The Mermaid and her King (7 page)

I go back up to the patio when I see Skyla leave. I know better than to get near her right now. The other night was the closest I’ve been to her angelic face, and it took everything in me not to taste those plump, red lips of hers. I was an ass to grab her like that. I had no right after telling her to go out with Eric. I’ve been giving her mixed signals, so it’s no wonder she ran from me.

“You’re a dumbass,”
Eric says as he reaches the top of my steps.

“What are you talking about?”

“Skyla. Why would you screw that up?”

“I told you why. She’s amazing and
deserves someone better.”

“She asked Andy and me to go out with her
. I like her a lot. I’m not going to make the first move because I don’t know if she still likes you, but if she shows interest in any way, then I’m jumping on the opportunity. You’re right. She’s fucking amazing.”

“
Eric, I told her to go out with you.”

“Why
?”

“I can’t date
her, and she mentioned how she digs your happy energy or some shit. Just try again, OK? I want to be her friend somehow, but I’ll leave her alone otherwise.”

“
If you’re sure, bro.”

Eric
goes back to the beach, and I feel empty again. I know he’s good enough for her, but I can’t stand the thought of them together. I want her, and deep down I hope she won’t fall for him.

Eric

Andy shows up at Beach Surf Bar
in Waikiki. He has Skyla with him, who’s a fox. She’s in a short, silky, red dress that shows her awesome legs, and her hair is down. She gives me a cute smile as she approaches the table. I get up and wrap my arms around her, smelling a floral scent.

“Hi,
Eric,” she says.

“I worried Andy might try to take you somewhere else to keep you to himself.”

“I thought about it, bro. She looks mighty fine tonight.” Andy smiles at Skyla.

He needs to s
top flirting with her. How many guys am I going to have to compete with?

“What’s going to be your drink tonight?”
Andy asks her.

“I want to try a beer brewed in Hawaii.”

“I got this one,” he says before he goes to the bar.

Sky
la and I sit down at the table. “As usual, you look incredible tonight, Skyla.”

“Thanks,
Eric. I’m going to be expecting these compliments every time I see you if you don’t stop it.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep giving them
.” I wink at her and squeeze her hand. I need to find out tonight if she still has feelings for Chase. Andy brings us our beers. Skyla tries hers, and she loves it. I have a feeling from her lively mood that she plans on drinking a lot of them. A few of my other friends show up, and two of them have their girlfriends with them.

You’d think Skyla’s
never seen another female before. She immediately starts talking to the women and wins them over easily. I’m thankful they’re here. They’ll dance with her. I want no part of that and neither does Andy. The poor girl is starved for attention, and I hate that she’s been alone for so long.

I lose
track of Skyla’s beers after the third. The drunker she gets, the more often she comes over and asks me about Chase. I’m either answering her questions about him or trying to keep men off of her. This sucks.

“Do you think Chase really likes me?”

“I think so, Skyla,” I reply pissed.

“Why won’t he show me?”

This goes on for a couple of hours between dancing with her new girlfriends and other men. We already covered on our first date that she likes Chase. I’m disappointed, but I should’ve never expected different from her.

Chase telling us to go out with
each other isn’t going to magically change her feelings. Finally, she comes over and sits with Andy and me. She’s hammered and giggling like a teenage girl.

“Hi, guys. I’ve had
fun. Thanks for bringing me out.”

“You’re wel
come, Skyla. You’re entertaining,” Andy says.

“It’s
nice to talk to some females. I miss my girlfriends. I’ve never had very many. I grew up with guys, so I get along better with them.”

“It didn’t look like you were having any trouble winning over my
buddies’ girls,” I say.

“I need some girlfriends here. I was supposed to spend my time on this island with my cousin and brother, bu
t my cousin died nine months ago, and then you know about Lee being deployed. That just left little ol’ me.”

In an instant
, her demeanor changes. She appears upset and gazes out toward the dance floor.

“Skyla, are you OK?” I ask.

She gives me a faint smile. “I’m sorry. I just miss Bud. I’m not trying to bring you down, so I’ll shut up about it. Let’s talk about something else.”

I hold my breath.
She said her cousin died here nine months ago, and his name is Bud.
No fucking way!
I look over, and Andy’s eyes are wide and locked on mine.

“Skyla, if you need to talk about it, it’s OK. Who was your cousin again?”

“His name is Bud. We were really close. He disappeared one night when he was surfing. He lived on the North Shore, too.”

I swallow hard. Andy coughs and looks like he’s choking before he quickly stands.

“I think we need more beers,” he says.

He wants any reason to get away fr
om this damn table, and if he hadn’t, I would’ve. This could send Chase over the deep end. It could really kill him, and I can’t lose another friend.

“
Why haven’t you said anything before now, Skyla?”

“I don’t
like to talk about it. Well, I guess until tonight, and it’s probably because I’m drunk.” She puts her arms on the table and rests her head on them.

I’m freaking out!
I have no clue what to do with this information. None of us flew to California for the memorial service. We decided to have our own service here, so we could stay close to Chase.

