Page 24 of Stealing the Merman

Darin pushed his way to the balustrade through the mass of bodies and scanned the shore. Nothing. But then his eyes landed on a colony of mermen sitting on a group of rocks, their elegant fishtails playing in the waves splashing onto the stone. His heart skipped a beat when he spotted Finn. Finn, with his honey blond curls, his sunset-colored fishtail. Finn, who was looking at him.

For a moment, Darin was dumbfounded. He blinked, certain he wasn’t seeing right. But Finn was there. And he was calling him.

Darin moved. He plowed through the crowd, looking for a way to get into the water. He wasn’t convinced this was real, that Finn was there. The off-chance that this wasn’t a dream was sufficient to propel him into action.

He found one of the rowboats and grabbed the bow. “Help me lower the boat! Lower the boat!” he yelled at the crew. Hands grasped the gunwale. They hauled the boat onto and over the railing, lowering it on ropes.

He was jostled aside by Fernando, who leaped over the railing and into the boat. Kristian and Luis weren’t far behind. Desperate to secure the last spot, Darin jumped after them. He landed on the hard wood of a thwart, the impact reverberating through his body. If it hurt, he didn’t feel it, preoccupied with the need to be at Finn’s side before anyone else got to him.

The boat hit the water, the force of the collision shaking Darin to the bone. His teeth clattered, but he paid it no mind. Like the others, he grabbed a set of paddles and stabbed them into the strait, not minding the man who splashed into the sea behind them.

Darin’s mind zeroed in on one thing: Finn. Getting to him first was all that mattered. Darin didn’t take his eyes off him as he rowed in time with the other men. Finn was a sight to behold. The rising sun was catching his golden hair, giving it a glow so beautiful, it had to be supernatural. His fishtail swayed in the water, the blue and pink tips of his fin curling as it flowed with the waves.

Inescapable desire shot through Darin. Memories of their first encounter flooded him. Those eyes, those lips, those hands. Darin shuddered. He couldn’t be in Finn’s arms fast enough.

The boat parted the waves, shooting for the rocks. When they were close, Fernando pulled the paddles in and dove into the sea, swimming for the mermen with powerful strokes. Not to be outdone, Darin leaped in after him, arms beating the water as he tried to get to Finn first. He needn’t have worried. When he lifted his head, Fernando was wrapped in the arms of a strawberry blond merman, their faces inches apart. Good, Fernando was taken care of and no competition. One less man to worry about.

But when Darin’s gaze returned to the rocks, Finn was gone. He cursed. His head whipped from side to side, trying to find him. Nothing. Only when he looked down and saw a shadow pass through the crystal clear water, did Darin know where Finn was. The outline of his fishtail was unmistakable.

Finn approached, then diverted, drawing circles under Darin. Playful as ever.

With one hard and fast beat of his fishtail, Finn shot toward the surface. He broke it, coming face to face with Darin. He grinned, blue eyes sparkling. Soaking wet, his hair was darker, the water stretching his curls to unruly waves. A stray lock stuck to his cheek. Darin barely remembered to move his arms and legs to stay afloat, so distracted was he by the beauty in front of him.

“Hello, stranger,” Finn said, a frisky smile playing on his rose lips. When Darin’s eyes fell on them, Finn’s tongue darted out, licking them.

“I spotted you,” Darin said, mesmerized by that pink tongue, his words echoing their first encounter. “I had to have you.” He tore his gaze to Finn’s.

Finn’s hands settled on his hips, palms soft as silk. It was at that moment Darin knew this was real. It was impossible to dream up a touch as tender and firm as Finn’s.

“You’re here,” Darin said, unable to keep the astonishment out of his voice.

“Yes. I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

“Me either.” He took Finn’s face between his hands to gaze into his eyes. They were impossibly wide, impossibly blue, just as he remembered.

Finn’s fingers glided over his back until they enveloped him, pulling him close. Darin shivered in anticipation when their fronts came skin to skin. His heart beat against Finn’s chest, and their lower abdomens trapped his stiff cock between them. There were few places his length would rather be, though he could think of one or two.

Finn’s fishtail slid between his legs and wrapped around them. Only the constant beating of his fin kept them afloat. He tilted his head toward the crook of Darin’s neck, inhaling deeply. “You smell differently.” Darin didn’t know what to make of that.

He didn’t get the chance to consider those words because Finn kissed his jaw, his cheek, the tip of his nose. Happiness danced through Darin. It bloomed and thrummed in his chest. When Finn’s soft lips claimed his, bliss exploded. Darin smiled into the kiss, and so did Finn. An invisible connection budded between them, thickening with each brush of lips. And oh god, were Finn’s pillowy.

Finn ducked into his mouth, his sweet tongue caressing Darin in ways that made him dizzy. He knew what else that tongue could do. What it had done to him. What it might do again if fate meant well. It was the most divine taste he’d come across, with one sole equal: Conall’s salty—no. Darin wasn’t going there. He shouldn’t think about Conall coming in his mouth, not when he was with Finn. But the fact that Finn’s very tongue had been all over Conall’s cock was intoxicating, whether Darin wanted to admit it or not. He deepened the kiss, exploring Finn. Every wet slide tugged at his cock.

Darin rutted against Finn, the slick underwater friction too much and too little. He wanted it all. He wanted everything Finn had to give and more. And if he could, he’d give back tenfold. Finn deserved all good things.

With a last peck, Finn broke the kiss. Darin frowned as he opened his eyes, but that expression was wiped away when Finn said, “Let me whisk you away.”

“Please.”

Finn’s hold tightened. “Take a deep breath.”

Darin did, and as soon as he’d filled his lungs, Finn pulled him underwater. They shot forward with unbelievable speed. Water rushed past Darin’s skin, fast enough for it to feel hard and unyielding. Soon his lungs burned, begging him for air.

Finn kissed him, transferring breath. Darin sucked it in greedily, letting Finn fill his lungs. How long could mermen stay underwater? Unlike fish they had no gills, so they had to be similar to dolphins when it came to diving.

Before long, they resurfaced in front of the mouth of a cave. It wasn’t deep; Darin could see the back of it where the sea leveled off onto a sandbank. The sides were lined with smooth rock ledges, mellow waves breaking against them.

And oh boy, what a surprising sight those ledges offered. Right at the front of the cave, the strawberry blond merman had tied Fernando spread-eagle to the rock. Fernando looked surprised, but not displeased. The impressive bulge in his wet breeches definitely didn’t look displeased.

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