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My heart was wild, for what was going on around us, and for him. I couldn’t talk. I wouldn’t dare let him know how I shook internally, too overwhelmed with joy to make words.
I reached for him. He came closer.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling my body against his.
I kissed him hard, hoping he felt the fire he ignited in me.
He replied, his kiss intense. He pulled back only once to toss the jacket as far onto the beach as he could, and then returned.
He held me, his arms around my back, eventually pulling me up and out of the water to wrap my legs around his waist.
He kissed my lips, my cheeks, my eyes, then trailed back to my mouth.
I wove my fingers into his hair, losing the tie that bound it just to grasp him.
He loved me. I knew it. He didn’t have to say it.
I could feel it coming from him. I needed him, loved him.
I’d do anything to prove it to him.
Another Bonus!
Turn the page for an exclusive sneak peek at Black and Green, the next book in The Ghost Bird Series!
Unexpected Call
(Dr. Green)
Sean Green threw open the driver’s side door to Owen’s BMW parked near their tent at the island Academy camp.
He patted his jeans and then at the pockets of his jacket, finding only his cell phone. “Owen! God damn it. I left my keys somewhere.”
“No time,” Owen said, jogging toward the car. He made a whirling motion with his hand. “Get in. I’ll drive.”
Sean threw his head back. “No,” he said in a whine. “You drive too slow.”
“Just get in,” Owen barked.
Sean grumbled and jogged around the car, landing in the passenger seat and slamming the door.
Owen wedged himself in behind the wheel and turned the engine over.
Sean watched behind them as others around the camp came to their tent, including the girls Sang had made friends with in the last week. They were put to task taking down their tents and would keep their things safe until they could be delivered back to their proper owners.
Sean and Owen had to leave too quickly to pack.
Not only was Sang’s health at risk, but possibly also her freedom, perhaps even her life.
Within minutes they were on the road headed back to Summerville.
Sean pulled out his phone, and stared at the screen, prepared to call a thousand people and yet not wanting to clog phones in the crucial time they had. Now all he had to focus on was the time ticking away as Owen broke the speed limit getting back to Summerville. He wasn’t going very fast, but that he was over the limit was significant.
Sean groaned, throaty, louder than intended, the frustration bubbling inside him.
“I can’t risk going any faster,” Owen said. He shot Sean a look. It was one of the rare moments when Owen actually looked human to Sean. His hair was askew, blown by the breeze at the camp and then the rush to get into the car and on the road. He’d replaced his nice clothes with an old sweater and jeans meant to be worn while he broke down camps. Sean hadn’t seen him like this in months, maybe not even a year now. Owen never wore jeans.
“Because getting pulled over and getting a speeding ticket will take more time than following the rules,” Sean said, repeating the lecture he’d often said to him. “I know, I know...”
“She’s not hurt,” Owen said. “Her father wouldn’t risk something like her stepmother tried.”
“The fact is, we don’t know what’s going on,” Sean said. He held onto his phone, turning the screen on every once in a while, waiting for any buzz or sound. He’d even take a shock, if any of them wanted to hit the emergency button, just to hear any news. “She doesn’t have to go in, you know?”
“I know,” Owen said darkly, his eyes narrowing on the road.
“We could get her out,” Sean said. “In a heartbeat. We could stop all this.”
“We don’t know if she’d want us to,” His knuckles were turning white as he gripped the wheel. “But please, stop tempting me.”
Sean smothered another grumble and turned his eyes to the trees they passed by along the way. He folded his arms across his chest, his windbreaker jacket making noise. When it got too warm in the car, he stripped it off and left the T-shirt underneath on, tossing the jacket into the back in a heap.
Owen eyeballed the rearview mirror, looking at the crumpled jacket but said nothing. He tightened his mouth, too polite to grind teeth but on the verge of it.
Good, Sean said to himself, although he didn’t mean it. He knew Owen was irritated and anxious, without anything to do other than wait.
He was tempted to check the camera signals, but if Victor was checking on them, it would slow things down if he tried to do the same thing. The cameras were handy, but the server could get overloaded if too many of them tried viewing at the same time.
Sean started biting his thumbnail absently.
“You should be thinking about what we’ll need to do once we can get her to the hospital,” Owen said. “Maybe you should have someone prepare some sort of test?”
“Because she fainted?” Sean asked, and shook his head. “There’s nothing to prepare for. I’ll do another couple of blood tests, but I bet she didn’t eat like she promised she would.”
“She’s clearly got low blood pressure. It’s the stress.”
“I agree,” Sean said. He stared out the window, not really looking at anything, but picturing the time Sang had been carried into the nurse’s office, looking pale and tired. She’d been getting better, but this week had been over the top. “Even if she’d been okay with her girl team, she has a lot to be stressed out over.”
“There might be underlying causes for these fainting spells,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “She wasn’t having seizures, was she? We’re not looking at epilepsy, are we?”
“They would have noticed a seizure,” Sean said and pulled his eyes from the outside and focused on him. “There’s no point in doctoring when the patient and the data aren’t in front of you. We’re doing guesswork.”
Owen closed his mouth and pressed his lips together. Sean couldn’t blame him. Answers were what they were continually looking for, especially when it came to Sang. Would they ever have a day when they wouldn’t worry about her?
Suddenly, the phone rang in his hands. Before he could even notice the number, he pushed the button immediately, bringing the phone to his ear.
“What?” he asked quickly. “What is it?”
There was silence for a moment and then a female and mature accented voice spoke, “Is something wrong?”
“Mother?” Sean said with surprise, sitting up straight as an arrow in the car. He’d been so anxious expecting a call from the guys that hearing from her threw him off. “What...how...hello.” He coughed and then continued. “Hey, I’ve meant to call you.”
