Sink or Swim Read online

  Jonah ran one finger down her cheek, his smile satiated and contented. “Hey, don't give up so easily, baby. You just never know what might turn up."

  Chapter Eight

  Samie eased the door shut after Jonah, not wanting to wake Kally Anne. Damn it, she really though he'd stay the whole night. A sigh feathered across her lips. Not that she would have had much more time with him anyway. He was on the schedule to do a surf patrol at six-thirty in the morning.

  "Guess I should consider myself lucky,” she murmured. “At least he stayed until five o'clock, instead of taking off in the middle of the night."

  "Talking to yourself, Samie?"

  She spun about to find Kally Anne leaning against the door leading to the kitchen. “Ackk! You scared the shit out of me. I thought you were asleep."

  "Nah, stomach woke me up. I was hungry so I went hunting for something to nibble on.” She waved the cold chicken leg in her hand. “Was that Jonah leaving?"

  "Shh!” Samie waved her to silence. Once again, Jonah had not gone to his flat, but was on his way outside.

  Racing into her bedroom, Samie tossed her robe onto the end of the bed, grabbed a pair of shorts and bikini top, and shrugged into them. Not bothering with footwear, she bolted out to the living room again. Easing the door open, she listened.

  "Um, maybe this isn't such a good thing, Samie. Sometimes, it's better not knowing."

  "I have to know,” Samie whispered. “I couldn't stand it if I were just someone he could screw around with and then walk away. I need one good memory to take with me when I have to go live in the ocean."

  When she could no longer hear Jonah's footsteps on the apartment stairs, Samie followed him down, taking care not to let the metal treads ring as she stepped on them. Once down, she peered around the entrance to the apartment block. Jonah was walking away from her, heading towards Shark Cove.

  As was normal in the tropical northern part of Australia, dawn came early. Streaks of pink and yellow slashed across the sky as the sun peeped over the horizon. Another perfect day in paradise. If only she could say the same about her life.

  She waited until Jonah's outline was nothing but a speck in the distance before she took off after him. The fine sand squeaked under her feet as she ran flat out to the entrance to Shark Cove. Once there, she rested up against one of the weathered boulders and tried to catch her breath.

  Jonah had stripped off his clothes and had waded out into the water, something dark bundled up in his right arm. For a moment, she stared, mesmerized by the sight of his body. The strong shoulders tapering to a narrow waist. The muscled buttocks gilded by the rising sun. The long length of his bare legs breaking the blue of the water.

  Holy cow, this guy really did push all her buttons. Her stomach muscles clenched. Heat streaked through her blood, heading south to flood her vagina. The breath caught in her throat. Samie slid her hand down to the apex of her thighs, cupping her pussy through the fabric of her shorts. Freakin’ hell, a night of lovemaking and she was ready to go another round. She—

  Hang on just a cotton-pickin’ moment. What the hell was Jonah doing leaving her bed to go swimming? And at this time?

  Before her eyes, Jonah sank down into the water and struck out for the rocks on the seaward side of the cove. His dark head bobbed above the waves for a moment and then he dived, disappearing from sight.

  Samie scanned the ocean, but couldn't see him. The only thing visible was a colony of seals swimming around the opening of the cove. A big, black, bull seal appeared, rounding up the rest of the group, seal pups included, and herding them into the cove and up onto the rocks. For a second, Samie wondered why, but not for long.

  A black fin sliced through the water, tracking across the entrance. Oh God, a shark. Thank Heavens the bull seal had moved the babies. It wouldn't be the first time a shark had taken the seal pups.

  She looked around for Jonah. She couldn't see him anywhere. Panic swamped her and she screamed out his name. “Jonah!"

  Pain ate at her gut, as if someone had kicked her. She couldn't breath. Opening her mouth, she dragged in a fresh draft of oxygen, but all it did was make her light-headed. The panic morphed into terror. Terror for Jonah, the only man she'd ever loved.

