by Judi Fennell
His tongue rolled along hers and she scored it lightly with her teeth. He growled, and she smiled around it. Good.
Her smile changed to a gasp as he bent her back over his arm. His smile tickled her lips. He pulled back, his sea-green eyes darkening to emerald. “You taste incredible.”
She panted.
Panted? She panted? What the—
He cupped her bottom, his thumb sliding beneath the fabric, lightly callused against her skin… and, yeah, panting seemed appropriate. An ache grew between her legs. She squeezed them together, her eyes drifting shut, the sensation sweeping to her belly, the sweet churning pit of desire. His lips whispered across her cheek, InOverHerHead.indd 128
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tickling the hollow beneath her ear and down her throat, his teeth dragging across her pulse.
Her hair flowed around them like a net. His lips found her collarbone, nipping down to where it V-ed towards her heart—which was beating so rapidly she could hear it. Or was that the blood pounding through her ears? Or the water whooshing from her…
Erica opened her eyes.
Water.
All around her.
Fish. Half a dozen little ones looking at her. With very wide eyes.
It took her a moment, then she struggled in Reel’s arms, pushing against his biceps, shaking the floating mass of hair behind her shoulders.
Oh, God. She’d been making out with Aquaman. Reel released her butt, his fingers sliding up her side, over the indentation of her waist to her shoulders. Her legs drifted back down to where they rubbed against hard muscle.
Reel brushed strands of hair off her face, his palm caressing her cheek. A dimple blinked into existence.
“Now do you believe in magic?’
If she could find her breath, for lack of a better term, she’d answer him.
It had to be magic that had come over her. She couldn’t be attracted to him.
She still couldn’t catch her breath, so she opted for nodding her head.
And, for once, thank God, the guy didn’t have a snappy comeback.
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ttt
Way to go bonefish-head. Kissing a Human. Beautiful. What do you think The Council’s going to say when it comes out that you want to hook up with her? Yeah, they’re really gonna love that. You want to make your mother a widow?
Reel let go of Erica’s arm and drifted in the soft current a few feet away, willing his buddy to forget it and settle down. Fish, that had been a mistake. But somehow, he couldn’t seem to muster the remorse. She’d felt great in his arms. Perfect, if truth be told. Too damn good, his subconscious interjected.
“Well, well, look what we’ve got here.”
Reel knew that accent. He spun around. The long, under-slung jaw of Ceto’s top barracuda guard was inches from his face, pointed teeth sporting evidence of the day’s breakfast. A dozen of his henchfish treaded water behind him.
“Carlos.”
“Reel. Or is that Spare?” The nonexistent lips pulled back from the rest of those shears in his jaw. “And who’s the chiquita? ”
“We’re here to see Ceto.”
“What a coincidence. She wants to see you, también. ”
Carlos eyed Erica in a way that made Reel’s skin shudder.
“Yeah, well, you can let Ceto know we’ll be by later.”
“Now would be preferable.”
“I’m sure it would, however it’s not convenient.” He held a hand out to Erica. “Let’s go.”
He’d never seen her move so fast and would’ve laughed if not for the wide berth she gave Carlos and his InOverHerHead.indd 130
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cronies. Not to mention the fact that she clung to his arm like a fishing lure, nestling it between those incredible shell-fillers.
He should probably thank the boys for scaring her, but then she’d realize where his arm was and that moment would be over. Either way, it wouldn’t stop her from being afraid.
But she didn’t have to be—she was with him. And, Zeus, had she been with him not five minutes ago. The posse blocked their path through the maze of reef paths Mers had constructed over the years to keep Humans from finding the Chamber. Carlos wouldn’t budge. The bastard had had it in for him ever since Reel had saved a wayward monk seal that Carlos had been using for target practice. The last pod of the mammals had then decided to take off for parts unknown. Carlos obviously hadn’t forgiven or forgotten.
“Wanna move it, Carlos?” Reel shouldered his way past, but Carlos turned portside to block his path.
“I don’t think so, Spare.”
“Get out of my way, Carlos. And the name’s Reel.”
At times like these, he wished he’d gotten just one of the powers his brother was due to inherit. The one where he could change to the size of the Titanic. But no.
As usual.
“Look, Reel, we can do this the hard way, or you can make it less bloody on all of us. You know how Ceto is. And she said to tell you she knows.”
“What’s he talking about?” Erica finally found her voice. Reel bit back the groan. It was just so she wouldn’t be able to ask these types of questions that he’d kissed her. InOverHerHead.indd 131
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Yeah, right. The Council wouldn’t buy that any more than he did.
He cleared his throat and stared at the barracudas.
“Change in plans, Erica. Instead of getting the executive tour of the Caribbean, you’ll be getting the, what did you call it? The CliffsNotes version.”
Sunlight filtering through the gentle ebb and flow of the water turned Erica’s face a slight shade of green. Which would have been attractive if it were her normal color, but since it wasn’t—
“We’re going to see Ceto right now? With them?”
