“I’ll remember that. Now, why didn’t I ever see you at school? You grew up here, right?”
“I was home schooled. And I only lived here for part of the year, from early spring to the end of summer. The rest of the year I lived with my mother.”
“Why didn’t you live with her all year long?”
“Because there were things she wanted me to learn here I couldn’t learn at… home.”
“I bet you missed her.”
“Sometimes. But not usually.”
“What about your dad?”
She sat up again and pulled her knees to her chest in a protective gesture. “Never knew him. Now, how about you?”
“Me?” He sighed. Answering questions was tricky. “My mom died in a car accident and my dad split, so I moved in with my grandparents.”
“River, I’m so sorry.”
Hearing the sincerity in her voice, he felt comfortable opening up about it. “Yeah. Actually, my dad was driving drunk and that’s how my mom died in an accident. He survived but ran off afterwards. But my grandparents were great. They helped me through it. I went to the local high school, played football and stuff. My best sport was swimming though.”
Her fingers had clutched his in sympathy, but she responded to the second bit, a kindness for which he was grateful. “Doesn’t surprise me. You have the shoulders of a swimmer.”
River smiled, though he doubted she could see it. “You’ve been checking out my shoulders?”
She chuckled. “They’re hard to miss.”
She had a few features that were hard to miss too, but he knew better than to mention them. “I’m working my butt off this summer to pay for my tuition when school starts. I’ve got two more years left till I get my bachelor’s degree. I’m trying to decide if I’ll keep going or not.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“I’m studying to be a marine biologist. I love it, but school isn’t cheap. Even working all summer, I’ll end up in tons of debt and there’s not a lot of money in a field that depends almost entirely on grants. Just seems like a bad choice financially.” He paused, hesitant to go on. But she’d never trust him if he didn’t show he trusted her. “And this part is between you and me.”
“Okay.”
“I’m thinking about hiring on with a crew that recovers artifacts from sunken ships.”
“Treasure hunters?”
“Basically. They need divers.”
She was quiet for a bit before she said, “Sounds dangerous. And you’d be gone a lot.”
His heart hammered at the worry in her voice, latching onto every sign that she cared for him. “Well, it probably won’t even happen. The guy I talked to said they still had to get all their permits in order and find another backer for the project. But it would be a pretty cool experience and the pay would be great, even if they don’t find anything. And if we do, well, I’d get a cut.”
He waited for her to say something, but she didn’t. She just stared out at the moon that was now peeking out from behind some clouds in the dark sky.
“Well?” he asked. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that there is a lot in the ocean to be discovered. More than you would be looking for.”
River put an arm around her and pulled her closer. “I know. It can be scary down there, but we’d have a whole team and lots of safety precautions.”
“When would you be going?”
“July, I think. We’d be gone for couple of months.”
She turned and hugged him tightly. “We won’t have much time together.”
“I’ll be back. And it might not even happen.”
“But I might be going away for a while too. I think fate is determined to keep me from being happy.”
He turned her face up. “Well, don’t leave it up to fate to decide.”
Then, to make his point, he brushed his lips across hers and kissed her. At first, he kept it light—trying to kiss her into a better mood. But all too soon, emotions slammed into him, driving him to deepen the kiss. Her lips parted beneath his, and he pulled her closer. Barely breaking for breath, they kissed again and again. His lips traced her cheek, over to her ear and down into the hollow of her throat. Her fingers combed through his hair as she turned her head, encouraging him. He kissed the hollow at her delicate collar bone, then skimmed back up her throat to kiss her lips again. She broke away, breathing hard.
“River, you have to take me home.”
“What?”
“This is too much. I can’t…”
Understanding finally, River said, “Rissa, I would never take this further than you wanted. Please, believe me. I’m not that kind of guy.”
“I believe you. And I like kissing you.” In one quick movement that caught him by surprise, she stood. “Too much. Let’s go.”
Taking one deep breath, he stood and grabbed for her hand. “No worries. We both have work early tomorrow anyway, right?”
She nodded and brushed the sand from her clothes.
When River pulled up to her uncle’s restaurant, he parked and walked around to open the door for her. She was still barefoot and carried her sandals in one hand so he moved to her other side to hold her hand. He went inside with her, and she pulled him back into the hallway that ran along the kitchen. At the end of the hallway was a stairway that rose to the left, and, River assumed, up to the family quarters. The racket from the busy kitchen followed them, but at least no one could see them.
“One little kiss before I say goodnight?” he asked.
She smiled. “Sure.” She lifted on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her, intending to keep it brief, but she nipped at his bottom lip and he gave up trying to restrain himself.
A voice interrupted them. “Wow, Narissa. Suddenly, everything makes sense.”
River opened his eyes and looked past her to see a guy with long, blond hair smirking at them. Something about the set of his shoulders alerted River to an underlying aggression in his posture. When Narissa slumped against River, groaning softly, his mind raced with possibilities. Was this guy the cause of all her fears? If so, he wouldn’t have any problem taking him out.
