Kate Hoffmann - Kellan

“How about next week? We’re closed on Mondays, so Tuesday morning. How is ten?”

“I’ll be here at nine,” Gelsey said. She shook Maeve’s hand, but then couldn’t control herself and threw her arms around the elderly woman. “You won’t regret this. I promise.” Embarrassed, Gelsey stepped back. “Sorry. I’m just very excited. I didn’t expect it would be this simple.”

“Yes. Well, having a mermaid in the shop might liven things up a bit.” She paused. “Oh, and one more thing.” Maeve hurried over to one of the display cases and picked up a small jar, then handed it to Gelsey. “I can see you haven’t been getting much sleep lately. Try this. It does wonders for bags under the eyes.”

“Thank you,” Gelsey said. “I will try it tonight. And I’ll see you on Tuesday.”

When she walked out of the shop, Gelsey jumped into Kellan’s arms and yelled, “I got a job!” She gave him a long, lingering kiss. When she finally drew back, she looked around to find several people staring at them. “Well, that will give the townsfolk something new to talk about,” she said.

“Yes, I suspect it will. And congratulations-I think. Can we go home now and have some lunch?”

“All right. But I want to do something more. I’ll cook for you tonight. A wonderful gourmet meal.”

“That’s not necessary,” he said.

“But I want to.” She pushed up on her toes and gave him another kiss. “This has been an amazing day. I think we need to celebrate, don’t you?” Gelsey paused. “She mentioned the mermaid thing. You don’t think she’ll fire me once she realizes I’m not a-”

“I think everyone knows already,” Kellan said. He dropped another kiss on her lips. “But that’s not going to stop them from talking about it. Twenty years from now, you’ll still be known as the mermaid girl.”

THE ONLY LIGHT in the cottage came from the peat fire flickering on the hearth and an oil lamp Gelsey had set on the floor. Outside, a roaring wind from the sea scoured the windows. Though they had a perfectly adequate table at which to dine, Gelsey had chosen to spread their gourmet dinner out on the floor in front of the fire, creating a much more romantic atmosphere.

As Kellan poured her another glass of wine, he studied her features, still rendered breathless by her beauty. What bit of luck had brought her into his life? He could have walked in the other direction that morning. She could have climbed up the cliff on her own and disappeared again, without the two of them getting a second chance. But something had brought them together and he couldn’t help but wonder if there were magical forces behind it all.

Kellan groaned inwardly. This was exactly how it began for his brothers. He’d listened to Riley and Danny tell their tales and he’d heard them both blather on and on about the incredible power of love. And now he was doing the same thing. Turning himself inside out over a woman he barely knew.

Clenching his fist, Kellan fought the urge to reach out and touch her. Was it even possible to resist anymore or was he completely lost? Yes, the sex was incredible. And he did enjoy spending time with Gelsey, talking to her and kissing her. But that didn’t mean he was falling in love.

Still, he couldn’t help but admit that everything that passed between them was different, as if it had been touched with something extraordinary, some little bit of magic.

She drew a deep breath and sighed, stretching her bare legs out in front of her. Gelsey was dressed in nothing but one of his oxford shirts. “I feel like a stuffed hen. I knew I could cook, but I didn’t expect it would turn out so well.”

“It was pretty amazing. That sauce on the salmon was incredible.”

“Capers and lemon,” she said, scooping up a bit on her finger and holding it out to him. “It’s one of the first sauces I learned. I told you I was good with fish.”

He took her finger into his mouth and enjoyed another taste of the sauce. “And potatoes. And turnips. Even the salad was perfect.”

She grinned seductively, then crawled over the remnants of the meal on her hands and knees to drop a kiss on his mouth. “Are you ready for dessert?”

He glanced down, taking in the view. His shirt gaped at the neck and he could see her bare breasts. The long tails covered her backside. “Would that involve taking your clothes off?”

“I don’t know. It would most definitely involve taking all your clothes off.” She reached out for the hem of his T-shirt, then pulled it over his head. Her attention focused on his chest as she smoothed her hands over his shoulders. “I’ve had a good day. The best day in a very long time.”

Kellan nuzzled her neck. “I’m glad.” He pressed his lips to a spot just below her ear. “And what made it so good?”

“Everything. And nothing at all,” she said.

Kellan stared at her. “Where did you really come from, Gelsey? And why are you still here with me?”

“I think I might belong here,” she said. “I don’t want to go back.”

“There’s no one waiting for you? Wondering where you are?”

“No.” She sat back on her heels and looked into his eyes. “I promise. There’s no one. The only person I want to be with right now is you.” She ran her hands through his hair, smoothing it away from his face. “I don’t care about your past, Kellan. Nothing that happened to you before you met me makes any difference at all. We started the moment you rescued me from that beach.”

“And how will we end?” he asked.

“I don’t know. We don’t need to worry about that right now. I’m happy and you’re happy and we should leave it at that.” She drew in a long breath. “You are happy, aren’t you?”

Of course he was happy. What man wouldn’t be? He had a beautiful, sexy woman in his bed every night, a woman who fascinated him, a woman who drove him wild with desire. And yet, he knew nothing about her. But then, maybe she was right. What difference did it make? There was very little he could learn that would change his feelings for her.

Gelsey leaned in closer. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Only if I can ask one in return,” Kellan said.

“When you found me on the beach, why didn’t you just take me to the hospital?”

Kellan thought about his response for a long moment. “I don’t know. I guess I was curious. I wanted to know what happened, how you got on that beach and why. And I knew if I took you to the hospital, I might never see you again.” He kissed her, his lips brushing against hers. “I lost you once, I didn’t want to lose you again.”

