He snorted. “Except you're not drowning."
"Yeah, but I will be when I turn into a mermaid. Whoever heard of a mermaid who can't swim?"
"I would have thought if you were a mermaid, the ability to swim would be automatic. In the genes, so to speak. Anyway, most people regard mermaids as nothing but folklore."
He held up his hand before she could refute the statement. “Okay, I can teach you to swim—at least enough you won't get into difficulties if you go in the water—but you have to remember one thing. I'm not a swim instructor. I just happen to have my gold medallion as a surf lifesaver and I was lucky enough to be hired on by the local council while I complete my Master's thesis."
"And you'll help me get over my fear of water?"
"I'm not a psychologist either, but yeah, let's see what we can do. Maybe concentrating on learning to swim will work there. I'm fine with the swimming, but this mermaid business..."
His voice trailed off as Samie walked her fingers up his chest, before reversing the procedure and sliding back down, flicking open the buttons of his shirt as she went. When she reached the top of his jeans, she followed the waistband from one side to the other and back again.
The muscles in his gut contracted in reaction to the feather-soft touch. Hell, that wasn't the only thing reacting. It felt like every drop of blood in his body had headed straight to his crotch. Maybe that was why he felt light-headed. Time to move this out of the bathroom and on to some place more suited like ... like ... Shit, he couldn't think of any place in the whole world that would put a dampener on his wanting to fuck the daylights out of Samie McIntyre.
Before he could make a move, Samie wound her arms around his neck again. Without conscious volition, Jonah found his hands resting on her hips. Oh boy, naked skin. He was in trouble now.
"So tell me this,” she said, “with the whole coastline of Australia to choose from, why did you settle for Maggie Island in northern Queensland as the perfect place to do your research?"
Samie leaned a little closer and rested her weight against Jonah, dropping the towel as she did so. She wanted to burst out laughing as he gave a husky groan. With his wet shirt, she had no doubt he could feel the rigid points of her nipples. Damn, despite being sopping wet, she was so hot she felt as if she were about to go up in flames.
Jonah had always pushed her buttons, ever since he'd moved into the apartment below hers. When she'd met him for the first time, she'd thought him a bit standoffish, with a rather secretive, serious side to his nature. Even so, his piercing brown eyes had done something to her insides. Made her all soft and gooey.
He wasn't anything like she'd imagined. Once he'd relaxed a bit, she'd realised he had a quirky sense of humour that matched her own and the serious façade was just that—a cover for the real Jonah Billings. And his eyes still got to her.
A delicious shiver feathered down her back as she thought about her plan. Now if only she could get Jonah to go along with it.
She'd wanted to put the hard word on him before this, but she'd thought she'd have plenty of time. The letter from her mother had changed everything. Now she had to get Jonah's attention and get it quick. Who knew how much longer she had?
"Come on, why chose this part of the Australian coastline?” she prompted.
"With the dugongs migrating further north in search of warmer water and greener sea-grass pastures, Maggie Island is known for having a high population of dugongs. It was the perfect location. That's why I've called my thesis Migrating Mermaids."
"Ah ha, so you do believe in mermaids.” She squirmed as Jonah ran the tips of his fingers along the string of her thong in an idle manner. She didn't even think he was aware he was doing it.
"Just because the old sailors used to think the dugongs were mermaids doesn't mean they are."
Jonah's palms now rested on the slight swell of her stomach. Samie felt branded, heat seeping into her skin from his hands. And that wasn't the only place that was hot. It felt as if fire curled through her lower body, concentrated between her thighs. Her pussy grew damp—and it sure as hell wasn't from the bathwater—and a throbbing centred over her clit.
Holy cow, if he could do this without even trying, she'd be a melted mess of hormones when she put the second part of her plan into action.
She tilted her pelvis for a better alignment and pressed against the bulge in his jeans. “Are you telling me, as a marine biologist, with all the research you've done, you've never come up against anything in the ocean you couldn't explain away with science?"
