SeaChange (8 page)

That did it. Her hips bucked, her pussy clenched and she
screamed out loud. He continued to suck and caress her nipples and rub his hips
against hers while the climax rolled, then gentled his attentions without
breaking stride as she came down.

“Feel better?”

She did, and then again she didn’t. She still wanted him,
for real this time. “That was wonderful. Now I want you inside me, Jake.
Please.”

“My pleasure.” He lifted her off him and began to shimmy out
of his running shorts while she followed his lead and pulled off her wet
panties. Then he knelt there on the bed beside her, magnificently naked.

“Wow.” He was big, longer and thicker than she’d ever seen.
She reached out to touch his rock-hard cock, saw it jump when she brushed it
with her fingers. A small drop of fluid was already leaking from the engorged
tip and she leaned over to lick it off. His groan and the salty, slightly
bitter taste were enough to trigger a round of aftershocks in her core. She
fell back against the pillows, spread her legs wide and instinctively slid her
hand down to feel her own wetness. This wasn’t like her at all, but she wasn’t
going to waste a moment of this pleasure on regrets.

“Take me, Jake.” Her voice was a cracked, husky whisper.

“Oh yeah.” He moved over her, bent his head down to take her
mouth, while his hand positioned his cock at her waiting entrance. He rubbed it
back and forth a couple of times, coating his skin with her wetness, finding
just the right angle. The he paused, poised right on the verge. She almost
cried, willing to beg him to thrust inside. “Open your eyes, little Valkyrie. I
want to see them when I take you.”

She did, looking up into his dark, heavy-lidded gaze. He
smiled fiercely and never blinked, never looked away as he flexed his hips and
shoved deep inside her in one smooth thrust.

“Like that?”

“Yes!” She felt so stretched and full it almost hurt but
nothing had ever felt better in her life. She canted her hips up, wanting to
take even more of his thick, hard length.

He smiled wickedly as he slid out just a touch. She squeezed
her arms around his waist and raised her hips in protest, trying to draw him
back. “Want more?”

“Oh please,” she whimpered, still holding his gaze. “Fill
me. I want everything you’ve got.”

“You asked for it.” He thrust hard and deep, hitting her G-spot
and stretching her muscles farther than they’d ever gone. “Goddess, Heidi, you’re
so fucking hot and tight, I’m not going to last very long.”

“Good,” she cried, rising to meet every thrust. He lowered
his head to her nipple and sucked, drawing another cry from her before she
gasped. “I want you to come.” She wanted to be flooded with his semen, filled
with the essence of life.

“You too,” he murmured around her pebbled nipple, still
working magic with his tongue while he stroked into her with his cock. “The
first one was just a preview.”

She didn’t correct him, tell him that she didn’t do
multiples. She couldn’t have formed the words if her life depended on it. Then
again, judging by the way her womb was contracting, he might be right this
time. She gripped his waist with both hands, digging her nails into his smooth
skin, and wrapped her legs around his ass.

He pounded into her, his cock seeming to grow impossibly
larger and harder with every stroke. She felt his muscles bunch and the sweat
break out on his skin even as he drew harder on her nipple and rotated his hips
as he thrust.

And the world exploded into a brilliant burst of light. She
screamed as the waves of pleasure flooded her senses, her body clenching with
powerful pulses, sucking him deeper inside, holding him tight to her womb. He
cried out himself then, letting go of her nipple to bury his face between her
breasts as he pumped into her, hard, fast, short strokes that threatened to go
all the way through her. Finally he shoved hard one last time and shot his
semen into her waiting pussy. The hot jets pulsed for what seemed like an
eternity, flooding her, filling her with pleasure and life.

They lay like that for a while, each trying to breathe and
gather strength. Tiny aftershocks fluttered through both of them, each one’s
shivers setting off new ones in the other.

“You okay?” he murmured.

Heidi wasn’t sure how many minutes had passed when Jake
raised his head from her breast and spoke.

“Fabulous. You?”

