Page 71 of Seduced By the Mermen
We fall silent again. Tears run down my cheeks, but I don’t want to lose contact with either Clark or Sterling. There are moments in my life I’d freeze if I could. The day before Marlee was born. When I thought Russell and I would be okay—when I could barely fit in the booth at the diner. That was the best grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever eaten. The moment my mother opened her Christmas present the year I’d tracked down the missing key to her antique dining room hutch. Driving down Route 66 after we’d left the farm, knowing we were finally on our own. And now this moment. Somehow this is what’s made being in the Veiled City more real. I’m alive. I’m more alive than I’ve ever been. Sparks of happiness prick at my toes, working their way up my body, until I’m just vibrating with the happiness of being here. Present in the moment.
“Unreal. But how?” I can’t form a sentence.
“The Stele dome does it for festivals and holidays. It’s rather impressive. A force field is created around the area above the top of the dome. There are six towers like this one, all of them protruding into the force field. It’s quite a display from outside. But here it’s... it reminds me of how beautiful the ocean truly is. How otherworldly it is,” Clark says.
“Otherworldly? You’re not used to this?”
“No. If you hadn’t noticed, we’re rather domesticated. At least, most of us are.”
Domesticated. I hold in my laugh, because I don’t think of the mermen as domesticated. Domesticated animals, to me, are cows. And they’re nothing like cows. Laugher bursts from my chest.
“What’s so funny, Little One?” Sterling holds me close to him, like I might vibrate down the stairs if he lets go.
I’m not pulling away. If anything, I find myself wiggling more against his groin. When his cock jumps against my ass, it silences me. But I like the friction. This place... I’m safe. And maybe I like poking the bear. It’s not safe. Then again, I think that Sterling’s bark could be a whole lot worse than his bite. Though his bite might be more fun.
I clench my butt cheeks against him.
And a low growl vibrates through my chest.
Clark steps in front of me. “Blair, what are you doing? And how do I get you to do the same to me?” His finger tips my chin up to his face, and then his lips are on mine. Slow and calculated. He pushes me deeper against Sterling. Sterling lifts his hand from my stomach, but I guide it to my hip.
Both his hands grip my hips. Clark steps between my legs. If either of them moved, I’d collapse into a pile on the floor. His tongue swipes slowly over mine, and I’m squirming with need.
It’s only a moment before Clark pulls back. “Brave One, the things I’d like to do to you here...”
“Clark? Blair?” a voice calls.
“We’re up here, Rodgers.” Clark inches away, letting me regain my balance.
“Dinner is served.”
“We’re coming,” Sterling shouts down the stairs. Then he spins me in his arms. In the ghostly glow of the bioluminescence, I can see his pupils shine back at me for a brief moment before his scowl returns.
Chapter 29
Clark
Walking down the stairs with my hard-on throbbing in my pants is about as difficult as I thought it would be. “You doing okay, Blair?” We’re going down in the same order we came up. Me first, then Blair, followed by Sterling.
“Yup.” It’s quick and certain. I know she wanted more up on the observation platform, and I did too. I need to taste her again. Only I can’t. As much as I want to, I can’t be with her again next. If we’re going to progress as a pod, she needs time with the others: Delmar, Forrest, Grayson, and especially Sterling.
Sterling’s giant feet don’t make any noise on the metal stairs, but the tone of his grunting behind us means he’s having the same trouble as me walking down.
I’m lost in my thoughts, from how to get Sterling to realize how good Blair could be for us to how I could take her to one of the bioluminescence swimming fields without her having a fluke. I can’t, is the only logical answer. Even so, patterns and numbers relating to how I could make a more accessible walk through bioluminescence as a public space fill my head. Where’s the best placement for a new dome and tunnels?
We’re halfway down when I realize I forgot to turn on the lights. “Are you still doing okay? Can you see? I can run back up and turn the lights on. We should have put them on the computerized system a long time ago. If I’d designed the space, they would have been.” A small amount of light spills upward through the corridor’s open door. It’s enough for Sterling and me to see, but it has to be difficult for Blair.
“I’m doing okay. Can I put my other hand on your shoulder?” Her voice shakes.
“Yes,” I say.
“I can carry you.” Sterling’s voice echoes in the stairwell.
“No, please. Let me walk. It’s only a little distance, and with the railing and Clark guiding me, I’ll be fine.” The fingers on her right hand lie lightly on my shoulder blade. And my cock twitches.
My foot hits the concrete floor.
“See, we made it,” she says as she steps down.
