EXCERPT included below
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Somebody is trying to kill Cecilia Druthers, the most frustrating Lightbearer that shapeshifter Finnegan Hennigan has ever met. (Un)lucky for Finn, he’s assigned to protect her. Which means keeping her alive, not keeping her in his bed. This assignment is definitely not going to end well…
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~ ~ ~ EXCERPT ~ ~ ~
“No!”
The word was barely out of her mouth when a third surge, as big as a tidal wave, engulfed her, flipping the kayak and sending her plunging into the icy depths.
She struggled to surface, the task made infinitely harder by the layers of clothing that were more hindrance than help now. The cold was so potent, so thorough, she already could not feel her toes, and her fingers would not work like she wanted them to either. Was she really going to drown only a few yards away from the shore of the coterie?
When she felt something brush her side, she twisted her head and much to her surprise, she saw a dolphin there, bumping its head against her arm.
A dolphin? It took her long seconds to realize that she was not actually dead, that the dolphin was a shifter—Finnegan, no doubt. It was like the guy stalked her, although at this moment, she was more grateful than annoyed by that practice.
The dolphin turned its head, showing her its fin, and Cecilia grasped it, clinging to it as the dolphin pushed them both through the water’s surface. She gasped and choked and spat up water as she continued to cling to the dolphin’s back while it propelled them toward shore.
When they were in water that was almost too shallow for Finn’s flippers to work properly, he made one last, great lunge, pushing them forward, and he shifted into human form as he did so. His knees scraped sand, and he pulled Cecilia into his arms, standing and rushing out of the water as he did so.
He ran through the snow-coated sand and dropped to his knees in a small alcove next to the face of the cliff, which was well enough protected from the elements that there was little snow on the ground. By the time he released her, she was shivering violently. Without speaking, he began to undress her, tugging off first the coat and then trying to pull the sweater over her head.
“W-what are y-y-ou d-doing?” she asked through chattering teeth.
“Undressing you. You’re going to develop hyperthermia if I don’t.”
“I d-don’t want y-y-you to s-see me naked,” she protested.
He pulled the sweater over her head anyway. She was in no condition to fight him off.
“If it helps, I’m about to get naked too.”
Her eyes grew wide as saucers. “N-no. Th-that’s worse!”
“Not only that”—he tugged the fleece pants off her legs and then shimmied out of his own pants—“but you’re about to get real close to me, sweetheart.”
When they were both completely naked, he pulled her into his arms, wrapping his legs and arms around her and rubbing her back to stimulate the blood flow.
His elevated body heat instantly warmed her body. Cecilia sighed, closed her eyes, and stopped struggling to get out of his grasp.
“Don’t fall asleep on me, Cici,” he warned. “You need to stay awake. Talk to me.”
“Stop calling me Cici.”
He chuckled. “That’s my girl.” He reached down and massaged her feet, encouraging the flow of blood there.
“This is r-really awkward,” she admitted. Her teeth were beginning to slowly stop chattering.
“I don’t know,” Finn mused. “You don’t think we fit together pretty nicely?”
“You think I’m too thin,” she complained.
She was peripherally aware that a certain part of his anatomy certainly didn’t think so. “You’re not too thin. What makes you think that?”
“You,” she said indignantly. “You told me I’m too thin, that I need to eat more.”
“I see the way you eat,” he said. “You do need to eat more. But maybe I’ve been too hard on skinny chicks. We really do fit perfectly.” He adjusted his position. His erection jerked. Cecilia sucked in a breath.
“It would definitely warm us up,” Finn suggested.
“N-no!”
“Why were you out there anyway?” he asked abruptly. “All alone at dawn? That water is probably thirty-five degrees. And I noticed you weren’t wearing a life jacket. If I hadn’t been here…”
“Why were you here?” Cecilia asked.
“It’s been a week since you’ve tried anything stupid. I figured you were due.”
“So you were stalking me?” The stupid comment hurt, but she refused to let him know it.
