Goddess of the Sea (Goddess Summoning #1)(54)

"That makes me want to kick and squirm," she said breathlessly, his touch making her feel a little light-headed.

"And I will be careful that you do not drown," Dylan murmured as he bent his head to her.

Their lips met in a rush of heat, and CC wrapped her arms around his shoulders, loving the mixture of hard muscle and slick, wet skin under her hands.

"Oh, Dylan," CC whispered against his lips. "I missed you today."

Dylan kissed her forehead softly. When he spoke his voice was rough with suppressed emotion. "I saw you."

CC blinked in surprise. "You mean when I came to the beach to eat brunch?"

"Yes. With the man."

CC touched his cheek gently, hating the haunted look in his eyes.

"I watched as he kissed you." The merman's jaw clenched. "I have never before wished to have legs, but today I wanted nothing more than to walk from the waters and take you from him."

A tingle of emotion flushed her body at his words. She took his face between her hands and looked into the deep brown of his eyes. "You need to know something." She felt him tense, as if readying himself for a blow, and she hurried on. "I'm not very good at this. I mean I'm not very experienced in relationships. I really haven't had much practice, so there's a lot I'm not sure about. But there is one thing I do know. I won't lie to you. I believe in truth and fidelity. And I'm giving you my word that I do not want Andras. He is not the man for me."

The tension in the merman's jaws relaxed under her hands, but his eyes were still shadowed.

"Man…" Dylan said, smiling sadly. "You say he is not the man for you, and I am glad of it. But I am also not a man."

"I didn't mean—"

Dylan's lips brushed gently against hers. " Shssh. I have something to show you."

Before CC could say more he flipped to his back, pulling her up so that she rested against him, safely out of the water. He propelled them backward, careful to keep her protected from the wash of waves while she lay securely within his arms.

"I did miss you," she whispered into his ear. He didn't answer her, but she felt him nod, and his hand caressed the curve of her back intimately.

After traveling down the shoreline, Dylan stopped in front of a large arrangement of stone and coral, part of which towered above the ground. It was vaguely cavelike, but the top was open to the sky. It was round and reminded CC of a corral.

"There is no other way to enter than from under the surface. You will have to hold your breath, but it will not be for long."

The sun had set, and it was almost totally dark, with the mist obscuring even the dim light left in the evening sky. CC looked nervously at the hulking structure that jutted imposingly out of the water. "Are you sure?"

Dylan smiled reassuringly at her. "Do you promise not to kick and squirm?"

"I'll be good," she said, trying to laugh off her trepidation.

Dylan kissed her forehead gently and cupped her chin with his hand. "I would never cause you harm."

His eyes were warm and she felt undeniably safe wrapped in his strong arms.

"I'm ready," she said.

Dylan shifted her so that she floated in front of him, then he turned her so that her back was to him. His hands cupped her waist, which left her own hands free.

"When you are ready, take a deep breath and dive. I will do the rest."

Before she could change her mind, she took a huge breath, nodded and stretching her arms over her head, she dove under the surface. Guiding and pushing her from behind, Dylan's power made CC feel slick and strong under the water—and she was almost disappointed at how quickly he angled them up so that their heads broke the surface together. CC shook the water from her face, laughing.

"Wow! That was almost like I had a tail of my own…" Her words trailed off as she registered the beauty that surrounded them.

They floated in the center of a ring of coral and rocks. As she had already observed from outside, the structure was open to the sky, and the circle formed a calm pool in the center, sheltering them from the rhythmic crashing of waves against rock. But that wasn't what was so spectacular about the structure. All around them hundreds, maybe even thousands, of phosphorescent blue fish the size of one of CC's thumbs, darted in schools of perfectly synchronized swimming. Their lights illuminated the ring of water with an otherworldly turquoise glow, giving their little section of the ocean the appearance of a swimming pool lit by magical, moving bulbs. It was an oasis of brilliance in their fog-shrouded world.

"Dylan," CC breathed. "I've never seen anything like this."

"That is not all." He pulled her with him to the side of the wall. Pointing down at a little pocket of coral under the water, he said, "Watch."

CC peered down into the clear, neon-lit water and gasped in wonder. Within the rocky pocket she could see two sea horses. The miniature equine replicas were about six inches long and colored mostly an amazing black-bronze, except for an area of their bodies that looked like waistcoats; there they were splashed with brilliant patches of pink, yellow, blue and white. As CC watched, the two creatures swam in delicate circles around each other, coming ever closer. Finally, they met in a trembling embrace, joining their bodies together.

"There are more." Dylan's lips moved against her ear and he pointed to another place within the coral wall. CC followed his gesture to see that another pair of sea horses were beginning their graceful mating dance.