When I turn back to the sink, I’m surprised to see wisps of smoke curling from the faucet. It reminds me of fire, but how can water do that? I understand as soon as the scalding water touches me.
I scream and yank my hands out of the water, clutching them to my chest and whimpering, pain throbbing in my fingers like the day I stuck my hand in the fire. Gio crashes through the door a moment later.
“Coral, are you okay?” He’s breathing hard, his chest heaving like the trek from his bed to the bathroom was too much for his weakened body.
“The water burns!”
Gio’s face pinches, and he reaches for my hands, blowing cool air on them. “I’m so sorry, Princess. I didn’t explain it to you. Look, the water comes out cold when you push the handle this way and hot when you go the other way.” He demonstrates how the handle moves both directions.
“But it was cold at first.”
“Yeah, it takes a minute for the water to get hot. Here, run your hands under the cold water.” He turns the knob the other direction, and I gingerly slide my fingertips under the flow, not quite trusting it. The cool water immediately soothes them.
Tears drip down my cheeks and land in the sink, swirling down the drain in the rush of water. “How am I ever going to learn everything, Gio? I don’t belong here.”
His face wrinkles when I peer up at him, and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me into him. “It’s my fault, Princess. I should’ve told you. I swear I’ll be more careful from now on. Everything is new and strange right now, but it’ll get easier, I promise.”
I nuzzle against his chest for a moment till a visitor interrupts us.
“Breakfast time,” the pretty woman says as she sets a large, flat, brown object down onto a surface then pushes the whole thing over to Gio’s bed. Her hair is caught in a fisherman’s net. I open my mouth to offer to help her remove it, but Gio interrupts me.
“Thank you. It smells delicious.” He smiles widely at her, and she grins back at him. A pang of jealousy furrows my brow.
When she leaves, Gio sits down on the bed and motions for me to join him. “Let’s see what we’ve got here.”
I don’t recognize any of the objects in front of us. He lifts a cover, revealing a round surface piled with more things I’ve never seen before. My head spins, and I press my fingertips to my temples, feeling overwhelmed again.
“Oh man, bacon, eggs, toast. This looks incredible. Which one do you want to try first, Coral? The bacon, maybe?”
I shake my head and turn away so he can’t see the tears stinging my eyes. “I don’t know, Gio. I don’t even know what bacon is. It’s all too much.”
“Hey, hey! It’s okay, Coral. You’ll learn. I’m going to help you, every step of the way. Don’t worry. Now let me introduce you to the ecstasy that is bacon.” He puts a hand around my waist, and I can’t resist turning back to look at him. He’s smiling, his eyes kind and patient.
“Here, taste this. It’s meat from an animal called a pig.” He breaks off a small piece and holds it out to me. I take it from his fingers, my eyes widening when the smoky flavor hits my tongue. He takes a bite himself and moans as his eyes roll back in his head.
“Good, right?”
I nod, my lips lifting in a small grin.
“Okay, now these are scrambled eggs. Eggs come from a bird called a chicken. You really don’t want to know anymore than that until you try it and see how good it is.” He picks up a metal object with four points on one end and shoves it into the pile of yellow stuff.
“What’s that?”
“That’s the eggs.” He spears some of the eggs with the utensil and lifts it up to my lips.
“No, that.” I point to the metal thing.
“Oh, that’s a fork.” He sets it down and picks up two more objects. “And this is a spoon and a knife. It’s called silverware. We use them to eat so we don’t have to use our fingers.”
“What’s wrong with fingers?”
He chuckles. “I don’t know, nothing, really. But it’s considered bad manners to eat food with your fingers. Well, unless it’s finger food, like wings or sandwiches, things that are hard to eat with silverware.”
He picks up the fork again and holds it to my mouth. I wrap my lips around it and bite down when Gio pulls the fork away. A tingle runs through my body when the metal scrapes between my teeth.
He grins when I shiver. “Try not to touch it with your teeth. Just use your tongue and your lips.”
