Page 69 of Sea's Secret

“You got a bit tense for a minute,” he said, still not continuing, but I could still feel the heat from his hands.

“Sorry.”

“Meria–” he warned, and he removed his hands.

Although the pain was gone, I still wanted his hand’s warmth.

“I mean, oh yes, not sorry. I am not sorry. I was thinking of something, but I am fine,” I said. I did say ‘sorry’ far too often. I felt my back still pressed against his chest. He leaned down and whispered in my ear like a warm caress, his voice deep and rumbly in a way that made my stomach flip as if I had dived into the sea.

“Have my cabin.”

My heart raced so fast at those words.

“I could not,” I whispered back rather breathy.

“Yes, you can, if you would like it,” he whispered back, his breath tickling my ear. His hands slowly wrapped around my waist as he pulled me even tighter against him. I was sure that in his arms, I would never have any pain, which was strange as his curse was to inflict pain with those very limbs. But there was so much more to Dominick than his curse–so much gentleness and kindness.

“Alright,” I said weakly.

“Do not agree unless it is truly what you desire,” he said again, still speaking so into my ear, his chin grazing my cheek. I wanted him to never move from that spot; that was what I desired most.

“I desire it,” I said. Then the next second, he removed himself from me and stepped away. I turned around to face him. He took a backwards step.

“Dinner tonight in my cabin?” he asked with a tilt of his head and a smile.

“Yes,” I said with a nod.

“See you then,” he said; then he turned, and my jaw dropped when I saw him reach with his bare hands into his pockets and began to put on his gloves.

I made my way to the captain's cabin that evening and knocked on the dark wood of the door. There was a shuffling; then Dominick stood before me. The first thing I noticed other than his handsome face were his gloved hands. I wanted to know more about his curse. His hands had seemed to heal me. After his touch, my head did not hurt at all. I watched as he opened the door wider to let me into his cabin. He shut the door behind me and walked to his desk, rubbing the back of his neck. He winced.

“Are you alright?” I wondered if his neck also hurt.

“Oh, yes, I am fine.” He put his hand down and motioned for me to sit.

Sitting down and taking a look around, I realized that Dominick had yet another layer to him that I did not know about. He was messy. It made me smile. He had papers and maps spread all around his large desk. He had a bowl and a cup on the floor, as if he had put it to the side while he was working and then forgot about it. I looked around to see a closet door with a sleeve sticking out as if it had been closed hastily, and possibly crammed too full. His bed was a pile of pillows and blankets. It did look more comfortable than the one I had slept in next door.

“Sorry, it is a bit messy in here,” he began, and I turned to look at him.

“I do not mind.”

“I will still have to come in here daily, so you must rise and be ready before I report for the day.”

“Who do you report to?”

“Myself–and I am ready at dawn.”

“Okay, I may just sleep as you go about your business in the mornings.”

“No, I’ll have to change.”

“Oh–” I nodded. “Okay.”

He motioned to a small table in a corner of the room, which had the lovely gruel I hated upon it. I had learned from my time on that ship that the food was always the same thing, something weird: wet sludge and dry crackers. There were some dried fruit barrels, and I often tossed the sludge and just ate the fruit.

“The food on this ship is awful.”

“It may not be fish–”

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