“Do I need to get the rancid seaweed again? Sweetheart. ”
“Would you stop? I’m sick of that name!”
At least it changed the color of her face. To red—
which he only got a glimpse of before she made an attempt to follow Carlos and the guys, looking like a sea otter after a bad batch of clams.
Her delectably ineffectual Human legs were no match for his. As he caught up to her, all he could think was how he wanted to run his hands all over them, feel that smooth skin glide against his palms. Cup that soft backside of hers in his hands once more and just savor…
“Come on, Erica. I was only teasing.”
She turned, those puny twigs packing one nasty wallop as they collided with his.
“Teasing.” She poked him in the chest. “What gives you the right to tease me? Do you know how sick I am of that? No one thinking I can make a decision for myself?
Maybe, just maybe, if I hadn’t been ridiculed at every turn, I’d have had the experience to make good ones—
and I would’ve seen Joey for what he is and wouldn’t be here. But since that didn’t happen and I blew it big InOverHerHead.indd 132
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time, maybe you could cut me some slack. All I want is to do the job we’ve been assigned and get the hell out of your world. Is that too much to ask? Can you, just once, forget the mocking, devil-may-care attitude and get serious? We’re fighting for our lives here, Reel, or have you conveniently forgotten that fact?
“You may not care much for yours, but this is the only life I’ve got, and I’d like to keep it, thankyouverymuch.”
Her eyes glinted like scales caught in a summer storm eddy, every muscle in her body rigid. “Now, which way to Ceto’s? Let’s get this over with.” Her voice cracked on the last word, and she turned away.
“Vamanos, Spare,” Carlos ba
rked back from the exit of the reef. “You know how Ceto gets when she’s not happy.”
Reel sighed. Yeah, he knew. Kind of like Erica, but with a bit more temper.
And without the shimmer of unshed tears that got to him more than any threat Ceto could throw his way. InOverHerHead.indd 133
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Chapter 16
The gates to Hell were guarded by mako sharks. No surprise there.
However, the gates themselves were pretty—pink and peach coral formations carved to resemble waves, although they could be flames if the light caught them a certain way. A multihued garden of anemones, sea fans, and soft corals ringed each gate post, a quartet of squid zipping backwards, blurring the colors through their translucent mantles. The bright damselfish darting around added to the beauty, confusing visitors into thinking they were entering the gates of paradise. Not that she was fooled.
“Why has this never been discovered?” Erica nudged closer to Reel as they swam along behind Carlos. The other mini-Jaws gave them some space but still hovered in noose formation. “The water’s crystal clear and this area is highly traveled by Humans… us. We should have spotted it long ago.”
A stingray flapped along the white sandy bottom inside the gates, a group of starfish on its back. They were laughing like kids on a joyride, the orange one even letting three of its legs soar behind it in the water. Parasailing, starfish style.
“The gods cloak her lair. It’s safer than having her take up residence in Atlantis.” Reel’s shoulder brushed hers, but his words were what yanked her attention from InOverHerHead.indd 134
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the yellow starfish who had slithered up to cover the ray’s eyes.
“Cloaks? More magic?” She shook her head. “Like I should be surprised. Tell me again why we think we’ve got a prayer of pulling this off.”
“Have a little faith, will you?” Reel grimaced. The perpetual mischief in his eyes disappeared and his tone could have kept an iceberg happy.
He kicked past her, a series of clicks trailing back through his wake. Carlos answered (presumably) with the same type of noise, while Erica tried to keep up. Well, jeez, he didn’t have to get all huffy about it. One tail-less Mer and a sea-challenged Human versus the mother of all sea monsters. Didn’t he see how unbalanced the scales were?
Those makos were watching her a bit too closely. She kicked it into high gear, or as much high-gear as legs could do. Reel should have brought along swim fins to give them a fighting chance.
And what brilliant plan did she think she could come up with to get the diamonds from Ceto and then keep them from Reel? Righteous indignation was nice, but it didn’t give her any answers. Well, she’d wanted a chance to prove herself. Nothing like the ultimate test to see if she could pull it off. If she didn’t, she’d be stuck here forever. Or dead. Either way, failure was not an option.
A shell path lined the sandy bottom, so ironic considering everything in the water was swimming above it. No. Wait. There, a crab scuttled along sideways, picking at a hunk of white. Probably a fish. Someone’s sister, brother, nanny… who knew.
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A little farther down, a colony of garden eels popped up among the shell pattern in the path, a few grabbing some dinner. Carlos and Reel approached, and down went the eels in unison like a chorus line. Okay, so maybe some creatures used a pathway to Ceto’s home, but why would Ceto have one in the first place?
Reel kept glancing at her, those clicks sounding more agitated. Why couldn’t they speak English?
Had she really just thought that? English? A barracuda and a merman?
Even more unbelievable was the fact that here she was, swimming along in shark-infested waters surrounded by barracudas, and the only thing she found curious was which neighbor the crab was eating. Her brothers should see her now.
Joey should see her now.
She’d like to see Joey right about now.
