Page 5 of Stranded with the Kraken
A kraken.
I sit down hard on the tile, shock pounding through me.
“You’re not screaming,” he says.
His expression is neutral, but a small swoop in his voice betrays a hint of hope. I don’t have it in me to tell him that I’m simply too surprised to utter any sound at all. I think over the questionnaire I’d had to fill out before being admitted to the Bone-R app. Did I tick the tentacle box as a maybe?
I drag my hands over my face, no doubt smearing my mascara. I wish I hadn’t left my wineglass behind, because I could use a sip or two, but I don’t think I can get my legs to work. Besides, I promised Jasper I wouldn’t run away.
Now that the initial surprise has worn off, I let myself check him over with a more critical eye. The golden eyes are intense, yes, but beautiful, and the way he keeps staring at me reminds me how hot our kiss was just minutes ago. I track my gaze over his features, noting the small differences—the chiseled cheekbones, the hint of sharp canines peeking past his full bluish lips. I don’t think he has scales, but something about the sight of his skin makes me want to run my palms over his shoulders to learn the texture.
I scoot closer to the edge of the pool and peer over the lip. “So…tentacles? How does that work?”
“I would show you if you’d let me,” he says softly. “I could make you feel very, very good.”
I swallow some instinctual panic at the thought of being in the vicinity of a mythological creature. “Haveyoudone this before?”
“Once,” he says. “I had a girlfriend in college. It didn’t work out in the end, but she never complained about, ah…” He motions at himself. “She was a witch, so she grew up with the knowledge of what I am.”
I stare into the water, trying to see what happened to his cock. He sees me looking and grins, which in turn makes my insides heat, because apparently I’m still attracted to this gorgeous man despite his bottom half resembling an octopus.
“My cock will remain hidden,” he tells me, “until we’re both ready to mate.”
So there’s still a cock…
“And kraken are…genetically compatible with humans?” I venture.
He nods. “Hence the need for you to be on birth control. You can imagine that condoms would be less than effective underwater.”
“Oh.” That never even occurred to me. That was one of his requirements for our meeting—that I get tested along with him and provide proof that I’m on the pill. “So…I’d have to join you? In the pool?”
Jasper swims closer, as if he scents my reticence waning. “Yes. You don’t have to worry. It’s completely safe.”
Safe. I swallow a slightly hysterical laugh. I could still leave. It would hurt Jasper, but I know I have every right to change my mind and hoof it. But the longer I stare at him, the less I want to do that. What seemed so incredible at first is now settling in my mind. If he was a gargoyle, I’d have to contend with his wings and a massive, knotted cock that turns to literal stone. If he was a wolf shifter, he’d fuck me in his half form, with fangs and claws and all. So I guess tentacles aren’tthatout there despite being completely inhuman.
I let out a long breath. “Talk me through it.”
He grips the lip of the pool with both hands and pulls himself closer. “Talk you through it?”
I nod. “Yeah. How…how would we…?”
“Ah.” His golden gaze goes sultry, his eyelids growing heavier. “You want to know how I’d fuck you? First, you’d sense the water itself. It’s the perfect temperature, and it would feel strange on your naked skin, because you’ve never felt saltwater this warm or thick before.”
Unable to stop myself, I scoot closer to the edge and plunge my palm into the water. He’s right—somehow, the water feels almost slippery between my fingers, as if it’s more concentrated than in the ocean.
“I asked a water witch from town for a clever little enchantment,” Jasper murmurs. “And she gave me exactly what I wanted.”
I glance at him sharply, weirdly jealous at the thought of another woman giving him anything.
Jasper lets out a laugh. “She’s happily mated to three monsters. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Sorry,” I mutter, surprised that he can read me so easily. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“You don’t want anyone touching what’s yours,” he says.
Now that I’ve come all the way to the pool, we’re so very close. He stares hungrily at my mouth. My heart pounds, and a part of me is screaming at me to be cautious, but I can’t stop myself from leaning forward until we’re nose to nose. Then Jasper closes the distance between us and presses his lips to mine.
The kiss is as good as before—only this time, I sense the heat radiating from his skin and the hunger between every swipe of his tongue. The sharp bite of his canines on my lower lip leaves me gasping, but he doesn’t let me think about it too much, because he soothes the sting with his tongue and kisses me again, winding my need tighter.