Oh yeah, he was definitely responding. His hips jerked and he ground himself against her. A flush stained his cheeks and moisture beaded his forehead. Okay, so this was the tropics, but she's bet odds that's not why he'd started to sweat. Maybe the rest of her plan wouldn't be so hard after all.
He gave an audible gulp and used his hands to push her back a fraction. “All right, I grant you, there are things science can't explain, but would you believe me if I came up to you in the street and told you I'd seen a mermaid? Quite a few of them, in fact?"
She punched him on the arm. “Will you stop taking the piss out of me?"
"Hey, I'm being quite serious here. Okay, I believe in mermaids, all right?"
She blew out a puff of air. “Will you at least suspend disbelief until you know for certain? Once I have a tail, you'll be convinced."
"Yeah, that'd do it,” he mumbled.
After directing a fierce frown at him to see if he was laughing at her, she manoeuvred closer again. She linked her hands about his neck and reached up to trace her lips across his jaw. “You ever wondered why my mother disappeared so completely?"
"You told me she'd gone to live with relatives, signing the apartment building over to you to look after."
She licked a trail down his neck, grinning when he shivered. “I guess you could say she's with relatives. Fishy type relatives. Actually, she's gone back to the sea."
"I beg your pardon?"
"It's a family thing, you see. She's a mermaid. She conned my father into making love with her, but he got angry when he found out she was one of the mer people. The selkies and the mer races don't mix, or at least hardly ever. Of course, by then she was pregnant with me so she struck a bargain with my father. He'd use his magic to allow her to live a human life, raising me as a human until I turned twenty-five. Then she had to return to the sea."
She couldn't blame him if he didn't believe her. All her life she'd been raised on tales of selkies and mermaids, but she'd thought they were just stories her mother made up to entertain her. In fact, she hadn't believed any of it until she'd watched her mother walk into the sea and turn into a tail-sporting beautiful woman with a soft lyrical voice capable of singing sailors to their death.
"I know it's hard to comprehend, but my father was a big bull seal—okay, he was human at the time they made love—and my mother is a mermaid. Hang around long enough and you'll find out the truth for yourself. It will blow your thesis research right out the window."
"You sure you didn't make this all up?” he asked, hugging her closer at the same time.
Samie revelled in the warmth of his flesh through his wet shirt. The feel of his arms holding her tight. The brush of his obvious arousal against the juncture of her thighs. She'd wanted him for so damn long, this was like a dream come true. But it might be wise to get him to agree to it first, you fool.
Before she could say anything, Jonah grinned. “Um, I have to ask you something."
"Go ahead, I'm all ears."
He glanced at her naked breasts and groaned. Samie bit her lip to contain the chuckles threatening to break free. Yeah, baby.
"I'm ... ah, I'm getting the idea that maybe you fancy me a bit. And no, that's not ego talking. I'm just trying to get this straight in my head. Is this ... ah, a new way to come onto a man? Because if it is, I have to tell you, do this too often and a man's going to take you up on it. And the way I feel right now, that man would have to be me. My mom
ma didn't raise no fools."
"Well, I'm glad about that because there's one other thing I need to ask you about."
"Hmm?"
His voice was distracted, but Samie didn't mind. She'd hit him with a lot and she hadn't finished yet.
"What else was it you wanted me to do?"
"I want you to be my fuck buddy.
Chapter Three
"Say what?"
Samie winced as Jonah's question came out on a roar. His face blanched then flushed bright red. He reared back, trying to pull away from her, but Samie hadn't come this far to give up now. She kept her arms curled about his neck.
He started to back-peddle, taking Samie with him. Balance shot, he slipped on the wet tiles. In an effort to remain on his feet, he quickened his movements until his back hit the wall on the opposite side of the bathroom. The inevitable happened and gravity took over. His feet slid out from under him again and he slithered down the wall until his butt connected with the floor.
