The Mermaid's Journey_A Reverse Harem

by Kellie McAllen

  He runs his fingers down the locks, working out the shampoo till my hair feels suds-free. It takes a long time, but I don’t mind. I love the feel of his hands in my hair.

  “All gone, now, Coral. Do you want me to help you with the conditioner?” His warm body is pressed up against my back, his breath teasing my neck, and all I can do is nod.

  Avery reaches for the conditioner and squirts a dollop onto his palm, then he works it into the length of my hair, finger-combing till there are no more tangles.

  “You have great hair, Coral, and it’s going to look even better after this. Later, when we have more time, I’ll give you a deep conditioning treatment. I’ll give you a trim, too, to clean up the ends,” he murmurs into my ear, his voice sending tingles up and down my body.

  “Did you wash the rest of your body yet?” He asks once he’s done rubbing in the conditioner.

  I shake my head.

  “Well, you should let the conditioner soak in while you do that. Then you can rinse it out afterwards.”

  “Will you stay and help me with that?” I ask because I can tell he wants to, and I want that, too.

  “Sure, of course.” Avery moves back and sits down on the bench on the other side of the shower stall.

  I reach for the soap dispenser, filling my hands with the gel then rubbing it up and down my arms. It feels soft and slippery against my skin. Will it make me look as clean and pink as the guys do today?

  Avery’s eyes stay focused on mine till I move my hands to my belly. But once he flicks his eyes down to my hands, he can’t take his gaze away. His lids get hooded as he watches me spread the soap up and over my breasts.

  When I’ve washed my upper body, I get another squirt of soap and run my hands down my legs. Avery’s eyes trail up and down, following the path of my fingers. When I slide one hand between my legs, Avery groans and turns away.

  “Are you done?” he asks a few moments later.

  “I think so. How do I look?”

  Avery turns his head towards me and lets his eyes roam up and down my body. “You look amazing.”

  I can’t help but grin.

  Avery stands up and helps me wash the conditioner out of my hair, and I notice he’s breathing a lot harder than before.

  “I think we’re done now. Are you ready to get out?” he asks once my hair is rinsed clean.

  What I really want to do is turn around and wrap my arms around his wet, naked body, but I nod my head. Avery turns off the water and hands me a towel, taking another one for himself.

  When we’re dry, I open the bag and dig out the clothes Liam brought for me while Avery slips his own back on. I pull the tee shirt over my head, but I’m not sure how to put the pants on.

  Avery notices my conundrum and chuckles. “Here, Coral. Sit down on the toilet, and I’ll help you.”

  The soft, gray pants are too big on me, but the cinching at the bottom keeps them above my feet, and there’s a string at the waist that Avery pulls tight and ties in a knot to keep them from falling off my hips.

  “There. It’s not exactly high fashion, but you’re clean, and you smell great, and at least you don’t look like an island castaway, anymore.” Avery grins.

  I turn to look at myself in the mirror and am pleased to see my skin and clothing looks much cleaner, and my hair no longer looks like a bird’s nest. It doesn’t flow around me like it does underwater, it just hangs limp against my breasts, but I suppose that’s normal for humans.

  There’s a comb next to the sink, so Avery picks it up and runs it gently through my hair. I take the opportunity to stare at him in the mirror, admiring his fine features and his blue eyes, the same color as mine. His golden hair is almost the same color as his skin.

  When he’s done, he spins me around and plants a kiss on my forehead. “All done, Princess. Feel better?”

  I realize I do. My skin is damp and warm and looks clean. My face shines now, and I can run my fingers through my hair. I did like the shower, besides getting soap in my eyes.

  When Avery opens the door, the others are standing on the other side, and they hustle out of the way as soon as it opens, eyeing us suspiciously.

  “Back off, guys. You don’t have anything to worry about. I just helped her with her hair.”

  The nurse comes a few minutes later to check Gio out and wheel him out of the hospital. As soon as we get outside, the bright sun blinds me for a moment and instantly warms my skin. It reminds me of the island, even though there’s no sand or sea in sight.

