Vivian Arend - Whirlpool

He fell silent for a moment. “Do you care about him as…more than a friend?”

Everything in her froze. Oh my God, what would telling the truth do to their relationship? The last thing she wanted was to hurt Braden. Yet his concerned expression and the gentle touch of his thumb along her jawbone calmed her. She gathered her courage.

“Yes.” His touch didn’t change at her confession and she brought her own hand up to hold against his.

Braden nodded slowly, lowering their joined fingers into his lap. “It’s okay, baby. I know.”

Her throat felt tight, and it was tough to speak. “What difference does it make?”

“It’s a possible solution. If you make love with Jamie and let your St. Elmo’s fire free, it will affect his memory. Any other way of making him forget is riskier, liable to effect more than his short-term memory. During lovemaking the magic is more focused, and it would be far safer for him.”

“I don’t want to use merfolk pheromones to seduce him. That would be wrong.”

He laughed, the soft sound out of place, and yet not. “Sweetheart, trust me. You don’t need to seduce him. He wants you already, without any additional encouragement. It’s clear in every move he makes that he desires you. The lovemaking would be exactly that—free and willing on both your parts. The only difference is that at the end you let your fire free. A really high concentration will affect his memory of what happened in the ocean. He’ll forget he saw me breathing under the ocean without tanks.”

“He’ll forget me.” Her voice cracked.

Braden nodded slowly. “He’ll probably forget things directly related to the last few hours. Like the lovemaking.”

Chelsea crawled into his lap and dropped her forehead on his chest. How could something she’d secretly hoped to happen be breaking her heart?

“He’s my friend. I don’t want him to forget me.”

“You’ll get to work with him still. He should remember you as that, as his assistant. Using lovemaking is the safest way to ensure his other memories aren’t affected.”

Sadness enveloped her. The past weeks she’d grown to value Jamie’s friendship. He listened to her, truly listened, and he made her laugh when she needed it. She didn’t want to do anything to change his memories, not of any of his experiences. Resignation filled her. There was no other solution she could see, but she didn’t have to like it.

“Braden, if I do this—you have to be there too. I’m with you now and I…” A shiver shook her and he held her close.

“I can stay with you. Help direct the fire, guide you.”

He’d be there too? Warmth rose, loosening the tight knot in her belly. “You think he’ll let you be there?”

Braden smiled. “I’ve seen him watch you, baby. He’s not going to say no to you, no matter who else is in the room. Not if I say it’s okay. And…”

“And what?”

Braden stroked a hand down her back. “I have the feeling he’s got some interest in me as well.”

So she hadn’t been the only one who’d noticed. She held on tight, listening to Braden’s heart beating under her ear. His spicy fragrance filled her head and filled her with need. She hesitated to ask, but spoke before she lost her nerve.

“Will you make love to me too?”

A short chuckle rose, his chest moving under her. “I wondered if you’d thought about that. Yes, I’ll join in if it seems appropriate. I care about him as well, and as long as he’s not averse to my presence, I’ll act. He’s become special to you, and if I can make this better for the two of you, I will.”

Chelsea found his lips and kissed him. A gentle, soft touch that she tried to make mean so much more. He let her take charge, take control, and a small flutter of desire flickered to life. The part inside her that longed for the attention of two men stirred, and this time she let it rise to the surface.

In the midst of the bitter for what was about to be lost, there was sweet gain. Even as temporary as it would be, she intended on giving everything she could to Jamie for the one night.

Jamie sat up and looked around, trying to get his bearings. There was a ringing in his ears and his lungs ached. A dry sensation scratched the back of his throat, painful and harsh.

Memories crashed over him. Holy shit, he’d almost drowned.

Curtains blocked the light, the room muted and dark. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash of movement.

“Hey, how are you doing?” Chelsea’s soft voice caressed him and the bed sank with her weight as she sat at his side. She reached out to stroke his hair back off his face. The touch felt intimate, caring.

Dangerous. He wasn’t supposed to feel this attracted to the woman.

“Good,” he rasped out, wincing at the rough sting. “Damn.”

She reached to the side table and grabbed a glass of water, passing it to him. “I was worried when they told me about the accident.”

The accident. Right. He sipped a little slower and tried to calculate his next move. Let the images he’d seen line up with the research he’d done.

Holy crap, Braden and Thomas were mermaids. Mermen. His mind reeled at the implications. He was back in his room; a sliver of darkening sky visible through the crack in the curtains showed evening had arrived.

“Why am I in the condo?”

“Do you want to see a doctor?” Concern tinged her voice. She touched his forehead, her hands warm against his skin. “They said you weren’t hurt badly. That you simply passed out.”

He pressed a finger over her lips. “Shh, I feel fine. I avoided swallowing half the Pacific. It’s all good.”

She grabbed his hand and tears filled her eyes. “I was so scared.”

All his defenses slipped away. Fuck it. Maybe he’d discovered that legends were real, but so was this woman in front of him. He wasn’t about to hurt her if he could help it. “Hey, don’t cry. I’m okay, see? Still around and planning on making you work twice as hard tomorrow since I don’t think I’ll be putting in any time at the house tonight.”

She had his hand trapped in hers and lifted his fingers to her mouth, kissing them tenderly. Her touch sent a tingle up his arm and suddenly he didn’t feel like he’d been dragged along a rocky shore.

Adrenaline and lust both made a man recover damn fast.

When she crawled closer and curled up beside him, snuggling against his side, he wasn’t quite sure where to put his hands. Chelsea had no such qualms. She curved one arm behind his back, resting the other on his bare chest. He sat still for a second, willing his body to ignore the enticing fragrance rising around him. This was not the time to become aroused.

He casually dropped a hand to rub her back. “Didn’t mean to frighten you. Kinda threw myself for a loop, you know.”

Her soft tresses spread over his skin and he bit back a groan. All the erotic dreams he’d had over the past weeks raced through his mind. He needed to concentrate on something other than how wonderful it felt to hold her warmth next to him.

“You know what happened?” Her gaze remained fixed on his torso, as if she was avoiding his eyes. He debated lying, but he’d never believed it was a long-term solution. Still, in case she didn’t know what Braden and Thomas were, he didn’t want to frighten her.

“I had troubles with my tank. Braden helped me buddy breath, I’m not sure what happened after that.” After he passed out. It was the truth, not the complete truth, but enough.

Chelsea twisted, sitting upright beside him. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” She inched closer, pressing her hands on his chest. He grabbed her shoulders, holding her steady.

She leaned so close her scent filled his brain and when her lips touched his, a switch flipped. It must have been the master control for all logical thinking because the only thing left functioning was his sex drive. He fought the dire urge to roll her under him and thrust into her body.