by Jackie May
I’m surprised by my own thoughts. I’m not normally so lusty. Usually, even the idea of getting naked with a man is enough to throw me into a panic. I’ve never been able to imagine it without it ending horrifically. But I trust Oliver.
“Hey. You coming in or what?”
I shake myself from my slightly pornographic daydream and make my way to the edge of the pool. I sit down on the ledge and dip my feet into the water. It’s heated, but not quite as warm as bathwater. Goose bumps rise on my skin. “It’s a little cool,” I say.
Oliver moves in front of me. “Come all the way in, and you’ll get used to it faster.”
I hesitate long enough that Oliver steps forward and places his hands on my knees. “You’re not scared of the water, are you? Is that why you never learned to swim?”
I shake my head. “It’s not that. It’s more a lack of exposure. All those foster parents and group homes in the ghetto weren’t exactly handing out passes to the Y or taking me to the lake. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been in a pool or lake.”
Oliver smiles softly with sympathy. “Well, we’ll have to change that. You’re a water faerie. You’re supposed to spend time in here. Now, come in.”
I take a deep breath and slip into the water. As it envelops me up to my waist, a strange sensation washes over me. It’s not quite a tingling, but something about the water feels alive, like it’s welcoming me home. I get a sense of belonging.
Oliver watches me get a feel for the water with a small smile playing on his lips. “How is it?”
“It’s strange,” I admit. I swish my hands through the water, and the urge to fully submerge myself nearly takes my breath away. “I don’t remember feeling this the few times I’ve been swimming.”
“Your glamour was a lot stronger before. It suppressed your powers a lot more.”
“That makes sense.”
Oliver takes my hands in his, pulling my attention from the water that’s had me mesmerized since I got in it. “Nora…?” When I meet his gaze, he gulps nervously. “I’d like to drop your glamour, if that’s all right.”
My eyes widen. “Completely?”
He nods slowly. “Such a big part of you is always suppressed. It might not be as much as it was before when you seemed human, but you’re still being blocked. You deserve to let go and experience your true self once in a while. Right now, it’s just us, and you’re in the water. It’d be a good time.”
The idea is tempting. I felt different those couple of weeks between when my old glamour broke and when Oliver placed this new one on me. Before, I never knew I was glamoured, but now I can tell the difference. It feels like I’m wearing an extra layer of heavy clothing. It’s not that restrictive, just mildly stifling.
“I can put another one on you before we leave,” Oliver assures me.
I eye the water. “You don’t think I’ll sprout fins and a tail if I stop suppressing my power, do you?”
Oliver’s brows lift as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him. He thinks about it for a minute, eyeing the water like it might hold the answer. “I suppose it’s possible you have a shifting ability. Sirens are closely related to mermaids and have been depicted throughout history as being mer people. Giselle has a human form, though she almost never leaves the water.”
My eyes bulge, and my breathing speeds up. My instinct is to get out of this pool fast, before I no longer have legs. Oliver, picking up on my distress, pulls me against him. “Don’t worry. Even if you do have an alternate form, I’m sure you’d have to learn how to shift. You’re not just going to suddenly turn into a fish.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You can’t possibly know that. But I appreciate the lies anyway.”
Oliver smirks. “Not lies. An educated guess.”
I take a deep breath. “You really think?”
He nods. “You won’t change without trying to.”
I chew on the idea a minute and decide he probably knows what he’s talking about. If he doesn’t think I’ll shift into some kind of mermaid, then I probably won’t. “Okay.” I puff out a breath and shake the tension from my shoulders. “Let’s do it. Remove the glamour.”
Oliver flashes me a proud smile, then his eyes slip out of focus as he studies the space around me. The familiar sensation of magic starts at the top of my head, and I can feel the glamour being lifted from me as Oliver works his way to my feet. Warm tingles cover me, pricking pleasantly across my skin, making me feel as if my body is waking up.
My skin becomes that beautiful pale pink pearlescent color and shimmers in the light. I can feel the scales form on my face around my eyes. Patches of those same teal and purple scales run up my arms from the backs of my hands to about the middle of my forearms and across my collarbones. I can feel them running down my spine as well.
