“It’s definitely not just you,” I grumbled.
“Good thing I live alone.” He took my hand and led me out of the elevator. “Come. I’m right down the hall.”
21
Fish Daddy
Dakota
Ottavia locked eyes with me, and a warm smile graced her lips as she stepped inside my place. My head turned, stealing a peek at her ass as she passed.Lord,I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her sizzling figure; every curve and contour of her body captured my attention. A primal desire ignited inside me, and I couldn’twaitto get her into my bedroom …
But as Ottavia entered my condo, she saw something that made her gasp.
“Look at your fish tank!” she said excitedly, and hurried over into the living room.
My tank was set up behind the couch, so you could perch on the couch and look into it. Ottavia hurried over and bounded onto the couch so she could get a better look.
“Oh my God! It’s sobeautiful!”
I joined her, peering over the back of the couch.
“You like it?” I asked, surprise in my voice. Because most girls I brought over ignored my aquarium completely. Hey, I get it; fishkeeping is kind of a nerdy hobby. You can’t pet or play with ’em, and you can’t take a cool picture with them to post onInstagram, either. All you can really do is watch them, and fish aren’t anywhere near as cute as a dog or a cat.
But Ottavia dug it. “Look at all theplants!It’s so green! It’s like a jungle in there. I’ve never seen anything like it. Did you pay somebody to set this up?”
“Nope. I set it up myself.”
“Wow. Great job.” She touched the glass, and several guppies darted out of the lush, floating foliage. Their colorful, dotted fins shimmered as they flocked to Ottavia’s hand, begging for food. “Oooh, so pretty. What are the guys with the pretty tails called?”
“Those are guppies. And the little neon guys are tetras. They’re both pretty easy fish to keep. ” I chuckled and admitted, “I’m kind of a beginner.”
That’s when the electric blue shrimp, foraging along the bottom of the sandy substrate, caught her eye. “Oh my goodness! What are these derpy little guys?!”
“Those are Blue Dream Shrimp.”
“That’s so cool! I didn’t know you could keep tiny shrimp in an aquarium!”
“Oh yeah, and they’re totally awesome, too. Those little fellas are probably my favorite out of the whole tank. They spend all day scurrying around, looking for food.”
“I never thought I’d call a shrimp pretty, but wow. They’re such a lovely bright blue.”
“Aren’t they?”
Side by side, we sat in quiet fascination, transfixed by the tranquil aquatic world.
“I’ve never been a fish person, but I can see the appeal,” she said. “It’s kind of meditative, isn’t it?”
“For sure. A lot of times, I’ll put on a movie on TV, only to find myself sucked into the fish movie instead.” I scratched the back of my neck. “I, uh. I call it the fish movie.”
“The fish movie.” She snickered. “Dakota Easton, Ilovethis about you,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “I think this is even sexier than you being a hockey player.”
“What? Really?” I laughed, stunned. “How?”
“It makes you seem more real! Don’t get me wrong, it’s super sexy that you’re a hockey player, obviously. Butthisis what makes you seem like a real human being.”
I chuckled, not knowing what to say. “Well, you’re uh …definitelythe first girl to tell me that …”
“And it’s just so cute,” she said, grinning. “I have to say, I didn’t have you pegged as a fish guy.”