“Hey, sweetheart, do those legs work, or are they just there to look pretty?” Reel left Carlos’s side. She wasn’t going to fall for his maneuvering again. She fingered one of the knives in her utility belt. “I’ve lived at the marina my whole life, you know. I’m really good at filleting.” She stopped swimming. Time to put Ceto’s path to use.
Reel’s eyebrows shot up, his eyes resembling Puffer’s at full inflate, and a grudging smile worked its way to his face, a little twist off to one side. The band of barracuda beasties alternated their serrated muzzles between Carlos’s receding tail and her little stroll. She was probably doing something they’d never seen before. Considering she’d never seen barracuda talking before, they were even.
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Reel’s smile went into full conniving mode when she bobbed down to the path, accompanied by echinoderm squeals every time she landed on one. The highestpitched yelp belonged to a blue anemone-type thing with the same purple tentacle Reel’s mother’s had had. Reel zoomed over to her, hovering above the squealer. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” She continued walking. Let him work for it.
“Out for a bit of a promenade, are we, Your Highness?” He plucked the blue thing from its home, with a “Watch it!” from the creature, then fell in at her side, strolling along with her.
“That’s better than ‘sweetheart,’ I guess.”
“May I?” Reel held out the creature.
She arched an eyebrow. “May you what?” Eat it?
Squish it? Stick it in her hair?
Yep. Stick it in her hair.
He ran his fingers through the strands until her ear was uncovered. The anemone latched onto the tip with a bit of suction. The tentacles tickled, but other than that she could barely tell she had her own little hitchhiker.
“There.” Reel’s grin was in full heart-throb mode. And, damn, if her heart didn’t throb. Shame on it.
“What’s that for?”
Reel shrugged. “It looks good. Brings out the blue in your eyes.”
“What game are you playing, Reel?”
“Game? Moi? Surely you jest. I can’t give a pretty girl an actinia? ”
“Why now?”
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“Why not?” He shrugged, which made his pecs dance, the six-pack ripple and when he put his hands on his hips, that deep line she found so attractive flexed. He’d probably done every muscle twitch on purpose, but since she was the intended recipient of the show, she wasn’t complaining, if truth be told. But not to him. She was barely going to acknowledge it to herself. She turned away, flicking her hair back over her shoulders. Their goon-guard immediately started chattering again. Why didn’t they speak English, for pete’s sake? Spanish, even. Something Human. It was downright rude. Of course, she was talking about a battery of barracuda…
Carlos came zooming up to her amid the chatter, thrusting his drooling, teeth-laden mouth near her ear. She didn’t have time to step back before he spun around and parked himself within inches of Reel’s face. “You didn’t.”
“Why yes, I believe I did.” Reel crossed his arms, tapping his foot.
“She’s not gonna be happy.”
“So what else is new?”
“Dios, you really do have a death wish.” The barracuda shook his head from side to side, drool and breakfast bits flinging into the water. Little neon gobies darted in to make them disappear.
Erica gave up walking on the path and swam to Reel’s side. “What’s he talking about?”
Reel glared at Carlos. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Carlos just has his caudal in an uproar because I took something from Ceto’s garden.”
The barracuda snorted and
turned around. “Hey, it’s your funeral, Spare.”
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Reel picked up one of the shells and threw it at him.
“Name’s Reel, you son of a sea cow!”
The posse growled.
Carlos snapped at a gobi that got too close.
“Remind me to put that on your tombstone. Now let’s go.” He poured on the speed and disappeared around a rise. The others closed ranks like deadly synchronized swimmers.
Reel held out his hand. “Shall we, Your Highness?”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not.”
“Funny.” He wiggled his hand.
She sighed and took it.
They followed Carlos around a half-submerged, rusting plane fuselage to Ceto’s home. Or should she say, palace? Erica almost forgot they were heading into the depths of a figurative Hell because Ceto’s home was every bit as gorgeous as Atlantis.
Sunlight filtered through the water, twinkling on the pink conch shells lining the walls. Slabs of blackveined white marble supported an abalone portico roof, all its iridescent colors sparkling through the wakes of hundreds of neon fish darting to and fro in an even prettier garden than the one by the gates. Midnight parrotfish tended manicured coral topiaries. Floating overhead like vines on an invisible pergola, swaths of sea grasses provided the perfect hide-and-seek locale for schools of tropical fish. Octopi draped over ionic columns like living statues, their colors changing with every shoal of fish that swam by. Black, volcanicrock double doors loomed twenty feet high in front of them.
“That’s it?” Why was she whispering?
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Reel nodded and gripped her arms. “Listen. Whatever I say, just go with it, okay? This isn’t the time to try to work things out for yourself. Don’t be a hero. Just follow my lead. Got it? Oh, and whatever you do, don’t take that actinia off your ear.”
“Why?” She crossed her arms.
“Because I lied to my mother.”
Freakin’ great. Just what she needed right now.
“You? Lied? Hard to believe. So, what’s the big secret, and what does your mother have to do with this?”
