Siren's Surrender (39 page)

She wanted to continue exploring those wonderful new feelings. She just didn’t want to do it alone.

Not that she seemed to have any choice in the matter.

Addison cocked her head toward the nearby humans. “They just aren’t ready for us. Not now, but someday, I hope. We still scare them on so many levels.”

Gwen reached up, fingering the little crystal pendant. Though the power still simmered beneath her skin, it no longer hassled her the way it used to. She had better control, more command.

Thanks to Blake Whittaker.

Drawing in a breath to cool the surge of heat rushing through her veins, she closed her eyes. She hoped to see him again. Just one more time. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t pretend that he hadn’t affected her.

She’d fallen deeply in love with him.

Blake had touched her, not just physically but emotionally. She’d trusted him enough to reveal her true self.

Tail and all.

A sudden commotion of sound and movement filtered through her ears. Addison poked her violently. “Oh, my God,” she whispered under her breath. “There he is.”

Gwen opened her eyes in time to see Blake Whittaker escorted into the room by federal agents. A man she assumed was his attorney followed closely on his heels. Both men were careful to keep their expressions neutral.

Gwen almost jumped out of her skin at the sight of him. Oh, heavens! He looked terrific. An electric jolt went through her when he turned around and smiled her way. She hadn’t seen him since their parting on the beach.

Her gaze drank in his tall, solid body. He looked handsome in a charcoal gray suit, no tie. Every inch of him was cool and reserved. He’d let his hair grow, and a thick wavy mass framed his clean-shaven face.

Her throat tightened. He looked good. Damn good.

She remembered everything about him, too. She missed the feel of his hard frame under her exploring hands, his deep kisses, the way his hips rocked into hers when they made love. But more important, this was the man who had risked everything to save her and her sisters. She would never forget it.

Their eyes met across the hushed chamber briefly. His lips curved in the faintest of smiles.

Pulse bumping up a notch, Gwen nodded at him. She cut a glance back at the agents positioned by the doors. She was aware Blake had charges of treason leveled against him based on the way he’d chosen to resign his position within the top-secret organization.

But Blake had fought back by shining a light on the torture inflicted on the rogue Mer behind closed doors. When the pursuit of knowledge bordered on torture, it was wrong. He’d been strong enough to stand up and expose the practices of the A51. But his attempt to do the right thing might come with a hefty price tag.

Gwen steeled herself against the idea he might be looking at a very long prison sentence. In one reckless moment he’d thrown his entire career, his life, away to help her. She couldn’t help but feel for him, knowing it would break his heart to lose contact with his son, Trevor.

Blake broke away from his attorney and strode across the endless chamber.

Kenneth Randall rose to his feet, offering a hand. “Well?” he asked, as anxious as Gwen to know the outcome of Blake’s fate.

Giving her brother-in-law’s hand a quick shake, Blake finally allowed the briefest of smiles. “It’s over. All charges have been dropped.”

Kenneth clapped Blake on one shoulder. “That’s excellent.” He shot a quick thumbs-up toward the attorney he’d hired to defend Blake.

Blake demurred. “Thanks for taking care of my legal costs,” he added quietly. “There was no way I could have covered it myself.”

Kenneth shrugged off his thanks. “Glad to do it.”

“I will repay you,” he added. “Though I’ve been bounced from the outfit, I did get a full pension in return for my silence.” He shrugged. “I’ve been told it would be a good idea to move on, if you know what I mean.”

Kenneth nodded. “I hear you.” They’d all gotten similar warnings, loud and clear. Keep a low profile, and the Mercraft under wraps.

Just like that, it was over.

Gwen propelled herself to her feet. Just looking at him—so near yet so out of reach—sent tiny little shivers rippling over her skin.

“If you’ll all excuse me,” she mumbled. “I think I could use a breath of air.” She hurried toward an antechamber leading to the restrooms. She needed to get away. Fast.

She didn’t glance back, instead concentrating on putting one foot ahead of the other. Glance over her shoulder now and she’d fall down for sure.

A flurry of steps hurried to catch up. A hand caught her arm.

