It’s #BookQW and neither my H or H are ‘prepared’ to be honest.
More from Chapter 12:
“Could you wait and take me onto your ship?” Ty asked.
She didn’t answer. Was that too intimate a request since her family lived on board? Just when he was about to apologize, she said, “Aye, that would be fine.”
Still, it was awkward, and both of them averted their eyes. Then something touched him from behind.
His energy rose before he confirmed it was only her fingertips brushing his sleeve. Too late, he was shifting to a guarded stance with his hand outstretched, a honed reaction to years of magical defense training.
Coral snatched her hand back, her eyes wide with alarm.
Argh, how could he? Here, and with her? Mind reeling, he dropped his glowing hand and straightened to a position not so…adversarial. But his energy refused to back down. It hummed through his channels, fighting to shimmer through his skin. No way he wanted that to happen. It’d be worse than blushing.
“Uh, sorry,” he said. “You startled me.” And confounded him. No energy had emitted from her…so, was something wrong? With her? With him? Had he been reading her wrong and she didn’t like him?
She waved her hands, palms out. “I didn’t mean to,” she mumbled, her gaze flitting over his chest and avoiding meeting his. “I wanted a closer look at your shirt. What do you call this material?”
“My T-shirt?” Was that all she was interested in, the difference in their clothes? “It’s knit cotton. I noticed no one wears it here.”
“We get all our clothes local, made from linen. Is cotton comfortable?”
Okay, his energy was still zinging uncontrollably, but he could handle talking about clothes. After all, he had three sisters. “Yes, it is. Would you like to try it on?” Hell! Where had that come from?
Coral frowned. “Why would you offer that?”
“I, uh, maybe when you’re wearing that itty-bitty bi—I mean, your swimsuit—we can switch shirts.” He wanted to see her in the bikini, but did he have to tell her? “Or not. Just wear your suit.” Damn. He’d spent too much time with Marissa and her innuendos. How could he recover from his energy carrying away his mouth? “I suppose you made it also?”
Coral blinked. “No, my mother brought them back for us from Greece last year. She said they were quite popular at Illusion Island. But…”
He prepared for a smart rebuff from this girl, tamping his silver as best he could. Then she didn’t say anything, and his energy wouldn’t let it go. “But what?”
“Why would you care if I wear the bikini again? I have naught to show off, compared to some witches.”
Ty burst out laughing. Indeed, the Seas were an outspoken family, so unlike his. She looked annoyed, but he couldn’t help himself. “Same as not showing off this power you supposedly wield? The one you’re cleverly keeping from me. Why is that?”
She bit her lip. “You don’t use magic much yourself.”
“No? I used it last night more than I have since moving here. Dar told me I’d be on the street if I blew off Tern Bay’s rules. He and the cows don’t have time to deal with the hired help being in trouble.”
“I don’t understand the ‘blew off’ part, but old Dar has hired many a local wizard, only to let them go.”
“It means not sticking to the rules. I try to, except…” He grinned. “When I need to help out a friend. But I can’t risk being let go. I won’t slink back home to Colorado. If I don’t earn an income, it’s beans for dinner.”
Coral nodded. “The same position Salm will be in soon, but we say ‘kelp for dinner.’”
The conversation had gotten sidetracked. “Why are you hiding your magic from me?”
Her smile faded. She turned and gripped the railing, her gaze fixed on the horizon.
He’d made a mistake. They might be becoming friends, but she must not share his excitement to perform an energy check. Or even confide in him.
~~~
I’m thrilled to announce that Lost Whisperer of the Seas is a contest finalist! Read more about the 2019 National Readers’ Choice Award contest on my blog post.
Read the first three chapters of Lost Whisperer of the Seas and see its buy links. The novel is available in ebook, paperback and Large Print editions.
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