by Fox, Cathryn
When a mermaid saves a drowning man she unleashes a tidal wave of passion that could destroy her very world.
Ella, a mermaid from Dualii, a kingdom deep below the sea, has returned to the quaint coastal town of Crystal Cove, Nova Scotia, a place where she’d once saved a drowning boy. Except when she sees the teenager from her past, she knows he is anything but a boy. He is a man, one who taunts her body and heart in the most inexplicable ways and has her questioning her very future.
As he stands naked beneath the full moon Ella knows she must have him—before she returns home and succumbs to her arranged marriage. Despite the rules set in place for her kind, rules to protect the identity of her people, she decides a blatant seduction is in order. With her body beckoning his touch, Ella lays herself bare as everything inside her urges her to experience his personal brand of lovemaking—just once—before she wipes his mind of their encounter and returns to her underwater world forever.
Except when the heat they generate hinders her abilities to strip his memories and everything in his touch stirs her soul, Ella knows she wants to turn fantasy into long term reality. But when she finds years of research papers, she understands that not only does his study of mythical creatures threaten their future, he is the one man who can destroy her very kind.
Laid Bare
Cathryn Fox
Copyright 2011 by Cathryn Fox
Published by Cathryn Fox
Edited by Denise McClain
Cover by Crocodesigns
Discover other titles by Cathryn Fox at www.cathrynfox.com.
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Laid Bare
Book on in Waves of Seduction Series
Cathryn Fox
Dedication
To Nikki Duncan, who is always there for me. You rock!
Chapter One
Ella knew she should never have come.
Should never have followed her rebellious older sisters to land, to the quaint coastal community of Crystal Cove, Nova Scotia, a place where she’d once rescued a drowning boy.
Leaving Dualii, their underwater kingdom wasn’t just forbidden, it was highly dangerous. Not only did it pose a threat to the individual Miengu who dared to venture to the surface, it also put their entire kingdom at risk. If knowledge of their existence ever fell into the wrong hands, it could bring unwanted attention to their world and quite possibly lead to the extinction of their kind. Especially if hunters ever discovered that their Miengu tails were embedded with precious gemstones.
But Ella couldn’t think about that right now. Right now she had to concentrate on making her way back to the Atlantic waters, which were just on the outskirts of town, still a few blocks out of her reach. A Miengu could walk on land for only so long before they had to replenish their life force with the cool salty waves. If they failed to do so in a timely manner, the results were always fatal.
When a group of rowdy teens walked by, their clothes reeking of stale alcohol and pungent smoke, Ella ducked deeper into the shadows. Desperate to avoid contact with the locals, she remained still until the crowd passed and took that time to think more about her two older sisters. Miengus were sexual beings, but unlike her salacious siblings, Ella hadn’t come to the surface to play with mortal men—she’d come with the hopes of glimpsing him again.
Him, as in the boy she’d rescued all those years ago.
And she would not, under any circumstance, resort to stealing a human’s essence in order to survive—something, she quickly learned, her sisters thoroughly enjoyed. Ella shivered just from thinking about sucking the salt from a body to fuel her own—the one and only way a Miengu could extend their time on land without having to return to the sea. A mortal might mean little to those from her world, but a human’s life had value to her.
Partly because she’d spent so much time studying human habits and language from their underwater portal and partly because she’d seen a goodness in that young boy she’d saved some fifteen years ago, when curiosity got the better of her and she dared to disobey her parents and venture to the surface. But Ella had to see first-hand the monstrous creatures her kind spoke of.
Only Ella didn’t quite see what the rest of her clan saw.
She remembered the way the boy looked at her with awe, the wondering expression on his handsome teenage face as she safely deposited him on a rocky shelter, out of harm’s way. The careful way he touched her tail, a mixture of curiosity and disbelief swimming in his beautiful green eyes. She’d seen nothing in him that said he’d wanted to hurt her. Nothing to suggest he was a monster who would destroy her kind.
A loud laugh on the other side of the street shattered her thoughts and pulled her mind back to the present. Despite the sultry heat of the summer night, Ella wrapped her hands around her body and hugged her oversized T-shirt to her slim frame in a futile effort to stave off a shiver.
Even though she’d always been drawn to this world, she’d been foolish to come here, to actually walk on land with her sisters in search of the boy who’d touched her heart so long ago. But she had to see him, had to try to understand the strange connection between them before her thirtieth birthday—before she was forced to marry a man of her father’s choice.
Avoiding the main road Ella let her senses guide her way, following the distant roar of the ocean and the scent of sea salt. She darted down a dark, narrow passageway, except when she turned the corner and found herself face-to-face with two burly men she knew she’d made a terrible mistake, one that was going to cost her time. And since time was something she didn’t have, she knew she’d have to work fast if she wanted to survive.
