"I look forward to discovering how else you like to be touched," he said.
"Me too."
He leaned in and kissed me, brief and feeling more affectionate than full of need.It was nice, a reminder that this wasn't supposed to be a brief tumble, but something more.And I had no doubt that it would still feel that way in the morning.
Chapter12
LAILA
I stretched out, surprised to find the bed beside me empty.It wasn't the first time I'd woken up during the night, but itwasthe first that Poseidon hadn't been there.Disappointment flooded through me, even though I knew we'd had alotof sex last night.Certainly more than I'd expected.But every time I'd thought I wouldn't be able to go again, he'd touched me in just the right place that it had been unavoidable.
I let out a satisfied smile.It had certainly been a good night.I threw off the sheet, only to realise that I hadn't been wearing my clothes when I'd come up here, so didn't have anything to wear.And even if Ididhave my dress up here, it wasn't like walking around Poseidon's house in last night's dress was the right thing to do.That would make it feel like I was planning on sneaking out rather than being willing to spend the day here.
I turned around and noticed a folded shirt on the nightstand that hadn't been there last night.A smile spread over my face as I picked it up and slipped it over my head.He must have thought about the fact that I didn't have any clothes with me.
I padded out of the room, the light streaming in from the windows outside lighting up the way as I headed down the stairs and to the kitchen, expecting him to be there.
Except that he wasn't.
"Poseidon?"I called out.
He didn't answer.Had he left to go get something?That didn't seem likely.If he thought about putting a shirt for me by the bed, then he'd have thought to tell me that he was leaving the house.
I turned around, my gaze catching on the huge fish tank that dominated the inside of the house.I drifted over to it, somehow knowing that this was going to be the answer.
The fish seemed completely oblivious to my presence, which wasn't a surprise.I wasn't a threat to them.They probably didn't even know what a threat was, considering that all they did was swim around their tank and get fed by Poseidon every time they got hungry.
I could speak from last night's experience that it was a good life.
There were so many colours in the tank that it was hard to successfully work out where a seahorse might be hiding.I didn't even really know what kind of seahorse I was looking for.I knew that there were different species of them, but that was about the extent of my knowledge.He could be green, red, orange, or...purple.
He was slightly bigger than I expected, though I had no idea if that was to do with what kind of seahorse he was, or if it was somehow the nature of shifters in general.I'd never known one well enough to ask them about it.His body was exactly what I'd imagined when I'd thought of a seahorse, but his colour was a deeper purple than I'd expected.It might even be a shade of blue, it was hard to tell in the light of the aquarium.
There was something mesmerising about watching in the tank, though there was a moment of worry when I realised that he probably had no idea that I was watching him.Maybe it would make him uncomfortable to know that I was.I pushed the thought aside.If he hadn't wanted to risk me seeing him in this form, then he wouldn't have entered his tank.I might not know a huge amount about shifters, but I knew they didn't have to shifteveryday.
The seahorse seemed to notice me and drifted over, the fin on his back rippling with the movement of the water.
I raised my hand and waved at him.Ihopedthis was Poseidon, or I was just waving at a random fish and hoping for the best.
My assumptions were confirmed when he turned and swam towards the top of the tank.I couldn't see that far up, but there was a distant splash from somewhere in the house.He hadn't shown me the room where he could get in and out of his tank, but given the size, it was probably on the same floor as his bedroom.I stood there, not really knowing what to do with myself while I waited, or what was taking him so long to reappear.
I turned as footsteps on the stairs gained my attention and Poseidon appeared, his hair sticking to his head as he came towards me.
"Good morning," he murmured, leaning in and kissing me."Sorry for keeping you waiting, I had to shower before coming down, I didn't want you to have to deal with tank-stench."
I laughed."Is that what you call it?"
"There's a certain smell to it," he said."And I didn't want to subject you to it."
"That's very sweet," I assured him."Though it took me a moment to realise you were probably in the tank."
He chuckled."Sorry, I should have said.You were sleeping so peacefully when I woke up and I felt a bit restless, so I came for a swim."
"Is that what you normally do?"
"Sometimes."
"You're beautiful.As a seahorse, I mean," I said.
