Daughters of Olympus: Five Reverse Harem Romances

By Frankie Love

Daughters Of Olympus is a five book, paranormal romance, reverse harem series ...

Land. Sky. Sea. Underworld.

All four are at odds—and only the Daughters of Olympus can bring them together to save mankind.

They may have ancient blood coursing through their veins, but in their hearts they are everyday women struggling to survive ... not knowing how to harness their potential.

Love is the last thing on their minds.
But the seductive men sent to guide them have no doubt in their ability.

It might sound good in theory ... but these women don’t know one another, let alone their hidden talents.

Now they must rise up and claim their rightful place in history, with the men sworn to protect them.

The fight is on.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frankie Love
• Release date: Dec 8, 2021

Frankie Love

Frankie Love writes filthy-sweet stories about bad boys and mountain men. As a thirty-something mom who is ridiculously in love with her own bearded hottie, she believes in love-at-first-sight and happily-ever-afters. She also believes in the power of a quickie. Get ready to fall in love … you deserve it! **Frankie also writes under the name Charlie Hart!

Book preview

Their Siren

Daughters of Olympus

Before

Love is part beast, part saint, part hope, part hell.

---

Love hurts and heals, promising nothing. Taking all.

---

Love is not for the easily bruised, for it leaves you with a multitude of scars.

---

It’s a fragile, breakable thing, that can’t be mended overnight.

---

Or even seven thousand, six hundred, and sixty-five nights.

---

For, in the end, love is a jealous ruse.

---

They call me the villain in this story.

---

But the trick was on me.

---

They say I held all the love in the world, yet tossed it aside in vain.

---

But I know the truth.

---

I’ve waited long enough.

---

Now it’s time to take back what should have been ours all along.

---

Be ready, daughters of Olympus.

---

I’m coming for you.

1

Harlow

I can’t stop staring at it. The fact I have it at all is kind of insane considering my aversion to needles. My mom will flip out, but then her face will break into a big grin once she realizes what kind of tattoo I chose.

A seal surrounded by blue crashing waves.

It’s pretty much perfection.

The tattoo covers most of my right thigh—big for my first one, but I didn’t want to half-ass it. Mostly because my resolution for my twenty-first birthday is to stop being scared and to start going all in. With my life, with relationships, with my job. I’ve been living in shallow water and I’m tired of it.

I want to dive. Deep.

I look up at the white moon, full and swollen and casting a glow over the dark ocean. My feet sink into the sand at the shoreline, and I know being here, at this moment, is no coincidence. The smell of the saltwater feels like home.

My mom always told stories about how I was born from the sea... literally. No one knew who my biological parents were; they found me on the beach—this very beach—and her stories eased the worry in my heart of not belonging. My mom always whispered You belong to the ocean, but you’re growing up on dry land.

As a child, it comforted me... but now I’m all grown up and I just wonder, where do I come from?

It’s that pit in my belly that’s always empty. That hollow in my heart that never seems to fill.

My phone buzzes in the back pocket of my cut-offs. Pulling it out, I see that it’s Chloe.

Smiling, I answer the call. Should I come? Are you all checked in? I ask.

No, she groans. It was false labor. I’m on my way home now. Sorry, I ruined your birthday.

Oh, shut up, I tease my best friend. Never in a million years would I expect her to apologize. That’s ridiculous.

You were supposed to have my moral support tonight. Did you cry the whole time?

I hear Enzo in the background asking me to send them a photo, and the other guys are shouting as well, asking to see. Chloe has four men who she’s in a committed relationship with, and she’s pretty much my hero when it comes to following her heart and not giving a damn what the rest of the world might think.

No, I tell her. I was badass.

She snorts. I’m not saying I don’t believe your badassery, but Harlow--,

I cut her off. I was. I’m turning a new leaf, Chloe. This new me is totally hardcore.

Send me a photo. We’re dying to see.

I put her on speakerphone and try to get a good photo of my thigh.

Are you sad that you aren’t in labor? I ask as I snap a few pictures.

I think the guys are more disappointed than I am. Once Pearl is born everything will change, you know?

I know, sweetie, I say. But you are going to be an amazing mom. Chloe has voiced her nerves a lot recently, and even though she has a rock-solid support system, change is hard. I can’t even imagine being a mother. Okay, I sent one. Did you get it?

Uh, just a sec. Oh, Harlow! she screeches. It’s amazing. The waves look so perfect. And the seal’s eyes are seriously haunting. Your artist did amazing work.

I know. It’s better than I expected.

Now I guess you have to be badass this year with your little spirit animal always with you.

Exactly.

Hey, she says, her voice full of irritation. "Where are you, Harlow?"

Just headed home.

Liar. I see the sand in this photo. Are you okay?

