Rock Bottom (The Gifted Realm #4)

by Jillian Neal

  “Fi, come on. Tell me what’s going on. We won’t do anything you don’t want to do.” Vile revulsion washed over him. He would never force her to do something she wasn’t comfortable with.

  “I set the cast this morning before we left, but I can’t figure out the time thing. Was that twenty-four hours ago?” her voice trembled, and tears formed in her eyes.

  “Shh,” Dan wrapped his arms around her, but she was hesitant. Something had suddenly made her wary of him, and he felt his heart ache as nausea set in his gut.

  “Fi, baby.” He held her tightly and refused to let his hands move anywhere that wasn’t her back, which he rubbed soothingly. “It’s ok. If it’s still set, then I’ll feel that once I’m in there, and if it isn’t, then I’ll seal you off. If you want to stop, then we will. I will do whatever you want.”

  “Have you ever done that before?” Her face held a mixture of terror and grief.

  Dan hesitated as he brushed her cheek with his thumb.

  “Truthfully, no,” he admitted, “but I’m pretty sure I can. I did get some good instructions.”

  She nodded hesitantly.

  “Fionna, please just tell me what’s going on. What happened? Did I do something you didn’t like?”

  She drew a deep, steadying breath, and he felt it again, the awe-inspiring sensation moved through him. She was drawing from him in heavy doses. He panted.

  She was drawing strength from him. He closed his eyes and gently pushed everything he had to her. He let her take as much as she needed, in endless supply. It was heavenly.

  “I don’t usually let guys cast me,” she still sounded frightened.

  “Ok.” Dan waited patiently. He knew there was more.

  “My job depends on me not getting pregnant.”

  He continued holding her to his chest, rubbing her back, and letting her draw from him, as she needed his energy.

  He was desperate to do more to soothe her. He added calming waves to the strength she was drawing. He felt her relax against him, but the fear remained.

  Dan felt his stomach knot tightly as he worried about the reason she didn’t let other men cast her. While holding her tenderly, he didn’t even have to concentrate to let his shield encapsulate her.

  If she needed to feel safe, then that’s exactly what he would do for her. He’d never shielded a woman in his arms. Amelia couldn’t have felt anything if he had, but when he held her in his rhythms, he was filled with peace, and warmth, and an emotion he couldn’t quite name.

  “Wow,” she hushed as she felt it surround her. His adoration was in the very air she breathed.

  “Tell me, honey. I know there’s more. I’ve got you.” He kept his fierce shield locked tightly around them.

  “When I was a lot younger,” she began.

  His gut clenched tightly.

  “I was with this guy, and he said he could cast me, so I let him.” She spat the regret from her mouth, and Dan felt fury begin to sear through him. “Anyway,” she shrugged, “he was horrible at it, and he hurt me really badly.”

  Dan let his eyes close. His overly-muscled arms tensed of their own accord. His jaw clenched tightly as she continued.

  “But then he just went ahead with everything. It was awful, and I hurt for days. I was completely freaked out for a month, because I thought he probably didn’t do it right and that I might be pregnant.” Her body shuddered from the haunting memory.

  While he desperately fought the desire that permeated every fiber of his being to hunt the guy down and shatter every bone in his body, and show him exactly what he thought of what he’d done, Dan tried to remain calm.

  “Did you tell him to stop, Fionna?” He felt bile rise violently in his throat as he awaited her answer.

  “Kind of,” she hemmed. “Yeah.” She finally admitted. “I kept thinking it would get better, and I didn’t want to make him mad.” She said nothing to keep Dan from wanting desperately to fix it, so whoever the prick was, he would never have sex again.

  “I’m sorry.” She looked devastated, which effectively shook Dan from his infuriated preoccupation.

  “Baby doll, why on earth are you sorry? You did nothing wrong. The asshole who did that to you did everything wrong, and if I ever convince you to tell me his name, I’ll make absolutely certain that he is well-informed of exactly what I think of what he did, but you have nothing to apologize for.”

  This elicited a small smile.