“I’m not the one who almost drowned the other night,” he
reminded her. He shifted off and slightly to the side, fingers idly tracing
patterns on her stomach. “And I’m pretty sure that two screaming orgasms is not
the medically recommended therapy for a concussion.”

She stretched. Yep, everything still hurt, only now she didn’t
care as much. “It should be,” she argued. “Works for me.”

Jake laughed, kissing her gently on the cheek. “Lady, you
are a force of nature.” But she didn’t hear him. A soft snore escaped her as he
realized she’d already fallen back asleep.

He leaned up on one arm, watching her, wondering what the
hell he’d just done. Oh, not the sex. He’d had that coming for a while, he
figured. Go too long without, it was bound to explode. And explode he had.
Inside her. Without a condom.

He banged his head with the heel of his hand.
Stupid
,
stupid
,
stupid
! If he had a kid, would it come out with feet or
fins? He had no idea what the magical transformation he’d undergone had done to
his DNA. And for the past seventy-eight years, he’d been damn careful to never
find out. This was the first time in his existence as a human that he’d ever
had sex without a raincoat. Though back a few years, they hadn’t been all that
reliable, so he’d also used an herbal spermicide provided by a witch he’d met
in Tahiti. Since no one had ever come hunting for him with a merbaby, he
figured he’d done an okay job of being careful.

What would he do if she got pregnant? He couldn’t take her
home, like his kind had done with rescued humans for hundreds of years, adding
fresh stock to what would be an otherwise uncomfortably dinky gene pool. He was
forbidden to enter his homeland until the spell had run its course. And that
was twenty-two years from now. He didn’t think she’d want to raise a baby among
his people on her own, cut off entirely from her own world. But if the child were
mer, it wouldn’t survive on land. He’d have to do something, beg his mother for
help. And that thought made his stomach turn. His mind replayed a scene from
their last encounter.

“You’ll come swimming back for help, just as you always
do.”

“No, Mother. I’m sick of this place, of your rules.
There’s a whole world up there, and I’m going to live it. I wouldn’t come
running back here if you begged.”

“So be it.”

She’d turned, throwing her hands above her head as she
swished away, leaving him to his fate. Jake had taken the chance his uncle’s
spell had offered, had swum to land and started life anew. With legs.

He wasn’t going to think about having that conversation, not
unless it became necessary. Eventually he dozed, waking to the feel of Heidi’s
warm, strong hand wrapped around his cock.

“Mmmm. Looks like somebody’s finally awake. Or part of you
is, anyway.”

Jake’s eyes flew open as her warm breath danced across his
thigh and her tongue trailed a line along the crease of his hip. “Good morning,”
he managed to croak.

Her chuckle was warm and playful and vibrated against the
tip of his erection. “Not a morning person, Mr. Delos?” She daintily licked the
tip of his penis, dabbling her tongue in the slit to capture the droplet that
had already collected there.

“Morning, afternoon, midnight—you can keep doing that any
time you like.” He shifted a bit so his head was up on the pillows, allowing
him to watch the erotic vision of her head bent over his lap, her little pink
tongue tracing the underside of his crown.

“Then I think you’ll like this even better.” She slurped the
whole head of him into her mouth and sucked, pumping his shaft with her hands
in the same rhythm. Jake felt his whole body tense with the imminent explosion.

But he hadn’t even kissed her yet. Hooking his hands under
Heidi’s arms, he hauled her up his body and took her mouth, thrusting his
tongue deep while he settled her wet mound over his straining cock.

“Yesss,” she whispered against his mouth as she slid down,
impaling herself on him.

The tight heat of her body gripping his was almost enough to
send him over immediately. Wanting to make sure she caught up, he slid one hand
between them to find her damp slit and play with the swollen nub.

Heidi whimpered and let go of his mouth to gasp for breath
as she rode him hard. He pumped up into her, almost blind with his need to
possess her in every way possible. Her body was bowed over his, so he nipped
down on the tendons of her neck, tasting the salty sweetness of her skin.

And the world exploded around him.

Heidi’s orgasm gripped him like a fist, triggering his own,
a rush harder and more intense than he’d ever experienced. He held her there
for long, long moments, until the tremors subsided and he could actually speak.

