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“We eat in the ocean,” he said. “We sleep wherever we want to.”
She bit her bottom lip. There was no going back now. She’d given up her life back home without even saying goodbye. Her dad had left when she was a small child and she had no siblings. Her mom was so into the church and lived so far from her that they rarely spoke like they used to. As long as she made a phone call every now and then, not much would be different on that front. No more credit cards. No more boss breathing down her neck and making sure she came up with new, juicy content to share with her audience. No more demands to be Sylvia Foxx. From now on, she was Coby’s woman.
“You know,” she said. “Rafe and Kalina are getting married.”
“We can go to the wedding if you want,” he said.
He was missing the point. Her silence must have keyed him in because he suddenly nodded and smiled.
“My kind,” he said. “We mate for life. We don’t need vows or a person or even a god to tell us our fates are tied together. We fuck, and we remain devoted. I will never ever choose any one or anything over you. And I expect the same from you.”
She smiled. He wasn’t putting a ring on her finger, but this seemed so much more promising.
“You ready to be
a savage?” he asked.
She laughed.
“That sounded kind of gangsta,” she joked.
“Huh?” he asked.
“Never mind.”
“Let me show you my world,” he said as he took her hand and walked toward the water, “and then I’ll find a good place to fuck you and help you understand a little better.”
Every time he talked about sex, she yearned for him, and she couldn’t hit the water fast enough.
Epilogue – Penny
It wasn’t long ago that Penny had stood in this exact same spot, looking out at the gigantic ocean and worrying about Thane out there somewhere patrolling the water the way he always did. She’d caressed her belly and had wondered what she’d name the baby. That was all over now. Sure, she could try again. She would try again. Thane had already convinced her to make love to him twice since then, but each time had been a struggle. Each time they fell into bed, she felt as if she were trying to make it her mission to conceive.
It’s that way for a lot of women, I suppose. Why would it be any different for me?
It was different because she absolutely adored Thane and wanted nothing more than to give him a baby. She swallowed hard and fought back the tears welling up in her eyes. She would give him a child, that much she was sure of, but she feared every time she looked at it she’d think of the one she’d lost.
No, I didn’t lose it. Evelyn fucking stole my baby from me. Never forget that. Losing a child means not holding his or her hand in the mall and the child wanders off. I didn’t lose my baby.
Her tears sizzled in her eyes as her head filled with instant heat at the thought of Evelyn and how she’d slipped through her fingers again. It was like some non-comical cartoon where the evil villain always got away in the end, only so she could return and add drama to the next episode. What would be their next episode?
Penny’s best friend, Sylvia had skipped town with Cobalt. She’d returned once to tell her what was going on, but then she’d slipped back into the ocean with her man, claiming he would take her all the places she needed to go. That her life had to mean more than hanging out at a half-circle of cabins, waiting on the next campfire party. She’d said those words but not with the sting Penny felt now as she relived them. It hadn’t been meant as a jab but more of an explanation that Sylvia needed a wilder life. She always had. While Penny had been content with ordering Chinese takeout and watching reruns of Sex and the City back before their trip to Queensland, Sylvia had been out on the town creating her own supercharged sexual memories. It would have been selfish of her to hold her friend back, especially when she’d found a man who seemed to truly care about her. Sylvia had tried to hold Penny back and it hadn’t worked. Sylvia was even more of a free spirit. Penny would have to be happy with random visits from her great white shifter friend.
Kalina was the happiest person on the island. She always had been. Now, she had someone to share it with. The woman was simply amazing and any man lucky enough to land her better be strong enough to keep her. Rafe seemed like a good enough guy. Penny had spoken to him quite a few times but still didn’t feel like she knew him very well. That didn’t matter. Kalina was in love with him, and she was ecstatic for her friend. They would be getting married soon, and then Kalina would get pregnant. It was bound to happen with as often as those two were alone in their cabin.
If only Faith would find someone and do the same. She’d found several men, all three of Rafe’s friends, but Penny knew none of them were fit to tame the wildest tiger shark she knew. If anyone on the island was bound to remain single, it was Faith. If anyone had no desire to settle down it was Faith. Yet, of all the people Penny liked and wished to see with a happily ever after, it was Faith. Maybe Penny could set her up with Keelan Kane, the asshole turned wonderful big brother. Stranger things had happened. Even he probably couldn’t handle her.
Lightning cracked in the sky over the ocean and Penny felt the nearby storm moving away toward mainland. The sky was clearing, and the sun shone down on her face, bathing her in its warmth. She closed her eyes and put her hands on her belly like she had so many times in the past. For a moment, she forgot that her baby was gone, and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. Then she was crushed when the truth came rushing back to her.
Penny was sullen and sad as she started walking away from the water with her right hand still resting against her belly button. Then, the strangest thing happened. The baby kicked. It bucked inside her body so hard her hand moved.
“Whoa,” she said out loud and then looked around to see if anyone was near.
Nobody was. She stood alone on the beach.
Her stomach bumped again from the inside. Something was definitely in there. Her baby was alive! It kicked again, and she rubbed at the spot, gasping in disbelief. An electric jolt ran through her entire body and she couldn’t stop the laughter from flowing out. She giggled and rubbed her belly more firmly.
“Oh my God,” she said. “This is impossible.”
