Page 4 of Lover from the Waves

He drew in a deep breath that he didn’t fully release—telling himself itwasn’tjust to swell his chest a bit more—and started toward the silver-haired female.

Chapter 2

With a gentle smile, Kathryn watched her daughters walk away. She could almost imagine them as they’d been years ago—two little girls walking hand-in-hand on this very beach. She recalled the way they’d laugh and sing, the way they’d peer over their shoulders to make sure Kat was watching, recalled the wide, mischievous smiles they’d gifted her. Those were the days when they’d never stray far from Kathryn’s side. Now, they walked away without a backward glance.

Kat knew time moved at its own steady, unchanging pace, but the years seemed to pass faster and faster as they stacked up behind her.

Allison and Charlotte were grown up now, with families of their own. They didn’t need her like they once had.

Sighing, Kathryn turned and stared out at the sea to watch the waves roll ashore. The wind tousled her hair and tugged at her blouse and skirt, molding the fabric to her body. Foamy water swept over the sand and around her feet. By midnight, the entire beach would be under water. There’d be no evidence of today’s festivities when the tide receded tomorrow morning.

The sea continually washed away any marks left in the sand, offering the beach a fresh start each day. The beach didn’t have to carry its scars and blemishes for long—they could all be forgotten thanks to those tireless waves. Even if the land was slowly being worn down over thousands of years, what difference did it make? It had been here since long before Kathryn’s ancestors had come to this planet and it would still be here long after she was gone.

But the sea couldn’t wash away the marks—both visible and hidden—that Kathryn carried. Every scar, every wrinkle, was a record of the life she’d lived, hers to bear forever. That life hadn’t always been easy, but it had been fulfilling. Rewarding. She’d raised two beautiful daughters, had gained two wonderful sons when her daughters joined, and had five grandchildren she loved and adored. And yet…

Something was missing.

Her eyebrows fell as she swept her gaze along the nearby cliffs that jutted into the sea, forming the promontory atop which the town’s iconic lighthouse was perched. Fishermen sailed out of this little bay almost every morning and returned each evening. How long had it been since Kathryn had been on a boat? How long since her stomach had fluttered with exhilaration as she rode those rolling waves, since she felt ocean spray on her skin and briny wind through her hair, since she’d looked out over the water and been excited by the limitless possibility offered by the endless blue?

It’s been eighteen years since Colin…

“You look to be lost in thoughts as deep as the sea,” said a rumbling voice to her right.

Kathryn gasped and took a reflexive step back—except her feet didn’t budge. They’d sunk into the loose, wet sand. Her eyes widened as she lost her balance and tipped backward.

A strong arm banded around her from behind, and her back struck a solid chest, which halted her fall and kept her upright.

Heart pounding, she curled her fingers tightly around the arm holding her but kept otherwise still for a few moments. Water continued to flow around her ankles. She wiggled her toes, loosening the sand that had locked her feet in place. It caused her to sway slightly; only then did she register the hand firmly cupping her left breast. Despite the barrier provided by her clothing, she felt that hand as clearly as though it were pressed against her bare flesh—felt its strength, its heat, its roughness.

Unbidden, her nipple hardened beneath that palm, and sudden, unexpected desire jolted through her, piercing straight to her core. Her heart quickened.

“Oh,” she breathed, and looked down. Her wildly beating heart leapt. A large,greenhand with webbed fingers and black claws was over her breast. The pale skin of her fingers stood out in stark contrast to that drab green flesh. “Oh!”

The one who’d startled her—and who’d saved her from tumbling into the sand—was a kraken.

“My apologies,” the kraken said in that deep, familiar voice. “I did not mean to frighten you. Are you all right?”

Kathryn cleared her throat, eased her grip, and gently—though awkwardly—patted his arm.Such a strong arm…“I’m fine, thank you. I was just…letting my thoughts wander.”

She didn’t know how it was possible, but her nipples tightened further, so much so that it was painful. The slightest shift sent another pulse of arousal to her core, followed by a rush of heat between her thighs.

What is wrong with me?

It’d been years since she’d felt this sort of attraction, this sort of lust. Why did she feel it now? Why…with him?

With surprising care, the kraken righted her, allowing her weight to settle on her feet again before letting his arm fall away. “I understand the dangers of that all too well these days.”

She tried not to think about the absence of his touch, tried to ignore how heavy her breast suddenly felt, howcoldit was now that it wasn’t cradled by his heat.

Kathryn turned, carefully pulled her feet out of the loose sand, and faced her rescuer. She recognized him immediately—Ector. She’d seen him around town most days since his kind had come to The Watch, talking to people in the town center—including the members of the town council—or helping the fishermen and other kraken down at the dock.

Like most of his kind, he was big, towering over her on those thick, powerful tentacles. Despite the few wrinkles on his face—none of which were much deeper than her own—his green skin was taut over the sculpted muscles of his arms and chest. She knew he was referred to as an elder by his people, but she’d never though it possible to maintain that kind of physique in one’s twilight years.

Her eyes trailed over his broad shoulders and thick neck to stop on his face. Unlike some humans, she’d never found the kraken unsettling. They were just…different. Though Ector’s nose was flatter and less pronounced, and he lacked hair and ears—there were tube-like protrusions on the sides of his head instead, called siphons—he was remarkably humanlike. And with that well-defined jawline and those arresting golden eyes…well, this kraken was rather handsome.

She met his gaze. His alien, oblong pupils expanded, and she could have sworn his skin shifted toward maroon for an instant while he studied her as intently as she had him.

“I have not disturbed you, have I?” he asked.

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