A Mermaid's Heart

In an underwater realm where choosing her gender meant forsaking her family, Ebby swims a solitary path — one that steers her clear of the deadly mate bond that claimed her father. But destiny plunges her into uncharted waters when she rescues a diver from a coven of mermaids. He stirs a long-suppressed yearning in her heart, a tidal wave of emotion she can neither understand nor resist.

Cruz has always sought solace in the ocean's silent embrace, but he never expected to be ensnared in a mythical world of savage sirens and bewitching magic. Despite the danger, he's drawn to Ebby, his apricot-tailed savior. Her courage inflames his desire, her vulnerability calls to his protective instincts, and her very essence feels like an anchor to his drifting heart.

Together, with the cunning aid of Kato, Ebby's mischievous mantis shrimp, they craft a perilous escape. As they are pursued by vengeful mermaids and the lurking horrors of the deep, their bond becomes their strength — but will it be enough?

Dive deep into a tale where love's pull is as relentless as the ocean's current, and the power of choice is the only path to a happily ever after.

Cruz watched his friend, Jake, run a finger down the bare arm of an over-tanned blonde and say something that made her giggle. The party boat’s deck was loaded with inebriated targets, and apparently Jake was determined to bone every one of them. This vacation was supposed to be a diving expedition, and Jake had told him they’d be snorkeling today, but so far, no one had even dipped a toe in the water.

Cruz caught his friend’s eye and signed, “You ready for a swim?”

Jake gave him a wicked grin that told him no and launched into one of his signature jokes.

Sighing, Cruz looked out over the glittering water, imagining the sound of the waves against the hull and the cry of gulls in the distance. Deaf since the age of seven, he vaguely remembered the sounds from TV shows he’d seen. He’d also learned that his voice tended to come off as less than charming, and as a rule remained silent.

The scent of coconut body oil wafted toward him and he returned his attention to the conversation, laughing a little too late—and possibly too loud—at Jake’s punch line.

A redhead puckered her brows, her sangria-stained lips forming the words, “What’s up with him?”

Knowing Jake was about to pull the deaf card—chicks dug a guy with a deaf friend almost as much as they dug a guy with a puppy—Cruz forced his mouth into a good-natured smile and signed, “Going lobster diving.”

Jake lifted his chin in Cruz’s direction in acknowledgment and kept talking to the blonde.

Cruz strode to the back of the boat and grabbed a snorkel mask. Diving into the blessedly cool water, he kicked toward a rock overhang in the reef. He’d always loved diving; deafness wasn’t an issue underwater. Normally, he preferred full scuba gear, although he did equally well free diving. He had a keen eye for detecting spiny lobsters on the sandy floor and even made enough to pay his rent one summer selling them to a local market.

Within moments, he spotted a blue-green crustacean. He angled in to snatch it by its carapace and was ready to shoot back to the surface when he spotted one of the party girls peeking at him from behind a lacy green sea fan. At least one person had followed his lead and come in for a swim. Her long dark hair billowed around her face, and her bright red lipstick shone vividly even underwater.

Huh. He didn’t think any of those women from the boat would actually want to get wet—at least, not with water. His chest was beginning to ache with the need to breathe, but he raised the lobster in greeting and made an eating motion. “Dinner?”

The woman opened her mouth as if to speak, beckoning him toward her with one hand.

She’s interested? And she liked to swim, too. Maybe this party boat had been a good idea after all.

Grinning, Cruz pointed to the surface and kicked upward, keeping his eyes on the woman.

A flash of pale skin, black hair, and red… legs? shot toward him in a blur.

Startled, he stopped kicking. A woman with flowing purple hair swept up from behind him, close enough that her naked breasts brushed against his arm. She pulled his face to hers, clamping his lips in a kiss. This is a bit fast, even for a drunken cruise. Her hair enveloped him in a purple mist, blocking his vision. The lobster slipped from his fingers. He grabbed her hands, trying to pull them from his cheeks, but damn, the woman had a grip. His lungs burned for oxygen.

The woman not only continued forcing her tongue between his lips but now crushed her breasts and hips against him as if ready to do the nasty right then and there.

What the fuck? Unable to break free, he kicked for the surface for all he was worth, dragging her with him.

