Page 26 of The Sea Witch's Son

A crack of thunder is the only warning I get before the sky opens up and rain pours down. I duck my head and quicken my pace, feeling the thin sleeves of my blouse dampen with every step.

By the time I make it to campus, I look like a drowned rat. My hair is glued to my neck and my clothes are plastered against my shivering body. There isn’t a dry spot on me and with every squelch my shoes make, I send another curse up to the sky.

Slipping inside the closest door, I find myself in a new section of the college. Stone walls branch off into a sports performanceroom and what looks to be a spectator arena. There’s a few meeting rooms lining the foyer, but otherwise the large glass divider serves as an aquarium for the guys lifting weights on the other side.

Gus and a group of bodybuilders take up the back corner of the gym while a few stragglers look miserable on the cardio machines. I keep my head ducked low as I walk past, trying to avoid unnecessary contact with the muscle daddy before class.

The guy is built like a tank. Layers of muscle upon muscle with the skin tone that boasts an interracial lineage.

The sound of approaching laughter has me making a quick detour into the opposite door. A blast of humidity hits me along with the unmistakable tang of chlorine.

I blink, looking over the railing and down at the pool below. Sleek, strong bodies cut through the water, going round in laps while the rest of the men’s swim team stands off to the side, wearing nothing but the tiniest of swimsuits.

“Impressive athletes, aren’t they?”

I snap my head to the left and find a pair of stiletto boots propped up on a nearby bench. Calista looks at me with an unnerving smile, her teeth bright against the dark colour of her lipstick.

“Though I suppose you’re only here for one of them.”

Her eyes flick down my body, taking in the soaked state of my shirt. I shift uncomfortably, feeling her eyes linger on my exposed nipples.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you?” A smirk teases her lips, “Marlin will be so disappointed to hear that.”

“You’re friends with Marlin?”

“Friends is a very specific word. Old acquaintances might be more accurate.”

Her eyes flick back down my chest and I quickly cross my arms. She gives me a coy smile before looking out over the water.

“I knew Marlin back before he became… well,that.”

I follow her gaze and suck in a breath.

Glistening skin ripples as Marlin pulls himself out of the pool. Water divots drip down the landscape of muscle, the striations in his shoulders visible under the beaming lights overhead. The width of his shoulders taper off into a lean waist and legs that flex with just as much muscle.

I mutter a curse when he turns around. The front looks just as good as the back.

Calista sighs, “It’s such a shame about the hair.”

“You don’t like his hair?”

“It’s sopale.” She shudders, casting a glance at me, “The darker, the better is what I always say.”

Her nails scrape the base of my back, toying with the wet strands. I stiffen and quickly step to the side.

“So, you and Marlin never…”

“Fucked?” She licks her lips, those green eyes locked on mine, “We both have different tastes when it comes to the bedroom. He likes to be in control and I… well, I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise, now would I?”

I blink, unsure how this turned from a friendly conversation into a seduction.

“I’m not into girls.”

“I didn’t ask if you were.”

Calista leans back with a smirk, letting the flaps of her leather jacket fall loose against her chest. My eyes drop down, studying the bare skin beneath her jacket.

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