Immortal Dreams (101 page)

I take a deep breath and let my hand slowly move away from his shoulder.

He lets a breath escape as I walk out, and I do my best not to turn around.  I'm worried he's watching, and I'll cave if I see those eyes staring into mine again.

Almost everyone on the ship
is asleep.  The ridiculously huge yacht harnesses far more rooms than I've even seen.

Devin hasn't come out of the cabin below, and I want to ask him about the pictures.  It's been eating at me.

Why wait until I'm gone to name a boat after me?  Why wait until I'm gone to hang up a bunch of pictures of me?  What really happened with Gemma?

I suck in a gulp of air, and then I guzzle half a bottle of vodka that's been baking in the sun for far too long.  I snarl my nose up at the hot beverage that should have never been left unattended for such an amount of time and then consumed.

I gently turn the door to the room he was in last, and I see him sleeping on the couch with his notebook still clutched in his hands.  About twenty pens have been snapped in half and tossed on the table to leave puddles of dripping ink.

I can't help but smile and wonder if that was because of me.

I tiptoe over to him, and ease the notebook from his hand.  As soon as it's freed, his hand drops from the couch and grazes my bare leg on the way down.

I'm still in my bikini, but there's not too much I can do about that.  It's not like I planned on hauling ass out of San Diego.

I stare at the cryptic writing in wild fascination for the crazy collage of random names with extended brackets to show more random names.  The notebook is full of similar graphs on every page.

"He's been working on that since you left.  He's been searching under every rock to find you as well.  This is the first time he's slept since you disappeared," Camara whispers as she joins me, breaking the silence in the room.

I gasp lightly as he stirs and turns over on his side.  I almost want to stroke his cheek, and tell him I love him.  I miss him so much.

"I've been gone a week.  There's no way he's stayed awake that long," I argue.

"Immortals can push the limits on sleep.  He pushed all of ours.  Everyone's exhausted.  I collapsed the moment I found you.  I couldn't have made it another day, but Kry, Ther, and Deacon have been awake with him the whole time.  No one has put forth more effort to bring you back than Devin though."

I sigh as I sit on the edge of the couch beside him.

"Why did he name this boat after me?  And why did he put pictures of me up in Paris when he knew he was sending Clara there?  It seems like he's trying to sway my thinking by strategically placing things in places he knows will grab my attention.  It's clever, but it's also pretty manipulative.  I don't like manipulative," I gripe.

"He put those pictures up in every home he owns - which is a lot, by the way.  He didn't do it to be manipulative.  The ship was going to be your wedding present.  He wanted to invite you to see the Poseidon world with him.  You left before he could give it to you, and we needed a big boat to carry all of us away while Theia cleaned.  He also needed a
ground zero
while we were here.  Obviously any Poseidon feels more at home on the water."

I stare at the ground dispassionately, and he stirs again.  This time his arm finds its way around my waist, and I feel the heat burning from his sleeping touch.

He grumbles lightly as he unknowingly nestles against me.  I can't help but feel the tears breaching my eyelids, and my fingers reflexively run through his hair.  He smiles as though he's enjoying a pleasant dream, but his breathing lets me know he's not awake.

"It's funny you're doing that," Camara says gently.

I look at her curiously.  "Why?"

"Because that's what he did the first night we found you.  He climbed in the bed beside you, and you wrapped your arms around him as if you'd never let go.  He just brushed your hair with his fingers, and a smile spread across your face.

"I almost thought you were really awake.  He stayed with you until just before dawn.  Then he called Hale and asked him to help us keep an eye on you.  Hale wasn't supposed to introduce himself, but you probably wounded his ego when you didn't notice him tailing you for three days.  He's not used to being overlooked.  He even told Devin you'd notice him within the first hour," she giggles out under a whispered breath.

I smile down at Devin's peaceful face, and then I bend to barely kiss him on the forehead.

"No.  I haven't noticed another man in that way since the day I met him.  I doubt I ever will," I sigh.

"Then why won't you just get back together with him?  He's been hell's bitch since you left him."

