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CHAPTER ELEVEN
KANNON TURNED pale. “About that… you do live in an actual house, right? Not a cave? I mean, I like electricity and indoor plumbing… and, and… Internet. And a bed. And a coffee maker.” Kannon scrubbed his hands over his face. “Oh man.”
“Yes, I have an aboveground dwelling and yes, it has electricity and indoor plumbing. There’s Internet, a coffee maker, and a large bed I can’t wait to introduce you to.” Nisha looked around. “Actually, it looks a lot like this bungalow. I don’t have a pool, though. My pool’s out there.” Nisha waved at the ocean right outside the bungalow.
“That’s where we’ll be living the majority of the time, right?”
“As I said, I am a creature of water. I also have a belowground dwelling, but don’t panic. You’ll like it. And remember, you can breathe underwater now. The world beneath the surface is so different. I can’t wait to show you.”
A thought overtook Kannon, and he grimaced. “Exploring other worlds will have to wait until tomorrow. I’m exhausted. I just want to go to bed.”
“Come on, then.” Nisha held his hand out to Kannon. “Let’s take a quick shower and get the ocean water off us, then we’ll go to bed.”
Kannon took Nisha’s hand and let him pull him off the couch. “Are you planning on staying the night?”
“You’re my mate. You’ll never sleep without me again.”
That right there should’ve been enough to make Kannon flee in the opposite direction, but it wasn’t. Nisha was powerful, with a naturally dominant personality, but it didn’t worry him. That was just who Nisha was.
While he did find it hot, he also knew he was able to stand up to Nisha if he needed to. While he didn’t mind a little domination in the bedroom, he was certainly nobody’s “little woman.” Even though it was tight, they showered together.
They touched intimately, but nothing happened. Kannon was just too tired and emotionally drained. He stood blinking on the bathmat as Nisha quickly dried him. The next thing he knew, Nisha had bundled him into bed and wrapped himself around him.
THE SOUNDS of the jungle woke him the next morning. Thankfully Nisha had remembered to close the curtains so it wasn’t too bright. He was on his back, with Nisha facing him. Seeing that Nisha still slept, he took the time to study the sculptured lines of Nisha’s face.
His beautiful blue hair was a tousled mess around his face and over the pillow. Someone, probably him, had kicked the sheet partially off during the night. He admired Nisha’s smooth chest and the sleek muscles. There wasn’t a hair in sight. Nisha’s breathing was deep and even, and Kannon sighed contentedly.
Nisha’s eyes blinked open. Kannon stared into those unique blue eyes. While he might still have a multitude of questions, there was no doubt in his mind there was something deep and strong between them.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning to you too,” Nisha replied.
Kannon’s stomach growled. “I’m starving. You hungry?”
“I could eat, yes.” The rest of the sheet slid off him.
For a moment Kannon stared at the long, lean lines of the man in his bed, his mouth watering. Nisha’s cock jumped and started to fill. Kannon gulped. Then his stomach growled, and Nisha sighed. “Up you go, mate. Let’s get you fed.”
Blushing fiercely he hopped out of bed… and then stumbled when Nisha swatted his ass. Stunned, he turned back to the bed, one hand on his ass and his cock hard as a brick. “What…?”
“Love that blush of yours. I may have to heat your ass up some more too, if it makes you blush like that.”
Kannon gasped, his hand still on his ass. “You… you spanked me.”
Nisha sniffed the air. “I did, and you liked it.”
Kannon’s mouth snapped shut, and he rubbed his ass. He had enjoyed it. His ass stung, but nothing serious. As the warmth faded he found himself wondering what another smack would feel like. Wasn’t that a kick in the head? He hadn’t known he wanted the first and now he was curious what another would feel like?
“I, um, yeah. Wow. I was going to… to… oh yeah, fix breakfast. Holy cow.” Kannon grabbed a pair of shorts he’d thrown over a chair in the bedroom, tugged them on, and hurried out of the room.
Barefoot and shirtless, he strode to the kitchen, his mind swirling with all sorts of interesting thoughts. Never in a million years would he have thought a spanking would’ve turned him on. But it had. Whoo boy, had it ever. Maybe that was something they needed to explore later. Right now he had enough new things in his life to worry about.