  “No, he was just a stupid kid, Dan. I was apologizing for shutting this down. I really didn’t mean to,” she seemed confused by everything that had happened. Dan was still in utter shock.

  “Ok, Fi, look at me.” He pulled away from her, but widened his shield so she still felt safe as he took her hands and stared into her eyes.

  “Honey,” he squeezed her hands gently still willing calm into her as he decided to lay it all on the line. “Last night,” he drew a deep breath as shame began to creep in. “Last night was about sex.”

  She nodded and cast her gaze to the ground.

  “But it’s about so much more than that now, and I told you I’m no good at this. It’s been over ten years since I was any good at this, and then I was just a stupid kid.” He gently touched her chin and guided her eyes back to his.

  “Fionna, honey, I only wanted to be the one to set the cast because I want to take care of you. Not because I’m some macho prick who has something to prove. If it makes you uncomfortable, then I’ll back off and let you take care of it, until you’re ready to give me a shot.”

  “I completely understand why you’re hesitant. I need you to know that I would never, ever hurt you, and that I sure as hell wouldn’t try to keep going if I ever thought you were hurting in any way, for any reason. If you say ‘stop’ or ‘wait’, then that’s what happens, and that is always what should happen.” He was still sickened by the very thought. “And that includes because something scared you, even if it’s a memory that didn’t have anything to do with me.”

  “I know.” She never dropped his gaze as she moved back towards him. She wanted to be held, he realized instantly. He let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her. He cradled her into his chest. The motion soothed her. He could feel it, and he reveled in his education of her.

  Dan brushed a tender kiss across her forehead, and allowed himself a moment to let his eyes trace down her body, still naked and in his arms.

  Her cell phone chirped, and she seemed momentarily confused as to whether or not she should check it. Dan released her, and he dropped his shield. The last of the impassioned lust they’d created began to fade, for the moment anyway. She moved to her bag and picked up her cell.

  “It’s Emily. She says they’re heading out and…” She scrolled down and then giggled. It was one of the sweetest sounds in the world, Dan decided instantly. That and the way she moaned and panted his name when he brought her to climax.

  “She wants you to tackle Rainer if at any point he attempts to throw a quilt over her on the beach.”

  Dan laughed. “I can probably handle that,” he pledged, “but Lawson’s quick.”

  She replied, and then gave Dan a sorrowful look.

  “I really am sorry,” she gestured back to the couch.

  Dan shook his head as he moved to her. He lifted her chin in his hand.

  “You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about.” He was still devastated that she thought he would be upset with her for needing to stop him from taking part in their physical relationship so that he could learn more about the emotional one they were delving into.

  “Let’s go to the beach, and then later, if you’re up to it, we’ll see what I can do to rectify this,” he mimicked her gesture towards the couch. A sweet smile spread across her beautiful face. Her smile faded quickly, though, as she studied him.

  “Dan,” she whispered.

  “What honey?” He drew her back to him. He needed to feel her safe in his arms.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and set the
cast?” she choked but then forced herself to continue. “And then we can go out with Rainer and Emily. If you’re sure that doing that won’t make it worse for you.”

  Dan weighed all of his options. He needed her to trust him; that was the only way this would ever work. It was more than that, though. He wanted her to trust him. He wanted her to trust him with everything.

  “You sure, Fi?” he studied her closely as she nodded. She held his eyes with her own.

  While praying that he still had enough of her energy in and around him, he nodded.

  “Go sit back down, and just relax for me.”

  She drew a deep breath and moved back to the couch. He needed to prove himself to her. He followed her back to the sofa and held her tenderly in his arms. His heart ached from her story, and from the way she looked so small, frail, and helpless in his long, overly- muscled arms.

  “First of all, sweetheart,” he soothed, “setting the cast doesn’t make a guy any more horny than he was several minutes ago.” That elicited a small grin. He drew a deep breath and kissed her head.

  “You tell me if anything I do doesn’t feel the way it’s supposed to, ok?” She gave a slight nod. He summoned, and used the very last of her erotic energy that still danced in the air around him.

