Kellan cursed beneath his breath. No doubt everyone in town was aware of the situation unfolding at the cottage. Maybe that was for the best. Someone in town must know who she was or where she came from. Shes not a mermaid, he shouted, crossing the room to the bar.
Doc Finnerty says she is.
Doc Finnerty should limit himself to one pint of the dark stuff. Kellan turned to Riley and Nan sitting at the end of the bar. Jordan was with them, the remains of their dinner littering the surface in front of them. She is not a mermaid. Shes just some girl who got drunk and ended up on the beach.
Doc Finnerty says she doesnt look like a normal girl, Riley said.
She was half frozen to death. Almost blue from the cold, Kellan explained. Now I need some dinner. He glanced over at Danny. Pack up some stew and some shepherds pie. And soup. Lots of soup.
You sure she wouldnt want a bucket of herring? Danny teased.
Just get my dinner, Kellan said.
Though he usually enjoyed his brothers good-natured ribbing, he didnt want to turn this whole episode into something more than it was. Hed done a good deed and rescued a damsel in distress. And tomorrow, shed find her way home and his life would get back to normal.
Danny poured him a Guinness before he went back into the kitchen to place Kellans dinner order. A few moments later, Jordan and Nan sidled up to him, sitting down on stools on either side of him.
Dont even ask, he growled.
You told me youd do the programs for our wedding ceremony, Nan said.
Get Danny to do it, Kellan said. Hes a far better artist than I am.
He hates using a computer. And he and Jordan are helping with the decorations. She reached over the bar to retrieve a box. Please?
Kellan smiled. Of course Ill do them.
Nan clapped, her expression brightening. Theres plenty of paper. Youll have to print it all on one page and then fold the page in half and then punch it at the top and string the ribbon through. And then glue a tiny little red jewel on the end of each ribbon. But be careful not to get a lot of glue on it. And let it dry before you fold it again. She paused, forcing a smile. Its easy. Really.
Wheres she from? Jordan asked, unable to contain her curiosity.
Kellan shrugged. No clue.
She must be from close by, Jordan commented. She knew how to get down to the cove. Danny says you three are the only ones who know where the path is.
Kellan took a sip of his beer, then slowly set it down in front of him. He did know of one other person whod discovered the path. It had been so long ago, fifteen years, more or less. The girl hed chased across the meadow. His first kiss. Hed seen her that day and then never again. And though his memory was a bit muddled, there was something about Gelsey that was oddly familiar.
She could use some clothes, Kellan said. I was hoping one of you might have something to lend her.
Is she naked up there? Jordan asked, her eyes wide.
No, I gave her some of my clothes. But theyll be far too large for her.
I can run home right now, Nan offered.
Im sure I can find something for her, Jordan said.
Tomorrow morning will be fine, Kellan said. I dont think shes going anywhere tonight.
Nan leaned closer, lowering her voice. Was she wearing a red cap? Or a cloak? You can tell us. We wont say anything.
I wouldnt have expected you to fall for all that mermaid rubbish, Kellan said. She was wearing a green silk dress with nothing underneath.
Hmm, Nan said, her brow furrowed. The Irish legends about merrows say that they wear a red cap or a cloak and if the human steals either one, the merrow will forget her life in the sea and live on land with the human.
If you want to keep her, maybe you should start looking for that cloak or hat, Jordan teased. Id definitely hide the green silk dress for safe measure.
Yeah, Ill get right on that, Kellan said with a chuckle. Because the best way to form a perfect relationship is to trap someone into staying with me. Especially some magical sea creature that isnt human in the first place.
Nan and Jordan giggled. So shes probably not a real merrow, Nan said. But if shes pretty and you like her, maybe you should ask her to stay a little longer. You need a date to our engagement party, dont you?
He smiled. I really dont think shell hang around that long.
By the time he finished his beer, Danny had packed up his supper order in a paper sack and encouraged him to bring the merrow down to the pub for lunch the following day. Kellan put up with the last bit of teasing before making his escape.
As he walked back to the cottage, the wind nipped at his face. The thought that Gelsey might have died on the beach sent a shiver running through him. How long had she been there? Was there no one whod missed her? Wouldnt her absence cause at least one person to wonder where she was sleeping for the night?