Samie went down, too, her legs tangled with his, her breasts crushed against his chest as he grasped her tight. Oh shit, twice in one day and he's flat on his ass because of me.
"Are you okay?” She lifted her head and sneaked a look at his face.
"Lady, you're lethal.” He chuckled. “A veritable walking disaster area."
"Yeah, but you love me anyway, don't you?” Ah, hell, why did I say that?
Now she felt like a fool, because the sad part was, what she felt for Jonah Billings was more than simple lust. Yeah, getting down and dirty with Jonah was high on her list of priorities, but it went much further than that.
Why else would she have gone to all the bother of prying up a couple of the bathroom tiles so the water from the overfilled bath would seep down into his apartment? It had happened before quite by accident when the tiles were loose. She grimaced. She hadn't planned on drowning his apartment thought. At least he was being a good sport about it. Damn, she'd miss him when she started growing scales and had to retreat to the sea.
Jonah scooted down even further until he was lying stretched out on the wet floor, Samie firmly balanced on top of him. “If this is a sign of things to come and I'm going to end up on my back every time I'm with you, I may as well get comfortable.” He reached for one of the soggy towels, bundled it up and tucked it under his head. “Now, you were saying something about wanting a fuck buddy?"
She shivered as he ran his hands down her back and over the bare cheeks of her ass. Nerve endings grew sensitized as heat trailed in his wake. The rate of her breathing increased. Her heart pounded. Her mouth grew dry and she forced herself to swallow. No doubt about it, the first step in her plan was working.
"I ... ah, I want ... need to...” She lowered her head and banged her forehead lightly on his chest. “Damn it, this is harder than I thought it would be."
"Why not just spit it out? Hurts less that way.” He toyed with the string of her thong, sliding one finger from her waist to where the string disappeared between her buttocks.
Samie had never thought of her ass as being much of an erogenous zone, but hot damn! She rocked her hips against the hard bulge of his rigid penis, gratified when he dragged in a quick breath. Hah, no way could a man pretend not to be interested with a hard-on like that.
Okay, time to drop the final bombshell, Samie.
"I want to have sex. Lots of sex. Hot monkey sex that blows my brains. As often as I can get it, or rather, as often as you can get it up. I want you to be my fuck buddy."
He paused in his exploration of her ass, transferring his hand to her hip. “You wouldn't happen to be a virgin, would you? Is that what this mad desire to have sex all the time is about? Lady, I don't do virgins. Too much responsibility."
She reached around, grabbed his hand, and placed it back on her butt cheek. “No, I'm not a virgin, but there hasn't been anyone for the last eight months. I've wanted you since I first met you, but you never put the move on me. So I'm doing it for you. Figured you were too shy."
"Not likely! You never gave me any indication you wanted me. Hell, I would have been all over you like a rash if I'd thought that. Plus, it's kind of difficult to put the hard word on someone when momma is always around."
Samie rolled her hips again, creating friction just where she needed it. Jonah lifted his lower body to meet her, imitating her movement. Moisture pooled between the swollen lips of her pussy. Her clit set up an ache that only making love with Jonah would ease.
"Well, mother is gone and I need lots and lots of sex right now, and, baby, you're it.” She dipped her head and outlined his mouth with the tip of her tongue.
"Whoa! Hang on a bit. Why now? What is it you're not telling me?"
She sighed. “You haven't been listening to me. I want to have some great sex before I turn into a mermaid and have nothing but a slit instead of a pussy. Hell, I don't even know if mermaids are capable of having an orgasm. If I've gotta turn into a fish-breath, I want to remember what it was like to experience all the bells and whistles of a truly mind-blowing climax."
He stared at her, his eyes opening wide and his mouth starting to twitch. “A slit instead of a...” He started to laugh. Great belly laughs that bounced Samie on his stomach.
"Damn it, Jonah, this is so not funny."
Before she could say any more, he suddenly rolled them over until Samie was on her back and Jonah was leaning half over her. He tucked his head into the hollow of her shoulder and held her tight as the chuckles took hold again.