  “Relax for me, baby. I’ve got you.” Suddenly, he knew what to do. He knew what had to happen. He moved slowly, and added in his own soothing and calming energies in heavy doses as he tenderly placed his hand on her mound. Dan concentrated. He let the combined energies move up her and, with delicate precision, he tenderly sealed her off. When he was certain she was closed completely, he pulled his hand away.

  “Ok.” He kept her tucked in the safety of his embrace. She looked astonished.

  “Wow!”

  Dan chuckled as relief filled his soul.

  “That was,” she shook her head, “wow.” Her eyes flashed as he allowed himself to laugh outright.

  To prove his point about the guy being a total prick, Dan winked at her.

  “You ready to go to the beach, Miss Styler?” he handed her the swimsuit she’d been wearing.

  “You’re kind of amazing.”

  While feeling like she’d just made his entire year, Dan shook his head.

  “I’ve been called worse; trust me.”

  She pulled on the entire swimsuit, top included, and asked Dan if he’d help her tie it in back.

  “Also trust me when I say that I will be much better at untying this,” he teased her as he tied the bikini top tightly.

  They picked up the picnic, and headed out to the crisp, blue waters and bright, white sands of Manly Beach.

  51

  Deep In The Sea

  The girls both left their tops on as they ate the picnic, which consisted of numerous kinds of sandwiches, all delectable.

  Logan and Adeline joined them a little while later.

  Fionna wrinkled her nose adorably as Logan settled near her.

  “I feel really badly that we’re all on your honeymoon, with you.”

  Logan grinned. “I feel really badly that you’re all on my honeymoon, too.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Logan,” Adeline whispered in what, Dan assumed, was supposed to sound scolding, if you were Adeline Haydenshire. This only made Logan laugh harder.

  “Well, look who decided to come up for air.” Rainer chided his best friend.

  “Hey, even I have to recuperate, occasionally,” Logan mocked. He sounded rather macho, and elicited eye-rolls from Rainer and Dan as he continued to laugh.

  A moment later, Rainer was gasping as Emily pulled off her top.

  “It’s like a Band-Aid,” she sassed. Everyone cracked up, and Dan immediately turned his gaze to Fionna.

  “Geez, Em, I’m trying to eat,” Logan was scooping up some remnants of his sister’s dinner and helping himself.

  “Can it, Logan,” Rainer demanded furiously.

  Fionna and Dan choked back laughter.

  Dan appreciated the fact that, though Rainer didn’t want her out there topless, he wasn’t going to allow her brother to tease her either.

  Fionna reached back to untie her own top, but Dan had bound her in it tightly.

  “Uh, little help please, Officer Vindico,” she giggled.

  Dan shot her a cocky smirk as she turned around, and he untied her. He planned on releasing her in all the different ways he knew how, as soon as he got her back to their room. He stifled a groan as the bikini top pulled away from her ample cleavage.

  Adeline couldn’t seem to muster the courage to remove the top of her suit. Fionna grasped Emily’s hand.

  “Let’s go swim,” she urged.

  “Ok,” Emily agreed as they stood and headed towards the water. Rainer looked sick as he swept his eyes over the beach making certain no one stared at Emily for any length of time.

  “Losing battle,” Dan quipped again. Rainer huffed and rolled his eyes, but Dan was watching Fionna. She dove into the ocean and rolled onto her back. A mermaid indeed, she appeared to have been born in the sea. He’d never seen anyone move with such grace and allure in the ocean’s tides.

  With a defeated sigh, Rainer kept his eyes locked on Emily as she played in the incoming tide.

  “So, how’s it going?” he gestured his head to Fionna, though he was intent not to look at her breasts, a feat Dan was rather impressed by. He couldn’t seem to look anywhere else.

  He watched them sway seductively with her body as she lounged and frolicked in the water. Occasionally, she would catch a wave and body surf. Dan had never before been jealous of the sea.

  “Good, really good,” he was excited by the truthfulness of his statement.

  “Good,” Rainer mimicked as he gave Dan a genuine smile.

