Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
Part 23
Updates
Author's Note
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Updates
About the Author
Ocean's Birth
Demelza Carlton
Book 6 in the Turbulence and Triumph series
For Pebbles, who learned too late the fate awaiting the cat who got the canary.
Copyright © 2015 Demelza Carlton
Lost Plot Press
All rights reserved.
One
"Lass, I love you dearly, but I've scarcely slept in a fortnight, we've made love so late into the night. I know you rest during the day, but I can't sleep at work. What would the mine crews say? They'll be calling me Sleepy McGregor!"
I don't deny I was disappointed to have William's magnificent body lying beside instead of inside mine, but he told the truth: we'd made love more times than I could count since our stranding on West White Beach. It was as if we both knew our time together was constrained by the growth of the child inside me, for after her birth we'd be forever changed. We'd be a family.
Sighing, I snuggled against him and sank into sleep. No night-time swims for me any more – Mother patrolled the cove and the dolphins were everywhere, sharing gossip until it flowed faster than water. If I dipped a toe beneath the ocean's surface, she would hear of it. And William's life would be in danger.
It felt like I'd barely closed my eyes when William slipped out of bed, promising to see me at breakfast. Pregnancy made me more somnolent than ever – I nodded and went straight back to sleep, only to be woken by a kiss from William when the sun was high in the sky.
"You missed breakfast, lass, but if you hurry, you can be dressed in time to join me for lunch."
I scrambled out of bed and into suitable afternoon clothes, barely pausing to splash some water on my face before I reached for a comb to tame my sleep-tangled locks.
I'd managed to deal with half of it when I heard Sarah's quiet steps approaching. "How are you feeling this morning?" she asked.
I waited until she appeared in the doorway before I replied, "Fine. A little tired, is all." My stomach gurgled and my daughter kicked it from inside my womb. I wish I could see her angry face, for I was sure she would be. All the movement distracted me and I realised, "There's no morning sickness today!"
Sarah smiled. "It's about time it went away. You have the glow of motherhood about you now instead of the green tinge of illness."
Was my insatiable lust for William part of my pregnancy, or just my natural response to William's evident ardour for my increasingly rounded form? Not that my breasts had been small before, but now...none of my brassieres fit properly and I'd had to send to Singapore for more underthings. Luckily, Anne and Jackson had sailed with the Islander at the beginning of last week, and we expected their return any day now.
Sarah's impatience won and she seized the comb from my fingers, dragging it through my hair as if trying to carve my scalp with the teeth. Not like handing my comb to William, whose every stroke was a caress. Still, five minutes later, she'd pinned my hair up for me and we headed for the dining room where William waited.
I tucked into my lunch as if I were eating for two and I guess I was – two people as well as two meals, to make up for the breakfast I'd missed – letting William and Sarah talk. He spoke of the Islander docking while I slept, and the huge fish the coolies had caught fishing last night, now the monster shark had mysteriously disappeared. He moved restlessly in his seat, his eyes darting from his food to me and back to his plate, even when Sarah spoke. I wondered what news he'd received from the Islander that he couldn't share with Sarah and I. I didn't think it was bad news, as he seemed on the brink of blurting something out for most of the meal, yet when Amah took the empty plates from the table, his eagerness only increased, so he hadn't spilled his news yet.
Perhaps it was someone who'd arrived on the Islander, I guessed. Another of his relatives, or a dear friend. Anne and her husband were undoubtedly aboard, but their return home was hardly news.
I caught the faint chugging of an engine approaching – it sounded like William's motorcycle, but as he was here, the sound evidently heralded the arrival of Jackson, the acting island manager, on his ageing Triumph.
William threw his napkin on the table and rose, grinning widely. Was it Jackson's return he'd so eagerly awaited? Surely not.
"Sounds like the Jacksons are home. Care to come greet them, lass?" William held out his hand and curiously, I took it, letting him pull me outside. He left me in the shade of the veranda, trotting down the steps to meet Jackson as he pulled up in our garden.
Behind me, Sarah sidled out of the door, no less curious than I was. After all, she knew her brother and his excitement must have been just as obvious to her. "What is it?" she asked softly.
I shrugged. "Mr Jackson's returned, and it looks like he has a new motorcycle. This one's not rusted at all." More than not rusted – this one was black and shiny and completely unlike William's or Jackson's. Yet as I peered at the blue logo on the fuel tank, barely a shade lighter than my tail, I realised that this was also a Triumph...but a much newer model.
William stood beside the Triumph as Jackson dismounted, spreading his arms wide. "What do you think, lass?"
I want one, was my first thought. The second was that I needed to know more about riding one. A mermaid on a motorcycle was joke enough without me wobbling around with no idea of what I was doing.
