Page 37 of A Lady's Key to Passion

He had no idea how long he had been walking or what his destination was. It seemed like he had been walking forever. He knew he was searching for something but didn’t know what it was. Impatiently, he scanned the sea, as if what he was seeking was within its depths.

And then, he saw the figure rising out of the sea, dark against the sun behind it.

He stopped walking. He watched, filled with a strange yearning, as the figure grew larger. He saw now that it was the figure of a woman. Her long hair was hanging in limp strands around her face, tangled with seaweed. Shocked, he realised that she was completely naked.

He saw the firm, pert breasts, nipples hard and rosy, the nipped-in waist, her hips flaring out. A perfect hourglass. His gaze dipped lower, seeing the dark triangle concealing her sex between her long legs.

Awestruck, he could do nothing but gape at her as she emerged, dripping, seawater clinging to her body. Her elemental beauty overwhelmed him.

Who was she? A mermaid who had grown legs? A goddess of the sea who had condescended to take on human form?

Rooted to the spot, he watched as she walked straight towards him, as if she had been expecting him. It slowly dawned on him that she was what he was seeking. He had been walking this long beach for her.

She was growing closer. He saw now that her hair was golden but darkened with the water. And her eyes were as green as emeralds, sparkling in the sunlight as they fixed straight on him.

It was as if an arrow landed straight into his heart. It was Jane.

She didn’t say anything. She just kept walking to him. When she was close, standing mere inches from him, she reached out, taking his head between her hands and bringing her lips to his.

The shock of it made him tremble from head to toe. His arms wound around her, pulling her closer, feeling her nipples pressing into his chest. Aroused beyond belief, his manhood jutted out, firm and proud as the kiss deepened. As if they had agreed, they both fell to the sand, entwining themselves around one another.

In a fever, he kissed his way down her body, tasting salt on her skin. His mouth closed over one of those firm, rosy nipples, sucking with abandon, drawing it deeper into his mouth. Her body shuddered beneath his. He made his way down her body, his lips searing her belly, before arriving at the very core of her.

She tasted like salt there, too, and she was as slick as the water she had just emerged from. He spread her wider, not able to get enough of her, losing himself utterly. She shivered and shuddered beneath the onslaught, making soft moans, her eyes closed in rapture.

He was about to burst. Eagerly, he nestled between her long legs, dipping himself into her depths. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever felt. He was about to plunge into her when, to his horror, she started to dissolve in his arms. It was as if she were melting into the sand, as if it were swallowing her up.

“No!” he cried, desperately snatching at her. “No!”

But it was too late. The sand was closing over her, legs and arms and body vanishing, as if she had never even been there. His hands closed over sand. He let out a cry of pain.

She was gone as quickly as she had come. He felt utterly bereft as if his very life was gone with her. He would never experience such bliss again....

Percy shuddered, running a hand through his dishevelled hair, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. He had never had such an erotic dream in his life. He reddened. If only Lady Jane knew he had dreamt of her like this, pictured her in his mind like a mermaid with legs, about to make wild passionate love. She would be shocked and horrified.

He tried to catch his breath. Or would she? Already he had discerned there was far more to her than met the eye. She was still water running deep. He had glimpsed the passion within her when he had kissed her. Lady Jane Metcalfe was not the demure, quiet lady she presented to the world.

She was far more than that.

Unsettled, he got up, splashing water on his face from the bowl in the corner of the room. He couldn’t stay in this room. It was like she was filling it. He would take a long walk and settle himself. When he got back, it would be just about time for breakfast.

***

After ten minutes of walking, Percy was almost ready to give up and head back to the lodging house. It wasn’t working—he still felt as unsettled as when he had left. He passed by the bottom of the cliff, seeing the long path winding upwards, towards his new home. Cliff Lodge.

Without thinking, he headed up, tearing at the brush against his legs. He didn’t stop for a moment. By the time he got to the top, he was panting with exertion. The house stood silent and dark against the orange-tinted glow of the sky. He almost felt as if he were looking at a painting.

Cliff Lodge. It was his now. The final contracts had been signed. He had already started the process of renovating it to his specifications. The builders were due to arrive next Monday.

Abruptly, he wanted to see inside it again. But he hadn’t brought the key with him. Swiftly he started walking towards it. He knew what he was going to do. He was going to enter via the same window he had that other time. The time when Jane had spotted him and, to his shock, had scrambled through the window with him. This time there was no question that he could do it—the property belonged to him now.

The window yielded to his touch after a few tries. Inside, the house was so dark he could barely see. He cursed as he stumbled over something. The sound echoed mournfully. Overcome, he stopped, sitting down on the floor and leaning against a wall. Had he broken a toe? It felt like it.

He took a deep breath. He didn’t know what he was doing here. This house belonged to him, and yet it felt alien, unwelcoming, as if it didn’t want him within its walls. He had been filled with such purpose when he had first arrived in Seaborne—to secure a wife and to secure a house. It had all seemed so straightforward at the time.

He leaned against the wall. It wasanythingbut straightforward.

He ran a hand over his face. He didn’t know what was happening with Jane. It had veered in the strangest of directions. All he wanted was a marriage of convenience. He had been aware of the frisson of attraction between them right from the start, but that had seemed a bonus. How much more pleasant having a wife whom he desired strongly rather than one with whom marital intercourse would be a chore. He had believed it would make his life easier.

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