Treating her to a slow grin, Jake tugged open her blouse and tweaked her left nipple through her sports bra. His touch burned through the thin material. “It’s a small boat, honey, and the walls are thin. When someone’s getting their brains fucked out, you know it.”
“Maybe we’re just considerate of the crew,” she shot back. The lame excuse fell flat. The truth was, she and Kenneth shared the same quarters but were sleeping in separate bunks.
Tessa inwardly grimaced. She hadn’t been treating Kenneth especially well lately. Her mind was on her magic. And while her skills were blossoming at a rapid pace, the relationship with the new man in her life was dying on the vine. The hours she put into practice disappeared, leaving little time for personal pursuits. Or pleasure.
Jake rolled his eyes. “Spare me your consideration, please. Besides, if you two were tight as thieves, you’d have already slapped me silly and stormed off.” He clicked his tongue and undid the last button. “Methinks there is trouble in paradise.”
Tessa squirmed. Big mistake. The pressure of his thigh coupled with the chafe of her jeans against her crotch doubled the thrilling sensations between her legs. “Thinking with your dick doesn’t count.”
He studied her through an enigmatic blue gaze. The luminous shimmer dancing on the water reflected in the depths of his eyes. “Oh, but I have been thinking. About you and how good we were together.”
Trying to wrestle her mind away from all the good feelings he stimulated, Tessa gritted her teeth. “If we were so good, why did you leave?”
Tracing his fingers along the lines of her plain sports bra, Jake slid his fingers under the material. “As I recall, your feet got cold before mine. You wanted to wait.”
“I didn’t say no. Just that I needed more time.”
Tugging up her bra, Jake bared her left breast. Her exposed nipple puckered, then rose under the caress of the cool sea air. “We were together long enough for you to be sure.” He flicked the tip with his finger. “You weren’t then, but I think you are now.” Easing her back against the rail, he lowered his head. His eager mouth captured the hard little bead.
Tessa whimpered, automatically tangling her fingers in his long blond locks. The sensations swamping her body were exquisite. She gasped in dismay as he painted soft circles around the hard tip. “Jake, please . . . This is so wrong . . .”
A voice from behind broke the illicit spell. “So am I to take this to mean you two are back together?”
Tessa immediately froze. Alarm shot through her.
Oh shit
. Kenneth. Though his voice was calm, she sensed currents of disappointment and hurt in his tone.
She shoved Jake, something she should have done in the first place. “Get away from me, you big lug.”
Jake laughed, taking his own sweet time. Giving himself a quick check to make sure everything was in place, he turned around. “Oh, goodness,” he said, very much tongue in cheek. “Looks like you caught us red-handed.”
Kenneth eyed the pair. “And very exposed.”
Tessa glanced down. Heat immediately scorched her cheeks. Her shirt was unbuttoned and one breast totally hung out.
A slow groan seeped past her lips. “It’s not what it looks like.” She tugged her bra back into place. Numb fingers fumbled with her buttons. She couldn’t seem to make them work.
Jake snorted and threw an arm around her. “Oh, drop the pretense,” he said, throwing her a wink. “It’s exactly what it looks like.”
Kenneth arched an eyebrow. “Which is?”
Jake tossed his head. “I’m keeping my word to you, Kenneth,” he said.
Refusing to be baited, Kenneth shrugged. “Tessa is a free woman, fully capable of choosing what she wants. I’m not going to try to tell her what to do with her life.”
Jake snorted. “Oh, man. What a pussy.” He rolled his eyes and snickered. “You let her take your money and fuck another man. I don’t know what to call you. It’s not noble, so it must be plain stupid.”
Awkwardly clutching the front of her shirt together, Tessa broke in. “Shut up, Jake!” Heart slamming against her ribs, she shoved past him. “Don’t listen to him.”
Kenneth cocked his head. “What he says doesn’t bother me.” His eyes narrowed. “What I saw does. You weren’t exactly fighting him off.”
“Of course she wasn’t fighting me,” Jake interrupted. “She still wants me. Bad.”
Kenneth stabbed a finger at the archaeologist. “I’m not interested in what you have to say. Being an asshole seems to be a part of your nature. With you, I know what I’m dealing with.”
