Standing his ground, he stared him down. Well, up, he guessed. Either way, he was going to make him leave. Force would be used if necessary. “Just go, man.”
“Fine, but this isn’t over. You have to tell me sooner or later who the hot chick is. She’s gotta be super-hot if you’re keeping her away from me.” Nick winked and Rowan saw red.
Rowan cleared his throat, pointing to the house, not saying a word.
“I get the point.” He marched up to the house, stormed inside, and hopefully out the front door.
Rowan took a deep breath and followed him inside to make sure Nick wasn’t turning the house upside down in search of an imaginary girl.
"Oh, you think you're a bad ass now, is that it? Going to escort me out?” Nick puffed up his chest and squared his shoulders. “You know if I didn't want to leave I wouldn't, but I'll respect you enough to not hang around and steal her from you. I'll wait and show her how much of a good time she missed out on."
Nick stormed out the front door, slamming it in the process. An engine revved seconds later from the driveway as Rowan reached the front door to lock it. He pulled the curtain aside in time to find Nick flying out the gate, barely missing his mailbox. He’d have to change the code on the keypad soon to avoid another surprise visit.
16
Voices drifted down through the water to her safe haven behind the falls. Edging down the bottom of the wall, she tilted her head to bring her right ear in better range. She possessed exceptional hearing and could hear Rowan talking, but to whom? The conversation didn’t sound like a pleasant one. Every word filtered down to her as Rowan and his guest argued back and forth over some girl.
Did Rowan have a female human over and didn’t tell her? She slunk back to her corner of the pool, an unfamiliar pain shooting through her chest at the thought of him having a companion. She had no right to judge him or claim him.
He was a human and she was a mermaid. Their worlds could never overlap. Once she healed, she’d be on her way back home to the ocean, back to a betrothal she wasn’t sure she wanted, back to a family she hoped was still there.
She choked up, remembering her neat planned out future. If it meant her parents and siblings were alive, she’d gladly join with Cayson, no matter how conflicted she was about the arrangement. He’d been a different guy at the engagement ceremony. She still believed in joining for love. Could she love Cayson? Maybe.
Eventually.
The water sloshed, making Rowan’s reflection ripple. His friend stormed off and Meriya’s shoulders slumped in relief, relaxing now with the threat of discovery over.
Rowan was no longer visible either. She propelled herself to the top, eyes peeking cautiously over the concrete edging.
“Rowan?” she whispered.
Raising a few more inches out of the pool, her chest constricted in anguish. She was still calling to her, trying to figure out where her lost mermaid was. The ocean crashed upon the shore nearby, reaching, searching.
“That was a close one,” Rowan observed from beside her.
Screaming, she dove for the other side of the pool, not realizing it was only him. She failed to see or hear him walk up while she was lost in thought.
“Whoa, whoa! It’s only me.” He raised his hands.
Meriya’s racing heart slowed to a gallop, then tapered off to a normal rhythm. With her hand on her chest, she took a deep breath.
“Do you have another human here? A girl?” Meriya demanded.
Rowan heaved a sigh. “That was just Nick. Nick is an ass and he knows it.”
“A what?” she glided closer to him.
“He’s, well. He sometimes isn’t a nice person,” he explained.
“Then why do you associate with him?” She shook her head.
“That’s another very good question. I’m not sure.” He dragged a chair over and slumped down into it. His head lulled back, and he stared at the sky for several heartbeats.
“If you’d take me back to the ocean, I wouldn’t cause you anymore problems.” She reached his side of the pool, resting her hands on the edge to keep herself stationary.
His head popped back up and he tried to smile. “Meriya, you aren’t any trouble. I want to help you. You need to rest, heal, and get your strength back.”
“Who is she?” Meriya face burned once she asked the question.
“She?” Rowan frowned.
“The girl you have hiding in your house. Is she attractive?” Nick seemed to think she was.
Rowan burst into fits of laughter, his arms hugging his abdomen as he bent over in his chair, almost losing his balance and toppling into the pool.
Speechless, she stared at him with her mouth open. “That’s not funny!” Why would he laugh at her?
“Oh!” He said as he exhaled. “No, no. I’m not laughing at you. It’s just… I’ve never hidden a girl in my house and what I told Nick wasn’t the truth.”
Meriya stared at him blankly, so he continued. “Nick saw the two plates by the pool and thought I was hiding a girl from him. He’s known for taking what he wants. If I’d told him no one was here, he would have gone looking for you, or whoever he imagined was here.”
“Okay?” Her forehead scrunched up.
“I lied and sounded angry to throw him off. He would have expected that reaction had I really had a girl over.” He scooted the chair back away from the edge, since it shifted during his bout of laughter.
Humans were interesting creatures. She shook her head, then bit her bottom lip, trying to resist the urge to ask her next question, but failed.
“Who is Courtney?” Her eyes narrowed, still worrying her lip between her teeth.
Rowan tilted his head to the side, regarding her. “Are you… jealous?”
“NO!” Cupping a hand, she raked it across the surface of the pool, splashing him with water, then sank to the bottom.
