Page 103 of Found at Sea
“That’s enough walking for now,” Kellan said before turning us around. We walked the way we’d come, and one moment of quiet turned to two. A stretch of silence was broken when he cleared his throat. “I’ll never forgive myself for what I did. Alek asked it of me, but I could’ve refused him. I should have. I’ll never forget the way you screamed or the sight of him in the water, taking his last breath.”
I recalled seeing arms pull Alek below the waves, followed by the flashing of a too familiar blue and green tail. I might’ve dreamed it, though, since I’d become unconscious right after seeing it. I wasn’t certain.
“Do you think it possible that he could’ve lived?” I asked as hope filled my chest. Such a dangerous thing it was. “Unless my eyes failed me…I saw the nymph that day. Holding Alek before carrying him below the water’s surface.”
Kellan stopped walking and studied me. “You saw the nymph?”
I nodded. “I have another theory.”
My captain smirked. “Shocking. But let’s hear it.”
“The nymph wasn’t after me like you thought,” I said, staring into his mesmerizing gaze. Snow continued to fall and gather in his raven black hair. “He was after Alek.”
He didn’t say anything, but I saw his mind at work.
When we returned to the Inn, I welcomed the warmth from inside, not realizing how cold I’d actually been until feeling the heat from the hearth. Horace approached us, and I was so happy to see him that I rushed forward and flung my arms around him.
“What’s this for, lad?” he asked, patting my back.
“Just pleased that you’re here and well,” I answered before pulling away and standing back at Kellan’s side. I’d become close to the older man, and after losing so much, I was happy to still have him. “Well, well enough it seems.”
He had a long jagged gash down his face, barely missing his right eye. It appeared to be healing, but not nearly as quick as my wound had.
We spoke to him for a moment before Kellan said I needed to rest, and he steered us up the stairs and back to our room.
“Horace knows of your curse, doesn’t he?”
Kellan was removing my boots and stilled. “Fletcher…we’ve discussed this.”
I groaned in frustration and fell backward on the bed. After grabbing a pillow, I held it over my face and sharply exhaled. I had the urge to smack Kellan—perhaps that would slap some damn sense into him.
“You’re angry with me,” he said, slipping off my second boot.
I peered down at him and answered him with a scowl.
“What can I do to make you happy?” he asked, pulling his brows together. I was about to suggest what exactly would make me happy, but he held up a hand. “Something that doesn’t involve us searching for the heart.”
“Is bedding me out of the question?” I asked, suddenly needing to feel him all around me. So many emotions plagued me, and I wanted the bliss of his body in mine, his weight on me, and his kisses marking my skin.
Hunger blazed in his blue-brown eyes, but so did reluctance. “What of your wound?”
“We can be careful,” I said, tossing aside the pillow before scooting up on the bed. “I need you, Kellan.”
Needed him to take away my grief. I wanted to forget the ominous future that awaited us and pretend, even for just a moment, that nothing would ever tear us apart.
Kellan stripped out of his clothes before getting on the bed and hovering over me. He leaned down, careful not to place any weight on me, and gave me a slow, tender kiss.
“The only way we will do this,” Kellan said, gliding his nose along my cheek and down to my jaw. His breath fanned across my neck and made bumps form on my arms and legs. “Is if you ride me.”
Rarely did I ever take control during sex. However, there were times when he liked me to be on top of him, taking what I wanted and how I wanted it.
Kellan was a man who loved control. Dominance. And I was the one man he submitted for.
Our kisses deepened and our hands began to explore. His cock pressed against my stomach, and mine did the same for him. Passions intensified. He moved down my body and softly bit my inner thigh before lifting my hips a little.
I moaned as he lapped at my entrance, and when he slid his tongue inside, I gasped and grabbed a handful of the blanket beneath me.
When we both needed more, I straddled his lap and slowly pressed down on him. The sting of his cock stretching me made my eyes water, but the oil made for an easy glide, and the ache passed within seconds. Once he was fully sheathed inside me, I remained still, letting my body get used to the fullness of him.
