Wild Irish Heart (The Mystic Cove Series Book 1) (9 page)

"You know, most women would have thrown themselves on me in gratitude. You know, promising anything I wanted? Offers of undying devotion? Baked goods? No. You can barely thank me." Flynn glared at her.

Keelin stared regally at him from across the boat.

"I am sure I would have been fine. I just needed to cut across the current is all, and I was a bit disorientated."

"A bit? You were a quarter mile out! You were shark bait. A goner! What were you even thinking? Are you insane?" Flynn lost it as they motored quietly into the cove. His shouts echoed off the walls of the empty cove and Ronan went silent on the beach.

"Hey! You aren't the boss of me! I'll have you know that I am a trained diver. I study this. This is what I do."

"Trained? Hardly! If you were trained you would know not to go diving alone and perhaps maybe to study the waters ahead of time and know that there is a nine-knot current that runs outside the cove. Had I not been out fishing today and heard your cry for help you would have been gone in minutes!" Flynn cut the motor and raged at her.

Keelin stood up on shaky legs and yelled at him.

"I'll have you know that I am a professional!"

"A professional pain in the ass!"

They were nose to nose in the rocking boat. Keelin's breath huffed out and her chest heaved.

Flynn sighed and laid his forehead against hers, surprising her.

"Just. Just don't ever do that again. Please."

Chagrined, she nodded.

"I could use a hug," Keelin whispered.

Flynn pulled her into his arms, and she felt the heat spread. Keelin began to recite nursery rhymes in her head to keep from devouring his mouth. Flynn wore no shirt and his cargo shorts hung low on a torso that was tanned from the sun, and as chiseled as the cliffs that surrounded him. Keelin wanted to run her tongue down the little curve of muscle that dipped into his shorts. What did they call that area on a man anyway? It was so sexy.

Nursery rhymes, Keelin reminded herself, and eased slowly away.

Flynn's breath puffed out in small huffs. His blue eyes bored into hers. There was a question and a demand there.

"I can't. I just, I can't." Keelin wasn't sure what question she was answering.

"Let me know when you figure it out," Flynn said quietly.

Keelin was scared she had already figured it out but wasn't sure if she was leaving one current to be swept away in another.

Flynn lifted the motor and let the boat bump gently against the shore. He hopped out easily and stood in the water, offering his arms to her.

Keelin took the coward’s way out and dove into the water. She needed a moment to cool off. Surfacing, she caught his wolfish grin. He knew she was avoiding him.

Nose in the air, she walked to the shore, pulling her gear with her. Flynn followed,  tugging the boat partially up onto the sand.

The puppy yipped hysterically and Keelin ran over to Ronan, glad for the excuse to ignore Flynn.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm okay. Shh, good boy, Ronan." He wiggled in her lap, yipping and barking. Flynn walked over to them and smiled down at the puppy.

"Ronan, huh?"

"Yes, my little warrior. Um, thank you for him." Keelin wanted to avoid what his note had said. She thought of Margaret and how she had always drilled proper manners into her. "Um, also, you're right. You didn't take advantage of me. I shouldn't have said that." Keelin blushed and looked at her feet.

"Thank you." Flynn bent over and scratched Ronan under his chin. The puppy dissolved in wriggles on the sand and Flynn laughed. Keelin knew how the puppy felt; she was a puddle in Flynn's hands as well.

Sensing her thoughts, Flynn looked up at her from under heavy-lidded eyes. Keelin took a deep breath. Whoa, boy. A shirtless man, cut like a god, playing with a puppy on an empty beach. She was toast.

"Um, have you ever seen gold in the water? Like do you swim here?" Keelin babbled out. So much for being a professional, she thought. She sounded like a middle-school girl.

"Gold? What do you mean? Are you talking about rumors of the chalice?" Flynn frowned at her.

"I don't know. It was just so confusing. I kept seeing like this flash of gold or something underwater, which is how I ended up way further out than I should have been. I just couldn't place it and it wasn't a fish or something. It was the strangest thing."

"Ahh, yes, I've heard of this before. Are you sure you haven't been listening to the local lore?" Flynn asked.

"No, what do you mean?"

