Page 45 of Poseidon's Island Flower

“It’s part of my job, it’s my life. The ocean, the sea, the life that lives within it, it is all I know. It’s my home.” He watched, mesmerized, as the waves crashed against the shore.

“And where is home, exactly?” I asked, biting into my sandwich.

He grabbed my free hand, lacing his fingers together with mine. It was his favorite, always being connected to me, and I didn’t mind it either. I reveled in it, sought his touch when he wasn’t touching me, and he always knew it too.

“I live in a place few people can get to.”

I frowned, laying my sandwich on the napkin. “Are you in some sort of secret government thing you can’t talk about or won’t talk about?”

If he had to keep it a secret, I wouldn’t care. I knew plenty of people that had jobs in the military, and they had to keep things under wraps.

“It’s a bit of both,” he muttered.

I bit my lip hard.

If he couldn’t do either, then how was this little romance going to work? I know I’m thinking ahead here, it’s only been a week, but like Candice said, he said he would be here for about a month. He can’t stay forever, can he?

And it wasn’t like we’d even kissed yet. This couldn’t be that serious if we hadn’t kissed. But this wasn’t a normal situation, this was Cy, not some macho man trying to get into my swimsuit.

“Lani, please do not think too hard about this,” Cy pleaded. He moved his body and crossed his legs in front of me. I followed suit, now able to stare into his eyes without him looking away.

The gold glinted against the blue, and there were days this week I thought I could see the ocean inside them. They swirled around each other, and the sunlight seeped into his eyes, mixing the colors into various shades of blue and gold.

“You know, I am different, Lani.” He gripped my hands tighter. “You know I am not…normal.”

I shook my head. It wasn’t about who was normal and who was different. This was Cy.

“No, I am different,” he nodded. “And I think I need to tell you at least a part of why I am the way I am.”

Chapter Sixteen

Lani

Itiltedmyhead,surprised at the turn of events.

We hadn’t had many deep discussions. We were just scratching the surface of what we both loved to do, how I grew up, how I’d taken care of my brother all these years. Cy hadn’t given me any indication that he wanted to share his life though.

And I didn’t push, either.

The mystery surrounding Cy was attractive. Men usually wanted to tell you all about their accomplishments. I’d heard it plenty when I did moonlight waitressing at the resort. Men wanted to fluff their feathers and make themselves look good for a woman.

Not Cy.

He had shown me, rather than bragged, about his wonderful talents—his impeccable lean body gliding through the ocean with gentle grace, his handling of sea life, his ability to beckon dolphins closer to us so we could pet them. He was the Dr. Dolittle of the freaking sea.

Would it be nice to see a glimpse into his past to know why he was the way he was? To know why he was so leery of people? Why his soul was so broken and shattered that he felt he was beyond repair?

Yes, I would love to know. I’d love to know it all and scoop him up and love on him and keep him safe and tell him he was worth it. Because he certainly was.

It had molded him into who he was today, and I loved who he was. The gentle soul of the land and the confident man of the sea.

But I was scared. What if it was completely traumatic? I’d been very lucky to grow up with my parents and live in a home full of love. I’d never starved, had a roof over my head, and Koma and I had been perfectly healthy.

My heart would break finding out what happened to the tender, innocent, and purest soul I’d ever met. Finding out his past was going to break me. I could feel it.

Cy rubbed his hands together, gazing into the sea like it had all the answers. His brow furrowed, his breath coming in short and heavy pants. His jaw tightened and his head lowered, and that was when I’d had enough.

Cy didn’t seem like he was ready to tell me what had happened to him. We had only known each other for a short time, but I could see the conflicted feelings inside him. He didn’t have many friends. Was it because of what had happened to him?

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