Salvaged Soul (The Ignited Series Book 3) (4 page)

The look he gave me let me know how big of a pain in the ass he considered me, then with a loud sigh, he opened the top drawer of the desk and withdrew a stack of papers. He flipped through them, scanning over a few. At last, he said, “Tonight. O’Brien’s on the dock. He can get you the boat, and he won’t ask questions.”

I grinned. “O’Brien? The little shit I beat the snot out of before I left?” That had been, what, nearly seven years ago? But, oh, I remembered him. And I knew he wouldn’t ask any questions.

Jared nodded once. “That would be the one.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Jared looked up with a stern expression, but I saw the hint of a smile hiding under his mask. “Don’t push it,” he warned.

I threw my hands up in surrender, and promised, “I’ll be good.” Not like I cared anymore about whatever girl we had been fighting over then. As long as he kept his eyes off of Kris tonight, his nose would remain unbroken.

“You know Skotadi are in the area,” Jared warned. “They’re always snooping around the mainland, trying to figure out where we’re hiding . . .”

“I know, I know. Don’t let them track me back to the island. Don’t get killed. I know the rules.”

Jared made a noise that fell somewhere between a snort and laugh. “Doesn’t mean you know how to follow them.”

I smiled as I backed out the door. “Stranger things have happened,” I said, and then I got the hell out of there before he changed his mind.

I had a grin ready for every guard I passed on my way out of the building. Once outside, I headed toward the beach. My usual hour at the gym was shot by now anyway, and I was too excited to wait until lunch to give Kris the good news. I kicked off my sandals before stepping onto the sand, and made my way toward the cluster of bodies on the far end of the beach.

Considering they were experimenting with Incantation, they kept out of sight as much as possible. Very few Kala ventured that far down the beach, and those that did usually did so in the evening, and for privacy of an entirely different type.

As I neared, I was able to make out the individual faces. Kris, of course, was the center of attention, and appeared to have Gran and Micah both instructing her in some sort of exercise. Alec had taken up a position a few yards away, and appeared to be working on something of his own. Regardless, he maintained a watchful eye on Kris.

I didn’t mind that so much anymore. Now, I considered it a good thing that he cared about her as much as he did, and looked out for her in my absence. Despite the stormy start to our relationship, I was glad that Alec was such a big part of Kris’s life, simply because it was important to her. Because she insisted on maintaining a friendship with him, I chose to overlook the few lingering glances he shot her, only because they were becoming less frequent and slightly less pathetic.

The bodyguards were present as well. Richie, serving as Micah’s protection, kept his eyes fixed on Kris as she and Micah worked together. Though he appeared relaxed where he sat in the sand, I noted the rigidness of his shoulders, and knew he was prepared to spring at the first sign of aggression toward Micah. Bruce, on the other hand, wasn’t even near them, choosing instead to whale watch—or whatever he was doing— from the pier.

Richie was the first to spot me, and quickly scampered to his feet in a defensive posture before he realized it was only me. His abrupt reaction caused the others to take notice of me. Kris immediately dropped what she was doing. Literally. A wall of sand, suspended midair by nothing but her mind, fell to the ground as she spun around to meet me.

“That’s—umph.” I swayed slightly as the weight of her—as insignificant as it was—crashed into me.

“Awesome?”

I nodded. “New trick?”

She beamed. “I’m having a good day. Haven’t blown anything up yet. What are you doing here?”

I glanced around at the others, most of whom had continued about their own business and weren’t paying any attention to us. The exception was, not surprisingly, Micah. He had been on the other side of the sand wall, working directly with Kris, and was now left with nothing else better to do than stare at us.

The seconds ticked by as I glared at him, until he finally shifted his gaze and, at least, pretended to look preoccupied. Though I knew his ears would be staining to pick up everything exchanged between us, and his mind would attempt to pluck anything he missed out of Kris’s head, I finally explained to Kris my reason for tracking her down.

Her reaction wasn’t what I expected.

“Tonight?” she squeaked.

I tried not to let her lack of excitement deflate my swollen ego . . . too much. “I thought you wanted to get off the island, go do something
stupid
.” I tried to lighten her suddenly sullen mood by making fun of myself. It didn’t work. She nibbled on her lip like she was starving, and it was a chocolate donut. “Kris? What’s wrong? You don’t want to go?”

“No, I do!” she responded quickly, as if realizing for the first time her lack of excitement. “I definitely do. I just thought it would be a few days from now, and I would have more time to prepare.”

“You don’t have to prepare anything. I’m taking care of it.”

Though she nodded, and offered me a small smile, uncertainty still lined her eyes. After a moment, she mumbled, “I have no idea what I’m going to wear.”

Sometimes I didn’t understand girls. “It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. You’ll look great in anything,” I said diplomatically. At least I had been around them enough to know the right things to say in most situations.

