Immortal Sea by Virginia Kantra

stroll into Zack’s life and start acting like his father.”
    “I am his father. He is my seed.”
    “He’s not some test tube baby,” she snapped. “He’s a person. He’s my son.”
    “My son, too.”
    “Which means nothing without some kind of commitment.”
    It meant everything if the boy were finfolk.
    Morgan raised his eyebrows. “Are you asking my intentions?”
    She stuck out her chin. “Towards Zack, yes.”
    If he told her, she would throw him out. He shrugged. “I want to know my son.”
    “Any relationship you have with Zack has to be his choice.”
    He admired her determination to protect her family, even though he had no intention of being hampered by it. “And you trust his judgment.”
    She flushed. “No. That doesn’t mean I trust you either.”
    “Yet I have been inside you,” he murmured mostly for the pleasure of seeing her eyes flash.
    “I was stupid then. I won’t be stupid now. Not with my children’s safety at stake.”
    He was annoyed. “I do not prey on children.”
    “I’m not talking about physical danger,” she said. “But they’re emotionally vulnerable. Zack is going through a difficult time right now. I don’t want you confusing him even more.”
    “It may be I understand the boy better than you think.”
    “If I didn’t consider that a possibility, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” she said frankly. “But you don’t really know him. You don’t see him as an individual yet.”
    “Of course he is an individual. I only have one son.”
    “Listen to yourself. ‘One son.’ ‘The boy.’ He has a name. You could try using it occasionally.”
    He stared at her, oddly discomfited. Had he ever called the boy by name? He could not remember. Was not sure why he should care.
    She cared. Elizabeth. Her passion lit her from the inside until she glowed with maternal warmth and anger. Vibrant. Desirable. Dangerous.
    To distract her, to indulge himself, he moved in, nudging her back against the sink. “Zachary,” he said deliberately. He put his hands on the counter, caging her hips, watching the wild beat of her pulse under her jaw. “Elizabeth.”
    Lowering his face to her neck, he breathed her in, the sharp notes of her irritation, the sweetness of her arousal. He eased forward, teasing her with the brush of his body, letting her feel how she affected him.
    “Satisfied?” he taunted against her throat.
    She inhaled sharply, her breasts rising, and he raised his head and took her open mouth. He felt a flash of heat, of triumph, of delicious friction, before her fingers tightened on his arms and she bit his lower lip. Hard.
    His head jerked back. Snarling, he met her gaze.
    Her eyes were dark and dilated, her mouth resolute. He was confident enough of her, of his own skill and experience, to believe he could still have her. He almost lunged again for her mouth.
    But she stopped him, slapping her palm against his chest. “My satisfaction isn’t the issue. This is about Zack. He comes first.”
    Of course the boy came first. Morgan would not still be here on this island otherwise.
    He leaned back slightly, his lip throbbing, his body tight. “So?”
    “So.” Her breath escaped in a short, explosive puff.
    “Any personal relationship between us, any physical relationship, complicates things.”
    Impatience licked him. “Without our physical relationship, the . . . Zachary,” he said carefully, “would not exist.”
    “As far as you’re concerned, he didn’t exist. Not until a few days ago.”
    “And you hold that against me. Would use that against me.”
    She opened her mouth to deny it. “Pretty much.”
    Surprise held him momentarily speechless. Surprise and respect.
    “It’s not like you have this great track record of sticking around,” she continued. “Until I’m sure you won’t hurt Zack, it’s better if we take things slowly. Our relationship begins and ends with him.”
    Strong words. She was a strong woman.
    But not, he