Secrets of the Siren [Sirens and Sailors 5] (Siren Publishing Classic) (18 page)

“This is so beautiful,” Suzette told her, “I can see why Aitan doesn’t want to leave the island.”

“Don’t you go getting any ideas about moving over here,” Nuri teased her.

“Why, I think it would be lovely for Hyam to grow up here.” Suzette came out of the house and marvelled at the scenery around them. “I can just see him swimming all day and climbing on those rocks. He’d have a wonderful life here. Any kid would.” She winked at Ligia, who blushed. Aitan caught their exchange and smiled. He had already though how lovely it would be to have children here. Their children.

“Tea’s ready.” Kalliope had already arranged griddle scones on a plate, and was serving up green tea. Everyone congregated on the grass, except Eritha, who was given one of the chairs from inside.

“This is so beautiful.” Geva was sitting next to Ligia. “Have you always lived here?”

Ligia nodded as she nibbled at a scone.

“I would love to be able to sunbathe all day long.” Suzette lay back on the grass, staring up at the clear blue sky. “This is paradise.”

“They don’t just sunbathe all the time,” Eritha admonished. “Look at the people over there working in the fields. And there were people fishing as we came into the harbor. You must keep very busy here, Ligia?”

“Yes. We supply flowers to the mainland and we cultivate the fields for fruit and vegetables too.”

“And your house is immaculate. I’m sure it must be a full-time job clearing up after my son?”

They all giggled.

“I want to hear about this wedding,” Geva announced. “Are you having it up here or down on those rocks?” She was pointing to Destiny Rock. It was very beautiful over there, with the waves splashing up the jagged promontory.

“On the beach.”
Ligia smiled at the very thought of it. Her stomach churned a little with excitement and she looked over to Aitan.

“Followed by a beach party, so bring your bikinis,” Aitan added with a wink to his girl.

“I’ll have to find mine,” Nuri replied, earning himself a friendly swat from his wife.

“What a brilliant idea,” Geva enthused. “I can’t wait.”

“We’ve got tonight to look forward to first.” Suzette had a very surreptitious expression as she looked over to Ligia.

“Oh yeah.”
Geva looked mischievous, and Ligia frowned.

“I hope you’re not thinkin’ what I think you’re thinkin’.” Aitan grinned at his sisters.

“They might have their own customs here,” Eritha interjected.

Ligia frowned. They obviously all knew what they were talking about, she just wished
she
did.

“Do you have any special customs for your hen night?” Suzette asked Ligia.

“My what?”

“What do you do on the night before your wedding?” Geva smiled.

“It’s the first wedding on the island. No one’s had a hen night before, have they, darlin’?” Aitan went over and sat down next to Ligia, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. He knew she didn’t know what they were talking about, and felt sorry for her.

Ligia shook her head, grateful for his support.

“Well in that case, you just leave everything to us.” Suzette sat up, grinning.

“Yep, we’ve got it all planned out,” Geva added with a wink.

“Should I be worried?” Aitan rolled his eyes.

“You won’t even be
there
, brother.” Suzette laughed.

“What?” Aitan frowned.

“It’s her hen night, for goodness’ sake. You know you can’t be with her!” Geva’s eyes twinkled with mirth.

“Don’t worry, bro, you’ll be too busy with the stags.” Rechavia grinned.

“You’re kidding me!”

“Gotta be done, bro.” Rechavia shook his head.

“We’ve brought some wine and nibbles and a boogie-box,” Geva whispered to Ligia.

“A what?”

“For playing music on. We’ll show you later.” Geva winked at her.

“Kally, can you get the girls together later?” Suzette was smiling.

“Sure.” Kalliope was bemused but happy to help.

“Now, is there anything we can do to help with the wedding?” Eritha asked.

“I think it’s all in hand, Mom. I’d like you to meet Pallas before tomorrow though. We can go now if you like?” Aitan was already getting to his feet.

Ligia took their dishes as Eritha and Suzette got up.

