Ominous Love (4 page)

My face burning, I toss my beach towel to
him. “Here, use this.”

“Okay, I'm flattered,” he says, wrapping the
towel around his waist and hiding his masculinity. “I've probably fantasized
about being naked and kissing a pretty girl on a deserted beach, but this is
ridiculous. Why were you on top of me and where are my clothes?”

I gulp. “Huh…”

He stands up, all six feet of him, his hands
pressed against his lean muscular hips. “Well?” he says. “Who are you? And why
were you kissing me?” The tiny glint in his eyes gives his stern voice a hint
of amusement.

I look into his deep-blue eyes and melt.
They're the colour of the ocean on a sunny day, and framed with thick dark
lashes. Jeez, he's hot, and he doesn’t look much older than me, maybe a couple
of years. Self-conscious, I blush. Then I hold my hands out and try to look
innocent. “I … I wasn't kissing you. I was giving you mouth to mouth because
you were unconscious. And I
didn't
take your clothes. You weren't wearing any. You probably lost your bathers in
the ocean when you were drowning. Maybe a strong current ripped them from you.”

He cocks a brow. “I don't remember going for
a swim.”

“What were you doing before you went
unconscious, then?”

He shrugs. “I don't know. I can't remember.”

I blow out a breath. “Look, I don't know why
you were out cold on the beach, but I thought you had drowned. I was trying to
do CPR on you when we were both struck by lightning.”

His eyes go wide.
“Lightning?
What are you talking about?”

“While I was giving you mouth to mouth, there
was this huge electrical storm and we were struck. I don't know what happened.
Everything went black. Not sure how long I passed out for, but I only just woke
up and I was still on top of you. See, I wasn't kissing you. I was trying to
save your life.”

“You passed out?”

I nod. “I'm pretty sure.”

He gasps. “Are you okay? Did you get burned?”

“That's the odd thing. Neither of us
seem
to have any burns, and I don't have any burn marks on
my clothes. You probably think I'm crazy.”

He frowns. “I don't think you're crazy, but I
can't understand why I'd be in the ocean in the first place, and why I'd be
drowning. I'm sure I can swim.”

“Look, something bad must have happened to
you. Maybe you had a seizure or something. Or you could have fallen from a
boat. I did try to phone for an ambulance before the storm, but my cell phone
was dead. I was out cold after the lightning strike, but I think I should call
for help. You need to be checked by a doctor. You could have a head injury.”

He runs his fingers through his dark hair. “No!
Please don't call the police or an ambulance. I'm fine. Trust me. I don't want
them involved.”

I sigh. “But your heart stopped! You need
help.”

He takes my hand in his. “Please don't
involve them. I beg you.”

My pulse quickens as tingles run up my arm.
I'm speechless, in awe, and I can't stop staring at him.

“Please?” he begs again, squeezing my
fingers.

I go weak at the knees. Gosh. I'll do
anything for him. He's divine, but what if he's a criminal? Surely a felon
couldn't make me feel this good. As I study his innocent face, he stares at the
ground. I doubt he's even aware how hot he is. Blowing out a big breath, I try
to act normal. “What's your name? I should call your family—or are you in some
kind of trouble?”

His shoulders slump and he lets go of my
hand. “I don't know. I can't even remember who I am.” He looks up at me through
long lashes. “If you call an ambulance, it could put me in a bind, who knows.”

I glance up at the clouds. How do I find the
bad guys?
First Tom, and now a boy who could be running from
the law.
I shake my head. He looks harmless enough, and he's so darn
cute. I smile. “Okay, no cops or ambulance. But I'm going to have to watch you.
I'm pretty sure you have a concussion. I mean if you have so much as a
temperature, I'll have to get you to the hospital.”

He raises his brows. “Yeah, but how're you
going to watch me? I have no idea where I live.”

‘Don't worry. You can stay at my house until
we figure out what else to do. I just live up the road and my parents are away
for a while.”

Shivering, he rubs his bare arms. “Thank you.
I really appreciate it.”

