Whirlpool (13 page)

“He’s seen us as merfolk.” Braden spoke quietly.

Chelsea looked him in the eye. “I think we should tell him everything. He’s smart enough to understand why we need to keep undercover. We can trust him.”

“It’s not our decision to make. You know the rules. You know why it’s important we stay hidden.”

“But the matriarch isn’t here, so it is our decision.” She clutched his fingers. “There are humans in town who know about us. The doctor who was here, he’s human.”

Braden reached out and cupped her face in his hand. “He’s married to a merfolk. He knows if he discloses anything his wife would face the same scrutiny as the rest of us.”

Her hopes rose. “So if Jamie’s connected with us, he could know?”

He paused. “It’s not as simple as that.”

“Why not? Braden, you know making someone forget us can be dangerous—it’s possible to go too far and wipe out huge portions of their memory. He’s a good man, and I don’t want anything like that to happen to him. Call Lady Victoria, call someone. Talk to the elders, make—”

“We need to make a decision now. Not by committee.” Braden took a deep breath, his gaze dropping from hers for a moment. When he lifted his head his eyes were dark, a swirl of his St Elmo’s fire showing blue and iridescent. “Do you care about him?”

“Of course I do. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, why I don’t want anything to happen to him.”

He fell silent for a moment. “Do you care about him as…more than a friend?”

Everything in her froze. Oh my God, what would telling the truth do to their relationship? The last thing she wanted was to hurt Braden. Yet his concerned expression and the gentle touch of his thumb along her jawbone calmed her. She gathered her courage.

“Yes.” His touch didn’t change at her confession and she brought her own hand up to hold against his.

Braden nodded slowly, lowering their joined fingers into his lap. “It’s okay, baby. I know.”

Her throat felt tight, and it was tough to speak. “What difference does it make?”

“It’s a possible solution. If you make love with Jamie and let your St. Elmo’s fire free, it will affect his memory. Any other way of making him forget is riskier, liable to effect more than his short-term memory. During lovemaking the magic is more focused, and it would be far safer for him.”

“I don’t want to use merfolk pheromones to seduce him. That would be wrong.”

He laughed, the soft sound out of place, and yet not. “Sweetheart, trust me. You don’t need to seduce him. He wants you already, without any additional encouragement. It’s clear in every move he makes that he desires you. The lovemaking would be exactly that—free and willing on both your parts. The only difference is that at the end you let your fire free. A really high concentration will affect his memory of what happened in the ocean. He’ll forget he saw me breathing under the ocean without tanks.”

“He’ll forget me.” Her voice cracked.

Braden nodded slowly. “He’ll probably forget things directly related to the last few hours. Like the lovemaking.”

Chelsea crawled into his lap and dropped her forehead on his chest. How could something she’d secretly hoped to happen be breaking her heart?

“He’s my friend. I don’t want him to forget me.”

“You’ll get to work with him still. He should remember you as that, as his assistant. Using lovemaking is the safest way to ensure his other memories aren’t affected.”

Sadness enveloped her. The past weeks she’d grown to value Jamie’s friendship. He listened to her, truly listened, and he made her laugh when she needed it. She didn’t want to do anything to change his memories, not of any of his experiences. Resignation filled her. There was no other solution she could see, but she didn’t have to like it.

“Braden, if I do this—you have to be there too. I’m with you now and I…” A shiver shook her and he held her close.

“I can stay with you. Help direct the fire, guide you.”

He’d be there too?
Warmth rose, loosening the tight knot in her belly. “You think he’ll let you be there?”

Braden smiled. “I’ve seen him watch you, baby. He’s not going to say no to you, no matter who else is in the room. Not if I say it’s okay. And…”

“And what?”

Braden stroked a hand down her back. “I have the feeling he’s got some interest in me as well.”

So she hadn’t been the only one who’d noticed. She held on tight, listening to Braden’s heart beating under her ear. His spicy fragrance filled her head and filled her with need. She hesitated to ask, but spoke before she lost her nerve.

“Will you make love to me too?”

