"no! you're perfect. everything i could want. i'm the freak, don't you get it?" a sound came from my parent's room and i lowered my voice. "what if we have children one day and they come out like devin?"

"i don't think this would have happened if we couldn't have kids." he rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. "not that i'm ready to have kids anytime soon."

"he said that his mother was a mermaid." i sat back down on the couch, sadness gripping me. "i wanted to have kids one day. a big family." i'd never told anyone that before. it had seemed impossible that i would ever find someone i could be my true self with.

"meena, let's think about this, okay?" he sat on the couch and grabbed my hand. "this must happen for a reason, right? if you think about it like a scientist, it may be your body's way of showing that we're good for each other."

"mom and dad are scientists. they've done tests and still can't explain everything about me." i was pretty sure there were tests that they could have run, but didn't, because they didn't want to hurt me or treat me like an experiment.

"okay, say it's something... otherworldly. i doubt it would happen unless it was a good thing for you."

"i just don't know." i shook my head. "i'm so confused." part of me wanted to throw him back on the couch and finish what we had started, but another part of me was worried that it would be bad for us.

"then we find jacen and mireille." blake ducked his head so he could see my eyes. "we'll look for them."

"how?"

"i don't know. we'll go back to sugar's. go back to where you saw them swimming." he shrugged.

"okay." i took a deep breath. "we try to find them, but where does that leave us?"

"i'd like it if it left us back on the couch with you under me." his eyes darkened for a minute and i licked my lips. i'd like that too, but i didn't think it was a good idea.

"want to go for a swim?" we needed to do something other than lay on the couch in the dark.

"i hope you mean skinny-dipping."

i rolled my eyes. "c'mon. i'll show you where i go." i stood up and tugged on his hand.

"um, i'm a pretty good swimmer, but i doubt i'd be able to keep up with you." he stood up and looked down into my eyes.

"well, you'll just have to try harder." we left the house quietly and headed for my beach. the moon was out just enough for us the see the water and the trees along the beach.

chapter seventeen

- meena -

we walked for a while and i let the sound of the waves soothe my heart. i could always count on the beach to calm me. i looked over at blake and smiled when i realized he was watching me. i ducked my head and he pulled my hand up to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss to my palm. we moved along the edge of the water, letting it lap at our feet. he didn't say anything, letting me work through my thoughts.

i remembered the words he'd whispered against my mouth while we kissed and felt my stomach jump. i wanted blake. i was tired of not getting what i wanted. what if blake decided he wouldn't wait for me? when i looked back at this summer, i didn't want to regret not making love to him. i stopped walking and looked up at him. i'd come out here to swim, but maybe...

"you look nervous." his eyes twinkled in the starlight. "are you okay?"

i reached over and grabbed a handful of his shirt, pulling his head down to mine. his mouth was heaven: warm and soft. there was no hesitation for him, no nerves. his hands slid around my waist and pulled me against his smooth chest. one of his hands slid up to cup the back of my head and his other hand slid down to play with the waist of my shorts.

when he moved to kiss down my neck, i pulled the edge of his shirt up. he leaned back, letting go of me so that i could pull it over his head. his eyes were dark as he watched me. as soon as i dropped his shirt to the sand, his hands pulled at the bottom of my shirt, lifting it slowly over my head like he was opening a present. he threw my shirt on top of his and then reached around me to tug the strings of my bikini top. i swallowed when i felt it fall loose around my ribs. taking a deep breath, i reached up and undid the tie around my neck.

i tossed it on the top of the pile of clothes as his hands slid around my waist, resting on my hips. gently, he pulled me to him and i shivered when my bare skin pressed to his. his teeth nipped at my bottom lip and i opened my mouth in invitation. when his tongue brushed against mine, i moaned in pleasure. it was a long, slow kiss that left me breathless and my mind spinning. his hands moved up from my waist and around to my breasts. he traced my nipples with his thumbs, teasing them until they were tight.

he pulled away from my mouth and trailed kisses over my jaw, lingering over the pulse points under my ears. i ran my hands up into his hair and tilted my head back, letting him kiss all the way down my throat. when his mouth slid over my breast, i gasped and closed my eyes in pleasure. his tongue teased my nipple before sucking it into his mouth. my knees felt weak, but he slid his arm around my waist, pressing me against him.

feeling the hard length of him tucked in the hollow of my hip made me feel light-headed. reaching between us, i traced him with my fingertips and he growled deep in his throat. with a soft breath he stepped back and looked down into my eyes before hooking his fingers in the edge of my shorts. slowly he pushed them down until they fell to the sand. his eyes ran over me hungrily.

