Chapter 18
Erica
When I got ready to go, I was mentally prepared for a whole list of things that could possibly happen on the beach at night, but nowhere on that list was finding out merpeople are real, Ari and the guys are mer, or Ari admitting his feelings to me in such an all-consuming way.
I had tangled with thoughts of kissing him—though again, not like the possessive kiss I got—or maybe skinny dipping or something crazy, even the possibility of just being treated like one of the guys while they had VIP girls on their arms or something.
Literally anything but this. But...wow.
I’m still waiting to wake up from some kind of hyper-realistic dream and nothing has actually happened since we went to the show that night all those weeks ago.
I keep expecting to wake up in that apartment with Vann and all of this just being my way of coping with my miserable life and relationship.
But after over a month of waiting for the dream to end, it just keeps going and growing into this magical story and world that people watch in movies or read about in books. How can this be my life? What have I done to deserve this life?
“Can I?” I ask, reaching toward his tail. If I’m going to have any chance of believing this, I need to do more than see it. I don’t even know how much money they have, this could be some weird kind of prosthesis they bought. . . that materializes out of thin air . . . right?
Ari’s megawatt smile splits his face as he wiggles to move his tail closer to me.
I can’t really see the colors in the moonlight, even with my eyes adjusted to the dark.
When I touch it, I can feel his muscles moving and flexing beneath the scales.
They’re smooth when you run your hand down but prickle when you run them back up.
I stop my perusal of his body when it starts to feel too intimate, like I’m taking advantage of just being able to touch him like this, but I’m trying to get my brain on board to believe what I’m seeing with my own eyes and touching with my own hands.
“Is this . . . is this, okay?” I look back up to his face, still marveling at his perfectly highlighted cheekbones.
He nods, looking a bit stiff, but happy. I tilt my head to the side in a silent question.
“It’s a bit sensitive,” he says through gritted teeth.
I realize I’ve blushed more this evening than possibly my entire life. Instead of thinking about things anymore, I just act, launching myself from where we’re seated in the sand and lunging toward the water. “So, swimming then?” I shout over my shoulder as I jump into the ocean.
Ari chases after me first, then all the guys join us now that they know it’s safe. Though we didn’t actually talk about much, Ari letting my mind process what was going on after I made a fool of myself, I’ve gathered that this is clearly meant to be a secret that I help keep safe for them.
I have so many questions. For now, though, I’m going to enjoy this night. Swimming with freaking mermen.
They ended up having much more energy than I did. I was pooped after what felt like thirty minutes but could have easily been hours. When I crawled back to the shore, the guys were all trying to follow me but clearly still had energy they wanted, and needed, to burn.
It took some convincing, but I got them to head back into the water, promising I was fine to wait for them on the shore.
I just watched them, my mind still working through what I’d learned.
From what I could see in the light of the moon, from the shore anyway, they moved through the water so seamlessly.
I guess it’s probably hard for mermen to go out and about in the light of the day, being as they’re mythical creatures that shouldn’t exist and all.
By the time they made it back to shore, I was on the verge of nodding off, that place between sleep and consciousness.
I barely registered them as they shook the water from their bodies, then toweled themselves off.
Though I might have registered a little more than I let show of Ari telling me to hold his neck as he carried me bridal style all the way back to the hotel, Fish carrying my bag behind us.
I almost didn’t. I almost balked and told him he shouldn’t hurt his back carrying me, but I let the old insecurity crumble around me, surprised when he lifted me seamlessly, without even a small grunt or whoosh of breath.
In that moment, I was very awake and very much in trouble.
Because I was falling hard and fast for Ari Seabrook.