Along with the alterations in my appearances, my connection to the water changes from a faint familiarity to a tangible relationship. I feel as if I know the water. Like I’m one with it. Its draw is too much to resist, and I dunk myself below the surface. It greets me like a long lost relative, hugging me from all angles and welcoming me home. I swirl around, loving the feel of the water pushing over my skin. Joy like I’ve never known bubbles up in my chest, and a laugh escapes me.
Not knowing if I can breathe underwater, and not brave enough to try, I stand back up. I’m on such a high that I throw myself against Oliver and squeeze him as hard as I can. I can’t stop laughing even though I’m on the verge of sobbing happy tears. I’ve never felt more right, more like myself. It’s a freeing feeling.
Oliver chuckles and wraps me in a hug. “You okay?” he asks.
“I’m amazing.” I give him a half laugh, half sob and bury my face in his neck. “Thank you, Ollie.”
Oliver’s hands rub up my back and tangle in my wet hair. He pulls his head back far enough that he can drop a kiss to my forehead, then squeezes me in another bone-crushing hug.
I bury my nose in the crook of his neck and take a deep breath, inhaling the scent that is uniquely Oliver. It’s a sweet musk mixed with the vibrant, tangy scent of magic and a hint of chlorine. I press my lips to his warm skin and can’t help sneaking a quick taste. Oliver sucks in a breath and shivers. He clears his throat and releases me. “You ready to try swimming?” His voice is husky and deep with want.
I’m tempted to forget about swimming to explore this new lustful side of me, but the water calls to me, and I need to feel it moving around me again.
Oliver steps back and straightens, ready to start teaching. “Okay, we’ll start you with a basic float on your stomach. I’m going to pull your arms out in front of you, and you just lean forward and let your legs float up behind you.”
I do as he says with no problems.
“Good, now you’re going to start with kicking. Watch me for a minute. Watch my feet. You keep your legs straight out behind you and paddle with your feet. Don’t pull your knees up. It’s not like pedaling a bike.”
Oliver holds onto the side of the pool and starts kicking his feet. After a minute, he stops and gestures for me to hold the edge of the pool like he had done. “You ready to try?”
I grab the ledge and let my feet float up. Oliver grabs my legs and starts moving them the way I’m supposed to kick. His thoughts are concentrated on teaching me the sport. They’re peaceful. He loves the water, loves swimming, and is excited that I can now share this with him. I’m glad I can, too.
He lets me go and tells me to give it a try on my own. I try to kick the way he showed me, but it doesn’t feel right. My instinct is to hold my legs together and push deeply from my waist, bending my knees propelling myself forward with long, powerful kicks.
Oliver sees what I’m doing and chuckles. “That’s a dolphin kick. I should have known to try you out with that.”
I stand and shrug. “I don’t know what it is, it just feels right.”
Oliver narrows his eyes and nods slowly. “Maybe it’s instinctive. Like how a baby g
iraffe can walk almost from birth.”
I arch a brow. “Are you seriously comparing me to a baby giraffe?”
Oliver grins. “You’re way too graceful to be a baby giraffe. I just meant you probably already know how to swim like a fish.”
I snort and fold my arms. “So now I’m a fish?”
His smile turns into a smirk. “Yes. Literally. A beautiful fish, but a fish all the same. Part fish, at least.” He steps aside before I can punch his arm, and he waves to the open lane in front of me. “Why don’t you just give it a try? Do what feels right, and see what happens.”
I get what he’s saying. When I was kicking before, my body just knew how it was supposed to move. Even now, it’s like I can visualize myself gliding through the water. I’m pretty sure I can figure this out without his help. “Okay, here goes.”
Skimming across the surface of the water like Oliver does doesn’t feel right, so I dip below the surface. Once again, I’m surrounded by that buzz of energy as if the water is welcoming me home. I reach out in front of me and push off from the wall, kicking my feet behind me, and the next thing I know, I’m flying through the water like I’ve done it a million times.