She had no reason to be jealous of another inferior human. Safety was her only concern. As well as getting back to the ocean undetected, save for the one lone human above her who knew of her existence.
She was betrothed, and duty held her accountable to her family and her kingdom to join with Cayson. The ring on her finger was a constant reminder of him, and the hope that he would continue to treat her in the manner he recently showed. People could change for love, right? Life wouldn’t be so bad with him.
The next thing she knew, there was a splash from above, and then Rowan was next to her holding his breath. Bubbles erupted around him, racing toward the surface, tickling her nose as they whizzed by. Her gills flared and she held back her laughter.
Rowan was still in his clothes, but he obviously didn’t care. He held his arms out, indicating he wanted to give her a hug. How long could he hold his breath underwater?
A friend once told her if you kissed a human they could breathe like you. She boasted she’d done it before. One simple kiss and a mermaid’s magic helped them for a short period of time.
With her magic failing her, she wasn’t brave enough to test this theory out. She stayed where she was, staring at the wall of the pool.
Since she hadn’t backed away, Rowan took this as acceptance, bridging the gap between the two of them, hesitating for only a second before wrapping her in his warm embrace.
His arms felt wonderful, so she didn’t fight him. He offered the same comfort Jovie always offered her. A simple hug to show she cared and she’d always be there for her. Meriya’s throat closed up, thinking of her favorite sister, her best friend.
Rowan pulled away too soon, breaking the connection they shared. He kicked his arms and legs, racing to the surface for much-needed oxygen. Frozen, she stared at the space he’d once occupied. Why did the stupid human have to be so nice? Not once had he yelled at her.
White flashed in her peripheral vision, reminding her how much he took care of her, the strange patches all over her skin a testament to his character, but she couldn’t shake off how trapped she felt in his pool. No matter how nice
Rowan was, if he never took her back to the ocean, then all of those nightmares she’d heard about humans would come true. Ultimately, she could still become his science experiment, caged up at his house, on display for him to study.
Her stomach roiled, the fish she’d eaten earlier not settling well. Her nerves were getting the best of her. The only way to know for sure what side Rowan stood on – bad human or good human – was to let time run its course.
Ascending to the surface, she broke through the water next to him. He was wiping water out of his eyes and taking huge gulps of air.
“You okay?” She shouldn’t ask him how he was doing, a human, her captor. No, she should be figuring out a way to escape. Instead, she locked her hands behind her back, realizing she could no longer trust herself around him.
Right then, she promised herself she’d do everything in her power to get out of this pool and back to the ocean. She sent prayers out to the ocean, hoping She had kept her family safe, so upon her return she’d find them healthy.
17
Monday came too soon. Rowan awoke and went about his normal routine: took a shower, brushed his teeth, shaved, and got dressed. His mind kept repeating his encounter with Meriya yesterday. She looked so hurt when she believed there was another girl in his house. She claimed she was only worried about being discovered. She mumbled something about self-preservation and then sunk back into the water without a word, as she was prone to do.
Scoffing at the water, he didn’t believe a word she said. He didn’t date a lot, or ever, it was more like hookups, but he knew when a woman was jealous. He witnessed it firsthand two months ago when Courtney had gotten a little too attached and he tried to explain he was seeing someone else.
There was no one else, but she didn’t need to know that. He told her upfront he wasn’t interested in a relationship, yet she had those moments where she happened to be out by his work and wanted to have lunch. Or she’d see this little trinket in a shop she thought would be perfect for him.
Truth be told, the only reason he hadn’t gone to Nick’s party this past weekend was because of her. Whether Meriya was here or not held no bearing on his decision.
Grabbing his truck keys off the entryway table, he whistled on his way to the pool to check up on his mermaid before leaving for work. His mermaid? When did he start thinking he had any claim to her? That she was his?
She wasn’t.
She was a person in his mind, well, a mermaid, not some piece of property, but he felt obligated to take care of her. Perhaps that was why his mind defined her as his.
As he approached the pool, he found her with her head tilted back as the small waterfall pelted her head. She didn’t notice him, so he used this opportunity to observe her, watch her, and take in her beauty. Her being in a more relaxed and natural state only enhanced that beauty.
She shifted so the water cascaded over her neck and shoulders, and his eyes drifted to her lack of clothing. Rowan would give anything for her to be human right now. He was still a man and still had urges. Here he was, standing there with a beautiful woman in his pool, and he couldn’t do anything with her. His shoulders tensed as he watched her, images of her as a human playing out in his mind.
The waterfall gave a great massage after a long day and he felt the loss of it in the tight muscles in his back. He hadn’t been able to relax in the pool all weekend. He hesitated about having it put in last year, but once he found out how helpful it could be, he hadn’t second-guessed his decision again.
Her hands smoothed the hair away from her face, eyes lifting to make eye contact with Rowan. She froze in place, her expression unreadable.
“Good morning, Meriya,” Rowan supplied, hoping to keep the mood from getting awkward after getting caught staring.
She coasted through the water, arms slicing a path through it easily until she was beneath him.
