Her lips parted. She said nothing.
“You saved me. So I’m in your debt. If you’re running from your father, I can offer you sanctuary. A place to stay. No pressure.”
Ariel tilted her head, bemused. Shedidn’t look frightened. Or angry. Just amused. Her mouth twitched like she was suppressing a laugh.
“You’re not running from me,” he said softly. “That's good. Because I’d really like to keep you.”
Her sea-blue eyes flashed at him like a cat's. It was a reminder that he was in the presence of someone who was not quite human. She was a siren. She could bend him to her will with a note.
She said nothing. She was also wearing nothing except a bejeweled set of clamshells over her breasts and a sapphire resting on her chest.
Eric shrugged off his cloak then removed his shirt. The cotton fabric was still warm from his body as he pulled it over his head. His movements were quick, efficient—anything to keep from looking at her again. He stepped forward, holding it out.
“Take this.”
She didn’t move at first. Just watched him, her blue eyes unreadable, the morning sun turning them to liquid fire. Then, slowly, she reached out and took the shirt from his hands.
Her fingers brushed his. The contact sent a sharp jolt up his arm. Eric swallowed hard, stepping back as she pulled the fabric over her shoulders. It hung loosely on her frame, too large, the sleeves slipping past her wrists. The sight of his clothing on her body made something tighten low in his stomach.
"We don't have to tell them you're here. That I found you. It can be our secret."
She studied him. Eric puffed up his chest, wanting to preen like a peacock for her. He raised his hands and began making the signs he'd learned that she communicated with.
Why did you run?
Once again, he'd caught her off guard. Her lips parted… instead of raising her hands to answer, words came out of her mouth. "You learned sign language?"
"Apparently unnecessarily."
She pursed her lips. He wanted to know why she chose not to speak. Was it another power play? Was it her idea or her father's?
"Were you running from your kingdom? Or mine?"
She pursed her lips again, but this time she was clearly studying him. She was going to answer him, but Eric wasn't done.
"Is it because you're unsure of me? If so, I understand. I was unsure of you. Until just a moment ago, when I realized you were the same woman who rescued me from the sea."
She clutched the collar of his shirt closer to her neck. Eric wanted to replace the fabric with his mouth.
"Talk to me. Tell me what you need."
Her eyes glazed over in a pleasure-filled way. Sheswayed a bit. Toward him. He had never felt more like a man than in that moment.
"Is that what you need? Do you need me to rescue you?"
Something flickered in her eyes at the word rescue—something that didn’t sit right. Her lashes lowered, slowly and deliberately, a coy flutter that was clearly meant to charm. Somehow, he knew that this wasn’t her. The look was too practiced, too demure. False, somehow. Like a costume that didn’t quite fit.
Eric felt the instinct to step back. He had an uncomfortable sense that she’d put on a mask for him. And he didn’t want the mask. He wanted her.
"Yes, my prince. I need you to rescue me from my villainous father."
Eric ignored the prickle at the back of his neck. He offered Ariel his arm. This was what he was good at. He was good at taking charge, taking care of people. He would prove to his bride that he could protect her. But first, he needed to convince her that she needed to become his bride.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The moment the prince’s eyes fell on her, Ursula knew—this would be easy.
His gaze flickered, dropped, then dragged back up, like a man caught between temptation and duty. Like a man whose body was betraying him even while his mind begged him to look away. Men were so simple. All she needed to do was get him into bed, make him crave her touch, and he would belong to her completely.
