Gwen had spent the whole weekend on tenterhooks, and by Monday, she’d nearly made herself sick with nerves. But when she didn’t hear from Jago or Cadan, she began to relax a little and think they might not call. But her relaxation soon turned into something a little like depression as she meandered about the house, not wanting to do anything.
By Wednesday, she’d convinced herself they definitely weren’t going to call, and while she told herself she’d had a lucky escape, she still felt strangely bereft.
The book she read didn’t hold her interest, and the day beckoned bright and sunny. She ought to call up one of her friends and go hit the waves, but memories of her near-death experience stayed her hand. And call her stupid, but she’d have felt safer with Cade and Jay, rightly or wrongly.
Her phone trilled out its tinny tune, telling her someone was calling, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Glancing at it and expecting to see her mum’s number pop up, she felt her heart leap into her throat when she saw the unidentified number. Trying to calm herself, she picked up. It was probably a call center rep about to offer her compensation for the car accident she’d never had.
“Hello?”
“Hey there.” Not Jay, but Cadan. His deep voice wrapped itself around her.
“Oh, hi. Is this Cadan?” She knew damn well it was, but it didn’t hurt to let him think otherwise.
“Yes. How are you now? Totally recovered from your accident?”
“Physically, yes.”
Beat of silence and then, “You feel up to giving it another go? Beautiful day out there. We can go somewhere easy, but if you don’t get back on your board after an incident like that, you might find it more and more difficult.”
“You offering to come take me out?”
“Yeah. If you’re up to it. No worries if not, but Jay and I are heading out anyway.”
She glanced out at the ocean, and her heart soared. She wanted to be back on the waves, and only her fear held her back. But she’d feel much safer with the guys. In some ways, she’d treated them unfairly. She didn’t think she wanted a long-term relationship, not even with two men whose voices and scents made her toes curl in delight. But the mating bond would mean they’d do everything to protect her. She could get back on her board knowing she had the best protection against any further accidents.
“I’ll come, but I’ll drive myself. Meet you out there.” She so didn’t need time in the car with them, their scents doing a number on her. She’d go meet them, surf some with them, and then explain how she’d given things a lot of thought and she didn’t want a relationship.
Easy peasy.
An hour later, and she pulled into Gwithian and parked. They’d picked a good spot, tamer than Godrevy and quieter. She’d be okay here on a day like today. She looked out at the ocean and the gentle swell, and her body relaxed some. She let go of the tension she’d been holding in her shoulders. Until she saw them…and then it returned full force.
Holy crap, they were more gorgeous than she remembered. Cade leaned against the door of his car, all muscles and height, and Jay sat on the hood, legs crossed, his golden hair hanging over his forehead as he messed around on his phone.
It was as if the gods themselves had asked her what her fantasy man was. And when she’d said she couldn’t make up her mind between a young, beautiful man with the face of an angel or an older, tougher man with the body of a Greek god on steroids, the universe had kindly given her both.
She took in a deep breath, asked herself what the fuck she was doing for the hundredth time, and then climbed out of the car. Slipping her keys into her waterproof carryall along with her phone, she zipped it all into the pocket of her shorts.
She always wore her shorts when surfing in the summer months, and not a bikini. Firstly, so she could carry her essentials, but secondly to hide the horrible scar she had from hip to thigh on her right side.
She had no memory of getting the scar. But as a youngling, she’d been attacked by her birth father in a very rare instance of dragon-on-dragon abuse. He’d been livid at having to provide for his female mate and her young on his own, after the death of his bonded male. So he’d turned on the young, letting some of his inner dragon out. He’d burned her brother and scratched his claw right down her leg, leaving her with a livid scar that had never fully healed. She’d been very lucky because often when a dragon did that to another, they could poison you. Her father hadn’t been powerful enough, however. Not to kill her, at least, or make her sick. Instead, his poison merely burned the flesh where he’d torn it.
Now the scar irritated her all the time, a constant reminder of the man she’d hoped to forget.
If the situation had been more serious, she’d have done something to try to heal herself. She’d been given hope that perhaps the poison could be reversed, as there’d recently been an instance of that within their community. One dragon, the mighty Rhyndor, who had poisoned another many centuries ago, had taken the poison back into his own body, curing the other dragon of the sickness. But her father wouldn’t help her. And she never wanted to see him again anyway, so she supposed she’d spend her life with the annoying burn of him under her skin.
