“Meena?” Dad’s voice brought me back to reality and I winced. He sounded nervous.
“I swear, I didn’t do anything wrong.” Technically, I shouldn’t have swum after my hat, but that wasn’t a big deal.
“I know.” Dad closed the shed and slipped the lock in place. “We named Flukes after you. It’s not that long of a shot, you know? And really, it fits. I think it would work.”
“But we try so hard to not let anyone find out.” I sat down on a large rock next to the path.
“Sometimes the best hiding place is right in the open.” Dad leaned against the shed and looked at me. “If you’re flaunting it in their face, they won’t think there’s any way it could be real.”
“Seems risky.”
“Meena, it’s all risky. All of it. The only way to be safe would be to pick up and move somewhere where you wouldn’t have any friends.” Dad frowned. “We thought about it. For years. But you would have been miserable.”
“So would you guys. You and Mom love this place as much as I do.” I smiled at him.
“We would have given it all up if it would’ve been the best thing for you.”
“I know, Dad.” It was time to change the subject before either of us got too mushy. “So, what’s the deal with the crew this year?”
“Yeah, I was going to talk to you about that.” Dad rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t want you to spend much time around the workers. Some of them are a bit rougher than usual.”
“What about Blake? You told me to work with him.” My voice was a little rushed and I hoped I didn’t sound worried. Or anxious. Crap.
“Blake’s a good apple. I’m not worried about him.”
“He put some kid in the hospital.” I stood up and brushed the sand off my shorts.
“I’m betting he had a reason for what he did.” Dad narrowed his eyes at me. “Not that I think that excuses him. He deserves his punishment.”
“Then why send him to work with me?” I wanted to hear the truth for myself.
“I knew he would come up with something that worked for our place.” Dad always trusted his gut. And it was usually right. “Plus, I thought he would make sure no one gave you a hard time. I saw him with Devin the other day.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks as I remembered Blake standing up for me. I didn’t want him to think I was helpless, but it had been something to see him ready to defend me. Dad just looked at me, a small smile pulling at his mouth, and I tried to wipe any expression from my face.
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Crossing my arms, I decided to go on the offensive. All the better to keep him from thinking anything scary about me and Blake. “I certainly don’t need a hoodlum to take care of me.”
“He was brought up around business and has an eye for design. His dad was the first one to fund Flukes, you know.” I hadn’t known that. It seemed like a weird circle to have his son working here now. “Blake’s been around boardrooms his whole life. Even if he doesn’t realize it, he’s picked up a lot of the trade. You understand the sanctuary and love the animals. It’s a good pairing for the project.” Dad stretched his arms above his head and groaned. “Go swim. I know you’re dying to get out there and this old man is ready to relax for a little while.”
“‘Kay.” I walked backward toward the beach, keeping my eyes on Dad. “But we’re not done talking about the babysitter issue.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go, already.” He turned away but his voice drifted to my ears. “Stay close tonight, though. Someone saw a shark earlier.”
“Save me some dinner!” I ran for the beach, my skin ready for the water, and I kicked off my shoes and pulled my shirt off. Kicking my shorts to the side, I waded out as far as I could before diving in. I slipped my bathing suit bottom off and wrapped it around my wrist like a bracelet. My left hand tingled during the change, so I shook it in confusion, but there was nothing on it. I must be even more tired than I thought.
The water was refreshing and I enjoyed the warm breeze that hit the top of my wet head as I floated. The moon was bright, casting sharp shadows under the clear water. This was my little slice of heaven. It was the only time I was completely myself. Not that I wasn’t myself when wearing legs, just that this was my most comfortable form.
After a while, I let Mitch out and we swam around the area. We checked for shells and sea glass—a hobby of mine. I loved making jewelry out of the pieces I found. Something bright flashed in the moonlight, and as I dug it out of the sand, I almost missed Mitch’s excited twitters. She shoved at me with her nose, herding me toward a small reef. She was a pushy dolphin all the time, but this was different. She was worried and agitated. Thinking that maybe there was a shark in the area, I heeded her warnings and hid as best I could.