"This model has twin-shoe brakes instead of the dummy-belt rim ones my Triumph has. And this has the new low-pressure, wire-edged tyres which won't jolt so much. The ride will be much smoother. The oil – "
Pregnancy must have dulled my wits, for Sarah understood better than I did. She stormed down the steps. "Will, you're a bloody fool! Buying your pregnant wife a motorcycle? What kind of crazed idea is that? You think she wants to ride that throbbing thing while she's carrying your child in her belly? You're a – "
Wonderful, wonderful man. I couldn't seem to speak the words. I just stared at him and the motorcycle, but mostly at him. William understood, though. Since the day we met on the Trevessa, he'd been reading my eyes and the thoughts behind them.
I stumbled down the steps, clutching at the handrail to slow my descent, my eyes never leaving William's. Once I stood on flat ground, I threw myself into his arms, planting fervent kisses on his mouth, his cheeks and any part of his face I could reach.
Jackson's voice cut through my euphoria. "You mean this magnificent machine is for your wife? McGregor, you're crazy, man! My wife wouldn't touch one of these things, let alone know how to ride one. Or appreciate the engineering that went into creating it..." He stroked the curved fuel tank so fervently I wondered if he'd ever touched Anne that way. I doubted it. In fact, it was almost obscene.
"Mr Jackson, I'll thank you to stop fondling my motorcycle."
He flushed and backed away from it.
William chuckled. "So you like it, lass?"
I wanted to cover him in kisses all over again. Tonight, certainly. "Yes. Thank you so much, William
. I can't wait for you to show me how to ride it." I dropped my voice so low only he could hear it. "And afterwards..." I let my eyes speak for me.
William wrapped his arms tightly around me. "Good thing I have the rest of the afternoon off, then, with all the coolies unloading in the port instead of up the mine today. I think we should take your new baby for her first trip to the Grotto."
I laid a hand on my belly as my eyes strayed to my new, shiny toy, reflecting the noon sun. My loins already ached in anticipation. "Absolutely."
Two
I fastened the buttons on my leather jacket, surprised that the riding leathers I'd bought in Singapore still fit. Even the pants made it around my midsection, though they were a little snug. The soft feel of leather against my skin was sensual, driving my pregnancy-heightened senses to distraction. William would relieve my sexual tension when we reached the Grotto, I promised myself as I pulled on my leather gloves. These were ladies' gloves, unlike William's riding gloves, covering my hands to just past my wrists and flaring properly to still allow me freedom of movement. I even managed to pull on my boots without removing my gloves. And these were the sort of boots I'd only seen men wear, for I'd never owned boots so big. These didn't just cover my feet to the ankle – they encased my calves to just below my knees.
When I was done, I glanced in the mirror. For the first time in my life, I truly looked like a daughter of the Gold line, clad head to foot in golden brown from my felt hat to the toes of my boots. The absence of my tail flukes gave me away, though. Today, a mermaid would ride her first motorcycle, symbolic of my surrender to living my life solely on land with William.
I strode out to meet him.
Sarah rose from her seat on the veranda. "Maria, you really should reconsider. Think of your child and the danger –"
I shook my head. "She'll be fine. We both will be."
William grinned on the grass below, having heard our exchange, but when I stepped out of the shadow of the veranda, letting the sun light up my leathers, his expression glowed with admiration. He swallowed as if his mouth was dry, even as his eyes drank me in. "Lass, you look...magnificent."
Whatever I looked like, all I felt was nervous as I mounted my motorcycle. I ran my fingers over the curve of the fuel tank before I tentatively grasped the handlebars. "I can't remember what to do first," I admitted.
"Clutch," William said, nodding at my left hand.
I stared at the two levers. I knew one controlled the spark, so the other had to be the clutch. "What's it do?"
"It disconnects the gearbox so you can change gears."
"Oh! I always thought it was called the crunch, because that's the noise Tony's truck made whenever he changed gears." I smiled ruefully.
William's smile had vanished. "A man who couldn't ride a motorcycle and couldn't drive a truck properly either. And he tried to steal you from me. Next time I'm in Fremantle, he won't get off so lightly with a few mud spatters."
"William. Forget about my old boss and everyone else. It's just you, me and this complicated machine." I stared at the levers in front of me and dropped my voice to a whisper. "Maybe Sarah's right and I should wait until after the baby's born. There's so much to learn and I can barely remember how to stir my tea any more."
"Where's my fearless lass? I thought you wanted to come with me to the Grotto for a romantic swim together. It isn't hard and I know you rode well the first time. You even enjoyed it." William's smile mirrored my own. "Can you remember which lever controls the spark?"
I tapped it without hesitation, adjusting it to the middle.
"Throttle, then air."
I opened the throttle lever up the tiniest bit, then fiddled with the air until William seemed satisfied.
"Fuel."
Cautiously, I released a little fuel until the stench of it assailed my nostrils.
"Now give it a kick."
I hadn't used the kickstart before – William had done it for me the first time. I touched my toes to it.
"You have to stamp on it like a giant spider you're afraid will bite you, lass."
I wasn't afraid of spiders. They responded to my voice as readily as crabs. And my Triumph was much bigger and heavier than even the robber crabs on the island. I shifted my foot so my heel rested on the kickstart lever and stomped down hard, as if I was trying to break a man's foot.
