Page 48 of Lover from the Waves

Kathryn laughed. “Since we’re both making up for lost time, I think we might needmorefood. Let me get my knife so we can get them cleaned up.”

This time, Ector helped Kathryn clean the fish, and they fell into the work as easily as though they’d been doing it together for years instead of days. Once again, he ate most of the bits she would’ve otherwise thrown away. When those bits were all gone, she gave him a little purplish star mint leaf to deal with what she dubbed hisfish breath. Ector could only chuckle as he ground the leaf between his teeth. Its potent flavor burned almost as much as it had the first time he’d tried it, but it rapidly cleared away the lingering taste of raw fish parts from his tongue.

He took no insult in it; who was he to question what scents his mate found pleasant or unpleasant? There were many smells on land of which he was not fond, and it only stood to reason that there were scents Kathryn didn’t care for, either. If she found those fish parts so unappealing that she would not eat them, why would she like their smell? Why would she want to taste them on his lips when they kissed?

It was a small thing to keep his mate satisfied. When Kathryn glanced up at him, Ector swallowed the mashed-up leaf and flashed her a large smile.

And as a reward, Kathryn leaned in and kissed him. It was a slow kiss; she took her time with it, and he did the same, relishing every moment. Her lips lingered against his, but it was only when her tongue teased the seam of his mouth that he reached out for her, longing to pull her against him. She withdrew before he could. The corners of her mouth curled upward in a knowing grin as she returned to her task and set the fillets to cook.

When the food was done, Kathryn piled the flakey white meat high on several large green leaves. Ector sat beside her, and they ate, enjoying one another’s company as they had for days, whether in comfortable silence or conversation. During this meal, however, the air felt charged with anticipation. Ector couldn’t stop his eyes from straying to his beautiful mate. She also cast him heated glances, and he knew she felt it, too.

Once they’d finished eating, Ector was unable to resist the temptation any longer. He needed to touch her, to hold her, to feel her body against his. He turned toward Kathryn, slipped his arms around her, and lifted her onto his lap. He loved the feel of her slight weight upon him.

A laugh escaped her, and she leaned back against his chest. The sea stretched about before them, darkening beneath an evening sky that was stained gold, pink, and violet, but it was still too early to head out. Ector had time to savor this moment with her.

With a contented sigh, Kathryn rested her head on his shoulder and lay her arms over his. She fit perfectly against him. Ector smiled and slid his tentacles over her legs, sampling the taste of her skin through his suction cups. She tasted of the sea, her soap, and something whollyher, sweet and fragrant. It was a flavor he was swiftly growing addicted to.

It was becoming difficult to understand how he’d lived without her for so long—and he knew he was well beyond the point of being able to live without her ever again. Kathryn was a part of him, now, as necessary and vital as his lungs, siphons, or hearts.

Kathryn smiled as she reclined against Ector. They’d enjoyed many sunsets together since leaving home, and she’d never tire of watching them. Not with Ector. He made them that much more special. She’d observed countless sunsets from her window over the years—usually sitting by herself since her daughters had moved out. Those lonely sunsets had been beautiful, but they’d also been sorrowful. They’d been a reminder that all things come to an end.

Watching them with Ector, however— protected by his big body, surrounded by his warmth—they’d taken on new beauty, new meaning. Sunset marked the end of the day, yes, but it was also the beginning of night. And she could weather those stretches of darkness secure in herself, in her future, knowing that they were always followed by dawn. There would always be light.

Her smile grew as his suction cups contracted and relaxed on the bare skin of her legs. She chuckled softly. “They feel like they’re kissing me.”

“Hmm? What does?” Ector asked.

“Your suction cups. It feels like they’re giving me kisses.” Kathryn had seen the strength his tentacles possessed, had felt it just beneath the surface of his skin. Even the smallest of his suction cups were unbelievably strong. And it amazed her still that he could be so incredibly gentle when it came to her despite the immense power held within his body.

“Like the kiss I gave you last night?”

There was a mischievous, husky note in his voice that made Kat turn her head and look at him. He was grinning; the enticing wickedness in the expression told her exactly what he meant. They’d shared a lot of kisses so far, but she knew the kiss he was referring to, and the reminder sent a shiver up her spine. Her core clenched at the memory of whatthatkiss had felt like.

Heat flooded her body and burned her cheeks. “No, these are…different. Like a gentle massage and caressing lips.”

Ector’s skin shifted, turning from green to maroon. Two of his tentacles slid up her legs, tickling her skin as they moved toward the apex of her thighs. Kat tore her eyes away from his to look down.

“Can that sort of different also be good?” he asked, continuing that slow trek of his tentacles. The tone of his voice suggested he’d find out by trying it himself no matter her answer. The tentacles already coiled around her legs tightened slightly, increasing the pressure of those little suction cup kisses, and spread her legs wider apart.

Kathryn’s heart quickened, and she squeezed his arms, unable to pry her eyes away from his moving appendages. “I suppose it could be…”

The tip of a tentacle grazed her sex. Its touch was light as it slid through her slick, teasing her with its mere presence. Ector shifted the other tentacle higher. As it reached the small patch of hair above her sex, it curled around so its tip could settle close to her clit—keeping a couple centimeters away, heightening her anticipation, deepening her hunger.

“Ector,” she breathed, her core once more contracting with a fresh flow of desire. The ache within her intensified. She tilted her pelvis, silently begging for his touch.Needingit.

“You are as eager to find out as me,” he rumbled, voice vibrating into her through his chest. He shifted one of his arms up, bringing hers along with it, and slowly unbuttoned her shirt even as his tentacles flexed and relaxed, gifting her sensitive flesh with more of those soft kisses.

Once the top few buttons of her shirt were undone, he slipped his hands beneath the fabric and covered her breasts with his palms. Kathryn moaned, closing her eyes, and arched her chest into his hands. He cupped her breasts, kneaded them, squeezed them, and she gasped when he pinched her nipples between his fingers, which created another gush of heat between her legs.

The tip of his tentacle grazing her sex delved deeper, teasing her folds and her entrance but going no farther.

Kathryn bit her lip and undulated her hips, trying to force his touch where she needed it most. “Ector, please.”

Ector released a pleased hum. “Who am I to deny my mate?”

He flatted his tentacle over the top of her sex, latching onto her clit with one of his suction cups. Kathryn sucked in a sharp breath and clasped his wrists with her hands, needing something to hold onto, something to ground her as a surge of pleasure pierced her. She bucked her hips, but his other tentacles held her thighs in place. His suction cup began moving in a rhythmic, undulating manner, sucking and releasing, massaging her clit and the sensitive flesh around it.

Kathryn panted, forcing her eyes open to look down her body and watch. The sight was more erotic than anything she’d ever seen, anything she’d everdone. She was splayed out, thighs spread wide, with Ector’s maroon hands working her bared breasts. His claws were deadly sharp, and the tips scraped delightfully against her skin, but she trusted him completely. She rocked her hips to his rhythm, moaning as the sensation he evoked within her grew in intensity.

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