All too soon I reach the other end of the pool. Oliver grins so big I can see all of his teeth. “That was amazing!” he calls. “Do it again!”
Matching his smile, I drop below the water and race back to him. The feeling of soaring through the water is unbelievable. I could do this for days. I’m alive—totally awake, alive, and living. Maybe for the first time in my life.
I quickly reach Oliver’s end of the pool, but I don’t want to surface again. Not yet. I somersault in front of the wall and push off it again. I swim back and forth several more times without ever surfacing.
When I finally feel the burning need for oxygen in my lungs—long after a human would, I’m sure—I pop up out of the water right in front of Oliver. He stands there, staring at me with awe. “That was amazing.” He shakes his head back and forth like he’s trying to wrap his mind around what he just witnessed. “Incredible.” He comes back to himself, and his focus sharpens on me. The heat in his eyes is unmistakable and stirs something low in my belly. “You’re breathtaking, Nora.”
Without warning, he grabs my face between his hands and pulls me into a deep kiss like he just can’t help himself. Fire ignites inside me, and I kiss him back. Hard. His arms come around me, holding me to him, and I use the momentum to lift my legs and wrap them around his waist. Oliver grunts and drops his hands to my butt, holding me up and grinding my body against his in ways that have me gasping. Unfamiliar sensations have me wanting to cry out in pleasure. A whimper of need escapes me. Oliver breaks the kiss, panting heavily, and moves his mouth to my neck, scorching kisses down my throat. “Nora…” My name on his lips is both a caress and a question.
“I’m okay,” I promise. I’m more than okay. I’m alive and on fire and in desperate need of everything Oliver’s giving me, and more.
“I want to make you feel good.”
He’s already making me feel good, but I know what he means, and no man has ever given me that kind of pleasure before. I wait for the fear to come, but when Oliver tugs loose the strings of my bikini top, making the material fall away, and my bare chest meets Oliver’s warm skin, all I feel is heat and desire. I want this. Need it.
Oliver whirls us around and lifts me out of the water, setting me on the very ledge of the pool while my legs are still wrapped around his waist. He takes a moment to catch his breath and look at me. I lean back on my hands and let him enjoy the sight. I feel like I should be embarrassed, but Oliver’s drinking me in with so much reverence that I don’t feel the need to cover myself. “So beautiful,” he murmurs.
His hands are on my hips, his thumbs brushing over the hem of my swimsuit bottom like he’s contemplating taking it off, too. His eyes come back to mine, and he gives me a long, searching look. “Do you trust me?”
My heart flutters, but it’s not out of fear. It’s excitement, because for the first time in my life, the answer to that question is yes. I’m absolutely certain that Oliver’s not going to lose control and hurt me. A lump forms in my throat, and my eyes start to sting, but I smile through the emotion and nod my head. “I do trust you, Oliver. With my life. With my heart. With my body. With everything.”
Oliver’s face softens. “I love you, Nora.”
I swear my heart is trying to burst out of my chest. “I love you, too. So much.”
Another look of complete trust passes between us, and then his fingers curl around the waistband of my boy shorts and he pulls them down. I drop my legs from his waist so he can remove them completely, and then I’m bare before him. Oliver’s eyes never leave mine as he places his hands on my knees and waits. “Tell me to stop if you need to,” he says with nothing but love in his eyes.
The anticipation is killing me. I can’t find my voice, so I simply nod and give myself over to my best friend, and the first man I’ve ever loved. The first man I ever trusted. The first man who’s ever made me feel safe.
I don’t know how long Oliver holds me captive on the pool deck, but he certainly isn’t in any hurry as he worships my body. Every touch, every kiss, is slow and tender, almost cautious. He’s confident, but he’s careful at the same time, taking care not to go too fast and do anything that could startle or trigger me. It’s exactly what I need from him.
When he finally shatters me wholly and completely, my emotions nearly get the better of me. I suck in a breath and hold it in an attempt not to cry. I hate to be that woman, but what just happened between Oliver and me was so much more than simply getting me off. He’s given me a gift that I thought I’d go my entire life without. He’s mended some of the breaks in my soul that I thought were permanent.
