Whirlpool

Chapter Seven

The warmth of the morning sun caressed her skin, backlighting her eyelids with its brightness. Chelsea lay in a comfortable heap, her legs tangled with Braden’s, her hand resting on his chest. The whisper of a touch brushed her cheek, and she opened her eyes to see him staring at her. His gaze traced her hair as he stroked a loose strand back behind her ear.

The adoration on his face made her heart skip a beat.

“Good morning,” she whispered, not wanting to break the spell wrapped around them. Had they really made love last night? Was she really in his arms?

Braden rolled, pinning her to the mattress with his weight, his hips cradled between hers. He supported his upper body on his elbows and dipped his head to drop a line of kisses from her mouth to her ear. Goose bumps rose on her arms, and her nipples tightened.

“Good morning.” He nuzzled her earlobe with his lips before rasping his teeth gently over her skin. “How do you feel this morning?”

Softly spoken words that shot a shiver along her spine as he accompanied his question with licks and caresses, his fingers and tongue worshipping her.

“I feel fabulous, especially when you, oh God—”

Braden enveloped one aching nipple, teasing the peak with the tip of his tongue, the heat of his breath rolling over her skin like a brand. How long he laved her tender skin, she couldn’t tell. It went on and on and pleasure swirled around her, pushing her out of her comfort zone. The tender touches grew rougher, more demanding as Braden alternated from side to side. Neither breast was neglected long enough for the tingling heat to calm. Chelsea’s heart pounded harder, her breath catching in her throat as she trembled on the verge of control. Every touch sent a burst of fire from where his mouth made contact with her skin to between her legs. Her labia swelled with pulsing need, her clitoris so sensitive that when he snaked a hand down and cupped her mound she cried out. Her orgasm hovered close, the tension in her body primed by his loving attention. He thrust a finger into her core.

“You’re wet, Chelsea. Hot and slick and tight.” He pressed the thick digit farther into her sheath and set off a series of small convulsions throughout her system. Her legs shook, and she writhed on the bed under his firm grasp.

“Not enough. So good, but not enough. Please, Braden…” She tugged his shoulders, attempting to draw him back over her. Wanting to feel his cock press into her again and fill her. He evaded her grasp, slipping lower on the bed, the sheets flung to the side and discarded in a tangled mess on the floor.

“You’re beautiful when you come, Chelsea. Again. I want to see it again.”

He stabbed his tongue between her folds, wet and soothing in the midst of the fire he stoked. She watched as best she could, her eyelids heavy, her limbs lacking the strength to move as all the energy in her extremities pooled in her core in anticipation of the impending explosion. The next climax was going to shake her, and she desperately wanted to be connected with him when it happened.

“Please, Braden, I want you inside.” It took forever to say the words. Each time she expelled a breath, he plunged his fingers into her, his tongue and lips tormenting her sensitive clit. The demanding thrusts massaged the nerves lining her passage, liquid easing his way, coating his fingers and leaking out to cover her thighs. He lapped eagerly, humming as his tongue delved deeper into her, replacing his fingers. He grasped her hips and lifted her to his mouth, feasting hungrily as she lay at an incline, her shoulders digging into the mattress. Each intimate touch of his lips took her closer to the edge until with one final brush over her throbbing clitoris the dam burst and she came.

“Braden, oh my…” White spots hovered before her eyes as pleasure rolled over her like a tsunami. Before the pulses deep within her core could break off, he lowered her to the mattress and crawled over her. His cock, iron hard and wet at the tip, pressed into her still-moving body and she gasped at how amazing it felt. How right. Braden rocked his hips, each time stretching her a little more, gaining a little more access into her depths until he finally sank all the way to the hilt, their groins touching.

Fullness. Pure extreme pleasure. He pumped in slow motion, dragging his rigid abdomen over her already trigger-sensitive clit.

“You’re going to kill me.” Chelsea smiled at him as she wrapped her legs around him to make sure he didn’t stop. She dug her heels into his butt at the end of his stroke and the extra tilt made his cock hit a deliciously sensitive spot deep inside. She hissed with delight. “Yesss… Oh damn, more. Harder.”