The eggs are soft and fluffy like a sea sponge, but tasty. They slide down easily.
“Here, you try.” Gio hands the fork to me. I wrap my fist around it and stick it into the eggs then carefully aim it towards my mouth.
“Very good! Now try holding it this way.” Gio arranges the fork between my fingers, but it slips out as soon as I lift it.
I pick it up and try to put it back the way he had it, but I don’t think I have it quite right. “That’s harder.”
“At first, but it’s easier to manipulate once you get the hang of it.” He adjusts my grip and holds my hand while I stick it into the pile of eggs, then he guides it to my mouth.
“What’s that for?” I point to the utensil with the rounded end.
“Spoons are for scooping things like soup. You can try it on the eggs, though.” He demonstrates, his dark eyes gazing into mine as he lifts a spoonful of egg to my mouth, making me shiver for a whole different reason.
When he gives me the spoon, I try to scoop some eggs, but they fall off as soon as I lift the spoon again. He takes my hand and guides me again, his eyes boring into me.
I like it better when he feeds me, but I dutifully practice using the utensils, managing one bite for every three or four of his. He also teaches me the words plate, tray, and table.
“What’s that for?” I point to the white square.
“Oh, that’s a napkin. It’s for wiping the food off your face.” He dabs the napkin around his mouth.
“You missed a spot,” I say then lean in and slowly kiss away the crumb at the corner of his lips.
Gio moans, and his hands reach for my waist. I suck and nibble on his lips, savoring the taste of him.
I pull away when I hear a throat being cleared behind us.
Chapter 3
“Eating Coral for breakfast, huh? I’d like some of that.”
I turn to see Jude, Liam, and Avery standing just inside the doorway and gasp at their appearance. They look the same, but also different. I’m used to seeing them in next to no clothing, but now they’re so covered up, I almost don’t recognize them. Is this how humans normally dress? They look good, but I kind of miss seeing their bodies.
Their skin is scrubbed so clean it’s shiny and pink like the inside of a conch shell, their faces are clean shaven, and their hair is soft and glossy. Even Jude’s curls look more tame than I’ve ever seen them.
Liam’s black hair is slicked back, and his black shirt and pants are so smooth they look stiff. He has the shirt tucked into the pants, and a row of small buttons runs from his waist to his neck. His shoes are black and shiny.
Avery has on pants made of denim, like the shorts Jude always wore, and a shirt like Liam’s, only white. But Avery has rolled up the sleeves and left some of his buttons undone, and the shirt hangs loose at his waist. His chin-length, blond hair looks silkier than usual, even though he’s obviously been running his fingers through it.
Jude is wearing a tee shirt like always, but it’s clean and unwrinkled, and nothing is written on it. It doesn’t hang on him like the clothes he wore on the island but instead clings to him like a second skin. His pants are a soft gray, cinched at the ankles.
Why are they all dressed so differently? Is there some kind of meaning behind the different types of clothes? It’s just one more thing I realize I don’t know about being human. I try to focus on the pleasure of seeing them again and not my worries about the way they’re dressed.
“How’d you all manage to get here at the sam
e time?” Gio asks.
Jude and Avery make faces and glance at each other. “Well, we all crashed at Liam’s last night. It was so late, Jude and I didn’t really have the energy to go see our parents,” Avery explains.
“So I guess your folks are still paying for your apartment. How’d you get in without a key?” Gio glances at Liam.
Liam blinks slowly at him. “The lock is electronic; it uses a passcode.”
Gio rolls his eyes. “Of course it does.”
The guys all turn when a hand raps on the doorframe, and a man peeks his head in. He’s wearing a long, white jacket over a blue shirt like Liam’s. A blue-striped piece of fabric dangles from his neck.
“Good morning, Giovanni. How are you feeling today?”
“Good. A little sore and tired, but better.”
The man shines a light in Gio’s eyes and prods his belly then lifts his gown to check his wounds. “No unusual pain, discoloration, or swelling. Looks like you’re healing nicely. I think it would be safe for you to go home today as long as you’ve got someone to look after you.”
