Page 47 of Moonlit Alexandrite

Lex

It turned out to be a fantastic afternoon. We headed down into the caves near Cupid Falls and explored for hours, even black water rafting at one point on large inflatable tubes. Colbie and Dash bickered the entire way. I still wasn’t sure how Dash had ended up on this trip with us, and when I asked Ren, he grunted something about cat burglars inviting themselves whenever they pleased, but on the whole, I had a wonderful time with my family.

Family.

The thought warmed me. After the chilly household I had grown up in, where appearances and manners were everything, being here, surrounded by my chosen people — even the ones fate brought me — I felt like I belonged for the first time ever.

We had stopped to rest and have some lunch on the shore of the river, and while we digested our food, I laid myself out under a tree. Newt cackled in glee as he ran headlong into the water and was caught by a wave that bounced him along its surface. Tase stood, ankle deep, a short way off, grinning. Watching him manipulate his element so easily reminded me of the other night, and I coughed lightly as I felt my cheeks burn at the memory. Tase caught my eye and winked.

I noticed Dash heading toward Colbie, possibly for yet another round of bickering, a second before an isolated wave picked him up off the sand and dumped him into the loch. He came up coughing and spluttering, casting angry eyes on my kelpie.

“What the fuck, Tase?!”

“I don’t like being green, Dash.”

The cat shifter looked thoroughly confused for a moment before seemingly remembering his sin.

“That was weeks ago! Surely you aren’t still pissed about that.”

“Not anymore,” Tase said with a smirk that had me subtly rubbing my thighs together. Damn, I had some hot mates. Beside me, Dion chuckled from beneath the hat that was keeping the sun off his face. He had shucked his shirt hours ago, all the men had, and it had been very difficult to think straight since.

Ren had been quiet all day. He seemed so distracted that I worried something was wrong, but the others recommended leaving him to work through whatever it was.

“He’ll tell us when he’s ready,” Tase had advised.

I still didn’t like it, but they had known each other far longer.

He sat farther down the shore, absently watching as Newt played with Garnet, who had shifted into her otter form for a swim. I had a feeling the guys made her a little nervous, but I wasn’t going to bring it up.

Garnet’s otter slipped from the water and burrowed into a pile of towels before shifting into her human form. I was impressed by how effortlessly she kept herself covered, maintaining professionalism even though she was all but naked. “Alright guys, time to jump back into the kayaks for the trip home.” She twisted excess water from the strawberry-colored ends of her hair and pulled her clothes on quickly as everyone glanced away to give her privacy.

“Tase, how come you seem to be the only shifter who doesn’t keep clothes around when he shifts?” I asked curiously. Dion took a breath and started choking as Tase turned an offended glare on me. “Okay, first, I am not technically a shifter. I’m not that pedestrian. Second, I don’t have someone carrying spare pants for me like my man Newt here, do I, bud?” Tase high-fived Newt while Garnet and Ren grumbled over the shifter insult. “Finally, you like me better naked anyway, so what does it matter?” My succubus let out a deep purr as he crossed the distance between us and scooped me up over his shoulder without breaking stride. With a dark chuckle, he slapped my ass playfully and gently deposited me in my kayak. The pointed look he sent in Dion’s direction was warning enough that no one else would be riding back with me.

Without waiting for the others, he pushed us from the shore and sat down heavily behind me.

“You okay? Seems like your kelpie might be a little close to the surface right now,” I said.

His answer was a grunt, and we sat silently for a few minutes as we glided downriver back toward town. It took me longer than it should have to work out he was up to something.

My first sign was him shifting until his legs lay on either side of mine, his crotch tight against my ass.

“Your turn to paddle,” he growled in my ear as he handed me the oar.

“What are you doing?” I asked, accepting my new role and propelling us forward easily.

His left arm wrapped tightly around my waist, tucking me more firmly against him, as his right toyed with the waistband of my shorts.

“Keep us moving,” he said, nipping at my earlobe. I shivered and relaxed further into him, lazily digging at the water with my oar. He worked his hand beneath my shorts and I knew the moment he found out I had foregone panties by the soft groan that rumbled in my ear.

“Clothes are so restricting, don’t you think?” I teased.

“Don’t tempt me,” he said as he stroked my outer lips just to watch me squirm. “I would like nothing more than to strip you bare out here, where anyone could see you, hear you whimper for me. Would you like that, baby girl? To let everyone see how much you enjoy my fingers? My tongue? I know that you were thinking about the other night while you were sitting on the shore before, I could practically smell your arousal from the water.” I leaned back into him for leverage, bucking my hips to force his fingers closer. He huffed a laugh and finally delved deeper, expertly swirling the pad of a single digit around my swollen clit.

“See how wet you get for me? Just a few words, and you are panting. How much do you want me to fill you up right now, my little sex demon? Should I rip your clothes from your body and feed you my cock? Stretch you with my fingers so you can take me inside you? Use your words, Baby Girl, I’m not psychic.”

He teased my opening, then paused, waiting for me to speak up. Words. I could find words. People used words all the time. Why couldn’t I stop thinking the word words?

Goddess help me, I didn’t care which one, but clearly I needed divine intervention.

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