Unfamiliar doubt settled with ill ease.
Life hadnât been kind. Past experiences shaped him into an enigma among his peers. Anyone who knew him accepted his shortcomings and thought better than to mention them. A wry smile turned his lips. Returning to London provided him the opportunity to speak to Jasper. He hadnât attended his friendâs wedding and harbored deep regret over how heâd handled the discovery Emily Shaw was his half sister. Now Emily was his best friendâs wife. He needed to make peace and mend fences.
A whisper in the wind grabbed his attention and he bent to light one of the lanterns waiting in the sand near his boots, discarded as soon as heâd arrived. The soft glow of light did little to reveal who approached until a distinct silhouette came into view.
At first he mistook the stranger for a man, broad shouldered and with a cumbersome gait, but he soon deciphered his mermaid, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, the clumsy addition making her strides uneven as she advanced across the beach.
âThis is reckless more than restless.â
âAre you trying to frighten me away?â she whispered, and it amused him.
âNot in the least. Iâm noting something we have in common.â
She stood motionless, unsure, he surmised. No sudden rainstorm prompted their swift response and for a long stretched silence, they stood three paces apart and utterly quiet, though a tension danced between them as if a flash of lightning had all at once been unleashed and was searching for a place to settle.
Before she could change her mind he took the initiative and reached out his hand, relishing when she placed her cool fingers within his. He had no idea what the lady intended, but heâd grant her a boon and see where the evening led. Romantic challenges always proved interesting.
âMy education is lacking in the subject of merfolk and how long one can exist on land. I should taste your kiss now before you disappear into the night.â
A soft laugh escaped, the sound unbearably erotic in the darkness, and he all at once wished for more than the implied promise of an embrace. Who was this woman whoâd appeared in his life to tempt and tease him? Her innocent kiss consumed his thoughts with an underlying energy more powerful than any courtesan or wanton heâd bedded, yet she embodied a sensual timidity that demanded he explore, teach, and discover every nuance of her beautiful body. How far would she allow his expedition?
âOr perhaps youâre a goddess of the sea?â He removed the blanket from her shoulders and led, lantern in one hand, her trust in the other, to where heâd spread the coverlet across the sand, far away from the waterâs edge and out of view of the cottage, his action indicating a bold assumption.
She didnât object.
This area, shielded by a rocky escarpment, offered the perfect location for a romantic tryst. He regretted the absence of a bottle of wine, yet heâd never bothered with romantic notions. The women who usually warmed his bed didnât require coaxing or coddling, only payment in some form whether that be a flaunt among society or jewels delivered in a velvet box, and he obliged, content to avoid the stranglehold of emotion.
Yet deep down, in a dark corner of his soul he rarely visited, he kept the truth. A secret locked away behind the walls of his heart. He wanted love.
Ached for it.
Needed it more than the air he breathed. Craved it more than title, reputation, or wealth and had no words to express the force of this desire, so he dared not confront it. Perhaps, someday.
Angelica followed Benedict across the sand to where a wall of rock lent privacy, the effort needless considering the dark hour and obscure location. Even the lord of the house on the cliff dreamed on his silk sheets by now.
Her escape to the ocean had cleared her mind of the nightmare and instilled a spirit of self-examination.
Life hadnât been kind. Past experiences shaped him into an enigma among his peers. Anyone who knew him accepted his shortcomings and thought better than to mention them. A wry smile turned his lips. Returning to London provided him the opportunity to speak to Jasper. He hadnât attended his friendâs wedding and harbored deep regret over how heâd handled the discovery Emily Shaw was his half sister. Now Emily was his best friendâs wife. He needed to make peace and mend fences.
A whisper in the wind grabbed his attention and he bent to light one of the lanterns waiting in the sand near his boots, discarded as soon as heâd arrived. The soft glow of light did little to reveal who approached until a distinct silhouette came into view.
At first he mistook the stranger for a man, broad shouldered and with a cumbersome gait, but he soon deciphered his mermaid, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, the clumsy addition making her strides uneven as she advanced across the beach.
âThis is reckless more than restless.â
âAre you trying to frighten me away?â she whispered, and it amused him.
âNot in the least. Iâm noting something we have in common.â
She stood motionless, unsure, he surmised. No sudden rainstorm prompted their swift response and for a long stretched silence, they stood three paces apart and utterly quiet, though a tension danced between them as if a flash of lightning had all at once been unleashed and was searching for a place to settle.
Before she could change her mind he took the initiative and reached out his hand, relishing when she placed her cool fingers within his. He had no idea what the lady intended, but heâd grant her a boon and see where the evening led. Romantic challenges always proved interesting.
âMy education is lacking in the subject of merfolk and how long one can exist on land. I should taste your kiss now before you disappear into the night.â
A soft laugh escaped, the sound unbearably erotic in the darkness, and he all at once wished for more than the implied promise of an embrace. Who was this woman whoâd appeared in his life to tempt and tease him? Her innocent kiss consumed his thoughts with an underlying energy more powerful than any courtesan or wanton heâd bedded, yet she embodied a sensual timidity that demanded he explore, teach, and discover every nuance of her beautiful body. How far would she allow his expedition?
âOr perhaps youâre a goddess of the sea?â He removed the blanket from her shoulders and led, lantern in one hand, her trust in the other, to where heâd spread the coverlet across the sand, far away from the waterâs edge and out of view of the cottage, his action indicating a bold assumption.
She didnât object.
This area, shielded by a rocky escarpment, offered the perfect location for a romantic tryst. He regretted the absence of a bottle of wine, yet heâd never bothered with romantic notions. The women who usually warmed his bed didnât require coaxing or coddling, only payment in some form whether that be a flaunt among society or jewels delivered in a velvet box, and he obliged, content to avoid the stranglehold of emotion.
Yet deep down, in a dark corner of his soul he rarely visited, he kept the truth. A secret locked away behind the walls of his heart. He wanted love.
Ached for it.
Needed it more than the air he breathed. Craved it more than title, reputation, or wealth and had no words to express the force of this desire, so he dared not confront it. Perhaps, someday.
Angelica followed Benedict across the sand to where a wall of rock lent privacy, the effort needless considering the dark hour and obscure location. Even the lord of the house on the cliff dreamed on his silk sheets by now.
Her escape to the ocean had cleared her mind of the nightmare and instilled a spirit of self-examination.
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