Keeping His Siren Part 1

by Kiersten Fay

  He sucked in a breath. “I owe Kenzi a serious thank you.”

  “She may need a raise,” Naia agreed with a nod.

  “I was going to let you have breakfast first, but now I can’t resist.” He crossed the deck, his imposing form closing in, his glittering eyes spelling out dark promises. Reaching her, he took her mouth with his firm lips. The kiss was hot and hard and carnal. Too soon he pulled away, and she didn’t recognize the twinkle in his eyes till it was too late.

  “Wait, No!”

  He hefted her over his shoulder and raced across the deck, spring-boarding off the railing and flinging them both into the ocean. She was suddenly engulfed by cool, salty water. Bubbles tickled their way along her flesh, seeking an escape from the dense liquid. Kicking her feet, she breached the surface, both shocked and amused by his playful behavior.

  He roared with laughter at her expression.

  “You ass!” she splashed him and he ducked from the spray, laughing even harder.

  Then he dove, swimming toward her. She giggle/screamed, trying to swim away, but he caught her ankle and lightly tugged to halt her progress. Her head whipped around, trying to find him under the surface. He easily circled her as she helplessly bobbed and…

  “Ow!”

  Did he just…?

  When he surfaced right next to her, she smacked his chest. “You pinched me!”

  He chuckled and hooked his arm around her waist, drawing her close. “You sure that wasn’t a fish? They like to nip on succulent treats.”

  She pursed her lips, going for a censuring expression, but her smile broke through.

  “Don’t worry I will protect you from those sleazy lecherous ocean dwellers,” he said, acting as though he were glancing around.

  “Ow!” Another pinch to her rear.

  “Uh, oh! They’ve broken through my defenses!”

  “Ow! Stop it!” She laughed and wrapped her legs around her attacker.

  “Ah, ha! A little goose and you cling to me like a barnacle. Note taken.”

  “You’d better knock it off.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or this barnacle might have to defend herself.”

  “Oh? And what are you going to do about it?”

  She dipped her head and nipped the flesh at his shoulder in warning.

  His tone roughened. “I think I might like your retaliation.”

  “Ow!” She attempted to climb him to get away from his pinching fingers, but he didn’t stop till she was in hysterics.

  With her head tossed back on a laugh, she caught several of the deckhands and stewardesses casting curious glances over the side of the ship, incredulous. She instantly grew self-conscious, tempering her mirth. Cortez sensed the change in her and cut a glare up at the crew. Heads vanished like gophers in a hole.

  “Are the women you date always such a spectacle?”

  Wry grin. “You won’t have to worry about it for long.”

  Because she wouldn’t be with him much longer?

  “Let’s get some food in you and then I’ll show you around the island, hmm?”

  “Oh! We’re on an island?” She studied the land and beach once more, only now noticing how it curved drastically, disappearing behind itself. How cool! How exotic. She’d never been to an island before.

  And yet....

  It might have been subconscious, but she suddenly felt the natural isolation of the place.

  “I bought it a few years back.”

  She gaped. “Shut up!”

  “Pardon?”

  “You own your own island?”

  Curt nod.

  “That is baller!”

  “Thanks?”

  Excitement permeated over her body. “How big is it?”

  He gave another crooked grin. “Big enough.”

  “Can we go on the beach? Can we hike up the hill? Can we go over there?” she pointed toward the bungalow over the ocean.

  “We can stay there one night if you like.”

  One night? “How long are we staying?”

  “As long as you like.”

  She bit her lip. This could turn out to be the perfect place to weasel information out of him. She stifled a cringe and pushed down a surge of guilt. He’d brought her to paradise, and she was planning to thank him with a backstabbing.

  He cocked his head at her strained expression. “Everything alright?”

  She forced a smile. “Just hungry I think.”

  “Then let’s get you fed.”

  Breakfast was practically an affair. Stewardesses’ paraded plates past, offering everything from quail eggs to buttered toast.

