“This Hotel caters to guests who want either a more classic human-world Caribbean experience,” Dusk answered her, casually turning and shucking his wet t-shirt to a lounging chaise though he left his sodden jeans clinging to his fit thighs, “or the best small-Hotel experience that Mermaids can offer. You saw the human-world experience. Now you get to see the Mermaid experience.”
“Decidedly more decadent.” Reginald interrupted, pouring the chardonnay he’d opened into six glasses. Even with his elegant waistcoat and trousers wet, he moved like liquid light in the deeps, the gold pinstripes in his outfit catching the last of the day’s sun. “Merea DeVray has an eye for details. We shan’t want for comfort here.”
“But not as much raucousness.” Dusk grinned as he moved forward shirtless now, accepting a wine. “Florian’s beach parties on the other side get pretty fun. Too bad.”
“This is better.” As if being in the pool earlier had bolstered him, Fury was not leaning on Rhennic now as he moved forward and accepted a wine. Though everyone was still wet from getting in the pool with Layla earlier, Fury seemed the most comfortable with it, his linen shirt and pants clinging decadently to his lean-fit, gorgeous body. “None of us need control our magics here or even wear talismans. I felt us pass through a Mermaid privacy-barrier as we approached our abode. It extends all the way around and above our treehouse. No one will hear our conversations, nor feel our magics beyond the barrier – short of battle, I’d wager.”
“I wasn’t planning on doing battle on this vacation, not of that sort, anyway.” Rhennic spoke with a chuckle as he reached up and shucked his wet Cuban shirt to the deck like Dusk had, then accepted a wine from Reginald and turned to Layla. “Feeling well enough to have another drink with us and ease down some?”
“Truth be told, I feel a bit sheepish now.” Layla was actually feeling tremendously better after her drunken breakdown and moved forward in her wet bikini, taking the wine Rhennic offered. As if her tears had cleared most of her sun fatigue and inebriation, she felt almost normal now as she accepted the wine.
“There’s never any need to feel embarrassed about sharing your honesty, Layla.” Rhennic spoke directly as the others came forward and took up wine also. “We all care about you. Adrian’s right that it’s time you began trusting us to use our awakening Bind abilities to helpyouwith your deepest heart’s desire – rather than the other way around.”
“I just… I’m not very good at being a damsel in distress.” Layla spoke with a wry smile as they all clinked glasses and sipped.
“You’re hardly a damsel in distress, Layla.” Dusk chuckled as he corralled her around the waist, cuddling close to her back and warming her with his deep heat. “But we can help you figure all this out if you’d just trust us to. You’re not very good at trusting people. Or being honest about what’s really going on inside that heart of yours.”
“I’ve misplaced my trust more times than I can count, and gotten seriously burned for it,” Layla commented, though she let Dusk cuddle her. “Not just in relationships before I came to the Twilight Realm, but also with just about everything concerning Hunter and his damn secrets.”
“Well, we have no secrets amongst us.” Fury spoke, setting his wine aside and holding Layla’s gaze with his intensely beautiful presence. “We have only our honest, open hearts thanks to your Bind. And now your heart is the one that is closed and needs opening. Fortunately, we can help.”
Moving forward, Fury came to stand directly before Layla. As if the sun descending towards nightfall and the water of the pool earlier had bolstered him, he was stronger than he’d been as he moved close. Taking up Layla’s hand, Fury’s touch was warm and decadently smooth as he cradled her fingers to his chest. Moving her hand, he caressed her fingertips over the jagged scar at his heart, as his deep gaze held hers.
“My heart was not only pierced by my brother’s magic two weeks ago, but yours also, Layla,” Fury spoke, his low voice full of sylvan currents in the late afternoon. “In a moment of wild abandon, you thrust yourself inside me, and in that moment I rose up roaring – to save your heart because you had saved mine. I had no other thought in me as I assaulted Hunter’s barrier; to kill him for how he’d hurt you. For he’d harmed you in a way that is unforgivable to me – he made you doubt yourself. Doubt your power and purpose, and the strength of your own love. All of us know your heart is formidable. Now, it is time for you to discover it.”
“How do I do that?” Layla murmured, strangely undone by Fury’s deep honesty. “How do I re-discover my heart?”
“Slowly.” Fury spoke as his beautiful midnight-silver eyes shone in the last of the day’s sun. “And with deep tenderness.”
As he cradled her hand, Layla felt a vast wash of Fury’s tides swirl into her. But rather than the unhinged roar of power it had been before her Bind, his drake was a creature reunited with the man now, and flowed out in a beautifully calm glide of watery scales and dark power to coil around Layla like the sweetest tide. As Dusk released her, Fury drew her close and Layla’s eyelashes fluttered as she was compelled by her Silver Siren’s deep power. Her lips fell open as their bodies touched; as Fury kissed her gently. It was chaste, but Layla tasted the sweetest oceanic brine upon his lips, and was breathing fast from his delights as he slowly pulled back.