Not that it mattered in this case. Kris was in her own little world, silently suffering her odd case of anxiety about tonight, and dwelling on her wardrobe shortcomings.

“Kris?” I stooped slightly to force her into making eye contact with me. “You okay? You still want to do this? Because you don’t really seem so sure anymore.”

Finally, I got a full smile—a real smile. “Trust me. I do. I’m just surprised it’s tonight, that’s all.”

“Okay.” I wasn’t convinced, but didn’t want to push it. “Meet you at your room at five?”

She nodded, already distracted by her thoughts again. I hesitated, debating briefly whether or not I should push her into telling me what was really bothering her, but ultimately decided to let it go for now. I nodded to Richie as I passed, maintaining a calm exterior despite the churning in my stomach.

It was only the short notice, and apparent lack of girl-approved attire, that had her acting strange. Nothing else. Nothing was wrong. Nothing of real importance anyway.

“Nathan!”

I stopped and looked over my shoulder as Gran trotted after me. I wiped the shit-eating grin from my face before she saw it. Really, all things considered, she moved well for her age.

“You’ll remember what we talked about?” she asked me.

I hesitated. Surely her mind wouldn’t be the first to go. “Talked about what, Gran?”

She gave me that look—the look that made my inner child cower and scamper off to his room for time out. “You know damn well what I’m talking about. The other morning—”

I groaned when it finally clicked.
That
talk. How could I have forgotten? “Seriously, Gran? That conversation will stick with me until the day I die. And not because I enjoyed it that much.”

“Well, it doesn’t need to stick with you for long,” she returned. “Just long enough—”

“For what, Gran? Long enough for what?”

“For you to be smart about . . .” She trailed off, for once looking as comfortable as she should have been considering the subject. “
Certain things
.”

I sighed. “It’s just a date, Gran. We can go on a date.”

“Yes, but . . .”

“But what?” I paused, and glanced over her shoulder at Kris. She had turned away from us, and faced Micah in some sort of challenge of the minds or something. “What’s bringing this on, Gran? What did she say to you?”

Gran shook her head softly, and I knew I wouldn’t get a straight answer. Cryptic, coded messages were Gran’s thing. “She’s thinking. But I question if it’s because she’s really ready for a physical relationship, or if she feels like she should be ready. Remember, you’re older than her, more experienced than her . . .”

“I know, Gran. I know.”

“I just fear that’s pushing her before she’s ready,” Gran concluded.

“I’m not . . .” I stopped. I haven’t been pushing for anything. Have I?

“I’m not saying you are,” Gran corrected quickly. “I think she’s pushing herself . . . for you.”

Huh. I had not expected that.

Gran smiled as she patted me on the back. “Just do what’s right for her. You always have. Don’t let that change now just because things have changed between the two of you.”

“That will never change.”

That was a vow I meant full-heartedly. No matter the context, there was nothing I wouldn’t do for that girl, and nothing I would ever do to hurt her. No matter how embarrassing it may have been for the words to come from Gran of all people, they stuck with me. As I walked away, I couldn’t help but wonder if she was on to something I had been blind to.

What if a wardrobe crisis wasn’t the only cause of Kris’s anxiety about tonight?

Chapter
4

{Kris}

Nathan had been right. We needed some time off the island to be ourselves.

He had planned an exceptional evening. From the moment Kim handed me over to him at the door, to the moment our feet hit the sand on the mainland, everything had gone off without a hitch. Even the Kala stationed at the boat dock had practically rolled out the red carpet for us.

And it was still going well.

Better, even, because we were now alone, and enjoying our first taste of real—not prepackaged and mass produced, cafeteria-style—food in weeks. Sitting at a secluded, candlelit table mere feet from the ocean’s gently crashing waves, with soft music playing in the background, and the best-looking, most attentive date ever across from me was the highlight of all of my eighteen years. I couldn’t have wiped the smile from my face if I had wanted to.

“How much time do we have left before the boat comes back for us?” I asked as I scooped the remainder of my dessert—something that resembled a chocolate cake, but named something I couldn’t pronounce—onto my fork.

He checked his watch. “About an hour and a half.”

“So what’s next?” I asked as I tossed my napkin onto my empty plate.

“Whatever you want,” he returned casually as he removed several bills from his wallet and placed them on the table. “Across the street is a dance club, where I will go if you insist, and behind me is one of the world’s most beautiful black sand beaches waiting to be explored.”

His tone and hopeful expression made it clear which option he preferred. I nibbled my lip as I considered the beach over Nathan’s shoulder. 

“But it’s dark,” I said timidly. “We won’t be able to see much.”

He smiled at me in that way he did when I said or did something that wasn’t exactly bright, but he resigned to love me regardless. He propped his elbows on the table and stared at me in silence for a moment before it dawned on me—he hadn’t actually meant for us to
explore
the beach. More like explore each other . . .