The engine coughed into life and I cheered.
"Now adjust the spark and the throttle until it sounds right." A hint of doubt had crept into William's voice. "Do you remember what it should sound like?"
He was asking a siren if she remembered her favourite song – the sound of her beloved returning home. And not just any siren, but possibly the most powerful singer in the Indian Ocean. Biting back my smile, I nodded.
Under my careful hands, my motorcycle assumed a perfect rhythm.
"Do you want me to lift the stand, or do you think you can do it? Just roll it forward a bit and...good. Lift it a bit with your foot and...ah, don't worry about it, lass. I'll hook it up out of your way." I heard the clink of metal on metal. "Do you know how to change gears?"
No. I searched the Triumph for some button or lever I'd missed. William's hand closed over my right hand and guided it to a knob beside the fuel tank. I clutched the clutch in my other hand and pulled on the knobbed gear-change lever.
"You're ready to go, lass. I'll ride beside you and remind you when to change gears. You're in the bottom gear at the moment, because we'll be headed up to the plateau before we take the track down to Waterfall. Now, do you remember how to speed up and how to stop?"
I tapped the throttle. "That one's to go faster. To stop...I make it slow down with this, then use the brakes." I touched the brake lever with the smallest finger on my right hand. "And the main brake's here, for my foot." My left boot grazed the pedal.
William's mouth claimed mine in a kiss that ignited my insides more effectively than the spark burning fuel beneath me. "You're a natural at this, lass, and you haven't forgotten a thing. Are you ready?"
I nodded once.
He jumped on his Triumph and kicked it to life, adjusting everything without even glancing at it. "Off you go, lass. I'll be right behind or beside you. Nice and slow to start..."
I released the clutch and opened up the throttle, lifting my boots up to the footboards. William's didn't have these – he made do with pegs.
"Watch the road, lass!"
In panic, I lifted my eyes from his powerful, leather-clad legs to the muddy track curving away in front of me. I had to touch my foot on the ground more than once to keep the bike upright as I wobbled around the curve, but I made it.
"Don't take your eyes off the road. Hitting a crab could cause you to lose control of your motorcycle and I wouldn't want you to get hurt."
I nodded and hunched my shoulders into the wind. Crabs might respond to a song, but machines wouldn't and I could hardly sing the whole way, warning creatures out of my path.
"We're about to level out now. Time to change gears up!"
I did as I was told and found myself flying again, just as I had the first time. William was right. I was his fearless lass and I loved this almost as much as I did him.
Three
I slowly released the clutch as my Triumph stuttered into silence. Unclenching my hands from the handlebars, I climbed stiffly off the motorcycle. I hadn't realised quite how tensely I'd been riding until now, when relaxing nearly sent me sliding bonelessly to the mud. William caught me around the waist before I could, though.
His warm kiss shot through me, bolstering me like a steel rod up my backbone.
"You rode beautifully, lass. I've never seen anyone maintain their balance so well on their first solo ride. You take my breath away, you're so perfect." Another kiss melted my insides as he pulled me against him. Warm leather against leather was almost as sensuous as skin on skin.
A quick glance told me we were alone at the Grotto. I could escape my leathers and lose myself in loving Willi
am for the afternoon. Still kissing him fiercely, I fumbled with the buttons on my jacket. Finally, the last one popped free and I tried to shrug the hot garment off, but it stuck to my skin. I growled in frustration.
William broke our kiss, laughing. "What are you trying to do, lass?" His eyes followed mine to the open front of my jacket. "My God, you're not wearing anything under that!" His hands slid inside my jacket, freeing my breasts. His fingers slid up over my shoulders, crushing my bare chest against him, and I managed to shed my jacket.
William's jacket was next, then his uncomfortably tight pants. He still stood in his shirt and drawers, watching me, as I peeled off my own leather pants.
He swore as he saw that I hadn't bothered donning any underwear beneath my pants, so I stood naked before him.
"You're overdressed, William."
He laughed and the remains of his clothes soon dangled from his handlebars.
I threw myself at him once again, twining my legs around his body to get closer still. We overbalanced and ended up in the grass, rolling and laughing as we kissed, then kissed again. Slowly, we joined, his body completing mine in a union so natural I never wanted to be apart from him again. Our lovemaking was leisurely, building to a bone-deep climax that made me scream, frightening the frigatebirds into flight from a nearby tree.
Afterwards, we held tight to each other, irritating the child in my belly between us until she aimed a feeble kick in William's direction.
"You're covered in mud and dirt, lass. We should go for a swim," William murmured, making no move to release me.
Reluctantly, I sat up and surveyed my body. He was right. I rose and sauntered to the entrance to the cave, feeling his eyes on me every step of the way.
I climbed down the cliff into the Grotto proper, letting the sun-warmed water caress my legs as I lowered myself in. It barely came to my waist, but it was deep enough to lie on the surface and float. I stretched out and kicked my legs up, seeing my belly rise in a distinct curve just above the surface. She was certainly growing in there, this daughter of ours.
Ocean's Birth Page 1
