29. In Which Our Hero and Heroine Come to an Arrangement
Chapter 29
In Which Our Hero and Heroine Come to an Arrangement
Day 12 Aboard the Epic of the Seas
T he memory of last night had been rumbling through his mind all morning. He had followed her back into the club but lost her in the sea of club goers. Settling for his room instead of chasing after her and pissing her off further, the image of her lips wrapped around his thumb held him captive. He tried to think of anything else, a futile endeavor to be sure. Her kisses, her hands, and her mouth kept him hard most of the night. His fist hadn’t been able to satisfy his need. The thought of her tongue stroking his thumb was leaving him painfully aware that it was only his thumb. This morning, he expected to find her in the lounge where they had previously met after breakfast, but she hadn’t shown. Now, surrounded by strangers, he watched for the one who filled his thoughts.
Liam stumbled into his field of vision, sitting down next to him. The small melamine plate he carried dropped with a plastic tinkling, and his half-eaten pastry bounced to the edge; he kicked the table as he slid into the chair. He wore his uniform of no-shirt and swim trunks, his hair braided back. He had taken cruise wear attire to heart.
“You look bushed,” Evander remarked as Liam yawned and stretched.
“Rough night.” He sipped some coffee and glanced at Evander from the corner of his eye. “And you, mate? You sleep, okay?”
His brow furrowed. “Yes,” he said simply, sipping his coffee without further conversation.
Liam was watching his every movement, studying him, cocking his head as he examined him.
“What?”
Liam shrugged and took a bite of his pastry. “Anything you wish to . . . discuss this morning?”
“No. You’re acting strange. Anything you wish to talk about?”
“Not particularly.” He followed Evander’s eyes towards the dining hall entrance, watching as his face fell when two women walked in.
“She might be a while. I’m pretty sure her hangover will still be kicking her arse.”
“You’ve seen Ellie this morning?”
Liam froze mid-bite. “Um, yes.” He dusted his fingers off dramatically as he set the pastry down.
“When?”
He stalled, placing his napkin in his lap. “Earlier.”
“How much earlier?” Evander frowned at the vague answer.
Liam’s mug smacked the table. “Sorry, must’ve slipped.” Shrugging, he cleared his throat. “I was only protecting you, deartháir . Just as you said.” His eyes darted away. “Evander, nothing happened. I was in Ellie’s room this morning.”
“You stayed the night in Ellie’s room?”
“What are we about, gentleman?” Camulos was cheerful as he approached them. He nodded in greeting and sat across from the pair with his cup of tea.
The air in the room thinned as Evander struggled to gain composure. He clenched his jaw tight, grinding his teeth, and turned his stormy gaze to Liam. Whatever control he had last night was fraying quickly. His palm tingled.
“You stayed with her last night?” he grumbled low.
“With whom?” Camulos asked, bouncing a look from one to another.
“Yes, but nothing happened.”
“Nothing happened with whom?” Camulos sat back in his chair, watching the two with general curiosity.
“I swear, listen to me. Ellie came to me hammered. She was rat-arsed, going on about you and your vow. She tried to persuade me to recreate that scene from Titanic. I took her back to her room to keep her off the front of the ship, and well . . .”
“Well?” The unintentional sneer came from behind gritted teeth.
Liam shrugged. “I guess I fell asleep.”
Silence stretched between them—tension filled silence. The only motion was the muscle in Evander’s jaw that bounced angrily. More irritating than knowing Liam might have woken up next to Ellie this morning was the fury that thought caused inside him. He needed to hear Liam out before he beat the living shit out of him. He tried to be rational.
“Look, you know I would never—”
“We agreed she needed protecting.” Evander meant to sound reasonable, but it came out as a hiss. “You were just doing what any of us would do.”
The exchange of glances shared by Camulos and Liam set his teeth on edge.
“And that’s all?”
“That’s all.” His words were nonchalant, but his murderous gaze gave him away. “Why should I be upset? You were protecting me, as you say.”
“No, no, it’s just”—Liam scrubbed a hand through his braids—“shouldn’t you be?”
“Should I be?”