It’s just the beach.

"Not just any beach. Harlow, it’s the beach."

I sigh, my heart constricting. Chloe is the first friend I’ve ever been so vulnerable with; so honest. Everyone else thinks I’m just the outgoing, fun one. Truth is, overcompensating for what I’m not is my greatest accomplishment.

Not exactly something to brag about.

Someone left me here, not knowing who would find me.

I swallow, not wanting to cry. But the truth of my beginning always makes my eyes well up with salty tears. It makes my belly ache and reminds me how empty I feel inside.

My parents may have found me... but that means someone else left me first.

You sure you’re okay? I can come right now.

I’m fine, I say, wiping my eyes. You just left the freaking hospital. Go home and rest. I’m leaving now too. I just needed to see it, you know?

I know.

Desperate to change the subject, I say, Hey, let’s do dinner tomorrow night, okay? You will die when you see the ring my mom gave me for my birthday. It’s beautiful. I look at the ring on my finger. It’s a gold band and looks antique. It fits on my middle finger perfectly. My mom said she’d been saving it for me since the day she found me.

To say it’s an emotional birthday gift is an understatement. I’ve had it a handful of hours, yet it’s already my most prized possession. It was with me, in the basket, when I was found.

Can’t wait, she says. And you know what, Harlow, you’re beautiful too. Inside and out. From my experience, it doesn’t matter where you came from, it just matters where you go.

Her words are perfect, and I want to hold onto them, tightly. But it’s hard to stop believing the story we always tell ourselves. That I’m not enough.

If I was... why would my birth parents have let me go?

Thanks, I say, knowing I’m getting emotional and not in a place to get that up close and personal over the phone. I don’t know why her words reach so deep inside me, but they do. It’s funny how some people can know you your entire life, but not really know you at all, and then other people fall into your lap and see you exactly as you are.

Or even, as you could be.

You’re a good friend, I tell her. And you’ll be an even better mother.

Love you, birthday girl, she says, and we hang up.

I consider getting back in my car, but then I look toward the water.

It calls to me.

It always has.

The sky is filled with a trillion stars, the moon heavy overhead and the crash of the waves matching the ebb and flow of my emotions today.

I look out, and my breath catches.

A seal bobs his head, swimming so close that I worry about it. But the seal’s eyes meet mine... and I’m not being dramatic when I say this: they pierce my heart. They are big, brown, and soulful.

I spent my life wondering where I came from and with one look, the seal seems to answer all my questions.

I belong out there.

With him.

It scares me, the way the animal makes me feel. Seen in a way I don’t understand. I swallow, stepping back, not even realizing I’ve walked into the water, up to my knees; so lost in a trance, so utterly mesmerized. But it is hard to move, it’s like the sand is tar and I’m caught in the pit.

I stumble to my knees, my feet seemingly locked into place. But I know that going into the ocean, alone at night, is nothing but idiotic.

I need to get away from the water.

But the seal doesn’t leave. It barks, and as crazy as it sounds, I swear he says to come closer.

Even though I keep trying to move my feet backward, away from the water that seems to have tethered my ankles into place, I can’t.

I try to turn my back on the sea, but it’s relentless. The tide rolls in at a pace I’ve never witnessed, and my thigh burns as the saltwater stings my skin. The fresh tattoo is going to be ruined, and I press my palms into the sand trying to push myself away from the sea. But I can’t move. I’m stuck... and worse, my feet are being pulled further into the ocean.

Help, I scream. Help! I blink back tears. Now is not the time nor the place to have a meltdown. I grit my teeth, determined to get out of this shoreline gravitational pull I’m somehow caught in.

The seal barks louder, and though I try to ignore him, my heart seems to ache, as if begging to swim with the wild animal. I may have called him my spirit animal, but that was a ridiculous idea, inspired by a social media site where hipster girls get cute-ass tattoos. There isn’t any real connection between the seal and me and I don’t need to meet it anytime soon.

What I need is to get away from here.

Except I can’t.

It doesn’t matter how hard I resist, the pull is just too great.

Someone! Anyone! My voice is clear, but the bark of the seal is so intense it overwhelms my own cry.

My legs are pushed out from under me, and I sink my elbows down into the sea, barreling down to steady myself, my tattooed thigh burning, my body fighting to stay put but the shifting sand overtakes me.

Even if I don’t know where I belong, I do know that when the sea calls, you have no choice but to answer.

2

Harlow

My head plunges beneath the dark water and my skin burns. Tightens. I feel it changing ... and not just the tattooed flesh. My legs in their entirety seem to fight.

Fight me.

They stop pushing to stay ashore and instead my feet kick—against my will, my legs pump—propelling me away from the shore I know.