Jake spread his hands. “Leopards don’t change their spots, man.”
Kenneth’s gaze raked over the archaeologist, scathing but distant. His right hand curled into a fist. “More like hyenas never lose their stink.”
“Don’t you just hate being right?” Jake sneered back. “It’s like I warned you. Mer are slippery women.” Flashing a contemptuous smile, he flexed his fingers in an obscene manner. “But they’re oh, so damn hot when you get your hands on one.”
Kenneth took a step forward. “There’s only so much shit I’m going to take from you, Jake.”
Heart pumping ninety to nothing, Tessa threw herself between the antagonists. “Just stop it, both of you,” she said, fearing the two men might come to blows. “This is getting out of control.”
Kenneth’s face took on a guarded expression. His preternatural calm disturbed her. “You’re the one who’s out of control.” His tone was low and steady, noncommittal.
Giving her no chance to respond, he simply turned on his heel and walked away.
He didn’t glance back. Not once.
Staring in his wake, Tessa felt her stomach twist. Guilt flayed at her heart.
I’m such an idiot! How is it I screw up everything I touch
?
Jake’s warm fingers curled around her arm. “If he really wanted you, he’d fight.” He grinned, pulling her back into his embrace. “Now that he’s gone, I think we can finish what we started.”
Disgusted and ashamed by her momentary lapse in judgment, Tessa yanked away from his grip. “Oh, go to hell.”
Stalking to the quarters he shared with Tessa, Kenneth slammed the door behind him. The image of Tessa locked in Jake’s embrace played over and over in his mind, taunting him.
Blinking hard to banish the hateful images, he rubbed his hands across his face. Jealousy slithered through him, coiling into a tight knot in his stomach. He had to hand it to her. She’d definitely gotten under his skin.
Pulling in a deep breath to cool his anger, he glanced around the room. The luxury quarters were crammed with the general clutter of two people living in limited space. Away from home, Tessa let her housekeeping skills lapse. Her idea of unpacking seemed to consist of dumping her suitcase on the bed and digging through the pile. What she didn’t need, she tossed on the floor. Ironing something and hanging it up seemed to be a knack she’d never mastered. Even the crystals she used to enhance her craft were scattered around.
Walking to his desk, Kenneth picked up one of the stray gemstones. Since taking the stash out of hiding, Tessa had revealed the surprising power of telekinesis, or the ability to manipulate matter with her mind. Since he’d witnessed her ability to shift, it hadn’t really surprised him that she possessed other unique powers. He simply accepted them as a part of her Mer identity.
The stone he held was familiar. Tessa had explained that red garnet helped to release anger. He definitely needed that right now. But there were other meanings, as well. It was a balance stone, bringing what the bearer needed, be it passion or serenity. Garnets were also said to bring success in business.
Fingers closing around the carmine-shaded stone, Kenneth closed his eyes. If he concentrated hard enough, he fancied he could feel vibrations emanating from the stone’s cold heart.
His mouth drew down.
A heart Tessa seems to share
.
He always seemed to choose strong, difficult women—perhaps because these types were the only kind he understood. From an early age he’d watched his own mother grab the wheel and do the driving. Not that she’d really had the luxury of choice. She took control out of necessity. With two young boys to raise, she’d had to make sure they didn’t swerve off the road.
Jennifer, too, was a strong woman with a mind of her own. Her career was first. Her husband second.
Kenneth didn’t like being number two. Second place was shit. He’d hoped he’d found the perfect balance with Tessa. She needed a mate, but was willful enough not to fold up like a wet paper sack when challenged. He liked feisty. It made things interesting.
The trouble was that nothing between him and Tessa had been the slightest bit enticing lately. And even though he’d always been good at holding his temper when frustration set in, he was getting a little tired of being put on a shelf and ignored.
He sighed, shifting restlessly. They were not sharing a bed and that irritated him. Even though each maintained a separate bed, they’d always managed to begin a night together, when they would indulge in the delights of each other’s body. Usually he was the one to slip away when she fell into the grip of sleep.
But as her mastery of Mercraft increased, Tessa grew more restless, avoiding his touch. Having turned her attention to magic, she’d stepped onto a different plane of existence.