  Running down to where the waves lapped at the shoreline, she kept searching for him. Suddenly, she saw his head break the surface of the water. “Jonah, get out of the water. Shark!” She pointed behind him at the ominous dark fin moving closer and closer to him.

  She saw him look over his shoulder and then he dived again and Samie lost sight of him. Hand covering her mouth, she tried to contain the sobs threatening to break free. Twisting her head first one way and then the other, she skimmed the water, but no sign of Jonah.

  "Samie, it's okay. I'm safe."

  She spun about at the sound of his voice. He was climbing down from the rocks on the side of the cove. He must have come ashore further down to avoid the shark. Reaction setting in, she started to shake. Tears poured down her face as she ran across the sand and threw herself into his arms.

  "Shh, it's alright,” he whispered, patting her back.

  "Damn you, it's not alright. That shark could have taken you.” She pulled back, bunched her hand into a fist and thumped him on the chest. “How could you be so careless? To swim at this time—feeding time—when the sun isn't even fully up. It's ... it's...” She couldn't go on. Instead, she burst into tears again and hugged him tight.

  Jonah slid a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to his. Lowering his head, he claimed her lips in a sweet, soul-searching kiss. Samie melted into him, trying to get as close as she could to his heat. Right now, she didn't need the fire. She wanted reassurance that he was okay and his gentle kiss did that.

  "I'm sorry I scared you,” he said.

  "Is this what you do every night when you leave me? Go swimming?"

  He nodded.

  "That's so dangerous. You know the sharks are out and about then. And why the middle of the night, for crying out loud?"

  He stepped away from her and started pulling his clothes on. When he finally zipped up his jeans, he turned to face her. “I really wasn't it any danger, baby.” She opened her mouth to remonstrate with him, but he laid a finger across her lips. “I have an ... affinity with the water, I guess you could say. I don't feel whole unless I can swim every night."

  He buzzed her mouth with another light kiss. “I need to get back. My patrol will be starting shortly, but very soon, you and I need to have a little chat so I can show you how safe I was.” He grinned. “Hey, I'm perfectly comfortable in the water."

  She snorted. “Yeah, right. Jonah the whale."

  Chapter Nine

  "Are you happy now you know he's not seeing another woman?"

  It was a slow day in the shop and Kally Anne and Samie had both gravitated outside to watch the holidaymakers on the beach. Samie tossed a grin over her shoulder at her friend. “Yeah, at least I know I'm not just a casual screw for him, but this swimming at night has to stop."

  "Yeah, that's totally bizarre,” Kally Anne said, propping one shoulder against the doorframe. “I mean, he knows the ocean. He knows how dangerous it is to swim by himself, let alone at night. Anything could happen to him."

  "Like a shark attack! I was scared witless this morning.” She stared across at the lifeguard tower. Jonah only had another hour or so and his shift would be finished. Hmm, wonder if I can talk him into a little horizontal wrestling to fill in time after that?

  A delicious shiver tracked down her spine and the blood in her veins turned molten just thinking of getting down and dirty with Jonah.

  "Get your mind out of the gutter, girl.” Kally Anne laughed. “You are so poor at hiding your feelings. Every emotion shows on your face."

  Samie laughed. “So I enjoy making love with him.” She shrugged. “Who wouldn't?"

  She turned her attention back to Jonah and the beach. He'd climbed down the ladder of the tower and had collected the Beach
Closed sign. Walking down to the water's edge, he hammered it into the sand before calling for everyone to leave the water.

  "Looks like that rip got too dangerous. They're closing up shop for the moment,” Kally Anne said.

  "That'll piss off a lot of tourists.” Samie shaded her eyes with her hand so she could see through the glare of the bright sunlight. Most of the swimmers had left the sea now, but a couple remained, forcing Jonah to wade into the water to beckon them into shore.

  The rip started only about three metres out and cut through the designated swimming area at an angle. Samie could see the rippling effect of the churning water and forceful current. Anyone caught in that would find themselves swept out to sea in no time at all. And it looks like two swimmers on a surfboard were in exactly that predicament.

