Page 5 of Coral Prince Conundrum (Runaway Prince Hotel #1)

CHAPTER FIVE

Seero

I place the plastic noodle toys and flotation dumbbells along the perimeter of the pool in a line.

I fear these surface world products will end up as waste in the ocean, but I can’t dwell on these hypotheticals.

I need to focus on my aquatic aerobics class starting in five minutes.

Typically, my clientele is only a few senior citizens from the surrounding neighborhoods.

Layla has cultivated a supportive community here at the hotel.

She and her wife help anyone who is in need.

But her charity cannot stop Father and my council from waging an oceanic war.

I nod and smile as the seniors begin to file in.

Today, there is a group of five, each in a different-colored one-piece bathing suit.

I myself am wearing dark swimming shorts and no shirt, similar enough to my typical wardrobe back home.

I don’t prefer spending time in the chlorinated pool water, but it is my assigned job.

Another pang of longing resounds in my heart, and I miss the comfort of the Coral Kingdom.

Then I remember the one thing I’ve been trying to forget—Daryl.

I was so caught up in the sights and sounds of the zoo that I became distracted.

And then I saw my friend, desperately in need.

I didn’t even hesitate in helping him by communing with the animals, even though I should have refrained.

And now someone knows that I am Corali—well, someone other than Layla, but she seems to know about every kingdom on Earth and below the surface.

I shake my head. I’ve done well at avoiding the coffee shop in the five days since then.

I must abstain from Daryl, despite the pull he has on me.

He is incredibly attractive, with his dark hair, light brown skin, and full lips.

His smile when he talks about his studies reminds me of a baby whale breaching the surface for the first time, a true miracle to behold.

But that pretty boy knows too much, and therefore, I must discontinue our friendship. Even though my body is drawn to his.

I clap my hands while standing above everyone on the pool deck. The seniors turn to look up at me as the water splashes above their waists. They each hold a pair of plastic dumbbells and, like my first class, are eager for my instruction. “Welcome, everyone!” I announce.

They murmur greetings, and I pick up my own set of weights.

I recall the video that Layla showed me the first day I started working here, and I attempt to echo the aerobic activity instructions of trained professionals.

“Let us begin with a stretch.” I lean my right arm over my head in an arc, reaching to my left.

The seniors follow in a mirrored motion.

I guide them through the stretches, but as I move to the cardio portion, a new figure appears from the locker room. “And so now we’re going to, uh—” The words die in my throat at the sight.

Daryl . He’s here, slowly walking down the steps into the pool. He’s wearing orange swimming shorts and nothing else. Seeing his body—lean, with tufts of curly dark hair below his navel—takes my breath away, literally.

“We, um, uh…” The class looks at me expectantly, so I shake my head.

“Let us do jogging in place.” I kick my feet up, and the class follows along in the pool, now joined by Daryl.

Layla told me employees of the café could join my aquatic aerobics, but none so far have, until today.

Still, I cannot be distracted by my friend in the water amongst the seniors; I have a class to finish.

An hour later, I am putting away the plastic pool toys.

Unsurprisingly, Daryl approaches me. He’s wet and huffing, and I resist the urge to linger my gaze on his body.

He is a blend of rounded shoulders, a tiny waist, and dark hair under his arms. This gorgeous surface-dweller continues to hypnotize me with his mere presence. “Good, uh, exercising today.”

“Thanks,” he says, clapping his hands together. “You really worked me out. I loved the, um, jumping jacks.”

I glance around and notice the seniors have all exited to the women’s locker room. We are alone, wearing little clothing, but in a very public area. It is easy to bite back my attraction to him at the coffee shop, but now my pulse rises at a concerning rate.

“It…is my job.” I notice his tenuous abs, then dart my gaze back down to the floor.

“Right. Listen, Seero, can we talk? I have something important to ask you.”

I look up at his hopeful eyes as pool water drips down his chin. “You…are soaking wet. You require a shower to rinse off the chlorine.”

He looks down, then crosses his arms. “Right.”

I jut my chin out and guide him to the men’s locker room. “I did not expect you to be at this class,” I say in my calmest tone.

We walk in, and fortunately, no one is around. “Well, I wanted to see you, and Layla lets employees from the café join in hotel activities.”

