Read Castle in the Sand for Free Online Page A

voice, echoing, but she
hadn't spoken aloud. Her eyes flew open and the water stung them.
Her hands flew up to wipe them and her elbow knocked the bottle of
shampoo over. It fell and splattered on the shower floor. The scent
of berries stung her nose. Nausea filled her throat.
     
    The smell. It wasn't right either. It should
be citrus, not berries.
     
    Claire opened her mouth to cry out and the
water filled it. Choked her. She gasped and the water entered her
lungs. She tried to cough, but couldn't breathe.
     
    Strong hands pulled her from the shower. She
spat and spat again to clear the water and the smell of berries
from her lungs. Malcolm wrapped her in a towel and held her close
as she shivered and shuddered. He cradled her on the bathroom
floor. His hands smoothed away the tangled hair from her face, and
he whispered soothing words until her body ceased its
twitching.
     
    "Claire, look at me."
     
    She did. It was as though a film of plastic
wrap had been laid over her. She could see. She could hear. She
could even smell. But there seemed to be a barrier between her and
all of that. A wall she couldn't see.
     
    "Claire!"
     
    Malcolm's voice came from far away. Claire's
teeth chattered hard enough to bring blood to her tongue. It was
bitter. It tasted like darkness.
     
    And then darkness was all she saw.
     
    * * * *
     
    "Wow, what a glorious day!" Claire stretched
and peered out the window to the glimpse of beach and ocean. "The
sun is shining. The sky is blue. Looks like there are some nice
waves out there today."
     
    Malcolm scrubbed his face with his hands and
tugged at the hem of her T-shirt until she left the window and lay
back down beside him. "It's too early to be talking about riding
waves."
     
    "It's too airrrly to be talking aboot riding
waves," she teased and snuggled closer. "Say it again."
     
    "Early."
     
    She giggled and ran her hand down his chest
to his belly. "I'll never get tired of hearing you talk."
     
    "No?" He tilted his head to look at her. "Are
you sure about that?"
     
    Her brow wrinkled. "Why? Do you want me to be
tired of you?"
     
    "No. No," he repeated and kissed the top of
her head. "I don't want that."
     
    Claire toyed with the drawstring of his
pants. "Is it too 'airly' for riding something else?"
     
    At her suggestion, she felt his penis
twitch.
     
    "Ah, no. I don't think so."
     
    "I love you." Claire sat up and looked at him
seriously. "I know you don't like to hear it, but I had to say
it."
     
    Malcolm's eyes looked as blue as the sky
outside. He bit his lip and took her hands. "Don't think that. I
want to hear you say it. Every day."
     
    "Since when?" Claire sat back and pretended
to scoff, but his admission sent a thrill of pleasure through
her.
     
    "It doesn't matter since when," he said so
seriously her smile faded. "It only matters that I do now."
     
    "All right." She hesitated. "I love you."
     
    "I love you, too, Claire. You don't even know
how much."
     
    That was a bit too much for her, and she
moved back from him so far she almost fell off the bed. "Okay, who
abducted you and replaced your brain with someone else's?"
     
    "No one."
     
    "You're serious."
     
    "You act like you're not happy to hear it."
Malcolm sat up against the headboard. His sand-brown hair stuck up
in wild spikes all over his head, and Claire restrained herself
from reaching out to smooth it.
     
    Instead, she put her hands in her lap. "I'm
just a little surprised to hear it, that's all. I mean, c'mon. We
both know you--"
     
    "That I know nothing," he interrupted firmly.
"Whatever happened before...I was a fool. An idiot. A
clabber-head."
     
    "Clabber-head?" That earned a chuckle. "I
don't know if I'd go that far."
     
    "I love you, Claire." He leaned forward to
kiss her breathless.
     
    When she could breathe, she said, "I love
you, too, Malcolm."
     
    "You said my name." He closed his eyes as
though he were all at once thoroughly relieved of a great pain.
"God, it's good to