Page 86

I thought of Forrest’s low chuckle, his bright green eyes, and his intoxicating scent. I thought of the feel of his lips and the warmth of his embrace. I thought of him until I wasn’t sure if my head was spinning from the violent water or just from him.

And then the whirlpool spat me out on a sand dune.

That was the last thing I remembered before I lost consciousness.

A man with black hair leaned over me, his green eyes alight with fear as he shook me. "Georgia, wake up. Georgia, please."

I moaned and blinked my eyes. I was icy cold, and I felt battered.

"Thank the tides," I heard him mutter.

He helped me into a sitting position and wrapped his cloak around my shoulders. I felt instantly warmer. I tried to stand, but I could no longer bear my own weight. I crumpled back to the ground.

He kneeled down to check on me and chuckled. "Little sparrow, there’s no use flying in a hurricane. Just let the winds carry you."

He scooped me into his warm arms, and I looped mine around his neck. I felt such immense relief in that moment. He was here, I was here, and somehow we were both alive.

"I’m sorry I left," I said, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

"I’m sorry I made you want to leave," he said, gazing down at me with his usual intensity. "I thought I would never see you again."

"I want to see you always," I said.

His mouth opened in surprise. "I want that too," he breathed.

I pressed my hand to his cheek and claimed his lips. There was nothing gentle or sweet about it. I parted his lips with my tongue, and he came alive against my mouth, meeting my passion with his own.

"Can I stay forever?" I asked.

"Just try to leave," he growled against my ear.

I shivered, and he wrapped his cloak tighter around me.

It reminded me of that very first night we met. When I emerged from the pond nearly naked. When he wrapped his traveling cloak around me. Oh, the delicious things that might have happened that night.

Things that could happen now.

He started kissing my neck, and I forgot we were even standing on a beach. I was snapped back to reality when I heard the deafening roar of a tree being uprooted.

He followed my eyes over to the tree. "Time to get you inside," he said.

I bit my lip. "What about the storm? Aren’t you needed?"

"I’ve done all I can. All we can do now is wait," he said.

I wrapped my legs teasingly around his waist. “Then we should use our time wisely.”

He looked at me hungrily. Then he paused. "You’re not just doing this to stop the storm, are you? Out of some misguided self sacrifice."

I shook my head. "Of course not."

He studied me. "I want to be really clear about this. I don’t know how to end my curse, and I don’t know how to stop the unseelie. We have a plan in place, and we’re giving it everything we’ve got, but-"

"I want you, Forrest. If the island is going to sink below the waves, if my kingdom is to be turned to sand, if I must die, I would only wish to be in your arms."

He sucked in a sharp breath and whispered low in my ear, "Even if this storm destroys everything around us, I’ll have you."

For once, his door was closing behind us. For the first time, I was truly on the inside. He wanted me here. He wanted me. Not just for today but for always.