Making Waves (Mythological Lovers) Read online

  Making Waves

  By Vivienne Savage

  All material contained herein is Copyright © Vivienne Savage 2015. All rights reserved.

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  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  ~Alessa~

  A cool morning breeze blew through the open windows, filling my beachside home with the ocean-scented wind. I breathed it in and finished sipping the steaming, green-tinted water in my ceramic tea mug. Once I’d had enough of the jasmine and green tea blend, I tipped the remaining liquid into the sink and breezed into the bathroom to start my day.

  Part of my employment on the island included a small, private home away from the tourists. In less than a fifteen-minute walk I reached the beach, my swimsuit worn beneath jogging shorts. Most of the visitors didn’t venture into the water until afternoon, choosing to fill their morning hours with the resort’s attractions.

  A lone figure ran along the damp sand where the water washed up over the shore. I recognized Kekoa immediately. Every morning like clockwork he jogged the same strip of land before heading into work as the owner’s right hand man. He veered off his route and headed my way.

  My eyes crept over him, losing the battle to maintain eye contact. Kekoa was an absolute hard-bodied fox with impressive muscles beneath smooth, golden-brown skin. Black tribal tattoos spread over his left shoulder and down his bicep, an intricate homage to his Pacific Islander ancestry.

  I drooled over him often.

  “Good morning, Kekoa.”

  “The same to you, Alessa. I’m glad I caught you, actually. Teo would like to see you during lunch.”

  I wonder what he wants. “Thanks. I’ll be there.” I waved and he continued his jog down the sandy curve.

  The owner of the resort was tall, dark, handsome, and green-eyed, but with a name like Teotihuacan Arcillanegro, most of us call him by Teo for short. He’s a nice guy, if you can call him a guy at all.

  He’s actually a dragon. I first found out the secret about him a couple years ago while freediving around one of his islands for a research project. Now I'm under an ironclad nondisclosure agreement that’ll probably take me for everything I’m worth if I tell. So to avoid losing his friendship and paying out a devastating lawsuit, I kept my mouth shut, because silence was better than getting covered in whatever condiment a dragon prefers to dollop on his meals.

  I don’t think he’d really eat me, but some of us longtimers like to make macabre jokes. He even seemed like a different man since his wedding. Still intimidating, but also more approachable.

  With Teo’s request in mind, I checked into work for the day but kept an eye on the clock. The smell of saline water and marine animals surrounded me, a welcoming scent I’d come to love in the five years since my arrival on the island.

  “Mornin’, Alessa!” Julia called.

  “Hey, girl.”

  “Cutting it a little close, aren’t you?” My brunette friend grinned at me and pointed to the time. I was due to arrive fifteen minutes ago to begin my water sampling.

  I sulked at her. “I’m the assistant manager. You’re not supposed to call me out for being late.”

  “If I don’t bust your proverbial balls, your head may get as big as the doctor’s ego,” she chirped happily.

  “Ugh. Yeah. Bust away,” I said with a grimace on my face.

  Despite Isla de los Sueños’ location off the Yucatán Peninsula, the resort’s employees came from a wide background. On his private island, Teo made his own rules, hiring the people best for the job whether they were local or traveling from as far as Japan. Contrasting the laid-back dragon, our manager was a stiff-upper-lip kind of Brit with a dry, grating accent and a superiority complex.

  I loved the resort. Unlike other parks with aquatic divisions, we didn’t maintain captive animals. As an earth dragon, Teo had a unique gift, allowing him to communicate wants and needs to other creatures.

  Every single animal was here because it wanted to be here, usually joining our crew for as little as a few days to as long as a couple of weeks. We had some repeat performers who enjoyed the attention from humans, so sometimes the same dolphin appeared three or four times in a year.

  As an employee in the resort, I’d learned more about animals, their relationships, and how they viewed humans than I ever did while studying in college to become a marine biologist.

  “Earth to Alessa. You better get on those samples before Doctor Castlebury arrives.”

  I snapped out of my daydream of swimming with the dolphins and hurried to collect my testing supplies. “Sorry. Long, sleepless night. I had all kinds of weird dreams about swimming in the ocean.”

  “It wasn’t that shark dream again, was it?”

  I shook my head and stepped over to one of the fish hatchery tanks. Teo was against the use of wild caught specimens in the aquariums, so we had established a captive bred marine fish program on the island. “No. This was different. I think I was swimming with someone.”

  “Someone sexy?” Julia ventured.

  “Yeah. Maybe. It’s hard to remember the details,” I said.

  As we fell into our usual routines, I caught up on my work then peeked in on the seahorse nursery. One of the dads was ready to pop, and at any moment, a swarm of little babies would spill from the delicate creature. I loved watching seahorse birth.

  “So... normally I wouldn’t bring this up, but he looked so pitiful I promised to at least ask. Ricardo is really sorry about how things went and wishes you’d unblock his number.”

  “Screw him. Your brother is a prick.”

  Julia sighed. “I’ll pass it on.”

  We worked diligently until lunch when the alarm on my phone reminded me of Teo’s request.

