Chapter Three

“This was the alternate site for your learning, but it’s harder to float in freshwater.” Kimo grinned as they pulled up to a huge blue pool surrounded by vegetation.

“This is lovely. And so quiet.”

“The car scared everything off.” He got out and walked around to her side. He unbuckled her seatbelt and put his hands on her waist.

“You look like you want to swim.” Or fuck. His erection in his shorts was noticeable.

“I do.”

“I am going for a rinse and calling it a day. I haven’t had to haul myself through the water in two years. My swimming skills are rusty.”

“I promise not to let you drown.” He set her down with her feet on his.

She noticed that she had forgotten to put her water shoes back on. “Why are you so warm?”

He smiled. “So that I can share the warmth with you.”

“That’s cheezie.”

“Yes, but true. The body heat doesn’t normally manifest.” He smiled down at her. “So, a swim?”

“Sure. Either that, or I lick the salt off you, and that might raise my blood pressure.”

His eyes flared, and he wrapped his arms around her, walking her into the water, and as the cool rush wrapped around them, he kept his grip. He kicked away from whatever he was standing on and floated with her in the cool water.

Nina floated, resting on his chest, and she chuckled. “Clever.”

He smiled. “I am guessing a slow seduction is preferable.”

She nodded. “You are right. It is preferable. What do you consider slow?”

“Three days?”

She blinked. “Seriously?”

“Well, when the storm hits, I would like you in my bed so that we can weather it together.”

Nina stared at him, and Kimo floated, kicking idly. “How do you float?”

“What?”

“Your muscle mass should give you neutral buoyancy. So, how do you float?”

“The water lifts me.”

“Oh. Handy.”

“It has never been as useful as it is right now.” He stroked a hand down her back. “So, I am going to be making concerted efforts to get you out of this suit.”

“Good to know. So, did I pass competency with the scuba stuff?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Not enough to satisfy me. So, you will just have to stay with me and practice tomorrow. We will go into open water, and I will test your competency.”

She huffed and pressed her forehead to his chest. “I thought I did well today. I guess, if I am not good at it, I should give up.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I think I just fucked myself over.”

“Yes, you did. You can say I am competent, but you don’t trust the guys to keep an eye out for me.”

“Yes, that. What you just said.” He smiled ruefully.

She chuckled. They floated like that for a few more minutes, and she eventually said, “Okay, I want to try swimming.”

He let her go, and she swam a few feet away. She carefully tipped her head back and rinsed the salt out of her hair.

He leaned over her, and a flashback hit her. Hands holding her under, fresh water streaming into her lungs until she died. She kicked and clawed at him, sobbing and shrieking. Nina hit him over and over until he pulled her out of the water and held her on his lap until she calmed.

Spots sparked behind her eyes, and breath sawed in and out of her lungs. When she relaxed and her breathing eased, he stroked her jaw. She croaked an apology. “Sorry. That... happens.”

“It was when my shadow crossed you, wasn’t it?”

She nodded. “I can go under freshwater, but it has to be face-first. That was just a test. I failed.”

“You didn’t fight me, you were fighting yourself.”

“Like a thrashing fish on a spear.”

He caressed her and held her. “How long did it take you to recover?”

“Over a month. Lots of lung infections. That water was nasty.” Her voice was hoarse. “Well, all that thrashing got the salt off.”

“I will grab you a towel. You are shaking.”

“It will stop eventually.”

He grunted and carried her to the jeep, set her in, and buckled her in.

The air was warm as he drove them back to his place, but she couldn’t feel it. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. They were at his home in five minutes.

Nina was physically miserable. When they arrived, she got her wet shoes and suit and started the slow trudge to the front of his house.

“Oh, no. You are not going home looking like this. It looks like I tried to drown you. Or that I yelled at you. Neither being true, you are going to stay here until you look like you did when you arrived.” He lifted her and carried her into the house, to his bedroom, and into his shower. “Here. Hot shower and warmed towels; get warm and dry, and I will have coffee and lunch ready for you. Then, we are going to chat.”

Nina blinked. “Oh. Okay.”

She gripped the front zip of her tankini and then looked at him. “A shower alone, right?”

He sighed. “Yes, unfortunately.”

She smiled, and when he turned to leave, she started to unzip her suit. She held it together when she saw him looking at her in the mirror. “Not today, Kimo.”

