Why are we on the beach?
The waves get closer, and I realize what Zeke is planning on doing.
I fist my hands and start pummeling his back with my fists.
“Don’t. You. Dare,” I say firmly between hiccuping sobs.
He doesn’t speak or stop walking.
I watch the bottom half of his jeans get swallowed up by the waves. And then I’m being flung onto my back into the cool water.
I stay under the water longer than I need to. I love the water. I used to want to be a mermaid when I grew up. It took until I was a teenager to realize mermaids weren’t real. I couldn’t spend my life swimming in the water, rescuing dolphins, and saving sea creatures. I had to grow up and get a real job.
But sometimes, when I’m all alone in the water, I pretend my life is different. I pretend I’m just a mermaid, living her best life as a magical creature that won’t let anyone hurt her.
I close my eyes as I come up out of the water. My heels somehow get washed from my feet, so my bare toes touch the smooth sand that feels like home. My hair covers my face, so I flip it back as I gasp in a deep breath, and the tears stop.
Despite hating that Zeke just threw me in the water, it did the trick. The water is where I feel alive and safe. There is no way I could cry right now, even if I wanted to.
I find Zeke’s gaze on me.
“Enough,” he says.
That one word vibrates through my body. And I feel it in all the ways he meant it—as a command and a question. He wants me to stop hurting, yet he’s also asking if I’ve had enough. If I’m over whatever was hurting me because he can’t handle my pain anymore.
And he can’t be gentle with how he helps me get over my pain. Surprisingly, I don’t want him to be. I want someone who knows when I’m hurting and puts an end to it abruptly.
I’ve never had a man care enough about me to do something about my pain, even in this unconventional way.
Zeke is now standing waist-deep in the water a foot from me. The waves wash up again, striking me in the back and Zeke in the chest, but it doesn’t stop the intense connection we share. We aren’t touching, yet in the water, I feel him. All of him. I feel his pain. It’s a pain I don’t understand. He’s a powerful man with more money than sense. What could he be possibly be hurting about?
But it’s there—his heart is bleeding as badly as mine is.
We stand there for another minute. Both giving the ocean everything we can never give to each other. Our pain. Our secrets. Our truths.
And when everything has been spilled, I nod.
Zeke turns with the nod and starts walking to the truck. He doesn’t wait for me to follow. I could run. I could swim into the ocean, and he would never catch me. But I don’t because now I’m curious about the man. The only man who has ever shown that he cares about my pain.
That man also happens to be my current owner, who might sell me on Friday. And I’m more confused than ever about who he is. What kind of man is Zeke?
We both climb into the truck soaking wet. I’ve lost both shoes and sand clings to my brand new jeans.
Zeke again doesn’t look or speak to me as we drive. But I squirm a little, hating that I’m getting saltwater and sand all over his car.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll have you clean it out tomorrow,” Zeke says, with—wait, is that a grin?
I try to hide back my own smile, but I can’t. I don’t know how I went from pissed, to crying, to smiling in a matter of minutes, but I did. Zeke did that.
“I’m not your maid. I think you have enough money to hire someone to clean your car.”
He raises an eyebrow. “But then I wouldn’t get to see you in a slutty maid outfit.”
I shake my head. “That is never happening.”
“We’ll see,” he whispers.
Yes, we will see—and it’s not happening.
As we drive past Julian’s house, the joking moment we had before turns serious. My fear returns at just the sight of his property. Today is Wednesday. That means I only have one more day to convince Zeke not to bring me to that house. One more day to convince him not to sell me. One more day to put an end to all of this.
As I climb into Zeke’s bed after showering, I know one day won’t be enough.
18
Zeke
I still don’t understand what happened yesterday. How did I go from being pissed and hurt, to wanting to take away all of her pain?
Siren is a strong woman, but she’s still a woman—still human. I forgot that because she always acts like a superhero. She acts tough and resilient, like nothing could ever hurt her.
But last night, I learned she hurts just like all the rest of us; she just hides it better until the dam finally ruptures. And last night it burst.
How stupid was I to bring her to the water? I knew it would help her. I knew it would stop her tears. But it also sharpened our connection to each other. She learned things about me last night she shouldn’t have. She learned I have a soft spot for her; I’m not as cruel as she thought. Which means I’m going to have an even harder time controlling her. An even a harder time keeping her safe.
I open my eyes, and instead of staring up at my white ceiling, I see Siren straddling my body—and what a sight she is. Even with her messy hair and sleepy eyes, I want her. I could get used to waking up this way every morning. Yet, I don’t think she’s straddling me because she wants a quickie before I go to work. She wants something.
I grumble and roll my eyes. “What do you want?”
“A rematch.”
I sigh. “A rematch?”
“Yes, I want another game of truth or sin tonight.”
“Fine,” I rub my eyes and then stretch my arms up over my head. I expect her to jump off me now that she’s gotten what she wants, but she doesn’t. She continues to straddle my waist, and if she moves a few inches lower, she will be greeted by a particular part of my body that would be very happy to get better acquainted with her pussy. She’s wearing a layer of shorts and panties, but that barely separates us.
“Anything else?” I ask, rubbing my head. I think I’m getting a headache from her.
She grins brightly. “You aren’t a morning person, are you?”
I growl, and she finally jumps off me. “No, I’m not. So I suggest you remember that before you wake me up like that again.”
I get out of bed and pull on my jeans. I showered last night, so I don’t bother today before I head into work. I have to meet Oscar today.
“Going to work?” she asks, her voice hesitant.
I nod, as I pull on a white T-shirt run my hand through my long hair, before pulling it up into a man bun.
“Are you going to lock me in a room again?” she snickers.
“Nope, you already learned that trick.”
“But you are going to leave me here, alone?”
I turn toward her, raising an eyebrow. “Why shouldn’t I? You already destroyed everything in my house. There is nothing left for you to damage.”
She frowns. “Aren’t you worried I will run?”
“Are you going to run?”
She doesn’t answer.
I sigh. “No, I’m not worried. For one, I live too close to Julian’s property. He has cameras everywhere. He would see you run. He would chase after you and only return you to me after he’s had his turn with you. You already seem to know that, though, so I know you won’t run.”