The Professor and the Siren

4. Orlando

Orlando

I'd already made complete and total hash of things but still she was giving me the sweetest shy little smile. She'd ordered a beer so I'd done the same and now I didn't know what else to do, again. I didn't remember dating being this difficult in high school.

Then again, I was twenty four now and every time I'd felt the need for female company I'd simply headed for a club and invited a pretty girl over. No strings attached, no talking required. I wasn't like my younger brother Matt, always with a new girl, especially since he'd come back from his last tour with the navy a couple of months ago. But even I did get lonely and horny from time to time. This was different though, very different.

She was looking at me and then at her hands, clearly uncomfortable and I wanted to make her feel at ease but I didn't know how. I wanted to get to know her, wanted to know what would make her give me more of those little smiles. I wanted to know if her thick blonde locks were as soft and springy as they looked.

"Soooo," she said, drawing out the single syllable. "Why did you ask me over Orly? If all you're going to do is stare..." she sounded confused. Which was what I was feeling too, damn it! I was so bad at this. It would be far easier if all I wanted to do was fuck but I didn't even know what I wanted from her. That too, there was definitely desire but I knew enough to know that's not how I wanted to approach her.

"You're just so pretty," I told her honestly, "I wanted to know more about you. I want to know if you like swimming, you looked like you did." Her eyes went huge in her face and I wondered if I said something wrong for a moment but then she gave me that shy smile and my heartbeat sped up again.

"That was you wasn't it? In the water?" she asked, blue eyes sparkling with excitement and I nodded before I could stop myself. Then spluttered, trying to backtrack. "No, no... what? When?" Too late of course. Damn it, what on earth was happening? I'd never ever had issues keeping my secrets before but with her...

She was grinning now, leaning forward eagerly and I was completely distracted by the view she presented. Softly tanned skin glowing in the mood lighting, her vibrant dress so cheerfully clinging to all the right curves and that beautiful smile. I didn't know I could go so crazy over a woman, maybe I was finally finding out there was something right about me after all. Not entirely stone cold fish.

"You are! Oh my god, I thought I was going crazy! I'm not going crazy am I?" she said and I found myself reaching out a finger and gently stroking her softly blushing cheek. Yes, that was utterly soft and smooth... "You're not crazy," I told her, lifting my eyes to meet hers. "That was me you saw today. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

She sighed, "Oh... Mermen are real?" Her eyes were glittering with wonder and I couldn't help myself, I nodded. "I'm real at least," I said. "Want to go out on the water to see?" Her eyes went huge, "You'd show me? For real? Aren't you afraid I'll spill your secret?"

I contemplated this a moment, then shook my head. "No, I don't think you would." And strangely enough, I really didn't think so. There was just something about her that made me feel like I could trust her, with everything.

So I threw down some bills on the table to pay for our beers and reached out my hand for her. Gratified when she trustingly put her fingers in mine and let me lead her outside. I had to say it though, because it was stupid to be this trusting of a strange man, "You realize I could be some nut job luring you away from your friends from some nefarious purpose right?"

She gave a husky laugh that had my skin tingle and my groin tighten with desire. "And are you?" I shook my head immediately even though I was feeling kind of nuts right now; utterly out of my comfort zone and doing something I'd never done before. Showing a girl I barely knew what I was.

Her fingers curled a little more firmly around mine and I loved the contrast of her soft skin against my callouses. "I trust you Orly, I know that's crazy and stupid but I do... I don't know why." She sounded as surprised about how she was feeling as I was about how I was feeling, that made us two of a kind.

Outside the breeze had picked up and I saw her shiver, her bare arms pebbling from the cold. Without thinking I shifted so I could tuck her under my arm, sheltering her a little with my body and shortening my stride to match her smaller steps. "Come, just a little that way, we can use one of the Undaunted dingy's to head out to sea a little."