The Mermaid's Return_A Reverse Harem Romance

by Kellie McAllen

  “I tried. Mom’s at work, and Stag’s not answering. It’s bad, Avery. He’s up a tree with a gator trying to get him!”

  I rub a hand over my face and shake my head. No matter how hard I try to get away from my roots, my family will always be there to remind me where I come from.

  Coral’s fingers dig into my knee, and I turn to look at her. “You have to go help him!”

  I close my eyes for a moment, avoiding the inevitable. “I don’t want to ruin this night, Coral.”

  “He’s your father. He needs you.”

  I sigh and turn the car around. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes, Becky.”

  Once I’m off the phone with her, I call the restaurant to tell them we’re not going to make it on time. “Is there any way I can move my reservation to eight?”

  The woman actually laughs at me. “Sir, our next available reservation is two months from now. Would you like to reschedule for then?”

  “There’s no point.” I hang up the phone without waiting for a response from her. I’m not usually that rude, and I immediately feel bad about it.

  “It’s okay, Avery. We can eat somewhere else. I’m not picky.” Coral lays her hand on my leg again, soothing my nerves a little.

  Frustrated, I push the Mercedes as fast as I can without drawing the attention of the cops till I get to the rutted, gravel road that leads to my parents’ property. Then I slow to a crawl, trying to avoid kicking up rocks that might ding the glossy, black paint job.

  I cringe when I pull up in front of the rundown old house, embarrassed to have Coral see it. A lifetime of humiliation immediately weighs down on me. I think about telling her to wait in the car, but she must be listening to the thoughts crawling through my mind because, before I get a chance to speak, she puts a hand on my arm and looks at me with more love and admiration than any of my family ever has.

  “Don’t be embarrassed, Avery. You can’t choose where you come from or who your family is. I love the person you became, and part of that is because of them.”

  Her words well up so much emotion in me, my face pinches as I try to hold back tears. God, I love this woman. I cup a hand to her silky cheek. “I don’t deserve you, Coral.”

  She shakes her head. “I wouldn’t be with you if you didn’t.”

  “Come on, let me introduce you to my sister.” I get out and help Coral from the car. She clings to me as she tiptoes across the gravel, trying to keep from getting her heels stuck.

  Becky’s standing by the door when we walk in, her blonde hair in a messy ponytail, the frightened look on her face making her seem her age for once. Her eyes get huge when she sees Coral. “Is this your girlfriend?”

  I chuckle and ruffle her hair. “Hey Beck, yeah, this Coral. Coral, this is Becky.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Coral hold out her hand. Becky looks at her funny for a moment but then shakes it.

  “Wow, you look really pretty!” She can’t resist stroking Coral’s silky dress.

  Coral blushes and bites her lip. “Thanks. Avery picked out my outfit. He’s really good at that.”

  Her eyes flit towards me with an adoring smile that turns my heart into a puddle.

  “Beck, where’s Dad?”

  “He’s in the backyard. That big, ole gator came after him, so he climbed a tree, but he doesn’t have a gun, and the gator won’t leave. I was gonna get the shotgun and go chase it away, but I was too scared. I’m sorry.” Her eyes drop to the floor, and her lips quiver as she clutches the hem of her shirt.

  My gut squeezes at the thought of my tiny sister trying to wield the shotgun. I quickly kneel down and stroke her hair, wiping a tear off her cheek with my thumb. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not mad at you. I don’t want you out there chasing off gators. Besides, that shotgun is way too big for you. It’d blow you off your feet. You stay here with Coral, okay?”

  She nods, and I give her a big hug then chuck her under the chin before standing up and heading for the back door. I grab the shotgun off the wall and open it up then drop in a couple shells from the box on the bookshelf. Dad taught me how to shoot, but I always hated the idea of guns, and I was never willing to go hunting with him and my brother. I didn’t even like practice shooting.

  I take one step out into the yard and feel the damp mud squishing on my nice shoes. I think about going back inside to look for some boots I can change into, but why bother? We’ve lost our reservation at Vin Rouge, and by the time we get back to the city, it’ll be too late to get in anywhere nice. We’ll probably end up going through a drive-thru. I scowl as I stomp through the swampy yard, looking for my father.