Narissa turned. “Edmar, if you say another word, you’ll regret it.”
Looking down at Narissa again, River saw such a fierce expression on her face that a chill shot up his spine. He seriously doubted he would get to the new guy before she did.
Chapter Eight
Spinning back around to face River, Narissa said, “I think we’d better say goodnight.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw as he clenched it, never breaking eye contact with Edmar. “I’d like to stay and make sure you’re okay here.” His voice was as calm as ever, but now there was steel in it.
Edmar waved his white hand breezily. “Oh, there’s no reason for you to worry about me. Narissa and I have known each other for years, but there’s nothing romantic between us, so you can reign in your territorial urges.”
River shook his head and looked fierce. “You’ve pegged me wrong.”
Leaning back against the wall, Edmar let out a long whistle and grinned. “I like this guy. Where’d you find him?”
Narissa pressed her lips together. “River, this is Edmar. His family and mine go way back.” She certainly wasn’t going to explain further, even when Edmar raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. “Edmar, this is River, my boyfriend.”
“Ah. Well, how sweet. When are you going to let him meet the family?”
Cold fear raced down her spine, and she glared at him. “That’s my business. What are you still doing here? I thought you were just passing through.”
“Jesse invited me to stay awhile. Sounded good. I mean, the fishing here is great. You never know what you might catch.”
Keeping up with this dual-layered conversation made Narissa’s head spin. “Wonderful. Let’s go outside, River.”
She took his big, rough hand and pulled him behind her, glad he followed becaus
e she never could have budged him if he wasn’t willing to move. When they reached her car, she gasped as River’s arms went around her and lifted her off her feet.
“Not a very subtle way to get rid of me,” he said.
Even surrounded by his strength and heady scent, Narissa was focused on getting him to leave. “I wasn’t going for subtle. I had to get you out of there before you two tried to wreck my uncle’s place.”
River let her down. When she turned to face him, he said, “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t have started anything with him.” He shrugged. “Not inside anyway.”
“Why doesn’t that reassure me? Promise me you’ll stay away from him. He’s more dangerous than he looks.”
He put a finger under her chin and tipped it up. “Telling me that only convinces me to keep an eye on him. Don’t you get it? I’m worried about you.”
“I know, but please believe me that Edmar would never hurt me. It’s other people I worry about.”
“Again, you aren’t making me feel better.”
Narissa sighed. “Okay, I get it. Can I have a kiss before you go?”
“Not subtle at all. But I’ll leave if that’s what you want.”
“It’s not what I want, it’s what I need.” She hoped her kiss would make her point for her. And perhaps it did, because when River drew back, he gave a slight, almost unwilling smile and rubbed her arm before getting in his car.
After he drove away, Narissa stormed back inside to confront Edmar. She found him in the waitress station, leaning against the counter with a drink in one hand and a glint in his eyes. Anne stood next to him, rolling silverware, and smiling up at him as they talked.
Her heart gave one frantic throb of a beat, and she rushed over to them.
“I’ll take that over,” she said to Anne. “Why don’t you go check on your tables?”
“But you aren’t even working tonight,” she protested.
“Don’t worry about it. I need to talk to Edmar.”
Edmar smiled at Anne as she walked away with an extra bit of sway to her hips. It was so not like her to be flirting with someone, but Narissa just rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what Edmar was doing to her.
“Could you just cut it out?” she asked him.
“What? Like you aren’t doing it to that River guy.”
Narissa pointed a fork at him. “For the record, I am not enchanting him.”
Edmar laughed loud enough that some of the customers looked over at them. “Sorry, sweetheart, but you can’t help it.”
This was, of course, exactly what she was afraid of, but she just glared at him. “I can try.”
He leaned back and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “But why? It’s part of who we are. What are you worried about, anyway? Don’t you want him to be captivated by you?”
“Yes, but only if it’s for real.” With her practiced fingers rolling silverware at warp speed, she finished in no time and walked to the kitchen. Looking back over her shoulder, she said, “Come with me.”
“Is that a command?” he asked, mocking her.
“Yes.”
Narissa wasn’t at all surprised when he did as she asked. She figured he was as curious to get answers as she was anxious to convince him to move on.
Leaving the clangs and steam behind as she headed upstairs, she felt the vibrations of Edmar’s feet pounding up behind her. He easily kept pace even though her temper made her move faster than usual. Turning the corner into the living room, Narissa turned and closed the door after he came through, then spun and asked, “Okay, let’s have some real talk about Anne. She’s off limits.”
He sank down onto the old leather couch and spread his arms across the back. “Your mom may be one of the seven Mothers, but you don’t have any authority over me.”
“No, but Anne is my friend. I won’t let you do that to her.”
“I don’t know that I will want to, but there’s nothing you can do to stop me. Besides, she has such sad eyes. She’d probably beg me to take her if she knew what I can give her.”
The fact that she’d had similar thoughts did not make Narissa feel any better. “Edmar, there are other places to hunt. There are drunk bimbos for hundreds of miles in every direction on this coast. Leave Anne alone.”
