Page 35 of Siren in the Rain

“How can I get him to truly trust me?”

“Keep doing what you’re doing.” Haku leans closer. “And just so you know, you’re exactly my master’s type. He has a thing for cute himbos.”

My tail is flapping against the bed so fast it’s nearly a blur.

“It’s that surfer body paired with those big puppy-dog eyes and fluffy anime ears,” Haku confides. “Maybe the tail too.”

I sigh happily. “Good to know.”

My next mission impossible: Get Shae to give me an ear rub.

Cal’s told me before that no one can resist the lure of my big, fluffy ears!

As if sensing our conversation, Shae’s breathing changes and he slowly opens his eyes, blinking at me blearily.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

He scrunches up his noise. “Gross.”

Not exactly the lovey-dovey response I was aiming for, but oh well. I have time.

Shae promptly shoves a hand under my chin and tries to push me away. “Get away from me with your morning breath, Wolf Boy.”

I beam at him. “Did you sleep well?”

He shrugs and looks away. “Okay, I guess.”

Haku was right; prickly is definitely one way to describe my mate.

But just like Haku also said, I can sense the sweet, loving man underneath. Similar to Cal, I think this outer facade of snark and sarcasm is more a protective mechanism than anything else.

Shae yawns. “What time is it?”

“Early still.” I try to snuggle closer.

He freezes. “Are you sporting a big-ass boner right now?”

I give him a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I can’t help my natural bodily reactions. You are my mate, after all. It’s only to be expected that I react this way to you. Besides, morning wood is pretty common for most guys, especially at our age.” I chuckle. “Don’t worry. It won’t spontaneously make a move on you.”

Shae draws himself away from me and awkwardly clamors off the bed in a hurry, seemingly uncomfortable with our conversation for some reason.

Trying to put us back on friendlier ground, I scramble to think of something that will brighten his mood.

Then I have a brilliant idea.

“What do you say to an early morning swim?”

He whirls around and stares at me, eyes wide. “Is that safe?”

“Our beach is private. Like I told you, the compound has both technological and magical security systems. No one’s getting anywhere near us. At least not from land.”

His brow furrows. “I doubt Margaret has figured out where I am to send a boat or anything.”

I get up and put my hands on my hips with a wide grin. “I’ll be with you and I’ll be watching out so you can enjoy yourself. I promise you, everything will be fine.” I cock my head. “You can swim, right?”

He sneers. “Excuse me, Wolf Boy, but I’m half-siren. Of course I can swim. I may not have the typical siren tail, but my legs gain scales and my feet become webbed when I’m in the water to enable greater mobility.”

My mate is so cool.

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