“That is very generous of her.” I open the shower curtain and point. “Bathe.”

“Sir, yes sir,” he says in a dramatic tone. Daryl turns on the water, checks the heat, and steps in. Water cascades down his lower back, and I wonder what the skin on his spine feels like. So smooth…

He glances at me, and I abruptly turn around and walk toward the towel rack. I am proud to say I stand there, looking away from him, for ten whole minutes as he finishes bathing. Once the water stops, I turn and hand him a towel.

“Thanks.” He picks up the large bag, presumably his clothes from the nearby shelf and sits down.

“Are you not working at the café today?”

“I am.” He wraps the towel around his tiny waist and smiles. “But I haven’t seen you in five days. Wanted to check in on my biggest tipper, ha ha.” He gives an uncomfortable laugh, and I sit on the bench next to him.

After a moment of silence, he removes his bathing suit and switches to his boxer shorts under the towel. I turn away from the tempting sight and clear my throat. “You wanted to talk?”

“Yes. Seero, about the other day at the zoo…you should know, your secret is safe with me.” My head whips around in shock to see him now fully dressed.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re…” He leans in and whispers. “A Coral Kingdom person.”

My heart hammers in my chest, and I stare at the floor. “What…makes you say that?”

“It took some time. But seeing you control sea lions was…astounding. I did some research. After weeding out fiction from fact, I discovered stories about an isolated kingdom. While other kingdoms can talk to animals, only one nation can talk to marine wildlife, and the people in those photos kind of looked like you.”

I huff. “That does not mean I am one of them.”

He touches my shoulder and says, “Seero, I swear, I won’t tell anyone.”

His hand sizzles on my bare shoulder, and I want to lean into his touch. Instead, I shake my head and stand up. “You do not know what you are talking about, Daryl.”

I begin to walk away, but he says, “Let me repay you!”

I freeze and slowly turn back to him. “What?”

“Let me repay you. For saving my camera.”

I gulp. No one has ever offered to repay me for anything. “I…did nothing of the sort.”

Daryl shrugs and grins. “Something tells me those sea lions wouldn’t have done circus tricks if you weren’t there. Dude, you saved my really expensive camera.”

He steps closer, and I want to get lost in his dark eyes. “Let me repay you. How about lunch?”

My throat goes dry. I want to say no. I need to let this surface-dweller go back to his comfortable existence. There is much danger in knowing a prince like me, complications he can’t begin to comprehend.

But with Daryl’s warm body standing at arm’s length, my conviction falls by the wayside. “What time?” The words sound foreign as they leave my mouth, but the smile on Daryl’s face is so worth it.

“Those senior citizens kicked my ass at aquatic aerobics,” Daryl says.

We both burst out in laughter as I play with my food.

It’s the next day, and we’re sitting at Renversé Restaurant, located right here in the hotel.

This was the most convenient location for me since I don’t drive.

And now, we’re both eating salads in the middle of the afternoon.

I should be anxious since he knows my secret, but I’ve been completely relaxed all lunch.

He’s charming and interesting, and we laugh just like we’re at the café.

I can’t help but feel like I’ve known Daryl my whole life. The way he looks at me makes me suspect he has feelings for me, too. There’s no way he and I are destined for each other, right…?

I shake my head at that absurd thought. Today is not a date. He is simply buying me a salad because I helped him at the zoo. “Well, you did a good job,” I reply.

“I’m no swimmer. I’m certainly not a Coral Kingdom person,” he says in a hushed tone.

I freeze, and Daryl stares at me with concern. It is no use hiding it anymore. “If you tell people, you could be in danger, Daryl,” I say in a quiet voice.

“I would never,” he whispers.

I nod and shove more salad into my mouth.

He seems to want to keep my secret, which is commendable.

Just because I am attracted to him and we get along does not mean we can be romantically linked.

Having a soulmate is the greatest honor for Corali, but he’s a surface-dweller.

Our royalty has always been fated to other Corali.

Still, no one has to know if we get intimate for a few rounds in bed…

“Can I ask you a question?” he whispers.

“Okay.”

“What’s it like to talk to marine wildlife? I heard rumors that some forest critters can get chatty and annoying.” I grip my fork harder and stare at my bowl. After a moment, Daryl leans in. “I swear on my life, I won’t tell anyone about you,” he whispers.