Page 54 of The Sea Witch's Son

The guilt-ridden words slip past my lips just as Marlin blows me a kiss from atop the block.

Calista claps in delight, “Now,thisis going to be fun.”

My nails dig into the bleachers as the swimmers take their marks. Anger and unwanted lust ripple through my body as I watch Marlin dive into the water.

Unlike the other races, he doesn’t start off slow. He takes the lead the moment his body hits the water and gains distance with every turn. There’s half a length between him and Finley by the time he hits the final wall.

A stunned silence falls among the spectators as we stare at the man who destroyed an event that wasn’t his to compete in.

“That might have been a new school record.” Tahira squints at the board, “Or close to it.”

Calista throws her head back and cackles, “It seems as though your prince has been slain, Melody.”

I clench my jaw hard enough to break molars. Finley finally finishes the race, coming in second for the heat, but miles away from Marlin’s time.

I glare at him, burning a hole through that infuriating face and that devastating body. The white hair is slicked back from his face, those violet eyes scanning the crowd until they find mine.

Marlin stares at me from his throne, taunting me from across the arena. It’s all a game to him, the power plays, the notes he leaves in my bedroom, the sensual marks he puts on my body.

It’s all a game and I am nothing but a pawn.

Stuck in a game I don’t want to play.

Chapter 19

MARLIN

There’s a surprise waiting for me outside the men’s changeroom.

“I’m so sorry.” Melody’s big blue eyes look remorseful as she toys with the end of her blouse. It’s a little conservative for my taste, but she wears it well.

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“No. It was my fault. If I had known he would take it out on you...”

Finley raises a hand, “Marlin is a loose cannon. Nobody knows what he’s going to do.”

My smile is lost to the shadows. Such high praise from such a dismal competitor.

Melody shakes her head, looking deliciously aggravated, “That doesn’t make it right.”

“There’s not much that is right about Seaborn.” Finley sighs, “It doesn’t matter. I was happy with most of my races today. It just didn’t end on the high note I was hoping for.”

And she calls me a stray? This man is on his knees, begging for scraps from the dinner table.

Pathetic.

Like the dutiful owner she is, Melody offers her pup a morsel of affection.

“You did amazing, Finley. I loved watching you race.”

She gives him a sweet smile that has a prick of irritation going through me.

“You think?”

“I know. I was watching the entire time.”

Finley beams as if the sun was suddenly declared in need of a backup.

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