The cottage was dark and quiet when he stepped inside. The peat fire on the hearth had cooled and Kellan set the bag of food and box of paper on the table and slipped out of his jacket. When he saw Gelsey on the sofa, sound asleep, he kicked off his shoes and crossed to the hearth.
He silently tossed another brick of peat on the fire, then turned and looked at her. The light from the flame played across her beautiful face and he studied her for a long moment. Was she the girl he remembered from so long ago? If it was her, where had she been all this time? Why hadnt he seen her in the last fifteen years?
A sudden thought occurred to him and he walked into the bedroom and bent down at a spot beneath the window. The floorboard was still loose. He took his keys out of his pocket and pried the end up, peering into the dark space between the joists.
There it was. Where hed hidden it all those years ago. Kellan reached down and pulled out the old biscuit tin, wiping the dust away with his palm. Did it belong to her? Is that why shed come back to him? Or was he just fooling himself that there was something special about her?
Kellan sat down on the bed and pried off the lid, silently inventorying the contents and looking for a clue about the previous owner. When he found nothing, he tucked the tin into the bottom drawer of the bedside table, then walked to the kitchen and grabbed a cold beer.
Stretching out in the overstuffed chair across from the sofa, he watched her, thinking about what it would be like to have her in his bed. The heat from the hearth relaxed him and he sensed that whatever happened between them would be incredibly pleasurable.
This wasnt a woman who hid her passions. Whatever had sent her to that beach last night, dressed in almost nothing, and vulnerable to the wind and cold, had overwhelmed all common sense. Who or what had driven her to nearly kill herself?
He silently catalogued what he knew about her. She was familiar enough with the area to know how to get down to the cove. Hed already ruled out the possibility that shed washed ashore from the water. She wasnt wearing any underwear with her dress, so she probably hadnt been out in public before visiting the beach. She wasnt a local. Her accent was an odd mix of British and American and something else. Something more exotic.
She seemed well educated, maybe even coming from a posh background, though he wasnt sure what brought him to that conclusion. Maybe it was in the way she moved, with such self-assured grace and perfect posture. And in the way she ate, quietly sipping her soup from the spoon as if dining in some fancy restaurant.
Kellan sat in front of the fire for a long time, thinking about the women whod populated his past. Hed always carefully chosen those he invited into his bed. Vulnerability wasnt a quality he sought. But looking at Gelsey, he felt a strange urge to protect her, to keep her from harm.
When he finished his beer, he got up and took the empty to the kitchen, then wandered back to the bedroom. He thought about waking her, but she seemed quite comfortable on the sofa.
He stripped off his clothes in the dark, then flopped down on the bed, dressed only in his boxers. He closed his eyes, but images of Gelsey plagued his thoughts. His fingers twitched as he remembered the feel of her naked body beneath his palms, recalled the soft swell of her breasts, the sweet curve of her backside. Just the thought of touching her brought an unwelcome reaction and Kellan groaned and rolled over on his stomach.
Unless he wanted to put up with this kind of torment for the rest of his stay in Ballykirk, hed have to return Gelsey to where she belonged. He pulled the pillow over his head and quietly sang a familiar pub song that went on and on.
Like counting sheep, the song gradually relaxed him and he found himself drifting closer and closer to sleep. The image in his head slowly morphed into a dream as sleep overcame him.
THE WIND RATTLED the windows and Gelsey sat up and ran her hands through her tangled hair. Where was she? She squinted to see in the low light from the hearth. This wasnt her room at Winterhill. Or her room at her mothers apartment on Park Avenue. She didnt recognize anything.
She swung her feet off the sofa and stood, fighting a wave of dizziness. Running her hands over her clothes, she remembered that she was in Kellan Quinns house. What time was it? How long had she slept? And where was Kellan?
The room was chilly and she rubbed her arms, then grabbed up the quilt and wrapped it around her body. She was normally a restless sleeper, preferring to nap during the day and stay awake during the darkest hours. Rain hissed at the windows and she crossed the room to the fireplace.
