Page 43 of Enchantment of Silver and Sea
We were walking slowly. Taking our time. We both knew it. And we both feigned obliviousness.
When we finally caught up with everyone and Kieran resumed his position beside Cecil, I felt a strange mixture of heaviness and restlessness. Like there was somewhere else I needed to be, but I had no way to get there.
Then I understood.
It was longing. For the first time, I was experiencing what it felt to long for someone.
I knew we were getting close when the forest gave way to a field, which then faded into dirt that was ever so slightly grittier.
The sand dunes were dotted with clusters of sea oats, which dipped rhythmically in the salty ocean breeze. Beyond the dunes, I could hear the steady rhythm of waves lapping at the shore. The sound sent a thrill through me.
By the time my feet were sinking in powdery sand, I was grinning from ear to ear. Back in Cyllene, I never would have thought that I’d actually see the beach. It felt like at any moment, I was going to wake up and find that this was just another vivid dream.
Then it was there.
The ocean.
A turquoise blanket extending all the way to the horizon.
Kieran teasing that I was small was one thing, but this made me feel small in the best possible way. And arcing over that vast expanse of water was the backdrop of an equally clear blue sky.
“Let’s set up here,” Cecil announced, stopping where the dunes leveled off and transitioned to flat beach.
He and the others had brought large hiking backpacks, the kind that made my shoulders ache just to look at. Without a word, everyone began unloading and organizing the supplies in their respective packs. I tried to help Nya where I could, but it was hard not to feel like I was just getting in the way. After twenty minutes of setting up, they had a ten-by-ten canopy erected with bags of food and water arranged neatly underneath.
Also under the canopy was a pile of spears of various sizes and designs. Nya confirmed that the spears were part of whatwas looted from the cave devils. Not one of the blades were dull. All were sharpened to a perfect, menacing point.
“Okay, listen up!” Cecil said. His voice was so loud naturally that he barely had to raise it to get everyone’s attention. “I know we’ve already been over the plan for today. Let’s take some time to eat, rest, and rehydrate. And if a beautiful woman with a fish tail sings you a song, and you swim out to try and fuck her, you get what you deserve. Sound good to everyone?”
Nineteen voices at once gave their assent, and the group began to disperse.
I turned to where Nya and Kieran were standing nearby. And froze.
Nya had stripped off her tank top and shorts in an attempt to cool down, and she was stunning, to say the least. The bright orange of her bikini top was set off by her dark skin. And the solid muscles of her abdomen, shoulders, and thighs were on full display.
Then there was Kieran.
My mouth went dry as I took in the sculpted form of his body, his muscles rivaling Nya’s in their definition. My eyes followed his carved abdominal muscles downward, lingering on the V-shape that disappeared beneath the waistline of his black swim shorts.
I was immensely grateful when my eyes darted up to his face and found him looking away, listening to something Cecil had said. I didn’t need him to catch me checking him out twice in one day.
“Don’t you need to cool off, Maila?” Nya asked. Her brown eyes were sparkling, and I had to resist the urge to roll my own as I remembered her request from earlier.
Anxious to get whatever this was over with, I yanked off my shirt and shorts in the least artful way possible and tossed them in the sand. I had never worn so little clothing in public before, but I braced my shoulders and hoped beyond hope that my posture made me look more relaxed than I actually felt.
Nya fluttered her lashes at Kieran, waiting for him to turn around.
When he did, I got to witness firsthand what I must have looked like when I saw him a few moments before. He stilled, and his eyes widened almost imperceptibly as they skimmed down my body.
What he was seeing was Nya’s violet bikini bottoms, which had a ruffle across the top that accentuated how low they hung on my hips. And the matching violet bikini top, thin straps resting on my shoulders and wrapping around my rib cage to clasp at the back, with pads that were also trimmed in ruffles.
And barely contained my breasts.
Kieran’s eyes lingered there for a fraction of a second. Then he was shoving his hands in the pockets of his trunks and flashing his signature smirk. “Look at you!” he said brightly. “If only yourEnforcerfriend could see you now.”
Nya was biting her lip, holding back laughter.
While everyone else busied themselves with preparations for the confrontation ahead, I continued to take in the view, watching the bright turquoise of the water dissipate into white foam at the sand. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was standing right in front of it. When the water drifted upwardagain and caressed my toes, I smiled. The crisp coolness of it felt incredible against my hot skin.
