Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
Trent stared down at the frog on his chest. Her white throat, which contrasted with her green body, moved rapidly. She crawled up his chest, approaching his neck. Trent laughed. He lifted his hand, placing it beside her.
Without hesitating, she crawled onto it. He raised her in front of his face. She moved around, exploring as she ribbited.
“Can I stroke her?” Trent asked.
“You can try. She’ll move away if she doesn’t like it.”
Lifting his free hand, he moved it towards Kelby. She looked at the hand but didn’t move away. Slowly, Trent touched her smooth, damp, slightly slimy back. She didn’t seem perturbed by his touch.
“How did you find her?” Trent asked.
“She turned up in the emporium, sitting on a water lily, a couple of years ago,” Malachi answered. “But I have no idea where she came from or how long she’d lived in the emporium before I first saw her. She is a master of camouflage, so she might have been in the shop for weeks, maybe even months.”
“What does she eat?”
“Insects,” Malachi said. “I never have to feed her. She is an excellent hunter and finds her own prey in the store. The plants attract a variety of tiny creatures.”
Suddenly Kelby jumped. Trent startled, a surprised noise escaping his throat as she landed on the shelf. She hopped again, and this time, she landed on a log in her terrarium. She crawled around. Then closed her eyes, seeming to go to sleep.
“I hope she approves of me.” Trent smiled at the sleeping frog.
“I think she does.” Malachi offered the plate of baked goods again to Trent.
Trent took a caramel tart.
And so did Malachi. “If she didn’t like you, I feel she would have just hidden.” He set down the plate. Then he took a bite of the caramel tart.
The siren closed his eyes and chewed, the pleasure clear on his face. His tentacles swayed slightly.
Trent’s mouth dried.
Fuck me. He’s stunning.
Malachi swallowed. “This is beyond delicious.” He opened his eyes.
Trent cleared his throat. “I’ll pass on my compliments to my brother, Briar. He made them.” He took a bite of his own tart.
“Please do. It’s the best thing I’ve eaten in years.” Malachi chewed and leaned back in his chair.
They sat silently for a few moments as they ate.
“I was wondering, how did you come to live in Anorra?” Trent asked. “It’s very far from the ocean. Sirens tend to live in the ocean, right?”
Malachi nodded. “Well, at the time, I was…wandering. I didn’t stay put anywhere for long, and I ended up in Anorra. I saw the emporium. At the time, I had been away from the ocean for several months. The aquatic plants beckoned to me, and so I came in.”
Malachi paused. “Back then, an elderly kraken shifter had just inherited the shop from a distant cousin.” He laughed. “She hated serving customers. She didn’t know how to tend the plants and had no interest in learning. So she offered me a job.”
Trent laughed. “What? Just like that?”
“Well, I was staring at the plants. She asked me if I knew how to look after them. I said I had some idea.” Malachi huffed.
“That was enough for her. After hiring me, she barely spent any time in the shop.
I ended up doing all the work. She spent her nights up here and her days in the lake in the forest.
“But that worked for both of us. Five years later, she passed and left me the emporium. She didn’t have any family. Still, I was surprised. And grateful.” Malachi smiled. “That’s how I came to be in Anorra and why I remained.”
“I see.”
Malachi popped the last bite of his tart into his mouth.
And that was when Trent realised the night had turned into a success. Here they were spending time together, and he was learning about the siren he’d been obsessed with for months. It was all Trent had wanted.
For a while it had looked like the night was going to be a disaster. But he’d managed to salvage it. Of course, the night wasn’t over yet.
Trent looked around the room. He could see what Malachi meant.
It did seem quite sparse, and it was clear Malachi didn’t entertain often.
But it wasn’t bad. Cas would definitely say it needed some Christmas decorations.
And maybe it could do with a few personal touches. But Trent liked it well enough.
He settled into the chair. His gaze slid to the bed in the corner. It wasn’t a large bed. But it would be big enough for two people, especially if they were pressed together.
Trent glanced at Malachi, who licked the remains of the tart from his webbed fingers. Trent’s gut tightened.
Malachi, unaware of Trent’s heated gaze, leaned forward and perused the other baked goods. His fingers hovered over them as if he was considering. “They all look so lovely. Which would you recommend?”
“Maybe the snowflake sugar cookie.” Trent studied the siren’s face. “My brother Cas makes them. He puts a lot of effort into decorating. And a lot of joy and love.”
“It is beautiful.” Malachi lifted the cookie, examining it. “Almost too pretty to eat.”
“Cas will be pleased you said that. But you should definitely eat it. He’d say they were made to be eaten.”
Malachi brought the cookie to his mouth. He bit into it with his sharpened teeth. His eyelids lowered. Trent watched his dark-blue lips press together as he chewed slowly.
A small moan, barely perceptible, escaped Malachi.
Trent’s breath caught. Did Malachi realise how erotic he made eating seem?
Malachi popped the rest of the cookie into his mouth, fingers pressing to his lips. His eyes closed completely, and he chewed. He made another small moan.
Trent’s cock plumped. He crossed his legs, trying to hide his body’s reaction. He shoved the rest of his tart into his mouth and chewed, trying to distract himself from looking at Malachi.
But maybe he didn’t have to…
This was a date. It was okay to be attracted to one’s date. Right? That seemed reasonable.
And even as inexperienced as he was, he knew that often dates ended in kissing. Or more than kissing. Letting out a breath, he looked back at Malachi.
How did one go about making the first move? Should Trent just do it? Or should he wait for Malachi?
He should have asked his siblings for advice. They were all more experienced than him.
Maybe Trent just needed to go for it. Malachi had agreed to go on this date with him. He wouldn’t have done that if he found Trent completely repulsive.
Trent sat up. He shifted forward to the edge of the seat, bringing himself closer to Malachi. He could reach out and touch the siren now. Or he could lean forward and kiss him.
Malachi wiped the crumbs from his lips. “That was divine. Thank you for bringing these. Your family are very talented bakers.”
Trent’s hands tingled. He took a deep breath, trying to find his courage as his belly squirmed as if filled with worms.
Then he leaned forward and kissed Malachi. For a split second, soft lips remained pressed against soft lips. Trent’s chest filled with a warmth that spread through his body.
Then Malachi yanked back.