She isn’t human
, he thought. She belonged to a race much more advanced than plain old Homo sapiens. Compared to the Mer, human males were still knuckle-dragging apes.
A sigh winnowed past his lips.
When one door closes, another one opens.
By now he believed that. It had happened too many times in his life not to be true. There had been a time when he’d wanted to shut that door, forever. But something had spared his life, giving him a second chance to make things work.
The only thing he wasn’t sure of was whether or not Tessa would continue to be a part of his second chance. Unfortunately, the garnet didn’t seem to be helping passion out one little bit.
The sound of footsteps outside alerted him to the approach of another person. The door unlatched, easing open slowly.
Half a woman’s face peeked around the door, a single green eye under a shock of red hair. “Can I come in?”
Tossing the garnet on his desk, Kenneth shrugged. “The room’s half yours.”
Tessa stepped in, shutting the door behind her. Her clothes were back in place, shirt buttoned to the chin. She cleared her throat. “I guess you’re pissed.”
Muscles in Kenneth’s neck and shoulders tensed. “Of course I’m pissed. If there’s one thing I won’t tolerate, it’s a cheat.”
Her gaze was filled with guilt. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. One minute we were talking and the next minute Jake was putting the moves on me.” She pressed a hand to her forehead. “It just happened so fast, I got caught in the moment.”
“Remembering when things were good?” Self-aware enough to recognize his jealousy, he tried not to let it bait his temper. Turning into an asshole wouldn’t help his case one bit. He’d only manage to come off as pathetic, a needy loser.
Control
, he reminded himself. Keep a cool head. Tessa was a wild card. She might jump into Jake’s bed, but that was no reason to let her destroy the partnership he’d formed with the archaeologist.
A woman was one thing. Business was another. You didn’t mix the two.
What he couldn’t control, he’d accept.
Tessa’s hand dropped. Mouth turned down, her expression was grim. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Kenneth nodded. Walking across the narrow room, he bent and snagged a few pieces of Tessa’s clothes off the floor. He tossed them on the unmade bed along with the rest of the general mess. “I’m sure Jake will be tickled to have you as his bunkmate.”
Her eyes widened with shock. “What? You’re kicking me out?”
Kenneth narrowed his gaze. “I’m not kicking you out. I’m stepping aside.”
She blinked in disbelief. “Just like that?”
As angry as he was, there was no reason to turn into a ranting maniac. Cool, quiet, and calm disturbed more people than fierce, raving anger. “Just like that. Or don’t you remember me telling you I wasn’t interested in playing games?”
Hands lacing in front of her like a repentant child, Tessa swallowed hard. “I guess I do. The first night we were together.”
Kenneth tightened his jaw. “I won’t share you with another man. If you’re going to be with Jake, then be with Jake, damn it. But you’re not going to have your cake and eat it, too.”
Tessa thought for a minute. An impish smile lit up her face. “Maybe you could make things easier by just tossing his ass overboard.”
“I can’t. Jake’s not expendable.” He pretended to think. “You, on the other hand, are.”
Her brows rose. “Me?” Though she tried not to show it, she was clearly stung.
Kenneth nodded. “You’re the one element not necessary on this salvage. We could manage it without you. Jake is the brains.” He pointed to himself. “I’m the money. You’re—”
“The mermaid,” she reminded him.
“Yeah. That.”
“Just that? Are you tossing me away?”
He eyed her. “Maybe before you toss me.”
“But I’m
not
tossing you.”
Kenneth held up a hand. “Come on, Tess. You’re not fooling anyone. Somehow I think Jake wasn’t the one who couldn’t commit. I think you were the one who kept pulling back. He simply got tired of waiting and left. I’ve experienced it myself. Sometimes you’re fire; sometimes you’re ice. One day you burn me; the next day you freeze me out. The two definitely don’t make for a good relationship.”
Tessa’s expression crumbled. Her shoulders sagged. “Maybe it was me. I’m the one who told Jake I thought we needed to wait to get married. I didn’t know he’d just call the whole thing off and walk. I thought he’d wait.”
“For what?”
She threw up her hands. “A Mer gives up so much to be with a human. I was only twenty-seven. Taking a mate and having children would have cut my life in half. I guess I felt I needed more time. But humans don’t have that time.”