by Rosanna Leo
She tried to turn about, but he held her in place, belly on the mattress. “Mack?”
“Shh.”
He showered her with kisses, raining them all over her lower back and down to the curve of her ass. For a moment, she wondered if he was ready to initiate another round because she was sure it would kill her. His tongue made a slow, sensuous journey over her bottom, up the divide between her cheeks, and toward her hip.
“I’ve always been a hip man,” he growled, smoothing his hand over the curve of hers. “Yours distract me to no end.”
He lingered there, nipping the fleshy part at the side of her hip. And then he closed his teeth on her skin, biting with a fierceness she didn’t see coming.
Beth gasped. Jesus, he’d broken the skin. Luckily the pain was short-lived. He laved her there, flicking his tongue where he’d bitten her. He helped her up, rubbing the small wound with a gentle finger, his eyes haunted.
“Hey,” she said, wondering at the curious look on his face, “I thought you were a selkie, not a vampire.” She smiled and cupped his cheek.
He stared at the raw bite mark on her hip. “I had to hurt you to put my mark on you. I’m sorry.”
“Your mark?”
He blinked, his face serious. “Come to the shower, Beth. Let me clean you up.”
Chapter 11
Mack carried her to the shower and set her inside the tiled stall. She sighed as the warm water cascaded over her body. He grew hard again upon seeing her there and hearing the soft sound.
Bloody hell. His tadger knew no rest near this woman. Thank the gods for his brothers, who were stationed outside. They’d grumbled when he’d pulled them away from the bartender lass, but luckily they had their priorities straight. Jamie and Edan knew Beth needed protecting and that Mack needed to resolve his feelings for her.
He stepped in and drew the shower curtain, a plastic sheet with yellow ducks on it. Before shutting it, Mack glanced around the little bathroom and saw so much evidence of Beth’s dead son. A series of toy rubber ducks, still standing sentry on the window ledge. A kid-sized cup near the sink. And there was a bottle of baby shampoo in a corner of the shower stall. Saddened, yet also full of hope, he turned to her and drew her in for a hug.
He could give her all of this again. They could make a family one day. He loved her. He’d known it when he first saw her on the water that day. He could make her happy.
He had no choice. She was his mate, and it was his sole purpose in life to keep her safe and happy and at his side.
She spoke, and her words interrupted the thoughts raging through his brain. “You said something about putting your mark on me.”
He ran a hand over the fresh wound on her hip, and he frowned. He hated that he’d had to hurt her and damage her pretty skin, but there was no other way. If she was to be his, and she had to be his, his mark must be etched into her skin. It was the way of the selkie. His father had marked his mother, just as his Calan had marked Maggie, and Angus, Elsie. “Selkies mark their mates with a bite. This signifies you’re mine.” He offered her a half smile. “Primitive, I know.”
She tilted her head to check out the tiny laceration and grinned at him. His mark on her. “I like it.”
He cupped her cheeks and kissed her full on the lips, enjoying the feel of her wet skin under his hands. “You are my mate. I want nothing more than to be with you.”
As excitement made her eyes sparkle, Mack felt the most sublime happiness of his long existence.
“I think I would very much like that, Mack.”
He embraced her, suddenly as excitable as a puppy being let out of a kennel. She wanted him too. “Beth, I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy. I want you to meet the rest of my family. You’ll love Elsie and Maggie, my sisters-in-law. And my mother will fuss over you so.” He sighed, his heart overflowing. “I can’t wait to have a family with you.”
She stilled in his arms and then pulled away. Her face tightened and her smile faded. “What did you say?”
Oh, shit. He’d gotten ahead of himself. “One day, Beth. I’d like to have a family with you one day.”
Without a word, Beth turned and hurried out of the shower. He watched, stunned, as she grabbed a towel. Her hands were shaking so hard she barely dried herself off at all, unsuccessful at dabbing anything more than few water droplets. She dropped the towel, and he picked it up but made no attempt to dry himself either.