  I’m twenty feet away when I spot the gator lounging at the base of a tree like a security guard in a suit of dark green armor. His mouth curves in a vicious smile, open just enough to reveal a row of lethally-sharp teeth. I immediately stop and train my gun on him, my heart revving and my hands shaking. Hopefully, if I stay still, he’ll ignore me.

  “Buck, what the hell are you doing here, and in a monkey suit, no less?” My father’s voice bellows from the lowest branch. How he managed to get his fat ass up there is beyond me. I guess being chased by an alligator gave him a surge of energy. I don’t give him more than a glance, though. I keep my eyes on the gator.

  “I’m here to save your ass, Dad. I’m supposed to be taking my girlfriend out for a nice dinner.” I keep my voice low and steady, trying not to draw attention to myself. Did the alligator look at me? I’m not close enough to tell if his eyes moved.

  “I told Becky to call Stag! Why the hell did she call you? You probably don’t even know how to work that thing. Get your pansy ass out of here, and go get your brother.”

  “Yeah, well, Stag didn’t answer, so you got me instead.”

  My voice suddenly gets the alligator’s attention, and he locks his reptilian eyes on me. Now that he’s definitely looking at me, his gaze is unmistakeable. Panic strikes me, and I stumble backward a step. A moment later, he’s rushing towards me, his short legs eating up the space between us.

  “Run, Buck!” Dad’s voice cracks with panic.

  But now I’m frozen in place, my legs stuck in the swamp land like it’s wet cement. The shotgun is still raised to my shoulder, the sight trained on the gator. On instinct, I pull the trigger, blasting his face, then do it again for good measure. The recoil slams into me, knocking me back a step, and the boom of the gunshots echo around me, deafening me. The gator stops in his tracks less than five feet away. My hands go numb, and the gun thumps to the ground between us.

  “Ho-ly shit, Buck. You actually hit it.”

  I tear my gaze away from the gator and look at my father as shudders wrack my body. I try my best to hold still so he won’t see me shaking while the adrenaline rushes out of me.

  “You better get a ladder, Son. I don’t think I can get down from here.”

  I nod robotically and take a couple steps backward, reluctant to turn my back on the gator, even though he’s obviously not moving. Eventually, I force myself to turn and head for the shed.

  My fingers still shaking, it takes me a couple tries to get the combination lock open. Once I do, the rotting, wooden door swings open with a loud creak. I pick my way through the junk piled inside and grab the ladder then haul it to the tree, making a wide berth around the gator. I prop the ladder up against the trunk then hold it steady while my father maneuvers his body off the branch and onto the top rung. I step back when he gets close to the bottom.

  As soon as he puts his feet on the ground, he turns to me and grabs me, wrapping his arms around me. The hug only lasts for a second before he pulls away and claps me on the shoulder. “I didn’t think you had it in you, kid.”

  He starts to walk away, but I’m too stunned to follow.

  “Well, who’s this pretty lady?”

  I whip my head around to see Coral and Becky standing at the back door, watching us. Becky throws open the door and launches herself at my dad. He grunts as he catches her then gives her a kiss
on the head before putting her down.

  Coral slips out the door, so I hurry up to her. She slides her hands around my middle and hugs me tightly for a long moment. When she pulls away, I see my dad staring at us.

  “Dad, this is my girlfriend, Coral.”

  “Damn, kid. You’re just full of surprises tonight, aren’t you?” He looks her up and down with obvious appreciation. “You like my boy?”

  She lays her head on my shoulder and smiles up at me. “I love him.”

  “Huh.” He grunts and shakes his head then opens the door, holding it for Coral in an uncharacteristic show of manners. “Where were you two going, anyway? The opera?”

  “We had reservations at Vin Rouge. It’s a French restaurant in the city.”

  “Huh. Sounds classy. You still got time to get there?”

  “No, I called and canceled on the way over here.”

  His face wrinkles — does he actually feel bad about screwing up my night? He scuffs his foot on the ground and looks at the floor for a moment before looking back up at me. “Well, we ain’t got nothing like that around here, but let me take you two to Skeeter’s for a drink. They make damn good chicken wings.”