He chuckled. “Can’t blame me for trying.”

“I can, but considering the situation, you have been acting with restraint. Now, shoo. The thought of the hot water is tempting.”

He nodded, and she backed up and closed the door gently.

She peeled her suit off and hung it up. Nina figured out the very elaborate taps and stood there as the water hit her from all sides. She gradually turned the heat up until it made her skin prickle.

She groaned and pulled her hair loose from the ponytail. She ran her fingers through her hair and dropped the weight of it down on her back.

Nina groaned and faced into the hot water, then just water washed herself from head to toe. Her skin was warm, and the steam helped her throat.

She sighed happily and turned off the water. It was rejuvenating.

She felt so much better as she wrapped herself in a huge towel. Nina wrapped her suit in a hand towel and made sure the bath towel was snugly around her before she went to ask Kimo where she could hang her suit up.

She smelled coffee and walked into the kitchen. “Where can I dry my suit off?”

He glanced at her, froze for a moment, and sighed. “Did you rinse it out?”

“No. I just took it off. We were in freshwater.”

He held his hand out. “Drink your coffee, and give me your suit.”

She handed her suit over, and he took it while handing her a warm mug of coffee. Nina sipped at the coffee, and it was less sweet than in the morning, and Kimo wasn’t on the cup.

Nina wandered around the kitchen and saw that the oven was on. She peeped in and blinked, then closed the door as something warm and sweet and aromatic struck her in a scent cloud.

She held her towel to her while she looked around the large kitchen and at how pristine it was. He came in wearing an open and loose shirt and cotton trousers.

He shrugged. “I figured I should hang my suit up as well.”

“Where are they?”

“There is a rack out on the deck. I have already rinsed out your wetsuit.” He smiled. “You can go back to the base when everything is dry.”

“Uh-huh. So, I need authorization.”

“No. I mean that would be easier for me. There are ten guestrooms and plenty of towels for you to wear. It is very fetching.”

“Thanks. It’s surprisingly comfortable. So, what’s in the oven?”

“Some sweet rolls. I thought you could use a jump to your blood sugar.” He smiled. “Now, I am going to make omelettes. What do you like in yours?”

“Um, bacon and any standard cheese? Nothing with a blue streak.”

“Doable. How about ham instead of bacon?”

“Excellent.” Her stomach growled.

He smiled and reached out to a basket of eggs on the counter.

“Wait, where do you get fresh eggs?”

Kimo smiled. “Out back. I have ten chickens and one rooster. Eggs are a nice, reliable protein.”

“Do you garden as well?”

He laughed. “Of course.”

“Don’t you have some kind of day job?”

“Of course, I do. It is just done from home, but having things around to give me time to think is helpful.” He got ingredients out of his enormous fridge, and she blinked.

“That is the first time I have seen a fridge that tall.”

“It was a custom build. I don’t like crouching.” Kimo smiled.

“So, you are on solar?”

“And wind. Both provide what I need.”

She chuckled. “I thought you would be into hydro.”

“The land here isn’t suitable for it. I don’t want to impact water flow to the areas. The panels and windmills do fine.”

She paused. “I don’t suppose I could see your setup. It’s something I am curious about.”

“I am happy to show you everything I’ve got.”

She laughed. “Thanks for making it sound pervy.”

“Oh, I intended it to. But you are not dressed for climbing around the property. So, perhaps you would like a tour before we continue your certification.”

“You know, if I were on vacation, I would be certified right now.”

He shrugged. “I am very thorough, and this is blue whale mating season. I want to assure myself that you will know what to do when one of them rises underneath you.”

“Uh, scream like a big girl?”

Kimo laughed. “You wouldn’t be the first. But I would like to take you out to a reef so that you can see things that are bright and encouraging.”

“A gentler introduction?”

“Yes, but you are tired and exhausted today. A lot of new.”

“Um. You can say that. How long until food? I can run to the station and get something else to wear.”

He used a quick wrist flip and smiled. “Here is your omelette. I will be back in a minute.”

She blinked, and he disappeared. The food was in front of her with a napkin and a fork. She took a bite and exhaled the vapour. Kimo returned with a tee that said Whales do it deep with two frolicking blue whales.

She looked at him. “You have got to be kidding.”

He shrugged. “A friend of mine opened a shirt shop. It will cover everything.”

