This guy would be perfect for Faith.
She scribbled it down in her mental notebook, so she could remember to tell Faith about him later. Maybe they could even double date. She shook the thought from her mind as she imagined what the date would really be like. These two trash talkers, meaning Hightail and Faith, joining together to poke fun at Kalina and her man. It would be a full-on roast instead of a dinner among friends.
“So, you two are the guys I have to worry about,” Kalina said.
“Worry about?” Beanie asked. “Nah, man. We’re nice guys. And you haven’t even met Squid.”
“Nice guys hell,” Rafe joked.
“Squid?” Kalina asked.
“Our other buddy,” Rafe said.
“He’s out hooking up with some chick he met at that bonfire the other night,” Beanie said.
“At least one of us got lucky,” Hightail added.
“I got lucky,” Rafe said, squeezing Kalina’s hand.
“Whoa!” Hightail said.
“TMI,” Beanie announced. “But really, it’s not too much info. Give me more.”
Kalina shooed him away and laughed.
“I didn’t get that kind of lucky,” Rafe said. “I meant lucky to have met her.”
“Sure,” both the other guys said in unison.
Kalina couldn’t help thinking as much as she didn’t want to keep Rafe on a leash, these guys looked like bad influences. She could tell from the look on Hightail’s face, and the way he didn’t even try to hide the fact he was checking her out, that he was the kind of guy who might try to convince Rafe they should go out looking for chicks, even though Rafe clearly had a fucking chick!
Wow. Where is all this unwarranted jealousy coming from? Again, I walk naked on a beach with all my friends.
She needed to jump. She needed to lose herself in the fear and excitement that would come from doing something so daring. Really, she needed to lose herself in something other than Rafe because she felt herself unraveling in his arms. He was consuming her thoughts and of all the dangerous situations she’d been in, his embrace might be the most hazardous of all. She had no idea how he’d react if and when he ever saw her in shark form, and it scared the hell out of her to think this could all be over in an instant.
“Let’s do this,” Kalina said.
Everyone seemed surprised.
“Hook us up I guess,” Rafe said.
“We’re going together?” Kalina asked.
She’d assumed they would go separately. One of them would go first and the other would follow. So, she was surprised when Rafe grabbed both her hands, laced his fingers through hers, and smiled down at her.
“We’re in this together,” he said. “Where you go, I go.”
She liked the sound of that more than he’d ever know.
Oh, how I hope that’s true.
“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it,” Kalina said, forgetting about the other guys on the platform. “Because I might hold you to it.”
“I said it because I mean it,” Rafe said.
At that moment, if they’d been alone, she would have kissed him. This was the right moment, but she couldn’t help noticing the snickering coming from Rafe’s friends.
“I’m so sorry, yo!” Beanie said. “But that was fucking cute.”
“It was pretty fuckin’ adorable,” Hightail said.
“I hate you both,” Kalina said.
“You shouldn’t say things like that when I’m about to hold your life in my hands,” Hightail said.
“In that case, I love you,” Kalina said.
“And I want to have your babies,” Rafe joked.
“Cool,” Hightail said. “You’re in good hands.”
Hightail and Beanie both went to work hooking harnesses up to Kalina and Rafe. They stood facing each other, trying not to laugh, as the guys fitted vests over their shoulders and clamped things and clicked other things and wrapped this and pulled on that. Finally, they were ready to go. As instructed, they shimmied their way toward the edge of the platform. Hightail lowered the railing and the wind seemed to kick up stronger at that moment. Beanie held a thumbs up to let them know they were good to go when ready.
Kalina looked up into Rafe’s face once more and breathed deeply. She couldn’t believe she was about to do this. She tore her gaze away from Rafe and peered down over the edge. At the opposite end of the party below, it was all darkness. She could see the ocean out there in the distance, her home, and from so high up it looked like a pool of blackness. Below her, the scorched earth looked much the same. Lights from the steel structure lit up the ground so they’d be able to see it coming their way as they careened toward it.
