CHAPTER 17
He wasn’t looking at her as he held her hand to his cheek. No, he looked down, his shy smile the only thing giving him away.
Then slowly, ever so slowly, he looked up. She was in danger, she thought absently, because if he was an incubus, she was already totally and fully in his grasp.
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered, unable to stop herself. She knew her father had said there were many things one could and couldn’t say to a boy when courting—she forgot all of them—but she doubted they applied to a mermaid.
And it wasn’t like this was courting…even if her hand was still on his cheek. Even if he was still holding it in place.
He seemed to want to know what she had meant, so dropping her hand, she said, “When I talk”—she pointed to herself—“Kallias is you and Daria is I. When Kallias talks, Daria is you; Kallias is I.” He seemed to understand so she continued.
“And beautiful? Beautiful is when I think…” She paused, stopping herself.
How to describe beautiful? “Beautiful is when I like what I see.” She gestured for see and tried to talk slow so he could get the I’s, but she wasn’t sure if it was enough so she added, “Like wow,” and exaggerated her face.
“I beautiful like wow,” he said, exaggerating right back.
She laughed. “The ‘wow’ for you is far better. Like wow!” She dragged it out quite a bit, allowing the vowel to really hold and he laughed.
“You beautiful like wow.” He didn’t hold it out like she did. Rather he said it softly, gently, intimately, and her heart thudded accordingly.
“You think so?” She blushed. Was it wrong to want him to think so? She wasn’t sure where bestiality ended, but surely if he could speak and talk like a man, it was alright.
Because she really, really wanted him to think so.