Page 36 of Surfaces
Taft’s eyes drifted down to his knees and naturally so did mine. He was so completely muscular that it was almost hard to believe his form wasn’t at least a little bit under his control. Even Felipe, who exercised daily, wasn’t as sculpted as Taft.
But how did one ask,Do you use magic to make yourself unbelievably attractive?It wasn’t done, so I didn’t do it.
Besides, Taft didn’t bother to ask any questions about me in return. He didn’t try to start up any conversation. He just let the silence grow.
Hmmm.Strong. Silent. Useful. My tongue traced my top teeth as I tried to determine if that was a good combination or a bad one.
“How about a game of Niddy Noddy?” Mateo asked, reaching for his cloak and untying the cord. “My cousin lent me some cards.”
“I don’t know it.” Taft declared.
“Don’t know Niddy Noddy! Oh, it’s easy! I’ve been playing it every night,” Mateo responded.
Of course Mateo was making friends, I thought as a warmth lit my chest while I watched him dig through his cloak for a small packet of cards. Ever the diplomat’s son.
“Alright, so if you have a pair, on your turn, set down one of the cards. The next person has to set down a higher card of the same suit. The suits are the little pictures in the corners: shells, coral, water, and rock. The person who lays down the highest card of that suit wins. See? Easy.”
Mateo passed out the cards and we spent a decent hour playing Niddy Noddy by setting down our cards next to us on our benches since we had no table, a thrill racing down my spine every time my hand brushed his. I also noticed how frequently his eyes strayed to my breasts, which was exactly what I’d wanted when I was dressing this morning, but now utterly frustrating.
I purposely fumbled and dropped my cards more than once during the game, using the excuse to bend over toward Mateo, to brush against his tail with my fingertips and let him get an eyeful of my breasts, which ached for his touch.
While we tried to make small talk, Taft was often silent, so Mateo and I ended up conversing about things like trade with Macedon or the sheer size of the swordfish involved in the joust.
“Their noses were massive.”
“I wish all the ladies would say my nose was massive,” Mateo grinned at his innuendo as he flopped down a coral card.
“I don’t want other ladies talking about your nose, thank you,” I returned as I set down my own card in response.
“Taft. What do you think of my nose, then?” Mateo turned and let Taft view his profile but my eyes dropped immediately to the true subject of our discussion. Mateo had a very generous ridge building underneath his scales.
Taft didn’t seem to catch on to the joke. Or, he didn’t play along. “Oh, um, it looks normal. Yup.” He laid down his own card as I smirked in Mateo’s direction.
“Yes, just normal. Not overly large or anything.”
Mateo glared playfully at me. “I’ll get you for that.”
But I’d only laughed as we continued our little game, flirting with one another a bit more brazenly since Taft seemed so unaware.
After about an hour, it seemed like Taft had had enough. His eyes drooped and he gave a yawn, passing Mateo back his hand of cards. “Do you all mind if I nod off? Shapeshifting tires me out.”
“Of course,” I smiled, secretly thrilled to have a chance to be nearly alone with Mateo.
Mateo gave a concerned nod to the other man, and deftly packed up the cards, but I saw a smile playing across the corner of his lips as he bent to wrap them with a bit of string. He was just as pleased as I was.
The nixe laid himself out the best he could on his bench, propping his arm upon the side of the carriage and his head upon that. Within a few minutes—though they felt like hours as I watched him closely and rubbed my thighs together in anticipation—he was asleep.
I eyed the other man cautiously as his eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks, both elated and also incredibly nervous. I wanted Mateo so badly but I didn’t really want a stranger to witness everything.
I didn’t want him to question our attachment.
I turned to peer out the window of the carriage, which showed nothing but a dull expanse of blue for as far as the eye could see, racking my mind for a solution before I glanced over at Mateo and just lost all my good sense.
“Have we gone into deeper water? I’m suddenly cold.” Mateo said, pulling out his cloak and shaking it out in front of us.
“Oh, I do believe you’re right, it is a bit colder. Would you mind sharing?” I asked, in a tone that was as innocent as I could manage.
His tongue dug into the side of his cheek as he tried to hide his grin. “Of course not, Your Majesty.” He ceremoniously laid the cloak over both of us, scooting closer so that the fabric draped over us both. Underneath the cloak, his hand sought out mine and he squeezed it.
