Page 6 of Cruel Tides

“Shh, shh. It’s okay.” I gathered her up in my arms, leaning in close enough for my lips to brush over hers. “Claira, look at me.”

Her vulnerable gaze found mine through the mist, and I swallowed slowly, carefully wording what I knew needed to be said. “I know you’re worried about Kai, and that’s okay. Really, it’s okay.”

“But, Lee?—”

“I’m worried about him, too.”

Claira’s eyes filled with questions, but her lips snapped shut.

“I don’t hate him,” I offered. A lift of one of her eyebrows told me she didn’t believe me.

Whether or not she acknowledged it, I was telling her the truth. Sure, I had hated him once. But not now. When Kai took that polearm to his back in Claira’s place, everything changed.

Claira wasn’t cursed. If that weapon’s twisted metal had pierced her, I would have lost her to the sea. I’d have been powerless, watching her bleed out in my arms. And in killing her, that polearm would have killed me, too.

But Kai had willingly taken the blow in her place. And for once, I was thankful for the curse, as well as the knowledge my father’s beatings had given me on using the curse to my body’s advantage. Because if Claira hadn’t let go, and if Kai had spent even a moment longer without his wounds closing, he might not have made it out of the ocean alive. And I would have had to watch part of Claira, my beautiful mate, die along with him.

Kai claimed to be her mate, and at first, I hadn’t believed it. But now, how could I not? He’d almost sacrificed his life for her. And what was I doing? I’d been too busy letting my fucking guard down and patting myself on the back, thinking we’d won. Like an idiot. I’d missed the true danger. But Kai hadn’t.

Even though Claira already knew, I had to say the words. Maybe it was so I could hear them for myself. “If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be here.”

Her hands fell from my hair, down to the sides of my jaw. She took a slow breath, her eyes focusing intently on my lips. “That’s true. But if it weren’t for you telling me to let go, he wouldn’t be here.” Gentle lips met mine, tender and sweet, and for once, I let her have all the control. “So thank you for that, Lee.”

Fingertips pressed into my jaw as one of her hands dropped, moving down to my chest, my abs, even lower, and I growled against her mouth as her fingers curled around my cock.

She pulled back to look at me, her eyelashes sweeping as her gaze flicked down to my length she held in her palm and up again. “You’re still hard.”

My lips quirked. She was so damn adorable. “Well, you did just kiss me.”

Her look turned incredulous, but I shifted forward, hitching up one of her legs, drawing her knee up in my arm.

“Whoa, wait! What are you?—?”

She gasped as I slid a hand over her seam. My grin widened. “And you’re still so slick, so open. Fuck, I love how needy you get for me.”

Claira scoffed despite the fierce blush rising over her face. Her arms went out to brace on the walls like she didn’t trust me not to let her fall. “Humans don’topen, Lee.”

I cupped a hand over one of her frantic palms, easing it down, leading both of us between her legs. “Is that right?” I rumbled, watching her nerves play over her face.

She bit at her lip as I guided her high between her legs, her head shaking. “At—at least I don’t think they do,” she whispered, sounding nervous.

I rocked our joined hands back and forth in gentle motions, nestling her swollen nub against the flat of her palm until her hips started rolling on their own.

“Well?” My arm holding her leg up lifted, drawing her knee even higher, and I leaned in to kiss along her neck. Fuck, my cock was throbbing.

I wanted nothing more than to move her fingers aside and toy with her, brushing and coaxing out little jolts of pleasure until she was begging me to fill her—but not yet. She might not admit it, but I knew she loved being teased.

“Okay, I guess I’m alittle open.” Her elbow moved against my stomach as she touched herself again.

I nipped at her earlobe, growling the only question that mattered in her ear. “And why are you so open, beautiful?”

Her fingers retreated then, coming out from between her legs and curling into an adorably weak fist. I could feel her throat tensing as she swallowed.

“Because I…” The sweet sound of her whisper was as light and airy as the warm mist around us. “Because I want you.”

My lips slid down, vibrating over the column of her neck as a laugh hummed through me. “You don’t want to say it?” I paused with a gentle press of my lips against her skin, waiting to see if she would offer me what I wanted to hear.

Instead, her hand came up under my cock, rubbing light strokes. I couldn’t help but chuckle again.

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