“Beth, it came out wrong…”
She spun around to face him, anger making the corners of her eyes crease. “Be honest with me. Having children is important to you, isn’t it?”
Mack was afraid to answer, knowing a lot hinged on his response. “I’ve always wanted a pup, love. I won’t lie to you.”
Her lips spread in a morose smile. “I knew I was wrong for you. I knew this was too good to be true.”
She grabbed at her clothes, but he reached for her hands and made her look at him. They stood together, bodies wet and vulnerable, hearts barreling through their chests in a matching rhythm.
Damn. He’d seen her at her lowest, but the desperation in her eyes pulled at his heartstrings and terrified him. Mack felt every ounce of blood drain out of his head. He realized he was holding her so tightly to steady himself as much as her. “Why is this too good to be true?”
She closed her eyes, and a whimper escaped her taut lips. When she opened them again, her blue irises were surrounded by pink. “You want a child.”
For fuck’s sakes, how could he have been so insensitive? She’d just lost one. Mack tried to formulate his thoughts so he wouldn’t sound like an unthinking beast. “I’ll admit, I love the idea of making a family with you.” He stroked her face, lost in the soft texture of her skin. “But I want you first and foremost. We can wait to have a child until you’re ready.”
An anguished cry filled the room, penetrated his soul, and Beth pulled out of his grasp. She backed away from him, trembling with each step. “Well, then you’d better pick a different mate, Mack.”
“There’s no picking involved. I’m meant for you. I want you.”
She shook her head and sat on the bed. “You need a mate who will give you children.”
He advanced a step as a chill permeated his bones. “I’m not rushing you, love. After some time has passed, we can talk…”
“No, Machar,” she said softly, her hand raised in objection. “Time won’t change anything. After Luke and Frank died, I made a vow. I swore I’d never have another baby.” She breathed in and out with apparent effort. “You must be mistaken about me being your mate. I can’t give you what you want. I will not bring another child into this world. I can’t. It’ll kill me. I’ll never stop worrying. I won’t be able to function. I lost my chance at being a mother because I didn’t take good enough care of my son. I should have been with him.” Her voice cracked with a heart-wrenching cry. “I should have died with him.”
He sat down next to her and grabbed her hand, hating the finman for making her feel such pain. And he wasn’t much better. How had he buggered this up so royally? His emotions had run away with him, and he’d dashed five steps ahead of himself rather than just enjoying the breathtaking woman at his side. It had all come out so wrong.
Mack listened for the incessant peal of Big Ben inside him. It took him a second to realize the ominous clanging had ceased some time ago. And then it hit him. It was because of Beth. It had nothing to do with needing a family.
She was his family. Big Ben had led him to her. She was his destiny. And this particular cake was so appealing there was no need for icing on it.
“Beth,” he said, willing her to understand, “listen to me. I don’t need to have a child. It’s you I want. It’s you I need.” He kissed her soft hand, longing for the day when selkie webbing would ornament her beautiful fingers. “Woman, I would gladly go through life with you as my sole company. I would rather have you than an army of children. Lass, can’t you see I love you?”
She raised her head. The glimmer of hope in her wet eyes made him dare to dream. “You love me?”
Mack let out a nervous laugh. “I suppose I should have begun all this mating talk with that statement.” He smiled at her and drew her onto his lap. She felt so right there, nestled close to him. Her feminine heat warmed his thighs, making him crave the taste of her in his mouth again. He wanted to spend the rest of his life pleasuring her. Hell, making her bloody well delirious in every way. “I love you, Beth. Nothing could change that. You’re not getting away from me.”
She blinked, and her unshed tears spilled over. Her arms encircled his waist, and she squeezed. “I love you, Machar.”
Everything in his life had led him to this moment. Beth Pedersen loved him despite his unusual background and abilities. She loved him. Aside from the finman haunting her waters, life couldn’t get more perfect. He rolled her onto the bed and rose above her, parting her legs and sliding his still-hungry cock into her heat. He rolled his hips slowly, making her shudder. Machar lowered his head and licked every last tear away.
