Angels & Sinners: The Motor City Edition Page 5

  She slowly walked towards me, her naked body glorious, when I realized that one part of my body was still able to move. I tried not to feel embarrassed when her eyes raked over my body, and she looked at the bulge in my pants curiously, before bringing her eyes back up to mine.

  Like she had last night, she brought her hand to my face and smiled as she feathered her fingers along my cheek. My blood began to boil and my body caught fire. I’d never wanted to kiss someone so badly in my life, but I was powerless to do anything but stand there and hope she read my pleas.

  She tilted her head to the side and looked at me for a moment before speaking in a soft and utterly sweet voice, “If you promise not to hurt me, I’ll free you.”

  Hurt her? I wanted to worship her . . .

  She must have surmised I was harmless, because within seconds I tested my freedom by moving my fingers and found I was able to move again. I didn’t want to scare her away though, so I remained still.

  My heart was pounding rapidly in my chest at the thought of reaching out and touching her, but I controlled my urges.

  “Hello,” I said softly, eager to hear her beautiful voice again.

  She smiled sweetly and responded, “Hello.”

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  She tilted her head again, and looked at me, confused.

  “You know,” I urged. “What do people call you?”

  She smiled again and shook her head, her hair falling seductively around her shoulders.

  “I am not called anything.”

  What?

  I looked at her, puzzled. “You mean you have no name?”

  She shook her head again, bemused. “Are you called something?” She asked.

  “Yes, my name is Josh,” I responded.

  She brought her hand to my cheek once more, and this time I was able to bring my hand up and place it on top of hers. Her skin was silky smooth, and when our hands touched, the effect was electrifying. She closed her eyes, the smile still on her lips, as if she was enjoying the sensation our contact brought her.

  She took a step closer and her naked breasts brushed against me. It felt as if my chest had been branded with hers, and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to grab her to me and kiss her fiercely, as I dragged her to the ground beneath me.

  She opened her eyes, and I gasped at the heat radiating from them.

  “Where did you come from?” I asked.

  “The water,” She stated simply.

  I looked at her with wonder, having no idea what she meant by that.

  “Where are your clothes?” Not that I was complaining . . . her body was straight out of my best fantasy.

  “Clothes?” She asked. Before I had a chance to respond, she brought her other hand up and placed it on my other cheek. She looked at me curiously, before pulling my head down and placing her lips on mine.

  As far as kisses go, this one was pretty chaste, but the moment the fullness of her lips touched mine, my body turned as hard as granite. I brought my hand up slowly, so as not to frighten her off. I brought it to the back of her neck and gathered her fiery red locks in my fist. She moaned against my lips at the contact, causing my vision to blur and my hips to rock against her of their own volition.

  She jumped back, with a startled gasp.

  Shit! I needed to control my damn over-eager body.

  “Sorry,” I said softly, stopping my hand mid-way when I realized I was reaching for her. I hoped I didn’t freak her out.

  She looked down at my body, her hand on her tender lips as she brought her eyes back up to mine. She looked confused, yet there seemed to be interest in her eyes. At least, I hoped that was interest. I closed my eyes and tried to turn my thoughts to something that would calm my body, so she didn’t feel uncomfortable from my raging hard-on.

  Kittens, spreadsheets, my mother in a swim suit . . .

  I exhaled softly and opened my eyes. She was staring at me with a little smirk on her face.

  “You’re strange,” she stated softly.

  I grinned at her.

  “You’re standing before me, naked as the day you were born, claiming to come from the water, and I’m strange?”

  She nodded and started to speak, when a loud horn blew in the distance.

  She looked off towards the noise, then back at me.

  “I have to go.”

  I took a step towards her, my arm outstretched, as if in doing so I could keep her with me.

  “Why?”

  She shook her head and turned towards the water.

  “Wait,” I said, choosing to ignore the way the desperation in my voice made me sound like I was whipped. “When will I see you again?”

  She turned her head, and I stopped, speechless, at the site. Her long hair flowed across her back, coming just to the curve of her amble bottom, which curved seductively. Her milky skin seemed to shine, and her face was beautiful enough to bring a man to his knees.

  “Tonight,” she said with a slight curve of her lips. “Meet me by the water?”

  “Where?”

  “Where we first met.”

  She took off at a run and dove headfirst into the water. I ran to the water’s edge and tried to get a glimpse of her under the surface, but all I saw was a ripple of water in the distance.

  I stood there for a while, scanning and straining to find her. When I realized it was no use, I made my way back to the dock and the items I’d left there. I loaded everything back on the boat, and rowed my way to shore.

  My head was filled with thoughts of her as I walked across the lush grounds. When I approached the Bed & Breakfast, I noticed my party lounging outside with Mrs. O, having a drink and laughing as they conversed.

  “I saw her again!” I exclaimed when I was close enough for them to hear me.

  “Who’s that?” Kyle asked from his Adirondack chair, Deb’s hand in his.

  “The woman from last night . . . from the water,” I said excitedly as I sat down next to Marcus.

  “What the hell are you talking about, mate?” Marcus asked lazily as he brought his drink to his lips and looked at me suspiciously.

