Lovers Peak: A Reverse Fairy Tale Merman Romance (The Sea Men Book 2)

by Dani Stowe

  And somewhere inside of me, he hits it. It’s like he’s digging and pulling at it, trying to wedge my soul free. But I don’t want Orphelius to get at my soul because I know he’s not pretending. He’s really in love with me and I can’t allow him to be. It’s not because of what shape or form he’s in—it’s because love always just ends. I died because of it. Shelley’s parents died because of it. My parents divorced because they didn’t understand it.

  “I love you,” Orphelius whispers like he knows what I’m thinking, what I’m feeling. “You don’t have to love me back, just let me love you. Let me make you come.” Orphelius rubs firmly on my clit and I know it’s not his hand. “Just come for me.”

  I look back up at the stars and I wonder what it must look like from up there to look down at Orphelius and me together having sex on the beach. I realize he’s just as afraid as I am because he’s not using everything he has.

  “More,” I tell him. “I can’t come unless you give me more.”

  “Do you want more?” He sounds confused.

  “I want you all over me,” I say, but it’s only out of spite. I’m vindictive towards the cosmos for all the control it has over me.

  Before I can utter another word, I feel a tug at each wrist that spreads my chest open and then around each ankle, hoisting my legs into the air. Gentle hands caress my hips as each nipple is pinched. I feel the wrap of a flexible limb around my waist and the firm pulse of a tentacle at apex of my folds. Orphelius lifts me a little bit so my ass comes slightly off the sand and he leans up to pull my whole body onto his hard sex, impaling me.

  I can’t fucking believe it. He penetrates me so deep it’s like he’s up to my lungs inside me and I can’t breathe. I’m gasping!

  “There she is. I knew she was in there somewhere,” he taunts as my body jerks and gyrates from the impact of his hefty mass of groin grinding against me while he repeatedly pillages me.

  Sand scratches beneath my shoulder blades and it hurts a little. I suddenly feel weak, like putty in his grasp. Orphelius can have his way with me any way he wants. I think of the woman he says I used to be. I look down at my body and see the dark shadows of his monstrous limbs that have me completely contained and I begin to regret it. He has complete power over me, like Bradley did this morning.

  Complete. Control.

  “Stop. Stop. Stop!” I yell and Orphelius does as I ask. He withdraws from every inch of me, except now I feel cold and naked. I hug myself as I start crying.

  I feel a soft kiss on my cheek already wet with a few tears and fingers stroke through my hair. It makes me feel good—better.

  “I’m sorry,” Orphelius says. “I could sense you might not have been ready for this. I’ve been selfish. I’ve been waiting for so long. What do you need? Do you need me to leave?”

  Truthfully, I don’t want him to leave. The thought scares me just as much as being tangled up in him. I just want him to kiss me again. I want him to...

  “Will you hold me?” I ask.

  Orphelius lays on top of me, wrapping his arms around. He stopped as I asked and I feel strangely secure. I know he won’t hurt me or let anyone hurt me.

  He holds me until my eyes feel too heavy to stay open and I feel him slide off, exposing me to the chilly air until he comes behind me to pull me tightly to him to spoon me. Lightly gripping my fingers, he slides something over one—a ring, I believe.

  The thought is comforting and Orphelius slides his arm under my head, making a pillow for me with his bicep as he wraps his other warm arm around my waist. My toes are chilly, but my core is warm. It’s not the perfect way to fall asleep. It’s different, but I can accept this.

  Chapter 14

  Kumiko

  I hear a screech. That dumb bird. It must be morning.

  I open my eyes to the soft pink swell of barely parted lips. Sand is peppered across one half of Orphelius’ face with a few grains wedged between his fine stubble and at the rim of his nose. There are surprisingly many grains clinging to his lashes and I get startled when his eyes flinch, but he doesn’t open them.

  I chuckle to myself. The corners of his mouth play upward a few times. I think he is dreaming. I can’t help but wonder if he’s dreaming of me.

  He takes a deep breath and I realize my leg is hooked around his waist. Under my leg, wedged in the crease where my thigh meets my center is him. He sleeps, but he’s hard.

  I wiggle my hips and I can’t understand myself for what I’m doing! But I wiggle until I feel the hard tip of him right between my slick folds.

  I watch his face. His eyes are still closed but the space between his brows furrow as I gently swirl my hips to get his tip wet with me.

  Oh God! I’m really wet.

  I come up on my elbow for more leverage, digging it into the sand, and glance down to see the half sea monster—large, soft, and sprawled across the beach, but I still want the hard part.

  I push down, allowing myself to become filled with Orphelius. I rock myself up and down over his length, turning myself on, and I hear a grunt.

  Green eyes open wildly with surprise and hunger and need, and I notice pink lips get slick with a lick of tongue and they come at me all wet. Orphelius kisses me hard as he wraps his hand behind my head to pull me into him, which makes me want to ride him harder.

  I lean on him, pushing him on his back and straddle him. He holds my hips as I flex them forward so top of my center is rubbing against his groin. I feel a tingle and I want to come. I want to come on this man.