She sighed and pulled her sunglasses on to hide what she was feeling as she approached the two men. Truth be told, when they found out what her father had done, what a horrible family she came from and the shame of her background, they’d most likely not want her anyway. Once they saw the wound on her leg and knew how ugly it made her, they’d walk away. Better she did it first.
“Hey there.” Jay looked up as she approached and raised a hand in a casual wave.
“Hi.”
Cadan gave a brusque nod of his head and pushed his sunglasses back up his nose. Fine. If he acted as if he didn’t want to be there, so could she.
“How you feeling about this?” Jay asked.
“Okay. A bit nervous, I suppose. I appreciate your meeting me.” She smiled at him, and he grinned back. Cade kept on with the whole lockjaw look, so she ignored him.
When they reached the water’s edge, she put her board down and stared out at the ocean. Rough enough to surf, smooth enough to be safe.
There were some nice white-water waves. She’d usually be all about looking for the unbroken waves to ride in, but today she needed something a little more beginner.
Stepping into the waves as they splashed the beach, she sighed in relief at the feeling of being back where she felt the most at home. Maybe if she hadn’t been a latent and could change, she’d have found her thrills elsewhere. She wondered if Jay and Cadan changed often. If Jay could change. Cadan could, if indeed he was the Cadan of her mother’s recollection.
She shivered at the idea and pushed it to the back of her mind. She’d sort out her feelings about the men later, after a surf.
Lying on her board, she let the ice-cold water lap over her. Really, even in the heat of high summer, one should wear a wetsuit in Cornwall. But she could deal with the cold and, in some ways, relished it.
Paddling out, she got to where a nice cluster of waves was breaking and heading straight into shore. Easy to ride. A good starting point for getting her confidence back. She turned her board and faced the beach.
“You ready?” Cade spoke to her for the first time, his deep voice giving her more goose bumps than the frigid water.
“I think so.”
“Come on, then.”
“You’re going to ride these baby waves in with me?” She kept her voice teasing, light.
He nodded, all serious and so masculine and focused she wanted to lick his iron jaw. “Of course. No point coming with you to keep you safe and abandoning you for the fun stuff.”
With a flick of his gaze behind, he turned to her with a twitch of his lips. “Besides, something tells me you won’t be surfing the small waves for long.”
Probably not. Already she wanted to head farther out to the green waves beyond the break. Small steps, though. She didn’t want to wipe out again in front of these guys. It was a matter of pride.
As a nice, fresh break hit, she popped up on her board and nearly gave a whoop of joy as she rode it in. Memories of the first time she’d done this surfaced. The feeling that, for a moment, she controlled the elements themselves as she rode the wave, before the terrifying realization that the ocean wanted nothing more than to drag her under. A thrill ride like no other.
Once it was over, she smiled to herself. Proud she hadn’t let the horror of the other day stop her from doing something she loved.
“Nice.” Jay paddled up beside her astride his board. “Want to do a few more?”
She nodded, and they spent some time catching the baby waves and riding them in. After a while, Cadan nodded out to sea. “Fancy trying some green, baby?”
She grinned and gave a jerk of her head. Of course she did.
Adrenaline pumping, she followed them out to where the unbroken swells were, some of them quite big, and waited for the right one to come along. It didn’t take long before the opportunity arose, and soon she was soaring above the water, in her element.
Once she reached the shallows, she fell into the water with a laugh. “Nothing beats that!” she exclaimed.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Cade came up alongside her, powerful arms resting on his board. “Flying in dragon form can be as exhilarating, under the right conditions.”
“I can’t change, though, can I?” She reminded him.
“No, but you could fly with us.” He fixed her with his warm brown gaze, and she froze for a moment, trapped by the intensity of him as he watched her.
“I can’t fly with you. We aren’t going there.” She knew all about what happened when females flew with their males. Those sisters had found it not only exhilarating but bonding. No way would she let herself get into that position.
“Really? Scared?” Cade’s fiery gaze mocked her and tempted her at the same time.
“I’m thirsty. Shall we go get a drink?” She needed to break the moment and turned to head for dry land.