“Come.” Moving in, Reginald took her hand, joining his own deep tides to his twin’s. “Let us relax and enjoy all the amenities our abode has to offer. We need not rush our time here, nor make any further discussion of dire things. Let us stow difficult conversation and indulge in sensual delights. I, for one, am eager to soak in the tubs and rinse the foul odor of human-world chlorine from my skin.”
“Good plan. This itchy glamour’s got to go, too.” Dusk was already shucking his wet jeans to the silvered deck now as he gave a deep basso growl, flooding the air and rippling the deck with it. In a wave of light, Layla watched his beautiful midnight-iridescent lines of scale re-emerge upon his sculpted body, curling over his shoulders and diving in over his hipbones as he shucked his speedo. In a trice, Dusk was all nude with no apology, as he gave Layla a sexy eyebrow lift and headed for the tubs. “Anyone joining me?”
“I could do with some natural water to aid my healing,” Fury commented mildly as he stripped his wet linen shirt off over his head and bared his beautifully-cut dancer’s body. Fury’s skin held a pale, almost opal sheen in the waning day, his long wealth of silver hair perfect in how it fell over his strong shoulders as he pulled the elastic out. As he shucked his wet linen pants and unclasped his pearl talisman, Layla was suddenly confronted with only her second close-up of him nude. He watched her admire him but said nothing, instead moving to the tubs and easing in. Dusk made an exclamation of delight as he slid in also, right behind Fury.
With a lift of one eyebrow at Layla and Rhennic, Reginald began stripping away his wet ensemble also and took his wine to the hot pool with the others. Rhennic gave Adrian a purposeful look as he took up Layla’s hand and kissed it, then followed Reginald with a tray of foodstuffs and three bottles of wine. It left Layla alone with Adrian, and she was suddenly thankful it was only him as he pulled her back into his tall, lean body and wrapped his arms around her.
And that he was still fully clothed, despite his dampness.
“We don’t have to stay here, Layla,” Adrian murmured at her cheek as he and she watched the others all slipping naked into the pools now. “We can go anywhere you’d like. Say the word and we can be on my jet back to Morocco in a moment. Or anywhere else you’d like, if this is all too much.”
“No, I’d like to stay.” Layla wasn’t surprised Adrian could still read her, even though their Bind wasn’t currently active. She was surprised, however, that he was being a lot more perceptive than Dusk on this vacation – and Layla wondered if Dusk’s inner conflict at not having gotten any sex lately was making him less aware. As she cupped her hands upon Adrian’s arms, enjoying how he held her so calmly, she watched the rest of her men begin to soak in the wide hot pool of pearls. Moving back and forth between the hot and cold pools, Fury was doing some kind of deep breathing and hydrotherapy for his healing.
“Do you really think Dusk wants an orgy?” Layla asked suddenly, as she watched Dusk settle in at one rim of the hot pool – his eye on every other man there like he was watching the start of a really good porno. Layla couldn’t agree more: she’d never seen so many beautiful naked men in one place before, and the thought that they were actually all hers made her shiver suddenly with a deep heat.
But also another curl of dread.
“I take it you’ve never been in an orgy before.” Adrian chuckled softly at her cheek, picking up on her emotions even without the Bind, and Layla felt his small smile.
“Never.” Layla shook her head, the thought about trying it filling her with an eager thrill and wariness as she watched her men. “I mean, I saw orgies at the Paris Hotel all the time, but just never had the… courage to join one. Is that what Dusk’s hoping will happen during our stay?”
“I don’t doubt it.” Adrian chuckled as he held her close. “But that doesn’t mean you or I have to be involved.”
As Layla watched, she saw the way Dusk and Rhennic were now eyeballing each other appreciatively as they soaked. Rhennic was scrubbing off his immensely built, Viking-strong yet deeply honed body with a loofah, and Layla saw Reginald had moved near with his wine, eyeing Rhennic also and reaching out to stroke his fingertips down Rhennic’s immensely sculpted back. As Layla watched, Rhennic finished scrubbing and reached down below the water, taking up one of Reginald’s beautifully high-arched feet and massaging it with his big hands. Layla could almost feel those hands work, and as she watched, she saw all the tension drain out of Reginald as he lay back against the rim of the pool, drinking in his lover’s attentions with a contented sigh. As if he felt Layla watching, Rhennic looked around and smiled, then resumed his task.
“It pleases you to watch them together, doesn’t it?” Adrian asked as he gently kissed her neck.
