The Mermaid and her King (14 page)

Chase

And
y and Eric leave as soon as we’re back to my place, and I’m glad. I already don’t like sharing Skyla’s attention. Eric had to run his mouth and call her my girlfriend. I tried to rid the awkwardness, but I don’t think it helped much.

I hadn’t put any thought into labeling what we have between us. I just know I don’t want to be away from her for a second, and I sure as hell don’t want her seeing anyone else. As soon as we’re inside, Skyla takes my hand and leads me to the patio.

“Sit.” She points to a chair.

I sit down, trying not to smirk. It’s still humorous when she’s
feisty. She curls up in my lap and lays her head on my chest.

“
I’m sorry I said that I’m not your girlfriend. It just came out. I think I didn’t want you to feel pressured by what he said.”

I look away.
“It’s fine, Skyla.”

She grabs m
y chin and turns it toward her. “What’s up with you today? Don’t tell me nothing. I can tell something’s bothering you.”

“A lot is happening. It was hard to watch
all of you surf this morning, but I wasn’t ready to get out there. Also, I don’t want to share you. You seem so relaxed with my friends, especially Eric, and it bugs me.

“When I walked in
to that bar and saw you kiss his cheek while you were dancing with him, I was sure I’d lost my chance with you. I told you, I’m used to having my way and getting what I want. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything, Skyla, but I can’t control how you feel or what you do. It’s just something I’ve never dealt with before.”

“I have absolutely no desire for Eric, Andy or any othe
r man to be anything more than a friend. I only want you, Chase.”

Sh
e climbs out of my lap and takes my hand, pulling me out of the chair. She leads me straight up to my bathroom and starts stripping off her clothes without a word. This woman is every man’s fantasy, and she wants me. I undress and turn on the water in my shower. We get in, and she pushes me against the wall, thrusting her tongue into my mouth.

I groan against it and wrap my arm
s around her naked body. I feel the salt and sand on her skin, and it turns me on even more. She’s sweet, strong, adventurous and spontaneous. She’s wrapped in my arms, and I love her. I fucking love her.

I pick her up,
and slide her right down onto my swollen cock. She’s warm and wet inside, just like the outside of her red-hot body. I turn to press her against the tiled wall before I repeatedly slam her down onto me. She cries out and digs her nails into my shoulder. Her moans send lust roaring through my veins. Skyla’s my new drug that I’ll never quit. She’s mine, and I won’t let her go.

The pleasure builds, and I see in her flushed face that she’s about to let go and give all of hers
elf to me. It’s erotic, and I can’t hold out any longer. Her muscles contract around me, and I pull out fast, suddenly realizing I don’t have a condom on.

Fuck. She got me so worked up that I didn’t even think about it.
Our bodies shake, and I feel on fire once again. I lean my head against her forehead and feel her labored breaths against my face. “I don’t deserve to feel this good, and I don’t deserve you,” I say.

She can barely speak but tries. “Shut up,” sh
e gasps. “Just shut up and make me feel that good every day.” Capturing my mouth again, she slides out of my arms and onto her feet.

After drying off, w
e lie in bed, and Skyla falls asleep in my arms. I imagine it’s from the surfing and sex. I smile over how cute it is that her little body gets worn out so easily. It makes me want to take care of her even more. She showed me how strong her feelings are for me, and I know I have to let her be close to my friends. There’s nothing for me to worry about.

Relinquishing the control I want will keep her with me. I’m tryin
g to learn this lesson. For over nine months, I’ve been trying to repent for all my selfish mistakes. She’s the sweet angel that’s going to lead me the rest of the way there.

After a couple o
f hours of peaceful sleep, I decide to go to the store to get something to fix for dinner. I leave Skyla a note on the island in the kitchen.

Skyla

I wake up alone again in Chase’s bed. He owes me now. I miss him already, so I slip on some clothes and walk downstairs. I find a note on the island.

Baby, if you read this
, then that means you’re out of my bed, and I’ll soon be disappointed that I can’t sneak back in to curl up next to you. Please forgive me. I promise to wake up with you tomorrow if you’ll stay with me tonight. Hint. I’ve gone to the store. Be back soon. By the way … I love you, Skyla.

His precious words ta
ke my breath away. I stand frozen in his kitchen, tears filling my eyes. His love this soon is unexpected, and I don’t think he could’ve told me in a sweeter way. I stare at his note and read it over and over for several minutes until the doorbell rings. I open it to a Hawaiian lady holding flowers.

“Hi, can I help you?” I ask.

