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“Oh?” He fell in line behind me easily, following at my heels like a trusting puppy seeking approval from its master.
Kai barely knew me and yet still offered his trust as easily as he offered a smile. Well, enough to proclaim that we weremates,but what had I done to deserve his trust?My chest ached as I led him down the boardwalk.
“Somewhere where no one can see us,” I mumbled, scanning down the shoreline. There were more boardwalks to our right, their steps and walkways leading up to the back of restaurants and hotels. It might have been the off-season for tourists, but I still didn’t want to risk either of us being seen.
An arm stretched past my ear, and I realized just how close I’d pulled Kai behind me. “Maybe underneath that pier?”
“Mmh, good call,” I said, releasing his arm. The pier looked like it was built for fishing, with ample room underneath to slip into the water unseen. Waves licked up the sides of its supports, the length of it jutting into the water, ending in a circular deck well above sea level. It had probably seen its fair share of anglers earlier this morning, but it was probably too late in the day to see any now.
The wind was sharp, and my boots added more grit to the breeze with each clunky step through the dry sand.
“You’re going to show me your swimming, right?” Kai asked, his teeth clenching against the barrage of sand. “I’m actually really excited. I was hoping I’d get to see your tail again.”
He wanted to see my tail? Heat prickled across my face. I’d thought about his tail, too, but mostly because I had a hard time picturing what a merman would look like with a shark’s tail. “Something like that.”
When we crossed under the shadow of the pier, I took one last look around, surveying to see if anyone was nearby.
This was crazy, wasn’t it? Notwe’re matescrazy, but still crazy.
Kai didn’t need to know about my secret, but if he saw what I could do, maybe he would realize that he didn’t really know me, either. That I wasn’t what he thought I was. And maybe when I saw all the questions my secret would bring into his eyes, I wouldn’t feel so terrible about rejecting him.
Kai would understand why I’d dismissed him, but Leander… How could I ever look Leander in the face after the things I’d said?
“I can hold on to your clothes so they don’t blow away,” Kai offered, his hand already moving to cover his eyes.
I cringed. I wasn’t wearing a bathing suit underneath my clothes, but oh well, it was too late to turn back now. Stepping out of my boots, I pulled my shirt off and straightened out my bra straps. I checked to make sure Kai’s eyes were still covered before going for the button of my jeans. With a deep breath, I slid them down.
“They’ll be fine if I put my boots over them,” I mumbled, shivering as my panties dropped around my ankles.
At least the cold wouldn’t bother me when I got into the water. I sat my boots over my pile of clothes and huddled my arms close, tiptoeing down to the tide. I stepped into the first swell I came to, and the water didn’t even make it up to my ankle before—
Pop.
I smacked down into the sand just as the water retreated, my bones still crunching into their new configuration. “Why isn’t there a way to do this without looking like an idiot?” I groaned, spitting a salty wet glob of sand from my teeth.
An astonished gasp came from behind me. “Wow.You look… beautiful.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, feeling the weight of more sand stuck to my chin. Maybe Poseidon’s spell had turned him blind, too.
My elbows sank into the muck as I tried to lift off my stomach. Another tide swelled up the shore, and I used it to draw myself a few inches closer to the water. “Okay,” I exhaled, setting myself upright. “I know this is going to sound weird, but do you think you can trust me?”
His eyebrows lifted. “Of course.”
“Good.” I reached out a hand. “Your turn.”
“My turn?” Kai looked at me, then my tail, then the water, scrubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
“Come on, I know you don’t have a problem with taking your pants off,” I joked, but nervousness coated my laugh. My curse breaking would still work on shark-tailed mer, right?
His pants dropped before I could turn my eyes away, and of course he had nothing on underneath them. Why was I still expecting underwear?
“I’m leaving my shirt on, though,” he said firmly, his face flaming as he kicked his pants aside. “At least until I’m a fish. You’ll make sure it doesn’t float away, right?”
“I’ll try my best.” I gulped, hoping it wouldn’t come to that. If his shirt did start floating away, I’d be useless getting it back.
What was with him and shirts anyway? Was he hiding something underneath it?
“Here, take my hand.”
