Page 16 of Something Real with the Sea Monster
Fuck. How do I handle this?
I move forward a little more, and the crunching from beneath me reminds me about the glass. I force myself to set her on the sofa and slide back. “Just let me clean up the broken glass, OK? Then you can yell at me as much as you like.”
Thankfully, she doesn’t protest. She just tucks her legs up under her and rests her head on her arms, which makes her look vulnerable. That’s like a spear wound to the guts, but I can’t focus on that right now. I need to get myself under control and dry enough to shift back so I can try to have the semblance of a proper conversation with Tegan. I need to explain why I couldn’t have sex with her tonight, but why I absolutely want her to hang around and talk to me and let me get to know her.
My heart thuds in my chest as I hastily sweep up the glass. Would Mia have told her what my glowing tentacles mean? If not, how do I explain myself?
I rush to the bedroom and yank off my damp clothes. By the time I’m shifted and dressed again, I look back into the living room, expecting to see a frustrated Tegan glaring at me.
Instead I find her asleep. She’s slumped over the arm of the sofa with her hair covering most of her face. I can’t help reaching out to brush it away, letting the backs of my fingers graze over impossibly soft skin.
I draw back with regret. At least this solves the problem of telling Tegan—well, everything. Gently, I lean down and lift her, expecting her to wake. She hardly stirs at all, which worries me. I debate for a long time whether I should take her back to Luke and Mia’s or let her stay here.
In the end, I tuck her into the human bed in my bedroom that I almost never use and turn away with regret to leave her a note for when she wakes in the morning.
You fell asleep and I didn’t want to wake you. I’ve gone underwater to sleep but help yourself to anything you like in the morning.
Jack
NINE
Jack
I have an early morning meeting with the company that supplies our linen. This is the third time they’ve raised prices in two years, and it’s getting to be too much. I’d rather not have to look for another supplier, but I’m not at my best and the meeting ends with no resolution on the discount I requested.
When I open the door from the office, I see Tegan coming down the stairs from the apartment. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”
She’s typing something on her phone and doesn’t look up. “Fine.”
There’s a pause. “Did you want a coffee or tea? I was about to make one.”
“No thanks.”
I hesitate. She hasn’t outright said it, but there’s something not right here. Her body language is screaming I want to tear your head off. “Did you um… did you have a good sleep?”
Finally she looks up to glare at me. “No, not really. I woke up wondering where I was and why I was alone. And then I remembered how you rejected me.”
“Uh…” I shift uncomfortably. I don’t think now is the right time for the conversation I know we need to have, but it feels like the yeti in the room.
“Plus I had about ten missed calls from Mia who was worried about where I was and why I never came home last night.”
Oh shit. I didn’t even think that Mia would worry. Stupid. Of course she did. The only thoughts tossing through my head all night like seaweed on a rough ocean were that she’s my fated mate and how do I tell her? “I should have messaged Luke.”
Tegan sighs. “It’s my fault. I’m kinda shit at being responsible. I know that.”
There’s another pause. “So are you OK now?”
“Yeah. Fine. Brilliant. I’m getting so used to being rejected that it just rolls off me like water off a duck.”
“Tegan.” I run a hand through my hair, struggling for the words. “I’m not good at this stuff. I’m no good with women.”
Tegan scoffs. “Because we’re a whole other species, right?” I open my mouth to reply that she kind of is, when she holds up a finger. “OK, fine. One point to you, monster boy, but kraken females can’t be that different to human women.”
I shift uncomfortably. We’re dancing around the real reason I’m no good with females, and I’m nervous about how she’ll take it when she finds out. “There are some key differences.”
She folds her arms across her chest. “Oh?”
“Listen,” I say softly. “I’ve really only had one girlfriend before, and that was a long time ago.”