  “I’ll get the car.” Liam takes off into the lot full of vehicles then pulls up a few moments later in a shiny, black car.

  “Did you go through the car wash this morning?” Gio quirks an eyebrow at him.

  Liam shrugs. “It was covered in an inch of dust.”

  Gio rolls his eyes. He pulls himself out of the wheelchair and hobbles over to the car, dropping down into the front seat with a grunt. I climb into the backseat between Jude and Avery.

  “Where are we going?” I ask, glancing between them.

  Liam looks at Gio. “I was thinking maybe you should stay at my place for the next few days, while you recuperate. That way you’ll have someone to look after you.”

  Gio sighs. “Yeah, I really doubt I still have an apartment, anyway. That would be great.”

  “I can drop you guys off at your parents’ houses on the way.” Liam glances back at Jude and Avery.

  “Wait a minute. What about Coral?” Avery asks.

  “I still think it’s best if she stays with me. How would you explain her to your parents?” Liam says.

  “I don’t know, but I’m not cool with her staying alone with you all the time.” Jude scowls.

  “Me neither,” Avery crosses his arms over his chest.

  “We won’t be alone. Gio’s going to be there.”

  “Still.” Avery frowns.

  Liam rolls his eyes and runs a hand through his hair. “All right. Let’s go back to my place and get Gio settled, then we’ll figure out a plan, okay?” The guys mumble their agreement.

  I stare out the window as Liam drives, fascinated by all the cars, signs, and buildings that go whizzing by. Everything is brightly colored and unique, and I can’t fathom what all the different buildings are for. I try to decipher some of the signs, but I’m not very good at reading yet, and we’re going too fast. It’s like I’m caught in the middle of a school of fish, carrying me along. I felt the same way the night I rode with James, but today I don’t have the same stress distracting me. The world looks totally different during the day, but just as overwhelming.

  I lean over Jude so I can see better, and he smiles at me and starts pointing out certain things. I don’t understand most of what he’s saying, but he seems eager to tell me about them, and I’m happy to listen.

  “That place serves the best fajitas. Oh, and that’s where I find all my great tee shirts. Over there is my favorite bar, and that’s an awesome night club.”

  “Will you take me there someday, Jude?”

  “Which place?”

  I turn and grin at him. “All of them.” He grins back and taps me on the nose.

  “You got it, babe.”

  Eventually, Liam slows and turns, driving the car inside a building filled with other vehicles. We go around and around in a circle till I start to feel dizzy. Finally, Liam pulls into an open spot and glances at Gio. “I think this is as close to the elevator as we’re going to get, but you’ll still have to walk a bit. Think you can handle it?”

  “I’ll be fine.” Gio rolls his eyes at him.

  We get out of the car and follow Liam to a door. He pushes a button on the wall, and everyone stands and stares while we wait. I’m just about to ask what we’re doing when the door slides open, startling me. I follow the guys into a tiny room, and the door closes behind us. Everyone turns around and stares at it. I jump when the room starts moving.

  “This is an elevator, Coral. It moves up and down between floors so you do
n’t have to climb the stairs. My apartment is on the 5th floor, so I pushed the number 5 button.” Liam points to a row of round, lighted buttons on the wall.

  A few moments later, the elevator jolts to a stop, and the door slides open. I gape when we walk out into a totally different space.

  Chapter 4

  The space is long and narrow with lights on the walls and lots of doors on either side. I’m unexplainably frightened by what might be behind them all.

  Liam leads us down the hall then stops in front of one of the doors and pokes at some numbered buttons. “The code is 8192. Just punch that in to unlock the door, okay Coral? Here, why don’t you try.”

  Liam points to the numbers, so I push them carefully, making sure I have the right ones. He taught me numbers a while ago, but they look a lot different here than they did in the sand. The lock beeps and flashes when I push the last number. Liam smiles and opens the door, so I guess I did okay.

