Page 46 of Lover from the Waves

She wanted all of him. Nothing held back.

Lifting her head, Kathryn brushed her nose and lips across his chest. Her tongue darted out to lick his nipple. A full body shudder wracked him, and he hissed.

“And you are mine. Husband.” She bit his nipple and, using the tentacles around her legs as anchors, thrust her hips upward, taking him fully inside her.

Ector bowed his back and roared; it was a guttural, bestial sound that blasted a thrill through Kathryn, making her toes curl. He shoved his hips forward, pressing her into the ground, and those delightful tendrils skimmed and stroked, vibrating over her sex and clit. Her breath hitched as her core clenched.

Within the next instant, Ector was pumping in and out of her rapidly. His thrusts were not soft, but punishing, brutal,sublime. Growls, grunts, and guttural sounds escaped him, mixing with her gasps and moans. Sheer pleasure rippled through her with every slam of his cock. She was hot, too hot, and her skin was overly sensitive as the sensations built. Kathryn curled her fingers and raked her nails over his back; she needed him closer, needed him ever deeper.

He shifted her with his tentacles, pulling her legs higher up around him; it was just enough of a change to make his cock stroke her clit directly.

Kathryn broke apart. Her body tensed and spasmed as she came with a choked cry. Blistering, delicious pleasure flooded her, and she squeezed her eyes shut against the blissful torment. For that time—whether it was mere moments or an eternity—her body was weightless, insubstantial, not a physical thing but a manifestation of pure pleasure. And she was flying through the starry sky, everything around her reduced to a spectacular blur by her ecstasy. The world and all its worries were far, far below, unimportant and, for a little while, forgotten.

Ector snarled, and his ruthless thrusts stuttered. For a moment, it seemed as though every muscle in his body were stiffening around her, and the tentacles on her legs coiled tighter. Then he growled. A gush of heat exploded within Kathryn in that same moment, and Ector sagged forward, catching himself on his elbows as he filled her with his seed.

Kathryn panted beneath him, quivering as his little tendrils stroked and teased her sex. She came again with a series of gasps when one of those tendrils found her clit and remained there, vibrating against it. Her sex fluttered, gripping Ector’s cock, and Kat ground against him, clawed at him; the sensation was so intense that it was almost painful. Still, she reveled in the staggering, overwhelming pleasure he wrought her—especially as he continued to pump his hips in erratic but firm motions.

“Kathryn,” Ector groaned, shuddering as more of his seed filled her. “I amyours.”

A different kind of warmth bloomed within Kathryn, one that made her heart skip and ache with an abundance of love. She pressed her face against his chest, inhaled his sea-laced scent, and smoothed her hands up his back. She would never get enough of touching his velvety skin.

This was what she’d been missing, what she’d been craving all along. This connection, this intimacy, this feeling that no matter what, she would never be alone again.

Ector held himself over Kathryn as their bodies eased, keeping the majority of his weight off her. Eventually, her sex relinquished its grasp on his shaft, and her breathing and heartbeat steadied. Though little whispers of pleasure continued to course over her skin and tingle at her core, weariness sank into place as her euphoria diminished.

She had no idea how long they’d listened to Luke’s recordings, but the moons had nearly completed their trek across the night sky; the sun would rise soon enough. Kat hadn’t stayed up so late in a long, long time—not since her girls were little and one of them had been sick. Before that…well, it hadn’t been since she and Colin had been young themselves.

Despite her exhaustion, she was still disappointed when Ector reluctantly withdrew from her. She immediately missed that fullness, that satisfaction, that intimate, undeniable connection. But he didn’t leave her—he just rolled aside, onto his back, keeping his arms around her to pull her along with him. He lifted his torso off the ground for a few seconds as he grabbed her backpack, dragged it over, and positioned it beneath his head. Then he lay down, propping his head on the bag.

Kathryn sprawled atop him, resting her head on his chest, and listened to the strange, rhythmic beating of his hearts. Her thighs were wet and sticky, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to move from this spot.

Ector’s tentacles coiled around her legs and draped over her body, blanketing her, and his suction cups kissed her flesh wherever they touched. She was cocooned in warmth. A content smile stretched on her lips, and she hummed as every muscle in her body relaxed. She rubbed small circles on his chest with the tips of her fingers, relishing the feel of his skin, which had reverted to its normal drab green.

He stroked his clawed fingers through her hair, smoothing it down her back. He inhaled deeply and released it in a low rumble. “I have never felt so at peace as I do now.”

Kathryn tilted her head back and looked up at Ector. He was staring down at her, his strange, beautiful, golden eyes shining in the firelight, and the depth of emotion, adoration, and awe in his gaze made her heart sing. She couldn’t help but think back to something both Luke and Hera had echoed in the recordings—Ector was looking at Kathryn as though she were the most amazing, most wondrous thing in all the world.

Her smile widened as she moved her hand up to cup his jaw, stroking his lower lip and cheek with her thumb. She lifted her head and placed a light kiss on his lips. “You made me soar, Ector.” She lay her head back down on his chest and closed her eyes, hugging him tight. “I flew amongst the stars tonight.”

Chapter 11

Ector sped through the shallow coastal waters, fueled by his eagerness to return to Kathryn—to his mate. Leaving her alone had been difficult even knowing full well that she could take care of herself. He knew the renewal of his reluctance had been sparked by what they’d shared the night before.

It had been so much more than he could ever have hoped for or dreamed. It had been…perfect.

He’d mated with many females in his younger days, but none of those experiences compared to his joining with Kathryn. Those couplings had been matters of duty and necessity, and whatever pleasure had been associated with them had always been overshadowed by the simple need to procreate and continue the existence of their species.

But with Kathryn, the underlying emotions, the connection between their minds and hearts, had elevated their joining to something euphoric beyond Ector’s comprehension. Though he knew nothing about flying, her comparison seemed apt.

They’d slept away the morning with Kathryn draped over Ector, her skin warm and soft and still tasting of their lovemaking, and had mated again immediately after waking. By then, the sun had already crept past its zenith. Ector had readily agreed with Kathryn’s suggestion that they maintain their current camp until the following day—they would’ve only had a few hours of daylight by the time the boat was loaded and in the water.

Of course, her suggestion had also sparked an internal battle between Ector’s conflicting instincts—instincts that seemed to have intensified during his slumber. Kathryn had accepted his claim and made a claim of her own; she was his mate without question. His drive to protect her was stronger than ever, but so too was another primal drive—the need to provide for her. That would mean leaving the camp to hunt, and he knew full well he was not an effective hunter on land.

Ultimately, it had been her languid contentment that had driven Ector to choose the latter instinct. His female had worked hard throughout their journey, and now she’d been well loved; she deserved some rest. She’d provided their meal the day before, and he had been determined to do so today.

He tightened his hold on the pair of hefty, big-mouthed fish he’d caught. The fishermen of The Watch called these fish gapers, and always asked the kraken to scout for them—they were meaty creatures, and that meat was particularly sweet and tender, especially when cooked. Two gapers would provide plenty of meat to feed Ector and Kathryn, potentially for more than one meal—and Ector understood the value of good, fresh food. Yet the catch alone didn’t seem to be quite enough to make his excursion worth the price of being separated from his mate.

The thought of staying in camp with her had been tempting. It would have been so easy to simply take her in his arms and converse for hours as the sun gradually sank toward the sea, would have been so easy to spend every moment looking at her, breathing her in, touching her,joiningwith her.

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