10. Talon

Ibooked it the whole fucking way here. A twenty-minute trip took fifteen. The only time my throttle wasn't fully open was during wake zones. I'm not sure how far behind me Ed is or when he'll show up. Hopefully, it's when I've got Kelsey safely in my boat. I'm approaching the island, riding around the backside before rounding the front. I pull my phone out. There are a couple of texts.

Ed: Ten minutes out.

Lisa: I haven't gotten a response from her yet.

Not a single message from Kelsey. My gut bottoms out. She's not overly obsessed with her phone. She'll keep it near her, and when she sees an alert, she's quick to respond. At least that's been my experience with Kels so far. Mom has mentioned similar, which is why she'll have Kelsey come in and work more than anyone else around.

I drop the phone back into the cup holder. Now is the time to keep my eyes peeled. Truth be told, I should have waited for Ed. There's no telling what kind of trouble I can stumble upon. It's probably for the better that I didn't go into too much detail about what happens out here. When you're on the water, people forget voices carry, and I just so happen to be near the docks working, hearing every single thing. The rumors aren"t rumors when you get the information firsthand. A lot of drugs, a lot of drinking, and a whole lot of illegal fishing. The dumb fucks will hang themselves out to dry soon enough. If they're dumb enough to brag about it out in the open, it's only a matter of time until they're caught. Hell, depending on what I find tonight, there might just be an anonymous tip sent to FWC.

I idle my way around, eyes peeled and looking for Kelsey. The bonfire is blazing, not at all in control, and could very well spread throughout the whole island. Jesus, tonight is going from bad to worse in an instance. The only good thing about the fire is I'm able to see who all is there. The bad thing is I can't see Kelsey anywhere.

"Motherfucker." I move away from where the party is, glancing down at my phone. Another text has come through, this one from my mom.

Mom: Lisa just called. You need me or Grandad, we'll be there.

The minute my eyes lift away from the screen, I see a flickering of light in the distance. I move slowly toward the faint beams, hoping like hell this is Kelsey and not some drunk from the party hallucinating on some shit.

"Talon!" Siren's voice reverberates over the water the closer I get. Damn, she's a sight for sore eyes. Kelsey is walking toward the water as I pull into the sandy bank.

"Talon," she says again, this time walking through the waves crashing along the shore. I hit the button for my power poles, an anchoring system that doesn't require the usual anchor, making it a fuck of a lot easier.

"Kelsey, stay where you are, woman. You don't have anything on your feet." The boat engine is still running, trimmed in the water, and I jump over the side. I land on my feet. My neoprene deck boots are a fuck of a lot more protection than what Kels has, which is fucking nothing.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Her arms wrap around my neck. I pick her up, and instantly, her legs are wrapped around my waist.

"Where's your phone, siren?" I ask before I do what I really want, which is take her mouth with mine.

"Nothing will send. I tried texting you, and when it wouldn't send, I did the same to my parents. Nothing's working on it. I've turned the damn device on and off, but no dice." Tears stream down her cheeks and that's when she plants her face in the crook of my neck.

"It's alright, Kels, you're good now. We'll get back home, figure out your phone, and buy you a new one if necessary." Damn, it's clear to me I'm going to have to tell Kelsey again what exactly she means to me.

"I'm okay, promise. I was worried I'd have to sleep on the beach, miss work, and I worked myself up into a frenzy with worry," she says without taking a breath. Yeah, I'd say she's still worked up as fuck.

"Fuck no. You were not sleeping on the island. Your dad and I wouldn't have let that happen." She nods. I'm pretty sure what I'm saying is going in one ear and out the other. Adrenaline is a bitch, and I'd bet both of my boats Kelsey was on high alert the whole time she was out here. "Come on. Let's get you out of the water. I'll call your dad and tell him you're safe and coming home with me."

"I'm sorry, Talon. I should have known better. Mariah got engaged, and she swore to me we'd be home early." Her bottom lip trembles. Kelsey Rae may be wrapped around my body, emotions swirling a million miles a minute, yet she's still the most beautiful woman in the world.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about. Now, how about I kiss your worries away, and then we get outta here, okay?" Kelsey bops her head, a faint smile gracing her face, and I don't hold back. My lips meet hers. I'm going to kiss her for all she's worth, like she's my only lifeline, like I can't breathe without her beauty near me every second of every day. My tongue traces her lush bottom lip, and when her own snakes out meeting mine, that's when our kiss turns more heated. My cock presses against the seam of her pussy. She's full of heat and passion. We're so lost in the moment it takes me a minute to realize there's another boat in the distance.

"No. More, please, Talon," she begs, and I do the opposite of what either of us wants.

"Siren, your dad is cruising in. I highly doubt he wants to see his little girl grinding her hot little body on mine." Her face switches from filled with desire to mortified.

"Oh god, you're right. Shit, shit, shit." I'd laugh any other time, but I can read the room easily, and I don't think she'd like me laughing at her displeasure very much after a night like tonight.

"Come on, up you go." I lift her up until her ass meets the ledge, staying still till she finds her bearings.

"I'm good. You can let go now." I squeeze her hips, watch as she swings her legs inside, and then lift myself up with my upper body. I'm soaked from the knee down, water is dripping off my body, my shoes are full, and I step out of them as Ed pulls up beside me.

"Kels, you good, baby girl?" he asks, lights bright as fuck on his boat. Clearly, he doesn't give a damn about announcing his presence. Which is fine seeing as now there's two of us here.

"I'm good. My phone went into SOS mode and wouldn't send a text or let me place a call," Kelsey explains like she just wasn't breaking down on me. She's a strong-as-fuck woman. "Oh my god, what is that on your chin!" A bruise must be appearing. I've been too busy worrying about Kels to think about a damn lick to my jaw.

"I'm fine, siren." Her soft, delicate hand touches my jaw, lightly trailing the tips of her fingers along my skin.

"I'm not happy about this, not one bit." She may be touching me; her fire is aimed at her dad, though.

"We're good. He'd do similar in my shoes, and don't think any different. Now, are you two ready to go home," Ed's states more than asks.

"I'm going home with Talon. I'll be home early to get ready for work." I watch as my siren crosses her arms over her chest, much like her dad did earlier today, and waits him out.

"I figured. Text your mother from Talon's phone if yours still isn't working." Kelsey's smile slowly grows bigger. She won a battle I'd never let her fight alone, and Ed is well aware of the fact.

"I will. I'll probably go to the cell phone store after work, too, just in case." Ed is happy with this idea, since he gives a slight nod as his response.

"Let's roll before the law comes out to play," he states. It's not a matter of if; it's a matter of when.

"Sounds good to me. Kels, take a seat. I'll grab you a towel for the ride back." I watch as she sits on the bench of the center console. The storage is right behind where she is sitting, and it doesn't take me long to find what I'm looking for.

"Thank you." She wraps the blanket around her, and I move to stand to her left as we slowly make our way away from the island. It's not until the power poles are up and we're I'm not longer backing up in the water when I feel her arms wrap around my waist.

"I've got you, siren. Always." She probably can't hear my words with the boats running and the waves hitting the boat, so I do the next best thing. My hand finds Kelsey's and I lace our fingers together, holding her the only way I can right now.