She looks at me with a stunned expression.

“
Hello, is Mr. Kalani here?”

“No, ma’am, but he should be back soon.”

“I’m Hilda. I was Chase’s housekeeper.”

“
Oh, please come in.”

She walks straight toward the kitchen, so I follow her with a smile. It’s obvious she’s used to
being in his home. She sits down the basket arrangement of flowers and turns to me. She smiles, and we stand for a moment in silence.

“I’m sorry.
I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Skyla, Chase’s … girlfriend.” He loves me, so I think it’s safe to say.

“How wonderful,” she says with enthusiasm, entwi
ning her fingers and holding them up in front of her chest. “Chase has been alone way too long. How did you two meet?”

“Actually,
I came here to clean. I was filling in for you. I wasn’t supposed to come back, but he told me you quit, so he asked the agency to send me. I think he liked me already.” I smile and feel my face flush.

That was
more information than she needed to hear, but it just came out. I’m still gushing inside from his note and want to scream to the world that he loves me. She throws her head back and laughs loudly. She seems genuinely delighted, laughing until she’s holding her stomach.

“Can I ask what’s so funny?”

“I should’ve known Chase had another motive, but that doesn’t change what he did for me, and I owe him tremendously. That’s what the flowers are for, a very overdue thank you. I’ve been taking care of my husband, who had hip surgery, so I haven’t had a chance to bring him a gift until today.”

“Oh, did you have to quit your job to take care of your husband?”

She smiles warmly and reaches out to squeeze my hand. “No dear, Chase graciously gave me enough money to retire. It couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s the only reason I could stay home and take care of my husband. I should’ve known there was another reason he was trying to get me out the door. He must really like you. I can tell you’re a good girl, so I’m glad you came into his life.

“
He’s been lonely for a long time, and it’s been breaking my heart for months, especially since he’s made so many good changes.” She laughs once again and shakes her head. “He paid a fortune to see your pretty face once a week, so I’m glad it’s progressed so quickly. Please tell him I was here and that I miss him. I need to get back to my husband.”

I feel faint as I follow her to the front door. She hugs me tight before she leaves, and I stand in Chase’s foyer, holding his sweet note, wondering what other secrets he holds.
Surely, he didn’t give her money just so he could see me once a week. I mean, we just met.

Every emotion washes over me. I don’t know whether to feel
flattered, embarrassed or angry. I love this man, and it’s scaring me. Something about this isn’t adding up. I go out on the patio and curl up in one of the lounge chairs.

The sun, my comforting friend, soaks into me, crowdin
g out some of the vulnerability that’s seizing me, causing me to question the astounding week I’ve had with Chase.

Love
and fear gush from me in the form of tears as the unfaltering strength normally carried with me is nowhere to be found. Wet drops hit my note, so I fold it neatly and hold it against my chest.

No matter what happens
, I’ll keep it forever. It’s the sweetest words ever given to me.

Chase

I walk into the kitchen and set
my bags on the counter. There are flowers on my island, and I wonder where they came from. My heart pounds in my chest when I see the note’s gone.

Thinking she might be in my bed, I run upstairs.
I’m ready to hold her again. She’s not there, and I can’t find her in the house. Did my words scare her away? I’m beginning to feel sick as I run to the glass doors off the kitchen. Maybe she’s on the patio or beach.

Her cries flood my ears
the second I step outside. She’s curled up in a ball on the lounge chair, sobbing uncontrollably. I sit at the end of the long chair and pull her into my lap. “Oh God, Skyla. What’s wrong?”

She buries her face into my chest and continues to cry hard.
As she struggles to get her breath, I quickly see that she’s not going to be able to speak any time soon. I pick her up, carrying her inside and to bed. It might be the last place she wants to be, but I need to hold her.

Her sobbing subsides, and she whimpers against my chest as I stroke her hair. Her harsh breathing finally eases, and I’m so damn grateful
she’s calming down. I have to know what’s upset her and if I’m the cause.

“Skyla, plea
se sit up and talk to me. I’m worried about you. You need to tell me what happened. Where did the flowers come from? Is it my note that upset you?”

She moves off of my lap
, and I see that her blue eyes are swollen and encased in redness. I hurry and grab her tissues from the bathroom. When I sit next to her, I see her holding my note, running her fingers over it as if she’s trying to smooth out the wrinkles.

“Your note. It’s … so sweet.
It surprised me. I never expected for you to love me and definitely not this soon.”

“That can’t be
why you’re this upset. What happened?” I ask desperately.

