In the shower, I revel in the water. Like, full on giddy, as I dip my head under the showerhead, letting the water cover me.

I don’t know what’s happening, but it turns out water is becoming some sort of aphrodisiac.

My fingers run along my skin, as the memories of the night before flood my senses. My nipples get tight as I think about Kai licking them, my core turns to jelly as I picture Crew spreading my thighs, the way Eric filled me with himself, the way West pushed me against the wall.

My leg lifts to the wall of the tub, and my finger moves along my opening, then a second. I circle my clit, eyes closed, as warm water runs in rivulets between my breasts. I imagine Crew’s mouth pressed against my pussy, breathing hot air against me, as I came.

My breath catches as an orgasm rushes through me, my legs shaking as the walls of my pussy tighten, as my core heats up. I whimper under my own touch.

It feels so good, my finger grinding against myself, harder and harder at the memories.

I need them again.

I call out, the cry filling the bathroom with a melody I know from someplace deep inside. I call out, to them, my sailors, as I climax.

But then my thigh burns, the tattoo brightening--drawing my attention to it. I press my hand against it and bite my bottom lip to avoid calling out in pain.

Any heated thought I just had about my sailors is gone in a flash as I remember the words of warning from the selkie: “You belong to me.”

I turn off the water, catching my breath.

I don’t know where I belong, but in this moment, I know where I want to be.

On my back with my four men surrounding me.

-----

“Cheers!” Noah shouts, raising a pint. “To Harlow!”

“To Harlow,” shout the rest of Chloe’s guys, Mason, Enzo, and Ethan. As I watch them together, laughing and looking at Chloe like she’s the greatest woman alive, I realize maybe that’s why the idea of being with so many men didn’t totally overwhelm me last night.

“Thank you, guys, for coming out,” I say. And when a waitress delivers the pizzas a few minutes later and asks if I’d like another, I shake my head. “Only half a beer for me,” I say, knowing in a few hours I’ll be driving the boat for the sunset cruise.

Just as I am pulling a slice of cheesy pizza to my mouth, Chloe elbows me. “Oh my god,” she says under her breath.

My eyes widen. “What? Are you going into labor?”

“No,” she says, laughing. “Look at those guys. You should go talk to them.”

I roll my eyes. “Right, because hitting on guys at a bar is totally my thing.”

“It could be. You’re a new woman now. Oh, shit, they’re walking over here.”

I turn to look, and as I do, I spill my entire beer. Because it’s them.

“Oh, shoot,” Chloe says, as Mason jumps up and begins tossing napkins on the spill, not realizing my eyes are popping out of my head.

They see me and are drawn in as if there’s a magnetic pull. They begin to walk over, all four of them, eyes on me.

“Do you know those guys?” Enzo asks.

“Um. It’s them,” I whisper. Only Chloe hears me.

“Holy crap,” she says. Then she turns to her partners and mutters something along the lines of, “You know, the guys she met last night.”

I feel my face flush. “What did you say to them?” I mutter, shooting my bestie dagger eyes.

“I tell them everything.”

“Everything?” I gulp, remembering I told Chloe about how thrilling it was to have four different men go down on me.

“Not everything,” she says, resting a hand on my forearm. “And Harlow, you got this.”

I don’t really have a choice because they are here.

At the table, staring at me.

“Harlow?” Kai asks, incredulous. “You’re here.”

“Uh, yeah. Did you just randomly--,”

West cuts me off. “There’s nothing random about us. You know that.

“And we’d have talked about it this morning if you hadn’t left so fast,” Crew adds, crossing his arms.

“Are you mad at me?” I ask.

Eric raises his eyebrows. “You scared us half to death. We didn’t know where you went. If you’d...,” He clenches his jaw. “We aren’t mad. We were worried.”

“Sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I can understand how leaving like that would have scared you.”

“You can walk though?” Kai asks, brows furrowed. “Like, on dry land?”

Pursing my lips, I shake my head, confused. “I walked just fine last night.”

“But you’re a mermaid.”

I snort. “Uh, then how did I walk on your boat. I’m pretty sure I had legs last night.”

“I know but....” West starts, then stops and scratches his head. “But we thought you changed... for us.”

I smile. “Like, that I grew legs instead of a tail for you?”

“Something like that,” Crew admits.

“No, I told you last night. I’m not special. I’m just a person. Like you.”

West smirks. “Who has green sparkling legs and swims for miles and--,”

Chloe cuts him off by pushing her way between us and introduces herself as my best friend. Then she goes around the table finishing introductions.

“And now,” Chloe says. “We’re gonna go play shuffleboard. Why don’t you sit and have some food, there is plenty.” She smiles, pointing to her belly. “Perks of being preggo is I can make them order every pizza from the happy hour menu.”

