Spring Is In The Air!

Welcome all of you who are touring the Spring is in the Air Blog Hop!  My partner, Patricia Laffoon, and I would like to thank you for taking the time to stop by.  As spring is a time of renewal, restoration, and of course, reunion, we decided to share an excerpt from our work in progress (not even published yet!)  This is a scene where sailor Rudy MacTavish returns from a dangerous voyage to "his" mermaid love, Trish, who has been waiting solemnly and hopefully on the sparsely populated island where she poses as a human trader.  From "The Realmwalker Prophecy: Heart of the Mermaid", we hope you enjoy this scene.

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The longboat from the Haven had barely touched the beach when Rudy stood up, his bag over his good shoulder.  He looked back at the Commodore Shaw as he rose as well.  The trip back to the island had taken a week of limping along, but the commanding officer had lived up to his promise to drop Rudy off here on his way to port.

The two men clasped hands.  Although they had stopped here, it was clear they did not have time to stay.  Rudy smiled and said, “If you ever need anything, sir, you know where I will be.”

Commodore Shaw returned the gesture.  “Fair winds and following seas … Captain.”  He sat back down and the boat pushed off to head back to the Haven.  Rudy watched for a moment before walking back up to the trading post.

He walked through the open door, smiling, the tavern empty save for a lone figure with her back to him at the bar.  Her golden hair hung loosely over her shoulders as she worked on something intently.  He saw her stiffen when his boots thumped across the wooden floor.  “Excuse me, miss, but I was wondering if you have accommodations for a weary traveler.  It seems I might be here for a while.”

He saw her relax and call back without looking.  “I’m sorry I don’t have rooms here for wayward sailors.  If you are seeking a place to stay …”  Then he heard her breath catch, and she froze.  “Rudy …”  And then, faster than he could think, she was in his arms.

~~~

She wasn’t really paying any attention to what was going on around her.  She was working on making some necklaces to try and occupy her time when she heard the boots hit the floor.  She tensed, at first thinking it might be Aaron coming back to torment her again.  Then she when she heard a different voice, she relaxed, until her mind identified it.  She spoke the name that had been her mental mantra for the past three weeks, and turned in a rush, running into his embrace as the bag he had been carrying fell at their feet.

She buried her face in his neck, inhaling his familiar scent.  She felt ecstatic, and every part of her seemed to be rejoicing at once.  She whispered his name into his ear again, and then leaned back, running her hands over his body.  She wasn’t sure this was real.

He peered into her eyes, with deep blue orbs that bore down into her very soul.  He tangled his hand in her hair.  “Shh … I’m back for good this time.  If you will have me.”

“Have you?!” she asked incredulously.  “I’ve thought of nothing else since …”  Then his hand touched her still tender back, and she winced, inhaling sharply.  Her Mer nature enabled her to heal rapidly and more completely than humans, but there would still always be scars.  She turned away just slightly.

Rudy frowned at her.  “What’s wrong?”  He brushed her hair back to expose the white crisscross scars adorning her formerly smooth skin.  He suddenly took on the look of a coiled snake, ready to strike out at anything.  “Who did this?”

“It’s … it’s nothing.”  She tried to turn away more, but he had a grip on her upper arms holding her fast.  “Honest, it was an accident, I got knocked against some coral while swimming.  Please, Rudy, I just want to look at you, tell me you’re here and I’m not dreaming.  Please.”  She pleaded with him more for him to not press her in this.  She wasn’t ready to tell him everything that she was going through.  She only wanted to be with him and forget about it.

She could tell, though, he was having none of it.  He had been at sea for who knows how long, and she knew how humans sometimes treated those that worked for them as slaves.  He reached and pulled down the back of her sarong even further, so he could see the full extent of the damage.  He grimaced.  “Those are not scars from any coral.  Someone did this to you.”  Then he looked at her and stroked her face gently.  “No, you are not dreaming.  I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, but because of that you can’t hide this from me.”

She could lose herself in those eyes.  Oh, she wanted to tell him everything.  But she didn’t dare.  She needed to somehow figure out how to keep him safe.  Aaron could and surely would kill him.  But now … now she just needed him.  “Rudy, can we please not talk about this.  Not today.”  Desperately, she whispered, “Please.”

He ran his thumb gently across her lips, making her tremble all the way down to her toes.  His eyes roamed over her, as if he was committing her to memory.  He bent down then, bringing his lips just an inch from hers.  He whispered, “We will talk about this.  But not now.”  Then he took her mouth with his, and she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.  His whiskers tickled her face as their bodies came together, and she felt his strong hands caressing her swaying hips.

The loosened sarong started to slide down, but she didn’t care.  His kiss had gone from gentle to urgent now, and he was ravaging her with his tongue.  A soft moan escaped her throat as she clasped onto his shoulders.  Clinging to him, she tilted her head until their lips sealed against each other, and her eyes closed in complete rapture.  She had waited to have him in her arms again, and had been so worried that the relief flooded her body, releasing all of her anxiety in one deep long soul-rending kiss.  She ran her hands over his shoulders, feeling his corded muscles bunch under her greedy palms.

He reached down and grabbed her by the backside, picking her up.  She slid her legs around his waist.  He seemed to hold her up with barely any effort at all.  She locked her ankles behind him, running her hands through his hair.  Then she started clutching at his shirt, working to bring their skin into searing contact.  He staggered and leaned back into the bar as she ripped the shirt off over his head.  There were no words, only heavy breathing as their bodies were doing all the speaking that they needed.

He nudged against her in just the right place, and her need spiked.  The ache ran down to her toes and deep into her core, and she moaned.  In desperation, she rubbed her now bare breasts against the hot wall of his chest and pressed even harder into their kiss.  She whispered into his mouth, “Not here.”

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Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies.  You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories!  Here's where you can find them:

Evernight Volume 1:   Amazon       XoXo          ARe

Evernight Volume 2:   Amazon       XoXo          ARe

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CONTEST!  We are giving away one free copy of either Volume 1 or Volume 2 of "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness".  Just comment here (and leave a way to contact you), and you MUST tell us who your favorite movie, TV, or book mermaid is.  That's it!  The winner will be picked at random on March 30th.

This will also enter you for a chance at the Blog Hop GRAND PRIZE of an XoXo Publishing e-book pack!

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