  “I went into the water last night because I saw a woman . . . was drawn to her. I thought it must have been the drink and I was hallucinating, but I saw her again today out on the Island.”

  “A woman?” Kyle asked. “First in the water and then while you were fishing. Where did she come from?”

  “What did she look like?” Marcus asked at the same time.

  “Amazing, flawlessly perfect,” I said first to Marcus, then I turned to Kyle. “She said she came from the water. Both times I saw her, she was stark naked.”

  Everyone looked at me for a moment, not saying a word, then Marcus bust out laughing.

  “Fuck you,” he said loudly. “You almost had me, mate.”

  I shook my head, trying to figure out a way to get them to believe me.

  “No, I’m telling the truth, I swear. On my parent’s grave,” I said quietly, causing the laughter to stop.

  “It’s not possible,” Kyle said softly, his voice gentle and low, like he thought I was about to crack or something.

  “Of course it’s possible,” Mrs. O piped in. “We’ve had mermaids in our waters for centuries.”

  “Mermaids?” I asked, shocked. “Look, I know it sounds crazy, and I’m not sure how to explain it yet, but the woman I saw was definitely a woman.”

  Mrs. O chuckled as she rose, pulling her sweater tightly around her shoulders. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up, and I’ll bring you some nice tea by the fire inside. Then I’ll tell you a story about our mermaids.”

  When she went inside, I turned to the others and clarified, “I never said anything about a mermaid.”

  “No, just a hot naked chick from the water,” Marcus said wryly.

  “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to miss this story, I’m going in,” Deb said.

  Kyle stood up and held out his hand
to help Deb out of her chair.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Marcus agreed.

  I followed them inside, not saying a word, as a million questions ran through my head.

  It just wasn’t possible.

  I washed up quickly and threw on some clean clothes, then went to meet everyone by the fire. When I walked in, they were already seated and waiting for story time to begin, because that’s exactly what this was going to be, a story. Just like the countless other tales we’d heard since arriving in Ireland.

  “Here you are, Josh,” Mrs. O said, handing me a steaming cup of tea before settling in to her chair by the fire. She sat back deeply, cradling her tea in her hand, and staring into the fire for a few moments before speaking.

  We all waited quietly, eager for her to begin.

  “Legend has it that the mermaids ruled these waters long before man found their way to the lands. They were a lonely lot, all females, and desperate for the love and companionship of a man. When man started to settle here, they began to tell stories of beautiful women, coming seemingly from nowhere and captivating them with their beauty. At first, there were only sightings, until one lad named Liam, fell in love with one of the girls. It was said that he would sneak out of his house at night, just to get a glimpse of the woman he loved. He said she was from the water, and everyone claimed that their love was doomed, but Liam told his family that he had a choice to make: live in sadness without his mate, or join her forever in the water. Now of course, his family thought him mad, but they loved their son, and wanted him to be happy, so they told him the decision was his to make. He met his love by the water one evening and his decision was clear. He shed his clothes and joined her in the water, swimming deep into the water below, until there was no more air in his lungs, and no more fear in his heart.”

  “He killed himself?” I asked, causing Deb to gasp, her hand at her mouth.

  Mrs. O shook her head and said, “He was seen years later, in the water by his family’s land.”

  “That’s impossible,” I responded.

  “The mermaids seek out men to spend their lives with and continue their family line. They are magical, yet innocent creatures, and they choose only men with the purest of hearts. You are a lucky man, Josh. Most men go their lifetime without ever bearing witness to one of these creatures, and you’ve seen yours twice.”

  I shook my head, trying to deny the story she was telling me.

  “She’s not mine . . . And, it’s just a story,” I countered. “Mermaids are not real.”

  “So, you said that he was seen again, does that mean that Liam was able to come back and see his family?” Kyle asked.

  “Aye, once he was fully adapted to the water, Liam was able to come back and see his family. He was even able to bring back his children to visit from time to time.”

  “Children?” This was asked by Deb. “They can have children?”

  “Aye, lass, but only females are born, which is why the mermaids come to the land to find their mates. They want to find a mate who will love and cherish them. Someone to spend the remainder of their lives with,” Mrs. O turned her head and looked at me with a smile. “Just like everyone else does.”

  “That’s a lovely story, Mrs. O, really it is,” I said softly. “But it just isn’t realistic.”

  “Sometimes you need to have faith in love, Josh. You’d be surprised at what’s possible, if you want it bad enough, and you believe.” Mrs. O got up and walked towards me slowly. She placed her hand on my cheek and looked into my eyes. “You’ve a kind heart, don’t let your stubborn mind get in the way of your happiness. Now, it’s off with the lot of you. You have dinner to get to, and I have a date with my own handsome man.”

  I watched her leave, lost in thought when I was jarred back to reality by a slap on my back.

  “C’mon, lover boy,” Marcus said heartily. “Let’s go get some grub and a pint.”

  “All right,” I responded. “But no more talk of mermaids.”

  “Done,” Kyle said with a smile, as he led Deb out of the room.

