Page 45 of Lover from the Waves

Mine.

Lowering his head, Ector flicked his gaze up to meet Kathryn’s. She watched him raptly with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. The sight of such vulnerability in her eyes, bolstered by such trust and eagerness, made his hearts stutter.

He inhaled deeply the fragrance of her desire. His eyes snapped shut, and he shuddered. The tremor ran all the way down to his shaft, and he nearly spilled his seed right then, holding back only through sheer force of will. He would savor this moment and gift his mate with pleasure before taking his own. But this… This was a gift for him, too.

Curling his fingers around her thighs, he dipped his head, pressed his mouth to her sex, andkissed. Conscious thought ceased at his first full taste of her on his tongue. That primal instinct that had stirred in him only moments before resurged, blasting through his body on a wave of heat and hunger, leaving him with only a want, a need, formore. He feasted upon her as though he’d been starved for eternity, and nothing could quench his thirst and hunger but her. He drank, licking everywhere, sucking everywhere—especially the little bud at the apex of her sex that seemed to wring more nectar from her.

Kathryn’s hands, which Ector barely registered were upon his head, gripped him as she cried out and bucked her hips. He snarled against her, forcing her thighs back to the ground. That sound—which had risen from his throat involuntarily—combined with her desperate cry, brought Ector back to his senses.

Eyes wide, he lifted his head. His hearts were racing for an entirely different reason now. “Are you all—”

“No! Don’t stop,” Kathryn begged breathlessly. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her skin was flushed. Her eyes, half-lidded and gleaming, locked with his. “Please, don’t stop.”

For a moment, he couldn’t understand how what he’d perceived as a pained reaction could possibly be an expression of pleasure, but the pleading tone in her voice cut through his doubts. It was about so much more than his need to drink from her; his mate was desperate for pleasure, and he would always do all he could to fulfill her desires.

He dropped his head at her urging, and kissed her again, using his lips and tongue—but this time, he maintained his control. He was rewarded by his mate writhing in his grasp. Her eyes closed as she tilted her head back and arched her chest, thrusting her breasts into the air. She undulated her hips as much as he’d allow, seeking his mouth and tongue with her sex, filling the night air with her moans.

“Oh God, I’m so close,” Kathryn rasped. She released her hold on him to cup her breasts, pinching and squeezing her nipples. “My clit, Ector.Please!”

Breathing raggedly, he lifted his mouth from her sex only far enough to ask, “Your what?”

Opening her eyes, Kathryn raised her head and met his gaze. She laughed. Releasing one of her breasts, she reached down her body toward her sex. Ector had to hold himself back from swatting her hand away. She slipped her finger into her slit and touched the small bud nestled at the top, slowly circling it.

“This is called a clitoris. A clit,” she said. “It’s what brings women the most pleasure. What bringsmemost pleasure.”

Despite his reluctance to do so, he removed one of his hands from her leg and took hold of her wrist. He drew her hand away from her sex, pausing briefly to suck her oils from her finger, and guided it back to his head. Then he grasped her thigh again and dropped his mouth to the spot she’d shown him—herclit—and sucked.

Kathryn dropped back to the ground and gasped. Her nails bit into his scalp, and she thrashed beneath him, but he didn’t relent. He only sucked harder, stroking his tongue over the little bud that brought her so much pleasure.

Suddenly, her body tensed, and she screamed as a rush of nectar flowed from her. She trembled as she came, her scream fading into breathy moans. It wasn’t until she gently pushed his head and said his name that he released her clit, giving it a gentle kiss before he lapped the oils from her sex. Her body was languid now.

“Ector?” she repeated.

As he lifted his gaze to meet hers, he slipped his tongue out to lick her moisture from his lips, savoring every drop.

She held her arms out to him. “Join with me.”

His cock pulsed in response to her invitation, reminding him of the immense discomfort that had gripped him. He removed his hands from Kathryn’s legs, planting them on the ground to either side of her, and pushed himself up, sliding his body over hers. He stopped only when the tip of his cock was touching the hot, slick flesh of her sex.

Kathryn smiled, slipped her arms around his torso, and ran her palms along his back. His tentacles moved restlessly upon the ground. Two of them found her legs and twined around them, keeping them spread wide. She rocked her hips upward, and the tip of his shaft slipped inside her. A tremor ran along his spine, and he gritted his teeth.

“You are mine,” Ector growled, and thrust his cock deep.

Heat,so much heat, surrounded him, squeezing him tight.

Kathryn gasped, tightening her hold on him, but she didn’t move. He was glad for it; he knew the slightest motion on her part in that moment would’ve been too much, and he would’ve disgraced himself. He locked his elbows and leaned his weight on his arms, which threatened to tremble.

His shaft was sheathed in warm bliss. It had been so long since he’d mated, so long since he’d felt anything like this.

No. I’ve never feltanythinglike this. This is rapture.

Kathryn bit her lip against the incredible sensation. Ector’s slick cock stretched her, filled her, and oh God, she wantedmore. His shaft throbbed, and she felt his rapid pulse through their connected bodies. She felt his struggle just as clearly. Though all she wanted to do was pull him closer, undulate her pelvis, and take him deeper inside her, she held still; she didn’t want this to end too soon. Her resistance was only made harder by the little tendrils around the base of his cock, which teased her sex with featherlike caresses.

Tilting her head back, Kathryn looked up at him. His eyes were squeezed shut, his jaw clenched with sharp teeth bared, and the cords of muscles in his neck stood out clearly. She glanced beside her. His fingers were rigid, claws buried in the ground. His tentacles—even the ones curled around her legs—were equally stiff, and his body trembled as though he were desperate to maintain control. She had the sense that he’d been struggling to maintain that control throughout their trip.

Ector had smiled and laughed with her, had spoken openly about a great many things, and hadn’t been shy about expressing his desire for her, but he’d somehow seemed guarded through all of it. Kat guessed it had to do with the kraken culture and his former role as a leader and mentor—he’d likely trained himself to appear stoic and calm no matter the situation so his people always had someone to look to for stability.

But she didn’t want him in control. She wanted him wild. She wanted that same ferocity, possessiveness, and need she’d seen in his eyes when he’d tasted her.

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