I had no idea how long I had hidden in the ocean, but for the first time I felt strong enough to go back and face all that awaited me. I silently thanked the ocean for opening its arms to me, and then headed back. As I reached the breakers, I paused. This feeling was definitely new. I could sense a very strong presence. Darkness. His darkness.
Chapter 22
He was sitting on the beach; distracted by something he was currently drawing in the sand.
His gray shorts and simple white shirt contrasted with his dark features, which had my pulse quickening and spiking erratically. Although his eyes were downcast, I found myself anticipating the effect that their depth and intensity had on me. As I walked out from the waves and up the beach, his hand paused for a split second before erasing his artwork. The darkness I had sensed before suddenly reached out to me and wrapped me in a cocoon of soft caresses. Finn met my surprised gaze with a devilish grin as he leaned back on his arms; taking a long moment to look me over. Standing before him dripping wet, I suddenly became highly aware of the soaked fabric clinging to my skin as well as the inordinate amount of jewelry I was wearing, but there was a slight chance my just-swam-in-the-ocean hair was an upgrade from my earlier just-rolled-out-of-bed hair. So I had that going for me.
“Better?” he asked knowingly.
That one word held such a variety of meanings, I wasn’t sure of how to answer. Did I feel better after swimming in the ocean? Yes. Did I feel better after finding him patiently waiting for me on the beach? Definitely. Did I feel better about almost having a nervous breakdown in class? Not in the slightest. Two out of three wasn’t too bad.
“Much,” I responded simply, putting my hands on my hips and lifting a suspicious eyebrow.
“How’d you know I was out there?”
“Lucky guess,” he shrugged his shoulders, but the twinkle in his eye told me different.
“You were stalking me, weren’t you?” I teased him.
“Only on Tuesdays,” his grin widened. “Actually, I just followed the path of destruction you left in your wake. Brought me right to you.” I could tell he was suppressing laughter.
“You better be joking.”
“I wish I was. See for yourself.” I held my breath and glanced up the beach where I had found my way to the beach earlier. It was as if someone had walked onto the beach and down the sand holding a leaf blower. The sand was blasted outwards in a two foot path all the way to the spot I had sat down on; which was just a larger extension of my path. Then it extended all the way down to the ocean. My eyes widened as I caught sight of the sand dunes, which had literally shifted away from my footsteps.
“Like a bull in a china shop.” Finn commenced to laughing so hard, he had to bend over to catch his breath. I had no idea my emotions had that much effect on the things around me. An image of Phoebe’s feet creating ripples in the sand when she was upset after the séance flashed before my eyes.
I crossed my arms and glared at him, “Go ahead. Laugh it up. But I’m not the one with sand all over me.”
He looked up, confused, as I made a circle around him in the sand with my eyes. I pushed my emotions down my legs and into the sand, lifting it above him and letting it shower down on his head.
Unfortunately, he immediately disappeared and the sand simply poured off of the cloak he had hidden himself under. He appeared again; completely sand free. Damn. He slowly got to his feet, his features turning sinister. His eyes became stormy, while he slowly stepped closer to me; watching me with a steady, dark gaze. If I hadn’t known he was joking, I would have been terrified. He was absolutely the most intimidating, menacing thing I’d ever seen. And the sexiest.
“Are you sure you really want to mess with the Son of Darkness?” he said in a low, threatening voice, moving closer to me. My body warmed, my legs turned wobbly and my thoughts began to scramble beneath his stare. I squared my shoulders and steeled my own gaze.
“Are you sure you really want to mess with a future Sea Goddess?” I threw back at him with as much antagonism as I could muster.
A nefarious smile cracked his armor and he cocked his head to the side, “More than anything.” I fought back a smile of my own, but my lips betrayed me and my heart fluttered against my will.
“Then let’s see what you got, Son of Darkness,” I taunted him, already coming up with my next plan of attack. Before I had time to think about it, he was inches away from my body. I stared up at him just as he bent his head down. His lips halted so close to mine that I could feel the heat coming off of them. His eyes were boring into mine with a repose that erased everything around me except for him. Caught in his gaze and presence, I had no defenses against this. And he knew it.
His warm hand settled on my hip, deliberately sliding around to my lower back. A light smirk played at his lips as he pulled me against him in one swift movement. I strove to remain indifferent, but I wasn’t kidding anybody. Every cell in my body was sizzling with the onslaught of his touch. I bit my lip to try and get my focus back, but it only brought my attention to his lips so close to mine. He bent down, barely brushing his lips across my collarbone. His breath tickled my skin and sent shivers down my spine. I closed my eyes and resisted the overpowering urge to react when his almost-kiss crawled up my neck and hovered over my ear. His breath was now coming slightly faster and he held me to him tightly. Again, I willed myself not to show him the affect he was having on me. He straightened; instantly releasing my ear and neck from his torturous closeness. The absence of his warm breath left a longing even stronger than its presence.
I opened my eyes and was instantly caught in his powerful stare. I could see the yearning behind his hooded eyes and I stilled all the muscles in my face to make sure he couldn’t read it. His eyes flitted down to my lips and back to my eyes. I raised my eyebrows ever so slightly.
“Not bad,” I attempted sarcasm, but it came out as more of a breathless whisper. “What’s your next move, dark Son?” Desperation washed over his features and his dark blue eyes reflected his desire.
“Surrender,” he breathed. His lips were on mine in a split second and all restraint was erased, replaced with the raging fire that was always simmering below the surface any time he was near. Wet clothes and hair forgotten; the only thing I could feel was him. The darkness that I felt earlier once again surrounded me in its arms, enveloping me in a warm cocoon of pleasure. I broke our kiss in surprise and looked up at him with delight.
“Before, I could only sense your darkness. Now I can feel it too,” I smiled.
“I can feel you too,” he grinned, as he brushed his thumb over my cheek and held me against him.
“You can?” Why was I just now finding this out? A million questions zipped through my mind. “What does it feel like? Can you always feel it? If yours is darkness, then what is mine?”
He chuckled at my litany of questions, “I’m not sure what it is, although I imagine it has something to do with the sea, but it’s like a wave crashing over me; refreshing and powerful all at the same time.”
“Have you always been able to feel it?”
“Yes, but it’s gotten stronger. I’ve been able to feel your presence from farther and farther away. It’s the real way I found you today.”