Page 24 of Lover from the Waves

She chuckled and lifted the filled jug out of the water, screwing the cap back on. “It is strange, isn’t it?”

He removed his jug from the water, too, and resealed it. “Stranger still is that despite kraken being part human, the very water you depend upon is dangerous for us.”

Kat frowned, and her brows knitted in worry as she skimmed her gaze over the stream. “Just by being inside it?”

“For long enough, yes. But my understanding—based on information Arkon found—is that it would take quite some time.” He flicked the end of a tentacle over the surface of the stream. “Mere contact will not do me any harm. No need to worry, Kathryn.”

She released a huff of laughter. “You really had me worried for a second there, Ector.” After setting the jug down about half a meter from the water’s edge, she planted the butt of her rifle on the ground and used it to help herself stand up. “We can leave the containers here while we go farther inland. No sense in hauling them through the jungle when we have to come back this way later.”

Ector twisted at his waist and placed his jug beside Kat’s. His tentacles drew together and pushed his torso upward in a smooth, effortless motion. As velvety-smooth as their skin was, as gentle as their touch could be, Kathryn couldn’t imagine the amount of strength held within those tentacles, couldn’t imagine the strength Ector exerted constantly just to remain upright on land. Kraken were made for the water but being out of it didn’t seem to slow them down much.

Kathryn’s eyes traveled down Ector’s body.

It’s no wonder their bodies are so muscular, so strong, so…

When she lifted her gaze again, he was staring right back at her with a knowing smile on his lips.

Heat flooded her cheeks. “I was staring again, wasn’t I?”

“Yes, but I do not mind.” He eased closer, raised a hand, and brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. A moment later, one of his tentacles rose, and he plucked something from it—a vibrant capeweed flower, which he slipped into her hair. He curled a clawed finger beneath her chin and tilted her face up toward his. “I very much enjoy looking at you, too, Kathryn.”

He towered over her, but she wasn’t afraid; he made her feel small butsafe.

Kat’s lips parted as she searched his eyes. They were warm and glowing, and he looked at her as though she were the most beautiful thing in the world. As though shewashis world. She lifted a hand and loosely curled her fingers around his wrist—it was too big for her fingertips to meet—and, without thinking, closed her eyes, rose up on her toes, and pressed her mouth to his. Heat flared along Kat’s lips and spread through her, leaving pleasurable tingles in its wake.

He started and released a surprised breath, but he didn’t pull away as she molded their mouths together. His lips were warm and firm, and she tasted salt and sea upon them, but Ector was still—so still that Kathryn feared she’d done something wrong. Thatthiswas wrong.

Dread washed over her, cold and sobering, and she broke the kiss, pulling away and releasing her hold on his wrist.

But Ector looped an arm around her back, halting her retreat. She looked up to find his brow furrowed and his lips turned down in a shallow frown. He plucked the rifle from her grasp with his free hand and passed it to a tentacle, setting it aside.

“I did not do that correctly, did I?” he asked.

Kathryn’s mouth fell into a frown of her own as she settled her hands on his shoulders. “You didn’t… What do you mean?”

“I have neverkissed,” he replied softly.

Kat’s eyes widened. “Oh.” She tilted her face a little closer, keeping her eyes locked with his. “But don’t kraken kiss? I’ve seen so many with their mates…”

“Something they learned from their human mates.” He smiled, and his tongue slipped out to run over his lips. “And I…would like to learn, also.”

Her gaze dipped to watch his tongue move, catching a glimpse of his sharp teeth, and a spark of arousal flickered in her core. She tightened her grip on his shoulders. Those wicked teeth didn’t dampen her desire to feel his mouth against hers again—they intensified it. And, though playing the role of tutor in such intimate matters was strange, she couldn’t deny that it was also thrilling.

“You want me to teach you?” she asked, her voice surprisingly husky.

Ector lifted his free hand to her face, cupping her cheek with his warm palm while one of his tentacles coiled around her calf. He drew her body flush against his. “Yes. You are the only one I want to kiss.”

Kathryn’s breath hitched, and her heart fluttered. The spark at her core flared, sending a wave of anticipation and desire through her body. She leaned her face closer, leaving their lips a whisper apart, and stared up at him.

“Think of it…as a dance.” She grazed her lips back and forth across his. “A kiss can be slow and sensual.” She kissed him more firmly, caressing his lips with her own, exploring his mouth, before nipping at his lower lip and sucking it into her mouth to stroke with her tongue.

Ector’s breath caught, and both his arm and his tentacle tightened around her. The tips of his claws lightly scraped the skin of her lower back through her shirt; the sensation only heightened her arousal.

She released his lip and skimmed the tip of her nose over his. “One leads and takes control. Kiss me, Ector, like I showed you.”

Kathryn returned her mouth to his. The difference was immediate.

Ector leaned into the kiss, responding to the movement of her lips and complementing them with his own. He seemed tentative at first, but as the kiss continued, his confidence improved—and her need grew along with it.

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