Mere Temptation (2 page)

She stuck her chin out to respond. “I go by Isa now.”

“Oh,” he countered mildly. “So, have you been in the water yet, Ismaelda?”

She stiffened. “No, Sidon, I only just arrived and I haven’t been swimming. And I would appreciate if you called me be my chosen name.”

He didn’t comment, but chose instead to let her stew in her guilt a little longer. “Hmmm.” He watched her shoulders tense under his scrutiny. “You should come out with me.”

“Si, it’s been nice seeing you again, but I’ll say goodbye now.” She snatched up her bag and shuffled to the opening of the booth.

A sharp stab of panic caught in his throat before he could shrug it off. “Oh, come on,
Isa
, I’ll be nice.” He kept his muscles relaxed and his posture laid back but his fingers drummed on the Formica.

“Well, okay, then.” She settled back in her seat, with her eyes narrowed on him. “If you’re nice.”

His lip twitched, and so did hers, but Sidon fought the urge to smile. “So.” He made a show of acting gracious. “What brings you to the Key?”

“Well…” She seemed reluctant to answer. The waitress chose that moment to deliver their order. Sidon watched Isa grab her glass from the tray and suck fast through the straw. He didn’t push her to answer. Instead he admired the cleavage displayed as Miela bent over to place his beer in his hand.

Isa’s mouth fell open, dropping the straw on the table as she sputtered. Miela’s lip curled up on one side. “Anything else I can do for you, Si?”

“Maybe later, sweetie,” he flirted back. The girl sent a mock pout over her shoulder and walked away.

Isa stabbed her straw back in her glass. “You know, I’m sitting right here.”

He pinched his lips and stifled a chuckle. His mermaid had always been a little jealous. That was part of what made her so fun.

While Isa tracked Miela’s retreat, Sidon allowed his gaze to wander from her pale gold shoulders across the peaks of her breasts. He scooted to the deepest part of the bench, edging closer to her. The tops of her thighs peeked out from the crimson folds of her skirt. He still remembered the feel of those soft pillows against his face.

He would never forgive her, but he could stand hearing her scream his name one more time.
  

Eyes still fixed on the bar, Ismaelda asked, “She one of your harem?”

So damn easy to rile!
“Sometimes. But tonight I’m in the mood for just one.”

Ismaelda turned back to him, face scrunched, jaw low in outrage.

“Unless you want company.” He baited her further but screwed it up when the corner of his lips twitched.

“You’re disgusting,” she replied with scorn. He caught her small grin.

“Oh, now you’re just trying to butter me up.” Her eyes twinkled, spurring him on. “You don’t have to do that, you know. I’m a sure thing.” The last words came out deeper than intended, and he noticed the tiny hairs on Isa’s arms stand straight.

A thunderclap in the distance brought him back to reality.
Get back in control, man!
Thinking of something else to keep her smiling, he met those light blue eyes. Her pupils were dilated, and her cheeks were flushed.

The look grabbed him and pulled hard. Impulsively, he hooked his grip behind her neck and led her mouth to his. Regret stabbed for a split-second, then Isa’s lips parted in a gasp, and he kissed her like a drowning man sucks air. Her bee-stung top lip got bit in his frenzy, and when she yelped he forced himself to gentle against her.

His hand snaked along the side of her breast, across her belly, and down to cup her hip. She was so perfect, exactly like he remembered, right down to her drug-like smell and the way her body shivered. Her back arched, pressing her breasts into his chest.
 

She still tasted like salted mango. His tongue probed, slow and deep, and then he swept a firm lick forward along her palate. He felt her tension drain away so that her body melted into his waiting hands. His grin firmed against her lips.

She leaned away. Her angry eyes hinted she would scold him, but then her gaze panned down his body. Her breaths came hard and fast. The first drops of rain plinked on the tin roof and Sidon felt his body harden He crept forward just an inch.

Isa sprang from her seat.

Her taut little rear end bounced as she ran for the door. Her fragrance hung thick on his body, and her taste clung to his lips. Oh, how that girl used to make him beg. Breathing deeply, he slowed his heart and rolled his neck, taking his time to rise. She was a visitor to the Key, and someone had to keep an eye on her. Unfortunately, that job fell to him.