I slowly remove myself from his sleeping embrace.  He stirs slightly and rolls over to face the back of the elongated couch.  His feet are propped up on the end, and his head is awkwardly angled.  I push a pillow under his head to provide better support before I pull Camara out of the room.

"Because he kept it from me.  There's always a reason for someone to hide something, and I need to know what that is before I put myself back in the line of fire.  He hasn't offered me anything but excuses.  I just want answers," I whisper.

"I know it's easy to forget with all the glittery flare surrounding our world, but he's still just a man.  Just because he's immortal doesn't mean he's perfect.  He came home with a chip on his shoulder, and he wasn't going to level the playing field by giving you something to be mad about as well.  I repeat, he's still a man.  He's a good one though, and he loves you," she huffs.

She's right.  I've almost forgotten that he might not be mortal, but he's still a man.  I shouldn't expect perfection, but then again, this is my biggest fear.

"I've spent years getting broken by men wanting to taste a new flavor of ice cream while I'm still in the cone.  I've been here enough to know the risks, and I've never loved anyone the way I do him.  It's scary, and I don't know what to do.  He's immune to my... charm, so to speak, so I can't force him to tell me what happened," I grumble.

"He already did.  He never lied to you about what really happened.  He just wasn't as forthcoming as he should have been.  Men are stupid that way, and again,
he's a man
," she says with exasperation.

I laugh a little and stare around to see the setting sun over the open water.  We're completely still, and the anchor holds us steady from being carried away by the rising and falling waves.

There's nothing but water surrounding us anymore, and the glistening sun disperses a colorful slideshow against the surface of the salty water.

"I don't know what to do.  I wish I could just skip the awkwardness.  He's barely looked at me since I've been here.  It's possible he's done trying," I whimper.

She looks down at the ground as if she has a burden to share but doesn't know if she should or not.

"He is done trying, isn't he?" I choke out.

"He told Deacon he just wanted you safe, but he wasn't going to try to force you to be with him.  Deacon told me how new to love Devin is, and he thinks Devin is a little scared of this being a reoccurring thing.  I don't know what he'll say or do, but you never know until you try," she mumbles.

I fucked it up.  He's done with me.  One second I'm running, and now I'm chasing.  How is this even possible?

"What am I supposed to do now?" I gripe as I sit down on the edge of the boat.

"Now, you do what you were born to do.  Aphrodite is the founder and CEO of Seduction Enterprises.  Use it.  Seduce him back to you.  He'll never stand a chance," she says smugly with a smirk.

I smile at her devilish plan.  "When?  We're heading back to the airport soon.  I can't exactly seduce him once we're back if he's still not speaking to me."

"We're not heading back to the airport for two more days.  We're going to stay here, in the deep blue, with nothing but the sun threatening us," she gleams.

"I thought we hid better among the mortals," I gasp.

"We do, but we don't really have to hide while we're out here.  We've got two Poseidon descendents.  It would be hard for anyone to match them while sitting in the middle of the ocean," she says with a smirk.

Oh.

"Why don't we just live out here then?" I sigh with exasperation.

She laughs a little.  "You'd be sick of living on a rocking boat after a while.  Besides, what's eternal life without living?"

"Sounds familiar," I grumble as I think back to my "living versus surviving" speech I shared with Devin.

"Let's go to sleep for now.  Tomorrow we'll wake up early, and then it's time to play... hard," she giggles.

I smile as I follow her to an unoccupied room, and she hugs me before she heads off to join Deacon in their shared cabin.

I sigh as I look at the small, lonely room staring at me.  Devin's so close, and it's so hard not to return to the room with him.

I grunt in frustration, and then I start pulling off the bikini I've been trapped in for the entirety of the day.  I look around for something else to wear, and I pull out one drawer near the bottom.

There are pictures of me shoved in it.  Apparently this is where he stashed them all before bringing me onboard.

He's already started removing pictures.  That can't be good.  What now?

"Adisia, you awake?" a voice
blares as my door swings open.

I scream in response as my heart pounds its panicked melody.  I jerk to attention and realize my bare chest is exposed.