She walks away with her guys but first looks at me with a huge ass grin basically screaming OMG.

She isn’t wrong. The guys are here.

With me.

I swallow. Are they on some evil mission to get me off course like the selkie warned?

But then they order beers from the waitress, and pick up slices of pizza and remind me that they are just regular men. Not half-seal anythings. Just guys who are sexy and smart and saved my life last night.

I have nothing to fear.

“So, Harlow,” Kai starts. “Where did you go this morning? There was a freak storm and we were scared you got caught in it.”

“I was in it,” I say slowly, remembering the way the sea seemed to split in two, how the selkie was pulled from me, how my head crashed into a rock. “But I got to shore safely.”

“Thank god,” Eric says, reaching for my hand and squeezing it. “We were so worried.”

“So, you live here, in Waikiki?” West asks.

I nod. “I’m telling the truth. I’m not some sea creature. At least, not now. I eat pizza and go surfing and --”

“Sleep with sailing teams,” Crew adds with a sly grin.

I shake my head, unsuccessfully biting back a laugh. Appreciating how natural these men make me feel. “Not plural.”

“Let’s hope not,” Kai says.

I shake my head. “I was being honest last night ... about everything. You guys were my first... My only....”

The mood shifts quickly. And while the busy restaurant is loud and full of people, when I’m with these men I feel like I’m in a cocoon, a safety net. Looking around the table, I feel their eyes on mine, watching everything I do with interest. Like they are captivated.

My mind wanders back to my spirit animal. He warned me about these men; the way they stare at me now makes me wonder why I’m leaning closer, why my body tingles, why a rush of desire courses through me.

Should I resist what I want?

“Um,” I say clearing my throat. “How did you find me?”

Crew twists his lips. “Mermaid, it happened the same way we caught you in the net happened. We were drawn here.”

My eyes widen. How do they know how to find me?

West grins. “What, you’d like it better if we came here because we wanted pizza and beer?”

I release the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Twisting the ring on my finger, I admit, “I guess it’s sweet, that you were looking for me.”

“Girl,” Kai says. “We couldn’t have lost you if we tried. Just like when we rescued you last night, we heard your call again. We knew where to come.”

I swallow, remembering the way I touched myself in the shower this afternoon, how I came so hard against my fingers and called out--to them.

They found me.

But my mind returns to the selkie’s warning. I don’t want to be made a fool of.

“Why should I trust you?” I ask. “This could be some scheme to lure me to, like, your bat-cave or something.”

Eric leans closer to me, cupping my cheek with his hand. “Don’t say things like that. What we feel is pure. It’s real. And it certainly isn’t laced with evil intentions.”

I pull my bottom lip, fear pumping in my heart. “Then why can you find me? Why can you hear my call?”

“We don’t know, but we’ll help you find out,” Kai says. “You want answers, let’s go get them.”

Crew raises an eyebrow. “You mean once the boat is fixed, and once the sponsor makes a decision?”

“What happened to your boat?” I ask.

“The storm today fucked it up,” Crew says. “We brought it in to see if the damages can be repaired.”

“And your sponsor, they’re not happy?” I frown. “That doesn’t seem fair—it’s not your fault you were caught in a freak storm.”

“Well,” West smirks. “We are pretty far off course from where they expected us to be. Which means they’re pissed.”

I run a hand through my hair. “Why were you off course? I thought you were some elite racing team?”

“We are,” Kai is quick to say. “But we were also following... something.”

I narrow my eyes. “Some force was at work to get you off track, is that what you’re saying?”

The guys nod. West reaches across the table, taking one of my hands in his. “We know it sounds crazy, but we couldn’t help it. Our boat was determined to go a different direction and we let it.”

My lips are suddenly dry, my throat parched. “And it led you to me.”

They nod. “I know it sounds intense,” Eric says softly. “But Harlow, --what we feel for you, is intense.”

I drop my shoulders. “And what am I supposed to do with that?”

Kai’s eyes meet mine, and my body tingles when he looks at me. “Let’s find out if you feel the same way about us as we do for you.”

I laugh awkwardly. “How are we going to do that? It sounds like a lot of pressure.”

“It doesn’t have to be high pressure. You could show us your town,” Crew says. “You already introduced us to your friends.”

“Yeah, sounds fun,” I groan. “But I have to work tonight. I’m taking a group out on a sunset cruise.”

“When?” Eric asks.

I look at the clock on the wall. “In about forty-five minutes.”

“Can we get a shaved ice and walk you to work?” West asks. His smile is infectious.

There’s no way in hell I could resist that grin. So, I don’t.