“Is this the elderly lady we’ve been hearing about?” Suzette asked as she straightened her cotton dress.

“Yes. She’s a good friend of ours. She’s making my dress,” Ligia replied.

“Oh, how lovely. I can’t wait to see it.” Eritha beamed.

* * * *

The sun was setting, throwing pinkish hues onto the beach and twinkling off the waves. Geva and Suzette had laid out an array of food on some rocks, and a machine was playing loud music from somewhere nearby. Ligia smiled. She had heard this kind of music blaring out from some of the shops when she visited Eastland.

“Geva’s giving us dance lessons,” Ademia called over, as a group of girls started gyrating on the sand. Ligia laughed. They looked very odd.

Kalliope had rallied all the girls, who swarmed onto the cool sand, chatting and laughing.

“Who’s for some wine?” Suzette had a very large bottle in her hand and some plastic cups. She offered the first drink to Ligia. “Don’t drink too much tonight, you’ll want a clear head for tomorrow,” she warned her with a wink.

Ligia’s mind turned to tomorrow. They would all be here again, but the next time they were having a party she would be married to Aitan. She smiled. Although butterflies kissed the inside of her tummy, she really couldn’t wait to be his wife.
God, I love him
!

Soon everyone was dancing and drinking, which led to quite a few spillages, which conveniently got kicked into the sand, and the sound of laughter filled the evening air. Small lamps dotted around the beach to provide some light as it got later into the night.

“I can’t believe you’re going to be the only married woman on the whole island.” Kalliope was sitting next to Ligia on the rocks as they helped themselves to nibbles. Ligia grinned. “I know. Who would have ever thought it?”

“You’ll go down in history.” Ademia joined them.

“We all will,” Ligia said thoughtfully. “Kally’s was the first collaring ceremony, and yours was the first ménage relationship.”

“To the history makers.” Suzette was evidently listening to their conversation, and raised a glass to them all. They laughed and followed suit before taking another sip of their drinks. The wine was really good. She went back to check on her mother, leaving the friends to chat.

“Nearly time to go.” Geva found Ligia just as a song she was dancing to ended. Ligia felt a tiny jolt in her stomach. She hated the idea of being away from Aitan even for one night. She took a deep breath and started saying good-bye to the girls, who flocked around her.

“I’ll be seeing you first thing in the morning,” Kalliope said cheerfully, seeing tears threaten Ligia’s big, pale green eyes.

Ligia nodded. “You will help me get ready, won’t you?”

“Of course.
What else would I be doing on the day of my best friend’s wedding?” Kalliope gave her a big hug.

“The boys are here,” Suzette announced as Hyam came running over to grab his mommy’s legs.

The lads had been having a party of their own over on the rocks. They didn’t seem so bothered about dancing, but were apparently very enamoured with all the alcohol Nuri had brought over from Westland.

Ligia looked up to see Aitan smiling at her. He was so gorgeous. Her breath hitched. She really didn’t want to spend the night without him, but she knew his sisters had planned it all and didn’t want to offend them. Aitan slung his arm around her shoulder as they all headed off for the harbor.

“It seems so odd to be going on a ship at night,” Ligia whispered to Aitan as they said their good-byes.

“Another first for you, darlin’.” His eyes twinkled in the moonlight and she couldn’t resist reaching up for one more kiss.

His tongue tickled her lip before plunging into her mouth, and he must have tasted the cool wine inside. His tongue danced with hers and she heard him begin to pant as his erection dug into her thigh. He must have remembered that his mother was nearby as he pulled back gently, breathing deeply, presumably to try to quell his ardour.

Ligia giggled, obviously reading him well.

“All aboard,” Nuri called from the slope, and Aitan smacked Ligia’s butt playfully to encourage her to get moving.

“You take good care of my bride,” Aitan called out to the girls as they all waved from the departing ship.

“Don’t you worry, little bro, we plan to take real good care of her.” Suzette’s reply sounded a little ominous to Ligia’s ears, but she already loved his family and trusted them.

