living with him much too hard.
Penny slowed her crawl stroke and treaded
water. She had swum much further than she had thought.
A dark head bopped up beside her. “Hey-ho!”
Trevor Marx broke through the surf and shook his dark hair.
“Remember me? We met last night. Well, sort of. I introduced myself
then you disappeared.”
When she didn’t say anything, he continued,
“I said,” he dropped his voice to a lower, sexier pitch, “‘Hi, I’m
Trevor Marx.’” His voice returned to normal. “And then you dropped
your phone, conked me on the head, and ran through the hedge.”
When she didn’t say anything again, he said,
“This is where you tell me your name.” Looking around, he said,
“See, no hedges. No means of disappearing.”
“That’s not true,” Penny said, recovering her
voice and some of her scattered wits. “I could swim beneath the
surface, join a cluster of mermaids, become a sea serpent’s
breakfast, or catch a ride on a submarine.”
He laughed. “And all of those scenarios would
be preferable to an introduction?”
She liked the way his eyes matched the color
of the Sound. A stiff wind blew across the water, raising goose
pimples on her exposed arms. “You can call me Maggie.”
“I can call you Maggie,” he parroted. “But
that’s not your real name?”
“It’s short for Magdalena.”
“Magdalena?” He snorted.
“Why is that funny?” she asked, trying not to
get water in her mouth.
“It’s just… you don’t look Spanish.”
“Are you a name racist? I’ve never understood
why a Pedro can’t have blue eyes and freckles.”
“Okay, so your name is Maggie, which by the
way is also short for Margaret, and I’d say Margaret suits you far
better than Magdalena.”
She put her foot down to find the ocean
floor. She needed to be standing on solid ground when talking to
someone as handsome as Trevor Marx, but she only found endless
water. “What if I said you look more like a Horace than a
Trevor?”
“You think I look like a Horace?” Trevor
stopped treading water and began to sink.
Penny kicked toward the shore. “What’s wrong
with Horace? It’s a fine name, my grandfather’s name,
actually.”
“Horace sounds like horse.”
“And horses are poor swimmers.” She stood and
he came to stand beside her.
“And now you’re insulting not only my name,
but also my swimming ability?”
Penny smiled, held her breath and sunk to the
ocean’s floor. After waiting as long as she could, she swam beneath
the waves and tackled the back of his knees. He collapsed backwards
and Penny cut away from him in strong even strokes.
When Trevor surfaced a slow grin overtook his
surprised expression. He lowered his face into the water and
charged toward her. She out swam him to the shore then sat down on
the sand to wait for him. Wolfgang trotted to her side and sat down
with a huff.
Trevor stretched out beside her and rested
his head on his crossed arms. The morning sun dried the water on
Penny’s skin. She wrung out her hair and lifted her face to the
blue sky. They sat at the base of the bluff, and the crop of black
boulders on either side blocked the morning breeze. Although Penny
knew there were houses above, and most likely people on either side
of the rocks, they appeared to be alone.
Trevor had his eyes closed and his face
relaxed. The water and sand glistened on his body, and Penny wanted
to know everything about him, everything that had happened to him
since he left home at eighteen.
Chapter 23
Acutely aware of her warm softness, his mind
leapt to a dream of his mouth pressing hers. The feverish heat that
consumed his thoughts burned so brightly that he feared she would
read them and back away, afraid of the promise in his eyes.
From Hans and the Sunstone
Drake looked up
from his notebook. Time had slipped away from him. He’d been lost
in the land of the Norse, but now that Hans was kissing Ingrid,
Drake wondered what had happened to
Penny slowed her crawl stroke and treaded
water. She had swum much further than she had thought.
A dark head bopped up beside her. “Hey-ho!”
Trevor Marx broke through the surf and shook his dark hair.
“Remember me? We met last night. Well, sort of. I introduced myself
then you disappeared.”
When she didn’t say anything, he continued,
“I said,” he dropped his voice to a lower, sexier pitch, “‘Hi, I’m
Trevor Marx.’” His voice returned to normal. “And then you dropped
your phone, conked me on the head, and ran through the hedge.”
When she didn’t say anything again, he said,
“This is where you tell me your name.” Looking around, he said,
“See, no hedges. No means of disappearing.”
“That’s not true,” Penny said, recovering her
voice and some of her scattered wits. “I could swim beneath the
surface, join a cluster of mermaids, become a sea serpent’s
breakfast, or catch a ride on a submarine.”
He laughed. “And all of those scenarios would
be preferable to an introduction?”
She liked the way his eyes matched the color
of the Sound. A stiff wind blew across the water, raising goose
pimples on her exposed arms. “You can call me Maggie.”
“I can call you Maggie,” he parroted. “But
that’s not your real name?”
“It’s short for Magdalena.”
“Magdalena?” He snorted.
“Why is that funny?” she asked, trying not to
get water in her mouth.
“It’s just… you don’t look Spanish.”
“Are you a name racist? I’ve never understood
why a Pedro can’t have blue eyes and freckles.”
“Okay, so your name is Maggie, which by the
way is also short for Margaret, and I’d say Margaret suits you far
better than Magdalena.”
She put her foot down to find the ocean
floor. She needed to be standing on solid ground when talking to
someone as handsome as Trevor Marx, but she only found endless
water. “What if I said you look more like a Horace than a
Trevor?”
“You think I look like a Horace?” Trevor
stopped treading water and began to sink.
Penny kicked toward the shore. “What’s wrong
with Horace? It’s a fine name, my grandfather’s name,
actually.”
“Horace sounds like horse.”
“And horses are poor swimmers.” She stood and
he came to stand beside her.
“And now you’re insulting not only my name,
but also my swimming ability?”
Penny smiled, held her breath and sunk to the
ocean’s floor. After waiting as long as she could, she swam beneath
the waves and tackled the back of his knees. He collapsed backwards
and Penny cut away from him in strong even strokes.
When Trevor surfaced a slow grin overtook his
surprised expression. He lowered his face into the water and
charged toward her. She out swam him to the shore then sat down on
the sand to wait for him. Wolfgang trotted to her side and sat down
with a huff.
Trevor stretched out beside her and rested
his head on his crossed arms. The morning sun dried the water on
Penny’s skin. She wrung out her hair and lifted her face to the
blue sky. They sat at the base of the bluff, and the crop of black
boulders on either side blocked the morning breeze. Although Penny
knew there were houses above, and most likely people on either side
of the rocks, they appeared to be alone.
Trevor had his eyes closed and his face
relaxed. The water and sand glistened on his body, and Penny wanted
to know everything about him, everything that had happened to him
since he left home at eighteen.
Chapter 23
Acutely aware of her warm softness, his mind
leapt to a dream of his mouth pressing hers. The feverish heat that
consumed his thoughts burned so brightly that he feared she would
read them and back away, afraid of the promise in his eyes.
From Hans and the Sunstone
Drake looked up
from his notebook. Time had slipped away from him. He’d been lost
in the land of the Norse, but now that Hans was kissing Ingrid,
Drake wondered what had happened to
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