Page 79 of Changing Tides

Her lip trembles as she shakes her head. “You don’t owe me anything.”

My hand slides from her chin and into her hair.

“Yes, I do. Disappearing on you was a dick move. Whether I’m busy or not, you deserve better, and I’m so fucking sorry. Let me make it up to you.”

Her head presses into my hand, and her eyes flutter closed.

Taking a chance, I press my lips to the corner of her mouth. When she doesn’t pull away, I do the same to the other side.

She whimpers.

My thumb slides over her bottom lip.

“Sebastian.”

My name is a plea, and I cover her mouth with mine and swallow it.

Her body relaxes into me.

I kiss her thoroughly, savoring the taste of her. When we come up for air, she brings her hand between us and holds me at bay.

“I’ve been feeding sea turtles. I smell like capelin and squid,” she says.

“Is that what that is?” I ask as I wrinkle my nose.

She turns red and tries to scoot past me, but I lock her in my arms as I run my nose up her throat and inhale deeply.

“Mmm, nothing turns me on like the smell of woman mixed with fish,” I say as I nuzzle her neck.

Her elbow comes up and strikes me in the chest, and I laugh as I stumble backward.

“It was a compliment, I swear.”

“Yeah, not a good one.”

“Still true,” I say as I waggle my eyebrows at her.

She grins as she shakes her head.

“I’m just a man, trying to say the right thing to a woman who thinks she stinks,” I insist.

“The right thing would have been a lot less suggestive and skeevy,” she quips.

“How about this? I’ll carry you to that shower, strip you naked, set you under the warm spray, and soap your body up real good. Then, I’ll spend the next half hour meticulously cleansing away any trace of squid guts before I ravage you,” I explain as I step back to her. “Better?”

She leans into my touch. “Much.”

I lift her at the waist, set her on the vanity, and peel off her T-shirt.

“I’m supposed to pick Leia up from your grandmother’s,” she says as I begin peppering the tops of her breasts with kisses.

“I’ll apologize to Nana for your delay,” I say as I continue to undress her.

Once she’s naked, I step between her legs, and my fingers go straight to the sides of her face and entwine in her hair.

Tilting her head back, I take her mouth again.

I offer her my hand and help her down and to the shower. I turn on the water and wait until it’s warm before I move aside so she can enter.

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