  Cortez didn’t join in on the meal...because he was still full from last night?

  When Emily made a final pass, Naia stiffened, avoiding eye contact. Cortez must have noticed, because as soon as she left, he informed her he’d wiped Emily’s memories of last night. He’d said it as though he might inform her he’d changed a light bulb. “She’ll have no memory of our encounter.”

  “Um. Okay.” So Naia’s glare this morning would have meant nothing to the woman.

  “I figured that would please you.”

  It does! Immensely. “Why would you think that?” She wasn’t his girlfriend. She was a fling. He owed her nothing.

  “It has been my experience that human women are just as territorial as vampires.”

  She shrugged and glanced down at her food. “You think I see you as mine?” She feigned a laugh. “So soon?”

  At length, he repeated in a droll voice, “It has been my experience that human women are just as territorial as vampires.” After a moment, he added, “But I will need to feed from time to time.” There were layers to the statement: would she prefer him to go elsewhere during their time together, or would she be willing to provide for him?

  She gulped, her meal growing heavy in her stomach. He’d posed the question last night in so many words, but she hadn’t given a definitive answer. She’d figured by morning she’d be over her flash of jealousy, but still the thought of him drinking Emily maddened her like she never expected. “I-I could maybe, you know, try it?” That couldn’t have sounded more uncertain. She tried again. “Yes. We can give it a shot.”

  His grin was all wolf, his tone dipping. “I could make you crave it.”

  Lord almighty, she believed him.

  Chapter 19

  The island was a marvel, a jewel, a paradise for her and her sexier-than-life-itself vampire lover.

  After stepping from the boardwalk, Naia sprinted for the beach, feeling the sand in her toes and the surf on her legs for the very first time. It pushed against her shins, racing for shore, and pulled on her calves as it receded. Like a lung taking liquid breaths. Amazing!

  For the next few minutes, Cortez watched patiently as she delighted in the waves, a little smile playing on his lips, but he didn’t join her, content to let her frolic and splash and dive and play with each marvelous wave. There were no words for the sensation of the frothy bubbles on her skin, the sand in her toes, and the warm, salty sea, like a living beast forever restless, always toiling.

  When she finally did return to him, she was high from her experience. She ticked off a list of objectives. “First things first, it’s imperative that we make a sand castle.” She and Cole had always dreamed of doing so. Being so close to the ocean, yet never seeing it, had worn on them. “We need to go surfing. And snorkel! Do you have diving equipment? Oh, I want to fish!”

  Cortez’s lips turned up in a half-grin. “Plenty of time for all that.”

  Oh really? He must plan to stay here more than a day or two.

  While he showed her the bungalow, a small, cozy one-room hut with a canopy bed, the yacht’s crew unloaded their luggage. Then together they all hiked inland to a larger, more modern home, filled with all the amenities you could ever want. The kitchen was a masterpiece of innovation, the living room was one step down from a movie theatre, the bathrooms were ripped straight from a spa, and the b
edroom, well, that was the only thing that seemed to have been downplayed. The master offered a bed, a dresser, some closet space and not much else. Their things were already being put away by the crew.

  While he continued the tour, she couldn’t help but contemplate the weird looks she continued to receive from the crew. Why did all his employees look at her like they would a six-headed moose?

  When Cortez took her out back to show her a large heated pool, she asked, “Why do all of your employees look at me so funny? Like I have an extra nose or something.” Like a freak, she didn’t add.

  “They wonder about you,” he admitted. “That’s all.”

  “What do you mean?” She needed more than that. Were they suspicious? Was her undercover act even more transparent than she’d initially suspected?

  “I brought you here to get away from all that. We won’t have any distractions here.”

  No distractions? He could focus all his attention on the undercover agent. She was playing a dangerous game with two vampires, a pair of homicidal twins, and her brother’s life. A little unwanted attention from some of Cortez’s acquaintances was just icing on a very unappetizing cake.

  Thinking of her brother made her want to check on him. “Do you mind if I make a call?”