“Ready?” Rafe asked, bringing her attention back to him.
“No,” she said. “But yes.”
“Want to count to three?” he asked.
“You do it,” she said, afraid that if she counted, she’d stop after two and never make it to the next digit.
Wind blasted Rafe’s hair to the left and he squinted to keep it from his eyes. Like a photographer facing a model at a photo shoot, she snapped a mental picture and tucked it away for later, wanting to remember how perfect he looked right then.
“One…” Rafe said.
A lump formed in her throat.
“Two…”
“Oh God,” she said.
An icy finger stroked the inside of her chest as chills covered her entire body. She couldn’t believe she was about to…
“Three,” he announced and leaned to his left, her right, and they went over the ledge.
A scream sounded off from somewhere within her body, one that must have formed at the tips of her toes because the force at which it jetted up through her body made it rip through her throat. She clutched Rafe tightly and held on for dear life. The fall must have taken no more than a couple of seconds, but time seemed to freeze. She saw such joy mixed with terror on his face that she laughed internally and promised herself she’d relive this moment again and again. She would never forget the sinking feeling, the weightlessness, the inability to prevent herself from falling completely…toward the ground…and toward love.
The cord reached its end and stretched, allowing them to fall a little further before it jerked them back and sent them catapulting up into the air where they laughed and screamed some more before bouncing a few times and finally coming to a stop.
She was aware that her hair was gripped by gravity and dangling toward the ground. She knew she must look a fright with all the blood rushing to her head. She was sure she looked as funny as he did, but she didn’t care. Neither did he, it seemed, as he held her head firmly in his hand and pulled her face to his, locking his lips against hers. Her mouth opened for him and their tongues intertwined, meeting for the first time and relishing in the moment they’d been waiting for. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest and seek out his. It pounded so hard and so fast and she kissed him to the same beat, wishing he’d never remove his lips from hers.
Her first date with Rafe was sweet, it was sexy, and it was perfect.
Chapter 13 - Sylvia
Her first night on the island was so surreal. She’d partied with a group of sharks, watched them fight a group of other sharks, and then made out with a great white shark.
Sharks…
Sharks…
Sharks…
Her mind was reeling when Sylvia woke up the next morning. She wasn’t even sure she’d ever gone to sleep. Faith had offered to spend the night with Kalina, so Sylvia would have a place to sleep, but she’d spent the entire time looking out the slotted window blinds, thinking about Coby out there somewhere in the ocean, sad, seething, and seeking revenge.
Will I ever see him again?
When she finally decided to get up and go outside, she found Penny sitting with Ruby already. It seemed pregnant women didn’t sleep so well. Sylvia wondered what it must be like to have a shark baby inside you. Not that she’d had a baby of any kind ins
ide her, but still…was there any difference? She couldn’t help imagining this baby in there swimming laps back and forth, preparing for its time to be a big bad shark roaming the ocean like Coby.
He was so strong. All man.
Sports stars and musicians always tried to act bad. They tried to be thugs when around their friends and alpha males around their women, but nobody she’d ever met in her entire life exuded the confidence and overall courageous cool that Coby had. Sylvia had started their conversation doing all the talking. He hadn’t said a word at first, and even then, his lack of words revealed so much about him. She missed him already and had decided to suck it up and deal with the knowledge she wouldn’t see him again. He’d gotten the information he’d come for. He had wanted to know about Poet, and he’d found out that his death had nothing to do with anyone on the island. A great white had killed his brother. Sylvia had been the one to tell him.
Maybe if I’d kept my fucking mouth shut.