A short chuckle rose, his chest moving under her. “I wondered if you’d thought about that. Yes, I’ll join in if it seems appropriate. I care about him as well, and as long as he’s not averse to my presence, I’ll act. He’s become special to you, and if I can make this better for the two of you, I will.”

Chelsea found his lips and kissed him. A gentle, soft touch that she tried to make mean so much more. He let her take charge, take control, and a small flutter of desire flickered to life. The part inside her that longed for the attention of two men stirred, and this time she let it rise to the surface.

In the midst of the bitter for what was about to be lost, there was sweet gain. Even as temporary as it would be, she intended on giving everything she could to Jamie for the one night.

Jamie sat up and looked around, trying to get his bearings. There was a ringing in his ears and his lungs ached. A dry sensation scratched the back of his throat, painful and harsh.

Memories crashed over him. Holy shit, he’d almost drowned.

Curtains blocked the light, the room muted and dark. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash of movement.

“Hey, how are you doing?” Chelsea’s soft voice caressed him and the bed sank with her weight as she sat at his side. She reached out to stroke his hair back off his face. The touch felt intimate, caring.

Dangerous. He wasn’t supposed to feel this attracted to the woman.

“Good,” he rasped out, wincing at the rough sting. “Damn.”

She reached to the side table and grabbed a glass of water, passing it to him. “I was worried when they told me about the accident.”

The accident. Right. He sipped a little slower and tried to calculate his next move. Let the images he’d seen line up with the research he’d done.

Holy crap, Braden and Thomas were mermaids. Mermen. His mind reeled at the implications. He was back in his room; a sliver of darkening sky visible through the crack in the curtains showed evening had arrived.

“Why am I in the condo?”

“Do you want to see a doctor?” Concern tinged her voice. She touched his forehead, her hands warm against his skin. “They said you weren’t hurt badly. That you simply passed out.”

He pressed a finger over her lips. “Shh, I feel fine. I avoided swallowing half the Pacific. It’s all good.”

She grabbed his hand and tears filled her eyes. “I was so scared.”

All his defenses slipped away. Fuck it. Maybe he’d discovered that legends were real, but so was this woman in front of him. He wasn’t about to hurt her if he could help it. “Hey, don’t cry. I’m okay, see? Still around and planning on making you work twice as hard tomorrow since I don’t think I’ll be putting in any time at the house tonight.”

She had his hand trapped in hers and lifted his fingers to her mouth, kissing them tenderly. Her touch sent a tingle up his arm and suddenly he didn’t feel like he’d been dragged along a rocky shore.

Adrenaline and lust both made a man recover damn fast.

When she crawled closer and curled up beside him, snuggling against his side, he wasn’t quite sure where to put his hands. Chelsea had no such qualms. She curved one arm behind his back, resting the other on his bare chest. He sat still for a second, willing his body to ignore the enticing fragrance rising around him. This was not the time to become aroused.

He casually dropped a hand to rub her back. “Didn’t mean to frighten you. Kinda threw myself for a loop, you know.”

Her soft tresses spread over his skin and he bit back a groan. All the erotic dreams he’d had over the past weeks raced through his mind. He needed to concentrate on something other than how wonderful it felt to hold her warmth next to him.

“You know what happened?” Her gaze remained fixed on his torso, as if she was avoiding his eyes. He debated lying, but he’d never believed it was a long-term solution. Still, in case she didn’t know what Braden and Thomas were, he didn’t want to frighten her.

“I had troubles with my tank. Braden helped me buddy breath, I’m not sure what happened after that.” After he passed out. It was the truth, not the complete truth, but enough.

Chelsea twisted, sitting upright beside him. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” She inched closer, pressing her hands on his chest. He grabbed her shoulders, holding her steady.

She leaned so close her scent filled his brain and when her lips touched his, a switch flipped. It must have been the master control for all logical thinking because the only thing left functioning was his sex drive. He fought the dire urge to roll her under him and thrust into her body.

Lips, soft and succulent, caressed his. She tilted her head to the right slightly, stroking his mouth with her tongue, poking until he opened and the burst of her flavor rolled over him.