"Well, supposedly, the cove will lead you out of it if it feels like you are trying to uncover something it doesn't want to share. Like the chalice. Most people won't come here, as everyone who has ulterior motives has been injured or killed."

"No! Do you really believe that?"

"Yes. What were your motives for coming here today?" Flynn stared at her. Through her.

Keelin dug her toe into the sand and didn't meet his eyes.

"Well, you know, I'm doing my thesis, was just wanting to study the ocean life and see the lay of the land so to speak. Nothing crazy."

"Hmm. Well it seems as though the cove disagrees." He just looked at her patiently.

Keelin felt like a child being chastised.

"Okay, maybe I thought I might be able to find the chalice. Or figure out what that blue light was." She stopped talking. She could have slapped herself for bringing up the blue light and last night. They both knew when the cove had lit up and what they had been doing at the time.

A slow smile spread across Flynn's face.

"Maybe we need to do some research. A reenactment, perhaps?"

"Ugh, shut up. Last night was a mistake. I had a bit too much to drink and haven't dated anyone in a while. That's all it was and nothing more. Can we just forget about it and be, like, friends or neighbors or whatever? Honestly, you aren't even my type."

Flynn's smile widened and Keelin huffed out a breath. Enough of this. She needed to get away from him. She reached over and began stuffing her snorkel stuff in her bag and moved to stand up. Flynn reacted quickly. He jerked her to her feet and pulled her to him, crushing her mouth under his. Keelin whimpered. His arms closed around her, rock hard, imprisoning her against his chest. Her hands fell to her sides and her bag dropped. Flynn caressed her with his mouth, whisper-soft in his kisses as he dipped and dived, gently sucking on her lower lip. Keelin moaned at the contrast of his strong arms forcing her to be still and the gentleness of his kiss. Helpless not to respond, she opened her mouth and kissed him back.

She stumbled back as his arms suddenly released her. Flynn steadied her with his hands on her shoulders. He touched his finger to her lips, caressing their shape, and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Not your type, huh?" Flynn stared pointedly down at her breasts – her nipples puckered against her wetsuit – and ran a hand down her side.

"Get some rest, Keelin." Flynn reached down and patted Ronan on the head and strolled away whistling. Cursing him, Keelin grabbed her bag and Ronan and made a break for the path. She'd had enough of both Flynn and the cove today.

Keelin trudged across the fields with Ronan loping alongside her. She could see Fiona waving to her from the garden in front of the house. She cut a path straight for the old woman. She kept quiet as Fiona bent and pet Ronan, who dissolved in wriggles at her feet. Finally, Fiona straightened and met Keelin's eyes.

"Tell me about the gold," Keelin said.

Chapter Twelve

Fiona's shoulders tensed
and she sighed as she reached out to touch Keelin's arm. Concern flitted through her eyes as she took in the stress on Keelin's face. Without saying a word, she gestured for Keelin to come inside. Briskly, Fiona walked over to a small cupboard and pulled out a worn book, and a bottle of whiskey. She poured a healthy amount of whiskey in cairn glasses and gestured for Keelin to come sit with her in the alcove, where the window was thrown open to encourage the sea breezes.

Keelin sat down and Ronan hopped into her lap. She stroked Ronan's soft ears and felt comfort seep through her. There was something soothing about having an animal curled in her lap, and she hugged him closer.

"Slàinte." Fiona issued the standard Irish cheer and toasted Keelin. They both sipped their whiskey silently. Finally, Fiona spoke.

"What happened today? Actually, I should ask what happened last night as well." Fiona met Keelin's eyes. There was steel in them.

Keelin gulped. "Um, okay, last night was stupid. I shouldn't have gone down to the cove. I know that I was being unsafe but I wasn't thinking clearly after a few ciders. It was just so confusing to me that the moonlight wouldn't shine in the cove. I was stupid though. I ran right down and scooped up a handful of water. It happened so quickly." Keelin shuddered.

"What did?" Fiona asked carefully.

"The wave. It slammed me immediately and took me under. I can't believe the force of it. There were no waves when I went down." Keelin shook her head.

Fiona nodded and stared down at her glass. "Flynn saved you last night, didn't he?"

