Page 67 of Make Out With A Merman

"Ah. Of course." My smile fades, but my voice stays light. "You realize it would make a terrible love story."

"Two idiots saving each other from rogue pool floats? Bestseller material, I tell you."

We both chuckle, but the heaviness returns too soon.

She steps closer, her free hand coming up to brush my hair back. "But really, though. There's something about you, you know?"

"Aside from the tail and scales?"

"Aside from that, yes." She grins. "I think it's the fact that you take everything so seriously, but you crumble when a bunch of kids tug you into a glitter fight."

I wince at the memory of Hazel's latest victory. "I'm beginning to think she spends her nights studying strategies to ensure I'm perpetually covered in sparkles."

"Smart girl. Keeps you humble."

"Keeps meannoyed."

Callie shakes her head, her expression softening. "But that's the thing. You'rehere. In the mess. In the chaos. You're not just some aloof merman who saved a bunch of kids. You'reRyder. My Ryder."

I swallow hard. "I don't belong here."

She goes still. "What?"

"In the human world. I don't belong here. But... I belong with you."

Her eyes water, but she keeps them on mine. "You know, they say home is where the heart is."

"You think I'm cheesy enough to believe that?"

She laughs. "I think you're sentimental enough, yes."

I pull her to me, wrapping my arms around her waist, and she feels small and strong and perfect in every way. Her lips find mine, and suddenly the world is just us her scent, the warmth of her skin, the sparks that always ignite between us, no matter how much we argue or clash or pretend we don't care.

I brush a strand of hair from her face and see her smile again before claiming her lips once more.

I kiss her again, and again, until both of us are breathless, our hands exploring, our bodies drawn to each other like sirens to the shore. The lanterns sway above us, flickering like the beating of our hearts, as we lie against the platform and let the night cover us like a promise.

The lake remains still, but our world explodes in color. It's not the same as the others, but it's ours. And for now, we keep it that way slow, sweet, and tangled in each other until we're not sure where one of us ends and the other begins.

Even thinking about doing this feels precarious. Callie and I are alone, but notthatalone. Anyone could walk by, curfew or no.

Still, she has a way of making the unimaginable inevitable.

"Ryder?" she whispers, her fingers tracing the line of my scales down to where they fade into human skin, "are you nervous?"

"I'm always nervous when I'm with you," I say, voice low, and she half rolls her eyes.

"Really? Have you been scared of me this whole time?"

"No,” I say, kissing her softly, "but you make me want to break every rule I ever set for myself."

“Well.” Her lips curl into a dangerous grin. “I can live with that.”

She tugs at the hem of my shirt, and I let her pull it off me, her hands immediately finding my chest.

She traces the line of my scales with her fingers again, tactile and curious, and presses kisses to them, making me shiver.

“God, I want to do terrible things to you.”

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