  Inside, it’s cool, even though large windows let the sunshine pour in, lighting up big sections of the dark, wood floors that remind me of the shipwreck where I found the treasure. Only this wood is slick and smooth.

  “That couch has my name on it.” Gio sprawls out on a soft piece of furniture covered in gray material and shoves a dark red pillow under his head with a sigh.

  The couch has two sections pointing different directions, so there’s still room for the other guys to sit down. When they do, I follow their lead, sinking into the cushiony seat. It reminds me of my sea sponge nest, back at the shoal. A table sits in front of the couch, and underneath it is a big, fluffy, white rectangle. I can’t resist rubbing my toes through it. It reminds me of the feel of sea grass, only less slimy.

  Liam heads over to one corner of the space where a row of small, dark doors hang from the wall. He opens one and pulls out a clear vessel. “Anyone want some water? Or I might have some soda in the fridge.”

  He opens a larger door, revealing a lighted space, and pulls out a couple plastic bottles filled with dark liquid. I’ve seen bottles like that before, washed up on the island and floating by the shore, but they were always empty.

  “Ooo, a Coke sounds awesome,” Jude says, jumping up to grab one of the bottles from Liam. He twists the lid, making a hissing sound, then tips the bottle to his lips and gulps it down.

  “Ahh.” He smacks his lips and belches then sticks a fist up to his mouth. “Man, that’s pretty intense after nothing but water all this time.”

  Liam passes out bottles to the other guys then looks at me. “Do you want to try one, Coral?”

  “Can I just have a sip?”

  Jude laughs. “She already sounds like every girl I’ve ever dated. Next thing you know, she’ll be stealing all our fries.”

  He hands his bottle over to me, and I sniff the opening before cautiously taking a tiny taste. The liquid is cold and sweet, but it stings my tongue and burns a little when I swallow. I take another small sip, still not sure how I feel about it.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Jude asks when I hand the bottle back to him.

  Liam sits down and props one ankle up on his knee. “Well, we all need to go see our parents, let them know we’re alive first. Then we need to find a buyer for the gold. Once you have some money, then you can get your own places, and Coral can take turns staying with each of us, or she can pick one place to stay for good. In the meantime, she can stay here. My parents don’t come here, so no one will see her. Gio, you’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”

  Based on the arguments that pop up in their minds, no one is crazy about that plan, but especially not me. I don’t want to be separated from any of them.

  “So Coral will be here with just you two most of the time?” Avery glances between them.

  “Unless there’s space for her to stay with you at your parents’ house?” Liam looks between Avery and Jude who grimace.

  “Look, you guys are welcome to come hang out here any time, or take her to your place if you don’t mind introducing her to your parents. I’m not trying to keep you from her, this just makes the most sense for right now.”

  “How many bedrooms do you have here?” Gio lifts his head to peek around the space.

  Liam hesitates a moment. “Just one.”

  “So where’s Coral going to sleep?” Jude asks the question on all their minds.

  Liam shrugs, his shoulders tense. “Gio can take the couch, and Coral can sleep with me.”

  They all start talking at the same time, their voices rising in a chorus of loud complaints.

  “What’s the big deal? We all spent nights alone with her on the island.”

  “Yeah, but that was before you popped her cherry.” Jude scowls, squishing one of the red pillows between his hands.

  The animosity between them is scaring me, and I wish things could go back to the way they were. I want to be here, to explore their world, but not at the risk of losing what we had.

  “Can’t we all stay together, like before?” I blurt out, anxious to stop their bickering.

  My words silence them, and they all turn and look at me.

  “I like Coral’s idea.” Jude pats my knee.

  “What, like a frat house?” An image flashes in Liam’s head of his beautiful apartment torn apart.

  “Yeah, why not? I shared a place with three other guys before,” Jude says.

  Avery looks disappointed as his fantasy of a place of his own dissolves.

  “I want a place where my sister can come live.” The young, dark-haired girl Gio often worries about flashes through his head.

