Ocean of Love by Susan D. Taylor Page B

we all can get
through it.” Just thinking about Wyatt and the evening ahead sent
spasms shooting up her spine. Her skin radiated surges of intense
heat.
    She walked over the balcony and opened the
doors, inviting the afternoon breeze to come and clear her head.
Warm pulsations, rippling cramps both pleasurable and tinged with
pain, blossomed within her pelvis. Excruciating and enticing. The
pulsations didn’t stop but continued, growing stronger and
hotter.
    All around her, the world
seemed to accentuate her craving for one man. His scent and mouth
and hands called out to her. The few afternoon hours spent with
Wyatt had her imagination steaming. She pressed her hand down
between her legs. Oh God, what a
rush . The muscles within her sex clenched
and relaxed, wave after sensual wave, until she was hungry with a
longing to submit. On her lips, Wyatt’s name spilled
out.
    Marissa crossed her bedroom, pulling down
the straps on her bra. She unclasped the hooks, letting it fall
off, and then pushed down her panties. Standing naked, she was
entranced by the thought of Wyatt. Naked. Commanding.
    Her sense of urgency grew, blinding her to
everything except a building need to explode. She sat on the edge
of her bed with her thighs spread wide apart. How would it feel to
let Wyatt touch her? Explore her with his fingers. Or better yet,
his tongue.
    She shivered and her nipples puckered. She
imagined his strong fingers stroking her. All of a sudden she
became wet between her legs. Her breath quickened. Gliding a finger
over her slick folds, she moaned, riding a wave of pleasure. Seated
in front of her dressing mirror, she opened her legs wider, and
gazed down between her legs. She stroked herself, imaging Wyatt’s
finger slipping over her folds.
    She ground her hips against her fingers,
incited by her needy hunger. The pulsations grew stronger, making
the nerves around her pussy ready to catapult her into oblivion,
imagining arctic blue eyes and a smile that tormented her. Her
heartbeat pounded within her chest. She rubbed her fingers up and
down her flesh, fantasizing about Wyatt’s hand until the friction
matched the tempo of her rocking hips. Arching back, she was
consumed by a tightening within her abdomen. Exquisite bliss edged
in desperation twisted, pulling her apart in opposite
directions.
    This hunger had never come on so strong, so
demanding, so utterly intoxicating. She cried out, falling back on
her bed. Currents unfurled, erupting within her womb. Instinct
embodied a racing urge. Oh, what had she done? Her time had
arrived; every cell was bathed in need. Her body was ready to be
possessed by a powerful lover. Her skin itched, a sign of the onset
of mermaid transformation.
    Nearly invisible scales lined much of her
skin, dainty as lace at her hips and at the tops of her thighs. The
image flared again of Wyatt, his sensuous mouth frowning as though
he were with her, watching her body change.
    Tears sprinkled down her
cheeks. The hope that he’d find her appealing diminished. Chance of that happening—zilch. Less than
zilch.
    Deep within her body, this
hunger had grown and was near out of control . Mating cycle . Frustrated, she
rolled her eyes after saying the words aloud. That’s what this
cycle was … no different from other animals. She curled into a
ball, closing her eyes, clenching her hands into fists.
    Pounding waves of desire mixed with
frustration traveled across her body. A bolt of anger stabbed her.
She covered her face with her hands, unable to move. She cried out,
more a wounded moan than words.
    Marissa lay motionless, worn out. In the
silence of her room, her erratic heartbeat gradually slowed. As her
breath steadied, she rubbed her hand down her skin. She stopped and
jerked upright. She stared at the mirror across from her bed.
Frozen. Her vision slammed down her body.
    “ No, this isn’t possible.”
Her breath cinched tight in her chest. She held up her arms gaping.
The pattern under her skin was