Chapter 20


    Hunter


    Leslie jumped on Blue as soon as we stepped through the threshold. He was so happy to see her, he


    literally couldn’t stop going around in circles and then sprawled on the floor for belly-rubs.


    “You’re such a good boy.” Blue cooed. “I missed you too, Les.”


    Leslie was indeed a lucky dog. Any man would be more than happy to have Leslie’s ce just for an


    hour. She hugged the little traitor close, burying her nose in his fur.


    “I’m so d to be back.” She whispered.


    “Yeah, me too. I missed you, Blue.” I said, “I thought I was doing the right thing by sending you away


    but I was obviously wrong. I shouldn’t have—”


    I didn’t find a chance to finish the sentence as Blue’s lips were possessively and deliciously crushed


    against mine in a hard kiss. She held onto my neck in a firm grip so I had to bend all the way down to


    her height. She stood on her heels; theck of height didn’t stop her frompletely dominating the


    situation, or me. I moaned into her mouth, she hadn’t even given me enough time to act shocked. What


    I was actually surprised about was how the mermaid had me pinned against the wall. She held my face


    in her hands, tilting it so her tongue was sucking on mine, unapologetically. I could taste the tequ


    mixed with some other fruit vor. I could smell the familiar scent of her shampoo and instantly went


    hard. She bit my lower lip a little harder than usual, and in a husky voice she whispered, “I hate how


    other women stare at you. I don’t want them to; you’re only mine, Hunter.”


    Stunned even wasn’t the word for how I was feeling at the moment. I couldn’t even get a word out. “I


    missed kissing you like this.” Her hands had slid beneath my shirt, her finger scraping my chest, her


    mouth continuing the onught like a hungry lioness ravaging a piece of meat. “Promise me.” She


    looked so fucking amazing in all her drunken glory, with her Blue hair like a halo and her mouth looking


    tempting like hell.


    Maybe I should get her drunk often if this is how she was going to act after.


    “Promise you what?” I managed to whisper back between kisses.


    “Promise me you won’t kiss another woman.” She said. “I’ll give you what you want.”


    Without even thinking of what I was agreeing to, I said yes. I may as well be agreeing to be beheaded


    soon after sunrise. “I promise you no other woman, sweetheart. Just you. Only you.”


    She sighed in satisfaction, kissing me open mouthed and desperately. My eyes flew open when I felt


    her hand slip to my ass, her fingers squeezed and her front grinding against my front. She was literally


    brushing her front to mine in desperate strokes, her Blue head bobbing up and down. Her mouth


    sighing and making soft moaning sounds. And then I heard her whisper. “Fuck me hard.”


    What the hell? Where had she heard that from?


    Her blue eyes were dted into a darker shade, filled with desire. I couldn’t let this happen. I caught her


    shoulders and pulled her away from me. Rejection registered her face.


    Trying to control my breathing, I asked her. “Blue, what are you doing?”


    “I don’t know. I just felt like trying it with you.”


    An ugly thought crossed my mind, and I was afraid to ask her. Like a strict parent asking their child how


    they had learned dirty words, I asked her. “Who taught you to say that?”


    Her cheeks went red. “No one.”


    I was going to fucking punch this wall if I heard her say that Alec, Phoenix or someone else had taught


    her those words, or tried it. Her pure little innocent mouth didn’t have to spout those words and while


    she’d stayed with me, I’d made sure to keep my use of the crudenguage limited and now she’d


    literally asked me to ‘fuck her hard.’


    I folded my arms across my chest and I could see that I was making her nervous why my raging


    attitude. “I won’t get angry. Just tell me the truth.”


    She shrugged. “Well, I was serving drinks in one lounge and a man and woman were pressed against


    a wall and she was making these sounds and she wasn’t wearing anything below, and he was doing


    something to her, going inside her. I think. And, it seemed like she was enjoying it a lot. I thought I


    wanted to try doing it too.” She said and then she quickly added. “With you, I mean.”


    She’d just exined a couple having sex, the man being buck naked, and her desire to try that with


    me. All that while keeping a straight face. I was partly shocked, yet amused but also relieved that the


    boys hadn’t taught her the words.


    I couldn’t help it when Iughed. “I don’t think we should do that, Blue. It may look really good and it


    does feel good, I’m not going to lie but if we do it, it also means that you’ve sinned more than you


    already have and it could stop you from going back to your world. And I don’t think it’s worth the risk.”


