Page 21 of Lover from the Waves

The pink on her cheeks deepened as she looked at him, and the corners of her lips curled upward. She didn’t pull away from him. “Neither can I.”

Whenever she graced him with one of those smiles, he couldn’t help but mirror it. Together, they returned their attention to the sunset, and sat in comfortable silence as the fiery orb continued its descent and the sky darkened. Finally, the sun sank beneath the horizon, and the only light touching Ector and Kathryn was the warm orange glow of the fire. It wasn’t long before the first little stars became visible through the gaps in the clouds.

They ate when Kathryn declared the meat ready. She ate relatively slowly, seeming to take her time to enjoy each bite, and Ector forced himself to match her pace. Eating as though any given meal could be his last had been a habit for his entire life, and it had proven difficult to break even after experiencing the abundance of food in The Watch. Still, despite his efforts, he devoured the flakey meat well before she finished hers, licking the remaining juices from his fingers when he was done.

Kathryn raised a hand to cover her mouth as she laughed. Her eyes, shining in the firelight, crinkled at the corners endearingly. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Ector chuckled and angled himself toward her. “It wasgood.”

She lowered her hand, finished chewing what was in her mouth, and swallowed. “I can’t claim to be a great cook. Honestly, my cooking leaves a lot to be desired. I’m glad my daughters didn’t take after me. But there’s just something about roasting meat on an open fire that awakens my hidden culinary skills.” She tore a small piece off the fillet in her hand, ate it, and held out the remaining meat to Ector. “Here. Have some more.”

He shook his head. “No, that is your share. You finish it.”

“I insist.” Her eyes dipped down his body, lingering on his chest. “You, uh, have a much…largerbody that requires…more. More, um, sustenance.”

The heat in her gaze surpassed that of the fire, and it suffused Ector’s blood. One corner of his quirked. “Shall I take that as a compliment?”

Kathryn’s eyes met his again briefly before shifting away. Her cheeks, already flushed from the fire’s warmth, reddened further. “I, uh, don’t see why not. You’re certainly appealing, and you’ve likely had no problem attracting the attention of female kraken. I’m sure you have plenty vying for you, considering your, well, um, your…” Kathryn cleared her throat. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?” She lifted the food in her hand again, offering it to him. “Take it.”

For the first time in a long while, Ector found himself having to actively resist an instinctual color change—the shift to maroon that would display his desire for her. Normally, he kept firm enough control on his emotions to prevent such changes, which he believed had granted him more credibility as a guiding force to his people. But he could not deny that his forwardness on the beach a few days before had likely frightened Kathryn away and cut their encounter short. She was signaling that she was interested, that she was attracted to him, but she needed more time—and though much had changed, he still believed in many aspects of the old ways.

It was the female’s choice. All he could do was present himself to her and show her why he was worthy of her time and attention. His impatience for something new, for somethingmore, had pushed him toward her initially, but if left unchecked it would not serve him well.

There were other matters to address now—like the fact that his female was attempting to reduce her portion of food for his benefit. As much as he appreciated the gesture, he didn’t want her to deny herself for his sake.

He lifted his hands, displaying his palms to her. “I have had my share, Kathryn. You eat yours.”

“I’ve had plenty, if that is what you’re worried about.”

He lowered his brows. “You have hardly eaten anything. Eat.”

“Ector,” she tilted her head, narrowing her eyes, “are you calling me a liar?”

“No,” he said with a chuckle, “just overly generous.”

Kathryn rose from her seat and eased closer to him, moving the fillet closer to his face. She grinned. “Come on, Ector. You know you want it.”

There was a hint of playfulness in her tone that made Ector’s hearts beat a little faster. Perhaps looking at it from the outside, his excitement—which bordered on giddiness—would’ve seemed foolish, but he could not deny that seeing this side of Kathryn only enhanced his attraction to her.

He leaned precariously away from her, tentacles bunches to one side, and shook his head. “I do not want it as much as you need it, Kathryn. You will have to maintain your strength if you are to keep up with me over the coming days.”

Kathryn gaped at him, eyes flaring wide in shock. “Now you’re calling me weak!”

Ector grimaced. “For someone who has no feet, I certainly seem prone to putting them in my mouth.”

She chuckled. “You could put this food in your mouth, instead.” She moved as though to step closer, but his tentacle—still wrapped loosely around one of her ankles—was in the path of her leading foot. Her toes caught on the underside of the tentacle, and before either of them could react, she pitched forward with a gasp.

Kathryn fell on top of Ector. Her slight weight was enough to upset his balance. He dropped backward, wrapping his arms around her, and accepted the impact of the fall on his back. They both grunted—and the fish fillet flew from her hand and landed on his face, covering his eyes and nose.

A few moments of silence passed, during which Ector was struck by the absurdity of the situation. This little human had tripped and knocked him to the ground, there was a rock digging into his back, and a piece of meat was draped over his face…but he couldn’t help enjoying the feel of her soft, warm body sprawled atop his. How could something be so comical and arousing at once?

“You missed my mouth,” he said.

An abrupt, snort-like sound escaped Kathryn, and then she was laughing. She buried her face against Ector’s chest, and her warm breath fanned his skin as her entire body shook with her laughter.

Ector added his laughter to hers. It feltgood—not just laughing together, but having her body against his, feeling her heat, experiencing a closeness that, at least at that moment, transcended the physical.

The warmth of her breath faded as she propped herself up. She lifted one side of the fillet to uncover one of his eyes. She was still chuckling as she met his gaze.

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