"Kinda hot?"
"Fucking hot."
"Good. Mind if I take a better look? For study purposes. So I can properly replicate the experience."
"Go for it."
Liv slipped under the water. She was careful, but the fae broke free and swam off, gone in a flash.
Liv broke the surface and gulped air, saying, "Shit, I'm sorry."
He answered by pulling her into a deep kiss then saying, "That was just the amuse-bouche. This is what I want."
He carried her to the bank, still kissing. When he started boosting her up onto the rocks, though, she said, "Uh-uh," and scooted out from his grip, presumably remembering the game, and he was about to say fuck that, he'd forfeit. But she was only turning him around, now putting his back to the rocky edge. Then she kissed him again, her arms around his neck, his around her waist. He started easing onto the rock, boosting her up to straddle him, but she held back, saying, "I do believe I promised something else entirely," kissed him on the chin and started working her way down.
"You don't have to," he said.
She grinned up at him. "I want to. I've been inspired."
"I sure won't stop you, but I'm not sure how well it will work when you can't breathe underwater."
"Inspired and challenged. No fae mermaid is showing me up."
He was about to say that wasn't possible, but she was already under the water and . . .
He arched back into the rocky wall, eyes closing as his hips rose to meet her. The fae's efforts had been a very fine tease, particularly with an audience, but this was what he wanted.
When he heard Liv come up and gasp for air, he reached to pull her the rest of the way, to say that was good enough, but she'd only surfaced for breath and then went back down and fuck, yes.
He reached under the water, his fingers in her hair, careful not to hold her down but wrapping his fingers in her hair as she moved.
He closed his eyes and remembered her expression, watching him, curiosity and genuine pleasure and excitement, watching as--
Thunder rolled through the sky, and while that might make a perfectly fine metaphor, when he looked up, he saw actual lightning flash.
Liv surfaced and the thunder came again.
"Damn," she murmured. "That's not good."
He started to say it was fine, put his hands on her head and guide her back down and--
Lightning flashed. While they were standing in a pool of water.
"Fuck," he said.
"Don't worry. I won't leave you hanging. Just give me a minute."
She started going back down.
He put his hand on her arm, stopping her.
"No?" she said.
"Pretty sure there's a game in progress," he said.
She smiled. "I'll
give you a pass on this. Just let me finish before that--"