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Chapter 15
Something thumped in my darkened room, and I startled awake, my head thumping as I sat up in my bed.
Moonlight streamed through the window, allowing me a little light for guidance. I groped for the dagger beside me on my bed table.
Shellfish. Damn, Fin. I should have listened to his warning. The townsfolk had probably come to harm us in revenge for my little display of power yesterday. But we were not meeting our end in this cabin.
I scanned the room. Coals in the fireplace glowed a deep red. An armchair sat by the fireplace. Everything seemed in its place except for the candle that had fallen from its holder. Somehow, it had knocked over. I leaned out of bed and picked it up, replacing it in its stand on the carved wooden bedside table.
“Sorry to wake you, Princess,” a rough, dry voice said.
Startled, I leaped out of my bed with the candle in my grip.
Someone was seated on the floor, his back leaning against the wall.
“Nemo?” I said, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “What the hell are you doing in here? Where are the others?”
“Sleeping,” he replied, gesturing over his shoulder toward the snoring coming through the walls. “Gill’s making a racket. I came in here to escape it, but you’re just as bad.”
What? He lied. None of my servants had ever mentioned I snored. Nor had any of my friends when I’d had sleepovers as a teen. “I don’t snore.”
When he laughed at me, as if to say,oh, yes, you do, I threw a pillow at him, hitting him in the head.
My reaction only made him chuckle more. Oh, how he enjoyed teasing me. This was like another of hisroyal assjokes.
“Yes, you do.” His smile was cheeky, sinful as hell, promising me an ocean of heartache if I didn’t stop falling for him. “Like a whale. Lots of grunts and snorts. If we were in water, I’d add bubbles, too.”
Why, that guppy!I picked up another pillow, ready to assault him for the unjust accusation.
But he was already armed with the first one I’d tossed at him. “Two can play at that game,” he told me.
I quirked an eyebrow. “Is that a challenge?”
“You know I love one,” he replied, his eyes radiating his playful nature and scrolling down my chest and stomach. “Get ready to be beaten—again, Princess.”
Sea god. He hadn’t let me live down my defeat at clam, seaweed, and rock. This time, I was going to win either way.
I liked a good game of poker with my friends down at Shark Bait bar. Putting a little wager on a hand added another layer of fun. One time, a Sharkrider had dared us to a stripping version of the game. Luckily, I’d worn several layers of undergarments that particular day. For my effort, I only got down to my bra. But Gellian had lost on purpose. Any chance to get her breasts out. Mad mermaid.
“What are the terms?” I asked Nemo.
“You like to gamble?” Nemo asked, playing up the mock surprise in his voice. “My, my… You’re not such an innocent princess.”
“What ever made you think I was one?”
He shrugged. “Just imagined you as one.”
“Well.” I traced a finger along the woolen throw rug. “You’re wrong.”
Nemo smiled, as if he liked the idea I might not be such an innocent. His terms came out in a rush.
“If I win, you have to bathe with me, and I get to wash you.”
Flipping hell. The thought of that had me steaming up down below. Would we both fit in the bath? Who cared! How was I going to say no to something as sensual as that? I contemplated losing on purpose so I could be closer to him. Sea god. Was I turning into my horny best friend Gellian?
Then that nasty reminder in the back of my mind hit. The one that told me I couldn’t be with him. That my father would never approve of our relationship, despite what I desired, no matter how much I begged him to change his mind. No matter how badly I wanted to, I couldn’t forget that Nemo and I could never be a couple. I couldn’t take a bath with him. That would undo me. I’d be lost to him forever. But I’d try one night of fun with him. A wonderful reminder of my adventure to save my father.
Damn me and my weakness for Nemo.