As he cooked, his mind turned over all that had happened over the past several days. Now he knew why he’d always felt like he was on hold—like he was waiting for something. The “something” must have been Nisha.
“Well, living with a merman will certainly liven things up.”
Seeing that everything was ready, he prepared their plates but paused midway. He might not truly be a merman, but he was certainly going to have gills, according to Nisha. Nisha had been in a lot of pain when he transformed. Would he feel the same sort of pain when his gills came out? He and pain didn’t get along well.
At all.
He jumped when arms circled his waist and pulled him back against a firm chest. “I can hear you worrying all the way from the bedroom. What’s wrong?”
“Sorry, sorry.”
“Kannon?”
Kannon relaxed in Nisha’s arms. “It was nothing, really. I just happened to think about something. I’m sure I’m going to be thinking of several things I forgot to ask. By the way, breakfast is ready. Hope you like bacon, eggs, and biscuits.”
“I’m more than happy to eat anything my mate prepares for me. I am honored.” Nisha kissed the back of Kannon’s neck and then stepped away. “It’s natural for you to have questions. If there’s something, ask me. Don’t think it’s too small or silly.”
They sat at the table. “You’re right. Okay, then. You said I’ll have gills, right?”
“Yes. Just like the ones you saw on Brett. And on me.”
“Does it hurt? When they—I’m not sure how you’d say this—but when they come out, does it hurt?”
“Absolutely not. It’s not like when my tail transforms into human legs. The gills are always there, whether you’re in the water or not—whether you’re using them are not.”
“Oh.” Kannon put a hand to his neck. Now that he was touching the skin there, he swore he could feel ridges. “Didn’t see that coming.”
“Skinfolds will hide them when not in use. When you’re underwater and need to breathe, you’ll have to concentrate in order to use them until it becomes second nature to you.”
“Oh wow, okay. I think I can handle that.” Maybe.
“Don’t worry about asking me questions. It’s the only way you’ll learn.” Nisha nodded to Kannon’s plate of food. “Please eat. You went to all this trouble; don’t let it go cold.”
“You’re right.” Kannon picked up his fork and dug in.
After they finished, Nisha helped Kannon clean the kitchen. Kannon stood by the counter, sipping his coffee. Suddenly he slapped a hand to his head. “Jesus, do you realize today’s Friday? I’d totally forgotten! Their wedding is tomorrow.”
“Yes, I just happened to think about that myself. I’m sure Brooke has most everything ready to go by now, but maybe you should call and check in.”
“Maybe I should.” Kannon put his coffee on the counter and went back to the bedroom, searching for his cell phone. Moments later he returned, phone in hand. He unlocked it and dialed Brett’s number.
“Hey! Brett, how you doing man? You feel okay? Is everything okay?”
“Kannon? Damn, am I glad to hear from you. The last I saw you… yeah. You were rather pissed. I was just getting ready to call and… um… is everything okay with you ? I mean, I know Nisha would never hurt you, but he and Brooke tend to think differently than we do, know what I mean?”
“Understatement of the year, but yeah, everything’s perfectly fine. I’m fine. Nisha and I had a long talk last night and… Well, let’s just say I’m no longer the odd man out. We’ll talk more in person. Now, what about the wedding tomorrow evening? Can we help with anything?”
“Brooke has everything under control. Seriously, we’re not doing all that much. I’ve got my clothes, Brooke has her dress, the flowers and cake are finished, the trellis is ready… We got it all under control.”
“What about my shirt?”
“It came yesterday afternoon, and in all the excitement I forgot to mention it. You want to come to the resort and pick it up?”
“Yeah, Nisha and I will. I want to make sure you’re completely healed too.”
“Sounds good. And I am. Brooke had some stuff she used on me last night. Just check in with the front desk before coming up.”
They finished getting dressed and used the golf cart to return to the resort. They took the private elevator to the penthouse. The door of the elevator opened and Kannon goggled. Light-colored hardwoods spread out in front of them and drew his eye to an endless array of windows that overlooked the ocean.
As he looked around the living area, he noticed a 360o custom gas fireplace finished in mirror-polished stainless steel in the middle of the room. The L-shaped couch was white leather with a black base. A black leather tufted ottoman sat in the middle.