By the time he reached the door she stood by a tiny beat-up car and fumbled with her keys. Her head snapped up at his approach, though he stood his ground in the doorway. She peered back and forth between her car and the water’s edge like a scared deer caught in the middle of the road. Her gaze finally settled on the rocky ledge at the canal’s bank. He took one step toward her. She dove into the black, running away from him. Again.

* * * *

Isa relaxed into the ocean’s full-body hug. Her legs melted together and contorted until her lower body took on a dolphin-tailed form. She winced at the pain, rubbing her hands over her tail. Shifting stung lately. It took a split second longer, too. Maybe she was out of practice.

The storm-fever, or dragon-fever, or whatever possessed her back at Sandbar washed away as she swam. Now-destroyed bikini bottoms hung at her waist, and her sundress caught on her small fin. She shrugged off her clothes, tucking the remnants under a nearby rock to retrieve later.

She swam aimlessly at first, enjoying the way her strong tail shot her forward with each pump. Her thick hair streamed behind her, tickling her shoulders. The warm ocean felt light, like air, and the current cooled her like a breeze. The echoes of sea life surrounded her—the twittering of fish, the clatter of fighting crabs, even the eerie calls of whales calving in the shallows. Isa longed to sing out to others of her kind, but her voice was small. Only marked adults displayed mere-song. Since that was a route Isa wouldn’t take, she’d have to settle for imagining.

Kicking south, she headed for her sanctuary near the edge of the reef. The area was in Landworld waters, and not even Sidon could find it. Oh, he knew
of
it, but not where. “A lady,” he used to say, “should always have a few secrets.” The memory made her snicker. She surfaced for a breath then dove deep, plummeting through the moonlit water toward the cavern hidden in an outcropping ahead.

Three human forms appeared just beyond the craggy black wall. A riot of bubbles rose from each body, and a dive light flashed from the hands of one. Isa pressed herself into an indentation to investigate. As they approached through the greenish haze, Isa could make out their scuba tanks, extra gear piled high on their backs, and spear guns held across two chests. They could be recreational fishermen, but something convinced Isa they were after larger prey. Fear crept up her spine.

All the times she’d been stalked or chased, no one ever tried to catch her underwater. She needed to get away fast, before the hunters confirmed the existence of mermaids. Four more divers materialized behind her, a net stretched between them. Her gaze darted between the group ahead and the group behind. The men signaled to each other with precise hand movements, communicating how to spring their trap.

A dragon hurled toward them. He flashed for only a second before his scales shifted color to match the rocky background. Isa pitched side to side, darting away from the net.

A long snout struck at the one with the torch. A thwack of his tail knocked the man unconscious. The limp body hung immobile, and the team gestured wildly in the dark, trying to identify the threat and determine their next move. Isa caught Sidon’s enormous eyes, black and cold, assessing the men.

He swept below the group with the net then speared up and gripped a man’s leg in his jaw. He whipped the body back and forth. The movement gave away his location, and the divers closed in to eliminate the threat to their catch.

His scales cut by her side as he attacked the divers in turn. Even through her blinding panic, Isa couldn’t help but marvel at the reptile’s form. Easily forty feet long, his talons matched the size of her forearms. His long snout displayed jagged, very white teeth. The snake-like eyes held nothing human.

In a last ditch effort, a diver fired his spear gun at the dragon. Isa ducked to the side as the projectile sailed by and pierced deep into the sand below. Sidon’s rage pulsed off him in great waves, the pressure churning the seas till they boiled. He spun as he morphed and adopted a half-man half-dragon form Isa had never seen. Thick black hair danced around a face contorted in fury. Ridged muscles coiled along his upper body, and strong shoulders narrowed to a chiseled waist before descending into scales. She should be frightened, but some primitive part of her ached for this beautiful monster to drag her back to his lair.

The sea creature wrapped his human hands around the man’s neck and wrenched sharply. Another diver launched his spear toward the beast. Though Sidon dodged it easily, the projectile punched through the end of Isa’s tail. A scream of pain tore through her as blood billowed from the wound.

Noise and bubbles signaled the start of an engine in the water above. Isa peered up at the hull of a motorboat, and a moment later a harsh tug dragged her through the bucking water.

She tried to swim away, but a blast of nauseating pain stilled her. The grisly ripping paralyzed her tail. Blood loss made her shivery. Far away shouts became whispers. Closing her eyes, she welcomed the loss of consciousness and rose toward the fishermen’s grasp.