  “Not at all. I’ll go inside and double check our stocks.”

  When he was gone, she retrieved her phone from her purse and selected Cole’s number.

  There was a few seconds of fumbling, then Cole came on the line. “I’ll never get used to this thing. Everyone is laughing at me now because I had it on vibrate and your call made me jump like a chick that just spotted a mouse.”

  Naia laughed. “So you’re at work?”

  “Yeah, I was called in a bit early. Tiffany and one of the bouncers didn’t show up, so Boomer’s scrambling to fill spots. Too bad you’re not here. You might have landed your first all-night gig.” Tiffany was one of The Pit’s main dancers, performing several times a night.

  “Is she sick?”

  “Not sure. Anyway, how are you?”

  Excitement rolled out of her. “Cole, I’m on a freaking private island. I repeat, a private island.”

  Cole went silent for a moment. “I don’t like you being alone with this guy.”

  “I know. But he’s really nice, I promise.” She lowered her voice. “And this could be our ticket to getting the twins off your back.” She wouldn’t dare explain more. “You just have to trust me.”

  “This whole situation sucks. I don’t want this for you.”

  “It’s not like this is a hardship, Cole.”

  “Ugh! Say no more!”

  She laughed. “Get back to work, you lazy ass.”

  “When will you be home?”

  “I’m not sure. A few days, I think.”

  “Hm. I have the apartment all to myself,” he mused.

  Oh the trouble he was plotting. “No ragers. And no hookers.”

  Snort. “A good sister would let me invite hookers over for a rager whenever I wanted.”

  “I guess I’m a terrible sister, then.”

  “The worst. If you want to stop me, I guess you’ll just have to come home then, won’t you?”

  She laughed. “Just stay safe, Cole.”

  “You too,” he said solemnly. “You too.”

  Hanging up, she gazed out over the sea. The sun was low in the sky, hinting at setting behind the horizon. The day had gone so quickly. Sparkles danced on the ocean as saltwater perfumed the air. Clouds were sparse, suggesting a clear night ahead, and the yacht was...being untied from the dock!?

  Its engines roared to life, deckhands, like little ants from this distance, swiftly undoing the last of the ropes before hopping back onto the boat.

  “What are they doing?” She watched in horror as the yacht drifted out toward the ocean. “What are you doing!” she yelled, her tone slightly shrill, but she was too far up the hill for them to hear. She didn’t need an answer anyway. They were leaving!

  Rushing inside, she hollered for Cortez.

  After a frantic moment, he burst into the room, looking tense and ready to hurt whatever it was that offended her. “What’s wrong?”

  “The boat. They’re leaving us.” We’ll be stranded! the siren in her screeched in horror.

  He heaved out a breath, his shoulders relaxing. “Yes. I told them to go.”

  She stilled, her mind scrambling for calm. “Oh. Oh.....okay. Um. Why?”

  “So we could be alone.”

  “Alone?” A siren. Alone. On an island. Wasn’t that every siren’s nightmare?

  As if sensing her unease, he assured her, “I can call them back whenever I like.”

  Relief sang through her. She tried not to let her sigh sound too mitigated.

  “You didn’t change your mind, did you?”

  She cocked her head. “Change my mind?”

  “About me feeding from you.”

  “Oh.” Heat skated into her cheeks. He thought her distress was from the prospect of giving him her blood. She was nervous about it, sure, but now that she’d decided to go through with it, she was oddly eager. Couldn’t stop imagining it.

  He didn’t know her fear stemmed from something more primitive. Something she didn’t even fully understand. To a true siren, isolation was akin to torture. Being a half-blood, with no humans to draw energy from, given enough time, she could die.

  But that was an extreme scenario. Very unlikely. Surely he wouldn’t keep her here for any disastrous length of time, and a couple days alone with Cortez was all too tempting. In fact, it sounded like a dream.

  One she definitely planned to experience.