I lie on my back on the pool deck, staring at the ceiling, needing to process everything. Oliver lies on his side next to me, propped up on his elbow, and he takes my hand in his. “You okay?”
I swallow hard and nod.
He lifts my fingers to his lips for a soft kiss. “You sure?”
I pull myself from my daze, and the moment I meet his gaze, my eyes gloss over. “Thank you, Oliver.”
I put so much into those three words because I don’t know how else to express myself. Oliver doesn’t need anything else, though. He knows what I’m saying. He knows the enormity of what just happened and how much it meant to me.
“It was my pleasure,” he teases. He leans down and captures my lips in a soft kiss. “Thank you for trusting me with this.”
He helps me sit up. We both have to stretch and move our stiff muscles. My shoulder pops loudly when I roll it and we both laugh. “Sorry,” Oliver says, “I guess the pool deck wasn’t the best place to—”
“It was perfect,” I insist. I don’t want anything to detract from this.
Oliver grins. “Okay.” He climbs to his feet and helps me to mine, then pulls me into his arms for one more kiss. “I don’t want to take you back.”
“You have to. You have to work this evening.”
Oliver’s arms fall low around my waist. “I’ll call in sick.”
He’s cute. “Tempting. But the others are probably worried about me after all the drama earlier.”
Oliver sighs. “You’re right. I can’t keep you all to myself forever. I’m sure Rook’s going crazy, and Illren’s probably contemplating creative ways to murder me by now.”
I laugh. “I’ll save you from him. Promise.”
After we’re showered and changed, Oliver and I head out into the frigid winter wind. Icy air blasts me in the face, and it’s so distracting that I don’t recognize the sensation of the hairs on my neck standing up for what it is. It’s not until I’ve wrapped my scarf around my neck an extra time that I realize the off-kilter feeling has nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with someone meaning me harm. I grab Oliver’s coat sleeve. “Oliver—”
I don’t get to warn him. Some sort of fireball b
lasts toward him from across the small parking lot. Oliver only has a split second to raise a shield. He manages to block the fire from burning him, but the impact of the blast slams him backward into the wall of the warehouse. He hits his head and falls to the ground, out cold.
“Oliver!” I scramble to his side, but the second I fall to my knees in front of him, an invisible force pulls me away from him. I’m dragged backward across the parking lot until I come to a stop at the feet of our attacker. He’s tall with dark hair and dark, angry eyes. “Stay,” he commands. He waves his hand and the tingle of magic coats me, weighing me down until I’m pinned to the ground and I can’t move at all.
My power instantly rises up. I open my mouth to command the man to stop, but before I can get the word out, he yells, “Silence!” and another magic spell covers me, stealing the voice from my lungs like I’m the freaking little mermaid to his sea witch. I try to unleash my power anyway, but without my voice it doesn’t take hold of him. I’m trapped.
The man smirks when he realizes his spell worked. “Not so tough now, are you, little siren?”
I wish I could say I give him a mental middle finger and think up some sarcastic quip that I’d tell him if I could speak, but sadly, I’m too busy panicking. The man is right: Without my power I’m useless.
Oliver groans, sending my heart rate up another notch. He’s awake, but he’s regained the sorcerer’s attention. A cruel smile crosses the man’s face. “Wait right there for me, sweetheart. I’ve just got to kill your boyfriend real quick, and then we can go.”
I thought I was panicked before, but now I’m downright frantic. I try to scream and struggle against the spell holding me captive, but it’s no use. I can’t fight the magic. Tears stream down my face. All I can do is watch, hope, and pray. Get up, Oliver!
Oliver shakes his head and looks around. Awareness hits him, and he leaps to his feet. His eyes meet mine for a split second before the stranger attacks him with another fireball. Oliver’s ready for him this time. The fireball hits Oliver’s shield and fizzes out, like it was nothing more than a firecracker that didn’t explode.