"god, you're gorgeous." the words rumbled out of his mouth. i felt beautiful with his eyes on me.

i moved toward him and reached for the drawstring of his shorts. he watched me with half-lidded eyes while a light breeze blew in from the water and ruffled his hair. slowly i undid the knot of his shorts and slipped my fingers under the waistband. i looked up into his eyes as i pulled them down, carefully working them over the swollen length of him and the tight muscles of his butt.

he pulled me down, his eyes on mine as he ran his hands over my skin. he kissed me, slowly moving so that i lay back in the wet sand. using his knee, he spread my legs and moved to the side. his fingers ran over my belly before testing between my thighs. it was strange and wonderful all at the same time. his fingers teased me until i was moaning. gently, he pressed inside of me and i gasped. his long fingers moved in a leisurely rhythm that my body seemed to understand.

his lips moved from my mouth and down to my breast, deliberately torturing me with pleasure. when my hips began to move against his hand, he slowed, dragging it out.

"more, blake." i pulled his face back to mine and ran kisses down his cheek. "more."

"are you sure?" his eyes stared into mine, looking for the truth.

"yes. i'm sure."

he rolled away for just a second and came back with his swim trunks. he pulled a condom out of his shorts pocket and i kissed him while he put it on. i didn't know if i should be amused that he carried a condom around, worried, or relieved. i decided to just be glad; it was one less concern.

he shifted his weight, sliding between my legs, and i arched my back, lifting my hips from the sand. one of his hands pulled my arm above my head, twining our fingers together, while the other moved down to my hip. his lips found mine, kissing me as he slowly guided his body into mine. i couldn't help gasping once he was all the way in and he stilled.

"give it a minute," he whispered. the water lapped around us as only our mouths moved in a long, scorching kiss.

after what felt like an eternity, he moved softly, rocking against me. he moaned deep in his throat and i closed my eyes in pleasure. i moved my hips, learning the rhythm, meeting each of his slow thrusts with my own. when he began to move faster against me, i gladly joined him. as i neared the peak, my breath was coming in short pants and i trailed my free hand up and down his back. there was a stinging sensation along my wrist, but it was nothing compared to what blake was doing to my heart.

with a sharp burst of pleasure, i dug my fingernails into his shoulder and groaned into his mouth. with two more fast thrusts, he joined me, panting against my shoulder. he moved his hand away from my waist to support his weight. his mouth moved back to mine, kissing me slowly, gently. when he finally pulled back to look at me, there was a content smile on his face that warmed my soul.

he turned to the side, and i followed his gaze to our joined hands. the white lines were bright and vibrant. there was no missing them now. they reminded me of gentle waves that tied us together. blake looked back at me and his smile grew. leaning on his elbow, he carefully brushed some of the hair away from my face.

"i guess there's no denying the lines now." his voice rumbled in his chest, which caused interesting sensations since we were still connected.

"might be hard to explain." i frowned when he laughed. he leaned down and kissed me once before placing a little kiss on my nose. we looked at them for a while, seeing how they matched. the lines were so fine it almost looked like there was a piece of white lace wrapped around our wrists.

"still want that swim?"

"might be a good idea." now that i wasn't caught up in the moment, i realized there was sand in uncomfortable places.

he kissed me again, sweetly, before rolling to the side and standing up. he held his hand out and i let him help me up. i blushed a little, looking at him standing there naked, but i was also a bit proud of myself. he was mine. i brushed some of the sand off my butt and walked over to our clothes while he cleaned himself up. i picked up his shorts and tossed them to him and grabbed my bathing suit.

