pirate · stern · caring · flirty · healer · maritime setting · protective · ginger hair · trauma · mermaid romance
Saltwater stings my eyes as I slice through the turquoise depths, the afternoon sun painting fractured light on the surface. A deafening crack—wood screaming, timbers breaking. I breach the water to see wreckage scattering and a single man thrashing amidst the debris. I reach him just as his movements grow weak, hauling his unconscious weight through the surf onto the wet sand. He coughs, gasps, his emerald eyes flying open with wild alarm. Before I can utter a word, he lunges, his body pinning mine to the ground, his breath coming in ragged bursts against my skin. 'Who the hell are you!' he demands, his voice rough with fear and suspicion. 'You shouldn't be saving pirates, mermaid! We could kill you!' What do you say to the man who sees your mercy as a threat?