With a deep chuckle, Cadan followed her.
“Perhaps you’re not the adrenaline junkie you think you are.”
She ignored his jibe as she hiked back up the sand carrying her board. A naughty part of her, the rebellious one that got her into trouble from time to time, wanted to call his bluff. She wanted to make a move on him just for the hell of it and to see his face. But a bigger part of her, one more interested in her own self-preservation, told her if she started to play games with this particular male, she’d surely lose.
Instead of taking the risk, she headed to her car and stowed her board. Then she waited for the guys to do the same. “Drink?” she offered. “Least I can do is buy you guys a glass of something cool and refreshing after you went to the trouble of meeting me out here.”
Jay grinned. “I’d love a drink. Lead the way.”
They headed up the beach and toward a café at the top of the pathway leading from the sand. It was past midday now, and the sun beat down. The warmth of it heated her skin, but it didn’t hold a candle to the fire of the blood in her veins as the two males walked either side of her. Not touching, but close enough for their arms to brush hers with a rush of air. Such a mundane thing, really, but their presence electrified her.
Out on the sea, it was different. There, she focused on the rush of catching a wave. Here on dry land, there was nothing to stop her from focusing on the incredible electricity passing between them.
A group of women walked by, young, perhaps twenty-four- or five-ish, and beautiful. One of them glanced at Jay and batted her eyelashes at him like some silver screen siren.
Hating the jealousy that rose within her, Gwen looked away and pretended to be focused on the window display of the gift shop they passed by.
“Cade?” A sultry, husky female voice jarred Gwen, and she looked around to see the most exquisite woman jogging across the street, waving at the two males.
As the woman neared, Gwen took in her scent. Human. And all hot and ready for her males…wait. What the fuck? Her males? Oh no. Absolutely not. This couldn’t be happening. She’d promised herself to keep her distance, and already she saw them as hers somehow. Never mind the weird electricity zapping between them and the rampant jealousy. It was all too much. Far, far too much. She needed to bug out of there.
“Sarah.” Cade’s smooth tone got on Gwen’s every last nerve.
“I’m visiting my aunt who lives here. Fancy seeing you two.” Sarah gave both males a lascivious look that left nothing to the imagination when it came to what sort of relationship these three had.
The knowledge that this woman had been with both males, probably at the same time, exhausted the last of Gwen’s patience. Sick with jealousy, and sick of her jealousy, she began to inch away from the group.
“We’ve been surfing with a friend,” Cade said.
Friend? Fucking friend? Mr. Coming-on-Strong wasn’t so hot for her now that another female might be available. Gwen gritted her teeth and began to turn away.
“Do you want to hook up later?” The femme fatale asked.
Gwen hated her for it, but the woman was dynamite. From her long, thick, glossy hair to her sexy heels, with all the curves and amazing green eyes that went on in-between, she screamed sexual allure.
Not needing to hear Cade’s answer, Gwen turned and began to walk away.
“Hey, where you going?” Jay called.
“I remembered I have an appointment,” she shot back before heading quickly to the car park.
She didn’t turn around once, and by the time she reached her car, her heart was pounding. More from the strange and tumultuous emotions those damned males instilled in her than because of the brisk walk.
Fingers shaking, she fumbled twice getting the key in the lock. Her battered old rust bucket was so ancient it didn’t have electronic locks. On the third fumble and a curse, something warm covered her back, and a big hand curled around hers.
“Steady. You’ll snap the keys at this rate.”
Cadan!
She wanted to turn around and scratch his eyes out, which was ridiculous as, objectively, he’d done nothing wrong.
“Why so wound up?”
Oh no. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of answering that. He already knew anyway, if the deep chuckle that rumbled through her gave any indication.
“Here, let me.” He took the keys from her, and with his big arms still bracketing her and his front warming her back, he opened the door.
Managing somehow to maintain a shred of dignity, she mumbled a thanks and went to pull open the door.
“Not so quick, sugar.” He pushed the metal shut and spun her around.
Gwen gasped as her front came up against the hard wall of his chest. “What the heck?”
“I don’t want you driving home in a bad mood, all het up and likely to have an accident.”
She snorted. “You have a high and mighty opinion of your effect on the ladies. Why don’t you go and find your plaything and leave me alone? After all, I’m only your friend.”
