An Elemental Tail Read Online Free

An Elemental Tail
Book: An Elemental Tail Read Online Free
Author: Shona Husk
Tags: Romance, Paranormal, new adult, Art, Mermaids, mermen
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necessary, then took a breath to steady her
hand and ready herself to look at him again. His eyes were fixed on
the ceiling as if nothing had happened. What a fool . Men
like that didn’t give nondescript women like her a second look.
Until now that knowledge had never bothered her; it had suited her.
Another reminder she was nothing like her mother. Her thumb rubbed
against the page. The skinny blond with the blue streak in her hair
and the nose ring was more his type. Still, she knew who would be
featuring in her dreams, again, and in detail she would never
forget.
    His eyelids flickered as if staying still was
costing him a great deal. His jaw was locked, tension tight in his
neck, his throat flexing with each swallow. Inaction battling the
need to move. Could she capture the strength and vulnerability, his
need for movement warring with the request to be motionless?
     
    Skin to skin, her emotions poured into Nik.
Intense and unstoppable, like a spring waterfall fuelled by winter
snow melts. Wonder, apprehension, and tension were lost beneath the
tide of desire that swamped him and tossed him into a battle with
his body. Blood drained from vital organs to the one he wanted to
ignore. He counted marks on the ceiling then listed species of
fish, alphabetically and by color. Anything to keep the flesh
between his legs soft and inconspicuous.
    He wasn’t immune to the charms of a pretty
woman. His weakness for humans was what had crippled him four
hundred years ago. Since then he’d kept company purely for
entertainment. His entertainment. That was the purpose of taking
human form. With so many nerve endings involved, the sensation was
different from melding with another water Elemental. Raw and—Nik
suppressed a smile—earthy.
    What had seemed like an easy job was becoming
more strenuous than laying rail tracks—something he’d done to get
by all those years ago. The clock on the wall counted off seconds
like minutes. The woman’s touch on the book made his skin tremble.
He was aware of her hand skimming across the page, barely a caress,
but enough to tighten his muscles until they ached. He felt the
warm brush of her finger on his skin, but not the cool smudge of
lead as she drew him. His forehead creased before he remembered to
keep still. Of course he would only feel her touch. It took a
moment to recognize the slight sinking sensation listing in his gut
as disappointment. He wanted to know what she was filling the book
with; it was his after all. Would she do his body justice?
    The pressure from the flood of emotions eased
as she became lost in her work. Nik relaxed and began to study her
the way she was studying him. Her lips were parted, revealing a
wide mouth that would flash lots of pearly white teeth when
smiling. Most of her dark hair was twisted back, with a few
straight strands falling around her face. Carefully constructed
scruffy, or naturally unbothered by her appearance? She wasn’t
plastered in makeup or other decorations. Without the worry marking
her face, she was a natural beauty.
    Her eyes raised and met his, cool and gray. A
storm waiting to happen. He glanced away, pretending not to notice
the contact that had sent his blood surging, again. Desire raced
over his body, threatening to expose more to the class than a model
should. He forced all the breath from his body and thought of
plankton.
    Lots of plankton.
    ****
    Mr. Gardner called an end to the class too
soon. Isla sketched and smudged to finish, rushing. She wanted to
stay and put more of the man on paper. The model held his pose for
a few more heartbeats. Her eyes darted between the man and her
work. She’d caught the wild grace in his arm and the aloof tilt of
his chin. The page was alive as if she’d captured a part of his
essence in lead pencil and paper. She couldn’t hide the grin that
tempted her lips. It was her best drawing yet.
    She placed a piece of tissue paper between
the pages and closed the book with a snap. As she tucked
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