Crap. What have I just said? I know I
shouldn't take a strange guy home, but to tell him I'll be home alone was plain
stupid. What was I thinking? I blow out a big breath and pray he's not a
criminal pretending to have amnesia. I glance at him and my heart melts. He
looks so vulnerable and he's shaking with cold. Smiling, I link my arm with his.
“Let's go.”

As we tramp along the soft sand, a group of giggling
girls stroll past and stare at him. No way am I letting a sweet boy like him
get away from me. Pulling him along, I walk faster. “Come on,
you need to get warm. You're attracting too much
attention being on the beach with no top on.”

“I guess I look pretty strange, wearing
nothing but a towel on a cold windy day.”

I roll my eyes. “It's nothing to do with the
weather, silly.” He's so humble. Surely he must know how gorgeous he is.

His brows knit together as if he's confused.
“Huh?”

As we head onto the boardwalk, I sigh. He's
so endearing.

“Guess I'm lucky you were walking along the
beach today,” he says. “If someone else had found me, who knows what would become
of me.”

I peek sideways at his perfect features; straight
nose, dark brows, and kissable full lips. But as my gaze wonders down to his
narrow waist and hips, he stops in his tracks and looks at me. Embarrassed at
being caught perving, I stare at the ground.

“Hey,” he says. “I may not know my own name,
but I'd love to know yours.”

I smile up at him. “I'm Eloise O'Connor.”

“Eloise,” he repeats, his eyes crinkling at
the corners. “What a sweet name.”

“Thanks.” I suck in a sharp breath. I love
the way he says my name, and his deep husky voice is sending shivers down my
spine. As we hurry along the main road, he goes suddenly quiet and walks with
his head down. He looks so lost and forlorn and my heart breaks for him. “Don't
worry, your memory will probably come back soon, but in the meantime, you'll
have to think of a name.”

He strokes his chin. “Nothing comes to mind.”

“How about Seal?”

He smirks. “You want to name me after a sea
animal?”

I grin.
“Why not?
You were washed up on the beach like one. Anyway, there's an American singer
called Seal, though he's much older than you.”

He blows out a big breath. “That's good
considering I don't even know my age.”

“Well, I'm sixteen and you don't look much
older than me, maybe a year or two. Anyway, it'll all come back to you in time.”

He shrugs. “I suppose I'll need a name until then,
so you can call me Seal.”

“I love it. It suits you,” I say, and without
thinking, I squeeze his bicep. Whoa! I suck in a sharp breath as electricity
shoots through my fingers and into my chest. Seal stops walking and stares at
me, a blush rising from his neck to his face. Crikey, did he feel it, too? Or
did I embarrass him when I squeezed his arm? Far out! Why did I do that?

With red faces, we start walking again, and
as we round the bend to my street, I point at the rickety old house where I
live. “That's my home, so you'll be warm in no time.”

“Thanks, Eloise, I really appreciate you
taking me in, especially considering you don't even know me. I don't know what
I would’ve happened if you hadn’t come along to help me.”

My pulse is racing. I can't believe I'm
taking this beautiful boy home and I don't have to explain him to my parents,
well for now anyway. Smiling, I escort Seal through my front gate, but as we
walk up the driveway, my heart sinks. Tom is sitting on my porch with his feet
up on the railing.

Chapter Five

My blood boils as I stare at Tom. Why did he
have to turn up now? After calling him a Blobfish last night, I thought he'd
never come back. Chewing my lip, I wonder how I'm going to explain Seal to him,
but before I get a chance, Tom leaps over the railing and blocks our path.

“Who's the half-naked dude?” he says, eyeing
Seal up and down. “Matthew McConaughey?”

I gulp. No way can I tell him the truth—he'll
call a doctor just to get rid of him. I squeeze Seal's hand, signalling him to
go along with my lie. Then I say the first thing that pops into my head. “Don't
be rude, Tom. This is my cousin. We've just been down to the beach and he went
for a swim.”