“You lost me?”

“My turn,” Kellan said, quickly shifting the subject.

“Make it good,” she warned. “You only get one.”

“What really sent you out to that beach?” he asked. “It must have been something pretty upsetting.”

She shook her head. “Funny, it was then, but now, I barely think about it.”

“It or he? Answer the question,” Kellan demanded. “Honestly. Was it a man who did that to you?”

“I did it to myself. Up until that moment, I really didn’t like the person I was. I think there’s a bit of magic in you finding me on the beach. I’d like to believe there still is.”

Kellan slid his fingers through her hair and drew her lips to his. She went soft in his arms and on a sigh, she parted her lips to offer him a taste. Everything about her was perfect, Kellan mused. When he touched her, sex suddenly made sense. It meant something, something deep and reassuring.

Kellan knew the risk he was taking. She’d dropped into his life so unexpectedly and he suspected she’d leave in the same way. For all he knew, he’d wake up one morning and she’d be gone. And without knowing anything about her, he’d have no way to find her again.

Grabbing her waist, he pulled her close, then threw his thigh over hers, trapping her in his embrace. He reached for the buttons of the shirt she wore and slowly undid them, kissing a path from the first bit of exposed flesh to the last.

“Who are you?” he murmured, his lips pressed against the soft flesh of her belly.

Gelsey groaned, her fingers smoothing through his hair as he moved lower. “I don’t know,” she whispered.

She was the woman he wanted more than any other. She was the woman whose touch could send his need over the edge. And she was the woman who was becoming a part of his life he didn’t want to lose.

Kellan found the spot between her legs and gently caressed her with his tongue. Gelsey arched toward him, her fingers clenching his hair. He knew exactly how to control her release and Kellan took every advantage, knowing that it might be the only thing in their relationship that he did control. But was mind-blowing sex enough to keep her with him forever?

Her breath began to come in desperate gasps and Kellan knew she was close. He drew back and traced his way up to her neck. Her body was made for his touch, her skin so pale and smooth and her limbs long and lithe. He drew a deep breath and pulled her closer.

“Maybe we should go into the bedroom,” he murmured. Kellan got to his feet and reached down to help her up. But instead of taking a step toward the bedroom, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, her tongue teasing at his.

“Take your clothes off,” she whispered.

Kellan reached for the button of his jeans, but she was there quicker. She unzipped them, then pushed them down over his hips along with his boxers. Kellan stepped out of them, then pulled her body up against his, her shirt falling down around her elbows.

“Now that you have me naked, what are you going to do with me?”

She gazed up into his eyes, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. Then she grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the front door. The moment she opened the door, a huge gust blew icy-cold rain into the cottage. “It’s freezing out there,” he said. “And raining.”

“I’m used to cold and wet,” she said. Gelsey slipped out of her shirt. “Come on. Let’s go commune with nature.”

“Humans are not made for this kind of weather,” he said, motioning down to the erection that had grown so quickly the moment he’d kissed her.

Gelsey reached down and smoothed her hand along the length of his shaft, her touch warm on his already chilly flesh. “It will heighten the experience,” she murmured. Kellan reluctantly surrendered. There was obviously something in Gelsey that was fed by pushing the boundaries and taking risks. But how far would it go?

“All right.”

“You first,” she said.

With a shout, Kellan ran outside, his bare feet skidding on the brick walk. When he was nearly to the gate, he turned around to find Gelsey watching him from the doorway. The feeble light from the cabin outlined her nakedness so perfectly that he felt the breath slowly leave his body.

“Aren’t you coming?” he shouted, the rain stinging his skin.

“No! It’s freezing out there.”

Kellan ran back to the door and stepped inside, pulling her along with him. “I didn’t want to go out there in the first place!”

“I know,” she said. “But I wanted to see how far you’d go for desire. Now I know.”

“This was a test?” he asked.

She slowly slid down along his body until her hands rested on his waist. He watched as she drew her tongue along the length of his shaft, the warmth causing a rush of desire to race through him. The feel of her mouth on his cold body was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Every nerve in his body was alive, his skin prickled with goose bumps and shivers skittering down his spine.

Kellan closed his eyes and leaned back against the door, losing himself in the feel of her mouth surrounding him, drawing him in deep and then drifting away. And when it was too much to take anymore, he pulled her to her feet and spanned her waist with his hands.

In one smooth motion, Kellan picked her up and wrapped her legs around his hips, pressing her against the door until he was positioned at the damp spot between her thighs. Slowly, he entered her, inch by inch until he was buried deep within her warmth.

“You were right,” he murmured, his mouth pressed against the curve of her shoulder. “It does heighten the senses.”

He drove deep and then withdrew and Gelsey gasped. “Now you can take me to bed,” she whispered.

“I think I’m fine right here.”

KELLAN LEFT EARLY in the morning, after he and Gelsey shared a quick breakfast together. He’d promised to help Riley with some painting at the cottage that he and Nan had just purchased in Ballykirk. Riley had hoped to have the place ready by the end of December, just in time to move in after their New Year’s Eve wedding. Before leaving, he extracted a sleepy promise from Gelsey that she’d meet him for lunch at the pub.

Though Gelsey curled back up under the covers, she wasn’t able to sleep. Her mind was spinning with all the possibilities that life now offered. She’d start a new job next week. She was excited at the prospect, but she was also a bit scared. She’d never held a job before. Would she actually know what to do, how to behave? What if people didn’t like her? Worse yet, what if someone recognized her?