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    Not when you’re not in love with me and would probably leave in a month.


    “Oh.” She said.


    I guessed she didn’t understand what it meant for me. To Blue, it was all an experiment. I was still


    shocked she’d kissed me after that fight we had over me trying to soil her.


    She pressed her hand to her mouth and ran to the bathroom.


    Blue was having her first experience being drunk. Hopefully, she never touched it after this.


    * * *


    After Blue had thrown up all the alcohol from her system, sheined that her head was spinning.


    Considering that I’d been in her ce more times than I could count on my fingers and toes together, I


    instructed her to drink lots of water and handed her an aspirin. Eating sugary food also cured the head-


    spin.


    She tried to loosen the tight corset like thing that she was wearing that looked like a fancy bra, but in


    vain. Her fingers were unable to reach theces. She looked over her shoulder towards me in distress.


    “Can you please help me?”


    I began ucing it and if this shit wasn’tplicated as hell. I wondered how women wore difficult


    outfits like these that needed like maybe some equipment and an octopus to just untie. The soft skin of


    her bare shoulders sent tingles down my body and created certain imagery that Blue wouldn’t


    appreciate. Thank god for her hair that was concealing her front.


    She had a warm bath, she confessed she’d barely eaten. I informed her that this was thest time she


    was drinking unsupervised. She couldn’t drink if I wasn’t with her and she actually agreed. It was nearly


    three a.m. in the morning and I was making her a peanut butter sandwich. I sat down on the ind with


    her and we ate in silence.


    She took my hand in hers. I was guessing the alcohol was slowly losing the effect on her. She gave me


    a warm smile. “I missed this, too. Just sitting and eating together with you.”


    “Likewise. Sweetheart, can you not use the word you used before?”


    “What word?” she asked innocently. “You mean the word ‘sitting?’”


    “You know what I’m talking about.”


    She munched on the sandwich, her eyes watching me, intently; a smear of peanut butter was at the


    corner of her lips. “I don’t understand.”


    “The word ’Fuck.’” I said finally. “Please don’t use it when I’m not around.”


    “What does the word mean?” she asked.


    “A crude word for having sex.” I exined.


    She nodded in understanding, and then she asked, “Then what does dick mean?”


    “Alright, it’s time for bed now.” I cleared the tes. Alec and Phoenix were due for a long lecture.


    “But you didn’t answer my question.” She pressed.


    “It’s gettingte, Blue. I’ll tell you tomorrow.” I said.


    And tomorrow she probably won’t even remember this entire conversation.


    That night I tucked her into bed. She was wearing a thin pink camisole, no bra and it was seriously so


    fucking hard not to stare at her glorious tits, especially since I’d been leading apletely celibate life


    after I’d met Blue. I was going back to sleeping on the couch because if I slept with her in that bed, I’d


    try to touch her again. Thest time it happened, I know how it had turned out to be.


    I picked up a pillow and aforter and started making my way towards the living room couch.


    “Hunter.” She called out to me.


    “Yeah?”


    She patted the empty space next to her, tilting her head to one side, “sleep with me.”


    It wasn’t a question, she was literally demanding it.


    “Uh, not a good idea if you’re not nning on adding any more sins to your long list of broken rules


    because if I sleep there with you, I can’t guarantee that my hands won’t idently try to wander


    somewhere they shouldn’t.”


    Sheughed. “It’s okay. I want to talk to you.”


    I wasn’t sure if I could concentrate on the talking when my mind wanted to do something else entirely.


    Three a.m in the morning wasn’t exactly the best time for just talking.


    Still, I caved in. Anything the mermaid wanted, I did it. I sat down beside her and she curled me against


    my side naturally as I dimmed the nightmp.


    “I wanted to say I’m sorry.” She said, peering at me.


    “Sorry for?” I asked.


    “You know...”


    “No I don’t.” I wanted to tease her.


    “I’m sorry for a lot of things. Firstly, I’m sorry that I looked into your past. I shouldn’t have done it, but I


    didn’t really mean to, in fact it was kind of idental. All I wanted to see was...”


    “What? What did you want to see?”


    She sighed. “I just wanted to see what you think of me as a woman.”


    “And did you find out?”