His warm breath tickled her neck. Shivers trembled down her spine. The blood in her veins felt molten hot, burning her from the inside out. She turned her head towards him, pulling back so she could see his face.
"Jonah?"
When he looked at her, Samie swooped, fitting her mouth to his. She trailed her tongue along his bottom lip, lapping at the sensual fullness. God, he tasted so good.
She nipped at his bottom lip. He groaned and opened his mouth. Samie deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue in to tangle with his. That was all the control Jonah allowed her. He became the master, taking her mouth in a drugging kiss. Thrusting with his tongue then withdrawing. Teasing her with the rhythm he established.
It was a pale imitation of what Samie really wanted. She pulled at him until he broke off the kiss and lifted his weight over her, settling between her legs.
His hard cock nudged at the juncture of her thighs. Tension coiled in her gut and her heart felt as if it were fibrillating, the beat fast and irregular. She scooped in a shaky breath and tried to get herself under control.
Ah, to hell with that. She'd wanted Jonah for a long time and now she had him horizontal she wasn't about to waste the opportunity. She'd already creamed her panties over him. She wasn't about to waste that either.
"You haven't answered me yet.” Lifting her hips, she rubbed against the steely ridge of his erection. The friction of the damp thong against her wet pussy made her repeat the action. “Wanna be my fuck buddy?"
Jonah shook his head to clear his thoughts and pulled his gaze from the most perfect breasts he'd ever seen. “You sure you know what you're doing, Samie?” Shit, what a stupid question to ask her, you moron. What if she turns around and says no?
He couldn't believe he was down on the deck with a desirable woman just about begging him to fuck her senseless and he was questioning her about it. Man, what an idiot.
Samie screwed up her eyes and glared at him. “Jonah, this is your last chance. After this, I'm going out onto the beach to ask the first guy I see if he wants to have sex with me. If you're not up for it, I'm sure there are other men out there who are."
Like hell! A flash of jealousy streaked through his blood. No way was she getting down and dirty with anyone but him. “Oh baby, am I up for it? You bet your sweet buns I am."
In a flash, he pounced and did what he'd wanted to do ever since he'd walked into the bathroom. He settled his mouth over the hardened peak of her breast. Samie groaned and arched her upper body,
pushing her nipple deeper into his mouth. He lifted the weight of her other breast into his hand, rolling the nipple between thumb and forefinger.
He used his teeth, scraping lightly around the edge of her areole before flicking his tongue at the pebbled crest. Samie jumped in reaction, her breathing loud and fast in the small room. His own wasn't much better. He tried for a deep breath, but all he could smell was the musky scent of her arousal. God, if he didn't taste her soon he'd go mad.
With a final hard suck at her nipple, he slid his mouth down the curve of her breast, kissing and licking as he went. He ran his tongue along the gold chain she always wore. Then he nipped at the indentation of her waist before sucking hard, determined to leave his mark on her.
When he raised his head slightly, he saw the beginnings of a love bite. He wondered idly how she'd explain that away when she donned her itty-bitty bikini for work tomorrow.
The ability to think rationally disappeared as he continued with his feast. Dipping the tip of his tongue into her belly button. Licking at the swell of her stomach. Until he finally came to his objective. The tiny thong covering her pussy.
He tried to stretch his legs out, only to have his bare feet smack up against the side of the bathtub. Damn, he'd just have to find another way to do this.
Samie raised her head and chuckled. “Wanna move this to the bedroom, sport? You're a little too big for my bathroom."
He glanced up at her. At the sweep of red colour across her cheekbones. The sweat beading her brow. The long hair tangled about her face. He heard the choppy way she was breathing. No way was he missing a minute of this. Not even to get comfortable.
"Lift your right leg,” he growled in response.
When she did as he asked, he curled up half on his side and hooked her leg back over his hip. He slid his hands under her, filling his palms with the soft curves of her ass. Lifting her hips slightly, he lowered his head.
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