Page 13 of Loched in Love

My jaw unhinges further as the giant man shucks his pants off and comes to stand in front of me wearing only a pair of heart-covered black swim trunks and his smile.

“Will you hold onto these please?” he asks, handing me his still warm jeans and t-shirt neatly folded.

I blink, unable to respond as I hug them to my chest and watch as he bounds toward the water’s edge.

Lachlan swan dives, a move that would win the gold at any Olympics, into the moat with barely a splash of water. What the hell?

I stand there staring stupefied a moment before my brow crinkles in disgust. What am I doing? Gah. The first attractive male I find after leaving my small town, and I’m cancelling my plans just to stare at him like some sex-starved woman in need of a man. Ugh.

Snap out of it, Elena.

I glance where I last recall taking a sample last night, and notice the tree I squatted under, looking for any sign of plastic in the mud, but don’t see anything.

I was hoping my phone had landed near the bank where I fell in last night, because if it didn’t, it’ll take hours to find it in the moat. I may just need to ask if someone could let me borrow one long enough to check in with Natalie and let her know my travel’s been delayed a bit.

“Got it,” Lachlan suddenly shouts.

I gasp. “How did you ever find it!?” I smile, excited I’ll at least have a way to call home. I remember how just last month I helped Andrew, my older brother, with putting his phone on rice, and it worked just fine. “Thank you! I sincerely can’t thank you enough. Saving my life truly,” I tell him, my smile falling as my gaze fixates on his bare chest.

Each step he takes brings more of the tiny freckles dotting the wide expanse of muscles that cover most of his body into view, making my mouth water.

I give my head a shake and bite the inside of my cheek hard to keep from blushing again like a lunatic. Focus, Elena, and just give the man his clothes back.

But in my haste to get his clothes back in his possession, my bootheel hits soft mud and I slip, the ground rising up to meet me. I brace for an impact that never comes, and instead squeal at the sensation of wet cold water slapping at my thighs and butt out of nowhere.

“Eeeeep!” I yell, somehow still holding his pants and shirt above me.

“Are you alright?” he says, his voice full of panic and worry.

“I’m okay,” I reply, my brows furrowing as I watch the water seep back to the moat’s edge. What the heck?

I turn back to Lachlan to ask if he saw the water rise up to catch me like that too, and yelp in surprise.

His fucking ears are fins.

A scream climbs in my throat as I rear back, tossing his clothes every which way as I scramble to my feet.

Lachlan’s face goes pale, his eyes widening as he searches me over like something’s wrong with me. “What is it, lass?” he asks, his voice full of worry.

I stare on, wondering if he possibly doesn’t know he’s got blue-green fish fins for ears. “Your ears,” I say, shakily pointing to the fish-like things.

He stops as he reaches my side, his brow furrowing, and I extend my hand to comfort him at the same moment he goes to check what I mean. The instant I touch him, his ears transform to normal. I’m left stupefied.

My palms go to my face as I gasp, and he turns to me in confusion. “Don’t come any closer,” I say, holding my hands out when he starts toward me, unsure of just what is going on.

His cheery grin falters, and I don’t miss the look of hurt that passes over his expression. “I’m sorry lass. I didn’t mean to frighten you, are you alright?” he asks, looking me over to see what’s wrong.

Just as the dark red brows on his face scrunch down along his forehead at me, his left hand turns a deep blueish green color, complete with claws.

“What the heck is happening to you?!” I cry out.

He glances down at his hand finally and his face washes white, as if the blood really is leaving his body. He looks at me then back down at his arm and starts screaming. “Ahhhhh, it won’t go back! It won’t go back,” he yells, flexing his hand.

I take a cautious step back as he begins to pace, holding his hand in front of him like it’s foreign to him. The more agitated he becomes, the more wild his body seems to react. His ears sprout back to fins, and scales appear in patches along his shoulders.

Oh my god. Mermen are real.

A large green tail erupts from the black of his swim trunks. I gape, transfixed and horrified in the moment, not knowing how to help as emotions collide within me.