Page 69 of Sworn to My Heart
He approaches me, and I feel like my heart is about to burst in my chest, wanting to scream and run with him into the calling waters.
“I tried to send you back to your world because I thought I couldn’t be the one to conquer it for you. But I can’t breathe even a minute without you. I can’t cast you out of my world, even if I try with all my might. You’re my weakness and my strength,” he says, and my heart aches with every word.
“And now, I understand you and your secret, I know I’m not ready to give you up. And if we need to merge our two worlds to succeed, that’s what we’ll do,” he finishes, wiping away a small tear that escaped down my cheek without me even noticing. He wants to prove to me that I can trust him now.
He lifts his hand in front of my face, revealing the villa keys, and places them in my hand. I jump on him in an excited hug, and he grabs my face, kissing me with passion—not with his usual aggression, but with a deep kiss filled with the emotional release of what we’ve been through, proving to me what I already knew: I love this man in such a dangerous and frightening way. A few more tears escape down my face as he breaks the kiss and looks at me, while Graham approaches us from the villa.
“Can you stop crying? I know you control water, but the amount of tears you’ve shed lately is just ridiculous,” he whispers, so Graham won’t hear, and wipes my tears with a smirk, setting me back on the sand.
“You’re lucky Graham is behind us, or I’d strip you right here on the sand,” he whispers closer to my ear now, and I glance at him slyly.
“Since when does that bother you?” I ask teasingly, starting to slide one of the thin dress straps down my shoulder provocatively.
He grits his teeth in response and quickly pulls the strap back up with all his self-control.
“No - man - other - than - me - can- see - you - naked! Do I need to repeat that?” he say each word slowly and clearly.
Instead of getting upset again, I understand that his jealousy and possessiveness might feel like a prison to other women, but to me, he is freedom.
I kiss his lips gently and whisper close to his mouth, “Thank you, Luca. I love you.”
“I know,” he replies with a smile, but his thoughts suddenly seem to drift far away.
A slight twinge of disappointment creeps into my chest, but I don’t let myself lose the joy of this moment in this place. I turn back to look at the water, knowing exactly what I need to do now.
“Luca, are you ready for a surprise from me now?” He looks at me with that soft gaze, the one only I can draw from him, trying to understand what I mean.
I grab his shirt and try to pull it up, but he’s too tall, and I get stuck, waiting for him to help me.
“Alin, we have plenty of time together to do this. I didn’t know I was dating a nymphomaniac,” he teases again, holding my chin to make me look at him and planting a quick kiss on my lips while my hands still grip his shirt.
I lightly slap his exposed, muscular chest.
“Trust me,” I teasingly smile at him, and he obeys, starting to undress.
I undress alongside him, and he quickly warns Graham to turn around. I roll my eyes in response.
“You need to stop rolling your eyes at me, or punishments will start coming accordingly,” he growls, but I see the passion in his eyes.
“Now I’m even more tempted to keep doing it. No one messes with a mermaid,” I tease him with a wink and pull his hand, moving together with him until our feet are next to the waves.
“It’s time I show you part of my world,” I declare with a smile, and he doesn’t understand.
“You want me to dive with you? Last I checked, I don’t have a tail or gills.” I laugh at his surprised reaction.
“How do you think sirens take sailors to the ocean floor while they are still alive?” He still looks puzzled.
“You’re asking me as if I grew up on fairy tales. I grew up with a gun in my hand, not books... “ he chuckles, waiting for an explanation.
“Trust me,” I request, running into the waves, diving headfirst into the water. Moments later, my head reemerges above the water, and my tail flicks through the waves.
Luca glances back to make sure Graham has gone into the villa and isn’t watching, then looks back at me with admiration.
He no longer seems afraid; his gaze is now curious, and excitement swells in my chest. I never thought I’d reach this point in my life.
I signal him to move toward me into the water, and he does as I ask. I take his hand and dive back underwater with him. He holds his breath with effort and opens his eyes underwater with difficulty. I keep swimming quickly, pulling him with me deeper for a few more seconds and stop when I feel he can no longer hold his breath.
I lift my hand and create a large bubble of air around his head, separating his face from the water.