I squeal again as Hale's eyes stay glued to my chest until I scramble and pull the covers over me.

Suddenly Hale is being slammed against the wall so fast it's all a blur.  As my eyes adjust, I see Devin's arm pressed to Hale's throat.

"What the fuck did you do?" Devin blares.

"Nothing," Hale strangles out.  "I just came to wake her up."

Shit!

"Devin, he didn't do anything.  I'm still just a little jumpy from spending the week alone and looking over my shoulder.  Sorry.  I didn't mean to scare you," I say with an embarrassed tone.

Devin releases his grip, and Hale rubs his throat.

"Damn, you people know how to make a guy feel welcome," he coughs out.

"Sorry.  I thought you had-" Devin's voice trails off as he sees me in my barely draped position, completely naked under the covers.

Hale's eyes grow wider as he catches a peek of my side showing, and Deacon walks in to add to the awkwardness.

"Oh, holy naked sex goddess.  What'd I miss?" he chuckles in surprise.

I glower at him as I explain my nude condition.

"I didn't want to sleep in my damp bikini, and I couldn't find anything to wear.  It's not like we made a pit stop by my hotel before we came," I snarl.

"You could've asked for a shirt," Devin retorts.

"You could've offered one," I snark back.

He just turns and walks away.  Deacon starts walking off too, but Hale slowly starts closing the door while he's still in the room, his devious smirk in place and his eyes fixated on me.

Suddenly the door reopens, and Deacon jerks Hale out by the ear.

"Ow.  Ow.  Ow," Hale says in quick repetition while being led away.

I laugh a little before plopping down and covering my head with the blanket.

Great way to start the seducing game.

Being naked in a room full of men might sound seductive, but not when it's by mistake.  On top of that, Devin and I just shared
un-pleasantries
.

The door creaks open, and I barely peek out from under the cover as angst rattles over me.  I sigh in relief when Camara walks in with a smirk.

"I'm really getting to him now," I say with heavy sarcasm.

She laughs a little, letting me know she just overheard the messy morning wakeup call.

"I'm sorry.  I should have given you something of mine to sleep in.  I brought you a bathing suit for today though."

"I've got a bathing suit," I mumble.

She shakes her head disapprovingly.

"You can't seduce a man while wearing something he's already gotten used to.  He saw you in that all day yesterday," she whispers.  "This is hot, different, and you'll look exceptionally delectable in it."

I stare at the skimpy suit, and I'm just grateful the ass of it isn't missing.

"And I thought my bikini was slutty," I gasp.

She laughs a little as she shrugs.

"You don't have to be an Aphrodite to buy an enticing garment.  Put it on," she says excitedly.

I chuckle lightly as I stand up and drop the sheet from me.  I pull on the tiny, perfectly white suit, and stare at the mirror in disbelief.

The front is attached by a chain and a thin piece of material leading from the low dip under my breasts to the low start of the bottom of the suit.  The back is completely out, and it just barely starts covering my rear soon enough.

My breasts are exposed on both sides, leaving only the middles covered by the thin strip of material, and my cleavage is very much on display.  A tiny set of strings at the top and the back is all that holds this thing in place.

"Whoa.  I feel like I'm supposed to be posing for a dirty magazine right now." I grimace.

She laughs loudly and nods in delight.  She then hands me an orange, dress-like cover up that actually does cover me up.

"Leave them wondering what's underneath for a little while.  It'll make the big reveal much more...
wow
, if you know what I mean," she murmurs with her masterminding tone.

I just snicker lightly at all her scheming, and then I pull on the daring, white heels she's brought along as well.

We walk up to the top, and Devin is reading a newspaper, deliberately abstaining from looking toward me as we emerge.

"Good morning again, Adisia," Hale charms.

"Morning, Hale," I force out with a smile, though I intentionally left off the
good
.

There's a delicious spread of breakfast decorating the large table that has been assembled on the deck.  There's also coffee.

Thank goodness.

I pour a cup of the wonderful smelling brew, and then I start searching for the cream.