Camulos and Liam shared a second look.
“Evander, mate, come on.”
“Come on? Come on, what?” he said more forcefully than he wanted. “I know, I understand. If she were doing something dangerous, I’m glad you stopped her. Ellie is under our collective protection. We all agreed.”
“And that’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Frowning, he shared yet another glance with Camulos, who was shaking his head. “Okay, if you insist. I wouldn’t be fine if someone I wanted to shag spent the night with one of my mates.”
“Shag?” Evander spit out. “I’m not; I mean, I haven’t; we haven’t. There has been nothing of the sort.”
“ Deartháir , you and I know you have feelings for her.”
“Enough,” Evander barked through his teeth.
“She knows about your vow. She knows you can’t break it. Evander, you are on a slippery slope.”
“Enough!” He was hanging on by a string, and Liam was tugging at the loose ends.
“Sure didn’t seem that way when I saw you leaving the club.”
“What exactly happened last night?” Camulos’ annoyed question startled Evander. He had forgotten for just a moment that Cam was sitting across from them.
“Nothing happened.” He clenched his fist under the table.
“Deny it all you want, but I’m right. This is going to end badly.”
“Anyone?” Camulos repeated, exasperated.
“Nothing much,” Liam replied, his eyes narrowing on Evander. “Our brother here may need a stern reminder of what’s at stake if Athena finds out he broke his vow to the Circle of Epsilon. Since he’s letting his cock do the thinking for him.”
Glaring at his friend—soon-to-be former friend—he resisted the impulse to kick Liam under the table. His nostrils flared as he struggled to keep his temper controlled.
“I can assure you, I am not. I’m merely doing the job Maximus asked of me. I’m keeping her occupied so we can find the book and see her safely to Athens.” He lied to everyone, including himself.
“If you break that vow, there is nothing I can say to the council to save you.” Camulos sat up straighter in his chair.
He looked from Camulos to Liam and back. On any other day, he would heed their advice and take their warnings to heart. But not this morning. This morning, he wanted to slug both their faces.
“Nothing happened.”
“Nothing happened? You have never looked disheveled a day in your life; it’s quite annoying. But I saw you heading to your room, your hair a mess, your shirt opened and untucked. I know that look, Evander.” Liam made a vulgar hand gesture. “That’s a knob bob.”
Evander did kick Liam then.
Camulos choked on the bite of the muffin. “A what?”
“A drunk Ellie went on and on about how she showed his wee lad a good time last night.” He made another crude gesture with his hand and mouth. “She was quite explicit. And loud. I slept on the floor with a pillow over my head to drown her out.”
Evander pounded his fist on the table, making the cups jump and spilling tea. Camulos quickly mopped up the spill with a wad of napkins.
“Fuck off, Liam.”
“Stop, Liam. You’ve made your point.” Camulos shot him a look that snapped Liam’s mouth closed. Whatever retort he wanted to say died before it ever broke free. He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms.
“Evander, he’s right. This is dangerous. For you and us,” Camulos scolded him. “Maximus and I think we have a way to go before the council and get you exonerated for disobedience. Since Ellie is human, the council may listen to reason. But if you’ve broken your vow, there is nothing any of us can do.”
Opening his mouth to argue, he paused when Ellie approached their table. The sun shimmering through the hall’s windows made an aura of light around her, causing her hair to shine as if on fire. She was breathtaking in sunglasses and a dark-blue dress with sailboats lining the hem. Liam beamed at her as if he hadn’t been pissing Evander off seconds earlier.
“Good afternoon, love. Have you recovered from your late night?” Liam said brightly, curling his mouth into a slim smile. “Care to join us? I can offer you eggs and toast if you’d like.”
She seemed to turn green at the mere mention of food. “No, thank you.” She nodded at him. “I’m not hungry. Evander, may I talk to you?”
“As long as that’s all you do,” Liam teased, shooting Evander a look. He slapped his friend on the shoulder for good measure.
Evander balled his fists even tighter under the table. The hall filled with unsuspecting guests kept him from losing it and getting into a match with Liam and his smart mouth. Ellie shot Liam a look that, even though she wore sunglasses, shut him up immediately.