  "Ah hell, you wouldn't credit it, would you? It's those two damn delinquents that have been annoying the shit out of us.” Samie started to run down the beach, Kally Anne at her side. “Jonah will have to go out and get them and the bloody council hasn't fixed the surf ski yet,” she huffed.

  By the time they got to the water's edge, Jonah had tapped into the rip and allowed it to drag him out to where the boys were. Samie could see him pushing at the surfboard, his strong legs kicking as he propelled them out of the dangerous stream.

  Samie held her breath. Those kids might be a damn nuisance, but she didn't want anything happening to them. The breath rushed from her lungs as the boys started paddling towards shore. Thank God they were safe, although Samie hoped they'd had a good shake-up. Maybe then, they'd listen to the warnings from the surf lifesaver on patrol.

  "Hell, Jonah's caught in the rip now."

  At Kally Anne's horrified comment, Samie turned her attention back to the rip. Jonah struggled against the pull of the current, his long arms slicing through the water, but she could see he wasn't getting anywhere. In fact, the rip was slowly but surely winning, sweeping Jonah out to sea.

  Hand pressed to her mouth, Samie stared at the spot she'd last seen Jonah's head break water. Please, don't let anything happen to him.

  "He's being swept down the coast. Damn the council for not fixing that jet-ski."

  "It's safer if he lets the rip take him and then he can swim back to shore when it's not so strong,” Kally Anne said. She grabbed Samie's hand and gave a squeeze. “He'll be okay, Samie."

  "I can't lose him. Not yet."

  Heart pounding, Samie ran back to her shop and the garage behind it. Rolling up the door, she grabbed her scooter and the spare keys she kept hidden in the garage. Kicking over the engine, she headed up the beach.

  From what she'd heard earlier from one of the council members, the rip petered out around about Shark Cove. No way could she sit here and wait for Jonah to wander back. She had to know he was safe.

  She almost made it to the cove when the scooter bogged down in the soft sand. Flicking off the engine, Samie let it fall where it was and took off running. She was panting for breath by the time she made it down to where the waves washed up on the sand.

  There was no sign of Jonah. No dark head visible above the waves. Panic gripped her, sweeping through her body, drying her mouth until she had trouble swallowing. She waded out into the water until it was up to her thighs, still searching for any sign of Jonah. One of the large rocks protected this part of the cove, but it meant she couldn't get a good look at the ocean.

  Any thought of her fear of water disappeared, overwhelmed by images of Jonah drowning. She wanted to swim out and find him, but her swimming lessons hadn't progressed that far yet. All she was capable of at this point was dog paddling and that wasn't going to help Jonah at all.

  Moving out from behind the rock, she braced her feet, trying to stand against the wash of the waves. The wind, stronger now she wasn't protected, pulled at her hair. Strands whipped across her face, stinging like a lash. She dashed them away, her eyes trained for any sign of Jonah.

  A rogue wave, larger than the ones before or after it, marched across the surface of the sea, heading straight for her. Samie made an effort to back up into shallower water, but the wet sand sucked at her feet. As the action of the tide swept the grains from beneath her toes, she started to sink.

  Balance lost, she floundered. The wave smacked into her, sending salt spray into her face. Her feet slid out from under her and she went down. The last thing she saw before the water covered her head was Jonah, climbing up the seaward side of the huge rock.

  Thank God he's safe. The thought filtered through her brain even as salty water filled her nose and mouth. The wave washed back towards the ocean and Samie tumbled over and over. She knew she wasn't out very deep, that the sand wasn't far beneath her, but she was disoriented.

  She kicked out, trying to make her way to the surface, but her legs didn't seem to be working properly. Horror filled her and the air left in her lungs rushed out in a bubble-encrusted whoosh. Darkness hovered on the fringes of her mind and she knew she had to get out of there. Somehow! She needed oxygen and fast.

