MERMADMEN (The Mermen Trilogy #2) (6 page)

No, it wasn’t a permanent solution, in terms of Shane going after Roen, though it would buy her time to figure out what to do next and keep Dana from being claimed.

Of course, if she was successful, she might actually end up becoming Shane’s for the night.

Liv’s entire soul bucked in protest, but there simply wasn’t another option. Liv ran her hand over the wall next to the door and found the light switch.

“Hello, Liv.”

“Fuck!” Liv jumped.

With his hands casually in his pockets, Roen stood at the other end of the cozy living room—decorated in a nautical theme with powder-blue walls, paintings of sailboats, and large seashells on the distressed white coffee table. Like the last time she’d seen him, both in person and in her dream, Roen wore a crisp white dress shirt and dark, well-tailored pants that accentuated every inch of his tall, masculine form.

“Nice to see you, too,” he said in that slow, arrogant, deep voice before casually strolling toward a small table in the corner topped with a tray of clean glasses and several liquor bottles. He poured a tall glass of something, scotch perhaps, threw it back, and then stared with flaring nostrils, his thick arms over his broad chest. All the while, Liv watched his every move, trying to keep herself calm. She knew his laid-back stance was for show, because a look of pure rage flickered in his hypnotic green eyes.

“Roen, what are you doing here?”

“You sound afraid.”

Of course. She had no clue if Roen was a threat. The man had changed. Bigger. Meaner. Deadlier. Then there was her. Five seven, medium build, about as much muscle as a mussel.

“I’m not afraid,” she lied. “I just know how you can get.” She discreetly placed her hand on the door handle at her back, ready to run.

“You may remove your hand from the door. I’m much more controlled these days,” he said, his voice low and menacing. “When I want to be.”

So much for discreet
. She’d forgotten how mermen had better hearing along with the eyesight.

“So…why are you here?” She dropped her hands, attempting to appear calm and indifferent; meanwhile her eyes wouldn’t stop moving up and down, gliding over his beautiful body, drinking in every inch of him. His shape, right down to the wide width of his shoulders and narrow waist, was pure seduction material. Not too beefy and bulky, but tall, solid, and sublimely male. And his face, though now sporting a short rich-brown beard, was nothing shy of breathtaking, including those sensual lips that balanced between silky soft and firm, just perfect for wrapping around a throbbing nipple.
Or lower
.

As if reading her suggestive thoughts, his intensely carnal gaze moved down, down, down and lingered over the body part longing for his attention.

Don’t, Liv. Don’t show him what he does to you
.

She cleared her scratchy throat. “Why. Are. You. Here?”

His sinfully seductive gaze crawled up her body, leaving every inch of her skin tingling. “Why am I here? I live here, which you already know. So I believe I should be directing that question to you.”

“The reason is no one’s business but my own.”

“Bullshit. Who’s the stupid asshole that came to collect you?” His body didn’t move, but his eyes told her he was holding back a tornado of caustic rage.

Liv’s panic button began flashing bright red. “Roen—”

“Tell me, goddammit. Who. Is. The
foking
asshole. That brought you back to the island?”

Make him believe, Liv. Do what you have to do to make him believe.

“I’m not sure that matters since I want to be here. I even brought my sister.”

“I won’t tolerate you lying to me, Liv.”

She shrugged. “Why would I lie? Even you have to admit that merman charms are pretty impressive.”

He looked away, grinding his jaw, and ran his strong hand through his silky, jaw-length hair. “Those charms don’t work on you,” he replied so sharply, the words nearly cut through her charade. He knew her too well. She had to convince him she came for some other reason.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m still a woman and what woman wouldn’t want to be fucked by one of the beautiful men on this island. Personally, I’m hoping to land Shane.”

Roen’s eyes narrowed on her face, and his chest expanded with rapid breaths. “Shane? You expect me to believe that?”

“It doesn’t matter what you think or expect, Roen,” she said, doing her best impression of a heartless bitch. “You made it perfectly clear you didn’t want me.” She wagged her finger at him. “And shame, shame on you,” she purred, “because I was left with a craving I can’t seem to satisfy with just any man. And trust me, I’ve tried. Boy, oh boy, how I’ve tried. With dozens and dozens of men,” she lied. “However, I’m betting that my needs
can
be satisfied by a merman—any merman—since you all have exceptional equipment.”