“Holy shit,” Jake muttered, Heidi still collapsed on top of
him. “Are we both still breathing?”

“Not really,” she gasped. “You’re crushing my ribs.”

“Oh. Sorry.” He eased his arms so they still encircled her
waist but weren’t squeezing her breathless. He was still inside her, softer but
not totally lax. It felt so good, so right, he never wanted to move again.

“Don’t be.” She rolled her head to the side, planted a kiss
on the shoulder she could reach.

He left her dozing again while he went to shower. As he was
stepping out of the bathroom, with wet hair and a towel around his waist, she
looked up at him and smiled.

“Yum,” she murmured in appreciation. “You could model that
look on TV, then nobody would want to wear pants anymore.”

He grinned and struck a pose. “You think?”

“But then you’d also have women chasing you down the street
trying to tear it off you, so it’s probably better if you don’t.”

He stood there for a moment, trying to think about how to
bring up what they needed to discuss, until she finally asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Look, Heidi, about what just happened…”

She nodded. “Oh. That conversation. It’s okay, Jake. I know
it just happened, and that it didn’t really mean anything in the grand scheme
of things. Thank you, though. Having something—someone—to hold onto for a
while, well, that did mean a lot to me. But rest assured, I’m not going to be
picking out china patterns or anything.”

“Umm, good, I guess.” He pulled on a T-shirt. “But that isn’t
where I was going here.”

“Oh, sorry.” She turned to look at him, those pale-blue eyes
anything but icy. “Go on.”

“I was going to ask about birth control. We didn’t use any.
Either time.”

“Oh!” Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened. “You’re
right. Oh God, now I
am
embarrassed.”

“So, then. How about the timing? What kind of odds are we
looking at?” His heart was squeezing in his chest, like a twenty-ton weight was
holding it beneath the sea.

“No problem there,” she said, shaking her head, shooting him
a quirky half-smile. “I get those three-month shots. I got a fresh one right
before we went to Ensenada. It was a little early, since I was going to be in
Mexico, where I didn’t want to rely on anything local. I’m safe for at least
another six weeks. Disease-free too, just in case you were worried. Shots or
not, I’ve always been careful. I’m not usually a jump-his-bones sort of girl.
This was the first time I’ve ever done it without a condom.”

The relief crashed over him so fast it almost made him
dizzy. He blinked hard several times and gulped in three deep breaths. “Whew.
Thank you.” He was just going to ignore that little niggling voice that said,
aww
,
too bad
. He was
not
disappointed, by the gods. He was not.

“And…” She let her voice trail off, as if expecting him to
complete the sentence.

“And what?”

“And you’re supposed to return the favor. Assure me you’re
not contagious.”

“Oh fuck! Of course.” He turned, gave her a sheepish grin. “My
first time too, I’m afraid. Not very macho to admit it, but I’ve never gone
bare before either.” At least not in human form, and not without magic.

Her shoulders relaxed, as did the little lines that had
bracketed her pretty mouth. “Well then. Good.”

Jake nodded. “And now, as delicious as I think you look
lying there in nothing at all, I’m afraid you’d give Marinucci a heart attack.
So you might want to get dressed.”

“That time already, huh?” She looked over at the clock, saw
that it was after eleven. “You don’t leave a girl much time to primp.”

“You don’t need it.” And she didn’t—not at all. “And if time
wasn’t of the essence, I wouldn’t let you out of bed. But since it is, I’ll
make you breakfast.”

“I thought I was supposed to cook today?” She took the arm
he extended and let him haul her out of the bed. He gave her a quick, hungry
kiss, then smacked her on the butt as he pointed her toward the head.

“Okay, take your shower, then I’ll let you toast the
Pop-Tarts,” he agreed.

“Fair enough. But you get to make the coffee.”

He had. By the time she emerged, dressed in a new pair of
khaki shorts and a black tank top, the rich aroma of the coffee filled the
galley, a small but tidy space that was open to the comfortable lounging area
of the salon. She loved the way he’d added modern improvements to the boat, she
noticed again, like the microwave and plasma screen TV, without sacrificing the
gorgeous pre-war character of the wooden yacht.