I blink beneath the water, and my chest constricts the same way my legs do.

My heart begins to beat in a different rhythm. A heartbeat I’ve never heard before.

But it’s a beat I know.

I know that sounds insane but so is the fact that I’m no longer on solid ground.

I want to go deeper. Go farther.

It’s like I can see something that isn’t there.

But maybe it is there. Maybe for me, it’s something deep inside, something that’s been there all along.

My destiny.

And right now, I swim toward it.

Chloe’s words echo in my ear... it doesn’t matter where you came from. It just matters where you go.

Is that what this is? This is me finally going somewhere? Because my heart is saying something I don’t really understand. My heart screams for me to swim.

I have nothing to lose. Not really.

What is the point of living if I spend my entire life on the shore, just waiting for something to happen?

What if this is the something?

I don’t want to miss it.

Not that I have a choice. My body has a mind of its own.

I’ve spent my entire life overcompensating. Being outgoing and overly-friendly, and keeping a smile in place when I really wanted to scream. Really wanted to give the middle finger to everyone who seemed so good at keeping their shit together.

But deep down, I wanted to tell the entire world that I wasn’t, in fact, just a pink-haired girl with a penchant for iced coffee with a good sidestroke.

I’m more than that.

I know it in my bones, apparently.

Underwater, I open my eyes and look around, my heart pumping fast, and just like every time I’ve been in the water since I was a baby, I breathe easier beneath the shore.

Of course, I don’t talk about that.

There’s no reason to. I tried before, of course, to tell my parents that I could hold my breath for an hour. That even though I wore a snorkeling mask when I took tourists out on the boat around Oahu, I don’t actually need goggles and flippers to move below the rippling water. And everywhere I swim there always seemed to be a seal close by. My spirit animal. It was more than a joke. I knew it was true.

He came for me tonight.

I blink beneath the water and see him up ahead.

I follow.

I blink at the colorful fish swimming past me, pumping my legs, propelling myself deeper into the sea. It makes no sense. But, for the first time ever, as I give in to the ocean, I feel free.

Maybe it’s the culmination of a life spent going in circles, never really getting anywhere.

I live in my parents’ basement for goodness sake. I go to community college part-time and for the rest of it, I’m a quintessential beach bum. The friends I meet are only here in Waikiki on a layover before starting the rest of their actual lives.

That’s what I want. To start living; not just getting through. I keep swimming, thinking about Chloe and her beautiful, romantic, picture-perfect, life. Her life isn’t passing her by. She’s jumping in with both feet, refusing to be a bystander. And the entire time that happily-ever-after unfolded for Chloe, all I managed to do was get a nose ring and a tattoo.

Not exactly winning at adulting.

I roll with the water, stretching out my arms in front of me, and as I do, the clothing I wore out tonight—cut-offs and a tank top—seem to fall away, shredding to nothing as the water propels me forward.

How is this happening? Memories of my life flash by. Driving the boat and always managing to find the very best spots on the island. If I’m steering the rig, we’ll end up where a pod of dolphins play, or where a pack of turtles graze. My parents call it the Harlow Touch... but I know it’s more than that.

It’s dark in these depths, nearly pitch black. I’ve never done this before-- swim so deep I wind up lost.

I look around for the seal, but I can’t see it.

Air bubbles escape from my open mouth as I breathe.

I shouldn’t be able to do this.

Breathe in and out, without sputtering and coughing.

Without drowning.

But I’m not drowning. I’m swimming faster and faster, my body gliding through the water. My legs no longer burn, they shimmer. I take a deep breath, my lungs lighting up as if the saltwater hitting my core awakens me for the first time in my life.

One moment it feels like a miracle to swim this way and the next minute the water turns an unnatural shade of black and I struggle to see where I am pummeling forward at an unnatural speed.

This isn’t a force of nature. This is some sort of magic. The water flashes bright colors—beams of light shooting toward me.

Oh fuck. Maybe this isn’t diving toward a destiny so much as plunging toward my death. Seaweed curls around, tangling me in a web. A white light envelops me—it’s like I’m trapped in an orb deep in the sea. For a moment I’m safe, but then, in a flash, the light is gone and the water pulls at me, tighter and tighter. My body spins out of control.

The water moves in a whirlpool and I’m caught in the center.

I can grab at nothing. The only thing surrounding me is the vastness of the ocean moving at a harrowing speed. It came with such a force, it feels like it was aimed right at me.

When I followed the seal, I was exhilarated. I felt like I was making a choice for myself like I was brave.

But now I’m scared.

Now I realize I’m nothing but a fool.

This is it. This is the end.

I scream with anger, my story can’t end here; not like this. My voice is shrill and full of fury, in a way I’ve never heard before. It pierces the sea and the water tightens around me, the vortex growing smaller and my vision blurred.