She was his. And the gods help the man or beast who tried to take her away from him.
* * * *
The finman closed his eyes, itching to forget the image of Beth declaring her love for the hated selkie.
He’d held back, planning and plotting, waiting and wondering how to lure Beth away from Machar Kirk. And yet tonight something deep inside his devious core told him to open the portal that would allow him to view her. To see her, limbs entangled with those of the selkie as the Kirk bastard plundered her, was too much to bear.
She was his woman, not the selkie’s. He’d laid claim to her first with his silver charm. Machar Kirk could gnaw on her all he wanted, could chomp on her until his teeth bled. His paltry marks would not keep the finman from claiming his prize.
All his long life, he’d had to endure the foolish wiles of the selkies. They got to take whatever humans they wanted in the name of their magic. And with their cursed beauty, what woman in her right mind would prefer a finman to a selkie? Fate had damned him. It was unfair. Well, he was tired of playing bogeyman. He would make Beth see his was the stronger power. Machar Kirk might have a pretty face and a few tricks, but they were nothing compared to his talents.
He would have her soon. The die was cast.
The selkie wanted to hide her at his family home. Let him. The finman could see Beth anywhere, could find her anywhere. As long as the charm was in her possession, even if it lay forgotten in her fireplace, it was a homing device.
He would take her away, never to be seen again. And an army of Kirk selkies wouldn’t stop him.
Chapter 12
Mack rolled over the next morning, and his arms reached for Beth even before he was quite awake. It was an automatic reaction. His lips missed her. Her taste was still on his tongue. With a chuckle, he realized her sweet taste must be forever imprinted on him, for all the times he’d licked and kissed her. He’d loved her so hard and so often during the night and had actually fallen asleep afterward. It had been ages since he’d had any real rest.
She loved him.
Smiling, he opened his eyes and looked for her. She wasn’t in the bed. His grin disappeared.
That’s when Mack heard the wailing noise. He sat up. Was that Axl Rose?
He launched himself out of bed and threw on his jeans, not bothering with his boots. His Pink Floyd T-shirt was conspicuously absent. With quiet, swift movements, Mack moved out of the bedroom and down the stairs.
While still on the landing, his gaze fell upon the back window. Jamie and Edan were standing on the beach, vigilant as ever. Good, but where was Beth?
He took the last few steps and turned the corner into the living room. The strains of “Sweet Child of Mine” greeted his ears. Beth was in the middle of the living room, and wasn’t wearing anything other than his Floyd shirt. She was holding a feather duster, and she was, saints preserve his peckish cock, dancing.
She didn’t notice him, so caught up was she in the rock song. Funny, he wouldn’t have pegged her for a Guns N’ Roses fan. He grinned at the thought. Happy to watch her for a spell, Mack crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
The T-shirt was long on her, skimming the middle of her thighs, and it clung to her womanly shape in a way that was dangerous to his groin. He could see she wasn’t wearing a bra, and her pert nipples danced under the cotton fabric, demanding his attention. Her full hips, now bearing his mark, stretched the shirt. Each time she rotated them in her slow, sexy dance, his cock throbbed. Her legs were bare and looked so soft, right down to her pretty toes. He remembered the feel of those legs on his back when she’d wrapped them around his waist time and again. As she danced, Beth smiled and pointed the feather duster at an imaginary audience, echoing Axl word for word.
She looked more carefree than he’d ever seen her before. The air in his lungs dissipated as he realized he’d given her this moment.
He made her happy. And he was delirious.
As tempting as it was to continue watching his mate dance, he wanted to hold her. He took a step forward. “Beth, love.”
She whipped around, her cheeks pink. She stood still for a moment and gasped at the sight of him.
Mack smelled her arousal as it flooded between her legs. Fuck. He licked his lips.
She broke into a huge smile. “Mack.” And then she dropped the feather duster and flew at him. She leaped and he caught her, backing toward the couch where he fell. She straddled his lap and kissed him senseless.