What came into view a couple of heartbeats later made my stomach clench and I gasped, releasing a flood of bubbles. Mitch stayed low in the water, circling just out of sight of the mermaids that swam nearby.
No, that was wrong. It was a mermaid and a merman. The mermaid was gorgeous, everything that a mermaid should be. Her blue hair floated around her head as they swam, and her pale blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight. They slowed and looked around the area, the merman signaling something. His blond hair was on the longish side, and he had a face that would make Violet swoon. It wasn’t that I didn’t think he was attractive, but it wasn’t sexual. I realized that it felt like I was looking at someone I might know.
Shock ran through my system and even if I had wanted to do or say something, I wouldn’t have been able to. I’d never seen another mer before, was it possible that they would all look familiar to me?
Chapter Seven
- Blake -
Stupid, stupid, stupid. I am not a stalker. As soon as I had pulled the wheelbarrow under the awning of one of the buildings I went back to the shed to get my helmet. Only it was locked. I could have gone up to the house and asked Ben to unlock it, but I had heard Meena making tracks down the path. Now, here I was creeping along in the dark, looking for some girl. No. Not some girl. Meena. I should have asked Ben, but part of me demanded to see Meena again. Just one more time.
It was the stupidest thing, but it didn’t change my response to the feeling. I would see her tomorrow. It was only a few hours away, but I still wanted to see her now. I hurried down the path to the beach, sure that was where she would have gone. Rounding the corner, I was just in time to see her pull her shirt off, exposing her smooth skin to the moonlight. When she pulled her shorts down, the blood drained from my head. I stepped behind the nearest tree and watched as she dove into the water. She finally surfaced and wrapped something around her wrist before ducking back under the water.
I waited for a while, scanning the water to see when she came back up for air. After a minute or so, I stepped out from behind the tree and looked around. Had I missed her coming up? With each second that passed my worry grew. I walked up to the edge of the water and looked out.
There in the distance, I saw something floating in the moonlight. At first I thought it was an animal, the way the silver light glinted off something bright, but then it moved and I realized it was Meena. I don’t know how she had gotten so far out without me seeing her, but her head and shoulders floated just above the water. It was definitely her.
I stood there, watching her, my mind going over my options. I could go ask Ben for the keys or I could wait for Meena to come back. My eyes shifted back to the path and I contemplated going to wait by the toolshed. She would have to walk right past me to go home. She was gone when I looked back at the water and that made up my mind. Walking back to where her clothes lay, I sat down and waited. Eventually, I leaned back against the palm tree and looked up at the stars. I could understand why she liked to come out here after a long day of working.
It felt like forever before I heard the splashing that announced she was back. I sat forward and smiled when I heard her make a shocked choking sound. I picked up her shorts and held them up for her to see.
“You forgot a towel!” I didn’t get up. I wanted to watch her walk out of the water.
She sputtered some and thrashed around a bit more. I stood up, worried that she had managed to get attacked by a shark in three feet of water.
“Are you okay?” I started to walk down the beach. I didn’t want to be the asshole that sat under a palm tree while some girl was eaten alive in front of him.
“Stay where you are! I’m fine!” Meena’s voice was sharp and breathless.
“What’s wrong?” I froze in place, still worried she might need help.
“Nothing. I have to put my bottoms back on.”
My brain fritzed for a minute before my mouth tugged up in a grin. “Need some help?”
“No!” She pushed the wet hair out of her eyes and glared at me.
“Were you skinny-dipping? It’s a lot more fun when you have someone else with you.” Please ask me to go, please.
“Yeah, I bet you’d know.” Her voice drifted to my ears and made my smile grow even more.
“What was that?” I took a couple of steps forward, a laugh bubbling in my chest. “You want me to come help?”
“Nothing! No! I don’t need any help, thank you very much.” She stood up in the water and I felt my blood pressure rise. “I was not skinny-dipping. I just had sand in my bathing suit.”
She stomped angrily up the beach before coming to stand in front of me. Her teal eyes glowed in the moonlight as she glared holes in my chest and yanked her shorts out of my hand, before pulling them up over her long legs. Pushing the wet hair out of her face she stood back up but didn’t move away. My left hand tingled and I fought the urge to pull her against my chest.