Then, just when I feel like this is the end... something grabs hold of me, my body is caught. I scream as I’m pulled from the water, caught in a net. I’m dragged from the whirlpool, and lifted from the depths.

As I break through the water, I grip the net with my hands, knowing that whatever happens next, I’m no longer waiting for my life to begin.

Tonight, it has.

3

Kai

We didn’t have a choice in the matter. Our boat moved against our will, responding to a call we had no choice but to answer.

We threw out our net and saved her.

She coughs and sputters, waterlogged and gasping for air.

And when she lands—utterly naked and absolutely divine—she begins swearing like a sailor. That gets Crew grinning from the get-go. And me rolling my eyes. This guy is going to be the death of me, I swear.

He may be a member of our elite sailing team preparing for an around the world race, but he’s got no manners. Crew likes his woman dirty—and so when this woman is brought aboard spouting off What the actual fuck, it’s obvious that he’s immediately drawn to her; not picking up on the fact she practically died out there.

Easy, boy, I say, eyebrows raised, already doubting Crew’s intention. We couldn’t be more different. He’s from the school of hard knocks. Me? I’m Ivy League, born and raised. She nearly drowned.

She’s alive now, Crew says with a cocky ass smile. Her skin is bare, and her nipples tight, and her breasts full. The curve of her body is a wave I want to ride.

And she can hear you, she groans, rolling from the net and onto the slick deck of the sailboat. She pulls her knees to her chest, hiding the most exposed parts of her body from us.

We’re all drawn to this woman before us. Crew, Eric, West, and I can’t look away. We may be our own men, but right now, I’d lay down my life for this stranger.

But she doesn’t feel like a stranger. It feels like she’s supposed to be here.

Her call echoes inside of me.

We had dropped anchor for the night, but next thing we knew, all four of us heard her call and we moved with speed and intent.

Toward this spot.

For the last few weeks we’d been looking for something we couldn’t name.

And now we’ve found her.

I may have studied law, but this defies all logic and reason.

She has me transfixed. Hell, she had us caught under her spell even before we arrived.

And as I look around at my shipmates, I realize I’m not in that trance alone.

Her long legs are sun-kissed, her lips are full, her hair a salty tangle of soft pink waves. Damn, she’s more than a woman needing rescue; she’s a woman come to save me.

Before I can act on my impulse though, Eric, being the gentleman he is, kneels before her, and takes her hand in his. Hey, little mermaid, I think you got lost at sea.

His words are smooth, and the thing is, though, with Eric, it isn’t a false front. He’s constant, like a faithful dog. Always by your side.

And right now, his calming voice seems to stir something inside this woman because she sits up, rolls her shoulders as if sore--as she surely is from that thrashing about at sea--and looks up at all four of us, like she’s seeing humans for the first time in her life.

Holy shit, she says, her hands running through her long hair. I’m so glad you were here. I don’t know what happened to me out there. She bites her bottom lip, eyebrows lifted, and looks out past the men, toward the water. Whatever is out there has a hold on her. As if, even knowing the ocean just tossed her to and fro, she would still return first chance she got.

She looks haunted, as she looks across the sea. Like she saw something, or felt something, that was bigger than she understood.

Eric drapes a large beach towel around her shoulders, and she takes hold of it, glancing up at him and letting her eyes offer a thank you.

What’s your name? he asks.

Harlow, she says in a soft whisper. She shivers and even though we’re in Hawaii, it’s nearly midnight and the night is cold. She’s chilled to the bone and I step toward her, wanting to warm her. I feel protective of Harlow in a way that doesn’t make sense for someone I’ve just met, but I look at the men around me, wanting to be sure no one moves too quickly, not wanting this woman to be jarred.

I clench my jaw, when the hell did I start thinking about other people? My mother would be proud if she were alive.

Though she would not be proud of the thoughts running through my mind right now.

Harlow is naked on this boat and we can hardly keep our eyes from wandering. She blinks slowly, taking us all in. And I notice Crew’s eyes narrow as he watches this woman. He knows a thing or two about being a long way from home. His life has been nothing but moving from one place to the next, never putting down roots.

And this woman somehow ended up ten miles from shore.

You want to try and stand? I ask, holding out my hand. She nods and lets me lift her to her feet.

I take off my button down and her eyes widen as she takes in my body. I swear to god she licks her lips.

There you go, babe, I say, handing it to her.

Hey, Crew says with a cocky grin. Is that necessary?

Don’t want her to catch a cold, I say, brushing off his comment.

Thanks, she says softly, dropping the towel and putting on the oversized shirt that hangs to her knees.

I try not to stare as her fingers move up the buttons, one by one.

