her?’
Sherri’s face was slightly concealed by darkness, but he saw the whites of her eyes clearly enough. ‘Um...yeah? The blonde, curly haired guy? Right as she left, he came to the door, saw her, called out, but she didn’t hear him. So he went around the bar, towards the beach. I gathered he was going to cut her off.’
‘Ugh!’ Lincoln dropped his head into his hands, but he was so drunk that the force almost caused his elbows to slide off his knees and into the water. Tristan had come back! He’d been right there, and Link had been too Ivyanne-focused to even see him! ‘Son of a-’
‘Ssh!’ There was a tug on his foot and the sound of water lapping against Lux’s body. ‘Link...chill. You’ve got too much booze in your system to get worked up over something that happened hours ago.’
‘Too much?’ Sherri repeated. ‘He had like, three .’
‘Well, he’s sleep deprived.’ Lux fibbed. ‘And I didn’t see him eat all day.’
‘Oh. I was going to say….lightweight, for a bartender!’
Lincoln shook his head, barely hearing them. He didn’t care if he let something mer slip out in front of a human. At that moment, he just wanted to die. Where was Tristan now? Were he and Ivyanne still together? Why had he returned? Had she known? Angry tears sprung to his eyes.
‘This is hopeless..’ He swept the tears back into his hair, lifting his head so he could inhale a calming breath through his nose. His lung swelled up with chlorine, honeysuckle, and a hint of fertilizer, but not relief. ‘He’s going to win. He’s just got too much going for him...least of all, the ability to fund three flights in one bloody day!’
‘Hey..’ Lux’s Scottish accent made the soothing whisper more comforting than it might have normally been. Her hand slid up his leg grasping his knee. ‘You’ve got plenty going for you, Lincoln Grey. You just need to believe in yourself.’
‘How can I do that, when Ivyanne’s love for me is the only thing I’ve ever completely believed in?’ He shook his head, staring into the water behind Lux so he wouldn’t glimpse more than he already had. ‘I can act as confident as I want, but it’s still just an act. At the end of the day...I’m just too damn insecure to do what I need to-grab her by the hair and drag her back to my damn cave.’ Bitterness coated his tongue. ‘Like he did.’
‘You want some self-esteem?’ Lux’s fingertips curled, tickling the inside of his kneecap. ‘How about the fact that you have two scantily clad girls in a spa with you, who are silently praying that you let them make you feel better?’
Lincoln stared at her, flabbergasted. Those beautiful eyes returned his gaze soberly, full of blatant desire. He looked to Sherri to break her hold.
‘Sorry Sherri,’ he said apologetically. ‘She’s drunk. I know she’s speaking on her own little horny behalf and nothing is going to come of it, so don’t worry.’
‘I wasn’t.’ Sherri smiled, sliding out from under the shadow of the cluster of trees behind her and bringing her hand down on the button to activate the spa bubbles. The motor in the garden whirred awake, and the jets began to hiss and spit near his calves. ‘I’m quite comfortable...right here.’
‘Girls…be serious.’ Lincoln squeezed his eyes shut as though he could activate the logical part of his brain by doing so. But with his eyes closed, his other senses began to compete for supremacy-the sensation of a warm, wet hand sliding up his thigh coming out on top. ‘You’re messing with me, yeah?’
‘Do you hear me laughing?’ Lux’s fingertips slipped under the hem of his shorts, and his manhood twitched in reflex to their proximity. ‘I mean, I can’t speak for Sherri, but this doesn’t have to be a big deal, or even something that’s spoken about. It’ll just be cathartic, for both of us.’
‘No it won’t,’ Link whispered, bringing his hand down on hers, halting her progression. Her
Sherri’s face was slightly concealed by darkness, but he saw the whites of her eyes clearly enough. ‘Um...yeah? The blonde, curly haired guy? Right as she left, he came to the door, saw her, called out, but she didn’t hear him. So he went around the bar, towards the beach. I gathered he was going to cut her off.’
‘Ugh!’ Lincoln dropped his head into his hands, but he was so drunk that the force almost caused his elbows to slide off his knees and into the water. Tristan had come back! He’d been right there, and Link had been too Ivyanne-focused to even see him! ‘Son of a-’
‘Ssh!’ There was a tug on his foot and the sound of water lapping against Lux’s body. ‘Link...chill. You’ve got too much booze in your system to get worked up over something that happened hours ago.’
‘Too much?’ Sherri repeated. ‘He had like, three .’
‘Well, he’s sleep deprived.’ Lux fibbed. ‘And I didn’t see him eat all day.’
‘Oh. I was going to say….lightweight, for a bartender!’
Lincoln shook his head, barely hearing them. He didn’t care if he let something mer slip out in front of a human. At that moment, he just wanted to die. Where was Tristan now? Were he and Ivyanne still together? Why had he returned? Had she known? Angry tears sprung to his eyes.
‘This is hopeless..’ He swept the tears back into his hair, lifting his head so he could inhale a calming breath through his nose. His lung swelled up with chlorine, honeysuckle, and a hint of fertilizer, but not relief. ‘He’s going to win. He’s just got too much going for him...least of all, the ability to fund three flights in one bloody day!’
‘Hey..’ Lux’s Scottish accent made the soothing whisper more comforting than it might have normally been. Her hand slid up his leg grasping his knee. ‘You’ve got plenty going for you, Lincoln Grey. You just need to believe in yourself.’
‘How can I do that, when Ivyanne’s love for me is the only thing I’ve ever completely believed in?’ He shook his head, staring into the water behind Lux so he wouldn’t glimpse more than he already had. ‘I can act as confident as I want, but it’s still just an act. At the end of the day...I’m just too damn insecure to do what I need to-grab her by the hair and drag her back to my damn cave.’ Bitterness coated his tongue. ‘Like he did.’
‘You want some self-esteem?’ Lux’s fingertips curled, tickling the inside of his kneecap. ‘How about the fact that you have two scantily clad girls in a spa with you, who are silently praying that you let them make you feel better?’
Lincoln stared at her, flabbergasted. Those beautiful eyes returned his gaze soberly, full of blatant desire. He looked to Sherri to break her hold.
‘Sorry Sherri,’ he said apologetically. ‘She’s drunk. I know she’s speaking on her own little horny behalf and nothing is going to come of it, so don’t worry.’
‘I wasn’t.’ Sherri smiled, sliding out from under the shadow of the cluster of trees behind her and bringing her hand down on the button to activate the spa bubbles. The motor in the garden whirred awake, and the jets began to hiss and spit near his calves. ‘I’m quite comfortable...right here.’
‘Girls…be serious.’ Lincoln squeezed his eyes shut as though he could activate the logical part of his brain by doing so. But with his eyes closed, his other senses began to compete for supremacy-the sensation of a warm, wet hand sliding up his thigh coming out on top. ‘You’re messing with me, yeah?’
‘Do you hear me laughing?’ Lux’s fingertips slipped under the hem of his shorts, and his manhood twitched in reflex to their proximity. ‘I mean, I can’t speak for Sherri, but this doesn’t have to be a big deal, or even something that’s spoken about. It’ll just be cathartic, for both of us.’
‘No it won’t,’ Link whispered, bringing his hand down on hers, halting her progression. Her
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