“Hilda came by. She brought the flowers as a thank you gift.”

Shit. “I’m sorry, Skyla. I don’t know what she told you, but from how upset you are, I’m guessing she told you what I did.”

“
How much did you give her?”

“I’m not trying to be rude, but I think that’s
personal.”

Her eyes fly
open wide and fill with anger. “Under normal circumstances I would never pry, but I feel I have a right to know since it has to do with me.”

“I c
an’t tell you. You were upset with me for buying all the spots on the boat, so I know you’ll be even more upset over this. Does it really matter? I didn’t do it just to see you. I mean, I wouldn’t have thought to help her if it wasn’t for wanting to see you again, but I still did it for her, too. You were the main reason, but not the only one.”

“Tell me, or I’m leaving
.”

I hang
my head. I’m embarrassed and also scared she’ll walk out that door and not come back because she thinks I’m sick in some way. This amount of money will seem like so much more to her than it does to me, but she’s leaving if I don’t tell her.

I look up and ga
ze into her cautious eyes. They’re untrusting at the moment, and I hate it. I’ll do whatever it takes to fix this. I’ll tell her how long I’ve been watching her at the beach if I have to.

“I gave her a hundred
thousand dollars.”

She bursts into tears again and starts to hurry off my bed in the direction away from me. I
stretch across the bed, and right when her feet hit the ground, I grab her arm.

“Please, Skyla. I’m begging you not
to leave. I can explain. Please, give me a chance to explain.”

S
he hesitates, but then climbs back on the bed, scooting to the head of it. Leaning her head back against it, she blows her nose. I sit in front of her and tuck some strands of hair behind her ear, noticing how they’re wet.

“When did y
ou decide to give her the money?” she asks between jarring breaths.

I close my
eyes. This keeps getting worse. “The first day you came to clean.”

“I don’t understand, Chase. You’d just met me the night before. You didn’t even know me. It’s b
izarre. Then to push me away repeatedly makes no sense after giving away that kind of money. You didn’t even know for sure you’d see me again.”

“I need to tell you something, and I hope you’ll understand. I swear I wasn’
t trying to stalk you.”

Skyla lo
oks at me with apprehension as I take her hand. I stare into her eyes, determined to show her just how long and how much I’ve loved her.

“
A few months ago, I was sitting on my back steps. An attractive woman, barefoot and in a sundress, came walking by. It was dark and unsafe for her to be on the beach alone.

“
I watched as she stared out toward the ocean before she buried her feet in the sand. She looked sad, and I wanted more than anything to know her thoughts. I couldn’t get her out of my head and worried if she got home safely.

“
I was on my steps the next night when she returned, and I was relieved to see she was OK but frustrated that she was once again alone on the beach. I became fascinated by the way she played in the sand as she walked by my house.

“
I waited every night that I was home, which was most, just to see if she returned. I’d feel empty and worried when she didn’t. I did this for three months, and then one night, when I thought some guys intended to hurt her, I decided to intervene. That’s when I got to see her up close and hear her sweet voice. She was beautiful and strong.

“
I didn’t feel I deserved a conversation with her, so I only planned to continue watching her on the beach, but the very next day, she appeared in my home. After spending that time with her and seeing how sweet she was, I was desperate to be near her. I felt so drawn to her and was willing to do anything to keep her in my life.”

Skyla listens, and half
way through my story, she weeps, clinging to every word, knowing it’s about her. Staring at me for seconds that feel like forever, she finally crawls into my lap and curls herself against me. I hold her in silence for several minutes. With her face still against my chest, she speaks.

“
I’m overwhelmed. Only men in my family have loved me, and they’re expected too, but you chose to watch me night after night. You chose to do whatever you could to see me and keep me safe. You chose to love me.

How could I be angry at you for
that? I feel like the most loved woman on earth, and I can’t imagine a more touching story. I’m sorry that I made you tell me, but I’m grateful that you did.”

She straddles me
and kisses me tenderly. Her lips are warm and soft, but their touch to my skin is like electricity. “I love you, Chase.”

We undress each other and fall into bed as our
hands and mouths begin to do as they did the day before. They trail, linger, stroke and caress. Most men would say I need to stop being such a girl, but screw them. This is foreplay at its finest, and I think it feels fucking fabulous.

“Chase,” she says.

“Yes, angel.”

“Can I spend the night?”

“Yes. I was going to beg this time,” I say with relief.

We miss dinner again, and Skyla stays right where she belongs for the night, wrapped safely in my arms.