Were you out on a boat? Eric asks.

She shakes her head.

Were you with anyone else? West asks. Like, is there someone else out in the ocean? He runs to the edge of the deck, looking overboard. For someone who usually has a joke, he seems terrified at the thought of someone else being lost at sea.

I was alone. Swimming.

I furrow my eyebrows. You were swimming for ten miles, in the middle of the ocean, at night, alone? I know we’re a bunch of jackasses, but we aren’t that dumb. No one could swim that fa--

She cuts him off, I can. And I did.

I scoff, and though I am drawn to her, have the desire to ravish her--the sensible side of my brain can’t believe this story. Uh, okay. I push my lips forward. I’m just trying to understand how you ended up so far from home.

At this, Harlow frowns. That’s what I was trying to figure out, too.

Instinctively, all four of us step closer and look at the woman before us. Her legs shimmer in the moonlight, but it’s more than that, it’s like green glitter has been pressed into her skin, and there’s a tattoo on her thigh that glows.

Her legs wobble as if she’s standing for the first time in her life. She nearly falls, and I reach out, catching her. Needing to touch her.

Easy there, girl, I say, with my hand on her back, her waist, and when she falls into me, her body presses against mine and a spark goes off.

This isn’t me. I am usually a distant asshole. No one would call me boyfriend material. I’ve never had a reason to commit.

But one touch from Harlow, and it’s like I’ve spent my entire life waiting for this moment.

Insane, sure, but it’s the goddamn truth. When I pull her against my chest, her body is frigid, icy cold, but there’s something heating us. I can feel it. The pulse of energy between her… between all of us … is strong.

Harlow is something else. How could she swim like that? Be out here, alone--yet alive?

She may not be exactly human, but damn, she looks all woman.

But it was her song that pulled us in. It was haunting and vicious. Impossible to escape. And it makes me want to do whatever she says. She has a hold on us all.

We were drawn to her. The need to save her, deep in our bones and we didn’t even know what we were trying to find.

We couldn’t have turned the ship around if we wanted to.

We can take you to the shore, Eric says. Always practical.

Harlow shakes her head, burrowing her face into my chest. "No. I don’t want to go back there now. I feel like I’m here for a reason.

What reason? West asks.

I don’t know. I saw something and was pulled into the ocean and..., Harlow stops, stepping away from me as if remembering herself. Remembering that we are strangers.

So, you didn’t swim out to sea? I run a hand through my hair. You were forced?

Harlow smirks. Crazy, right?

This night is full of crazy things, West says. Maybe we are all supposed to be here, together, tonight.

Yeah? She looks the men over, her eyelashes long and sweeping against her high cheekbones. You think you were meant to catch me?

Eric nods, tapping his hand against the boat’s railing. We’re a sailors. Go all over the world as a team. And never have I heard something so...,

Haunting. Beautiful. Intense.

What brought you here? Harlow asks.

I raise an eyebrow. You did, Siren.

Harlow reaches for her throat, her towel dropping as she presses her fingers to her skin, eyes widening as if just now remembering.

You sang us a melody, surely you remember? Crew steps toward her.

Harlow pushes her lips forward, shaking her head. No way. I don’t sing.

Eric looks at Crew, then West, then me.

We all nod in agreement. We tell her about the force, the way our boat was pulled closer and closer over the last few weeks, and even though it took us off course, we had no choice but to go where directed.

It was more than a song, Eric says solemnly. It was a call.

4

Harlow

They tell me it was a siren’s call that brought them to me, that forced them to fling out a net and catch me.

But it makes no sense.

And when they tell me this, I throw back my head, my drenched hair splattering water droplets against the wooden deck of the boat.

I’m not scared. They may be strangers, but it’s like they aren’t. It’s like they were brought here for me, and me for them. Whatever reality I used to know was left on the beach tonight. And now, all that is left is this boat, rocking in the middle of the ocean.

These men are here for me.

I know it in my bones, my body that has detached itself from my mind tonight is screaming this truth.

These men are mine for the taking.

That idea overwhelms me and I take a slow, shaky breath, trying to steady myself.

Are you okay? the gentle one asks. His eyes are blue like the sea at dawn, and his dark hair is pushed away from his eyes. And when he checks in on me, it is with so much sincerity it makes my chest ache.

I’m okay. It’s just been a strange series of events. You probably wouldn’t believe me if I tried to explain. I look over my shoulder, wanting to see the seal. The one who brought me here. I press a hand against my chest, hoping to see it again. Hoping it will find me. I feel like the seal is the answer to my questions.

And yes, that is the part I can’t exactly say aloud. It sounds insane to acknowledge that a sea creature forced me into the ocean.

But it did.