“How long have you owned the
Siren
?” she asked,
nibbling on a fresh strawberry.

“About six years now,” he told her. “Bought her from the son
of the original owner, who was a minor movie star back in the thirties. The
Siren
was his retreat, then his retirement home, so he kept her up.”

“The son didn’t want to keep her?”

“The son was in his eighties by then. Couldn’t maintain her
anymore, so he was moving to Europe with his daughter.”

“Wow. Have you lived on her the whole time?”

“Pretty much. I’ve never been one to need a lot of stuff,
and living by the water is pretty much a necessity for me.”

“I know what you mean,” she agreed. “I can’t imagine ever
moving back to Minnesota and leaving the ocean behind.”

“Don’t you have family back there?”

“Not really. My parents died in a car wreck when I was an
undergrad. They were both only children. I’ve got a second cousin who’s an
archaeologist. I think he’s in Scotland this summer.” She shrugged. “We e-mail
once in a while, but we were never close.”

“No siblings?”

“Nope. Just me.”

“That’s too bad.”

“It just is,” she replied. “I’ve never known any other way.
What about you?”

“It’s a sort of messy situation,” he said with a rueful
little grimace. “My mother is still living, and I have a younger sister, Leta,
but we’ve been—estranged for many years.”

“Now
that’s
sad,” she returned. “Brad’s family was
like that. They could never accept his lifestyle.”

“Lifestyle?” He lifted one eyebrow.

She nodded. “They really hated the fact that he was open
about being gay, that he refused to hide in the closet. And then he refused to
join the family steel business and went into marine biology instead. That
really pissed them off. They’d have cut him off without a penny, except for one
of his grandfathers.”

Jake’s lips twisted in an enigmatic smile for a moment
before his expression turned serious again. “It is always a tragedy when
parents refuse to let their children grow up.” He looked so sad and broody that
she had to resist the urge to go hold him. She was pretty sure he didn’t want
sympathy, and that whatever had happened, he blamed himself as much as his
mother.

“Anybody home?”

Footsteps on deck followed the words. Jake snapped out of
his reverie and went to hold the door open for the DEA agent, who was looking
warm in a tan checked suit.

“I brought doughnuts.”

“Can’t resist pandering to the stereotype, eh?”

“Yeah, well, some stereotypes are worth it. You got coffee?”

Jake grinned, shaking the agent’s hand as he came into the
salon. “Always.”

“Dr. Eriksen,” Marinucci set down a white paper bag that was
giving off marvelous smells. He ran an assessing gaze down Heidi’s bare arms
and legs, probably taking in the colorful collection of bruises. His lips had a
wry twist when he said, “You’re looking better today.”

“Sleep and new clothes always help,” Heidi admitted, though
she still felt pretty rotten. The sex had probably done more to keep her sane
than anything, but she wasn’t about to mention that. Jake handed Marinucci a
mug, then filled it from the pot. He topped off his and Heidi’s as well, then
slid in next to her so the agent could have the other side of the booth-style
dining setup.

The bag proved to contain an impressive selection of baked
goods, including some truly decadent-looking éclairs. Heidi opted for maximum
chocolate and placed one of the éclairs on a napkin in front of her while
Marinucci pulled out a notebook and pen, and then helped himself to one of the
muffins.

With calm, logical questioning, he led her through the
horrific events one more time, then again once more. With Jake right beside
her, his thigh pressing against hers on the bench, she got through it without
breaking down, but it was a close thing. Last night’s dream had brought it all
back, and her nerves were still raw. At least this time she wasn’t getting
waves of disbelief from her interrogator. That helped a lot too. When they were
finished with the recap, the agent got right to the point.

“So neither of you actually saw the body, or saw Dr. Van
Dorn being injured?”

“No,” Jake answered. “And I hunted for a good hour.”

“But it was dark.”

“Full moon,” Heidi reminded them. “That’s why we were out
dolphin-watching in the first place.”