Heavy boots scuffed on the cracked pavement and broke the quiet of the alley way. “Hey there, sweet thing. Are you lost?” One of the men slurred before taking a deep draw on his cigarette. A big cloud of blue smoke curled around his head and stung Ella’s sensitive nose. He took a wobbly step toward her.
“Why don’t you come on over here and I’ll help you find your way,” the other added, his sharp bark of laughter sending shivers skittering down her spine.
Since emotions clouded a Miengu’s ability to use their special skills, ones that had helped her family survive for all these centuries, she drew a long slow breath to calm herself, and called upon her powers of suggestion, as well as her ability to wipe a human’s mind after contact, and gave a silent command.
Turn around and walk away.
When both men stopped and stared at her, confusion on their faces as she manipulated their minds, she gave the command again.
Turn around and walk away.
The bigger man angled his head unnaturally, like he was listening to a distant sound, and then twisted on the balls of his feet and offered her his back. A second later the other man followed suit and she watched them both stumble toward the dumpster at the far end of the path.
With slow careful movements, Ella backed out of the lane, not daring to take her eyes off the retreating men. As she widened the distance between them, she resisted the urge to let loose a relieved breath because she wasn’t safe yet. In fact the loss of time and the use of her mental powers had drained her energy and now she was in even more peril than before. If she was ever going to make it home to Dualii, she needed to get to the water and she needed to get there now.
With fear propelling her she turned to run, only to end up flat on her face, her leg plunging into a pothole and
twisting beneath her.
A loud crack pierced the night accompanied by a sharp pain in her ankle. Ella stifled a cry and looked around frantically, trying to figure out her next move. But as her life force began to deteriorate, her vision going a little fuzzy around the edges, she was certain she was never going to make it to the water in time. And even if she did, she knew her injury was going to prevent her from making the long journey home any time soon.
Liam Jackson stood at the end of his wooden dock and looked out over the wide expanse of moonlit ocean. He perused the jagged line of cottages dotting Crystal Cove, their lights glistening like precious gemstones on the rippling waves. The scent of burning timber reached his nose and he pulled the pleasant tang into his lungs. Someone nearby was having a bonfire.
A sailboat bobbed in the distance and he couldn’t help but notice the private cove was exceptionally busy for a Monday night. Then again it was the beginning of August, and the cottages were filled with vacationers. Some had been coming here for years while others had only just discovered the beauty of coastal Nova Scotia.
On a month’s hiatus from the classroom himself, Liam stole another glance around the majestic cove. He couldn’t deny that this place was his sanctuary, his little piece of heaven in a rather chaotic world. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his condo in the city or his work as a mythology professor at the local university. He did. Teaching others about mythical creatures wasn’t just his job, it was his passion. Especially after he’d nearly drowned fifteen years ago when he was just a teen. His life had changed that fateful day, and he’d since been on a path to turn myth into fact.
His students and fellow colleagues might consider him a mad professor, but Liam knew the truth. Mythical creatures existed. Those of the aquatic kind, anyway. He also knew first-hand that they weren’t evil creatures who lured men to their watery deaths with their musical voices. At least the one he’d encountered wasn’t.
He took a moment to remember the careful way the beautiful young mermaid had guided him to the rocks, the way her long dark hair framed even darker eyes, and the way her bluish green tail felt beneath his hands. Hard like marble, yet soft like silk.
Liam looked forward to the day he could prove her existence to others—to the day he finally made his mark in the scientific world.
A light mist sprayed his unshaven face as he dropped down to one knee to test the temperature of the water. The Atlantic waves were cool to the touch, but still swimmable. Not that he expected anything different, considering he was perched on the northern tip of Nova Scotia.
He peeled his shirt from his body, then reached for his belt buckle but stopped short when a noise in the boathouse gained his attention. He listened for a moment and then decided it was nothing more than the pesky raccoon that had been hanging around his place lately.
Turning his attention back to the water, he slipped off his pants, shorts and socks and took one last glance over the black surface, searching for the beautiful creature he knew was out there.
As his careful gaze skated over the shadowy ripples, he whispered, “Are you out there?” before he dove head first into the inky waves. And just like he had every summer evening for the last fifteen years, he swam out past the cove, determined to find the girl who’d changed his life that hot summer day so long ago.
Chapter Two
Ella worked to ignore the pain in her ankle as she crawled from the gaping pothole and continued her trek to the water. After maneuvering her way through the streets, she finally left the city behind her and now found herself on the outskirts of town. With her body running on empty it was only sheer will and utter determination that currently kept her going.
Exhausted from the hard hike, she nearly sobbed with relief when the tangy taste of salt settled on the back of her tongue. Saline droplets saturated the still night air and she took a deep, gulping breath to draw them into her lungs. Her body quickly absorbed the briny beads, but those few measly molecules weren’t nearly enough to sustain her.
