Page 61 of Of Rime and Ruin
Romance books. With kissing. He will know what she needs.
Not me.
It will never be me.
I bury my face in her hair. One last time. Inhale. She is sunshine, softness. All the beautiful things.
But she must go now.
It’s for the best.
I push her ashore. Leave her on the beach. In the dry air.
I speak:Sunfish will stay.
She peers through the water. Mouth frowning. Confusion.
Then angry. She smacks the water.
Her tail flops. Bones crack. Tail splits into two legs.
Naked.
Pussy.
Warm pink flesh.
My heart races.
I stare.
She’s beautiful. So beautiful my heart aches.
I can’t look away. Can’t leave her like this. Can I?
Her arousal floods the water. Warm scent. Wanting.
I can’t deny what Sunfish wants. Her wish is my task.
And Sunfish wants me. I can smell it.
I lick my lips.
Chapter twenty-six
Nahla
Theclawbeastpushesmeout of the water, where my ass meets smooth, cold stones. Water runs down my back, slicking my curls against naked skin. My scales prickle at the rush of night air, and my tail splits in the middle. Bare legs lift from the waves.
I smack the water with my palm, sending an angry spray.
This is not how I wanted my escape to go. One moment I was free—the next, I’m land-bound with a grumpy guppysitter.
Sunfish will stay, he commands from the sea. His reptilian form slithers on the beach, pausing before he breaks the surf. He lifts his face above the waterline, focusing on the space between my legs. With shimmering eyes, the Beast smiles, and a wash of appreciation colors his thoughts. His tongue swipes over his bottom lip.
I flush and tuck my thighs together, cursing as arousal flutters in my center. The cold water laps at my entrance, and I clench.
It’s the cold. That’s all this is.