  We weren’t in the pub more than ten minutes, before Marcus asked the bartender to spin a tale about the local mermaids, which started hours of stories, songs, and poems, about the beauties that brought men to their knees and took them out to sea. By the time our meal was over, I was ready to kill Marcus, but he, Kyle, and Deb sat enthralled as they listened to the tales.

  “I’m going to get some air,” I said to Kyle softly, so as not to alert Marcus and have him cause a scene.

  Kyle just nodded at me, distracted, then turned his head abruptly and said, “Stay out of the water this time. I don’t want to have to fish you out again.”

  I nodded at him and slipped quietly out the door. I made my way down to the spot I’d met the woman that first night, my mind a confused mixture of speculation and theories. Obviously, she wasn’t a mermaid, but who the hell was she? What was this strange hold she had over me, and why did I feel compelled to be with her? There must be a logical explanation for all of it.

  When I got to the base of the cliff, I looked around, trying to see if she was already there, but it was nearly impossible to tell. I’d forgotten how completely dark it was down here. I started to move to the left, when I heard her mesmerizing voice call out from behind me.

  “Josh,” I turned towards her voice and felt a swift kick in the gut when I once again saw her glorious form before me.

  I started to move slowly towards her, and this time she let me.

  “Hello,” I responded with a smile on my face. Something about her presence made me feel a joy that I’d never felt before. “I feel like I should call you something.”

  “What do you mean?” She asked, and I felt my body tremble, when she was close enough to put her hand on my arm.

  “A name,” I replied, my eyes surveying her face greedily. I never wanted to forget this woman. I wanted to remember every inch of her. “I feel weird not calling you anything and referring to you as “that woman”.”

  “What would you like to call me?” She asked with a smile as she brought her hand up to my face and touched me softly.

  I looked into her brilliantly jade eyes and momentarily lost my wits.

  “Muirin,” I said finally, thinking back to one of the songs that had been sung in the pub.

  “Meer-een?” She asked.

  “Yes, it means “born of the sea”,” I responded. I brought my hand up to touch her hair, and was surprised at how silky it felt between my fingers.

  Muirin closed her eyes and made a sound of pleasure, as I ran my hand through her hair. My body felt as though it sprang to life and I closed my eyes briefly to try and rein the passion in. I didn’t want to frighten her with my exuberance.

  “That is perfect, Josh.”

  I opened my eyes and looked at Muirin, not wanting to break the spell and ruin the moment, but compelled to learn the truth.

  “What are you?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

  “I think you know what I am,” she stated simply. Gone was the look of innocent pleasure. Her face held strength and determination, and I realized that her eyes were glowing and I no longer had the ability to move. Her hair whipped wildly around her, and I felt the temperature become much cooler. “Look deep within your heart, and you will see who and what I am, and what I mean to you. I am the one that you have been waiting for, so you could begin to live the life that you are meant. With me.” The last two words she said fiercely, almost as if she was branding me as hers, and no one else’s.

  The wind died down and the light of her eyes dimmed, and I felt control being released back to my limbs. Her words terrified and revitalized me at the same time, and left me feeling bereft.

  “I leave tomorrow,” I stated, my hand finding hers without thought.

  The sadness on her face at my declaration, caused pain to shift in my heart.

  “Why?” She asked simply.

  “Our trip here is over, I must return b
ack to the states and go back to work.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  “What do you mean what I want, what other choice do I have?” Frustration and longing tore through me as I gazed upon the sweetness of her face.

  “You can choose to live your life with me, or without me,” Muirin responded.

  “What does that even mean?” I asked harshly. “I’ve only just met you, and always under the strangest circumstances. And you’re always naked. Not that I’m complaining mind you, but don’t you have any clothes? And what would that mean for me, would I always be naked too? Where would we live? I mean, I’m an okay swimmer, but not good enough to swim for the rest of my life. Why am I even talking about this? It’s crazy! Totally fucking out-of-your-ever-lovin’-mind nuts!”

  When I finally stopped to catch my breath I realized I felt much better after getting all of that off my chest.

  Muirin came towards me until our bodies were almost touching, and put her finger on my lips.

  “Shhh, you think too much.”

  “What makes you think that I’m the man for you?” I asked against her fingertip, unable to stop the question.

  “I felt it as soon as you arrived,” she said, a brilliant smile taking over her face. “I knew it, right here,” she placed her hand over her heart and looked at me serenely. “Don’t make the decision with your mind,” she moved her hand from her heart to mine. “Make it with your heart.”

  Muirin turned and walked back out into the water, turning to give me one last heartbreaking look filled with yearning. “Come to me tomorrow.”

  I stood there staring out in to the vast darkness for what felt like hours. Waiting for a sign, or maybe just waiting for her to come back. Every logical part of my brain screamed that I was crazy for even considering that the legends were true. The smart thing to do would be to return to my life, and find a nice girl to settle down with, and forget that I’d ever met Muirin.

  Then why did the last look I’d seen on her face haunt me so?

  “Seriously?”

  I looked up to see Marcus, Kyle, and Deb staring down at me. I couldn’t see very well, but it looked like Marcus had his hands in the air in a “what the fuck?” gesture.