Page 49 of Sink With Me

“When you get approval from Tide and we’re not sneaking around.” I level with him. Last night we made progress. I’m not ready to admit what that progress was, but I know it was a turning point for us. If the marks on my body aren’t proof enough, then the mark on my heart is.

Oh God, it’s official. I’ve lost my mind.

“I agree with the shark.” Jasmine nods, straightening her shirt. I have to admit, I like this side of her. She looks like she belongs, plus hearing her agree with me is satisfying despite how tense she seems when I talk to her. She looks like she’s holding back what she wants to say, but I won’t push, especially when I’m so close to liking her.

“Sharkie.” I correct her with a smile on my face.

“No. You're a Shark. Sharkie is too innocent.”

She smiles, but I can’t even focus on the movement when I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand. It’s like my body has always been hard-wired to feel his eyes on me.

“Moe.” I whisper but pause when he seems to get the same feeling. I have to bite my lip to fight back a laugh when he mouths, ‘Shit’.

“For one, watch your mouth. More importantly, run.” I whisper through a stifled laugh. I’m not letting him get in trouble for something I did. It’s beyond time for him to be in his room, and I don’t think he ran the idea past Caspian as he said he would.

I’ll admit, the little dude is fast. One second, he’s standing looking shocked the next I hear him grunting and his body collapsing on the gravel. I work on fixing my hair as I turn to see Caspian standing like the Greek god he is.

“Busted.” Jasmine whispers. Caspian crouches in front of Moe, but his eyes don’t stray from mine.

“You better be up and out here first thing in the morning. I want to see what you learned.” He flicks his eyes back to an eagerly nodding Moe and I can’t help but feel a sense of pride. I understand the want to keep him sheltered—even though most kids his age in our factions have already seen what really lies in our hidden world—but a little change of tactics wouldn’t hurt, with the life we live, I don’t know when this war will be over or solved, but I like the idea of him being able to protect himself. Even if it's against me. Correction: especially against me.

Moe stumbles to stand and straightens his clothes before nodding at Tide whose eyes are narrowed at Jasmine by the time I get a glimpse at him. I shouldn’t care, right? I mean, it was me in his bed last night. It was my name he was moaning. It makes me wonder, was he looking for me or her? Oh my god, stop Cordelia, it doesn’t matter.

“Go check on the recruits in the towers.” Tide tilts his head towards the area at the corner of the area where a large arch opening showing concrete steps that I'm assuming leads to the top, dismissing Jasmine.

“See you tomorrow, shark.” She mutters as she turns on her heel with her shoulders pinned back. It’d be so much easier to be mad if she acted the way she did when I first got here.

He doesn’t even give me a chance to dwell on it as he stalks in my direction. Instinctually I step back, keeping a distance, but he just cocks his head at the motion with a shit-eating grin on his lips. It feels like a predator stalking prey. The only difference is that I'm the one who is on the top of the food chain whether he wants to admit it or not. He unbuttons his shirt with each step and pulls it over his head, the moon casting shadows under each perfectly sculpted muscle, making the tattoos that like his arm shimmer in the moonlight.

“So, you’re training my soldiers behind my back?” He questions with a dangerous undertone in his voice. I shake my head. I’m not going to rat out Moe for the miscommunication, but I’m also not about to argue with the devil in front of me.

“That’s what it looked like, siren. You know how I feel about you lying to me.”

The tips of his boots connect with mine, forcing my head to crane up just to see him properly.

“They need an actual teacher. Your training sucks.” Thank God I found my voice because he lets out one of those laughs that tilts his head back and melts my entire being. I go to smile, but my breath is knocked out of my lungs as I’m flung onto my back. It takes a moment for my vision to clear to notice him standing above me, his cargos hanging low on his waist, giving me a glimpse of his boxers below and the v muscles peeking out.

“Asshole.” I mumble with a cocky grin. Wrapping my foot around his ankle I draw his attention to the movement. Before he can speak he tumbles to the ground beside me. I use the leverage of my leg wrapped around his to climb on top of his body.

I could get used to this.

I could kill him.

My head throbs. Not from the constant sparring but because each original thought I try to have is knocked out of the way with thoughts that aren’t mine threatening to assert their dominance. Karma has said it before and even Tides made the comment, hell I've joked about the fact—but I never realized how screwy my brain is until now.

I can feel every rigid muscle below me as I straddle his lap, fully expecting him to fight more, to fling me off and give me a fair spar but he just smiles tracing the length of my torso until his hand wraps around my throat, his thumb tracing a lazy line. For a moment all thoughts in my head stop, the small pressure he applies grounds me to the salt scent carrying in the breeze and the calm crash of waves behind the wall.

“Maybe you could start training my team during the day if you’d like.” He whispers the words like he’s almost too scared to say them. I honestly don’t know how to answer. I know how I feel, I think, but am I ready to fight against everything my parents worked for? Would I be willing to do it for him? It just puts me in the position of feeling like I’m being pulled beneath the waves. He seems to feel the tension in my body, causing his hand to squeeze my flesh enough I gasp.

“Just think about it.”

He gives that boyish smile that could have any girl feeling like they were back in high school with their first crush. I slap his chest and climb off of him. I can’t stand him and his stupid mind games.

Using the back of my arm, I wipe the sweat beading on my head. The air feels too humid. Even though I like feeling such a powerful man below me, I’m too hot. Caspian stands too, but doesn’t make a move to pick up his shirt. I wish he would. I’d be able to think a little clearer. Instead, he walks through the opening I ran through the other day.

“Where are you going?”

Keeping his steady steps, he ignores me, so I take off at a fast stride to keep up with him. Slowly, his boots are kicked off. The crash of the waves pulling the sand into the ocean gets louder the further out we tread. I know the turning in my stomach is telling me to turn back and go into the place that feels safe even though it shouldn’t, but he’s so calm, almost looking relaxed as his belt falls into the earth with his pants following the motion.

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