“Are you a creeper?”
Her words pulled me out of my thoughts and I blinked my eyes. “What?”
“Are you a creeper? Following me around?” She put her hands on her hips and I fought the urge to smile. “I can have your job detail cancelled, you know.”
“You wouldn’t do that.” I reached out and brushed some of the hair from her cheek and watched her eyes grow bigger. She was going to call me a creeper? Well, I was staring at her like a boy that just had his first wet dream. I loved her spitfire attitude, but it was time to give her some of her own medicine.
“Why not?” Even in the dark I could see the blush spreading out under my fingers.
“Because you like having me around.” I shifted closer and heard her breathing pick up.
“What makes you think that? You’re a jerk. No one likes a jerk.”
“Because you watch me when you don’t think I notice.” Yep, she was blushing. When she bit her lip it made my body parts down south jump.
“I do not.” Her voice was a little less sure and I knew I was right.
“And because…” I leaned closer to her.
“Because why?” Her head tilted up, her mouth opening slightly in invitation. The smell of the ocean on her skin was intoxicating. Damn it if I didn’t want to taste her.
“You wouldn’t want me to have to do time just because I was waiting for you to unlock the shed so I could get my helmet.” Her eyes snapped up from my mouth and she glared at me. “I could have driven home without it, but if I died, you never would have forgiven yourself. And I didn’t want to burden you like that.”
“You could’ve just said that.” She jerked away from me and grabbed her shirt out of the sand. She pulled it on before digging in her pocket to find her keys. She slipped her feet back into her flip-flops after brushing the sand off and marched back up the trail. I didn’t mind following her angry footsteps. It gave me a great view of her ass.
“It was a lot more fun my way.” She grunted and I smiled some more. She might not want to admit it, but she had been just as excited as I was.
She undid the lock and opened the shed. I leaned in over her shoulder so that she was trapped between me and the door while she grabbed my helmet from the shelf. I shifted closer and moved my mouth down to her ear. This close, I had to fight my desire to bury my face in all that gorgeous brown hair.
“Good night, Meena.” She shivered against me and my hand clenched on the strap of my helmet. I wanted to touch her so badly but knowing her, she’d try to kick me in the nuts.
She turned her face and raised an eyebrow. From my vantage point, I could see all the bright blues and greens in her eyes. It was like staring into the Caribbean waters. Her eyes darted down to my mouth and she licked her lips quickly. She leaned closer and I felt my heartbeat pick up. Maybe she wouldn’t have kicked me in the balls if I touched her. Just as I was about to pull her against me, she moved the door just enough that the hinge pinched my finger.
“Shit!” I stuck my right pointer finger in my mouth. “You did that on purpose!” I stepped back and she closed the door and redid the lock.
“Good night, Blake.” She laughed as she sauntered away. And damn it, I still stared, even though I was seriously considering tackling her and finishing what she had started. Okay, I started it, but I still wanted to finish it. She looked over her shoulder once and I could see that she was laughing. She knew exactly what she had done and thought it was funny.
As I mounted my motorcycle and headed for home, I couldn’t help but laugh. I had never looked forward to a day of work like I looked forward to tomorrow. Unfortunately, my good humor didn’t last very long. When I pulled up to the house, the first thing I saw was Dad’s car out front.
“Fuck.” I parked my bike next to the garage and pulled my helmet off. He stayed at one of the resorts most of the time, but it looked like he had company, which meant he needed to impress them with a family home.
I went through the back of the house, hoping to avoid any confrontations. We had never really gotten along, but things had been much worse since the whole shit-storm at school.
Vincent was standing in the doorway to the kitchen and motioned for me to go in. He was wearing slacks, which wasn’t all that unusual for him, but the button-up shirt and bland tie meant Dad expected us to make an appearance. I groaned, but my brother made hushing motions and I rolled my eyes. I hated this part of being in the family. Yeah, we had money. Loads of money, but we spent so much time pretending to be the ideal family to people on the outside it was a joke.
“Investors.” Vince made a motion like he was going to shoot himself.
“What are we in for?” I set the helmet down and dodged one of the cooks.