And still reeling from whatever happened deep in the ocean, I can’t begin to explain this to the guys.

The men look at one another, scratching their heads and their hands running along jaws and no one speaks for a moment as they let me accept whatever part of the truth I want.

But what I really want is them.

These men who were called to find me. They saved me and now I want to be with them.

But how do I get from here to there?

I’ve never done this before.

I look up at the men, in their various stages of disarray, but all of them ridiculously sexy.

In their various stages of turning me on.

Damn. I never have sexual urges like this.

Then again, I’ve also never been pulled into the sea, learned to breathe underwater, with legs that somehow glitter and glow.

Well, thanks, I tell them, lowering my chin, and lifting my eyes. Realizing how very naked I am in front of these men. Men I am claiming as my own, whether they are or not. Thank you for saving me.

The shirtless one snorts, apparently not realizing that I’m about five seconds from pulling their muscled bodies against my own. We didn’t have a choice in coming to your rescue. We couldn’t have turned the boat if we tried.

I frown, my defenses up. Here I was all ready for sexy times and the half-naked one is retreating. And he’s the one I would have bet was most up for taking a chance on me. When I was pressed against his chest I felt something, if you know what I mean.

I exhale slowly. I don’t know the call you’re talking about. I didn’t do anything to make you come, at least not on purpose. And if you don’t want me here, just take me back.

I bite my bottom lip, suddenly feeling vulnerable. That fierce strength I felt moments ago is gone in a flash.

I may be able to project confidence, but inside I’m scared of rejection.

Scared of not being enough.

The sweet one shakes his head. Hey, there, Harlow, don’t cry.

I sniffle and maybe it’s because it’s so cold or maybe it’s because I suddenly realize how very far I am from home. Or maybe it’s because I want this: them, this night, this chance... and I’m scared it’s going to be carried away like the waves at low tide, moving farther and farther from my grasp.

I’m fine, I say, blinking fast, wanting to muster up the small kernel of strength I know must be deep in my belly.

You are not fine, the one with a crooked smile says. Let’s get you into some warm clothes, for starters.

I nod, my shoulders relaxing. What are your names? I ask.

They tell me, and I listen, watching their dynamic and realizing they are more than teammates. They are like a family. Razzing one another and taking it in good humor.

They are all quite different, Crew has the body of a weightlifter, his shirt tight around his thick biceps, his eyes the color of the palm tree leaves swaying back on the shore. He isn’t steady--not rooted in much, that’s for sure. And every word he utters is laced with innuendo.

It’s not lost on me.

And West, he laughs easily but with his crossed arms it’s clear he has a chip on his shoulder. His blond hair is cropped short and the tattoo on his forearm reads Lost at Sea.

Eric is gentle and kind, with dark hair and blue eyes, the kind of man who would never break a woman’s heart. Instead, he’d be almost too gentle with it. When he knelt before me after I first landed on their boat, he looked at me so sincerely it almost hurt.

Then I look at Kai, so classically handsome and cynical as hell. I swallow as I take him in, remembering how moments ago I was pressed against his chest. How for a split second, with his arms wrapped around me, I could breathe.

Now, I blink, trying to keep their names straight.

Are you overwhelmed? Eric asks. That was a lot of information.

I’m okay. I shiver though, and they seem to remember that they promised to warm me up below the bow of the boat. I’m so sorry, I tell them, a tear falling from my eye. I don’t know what happened. It felt like I was getting swallowed up by the sea.

Don’t apologize, Harlow, Eric says. We’re glad we found you when we did.

West takes my hand, lacing his fingers through mine like we’ve done this a thousand time. When I catch his eyes, he must see the question.

He smiles slowly like he knows something I don’t. Besides, it’s not every day we meet a mermaid, he tells me.

I shake my head. I’m no mermaid. I’m just a long way from home.

No, you’re a siren, Kai says following us below deck. He presses his hand against my back and a tingle rolls up my spine. And sirens belong to the sea. You aren’t going anywhere tonight.

I see Eric shoot him a look that says slow down, but I like Kai’s confidence. His wanting me here.

Because the truth is, as I step into the cabin, a warmth envelops me. The dark wood is glossy and there’s an overhead light allowing me to see each of the men’s features more fully. They are gorgeous, ripped, and clearly spend a lot of time on the water, just like me. Their skin is sun-drenched, and their hair has lightened in the way only the sun can do. They’re in t-shirts and shorts, but their biceps are big, and they must spend a lot of time working out to make bodies so... able.

West lets go of my hand, and I find myself standing before all four men. They watch me like they can’t keep their eyes off me.

They say I called to them. With a shaky hand, I press my hand to my neck, realizing for the first time my voice is scratchy, my voice hoarse.

I called to them.

