They watched movies, giggled in the dark of their bedroom, swapped secrets in the soft light of dawn, and quietly marveled at the treasure they’d found in their friendship.
Everything was perfect.
Or itwouldhave been, if not for the fact that Clementine slowly came to realize she didn’t actually want a friend.
As her nerves died down and the worries dimmed, a new seed began to grow in the back of her mind:impatience.
Being with Emory for even a short time was more than she could have ever dared to imagine, but she began to notice a nagging lack as the days wore on. Her wariness about rushing into a sexual relationship gave way to anticipation and then to a creeping sort of dread as nothing happened.
They’d shared a living space, abed,for nearly three weeks, but Emory hadn’t so much as made a pass at her beyond chaste, smacking kisses. She thought about that day in the pool room nearly hourly, but as time passed, the memory grew into something from another life.ThatEmory, who’d pressed her back into the floor, who’d murmured such sensual encouragement as he lay tied up beneath her, seemed like another person to the man who now lived with her.
Maybe that’s not exactly fair,she thought with a frown as she stared out the living room window, her gaze on the tangerine sunset just beginning to touch the horizon.
He was the same man. She knew he was. That predator, all that borderline terrifying sexual energy — it wasthere,but it was like he’d stowed it away.Hiddenit. At first she’d been relieved that he didn’t push. She needed time to figure out who she was as a sexual being.
But as the days passed and she got used to the idea of desiring Emory, Clementine began to anticipate it more and more. She’d begun to crave touching him, and the phantom ache left over from their time in the pool room never truly seemed to leave her. She needed to take baby steps, to really build her confidence, but she also needed to… well, take the plunge.
Except Emory didn’t seem interested. Or at least, she didn’t have the experience or the confidence to read whatever subtle signals he was giving her.But even if I did have the experience to know, Emory isn’t a subtle guy. He sure wasn’t subtle before. So I don’t know what’s going on.
All that talk of breeding, tying her up,mountingher again and again — it seemed to have evaporated before she’d even gotten the chance to wrap her mind around it.
Worse than that was the fact that Clementine had no idea how to bring it up without either coming off as needy, insecure,orlike she was ready for things she wasn’t — mainly having a baby right away.
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. That only grew worse when Emory began to stay out for longer stretches of time and return with a tense demeanor. He wouldn’t tell her why he appeared worried, only that he did not want her going into the water without him.
That was no great hardship, but she couldn’t help but wonder if some of his strain was due to her. He never invited her to go along with him, despite her access to the submersible. It hadn’t bothered her at first, but now…
Itfeltlike things were going great, but what if she was wrong?
No, she knew she was wrong. Things were great, but they weren’t perfect. She was dissatisfied with where their relationship had apparently stalled and she needed to figure out a way to move it forward.
If itcouldn’tmove forward for whatever reason, well, she needed to know that, too.
Clementine’s heart lurched in her chest at the idea of Emory slipping back into the water, never to return for a movie night, to show off his latest hunting trophy, or to explain the intricate craft of rope braiding he practiced every single day.
The thought of him simply… vanishing from her life was so acutely painful, she was shocked to feel her lungs actually compress under the weight of it. A harsh breath wheezed past her lips as a great, gaping void opened in her mind’s eye — the space she never even knew was empty before Emory crashed into her life.
She didn’t want to go back to the quiet. She didn’t want to go back to denial and playing pretend. ShewantedEmory.
I guess I have to figure out how to make that happen, then.
* * *
Clementine sprang off of the couch as soon as she heard the telltale hydraulic hiss of the moon pool doors opening and closing.
Like always, the ethereal song of Emory’s mind joined with his usual greeting when he returned from whatever it was he did in the water. His voice echoed down the hall to reach in the living room, where she’d been distractedly messing around on her tablet, waiting for him to come home.
“My mate!”
She couldn’t deny that a thrill rushed through her every time he called her that.
Hastily setting her tablet on the coffee table, Clementine rushed to the doorway. Her heart beat like a bird’s wings in her chest, almost fast enough to take flight from the cage of her ribs. Bracing her palm against the wall, she peered down the hall, where her merman was pulling himself through the moon pool room’s doorway.
“Hi,” she answered, feeling oddly shy.
Emory’s dark head turned. As usual, she marveled at his great fall of inky hair as it slid over his broad swimmer’s shoulders.
She loved his hair, but after a few days together she’d had some practicality concerns. Her own hair was shorn at her shoulders because she couldn’t be bothered to deal with the intensive maintenance required by long curls.Hishair was so long it tickled the end of his tail, was straight as a pin, and each strand was so thick, it felt like five of hers combined.
