Free Emerald [Pyrate's Treasure 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Cooper McKenzie Page B

good one.” He nuzzled his nose up the side of her neck.
    Emerald tilted her head to the side, giving him easier access as she grinned as she remembered what she had been writing for the last two days. “Yes, it’s going to be a good story, but not one appropriate for children.”
    “Oh, really?”
    “Uh-huh. I’ll let you read it once it’s finished, and after you’ve finished reading the rest of my stories.”
    He had spent the day before reading the some more of the children’s stories Emerald had written. Once he had finished, he declared them as good as the handful that Silver finally confessed to have submitted to him in Emerald’s name.
    “Oooo, can’t wait to see it. For now, how about we go walk around town?” Nick asked as he pulled his arms from around her and stood up.
    Emerald took a breath as she looked across the deck to the marina and the small beach town beyond. “Okay, but don’t leave me,” she said softly as she placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
    He did not answer until they were on the dock and he had threaded their fingers together. “Not a chance,” he said, holding up their intertwined hands. “I love you, gypsy, and we’re going to have a wonderful day. Now, what would you like to do first?”
    Emerald looked down at his clothes then at all the other humans in sight. Her mate stuck out like a peacock on a turkey farm. Knowing the two boys who had assaulted her were no longer living in town, thanks to Nick doing some investigative work on the Internet, and that he would be by her side the entire time, Emerald’s fear slowly dissipated.
    With the first genuine smile she had shown since agreeing to this trip, she patted her mate’s chest. “First stop is to buy some beach-appropriate clothing for my overdressed mate. And maybe some souvenirs for your friends back in New York. Then lunch and maybe we can find a hiding place to make out,” she whispered with a wink.
    Nick looked surprised at her itinerary, but grinned in response. “Feeling better?”
    She nodded as they followed Goldie and Caleb up the dock and onto dry land.
    After buying Nick shorts, T-shirts, and sandals at a beachwear store, they walked through the rest of town until they came to a restaurant with a covered outdoor seating area. Though she had been scared spitless before leaving Pyrate Island, Emerald found herself relaxing and actually enjoying herself.
    After lunching on fried seafood, fries, and creamy coleslaw, Goldie and Caleb left them alone after they decided to meet back at the boat several hours later for the trip back to the island.
    “Doing okay?” he asked with a smile as he finished his tall iced tea.
    “Just fine. How are you?” she asked, unable to wipe the grin that she had worn since leaving the dock.
    Her spirit was lighter than it had been in years, and she was kicking herself for hibernating on Pyrate Island. All it had taken was finding her mate to fill her with a bravery she had never felt before.
    “Want to walk around some more? Or go back and sunbathe on the boat while we wait for Goldie and Caleb?”
    “Can we just sit here for a few more minutes before we go anywhere? I’m having fun just sitting here and people watching,” Emerald answered, her gaze drawn to several small children who were playing chase around their mother.
    Children were one of the things she missed most about visiting the mainland. Except for an occasional child born to one of the pack members, she had forgotten what small humans were all about. Chase and giggles without thought to the dark side of light.
    “Will you be okay if I hit the men’s room?” Nick said as he pushed from his seat.
    “Sure, no problem,” she replied. A pair of seagulls on the sidewalk begging for a handout distracted her.
    She did not realize she was alone until two men surrounded her. The alcohol breath that filled the air around her told her that they were more than a little drunk.
    “Hey,