I still need to tell him what's really going on. He should be prepared if my uncle's men come here.
Prepared—for men who turned into tigers? How could anyone prepare for that?
"Oh, you're up!" Eren's voice said behind her.
Lucy whirled around.
She would keep this view of him on the dockside with her forever, she knew. Even if she left tomorrow, even if she lefttoday, even if she never saw him again, she would always have this vision of him in the sunshine, with all the beauty of the bay and the green hillside behind him.
He was wearing a red and blue plaid shirt, rolled up to show the golden hairs dusting his thick forearms. Grease-stained jeans and rubber boots completed the picture of working masculine competence. His shirt was unbuttoned to the middle of his chest, displaying golden curls that she longed to run her hands through. Light sweat glistened on his neck and chest, and he was wiping his hands on a rag.
The sun struck sparks off his blond hair—it seemed that bright—and his eyes, as they lit up to see her, were the exact color of the sea.
She could have flung herself into his arms and stayed there forever. At this moment, it was all she could do not to.
And not in a pure aesthetic appreciation kind of way. No ... Lucy wanted to rub herself all over him. She wanted to roll around on him like a kitten in catnip. She yearned to feel the rough thatch of his chest hair against her cheek, the sturdy strength of his big, sure hands grasping her waist. She wanted to know what his lips tasted like, and what his sweat smelled like; she wished she could feel the hot glide of his body against hers as he filled her to capacity—
Desperately she fought her way out of the fantasy before she flung herself on him right here on the dockside. If her eyes had glazed over for a moment, she hoped he hadn't noticed.
"Hi!" she said brightly. "You're a beautiful view! I mean—it's—gorgeous out here. Gorgeous scenery. The scenery is very ... gorgeous."
"Yes, it is," Eren said. There was a soft laugh in his voice, but it didn't seem directed at her. "You're lucky, you know, getting to see it in sunshine rather than drenched in rain. It's still beautiful in the rain, it really brings out the colors of the hills, but a day like today is much better for showing you around. Do you need to eat something first?"
"Inga fed me." Lucy peered past him, down the dock. She didn't see the boat at all. "Where's your boat?"
"Oh, right. I don't think you can see it from here. It's pulled up on the beach. We came in last night at high tide, but right now the tide's just turned and it's coming back in. Dad and I have been working on her down on the beach." He finished wiping his hands and dropped the rag in a bucket on the dock. "Ready for the promised tour?"
"I'd love it," Lucy said in delight.
She was even more delighted when, a little shyly, he held out a hand, and she slipped hers into his. Eren's hand was big and strong and a little callused, and just as delightful to hold as she had thought it would be.
She could easily imagine Eren protecting her from her uncle's men. With him, she felt perfectly safe.
But ishesafe?
Even the strongest man couldn't survive a fight with a tiger.
She had to tell him. If not the whole truth, then at least some part of it. Enough for him to know how much of a mistake he was making by taking her in.
She would. She would absolutely do that.
Soon.
But right now, she just wanted to indulge herself, for a little while, in feeling normal. She wanted to enjoy the feeling of the wind in her hair and a gorgeous guy holding her hand. There was no way her uncle could possibly have tracked her down yet. She could give herself this, and if she had to ruin it later, she would have had this little moment of happiness to carry her through whatever was to come in her life.
"You seem distracted," Eren said, looking down at her. "I hope I haven't said something wrong."
"Oh, no, it's not you at all! I was just thinking about things." Lucy swallowed. She had to tell him. "Eren, there are some things about my past that I—haven't talked about. There are ..." She hesitated, but he was listening, so she forced herself to just say it. "There are some really bad people after me."
"It doesn't matter who's after you," Eren said earnestly. "They won't be able to hurt you here."
"Eren, you can't know that. I don't want your family to be in danger because of me."
"They aren't," Eren said. "I would never have brought you here if I was worried about that. No one who means you harm can come to Westerly Cove."
Lucy looked up at him. He seemed perfectly sincere—or at least, he seemed to believe what he was saying. "How is that possible?" she asked.
"It's the town. It's one of the qualities it has. I know you probably don't believe me," he said, smiling a little. "But trust me,I'mnot worried. If you want to talk about your past, I'll listen. But you don't have to tell me anything unless you want to."