There was no more peat to feed the fire and the room would only get colder. She raked her hands through her hair again, then wandered over to the bedroom, her bare feet silent on the rough wooden floor.
She found Kellan asleep in the bed, his form faintly visible in the dark. His long legs were twisted around the bedclothes and his arm was thrown over his head, his naked chest bare to the chilly room. Gelsey stood over him, deciding whether she ought to wake him, or just crawl into bed beside him.
She tossed the quilt over the bed, then stretched out along the length of his body. As she slipped under the covers, he jerked, then pushed up on his elbow, squinting into the dark.
The fire went out, she whispered. Its cold out there.
He cleared his throat. II can fetch more peat, he said. And theres a portable heater in the kitchen.
This is all right, she said. Youre warm. She snuggled into that warmth. He had a beautiful body, slender but muscular, perfectly masculine in every way.
He grabbed her hand, pressing it to his heart and Gelsey felt his pulse beneath her palm, quick and sure. She held her breath, wondering what was going through his mind. Maybe I should go find that heater, she murmured.
No. Kellan held tight to her hand. Its all right. You can stay.
She relaxed again and stretched out beside him. I love nights like this, Gelsey whispered, listening to the rain and the wind outside. It makes me feel safe, all warm and cozy and out of the weather.
You werent out of the weather last night, he said.
I wasnt out there all night, Gelsey explained. I walked out there after the sun came up.
You were drunk at seven in the morning?
Not so much drunk as just drained. Emotionally exhausted.
Would you like to tell me why?
Gelsey shook her head. That was the last thing she wanted to talk about. There was nothing about her past that she wanted to remember. Its not important. She pushed up on an elbow and tried to make out his features in the dark. Thank you for coming to my rescue. I dont know if I said that before, but I do appreciate what you did.
Not a problem, Kellan said.
She leaned closer to kiss him on the cheek, but at the last moment, he turned and her lips came down on the corner of his mouth. Gelsey froze. Shed promised herself that she wasnt going to rush headlong into a sexual relationship again. She was going to think before she acted.
But Kellan made the next move and she was powerless to stop. He slipped his palms around her waist and pulled her beneath him. A sigh escaped from her throat as his mouth covered hers in a long and mind-numbing kiss.
Gelsey moaned softly as he stretched her arms out above her head. He was nearly naked and she was bundled up in a fleece sweatshirt and a pair of his cotton boxers. But she was glad for the barrier between them, at least for the moment. It was just a kiss and nothing more. Just a kiss, she reminded herself.
Are you sure about this? he whispered.
Then again, maybe it was something more. She arched against him, her movement instinctive. I dont know, she said, the answer coming with a gasp.
Her hands skimmed over his back, her fingers exploring the rippled muscle that shifted with every movement of his body. Though she was ready to tear her clothes off, Kellan seemed more intent on seducing her slowly.
Tell me to stop, he murmured.
But as his hands slipped beneath her clothes, Gelsey knew the battle was already lost. Desperate to feel that connection with another human being, she couldnt bring herself to say it. It was always this way with her, craving that intimacy she only found in bed with men. It wasnt always the right thing to do, but it was the only time she felt wanted and neededand completely in control.
Dont stop, she said, reaching for the hem of her sweatshirt.
Relax. He took her hand and wove his fingers through hers, drawing it up to his lips. We have time. Unless youre going to wander out into this storm all by yourself again.
Gelsey wriggled out from beneath him, then got up on her knees. Maybe I should take my clothes off?
No, he said, shaking his head.
I could take your clothes off, she suggested.
No. He pulled her back down on top of him. I get the feeling you usually take charge in the bedroom.
No, Gelsey said. She paused. Yes. He was right. She usually did do the seducing. The men she chose to seduce were always happy to be along for the ride. But Ive been told Im really good.
Ive been told the same thing, Kellan said. He slipped his hand beneath her sweatshirt, running his palm along her belly until he cupped her breast. Gelseys breath caught in her throat as his thumb grazed her nipple. I do know what Im doing. If you just trust me, Im sure well make it through just fine.
She closed her eyes and tipped her head back as delicious sensation pulsed through her body. Yes, I suppose we will.