Damn. She’d let her hand show with that little outburst. She clamped her lips shut, determined not to say anymore.
“For someone who says they don’t want anything approaching a relationship, you sure are a little green-eyed monster.”
“I am not.” She jutted her jaw up at him and hated the mirth dancing in his gaze.
“You are a terrible liar.”
She sighed and aimed for nonchalant. “Don’t you have a hookup to be getting ready for?”
“No. I told Sarah we wouldn’t be hooking up later.”
“But you have…before.”
“Yes.” He didn’t sugarcoat it, and his gaze was direct. “I’ve hardly been a monk, Gwen. But I didn’t know you existed, and I won’t apologize for anything I’ve done. But now that you’re here, there won’t be any more hooking up.”
The news exhilarated her. It also flat out terrified her.
“I don’t know what you want.” She tried to look away from him but couldn’t.
“Yes, you do.” His words were low. Soft. And his breath caressed her ear as he leaned in toward her when he spoke.
She shivered as her body moved closer to his by a tiny increment. They were like two magnets, unable to tear themselves away from the other’s pull. Dimly, she wondered where Jay was, but right then, she didn’t care. This moment was all about Cadan and the conflicting sensations he created in her.
She rolled her eyes. “I suppose your version of helping me through it involves a lot of sex.”
He laughed. “I like you, Gwen. It’s one thing to meet someone you bond with perfectly, but an even better thing when you find you like them anyway, irrespective of the biological shit between you.”
She liked him too, but he scared her.
“I’m scared.” She let the truth out. Let it hang in the air.
“I know you are. You won’t drown, though. We won’t let you. We didn’t let you drown in the ocean, and we won’t let you drown in this.”
Oh gods. His words were beautiful.
“Just let us in.”
His lips brushed over hers, light, tender, and heartbreakingly brief.
As footsteps approached, he stepped back. Jay jogged up to them.
“Sarah’s more than a bit put out by your attitude to her just now.” He informed Cadan with a frown. “Do you always have to be so damned direct?”
“Yes.”
Cadan’s one-word answer made her smile.
“Sometimes sugarcoating things works wonders,” Jay huffed.
“What does it matter? We’re never going to see her again. We don’t care for her, and she doesn’t care for us. A clean break is best.”
“Manners are free, dickhead.” To Gwen’s utter astonishment, Jay smacked Cadan’s forehead with the flat of his hand.
Even more surprising, Cadan let him and merely chuckled. “I’ll try to do better in future.”
Jay looked at her. “You okay?”
“She’s fine, aren’t you, Gwen?” Cadan gave her one his patented intense looks, and she tried not to melt all over her car.
“Gwen’s going home now, but we’re having her to our home for dinner tomorrow night.”
Again, Cade pinned her in place with his gaze as he spoke. She should tell him she couldn’t make tomorrow night, prick his presumptuous bubble. But unable to, she merely nodded. She’d be there, damn her, because somehow, she didn’t have a choice. Her body wanted to be around these two men, and nothing she thought, and no amount of reason, seemed to hold sway over her traitorous hormones.
“Tomorrow. Jay will come for you at seven.” Cadan kissed her cheek, the arrogant bastard, then strolled toward his car.
“He’s so bossy!” She rolled her eyes.
Jay snorted. “He is, but he’s also kind of easy to manipulate. All he wants is to make those he loves happy. You’ll have him wrapped around your finger in no time. Just bat those gorgeous big eyes of yours, and he’ll give you anything you want. Heck, it works for me, and he doesn’t want to fuck me. You’ll have him eating out of your hand.” He paused, and a grin lit up his face. “In fact, I can’t wait to see it.”
“I’m going to come tomorrow, but this can’t be a thing. It just can’t. It’s Mum and me, together, and I won’t leave her.”
Jay’s grin became a softer smile as he studied her. Those blue eyes of his gave an incredible light to his golden face, and she thought she’d never seen a more beautiful person. “Don’t worry about the future. Let’s take this as it comes. Tomorrow, princess.”
He kissed her cheek and then he was gone, jogging over to join Cadan.
Take it as it comes. Easy for him to say. She’d never been more mixed up in her life.
Tomorrow hung over her already, a promise. And a threat.