Roen stormed across the room and stared down at her with cold, calculating eyes, causing Liv to push her body firmly against the door. “I’m not buying the act, Liv. And I have to believe that somewhere deep down inside you know my rejection was to protect you.”

“Pah!” She barked out a little laugh. “Roen, dear, haven’t you figured out by now that I used you to save myself? I did it again when we saw each other in Seattle. Your little bitch of an island wanted to come after me because I broke my promise not to tell. And once again, there was big strong Roen ready to come to my rescue.” She laced her fingers together and rested her chin on the backs of her hands, batting her eyelashes. “Oh, save me, Roen. Save me!” She dropped her hands and laughed. “Like I said when we first met: you’re an ass. You’ll always be an ass, and now it’s time for you to leave. I need to get ready. For. Shane,” she added.

A cold glaze of hostility washed over Roen’s face. Even the color of his green eyes seemed to darken a bit. She had no idea if she’d convinced him, but she was sure as hell she’d wounded him. Would it be enough?

Roen began unbuttoning his shirt while keeping his hard, angry eyes pinned to her face.

“Wha-what are you doing?” she asked.

“What does it look like?” He shed his shirt and threw it to the floor.

Oh no. Is he calling my bluff?
Because no way could Liv hide her true emotions if he started kissing her or touching her or showing her his perfectly chiseled pectoral muscles and hard rippling abs that ended with those teasing little grooves that cut diagonally over his hip bones.

She drew an unsteady breath.

He then unbuttoned his pants and slowly unzipped, making a seductive show of it. All the while, Liv felt her body igniting into an erotic blaze. She didn’t need to see him naked to know what was under that zipper. She’d memorized every inch of his superbly portioned, long, thick penis. Oh yes, it held an especially sinful place in the back of her mind, with its very own shelf. Sadly, they’d never had sex, but she’d felt the tip of him push against her entrance, and since that moment, she’d longed for the rest.

Roen shed his pants—
Oh, God. He’s commando
—and kicked them aside. Liv held her breath, willing her gaze to remain stuck to his eyes.
Don’t look. Don’t look. He’ll know how much you want him.

“Trying to impress me?” she said with an affected little smirk. “Because I assure you Shane’s gear is twice as nice.”

His right eye twitched, and then the corner of his sensual lips curled into a wickedly arrogant smirk. “Doubtful.” He stepped in closer, leaving only a few inches between them. The air began to buzz with that strange energy he produced when aroused. And there was no denying the heat filling the narrow space separating their bodies, especially the spot where Roen’s now naked erection gently pushed against her stomach.

He’s not playing fair.

Liv fought the need to lick her lips and press them to his mouth or kneel down and taste him on her tongue—something she’d also never gotten the opportunity to do and had fantasized about on more than one occasion.

“Well,” she said with a shaky voice and gulped, “whatever it is you think you’re doing won’t work. I’m here for claiming, and you’re not who I w-w-want to spend the night with.”

“Excellent. Can you hand me that? I just flew in, so I didn’t have time to change.” His eyes momentarily flashed to a small side table next to the front door.

She followed his gaze and noticed a piece of folded suede. She grabbed the thing and quickly pushed it to his bare chest. “Here you go.” She then swallowed the prickly lust-filled lump in her throat.

You are not affected. You do not want to touch him. You do not want to wrap your fingers around his cock and pleasure the seed right out of him.
Oh yes, she did. She’d watched him come once, and it was hands down the most erotic thing she’d ever witnessed. Right now, she felt her panties steaming up just thinking about it.

“Thanks.” He slid the suede from her hand, making a point to make contact with her fingers. The sensation sent a spear of throbbing warmth right between her legs, almost like he’d touched her intimately with those hot, thick fingers.

Still holding his gaze tightly to her face, he wrapped the cloth around his waist. “Excuse me.”

Liv blinked. “Sorry?”

“I have to go now; the ceremony is starting soon. If you’ll excuse me.”

She was blocking the door. “Oh. Sorry.” She stepped aside and looked at her feet—the only safe place.

