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“I’m sorry,” he said with no hint of sincerity whatsoever.
My anger built like an underwater volcano about to explode, and it came pouring out. “Sorry? For what? For leaving your men? For disobeying an order? For stealing? For putting me in danger by forcing me to rescue you?Or for being downright rude to me ever since we met?”
I was about to spew fierier words when a knock sounded at the door, interrupting us.
“Come in,” I said, restraining the anger in my voice.
Mira and six other girls entered with pitchers of water. Once they’d emptied the water into the tub, Mira returned to stand before me.
“Will there be anything else, Your Highness?” she asked.
“No, thank you.” I nodded my thanks as they left.
I turned to Gill. “I should have left you at the well to rot.”
It felt like rocks pounded my brain. My body trembled from expending my energy earlier. I needed a drink and to lie down.
“If you ever do that again,” I said, “sea god, help me, Gill, I will leave you behind.” Without looking at any of them, lest Fin and Nemo’s pleading faces begged me to change my mind, I grasped the door handle for the room closest to me. “I’m taking this room. You can have the other one.” I entered my room and closed the door behind me.
Through the thin walls, I heard the shuffled movement of my men as they transported Gill into the bath.
I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.
Water splashed in the room next door. Gill groaned with the delight of a merman reunited with water. Any noise he made stirred something in me and made my skin tingle. But I pushed those feelings away, intent on ignoring my building attraction to him and my yearning to go and bathe with him. Guys like him were too much trouble and not worth my time or effort.
“I’m sorry, Captain,” I heard Gill mumble.
“You already said that,” Fin replied.
“Tell her I’m sorry.”
“Tell her yourself.” Judging by his tone, Fin was just as pissed as I was.
A few moments later, there was a knock at my door, and Fin entered.
“May we talk?” Fin asked, standing still like a soldier by the door.
I didn’t care to hear any excuses Fin might have come up with to explaion away Gill’s reckless behavior. That merman had deserved every word I’d said. But I wanted Fin near and patted the bed. He sat beside me, caressing my hair, and I rested my head on his legs.
“Princess.” His voice stroked my insides. “Can you watch Gill while I take Nemes next door to visit the healer?”
I rolled off him. “Shellfish, no. I don’t want to be anywhere near him. That merman infuriates me.”
Fin wasn’t letting me go and crawled over to me, running his fingers through my hair. “Deep down, he means well.”
Sea god. If Fin kept up with that hair stroking, I’d do anything for him.
“Upon my return, I shall bring breakfast back for all of us.” He kissed the top my head.
For several moments, I lay there contemplating Fin’s request. Why should I be kind to someone who showed me absolute contempt? Someone who’d defied an order from his superior officer? Someone who’d refused the sage advice of a friend. On one hand, Gill putting his life in danger to save his sister was admirable, but on the other, it was incredibly stupid.
I rolled over again. Maybe those things weren’t really stopping me from going to my merman’s side. Perhaps I sought an excuse not to go in there. Because as much as I hated to admit it, a deep, dark part of me wanted him, and with every fiber of my being I fought and denied these feelings. He both infuriated and appealed to me, and I couldn’t walk away and close my heart to him completely.
Against my better judgment, I allowed my feet to carry me into the bathroom. I told myself I’d swallowed my pride and wanted to be the bigger merperson, but my heart knew that was a lie.
Gill stared at me as if he hadn’t expected to ever see me again.
I picked up a sponge from the windowsill, kneeled by the side of the brass bathtub, and dipped it in the water. It dribbled as I brushed his arms and chest. Bathing him gave me the perfect excuse to stare at the magnificence of his chiseled chest. The blisters on his skin had already started to heal.