Recognizing the familiar touch, Gwen came to a halt. Heat instantly spread through her veins. Pivoting on one heel, she looked up.

Hand falling away, Blake stared down at her. Closer now, his eyes revealed his true feelings. His gaze simmered with untapped desire. “Gwen,” he murmured. “How have you been?” By the look in his eyes, he still wanted her.

Gwen’s heart leaped into her throat. Feeling like an awkward virgin all over again, she barely had time to collect her senses.

Folding her arms across her chest, she drew in a breath to steady herself. “I’m good,” she replied politely, acutely aware all eyes were on them.

He smiled. “You look good, really great.”

She couldn’t return the compliment without gushing like a lovesick fool. She searched for something intelligent to ask him. A neutral subject finally popped into her head. “How’s Trevor?”

Blake at once frowned at the question before releasing a long sigh. “As much as I hate to say it, he’ll be moving to California.” A forced shrug rolled off his shoulders. He was trying to act casual, but the subject clearly bothered him.

She could tell by the look on his face that the loss stung him deeply. If there was one person she knew Blake loved absolutely and without reservations, it was his son.

“So you’re going to be moving, too, I imagine, to be closer to Trevor?”

Blake’s gaze darkened. “No,” he answered tersely. “I know I’ve got some issues to work out, but I can’t keep letting them hold my son back from having a normal life. Debra’s a good mom, and she married a responsible man. I’ll see Trevor when I can, you know. Summers, holidays, and anytime I want to fly down and spend a few weekends with him. But for now I’ve got to let him go.”

She nodded politely. “That’s a good step in the right direction.”

A hesitant smile turned his lips. “I also didn’t want to move because I’ve got some unfinished business here . . . with you.”

The directness of his reply threw her completely off balance. A minute stretched into two as he drew her aside, away from prying eyes and listening ears.

Blake shifted uncomfortably. “I wanted to apologize to you again.” His words came out in a sudden gush tinged with remorse. “And if you’ll give me another chance, I’d like to take it.”

Gwen’s heart missed a beat, then kicked into overdrive. “I’d like to,” she said slowly. “But I can’t leave Port Rock. My whole life’s there. As much as I hate to say it, that’s where I’ll always be.”

He responded with a lazy grin. “I’m not asking you to leave,” he said. “I’m willing to go wherever you are.”

She was shocked. Knowing how much he hated the town, his words stunned her. “Really? You would move back to Maine, for me?”

His gaze delved into hers, looking straight into her soul. “Absolutely.”

“What about—” she started to ask, but got no further.

Blake pressed a finger to her lips. “The past is gone, Gwen. I’ve got to start living for the future. I’m willing to go the extra mile and do whatever it takes to make you a part of it.”

Oh, my. She had no chance to reply. His mouth covered hers, warm and oh, so possessive.

A few dazzling, dizzying seconds ticked away.

Coming up for air, Gwen looked at him. She swayed on legs threatening to collapse beneath her weight. “I don’t know,” she returned. “Do you think you can handle being with a so-called alien species?”

Blake drew her even closer. “I’ve got it on good authority you mermaids can be slippery.” He gave her a quick wink. “But I’m going to hold on tight. I’m not letting you go a second time.”

Gwen flexed her fingers around the rippling muscles of his arms, soaking in the strength and solidity he presented. A fresh surge of desire burned away the last lingering remnants of her doubt.

Blake Whittaker was a man of his word. If he said it, he meant it.

A discreet cough behind them made no impression. “Ahem, guys,” Addison prompted. “You two lovebirds are blocking the way to the restrooms.”

Pulling Gwen out of the way, Blake laughed drily. “Sorry. We had other things on our minds.”

Addison breezed past. “Obviously,” she muttered under her breath. Nevertheless she made a quick thumbs-up gesture before disappearing into the ladies’ room.

Gwen chuckled. “It looks like my little sister has given us her official seal of approval.”

Blake eyed her. “Think Tessa and Kenneth will support her endorsement?”