To the right of the living area was a large graphic rug done in blacks and whites, with a black table sitting on top of it. There were white chairs around it. Everywhere he looked there were splashes of red in the décor. It was all very modern, sleek, and cold. It actually reminded him a lot of his apartment back home. Ex-home. My home is here now.
“Hey!” Brett suddenly walked into the living area and ambled over to where Kannon stood. “I’m so glad to see you’re okay.” Brett pulled Kannon into a hug.
“Me?” Kannon hugged Brett, stepped back, and scanned Brett’s arms, looking for any blisters. Not seeing any, he breathed easier. “Thank goodness. I don’t see any blisters. I was really worried.”
“Naw, that stuff Brooke has worked miracles. I got a few still, but nothing you can see.” Brett motioned for them to follow him into the living area. “Are we good, man?”
“I understand why you didn’t tell me, but it’s going to take me some time, Brett. I’m… there’s a lot in my head, you know. And you hurt me even though I understand. So yes, we’re good… or we will be. That’s the best I can do.”
“I understand.”
“Good,” Kannon said. “Now, the wedding?”
“Right. So, the wedding. I swear, this just snuck up on us. Have a seat, guys.”
Kannon curled into Nisha on the couch.
“We’re going to do a quick run-through later this afternoon. Brooke’s maid of honor is also a mermaid and won’t show up until later this afternoon too. She doesn’t spend much time on land.”
“What’s her name?” Kannon asked, intrigued. He never stopped to think that Brooke’s maid of honor would be anything other than human. That was a habit he was going to have to break.
“Cora,” Brett said.
“She’s very tall, with hip-length dark blue hair,” Nisha said. “Very strong-willed and quite good at hand-to-hand combat. She and Brooke have been friends for a very long time.”
“Yeah, she and Brooke are pretty tight,” Brett said. “Cora can be pretty intimidating. She wasn’t overly impressed by me in the beginning. Nisha? Do you have your clothes?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Kannon?” Brett glanced at Kannon. “You got all your stuff too? Outside of the shirt, of course.”
“All I needed was a shirt. I ironed the white pants and hung them up as soon as I knew I needed them, so they’re ready to go. Since we’re not wearing shoes, I’m pretty much ready. What time do you want us here tomorrow afternoon?”
“The ceremony starts at five o’clock,” Brett said. “It’s going to be quick and to the point since it’s only going to be us. There’ll be a small reception held by the staff for us in one of the smaller reception rooms, and I need you guys to be there. We’ll do the cake and a champagne toast at that point.”
“Oh, also bring a small duffle with your regular clothes so you have something to change into,” Brett added. “After the reception and once any well-wishers leave, we’ll head down to that cove they use to transform. The real celebration will take place below the water.”
“Again, it won’t be anything spectacular. Most of the people in my territory have already met Brett. I’ll introduce you as my mate at that time too,” said Nisha.
“Will there be a lot of your people there?” Kannon asked. His stomach rolled uneasily. Talk about jumping into the deep end.
“No,” Nisha said. “I don’t allow many people in my territory.”
“Okay, guys, that’s pretty much everything. Like I said, it’s going be really simplistic,” Brett said. “Any questions?”
“None that I can think of. It sounds like you have it all under control,” Kannon said. He wished he felt more in control. Not that things hadn’t seemed real before, but now they really seemed real. He wasn’t sure he was ready to be thrust into the middle of all this.
Brett checked his wristwatch. “I’m supposed to meet Brooke at Sandals in about twenty minutes for a late lunch. Would you like to join us?”
“Um, I’m not really sure…? Nisha?”
“Actually, I was thinking about taking Kannon for a little swim.” Nisha clasped Kannon’s hand. “It’s time you see my world.”
“But…” Was he ready for this? “I thought you planned to introduce me after the wedding?”
“I do. I thought you might like your first time to be a little more private. It would just be you and me,” said Nisha.
“In the ocean?”
“Yes, mate. In the ocean. It’s time to replace those scary memories with something much more appropriate. Will you come with me?”
Kannon took a deep breath and slowly released it. He squeezed Nisha’s hand as he stared into his eyes. Time to face his fears. “I can go for a swim, yeah.”