He was
a fucking mess. If one of us had gone, then we would’ve met Skyla, and I wouldn’t be having a coronary at the moment. I’ve got to talk to Andy.

“Skyla, your new girlfriends are dancing. Why don’t you go out there and dance some more. It might make you feel better.”

Andy comes back with our beers. “Here, Skyla. I got you another beer.”

She perks up
after she takes a couple of drinks.

“You’re right. I don’t want to ruin our night talking about depressing stuff. I’ll go dance.”

As soon as she’s walks away, Andy flips.

“What the hell,
Eric? What are we going to do? We can’t tell Chase, but it’s just a matter of time before she mentions Bud in front of him.”

“I know. I can’t believe this is hap
pening. Oh my God, she’s Nixie, and she’s Rock’s baby sister. I’m guessing his real name’s Lee. He’d kill us right now if he knew we got her drunk at a bar. Why in the hell did Bud call him Rock?”

“
I believe it had something to do with him throwing rocks at all the kids in the neighborhood. Bud’s hot cousin from California is really here, and he was damn right about the ‘hot’ part.

“
Why’d he have to give everyone he knows nicknames? That’s why she doesn’t know who we are. If Bud ever mentioned us, he would’ve only used our nicknames,” Andy says.

I run my hands through my hair.
“And if Chase hadn’t made us stop using them, then we wouldn’t be dealing with this shit right now. Bud said she was moving here, but he said it for so long that I didn’t believe him, and after he died, I never thought about it again.

“
This is just going to stir up all the shit we’ve been trying to get past. I miss him bad, and knowing who she is makes me feel like he’s here, man.”

“What do we do
?” Andy asks with desperation in his voice.

“Look, we can’t tell her or Chase. He’s all she’s talked about tonight. I was hoping to have a shot with
her, but she wants to be with him, and I know he likes her. We have to hope they fall in love fast.”

“How is
falling in love going to help this?”

I h
ear his frustration. “If they fall for each other before they make the connection, maybe their relationship can survive it. Chase has been happier since he met her. It’s almost like it’s meant to be. Do you remember how Bud always joked about fixing Chase up with his Nixie? It’s what he wanted.”

Andy looks at me with so much sadnes
s in his eyes, and I want to fucking scream at the top of my lungs for our good friend dying.

“
I remember,” he says.

Andy and I start drinking even heavier, trying to numb the pain that’s been brought to the surface. Another hour passes, and I realize
there’s no way any of us can drive home.

“I ha
ve to call Chase to come get us.”

“No way!” he yells.

“We have to. She’s totally wasted, and neither of us can drive. It’s actually the perfect time to put her near Chase. He’ll take care of her, and it might bring them together.”

Andy runs his hands down his face. “Fine, but you better hope this works.”

Chase

It’s about midnight when my cell rings.

“Cuz
, what are you doing?” Eric asks.

“What do you think? I’m
going to bed.”

“I need your help.
Andy drove Skyla here to Beach Surf in Waikiki. He wasn’t going to drink much, but damn she can put the beer away, so we kept drinking with her. There’s no way any of us can drive home. Could you come get us?”

“Dammit
, why’d you take her all the way there?”

“She’s only twenty, and she told me she wanted to go drinking. I couldn’t take her anywhere else.”

“I didn’t know she was that young. Are you trying to get your ass thrown in jail? You better keep her safe.”

The whole time I’m talking to him, I’m getting dressed and
finding my keys. “I swear I’ll hurt you bad if anything happens to her.”

“We just got carried away
. She’s cool to hang out with, but I might have to kick someone’s ass. The men in here won’t leave her the hell alone.”

“Shit
, I’m leaving now.” I can’t drive fast enough. The thought of other men groping her has me pissed off. If something happens to someone else I care about, I’m done.

Since it’s late, and I’m breaking the law, I
shave an hour drive down to almost thirty minutes. I haven’t stepped foot into a bar in nine months, so that’s adding to my anxiety.

I se
e Skyla dancing with Eric when I walk in. He has her pulled right up against his chest, and I see them talking before she kisses his damn cheek. I want to vomit. I’ve already lost her when she should be with me. I tap on his shoulder. “Eric.”

He pulls away from Skyla some, but still holds on to her. Her glazed eyes lock with mine, and she smiles
.

“Chase, did you drive all the way here just to dance with me? If so, that is super sweet and not like the asshole you normally are.”

“Real nice. I’m here ten seconds, and I’m already an asshole.”

“Don’t act like one if you don’t w
ant to be called one,” she says, giggling.

“F
ind Andy and meet me at the car,” I say angrily to Eric as I grab Skyla’s hand. I start walking and quickly realize that Eric had to have been holding her up when they were dancing. She’s practically falling on her face. I grab her and hold her against me until we get to the car.

“I should’ve known you didn’t want to dance with me,” she says, poking me in the chest.

“Please tell me you’re not going to throw up in my vehicle.”

