Page 35 of Welcome to Seaman's Cove: Part One
My blood boils, and for a moment, all I see is red. Why the hell does some posturing trust fund brat know Madi’s scent? Branson has been a student here since undergrad, and he’s always been unimpressive. The only way he got into the doctoral program is because one of his fathers is on the university’s board.
“I need to talk to you about my thesis,” he says, clearly leaning right against the door.
Can he smell Madison through it? Shit.
Okay. I can handle this. I straighten my tie, tuck in my shirt, and smooth a hand through my hair. I grab the scent neutralizer from my desk and spray a generous amount on myself, then right in front of the door before I open it just enough for me to slide out.
“Sorry, Mr. Prescott. I’ve been a bit under the weather and must have fallen asleep. Can we schedule something for tomorrow after class?”
“I’d really prefer if we could talk now.” He looks behind me at my office door.
I cough into my fist. “You really don’t want to go in there right now. I guarantee you’ve never seen so many used tissues.” I laugh, but turn it into another coughing fit.
Branson steps back with a disgusted scowl on his face. “Fine.” His eyes narrow, and I get the impression hedoesn’t fully believe me, but doesn’t want to risk it. “Tomorrow, right after class.”
With that, he finally leaves.
I glance up and down the hall to make sure the coast is clear, then open the door. “It’s alright now.”
Madison peeks out from under my desk before standing. She’s straightened herself up and turned the overhead fan on, somehow managing to dissipate most, though not all, of the scent.
“I’m… sorry about that.” She grabs her cardigan off the chair and pulls it on, wrapping it tight to hide the wet spots on her breasts from where I sucked her nipples through her shirt. Her shoulders curl in, shame or guilt or some other equally negative emotion clouding her beautiful features.
“None of that.” I cross the room toward her, but leave the door open as a deterrent for myself. The last thing we need is for me to fall to temptation again. Lifting her chin with one finger, I force her to look at me. “You did nothing wrong. This was on me.” She was the vulnerable one in this situation. I was the asshole with all the power. I still can’t believe I took advantage of her like that. “I’m the one who needs your forgiveness, Miss Grant.”
Tears fill her eyes, and she shakes her head. “No. I… maybe… um, thank you. Let’s settle on that. No apologies. Just thank—” She cuts out with a sudden panicked gasp, hand flying to her heart. “Caspian!”
25
Caspian hits the pavement before I can catch him.
“Fuck!” I fall to my knees next to him, checking him over. He hit his head, and he’s gonna have one hell of a bruise, but he’s not bleeding, so that’s something.
“Wake up, squishy. Please wake up.” I lightly slap his face, cradling his head in my lap.
His eyes flutter, then immediately close.
“Shit! Fuck!” I’ve got to get him in salt water. I know that’s what he needs, but I don’t think I can get him up four flights of stairs to Hunter’s place if he’s completely unconscious. I have to try though.
Scooping him into my arms, I try to juggle him and open the door to the housing building at the same time. But it proves more challenging than I thought. I get the handle to turn, but then lose my grip before I can get it open. The next time, I manage to pull it far enough towedge my foot in and use my leg to push the door open while keeping my grip on Caspian.
This is so not how I saw this all going. I wanted to buy him a drink and get him to open up to me. I’ve always been curious, but I’ve never been as curious as I am about Caspian. My merman.
Please be okay. I never wanted to hurt him. Somehow hurting him feels like hurting myself.
When I finally manage to get through the door, I let out a loud whoop, and kiss Caspian’s cheek. His very dry, peeling cheek. Shit. Okay, here we go. I take two steps toward the stairs, and the door to Madi’s apartment opens.
Thank the fucking stars. Finally a bit of luck.
“Hey, can we get in there?” I ask the woman stepping out of the apartment.
“Um…” She looks at me like I’m crazy until she sees Caspian. “What happened to him?!”
“Can’t hold his liquor.” I force a laugh.
She squints at me, like she’s not buying it, but then her phone rings. She glances at it and curses under her breath. “Okay, I’m letting you in, but I’m calling Madi on my way to class. And I’ll call 911 on you in a heartbeat if she doesn’t confirm your story.”
She holds the door open, and I carry Caspian into the apartment. The layout seems to be roughly the same as Hunter’s place, but a lot smaller, and less pretentious. Instead of dark moody vibes, the walls are a light color and there are plants everywhere.
