Chapter 1
The Creature Management Agency matched me with a merman husband. One hundred percent compatible.
But he totally wasn't into me.
After getting the cold shoulder for the millionth time, I finally decided to go full boss mode and force the issue.
Every day, I'd keep him trapped in bed and have my way with him.
One night, just as I had Adrian Rivers pinned in the bathtub, a comment feed popped up before my eyes.
[He plays the unwilling gentleman, but he's secretly loving every second.]
[Admit it, man. You fell for her in your second month here.]
[That man's pride is the only thing tougher than his lies.]
[On the outside: 'You'll never have my heart.' Inside: 'Honey, slap me again. Even the air smells sweet.]
*****
I was straddling Adrian's waist when those comments suddenly flashed across my vision.
Adrian was still in his half-human, half-merman form, his skin glowing pink from all my shameless teasing. His ears were so red they looked like they might burst, and under his eyes, a few blue scales had appeared.
His eyes glistened with tears, his teeth biting down hard on his lower lip. A tear slid from the corner of his eye, transformed into a pearl, and hit the bathroom floor with a sharp crack.
If I hadn't seen those comments, he really looked like some poor, good-boy merman being bullied by a tyrant.
According to the comments, Adrian and I were a novel's main couple. But he was too stubborn to admit his love for me. So a sweet possessive story became a war zone.
Then came the painful redemption arc where he chased me in vain. In the end, we both died horribly, a complete tragedy.
As I thought about that, my gaze slid over to Adrian's luscious lips. They were so soft when I kissed him. So why were his words were always mean?
Adrian had no clue what I was thinking. He just kept crying, white pearls clattering down, some bouncing off the floor, others dropping into the bathtub with little splashes.
"Emily, this won't work out. Even if you get my body, you'll never have my heart. I'll never fall for someone as shameless as you," he said.
His tone stayed defiant, but there was a sob in his voice, making him look especially mortified and angry.
But I flashed a mischievous grin, leaned down to his ear, and blew a teasing breath.
My hand slid over his ear, then found the sensitive spot behind it, gently rubbing. "What about here? Don't you like it when I touch you here?"
A moan escaped him despite his control. His voice turned rough. Still, his tongue wouldn't surrender. "Don't flatter yourself. Every merman has this reflex. It means nothing."
"Oh, I see..." I drawled.
My grin never faded as my other hand slid slowly down from his chest, tracing lower and lower until it reached the side of his waist, right where his tail curved along his hip.
My fingers brushed over a row of slightly paler fins, his breeding fins.
Almost the instant I touched him there, Adrian started trembling all over, completely losing control. The corners of his eyes flushed crimson, tears streaming even faster.
His moans spilled out uncontrollably, and his tail jerked upward, sending the gorgeous fins splashing water everywhere, shimmering blue-violet under the lights.
Adrian let out a breathy moan.
"What about here? Don't you like it when I touch you here? I heard these are your breeding fins. If they open up all the way, you might just shoot out a little baby fish..." I said.
"Shut up!" Adrian could barely get the words out. After shouting, he raised his arm to shield his face, looking totally helpless.
Only his tail fin betrayed his true feelings. It kept twitching and rubbing against my thigh, totally out of his control.
Normally, I'd be all over him by now, but today, I smirked, rolled off, and stepped out of the bathtub under Adrian's stunned gaze.
"Alright, since you're not into it, I'll leave. I won't force you anymore, so don't worry," I said and gave him a polite little smile.
Adrian looked totally stunned, fresh tears still clinging to the corners of his eyes, his lips parted in shock.
He looked like he'd just been completely wrecked.
I didn't bother to look back at him. I turned and walked out of the bathroom, even making sure to close the door gently behind me.
The live chat definitely didn't see that coming.
[Why'd you stop? I haven't seen enough.]
[Adrian's about to burst. Emily, you're seriously just gonna leave him hanging like that?]
[No. Don't stop. I still wanna know if Adrian's got two down there when he's in human form. Come on, feed my curiosity.]
[Did Emily do a complete 180?]
A complete turnaround? Not a chance.
What I really wanted was to make Adrian walk willingly into the trap I set for him.
I wanted to hear him admit it that he liked me.