  Chapter 20

  Naia glanced around the elegant, yet understated room, hardly believing her current circumstances. She was on a private island, sharing time with an enigmatic, gloriously handsome vampire who should frighten her. Instead he warmed her blood like melting chocolate over an open flame. A simple look from him had her blushing, which normally was a rarity considering she worked at a seedy club where catcalls were practically a form of currency. A simple touch from him had her skin heating up, her body willing to burn for him. A simple kiss nearly drove her out of her mind. She couldn’t get enough. No, he didn’t frighten her. He excited her.

  Conversely, when they weren’t making love, he behaved more gentlemanly than she ever expected from a man like him, making sure she was comfortable and fed and content. If one was doomed to be stranded on a deserted island, it might as well be this one. The ocean was a crystalline feast for the eyes, the fine sandy beach was like stepping through powdered silk. The estate was a state-of-the-art, automated, nerd-paradise with a remote for just about everything from the window shades, accent lighting, and surround sound music in whichever room one desired. And the kitchen’s—count them, two! One on the first level, and one on the third—were stocked with enough goods for a doomsday scenario.

  She changed into one of the dresses Kenzi (his assistant of sorts) had purchased for her, a sexy stretchy number that wrapped her torso like it was to be worn by her. The bottom flowed freely, allowing a side slit to reveal her right leg as she headed down to cozy den where he now sat, a drink in his hand and a glass of wine waiting for her on the sidebar.

  Cortez watched her intensely as she crossed to pick up her glass. She thrilled at the thought that he might jump her on the spot. She could tell he wanted to, but he restrained himself.

  She suspected just barely.

  The room was dimly lit, giving the ambiance of something that resembled warm candlelight. A sofa and coffee table took up the middle of the room. Cortez sat in one of the two armchairs, looking regal and edible at the same time. Soft music fluttered through unseen speakers, and a set of French doors were opened, allowing in the exquisite ocean breeze. The sun had dipped behind that watery expanse, leaving behind only traces of its dying light, not yet night, but no longer day. “This place is beautiful,” she sighed.

  “I think so too.” H
e was still watching her, seemingly content in doing so.

  The silence suddenly made her feel a little awkward. She was alone with a man she’d known for all of two days. A man she’d been hired to spy on, or rather, on his business, an assignment she still wasn’t sure how she felt about. Especially considering the wild turn her relationship with Cortez had taken. Did he always seduce women with the speed and undeniable expertise he’d shown her? How long had the others lasted in his bed before he tired of them?

  “How often do you entertain?” she asked, pretending to gaze out to the ocean, not really seeing it. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to sound interested, interesting, or if she just wanted a distraction from her thoughts. Maybe what she really wanted was insight into how regularly he brought others to this dazzling bachelor-pad paradise.

  Not that she should care.

  “It’s not a place I think to invite people.”

  She faced him, taking in his cryptic smile. “Uh-huh?” she murmured, disbelieving. She waved her glass around the sitting room. “This crème de la bachelor pad goes untapped? I’m so sure.”

  He raised a brow at her sarcasm. “I keep the bachelor pad at the other end of the island.” His tone was teasing.

  “I just bet you do. And it’s probably magnificent. The Taj Mahal pales in comparison? Meanwhile you bring me to this dump.” In a haughty tone, she added, “I’m afraid I must insist on gold flecks in my bath water and diamonds for breakfast.”

  Amusement lit his features. “I can see I’ve already spoiled you.”

  She nodded happily. “I’m afraid you might be right. Now where is the pile of gems we’re meant to sleep atop? I think I’d like to show my appreciation.” She smiled coyly.

  His grin turned carnal. “One pile of gems coming up.”

  Taking her glass from her, he set it aside and then hefted her over his shoulder barbarian-style. She squealed with laughter as he bound up the stairs to the master bedroom. After lightly tossing her on an impossibly soft mattress, he crawled over her, his gaze intent. When they kissed, his lips were a perfect mix of give and take, his tongue delving to follow the path of her lower lip before retreating and then repeating the process, just enough to tease and make her crave more.