Page 3 of Heatwaves

“Don’t do it.”

I startle at the unfamiliar voice, my head whipping around to find a group of four men sitting in the sand, away from the others here for this stupid mating ritual.

At first, I’m not sure which of them was the one who spoke as my eyes flicker between them. Every single one of them is devastatingly hot. It’s not that every man who approached me today was ugly, but there’s just something about these men that makes them stand out from the others.

I stare at them in confusion, unsure why one of them spoke to me and why they chose the words they did. I assume my thoughts are written all over my face because one of the guys shoots me a wicked grin before nodding his head toward the ocean.

“It looked like you were thinking about trying to escape via the ocean, but they’re all whale shifters, so they can swim. Therefore, they’d be able tofollow you.”

I burst out into laughter because it’s true—not only had I been thinking about swimming away to escape, but I’d forgotten that they could all easily follow. I shake my head and give them a bashful shrug. “I guess I didn’t think that far ahead.”

The guy grins as he stands, running a hand through his deep brown hair. “Is it really that bad?”

I glance back down the beach and make a face. “Yeah, it really is.” I huff as I turn to face the four of them. “For the last hour, I’ve had so many men stop me to tell me their stats—stats I didn’t ask for, mind you. And do you know, not a single one of them took the time to say hello?”

“Sounds about right.” Another of the guys leans forward, hooking his massive tattoo-covered arms over his knees. His black hair shines almost blue and his gray eyes dance with amusement. “Hello.”

“Hi.” I don’t even have to force my smile this time. It’s a pleasant feeling not to have to fake it.

The brunette nods his head toward the group. “You’re welcome to join us. We hate these things too.”

I bite my lips as I consider them. I did promise my parents I would meet some men, and would you look at that? The four of them are fine specimens of men. Look at me keeping my promises.

Not to mention, what woman in her right mind would refuse this bounty of men set before me?

“You know what? I think I’d like that.”

“That’s the spirit.” The brunette grins, offering me his hand when I move closer. It’s not until I’m standing in front of him I realize just how tall he is. He towers over my five-foot-seven frame in the best kind of way. “I’m Aidan.”

“Lila.” I place my hand in his, fighting a shiver as that wicked grin takes over his face once more. He’s entirely too hot, and I’m impressed by the firm handshake he gives me. You might be surprised to learn the number of men who won’t properly shake a woman’s hand—a fact I despise.

Aidan doesn’t release my hand as he turns to his friends. He points to the black-haired, tattooed man. “That’s Carter.”

Carter lifts his hand, giving a small wave and a wink.

Holy guacamole! I don’t think I’ve ever had a man wink at me before. I don’t even know how to respond to it as I flush, sure that my entire body is slowly turning red. Luckily, Aidan pulls my attention to the final two, a blond with side-swept hair, glasses, and the prettiest green eyes I’ve ever seen, who is sitting alongside a burly redhead with bright blue eyes. “That’s Ty and Oliver.”

Each of the men wave and call out hellos as Aidan leads me over to an empty spot of sand beside Carter. I sit carefully, not wanting to flash any of them with the too-short dress and shoot Aidan a quick smile when he settles on my other side.

No one speaks for a moment, and I clear my throat awkwardly as my eyes bounce from man to man. I don’t know who to focus on, as they’re all just so freaking attractive. And Ireallyneed to stop thinking about how hot they are—I don’t need to make this any more awkward than it already is.

“So, ummm…why are you guys all the way over here?”

“Probably for the same reason you are.” Oliver grins. “We hate coming to these things. They’re ridiculous. There are somuch better ways this could be done than us all showing up at the beach and throwing ourselves at women in an attempt to get them to invite us to their heat. But what do I know?”

“Then why come at all?” It’s not like they have to come since male whale shifters don’t go through heats. These mating rituals, or whatever they’re called, are for women to meet men.

But Oliver is right. There are much better and easier ways this could be done, which is what I kept telling my mom. I would love it if there was an app for this, as it would work just as well. Maybe without the need to provide their stats, these men could learn how to have an actual conversation with women.

“Our parents,” Carter answers with a roll of his eyes. “If we don’t show up, they raise all hell, and none of us want to deal with that. If we show up, they’re happy—even if we don’t actively participate.”

That makes sense. After all, I’m here because my parents want me here. But I’m still not sure why they invited me to join them if they don’t participate. Clearly, I’m here to find someone to help me through my heat and sitting with them isn’t going to help me if they don’t have an interest in helping during a heat.

That should make me stand up and walk away, but I can’t convince myself to do it. For the first time since I arrived, I feel comfortable, and I’m not ready to give that up.

“I’m not even a whale,” Aidan admits as he leans toward me. “I only come because they do.”

My eyes widen in shock. “Seriously? Are you human?”

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