The members rose to their fins, formed a perfect circle, and held hands.
“There’s one more thing. Clancy came to me yesterday, needing a mermaid costume for this woman, and I gave him my . . .”
“No, you didn’t!”
“Yes, I did, Polly. She’s been wearing my ceremonial skirt, and it fits her essence perfectly—though it fell a bit low on her hips. She needs the skirt’s powers of protection right now.”
“But do you know her well enough? The ceremonial skirt shouldn’t be worn by a woman whose heart isn’t true.”
“I trust my son to choose a worthy heart-mate.” Mona felt herself smile. “Besides, I got to spend some time with this young woman today, and I sensed a deep goodness in her. She is strong, with sadness threaded through her spirit. But, as it sometimes does, loss has left her open to the mystery.”
“You’re sure the situation warrants a concurrent intervention?”
“I am. Evelyn is Clancy’s heart-mate. I saw it when they were kids, and I see it now, no matter how complicated the situation may be.”
“Then let’s rock ’n’ roll,” Polly said.
Chapter Sixteen
Thirty seconds, max. That’s how much time it took to close the front door and end up naked in Clancy’s bed. Clothes and shells and fins and shoes were thrown everywhere, and now Evelyn had exactly what she’d been craving—the slip of skin on skin, the heat of his body on hers, no distance, rules, or circumstance separating them.
“My God, you are so beautiful.”
“I’ve wanted you so much.”
“You feel perfect to me, Evie.”
“Kiss me. Please keep kissing me.”
He did, and Evelyn felt her edges dissolve in the heat they created. There was nothing about herself or her life that she felt she needed to protect. Nothing to hide. She just was—she was the love and lust she’d locked away for so long. It hadn’t been reachable before. She hadn’t been able to access these feelings—hadn’t even wanted to. Could it be she had been waiting? For him?
All she knew was she felt freer in the first few minutes with Clancy than she had in the last ten years of her life.
They were about to become lovers. Their lips searched, and their tongues licked. These were wet, hungry kisses intended to consume one another. Clancy put her bottom lip between his teeth and bit down until it stung just a little.
Yes.
Her hands couldn’t hold enough of his muscle and flesh. Evelyn wanted all of him, inside her, on her, surrounding her. They rolled. Top, bottom, top . . . legs tangled, arms clutching, hands fisted in hair and wrists pinned to the mattress.
I’m yours. I’m yours. I’ve always been yours.
Suddenly, Clancy stopped. He supported himself over her, his weight on her wrists.
Evelyn waited.
“I’m not sure where this is coming from.” Clancy tried to catch his breath. “I swear . . . I wanted to seduce you slowly . . . and, you know, play with you until you were weak and desperate.”
“I kind of pictured it that way, too.” Evelyn felt a bead of sweat form on her upper lip. “I fantasized about slowly pulling my clothes off for you, teasing you, making you feel like you’d go crazy if you couldn’t have me.”
He laughed. “Well, no wonder we attacked each other. I’ve been feeling like that for days now.”