  Fionna’s cell phone rang in her bag. Dan listened to the chorus of ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ play as he debated. After a brief pause, and then forcing himself to ignore the phone, he turned back to Rainer.

  “And, uh, thanks for the instruction this morning. That was…” he tried to think of how to compliment Rainer for his lesson.

  “Helpful?” Rainer offered.

  Dan smiled. “Very.”

  “Glad to be of service.” Rainer was still watching over Emily obsessively. Adeline stood and moved to the girls in the water. The top of her swimsuit was still firmly covering her chest.

  “How’d you get her to do that?” Rainer demanded of Logan.

  Logan sighed.

  “I didn’t. So, I’m going to go with lack of self-esteem and daddy-issues. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but now I kind of wish she’d take it off.”

  ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ began playing again, and Dan turned to glance at Fionna’s bag.

  “Should I?” He already knew the answer as he watched Logan and Rainer shake their heads.

  “Not unless you’re trying to piss her off,” Logan warned.

  “Right,” Dan agreed, and turned his attention back to the fantasy he was watching play out with Fionna topless in the waves as the surf washed over her gorgeous body.

  At that moment, Emily sauntered over to Adeline as the waves rolled away before churning back to kiss the shore. She quickly popped the clasp of Adeline’s swimsuit, and pulled it away from her. Adeline gasped her shock but then began laughing.

  “Geez,” Logan spat. “Em!” he bellowed, but the girls were too far away to hear him. “Would you please do something about her?” Logan demanded of Rainer.

  “Why, because you’re too stiff to walk after that?” Rainer came right back, and Dan cracked up.

  With an eye-roll, Logan huffed, “Well, it would’ve been much hotter if it hadn’t been my sister,” he admitted as Rainer joined in Dan’s laughter.

  A few minutes later, the ladies made their way back to the chairs where the men were seated as the sun dipped low into the ocean.

  Fionna was shooting Dan looks that threatened to make him unable to walk. He took her hand and pulled her onto the chair with him, while h
e fought with everything in him not to grope her luscious tits.

  “Your phone rang a couple of times, honey,” he informed her just as he started to wrap his arms around her.

  “Oh,” she looked surprised as she stood to retrieve her bag. The song started again before she reached the phone.

  With a knowing grin and a distinct eye-roll, she pulled the phone from her bag and gushed, “Hey, Daddy.” She situated herself back in Dan’s lap.

  “Maylea, where are you?” Dan could hear her father’s concerned greeting through the phone. It was rather early for her father to be awake, back in the States, and Dan wondered how Fionna had gotten her nickname. He continued to listen. Fionna ground her teeth.

  “I’m sorry; I sort of had a last-minute invite to go on a trip.” Several seconds of silence passed. “I came to Sydney with Emily and Adeline,” she offered hopefully.

  Logan, Rainer, and Dan all stifled laughter. Fionna rolled her eyes but was still smiling.

  “You do know Adeline. She just married Logan Haydenshire.” Logan beamed as Adeline chuckled at his exuberance. “Yes, Logan’s here,” she stated hesitantly. “Uh, youngest besides the twins,” she informed her father as everyone laughed.

  “No, you’re thinking of Levi. No, that’s Connor. Garrett’s not here,” she eased and then rolled her eyes again. “I’m certain that Logan would keep me just as safe as Garrett does, Daddy.”

  “Safer,” Logan vowed, but Dan clenched his jaw. Fionna didn’t need Logan or Garrett to keep her safe, he thought possessively.

  “Uh, yeah Rainer’s here with Emily. Yeah.” Fionna tensed and was quiet for another moment. “Dan Vindico,” she informed her father hesitantly.

  Although Dan couldn’t make out any of Fionna’s father’s words, his tone raised several octaves. “Daddy, be nice!”

  Dan let his head fall in defeat as Rainer and Logan gave him sorrowful glances.

  “No, he won’t,” she responded to what Dan was certain was probably a reminder that he would break her heart. “I mean, I really hope he won’t,” Fionna swallowed down a sudden onslaught of threatening tears.