Page 36 of Riding the Tide

Marcus still thought that giggle sounded a little on the hysterical side, but Blair seemed to be calming down. His breathing evened out, and his heart didn’t pound quite as fiercely anymore. Not sure what else to do, Marcus trilled softly, the sound low and soothing.

Almost immediately Blair relaxed in his arms. The pod of dolphins moved back, giving them privacy. He held Blair, neither of them speaking as they floated in the water. He closed his eyes, content for the first time since Blair disappeared.

“I’m sorry,” Blair whispered against Marcus’ shoulder. “I am so, so sorry.”

Marcus sighed deeply. The anguish in Blair’s voice batted at him. That soft, trembling voice shredded him. He let his anger go as the waves carried it away. “I need to know why, Blair. When you didn’t show that night… That really hurt.”

“Oh God, I’m so sorry.” Finally, Blair leaned back and looked at Marcus. “I’m an idiot. Truly. When I replayed the events in my head and look at them now, I can see clearly how I worked myself into a panic. And I can also see how stupid I was.”

“Just tell me why you ran.”

“I don’t know where to begin. I… all these thoughts suddenly hit me… like what if you forced me to change? What if this was some sort of scheme to get my money? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend my life underwater. I mean, it’s underwater. What do I know about beingunderwater? I know nothing about how the change happens either or how to be a mate to you, and—”

“Wait.” Marcus couldn’t believe his ears. “Mate? Why did you say mate? Where did you get that idea from? I never once said…” Suddenly a lot of things he hadn’t understood made sense. “Shit.”

“No,youdidn’t tell me I was your mate.”

“Dammit!” Marcus wanted to beat his head against the boat bobbing up and down next to them. No wonder Blair ran. In his place Marcus might’ve done the same thing. “Who told you?”

“Brett did, but he didn’t realize I didn’t know.”

“What?” Forget beating his head against the boat. He was going to beat Brett’s. “When the hell did you talk to Brett?”

“The morning after you saved me. The day we were supposed to have the date. I was eating a late breakfast and suddenly Brett was at my table. He asked if I’d take a walk with him. He wanted to talk to me about certain things. While we were walking, he was telling me some… information, I guess you could say, and he let it slip.”

“Son of a bitch.” Actually, now that he thought about it, beating Brett’s head against the boat wasn’t enough.

“I was overwhelmed, and I panicked. It was only after I got to New York I realized what I’d done. Also realized not once—not since I laid eyes on you—had you done anything to threaten me.” Blair laid his head back on Marcus’ shoulder. “And now you’ve, yet again, saved my dumb ass. God, Marcus, I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”

“I wish, I really wish, you would’ve spoken to me before you ran.” He squeezed Blair lightly when it looked as if Blair was going to speak again. “But I can see why you didn’t. I’m assuming Brett told you what he is.”

“Yes. And that he’s mated to a mermaid named Brooke. She’s Nisha’s sister, and Nisha’s mated to someone named Kannon who happens to be Brett’s best friend. Needless to say, I was feeling a bit outnumbered.”

“I would imagine so.”

“Plus, I’m guessing Brett has a lot of money since he owns the resort. I started imagining all these wild schemes—that looking back on now seems ridiculous—and well, I ran.”

“This is the second time you mention money. Just curious, exactly how much do you have?” Marcus asked.

“The last time I checked it was around five million.”

“Ah. I see.”

“You, um, don’t seem overly impressed.”

“I’m not really sure how much that is, but from the way you’re looking at me I’m going to assume it’s quite a bit.” Marcus shrugged. “I don’t really understand the human’s paper money system, but I don’t need much to sustain me. So, no, money isn’t a driving factor in my life.”

“Wow. Just wow. I think I’ve been looking for someone like you for the better part ofmylife. And when I found you, what’s the first thing I did? I ran.” Blair shook his head. “I… I needed time to think.”

“I can understand that.”

“Here’s what I find funny, though. Brett tells me you’re my mate, but not once during this conversation have you confirmed it.”

Leave it to Blair to cut straight to the heart of the matter. “You are my mate, yes. We’re able to tell by scent, and yours appealed to me.” Then Marcus frowned. “Actually, that’s not an accurate description. The scent wrapped around me, grabbed me by the balls, and demanded my attention. I couldn’t very well refuse, now could I?”

“Let me understand this. A scent tells you if you’ve found your mate?”

“Yes. It smells like the best thing ever. It also tells us that person is compatible with us, too. And yes, I’ll answer the next question before you ask it. Just because we’re compatible doesn’t mean our relationship will be perfect. Compatibility means exactly what it says—and applies to not only a sexual relationship but also a social relationship.”

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