Braden lost control of his tight, evenly measured pace and slammed into her. She gasped and clutched his shoulders.

“Again,” she demanded. She’d never felt like this before.

“Too hard.” He tried to ease off and she dug in her fingernails, the indent marks showing red against his skin.

“Not hard…enough.” She’d kill him if he stopped. Chelsea arched her back as he moved, increasing the speed and impact, and they both cried with pleasure.

One pounding blast followed after another until Braden hesitated, his pace growing uneven, his face tight as he stared down at her. She couldn’t protest because she was unraveling. From the top of her head to her toenails, an orgasm ripped through her, her pussy clutching Braden’s cock in tight pulses.

A stream of unintelligible words floated from his lips as he rammed in once more and froze. With their hips locked together, his cock jerked within her, setting off another string of pleasure.

Drunk on the pheromones flooding her system, the slow increase of his weight sinking onto her torso was the icing on the cake as he took her lips in a final passionate kiss. She let her hands caress the smooth surface of his skull, holding their lips together for one last moment of contact before he rolled beside her and collapsed with a groan.

“I’m sorry.” He turned to face her, stroking her cheek with the back of one knuckle.

“Sorry?” Chelsea stretched and her torso brushed his. The fleeting contact made butterfly flutters of pleasure race over her skin. Her brain barely functioned, and she couldn’t figure out what in the world he thought he had to apologize for.

“For getting too rough. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Damn idiot. She grabbed him by one ear and pulled.

“Shit, stop trying to peel me like a banana.”

She glared at him. “What the hell are you talking about, too rough? I loved every minute. If you didn’t notice, I was the one underneath you, having a good time. Earth-shaking orgasms and all that.”

Braden snorted, shaking his head. “You make me crazy, woman.”

“Ditto.”

Chelsea cupped his face in her hands. They stared at each other for half a second before bursting into laughter.

“You’re not going to make this relationship between us easy, are you?” Braden asked.

Chelsea couldn’t resist. She batted her eyes, showing her most innocent expression.

He rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. “Yup. That’s what I figured. Oh well, easy relationships are overrated anyway.”

The weekend passed far quicker than he’d imagined possible. They crawled out of bed Saturday morning and spent the rest of the day together without even venturing from the house. They cooked together—well, Chelsea cooked and he cleaned. They sat and talked. They enjoyed each other’s company and made love until he was sure he wore a goofy grin. Having had a taste of her, he couldn’t imagine how he’d kept them apart for so long.

The one lingering doubt remaining, he pushed to the back of his mind, not wanting to deal with it—not wanting the anticipation of jealousy to enter their relationship a moment before it had to. He would try his damnedest to satisfy her by himself as long as he possibly could. Allowing another man in their bed?—not yet. Hopefully not for a long time.

Sunday afternoon they were snuggled together on the couch, her head resting on his chest as she sat in his lap. He stroked his fingers through her golden curls again and again, the soft tresses draped over her shoulders shining in the afternoon sun.

“You happy, baby?” he asked.

“Umm-hmm.”

Contentment stole over him. “Me too.”

The doors to the deck stood wide open, letting the cool breezes off the ocean into the house. He thought about getting up to turn on the stereo for a little background music, but the wonderful lethargy in his limbs made it too enticing to simply listen to the ocean instead.

“Braden?”

“Yup.”

She pressed her palms against his chest and looked up at him. “Can I tell you something?”

He held in his chuckle. The intent expression on her face was endearing. “You look like it’s serious.”

She shrugged. “You know when I said I didn’t make it into college because of my SAT scores?”

He nodded.

“I…lied. My scores were perfectly acceptable, but I had to drop my registration. I didn’t have enough saved up to pay for the semester and housing, and it was too late to apply for student loans.”

What the hell? “I thought you had more than enough saved up.”

She snuggled against him again, the tension that had built in her body as she spoke slowly leeching away. It had obviously taken a lot of courage for her to tell him, so he restrained from his first response of cussing a blue streak.