  Liam holds his hands up. “Let’s just take this one step at a time, okay? We don’t need to be in a rush. Let’s get our lives going again first.”

  They grumble in agreement, but I can tell none of them are satisfied with the arrangement.

  Liam stands up like everything is settled. “I know we’d all like to go see our parents, but someone needs to stay here with Gio and Coral. Why don’t you guys go, and maybe one of you can come back tomorrow and stay with them so I can leave for a while.”

  Jude and Avery glance between us and nod their heads, and soon they’re getting up to leave. My heart tears at the thought of another night away from them. I hope they can get this sorted out soon so we can be together again.

  When I stand up, Avery reaches for me, sliding his hands around my waist and rubbing his nose against mine. “I’ll be back tomorrow, Coral. I promise. I’ll bring my stuff so I can do your hair. And we’ll go shopping and get you some pretty things, okay?”

  I don’t care about any of that, I just want to be with him, but I’ll do anything that makes him happy. I nod and give him a kiss, remembering our moments together in the shower.

  As soon as Avery lets go, Jude takes his place, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his side. “And I’ll take you somewhere fun like the movies or out dancing.”

  I slide a hand up his chest and tilt my head up to look at him. He leans down for a kiss, squeezing me tight against him.

  “Here, you can take my car. We probably won’t go anywhere tonight.” Liam hands them the keys.

  Jude looks surprised but grins and takes them. “Sweet. How fast can it go?”

  Liam glares at him, and Jude smirks. “No worries, I’ll test it out.”

  Moments later, they’re out the door.

  Liam looks around like he’s not sure what to do next. “Gio, you okay? You need anything?”

  “I’m good for now. Think I’m gonna sleep,” he mumbles, his eyes already closed.

  There’s a thick, woven blanket draped over the other section of the sofa. I reach for it and spread it out over Gio. He murmurs and pulls it up to his chin.

  “Coral, would you like to see the rest of the apartment?” Liam whispers.

  I nod and take his outstretched hand. He leads me down a short hall then pushes open a door that leads to a bathroom. It’s a lot like the one at the hospital, but here the top of the walls are a prett
y, pale blue color, and the bottom is covered with shiny, white rectangles. Thick, white towels hang from a bar on the wall. The shower area is bigger, too, with a short wall in the front. Liam notices me looking at it.

  “That’s a bathtub. If you press this down,” he pushes on a metal circle in the bottom, “you can fill the tub with water and soak in it.”

  The space is large enough to sit in but not nearly big enough to swim, so I don’t understand the point. I guess my confusion must be obvious because Liam says, “With warm water and bubbles, it’s really relaxing. I’ll show you some time.”

  He pictures the two of us in the tub, his wet body wrapped around mine, and I smile. Now that, I can appreciate.

  “There’s more toilet paper and towels under the sink here.” He opens one of the doors.

  I like the idea of a private room for relieving yourself, and the toilet is much nicer than burying waste in the sand. The whole room is clean and bright, with several lights above the mirror. I notice my hair has dried now. It does look much softer and shinier than it did before I washed it. I run my hands through the slippery strands, enjoying the feel.

  “This is my bedroom.” Liam guides me into the room next door, a large space dominated by a huge bed, big enough for all of us to sleep on. It’s covered in a thick, burgundy blanket with an intricate, shiny design. Matching lengths of fabric hang on either side of the windows. The whole space feels like a cozy nest.

  “Why can’t we all stay here, Liam? Together, like on the island.”

  Liam’s mouth curves in a little frown. “Humans like to have their own space, Coral. They like privacy. How we lived on the island wasn’t… normal.”

  I know he’s right. It was the same in the shoal. Only family lived together, and only mates shared the same nest. As much as I enjoy being with all the guys, I crave alone time with each of them. That’s why I started going to the lookout each night with whoever was on duty.

  A door off to the side, cracked open, distracts me. I gasp when I peek in and see dozens of garments hanging from metal wires. I walk inside, running my hands along the rainbow of different fabrics.