Good.
Nodding, he rose to follow her. The pair had gotten but a few steps when Liam called, “Stay in public, you two.”
Annoyance pulled her face taut.
“Hands to yourself, Ellie dear.”
She lifted her chin, her lips in a thin line, and pushed through the double glass doors. Following her to a small alcove under a set of stairs, her smile was weak as she turned towards him.
“Hello.”
“Good morning, Ellie,” Evander said coolly, acutely aware of how his stomach knotted as she glanced up at him.
Stretching out his arms towards her, he was certain she would walk into his embrace, but she retreated. His arms stayed suspended for a few breaths until they fell to his sides. He fought the urge to cram them in his pockets.
Fuck.
“Evander.”
His heart sank at the tone in her voice.
“Evander, about last night.”
Nervously, she twisted her fingers in the palm of her other hand. Sweeping her sunglasses up on her head, Ellie gazed up at him. Her face was ashen. Her round apple cheeks were sullen and gone was the light of mischief from her eyes; in its place were dark circles. He waited for her to continue.
“Evander, I—I shouldn’t have—I shouldn’t.” It was her turn to stumble around for words. “I know you are a man—but I—I just can’t take like that—” She furiously ground her hand into the other.
“What are you trying to say?”
“It was a mistake, Evander,” she blurted out. “I took advantage of you. When I drink, I get bold and don’t think clearly. I know I forced you, and you went along with it. With that . . . act. And in front of people. I embarrassed you in front of other people. I’m so sorry, Evander.”
She was talking fast now, words tumbling out all at once.
Confused, he let her continue. They had done nothing. Kiss, sure. The other night was different, but as it stood, only the two of them knew about that. And it would stay that way. He was utterly confused. Besides, shouldn’t he be the one to apologize to her? Explaining why he had stopped things?
“You think kissing me was a mistake?”
“Evander.” She stroked his arm, and her touch sent sparks flying across his skin. “I wasn’t myself. I would never soberly hurt you; please know that. I never wanted to take advantage of you. Your friendship is important to me.”
His eyes snapped to hers, pinching his eyebrows together. “Friendship?” He didn’t want friendship with her, not now. No, he wanted far more than friendship. “ Friendship . Sure, friendship. Just good old mates, yeah?”
“What? No. Yes. I mean, we are building a friendship. Building trust, and I took that trust for granted.” She patted his arm. “I’m trying to apologize.”
He jerked his arm away.
“A mistake?” His voice rose, harsh and sharp. “Kissing me was a mistake? You’re yelling at me because I kept you from doing something you’d regret? Fine, it was a mistake.”
Ellie flinched and stepped back. “Why are you angry?”
Whatever this was between them was clouding his judgment. Last night had stoked the fire that had burned for her since she kissed him. It took every ounce of control he had left to not let her continue what she tried to start. He was feeling guilty for letting it get as far as it did. For wanting her at all. They were right. Camulos, Liam, he hated it, but they were right. As much as Ellie invaded his every thought, she wasn’t his. No matter how badly he wished she was. She couldn’t choose him, even if he were free of Athena. Being with him would only lead to heartbreak. And lies. Revealing the truth about who and what he was wasn’t something he could offer. He wasn’t the type of man she needed; he was a warrior. Unfeeling. Cold. Dutiful. Spending days at sea in the human realm made him forget everything at stake. Whatever this was, he had to end it. They docked in Athens tomorrow, and he would go before the council to explain his disobedience. This feeling was simply lust, and he needed to stop it before it went any further.
“You’re right. I’m sorry; yes, last night could have been a mistake. For both of us.” He raked his hand through his hair.
Fuck it, no.
Growling in frustration, he looked into Ellie’s gray eyes. “No. I’m not sorry. I’m not. Did it ever occur to you that I might not think it was a mistake, Ellie ?”
She flinched when he said her name that way—stressing it, making it sound more like a curse than a name.