  Before the terror of drowning totally took over her mind, she saw a dark shape on the edges of her vision. The memory of the visiting shark surfaced. A large bull seal, dark brown, almost black, in colour, flashed into view.

  Remembering Jonah's tale about them eating lone baby seal, she tried to avoid it. Tried to kick out to propel herself through the water. Once again, her legs refused to cooperate.

  She glanced down. Maybe a clump of sea grass had wrapped around her legs. What she saw horrified her more than the threat of drowning.

  The change had started. Iridescent green and blue scales coated her legs from the knee down. Not a tail, but definitely the start of her metamorphosis into a mermaid.

  Not yet! I haven't learned to swim. And how can I leave Jonah?

  There was no time to find the answers. The bull seal swam close and nudged her in the side. He spun her around and then dived under her and pushed her to the surface. As Samie's head broke through the water, she sucked in fresh oxygen with a sound like an asthmatic engine.

  The seal kept nudging her, pushing her closer and closer to the beach. Her knees connected with the sandy bottom of the cove and, without standing, she crabbed her way up to the hard-packed sand. Once above the waterline, she collapsed on her side, dragging in the salt-laden air until her lungs ceased to burn.

  "Holy crap,” she croaked when she could finally speak. “That seal saved me."

  She tilted her head towards the water. The seal had retreated to slightly deeper water, although it would still be only waist-high on a grown man. It gave a flip of its tail and dived. Samie felt a pain in the region of her heart at his departure. Then her eyes opened wide and she stared at the place the seal had been.

  Jonah surfaced in place of the aquatic creature. In his right arm, he cradled a dark pelt. The same colour as the bull seal. And she was right. The water barely came up to his waist.

  Dragging herself into a sitting position, Samie tried to get her mind around this. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She swallowed and tried again as Jonah walked up the wet sand and crouched down beside her, gloriously naked.

  "You ... Y-you're the seal?” She shook her head, trying to take it all in.

  Jonah grimaced. “Whoops! Maybe we should have had that little talk a bit sooner."

  A shiver of sexual awareness slid down her spine as his dark voice washed over her. “Then my mother never lied to me about my father? Seal people really do exist?"

  He smiled. “Didn't you tell me your mum never, ever, lied?” He helped her stand, holding on to her when she stumbled. “And the word is selkie,” he said. “Like your father. And now you know why I needed to swim every night."

  Samie shook her head again. “Oh my God, I don't believe it. Well, I do and it all makes sense now. That's why you wouldn't let me explore the caves, isn't it? Your pelt was hidden there."

  "I shifted it when you showed such an interest in the caves. I hid it in a crevice on the b
ig rock that protects the bay.” He pulled her against his chest, locking his arms about her waist. “So how do you feel about all this? Reckon you can live with the idea? Because I gotta tell you, I plan on being around for a long, long time."

  The horror of the whole episode disappeared as Samie realised what this meant. “Wahoo,” she hollered. “I have the best of both worlds. I can swim with you at night as a mermaid and spend the day walking on land with you by my side.” She paused a moment before going on. “Scrap that. We can spend the day making love to each other. A far better idea.” She grinned up at him. “You know the best thing?"

  "What's that, baby?"

  "Seal sex. Whoo, kinky!"

  About the Author

  Alexis Fleming is one of those strange people who live inside their mind. No, she doesn't hear little voices ... Well, she does, just not the type you're thinking of.

  Alexis’ world is peopled with interesting characters and exciting possibilities that come to life in each and every book she writes. Her first love has always been romance, whether on this world or the next. Hot, sizzling relationships with a dash of comedy and a few trials and tribulations thrown in to test her characters.

  When she's not tied to her computer creating sizzling stories to tempt her readers, she helps run a busy motel set on the edge of a National Marine Park in Australia. What better place to get inspiration for the tales she turns out? A glorious sunset over the ocean, dolphins playing almost in her front yard, suntanned bodies lazing on the sand ... How could she not get caught up in the eroticism of that?

  Email: [email protected]

  Alexis Fleming loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at www.totalebound.com.

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