"He did. And today. I don't even know how he always manages to be there. I guess that I should be grateful," Keelin said grumpily.

Fiona laughed. "Tell me about today."

"I went down to the cove to snorkel and I wanted to just get a lay of the land, start mapping the coral formations, and look at the variety of species in the water. I did what you said for protection." Keelin explained what she did for the ritual, her initial impression of the water, and how she quickly got dragged out to sea. She downplayed Flynn's rescue so as not to worry the older woman.

Fiona eyed her closely.

"It had to have been a bigger deal than you are saying as there is an exceptionally strong current outside the cove. Most people don't come back from that. You are very lucky that Flynn was there."

"Grr. I know, I know." Keelin knew she sounded like a whiny child.

Fiona smiled.

"Get your knickers in a bundle, does he?"

Keelin choked on her sip of whiskey and broke into a coughing fit.

"Grandma!"

"What? I was a young woman once. I wasn't unaffected by strong muscles and chiseled jawbones, you know. How do you think I fell in love with your grandfather?" Fiona winked and Keelin laughed.

"What do you plan to do about him?" Fiona asked casually.

"I don't know. He scares the shit out of me to be honest."

"Even better," Fiona said.

"I don't want to talk about Flynn. Tell me about the gold that I thought I saw. What happened today?" Keelin asked. She was uncomfortable discussing Flynn. She already spent too much time thinking about him.

Fiona picked up the small book she had pulled out earlier. She began paging through it silently, nodding a few times, and then closed it.

"This book has been passed down from Grace O'Malley's daughter. She speaks of her mother in here as well as the cove. One of her mother's greatest wishes was to be left in peace as she chose her final resting place to be the cove. This is the reason we do the protection ritual and bring offerings. It is sacred water."

"But I did it! I did the ritual and brought offerings." Keelin huffed out an angry breath.

"Then your purposes for being there were impure."

Keelin immediately flashed to Flynn and his strong hands wrenching an orgasm from her. She flushed.

Fiona's eyes crinkled at the corners. "Impure as in you wanted something from the cove. Why did you go there today?"

"I told you, to work on my studies."

"You're lying." Fiona sipped her whiskey calmly.

Keelin stopped. Why had she gone there today? Of course it was for her studies, she thought. Liar, liar, her brain whispered to her. She looked into Fiona's knowing eyes.

"I wanted to find the chalice. What a huge accomplishment it would be for my beginning career and for Ireland's National Museum!" Keelin blurted it out and then stared down at her hands.

Fiona reached over and patted Keelin's hand.

"You're lucky. It's a hard lesson to learn that most don't live through. I'll be forever thankful that Flynn was there today. I'll invite him over for dinner this week to thank him." Fiona smiled.

Keelin started to protest and then stopped. Margaret had bred manners into her and she knew that a thank you would be polite. She was grateful that Fiona didn't make a bigger deal of her reasons behind going to the cove today. She was embarrassed to realize how selfish she had been in her goals. In doing so, she had disrupted sacred waters.

"Plus he gave you this sweet puppy. Does this mean that you are staying then?" Fiona asked, casually cleaning up their glasses and putting the book away. 

Startled, Keelin looked up at Fiona. She certainly knew how to cut to the quick of things.

"I, um, well. Yes, I was considering extending my stay indefinitely if you didn't mind. I think it is time to take myself more seriously. I mean, you know, this healing stuff." Keelin flushed.

"Ah, yes." Fiona nodded and smiled.

"I think a part of me will die if I don't," Keelin blurted out.

"That is the way of power. Most people are intuitive, you know, though most don't have the type of gifts that you and I have. However, a gift of power, denied repeatedly, dims, and eventually one can no longer hear it or feel it. It is no longer your reality. In denying it, a piece of you
will
die."

Keelin had suspected as much. She thought again of life in Boston. Finish school, marry a nice young man, start a family…and on into oblivion. There was no punch, no spice in Boston. Grace's Cove was magic and so was she. It was time to accept it and harness it. Light filled her and she smiled. Her gut sang and she knew her intuition was right. She was home. Her mother was going to lose it.

"I'll be glad to have the company. It gets lonely here," Fiona said.

"I'll be here, Grandma. You have me now."