Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs Read Free Book Online Page B

what’s bothering you. When are you going to figure out that you’re never a bother to me, Tempest?
    I think I was a pretty big bother today , I said with a quick grin.
    He sighed. There you go again.
    I don’t deflect , I told him. But even as I protested, I sensed the truth in his words. From the time my mother left, I’d hidden most of my concerns or worries. Partly because I didn’t want to stress out my dad—he’d had enough to deal with—and partly because I was embarrassed to be such a mess.
    And then, when I got older and the whole half-mermaid thing came up, I felt like I couldn’t talk about it. Not to Mark, who knew something was wrong but who I didn’t think could ever understand if I told him the truth. Not to my friends, because they would have thought I was a candidate for the mental institution. And, except there at the end, not to my dad, because I was so worried about hurting him, of reminding him of my mom, that I would rather bumble through things alone than ask his advice.
    Kona didn’t bother to contradict me, but then I figured that was because he had a pretty good idea of what I was thinking.
    Can we talk about this later? I asked. The pain medication really is starting to kick in.
    Of course. Close your eyes and relax. Let me do all the work.
    His words startled a laugh out of me. You know what that sounds like, don’t you?
    His lips twisted in reluctant amusement. Only to dirty girls like you. But his arms tightened around me even more, until we were molded together like we had been in the clinic—my back to his chest. Out here, in the water, it felt so much better. Sexier. Even with all the guards around us.
    Besides , he continued, when we get to that situation, I am not planning on doing all the work . His teeth nipped at my earlobe. Lively participation is pretty much a requirement, after all.
    His words sent crazy shivers through my body. My heart sped up and I could feel a flush spreading through me that had nothing to do with embarrassment. I love you, you know. The words—and feelings—were there, unable to be denied despite what I’d done in La Jolla.
    That whole thing had been an aberration, I told myself sternly. A mistake. I’d confused my feelings for home with my emotions about Mark. That was all it could have been, all it would ever be.
    I love you, too , Kona said, his voice soft and sweet and sensuous as it brushed against the corners of my mind. Now sleep, baby. I’ve got you.
    Giving in to temptation, I relaxed, let myself drift. I knew he would take care of me. I didn’t sleep, though, despite the narcotic effect of the painkillers. There was something so nice about being held securely by Kona as we zipped through the sea that I didn’t want to miss any part of it. With both of our lists of responsibilities, we didn’t get to see each other enough as it was.
    Ocean life teemed around us, bold and bright and beautiful, and the deeper Kona took us, the more vibrant the colors became, until it seemed like the whole world was one huge psychedelic kaleidoscope of color. Reds and yellows, pinks and greens, whirling by at an amazing rate.
    Fish, octopuses, selkies, mermaids, and even sharks seemed to surround us—to be watching us from every angle. At first, I thought it was the medication, making me see double or triple. But the faster Kona swam, the more of them there were, until they lined the water on all sides of us.
    I glanced up at a particularly beautiful school of fish—purple masked angelfish, I think, in shades of canary yellow and violet. I was spellbound by them, the way they darted around one another, spinning and diving, until they all blended together into what looked like one long, glowing rope.
    Look , I told Kona, pointing up. You can almost see their halos.
    He laughed.
    What? I asked. You don’t see it?
    I think you’re the only one who sees it, Tempest. You’re hammered out of your mind on painkillers.
    No. I reached a hand up to touch the