smiled somewhat sadly. “There was already a wedge driven right through my family in the form of my brother, Bell. His jealousy has haunted us both. Hell, that summer seven years ago, my parents sent him away it was so bad.”
“Why?”
Cayden sighed. “The night we were on the dock and then went skinny dipping, you remember?” At her nod he continued. “Ciaran watched the whole thing. We had a terrible fight the next day, and when my father got to the bottom of it, he sent Ciaran to visit some relatives for the rest of the summer.”
So his parents had encouraged Cayden to begin with. It was only after her accident that his parents and her father had united to keep them apart.
His fingers stroked her hair. “Do you want to swim or talk for a while?”
“Let’s swim. Being in the water at least gives me the illusion of being whole.”
He arched a brow at her “With or without suits?”
She laughed and for an answer began removing her clothing right there on deck.
His dark eyes burned. “Oh that is so the right answer, baby.”
Being with him was certainly making her a whole lot less self-conscious about her body. And as soon as she got a glimpse of his tight, muscular ass again, she felt her pussy begin to weep. She could almost feel him slipping inside of her, filling her… and oh God! She wanted him.
The water was cool but not cold against her skin as she slipped over the edge. Cayden dove over her head, arcing out over the water and then down. He must have circled under the water because he resurfaced next to her, blowing bubbles at her as he did. Annabel laughed at the tickling sensation along her sensitive skin. His hands followed, skimming over her before he leaned in and quickly kissed her.
She noticed again the faint glint of gold at his neck and reached out to touch the chain there curiously. “I had a chain just like that,” she laughed. “My father gave it to me. I’ve never noticed you wearing one before.”
Cayden touched the chain. “Mine was a gift too.”
He was relieved when she didn’t pursue the subject, instead striking out across the cove with smooth, powerful strokes. He watched her, wondering how she could view herself as anything less than whole when she was far more fluid and graceful in the water than almost any human he had ever seen. Even now. Surely there was some Silkie magic somewhere that could heal her and make her whole in her own eyes. He thought of his mother. She would know. She had more magic than anyone he knew. He would swallow his fucking pride if it meant helping Bell. He had to. She was his mate.
He followed her, diving under the surface, his vision unhampered by the dark. His beautiful Annabel Lee. Her hair flowed out behind her like a silk curtain, alternately revealing and concealing the slender curves of her body. She mesmerized and bewitched him until sometim
es he felt like an addict in need of a fix. He hadn’t realized how truly starved he was until she came back into his life. And right now, his cock was letting him know in no uncertain terms what it wanted.
Kicking to the surface once more, he shook his head, spraying drops of water around him. She paused, dunking her head to get her hair out of her eyes, and then she surfaced next to him.
“Put your arms on my shoulders,” he told her. “I can tread water for both of us and give you a rest.”
She smiled gratefully. “It’s much easier to keep myself afloat with my arms in the salt water than it is in a pool. That was the only place I had to swim in the city and at school.”
“Are you going back?” he asked. “To school, I mean.”
“Not this year. I want to take a break.”
“Stay with me,” Cayden whispered softly. “Here. I don’t think I can let you go again.”
She twined her arms around his neck. “I don’t want to talk about the future tonight, Cay. I just want to feel.”
He kissed her then. It started off softly, but quickly deepened. He was so close to coming he could already feel his sac tightening in anticipation. When their mouths broke apart, they were both breathless.
“Hang on!” he instructed as he turned to swim strongly back toward the Belle. When they reached the ladder and he would have helped her up, she stopped him.
“Can we stay in the water, Cay? I feel so much more coordinated here.”
“Whatever you want, Bell. I’ll do whatever you want.”
She touched him then, her hand circling his thick shaft and caressing him until he groaned and kissed her again, his mouth slanting over hers passionately. His sensitive fingers caressed her cheek and the column of her throat before gliding along the deceptively fragile line of her shoulder. He touched her breasts, gently kneading them before lowering his mouth to tug at her dusky nipples. Annabel moaned. Encouraged by her response, he let one hand drift down across the smooth, taut line of her ribcage, the narrowness of her waist, and the trembling muscles of her abdomen until he stroked her between the legs. In addition to the moistness from the water, he felt the slick juices of her cunt and he nearly orgasmed on the spot.
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