I spun around to leave, but my toe caught on the edge of a raised tile. Before I could course-correct, I tripped and fell sideways, hitting the glassy surface of the water with a splash.
Cool water went up my nose as I thrashed around. Nobody had ever taught me to swim. There were no pools around our farm, just water troughs for the livestock. The more I struggled to stay afloat, the more I sank.
My lungs burned. I tried kicking upward, but it didn’t help. The edge of the pool shimmered ahead but remained out of reach. This part of the pool was deep, so deep I saw nothing but darkness below.
Just as I was about to give up and accept my sorry fate, an arm snaked around my waist. I screamed in shock. Water flooded my mouth and lungs while black spots danced at the edge of my vision.
A hard body pulled me up and out of the water. When I opened my eyes, I saw ocean-gray eyes staring down at me, wide in panic. He leaned over me, yelling something I couldn’t understand. I tried to speak, but only water came out in a choking stream of nastiness.
I’d read somewhere that drowning was a peaceful way to go. Whoever wrote that crap had clearly never drowned. It wasn’t peaceful. No, more like traumatic and…
I burst into tears. My magic sparked and then fizzled out. Whereas it normally went crazy when I got stressed, this time it apparently decided I wasn’t dying.Great.Good to know I’d not only drowned myself but also my fire magic.
Was that even possible?
“Raven! Are you okay?”
Kai’s question broke through my meltdown. I read the panic in his eyes and, acting purely on instinct, I sat up and wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my teary face into his chest. It wasn’t until I looked down that I realized he was naked.
Ohh…
“I’m sorry,” I spluttered, trying to pull back. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. Stars above. Why was I such an idiot? Of course he’d be naked! Merpeople had legs when out of the water. “I should go…” A second drowning experience would be a blessing at this point. Goddess save me from myself; someone needed to.
“You’re not going anywhere until you explain what the fuck happened!”
My eyes widened in surprise. Kai had always acted shy around me, so hearing him growl and behave all alpha-male was kind of…hot.He didn’t growl like my bear, but I liked this version of him.
Several synapses in my brain malfunctioned and died because of circuit overload. When I didn’t reply, he grumbled.
“Please tell me what happened, Raven. Fuck, I could have lost you…” The way he clammed up immediately after admitting that made me look up. His cheeks had gone an adorable shade of lilac. Small drops of water sparkled like diamonds in thick navy blue eyelashes. The merman was stunning. Like a pretty mermaid but with muscles.
No wonder the merpeople had a reputation for dazzling poor, unsuspecting sailors. Or was that sirens? I needed to check. Sirens were highly seductive, and also scary.
Kai didn’t seem scary. Just worried.
“I tripped and fell into the water, which was bad because I can’t swim,” I admitted, feeling stupid.
Kai’s eyebrows shot up. “You can’t swim?” Then he shook his head. “Never mind. Why did you come here?”
“To see you.” I chewed my lip, suddenly,shamefully, aware my unexpected dip in the pool had turned my cheap cotton tee transparent. And in my rush to leave, I’d forgotten to wear a bra.
Kai glanced down. His eyes widened, and I saw the exact moment he spotted exactly how transparent my tee was. Pretty lilac cheeks flushed violet, and he swallowed hard.
“Raven, I…” He looked away and coughed. “Maybe you ought to go.” He gently prized me away from his chest and slid back into the water, disappearing below the surface. I glimpsed an iridescent tail and then nothing.
Despite how warm it was in here, I shivered. How had I made such a mess of things?
Poor Kai. Not only had I interrupted his swimming session, but I’d also flashed him my boobs. Kai wasn’t like other males. He probably assumed I was trying to seduce him. But truly, I wasn’t.
I groaned in frustration while praying nobody else showed up to swim. The last thing I needed was another witness to my shame. Knowing it was pointless sitting here like an idiot, I dragged myself to my feet.
At least the rain had increased in intensity outside. If I bumped into anyone, I could pretend I’d been for a jog or something. Yeah. That might work. I’d look less stupid that way.
I trudged back outside and bumped straight into a hard, male body.
“Raven? Why are you here, soaked to the skin? It’s cold! You’ll catch your death out here!”
Maverick’s growly voice rumbled over me as he scooped me up in his brawny arms, apparently unbothered by how wet I was. The heat of his chest warmed me, and I snuggled closer.