“So your partner could still be alive.”

Heidi nodded, unable to speak over the lump in her throat.
She was trying not to hope too much, but she just didn’t want to think about
Brad being dead. It was bad enough that he might be alive somewhere, needing
help, and she wasn’t able to get to him.

“I gotta tell you, I spoke with his parents last night,”
Marinucci informed them, sipping the last of his coffee. He offered a dry
smirk. “They were real quick to blame everything on you. Made me wonder just
how they figure you’re responsible for their son being gay.”

Heidi laughed, which she thought was a good thing, although
it sounded a little forced, even to her. “I never quite understood that one
myself.”

“So, for the record, there was never a romantic relationship
between the two of you?”

“Never,” Heidi assured him. “He was—
is
—my best
friend. After his parents cut him off, and mine died, we pretty much became
each other’s family. Spent holidays together, fed each other chicken soup when
we were sick, that sort of thing. But Brad never had any interest in women, and
frankly, I prefer guys I don’t have to bend over to kiss. There was never
anything remotely sexual between us.” Brad was only about five foot eight with
his cowboy boots on. Heidi wasn’t a snob about height, but it would have been
awkward. And he was way prettier than she was, which would have driven her even
more nuts. She loved Brad like a brother but she knew they would have made an
awfully strange-looking couple even if Brad had been straight.

Marinucci flicked a wry glance at Jake. “Yeah. I can see
that he wouldn’t have been your type.”

Jake smirked back, then narrowed his gaze and spoke
seriously. “Steve, we’d like to ask you to focus some effort on finding Dr. Van
Dorn. If he is alive, he’s probably in rough shape, and he’s definitely in
danger from the shooters.”

“Will do. But I’m going to keep it unofficial. In fact, I
intend to be notoriously bad at filing reports ‘til we’ve figured out if the
bad guys have any contacts in U.S. agencies. I hate to think one of ours was
involved in the break-in at Ms. Eriksen’s apartment, but that’s always a
possibility. Every agency has rogues, damn them to hell. Off the record, I’m
doing everything I can.” Heidi was stunned that he was going so far out of his
way to help her, and she knew she had Jake to thank.

Jake, however, seemed to take everything in stride. “Thanks,”
he told Steve. “Anything you think we need to do to keep Heidi safe, let me
know.”

“Well, definitely try to fly under the radar for a while. I
didn’t put the name of your boat on any reports, but you never know what will
come out. For now, I’d advise you to make sure that someone you trust sets up
every meeting.”

“Will do. I’ve also got another favor to ask. I know a few
people in the Ensenada area. I’d like to make a run down there, check out a few
places myself, without getting shot as a fugitive by the Coast Guard.”

“The local cops and the other Feds aren’t going to like it.”
He finished his muffin, then folded up his notebook and slipped it back into
his breast pocket.

“Probably not. But if we stay still, Heidi could be a
sitting duck too.”

“True enough.” He thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll
do what I can.”

“Thanks.” Both Heidi and Jake spoke at the same time, then
grinned ruefully at each other. Steve snickered and shook his head.

“One more thing,” Jake interjected. “Were you guys at the
University asking about Heidi and her partner yesterday?”

Marinucci raised one eyebrow and shook his head. “Not me.
Don’t know about the local cops.” He made Heidi explain the phone call she’d
had with her colleague the day before.

“And I do have to go into the office today,” she added
glumly, drawing a surprised look from Jake. Had she forgotten to tell him about
that? Oops. “Apparently the boss wants to talk to me in person, which can’t be
a good thing. Plus, I want to pick up some stuff from my office.” Yeah, her
duplicate copies of the research that had been lost. She also figured her
office was a good enough place to store her few remaining possessions.

“I’ll drive you over,” Marinucci offered. “It will give me a
chance to find out more about whoever was asking questions.”

Jake agreed, so Heidi didn’t bother to argue. She hated to
admit it, but she was glad she’d have them at her back when she had to face her
department chair. He’d never approved of her, had only ever agreed to allow the
research because Brad had funded the project. And Dr. Kress was a big fan of the
Van Dorn millions.