“Stalking’s kind of a harsh word. More like keeping an eye on you.”
“Stalking.”
“You really want to get petty about this? I just saved your ass out there. Again.”
The word was barely out of her mouth when a third surge, as big as a tidal wave, engulfed her, flipping the kayak and sending her plunging into the icy depths.
She struggled to surface, the task made infinitely harder by the layers of clothing that were more hindrance than help now. The cold was so potent, so thorough, she already could not feel her toes, and her fingers would not work like she wanted them to either. Was she really going to drown only a few yards away from the shore of the coterie?
When she felt something brush her side, she twisted her head and much to her surprise, she saw a dolphin there, bumping its head against her arm.
A dolphin? It took her long seconds to realize that she was not actually dead, that the dolphin was a shifter—Finnegan, no doubt. It was like the guy stalked her, although at this moment, she was more grateful than annoyed by that practice.
The dolphin turned its head, showing her its fin, and Cecilia grasped it, clinging to it as the dolphin pushed them both through the water’s surface. She gasped and choked and spat up water as she continued to cling to the dolphin’s back while it propelled them toward shore.
When they were in water that was almost too shallow for Finn’s flippers to work properly, he made one last, great lunge, pushing them forward, and he shifted into human form as he did so. His knees scraped sand, and he pulled Cecilia into his arms, standing and rushing out of the water as he did so.
He ran through the snow-coated sand and dropped to his knees in a small alcove next to the face of the cliff, which was well enough protected from the elements that there was little snow on the ground. By the time he released her, she was shivering violently. Without speaking, he began to undress her, tugging off first the coat and then trying to pull the sweater over her head.
“W-what are y-y-ou d-doing?” she asked through chattering teeth.
“Undressing you. You’re going to develop hyperthermia if I don’t.”
“I d-don’t want y-y-you to s-see me naked,” she protested.
He pulled the sweater over her head anyway. She was in no condition to fight him off.
“If it helps, I’m about to get naked too.”
Her eyes grew wide as saucers. “N-no. Th-that’s worse!”
“Not only that”—he tugged the fleece pants off her legs and then shimmied out of his own pants—“but you’re about to get real close to me, sweetheart.”
When they were both completely naked, he pulled her into his arms, wrapping his legs and arms around her and rubbing her back to stimulate the blood flow.
His elevated body heat instantly warmed her body. Cecilia sighed, closed her eyes, and stopped struggling to get out of his grasp.
“Don’t fall asleep on me, Cici,” he warned. “You need to stay awake. Talk to me.”
“Stop calling me Cici.”
He chuckled. “That’s my girl.” He reached down and massaged her feet, encouraging the flow of blood there.
“This is r-really awkward,” she admitted. Her teeth were beginning to slowly stop chattering.
“I don’t know,” Finn mused. “You don’t think we fit together pretty nicely?”
“You think I’m too thin,” she complained.
She was peripherally aware that a certain part of his anatomy certainly didn’t think so. “You’re not too thin. What makes you think that?”
“You,” she said indignantly. “You told me I’m too thin, that I need to eat more.”
“I see the way you eat,” he said. “You do need to eat more. But maybe I’ve been too hard on skinny chicks. We really do fit perfectly.” He adjusted his position. His erection jerked. Cecilia sucked in a breath.
“It would definitely warm us up,” Finn suggested.
“N-no!”
“Why were you out there anyway?” he asked abruptly. “All alone at dawn? That water is probably thirty-five degrees. And I noticed you weren’t wearing a life jacket. If I hadn’t been here…”
“Why were you here?” Cecilia asked.
“It’s been a week since you’ve tried anything stupid. I figured you were due.”
“So you were stalking me?” The stupid comment hurt, but she refused to let him know it.
“Stalking’s kind of a harsh word. More like keeping an eye on you.”
“Stalking.”
“You really want to get petty about this? I just saved your ass out there. Again.”