“I did. But then my dad got sick, and between the medical bills and him being off work, the family expenses stacked up. My sister Carrie has only two semesters left, so it made more sense to ensure she finishes her degree than for me to start mine. I chipped in for her tuition. Mom and Dad already rented out the in-law suite Carrie and I were living in, since we were both supposed to be gone shortly. That will provide a little extra income until Dad’s able to work full-time. Alexia said I could stay here until I find a place I can afford on my own.”

“Why didn’t you ask for help?”

Chelsea snorted. “Alexia offered, but I couldn’t take it. You think my dad wanted anyone to know he’d let his family down?”

Braden stopped cold. Chelsea’s parents were rock-solid members of the community and good people, but yeah, her father wasn’t the kind to want it advertised he needed help. Only this time it was Chelsea who’d taken the hit. “I wish I’d known.”

“I can get in next year. They said they would transfer my forms to the following September, since the archaeology program I want runs September to May. That will give me enough time to make sure I can cover the costs or get funding in place.”

Braden bit his tongue. Damn right she’d have enough money to go by next September if he had anything to say about it. “You sure you can’t get in this fall semester? I can loan you—”

“There’s no way I’m taking your money. I withdrew from housing, and all my classes. It’s a done deal for now.”

She was tensing up again and he stroked her back to soothe her. Maybe there was a chance she could start in the winter semester, do a few optional classes. He had time to sweet-talk her into it, even though he already dreaded the thought of being apart.

He lowered his head and brushed their lips together. Cupping the back of her neck, he drew her around to nestle tighter to his body. She nuzzled his neck, planting tiny kisses along his jaw, and his body reacted instantly.

They wrapped around each other, kissing and touching. Hands slipping under clothing, opening buttons. Things were getting very interesting when his phone went off, the shrill buzz warning it was an official message. Braden swore. Chelsea scrambled off his lap and let him grab the phone without a word. This was the worst part about his job, being on call all the time.

“Marley,” he snapped. He didn’t even try to hide his annoyance.

His assistant’s apologetic voice rang through. “Sorry, Chief, but we’ve got more calls than we can handle. I didn’t want to interrupt your weekend off, but…”

Shit. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Don’t kick the messenger. “Not your fault, Helen. Where do you need me?” He glanced at Chelsea who sat on the couch, her arms wrapped around her legs as she stared up at him. She blew him a kiss and waved him away. He made his way toward the stairs as he listened.

“The pier. A few boys are mixing it up, and it sounds like it could get dicey. I’m stuck out at the freeway where there’s a tractor with its trailer blocking the entire path. Clayton is working by the hospital, and I’d already contacted the volunteer senior brigade to deal with the mess somebody made at the ornamental gardens.”

Shit. “Hell has been breaking loose. Give me five minutes to get there.” He scrambled to grab his uniform.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not life or death, just more of the same insanity. I’ll join you when I get this cleared away.” A terrible screech shot out from the phone and he waited with concern as Helen cursed. She spoke with an air of authority as she shouted into the distance. “Mr. Carlton. If you will please get back in your car I will get the tractor out of the way as soon as possible. No, no, no. Jumping on the trailer is not going to make the space any bigger for you to drive through…”

Braden clicked off his phone and chuckled. Insanity was right.

By the time he’d dressed and tromped back downstairs, Chelsea was waiting for him at the door.

“I don’t want to leave, but—”

She cut off his apology with a quick kiss, her lips hot and sweet against his. When she pulled back she gave him a wink.

“It comes with the territory, I expected it. Dating the sheriff may have hazards, but I will get to ride in the truck with the lights on sometime, right?”

He smiled, tweaking her under her chin. “Hey, we’re not done talking about your schooling, you know.”

“Go on. I think I’ll head home for a few hours, visit with my folks. See you back here tonight?” He nodded and leaned over to kiss her again, but she pushed him out the door with a laugh. “Go, you’ll be late.”

He headed to the pier with a deep sense of satisfaction. In spite of her confession and what it potentially meant for their future, contentment filled him. He had a job he loved. Now the woman he’d longed for was in his life, no matter what happened down the road.

It seemed things were finally falling into place.

