Free A Pirate's Dream by Marie Hall Page B

Nimue.
    Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks—not just because he’d finally acknowledged her out in public, but also because of the press of so many other bodies waiting on bated breath to hear her answer—she gave him a small dip of her head. Then she pretended to be fascinated by the pool of glistening butter on her mother-of-pearl plate.
    Her nerves only eased when the chatter once again picked up and she knew she was no longer the center of attention.
    “Hello.”
    The unfamiliar and very male voice made her lift her head. Nimue had been so inside her own head that she’d failed to notice the human sitting beside her.
    “Hi.” But the way she said it made it sound more like a question than an acknowledgement.
    His smile was open and inviting, making her feel warm to the tips of her toes. It wasn’t that he was exactly the most attractive male she’d ever seen. He had a broad forehead, wide nose, and thin lips. But there was friendliness about him that made him more attractive than he had a right to be.
    Holding out his hand, he said, “I’m Daniel.”
    She shook his hand, instantly warming to him. “Ah, another legger. How did I get to be so fortunate?”
    He grinned again, and she decided she liked it a lot. “Well, I did sort of bribe my mate to swap seats with me.”
    She glanced over at the maiden sitting beside him. She looked young, or rather, younger than the others. There was a freshness to her features that made Nimue suspect she wasn’t one of the nubile ancients like her great-mother or Sirenade.
    The maiden glanced over at Nimue with a polite smile. Her eyes were blue, and her hair a rich-chestnut brown. She was passably pretty, but nowhere near the level of the exotic Sirenade or Stygia was.
    “And how is married life treating you?”
    “Married, no. We’re mated only until I provide her a fry, then I return to the above.”
    She frowned. “And that arrangement doesn’t bother you?”
    “What? Do you mean used for sex by a randy female with a voice that rings like an angel’s? It’s oh-so taxing.” He winked.
    She snickered. “Well, when you put it that way.”
    Laughing, he tipped his goblet toward her. “It’s not so bad here, and I’d heard of the female legger. I wanted to meet you. Have they begun tapping your knees yet?”
    “What?” She gave a confused giggle.
    “No. Ah, well, they will soon.” He winked again, openly flirting, with his mate sitting right beside him.
    She thought she’d known everything there was to know about the merfolk, but she was quickly coming to realize how mistaken she’d been.
    “A word of advice, fellow legger—guard your heart. For they never give theirs back. At least not with us.”
    Her hand trembled when she brought the cup to her lips.
    “Do you not care for the braised sole?” Sircco’s deep voice cut through her musings like a sharp blade.
    The novelty of actually hearing him speak made her glance up, only to notice him looking directly at her.
    Fish? When had they swapped out the lobster?
    Grabbing a fork, she shoveled a bite into her mouth and nodded with a mmm sound. “Good.”
    It actually was, but she’d lost her appetite a while ago.
    It was crazy, but he actually seemed to be withholding a smile. And instead of lightning strikes in his eyes, there were calm waters.
    And she couldn’t help it, even knowing what Daniel had told her, she fell headlong into that look. Sircco hadn’t looked at her since the day he’d snatched her off the rowboat.
    They held gazes for so long that she was acutely aware of the fact that the mood around the table had grown suddenly tense. But then something hard and powerful slammed into her shin, and with a yelp, she dropped her fork, tears immediately springing to her eyes.
    Stygia wore a smug look as she studied her nails.
    The bitch had tail-smacked her!
    Upset, ready to cry or throw a punch, but knowing she could do neither, she stood, tossed her napkin onto the table and asked to be