  “I better go. The big boss wants to see me for lunch.”

  “Uh oh.”

  Judy, his secretary, greeted me with a big smile and a hug when I entered the administrative compound. “He’s waiting for you in his office.”

  “Great.” I stepped through the door and into tropical paradise. A few years back, his office was a barren square with a window and computer desk. Between Teo and his wife, it now rivaled one of the rainforest greenhouses littering the island.

  A scarlet macaw perched beside the window. My entrance motivated it to shuffle and dance the length of the wooden pole beneath its gray feet. I laughed.

  “Hi, Bailador,” I greeted him. “I love you, too.”

  “And where is my hello?” Teo demanded.

  My sexy-as-sin boss rose to his feet. Instead of business suits and extravagant office clothing, he and Kekoa wore beach attire and board shorts during their days in the of
fice. With his shirt worn open, it revealed the golden strip of skin between his pecs and his perfect six pack.

  “I guess you get a hello, too. Hi, Teo. Kekoa said you wanted to see me, what’s up?”

  “First, have some sushi,” he replied, passing a neat package to me. The scent of hot mayo and wasabi emanated from within.

  “Why are you buttering me up before I even have a chance to sit down?”

  “Harper flew home to Australia last night. Her mother’s ill again.”

  One hand raised to my mouth. “Oh no,” I whispered.

  “She may not pull through this time, so I’ve given Harper time off until her mother goes into remission or...”

  Teo is a good man. Dragon. Dragon-man, I thought.

  “So I’d like you to replace her in the mermaid program until the end of the season.”

  “What?”

  “There’s no one else on the island qualified to do it.”

  “Teo, I swim with a tank or an air line these days—”

  “Kekoa mentioned you were freediving again last week. He swam past you.”

  Damn. I searched for another excuse to bow out of shimmying into a too-tight silicone mermaid tail and a revealing bikini top.

  “It was very impressive,” Kekoa agreed from the door as he entered. Coming from a wereshark, it was the best compliment anyone could receive. “You were underwater for nearly six minutes before you surfaced.”

  And he timed me? What the hell.

  “Will you do this for me, Alessa? No one has come close to replacing you since you promoted into the aquatics division.”

  Without giving a prompt answer, I cracked open the lid of the sushi to-go box and fished out a piece. After savoring the tangy bite of eel sauce, I squinted across the desk to my boss. I sighed. “Maybe you should slide on a tail and dive into the tank,” I teased him. “I don’t know, Teo. It’s been a couple years and I’ve gained weight. Plus Castlebury will have a fit if he finds out you took me away. You know this is the time of year when he’s out there hunting for his mystery sea beast.”

  Teo rolled his eyes. “I will deal with Doctor Castlebury,” he assured me. “This will be until Harper returns, and I have budgeted twice the usual salary...”

  My eyes lit up. Double pay would be enough to finish paying off my college tuition loans. “Deal. I’ll try my old tail on when I get home.”

  That wasn’t good enough for Teo, who informed me Kekoa had arrived to take my measurements. Anticipating my agreement, he’d already contacted an artist to create my new tail. After he called me behind the desk to take a seat beside him, we scrolled through dozens of design possibilities on the woman’s site.

  When asked about the cost of paying me double the wages to flaunt my swim skills, on top of the cost to build me a new suit, Teo laughed.

  “It’s not about the money. It’s the experience. My guests come to this resort expecting to see amazing things. The return of investment comes when your photos wind up on social media, providing free advertisement—”

  “If you really want to expand the attraction, you’ll have Kekoa or one of the other hot guys squeezing into a tail. The ladies want mermen. We want rippling abs and Adonis belts on display while hot guys perform their best Michael Phelps impressions.”

  Teo rubbed his chin, his eyes lighting up with interest.

  Bingo. The girls were going to owe me for this one.

  “Teo, do not listen to her. No one wants to see me in a merman tail,” Kekoa disagreed.

  “Rippling abs, Teo. Think of how Marcy loves to touch yours. Think of the Return on Investment as needy women hemorrhage money to see his pecs.”

  I stole a glance at Kekoa to find him glowering at me.

  “I win,” I mouthed to him.

  No one could change a dragon’s mind once money was involved.

  Chapter 2

  ~Dante~

  Five months. I had five months to soak in life among the humans and spend time with the man who raised me.

  Warm sand shifted between my bare toes as I made my way across the beach, eager for the breath of fresh air brought by civilization.

  It would take days before I acclimated to the sun, no longer used to its heat against my skin. It tightened my flesh, reddening my ears within moments of leaving Abuelo’s home. A thousand smells assaulted my nose, reminding me of the contrast between human settlements and the vast ocean. As I passed a vendor peddling sweet treats, cinnamon and sugar wafted to me on the wind. My mouth watered, but I resisted and moved on to the path.

  Once I reached the administrative compound, my friend Teo’s secretary smiled and gestured for me to take a seat.

  “He’ll be right with you, Dante. Are you back to join us for another season?”

  “I am.”

  “How was your journey?”

