Chapter Sixteen
LENA
Elias sat reclined in a beach chair looking out at the ocean. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and the usual brightness of his tan skin was muted under a thin sheen of sweat. He had a blanket pulled up to cover his shoulders. It was seventy-five degrees outside.
My heart cracked open to see this vibrant man so in love with life reduced to such a sickly state.
“Oh, Elias.” I couldn’t keep the exasperation or the concern out of my voice.
He turned his head and stared at me, unbelieving, like I was a ghost. “Lena.” His beautiful voice croaked through cracked lips. “I’m going to beat the crap out of Niko.”
“You’re not in any condition to beat the crap out of anyone. Although, you’re doing a pretty good job on yourself.” I kneeled in the sand next to him and pushed the sweat-soaked hair off his face. “You stupid, stupid man.”
The corner of his mouth twitched in a sad echo of his luminous smile.
“Stupid doesn’t begin to cover it.” A pained expression replaced the almost-smile, a drawn look filled with regret and loss.
“I didn’t realize what I had—how lucky I was to have a chance with you.
” He swallowed as if trying to contain a wave of nausea.
I searched for his hand under the blanket and clutched his cold, sweaty fingers. “There’s nothing for me without you.”
Given his current state, I knew he believed that, however dramatic, and the crack in my heart widened. “How long have you been like this?”
His jaw tensed. “Since that night on the beach. Since I sang to you. But this is nothing I don’t deserve.
I shouldn’t have done that, Lena.” Conviction shone bright in his glassy eyes.
“It was wrong. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but please understand, if I could do it over, I wouldn’t have used my voice. ”
I sat back on my heels, pinched the bridge of my nose, and sighed. “Yes, you would have. You acted on instinct. You’re a siren. And a siren who happens to be completely out of touch with his feelings. Not exactly a great combination.”
The corner of his mouth lifted again, and his eyes searched mine. “You’re not surprised? You’re—you’re not horrified?”
“No, I’m not horrified. You’re lucky I happen to be an open-minded, spiritually enlightened yoga instructor who was raised by an herbalist.” I winked, and the muscles in his face relaxed.
“But surprised? Yeah, at first. Although, I’m not sure surprised covers it.
Skeptical and curious, maybe, followed by shocked and royally pissed off.
Then resigned. And now accepting. You’re going to have to be patient with me on the understanding part, though. ”
“Patient with you? What do you mean?” He swallowed again, but hope danced in his eager eyes.
I raised my eyebrows at his reaction. “Why do you think I came here?”
The blanket moved—Elias’s easy shrug. “I—I don’t know.” The words came out a croaked whisper.
“Elias, for someone who is so wise about so many aspects of life, you really are clueless when it comes to relationships.” I couldn’t prevent the sharp edge of my tone. “What were you thinking?”
He grunted. “I’m a forty-five-year-old bachelor, Lena,” he said dryly. “I wasn’t thinking. I was freaking out.”
I snorted, my mouth forming into a reluctant smile as I shook my head. “Fair enough. But I trusted you, and I thought you trusted me. You should have talked to me instead of pulling that stunt.”
“I thought I was losing you. You wouldn’t talk to me. I was desperate.”
“I just needed time.” I thought back to my dream and my grandma’s advice. “Time to trust myself. Time to trust my instincts. They were telling me not to give up on you.” I shifted my weight and squeezed his hand under the blanket. “And now I’ve had that time. Sing to me, Elias.”
“What?”
“Sing to me.”
He swallowed, and his eyes glistened with tears of gratitude, maybe, or hope. Hope that I’d forgiven him. Hope that we had another chance.
“Are—are you sure?”
“I’ve never been so sure of anyone than I am of you right now. Sing to me.”
He smiled, one of his genuine, wide smiles that lit up any space. And under the rising moon, his eyes brightened as the first notes escaped his lips.
Pleasures be waiting by the sea
With a smile for all the world to see
His voice wrapped around me like a lover’s embrace, and I opened my heart to its call. His eyes glowed a clear, penetrating blue, his siren’s power pouring out through the dulcet notes. I leaned closer, wrapping both my hands around his neck, and his voice grew stronger.
Diamond waves through sunglass days go by
So beautiful to be here and alive
On the last word of the phrase he’d sung to me that first night at Shelter Cove, the phrase that had started my journey out of depression, I couldn’t control my emotions any longer.
