A sharp ache of pure carnal longing wells up within me. Having sex with both Rafe and Jianyu at the same time shattered me--in the best possible way. How much better will it be when there are three men, kissing me, touching me, pressing themselves inside me?

I can't suppress my moan, and Malik devours the sound with his mouth and teeth and tongue.

"Mate," he growls, gliding his hand down my body to cup my ass. I pulse inside, pressing into his touch.

The best I can, I force myself to stop thinking about my other mates and focus on the man currently kissing the breath from my lungs. A sharp pang of guilt gives me pause. Rafe and Jianyu will be able to feel what's happening through our connection. They wouldn't give me their blessing, but they showed me their acceptance.

And they know. They alone understand what it's like to feel this connection. This bone-deep need.

"Mate," Malik says again, but there's hint of doubt.

I meet his gaze, and I push my guilt away.

"Mate," I confirm.

And then I'm falling into his kiss once more. My reservations evaporate. I run my own hands over his body, touching him through his clothes, learning the shape and heat and strength of him. His smooth skin is like water under my fingertips. His tattoos ripple with energy that calls to an untapped power within me.

"Malik--" I breathe, pulling back, but he just takes that as a signal to kiss down my throat. When he sucks at my pulse point, my eyelids flutter, a jolt of need flaring within me. I grip his neck, and he sucks harder, probably leaving a bruise, and I moan with the pleasure of it.

Skating his hand up my front, he cups my breast through my dress. My nipple hardens even further, and a fresh wave of slickness floods my pussy.

Then he's tugging at the silk fabric. The open neck dips down so easily. I let go of him, and he pulls my dress off my arm, shoving it to my waist. He makes such quick work of my bra that I gasp, shooting a sharp look at him. His wicked grin melts me.

Oh, this man knows what he's doing.

He drops to his knees in the sand, taking my breast between his hot lips. The sound that escapes me is pure sex. As he sucks at the tender flesh, he keeps drawing my dress lower, and then it's pooling at my feet in the shallow water. My underwear follows, leaving me naked before him.

"Magnificent." He stares up at me, gob-smacked, his pupils black circles that eclipse the brilliance of his irises.

And isn't that what he called his kingdom? Am I part of his kingdom now?

No--no...

His kingdom is a part of me.

That was what I needed to tell him. What I needed to show him.

"Malik," I try again, urging him back to his feet without success.

He dips lower instead, kissing just over my mound, and the ache to be filled and claimed by new mate is staggering.

Struggling to keep my wits about me, I say his name once more.

With what seems like reluctance, he rises to stand before me. Even as he does, he's reaching behind his neck. He pulls his tunic off and over his head and tosses it onto the sand. I nearly swallow my tongue at the glory of his naked chest. His dark skin ripples with hard muscle. There are more tattoos, as well, glowing works of art that I'm drawn to. My bracer burns into my arm.

He drops his pants. His huge, dark cock springs forward. It's even thicker and longer than my other mates' cocks--how is that fucking possible?

I don't know and I don't care. I just need him. So bad.

But there's one more thing I need to do first.

"I'm guessing you can swim?" I ask, reaching for him. I manage to get my hand around his enormous cock, but barely. The flesh is rigid and hot and dripping at the tip, and I give it a slow, tentative stroke.

His eyes rolling back in his head, he folds me back into his arms. "Pretty sure that's what I should be asking you." He shudders in pleasure as he leans in to kiss me again. "Miss I-Haven't-Been-To-The-Beach-In-Years."

"I can hold my own," I assure him, and then we're stepping backward into the warm waters surrounding us.

He pulls me close, carrying me out into the surf. The water rises to our chests. Weightless, I climb my way up his body, kissing him with everything I'm worth. Every inch of us is wet and slick, and my hands glide over his perfect skin. I part my thighs, curling them around his strong hips. He groans again as his hard cock slides against my abdomen. He's trapped between us, and I tilt my hips. I whimper as I grind myself against the underside of his cock, and it would be so easy for him to glide right in. To finally fill me up and fuck me, here in these waters. Our bond demands he thrust forward--that he slip inside and claim me at last. I want to claim him.