Page 22

RYDER

T he night air is cool against my scales, but every part of me is on fire, thanks to the woman beside me.

We stole away from the cabins, drawn by the need to find a moment alone.

The solar lantern platform hovers above the water, casting a gentle, otherworldly glow around us.

Below, the lake is almost too still, holding its breath as we find our way to the center of the platform.

Callie walks beside me, her hand in mine, fingers laced tightly.

She looks up at me, those green eyes reflecting the light of the lanterns like stars in their own right.

The freckles across her cheeks are constellations I want to trace with my lips, and the red of her hair reminds me of the sunrise over the ocean back home, a promise of something beautiful.

"You okay?" she asks, her voice soft, like she's worried about breaking the silence.

I nod. "Just... thinking."

She tugs me closer, her thumb brushing the back of my hand. "About what?"

I take a deep breath, the weight on my chest lifting slightly as the words find their way out. "You know that night on the lake? When the rift almost took me?"

Her grip tightens. "I do."

"I think... I think that's when I realized I couldn't lose you."

Callie smiles, but there's sadness behind it. "You think that's when you realized it?"

I tilt my head. "What do you mean?"

"I realized I couldn't lose you the night we met."

I raise an eyebrow. "When you nearly impaled yourself on those inflatable mermaids?"

She laughs. "Such a romantic, Ryder. I’ll have you know, the mermaids were retaliating."

"Ah. Of course." My smile fades, but my voice stays light. "You realize it would make a terrible love story."

"Two idiots saving each other from rogue pool floats? Bestseller material, I tell you."

We both chuckle, but the heaviness returns too soon.

She steps closer, her free hand coming up to brush my hair back. "But really, though. There's something about you, you know?"

"Aside from the tail and scales?"

"Aside from that, yes." She grins. "I think it's the fact that you take everything so seriously, but you crumble when a bunch of kids tug you into a glitter fight."

I wince at the memory of Hazel's latest victory. "I'm beginning to think she spends her nights studying strategies to ensure I'm perpetually covered in sparkles."

"Smart girl. Keeps you humble."

"Keeps me annoyed ."

Callie shakes her head, her expression softening. "But that's the thing. You're here . In the mess. In the chaos. You're not just some aloof merman who saved a bunch of kids. You're Ryder . My Ryder."

I swallow hard. "I don't belong here."

She goes still. "What?"

"In the human world. I don't belong here. But... I belong with you."

Her eyes water, but she keeps them on mine. "You know, they say home is where the heart is."

"You think I'm cheesy enough to believe that?"

She laughs. "I think you're sentimental enough, yes."

I pull her to me, wrapping my arms around her waist, and she feels small and strong and perfect in every way.

Her lips find mine, and suddenly the world is just us her scent, the warmth of her skin, the sparks that always ignite between us, no matter how much we argue or clash or pretend we don't care.

I brush a strand of hair from her face and see her smile again before claiming her lips once more.

I kiss her again, and again, until both of us are breathless, our hands exploring, our bodies drawn to each other like sirens to the shore. The lanterns sway above us, flickering like the beating of our hearts, as we lie against the platform and let the night cover us like a promise.

The lake remains still, but our world explodes in color. It's not the same as the others, but it's ours. And for now, we keep it that way slow, sweet, and tangled in each other until we're not sure where one of us ends and the other begins.

Even thinking about doing this feels precarious. Callie and I are alone, but not that alone. Anyone could walk by, curfew or no.

Still, she has a way of making the unimaginable inevitable.

"Ryder?" she whispers, her fingers tracing the line of my scales down to where they fade into human skin, "are you nervous?"

"I'm always nervous when I'm with you," I say, voice low, and she half rolls her eyes.

"Really? Have you been scared of me this whole time?"

"No,” I say, kissing her softly, "but you make me want to break every rule I ever set for myself."

“Well.” Her lips curl into a dangerous grin. “I can live with that.”

She tugs at the hem of my shirt, and I let her pull it off me, her hands immediately finding my chest.

She traces the line of my scales with her fingers again, tactile and curious, and presses kisses to them, making me shiver.

“God, I want to do terrible things to you.”

“How terrible?”

Her grin is wicked now, and when she pulls my shorts down, it feels like an eternity of anticipation is finally over.

My skin is bare to her now, and the moonlight seems to stick to us like dust, marking the places where we touch. She’s watching me with something like wonder.

I didn’t think it was possible to want her more than I already do, but her breath on my skin is making it difficult to think straight.

