Rock. I got admitted on a 5150, an involuntary psychiatric hold.”
Working with mainland search and rescue, Tessa knew the emergency codes all too well. “That must have sucked.”
He laughed shortly. “Yeah, it definitely did. I had a lot of explaining to do to the resident shrink. Somehow I managed to turn my vacation into a one-way trip to the nuthouse.”
“Sorry. I had to tell them what I saw.”
Kenneth started to say something, stopped, then shrugged. “Don’t be. The rest of the story’s pretty simple. I went home to Jersey, but I couldn’t get back on track, couldn’t get a grasp on normal. It took a lot of sessions in therapy for me to figure out my life would never be normal again.”
The breeze off the sea shifted, bringing his personal odor to her nostrils. He was standing so close she could smell the clean scent of his body spray, the alluring combination of musk and sandalwood.
Close enough to breathe in his masculine scent, Tessa licked her suddenly dry lips. Her inhumanly acute senses zeroed in on the pheromones emanating from his scent. He smelled like sex—a rich, dark, ravenous scent that emanated from every pore.
Breath catching in a hitch, need immediately surged through her. Knees weakening, her head began to spin.
Fighting to regain control, Tessa pressed her fingers against her temple.
She forced herself to take in air, tamping down her body’s response to the silent but urgent call. Acutely aware of his longing, her body’s response was natural, one she couldn’t control. As a Mer, Tessa was extrasensitive to a male’s unspoken reaction to her presence. It helped her gauge the suitability of a prospective mate.
And there was no denying Kenneth Randall’s unconscious craving. All the verbal and physical signals pointed in one direction.
He wanted her.
The only question that remained was whether or not she intended to respond. The temptation was certainly there.
Kenneth caught her move. “Headache?” Concern laced his words.
Hearing his voice, Tessa’s hand immediately dropped. “A little.” She cast around for a quick excuse. There was no way she’d ever admit she was suffering the effects of intense arousal. “I’ve been fighting with the damn swamp cooler all day.” The sensible thing to do right now was keep her distance.
Toying with his cigarettes, Kenneth sifted out a fresh one. Lit it. “Sorry. I guess I kind of barreled in on you.” He took a deep drag. Smoke rushed through his nostrils, reminding her of the steam of a boiling volcano. His movements were suddenly awkward, uncomfortable. “Guess I was wondering what the hell I thought I’d do when I got here. Sold the house, quit my job, and hit the road. Sounds like a plan, right?”
Tessa cleared her throat before allowing a brief smile. “Just stay out of the water, okay? I’m not saving your raggedy ass twice.”
He drew another lungful of smoke. The tip glowed red before dying in gray ashes. “What I’m looking for isn’t there anymore,” he said quietly.
Tessa recognized the strain in his eyes, the uncertainty hovering beneath his calm facade. He’d obviously picked up the vibes her body was giving off, but hadn’t yet recognized the tension humming between them to be erotic in nature.
Heart doing a war dance in her chest, a little laugh slipped past her lips. Every nerve in her body was stretched taut. A thousand emotions were all tangled up inside her psyche, but she froze at the thought of acting on a single impulse. If he touched her now, she’d shatter.
She took a step back, putting a little distance between them. It wasn’t easy to resist the electricity flickering between them. It was taking a supreme effort to pull her thoughts together, keep them coherent. This was something she wasn’t ready to deal with. The day was already crazy enough without having to have sexual pressure added to the mix.
Back off , she warned herself. And take things slow .
Tessa’s heart sped up.
Working with mainland search and rescue, Tessa knew the emergency codes all too well. “That must have sucked.”
He laughed shortly. “Yeah, it definitely did. I had a lot of explaining to do to the resident shrink. Somehow I managed to turn my vacation into a one-way trip to the nuthouse.”
“Sorry. I had to tell them what I saw.”
Kenneth started to say something, stopped, then shrugged. “Don’t be. The rest of the story’s pretty simple. I went home to Jersey, but I couldn’t get back on track, couldn’t get a grasp on normal. It took a lot of sessions in therapy for me to figure out my life would never be normal again.”
The breeze off the sea shifted, bringing his personal odor to her nostrils. He was standing so close she could smell the clean scent of his body spray, the alluring combination of musk and sandalwood.
Close enough to breathe in his masculine scent, Tessa licked her suddenly dry lips. Her inhumanly acute senses zeroed in on the pheromones emanating from his scent. He smelled like sex—a rich, dark, ravenous scent that emanated from every pore.
Breath catching in a hitch, need immediately surged through her. Knees weakening, her head began to spin.
Fighting to regain control, Tessa pressed her fingers against her temple.
She forced herself to take in air, tamping down her body’s response to the silent but urgent call. Acutely aware of his longing, her body’s response was natural, one she couldn’t control. As a Mer, Tessa was extrasensitive to a male’s unspoken reaction to her presence. It helped her gauge the suitability of a prospective mate.
And there was no denying Kenneth Randall’s unconscious craving. All the verbal and physical signals pointed in one direction.
He wanted her.
The only question that remained was whether or not she intended to respond. The temptation was certainly there.
Kenneth caught her move. “Headache?” Concern laced his words.
Hearing his voice, Tessa’s hand immediately dropped. “A little.” She cast around for a quick excuse. There was no way she’d ever admit she was suffering the effects of intense arousal. “I’ve been fighting with the damn swamp cooler all day.” The sensible thing to do right now was keep her distance.
Toying with his cigarettes, Kenneth sifted out a fresh one. Lit it. “Sorry. I guess I kind of barreled in on you.” He took a deep drag. Smoke rushed through his nostrils, reminding her of the steam of a boiling volcano. His movements were suddenly awkward, uncomfortable. “Guess I was wondering what the hell I thought I’d do when I got here. Sold the house, quit my job, and hit the road. Sounds like a plan, right?”
Tessa cleared her throat before allowing a brief smile. “Just stay out of the water, okay? I’m not saving your raggedy ass twice.”
He drew another lungful of smoke. The tip glowed red before dying in gray ashes. “What I’m looking for isn’t there anymore,” he said quietly.
Tessa recognized the strain in his eyes, the uncertainty hovering beneath his calm facade. He’d obviously picked up the vibes her body was giving off, but hadn’t yet recognized the tension humming between them to be erotic in nature.
Heart doing a war dance in her chest, a little laugh slipped past her lips. Every nerve in her body was stretched taut. A thousand emotions were all tangled up inside her psyche, but she froze at the thought of acting on a single impulse. If he touched her now, she’d shatter.
She took a step back, putting a little distance between them. It wasn’t easy to resist the electricity flickering between them. It was taking a supreme effort to pull her thoughts together, keep them coherent. This was something she wasn’t ready to deal with. The day was already crazy enough without having to have sexual pressure added to the mix.
Back off , she warned herself. And take things slow .
Tessa’s heart sped up.
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