Catch of a Lifetime

by Judi Fennell

  "I'm serious, too, Rod. She's got it in her head that by doing this, she's going to find some magic formula to sell Humans on your idea of a Mer-Human Coalition for the betterment of the planet. You and I both know that's a long shot for some far-flung date in the future, but Angel's convinced she can initiate a change now by starting off with the children."

  Rod pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gods save me from independent thinkers."

  Mariana snorted. This from the guy who'd basically told the gods to shove it if they were going to take his throne away for marrying a Mer-Human Hybrid.

  And he wondered where Angel got the attitude from.

  "She needs to get her tail back here. Now. We'll work it out when I get back from the Middle East in a calm, rational manner, not like some rebellious teenager." Rod leaned on his massive desk—the work of some Human named Bernini. Did he get the irony, or was it just her?

  "She better not hear you call her that, Rod." Frankly, Mariana wasn't too thrilled with the term, either. "She is an adult, you know."

  "And as an adult she should know better. This exactly proves my point why she's not the Mer for the job."

  "No, this proves that you're hogfish-headed about giving her a chance."

  "What in the gods' names are you talking about, Mariana?" Rod gripped the sand globe on his desk, his eyes narrowing, and maybe… just maybe… he puffed up a little in size. High Councilmen could do that— become whatever size they wanted. Part of the package when one became the Mer ruler.

  It was one big power trip, if you asked her.

  "It's just that you've been interviewing everyone but Angel for this position. She's just as qualified, if not more, than many of the people you've interviewed." What was she doing defending Angel? Mariana didn't want her sister out there any more than Rod did, but, really, Angel deserved a chance at the job as much as anyone else, and for Rod to not even talk to her about it amounted to discrimination.

  Rod dropped the sand globe on his desk, the water delivering it to the marble with a soft plunk. "Fine. Get her back here, and I'll give her the damned interview."

  "An unbiased interview."

  "Whose side are you on, Mariana?"

  Mariana swam up almost into his face. He might be the High Councilman, but he was still her brother. And this was their sister he was talking about. "Oh, I'm firmly on Angel's, Rod, make no mistake about that. You can't cut her out of the lineup because she's your sister and you don't want to lose her.

  This time she was certain that he grew bigger. "That's not why—"

  "Bullsharkshit." He didn't scare her. She was one of the few who would talk to Rod like this since he inher ited the throne. Reel, of course, was another, but since he wasn't around much anymore, it was up to her to make Rod see reason. Even if she did agree with him on general principle.

  "Of course it's why you're doing it, Rod." She flipped her tail sideways and floated away from him. "Look, we all have to live with Reel's decision to stay with Erica on land and have a mortal life span. You're not the only one it's hard for, you know. But you can't hold Angel—or any of us—too closely or you might end up pushing us away."

  Rod lost the High Councilman demeanor he wore like a badge of honor, returning to normal size and resting his tail against the desk. "I know, Mariana, but…" He cleared his throat. "That doesn't make it any easier to accept Reel's decision. Or Angel's."

  She flipped over and swam back to him. "He's happy with it, and that's what we have to remember. Give Angel a chance to do this in a way you can monitor, Rod. Right now she's off, unsupervised, getting into gods-know-what kind of trouble. Bring her back. Give her an interview, a fair hearing. That's all she wants."

  Rod put his arm around Mariana and pulled her close. "How'd you get to be so smart, sis?"

  She hugged him back. "It swims in the family. That's why we have to believe that Angel knows what she's doing."

  Chapter 21

  ANGEL DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT SHE WAS DOING.

  Well, okay, she knew what she was doing physically, but emotionally? She was so in over her head here… Walking with Logan on a moonlit beach, him looking at her like that… she was playing with fire in a way she hadn't imagined.

  The thing was, she didn't care—and how crazy was that?

  They'd covered the basics on the walk: his childhood, his relationship with Michael's mother, his job, his life. She'd shared what she could of hers, glossing over some of the details, but the believability factor of her story proved her point that Mers could pass in the Human world.

  Not that she'd include any of this in her argument to Rod.

  They'd gathered shells on the walk back. She'd found a round piece of abalone that'd make the perfect neck lace for Pearl, and Logan had found a piece of driftwood resembling a dinosaur for Michael. He'd shared the story of how Michael had come into his life and his anger with Christine for keeping his son from him and the hopes and plans he had.

  But even though they'd talked about all of that, they hadn't addressed what was happening between them, or what had happened last night.

  So now they stood at the top of the steps they'd climbed down a while ago, that something now so much more than it had been. Something real and potent and pretty darn scary if she was honest with herself.