“Good morning.” Indifference painted itself all over her face. So this was how it was going to be?
Great.
“I came out to see if you needed anything before I left for work.” Rowan rubbed his eyes with one hand, still trying to erase the images of her enjoying herself under the waterfall.
“Food? Or do you want me to starve to death while you’re gone?” she remarked dryly.
Rowan winced, realizing his mistake, and headed back into the house to retrieve a piece of fish from the stock he had in the freezer. She’d have to wait for it to thaw out, but it should take no time out in the heat of the day.
He placed the brown paper wrapped bundle of fish next to her on the towel at the edge of the pool.
“It’s still frozen, well, really cold, but it should warm up for you soon. I’m sorry I didn’t think to set it out on the counter last night.” He frowned, mad at himself for not considering her eating schedule.
“Frozen?" She reached out to pick up the fish, and her fingers stung as the wet skin came in contact with the cold paper. "Oww. How am I supposed to eat that? It’s as hard as a clamshell, and it hurts to touch."
He suppressed a chuckle as he explained. "We freeze our food to keep it from going bad, that way we don’t have to eat it all at once. It will thaw eventually, and get back to a normal temperature, which should make it soft enough to eat again. Make sure it’s thawed all the way through before you bite into it."
Brows furrowed, she seemed confused by another human oddity, and her attitude was not the most pleasant. "I’ll make do with this.” She disappeared beneath the water.
Her actions shouldn’t have irritated him so much, but she was forever using the water as a barrier between them, diving down beneath it when he wasn’t quite done with their conversation. She was hot and cold. Smiling one minute and scowling the next. He couldn’t seem to nail down what kind of person she was. One minute she was asking him if he was okay and looking concerned, the next she was cold, distant, only caring about herself.
He began to see as foreign as human actions were to her, he should realize some things were not natural to her. Sure, she could survive out of the water, but it was only natural for her to be beneath its protection. If he truly wanted what was best for her, he would have to start looking at things from her perspective a little more.
Later, he’d check her bandages to make sure she was still healing properly. Maybe she’d be able to go back to the ocean soon and he could get off this rollercoaster. Pain pierced his heart at the thought of taking her back, though. Regardless of how nice or mean she’d been, he’d somehow grown attached to her.
Once he returned her to the ocean, no one would know she existed. It was a lose-lose situation for Rowan. Except, he could finally put his mind at ease on the existence of mermaids. He’d take comfort in that.
The drive to work seemed shorter than usual to Rowan. The fact he didn’t feel like coming to work today may have something to do with it. His mind was still on the scaled beauty who resided in his pool.
First order of business was to request the rest of the week off. He’d never taken time off from this job and hoped it would work in his favor when he asked his boss last minute.
He tapped gently on his boss’s door and a gruff reply came from within. Rowan stepped inside and took a seat upon one of the leather-clad chairs, waiting for his boss to finish what he was working on.
“Yes, Rowan?” He pushed his keyboard aside and gave Rowan his full attention.
His boss was an older guy in his early forties, married, one kid, but you’d never know it. He still looked young and vibrant with his dark brown hair cropped close to his scalp. No gray hair or receding hairline in sight. He was a respectable boss and ran this place like a well-oiled machine. Clearwater Marine Sanctuary would fall apart without him. There was something different in the way he looked at Rowan today though. There’d always been a mutual respect between the two of them, but today there seemed to be some tension.
“Mr. Brantley, I was wondering if I could take the rest of the week off.” Rowan paused, not knowing how to ex
plain why he needed it. Rowan wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. Did his boss realize the internal struggle he faced?
His boss eased back into his chair, crossing his arms over his broad chest. He took in a large breath and stared into Rowan's eyes. "I like you, Rowan. You are always a dependable and dedicated worker. You do more than I ask you to, you cover for others when needed, and you help this place run smoothly. But over the weekend, we had animals being beached, injured, and all sorts of things. You never once answered my texts or calls. Everyone was here all weekend taking care of the new animals, but no one had seen or heard from you."
“I had no idea, Mr. Brantley. I’m so sorry. I’d left my phone in the house and was working on cleaning the pool, I…” Rowan couldn’t very well explain he was busy with a mermaid.
His boss took another deep breath and exhaled. “But it shouldn’t be a problem. I know this time of year is always difficult on you with the anniversary of your dad passing.”
“Thank you, sir. I figured I could use a break to unwind.” His boss was a little off on the anniversary date, but he wasn’t going to correct him. Rowan’s pulse thundered in his veins. He hated lying, especially to his boss. Technically, he wasn’t lying. He really did need to take a break and unwind. Unwind himself from a particular mermaid taking up residence in more than just his pool.
“Understandable. Would you be willing to finish the day out or do you need to leave early? I'm sure the others would appreciate some help with everything we have going on currently. It might go a long way to stop some of the grumblings about you not being here over the weekend.”
“I’ll stay the full day, but having the rest of the week off will give me plenty of time to relax.” Rowan chuckled nervously. He hoped Mr. Brantley didn’t hear how his voice wavered.
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