And then the siren smiles at me.
Just like every time, her warmth radiates through me, drawing me closer until my arms are around her waist. I pull the curvy goddess against my body, leaning down to capture her lips.
She melts into my embrace, opening up for me and surrendering so sweetly.
We’re both breathless by the time I pull away. I give her one last kiss on the forehead, loving the way it relaxes her. I don’t think my girl has had a lot of love in her life. I’m not sure what I’m doing, but I want to give her everything she’s been missing.
“Hello to you, too,” Delaney says, beaming up at me before spinning out of my grasp. “Nothing too exciting for lunch today,” she continues. “Just some soup and biscuits. I found an old box of Jiffy biscuit mix. It didn’t have an expiration date, which is a little suspish to me. I tested one though, and I think we’ll survive.”
Her nose scrunches up adorably when she sayssuspish, and I struggle not to scoop her up and kiss that look off her face.
“Looks amazing,” I tell her as we sit down.
She smiles at me, then digs in. This is my opportunity to talk to her like Theo said I should. If I can get her talking about one aspect of her life, maybe she’ll open up about why she was half-drowned on my shore a few days ago.
“Do you work?” I blurt out.Very smooth.
Delaney tilts her head to the side, studying me. She nods her head slowly, then pauses before shaking her head no.
Glad she cleared that up.
“I used to work the night shift at a diner back in New York City.”
“Did you quit? Get fired?” Is that an appropriate follow-up question? I suck at this.
“Well, after a week of no-shows, I’m guessing I’m not exactly employee of the month” she hedges. “Plus, it’s not like I can go back to this city anyway,” she mumbles.
I’m not sure if she meant for me to hear it or not. I’m about to demand she tell me more, but Delaney stuffs a biscuit in her mouth to avoid answering any more questions.
I sip at my soup, waiting for her to finish. This conversation needs to happen one way or another.
“How long have you lived in New York?” I ask.
“My whole life.” Her eyes go wide at her admission. She seems to think she gave away some big mystery, but it’s nothing. I want so much more.
“Any family waiting for you? Anyone we should call?”
“No.”
That’s all she says, but her tone is final. Okay… no talking about family. I try a different tactic.
“You said you enjoyed cooking, and I know you appreciate flowers. What else are you interested in?”
Delaney sets her spoon down and stares at me. I watch her defenses rise, protecting whatever secret she’s holding so dear. “What’s with the interrogation?”
“Just want to get to know the woman I had naked in my shower yesterday,” I grunt.
I grab the last biscuit off my plate and pop it in my mouth, chewing with more force than necessary. I knew she was going to be hard to crack, but she’s not giving me anything to work with.
I need to get some air and regroup. Come up with a better plan, better questions. I stand up, sliding my chair back from the table with a horrid screech. Delaney gasps, and I snap my eyes up, my heart lurching in my chest with what I see.
Delaney is curled in on herself, her arms wrapped around her torso as if she needs to protect herself from me. Her face is completely drained of color, and tears threaten to spill down her porcelain cheeks.
I close the distance between us, kneeling in front of her chair and grasping her hands in mine. “I’m sorry,” I choke out. “Please don’t ever be afraid of me. I would never hurt you. I couldn’t. It’s not possible.”
Delaney blinks a few times, her eyes turning from dark green to light brown. Everything about her is magical and bright. All I want to do is protect that light.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I admit, dipping my head down to study our entwined fingers. “How can I keep you safe if I don’t know what you’re running from?”