It wouldn’t have mattered. If she hadn’t told him, someone else would have. She hoped he hunted down the beast that had butchered his brother and then came back to her, the way guys always did in the movies. They went off to battle, exacted their revenge, and then rushed back to their lady in waiting, to make love to her. Only Sylvia didn’t want to make love. She wanted to fuck. This wasn’t one of those stories where they’d waltz by candlelight, kiss gently, and then climb into bed together in the missionary position and kiss each other into romantic bliss. No, this was the other kind of story, where he’d put her on all fours, grip her hips, and drive into her from behind. He’d fuck her into oblivion.
A woman can only hope.
“Enough action for you last night?” Ruby asked as Sylvia climbed the few steps at her front stoop and sat down next to Penny on a swinging bench.
“Please,” Sylvia said. “My people party twice as hard. You haven’t seen havoc until you’ve partied with a group of hockey players doing keg stands.”
They all laughed.
“I’m sorry you had to see Evelyn,” Penny said. “That was a shock to us all.”
“I figured she’d be back eventually,” Ruby said. “If she wasn’t dead.”
“And that bitch definitely doesn’t like to die,” Penny added.
“She seems strongly opposed to it,” Sylvia said.
“That was brave what you did with Poet’s brother,” Ruby said.
“He saved my life,” Sylvia replied.
“And you saved his,” Ruby said. “I know it looked like he was kicking Thane’s ass, but Thane has this thing about him. He can take punishment. Sometimes I think he enjoys it. But at some point, he snaps, and it can get ugly.”
Oh, please. Coby was kicking his fucking ass.
Sylvia was surprised by how defensive she’d immediately gotten about the man. As if he was hers and Ruby was insinuating that Thane would have taken down her man.
My man. Not yet. Maybe one day, but not yet.
“If Thane wouldn’t have been able to take him, the others would have ripped him apart,” Ruby added.
Sylvia couldn’t put her thoughts into words. If she did, she might say something offensive and she couldn’t afford for that to happen. These people had taken her in so easily. They’d welcomed her into their group and she needed to be nothing but gracious and grateful.
“I think Coby is going to hunt down the shark that killed Poet,” Sylvia said. “I told him you’d said it was a great white and you should have seen the look on his face.”
“Poet,” Penny said and stared off into space.
Sylvia knew how badly it bothered her friend to think about it, so she draped her arm over Penny’s shoulder and pulled her in close, hugging her as tightly as she could from the side.
“Want to go for a walk?” Sylvia asked. “You can show me around.”
“Sure,” Penny said. “I guess that would be a good idea since I’m hoping to convince you to stay. And this little one must be tired of sitting here. He needs a walk.”
She stood and rubbed her belly.
“You’re thinking of sticking around?” Ruby asked.
“That all depends on how good your WiFi is on the island,” Sylvia said.
They all laughed.
Thirty minutes later, they’d already seen everything there was to see on the main beach and Penny had explained all the dos and don’ts about living on Shamrock Island.
“Oh, let me show you the pond,” Penny said.
“The pond?” she asked. “As in the pond?”
Back in their hotel room, when Penny had first explained everything about dating a tiger shark shifter, she’d told her all about the first time she’d seen Thane shift and how it had been in a safer environment than out in the ocean. He’d taken her to some pond that was fed by a waterfall and everything you’d expect from a romantic island scene.
Penny’s newfound strength and stamina made it easy for her to trudge through the forest to look for this hidden location, and Sylvia found that she had a hard time keeping up with her pregnant friend.
“Man,” Sylvia complained. “I need to start this shark shifter workout regimen you’re on. You’re fuckin’ fit, girl.”
“Beats the hell out of going to the gym,” Penny said. “I’m naturally strong and fast and can swim like you wouldn’t believe.”
After what seemed like an eternity, Penny pushed through a last strand of hanging leaves and Sylvia followed her out into the open area. It was as majestic as her best friend had described. It was the stuff you’d see in the old Blue Lagoon movies.
Sylvia couldn’t believe her eyes when she scanned the area, taking in the breathtaking view, and finally settled on a spot of sand that led into the pond. Sitting there on the ground, this time wearing a pair of black cargo shorts, was Coby. He had his finger stuck inside a book, keeping his place in the story, and was watching them with his brow furrowed. Sylvia looked back at Penny.