A second, distinctly feminine body pressed against his back. The snorkel mask was ripped from his head while two sets of hands slithered greedily over his skin.

He struggled against them, bubbles leaking from his mouth and nose. How can they hold their breaths so long?

A hand reached around him and dipped into his trunks, grabbing his shaft.

The air left his lungs in a great rush. Holy fuck!

He resisted sucking in that fateful first inhalation of water. This couldn’t be real, being mauled to death by beautiful women underwater. His head grew muzzy with the need to breathe. Closing his eyes, he felt like this had to be a bad dream.

A dream. He had to be dreaming. There was no other explanation—unless he was already dead…

He sucked in a draught of water.

And then another.

His eyes opened to the freckled cheeks of the purple-haired woman still enveloping him in a kiss. She rubbed her lithe body against him, her nipples teasing the fine hairs over his pecs.

If this is a dream, I may as well go with it.

Taking hold of the woman’s hips, he noted the lack of a bikini bottom. This was the most vivid dream he’d ever had in his life. He swore he could even smell sex rising from her skin, filling the water. He wrapped both hands around the small of her back, pressing his arousal hard into her flesh.

She wriggled in obvious pleasure and broke the kiss to nibble his jawline. While she worked her way down his throat and chest, the woman at his back slithered up over his head to take over the kiss from an upside-down position. Before her halo of hair once again blocked out his surroundings, he imagined he saw a huge, purple tail fin spread out in front of him…

His swim trunks were yanked down his hips.

Much as he loved the ocean, he’d never had a sex dream about it before. This is awesome. His entire bloodstream surged with need.

A firm tongue caressed the head of his shaft. His hips jerked involuntarily, and a groan rose from deep in his chest. He didn’t know where to put his hands—the woman at his crotch or the woman plunging her tongue into his mouth. He settled for one hand each, knotting his fingers in their hair and kissing back with deft strokes of his tongue. Immediately above his head bobbed his kissing partner’s breasts, tipped by nipples as red as maraschino cherries.

Cherries on top, he thought, realizing he was feeling a bit drunk. Why not? It was his dream. He could do whatever he desired. He reached up to pull one within reach of his mouth when a third set of hands swept over the breasts. Delicate fingers and golden skin so dark it was closer to brown than gold pinched the nipples, coaxing them into sharp peaks.

Pulling his face from the kiss, he tried to get a better look at his partners, but long-nailed fingers pulled him roughly back into place. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered about the forcefulness of this fantasy. He didn’t mind a woman with an appetite but generally liked to do a bit of the steering himself. At the moment he felt like nothing more than a toy.

Three sets of hands and three mouths caressed his skin, his lips, his groin. He couldn’t return their touches fast enough, slippery breasts and hard nipples under his palms, a slender neck, silky hair slipping between his fingers. Yet every time he reached for that sweet spot between their legs, they pulled out of reach.

Then one of them grabbed his hips, driving her pelvis against him. The familiar encasing warmth of her nearly made him come. Holy mother of God, no condom. Good thing this was a dream. She pumped against him furiously. He reached around and grabbed her ass, only to have her ripped away without warning.

Dark hair filled his vision. Pointed teeth flashed between crimson lips. He blinked, realizing the dark-skinned woman with brilliant gold hair also seemed to have a bright gold tail instead of legs. What the fuck? He knew mermaiding was a thing, with costume tails and all, but these women were so damn real.

He attempted to back away, pushing against the crimson-lipped woman’s pale shoulders. A small white charm that looked like a turkey wishbone dangled from a cord between her naked breasts. Below her belly button, her flesh brightened to match her mouth. Brightened and coalesced into fins and a tail.

A fish’s tail.

Realization exploded inside him like a breath of air after a long dive. He shoved harder, clearing more of his view. The rocks and reef were no longer in sight, nor was the shadow of the party boat at the surface. They’d drifted into a towering kelp forest, the filtered sunlight now hazy and green. Despite his flagging interest, his partners had lost none of their ardor, and continued to claw and thrust and grope, seeming to grow frustrated at his inattention.

Mechanically, he returned their caresses. Gave them what they wanted. If he didn’t, he had no idea what might happen. This wasn’t a dream, and these were no ordinary women.

He was underwater.

He was breathing.

And he was surrounded by mermaids.