Gwen tipped back her head, happy just to look at him. “Guess you’re going to have to stick around to find out.” As she spoke, hope surged through her, bringing with it a renewal of strength and spirit. She’d never experienced such happiness, love, or pride before in her entire life. It was as if the dark clouds hanging over her head had finally cleared out, and days of sunshine and laughter beckoned.

She wasn’t sure what the future might hold, but one thing was certain. With Blake at her side, she’d be able to face the obstacles life threw her way.

T
his doesn’t look promising,
Addison Lonike thought as the twenty-seven-foot Boston Whaler headed toward the orange life raft bobbing on top of the choppy waters. Now that summer was coming to a close, people were attempting to squeeze a few more precious days of sailing out of the season.

Her heart sank as she performed a quick head count. When the distress signal had come in to harbor patrol, the pilot of the crippled yacht had radioed that four people were aboard. “I see only two survivors,” she called as Sidney Rawlings guided their rescue boat around the raft, attempting to use the larger vessel as a break wall to give the smaller dinghy a little relief from the gusty wind and pummeling water. As far as pilots went, Sidney was one of the best. If anyone could handle navigation in a dangerous situation, he was the man. A few seconds later the raft scraped the side.

“We got ’em!” she called as she threw out a line to secure the smaller craft. Joined by a second crewman, she worked to bring the survivors on board.

Two sopping-wet people collapsed on deck, a man and a teenaged girl. Both were blue from the cold and shivering. Addison quickly snuggled them both in thermal heat wraps.

“My w-wife,” the man stuttered frantically, “and m-my s-son are still in the boat.”

Paramedic Jim Witkowsky quickly scanned the water. “I don’t see anything,” he called over the lashing zephyr. “What happened?”

The man shook his head in confusion. “I don’t know. We were cruising along just fine, heading toward the mainland. Then there was some—” He shook his head in confusion.

“Some sort of explosion,” the teen filled in, blabbing a mile a minute. “From the engine room, I think. There was a lot of smoke and fire.”

The kid’s father broke back in. “I sent a distress signal that we were going under. I—I managed to get the life raft out and inflated, but the cruiser started sinking.” Face contorting with pain, he shrugged helplessly. “It just went over on one side.”

The boat wasn’t what concerned Addison. The fact that two people were still in the water did. Unless they had life vests, there was little to no chance of survival. “You said your wife and son were still aboard,” she broke in.

Still half in shock and suffering the effects of hypothermia, the man nodded. “Brenda and Sheldon. They were below deck, in the galley fixing lunch. Barbra w-was with me. I’d been giving her lessons on piloting the boat.”

The girl’s face scrunched up as the realization set in. “They never had a chance,” she said, sagging to the deck. A tear slid down her pale cheek, and then another. “There was a big hole in the hull and it just went under.”

Addison winced.
Damn it
. The rescue effort had just turned into a recovery mission. If there was one thing she hated, it was fishing dead bodies out of the water. The mayday call had come in roughly half an hour ago. Though they’d headed out within minutes, the exact location of the wreck had been unknown, preventing them from reaching the area sooner. The chances of locating more survivors had just gone from slim to none.

“It must have went down fast, and straight to the bottom,” Witkowsky continued. “There’s no way. . . .”

Jaw tightening, Addison elbowed her crew mate. The last thing you wanted to say in front of the family was that there was no hope. But Witkowsky was a newbie, and still had to learn the finer points of empathy when in an emergency situation.

“There’s always a chance,” she cut in smoothly. “Last year a woman survived underwater, in an air pocket of a sunken boat, for more than twenty-four hours.”

The girl looked up at her, desperation written across her young face. “Is there any way to get down to them?” she asked hopefully. Even as she spoke, her gaze found and fixed on the diving equipment the rescue vessel carried.

Witkowsky shook his head. “We should probably wait for backup from the coast guard before we proceed with any diving.”

Addison wasn’t listening. Her mind had already been made up. The girl couldn’t be older than thirteen, fourteen at the most. Having lost her own parents at an early age, Addison knew what it felt like to suddenly have family members ripped away far too prematurely. There was no way she’d let the chance pass without attempting to do all she could to change the course of an already tragic day.