“I’ll take care of him,” I say, wrapping an arm around Gio. The man smiles at me.
“Great. Just try not to lift anything heavy or strain your incisions. You can shower, but don’t soak in the tub yet, and change your bandages daily. Come back for a followup in a week or so. I’ll sign the discharge papers, and a nurse will come to get you in a little while.”
Gio holds up the arm with the tube in it. “Can you take this IV out?”
“Sure.” The doctor peels off the clear film and pulls a thin piece of metal out of Gio’s arm.
“Thanks, Doc.” Gio rubs the spot where the tube was and lays back on the bed as the doctor leaves.
“I brought you some of my clothes — sweats and a tee shirt. Hopefully you can squeeze into them. Jude was able to make them work.” Liam holds up a bag I didn’t notice before.
That explains why Jude’s clothes seem tight, even though he lost some weight while he was on the island. Jude and Gio are both a lot larger than Liam. Avery is in the middle with compact muscles on a medium frame.
“Thanks, man. Seeing you guys makes me realize how much I could use a shower, though. Maybe I can squeeze one in before the nurse comes.”
Avery looks at him skeptically. “Can you handle that? Or do you need some help?”
“You’re not getting in the shower with me, dude.” Gio shakes his head and scowls at Avery.
Avery holds up his hands and backs away. “Just trying to help.”
“They have a shower seat in there, so I should be okay, but if I holler, send Coral.” He grins at me.
Gio takes the bag from Liam and lumbers into the bathroom. We hear him thumping around a bit then the sound of water. I can’t resist watching the pictures in Gio’s mind.
He closes his eyes and tilts his head back, letting the water flow over his head and broad shoulders. Then he lathers up his hands with soap and rubs it all over his body — his short, dark hair, his huge arms covered in swirls of black ink, the hard, rounded muscles of his chest. He avoids the bandaged area and slides his hand between his legs.
My stomach gets tight, and I gulp and squeeze my thighs together when his thoughts turn to me. He imagines my hands taking over, my lips claiming his as the water pours over both of us, our wet skin sliding against each other.
“Are you okay, Coral?”
I blush and turn towards Avery, thankful that the guys can’t read my mind like I can read theirs. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just wondering what a shower feels like.”
“It’s amazing, let me tell ya. You’re gonna love it. Hot water is like a wet dream. You can take one when Gio comes out. I’ll help you.” Jude winks, and I blush again, wondering if he knows what I was thinking.
Avery glares at him. “I’m sure she can manage just fine on her own.”
“Hey, I thought we agreed to let her decide stuff like that. Right, Coral?”
I duck my head and pluck at the filthy, tattered edges of my tee shirt. I want one of them to help me, but Avery thinks I should be able to do it on my own, and I don’t want them to tire of helping me. I’m going to need plenty of other help from them, so I should try to do some things by myself.
“Oh, by the way, I brought some clothes for you, too, Coral,” Liam says, holding up a second bag. “They’ll be way too big on you, I’m sure, but at least you’ll be decent till we can take you shopping.”
Gio comes out then, tugging a clean shirt over his head. He smells fresh and fruity like the soap we washed our hands with.
“Come on, Coral, I’ll show you how to work the shower.” Avery grabs my hand and pulls me into the bathroom before Jude has a chance to. The room is warm and steamy, like the island on a hot day after the rain.
“This is shampoo. You wash your hair with this. Just rub it in good then rinse it all out. Oh, there’s even conditioner. Use this after the shampoo, and it will make your hair softer and easier to comb.” Avery holds up the small bottles, an eager smile on his face. He loves to mess with my hair. In his mind, he imagines staying in here and helping me wash it, his hands massaging my soapy head, but he doesn’t offer, and I’m not brave enough to ask.
“Shampoo and conditioner,” I repeat the unfamiliar words under my breath.
“And you can use this soap to clean the rest of your body.” He points to the dispenser on the wall.
Avery twists the knob in the middle of the shower then pushes a button, and water starts falling from the metal fixture above us.
