She straightened and looked him in the eye. “Really?”
He chuckled. “Why not? I mean, it’s not exactly a hardship.”
“And—and I can stay?”
“Hmmm…” He folded his arms and thought about the consequences. “I guess that depends.”
“On?”
“On whether or not it works.” He reached for her hand. “Come with me.”
She took a step back and eyed his hand cautiously.
“What’s wrong?”
“I might be a little warm blooded for you right now. I don’t want to burn you.”
He snapped his fingers. “I have an idea. Come.”
That was all he said, and all he intended to say until he showed her the kind ofsteamysex he knew they could have. He left her apartment and marched across the hall to his own. He didn’t turn around to be sure she was following until he reached his door.
She paused in her doorway. He opened the door to his own place and swung it wide. She must have seen all the fish tanks, because her jaw dropped, and she entered slowly as ifmesmerized. Once she was inside, he locked the door behind her.
“Watch this,” he said. He strolled to his human-size tank and stripped down, figuring that if she was willing to sleep with him, she wouldn’t be shocked to see him in all his glory. The next part might surprise her a bit, but he hoped since he’d shown her understanding, she’d offer him the same kindness.
Her gaze swept over his body and a small smile curled her lips.Good. She likes what she sees.Then he vaulted over the wall of water and his tail formed almost immediately.
She gasped.
He grinned at her and leaned back, then clasped his hands behind his head. He floated with his tail gently treading water.
“You’re a merman!”
“In the fin.”
She giggled and asked, “What happened to your…”
“It’s still there. Come on in, the water’s great! It’ll cool you down and as soon as I can ‘handle you,’ we’ll get out and try it.”
She glanced all around. “Where? I don’t see any furniture?”
“I have a bed, but maybe this first time we could try it in the shower.” He winked. “Think of all the steam we’ll generate!”
She laughed, stripped off her clothes quickly, and jumped into the tank. Sure enough, generous plumes of steam rose from the surface. “Ah…I feel better already.”
“Great. Well, I can feel the temperature rising, so I’ll get out and meet you in the shower whenever you’re ready.”
“You don’t have a tail in fresh water?”
“Nope.” He hauled himself up onto the side and let the water sluice off. “You’ve never heard of lake-men have you?”
She smiled. “No, I guess not.”
When his lower half became human again, he hopped down onto the floor and leaned over the tank. “There’s an old saying, “When a bird and a fish fall in love, where will they live?”
She nodded.
“I guess they’ll have to live at this address.” He cupped her face and brought her lips to his for their first kiss. One of many, he hoped.
