"no, sir." blake turned to me. "are you ready?"

i threw the strap of my purse over my shoulder. "let's go."

he opened the door for me and led me down to his motorcycle. i had been right. there were two helmets perched on the seat. he picked up one of them and walked toward me. i stood still while he slid it over my head and pushed the hair out of my face. carefully he did the strap under my chin and pursed his lips. i realized he was trying to not laugh.

"i look stupid, don't i?" i narrowed my eyes at him.

"it could be worse. if it was white, you'd look like a ping-pong ball."

"was this part of your sneaky plan?" i couldn't help smiling at him while he put his own helmet on. "payback for me watching you almost drown in the dolphin pen?"

"oh no. you'll never see that one coming." he winked at me and i shook my head. swinging one of his long legs over the bike, he turned and looked at me. "you sit here and put your feet on these pegs. and remember, you have to hold on really tight. just lean into me when we turn or go around any curves."

i'd never been on a motorcycle before, so i was too nervous to make fun of his obvious attempts to get me to hold onto him. i slid my leg over the seat and had to do a little hop to be able to get all the way on. he chuckled and i play-punched his shoulder. once i was on, i leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. i wouldn't admit it to him, but i liked being pressed alongside his back. even though i was nervous, i felt safe tucked against him. he started the motor, and the roar and vibrations of the engine made me squeeze a little tighter than i had planned on.

"okay. i'm going to take it easy, but hold on."

"if i hold on any tighter, it's going to take the jaws of life to get me off you."

his laughter floated back to me as he revved the engine. we pulled out of the parking lot and i realized that i could actually hold on a little tighter. at the first stop sign, i slid forward on the seat until there was no space between our bodies. i tried to wiggle backward so that we didn't look obscene.

"squeeze with your legs and you won't slide so much." he patted my knee and my heart jumped. i did as he said and found that i could control my body a little better. once we hit the open streets out of the city limits, i actually started to enjoy myself. if i closed my eyes, it felt a bit like when i swam with mitch. the curves in the road were the best part, and i wasn't saying that just because i was pressed against blake. my hands fisted in his shirt and i could feel the vibrations of his laughter under my fingers.

after a while, we pulled into the parking lot of a little building that had tables outside. it was a pretty plain-looking establishment, but the parking lot was packed. blake slid the motorcycle to the front of the lot and parked between the building and a large tree. i hopped down from my perch on the back of the bike and pulled at the chin strap of my helmet. i managed to get it undone and pulled the helmet off. i ran my hand through my hair to try and get some of the knots out while blake took off his helmet.

"you're a natural." he took my helmet from me and motioned toward the door. he tucked my helmet under his arm so that he could open the door and put his hand on the small of my back. several of the servers greeted him as we walked in and the bartender took the helmets from blake without a word and then handed him a beer. he asked if i wanted anything, but i shook my head no. alcohol didn't sit well with me.

it was apparently a "seat yourself" kind of establishment, because blake led me through a side door and out onto the patio. we found a table that had a great view of the water. i sat down and fiddled with the menu. there were a lot of local dishes, which i loved. a waitress came over and set a basket of johnnycakes on the table and took our drink order.

"see anything you like?" blake hadn't even picked up his menu, just took a quick sip of his beer.

"it's been forever since i had conch, but the crab salad sounds good, too. what about you?" i grabbed one of the johnnycakes and broke it in half.

"i think i'm going to get the rock lobster." he scratched at his chin and the stubble made a slight grating sound. "mary is one of the best cooks on the island. it's hard to pick."

"so, how did the infamous blake weathering find a place like this?" i toyed with the napkin on the table. i was nervous again and didn't want to just sit there saying nothing.

"my mother." he leaned back in his chair, draping one arm over the backrest. "she brought us here all the time when i was little. she loved finding these little places. diamonds in the rough." a happy smile played along his mouth, and i liked seeing the softer side of blake.

"how many brothers and sisters do you have?" i leaned my chin on my hand, interested in his family. it was just me and my parents and some family that lived in florida.

"one older sister and one younger brother." he sat up in his chair and rested his forearms on the table. "lizzie is an artist in new york. she had a showing at the met last month. it was spectacular."

"wow. that's impressive. where did she go to school?"

"she did her undergrad in the states. savannah, georgia. but she received her graduate degrees in paris." he shrugged. "lizzie has always been the one to take the less-traveled path."

"what about your brother?"

"vince?" a bright smile slid over his features and it took my breath away. "vince is something else. he's a freshman this year and thinks he's going to move to japan and develop software." i was starting to see a trend with his family. lots of travel, lots of things that had nothing to do with the island. "vince is in heaven locked in a room with computers."

"where does he go to school? has vi met him?" there was so much love in his eyes when he talked about his sister and brother, it made me wish i'd had siblings of my own.

"he went to public school while my mom still lived here, but he's had private tutors for the last few years." something sad flashed across his eyes. there was more to that story, but i didn't think now was the time to pry.

"so, your mom doesn't live here anymore?" i tilted my head to the side when his expression darkened.

"she went home to france. we see her few times a year, but not as often as we used to." he frowned. "it's nice to go see her for christmas, though. feels like a real christmas when there's snow on the ground."

"your parents are divorced?" i imagined that would have been painful for the kids, especially when it was obvious how much he missed his mom.

"no." he shook his head, sending some of the hair over his eyes so i couldn't see his expression. "they're just happier living on different continents."

"oh." i looked away from him. what did you say to something like that? "so, do you speak french?"

"oui." his eyes twinkled over the candle and i wondered if that was the extent of his skills.

"that's it?" i narrowed my eyes. "i could have come up with more than that."