  “Ugh! Stop!” he cries and grips my hips tight.

  “What’s the matter?” I’m sure he hasn’t come yet. In fact, he looks like he’s in pain.

  “Look at me,” he says. “Don’t mooo—ah!”

  “What’s wrong?” I cry and I don’t understand. With gritted teeth and squinted eyes, he’s tense and turning red.

  “Mmm—uuuuuugh,” he grunts. His hands are gripping my hips so tight it’s beginning to hurt as his whole body tremors like he’s being tortured. I try to pull up, but he won’t let me and he finally lets out a long exhale of relief.

  He caresses then nudges softly on my hips. “Please, don’t stop,” he begs, lifting his head to look at me eagerly. He’s still hard and inside me.

  I don’t know what just happened and I’m about to ask him about it until he rubs between my folds at my bud with his fingers and I feel forced by my own urges to move.

  I move up and down.

  I ride him from the base to his tip, forcing myself to take his thick, long form and I can feel my base—my ring wrapped around him begin to pulse with need.

  He circles his fingers firmer and faster and I feel like I’m almost there, like I’m climbing a mountain, ready to hit the peak when I feel the first light of the morning sun warm my cheek. I open my eyes to see the sun pierce through the horizon and heat shoots throughout my body as I come.

  I am out of control—gripping at my own body, tense and shaking, letting my head fall back. Orphelius grips my waist and thrusts himself hard, plunging himself in and out of me until he jerks uncontrollably in unison with me, allowing the warm, wet ooze of his semen to shoot then drizzle down my inner thigh.

  He leans up to roll me over to my back and wedges himself between my legs before he looks me in the eyes. “We have to help the pup.”

  I sigh as he pulls out. I’m afraid to say it, but... “I know,” I reply. “I just wish you could come with me. I have no idea how to rescue a dolphin. I wish we could do it together.”

  Orphelius comes to standing. “Well, c’mon then. Let’s go,” he urges holding his hand out to me but I’m afraid to touch him. The man has legs.

  Chapter 15

  Orphelius

  “Stop messing with that,” Kumiko scolds.

  I push on the switch again with my finger and the glass goes up. I pull back and the window glass goes down. “Is there a rope inside the door? Or a leprechaun perhaps?”

  Kumiko laughs. It’s a bright, bea
utiful laugh and I’m happy to make her smile because, although she won’t admit it back to me when I tell her I love her, all I have to do is look at my legs and I know that she does.

  “No, its all machinery,” she says, “and you need to stop messing around before you break something. This is Shelley’s car.”

  A car. My brothers and I, the three mermen and sons of Poseidon, once talked about how we always wanted to ride in a car. It must be fine to steer one as well. “May I switch places with you and take the helm?”

  “Helm?” Kumiko laughs again. “This isn’t a boat. You need a driver’s license or you could go to jail. You’re not allowed to drive without one.”

  Driver’s license? I don’t know what that is. But jail? I know that term. Surely, the gallows are much worse in these times than they were during my time when I served as a Master at Arms. I sent many lawbreakers to the gallows for their crimes to live in their own shit and piss until they rotted with boils and maggots as their flesh oozed ripe with punishment for their injustices. Or at least most of them did. A few scoundrels I had hanged by their necks usually when shipmates got bored and needed a bit of entertainment.

  I look to Kumiko. She is very entertaining as her long hair flies about and I’m thankful she does not have to wear a mask or robes to remain hidden as she did in her former life. In truth, she hardly wears anything at all. She wears the same style of trousers consisting of a thick blue fabric that I’m wearing, except my trousers, which I’ve borrowed from Henry, go down to my ankles. Her trousers are cut right under her arse.

  I know we are on a rescue mission, but her skin—exposed and sunlit, makes me want her. I want to touch her, fondle her, and lick her.

  I lean towards her, but I’m stopped! The safety device she has strapped me in will not allow me to get close to her. I tug at the strap.

  “Baby,” she says. “Keep your seat belt on.”

  “Baby?” I huff. “Is that what you think of me? I’m not a child? Is that why you’ve strapped me under this belt? I’ll have you know I’m centuries old.”

  She laughs again. “Wearing a seat belt while riding in a car is also the law. Everyone has to wear a seatbelt.”

  “There are too many laws of this land and in this time,” I growl.

  “Maybe,” she smiles. “And just so you know, baby is a term of endearment we all use in these days.”

  I manage to loosen the belt and slip it over my head and behind me. I lean over, sliding my hand over Kumiko’s inner thigh and pulling her head towards me with the other. She keeps looking forward—so intense, so focused on the road ahead, as I kiss her.

  She trembles. “You really shouldn’t distract the driver.”

  I lift up her shirt and brazier in the front to expose her breast and tuck my head under her outstretched arm with her hand clinging to the wheel.

  “You shouldn’t call me a baby.” I take her nipple between my teeth and lick the tip of my tongue over it until it becomes erect. Then, I take the whole areola into my mouth, sucking on it as an infant would.