She snorted and took the shirt from him. “If my brother sees me in this, I am taking you apart from the knees up.”

“Yes, Nerina.”

She sighed. “So, you like that, do you?”

“That your name means water nymph? Oh, yes. I have always wanted my own nymph, even if I didn’t know it at the time.”

She sat back down in the knee-length tee. The towel was draped over the chair next to hers.

He took the towel and sniffed it while walking wherever he had gone when he took her swimsuit.

She was halfway through the creamy goodness when he returned and made his omelette with half a dozen eggs. “Wow.”

He chuckled. “I usually consume the entire egg output in a day.”

“Wow.”

“So, when you inevitably fall into my clutches, I will need a few more chickens.”

She looked at his broad back. “So, you are serious.”

“Deadly. The aspect of me that controls the water is also convinced that its mate resides in your body. It is insistent, and you do not want to know what his thoughts are as regards your person.”

She swallowed but carefully took another bite. “I think I have an idea. Demons kidnaped a friend of mine, and they blinded her to force her to be dependent on them.”

He turned and looked at her in horror. “Nothing like that, just keeping you in the house and under him until you are receptive.”

“Oh. So, standard possessive new-alpha stuff.” She shrugged.

“How is your friend?”

“Oh, she killed one of the demons and ran for it. Now she has her mates lined up, and when the last arrives from out of town, they will finally be able to complete their set. He was due any moment when I came here on vacation.”

He sighed. “Well, that is something.”

She nodded. “Yeah. When she gets her mates, she will be able to use their senses to navigate. She might even regain her eyesight if the acid burns repair.”

“Ah. Well, nothing that violent on my end, just using water columns for restraint and positioning.” He gave her an innocent look as he sat with her.

She blushed and finished her food. She put her fork down and swallowed.

“So, what do you like in a lover?” His words ripped through the air.

“Consent. I definitely like consent.” She glanced at him.

He held one hand in the air, palm out. “I hereby consent to anything you want to do to me, in perpetuity, nymph.”

Nina blinked. “I really meant on my end of things. If you sprout tentacles on day one, I am out of here.”

He laughed. “But day three is acceptable? Noted.”

She winced. “You also have to put up with my trying to desensitize myself going backward into freshwater.”

“I will help where I can.”

She snorted. “How long do you think it will take to dry my stuff?”

“An hour at least. Probably two.”

He finished his food and got up to collect their plates. When the plates were in the dishwasher, a timer beeped, and he got the rolls out of the oven.

She watched as he piled them onto a platter with a set of tongs, then he got a crock of butter from next to the fridge and plates and cutlery.

He set the rolls in front of her and grinned. “Have anything or nothing. I make them when I get bored during storms and put them in the freezer.”

She knocked a roll off the tower and onto a plate, then she slathered it with butter and watched everything melt.

He got two himself and simply tore them apart with his fingertips. She followed suit and took a tiny bite. There was spice, there was sweet, and there was pineapple and yeast. The butter brought it all together.

She sighed happily and smiled. “It’s really good.”

Kimo looked ridiculously pleased. “Thank you.”

They ate quietly, and she snagged a second. As she stuffed her face, she asked, “Wait, are you trying to fatten me up for some reason?”

He chuckled. “No. That will wait until you are nearing a heat.”

“Oh. Good to know.” She cleared her throat. “It is disturbing that you will know before I do.”

“Being able to determine pheromones is one of the greatest benefits to being an alpha.”

She froze. “Ohmygod.”

“What?”

“Drake used to bring me chocolate and soda randomly. Well, I thought it was random.”

Kimo laughed. “How old was he?”

“It started when he was fourteen. He got his allowance and brought me chocolate and my favourite fruit gummies.”

Kimo chuckled. “I will have to question him. It is handy to have such an information source so close.”

She grimaced. “I have said too much. But huh? My parents were giving him such a hard time for morphing into an alpha, it was surprising he had time to think of anyone else.”

“Your parents didn’t like having an alpha and enhanced beta in the family?”

She snorted. “They hated having an alpha, and after my very public attack, they didn’t mention me to friends or family. I was an embarrassment.”

“So, this is why you are interested in your local roots.”

“I am interested in my local roots because it is the other half of my family. Part of the puzzle of my family lines is blank. What you have told me today has started to make a new shape in my history.” She chuckled. “I might have relatives that don’t turn away when I talk to them. Do you know how precious that can be? I used to dream of that after I got out of hospital.”

