Kissing the Shark (Maritime Monsters #1)

Chapter 11- Karlo

CHAPTER 11- KARLO

“OH, HEY!” SKYLER looks behind me and waves. “Mr. Shaughnessy! We’re over here!”

We’re sitting at a small booth at the Riviera Bar, one of the only decent watering holes in town. The lights are dim other than the lamps above each table, and the rock music is competing with the sound of billiard balls clacking about. We don’t have the luxury of a real gay bar in town, but the drink prices here are the real draw. I love this place, but it’s definitely only a hangout-on-occasion type of deal.

And that’s why we’re here tonight. Skyler is turning thirty-two, and since me him and Ardsley are a trio, we’re here for a birthday dinner. To my right, Ardsley is making googly-eyes with his hunky, dark-skinned boyfriend Tyson. I wasn’t sure who else Skyler invited, but I guess the jig is up.

Turning around, I spot Razorjaw in the crowd. He’s in his human guise, and he’s wearing a powder blue button-down shirt that makes his huge biceps pop. He’s clutching a pink paper bag, and he looks uncomfortable as hell, like a fish out of water—ha!

“Hey, buddy!” Skyler stands up and beams, then adjusts his glasses. Skyler quickly hugs Razorjaw, then smooths out his black-and-white designer shirt.

“Skyler Dillinger. Thank you for inviting me.” I shouldn’t be surprised he’s here, since Skyler’s been buddy-buddy with the guy since day one, and it’s been two months already. Every day, this shark is adjusting to life on the land, and in turn, we’ve learned all about marine life migration patterns. He’s shared enough insight for the team to form effective, marine-life-protection legislation, a huge project I’m heading up. “I was told it was customary to bring a…birthday present.” He says the words like they’re foreign, which I guess to him, they are. I really ought to find out how many human customs he knows about.

“Aw, you’re the best, man!” Skyler takes the bag and puts it down. “Now everyone’s here. You’ve met Tyson?”

“I have not.” He sits next to me, big broad shoulders nearly bumping into me in the booth. “Pleased to meet your acquaintance.”

“Nice to meet ya.” Tyson waves and smiles then goes back to holding Ardsley’s hand. They’ve been inseparable since their dating meet-cute several months ago, and it’s equal parts gross and cute.

“So now we can order apps. I’m dying for chicken wings.”

“Yes!” Ardsley replies, and Tyson nods in agreement.

I turn to Razorjaw and whisper, “Will you be good?” I’ve taught him all sorts of writing skills, but I don’t know if he’s tasted chicken wings. Or celery. Or spices .

“I will be alright. I do not need to partake in your surface food,” he says quietly near my ear. His warm voice makes a chill go up my spine, but I like it. When he sits upright, he looks me up and down and grins. In the tiny lamplight, he’s every manner of charming. “It’s good to see you, Karlo Castillo.”

“We work together every day,” I reply, my throat feeling scratchy.

“That does not mean it is not a pleasure to see you.”

Fortunately, the others don’t seem to be listening. When the waitress arrives, we’re able to put in our orders, and I’m happy for the reprieve. Razorjaw has always made me feel like I’m in the spotlight, and now that he’s apparently one of the guys, I’m going to have to get used to it.

Ten minutes later, we’re all eating and having a good time. Razorjaw sits next to me and cautiously nibbles on fries, and I’m impressed he’s participating in the conversation at all. I know he prefers his ocean, his solitude, and eating live fish. But he seems relaxed, and on more than one occasion, I eye him just to make sure he’s alright. Each time, his eyes soften, and I have to avert my gaze from those gorgeous blue orbs. He and I are just friends…

“It sucks that this is the only place that passes for a gay bar here,” Skyler says.

“But I’ve found the whole city is pretty accepting when it comes to, like, gays,” Tyson says. He turns to his boyfriend and grins. “And monsters.”

“I’m glad, too,” Ardsley replies, bumping shoulders with him.

“Yeah, that’s always the concern,” I add, shifting my salad around. “But I haven’t had any hate crimes against me yet, so, fingers crossed.”

“Hate crimes? Is that like, violence against certain communities?” Razorjaw asks.

I tense up next to him as the mood at the table dampens. “Um, yeah,” I say.

“No one will ever hurt you in my presence,” he says with a dark seriousness. We all eye him in surprise and no one speaks for five seconds.

“Uh, thanks,” I say slowly.

“Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Skyler says in a chipper tone. Everyone relaxes and goes back to their meals. “Plus, look at us. No one would mess with our little crew. I’m so glad it’s more than just three of us. We now have—”

“A black guy?” Tyson asks with a facetious smirk. Ardsley bumps his shoulder and snickers.

“No,” Skyler says with a frown. He turns forward and adds, “A real maritime shifter!”

“Hey, I’m a shifter!” Ardsley says.

“Well, what would you do if we got attacked, zap the bad guys with your ass?” Skyler playfully sneers at Ardsley.

“Don’t knock it till you try it,” Tyson says, wrapping his arm around Ardsley. “But uh, don’t try it. He’s my maritime monster.”

Ardsley cuddles him, and I’m sure I’ll get an invite to their wedding one day. When I turn to my left, Razorjaw is already looking at me. After half a second, his gaze darts down to his barely eaten fries. I hope the happy couple’s displays of affection aren’t making him uncomfortable, because I truly want him to feel like a welcome member of our little gang of friends.

Maybe I should examine why I’m so protective over him, a relative stranger. But that’s a problem for future-Karlo.