  My entire body swerves as her breast comes popping out of my mouth and I bang my head on the steering wheel as our bodies go flying forward with such a force as if the car was just struck by a tidal wave. We both sink back into the seats as the car comes to an abrupt halt.

  “Oh my God! I’m so sorry,” she cries and grabs a hold of my head to rub it. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” I smile. My head is throbbing. “Seatbelt. No distractions. I’m a quick learner, baby.”

  “Oh,” she snivels with wet eyes. I think she’s about to bawl and now I’m thankful I took the risk because she’s cupping my face as she kisses me. Abruptly, a strange noise, like the wailing of a sea siren about to lure a sailor to his death, resounds.

  “Ah fuck,” she says, fixing her clothes to cover her breast.

  “What is it?” I look around and realize she’s nearly hit a welcome sign directly in front of us. I read it: WELCOME TO PORTERMAN’S BLUFF.

  Porterman? Motherfucker. I became a keeper of the sea while he became a lord to the land.

  “Fix your seatbelt so it’s in front of you,” Kumiko whispers and I do as she says.

  Through the side mirror, I see my reflection. I can see why Kumiko wanted to cut my hair short and shave me. I’d like to admire myself—this rather clean look while remembering how good it felt to be groomed by my lover, but I am distracted by the lights flashing atop another car that has pulled up behind us and a tall, dark-haired, also well-groomed gentleman gets out.

  I turn my head to watch him approach. He moves cautiously, but with confidence. I can recognize another lawman when I see one. I look to his hip—no sword there, but he does have what looks like a gun. I know guns. I know what they can do and I think about Henry. Poor lad. I debate whether I should take vengeance against this sheriff for what he’s done to my fellow seaman, my brother, but then again, I have no powers anymore. The sea witch has them now.

  “Where you headed?” asks the sheriff tipping his head to look at us through his large dark glasses.

  I lean over. “A dolphin pup has been taken from its mother—”

  “Shhh!” shushes Kumiko, gripping my leg and digging her fingers into my thigh. The feeling is painful yet absolutely incredible and wonderful because I have legs and I want to cheer! But I understand Kumiko wants me to be quiet.

  “What’s this about a dolphin?”

  “Nothing,” Kumiko fibs. “He’s from out of town—from the city! He’s just excited to be on the coast.”

  “You folks got some ID?”

  I watch Kumiko pull out a card with her image from her little bag and hand it to the sheriff.

  “You’re Shelley’s friend, aren’t you?”

  I can hear Kumiko gulp. “Yeah,” she sings loosely.

  “You know, I used to like that girl, Shelley. Turns out she’s a lot more trouble than her aunt and her parents were. You’re not going to give me any trouble, are you?”

  “No, sir,” smiles Kumiko.

  The sheriff cocks his head to look at me. “How about you, stranger? How long you plannin’ on staying?”

  I’d like to say permanently, but I get the feeling the sheriff is as uncomfortable about me as I am about him. “I’m not sure, sheriff.”

  “You remind me of Shelley’s boyfriend. What’s his name?”

  “Henry?” I blurt and Kumiko sends me a look of chastisement.

  “Yeah, Henry,” the sheriff smiles and leans his forearms on the window allowing him to lean in. “Interesting fella that Henry, although I admit I still don’t know that much about him. First time I met him, he didn’t have any ID. How about you? You got some identification?”

  “You mean ID?” I question.

  “Driver’s license. I need to see your driver’s license,” demands the sheriff.

  “I’m sorry, sheriff, I don’t have one.”

  The sheriff groans. “No ID? What’s your name then, stranger?”

  I clear my throat. “I’m Orphelius Mayhem.”

  “And how did you arrive in our town, Mr. Mayhem? You come by boat? Because I know you didn’t drive or fly in. You’d need an ID to do those things. Unless you swam in?” He chuckles.

  “He totally swam in,” smirks Kumiko and I can’t believe she’d just tell the sheriff like that, but the sheriff laughs.

  Bird shit splats on the sheriff’s shoulder and we all hear a screech stemming from a seagull that lands on the car front.

  “What the hell?” cries the sheriff pulling at his sleeve to look at the white and gray loose dung dripping off his shoulder. “Fucking birds,” he curses with a sour face. “They’ve been a big problem as of late. A tourist says he was attacked by a swarm of seagulls at Cora Morae’s property. You two wouldn’t happen to know anything about that would you?”

  Kumiko’s big brown eyes flash at me. “No.”

  The sheriff takes a few swipes at the seagull on the front hood, but the bird just teases hi
m with feathery acrobatics. I hide a laugh as the sheriff becomes frustrated and ceases before leaning back into the window.

  “Listen, when Shelley gets back I need to have a talk with her and her boyfriend. Will you give her the message?”

  “I’ll tell her,” replies Kumiko.

  “And no swimming.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The university says there’s been some unusual animal behavior along the shoreline. The seagull attack seemed to be the first of several animal attacks—sharks, jellyfish, piranhas. I didn’t even know we had piranhas in these parts. But I’m also having a problem with poachers. We got some rare breeds of animals in these parts and the biology students are reporting poachers in the area reeling in critters that are on the endangered species list.”