Page 138 of Cruel Tides

“Sorry, I—” Unsure of what to say, I went over to flip the cover up and show her the gardening tools and bags of soil inside it. “It was here when I moved in. I never had a reason to use it.”

“Oh. Oh, I see,” she said. I couldn’t stand how disappointed she looked.

“So, why the bikini? Are we just going to…” Her eyes widened a moment before she gave a small nod. “Well, okay. You did say it goes with my hair,” she murmured, barely loud enough for me to hear. Then her arms folded over her chest. “But it’s not fair that I’m the only one standing around half-naked.”

“Mmh.” I nodded, going for my belt, and cleared my throat to take some of the gruffness from my voice. “I’ve wondered about something,” I said, letting my slacks drop. Removing my briefs could wait until we were both ready, so I unbuckled my brace and sat it on top of the storage box so I could take off my shirt. “Been thinking about it since…”

I paused, confused by the sudden shift in Claira’s expression. The light from my bedroom cast a glow on her face, revealing the deep red of her complexion and the quick, shallow rise and fall of her chest.

“I’ve been wondering, too,” she drawled, her tide-gray eyes darkening as she watched my fingers move to unbutton my shirt. Her tongue flicked out, wetting her lips. “What it… would be like.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I pulled off my shirt. I knew it might not have been a pleasant smile, for it lacked the friendliness and charm of Kai’s and Leander’s, but I didn’t care.

“Mmh. I’ve wanted to show you,” I confessed as I secured my brace back into place. Once I had it adjusted, I took hold of her hand, stepping out of my slacks. “Since the plane landed.”

“Really?” she said with a squeak as I led her over to the edge of the deck. I turned around to remove my briefs, giving her privacy to remove hers.

“No need to worry,” I said, peering down at how apparent my desire for her was. It wouldn’t matter as long as she took hold of me quickly. “Nothing will hurt you down?—”

As I turned around, Claira was pulling the top of her swimsuit away from her breasts.

“Maaiy fok.” The words slipped from me as the black swimsuit top dropped to the deck.

“Maaiy fok,” she repeated, carefully mimicking how I’d spoken each syllable. She swayed closer, her arms pulling around me, and I couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. I was nothing more than a statue. “What does it mean?” she asked airily, leaning in until an untamed part of me brushed against her and she startled back a step with a gasp.

“Alhey,” I cursed and turned away, not wanting to frighten her. “Sorry,” I grunted through gritted teeth. My size had always been intimidating, but I’d thought she was ready. I hadn’t expected… whatever this was.

I stood still for a moment, trying to wrap my head around this new development. Claira wanted to go into the ocean with me topless? Had she swum topless with the others when they were alone? No. I would have picked up on their thoughts if?—

Every part of me tensed as arms slid around my waist, Claira’s warm body pressing against my back. “I’m ready,” she whispered, her breath heating my spine and making my lower half throb with arousal. It made sense, now, how the others had found it so easy to get close to her.

The urge to turn around, take her up in my arm, and pin her to the deck was almost unbearable. If we weren’t in front of my plants, I might have asked if she thought she might like it if I did.

“Barren?” Claira’s face nuzzled my back, and I took it as a sign that she was ready.

Right.I took a deep breath to compose myself and ground out a grunt of affirmation. Then I jumped off the deck and into the water, only to realize too late that she… wasn’t as ready as she’d claimed she was.

Instead of holding around my waist as she normally would, her grip came right off me. I snagged her arm and tugged her close, our connection still intact. When I pulled her up against my chest and got a good look at her face, I knew I’d made a mistake.

Claira was struggling with her transition, coughing and sputtering air mixed with water like she hadn’t remembered to empty her lungs before we’d dropped into the water.

“Claira?” I held her close, feeling her shaking in my arms, knowing there was nothing I could do to help. Her lungs would have to complete the transition on their own.

On cue, the darkness was cut when the first glowing speck appeared next to my tail. The effect spread around us as more popped up, dotting the ocean with a calming blue light.

But Claira wasn’t as taken by the beauty of the lights as I thought she would be. Her arms wrapped tightly around me, and a blood-curdling scream pierced the water, causing my tail to thrash, propelling us both back up to the deck.

“What—why?” she gasped out, panting and sputtering as I helped her pull her tail from the water. I’d only just finished draping it next to mine back on the patio when she turned to me, her eyes wide with shock and her voice filled with outrage. “I… I feltsafewith you,” she said, the accusation in her words a spear to my chest.Feltsafe. Once, but not anymore. Her teeth ground. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

“Tharithakuge kan’deve—the sea of stars,” I said, unsure of how the lights had frightened her. “It has always been a source of fascination for both humans and merfolk.” And I’d hoped she would enjoy them, too.

“Not that, Barren. I—” She wrung her hands out in front of her, her eyes filling with disgust as she looked down at her tail. “Why didn’t you warn me before dragging me into the water?”

Dragging her?

“I… do not understand,” I said, my jaw nearly refusing to move. “I thought you were ready to go to my kingdom.”

Her eyes widened. “Your kingdom? The part that’s underwater?” she said, then her arms snapped around her chest, covering her breasts. “That’s why we…” Her whisper trailed off with a gasp. “You said you werepropositioning me!What the hell, Barren?”

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