A couple of the sailors accompanied them on their trip to Eastland, as they were carrying flowers over to fulfil some orders, but the men chose to travel with the crew. Suzette had saved some of the wine and nibbles for the family to enjoy on the journey over. “It’s still your party,” she told Ligia with a wink. Hyam was soon asleep on his daddy’s lap, and Eritha nodded off in her comfy chair. As the girls chatted and laughed, they were unaware how fast they travelled, and were soon docking at Eastland.

“It’s not far to the hotel,” Suzette said, as they gathered their belongings. Kalliope had packed an overnight bag for Ligia, having already been briefed on the plan for the night and tomorrow’s preparations. Geva woke her mother and they made their way through the lit-up streets to the large building.

“You’re sharing with me.” Geva linked Ligia’s arm as they waited for Suzette to retrieve the keys from the concierge. Ligia smiled. She was glad not to be on her own tonight and she got on really well with Geva.

The room had an en suite bathroom, and Ligia’s eyes widened when she saw it. There was a massive shower, a proper toilet and taps with running water. She suddenly felt a pang, remembering that Aitan had been hoping for running water on the island.

“Let’s shower in the morning,” Geva suggested with a yawn, and Ligia nodded. She would look forward to it. They cleaned their teeth and got ready for bed. Geva wore a pretty pink nightgown. Ligia looked over at her, a little embarrassed.

“Do you want to borrow a gown?” Geva seemed to be as good at mindreading as her brother. She quickly pulled a pretty, blue, lacy number from a drawer and handed it to the redhead.

“Thank you.” Ligia took it into the bathroom with her to change. She looked really elegant in the gown and loved the feel of the satin against her soft skin.

“That suits you. Keep it if you like, I’ve got plenty more,” Geva said with a smile.

“Thank you. Although we don’t usually wear…”

“Of course not.” Geva understood. It was too hot for nightwear on the island.

Once they were both settled, Geva switched off the lamp which sat on the nightstand between the twin beds. It felt odd for Ligia to be in a strange bed and without Aitan, but the family had explained that this was a tradition which they always followed so she was happy to oblige. She couldn’t wait to see Aitan tomorrow, but she understood that they felt it was bad luck for the bride to see the groom before the wedding, and the last thing she wanted was bad luck on her wedding day. Clutching her little fish-shaped stone, she imagined Aitan’s gorgeous face. She felt the butterflies playing inside her tummy again as she drifted off to sleep.

Her dream took her back to the first time she and Aitan had become intimate. She had fallen in love with his quick wit and his dazzling smile. He had a knack for making her feel cheerful even though things were far from settled on the island at that time. Ligia was feeling ashamed that she had let Kally encourage her to help her try to seduce Eban, even though they knew that their friend, Amaranda, loved him. Aitan and Rechavia had since gone on a perilous journey to find Poseidon, and nearly all gotten killed by some sea monster. Guilt had wracked her for the first time in her life, and she realized that she didn’t really like herself very much.

Aitan had caught her crying on Destiny Rock one evening while everyone else had been drinking on the main island. He had put his big arm around her and she remembered breathing in his masculine scent. He hadn’t spoken, he just sat with her, gazing out to sea. She had felt so connected to him, though this gnawing doubt that she actually deserved him was eating away at her heart. They must have sat like that for some time, because the sun had completely set and the moon was shining on them when he slowly pulled her face toward his and placed his soft lips on hers. She had never before felt anything like the shiver which ran through her body in that moment. His lips had been hot, and his tongue had lapped at her bottom lip until she opened her mouth. His soft tongue had crept in, tentatively exploring her mouth before teasing her own tongue and causing the most unexpected sensations to rip through her body and cause her pussy to clench violently. Ligia had gasped into his mouth, and his little chuckle had relaxed her. She remembered smiling as he continued to play with her tongue, and she reciprocated, cautiously at first, and then their passion grew.