Why the hell couldn't he stop coughing and shaking?
He half-expected Megeara to pound on his back as her accomplice had done. Instead, Megeara's touch was gentle as she lightly hit him to help dispel the water from his now human body.
Then she started to gently rub his back in a circle. Chills spread over him as he felt a heat the likes of which were unimaginable. Forget the heat of the sun, this was even more scorching.
No one had ever touched him so gently and he'd never really felt a touch before, especially not against his flesh. All he wanted was to pull her into his arms and taste the taut nipples that were so apparent through her wet white shirt.
If only his body would obey him.
"I think he's going into shock," Megeara said to the others. "Grab more blankets."
Another woman pulled Megeara away. "Let me look at-"
"No!" he snarled, reaching for Megeara's hand to keep her by his side. He hadn't come this far to lose sight of her now.
Megeara covered his hand with hers in a soothing caress. "It's all right. Stay calm." She took a blanket from a young woman with glasses, then wrapped it around him.
Arik closed his eyes and savored the fleeting sensation of her hands on his shoulders. The feel of her skin on his... it was electrifying. Hot.
If only he could stop shaking.
Geary wasn't sure what to do. She exchanged a frown with Althea, who was on board as their physician.
"I need to check him out and make sure he's okay," Althea said in English.
Geary agreed. "I know."
"I'll be fine in a few minutes," the unknown man said in perfect, accented English. His voice was so deep and resonant that it literally echoed around them. Those intense, predatorial eyes pierced her. "Just don't leave me."
Geary found herself nodding even though the possessive command of that tone made her want to run. It wasn't in her nature to let anyone tell her what to do, but in his case, there was something unnaturally compelling about him. Alluring.
Honestly, she didn't want to leave him. And that really did scare her.
Her heart hammering, she used a corner of his blanket to towel dry his hair, then brushed it back from a face that was truly flawless.
"Do you prefer English or Greek?" she asked him.
"It doesn't matter."
Wow. He was extremely bilingual. He was also extremely exposed, and the sight of him with those pants clinging to his every asset brought the most wicked images to her mind. In her dreams, she'd twisted that body of his like a pretzel and licked every inch of it.
Okay, so it wasn't quite that body. In her dreams, there had been no scars. But his body was close enough to the one she was used to to evoke a fervent heat inside her.
Geary brushed a drop of water off his cheek with the blanket. "What happened to you?"
He looked away. "I don't know."
Thia gave her a wicked grin. "Well, it isn't every day we fish a nearly naked god out of the sea, now is it?
Glad I came back early from my shopping trip. This was definitely worth it."
The man snapped his head toward her and gave her a fierce scowl. It was obvious her words touched a nerve with him.
"Thia?" Geary said in a steady tone. "Do you mind?"
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. See if I save his life next time he's drowning." Turning around, she headed belowdecks.
Christof stepped forward. "We should report this to the authorities."
Even more fury snapped in those pale blue eyes. "No!" His tone was firm and commanding. "No
authorities."
Teddy exchanged a frown with her. "Why? You running from them?"
"No. I just don't want to be interrogated when I can't remember anything."
Christof narrowed his eyes on him. "Do you know your name?"
He hesitated. "Arik."
"Arik what?"
He looked up at Geary with a confusion that tugged at her heart. "I don't remember."
Geary tilted her head, not sure what to think. Something deep inside told her he was lying, but she wasn't sure about what. "Did you hit your head?"
He nodded.
"He could have amnesia," Tory said. "If he fell from a boat he might have been run over by it. Or maybe he was beaten and then thrown overboard. Could be pirates."
"He's not bruised," Christof pointed out. "And there hasn't been a lot of pirate activity here for several hundred years."
"Yes, but I said could . Weird and unusual things happen all the time. Did you know that there were seventy-five pirate attacks on civilian boats last year alone? Six more were against the U.S. Coast Guard.
One group even tried to take over a cruise ship."
Ignoring Tory's statistics, Geary dropped the blanket to Arik's shoulders. "What was the last thing you remember?"
"I... I don't know."
A strange, warm feeling came over her as she watched him. The whole moment was so surreal. She couldn't believe she was looking at... Arikos.
That had been a dream and yet the man before her was an exact copy. A copy named Arik.
Could they possibly...
Don't be stupid.
It was just some strange coincidence. Maybe some sort of premonition.
Her face flamed red at the thought. Well, not that kind of premonition. She wasn't about to jump naked into a pool of chocolate with this guy.
"Okay," she said quietly. "Teddy, take Arik below and find some clothes for him."
Arik started to protest leaving her, then stopped himself. She was skittish of him. He could sense it. If he
pressed her too much, she might bolt and push him away.
That was the last thing he wanted.
No, he must tread carefully in order to gain her trust. He was here, in her realm. And he'd have plenty of time to seduce her shortly. For now it was best to humor her.
He stood up slowly, his eyes never wavering from her gaze. As a wave crashed into the boat, he staggered slightly and almost lost his balance.
Megeara reached out, her hands steadying him.
Arik closed his eyes as heat from her touch seared his every nerve. There was nothing to compare to the sensation of human contact-to the feeling of those delicate hands touching his flesh-and he couldn't wait to feel them stroking the part of him that was hard for her.
He bent his head low so that he could inhale her sweet, feminine scent of open air and woman misted with a light touch of perfume. It was even more intoxicating than it had been in her dreams, and he wanted to bask in it.
Even more he wanted to smell it on his sheets and flesh. To drink her in for hours on end until he was fully sated and content.
Geary tensed at the feel of Arik's hot breath against her damp skin. What was it about this stranger that set her entire body on fire?
She forced herself to step away from him even though what she really wanted to do was walk closer to that magnificently muscled body.
His eyes showed his longing as he met her gaze again and he noted her actions. "Don't be afraid of me, Megeara." He all but purred in her ear. "I would never hurt you."
It wasn't until he'd left that she realized he'd called her by a name no one used.