Jamie pulled into the parking space outside the house, relieved to find it vacant. All weekend he’d been haunted. Saturday he’d woken to a dream of enjoying twisted, sweaty sex with Chelsea while Braden stood by and watched, a curious smile on his face. Sunday morning the dream had expanded to include Braden in the midst of the tangle with him and Chelsea.

As he worked around the apartment during the day, blue lights faded in and out of his vision, and every time he turned around he swore there was someone else in the room with him. A scent, a presence… He was either going mad or there was some seriously weird shit happening.

He’d looked over the stack of papers containing his drawings so often he had them memorized. Saturday morning he’d stared in confusion at them, and even wadded a couple up to throw in the garbage before a flash of memory returned. The rest of the day he’d researched, the topics varied and eclectic. The published contents of the dig he’d been involved in off the Mallorca coast. Ancient records and legends of people appearing from the sea.

The blue lights of St. Elmo’s fire.

By Sunday afternoon he couldn’t resist the urge to take a closer look at a few things at the Coltens’ house. If he didn’t, he’d be thinking about them all night and not sleeping anyway, so he might as well take the chance.

Jamie walked to the front door and knocked loudly. Rang the bell a couple of times. He’d phoned ahead, and chances were good no one was home, but he’d hate to walk in and find Braden and Chelsea too involved in each other to answer the phone.

He used his key to open the door and snuck into the empty home, the stillness echoing off the walls. It was definitely just him and the riches filling the rooms. Best-case scenario? He would satisfy his curiosity and be gone before they returned.

He meandered slowly, trying to remember where in the chaos he had spotted it. The past week he’d gone through only a small portion of the collection, but he’d been mentally cataloging and examining the piles even as he wandered past. He pulled out the papers from Friday night—the hasty sketches he’d drawn after his vision session. Some of them were simple illustrations that helped bring the stubborn memories to the surface quicker. But one was far more recognizable and it haunted him.

Over in the corner, a heap of boxes of all shapes and sizes caught his attention, and he dropped to his knees before the mound. He examined each with care, the rough wood of one prickling his fingertips. In contrast the smooth water-worn surface of a green-tinged metal lid was cool to the touch. Off to the side of the stack, a box of purple heartwood leaned against the back wall and he picked it up with trembling fingers.

He turned the box, stroking the textures, running a fingertip over the carvings on the lid. He swore they were familiar.

A scent taunted him. He leaned closer and a sweet musky fragrance filled his nostrils. He shuffled through the pictures until he stared down into the face of the woman he’d hastily sketched the other night.

He could recall her now without the papers as a catalyst. Whatever hypnotic suggestion had blocked that night from his memories had been broken, and he remembered it all, including his mysterious lover.

If his guess was right…

Jamie flipped open the latch on the box and slowly eased up the lid. The breath he’d held in anticipation of seeing the contents swooshed out of him in disappointment when he discovered it was empty.

He could have sworn he would have found a medallion inside, one with a dolphin leaping on the surface in bas-relief. A twin to the necklace the Spanish woman had hung on her neck before she walked into the water and disappeared beneath the waves.

Still, it didn’t clarify how a box nearly identical to the one he’d found during a dive over ten years earlier came to be resting in Alexia Colten’s home. Especially when the other box had sat at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, the necklace it held hidden from the world for more years than easily explained.

He sat back on his heels, staring so intently at the container in his hand he nearly jumped out of his skin when someone cleared their throat.

“Holy shit.” He spun and spotted Braden smirking at him.

“You do get into your work.” Braden flopped onto the couch and loosened the top buttons on his uniform. “You should be more careful. I could have been a thief, or a burglar.”

Shit. Jamie tried to look casual as he replaced the box. He didn’t want to draw attention to it, so he fiddled with another couple of items as he spoke, rearranging the mound.

“Nahh, you said there were no thieves in Jaffrey’s Cove.” Braden’s groan made him laugh as he rose to face the couch. “Okay, I’m usually a little more attentive. Really.”

Braden relaxed, his legs sprawled in front of him. “You’re working strange hours.”

