“I would be interested in seeing your house, though,” he said quickly. “If you’re sure.”
Tempest nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Please do.”
The sky remained overcast but sunlight slowly filtered through the dissipating clouds. Reed dragged himself further up the beach, out of the water’s reach. She watched in fascination as he shook off the last drops of seawater and rain from his body, thoroughly curious about his transformation process.
Sunshine brought out the warm, olive tone of his skin as he rolled onto his stomach. Tempest held her breath as somethingbegan to happen. His tail sparkled and wavered, the turquoise scales rippling before disappearing completely.
Well, notcompletely. There were still traces of them—one spot on Reed’s neck, another on his lower back, and a third on his calf. Two strong legs had replaced that turquoise tail of moments before, the strong muscles of his abdomen coming into view again.
Her eyes roamed his new form. He pushed up onto his hands and knees, turning just in time to catch her staring openly at him.
“Like what you see?” he murmured, his voice husky.
“I-I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist seeing the magic in action,” Tempest whispered, her gaze darting away from him. “That was so cool!”
Slowly, Reed pulled himself upright and tested his balance on his legs. She watched as he bent his knees and stretched up onto his tiptoes, unable to look away. With careful steps, he crossed the distance between them, suddenly right beside her again.
Tempest inhaled sharply, more flustered than surprised.
“Shall we?” Reed crooked one elbow at her, offering her his arm.
“Thank you,” she smiled up at him, tucking her hand onto his forearm. “Let’s get warmed up.”
She led him up the beach and then up onto the wraparound porch she adored. Reed followed her lead and seemed to be copying her movements, figuring out the stairs with only a little hesitation. Tempest tugged open the screen door, bracing it long enough for him to hurry inside.
As she led him into the front room, Tempest briefly wondered when she had last had a man in her home. Or anyone, for that matter.
“Let me get some towels,” she started, realizing that only she remained soaked to the bone.
“Is there a better way to warm you up now that we’re inside?”Reed asked curiously. “I admit, I know very little about the human world and how things work on land.”
Blushing, she gestured to the bathroom. “I should just jump in the shower real quick, then, I guess.”
“What is a shower? Should I have one as well?” He followed her, leaning to peek around her for a better view of the new space.
“N-no, that’s not necessary, really,” Tempest tripped over her words, hoping she made sense despite her rattled nerves. “You’re all dry now and you’ll warm up soon.”
She turned on the shower and switched the dial up to the hottest setting. It would take a few minutes to really warm up, so she let him watch the spray of water into the tub. Reed tentatively ran one hand under the shower head, flinching like he thought he would transform again.
When he didn’t, he turned to smile at her. “It’s not seawater.”
“No, it’s not. I’m going to shower now, feel free to look around the house,” she glanced back to see him frowning, his brow wrinkled.
“I cannot stay with you?” Reed sounded disappointed.
Tempest shook her head sharply. “No. This is private. I have to remove my clothes and wash myself.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier for me to wash you?” he tilted his head to one side, clearly confused. “I can remove my clothes as well. Would that help?”
He reached for the hem of his white shorts, hooking his thumbs into the elastic with every intention of taking them off.
Tempest squealed, turning away as she covered her face.
“That’s really not necessary, Reed. Thank you,” she managed to choke out.
Blushing furiously, Tempest pushed him out of the room and shut the door behind him. She collapsed against the door. Truthfully, she would have loved a steamy shower with such an attractive man—merman—but that would be entirely toopresumptuous of her.
They hardly knew each other. He had no idea what kind of step that would be in their relationship. She snorted. They could barely be called acquaintances, let alone friends. She was not known for no-strings-attached hook ups or friends-withbenefits situations - such things did not interest her.