And they came.

And now they look at me with a wanting I understand.

The energy in the room intensifies as we look at one another, like we’re deciding what happens next. And the strangest thing is happening. It’s like they are waiting for my lead. Like, however, I play my cards, they will follow suit.

It’s like they are mine and we’ve only just met.

I want this.

All of it, whatever all of this is.

I take a slow breath, trying to steady the desire coursing through my body. When I do, I feel that same sensation I had when I was in the water tonight, like my body was moving separately from my mind.

The men take me in with eyes so full of need, that a powerful current of sexuality courses through me, A current with the same strength as the one that pulled me out to sea tonight. It starts at my toes and climbs up my legs, over my shimmering thighs, past my belly, and finally staking a claim at my heart. I want to give into the relentless waves of desire crashing against my body.

This was supposed to my big night--my twenty-first birthday. I don’t know why that seal called to me. Why I swam the way I did. But I’m done asking questions tonight.

Because maybe this is perfect. Maybe this is how losing my virginity-- or rather giving my virginity-- needs to occur.

With these four men who caught me in their net.

5

Eric

Harlow excuses herself to use the restroom, and the moment she leaves the cabin, a hush falls over us.

Who is this woman and how did we manage to save her?

It makes no sense how she ended up in our net. Hell, why do we even have a net on our boat?

But she’s here, and she’s real, and she did call to us.

We heard her.

I clear my thoughts, needing to speak. I know we have our differences, I begin, knowing that’s an understatement. Our backgrounds are wildly different, but the one thing we do all have is a love for the sea. A desire to be on a boat, on the deep blue water, untethered to a home back on dry land. Look, under normal circumstances, I’d never suggest it but… I need to be with Harlow.

Kai raises an eyebrow. What are you are saying?

I shrug, running a hand through my hair. It’s insane to be thinking this way, but it’s like one look at her and my heart expanded, grew to a size I didn’t think was possible.

How is this possible? To feel so much for a stranger?

I’m just saying, if the opportunity presents itself, I won’t say no. It’s like, I need Harlow. Crazy as it sounds.

Crew snorts. Well, hell, I need her too.

I narrow my eyes, needing to read Crew’s intentions.

Do you really? I ask.

Crew stiffens, pulling back his shoulders. Fuck, Eric, I was on the boat just like you. I heard that call same as you. I felt her presence just like you.

West cuts in. It’s not a fight about who wants her more. Hell, we’re all looking at the same girl. It’s about what this might look like.

Kai looks over at the door to see if she’s back, but Harlow is still in the bathroom, the water is running in the sink. I think we all know what we want.

What does that look like then? We fight for her? Crew asks.

West speaks up, Harlow didn’t call to one of us. She called to all of us.

Which means? Kai asks.

The truth dawns on me. She didn’t come here for one sailor; she came here for four.

We look at one another, shaking our heads as we consider the implications.

When we were still training in college, Kai says. Before we got the sponsor, we always argued unless we were on the boat. It’s the only time we put our differences aside is when we’re on the ocean, working as a team against the elements.

What does that have to do with anything? Crew asks.

It means, I say, that we’re still out at sea. We can still work together as a team.

Only instead of a race, West says with a grin. We are working to win Harlow’s heart.

You think she would want this? Crew asks.

I smile, shaking my head. I guess we’re gonna find out.

6

Crew

She licks her lips as if suddenly parched. Can I have some water?

Eric nods. He turns to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water, offering it to her.

How he can hand it to her with a steady hand is fucking beyond me. I can’t get past the fact this woman is standing before all four us practically naked--with a look in her eyes that screams for attention.

Oh, I’ll give her attention all right.

I’ll give her everything she ever asked for.

She drinks the water so fucking fast, and I watch, mesmerized as her lower body literally starts to sparkle. It’s as if the water fuels her in a way nothing else can.

Her eyes follow mine, widening in surprise, like she’s seeing her legs for the first time in her life.

She looks up with a gasp--startled by what she sees, the way her body is changing. She’s so beautiful. Pink hair and eyes the color of the sea--turquoise, with flecks of white, the foaming of the ocean. She stands with her shoulders back and eyebrow cocked just so, watching me with intent.

She finishes the water and holds my gaze. What are you staring at? she asks, not seeming to realize she drank twenty-four ounces of water in a few seconds flat.

I look around and see we’re all watching her with amazement, wondering if she is human. I mean, she’s definitely hotter than any human I’ve ever seen.

I shake my head. Are you real?

Real? She tilts her head to the side, a smile playing on her lips. Do you want to touch me and find out?

I raise an eyebrow, not really believing our luck. Harlow is more than beautiful--she’s fucking gorgeous. I’m talking curves, and tits and an ass that gets me worked up.

