Echo, Mine by Georgia Lyn Hunter

she’d
mercifully escaped when she was four years old.
    Aethan glanced over his shoulder then
reached across the table and covered her hand. “What is it?”
    Meeting his concerned gaze, she smiled.
Warmth eased the pangs. She was lucky. She had him, and he filled
the empty space in her heart. “It’s nothing, just thinking how much
I love you.”
    His features softened. He brought her hand
to his lips. “And I, you. Always.”
    A rush of emotions—tenderness and love
constricted her chest. Before she started sniveling, she reached
for her drink, but he swiped the glass from her. “Hey—”
    Aethan dumbfounded her as he knocked back
the rest of her G&T. Her brows drew together. “You don’t
drink.”
    “I do when it’s your third one. You
need liquid courage for something, me'morae ?”
    “No, my love .” She wrinkled her nose.
Well, she did need courage.
    She picked up a plump strawberry and stared
at it. With a mental shrug, she dipped the fruit into the melted
chocolate and licked the gooeyness, before biting into the
succulent flesh. Juices squirted into her mouth.
    “Wow.” She chewed and swallowed, then took
another bite. “This is delicious—a bit messy, but really
delicious—I should have this more often.”
    Ignoring the napkin, she swiped the trace of
chocolate from her lip with her index finger and sucked it. Aware
Aethan followed her every movement, she tightened her lips around
her finger and slowly slipped it free. He stared at her mouth, his
expression taking on a darker intensity. Her breath caught in her
throat and her heart thundered in her ears.
    Slowly he set the glass down, his eyes gone
liquid silver. A tick beat wildly in his jaw. “C'mon, let’s get the
hell out of here.”
    “I haven’t finish my fruit—”
    A barely concealed snarl was her response.
Echo hid her smile as he ushered her fast out of the restaurant, a
hand on her lower back. She’d read that certain fruits could be
used in seduction, but she’d never really believed it, until
now.
    Then she lost her smile. Darn, she still had
to broach him about the conversation she’d had earlier with Týr.
About Jon. She’d decided to wait until dinner was over. There was
no point in upsetting Aethan and spoiling their first date. But she
had to put that situation right, even if it did cause a
little dent in her seduction plans.
    Before he took the path to the parking lot,
she quickly stopped him with her palm on his chest. The scent of
the cool brackish air drifted around them. “Let’s take a walk on
the beach.”
    “The beach?” The soft lights from the
restaurant highlighted his taut features. “You're not dressed for
the beach—”
    “Says the man who wore leathers for our
night out. Come on.” She grabbed his hand and danced backwards, or
tried to. But moving Aethan was like moving a wall.
    Letting go of him, she spun around and
walked down the paved, sandy pathway, knowing he’d follow. At the
end of the short footpath, she stopped. The sounds of crashing
waves soothed her nerves. She stepped on the sand and wobbled as it
gave way. A short laugh escaped her. Not wanting to end up with a
sprained ankle, she unzipped her boot and stumbled as she tried to
tug it off. Aethan’s warm, calloused fingers grasped her upper arm
and steadied her.
    “Thanks.” She pulled off her boots. Setting
them between the shrubs lining the pathway, she straightened. “Race
you to the water’s edge—”
    “Then you’ll win.”
    She walked backwards again, the light breeze
stirring strands of hair into her eyes. “You aren’t afraid of a
little water, are you?” she teased.
    He glanced at the sea then back at her.
Deadpanned, “Yeah, I am.”
    She laughed as the taut lines of his face
eased. They so rarely experienced this togetherness, this moment of
just them. The beach was empty except for some squawking gulls and
the brilliant moon shining down, enveloping everything with its
silvery light.
    Picking up a long piece of