I growl, and then she’s kissing me, hard and deep, and all I can think about is her, her mouth, her hands, the way her body moves against mine.

She’s making sounds of encouragement, little gasps and moans that are so fucking hot, and it’s all I can do not to lose my mind.

“Callie,” I say between kisses, “Callie, I need”

“I know,” she says, and she’s between my legs, her hands moving with purpose, and when she takes my cock in her mouth, my groan reverberates through the dock, loud enough to drown out any thought of propriety.

Her mouth is perfect and warm and wet, and she’s looking up at me with those green eyes, and that’s when I know, I’m so gone, it’s beyond salvation.

“Callie,” I breathe, my hands hard in her hair, but gentle, trying to be careful, “Callie!”

And I’m coming, spilling into her mouth, and she drinks me down greedily, her eyes never leaving mine.

She crawls back up to me and kisses me, tasting myself on her lips, and I can’t remember the last time I felt so completely at someone else’s mercy or liked it so damn much.

I reach for her bikini bottoms, slow, giving her time to tell me no, but she’s already helping me slide them down.

When she’s naked under me, I can barely breathe, can barely think for how much I want her. I'm already hard again just looking as her tits bounce as I move her to my liking.

I slide my cock into her slowly, and we both groan with relief.

“You feel incredible,” I tell her, still moving. "Your pussy is so tight."

She digs her nails into my shoulders, her eyes fluttering shut. “I know,” she says, and I laugh breathlessly against her throat.

I start off slow, letting her walls adjust to my length. Every inch I pull out and push in, I feel her getting wetter.

"Fuck, please," she groans under me. Her fingers grip at my back, desperate. "Please fuck me faster!"

"If that's what you want," I whisper in her ear.

And then we’re really moving together, her hips meeting my pace, slowly at first, then faster, and I’m losing myself in her, and she’s gasping beneath me, her hips rolling to meet every thrust, our bodies wet with sweat and slick with need.

“Ryder, I’m, I’m close,” she says, and it pulls me back to the world just enough to realize we’re both there already, both on the brink of oblivion.

I reach between us, finding her clit, and she makes a sound that almost undoes me completely. The waves sound like thunder, and the solar lanterns sway pleasantly overhead.

When she finally comes, she digs her nails into my back, and her face is gorgeous, all twisted up in pleasure, and I am completely, wholly in love with her.

“I love you,” I say, and she’s looking up at me with so much adoration I can hardly stand it.

“I love you too,” she whispers.

We don’t say anything else. We don’t need to.

We’re in love, and we’re safe, and right now, that’s all that matters.

We lay on the dock under the stars in silence, her head resting on my chest, my arm wrapped around her shoulders. The night is cool, but we're both warm from the heat of each other.

Her fingers trace patterns on my scales, occasionally dipping below the water.

"Your tail is actually pretty smooth," she says, her voice quiet and filled with wonder.

I chuckle. "I'm glad it meets your approval."

She grins and looks up at me. "Can you feel when I touch them?"

"Every touch."

Her eyebrows lift. "Really?"

She pokes me in the side, and I flinch.

“Keep it up,” I warn her, “and I’ll tickle you until you fall off the dock.”

“You wouldn’t,” she challenges, eyes glinting mischievously.

“Try me.”

She makes a face and starts tickling me, hitting all the spots she knows will send me into a fit of laughter. I try to squirm away, but there’s no escaping her.

“Callie,” I gasp between laughs, “Callie, stop!”

“No way, fishboy,” she teases. “You started this.”

“Okay, okay, truce!” I manage to get out before dissolving into laughter again.

She finally relents, collapsing on top of me, her face pressed into my neck as she tries to catch her breath. I wrap my arms around her, holding her close.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” I grumble playfully.

She laughs and kisses me.

I smile against her lips, savoring the moment.

We snuggle in closer, content to simply be together under the stars. The night is still and peaceful, and for a moment, all the worries of the world slip away.

But as always, duty calls.

“We should get back soon,” I say reluctantly. “The campers will be up early, and someone has to keep all the aquatic chaos in check.”

Callie sighs. “Fine, but only because I know you’ll worry otherwise.”

I stand and offer her my hand, helping her up. We dress slowly, both of us reluctant to leave the serenity of the night.

“I’ll walk you back,” I say, leading the way toward the cabins.

“Thanks,” she says, taking my hand again. “For everything.”

I smile, squeezing her hand gently. “Anytime.”