“If you’re ni
ce to me, then I won’t.” Her speech is very slurred, and it’s already hard to decipher between her giggling. I want to be mad at her for endangering herself again, but her giggling is cute, so she’s making it difficult. I help her into the passenger seat and get in the car. She reaches right over and rubs the back of my hair.

“Chase, y
ou have the best hair. It’s silky soft. I’ve wanted to touch it since I met you.”

I pull her hand down and hold it betwe
en our seats. She jerks it away from me.

“Why don’t you like me?
”

“I do like you
, but we need to just be friends. Eric likes you, so you should be thrilled about that.”

“I’d
be
thrilled
if you liked me, but you have a sucky way of showing a woman you care.”

“I’m trying not to show you
.”

“Well, that’s mean. W
hy?” Her hand finds its way back into my hair. This is torture.

“You deserve better than a guy like me.”

“I should get to be the judge of that, not you.”

I
see Eric and Andy walking to the car, so I pull her hand back down and place it in her lap.

“You’re so mean to me, Chase. I’
m trying to get over you.” She’s gazing at me with half open eyes and can barely get her words out.

Keeping her from touc
hing me on our way to Eric’s is a challenge, and I imagine he’s noticing. This situation with the three of us is getting awkward. I park in his driveway and go around to the passenger door to help him with Skyla, but before I can open her door, Eric puts his hand out in front of me.

“Don’t
, man.”

“Don’t you want her to stay with you?
You can take her home in the morning when you’re sober.”

“She doesn’t want to be with me, Cha
se. I’m done trying. We’re just going to be friends.”

“I saw you two dancing, and I saw her kiss you.”

“As soon as she had some alcohol in her, I had to hear your name a million times. She kissed my cheek after she told me what a good friend I am.

I’m not getting out of the friend zone, so you need to
quit being stupid and date her.”

“We’ve talked about this already.”

“Yeah, and I know you want to, so stop being an ass. Look, I’m worried about her being alone tonight. She might get really sick. Can you take her back to your place without touching her?”

He has a lot of nerve saying that to me wh
en his hands were all over her. “I’ll take her to my place, and don’t worry, I’m not going to doing anything with her. I sure can’t say the thought isn’t there, but I won’t.”

Eric
points at me. “Keep your damn hands off of her unless you’re dating her.”

I yank his finger
down from the front of my face.

“You’re drunk,
Eric. Shut the hell up and get into the house.”

“
Alright, alright, I’m going.”

Afte
r I see Eric open his front door, we leave. I keep having to remove her hand from my hair. She has my dick hard, and I’m seriously thinking about fucking her in this damn car after I drop Andy off if she doesn’t cut this shit out.

Andy lives close to
me, so I drop him off and drive to my house. Skyla’s looking very sleepy when we get there, so I decide it’s easier to pick her up and carry her into the house.

“You’re strong, Chase, and your musc
les are impressive.” Her arms are around my neck, and she’s giving me a provocative look.

“Thanks, Skyla.
” I can’t take her staring at me like she wants me, so I look away. I carry her upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms, and the second I lay her on it, she grabs my shirt and pulls me down on top of her. I stare down at her wanting to kiss her more than anything, so I quickly stand back up.

“Why did you bring me here if you don’t p
lan on taking advantage of me? Right now I just really want you to. It’s been way too long since I’ve had sex, and I bet you’re really good at it.”

I swear
I want to taste her and touch her.

“Dammit, Skyla, not
hing can ever happen between us, so stop saying shit like that.” She looks inviting sprawled out on the bed. I run my hand through my hair. The idea of messing around with her keeps running through my head, but I’m scum if I do something with her right now, especially when I’m sober.

“
Why do you have to be such an ass? I like you. I can’t even get you to touch me when I’m throwing myself at you. Can you at least sleep next to me? I promise I won’t take advantage of you.” She giggles before her expression changes. She looks sad now.

“Please, Chase
. I’ve lost almost every person who means something to me. I’m lonely.”

God, I could make her feel better
, and I hate thinking she’s carrying pain with her. I know how that feels. “I’m going to get you some water. Can you stay awake that long?”

“Yes, I’
ll do that.” Her eyes close, and I figure she’ll be out before I ever get back to the room. I go downstairs to fix her a glass of water and carry it back upstairs.

Fu
ck!
She’s lying on the bed in nothing but her bra and panties. I look around and find her dress on the floor. I’ve already seen her in a bikini, but there’s something about seeing her in a silky, black bra and panties that sets me on fire.

I roll her over, so I ca
n get the blankets out from under her. I get her under the covers, strip down to my boxers and get into bed with her.

I’ve never slept next to a woman
that I didn’t have sex with first. I shouldn’t do this for both our sakes, but she never threw up, and I’m worried she might in her sleep.

If she’s pissed at me in the morning for
sleeping in the bed with her, that’s what I’m telling her. I am actually worried about her. I never thought I’d care about protecting someone this much.

I lie facing her and stroke he
r hair. She scoots her body up against me, burying her face into my chest. I wrap my arms around her, and for the first time in my life, I want to cuddle. I never want to forget how good she feels.

I don’t know how long I’
ll be able to resist you, angel.