  She didn't want to know so much about him. All the hardships he'd lived through, being on his own at such a young age, never having the kind of loving family she'd had, the tough, lonely life he'd pulled himself from to become so successful and such a caring father…

  She didn't want to care this much about him. There was so much about Logan Hardington to admire. So much to respect.

  So much to love.

  No.

  She didn't.

  She couldn't.

  It was too quick.

  Too early.

  Too soon.

  Too wrong.

  Too right.

  Her knees buckled and she had to brace herself against the railing. Apparently Human legs weren't as sturdy as she'd assumed.

  Or maybe it was just her legs that weren't sturdy.

  She was in love with him.

  "Angel?" Worry colored Logan's voice. "Are you all right?"

  She shook her head. Of course she wasn't all right. She'd just had the wind knocked out of her sails by love.

  And got it knocked out all over again when Logan scooped her up in his arms.

  "Logan!" she squeaked again, dropping the seashells. Really—squeaking was not an attractive habit.

  "Are you okay?" His brown eyes on her, she could see a few flecks of gold in them that matched the high lights in his gorgeous hair. She had the strangest urge to run her fingers through it.

  So she did. She didn't think about it; it just sort of happened.

  And so did the sharp breath Logan inhaled the mo ment her fingertips brushed the back of his neck.

  As did the kiss that followed.

  She didn't know who started it—didn't care. His lips were soft at first, for just the tiniest instant before he lifted her higher in his arms and deepened the kiss.

  Angel couldn't think and didn't care about that either. She wrapped an arm around his neck and opened her mouth beneath his.

  His tongue swept in and Angel moaned. Gods, he… Logan… was just…

  She didn't have the words.

  Logan didn't either. He growled in the back of his throat, the sound primal and possessive. Aroused. Male. And Angel felt herself respond.

  Her breasts swelled, and she turned to press them against his chest.

  Logan adjusted his hold on her, a move Angel only realized because suddenly he was cupping her bottom in a way so hot she'd have to be dead not to feel.

  And oh, did she. In every cell of her body. Especially when he clenched one cheek, his fingers brushing the cleft between them. Angel felt her legs quiver, then go completely boneless this time. Thank the gods she was already in his arms.

  She moaned then, and Logan released her m
outh to skim his lips along her jaw, to the soft hollow beneath her ear, and Angel let her head fall back, shivering when the soft sea breeze caressed her moist skin.

  But… wait. There was something—

  He licked his way around the shell of her ear, causing her to shiver again, but he was right there to warm her, sliding his lips along her cheekbone to find hers again, his big, strong hand cradling her head, angling her just right, and she felt as if her heart was going to beat out of her chest.

  She lost whatever thoughts had been trying to be heard and, frankly, she didn't care. She'd never been kissed like this by anyone but Logan. Never felt such feelings before.

  She tugged at her arm that was trapped between them, trying to slip it around his waist, to feel the muscles clench and flex and tighten as he held her, but their bod ies were too close. Dammit, she wanted to touch him as he was touching her.

  Then his fingers slid between her legs from behind and she practically lost the capacity to think.

  Oh gods, this was what she wanted. This. Him. Here. Now. It didn't matter who she was, who he was, what anyone would say. Logan was… he could…

  Hades, she didn't know what he was or what he could, she just knew that she had to find out more. To know him more. In this way.

  His tongue caressed hers, and her ability to breathe went the way of coherent thought.

  "Angel," he whispered against her lips and she sucked in a big, shaky breath, his scent mingling with the salty softness of the night air. To Angel, it was like ambro sia—the nectar of the gods they hoarded so meanly. Now she knew why—if this stuff ever became available for public consumption, no one would ever get anything done. All they'd ever be thinking about wa—

  "Make love to you."

  Yeah. That.

  "Angel?" Logan whispered her name.

  He was asking her something.

  Angel opened her eyes, trying to still the swirling emotions and thoughts and feelings rioting inside her, but when she saw the same emotions mirrored in his eyes—eyes that showed no sign of enchantment—she knew what her answer would be.

  "Oh, Logan…Yes."

  ***

  Logan never walked so quickly in his life; truthfully, he felt as if he'd flown. As if Mercury had put wings on his feet and zipped them both up to the bedroom.

  He leaned back against his door, clicking it shut, fum bling to lock it and not drop Angel. She was so slight he could hold her against him with one hand, but he didn't want to stop touching her at all.

  He also didn't want Michael walking in on them, so he managed to move quickly and without breaking the kiss he'd started halfway up the stairs.

  She felt so good in his arms, her hair stroking him as if she were running hundreds of fingertips all over his body, and Logan groaned into her mouth at that image. He couldn't wait to have her under him and moving, naked, against him as she was right now.