“It’s like rain! Is it cold?” I shiver, remembering the night I spent in a rainstorm when I first got to the island.
“You can adjust it to whatever temperature you like.” Avery turns the knob and sticks his hand under the water then turns it some more.
“How does that feel?”
I hold my hand out tentatively, but the water is not too hot or too cold. The drops tickle my palm, and I giggle and pull my hand away.
“Is that good? If you want it warmer, just turn it this way. Go the other way if you want it cooler.”
I nod. It’s just like the faucet on the sink. I can handle that.
“Just call out if you need anything, okay? I’ll be right outside.”
When he leaves, I pull Jude’s old tee shirt over my head and untie the one that’s wrapped around my waist, leaving me in nothing but the intricately-decorated chest covering that was custom made for my wedding. My mind drifts back to the shoal as I untie it, wondering what happened to Kai, my betrothed.
I’m desperate to know what’s going on back home, and it pains me to think I might never know, but I’ve made my choice, and there’s no going back from it. I’m here to stay.
The water rains down on me when I step into the shower, the warm drops massaging my skin. Jude was right, it does feel amazing. I stick my head under the shower, but the water attacks my face, blinding and suffocating me. I quickly pull my head out of the spray and wipe my face with my hands, coughing and sputtering.
There’s got to be a trick I don’t know. I think back to the images of Gio showering and realize he stood with his back to the spray. I try that, and it works much better. I give a little grin, proud of myself for solving my own problem.
When my hair is all wet, I reach for the bottle of shampoo. It takes me a moment to figure out how to open it, but once I get the lid off, I pour the contents onto my head and start rubbing.
The liquid quickly turns to slippery suds that mound around my head and start dripping down my face. I want to wipe it away, but my hands are covered with it. I keep massaging the shampoo down the length of my hair till suddenly a sharp pain hits my eyes, like a jellyfish sting.
I yelp and rub my eyes with my soapy fingers, but that only makes it worse. I stick my head under the water, but I forget to tip my head back, so more suds run down my face, and I’m suddenly blinded.
“Avery, help!” I finally call out, too overwhelmed to know how to he
lp myself.
He bursts into the bathroom followed by the other three. I see myself in his mind — a sudsy, bedraggled mess, pain and humiliation etched into my face.
“It stings, and I can’t see!” I cry, clawing at my face.
“It’s okay, Coral. You just got soap in your eyes. You’ll be okay once you get it out.” Avery’s gentle voice tempers my panic.
“Stick your face under the water, but lean your head back so no more soap will get in your eyes.”
I do what I’m told, and I can feel the water washing away the foam.
“Good, good. Now, open your eyes and let the water run over them.”
After several moments, the burning recedes, and my vision clears up again. When I look up, I see all four guys staring at me. They try to keep their eyes on my face, but they can’t resist taking peeks at the rest of my body.
“Feel better now?” Avery smiles sorrowfully at me. I nod my head.
“I’m sorry, Coral. I should’ve warned you about that. Just make sure you keep your head tilted back and your eyes closed, and you should be okay.”
“Avery?” I squeak, afraid to be left alone. “Will you stay and help me get the rest of the soap out?”
Avery smiles then gulps and looks at the other guys. “Sure, Coral. Whatever you need.”
The others grumble a bit, but eventually they turn and leave. Avery strips off his clothes and steps into the shower with me. His golden skin glistens under the water, and I can’t resist running a hand down his chest. I move my head to kiss him, but Avery closes his eyes and groans.
“Don’t tempt me, Coral. A hospital bathroom is not where I want our first time to be.” His voice is deep and pained.
I bite my lip and drop my hands.
Avery turns me so that my back is to the spray and the water is hitting my hair, but the suds seem to multiply. “How much shampoo did you use, Coral?”
“All of it,” I answer, suddenly wondering if it was too much.
Avery chuckles. “You could probably use a little less next time.”
The Mermaid's Journey_A Reverse Harem Page 2
