Page 66 of Kiss for My Kraken
“Let me finish,” he said gently. “I need to say this.”
She nodded, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill.
“I’ve experienced isolation so profound it became my entire identity.” His voice dropped lower, more intense. “But in all those years, in all those experiences, I never knew joy like I’ve found with you. Never knew home could be a person as much as a place.”
A tear escaped, sliding down her cheek. He caught it with a gentle finger, his touch infinitely tender despite his strength.
“I love you, Nina,” he said, his voice steady and sure. “And I will spend every day of the rest of my life showing you how much.”
She launched herself into his arms, unable to contain the emotions swelling within her. He caught her easily, holding her as if she weighed nothing, his strong arms a sanctuary she never wanted to leave.
“I love you too,” she whispered against his neck. “So much it scares me sometimes.”
His chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Nothing scares you,” he said proudly. “You faced down your past without flinching. You embraced a monster without hesitation.”
She pulled back enough to look into his eyes, cupping his face between her palms. “You’re not a monster,” she said fiercely. “You never were.”
“In the eyes of many, I would be.”
“Then they’re blind, and they don’t matter. What matters is here.” She placed a hand over his heart, feeling its strong, steady beat beneath her palm. “What matters is us.”
His expression softened into a smile, one of those rare, full smiles that transformed his entire face. “Us,” he repeated, as if savoring the word. “I like the sound of that.”
“So do I,” she agreed, rising on tiptoe to press a kiss to his lips.
What began as a gentle affirmation quickly deepened into something more heated, more urgent. The emotions of the evening—the joy, the acceptance, the profound sense of belonging—channeled into physical desire, a need to connect on every level possible.
He lifted her into his arms without breaking the kiss, carrying her the rest of the way to the cabin. Ozzie, already inside, barely lifted his head from his paws as they entered, too accustomed to their displays of affection to be bothered.
The cabin was warm and welcoming, smelling of woodsmoke and river and home. He carried her to their bed, and followed her down, his weight carefully balanced above her, his eyes questioning.
“Yes,” she answered the unspoken question, pulling him closer. “Always yes.”
His mouth captured hers again, his hands moving with confident familiarity over her body. She arched into his touch, her own hands seeking the fastenings of his clothing. It took only moments for them to shed their festival finery, to become two bodies intertwined on the soft blankets.
“I need you,” she murmured against his mouth, her fingers threading through his hair. “Now.”
He made a low sound of agreement, his hand slipping between her thighs to find her already wet and ready for him. “My impatient minnow,” he murmured fondly, stroking her gently.
Her hips bucked, seeking more friction. “Less teasing, more tentacles.”
His laugh vibrated through her. “As my lady commands.”
In the next moment, she felt the familiar sensation of his lower body transforming, his legs separating and shifting into thick, powerful tentacles that twined around her, holding her securely. The tip of one found its way to her entrance, slipping inside her with ease and drawing a gasp of pleasure from her lips.
“Yes,” she hissed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. “Just like that.”
He kissed her again, his tongue sliding against hers as his tentacle worked deeper, stretching her deliciously. Her legs fell open, inviting more, inviting everything.
A second tentacle joined the first, twisting and writhing alongside its partner, filling her completely. She moaned into his mouth, her fingernails digging into his shoulders. The sense offullness was almost overwhelming, the sensation of being utterly possessed by him.
He began to move, his powerful body rocking into hers with steady, sure strokes. Each thrust sent shockwaves of pleasure through her, the ridged suckers of his tentacle creating delicious friction with every motion.
One of the tentacles curled and twisted, finding that secret spot inside her and rubbing it mercilessly. She cried out, her body arching into his, her fingers clawing at his back.
“That’s it, little minnow,” he growled against her neck, his voice low and rough with desire. “Give yourself to me.”
She did, surrendering completely to the sensations coursing through her. His mating arm rubbed between their bodies, slick and warm and insistent. She shuddered as the first tendrils of climax began to unfurl within her, curling outward from her core.
