But she was trying to be understanding and so she took a deep breath and reminded herself that he wasn’t from the human world. Perhaps where he came from being labeled a whore wasn’t as biting. After all, she had met the woman who’d raised him as his mother.…
And he is a fish, at the end of the day.
Just look at his freaky, weird eyes.
Eyes that weren’t as cute right now as they’d been a few moments ago, before the insulting began. Mostly because right now she had a sudden compunction to slap them out of his head.
“Last time I checked, I did possess feminine body parts. Pretty sure you noticed that as well, given what you just did and all. So what has that do to with anything?”
He brushed his hair back. “What if you’re pregnant with me wee spawn?”
“What if I’m not?”
His frown deepened, as did his stern tone. “Cameron, be reasonable.”
“You be reasonable.” She stood up to gather the rest of her clothes and finish dressing. “I’m quite certain I’m not the first woman you’ve been with. In fact, I know I’m not, as that harlot at the party was quite quick to point out. And you weren’t in any hurry to marry her. So why this hurry to rush me to an altar?”
“They were different.Youare different!”
“Well, I’m glad to hear it.” It was nice to know that he hadn’t just tupped her without some thought to the matter. Perhaps he even held some true feelings for her underneath that male arrogance that was suddenly getting on her nerves and coming close to proving herbrother right. That thought made her much warmer than it should. “But it changes naught, as I’m rather sure you’ve no desire to really marry me.”
“But—”
She placed her hand over his lips to stop his words. “Answer me honestly, Kalder. Do you truly, deeply wish to marry me, or are you only asking because you think it’s the right thing to do, and because Paden would expect it?”
He looked away and she had her answer.
“As I thought.” She dropped her hand.
Were she to ever marry anyone, she could imagine no one finer than Kalder Dupree. His taste and feel would haunt her forever.
But that was no reason to rush headlong into a lifetime commitment that could destroy the fragile friendship they shared.
Not to mention the rest of her life.
And his.
Cameron desired more than obligation for marriage. She wanted real love. A burning, lasting, fiery romance.
The last thing she wanted was to come to hate the man she shared her life with. As insane a notion as it was, she wanted a man she could love for a lifetime. One who respected her and who took her wishes into account whenever he made a decision regarding her, her children, and their life together.
She would settle for nothing less than what her parents had shared.
“You’re not ready for marriage, Mr. Dupree,” she said gently. “And neither am I. What we shared today was wonderful. Incredible even, and I thank you for being me first, and for beingso considerate with me body. But it shouldn’t make either one of us do something we’ll come to regret. I want to open up me tavern and settle for a quiet life on shore, and you’re a creature of the sea, on a quest to save the world. What kind of marriage could we have if one of us had to give up our dream for the other? In time, we’d come to hate the other for it and we both know that.”
Still lying on his back while he watched her, Kalder took her hand into his and held it over the center of his chest, where she felt his heart beat a slow and steady rhythm. His grip was firm and binding, her hand pale against the darker tone of his skin and the outline of his tattoos that marked where his fins would spring out of his body whenever he was in the sea. Aye, they were different in every way.
His hard, muscled body was taut with his masculine strength and power. Even naked, he was a force to be reckoned with. One she found impossible to deny.
But she must, for both their sakes.
“And if you carry me spawn?”
“We will deal with that when the time comes. There are plenty of women who have survived the birth of illegitimate children—such as Lettice is doing even as we speak. For now, let’s not rush headlong into disaster. Besides, I can always tell them that I married during me time away and that me husband perished on the journey home.”
Though her solution annoyed him, Kalder was amazed by her as he watched her honest and open stare. Never in his life had he met her equal when it came to courage and conviction.
Any other woman would have leapt at the chance to lay a marriage noose around his neck.