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “Tell me you aren’t giving up the Realm for one human boy.”
She gasped. “How did you know about that?”
“Poseidon paid your mother dear a visit.”
Narissa’s throat closed. “Oh no.”
“You don’t have to do this, Narissa. The Mothers will look the other way if you want to take a lover. You can trade him to someone else when you tire of him, as long as you aren’t foolish enough to bind yourself to him.”
“I’m not like you. I want to keep him forever.”
“Then keep him. Why do you have to become human to do that?”
“Because I don’t want that life for him. And I don’t want it either. I love the land, Edmar. I want the sun and warmth and air. I’m happier here. I always have been.”
“I guess the fish out of water saying doesn’t exactly hold true here, does it?”
“Don’t you like it better here?”
“There are benefits to both, of course, but without the sea, I wouldn’t be nearly as rich as I am.”
“Don’t you mean without the land?”
“See? I need both. Dry land Lovelies to sell and mers to sell them to. Not to mention the lucrative business I do trading human goods and pearls.” Then, standing up, he walked towards Narissa and leaned down, trapping her in the back of her chair with a hand on each arm rest. “Our people need us, Narissa. We provide a future for them, something they can’t get on their own. Why would you desert them?”
Narissa glared at him. “I deserve a future too.”
Edmar shook his head and stood back up. “So beautiful and so selfish.” He made a tsking noise, then moved to the door.
“Where are you going?”
“Oh, to find some of those drunk bimbos you were talking about. I still know where my duty lies.”
Chapter Nine
Narissa dropped off a platter of calamari and a couple of margaritas at one of the deck tables and moved on to refill drinks at another. As she worked, she kept an eye out for Edmar. She’d been anxious all morning, wondering what he was up to. Edmar had stayed with them many times in the past, but it always made her uncomfortable to have him around. This time it was worse. After their conversation last night, she knew he was spying for her mother.
“Miss, can I have a refill?” a customer asked as she walked by. It was Anne’s table, but they were helping each other out because the place was packed. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and in the mid-eighties, so people were out to enjoy it.
“Of course. Is this sweet tea?”
“Yes,” he replied, turning back to his companion.
As she refilled his glass, Anne came up to the waitress station to refill someone’s water. “Thanks,” Anne said, taking a moment to stretch the muscles in her back.
“No problem.”
“At least we’ll get good tips today,” she said, pushing her limp bangs back from her face. “And there’s a party tonight on the beach. Want to go?”
A party on the beach would be the perfect excuse to get Brody down by the water. If she tracked Stumps down after work and persuaded him, Narissa could potentially bring him along too. She desperately needed to get the two of them into the water, but that meant that Anne couldn’t be anywhere near the beach.
“Nah. You know what those parties are like. Remember last time when you had to pepper spray that drunk guy? You really want to go through that again?”
She wrinkled her nose. “No. But I don’t feel like sitting around my apartment by myself either.”
“Get one of your roommates to go to a movie with you. Or better yet, why don’t you let them set you up on a blind date like they’re always wanting to do?”
>
“Gross. No.”
They shared a smile and headed back to the customers they were serving.
“I’m surprised you don’t want to go with lover boy,” a voice said to Narissa’s left. Edmar was leaning against one of the support pillars, facing out to sea.
Ignoring him for the moment, Narissa dropped off the sweet tea and went to take orders from one of her tables, but when she passed by him to drop off her order at the kitchen, she said, “Stay out of my business.”
His laugh fueled her annoyance further. Somehow, she had to get him to take her seriously. But when she went back a few minutes later, he was gone.
When her shift was over, Narissa made a giant fish sandwich and a large fruit smoothie, then jumped in her uncle’s truck and headed for the docks. It only took her twenty minutes to find Stumps. He leaned against a palm tree at the corner of the busy parking lot at the Harbor Walk with a cardboard sign propped up against his back pack.
He nodded at Narissa as she sat next to him and handed over the meal she’d brought. “Thanks, missy.”
“You got it. Remember what I mentioned last time I was here? I wanted to talk to you about it.”
“Shoot. I’m not going anywhere,” he said, inviting her to continue even though his whole attention was focused on the sandwich.
“I’m not from here.”
“You have that look about you,” he said, nodding.
She eyed him, a bit surprised. For some reason, she’d always been intrigued by Stumps. A world of sadness lurked in his eyes, but his hard expression showed a stoic acceptance of the world around him. She’d never seen him rattled, but what she was going to say would rattle anybody. She might even lose him completely, but something told her he could handle it.
“I don’t mean from Destin.”
“I know what you mean, mermaid.”
Narissa inhaled sharply. “Have you met one of us before?”
He nodded. “I was young, maybe nineteen, down here for spring break with my buddies. Back then, I was too stupid to see past my own hormones. She had her way with me and I only saw what she was when she returned to the water.”
The Lovely Deep (The Mer Song Trilogy Book 1) Page 6