“Beach,” I answered quickly. “Definitely, beach.”

Fifteen minutes later, I concluded that nothing could beat a romantic, leisurely stroll to wrap up the perfect evening. Aside from a few small sand creatures, we were alone. We walked hand in hand until the restaurant’s lights were nothing but a faint glow behind us. The half-moon overhead gave us just enough light to see each other. Conversation flowed easily, and for once didn’t center on all the danger and drama that filled our lives.

“This is probably the warmest water you will ever swim in.” Nathan drew to a slow stop, and pulled me after him as he angled closer to the waterline.

“Haven’t swam in it yet,” I said.

“What? Micah won’t let you take swim breaks?”

I gave him a hard look. “No talking about that stuff, remember?”

He pressed his lips together and lifted a hand in surrender.

Smiling, I kicked off my sandals to let the water lap over my feet. He was right. It was warm. Especially for the ocean. “I always liked to bury my toes,” I mused as I dug them in the sand, and then watched as the next wave washed it away.

A distracted grunt came from behind me, and I turned to see what Nathan was doing. I watched, first in confusion then in awe, as he unbuttoned and shrugged out of his shirt. I eyed the magnificence of a bare-chested Nathan with silent interest, but when his hands moved to the waistband of his pants, I couldn’t keep quiet any longer.

“What are you doing?” I asked. My voice sounded sturdier than I felt. My legs, on the other hand, shook like I straddled a fault line.

His carefree shrug didn’t do much to placate me, considering he now stood before me in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts. And while that was awesome in its own way, I was too confused—and if I wanted to be completely honest with myself, a little nervous—to thoroughly enjoy it. The last time I had seen this much of Nathan, he had been near death, and it had been out of necessity to save his life. Now? Now, he had willingly stripped for a completely different reason.

“I’m taking you for your first swim.” Advancing a few steps toward me, he added, “It’s just like wearing swim trunks.”

“What about me?” I gestured to the capris and halter top it had taken me all afternoon to decide on wearing. I wasn’t about to get in the ocean wearing them, and the thought of stripping down to my underwear in front of him scared the daylights out of me.

Of course, I had done it with Alec once before. Hell, I had stripped
naked
in front of him. Though I had been in Skotadi mode when it happened, and wasn’t exactly fond of the fuzzy memory, he found ways to remind me of it frequently. Regardless, if I could play a game of basketball in my underwear with Alec, I should be able to swim in my underwear with Nathan.

Except . . . this situation scared me more. With Alec, I had felt confident that nothing would happen between us because I hadn’t wanted anything to happen. With Nathan . . .

Well, I wanted something to happen. Very much so. It was only a matter of when.

He stopped beside me, took one of my hands in his. “It’s just like wearing a bikini,” he insisted, completely unaware of the thoughts behind my delay.

I wasn’t so much worried about the underwear versus bikini debate as I was nervous about what would happen when I got into that water with him.

I watched as he waded in. Once he was in up to his knees, he turned. “You coming?”

He was tempting . . . very tempting. I knew I would get in, eventually, but I needed another minute. I folded my arms over my chest. “What if I’m wearing ugly granny panties?”

He grinned. “You’re not.”

“How do you know?”

His head tilted and he gave a lazy shrug. “Lucky guess.”

He was right of course. But I wasn’t about to tell him that I had dressed in my nicest matching pair of undergarments just in case a moment like this arose—though I had anticipated something that involved a little less salt water. And not this much skin exposure.

No, it’s okay.
I can do this.

Before I changed my mind, I lifted the halter over my head like my stomach wasn’t about to jump up my throat. Whether Nathan watched me or not, I would never know because I refused to look at him the entire time I undressed. I didn’t risk a glance at him until after I was safely submerged in the water . . .

And immediately wondered what I had been so nervous about.

He had waded out far—farther than I could touch, actually—and only his head and shoulders bobbed above the surface. The moonlight bouncing off the gently breaking surf reflected in his eyes and caused the tiny silver specks to shimmer brightly. Accentuated by his reassuring smile, his eyes reminded me of the guardian angel I had once thought him to be. I knew I would be safe with him. No matter the circumstance.

His hand found mine under the water. “Come here.”

“I can’t touch the bottom.” Though I could tread water, I would hardly consider myself a decent swimmer. The thought of my feet not touching something solid rattled me. Not to mention, only six months had passed since I had nearly drowned in the car accident.

From the look on his face, I knew that Nathan understood the reason for my water anxiety. If anyone understood my fear, it was him. “I can touch,” he soothed. “It’s okay, I’ve got you . . .”

With a gentle tug, he pulled me toward him. Propelled by momentum and water current, my body collided with his, and our legs entangled as I kicked like a panicked bug stuck on its back. Nathan swayed slightly, but righted us quickly and easily.

