Page 35 of Seduced By the Mermen
“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” I ask. My palms are sweating. Zion’s not a fan of the back elevator. The glass makes him nervous. Which is absurd, because he could shift and swim away. Zion’s voice echoes in my head.“Fears aren’t fucking logical, Delmar.”
And I’ve done it again. I’ve asked exactly the wrong question to make her comfortable. I push the button for our floor. This is normal for Sterling. He likes controlling the conversation before we all disperse into the apartment.
Sterling’s stubby thumb hits the stop.
“We can talk about whatever has you flummoxed when we’re in our apartment,” I tell him.
Sterling sidesteps, trying to keep my finger from making us start, but I fake him out and dodge to the other side, making contact with the button, and we lurch forward.
Sterling pushes stop. “I want to talk to Blair about this now.”
“Or we can do it upstairs. Can you not read her face? She’s not enjoying this space. Just like Zion.” Grayson starts us up again.
“Zion,” Blair says.
“He says he’s afraid of heights. How can a merman be afraid of heights?” Sterling has stopped. This time his body is in the way.
He’s massive, but he also has a weakness. A weakness that we’re not supposed to use or let out into the city. I wiggle my two fingers in front of him like I’m going to tickle him. He squirms, and fuck, if Blair wasn’t here, he’d punch me for revealing his shortcoming. The furrow on his heavy brow says he still might.
“No,” Sterling growls.
“No,” Blair says. “No.” She pivots and turns to face the door, away from the view of the city.
“Blair, listen to us when we are in public. Your safety is important,” Sterling hisses out.
Grayson takes the opening and pushes the button to make us start again, but then Sterling leans back and the lift vibrates to a rocking halt. A groan circles us.
She’s facing the door, and her shoulders drop, then rise. She turns, her eyes closed. “No, I don’t. I don’t have to listen to a man ever again.” Her voice is soft but grows firmer, even though her eyes remain shut. “I’m not a child. I’m not a teen. I’m a full-grown woman who can make her own choices. I’ve made some bad ones. Like getting into a glass coffin with men I don’t really know.”
“Blair, I’m sorry. This isn’t how we normally are.” I hover my hand near her arm because she’s giving off don’t-the-heck-you-touch-me vibes.
“Actions speak louder than words when dealing with both strangers and friends.”
Grayson hangs his head. “Yes, Blair. You’re right. Let’s get you upstairs. I’ll fix your hand, and I can contact the Portsmouth pod to come and get you, if that’s what you want.”
“Yes, that’s what I want.” Her eyes flick open and then shut. She pivots and gives us her back.
“Push the button, Sterling,” I growl.
He purses his lips and punches the button. Then a second time. The lift doesn’t budge.
“Let me do it,” Grayson says. But the damn thing doesn’t budge.
Blair turns, her eyes locked on the control panel. “We’re stuck?”
“Indeed.” Sterling frowns and crosses his arms over his chest.
Chapter 15
Zion
“It’s stuck? What sort of rotten whale blubber is this lift? Why in the entire ocean would they put her in that death chamber when there’s a perfectly good lift around the front of the building?” I pace in front of the exterior lift door we’ve just come up.
“I’m sure it’s not stuck. Sterling must be pushing the stop button again. To give his orders,” Clark says.
I flick my eyes at him. Poseidon, I hate it when he does that. It makes me want to punch him in his swim bladder. “He needs to stop it.”
“You’re not wrong.” Forrest leans on the end of the sofa, his hands folded on his lap.