He frowned. “What do you mean they turn away?”

“My mom’s family is very uptight. Very prim, very proper, all betas. For me to have been attacked by an alpha means that I must have been having sex with him and rejected him, right? He had to be a disgruntled ex and could not be a stalker.” She stopped eating and sighed. “In my family, anything unusual had to be bad.”

Kimo frowned. “That’s horrible. I mean, my brother is an ass, but he’s still my brother.”

“You have a brother?”

“Yes. He and I are twins. He lives on one of the other islands and broods as he looks out over the ocean.”

“Does he have any specific... uh... points of interest?”

“Ocean storms. I am below the water, and he is above it. He has a friend who helps maintain him when the depression is high. He really needs a mate.”

She blinked slowly. “Oh, dear. Does he ever go into town in Wonder?”

Kimo frowned. “No. Why?”

She picked at the roll on her plate. “No reason. He’s running out of time, though. I think her visa expires in a week or so.”

He straightened. “There is a beta like you?”

“She’s not like me, but she is a beta with island designs on her back.”

“Where is she?”

“Near the resort on Wonder’s main island. I think she’s working in the tourist village.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s never idle. So, she’s running around and doing what she can so that she doesn’t go out of her mind with nerves.”

“Why doesn’t she come here?”

“Because I didn’t know that this is where someone of the description you mentioned is. We get ocean. I wasn’t looking for you; I went to visit my brother for a few weeks.”

Kimo cocked his head. “So, if my brother went to the tourist village, he might find her?”

“He might, but he should take his friend who is the bright stars.” She looked at him. “I don’t know how long she is going to be there. Her visa was expiring pretty quickly.”

“So, you have seen her mark.”

“Oh, yes. Ocean storm and brightest star.”

He nodded. “Do you mind if I...” He tapped his phone.

She nodded. “Go ahead.”

She waited while he called his brother. She popped a bit of the dessert into her mouth and chewed slowly.

He was speaking slowly, and then he sighed, exasperated. “Fine. Miss the chance, then. See if I give a fuck.”

She blinked when he hung up and sat back down. “Wow.”

“Oh, that’s just the way we communicate. He’s going to go.” He shrugged. “Keanu is stubborn and moody. Ayan usually talks him down, but he’s working on a project.”

“Oh, so starlight isn’t going to go?”

“Not this time.”

She shook her head. “This is going to suck.”

“Why?”

“If he’s as moody as you say, she’s going to avoid him. She’s had a complicated situation. One wrong word and she is out of there. She has a low tolerance for any kind of hostility.”

She paused and then looked over at him. “If you want to tell him where she works, she dives for lost items in the harbour near the inflatable course. And a few other odd jobs.”

He smiled. “Sure.”

She told him, and he texted his brother.

“Keanu’s not going to answer me. He’s flying there. I hope he reads it before he starts looking.”

She nodded. “Wait. Flying?”

“Sure.” Kimo shrugged. “I don’t really care. I have done what I could.”

“Well, you could have asked her name.”

“If he can’t sense her the way that I sensed you, he’s an idiot and deserves to die alone.” He sat down and grabbed another roll.

She said, “I just have to grab my phone from the jeep.” She got up and started to walk past him.

“Why?”

“I want to warn her he’s coming.”

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto his lap. “Nope. Sink or swim, they have to do this on their own.”

“Kimo, I just told you, and you told him. We have already interfered.”

He smiled. “My brother is difficult, and it sounds like your friend is damaged. They are going to have a lot to work out.”

“Yeah, and she can defend herself. He does the wrong thing, and she will hand his ass to him.” She looked at him frankly.

“Oh, so when you said Ayan should go too, you meant it.”

“Yup.”

He smiled slowly. She felt his erection under her thigh. She tried to leave his lap, but he held her there.

“You have wandered into my vicinity; I am not going to let you go without taking a reward for my restraint.”

He threaded a hand through her hair and slowly lowered his mouth to hers. She sighed against his lips, and he smiled and deepened the kiss.

She hadn’t properly made out with someone since she was a teen, and this was far from proper. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him, lifting her higher until she was kneeling on his thighs.

Heat pooled in her body as they kissed, and he slowly rubbed her back. Eventually, she was going to have to walk back to the station. Eventually.