"if i'd known it meant you were going to get dressed, i wouldn't have reminded you." he wrapped his arms around my waist, making it hard for me to tie the strings in the back.

"you don't want to get caught swimming with no clothes, right?" i smiled at him over my shoulder.

"fine. clothed." he slipped his trunks on and watched as i tied my bikini bottom around my wrist. "so that's where you had your bottoms that night i caught you swimming."

i laughed, remembering how freaked out i had been. "yep. it's irritating to carry them around, but i'm used to it now." i took his hand and we waded out in the water.

"so, i get to watch this time?" he looked down at me, his eyes intense.

"okay." i bit my lip. somehow, letting him watch me change felt just as intimate as what we did on the beach. "but it's not a very slow process."

i sank to my knees in the water and called for my tail. i braced myself with my hands and my back bowed. as my legs melded together and my flukes appeared, i rolled over in the water so that blake could see better. i watched his face through the water and saw nothing but amazement. once the change was complete, i swam a little farther out and surfaced, beckoning him with a finger.

"you know how i said there were some things my parents couldn't explain?"

"yes." he swam toward me, his eyes on mine.

"one of them is that i can take people with me." i smiled when his eyes lit up.

"you mean underwater?"

"yeah." i reached for him. "but you have to stay touching me at all times."

"so far, so good." he ran a hand down my back to let it rest on my hip. i tugged him forward and pressed his lips to mine. once i was certain he was thoroughly distracted i pulled us under the water.

chapter eighteen

- blake -

i didn't realize that we were underwater. all i could think about was meena pressed against my chest, her lips moving with mine. when she ran her hands down over my arms i shivered. slowly she pulled my hands away from her waist and twined our fingers together. when she leaned back enough to look at me, i almost choked. literally, on water.

"holy shit." bubbles floated out of my mouth and i watched them in amazement. her face was amused, as if this was no big deal. but it was. it was a huge thing to be under the water and to not miss the air. she cocked her head to the side and i could tell that she wanted to know if i was okay, so i nodded my head.

i looked around us and realized that things seemed clearer than they should. normally i needed goggles to be able to see this well underwater. the moonlight trickled through the water, lighting the sandy bottom. fish swam just out of reach, completely unbothered by our presence. i looked back at meena and smiled. this might be the coolest thing i've ever experienced.

her smile grew and i knew she understood what i was thinking. i wondered if she could sense what anyone was thinking if they were swimming with her like this and she shook her head. her hair swirled around her head like something out of a dream. she let go of one of my hands and held up one finger and then touched my chest.

i looked at our hands and stared in wonder. the white lines seemed to almost glow and i knew that this was something special, nothing to be scared of. i could also sense that she was still frightened, worried that she had unwittingly trapped me forever. her eyes were sad and her lips were pressed together. she thought that somehow she had denied me a choice.

how could i explain that i had made the choice? meena had captured my heart before we'd ever touched. i'd never believed in love at first sight, but it had happened to us. to me, at least. she smiled sadly, and i wondered just how much of what i was thinking she could understand. could she feel that i was in love with her? running my free hand over her hair, i pulled her face back to mine. her lips were sweet, and despite being under the water, she tasted only of meena.

she pressed against me, her tail causing small currents to roll around us. her perky breasts brushed against my chest and her hair tickled my face. i wrapped an arm around her waist, holding on as we floated through the water. if i hadn't just made love to her on the beach, this would have been the most erotic kiss i had ever experienced.

eventually, she pulled back and looked at me. her eyes slowly moved over my face and she smiled. tugging on my hand, she began to swim, pulling me along with her. i kicked my feet, trying to help as she cut through the water. i wasn't sure where we were going, but my weight didn't seem to be causing her any trouble.

eventually, she veered away from the beach and headed out to sea. i felt naked this far out from land. there were no boats, life vests, not even water wings. meena looked back at me and bubbles escaped her mouth. it took me a minute to realize that she was laughing at me. she squeezed my hand tighter but didn't stop swimming. i was guessing that she might have gotten an image of my water-wing idea.