    She shook her head. “As I said, I had a glimpse into your past.” She ced her hand at the side of my


    face and tear grazed her cheek. “What your mother did to you, wasn’t your fault, okay? You were a


    child. If she left you, there was something wrong with her.”


    “Blue, please. Let’s not talk about this, okay?”


    She was now kneeling beside me, pressing close. “Talk to me. Tell me how I can make the pain go


    away.”


    “You can’t. That’s the problem. Nothing ever can.” I told her.


    “I’m worried about you, Hunter. If you wish, I can take the bad part of the memories and you won’t have


    to feel any remorse or pain. You won’t remember the bad things about your mother, or what she did.


    Just the good will remain. Do you want me to do that?”


    I looked at her, straight into her eyes and all I saw was sincerity. She really could take the pain away,


    the pain I felt about abandonment and about how I’d been a bad son. I knew what I wanted, and I


    definitely didn’t want her to take anything. “No, Blue. I’m good. It’s a part of me, and I think I should


    starting to terms with the fact that it wasn’t my fault. She was young and didn’t want me, that’s


    that. There’s no glorifying the truth.”


    “Okay, but if you ever need me to help you, all you have to do is ask.” I said.


    “Alright.”


    * * *


    Blue


    I noticed that Hunter was restless that night. I’d held his hand and tried to understand why his energy


    was so off. Maybe it was something that I said again? Maybe I’d offended him by asking to take away


    his pain. There was no other reason to exin why he was back to sleeping on the couch. I had the


    bed to myself now and Leslie had climbed onto Hunter’s side of the bed. I petted his fur, it was


    soothing. There was the loud sound of thunder outside the window, and the thumping of a tree branch


    against the ss windows. Leslie hid inside my covers, obviously hating the sounds of the rumbling


    outside.


    “I’m scared of thunder.” Leslie said.


    “You don’t have anything to worry about.” I said kissing his head.


    Hunter had left the window open. I climbed out of bed and went to the window to shut it. I noticed


    Hunter’s form in the moonlight. He wasn’t wearing any shirt and the tattoos on his bicep and arms were


    visible. I kneeled down beside his couch and traced the designs with my hands. Feeling a little daring, I


    kissed his tattoos. He mumbled something coherent and turned his face the other side.


    The rumbling intensified outside followed by the aggressive pelting of the rain. He said something again


    so I leaned in to hear him better. He said ‘don’t leave me.’


    And I knew he was probably having another bad dream about his childhood, and it was my fault


    because I was the one who’d dug up that old subject which he’d so desperately tried to avoid, and now


    he was having a nightmare.


    Why did I always hurt him?


    I heard him mumble again, but this time he’d been clear. He said, ‘don’t leave me, Blue.’


    So it wasn’t his mother after-all. It was me. The realization hit me. I was going to leave him soon and he


    didn’t want me to. I’d been so selfish and used to constantly think about going back to the ocean, but


    I’d never realized how much I’d been hurting him.


    All he’d done for me is give me care, and love and I’d foolishly taken everything. I’d led him on, as


    Hannah put it. I climbed into the little space on the couch beside him; my back was to his front. His


    strong arm slid around my waist.


    ‘Blue, stay with me…’


    “I’m not going anywhere.” I said. “I’ll stay here with you.” My words were starting to sound foreign even


    to my own lips.


    “Hmmm…” He sighed in his sleep. “Stay…”


    “I love you, Hunter.” I whispered, even though I knew he couldn’t hear me.


    The rain smashed furiously towards the window this time and I had to go back to the window and close


    it.


    A moment caught my eye on the road so I stopped and looked. I saw the man across the street,


    standing on the wet pavement,pletely drenched in the rain. He was tall, muscr and blonde.


    Those icy emerald eyes stared right at me.


    My breath hitched in my throat.


    Adrian.


    The man who had been my best friend, the I was supposed to marry, and had walked away from the


    marriage as I surfaced on thend. My breath came in erratic pants.


    This couldn’t be happening.


    A car zoomed past and the man disappeared. My gaze darted around the road, and there was no sign


    of him. I sighed in relief. I’d just imagined him after-all. Itched the window tightly, pulled the curtains


    close and took my spot beside Hunter, letting him wrap his arms tightly around me in a cocoon.


    It was just my imagination surely, Adrian couldn’t be here. He wouldn’t be able to find me. I told myself


    repeatedly until I drifted off to sleep.