"you'll have to wait and see. i can't give up all my tricks yet." the smile that i associated with him being sneaky showed up. "on this quest to get to know each other, i think it's only right that you answer some questions, too."

i took a deep breath. "fair enough."

chapter eleven

- meena -

"coke or pepsi?" his smile was contagious. what a silly question.

"water."

"bacon or sausage?"

"bacon."

"smurfs or scooby-doo?"

"sailor moon." i leaned back so that the server could light the candle in the center of the table. with the rising moon and the crash of the waves, i was starting to fall in love with the place. we gave the waitress our orders and blake immediately returned to his questions.

"favorite food?" his hand reached out and traced the back of my fingers.

"seafood alfredo." i bit my lip at the touches of fire his fingers sparked.

"how many times have you fantasized about me?" his white teeth gleamed in the setting sun and candlelight. i sputtered, pulling my hand away.

"that many, huh?" he smiled and recaptured my fingers. "i figured."

"you're full of yourself." i tried to pull my hand away, but he held on tight. carefully, he laced our fingers so that our palms were pressed together. there was something simple and yet sensual as the heat of our skin mingled.

"and you're beautiful." he said it like it was obvious. i looked at him over the flame of the candle and felt the blush that spread over my cheeks.

"you're also pretty smooth." i smiled when he chuckled. it was true.

"so, i haven't noticed any little meena look-alikes running around. no sisters or brothers?"

"mom and dad couldn't have any children. they tried for a long time before finding me." the waitress brought our food back and set it in front of us. blake squeezed my fingers before letting go and i had to admit that i already missed touching him. our waitress whispered something to blake before patting him on the shoulder and he laughed.

"so, they found you?" when she left he picked up his fork and motioned for me to continue. "you're adopted?"

"yes." it was the truth, if a little bit of a stretch. we had adoption papers that violet's parents had helped set up, but they weren't exactly legit. her mother had been close friends with my mother and was a pediatrician. when they found me, they didn't know what to do or who to trust. dr. lyla had never batted an eye about what i was and had worked to make sure that my secret stayed a secret.

"favorite color?" he took a big bite of his food and sighed happily.

"blue." i followed his example and my eyes closed in pleasure as the crisp flavors hit my tongue. when i finished chewing, i opened my eyes and pointed at my plate with my fork. "this is the best thing i've ever eaten in my life."

"yep." he scooped some more food into his mouth and smiled at me around his fork.

"no. i'm serious. it's fantastic!" he laughed, but i was too busy eating to worry if he thought i was silly. our conversation slowed, but it wasn't from lack of things to talk about. mainly, we were just focused on our food. as soon as i got to the last couple of bites, i frowned.

"what's wrong?"

"i should have eaten slower, but it was just too good." i frowned and cut a piece in half, trying to prolong the meal a little more.

"we can order another." he motioned to the waitress, but i shook my head.

"no, i'm okay. i'll know next time, though."

"next time, huh?" his eyes gleamed in the darkness and i froze. i hadn't realized what i had implied.

"uh, i just meant..."

"i'd like it if there was a next time." he ducked his head, looking up at me from under his lashes.

"yeah?" i mentally kicked myself for not coming up with something witty. i just hoped i didn't have food stuck in my teeth, too. at this point it would be par for the course.

"yeah, meena. i'd like to see you again." he lowered his voice and leaned forward. he held his hand out for me and i laid my palm on top of his. "if you want, that is."

"i'd like that." out of the corner of my eye i caught a glimpse of long, light blue hair and froze.

sitting not three tables away were the mermaids i had seen last night. how had i missed them until now? how long had they been sitting there? the merman nodded at me, his face friendly, and i wondered if they knew what i was. why else would he have nodded like that?

"friends?" blake's voice cut through my thoughts and i looked at him with wide eyes.

"no." i shook my head as if that one word hadn't been clear enough.

"ex-boyfriend?"

"no. i've never met him before." i looked at him and frowned.

"well, looks like you're about to." i looked back to the table and realized that the mermaid was getting out of her seat and smiling at us. i had no idea what to do or how to act and out of all the times i had imagined meeting another mermaid, not once had i thought it would happen on a first date.

"hi!" the mermaid bounced over to our table. her bright yellow dress was almost garish, even in the moonlight. "i'm mireille."

"hi." my brain was really letting me down tonight, because i couldn't think of anything else to say.

"do you live around here? i think we missed you at the reef." she pouted as if she was disappointed, which actually eased some of the tension in my chest. she didn't sound very territorial. in fact, she seemed pretty friendly.

"um, yeah. i do." i let go of blake's hand and offered it to her. did mermaids shake hands? "i'm meena."

"nice to meet you. jacen wasn't sure, but i figured it had to be you." she shook my hand before looking down at my fingers and smiling. "oh!" she let go of my hand and picked up blake's. she turned it over so that she could look at his wrist and then sighed.

"i'm blake. nice to meet you?" blake was looking at her with amused eyes, completely at ease with her eccentric behavior.

"and it's very nice to meet you, blake. you guys are so lucky." she let go of his hand and turned to look at the merman that had come to stand behind her. "jacen, she already found him."

"um, found who?" i swallowed, completely confused by how quickly my night had turned upside down.

"blake." mireille shook her head at me like i was silly and i wondered if, by her standards, i was.

"please excuse my cousin. you may not have noticed, but she makes awkward look comfortable." jacen smiled at me before offering his hand to blake to shake. blake shook his hand, for all the world looking like he met strangers and played nice on a regular basis.

"have you been out long?" mireille asked. "we just started our swimabout last month."

"uh." i looked from mireille to jacen and frowned. what the hell was a swimabout?

"is that like a walkabout?" blake looked at jacen and frowned. "where you tour around and see new things?"