Page 52 of Ensnaring the Siren

Seventeen

There was a naked woman in his bed.

There was a naked woman in his bed draped across his body, and yes, that was her bare breast smooshed between them, touching his bare skin.

What had Reid gotten himself into?

His mind and body were in complete opposition.

She was fierce, lethal, but vulnerable too. She’d just shared some seriously fucked up shit about her past, and here he was mentally begging his ill-timed erection to go down. This was not an appropriate time to quietly lust.

He’d seen the photos. The exposé had included graphic pictures of Nireed in captivity.

Now that he knew it was her, knew what to look for, there were traces of her in that mermaid. Things like the color of her hair and scales and fins, but apart from that, they were hardly recognizable. And it was a damn good thing. That version of Nireed had been dying. Her complexion was gray, her scales dull and flaking off. Her body was too thin, and her eyes dim.

There was none of her current vibrance and luster in those photos.

Now, here she was in his arms, risking everything to help her people. It was bravery in the truest sense of the word. She knew the consequences of getting caught. She knew exactly what would happen to her. Because she’d lived it.

And it haunted her.

Last night’s nightmare had begun with a whimper. He was so used to living alone in this quiet space beside the sea, and so used to living on the edge of the next emergency, that even that soft sound had woken him. When he’d looked over at her sleeping form, her tail was twitching, and her shoulders occasionally gave a slight jerk, but when those little, hypnic movements turned into thrashing, the word “No” cried out on repeat, he’d launched from the couch to her side.

He shouldn’t have tried to wake her. It was PTSD 101, and he’d remembered that too late. She’d already woken up in a blind panic, scrambling for safety, only to nearly drown when her injured muscles locked tight. “I’m sorry, Starfish,” he murmured, pressing his cheek to the top of her head. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

Until she healed from her injuries, being around while she slept was going to be a repeat thing. It made his insides all weird and fluttery, like the moment before his stomach dropped on a rollercoaster ride.

He let out a heavy sigh, Nireed rising and falling with his chest. No hesitation, no shyness, she just latched onto him. Just like a…

Just like a little starfish. Fuck. She’d no right being this damn cute. He held her a little closer, and a little tighter, feeling like he’d just learned something deeply intimate. A vicious creature of the deep she may be, but she was also an indomitable snuggler, and he’d bet money she’d been that way her whole life.

Shrugging down into a more relaxed position, he closed his eyes, tuning in to the boat’s gentle rocking motion and the waves lapping in steady rhythm against its hull. The sea breeze brought coolness and the ocean’s signature, pungent salt and algae scent. The strip of forest on shore nearby was a chorus of crickets and tree frogs. And Nireed. She’d nuzzled her face into the groove where arm met pectoral, a fist bunched loosely on his chest, her soft breaths fanning out across his skin.

The ocean’s soothing lullaby and Nireed’s reassuring warmth lulled him into a deep sleep.

The next time Reid opened his eyes, night had fallen, and Nireed was right where he’d left her. Amber bioluminescence winked faintly in the dark, like clusters of fireflies had come to rest on her skin. Her tailfin flexed up, then down, twinkling.

They’d evidently slept through the entire day. And if they slept through his next two liberty days, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. They sorely needed it.

A soft, hitched gasp escaped Nireed as she shifted her weight, her hips rolling into his thigh at the exact moment her hand slid dangerously close to his junk. Which was fantastically bad timing. He fell asleep hard but woke up even harder.

He tried to angle his hips away, but her hand was curled firmly at the juncture between hip and thigh, claws curving inward, and she held him in place, sighing contently. It didn’t hurt, but he wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

While he tried to discreetly readjust himself without jostling her, she chose that moment of all moments to roll on top of him, blinking down at him sleepily with glowing amber eyes. Her body settled in the cradle of his hips, very much pinning his dick between them. Save for the tight, compression boxers he wore, there wasn’t a stitch of clothing between them. And yet, his hands fell to her hips, his knees instinctively bent to brace her, framing her tail with his legs.

Like he was getting ready to start bucking up into her.

Oh fucking no.

She rubbed her throat, her voice harsh and rasping. “It’s dry in here.”

Oh, is that all? God help him.

“Want a glass of water?” The question came out sounding a little bit strangled even to his own ears.

She shook her head. “Need to swim.” She pushed off him, his breath whooshing out in a quiet “oof” as she slunk to the floor. “Come with me. Make sure I don’t almost drown again.”

Either she somehow hadn’t noticed his hard-on, or she was politely ignoring it.

---