Heidi took a minute to change into the one pair of khaki capri
pants she’d bought and a plain green polo. No need to upset the boss unduly by
showing up dressed like a student. She started to collect the box she’d put her
rescued belongings into, but Jake stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Leave
them here.”

“But my office…”

“They got into your apartment. Your office may not be any
safer.”

“Jake, you live on a boat. There’s not a whole lot of space.”

“I’ll find room. Don’t worry about it.”

She wasn’t up to fighting with him about something so
trivial, so she let it go.

It was a short trip in the back of Marinucci’s nondescript
sedan. Walking into the university flanked by the two men, Heidi wasn’t sure if
she felt more like a movie star with an entourage or a prisoner under guard.
Marinucci might be the one who was armed, but Heidi had no doubt that Jake was
the more lethal of her two escorts. He was also, however, the one who drew
hungry looks from pretty much every co-ed they passed on the way in.

“Heidi!” The department secretary looked up as she walked
in, then stood and came around to the side of her desk. “Oh my God, Heidi, are
you all right?”

“I’ve been better, Sara,” Heidi admitted, submitting to the
older woman’s comforting hug.

“Is there any word on Brad?” the other woman asked. “I’m so
sorry, honey, I know how close you two were.”

“Are,” Heidi insisted, her voice thick. “There’s still a
chance.”

“There is? That’s wonderful! You wouldn’t think so by the
way his highness was stomping around here yesterday. What happened?”

Agent Marinucci cleared his throat.

“Oh!” Heidi jumped, startled. “I almost forgot. This is Jake
Delos, a friend of mine, and Agent Steve Marinucci, from the DEA. Gentlemen,
this is Sara Thomas.”

Sara gazed appreciatively at Jake, but shook hands politely
with both men, then returned to her seat behind her desk.

“Is Dr. Kress available?” Steve asked the secretary, laying
on a smoother charm than he’d used with Heidi. It almost made Heidi laugh, but
it obviously worked on Sara; she beamed back at him.

“He’s in his office, but I was supposed to send Heidi in as
soon as she got here,” Sara told them unhappily. “He’s in a really, really
rotten mood.”

“I’d rather talk to him first,” the agent replied firmly.

“I’ll be in my office,” Heidi offered. “Then I can go talk
to Victor as soon as they’re done.”

Sara grimaced. “There’s a teensy-weensy little problem with
that.”

“Oh?” Jake spoke for the first time, one eyebrow raised.

“Yeah.” Sara glanced at him, sighed, and then turned back to
Heidi. “Victor had security come in yesterday afternoon and change the locks.
He said everything in your office was sealed, pending investigation.”

Heidi’s mouth dropped open, and she tried to speak but
couldn’t get any words out.

“He said that the Van Dorns were sending someone to claim
their belongings, and that since you were a suspect, you weren’t to be allowed
access to anything.”

“But I have stuff in there!” Heidi replied, her voice
rapidly rising in both pitch and volume. “Books, supplies, even personal
things.” Including, she was sure, her favorite denim jacket. After losing all
the rest of her clothes, a jacket could come in handy. “Not to mention all my
research. He can’t do that!”

“We’ll take care of it.” Jake’s voice was low and confident,
and his hand squeezed her arm as if warning her to curb her incipient hysteria.

“Maybe we should all go see Dr. Kress,” Steve suggested
softly, but with a hint of steel underneath. Jake nodded and Sara looked
relieved. “I’d like to take a look at your office anyway, Heidi, and then I see
no reason why we can’t collect any personal belongings.”

“I’ll let you announce yourselves,” Sara added. “Heidi, you
know the way.”

“No problem.” She could certainly understand Sara wanting to
stay out of the line of fire. She had to work with Kress on a daily basis. At
least Heidi spent most of her time out in the field.

She led them through the twisted corridor of the office
suite to the back corner, where the department chair’s corner office could
overlook the beach. When they reached the heavy, oak paneled door, Heidi
stepped aside to let the men enter first. Jake drew back with her, allowing
Steve to take the lead in his official capacity.