“Enjoy your night with Shane, Liv. I hope he makes all of your fantasies come true.”

“He’s a merman. I’m sure he will.” Her voice came out raspy and quivering.

Roen left and she shut the door behind her.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she whispered, pressing her back to the door. That had been the most difficult thing she’d ever had to do. Not the lying part, but the resisting him part. Her entire body screamed for that man, especially the parts that were now wet, hot, and needed release. None of that compared, however, to how badly her heart ached for him.

God, I hope I convinced him
. There was less than an hour before the Claiming Ceremony, and then she’d have to convince him once again.

CHAPTER SIX

Keeping his emotions hidden, Roen gave a cool nod to the man standing guard outside Liv’s cottage when he passed. Inside Roen’s mind, a violent storm raged, and he knew exactly who was to blame:
Fucking Shane.

Did Liv honestly think he would ever believe she wanted that man or any other, for that matter? He could smell the lust on Liv’s skin and the scent of her arousal between her legs from the moment they locked eyes. It took every ounce of restraint not to act on his own urges, but when he picked up the hint of fear in Liv’s dark eyes, he knew she was protecting someone she loved. Was it her sister or him?

Perhaps both.

The thought of her loving him sped up his heart. Yes, mates wanted with every fiber of their being, although the want was a force of nature. The wind blew, you were a sail, and away you’d go. However, love was not a given between mates.

It doesn’t matter if she loves you.
It was inevitable that he’d only destroy Liv like his father had destroyed his mother.
Or perhaps Liv’ll end up a maid.
No, he and Liv would never be together because he refused to hurt her.

However, that meant he needed to do everything possible to free Liv’s heart from the bond between them. It had never been done that he knew of, not that it
foking
mattered. He would find a way. He would save her from the fate of being a merman’s mate.

First things first: Get her the hell away from here.

Roen knew exactly why Shane brought Liv’s sister to the island—leverage against Liv. But why bring Liv at all?

Roen headed straight to Naylor’s cottage. The old man was one of their five elders and knew more about their laws and history than anyone else. He was also a stubborn, cantankerous old goat.

Roen knocked on the door of the rustic, pine cabin and entered without bothering to wait for permission. After all, Roen was king here. That, and Naylor was in some other world half the time.

“Well, do come in,” said Naylor sarcastically. As usual, the old man sat with his eyes closed in his worn leather reading chair positioned an arm’s length from a wall of ancient texts. His long white hair and beard covered his bare, upper torso like a warm blanket.

“Good. You’re awake. Why did Shane bring Liv back?” Roen asked.

Naylor opened one green eye and then the other. “You really have to ask?”

Roen shot him a look. “I’m standing here asking, so I think that answers your question.”

“He obviously wants control of the island.”

“You told me only Dorans are chosen by the island to rule,” Roen argued.

“That doesn’t mean a non-Doran can’t. It means it’s never happened. And I will tell you that Shane’s family has tried over many generations.”

“And the island will allow it?” Roen asked.

Naylor flicked his bony wrist. “The island is only as strong as the men who protect her, which is why she wants only the smartest, fiercest warrior leading. If it happens to be someone else, I doubt she’ll care.”

“Then why not challenge me for leadership? Why bring landlovers into this?”

“You mean the woman Liv?” Naylor scowled when he said her name. “The one you say isn’t your mate because she’s not strong enough, yet she was chosen by this island to come here, and then managed to motivate you—the most stubborn sonofabitch on the planet—to step up and take over. You mean
that
landlover?”

“Yes. That landlover.” What else could he say? The connection with the island made it hard to keep secrets. So if Naylor knew he’d lied about Liv, then others did, too, including Shane.

Naylor puckered his lips into a little ball and narrowed his green eyes in contemplation. “I do not know. Perhaps Shane hopes you’ll never make it to a formal challenge. Mermen are known to lose their heads when it comes to their women.”

Naylor might be right. Ungoverned killing and fighting among mermen was forbidden and punishable by death except under certain circumstances like self-defense. Disputes and challenges had to be settled in the great hall after each side declared their positions in a formal manner among witnesses. Otherwise, given their kind’s short fuses and instincts for killing, their race would be extinct by now.