  I cringe at the thought of Coral in that sleazy bar my dad frequents and shake my head. “I think we’ll just—”

  Coral nudges me and gives me a stern look then turns to my father with a smile. “I love chicken wings, Mr. Avery.”

  Dad chuffs and gives her a cocky grin, hitching up his pants. “Well, alrighty then.” He points a finger at Becky. “You behave yourself, Becky, and we’ll be back in a while.”

  I roll my eyes at his back and follow them out to the driveway where Dad gives a low whistle at the sight of my Mercedes. “You gonna give me a ride in that machine, boy?”

  “Sure, Dad.” I sigh and open the door for Coral. Dad climbs in the back, the scent of beer, cigarettes, and swampland following him. I crank up the AC and head towards Skeeter’s.

  “So, what have you been doing since you moved out, Buck? You still working at that fancy beauty parlor?”

  “Actually, I used my share of the money to buy my own salon. I’m fixing it up right now, and I hope to open in a couple weeks.”

  He grunts at that. I glance at him in the rearview mirror, but his look doesn’t give anything away.

  He doesn’t know how much treasure we found, but I gave him $10,000 to fix the house up. I didn’t see any improvements, though, so I wonder if he drank all the money.

  Half my dad’s paycheck goes to this bar each week, but I guess it’s not enough to make a difference because the run-down shack looks worse than ever. A couple dozen vehicles surround it, though, so the regulars must not mind. The dust from the dirt parking lot sticks to my muddy shoes, coating them in a thick, brown crust. I don’t bother trying to clean them off.

  We follow my dad up the rickety, wooden stairs and into the dim haze. Coral coughs a bit at the thick smoke. Several middle-age men holler out greetings to my dad over the rock music, then their eyes shift towards Coral and me. I can see a dozen questions reflected in their gaze. I’m asking myself a lot of the same ones.

  Dad drops down at a table with four other paunchy, middle-age guys nursing bottles and mugs. “Hey, have you met my son, Buck? And this is his girl, Coral. That there’s Billy, Jim, Dave, and Malcolm.”

  They mumble hellos, lifting their beers. There’s only one other empty seat, so I just stand there for a moment.

  “Well, pull up a seat, Son.” He waves at an empty table nearby and scoots over to make room. I take a chair from the other table and pull it up, holding it out for Coral.

  A blonde waitress a little past her prime comes by in a tight, black tank and tiny shorts covered up by a waist apron. She snaps her gum and sticks a hand on her hip, looking at my father. “Hey Roger, you want the usual?”

  “Yeah, and bring us a big basket of wings and fries, enough for everybody. We’re celebratin’ tonight.”

  The waitress gives Coral and me a once-over. “I guess so. What’s the occasion?”

  “My boy here just blew the head off a gator that had me up a tree. And he’s opening his own business.” Dad gives a big smile and clamps a hand on my shoulder. Is he actually proud of me?

  Coral lays a hand on my leg, and when I glance at her, she nods at me with a small smile.

  Dad tells the story loudly and in exaggerated detail, and pretty soon half the bar is listening. It’s kind of embarrassing, but also kind of amazing. I’ve never heard my dad say a single good thing about me before.

  We down a few beers and eat the wings and fries. Coral looks adorable nibbling on a messy chicken wing while wearing an evening gown. This night hasn’t turned out anything like I planned, but it hasn’t been all bad, either. And Coral seems perfectly happy to eat bar food and listen to drunk old men tell crazy stories.

  “You gonna have a grand opening party or something for that fancy salon you’re opening?” he asks me.

  I raise an eyebrow, not sure where he’s going with this. “Um, yeah, I’m planning on it.”

  He tips his beer at me. “Well, let me know when it is. Maybe your mother would like to get dressed up and go out for the evening.”

  “Uh, okay, sure.” I stutter out a stunned response.

  Eventually, I tell him that Coral and I are ready to get going, and he says he’ll catch a ride home with a buddy. I lead Coral out of the hazy bar and into the clear, star-speckled night.

  “Did that really just happen?” I glance back at the bar like maybe it was all a figment of my imagination.