As Axl Rose’s voice faded away over the speakers, Mack held his mate and felt his heart soar. When he could pull his lips from her mouth, not that he wanted to, he stared at her, dazed. “Why didn’t you stay in bed this morning?”
Her chest rose with a soft laugh. “I couldn’t sleep. I was too happy.”
Too happy. Oh, how those words found their way right into his heart; how they made him ache for her. “Beth.”
Her eyes sparkled with naughty mischief, and she glanced down at the Pink Floyd T-shirt. “What’s with all the rock band T-shirts?”
Mack groaned. “I did a stint as a roadie back in the 70s and 80s to alleviate my boredom. It was a fun time, albeit tiring,” he joked.
She landed a soft punch on his shoulder. “I bet. You probably had your own groupies, selkie man.”
Mack tried not to smile, even though it was hard. “I was really just in it for the shirts. I’ve got dozens of them stashed away.”
“For the shirts. Right. Not for the crazed, lusty rock fans.” She rolled her eyes.
She wrapped her arms about his neck and kissed along the side of his cheek. His cock throbbed between her legs. He reached a hand under her shirt and realized she wore no panties under it. “Cripes, woman, are you trying to murder me first thing in the morning?”
She slid her heat against his clothed length, paying no heed to his half-assed complaint. She took one of his hands and placed it between her legs. She whispered in his ear, “See how wet you make me? I just have to think of you and this happens.”
Mack inhaled her scent, sending it spiraling into his body. He was just about to throw her down on the couch when the back door opened and his brothers entered.
“You’ve known me for centuries, Edan,” Jamie bellowed, “and you still don’t know how I take my coffee. Pathetic. I’ve told you time and again. Three creams, four sugars.”
Edan sauntered in behind him. His curled lip showed how little he cared about Jamie’s coffee order. “Make your own damn coffee, then. Christ. You drink it like an old woman with low blood sugar.”
They stepped into the living room just as Beth removed her leg from Mack’s lap. She positioned herself, grinning and tugging at the hem of the shirt in an attempt to preserve some modesty. Jamie’s and Edan’s eyes bulged as they stared at her legs.
Mack reached for a throw and covered her legs. “Pop your eyes back in their sockets, you cretins.”
Beth giggled
, and he glared at her but couldn’t help smiling. Her smile was infectious.
As his brothers’ faces grew redder with each passing second, Beth gestured to the other couch. “Sit, guys. Tell Mack what we were talking about this morning.”
She was talking to them this morning while he was in bed? Wearing nothing but his shirt? A sweat broke out on his forehead. Mack reached for her hand. “Do I really want to know?”
Edan sat while Jamie went to fix his coffee. Edan looked at Mack and breathed in deeply. “Beth wants to hunt the bastard, and we agree she should.”
Mack might have been a statue. He was sure his heart had ceased pumping. He stared at his brother and let his eyelids drop and open in a slow, ominous blink. “No.”
“Mack,” she began.
“I said no.”
Jamie depressed the button on the coffee machine, filling his cup. “Don’t worry, Machar. You can still be as macho as you want, but the lass deserves a chance to protect herself.”
Mack shook his head so hard he was sure he resembled a bobblehead on a dashboard. Had they all gone insane? “We’re protecting her.”
“And if anything ever happens to us,” Jamie said, “do you really want to leave Beth to fend for herself with no fighting skills?”
Mack forced himself to remain calm, even though the blood vessel in his temple was threatening to explode. “It won’t come to that.”
“Mack,” Beth implored, “listen to them!” She turned to Edan. “Tell him what you discovered.”
Edan nodded and looked at Mack. “Last night while Jamie stood guard, I decided to pay a visit to our old friend Eddie Hastings from the curiosity shop. I suggested to him that perhaps there was more to this finman nonsense than we were aware of. Under my supervision, Eddie was kind enough to do some special research for me. He has fin documents that go back years, centuries, Mack. Did you know some of those finfuckers like to keep records?”
