There was almost no light left in the temple. He thought perhaps that was a lack of sun. The building seemed to mimic what time of day it was outside, at least the few times he'd been here. Which meant it must be nighttime, or nearly that.
"I think it's the evening," he murmured, his fingers finding knots in her back and slowly working them out.
"Should we be getting back?"
"They'll be fine on their own."
And in truth, they would. It made him a little angry that they didn't need her, because he found himself needing her a bit more every day. But they would continue the work without Proteus or Ellie being there to watch over them.
"All right," she whispered. She wriggled a bit closer to him and shivered. "It's colder in here now, isn't it?"
He wouldn't know. The icy depths of the sea made any temperature warmer for him than it was for her.
Proteus drew his massive fluke up over her like a blanket, checking to be sure it was completely dry before laying it over her body. She tucked the edges in around herself, making a happy little moan as the heat of his body rushed over her form.
"You feel like velvet," she said with another happy sound. "So soft when you're dry."
Proteus swallowed. "What we did... You enjoyed it?"
"Just like the first time."
"Good."
An awkward silence settled between them. They hadn't even had sex, and he found himself not knowing what to say to her. Proteus feared that if he opened his mouth, he would start spouting off things that he couldn't believe he would say.
Like asking her to stay with him forever.
Telling her that she was as much a part of his soul as his own body.
Whispering that he never wanted another woman in his life after knowing her.
She leaned up, bracing her arms on his chest and staring down into his eyes. He almost didn't pay attention to what she was saying. Her hair was sticking out at all angles, and there were dark circles under her eyes. But she had never looked more beautiful than she did at this moment. Even if she should rub her eyes to get the crusties out of them.
"What?" he asked, realizing she was looking down at him with expectation.
"Oh, you weren't listening."
"No, I—” he brushed a strand of her hair out of her eyes, merely as an excuse to touch her cheek. "I wasn't."
Those cheeks burned a deep, dark red that was so adorable. She couldn't seem to even look at him before she glanced away and then whispered, "It's strange waking up with you like this. I think I like it."
"If we could do this every day, what would life look like?" He wanted to know. He wanted to crawl inside her head and know exactly what she dreamt of.
She shook her head with a small smile. "We'd wake up like this and go on some adventure. Perhaps you'd show me another coral reef or... you could introduce me to the sharks."
"Sharks aren't very friendly."
"Oh, well what about other animals?"
"Dolphins are curious. Manta rays would be my choice, though. They're eighteen feet long, and they seem to fly through the water. Sometimes they're hunting, so they're busy and they will ignore you. But other times they're playful. They want to swim up to you and then dart upwards, but it's like they're dancing with you. They'll do it for hours until they grow bored with you and move on to the next journey."
"That sounds lovely." Her eyes were full of wonder, and he swore he could see the picture he'd painted in her gaze. "Then what? We'd play with the mantas and then..."
"Well, you'd be hungry."
"Of course. And the only way you'd know how to feed me would be to raid an old human settlement. Because you know without question that I don't like eating raw food and I prefer the slop, as you call it." Ellie laughed at her own joke, and he couldn't help but laugh with her.
She dropped back down onto his chest, curling up against his skin like it was the most natural thing on the planet to do. He held her close to him. Listened to the sound of her heart beating so steadily, so sure. And he knew from this moment on, everything was going to change.