Harlow smirks, and the way her mouth moves gives me all sorts of ideas. I don’t want to go home. Not yet. I thought I was looking for answers but... Her hair’s a tousled mess, and I see now that tiny seashells are caught in the strands, and as she shakes her hair out, flecks of sparkling sand and tiny pearls fall to the floor.

What sort of answers did you want? Kai asks, leaning down and picking up a white pearl, holding it between his thumb and forefinger.

Harlow sighs. It’ll sound like a fairy tale. Like a movie. Not real life.

You wanna talk about it? Eric asks.

Not knowing anything about fairy tales or happy endings myself, I feel like I’m headed for rocky terrain. I want to go to the gorgeous naked woman a few feet away. Not to the loaded questions.

But she lowers her chin again and lifts her eyes in a way that gets my cock hella hard.

I swear she’s otherworldly and right now, with her standing here so willing, I feel like I can take a chance on that fairy tale she’s talking about, the one that I don’t really understand.

I’ll go to whatever depths she wants to take me.

I don’t want to talk tonight, she says.

Realizing what it is she wants, I step toward her.

Cupping her cheek in my hand, I feel like the luckiest goddamn man on Earth. She smells like salt water and memories and magic I can’t quite see. But magic I want to get to know.

She takes a sharp breath, looking straight at me.

Please, she whispers. Take me there.

I know where she wants to go.

Do you know what you are asking for, Mermaid?

Stop calling me that, she says, a flicker of anger in her eye.

I want to soothe that pain that flares up inside her.

You’re the one with green glitter down your leg. Pearls literally just fell from your hair.

Kai hands her a tiny pearl he found on the floor of the boat, and she takes it, swallowing. She steps from me and brushes the green shimmer from her legs, but it doesn’t budge. She tries to rub it off ... but it’s not going anywhere.

Harlow blinks back the confusion welling up in her eyes, twisting a ring on her finger that is made from a seashell. I don’t know what’s happening. Her irises are deep pools of water we could drown in but below the surface, there is something warm. Something hot. Something she needs.

You called to us, Mermaid, West says, serious in a way I’ve never seen before. And we answered. Now tell us, where do you want to go?

Take me somewhere I’ve never gone before. She moves her hand to the buttons on her shirt, undoing them one by one. Then her hands cup her breasts, circling her nipples, and fuck, that’s an offer if I’ve ever seen one.

I move toward her again, and hell, maybe I’m the most aggressive in the group, but I also know what I want. She called and I will answer.

Oh, Harlow, I groan, pulling her toward me. I’ll take you there.

She whimpers as I tilt her chin up, press my lips against her neck. She may be lost--but tonight, it’s like I’ve been fucking found.

Yes, she murmurs as my mouth kisses her sweet skin. Take me. All of you. You’re mine.

At that my cock practically explodes. I look over at my friends who watch us with growing need, and they move toward her. The same way we were drawn to her siren call.

West and Kai step to either side of us, and Eric moves behind. All four of us run our hands over her silky skin, worshipping the creature before us.

It’s not fair, she whispers. I’m the only one undressed.

I clench my jaw. I may live with these guys but getting naked with them is a lot to accept all at once. Before tonight, we never entertained the idea.

But being here with Harlow isn’t something we considered either.

Tonight, it’s like whatever rules usually apply, are gone.

All that’s left is us.

Uh, that’s gonna be a lot of dick, West laughs under his breath.

Hey, Eric says. We don’t want to scare her off.

She runs a finger over her lip, smiling seductively. I’m usually the one who runs. But tonight, I’m not running anywhere. We’re in the middle of the ocean, it’s late, and I’m telling you, I want this. Besides, it’s my birthday. You have to do what I say.

Your birthday? I ask with growing grin.

She nods.

I tug off my shirt, pull my zipper down; I’m ready for this.

Ready for her.

Her eyes twinkle, and the mood shifts from something desperate to something exhilarating as the other guys strip down, too.

Well, I say, ready to make this a birthday she’ll never forget. I don’t think it’s fair that you’re the one making all my wishes come true when you’re the birthday girl.

Then I scoop her up in my arms and carry her to a stateroom.

7

Harlow

When Crew lays me down on the bed, I know this is the start of something surreal. I smile, with the kind of smile that rarely fills my face.

Genuine. Complete. Whole.

The four men are all naked before me, but more than that... they stare at me with a devotion that is almost terrifying. Like they see something I can’t.

Like they see me as the person I could be.

All that after such a short time, it should scare me, but it electrifies me.

It makes me feel whole.

Because of that confidence, I rest my head on a pillow and grin as the four of them surround me. I take in their lengths--four hard cocks ready and at attention.

I’ve never done