Jamie shrugged, his mind racing for a suitable excuse. “Decided to do a few hours. Maybe get to the bottom of another pile. There’s so much to go through, I’m starting to doubt being able to finish before Ms. Colten returns.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that. I think she just wants to get it cleaned up eventually. It’s a bit much to live with on a constant basis.”

Braden leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, and Jamie wondered why it was so difficult to keep his eyes off the muscles pressing against the khaki material. Damn, the man was huge, with broad strong muscles and yet so smooth when he moved. The stories he’d read that morning came back, the legends of people who lived in two worlds, moving with grace in spite of their muscular forms. He didn’t want to consider the impossible right now. He just wanted to…

Braden grinned at him and Jamie could have cursed. If he wasn’t going to get thrown out on his ear, he needed to concentrate a little harder and keep his freaking curiosity under wraps.

“You said something and I missed it, right?”

Braden chuckled. “You’re easily distracted. I asked if you’d found anything interesting in this mess.”

Oh, that is a loaded question. “There are a few pieces I know the maritime museums are always looking for. Lots of moderately collectable items, and tons of trash.”

“She needs to hold a garage sale then, right?”

Jamie snorted. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure?”

Braden wiggled his brows and Jamie laughed. There was no way he could keep uptight around the other man. Even though Braden had seemed intimidating at the start, somehow living in his apartment and fantasizing about him made the fear he’d initially inspired morph into something more along the lines of fascination.

Braden stood abruptly and Jamie lost his balance as he tried to step out of the way.

“Shit.” Braden grabbed Jamie by the shoulders to pull him upright. A trickle of scent wafted past—familiar, haunting—and Jamie bit back a moan. He’d woken in the morning to that same fragrance drenching his bed, the visions of steamy sex with both Chelsea and Braden fresh in his mind.

“Hey, you okay?” Braden asked, still supporting him.

Jamie stepped away slowly, shaking his head. What the hell was going on with his libido? His physical interest in guys had always been limited yet now he was not only dreaming about it, but tempted to grab on tight and see what Braden would do.

Of course, Braden would probably punch his lights out. Jamie scrambled to find a good excuse for his strange behavior.

“I’m fine. Guess I didn’t realize I was more tired than I thought. I’m not getting enough exercise, or sun. I need to work on a better routine.”

Braden folded his arms and looked down at him, his expression unreadable. “You don’t have to have everything done by the end of August. Maybe you should slow down a bit, take in some of the sights. There are lots of water sports to try, and some great scuba diving in the area. I’d love to join you if you can arrange your schedule around mine a bit.” He frowned. “If the idiots in town stop their high jinks.”

“More vandalism?” Jamie spotted the pile of sketches he’d made resting on the coffee table, and he picked them up and straightened the edges, hiding the drawings from Braden. Until he got more proof he wasn’t going to let any of them know his suspicions.

Braden sighed. “Yeah. Still, I should be grateful there’s nothing more serious going on. Shit, they were having a water fight at the pier. I got called out to break up a flipping water fight.”

Jamie eyed the stains on Braden’s usually pristine shirt and slacks. That was what had caused it. He dragged his gaze up, bewildered by how obsessed he had become in admiring the man. Their eyes met and Jamie watched, mesmerized as the center of Braden’s pupils swirled with blue flecks.

He stepped back slowly, grabbing his coat without looking. “I should go. I’m sure you need to get changed and Chelsea will be home soon. I’ll look into taking some time off. Gotta run. See you later. Thanks for…everything.” He wanted to get far away so there would be no chance the thoughts rolling through his mind could be discovered. Thoughts about how he wanted to watch Braden strip off the stained uniform and display that perfect body to him. How he wanted to lean closer and find out if the scent haunting him really did originate from Braden’s skin.

Find out what if would feel like to lie between Chelsea and Braden as they made love.

Jamie spun and pulled open the door, trying to make it look less like he was escaping than it really was.

“Jamie.”

He froze, one hand on the knob.

Braden stepped beside him, that dark expression back on his face. He held out his hand and flipped it open, palm up. “You forgot your keys.”

He grabbed them and fled.