When she pulled away he moved with her, reluctant to let her go. He cupped her chin in his hand, staring into her face, trying to decide what move to make next. Strange emotions rushed him—desire for her, yes, but with connection and friendship at the core. The expression on her face haunted his soul.

“Chelsea, what’s going on?”

She knelt on the bed, her eyes shining with a pale blue light as she smiled at him. Her wistful expression was quickly replaced with a brighter one.

“You could have died out there, so it’s only right we celebrate. Rejoice in living, laughing.” She pulled her blouse off over her head and tossed it to the side. “Loving. When you nearly lose something important, you have to celebrate still having it.”

He wanted to look away.
Oh my God,
he should look away, but he couldn’t. She held him mesmerized, and when she reached behind her and unfastened her bra, he nearly swallowed his tongue.

“Stop. We can’t do this, it’s not right. What about Braden?” The fact he had enough mental capacity left to ask amazed him. This was the man’s condo, his bed, and now Braden’s woman who moved toward him, her naked breasts thrust in his direction.

He closed his eyes and counted to ten. Mermaids who could breath underwater were more probable than surviving if Braden found out he’d fooled around with his woman.

“Braden agrees.”

Jamie’s eyes popped open to see a tall figure step from the shadows.

“Holy shit.” He scrambled out of bed, debating which way to run.

Braden held up a hand. “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you. I said I agree with Chelsea. Life needs to be celebrated. She’s been so worried about you, and I thought maybe it would help if she knew you were truly okay.”

Jamie stared at him in disbelief.

“This is your idea? Are you insane? You find out someone is okay by talking to them, or taking their temperature or…”

What the hell is going on?
From nearly drowning to this? He must be dead. Or in a coma, with more of his fantasies inhabiting his dream world.

Braden stepped to the edge of the bed and Chelsea met him, drawing into his arms and accepting his kisses. The sight of Braden caressing Chelsea’s smooth skin reminded Jamie of watching their previous lovemaking. A hint of blue shimmered in the air, and the musky fragrance he now associated with his erotic dreams returned.

They looked so right together. The way Braden directed her, the response of her body to his touch—Jamie’s cock went from interested to demanding in seconds. Braden twisted her around until her torso faced Jamie. Two sets of eyes pinned him in place. Dark, passion-filled eyes. Chelsea held out a hand to him.

He shook his head. “You don’t need to do this. I’m really going to be okay.” He had to resist.

Didn’t he?

Chelsea licked her lips and let her head fall to the side. Braden kissed his way down her neck, nuzzling behind her ear. Her nipples tightened, one breast held cupped in Braden’s hand, framed like an exotic work of art.

Desire threaded through him, then one seam at a time yanked apart his inhibitions.

“Hmm, yes. Feels so good, Braden. Touch me, love me. I need it, need Jamie too.” Her husky voice beckoned him, the sound swirling through the room, and Jamie grew lightheaded. The desire to join them, to touch and caress every part of the beautiful woman before him grew irresistible.

He wanted her. It was the plain and simple truth. Jamie lifted his gaze to take in Braden’s towering frame, watching the two of them move in a beautiful symmetry together. Smooth, sensual.

So be it. In spite of not completely understanding all the whys, he was willing to accept it for now and figure the details out later.

They met in the middle of the bed and all his saved-up passion broke free. Jamie kissed Chelsea like his life depended on it. Her sweet tongue tangled with his, their naked torsos touching, the tight tips of her nipples hard against his chest. She caressed his shoulders, dragged her fingers through his hair, tugging harder as the intensity of the kiss increased.

Braden joined them. He’d stripped off his shirt and the bare skin of his arm brushed Jamie’s side as they trapped Chelsea between them.

She moaned with delight. “Oh yes, this is what I needed.”

The breathless confession did something to Jamie’s heart. He’d desired her before all the chaos of the day, and for whatever reason he was receiving this gift, he was going to treasure it.

He glanced over her shoulder to see Braden smiling at him. “It really is what we want. She needs us both right now.”

Jamie nodded, staring with fascination at the centers of Braden’s eyes. Blue flecks of light reflected back at him.
I know what you are, man of mythology
. The temptation to reach over and kiss Braden no longer frightened him. Passion erased his habit of analyzing.