“The only mistake I made was keeping my distance from you. Not finishing what we started in your bed. It should have been me you woke up to this morning, not Liam. I enjoyed kissing you more than I should’ve. More than I had any right.” In his frustration, his voice had risen.
“But I embarrassed you.” She flinched, her voice timid.
He saw it then, a wave of fear crossing her face. Not fear of what he said, but the tone he used. Evander cursed in his head and reached for her, but Ellie jerked away.
“I didn’t mean to raise my voice. Truly,” he said, softening his tone. “Bollocks. If you are embarrassed to kiss me, fine. I am not embarrassed. I’m not sorry.”
“I went down on you in front of people,” she whispered, shame pinking her cheeks. Evander sputtered. “We weren’t alone on that deck, Evander. You were vulnerable, and I forced you back against the wall. I took advantage of you. Seeing you, plus the alcohol and I did an inexcusable thing. Embarrassing thing. Something you never wanted.”
He touched her shoulder, not knowing whether to correct her or kiss her.
“You did nothing like that, Ellie.”
Blinking up at him, her face pinched and scrunched. “I did. I remember I told you I wanted to”—she lowered her voice and leaned in—“taste your cock.”
Evander laughed breathlessly. Hearing her say that again made the aforementioned subject twitch. “No, darling, you didn’t. You said that, yes, and you kissed me breathless, but no, we most certainly did not do that.” He tucked a lock of wild curls behind her ear.
“Then what was in my mouth?” she said, a little louder than she meant to. Her face instantly pinked.
Evander chuckled and ran his hands down her back to her waist. “My thumb.” He touched his forehead to hers. “Just my thumb. It was hot as hell, but it was only my thumb.”
Ellie looked mortified and proud all at once. As if she was utterly terrified she had crossed a line with him. That thought made him pause. Nothing she would ever do would embarrass him, especially nothing they would do together. She ran a hand over her lips and tapped them.
“I could have sworn,” she began, but didn’t finish.
“I stopped you last night, Ellie. It took me longer than it should have, I’ll admit, but you were intoxicated, and I didn’t want you to—to regret—I didn’t want to be a mistake. I wanted you on that deck. I wanted you in your bed a few nights ago. Damn, Ellie, just hearing you say the word cock does things to me. I want you. I’m sorry I raised my voice, but I’m not sorry for how I feel.”
She shook her head.
His finger lifted her chin and his thumb rubbed along her bottom lip. His gaze flicked to her mouth, remembering her pretty, pink lips wrapped around his thumb, wishing it was his cock.
“You are all I can think about. This means something to me, Ellie. You mean something to me. More than you probably should.” His lips found hers, softly, sweetly.
“I want something real with you. We only have one more night on this ship. One more night together, and I want to spend it with you.”
Evander’s mouth was on hers, hands grabbing her waist, pulling her closer. Her palms smoothed along his shoulders and threaded through his hair as she clung to him. He deepened their kiss, and she whimpered when he stopped.
“Go to dinner with me, Ellie.” He lowered himself so they were at eye level. “We can go our separate ways in Athens; I want one last night with you. Please say yes.”
There were a million reasons this was incredibly stupid, and they all flashed through his mind in quick succession, but the pull she had on him trumped all those reasons. Tomorrow would come, Ellie would be safe, and he would return to his world. But tonight, he wanted her.
“Yes,” she whispered, and he kissed her again.
“Good. And Ellie”—his gaze tracing the curves of her face, reveling in how her lips parted, her face flushed—“if I get you in my bed, I’ll make damn sure you remember every single moment.”
From across the deck, Callassa watched the two kissing where they thought no one could see. Manipulating Ellie had been easy. She had taken the bait and come to the club. Her plan to force Evander’s hand had worked. He was jealous. Jealous enough to cause a scene last night and prove her right. The surge of magic she could feel sliding off the two lovebirds under the stairs was almost palpable. This was how she was breaking the bars on her cage. These two were the key. She knew exactly how she was going to gain her freedom. The only thing she needed now was an unholy alliance with the one person who could truly help her. The Dark Oracle believed she had control, but she forgot one crucial thing.
A vengeful siren was a force to be reckoned with.