  “He was very proud of you, Avery. You did the right thing.” Coral lays her head on my shoulder.

  I sigh. “Yeah, I guess so. But I’m sorry it ruined our night. I wanted everything to be perfect.”

  She shakes her head. “It was perfect. You helped your father because it was the right thing to do, and that’s the kind of person you are. That’s what I love about you. And I’m glad I got to meet your family and see where you grew up. I want to know everything about you, and that’s part of who you are. You don’t need fancy dinners and art galleries to impress me.”

  I slip my hands around her waist and look into her eyes. “So you still love me even though I come from a family of rednecks who live in the swamp?” My throat catches on that one word, and I gulp, replaying the moment when she said it in front of my father.

  She smiles widely. “Of course I do. I had a good time tonight. And the night’s not over yet, is it?”

  Her words go straight to my groin. I moan and grab her hand, pulling her to the car. I’ve been waiting forever, planning the perfect moment to make her mine, but I can’t wait any longer. The drive home takes forever, even though I’m speeding, but eventually we pull up to the gate of the house. It swings open when I punch in my code.

  As soon as we’re inside, I kick off my filthy shoes and grab Coral, scooping her up in my arms so she doesn’t have to climb the stairs in her heels. She yelps, drawing the attention of the guys who are hanging out in the living room.

  “Hey, how was the restaurant? Nice?” Jude calls out.

  I don’t bother answering him, just hustle up the stairs.

  One thing is still the way I planned it. I decorated my room with candles and vases full of red roses before we left. I even scattered some petals on the bed. The scent of flowers perfumes the air. I set Coral down and quickly light the candles, filling the room with a soft glow.

  When I get back to her, she holds out her arms to me. I step into them, sliding my own around her slim waist. I lean in and give her a gentle kiss then pull my lips away with a sigh. This is home, right here in her arms.

  “This is perfect, Avery, just like you.” Her voice is a husky whisper that does things to my body.

  She runs her hands down my back then up and down my chest before pulling my shirt from the waistband of my pants and repeating the motions on my bare skin, all the while sipping at my lips. Her fingertips gently probe my injur
ed shoulder, but the wound is closed.

  She seems so eager. Is it possible she wants me as bad as I want her?

  I run my own hands along the length of her dress a few times, savoring the silky feel of it against her soft curves. Eventually, I find the zipper and slowly pull it down, groaning at the sound. My fingers curl under the straps and slide it down her arms. One more nudge at her hips sends the dress pooling on the floor. I step back to look at her, drinking in her creamy skin. She’s bare except for a tiny pair of red lace panties.

  I’m still for a moment, taking in her beauty, then I quickly yank off my tie, undo enough buttons so I can pull off my shirt, unbuckle my belt and let my pants drop. She watches this with a sly smile.

  When I’m naked, she presses her body to mine like a branding iron, instantly igniting every inch of skin she touches. Her hands slide around to cup my ass, and I mimic her, kneading the soft flesh, pulling her impossibly closer. We stay like that, kissing for several minutes before I can’t take any more. I pull away and take her hand, leading her to the bed.

  She climbs on and lies down in the middle, and I lie next to her, propped up on my arm so I can look at her and touch her. I trail my fingers slowly down the length of her body, around her breasts and navel, along the curve of her waist and hips, down her legs, across the edge of her panties, then swirl them over the triangle of lace. I feel like I’m at the art gallery, caressing a priceless sculpture. She giggles like I’m tickling her, but her smile tells me she likes it.

  “You’re so beautiful, Coral.” I lean down and steal a few more kisses from her, letting my fingers tease the lace between her legs. She wiggles her hips, pressing them up against my hand.

  She gives a tiny gasp when I move my lips to her rosebud nipples, my hand still stroking her. Her body tightens and her breathing gets heavy. My own body is throbbing with need, but I want her to come first. When I slide a finger inside, she cries out, clenching around it.

  Once she recovers, I drag her panties down her legs and nudge between them. She reaches for me, stroking me gently with her small, soft hands over and over again till I can’t take it anymore. I grab her wrist and squeeze till she lets go. “That’s not how I want this to end.”