“Stop squirming,” he murmured into my ear as he pulled me against him.

“I’m not a good swimmer.” While true, I wasn’t about to admit that I was more squirmy than usual because of the bundle of nerves in my stomach—and it wasn’t all because of the water.

“Here . . .” His hands found and gripped my flailing legs, and positioned them securely around his waist.

Physically, on the outside, I felt instantly grounded and safe. Inside, the bundle of nerves multiplied and forced a shaky breath to pass my lips.

“You’re nervous.” Nathan’s eyes were on me, observant.

My gaze met his briefly, before quickly skirting away. “Large bodies of water scare me,” I answered as I scanned the dark horizon over his shoulder.

“It’s not that,” he said. “It’s me. You’re nervous being with
me
right now.”

Damn him and his unnatural ability to read me like a book.
I didn’t respond. I didn’t need to. We both knew he was right.

“Why?” he pressed.

There was no point in trying to blow it off as nothing. He always knew when I tried to do that. Absolute honesty remained my only option. All I had to do was determine what exactly I was so nervous about.

“Well, for starters, we’re half naked in the ocean,” I answered. Just saying the words out loud sent a wave of heat up my neck and into my cheeks.

Nathan nodded, a playful grin curving his lips. “And I’m seconds away from kissing you . . .”

I tried to swallow to wet my throat—though it sounded more like a gulp to my ears—and still I only managed a weak whisper. “Then there’s that.”

His grin widened, bringing out his dimples. “Nothing is going to happen, Kris. That’s not what this is, okay?”

My eyes flicked to his, but this time I locked in on the irresistible blend of silvery-blue that gazed back at me. Once locked, I found it impossible to look away. I stared in awe. Because, once again, he knew. Like he always did. While I’d had a difficult time pinpointing the exact reason behind my anxiety,
he knew
.

“You’re not ready,” he continued, then added with a short laugh, “I know that now.”

My jaw dropped as I pushed back to see his face more clearly. With his arms wrapped tightly around me, I couldn’t move far. “Was this some sort of experiment?”

“No. That wasn’t my intention,” he said quickly. “But the last two minutes have answered the question I’ve been wondering ever since I had that talk with Gran.”

Crap. I thought I had dodged that. I silently thanked God that it was dark enough to hide the redness I felt deepening on my cheeks. Then I pulled together the necessary bravado to get through this conversation, and maintain my cool. Well, as cool as I could manage under the circumstances. “Oh? What question was that?”

“If you’ve been thinking about taking the next step in our relationship.”

“Hmmm.” I surveyed him like a lawyer cross-examining a witness. “So, because I’m jumpy right now, you believe that I have
not
been thinking about it? Correct?”

He narrowed his eyes, seemingly unsure how to take the sudden shift in my confidence level. His shoulders shrugged with uncertainty.

Finally! Finally Nathan was wrong about something!

I smiled knowingly. “Well, actually . . .” My smile grew as his face fell and his eyes widened slightly. He was five seconds from reaching his ‘deer in headlights’ face, and I reveled in knowing
that
about
him
. “Just because I’m nervous doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about it.”

“Oh.” And there it was—the boyish, jittery side of Nathan I enjoyed seeing every now and again. I especially liked that I seemed to be the only one capable of bringing out that side of him.

“In fact . . .” With a sudden burst of confidence, I nuzzled closer, wrapping my arms tighter around his neck so that not even the water could slip between us. “I had hoped for at least a heavy make out session tonight, which is why you were right earlier. I’m not wearing granny panties.”

His breath caught, and he muttered something under his breath that I didn’t quite catch. I wasn’t sure which one of us moved first, or maybe we both moved at the same time, but, in the next instant, our mouths crashed together like it was our last minute together on earth. Hands gripped and pulled, and held everywhere and everything at once. Breathing dropped far down on my list of priorities, as everything about Nathan consumed me.

Nothing mattered more than the feel of him beneath my exploring hands, his hands tightening around my waist, and his lips moving fiercely over mine. Even when a swell of water washed over us, causing our lips to part momentarily, we didn’t stop. If anything, that brief separation made us both more desperate, more frantic, in our need for each other.

The fact that we were entangled as we were with very little clothing between us no longer filled me with anxiety, but with a yearning for more. I didn’t know what came next, but the way he brought my body to life with his mouth and his hands made me want to find out.

Suddenly, Nathan pulled away, though from the sound of the noise coming from the back of his throat, it wasn’t something he wanted to do. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” he grunted. His eyes squeezed shut and his forehead rested against mine, like breaking that kiss had taken everything out of him.

I knew he had stopped for my benefit, because he didn’t want to push me too far too fast. He had been doing that for weeks, every time things started to get a little . . . too hot between us. And though this was definitely the hottest it had ever gotten, I wasn’t scared. Not at all.