Again, she skimmed the bottom, flicking her tail to head topside again. This time, she arched backward and greeted the horizon upside-down, a perfect moonlit rain-bow of color in her tail.
Again and again, Angel danced among the waves, wanting to sing her happiness, but that’d only invite trouble. Besides, the moon’s trail had lengthened, and it was time to head back.
She flicked her tail and dove toward Logan’s home, ready for the sea—and air—to be cleared between them. Ready to begin her life with him.
She couldn’t wait to hear what he’d say.
Returning to the inlet, she swam toward the bank of the small beach there. She broke through the surface and brushed her hair off her face, shaking the water from her eyes just in time to hear what Logan did say.
“Son of a bitch. You’re a mermaid?” He raked his hands through the hair she’d caressed less than an hour ago. “How is this even possible? How—why are you here? I have to believe it because I saw you—I saw you. Swimming and diving and doing whatever the hell it was you were doing, but… but you… you’re not real. Mermaids don’t exist.”
Angel’s heart sank faster than a ship’s anchor. This wasn’t how she wanted him to find out.
She swam closer to shore. “Logan, I—”
“Get back.” He held up a hand as if he was ward¬ing off some demon’s curse. “Don’t come any closer. You… you’re… you’re a mermaid.”
Her flukes touched bottom as the water carried her to shore. “But I can explain—”
“I doubt it, Angel.” He cursed again, planted his
hands on his hips, and took half a dozen steps back. “Is that even your name? Or is it Siren? That would explain your voice—you hypnotized me, didn’t you?”
“No. No, I didn’t, Logan. Not tonight. And my name really is Angel.” Her hands hit the sand, and she wedged her flukes in to move up the beach. If she could just show him—
“Yeah, well then God has a warped sense of humor. I thought you were an angel. Sent to me in reparation for all the craziness in my life, for my good deeds and honest living. That my mother had finally got it right.” He snorted and threw up his hands. “Yeah, that’s a good one. God, she must have had a field day with this. A fucking mermaid.”
His eyes burned into hers. “And what do you mean, ‘not tonight’? You cast some sort of spell on me in the kitchen, didn’t you? That’s why I attacked you. Talk about sick. Who do you think you are, Angel? And I actually asked you to stay with me? I must be out of my mind.”
“But Logan, that’s what I want, too.” If she could just get out of the water and dry off, she could make him understand. She knew she could.
“Really, Angel. A mermaid and a human? Like that could work. You’re a myth.”
“But I’m not. And it could. It can. My brothers and their wives have—”
“There are more of you?”
The disdain in his voice stopped her explanations. She’d never felt the need to be ashamed of who and what she was. Why did his words make her feel she should be?
“So, what were you planning?” He started pacing. “Get me out on my boat, then carry me to the bot-tom of the sea, and do whatever it is your kind does to humans?”
“We don’t do anything with Hu—”
“Or is there another agenda? Are you the advance guard, sent to prepare the way for a horde of mermaids to descend on land and take over?”
“Why would we want to take—”
“Or is this it?” He spun around and pointed at her. “Is this why I went against every grain of common sense and let you into my house? My life? My son’s? You with your magical ability to make men crave you. Was any of it real?”
“Logan, of course it wa—”
“Dammit, Angel!” He ran his hand over his mouth and looked away. “Why? Why me? Why couldn’t you find some other schmoe to work your wiles on?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “All I wanted was a nor-mal life with a normal wife. Instead I get… this. You. I was falling for you, dammit. You almost succeeded. And Michael. God, did you even think about what this will do to him?”
Tears choked her. “Logan, please, let me explain—”
His laugh was cold. “It’s too late. I’ve already seen the tail. There’s nothing that can explain that away.”
“But, Logan, I… I love you.” Nothing.
Only the lapping waves made a sound.
He finally met her eyes. “I bet you say that to all the sailors.” He turned inland. “Go away, Angel. I don’t need this in my life. I don’t need… you.”
In half a dozen strides of those long, strong legs of his—legs that had walked beside her on the beach, car-ried her to bed, slid against hers—he strode up the stairs and back into his home.
And out of her life.