  He walked over to the bed and set her on it on her knees. She flung both arms around him, freeing that other arm at last. He hadn't wanted to be apart from her for even a moment to give her the use of that arm, but as one of her soft, graceful hands found the curve of his cheek and the other slid down his back, he realized that had been a mistake. One he'd never repeat again.

  "God, your hair is so beautiful," he murmured against the golden strands that slid against his cheek like silk. Silk scented like her.

  "Mmmm," she murmured, kissing his throat. Logan didn't know exactly what that meant, but he figured it was a pretty good response.

  Then he didn't care what it meant because her tongue flicked across his Adam's apple and his breath caught at that very spot and he emitted his own "Mmmmm."

  Definitely a good response.

  Sliding his fingers through her hair, Logan caressed her neck and stroked down her back, remembering how sexy she'd looked with that blanket pooled at the base of her spine. He was going to kiss his way down to that very spot the moment he got her clothes off—though the way her hands were moving, it looked like his would be off before hers.

  He had no objection to that.

  Logan took a quick kiss to tide himself over the few seconds he needed to remove his shirt. Then he reached behind his head and yanked it up and off in one move ment just as he had on the boat, only this time, there was no way he'd cover her with it.

  "Oh gods…" she whispered against his chest, and Logan felt his nipples tighten.

  Then she licked one while her fingers ran over the rest of his chest, feathering through his hair, down along his obliques, tracing down to his hip and Logan felt his knees tremble.

  Ah, that was what had happened to her by the steps. He'd been so worried—

  Her tongue trailed across his chest to his other nipple and Logan forgot all about that worry.

  Now all he was worried about was coming before she got naked.

  And with the ache in his groin, that was a serious possibility.

  Logan speared his hands through her hair and urged her head back. Her tongue took one last twirl around his nipple, almost bringing him to his knees and Logan sucked in a deep breath. "Angel. Honey. Wait."

  She glanced up at him from beneath long lashes every bit as golden as her hair, her lips plump and moist and pink. "Wait? Really?"

  No, God, no. He didn't want to wait.

  Logan closed his eyes. Get a grip, Hardington.

  Oh he wanted to get a grip, all right.

  "Give me a moment… to catch my breath."

  Her smile told him he didn't have a moment.

  Sure enough, she leaned forward and licked his navel, her eyes never leaving his. "Did you catch it yet?"

  Her warm breath feathered over the trail her tongue had left behind and Logan shivered. Eighty-five degrees out and he shivered.

  He also smiled. What a sight. Moist lips, an imp ish look in those gorgeous aquamarine eyes, her head cocked seductively, exposing the graceful curve of her neck, on her knees before him, her hands wreaking a fabulous kind of havoc everywhere she touched…

  He cupped her cheek and drew her face to his as he bent over to meet her, her lips tasting so utterly delicious he thought this must be what ambrosia tasted like. That mythical nectar of the gods. No wonder poets called it that. An experience so heady and perfect it could only be divine.

  He pulled back from the kiss, staring into her eyes, knowing he could lose himself in their depths. And while the thought was utterly terrifying, not being with her was more so. "I want you, Angel."

  She smiled and its warmth was mirrored in her eyes. "I'm aware of that, Logan." Her straying hands told him she was, indeed, aware of how badly he wanted her.

  She stroked him and Logan had to close his eyes and grit his teeth. It wouldn't take much.

  "Angel," his breath was ragged, "are you sure—?"

  "What do you think?" She undid his shorts and shoved them down his legs.

  Alrighty then.

  But she wasn't going to be the only one who got to play.

  Sucking in another breath when her palm brushed the head of his erection, Logan slid his hands along the side of her shirt, finding the curve of her breast just as she wrapped her hand around him.

  He rocked forward, trying to keep his balance.

  Then she stroked his balls with her other hand and balance became a huge issue. "Oh, God, Angel…" He steadied himself on her shoulders, his eyes inexorably drawn to watch her hands on his body.

  He sucked in a breath when she rolled first one, then the other, between her fingers, fondling him with just the right amount of firmness, playing with them, stroking them, as she swirled her palm on the head of his cock and her hair slipped over her shoulder to brush against his groin.

  His knees were seriously demanding to be put out of their misery.

  His cock was seriously demanding—period.

  Logan didn't want this to end too soon.

  Dragging in another ragged breath, he stroked her hair, trying to remember not to pull it. But it was hard, so h
ard, everything was hard…

  "Angel…"

  Thank God she stopped. He was one stroke away from coming.

  "Yes?" She licked her lip again in that way she did and all Logan could think of was her doing that to him.

  Later. They'd get to that later. Right now he wanted… oh, hell, he didn't know what he wanted. Only that it had something to do with her and being naked.