“You’re welcome,” Penny said.
“You knew he’d be here?” Sylvia asked.
“Thane told me. Apparently, they bumped into each other while Thane was on his morning patrol. Cobalt followed him back to the island, borrowed some shorts, and took Poet’s diary with him. And…”
Penny leaned in close and rested her chin on Sylvia’s shoulder.
“…I heard he asked about you,” she whispered.
Sylvia pulled back, releasing her friend’s chin from her shoulder.
“Get out,” she said.
“I’m serious. Ask him.”
“I’m not gonna ask him that.”
“Don’t be a pussy.”
“So, you gained muscle, stamina, and a foul mouth,” Sylvia said.
“You can thank me later,” Penny said. “And if you can’t figure out how to get home, listen for the ocean waves…or ask your friend if he’ll escort you back.”
Sylvia wanted to jump on Penny’s back and hug the life out of her for hooking her up with such an amazing morning.
“Umm…” Sylvia said as she slowly approached Coby. “Funny seeing you here?”
She posed it as a question because she knew it was a cheesy line and was gauging whether or not he was in the mood for her corniness or if he would rather be left alone altogether.
“Yes,” he said, keeping up what Sylvia had realized was his silent but sexy demeanor.
He was a man of few words.
And what are words really? Other than something to fill your mouth with, when I’ve got so many other things I’d rather you stuff into your mouth.
More men should use less words. Sylvia had always thought if more men would shut up and listen, there would be a lot less failed marriages and much fewer single mothers.
“So, uh, whatcha reading?” she asked as she took her time walking toward him.
Coby looked at the cover of the book as if he were studying the title. Sylvia realized she already knew the answer. Penny had just told her Thane had given him Poet’s diary. Again, she wished s
he could reach into her mouth and speedbag punch her tonsils to teach her to think before speaking.
“Never mind,” Sylvia said. “I’m sorry. Penny told me. Poet’s diary.”
She almost asked if he’d found anything juicy and thankfully thought better of it before she let the worlds fly.
“Mind if I sit next to you?” she asked.
He shrugged, and she took that as he didn’t mind. In the light, she got a much better look at her white knight and she decided he looked even better in broad daylight. His skin was almost milky white, but the grooves carved out from his muscles gave him a Greek-god like authority. He commanded respect and she knew she would never be able to look upon another man and see what she was seeing now. His arms bulged, and his chest was so wide and so thick with solid muscle that it practically hung like a set of drapes over his chiseled abs. This was the form a great white takes when in human costume. A life of swimming and hunting could only create something this magnificent. She’d seen sharks, had come face to face with them and had barely lived, yet, she thought she might find this one beautiful if she had the chance to see his other side.
Sylvia tucked her dress under her ass and used it to shield her panties from the damp sand beneath her.
“I never listened,” Coby said.
It took her a second to catch on that he was talking about the diary.
“I’ve heard his words are very powerful,” she said. “His nickname, Poet, it was well deserved.”
“He was a good man,” Coby said. “And I think he despised me for what I am, but I loved him. I kept tabs on him always. I knew he was here, and I could feel that he was happy. I always stayed close enough to connect with him mentally. When that connection was severed, I knew…”
Sylvia decided it was her turn to remain quiet. He could tell her everything, or he could tell her nothing, but it was his time to explain himself.
“He was my little brother,” Coby continued. “And I loved him.”
“I’m sure you did,” Sylvia said when it was clear he was not going to say anything else.
She feared she might have gotten as much conversation out of him as she was ever going to get. Penny had told her that sharks could communicate through their minds, telepathically, and it dawned on her that maybe he was so used to that form of talking that he found it a challenge to hold a discussion in human form.
Bite Me Harder (a paranormal shifter novel) (Guardians of the Deep Book 2) Page 14