My feelings for Elias spilled out of the crack in my heart, and I took his face in my hands and kissed him.
Desperately and with all the longing and hope that had built up since that first night, I kissed him.
With understanding and forgiveness, I kissed him.
His arms emerged from under the blanket, and he pulled me onto his lap as if that single kiss had broken a spell and given him back a measure of strength. He wrapped his arms around me, and I tangled my fingers in his hair as he kissed me with a desperation that matched my own.
Slowly, he gained strength. His hand pressed firmly into my back, and he moved his other arm beneath my knees.
He pulled back from the kiss, and in a single, fluid motion that would have been impossible only minutes before, he stood and lifted me into his arms. His skin had started to brighten back to its normal healthy glow, the bags under his eyes fading, and he looked at me with that same carefree smile he usually reserved for the ocean and life’s unending pleasures.
I ran the back of my fingers against his stubbled jaw. “It worked,” I said, my words breathless with awe. “You’re better. Your singing worked.”
“It wasn’t my singing, Lena. It’s you. I’m better because you’re in my life.”
My heart swelled with affection, and I wound my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder.
He took long, hurried strides toward the house and kicked open the door.
Niko stood in the kitchen in swim trunks holding a half-eaten sandwich, mouth hanging open.
I laughed and shoved my face back into Elias’s shoulder.
He jostled me in his grip and bounded up the stairs to the second floor of the beach house.
“Put me down!” I squealed.
“No way. Now that I have you, I’m never letting go.” He carried me into a room and slammed the door.
French doors opened onto a balcony overlooking the beach. The warm ocean breeze fluttered sheer curtains under the romantic glow of moonlight, and waves crashed their rhythmic beat.
He set me on my feet but kept an arm around my waist looming over me.
He pushed his hand into my hair, tipped my head back, and ravished me with his mouth.
His tongue danced with mine in perfect synergy as though they’d been waiting for this moment to connect.
We had been waiting for this moment to connect.
He slid his hand up the back of my shirt, found my bra, and with a flick of his fingers, undid the clasp. He pulled away long enough to drag my shirt and bra over my head and toss them aside before taking my mouth again and thumbing my nipple.
I groaned under his frantic touch, the feel of his rough fingers on my breast setting the space between my legs aflame.
I craved his naked skin against mine. I tugged at his shirt, eager to run my hands along the ridges of his firm body and press my breasts against his muscled chest. He pulled free and yanked his shirt overhead.
I took the opportunity to discard my shoes and shorts, and so did he.
Then he picked me up and tossed me onto his bed.
I laughed as I bounced atop the crisp white linens, cool like satin under my heated skin.
He climbed atop me and pressed his hips into mine.
He was rock hard beneath his boxers, and I arched my back to grind myself into his hardness.
He grabbed my wrists and held me down, arms pinned on either side of my head.
He kissed me ferociously, teeth clashing and biting.
He rubbed himself against me, and I squirmed under the delicious friction.
He broke the kiss, and before I could catch my breath, he took one of my nipples into his mouth and dragged it through his teeth.
I yelped at the combination of pain and pleasure and thrust my breast up for more.
He chuckled wickedly and obliged, sucking it deeper into his mouth before biting down, harder this time, and I moaned.
I dragged my fingernails down the hard planes of his back until I found the firm globes of his ass.
As he tortured my nipple, I dug my nails into his muscles, pressing him toward me.
I rubbed myself against him, desperate for more contact, the sensation of his teeth on my nipple not enough to sate the hunger between my legs.
“Fuck yes, baby,” he said, voice gravelly with need.
He rose to his knees, pulled off my panties, and tossed them aside.
I scrambled to my knees, overcome with lust, took him by his shoulders, and pushed him onto his back on the bed.
He lay there, eyes hungry, the muscles of his jaw twitching with strain beneath the roguish quirk of his mouth.
The length of his athletic body and his tented boxers painted a delectable picture. I licked my lips; I wanted to taste him.
His eyes dilated with anticipation, knowing exactly what I wanted. “You want this cock, don’t you, Lena?”
I smiled, devilish. That’s how I felt—devilish, powerful, and fabulous.
“Take it. Take my cock. Fuck me with your mouth, baby.”