After a few minutes, Skyler and Ardsley challenge each other to billiards. Tyson looks at my side of the table, but Razorjaw insists on staying put to watch the gift bags. Before I can protest, the three of them run off, leaving me alone, once again, with this massive shark.

I try to nod along to ambient music, but in my periphery, it’s obvious that Razorjaw is staring at me. There’s no more food to distract me, so I attempt to sip the remnants of my mug of beer.

“I…do not like the idea of you being a victim of a hate crime,” he says quietly.

I wave my hand. “Don’t worry about it. I haven’t been targeted since college.”

“Why would they target you? Do humans know each other’s sexualities?”

I snort and stare at my empty mug, and my cheeks burn from liquor and shame. “No, but it doesn’t matter.”

“Why would anyone hurt you?”

I shrug. “Because I’m different. And on the surface, anyone considered different gets hate thrown at them.”

“But your differences make you special,” he says with a thick dose of naivete.

I snicker. “Not in my case.” I stare at the bottom of the mug. “I’m ethnic, I’m not tall, not buff. I’m not strong, skilled, or masculine enough. That makes me a target.” I shrug and sigh as all my insecurities bubble to the surface. Maybe it’s the beer, or maybe it’s the big shark sitting next to me that’s making me want to confess. “I’m not…enough for the world. ”

“That is untrue!” he retorts with quiet confidence. Turning to my left, his face seems so serious. “You, Karlo Castillo, are more than enough. Any person would be lucky to bask in your presence and spend time with you.”

His eyes on me, as usual, make me feel stripped away, like a different person entirely. Razorjaw treats me like I matter; after all these weeks of getting to know me, he still thinks I’m worthy.

I cough and stare at my cup. “My…ex-boyfriend didn’t think so.”

“He was a fool to let you go.”

I laugh. “He had his reasons.”

“What reasons could he possibly have had?” he asks in bewilderment.

I tap the glass. “He said I wasn’t manly enough. He didn’t like that I cared about ocean conservation. He thought Skyler and Ards were too flamboyant. But mostly because I wouldn’t watch sports with him.”

“Karlo...”

“Which is fair,” I say, cutting him off. “I’m not the most masculine dude, but I don’t want to date someone who thinks that’s a dealbreaker.” I sip from an empty cup and tap the table. “But I wish he made that obvious before we got serious.”

“He belittled you?”

I scoff and lean back on the couch. “You don’t even know the half of it,” I mutter.

“I want to know the all of it!” he says with urgency.

“Huh?”

“What is his name? Where is he located? ”

This sobers me up. Razorjaw is serious about finding my ex and…what exactly? “Razorjaw—”

“He deserves to be punished,” he says through gritted teeth.

“No.” I sit upright. “Even if I told you, I won’t have you picking fights.”

“Why not? He disrespected my…uh, my Karlo.” His brow furrows, and I know he wants to go feral on my ex. As cathartic as that would be, I refuse to condone fighting.

“You took an oath of nonviolence. Besides, he was within his right to have his opinions of me.”

Razorjaw clenches his fist. “I had forgotten about my oath. But some people deserve to be punished.”

“He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But he did!” he hisses. “He made you feel worse about yourself. When, in actuality, every facet of you is amazing. You carry yourself with wisdom, benevolence, and joy. You work to protect the ocean. You bring light to every room you walk into!” He pauses to take a deep breath, and I don’t even breathe.

“Karlo Castillo, you should not apologize for who you are, because who you are is wonderful.”

My throat goes dry and the charge between us grows. After weeks of lessons, research, and museum events, Razorjaw still thinks I’m special. He’s come a long way from being the shark that claimed he wanted to mate with me the day we met. Now he knows me, and he hasn’t swum away.

He sees so much in me, so why can’t I see that in myself?

I gulp and inch my hand closer to his on the seat. My skin is a hair’s length away from his, and I ache to touch him. “RJ…you —”

“I swear, that eight ball is rigged!” Skyler says. His voice breaks me out of the spell and I turn to see the other three walk up to the booth.

“Then shouldn’t Ardsley have scratched it too?” Tyson asks, and his boyfriend giggles as he grabs Tyson’s hips.

“You did some shifter monster voodoo during that last turn,” Skyler replies with a challenging grin. He turns to us and asks, “What’s up?”

“We were…talking about nothing,” I say.

“Other than Karlo’s awful ex-boyfriend,” Razorjaw adds.

I glare at him only to hear Skyler say, “I’ll drink to that. Cheers to finding the right man or monster for us.” Skyler clinks his glass with my empty one and we all laugh.

“Speaking of, didn’t Emma introduce you to the new potential monster client the other day?” Ardsley asks. He looks at Tyson and adds, “He’s good-looking.”

“Ooh,” Tyson coos in interest.

“I mean, maybe. I hadn’t noticed his looks,” Skyler murmurs. He blushes and stares at the table.

“Oh, you totally noticed,” Ardsley replies with a smirk.

“Sounds hot,” Tyson remarks. “Get some, Skyler.”

“ Stahhp ,” Skyler whines with a smile, pushing a nonexistent hair behind his ear.

We spend the next hour chatting, laughing, playing billiards, ordering more drinks and desserts, and opening presents with Skyler. Razorjaw has a good time joking with the others, but for the rest of the night, I’m the one completely off-balance. I thought boyfriends weren’t for me, that I’d never be enough. But now I’ve found a gorgeous monster who seemingly wants to be with the real me, and I can’t seem to accept that truth. The desire to kiss him has me dizzy with conflict.

What is this shark, this beautiful prince of the ocean, doing to me?