Page 44 of Ensnared
The moment I followed Skye’s scent down to the beach and found piles of Ty’s and Jack’s clothing on the shore, I knew what they’d done. They’d taken her swimming in the ocean, despite all the risks.
I went after them, horrified, swimming faster than ever. I only had to track her scent: it was so clear in the water that I had no problem finding them. Then I saw them surrounded by a pod of killer whales, and my insides ran cold.
She could havedied.
I look up at her as she steps out of the bathroom, and my stomach churns in protest. The thought of finding her lifeless in the water—or worse, not finding her at all because killer whales ate her—is so terrifying, I have to swallow to keep down the nausea.
But she’s here, safe and unharmed. Her skin is dewy from moisture, golden and sprinkled with freckles on her shoulders. There’s something so earthy about her that I can’t imagine a world without her anymore. She’s got a gravity field so strong, it pulled me in, and I was hooked in her orbit before I even knew what was happening.
She pauses at the threshold of the room, her hand on the doorjamb. I want to go to her, run my fingers through her damp curls, and find out what those lips taste like. Instead, I stay on the couch, my elbows on my knees. She’s furious with me, I know, and I need to apologize, even though I don’t want to.
“Oh,” she says, “you’re here.”
“You should remember to lock your door,” I reply. Immediately, I want to smack myself on the head. Way to start my apology. Even I don’t lock my door, but all my protective instincts go into overdrive around her. “Listen, about what happened.”
“Yeah?”
She walks over to her dresser and digs through her clothes. I close my eyes and lower my head, unable to keep watching her. Fabric rustles, then falls to the floor, and I justknowshe’s naked mere feet away from me. It would take so little. If I opened my eyes now, and she gave the slightest indication that she wanted me, I’d have her on that bed and screaming in pleasure within seconds.
More rustling, then her footsteps pad closer.
“You can look now,” she says.
I crack one eye open and find her standing next to me, fully dressed. I crane my head up, wishing I was better with words.
“I’m sorry for earlier,” I choke out.
She sits on the couch next to me and raises her eyebrows. “Do you really think you should be apologizing to me?”
“I’ll find the guys later.”After they’ve had a chance to cool off.
I basically broke up their date.
“Your dragon is beautiful,” she says matter-of-factly, then leans back against the couch. “Does the color of the scales always match a dragon’s soul?”
I can’t hold back the bark of laughter. “Yeah, that’s why Jack’s is nearly white. So pure.”
He is, though. And Ty is a happy, well-adjusted guy, even with his issues. They’re good for her.
“Did you want to tell me why you came after us?” she asks, her voice mild.
I did. I had all sorts of excuses lined up about the dangers of hypothermia, whales, and drowning—did either one of them even check if she was a competent swimmer before they took her out to the open sea? A human could get dragged away by the powerful currents.
But that’s not what happened. I wish I could turn back time and do it over. Maybe if I’d simply joined them, it wouldn’t have been as bad. But I didn’t want to intrude on their happiness. I was jealous. The ocean is my home, and I wanted to take her swimming myself—even if that’s not a good idea. Any relationship between us is impossible.
I remain silent, and after a moment, the light in Skye’s eyes dims. “Okay,” she says, then pulls her knees to her chest. “I get that you don’t approve, but I’m really happy with Jack and Ty. It would mean a lot to me, and to them, if you could get over your reservations about us.”
“Reservations?”
She shrugs. “Well, yeah. Two guys and one woman isn’t the most conventional of relationships. I know Maya has two partners, and you seem to have accepted that. I’m not playing with Jack and Ty, you know. You don’t have to worry that I’m out to break their hearts or destroy their friendship or whatever.”
“No.” I exhale in frustration. “That’s not it at all. I’d never…” I trail off, wondering how to formulate what I need to say. “I don’t think you’re playing.”
There. A coherent answer, at last.
Skye chews on the inside of her cheek. “I’m confused.”
Yeah, I get that. I’m confused myself, and I’m the one making trouble for everyone. Maybe I should just move to the other side of the village and leave them in peace.