Tom raises a brow. “What, in this weather?”

Seal smiles. “I happen to like swimming in
cold water.”

“Oh, I
see
.”
Tom stares at Seal's toes. “It's a wonder you don't have webbed feet, too.”

“What exactly is your problem?” asks Seal,
folding his arms across his bare chest.

I look at Tom, and then at Seal.
Shoot. They don't even know each other,
yet they're glaring at each other with pure hatred as if they've been enemies
for eons.
Unbelievable.
My brain spins like a top. I
have to think quickly and get Tom out of here before there's trouble. I shake
my head. I don't want Seal taking off—he's not well enough, plus he's too hot
to lose. But I don't want to antagonise Tom right now either. Smiling, I touch
his arm, “Listen, Tom, Seal has just arrived and we have a lot to….”

He shakes my hand away. “You never told me
you had a cousin, or that he was visiting. And where's the family resemblance?
I don't see any.”

I glance at Seal. “We're second cousins.
Anyway, not all relatives look alike.”

Tom's top lip curls into a snarl.
“Cousins my arse.”
Then he smirks at Seal.
“Cute outfit, mate.
What are you, a stripper?”

My pulse pumping in my ears, I point at the
gate. “Tom, you'd better leave. I'm not having you insulting my relatives.”

His jaw drops. Then he grins, and before I
know what's happening, he’s holding me in an embrace and kissing me hard on the
lips. I try to pull away. “Stop it, Tom! What's the matter with you lately?
You’ve gone feral.”

He holds me tighter. “Come on, Elle,” he
whispers. “You’re embarrassing me. Now, give me a proper kiss.”

Flushing with anger, I prize his hands away.
“Get off me!”

“Oh, you're playing hard to get again. You
know I love that.” With his hands in my hair, he squashes his mouth onto mine
and I struggle to breathe.

Seal grabs him by the arms, hauls him off me
and holds him in a headlock. “No one treats my cousin like that,” he yells. “You
should have respect for girls. Now, say you're sorry to her, and then leave.”

My stomach twists into knots. I can't believe
what's happening. Crap. Seal has his arm around Tom's head and is holding it
firmly under his armpit. Tom is digging his nails into Seal's hands, trying to free
himself.

“Stop it,” I yell, but they're both too
stubborn to listen. Tom refuses to apologise to me and Seal won't let him go. This
is just crazy. Biting my nails, I glance next-door. I hope the folks who live
on that farm aren’t watching us. Jeez. If they phone my parents, I'll be booked
on the next flight to Perth. I look back at the boys, but they're still
struggling with each other.

Tom suddenly growls like a bear and jabs Seal
hard in the kidneys. “Let go of me, you coward,” he snarls.

Seal grips him harder. “Apologise.”

Tom finally stops thrashing about. “Okay, dude,”
he croaks. “Let me go, and I'll be off.”

“Not until you say you're sorry to Eloise.”

“I will if you let go of my bloody head.”

“Listen,
mate
,
I'm not letting go until you apologise.”

“I aint your mate,” says Tom, punching Seal hard
in the gut.

Seal jerks backwards, then his towel comes
loose and falls to the ground, but he still won't let go of Tom's head.

Holy shit! Seal’s manhood is visible for the
whole street to see. Clasping my cheeks, I gaze in awe at his beautiful body
and long muscular legs. Boy is he sexy.

“Come on,” he pleads, holding Tom’s head
firmly against his hip. “This is ridiculous. Just apologise.”

Tom’s eyes bulge with anger as he stares down
at Seal’s masculinity, only inches from his face. And though he can’t get free
from Seal’s strong grip, he glares up at me, his cheeks crimson. I've never
seen Tom this mad before, not ever. Self-consciously I turn away, knowing he's
not only humiliated for the position he's in, but because he accidently knocked
Seal's towel off. Tom's way too jealous natured to do that on purpose; and he
saw me drooling. Gosh. I’m beginning to think I’m as bad as Tom.