She hobbled forward and when she came upon a long twisting driveway she followed the winding curves, taking care to shadow herself in the dark tree line until the ocean was finally in her view.
Knowing she was close to being reunited with her beloved waters, her pulse leapt in her throat. She was about to dash forward, despite the pain in her ankle, but her footsteps stilled when she spotted a large man standing on the dock. She watched him for a moment. Something in the way he held himself felt hauntingly familiar to her.
With no time to consider it further, Ella glanced around and spotted a boathouse near the edge of the water. Wanting to remain invisible, she favored her injured leg as she circled the log cottage and came around from the other side, out of the man’s line of vision. Fortunately for her the door was unlocked and she was able to slip inside. Closing it behind her—cringing as the oxidized hinges creaked in response—she took note of the boat rocking gently in the dark sea.
Moving as fast as she could under the circumstances, Ella fumbled with her clothes, her life force growing so weak her fingers barely worked. When she finally managed to shed her attire she lowered her shaky body into the cool water. She remained still for a long moment, nestled between the boat and the narrow wooden walkway flanking the vessel.
Taking deep, fortifying breaths she waited for the salt to seep into her pores and prayed she wasn’t too late. As her mind drifted, too weak to keep a focused thought, she could feel herself slipping, but moments before she blacked out, her body began to rehydrate, and when she felt a jolt of energy—her life force returning—she cried out with relief.
She quickly clamped her mouth shut, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. Dipping lower into the water, she tested her tail as it emerged. While the sea water helped alleviate the pain, her injury hadn’t disappeared. The crack in her bone had transferred to the jewels and the gaping split now hindered her ability to use it effectively. She’d be unable to make her escape until she healed and she honestly had no idea how long that could take.
Trying to come up with a new plan, Ella drew water into her lungs and swam beneath the boat. With her tail off balance, preventing her from going too far, she surfaced a few feet away from the man on the dock.
As the glorious water flowed over her bare flesh, she basked in the silky texture as she watched him, her vision unrestricted in the dark night. He looked a little lost, a little melancholy, and maybe even a little lonely as he stared out over the cove. His gorgeous green eyes were full of something she’d never seen in a male before, something dark, something desirous.
Something needy.
As she studied him, her tail began to tingle in a way it had tingled only once before. Long ago memories rushed to the surface in a kaleidoscopic burst. Ella’s eyes widened and she sucked in a sharp breath as her mind raced.
Could it be?
She looked harder, taking in his handsome face, his familiar eyes, and his broad shoulders that tapered to a trim waist. Built like a competitive swimmer, his body was firm, his muscles tight and everything about him drew her in until nothing existed but this man and this moment.
He angled his head her way and Ella stilled. For a moment she thought he spotted her, for a moment she couldn’t breathe. Because in that instant, when his gaze flitted over hers, she knew.
She knew who he was.
Taken aback by that discovery, she looked closer to make sure but there was no denying that she was staring at the teenage boy from her past.
Except he was no longer a boy.
Standing before her was a strikingly handsome man who, from the intent look on his face, desperately seemed to be searching for something.
Could it be her?
That thought had blood rushing through her veins and her mind racing with questions. She knew something powerful had happened between them that fateful day fifteen years ago, something she had no control over. Was it possible that he’d been looking for her since? That he’d been unable to g
et their chance meeting out of his mind either?
Did she dare hope?
As her heart pounded harder she studied him, noting the way his sun-kissed skin glistened beneath the moon. Ella didn’t believe in coincidences, so she knew there was a greater power at work here. Deep in her soul she believed some inexplicable force had once again led her to this moment. To this man.
She thought more about fate as Liam pulled his shirt off to expose a long waist and washboard abs. Unable to look away as he continued to undress she studied him carefully, her mind registering every last detail of the human male before her.
Her body stirred to life and a wave of awareness rippled onward and outward as he removed the last of his clothes. He stood before her stark naked and she could only think of one word to describe him.
Magnittieu. Or magnificent as a human would say.
She pulled in a fortifying breath as her eyes left his face to take in his hard, athletic frame. As she took pleasure in his nakedness, as well as the glorious size of his cock—he was far more endowed than any Miengu she knew—heat bombarded her body and her mind raced with erotic images. Suddenly all she could think about was touching him and tasting him, pleasuring him in ways she’d never pleasured another. Her breath came in a ragged burst as she visualized herself beneath him, his body moving on top of hers, driving into her hard and fast until ecstasy overcame them both.
Moments before he jumped into the surf he once again looked over the ocean’s surface. His brows furrowed and he whispered into the night. “Are you out there?”
Ella clamped her mouth shut, resisting the impulse to answer, “I’m here.” Giving herself away to a human was forbidden, and while she knew better, it was all she could do to remain in the shadows. For reasons she couldn’t fathom this man did something to her, affected her in ways no man ever had before.