  Quiet. Lonely. The usual. With a phony smile on my face, I told her the news she wanted to hear, “Great.”

  “I’m so glad to hear it. The beach just isn’t the same without you. Maybe we can pick up those lessons...”

  “Dante! You’re back!” Alessa collided against me, warm skin and fresh-smelling cotton. The wild fragrance of plumeria clung to her hair as warm lips touched my cheek. “When did you come back to town?”

  “Last night,” I answered with a chuckle. I squeezed her in return, lifting her from the floor. She was shorter than me by over half a foot, typical female height to my above average frame.

  “And you didn’t come to say hi to me? I’m insulted.” She sniffed daintily, putting on a wounded expression for show.

  “You know how Abuelo is once I return to the island.”

  “True. He’s been lonely without you.” Alessa bit her lower lip, appearing as if she had more to say.

  “You look great. How have you been?”

  Alessa swatted at my arm. “You’d know if you, you know, wrote or called once in a while.”

  “I told you. There’s no internet where my family lives, and I can’t walk to a library on a whim to use a computer.”

  I returned one year to discover Abuelo had told all of my new human friends I lived in a piss-poor Sicilian village without internet or technology. He claimed I’d saved all year to visit against my father’s wishes.

  That my dad thought the city life would ruin me.

  Abuelo couldn’t be closer to the truth.

  While it did hurt to fib to Alessa, everything said to her was technically true.

  “What are you doing here in the office?” I asked for a change of topic. “I thought you’d be fussing over Kai or one of your other projects as usual,” I said, referring to the resort’s resident green sea turtle. I’d been the one who found the injured creature two summers ago and Alessa was one of his main caregivers.

  “Teo asked to see me during lunch and I was just leaving. He even plied me with gifts to bribe me.” She held up a large to-go container full of sushi.

  “Getting into trouble already?”

  “Hardly.” She laughed. “Harper had a family emergency come up so she flew back to Sydney. Teo asked if I’d take her spot for the rest of summer in the mermaid program.”

  “Can you even swim in one of those things? Those phony fins are huge.”

  She swatted my shoulder, barely budging me. “I was one of Teo’s first mermaids, you ass. I’m like a fish once I have my fins on, thank you very much.”

  Kekoa peeked his head out of the office. “He is ready for you now.”

  “Better not keep him waiting. We’ll catch up later once I’m off the clock,” Alessa said. She headed out with her food so I walked into the office. Kekoa shut the door behind me.

  “Ah, Dante. You’ve been missed, my friend.” Teo rose from the chair and met me halfway across the floor. The dragon always carried the aroma of soil and green chlorophyll on his skin. As an earth dragon, wild plant life was part of his nature.

  After a solid embrace, he urged me to take a seat with him on the office balcony. “Coffee?”r />
  “Hell yeah.”

  Kekoa poured mugs for all of us and then he settled in the chair beside me. “If we knew to expect you, we would have had more of your favorite things waiting for you. Maybe some time you will remember to inform us that you have returned.”

  I pointedly ignored his comments. Alessa was always on my case about my tendency to arrive and leave without warning. One nag was enough. “Thanks.” I blew across the surface of the heavily-caffeinated brew. Cocoa, chili, and cinnamon was carried to me on the steam, the coffee flavored with rich Mexican chocolate.

  “I missed this,” I groaned happily. It was too hot, scalding my mouth, but I didn’t care and sipped from it again.

  Teo grinned. “I will make sure your grandfather has a fresh supply.”

  “Appreciated. So, am I allowed to resume my old job again now that I’m here?” I was eager to hit the surf and to share my knowledge of the waves. As a seasonal resort employee, I enjoyed the best of both worlds — life among civilization and fun in the ocean.

  “Of course. I give you the same answer every year. It’s tourist season, and many want surfing lessons. Kekoa eased the burden on some of the instructors by assisting in your absence, but it is not his preferred use of time.”

  The wereshark nodded, a sour expression on his face.

  “What’s not to prefer about it? Do you dislike the college coeds fawning over you in their bikinis?” I asked. That was exactly the problem.

  “Meh,” he grumbled. “Empty-headed. I have no desire to spend my time with a woman who lacks substance.”

  “All of them aren’t that bad.”

  He shot me a dirty look. “So you say.”

  We laughed and caught up, indulging in friendly banter and chat about Teo’s life with a mortal woman. Whenever I returned, I found him changed for the better, an improvement over the sour dragon who once haunted the island.

  I envied him.

  With each passing year, females among my kind became fewer and fewer. Males battled one another for the privilege of courting our women and winning didn’t always mean we’d earn their affection. Last year was my final chance to find a mate.

  I was out of time, assigned to the rear guard as underwater infantry for the herd. Despite the dismal outlook toward my future, I looked forward to my last visit on dry land. The rear guard was a death sentence in a way, our equivalent of serving in the armed forces. Unlike the boys in uniform, we didn’t receive guns, leave time, or salary. Most of the new recruits didn’t last more than two or three years before becoming a meal for an orca or great white.